We have two aspects currently defended by the spiritist movement: that Spiritism is a science and that it is a religion. Uniting these two aspects, some claim that it has a triple aspect: science, philosophy and religion.

First of all, we need to highlight that Spiritism can only be seen as religion in the philosophical aspect, and not in the ecumenical aspect.

And the fact that it is a religion in the philosophical sense, stated by Kardec, is directly linked to the fact that the Spiritist Doctrine is a development of Rational Spiritualism, a Philosophical Movement that outlined French moral sciences and teaching, in that country, for a large part of the 19th century.

If so, you will ask, is Spiritism a religion? Why, yes, without a doubt, gentlemen; In the philosophical sense, Spiritism is a religion, and we glorify ourselves for this, because it is the doctrine that founds the bonds of fraternity and communion of thoughts, not on a simple convention, but on the most solid foundations: the laws of Nature.

KARDEC, Allan. Revista Espírita, December 1868. Annual session commemorating the dead.

Spiritism, therefore, is not a religion as we currently understand it. This is precisely why Allan Kardec argues that the term should not be used, so as not to cause misinterpretations and not place Spiritism in a field in which it does not fit and where, ceasing to be science, it is defeated by the dispute between religions and between science and religion. No, this is neither appropriate nor deserved for this doctrine born of the scientific method and present in nature itself.

Why, then, have we declared that Spiritism is not a religion? Because there is no one word to express every idea, and because, in general opinion, the word religion it is inseparable from the idea of worship; because it exclusively awakens an idea of form, which Spiritism does not have. If Spiritism called itself a religion, the public would see nothing more than a new edition, a variant, if you like, of the absolute principles in matters of faith; a priestly caste with its procession of hierarchies, ceremonies and privileges; he would not separate it from the ideas of mysticism and the abuses against which public opinion has so often risen.

Since Spiritism does not have any of the characteristics of a religion, in the usual sense of the word, it could not and should not adorn itself with a title about the value of which people would inevitably have been mistaken. This is why it is simply said: philosophical and moral doctrine.

ibid.

Spiritism-Religion

Spiritism-religion hides, as a religion, in spiritist centers, just as other religions live in their churches and temples (there are even those who are already calling the spiritist center a “temple”). He does not practice evocations and blindly accepts what mediums or isolated Spirits say, or even what institutions such as the FEB – Brazilian Spiritist Federation determine. Spiritism-religion became dogmatic and left aside the doctrinal and scientific principles born from the long and exhaustive study of Allan Kardec. He buried his legacy, in large part, to be left with the most diverse false modern ideas, originating from mysticism, which he allowed to settle within his heart.

To be a follower of Spiritualism-religion, the individual is led to believe that it depends on leaving aside their own religion, because that is how it works in this sense. You can study mathematics or botany as a Catholic or evangelical, but that's not the case with a religion, right?

But, often, this sincere adherent, thirsty for knowledge, finds in Spiritism-religion nothing more than a new religion, full of dogmas. Sometimes, Spiritism-religion even becomes prejudiced and drives away new followers, by being categorical in pointing out people with certain characteristics and saying that they are like that because they would be paying debts from past lives, among other ideas that border on the absurd.

But this does not correspond at all to Spiritualism-science.

Spiritism-Science

Spiritism-science did not hide. Climbed in the strength of Rational Spiritualism, which was developed by Experimental Psychology, it spread like gunpowder, like any other science. It was not only accepted, but studied, in person, by people from the most educated layers of society. Princes, princesses, kings, queens, philosophers, scientists, doctors, doctors. It spread, as something purely clear and rational, among religious people of all faiths, finding, among its numbers, even orthodox Catholics and Muslims.

IV. ─ Regarding instruction:The level of education is very easy to assess through correspondence. Careful instruction, 30%; simple scholars, 30%; higher education, 20%; ─ semi-literate, 10%; ─ illiterate, 6%; ─ wise officers, 4%.

V. ─ Regarding religious ideas: Roman Catholics, freethinkers, not bound by dogma, 50%; ─ Greek Catholics, 15%; ─ Jews, 10%; ─ liberal Protestants, 10%; ─ Catholics linked to dogmas, 10%; ─ Orthodox Protestants, 3%; ─ Muslims, 2%.

KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine, January 1869. Statistics of Spiritism.

Ah! how wonderful and, at the same time, simple, Spiritism-science was. It was practiced in homes. Families carried out private evocations of their loved ones, and learned and comforted themselves from them. Sometimes, they evoked suffering Spirits, and helped them to calm down, with new understandings. They often sent the notes of these evocations to Allan Kardec, who analyzed them with the other SPEE associates. How many times have these particular evocations given rise to new hypotheses and new investigations!

Spiritualism-science was seen seriously. New doctrinal principles were not admitted without being verified by the double control method: the communication of the same principle everywhere, with these communications being evaluated in the light of logic and reason. Nothing was denied or accepted without carrying out this process. How many times has Kardec gone back and abandoned a hypothesis, seeing it as invalid in the face of the evidence?

In Spiritualism-science, the centers They were serious centers of study. They practiced evocations for the purpose of learning and, in the most serious cases, according to Kardec's precepts, neither neophytes nor curious people were admitted to mediumistic meetings.

Spiritism-science is needed. In it, Kardec found very clear and rational arguments to discard the most absurd and unfounded criticisms against Spiritism. Today, Spiritism-religion often loses followers to disbelief, because ideas born from blind acceptance cannot face reason.

We would do better if we didn't even talk about “Spiritism-religion”, but just about “Religious Spiritist Movement”, perhaps. But it is important to highlight the incongruity between the two concepts, as we need to make efforts to return to “Spiritism-science”, the one that everyone can study, without abandoning their religions; he who gives reasoned faith, who can face reason at any time; the one, finally, that didn't end with Kardec, and that needs to continue.

