Historia del espiritismo en Suecia

History of spiritism in Sweden

At the end of the 19th century, the spiritualism made their entrance into the halls Swedish.

The American medium Miss Fay (1851-1927) travelled all over the world and showed her mediumistic abilities. Among other things, she visited Stockholm.

The Book of the Spirits was a success

One branch that became important to the spiritists in Sweden was that founded in France by Allan Kardec. Before becoming a spiritist, Kardec had been a teacher and called himself Hippolyte Léon Dénizard Rivail, but then, according to his own account, he got his new name from the spirits. In 1857 he published The Book of Spirits, which presented his spiritist view of the world. The book was a success and became a kind of common bible for spiritists in France. In the book, Kardec published messages from spirits. These messages were expressed simply in clear language and the book had a wide appeal, unlike many other similar contemporary works that were often written in an enigmatic style.

The book of the spirits of Allan Kardec was published in 1857 and became a success.

Modern Spiritism in the Swedish press

As early as the late 1850s, Spiritualism began to be mentioned in the Swedish press, then called modern Spiritualism. However, signs of organised spiritism activity and more regular discussions in the press did not appear in Sweden until the late 1870s. In 1879, for example, a spiritist lending library was founded, which in 1880 adopted the name Spiritistiska litteraturföreningen (S.L.F.). The association organised regular meetings and its members held spiritist séances. Two of its members, Oscar Busch and Matilda Nilsson, were important for the spread of spiritism in Sweden. Oscar Busch had been one of the founders of the association, and was also the editor of Efteråt? magazine. Matilda Nilsson was the editor of the magazine and the editorial team was based in her house. She also gave a room for the extensive library of the S.L.F. Nilsson was also a member of the spiritist society De fem (The Five), which in recent years has become known for the pioneering art of its member Hilma af Klint, which has attracted considerable international attention.

The Association of Literature Spiritist

Oscar Busch (1844-1916) and Matilda Nilsson (1844-1923) were two of the most prominent figures in the spread of spiritism in Sweden. In 1879, Oscar Busch was one of the founders of a spiritist lending library, which soon adopted the name Spiritualist Literature Association (S.L.F.). He was also editor of the association's magazine Efteråt? which included testimonies about spirit contact. Matilda Nilsson soon became a member and gave her house to the magazine's editorial staff, as well as becoming the responsible editor. Matilda Nilsson was also a member of the Society of Five.

In Sweden there was a small circle of spiritualists who formed associations, organised séances and published magazines and books. They were mainly based in Stockholm, but there were also spiritism activities in other cities, such as Gothenburg. Many spiritists were women. At that time there was a widespread belief that women were biologically more sensitive and passive than men, which made them particularly suited to become spiritism mediums, as it was thought that supposedly feminine qualities made it easier to communicate with spirits. Being of the female sex was therefore not a negative factor in spiritism activities, but rather opened up the possibility of being in the position of power that came with being in charge of transmitting messages from the spirit world. This was at a time when women were excluded from universities and political activities.

The Society of the Five

The members of the Society of Five were the sisters Matilda Nilsson and Cornelia Cederberg, Hilma af Klint, Anna Cassel and Sigrid Hedman. It was the latter who acted primarily as the society's medium. From 1896 onwards, the society met regularly and held joint sessions, sometimes with guests. Hilma af Klint and Anna Cassel were two of the women allowed to study at the Royal Institute of Art. All five members of The Five had previously belonged to another spiritist society: the Edelweiss Society, founded in 1890 by Huldine Beamish-Mossander. Even before the Edelweiss Society was formed, Beamish-Mossander had organised spiritism séances with her friend Bertha Valerius, an artist and one of Sweden's first photographers. Valerius had her own spiritist organisation called Klöverbladet, which included Beamish-Mossander and Anna Wallenberg. Anna Wallenberg was the widow of A.O. Wallenberg, founder of the Stockholms Enskilda Bank, and a committed spiritist, because she could not survive on her own income.

In Swedish spiritist circles, many came from affluent backgrounds, while in England and the United States, for example, spiritism also had working-class supporters. This is probably one of the reasons why there were no alliances between spiritists and socialists in Sweden, unlike in other countries. On the contrary, the journal Socialdemokraten was the most outspoken critic of the spiritists in some of the debates that the movement provoked in the Swedish daily press. An example of this was the visit of the American medium Miss Fay to Stockholm. Her appearance was followed by a wave of indignation in the press.

The King of Sweden visited the show of Miss Fay

The newspapers in Stockholm, reported about the event and spoke of Miss Fay, although with some doubts about how to interpret his actions: was it simply a good entertainment with tricks well executed or had spirits behind them? Many articles in the press defended an interpretation spiritualist of miss Fay, arguing that only the existence of spirits could explain their actions. While, for example, the geologist Gerard De Geer came out in the press to argue against that there were supernatural forces behind the representations of the medium american.

Hilma af Klints altarpiece n.or 1, group X of the sacred (1915).

It was in June 1888 that Miss Fay first came to Stockholm to demonstrate her mediumistic abilities. In her show she performed various tricks, similar to the one imitated by J.R. Nordström in his show. His performances could also be based on nailing a board while it was tied to the tent, or lifting a table by simply touching it with the palms of his hands. The performances attracted attention both in spiritism circles and among the Stockholm public, and despite, or possibly because of, different interpretations of what Miss Fay's performances meant, many people in Stockholm attended her shows. According to one newspaper, King Oscar II and Prince Charles attended one of her sessions. Miss Fay and her tricks were therefore a hot topic of conversation in Stockholm even before J.R. Nordström took the stage at the Svea Hall, which provides a background for the uproar that ensued when he once and for all uncovered the spiritist explanations for her performances.

King Oscar II of Sweden.

Prince Charles of Sweden, duke of Västergötland, around 1929.

Following J.R. Nordström's revelation, Miss Fay held a final spiritism séance in Stockholm in November 1888 before travelling on. Through an interpreter, she stated after the show that her performances had been examined by scientists who had attested to their authenticity and that the seances would therefore be considered “scientific”. However, the audience was not satisfied, and after Miss Fay left the stage, writer and educator Anton Nyström stood up in the crowd to explain how he believed the tricks had been performed.

Spiritism continued to live in Sweden

When Miss Fay left Sweden, the debates surrounding her disappeared. However, interest in spiritism continued in Sweden for several more years, before gradually falling into oblivion during the first half of the twentieth century. As fewer and fewer people became interested in spiritism, much of the knowledge about it, and about the influence it had on cultural life in the late 19th century, also disappeared. As we have seen, spiritism was an activity that many people in Stockholm read about, discussed and visited. For women living in the capital, in particular, spiritism was an opportunity for prominence.

However, belief in the spiritual dimensions of life did not disappear; other movements, such as theosophy and anthroposophy, have continued to address and discuss them. Interest in the spiritual has also influenced various artistic expressions; the aforementioned Hilma af Klint has received a great deal of posthumous attention in recent years for her paintings, which, according to her own account, were created by spirits through her. Belief in both spirits and reincarnation continues today. New Age and other types of neo-paganism have a large following, and in recent years there has been talk of a revival of various esoteric movements. A new survey by Uppsala University shows that 41% of Swedes believe in paranormal phenomena, i.e. things that cannot be explained.

By better understanding the history of spirituality and the role that belief in spirits has played in different times and societies, we can also come closer to understanding our own contemporary interest in the spiritual. For although in nineteenth-century Sweden there were a limited number of people who were believing spiritists, debates such as Miss Fay's show that the spiritist interest in spirituality was a subject that - just as now - both moved and displeased those around them.