The Spirits' Book

76. How can spirits be defned?
“Spirits may be defned as intelligent beings of the creation. They populate the universe outside the material world.”


NOTE. The word spirit is employed here to designate extra-corporeal beings, and not the universal intelligent element.

77. Are spirits distinct from the Divinity, or are they portions of the Divinity called sons or children of God for that reason?
“Good Gracious! Spirits are the work of God, just like a machine is the work of the person who made it. The machine is the product of the person’s work, but not the person. When human beings have created something useful, they call it their child or creation. Well then, the same applies to us in relation to God. We are God’s children because we are the product of Divine work.”

78. Do spirits have a beginning or birth, or have they existed for all eternity like God?
“If spirits did not have a beginning, they would be equal to God, but they are God’s creation and subject to Divine will. It is indisputable that God is eternal, but we know nothing in regard to when and how we were created. In this sense, we have had no beginning since God is eternal, the Creator must have unceasingly created. As to when and how each of us was made, I will repeat, no one knows. This is a mystery.”

79. Since there are two general elements in the universe, the intelligent element and the material element, is it correct to say that spirits are formed from the intelligent element as inert bodies are formed from the material element?
“Obviously. Spirits are the individualizations of the intelligent principle, as bodies are the individualizations of the material principle. It is the time and mode of this formation that are unknown to us.”

82. Is it accurate to say that spirits are immaterial?
“How could something for which no terms of comparison exist, and that your language is unable to express be defned? Can someone born blind defne light? Immaterial is not the right word, perhaps incorporeal would be more accurate, for a spirit, since it is a creation, it must be something real. The spirit is quintessentialized matter existing in a state that has no equivalent within your scope of comprehension, and it is so ethereal that it transcends your senses.”


We say that spirits are immaterial, because their essence differs from everything that we know as matter. A nation of blind people has no way of expressing light and its effects. For someone who is born blind, the only methods of perception are sound, smell, taste, and touch. He does not understand the ideas that would be perceived by a sense that he lacks. Accordingly, with respect to the essence of superhuman beings, we are truly blind. We can only defne them by comparisons that are imperfect or the product of our imagination.

83. Do spirits have an end? We understand that their source is eternal, but we want to know whether their individual existence has a fxed term, and if, after a given period of time, the element from which they are formed is re-distributed. Does it return to the mass from which they were produced, as is the fate of material bodies? It is diffcult to understand the concept that something that has had a beginning does not have an end.
“As humans have limited intelligence, there are many things that you do not understand. Regardless, this does not constitute suffIcient grounds for rejection. Children do not understand all that is understood by their parents, nor does an uneducated person understand all 66 Allan Kardec - The Spirits’ Book that is understood by an educated one. The existence of spirits has no end and that is all that we can reveal at this time.”

87. Do spirits live in a specifc, restricted region in space?
“Spirits are everywhere and they populate infnite space in infnite number. Imperceptible to humans, they are always beside you, observing and acting upon you as they are one of the powers of nature and the instruments employed by God to accomplish God’s designs. All spirits do not go everywhere, and there are regions that are restricted to those who are less advanced.”

88. Do souls have a fxed, limited, and unchanging form?
“For us, yes but not for you. You can imagine them as a fame, gleam or ethereal spark.”

a) Is this fame or spark colored? “To you, it would vary between a dull gray and brilliant ruby, depending on the degree of the spirit’s purity.” Geniuses are usually represented with a fame or star on their foreheads – an allegorical allusion to the essential nature of spirits. The fame or star is on the head because it is the center of intelligence.

90. When a spirit travels, is it conscious of distance it travels and space it crosses, or is it suddenly transported to its desired destination?
“A spirit can travel either way. If it so wishes, it can be aware of the distance it travels, or it can completely disregard the sense of distance. This depends on the spirit’s will and degree of purity.”

92. Do spirits have the gift of omnipresence? In other words, can a spirit divide itself, or exist at several points in space at the same time?
“A spirit cannot be divided, but every spirit radiates in all directions. That is how a spirit may appear to be in several places at once. The sun is only one body, yet it radiates in all directions and its rays of light travel great distances, but it is not divided.”

a) Do all spirits have the same power of radiation?
“This depends on the degree of their purity and varies greatly.” Each spirit is an indivisible unit, but it has the power of extending its thought without dividing itself. It is only in this sense that spirits are omnipresent. This capability is like that of a spark, emitting its brightness so strongly that it can be perceived from every point on the horizon; or like individuals who can transmit orders or signals to many distant points in several different directions without changing their position or dividing themselves.

93. Is the spirit uncovered or is it enveloped in a substance of some kind, as postulated by some?
“The spirit is enveloped in a vaporous substance, as you perceive it, although that would seem too heavy and cumbersome to us. It is suffciently vaporous to allow a spirit to foat in the atmosphere and travel through space as it so desires.”

As the seed of a fruit is surrounded by the perisperm, the spirit is surrounded by an envelope that, by analogy, may be called the perispirit.

94. From where does the spirit draw its semi-material envelope?
“From the universal fuid of each world. For this reason, the perispirit is not the same in every world. When traveling from one world to another, the spirit changes its envelope as you change your clothing.”

a) When spirits of higher worlds visit us, do they adopt a more material perispirit?
“Yes, they must clothe themselves with your matter in order to be able to enter your world, as we have already said.”

95. Does the semi-material envelope of the spirit assume specifc forms, and can it ever become perceptible to us?
“Yes, it can assume any form that the spirit may choose. This is how a spirit is sometimes able to make itself visible to you, whether in dreams or when awake, and can assume a form that may be visible and even tangible.”

97. Is there a set number of orders or degrees of purifcation among spirits?
“The number is unlimited, because there is no marked line between the different degrees of elevation. As there are no fxed or arbitrary divisions among spirits, there may be a greater or lesser number of orders, depending on the point of view from which they are contemplated. If we consider the general characteristics of spirits, we may reduce them to three principal orders.”

“The highest rank is held by those who have reached perfection. These are the pure spirits. In the second rank we have those who have reached the middle of the ladder. These spirits are mainly concerned with doing good. The third or lowest rank comprises those who are towards the bottom of the scale: the imperfect spirits. They are characterized by ignorance, a penchant for malevolence, and all the low passions that hinder their progress.”

98. Do second order spirits only desire good or do they also have the power to accomplish it?
“That power is proportionate to their degree of perfection. Some are distinguished by their scientifc knowledge, others by their wisdom and kindness. Despite this, it is still necessary for all of them to experience trials.”

99. Are all third order spirits essentially bad?
“No. Some are neutral, not doing any good or bad. In contrast, others take pleasure in wickedness and are delighted when they fnd an opportunity to do wrong. Others may be flippant or mischievous rather than malicious. They amuse themselves by perplexing the human beings on whom they are able to act and annoying them for their own pleasure.”

100. Preliminary Observations.—Spirits are classified based on the degree of their advancement, the qualities they have acquired, and the imperfections they still possess. This classification is by no means absolute. It is only a summary of the typical character of each category, for each flows seamlessly into the one immediately above it. Specific characteristics of the successive categories blend into one another as is often the case in nature, as seen in the colors of the rainbow and the phases of a human life.

Consequently, spirits may be divided into a number of classes, depending on one’s perspective, as in the case of any other scientific classification system. The systems adopted may be more or less comprehensive, rational, or appropriate for understanding, but, regardless of this, they have no effect on the facts of science. When questioned in this respect, spirits vary as to the number of categories into which they are divided. This is not a matter of practical importance. Too much emphasis is placed on this contradiction by those who fail to realize that disembodied intelligences completely dismiss any form of orthodoxy. For them, the meaning of a statement is the only important factor. They leave its form, as well as the choice of terms and classification to us—basically all that is required to establish systems.

We should also never lose sight of the fact that spirits, just like physical beings, can be very unaware. We can never be too careful in believing that all spirits know everything simply because they are spirits.

Classification requires a method, analysis, and thorough knowledge of the subject. Spirits who possess only a small amount of knowledge are as incapable as unaware human beings in terms of grasping the whole scope of any subject, let alone formulating a system. They have no idea, or at best, an imperfect one, regarding any sort of classification. All spirits superior to them appear to be of the highest order, because they are incapable of distinguishing between the various shades of knowledge, capacity and integrity by which they are separated, much like a savage would not be able to distinguish between the characteristics of civilized people. Even those who are capable of making this perception may vary in their comprehension of details, according to their unique perspective, especially in regard to a matter that is not unconditional. Linnaeus, Jussieu and Tournefort each have their own classification system, but the nature of botany has not changed due to this variation between botanists. They have not invented plants or their characteristics, only observed certain analogies, according to which they have formed certain groups or classes. We have proceeded in the same fashion. We have not invented spirits or their characteristics, only seen and observed them. We have then judged them by their own words and actions, and then classified them by similarity. Our classification is based on the information provided by them.

Spirits generally acknowledge the existence of three primary categories or main divisions. The bottom of the hierarchy is made up of imperfect spirits who are characterized by the predominance of the matter over the spirit, and the propensity to be wicked. Second degree spirits are good spirits characterized by the predominance of the spirit over the matter and the desire for good. The first or highest category consists of those who are pure spirits and have attained the supreme degree of perfection.

This division of spirits into three separate categories is perfectly logical, and under this general classification, we only need to highlight subdivisions within these three categories. We have done this with the assistance of the spirits themselves, whose benevolent teachings have never failed us.

Using this table, it is easy to determine the superiority or inferiority of the spirits with whom we may communicate, and, consequently, the respect and confidence to which they are entitled. Determining these points is a key to Spiritism, as by enlightening us in regard to the intellectual and moral inequalities of spirits, it can explain the inconsistencies presented by spirit communications. We have, however, remarked that spirits do not always belong exclusively to one specific class. As their progress is only accomplished gradually, they may display the characteristics of several categories, a fact that is easily reconciled by scrutinizing their language and their actions.

101. General Characteristics – Matter has a predominant infuence over the spirit. The spirit has a propensity to do wrong and is marked by ignorance, pride, selfshness, and all the related vile passions.

They intuitively realize the existence of God, but they do not understand God.

They are not all entirely bad. Many of these spirits are more frivolous, lacking reasoning power, and love mischief, rather than being downright malicious. Some do neither good nor bad, but the very fact that they do not do good is a glaring indication of their subservience. In contrast, others take immense pleasure in doing wrong, and are thrilled when they discover an opportunity to do wrong.

A certain amount of intelligence is often associated with malice and the love of mischief in these spirits. However, regardless of their intellectual development, their ideas lack elevation, and their sentiments are inferior, overall.

Their knowledge of the spirit world is narrow, and what they do know is muddled with the prejudices of the physical life. They give false and incomplete notions of the spirit world, but an intent observer may always fnd the validation of great truths proclaimed by higher spirits, no matter how imperfect their communication may be.

Their language reveals their character. Every spirit who betrays malicious intentions may be ranked in the third order. Every bad thought suggested to our minds comes from a spirit of this order.

The happiness enjoyed by good spirits causes everlasting torment on spirits of the third order. It stems from the anguish produced by envy and jealousy.

They retain the memory and perception of physical suffering, and this impression is often more painful than reality. They suffer both from the misfortunes they have themselves endured, and those that they have caused to others. As this torture persists for a very long time, they feel that they are destined to suffer for eternity. God allows them to believe in this eternal suffering as a form of atonement.

They may be further divided into fve main classes.

102. Tenth Class – IMPURE SPIRITS. – These spirits are inclined to wrongdoing, and make it the center of their attention. As spirits, they give false and devious advice, cause confict and suspicion, and don every mask possible to more effectively deceive humans. They torment weak people who yield to their suggestions, and take great joy in delaying their advancement and causing them to fail in the trials of corporeal life.

These spirits are recognized easily by the language they use while communicating. Vulgar or trivial language, whether employed by spirits or human beings, is always an indication of moral and at times intellectual inferiority. Their communications reveal the immorality of their inclinations. Try all they might to infuence us by speaking in a thoughtful manner, they are unable to keep up the charade, and eventually betray their true nature.

Some people designate them as malevolent divinities, while others call them demons, evil geniuses or bad spirits.

The human beings embodying such spirits are addicted to all the vices of debasing passions – sensuality, cruelty, deceit, hypocrisy, greed, and avarice. They commit heinous acts solely for the sake of doing evil, without having any specifc motive and, as they hate all that is good, they generally target honest victims. They are a plague upon humanity, regardless of their social standing, and the mask of civilization is not enough to hide their ignorance and depravity.

103. Ninth Class – FRIVOLOUS SPIRITS. – These spirits are ignorant, mischievous, irrational, and masters of ridicule. They intrude in everything, and reply to every question with no regard for the truth. They delight in irritating others, raising false hopes, and misleading people with hoaxes and tricks. The spirits commonly called goblins, sprites, will-o’-the-wisps, and gnomes belong to this class. They are often utilized as servants by spirits of higher orders.

In their communications with people, they are often witty and lighthearted but extremely superfcial. They are quick to pick up on people’s quirks and traits, on which they comment sarcastically. They are fond of borrowing the names of respected individuals for sport, rather than attempting to genuinely deceive.

104. Eighth Class – FALSE SCHOLARS. – These spirits often possess considerable knowledge, but fancy knowing a great deal more than they actually know. Having accomplished a certain degree of progress, their language has a tone of dignity that may easily give a false impression of their enlightenment. In truth, their ideas are generally nothing more than the refection of the preconceptions and fawed reasoning of their human life. Their statements are a combination of truths and the most absurd errors, overwhelmed by arrogance, pride, jealousy, and stubbornness, from which they have not been able to free themselves.

105. Seventh Class – NEUTRAL SPIRITS. – These spirits are neither good enough to do right, nor bad enough to do wrong. They sometimes are inclined to one, sometimes to the other and are equal to humankind in terms of both integrity and intelligence. They are strongly attached to the things of this world, and greatly miss all their material satisfactions.

106. Sixth Class – BOISTEROUS AND DISRUPTIVE SPIRITS. – Strictly speaking, these spirits do not form a clear-cut category based on their personal qualities, they may even belong to any of the third order classes. They often reveal themselves by producing of phenomena perceptible to people, such as knocking, the movement and abnormal displacement of inert bodies, rustling the air, and other similar occurrences. They appear to be attached to matter more than any other type of spirit, and are the principal agents in determining changes in the physical elements, air, water, fre, or in the entrails of the earth. Whenever these phenomena present a deliberate or intelligent nature, a random, physical cause should never be assumed. All spirits can produce physical phenomena, but elevated spirits usually leave them to the devices of lower spirits, who are more suitable to act upon matter than intelligent matters. When higher spirits deem that manifestations of this nature are of some noble use, they employ subordinate spirits as their aids.

107. General Characteristics – These spirits prevail over matter and desire excellence. Their qualities and power to do good match their degree of perfection. While some possess scientifc knowledge, others have acquired wisdom and charity. The more advanced spirits combine intelligence with moral superiority. Not yet completely dematerialized, they preserve the traces of their physical existence, which vary greatly according to their rank. These traces are seen either in their method of expression, practices, or even in the quirks and habits still retained by them. If it were not for these weaknesses and imperfections, they would be able to be pure spirits.


They understand God and infnity, and share the happiness of higher spirits. Doing good and preventing malevolence truly inspires them and makes them happy. Envy, regret and all the bad passions that torment imperfect spirits have no place in the hearts of good spirits, the love that unites them is an overwhelming source of happiness. Nevertheless, they still have trials to undergo to reach absolute perfection.


As spirits, they inspire good thoughts, turn people away from the path of wickedness, protect those whose actions make them worthy of their assistance, and neutralize the infuence of lower spirits on the minds of those who do not willingly yield to the sinful guidance of the latter.


The human beings that these spirits reincarnate into are good and compassionate towards others. They are motivated neither by pride, selfshness, nor ambition. They feel neither hatred, resentment, envy, nor jealousy, and do good purely for the sake of doing good.


Good, protective, and benevolent spirits belong to this order. During periods of ignorance and superstition, people worshiped them as benefcent deities.


They may be divided into four main groups.

108. Fifth Class – BENEVOLENT SPIRITS. – These spirits shine in their sense of kindness. They take pleasure in helping and protecting people. Their knowledge is somewhat narrow and although they have progressed in the moral sense, they are lacking in intelligence.

109. Fourth Class – SCHOLARLY SPIRITS. – These spirits are particularly marked by the vast extent of their knowledge. They are more interested in scientifc research, for which they have a greater aptitude, than moral issues. Their scientifc studies are always focused on practical utility, and are entirely free of the passions commonly possessed by imperfect spirits.

110. Third Class – WISE SPIRITS. – These spirits are set apart by their extremely elevated moral qualities. Not yet possessing unlimited knowledge, they have an intellectual capacity that enables them to judge people and things correctly.

111. Second Class – SUPERIOR SPIRITS. – These spirits exemplify scientifc knowledge, wisdom, and goodness. Their language only displays benevolence and it is always dignifed and elevated, often times sublime. Their superiority makes them the most likely to be motivated to share the most honest ideas with respect to the invisible world with human beings, within the limits of the knowledge permitted to us. They willingly communicate with those who honestly seek truth, and with those who have freed themselves enough from the shackles of materialism to be capable of understanding it. They dismiss those whose inquiries are prompted only by curiosity, or who veer from the path of righteousness in pursuit of material temptations.


Under exceptional circumstances, they may incarnate on Earth to accomplish a mission of advancement or development, and they show us the ideal perfection to which we can hope to attain on Earth.

112. General Characteristics. – Matter has no infuence over these spirits. They are characterized by the moral and intellectual superiority in relation to the spirits of others.

113. First Class – ONLY CLASS. – These spirits have climbed every rung of the ladder of progress, and have shed all the impurities of matter. As they have reached the sum of perfection that can be achieved by created beings, they no longer experience trials or tribulations. No longer subjected to reincarnation, they enter eternal life in the immediate presence of God. They enjoy permanent happiness, because they are no longer subject to the wants or variations of material life. This happiness is not the tedious idleness of perpetual contemplation. They are God’s messengers and ministers, the executors of God’s will in maintaining universal harmony. They exercise independent control over all inferior spirits, aid them in accomplishing their purifcation, and assign each of them a mission for their progress.


They genuinely strive to assist human beings in their time of need by motivating them to the love of good or making amends for the faults that keep them from supreme happiness. They are sometimes called angels, archangels, or seraphim


People can communicate with them; however, those who claim to have them constantly at their service are foolishly arrogant.

115. Are some spirits created good and others bad?
“God created all spirits simple and unaware, meaning lacking all knowledge. God has given them each a particular mission, to enlighten them and help them gradually reach perfection through the knowledge of the truth, and rise closer to Him. In that perfection they will fnd eternal bliss without any troubles. Spirits acquire knowledge by experiencing the trials inficted by God. While some accept these trials with resignation and arrive at their destiny more quickly, others are defant and remain far from the perfection and happiness promised to them through no fault other than their own.”


a) According to this statement, spirits are like children when they are born, unaware and without experience. However, gradually, they acquire the knowledge that they lack by experiencing the different phases of human life.
“Yes, that is a fair comparison. Rebellious children remain ignorant and imperfect; how much they beneft depends on their obedience. A person’s life has an end, while that of spirits extends beyond infnity.”

116. Do any spirits remain in the lower ranks forever?
“No, they all eventually become perfect. They change over the course of time, no matter how long the process may take. As we have already explained, a just and merciful father cannot condemn his children to eternal banishment. Do you presume that God, in His infnite goodness and Divine justice, is less kind than you?”

117. Are the spirits themselves responsible for accelerating their progress to perfection?
“Of course, they reach their goal more or less quickly depending on the force of their desire and the degree of their submission to God’s will. Doesn’t a docile and submissive child learn faster than one who is stubborn and lazy?”

118. Can spirits regress?
“No, they learn what has impeded their progress as they advance. When spirits fnish a trial, they learn the lesson of that trial and never forget it. They may remain stationary, but they never regress.”

119. Could God exempt spirits from the trials that they must still undergo in order to reach the highest rank?
“If they had been created perfect, they would not have merited the enjoyment of such perfection. Where would the merit be without struggle? Besides, the inequality that exists between spirits is necessary to develop their personality, and the mission that each spirit accomplishes at each step of their progress is part of God’s plan for ensuring the harmony of the universe.”


Since all individuals may reach the highest ranks of social life, we might as well ask: Why does the leader of a nation not make every soldier a general? Why are not all subordinate employees made into department heads? Why do all students not become teachers? This is the main difference between life in the social world and that of the spirit world. The frst is limited and does not give everyone the opportunity to rise to the top of society while the latter is unlimited, and ensures everyone the possibility of reaching supreme happiness.

121. How is it that some spirits have traveled the road of the righteous, and others the road of evil?
“Do they not have free will? God has not created bad spirits; they were all created simple and unaware, possessing an equal aptitude for good or bad. Those who become bad become so of their own volition.”

122. How can spirits possess freedom of choice between good and bad at their origin when they have not yet acquired self-awareness? Is there any principle leading them to either one road over the other?
“Free will is developed as spirits acquire consciousness. Freedom would not exist for them if they made choices by any means other than use of their will. The causes that determine their choices are not within, but outside of them, via the infuences to which they voluntarily yield because of their free will. This choice is represented by the ‘fall of humanity’ and the concept of ‘original sin.’ Some spirits yield to temptation, while others resist it successfully.”


a) From where do the infuences that act upon them originate?
“From imperfect spirits who seek to dominate them, and take pleasure in watching their failures. This temptation is represented metaphorically as ‘Satan.”


b) Does this infuence only act upon a spirit at its inception?
“It follows the spirit through all the phases of existence, until it has acquired such absolute self-control that vile spirits abandon the attempt to tempt him or her.”

123. Why has God enabled the possibility of spirits taking the wrong road?
“How do you dare ask God to give account for the divine acts? Do you think you can penetrate God’s designs? Instead, you should say that the wisdom of God is shown in the free will that God grants to every spirit, for each has the merit of his or her actions.”

124. Since there are spirits who unwaveringly travel the path of righteousness right from the beginning and others who swerve onto the wrong path, isn’t it likely that there are many degrees of deviation between these two extremes?
“Of course. These degrees constitute the paths of most spirits.”

125. Will spirits who have chosen the wrong road be able to reach the same degree of elevation as others?
“Yes, but the eternities will be longer for them.”

This expression, the eternities, must be understood as referring to the belief that inferior spirits hold regarding the endless nature of their suffering, resulting from the fact that they do not have the ability to foresee the end of that suffering. This conviction of the endlessness nature of the latter is reaffrmed after each new trial to which they have succumbed.

126. Are spirits who have reached the supreme degree after wandering down the wrong road less worthy than others in God’s eyes?
“God views the drifters who have returned to the right path with the same approval and loves them regardless of their past. They have been classifed as bad spirits, because they yielded to bad temptations. Before their fall, they were merely simple spirits.”

127. Are all spirits created equal in terms of intellectual capacity?
“They are all created equal, but as they do not know from where they originate, their free will must take its course. They progress more or less rapidly in both intelligence and morality.”


Spirits who follow the right path from the beginning do not attain perfection right away. Despite being free from iniquity, they have to acquire the experience and wide-ranging knowledge necessary for their perfection. They may be compared to children who, no matter how good their natural instincts are, need to be developed and enlightened, and who cannot mature without transition. Just as some people are good and others bad from infancy, some spirits are good and others bad from their inception. There is, however, one radical difference: a child possesses instincts that have already been formed, while the spirit, at its creation, is neither good nor bad. Rather, it possesses all possible tendencies, and strikes out on its path through the action of its free will.

128. Do angels, archangels and seraphim constitute a special category different than that of other spirits?
“No, they are pure spirits. Those who have reached the highest degree of the ladder are all united in perfection.” The word angel generally implies the idea of moral perfection, but it is often applied to all superhuman beings, good or bad. Therefore we say, “a good angel,” “a bad angel,” “an angel of light,” “the angel of darkness,” and so on. In those cases, it is synonymous with spirit. It is employed here in its most popular sense.

129. Have the angels passed through every degree of progress?
“Yes, but with the difference that we have already mentioned. Some of them, accepting their mission with resignation, have reached their goal more quickly, while others have taken longer in reaching the same goal.”

130. If the opinion that acknowledges that some beings have been created perfect and superior to all others is wrong, why is this belief found in almost every population or religion?
“You need to understand that your world has not existed for all eternity. Long before it existed, masses of spirits had already attained the supreme degree. Therefore, the people on Earth naturally assume that those perfected spirits have always been at the same degree of elevation.”

131. Do demons, as commonly understood, exist? “If demons existed, they would be God’s work. Would it be just, on the part of God, to create beings eternally condemned to a life of wickedness and misery? If demons exist, it is in your low world, and any others of a similar degree. People who represent a just God as being cruel and vindictive, and who believe they will receive God’s approval through the misdeeds they commit are hypocrites.”


The word demon only implies the idea of bad spirits in its modern acceptance. Its Greek root daimon signifes genius or intelligence, and is applied broadly to all immaterial beings, whether good or bad.


Demons or devils, according to the popular meaning attributed to these words, are allegedly a class of beings that are fundamentally bad. If they exist, they would be God’s creation, just like everything else. However, a supremely just and good God would not have created beings predestined to evil by their very nature and condemned to a life of eternal misery. If they are not a creation of God, they must either have existed for all eternity, like God, or there must be several supreme beings.


The frst requirement of any theory is to be logical. The idea that postulates the existence of demons, as commonly known, lacks this essential condition. It is natural that underdeveloped people, who know nothing of God’s attributes and profess the existence of malicious deities, should also acknowledge the existence of demons. For people who acknowledge God’s goodness as an attribute par excellence, it would be illogical to presume that God could have created beings destined to do bad deeds forever. This belief would confict with God’s goodness. Those who believe in devils appeal to the words of Christ to 80 support their theory. Far be it from us to challenge the authority of his teachings, which we would be delighted to see practiced in the hearts of humans, rather than solely preached from their lips. Are those advocates sure of the meaning attributed by Jesus to the word “devil”? It is common knowledge that his teachings and the Gospels contain many allegorical narratives that should not be taken literally. To prove that such is the case, we only need to cite the following passage:


“Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass until all these things have taken place.”


Does science not contradict the Bible, particularly in reference to creation and the movement of the Earth? Could this not also be the case as with other fgurative expressions employed by Christ to adapt his teachings to the time and place of his mission?


Christ would not have knowingly made a false statement. Therefore, if his words appear to contradict reason, either we do not understand their meaning or we have interpreted them incorrectly.


Just as people have imagined angels as being created eternally perfect, they have also imagined that demons are lower spirits that are eternally bad. The word demon should be understood as indicating impure spirits who often are no better than the imaginary beings implied by those names, but with the difference that their impurity is temporary. They are imperfect spirits who defy the discipline of their trial, and who must experience that trial for a longer period of time. Nevertheless, they will ultimately reach the goal when they have decided to do so by their own free will. Demon could be used in this sense, but as it commonly conveys the meaning that has now proven to be false, its use could lead to error by appearing to acknowledge the existence of beings specifcally created for wrongdoing.


Satan is a personifcation of evil in a metaphorical form, because it is impossible to admit the existence of a malicious being fghting God, and whose sole aim is to thwart God’s designs. As images and fgures are needed to make a strong impact on the human imagination, people have adopted material forms for immaterial beings, with attributes that suggest good or bad qualities. In the past, human beings had personifed time as an old man holding a scythe and an hourglass. The image of a young man would have contradicted common sense. The same may be said of the allegories of fortune, truth, and so on. Modern individuals have depicted angels or pure spirits as radiant beings with white wings, a symbol of purity. In contrast, Satan has horns, claws, and the attributes of bestiality, symbols of the lowest passions. Human beings tend to take things literally and have mistaken these symbols for actual personalities, as they formerly regarded Saturn as the allegory of Time.

132. What is the purpose of spirit incarnation?
“God imposes incarnation as a tool to reach perfection. For some it is a means of making amends, while for others it is a mission. Every spirit must experience the diffculties of physical existence to reach perfection, therein lies their atonement. Incarnation also requires a spirit to contribute to the work of creation. To fulfll this purpose, spirits assume physical bodies in harmony with the material state of each world to accomplish the missions that have been appointed to them by God. Through these missions they contribute to the general good while also achieving their own advancement.”

The action of physical beings is necessary to the operation of the universe, but God has wisely designed this action to serve as a means of climbing closer to God. Thus, through the law of providence, all things are connected and everything in nature is united.

133. Is incarnation necessary for spirits who have followed the right path from the outset?
“All spirits are created simple and unaware, and learn through the trials and tribulations of corporeal life. God is just. Our Creator could not create some spirits happy, without their having experienced pain or without their having made an effort, in other words without any merit.”


a) So what do spirits gain by following the right path, since they are not exempt from the suffering of corporeal life?
“They reach their goals more quickly. Pain and suffering in the physical life is often a consequence of the spirit’s imperfection. The fewer the imperfections, the less it suffers. If a spirit is neither envious, jealous, greedy, nor ambitious, it is not forced to experience the torture that is a consequence of those faws.”

134. What is the soul?
“An incarnated spirit.”


a) What was the soul before being united with a body?
“A spirit.”


b) Are souls and spirits one and the same thing?
“Yes, souls are spirits. Before joining a body, the soul is one of the intelligent beings living in the invisible world. It assumes a physical body temporarily to complete its purifcation and enlightenment.”

