The Spirit Book: The Encyclopedia of Clairvoyance, Channeling, and Spirit Communication

 The Spiritualism movement began in the mid-18th century and focuses on communication with the spirits of the dead. Followers believe that spirit communication occurs primarily through mediums, although non-mediums can also communicate through a variety of methods, including automatic writing or the use of an Ouija board. Spiritualism is currently enjoying a renaissance due in part to the public appearances of mediums such as John Edward and Colin Fry and the shared belief by a growing number of people that communication with the dead is possible, however far out of cell-phone range they might be.