Spiritism Glossary: Key Terms Explained
This Spiritism glossary explains key concepts such as the soul, spirits, perispirit,
reincarnation and mediumship. All definitions are based on the philosophy of Allan Kardec
and the principles of Spiritism.
Glossary index
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I |
| J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |
| S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
A
Afterlife
Definition: The continuation of conscious existence after physical death.
Explanation: In Spiritism, death is not the end of the person. The soul survives the body and returns to the spirit world, where it continues to think, remember, learn and progress.
In Spiritism: The afterlife is not a static reward or punishment, but a real spiritual condition that reflects the moral and intellectual state of the spirit.
Angel
Definition: A highly evolved or pure spirit.
Explanation: Spiritism does not treat angels as a separate creation. Angels are spirits who reached a very high level of moral and spiritual perfection through progress.
In Spiritism: Angels are perfected spirits who no longer need the same purifying incarnations as less evolved spirits.
Animism
Definition: Phenomena produced by the medium’s own spirit rather than by an external spirit.
Explanation: In mediumship, the medium may unconsciously express their own thoughts, memories or inner impressions while believing they come from a spirit.
In Spiritism: Animism is not necessarily fraud, but a natural interference that requires study and discernment in order to distinguish it from genuine spirit communication.
Apparition
Definition: A visible manifestation of a spirit.
Explanation: Under certain conditions, a spirit can make itself visible through its fluidic envelope, called the perispirit.
In Spiritism: Apparitions are not treated as fantasy, but as one possible mode of spirit manifestation.
B
Body
Definition: The temporary material envelope of the incarnate spirit.
Explanation: The body allows the spirit to live and act in the physical world. It is necessary for earthly experience, but it is not the true self.
In Spiritism: The body dies, but the spirit survives. Death is the separation of the spirit from the physical body.
C
Charity
Definition: Active love for others expressed through goodness, understanding and help.
Explanation: In Spiritism, charity is much broader than material giving. It includes patience, forgiveness, moral support and sincere goodwill toward others.
In Spiritism: Charity is one of the clearest signs of moral progress.
Communication with Spirits
Definition: Interaction between incarnate persons and discarnate spirits.
Explanation: This communication may occur through writing, speech, hearing, impressions or other mediumistic means.
In Spiritism: Communication is possible, but it should be approached seriously, morally and without frivolity, because not all spirits are truthful or elevated.
Conscience
Definition: The inner moral awareness that helps a person distinguish right from wrong.
Explanation: Conscience reflects the level of spiritual maturity and is linked to moral responsibility.
In Spiritism: It is an essential inner guide and closely connected with self-knowledge and moral progress.
Creation
Definition: The universe and all beings brought into existence by God.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that creation includes both the visible material world and the invisible spiritual world.
In Spiritism: Spirits are part of creation and are destined to progress toward greater knowledge and moral refinement.
D
Death
Definition: The separation of the spirit from the physical body.
Explanation: Death destroys only the material body. The spirit survives and retains its individuality.
In Spiritism: Death is a transition, not annihilation.
Dematerialization
Definition: The gradual freeing of the spirit from the domination of matter.
Explanation: A more dematerialized spirit is less attached to selfish passions, sensuality and earthly illusions.
In Spiritism: Moral elevation and inner purification lead to greater dematerialization.
Disincarnation
Definition: The process by which the spirit leaves the physical body at death.
Explanation: In Spiritist thought, disincarnation is not simple annihilation, but the transition from corporeal life to spirit life, including the separation of the spirit and its perispirit from the body.
In Spiritism: It emphasizes death as a passage and return to the spiritual state, not the end of individual existence.
E
Ectoplasm
Definition: A semi-material substance associated with certain physical manifestations.
Explanation: It is understood as a fluidic substance exteriorized through certain mediums, allowing spirits to act more directly upon matter and produce physical effects.
In Spiritism: It is linked to physical mediumship and should be approached carefully, without sensationalism or exaggeration.
Emancipation of the Soul
Definition: A temporary partial freedom of the soul from the constraints of the physical body.
Explanation: During sleep, somnambulism, ecstasy or certain altered states, the soul may perceive, act or remember with greater independence from bodily limitation.
In Spiritism: Kardec treats the emancipation of the soul as a key principle for understanding second sight, somnambulism, lucid perception and many phenomena that reveal the soul’s existence apart from the body.
