Spiritualist or Spiritist

Person who believes in the ability to contact departed souls through a medium.

(See also: Spiritualist or Spiritist, New Age, Body mind and Soul)

Spiritualist

One who believes that the continuity of life can be demonstrated and proven by the ability to communicate with departed souls through a psychic medium.

(See also: Spiritualist, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

National Spiritualist Association of Churches

A national spiritualist organization headquartered at Cassadaga, FL

(See also: National Spiritualist Association of Churches, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was the stage name of Ehrich Weiss, one of the most famous magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all time as well as an investigator of spiritualists. He legally changed his name to "Harry Houdini" in 1913. Harry Houdini - Early life. Houdini was born as Erik Weisz on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, to Jewish parents (his father was Rabbi Samuel Weisz, his mother was Cecilia Steiner Weisz). In 1878, his family moved to the Un ...

Including:

• Harry Houdini - Early life
• Harry Houdini - Career
• Harry Houdini - Debunking spiritualists
• Harry Houdini - Death
• Harry Houdini - Legacy

Read more here: » Harry Houdini: Encyclopedia - Harry Houdini

Spiritualism is the opposite of Materialism; every one is a Spiritualist who believes that there is in him something more than matter, but does not follow that he believes in the existence of spirits, or in their communication with the visible world. Instead, therefore of the words SPIRITUAL, SPIRITUALISM, we employ, to designate this latter belief, the words SPIRITIST, SPIRITISM, which, by their form, indicate their origin and radical meaning, and have thus the advantage of being perfectly intelligible; and we reserve the words spiritualism, spiritualist, for the expression of the meaning attached to them by common acceptation.

From "The Spirits book" By Allan Karde (1804-1869.

Read more here: » Spiritism, Introduction of The Spirits book - Part I of VI

An academic can be a spiritualist, if he realises the limitations of the intellectual realm. As Jiddu Krishnamurti says, mind and thought are the source of evil. T S Eliot, inspired by the Gita, celebrates stillness amidst movement, fixity amidst fluidity, silence amidst music. The throbbing of the mind is the origin of alienation from life - the intellectual tends to divorce mind from body, but unity can be achieved through the pursuit of yoga and meditative techniques.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

The world over, many have confused meditation with concentration and relaxation with meditation. Techniques using music, dance, other forms of creative expression, an array of therapies (both physical and mental), have all been synchronised into one basket - Meditation!

But truly speaking, many of these work more at the intellectual level while others are only channels for relaxation and prepare you for the more serious stages of true meditation. From the point of view of the advanced Yogis, meditation really is a scientific technique for communion with God, and is the seventh step (dhyanai) in Patanjali's eightfold path. To a host of new age and other spiritualists, however, techniques that encourage you to manifest mindfulness and be aware also fall under the gamut of meditation.

(See also: Meditation Techniques, Meditation, Meditation for Beginners, Meditation Techniques)

The traditional concept of man was that of a materialist or spiritualist, moral or immoral person, sinner or saint. A divided man is miserable. He is neither healthy nor whole; the other half that has been denied will go on taking revenge. It will find ways and means to overcome the part you have imposed upon yourself. You will become a battleground, there will be civil war.

In the past we were unable to create real human beings; we made humanoids. A humanoid is one who looks like a human being but is utterly challenged. He has not been allowed to bloom in his totality. He is adhoora, and because he is half is always tense; he cannot celebrate. Celebration is the fragrance of being whole.

(See also: Osho, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Spiritual possession is a concept of many religions and tales, where it is believed that a demon, or disincarnate being, may take temporary control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behaviour. The term demonic possession is used when the spirit is malignant (a demon), whereas incorporation or channelling may be used in the case of supposed benign spirits. Channelling is the claimed receipt of information or commands by a person functioning as a medium or channel for a spirit or other source. This often ...

Including:

• Spiritual possession - Religious views
• Spiritual possession - Scientific view
• Spiritual possession - Historical cases
• Spiritual possession - Books
• Spiritual possession - In fiction
• Spiritual possession - Reference

Read more here: » Spiritual possession: Encyclopedia - Spiritual possession

Spiritualism may refer to a variety of modern religious ideologies, primarily active in the United States and Europe. Central tenets of Spiritualist liturgy and dogma are the beliefs and practices of mediumship which purports to be evidence of the continued existence of an individual's spirit or soul after death. The origin of Spiritualism is commonly considered to be the Modern Spiritualist movement of the 19th century United States. Spiritualism - Background. Spiritualism in its modern incarnation started ...

Including:

• Spiritualism - Background
• Spiritualism - Meditation
• Spiritualism - Organizations
• Spiritualism - Specific Religions and Thought Currents
• Spiritualism - Theorists and Proponents
• Spiritualism - Well-known Believers
• Spiritualism - Critics and Exposers
• Spiritualism - Exposed Frauds
• Spiritualism - Miscellaneous

Read more here: » Spiritualism: Encyclopedia - Spiritualism

Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain "the Divine," and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. Theosophy, as a coherent system of thought, developed from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (also Hélène). Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others she founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. A more formal definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as "any of various philosophies professing to achieve a ...

Including:

• Theosophy - Basic Theosophical beliefs
• Theosophy - Consciousness is universal and individual
• Theosophy - Man is provisionally immortal
• Theosophy - Reincarnation is universal
• Theosophy - Karma
• Theosophy - Universal brotherhood
• Theosophy - Evolution
• Theosophy - The Septenary
• Theosophy - A brief history of Theosophy
• Theosophy - Music
• Theosophy - Early 20th-century literary references to Theosophy
• Theosophy - Notes

Read more here: » Theosophy: Encyclopedia - Theosophy

Andrew Jackson Davis (11 August 1826 - 1910), American spiritualist, was born at Blooming Grove, New York. He had little education, though probably much more than he and his friends pretended. In 1843 he heard lectures in Poughkeepsie on animal magnetism, as the phenomena of hypnotism was then termed, and found that he had remarkable clairvoyant powers; and in the following year he had ...

