Anna claimed that from an early age she experienced psychic experiences: seeing spirits of the departed, and receiving visions and premonitions. While she was young she was largely uncomfortable with these experiences, and mostly tried to ignore them. These experiences however lead her to have a life long interest in the subjects of metaphysics and spirituality.
Anna and her sisters were incredibly educated. Anna was fluent in both French and German, and often worked as a translator for several books in to English. Her two sisters Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell were two of the first women to earn Medical Degrees in the United States (Elizabeth being the first, and Emily being the third).In the 1840s Anna returned to England, and established herself in popular social circles of the time; a few years later with the emergence of the Spiritualist Movement she became involved with some of the earliest Spiritualist circles in London. During this time, Anna regularly traveled back and forth between London and Paris, continuing to regularly attend Spiritualist circles.
While living in Paris she became introduced to the Spiritist Society of Paris, lead by Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, popularly known by his pen name of Allan Kardec. Anna immediately became drawn to this style of Spiritualism, known as Spiritism.
Spiritualism in the English speaking world at the time was largely unorganized, with most Spiritualist Societies mainly focused on scientific research of psychic phenomena, and demonstrations of physical mediumship. Spiritism, by contrast, attempted to organize and develop a philosophy of Spiritualism based on moral principles, charity, and self cultivation, with the research of Allan Kardec as it's standard set of writings, known as the Spiritist Codification.
As the Spiritualist Movement continued to spread, Spiritualism practiced in English speaking countries generally became known as Modern Spiritualism. Modern Spiritualism made some inroads into continental Europe, but Spiritism quickly became the dominant representation of the Spiritualist Movement in Continental Europe, and eventually spread to South America, the Carribean, and Asia.
This success of the Spiritist movement was largely due to the high level of organization promoted by Spiritists, and the publication and translation of Spiritist texts into several different languages.
Anna Blackwell's rose to the task of translating the works of Kardec into English, and trying to convince English speaking Spiritualists of the merits of Spiritist philosophy. Her translations of The Spirits Book and The Mediums Book into English became the standard editions of Kardec's works into English until fairly recently. (Although her English is an older style, they are in the public domain and may be reprinted freely, so they are very widely available)
English speaking Spiritualists as a whole did not embrace the teachings of Spiritism largely due to Spiritism's doctrine of reincarnation. Anna Blackwell argued that most Spiritualists were far to quick to dismiss reincarnation without actually studying the phenomena. She also argued that the prime reason that most Americans and British Spiritualists were quick to dismiss reincarnation was that it contradicted their ignorant understanding of race.
In her work, The Law of Reincarnation, Anna explained that according to the teachings of Kardec there is an absolute natural equality of all persons and races; that all were equal brothers and sisters, and children of the same God, differing only in their personal level of Spiritual development and progress. Anna believed that this simple teaching promoted by Spiritism could help reform and enlighten society.
Anna Blackwell continued to publicly lecture and write on Spiritism up to her passing in 1900. Her translations are still widely available and remain as the standard English translations of The Spirits Book and The Mediums' Book.
Today Spiritism, both due to the work and influence of Brazilian and Caribbean Spiritists, is becoming widely popular in the United States. Times have also changed from the early days of the Spiritualist movement, where the majority of Spiritualists very much embrace the concept of reincarnation, and many are beginning to study the works of Kardec.