Errant Spirit
Definition: A spirit that is no longer incarnate and is between physical existences.
Explanation: The errant state is the interval between one incarnation and the next. It may last for a short or very long time.
In Spiritism: An errant spirit is not necessarily inferior. Spirits of different degrees may be in the errant state, except pure spirits who no longer need reincarnation.
Erraticity
Definition: The state of a spirit between one incarnation and another.
Explanation: In this condition, the spirit is no longer united with a physical body, but has not yet begun a new corporeal existence.
In Spiritism: Erraticity is a normal phase of spirit life in which the spirit reflects, learns and prepares for future progress.
Evocation
Definition: The act of intentionally calling a spirit for communication.
Explanation: Spiritist practice distinguishes between spontaneous communications and communications obtained by evocation.
In Spiritism: Evocation should be serious, respectful and morally careful, never treated as entertainment.
Expiation
Definition: A process through which a spirit undergoes trials linked to previous errors and moral debts.
Explanation: Some incarnations are accepted or imposed as expiation so that the spirit may learn, repair and progress.
In Spiritism: Expiation is not eternal condemnation, but part of divine justice and moral education.
F
Fascination
Definition: A serious form of obsession in which a spirit creates a delusion in the mind of the medium or subject.
Explanation: The person under fascination may believe false, absurd or deceptive communications to be elevated and true.
In Spiritism: Fascination is more dangerous than simple obsession because it weakens judgment and can lead to serious error.
Fluidic Emission
Definition: The transmission or exteriorization of subtle fluids by an incarnate or discarnate being.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that thoughts, will and moral state affect the quality of the fluids emitted, which may influence other persons or spiritual environments.
In Spiritism: Fluidic emission helps explain spiritual influence, magnetic action and certain healing or mediumistic phenomena.
Fluids
Definition: Subtle forms of matter that serve as a medium for spiritual action.
Explanation: Spirits act upon these fluids to influence the perispirit and, in some cases, the material world.
In Spiritism: The nature and quality of fluids depend on the moral and intellectual level of the spirit using them.
Free Will
Definition: The capacity of the spirit to choose its actions.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that moral responsibility would make no sense without freedom of choice.
In Spiritism: Progress depends on the use of free will. Spirits advance or delay themselves through their own decisions.
Frivolous Spirits
Definition: Light, mocking or superficial spirits who delight in triviality and mischief.
Explanation: These spirits often enjoy amusement, irony, confusion or deception. They may imitate seriousness without possessing true wisdom or moral elevation.
In Spiritism: Frivolous spirits are unreliable communicators and one reason why spirit communications must always be judged by their content, tone and moral quality.
G
God
Definition: The First Cause of all things.
Explanation: In Spiritism, God is eternal, immutable, immaterial, all-powerful, supremely just and supremely good.
In Spiritism: God is the source of creation, of natural law, and of the moral order that guides spiritual evolution.
Guardian Angel
Definition: A protective spirit assigned to help and guide a person.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that human beings may be assisted by protector spirits who encourage good thoughts and moral strength.
In Spiritism: Guardian spirits do not force obedience. They advise, protect and inspire, while respecting free will.
H
Hallucination
Definition: A false perception that may be confused with a spiritual manifestation.
Explanation: Spiritism accepts that not every unusual perception is caused by spirits. Some experiences may arise from the mind itself, imagination or mental disturbance.
In Spiritism: Serious study requires distinguishing true spirit manifestations from illusion, exaggeration or hallucination.
Heaven
Definition: Not a fixed physical place, but a condition of spiritual happiness and elevation.
Explanation: Spiritism rejects the idea of heaven as a literal region above the earth. True happiness depends on the state of the spirit.
In Spiritism: Heaven is linked to purity, moral progress and closeness to the good.
Hell
Definition: A state of suffering, not a fixed place of eternal fire.
Explanation: In Spiritism, hell is not understood as a literal underground prison or an everlasting furnace. It refers to the suffering of imperfect spirits, especially those who remain attached to evil, ignorance or remorse.
In Spiritism: Hell is a condition of spiritual pain caused by imperfection, and not an eternal punishment without hope of improvement.
Higher Spirits
Definition: Spirits of advanced moral and intellectual development.
Explanation: They are distinguished by wisdom, calmness, sincerity, goodness and freedom from lower passions.
In Spiritism: Higher spirits do not flatter vanity or promote confusion. Their language is noble, serious and morally clear.
