THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
1744 | Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) was, truly, one of Europe's great minds; and it is to this that we can attribute the success of his mission as a teacher and philosopher of the Spirit. |
1845 | Justine Kerner (1786 -1862) Noted German poet and physician of Weinsberg; author of a remarkable record of supernormal phenomena and experiments in magnetic therapeutics. In 1845 he published a book entitled 'The Seeress of Prevost; or Openings-up into the Inner Life of Man, and Mergings of a Spirit World into the World of Matter'. In Germany the book made a great sensation. |
1848 | On the 31st March, 1848, The Fox Sisters made a break through with contacting the entity who had been disturbing the family with strange sounds and activities. The Hydesville Knockings in the United States of America lead to the investigation of the Mediumship of the Fox sisters and the Birth of modern Spiritualism |
1849 | The first public demonstration of Mediumship by Margareta Fox in the Corinthian Hall in New York |
1850 | Cromwell Fleetwood Varley was first attracted to Spiritualism in 1850. He investigated the hypothesis that table rapping is the result of an electrical force and demonstrated that this hypothesis was altogether unfounded. In later years he had many curious psychic experiences, discovered that he possessed mesmeric healing power and effected cures on his wife. Mrs. Varley had clairvoyant visions and spells of trance in which she foretold the exact course of her illness. After the birth of a son, Varley was one night aroused by three tremendous raps. He felt impelled to go into his wife's room where he found the nurse intoxicated and Mrs. Varley rigid and in a cataleptic state. |
1852 | Mrs. Maria Hayden came from America in 1852 and was the first Spiritualist Medium to work in England. The press and clergy were very antagonistic towards her but in spite of this, she succeeded in demonstrating spirit return |
1853 | Judge John W. Edmonds (1816 - 1874) was one of the most influential early American Spiritualists. After a great public career, as a member of both branches of the New York State Legislature and, for some time, President of the Senate and Judge of the Supreme Court of New York, he resigned the latter position on account of the outcry raised against his Spiritualistic beliefs and, especially, his support of the Fox sisters. David Richmond (1816 - 1891) became a Spiritualist whilst living in America and upon his return to his native town of Darlington, England in 1853, tried unsuccessfully to open a Spiritualist church. He moved to Keighley and there established the first Spiritualist church in England Robert Chambers (1802 - 1871) English writer and publisher, played no public part in Spiritualism, but his conversion and anonymous activity was no secret to his contemporaries. He had many experiences with D. D. Home. The anonymous preface to Home's 'Incidents in My Life' and the appendix, 'Connection of Mr. Home's Experiences with those of Former Times' were written by Dr. Robert Chambers. Judge Robert Hare (1781 - 1858) at the age of 72, began his investigations and devised a number of instruments which, contrary to his expectations, conclusively proved that a power and intelligence, not that of those present, was at work. His book, 'Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestation,' published in 1855, summed up the results as follows: 'The evidence may be contemplated under various phases; first, those in which rapping's or other noises have been made which could not be traced to any mortal agency; secondly, those in which sounds were so made as to indicate letters forming grammatical, well-spelt sentences, affording proof that they were under the guidance of some rational being; thirdly, those in which the nature of the communication has been such as to prove that the being causing them must, agreeably to accompanying allegations, be some known acquaintance, friend, or relative of the inquirer. |
1854 | Robert Owen (1771 - 1858) Socialist Reformer and Cofounder of the Cooperative society became converted to Spiritualism after sittings with Mrs. Hayden. After he passed to spirit he became the author of 'The Principles of Spiritualism' which he gave through the Mediumship of Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 Read much more in this brief history of Spiritualism up to the modern day - here |
