Why the Victorians’ obsession with spiritualism still speaks to us today

Victorian Britain was gripped by séances, symbolism and the search for meaning beyond the material world. Now, in a time of rising interest in mindfulness, craft and spirituality, those same themes are enjoying a revival – from TikTok tarot readings to the wellness industry’s billion-pound boom.

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Experts on the Victorian period from the University of Surrey are exploring these enduring fascinations at an upcoming event, Between Realms: Material and Spiritual. On Saturday 8 November at the Watts Gallery in Guildford (GU3 1DQ), this event will use art, sound and storytelling to examine how Victorians blurred the lines between creative and spiritual beliefs – and why their ideas still strike a chord today.

This event is part of the national Being Human Festival 2025, and the University of Surrey is delighted to be one of the five designated hubs at this annual celebration of humanities research. Tickets are available here: buytickets.at/universityofsurrey3/1785354

Professor Patricia Pulham, Head of the School of Arts, Humanities and Creative industries at the University of Surrey, said:

"The Victorians were obsessed with making the invisible visible, whether through séances or the arts. Today, we see echoes of that in how people use creativity, wellbeing practices and even social media to connect with something larger than themselves. People are once again reaching for the unseen to help make sense of modern life. This event is about sparking conversations on what those parallels mean for us now."

Visitors will experience an immersive soundscape inside Watts Cemetery Chapel, try their hand at Mary Watts-inspired clay tile-making, and hear talks on Victorian spiritualism. A flash-fiction competition will invite writers to imagine their own brush with the uncanny.

Professor Pulham added:

“While the event has a local dimension, the questions it raises are much wider: why do humans repeatedly return to the spiritual in uncertain times? How do art and creativity help us process what lies beyond our grasp? And what can looking back at the Victorians tell us about our present search for meaning?”

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