Allan Kardec Emma A Wood

Emma Hardinge Britten, born Emma Floyd in London in 1823, was a significant figure in the early Modern Spiritualist Movement. Initially trained as an opera singer, she developed abilities as a spiritual medium from a young age, experiencing visions and precognitive talents. Her early experiences led her to participate in a London occult society before she moved to America. In New York, her attendance at spiritualist séances, guided by medium Ada Hoyt, solidified her commitment to the movement. She became a renowned "trance lecturer," delivering speeches across the United States on spiritualist philosophy and related topics. She also engaged in political activism, notably supporting Abraham Lincoln's re-election campaign. Her oratorical skills were widely recognized, though some critics derided her style. Britten authored significant works detailing the spiritualist movement, including "Modern American Spiritualism" and "Nineteenth Century Miracles." She was also involved in the founding of the Theosophical Society and later established a spiritualist newspaper. Her work in spiritualism extended to missionary efforts in Australia and New Zealand, where she also showed interest in Māori spiritual beliefs. Emma Hardinge Britten died in 1899, leaving a legacy that includes defining principles still used by spiritualist organizations today.

Born Emma Floyd in London in 1823, Emma Hardinge Britten's early life was marked by her father's death when she was eleven, leading her to pursue a career as a musician and opera singer. From childhood, she exhibited remarkable psychic abilities, including predicting futures and conveying information about deceased relatives, which she attributed to visions. She also demonstrated an uncanny ability to play songs that people were merely thinking of requesting. These clairvoyant inclinations drew her into a secret London occult society that explored magnetics and clairvoyance. During this period, she faced sexism and economic manipulation. It is believed she acquired the surname "Hardinge" from this society, a name she retained professionally.

Upon arriving in America, Hardinge Britten initially attended spiritualist séances in New York with the intention of exposing perceived gullibility. However, these experiences, guided by medium Ada Hoyt, rekindled her childhood psychic phenomena and drew her into the heart of the Spiritualist movement. She became a prominent "trance lecturer," delivering speeches nationwide on topics such as "The Discovering of Spirits" and "The Philosophy of the Spirit Circle." Her oratorical career included a significant role in the 1864 campaign for Abraham Lincoln's re-election. A speech she delivered following Lincoln's assassination in 1865 was particularly acclaimed, though her style also drew satirical criticism.

Emma Hardinge Britten chronicled the early spiritualist movement through her influential books. "Modern American Spiritualism" (1870) served as a comprehensive account of the people and events of the era. In 1872, she attempted to launch a magazine, "The Western Star," but it failed. Later, she moved back to New York and became involved in theosophy, co-founding the Theosophical Society with Helena Blavatsky, though they later had a disagreement. She also contributed to the anonymous work "Art Magic or Mundane, Sub-Mundane and Super-Mundane Spiritism." In 1887, she founded "The Two Worlds," a weekly spiritualist newspaper. Her major historical work, "Nineteenth Century Miracles," was published in 1884.

Between 1878 and 1879, Emma Hardinge Britten and her husband served as spiritualist missionaries in Australia and New Zealand. She was highly praised for her oratory in Australia, with one observer calling her the "greatest woman orator that ever visited Australia." In New Zealand, she developed a particular interest in Māori spiritual beliefs. Upon her return to New York, she completed her notable chronicle, "Nineteenth Century Miracles." Hardinge Britten is also credited with formulating seven principles of Spiritualism that continue to be used by major spiritualist organizations in the United States and the United Kingdom. She passed away in England in 1899.