The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1862

1. When alive you made the recommendation to have you called when you had left Earth. We do so not only to satisfy your wishes but above all to renovate our testimony of a very lively and sincere sympathy, and also to the benefit of our own instruction since you, better than anybody else, have the condition to give us accurate teachings about the world where you are now. Thus, we shall be pleased in case you are willing to respond to our questions.
A. At this time your instruction is what matters the most. Regarding your sympathy I see that and understand it more than with the ears alone and that is a sign of progress.

2. To keep the ideas and to avoid speaking vaguely and also for the instruction of persons that are strange to the Society but who are present here we begin by asking where are you located here and how would we see you if we could do so? – A. I am near the medium. You would see me with the same appearance as that of the Jobard that used to sit with you at the table for your mortal eyes sees the Spirits in their mortal appearance.

3. Could you become visible to us? If negative, what is it that precludes you from doing so?
A. The disposition, something that is entirely personal to you. A clairvoyant medium would see me. The others do not see.

4. This is the place that you used to occupy when attending our sessions and that we reserve for you. However, those who used to see you here must imagine that they would see you as you were at that time. Although you are not present here with your material body, you are with your vaporous form that looks alike. We do not see you with the eyes of the body but in our thoughts. Since you cannot communicate through the spoken word you can write with the help of an interpreter. Hence our relationship with you is not broken by death and we can communicate with you as easily and thoroughly as before. Is that accurate? – A. Yes and you know that for a long time. I will take this place many times even unnoticeably because my spirit will live with you.

5. You sat here not long ago. Does your new situation seem strange to you? Which effect does it have on you? – A. The conditions do not seem strange because there was no disruption and my disincarnate spirit enjoys such a clarity that there is no fuzziness when facing the issues.

6. Do you remember being in the same condition before your last existence and do you observe any change? – A. I remember my previous existences and I believe to have improved. I see and understand what I see. As for my previous existences as a disoriented spirit I only kept partial memory of the earthly life.

7. Do you remember the existence that preceded that of Mr. Jobard’s? – A. In my previous existence I was a mechanic tormented by misery and by the desire of improving my work. As Jobard I made the dreams of the poor mechanic come true and I thank God whose infinite benevolence made germinate the seed that was planted in my mind.

8. Evocation. – A. I am here and delighted for the opportunity of talking to you (the medium) and you also.

9. It seems to us that you have a fondness for the medium. – A. Do not criticize me. I had to become a spirit to demonstrate that.

10. Have you given any communication elsewhere? – A. I have communicated a little. A spirit takes my name in several places. Sometimes I was present but I could not manifest directly. My death is so recent that I still suffer certain earthly influences. A perfect sympathy is needed so that I can express my thoughts. It won’t be long for me to be able to communicate indistinctively. For now – I repeat – I cannot. When a somewhat known person dies that person is requested all over the place and thousands of Spirits rush into taking their identity. That has happened to me in many cases. I assure you that few Spirits can communicate just after liberation, even by a preferred medium.

11. Have you changed your mind a little since Friday? – A. My mind is absolutely the same as it was on Friday. I have not given much thought to intellectual issues in the sense that you understand it. How could I if I was overwhelmed by the wonderful spectacle that surrounds me? It was only the more powerful than you can imagine links with Spiritism that brought me back to Earth, a planet that I am not glad to have left behind since it would be an impiety, but that I leave with a profound appreciation for the conquered freedom.

12. Do you see the Spirits that are here with us? – A. I mainly see Lazarus and Erastus; then, a little bit further away the Spirit of Truth, floating in space; then a multitude of friendly, thankful and benevolent Spirits that surround you. Be happy, friends, the good influences fight for you against the calamities of the error.

13. Still one question, please. Do you know the causes of your death? – A. Let us not talk about that yet.

OBSERVATION: Mrs. Costel says that she received a communication at home in which it was stated that Mr. Jobard died because he wanted to surpass the presently established limit of Spiritism. Hence, his passage had been precipitated for that reason. Mr. Jobard himself has not mentioned that issue yet. Several other communications seem to support that opinion but what really sticks out of certain facts is a kind of mystery the surrounds the circumstances of his precipitated death that as they say will be clarified later.

14. When alive you sustained the opinion that the formation of Earth had taken place by the incrustation of four planets that were mended together. Do you still hold that opinion? – A. It is a mistake. The new geological discoveries prove the convulsions of Earth and its successive formation. Like the other planets, Earth had its own formation and God does not require such disorder or such aggregation of planets. Water and fire are the only organic elements of Earth.

15. You also believed that humans could enter into a sort of cataleptic state for an undetermined period of time and that is how human beings were brought to Earth. – A. My deluded imagination that exceeded the limits. A cataleptic state can last long but not indefinitely.

