In a certain location, there was a large desert. Wherever you looked, you saw nothing more than landscapes desolate with sand that attacked any living thing that tried to survive. Here and there, however, small groupings of elements could be seen: they were small villages, formed at the lowest points of the sand and stone mountains, where, somehow, it was possible to subsist.

These small villages maintained themselves at the expense of places where some underground water surfaced, or where water from scattered rains accumulated for some time. There was little water, a little muddy, and where men and animals drank water. Around this water, some vegetation grew and something was planted that was barely enough to feed everyone – men and animals.

This was the general situation of all these villages. With the little they knew, passed down between generations, they sought to maintain themselves and the muddy body of water. Life was hard and health was not good. They were all taught that only there would it be possible survive, because there was only sand and stones around, as well as other groups of similar situations.

Read too: Is it possible to practice mediumship at home??

Every now and then, one or another, tired of this situation, decided to leave the villages to look for something else. They did not conform to that life, but left aimlessly, without any knowledge of their surroundings. They never came back. Many died in the desert, without the possibility of surviving. Others ended up in other villages.

In one of these villages, there lived a boy, who was orphaned at an early age and, therefore, raised in common with other people. From a young age, taught about traditions linked to survival, he made an effort to help conserve the environment that allowed him to subsist, although he did not conform to that limited lifestyle. He was curious: he looked for ways to obtain more water, to grow more food... But everything was very limited and his efforts didn't go very far with the knowledge he had.

One day, walking around the edge of the village, a strong gust of wind, full of sand, brought with it something different: flower petals and some green leaves. He picked them up from the floor and analyzed them. They were different from anything else they had in that village and, on top of that, they were very vibrant and well developed. That aroused his curiosity. He quickly returned to his small hut, took a canteen of water and some food and left, without saying anything to anyone. He headed in the direction where the wind was coming from, not knowing what he would find.

The boy walked under the strong sun, always looking for signs of leaves and flowers, which he found here and there. Sometimes I almost lost hope when I found no signs of these elements anywhere. Without giving up, he expanded the width of his searches a little more, always trying to stay in the right direction. Soon, he would find a small leaf or petal that, although dehydrated, he recognized as being of the same type found previously.

Night came, and the boy settled down next to a rock, where he found some warmth to spend the night. He ate soberly and noticed that his canteen was already almost half full... The worry tormented him for some time, but he soon slept and, the next day, he resumed his walk. It went on like this for two more days…

For some time, in the middle of the third day, the boy walked in the known direction, but he no longer found signs of leaves or flowers. He walked further, broadened his search, but nothing. Desperation began to reach him, as his canteen now only contained muddy water and he was already very far from its origin. He knew that returning would be very difficult, if not impossible, as dehydration was already tormenting his body.

It was then that, falling to his knees in the middle of the sand, with tears in his dry eyes, anguished and without hope, a butterfly landed on his shoulder. Amazed, he stood up. He didn't know that insect with such beautiful flight. Something took over his being again and, with renewed enthusiasm, he decided to follow her. He walked a few hundred meters, and soon noticed other butterflies around. He noticed that the ground was beginning to change. Here and there, amidst the sand, which was beginning to become less soft, a kind of grass, somewhat dry, sprouted and resisted. He continued in that direction, and the landscape changed successively, until some thicker bushes began to appear and, further away, he seemed to see tall, dense vegetation... But the sun was beating him, dehydration made him dizzy and, consequently, Suddenly, a daze overcame him and he fell to the ground, believing that this would be his end.

Some time later, the boy woke up with his lips wet with fresh water. Confused, he noticed that he was leaning against a large tree, which provided cool shade. His eyes were blurry. He seemed to see some other people around him, but they were nothing more than blurred shadows. He rubbed his eyes, trying to see better, but to no avail. He felt someone approach and throw water on his face. He brought his hands back to his moistened eyes, wiped them and, little by little, he noticed his vision returning. That was when he managed to observe three people around him, carrying tools and some cloth bags. They smiled at him. One of them handed him a canteen, from which the boy drank greedily. The water was fresh, clear, like he had never drunk before, except when he managed to collect some rainwater.

He relished in that liquid and, in a few moments, he felt the energy returning to his body. He had strength and slowly got up. Those people approached and wanted to talk to him. Amazed, he noticed that they spoke his language, although with a different accent! They invited him to follow them, to which he promptly surrendered. They walked for some time in the middle of a beautiful forest. He noticed the perfume, the humidity that soothed his skin, the sounds of different animals and the wind rustling the leaves. He noticed, on the ground, flowers and leaves that he recognized. Nearby, he noticed a stream of clean, crystalline water running through the vegetation. What joy he felt at that moment!

They then arrived at the center of a village. Many people lived there, all of them healthy in appearance and with happy faces. There were also animals and, nearby, he saw lush and robust plantations, something completely different from the reality of his place of origin.

They then took him to a simple little house, where some people were gathered in happy conversation. They seemed to work collaboratively on food from the plantations. Those people quickly welcomed him. They gave him something to eat and drink, accommodated him as if he were one of their own, listened to his story and told him many things in return. There, the boy was taught that the water that rises to the surface comes from very deep, and that it finds an outlet there. That, to obtain more of this water, it would be necessary to dig a little more, cleaning the clay. That they could make wells, to obtain fresh and crystalline water and that, if the banks were taken care of, with the planting of certain plants and trees, little by little the body of water would gain volume and quality. They taught that food crops should come after these areas, so as not to facilitate evaporation. He quickly realized that it was exactly the opposite of what they were doing.

They also told the boy that these villages spread across the desert were originally formed by people from that place, a long, long time ago. They were people who, despite living and benefiting from the knowledge and production of that place, did little or nothing to learn and collaborate. Constantly invited to do necessary work, they decided to move away in a group and then decided to leave, with the intention of forming their own villages, where they believed they could do things better, and in another way. This happened many, many years ago and, since then, they have not seen them there anymore, although, from time to time, some brave individual would go out on a mission to look for them and help them: finding them, he would quickly be chased away by the ideas that I brought and had to return to that place.

The boy was very interested. I questioned, wanted to know more. He quickly understood that denied knowledge was the cause of the misery in which these villages or villages lived. He spent a few days there, but soon realized that he had to return, as he needed to share with his family everything he saw and learned. Once the decision was made, he left on his return trip, this time much more prepared, with plenty of food and water. He went without any major difficulties to his village of origin, where he embarked on a few days' journey.

Very happy and with renewed energy, the boy took to the sandy streets of the small village. His face expressed decision, although here and there he expressed some sadness at seeing his companions, sad and unhealthy, staring at him curiously. He tried, however, not to be too affected and, addressing the village chiefs, full of enthusiasm, he told them what had happened, asking for a meeting to be held that night, where he could explain to the others everything he had seen and learned. The village chiefs received his words with looks of astonishment and disbelief. In the end, they denied him the requested meeting, saying that it was all nonsense and that they were certain of the teachings of their ancestors, which they clung to with passion. Furthermore, they severely reprimanded him for leaving without warning, as he caused enormous concern among everyone in the village.

The boy couldn't believe it. Incredulous at that bitter reception, he took another path: he decided that he would try to gather some people himself and that, after that, if he was expelled for disrespect, he would have somewhere to go. So, he went out into the village streets. He found many life companions and, one by one, he briefly told his story and called them to a meeting in his hut. Many expressed a sparkle in their eyes, but said they did not feel strong enough to abandon their habits; others accused him of blaspheming the teachings of his tradition; Still others feared being expelled by the village chiefs for thinking differently.

