OTHERWORLD
Episode 135: The Spiritist Pt. 1
Release Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Jack Wagner
Guest: Cecilia
Overview
In this two-part episode, Jack Wagner introduces Cecilia, a Cuban-Chilean filmmaker whose family’s surprising legacy with Cuban Spiritism ripples across generations. Part 1 traces Cecilia’s family history—from rural Cuba’s spiritist centers and séances, through exile and rational disbelief, to an intense, possibly supernatural moment during a modern family crisis. The episode delicately blends history, cultural context, personal loss, and an intimate account of an apparent spirit possession, unfolding the lived reality of spiritist tradition.
Main Theme
Exploring Cuban Spiritism Across Generations
Jack Wagner delves into Cecilia’s family’s deep connection to Spiritism—a codified spiritual-philosophical belief originating in 19th-century France and taking root in Cuba—showing its subtle but persistent influence through historical upheaval, migration, and modern skepticism.
"A major part of that story involves her family's strong connection to spiritism. Cuban spiritism, to be more specific... When spiritism arrived in Cuba from France in the 19th century, it really took off and it also took on a life of its own."
—Jack Wagner [03:25]
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Cecilia’s Background and Family Dynamics
- Born in Havana, Cuba, Cecilia’s early life was steeped in warmth and familial closeness, living with her mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cousin.
- Childhood in Cuba was idyllic despite economic hardship; movies were a significant influence.
- At age 5, Cecilia and her mother, newly widowed, emigrated to Chile for opportunity and safety.
"I have really good memories of my first years in Cuba...I had my mom, my grandmother, and my great grandmother. We all lived together."
—Cecilia [05:43]
- Cultural shock in Chile: As visible immigrants, they faced otherness. Schoolmates associated Cubans with mystical traditions, calling Cecilia's mother a "witch."
- Cecilia recounts an incident where, feeling ostracized, she jokingly claimed her mother was a witch, sparking panic at school.
“One day I was just like, you know what? Yes, my mom is a witch...And that girl started crying. She had, like, a panic attack. And then they called my mom in, and then they asked her if she was a witch.”
—Cecilia [12:10]
2. Spiritism in Family History
- Cecilia’s great-grandmother was renowned in the Cuban Spiritist movement and was considered a medium with visions and healing abilities.
- The spiritist center her ancestors founded, Monte Oscuro, still operates today.
- Spiritism blended with Cuban revolutionary ideals and family tragedy (the death of great-grandmother’s siblings reinforced her connection to the spirit world).
- After foreseeing her husband’s death, Cecilia’s great-grandmother asked to have her gift blocked, impacting subsequent generations' engagement with the tradition.
“She saw that her husband...would die, and there was nothing to do to stop that...So she asked for her gift to go away because she didn't want to suffer more.”
—Cecilia [18:08]
- Subsequent generations drifted from active practice; Cecilia’s mother and grandmother pursued careers in science and engineering.
3. Skepticism and Punk Rock Rebellion
- As a teenager, Cecilia embraced punk, anarchism, and rationalism, rebelling against her mother’s “intuitions.”
- Despite skepticism, she admits to “something in me that really felt there was kind of like a truth to it.”
“Whenever I didn't listen to her, like, something not good ended up happening...what did I tell you?”
—Cecilia [22:11]
4. Loss and Spiritist Experience: Documentary & Family Visitation
- Cecilia’s father, a Chilean revolutionary, died in Central America before her birth; her family learns of his death months later, but her great-grandmother had a vision of him the night he died.
- Documenting her family history as a young filmmaker, Cecilia felt the reality of Spiritism more concretely.
“My great grandmother...one night she saw him coming into the house...he looked very lost...and she, in that moment, knew that he was dead, that that's the moment when he died.”
—Cecilia [26:55]
5. The Crisis: Alejandro’s Accident & The Night of Possession
- 2013: Cecilia’s cousin Alejandro (22), visiting from Cuba, suffers a catastrophic spinal injury.
- The extended family endures an agonizing hospital vigil, grieving and fearing the worst.
- Each night, the family gathers to read prayers from a 19th-century Spiritist prayer book, focusing on affirmations of perfection and spiritual protection.
"There's no evil that can affect us because this house is full of light and we are perfect spirits. We are creatures of good. Therefore there's nothing that can...interfere with us."
—Cecilia (paraphrasing prayer) [35:44]
The Possession Event [38:30 – 51:30]
- One evening, during prayer, Cecilia’s mother suddenly behaves oddly—her nodding, shaking, and disconnection signal something strange; her demeanor changes.
- She abruptly begins to speak with authority, addressing family members as if from another time.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be scared. He’s not going to die.”
—Cecilia’s mother, channeled by her great-grandmother [approx. 40:45]
- Her mother does not recognize her own son, further confirming to the group that the great-grandmother’s spirit is present.
- Through her mother, the great-grandmother relays that Alejandro is surrounded and protected by family spirits, and scolds the living family for being fearful.
- The experience is both terrifying and deeply moving; Cecilia and the younger family members want it to end, feeling concern for their mother’s physical wellbeing.
“I guess if it was someone else, you have like two degrees of separation...But when it’s so close to you, someone that you love so much...for me that was like a bit too much.”
—Cecilia [49:43]
- Eventually, an aunt calmly asks the great-grandmother’s spirit to leave. Cecilia’s mother “comes back” exhausted and disoriented, with no memory of the incident; she later requests they keep the episode private.
Resolution
- Alejandro survives despite dire odds; though paralyzed, his mind remains sharp, and he lives today in Cuba.
- The experience, whether supernatural or psychological, gave the family hope and resilience during a traumatic time.
“Whatever it was...I felt it was something beyond our plane...what we needed to go through and to survive that period.”
—Cecilia [53:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On family immigration and culture shock:
"Being from Cuba was like, something very exotic. They didn't know what Cubans were, but I think in their minds, they had this association with, like, Santeria and...the Yoruba religion. So...they were saying my mom was a witch."
—Cecilia [09:35] -
On the family’s spiritist ancestry:
"Her father...really believed in the power of the mind. And he...would just go and sit with that person, not touch them or anything, and just heal them."
—Cecilia [17:00] -
On the possession event:
"Don’t be scared. Why are you so scared?"
—Cecilia’s mother / great-grandmother [41:20] -
On how the ordeal affected her beliefs:
"Beliefs are never solid, you know, for me...there are things...I cannot explain...But whatever it was, I felt it was something beyond our plane."
—Cecilia [53:42]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- (03:25) Introduction to Spiritism & Cuban context
- (13:00) Cecilia describes adapting to Chile and accusations of “witchcraft”
- (17:00) Great-grandmother’s Spiritist practices
- (22:11) Cecilia’s skepticism and teenage rebellion
- (26:55) Great-grandmother’s vision of Cecilia’s father’s death
- (34:00) Alejandro’s accident—family trauma unfolds
- (35:44) Description of family’s nightly prayers
- (38:30–51:30) Night of possession: Cecilia’s mother channels great-grandmother
- (53:10) Aftermath and reflections on belief
Closing Thoughts
Part 1 concludes with Cecilia reflecting on the boundaries of belief, the inexplicable comfort found in inherited spiritual traditions, and the power of family unity in crisis. The story frames Spiritism not only as mystical heritage but as a tool for survival, hope, and connection—regardless of certainty or skepticism.
"The message was that my cousin wasn't going to die...the only thing that could...save him or make him better was family being united and us not having fear."
—Cecilia [44:00]
To be continued in Part 2.