10 Things You Should Never Do in Spiritism
Spiritism is often misunderstood.
For many people, it is associated with séances, spirit boards, or attempts to contact the dead. However, according to Allan Kardec’s The Spirits’ Book and the broader Spiritist Doctrine, this approach is not only mistaken — it can also be spiritually dangerous. Kardec’s framework insists that not all spirits are wise or benevolent, and that lower spirits may deceive, mock, manipulate, or even assume respected identities in order to mislead. Serious communication, by contrast, belongs to a moral, disciplined, and responsible context.
The biggest mistake people make is simple: they try to communicate with spirits without understanding what they are dealing with.
In other words, Spiritism is not entertainment. It is not a game. Above all, it is not something to experiment with lightly.
At the same time, this does not mean that Spiritism is based on fear of spirits. Kardec’s approach is not superstition, panic, or blind prohibition. It is a call for knowledge, discernment, moral seriousness, and respect for the laws that govern spirit communication.
1. Never try to summon spirits
This is the most important rule.
In Spiritist language, the deliberate calling of a spirit is usually connected with evocation. Kardec studied this subject seriously, but he never presented it as a casual practice for the curious or inexperienced.
When you attempt to summon a spirit, you are not choosing who will respond. Instead, you open a door — and whoever is closest, most willing, or morally compatible with the atmosphere you create may answer.
In practice, these are often spirits closer to confusion, pride, deceit, and human passions. Because of that, they may interfere precisely when the situation gives them an opportunity.
2. Never treat Spiritism as a game
Curiosity, thrill-seeking, and experiments done “just for fun” create the wrong conditions from the very beginning.
Kardec warns that frivolous environments attract frivolous spirits. As a result, such spirits may lie, joke, disturb, imitate, or simply enjoy wasting people’s time. What many interpret as a mysterious experience may, in reality, be nothing more than contact with unreliable intelligences drawn to emotional instability and lack of seriousness.
Therefore, what is approached lightly is unlikely to attract anything elevated.
3. Never believe everything you receive
One of the most dangerous mistakes is assuming that spirits always tell the truth.
They do not.
Spirits differ greatly. Many are ignorant, others confused, and some are driven by vanity or deception. In certain cases, they deliberately mislead. They may even use respected names in order to gain trust.
For that reason, discernment is essential. Kardec repeatedly emphasized the need to examine the quality of communications, not merely their source. If a message flatters your ego, feeds fear, encourages obsession, or tries to impress rather than enlighten, that alone should make you cautious.
4. Never provoke or challenge spirits
Provocation is not strength. In spiritual matters, it is often ignorance disguised as confidence.
Trying to test spirits, mock them, challenge them, or force a reaction creates a hostile and immature atmosphere. Consequently, this does not attract higher guidance — it attracts lower interference.
You should never challenge something you do not fully understand.
5. Never act out of pure curiosity
Not every question deserves to be opened spiritually.
If the motive is only curiosity, fascination, or the desire for sensation, the result is unlikely to be useful. Spiritism, as presented by Kardec, is tied to moral progress, not spectacle. Therefore, a shallow motive tends to attract shallow responses.
In other words, intention shapes contact.
6. Never attempt communication alone
Isolation increases risk.
Without knowledge, discipline, and emotional balance, a person can easily misinterpret what happens, become frightened, or become overly attached to an experience that should have been approached with much greater caution.
Even without considering actual spiritual influence, solitary experimentation can amplify fear, suggestion, and obsession. That alone is a serious reason not to treat such contact casually.
In Spiritism, serious mediumistic work is not based on isolation, improvisation, or emotional excitement. It requires study, moral preparation, discernment, and a responsible environment.
7. Never assume all spirits are wise
Death does not automatically produce wisdom.
This idea corrects one of the most common misunderstandings. A spirit remains what it has become morally and intellectually. Some are elevated, while others remain limited or confused. In fact, certain spirits may know less than people expect.
For that reason, the mere fact that something comes from “the other side” proves nothing by itself. See also: Are all spirits good and wise?
8. Never ignore your own inner state
In Spiritism, moral atmosphere matters.
Your thoughts, intentions, emotional condition, and personal tendencies all influence what kind of contact becomes possible. For example, fear, pride, vanity, resentment, or fixation do not create a neutral field. Instead, they shape the kind of influence you may attract.
As a result, spiritual affinity matters. Like attracts like. That principle is central to understanding spiritual influence.
9. Never seek personal gain from spirits
Trying to gain money, power, control, shortcuts, or personal advantage through spirit communication is a serious mistake.
Such influences are especially likely to exploit ambition, greed, or emotional weakness. They may promise certainty, special status, or hidden knowledge. In reality, however, they deepen confusion and dependence.
Where vanity enters, deception often follows.
10. Never open doors you do not know how to close
Spirit communication is not a toy, and it is not always as simple as people imagine.
If someone initiates contact without understanding the moral, psychological, and spiritual consequences, they may create confusion rather than insight. What begins as curiosity can become fear, fixation, or spiritual imbalance.
That is why restraint is not weakness. In this case, restraint is wisdom.
Conclusion
Spiritism is not about chasing manifestations.
Instead, it focuses on understanding life, death, moral responsibility, and the unseen consequences of human behavior. In Kardec’s view, communication with spirits is never meant to satisfy vanity or curiosity. Rather, it belongs to a broader framework of truth, discernment, humility, and moral development.
For this reason, the safest advice for beginners is not to experiment with spirit contact. The first step is study, self-knowledge, prayerful seriousness, and moral reform — not an attempt to force communication with the invisible world.
If you are not a medium, and if you do not truly understand what you are dealing with, the safest decision is simple: do not try to open the door.
If something feels wrong, the answer is not panic — but understanding. If you are new to the topic, start here: What is Spiritism?
More Questions About Spiritism
Is Spiritism the same as using a Ouija board?
No. In Kardec’s framework, Spiritism is a philosophical and moral doctrine about the soul, spirits, reincarnation, and moral progress. Treating spirit contact as a game is the opposite of that approach.
Does Spiritism forbid all communication with spirits?
No. Spiritism does not deny spirit communication. However, it treats it as a serious subject that requires knowledge, discernment, moral purpose, and responsible conditions. It is not meant to be approached as entertainment or casual experimentation.
Why is summoning spirits considered dangerous?
Because you do not control who responds. Spiritist teaching warns that certain spirits may be attracted by curiosity, fear, vanity, or frivolous settings, and that they can deceive or disturb rather than help.
Do all spirits tell the truth?
No. Kardec repeatedly warns that spirits differ greatly in morality and intelligence. Some are wise and benevolent, while others are confused, deceitful, mocking, or morally undeveloped. See also: About Spirits.
Can a spirit pretend to be someone else?
Yes. One of Kardec’s warnings is that spirits may assume respected or familiar names in order to mislead the inexperienced. This is why discernment and the examination of the message itself are essential.
What is the safest approach for beginners?
The safest approach is not to attempt spirit communication at all. First seek understanding, moral seriousness, and discernment. Spirit communication is not meant to be approached as an experiment for amusement.
