The ever-frequent question is: What will happen in the future of our Spirit? What happens to us after death? Will we go to the Illuminated Sky? Or is Hell our destiny? Who decides where we go? Can we find the beings that are dear to us?

Human beings have always pursued the idea of what will happen in the future of their Spirit. And it is perhaps the most frequent question in the spiritist environment.

In-depth study of the book Heaven and Hell, or Divine Justice According to Spiritism, makes us understand more and more the Spiritist Doctrine. At first part, your chapter VIII under the title Future Penalties According to Espiritismo practically we find the compilation of the entire Doctrine making it as if it were its heart, that is, the main part. There is a series of 25 items where each one was developed throughout the entire work, except, of course, A Genese, which was published later. The 25 items elucidate what happens to our Spirit after disincarnation. The explanations came through countless disembodied spirits in thousands of communications, from various parts of the world, by many different mediums. Kardec, through the Spiritist Magazine, showed a considerable amount of communications.

The particularity of this book is precisely to bring, before all this material, the conclusions of all the communications studied. Furthermore, in the second part of the book, many of these messages are presented. The content of these, published in the book Heaven and Hell, is a subject for another time.

Let's go back to Chapter VIII of the first part of the book. He begins by making important considerations, which we put here in full:

The lot of souls being in God's hands, no one in this world can, by his own
authority, enact the divine penal code. Any theory is nothing more than a hypothesis that
it only has the value of a personal opinion and, for that very reason, it can be more or less ingenious,
rational, bizarre or ridiculous. Only the sanction of facts can give it authority,
making it pass to the condition of principle.

In the absence of appropriate facts to define their conception of the future life, the
men have given free rein to their imaginations and created that diversity of systems that
shared, and still share, beliefs. If some elite men, in different
epochs, glimpsed one side of the truth, the ignorant mass remained under the dominion of the
prejudices that were usually imposed on him. The doctrine of eternal punishment is in this
number. This doctrine had its time; today it is repelled by reason. What to put in your
place? A system replaced by another system, even if more rational, will always have only
higher probability, but not certainty. That's why man, arrived at this period
intellectual property that allows him to reflect and compare, finding nothing that satisfies
fully his reason and respond to his aspirations, vacillates indecisively. some, terrified
for the responsibility of the future and wanting to enjoy the present without embarrassment, they try to deceive themselves and proclaim the nothingness after death, believing in this way to keep their conscience calm;
others are in the perplexity of doubt; the greatest number believe in something, but don't know
exactly what you believe.
One of the results of the development of ideas and acquired knowledge is the
scientific method96. Man wants to believe, but he wants to know why he believes. He doesn't leave anymore
take by words. Your vigorous reason wants something more substantial than theories. In a
word, he needs the facts.
God, then, judging that humanity has left childhood, and that man is now mature
to understand truths of a higher order, allows the spiritual life to be
revealed by facts that put an end to their uncertainties, causing the scaffolding of the
hypotheses 97. It is reality after illusion.
The Spiritist Doctrine, with regard to future penalties, is no longer founded on a theory
preconceived than its other parts. Everything is based on observations, which is the
that gives you authority. No one then imagined that souls, after death, should
find in this or that situation. It is the very beings who left the Earth who come today
– with God’s permission and because humanity enters a new phase – to initiate us into
mysteries of the future life, to describe its happy or unhappy position, its impressions and its transformation in the death of the body. The spirits come today, in short, to complete the teaching of Christ on this point.
It is not a question here of the relationship of just a spirit that could see things only from its
point of view, under a single aspect, or still being dominated by terrestrial prejudices,
nor of a revelation made to a single individual who could be deceived by the
appearances, nor of an ecstatic vision that lends itself to illusions and is often only the
reflection of an exalted imagination98, but of countless intermediaries disseminated over
all points of the globe, in such a way that the revelation is nobody's privilege, that each
one can at the same time see and observe, and that no one is compelled to believe by the faith of another.
The laws that follow from it are deduced only from the agreement of this immensity of
comments; this is the essential and special character of the Spiritist Doctrine99. never a principle
general is taken from an isolated fact or the affirmation of a single spirit, or from the teaching given to a single individual, or from a personal opinion. What man could he believe?
whether fair enough to measure the righteousness of God?

The numerous examples cited in this work to establish the future fate of the soul could
be multiplied to infinity, but as one can observe other analogues, it would be
enough in a way to give the types of the various situations. From these observations, one can
to deduce the conditions of happiness or unhappiness in the future life; they prove that the
penalty is not lacking in any wrongdoing, and that, while not eternal, the punishment is not
it is less terrible under the circumstances.

Allan Kardec, Heaven and Hell

Note: Allan Kardec defines the presuppositions of spirit science. Every theory, whether proposed by a man or a spirit, is a personal opinion. Chances range from ingenious to ridiculous. Therefore, Spiritism is based on the observation of facts, in thousands of testimonies, to extract from them the general principles, confirming the teaching of good spirits. It is the universality of the teaching of the spirits. (Note 94 of Heaven and hell by the editor Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo)

Notice how this introduction explains scientific thinking based entirely on facts. There is no dogma, no prophets, no fantasy.

After this careful introduction, Allan Kardec continues enumerating the general principles that the many Spirits gave. They appear progressively. They defined them as representing the law of divine justice.

As we have studied, there is no static system, no general pattern where the future is an Illuminated Heaven or the Dark Darkness of Hell. But if you, the reader, do the study, you will be able to reach your own conclusions.

We invite you to read and reflect! Very worth reading.

Is it possible for someone to be in two places at the same time? Of course yes! This phenomenon is called BICORPORITY. This is what this article from the Spiritist Magazine of December 1858 is about.

It is the story of a young man who goes to bed, without leaving home, goes to London where he meets his friends, drinks coffee, plays and then returns home, without remembering anything.

Briefly, this happened:

A correspondent from the interior of France sent a letter saying that, after “by order of the Spirits”, he magnetized his son, he became a very rare medium.

One case, in particular, caught his attention: his son, after reading in a book of Baron Du Potet about the adventure of a doctor from America, whose Spirit went to visit a friend from a great distance, told his guide that he would like to do the same. His guide then told him: Tomorrow is Sunday. You are not required to get up early to work. You'll sleep at eight o'clock and walk around London until eight-thirty. Next Friday you will receive a letter from your friends, reproaching you for having spent so little time with them.

Said the father: Indeed, the next day, in the morning, at the appointed time, he fell into a deep sleep. I woke him up at eight-thirty. He didn't remember anything. For my part, I said nothing to him, waiting for events.

And as promised, a letter arrived in the mail: “the postman came to deliver a letter from London, in which my son's friends reproached him for having spent only a few minutes with them, the previous Sunday, from eight to eight-thirty, with a lot of details that it would be long here to relate, including the singular fact of having breakfast with them”

Having told the above fact, one of the assistants said that History narrates several similar cases. He cited Saint Alphonsus of Liguori, who was canonized before the required time, for having shown himself simultaneously in two different places, which was considered a miracle.

In the first, with a religious aspect, Alfonso left the convent of Ciorani for Pagani and at the same time was seen attending confessions in the Redemptorist church of Ciorani.

On the second occasion of a religious nature, the Saint preached popular missions in Amalfi, Italy. It was in 1756. During the mission, he was seen simultaneously preaching in Amalfi Cathedral and answering confessions in the house where the missionaries were housed.

Antonio Benedetto Maria Tannoia (II, c. 44), his biographer, comments: “An angel, wanting to continue his zeal in welcoming sinners, wanted to replace him in the pulpit”.

On the third occasion, this one of a social nature, the saint was in Naples and at the same time in Pagani, where every Saturday he used to help a former prostitute he had managed to convert. This happened in 1759.
The last occasion is of a political-religious nature. On September 22, 1774, Afonso was in Arienzo, a village in his diocese of Santa Ágata dei Goti, where he would go on those days when it was very cold. At the same time he was seen in Rome, beside the deathbed of Pope Clement XIV, watching him. (This case has been documented by the Catholic Church).