135. Is a person made up of anything other than a soul and a body?
“The link that unites the soul and the body.”


a) What is the nature of this link?
“It is semi-material, it is the intermediary between the soul and the body. This is required for communication between the soul and the body. The spirit can act upon matter and vice versa through this link.”
Therefore, human beings are made up of three essential elements:
1) The body, or material being, similar to animals, and given life by the same vital principle;
2) The soul, or incarnated spirit, which is housed in the body;
3) The intermediary principle, or perispirit, which is a semi-material substance. It is the innermost envelope of the spirit and unites the soul with the body. This three-part nature is equivalent to that of a fruit, which includes the seed, the perisperm, and the rind or shell.

136. Is the soul independent of the vital principle?
“The body is merely the envelope, as we have repeated multiple times.”


a) Can a body exist without a soul?
“Yes, however, when the body dies that the soul leaves it. The union between the soul and the body is not complete before birth, but once this union is established, only physical death can break the bond uniting the body to the soul. Organic life may exist in a body without a soul, but the soul cannot live in a body deprived of organic life.”


b) What would our body be if it had no soul?
“A mass of fesh without intelligence, anything you would like to call it, except a human being.”

137. Can the same spirit incarnate two different bodies at the same time?
“No, the spirit cannot be divided and cannot live in two different bodies at the same time.” (See The Mediums’ Book, chapter on Bi-corporeality and Transfguration.)

138. What should we think about some people’s opinion that the soul is the principle of material life?
“This is a matter of words, to which we impart very little importance. Before anything else, you should come to an agreement among yourselves.”

139. Some spirits, and some philosophers before them, have defned the soul as “an animated spark emanating from the Great Whole.” What is the cause of this contradiction?
“There is no contradiction. It depends on the meaning you attribute to certain words. Why does your language not have a word for each thing?”


The word soul is often used to express very different things. Sometimes it is used to refer to the principle of life and in this sense it is correct to fguratively state that the soul is an animated spark emanating from the Great Whole. These words describe the universal source of the vital principle, of which each being absorbs a portion, and that returns to the general mass after death. This idea does not in any way exclude that of a separate moral being, independent of matter, maintaining its own individuality. This being is also called the soul, and it is in this sense that we speak of the soul as an incarnate spirit. In having different defnitions for the word soul, spirits each use their own version according to their personal perspectives and the earthly ideas that they still support. This is just one example of the inadequacy of the human language, which does not have a unique word for each idea, a shortcoming that causes a vast number of misunderstandings and disputes. It is for this reason that the higher spirits tell us to frst come to a mutual understanding in terms of our definitions. (1)


_________________________________________
(1) Refer to the explanation regarding the word soul in the introduction, Section II. A.K.

140. What should we think of the theory that the soul is subdivided into as many parts as there are muscles in the body, each ruling over a bodily function?
“It still depends on the meaning attributed to the word soul. If you equate the soul with the vital fuid, that theory is correct. If the word is used to express an incarnate spirit, it is wrong. We said that a spirit cannot be divided. Therefore, movement is transmitted to the organs through the intermediary fluid, without ever dividing itself up.”


a) All the same, there are spirits who have given this definition. “Ignorant spirits often mistake the effect for the cause.”


The soul acts through organs, and those organs are given life by the vital fuid distributed among them, and more abundantly in those that constitute the centers or foci of movement for each organism. This explanation is no longer acceptable when the term soul is used to signify a spirit that inhabits the body during life and vacates it at death.

141. Is there any truth to the belief that the soul is outside the body and surrounds it?
“The soul is not locked inside the body like a bird in a cage. It radiates in all directions, and manifests itself outside the body as light radiates from a glass globe, or as sound emanates from a loudspeaker. In this sense, the soul can be understood as being outside the body, but it does not envelop the body. The soul has two envelopes: the perispirit, which is its frst, innermost envelope, being light and subtle in nature. The other is the body, which is crude, material, and heavy. The soul is the center of both these envelopes, like a nut in its shell, as we have already explained.”

142. What should we think of the theory that the soul of a child is completed during each period of human life?
“There is only one spirit and it is whole in both children and adults. The bodily organs, which serve as the instruments for manifestations of the soul, are gradually developed and completed. Again, you mistake the effect for the cause.”

143. Why do spirits have different defnitions for the term soul?
“All spirits are not equally enlightened in regard to these matters. Some spirits are not so advanced intellectually; they are incapable of digesting abstract concepts. They are like children in your world. Other spirits are false scholars, and ineffectively use words to impose their authority upon others. They also resemble many individuals in your world. Even spirits who are truly enlightened may express themselves in terms that on the surface appear to be different, but, at heart, they actually mean the same thing. This is especially true in regard to matters that your language fails to accurately express, and that can only be conveyed through fgures and comparisons that you in turn misinterpret as reality.”

144. What should we understand of the concept called the ‘soul of the world’?
“It is the universal principle of life and intelligence from which individual spirits are born. People often use these terms without truly knowing what they mean. The word soul is so variable that everyone interprets it according to their own perceptions or ideas. Sometimes a soul is attributed to the Earth, which must be understood as indicating the collection of devoted spirits who give you proper guidance when you listen to them, and who are God’s deputies in your world.”

145. How have so many philosophers, from both ancient and modern times, discussed psychological questions for so long without arriving at the truth?
“Those persons were the predecessors of Spiritism. They have paved the way for others. They were subject to errors and often mistook their own ideas for true light because they were human beings, but these same errors have served truth by showcasing the pros and cons of the argument. Additionally, there are many truths among these errors that a comparative study would reveal to you.”

146. Does the soul have a fxed center in the body?
“No, but it is said to reside in the head among people of great intellect and prolifc thinkers, while it is said to reside in the heart of people who are sentimental and possessive of a more humanitarian nature.”


a) What should we think of the opinion that the soul in some vital center?
“That is to say that the spirit may reside in this spot in your body because it is where all sensations meet. However, those who place it in what they consider the center of vitality mistake it for the vital fuid or principle. In any case, the soul has a stronger presence in organs that are moral and intellectual indicators.”

147. Why is it that anatomists physiologists, and in general those who apply themselves to the pursuit of the natural sciences, are so apt to fall into materialism?

"The physiologist refers everything to the standard of his senses. Human pride imagines that it knows everything, and refuses to admit that there can be anything which transcends the human understanding. Science itself inspires some minds with presumption; they think that nature can have nothing hidden from them."

148. Is it not regrettable that materialism should be' a consequence of studies which ought, on the contrary, to show men the superiority of the intelligence that governs the world?

"It is not true that materialism is a consequence of those studies it is a result of the imperfection which leads men to draw a false conclusion from their studies, for men may make a bad use of the very best things. The idea of annihilation, moreover, troubles those who profess to hold it more than they will allow to l)e seen; and those who are the loudest in proclaiming their materialistic convictions are often more boastful than brave The greater number of the so-called materialists are only such because they have no rational ground of belief in a future life. Show a firm anchor of rational belief in a future state to those who see only a yawning void before them, and they will grasp it with the eagerness of drowning men."

There are those who, through an aberration of the intellect. can see nothing in organised beings but the action of matter. and attribute to this action alt the phenomena of existence. They have seen, in the human body. only the action of an electrical machine they have studied the mechanism of life only in the play of the bodily organ"'; they have Often seen life extinguished by the rupture of a filament, and they have seen nothing but this filament. They have looked to see whether anything stilt remained, and as they have found nothing but matter that has become inert, as they have neither seen the soul escape from the body nor been able to take hold of it, they have concluded that everything is reducible to the properties of matter, and that death is consequently the annihilation of all thought. A melancholy conclusion, if such were really the case for, were it so, good and evil would be alike devoid of aim every man would be justified In thinking only of himself, and in subordinating every other consideration to the satisfaction of his material Instincts. Thus all social ties would be broken, and the holiest affections would be destroyed for ever. Happily for mankind, these ideas are far from being general. Their area may even be said to be a narrow one, limited to the scope of invidious opinions; for nowhere have they been erected Into a system of doctrine. A state of society founded on such a basis would contain within itself the seeds of its own dissolution; and its members would tear each other to pieces like so many ferocious beasts of prey.

Man has an intuitive belief that, for him, everything does not end with the life of his body; he has a horror of annihilation. No matter how obstinately men may have set themselves against the idea of a future life, there are very few who, on the approach of death. do not anxiously ask themselves what is going to become of them for the thought of bidding an eternal adieu to life is appalling to the stoutest heart. Who, indeed could look with indifference on the prospect of an absolute and eternal separation from all that he has loved? Who, without terror, could behold, yawning beneath him, the bottomless abyss of nothingness in which all his faculties and aspirations are to be swallowed up for ever? Who could calmly say to himself, "After my death there will be nothing for me but the void of annihilation; all will be ended. A few days hence, all memory of me will have been blotted out from the remembrance of those Who survive me, and the earth itself will retain no trace of my passage. Even the good that I have done will be forgotten by the ungrateful mortals whom I have benefited. And there is nothing to compensate me for all this loss, no other prospect, beyond this ruin, than that of my body devoured by worms !"

150. Does the soul maintain its individuality after death?
“Yes, it never loses it. What would it be if it did not preserve it?”

a) How does the soul retain this consciousness, since it no longer has its material body?
“It still has a unique fuid, which it draws from the atmosphere of its planet and represents the outer shell of its last incarnation – its perispirit.”

b) Does the soul take anything of this life away with it?
“Only the memory of it and the desire to move on to a better world. This memory may be sweet or bitter, depending on the course of the life it has left. The more advanced its purifcation, the more clearly it recognizes the futility of what it has left behind on Earth.”

151. What should we think of the opinion that the soul returns to the universal whole after death?
“Do all the spirits not constitute a whole? Is this whole not a world? When you are part of a group you form an integral part thereof, yet your individuality is still preserved.”

152. What proof do we have of the individuality of the soul after death?
“Has spirit communication not provided the necessary proof? If you are not blind, you will see; if you are not deaf you will hear. A voice often speaks to you revealing the existence of a being outside yourself.”

People who think that the soul returns to the universal whole after death are wrong if they think that, it loses its individuality like a drop of water in the ocean. They are right if by universal whole they are referring to all incorporeal beings, of which each soul or spirit is a component.

If souls were mixed together into one large mass, they would only possess qualities common to the entire mass, and they would have no special intellectual or moral qualities of their own that would distinguish them from the others. In the communications that we have obtained, the spirits clearly demonstrate the possession of self-awareness, in addition to a distinct personal will. Their infnite diversity of characteristics is the result of and testament to their personal individuality. If there were nothing but the “Great Whole” swallowing all individualities after death, this whole would be uniform and all the communications received from the invisible world would be identical. The proofs of distinct personalities lie in the fact that we meet spirits who are good, bad, educated, ignorant, happy, melancholy, lighthearted and serious, and so on. This individuality is further substantiated when they are able to undeniably prove their identity by providing personal details relating to their human life, which may be verifed. When they reveal themselves in the form of apparitions, their identity obviously cannot be questioned. We learned about the individuality of the soul in theory as an article of faith. Spiritism simply makes it a material fact.

153. How should we interpret eternal life?
“The life of the spirit is eternal, while that of the body is ephemeral. When the body dies, the soul re-enters eternal life.” a) Would it be more accurate to use the term eternal life for that of purifed spirits, as they have reached relative perfection and no longer endure any trials and tribulations? “That would be eternal happiness, but this is a question of words. You may call things whatever you want, provided you reach a collective agreement among yourselves regarding the meaning.”

154. Is the separation of the soul from the body painful?
“No, the body often suffers more during life than at death because the soul is usually unaware of what is occurring to the body at death.

At the time of death, the spirit often enjoys what it is feeling, because it recognizes that it is at the end of its exile.” In natural death, which is the aftereffect of exhaustion of the body due to age, human beings depart this life without even realizing that they are doing so. Like the fame of a lamp that dwindles and eventually goes out when it lacks a source of power.

155. How does the separation of the soul from the body take place?
“As the bonds restraining the soul are broken, it separates from the body.”

a) Is this separation sudden? Is there a distinct line between life and death?
“No, it is not like a bird whose cage is suddenly opened allowing it to escape at once. The soul gradually separates from the body. The two states are blurred together and the spirit extracts itself little by little from its bonds, which are loosened but not broken.”

During life, a spirit is connected to the body by its semi-material envelope, or perispirit. Death is the destruction of the body, but not of this envelope, which separates from the body when organic life ends. Observation has shown us that the separation of the perispirit from the body at death is gradual, rather than abrupt, and this speed may vary depending on different individuals. In some cases, it is so quick that the perispirit completely separates from the body within a few hours after passing, while in others, particularly for those whose life has been exceedingly material and sensual, this release is much slower, and can take days, weeks, and even months. This does not imply the persistence of vitality in the body or any possibility of restoring life, but is simply the result of a hold between the body and the spirit proportionate to how consumed the spirit was with materiality during its human life. It is only rational to assume that if a spirit has closely identifed with matter, it will be more diffcult for it to separate from its material body. In contrast, intellectual and moral elevation of thought initiates this division even during the life of the body.

Consequently, when death ultimately arrives, the separation is almost immediate. Studies of individuals after their death have shown that sometimes, the connection that remains between the soul and the body is extremely painful, as the spirit is fully cognizant of all the horrors of decomposition. This is an exceptional case, and unique to certain kinds of life and certain kinds of death. It can happen in the event of suicide.

156. Can the defnitive separation of the soul and body take place before the complete termination of organic life?
“When experiencing extreme agony, the soul sometimes leaves the body so that all that remains is purely organic life. The person is no longer conscious of him or herself, despite the faint ficker of vitality remaining. The body is a machine that is regulated by the heart. As long as the heart pumps blood through its veins it continues to live. A soul is not needed for this.”

157. At the moment of death, does the soul sometimes experience a kind of bliss that gives it a glimpse of the world to which it is about to return to?
“The soul often feels the slackening of the restraints holding it to the body, and struggles to fully break them. Partially freed from matter, it views the future laid out before it, and enjoys the anticipation of the spirit state.”

158. A caterpillar begins its existence by crawling on the ground, and then spins itself into a cocoon into an apparent death, only to be reborn as a brilliant butterfy. Can we correlate our human life, death, and life after death to this transformation?
“Yes, on a very small scale. The image may be good, but it should not be accepted literally, which human beings are prone to do.”

159. How does the soul feel when it realizes that it is in the spirit world?
“That depends. People who have done wrong for the sake of doing wrong feel overwhelmed by shame for their behavior. The soul of a righteous individual is at ease, as if a heavy weight has been lifted and does not dread even the most penetrating evaluation.”

160. Are spirits immediately surrounded by people who they knew on Earth and died before them?
“Yes, according to the degree of affection they had for them and vice versa. They often come to them upon their return to the spirit world and help them shed material ties. Others whom they formerly knew, but may have lost contact with on Earth, come to meet them as well. They see all who are wandering, and visit those who are still incarnated.”

161. In the event of violent or accidental death, when the organs have not been deteriorated by age or disease, does the separation of the soul and the end of organic life occur at the same time?

“Usually and, at any rate, the interval between them in such cases is very brief.”

162. After decapitation, does a person retain any form of consciousness?
“They frequently do for a few minutes, until the organic life of the body is completely dead. The fear of death often causes people to lose consciousness before their demise.”

This question simply refers to the awareness that victims may have of themselves as a person, and not as a spirit. If they have not lost this awareness before death, they may retain it for a few moments afterwards, but only for a very short period of time, which must cease with the end of the brain’s organic life. The termination of human consciousness by no means implies the clean separation of the perispirit from the body. On the contrary, when death has resulted from violence and not the gradual extinction of life, the bonds tying the body to the perispirit are tighter, and the release is completed more slowly.

166. How can a soul that has not reached perfection during corporeal life achieve purifcation?
“By experiencing the trial of a new existence.”


a) How does the soul carry out this new existence? Is it through its transformation as a spirit?
“The soul undergoes a transformation when it purifes itself. For this transformation to happen, it needs to experience the trial of corporeal life.”


b) Does the soul have multiple corporeal lives?
“Yes, we all have many lives. Those who say any different want you to stay ignorant like them.”


c) This statement implies that the soul, after leaving one body, inhabits another. In other words, it reincarnates itself. Is this correct?
“Obviously.”

168. Is there a limited number of corporeal lives, or does a spirit continue to reincarnate itself forever?
“With each new existence, a spirit takes a step forward in the path of progress. When it sheds all its impurities, the spirit no longer needs the trials of corporeal life.”

169. Is the number of incarnations the same for all spirits?
“No, a person who advances quickly is spared many trials. However, these successive incarnations are always numerous because progress is almost infnite.”

171. What is the basis of reincarnation?
“Reincarnation is based on God’s justice and revelation. An affectionate father, as we have already explained, always grants his children the opportunity to redeem themselves, no matter how rebellious they may be. Reason alone dictates that it would be unfair to infict eternal misery on those who have not had the opportunity to improve themselves. Aren’t we all God’s children? Injustice, merciless hatred, and unrelenting punishments are only found in the worlds of selfsh people.”

All spirits strive for perfection and God provides them this opportunity through the trials of corporeal life. Divine justice compels them to use their new existence to do what they were not able to do or complete in a prior trial.

It would not be consistent with God’s justice or goodness to condemn to eternal suffering those who have encountered obstacles to their improvement, obstacles that may have resulted from circumstances beyond their control, and, thus, are independent of their will. If the fate of humankind were conclusively determined after death, God would not have weighed the actions of all objectively and according to the same criteria.

Reincarnation, which asserts that people have many successive lives, is the only theory that satisfes the idea that we form of God’s justice with regard to those who are placed in morally inferior conditions. It is the only one that can explain the future and give us hope because it offers us a way to make amends for our errors through new trials. This concept is indicated by reason, and taught by the spirits.

People who are aware of their own inferiority obtain reassuring hope from the concept of reincarnation. If they believe in God’s justice, they cannot reasonably hope to be immediately placed on the same level as those who have made a better use of life. However, the knowledge that they will not be barred from supreme happiness forever based on this inferiority, and the fact that they will be able to reach this happiness through new efforts resuscitates their courage and replenishes their energy. Who does not, at the end of their career, laments that an experience was acquired too late to be of actual use? This is not a loss, for they proft from it in a new corporeal life.

172. Are all our different corporeal existences lived on Earth?
“No, not all of them. There are many different worlds on which we may live our lives. This world is neither the frst nor the last, but it is defnitely one of the most material and furthest removed from perfection.”

175. Is there any sort of advantage in coming back to Earth?
“There is no special advantage, unless it is to fulfll a mission. In that case, the spirit advances, wherever it may be.”


a) Wouldn’t we be happier to remain a spirit?
“No, no! Because we would remain stationary and we want to get closer to God.”

189. Does a spirit enjoy all of its faculties from its creation?
“No. As in the case of human beings, spirits experience infancy. At birth, they only have an instinctive existence, and scarcely possess any cognizance of themselves or their actions. Their intelligence develops gradually.”

190. What is the state of the soul at its frst incarnation?
“Equivalent to human infancy. Its intelligence is only beginning to bloom, it may be said to be testing out life.”

191. Are the souls of savages in a state of infancy?
“Relative infancy, but they have already experienced some development because they have passions.”

a) Are passions a sign of development? “Development yes, but not of perfection. They are a sign of activity and an awareness of the Self. In the embryonic state of the soul, intelligence and vitality exist only as seeds.”

A spirit goes through successive phases similar to those of the corporeal life. It develops slowly from an embryo to infancy, and reaches adulthood through a succession of periods, destined to reach perfection. The main difference between these two lives is that spirits are not subject to weakness or deterioration. The life of a spirit, while having a beginning, has no end. It takes a vast span of time, according to our perception of it, in passing from infancy to mature development, and this progression is completed by passing through various worlds. The spirit life is a sequence of corporeal lives, each providing an opportunity for progress. These lives are made up of days, each an opportunity to acquire experience and knowledge. However, just as a person may have unproductive days, a spirit may have a futile corporeal existence because it has failed to properly leverage it.

192. By leading a perfect life now, could we skip all the degrees and become a pure spirit without passing through the intermediate levels?
“No, because what human beings believe to be perfection is actually quite far from it. Some qualities exist that are unknown to them, and in the current state, they have no means of comprehending them. They may be as perfect as is humanly possible on Earth, but still far from absolute perfection. A child, no matter how bright or talented it may be, must go through youth to reach adulthood, and a patient must recuperate before making a complete recovery. Additionally, a spirit must advance both intellectually and morally. If it has advanced in only one of these directions, it must match this development in the other to reach the top of the ladder. The more a person advances in the present life, the shorter and less painful his or her future trials will be in later existences.”

a) Can people assure themselves a future existence with less bitterness than their present life?
“Yes, of course, they can shorten the length and diffculties of the road. Only the person who neglects advancement remains stagnant.”

194. Can the soul of a good person inhabit the body of a scoundrel when reincarnated?
“No, because a spirit cannot regress.”

a) Can the soul of a wicked person become that of a good one?
“Yes, if he or she repents, it is a reward.”

Spirit advancement is always progressive and never regressive. They gradually rise in the spirit hierarchy and never regress from the point at which they have arrived. Throughout their different corporeal lives, they may be downgraded as human beings, but not as spirits. Therefore, the soul of a person who has reached the peak of material power may, in a subsequent life, be a modest artisan, and vice versa, because positions among individuals are frequently the inverse of the elevation of their morality. Herod was a king, and Jesus a carpenter.

195. Could the ability to improve in a future existence result in some people leading immoral lives, when they know that they are always able to make amends at some point in time?
“Such a premise indicates no real belief in anything and the idea of eternal punishment could not affect such individuals anyway, because their reason would reject it and lead to skepticism in everything. If only reason guided people, there would not be so many skeptics. An imperfect spirit might reason this way during physical life, but once freed from the shackles of the material body, they have a dramatically different way of thinking. They realize that they made a great error and this causes them to adopt an opposite sense in their next existence. This is how progress is accomplished and why some are more advanced than others. Some people have already had the experiences that others have yet to go through, acquiring them little by little, and each spirit is responsible for their own progress or delaying it indefnitely.”

Those who hold an inferior position want to change it as soon as possible. In addition, those who know that the trials and tribulations of the present life are the consequences of their own imperfections seek any means possible to insure a new existence that is less painful. This attitude will much more effectively keep them away from a bad path than the threat of eternal fre, which they do not believe in anyway.

196. Since spirits can only improve by experiencing the tribulations of physical existence, does physical life equate to a type of sieve or flter, through which the beings of the spirit world must pass to reach perfection?
“Precisely. They improve themselves through these trials by avoiding wrongdoing and practicing the good. It is only through many successive incarnations or purifcations and after a longer or shorter lapse of time that they succeed in reaching their goal, in accordance with their efforts.”

a) Does the body infuence the spirit to improve or does the spirit infuence the body?
“Your spirit is everything and your body is nothing but a decaying envelope, that is all.”

There is a material comparison of the purifcation of the soul in the juice of the vine. It contains the liquid called the spirit, or alcohol, but it is weakened by numerous foreign elements that change its nature. It requires several distillations to reach absolute purity, each of which remove a fraction of its impurities. The still is the body into which it must enter for purifcation, and the foreign elements are the perispirit, which gradually purifes itself as the spirit approaches perfection.

197. Are the spirit of children who die as infants as advanced as those of adults?
“Sometimes much more, for they may have previously lived longer and acquired more experience, especially if they have made progress.”

a) Can the spirit of a child be more advanced than that of his or her father?
“This happens very frequently. Do you not often see it in your world?”

198. In the case of a child who has died very young without ever having the opportunity to do wrong, is his or her spirit a higher spirit?
“If the child has not had the opportunity to do wrong, it has not had the opportunity to do anything good either and God does not exempt the child from the trials that he or she must undergo. If the child is pure, it is not because it is a child, but because it is more advanced.”

199. Why is life often cut short in childhood? “The short-lived life of a child may be a complement to a previous existence interrupted before its intended end. In addition, the child’s death is often a trial or atonement for their parents.”

a) What happens to the spirit of a child who dies young?
“It restarts a new existence.”

If a human being has only one existence and his or her future is determined for all eternity after this one existence, how could half the human race that dies in infancy, merit eternal happiness without putting forth any effort? What exempts them from the often painful conditions of progress inficted on others? This would not be consistent with God’s justice. Reincarnation acts as the most supreme justice equally distributed to all. The possibilities of the future are open to all without any exception or preference being given to any. Those who are the last to arrive have only themselves to blame. Each person must merit happiness by his or her own actions, and bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.

Viewing childhood as a normal state of innocence is completely irrational. Do we not see children who display wicked instincts at an age when even education could not have yet any infuence on them? Many seem to be crafty, dishonest, devious, and even display the instincts of theft and murder from birth, despite the good examples surrounding them. Criminal law absolves them from their wrongs, asserting that they have acted without judgment, which is correct because their actions are instinctive rather than the product of deliberate intent. However, from where do these different instincts of children of the same age, raised under the same conditions, and subjected to the same infuences originate? If not from the inferiority of the spirit, where does this mature perversity come from since education has played no role? Those who are vicious have a spirit that has made less progress and each suffers the consequences, not of their actions as a child, but as the result of wrongful actions in prior lives. The law is the same for everyone, and no one can escape God’s justice.

200. Do spirits have a gender?
“Not as you comprehend it, because gender depends on the physical makeup. Love and sympathy exist among them, but founded on a similarity of sentiments.”

203. Do parents transfer a part of their soul to their children? Or do they only give them the organic life to which another soul then adds the moral life?
“Only the organic life is given by the parents because the soul is indivisible. A daft father may have intelligent children, and vice versa.”

206. If there is no relationship between the spirits successive reincarnations as the descendants of the same family, is it foolish to honor the memory of one’s ancestors?
“Of course not, people should celebrate belonging to a family that counts elevated spirits among its members. Although spirits do not proceed from one another, their affection for those who are related to them by family ties is real. People are often led to incarnate in such and such a family because of preexisting links, and by the infuence of attractions due to relationships from previous lives. You can rest assured that the spirits of your ancestors are in no way gratifed by the honors you pay to their memory from a sentiment of pride. Their merits, no matter how great, can only add to your incentives by stimulating your efforts to follow the good examples they may have set for you. Through emulation of their good qualities your memory can become pleasant and valuable.”

207. Parents often transfer physical likeness to their children; do they also transfer moral likeness?
“No, because they have different souls or spirits. The body may yield a body, but the spirit does not yield any other spirit. The descendants of the same race share nothing other than blood.”


a) What causes the moral likeness that sometimes exists between parents and children?
“The infuence of moral sympathy, which brings together spirits with similar thoughts and inclinations.”

210. Can parents attract a good spirit into the body of their child by their objectives and prayers?
“No, but they can improve the spirit of the child, who was entrusted to them for that purpose. It is their duty to do this, but bad children are often sent as a trial for the improvement of the parents as well.”

211. What causes the similarity of character that so often exists among siblings, especially between twins?
“The understanding that exits between two spirits who are attracted by similarities of thoughts and ideas, and who are happy to be together.”

212. In the case of conjoined twins who share some of their organs, are there two spirits or two souls?
“Yes, but their likeness often makes them seem as though there were only one.”

213. Since spirits incarnate as twins due to feelings of sympathy, from where does the hostility that is sometimes felt by twins for one another originate?
“There is no set rule stating that only sympathetic spirits are incarnated as twins. Unsympathetic spirits may have formed this link to try to work out their differences during a new physical life.”

214. How should we interpret the stories of children fghting in their mother’s womb?
“As a fgurative representation of their animosity towards one another, which goes back to times before their birth. People rarely make suffcient allowance for the fgurative element in certain statements.”

215. What is the cause of the distinctive character that we observe in each population or ethnic group?
“Spirits make up different families, formed based on the similarity of their tendencies, which are more or less purifed according to their elevation. Each population is a large family made up of sympathetic spirits. The tendency of the members of these families to unite is the source of the similarity that forms the distinctive character of each population. Do you think that good and compassionate spirits would want to be a part of a hard and unrefned population? No, spirits sympathize with the masses in the same manner that they sympathize with individuals. They go to the region where they will fnd the most harmony with the inhabitants.”

216. In its new existence, does a spirit preserve any traces of the moral character exhibited in its former lives?
“Yes, but it changes as it improves. Its social standing may also change greatly in successive lives. After being a master in one existence and becoming a slave in another, their tastes are altogether different and it is diffcult to recognize them. Since it is the same spirit, there may be certain similarities between the manifestations of their character in successive lives, but these manifestations refect the change in conditions and habits particular to each new corporeal life, until the character has improved and completely changed. People who were once arrogant and cruel can become humble and humane through repentance and effort.”

217. Does a person preserve any traces of his or her physical nature from previous lives?
“When the body is destroyed, the new one has no connection to the old one. However, the spirit is refected in the body and despite the body only being matter, it is modeled based on the capacities of the spirit. Therefore, the latter imprints a specifc character that is most visible in the face, especially in the eyes which have been called the true window to the soul. In short, the face refects the soul more than the rest of the body. An extremely ugly face can even be attractive when it is the outer shell of a good, wise, and humane spirit. On the other hand, a handsome or beautiful face may not trigger any agreeable feelings, or may even incite repulsion. At frst sight, it may seem that only strong, healthy bodies could serve as the envelopes for good spirits. Yet every day we see virtuous and superior people with deformed bodies. Without the existence of any distinctive likeness between them, the similarity of tastes and inclinations may bestow a family-likeness upon the physical bodies successively embodying the same spirit.”


