A good medium must always be ready to criticize his work, since it does not belong to him, never being hurt or humiliated when any idea comes from an imperfect spirit and cannot be accepted as doctrinal.

This criticism and judgment, when dealing with a good medium, should not and need not be extended to the medium itself. However, if in the mediumistic group there is the invigilant individual, almost always moved by habits of vanity and pride, which often promote frames of obsession and fascination, he must be advised privately, firmly, but with benevolence. If reason speaks louder to you, you will understand and seek to change your picture; if not, it will often turn away. 🇧🇷In this case, whatever faculties it possesses, its removal is not to be missed.”, Kardec would say [RE, July 1858]

The role of the medium is to transmit the content, including those of inferior spirits, and the role of a good spiritist should be to judge, based on study and reason, mediumistic communications and even learn from those that come from inferior spirits, not for accepting them blindly, but for understanding the ideas, the difficulties, the illusions, the reflections on the previous life, etc. And that, dear reader, also applies to dear Chico Xavier, Divaldo, Sueli Caldas and all mediums, as none have the divine grace to be "armored” against imperfect spirits — quite the contrary, as I believe is clear from the very purpose of mediumship.

An absurd distortion was created, not only in the Spiritist Movement, but also in the entire spiritualist movement, with mediumistic works, since this principle was forgotten and Mediums began to be treated as infallible oracles. It is important to remember that this idea was precisely the one inculcated by Roustaing, the greatest enemy of Spiritism and that, unfortunately, permeated and dominated the Spiritist Movement since its arrival in Brazilian lands, before 1900, having found wide support for dissemination in the FEB, self-titled organ maximum representation of Spiritism in Brazil (contrary to what Kardec himself recommended and planned to start, if he had not died so soon, as presented in Transitory Constitution of Spiritism — RE — December 1869).

Mr. Roustaing, one of the "Judas of Spiritism", was not a medium. But by a good medium, Mrs. Emilie Collignon, who even communicated with Kardec, began to obtain communications attributed to the four evangelists, who came to say that Roustaing would be the new prophet, producing what became known as The Four Gospels, which until today negatively influence, with various concepts, the Spiritist Movement in Brazil, mainly.

All that I am pointing out was exactly what Kardec pointed out to Roustaing. The medium herself even stated, to Kardec, that she did not agree with those communications, but whenever she was with Roustaing, they were obtained. After Kardec drew Roustaing's attention to the obsession of which he was a victim, trying to do him some good, he rebelled, out of vanity and pride... And then the damage was done.

After the death of Prof. Rivail (Kardec), a rich (quite rich) follower of Roustaing, Jean Guérin, approached Leymarie, the “continuer” of Spiritism who, for less elevated interests, sold himself and, among so many crimes against Spiritism, started to publish , in the Spiritist Magazine, contents from this ideology, even though contrary to the Doctrine. This provoked revolt in the true followers of Kardec, among them Berthe Fropo, a close friend of the couple, Camille Flamarion, Leon Denis and Gabriel Delanne. Fropo even published:

I appeal to all spiritists, my brothers. Can this man [Leymarie] remain in the direction of spiritualism? since he is no longer a spiritist? He, who has no belief, who has only interests, who has renounced the doctrine he was supposed to defend and protect, has debased it in himself by preferring another. Now he wants to make the doctrine enter the theological phase, to establish it as a religion, and to make our beautiful philosophy be lowered through congresses, ceremonies and, later, by dogmas, and all this for the love of money, to please the ideas. of Mr. Guérin, the millionaire. He became a Roustangist, advocated subversive ideas about the nature of Jesus and, currently, puts to study even the non-existence of Christ.

In the name of our revered master, we cannot leave our doctrine of life in the hands of a man without belief, without conviction, and who has disowned it. I beg all spiritists who have shares in the Anonymous Society founded by Mrs. Allan Kardec to meet in a general meeting; they have the right as shareholders. If they are sincere spiritists, honorable people, great hearts who desire the happiness of all our humanity through the propagation of the doctrine in all its purity, they must consider that it is a right and above all a duty for them, and that if they do not fulfill it , whether out of fear or inertia, that would be a cowardly abandonment of our dear philosophy, which, you are persuaded, is in danger, and in great danger. How is it possible to respect spiritism when one sees, in order to represent and advance it, people without morality, without belief and without loyalty?

Allan Kardec's Magazine is nothing more than an abominable rhapsody; under the pretext of eclecticism, the most subversive ideas are inserted into it, and the judgment of those brothers of ours is perverted who, as they do not have sufficient education to do justice to all these ridiculous conceptions, are confused and become of a credulity that can be dangerous to your home.

Let us study the teaching of our dear master Allan Kardec, let us accept what this high intelligence has made up for thirty years of tenacious work, and above all let us know how to understand and apply it to ourselves in order to become better, fair, loyal and fraternal, dedicated to consoling doctrine that the Spirits revealed to us.

Jesus, who so well taught us love, charity and fraternity, however, in a moment of indignation, expelled the sellers from the temple, and the thongs he used are not yet worn out. I used those of our time; God and the good spirits will judge me.