I
Imperfect Spirits
Definition: Spirits who still remain marked by ignorance, selfishness, pride or attachment to matter.
Explanation: They have not yet achieved moral purification and may vary greatly in character, from merely limited and weak to openly malicious and deceitful.
In Spiritism: Imperfect spirits form the lower orders of the spirit hierarchy and explain why many communications contain error, vanity, contradiction or moral inferiority.
Incarnation
Definition: The union of a spirit with a physical body.
Explanation: Through incarnation, the spirit enters material life in order to learn, repair, develop and advance morally and intellectually.
In Spiritism: Incarnation is a necessary stage for imperfect spirits and serves both expiation and progress.
Inspiration
Definition: A thought, idea or impulse suggested by a spirit.
Explanation: Inspiration may occur in ordinary life as a sudden clear idea, warning, solution or elevated thought that was not deliberately produced by the person.
In Spiritism: Inspiration is a subtle form of spirit communication and may come from good or bad spirits, although higher inspirations tend toward wisdom and good.
Intuitive Medium
Definition: A medium who receives and transmits the thought of a spirit through their own mind.
Explanation: In this type of mediumship, the medium is conscious of what is being written or expressed, but the idea does not originate from their own personal thought.
In Spiritism: Intuitive mediumship is more interior and less obviously mechanical, which is why discernment is especially important.
J
Justice (Divine Justice)
Definition: The perfect fairness of God’s moral law.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that divine justice is inseparable from divine goodness. Every spirit reaps the consequences of its actions, but always retains the possibility of improvement.
In Spiritism: Reincarnation, expiation and moral progress are all linked to divine justice, because no soul is condemned forever without hope.
K
Knowledge of Self
Definition: Honest inner self-examination.
Explanation: A person grows spiritually by recognizing personal weaknesses, intentions, habits and moral failings instead of hiding them from conscience.
In Spiritism: Self-knowledge is one of the foundations of moral reform and spiritual progress.
L
Law of Cause and Effect
Definition: The principle that every action produces a corresponding consequence.
Explanation: Each spirit experiences the results of its actions, whether good or bad, in this life or in future existences.
In Spiritism: This law is part of divine justice and explains suffering, trials, responsibility and the need for moral repair and progress.
Lower Spirits
Definition: Spirits of lesser moral and spiritual development.
Explanation: Lower spirits are often marked by ignorance, frivolity, deceit, pride, selfishness or attachment to earthly passions.
In Spiritism: They may communicate with humans, but their messages are often misleading, vain, contradictory or morally weak.
M
Magnetic Fluids
Definition: Fluids associated with magnetic action and the influence of will upon living beings.
Explanation: Kardec relates magnetism to the broader action of fluids and acknowledges curative magnetic action as part of the interaction between spirit, body and subtle forces.
In Spiritism: Magnetic fluids belong to the wider study of spiritual and vital influences, especially in healing and moral support.
Materialism
Definition: The belief that only matter exists and that consciousness ends with the body.
Explanation: Spiritism opposes materialism because it teaches the existence, survival and individuality of the soul after death.
In Spiritism: Materialism is seen as a doctrine that cannot adequately explain the moral nature of human life or the persistence of consciousness beyond death.
Medium
Definition: A person who serves as an intermediary between spirits and incarnate human beings.
Explanation: A medium may receive communications through writing, speech, hearing, impressions or other forms of manifestation.
In Spiritism: Mediumship is not a sign of holiness by itself. It is a faculty that must be guided by seriousness, morality and discernment.
Mediumship
Definition: The faculty that enables communication between spirits and humans.
Explanation: Mediumship appears in different forms and degrees. Some mediums write, some speak, some hear, and some perceive spirits inwardly or outwardly.
In Spiritism: Mediumship should be studied before being practiced carelessly, because it can involve deception, obsession and moral risk when approached without seriousness.
Moral Law
Definition: The divine or natural law that governs moral life.
Explanation: This law defines the principles of justice, love, charity, freedom, progress and responsibility that guide the evolution of the spirit.
In Spiritism: Moral law is universal, comes from God and is the foundation of true spiritual advancement.
Moral Progress
Definition: The improvement of the spirit through the reduction of selfishness, pride and lower passions.
Explanation: Moral progress is not just intellectual knowledge. It is shown through charity, humility, sincerity, patience and love of the good.