As the body housing the soul in a new incarnation does not have any essential connection with the one it has left (it may even belong to another race), it would be illogical to assume a series of lives from a likeness that may only be coincidental. Nevertheless, a spirit’s qualities often modify the body used for its manifestations, and give a distinctive look to the face, even in a general manner. This is how hints of nobility and dignity may be found even under the humblest shell, the attempt to disguise the immorality of an individual with luxurious clothing often fails. Some individuals, who have climbed up from the lowest standing, manage to adopt the habits and manners of the higher ranks with little effort as if it were natural, while others, despite their advantages of birth and education, always seem to be out of place in refned society. How can this be explained other than as a refection of a spirit’s past lives?

218. Does a spirit preserve any trace of the thoughts and ideas it had or the knowledge it acquired in past lives?
“It retains a vague memory, which gives the spirit what you call ‘innate ideas’.”

a) So the theory of innate ideas is not pure fantasy?
“No, the knowledge acquired in each life is not lost. When a spirit is free from the material body, it always remembers what it has learned. It may forget this knowledge partially or temporarily when it reincarnates. However, the dormant intuition that it maintains helps it advance. If this intuition did not exist, the spirit would always have to begin its education from scratch. In a new life, a spirit picks up from the point at which it had left at the end of its previous life.”

b) If that is the case, there must be a very close connection between two consecutive lives?
“That connection is not always as close as you might think, since the conditions of the two lives are often very different, and the spirit may have made considerable progress in the interval between them.” (216)

219. What is the origin of the extraordinary faculties of individuals who appear to intuitively possess certain felds of knowledge, such as languages, mathematics, and so on, without any formal education?
“The vague recollection of their past, the result of progress previously made by the soul, but of which it has no present consciousness. From where else could that intuition originate? A spirit may change its body or shell, but it remains the same.”

220. Can we lose certain intellectual faculties when we change our bodies, such as an interest in the arts?
“Yes, if you have tarnished that faculty or made bad use of it. An intellectual faculty may also lie dormant for an entire existence because the spirit chooses to exercise another faculty that is completely unrelated to the latent ability. However, it will come into play in a future life.”

221. Are the instinctive knowledge of God’s existence and the intuition of a future life due to retrospective memory, which appears to be natural to human beings even savages?
“Yes, it is a memory that a person maintains of what they knew as a spirit before reincarnation, but pride often stifes this feeling.”

a) Are beliefs that are similar to Spiritism found across all nations due to this memory?
“The principles contained in Spiritism are as old as time itself and are consequently found everywhere. Incarnate spirits maintain the intuition of their time as a spirit and possess an instinctive consciousness of the spirit world. Still, this intuition is often tainted by prejudices, ignorance and superstition.”

222. Some people object that the dogma of reincarnation is not new, and merely a revival of Pythagoras’ theory. We have never claimed that Spiritism was a modern invention. On the contrary, it is a result of natural law. Therefore, it must have existed since the beginning of time, and we have always striven to prove that traces of it are found in the earliest chronicles of antiquity. Pythagoras was not the author of metempsychosis, but borrowed it from Indian and Egyptian philosophers, who had already maintained this theory for ages. The idea of soul transmigration was a widespread belief, admitted by the most eminent thinkers of that time.

Where did this idea come from? Through revelation or intuition? We do not know, but it may be safely assumed that no concept could have survived ages and commanded the respect of the most esteemed members of the human race if it had not been based on some solid ground of truth and reason. The ancient roots of this doctrine should therefore be considered an argument in its favor, rather than an objection. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that there is a fundamental difference between the antique doctrine of metempsychosis and the modern doctrine of reincarnation, namely, that the spirits who teach the latter categorically reject the idea that the human soul can be embodied by an animal, and vice versa.

The spirits who now teach the dogma of multiple corporeal lives reaffrm a theory that was born in the earliest ages of history, and that has maintained a position of importance up to the present day for a vast majority of people. However, they present this dogma in a manner that is more rational, more compliant with the natural law of progress, and more in harmony with the wisdom of the Creator by stripping away the embellishments and exaggerations added by superstition. A circumstance worthy of note is the fact that it is not in this book alone that the doctrine in question has been instructed in recent years. Even before its release, numerous publications of a similar nature had already been circulated in various countries, and their number has greatly increased since. Here we may ask why it is that the statements of all spirits are not in agreement. We will revisit this matter later.

For now we will review this topic from a perspective that is entirely irrespective of any assumed declarations of the spirits. Let us suppose that they made no statement whatsoever in regard to it, and even that the very existence of spirits had not been surmised. Placing ourselves on neutral ground for a moment and admitting the possibility of the hypotheses pertaining to the variety and unity of corporeal lives, let us see which of these is most in line with reason and our own interests.

There are people who reject the idea of reincarnation simply because they do not like it, declaring that their present life has been quite enough for them, and that they have no desire to restart a similar one. We would like to ask these people whether they think that God has asked them their wishes and opinions in regulating the universe. Either the law of reincarnation exists, or it does not. If it exists, no matter how displeasing it may be to them, they are compelled to submit to it because God does not ask their permission to enforce it. It is as if a sick person were to say, “I have suffered enough today, I do not chose to suffer tomorrow.” Regardless of his or her opposition, that person must continue suffering, not only tomorrow, but day after day, until cured completely. Likewise, if it is their destiny to live again physically, they will reincarnate and live again. Will it serve them to rebel against necessity in vain, like a child refusing to go to school, or a condemned criminal refusing to go to prison? They must submit to their fate, no matter how unwilling they may be to do so. Such objections are too foolish to merit more serious examination. However, in order to reassure them, we will say that the Spiritist doctrine of reincarnation is by no means as terrible as they imagine it to be, and that if they studied it in depth, they would realize that they have nothing to fear. They would understand that each new life depend solely on their own behavior, that they will be happy or unhappy depending on their actions in this present life, and that they may even raise themselves above the danger of falling into the quicksand again due to their actions in this life.

We are assuming that those whom we are addressing believe in some sort of afterlife and that they do not anticipate annihilation or losing their soul to a universal whole, like so many drops of rain in the ocean. If you believe in a future life, you probably do not think that it will be the same for all because, in that case, what would be the point of doing good? Why would human beings exercise any form of self-control? Why should they not satisfy all their passions and desires, even at the expense of the rest of the world, if the result is the same no matter what? If, on the other hand, you believe that the future will be happier or less happy according to what one does in life, wouldn’t you want to be as happy as possible in the future, since it will be for eternity?

Do you consider yourself to be one of the most excellent beings who has ever walked the Earth, and that you are thereby are entitled to supreme happiness? No. You admit, then, that there are some who are better than you, and who consequently are entitled to a higher standing, although you do not deserve to be counted among sinners. Place yourself, then, for a moment, in this situation and imagine that someone comes to you and says, “You are suffering; you are not as happy as you could be and you are seeing others enjoying pure happiness. Would you like to exchange your position for theirs?” “Of course,” you reply, “how do I do that?” “Very simple, all you need to do is redo what you have done badly, and try to do it better.” Would you hesitate to accept the offer, even at the cost of several lifetimes of trials? Let us look at an even more straightforward example. Imagine that someone approaches a person who, although not completely destitute, is forced to suffer a life of poverty due to a small income, and says to him or her, “Here is an immense fortune that can be yours, on the condition that you work hard for one minute.” The laziest person would say, without hesitation, “I am ready to work for one minute, two minutes, an hour, a whole day if necessary! What is a day’s labor in comparison to the certainty of wealth and comfort for the rest of my life?” What is the duration of a corporeal life in comparison to eternity? Less than a minute, less than a second.

We sometimes hear people say, “God, who is supremely good, cannot force a human being to restart a series of trials flled with anguish and tribulations.” Is there more kindness in sentencing people to eternal suffering for a few moments of error than in giving them the means to make amends for their faults?

“Two manufacturers each had a worker who hoped to one day become their employers’ partners. However, both workers wasted their day and deserved to be fred. One of the manufacturers dismissed the bad worker, despite heartfelt pleas. This working person was unable to obtain any other employment and died of poverty. The other manufacturer said to the worker ‘You have wasted a day. You owe me compensation for the loss you have caused me. You have done your work poorly and you owe me for it. Start over again. If you do a good job I will not fre you, and you may still seek the higher position that I had promised you.” Do we really need to ask which manufacturer has proven to be the most humane? Would God, the paradigm of mercy itself, be more infexible than a just and compassionate person? The idea that our actions for a few years decide our fate for eternity, in spite of the fact that we could not reach perfection, while we were on Earth flls the mind with anguish. Meanwhile, the opposite idea is incredibly consoling as it gives us hope. Without choosing a side for or against multiple lives, and without admitting that either hypothesis is preferable, we contend that no one would prefer, if the matter were left to his or her own choice, to sustain a sentence against which there is no appeal. A philosopher once said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent one. ”That is what one could say about the concept of multiple lives. As we have already stated, God does not ask our permission when creating Divine plans, nor does God consult our preferences; things either are, or they are not. We will now investigate the probability and consider this topic from a different perspective, the philosophical point of view. We will not include any teachings imparted by the spirits.

If reincarnation does not exist, it means we have only one corporeal life. If the present corporeal life is the only one we are going to have then each person’s soul is created at the same time as his or her bodies. However, if we assume the preexistence of the soul we need to determine the state of the soul before it is united with the body. If the soul existed before the body, we must establish whether this state of being constitutes an existence. There is no middle ground. Either the soul existed before its union with the body, or it did not. If it existed, what was its condition? Did it possess self-awareness? If not, it must have been nearly comparable to non-existence. If it possessed individuality, it must have been either progressive or stationary. In either case, what was its degree of advancement upon uniting with the body? If, on the contrary, we assume that the soul is born into existence at the same time as the body, or that, prior to the birth of the body, it possesses only negative faculties, we have to ask the following questions:
1. Why do souls have such a diversity of aptitudes, independent of the ideas acquired by education?
2. From where does the special aptitude for certain arts and sciences exhibited by many children at a very young age originate, while others remain inferior or mediocre for their entire lives?
3. From where do some individuals derive the innate or intuitive ideas that others lack?
4. From where do some children derive an instinctual gravitation towards vice or virtue, or innate senses of dignity or wrongdoing, which often contrasts with the circumstances into which they were born?
5. Why is it that some people, independent of education, are more advanced than others?
6. Why is it that some human beings are savages and others civilized? If you took a Khoikhoi baby from its mother’s breast, and raised it in our most renowned schools, could you successfully make this baby a Laplace or Newton?

We would ask what philosophy or theosophy can resolve these problems? Either the souls of human beings are equal at birth or not, that we cannot doubt. If they are equal, why are there so many different aptitudes? Do they depend on the physical attributes of each child? This would be the most unfair and immoral hypotheses because in that case it makes a person a mere machine. People would not be responsible for their actions, but would have the right to place all the blame for their wrongdoings on the imperfections of their physical structure. If, on the other hand, souls are created unequal, God must have created them this way. In that case, why is this inherent superiority granted to some and denied to others? Would such partiality be consistent with God’s justice and the equal love God gives to all creatures?

On the contrary, if we admit the existence of multiple lives everything is easily explained. At birth, human beings possess the level of insight that they acquired previously. They are more or less advanced, depending on the number of lives they have previously had and how close or far they are from the common starting point. This is similar to how in a company made up of individuals of all different ages, each person has a degree of development and experience proportionate to the number of years lived. The succession of years for the life of the body is equivalent to what the succession of lives is for the life of the soul.

Imagine that one thousand people of every age, from an infant to an eighty-year-old, were brought together in one place at the same time. Suppose that their past is hidden from you, and you, in your ignorance, imagine them all to have been born on the same day. You would naturally wonder how some are big and some are small, some are old while others are young, some are educated and others ignorant. But if their past was revealed and you discovered that some had lived longer than others, all these differences would be explained. God, out of divine justice, could not create souls either more or less perfect. Given our multiple corporeal lives, the differences in qualities that we see around us is still consistent with strict equality because everything has roots, not in the present, but in the past. Is this reasoning based on any preconceived system or hypothesis? No. Instead it is founded upon the clear and undeniable fact that natural aptitudes, in addition to intellectual and moral development, are all different. This cannot be explained by any current theory, while the explanation is simple, natural and rational by using a new theory. Does it make sense to prefer a theory that does not explain this fact over one that does?

In regard to the sixth question, one will quickly dismiss the Khoikhoi as an inferior race. To this we simply ask whether a Khoikhoi is or is not a human being. If it is a human being, why has God denied it the privileges granted to the Caucasian race? If it is not a human being, why try to make it Christian? Spiritist philosophy is much more wide-ranging than all of that, because it acknowledges that there are not several species of human beings but only humans as a whole, and only recognizes human beings whose spirituality is more or less backward, but who are all capable of the same progress. This view of the human race is more in line with the concept of God’s justice, is it not?

We have considered the soul in regard to its past and its present. If we now consider it in terms of the future, we encounter further diffculties that modern theories still cannot explain.
1. If our future destiny is to be decided solely by our present life, what will be the respective positions of the savage and the civilized person in the future? Will they be on the same level, or will there be a difference in their level of eternal happiness?
2. Will the individuals who have tirelessly worked their entire life to achieve moral and intellectual improvement be placed at the same rank as others who have remained at a lower point of moral and intellectual improvement, not through their own fault but because they had neither the time nor the opportunity to advance?
3. Can the individuals who have done wrong because the path to enlightenment has been closed off to them be fairly punished for their wrongdoing, even though this is not the result of a voluntary choice?
4. We strive to enlighten, moralize, and civilize all humans, but for each individual that we are able to successfully educate, there are millions who die every year without ever seeing the light. What is their fate? Should they be treated as sinners? If not, how have they deserved the same treatment as the others?
5. What is the fate of children who die before they have been able to do either good or bad? If they are welcomed among the purest spirits, why have they been given this standing without having done anything to deserve it? Why are they exempted from suffering the tribulations of the physical life?

What current doctrine can solve these problems? If we acknowledge our consecutive lives, all these problems are solved in compliance with Divine justice. What we are unable to complete or do in one life, we accomplish in another. Thus, no one escapes the law of progress. Everyone is rewarded according to his or her own merit, and no one is excluded from the ultimate attainment of supreme happiness, regardless of the obstacles they must overcome on the journey to get there.

Questions related to this subject may be infnitely multiplied, because the psychological and moral problems that can only be solved by the theory of multiple lives are innumerable. In this work, we have restricted our examination to the most general issues. Some detractors may maintain that whatever the arguments in its favor, reincarnation is not acknowledged by the Church and its acceptance would therefore, not only confict religious doctrine but utterly decimate it as well. Our objective is not to discuss the implications of this subject, but rather to highlight the exceedingly moral and rational character of the theory. On the contrary, we may confdently contend that a moral and rational doctrine cannot possibly be antagonistic to a religion that proclaims the Divine Being to be the paradigm of goodness and reason. What would have happened to the Church if, in opposition to scientifc research and the discoveries of humanity, it had continued to resolutely reject overwhelming evidence, thus, ostracizing anyone who did not believe in the movement of the sun around the Earth or the six days of creation? How would “enlightened nations” have retained any shred of credibility if they continued to champion a religious system that taught such obvious errors as steadfast beliefs? Whenever any evidence has been established conclusively, the Church has sensibly supported this evidence. If the facts of human life are proven to be irreconcilable without reincarnation, if certain points of Church dogma can only be explained by such means, the Church will be forced to acknowledge its truth. It will have to confess that the apparent antagonism between these two arguments is superfcial. Religion has no more to fear from the acceptance of this doctrine than from the discovery of Earth’s movement and geologic time periods, which outwardly appear to contradict the sacred texts. In reality, reincarnation is implied in many passages of the Scriptures, and is explicitly noted in the Gospels:

“As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’ Then, his disciples asked him, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come frst?’ He said in reply, ‘Elijah will indeed come and restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and, they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” (Matthew, 17: 9-13)

Since John the Baptist was Elijah, this implies that Elijah’s spirit or soul must have reincarnated in the body of John the Baptist.

Whatever our opinion about reincarnation is, regardless of whether we accept it or reject it, we will, if it exists, have no choice but to experience it. The crucial point here is that the spirits’ teachings are predominantly Christian. They are founded on the concepts of the immortality of the soul, future rewards and atonements, God’s justice, free will, and Christ’s moral code. For that reason, it cannot be considered anti-religious.

We have discussed this subject without referring to any of the spirits’ statements because they do not constitute an offcial authority for many people. If we, and so many others, have adopted the belief in multiple lives, it is not simply because the spirits have preached it. The reason is that it is rational and resolves inconsistencies that would otherwise be impossible to explain. If a person suggested it to us, we would adopt it assuredly and quickly. We would renounce our preconceived notions because when there is proof that an opinion is fawed even self-love has more to lose than to gain if it clings to it stubbornly. Likewise, we would reject the theory of reincarnation if it appeared to confict with reason, even if preached by the spirits, just as we have rejected many other ideas they suggested. We have learned by experience that we cannot blindly accept ideas suggested by spirits or people alike. The biggest advantage in support of reincarnation is that it is incredibly rational. It also has the confrmation of facts – both positive and material – that are clear to all who study the subject patiently and purposefully. This eradicates any possibility of doubt as to the reality of reincarnation. When this affrmation become widespread those who currently oppose it will be forced to relinquish their opposition. This is precisely what happened with ideas concerning the formation and rotation of the Earth.

In summary, the theory of multiple lives is the only one that explains what is otherwise inexplicable. It is comforting and it complies with the concept of fair justice perfectly. It is the life preserver that God throws to humanity.

The words of Jesus leave no doubt regarding this last statement. As we read in the 3rd chapter of the Gospel according to John:

Verse 3. Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again,”

Verse 4. Nicodemus said to him, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Verse 5. Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to fesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again.” (John 3:3-7) (See the article Resurrection of the Body, no. 1010, hereinafter)

223. Does the soul reincarnate immediately after being separated from the body?
“Sometimes the separation happens immediately, but more often it occurs after longer or shorter intervals of time. Reincarnation is almost always immediate in higher worlds. Corporeal matter is less coarse in those worlds and a spirit retains nearly full use of its spiritual faculties while incarnated. Its normal state is that of a lucid somnambulist.”

224. What happens to the soul in between incarnations?
“It becomes an errant spirit, hoping for a new destiny. It is in a state of waiting.”


a) How long can these periods last?
“From a few hours to thousands of centuries. There are no predetermined limits to the errant period, which may carry on for extensive intervals of time but is never perpetual. Sooner or later a spirit is permitted to start a new life to purify its previous lives.”


b) Does the length of time that a spirit is left in the errant state depend on the spirit’s will, or can it be imposed as a means of atonement?
“It is a consequence of the spirit’s free will. Spirits are fully aware of their actions, but, in some cases, it is also a punishment inflicted by God.. In others, it has been granted at their own request to enable them to pursue studies that are easier or more effectively carried out in the spirit state.”

225. Is the quality of being errant a sign of a spirit’s inferiority?
“No, because there are errant spirits of every degree. As we have already told you, being incarnated is a transitional state. Spirits are detached from matter in their normal state.”

226. Is it accurate to say that all spirits who are not incarnate are errant?
“Yes, in terms of those who are going to reincarnate. Pure spirits have reached perfection and are no longer errant since: their state is defnitive.”


Depending on their inherent qualities, spirits belong to different orders or pass through varying degrees of advancement successively as they become purifed. Regarding their state as spirits, they may be incarnated, or tied to a material body; errant or disengaged from a material body and awaiting a new incarnation for further improvement; or, pure spirits who are perfect and have no further need for incarnation.

227. How do errant spirits learn, since it cannot be in the same manner as incarnate people do?
“They study their past and try to think of ways to rise to a higher degree. They observe everything that is happening around them while listening to the discourses of enlightened individuals and the counsels of more advanced spirits than they are, and this provides them ideas they did not possess.”

228. Do spirits retain any of the human passions?
“Elevated spirits leave behind the bad passions when they shed their physical envelope and only retain the good passions. However, low order spirits retain their bad passions. Otherwise, they would belong to the highest order.”

229. Why do spirits not leave behind all their wrongful passions when they leave the Earth, considering that they are then able to perceive the disastrous consequences of those passions?
“There are people in your world who are excessively jealous, for example, do you think that they lose this imperfection immediately upon leaving your world? After the departure from physical life, especially those who have had well-marked passions,, the spirits retain a kind of atmosphere that envelops them that is infused with all their former negative base traits, since they are not entirely freed from the infuence of materiality. They catch glimpses of the truth here and there, showing them the true path to follow.”

230. Do spirits progress when they are in the errant state?
“They may in proportion to their efforts and desire for improvement. It is in the physical life that they put the new ideas they have acquired into practice.”

231. Are errant spirits happy or unhappy?
“It depends on their merit. They suffer from the passions they have retained, and are more or less happy depending on the strength of their connection to material life. When a spirit is in an errant state, it has perceptions of what it needs in order to be happy. When this happens, it is compelled to seek what it lacks. However, a spirit is not always permitted to reincarnate when it desires to do so, and in that case it becomes a punishment.”

232. Can errant spirits enter all worlds?
“That depends. When a spirit has left the body, it is not fully disengaged from matter. It still belongs to the world in which it has lived, or even a world of the same degree, unless it has risen to a world of a higher degree. This progressive elevation should be the perpetual goal of every spirit, or else it would never reach perfection. A spirit may enter higher worlds, but it would be as an outsider. It can only obtain a glimpse of them, but such glimpses often trigger a desire to improve, to become worthy of the happiness that is enjoyed in those worlds, and to eventually live in them.”

233. Do purifed spirits ever enter lower worlds?
“They enter them very frequently to help these worlds advance. Otherwise these worlds would be left to themselves, without any guides to direct them.”

234. Are there worlds that serve as layovers and resting places for errant spirits?
“Yes, there are worlds that are specially adapted to temporarily serve errant spirits. They are like campgrounds where spirits may live and rest briefy after being errant for extended periods of time – a state that is always somewhat tiresome. These places are intermediary stations between the worlds of other orders, and are organized according to the nature of the spirits who enter them. These spirits fnd the conditions of rest there more or less enjoyable.”


a) Can the spirits who live in these worlds leave them whenever they want?
“Yes, they can go wherever they may want to go. They are like birds of passage stopping on an island to rest and regain strength to continue on their journey and reach their destination.”

237. When it returns to the spirit world, does the soul still possess the perceptions it had in its lifetime?
“Yes, and others that it did not possess because its body obscured them. Intelligence is an attribute of the spirit, but it is manifested more freely when unhindered.”

240. Do spirits perceive time in the same manner as we do?
“No, and this is why you do not always understand us when you are trying to establish dates and time periods.”


A spirit’s life is outside the realm of time as we perceive it. The idea of time is lost on them and centuries, which seem so long to us, appear to be only a few instants lapsing into eternity for them, just as the variations of the ground would fade and disappear to someone high in space.

241. Do spirits have a more genuine and precise view of the present than us?
“Compared to yours, their view is what sight is in comparison to blindness. They see what you do not see and therefore judge differently than you do. However, we must remind you that this depends on their degree of elevation.”

242. How do spirits acquire knowledge of the past, and is this knowledge unlimited?
“The past, when we focus on it, is perceived as though it were the present, just like when you recall something over the course of your exile. The main difference is that we remember things that are currently erased from your memory, as the material shroud shielding your intelligence no longer obscures our view. However, spirits do not know everything, for example they know nothing of their creation.”

243. Do spirits see the future?
“That also depends on their degree of perfection. They often can partially see it, but, even when they see it more clearly, they are not always permitted to reveal it. When they see it, it seems like the present to them. A spirit sees the future more clearly as it approaches God. After death, the soul sees and embraces at a glance its past emigrations, but it cannot see what God has in store for it. This foresight is only possessed by a soul who has attained a complete union with God, after a long series of lives.”


a) Do spirits who have arrived at absolute perfection possess full knowledge of the future?
“‘Full’ is not the word because God alone is the Supreme Being, and nothing or no one can be equal to God.”

244. Do spirits see God?
“Only the highest order spirits see and understand God; lower spirits are conscious of and can feel the Creator.”


a) When a lower spirit says that something is permitted or forbidden by God, how does it know that this is really an order from God?
“It does not see God, but it feels Divine power. It feels a sort of intuition, an invisible warning that commands it to refrain from completing certain actions. Don’t you sometimes have a mysterious feeling, commanding you to do or not do something? It is the same thing with us, but at a higher degree. A spirit’s essence is more subtle than yours, they are better equipped to receive Divine warnings.”


b) Are Divine commands directly transmitted to each spirit by God, or through other spirits?
“Those commands do not come directly from God. A spirit must be worthy of direct communication with God. God transmits orders through spirits that are higher in perfection and instruction.”

246. Do spirits need light to see?
“They see on their own and do not need any external source of light. For them, the only darkness that exists is that which they may fnd themselves as a means of atonement.”

247. Do spirits need to travel to see two different points? For example, can they see the two hemispheres of the Earth at the same time?
“Spirits travel from one point to another at the speed of thought, so in a way they can see everywhere at the same time. A spirit’s thought may radiate at the same time to many different points, but this depends on its purity. The more impure the spirit is, the narrower its range of sight. Only higher spirits can take in everything at a single glance.”


For spirits, sight is intrinsic to their nature and is located in their whole being, as light resides in every part of a luminous body. A universal luminosity extends to time, space, and everything in relation to which darkness or physical obstacles have no existence. In human beings, light acting upon a bodily organ produces sight; therefore, people would be plunged into darkness without light. However, as vision is an attribute of the spirit itself, independent from any external agent, spirit sight is independent of light. (See Omnipresence, No. 92)

250. As the perceptive faculties are attributes of a spirit’s nature, can it withdraw from their action?
“A spirit only sees and hears what it chooses to see and hear. Interpret this in general terms, and mainly with respect to higher spirits. Imperfect spirits are compelled to see and hear whatever may be useful for their betterment, often against their will.”

251. Are spirits sensitive to music?
“Are you talking about the music created on Earth? What is it in comparison to celestial music, which is of a harmony that has no comparison on Earth? Comparing the two is like comparing the wail of a savage to the sweetest melody. Lower spirits may enjoy your music because they are not yet able to appreciate anything more sublime. Music is an endless source of pleasure for spirits, due to the impressive development of their sensitive qualities. This of course is in regard to celestial music, of which the spiritual imagination can conceive nothing more divinely sweet.”

252. Are spirits sensitive to natural wonders?
“Natural wonders vary greatly between different planets and the spirits are far from knowing them all. Their sensitivity is in proportion to their aptitude for appreciating and understanding them. Higher spirits see a general level of beauty in which the appreciation of the details is lost.”

253. Do spirits experience our physical needs and suffering?
“They know them, because they have suffered them, but they do not experience them materially like you do because they are spirits.”

254. Do spirits get tired and need rest?
“They have no need for physical rest because they do not feel tired in the same manner. They have no bodily organs requiring the restoration of strength, but one can say that a spirit rests because it is not constantly in a state of activity. They do not act in a material way, its action is intellectual, and its rest is moral. There are times that its thoughts are less active and no longer directed at any special object. When this happens, it is in a state of rest that is unlike anything experienced by the body. The sort of fatigue that may be felt by spirits is proportionate to their inferiority, the higher their degree of elevation, the less rest they need.”

256. Why do spirits sometimes complain of the cold or heat?
“These sensations are caused by the spirit’s memory of the suffering experienced on Earth, and these memories are sometimes just as painful as if they were actually real. However, this type of complaint is often only figurative, for lack of better means of expression, when they try to describe their situation. When they remember their physical body, they experience the same impressions. This is what makes you feel like you still have a coat or wrap over your shoulders a few moments after removing it.”

257. The body is the instrument of pain, and if it is not the frst cause, it is at least the immediate cause. The soul perceives pain: it is an effect of the pain from the body. The memory the spirit preserves may be very painful, but it does not have any physical outcome. In effect, the soul cannot be affected by cold or heat, and can neither freeze nor burn. Do we not often see that the memory or worry about physical pain can produce the effect of pain in reality, and it may even result in death? For example, recently-amputated patients often complain of feeling pain in the missing limb, yet it is obvious that the amputated limb cannot really be the source or starting point of the pain. The brain has retained the impression of the pain experienced previously.


One can therefore conclude that the suffering felt by spirits after death is of a similar nature. A careful study of the perispirit, which plays an important role in spiritual phenomena, provides valuable insights into the nature and origin of vaporous or tangible apparitions as well as the state of the spirit at time of death. Inclusive of striking accounts presented by the victims of suicide and capital punishment, the sentiments communicated by the spirits of those who have been absorbed in material pleasures, as well as many other sources of information, have shed new light on this question, as is summarized below.


The perispirit is the link between the spirit and the material body. It is drawn from the atmosphere, from the universal fluid; it holds both electricity and magnetic fluid and to an extent inert matter. One can say that it is the essence of matter. It is the principle of organic life but not of intellectual life, since the spirit is the source of intellectual life. It is also the agent of all the sensations of the external life. Those sensations are located in the organs of the physical body which serve as their channels. When the body is destroyed, those sensations become generalized. This explains why a spirit never says that it suffers more in its head than in its feet. We must be careful not to confuse the sensations of the perispirit, which has become independent, with the sensations experienced by the body. The latter can only be understood as a means of comparison with the former, and not as an equivalent. A spirit may suffer when freed from the body, but its suffering is not physical. Yet, it is not purely moral suffering either, such as remorse, because the spirit complains of feeling cold or hot, despite suffering no more in the summer than in the winter. We have even seen spirits go through flames without feeling pain, as temperature has no impression on them. The pain that a spirit feels is not physical in the proper sense of that term, but is rather, a vague feeling perceived by the spirit, and for which it is not always able to account because it is not localized and not produced by any external agents. It is a memory rather than a reality, albeit a memory that is as painful as though it were a reality. Nevertheless, spirit suffering is sometimes more than a memory, as we shall see.


