The Victorian Spiritualists’ Union and the Surprising Survival of Spiritualism in Australia

The new religion of Spiritualism emerged in the mid-19th century. Through mediumship, Spiritualists contacted dead, believing them to have “passed over” another plane existence. It spread from America Great Britain before arriving Australia 1850s. This article charts history world’s oldest continuously running Spiritualist organisation, Victorian Spiritualists’ Union (VSU, est. 1870), exploring unexpected survival movement Australia. challenges common idea that enjoyed only a brief revival interwar period and has maintained tenuous status ever since. Rather, I argue experienced several peaks troughs since its emergence Australia, including widespread 1970s, spearheaded by VSU. survives due development church movement, advocacy groups such as VSU, generous volunteer efforts individual Spiritualists, acquisition buildings, geographic mobility, all which allowed churches be responsive changing social cultural conditions for more than is one Australia’s largest most resilient alternative religious movements, not simply Victorian-era curio.