Entry No. 34 — the San Diego file — filed under: spiritualist church
First Spiritualist Church of San Diego
A Spiritualist church that says it has played a major role in San Diego Spiritualism since 1881, with a library holding more than 140 years of Spiritualist and occult periodicals and archives. Sunday mornings open at 10am with auric healing and a sound bath, followed at 11am by a lecture/message service in the Spiritualist tradition.
The story
While most people in San Diego head toward the beaches or Balboa Park on a Sunday morning, a quiet residential block on 42nd Street in City Heights holds an institution whose roots go back to 1881. The First Spiritualist Church of San Diego isn't a haunt or a roadside gimmick; it is an active house of worship built around the core Spiritualist premise that human consciousness survives physical death and that the dead can—and do—talk back.
Inside, the church maintains a library containing more than 140 years of Spiritualist archives, historical documents, and occult periodicals tracking the movement from its 19th-century peak to the present day. Leadership like long-time pastor Lorina Pyle and ordained ministers have preserved a tradition where mediumship, auric healing, and spirit communication are treated not as parlor tricks, but as routine, everyday practice.
What it's like
Sunday morning begins at 10:00 AM with an auric healing session and a sound bath to tune the room's energy. At 11:00 AM, the congregation shifts into the lecture and message service. You sit in standard pews, but instead of a standard sermon ending, an ordained medium takes the platform to deliver direct 'messages' from spirit to people sitting in the audience. It is unpretentious and deeply earnest; if you aren't ready to potentially have a medium point you out in front of the congregation, slip into a seat near the back.
The move: Sit through a Sunday message-circle service together and see whether a medium calls one of you out from the pews.
- 📍 City Heights
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3777 42nd Street, San Diego, CA 92105
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Botanica Mama Roots — Pair a morning of mediumship with a quick 1.3-mile drive to San Diego's oldest witch shop for ritual candles, herbs, and esoteric supplies.
- Datura — Drive 1.5 miles into North Park after the service to browse over 350 bulk herbs and apothecary roots in a quiet, witchy space.
- J.A. Cooley Museum — Follow up 140 years of Spiritualist archives with a visit to this eccentric, single-owner cabinet of curiosities filled with early 20th-century history.
- The Gold Dust Collective — Continue the turn-of-the-century aesthetic by heading west to browse Victorian memento mori, glass eyes, and taxidermy mounts.
Good to know
When is the best time to visit?
Sunday mornings are the main public gathering time. Auric healing and a sound bath start at 10:00 AM, followed immediately by the message service at 11:00 AM.
Do I need to be a member or a believer to attend?
No. Services are open to visitors of any background or belief system, though you are expected to be respectful during healing and mediumship demonstrations.
What happens during the message service?
After an opening lecture, a medium stands before the room and attempts to relay specific statements, names, or messages from deceased individuals to specific attendees in the pews.
What is in the church's library?
The church holds an archive spanning over 140 years of Spiritualist history, including historical periodicals, local organizational records, and foundational texts on mediumship and occult philosophy.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Facebook
last checked: 2026-07-19