Observation has shown us that the perispirit is released gradually from the body at the time of death. In the frst few moments following death, a spirit does not clearly understand the situation. It feels alive and therefore does not realize that it died. It sees its body, know it for its own, and does not understand why it is separated from it. This confusion continues as long as there is any connection at all between the body and the perispirit, no matter how slight. For example, a person who had recently committed suicide said to us, “No, I am not dead,” and added, “yet I can feel the worms that are devouring my body.” The worms obviously were not devouring the perispirit, much less the spirit itself, but only the body. Still, a moral repercussion transmitted the sensation of what was taking place in the body because the separation between the body and the perispirit was not complete. Repercussion is perhaps not the right word to use in this case, as it may seem to imply an effect too closely linked to the material world. The sight of what was happening to the decaying body, still attached to the perispirit, produced an illusion that it mistook for reality. In this case, it was not a memory because worms had never devoured it during its lifetime. It was the perception of something that was actually taking place.


When we analyze the aforementioned case, we can draw conclusions based on an attentive observation of facts. During life, the body receives external impressions and transmits them to the spirit through the perispirit, which is probably what is called the neural fluid. The body, when dead, no longer feels anything because it no longer has a spirit or perispirit. The perispirit, when detached from the body, still experiences sensation but it no longer reaches it through a specific channel. Consequently, it is generalized rather than localized. Since the perispirit is only an agent of transmission – because only the spirit possesses consciousness – it may be deduced that if the perispirit could exist without the spirit, the perispirit would feel no more than a dead body. Likewise, if the spirit does not have a perispirit, it feels no pain, as is the case with completely purifed spirits. As the spirit progresses, the essence of its perispirit becomes more and more ethereal, demonstrating that the influence of matter diminishes in proportion to the advancement of the spirit, that is to say, as its perispirit becomes less and less coarse.


One may contend, however, that if it is through the perispirit that both good and bad sensations are transmitted to the spirit, then the assertion that an unpleasant sensation is inaccessible to a purified spirit must also imply that pleasant sensations are equally inaccessible. This is true with regard to the sensations that proceed solely from the influence of matter that we know and recognize. The sound of our instruments and perfume of flowers make no impression on higher spirits, and yet these same spirits experience vivid sensations of an indescribable charm. It is impossible for us to begin to fathom these sensations because when it comes to spirit sensations, we are like people blind from birth trying to understand the concept of light. We know that spirit sensations exist, but our knowledge is inadequate to explain their nature or how they are produced. What we do know is that spirits possess perception, sensation, hearing and sight, and that these faculties are attributes of their whole being, and are not limited to the five senses through which human beings experience them. But once again, in what way? However, in terms of trying to understand how these faculties act, we know nothing. The spirits themselves cannot explain it to us because our language cannot express ideas that transcend our comprehension, just as a savage is unable to express our arts, sciences, or philosophical theories.


When we say that spirits are immune to any form of impression from physical matter, it must be understood that we are speaking of spirits of a very high order whose etherealized envelope finds no analogy in this world. It is different with spirits whose perispirit is denser, because they perceive our sounds and smells, even though the perception no longer happens through specifc sensory organs, as they did during life. We may say that they feel molecular vibrations throughout their entire being, reaching their sensorium commune, although this is in a different manner and can cause a different impression that may change the resulting perception. They hear the sound of our voice, yet they can understand us by thought transmissions without speech. This penetration is easier for them as they are more dematerialized. Sight is independent of our light. The ability to see is an essential attribute of the soul and there is no darkness for spirits of a high order. It is more penetrating and extensive in those whose purifcation is more advanced. The soul or spirit possesses the faculty of all perceptions but the physical organs dull this perception down during corporeal life. However, in the spirit world, these perceptions become more and more vivid as the semi-material envelope is purifed.


This envelope is drawn from the atmosphere surrounding the spirit for the time being, and varies according to the nature of the different worlds. When spirits travel from one world to another, they change their envelope the same way we change our clothing when we transition from summer to winter, or travel from the North or South Pole to the equator. When they come to visit us, the most elevated spirits assume a terrestrial perispirit. They maintain this perispirit during their stay and their perceptions are therefore, produced in the same way as lower spirits. All spirits, whether of high or low ranking, only hear and feel what they choose to hear and feel.


Without possessing sensory organs, spirits can make their perceptions active or prevent their action. There is only one thing that they are compelled to hear, and that is the guidance of good spirits. Their sight is always active and they can make themselves invisible to one another, depending on their rank. Spirits of higher ranks have the power to hide from those who are below them. However, a lower-ranking spirit cannot hide from those who are above it. In the initial moments after death, a spirit’s vision is obscure and confused; it becomes clearer as it is free from the body. Not only does it acquire the same clarity it had during life, but also it has now the power of penetrating images that were opaque to it in physical life. As for the extension of a spirit’s vision through space, into the future and the past, that depends entirely on its degree of purity and subsequent elevation.


Some say that this theory is anything but encouraging. We had thought that, once freed from our rudimentary bodily envelope, the instrument for all our pain and suffering, we would no longer suffer. Now you tell us that we continue to suffer in the other life, but the fact that it can be in a different way does not make it any less painful. We may still have to suffer greatly, and for a long period of time, but there is also the possibility that we will no longer suffer, even from the very moment when our physical life ends.


The pain that we endure in our present life is sometimes independent of our actions, but it is often the consequence of our own volition. If we trace the root of our suffering, we see that in most cases it is due to causes that we could have avoided. How many problems and illnesses can a person trace back to overindulgence, ambition and the impulses of numerous passions! If a person could live a completely sober life without ever overindulging and remaining simple and modest in tastes and desires, such an individual would escape a large majority of the pain and suffering of human life.


The same theory applies to the spirit life, in which suffering is always the consequence of how a spirit lived on Earth. While it no longer suffers from gout or arthritis in the spirit life, its wrongdoing causes him or her to experience other woes that are no less painful. This pain is the result of the bonds that exist between a spirit and matter. The freer it is from the influence of matter, or the more dematerialized it is, the less pain it feels. Therefore we are each responsible for freeing ourselves from the infuence of matter by our actions in this present life. Human beings have free will, which gives them the power to choose, to do something or not. They must conquer their animal passions by freeing themselves of hatred, envy, jealousy and pride, and by breaking the shackles of selfshness, and purifying their souls by fostering honorable thoughts and ideas. They must do good and only attribute to physical things the importance that they deserve. Thereby, even in its corporeal envelope, it will have purifed itself by detaching from matter, and when it leaves the body behind, it will not suffer any longer from its infuence. For these individuals, the memory of the physical anguish suffered in the life they have just left is not painful, and does not produce unpleasant reactions because they only affected their bodies and left no trace on their souls. They are happy to be free and the tranquility of a clear conscience exempts them from moral suffering.


We have spoken with thousands of spirits who once belonged to every class of society and studied them at every period in their spirit life, starting from the moment when they left their bodies. We have followed them step-by-step in life beyond the grave to learn about the changes that took place in their ideas and sensations. In this respect, the most ordinary individuals were not the ones who furnished us with the least precious elements of study. This evaluation has invariably shown us that spirit suffering is the direct result of their own misconduct, and that their new existence is a source of overwhelming happiness for those who have followed the right road. Those who suffer do so as the result of their own choices, and have only themselves to blame for their suffering, in both this world and the next.

258. When they are in an errant state and before they assume a new physical existence do spirits see what will happen in that new existence?
“They choose the type of trials that they will experience, and free will exists in this freedom of choice.”


a) So does God not infict trials and tribulations as punishment?
“Nothing happens without God’s permission, because God has established all the laws that govern the universe. You would have to ask why God has made a specifc law, instead of another. In giving a spirit the freedom of choice, God bestows upon the spirit full responsibility for their actions and their consequences. Nothing blocks their future; both the right and wrong roads are open to them. If they fail, it is consoling to know that it is not all over, and that God allows them to redo the task that they have performed poorly. You must always distinguish between the work of God’s will and that of humans. If you are threatened by danger, it is God who has created it, not you. However, you have voluntarily chosen to expose yourself to this danger because you see a means of advancement through such behavior, and God has permitted you to do so.”

261. In the course of the trials to which it must be subjected to reach perfection, does a spirit have to experience every sort of temptation? Must it go through all the circumstances that may stimulate pride, jealousy, greed, sensuality, and other similar sentiments?
“Of course not, because there are many spirits who from the outset follow a road that spares them the necessity of undergoing many of those trials. However, when they travel down the wrong road they expose themselves to all the dangers of that road. A spirit, for instance, may ask for wealth and the request may be granted. In that case, it may become greedy or wasteful, selfsh or generous, make a noble use of its wealth, or waste it on meaningless sensual pursuits depending on its character. But this does not imply that it is compelled to experience all those tendencies.”

262. As a spirit is simple, unaware, and has no experience at birth, how can it intelligently choose an existence, and how can it be responsible for such a choice?
“God supplies what the spirit lacks due to inexperience by tracing out the road that it must follow, as you do for an infant in its cradle. God allows it to become the master of its choice little by little as its free will develops, and it is then that it often loses its way and takes the wrong road if it ignores the guidance of the good spirits, who try their best to guide it. This is what is called the downfall of humanity.”


a) When a spirit has free will, does the choice of its corporeal existence always depend solely on its own volition? Does God sometimes force this existence as atonement?
“God is patient, God never rushes atonement. Nevertheless, God can impose an existence upon a spirit sometimes when due to its ignorance or stubbornness the spirit is incapable of distinguishing what would be most useful, and when God sees that such existence may help advance its purifcation, and serve as atonement.”

264. What determines a spirit’s choice of the trials that it wants to endure?
“It chooses those which may help amend its faults, and at the same time help the spirit advance more quickly. With these goals in mind, some may impose a life of poverty and deprivation upon themselves to learn to bear them with courage. Others may wish to test their power to resist the temptations of fortune and power, which are much more dangerous because of the abuse they may entail, and the vile passions that they may develop. Others may want to strengthen their good resolutions by struggling against the infuence of vices.”

265. While some spirits choose to expose themselves to vice to test their virtue, could others make a similar choice simply because they want to live immersed in their immoral tastes, completely free to yield to their sensual tendencies?
“Of course this occurs, but only among people whose moral sense is imperfectly developed. In such cases, the required trial occurs spontaneously and they are subjected to it for a longer period of time. Sooner or later, they understand that indulging in animal instincts leads to disastrous consequences, which they undergo during a period so long that it seems to be eternal. God sometimes leaves them in this state until they have fully grasped the gravity of their faws and ask to be allowed to repair it by undergoing benefcial trials.”

266. Is it not natural to choose the least painful trials?
“From your point of view it would seem so, but not from that of the spirit. When it is free from the bonds of material existence, its illusions come to an end and it thinks differently.”


While living on Earth and subject to the infuence of physical ideas, human beings only see the painful aspect of the trials they must suffer. It therefore appears natural to them to choose the trials that are associated with material pleasure. When it returns to the spiritual life, it compares the unrefned and feeting joy with the permanent happiness it occasionally catches a glimpse of, and then, of what importance to the spirit are a few temporary hardships?. A spirit may therefore choose the hardest trial and the most painful existence in hopes of reaching a happier state quicker, just as a sick person often chooses the most unpleasant medicine or course of treatment in hopes of obtaining a rapid cure. A person who seeks to leave behind an eternal legacy by discovering an unknown country does not pursue a smooth course. It takes the road that most likely will help it reach its goal, and dangers that may lie ahead do not deter it. Quite the contrary, it braves those dangers for the sake of the glory it will receive if it succeeds.


The fact that we are free to choose our successive lives and the trials that we have to undergo ceases to appear strange when we consider that spirits, being free from matter, judge things differently. They perceive the ends that these trials are intended to meet, which are far more important than the fleeting gratifications found on Earth. After each existence, they see the steps they have already accomplished and understand what they still need to do to reach the purity, and this clarity of vision helps them reach their goals. That is the reason why they willingly submit to the tribulations of physical life, requesting to be allowed to experience those that will aid them in advancing the farthest and the fastest. Considering all this, there is nothing surprising in a spirit choosing a hard or painful life. It knows that it cannot, enjoy the supreme happiness it craves in its present state of imperfection. It catches glimpses of that happiness, and it tries to earn its own improvement as the sole means of reaching that happiness.


Don’t we see examples of similar choices every day? Individuals working tirelessly to amass the wealth that will enable them to live in comfort. They are carrying out tasks that have been voluntarily assumed as the means of insuring a more prosperous future. The soldier who sacrifces for the accomplishment of a perilous mission, the traveler who braves serious danger in the interest of science or their own fortune; these are examples of voluntary hardships taken on for the sake of the honor or proft that will result from their successful resolution. What will people not do for glory? Is not every sort of competitive examination a trial to which people voluntarily submit in the hope of advancing in the career they have chosen? To reach a high position in science, art or industry, a person must pass through all the lower degrees that lead up to it, and these constitute many trials. Spirit life models physical life and it presents the same variations on a smaller scale. As in human life, we often choose the hardest conditions as a means of attaining the highest ends. Why would a discarnate spirit, who sees farther than it did when it was in a physical body, not choose a hard or painful existence, if it may lead to eternal happiness? Those who believe that spirits will request to be princes and millionaires because they have the power to choose their lives are like the shortsighted who only see what they touch, or like greedy children, who say that they would like to be pastry-chefs or candy makers.


A spirit, while incarnate, is like a traveler who sees neither the length nor the end of its road in the depths of a valley obscured by fog. When he has reached the top of the hill and the fog has cleared, his view comprises both the road he has traveled and that which still remains. He sees the point that he has to reach and the obstacles that he has to overcome in reaching it, and he is able to take measures for successfully accomplishing his journey. A spirit, while incarnated, is like the traveler at the foot of the hill when freed from his earthbound shackles. It is like the traveler who has reached the top of the hill. The aim of the traveler is to obtain rest after getting tired, while the aim of the spirit is to attain perfect happiness after experiencing trials and tribulations.


Errant spirits say that they seek, study, and observe to choose wisely. We see similar examples in corporeal life. We often spend years deciding which career to choose, a decision that we freely make, because we consider it to be the one in which we are most likely to succeed. If we ultimately fail in the one we have chosen, we seek out another and each career constitutes a phase or period of our lives. Is it not each day used by us to decide what we will do tomorrow? What do different physical lives mean for a spirit if not simply transitional phases, periods and days, in comparison to its spirit life, which is its normal life? The corporeal life is nothing more than transitory and temporary.

267. Can a spirit make its choice while in the physical state?
“Its desire may have a certain amount of infuence, depending on its intention, but it often views things very differently when it returns to the spiritual life. It is only as a spirit that it chooses. However, some decisions may be made during the material life, because a spirit, even while incarnated, has occasional moments in which it is independent of the matter that it inhabits.”


a) Are there many cases where people desire greatness and wealth on Earth, but not as atonement or a trial?
“Absolutely, in such cases it is their material instinct that desires to enjoy material greatness. The spirit could only want it to understand its fuctuations.”

268. Until a spirit has reached the state of perfect purity, must it constantly undergo trials?
“Yes, but not as you understand it. By trials, you only mean material misfortunes. When a spirit has reached a certain degree of purifcation, it has no more hardships of that kind to undergo although it is not perfect yet. Nevertheless, it must perform certain duties to continue to improve. There is nothing painful in these duties, for example, the duty of helping others improve themselves.”

269. Is it possible for a spirit to make a mistake with respect to the value of the trial it chooses?
“It may choose one that exceeds its strength, and, in that case, it fails. Alternatively, it may choose one from which it will reap no proft at all; for instance, if it seeks to lead an idle and useless life. But, in such cases, when it returns to the spiritual world it realizes that it has gained nothing, and asks to make up for lost time.”

270. Why do some people have vocations and a spontaneous desire to follow one career over another?
“It seems to me that you could answer this question yourself. Is not that the existence of such vocations a consequence of what we have told you concerning the choice of trials, and the progress accomplished in a prior existence?”

271. An errant spirit studies the various conditions of a physical life that will lead it to progress. However, how can it think that it will make progress by being born, for example, among cannibals?
“Those who are born among cannibals are not advanced spirits. They are spirits who are still at the cannibal level, or possibly even lower.”


We know that cannibals are not at the bottom of the scale and that there are worlds in which degrees of cruelty are found that have no equivalent on Earth. The spirits of those worlds are, therefore, lower than the lowest of our world, and being a savage is a step up for them. It would be the same situation if our cannibals had to carry out some profession obliging them to shed blood in a civilized community. If they have no higher goal, it is because their moral inferiority does not allow them to grasp any higher degree of progress. A spirit can only advance gradually; it cannot clear the distance that separates barbarism from civilization in a single bound. Because of this inability, we see one of the reasons why reincarnation is necessary. Reincarnation is a product of God’s justice because otherwise what would become of the millions of human beings who die every day in the lowest depths of squalor if they had no means of arriving at higher states? Why would God deny them the favors granted to other human beings?

272. Can spirits be born among civilized people if they came from a world that is lower than Earth, or even if they were among the lowest members of the human race, such as cannibals?
“Yes, such spirits sometimes come into your world by trying to reach a degree that is too far above them. However, they are out of place among you because they have instincts and habits that clash with yours.”


These beings introduce cruelty and barbarism into civilization. For them, returning among cannibals is not a step down, but only resuming their proper place and they may even gain by doing so.

273. Can a civilized person reincarnate, as a form of atonement, as a savage?
“Yes, but that would depend on the kind of atonement that is due. Slave owners who had been cruel to their slaves might in turn become slaves and suffer the torment they once inficted on others. People who held positions of authority at one time may in a new life, be forced to obey those who formerly were their subordinates. Such an existence may be inficted on them as atonement if they had abused their power. A good spirit may also choose an infuential existence among the people of a lower race to hasten their advancement. In that case, such a reincarnation is a mission.”

274. Do the different degrees of spirits establish a hierarchy? Do subservience and authority exist among spirits?
“Absolutely, the authority of spirits over one another according to their relative superiority is great and morally overpowering over lower spirits.”


a) Can lower spirits reject the authority of their superiors?
“As I said, it is irresistible.”

275. Do the power and respect that an individual may have enjoyed on Earth give that person superiority in the spirit world?
“No, because the humble are glorifed and the great abased. Read the Psalms.”


a) How should we interpret glorifed and abased?
“Are you not aware of the fact that spirits have different ranks according to their merit? Individuals who held the highest ranks on Earth may find themselves in the lowest rank in the spiritual world, while their inferiors may be in the highest. Do you understand this? After all, Jesus once said, ‘For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

276. When individuals who have lived in prominent social positions on Earth live in an inferior place in the spirit world, do they feel humiliated?
“Often very humiliated, especially if they were arrogant and jealous.”

277. When soldiers encounter their general in the spiritual world after battle, do they still acknowledge him as their superior? “Titles are meaningless; intrinsic superiority is all that matters.”

278. Do spirits of different orders mingle?

“Yes and no, meaning, they see each other, but they are still separated. They avoid or approach one another depending on the empathy or aversion of their thoughts and ideas, just like you. Your world is merely the obscured refection of the spirit world. Those holding the same rank are attracted to each other, and form groups or families of spirits united by sympathy and a common goal. Good spirits are united by the desire to do good, while bad spirits are united by the desire to do wrong, the shame of their wrongdoing, and the desire to be among those they resemble.”


The spiritual world is like a big city where people of every social standing and means see and meet one another without actually mingling. Various social circles are formed based on the similarity of tastes. Vice and virtue rub elbows without interacting with one another.

279. Are all spirits mutually accessible to one another?
“The good can go everywhere, and it must be this way in order to bring their infuence to bear upon the bad ones. However, the regions inhabited by the good are blocked off to lower order spirits, so as to not disrupt those places by introducing vile passions.”

280. What are the relations like between good and bad spirits?
“The good strive to combat the immoral propensities of others, to help them rise to a higher degree. This is a mission.”

281. Why do lower spirits take pleasure in tempting us to do wrong?
“Out of jealousy. They have not earned a place among the good and relish preventing other inexperienced spirits from reaching supreme happiness. They want to make others feel the same way they do. Do you not see this same desire among yourselves?”

282. How do spirits communicate with one another?
“They see and understand one another. Speech is a material creation that refects the spirit. The universal fuid establishes constant communication, a vehicle by which thought is transmitted, similar to air being the vehicle of sound in your world. This fuid is similar to a universal telegraph, uniting all worlds and enabling spirits to correspond from one world to another.”

283. Can spirits hide their thoughts from one another? Can they hide themselves from one another?
“No, everything is out in the open, particularly for those who have reached perfection. They may withdraw from one another, but they are always visible. Note that this is not an absolute rule. Higher spirits can render themselves invisible to lower spirits, when they deem it useful to do so.”

284. How can spirits establish their individuality and maintain their uniqueness from other beings around them when they no longer have a physical body? “Their individuality is established by their perispirit, which makes each spirit distinct from one another, as the body does for human beings.”

285. Do spirits recognize one another when they have lived together on Earth? Does a son recognize his father? Does a friend recognize a friend?
“Yes, and from generation to generation.”


a) How do those who have known each other on Earth recognize one another in the spirit world?
“We see our past life and can read it like a book. In seeing the past of our friends and our enemies, we see their journey from life to death.”

286. Does the soul see family and friends who have died before it immediately after vacating the body?
“Immediately is not the right word. As we have said, the soul needs time to restore its self-consciousness and shed the material veil.”

287. How is the soul welcomed when returning to the spirit world?
“The righteous is welcomed back as dearly loved family members who have been long expected, while the wicked are despised.”

288. How do impure spirits feel when they see another bad spirit joining them?
“They are delighted to see others like them who are also deprived of supreme happiness. Similar to thieves welcomed by their peers.”

289. Do our friends and family ever come to meet us when we leave this world?
“Yes, they meet the souls of their loved ones, welcome them like travelers safely returning from a journey, and help them to free themselves from their material bonds. Being met by loved ones is a favor granted to good spirits. Meanwhile, the wicked are punished by being left alone, or as a result of only being surrounded by spirits who are like themselves.”

290. Do relatives and friends always reunite after death?
“That depends on their elevation and their road to advancement. If one is more advanced and progresses more rapidly than the other, they cannot stay together. They may see each other occasionally.


They are reunited only when they can walk side by side, or when both of them have reached equality in perfection. Sometimes, spirits who are deprived of seeing friends and family have had this inficted upon them as an atonement.”

291. Besides the general sense of sympathy for similar beings, do spirits have any special feelings or sense of affection?
“Yes, just like incarnate people. However, the link between spirits is stronger when the body is gone because it is no longer subjected to the impulses of the passions.”

292. Do spirits feel hatred?
“Hatred only exists among impure spirits. These spirits spread hatred and cause confict among people.”

293. Do enemies on Earth hold fast to their resentment of one another in the spirit world?
“No, because they see that it was stupid and meaningless. Only imperfect spirits maintain their hostility until they are purifed. When spirits are dematerialized they forget the anger they felt as incarnate people as it was merely due to a material interest. As the subject of their disagreement no longer exists, they may happily see each other again, provided there is no hostility remaining between them.”

Two schoolboys often realize the silliness of their quarrels when they grow up, and no longer hold a grudge.

294. Is the memory of crimes or injuries they may have committed against one another as human beings an obstacle to sympathy between two spirits?
“Yes, it keeps them apart.”

295. How do those whom we have wronged feel after death?
“If they are good, they forgive you once you repent. If they are bad, they may cling to their resentment against you, or even track you down in another existence. This may be allowed by God as an atonement.”

296. Can a spirit’s individual affections change?
“No, because they cannot be mistaken. Hypocrites can no longer hide behind a mask in the spirit world and their sentiments, when pure, are unchangeable. The love uniting them is a source of supreme happiness.”

297. Does the affection of two spirits carry over from this world to the spirit world?
“Yes, if it is based on true sympathy. If physical causes have infuenced this affection more than sympathy, it ends with those causes. Affections are more solid and lasting among spirits than human beings because they are not subject to the whims of material interests and self-love.”

298. Are souls predestined to be together from inception, and do we each have our other half somewhere in the universe with whom we will be reunited one day?
“No, there is no destined union between two souls. Union exists between all spirits, but in varying degrees according to their ranking, or their degree of perfection. The closer to perfect, the more united they are. Disharmony produces all the problems of human life, while harmony generates perfect happiness.”

299. In what sense should we interpret the term half, sometimes used by spirits when referring to sympathetic spirits?
“That expression is inaccurate. If one spirit were the half of another, it would be incomplete when separated from its other half.”

300. When two perfectly sympathetic spirits are reunited, do they remain united for all eternity, or can they separate and unite with other spirits?
“All spirits who have reached perfection are united. In all other worlds, when a spirit ascends from a lower world to a higher one, it does not always feel the same sympathy for those it has left behind.”

301. When two spirits are completely like-minded, do they complement one another, or is this sympathy the consequence of their perfect identity of character?
“The sympathy attracting one spirit to another is the result of the perfect harmony of their predispositions and instincts. If one were needed to complete the other, individuality would be lost.”

302. Does a similarity of thoughts and ideas constitute perfect sympathy, or is the uniformity of knowledge also required?
“Perfect sympathy results from having an equal degree of elevation.”

303. May spirits become sympathetic in the future even if they are not so today?
“Yes, they all eventually will. A spirit who is currently in a lower sphere will advance to join another spirit in a higher world. Their reunion will occur sooner if the higher spirit fails any of its trials and remains stationary.”

a) Can two currently sympathetic spirits cease to be so?
“Absolutely, if one of them is lazy.”

The theory of soul mates is merely a fgurative representation of the union of two sympathetic spirits, and should not be taken literally. Spirits using this expression do not belong to the higher orders. Hindered by their narrow range of ideas, they have expressed their thoughts using terms that they employed during their physical lives. We must disregard this idea of two spirits created for each other, who must someday be inevitably reunited in eternity after having remained separated for a more or less long period of time.

304. Does a spirit remember its physical life?
“Yes, since a spirit has lived as a human being many times, it remembers what it has been and often laughs at the foolishness of its past.” Like adults who laugh when reminiscing about the foolishness of their youth and the silliness of their childhood.

305. Do spirits spontaneously recover memory of their physical life immediately after death?
“No, it comes back to them little by little, like objects gradually becoming visible out of a fog once they focus on it.”

306. Does a spirit remember every detail of its life? Can it grasp its entire life at a single retrospective glance?
“Depending on the infuence things have had on its state as a spirit, it remembers them more or less clearly. However, we should understand there are many trivial things in its life of no importance; as such, the spirit does not even try to remember them.”


a) Could it remember them if it wanted to remember?
“It could recall the most obscure details of every incident of its life, even of its thoughts. However, a spirit will not choose to do this if it does not fulfll a useful purpose.”


b) Does it understand the purpose of its physical life in relation to the future life?
“Of course, it sees it and understands it better than when incarnated in the living. It understands the need for purifcation to reach God, and it knows that some of its impurities are shed in each existence.”

307. How does a spirit recall its past life? Is it through an effort of imagination, or is it like a picture right before its eyes?
“Both. Everything that it is interested in remembering appears to it as if it were present. Others life events appear more or less vaguely in its thoughts, or are forgotten entirely. The more dematerialized the spirit is, the less importance it attaches to material things. When we communicate with an errant spirit who has just left this world, it often forgets the names of people it liked or other details that may seem important to you. They are inconsequential to the spirit and it erases them from its memory. However, it remembers perfectly the main events of its life that have contributed to its improvement.”

308. Does a spirit recall all the lives that have preceded the one it has just left?
“Its entire past unfurls before it like the legs of a journey completed by a traveler. As we have told you, it does not precisely remember all its past actions. It can only remember them in proportion to the impact they have had on its present state. Its earliest lives are hazy, like infancy for instance, and swallowed by the night of oblivion.”

309. How does a spirit view the body that it has just vacated?
“As uncomfortable clothing that encumbered it. It is elated to fnally be rid of it.”


a) How does it feel when it sees the decomposition of its body?
“Almost always indifferent, like something it no longer cares about.”

310. In time, does a spirit recognize the remains that once belonged to it?
“Sometimes, but this depends on a more or less elevated perspective with regard to material matters.”

311. Does respect for the material items once owned by a spirit attract its attention to those objects, and is it pleased by this respect?
“A spirit is always happy to be remembered by those it has left behind. The objects preserved jog the memory of those holding onto them; however a spirit is attracted by their thought and not the objects themselves.”

312. Do spirits preserve the memory of the pain and suffering that they endured in their last physical life?
“They often do and this memory further accentuates the happiness they enjoy as spirits.”

313. Do people who have been happy in their physical lives miss their earthly pleasures when they leave this world?
“Only lower order spirits miss pleasures that accompany the impurity of their nature, and which must be atoned by suffering. Higher spirits prefer the happiness of eternity to the feeting happiness of human life.” Just as an adult despises the delights of his or her youth.

