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Espiritismo


Espiritismo (Portuguese and Spanish for "Spiritism") is a term used in Latin America and the Caribbean to refer to the popular belief that good and evil spirits can affect health, luck and other aspects of human life.

Espiritismo shares many of its fundamental concepts with 19th century Spiritualism as was practiced in the United States. During this period, several books on mediumship and spiritual practices became available in the Caribbean and Latin America. As many Native Americans and people of African descent had long standing traditions of ancestor worship and trance possession, Spiritualism was readily absorbed into and adapted to these pre-existing belief systems.

Many espíritas or espiritistas (Espiritismo practitioners) communicate with spirits in a gathering of like-minded believers. Called un misa which means mass in Spanish. Most practitioners will have an altar called a mesa (table, in Portuguese) ou mesas brancas (white table, in Portuguese), these sessions are somewhat akin to the séances of American-style Spiritualism of the 19th to the present. Many Espiritistas' practices, however, have elements of magic ritual which are not traditionally found in mainstream Spiritualist denomimations, but are often found in Spiritualist denominations associated with the spiritual church movement.

A tenet of Espiritismo is the a belief in a supreme God who is the omnipotent creator of the universe. There is also a belief in a spirit world inhabited by entities that can gradually evolve intellectually and morally. Espiritistas believe these beings can influence the world in various ways and that the espiritistas, in turn, can also influence the actions of the spirits.


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