When the time for the meeting arrived, he anxiously awaited the arrival of many... He waited, waited, but besides him, only two others showed up, childhood friends, shy and uncertain, but who realized the importance of what they heard, since they themselves thought that this situation and those teachings were not sufficient or correct. The boy was sad for a few moments, realizing that nothing would be easy. He saw the happiness of other people, who collaborated in an environment cared for by their own efforts. He saw the crystal clear water, while, on the table in his hut, there remained a jug of muddy water. He couldn't not try.

After a few moments, he made a different decision. He realized that that environment would not accept these truths until after a long time, and with the collaboration of people who understood the true and original ideas. He decided to invite those present to accompany him on the journey to that distant village. The two friends readily accepted the invitation. They wanted to learn more, they wanted to live better, and they understood that, to help those people, they would have to learn a lot more and become stronger.

So they left the next day. Already certain of his path, the boy made them travel more prepared and faster. They reached the edge of the forest in two days, without much difficulty. There, they soon found people who welcomed them and took them to the village, where they were all welcomed happily and integrated into the society there. In a short time, they learned a lot. They felt happy and content, as they did not live to subsist or to take care of themselves. There was genuine collaboration in the use and development of knowledge that allowed maintaining that great oasis, a true paradise in the middle of the desert. But this sense of collaboration told them, inside, that they couldn't have everything just for themselves, because, outside, their peers lived in complete misery and unhappiness.

So, after some time, these three formed an initiative, which was joined by other young people from that place: they should plan, from time to time, missions to these villages, seeking to win hearts through reason. Little by little, they mapped out several of them, where they went every year, trying to find ears willing to listen to them. In some of them, they found nothing but hostility, even being banned from one or the other. In others, they were accepted with caution, never finding anything more than coldness in their bosses, who nevertheless allowed them to speak. Of these, with certain rarity, they returned with a new companion, who often joined the same initiative.

And so they spent their years of life, seeking to do what they believed to be right, knowing that the distance between adulterated knowledge would one day be overcome and that, on that day, the forests would green up everywhere, progressively extinguishing the desert to give way to a new and healthy environment. One day…

---

The great oasis is Spiritism, whose teaching the Spirits come to transmit to us, in a collaborative effort. Pure water is the knowledge resulting from this effort, constructed in a methodological and scientific way. The boy is everyone who perceives this distance between the spiritist movement and Spiritism. The villages are groups of spiritist followers where Kardec is not spoken of and where questioning is seen as subversive and readily restrained. The desert is the current situation in our world.

In one of the last weekly studies of Revista Espirita in 1859, we studied this communication attributed to Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Want to know more about this famous painter? Click here). He lived in Holland in the 17th century.

Here is the communication:

External communications, read in the Company

The goodness of the Lord is eternal. He does not want the death of his beloved children. But, O men! Think that it depends on you to hasten the Kingdom of God on Earth, as well as to push it away; that you are responsible for one another; that, by improving yourselves, you work for the regeneration of Humanity. The task is great; responsibility weighs on each person and no one can excuse themselves. Embrace with fervor the glorious task that the Lord imposes on you, but ask him to send workers to his fields, because, as Christ told you, the harvest is great and the workers are few.

But behold, we are sent as laborers of your hearts. In it we sow good grain. Be careful not to stifle it. Water him with the tears of repentance and joy. Of repentance, for having lived for so long in a land cursed by the sins of the human race, away from the only true God, worshiping the false pleasures of the world, which leave nothing but heartbreak and sadness at the bottom of the cup. Joy because the Lord has given you grace; because he wants to hasten the arrival of his beloved children to the paternal bosom; because he wants you all to be clothed with the innocence of angels, as if you had never been separated from him.

The only one who showed you the path by which you will return to this primitive glory; the only one you cannot blame, because he was never mistaken in his teaching; the only righteous before God; The only one, finally, that you should follow in order to be pleasing to God, is Christ. Yes, the Christ, your divine master, whom you forgot and despised for centuries. Love him, because he constantly asks for you. He wants to come to your rescue. As? Unbelief still persists! The wonders of Christ cannot overcome it! The wonders of all Creation are powerless before these mocking Spirits; on this dust that cannot prolong its miserable existence for a single minute! These wise men who think they are the only ones to possess all the secrets of Creation do not know where they come from; They don't know where they will go and yet they deny everything and defy everything. Because they know some of the most common laws of the material world, they think they can judge the immaterial world, or rather, they say that there is nothing immaterial; that everything must obey the same material laws that they discovered.

But you Christians! you know that you cannot deny our intervention without, at the same time, denying Christ; without denying the entire Bible, as there is not a single page in which you do not find traces of the visible world in relation to the invisible world. Then! Say it! Are you Christians or not?

REMBRAND

Obtained by Mr. Péc…

Like many of the communications in Revista Espírita, the communication is simple, short and full of constructive instructions for our learning.
We cannot say that it is really by Rembrant, as we do not have enough elements to know. However, what interests us most is its content, which corresponds to the teachings of Spiritist morality.

Spiritual manifestations have always been a crucial point in Spiritist Doctrine. It was through these manifestations and their better understanding that Kardec was able to establish his moral philosophy. Thus, we highlight this 1859 study exposed in the Revista Espirita of August 1859.

He follows.

We extract the following passage from a letter that a correspondent of the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies sent us from the Jura department:

“…As I told you, sir, the spirits liked our old dwelling. Last October (1858), the Countess of C…, a close friend of my daughter, came with her 8-year-old son to spend a few days at our mansion. The child slept in the same room as her mother, and the connecting door to my daughter's room was left open, in order to prolong the hours of daylight and conversation. The boy would not sleep and would say to his mother: 'What are you going to do with that man who is sitting next to your bed? He is smoking a big pipe. See how it fills the room with smoke! Send him away, he's rattling the curtains.'
“This vision lasted all night. The mother couldn't get the child to shut up, and no one could close their eyes. This circumstance did not surprise me or my daughter, as we know that there are spiritist manifestations. The mother, however, believed that the child was daydreaming or having fun.

RE 1859

Observation: The vision was mediumistic, so only the child saw it.

“Here is another fact that I witnessed personally and that happened to me in the same room, in May 1858. It is the case of the appearance of the Spirit of a living person, who was very surprised to have come to visit me. Here are the circumstances: I was very sick and had not slept for some time, when at ten o'clock at night I saw a friend of my family sitting next to my bed. I expressed my surprise at his visit at that hour. He said to me: “Do not speak, for I have come to watch over you; do not speak, for you must sleep,” and he stretched out his hand over my head. Several times I opened my eyes to see if he was still there, and each time he made a sign for me to close them and be quiet. He rolled the snuffbox between his fingers, and every now and then he took a pinch, as was his custom. Eventually I fell asleep, and when I woke up the vision was gone.

Idem

NOTE: Kardec briefly quotes the explanations on the facts of apparitions of incarnates and spirits (condensation of the perispirit or molecular modification).

He follows:

A molecular modification takes place in its texture, which makes it visible and even tangible, and which can give it, to a certain extent, the properties of solid bodies. We know that perfectly transparent bodies become opaque simply by changing the position of the molecules or by adding another body, equally transparent. We don't really know how spirits manage to make their ethereal body visible. Most of them do not even realize this, but, from the examples we have cited, we understand its physical possibility, which is enough to remove from the phenomenon what, at first sight, could seem supernatural. Therefore, the Spirit can do it, either by simple intimate modification, or by assimilating a portion of strange fluid that momentarily alters the appearance of its perispirit. It is, in fact, this last hypothesis that stands out from the explanations that have been given to us, and that we report when dealing with the subject (May, June and December).