Spiritism-science finds its formation largely recorded in the Spiritist Magazine from 1858 to 1869, the result of exhaustive work of more than 12 years on spontaneous communications, evocations and manifestations of thousands of Spirits, by thousands of mediums, in thousands of groups, by all over the world. “Spiritism-religion” is predominantly found in novels, the result of the opinion of a Spirit, who does not question himself through the necessary method.

On the date on which Allan Kardec's birth is celebrated, I think we need to do much more to defend his legacy, which, far from being a religious creation to lead believers, encompasses the the entire community of incarnating Spirits on planet Earth. This legacy is bigger than me, than you, than our group. It does not and should not depend on anyone’s opinion. It needs to be recovered at its source. Here's the job.

---

Some time ago, a medium very well known disse, em público, falando em Alzheimer e Espiritismo, que as doenças degenerativas são expiações de erros de vidas passadas…

Friends, be careful with generalizations. Unfortunately, most active Spiritists, and speaking in the name of the Doctrine, do not know Spiritism in its reality.

We forget that attitudes of this life, conscious or not, has consequences in this life? Have we forgotten that prolonged consumption of certain substances, including those sold in pharmacies, cause damage to our bodies?

It was because of these ideas that, when my grandmother died of cancer, I rebelled against God, porque fiquei me perguntando como uma pessoa tão boa como ela poderia ter que “pagar” com algo tão ruim. Lastimável efeito dessas opiniões absurdas, superado, enfim, pelo estudo do Espiritismo em sua realidade.

Where did we get these ideas that we suffer from in this life to pay off debts, if not from the absence of a deep study of spiritist science?

See: proof is all what we face in life and what allows us to learn. Already the atonement it is the conscious choice of the Spirit that aims to try to detach itself from an imperfection acquired by its own will.

“8o) A duração do castigo está subordinada ao aperfeiçoamento do espírito culpado. Nenhuma condenação por um tempo determinado é pronunciada contra ele. O que Deus exige para pôr fim aos sofrimentos é o arrependimento, a expiação e a reparação – em resumo: um aperfeiçoamento sério, efetivo, assim como um retorno sincero ao bem.” – KARDEC, Allan. O Céu e o Inferno, Cap. VIII – As penas futuras segundo o Espiritismo. Editora FEAL

“To repair” is to repair this deviation, for those who take it. Not everyone takes these detours, but we will continue to incarnate on the planets related to our spiritual evolution, where we will suffer the vicissitudes of matter, increasingly smaller, as we rise through learning. collaborative.

There is no karma in Spiritism.

I am increasingly happy to see that the amount of interest in Spiritism is growing among religions, and even among evangelical Protestantism. Today, I come to tell you about an evangelical studying Spiritism.

The friend, P…, with whom I had the grateful contact, says that he was born in the Protestant milieu and grew up in it. However, he says that his father, since his childhood, taught him not to blindly believe what the pastors said, recommending that, If in doubt, look for what was written in the Bible.. This is the principle of Spiritism, taught by an evangelical: the search for reason, blindly believing in nothing. It is always sad to note that, today, this principle is not found even in the spiritist movement itself.

See, friends, how much it is essential transmit the best values to children. I also give my example, because my father also taught me the same, reflecting Kardec's teachings, which are purely scientific. Even though I went through a period of disbelief, because what I once knew I was not established on this science that is Spiritism, I managed to find my way again, and today I study the Spiritist Doctrine where it resides in all its reliability: in the works of Allan Kardec.

Religious people studied Spiritism in the past

I want to highlight that Kardec, in the Revista Espírita of January 1869, gives the following statistics about spiritist followers:

Regarding religious ideas:

• Roman Catholics, freethinkers, not bound by dogma, 50%;
• Greek Catholics, 15%;
• Jews, 10%;
• liberal Protestants, 10%;
• Catholics linked to dogmas, 10%;
• orthodox Protestants, 3%;
• Muslims, 2%.

These are very interesting numbers, especially when compared to the current era, in which Spiritism, seen as a religion (a false idea) finds resistance and difficulty in proliferating. Protestant, at that time, is today's evangelical.

It is not too much to remember that Spiritism is the science of Creation itself, existing among all and taunting, with its phenomena, even those who deny it. Being, above all, a science, it can be studied by everyone, with great benefit, and it was only through adulterations that it stopped being so.

Read too: No more feuds, no more fighting: the time has come to collaborate!

The importance of questioning

But it is also a fact that many who come to Spiritism enter through the door of the false ideas that reign in the modern spiritist movement, which is very reluctant to take up Kardec, first of all. Here, I must once again recognize the willpower of P…, born in an evangelical milieu, but who never put reasoning aside and, having found material that demonstrates the spiritist science, he promptly found something in it that met his rational inquiries.

That's why I always highlight the importance of everyone doing their part, in the best way they can. But, to do so, solidifying knowledge in science is essential. Less mistakes are made by acting this way.

Safe harbor

The safe haven of Spiritism is in Kardec's works, not because he gave the last word, but because the words he gave were born from the scientific method. Today, having abandoned the method, there is an infinite number of false ideas, often contrary to doctrinal principles, born from the methodological study of thousands of Spirits, evoked or freely communicated, everywhere.

It is necessary to study and, from this solidified study, it is necessary to produce. Let us do our part, as there are many others like P…, – Protestants, Catholics, Umbanda, etc. – around the world, who just lack contact with true ideas.