Read more here: » Andrew Jackson Davis: Encyclopedia - Andrew Jackson Davis

Cassadaga (a Seneca Indian word meaning "Rocks beneath the water") is a small town located in Volusia County, Florida. It is well known for having a large number of psychics and as such is sometimes referred to as being the "Psychic Center of the World". Cassadaga was started when the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association was founded by George P. Colby, a medium from Pike, New York. T ...

Read more here: » Cassadaga Florida: Encyclopedia - Cassadaga Florida

Dark Spirituality is a broad term used to describe the Left Hand Path religions, however small groups of people are beginning to define themselves as dark spiritualist without identifying themselves as practicing any of the well known left hand paths. The religion believes all spiritualities divide into a dark spirituality/light spirituality dichotomy. Light spiritualist are believed to draw together into groups to seek out a higher being or beings to act as their Goddess/God or Goddesses/Gods. The dark approach is believed to be a solitary approach that leaves one responsible for their own spiritual growth with ...

Including:

• Dark Spirituality - Defining Dark Spirituality
• Dark Spirituality - Spiritual Goal
• Dark Spirituality - Morality
• Dark Spirituality - Occult Beliefs

Read more here: » Dark Spirituality: Encyclopedia - Dark Spirituality

A séance (pronounced: [seɪɑ:ns]) is, on its most basic level, an attempt to communicate with the dead. The séance, or sitting, is led by a person known as a medium who will usually go into a trance and allow the dead to communicate through him or her. More recently, this has been known as channeling. Other forms of séances use Ouija boards and automatic writing. The Spiritualist Church is based around the belief that the dead can impart wisdom through its mi ...

Read more here: » Séance: Encyclopedia - Séance

Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (சக்ரவர்தி ராஜகோபாலாச்சாரி) (December 1878 - December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. He was the second Governor-General of independent India. Later he became the Chief Minister of Madras State. C. Rajagopalachari - With the Congress. At one time considered Mahatma Gandhi's heir, this brilliant lawyer from Salem, Tamil Nadu was rega ...

Including:

• C. Rajagopalachari - With the Congress
• C. Rajagopalachari - The Swatantra Party
• C. Rajagopalachari - Religion Literature and Poetry

Read more here: » C. Rajagopalachari: Encyclopedia - C. Rajagopalachari

Alexandra David-Néel (October 24, 1868 - September 8, 1969) was a French explorer, anarchist, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer. She is most known for her visit to the forbidden (to foreigners) city of Lhasa, capital of Tibet (1924). She was born in Paris, France and died in Digne, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. She wrote more than 30 books, about Eastern religion, philosophy, and her travels. Her well-documented teachings influenced the beat writers ...

Including:

• Alexandra David-Néel - Bibliography
• Alexandra David-Néel - External link

Read more here: » Alexandra David-Néel: Encyclopedia - Alexandra David-Néel

Alejandro Jodorowsky (born February 7, 1929, in Tocopilla, Chile to Ashkenazi Jewish parents) is an actor, director, producer, composer, mime, comic book writer and psychotherapist. He is particularly known for having directed a handful of esoteric, surreal and shocking films, and for having written several comic books. The revered cult filmmaker once stated, "I ask of cinema what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs." He is also a New Age spiritualist, and one of the world's leading researchers of the Tarot. Jodorowsk ...

Including:

• Alejandro Jodorowsky - Artistic career
• Alejandro Jodorowsky - Film-making career
• Alejandro Jodorowsky - Comic books
• Alejandro Jodorowsky - Filmography

Read more here: » Alejandro Jodorowsky: Encyclopedia - Alejandro Jodorowsky

Daniel Dunglas Home (March 20, 1833 - June 21, 1886) was a Scottish spiritualist, famous during his lifetime for his claimed powers as a medium and his reported ability to levitate and to handle fire and hot coals without injury. He conducted hundreds of seances over a period of 35 years -- at which were present many of the best-known names of the Victorian period -- without being conclusively exposed as a fraud. Daniel Dunglas Home - Early Life. Home was born in Currie, near Edinburgh. He claimed that his ...

Including:

• Daniel Dunglas Home - Early Life
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Emergence as a medium
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Growing fame in Europe and first marriage
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Patronage of Mrs Lyon
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Friendship with Lord Adare
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Second marriage
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Scientific testing of Home's claims
• Daniel Dunglas Home - Retirement

Read more here: » Daniel Dunglas Home: Encyclopedia - Daniel Dunglas Home

Spiritualist churches are places of worship for the practitioners of Spiritualism. The Spiritualist service is usually conducted by a medium. There is an opening prayer, an address, hymns and finally a demonstration of mediumship. Through engaging their intuition, they attempt to contact with the spirits of the dead. This is known as opening up. Spirtualists believe that we all die physically; and that some aspect of the personality or mind survives this and continues to exist on a spirit plane. Spiritualists use the word Sp ...

See also:

Spiritualism, Spiritualism - Origins, Spiritualism - Characteristic Beliefs, Spiritualism - Spiritualist Church, Spiritualism - Spiritism, Spiritualism - Critics, Spiritualism - Exposed frauds

Read more here: » Spiritualism: Encyclopedia II - Spiritualism - Spiritualist Church