So far no difficulty concerning the personality of the Spirit. We know, however, that they appear in clothes whose appearance changes at will; sometimes they even have certain toilet accessories, jewelry, etc. In the two apparitions mentioned at the beginning, one had a pipe and produced smoke; the other, a tobacco box and took pinches. Note, however, the fact that this spirit was from a living person and that his snuffbox was in everything similar to the one he usually used, and that he had stayed at home. What, then, do this tobacconist, this pipe, these clothes and these jewels mean? Would the material objects that exist on Earth have an ethereal representation in the invisible world? Does the condensed matter that forms such objects have a quintessential part, which escapes our senses?

OBSERVATION: Position of the true scientist, in search of the truth, without discarding anything.

This is an immense problem, the solution of which may provide the key to a number of things that have not yet been explained. It was this tobacco company that put us on the path, not only of the fact, but of the most extraordinary phenomenon of Spiritism: the phenomenon of pneumatography or direct writing, which we will talk about below.

All the theories that we present, regarding Spiritism, were provided to us by the Spirits, who many times contradicted our own ideas, as happened in the present case, proving that the answers were not a reflection of our thinking. But the way to obtain a solution is not unimportant. 

We know from our own experience that it is not enough to ask abruptly for something to get it. The answers are not always quite explicit; it is necessary to develop the subject with certain precautions; arrive at the objective progressively and through a chain of deductions that require prior work. In principle, the way of formulating the questions, the order, the method and the clarity are things that cannot be neglected and that please serious spirits, because they see a serious objective in this.

NOTE: This means that, of course, the researcher can have a prior idea, but that, acting in good faith, he cannot stick to it. And also, of course, that the intent of the question is just as important.

Here is the conversation we had with Espírito de São Luís, regarding the tobacco shop, with a view to solving the problem of producing certain objects in the invisible world. (Society, June 24, 1859).

1. ─ In Mrs. R…'s report, it is about a child who saw a man smoking a large pipe near his mother's bed. It is understood that this Spirit could have taken on the appearance of a smoker; it seems, however, that he really smoked, for the boy saw the room full of smoke. What was that smoke?

─ A look produced for the boy.

2. ─ Mrs. R… also cites the case of an apparition, seen by her, of the spirit of a living person. This Spirit had a tobacconist and took snuff. Could he experience the feeling one gets from taking a pinch?

─ No.

3. ─ This snuffbox had the shape of the one he habitually uses, and which was in his house. What was this snuffbox in the hands of the Spirit?

─ Always looks. It was so that the circumstances would be noticed, as they were, and so that the apparition would not be taken for a hallucination produced by the state of health of the seer. Spirit wanted this lady to believe in the reality of her presence and took on all appearances of reality.

4.1 – You say that it is an appearance, but an appearance has nothing to do with reality; it's like an optical illusion. I would like to know if this snuffbox was nothing more than an unreal image, like, for example, that of an object reflected in a mirror.

NOTE from AK: One of the members of the Society, Mr. Sanson observes that there is something real in the image reproduced by the mirror. If the image does not remain in the mirror, it is because nothing fixes it, but if it is projected onto a daguerreotype plate, it leaves an impression, evident proof that it is produced by some substance and that it is not just an optical illusion.

4.2 – Mr. Sanson's observation is perfectly fair. Would you be kind enough to tell us if there is any analogy with the tobacco box, that is, if there is anything material in that tobacco box?

─ Certainly. It is with the help of this material principle that the perispirit takes on the appearance of clothing similar to those that the Spirit wore when alive. 

NOTE from AK: Evidently the word appearance it must be taken here in the sense of image, of imitation. The real tobacconist was not there. What Spirit had was just a reproduction. Compared to the original, it was but an appearance, though formed by a material principle.
Experience teaches us that we should not take certain expressions used by spirits literally. Interpreting them according to our ideas, we expose ourselves to great mistakes, so we must deepen the meaning of their words, whenever there is a minimum ambiguity. Here is a recommendation constantly made by the Spirits. Without the explanation we provoke, the word appearance, repeated continuously in analogous cases, could give rise to a false interpretation.

OBSERVATION: Today, we know the principle of the image reflected in a mirror and its fixation in a photograph: the behavior of waves. The light, as electromagnetic energy, reflects off the mirror and impresses the photography device, whatever it may be. It seems that it is to this same principle (of wave) that the Spirit refers.

5. ─ Would there be an unfolding of inert matter? Would there be, in the invisible world, an essential matter, covering the form of the objects that we see? In a word, would these objects have their ethereal double in the invisible world, as men are represented there in Spirit?

AK's NOTE: Here's a theory like any other, and it was our thinking. The Spirit, however, did not take it into account, which absolutely did not humiliate us, because its explanation seemed very logical to us and because it rests on a more general principle, of which we find many explanations.
─ It doesn't happen that way. The Spirit has a power over the material elements disseminated throughout space, in our atmosphere, that you are far from suspecting. He can, at will, concentrate these elements and give them an apparent form, suitable for his designs.

6. ─ I ask the question again categorically, in order to avoid any misunderstanding. Are the clothes with which spirits are covered something?

─ It seems that my previous answer settles the question. Don't you know that the perispirit itself is something?

7. ─ It follows from this explanation that the Spirits make the etherized matter undergo transformations at will and that, therefore, in the case of the tobacconist, the Spirit did not find it perfectly finished; he made it himself at the moment he needed it, and then undid it. The same should happen with all other objects, such as clothing, jewelry, etc.

─ But it is obvious.

8. ─ That tobacco box was so clearly visible to Mrs. R… to the point of deceiving her. Could the Spirit have made it tangible?

─ It could.

9. ─ In that case, could Mrs. R… have taken it in her hands, thinking she was getting an authentic tobacco box?

─ Yes.

10. ─ If I had opened it, I would probably have found snuff. If she had taken it, would it have made her sneeze?

─ Yes.

11. ─ Can the Spirit not only give the form, but even special properties?

─ If you want; It is in virtue of this principle that I have answered affirmatively to the preceding questions. You will have proof of the powerful action that the Spirit exerts on matter and which, as I have already told you, you are far from suspecting.

NOTE: Kardec has never been so clear in his questions over the course of this 1 year and a half of Revista Espirita. He is evidently working on both the new enlarged edition of The Spirits' Book and then what would become The Mediums' Book, published a few years later.

12. ─ Let us then suppose that he wanted to make a poisonous substance and that a person had taken it. Could this have been poisoned?

─ I could, but I wouldn't have done it, because I wouldn't have been allowed to do it.

OBSERVATION: We know, today, that Creation is far from being “each for himself”, and that, in fact, it is “one for all and all for one”, with those most inferior are always “led” by the higher. The thoughts of the highest spirits are irresistible to the lowest. We tend to think of ourselves as abandoned to our own devices, but, more and more, I understand that this is not true. Superior Spirits “lead” us towards good, that is, they offer an irresistible attraction, through thought. It is possible to understand why imperfect Spirits, inclined to evil, are unable to break this Law to do evil.

“Everything is linked in the Universe”

13. ─ Could you have made a salutary substance suitable for healing in case of illness? Has there ever been such a case?

─ Yes; often.

