Spiritualism - What is it ?
@debolinac (110)
Greater Noida, India
May 27, 2016 9:39am CST
For years I have searched for the meaning of the word "Spiritualism" but failed. Each and every person depicted it differently. So, I finally Googled the question "What is Spiritualism?", and I had the privilege to go though the various explanations of the same. Most of the explanations were vague and not by the people who are themselves spiritual.
A few such hilarious answers are :
* A nicer word for the "occult" in all its forms.
* Having Godly feeling without the "God".
* Contacting the dead.
But what I believe in is a bit different. I believe that Spiritualism is a spiritual path along which one advances to achieve a higher state of self realisation better termed as self awareness.In the long run, the person emerges to be a better human being or rather a perfect person. I am eager to know your views too !!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@MarkStainer (100)
• United States
17 Sep 16
There's a stream of Life running into every being.
It has been said that in a contest between a stream and a rock the stream will always win because it will flow around, under and over the rock with effortless grace and ease as it follows its natural path, simply being what it is.
As long as the stream stays connected to its source river or lake, the stream will flow until it reaches and merges with its ultimate destination, the ocean.
And as per me, this is what I understand by the word: "Spiritualism"
For me it simply means, "Staying Connected to your Source at ALL Times"
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
27 May 16
I think that the closest word which describes what you mean is probably 'spirituality', though that indicates a condition rather than a doctrine, a belief or a path.
There are many different ways in which the suffix '-ism' may be used and the meaning you describe could be valid (and, indeed was used in the way you describe up to about the middle of the 19th Century) but the terms 'Spiritualism' and 'Spiritualist' are most usually applied today to a particular (Western) belief which commonly involves a belief in being able to communicate with spirits who have departed this life. If you were to use the term 'Spiritualism' in the way you describe, you would almost certainly be misunderstood.
The ways in which the word 'spiritualism' is usually defined are listed here, with the most commonly understood meaning first:
Spiritualism definition, the belief or doctrine that the spirits of the dead, surviving after the mortal life, can and do communicate with the living, especially through a person (a medium) particularly susceptible to their influence. See more.
@aninditasen (15804)
• Raurkela, India
27 May 16
Yes, you are right. Spiritualism is a process of self-realization. Once you attain that you start respecting others rights and the world becomes a better place to live in.
