In this article, Kardec highlights that the Magnetism it was taught as a fact even within the Catholic Church.
“We have in our hands a booklet entitled Abrégé, en form de catéchisme, of the elementary course of Christian instruction, for use in catechism and in Christian schools.
In one of the chapters on the first commandment, where sins against religion are treated, and after having spoken of superstition, magic and sorcery, he says the following:
Q. ─ What is magnetism?
R. ─ It is a reciprocal influence that sometimes operates on individuals, according to a harmony of relationships., either by the will or by the imagination, or by the physical sensibility, and whose main phenomena are somnolence, sleep, somnambulism and the convulsive state.
"P. ─ What are the effects of magnetism?
“R. ─ Ordinarily, it is said, magnetism produces two main effects: 1st) A state of somnambulism, in which the magnetized person, completely deprived of the use of the senses, sees, hears, speaks and answers all the questions that are asked to him. directed; 2nd) An intelligence and wisdom that only exist in crisis: he knows his condition, the suitable remedies for his ailments, as well as what certain people, even distant, do.
Comment: We could add to this the magnetic interaction between individuals at will. A question of autonomy enters here, because, in this context, nothing happens with the individual without his will.
"P. ─ In good conscience, is it lawful to magnetize or allow oneself to be magnetized?
“R. ─ 1st) If, for the magnetic operation, means are used, or if effects are obtained by it that presuppose diabolic intervention, it will be a superstitious work and must never be allowed; 2) The same is true when magnetic communications are contrary to modesty; 3rd) Assuming care is taken to keep away from the practice of magnetism any abuse, any danger to faith or customs, any pact with the devil, it is doubtful whether he is allowed to have recourse to it as a natural and useful remedy.”
Despite the contradiction, it is a book intended for the religious education of the masses. Completes Kardec: “The author's qualification is of great importance here. It is not an obscure man who speaks or a simple priest who expresses his opinion: he is a vicar general who teaches.
Another setback and another warning to those who judge too hastily.”
Black magic, spells, baths in rock salt and herbs, amulets, Wicca: does it all exist?
Rare are the beliefs and even superstitions that, over the millennia, have no basis in truth. In fact, Allan Kardec has always tried to show that the truth has always been in the history of humanity, transmitted through all times, but that it was only muffled by the characteristic errors of human ignorance and also by the dogmas purposely created to control consciences.
In “Practical Instructions on Spiritist Manifestations”, Kardec defines it this way:
MAGIC, MAGE — from gr. mageia, deep knowledge of nature; whence magi, sage, scientist trained in magic; priest, sage and philosopher among the ancient Persians. Originally magic was the science of the sages; all those who knew astrology, who boasted of foretelling the future, who did extraordinary and incomprehensible things to the common people, were magicians or sages who were later called magicians. Abuse and quackery discredited magic; but all the phenomena that we reproduce today through magnetism, somnambulism and spiritism prove that magic was not a purely chimerical art and that, among many absurdities, there was certainly much that was true. The vulgarization of these phenomena has the effect of destroying the prestige of those who once operated under the cloak of secrecy and abused credulity, attributing an alleged supernatural power to themselves. Thanks to this vulgarization, today we know that there is nothing supernatural and that certain things only seem to derogate from the laws of nature because we do not know their causes.
Magic in Ancient Egypt
One of the greatest examples of this were the Egyptians, who were deeply knowledgeable about mediumship and many of the truths that Spiritism professes today. However, this knowledge was reserved for the initiates — the priests, in general — and, to the public, the mystical image of terrible and vengeful gods and a false superhuman power attributed to priests and pharaohs was passed on. The same structure was copied by other religions that followed.
