Spiritist centre
Encyclopedia
A Spiritist Centre, also called Spiritist Society or Spiritist House, is the basic unit of organisation of Spiritism
, which is a doctrinally and distinct form of Spiritualism
.
In legal terms, Spiritisrt centres are ordinary non-profit associations, whose members are in charge of providing funds to run the centre itself and the various charity activities kept by it. Each centre is run by a president or one or more directors elected for a term. Spiritist centres differ from Spiritualist churches
in that they are not formally organized as ecclesiastical bodies.
In addition to the legal and corporeal aspects of its existence, a Spiritist Centre is also believed by its members to have an informal and incorporeal level of existence in the spirit world
which comprises its patron and a series of protector spirits (which may be shared by other centres in the world).
and workers.
Most Spiritist centres conduct the following courses:
The first three courses are almost universal.
Spiritual assistance oferred at Spiritist centres includes disobsession
, healing
, and blessing
(directed to the followers and occasional visitors) as well as medium meetings
in which several types of spiritual assistance is directed to spirits of deceased people.
Spiritual assistance is intended to fight the four greatest foes of mankind -- suicide
, murder
(which includes abortion
), addiction
and envy
(which is the cause of most other problems) -- thus reducing the suffering of mankind.
The ultimate goal of spiritual assistance is to help our planet to make it through its current stage of evolution, ceasing to be a world of penance to become a happier one.
In Brazil, Spiritist centres characteristically maintain the following types of charities:
Bigger centres may keep clinics, schools, publishing houses, etc.
In spite of their respect for homoeopathy, the kind of medicine practised in clinics maintained by spiritist centres and the medicines they give to the poor are both nearly always mainstream.
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
, which is a doctrinally and distinct form of Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
.
In legal terms, Spiritisrt centres are ordinary non-profit associations, whose members are in charge of providing funds to run the centre itself and the various charity activities kept by it. Each centre is run by a president or one or more directors elected for a term. Spiritist centres differ from Spiritualist churches
Spiritualist Church
A Spiritualist church is a church affiliated with the informal Spiritualist movement which began in the United States of America in the 1840s. Spiritualist churches are now found around the world, but are most common in English-speaking countries, while in Latin America, where a form of...
in that they are not formally organized as ecclesiastical bodies.
In addition to the legal and corporeal aspects of its existence, a Spiritist Centre is also believed by its members to have an informal and incorporeal level of existence in the spirit world
Spirit world (spiritualism)
The spirit world, according to Spiritualism, is the world inhabited by spirits. Though a concept of a spirit world is in the constitution of most religions, it is not "itself the religion". Whereas religion regards an inner life, the spirit world is regarded as an external environment for spirits...
which comprises its patron and a series of protector spirits (which may be shared by other centres in the world).
Types of societies
There are many types of Spiritist organisations, depending on their goals, formal organisation, size, etc.- Familiar societies (often termed Spiritist Groups) do not have legal existence and conduct their meetings in private homes. Most of the social works provided by such societies is also informal and irregular.
- Public societies (the Spiritist Centres in the proper sense) must have legal existence and host their meetings in dedicated buildings. They have a fairly large number of members (ranging from about 100 to thousands) and usually provide significant social work, in form of schools, clinics, food distribution for the poor, etc.
- Regional and national entities are groups that organise and coordinate the activities of Spiritism state or nationwide.
- Virtual societies; these exist only on the internet and provide basic services, including directories of actual meeting places as outlined above.
Activities
Spiritist Centres are complex to define because they are not, in the strictest sense, ordinary religious entities. The activities carried on by a spiritist centres are of many types:Courses of Instruction
Doctrinal classes have a twofold goal: 1) to share the knowledge available in the books and brought by the founders 2) to identify potential mediumsMediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
and workers.
Most Spiritist centres conduct the following courses:
- Basic course for beginners -- intended for newcomers, are based on the general aspects of the doctrine.
- Study of The Spirits BookThe Spirits BookThe Spirits' Book is part of the Spiritist Codification, and is regarded as one of the five fundamental works of Spiritism. It was published by the French educator Allan Kardec on April 18, 1857...
