Talking to the Other Side: A History of Modern Spiritualism and Mediumship

About the Book

Since its birth in 1848, Spiritualism as a religion, science, and philosophy has experienced great highs and lows. At the center of this purely American-made modern-religious movement are "mediums"-the people who are able to communicate, in some way, with spirit entities that are no longer on the earth plane.

Based on three years of on-site investigation, and a plethora of data and research collected on the modern Spiritualist movement in America, Talking to the Other Side focuses upon the ethno-religious aspects of the religion, mediumship, and the mediums themselves.

The first four chapters offer an expansive review of the history of religion in America, mediumship, and the Spiritualist movement. Chapters 5–7 comprise the research and data that were compiled and analyzed based on fieldwork analysis, a comprehensive questionnaire, personal interviews, and published literature on the topic of Spiritualism and mediumship.

According to Spiritualist mediums, "people don't die, bodies do." Talking to the Other Side offers a contemporary look into the lives and backgrounds of the mediums who bridge this world and the Spirit world, connecting those who have passed over with those they left behind.

About the Author

Todd Jay Leonard, PhD, holds a doctorate in social science with a specialization in American religious history. He has written fourteen books and has authored numerous academic articles in the areas of history, language, culture, religion, and spirituality. He now calls Hirosaki, Japan home, where he lives, writes, and teaches.