Welcome to Tales' Well
Today we will talk about spiritualism.
Which we sign in Catalan like this.
From the end of the 19th century
until the begining of the 20th
spiritualism was popular.
Did spiritualism really
have an influence on social change?
Today we will find out!
Can one invoke a spirit
to the earthly world
to communicate with it?
How are spiritualism and
feminism related?
Was spiritualism a new kind of religion?
Or was it a new science?
Or was it all a scam?
If you want to know the answers
stay with us at Tales' Well.
- I'm sore from hitting him so much!
And he still hasn't told the truth!
- So stubborn!
Soon you'll get it!
- But I'm not done yet!
- The lady will pay you!
Isn't your wife ill?
Take your share!
- But he's a mate!
This spiritualism stuff....it gives me bad vibes.
- That lady has gotten into spirtualism
That is so stupid! But she wants to be sure.
And when they ask her who the murderer is
she will accuse Joan.
- Are you ready? - Yes, yes.
- Well come on then! What are you waiting for?
- Soon it will all be finished.
- But what are you doing? Come on! Go!
- Hello everyone!
You have all gathered here today to
...invoke one of the spirits to join us.
The spirit of Mr. Eudald.
We will call him
so he can tell us...
...who murdered him.
Do any of you mind if
we invite a spirit from beyond to join us?
Let's proceed.
I thought I would never see you again!
I'm so happy to see you!
- Mr. Eudald? Is that you?
- My dear one, I've missed you so much!
- Where are you? Are you okay?
I'm in a small, dark, cold place.
Please, help me get out.
But is it really you?
- Yes....little butterfly.
- Butterfly!
Who killed you? Tell me!
- A person that I've always helped.
- You've never helped anybody!
Jerk!
We've always hated you!
- Come on! Let's go!
Get back to work!
-The person who killed me should be ashamed!
- I'm innocent!
That day I was at home taking care of my sick wife.
It wasn't me!
My killer has blood on their hands!
- The blood....
is from hitting their workmate.
The lady order me to
get a confession.
- The killer, that is here, has come to my home often!
- I've never been in your house!
- Do you want to know which of you is my killer?
- You blame me?
These are lies!
How can you bleive that? It is all made up!
- Not only have you taken my life!
You've taken my wife too!
What happened? What's on your head?
Now we will be together forever!
Without Eudald, nothing can separate us!
You can be with me!
- Be with you? Impossible!
You're a nobody!
It was just a meaningless affair!
You've ruined my life!
- Stop! No! Stop!
-Hello! Welcome to Tales' Well!
If you like mysteries you are in the right place.
Did you like it Laura?
- Yes! I loved it!
- There is an anecdote about Rusiñol
related to a painting that a worker shot by mistake.
Do you know it?
- Let's see if I'm surprised!
- Rusiñol was a writer and painter
from a bourgeois textile family.
When he was young he wasn't sure if
he should work in the family business or pursue art.
- Young rich people have the same dilemma nowadays.
-Poor things!
I'm going to tell you the story.
Did you know that Rusiñol
gave a portrait
to the director of the factory?
And since he liked it so much
the director hung it up in his office.
One night, a worker, armed with a pistol,
broke into the factory
planning on killing the director.
That's how they did politics!
And he shot the painting thinking that he'd shot the director in the forehead.
So you can see...
Oh my goodness!
...that this made him decide on art
as a way of life.
And he made the decision thanks to the story of the painting
with extra motivation.
On the one hand
he avoided the danger of being shot
by an employee.
And on the other, the fact that the painting was shot
out of confusion, proved his talent as an artist.
You can see it here.
But the dangers that the owners faced
was nothing compared to that faced by the workers.
First of all, they could suffer amputations due to the machines.
Secondly, they were at risk of pulmonary illness
from breathing the dirty, toxic air.
In addition they had to work long hours,
almost like slaves.
And finally
-And finally.. it was even worse if your were a woman!
Under the authority of the owner, he could abuse you.
And suffer no consequences!
With double shifts at home and the factory.
Just like now!
- We know that at that time,
people worked for many hours in horrible conditions
with mortal work accidents. Even kids had to work!
Under these conditions,
the workers, in search of relief,
turned to the church.
But the church gave the power
to the rich owners of the factories.
That is why some workers turned to spiritualism.
Communicating with spirits consoled them.
Before spiritualism became popular
we had the French writer Allan Kardec.
-Tell us his theories.
- Kardec did not create a theory
but rather frequented spiritualism groups.
and gathered information.
Spiritualism is based on invoking
a spirit that has been separated from its body.
The spirit poses a medium
and communicates by speaking, through automatic writing,
with a Ouija board or by moving the table.
This practice quickly became common
throughout Europe, America and even Catalonia.
- In the 19th century there were great technological
advances and a change in ideas,
and what had seemed impossible
was now possible:
electric lights to brighten the darkness,
x-rays made bones visible inside our bodies,
and the microscope made microbes and bacteria visible.
In addition, Caharcot promoted hypnosis,
Freud revealed the unconscious,
and there are many more examples...
And with all these new developments
Kardec, said that the practice of spiritualism was possible.
And logically, back then, people believed him.
Spiritualism wasn't thought of as a new religion
but rather as a new science.
Which conflicted with religion.
In1861, in Barcelona,
the church burned
all the spiritualism books.
To go so far as to burn books!
The church hated spiritualism.
But there were also people in favor of it,
such as Amàlia Domingo Soler.
A poor woman from Seville
that survived by begging on the street.
And she was nearly blind!
She moved to the neighborhood of Gràcia in Barcelona
and became a medium
and an inspired writer who became admired.
For the first time, a poor disabled woman
was important.
At that time, women were insignificant.
Submissive workers that were
silenced at home, at church, and at the table.
And only when the table moved
or they were possessed
did they have a voice and were listened to for the first time,
maybe because they thought that they were speaking
to the spirit of an important man.
Their messages were not yet feminist,
but to be paid attention to and listened to was an important step.
This book explains it more deeply.
And you, what book can you recommend to me?
- This book about anarchism.
Is it related to spiritualism?
How about a film?
Ghost!
It's so romantic!
If you watch it you end up crying!
- Bye!
We've talked so much about mysteries
that I'm curious to see what the Ouija board says.
- No, no!
- What should I ask ...!
I will ask:
What is the best mystery show on the internet?