Spiritism or Kardecism is a reincarnationist and spiritualist doctrine established in France in the mid-19th century by writer and educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail. Kardec considered his doctrine to derive from a Christian perspective. He described a cycle by which a spirit supposedly returns to material existence after the death of the old body in which it dwelled, as well as the evolution it undergoes during this process. Kardecism emerged as a new religious movement in tandem with spiritualism, the notions and practices associated with spiritual communication disseminated throughout North America and Europe since the 1850s.
Allan Kardec, portrait from L'Illustration, 10 March 1869
Parisian salon with people practicing three variations of table-turning using a ring, a table, and a hat. (L'Illustration, Histoire de la semaine, May 14, 1853).
"To be born, to die, to be reborn yet again, and to constantly progress, such is the law", in French on Kardec's tomb.
Publication of The Spirits' Book from 1860 in Paris
Allan Kardec is the pen name of the French educator, translator, and author Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail. He is the author of the five books known as the Spiritist Codification, and the founder of Spiritism.
Allan Kardec
Allan Kardec's grave at Cimetière du Père Lachaise. The inscription says Naitre, mourir, renaitre encore et progresser sans cesse, telle est la loi ("To be born, to die, to be reborn again and keep progressing, that is the law").
