Spirit world (Spiritualism)

The spirit world, according to spiritualism, is the world or realm inhabited by spirits, both good or evil of various spiritual manifestations. This spirit world is regarded as an external environment for spirits.^[1] The Spiritualism religious movement in the nineteenth century espoused a belief in an afterlife where individual's awareness persists beyond death.^[2] Although independent from one another, both the spirit world and the physical world are in constant interaction. Through séances, trances, and other forms of mediumship, these worlds can consciously communicate with each other.^[3]^[4]

According to Khorshed Bhavnagri's book, Laws of Spirit World, the spirit world consists of seven realms, the lowest being Hell and the highest being Heaven. Each soul progresses from the lowest to higher realms based on what they learned from their karmic lessons.

History

By the mid-19th century most Spiritualist writers concurred that the spirit world was of "tangible substance" and a place consisting of "spheres" or "zones".^[5]^[6] Although specific details differed, the construct suggested organization and centralization.^[7] An 18th-century writer, Emanuel Swedenborg, influenced Spiritualist views of the spirit world. He described a series of concentric spheres each including a hierarchical organization of spirits in a setting more earth-like than theocentric.^[8] The spheres become gradually more illuminated and celestial. Spiritualists added a concept of limitlessness, or infinity to these spheres.^[9] Furthermore, it was defined that Laws initiated by God apply to earth as well as the spirit world.^[10]

Another common Spiritualist conception was that the spirit world is inherently good and is related to truth-seeking as opposed to things that are bad residing in a "spiritual darkness".^[11]^[12] This conception inferred as in the biblical parable Lazarus and Dives that there is considered a greater distance between good and bad spirits than between the dead and the living.^[13] Also, the spirit world is "The Home of the Soul" as described by C. W. Leadbeater (Theosophist), suggesting that for a living human to experience the spirit world is a blissful, meaningful and life-changing experience.^[14]

Yet, John Worth Edmonds stated in his 1853 work Spiritualism, "Man's relation spiritually with the spirit-world is no more wonderful than his connection with the natural world. The two parts of his nature respond to the same affinities in the natural and spiritual worlds."^[15] He asserted, quoting Swedenborg through mediumship, that the relationship between man and the spirit world is reciprocal and thus could contain sorrow. Though ultimately, "wandering through the spheres" a path of goodness "is received at last by that Spirit whose thought is universal love forever."^[16]

References

^ Hill, J. Arthur (1918). Spiritualism - Its History, Phenomena, And Doctrine. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, Ltd. p. 211. ISBN 1-4067-0162-9.
^ Melton, J. Gordon, ed. (2001). Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Vol. 2 (5th ed.). US: Gale Group. p. 1463. ISBN 0810394898.
^ Hill, p.44
^ Colville, W. J. . (1906). Universal Spiritualism: Spirit Communion in All Ages Among All Nations. R. F. Fenno & Company. p. 42. ISBN 0-7661-9100-1.
^ Edmonds, John W; Dexter, George T (1853). Spiritualism. New York: Partridge & Brittan Publishers. p. 262.
^ Hill, p.36
^ Carrol, Bret E. (October 1, 1997). Spiritualism in Antebellum America (Religion in North America). Indiana University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-253-33315-6.
^ Carrol, p.17
^ Edmonds, p.123
^ Edmonds, p.136
^ Hill, p.168
^ Edmonds, p.143
^ Hill, p.208
^ Colville, pp.268–270
^ Edmonds, p.104
^ Edmonds, p.345

[1] Hill, J. Arthur (1918). Spiritualism - Its History, Phenomena, And Doctrine. London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, Ltd. p. 211. ISBN 1-4067-0162-9.

[2] Melton, J. Gordon, ed. (2001). Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Vol. 2 (5th ed.). US: Gale Group. p. 1463. ISBN 0810394898.