I consider that I have fulfilled the mission with which I was entrusted. It is up to the Spiritist shareholders to act now and save Villa Ségur, which, according to the master's idea, was destined to be a shelter for elderly Spiritists; he wanted to build there, moreover, a building large enough to establish a meeting place, a museum and a spiritualist library.

Fropo, Beacoup de Lumiere

Kardec, for defending the basic and necessary principles of Spiritist science, was also called orthodox, proud, pedantic, vain, etc. Precisely he, who always demonstrated that he did not even begin the studies of Spiritism and that, having only dedicated himself to this study in a methodological, scientific and organized way, being often contradicted, in his ideas, by the force of reason, by the Spirits themselves, He always emphasized that everything belonged to the Spirits and not to anyone's private ideas, much less his own.

These are the facts that many find it difficult to accept, but which are already well known and which are reported in Allan Kardec's Legacy, by Simoni Privato, and End, by Wilson Garcia.

References

• Allan Kardec's Legacy, by Simoni Privato
• End, by Wilson Garcia
• Beacoup de Lumiere by Berthe Fropo
• Spiritist Magazine of 1858

Much has been said on this topic. Many teach that animals, after death, go to a beautiful spiritual colony, called Rancho Alegre, where the animals would stay together, enjoying the natural beauty of places in the world of Spirits. It sounds beautiful, but it is important to remember that Spiritism cannot be based on ideas that have not been validated by the necessary scientific methodology, because, otherwise, false ideas can generate mistakes, errors and attachments in our minds.

What spiritual science says

Kardec, in The Spirits' Book, presents important concepts about animals:

597. Since animals have an intelligence that gives them a certain freedom of action, is there in them any principle independent of matter?

“There is, and that survives the body.”

The) - Is this principle a soul like that of man?

“It is also a soul, if you will, depending on the meaning given to this word. It is, however, inferior to that of man. There is between the soul of animals and that of man a distance equivalent to that between the soul of man and God.”

598. After death, does the soul of animals retain its individuality and self-consciousness?

“Keep your individuality; about the awareness of your I, no. Intelligent life remains in a latent state.”

599. Is the soul of animals given to choose the animal in which to incarnate?

“No, since he has no free will.”

Animals, therefore, have a soul, or spirit. However, this Spirit, despite not being a machine, still has no consciousness of your own “I”. It does not, therefore, have free will, for it comes with the awareness of God's laws:

621. Where is the law of God written?

“In conscience.”

It is when man acquires conscience that, with it, he acquires free will. Rather, he is ruled by instincts: hunger calls him to eat, fear calls him to protect himself, anger serves to defend himself. By acquiring free will, you have free choice, from which mistakes and successes are born. From mistakes, learning or passion can be born, which is when the individual choose use instinct to strengthen a bad habit that causes you some sort of rejoicing. From this, an imperfection is born, which will be difficult to overcome through incarnations.

Animals have no moral suffering, nor need to reflect on them

The animal, however, is not at that evolutionary level, yet. When the lion kills the zebra, he is not committing evil, but rather good, as he is acting according to God's laws. The animal, therefore, has no guilt, no regret, in short, no moral suffering (although some animals learn, in contact with humans, to show similar reactions). It comes from there the Spirit living the animal phase does not need the period between lives to learn and reflect, because their learning, for now, takes place directly in contact with matter, living under instinct and under some capacity of will that, however, does not represent free will, which puts down the idea of a spiritual colony Rancho Alegre .

600. Surviving the body in which it inhabited, does the soul of the animal find itself, after death, in a state of erraticity, like that of man?

“It remains in a kind of erraticity, since it is no longer united with the body, but it is not a wandering spirit. The Wandering Spirit is a being who thinks and works of his own free will.. The animals do not have the same faculty. Self-awareness is what constitutes the main attribute of the Spirit. The animal's, after death, is classified by the Spirits who are responsible for this task and used almost immediately; he is not given time to enter into relations with other creatures.”

For the human spirit, the period of erraticity, between one incarnation and another, is necessary for its advancement and learning:

227. How are wandering spirits instructed? Right, don't they do it the same way we do?

“They study their past and look for ways to elevate themselves. They see, they observe what happens in the places where they go; they listen to the discourses of enlightened men and the advice of the highest spirits, and all this instills in them ideas that they did not have before.”

We need to return to Kardec

Therefore, friends, let us reflect on the doctrine forgotten by the Brazilian Spiritist Movement. Kardec's books were not created by him, but through the dedicated, organized and methodological study of the universality of the teachings of the Spirits. In the Spiritist Doctrine, there is a construction, where each point is firmly established on another, previously established, by the same process. It is necessary, therefore, to be very careful with the “new people” of Spiritism, almost always speaking of their own opinions. It is important to remember that what people see in a state of sleep or somnambulism (unfolding) does not always represent the truth, and may be altered by personal ideas and beliefs.