Note: The Church says that “bilocation” is an extraordinary manifestation of the power of God, consisting of the bodily presence of a person, at the same time, in two or more places. Physically, bilocation is impossible for material beings, by the very nature of things.

There are also some reports of bicorpority of Saint Anthony of Padua. His most famous was on the occasion of his father's accusation of murder: Once, while preaching in Padua, the saint felt a strong intuition that his presence was necessary in Lisbon at that very moment. He sat down beside the pulpit and, as he had done once before, covered his head with the capeio, the hood of the Franciscans. He then appeared at the Lisbon Court, where he made a strong defense of his father. To prove his father's innocence, he went with the authorities to the cemetery. To the astonishment of those present, he resuscitated the victim, who acquitted the accused of any responsibility for his death. He then allowed the murdered man to return to his rest. Soon after, far beyond, he regained consciousness and resumed his preaching.

The first time this happened was in Limoges, southern France, in the year 1226. On Holy Thursday, the friar preached in the Church of St. Peter. At the same moment, a few kilometers away, his Franciscan brothers were already singing matins in the convent. As Custos, he was responsible for reading a lesson in the trade to his brothers.

At the very moment when he was supposed to be present at the convent, the friar interrupted his sermon and leaned back in the pulpit, covering his face with his hood. To the surprise of the Friars Minor, the voice of the Portuguese friar rang out among the Franciscans' choir. He sang the lesson and fulfilled his task together with his brothers, to then disappear and wake up from his apparent nap in the Church of São Pedro.

Thus, to begin to clarify the phenomenon, Kardec evoked the aforementioned Saint Alfonso de Liguori. The following questions were asked:

1. ─ Is the fact for which you were canonized real? ─ Yes.

2. ─ Is this phenomenon exceptional?─ No. It can present itself in all dematerialized individuals.

3. ─ Was it just reason to canonize you? ─ Yes, because by my virtue I had raised myself to God. Without it I would not have been able to transport myself to two different places at the same time.

4. ─ Do all the individuals with whom these phenomena occur deserve to be canonized? ─ No, because not everyone is equally virtuous.

Comment: Liguori died in 1787 – quite recent, in terms of spiritist life. At the time of its evocation, it presents thoughts still quite imbued with Catholic ideas. We have just seen, and in OLM Kardec gives other examples, that bi-corporeity does not seem to depend that much on such high virtuosity. It is necessary to be sure if it was really this phenomenon, or if it was just the case of another person, a seer, seeing the Spirit semi-disconnected from the sleeping body.

5. ─ Could you give us an explanation of this phenomenon? ─ Yup. When man, by his virtue, is completely dematerialized; when he has raised his soul to God, he can appear simultaneously in two places, as follows: Feeling sleep, the incarnate Spirit can ask God to transport himself to any place. His Spirit or his soul, whatever you want to call it, then leaves his body, followed by a part of his perispirit and leaves the filthy matter in a state close to death. I say close to death because there is a bond in the body that connects the perispirit and the soul to matter, and this bond cannot be defined. The body then appears in the desired place. I believe that's all you want to know.

Comment: once again, a large number of concepts that have, in the background, Catholic ideas as a determining influence: “To ask God”, “Filthy matter”, “Neighbor to death”. At the same time, it characterizes the veracity of the communication.

Observation: The answer to question 5 characterizes a certain ambiguity in the communication in relation to the answer to question 2, because if bi-corporation can manifest itself in all materialized individuals, not only the virtuous can do it.

6. ─ This does not explain the visibility and tangibility of the perispirit. – Finding itself detached from matter, according to its degree of elevation, the Spirit can make matter tangible.

7. – However, certain tangible apparitions of hands and other parts of the body are evidently due to inferior spirits. - They are superior spirits who make use of inferior ones in order to prove the fact.

Observation: If it is true that superior spirits use inferiors in order to prove the fact, it would explain why inferior spirits cannot materialize in monstrous forms, to frighten the people. would explain the “God would not allow”! more explanations click here on this article

8. Is the sleep of the body essential for the Spirit to appear in other places? – The soul can be divided when it feels transported to a place different from that where its body is.

9. What would happen to a man sunk in a deep sleep, and whose Spirit appeared elsewhere, if he were suddenly awakened? – This would not happen, because if someone had the intention of awakening him, the Spirit would foresee the intention and return to the body, considering that the Spirit reads the mind.

Division is an inaccurate term. Better to say that the soul, that is, the perispirit, can extend to other places, when one has this capacity.

The perispirit, being extended, never leaves the body, except for its death. It is possible to understand that, therefore, the Spirit, being distant, perceives what happens around the body.

After this communication was given to us, several facts of the same kind, whose source is authentic, were told to us, and among them there are very recent, which occurred, so to speak, in our midst, and which presented themselves with the most singular circumstances. The explanations to which they gave rise have singularly widened the field of psychological observations.

In the RE of August 1859 we read the following:

Communications – Mr. Allan Kardec announces that he saw Mr. W… son, from Boulogne-Sur-Mer, who was an issue in the December 1858 magazine, regarding an article on the phenomenon of bicorporeality, and which confirmed the fact of his simultaneous presence in Boulogne and London.

Spiritism, in its turn, comes to give its theory. It relies on experimental psychology; he studies the soul, not only during life, but after death; he watches her in a state of isolation; he sees it acting in freedom, whereas ordinary philosophy sees it only in union with the body, subject to the constraints of matter, for which reason it often confuses cause and effect.

AK, in RE May 1864

In this article, which presents the evocation of the Spirit of Mehemet Ali (Muhammad Ali), Kardec explores a questioning about the incarnation of this Spirit as an Egyptian priest, at the time of the pharaohs.

In the April 1858 edition, Kardec evoked this Spirit. At the time, he revealed that he was a priest at the time of ancient Egypt. More details Click here

It is important to remember that in the first communication, in April, this Spirit proved not to be elevated. He wasn't mean, but he was still on the "imperfection wheel." Therefore, in his speech, he presents some impatience and lack of benevolence.

Vamos, aqui, destacar algumas partes da longa conversa – evocação que entendemos como principais:

1. ─ In the name of Almighty God, I ask the Spirit of Mehemet-Ali to come and communicate with us. ─ Yes; I know the reason.

2. ─ You promised to come to us in order to instruct us. Would you be kind enough to hear us and answer us? ─ I don't promise, because I didn't make that commitment.

Curious how the characteristics of the evoked Spirit appear clearly as the communication develops. Here it clearly shows to be a non-superior Spirit.(Click here for more features)

Superior spirits are always good and benevolent; in his speech we never find acrimony, arrogance, harshness, pride, bravado, or stolid conceit. They speak simply, advise and withdraw when they are not heard.

Kardec, Allan. Spiritist Magazine: October: 1858

3. ─ Let us replace what you promised by making us wait. ─ You mean: to satisfy your curiosity. It doesn't matter! I'll lend a little.

Comment: Kardec continues to ask the questions he thought necessary to assess the state of knowledge and intentions of that Spirit, confronting science with its answers. Most likely testing the Spirit

4. ─ Considering that you lived in the time of the pharaohs, could you tell us for what purpose the pyramids were built?  ─ They are tombs; tombs and temples. There were large demonstrations.

5. ─ Did they also have a scientific objective? ─ No. Religious interest absorbed everything.

12. From the dual point of view of God and the soul, did the priests have healthier ideas than the people? ─ Yes. They had the light in their hands and while they hid it from others, they still saw it.

Comment: Here it becomes clear how religions are used to control the people, subjugating them, completely without individual autonomy. It is clear that the priests knew and taught the initiates, but did not instruct the population. To this day it is so.

