Espiritismo - Caribbean spiritism

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 Espiritistas communicate with spirits in a gathering of like-minded believers. Called misas, these sessions are somewhat akin to the is similar to the séances of American-style Spiritualism. Many Espiritistas practices, however, have elements of magic ritual which are alien to Spiritualism.

A tenet of Espiritismo is the a belief in one God, who is the omnipotent creator of the universe. There is also a belief in a spirit world inhabited by discarnate spiritual beings who gradually evolve intellectually and morally. Espiritistas (Espiritismo practitioners) believe that these beings can influence the corporeal world in various ways and that they (the practitioners of Espiritismo) can influence the actions these spirit choose to take.

Espiritismo has never had a single leader nor epicenter of practice, and as such its practice varies greatly between individuals and groups. In all cases, Espiritismo has absorbed various practices from other religious and spiritual practices endemic to Latin America and the Caribbean, especially Roman Catholicism but also Curanderismo, Santeria, Palo Monta/Mayombe and even beliefs such as Haitian Vodou and even Brazilian Quimbanda!

The use of Spiritual Baths, Powers, Candles, Oils and other paraphernalia is in general very common to Espiritismo. One example of this is a magical spell that involves asking Saint Martha to exert one's will over that of another person by burning a specially prepared lamp, saying certain prayers, and wearing an amulet tied with a red ribbon around one's waist.

In other cases, the goals and methods of the Espiritista are less obvious in the realm of witchcraft and might be considered a form of folk medicine or alternative medicine. Espiritismo is often closely linked to Brujeria and in many ways similar to Braziliam Umbanda. However, Espiritismo makes a very strong destinction between working with and invoking the aid of Spirit Guides and Orishas. Everything that belongs to Orisha is usually left to the real of the Santeros, everything that has to go with Spirit Guides is usually dealt with by the Espiritista. As always, the border lines are not very clear and always depend on the individual.

One of the main purposses of the practitioners of Espiritismos is to 'tune in' to what is called a persons 'cuadro espiritual' or 'Spiritual Court' in English. This 'court' is a group of Spirit Guides and Guardian Spirits that god assigned to lead and guide the person. The more closely someone is attuned to the messages that he or she can receive from their Spiritual Court, the easier it will be for such a person to live a life of health, wealth, happiness and emotional fulfillment.

The work that is done to establish this connection between the person and his or her Spiritual Court is simply known as Mediumship Development.

The Spiritual Work of Espiritismi is most often carried out in front of the Boveda - a sharine dedicated to the Espiritistas 'Spiritual Court'. Similar to Umbanda, once a person's Spirit Guides are known, it is also possible but not neccessary to 'settle' them. In many cases, a candle and a simple glass of water dedicated to a perticular guide is sufficient. However, in certain cases Spirit Guides also encourage a person to receive a physical representation of his or her guide(s). The term 'settling guides' is used to discribe the process of creating a physical representation for or of a particular guide - or in some cases, a group of guides! This is done to manifest the influence of the guide in a person's life and to establish a closer connection between the person and the guide. Some cultures calle this process of 'settling guides' the 'creation of a fetish'.

Spiritual Table at one of our celebrations - March 2007