Kardec has always highlighted the need to judge everything, in the face of reason and science, something that the Spiritist Movement has not done. This same Movement, voluntarily forgetting this, began to accept spiritual communications and the opinions of prominent mediums as if they were something unquestionable... Which is a huge mistake, since the role of any medium is to transmit the communication, and it is up to others to judge it in terms of its acceptance or not, and it is not up to the medium to be offended by this.

This article, in short, is practically a cry, a plea: let's study Kardec, let's study his works, because the base of the spiritist science, that same base of the reasoned faith, the one that, according to the professor, "... is only the one that can face the reason face to face, in all the epochs of Humanity", is founded there. In short: no, the animals don't go to the Rancho Alegre Spiritual Colony, because they don't need it. In truth, even we, more evolved Spirits, do not need it: it is a myth that, when we die, our Spirits will go to any spiritual colonies, have soup and rest, because the Spirit does not need any of that.

Kardec thus defines the obsession:

Obsession is the persistent action that an evil Spirit exerts on an individual. It presents very different characters, from the simple moral influence without sensitive external marks to the complete disturbance of the organism and mental faculties. Obliterates all mediumistic faculties. In auditory and psychographic mediumship, it is translated by the obstinacy of a spirit in manifesting itself to the exclusion of others.

Obsession is almost always the fact of revenge exercised by a Spirit and that most often originates in the relationships that the obsessed person has had with that one in a previous existence. 

In cases of severe obsession, the obsessed person is surrounded and impregnated by a pernicious fluid that neutralizes the action of healthy fluids and repels them. It is from this fluid that it becomes necessary to disentangle oneself; now, a bad fluid cannot be repelled by another bad fluid. By an action identical to that of the healing medium, in the case of diseases, it is necessary to expel the bad fluid with the help of a better fluid. 

That's mechanical action, but that's not always enough. It is also, and above all, necessary to act on the intelligent being, to which it is necessary to have the right to speak with authority, and this authority is only given by moral superiority; the greater it is, the greater the authority.

Allan Kardec, The Genesis, 1868

Obsession occurs from spirit to spirit, even from incarnate to incarnate and has, at its root, always a lack of initial ability to fight against a pernicious influence. We see this in unhealthy couple relationships, when one exerts a pernicious dominion that is not fought for the other. When giving from Spirit to incarnate, at the origin, the incarnate's lack of ability to identify the pernicious influence on their own imperfections and passions (feelings) is identified, leading them, slowly and progressively, to enter different states. such as those of pleasure, restlessness, melancholy, etc. This means that, many times, the incarnate himself voluntarily accepts, although unconsciously, the influence that instigates him to cultivate imperfections or habits that please him.

There is also the less frequent possibility of having a self-obsession, where the individual himself is attached to certain thoughts or certain questions, without the participation of other Spirits. We will address each of these possibilities below.

It is important to say, first of all, that obsession needs to be fought, as soon as possible, by the will of the incarnate, in the first place. It turns out that, if the obsession is advanced, this desire can be obliterated, which is very common in cases identified as depressive. This is where it is necessary to have an intervention, from close people, who can help, with benevolent persistence, to lift this non-existent or erased will. For this reason, we believe it is important to highlight the state of subjugation and possession, defined as follows by Kardec:

Subjugation

It is a moral bond that paralyzes the will of the one who suffers it and that impels the person to the most unreasonable attitudes, often the most contrary to their own interest. [RE, Oct/1858]

Subjugation can be moral or corporal. In the first case, the subject is forced to make resolutions that are often absurd and compromising, which, by a kind of illusion, he judges to be sensible: it is a type of fascination. In the second case, the Spirit acts on the material organs and causes involuntary movements. It is translated, in the writing medium, by an incessant need to write, even at the least opportune moments. We saw some who, lacking a pen or pencil, pretended to write with their finger, wherever they were, even in the streets, on doors, on walls. [The Mediums' Book]

possession 

It was formerly called possession to the empire exercised by bad spirits, when their influence reached the aberration of the victim's faculties. Possession would be, for us, synonymous with subjugation. [The Mediums' Book]

In possession, instead of acting externally, the free Spirit replaces, so to speak, the incarnate Spirit; he makes the choice of domicile in his body without, however, this leaving him definitively, which cannot take place except with death. Possession is therefore always temporary and intermittent because a disembodied Spirit cannot definitively take the place and dignity of an incarnate Spirit, bearing in mind that the molecular union of the perispirit and the body can only operate at the moment of conception.

The Spirit, in the momentary possession of the body, uses it as its own; he speaks through his mouth, sees through his eyes, acts with his arms as if he had made his experience. It is no longer like in psychophonic mediumship, in which the incarnate Spirit speaks transmitting the thought of a disembodied Spirit. It is the latter himself who speaks and acts and if you have known him in life, you will recognize him by his language, his voice, by his gestures and even by the expression of his physiognomy.

Obsession is always an occurrence of a malefactor spirit. Possession can be the action of a good Spirit who wants to speak and, in order to make a greater impression on his listener, he borrows the body of an incarnate, who voluntarily lends him as if he were lending his garment.. This is done without no disturbance or discomfort, and during this time the Spirit is at liberty, as in the state of emancipation, and, more often than not, he stands beside his substitute to listen to him.