14. ─ In the same way he could make a food substance; let's suppose he had made a fruit or some snack. Could someone eat it and feel fed?
─ Yes, yes. But do not look so hard to find that which is easy to understand. A ray of sunlight is enough to make your gross organs perceptible to those material particles that fill the space in which you live. Do you not know that the air contains water vapour? Condense it and you will bring it to a normal state. Deprive it of heat and behold, its impalpable and invisible molecules will become a solid and very solid body. There are other matters that will lead chemists to present you with even more astonishing marvels. Only the Spirit has instruments more perfect than yours: his own will and God's permission.

NOTE from AK: The issue of satiety is very important here. How can a substance that has only temporary and, in a sense, conventional existence and properties produce satiety? By its contact with the stomach, this substance produces the sensation of satiety, but not the satiety resulting from fullness. If such a substance can act on the organic economy and modify a morbid state, it can also act on the stomach and produce the sensation of satiety. However, we ask pharmacists and restaurant owners not to be jealous, nor to think that the Spirits will come to compete with them. These cases are rare and exceptional and never depend on the will. Otherwise, food and healing would be very cheap.

15. ─ Could the Spirit manufacture coins in the same way?

─ For the same reason.

16. ─ Once made tangible by the will of the Spirit, could these objects have a character of permanence and stability?

─ They could, but this is not done. It's outside the law.

17. ─ Do all spirits have the same degree of power?

─ No, no.

18. ─ Who have this power more particularly? ─ Those to whom God grants it, when this is useful.

19. ─ Does the elevation of a Spirit influence this case?

─ It is certain that the higher the spirit, the more easily it obtains this power. This, however, depends on the circumstances. Lesser spirits can also get it.

OBSERVATION: And, in this case, they are supplied by the assistance of superior spirits, often without even knowing it. To see The Book of Mediums or Guide for Mediums and Evokers > Second Part — On Spiritist Manifestations > Chapter V — On Spontaneous Physical Manifestations > Throwing Objects.

20. ─ Does the production of semi-material objects always result from an act of the Spirit's will, or does it sometimes exercise this power despite its own?

─ This often happens in spite of you.

21. ─ Would this power then be one of the attributes, one of the faculties inherent in the very nature of the Spirit? Would it be, in some way, one of the properties, like that of seeing and hearing?─ Certainly. But sometimes he himself ignores it. Then another exercises it for him, in spite of himself, when circumstances demand it. The Zouavo's tailor was precisely the spirit I just mentioned and to which he alluded in his joking language.

OBSERVATION: We find an example of this faculty in certain animals, as, for example, in the electric fish, which radiates electricity without knowing what it does, nor how, and who does not even know the mechanism that produces it. Don't we ourselves sometimes produce certain effects through spontaneous acts of which we are not aware? Thus, it seems very natural to us that the Spirit operates in this circumstance by a kind of instinct. He works of his own free will, without knowing how, just as we walk without calculating the forces we bring into play.

22. ─ We understand that in the two cases mentioned by Mrs. R.., one of the spirits wanted to have a pipe and the other a tobacco box to impress the vision of a living person. I ask, however, if it had not managed to make her see, could the Spirit think that he had these objects, creating an illusion for himself?

─ Not if he has a certain superiority, because he will be perfectly aware of his condition. The same is not true of inferior spirits. 

AK'S OBSERVATION: That was, for example, the case of the queen of Oude, whose evocation appears in our issue of March 1858, who still thought she was covered in diamonds. (Click here for the article on Queen of Oude)

23. ─ Can two spirits recognize each other by the material appearance they had in life?

─ This is not how they recognize each other, as they will not assume that appearance for each other. If, however, under certain circumstances, they find themselves in the presence of each other, dressed in that appearance, why should they not recognize each other?

NOTE: this is important! In mediumistic novels, the fantastic world created is all material or materialistic, and the form, in these tales, is fundamental. Here, we have again the confirmation already made before that the form is not important for the Spirits in general, although it is predominant for the Spirits still very attached to the matter (that is, of very attached thought). It follows from this that it would make sense for a spirit in turmoil to “see itself” in a condition like that of André Luiz’s threshold, but the same could not happen when already detached from these ideas, which does not seem to be something so distant, according to the reports of several Spirits, given to Kardec.

24. ─ How can spirits recognize themselves in the midst of the crowd of other spirits, and above all how can they do it when one of them goes to look for in a distant place and often in other worlds, those we call?

─ This is a question whose answer would take a very long way. It is necessary to wait. You are not advanced enough. For the moment, content yourself with the certainty that this is so, for you have sufficient proof of this.

TO THINK ABOUT: I understand that he meant, at the end: “how can a Spirit recognize another who assumes another appearance, when visiting other worlds?”. IF we always forget that our world, where we live now, is material and needs eyes and light to see. in spirituality there is no need for appearance, much less do spirits have eyes to see. Is that it?

25. ─ If the Spirit can take from the universal element the materials to make all these things and give them a temporary reality, with its properties, it can also take from there what is necessary to write. Consequently, this gives us the key to the phenomenon of (( direct writing *Clarification: Direct writing happens when a Spirit, by will and with the utility of doing so, makes real writing appear on paper, sometimes in graphite, sometimes in ink, sometimes in print format. We recommend reading the following article, “Pneumatography or direct writing”, as well as the article with the same title, in May 1860, and also Chapter XII of The Book of Mediums — “On pneumatography or direct writing”.  Pneuma: among the ancient Greek thinkers, especially the Stoics, designation of the spirit, animating breath or creative force, used by divine reason to vivify and direct all things. )) .

─ You finally understand.

26. ─ If the material used by the Spirit is not permanent, how come the traces of direct writing do not disappear?

─ Do not judge by the words. From the start I never said never. In the cases studied, these were bulky material objects; here we are dealing with signs that should be conserved and are conserved.

TO THINK ABOUT: This involves a profound question. Kardec had understood that the fluidic matter that the Spirits serve is always impermanent, since, in the mentioned cases, it always dissolves. However, cases of direct writing do not disappear. How could that be?

*Clarification: Direct writing happens when a Spirit, by will and with the utility of doing so, makes real writing appear on paper, sometimes in graphite, sometimes in ink, sometimes in print format. We recommend reading the following article, “Pneumatography or direct writing”, as well as the article with the same title, in May 1860, and also Chapter XII of The Book of Mediums — “On pneumatography or direct writing”.  Pneuma: among the ancient Greek thinkers, especially the Stoics, designation of the spirit, animating breath or creative force, used by divine reason to vivify and direct all things.

The above theory can be summarized as follows: Spirit acts on matter; it takes from universal primitive matter the necessary elements to, at will, form objects with the appearance of the different bodies existing on Earth. He can also operate on elementary matter, at will, an intimate transformation that gives it certain properties. This faculty is inherent to the nature of the Spirit, which often exercises it, when necessary, as an instinctive act, which it does not realize.

The objects formed by the Spirits have a temporary existence, subordinated to their will or necessity. He can make and break them at will. In certain cases, in the eyes of living people, these objects can have all the appearances of reality, that is, become momentarily visible and even tangible. There is formation, but not creation, since the Spirit cannot bring anything out of nothing. (LM 130 and 131)

This article is continuation OF THIS ARTICLE

After evoking the Magenta Zouavo, Kardec evokes another officer from the same battle. In this case, he was one of their acquaintances, as we can see in question number 4,

1. - (Evocation).

─ Here I am.

2. ─ Could you say how you responded so promptly to our appeal?

─ I was aware of your desire.

3. ─ By whom were you warned?

─ By an emissary of Louis.

4. ─ Were you aware of the existence of our society?

─ You know.

NOTE OF AK: The official in question had actually helped the society to be registered.

