What Is Spiritism? A Guide to Its History, Teachings and View of Life After Death

Spiritism is a philosophical and moral doctrine that studies the soul, spirits, mediumship, life after death, reincarnation and the moral progress of the human being.

It is best known through the works of Allan Kardec, who systematized its principles in the nineteenth century. Yet the questions behind Spiritism are much older than Kardec: What is the soul? Do we survive death? Can spirits communicate with the living? Why do we suffer? What is the purpose of life?

This guide is not meant to be a complete encyclopedia. It is a structured overview of Spiritism as a field of study, history, philosophy, mediumship, afterlife research and moral reflection.

For definitions of specific terms, see the Spiritism Glossary. For biographical profiles, visit Important Figures in Spiritism and Afterlife Research.

Spirit phenomena before Spiritism

Spiritism as a codified doctrine belongs to the nineteenth century. But the phenomena later associated with Spiritism are far older.

Across human history, people have reported apparitions, dreams of the dead, voices, visions, trance states, healing phenomena, prophetic experiences and communication with an unseen world.

Different cultures interpreted these experiences in different ways. In some societies, contact with the invisible world was part of spiritual or ancestral traditions. In others, it was treated with fear, suspicion or religious prohibition.

This historical distinction is important. Spiritism did not invent the idea of spirits or the survival of the soul. Its contribution was to approach these phenomena through observation, comparison, moral reasoning and philosophical synthesis.

From Spiritualism to Kardec’s Spiritism

In the nineteenth century, public interest in spirit manifestations grew strongly in Europe and the United States. Reports of rappings, moving tables, automatic writing, séances and mediumistic communications attracted believers, skeptics, scientists, clergy and curious observers.

This broader movement is usually associated with modern Spiritualism. It focused especially on communication with the dead and the evidence of survival after death.

Spiritism developed in a more specific direction. Allan Kardec did not treat the phenomena merely as entertainment or isolated marvels. He examined them as signs of a larger philosophical and moral teaching.

Allan Kardec and the Spiritist Codification

Allan Kardec was the pen name of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, a French educator and methodical thinker. He is best understood as the codifier of Spiritism.

He gathered, compared, organized and interpreted teachings received through different mediums. His goal was not to create a personal belief system, but to present a coherent doctrine based on repeated teachings, reasoned analysis and moral consistency.

Kardec’s method matters because Spiritism is not based on one isolated message or one medium. It was presented as a body of teachings tested through comparison, logic and moral examination.

The result was the Spiritist Codification: The Spirits’ Book, The Mediums’ Book, The Gospel According to Spiritism, Heaven and Hell and Genesis. His shorter book What Is Spiritism? also serves as a concise introduction to the invisible world and to common objections against Spiritism.

Core teachings of Spiritism

Spiritism is not limited to the idea that spirits exist. Its teachings form a wider view of God, the soul, spiritual evolution, moral law, life after death and the purpose of human existence.

For more detailed definitions, see the Spiritism Glossary.

Spirits, mediumship and discernment

Spiritism teaches that spirits are not automatically wise, holy or morally superior simply because they are no longer in the physical body.

They remain individuals. They may have different degrees of knowledge, morality, clarity and attachment. Some are elevated and benevolent. Others may be confused, frivolous, deceptive or still attached to lower tendencies.

This is why discernment is essential. A communication should not be accepted merely because it claims to come from a spirit, a famous person or a respected name.

Mediumship, in the Spiritist view, is not a spectacle and not a game. It is a faculty that can serve consolation, instruction and moral responsibility, but it can also be misused.

Related reading: Fake Mediums, Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Videos.

Important figures, mediums and researchers

The history of Spiritism and related afterlife research includes codifiers, philosophers, mediums, witnesses, scientists, writers and investigators.

Not all of them were Spiritists in the strict Kardecist sense. Some belong to Spiritualism, psychical research, near-death studies or earlier spiritual traditions.

Explore the full section: Important Figures in Spiritism and Afterlife Research.

Spiritism and life after death

One of the central questions of Spiritism is what continues after death.

According to Spiritism, death does not destroy the soul. It ends the physical body’s role in one stage of existence, while the spirit continues in the spiritual world with its individuality, memory, tendencies and moral condition.

The afterlife is not presented as a simplistic division between reward and punishment. Spiritism emphasizes conscience, spiritual affinity, moral responsibility and gradual progress.

What a person becomes inwardly matters more than appearances, labels or outward status.