The Egyptians also practiced the various rituals of magic (heka) which, far from the negative meaning that the West makes of the word, was one of the gifts granted by the god (in lower case because their belief was not exactly like ours, in a single, sovereign God, etc):
Well attended are men, the cattle of the god. He made heaven and earth for your sake, repelled the water monster, and made the breath of life (to) your nose. He shines in the sky because of you, and he made plants, cattle, birds, and fish for them (everything) to feed them. (however) he killed his enemies and destroyed even his own children when they tried to rebel. He made daylight for your sake and sails (in the sky) for you to see. He erected […] his sanctuary among them, and when they cry he hears. He made them rulers in the egg, guides to lift the backs of the weak. He made magic [heka] for them as a weapon to deflect the blow of what happens (bad), watching over them day and night. killed the traitors who were among them as a man beats his son for his brother's sake, for the god knows every name.
(ARAÚJO, 2000, p. 291. Our emphasis)((ARAÚJO, Emanuel. Written for Eternity: literature in pharaonic Egypt. Brasília: UnB, 2000.)).
The Magic Among the Druids
Both the Egyptians and practically all peoples had their practices of magic. The same happened among the Druids, people in charge of counseling and teaching tasks and legal and philosophical guidance in Celtic society. In general, it can be said that they were priests and sages. They existed since before Christ, more than 3000 years ago.
One of the most legendary mages of all, Merlin, would have also been a Druid.
Considered as witches and sorcerers, full of rituals that would even include human sacrifices (which to date has not been proven) — the reason why they were largely exterminated by the Romans — the druids were, in fact, a priestly class that lived among nature and that gathered from it the elements necessary for their rituals, among them healing.
The magic for millennia
The ideas of magic or healing, as we said, perhaps permeated all people, at all times. In Brazil, we have healers, sorcerers and shamans, among the indigenous peoples and, more recently, faith healers, as well as Wicca, born in Europe, and countless other denominations that, wrapped in dogmas, rituals and particular beliefs, have, in deep down, the belief in the power of prayer (or formulas) and nature to cure illnesses — and they believe, some of them, to cast an evil spell against others. Wiccans, for example, going (to some extent) in the direction of Mesmer's Magnetism, which we will present below, believe that magic is the law of nature still misunderstood or ignored by contemporary science ((Valiente, Doreen (1973). An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present. [Sl]: Hale. 231 pages)), and as such, they do not see it as being supernatural, but as being a part of the “super powers that reside in the natural”.
Mesmer's Magnetism
Kardec would say that “unshakable faith is the only faith that can face reason face to face, in all ages of Humanity“. Let us, therefore, take care to make an approximation with the science that already exists regarding these beliefs.
Very briefly, Franz Anton mesmer was a doctor, scientist and scholar who, based on rational experiments, postulated the theory known as Animal Magnetism ((FIGUEIREDO, Paulo Henrique de. Mesmer – A Ciência Negada do Magnetismo Animal. FEAL, 2022)).
Mesmer came into conflict with the science of his time, which, in order to explain everything that could not be analyzed by devices and human senses, created the theory of fluids (for the scientists of the time, electricity would be a fluid, as well as magnetism and even life). For him - which later was confirmed by Spiritism and by current science — there was the Universal Cosmic Fluid, which gave rise to everything. Each different state of matter, even that which was intangible and imperceptible, would only be a different constitution of this original fluid, vibrating at a different frequency (this is exactly what modern physics explains, more than 200 years after Mesmer's theory).
According to Mesmer's theory - and spiritist science - the human being is capable, by will, of interacting on what became known as perispiritual fluid, which constitutes the link between Spirit and matter.
the perispirit
The perispirit, as concluded by Kardec, connects to the body molecule by molecule((KARDEC, Allan. A Gênesis. 2nd Edition. FEAL, 2018)) (in fact, cell by cell, but at that time there was no such organic knowledge) and, through the action of thought, through this intrinsic connection, it influences you positively or negatively, being able to obtain cures or create illnesses. It is the principle of illnesses psychosomatic and, in the background, of placebo effect, for which modern science cannot find a definitive explanation precisely because it ignores the sciences of Magnetism and Spiritism, which they call superstitious.
