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The Spiritist Review - JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES - 1861 > June
June
Speech about Future Life Channing(Given on Easter Sunday, 1834 after the death of one of his friends)
We have been given a number of times in this Review, spontaneous
communications from the spirit Channing that does not contradict
his superiority of character and intelligence. Our readers will appreciate
below some passages of his texts when alive, using fragments of one of
his speeches, whose translation we owe to the kind support of one of our
subscribers. Considering that his name is not much known in France we
provide a short biography below as an introduction to his discourse.
William Ellery Channing was born in 1780 in Newport, Rhode-Island,
New York State. His grandfather, William Ellery, signed the famous declaration
of independence. Channing was educated at Harvard College,
to attend the medical school but his tastes and talents drove him towards
a religious career when in 1803 he became the minister of the Unitarian
Chapel of Boston. He then remained in that city where he professed the
Unitarian Doctrine, a protestant sect that counts on many followers
in England and in the USA, at the highest social echelons. He became known for his broad and liberal views and is counted as one of the most
prominent individuals in the US given his remarkable eloquence, his
many publications and his philosophical depth. A self-declared follower
of peace and progress he relentlessly preached against slavery and for that
he initiated such a fierce war against that institution, many liberals felt
his exceeding enthusiasm was harmful to his own popularity, sometimes
seemingly out of place. His name granted him authority among those
who fought slavery. He died in Boston at the age 62. He was replaced by
Gannet as leader of the Unitarians.
“To the great majority of people, heaven is almost always a world of
fantasy. It lacks substance. The idea of a world where the creatures
have no dense bodies, pure spirits covered by spiritual or ethereal
bodies seems fictitious to them. Something that cannot be seen or
touched does not seem real to them. That is sad but not surprising
for how can people, immersed in matter and its related interests,
not cultivating the acquisition of knowledge about the soul and its
capabilities, how can they understand a more elevated spiritual
life? To the crowds, someone that clearly and happily speaks about
future life and about the victory of the spirit against the corporeal
decomposition is a visionary dreamer. Such skepticism about
heaven and spiritual things is irrational and unphilosophical as
shameful.”
“And how irrational is the imagination that there aren’t other
worlds but this one and no other more elevated way of living than
ours! Who can doubt, after looking at the boundless Creation, that
there exist superior beings or see any irrationality in conceiving that
spirits do exist in a less circumscribed way, less bounded than here on
Earth, and that there is a spiritual world?”
“Those who have left us for another world must cherish an even more
profound interest for this one. Their links with the ones left behind
improve rather than dissolve. If the future state is a betterment of the
present one; if they must grow and expand in intelligence and love,
their memories, fundamental power of intelligence, must act upon
the past with an ever greater energy, and every lovely affection that
we enjoyed here must renew. The idea that this Earthly life would be
erased from the memory of the spirit would be the same as destroying
its utility; it would be the rupture of the link between the two worlds
and a subversion of responsibility, otherwise how could a forgotten
life be reached by punishment or reward? No. We must carry the present
with us, whatever the future may be, happy or unfortunate. It is
true that the good ones will build new and even stronger and more
sacred bonds; however, under the expanding influence of that better
world the heart will have a greater capacity to keep the previous
bonds while new ones are constructed. He will keep a kind memory
of his birthplace while enjoying a more mature and a happier life. If
I could imagine that those who have left this world are actually dead
for those who stay I would love them and honor them less. A man that
forgets those left behind seems deprived of the best feelings of our human
nature; and if the just in their new motherland were supposed to
forget their parents on Earth; if, approaching God, they were expected
to stop putting a good word for them, could we believe that such a
change was beneficial to them?”
“One could ask if those in heavens not only keep a cherished
memory of the ones left here on Earth but also that are aware of their
present and immediate condition. I have no reason to believe that
such awareness does not exist. We are used to thinking of heaven as
something far away from us, but there is no proof of that. Heaven is
the union, the society of spiritual beings. Can’t they populate the universe,
thus carrying heaven along with them everywhere? Is it likely
that those creatures are restricted, like us, by physical boundaries?
Milton said:
Millions of spiritual beings walk the Earth
Both when we wake and when we sleep.”
“A new sense, a new vision could show us that the spiritual world
surrounds us from all sides. But even if you suppose that heaven is far
away, there is no reason to believe that its inhabitants are not close
to us and we are visible to them. However, how do we understand
presence? Am I not present to those of you that I cannot reach with my
arm but who I can clearly see? Isn’t that in total agreement with our
knowledge about nature to suppose that those in heaven, regardless of
their dwellings, may have spiritual senses and organs through which
they can see at a distance as easily as we can see what is near us? Our
eyes can effortlessly see planets that are millions of miles away, and
with the help of Science we can even see the details of their surfaces.
We can even imagine a visual organ sensitive enough or an instrument
sufficiently powerful to allow for the detection of inhabitants
of those far away planets. Why then, those who have already entered
into a more elevated stage of their existences, covered by their spiritual
bodies, why wouldn’t they be able to contemplate our Earth as easily
as when it was their own dwelling?”
“That can be true and it is not an abuse to think so. It could be
abused. We don’t think of the dead as if they were contemplating us
with a partial Earthly love. They love us more than ever, but with
spiritual and renovated warmth. Their only wish is to see us worthy
of reuniting with them in their place of generosity and piety. Their
spiritual eyes penetrate our souls. If we were able to hear their voices
it would not be a declaration of personal attachment but a lively appeal
for better efforts on our side, to a firmer abnegation, to a broader
charity, to a humbler patience, to a more loving obedience to God’s
will. They breathe from the atmosphere of God’s benevolence and
their mission now is more important than it was here.”
“You may then ask: if the dead are aware of the hardships that
afflict us, would it follow that there is suffering in that blessed life?
My answer is that I cannot see heaven but as a world of sympathies.
It seems to me that there isn’t anything that may attract their attention
better than the misery of their brothers. But if that sympathy may
yield sadness on one side, it is far from making them unhappy. In our
inferior word, a selfless compassion, together with the power of lessening
the suffering of others, is a guarantee of peace, frequently leading
to the purest pleasures. Free from our current diseases and enlightened
by a broader vision from the divine governance, such sympathy
will provide more joy to the virtues of those blessed beings, and as any
other source of perfection, it will increase their happiness. The friends
who leave us for that other world are not among strangers; they don’t
feel the loneliness of someone that has exchanged his homeland for an
unknown country. The kindest human words of friendship are not
even close to the scores of felicitation that await them at the entrance
of that world. There the spirit counts on safer ways of revealing oneself
than here. The newcomer feels surrounded by virtues and benevolence
and by that intimate feeling of sympathetic spirits around him,
and new bonds may be instantaneously created, stronger than those
cemented by years of worldly relationships. The most intimate affections
in our world are cold when compared to those among the spirits.
How do they communicate? Through which language and organs?
We don’t know that but we do know that as the spirit progresses it
becomes easier to them to transmit their thoughts.”
“It would be a mistake to believe that the inhabitants of heaven
are limited to the reciprocal communication of their ideas. Those
who reach that level enter into a new state of activity, of life and
endeavors. We may think of the future state as something so happy
that nobody will need help there, that there is no more need for any
effort and the good ones have nothing else to do but to enjoy. Truth
is, however, that any activity on Earth, even the most intense, is similar
to a child’s game when compared to the activity and the energy
developed in that more elevated life. And that is how it must be since
there is no more active principle than intelligence, beneficence, love
for the truth, desire of perfection, sympathy for the sufferings and devotion to the divine works that form the widening principles of
life beyond the grave. That is when the soul has total awareness of
its capabilities; that the infinite truth unfolds before our eyes; when
we understand that the universe is a boundless sphere of discoveries
to science, to goodness and worship. Those new interests of life,
which reduce the current ones to nothing, multiply forever. Hence,
one must not imagine heavens as a motionless community. I envision
it as a world of prodigious plans and efforts for its own betterment. I
consider that as a society which has to go through successive phases of
development, of virtues, power and knowledge, through the energy of
its own members.”
“The celestial genius is always active, exploring the great laws
of creation and the eternal principles of the spirit; unveiling beauty
in the order of the universe and discovering the means of advancement
for each soul. There are different degrees of intelligence, as with
us here, and the most advanced spirits find happiness and progress
enlightening the ones behind. The education that was initiated here
continues there and a more divine philosophy than the one we learn
here revealing its very essence to the spirit, stimulating his joyful efforts
towards his own betterment. Heaven has a connection with the
other worlds. Its inhabitants are God’s messengers in the whole creation.
They have great missions to accomplish and given the progress
of their endless existence, they may be entrusted with the care of other
worlds.”
This speech was given in 1834. In those days there was not a word about
manifestations of the spirits in North America. Hence, Channing did
not know them. He would otherwise have stated that at certain points he
only mentioned it as a hypothesis. Nevertheless, isn’t that remarkable that
this man had foreseen with such accuracy what would only be revealed a
few years later, since apart from a few exceptions, his description of future life is in perfect agreement with that revelation? The only missing point
is reincarnation and if carefully examined one can see that his speech is
close to that, as with the manifestations of the spirits that he remains quiet
about since he did not know them. In fact he admits the spiritual world
around us, among us, plentiful of solicitudes towards us, helping us to
advance. From there to the direct communications there is only a step. He
also states that in the celestial world there is no perpetual contemplation
but activity and progress; he admits the plurality of the corporeal worlds,
but more or less advanced; had he admitted that the spirits could continue
their progress in those worlds and we would have the reincarnation right
there. Without it the idea of progressive worlds cannot be reconciled with
that of the creation of the souls at the moment of birth of the bodies, unless
one can admit the creation of more or less perfect souls and then it is
necessary to justify God’s preference. Isn’t it more logical to admit that if
the souls of a given world are more advanced than those of another it is
because they have already lived on inferior worlds? The same may be said
about the inhabitants of Earth, comparing the savage to the most civilized
among themselves.
In any case isn’t such a description of life after the grave for its logical
deductions more accessible to the most vulgar intelligence and acceptable
by the sternest reason, and isn’t that a hundred times more adequate
to lead to conviction and trust in the future than the horrible and inadmissible
picture of the endless tortures borrowed from the Paganism
of Tartarus? Those who preach such beliefs cannot imagine the number
of disbelievers that they generate and the number of recruits sent to the
ranks of materialism.
