Spiritualism is the belief that the dead are still there in some form and can pass messages to the living, usually through a person called a medium. It is a specific thing, not a vague feeling: it grew into an organised movement in the 1800s in America and Britain, with meetings called séances, sitting round tables in the dark, tapping sounds, and people who claimed to speak with a voice not their own.

Spiritualism招魂術 is the belief指的是一種信仰，that the dead are still there in some form相信死者仍以某種形式存在，and can pass messages to the living並能傳遞訊息給生者，usually through a person called a medium通常是透過一個叫做靈媒的人。It它 is a specific thing, not a vague feeling是一個具體的東西，而不是一種模糊的感覺：it grew into an organised movement它在十九世紀的美國和英國 in the 1800s in America and Britain發展成一個有組織的運動，with meetings called séances有稱為降靈會的聚會，sitting round tables in the dark人們在黑暗中圍坐在桌邊，tapping sounds有敲擊聲，and people who claimed to speak with a voice not their own還有聲稱能用不屬於自己的聲音說話的人。

It had a large following, especially after wars, when huge numbers of grieving families wanted one more word with someone they had lost. Spiritualist churches still exist today and hold services.

It它 had a large following曾經有大批的追隨者，especially after wars尤其是在戰爭之後，when huge numbers of grieving families當時大量悲痛的家庭 wanted one more word with someone they had lost想再跟失去的親人說上一句話。Spiritualist churches通靈教會 still exist today and hold services至今仍然存在，並舉行儀式。

That history is why the word tends to carry a tone — depending on who says it, it sounds either sincere and comforting or like something exposed long ago as a trick.

That history這段歷史 is why the word tends to carry a tone就是為什麼這個詞往往帶有某種語氣——depending on who says it取決於是誰在說，it sounds either sincere and comforting它聽起來可能真誠又撫慰人心，or like something exposed long ago as a trick或像是很久以前就被揭穿的騙術。

A second, much rarer use appears in philosophy books, where spiritualism means the view that spirit or mind is the real basis of the world, opposite to materialism; you will only meet that use in academic writing. A person who follows it is a spiritualist; the adjective is spiritualist too.

A second, much rarer use第二種、更少見的用法 appears in philosophy books出現在哲學書籍裡，where spiritualism在那裡spiritualism means the view指的是這樣一種觀點 that spirit or mind is the real basis of the world認為精神或心靈才是世界真正的基礎，opposite to materialism與唯物論相對；you will only meet that use in academic writing你只會在學術寫作裡碰到這個用法。A person who follows it追隨這個信仰的人 is a spiritualist叫做spiritualist；the adjective形容詞 is spiritualist too也是spiritualist。