It should be noted that the perispirit is a theory based not only on everything that great thinkers have always conceived, including Socrates and Plato — and Mesmer himself — but also on reason and the observation of phenomena and spiritist communications, as presented. on here. Kardec would say, in The Mediums' Book:
Numerous observations and irrefutable facts, of which we will speak later, have led to the consequence that there are three components in man: 1st, the soul, or Spirit, intelligent principle, where the moral sense has its seat; 2nd, the body, a gross, material covering, which he temporarily clothed himself in, in fulfillment of certain providential designs; 3rd, the perispirit, a fluidic, semi-material envelope that serves as a link between the soul and the body.
[…]
The perispirit is not one of those hypotheses that science usually uses to explain a fact. Its existence was not only revealed by the Spirits, it is the result of observations, as we will have the opportunity to demonstrate. For now, and as we do not anticipate the facts that we are about to relate, we will limit ourselves to saying that, whether during its union with the body, or after separating from it, the soul is never disconnected from its body. perispirit.
In A Genesis, Kardec concludes:
Experimental Spiritism studied the properties of spiritual fluids and their action about the matter. It has demonstrated the existence of the perispirit, about which there were suspicions since antiquity, being called by São Paulo Spiritual Body, that is, the fluidic body of the soul after the destruction of the tangible body. We now know that this sheath is inseparable from the soul; which is one of the constitutive elements of the human being; which is the vehicle for the transmission of thought and which, during the life of the body, serves as a link between Spirit and matter. The perispirit plays such an important role in the organism and in many conditions that it is linked to both Physiology and Psychology.
The perispirit is not, therefore, a theory, nor even a hypothesis, for Spiritism. Follows Kardec, in the same work, stating that…
As a means of elaboration, Spiritism proceeds in the same way as the Sciences positive, that is, it applies the experimental method. When new facts are presented which cannot be explained by means of known laws, he observes them, compares them, analyzes them and, going back from the effects to the causes, arrives at the law that governs them; then it deduces its consequences and looks for its useful applications. It does not establish any preconceived theory. Thus, it does not present as a hypothesis neither the existence, nor intervention of the Spirits, nor even the perispirit, reincarnation or any other principle of the doctrine.. It concludes for the existence of spirits when it became evident by observation of the facts, and it has proceeded in the same way in relation to the other principles. It was not, therefore, the facts that later came to confirm the theory, but the theory that came later to explain and summarize the facts. It is therefore strictly accurate to say that Spiritism is a Science of observation, and not the product of imagination..
Cures, passes, black magic and sorcery
Here, however, it is necessary to make a very important observation, based on the two sciences mentioned above: since animal magnetism is not a transference of fluids, but an action of the will on perispiritual fluids, it is essential that the other end share the will and acceptance so that this interaction prolonged come true.
When Mesmer and many of his disciples healed, this action took place through countless hours of approaching the patient, from the sympathy of ideas and, figuratively, of energies and, then, the treatment, almost always through passes, started for long hours, and could be carried out periodically, in order to achieve the result. The patient, at this stage, made himself totally available and in favor of the cure, which, not infrequently, took place in a remarkable way. Then, Spiritism came to demonstrate that these cures are almost always associated with kind spirits who help in the process.
Note: This image is just an illustration of the laying on of hands.
Of course, Mesmer's entire theory did not fail to create scathing enemies, but this is a topic for dedicated reading by the reader ((FIGUEIREDO, Paulo Henrique de. Ibidem)).
In the same way as with healing, black magic and sorcery rituals (which, in fact, are the action of the will - although maleficent - on the perispiritual fluid, with or without the participation of inferior spirits) depend inexorably on the acceptance of the counterparty for the influence to be fulfilled. See that, in any case, it is not a fluid that is transferred from one to another, but the effect of the mental action of one on the other. That's why, simply and correctly, the saying “if you don't believe it, don't take it” is accurate.