Notice that Milton who was cited in the speech above has an opinion
similar to Channing’s about the invisible world in our environment that
is also the opinion of the modern spiritists. The fact is, that Milton, as
well as Channing and many other notables, were spiritists out of pure
intuition. That is why we tirelessly repeat that Spiritism is not a modern
invention. It has occurred at all times because there were souls at all times
and the masses have always believed in the soul. Therefore we can find fragments of this idea in a large number of old as well as modern texts, sacred
and profane. Such intuition of the spiritist ideas is so general that we
daily see lots of people who are not at all surprised when they hear about
them for the first time. All that was missing was a formula for their belief.
Correspondence - Letter sent by Mr. Roustaing, from Bordeaux
The letter below was sent by Mr. Roustaing, Attorney at the Imperial
Court of Bordeaux and former President of the Bar Association. The
principles expressed in that letter by such an educated man, given that he
is placed amongst the most enlightened, may perhaps give pause to some
of those who consider themselves as having the exclusive privilege of reason
and place all the followers of Spiritism as fools.
“My dear Sir and highly distinguished spiritist leader, I received the influence and collected the benefits of these words from Jesus to Thomas: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’, profound, divine words that show the safest, the most rational path, the one that leads to faith according to St. Paul’s maxim accomplished and realized by Spiritism: ‘Rationabile sit obsequium vestrum’.
When I wrote to you for the first time last March I said: I saw
nothing, but I read and got it and I believed. God rewarded me
well for having believed without having seen; later I saw and I saw
well; I saw under favorable circumstances and the experimental part came to excite, if I may say so, the faith that I had gotten from the
Doctrine, strengthening and giving life to that faith.
After having studied and understood, I knew the invisible world
like someone that knows Paris from studying it on a map. Through
experience, continual work and observation I got to the invisible
world and its inhabitants, like someone that knows Paris from walking
around it, but without having gone to every corner of that large
capital city. Yet, since the beginning of April and thanks to what I
have learned from you, from the excellent Mr. Sabò and his moral
family, all good and true spiritists, I was able to work and work intensely
with them or at my place in the presence and with the support
of the followers from our city, who are convinced of the spiritist truth
although not all of them are in fact spiritist practitioners.
Mr. Sabò sent you the accurate result of our activities, material
that was taught to us by superior spirits through evocations or spontaneous
manifestations. We were taken by both joy and surprise as
much as by confusion and humility when we received those precious
and truly sublime lessons from so many elevated spirits who came to
visit us or who sent us messengers to speak in their names.
Oh! Dear Sir, how happy I am for no longer professing the cult
to matter on Earth; this Earth that I now know is a place of exile,
trials and atonement to our spirits! How happy I am for getting to
know and have understood reincarnation, with its full reach and
consequences, and as a reality rather than fantasy! Reincarnation,
that sublime and equitable law of God, as my guide and guardian
spirit said yesterday, so beautiful, so reassuring, for it allows us the
possibility of doing tomorrow what we could not have done the day
before; that allows the creature to advance to the Creator; ‘that just
and equitable law’, according to a statement from Joseph de Maistre,
during the evocation of his spirit that we carried out and you got
the notes; reincarnation is ‘a long and tough path to walk to get to
God’s dwelling’ using the divine words of Jesus. Now I understand the meaning of these words from Jesus to Nicodemus: ‘How can you
be a doctor of the law and not know these things?’
Now that God has allowed me to understand in full all the truth
of the Gospel, I wonder how the ignorance of people, teachers of the
law, could resist this interpretation of the texts; produce and error
and falsehood that brought and maintained materialism, disbelief,
fanaticism or cowardice? I wonder how this ignorance, this error
could occur when Christ proclaimed the need to revive saying ‘you
must be born again’ and thereby reincarnation as the only way
to see the kingdom of God, something that was already known and
taught on earth and that Nicodemus should know: You are a doctor
of the law and you do not know it! It is true that Christ added at each
step: ‘Let those who have ears hear’; and also: ‘They have eyes and they
see not; they have ears, but they hear and do not understand’; this can
be applied to those who came after him, as well as those of his time.
God, in his benevolence, I said, has rewarded me for our work
so far and the lessons that we were given by his divine messengers,
‘devout and intelligent missionaries among their brothers’, - in the
words of the spirit Fénelon – ‘to inspire their love and the love to
their neighbor, forgetfulness of injuries and the worship to God’.
Now I understand the wonderful meaning of these words of the spirit
Fénelon when he speaks of those divine messengers: ‘They have lived
so many times that they have become our masters.’
I joyfully and humbly thank these divine messengers who have
come to teach us that Christ is on a mission on Earth for the propagation
and the success of Spiritism, the third revelation of divine grace
to accomplish these final words of the Gospel ‘Unum ovile and unus
pastor’; by telling us: ‘Have no fear! Christ (called by them the Spirit
of Truth), Truth is the first and the holiest missionary of the spiritist
ideas.’ These words had deeply impressed me, and I wondered: But
then where is Christ in his mission on Earth? ‘Truth commands -
in the words of the spirit of Marius, bishop in the early days of the Church - this phalanx of spirits sent by God, sent to Earth for the
spread and the success of Spiritism.’
What sweet and pure joy we get out of these spiritist charitable
works towards the suffering spirits, with the help of the evocations!
How reassuring is a communication with one of those who were our
relatives and friends on Earth; by knowing that they are happy or being
able to mitigate their suffering! How cheerful and brilliant light
these spiritist lessons shed on our souls, teaching us the whole truth of
Christ’s law, giving us faith through our own reason, helping us to
understand God’s omnipotence, his greatness, his justice, his goodness
and infinite mercy, placing us before that pleasant need to practice
the divine law of love and charity! What a sublime revelation they
gave us, by teaching that those divine messengers advance as they
help us to advance as well, thus growing the ranks of those pure spirits!
Such is the remarkable and divine harmony that simultaneously
shows us the unity in God and the solidarity among all creatures,
showing them under that influence and the impulse of that reciprocal
solidarity called up to improve and improving but not without difficulties
and failures in their first steps out of the long and tall spiritual
climb, and after having walked all the steps, getting to the original
state of ignorance and simplicity, to the intellectual and moral perfection
and through that perfection, to God.
Remarkable and divine harmony that shows us the great division
between inferiority and superiority, the distinction between worlds
that are places of exile where there is only trials and penance, and
other superior worlds, dwellings of the good spirits, where all they
have to do is to advance towards the good.
Reincarnation, once well understood, teaches humanity that we
are all in a transient journey in which we are all free to not come
back as long as we do what it takes; that power, wealth, dignity, science,
all are given as part of trials and as a means of progress towards
good; that they are not in our hands but as a security and instruments
for the practice of love and charity; that the beggar that walks by a wealthy man is his brother before God, and might even have been
before men; that he might have been rich and powerful. If he is now
living an obscure and miserable condition it is for having failed difficult
trials, then reminding us of the famous expression about social
conditions: ‘From the Capitol to the Tarpeian rock there is only a step’
but with the difference that through reincarnation the spirit stands
up from the fall and may even reach celestial regions after reaching
the Capitol’s peak.
Reincarnation erases every single Earthly vanity, according to
Plato’s expression: ‘There is no king that is not descendent from a
shepherd and there is no shepherd that is not descendent from a king’;
it frees the individual from the cult to matter and morally levels all
social conditions. It is the basis for equality and fraternity among
people and spirits, in God and before God, and freedom that is just
a lie and a utopia without the law of love and charity, as the spirit
Washington recently told us. As a whole, Spiritism brings the truth
and unity of the moral and intellectual progress to people, a great
and sublime undertaking of which we are nothing more than very
humble apostles.
Farewell, my dear Sir. After having gone quiet for three months
I am now overwhelming you with this lengthy letter. Please reply
when you can or want. I would propose to travel to Paris to have the
pleasure to meet you in person and exchange a fraternal handshake
with you. My current health condition does not allow me that right
now. You can do whatever you may find adequate to this letter. I am
honored to openly and publically say that I am a spiritist.
Yours truly,
Roustaing, Attorney”
Everyone will appreciate, as we did, the good thinking expressed in this
letter. One can see that although Mr. Roustaing has only recently been initiated he moved on to be a master of assessment. Fact is that he studied
the Doctrine serious and profoundly, quickly grasping the consequences
of the seriousness within Spiritism, and contrary to many others, he did
not stop at the surface. He had seen nothing before, as he said, and he
was convinced because he had read and understood. Many others also
did what he did and we have always reinforced that those, far from being
superficial, are the ones who give serious thought to the matter. They give
more importance to the meaning than the form and for them the philosophical
part is the essence and the phenomena per say are the accessories,
and even if the phenomena did not exist, they say, there would still be a
philosophy, the only one capable of solving so many up until now unresolved
issues; it is the only philosophy that provides a rational explanation
about the past and the future of the human being. Thus, they chose a
doctrine that explains rather than one that does not or hardly explains.
Anyone that gives some thought to that will understand well that one
could make abstraction of the manifestations and the doctrine would still
outlive that. The manifestations confirm and reinforce the doctrine but
do not form their essential foundation.
Channing’s speech that we saw earlier is a demonstration of that since
he was led to the same consequences just by reasoning, about twenty years
before the unfolding of the manifestations in North America. There is another
point that stands out to a serious spiritist. The citations given by the
author of this letter shows that he did not limit himself to the thoughts
contained in the communications that he had received, also demonstrating
that he was not just admiring beautiful literary productions, goods to
preserve in an album, but he studied them, he gave serious thoughts to
them, enjoying the benefit in the process. Unfortunately there are many
to whom such teaching is a dead word; people who collect communications
as someone that collects nice books, never reading them.
We must congratulate Mr. Roustaing for something else. It is the declaration
with which he terminates his letter. Unfortunately not everybody
has the courage to sustain their opinion as he does, stimulating the adversaries
as a consequence. We must acknowledge, though, that things have changed since some time now. Two years ago people only spoke about
Spiritism in a closed room; the books were only bought in hiding and
care was taken to keep them under cover. Today things are very different.