314. When individuals have initiated important endeavors for a worthwhile cause and their lives are cut short by death, do they regret leaving the work unfnished when they reach the other world?
“No, because they understand that others are destined to complete them. On the contrary, they try to inspire other people to carry on what they left behind. Their goal in this world is to be useful to the human race, and it is the same in the spirit world.”

315. When individuals leave behind works of art or literature, are they still as interested in these matters when they reach the spirit world as they were in this world?
“They view them from a different perspective, according to their elevation, and often criticize what they once admired.”

316. Is a spirit interested in the unfolding of events in this world that affect the progress of the arts and sciences?
“That depends on its degree of elevation, and the mission it may have to accomplish. What appears brilliant to you is often trivial to spirits. If they take an interest in it, it is only as a teacher takes an interest in the work of a schoolboy. They survey all indications of elevation for incarnated spirits and take note of their progress.”

317. Do spirits retain a love of their country and patriotism after death?
“For elevated spirits, their country is the universe. In terms of the Earth, they only prefer the spot wherever the most like-minded individuals assemble.”


A spirit’s circumstances and perspectives are infnitely diverse according to their many degrees of moral and intellectual development. Higher spirits generally stay on Earth for short periods of time. Everything that happens here is so trivial in comparison to the splendor of infnity, yet human beings attach so much importance to incredibly foolish matters. Higher spirits have very little interest in earthly things, unless they have been sent here with a mission to contribute to the progress of its people. Lower spirits visit our Earth more frequently, but have a higher perspective of earthly matters than humans. Most spirits are sedentary and make up the ambient population of the invisible world. They retain the same ideas and tastes that they had while clad with their corporeal envelope, and intermingle at our gatherings, in business, and during pastimes. According to their character, they partake in all of these matters more or less actively. No longer able to satisfy their material passions, they relish watching those who immerse themselves in their indulgences and encourage them to do so. Some have better inclinations and simply watch and observe in order to bring about their advancement by acquiring knowledge.

318. Do spirits change their ideas when in the spirit state?
“Very often. A spirit’s ideas undergo drastic changes as it becomes dematerialized. It may occasionally retain the same ideas for a long period of time, but gradually the infuence of matter diminishes, and it sees more clearly. Eventually, a moment arrives when it seeks the means of advancing.”

319. As spirits have already lived in the spirit world before they incarnate here, why are they astonished when they re-enter that world?
“This feeling is only feeting, and results from the confusion that follows their waking. They soon recover their consciousness as the memory of the past comes back to them, and the impression of the earthbound life is erased.” (163 et seq.)

320. Do memories of people they loved on Earth affect spirits?
“Much more so than you may believe. This memory increases their happiness if they are already happy, and gives them immense solace if they are unhappy.”

321. Are spirits particularly attracted to their loved ones on the Earth on All Souls’ Day? Do they make it a point to visit people who pray before their graves?
“Spirits respond to the appeals of loving memory on that day just like any other.”


a) Do they visit the burial site of their physical body on that day?
“They visit cemeteries in droves on All Souls’ Day because they are attracted by the thoughts of a large number of people. However, each spirit goes there solely for its own loved ones and not for those who mean nothing to them.”


b) What is their form when they visit these places? If we could see them, what would they look like?
“The form and appearance by which they were known during their lifetime.”

322. Do the spirits of forgotten people, whose graves no one visits, visit cemeteries despite this neglect? Do they feel remorse or regret in realizing that no one remembers them?
“What is the Earth to them? They are only connected to it sentimentally. If there was no affection for a spirit while it was in this world, nothing can attach it to it. It has the whole universe before it.”

323. Does a spirit derive more pleasure from someone visiting its grave than a prayer offered in its name by loved ones in their own home?
“Visiting a grave site is a symbolic gesture and a way of showing a spirit that it was not forgotten. As I have told you, the prayer blesses the gesture of remembrance. Where the prayer is offered is of little signifcance, so long as it comes from the heart.”

324. When statues or other monuments are erected in honor of the deceased, are spirits present at inauguration? Do they derive any pleasure from these ceremonies?
“Spirits often attend such occasions when they can, but they attach less importance to these honors than the memory in which they are held.”

325. What makes some individuals prefer one burial spot over another? Do they go there more willingly after death? Is it a sign of inferiority if a spirit attributes such importance to a material issue?
“Spirits who have preferences for certain burial places show a sign of moral inferiority. Why would the different burial spots be of a concern to elevated spirits? Aren’t they aware that they will be reunited with their loved ones regardless of the location of their physical remains?”


a) Is it pointless to bury the physical remains of an entire family in the same spot?
“No, this is a heartfelt testimony to the consideration for our loved ones. It is of little importance to spirits, it is useful to people whose memory of the deceased is strengthened.”

326. When the soul returns to the spirit life, does it fnd the honors paid to its material remains pleasing?
“When a spirit has reached a certain degree of perfection, it is no longer controlled by human pride or pleasure and understands their futility. Still, there are many spirits who take great pleasure in the honors paid to their memory. There are some who are disturbed at discovering that they have been forgotten when they frst cross over into the other life. They still have not shed some of the false ideas they held during their physical life.”

327. Do spirits ever attend their own funeral?
“Very often, but they frequently do not understand what is happening because they are still in that state of confusion that usually follows death.”

a) Do they feel fattered by a large attendance of people at their funeral?
“This depends on the sentiment that has brought these people together.”

328. Does a spirit ever attend the meetings organized for the reading of his or her last will and testament?
“Almost always. It is God’s requirement for the enlightenment of some spirits and the atonement of greedy and selfsh ones. The deceased can evaluate the loyalty and affection people had for them because they can perceive all true feelings then. They are often extremely disappointed in witnessing the greed of those who dispute their assets. Greedy heirs are in turn punished in due time.”

329. Is the respect human beings have instinctively given to the dead attributed to an intuitive belief in a future life?
“That is the natural consequence. If this belief did not exist, such respect would have no purpose.”

330. Do spirits know when they are supposed to reincarnate?
“They have a sense of that return, as a blind person feels the heat of a fre he is approaching. They know that they reincarnate, as you know that you will die, but they do not know when the change will occur.” (See no. 166)


a) Is reincarnation therefore a necessity of spirit life, as death is a necessity of corporeal life?
“Surely, it is so.”

331. Do all spirits worry about their reincarnation?
“This depends on their degree of advancement. Some never give it a thought and know nothing about it. In some cases, the uncertainty of the future is an atonement in itself.”

332. Can a spirit hasten or delay its reincarnation?
“It may hasten it by a strong, faithful desire. As there are spineless and indifferent spirits, just like regular people. It may delay it if it shies away from the trial assigned to it, but it cannot do so freely. It suffers for this hesitation, just as a sick people suffer when they fail to use the remedy that can cure them.”

333. If a spirit is happy enough as an average, among errant spirits, could it stay in that state indefnitely?
“No, not indefnitely. Eventually the spirit feels the need to advance. All spirits have to evolve because it is their destiny.”

334. Is the union of a soul with a given body predestined, or is the choice of a body made at the last moment?
“The spirit is always assigned beforehand. Spirits choose the trials they will endure and request to reincarnate. God who sees and knows all things has foreseen that this soul would be united to that particular body.”

335. Can the spirit choose its body, or does it only choose the kind of life it is to bear for its trial?
“A spirit may also choose a body because the imperfections of this body are trials that will further its advancement, if it succeeds in overcoming the obstacles placed in its path. This choice is not always the spirit’s to make, but it can ask.”


a) Can a spirit refuse to enter a body chosen for it at the last moment before reincarnation?
“If it refuses, it suffers much more than one who does not attempt to go through a trial.”

336. Can a body about to be born not fnd a spirit willing to incarnate in it?
“God can provide for any possibility. Every child who is to be born alive is always predestined to have a soul. Nothing is created without a design.”

337. Does God ever enforce the union of a soul with a given body?
“Sometimes it is imposed, in support of the different trials to be suffered by a spirit, especially when the latter is still too inferior to be able to make the choice for itself. As a form of atonement, a spirit may be forced to enter the body of a child that, due to its birth and the circumstances it will encounter in the world, it will serve for the spirit as a way of atonement.”

338. If several spirits ask to be incarnated in a body that is about to be born, how is the decision made?
“In such a case, God judges which spirit is best ft to fulfll the destiny appointed for the child. However, as I have already told you, the spirit is chosen before the moment in which it is to join the body.”

339. Is incarnation marked by confusion similar to what follows a spirit’s separation from the body?
“Much greater and longer. At death, the spirit is released from slavery. At birth, the spirit re-enters it.”

340. Is a spirit’s reincarnation a solemn moment? Does it accomplish this act as something serious and important for it?
“The spirit is like a traveler embarking on a dangerous journey, not knowing if it will drown in the waves beneath its vessel.”


Travelers know what dangers they are risking, but they do not know if they will die or not. The same applies to a spirit. It knows the kind of trials to which it will be submitted, but does not know if it will succumb. As the death of the body is a rebirth for the spirit, reincarnation is like death, or perhaps more accurately like exile and confnement. Spirits leave the spirit world for the physical world just as human beings leave the physical world for the spiritual world. A spirit knows that it is going to reincarnate, just as a human being knows that it will die, but they only become aware of this change at the moment it occurs. It is at this time, that the confusion produced by the change takes hold and lasts until the new existence is fully established. The start of reincarnation is agony for a spirit.

341. Does a spirit feel anxious regarding the probability of succeeding in the trials it is to go through in its new life before its incarnation?
“Yes, the spirit feels a great deal of anxiety since those trials will directly delay or hasten its advancement, depending on whether it fails or not.”

342. When a spirit is about to reincarnate, is it accompanied by spirit friends who come to send it off from the spirit world, in the same way that they welcome it when it returns?
“That depends on the world that the spirit inhabits. If it belongs to a world where affection reigns, spirits who love that spirit will be with it up to the last moment, encouraging it and often even following the spirit into its new life.”

343. When we see fgures in our dreams showing affection for us and we do not recognize them, are these our spirit friends who follow us into our physical life?
“Yes, in many cases they come to visit you, just as you may visit a prisoner in his or her cell.”

344. When does the soul unite with the body?
“This union begins at conception but it is only completed at birth. From the moment of conception, the spirit assigned to inhabit a specifc body joins that body by a fuid link, which will increasingly tighten up to the moment of birth. The cry produced by the infant announces that it has entered the number of the living and the servants of God.”

345. Is the union between the spirit and the body conclusive from the moment of conception? Could the spirit, during the initial period of that union, abandon the body that has been assigned to it?
“The union is conclusive in the sense that no other spirit could replace the one to whom the body has been assigned. But, as the link that binds the body and soul is very weak at frst, it can be easily broken and severed by a spirit who abandons the trial it had chosen. When this happens, the child does not live.”

346. What happens to a spirit if the body it has chosen dies before birth?
“It chooses another.”


a) What is the purpose of premature deaths?
“Such deaths are most frequently caused by the imperfections of matter.”

347. Can a spirit derive any beneft from incarnating a body that dies a few days after birth?
“The new being’s cognizance of its life is so barely developed that its death is of little importance. As we have told you, such deaths are often intended as a trial for the parents.”

348. Does a spirit know beforehand that the body it chose has no chance of living?
“Sometimes, but if it chooses it on this account, it is because of fear of the trial it foresees.”

349. When a spirit has failed to enter a planned incarnation, is another existence available for it immediately?
“Not always immediately. The spirit needs time to make new choices, unless an instant reincarnation had been previously decided.”

350. Does a spirit ever regret its choice when it is being connected to the infant body and it is too late to back out?
“If you are asking whether it complains of the life it has to suffer, and whether it wishes it were otherwise like the way many human beings do, then yes. If you ask whether it regrets its choice, then no. Remember that the spirit does not recall the choice it made. Once incarnated, a spirit cannot regret a choice that it is not conscious of having made. It may fnd the burden it assumed too heavy and turn to suicide if it is too much for it to bear.”

351. In the period between conception and birth, does a spirit enjoy full use of its faculties?
“Yes, depending on the time because it is only attached to its body and not yet incarnated. From the moment of conception, confusion begins to set in as the spirit is made aware that time has come for it to enter a new existence. This confusion increases until the time of birth. Between these two periods, the spirit’s state of mind is like an incarnated spirit during slumber. As birth approaches, its ideas and memory of the past fade away and it no longer recalls them once it enters the physical body. This memory is gradually restored when it returns to the spiritual world.”

352. Does the spirit recover all of its faculties at birth?
“No, they are gradually developed with the growth of its organs. This physical life is a new existence and it must learn how to use its body and senses. The spirit gradually recovers its own ideas, like a person who wakes up only to fnd him or herself in a different situation than before falling asleep.”

353. Does a fetus have a soul, considering that the union of the spirit and the body is not fully consummated until birth?
“The spirit who is to animate it exists somehow outside the fetus. Strictly speaking, it has no soul since the incarnation process is in effect, but the soul is linked to the body that it is about to have.”

354. What is intra-uterine life?
“It is the life of a plant that vegetates. A child lives an animal life. Human beings possesses in them both animal and vegetable life, which is completed at birth by the spiritual life.”

355. Is there such a thing as an unviable child, as indicated by science? If so, for what purpose does this take place?
“This happens often. God allows these births as a trial, either for the parents or for the spirit intended to animate it.”

356. Are some still-born children never intended for the incarnation of a spirit?
“Yes, some never had a spirit assigned to them, nothing would have been accomplished in them. In such a case, the child’s arrival is simply a trial for the parents.”


a) Can a being of this nature come to term?
“Sometimes, but it does not survive.”


b) Does that mean that the child who survives birth has a spirit incarnated in it?
“What would it be if this were not the case? It would not be a human being.”

358. Is voluntary abortion a crime, regardless of the length of the pregnancy?
“Any transgression of God’s laws is a crime. Taking the life of an unborn child is a crime, whether committed by the mother or someone else, because the soul is prevented from experiencing the trials intended for the body that was destroyed.”

359. When the life of the mother is at risk by the birth of a child, is it a crime to sacrifce the child to save the mother?
“It is better to sacrifce a being that does not yet fully exist than a living being.”

360. Is it rational to treat a fetus with the same respect as the body of a child that has lived?
“You should acknowledge God’s will and work; do not treat lightly things that you must respect. Why should you not respect creations that are sometimes incomplete by the Creator’s will? They are part of God’s designs and no one may judge it.”

361. From where do moral qualities, both good and bad, originate?
“They belong to the incarnated spirit. The purer that spirit, the better the person.”


a) So a good person is the incarnation of a good spirit, and a vicious one is the incarnation of a bad spirit?
“Yes, but you should call them ‘imperfect spirits,’ otherwise one might assume that there are spirits who will always be bad, what you call demons.”

364. Does the same spirit give a person his or her moral and intellectual qualities?
“Surely it is the same, and such qualities will depend on the degree of the spirit’s evolution. People do not have two spirits in them.”

365. Why are some very intelligent people, whose intelligence is proof of the presence of an advanced spirit, also extremely vicious?
“Because the spirit incarnated in these individuals are inadequately purifed, and may yield to the sway of spirits who are even more inferior. A spirit advances slowly, but this progress does not take place in all directions simultaneously. It may advance intellectually at one point, and morally at another.”

366. What about the theory that persons of various intellectual and moral faculties are the product of multiple spirits each possessing a special aptitude incarnated within him or her?
“A moment’s refection will show the absurdity of this theory. Each spirit is destined to possess all possible aptitudes, but it must have one individual will to progress. If a human being was a combination of different spirits, this single will would not exist and this person would possess no individuality. Upon this person’s death, all the spirits would fy off in separate directions like birds escaping from a cage. Human beings often complain that they do not understand certain concepts, yet they are experts at unnecessarily complicating them, even when they have the most simple and natural explanation close at hand. This is yet another instance of how humans often mistake the effect for the cause. This theory is quite similar to what the pagans believed of God, except in this case it applies to humanity. They believed in the existence of a god for every phenomenon in the universe, but more rational among them see these phenomena as a variety of effects with one God as their cause.”


The physical and moral worlds offer us numerous points of comparison in this matter. While humankind remained focused on the appearance of natural phenomena, they believed in the existence of many different kinds of matter. Today, all these phenomena are seen as being modifcations of a single elementary substance. The various faculties are manifestations of the same, unique cause, which is the soul or incarnate spirit, and not multiple souls, just as the different sounds of an organ are the product of the same air and not different types of air for each sound.


According to this theory, when an individual gains or loses abilities or preferences, these changes are the result of a corresponding number of spirits who enter or vacate his or her body. This would transform human beings into compound beings without any individuality, and, consequently, without any accountability. This theory is disproved by the many spirit manifestations that conclusively demonstrate their personality and identity.

367. Does a spirit identify with matter upon uniting with a body?
“Matter is merely the envelope of the spirit, like clothing on the body. When uniting with a body, a spirit retains the attributes of its spiritual nature.”

368. Does a spirit fully exercise its faculties after its union with a body?
“This depends on the organs that serve as their instruments. Their exercise is weakened by the rudimentary nature of matter.”


a) Is the material envelope an obstacle to the free exercise of a spirit’s faculties, as an opaque glass is an obstacle to the free emission of light?
“Yes, it is a particularly opaque obstacle.”


We can also compare the action exercised upon a spirit by the rudimentary matter of its body to muddy water hampering the motion of objects swimming in it.

369. Is the free exercise of a spirit’s faculties secondary to the development of its physical organs during incarnation?
“Those organs serve as the soul’s channels for manifesting its faculties. By default, this manifestation is secondary to the degree of development and perfection of those organs, as the perfection of manual work depends on the quality of the tool used.”

370. Can we draw a correlation between the development of the cerebral organs and the moral and intellectual faculties from the infuence of the physical organs?
“Do not mistake cause and effect. A spirit always possesses faculties that belong to it, but the organs do not provide the faculties. The faculties spur the development of the organs.”


a) According to this view, the diversity of each person’s abilities depends solely on the state of the spirit. Is this correct? “Solely is not accurate. The qualities of an incarnated spirit determine those abilities. However, an allowance must be made for the infuence of matter, which to some degree hampers everyone when they exercise their intrinsic, spiritual faculties.”


When it incarnates, a spirit already has certain characteristic predispositions. If we contend the existence of a special organ in the brain for each of these, the development of the cerebral organs is an effect, and not a cause. If each of these faculties were a result of physical organs, humans would be mere machines, with no free will and no responsibility for their actions. If such were the case, we would be forced to admit that the greatest geniuses, thinkers, poets and artists were merely lucky to be given these certain special organs. Had it not been for chance, they would not have been geniuses, and the most ignorant individuals might have been a Newton, Virgil, or Raphael, as long as they had received certain organs. This theory is even more absurd if we apply it to the explanation of moral qualities.


According to this system, if Saint Vincent de Paul had been gifted by nature with a different specifc organ, he could have been a crook, and the greatest crook would only lack a certain brain structure in order to be someone like Saint Vincent de Paul. On the other hand, when we accept that our special organs, assuming their existence, are an effect developed by the exercise of the corresponding faculties rather than a cause, as in the development of muscles by movement, we can formulate a more rationally sound theory. Let us make a trivial comparison, albeit a truthful one. When we say that a person is addicted to alcohol based on facial signs, do the signs make them an alcoholic, or does drunkenness created the signs? We can assert that our organs receive the impression of our faculties.

371. Are there any grounds to the commonly held belief that individuals with developmental impairments have inferior souls?
“No, they have a human soul that is often more intelligent than you think. This soul suffers from the defciency of its means to communicate, as a mute person suffers from his inability to speak.”

372. What is God’s purpose in creating developmentally impaired beings?
“These individuals are the incarnations of spirits who are undergoing atonement. They suffer from their limitations and inability to express themselves through undeveloped or incapacitated organs.”


a) Would it be incorrect to say that the organs have no infuence on the faculties?
“We never said that the organs have no infuence. They have a very great infuence on the manifestation of the faculties, but they are not their source. There is a huge difference. A skilled musician will not make good music with a bad instrument, but this will not stop the individual from being a good musician.”


One must distinguish between the normal and pathological states. In the normal state, morality trumps material obstacles, but there are cases where matter presents such a strong resistance that it hampers or impairs the manifestations, as in developmental impairments and insanity. These are pathological cases and as the soul does not enjoy full freedom, laws originating from human societies exempt such individuals from the accountability for their actions.

373. What is the point in the existence of developmentally impaired individuals who can do neither good nor bad, and cannot progress? “Such an existence is imposed as atonement for the misuse of certain faculties. It is a time of confnement.”


a) This implies that the body of a mentally disabled person could contain a spirit that once embodied a genius?
“Yes, genius can become a curse when it is abused.”


Intellectual superiority does not always accompany moral superiority, and the greatest geniuses may be burdened by many moral trespasses for which they must atone. They often have to endure an inferior existence which is a cause of suffering for them. The barriers impairing their faculties are like shackles that restrain the movements of a strong person. The developmentally disabled person may be said to be mentally handicapped, as cripples are handicapped by their legs and the blind by their eyes.

374. Is a spirit who is developmentally impaired conscious of his or her mental condition?
“Yes, very often. It understands that the restraints hampering its actions are a trial and an atonement.”

375. When a person is insane, what is the state of that individual’s spirit?
“When a spirit is free it receives impressions directly and directly exerts its action on matter as well. When a spirit incarnates, it is in an entirely different condition and is required to act only through the designated organs. If some or all of those organs are impaired, its actions or impressions concerning those organs are interrupted. Individuals beset by such impairments become blind if they lose their eyes, deaf if they lose their ears, and so on. Imagine now that the organ responsible for manifestations of intelligence and will is partially or entirely impaired, and you will easily understand that the use of such an incomplete or distorted organ will provoke a functional distress that the spirit is fully conscious of but unable to control.”


a) Then it is always the body, and not the spirit, that is dysfunctional?
“Yes, but remember that just as a spirit acts upon matter, matter in turn reacts upon the spirit, at least to a certain extent. Due to the altered state of its receptor organs, the spirit may temporarily receive various impressions. When the insanity continues for long periods of time, the repetition of the same acts may exercise a permanent infuence on a spirit. It only ends with its complete separation from all material impressions.”

376. Why does insanity sometimes lead to suicide?
“The spirit suffers from its restriction and inability to manifest itself freely. It seeks death as a means of breaking these chains.”

377. Is the imbalance that is the underlying cause of an insane person’s suffering carried over from the physical life to the spirit world?
“The spirit may continue to feel it after death until it is completely freed from matter. This is similar to how one feels drowsy when waking from a very deep sleep.”

378. How can the brain alteration act on the spirit after death?
“It is a memory that weighs heavily on a spirit. The spirit is not aware of all that took place due to the insanity, and needs a certain amount of time to recover. This is why its agitation after death is always proportionate to the length of time that it suffered in its physical life. When a spirit is free from the body, it still feels the impression of the bonds that tied it to its physical life for a period of time.”

379. Is the spirit living in the body of a child as developed as that of an adult?
“Possibly even more so, if it had progressed farther before reincarnation. The imperfection of its organs is what prevents the spirit from manifesting itself. It acts according to the method available to express itself.”

382. During childhood, does an incarnated spirit suffer from the limitation imposed upon it by the imperfections of its organs?
“No, it is a required part of the natural order and imposed by Providence. It is a time of rest for the spirit.”

383. What is the point of a spirit experiencing childhood?
“The purpose of incarnation is the improvement of the spirit, and childhood makes a spirit more open to the impressions it receives. This may contribute to its advancement, toward which all those responsible for the child’s education and training must contribute.”

384. Why is crying the frst sound an infant makes?
“They cry in order to stimulate the interest of their mothers in them and ensure that they care for their needs. If children uttered only cries of joy before being able to speak, those around them would not be overly concerned with their needs. God’s wisdom should be admired in all designs.”

385. Where does the change that occurs in its character at a certain age, particularly upon leaving adolescence, originate? Does the spirit become adapted?
“Upon regaining consciousness, the spirit appears as it was before incarnation. You do not know the secrets that are hidden beneath the apparent innocence of children. You do not know who they are, who they have been, or who they will be. You love and cherish them regardless, as though they were a part of you. This affection is so strong that the love of a mother for her children is believed to be the greatest love that one being can have for another. What is the source of this sweet affection and tenderness that even strangers feel for a child? Do you know its origin? That is precisely what I will now explain to you.”


“God sends children into new lives and gives them all the external appearances of innocence so that they may not accuse God of being unfairly harsh. Even children with a propensity to the worst wickedness are concealed by the unconsciousness of their own acts. This deceptive innocence does not make children superior to their prior lives. It is merely the image of what they should be. If they do not match this image, they alone are to blame for the ensuing atonement.”


“God has not made children this way solely for themselves. God has also done this because of the parents, whose love is so necessary for their survival. This essential love would be greatly reduced if a child’s true shameful nature were on full display. As parents believe that their children are inherently good and gentle, they shower them with affection and care. When children no longer need this assistance, which is given to them for ffteen or twenty years, they reveal their true characters. Those who are truly good at heart remain good, but even then their characters reveal many traits that were once hidden. God’s ways are always for the best, and for the pure in heart, the explanation is always easy.”


“A child born among you may have come from a world in which it has acquired habits that are drastically different from yours. How could this new being, possessing its own passions, inclinations and tastes, adapt to your world if it came in any other fashion than the flter of infancy intended by God? This process merges together all the thoughts, characteristics and types of beings produced by all worlds in which creatures grow. At death, you fnd yourselves in a type of infancy surrounded by a new family of brothers and sisters. You are unaware of the habits, manners and relations of a world that is new to you. You fnd it diffcult to express yourselves in a language that you are not accustomed to and that is more vibrant than your thoughts today.” (See no. 319)


“Childhood also has another purpose. Spirits use the physical life to improve themselves. The weakness of youth renders them more fexible and open to the advice of those whose experience should aid their progress. This is how bad predispositions are repressed, and fawed characters are gradually reformed. This repression and reformation is a God-given duty for parents, a sacred mission for which parents are fully accountable. Childhood is not only useful, but indispensable, just like all of God’s laws that govern the universe.”

386. Could two beings, who have already known and loved each other, meet in another corporeal existence and recognize each other?
“They may not recognize each another, but they might be attracted to each other. The attraction stemming from the ties of a former life is often the cause of the most intimate unions. In your world, two people are drawn together by circumstances that seem to be chance, but are really due to the attraction of two spirits who are instinctively looking for each other in the crowd.”

a) Would it not be better for them to recognize one another?
“Not always. The recollection of past lives would have more disadvantages than you think. After death they will recognize one another, and then reminisce over the time they spent together.” (See no. 392)

388. Could the meetings that sometimes take place between two people be the effect of a sympathetic relationship rather than chance?
“There are bonds between intelligent beings that are unfamiliar to you. Magnetism is the driving force of this science that you will understand more clearly in the future.”

389. What is behind the instinctive repulsion sometimes felt between individuals who are meeting for the frst time?
“They are antipathetic spirits who can sense each other’s nature, and recognize one another without ever exchanging words.”

390. Is instinctive antipathy always the sign of a wicked nature?
“Two spirits are not necessarily wicked because they are not sympathetic. This hostility may spring from a difference in their way of thinking. As we ascend, these differences are erased and their antipathy disappears.”

391. Out of the two individuals, who initiates the feeling of antipathy, the better or worse Spirit?
“It may begin in both, but its causes and effects are different. A bad spirit feels antipathy against whoever is able to see through it, thus discerning its imperfections. On seeing such an individual for the frst time, it knows that it will receive their disapproval. Its repulsion transforms into hatred or jealousy, and inspires the desire to do harm to the target of its feelings. A good spirit feels repulsion for a bad spirit because it knows that it will not be understood, and that they do not share the same thoughts and ideas. As such a spirit is strong, it feels neither hatred nor jealousy towards the bad spirit, and is happy to avoid and pity it.”

392. Why does an incarnate spirit forget its past?

“Human beings cannot and must not know everything. God, out of Divine wisdom, has willed this to be so. Without the veil that hides things from our view, we would be overwhelmed, like someone who suddenly goes from darkness to light. By forgetting our past, we are able to be ourselves more fully.”

393. How can human beings be held accountable for their actions and atone for their faults when they have absolutely no recollection of them? How can they proft from the experience acquired in lives that they have forgotten? The trials and tribulations of life could teach them some sort of lesson if they remembered the behavior that has brought them upon them. If they forget everything, each new existence is like the frst, and they must start from scratch. How can this be reconciled with the justice of God?
“With each new existence human beings become more intelligent, and better able to distinguish between good and bad. If they remembered their entire past, where would their merit be? When spirits reenter their original life, the spirit life, their entire past unfurls before them. They see the faults that they have committed, the cause of all their suffering, and they also see what would have prevented these faults. They understand the justice of their situation, and they seek a new existence to repair the mistakes of their most recent life. They ask for new trials equivalent to those in which they have failed, or that they feel will likely aid their advancement. They ask superior spirits to support them in the new task that they are about to undertake, because they know that their guides will strive to help them shed their faults by giving them a sort of intuition of those they have committed in the past. This intuition is the foul thought that often tempts you and that you instinctively resist.


While you attribute this resistance to the principles you have learned from your parents, it is actually due to your conscience. That voice is the recollection of your past, warning you not to be ensnared by the same traps into which you have already fallen. Those who undergo the trials of a new existence with strength and courage, and resist the temptation to do wrong, rise in the spirit hierarchy to a higher ranking, which they will assume upon their return.” While we do not precisely recall who we have been, and the good or bad that we have done in our past lives, we have the intuition of our past in the instinctive predispositions that our conscience warns us to resist. Our conscience is the desire we have conceived to avoid repeating our past faults in the future.

