What is mediumship? Kardec's teaching and the main types

"Everyone who feels the influence of Spirits to any degree is, for that very reason, a medium." The sentence is by Allan Kardec, in O Livro dos Médiuns (The Mediums' Book), and it is the most repeated definition in Spiritism, and perhaps also the most misunderstood. If it is enough to feel the influence of Spirits "to any degree", then mediumship is not the privilege of a few enlightened people. And that is exactly where the question lies: what, then, sets the medium apart from everyone else?

In this article, we explain what the Spiritist doctrine teaches on the subject (presented as doctrinal teaching, as we always do here) and where this faculty is exercised in practice, from Spiritist centres to the meetings with mediums in Uberaba and Sacramento that are part of our Spiritist caravan.

What mediumship is, according to Kardec

For the Spiritist doctrine, mediumship is the faculty of feeling the influence of Spirits. Kardec's definition is deliberately broad: it does not require visions, voices or extraordinary phenomena. Sensitivity to any degree is enough for a person, technically, to be a medium already.

Kardec devoted an entire work to the subject, O Livro dos Médiuns, organised as a guidance manual for those who develop the faculty. In it, he treats mediumship as something natural, not as a mystery or a spectacle: a capacity that can be recognised, studied and educated. Anyone who wants to learn about the author and the context of the doctrine can start with our article /blog/allan-kardec-e-o-espiritismo.

Everyone is a medium to some degree

The most direct consequence of the definition is this: according to the doctrine, we are all mediums to some degree. What varies from person to person is the intensity with which this sensitivity shows itself.

Being a medium in practice, however, is another matter. The doctrine teaches that exercising the faculty requires development: study, discipline and continuous work, preferably supported in a group. That is why Spiritist centres hold meetings dedicated to mediumistic practice: under the doctrine's guidance, the medium does not work alone or without preparation.

Kinds and categories, according to Kardec

In item 159 of O Livro dos Médiuns, Kardec says that mediums form "as many varieties as there are kinds of manifestations" and lists the main ones: physical-effects, sensitive or impressionable, hearing, seeing, somnambulistic, healing, pneumatographic, and writing or psychographic mediums. The author's list contains eight kinds.

In item 187, he proposes that mediums "can be divided into two major categories": those of physical effects, "those who have the power to produce material effects, or ostensible manifestations", and those of intellectual effects, "those who are better suited to receiving and transmitting intelligent communications". The other kinds, he adds, are more or less directly linked to one category or the other.

This classification describes the type of manifestation. It says nothing about the worth of the person who exercises it.

Where the faculty is exercised: the mediumistic meeting

In practice, mediumship usually takes place in a mediumistic meeting: a gathering of workers to exercise the faculty in a supported way. Each centre organises the format of its own meeting. It is distinct from the public meeting, which is open to everyone.

To find out how the meeting of a specific centre works, the reliable information is the one given by the centre itself.

Mediumship on the road

Nothing replaces seeing it up close, with respect and without hurry. On the caravan that leaves Porto Alegre in November, the itinerary includes moments in which the group experiences this reality: on day 2, a mediumistic meeting in Conquista, with passes, a talk and psychographies; on the following days, meetings with mediums in Uberaba and Sacramento. For those who believe, it is the heart of the trip. For those who accompany them, it is a lesson in respect and learning. Learn how we travel at /saindo-de-porto-alegre/caravana-espirita.

Frequently asked questions

What is mediumship?

For the Spiritist doctrine, it is the faculty of feeling the influence of Spirits. Kardec's definition, in O Livro dos Médiuns: "Everyone who feels the influence of Spirits to any degree is, for that very reason, a medium."

Is everyone a medium?

According to the doctrine, everyone is a medium to some degree. Acting as a medium, however, requires development: study, preparation and supported work in a group.

What are the types of mediumship?

Kardec divided mediums into two groups: those of physical effects and those of intellectual effects. Among the intellectual ones are psychographic, hearing, seeing and speaking mediums.

What is a mediumistic meeting?

It is a gathering of workers to exercise mediumship in a supported way, with its own format: preparatory reading, opening prayer, study, communications, irradiations and closing prayer. It differs from the public meeting, which is open to everyone.

Where can I see this up close?

On the Spiritist caravan that leaves Porto Alegre: there is a mediumistic meeting in Conquista and meetings with mediums in Uberaba and Sacramento along the itinerary.

A subject best understood by travelling

Mediumship is one of those subjects you read about ten times and only truly understand when you witness it. The expedition Novembro 2026: Minas e Caldas Novas leaves Porto Alegre by coach, as an accompanied group, with the Spiritist experiences in Conquista, Uberaba and Sacramento on the itinerary. See the full programme at /expedicao/novembro-2026-minas-e-caldas-novas, reserve your place via WhatsApp and discover other departures at /expedicoes. To read before you travel, our article on /blog/o-espiritismo-e-o-triangulo-mineiro is also worth a look.

The world is waiting for you. We take care of the rest.

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