Spiritualists

Please add to the project Geni profiles who practiced spiritualism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a religious movement based on the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living.

The afterlife, or the "spirit world", is seen by spiritualists, not as a static place, but as one in which spirits continue to evolve. These two beliefs—that contact with spirits is possible, and that spirits are more advanced than humans—lead spiritualists to a third belief: that spirits are capable of providing useful knowledge about moral and ethical issues, as well as about the nature of God. Some spiritualists will speak of a concept which they refer to as "spirit guides"—specific spirits, often contacted, who are relied upon for spiritual guidance.

Spiritualism developed and reached its peak growth in membership from the 1840s to the 1920s, especially in English-speaking countries. By 1897, spiritualism was said to have more than eight million followers in the United States and Europe, mostly drawn from the middle and upper classes.

By the late 1880s the credibility of the informal movement had weakened due to accusations of fraud perpetrated by mediums, and formal spiritualist organizations began to appear. Spiritualism is currently practiced primarily through various denominational spiritualist churches in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Notables

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Swedenborg
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Mesmer
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson_Davis
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_sisters
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cora_L._V._Scott
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschal_Beverly_Randolph
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achsa_W._Sprague
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle

References

• “Facts, Frauds, and Phantasms: A Survey of the Spiritualist Movement.” Georgess McHargue. Doubleday (1972) GoogleBooks
• ”The Spiritualist Movement: Speaking with the Dead in America and around the World [3 volumes]: Speaking with the Dead in America and around the World.” Christopher M. Moreman. ABC-CLIO (2013). GoogleBooks
• Comfort: The Key to Happiness and Success in Over a Million and a Quarter Homes, Volume 34 (1921) “A Psycho-illogical Episode.” Page 3. GoogleBooks
• ” Spiritualism, Religion, and Mathematics in the Victorian Period.” Posted on September 1, 2019. link
• ”Women in Nineteenth-Century American Spiritualism.” By Elizabeth Schleber Lowry. link
• “The psychology of spiritualism: science and seances.” The idea of summoning the spirits took thrilling hold of the Victorian imagination – and has its adherents now. But the psychology behind spiritualism is more intriguing. By David Derbyshire, posted Sat 19 Oct 2013 19.05 EDT. link
• 7 Facts About the History of Spirit Photography. Posted October 30, 2019 by Amanda link