394. On worlds that are more advanced than ours, where beings are not subject to all our physical needs and infrmities do they understand that they are happier than we are? Happiness is usually relative and it is felt in comparison with a state that is less happy. As some of those worlds have not reached perfection, despite being better than ours, their inhabitants must have their own troubles. While wealthy people here might not endure the physical poverty that tortures the poor, they are still victims to other kinds of troubles that embitter their lives. Thence, I would ask if the inhabitants of those other worlds consider themselves to be just as unhappy, according to their standard of happiness, as we consider ourselves to be according to ours? Do they complain of their fate, since they do not recall their inferior lives to serve as a standard of comparison?
“There are two different answers to this question. In some worlds, the inhabitants have a very clear memory of their past lives, and therefore can and do appreciate the happiness that God permits them to enjoy. However, there are others where the inhabitants, despite living in better conditions than you, are still subject to great troubles and much unhappiness. They do not appreciate their lives because they have no recollection of a worse existence. Although they do not appreciate those conditions as men and women, they appreciate them as spirits.”


The unconsciousness of our past lives, especially when painful, is somewhat providential and reveals the divine wisdom. The recollection of our painful past lives is nothing more than the vague memory of a bad dream when they are fnally permitted to reenter our memory in superior worlds. The painfulness of present suffering, in lower worlds, would be greatly aggravated by the memory of all the misery we may have experienced in the past. This allows us to conclude that everything that God has made is well-made, and it is not up to us to fnd fault with God’s works, or decide how God should regulate the universe.


The memory of our past lives would present many serious disadvantages. In some cases, it would cause cruel humiliation, while in others it might prompt pride that would hamper our free will. God has given us just what is necessary and suffcient for us to improve ourselves: the voice of our conscience and our instinctive predispositions. God keeps anything that would be a source of injury away from us. Let us add that if we preserved the memory of our former personalities and actions, we would also remember those of other people. This knowledge would have a disastrous effect on our social relations. We do not always have a reason to be proud of our past, it is better that it is hidden. This concept is in perfect harmony with the statements of spirits about the worlds that are more evolved than ours. In those worlds, where moral excellence reigns, there is nothing painful in recalling the past, and the inhabitants of those happier worlds remember their past lives as we remember what we did yesterday. The visits that they may have made to lower worlds are nothing more than a vague nightmare.

395. Can we obtain any revelations regarding our past lives?
“Not always. Many persons know who they were and what they did. If they could speak freely, they would make curious revelations about the past.”

396. Some people believe that they have a vague memory of an unknown past, which presents itself as a feeting image from a dream that one tries to recall in vain. Is this belief only an illusion?
“Sometimes it is real, but it is often an illusion that is merely the effect of an overactive imagination.”

397. Is the recollection of past lives more exact when the physical life experience is of a more elevated nature than ours?
“Yes, the incarnate spirit remembers them more clearly because the body is less material. The remembrance of the past is always clearer in those who inhabit higher worlds.”

398. As our instinctive predispositions are refections of our past lives, can we determine the faults we have committed in the past by analyzing these predispositions?
“Of course, up to a certain point. We would also have to take into account the improvement that out spirit may have earned and the resolutions made while in an errant state in the spiritual realm. Our present life may be much better than our previous one.”


a) Could it be worse? Could some individuals commit faults in a subsequent existence that they did commit in the previous one?
“That depends on their advancement. If they were unable to resist temptation, they might commit new faults as consequences of the circumstances they chose. Such faults might indicate a stationary rather than a regressive state, because a spirit never regresses and can only advance or remain stationary.”

399. As the hardships of physical life are atonement for past faults and lessons for the future, can we infer the character of our prior existence from these variations?

“This is done frequently, since the nature of the atonement incurred always corresponds to the fault committed. Nevertheless, this should not be considered an absolute rule. Instinctive predispositions provide a more certain indication, as the trials suffered by a spirit are as much for the future as for the past.”


When a spirit has reached the end of its errant life assigned by God, it chooses the trials that it will suffer to accelerate its progress, meaning the kind of existence that it believes will most likely yield the means of advancing. The trials of this new life always correspond to the faults for which it must make amends. If the spirit succeeds in this new struggle, it rises and if it fails, that spirit must try again.


Spirits always possess free will. This free will allows them to choose the trials they elect to endure in the physical life, and as incarnates, in a human body, it allows them to deliberate whether they will do something or not, ultimately choosing between good and bad. To deny humanity’s free will would be to reduce human beings to the status of mere machines.


Upon returning to the physical life, a spirit temporarily forgets its past existences, as though a veil hid them. Sometimes it manages to grasp a vague perception of them, and they may be revealed under certain circumstances, but this only occurs if decided by higher spirits. They spontaneously make this revelation for some useful end, and never solely for satisfying idle curiosity.


A spirit’s future lives can never be revealed during the physical life, because these future lives are dependent upon the manner in which the spirit lives its present existence and the choices it makes.


Temporary unawareness of the faults it has committed is no obstacle to a spirit’s improvement because the knowledge the spirit had of them when in the errant state and the desire it felt to repair them guide it intuitively, inspiring that spirit to resist evil temptations. This is the voice of its conscience and is supported by the spirits who assist it, if it follows their suggestions.


Although incarnates do not exactly know their former actions, they always know the kind of faults they have been guilty of committing and the dominant aspects of their characters. They only need to study themselves in order to know what they have been, not by what they are now, but by their predispositions.


The trials of physical life are both atonements for past faults and trials designed to make us better for the future. They purify and elevate, provided that we submit to them. The nature of the trials and tribulations that we have to endure may also enlighten us in regard to what we have been and what we have done, just as we deduce the crimes of a convict based on the penalty given to him by law. Thus, those who have sinned by pride are punished by the humiliation of an inferior standing, the self-indulgent and greedy by poverty, the hard-hearted by the cruelties they will suffer, tyrants by slavery, bad sons by the ingratitude of their own children, the idle by subjection to hard and relentless labor, and so on.

400. Does an incarnate spirit willingly reside in its physical envelope?
“It is as if you asked if a prisoner likes to remain locked up in prison? The incarnate spirit endlessly pines for its freedom and the more rudimentary its envelope, the more it wishes to be rid of it.”

401. Does the soul rest during sleep as does the body?
“No, a spirit is never inactive. The bonds that tie it to the body are relaxed during slumber, and as the body does not require its presence, it travels through space and has direct relationships with other spirits.”

402. How can we prove a spirit’s freedom during sleep?
“By dreams. When the body is asleep, a spirit enjoys the use of faculties it does not possess when awake. It remembers the past and sometimes sees the future. It acquires more power, and is able to communicate with other spirits, either in this world or in another. You often say, ‘I had a strange dream, a terrible dream, nothing like reality.’ You are mistaken in thinking this because it is often a recollection of places and things that you have seen in the past, or a premonition of those that you will see in a future existence, or even in this life at some future time. As the body is slow, the spirit tries to break free of its shackles and seeks, in the past or in the future, any means of doing so.”


“Poor humans! How little you know regarding the most basic phenomena in your life! You fancy yourselves to be very educated and are puzzled by the most ordinary things. You are incapable of answering simple questions that a child might ask, such as, ‘What do we do when we are asleep?’ ‘What are dreams?’”


“Sleep frees the soul partially from the body. When you sleep, your spirit is in the state in which you will fnd yourself after death. The spirits who are promptly freed from matter upon death are those who, during their life, had intelligent sleep. Such individuals meet with other spirits superior to themselves when asleep. They spend time with them, conversing and learning from them. They even work on undertakings in the spirit world that they discover to already be initiated or completed upon death. Based on this you should see how death should not be feared, since you ‘die daily’20 according to the words of a saint.


“What we have just stated refers to elevated spirits. Those who remain in a state of confusion and uncertainty for hours after death venture into worlds lower than Earth when asleep. They are drawn back to these worlds by old penchants, or the attraction of desires or inclinations more despicable than those to which they are addicted in your world. During these visits, they accumulate more shameful and mischievous ideas than those that they had acknowledged when awake. What produces a sense of sympathy in the physical life is nothing more than the fact that they feel attracted to those with whom they have spent eight or nine hours of happiness or pleasure. On the other hand, the basis of the unyielding aversion they sometimes feel for certain individuals is also found in the intuitive knowledge they have acquired that those individuals have a conscience that is different than theirs. They know them without having physically seen them. This same fact explains the indifference some people feel for others. They do not care to make new friends, because they know that they have others who love and cherish them. Sleep has more infuence than you think on your life.”


“Incarnate spirits connect with the spirit world through sleep. This is why higher spirits agree to incarnate themselves among you. God has resolved that they may fortify themselves at the source of goodness during their contact with vice so that they may not fall into wrongdoing while trying to enlighten others. God opens the gate of slumber, through which they may pass to see their friends in the spirit world. It is their leisure time after work, while awaiting their fnal liberation, which restores them to their true place.”


“Dreams are the recollection of what your spirit has seen during sleep. However, you must realize that you do not always dream, because you do not always remember what you have seen, or everything that you have seen. Your dreams do not always refect the action of your soul in its full development. They often are merely the refection of the confusion accompanying your departure or return, sprinkled with the hazy recollection of what you have done, or what has occupied your thoughts in your waking state. How else can you explain the absurd dreams dreamt by the wisest and most foolish of human beings? Bad spirits also use dreams to torment weak and apprehensive souls.”


“You will soon see the development of another kind of dream, one that is primordial but of which you are unaware. This dream is that of Joan of Arc, Jacob, the Jewish prophets, and certain Hindu ascetics, a dream that is the memory of the soul’s experiences while entirely free from the body. This is the memory of the second life of which I just spoke.”


“You should try to carefully distinguish between these two kinds of dreams, at least out of those that you are able to recall, otherwise you run the risk of falling into contradictions and errors that would be prejudicial to your faith.”


Dreams are a consequence of the emancipation of the soul. Souls have more independence by the suspension of the active and social life, and enjoy indefnite clairvoyance extending to faraway places, or those we have never seen, or even to other worlds. This emancipation is what causes the reminiscence that retraces the events from our present or prior lives. The peculiarity of the images of what has taken place in worlds unknown to us, mixed with the present world, produces bizarre and whimsical patchworks that seem to be devoid of meaning. The incoherence of dreams is further explained by gaps resulting from the incomplete recollection of what has appeared to us in our dreams. This incompleteness is similar to a narrative that has whole sentences or sections omitted, and the remaining fragments are randomly thrown together, with a resulting loss of all logical meaning.

403. Why do we not always remember our dreams?
“Sleep is only rest for the body, and the spirit always remains active. The spirit is partially free while sleeping, and communicates with loved ones, in both this world and other worlds. As the body is heavy and material, it is diffcult for it to retain possession of the impressions received by the spirit during sleep, because those impressions were not received through the physical organs.”

404. What should we think of the signifcance attributed to dreams?
“Dreams are not indications of the future, as is often alleged by fortune-tellers. It is absurd to believe that a certain kind of dream reveals the occurrence of a specifc event. However, they are indications in the sense that they present images which are real for the spirit, though they may have nothing to do with its present physical life. In many cases, dreams are a memory, and sometimes an intuition, of the future, if permitted by God, or the vision of something that is taking place in some other place to which the soul has traveled. Have you not heard of the many instances proving that individuals may appear to friends and family in dreams, warning them of what is happening to them? What are apparitions, if not the soul or spirit of individuals who are communicating with you? When you are certain that what you saw has actually taken place, is it not proof that it was not a fgment of your imagination, especially if what you saw was something that you had not thought of when you were awake?”

405. We often see things in dreams that appear to be premonitions, but they do not come to fruition. What is the reason for this?
“The spirit may experience these things, while the body does not. The spirit sees what it wishes to see because it goes out looking for it. During sleep, the spirit is always more or less under the infuence of matter. Consequently, it is never completely free from human ideas, and the objects of its waking thoughts may conjure up what it desires or fears, producing an effect of the imagination. When the mind is preoccupied with an idea, it is very quick to connect everything it sees to that idea.”

406. When we see living persons, whom we know quite well, doing things in dreams that they would never dare do in reality, is it a mere effect of the imagination?
“That they would never dare? How do you know? Their spirit may visit yours, as yours may visit theirs, and you do not always know what they may be thinking. Besides, in dreams you often apply to individuals you know, and according to your own desires, what took place, or is taking place, in other existences,.”

407. Is complete sleep necessary for the emancipation of the spirit?
“No, the spirit recovers its freedom as soon as the senses become drowsy. It takes advantage of every moment of bodily rest to be free. The second that the body begins to get weary, the spirit detaches from the body. The weaker the bodily state, the freer the spirit.” This is why dozing, or a mere dulling of the senses, often presents the same images as dreaming.

408. We sometimes seem to distinctly hear words that have no connection with what we are thinking. What is the cause of this?
“Yes, you often hear words and even whole sentences, especially when your senses begin to grow drowsy. It is sometimes the faint echo of a spirit who wants to communicate with you.”

409. When not yet half asleep and with our eyes closed, we often see distinct images and highly detailed fgures. Is this a product of our imagination or an actual effect of vision?
“The body being numb, the spirit tries to break free from its shackles. It is transported and sees, and if the sleep were deeper, the vision would be a dream.”

410. Sometimes, when asleep or half asleep, we have ideas that seem to be excellent, but despite every effort we make to recall them, these ideas are wiped from our memory upon waking. From where do these ideas originate?
“They are the consequence of the freedom of the spirit, who frees itself from the body, and enjoys the use of other faculties when free. They are often advice given to you by other spirits.”


a) What is the purpose of such ideas and advice, since we forget them anyway?
“Those ideas often belong to the spirit world rather than the physical world. However, though the body may forget them, the spirit does not and the idea recurs to it at the right moment when awake, as a sudden inspiration.”

411. Does the incarnate spirit, when it is free from matter and acting as a spirit, knows the time of its death?
“It often has an intuition of it. It sometimes has a very clear vision of it that allows the intuition to be retained upon waking. This is what gives some the ability to foresee the time of their death with perfect accuracy.”

412. Do spirit activities when the body is sleeping or resting fatigue the body?
“Yes, because the spirit is attached to the body, like a balloon tied to a post. As the post is shaken by the movements of the balloon, the activity of the spirit reacts upon the body, and may cause it to feel tired.”

413. The liberation of the soul during sleep seems to indicate that we simultaneously live two lives, that of the body, which gives us a life of outside relationships, and the invisible life of the soul, which gives us a life of hidden relationships. Is this true?
“During the liberation of the soul, the spirit life takes precedence over the physical life, but properly speaking, these are not two separate lives, but two phases of one life. A human being does not live a double life.”

416. Can incarnates trigger spirit visits to happen? Can they do this by saying to themselves right before falling asleep, ‘Tonight I will meet this person, and talk to them about this subject?’
“This is what happens: The person falls asleep, and his or her spirit awakens. The spirit of that person is often very far from following the plan that it decided upon while in the body because human life is of little interest to a spirit when its free from matter. This only applies to those members of the human race who have already reached a certain degree of perfection. Others spend their spiritual life very differently. They give free rein to their passions, or remain inactive. It may so happen that a spirit visits someone that their incarnated self suggests to visit before falling asleep, but this is not because it was willed to do so while awake.”

417. Can incarnate spirits get together and form assemblies while asleep?
“Defnitely. The bonds of friendship, old or new, often bring together spirits who are happy to enjoy each other’s company.”


By the term old one must understand the bonds of friendship forged in prior lives. Upon waking, we recall a sense of the ideas that we derived from these meetings, but we do not know the source.

418. If I believed that one of my friends had died and this were not true, could I meet my friend as a spirit and discover that he or she is alive? Could I preserve the awareness of this fact when awake?
“As a spirit, you could defnitely see your friend and learn the truth about his or her situation. If the belief in the death of that friend had not been imposed on you as an atonement, you might preserve an impression of your friend’s existence, just as you may preserve that of his or her death.”

419. How is it that the same idea, like a discovery for instance, can occur in multiple places at the same time?
“We have already said that spirits communicate with one another during sleep. When their body awakens, spirits remember what they have learned and think that whatever outcome of that learning is actually a product of their own. Consequently, several individuals may learn the same thing at the same time. When you say that an idea is ‘in the air,’ you are using a fgure of speech that is much closer to the truth than you realize. Everyone unconsciously helps spread it.”


Our spirit often reveals to other spirits the object of our thoughts and refections before we went to sleep, without our being aware of it.

422. Patients who experience lethargy usually see and hear what takes place around them, but are unable to express themselves verbally. Is it through the eyes and ears of the body that these impressions are received?
“No, they are received by the spirit. The spirit is conscious, but cannot express itself.”


a) Why is it unable to express itself?
“The state of its body prevents it. This unusual state of the spirit’s organs proves that human beings are something more than their bodies, since the body is no longer functioning, and yet the spirit acts.”

424. Is it possible to rejuvenate the ties that were ready to break and restore life to a person who would have died without proper medical assistance in a timely fashion?
“Yes, and you have proof of this every day. Magnetism often exercises a powerful restorative action, because it provides vital fuid to the body, which it needs to keep the organs functioning.”


Lethargy and catalepsy are both a type of temporary loss of sensitivity and power of motion, caused by some unexplained physiological condition. They differ in that in lethargy the overpowering of the vital force is general and gives the body the appearance of death, while in catalepsy, it is localized, and may affect a more or less extensive portion of the body, while leaving intelligence unaffected. Lethargy is always natural and catalepsy is sometimes spontaneous, but it may be artifcially produced and also dispelled by magnetic action.

425. Is there any connection between natural somnambulism and dreaming? How can it be explained?
“In somnambulism the soul has more independence and its functions are more developed than when dreaming. It feels perceptions that it does not have while dreaming, which is an imperfect form of somnambulism.”


“In somnambulism, the spirit is in total possession of itself. The physical organs suffer from a type of catalepsy and are no longer receptive to external impressions. This state most frequently occurs during sleep, because the spirit is then able to free itself from the body, which enjoys the repose that is indispensable to matter.”


“Somnambulism occurs when the spirit of the sleeper is determined to do something that requires the body. It uses the body in the same way that spirits use a table or any other material object to produce physical manifestations, or a human hand to produce written communications. When a human being is conscious of a dream, his or her bodily senses related to memory are beginning to wake up. In dreams that we are conscious of, the sensorial organs, including those related to memory, begin to awaken and imperfectly receive the impressions produced by objects or external causes, and communicate them to the spirit. The spirit, also in a resting state, only perceives confused and often disconnected sensations and without any apparent reason, oftentimes further muddled with vague memories of either the present life or previous ones. It is easy to understand why somnambulists do not remember their visions, and why most have no rational meaning. I say most because dreams are sometimes the consequence of a specific memory of events that have occurred in one of your former lives, or even a sort of premonition of the future.”

429. How can the somnambulist see through dense bodies?
“Bodies are only dense to your rudimentary senses and organs. We have told you that matter is not an obstacle for a spirit, since it can freely pass through it. Somnambulists often tell you that they see through their forehead, knee, and so on, and because you are bound to matter, you do not understand that they can see without their receptor organs. However, when your ideas infuence them, they may be fooled into believing that they actually need those organs. If left to their own devices, they would understand that they see through every part of their bodies, or, rather, that their vision is completely separate from the body.”

430. Since the clairvoyance of somnambulists is derived from their soul or spirit, why do they not see everything, and why do they so often make mistakes?
“First, low-ranking spirits do not see and understand everything, because they still share your faws and prejudices. Second, as long as they remain attached to matter to any degree, they cannot fully enjoy their spiritual faculties. God has given the faculty of clairvoyance to humankind for a serious and useful purpose, not to learn things that human beings are not permitted to know. This is why somnambulists do not know everything.”

431. What is the source of a somnambulist’s innate ideas, and how can they accurately discuss things that they are unaware of when awake, and that transcend their intellectual capacity?
“Somnambulists may possess more knowledge than you give them credit for, but this knowledge is dormant when awake because their envelopes are too fawed to remember everything they know as spirits. However, what are they, essentially? They are spirits who incarnated for a mission, and somnambulism awakens them from their lethargic state. We have repeatedly told you that we are reborn many times. This succession of lives causes somnambulists to lose sight, in a new existence, of what they may have known in a previous life. When a crisis starts, they recall what they knew once, but sometimes only partially. They have knowledge, but they do not know where it comes from or how they came to possess it. When the crisis is over, their memories fade from consciousness as they re-enter the physical life.”


Experience shows us that somnambulists also receive communications from other spirits, who tell them what to say and fll in the blanks of what they are missing. This is often witnessed in medical consultations. The spirit of the somnambulist notes a disease and another spirit indicates the remedy required. This dual action is often obvious to witnesses, and is frequently revealed by the somnambulist through expressions such as, “I am told to say,” or, “I am forbidden to say.” In the event of the latter, it is always dangerous to persist in trying to obtain information from a somnambulist because we then open the door to fippant spirits, who rattle on about everything in complete disregard for the truth.

432. How do you explain the power that some somnambulists possess to see from very far distances?
“Have we not told you that the soul transports itself during sleep? It does the same thing during somnambulism.”

433. Does the degree of somnambulistic clairvoyance depend on the physical makeup of the body or on the nature of the incarnate spirit?
“Both, but there are physical qualities that determine whether the spirit can free itself from matter more or less easily.”

434. Are the faculties enjoyed by the somnambulist the same as those that a spirit possesses after death?
“They are the same up to a certain point. A somnambulist is still attached to matter and you must take its infuence into account.”

435. Can somnambulists see other spirits?
“That depends on the nature and level of their abilities. Most of them see other spirits perfectly well, but they do not always recognize them as spirits and mistake them for physical beings. Somnambulists and especially those who know nothing about Spiritism often make this mistake. They do not understand anything pertaining to spirits and are shocked to see them in human form. This leads them to believe that they are living persons.”


The same effect is felt at death in those who believe that they are still alive. Nothing about them appears to have changed. The spirits around them seem to have bodies like ours, and they mistake the appearance of their own body with that of a real body.

436. When somnambulists see objects at a distance, do they see them with their bodies or with their souls?
“Why would you ask such a question, since the body does not see? It is the soul.”

437. Since the soul transports itself, how is it that somnambulists feel the heat or cold of the place where their souls are located, which is sometimes very far away from the body?
“Their souls have not entirely left their bodies and are still attached by the link that unites them. This link is the conductor for sensations. When two individuals in two different cities use electricity to correspond with each other, electricity is the link between their thoughts and it enables them to communicate with one another as though they were right next to each other.”

439. What is the difference between ecstatic trance and somnambulism?
“Ecstatic trance is a more refned form of somnambulism. When experiencing ecstasy, the soul is even more independent.”

442. If people experiencing ecstatic trance were left to their own devices, could their souls defnitively leave their bodies?
“Yes, such individuals might actually die and it is therefore necessary to call them back by everything that may attach them to the lower life. Others must show them that if they break the bonds that keep them on Earth, they effectively block a later possibility of staying in a world in which they perceive that they would be happy.”

443. Sometimes, people in an ecstatic trance profess to see things that are clearly a fgment of the imagination imprinted with human beliefs and prejudices. Are the things that they see not always real?
“What they see is real for them, but they may see it in their own way since they are still attached to matter. Likewise, they may express it in a language adapted to prejudices formed by the ideas with which they were raised. They may cater to prevailing prejudices to make themselves better understood. This is how they are most likely to make an error.”

444. How much confdence should we have for the revelations of ecstatic persons make?
“Persons in an ecstatic trance may very frequently be mistaken, especially when they seek to penetrate what must remain a mystery to humankind. They then give in to their own ideas, or become the victims of deceptive spirits who take advantage of their enthusiasm to dazzle them with false visions.”

445. What inferences can we draw from the phenomena of somnambulism and ecstatic trance? Can we consider them a sort of initiation to the future life?
“It would be more correct to say that somnambulists may obtain glimpses of their past and future lives. If human beings study these phenomena, they will fnd the solution to more than one of the mysteries their unaided reason seeks to uncover in vain.”

446. Could the phenomena of somnambulism and ecstatic trance support theoretical materialism?
“If human beings study them honestly, without the bias of preconceived notions, they cannot seriously entertain the position of the materialist or the atheist.”

447. Is there any connection between the phenomenon known as second sight with dreaming and somnambulism?
“They are all the same thing. What you call second sight is also a state in which the spirit is partially free, although the body is not asleep. Second sight is soul sight.”

450. Can second sight be further developed by exercise?
“Yes, effort always leads to progress and the veil that covers things becomes more transparent.”


a) Is this ability dependent upon physical makeup?
“Physical makeup undoubtedly has a large role, as there are characters and structures with which it is incompatible.”

451. How is it that the second sight appears to be hereditary in certain families?
“This is due to a similar physical makeup, which is transferred in the same manner as other physical qualities. It is also due to the development of the ability through training, which is passed down from one generation to another.”

452. Is it true that circumstances develop second sight?
“Illness, impending danger or any major disturbance may develop it. The body is sometimes in a state that allows spirits to see what cannot be seen with the human eye.”


Times of crisis and turmoil, powerful emotions, and any causes that stimulate the moral nature may develop the second sight. It seems as if Providence gave us a means of calling upon it. All religious groups and parties subjected to persecution have provided numerous instances of this fact.

453. Are the individuals who are gifted with second sight always conscious of their ability?
“Not always. It seems natural to them and many believe that if everybody observed themselves they would have the same power.”

454. Can we attribute the perceptiveness of people who possess startling clear judgment in relation to everyday life as a form of second sight, although they are not extraordinarily gifted?
“This is always due to more open radiation of the soul, enabling one to see more clearly than those whose perceptions are more heavily masked by matter.”


a) In some cases, can this ability provide the foresight of future events?
“Yes, it may yield premonitions because there are many degrees of this ability. The same person may possess all of these degrees or only some of them.”

455. Natural somnambulism occurs spontaneously and independent of any known external cause, but among certain people endowed with a special physical makeup, they may be produced artifcially through the action of a magnetic agent.


The state called magnetic somnambulism is no different than natural somnambulism, except that it is artifcially produced, while the other is spontaneous.


Natural somnambulism, despite its miraculous nature, is a wellknown fact that few now dispute. Why should we view magnetic somnambulism as more extraordinary or incredible simply because it is produced artifcially, like so many other phenomena? Some say that charlatans exploit it, but that is another reason to refuse abandoning it to their hands. Whenever science embraces somnambulism, charlatans will have far less infuence on the masses. Meanwhile, since both natural and artifcial somnambulism effectively, are a fact – there is no arguing against fact – they are gaining grounds despite detractors, even in the realm of science, where it is entering through a multitude of side doors instead of through the front. Its right to be scientifcally respected will soon be fully recognized.


For Spiritism, somnambulism is much more than a physical wonder. Somnambulism sheds a brilliant light on psychology and it is a state in which we can study the soul, because in this state the soul fully reveals itself. One of the phenomena that characterize the soul is clairvoyance – which is independent of the ordinary organs of sight. Critics claim that somnambulists do not see all the time and, at the will of the experimental scientist, as they see with the eyes. Should we be shocked that the results are not the same given that the means are different? Is it logical to expect identical effects when the instruments do not exist? The soul has properties just like the eyes, and the former must be judged in its own right, and not by analogy.


The root of the clairvoyance of both the magnetic and the natural somnambulist is the same exactly: it is an attribute of the soul, and it is, in fact, an intrinsic ability of the spiritual being in us, and which has no limits than those assigned to the soul itself. They see wherever their souls can transport themselves, regardless of the distance.


At a distance, somnambulists do not see from where their bodies are located, as if through a telescope. It is, instead, as if the objects in the scope of their vision are in front of them, as if they were exactly where they see them because their souls are there in reality. This is why their bodies seem to be overpowered and deprived of sensation, until their souls retake possession of them. This partial separation of the soul and the body is abnormal and is not permanent. This is why the body feels tired after a lapse of time, especially when the soul is active during that partial separation.


The fact that soul sight or spirit sight is not restricted and has no defnite center explains why somnambulists are unable to attribute any special organ or focus to it. They see because they see, without knowing why or how, because sight for them, as spirits, does not have its own place in the body. If they refer their perception to their body, this focus seems to be where vital activity is greatest, particularly in the brain, the epigastria region, or whatever organ is where the bond between the spirit and body is strongest.


The scope of somnambulistic clarity is not limitless. Even when completely free, a spirit only possesses the abilities and knowledge associated with its degree of evolution. This limitation is further narrowed when associated with matter and subjected to its infuence. This is why somnambulistic clairvoyance is neither universal nor foolproof. It is less reliable when it deviates from the purpose given by nature, and is, instead, treated as a curiosity or subject of experimentation.


When the spirits of somnambulists are free, they more easily communicate with other spirits, incarnate or disincarnate, through the contact of fuids that make up their perispirits, and which enable the transmission of thought, like an electric wire.. Somnambulists do not require verbal speech to convey thoughts, which they feel and deduce. This method of perception makes them highly accessible and vulnerable to the infuences of the moral atmosphere surrounding them. Because of this, the presence of a large group of spectators to witness a somnambulist’s ability is not ideal, particularly when it is comprised of those who are only curious. These manifestations only occur freely in intimate gatherings, and under the infuence of sympathetic surroundings. The presence of those who are malicious or hostile produces the same effect as someone’s hand touching the sensitive person.