When the possessing spirit is bad, things happen differently. He does not borrow the body, but takes possession if the holder does not have the moral strength to resist him.. He does it out of malice towards the said, whom he tortures and martyrs in every way, until he wants to make him perish, either by strangulation, or by putting him on fire, or in other dangerous places. Using the limbs and organs of the unfortunate patient, he insults, defames, and mistreats those around him; he frees himself from such eccentricities and acts that have all the characteristics of raging madness. [The Genesis]

We thus see the extent of evil that can be reached with an unconfronted influence. We come to the important point: how to fight an obsession.

Fighting an obsession

Whether on your own initiative or with the help of someone, fighting an obsession must encompass everyone involved. When it comes to self-obsession, that will be the only target; the approach will be different when there is a relationship between some individuals and others. In the case of obsession from incarnate to incarnate, the work can be greatly helped by human psychology, but also by approaching the incarnate obsessor who, in turn, is almost always suffering from an obsession. Depending on the severity of this situation, from incarnate to incarnate, the interruption of influence, even by legal means, may be necessary.

The most frequent picture, however, is the obsession of imperfect spirits over incarnates. As we have seen, it almost always takes place out of revenge. Other times, it is simply due to the will that one or more imperfect spirits have to attract those whom they envy to the unhappiness they share. Another possibility that should matter a lot to the workers of the Spiritist Doctrine is that of the Spirits who, enemies of this science, do everything to hinder its propagation, creating true evil plans to attack it at its bases, as was the case involving Mr. Roustaing, at the time of Kardec, and Mr. Leymarie, who, after Kardec's death, gave in to the passions of fame and money and, thus, destroyed and distorted the paths previously traced by the patron of the Spiritist Doctrine, casting, on this, a great stain that only today begins to be erased.

The work to combat spiritual obsession, as we said, must address both sides of the relationship. On the side of the spirits, a good spiritist group, sufficiently instructed and careful, can be of great help, through the work of disobsession, which consists of trying to make the obsessing spirits understand the waste of time and the uselessness of doing what they do. For this, however, the group's workers need to offer what Kardec called moral ascendant, that is, they need to be honest and committed to the work of correcting their own imperfections, because, very commonly, the obsessing spirits will point to any trace of dishonesty or demagoguery, which is when you say one thing and do another. The obsessing spirit, for example, when invited to stop acting out of jealousy, may turn around and say: “who are you to tell me that, if you acted like that yesterday, with your wife?”. Of course, we don't expect the incarnates to be perfect, but it is necessary for them to be honest and committed. In this situation, the individual might reply, “Yes, I unfortunately gave in to this bad habit yesterday, but you must have seen that I suffered from its results. That's why, if you've been following me, you must have seen that I'm trying to beat you.”

During the mediumistic contact, the Spirit, who is often crazy in a fixed thought, suffers a kind of "shock", which does not consist of anything energetic, but rather, in the containment of his thoughts, during the perispiritual connection with the medium. Thus, it becomes easier to reason and reflect.

Working with an obsessor can demand persistence and care, for several reasons. sessions, which may involve evoking the Spirit involved. But it is also necessary to approach the incarnate, which needs to awaken, in itself, the will of wanting to get rid of that yoke. For this, it will be necessary to lead him to reason, too, so that, by reason, he makes that decision.

At Spiritist Magazine of October 1858, Kardec presents a case of this type, successful after all:

I used all my willpower to summon the good spirits through him; all my rhetoric to prove to him that he was a victim of detestable spirits; that what he wrote was senseless and profoundly immoral. For this charity work I joined a colleague, Mr. T… and little by little we got him to write sensible things. He took aversion to that bad temper, repelling it of his own accord each time he tried to manifest himself, 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 effect on the Spirit was also positive:

Dillois himself ended up confessing himself defeated and expressed a desire to progress in a new existence. He confessed the evil he had tried to do and gave evidence of repentance. The fight was long and painful and offered the observer really curious features. Today Mr. F. feels free and happy. It's as if you've dropped a burden. He regained his joy and thanks us for the service we have given him.

It is interesting to note that, in this case presented, Kardec's work was even more active in relation to the incarnate, because, acquiring this active and benevolent will, he will offer the "moral ascendant" over these Spirits, who will stop disturbing him when they verify this force, in addition to acquiring the sympathy of good spirits.

Therefore, to be fully instructed in the Spiritist Doctrine, taking from it all the moral and rational consequences that drive us on the path of "intimate reform", work on our own thoughts and actions, fears and desires, so that, each day more, everything is under divine laws, it is the best way to stay free from obsessions, because, even if the obsessing Spirit is not convinced of the need to reform, it may no longer find an opening to influence the incarnate.

We recommend the in-depth and complementary reading of The Mediums' Book, part two, Chap. XXIII, where Kardec approaches the subject in length.