14. ─ What is the origin of the worship given to animals? ─ They wanted to turn man away from God and lower him under himself, giving him inferior beings as gods.

15. – To a certain extent, the cult of useful animals can be understood; but that of unclean and harmful animals, such as serpents, crocodiles, etc., is not understood. ─ Man loves what he fears. It was a yoke for the people. The priests could not believe in gods made by their hands!

Comment: The priests knew the teachings and kept them for a small circle of initiates. They did not instruct the people in order to subjugate them. This shows how religions are not autonomous.

18. How to reconcile the Egyptians' respect for the dead with their contempt and horror for those who buried and mummified them?  ─ The corpse was an instrument of manifestations. As they thought, the Spirit returned to the body it had animated. As one of the instruments of the cult, the corpse was sacred and contempt persecuted anyone who dared to violate the sanctity of death.

Comment: Interesting: the individual, taught this way, died believing it. Therefore, although he found his body preserved, he continued there, manifesting himself. It could be, in this way, an obstacle to their progress, which leads to the conclusion that it would be better to die as part of the people. In the same way that, even today, there are those who stay by the coffin, not wanting to leave it, because they believe in this same modernized dogma (we cannot forget that Christianity brought many of these Egyptian dogmas mentioned here to their beliefs).

19. ─ Did the conservation of the body allow for a greater number of manifestations? ─ Longer, that is, the Spirit returned for longer, as long as the instrument was docile.

23. Did the teaching given in the Mysteries have the sole purpose of revealing extra-human things, or were the precepts of morality and love of neighbor also taught? ─ All this was very corrupted. The purpose of the priests was to dominate, not to instruct.

Comment: To this day they embalm the body! It's a very big attachment to matter!

Perhaps this is one of the most interesting reported communications of the year 1858, because it is the Spirit of a soldier killed in war, a Spirit with an appearance of tranquility and even kindness.

It happened like this: “Having gathered in our house some people with the purpose of verifying certain manifestations, in several sessions the following facts were produced: a Spirit manifested by blows, not beaten by the table foot, but in the very texture of the table. table." Then Kardec goes on to say that in addition to the answers to several yes and no questions, the blows played marches, imitated rifle fire, something completely unusual.

As they listened, they observed that the Spirit had a certain predilection for the drum roll.

In addition to a special medium of physical influence, a psychograph was present. Because of that, they got the conversation very explicit, like name, place of birth, date of death, etc. Spontaneous communication started like this:

1 – Write anything, whatever you want. – Ran plan plan, ran, plan, plan.

2 – Why did you write this? – I was a drummer.

He said he died in a battle, and he still takes on that drum beater characteristic, that's why he did those marching effects.

16- Are you reincarnated? - No, because I come to talk to you.

17- Why do you manifest yourself by blows, without you being called? – It is necessary to make noise for those whose hearts believe nothing. If you don't have enough, I will give you even more.

Observation: He demonstrates a certain moral superiority.

18 – Is it your own will that you came to knock, or did another spirit force you to do so? — I come of my own accord; there is another, whom you call Truth, who can force me to do this too. But I've wanted to come for a long time.

19 – For what purpose did you want to come? – To converse with you; it was what I wanted; But there was something that stopped me. I was forced by a familiar spirit in the house, who urged me to make myself useful to people who asked me questions.

19.1 – Does this Spirit, then, have a lot of power, since it commands other Spirits? — More than you can imagine, and he uses it only for good.

Note: Spirits are always assisted.

22- Which existence do you prefer: the current one or the terrestrial one? – I prefer the existence of the Spirit to that of the body. Because we are much better off than on Earth. Earth is a purgatory; all the time I lived there, I always wanted death.

25 – Would you be satisfied if you had a new bodily existence? – Yes, because I know that I must elevate myself.

26 – Who told you that? – I know it well.

27 – Will you reincarnate soon? - I don't know.

From question 28 onwards, for the first time in RE, those present ask the manifesting Spirit about other Spirits in Erraticity:

28. ─ Do you see other spirits around you? ─ Yes, many.

29. ─ How do you know they are spirits? ─ Among us, we see ourselves as we are.

30. ─ How do you see them? ─ As spirits can be seen, but not through the eyes.

31. ─ And you, in what form are you here? ─ Under what I had when I was alive, that is, as a drum.

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.

RE July 1858

See how interesting: He sees the other Spirits around him without any form! He is not an advanced Spirit, but outside of the moment they are evoked, in erraticity, Spirits DO NOT have a form.

Spirits have no eyes, no ears, no touch... because they have no need in the spiritual plane for this type of manifestation. “Our form is only apparent,” says the drum.

The communication follows with questions about the manifestation of the knocking on the table, in which he says that he is beside her, that he does not get inside her.

37-How do you produce the noises you make heard? – I believe it is through a kind of concentration of our strength.

38 – Could you explain to us the way in which the different noises that you imitate are produced, the scratches, for example? - I wouldn't know much about the nature of the
noises; it's hard to explain. I know I scratch, but I can't explain how I make that noise you call scratching.

Then he was asked what he depended on to lift a table, to which he replied: – It depends on me, because I use the medium as an instrument. And besides, it has to be with specific mediums, which I am attracted to.

48 – What do you occupy yourself with in your existence as a Spirit, considering that you shouldn't spend all your time just knocking? – I often have missions to fulfill; we must
obey superior orders and, above all, do good to human beings.
humans who are under our influence.

49 – Certainly your earthly life was not free of faults; do you recognize them now? - Yes; and for that reason I expiate them, remaining stationary among the inferior spirits; I will only be able to purify myself enough when I take another body.

OBSERVATION: Here recognition of their faults and repentance is evident.

55 – Are you always on Earth, in your spiritual existence? – Most often in space.

56 – Do you sometimes go to other worlds, that is, to other globes? – Not to the more perfect ones, but to the inferior worlds.

57 – Do you sometimes enjoy seeing and hearing what men do? - No; however, I sometimes pity them.

65 – Were you immediately aware of your new existence? – No, but I no longer felt cold.

RE July 1858

NOTE: He was no longer aware of his body.

KARDEC'S COMMENT ON THE COMMUNICATION: – Little advanced in the spiritist hierarchy, as can be seen, the Spirit of the Drum himself recognized his inferiority. Your knowledge is limited; but he has good sense, praiseworthy feelings, and benevolence. As a Spirit, his mission lacked meaning, as he played the role of a Spirit beater to call unbelievers to faith; yet, even in the theater, cannot the humble attire of a partner involve an honest heart? His answers have the simplicity of ignorance; however, due to the fact that they do not have the elevation of the philosophical language of the superior spirits, they are nevertheless less instructive, especially for the study of spiritist customs, if we can express it that way. It is only by studying all the classes of this world that awaits us that we can get to know it and mark out in it, in some way, in advance, the place that each one of us will be given to occupy. Seeing the situation that, by their vices and virtues, created men, our equals here on Earth, we feel encouraged to elevate ourselves as quickly as possible from this life: it is the example next to the theory. In order to know something well, and to form an idea of it free from illusions, it is necessary to dissect it in all its aspects, just as the botanist cannot know the plant kingdom except by observing it from the humblest cryptogam, which the moss hides. , even the towering oak, which soars in the air.

In this article, Kardec presents the following case: having the medium Mr. D. presented a very interesting phenomenon - that of writing with a much better handwriting when inspired by the Spirits - one of the members of the Society, Dr. V., had the idea of evoking the Spirit of a calligrapher, Bertrand, for observation purposes.

According to The Mediums' Book,

270. When you want to communicate with determined Spirit, it is absolutely necessary to evoke it. (Item 203.) If he can come, the answer is usually: Yea, or I'm here, or yet: What do you want from me? Sometimes he enters directly into the matter, answering in advance the questions that were asked of him.