Spiritism demonstrated the impossibility of the existence of Hell, as well as purgatory as a place after death. It is logical to note that, in doing so, it demonstrates the impossibility of modern constructions of ideas such as that of umbral. But, at the same time, it demonstrated the existence of these last two, not as a fluidic place, but as a material place: the planets themselves like Earth and lower, where, literally, purge acquired imperfections:

“É, portanto, nas sucessivas encarnações que a alma se despoja pouco a pouco de suas imperfeições, em outras palavras, que ela se purga, até que esteja pura o bastante para merecer deixar os mundos de expiação e ir para mundos mais ditosos, de onde mais tarde parte para fruir da felicidade suprema ((No início de sua evolução, há imperfeições que são hábitos equivocados criados pelo apego, que resultam em orgulho e egoísmo. Essa responsabilidade pessoal, somente daqueles que escolherem esse caminho penoso, configura a condição de imperfeição e sofrimento morais que deverão ser superados pela expiação. Todavia, nos planetas primitivos, há as vicissitudes decorrentes da falta de inteligência para criar melhores condições de vida e conforto, quanto a alimentação, moradia, saúde. Também falta oportunidade para todos progredirem, como educação, trabalho, família. Por isso, todos enfrentam provas, que são oportunidades para o progresso, individual e coletivo. São os planetas de expiação e provas. (N. do E.) )).

Therefore, Purgatory is no longer a vague and uncertain idea, it is a material reality that we see, touch and suffer. He is in the worlds of atonement, and the Earth is one of these worlds – on it men atone for the past and the present for the benefit of their future. But, contrary to the traditional idea of Purgatory, it depends on each person whether to shorten or prolong their stay there, depending on the degree of advancement and purity they reach through work on themselves. We leave these worlds not because our time has come to an end, or because of the merit of others, but because of our own merit, according to the words of Christ: – To each one, according to his works –, words that summarize all the justice of God .

…

Spiritism did not come, therefore, to deny the future penalty – it came, on the contrary, to confirm it. What he destroys is the localized Hell, with its furnaces and its irremissible penalties. It does not deny Purgatory, because it proves that we find ourselves in it, defining and detailing it, explaining the cause of earthly misery, thereby leading those who denied it to believe.”

KARDEC, Allan. Heaven and Hell – Editora FEAL

Pierre Paul Broca, Dr. Broca, is recognized in medical circles for being a major contributor to the field. Child prodigy, he was a great French surgeon and anthropologist. But there is an absolutely unknown facet of his experiences, linked to Mesmer's Magnetism (read “Mesmer: the negated science of Animal Magnetism”, by Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo), at that time known only by one of his “children”: hypnotism.

Addressing the experiences of several renowned scientists and doctors of the time, Allan Kardec – himself – presents, in the Revista Espírita of January 1860, the article “magnetism towards academia“, of which we highlight the following parts:

“Mr. Azam, substitute professor of clinical surgery at the Bordeaux School of Medicine, having successfully repeated Dr. Braid's experiments, exchanged ideas with Dr. Paul Broca, who imagined that hypnotized people were perhaps insensitive to the pain of surgical operations. The letter you have just addressed to the Academy of Sciences is a summary of your experiences in this regard.

“First of all, he had to assure himself of the reality of hypnotism, which he achieved without difficulty.

“Visiting a lady of around forty years old, somewhat hysterical, and who was bedridden due to a slight indisposition, Dr. Broca pretended that he wanted to examine the patient's eyes and asked her to stare at a small golden bottle that he was holding about fifteen centimeters away. from the root of the nose. After three minutes his eyes became a little red, his features were still, his responses were slow and difficult, but perfectly rational. Dr. Broca lifted the patient's arm and it remained in the left position; he positioned his fingers in the most extreme situations and they kept them; He pinched the skin in several places, with some force, and, apparently, the patient felt nothing. Catalepsy, insensitivity! Dr. Broca did not continue with the experiment, as it had already taught him what he wanted to know. A rub on the eyes and a blow of cold air on the forehead brought the patient to a normal state. She had no memory of what had happened.

“It remained to be seen whether hypnotic insensitivity would withstand the test of surgical operations.

“Among the patients at the Necker Hospital, in Dr. Follin's service, was a poor lady of 24 years old, victim of an extensive burn on her back and both right limbs and an extremely painful abscess. The smallest movements were an ordeal for him. Exhausted by suffering and, moreover, very pusillanimous, this unfortunate woman thought with terror about the operation that was necessary. It was there that, according to Dr. Follin, Dr. Broca decided to complete the hypnotism test.

“They put her on a bed in front of the window, preventing her from going to sleep. After two minutes his pupils dilated. They raised his left arm almost vertically above the bed and he remained motionless. In the fourth minute his responses are slow and almost painful, but perfectly sensible. Fifth minute: Dr. Follin pinches the skin on her left arm and the patient does not accuse him; new, deeper bite, which produces blood, and the same impassivity. They raise their right arm, which remains in the air. Then the covers are lifted and the lower limbs moved away, to reveal the seat of the abscess. The patient consents and calmly says that, without a doubt, they will hurt her. Once the abscess is opened, he lets out a weak scream. It was the only sign of reaction, and it lasted less than a second. Not the slightest tremor of muscles in the face or limbs, nor a movement in the arms, always elevated vertically above the bed. The slightly bloodshot eyes were wide open and the face had the immobility of a mask...

“Lifted, the left foot is suspended. They take away the shiny object, a spyglass, and the catalepsy persists. For the third time they sting her left arm, the blood bubbles and the operated woman feels nothing. For 13 minutes, the arm has kept the position it was given.

“Finally, a rub on the eyes and a breath of fresh air awaken the young lady almost suddenly. Relaxed, the arms and left leg immediately fall onto the bed. She rubs her eyes, regains consciousness, remembers nothing and is surprised that they had operated on her. The experience had lasted 18 to 20 minutes. The period of anesthesia, from 12 to 15.