From the newspaper O Tempo:

During the sect, herbs and alcohol were thrown on the child's body. Afterwards, the spiritual leader set her body on fire using a candle. The girl had almost 100% of the body burned. The child's grandparents, an aunt and her mother were at the ritual when the crime took place. The family members were left with burns for trying to put out the fire from Maria Fernanda's body. 

Unfortunately, this is one of the cases that we believed to have been in the past of human bestiality, but that still reproduce today, and even on Brazilian soil. Far from such an act being linked to Spiritism, it is diametrically opposed to it, because, from the study of the Doctrine, it appears that Spirits do not require any type of ritual, and the approach to the case would be totally different.

On the internet, information circulates that the child was sick and that the false spiritual leader would have promised a cure during the ritual, but this information has not yet been confirmed by the Civil Police.

I understand, therefore, that the case in question was a kind of exorcism, a practice condemned by the Spirits themselves:

477. Do exorcism formulas have any effect on evil spirits?

"No. The latter laugh and become obstinate when they see someone taking it seriously.”

The Book of Spirits

Let us not take long to remember, in conclusion, that superstition and mysticism have a very dark side, which is to instill in man the fear of natural things, for him inexplicable. By the action of these beliefs, cats, owls and other animals are killed, believing in “bad omen” and, unfortunately, even children, in irrational and absurd rituals.

Unfortunately, this is yet another case to tarnish the reputation of spiritualists, but also to motivate them to studying Spiritism in order to conquer, in this science, the important knowledge to move away from this type of scabrous situation.

One of the babies that Cristiano Ronaldo's wife was expecting died during childbirth. Another opportune situation not only to analyze coldly, but to take the philosophical vision of the Doctrine we embrace to the world.

First of all, it is necessary to remove the absurdities. There are those who say that this was due to the action of “karma”, which, as we already know, does not exist. So, how can God allow such disgrace to a soul that hasn't even taken the first steps in Earth's school?

On the one hand, there is the view of materialism: there is no God, there is no Spirit, there is no afterlife; there is only the flesh, and we are beings that live from dust to dust. A philosophical digression in this sense is not appropriate here, since this vision is totally removed from our ideas. It is only worth asking: if that were the case, we would be mere machines, for which good and evil represent nothing, and where the worst of murderers could be equated with the best of humanitarians. The good, in fact, would be nothing more than an illusion and life on Earth would be worth absolutely nothing.

Finding ourselves in the line of those who recognize the existence of God and the continuity of life after death, we need to make a distinction between those who assume that reincarnation is the explanation for everything and those who believe that the soul is created at the moment of birth or fertilization. . In the latter hypothesis, the child who dies before his first steps would be very lucky, for, having done neither good nor bad, he could not make mistakes, while the one who lived to old age, having almost always made several mistakes, may not have found time to correct them while still alive. We asked that God would be the one who would not give the repentant individual more chances.

No, our positions do not fall within any of these previous ones, but that of the doctrine of reincarnation, the only one in which it finds reason and logic that explains everything in a clear and sensible way. So, we will say: the individual who dies while still a child is a Spirit, who would only enjoy one more incarnation with a view to evolving. Having not avenged the baby, it will be born again in other conditions, continuing its evolutionary journey. There is, for him, neither advantage nor disadvantage.

It remains to be seen whether his death has anything useful or even necessary. In The Spirits' Book, there are the following questions and answers:

345. Is the union of the Spirit with the body definitive from the moment of conception? During this first phase, could the Spirit renounce inhabiting the body destined for it?

“The union is definitive, in the sense that another Spirit could not replace the one assigned to that body. But as the ties that bind it to the body are still very weak, they are easily broken. They can be broken by the Spirit's will, if the Spirit retreats from the test he has chosen. In such a case, however, the child does not succeed.”

346. What does the Spirit do if the body he has chosen dies before birth?

“Choose another one.”

The) - What is the use of these premature deaths?

“Most of the time, they are caused by the imperfections of the matter.”

347. What use will a Spirit find in its incarnation in a body that dies a few days after birth?

“The being is not then fully aware of its existence; the importance of death is almost none. It is often, as we have said, a test for parents.”

It is very clear: we are incarnate and, therefore, we are subject to the laws of matter. At the same time, premature death is a test (and not a punishment, under any circumstances) for the parents, who can gain a very important experience by going through this experience.

Today is the anniversary of the publication of The Spirits' Book.

Many still think that it is a book dictated by a Spirit; still others think that it is a work created by Allan Kardec. Few know, however, that the first version of OLE was, in large part, obtained through a systematic and rational study of countless communications, obtained in a more or less systematic and organized way, by other scholars of mediumistic communications – many of them rational spiritualists. – even before Kardec even dreamed of talking to the spirits of the dead.

After the first version, where Kardec sought a rational and consistent meaning for the content presented, the second edition came, almost three years later, and with practically twice the volume of questions, better organized and distributed. This second edition was born, above all, after the methodological study born of all that (and a little more) that is presented in the Revista Espírita, between 1858 and 1860, and with this publication, the objective of obtaining mediumistic information from everywhere from Europe (and the world) was very well attended w reinforced.