271. It is often surprising how quickly an evoked Spirit presents itself, even the first time. One would say he was forewarned. This is, in fact, what happens when the one who evokes it is preoccupied with its evocation. This preoccupation is a kind of anticipated evocation and, as we always have our familiar spirits with us, who identify with our thought, they prepare the way in such a way that, if no obstacle arises, the Spirit we wish to call is already present. when evoked.

But is there danger in Summoning Spirits?

278. An important question arises here, that of knowing whether or not there is any inconvenience in evoking bad spirits..

Kardec, OLM

“That depends on the end you have in mind and the influence you can exert on them. The inconvenience is null when they are called for a serious purpose, which is to instruct and improve them; it is, on the contrary, very great, when called out of mere curiosity or for fun, or even when the caller puts himself at their dependence, asking them for some service.. The good spirits, in this case, can very well give them the power to do what is asked of them, which does not exclude the daredevil who dared to ask for help and suppose them more powerful than God from being severely punished later on. . It will be in vain if he promises himself, whoever does so, to make good use of the help requested from then on, and to dismiss the servant once the service has been rendered. This same service that was requested, however minimal, constitutes a true pact signed with the bad Spirit and he does not easily let go of his prey..” (See item 212.).

279. No one exercises ascendancy over inferior spirits, except for moral superiority. Perverse spirits feel that good men dominate them. Against those who are only opposed by will energy, a kind of brute force, they fight and are often the strongest. To someone who was trying to tame a rebellious Spirit, only by the action of his will, he replied to that one: Leave me in peace, with your air of slaughterhouses, which are not worth more than I am; one would say a thief preaching morals to another thief.

282. 11th. Is there any inconvenience in evoking inferior spirits? And is it to be feared that, by calling them, the summoner will come under their dominion? “They only dominate those who allow themselves to be dominated. He who is assisted by good spirits has nothing to fear. It is imposed on the inferior spirits and not the latter on him. Isolated, mediums, especially beginning ones, must refrain from such evocations.. (item 278.)

Continuing with the article, where the medium brings communication:

3. ─ Do you know the main objective that led us to ask for your coming? ─ No, but I want to know.

NOTE: The Spirit of Mr. Bertrand is still under the influence of matter, as might be supposed, given his earthly life. It is known that such spirits are less apt to read minds than those already more dematerialized.

From then on, the Spirit continues to give some more details about his life. In general terms, he showed regret for having misused, or at least not as well as he could, his time incarnate: 

9. ─ What was your lifestyle? ─ I sought to satisfy the needs of the body.

10. ─ Did you take care of things from Beyond the Grave? ─ Almost nothing.

11. ─ Do you regret not belonging to this world anymore? ─ I regret not having put my existence to good use.

12. ─ Are you happier than on Earth? ─ No. I suffer for the good I failed to do.

13. ─ What do you think of the future that is in store for you? ─ I think that all the mercy of God is necessary for me.

14. ─ What are your relationships in the world in which you find yourself? ─ Regretful and unhappy relationships.

15. ─ When you come to Earth, are there places you go, rather than others? ─ I am looking for souls who grieve for my sufferings or who pray for me.

17. ─ It is said that in life he was very tolerant. It is true? ─ I was very violent.

18. ─ What do you think about the purpose of our meetings? ─ I would very much like to have known them in life. They would have made me better.

19. ─ Do you see other spirits there? ─ Yes, but I feel very confused in your presence.

20 – We beg God to have him in his holy mercy. The feelings you have just expressed should allow you to find favor with him. We do not doubt that they will help you in your progress.

NOTE: The teachings provided by the Spirit of Mr. Bertrand are absolutely exact and agree with the way of life and the character they knew him. Only by confessing its inferiority and its mistakes, language is more serious and higher than could be expected. Once again we have proof of the painful situation of those on Earth who are very attached to matter. This is how the inferior spirits themselves sometimes give us, by example, valuable moral lessons..

In this September 1858 edition of RE, Kardec presents the case of Louis G., a shoemaker officer, who seven or eight months earlier had committed suicide at the door of his girlfriend, Victorine R., who was a seamstress of boots.

Once, Victorine R. and Louis G, who were already engaged, got into a deep argument for a trivial reason, to the point that Louis got up and promised never to return.

The next day, from cold head, the boy went to apologize, but was unsuccessful: Victorine R. refused to reconcile, despite her despair. 

After a few more days, thinking that his beloved would be reasonable, Louis went to try again to apologize, to which he was again rejected. At his beloved's door, he said to her: "Then farewell, you wicked one!" finally exclaimed the poor boy, “Farewell forever! Find a husband who wants you as much as I do!” – and plunged his shoemaker's knife into his chest, exhaling right there.

This article on the history of Louis G and Victorine R. appeared in Siècle on April 7, 1858.

Seeking to obtain moral teachings about the fact, on August 10, 1858 Kardec evokes São Luís:

1. ─ Does the girl, the unintentional cause of her boyfriend's death, have responsibility? ─ Yes, because I didn't love him.

Comment: This answer causes initial strangeness. Is anyone to blame for not loving someone else? Let's understand.

2. To avoid this misfortune, should she marry him, even though she did not love him? ─ She was looking for an occasion to part with him; did at the beginning of his call what he would have done later.

Comment: Here, St. Louis is saying that, sooner or later, she would separate from him, because, we understand, she didn't really love him.

3. ─ So the guilt consists in having nourished in him feelings that he did not share and that were the cause of the boy's death? ─ Yes. That's it.

4. In this case, your responsibility must be proportionate to the fault, which must not be as great as if it had intentionally caused death. ─ This is obvious.

Comment: Her “guilt” wasn’t so great because she didn’t actually want the other person’s misfortune. He just fed something that caused him suffering.

Observation: Remembering that "guilt" here is not something before an external judge, but before your own conscience. After all, it can be assumed that, since that moment, she must have carried some feeling of guilt because of the misfortune that happened to the boy.

5. Did Louis G.'s suicide find justification in the frenzy into which Victorine's obstinacy plunged him? - Yes, because his suicide, provoked by love, is less criminal in the eyes of God than that of a man who wants to get rid of life out of cowardice.

Comment: Here, when we talk about “crime in the eyes of God”, we need to understand that it was a neologism of the time. The “crime” is to impose a waste of time, perhaps with a great accumulation of suffering, due to the unconquered test. It is also important to remember two aspects: the first is that St. Luís is a Spirit who was, in his life, Catholic. The second is that, even if he doesn't bring concepts from Catholicism, he spoke as they could understand him.

Observation: By saying that this suicide is less criminal in God's eyes, evidently means that there is criminality, although less. The fault consists in the weakness that he did not know how to overcome. It is undoubtedly proof that he succumbed. Now, the spirits teach us that the merit lies in fighting victoriously against trials of all kinds, which are the essence of earthly life.

Here we have two problems to discuss. The first is to reinforce the knowledge brought by Spiritism, which presents its conclusions, without the intention of creating fantasies that try to subjugate through fear. Suicide, seen by many as something that will throw the soul into hell - whatever name is given to it - and even cause it to be born with deformations in the next life, in reality has different effects, depending on each being and each individual. situation.

Secondly, in no way is Saint Louis saying that suicide for love is a good thing: it is only more excusable, before one's own conscience, because it is practically a state of madness, whereas one who kills himself to escape life he almost always does it on his own, and it will cause him greater suffering when he discovers the truth.

Days later, Kardec evokes the Spirit of Louis G., the suicide, asking him the following questions:

1. ─ What do you think of the action that you performed? ─ Victorine is ungrateful. I was wrong to kill myself for her, because she didn't deserve it.

2. ─ So she didn't love you? ─ No. At first she thought so, but she was deluded. The scene I made opened his eyes. Then he was happy with this excuse to get rid of me.

3. - And did you love her sincerely? ─ I had passion for her. I believe it was just that. If I had loved her with pure love, I wouldn't have wanted to hurt her.