“Such are, in summary, the essential facts reported by Dr. Broca to the Academy of Sciences. They are no longer isolated. A large number of surgeons in our hospitals have had the honor of repeating them, and have done so successfully. The objective of Dr. Broca and his illustrious colleagues was, and should be, surgical. Let us hope that, as a means of provoking insensitivity, hypnotism has all the advantages of anesthetic agents, without having their drawbacks. But Medicine is not our domain and, in order not to deviate from its responsibilities, our Journal must only consider the fact from a physiological point of view.

KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine of January 1861.

Excerpts from an article about mediumship in animals, obtained from the Revista Espírita of August 1861.

To begin with, let's understand our facts. What is a medium? It is the being, the individual that serves the Spirits as a link, so that they can easily communicate with men, incarnated Spirits. Consequently, without a medium, no tangible communications, mental, written, physical, or of any kind.

Today I address the problem of animal mediumship, raised and supported by one of your most fervent followers. By virtue of the axiom who can do the most can do the least, he claims that we can mediate birds and other animals, using them in our communications with the human species. It is what, in Philosophy, or rather, in Logic, you call purely and simply a sophistry.

…

Men are always willing to exaggerate everything. Some ─ and I'm not talking about materialists here ─ refuse animals a soul and others want to grant them one, so to speak, similar to ours. Why would you want to confuse the perfectible with the imperfectible? No no. Be well convinced that the fire that animates animals, the breath that makes them act, move and speak their language has, until now, no ability to mix, to unite, to merge with the divine breath, the ethereal soul, the Spirit, in a word, that animates the essentially perfectible being, man, this king of Creation. Now, isn’t what marks the superiority of the human species over other earthly species this essential condition of perfectibility? Then! Recognize, therefore, that it is not possible to assimilate to man, the only person perfectible in himself and in his works, any individual of the other living races on Earth.

…

Certainly the Spirits can become visible and tangible by animals, often suddenly taken by that fear that seems unfounded to you, and which is caused by the sight of one or more of these Spirits with malicious intentions towards the individuals present or towards the owners of these animals. You often find horses that don't want to move forward or backward or that stall when faced with an imaginary obstacle. Well done! Be sure that the imaginary obstacle is often a Spirit or a group of Spirits who have fun preventing them from advancing. Remember Balaam's donkey, which saw an angel in front of him and, fearing his flaming sword, insisted on not moving forward. Before becoming visible to Balaam, the angel wanted to show himself only to the animal. But, I repeat, we do not directly mediumize animals or inert matter. We always need the conscious or unconscious assistance of a human medium, because we need the union of similar fluids, which we do not find in animals or in gross matter.

He says Mr. Thiry magnetized his dog. What happened? He killed him, because this unfortunate animal later fell into a kind of atony, of languor, as a result of the magnetization. In effect, flooding him with a fluid drawn from an essence superior to the special essence of his nature, it crushed him and acted upon him, albeit more slowly, in the manner of lightning. Thus, as there is no possible identification between our perispirit and the fluidic envelope of the animals themselves, we would crush them instantly if we were to mediumize them.

Having said that, I fully recognize that animals have different abilities; that certain feelings; that certain passions identical with human passions develop in them; who are sensitive and recognized, vengeful and hateful, depending on whether one acts well or badly towards them. It is because God, who makes nothing incomplete, gave animals companions or servants of man, qualities of sociability that are entirely lacking in wild animals that inhabit solitudes.

In short: mediumistic facts cannot manifest themselves without the conscious or unconscious assistance of the medium, and only among the incarnated, Spirits like us, can we find those who can serve us as mediums. As for educating dogs, birds or other animals to do such and such exercises, that is your business and not ours.

ERASTO.

Spiritist Magazine, August 1861 – The medium animals

Read more about mediumship.

This article aims to address, very succinctly, the topic of the curse according to Spiritism. Knowledge for this can be gleaned in abundance from Revista Espírita and other works by Allan Kardec.

If someone puts a curse on you, there are 5 possibilities:

1. No Spirit participates in this, but you, knowing about the “curse”, believe in it and suggest yourself;

2. One or more evil Spirits participate, and you, knowing about the “curse”, believe, self-suggest and allow yourself to be influenced by the Spirits;

3. You have no idea about the curse, but there are evil spirits involved in it. They seek to reach you through your thoughts, attacking you for possible imperfections. As imperfection is born from attachment, the thoughts please you and you, by not fighting them (the thoughts), slowly become obsessed.

4. You have no idea about the curse, and you don't allow yourself to have bad thoughts, attachments, etc. Nothing happens to you other than, who knows, a temporary inconvenience.

5. You know about the curse, whether there are bad Spirits involved or not, but you studied Spiritism in the works of Kardec, you know how things happen and you are always trying to watch yourself. He knows, moreover, that whoever does evil is doing it for himself. You say prayers for those people and Spirits, and they, not finding an open door in you, quickly give up.

The Spirits' Book gives the essential

552. What should one think of the belief in the power of certain people to bewitch?

“Some people have great magnetic power, which they can misuse if their own Spirits are bad, in which case it becomes possible for them to be supported by other bad Spirits. However, do not believe in an alleged magical power, which only exists in the imagination of superstitious creatures, ignorant of the true laws of nature. The facts they cite as proof of the existence of this power are natural facts, poorly observed and above all poorly understood.”

553. What effect can formulas and practices produce through which people pretend to dispose of the will of the Spirits?

“The effect of making them ridiculous, if they proceed in good faith. Otherwise, they are scoundrels who deserve punishment. All formulas are mere illusion. There is no sacramental word, no Kabbalistic sign, nor talisman that has any action on the Spirits, as they are only attracted by thought and not by material things.”