5. ─ Under what point of view did you consider our society considerable, when you helped in its formation?

─ I was not entirely decided, but I was very inclined to believe. Without the events that happened, I would certainly have gone to learn in your circle.

6. ─ There are many great notables who share spiritist ideas, but do not confess it publicly. Would it be desirable for influential people to openly fly that flag?

─ Patience. God wills it, and this time the expression corresponds to the truth.

7. ─ From which influential class of society do you think the example should come from? ─ Of all classes. Initially some, then all.

8. ─ From the point of view of study, could you tell us, although he died more or less at the same time as the Zouavo who was here just now, if your ideas are more lucid than his?

─ A lot. What he was able to tell you by witnessing a certain elevation was blown to him. He's very good, but very ignorant, and a little frivolous.

9. Are you still interested in the success of our weapons?

─ Much more than ever, because today I know the goal.

10. ─ Can you define your thinking? Has the objective always been publicly confessed and, especially in your position, should you know it?

─ Do you know the objective established by God?

NOTE FROM AK: No one will ignore the gravity and depth of this answer. When alive, he knew the purpose of men, as a Spirit, he sees what is providential in events.

11. ─ Generally speaking, what do you think about the war?

─ My wish is that you progress quickly, so that it becomes as impossible as it is useless.

12. ─ Do you believe that the day will come when it will be impossible and useless?

─ I think so, and I don't doubt it. I can tell you that that moment is not as far away as you think, although I don't give you hope that you will see it.

13. ─ At the moment of death, did you immediately recognize yourself?

─ I recognized myself almost immediately, thanks to the vague notions I had of Spiritism.

14. ─ Can you say something about Mr… also killed in the last battle?

─ He is still in the networks of matter. There's more work to get rid of. His thoughts had not turned this way.

NOTE from AK: Thus, knowledge of Spiritism in life helps the soul to detach itself after death and shortens the period of disturbance that accompanies separation. This is understandable, as the Spirit knew in advance the world in which it finds itself.

To think about: If this knowledge is so important, how can we conceive that precisely when Spiritism was being scientifically studied, at the best possible time, nothing was said about this materiality that today dominates communications?

15. ─ Did you watch our troops enter Milan?

─ Yes, and with joy. I was enchanted by the ovation received by our troops, at first out of patriotism, then for the future that awaits them.

16. ─ As a spirit, can you exert some influence on strategic plans?

─ Do you believe that this has not been done from the beginning and do you find it difficult to imagine by whom?

17. ─ How did the Austrians abandon a stronghold like Pavia so quickly?

─ Out of fear.

NOTE: Sardinia was looking to expand its territory and establish a stronger position on the European political scene, while France saw the war as an opportunity to increase its influence in Italy and consolidate its position as a European power. In turn, the Austrian Empire sought to maintain its dominant position in the region and avoid the fragmentation of its empire.

18. ─ So they are demoralized?

─ Completely. Furthermore, if we act on ours in one sense, you must think that an influence of another nature acts on them.

NOTE from AK: Here, the intervention of the Spirits in events is unequivocal. They prepare the way for the realization of Providence's designs. The Ancients would have said it was the work of the Gods. We say that it is the work of the Spirits, by order of God.

19. ─ Can you give your opinion about General Giulay as a soldier, putting aside any nationalist feelings?

─ Poor, poor general!

NOTE: Ferenc Gyulai de Marosnémeti et Nádaska (1 September 1799, Plague – 1 September 1868, Vienna) was a Hungarian general in the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1849 he was appointed Minister of War by Emperor Francisco José I, but he would remain in office for only one year. As a soldier, he stood out for his participation in the invasion of Piedmont during the reunification of Italy. Commanding his troops, he crossed the Ticino River on April 29, 1859, invading Piedmontese territory. In this invasion he suffered two severe defeats: in the Battle of Montebello and in the Battle of Magenta, losing thousands of men in both and the war hanging in favor of the Italian side. After the defeat at Magenta he was removed from his post, returning to Austria-Hungary, where he died nine years later.

20. ─ Would you gladly return if we asked you to?

─ I am at your disposal and I promise to come, even without your call. You must believe that the sympathy I had for you cannot but increase. Goodbye.

We presented in the last LIVE one of the Conversations Beyond the Grave from the Spiritist Magazine of 1859, dealing with the theme of Materiality beyond the grave.

This time they talk to a soldier killed in battle.

The government allowed non-political newspapers to report on the war*. As, however, reports are abundant in all forms, it would be useless to repeat them here. The biggest news for our readers is a story from another world.

Although it is not taken from the Moniteur's official source, it is nonetheless of interest from the point of view of our studies. So we thought to interrogate some of the glorious victims of victory, presuming that we could extract some useful instruction from them. Similar subjects of study, and mainly of current affairs, do not appear at every step. Not personally knowing any of the participants in the last battle, we prayed to the spirits who assist us to send us someone. We came to think that the presence of a stranger would be preferable to that of friends or relatives overcome by emotion. Given an affirmative answer, we obtained the following communications.

RE 1859 The Zuavo of Magenta

This took place in the Second Italian War of Independence. The war took place in 1859, and was fought between the Kingdom of Sardinia, led by Camillo di Cavour, and France, led by Emperor Napoleon III, against the Austrian Empire. We will expose some excerpts from this long conversation beyond the grave.

1. ─ We pray to Almighty God to allow the spirit of a soldier killed in the battle of Magenta to come and communicate with us.

─ What do you want to know?

2. ─ Where were you when we called you?

─ I wouldn't know.

3. ─ Who told you that we wanted to talk to you?

─ Someone smarter than me.

4. ─ When in life was it doubtful that the dead could come and converse with the living?

─ Oh! Not that.

5. ─ What sensation do you experience by being here?

─ This gives me pleasure. I am told that you have great things to do.

6. ─ To which army corps did you belong? (Someone says in a low voice: From the language it looks like a “zuzu”)

─ Ah! Well you say!

7. ─ What was your position?

─ Everyone's.

8. ─ What was your name?

—Joseph Midard.

9. ─ How did you die?

─ Do you want to know everything without paying anything?

10. ─ I'm glad you haven't lost your joviality. Say, say; we will pay later. How did you die?

─ From a plum [projectile] I received.

11. ─ Were you upset by death?

─ No! I'm right here.

12. ─ At the moment of death, did you realize what happened?

─ No. I was so stunned I couldn't believe it.[note below]

NOTE from AK: This is in line with what we have observed in cases of violent death. Not realizing its situation immediately, the spirit does not think it is dead. This phenomenon is explained very easily. It is analogous to that of somnambulists, who do not believe they are sleeping. Indeed, for the somnambulist, the idea of sleep is synonymous with the suspension of intellectual faculties. Now, as he thinks, he does not believe that he sleeps. Only later is he convinced, when he becomes familiar with the meaning attached to this word. The same happens with a spirit surprised by a sudden death, when nothing is prepared for separation from the body. For him, death is synonymous with destruction, with annihilation. Well, since he lives, feels and thinks, he understands that he is not dead. It takes some time to recognize yourself.

13. ─ At the time of your death, the battle was not over. Did you follow their adventures?

─ Yes, because as I told you, I didn't think I was dead. I wanted to keep hitting the other dogs.

14. ─ What sensation did you experience then?

─ I was delighted, as I felt very light.

15. ─ Did you see the spirits of your comrades leaving their bodies?

─ I didn't even think about it, because I didn't believe I was dead.

