Spiritism: why the church and psychiatrists are against table-tapping

If you ask what is spiritism in simple terms, most people will picture a dark room, a trembling saucer and a whisper: "Spirit, are you here?". In reality, what is spiritism is an entire 19th-century philosophy, an attempt to build a bridge between the living and the departed. And it is precisely this bridge that causes so much controversy. Let's figure out spiritism in simple words — what kind of practice it is, where it came from, and why spiritism and the church, as well as spiritism and the human psyche, have ended up on opposite sides of the barricades.

What is spiritism: meaning of spiritism and history of the spiritist movement from the Fox Sisters

To understand the meaning of spiritism today, we need to go back to 1848, to the American town of Hydesville. Sisters Kate and Margaret Fox claimed that they were communicating with the spirit of a peddler through raps in the walls. The news spread like wildfire. Spiritism in the 19th century became a fashion: from farmers to presidents, everyone wanted proof of spiritism of life after death.

The history of the spiritist movement is a history of longing for the dead. The American Civil War, epidemics, high child mortality — people desperately sought comfort. Interesting facts about spiritism confirm the scale: by 1855 there were already more than a million followers in the USA, dozens of magazines were published, and mediums toured like rock stars.

In France, Allan Kardec gave the movement a system: he wrote "The Book of Spirits," introduced the rules of spiritism and ethics. Spiritism in Russia also flourished — a spiritism séance was held in the salons of St. Petersburg, Dostoevsky, Aksakov, and Mendeleev were fascinated by it. Incidentally, it was Mendeleev who headed the commission that exposed fraud. The history of spiritism of that time is full of both delight and exposure: flying tables, ectoplasm made of gauze, raps made by a heel against a chair leg.

Famous mediums of spiritism and Their Legacy

When we say famous mediums of spiritism, we cannot fail to recall Daniel Home, who allegedly levitated in front of witnesses, Eusapia Palladino, who was studied by scientists, and the already mentioned Fox sisters. The irony is that the Fox sisters later confessed to fraud, then retracted their confession. This is a classic example: spirits in spiritism is always a field between faith and trickery. That is why the church and science call for caution, not blind enthusiasm.

Spiritism practice: how to conduct spiritism and how to communicate with spirits through spiritism

Spiritism practice is built on the idea that consciousness survives after death and that contact can be made with it through an intermediary. How to communicate with spirits through spiritism? Traditionally, three tools are used: table-turning, a saucer on an alphabet circle, and automatic writing. How to conduct spiritism meetings is described as follows: participants sit in a circle, place their hands on the table, attune themselves, ask questions, and the medium interprets raps, movements of the saucer, or their own sensations.

Spiritism for beginners today most often looks like spiritism at home: a printed circle with letters, a candle, a saucer with a drawn arrow. People usually search for how to learn spiritism when they are grieving and want to understand how to contact the deceased through spiritism — a grandmother, a husband, a child. The motive is understandable and human. But this is exactly where beginners' mistakes in spiritism begin: conducting a séance in a state of acute grief, under the influence of alcohol, as a joke, at night in an anxious state, without agreements on how to close it.

The rules of spiritism of Kardec's traditional school, by the way, are quite strict: sobriety, respectful intention, a prayer-attunement, refusal to ask questions about death, money, and curses, and obligatory closing of the séance with gratitude. What you must not do in spiritism is to summon specific deceased persons by coercion, to ask questions about other people's future, to continue the contact if it becomes frightening. A conscious approach: treat any answer from the saucer as material from the subconscious, not as an order from above. If you want to delve deeper into the symbolism of the answers, take a look at the EXETERIC dream book — images of spirits often speak the language of dreams.

Spiritism and the church: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Islam

The question of spiritism and the church is one of the most acute. Spiritism and Orthodoxy are assessed unequivocally: it is a forbidden practice of communicating with fallen spirits. Priests refer to the Old Testament: "Do not turn to those who call up the dead." It is believed that a person cannot summon the soul of a deceased person by his own will — souls are in God's care, and entities pretending to be the deceased come to the call. Hence the warning: even if you heard accurate details, this is not proof of spiritism, but mimicry.