In Spiritism: A spirit rises by becoming morally better, not merely more informed.
Moral Reform
Definition: The conscious effort to improve one’s character and overcome moral imperfections.
Explanation: It involves inner transformation rather than outward appearance, especially the struggle against selfishness, pride and harmful passions.
In Spiritism: Moral reform is the practical heart of Spiritism and the clearest sign that knowledge is being applied to life.
N
Natural Law
Definition: The divine law expressed through the moral order of creation.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that natural law is God’s law. It is eternal, universal and written in the conscience of every human being.
In Spiritism: Natural law is the basis of justice, duty and moral responsibility, and no true spiritual progress can occur outside it.
Nothingness
Definition: The idea that death ends all personal existence.
Explanation: Spiritism rejects the doctrine of nothingness and affirms that the soul survives physical death with its individuality preserved.
In Spiritism: The future life is real, and death is a transition rather than annihilation.
O
Obsession
Definition: The persistent influence of an inferior spirit over a person or medium.
Explanation: Obsession may range from moral pressure and repeated disturbance to more serious forms such as fascination and subjugation.
In Spiritism: Obsession is treated as a real spiritual and moral problem that requires discernment, prayer, moral firmness and serious reform of thought and conduct.
P
Perispirit
Definition: The semi-material envelope of the spirit.
Explanation: In incarnate life, the perispirit links the spirit to the physical body. After death, it remains as the fluidic body of the spirit.
In Spiritism: The perispirit helps explain apparitions, spirit manifestations and the connection between spirit and matter.
Perturbation after Death
Definition: The temporary confusion or disturbance that may follow physical death.
Explanation: After disincarnation, many spirits pass through a period of uncertainty, dim awareness or emotional disorientation while separating from bodily life and adapting to the spiritual state.
In Spiritism: The duration and intensity of this perturbation depend greatly on the moral state of the spirit, its attachment to matter and the manner in which it faced earthly life and death.
Physical Medium
Definition: A medium especially suited to producing physical effects such as movements, noises or other material manifestations.
Explanation: This form of mediumship is associated with phenomena in which spirits act upon matter more directly, often through fluidic combinations involving the medium.
In Spiritism: Physical mediumship belongs to the study of objective manifestations, but it must still be approached with seriousness, caution and freedom from sensationalism.
Plurality of Worlds
Definition: The principle that life exists on many worlds, not only on Earth.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that the universe contains many inhabited worlds, each suited to different degrees of spiritual evolution.
In Spiritism: This principle broadens the understanding of divine justice, progress and the destiny of spirits beyond a single earthly life.
Poltergeist
Definition: A disturbing physical manifestation attributed to inferior or mischievous spirits.
Explanation: The term usually refers to noises, movements of objects or repeated household disturbances. In a Spiritist understanding, such phenomena do not come from a separate class of beings, but from spirits of low moral condition acting upon matter.
In Spiritism: A poltergeist is not a different kind of soul, but a manifestation linked to lower spirits, especially those still attached to crude instincts, disorder or mockery.
Polytheism
Definition: The belief in multiple gods.
Explanation: Spiritism interprets many ancient gods as spirits that were misunderstood, idealized or feared by early peoples.
In Spiritism: There is only one God, the First Cause of all things; other supernatural beings are simply spirits at different levels of development.
Prayer
Definition: An act of thought directed toward God, good spirits or the moral good.
Explanation: Prayer may take the form of gratitude, request or moral elevation. Its value lies less in words themselves than in sincerity, intention and inner disposition.
In Spiritism: Prayer is a real moral and fluidic action. It strengthens the person who prays, attracts beneficial spiritual assistance and may also help suffering or repentant spirits.
Prescient Medium
Definition: A medium who has vague or partial intuitions of future events.
Explanation: This faculty may arise from second sight or from concealed communications from spirits.
In Spiritism: Prescient mediumship does not mean complete knowledge of the future, but rather an occasional intuitive perception of coming events or their probable consequences.
Providence
Definition: The wise and just guidance of God over creation.
Explanation: Providence is expressed through divine laws, moral order and the opportunities given to spirits for progress, repair and learning.
In Spiritism: Nothing essential in spiritual progress is outside divine providence, even when human beings do not fully understand events.
Psychography
Definition: Writing produced by spirits through the hand of a medium.
Explanation: Psychography is one of the principal forms of mediumistic communication described by Kardec.