People are already used to the rude remarks of the scorners, laughing
at them instead of being fearful. People are no longer afraid of declaring
themselves spiritists as much as they are not afraid of saying that they are
followers of this or that doctrine, of animal magnetism, of somnambulism,
etc. The subject is openly discussed with anyone that shows up, like
the classical writers and the romanticists, without any humiliation for
defending this or that. It is a huge progress that demonstrates two things:
the advancement of the spiritist ideas in general and the little consistency
of the arguments used by the adversaries. The natural consequence will be
the silence of the latter ones who thought they were stronger and in larger
numbers; but when they see people discussing the subject from all sides
they will not perhaps be converted but will keep their reservation.
We know a little town that a year ago had only one follower who
was pointed at like a rare animal and even considered as such; he was
perhaps disinherited by the family or even lost his job. Today there are a
large number of followers there. They openly gather in assembly, giving
no importance to what others may say; when they saw local authorities,
workers, officers, engineers, lawyers, accountants, etc. among them, who
did not hide their sympathies towards the cause, the scorners stopped
the mockery and the local paper, edited by a strong personality who had
already thrown his stones and was preparing to destroy the new doctrine,
but afraid of having stronger people on his back decided to keep a judicious
silence. That is the story of many other places that will generalize
as the followers of Spiritism, whose number grows by the hour, raise their
heads and their voices. People may try to eliminate one head that sticks
out but when they see twenty, forty, one hundred, who are not afraid of
speaking out loud, giving courage to those who don’t have it, they think
twice.
Prayer
The following poem was sent to us by one of our corresponding members
from Lyon. He is so deeply-rooted in the Spiritist Doctrine that
we cannot let go of the opportunity of giving it a space in our Review.
How can I, oh mortals, with my weak accents,
Give your hearts the most sublime incense!
You will learn from these verses during this career,
How to pray and the meaning of prayer.
It is a surge of love, of fluid fervor,
That escapes the soul and rises towards our Savior.
Sublime effusion of the humble creature,
Returning to his source, ennobling his nature!
Praying does not change the Creator’s art,
Always immutable; but the paternal heart
Spreads its divine stream upon the one who implores,
And doubles the heat of the fire it devours.
He then feels elevated, growing,
Through the love to the neighbor, the heart is pounding.
The more he grows in love the more the Sublime Being
Fulfills his heart with the blessings of learning.
Then comes a holy desire to pray for the dead,
Carrying their burden of pain, a bitter regret,
Showing the needs their condition claims.
He then addresses to them his invisible balms,
Whose efficacy, consoling remedy,
Penetrates their souls, giving them liberty.
They revive; it is a new hope, a glimmer
Helping in their struggle; freedom they conquer.
Like the mortals overwhelmed by evil,
That a supreme balm returns to normal,
They regenerate before this impulse, occult
From the majestic and ardent prayer, and its divine cult.
Let us multiply the enthusiasm; nothing is lost my friend;
Prayers, prayers for them, prayers to the end;
Prayer, it is always prayer, the divine star
That becomes a focus of love, and overwhelms afar.
Let us pray for the dead, yes, and before long and from above
Outpours upon us their rays of love!
Joly
The objective and the effects of prayer are perfectly defined in these verses,
evidently inspired by an elevated spirit. God certainly does not breach his
own law by our request since this would be the denial of one of his attributes:
immutability; but the prayer acts in particular upon its target; it is
both a testimony of sympathy and commiseration that is addressed to that
spirit, thus helping to lessen their burden. Next, its active effect is to excite
in the soul the desire for repentance, inspiring the will for the practice of
good. “God will reward each of us for what we have done.” – Romans 2:6.
That eminently fair law keeps the fate in our own hands and consequently
rendering the duration of sufferings subordinated to the duration of the
unrepentant. It thus follows that if the soul were forever remorseless the
penalties would be eternal. Thus, if through the moral action of praying
we provoke repentance and voluntary reparation, it is then through the
prayer that the time of atonement is abbreviated.
All of that is perfectly clear in those verses above. Such doctrine may
not seem very orthodox to the eyes of someone that believes in a merciless
God, deaf to the pleading voices, and that condemns his own creatures to
endless sufferings for their failures in a transient life; one must acknowledge,
however, that the doctrine above is more logical and according to
the true justice and to God’s benevolence. We learn from everything, religion
as well as reason, that God is infinitely good. With the dogma of the
eternal fire we should add that he is infinitely ruthless, an attribute that is
in contradiction with the former since one denies the other.
In fact, the number of believers in the eternity of sufferings diminishes
by the day, and that is a positive and unquestionable thing. They will
soon be so few that they will be counted, and even if the Church claimed
heresy, rejecting all those who don’t believe in the eternal penalties from
its ranks, there would be more heretics among the Catholics than true
believers and it would then be necessary to condemn every clergyman
and theologian that, like us, interpret those words in a relative rather than
absolute sense.
Family Conversations from Beyond the Grave
It is a mistake to believe that there is nothing to gain from conversations with the spirits of common people and that it is only the nobility that offers useful teachings. There are certainly many useless lessons among them but sometimes a serious observer obtains unforeseen revelations from those when one least expects it. As a matter of fact, there is a point that is of great interest to us for it touches us closely: the passage, the transition from the current to the future life, a feared passage that only Spiritism can help us face it fearlessly, and that we can only know by studying the current cases, that is, from those who have just made that transition, famous or not famous.
Marquis de Saint-Paul was a member of the Society, deceased in 1860 and evoked following a request from his sister on May 16th, 1861.
1. Evocation. – A. I am here.
2. Your sister has asked us to evoke you, and although she is a medium she does not feel confident enough in the current development of her mediumship. – A. I will do my best to respond.
3. First, she would like to know if you are happy. – A. I am still in an errant state and in this transient state there is no absolute happiness or unhappiness.
4. Has it taken you long to become aware of yourself? – A. I spent a long time in a confused state and only emerged from it to bless those who had not forgotten me and who prayed for me.
5. Can you estimate the time you spent in this confused state? – A. No.
6. Which relatives did you promptly recognize? – A. I recognized my mother and my father who welcomed me when I woke up. They were the ones who initiated me in my new life.
7. How could it be that towards the end of your illness it looked like you were speaking with your loved ones from Earth? – A. Because I had the revelation of the world I was about to enter before I died. I became clairvoyant before I died and my eyes were veiled during the definitive transition and separation from the body, because the corporeal links were still very strong.
OBSERVATION: The phenomenon of early separation of the soul is quite frequent. Many people foresee the world of the spirits before they die. That certainly happens to smooth out the pain of leaving life behind through hope. But here the spirit adds that his eyes were veiled at the time of separation. It is a common occurrence; at that very moment when the spirit loses consciousness. The spirit never witnesses the last breath of the body and the actual separation occurs unsuspectingly. The agonizing convulsions are purely physical whose sensation is almost never experienced by the spirit. We say almost because it may happen that the suffering may be imposed onto the spirit as a punishment.
8. Why were your memories mainly of your childhood? – A. Because the beginning is closer to the end than is the center of life.
9. What do you mean? – A. I mean that those in agony remember and see the pure and young years as a reassuring mirage.
OBSERVATION: It is likely that seniors usually have more accurate and detailed memories of their early days for the same providential reason.
10. Why did you always use the third person when referring to your own body? – A. Because, as I said, I was clairvoyant and clearly felt the differences between the physical and the spiritual. Those differences, interconnected by the fluid of life, become very distinct to the eyes of the agonizing visionary.
OBSERVATION: Here we have a singular particularity presented by the death of this gentleman. In his last moments he used to say: - ‘He is thirsty, he needs to drink something, he is feeling cold, one needs to warm him up; he suffers this or that, etc.’ - When asked: But is that you who are thirsty? He replied: - ‘No, it is him.’ – Here the two lives are perfectly drawn: the thinking self is in the spirit and not in the body; once feeling separated, the spirit considered his body as another person, as if it were not him. Hence, it was his body that needed attending to and not him, the spirit.
11. What you just said above about your errant state and the duration of your confusion would lead us to believe that you are not happy. However, your character must lead us to a contrary opinion. As a matter of fact there are errant spirits who are very happy as there are others very unhappy. – A. I am in a transient state. Human virtues acquire their true value here. There is no doubt that my current condition is a thousand times preferable than that of my Earthly incarnation, but I have always carried the aspiration of true good and true beauty and my soul will only be satisfied when it has reached the feet of our Creator.
Marquis de Saint-Paul was a member of the Society, deceased in 1860 and evoked following a request from his sister on May 16th, 1861.
1. Evocation. – A. I am here.
2. Your sister has asked us to evoke you, and although she is a medium she does not feel confident enough in the current development of her mediumship. – A. I will do my best to respond.
3. First, she would like to know if you are happy. – A. I am still in an errant state and in this transient state there is no absolute happiness or unhappiness.
4. Has it taken you long to become aware of yourself? – A. I spent a long time in a confused state and only emerged from it to bless those who had not forgotten me and who prayed for me.
5. Can you estimate the time you spent in this confused state? – A. No.
6. Which relatives did you promptly recognize? – A. I recognized my mother and my father who welcomed me when I woke up. They were the ones who initiated me in my new life.
7. How could it be that towards the end of your illness it looked like you were speaking with your loved ones from Earth? – A. Because I had the revelation of the world I was about to enter before I died. I became clairvoyant before I died and my eyes were veiled during the definitive transition and separation from the body, because the corporeal links were still very strong.
OBSERVATION: The phenomenon of early separation of the soul is quite frequent. Many people foresee the world of the spirits before they die. That certainly happens to smooth out the pain of leaving life behind through hope. But here the spirit adds that his eyes were veiled at the time of separation. It is a common occurrence; at that very moment when the spirit loses consciousness. The spirit never witnesses the last breath of the body and the actual separation occurs unsuspectingly. The agonizing convulsions are purely physical whose sensation is almost never experienced by the spirit. We say almost because it may happen that the suffering may be imposed onto the spirit as a punishment.
8. Why were your memories mainly of your childhood? – A. Because the beginning is closer to the end than is the center of life.