The Book of Spirits

Conclusion

Remove the idea that the curse is the transfer of bad energy. it is necessary to study Spiritism, in Kardec's works. Spiritual fluids have their role, of course, but they depend on attunement. Also, get rid of the idea of “hereditary curses”, because inheritance is of the flesh, but it is clear that the role here is spiritual. You would only “inherit” a “curse” if the Spirits find reason and acceptance in you to continue bothering you too.

And, of course, do not believe in magical formulas, rituals or any material objects to solve the case, as none of these have power over the Spirits, as has already been demonstrated. in this article. To “reverse” a curse, it is necessary to act on morality, that is, to understand, analyze yourself and try to change what takes you away from good.

Study the Spiritist Magazine (1858-1869)

Cover photo: Fariborz MP: https://www.pexels.com/pt-br/foto/acessorios-adulto-aventura-facanha-11009468/

Obtained from the Spiritist Magazine of February 1861

Mr. JB D…, evoked at the request of one of his relatives, was an educated man, but to the last degree imbued with materialistic ideas. He didn't believe in the soul or in God. He voluntarily drowned two years ago.

1. (Evocation).

─ I suffer! I'm a convict.

2. ─ We were asked to call you by one of your relatives, who wants to know your fate. Can you say whether this evocation is pleasant or painful?

─ Painful.

3. ─ Was your death voluntary?

─ Yes.

Observation: The Spirit writes with extreme difficulty. The handwriting is large, irregular, convulsive and almost illegible. At first he shows anger, breaks the pencil and tears the paper.

4. ─ Stay calm. We will pray to God for you.

─ I am forced to believe in God.

5. ─ What reason led you to destroy yourselves?

─ Boredom of life hopeless. 

Observation: Suicide is understood when life is hopeless. We want to escape unhappiness at all costs. With Spiritism the future unfolds and hope is legitimized. Suicide, then, has no objective; even more, it is recognized that by such means one cannot escape one evil except to fall into another one a hundred times worse. This is why Spiritism has already removed so many victims from voluntary death. Are those who seek, first and foremost, the moral and philosophical end in it, wrong and dreamers? Very guilty are those who, for scientific sophisms and in the supposed name of reason, They strive to honor the desperate idea, the source of so many evils and crimes, that everything ends with life. They will be responsible not only for their own mistakes, but for all the evils they have caused.

6. ─ You wanted to escape the vicissitudes of life. Did you achieve anything? Are you happier now?

─ Why doesn’t nothing exist?!

7. ─ Would you be kind enough to describe your situation to us as best you can?

─ I suffer from being forced to believe in everything I denied. My soul is as if in a brazier, horribly tormented.

8. ─ Where did the materialistic ideas you had in life come from?

─ In another existence I had been bad, and my Spirit was condemned to suffer the torments of doubt during my life. So, I killed myself.

Observation: There is a whole range of ideas here. We often ask ourselves how there can be materialists, since, having already passed through the spiritist world, we should have intuition about it. Now, it is precisely this intuition that is refused, as punishment, to certain Spirits who preserved their pride and did not repent of their faults. We must not forget that the Earth is a place of atonement. This is why it contains so many incarnated evil Spirits.

Note from me (Paulo): the word “punishment”, in French, can be read as “punishment”, which, according to Rational Spiritualism, from which Spiritism developed, is nothing more than the natural consequences of our mistakes. Thus, the very proud Spirit, as a result of this pride, is unable to keep the intuition of life in the world of Spirits, as it is too closed in on itself.

9. ─ When you drowned, what did you think would happen to you? What reflections did you make at that moment?

─ None. For me it was nothing. I saw later that having not exhausted my sentence, I would still suffer a lot.

10. ─ Are you now convinced of the existence of God, the soul and the future life?

─ Oh! I am terribly tormented by this!

11. ─ Have you searched your wife and your brother?

─ Oh! no!

12. ─ Why?

─ Why bring together our torments? We go into exile in misfortune and only come together in happiness. Alas!

Note from me (Paul): he must be saying that the suffering Spirit cannot escape its own sufferings, while the detached Spirit, working for good, becomes happy and meets with others in the same “tune”.

13. ─ Would you like to see your brother again, who we could call to your side?

─ No, no! I am really bad.

14. ─ Why don't you want us to call him?

─ He's not happy either.

15. ─ You fear his presence. However, could it not do you any good?

─ No. Later.

16. ─ Your relative asks if you attended your funeral and if you were satisfied with what he did at the time.

─ Yes.

17. ─ Do you want him to say something?

─ Please pray a little for me.

18. ─ It seems that in the society you frequent, some people share the opinions you had in life. Would you like to tell them something about it?

─ Oh! How unfortunate! May they believe in another life! That's what I can wish them for greater happiness. If they could understand my sad position, they would reflect a lot.

– Evocation of the previous brother, who professed the same ideas but did not commit suicide. Although unhappy, he is calmer. Your handwriting is clear and legible.

─ May the picture of our sufferings be a useful lesson for you, and persuade you that there is another life, in which we atone for our faults and our unbelief!

20. ─ Do you and your brother who we have just mentioned see each other?

─ No. He runs away from me.

21. ─ You are calmer than him. Could you give us a more accurate description of your sufferings?

─ On Earth, don’t your self-love and your pride suffer when you are forced to confess your error? Does your Spirit not revolt at the thought of humiliating yourself before someone who shows you that you are wrong? Then! What do you think the Spirit who throughout his entire existence has been convinced that nothing exists beyond himself and that he is right against everyone suffers? When, suddenly, he finds himself faced with the dazzling truth, he feels annihilated and humiliated. Added to this is the remorse of, for so long, having forgotten the existence of a God so good, so indulgent. Your condition is unbearable; finds neither calm nor rest; He will not find a little peace of mind except at the moment when holy grace, that is, the love of God, touches him, because pride takes hold of our poor Spirit in such a way that it envelops him entirely, and he still needs a lot of time to get rid of that fatal tunic. Only the prayers of our brothers help us to free ourselves from it.

