A spiritualist is a person who believes that dead people can still send messages to living people, and who often tries to make that contact happen. The word covers two connected things: the belief itself (spiritualism) and the person who holds it.

A spiritualist is a personspiritualist是指一個人 who believes that dead people can still send messages to living people相信死去的人還能傳訊息給活人，and who often tries to make that contact happen而且常常會試著促成這種聯繫。The word covers two connected things這個字涵蓋兩個相關的東西：the belief itself (spiritualism)這種信仰本身（spiritualism），and the person who holds it還有抱持這種信仰的人。

In practice, when people say spiritualist, they usually picture someone at a small meeting or in a private room, sitting with a family and passing on words they say come from someone who has died. That is very close to what people call a medium — the difference is that 'medium' names the job (the person the message passes through) while 'spiritualist' names the belief the person holds. Many mediums are spiritualists, but you could believe in spirit messages without ever doing it yourself.

In practice, when people say spiritualist實際上大家說spiritualist的時候，they usually picture someone at a small meeting or in a private room通常想到的是在小型聚會或私人房間裡的某個人，sitting with a family and passing on words they say come from someone who has died陪著一個家庭、傳達他們說是死者傳來的話。That is very close to what people call a medium這跟大家說的medium（靈媒）很接近——the difference is that 'medium' names the job差別在於「medium」指的是這份工作，(the person the message passes through)（訊息經過的那個人），while 'spiritualist' names the belief the person holds而「spiritualist」指的是這個人抱持的信仰。Many mediums are spiritualists很多靈媒同時也是spiritualist，but you could believe in spirit messages without ever doing it yourself但你也可以相信有靈訊，卻從來不自己做這件事。

Spiritualism was hugely popular in Britain and America from about the 1850s to the 1920s, especially after wars, when many families had lost sons and wanted one more word from them; churches were built for it and some still hold services today. So the word is not only about a strange person in a dark room — it can be an ordinary church-going word.

Spiritualism was hugely popular in Britain and Americaspiritualism曾在英國和美國非常流行 from about the 1850s to the 1920s大約從1850年代到1920年代，especially after wars尤其是戰爭之後，when many families had lost sons and wanted one more word from them當時很多家庭失去了兒子，想再聽他們說一句話；churches were built for it還為此蓋了教堂 and some still hold services today有些到現在還在做禮拜。So the word is not only about a strange person in a dark room所以這個字說的不只是暗房裡的怪人——it can be an ordinary church-going word也可以是很普通、上教堂會用到的字。

That said, in most modern writing the word carries a small cool distance: the writer is reporting what these people believe rather than sharing it.

That said話雖如此，in most modern writing在大部分現代文章裡 the word carries a small cool distance這個字帶著一點抽離、冷眼旁觀的味道：the writer is reporting what these people believe作者是在陳述這些人相信什麼，rather than sharing it而不是自己也這麼相信。

There is also a looser, older use of 'spiritualist' in philosophy, meaning someone who thinks reality is made of spirit rather than matter, but you will almost never meet that use. Note that spiritualist is also used as an adjective — 'a spiritualist church', 'a spiritualist meeting' — with no change of form.

There is also a looser, older use of 'spiritualist' in philosophy哲學裡還有一個比較鬆散、比較舊的「spiritualist」用法，meaning someone who thinks reality is made of spirit rather than matter指認為現實是由精神而非物質構成的人，but you will almost never meet that use但你幾乎不會遇到這種用法。Note that spiritualist is also used as an adjective另外spiritualist也可以當形容詞用——'a spiritualist church', 'a spiritualist meeting'像「a spiritualist church」「a spiritualist meeting」——with no change of form拼法完全不變。