Spiritism in Islam is assessed similarly: turning to jinn and spirits, divination and calling up the dead is considered haram, a violation of monotheism. The Catholic Church also classifies table-turning as superstition and spiritual risk. The common argument of all confessions: a person surrenders his will to an unknown interlocutor, opens a door that he cannot control.

From an esoteric point of view, there is a rational kernel in this, if translated into the language of psychology: a spiritism séance removes criticism, induces a light trance, and increases suggestibility. If a person has the mindset "my mother will answer me," the subconscious will obligingly play along. That is why in other practices in the EXETERIC blog we always remind you: any practice is first of all a connection with yourself, not a way to shift responsibility onto an invisible interlocutor.

Spiritism and the human psyche: The Psychiatrists' View

Psychiatrists are categorically against it not because they "do not believe in mysticism," but because they see the consequences of spiritism in the clinic. Spiritism and the human psyche are linked through the mechanisms of suggestion, dissociation, and grief. For a stable person, one séance will pass like a game. For a person with depression, an anxiety disorder, PTSD, or a tendency to psychosis — it can become a trigger.

What doctors describe: insomnia after a séance, obsessive thoughts "the spirit is watching me," auditory illusions, intensified grief instead of relief, dependence on séances — a person runs to the saucer for every decision. The dangers of spiritism are especially high for teenagers: an unformed psyche, a tendency toward magical thinking, group pressure. Real stories of spiritism participants often sound like this: they went to have fun in a dormitory, received a "prediction of death," and the whole room did not sleep for a month.

A practical step if you are impressionable: do not conduct spiritism at home during acute grief in the first 6-12 months, with panic attacks, while taking antidepressants and antipsychotics without consulting a doctor. If you feel drawn to contact the departed — a farewell letter, a conversation with a psychologist, a memorial ritual with a candle without trying to "evoke an answer" is better. It is gentler and more honest toward yourself.

Signs of spiritism Problems and how to protect yourself after a spiritism session

Let's break down the signs of spiritism that the practice has gone wrong: you are afraid to stay alone, you constantly hear raps and footsteps, you endlessly replay the messages, you cannot stop, you feel someone else's presence, your sleep and appetite have worsened. This is not necessarily a "possession," more often it is anxious fixation and self-suggestion. But it must be taken seriously.

How to protect yourself after a spiritism session is a very frequent query, and simple grounding steps are important here. First: formally complete the process. Say out loud: "The séance is over, I thank my subconscious, I am returning to ordinary life." Put away the circle and saucer, air out the room, turn on the light. Second: the body — a warm shower, hot tea, food, a walk, sports. Third: the psyche — tell a calm person about what you experienced, write everything down on paper, limit coffee and horrors for a couple of days. Fourth: space — cleaning, changing bed linen, light and order reduce anxiety better than any complex rituals.

From the esoteric side, protection is intention and boundaries. Light a candle not "against demons," but as a symbol of completion, read the prayer or affirmation that is close to you. If anxiety lasts more than two weeks, nightmares occur, obsessions appear — this is a reason to turn to a psychologist or psychiatrist, not to look for a stronger magician. Self-care is also a spiritual path.

Spiritism for beginners: Safety Rules and interesting facts about spiritism

If curiosity is still stronger and you want to understand what is spiritism from your own experience without harm, follow safety precautions. Spiritism for beginners should begin not with the saucer, but with study: read Kardec, histories of exposures, the psychology of suggestion. Never conduct a séance alone in a depressed state, do not invite people to laugh at others' fears, do not ask questions about death and illness.

Interesting facts about spiritism for a sober view: physicist William Crookes studied Home and found no fraud, but did not prove spirits either; Harry Houdini devoted years to exposing fraudulent mediums; the ideomotor effect, which explains the movement of the saucer, was described back in the 19th century. That is, the field is truly borderline: neither blind faith nor sweeping denial gives a complete picture.

If you want to develop sensitivity ecologically — start with meditation, working with dreams, studying the Matrix of Fate calculator or analyzing the arcana. This gives the same contact with the subconscious and symbols, but without invoking external forces and without nightly raps in the wall. And let the saucer remain a historical artifact of an era when humanity was learning to speak about death out loud.