Therefore, no, The Spirits' Book is not a religious or philosophical work, produced by an individual or group: it is, in fact, a work produced through an observational and rational scientific method, and that never accepted any word from the Spirits as a unquestionable revelation. In fact, about this, Kardec states, in the Spiritist Magazine (about which we always recommend the study, for showing the most real possible face of Spiritist science) of November 1858:

“We will therefore repeat what we have already said about it, that is, that when the doctrine of reincarnation was taught to us by the spirits, it was so far from our thinking that we had built a completely different system on the antecedents of the soul, a system in fact shared by many people. On this point, the doctrine of the Spirits surprised us. We'll say more: it upset us, because it overthrew our own ideas. As you can see, it was far from being a reflection of them.

This is not all. We do not give in at the first shock. We fight; we defend our opinion; we raised objections and only surrendered in the face of the evidence and when we noticed the insufficiency of our system to solve all the questions related to this problem”

More than 50 years ago, Herculano Pires said:

We need to meditate in order to look for the way we lack to offer the world the spiritual solution to the social problem. Finally, we make spiritism fulfill its historical mission, overcoming the crisis that reduces it, for the moment, to a flickering light in the midst of dense darkness, to a kind of simple individual refuge for disappointments and human afflictions. For its destiny, as Sir Oliver Lodge has pointed out, is not only to comfort disheartened hearts, but to open up to the world the prospects of a new era. If dogmatic faith determined the religious fanaticism of the Middle Ages, with its sinister bonfires, reasoned faith will create the religious positivism of the third millennium, with the pyres of brotherhood lit in all quarters of the planet. Because, as Kardec had already said, the task of spiritism is to elevate the Earth on the scale of the worlds, transferring it from the expiatory category to that of a regenerating world. (PIRES, 1971)

What are we (not) doing? Why is Spiritist philosophy still not widely (re)known? In this search for a north, I answer, as my grandmother once answered me, in Spirit: “at least study”.

In this article, we are going to deal with a medal that one of the readers of Revista Espírita bought with interesting and enigmatic details. First of all, it is important to present what the cabalism and esotericism

THE Kabbalah or Kabbalah (in Hebrew: קַבָּלָה; romanize.: Kabbalah or Qabbalâ;^{[nt 1]} literalmente: “receber/tradição”) é um método esoteric, discipline and school of thought at the jewish mysticism.^[1] The traditional Kabbalists of Judaism are called Mekubalim (Hebrew: מְקוּבָלים) or Maskilim (   משכילים; “initiates“). 

already the esotericism is the generic name that highlights a set of traditions and philosophical interpretations of doctrines and religions – or even of Initiatic Fraternities – that seek to convey a list of certain subjects that concern aspects of the nature of life in an esoteric, that is, occult way. . Only a certain part of people can have the teachings.

we see that cabalism, esotericism, mysticism and occultism, todas “Ciencias Esotéricas”, se confundem, hoje, num grande caldeirão. Não significa dizer que não tenham anything for real: it happens that the sages they knew, in their own way, the truth about spirits and mediumship, but kept the knowledge within a restricted circle, leaving a mystical and fantastic face to the people. There were few initiates...

In this article, Kardec presents the history of that medal, the talisman, that his reader, Mr. M., bought in an antique shop, which was sold as a Luck charm…

Luck charm: object to which its bearer attributes the magical power to fulfill his wishes; object when used that can provide magical power and/or enchantment.

Interrogating Ms. J., a sleepwalking medium, it was said that this medal had belonged to cazotte and who owned the special power to attract Spirits and facilitate evocations.

Mr. Caudemberg, author of a series of communications that he says he received, as a medium, from the Virgin Mary, told him that it was an evil object, suitable for attracting demons. Miss de Guldenstube, medium, sister of Baron of Guldenstube, author of a work on pneumatography, or direct writing, told him that the medal had a magnetic virtue and could provoke somnambulism.

Not being satisfied, Mr. M. presented this medal, asking for a personal opinion about it, at the same time asking that a superior Spirit could speak about the reality of the influence of this object. Here are excerpts from Kardec's answer:

“Spirits are attracted or repelled by thought and not by material objects, which have no power over them. At all times, superior spirits have condemned the use of signs and cabalistic forms, and every spirit that attributes any virtue to them or that intends to give them talismans that denote magic, thus reveals their own inferiority, whether when they act in good faith. and through ignorance, carried away by ancient earthly prejudices, with which he is still imbued, either when he consciously enjoys credulity, as a mocking Spirit. […] Whoever has studied the nature of spirits will not be able to rationally admit the influence of conventional forms on them, nor of substances mixed in certain proportions. It would be to renew the practices of the witches' cauldron, of black cats, of black chickens and other secret machinations.”

Who uses the medal, the talisman, effectively, will have an uncontrollable, magical, fantastic force, external to our senses? Are they effective? Is it just mysticism? Or is it just a mental trigger to remind us that spirituality is all around us? There are several statements regarding these tools, which many, many religions and sects use.

So objects can't have any power? Kardec continues:

“The same is not the case with a magnetized object, since, as is known, they have the power to provoke somnambulism or certain nervous phenomena on the body. organic economy”.