4. ─ If she had known that you really wanted to kill yourself, would she have persisted in refusing? ─ I don't know. I don't think so, because she wasn't evil. However, it would have been unfortunate. It was better for her.

We see that this Spirit reached an important conclusion, seeing that it killed itself for a passion. He understands that if he really loved her, he wouldn't have wanted to hurt her, that is, he wouldn't have committed an act so terrible as to shock her feelings so much.

Passion is a term that designates a very strong feeling of attraction to a person, object or topic. Passion is intense, enveloping, an enthusiasm or a strong desire for something. The term is also often applied to designate a lively interest or admiration for an ideal, cause, or activity. In the 19th century, psychology called passions what we now call emotions.

Who knows, in a new incarnation, a spirit like the one who committed suicide, for having found this lucidity, instead of planning a life of suffering as a form of punishment, could not choose tests and opportunities precisely to give himself the chance to learn to get rid of the passions, which often cast us into disgrace? How many murders, by the way, take place not out of hatred or evil thoughts, but simply by passions (today calls emotions)?

Continuing with the account of the evocation of the suicidal Louis G.:

5. ─ When you arrived at your door, did you have any intention of killing you, if you were refused? ─ No. Didn't even think about it. I didn't think she was so obstinate. It was only when I saw your stubbornness that I was taken by a vertigo.

6. ─ It seems that you only regret suicide because Victorine didn't deserve it. Is it your only feeling? ─ Right now, yes. I still feel disturbed. It seems to me to be at your door. But I feel something I cannot define.

7. ─ Will you understand later? ─ Yes, when I'm free... What I did was bad. I should have left her alone… I was weak and I suffer the consequences… As you can see, passion drives man to blindness and to make absurd mistakes.. He only understands when it's too lates.

8. ─ You said that you suffer the consequences. What penalty do you suffer? ─ I made a mistake by shortening my life. I shouldn't have done it. It should resist instead of ending everything prematurely. […]

Comment: he doesn't say that he was being gnawed by worms, nor that he was in a hellish region, nor that he was attached to the body, anything like that. In the disturbed state in which he found himself, his mind became attached to the fateful scene, the origin of his present moral sufferings, and it was in this that his thought became trapped. Well, we ourselves do this incarnate, every day.

 Here we have confirmed the state of “madness”, driven by passions, into which this man entered, who killed himself in a thoughtless act. How many suicides of this kind are there? They would be numbered in the thousands, if something was publicized. Unfortunately it is not. These suffer, as the Spirit of Louis G. suffered, because they understood that the thoughtless act cost them time and imposed suffering on others. Hence to say that this will lead them to spend years dragging themselves in the "valley of suicides" or that they will bring physical changes to the new incarnation because of this guilt, there is a great distance.

If you think about it, he doesn't even want to kill himself. it was an act of rage at the time. And we think that we should pay a lot of attention to the teachings of this article, because it is a global problem in our current society. The number of suicides has increased a lot. We see here the how urgent is it tame our passions.

Note: This account by Louis G. appears in the Book Heaven and Hell by Allan Kardec.((1)) Book Heaven and Hell by Allan Kardec, Editora FEAL, 2021, second part, chapter. V, pg. 337, the subtitle: Louis and the Shoe Seamstress.

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

In this article, São Vicente de Paulo brings a great reflection on the charity.

Let us analyze, in addition to the necessary moral application that this text brings, its form and content, since it is a communication attributed to this Spirit. What is in these but spiritual elevation? 

“See the multitude of good men, whose pious memory your history recalls. I could cite thousands of those whose morals were aimed only at improving your globe. Has not Christ told you everything concerning the virtues of charity and love? Why are your divine teachings set aside? Why are the ears closed to his divine words and the heart closed to all his soft maxims?

I would like the reading of the Gospel to be done with more personal interest. But they abandon that book; they transform it into an empty expression and a dead letter; leave this admirable code to oblivion. Your evils come from the voluntary abandonment in which you leave this summary of divine laws. Read, then, these fiery pages of Jesus' devotion and meditate on them. I myself feel ashamed to dare to promise you a work on charity, when I think that in this book you will find all the teachings that should lead you to the heavenly regions..”

Charity, in Kardec's context, was understood differently:

[…] rational morality is based on psychology and the definition of an active human being. That is, the moral act is characterized by a free and conscious act, which is defined as the act of duty. It is the morality of freedom, therefore absolutely free, by definition, from any reward or punishment. In this way, as defined by the thinkers of Rational Spiritualism, duty grounds charity as free and disinterested action. The beauty of charity lies precisely in its freedom, said Victor Cousin, the main leader of this school at the Sorbonne University in Paris. (Figueiredo 2019)

Does this mean that we only need the Gospel?

Assuming the Gospel of Jesus very well understood, without sophistry and adulteration, yes, we only need it. However, it is necessary to take into account that its teachings, even if scientific, have a moral aspect, according to the Moral Sciences. Therefore, it is a mistake to abandon this study to fall only in the Evangelical study, given the present needs of Spirits of our category.

Continuing in the article about Charity, according to São Vicente: “Strong men, arm yourselves; weak men, forge your weapons of your sweetness and your faith; have more persuasion, more constancy in the propagation of your new doctrine. We only come to bring you an encouragement; it is only to stimulate the zeal and virtues that God allows us to manifest to you. But if you wished, you would need only the help of God and your own will.. “

Does that mean that we don't need Spiritism?

Morally speaking, if we knew how to apply all the lessons presented so far, we wouldn't even be talking about it now. But that's not how spiritual progress happens – in jolts. It is slow and gradual and, as far as we know, it is everywhere in the Universe. Therefore, the Spiritist Science, which, in the limit, is the science of Creation, is a necessary part of our progress, as knowledge develops morality.

Let's look a little more critically at the content of this message. The following passage caught our attention:

“When you allow your heart to open to the supplication of the first unfortunate person who reaches out to you; when you give it to him without asking whether his misery is feigned or whether his illness has a vice as its cause; when you leave all righteousness in God's hands; when you leave to the Creator the punishment of all false miseries; finally, when you practice charity for the sole pleasure that it provides, without questioning its usefulness, then you will be the children that God will love and that he will call to himself.“

This Spirit, who goes on saying to congratulate himself on the beginning of a movement (São Vicente de Paulo Society), a very important and necessary movement, suggests that we must respond to any request, without verifying whether it is something faked or not. In reality, can we and should we do this, especially nowadays?

We must not blindly follow any Spirit, especially when it makes no sense to our own reason. But Kardec comes to our rescue:

Continuing the conversation with S. Vicente de Paulo, through the psychography of an assistant medium, Kardec informs himself that, in this previous passage, this Spirit speaks specifically of alms. The teacher then asks:

“[…] it seems to us that giving without discernment to those who do not need it or who could earn a living by honest work is to encourage vice and laziness. If lazy people found someone else's purse easily open, they would multiply to infinity, to the detriment of the truly needy.”

SVP responds:

"You can identify those who can work and then charity obliges you to do everything to provide them with work. However, there are also poor liars, who know very well how to simulate miseries that they do not suffer. These are the ones to be left to the righteousness of God.”

Kardec continues with some questions of interest:

6. – Jesus said: “May your right hand not know what your left hand is doing.” Do those who give out of ostentation have any merit? ─ They only have the merit of pride, for which they will be punished.

7. Doesn't Christian charity, in its broadest sense, also include sweetness, benevolence and indulgence towards the weaknesses of others? ─ Do like Jesus. He told you all this. I listened to him more than ever.

8. ─ Is charity properly understood when it is exclusive among creatures of the same opinion or of the same party? ─ No. It is above all the spirit of sect and party that must be abolished, since all men are brothers. That's what we focus our efforts on.

