History of spiritism in Brazil

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Kardecist spiritism
Grapevine branch, symbol of Spiritism
History
Basic works
Key concepts
Other concepts
Prominent spiritists
Institutions

Kardecist spiritism is the main form of Spiritualism in Brazil. Following the emergence of modern Spiritualist events in Hydesville, New York, United States, via the mediumship of the Fox sisters (1848), the phenomena quickly spread to Europe where, in France, the so-called "turning tables" became a popular fad. In France, this type of phenomenon, in 1855, caught the attention of the educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail.[1] As a result of his research, he published the first edition of The Spirits' Book (Paris, 1857), under the pseudonym "Allan Kardec". The foundation of the Spiritist doctrine is contained in this book and four others published later: The Mediums' Book, 1861; The Gospel According to Spiritism, 1864; Heaven and Hell, 1865; The Genesis According to Spiritism, 1868. These combined books are called the "Kardecist Pentateuch".

  1. ^ Professor Rivail had heard about the subject a year earlier (1854), through a friend, Mr. Fortier, who was also a magnetizer.