Editing Spiritualism

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; width:320px;"
! colspan="2" | Spiritualism
|-
! Family
| Modern spiritual movement
|-
! Origin region
| United States and Europe
|-
! Founding period
| 19th century CE
|-
! Estimated adherents
| Unknown; Spiritualist churches and associations continue in several countries.
|}

'''Spiritualism''' is a modern religious movement based on the belief that the dead survive and can communicate with the living, often through mediums.

== Overview ==
Spiritualism began in the 19th century in America and Europe. Britannica describes it as a movement based on the belief that departed souls can interact with the living, usually through mediums.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spiritualism |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/spiritualism-religion |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=2026-05-22}}</ref>

== Key beliefs ==

* Human personality survives bodily death
* The living can communicate with spirits through mediums
* The afterlife is often understood as a realm of continued moral and spiritual progress
* Spiritual truth may be confirmed through experience rather than creed
* Many Spiritualists combine religious worship with mediumship

== Practices ==

* Séances
* Mediumship demonstrations
* Healing services
* Sunday church services in Spiritualist churches
* Study of spirit communication and ethics

== Places of worship ==

* Spiritualist churches
* Homes
* Camp meetings
* Séance rooms

== Sacred texts ==

* Spiritualist writings and hymns
* Mediumistic communications
* Association manuals
* Historical séance literature

== Holidays and observances ==

* Hydesville commemorations in some communities
* Church anniversaries
* Memorial and healing services

== Branches and related traditions ==

* [[Spiritism]] - A related Kardecist movement with stronger codified doctrine.
* [[New Age spirituality]] - Many New Age currents draw from Spiritualist themes.
* [[Western esotericism]] - Spiritualism overlaps with modern esoteric movements.

== See also ==

* [[Religion]]
* [[Theology]]
* [[Philosophy of religion]]
* [[New Religious Movements]]

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:Religions]]
[[Category:New Religious Movements]]
[[Category:Western esotericism]]