In Spiritism: It may be mechanical, intuitive or semi-mechanical depending on how the medium receives and transmits the communication.
Pure Spirits
Definition: Spirits who have reached the highest degree of moral purification and wisdom.
Explanation: Having overcome the influence of matter and lower passions, they no longer need incarnations of expiation. They act in harmony with divine law and serve as messengers or agents of the good.
In Spiritism: Pure spirits occupy the highest order in the spirit hierarchy and represent the state toward which all spirits are ultimately destined to advance.
Purgatory
Definition: A state of expiation and suffering connected with imperfection.
Explanation: Spiritism does not treat purgatory as a fixed place. It understands it as the condition of imperfect spirits and, in many cases, as the trials of corporeal life itself.
In Spiritism: Earthly life may function as a form of purgatory, because suffering and trials help the spirit repair and purify itself.
Q
Quality of Spirit Communications
Definition: The moral and intellectual value of a communication attributed to spirits.
Explanation: Spiritism teaches that communications must not be judged merely by their impressive form, hidden information or mysterious tone, but above all by their clarity, coherence, moral elevation and freedom from vanity or contradiction.
In Spiritism: The quality of a communication is one of the main criteria for discerning the spirit behind it, since higher spirits express themselves with seriousness, goodness and truth, while lower spirits often reveal confusion, pride or frivolity.
R
Reincarnation
Definition: The return of the spirit to a new physical body after death.
Explanation: Each incarnation is an opportunity for learning, moral improvement and repair of past actions. The spirit retains its individuality and progresses across multiple lives.
In Spiritism: Reincarnation is a fundamental principle that explains justice, inequality of conditions and the continuous progress of the soul.
Remorse
Definition: A painful awareness of having done wrong.
Explanation: After death, spirits often become more aware of their past actions and may feel remorse for harm they caused or good they failed to do.
In Spiritism: Remorse is not punishment itself, but a step toward moral awakening and future improvement.
Resurrection
Definition: A concept traditionally meaning the return to life.
Explanation: Spiritism interprets resurrection not as the reanimation of the same physical body, but as the return of the spirit to a new body through reincarnation.
In Spiritism: The idea of resurrection is understood in a rational way as spiritual continuity, not literal physical revival.
S
Second Sight
Definition: The ability of the soul to perceive beyond the physical senses.
Explanation: It is a form of perception in which the spirit sees independently of the body, sometimes perceiving distant events or spiritual realities.
In Spiritism: It is a natural faculty of the soul that may appear spontaneously or in altered states such as sleep, trance or somnambulism.
Somnambulism
Definition: A state in which the soul acts with greater independence from the body.
Explanation: In somnambulism, perception may extend beyond ordinary physical senses, sometimes allowing insight, diagnosis or perception at a distance.
In Spiritism: Kardec treats somnambulism as an important natural phenomenon closely related to emancipation of the soul and second sight.
Soul
Definition: The intelligent and individual principle of a human being.
Explanation: The soul is the incarnate spirit. It is the true self, temporarily united with the physical body during earthly life.
In Spiritism: The soul survives death and continues its existence as a spirit, carrying its personality, memories and moral qualities.
Spirit
Definition: An intelligent, immaterial being that survives physical death.
Explanation: Spirits are created simple and ignorant and gradually evolve through experience, learning and moral development.
In Spiritism: Spirits exist in different stages of evolution, from lower, imperfect spirits to highly advanced and purified ones.
Spirit Hierarchy
Definition: The classification of spirits according to their degree of moral and intellectual advancement.
Explanation: Spirits are not equal in development. Some remain attached to ignorance and imperfection, while others advance toward wisdom, goodness and purity.
In Spiritism: The hierarchy of spirits helps explain the very different character of spiritual communications and manifestations.
Spiritism
Definition: A philosophical and moral doctrine based on the existence of spirits and their communication with the living.
Explanation: Codified by Allan Kardec, Spiritism studies the nature, origin and destiny of spirits, as well as their relationship with the material world.
In Spiritism: It is not a religion of rituals, but a doctrine of understanding, moral responsibility and spiritual progress.
Spiritual Affinity
Definition: The attraction between beings of similar inner tendencies and moral qualities.
Explanation: Spirits and incarnate persons naturally attract influences that correspond to their thoughts, intentions and emotional condition.
In Spiritism: Spiritual affinity helps explain sympathy, spiritual influence and why certain souls feel close to one another.