Now, is there support in the power of talismans, crystals, etc?

“But then, the virtue of such an object resides solely in the fluid with which it is momentarily impregnated and which is thus transmitted, indirectly, and not in the form, in the color, nor, above all, in the signs with which it may be overloaded. ”

Here, we are specifically talking about the influence about the Spirit – inclusive o encarnado. Se falarmos sobre a matter, then we cannot rule out the interference that material objects specifics may have about it. 

The central point of this discussion is: the object itself, like a color, a sign or a plant, has no magnetic power (speaking of magnetism, which is what acts on the perispirit). However, when used, even in an esoteric way (as always happened) by someone with magnetic power, they gain, momentarily, a “charge” of magnetism. 

Now, since today we have access to knowledge about magnetism (Magnetism and Spiritism, by Carlos Bernardo Loureiro; Mesmer: The Denied Science of Magnetism, by PHF) wouldn't it be more interesting to study this science, in order to increase its usefulness, no longer being attached to mysticism, which often hinders the understanding of truths and their practical use?

In other words: hypnosis works because of a magnetic power (to explain) of the hypnotist, who is a magnetizer (even if he doesn't know it). This theme has often been confused with occultism and magic.

What hypnotizes, after all, is not the clock that swings, but the magnetism from which it he can be impregnated, or from the magnetism direct from the magnetizer.

And Kardec follows:

“A spirit may say: “Draw such a sign and by it I will know that you call me, and I will come.” But in this case the traced sign is the expression of thought; it is an evocation translated in a material way. Now, whatever the nature of spirits, they do not need such means of communication. Superior spirits never use them. Inferior spirits can do it in order to seduce gullible people who want under their dependence.

General rule: For superior spirits form is nothing. thought is everything. Every spirit that attaches more importance to the form than to the background is inferior, and does not deserve any trust, even when, from time to time, say some good things, because good things are sometimes a means of seduction.

Such was, in general, our thinking about talismans, as a means of entering into a relationship with the Spirits. Needless to say, it also applies to other superstitiously employed means, such as preservatives from illness and accidents.”

Once again, the focus is to put aside mysticism to understand, for the reason, the mechanics of magnetism and thought. And that is faith: Jesus practiced it all the time. He said, "if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would move mountains" and, let's see: who you see the spiritist science and the science of magnetism, has a faith unshakable, to the point that, by the time these sciences were established, even the tables were moving.

Kardec, then, to complement the studies, evokes the Spirit of Saint Louis, asking for observations about the talisman in question. He answers:

"You do well not to admit that material objects can have any power over manifestations, either to provoke them or to prevent them..

Very often we have said that the demonstrations are spontaneous and that, moreover, we never refuse to respond to your call. Why do you think that we are obliged to obey a thing made by creatures??”

Q. ─ For what purpose was this medal made? ─ It was made with the aim of drawing the attention of people who might believe it; but only by magnetizers could it have been made with the intention of magnetizing and putting a sensitive to sleep. The signs are mere fantasy.

Q. ─ They say it belonged to Cazotte. Could we invoke him to give us some information about it? ─ It's unnecessary. Occupy yourselves before more serious things.”

Here, Kardec publishes the German-tomb conversation of the Schwabenhaus Password. She entered NDE days before she disincarnated. The article opens the field to, once again, talk about the phenomenon of ecstasy It's from sleep-walking, the former being a special class of the latter.

O ecstasy it is the state in which the independence of the soul, in relation to the body, manifests itself most sensitively and becomes, in a certain way, palpable.

At the dream and not sleep-walking, the soul wanders through earthly regions. In ecstasy, he penetrates an unknown world, that of ethereal Spirits, with whom he enters into communication […].

In the state of ecstasy, the annihilation of the body is almost complete. All that remains, one might say, is organic life. One feels that the soul is attached to it only by a thread, that one more tiny effort would break without remission.

Kardec, The Spirits' Book

“Many ecstatics are pawns of their own imagination and of mocking spirits who take advantage of the exaltation their. There are very few who deserve complete trust.”

The Mediums' Book, Kardec

444. What confidence can be placed in the revelations of ecstatics?

“The ecstatic is liable to be deceived very often, especially when he tries to penetrate what must remain a mystery to man, because then he lets himself be carried away by the current of his own ideas, or becomes the plaything of mystifying spirits, who take advantage of your enthusiasm to fascinate you.”

The Spirits' Book, Kardec

Briefly: Mrs. Schwabenhaus entered state cataleptic (or lethargic) and was judged dead. Then the funeral took place, while, in fact, she was in state of ecstasy and he glimpsed a whole consoling spiritual truth, together with his daughter, who died at the age of 7. it was you granted the gift of returning and saying goodbye to his loved ones, which he attended with extreme happiness. Shortly after, he definitively disincarnated. At the time, there was no knowledge about these states of the body.

At lethargy, the vital forces are dissipated and the body acquires the appearance of death, in a deep sleep. At catalepsy, this suspension of vital forces is sometimes localized. You lethargic and cataleptics they usually observe what is happening around them. The soul is aware of itself, but cannot communicate. It would be a near death.