9. What do you mean? – A. I mean that those in agony remember and see the pure and young years as a reassuring mirage.
OBSERVATION: It is likely that seniors usually have more accurate and detailed memories of their early days for the same providential reason.
10. Why did you always use the third person when referring to your own body? – A. Because, as I said, I was clairvoyant and clearly felt the differences between the physical and the spiritual. Those differences, interconnected by the fluid of life, become very distinct to the eyes of the agonizing visionary.
OBSERVATION: Here we have a singular particularity presented by the death of this gentleman. In his last moments he used to say: - ‘He is thirsty, he needs to drink something, he is feeling cold, one needs to warm him up; he suffers this or that, etc.’ - When asked: But is that you who are thirsty? He replied: - ‘No, it is him.’ – Here the two lives are perfectly drawn: the thinking self is in the spirit and not in the body; once feeling separated, the spirit considered his body as another person, as if it were not him. Hence, it was his body that needed attending to and not him, the spirit.
11. What you just said above about your errant state and the duration of your confusion would lead us to believe that you are not happy. However, your character must lead us to a contrary opinion. As a matter of fact there are errant spirits who are very happy as there are others very unhappy. – A. I am in a transient state. Human virtues acquire their true value here. There is no doubt that my current condition is a thousand times preferable than that of my Earthly incarnation, but I have always carried the aspiration of true good and true beauty and my soul will only be satisfied when it has reached the feet of our Creator.
Henri Mondeux (Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, April 26th, 1861)
Last February the newspapers announced the sudden death of the shepherd Henri Mondeux, the renowned calculator who passed in the early days of February 1861, victimized by a stroke at the age of 34, in the Condom Commune (Gers). He was born in Touraine and since the age of 10, he was recognized for his prodigious capacity of resolving complicated problems of Arithmetic, in his head, although he was completely illiterate and did not have any formal education. He soon captured people’s attention and many used to go and see him while he was taking care of his herd. He made some additional cash while entertaining the visitors who came to asking him to solve mathematical equations. The phenomenon reminded them of Vito Mangiamele, a shepherd from Napoli who had also presented the same prodigy a few years back. A college Math professor from Tours thought that such a remarkable gift should produce even more remarkable results with some additional help. He then started to educate the young man only to discover, that he was dealing with an incredibly rebellious mind. In fact he could barely read and write at the age of 16 and – a remarkable thing – the professor could not get him to remember the names of elementary geometrical shapes, indicating that his skills were limited to the ability of numerical combinations alone. He was then a calculator but not a Mathematician.
Another important fact was that he could never absorb our conventional methods of calculation. He did not even understand them. He had his own way of doing things and he did not know how he did it; he did not understand the phenomenon himself, a phenomenon limited to a prodigious memory of numbers. We say numbers instead of totals because the vision of numerical totals confused him more than helped. He preferred to have the problems formulated verbally rather than in writing.
In short this is the result of our own observations carried out with the young Mondeux that gave us material for a lecture given at the Parisian Society of Phrenology. Such a special gift, although taken to the limit, could not help him to start in any career, even as an accountant to a commercial establishment, something that concerned his teacher and was rightly so. He was sorry for having taken the young man away from his herd, asking himself what would become of that youngster once he was deprived from the common interest that brought them together, particularly considering his age. We lost contact with him for eighteen years. As it seems he found ways of surviving giving presentations from town to town.
1. Evocation. – A. 4 plus 3 is 7 in the other worlds as it is here.
2. We thought of evoking you just after your death but we were told that you were not ready yet. It seems that you are now. – A. I was waiting for you.
3. You may not perhaps remember me but I had the occasion of meeting you in private in Prussia and even attend your sessions. As for myself, it seems that I still see you and the Math teacher that followed you and gave me valuable information about you and your skills. – A. That is all I can tell you that I remember about you, but it is only today that my ideas are clearer.
4. What was the origin of that strange skill that gifted you? – A. Ah! That is the question that I was sure you would ask me. You started by saying: I knew you, I saw you, you were skilled, and finally you ask for an explanation. Well then! I had the ability of reading in my own spirit the immediate calculation of a given problem. You could say that the solution was unfolded by a spirit before my eyes and all I had to do was to read it. I was a kind of clairvoyant and calculating medium, and it must be said as if carrying a little book of calculus, prepared beforehand.
5. As far as I remember you did not have this sort of sarcastic wit when alive. You were actually somewhat circumspect. – A. Well, my skills were thoroughly used for the calculations; there was nothing left for other things.
6. How could you have developed such a skill for calculation and be so poor on other elemental parts of Math? – A. Bottom line is that I was stupid, right? You can say the word, I understand. Here, however, I no longer have to develop a faculty to handle numbers and my skills now develop faster on other things.
7. You no longer have to develop that skill for the numbers… (the spirit writes not waiting for the end of the question) – A. That means that God has assigned a mission to all of us. You, he said, will scare away the wise Mathematicians. I will make you look like dumb so that they will be even more astonished; beat them in all calculations and make them say: How can he do it better than us? What is it that he has that is stronger than education? God wanted them to look beyond the body since what it is that exists and is more material than a numeral?
8. What did you do in your previous existences? – A. I was sent to show other things.
9. Were they always related to Math? – A. No doubt since that is my specialty.
10. I had formulated a few problems to check if you still had the same ability but according to what you have just said it seems pointless. – A. I no longer have solutions to give you. I cannot do that. The instrument is bad since it is not a mathematician.
11. Can’t you overcome that limitation? – A. Ah! Nothing is impossible. Even Sebastopol was taken over. But what a difference!
12. What do you do now? – A. Do you want to know my occupation? I wonder and wait a little bit before restarting my career as a medium that must go on.
13. What do you believe is going to be that mediumistic skill? – A. Always the same but more developed and remarkable.
14. (A member makes the following reflection): From the answers it appears that he acted as a medium on Earth, leading to the supposition that he had the support of another spirit, thus explaining why he does not enjoy the same skills today. – A. I was wired in such a way that I could see those numbers provided by other spirits to me. I captured them better than you would; I had the skills of calculation because that is what I was prepared for. All means of convincing are sought. They are all good, great or small, and the spirits capture them all.
15. Did you make a fortune with your skills, going around the world with your sessions? – A. Oh! You ask a medium if he made a fortune! Wrong direction. Of course not!
16. But you did not see yourself as a medium! You did not even know what that was. – A. No. It surprised me also that I received so little financially. That served me morally and I prefer my equity duly registered in the great book of God to the income obtained from the State.
17. We thank you for your kindness in responding to our appeal. – A. You changed your opinion about me.
18. I did not change because I always liked you. – A. I am glad I solved the problems otherwise you would not have noticed me.
OBSERVATION: As everyone knows, the identity of the spirits is the most difficult thing to determine. It is generally revealed through unforeseen circumstances and details; by subtle nuances only captured by a very careful examination, often demonstrating more than the material signs that can be easily imitated by deceiving spirits, while these cannot simulate the intellectual capacity or the moral qualities that they lack. One could doubt the identity in this case without a much logical explanation about the difference of the current personality and the other when alive, because the numerical answer that he gives at the beginning of the evocation cannot be considered as an authentic proof. Whatever the opinion that one may form about the communication above we must acknowledge that besides the witty remarks it contains some profound thoughts. The answers given to questions 7 and 16 are notable with that respect. It results from those answers, like from answers given by other spirits, that the spirit Mondeux has a predisposition for Math; that he likely had that skill in previous existences, but he was no scientific celebrity. It would be hard to understand that a true wise man would be restricted to do calculations to entertain the public, without any other reach or scientific utility. There would be much more reason for doubt if he tried to pretend to have been Newton or Laplace.
Another important fact was that he could never absorb our conventional methods of calculation. He did not even understand them. He had his own way of doing things and he did not know how he did it; he did not understand the phenomenon himself, a phenomenon limited to a prodigious memory of numbers. We say numbers instead of totals because the vision of numerical totals confused him more than helped. He preferred to have the problems formulated verbally rather than in writing.
In short this is the result of our own observations carried out with the young Mondeux that gave us material for a lecture given at the Parisian Society of Phrenology. Such a special gift, although taken to the limit, could not help him to start in any career, even as an accountant to a commercial establishment, something that concerned his teacher and was rightly so. He was sorry for having taken the young man away from his herd, asking himself what would become of that youngster once he was deprived from the common interest that brought them together, particularly considering his age. We lost contact with him for eighteen years. As it seems he found ways of surviving giving presentations from town to town.
1. Evocation. – A. 4 plus 3 is 7 in the other worlds as it is here.
2. We thought of evoking you just after your death but we were told that you were not ready yet. It seems that you are now. – A. I was waiting for you.
3. You may not perhaps remember me but I had the occasion of meeting you in private in Prussia and even attend your sessions. As for myself, it seems that I still see you and the Math teacher that followed you and gave me valuable information about you and your skills. – A. That is all I can tell you that I remember about you, but it is only today that my ideas are clearer.
4. What was the origin of that strange skill that gifted you? – A. Ah! That is the question that I was sure you would ask me. You started by saying: I knew you, I saw you, you were skilled, and finally you ask for an explanation. Well then! I had the ability of reading in my own spirit the immediate calculation of a given problem. You could say that the solution was unfolded by a spirit before my eyes and all I had to do was to read it. I was a kind of clairvoyant and calculating medium, and it must be said as if carrying a little book of calculus, prepared beforehand.
5. As far as I remember you did not have this sort of sarcastic wit when alive. You were actually somewhat circumspect. – A. Well, my skills were thoroughly used for the calculations; there was nothing left for other things.
6. How could you have developed such a skill for calculation and be so poor on other elemental parts of Math? – A. Bottom line is that I was stupid, right? You can say the word, I understand. Here, however, I no longer have to develop a faculty to handle numbers and my skills now develop faster on other things.
7. You no longer have to develop that skill for the numbers… (the spirit writes not waiting for the end of the question) – A. That means that God has assigned a mission to all of us. You, he said, will scare away the wise Mathematicians. I will make you look like dumb so that they will be even more astonished; beat them in all calculations and make them say: How can he do it better than us? What is it that he has that is stronger than education? God wanted them to look beyond the body since what it is that exists and is more material than a numeral?