9. ─ Let us admit that a person sees two men in danger, but cannot save but one. One is your friend and the other your enemy. Whom should you save? ─ You must save your friend, because that friend could accuse you of not being friends with you. As for the other, God will take care of it.

It was a consensus that this last question (9.) seemed strange to us, but it must have a reason for being at that moment.

In this group study, we treated the article in question in a somewhat different way, as we noticed that it gave us the opportunity to go into a very important depth regarding mediumship and the differences between how it was treated in Spiritism, as a scientific doctrine born from the rational observation of facts and spiritist (spiritual) communications and how it is treated today. Thus, we cover the following main topics:

• What is the medium's influence on communication?
• Animism and the fear of being a psychic
• Can and should we judge mediumistic communications? In what way?
• Myths: we cannot summon spirits; Evoking Spirits Causes Obsessions
• Lições aprendidas: a distância entre o “movimento espírita” atual e o Espiritismo original; a necessidade da retomada dos estudos

Based on the article “Impostor spirits — the false Father Ambrósio” — Spiritist Magazine, July 1858

We hope that both the video of our debate and this reading will be of great benefit to you!

The pitfalls of mediumship

We recognize: studying Kardec on your own is not always easy. It is a difficult language and, many times, full of references to neologisms and the context in which Professor Rivail was inserted, in a way that such contextualization¹ is very opportune, in the foreground, as the use of research in the web, while reading.

“Escolho” significa, no sentido figurado, uma dificuldade. E Kardec abre o referido artigo falando sobre tais dificuldades:

One of the pitfalls presented by spiritist communications is that of imposter spirits, who may mislead their identity and who, under a respectable name, try to pass the grossest absurdities. On many occasions this danger has been explained to us. However, he is nothing to those who scrutinize both the form and the content of the language of the invisible beings with whom he enters into communication.. […] Nothing is easier than to guard against similar frauds, however small our good will.

Kardec seems to make quite simple, even banal, this task of identifying the communication of an imposter Spirit, isn't it? But why, then, nowadays, so many absurdities have been accepted, via mediumistic communications, as if they were the legitimate expression of a serious and honest Spirit, knowing the absolute truths?

Acontece que o “movimento espírita” (eu chamo de movement in order to distinguish Spiritism from what its adherents, who are not always well-informed and knowledgeable about the Doctrine, do) has largely forgotten the most basic postulates of the Doctrine of Spirits. Now, right at the beginning of the second part of The Spirits' Book, in items 100 to 113, Kardec presents us, didactically, a general scale, nomeada por ele “Spiritist Scale“, where, grouping in a more or less general way, the dear professor shows us the general characteristics of the Spirits in their different evolutionary scales, grouping them into three main orders: Imperfect Spirits (third order), Good Spirits (second order) and Pure Spirits (first order).

It is verified, even by the logical observation of our evolutionary condition, that we put ourselves in contact mainly with the Spirits of the last two orders, especially with those of the third, with whom we are more easily attuned mentally. It is also a known fact that spirits differ from us, incarnates, only because they do not have the constriction of the physical body and, due to the absence of this, they have a more free thought, in general, from the smothering of the physical brain. Therefore, like us, they do not change their opinion or knowledge simply by leaving matter through disincarnation and, like us, they can speak what they know, what they believe they know, or else they may seek to deceive, either out of ostensible malice or out of pride in wanting to say what they admittedly do not know.

We have already reproduced the Spiritist Scale in a previous article, but we are going to highlight some important details of this third order of Spirits, which is where the problems in mediumistic communications are concentrated.

Como se comunicam os Espíritos da terceira ordem – Espíritos Imperfeitos

Tenth Class – Impure Spirits

They are inclined to evil, what they are worried about. They give treacherous, disloyal advice, blow away discord and distrust, and they mask themselves in every way to better deceive.

In language they are trivial, coarse, have baseness of inclination, and cannot long deceive with false wisdom.

Ninth Class – Levian Spirits

They are ignorant, malevolent, inconsequential and mocking. They meddle in everything, respond to everything, without worrying about the truth. They like to cause little annoyances and little joys; to produce discord; to maliciously mislead by mystifications and pranks.

His communications are almost always witty and lighthearted, but often lacking in depth.

Eighth Class – Pseudo-Wise Spirits

They have quite extensive knowledge, but they believe they know more than they really do.

It's a mixture of some truths with the most absurd mistakes, through which they penetrate the presumption, pride, jealousy and obstinacy, which they have not yet been able to undress.

Now, we have, here, a very important basic knowledge about the way these Spirits express themselves, don't we? And of course, as good spiritists, we will not stop here and will seek to study The Spirits' Book and other works, in order to acquire even more knowledge that can help in our contact with the Spirits. After all, it is not for nothing that Kardec, in the introduction to The Mediums' Book, begins like this:

Every day experience brings us confirmation that the difficulties and disappointments that many encounter in the practice of Spiritism originate from ignorance of the principles of this science, and we are happy to have been able to prove that our work, carried out with the objective of guarding the adepts against the pitfalls of a novitiate has borne fruit and that many people must have managed to avoid them after reading this work.

It is natural, among those who deal with Spiritism, the desire to be able to put themselves in communication with the Spirits. This work is intended to find the way for them, leading them to take advantage of our long and laborious studies, since a very false idea would form those who thought it was enough, to consider themselves an expert in this matter, to know how to put their fingers on a table, in order to to make her move, or to hold a pencil, in order to write.

One thing is certain: Kardec had no time to waste with empty words destined to embellish a pride or a vanity that, as it was very well demonstrated, he didn't have. So, what we have to do is put aside pride and dedicate ourselves to studying, instead of thinking that we know everything simply because we have any practical contact with the Spirits! That way it's much easier to judge a spiritual communication or trying to penetrate the real face of the Spirit that communicates – and Kardec, in that same article (by the fake Father Ambrósio) will give a simple and clear lesson on how to do it. We will deal with that later on.

How to deal with mystifying spirits?

To mystify means to deceive, to deceive. And we will highlight two questions asked by Kardec, directly to the mystifying Spirit (that of the false Father Ambrose, whom he had evoked) that raise important questions, which are discussed below.

“14. ─ Que pensas do que disseste em seu nome?

─ I think like those who thought of me listened.”

The question here is: who listened to them? The medium would be listening, necessarily? In other words: was that medium's fault that false communication?

“16. ─ Por que não sustentas a impostura em nossa presença?

─ 'Cause my language is a touchstone [material used to assess the purity of a material], with which you cannot be deceived.”

Why in that environment (Kardec's) did that Spirit say he couldn't deceive?

But in order to answer these questions, let's move forward in our reflections, which will make the answers very clear.

Animism

We think it is important to raise the question of animism, since it is something that persecutes and takes the sleep of many mediums and leaders of spiritist groups. Animism is the concept in which the medium presents his own content, his own thoughts, instead of presenting purely the thought of the Spirit who communicates.

It is something that actually happens a lot, being the reason for many fears, as we said, because the hypothesis was created that the medium needs to be a totally passive tool for spiritual communication. This is still true when we talk about the communication of a Spirit through a medium. However, it should not be turned into a tool of persecution or self-persecution. The importance of the question here is linked to the medium's honesty:

• When the medium acts in a totally honest way, seeking to be a good tool for the Spirits, stripped of vanity and pride, his mediumship can be developed through practice and favored by study. Thus, in more or less time, the communications given through it will be more and more “clean”, expressing the original thought of the Spirit. Therefore, animism, in this case, should not be something to be feared, as it is related to the degree of development of mediumship, considering that, in the early stages, the medium will commonly complete thoughts or translate them according to their own ideas, which are not necessarily contrary to those of the Spirit.