I go further: you know that idea that words of hate are a jet of negative energy that hits the other? It's also a myth. The other is only contaminated with the bad state if he allows it, and what happens is not that he lets an energy in, but that he himself creates the “bad energy”.
We see, therefore, that, with regard to "black magic", to begin by dissolving superstition is the first good that is done. The creature who doesn't even believe that already puts himself a foot away from this influence. However, it remains to be said that the vibration, here, enters with great propriety: the individual who, mentally, moves away from the good, either by ostensible action in evil, or by the cultivation of passions and imperfections, places his perispirit (being matter, but in a state quintessential) in a vibratory state susceptible of being influenced by the thoughts of other Spirits in the same tune, incarnate or disincarnate. Therefore, if the individual is in this state, he will not receive an influx of magic as if it were something tangible, but, through the action of someone else's thought, he will be able to influence himself. In fact, it is not even necessary to resort to magic for this: people influence each other, positively or negatively, day after day.
Is everything energy?
This statement is extremely common: we are energy. However, before proceeding, we have to say: not everything is energy.
Neither God nor Spirits are energy. Energy is something physical. God is something else, and Spirit is something else yet. If they were energy, they would be matter and, therefore, would be subject to the transformations of matter, including disaggregation and, therefore, would have an end. But we know that the Spirit is immortal and that God, in addition to being immortal, also does not have a beginning.
That's why anything that which is material has an influence on the Spirit, unless he believes it. By the same principle, nothing that is spiritual has direct action on matter. If this were not the case, it would be very easy for an evil Spirit to carry out a materially harmful action on an incarnate person, including creating diseases and installing control “chips”. We emphasize: all this is nothing more than superstition, and it is in this sense, so well understood here, that, in The Spirits’ Book, the following is stated:
Can a bad man, with the help of a bad spirit dedicated to him, harm his neighbor?
551. Can a bad man, with the help of a bad Spirit dedicated to him, harm his neighbor?
— "No; God would not allow it.”
KARDEC, Allan. The Spirits' Book, 1860
“God would not allow it” contains all the explanations given so far: a bad man, with or without the help of a bad spirit, cannot do evil against another, through spells, spells or conjurations. "It is the law of God."
We would say, however: “but a man can harm another by direct, even physical means”. This seems logical... But, if we think more deeply, even this harm done physically, such as, for example, a wound by a weapon or even death, can only represent harm to its victim if it allows itself to be harmed. Now, the other performs an action, far from good, through ignorance that he is doing evil to himself. As much as it hurts, it is my choice to let myself be affected by this action, allowing myself to linger over thoughts of anger, anguish, revolt, revenge, etc., which is when I myself do evil to myself. see what thought liberator!
Want a practical example? Let us think of Jesus: from our point of view, we have done him a lot of harm. From his point of view, however, nothing we did hit him, and he suffered no harm other than physical pain, for his degree of spiritual elevation no longer made him susceptible to anything they did. Here's our goal.
Flushing baths, coarse salt, herbs and amulets
Arriving at this point, we assume that the principle of “energetic” action between incarnated beings and the principle of the inexistence of an energetic action between Spirits and incarnated beings, and vice versa, is already quite clear. It became evident that no Spiritual action, whether by an incarnated or disembodied Spirit, can directly affect another incarnated individual (and it remains to rule out that the action between disincarnated Spirits is always moral and depends on the acceptance of the other). Therefore, recommending any material devices to attract or repel these influences is almost entirely a waste of time, since what is wanted is that the affected party rationally takes a firm stand against the influences of extraneous thought, which only happens. with the active moral transformation of the individual.