8. What did you do in your previous existences? – A. I was sent to show other things.
9. Were they always related to Math? – A. No doubt since that is my specialty.
10. I had formulated a few problems to check if you still had the same ability but according to what you have just said it seems pointless. – A. I no longer have solutions to give you. I cannot do that. The instrument is bad since it is not a mathematician.
11. Can’t you overcome that limitation? – A. Ah! Nothing is impossible. Even Sebastopol was taken over. But what a difference!
12. What do you do now? – A. Do you want to know my occupation? I wonder and wait a little bit before restarting my career as a medium that must go on.
13. What do you believe is going to be that mediumistic skill? – A. Always the same but more developed and remarkable.
14. (A member makes the following reflection): From the answers it appears that he acted as a medium on Earth, leading to the supposition that he had the support of another spirit, thus explaining why he does not enjoy the same skills today. – A. I was wired in such a way that I could see those numbers provided by other spirits to me. I captured them better than you would; I had the skills of calculation because that is what I was prepared for. All means of convincing are sought. They are all good, great or small, and the spirits capture them all.
15. Did you make a fortune with your skills, going around the world with your sessions? – A. Oh! You ask a medium if he made a fortune! Wrong direction. Of course not!
16. But you did not see yourself as a medium! You did not even know what that was. – A. No. It surprised me also that I received so little financially. That served me morally and I prefer my equity duly registered in the great book of God to the income obtained from the State.
17. We thank you for your kindness in responding to our appeal. – A. You changed your opinion about me.
18. I did not change because I always liked you. – A. I am glad I solved the problems otherwise you would not have noticed me.
OBSERVATION: As everyone knows, the identity of the spirits is the most difficult thing to determine. It is generally revealed through unforeseen circumstances and details; by subtle nuances only captured by a very careful examination, often demonstrating more than the material signs that can be easily imitated by deceiving spirits, while these cannot simulate the intellectual capacity or the moral qualities that they lack. One could doubt the identity in this case without a much logical explanation about the difference of the current personality and the other when alive, because the numerical answer that he gives at the beginning of the evocation cannot be considered as an authentic proof. Whatever the opinion that one may form about the communication above we must acknowledge that besides the witty remarks it contains some profound thoughts. The answers given to questions 7 and 16 are notable with that respect. It results from those answers, like from answers given by other spirits, that the spirit Mondeux has a predisposition for Math; that he likely had that skill in previous existences, but he was no scientific celebrity. It would be hard to understand that a true wise man would be restricted to do calculations to entertain the public, without any other reach or scientific utility. There would be much more reason for doubt if he tried to pretend to have been Newton or Laplace.
Mrs. Anais Gourdon
A young lady, remarkable for her kind disposition and by the most eminent moral qualities, died in November 1860. She was evoked after a request from her father and her husband. She belonged to a family of miners near Saint-Étienne, an important aspect to be taken into account for the analysis of the evocation.
1. Evocation. – A. Here I am.
2. Your father and your husband asked me to evoke you and will be very happy for receiving your communication. – A. I am also very happy for being able to communicate with them.
3. Why have you been taken away so soon from the warmth of your loving family? – A. Because my Earthly trials were over.
4. Do you see them from time to time? – A. Oh! I am always with them.
5. Are you happy as a spirit? – A. I am happy, I serve and I love. Heaven does not frighten me and I wait confidently and with love so that my white wings may grow.
6. What do you mean by those wings? – A. I mean I should turn into a pure spirit and shine like the celestial messengers that dazzle me.
OBSERVATION: The wings of angels, archangels and seraphs, the pure spirits, are evidently attributes imagined by human beings to portray the speed of their dislocation, since their ethereal nature excuses them from any obstacle when covering spaces. However, they may show themselves to people using that accessory, responding to people’s thoughts, like others who take the appearance they had on Earth in order to make themselves known.
7. Do you see your brother-in-law who died some time ago, and who was evoked last year? – A. I saw him when I arrived to the spiritual world. I don’t see him now.
8. Why don’t you see him anymore? – A. I know nothing about that.
9. Can your relatives do anything to please you? – A. My beloved ones should no longer be sad, despite their grief, since they know that I am not gone forever. May my memory be kind, light and fragrant to them! I passed away like a flower and there is nothing sad about my passage.
10. Where does your poetic language come from, considering the position you had when on Earth? – A. It is my soul that speaks. Yes, I had acquired knowledge and God often allows refined spirits to incarnate amidst the roughest people to make them foresee the kindness that they will one day understand and conquer.
OBSERVATION: Without such explanation that is both so logical and so in agreement with God’s solicitude to his children, we would hardly understand, at first sight, what could in principle seem like an anomaly. In fact, what can be more gracious and poetic than the language of the spirit of this young lady, raised in the middle of a very tough environment? The opposite is also frequently seen: inferior spirits incarnate among more advanced people, but with the opposite objective. God puts them in touch with a more enlightened world for their own advancement, while serving as trials to that world. Which other philosophy can solve these issues?
11. (Evocation of Mr. Gourdon, the oldest son, already evoked in 1860) – A. I am here.
12. Do you remember that you were evoked by us? – A. Yes, perfectly.
13. How come your sister-in-law no longer sees you? – A. She has moved up.
OBSERVATION: She had responded to the same question: “I know nothing about it”; it was certainly out of modesty. It is now explained: with her superior nature she belongs to a more elevated order of spirits, while he is still attached to Earth. They follow different paths.
14. What have you been doing since that occasion? – A. I made progresses in terms of the acquisition of knowledge, listening to the instructions of our guides.
15. Please, I ask you to provide a communication to your father who would be very happy with that. – A. My dear father, you must not think that your children are lost and don’t suffer by seeing their empty places. I also wait and don’t be impatient because I know that the passing days are other steps that need to be overcome, taking us closer to one another. Be grave but not sad since sadness is a mute criticism addressed to God, who wishes to be glorified in his work. In reality, why suffer in this sad life where everything vanishes, except our good or bad deeds? Dear father, be confident and have courage!
OBSERVATION: The first evocation of this young man was marked by the same feelings of filial piety and elevation. It was a huge consolation to his parents who could not get over his loss. That is totally understandable, as it is with the young lady.
1. Evocation. – A. Here I am.
2. Your father and your husband asked me to evoke you and will be very happy for receiving your communication. – A. I am also very happy for being able to communicate with them.
3. Why have you been taken away so soon from the warmth of your loving family? – A. Because my Earthly trials were over.
4. Do you see them from time to time? – A. Oh! I am always with them.
5. Are you happy as a spirit? – A. I am happy, I serve and I love. Heaven does not frighten me and I wait confidently and with love so that my white wings may grow.
6. What do you mean by those wings? – A. I mean I should turn into a pure spirit and shine like the celestial messengers that dazzle me.
OBSERVATION: The wings of angels, archangels and seraphs, the pure spirits, are evidently attributes imagined by human beings to portray the speed of their dislocation, since their ethereal nature excuses them from any obstacle when covering spaces. However, they may show themselves to people using that accessory, responding to people’s thoughts, like others who take the appearance they had on Earth in order to make themselves known.
7. Do you see your brother-in-law who died some time ago, and who was evoked last year? – A. I saw him when I arrived to the spiritual world. I don’t see him now.
8. Why don’t you see him anymore? – A. I know nothing about that.
9. Can your relatives do anything to please you? – A. My beloved ones should no longer be sad, despite their grief, since they know that I am not gone forever. May my memory be kind, light and fragrant to them! I passed away like a flower and there is nothing sad about my passage.
10. Where does your poetic language come from, considering the position you had when on Earth? – A. It is my soul that speaks. Yes, I had acquired knowledge and God often allows refined spirits to incarnate amidst the roughest people to make them foresee the kindness that they will one day understand and conquer.
OBSERVATION: Without such explanation that is both so logical and so in agreement with God’s solicitude to his children, we would hardly understand, at first sight, what could in principle seem like an anomaly. In fact, what can be more gracious and poetic than the language of the spirit of this young lady, raised in the middle of a very tough environment? The opposite is also frequently seen: inferior spirits incarnate among more advanced people, but with the opposite objective. God puts them in touch with a more enlightened world for their own advancement, while serving as trials to that world. Which other philosophy can solve these issues?
11. (Evocation of Mr. Gourdon, the oldest son, already evoked in 1860) – A. I am here.
12. Do you remember that you were evoked by us? – A. Yes, perfectly.
13. How come your sister-in-law no longer sees you? – A. She has moved up.
OBSERVATION: She had responded to the same question: “I know nothing about it”; it was certainly out of modesty. It is now explained: with her superior nature she belongs to a more elevated order of spirits, while he is still attached to Earth. They follow different paths.
14. What have you been doing since that occasion? – A. I made progresses in terms of the acquisition of knowledge, listening to the instructions of our guides.
15. Please, I ask you to provide a communication to your father who would be very happy with that. – A. My dear father, you must not think that your children are lost and don’t suffer by seeing their empty places. I also wait and don’t be impatient because I know that the passing days are other steps that need to be overcome, taking us closer to one another. Be grave but not sad since sadness is a mute criticism addressed to God, who wishes to be glorified in his work. In reality, why suffer in this sad life where everything vanishes, except our good or bad deeds? Dear father, be confident and have courage!
OBSERVATION: The first evocation of this young man was marked by the same feelings of filial piety and elevation. It was a huge consolation to his parents who could not get over his loss. That is totally understandable, as it is with the young lady.
Effects of Despair
Death of Mr. Laferrière, member of the Institute - Suicide of Mr. Léon L…
The widow and the Doctor
We would need several books to register all the dismal accidents
caused by despair, even if we only take into account those that are
of public knowledge. How many suicides, diseases, involuntary deaths,
cases of madness, acts of vengeance and even crimes are produced every
day! An educational statistic would be that of the root causes that led
those persons to a state of insanity. We would see that in at least 80% of
the cases despair is present. But that is not our focus today.
Below we transcribe two cases that were reported in the papers, and
we don’t do it just to show the news but as material for study. The Siècle
of last February 17th reported the following regarding the funerals of Mr.
