Spiritist · branch
Kardecist Spiritism
Reincarnation as moral progress, communication with the dead treated as evidence rather than as mystery, and charity as the whole of practice. Millions of adherents in Brazil alone, and no ritual at all — an unusual combination.
What makes it unusual
The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.
- C2 Shape of timecyclical returnFurther toward "cyclical return" than most traditions in the matrix.
- D2 Centrality of ritualleaning optional or absentFurther toward "optional or absent" than most traditions in the matrix.
- E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional actFurther toward "an intentional act" than most traditions in the matrix.
- C1 Survival of the selfcontinues in some formFurther toward "continues in some form" than most traditions in the matrix.
All seventeen positions
Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.
The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.
- position
- tolerated variation
A · The divine
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists | a divine reality certainly existsKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.92 | 0.08 |
| A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address | leaning a personal being one can addressKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.68 | 0.16 |
| A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits | between strictly one and many powers and spiritsKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.55 | 0.18 |
| A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it | leaning fully present within itKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.72 | 0.14 |
B · Knowledge and authority
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience | leaning reason and direct experienceKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.75 | 0.13 |
| B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all | between literal and binding and metaphorical, or no text at allKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.45 | 0.18 |
| B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides | between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decidesKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.62 | 0.16 |
C · Self and destiny
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form | continues in some formKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 1.00 | 0.02 |
| C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return | cyclical returnKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.92 | 0.06 |
| C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound | leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.82 | 0.10 |
D · Practice
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight | leaning achieved by effort or insightKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.82 | 0.10 |
| D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent | leaning optional or absentKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.82 | 0.10 |
| D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated | leaning to be disciplinedKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.30 | 0.15 |
E · World and others
| Axis | Position | Value | ±σ |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths | leaning many valid pathsKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.72 | 0.14 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural | an intentional actKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.12 | 0.10 |
| E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice | leaning an individual choiceKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.72 | 0.13 |
| E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacredKardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) and The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864) | 0.48 | 0.16 |
Further reading
- Kardec, The Spirits’ Book (1857) — The codification; almost every cell above is answerable from it directly.
- Hess, Spirits and Scientists — The self-understanding as science, which is what B1 = 0.75 encodes.
Compared with
Where do you sit?
The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.