Key Events in the History of Spiritualism
- natalielev27
- May 26, 2024
- 6 min read
There are many important events that took place in the history of Spiritualism. The most important events led to the proliferation of Spiritualism. Spiritualism’s arrival to England, the establishment of a spiritualist body, and the foundation of the Spiritualists' National Union are the three most important events in the history of Spiritualism. These three key events led to the growth and community of a thriving new religion.
The first key event in Spiritualism took place in 1852 when Maria Hayden traveled from America to England and worked professionally as a medium. She conducted hundreds of sittings for the people and the elite. Public reformers like Robert Owen, David Richmondand, and David Weatherhead worked with Maria to bring Spiritualism to the masses. Mediumship was known to the world before Maria brought it to England. For example, the religious group known as the Shakers and the Hydesville Rappings planted seeds that led to Spiritualism as it is known today. According to the website of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NASC), there were phenomena that extended through all parts of the world, from Sweden (i.e., Emanual Swedenborg) to France (i.e., Joan of Arc), and Scotland (i.e. Edward Irving). Yet, Maria’s arrival to England was a key event because it created an audience. She worked with believers who had time and funds to support the growth of mediumship. Her supporters grew and with the growing numbers of mediums there also came the need for recognition, protection, and consolidation. In other words, there needed to be a body of believers.
The second key event was the creation of the spiritualist body by way of reformers, like Maria who worked together to establish a Spiritualist community, first known as ‘The Spiritual Brotherhood’ and later known as ‘The Heber street Spiritual Society’. They also established the first spiritualist printed publication called ‘The Yorkshire Spiritual Telegraph´ in 1855 in Keighly. These were the first attempts in creating a Spiritualist body before Emma Hardinge Britten (1823-1899) who was a believer in the unification of the spiritualist movements. She made a call for a more formal national movement, which led to the formation of the National Federation of Spiritualists in 1870, constituted as The Spiritualists’ National Federation in 1891. Emma proved to be a crucial player in the establishment of the Spiritualist body. She co-founded and was the editor of the journal, ‘The Two Worlds’. Her mediumship and inspiration lead to the creation of the Principles of Spiritualism, which were incorporated in 1901 and became the universal philosophy, belief, and teachings of Spiritualism. Emma and Harry Kelsey’s work supported Andrew Jackson in the foundation of the Lyceum, which promoted Spiritualist education for the youth. In 1899, the Britten Memorial Fund was established after Emmas’s death to provide financial support and funds to the growing Spiritualist community. Emma’s work was pivotal in the creation of the Spiritualist body.
The establishment of the Spiritualist body also known as the Federation set the stage for Spiritualism. The original founders recognized the need for mediums and psychics to fill the gap left by leaving the Established Church and the federation helped fill that gap by establishing itself as a religion. It gave those committed to spiritualism a community and therefore the courage to declare themselves amidst the mainstream. The Federation’s formal unification enabled smaller churches and societies to grow by offering financial support. The need for formal training and the importance of recognized psychics and mediums as a movement and not a cult became another major aim for the Federation which is when The Board of Examination was added in order to assess students and mediums in 1896. The Federation distributed religious information by publishing its first hymn book in 1893, distributed a magazine called ‘Here and There’ 1981, then opened its own publishing company that distributed Spiritualist literature and books. In 1899 the Funds of Benevolence was transferred to the Spiritualists’ National Federation and provided funds for Spiritualists who were no longer able to work. The federation created an identity, established the religion known as Spiritualism, and provided education about it to the public. The federation proved to be a beneficial next step in the establishment of the religion known as Spiritualism. Still, the Federation needed to grow to the next level.
The third key event in the history of Spiritualism was the establishment of the Spiritualists’ National Union (SNU) in 1901. The Federation recognized the need to have its own identity that would own land and Trusts, which is when it grew into the Spiritualists' National Union. The new organization bought land and maintained funds and yet the creation of the SNU led to more growth and development for Spiritualism. The establishment of the SNU is an important event because it provides Spiritualist education and literature, community and support, and legal support, which enable the religion and individuals to flourish.
The SNU created a formal training scheme for those looking to pursue mediumship. The first scheme to regulate those who were certified was in 1902 and the first applicants stepped forward in 1904.The exponents committee was established in 1902 to examine, recommend, appoint, and certify demonstrators.The first Ministers were appointed in 1939. A National Education Scheme and first course syllabus was created for the SNU in 1946. The SNU went through a great effort to formalize a system of learning. It also started to provide places of learning, like the Barbanell Center and the Arthur Findlay College, a residential educational branch of the SNU. The SNUi was created to give access to education to the online community around the world. The SNU established access to Spiritualist news and journals, which are now also accessible online through their website. The formalization of education gave the religion structure to compete with other religions. It validated followers by offering learning and training opportunities to Spiritualists around the world. The SNU’s work in creating a formal plan of education helped to validate the religion, gave access to formal training to those seeking advancement in leadership roles or just to further learning, and contributed to the spread of the religion.
The SNU helped to create recognition in the legal system and offered religious protection legal structure. When mediums faced social persecution from the Established Church, The SNU helped pass The Fraudulent Mediums Act in 1951 to repeal the Witchcraft Act of 1735. The Fraudulent Mediums Act excluded Spiritualist mediums from the Vagrancy Act of 1824, which recognized that genuine mediums exist and allowed mediums to openly practice. When mediums were harassed by the police, the SNU responded by creating The Freedom Fund in 1943 to assist mediums. The SNU provided Spiritualists protection to pacifists who did not wish to go to war. These types of changes made it easier to practice and enabled Spiritualists to talk openly about their mediumship. The SNUs work in the validation of Spiritualism was important because it provided more opportunities to Spiritualists to practice mediumship.
The SNU gave access to community, support, and charity. The SNU created a community by supporting Spiritualist churches, providing a platform for practicing mediums, and by way of an online presence. Spiritualists can find online support through the SNUi and extended learning through the Arthur Findlay College and the Barbanell Center. The SNU created The Fund of Benevolence to help elderly Spiritualists in need of money. During the War, the SNU made charitable efforts by sending 7000 pamphlets to uplift soldiers and it requested public donations to provide ambulances to the front lines. The SNU’s efforts in making contributions to society is important because it models the relevance of the Spiritualists role outside of mediumship and in the community. A community is important to nurture development to all members, but especially to individual mediums who are not associated with any churches. The establishment of the SNU was important because it offered community and charity to the members and non-members of the Spiritualist faith.
The first event in Spiritualist History was Maria Hayden’s arrival and mediumship in England because it established a growing community of practicing mediums. The second most important event was the establishment of a cohesive body because it led to the establishment of a Spiritualist body. The last key event was the establishment of the Spiritualists’ National Union that continued to refine the religion, nurture and educate the community. It was those three events that allowed Spiritualism to take root and blossom.
Bibliography
In Search of Maria B. Hayden: The American Medium Who Brought Spiritualism to the U.K. Paperback – December 21, 2020
by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack (Author)
We Don't Die Episode 356 The American Medium Who Brought Spiritualism to the U.K.
https://chat.openai.com/c/4d0aac4b-a0bd-4982-8e62-9ca7cead9282 “History of Spiritualism in the United States
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