Laferrière:
“On Tuesday we took a twenty-year-old young lady to her final
dwelling, followed by some saddened friends, after she had endured
a terrible disease for some time. Mr. Laferrière was the father of his
only child. He was a member of the Institute and General Inspector
at the Law School. The excessive pain killed that unfortunate father
and the resignation of the Christian faith was not enough to console him. Thirty six hours later a second blow shook the family and the
same week that had seen father and daughter separated also saw them
reunited again. Mr. Laferrière funeral was attended by a huge and
dismayed crowd.”
The paper says that Mr. Laferrière had religious feelings and it is nice
to see it since we must not assume that all scholars are agnostic. Those
feelings, however, were not able to preclude him from falling out of
despair. We are convinced that if his ideas about the future were less
vague, more positive, such as those given by Spiritism; had he believed
in the presence of his daughter by his side; had he had the reassuring opportunity
of communicating with her, he would have understood that
they were only separated physically and for some time and he would
have the necessary patience and submission to God’s will up until the
time of their reunion; he would have calmed down knowing that his
own despair was a cause of disturbance to his beloved one’s happiness.
These thoughts are even more appropriate to the news reported by the
Siècle on March 1st:
“Mr. Leon L… is a 25 year-old businessman of the Villemonble bus
company in Paris. He was married for two years to a young lady who
he loved very much. The birth of their son, now 1 year old, brought
them even closer. This and the successful business led them to foresee
a long and happy future.
A few months ago Mrs. L… felt suddenly ill taken by typhoid
fever and despite the most diligent care and the assistance of all of science’s
latest medicines, she soon passed away. Since then Mr. L… has
been so sad that there was nothing that could distract him. He was
heard more than once saying that he hated life and that he wanted to
reunite with the one who was his reason of happiness.
Last night, around 7 pm, on returning from Paris in his car he
gave the cabriolet carriage to the wagoner and without a word he entered
the room adjacent to the dining room. An hour later a servant
came to let him know that dinner was served. He responded that he
wanted nothing. His body was bending over the desk, the head supported
by the hands, seemingly taken by total weakness.
The servant informed his parents who promptly came to help
their son. He had lost consciousness. They immediately sent for Dr.
Dubois. As soon as the doctor arrived he attested that the young man
was dead. He had poisoned himself with a strong dose of laudanum
that he had bought for his horses. The young man’s death caused great
commotion in the region where he enjoyed general sympathy.”
Mr. Leon L…, no doubt, believed in a future life since he killed himself to
reunite with his wife. Had he known through Spiritism the fate of those
who commit suicide he would have known that far from short-cutting the
path of reunion, his action was an infallible way of keeping them apart.
We would like to offer the following opposing fact to those two above,
showing the influence that the spiritist beliefs may have upon those who
profess them. One of our corresponding members reports the following:
“A lady friend of mine lost her husband whose death was attributed
to medical malpractice. She was so angry with the doctor that she
persecuted him, ruthlessly, threatening him and telling him out loud
and wherever she met him: - ‘Assassin, I will make sure that you die
in my hands!’ – That lady was very religious, a good Catholic. The
appeal of religion, however, did not stop her. The situation came to
a point that the doctor decided to inform the authorities for his own
security. In the town where she resides there is a large number of followers
of Spiritism. A good spiritist, friend of hers, told her one day:
• How would you react if I told you that you could still talk
to your husband?
• Oh! She said, if I only knew that it is possible! If I were
certain that I did not lose him forever, that would give me
consolation and I would wait.
They soon gave her proof. Her own husband came to give her advice
and consolation and by the language he employed, she had no doubt
that it was him by her side. Since then a total revolution took place
in her mind. Eight days later she went to the house of the doctor who
was afraid of her visit; instead of threatening him she offered to shake
his hand, saying: - ‘do not be frightened Sir. I came to apologize for
the bad things I have been doing against you, as I forgive you for what
you did involuntarily. It was my husband himself that advised me to
do what I am doing now. He told me that the cause of his death had
absolutely nothing to do with you. As a matter of fact I am now certain
that he is around me, that he sees and protects me and that one
day we will be together again. Hence, I beg you Sir not to keep any
hard feelings against me as I do not hold any against you.’
Needless to say that the doctor accepted the settlement immediately and
promptly tried to understand the mysterious cause behind his refreshing
peace of mind thereafter. Thus, without Spiritism that lady would
have likely committed a crime, despite the fact that she was a religious
person. Does it demonstrate the uselessness of religion? Not at all. It only
shows the insufficiency of the idea that religion provides about the future
with such vagueness that to many it presents a kind of uncertainty, while
Spiritism in a way allows us to touch it with our fingers, giving the soul a
more thorough sense of confidence and security.
Which consolation does materialism bring to the father who has lost
his son; the son who has lost his father; the husband who has lost his beloved wife? It says: it is all over. There is nothing left of the beloved
creature, absolutely nothing remains from that body that will soon be dissolved.
Also their intelligence, the moral qualities, the education, nothing;
it all comes to the void; you have lost them forever.
The spiritist says: They are not lost; they all move on; the only thing
that is gone is their physical covering; but the spirit, now separated from
its prison, is radiant, and it is there, by your side, seeing you, hearing and
waiting for you. Oh! The wrongs caused by the materialists inoculating
their deceitful arguments, the poison of unbelievers! They never loved.
Otherwise, how could they see in cold blood the very object of their love
and devotion turning into a pile of dust?
Therefore it seems that God’s greatest rigor has been reserved to them
as we shall see them all reduced to the most deplorable condition in the
spiritual world and the closer they were from knowing the truth, the less
indulgence they will receive from God.
Spiritist Teachings and Dissertations
“Many are invited, but only a few are chosen”Through spontaneous communication
(Received by Mr. D’Ambel, medium at the Society)
This evangelical maxim is much better applied to our present time than to the early days of Christianity. In fact, haven’t you already heard the uproar of the storm that must drag the old world and have the summation of all worldly iniquities swallowed into a void? Ah! Blessed the Lord, you who entrusted your faith in his sovereign justice, and like you apostles of the new belief revealed by the superior prophetic voices, go and preach the new dogma of reincarnation and the progress of the spirits according to the way they have accomplished their missions and withstood their earthly trials. Have no fear! The tongues of fire are above your heads. Oh! Followers of Spiritism, you are God’s elected ones! Go and preach the divine word. Time has come and you must sacrifice your habits, your works, and your futile concerns. Go and preach! The superior spirits are with you. You will certainly speak to people who will not be interested in listening to God’s voice because that voice relentlessly claims abnegation. You will preach altruism to the greedy, abstinence to the perverted, and kindness to the domestic tyrants and dictators. Lost words, I know well. But, never mind! You must irrigate the terrain with your sweat for it will not yield and fructify without the persistent efforts of the evangelical hoe and plough. Go and preach!
Yes, all of you, people of good faith, who believe in your inferiority before the globes and spread in the infinity of space, join the crusade against injustice and iniquity. Go; reverse this invasive worship of the golden calf. Go, God is with you! Simple and ignorant people, your tongues will be freed and you shall speak as no other speaker has done before. Go and preach and the attentive crowds will gladly harvest your words of consolation, fraternity, hope and peace. Never mind the traps that will be thrown in your path! Only wolves fall into the traps prepared for wolves and behold, the shepherd will defend his flock against the bloodthirsty adversaries. Thus, move on with your grandiose faith and in small numbers! March on! The great battalions of disbelievers will fall before your eyes like the morning mist dissipates before the early rays of the rising sun. Faith is the virtue that moves mountains, said Jesus. However, all vices and impurities hidden in the human beings’ heart are heavier than the heaviest mountain. Go and have no fear to move that mountain of iniquities that future generations will only know as legends of the past, like you, who only has a slight idea about the times prior to the pagan civilization. Yes, there will be moral and philosophical struggles all over the world. Time is near when the divine light will shine on both worlds.
Take the divine word to notables who will show contempt; to scholars who will demand proof; to the little and simple ones who will accept the word because you will find in them the martyrs of the work, where you will see devotion and faith in their earthly punishments! These are the ones who will welcome the sacred consolation with grace and worship, praising the Lord with their songs, bending before his will, thanking him for their misery. May your troops be forearmed with resolution and courage! Onto the work! The plough is ready; the terrain awaits; cultivation is needed. Go now and thank God for the glorious task that you have been assigned. But remember that among the many called to Spiritism several have gone astray. Watch your route and follow the path of truth.
Q – If many of those called to Spiritism have gone astray, how can we identify those who are on the good path? – A. You will recognize them by the application of the principles of the professed true charity; by the number of ill-fated people that they console; by their love to their neighbor, by their abnegation and selfless; finally, you will recognize them by the triumph of those principles since God wishes the establishment of his law. The ones who follow that law are the chosen ones and God will award them with victory but those who betray the spirit of his law, using it as a pedestal to their vanity and ambition, those will be crushed.
(Received by Mr. D’Ambel, medium at the Society)
This evangelical maxim is much better applied to our present time than to the early days of Christianity. In fact, haven’t you already heard the uproar of the storm that must drag the old world and have the summation of all worldly iniquities swallowed into a void? Ah! Blessed the Lord, you who entrusted your faith in his sovereign justice, and like you apostles of the new belief revealed by the superior prophetic voices, go and preach the new dogma of reincarnation and the progress of the spirits according to the way they have accomplished their missions and withstood their earthly trials. Have no fear! The tongues of fire are above your heads. Oh! Followers of Spiritism, you are God’s elected ones! Go and preach the divine word. Time has come and you must sacrifice your habits, your works, and your futile concerns. Go and preach! The superior spirits are with you. You will certainly speak to people who will not be interested in listening to God’s voice because that voice relentlessly claims abnegation. You will preach altruism to the greedy, abstinence to the perverted, and kindness to the domestic tyrants and dictators. Lost words, I know well. But, never mind! You must irrigate the terrain with your sweat for it will not yield and fructify without the persistent efforts of the evangelical hoe and plough. Go and preach!