Spiritual World
Definition: The invisible realm where spirits exist.
Explanation: The spiritual world is not separate in space, but exists alongside the material world. Spirits may be present around us without being perceived by ordinary senses.
In Spiritism: It is the primary and permanent world, while the physical world is temporary.
Subjugation
Definition: A severe form of obsession in which a spirit exerts control over a person.
Explanation: In subjugation, the affected individual may feel compelled to act, think or speak against their will.
In Spiritism: It is one of the most serious forms of spiritual influence and requires moral strength, support and proper understanding to overcome.
Sympathy Between Spirits
Definition: The attraction between spirits of similar moral and mental qualities.
Explanation: Like attracts like. Spirits with similar tendencies, intentions and character naturally connect with one another.
In Spiritism: This law explains why a person attracts certain types of spiritual influences depending on their inner state.
T
Table-Turning
Definition: The movement of tables or similar objects under spirit influence.
Explanation: These physical manifestations played an important historical role in drawing attention to spirit phenomena and opened the way to further study of intelligent communications.
In Spiritism: Table-turning is important mainly as an early phenomenon in the history of Spiritism, not as its central purpose.
Transfiguration
Definition: A phenomenon in which the appearance of a living person seems altered through spirit action.
Explanation: Kardec describes transfiguration as a modification in visible appearance linked to the action of the perispirit.
In Spiritism: It is treated as a rare but meaningful phenomenon connected with the relationship between spirit, perispirit and physical form.
Trials
Definition: Difficult experiences faced during life.
Explanation: Trials are situations that test patience, humility, resilience and moral strength. They may be chosen or accepted by the spirit before incarnation.
In Spiritism: Trials are opportunities for growth and purification, not meaningless suffering.
Truth
Definition: That which corresponds to reality and moral law.
Explanation: Truth in Spiritism is not only intellectual correctness, but also alignment with goodness, sincerity and moral clarity.
In Spiritism: Higher spirits express truth in a calm, consistent and morally elevated way, without contradiction or vanity.
Typtology
Definition: A method of communication through raps, knocks or coded sounds.
Explanation: Before more developed forms of mediumship became common, spirits could communicate by a system of sounds corresponding to letters, words or responses.
In Spiritism: Typtology belongs to the early practical study of spirit manifestations and helped establish the reality of intelligent communication.
U
Universal Fluid
Definition: The fundamental fluidic element from which all matter and spiritual manifestations derive.
Explanation: In Spiritism, the universal fluid is the intermediary substance between spirit and matter. It can be modified and directed by spirits.
In Spiritism: It explains phenomena such as spirit manifestations, perispirit formation and the interaction between the spiritual and physical worlds.
V
Vibration
Definition: The energetic or moral state of a being that influences spiritual attraction.
Explanation: Although not a strictly technical term in Kardec’s works, the idea corresponds to the principle that thoughts and moral states emit influences that attract similar spirits.
In Spiritism: A person’s inner state determines the kind of spirits they attract, according to the law of affinity.
Vice
Definition: A persistent moral weakness or harmful tendency.
Explanation: Vices such as selfishness, pride, envy or cruelty slow spiritual progress and create suffering both in life and after death.
In Spiritism: Overcoming vice is essential for moral elevation and liberation from lower influences.
W
Will
Definition: The conscious power to choose and act.
Explanation: The will directs thoughts and actions and plays a central role in moral responsibility and spiritual development.
In Spiritism: Strong and disciplined will helps resist negative influences and supports moral progress.
X
Xylomancy
Definition: A form of divination based on wood or natural patterns.
Explanation: It involves interpreting shapes, arrangements or movements of wood, branches or related natural signs.
In Spiritism: Such practices are not part of Spiritist doctrine and may lead to superstition or error if confused with genuine spirit communication.
Y
Youth of the Soul
Definition: The early stage of spiritual development.
Explanation: Spirits are created simple and ignorant and gradually evolve through experience. In their “youth,” they lack knowledge and moral refinement.
In Spiritism: Spiritual youth explains errors, ignorance and the need for repeated incarnations.
Z
Zeal
Definition: Strong dedication or enthusiasm toward a cause.
Explanation: Zeal may be positive when guided by wisdom and humility, but harmful when driven by pride, fanaticism or lack of discernment.
In Spiritism: True zeal is balanced, sincere and aligned with moral good, not with blind conviction.