Kardec evokes her on April 27, 1858 and clarifies some doubts, reinforcing the thesis of her ecstasy and other interesting points, in doctrinal agreement:

3. During your apparent death, did you hear what was happening around you and did you see the funeral apparatus? ─ My soul was very concerned about your coming happiness.

OBSERVATION: It is known that in general the lethargic see and hear what is going on around them and when waking up retain the memory. The fact that we portray offers the particularity of being lethargic sleep accompanied by ecstasy, which explains the diversion of the patient's attention.

5. ─ Can you tell us the difference between natural sleep and lethargic sleep? ─ Natural sleep is the rest of the body; the lethargic is the exaltation of the soul.

7. ─ How did your return to life take place?  ─ God allowed me to return to comfort the afflicted hearts around me.

8. ─ We would like a more material explanation.  ─ What you call perispirit still animated my earthly envelope.

OBSERVATION: It means to say that while the life of the body remains, the perispirit is connected to the cells. In OLE, we will see: 155. How does the separation of soul and body work? “The ties that held her are broken, she breaks free.” (it is the death of the body that causes the “exit” of the Spirit): a) – Does the separation occur instantly by a sudden transition? Is there a sharply drawn line of demarcation between life and death? "No; the soul gradually detaches, it does not escape like a captive bird that is suddenly restored to freedom. Those two states touch and confuse each other, so that the Spirit gradually breaks free from the bonds that bound it. These bonds are untied, not broken.”

Kardec comments on Ms. S., when he says that his daughter would be a pure Spirit. Of course it should be higher, but pure, here is relative.

In question 16, Kardec continues investigating the form by which spirits see each other. It is interesting how the response of a higher Spirit matches the response of the Spirit quoted in the article “The Drum of Beresina”, July 1858. Let us see Mrs. S.:

16. ─ Did you recognize her [the daughter] in any form? ─ I only saw her as Spirit.

In the article by Tambor de Beresina:

29. ─ How do you know that they are Spirits [the others you see]? ─ Among us, we see ourselves as we are.

32. ─ And do you see the other spirits with the forms they had in life? ─ No. We don't take on an appearance until we are evoked. Other than that, we are formless.

Question 31 (in the present article):

31. Since you have been here with the form you had on Earth, is it through the eyes that you see us? ─ No, the Spirit has no eyes. I only find myself in my last form to satisfy the laws that govern spirits when evoked and forced to resume what you call perispirit..

RE September /1858, Kardec

This affirmation of the evoked Spirit is one of the conclusions that Kardec reaches regarding the form of the Spirits:

88. Do spirits have a determined, limited and constant form?

“Not for you; for us, yes. The Spirit is, if you like, a flame, a flash, or an ethereal spark.”

a) – Does this flame or spark have color?

“It has a coloring that, for you, goes from a dark and opaque color to a brilliant color, like that of ruby, depending on whether the Spirit is more or less pure.”

Geniuses are usually represented with a flame or star on their foreheads. It is an allegory, which recalls the essential nature of Spirits. They place it on top of the head, because that is the seat of intelligence.

Book of Spirits, Kardec

Another cause of interest at the time, although it took place in 1572. O Saint Bartholomew's Night Massacreu or the night of Saint Bartholomew, was an episode, in the history of France, in the repression of Protestantism, engendered by the French kings, who were Catholics. These murders took place on August 23 and 24, 1572, in Paris, on St. Bartholomew's Day.[1] It is estimated that between 5,000 and 30,000 people were killed, depending on the attributed source.

Eight days after the São Bartolomeu Massacre, terrifying screams and groans were heard “in the air” by countless witnesses. The noise lasted about half an hour, then stopped. Himself King Charles IX he must have heard, for he looked somber, pensive, and wild.

Kardec brings the report only to demonstrate the similarity with the case of Mademoiselle Clairon (Feb/58) ee to demonstrate, once again, that the spiritist facts have always been in our history.

In this picture, which, if written in the Brazilian context, would probably be called “spiritist stories”, Kardec cites the cause reported by Patrie, on August 15, 1858:

an officer of French Directory(Name given to the Government of France), while traveling, he stayed in a hovel. During his sleep, he saw a terrible apparition: a “specter” that came out of the shadows, hair red with blood, throat cut, etc., came to him and gave him details of his own murder, indicating the place where his body was buried and the perpetrators of the crime. It evoked the officer's help to call the police and solve the case.

The officer did not listen, as he considered it to be his imagination. The next day, as he fell asleep, he had the vision of the Spirit again, this time more sad and threatening. He has ignored it again, the next day he saw the Spirit again, in sleep, now even more irritated and threatening. The officer thought it best not to ignore this time: he returned to the indicated place, called the officers and solved the case. This shows that this Spirit was very attached to material concepts, still, and that it had many imperfections, as it sought revenge.

Another apparition, this time with the contentment of the Spirit, more “kind” and affable. He said he would show himself again two hours before the officer's death, which he did years later.