Yes, all of you, people of good faith, who believe in your inferiority before the globes and spread in the infinity of space, join the crusade against injustice and iniquity. Go; reverse this invasive worship of the golden calf. Go, God is with you! Simple and ignorant people, your tongues will be freed and you shall speak as no other speaker has done before. Go and preach and the attentive crowds will gladly harvest your words of consolation, fraternity, hope and peace. Never mind the traps that will be thrown in your path! Only wolves fall into the traps prepared for wolves and behold, the shepherd will defend his flock against the bloodthirsty adversaries. Thus, move on with your grandiose faith and in small numbers! March on! The great battalions of disbelievers will fall before your eyes like the morning mist dissipates before the early rays of the rising sun. Faith is the virtue that moves mountains, said Jesus. However, all vices and impurities hidden in the human beings’ heart are heavier than the heaviest mountain. Go and have no fear to move that mountain of iniquities that future generations will only know as legends of the past, like you, who only has a slight idea about the times prior to the pagan civilization. Yes, there will be moral and philosophical struggles all over the world. Time is near when the divine light will shine on both worlds.
Take the divine word to notables who will show contempt; to scholars who will demand proof; to the little and simple ones who will accept the word because you will find in them the martyrs of the work, where you will see devotion and faith in their earthly punishments! These are the ones who will welcome the sacred consolation with grace and worship, praising the Lord with their songs, bending before his will, thanking him for their misery. May your troops be forearmed with resolution and courage! Onto the work! The plough is ready; the terrain awaits; cultivation is needed. Go now and thank God for the glorious task that you have been assigned. But remember that among the many called to Spiritism several have gone astray. Watch your route and follow the path of truth.
Q – If many of those called to Spiritism have gone astray, how can we identify those who are on the good path? – A. You will recognize them by the application of the principles of the professed true charity; by the number of ill-fated people that they console; by their love to their neighbor, by their abnegation and selfless; finally, you will recognize them by the triumph of those principles since God wishes the establishment of his law. The ones who follow that law are the chosen ones and God will award them with victory but those who betray the spirit of his law, using it as a pedestal to their vanity and ambition, those will be crushed.
Erastus, guardian angel of the medium
Occupation of the Spirits, (Medium Mrs. Costel)
The occupation of the spirits of the second order consists of their preparation for the trials that they will have to endure; it is done through the analysis of their previous existences and observations about the destiny of humans, their vices and virtues and how they can improve or fail. Those like myself, that are fortunate to have a mission are very much engaged with uncountable zeal and love, that the advancement of the souls entrusted to us is counted as a merit; hence, we do our best to inspire good thoughts, to help with good deeds, keeping the bad souls away, opposing their good influence to the harmful ones. Even in that interesting activity and particularly when fortunate enough to be able to guide a medium and provide direct communications, the spirit is still aware of his own needs for improvement.
Make no mistake. There is no idleness to a being that lives as a spirit and all his skills are focused on a single objective that he knows is far away but certain. Boredom can only come from an empty mind and from useless thoughts. Time that is a burden to you, measured by your foolish fears and your frivolous hopes, time does not affect those who are not submitted to the confusion of their souls or the needs of the body. Time goes by even faster for the superior and pure spirits, those in charge of executing God’s tasks and traveling the spheres of rapid flights. As for inferior spirits, particularly those with heavy faults to atone, time is measured by their sorrow, remorse and sufferings.
The worst among them seek to escape by doing evil or by the suggestion of bad things. That is when they experience a bitter and temporary sensation like the injured person that scratches his wound just to feel more pain. Hence, their sufferings grow in such a way that they will have no alternative but to administer the proper medicine, returning to the good path. The poor spirits who are the only ones to blame for their weakness and ignorance endure emptiness and isolation. They feel sorry for their earthly body, regardless of their pain. They rebel and despair until they realize that it is only through resignation and a strong will to return to good that they can alleviate their sufferings. As they become calm, they understand that God does not abandon a single creature.
Make no mistake. There is no idleness to a being that lives as a spirit and all his skills are focused on a single objective that he knows is far away but certain. Boredom can only come from an empty mind and from useless thoughts. Time that is a burden to you, measured by your foolish fears and your frivolous hopes, time does not affect those who are not submitted to the confusion of their souls or the needs of the body. Time goes by even faster for the superior and pure spirits, those in charge of executing God’s tasks and traveling the spheres of rapid flights. As for inferior spirits, particularly those with heavy faults to atone, time is measured by their sorrow, remorse and sufferings.
The worst among them seek to escape by doing evil or by the suggestion of bad things. That is when they experience a bitter and temporary sensation like the injured person that scratches his wound just to feel more pain. Hence, their sufferings grow in such a way that they will have no alternative but to administer the proper medicine, returning to the good path. The poor spirits who are the only ones to blame for their weakness and ignorance endure emptiness and isolation. They feel sorry for their earthly body, regardless of their pain. They rebel and despair until they realize that it is only through resignation and a strong will to return to good that they can alleviate their sufferings. As they become calm, they understand that God does not abandon a single creature.
Marcillac, familiar spirit
Intemperance (Sent by Mr. Sabò from Bordeaux)
The choice of good writers is very useful. Those who exert their authority upon you by exciting your imagination with foolish human passions will only corrupt your heart and spirit. There are no moral teachings to be garnered by those who publicly support orgies, intemperance, ecstasy and all material pleasures. Take into account, my friends, that if God gave you passions it was for the achievement of his designs and not for your own rudimentary pleasure. Know this, that if you spend your life satisfying a few mad desires you will keep nothing but remorse and emptiness of heart, and you will not please God.
If you were given the ability to reproduce the human species the reason for that is in the need of thousands of wandering souls that await in space for the opportunity of having a body and restarting their trials; now if you use your physical strength in shameful orgies you work against God’s will and for that you shall pay dearly. Thus I recommend that you cast away useless literature that does not help the improvement of your intelligence or your moral betterment. May the serious writers from all times and from all countries help you to approach beauty and good; as they raise your soul to the delights of poetry and may they help you realize your God given gifts!
If you were given the ability to reproduce the human species the reason for that is in the need of thousands of wandering souls that await in space for the opportunity of having a body and restarting their trials; now if you use your physical strength in shameful orgies you work against God’s will and for that you shall pay dearly. Thus I recommend that you cast away useless literature that does not help the improvement of your intelligence or your moral betterment. May the serious writers from all times and from all countries help you to approach beauty and good; as they raise your soul to the delights of poetry and may they help you realize your God given gifts!
Felicia, medium’s daughter
OBSERVATION: Isn’t the idea of such an elevated objective to human reproduction something prominent and sublime? The wandering spirits wait for those bodies, necessary for their own betterment, and the incarnated spirits are tasked with that reproduction, like man, who waits for the product from the fabrication of certain animals to be clothed and fed.
There is another lesson of great significance that sticks out from that. If one does not admit that the soul had lived before it is then absolutely necessary to admit that it is created at the very moment of body formation, from which it follows that the creation of the soul by God would be subordinated to the good will of the individual, and in most cases it would result from human’s intemperance. How can it be! Every religion and moral law condemns the depravation of customs. We ask any person of common sense if it is at all possible that God may contradict Himself to such an extent. Wouldn’t that be the glorification of vices as long as serving the purpose of achieving the Almighty designs?
Tell us if that would not be the consequence of the simultaneous formation of body and soul; and it would be even worse than admitting the opinion that the human being procreates the soul as one does with the body.
Now let us admit the opposite that the soul preexists and every contradiction disappears since humans only procreate the body and God’s work, the creation of the immortal soul that will one day return to God, that is no longer submitted to the caprices of humanity.
That is how without reincarnation there is always a new philosophical difficulty that shows up, leading to contradiction and absurd explanations. Hence, the principle of unity of our corporeal life, irreversibly defining the future of humanity, falls on its own basis, losing terrain and followers every day. We can then safely say that the contrary principle will be universally accepted as the only logical one, the only one in agreement with God’s justice, the one proclaimed by Christ himself when he said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
OBSERVATION: Isn’t the idea of such an elevated objective to human reproduction something prominent and sublime? The wandering spirits wait for those bodies, necessary for their own betterment, and the incarnated spirits are tasked with that reproduction, like man, who waits for the product from the fabrication of certain animals to be clothed and fed.
There is another lesson of great significance that sticks out from that. If one does not admit that the soul had lived before it is then absolutely necessary to admit that it is created at the very moment of body formation, from which it follows that the creation of the soul by God would be subordinated to the good will of the individual, and in most cases it would result from human’s intemperance. How can it be! Every religion and moral law condemns the depravation of customs. We ask any person of common sense if it is at all possible that God may contradict Himself to such an extent. Wouldn’t that be the glorification of vices as long as serving the purpose of achieving the Almighty designs?
Tell us if that would not be the consequence of the simultaneous formation of body and soul; and it would be even worse than admitting the opinion that the human being procreates the soul as one does with the body.
Now let us admit the opposite that the soul preexists and every contradiction disappears since humans only procreate the body and God’s work, the creation of the immortal soul that will one day return to God, that is no longer submitted to the caprices of humanity.
That is how without reincarnation there is always a new philosophical difficulty that shows up, leading to contradiction and absurd explanations. Hence, the principle of unity of our corporeal life, irreversibly defining the future of humanity, falls on its own basis, losing terrain and followers every day. We can then safely say that the contrary principle will be universally accepted as the only logical one, the only one in agreement with God’s justice, the one proclaimed by Christ himself when he said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
About the Perispirit
Spontaneous message related to a discussion that had just taken place at the Society about the nature of the spirit and the perispirit – Medium Mr. A. Didier
I followed with interest the discussion that you have just had and that has put you in an embarrassing situation. Yes, there are a lack of words related to color and form to express the perispirit and its true nature. But there is one certainty. What some call perispirit is the same as what others call a fluidic and material envelope. When similar things are discussed, one must be careful with the words and not with the sentences. In order to make myself understood in a more logical way, I say that that fluid is the perfectibility of the senses, the extension of the vision and ideas. I speak about the elevated spirits. As for the inferior spirits, the earthly fluids are still totally inherent in them; so it is the matter that you see; hence the sensation of cold, hunger, etc. sensations that cannot reach superior spirits since the earthly fluids are purified around the soul. The soul always has the need for an instrument to advance. The soul without an agent is nothing to you, or better said, it cannot be conceived by you. For us, wandering spirits, the perispirit is the agent through which we can communicate with you. That is why you find the infinite nuances of mediums and communications. Now there is still the scientific point of view, that is, the essence of the perispirit. That is a different subject. You must first understand it in moral terms. The only thing that is missing is a discussion about the nature of those fluids and that is inexplicable at this point in time. Science does not know enough but it will get there if it wants to move forward with Spiritism.
