Tarot cards, mediums, and readings: explore spiritualism in America with ‘Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus’
Comedian, writer, and podcast host Jamie Loftus is bringing listeners to “Ghost Church,” a series investigating spiritualism – an endangered and “rarely understood” American religion that focuses on communicating with the dead. Jamie traveled by bus to Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp outside Orlando, Florida to learn more about places across the country where mediums live and practice. But if it’s not a cult, what exactly is spiritualism?
This series explores who is drawn to the camps and how religion plays a role in spiritualist practices. In conversations with spiritualist psychics, Protestant pastors, a lonely carnival employee, and more, Jamie will explore spiritualism’s roots and how it has changed over the years, even finding its way into mainstream pop culture. Start “Ghost Church” from episode 1 to hear Jamie’s deep-dive as she also reports on what she observed at Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp.
Spiritualism has been around since the late 1800s, and Jamie outlines the cultures and ideas spiritualism pulls from and the many different definitions “spirit” takes. We started seeing celebrity psychics in the late ‘90s, like John Edward, reconnecting people with their lost loved ones on air. In the 2000s, there was a renewed interest in spirit, a belief that when people die, their souls stick around and interact with the living. And perhaps live on again.
While spiritualists cite the Bible as a foundational text and believe Jesus existed, they do not believe in heaven, hell, or that children are born in sin. They suggest kids are born with infinite potential, and after death, spirits rejoin the universe’s energy flow.
Spiritualist mediums and healers say they’re able to see (clairvoyants), hear (clairaudiences), feel (clairtouch), and receive mental messages from the dead. Jamie will discuss the New Age movement, tarot cards, seances, the Holy Spirit, and the appropriation of indigenous cultures. The podcast also unpacks spiritualism’s definition as a science.
In the first episode, Jamie explained that she’s not necessarily endorsing spiritualism, but she’s open to the concept and finds it important to be receptive to new things and ideas. In the series, Jamie reports what she’s seeing, sensing, and feeling and presents this to listeners to draw their own conclusions. Jamie also shares her experiences being raised between religions for context and explained she visited her Uncle Dennis for tarot card and rune readings when she was a kid.
This series is brought to you by Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts. Tune in weekly for new episodes wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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