22. ─ Do you want to talk about your brothers alive or in Spirit?

─ From both sides.

23. ─ While we were talking to your brother, one of those present prayed for him. Has prayer been useful to you?

─ It will not be lost. If you now refuse grace, it will come back to you when you are in a state of having recourse to this divine panacea.

The result of these two evocations was transmitted to the person who requested them. Then we received the following response:

“You cannot imagine, sir, how great was the good produced by the evocation of my father-in-law and my uncle. We recognize them perfectly. Above all, the lyrics of the first one have a remarkable analogy with the ones he had in life, especially since, in the last months he spent with us, they were captivating and indecipherable. There we find the same shape of the legs, the signature, and certain letters, especially the d, f, o, p, q, t. As for the words, expressions and style, they are even more remarkable. For us, the analogy is perfect, except for his greatest clarification about God, the soul and eternity, which he once so formally denied. We are therefore perfectly convinced as to the identity. God will therefore be more glorified by our firmer belief in Spiritism, and our brothers, Spirits and living, will become better. His brother's identity is no less evident. The immense difference between the atheist and the believer was recognized in their character, their style, their expressions. One word, above all, shocked us: panacea. It was his usual expression, which he said to everyone and at all times.

“I showed the two communications to several people, who were touched by their veracity. But the non-believers, those who share the opinions of my two relatives, wanted more categorical answers: for, for example, Mr. D… to specify the place where he was buried, where he drowned, how he acted, etc. To satisfy and convince them, you could well ask him the following questions: Where and how did he commit suicide? How long was it submerged? Where was his body found? Where was he buried? In what manner, civil or religious, was the inhumation carried out, etc.?

“I ask you, sir, to kindly demand categorical answers to these essential questions for those who still doubt. I am convinced of the immense good this will produce. I am proceeding so that this letter reaches you tomorrow, Friday, so that you can evoke it at the Society session to be held on that day… etc.”

We reproduce this letter due to the identity it establishes. We have put together our response for the instruction of people unfamiliar with communications from beyond the grave.

“… The questions that you wish to be addressed again to the Spirit of your father-in-law are certainly dictated by a laudable intention, that of convincing unbelievers, because in you there is no mixture of feelings of doubt and curiosity. However, a more perfect knowledge of Spiritism would have made you understand that they are superfluous.

“To begin with, asking your father-in-law to give categorical answers, you are certainly unaware that we do not govern Spirits at will. They respond when they want and how they want, and often how they can. Their freedom of action is even greater than when alive and they have more ways of escaping the moral pressure we try to exert on them. The best proofs of identity are given spontaneously, according to your own will or arising from circumstances and, in most cases, it is a waste of time to try to provoke them. Your relative has proven his identity in an irrefutable way, in your opinion. It is, therefore, more than likely that he will refuse to answer questions that he rightly considers superfluous and asked with the aim of satisfying the curiosity of people who are indifferent to him. Could he respond, as other Spirits have often done in similar cases, asking:

“What’s the point in asking me things you know?” I would also add that the state of disturbance and suffering in which he finds himself must make research of this kind more painful for him, exactly as if one wanted to force a patient who can only think and speak to tell us details of his life. . It would certainly be a lack of due consideration for his position.

“As for the result you expected, it would be null, rest assured. The identity proofs provided have an even greater value, due to the very fact that they were spontaneous and that nothing could indicate that path. If unbelievers are not satisfied with this, neither would they be satisfied by asking questions that could imply connivance. There are creatures that nothing can convince. They would see your father-in-law with their own eyes and say they were the victims of a hallucination. The best thing you can do for them is to leave them calm and not waste time with superfluous words. We can only regret them, because sooner or later they will learn for themselves how much it costs to have rejected the light that God sends them. It is above all against these that God manifests his severity.

“Two more words, sir, about your request for evocation on the same day you were supposed to receive the letter. Evocations are not done like that, in a hurry. Spirits do not always respond to our appeal. To do so, they need to be able or willing to do so. Furthermore, a medium is needed that suits them and has the necessary special aptitude; that this medium is available at any given time; that the environment is sympathetic to the Spirit, etc. These are all circumstances for which we can never respond, and which are important to know when we want to do things seriously.”

To read more about the topic, Click here.

In the fight against an obsessive Spirit, the knowledge brought by the Spiritist Doctrine, as it truly is, is crucial. Without the false ideas that reign over the current spiritist movement, we can reach the root causes and the method to combat the obsessive Spirits, through our own awareness.

Text obtained from part of the article Obsedados e Subjugados, from the Revista Espírita of 1858. Subtitles and highlights from us.

Excitement and vanity of the medium

Whether out of enthusiasm, or out of fascination with the Spirits, or out of self-love, in general the psychographic medium is led to believe that the Spirits that communicate with him are superior, and the more so, the more the Spirits, seeing their propensity, do not They stop adorning themselves with pompous titles, as necessary. Depending on the circumstances, they take the names of saints, sages, angels, the Virgin Mary herself, and play their role as actors, ridiculously dressing up in the clothes of the people they represent. Take away their mask and they become what they were: ridiculous. This is what one must know how to do, both with Spirits and with men.

Of blind and unreflective belief In the superiority of the Spirits that communicate, there is only one step to trust in their words, just as it happens among men. If they manage to inspire this confidence, they feed it through sophistry and the most specious reasoning, before which we often bow our heads. Gross Spirits are less dangerous: we recognize them immediately and they inspire nothing but repugnance. The most fearsome, in your world, as in ours, are the hypocritical Spirits: they always speak sweetly; flatter inclinations; They are sweet, sly, lavish in affectionate expressions and protests of dedication. You have to be really strong to resist such seductions.

