海外文化:英美民俗-通灵术

【英文原文】

摘要：研究通灵术的人认为死人与活人能够通过某种方式进行交流。他们相信人由灵、魂、体三者组成，灵寓于魂之中，而灵与魂又寓于体之中。人死后，灵与魂依然存活，故能与活人沟通。

Spiritualism is the belief that spirits of the dead can communicate with the living. Spiritualists believe that human beings are made up of body, soul, and spirit. At death, the body ceases to exist, but the spirit continues to exist because it is encased in the soul. According to spiritualists, communication between the physical and spiritual world does not end with physical death.

Modern spiritualism arose in the 19th century. In the United States spiritualism developed around Margaret and Kate Fox, sisters in New York State who were awakened with the rest of their family by mysterious rapping sounds in their house. The young sisters decided to ask questions with yes, no, or unmerical answers, and they claimed to receive responses in the form of raps. Visitors began to crowd the Fox house to witness this spectacle or prove it a trick, and stories quickly spread that the Fox girls were mediums in touch with spirits. The Fox sisters later showed their ability in New York City to famous people.

To communicate with spirits, spiritualists sometimes meet in small gatherings called séances. During a séance, several persons sit at a table and touch hands. An individual, usually called a medium leads the séance. The medium helps the group concentrate their thoughts on the person they wish to contact, usually a dead friend or relative. The spirit of the dead is supposed to show its presence by making rapping sounds, by moving objects in the room, or by speaking through the medium.