[3] Hill, p.44

[4] Colville, W. J. . (1906). Universal Spiritualism: Spirit Communion in All Ages Among All Nations. R. F. Fenno & Company. p. 42. ISBN 0-7661-9100-1.

[5] Edmonds, John W; Dexter, George T (1853). Spiritualism. New York: Partridge & Brittan Publishers. p. 262.

[6] Hill, p.36

[7] Carrol, Bret E. (October 1, 1997). Spiritualism in Antebellum America (Religion in North America). Indiana University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-253-33315-6.

[8] Carrol, p.17

[9] Edmonds, p.123

[10] Edmonds, p.136

[11] Hill, p.168

[12] Edmonds, p.143

[13] Hill, p.208

[14] Colville, pp.268–270

[15] Edmonds, p.104

[16] Edmonds, p.345

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v t e Spiritualism and spiritism
History and beliefs	Apport Automatic writing Cross-Correspondences Ectoplasm Faith healing Materialization Mediumship Séance Spirit guides Spiritual healing Spirit obsession Spirit photography Spirit possession Spirit world Table-turning Theism
Spiritualists	Derek Acorah Rosemary Altea Dan Aykroyd Charles Bailey Bangs Sisters Ada Besinnet Stephen E. Braude William Breeze Rosemary Brown Sylvia Browne Eva Carrière Doris Collins Florence Cook Mina Crandon William Crookes Geraldine Cummins Pearl Curran Frank Decker Arthur Conan Doyle Helen Duncan Eddy Brothers Harry Edwards John Edward William Eglinton Colin Evans Fox sisters Leslie Flint Arthur Ford Colin Fry Eileen Garrett Kathleen Goligher Rita Goold Jan Guzyk Robert Hare Alec Harris Gordon Higginson Richard Hodgson Daniel Dunglas Home Elizabeth Hope William Hope Swami Laura Horos Cecil Husk James H. Hyslop Allan Kardec Franek Kluski Gladys Osborne Leonard Oliver Lodge Heinrich Melzer Carmine Mirabelli Francis Ward Monck William Usborne Moore Lorin Morgan-Richards William Stainton Moses Einer Nielsen Eusapia Palladino Leonora Piper Ethel Post-Parrish James Van Praagh Bert Reese Estelle Roberts Jane Roberts William Roy Rudi Schneider Maria Silbert Henry Slade Doris Stokes Emanuel Swedenborg Rosina Thompson Stanisława Tomczyk Ena Twigg George Valiantine Jack Webber Etta Wriedt Chico Xavier
Organizations	List of Spiritualist organizations Spiritualist churches Spiritist centres London Spiritualist Alliance National Spiritualist Association of Churches Spiritualists' National Union Spiritualist Association of Great Britain Spiritual church movement Arthur Findlay College International Spiritualist Federation
Skeptics	David Abbott John Henry Anderson George Miller Beard Ruth Brandon Lionel Branson Derren Brown William Carpenter Milbourne Christopher Edward Clodd Edmund Smith Conklin Millais Culpin Stuart Cumberland Eric Dingwall Joseph Dunninger Henry Evans Chris French Martin Gardner G. Stanley Hall Trevor H. Hall William A. Hammond C. E. M. Hansel Carlos María de Heredia Carl Hertz Terence Hines Harry Houdini Joseph Jastrow Stanley LeFevre Krebs Rose Mackenberg David Marks John Nevil Maskelyne Henry Maudsley Joseph McCabe Henry C. McComas Georgess McHargue Charles Arthur Mercier Albert Moll John Mulholland Fulton Oursler Joe Nickell E. Clephan Palmer Ronald Pearsall Frank Podmore Massimo Polidoro Harry Price Julien J. Proskauer James Randi Donovan Rawcliffe Joseph F. Rinn C. E. Bechhofer Roberts Chung Ling Soo Gordon Stein Amy Tanner Ivor Lloyd Tuckett Lyttelton Winslow Richard Wiseman

History

See also

References