Read too: Curse and Spiritism.

You will ask: Where is the danger if the Spirits are impalpable? The danger lies in the harmful advice they give, appearing to be benevolent, and in the ridiculous, untimely or disastrous attitudes that lead us to undertake. We have already seen some that made certain people travel from region to region in search of fantastic things, at the risk of compromising their health, fortune and life itself. We saw them dictate, with the appearance of gravity, the most ridiculous things and the strangest maxims.

Considering that it is appropriate to give an example alongside theory, we will relate the story of a person we know who was under the control of a similar fascination.

A young obsessed medium

Mr. F…, a well-educated young man, with a thorough education, with a gentle and benevolent character, but a little weak and indecisive, became a psychographic medium very quickly. The obsessive Spirit that took hold of him and did not give him rest, wrote incessantly. If a pen or pencil fell into his hand, he would take it in a convulsive movement and fill pages and pages in a few minutes. In the absence of an instrument, he would simulate writing with his finger, wherever he found himself: on the street, on walls, on doors, etc. Among other things, this was dictated to him: “Man is made up of three things: man, the bad Spirit and the good Spirit. You all have your bad Spirit, which is linked to the body by material ties. To expel the bad Spirit it is necessary to break these bonds, which means that the body must be weakened. When this is sufficiently weakened, the bond breaks and the bad Spirit leaves, leaving only the good one.”

As a result of this beautiful theory, they made him fast for five consecutive days and watch at night. When he was exhausted, they said to him: “Now the thing is done and the bond is broken. Your evil Spirit is gone: only we are left, in whom you must believe without reservation.” And he, persuaded that his evil Spirit had fled, blindly believed all his words. The subjugation had reached the point where if he had been told to throw himself into the water or head for the antipodes, he would have done so. When they wanted to force him to do something that was repugnant to him, he was dragged by an invisible force.

We give a small sample of his morals; From there you can judge the rest:

Absurdities of an obsessive Spirit that even uses the name of Jesus

“To have better communications it is first necessary to pray and fast for several days, some more, some less. Fasting weakens the bonds that exist between the ego and a particular demon attached to each to be human. This demon is linked to each person by the envelope that unites body and soul. This covering weakens due to lack of food and allows the Spirits to tear out that demon. Then Jesus descends into the heart of the possessed person, instead of the evil Spirit. This state of possessing Jesus in oneself is the only way to reach all truth and many other things.

When the creature managed to replace the devil with Jesus, it still does not possess the truth. To have it, you need to believe. God does not give the truth to those who doubt: it would be doing something useless and God does nothing in vain. As most new mediums doubt what they say and write, good Spirits, unwillingly, by God's formal order, they are obliged to lie and have no choice but to lie until the medium is convinced; but as soon as he believes one of these lies, the high spirits rush to reveal to him the secrets of heaven: the whole truth dissipates in an instant that cloud of errors with which they had been forced to envelop their protege.

…

We would fill a volume with all the nonsense that was dictated to him and the circumstances that followed. Among other things, they made him design a building of such dimensions that the sheets of paper, glued together, reached the height of two floors.

Note that in all this there is nothing coarse or banal. It is a series of sophistical reasonings linked together with the appearance of logic. There is indeed an infernal art in the means employed to deceive him, and if it had been possible for us to relate all these manifestations, one would have seen to what extent the cunning was carried and with what skill they used honeyed words.

A good Spirit sought to help

The obsessive Spirit who played the main role in this business gave the name François Dillois, when he was not covering himself with the mask of a respectable name. Later we learned what this Dillois had been like in life, and then nothing surprised us in his language. But in the midst of all this nonsense it was easy to recognize a good Spirit who was fighting, making from time to time hear some good words denying the other's absurdities. There was an obvious fight, but the fight was unequal. The young man was so subdued that the voice of reason was powerless over him. The Spirit of his father, notably, made him write the following words: “Yes, my son, courage! You suffer a harsh test, which will be for your good in the future. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can do nothing to free you, and it costs me a lot. Go see Allan Kardec; listen to him, and he will save you.”

The boy's will and Kardec's help

Indeed, Mr. F… came to look for me and, to begin with, I recognized without difficulty the pernicious influence he was under, whether in words or through certain material signs that experience makes known, and that cannot deceive us. He came back several times. I used all my willpower to call the good Spirits through you; all my rhetoric to prove to him that I was a victim of detestable Spirits; that what he wrote made no sense, as well as being deeply immoral. For this charity work I teamed up with a colleague, Mr. T… and little by little we got him to write sensible things. He became averse to that bad temper, willingly repelling it every time it tried to manifest itself, and slowly the good Spirits triumphed.

To change his ideas, he followed the advice of the Spirits, to give himself to a rough job, that did not leave him time to listen to bad suggestions.

The obsessing Spirit himself, Dillois, ended up confessing that he was defeated and expressed the desire to progress in a new existence. He confessed the evil he had tried to do and showed evidence of repentance. The fight was long and painful and offered the observer truly curious particularities. Today Mr. F. feels free and happy. It's as if he had laid down a burden. He has regained his joy and thanks us for the service we provided him.

The subject is on the agenda, because many say they evoke spirits. Unfortunately, many also believe that simply because they are evoking bad Spirits, they would readily contract connections with Obsessing spirits. We will see, in the following text, that this is not the case and that, if there is seriousness and good intentions, in fact, good is produced and, often, the connection with a Spirit who will never forget your gesture.

An old carter – Revista Espírita of December 1859 (full content)

The excellent medium Mr. V… is a young man who generally stands out for the purity of his relationships with the spiritist world. However, after moving into the rooms he currently occupies, an inferior Spirit interferes in his communications, even interfering in his personal work.

