Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula Talking to the Dead: Victorian Spiritualism and Grief
Jul 24, 2025
Katie Keckeisen, a historian and researcher specializing in Victorian grieving practices, brings fascinating insights into the world of 19th-century Spiritualism. She discusses the profound impact of the Fox Sisters on public mourning and how women gained a voice through this movement. The conversation delves into how the Civil War shaped grief and the rituals surrounding it, including the intimate experience of dying at home. Furthermore, technology like the telegraph offered new metaphors for the afterlife, reflecting our enduring quest for connection with the deceased.
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Victorian Death and Mourning
- In Victorian times, death was a home-centered, communal experience involving family care and mourning rituals.
- Death was not hidden but part of daily life, offering a very different grief process than today's hospital-centered deaths.
Public Mourning Rituals
- Mourning in the Victorian era was public and heavily ritualized, inspired by Queen Victoria's long mourning for Prince Albert.
- Dress codes, house signs, and public markers conveyed grief while maintaining emotional restraint.
Modern Spiritualism Defined
- Modern Spiritualism, born mid-19th century, believed spirits remained similar to their living selves and could be communicated with scientifically.
- It bridged gaps between religion and science in a period of rapid scientific discovery and religious questioning.