• When the medium consciously acts (under the gaze of material lucidity) expressing ideas that are not of a Spirit, that is, when he is not acting as a medium, but only by himself, in a waking state, but he tries to trick, as if it were a mediumistic communication, expressing the most terrible nonsense, yes this is a serious case, a problem directly linked to the medium's morals, which needs to be treated with fraternity but with firmness, so that this medium does not put the group's harmony in check. When it acts in isolation, in this case, it is only necessary that it is not taken seriously, as, unfortunately, many spiritists have done.

The honest medium must learn that, whenever he is unfocused or when no Spirit is communicated, he must inform the group, without any fear of being affected by a self-love that, in this particular case, should never exist. Unfortunately, the current spiritist centers, with the mediumistic meetings open to the public, have placed on the mediums' shoulders a deleterious responsibility of having to always be ready and available for mediumistic phenomena, which is not logical, since, mediumship being a capacity rooted in the organism, as a sixth sense, can also present several obstacles, just as a cold can take away our olfactory ability.

But there is a third aspect to consider: sometimes the animism may be welcome, as expressed in the following question from OLM (The Mediums' Book):

223 - 2nd. Can written or verbal communications also emanate from the Spirit incarnated in the medium?

“The soul of the medium can communicate, like any other. If he enjoys a certain degree of freedom, he recovers his qualities as a Spirit.[…] Because, you know, among the Spirits you evoke, there are some who are incarnated on Earth. They, then, speak to you as Spirits and not as men. Why shouldn't the same be done with the medium?”

In such a way, if the spirit of the medium itself can communicate - which happens more easily in states of somnambulism and ecstasy, as the answer to question 223-3a makes clear - it is clear that it can also bring valid and important knowledge, in the same way that a spirit freed from matter would do.

I believe that the subject of animism is relatively well understood from what has been exposed. But what about the fear that the medium may have of transmitting a communication of low content, that is, a communication frivolous, of indecent or deceptive language? We believe that the following approach will respond well in this regard.

The medium's moral influence

Having raised the issue of the fear that the medium may have of giving way to a communication of less high content, we need to reflect on the medium's role in this regard. Kardec addresses, of course, this questioning in OLM, seeking to identify the connection between the medium's morals and the mediumistic ability. Let's see:

226. 1st. Is the development of mediumship related to the moral development of mediums?

"No; the college itself takes root in the body; regardless of morale. The same is not true, however, with its use., which can be good or bad, according to the medium's qualities.”

5th. In the lessons given, in general, to the medium, without personal application, does he not appear as a passive instrument, for the instruction of others?
“Often, warnings and advice are not addressed to him personally, but to others to whom we cannot address ourselves, except through him, who, however, must take his part in such warnings and advice, if not blind him. self-love.

The first question reinforces what we said about the mediumistic faculty being rooted in the organism, which means that both the good and the bad can be mediums of greater or lesser capacity. However – and therein lies the main objective of the mediumistic faculty – the good or bad use we make of it is what will guide our morals and the will to use it for our own progress, in the service of humanity, or not.

The fifth question goes like this: the medium, as much as he is a passive instrument, must always be attentive to the communications he intermediates, because, no matter how much they are directed to others, they can have personal application - which reinforces the previous thought.

226. 6th. Since the medium's moral qualities drive away imperfect spirits, how can a medium endowed with good qualities transmit false or rude answers?

“Do you know all the corners of the human soul? Moreover, the creature can be light and frivolous, without being vicious. This is also the case, because sometimes he needs a lesson in order to keep his guard up.”

The sixth question points out that, often, a low-level communication can occur through the sympathy of mediums with Spirits who think like him or who have the same inclinations, even if this is not visible in the medium, on a daily basis. They can also happen because he sometimes needs a lesson to keep himself on his guard, or else, we suppose, so that the study group remains on guard, because we suppose that a good medium can still mediate a communication of this content. in order to test the attention of that group.

All this, however, is very valid if the group or the individual is attentive and they treat communications seriously and honestly. Otherwise, such communications, which will happen more often, will lead to the downfall of one or the other.

226. 8th. Is it absolutely impossible to obtain good communications from an imperfect medium?

“An imperfect medium can sometimes obtain good things, because, if he has a beautiful faculty, it is not uncommon for good spirits to make use of him, in the absence of another, in special circumstances; however, this only happens momentarily, because, as long as the spirits find one that suits them best, they give preference to this one.”

Spirits communicate in a friendly environment, preferably.

Note. It should be noted that when good spirits see that a medium is not well assisted and becomes, due to his imperfections, the prey of deceiving spirits, circumstances almost always arise that reveal their defects and distance them from serious and well-rounded people. -intentioned, whose good faith could be lacquered. In this case, whatever faculties he possesses, his departure is not to be missed.

a moral medium complicated but with good mediumistic abilities, it can be used by good spirits in specific situations, such as when there is no other or when the spirits think that they will produce good or that they will be able to avoid evil by doing so. Other than that, they walk away.

Kardec's note says it all: if a medium, due to his inclinations, is no longer well assisted (by good spirits) and becomes prey to inferior spirits, he is, by the good spirits themselves, removed from serious and well-intentioned people.

Conclusions about the moral influence of the medium

• A medium of good morals can be the target of a mystifying spirit. This can be a warning, as in the case that Kardec will address.
• A medium of "questionable" morals can be used, if he has a powerful mediumship, by a high spirit. However, much more often he will be the target of inferior spirits, who will end up making him fall, especially when he uses his mediumship for “questionable” purposes.

The False Father Ambrose

Kardec, in order to study the problem, approaches the case that occurred at Spiritualiste de la Nouvelle-Orléans (Click here to download the original, in French), where two deceiving spirits had posed as Father Ambrósio and Clement XIV, weaving a dialogue that was too frivolous and empty.

Kardec then evokes the three Spirits: The real Father Ambrósio, the false Fr. Ambrose and the false Clement XIV, but rather declares:

Let us hasten, however, to declare that this circle does not only receive communications of this order; there are others of a very different character, in which we find all the sublimity of thought and expression of superior spirits.

As it is possible to verify in the original magazine and also in the free translation done by our collaborator, Ariane, in the second part (third page of the document), the communications of the real Fr. Ambrose are much higher and deeper.

Kardec's conversation with the Spirits and our reflections

To the Spirit of the true Fr. Ambrose:

5. ─ How could you allow similar things in your name? Why have you not come to unmask the impostors?

─ Because I can't always prevent men and spirits from having fun.

6. ─ We understand you about the spirits. But as for the people who collected the words, they are serious people; they were not looking for fun.

─ One more reason. They must have immediately thought that such words could not but be the language of mocking spirits.

Not always good spirits can prevent such situations, because, above all, they respect the free will of others. In addition, they may allow such situations to serve as a warning to the group or individual.

7. ─ Why don't the spirits teach in New Orleans, principles perfectly identical to those they teach here?

─ Soon the doctrine dictated to you will serve you. There will only be one.

8. Since this doctrine will have to be taught there later, it seems to us that if it were taught immediately it would accelerate progress and prevent some from having harmful doubts.

─ God's plans are always impenetrable. Are there not other things which, in view of the means which he employs to attain his ends, seem incomprehensible to you? It is necessary for man to get used to distinguishing the true from the false. Not everyone could receive light from a jet without being dazzled.

The Spirit of the true Fr. Ambrósio makes it clear: the Spiritist Doctrine found, in France and in the Kardec context, the necessary basis to make itself shine with full force, without overshadow, since the sciences were very well prepared to receive their teachings, treating them rationally and with a scientific method.

A great lesson from Kardec

We talked, before, about the need to seek to distinguish the communications of the Spirits, identifying if they are honest or products of deception and if they are of more or less wise Spirits (remembering that a communication can be serious and honest, but, even so, of little importance). or no wisdom). Let's see, then, the following questions and answers exchanged between Kardec and the real Fr. Ambrose:

 9. ─ Would you be kind enough to give us your personal opinion regarding reincarnation?  

Spirits are created ignorant and imperfect. A single incarnation would not be enough for them to learn everything. It is necessary that they reincarnate in order to enjoy the happiness that God has reserved for them.  