- Study of The Mediums BookThe Book on MediumsThe Book on Mediums or Mediums and Evokers' Handbook , is a book by Allan Kardec published in 1861, second of the five Fundamental Works of Spiritism — the spiritualist philosophy Kardec had been publishing — being the tome in which the experimental and investigative features of the doctrine were...
- Studies of the GospelGospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s and/or The Gospel According to SpiritismThe Gospel According to SpiritismThe Gospel According to Spiritism , by Allan Kardec is a book published in 1864 that relates the teachings of Jesus to Kardecist Spiritism, the moral and religious philosophy that Kardec had been publishing. It is intended to demonstrate that Spiritism clarifies and extends the most important... - Advanced studies (including The Genesis According to SpiritismThe Genesis According to SpiritismThe Genesis, Miracles and Premonition According to Spiritism was the last book published by Allan Kardec, just before his death...
, Heaven and HellHeaven and Hell (Allan Kardec)Heaven and Hell is a book published in 1865 by Allan Kardec, the fourth tome of the fundamental works of Spiritism...
, and works of other writers, like Léon DenisLéon DenisLéon Denis was a notable spiritist philosopher, and besides Gabriel Delanne and Camille Flammarion, one of the principal exponents of spiritism after the death of Allan Kardec...
, Chico XavierChico XavierChico Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido was a popular medium in Brazil's spiritism movement who wrote 413 books, ostensibly using a process known as "psychography"....
, Gabriel DelanneGabriel DelanneFrançois Marie Gabriel Delanne was a notable French spiritist, psychical researcher, writer, and electrical engineer. He is best known for his book, "Le Phénomène spirite" .-Life and work:...
and others, which are regarded as complementary to Allan KardecAllan KardecAllan Kardec is the pen name of the French teacher and educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail . He is known today as the systematizer of Spiritism for which he laid the foundation with the five books of the Spiritist Codification.-Early life:Rivail was born in Lyon in 1804...
. - Basic course for children
- Short courses -- meetings in which other books are studied.
The first three courses are almost universal.
Proselytism
The only form of proselytism found in Spiritism is the disclosure of the doctrine (or aspects of it) to the general public. Divulgation of doctrine is carried on in many ways:- Workshops
- Radio transmissions
- Websites
- Staging of plays featuring the doctrine
- Management of a public library containing mostly books on the doctrine or written by mediums
Spiritual assistance
Spiritists understand the term Spiritual assistance very literally, meaning "assistance to the spirit" of either a living person or a deceased one.Spiritual assistance oferred at Spiritist centres includes disobsession
Obsession (Spiritism)
Obsession, also known as spirit obsession, is a technical term within the Spiritist belief and practice defined by the author Allan Kardec as the interference of a subjugating spirit with a weaker spirit...
, healing
Healing
Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue, organs and biological system to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area....
, and blessing
Blessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
(directed to the followers and occasional visitors) as well as medium meetings
Spiritist séance
Séances are carried on as a part of the regular practice of Spiritism. Although the organisation of Spiritist centres may vary wildly from place to place, most of the time there is a basic core of elements shared by them....
in which several types of spiritual assistance is directed to spirits of deceased people.
Spiritual assistance is intended to fight the four greatest foes of mankind -- suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
(which includes abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
), addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and envy
Envy
Envy is best defined as a resentful emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."...
(which is the cause of most other problems) -- thus reducing the suffering of mankind.
The ultimate goal of spiritual assistance is to help our planet to make it through its current stage of evolution, ceasing to be a world of penance to become a happier one.
Material assistance
Spiritist centres also carry on social works directed to outsiders which are "in need of help". Material assistance is intended to provide relief to the immediate needs of the poor and the unhappy.In Brazil, Spiritist centres characteristically maintain the following types of charities:
- CrècheDay careChild care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
s - KindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s - OrphanageOrphanageAn orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s - Distribution of food for the homeless
- Distribution of medicineMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
s for the ill (including contraceptives for the poor)
Bigger centres may keep clinics, schools, publishing houses, etc.
In spite of their respect for homoeopathy, the kind of medicine practised in clinics maintained by spiritist centres and the medicines they give to the poor are both nearly always mainstream.