Somnambulists see their spirits and their bodies at the same time. The spirit and the body are two beings that represent their dual existence, both spiritual and physical blend into one by the ties that united them. Somnambulists do not always understand this situation and the duality, which often leads them to speak of themselves as if they were speaking of another person. In such cases, the physical being sometimes speaks to the spiritual being, and the spiritual being sometimes speaks to the physical being.


In each physical existence, spirits acquire more knowledge and experience. They lose sight of these gains when they reincarnate because matter is too rudimentary to allow them to recall this knowledge fully. However, they remember it as spirits. This is how some somnambulists show signs of possessing knowledge beyond their education and apparent intellectual capacity. Therefore, the intellectual and scientifc inferiority of somnambulists while awake does not disprove the knowledge that they may display when lucid. Depending on circumstances and intention, they may draw this knowledge from their own experience, from clairvoyant perception of actual events, or from counsels that they receive from other spirits.. Their statements are more or less correct depending on their degree of evolution.


In both natural and magnetic somnambulism, God provides undeniable proof of the existence and independence of the soul by allowing us to witness the awe-inspiring display of its emancipation. Through these phenomena, it opens to us the book of our destiny. When somnambulists describe their visions, it is obvious that they are seeing what they are describing, just not through their human eyes. They see themselves at that distant point, and feel transported there. Part of the somnambulist is actually present at that distant point, and since it is not the body, it can only be the soul or spirit. We human beings lose ourselves in abstract and unintelligible metaphysical subtleties in search of the root of our moral existence. However, God places the simplest and most certain means for studying experimental psychology right within our reach.


Ecstatic trance is the state in which the soul’s independence from the body is most apparent and tangible to the observer.


In dreaming and somnambulism, the soul wanders through physical worlds. In an ecstatic trance, the soul penetrates an unknown world, that of ethereal spirits, with whom it communicates, bounded by unsurpassable limits that would not be granted to the spirit without fully breaking the links that tie it to the body. Enveloped by different wonders, captivated by a harmony that is foreign to Earth, and overwhelmed by immeasurable bliss, the soul catches a glimpse of heavenly happiness, and it may be said that it places one foot on the threshold of eternity.


The annihilation of physical ties is almost complete while a person is in an ecstatic trance. The body possesses organic life only and a single thread connects it to the soul. It would break forever from the exertion of only the slightest effort.


In this state, all earthly thoughts disappear and give way to the purifed sensitivity that is the essence of our immaterial being. Completely absorbed in this transcendent state of contemplation, a person in an ecstatic trance views human life merely as a stop on our eternal journey. The successes and failures of this lower world, along with its rudimentary joys and sorrows, are nothing more than pointless incidents along a journey, and the ecstatic person anxiously awaits its end.


The same thing happens with ecstatics as with somnambulists: depending on their level of elevation their lucidity may be more purifed or less so, and they may or may not be able to grasp the truth of things. In their abnormal state of ecstasy, there is sometimes more nervous excitement than true lucidity. In fact, this nervous excitement impairs their lucidity and the resulting revelations are often a mixture of truth and error, inspirational and ridiculous ideas or even outrageous whims. Inferior spirits often take advantage of this excitement, which is a source of weakness when unrestrained, to overpower the ecstatic person. They assume the appearance that confrms the ideas and preconceptions from their waking state. This is an obstacle, but not all cases are similar, and we must weigh their statements carefully and judge their revelations under the microscope of reason.


The soul can be emancipated when it is awake, and this allows people possessing the second sight to see, hear, and feel beyond the limits of our senses. They perceive things wherever their soul may travel through ordinary sight, and judge these perceptions to be some kind of mirage. When the second sight occurs, the physical state is visibly changed. A person’s gaze becomes distant, and his or her physical appearance refects that the nervous system is in an unusual state. It is apparent that the physical eyes take no part in present perceptions because vision continues, despite the closing of the eyes.


The second sight, for those who possess this gift, appears as natural to them as conventional sight. It is an attribute of their being, and they are not aware of its exceptional character. They normally forget this brief lucidity, which fades from their memory like a distant dream.


The power of the second sight varies from a perplexing sensation to a clear perception of present or distant things. In its rudimentary state, it gives some individuals acuity or confdence in their decisions and actions that we may call the precision of the moral glance. At a higher degree of development, it incites premonitions. Even further developed, it may show events that have already taken place, or that are about to happen.


Natural and artifcial somnambulism, ecstatic trance, and second sight all stem from the same cause. Like dreams, they are a branch of natural phenomena and have always existed. History shows us that they have been recognized and exploited since the dawn of time. They provide an explanation for a great number of occurrences that irrational preconceptions have led humanity to label as “supernatural.”

456. Do spirits see everything that we do?
“They can if they so choose, since they are always with you. Practically, spirits only see what they direct their attention to and ignore what does not interest them.”

457. Can spirits see our innermost thoughts?
“They often see what you would like to hide from yourselves. Neither acts nor thoughts can be hidden from spirits.”


a) So is it easier to hide something from an incarnate person than when the same person has passed on?
“Exactly. When you believe yourself to be in complete, solitary privacy, you often have a crowd of spirits watching you.”

458. What do the spirits who observe us think of us?
“That depends on the spirits themselves. Lighthearted spirits enjoy the small disturbances they cause you and laugh at your impatience. More serious spirits pity your faws and try to help you rid yourselves of them.”

459. Do spirits influence our thoughts and actions?
“They often direct both; their influence is greater than you think, for very frequently it is they who guide you.”

462. Do intelligent people and geniuses always get their ideas from their own minds?
“Their ideas sometimes come from their own spirit, however, they are often suggested to them by other spirits who deem them capable and worthy of understanding and disseminating them. When they do not find the required ideas in themselves, they unconsciously call for inspiration. They make an evocation without even being aware of it.”


If it were useful for us to be able to distinguish between our own thoughts and the ones suggested clearly, God would have given us the means of doing so, just as God has given us the means of distinguishing between day and night. When something is left vague, it is often in our best interest.

463. It is sometimes said that our first thought is always the best. Is this true?

“It may be good or bad, depending on the nature of the incarnate spirit. It is always good for the one who listens to good inspirations.”

464. How can we determine whether a suggested thought comes from a good or bad spirit?
“Thoroughly scrutinize its quality. Good spirits only give good guidance. It is your responsibility to make the distinction.”

465. Why do imperfect spirits tempt us to wrongdoing? “To make you suffer like they do.”


a) Does that lessen their personal suffering?
“No, but they are jealous of those who are happier than themselves.”


b) What kind of suffering do they want to make us endure?
“That reserved for beings that are of a lower rank and far removed from God.”

466. Why does God permit spirits to lure us to wrongdoing?
“God uses imperfect spirits as instruments for testing your faith and perseverance in doing good. As a spirit, you must advance in the knowledge of the infnite. To do this, you suffer trials to attain goodness. Our mission is to lead you to the right path. When you fall prey to bad infuences, it is because you attract lower spirits by your malicious desires. Wicked spirits always come to assist you in carrying out the malevolence you desire to commit. They only help you do wrong when you give in to vile desires. If you are inclined to commit murder, you will have a swarm of spirits around you encouraging you. Conversely, you will also have others who will try to infuence you to do good. This restores balance and allows you to make your own decision.”


This is how God allows us to choose our individual path, and gives us the freedom of yielding to one of the conficting infuences that act upon us.

467. Can we free ourselves from the infuence of spirits who lure us to iniquity?
“Yes, because they are only drawn to those who attract them by the immoral character of their thoughts and desires.”

468. When repelled by our will, do spirits relinquish their own temptations?
“What other option do they have? When they see that they cannot accomplish their goal, they give up. However, they continue to watch for the right opportunity, like a cat who keeps an eye out for a mouse.”

469. How can we neutralize the infuence of wicked spirits?
“By doing only what is right and putting all your faith in God, you repel lower spirits and prevent them from controlling you. Do not listen to spirits who inspire you with despicable thoughts, cause confict, and stimulate malicious passions. Particularly distrust those who fatter your pride because this is how a spirit attacks you at your weakest point. This is why Jesus makes you recite in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’”

470. Are spirits who try to lead us to wickedness and who test our resolve assigned a mission to do so? If so, are they responsible for the success of such a mission?
“No spirit ever receives a mission to do wrong. When they do this, it is of their own volition and they suffer the consequences of their wrongdoing. God may allow them to stay on their malevolent course to test you, but God does not order them to do so. It is up to you to resist.”

471. When we feel a vague sense of anxiety, indescribable uneasiness, or inner satisfaction, without any discernible cause, do these feelings simply result from our physical state?
“They are almost always an effect of the communications that you unconsciously receive from the spirits around you, or that you have received during sleep.”

472. When spirits want to tempt us to wrong do they take advantage of the circumstances in which we fnd ourselves, or can they cause such circumstances?
“They take advantage of any favorable circumstances, but often bring them about by pushing you toward the target of your unwholesome desires, while you remain completely unaware that this is happening. For instance, imagine individuals who fnd money on the side of the road during their travels. Spirits have not brought this money to this particular spot, but they may have suggested to those individuals the idea of going towards that direction. When someone fnds the money, these same spirits may suggest the idea of keeping it, while others suggest the idea of returning it to its rightful owner. This equally applies to all other temptations.”

473. Can a spirit temporarily assume the body of a living person, meaning, can it enter an animate body, and act in place of the spirit incarnated in it? “A spirit does not enter a body the way you enter a house. It integrates itself with an incarnate spirit possessing the same faws and qualities so that they may act in unison, but it is always the incarnate spirit who acts like he wishes upon the matter enveloping it. No other spirit can replace the one incarnated in a specifc body because a spirit is inextricably tied to its body until the end of its material life.”

477. Do exorcisms have any power over bad spirits?
“No, when bad spirits see someone seriously trying to cast them out by such means, they laugh and persist in their efforts.”

478. Well-intentioned individuals are sometimes obsessed. What is the best way to free oneself from obsessing spirits?
“To tire their patience and ignore their suggestions. Show them that they are wasting their time. They go away when they see that their efforts are fruitless.”

479. Is prayer an effective means of ending obsession?
“Prayer is always an effective means of obtaining help, but you must remember that reciting a few choice words is not enough to get what you want. God helps those who help themselves, but not those who limit themselves to only asking for help. Obsessed persons must do their utmost to cure themselves of the faws that attract bad spirits to them.”

480. What should we think of the instruction to cast out devils, as mentioned in the Gospels?
“That depends on the meaning you attach to the word devil. If you mean a bad spirit who overpowers a human being, it is obvious that it will be driven away when the person being obsessed destroys its infuence. If you attribute an illness to the devil, you may say that you have driven the devil away when you have healed your sickness. A statement may be true or false, depending on the meaning attributed to certain words. The most important truths may seem ridiculous when you only consider them in the form in which they are presented, and when a metaphor is taken literally. Understand this well, and remember it, for it is of general application.”

481. Do spirits play a role in the phenomena exhibited by individuals called convulsionaries?
“Yes, a very important one, just like magnetism, which is the original source of these phenomena. Charlatans have infated these effects and made them a matter of speculation, which has demeaned them.”


a) What is the general nature of the spirits who help produce this type of phenomena?
“Not very elevated. Do you think that higher spirits would waste their time in such a manner?”

484. Do spirits affectionately prefer certain individuals?
“Good spirits sympathize with all good men and women, or those who are capable of betterment. Lower order spirits sympathize with those who are bad, or who may become such. In either case, the bond is a consequence of the similarity of thoughts and ideas.”

486. Do spirits take an interest in our bad luck and prosperity? When we encounter troubles in life, do the spirits who wish us well mourn for us?
“Good spirits do all the good they can, and celebrate all your joys with you. They mourn your problems when you do not bear them with resignation, because that problem produces no benefcial result. You are like sick people who refuse to take the bad tasting medication that would cure them.”

487. What kind of troubles cause the most grief to spirits? Is it our physical suffering or our moral faws?
“Your selfshness and callousness, because these are the roots of all your troubles. They laugh at the imaginary sorrows stemming from pride and ambition, and celebrate those that will shorten your trial.”


The spirits know that physical life is only feeting and that its tribulations are the means to enable us to reach a happier state. The moral faws that hold us back sadden them more than our short-lived physical troubles.


Spirits attach as little importance to our physical problems as we do to the insignifcant sorrows of childhood. Seeing the burdens of life as the means of our advancement, they regard them only as a feeting calamity that will restore the sick to health eventually. They mourn our suffering, as we are saddened by that of a friend, but appreciate them differently from their higher perspective. While inferior spirits try to drive us to anguish to hamper our development, good spirits try to inspire us with the bravery needed to transform our trials into something benefcial for our future.

488. Do the friends and family who have passed on before us have more sympathy for us than spirits who are strangers to us?
“Of course, and they often protect you as spirits, depending on their power.”


a) Are they sensitive to the affection we maintain for them?
“Very sensitive, but they forget those who forget them.”

490. What should we understand by the expression guardian angel?
“A high order protective spirit.”

491. What is the mission of a protective spirit?
“Similar to that of parents to their children – to lead their wards down the right path, give them advice, console them when they are sick or suffering, and support their courage in the trials of human life.”

493. Is the mission of a protective spirit voluntary or obligatory?
“Your protective spirit is duty-bound to watch over you, having accepted that task. Spirits can choose their wards from a selection of like-minded beings. In some cases, this position is a pleasure, while in others it is a job or duty.”


a) By attaching to a person, does a spirit cease to protect other individuals?
“No, but the spirit does so less exclusively.”

495. Do protective spirits ever abandon their charges when the latter continuously ignore their guidance?
“The spirits withdraw from their charges when they see that their guidance is fruitless and their charges are stubbornly determined to yield to the infuence of inferior spirits. However, they are never entirely abandoned and the spirits continue to make themselves heard. Their wards are the ones who shut their ears. As soon as incarnates call them back, the spirits return.”


“If there is any theory that could win over the biggest skeptics by its charm and beauty, it is that of guardian angels. To think that you always have a superior being by your side, ready to guide you, support you and help boost you in climbing the mountain of self-betterment, whose friendship is more devoted than the most intimate union that you can make on Earth is a source of great solace. These beings are there at God’s orders. It was God who has placed them at your side. They are there out of their love for God, and they fulfll an honorable but painstaking mission. Wherever you go, prison, solitude, the lepers’ house, or even the lowest haunts and taverns, they are by your side. Nothing ever separates you from your invisible friend, whose presence you cannot see but from whom your soul receives the gentlest impulsions and hears the wisest counsels.”


“If only you fully grasped this truth! It would help you in your moments of need and save you from the traps of malicious spirits! But how many times, on the great day, this angel of goodness will have to say to you, ‘Did I not warn you, yet you would not follow my lead? Did I not show you the abyss, and you insisted on throwing yourself into it? Did I not speak the truth to your conscience, and you followed devious suggestions?’ Communicate with your guardian angels and establish the affectionate intimacy that exists between loyal friends. Do not try to hide anything from them, Do not think of hiding anything from them because they are God’s eyes. Think of the future and try to advance upward. This will shorten your trials and make your lives happier. Come; take heart! Cast away all preconceived notions and reservations, and boldly travel the new road that opens before you! Go forth, you have guides; all you have to do is follow them. Your goal cannot fail you, for your goal is God.”


“To those who fnd it impossible to believe that high spirits would commit to such a grueling task requiring infnite patience, we respond that these spirits infuence your souls from afar. Space is nothing to us and our spirits can be connected to yours from worlds away. We possess qualities that you cannot fathom, and rest assured that God has not given us a task that is beyond our strength. God has not abandoned you on Earth without friends and support. All guardian angels have their wards, over whom they watch like parents watch over their children. They are elated when they see them following the right road and saddened when their guidance is ignored.”


“Do not be afraid to ask us questions. Always remain connected with us, as it will make you stronger and happier. This communication between human beings and their familiar spirits will eventually make everyone mediums, mediums ignored today, but who will show themselves later, spreading out like an ocean without shores to sweep away disbelief and ignorance. Those who have received instruction must in turn educate others. Those who are talented must raise their brothers and sisters. You cannot even comprehend what good you accomplish by doing so. The work imposed on you by God is the work of Christ. Why has God given you intelligence and knowledge, if you were not meant to share it with your brothers and sisters to help them on the road leading to eternal happiness?”
Saint Louis, Saint Augustine


The concept of guardian angels watching over us, despite the distance between worlds, is as natural as it is grand and sublime. Do parents not watch over their children through the wise suggestions in letters when distance separates them? Why should you be surprised that spirits guide their charges from one world to another? Don’t they have the universal fuid that binds all the worlds together, and unite them in solidarity - an immense vehicle for transmitting thought, just as air is the vehicle for sound?

496. If spirits abandon their charges and no longer help them, can they harm them?
“Good spirits never cause harm to anyone. They leave that to inferior spirits. You then accuse fate of the bad luck or troubles that plague you, but they are the result of your own bad behavior.”

497. Can protective spirits leave their charges at the mercy of spirits wanting to do them harm?
“Wicked spirits band together to counteract the good, but if wards would so desire, they could restore all the power to the protective spirit. While waiting for the return of their charges, protective spirits may fnd other individuals whose kindness and openness make it easy to help them.”

498. When protective spirits allow their wards to go astray, is it because they are unable to manage the malicious spirits who mislead them?
“No, it is not because they can’t but because they choose not to. Their wards will become wiser and better through the trials they have chosen for themselves. Protective spirits assist their wards through the wise guidance they provide however, unfortunately, sometimes they are ignored. The weakness, carelessness, or pride of humans is what gives strength to bad spirits. Their power over you comes solely from your lack of willpower to provide enough resistance to their action.”

499. Do protective spirits always accompany their charges? Are there any circumstances under which they may lose sight of them, without completely abandoning them?
“There are circumstances under which the presence of the protective spirit is not necessary.”

500. Do spirits ever reach a point where they no longer need a guardian angel?
“Yes, when they are able to guide themselves, in the same manner that students reach a point where they no longer need a teacher. However, this does not take place on Earth.”

501. Why is the role that spirits have in our lives covert? Why do they not openly protect and guide us?
“If you counted on their support, you would not act of your own accord, which would cause your spirit to remain stationary. All human beings need to acquire experience, often at their own expense, in order to advance. They need to exercise their own power, otherwise they remain stunted, like a child who is not allowed to walk alone. The action of spirits is regulated so that your free will is maintained. Without responsibility, you would not advance on the road leading to God. Human beings put forth their own strength because they do not see their invisible support. Their guides continue to watch over them, and call out to them to warn them of danger when necessary.”

502. When guardian angels succeed in leading their charges down the right path, do they gain any beneft for themselves?
“It is an admirable task, which is credited to them for their advancement or happiness. They celebrate when they are successful, and feel a sense of triumph in the same way that teachers are elated at the success of their students.”


a) Are they responsible if their wards do not succeed?
“No, since they have done everything that they could.”

503. Do protective spirits get upset when their wards proceed down the wrong road? Does it upset their own happiness?
“They are saddened by the errors of their wards and feel pity for them, but they do not experience the anguish of human parents because they know that if the wrongs committed by their wards are not remedied today, they will be tomorrow.”

504. Can we know the name of our protective spirits or guardian angels?
“How can you know their names if they have no existence for you? Is it not possible that there are spirits whom you do not know of?”


a) But how can we call them if we do not know who they are?
“Give them any name you wish – that of any superior spirit with whom you identify and respect. Your guardian angel will answer this call because all good spirits are brothers and sisters who are always ready to assist one another.”

505. Are the guardian angels who assume well-known names always the individuals who had those names?
“No, but they are like-minded spirits, and are often sent by their command. You require names, so they assume a name that will inspire you with confdence. When you are unable to execute a command in person, you send someone on your behalf.”

507. Do all protective spirits belong to higher orders? Are they sometimes average? Can parents, for example, become spirit guardians to their own children?
“They may but this would presume a certain degree of elevation and a quality granted by God. Parents who watch over their children may themselves be assisted by a more elevated spirit.”

508. Can all spirits who have departed the Earth under favorable conditions become the guardians of their loved ones who have stayed behind?
“Their power is restricted by their position, which does not always grant them full freedom of action.”

510. When parents who watch over their child reincarnate, do they continue to watch over them?
“This task becomes more diffcult, but while free, parents may ask a like-minded spirit to assist them in accomplishing it. However, spirits do not undertake missions that they cannot see through to the end.”


“An incarnate spirit, especially in heavily material worlds, is debilitated by its body and cannot devote itself entirely to another. For this reason, those who are not elevated enough to serve as guardian angels are assisted by higher spirits, so that if the help of one spirit should fail, its place is flled by another.”

511. With the exception of protective spirits, are there wicked spirits who attach themselves to individuals to tempt them and cause them to struggle between good and bad?
“‘Attached’ is not accurate. It is very true that bad spirits try to draw you from the path of righteousness when they fnd an opportunity to do so. However, when one of them attaches to an individual it does so simply because it hopes the person is going to listen to them. In such a case, there is a struggle between a good and a bad spirit, and whoever successfully infuences that individual prevails.”

512. Could we have multiple protective spirits?
“Every one of you has a number of sympathetic spirits of varying degrees of elevation around you. They care about you out of love, and you have others who help you to do wrong, as well.”

513. Are sympathetic spirits forced to act as part of a mission?
“In some cases they may have a temporary mission, but they usually are drawn to an individual because they share similar good or bad sentiments.”


a) So it is correct to assume that sympathetic spirits can be either good or bad?
“Yes, human beings are always surrounded by spirits who are in sympathy with them, whatever their nature may be.”

514. Are “familiar spirits” the same as “sympathetic spirits” and “protective spirits”? “There are many levels of protection and sympathy, and you may call them whatever you like. A ‘familiar spirit’ is usually a friend of the home.”


Based on the above explanations and observing the nature of spirits connected to human beings, we can draw the following conclusions:

Protective spirits, familiar spirits or guardian angels have a mission to accompany the individuals they are protecting over the course of their lives and help them to advance. The degree of perfection in these protective spirits is always superior to that of their charges.

Familiar spirits connect with specifc people, for longer or short period of time, to be useful to them within the confnes of their possibilities, which can be quite narrow. They have the best intentions, but sometimes can be inappropriate and even fippant.

They are concerned with the everyday details of human life and only act when permitted or ordered by a protective spirit.

Sympathetic spirits are drawn to us by personal affection, and similar good or bad inclinations. The length of their relationship with us is almost always dependent on circumstances.

A wicked spirit is an imperfect or perverse spirit who connects with someone in order to corrupt them. It acts of its own volition with no mission and its persistence is proportionate to the access granted to it. A person is always free to follow the suggestions of a bad spirit or to resist them.

515. What should we think of people who seem to attach themselves to certain individuals to lead them to their downfall, or guide them to the right path?
“Some individuals do in fact exercise a type of fascination over others that seems enticing. When used for malicious purposes it should be attributed to low order spirits who use contemptible people to more effectively overpower their victim. God may permit this as a means of enduring a trial.”

516. Could our good or bad guardian incarnate to more closely follow us in our human life?
“Sometimes, but they more frequently entrust this mission to incarnate spirits with whom they identify.”

517. Do spirits attach themselves to every member of a family to protect them?
“Some spirits attach themselves to family members who live together and are united by affection, but you must not think that guardian spirits are guilty of racial pride.”

518. As spirits are attracted to individuals based on their like-mindedness, are they attracted to groups of individuals for special purposes?
“Spirits go where they meet others like them, where they are more at ease and sure that someone will listen to them. Every one attracts spirits according to their predispositions, whether as an individual or as an element of a collective whole, such as a society, city or country. Societies, cities and countries are visited by various spirits, according to their predominant character and passions. Imperfect spirits withdraw from those who resist them. The moral excellence of collective wholes, like that of individuals, drives away bad spirits and attracts good ones, who maintain the sense of good among the masses, as others may spread the worst passions.”

519. Do agglomerations of individuals – such as societies, cities and countries – have their own special guardian spirits?
“Yes, because they constitute collective individualities pursuing a common goal, and that needs higher direction.”

520. Do the guardian spirits of groups of people have a higher ranking than those who connect to individuals?
“Their advancement is always proportionate to the degree of advancement of the humans involved, just as with individuals.”

521. Can certain spirits assist the progress of the arts by protecting those who foster and support them?
“There are special spirit protectors who assist those who call them, when they deem them to be worthy of their assistance. But what can they do for those who believe themselves to be something that they are not? They cannot make the blind see, nor make the deaf hear.”


The people of ancient times made these protective spirits special deities. The Muses were nothing more than the metaphoric personifcation of the guardians of arts and sciences, just like the family protective spirits were designated by the Roman names of lares and penates. Modern civilizations also have their patrons in the arts, in various industries, and in cities and countries, who are none other than higher guardian spirits, just under different names.

As each person has their own sympathetic spirit, most sympathetic spirits of a collective whole correspond to the majority of individuals that compose them, and that foreign spirits are attracted to such groups out of similarity of tastes and thoughts; in a word, that these groups, as well as individuals comprising them, are more or less surrounded, infuenced and supported according to the leading character of its members.

Among nations, spirits are attracted by the habits, manners and dominant characteristics of their people, and, particularly their legal system, because the character of a nation is refected in its laws. Those who uphold righteousness resist the infuence of wicked spirits. Wherever laws embody injustice and inhumanity, good spirits are in the minority and the bad ones who fock there keep the people trapped under their false ideas, and paralyze the good infuences that are lost in the crowd, like a single ear of corn in the midst of a sea of weeds. By studying the customs of nations or of any group of individuals, it is therefore easy to get an idea of the invisible population that meddles in their thoughts and actions.

522. Is a presentiment always a warning from a protective spirit?
“A presentiment is private guidance from a spirit who wishes you well. The same may be said of the intuition that leads a spirit to choose a specifc life when about to be reincarnated. This is a voice of instinct. A spirit, before incarnation, is aware of the kind of trials it is about to endure. When these trials are of a very clear nature, the spirit maintains an impression of them. This impression, the instinctive voice, becomes more intense or louder as the crucial moment draws near, and eventually becomes a presentiment.”

525. Do spirits exercise any infuence over the events of our lives?
“Of course they do, since they give you advice.”


a) Do they exercise this infuence in any way other than through the thoughts they suggest to us? Do they initiate any direct action on events?
“Yes, but their action never oversteps the laws of nature.”


We wrongly assume that spirits only manifest themselves through extraordinary phenomena. We would like to see them aid us through miracles, and we imagine them to be armed with some sort of magic wand. This is not the case, as their guidance is only through natural means, and their intervention usually takes place without our being aware of it. For instance, they may cause the meeting of two individuals who seem to have been brought together by chance; they suggest to the mind of an individual the idea of going in a particular direction. They call attention to some special point, and if the individual unknowingly follows their suggestions, this brings about the result they seek to obtain. This way, human beings believe they are following their own impulses and always maintain their free will.

529. What should we think of the magic bullets we read about in folklore and legends that always reach their mark?
“They are the product of the imagination. Humans beings love the spectacular and are not satisfed by the wonders of nature.”

a) Can spirits who want us to lead our lives toward a different direction obstruct the work of spirits who direct the events of our lives?
“What God has willed must take place. If a delay or interference occurs, it can only be by God’s allowance.”

530. Can fippant and mocking spirits cause pesky annoyances that defeat our projects and upset our plans? In other words are they the architects of what we commonly call the petty troubles of human life?
“These spirits take pleasure in causing disturbances that test your patience, but they tire of this game when they see that they are unsuccessful in perturbing you. However, it would be neither just nor correct to blame them for all your disappointments your own recklessness causes the majority of them. When your china breaks, it is much more likely to have been caused by your own clumsiness rather than by a spirit.”


a) Why do spirits cause pesky annoyances? Is it out of personal animosity or they attack the frst person who crosses their path for no other reason than pure spite?
“They act out due to both of these motives. In some cases, they are enemies whom you have made during your present or former life, and who pursue you accordingly. In others, they act without any fxed objective in mind.”

531. Does the turpitude of those who have done us harm on Earth end in the physical life? “In many cases they realize the unfairness of their actions and regret the wrong they have done to you. In other cases they continue to pursue you with their animosity, if God permits them to do so, as a continuation of your trial.”


a) Can we put an end to this sort of torture? If so, by what means?
“In many cases, you can do so by praying for them. Make them good in spite of their wickedness and you will gradually make them see that they are wrong. In all cases, they will stop attacking you if you can show them that you are able to rise above their behavior with patience, seeing that they gain nothing by their misdeeds.”


Experience proves that imperfect spirits wreak their vengeance from one life to another, and that we are forced to make amends, sooner or later, for the wrongs we may have done to others.

532. Do spirits have the power to divert misfortunes from certain persons and to attract prosperity to them?
“Only to a certain extent, as some misfortunes are predestined by Providence. What spirits can do is lessen your suffering by helping you to bear your trials and tribulations with patience and resignation.”

534. When obstacles seem destined to get in the way of our plans, is it always through the infuence of spirits?
“Such obstacles are sometimes thrown in your way by spirits, but they can more often be attributed to your own poor decisions. Social standing and character have a large role in your successes or failures. If you persist in following a path that is not the right one for you, you become your own wicked genius.”

535. When anything good happens to us, should we thank our guardian spirits for it?
“First thank God, without whose permission nothing takes place, and next thank the good spirits who have acted as God’s representatives.”


a) What would happen if we neglected to thank them?
“That which happens to ingrates.”


b) There are individuals who neither pray nor give thanks, and seem to succeed in everything they do in spite of this.
“Yes, but just wait and see the end of their lives. They pay dearly for the feeting prosperity that they have not merited. The more they receive, the more they have to account for.”