16. ─ What was the multitude of Spirits who lost their lives in the tumult of battle transforming into at that moment? ─ I believe they were doing the same as me

17. ─ Finding themselves reunited in this world of the Spirits, what did those who fought the hardest think? Did they still throw themselves at each other?

─ Yes. For a while, and according to his character.

18. ─ Do you recognize yourself better now?

─ Without this, they wouldn't have sent me here.

19. ─ Could you tell us if among the spirits of soldiers who died a long time ago, there were still some interested in the outcome of the battle? (We beg Saint Louis to help him with the answers, so that, for our instruction, they are as explicit as possible).─ In large numbers. It is good for you to know that these combats and their consequences are prepared well in advance and that our opponents would not have become involved in crimes, as they did, if they had not been compelled to do so by reason of the future consequences, which you will soon learn about.

20. ─ There must have been spirits there who were interested in the success of the Austrians. Would there then be two battlegrounds between them?

─ Evidently.

OBSERVATION: Doesn't it seem that we are seeing Homer's gods taking sides here, some for the Greeks, others for the Trojans? Indeed, who were these gods of paganism, if not the Spirits that the Ancients had transformed into divinities? Are we not right when we say that Spiritism is a light that will clarify various mysteries, the key to numerous problems?

21. ─ Did they have any influence on the combatants?

─ Very considerable.

22. ─ Can you describe to us how they exerted such influence?

─ In the same way that all the influences of the Spirits are exerted on men. [by thought]

NOTE: It is a fact, as it becomes more and more evident, that the mentality of the Spirit creates scenarios of fluidic matter around it. Another thing could also be possible: they continue on the earthly battlefield, probably with some “fluidic additions”. All these must be indistinguishable at first when in the state of disturbance. However, it is not a rule, that is, it does not constitute a general truth for every soldier killed in war (see O Tambor de Beresina, RE, July 1858). The mistake is always to take the words of any spirits without analyzing their background, especially when the spirit is in post-death disturbance or is little enlightened, which is denoted by their own ideas. Here is Kardec's long work of Experimental Psychology!

23. ─ What do you hope to do now?

─ Study more than I did in my last stage.

24. ─ Are you going to return as a spectator to the battles yet to be fought?

─ I still don't know. I have affections that hold me for the moment. However, I hope from time to time to make a break for it, to amuse myself with the subsequent beatings.

25. ─ What kind of affection still holds you back?

─ A sick and suffering old mother, who cries for me.

26. ─ I ask you to forgive me for the bad thought that crossed my mind, regarding the affection that holds it.

─ It doesn't matter. I say silly things to make you laugh a little. It's natural that you don't take me for a big deal, considering the mediocre regiment to which I belonged. Don't worry, I only got involved because of that poor mother. I deserve a little that they sent me to you.

27. ─ When you were among the spirits, did you hear the rumor of battle? Did you see things as clearly as in life?

─ At first I lost sight of her, but after a while I saw much better, because I understood all the tricks. [is speaking in the sense of thoughts]

28. ─ I ask if you can hear the roar of the cannon.

─ Yes.

29. ─ At the moment of the action, did you think about death and what you would become if you were killed?

─ I thought about what would become of my mother.

30. ─ Was it the first time you were set on fire?

─ No, no. And Africa?

31. ─ Did you see the entry of the French into Milan?

─ No.

32. ─ Are you the only one who died in Italy?

─ Yes.

33. ─ Do you think that the war will last a long time?

─ No. It is easy and therefore not very meritorious to make such a prediction.

34. ─ When you see one of your leaders among the Spirits, do you still recognize him as your superior?

─ If he is, yes; if not, no. [note below]

NOTE from AK : In its simplicity and brevity, this answer is eminently profound and philosophical. In the Spiritist world, moral superiority is the only thing recognized. Whoever did not have it on Earth, whatever their position, does not, in fact, have any superiority. There the boss can be under the soldier and the boss under the server. What a lesson for our pride!

35. ─ Do you think about God's justice and are you worried about it?

─ Who wouldn't think of that? Fortunately, I don't have much to fear. I rescued, for some actions that God considered good, the few levities that I committed as “zuzu”, as you say.

36. ─ Watching a combat, could you protect one of your companions and deflect a fatal blow from him?

─ No. We can not do that. The time of death is set by God. If it has to happen, nothing will stop it, just as no one will be able to reach it if its time has not rung.

37. ─ Do you see General Espinasse?

─ I haven't seen him yet. But I hope to see you soon.

SECOND CONVERSATION

(JUNE 17, 1859)

38. (Evocation).

─ Gift! Firm! In front!

39. ─ Do you remember coming here eight days ago?

─ Why not?!

40. ─ You told us that you hadn't seen General Espinasse yet. How could you recognize him, since he didn't take his general's uniform with him?─ No, but I know him by sight. Besides, don't we have a lot of friends around us, ready to reveal the password to us? It's not like the barracks here. People are not afraid to bump into someone, and I assure you that only rogues are left alone.

41. ─ Under what guise do you find yourself here?

─ Zuavo.

42. ─ If we could see you, how would we see you?

- In a turban and breeches.

43. ─ Well done! Suppose you appeared to us in a turban and breeches. Where would you have gotten those clothes, since you left yours on the battlefield?

─ Well, well! I don't know how it is, but I have a tailor who fits them for me.

44. ─ What are the turban and breeches you wear made of? Have you no idea?

─ No. That's right there with the ragpicker.

NOTE from AK: This issue of the clothing of spirits, as well as several other no less interesting ones, linked to the same principle, were completely elucidated by new observations made within the Society. We will report on this in the next issue. Our good Zouavo is not advanced enough to solve it alone. For that, we needed the concurrence of circumstances that fortuitously presented themselves and that put us on the right path.

45. ─ Do you know why you see us, while we cannot see you?

─ I think your glasses are too weak.

46. ─ Is it not for this same reason that you do not see the general in his uniform?

─ Yes, but he doesn't wear it every day.

47. ─ What days do you wear it?

─ Now that! When they call him to the palace.

48. ─ Why are you here dressed as a Zouavo if we can't see you?─ Simply because I am still a Zouavo, even after about eight years, and because among Spirits we conserve that form for a long time. But that's just between us. You understand that when we go to a very different world, like the Moon or Jupiter, we don't take the trouble to do all that toileting.

OBSERVATION: This here is very interesting. What I understand is that he is referring to the fact that the Spirit adopts a perispiritual form according to the world where they go and according to the existence of a personality in that world, without even realizing it. If he had lived in a distant world, for example, an animal seller, when evoked there, he would present himself in this way.

49. ─ You speak of the Moon and Jupiter. Were you there after he died?

─ No. You are not understanding me. After death we find out about many things. Didn't they explain to us a lot of problems of our Earth? Don't we know God and other beings much better than we did a fortnight ago? With death, the Spirit undergoes a metamorphosis that you cannot understand.

50. ─ Did you search the body left on the battlefield?

─ Yes. He is not handsome.

51. ─ What impression did this view leave you with?

─ Of sadness.

52. ─ Are you aware of your previous existence?

─ Yes, but it is not glorious enough for me to strut.

53. ─ Just tell us the kind of life you led.

─ Simple merchant of wild animal skins.

54. ─ We thank you for your goodness in coming for the second time.

─ See you soon. It amuses and instructs me. Since I am well tolerated here, I will gladly return.

OBSERVATION: Tolerance is one of the consequences of charity. The Zouave felt “welcomed” in the communication.

THE next post will bring the evocation of the superior officer who was in the same battle as this zuavo.

