ABSTRACT
Victorian society provided a range of spiritual and magical outlets, including spiritualism, mesmerism, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, and ritual magic. Spiritualists and occultists generally rejected belief in the Devil and hell, often on the grounds that eternal punishment was immoral. It was also common for spiritualists and occultists to view the spiritual universe as evolutionary in nature, allowing for spiritual self-improvement. Despite generally rejecting the Devil, spiritualists and occultists often remained concerned about spiritual evil. Spiritualists were forced to deal with fairly regular accusations of diabolism, with traditionalist critics arguing that they had mistaken evil spirits for ghosts. Spiritualists and occultists also produced innovative models to account for and manage the darker side of the supernatural and to refute traditional Christian ideas. A common response was to argue for the existence of ‘alternate’ evil spirits, such as wicked ghosts or unfriendly elementals. Victorian spiritualism and occultism provide a potent example of the proactive creativity with which some Victorians approached the spiritual universe, as well as the continuing relevance of concerns about spiritual evil in a Victorian context.