A Knock in the Table Is a Knock on the Door of Your Own Soul

The history of spiritism teaches us one simple thing: people at all times wanted one thing — for death not to be the end of the conversation. There is nothing shameful or sinful in this desire; in it there is love, longing, and hope. And the church, and psychiatrists, each in their own language, essentially speak of one thing: do not give this fragile hope to the first one who knocks back. Protect your heart, check your sensations, do not make hasty decisions in a state of grief or fear.

Esotericism in a healthy form is not a way to shift responsibility onto a saucer, a spirit, or a medium, but a tool for self-knowledge and conscious life. The subconscious really knows how to speak to us through symbols, dreams, slips of the tongue, and those same micro-movements of the hands. The task of an adult practitioner is to learn to hear this voice calmly, without panic and dependence. It is precisely this approach that the authors of EXETERIC practices adhere to: first grounding, knowledge of psychology and respect for traditions, and only then — any subtle experiments.

Therefore, do not be afraid of the unknown, but do not throw yourself into it headlong either. If you feel drawn to contact the departed — start with a letter of remembrance, a quiet evening with a candle, a conversation with loved ones. If you are interested in how symbols work — take a look at the astrology section and learn the traits of your zodiac sign, read about dreams and archetypes. And when you want to go deeper, check out other practices in the EXETERIC blog — there are many gentle ways to understand yourself without nightly raps and anxiety. Let any practice return support, sleep, and warmth to you, not take them away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it a sin to try summoning a spirit once as a joke?

From the church's point of view, even a single attempt as a joke is considered turning to a forbidden practice and a spiritual risk, because a person consciously calls upon unknown forces. From the point of view of psychology, even a game can leave a mark: for anxious people, one frightening answer from the saucer is enough to fear the dark for weeks and sleep poorly. It is especially dangerous to joke in a state of grief, intoxication, or in the company of teenagers, where group suggestion is strong. If you have already tried it and are troubled by conscience or fear, calmly complete the process with words, put away the attributes, talk to a priest or psychologist. One episode does not define your life; it is more important to draw a calm conclusion from it and not repeat it.

Can children and teenagers take part in a séance with a saucer?

No, children and teenagers are strongly discouraged from participating in spiritistic séances by either priests or psychologists. In teenagers, the psyche is still forming, magical thinking, suggestibility, and fear of not coping with the group are pronounced, so a frightening prediction is perceived as truth. Frequent consequences of such games at school or in camp are insomnia, panic attacks, fear of staying alone, and obsessive thoughts about being haunted by a spirit. Even if adults are nearby, a child cannot give informed consent to such an experience and stop the process in time. If a child is already frightened, it is important not to laugh, but to calmly explain the saucer effect, restore sleep patterns, and in case of persistent anxiety, consult a psychologist.

I am scared after a séance, I imagine raps — what should I do?

The first thing to do is to formally and calmly close the séance: say out loud that communication is over, you thank your subconscious and return to ordinary life, then put away the circle, air out the room and turn on the light. Second — take care of your body: a warm shower, hot food, tea, a walk, and giving up coffee, alcohol, and horrors for several days ground you well. Third — bring back critical thinking: write down what exactly frightened you, discuss it with a calm loved one, remind yourself of the ideomotor effect and fatigue. If anxiety, insomnia, obsessive thoughts, or a sense of presence last longer than two weeks, be sure to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist. This is not a sign of weakness, but competent self-care.

Is automatic writing safer than the saucer and table?

Automatic writing often seems like a calmer and more personal way, because it does not require a group, darkness, and raps, but the risks are the same. A person likewise enters a light trance, lowers criticism, and begins to perceive their own thoughts and anxieties as messages from outside. In a state of acute grief, depression, or anxiety, such texts can intensify feelings of guilt, dependence on prompts, and fear of taking a step without the spirit's approval. It is safer to use writing as a psychological technique: write a letter to the departed without expecting an answer, keep a journal of feelings, not of dialogue. If after the practice you feel relief and calm, this is a good sign, and if fear and obsession — take a pause and seek support.