536. Are natural phenomena, which we consider a disruption of the elements, due to chance or is there a purpose behind them?
“There is a reason for everything. Nothing takes place without God’s permission.”


a) Do these phenomena always have a reference to humankind?
“Sometimes they have a direct reference to humans, but they often have no other purpose than to re-establish the balance and harmony of the physical forces of nature.”


b) We acknowledge that God’s will must be the primary cause of these phenomena, but since we know that spirits can in fact act upon matter and that they are agents of God’s will, we would ask whether some among them could not exert an infuence the elements in order to rouse, calm or direct them.
“But that is obvious; it could not be otherwise. God does not exercise direct action upon matter. God has faithful agents in every degree of worlds.”

537. The mythology of ancient civilizations is entirely based on Spiritist ideas with the difference that they viewed spirits as deities. They represented those gods with special attributes; some controlled the wind, others lightning, while others ruled over plants and vegetation, and so on. Is this belief groundless?
“It is so groundless that it is far from having any semblance of truth.”


a) By the same reason could spirits somehow inhabit the core of the Earth and rule over the development of geological phenomena?
“Those spirits defnitely do not live within the Earth, but they direct its developments according to their various terms. One day you will receive an explanation of all these phenomena, and you will then understand them better.”

538. Do the spirits who rule over natural phenomena form a special category in the spirit world? Are they separate beings, or spirits who have incarnated before like us?
“They are spirits who will incarnate, or who already have.”


a) Do those spirits belong to the higher or lower degrees of the spirit hierarchy?
“This depends on their material and intellectual standings. Some give orders, while others execute. Those who satisfy material functions are always of lower order, whether spirits or incarnates.”

539. Does a single spirit partake in the production of natural phenomena, such as a storm, or is it a mass of spirits who are responsible?
“In innumerable masses.”

540. Do the spirits who exert power over natural phenomena act intelligently and with conscious intent, or from an instinctive and irrational impulse?
“Some act in one way, and others in another. Let us make a comparison: think of the hosts of animals that gradually formed islands and archipelagos in the ocean. Do you think that the transformation of the Earth’s surface has no Divine purpose and is not necessary to general harmony?”

“All this is accomplished by animals of the lowest degree that are simply providing for their physical needs without being aware that they are God’s instruments. In the same way, spirits of the most rudimentary degrees are useful to the general whole. While preparing for life, and before having full awareness of their acts and of their free will, they act upon certain phenomena in which they are the unwitting agents. They begin by executing the orders of their superiors and when their intelligence is more developed, they direct the processes of the material world. Further along, they are able to direct the effects of the moral world. This is how everything is useful, everything in nature is linked together, from the original atom to the archangel, who began as an atom. This is an admirable law of harmony that your mind is still too narrow to fully comprehend.”

541. Are there spirits who help and support each side fghting in a battle?
“Yes, and who inspire their courage as well.”


Ancient populations represented the gods as taking sides for a group of people. Those gods were nothing more than spirits represented by allegorical fgures.

544. Could bad spirits suggest unwise plans to them in order to lead them to defeat?
“Yes, but don’t human beings have free will? If a general’s judgment does not enable him to distinguish between a good idea and a bad one, he will have to bear the consequences of his blindness. Besides, perhaps it would be better for him to take orders rather than give them.”

545. Can a type of second sight or intuitive perception show him the result of his plans beforehand and guide a general sometimes?
“This often happens with men and women of genius. This kind of intuition is called ‘inspiration’ and causes them to act confdently. It comes to them from the spirits who direct them, and who act upon them through the abilities gifted to them.”

547. Do spirits who fought opposing side of each other during battle still see each other as enemies after they die? Are they still furious with one another?
“Under such circumstances, a spirit is never calm. At frst, it may feel enraged with its enemy and even pursue it. When it has recovered its composure, it sees that its animosity is fruitless. Nonetheless, it may retain some traces of it for a longer or shorter period of time, depending on its character.”


a) Does it still hear the cry of battle?
“Yes, perfectly.”

548. When a spirit is casually watching a battle as a spectator, does it witness the separation of the souls and bodies of those who are dying? How does this phenomenon affect it?
“Very few deaths are instant. In most cases when the body dies, the spirit is not yet aware of it. When it begins to come to, its spirit may be seen moving beside its corpse. This appears so natural that the sight of its dead body does not produce any horrible effect. As the life of the individual is concentrated in its spirit, the spirit alone attracts the attention of those around it. They converse with this spirit and may even give it orders.”

549. Is there any kind of truth to pacts formed with malevolent spirits?
“No, there is no such thing as a pact. It is merely sympathy between a vile nature and despicable spirits. For example, imagine you want to irritate your neighbor, but you do not know how. You call out for the assistance of lower order spirits. These spirits, like yourself, want nothing more than to do wrong and in return for the help they give you, they expect you to help them. This does not mean that your neighbor will not be able to fght such a conspiracy with an opposing scheme and the force of his or her own will. If you desire to do evil you call wicked spirits to your assistance by that desire alone, and you are in turn obliged to serve them as they have served you, because they need your help in the evil they seek to do. What you call a pact consists simply in this mutual assistance in doing wrong.”


Human beings sometimes fnd themselves dependent on wicked spirits and this stems from submitting to the bad thoughts suggested by them, and not from any sort of agreed upon stipulations. The idea of a pact, in the sense commonly attributed to that word, is a fgurative representation of the like-mindedness that exists between bad human beings and malicious spirits.

550. What is the true meaning behind the legends of people selling their soul to Satan in exchange for favors from him?
“All fables contain a lesson and a moral. Your mistake is in taking them literally. This is simply an allegory, showing that those who call out to wicked spirits to obtain fortune or any other favor defy Providence. They abandon their missions and trials on earth and reap the consequences of this rebellion in a future life. We are not saying that their souls are condemned to misery forever, but as they become more attached to matter rather than detaching from it, their enjoyment of human pleasures leads to their suffering in the spirit world. This continues until they have redeemed themselves through new trials, which may be even more diffcult and painful than those they originally abandoned. Through their indulgence in material pleasures, they remain controlled by impure spirits, and establish an unspoken pact that leads them to their demise. This pact can be easily broken at any time with the assistance of higher spirits, if they have the resolve to do so.”

554. Could those who believe in talismans attract spirits by their belief alone? Here the talisman would be a sign that helps direct their thoughts, which then are the true cause of the actions that take place.
“This is true, but the nature of the spirit attracted would depend on the purity of intent and the elevation of the party attracting it. One who is simple enough to believe in a talisman rarely has anything more than material motives. In any event, such practices imply a narrowness and a weakness of mind that would naturally pave the way for inferior and mocking spirits.”

555. How should we understand the word sorcerer?
“Sorcerers are individuals who are gifted, when they are honest, with exceptional abilities like magnetic power or second sight. These individuals can do things that you do not understand; therefore, you think that they are gifted with supernatural powers. If we take a look at history, how many ignorant people have accused educated persons of being sorcerers?”


Spiritism and magnetism give us the key to phenomena that ignorance has explained by exaggerated fables. The enlightened knowledge of these two sciences, which are actually one, show the reality of things and their true cause, which is the best protection against superstition and misconception. It shows what is possible and what is impossible, what is written in natural law and what is simply an outrageous belief.

556. Do some individuals really possess the gift of healing by touch?
“Magnetic power may act to that extent when it is supported by a purity of intent and the fervent desire to do good. In such a case, good spirits render their services. You must be cautious of exaggerated stories recounted by individuals who, overly gullible or enthusiastic, can discover something spectacular in even the most ordinary and natural occurrences. Likewise, be cautious of individuals who exploit gullibility for their own beneft.”

557. Do blessings and curses attract good and bad things to those who are their object?
“God does not listen to an unfair curse, and whoever speaks it is guilty in God’s eyes. As we are subjected to two contrasting influences, good and bad, there may be a short-lived action. However, this action can never take place unless God wills it to happen as an additional trial for the subject of said curse. In any event, curses are usually set on the wicked, and blessings on the good. Neither a blessing nor a curse can escape Providence’s justice, which only strikes the cursed if they are wicked, and favors the blessed if they merit protection.”

558. Do spirits have anything else to do besides working on their own personal betterment?
“They contribute to the harmony of the universe by carrying out the will of God, whom they serve. Spirit life is a ceaseless occupation, but nothing like the painful labor of the human life because spirits experience neither physical weariness nor the torment of physical needs.”

559. Do lower and imperfect spirits have any useful purpose in the universe?
“They all have duties to fulfll. Doesn’t the lowest mason contribute to the construction of a building as much as the architect?” (See no. 540)

560. Does each spirit have special attributes?
“We must live everywhere and acquire knowledge of all things by successively observing all the details of the universe. Nevertheless, as per the Ecclesiastes, ‘there is an appointed time for everything.’ While one spirit is accomplishing its destiny today in your world, another will or already has accomplished it during another period on Earth in the water, in the air, and so on.”

561. Are the functions fulflled by spirits permanent? Do they constitute the exclusive attributes of certain classes? “Every spirit must climb each step of the ladder to reach perfection. God, who is just, has not given science to some while forcing others to acquire it through painful effort.”

The same stands true for human beings, as no one arrives at the highest degree of skill in any art without having acquired the necessary knowledge by practicing every single concept of that art, no matter how small.

562. As the most elevated spirits have nothing more to acquire, does this mean that they are in a state of absolute rest, or do they also have occupations?
“What would you like them to be for eternity?? Eternal idleness for them would be an eternal anguish.”

a) What is the nature of their occupations?
“They receive orders directly from God, convey them throughout the universe, and oversee their fulfllment.”

563. Are spirits incessantly occupied?
“Yes, if by incessantly you mean that their thought is always active, because they live by thought. A spirit’s occupations differ from a person’s material occupations in that it is a pleasure since the spirit is cognizant of being useful.”

a) This may apply to superior spirits, but what about lower ones?
“The occupations of lower spirits correspond to their nature. Would you assign intellectual responsibilities to an illiterate day laborer?”

564. Do some spirits remain idle, partaking in nothing that is useful?
“Yes, but this is temporary and depends on the development of their intelligence. Some spirits live only for themselves, as some humans do. Still, their idleness is a burden, and the desire to advance, eventually, causes them to feel the need to be active. They are happy to make themselves useful. We are speaking of spirits who have arrived at the necessary point of self-consciousness and free will. At their origin, they are like newborn babies, and act more out of instinct than from any semblance of a resolute will.”

565. Do spirits survey and take an interest in our works of art?
“They scrutinize whatever indicates the elevation of incarnate spirits and their progress.”

566. Does a spirit who has held a special occupation on Earth, such as a painter or an architect for example, take a special interest in the felds they preferred on Earth?
“Everything is merged into one general goal. Good spirits are interested in whatever enables them to assist others in rising closer to God. Furthermore, a spirit may have practiced an art during the existence in which you knew them could have practiced another in another lifetime. Remember, spirits must know everything to be perfect. To achieve maximum advancement, they must have no specialty, which is a point I alluded to in saying that everything merges into one general goal. Take note that what seems sublime to you in your rudimentary world, would be nothing more than child’s play in higher worlds. How can you presume that spirits inhabiting these higher worlds would admire what, in their eyes, is the work of a child, when they have arts and sciences that transcend your senses? As I have already stated: they examine whatever may indicate progress.”

a) We understand that this is the case with very advanced spirits. However, what about more common spirits who have not yet risen above human ideas? “That is a different story. Their perspective is narrower in scope, and they may admire what you admire.”

567. Do spirits ever participate in our occupations and pleasures?
“Ordinary spirits, as you call them, do. They are always around you, and have a role in everything that you do (which may be more or less active). They do this to motivate men and women in the different walks of life, and to rouse or curb their passions.”

Spirits are interested in this world in proportion to their elevation or inferiority. Higher spirits have the power of looking into the smallest details of things, but only do so when they think it is useful to progress. Lower ranking spirits attribute a degree of importance to such things in proportion to what is left of their memory of this world and material notions.

568. When spirits receive a mission, do they accomplish it when errant or when incarnated?
“They may be assigned a mission in either state. For some errant spirits, this mission is a very important occupation.”

569. What missions may be assigned to errant spirits?
“It would be impossible to list them all because they are so diverse, and there are even some that you could not possibly understand. Spirits carry out God’s will, and you are not able to gain access to all of God’s designs.”


The purpose of a mission is always good. Whether as spirits or incarnate beings, they are expected to help advance the progress of humanity, nations and individuals alike, within a more or less extensive range of ideas. They pave the way for specifc events and oversee the success of specifc things. Some spirits may have a mission that is narrower in scope, and are considered personal or even localized. They help the sick, the dying or the suffering, serving as a guide and protector, and helping them fnd their way by their guidance or the honest thoughts they suggest.


There are as many spirit missions as there are interests, whether in the physical world or in the spirit world. Each spirit advances according to how it accomplishes the task with which it has been entrusted.

570. Do spirits always understand the plans they must carry out?
“No, some are blind instruments, but others fully understand their end goal.”

571. Do only elevated spirits receive missions?
“The importance of a mission is always proportionate to the capacity and elevation of the spirit. A courier who delivers a message fulflls a mission, although it is not equivalent to that of a general.”

572. Is a spirit’s mission forced upon it or chosen by it?
“It asks for it, and is happy to get it.”


a) Can several spirits ask for the same mission?
“Yes, there are often several candidates for the same mission, but they are not all chosen.”

573. What is the mission of incarnate spirits?
“Educating other incarnates, helping their advancement, and improving their institutions through direct, material means. Missions vary in scope and importance, and the individual who works as a farmer accomplishes a mission just as a politician or a teacher does. Everything in nature is connected and all spirits, while purifying themselves through incarnation, contribute to the accomplishment of God’s plans. Each of you has a mission because each of you can be useful in one way or another.”

574. What is the mission of those who are deliberately idle on Earth?
“There are human beings who live only for themselves, and do not make themselves useful in any manner whatsoever. They should be pitied, because they will have to make amends for their voluntary uselessness through severe suffering. Their atonement often begins even in their present life, through their weariness and disgust of life.”


a) Why did they choose a life that could not be of any use to them, since they had the freedom of choice?
“Just like human beings, some spirits are lazy and avoid a life of labor. God leaves them to their devices because they eventually learn the consequences of their uselessness, and then eagerly ask to be allowed to make up for lost time. They may even have chosen a more useful life, but abandoned the trial and allowed themselves to be misled by spirits who encouraged them to remain inactive.”

575. Common occupations seem to be duties rather than missions. A mission, as we defne it, is characterized by a less exclusive and personal importance. How can we discover if a person really has a mission on Earth?
“By the great things they accomplish and the progress they bring to their fellow human beings.”

576. Are individuals who have an important mission predestined to this mission before their birth, and are they aware of it?
“In some cases, yes, but they are more often unaware of it. They are only vaguely conscious of arriving on Earth and their mission is revealed to them gradually after birth, depending on the circumstances. God leads them to the road that they should follow in order to be capable of carrying out God’s plans.”

577. When a person does something useful, is it a predestined mission or can it be an unanticipated one?
“Not all productive activities engaged in by human beings are the result of a predestined mission. Individuals are often the instruments of spirits who use them to obtain something they consider useful. For example, a spirit might seek out a writer to publish a book that it considers useful and would write it itself if incarnated. The spirit fnds the writer who could best understand and develop its idea, suggests the plan of the book, and direct its completion. In such a case, the writer did not come into the world with the mission of doing this work. It is the same with regard to various works of art or scientifc discoveries. While asleep, the incarnate spirit directly communicates with the errant spirit, and they collaborate in the endeavor.”

578. Can a spirit fail in its mission based on its own fault?
“Yes, if it is not a superior spirit.”


a) What are the consequences of such a failure?
“It must start its task over again as atonement. It also has to suffer the consequences of the harm caused by its failure.”

579. Since each spirit receives its mission from God, how can God have allocated an important mission to a spirit capable of failure?
“Does God not know whether a general will be victorious or defeated? Rest assured that God foresees all things, and that the carrying out of God’s plans is never confded to those who will leave their work half completed, especially when they are important. You have trouble accepting the concept of God’s knowledge of the future because you cannot understand it.”

580. When a spirit incarnates to complete a mission, does it feel the same anxiety as a spirit about to endure a trial?
“No, because it has experience.”

581. It is obvious that those who enlighten the human race by their genius have a mission, but there are many who make mistakes, and while they may discover important truths, they spread serious errors. How should we view their missions?
“As having been falsifed by themselves. They are not ft for the task they have undertaken. In judging them, however, you must take into account the circumstances in which they were placed. People of genius have had to impart knowledge according to the strictures of their time, and while teachings may later appear to be erroneous or foolish, they may have been suitable for the time when they were discovered.”

582. Can parenthood be considered a mission?
“There is no question that it is a mission. It is a serious duty, the responsibilities of which will exercise a much more signifcant impact on people’s future than a person might think. God has placed children under the guidance of its parents so that they can direct the child to goodness and integrity. God has even facilitated their task by giving the child a weak and gentle physical makeup, completely open to new impressions. However, there are many parents who put more effort into pruning trees in their gardens and making them bear a large crop of fruit, than the time they devote to molding the character of their children. If the child fails and it is the fault of the parents, they will suffer the atonement of their failure, and the suffering of the child in a future life will be assigned to them because they have not done their part in helping the child advance on the road to happiness.”

583. If children go wrong, despite their parents’ care, are the parents responsible?
“No, but the more hateful the disposition of their children and the more diffcult their task, the greater their reward if they succeed in keeping them away from wrongdoing.”

a) If children become good adults, despite the negligence or the bad example of their parents, do the parents obtain any benefit therefrom?

“God is fair.”

584. What is the mission of the conqueror whose only goal is to satisfy his ambition, and who, in order to reach that end, does not finch at inficting the misfortunes and disasters that he leaves in his wake?
“He is only an instrument used by God for the accomplishment of His designs, and these disasters are sometimes a means of making a country advance more rapidly.”


a) The good that may result from these passing events is extraneous to the person who was used to produce them, since it was nothing but a personal goal for him. Despite this, will he proft from that result?
“All are rewarded according to their works, the good they have wished to do, and the honor of their intentions.”


Incarnate spirits have occupations intrinsic to the nature of their physical existence. When errant or dematerialized, their occupations are proportionate to their degree of advancement. Some of them travel from world to world, acquiring education and preparing for a new incarnation. More advanced ones devote themselves to progress of humanity by directing the course of events, and suggesting promising ideas. They assist incarnates of genius who help humankind as a whole advance.
Others incarnate with a mission of progress.
Others watch over individuals, families, societies, cities, countries, and populations, and become their guardian angels, protective spirits and familiar spirits.
Still others supervise the phenomena of nature, of which they are the immediate agents. The lower ranking spirits busy themselves with our engagements, and take part in our pleasures.
Impure and imperfect spirits suffer while waiting for the moment when God will give them the means of advancing. If they cause harm to others, it is out of spite of the happiness that they are not yet able to enjoy.

585. What do you think of the splitting of the natural world into three kingdoms, or even two classes of inorganic and organic beings? Some add the human species as a fourth class. Which of these divisions is preferable?
“They are all sound, depending upon your point of view. From a material perspective, they are only inorganic and organic beings, while from the moral perspective, there are four levels.”


Clear features distinguish these four levels, although their extremes seem to blend into each other:
Inert matter, makes up the mineral kingdom possesses mechanical force only;
Plant made up of inert matter, are endowed with life;
Animals made up of inert matter as well are endowed with life, and have a limited instinctive intelligence that gives them the consciousness of their existence and individuality;
Lastly, human beings, possessing all that is found in plants and animals, are above all the other classes due to unlimited superior intelligence that makes them aware of their future, the perception of things that are beyond the physical realm, and the knowledge of God.

586. Are plants conscious of their existence?
“No, they do not think. They only possess organic life.”

589. Some plants, such as the touch-me-not and the Venus fytrap, have movements that demonstrate great sensitivity and even a sort of will, particularly in the case of the latter whose leaves capture the fy that lands on it and even seem to set a trap to kill it. Are these plants endowed with the faculty of thought? Do they have a will and do they form an intermediate class between the vegetable and animal kingdoms? Are they transition points from the one to the other?
“Everything in nature is in transition, due to the very fact that everything is different and connected. Plants do not think, and therefore have no will. From the oyster that opens its shell to all the zoophytes, they only have a blind natural instinct and do not think.”


The human body provides us with examples of similar movements that take place without any participation of the will, such as the digestive and circulatory systems. The pylorus closes upon contact with certain substances, as if denying them entry. This is the same action as that of the touch-me-not, the movements of which do not necessarily imply perception, much less will.

591. In higher worlds, are the plants of a more perfect nature like all other beings?
“Everything in those worlds is more perfect, but plants are always plants, animals are always animals, and human beings are always human beings.”

592. If we compare human beings with animals in terms of intelligence, it seems diffcult to draw a line between them. Some animals are notoriously superior to some humans. Is it possible to establish such a line precisely?
“Your philosophers are far from reaching a consensus with regard to this point. Some say that humans are animals, while others are similarly positive that the animal is a human. They are all wrong. Humans are distinct beings, who sometimes drop very low, or who may raise themselves up very high. With regard to their physical nature, humans are like animals. However, they are more poorly equipped than many of them because humans must create inventions using their intelligence for their needs and survival. Their bodies are subject to destruction, like that of animals, but their spirits have a destiny that they alone can understand because they alone are completely free. Poor human beings who degrade themselves below beasts! Do you not know how to distinguish yourselves from them? Recognize the superiority of humans by their knowledge of the existence of God.”

593. Can animals be said to act only from instinct?
“That is merely a theory. It is true that instinct predominates in most animals, but do you not see some of them act with a resolute will? This is intelligence, despite being of a narrow range.”


It is impossible to deny that some animals show signs of possessing the power of performing complex acts that demonstrate the will to act in a specifc direction, and according to circumstances. Consequently, they possess a sort of intelligence, but the exercise of this intelligence is mainly concentrated on satisfying their physical needs and providing for their own survival. Among them there is no creation, no improvement.


Whatever may be the skill that we admire in their labors, that which they did previously is the same that they do today, neither better nor worse, according to constant and unvarying forms and propositions. The young bird isolated from the rest of its species builds its nest on the same model, without having been taught. While some animals are capable of learning to a certain degree, their intellectual development, though narrow, is due to the action of humans on an adaptable nature, for they themselves have no power to progress. That artifcial development is passing and purely individual because when left to its own devices the animal quickly reverts to the limits traced out for it by nature.

594. Do animals have a language?
“If you mean a language made up of words and syllables, no. If you mean a method of communicating with one another, yes. They say much more than you think, but their language is limited to their physical wants, just like their ideas.”


a) There are animals that have no voice. Does this mean they have no language?
“They understand one another by other means. Do human beings communicate exclusively via verbal speech? And mutes, what about them? Animals, gifted with a social life, have means of communicating information and expressing their feelings. Do you think that fsh have no way of communicating with each other? Human beings do not have an exclusive privilege to the use of language. Language in animals is instinctive and limited to their wants and ideas, while that of humans lends itself to all the notions of their intelligence and can be perfected.”


Fish, traveling in masses, are like swallows that follow their leader and must be able to communicate, reach a common understanding, and make plans. They may be gifted with a sense of vision that is acute enough to distinguish the signs made to one another, or the water may serve as a vehicle for the transmission of vibrations. It is clear that they must have some means of understanding one another, whatever these may be, just like all other animals that have no voice and perform a group action. In light of this, is it strange that spirits are able to communicate without speech? (See no. 282)

595. Do animals have free will with respect to their actions?
“They are not machines, but their freedom of action is limited to their needs and cannot be compared to that of humans. They do not have the same duties as those of humans because they are extremely inferior to them. The freedom of action of animals is restricted to the actions of their material life only.”

596. How do some animals have the ability to imitate human speech, and why is this ability found in birds rather than apes, whose physical makeup more closely resembles that of human beings?
“That ability results from a particular development of the vocal organs, further supported by the instinct of imitation. Apes imitate the gestures of human beings, while some birds imitate their voices.”

597. Since animals possess intelligence that gives them a certain degree of freedom of action, is there a principle independent of matter in them?
“Yes, and it survives their body.”


a) Is it a soul, like that of humans?
“It is a soul, depending on how you defne this word, but it is inferior to that of human beings. There is a great difference between the soul of animals and that of human beings, as between the soul of human beings and God.”

600. Since an animal’s soul survives its body after death, is it errant like that of a human?
“It remains in a type of errant state, because it is not tied to a body, but it is not exactly an errant spirit. Errant spirits think and act of their own free will, while the souls of animals do not have the same ability. Self-awareness is the main attribute of the spirit. An animal’s soul is classifed after death by the spirits responsible for that task, and it is almost immediately utilized. It does not have the freedom to connect with other creatures.”

601. Do animals obey a law of progress like humans?
“Yes, and it is for this reason that animals are more advanced in the higher worlds where humans are more advanced. They possess more developed means of communication. However, they are always inferior to humans, and act as their intelligent servants.” There is nothing irrational in this statement. Imagine that our most intelligent animals, the dog, elephant and horse, had a body structure ft for manual labor, what could they not accomplish under the leadership of humans?

604. As the advanced animals from higher worlds are inferior to humans, it would seem as though God created intellectual beings destined for eternal inferiority. Such an arrangement does not appear to comply with the unity of design and progress evident in all God’s creation.
“Everything in nature is connected by a link that your intellect cannot yet grasp, and the most apparently incongruent things have points of contact that humans will never understand in their current state. They may catch a brief glimpse of them by exercising their intelligence, however it is only when that intelligence has reached its full development and frees itself from the prejudices of pride and ignorance that human beings will be able to clearly understand God’s work. Until then, their narrow scope of thought causes them to look at everything from an inconsequential point of view. God cannot be self-contradictory, and everything in nature obeys the harmony of general laws that never deviate from the transcendent wisdom of our Creator.”


a) So, is intelligence a common property and a point of contact between the souls of animals and humans?
“Yes, but animals only have the intelligence of material life. In human beings, intelligence yields moral life.”

605. If we consider all the points of contact that exist between humans and animals. Does it not seem as though human beings have two souls, namely, an animal soul and a spiritual soul, and that, if they did not have the latter, they might still live as wild animals? In other words, animals are similar to humans, minus the spiritual soul. Accordingly, the good and bad instincts of human beings are results of the predominance of one of these two souls.
“No, human beings do not have two souls. Their bodies have instincts resulting from the perception of their bodily organs and they have a dual nature – the animal nature and the spiritual nature. Through their bodies they participate in the animal nature and their instincts, while through their souls they participate in the spiritual nature.”


a) So, besides their own faws that they must discard, do spirits also have to struggle against the infuence of matter? “Yes, the lower the spirit, the tighter the link between spirits and matter. Do you not see? No, humans do not have two souls; there is only one soul in a single being. The souls of animals and those of humans are distinct from one another, so that the soul of the one cannot animate the body created for the other. While human beings do not have animal souls that place them on the same level as the animals, they do have animal bodies, which often drag them down. Their bodies are endowed with life and have instincts that are unintelligent and limited to their survival.”


When they incarnate in human bodies, spirits contribute the intellectual and moral principles that make them superior to animals. The two natures in humans, intellect and morality, constitute two distinct sources of passions, one springing from the instincts of their animal nature and the other due to the impurities of the spirit, which are in sympathy with the rudimentary nature of animal desires. As spirits become purifed, they gradually free themselves from the infuence of matter. While under that infuence, they come close to the nature of animals. When delivered from that infuence, they raise to their true destination.

606. From where do animals derive the intelligent principle that determines the type of soul bestowed upon them?
“From the universal intelligent element.”


a) So, does the intelligence of humans and animals come from the same principle?
“Of course, but in humans it has received an extension that raises it above animals.”

607. You have stated that when the soul of a human being is born, it is in a state equivalent to that of human infancy, that its intelligence is just beginning to unfurl and that it is trying to live (See no. 190). Where does the soul accomplish this initial phase?
“In a series of existences that come before the period that you call humanity.”


a) Therefore, it seems that the soul is the intelligent principle of inferior beings of creation. Is it so?
“Have we not said that everything in nature is connected and tends towards unity? As we have explained, it is in those beings, which you are very far from knowing, that the intelligent principle is created, gradually individualized, and tries to live. Through its subjection to a preliminary process, like germination, the principle undergoes a transformation and becomes a spirit. The human phase then begins for each spirit with the consciousness of its future, the power of distinguishing between good and evil, and accountability for its actions. After infancy then comes childhood, youth, adolescence, and fnally mature adulthood. Do the greatest geniuses feel embarrassed because they were once formless fetuses in the wombs of their mothers? If anything should humiliate them, it is their inferiority before God and their inability to probe the depths of the Divine plans and the wisdom of the laws that regulate harmony in the universe. Recognize God’s greatness in this awe-inspiring harmony that establishes a sense of solidarity between everything in nature. Even the thought that God would have made anything without a purpose and created intelligent beings without a future, is an insult to the Creator’s goodness, which covers all creation.”


b) Does the period of humanity begin on Earth? “The Earth is not the frst point of the earliest phase of human incarnation; the human period generally starts in worlds that are even lower than yours. This rule is not unconditional and a spirit, upon entering the human phase, may be ready to live on Earth. Such a case, while possible, is uncommon and would be an exception to the general rule.”