The 19th century was the Century of Reason! This means that there was no gap for mysticism, much less for dogmas. The dogma only disappears when we focus on dedicated and continuous study. This Article that we bring here is from the Spiritist Magazine, October 1862, "What should be the history of Spiritism“.

“With regard to this story, about which we have said a few words, several people have asked us what it would comprise, and for that purpose they have sent us various reports of demonstrations. To those who thought of bringing a stone to the building, we thank you for the intention, but we will say that it is something more serious than a catalog of spiritist phenomena found in many works. Since Spiritism has to be present in the face of Humanity, it will be interesting for future generations to know by what means it will have established itself. It will therefore be the story of the adventures that marked its first steps; the struggles you have faced; of the obstacles that will have opposed him; of its progressive march throughout the world.

True merit is modest and does not seek to impose itself. Humanity needs to know the names of the pioneers of the work, those whose abnegation and devotion will deserve to be inscribed in its annals; of the cities that marched in the forefront; those who suffered for the cause, that they might be blessed; of those who have caused suffering, that they may pray for them, that they may be forgiven. In a word, from his dedicated friends and his confessed or hidden enemies.

Intrigue and ambition must not usurp the place that does not belong to them., nor a recognition and an honor that are not due to them. If there are Judas, they must be unmasked.

One part, which will not be the least interesting, will be that of the revelations that successively announced all the phases of this new era and the events of all kinds that accompanied them.

To those who find the task presumptuous, we will say that we will have no other merit than that of having, due to our exceptional position, documents that are not in anyone's possession, and that are sheltered from any eventualities. Considering that Spiritism is incontestably being called to play a great role in History, it is important that this role is not denatured, and that let the authentic story be shown, as opposed to the apocryphal stories which self-interest might fabricate.

When will she appear? It won't be anytime soon, and maybe not in our lifetime, as it's not meant to satisfy the curiosity of the moment. If we speak of it in advance, it is so that no one is mistaken about its purpose and our intention is noted. By the way, Spiritism is in its beginnings, and many other things will happen until then. So you have to hope that everyone has taken their place, right or wrong.” (our emphasis)

Note: It is interesting to note how it seems that Allan Kardec already knew what would happen in the future. So much opposition in the apocryphal stories and so much personal interest fabricated on the back of Spiritism... As a guarantee, he kept documents for these eventualities that every now and then are published! Let's focus on what matters most

Today we realize that this story is still in full development. We are still slowly learning the teachings that the Spirits brought during Kardec's time. May we all use Will and Imagination to achieve this understanding so supported by Reason!

SUMMARY OF THE LAW OF SPIRITIST PHENOMENA is one of Kardec's not-so-publicized works (Click here For download). It was written in 1864, and would be a summary of the summary of the Book of Spirits and Book of Mediums, I think. Because it is a compact work, only 20 pages, it conveys the very general concept of what the Spiritist Doctrine and the Spiritist Phenomena are.

It is divided into 5 parts: Preliminary Observations, On Spirits, Manifestations of Spirits, On Mediums, On Spiritist Meetings.

I highlight, as an example, one of the items he makes belongs to the “Manifestations of Spirits” part:

23. Spiritist evocations do not consist, as some imagine, in bringing back the dead with a gloomy aspect of the tomb. It is only in novels, in fantastic tales of ghosts and in the theater that one sees the emaciated dead emerge from their tombs dressed in sheets and making their bones crack. Spiritism, which has never performed miracles, this one as well as others, has never revived a dead body; when the body is in the grave, it is definitely there; but the spiritual, fluidic, intelligent being is not involved with its gross envelope; he separated from him at the moment of death, and once the separation has been effected, it no longer has anything in common with him.”

Summary of the Law of Spiritist Phenomena, page 12, A. Kardec

It is worth knowing it or simply sending it to that friend who wants to understand what Kardec's Spiritism is in a nutshell...

Ao fazermos o estudo do livro O Céu e o Inferno (( https://mundomaior.com.br/produtos/ceu-inferno-allan-kardec-feal/#:~:text=O%20C%C3%A9u%20e%20o%20Inferno%20%C3%A9%20uma%20das%20cinco%20obras,a%20respeito%20de%20seu%20destino. )), nos chamou a atenção a Nota do Editor 149 ((

With the spiritist autonomous moral theory, prejudices, privileges, pride, selfishness, fanaticism, incredulity, typical of the old world, no longer have any meaning. Competition, which highlights the most capable, proves to be unfair, and should be replaced by cooperation that integrates all of them in solidarity. The resources of education must be invested more widely among the simpler souls, so that they participate actively in society. On this path, humanity will find happiness: “Man is in solidarity with man. It is in vain that he seeks the complement of his being, that is, happiness in himself or in what surrounds him in isolation: he can only find it in MAN or in Humanity. You therefore do nothing to be personally happy, while the unhappiness of a member of humanity, of a part of yourselves, may afflict you.”

Allan Kardec. Heaven and Hell, NE 149 (p. 368). Kindle Edition.

This note he refers to an article that is in the Spiritist Magazine of March 1867. It is one of the Spiritist Dissertations of this edition.

He is particularly interesting for emphatically showing the importance of solidarity in our humanity. In addition, there is a good reflection on the paths that lead to happiness.

We fully share with you:

SOLIDARITY

(Paris, November 26, 1866 – Medium: Mr. Sabb…)

Glory to God and peace to men of good will!
The study of Spiritism must not be in vain. For certain
frivolous men, it's a diversion; for serious men it should be
for real.

First of all, I thought about one thing. you are not on earth
to live there in the manner of animals, to vegetate in the manner of
grasses or trees. The grasses and trees have life
organic, but they do not have intelligent life, as animals do not have
the moral life. Everything lives, everything breathes in Nature, but only the
man feels and feels.

How pitiful and foolish are those who
despise to the point of comparing themselves to a blade of grass or a
elephant! Let us not confuse the genera or the species. They are not
great philosophers and great naturalists who, for example, see in
Spiritism a new edition of metempsychosis and, above all, of
an absurd metempsychosis. Metempsychosis is nothing else

but the dream of a man of imagination. One animal, one
plant produces its congener, nothing more, nothing less. What is this
be said to prevent old false ideas from being again
believed, in the shadow of Spiritism.

Man, be man; I know where you come from and to
where do you go You are the beloved son of Him who made everything and gave you a
end, a destiny that you must fulfill without knowing it at all.
You were necessary to his designs, to his glory, to his own
happiness? Useless questions, because insoluble. You are; thirst
recognized for this; but being is not everything; it must be according to
laws of the Creator, which are your own laws. released on
existence, you are both cause and effect. at least how much
at present, you cannot determine your role, nor how
cause or effect, but you can follow your laws. Well, the
The main one is this: Man is not an isolated being, he is a collective being.
Man is in solidarity with man. It is in vain that you seek the
complement of his being, that is, happiness in himself or in what
surrounds him in isolation; cannot find it except in man or in
Humanity. So you do nothing to be personally happy, as much
as to the unhappiness of a member of Humanity, on a part
of yourself, may afflict you.

But, you will say, it is morality that you teach. Now, morality is a
old commonplace. Look around you: what else is there?
ordinary, more common than the periodic succession of day and
night, what need to feed and clothe yourself? IT IS
to this that all your cares, all your
efforts. And it is necessary, as the material part of the
your being But your nature is not double, and you are no longer spirit
than body? How, then, is it more difficult for you to hear remembering the laws
moral than physical laws, which you apply at all times? if you were
less preoccupied and less distracted this repetition would not be as
necessary.