10. Does reincarnation take place on Earth or only on other globes?  

Reincarnation takes place according to the progress of the Spirit, in more or less perfect worlds.  

11. This does not clarify whether it can occur on Earth.  

Yes, it can happen on Earth, and if Spirit asks for it as a mission, it will be more meritorious to him than if he asked for it to advance more quickly in more perfect worlds.

Now, Kardec was talking about a completely different subject. Suddenly starts asking about reincarnation? Because?

Simple: because he was trying to probe the knowledge of that Spirit, in order to know if he was really talking with a wise Spirit or if he was talking with a deceiving Spirit. Brilliant, no? This is how we should proceed, even today and always, but for that, it is necessary that we are attentive, that we have knowledge and that we leave the condition of simple passive spectators of spiritual communications.

Kardec continues, now asking the false Foot. Ambrose:

15. ─ Why did you use a respectable name to say such nonsense?

─ In our eyes, names are worthless. The works are everything. As from what I was saying, they could see what I really was, I didn't attach importance to the name replacement.

Look: the deceiving Spirit knows that the “listeners” (we know that communication was through psychography) could judge who he really was, through what he expressed. Therefore, he did not attach any importance to using the name of Fr. Ambrose.

lessons learned

Vivemos um Espiritismo muito distanciado do Espiritismo “de Kardec” (entre aspas, pois sabemos que o Espiritismo não pertence a ele nem saiu de sua cabeça). E isso não é bom, porque o Espiritismo “de Kardec” é aquela doutrina científica, nascida com base na observação racional dos fenômenos espíritas e na concordância universal do ensinamento dos Espíritos.

Today, in the Spiritist milieu, on the one hand, the medium is persecuted for “animism”; on the other hand, many mediums are treated as oracles, as if their opinions – because any individual thought, in the face of the Doctrine, that has not passed through the sieve of reason and universal agreement, can only be taken as opinion — of themselves or of the spirits that communicate, could be taken as the supreme expression of truth and wisdom. We have just seen how false and dangerous this premise is.

Should we not evoke the Spirits?

In addition, several myths were created, such as the one that says that we should not evoke the Spirits (which is only valid in case of lack of good intentions, which would constitute, in Kardec's words, a true desecration) and how what says that evocations can result in spiritual obsessions. Now the spirits are all around us all the time, and they approach us according to their affinities with what we are and think, in the depths of our soul. To obsess us, it is enough that they want to use our unwillingness and our permission and, for that, do not need to communicate with us through mediumship.

It is worth noting that if a medium or mediumistic group becomes the target of spiritual obsession, it is because there is a moral problem there, linked to the imperfections of each one, over which they need to be vigilant. Kardec and countless other researchers used educated and balanced mediums to evoke all kind of spirit, without ever suffering from obsessions to do so. Just to reinforce: these evocations had a serious purpose and were made by serious people. If they were made out of mere idle curiosity or amusement, they would be related to a moral problem, and so there we have the highlighted problem.

This question, of the possibility and validity or not of evoking the Spirits, was already very well addressed by Kardec in his article “Spiritism without the Spirits”, in the RE of January 1866, about which we made some important considerations in an article namesake (Click here to access it).

Também, na Revista de 1858, no artigo “Obsessed and Subjugated” Kardec addresses the issue of the dangers of Spiritism in more detail. We suggest reading the article emerged from our studies.

Spiritism needs defense

Many claim that Spiritism does not need to be defended and, much more, that it needs updating, as it would be outdated. I begin by saying that Spiritism needs defense YES. Affirmations contrary to this seem to come from Spirits contrary to the propagation of this Doctrine, Spirits who, by the way, have never read Kardec, who should come out in defense of Spiritism whenever appropriate. It is not a defense that attacks religions or beliefs, but a defense that points out the inaccuracies and errors, in the face of Spiritism, in the so-called Spiritist affirmations and practices.

I've heard a lot, in the spiritist environment, in different parts: the times are come. For a long time I thought it was just a warning about the difficulties we are going through. However, today I reflect: analyzing it coldly, do we really live something very different from what we already lived in other times of humanity? Or could it be that the Spirits were informing that the time has come to restore what was corrupted?

One thing is a fact: it is time to start reorganizing thoughts and resume studies that have been forgotten or lost for a long time. Some researchers have brought very important information, based on documents and original works, hitherto unknown, allowing us to know not only Spiritism in its essence, but also the sciences that gave rise to it or that, together with it, form an inseparable set. .

Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo, in the work Autonomy: the untold story of Spiritism, brings us information about Rational Spiritualism. This formed the Moral Sciences of the time and which gave basis to Spiritism, which, according to Professor Rivail's own thought, was a development of the first; at work Mesmer: a denied science of magnetism, brings very important information about Magnetism, a science that is so often cited not only by Kardec, but by the Spirits themselves. As magnetism was a very well-established Science in its time, it never had in-depth explanations by Kardec, who could not imagine that it would be extinct in the following decades; and Simoni Privato, in Allan Kardec's Legacy, gives us information regarding not only an alleged adulteration of The Genesis, a subject that is still full of controversial discussions, but also gives very important information about the complete deviation that the Parisian Spiritist Society, later transformed into an Anonymous Society and led by Pierre Gaetan Leymarie, suffered at the hands of this gentleman.

Based on these studies and on Kardec's studies, Spiritists honestly interested in seeing the return of serious research work, together with Spirits, along the lines of Kardec, need to do their part in defending the Doctrine, disseminating it without accusing and, above all, , urging the mediumistic groups to re-register communications with the Spirits, delving into them and leaving the mere condition of patient spectators, living under the misunderstood phrase, which became the motto, “the telephone rings from there to here”, to resume serious evocations and produce important material that, one day, can be independently analyzed again (read this succinct article about this reflection).

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the spiritist movement is quite distant from Kardec and from Spiritism in its real face. It started to accept the most diverse blunders, allegedly transmitted by mediumistic sources, some well known, which has caused a lot of damage not only to the movement itself, which is increasingly emptied, but also to the image of Spiritism before the society, which has learned, in large part, to see Spiritism as that opinion that comes to the surface whenever any disaster happens to say that, there, people who were redeeming a collective debt were victimized, being, therefore, guilty and deserving of that event. And this kind of thinking is widely reproduced about individual or collective tragedies, causing aversion and distancing.

As if that were not enough, Spiritism, since Kardec's death (in 1869), began to be flooded with ideas roustaguists (de Jean-Baptiste Roustaing), “doutrina” essa que se instalou no meio espírita brasileiro desde antes do início do século XX, inclusive por great sympathy from Bezerra de Menezes às suas ideias. Embora a FEB, autointitulada “cúpula do Espiritismo no Brasil”, só tenha adotado a obrigação do estudo das obras de Roustaing a partir de 1917 (read more here), the Roustainguist (or Rustanist) influence was already strong in this environment for a long time.

Then came the influences Ramatists, following the same pattern: ideas of a clearly pseudo-wise Spirit (Ramatis), who believes he knows more than he knows and who wants to put himself with messianic characteristics, rewriting the truth and putting Kardec in the trash, contradicting the Spiritist Doctrine and Science itself in countless points and, finally, without citing several other examples, came the divinism, also with the same messianic content, this time through an individual who proclaims himself the reincarnation of Kardec and who also produces the most diverse types of ideas contrary to what was already established by the universal agreement of the teachings of the Spirits and by reason.

Anyway: the Spiritist Movement is forgotten by Kardec, to the point that there is almost no Spiritism in many points, but a religious spiritualism (in the sense of dogmatic religion and full of rituals, hierarchies and priests). We need, I repeat, to do our part, actively, but without contention, that is, looking for groups and individuals honestly interested in this task, in order to assist in the restoration work, because,

what is basic, cannot be surpassed!