Finding himself, on the night of September 6, 1859, at the house of Mr. Allan Kardec, with whom he was supposed to work, he was hindered by that Spirit, which made him draw incoherent things or prevented him from writing.

Then Mr. Allan Kardec, addressing the Spirit, had the following conversation with him:

1. ─ Why do you come here without being called?
─ I want to torment him.

2. ─ Who are you? Say your name.
─ I won't say that.

3. ─ What is your objective, meddling in what does not concern you? This does you no good.
─ No, but I prevent him from having good communications and I know that this hurts him a lot.

4. ─ You are an evil Spirit, because you take pleasure in doing evil. In the name of God I order you to leave and let us work in peace.
─ Do you think you scare me with that deep voice?

5. ─ If it is not me you are afraid of, you will undoubtedly be afraid of God, in whose name I speak to you and who can make you regret your wickedness.
─ Let’s not get angry, bourgeois.

6. ─ I repeat that you are a bad Spirit, and once again I ask you not to stop us from working.
─ I am what I am, it is my nature.
Having been called a superior Spirit, who was asked to remove the intruder, so as not to interrupt the work, the bad Spirit probably left, because during the rest of the night there was no further interruption.

When asked about the nature of this Spirit, the superior replied: This Spirit, who is of the lowest class, is a former carter, who died near the house where the medium lives. He chose his own room as his home, and for a long time now he has been obsessing over him and tormenting him incessantly. Now that he knows that the medium must, by order of superior Spirits, change residence, it torments him more than ever. It is also proof that the medium does not write his own thoughts. So you see that there are good things, even in the most unpleasant adventures in life. God reveals his power by every means possible.

─ What was the character of this man in life?

─ Everything that comes closest to the animal. I believe his horses had more intelligence and more feeling than he did.

─ How can Mr. V… get rid of him?

─ There are two: the spiritual means, asking God; the material environment, leaving the house where it is.

─ So there really are places haunted by certain Spirits?

─ Yes, Spirits that are still under the influence of matter attach themselves to certain locations.

─ Can the Spirits that haunt certain places make them fatally disastrous or favorable for the people who inhabit them?

─ Who could stop them? Dead, they exert influence as Spirits; alive, they exercise it like men.

─ Could someone who was not a medium, who had never heard of Spirits and who did not even believe in them, suffer such influence and be a victim of harassment from such Spirits?

─ Undoubtedly. This happens more often than you think, and explains many things.

─ Is there any basis in the belief that Spirits preferably frequent ruins and abandoned houses?

─ Superstition.

─ So the Spirits will haunt a new house on Rua de Rivoli, in the same way as an old slum?

─ Of course. They may be attracted to one place rather than another, by the mood of its residents.
Having evoked, in the Society, the Spirit of the aforementioned cartman, through the intermediary of Mr. R…, he manifested himself through signs of violence, breaking pencils, thrusting them forcefully into the paper, and by coarse, shaky writing , irregular and barely legible.

1. (Evocation).
─ Here I am.

2. ─ Do you recognize God’s power over you?
─ Yes; and?

3. ─ Why did you choose Mr. V…’s room, and not another one?
─ Because this pleases me.

4. ─ Will you stay there for a long time?
─ As far as feeling good.

5. ─ So you have no intention of improving?
─ We'll see. I have time.

6. ─ Are you upset because we called you?
─ Yes.

7. ─ What did you do when we called you?
─ I was in the tavern.

8. ─ So you drank?
─ How foolish! How can I drink?

9. ─ So what did you mean when you talked about the tavern?
─ I meant what I said.

10. ─ When I was alive, did you mistreat your horses?
─ Are you from the municipal police?

11. ─ Do you want us to pray for you?
─ And would you do this?

12. ─ Certainly. We pray for all those who suffer, because we have pity on the unfortunate and we know that God's mercy is great.
─ Oh! Well, you really are good people. I wish I could shake your hand. I will try to deserve it. Thanks.

OBSERVATION: This conversation confirms what experience has proven many times, regarding the influence that men can exert on Spirits, and through which they contribute to their improvement. Shows the influence of prayer.

Thus, this brute and almost untamed and wild nature finds itself as if subjugated by the idea of the advantages that can be offered to it. We have numerous examples of criminals who spontaneously came to communicate with mediums who had prayed for them, thus testifying to us their repentance.

To the above observations we will add the following considerations, relating to the evocation of inferior Spirits.

We have seen mediums, rightly anxious to maintain their good relationships beyond the grave, refuse to serve as interpreters of the inferior Spirits that can be called. It is on your part a misunderstood susceptibility. Because we evoke a vulgar Spirit, and even a bad one, we will not be dependent on him.

Far from it, and on the contrary, we will dominate it. It is not the one that comes to impose itself, against our will, as in obsessions. We are the ones who impose ourselves. He doesn't order, he obeys. We are your judge, not your prey. Furthermore, we can be useful to them through our advice and prayers and they are grateful to us for the interest we show in them. Extending your hand to help is doing a good deed. To refuse it is uncharitable; even more so, it is pride and selfishness. These inferior beings, in fact, are a great teaching for us. It was through him that we were able to get to know the lower layers of the spiritist world and the fate that awaits those who make a bad use of their lives here.

Let us note, furthermore, that it is almost always tremendous that they come to serious meetings, where the good Spirits dominate.

They are embarrassed and remain at a distance, listening in order to educate themselves. They often come with this objective, without being called.

Why, then, would we refuse to listen to them, when their repentance and suffering are often a reason for edification or, at least, for instruction?

There is nothing to fear from these communications, as long as they aim for the good. What would happen to the poor injured people if doctors refused to touch their wounds?