Lamennais
I followed with interest the discussion that you have just had and that has put you in an embarrassing situation. Yes, there are a lack of words related to color and form to express the perispirit and its true nature. But there is one certainty. What some call perispirit is the same as what others call a fluidic and material envelope. When similar things are discussed, one must be careful with the words and not with the sentences. In order to make myself understood in a more logical way, I say that that fluid is the perfectibility of the senses, the extension of the vision and ideas. I speak about the elevated spirits. As for the inferior spirits, the earthly fluids are still totally inherent in them; so it is the matter that you see; hence the sensation of cold, hunger, etc. sensations that cannot reach superior spirits since the earthly fluids are purified around the soul. The soul always has the need for an instrument to advance. The soul without an agent is nothing to you, or better said, it cannot be conceived by you. For us, wandering spirits, the perispirit is the agent through which we can communicate with you. That is why you find the infinite nuances of mediums and communications. Now there is still the scientific point of view, that is, the essence of the perispirit. That is a different subject. You must first understand it in moral terms. The only thing that is missing is a discussion about the nature of those fluids and that is inexplicable at this point in time. Science does not know enough but it will get there if it wants to move forward with Spiritism.
Lamennais
Angel Gabriel (Evocation of a good spirit in Soultz-Haut-Rhin by Mrs. X.)
I am Gabriel, angel of the Lord, in charge of blessing you not for your merits but for the efforts you employ to acquire them. Life must be a struggle. One must never stop or balance between good and evil. Hesitation comes from Satan, from the bad spirits. Courage then! The more thorns in your path the more you need to struggle to walk through it. If the path were sowed with roses what would be your merit before God?
Everybody has his or her own ordeal on this Earth but not everybody faces that with the kind resignation exemplified by Jesus. It was so great that the angels were touched! How about humanity? Would a drop of tear roll before such pain? Oh! The stiffness of the human heart! Did you deserve such a sacrifice? Cast your face on the dust and implore for God’s mercy, God who is a thousand times good, a thousand times kind and a thousand times merciful!
A glimpse, Oh! My God, of your eyes upon your creation without which it will perish! Their heart is not up to your level. They cannot understand such excess of love from you. Have pity on them! A thousand times, have pity! Raise their courage through thoughts that can only come from you. Bless them so that and above all they can produce fruits worth of your greatness!
Praise to the most elevated heavens and peace to every person of good will!
These are the words that God wanted me to transmit to you. May you be blessed in God so that you may one day wake up in his heart!
Everybody has his or her own ordeal on this Earth but not everybody faces that with the kind resignation exemplified by Jesus. It was so great that the angels were touched! How about humanity? Would a drop of tear roll before such pain? Oh! The stiffness of the human heart! Did you deserve such a sacrifice? Cast your face on the dust and implore for God’s mercy, God who is a thousand times good, a thousand times kind and a thousand times merciful!
A glimpse, Oh! My God, of your eyes upon your creation without which it will perish! Their heart is not up to your level. They cannot understand such excess of love from you. Have pity on them! A thousand times, have pity! Raise their courage through thoughts that can only come from you. Bless them so that and above all they can produce fruits worth of your greatness!
Praise to the most elevated heavens and peace to every person of good will!
These are the words that God wanted me to transmit to you. May you be blessed in God so that you may one day wake up in his heart!
Wake up! (Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, Medium Mrs. Costel)
I will speak about the symptoms and predictions announced everywhere about the forthcoming events of our century. By their touching kindness, the good spirits, the messengers of God come to warn humanity as the pain of the forthcoming delivery warns the mother. Those always justifiable but often neglected signs multiply to infinity in our days. Why do you feel the prophetic spirit agitating your heart and shaking your conscience? Why such uncertainty? Why is there a weakness that troubles the heart? Why has the public spirit awoken everywhere, proudly bearing its banner? Why? The time has come; the reign of materialism has broken and it is about to fall apart; the pleasures of the body that will soon be neglected will make room for the reign of ideas; the social structure is rotten and will give rise to the young and triumphant legion of the spiritist ideas that will fertilize the empty consciences and mute hearts.
May these words be endlessly repeated in order not to find you distracted and indifferent; you will receive those precious grains waiting to be born, after the farmer has sowed the seeds.
Don’t you dare say: life follows its normal course; our parents saw nothing that has been announced; we won’t do better! Let us worship what they worshiped, or even better, let us replace their worship by empty formulas and all will be fine.
By using those words you sleep. Wake up for it is not the trumpet of the final days that will vibrate in your ears but the voice of truth. This is not about a defeated and humiliated death. This is about the present life, or rather, about the eternal life. Do not forget it and wake up.
Helvétius
May these words be endlessly repeated in order not to find you distracted and indifferent; you will receive those precious grains waiting to be born, after the farmer has sowed the seeds.
Don’t you dare say: life follows its normal course; our parents saw nothing that has been announced; we won’t do better! Let us worship what they worshiped, or even better, let us replace their worship by empty formulas and all will be fine.
By using those words you sleep. Wake up for it is not the trumpet of the final days that will vibrate in your ears but the voice of truth. This is not about a defeated and humiliated death. This is about the present life, or rather, about the eternal life. Do not forget it and wake up.
Helvétius
The Genius and the Misery (Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, medium Mr. Alfred Didier)
There is a very important trial on Earth that must support the morality of Spiritism: it is the terrible trial of the genius, especially the one endowed with superior skills, but subjected to the demands of misery. Ah! Yes. That moral trial, more trying to the mind than to the body, will be of great merit to the person that has accomplished his mission. Be aware of that unstoppable struggle between talent and misery, that unpleasant monster cast upon you during the celebrations of life, like the monster of Virgil telling his victims: You are powerful but I am the one that kills you; it is me who will turn your intelligence into dust because I am the death of genius.
I know that it is only a few that are defeated but how many others are there? There is a painter of the modern school who has conceived a very good image on the subject: ‘There is man, a genius, whose wings are spread and whose eyes are affixed to the side of the Sun; he is almost standing but he falls back onto the rock which he is shackled, perhaps forever.’
The man who had this dream might have been chained as well and perhaps after his liberation he remembered those left behind on the rock.
Gérard de Nerval
I know that it is only a few that are defeated but how many others are there? There is a painter of the modern school who has conceived a very good image on the subject: ‘There is man, a genius, whose wings are spread and whose eyes are affixed to the side of the Sun; he is almost standing but he falls back onto the rock which he is shackled, perhaps forever.’
The man who had this dream might have been chained as well and perhaps after his liberation he remembered those left behind on the rock.
Gérard de Nerval
Transformation (Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, medium Mrs. Costel)
I come to speak with you about the most important thing in these days of crises and transformation. At the time when nations are dressed up in their powerful outfits; at the time when the unveiled heavens show you the spirits of those that you thought dispersed like molecules or serving as pasture to worms traveling in the infinity; at this solemn time the human being can no longer hobble along in the darkness of one’s personality and materialism.
Like the shepherd in the past, guided by a star on the way to worship the Child-God, the human being must march towards the promised land of freedom and love, now guided by the bright dawn of Spiritism. One must understand that the great mystery is the extraordinary harmony of nature and its remarkable rhythm are models to humanity. In this amazing diversity that confuses the spirits, you must distinguish the perfect similarity of the relationship between created things and being created and that this powerful harmony initiates all of you, people of action, poets, artists, workers, the union in which we must blend the joint efforts during the pilgrimage of life. Caravans beset by storms and adversities, reach out to one another with your friendly hands and walk together looking up to a just God, the one who rewards a hundred times anyone who have alleviated the weak and the oppressed.
Like the shepherd in the past, guided by a star on the way to worship the Child-God, the human being must march towards the promised land of freedom and love, now guided by the bright dawn of Spiritism. One must understand that the great mystery is the extraordinary harmony of nature and its remarkable rhythm are models to humanity. In this amazing diversity that confuses the spirits, you must distinguish the perfect similarity of the relationship between created things and being created and that this powerful harmony initiates all of you, people of action, poets, artists, workers, the union in which we must blend the joint efforts during the pilgrimage of life. Caravans beset by storms and adversities, reach out to one another with your friendly hands and walk together looking up to a just God, the one who rewards a hundred times anyone who have alleviated the weak and the oppressed.
Georges
The Separation of the Spirit (Sent by Mr. Sabò, from Bordeaux)
Body of mud, the origin of corruption where the catalyst of impure passions ferment; it is the organs that frequently drag the spirit to take part in the brute sensations that belong to the material world. When the principle of organic life expires through one of the thousands of accidents of the body, the spirit separates from the links that attached it to its foul prison, and there it goes free in space.
When the spirit is ignorant and in particular very guilty, however, the beauties of the dwelling of the good spirits are hidden by a thick veil, and the spirit remains among bad and inferior ones in a circle where it remains oblivious of its actual position, not knowing where it came from.
The spirit then suffers during a more or less lengthy period of time, until the moment when brotherly spirits come to shine a light on his position, and open its eyes to the remembrance of the places where the spirit has inhabited before, as well as the many other planets where new incarnations will take place. If the last incarnation were successful it opens the doors to the superior worlds. If it were useless and full of iniquities, the spirit is punished by remorse and after submitting to God’s will through regret and with the support of the others, the spirit starts a new life not as a reward but as a punishment or a trial.
When the spirit is ignorant and in particular very guilty, however, the beauties of the dwelling of the good spirits are hidden by a thick veil, and the spirit remains among bad and inferior ones in a circle where it remains oblivious of its actual position, not knowing where it came from.
The spirit then suffers during a more or less lengthy period of time, until the moment when brotherly spirits come to shine a light on his position, and open its eyes to the remembrance of the places where the spirit has inhabited before, as well as the many other planets where new incarnations will take place. If the last incarnation were successful it opens the doors to the superior worlds. If it were useless and full of iniquities, the spirit is punished by remorse and after submitting to God’s will through regret and with the support of the others, the spirit starts a new life not as a reward but as a punishment or a trial.
Ferdinand, a familiar spirit