But what about the placebo effect? Of course, we don't rule it out. A person can, yes, believing in the power of an amulet or an herb, or even a bodily cleansing, or the environment, assume a different, more positive and active attitude and, from there, remove the previous influences. However, let's see, here is the will of that person, and not the supposed strength of those elements, which promoted the modification of his state. However, there is a very negative side to this aspect: being motivated by superstitious and unscientific beliefs, the person can often forget the main thing, that the modification itself, granting the desired effect to the action of these elements and, thus, prolonging his own suffering.
And, even clearer, we are not ruling out the effects physicists that matter has on matter; it is, moreover, the beginning of all that we have said above.
Finally, we can even resort to the much-mentioned action of André Luiz's mentor, in the novel Nosso Lar, que vai à Floresta, in the land, and there supposedly collects elements extracted from the trees to treat of the body of the incarnate individual. We know about the principle of spiritual healing, but it is important to remember that, for this action to be possible - from the collection of natural principles, to application to the sick, the existence of a medium is necessary who, even without consciousness, can provide some fluid specific perispiritual for this task. Who knows, following this theory, this didn't happen through André Luiz's own daughter, who demonstrated latent mediumship?
And does prayer or prayer work?
It depends, because the prayer or prayer must have the intention honest of the individual who recognizes his imperfections, his faults and asks for help to win these difficulties. That is the purpose of prayer. Through it, the individual elevates his thoughts, changes his tune and puts himself in contact with the superior spirits - as long as his intention is honest and true.
However, if prayer is done "with your mouth", a mechanical repetition of "sacred" formulas and if, above all, it transfers responsibility to someone else, whether to God or to a Spirit of any order, it will be ineffective, since the person is not attentive and committed to his own modification. Neither God nor any Spirit do anything for us, if not to inspire and direct us to the situations, contents and knowledge that can help us. That is, they take us to the door, many times, but opening it and entering is something that depends on us, exclusively.
Let's look at an example:
“[…] I now appeal to the 13th dimensional Security Circle to completely seal, protect and increase Michael Archangel's shield, as well as to remove anything that is not of a Christed nature and that currently exists within this field.
I now appeal to the Ascended Masters and our Christed assistants to completely remove and dissolve each and every implant and its seeded energies, parasites, spiritual weapons and self-imposed limitation devices, both known and unknown. Once that is completed, I call for the complete restoration and repair of the original energy field, infused with the golden Christ energy.”
This is an excerpt from the well-known “21-day prayer of Saint Michael the Archangel for spiritual liberation”. Review this excerpt and, if you wish, the rest of it. Compare with everything we have exposed so far. It is full of concepts. false and is based on the heteronomous concept: do it for me.
Therefore, we repeat, to emphasize and conclude: incarnate or disincarnate, all, absolutely all, from evil to cure, depends solely and exclusively on the action of our will. Without her, nothing gets done..
At this banquet there were two types of “supporters”: those who mocked Spiritism, forgetting that Spiritism itself science that they embraced - and I emphasize the word because, in fact, it was an established and recognized science at the time - had, in turn, faced the same type of hurdle that, at that time, Spiritism also faced and, on the other hand, those who, even if they did not profess Spiritism, were of the opinion that it should be respected as a science of its importance.
The text itself does not go much further than that, in depth. We only take this opportunity to highlight a few important points:
– Magnetism was a science cited several times by Kardec but never deepened, because, in its context, it was fully established and understood. He could never imagine that it would be put into oblivion by a strong materialist movement in the future.
– Mesmer was a controversial scientist for a long time. By many, he was painted as crazy or a deceiver. Currently, however, his true face is being rescued: that of a sage, very cultured, who formulated the first theory about the Universal Cosmic Fluid and its influence on human health.
– “Through” Mesmer, countless patients were cured of the most diverse illnesses, just by will, at a time when medicine performed bloodletting and cold-blooded surgeries, procedures from which few survived.
– Magnetism and Spiritism are sister sciences. One without the other is incomplete, limp.
– We suggest that everyone read the book “Mesmer: the negated science of animal magnetism”, by Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo, just started by us.