Ethics, practice and caution

Spiritism should not be reduced to séances, ghosts, paranormal videos or the pursuit of unusual experiences.

Its deeper aim is moral transformation. The most important question is not only whether spirits exist, but how the knowledge of spiritual life changes the way we live.

In this sense, Spiritism is practical. It calls for self-knowledge, humility, charity, forgiveness, responsibility, patience and the reform of character.

Mediumship and spiritual study have value only when they serve moral progress, consolation, clarity and service to others.

Recommended reading

Spiritism is best understood through serious and gradual study. The following works can help readers approach the subject with structure and balance.

Foundational works by Allan Kardec

Later Spiritist philosophy

Life and Destiny by Léon Denis expands the philosophical and moral dimension of Spiritism, especially questions of the soul, death, reincarnation, responsibility, destiny, sorrow, love and character transformation.

Brazilian Spiritist literature

Nosso Lar, psychographed by Chico Xavier and attributed to the spirit André Luiz, is one of the best-known works of Brazilian Spiritist literature.

It should be read as part of the later Spiritist tradition, not as a replacement for Kardec’s foundational works.

Modern afterlife and consciousness research

Authors such as Raymond Moody, Ian Stevenson and Bruce Greyson are not Spiritist doctrinal sources. Their work can still be studied as part of a broader conversation about survival, near-death experiences, reincarnation research and the nature of consciousness.

Spiritist centers and further study

Spiritist centers are usually places dedicated to study, prayer, moral education, charity, fraternity and responsible spiritual practice.

Their role is not merely to produce phenomena. A serious Spiritist center should support spiritual learning, moral improvement and service to others.

Because centers can differ in quality, focus and seriousness, discernment remains important.

FAQ about Spiritism

These answers summarize the main ideas of Spiritism and clarify common questions about spirits, mediumship, reincarnation and life after death.

What is Spiritism?

Spiritism is a philosophical and moral doctrine codified by Allan Kardec. It studies the soul, spirits, life after death, reincarnation, mediumship, moral progress and the relationship between the material and spiritual worlds.

Is Spiritism the same as Spiritualism?

No. Spiritualism is a broader term that can refer to belief in survival after death or communication with the dead. Spiritism is the specific doctrine codified by Allan Kardec, with defined teachings about spirits, reincarnation, moral law and spiritual progress.

Is Spiritism a religion?

Spiritism has a moral and spiritual dimension, but it does not function like many institutional religions. It has no priesthood, sacraments or dogmatic authority in the usual sense. It is often described as a philosophy, science of observation and moral doctrine.

Who was Allan Kardec?

Allan Kardec was the pen name of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, the French educator who codified Spiritism in the nineteenth century. He organized teachings received through different mediums and presented them in a systematic body of works known as the Spiritist Codification.

What does Spiritism teach about spirits?

Spiritism teaches that spirits are the souls of those who have lived. They are not all equal in wisdom or morality. Some are more elevated and benevolent, while others may still be confused, ignorant, frivolous or morally imperfect.

What is the perispirit?

The perispirit is the subtle body or intermediary link between the spirit and the physical body. It helps explain personal continuity after death and plays an important role in mediumship, apparitions and spirit manifestations.

What is mediumship?

Mediumship is the faculty through which a person may serve as an intermediary for communication or influence from spirits. In Spiritism, mediumship requires seriousness, discernment, moral intention and caution.

Does Spiritism encourage contacting spirits?

Spiritism does not encourage careless or sensational attempts to contact spirits. It warns that communication can be influenced by the moral condition of both the participants and the spirits involved. Serious study, humility and discernment are essential.

What does Spiritism teach about life after death?

Spiritism teaches that death is not the end of the soul. The spirit continues to live after the death of the physical body, carrying its individuality, moral condition, attachments, memories and spiritual needs into the next stage of existence.

What does Spiritism teach about reincarnation?

Spiritism teaches that reincarnation is part of the soul’s progressive education. Through successive lives, the spirit learns, repairs, develops its faculties and advances morally.

Why is moral progress central in Spiritism?

For Spiritism, knowledge of the spiritual world is not enough by itself. The purpose of life is moral growth: overcoming selfishness, pride and harmful tendencies while developing charity, humility, responsibility and love for others.

Where should someone continue studying Spiritism?

A good path is to study Allan Kardec’s foundational works, read the Spiritism Glossary, explore important Spiritist figures and then continue with deeper articles on life after death, mediumship, reincarnation, spiritual practice and moral progress.