Reference no: EM133694213

Assignment:

ESPIRITISMO ~ SPIRITISM

ALLAN KARDEC

A Brief Introduction Into The "Unknown"

For this section, you are asked to expand your understanding of a religious worldview to universal levels. Thus, beyond the microcosms of specific religious traditions, we now look at a space and place where different sacred philosophies meet, intersect, sometimes even collide, and eventually flow to form a macrocosm of diversified and fluid spiritual reactions and interactions - the universe called Espiritsmo, or Spiritism.

The reason why we can and will fluctuate between Spanish and English - any other languages are also welcome - is because we will focus on the uniqueness of Espiritismo in the Americas where Indigenous, African, and European elements of the spirit world coexist and manifest for its adherents. In this way, Espiritismo in the Western hemisphere is an exceptional and somewhat anomalous entity.

Espiritismo/Spiritism vs. Spiritualiism

Both Spiritism and Spiritualism believe that the spirit world exists and spirits have an impact on human beings. The impact may be positive or negative, informative or deceptive. Both Spiritism and Spiritualism agree that we continue to live on after physical death in the spirit world.

Both believe in psychic, or paranormal abilities, like clairvoyance, that make it possible for gifted mediums/psychics to see what is invisible to most people. Both Spiritism and Spiritualism believe that spiritual healing has many forms and can have a very positive impact on physical health.

Spiritualism existed before Spiritism. Thus, Spiritism can be considered an offshoot of Spiritualism but with a different mission. Spiritism is oriented towards supporting spiritual evolution in concrete ways. Spiritism has a coherent philosophy and cogent principles about how to live together to achieve spiritual growth. Spiritualism, in its origins, was oriented towards exploring the unusual phenomena of spirit contact. It has no cohesive philosophy or principles for living in its origins.

The Practice of Espiritismo

The Spiritualist practice of Espiritismo/Spiritismrefers to a doctrine that is based on establishing communication with the spirit of a deceased person using a medium. Spiritism maintains the existence of spirits as something immortal that incarnates within a physical body. A medium is a person to whom paranormal abilities are attributed, which allow them to take the position of a mediator to establish communication between spirit entities and people.

Spiritism has been a source of debate from its onset as other religions assert that it is not really a religion, but a type of popular culture that brings together a series of practices and rituals, so that to this day there are many opinions that they differ about what it should be considered. Currently, it is estimated that there are about 20 million followers of Espiritismo, most that can be located in several countries where their practices have spread, including in the American continent: Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, the United States and Peru, as well as countries from other continents, such as Germany, Spain, France, Japan, Haiti, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Origin of Espiritismo

It is understood that archeological proof exists that places practices similar to Spiritism to ancient times. During the Middle Ages, this belief is evidenced in the presentation of artistic works such as the case of William Shakespeare where in Hamlet, the murdered king returns in the form of a ghost to ask his son to avenge his death. However, it is not until the 19th century, in 1857, that Spiritism takes a greater position with the publication of the Book of Spirits, written by Allan Kardec, who dedicated himself to studying paranormal phenomena. Kardec compiled in this book a series of investigations on the nature of spirits and the way in which they manifest themselves, and soon Espiritismo begins to spread within the European continent, and soon to the Americas. Particularly in these areas, Spiritism is welcomed as a type of explanation (logic), in the face of life after death and the encounter with God, concepts that were established from the Christian faith.

Beliefs and teachings of Spiritism

According to its founder, Allan Kardec, Spiritism maintains that in order to believe, it is first necessary to understand. However, understanding implies a process of judgment in which you study the reason for each situation or aspect. Among the central beliefs on which Espiritismo is based are the following:

• It is possible to establish communication with the spirits of the deceased.
• Reincarnation, in concept, is possible.
• There is a plurality between the world of the living and the dead.

God: the concept of the existence of God goes beyond what the Bible expresses to mean a cosmic intelligence to which the creation of the Universe is attributed.

Soul or spirit: the body is covered by the perispirit, which refers to "around the spirit". Therefore, the memory that represents the identity of a person after death is maintained.

Sin: Espiritismo shares the concepts of the Law of Causation - cause, and effect. Every single effect within our world, upon our earth, has a cause, an original starting point. According to Kardec, our actions are a reflection of our imperfections and it is the imperfections not corrected in the past that are the cause of future unfortunate conditions. In other words, a person's flaws of character caused them to make poor choices, actions that simply reflect moral elements of their consciousness.

Reincarnation: Souls have the capacity to progressively reincarnate due to unfinished works carried out in the previous life because what is really valuable is what is achieved from their actions, and not from grace and salvation provided by a deity. That is to say, in the successive evolution for the improvement of the works in each life it is possible to find perfection.

The Four Clairs:

Clairaudience: The ability to "hear" distinct voices and sounds.

"The spirit spoke to me." "I hear the sound of _______." *Ever heard your name called out when there is no one around?

• Clairvoyance: The ability to "see" images.
• Clairsentience: The ability to "sense."
• Claircognizance: The intuitive ability of clear knowing.

Types of Spirits

In Spiritism there are several types of spirits classified as follows:

Elevated spirits/Espiritus Elevados: these are entities who rank closest to divinity and seldom manifest.

Causal spirits/Espiritus de causa: these are entities who are caught between our terrestrial plane and the afterlife and cause strife as they search for release. Also, these entities are those who die under other than normal circumstances (murdered, suicide, accident, executed, etc.)

Spirits guide/Guia protector: these entities, usually a single being, are those who have domain and control over a persons spirit quadrant/cuadro espiritual

Spirits of labor/Espiritus de labor: these are entities who are in charge of "doing the hard work." They are frequently seen via possession and become familial beings.

Dark spirits/Espiritus oscuros: these are entities who are bound by magic to perform evil deeds and disrupt human life.

*There is a long list of entities that form subgroups that could fit into any of the above categories. However, due to time restraints, we cannot address them all with the space and respect they deserve.

Medium/Mediaunidad

A medium is a person who is considered endowed with a spiritually sensitive nature that allows them to communicate with the souls of the dead. In Espiritismo gatherings, these individuals act as mediators between the people gathered and the spirits that are summoned.

More on the Founder of Spiritism

As mentioned, above, the investigations of Allan Kardec( a pseudonym ascribed to him by a spirit guide) were decisive for the solid emergence of Spiritism. So much so that he is considered the systematizer of the empiricist doctrine. However, Kardec, born Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail in 1804 in Paris, had begun his studies several years before the publication of his books. He was a writer and pedagogue born within the Catholic religion. Being the father of Espiritsmo, Kardec's path to his own development was unique. His spiritual encounters did not begin until he was in his early 50s - most mediumship, or the signs thereof - begin at an early age for most spiritists.

An interesting fact about Kardec that would reveal its important linkages posthumous was that being a man of a certain social elite in Paris of the early 19th century, the majority of his colleagues in his studies of, and path towards, the development is Espiritismo were lower class citizens, sometimes living in the most dismal conditions in precarious sectors of Paris. It was to these spaces that the spirit guides lead Kardec on his quest for enlightenment. In the darkness, he found light.

TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION:

After reviewing this week's materials found in this FORUM and the MATCHING MODULE, respond to the following questions:

• What element[s] of Espiritismo stand[s] out to you the most, and why? Explain.
• Have you or anyone you know ever had a "spiritual" experience? Describe.
• If you had the opportunity to speak/communicate with a spirit, who would it be, and what would be the topic of your interaction?