Let us not stray from our subject. Well
understood, Spiritism is, for the life of the soul, what
Material work is for the life of the body. Take care of him with this
objective and rest assured that when you have done, for your
moral improvement, half of what you do to improve your
material existence, you will have made Humanity take a great step forward.

a spirit

Kardec built and presented, in the Spiritist Magazine of 1858 and in the Spirits' book, the Spiritist Scale (click here for 1858 Spiritist Scale ). He elaborated it for us to better identify the Spirits who communicated through mediums, thus facilitating the understanding and content of the communications.

However, when faced with item 100 of the Spirits' Book with the Spiritist Scale, everyone is looking for their defects and qualities in it... And they ask themselves: What class am I? Will I be a Spirit that has a lot to evolve or will I be a Spirit already able to teach and risk new horizons?

Some important points can be clarified for us to better understand what stage we are at. Let's go to them...

God is the creator of all things.

According to the communications of the Spirits, there are 3 general elements in the Universe: God, matter and Spirits.

God, matter and Spirits. These three things are the beginning of all that exists, the universal trinity.

Kardec, The Spirits' Book, issue 27

The Spirits also taught us, from the various communications, the understanding of the continuous creation of matter and Spirits by God:

This is how universal creation is made. It is therefore correct to say that the operations of nature, being the expression of the divine will, God has always created, creates incessantly, and will never cease to create.

Allan Kardec. GENESIS – Miracles and Predictions According to Spiritism, chapter 2 – God – item 18

We can deduce, then, that in Antiquity, at the time of Christ, in the Middle Ages, Renaissance, in short, EVER souls of all classes existed among us: from the simplest ignorant to the most advanced, superior spirits. This means that we will always have in our socializing incarnate souls who teach us to be better spirits, as well as others inferior to us that we can help for their progress. Souls who are of the same degree of advancement accompany us in our learning, always in cooperation.

Saint Vincent de Paul says exactly that in his communication published in the RE of 1859:

Never forget that the Spirit, whatever its degree of advancement and its situation, as reincarnated or in erraticity, is always placed between a superior, who guides and perfects it, and an inferior, before whom it has the same duties to fulfil.

Kardec, Allan. Spiritist Magazine 1859 (pp. 476)

And he even adds:

Be charitable, therefore, not only with that charity that leads you to take out of your pocket the offering that you give coldly to anyone who dares to ask, but go out to meet hidden miseries. Be indulgent towards the faults of your fellow men. Instead of despising ignorance and vice, educate and moralize them. Be meek and benevolent towards everything that is inferior to you. Do it even before the smallest beings of Creation, and you will have obeyed the Law of God.

Kardec, Allan. Spiritist Magazine 1859 (p. 477)

We understand, based on the teachings of Saint Vincent de Paul, that we should not worry about where on the Spiritist Scale our Spirit is. But how can we contribute to accelerating our progress and the progress of everyone on our journey!

We’re all born. We’re all going to die.

From this truth of life comes the preoccupation of the moment of death are always recurring issues.

In this article, we do not intend to close the subject, quite the contrary! We are only bringing a very small part of this vast subject. After all, we are all going to experience this event.

The Spirits explained that not all Spirits go through the same processes. Each being is a consciousness different from the other. So, The Book of Spirits brings the following conclusions in its chapter III – Return of the Corporeal Life to the Spiritual Life:

163. Leaving the body, is the soul immediately aware of itself? – Immediate awareness is not the term: it is disturbed for some time.

164. Do all spirits experience, to the same degree and for the same time, the disturbance that follows the separation of soul and body? – No, it depends on your elevation. The one who is already purified recognizes himself almost immediately, because he detached himself from matter during his corporeal life, while the carnal man, whose conscience is not pure, retains the impression of matter for much longer.

Comment: Here it is evident that each person experiences a type of perception of death, according to what he has experienced in matter.

Now, in this question 165, Allan Kardec manages to go deeper into the nature of the disturbance, as well as better describe what the Spirits taught in their communications. Note that there is nothing with a set time. This part of the answer, in our view, is the most enlightening.

165. Knowledge of Spiritism exerts some influence on the longer duration
or less of the disturbance? – A great influence, because the Spirit understands his situation in advance: but the practice of goodness and purity of conscience are what exerts the greatest influence.

Kardec continues explaining in the same item how the Spirit experiences these first moments:

“At the moment of death, everything is confused at first; the soul needs some time to recognize itself; she feels stunned, in the same state as a man who has come out of a deep sleep and is trying to understand the situation. The lucidity of ideas and the memory of the past return, as the influence of matter fades and that kind of fog that clouds his thoughts dissipates.

The duration of the after-death disturbance is very variable: it can be from a few hours, to many months and even many years. Those in which it is shorter are those who have identified during their lifetime with their future state, because they are immediately aware of their position. “

Comment: In our emphasis, it seems that he gives a kind of advice.

“This disturbance presents particular circumstances, according to the character of the individuals and above all according to the type of death. In violent deaths, by suicide, torture, accident, apoplexy, injuries, etc., the Spirit is surprised, amazed, does not believe that he is dead and stubbornly maintains that he did not die. However, he sees his body, he knows that it is his, but he does not understand that he is separate. He seeks out the people he loves, addresses them, and doesn't understand why they don't listen to him. This illusion is maintained until the Spirit's complete detachment, and only then does it recognize its state and understand that it is no longer part of the world of the living.”

Comment: There are several reports of Spirits who attend his funeral, who do not understand why they are lying inside the coffin. They are completely lost!

“This phenomenon is easily explainable. Surprised by the unforeseen death, the Spirit is stunned by the sudden change that takes place within him. For him, death is still synonymous with destruction, annihilation; Now, how he continues to think, how he still sees and listens, don't consider yourself dead. And what increases his illusion is the fact that he sees himself in a body similar to the one he left on Earth, whose ethereal nature he has not yet had time to verify. He considers it solid and compact like the first, and when his attention is drawn to this point, he is surprised that he cannot feel it. This phenomenon is similar to that of inexperienced sleepwalkers, who do not believe they are sleeping. For them, sleep is synonymous with the suspension of faculties; Now, as they think freely and can see, they don't think they are sleeping. Some Spirits present this particularity, although death did not take them unexpectedly; but it is always more widespread among those who, despite being sick, did not think about dying. We then see the singular spectacle of a Spirit who attends his own funerals like those of a stranger, speaking about them as if about something that does not concern him, until the moment he understands the truth.”

Comment: The Spirit confuses its spiritual envelope (perispirit) with its carnal body, so that it does not realize that it no longer has a carnal body!

The disturbance that follows death is not at all painful for the good man: it is calm and in every way similar to that which accompanies a peaceful awakening. For one whose conscience is not pure it is full of anxieties and anxieties.

Comment: Once again, the clarifications of the Spirits give us the tips on how to make the moment of death so much softer!

Surprisingly, in the last paragraph of this chapter, Kardec says clearly about the collective disincarnations that occurred in accidents or catastrophes!

“In cases of collective death, it has been observed that all those who perish at the same time do not always see each other immediately. In the turmoil that follows death, each one goes his own way or only concerns himself with those who interest him.”

Kardec, The Spirits' Book, item 165

Comment: Dying at the same time in the same accident doesn't mean much after disincarnation! Everyone pursues their interests.

We do not intend to close the matter! After all, from what you've read so far, it's not conclusive, because each one has its particularities! Throughout Kardec's coding there are many descriptions of that moment and more explanations that the Spirits brought.

But one thing we will never escape: the moment of death.