Traditions and legends that were amplified by the oriental imagination. My friends, I have already suffered significantly when revising the illusions that fed my spirit. Make no mistake. I learned a lot and – I can say so – my intelligence always ready to absorb these vast and diverse studies had kept the love for the wonderful and supernatural since my last existence, added to the compilations taken from popular imagination.

16. Evocation. – A. Is it time to restart? What do you want from me then? I am here.

17. We have just learned about your death. Since you are one of the champions of our Doctrine, would you like to respond to some questions? – A. Well, I do not know who I am with but the Spirits tell me that this medium has received some messages that were published in the Review and that I liked them. I must pay back now. It has not being long since I left Earth and in a few years I will be born again here to retake the course of the mission that I had initiated since the angel of freedom interrupted it.

18. You speak of a mission that you had to accomplish on Earth. Can you elaborate on that? –
A. Mission of moral and intellectual progress that still are in a germinal state. The Doctrine or Spiritist Science has the fecund elements that must develop, grow and mature with the modern ideas of freedom, unity and fraternity. For that reason one must not fear the task of giving it a vigorous impulse that will take it over obstacles which such a force that cannot be restrained.

19. By moving faster than its time shouldn’t we fear to have the Doctrine harmed? – A. You will knock its adversaries down. Your low speed allows them to gain space. I do not like the sluggish and heavy rhythm of the turtle. I prefer the audacious flight of the king of the air.
Observation: This is a mistake. The followers of Spiritism gain terrain every day while its adversaries lose it. Mr. Jobard is always an enthusiast. He doesn’t get it that one can reach the objective more safely with prudence whilst we risk compromising the cause by jumping head first against the obstacles.

Allan Kardec

20. How can one then explain God’s designs by taking you out from Earth and so suddenly if you were such a necessary instrument to the rapid march of humanity towards its moral and intellectual progress? – A. Oh! What a leverage would that be to part of the Spiritists with my ideas! But, no. They are paralyzed by fear.

21. Could you explain God’s designs by calling you back before the accomplishment of your mission? – A. I was not upset. I see and learn to become stronger for the right moment of the fight. Double your fervor and zeal for the noble and sacred cause of humanity. One existence alone is not enough to see resolve the crises that must transform society and many among you who pave the way will reborn after some time to help again with the sacred and blessed task. I said enough tonight, haven’t I? I am at your service, though. I will come back because you are a good and eager follower. Good-bye. Tonight I want to attend the session with our dear master Allan Kardec.

22. You have not responded to my question about God’s designs by calling you before the accomplishment of your mission. – A. We are instruments to help God’s designs. He breaks us at will and gives us a new role whenever he finds useful. Let us then submit ourselves to God’s designs without any investigation since nobody has the right to tear off the veil that hides God’s immutable decrees from the eyes of the Spirits. So long!

23. Evocation. – A. I do not know why you have evoked me. I am nothing and owe nothing to you. Also, I will not respond to anything without the Spirit of Truth who tells me that it was Kardec who asked you to have me called. Well! I am here. How can I help?

24. It is true that Mr. Allan Kardec asked us to evoke you in order to control several communications from you, comparing one to the others. It is a study and we hope that you will support us on that in the interest of the Spiritist Science, describing your situation and your impressions since you left our planet. – A. I was not with the truth in everything in my earthly life. I start to get it now. My thoughts reach a new clarity after the bewilderment phase and I promptly retreat from the mistakes in my beliefs. This is a blessing from God’s mercy but that comes a little bit late. Mr. Allan Kardec was not totally fond of me and that is how it should be. He is positive in his faith. I dreamed and groped beyond the borderline of reality. I am not sure about what I wanted but a better life. Spiritism came to show that to me and the most enlightened Spiritist lifted the veil of the spiritual life before my eyes. He was inspired by The Truth. The Spirits’ Book brought a true revolution upon my soul and did me a good that is impossible to describe. However, my spirit carried doubts about many things that are presented under a completely new light today. At the beginning of the communication I told you that after the confusion the spirit shows me what I could not see before. The spirit moves away; its detachment is not complete yet but has already communicated a number of times. However, something that is likely to look bizarre to your eyes is the change observed by the evokers of the spirit Jobard.

The same medium then received the following spontaneous message:


Jobard was a research spirit always wanting to move up, always up. The Spiritist ideas seemed to show him a way to work to this path. Jobard represented the spirit of curiosity. He wanted to know, always to know more. Such a need, such a thirst pushed him towards


research that was beyond the limits assigned by God to you. Therefore, you must not try to unveil the mysteries of his power! Jobard reached for the top and was upset. This is a teaching. You must seek the sun but you must not be audacious enough to stare at its beams for you shall become blind. Doesn’t God give you enough by sending you the Spirits? Leave to death its God given power which is to lift the veil to the one that deserves it. You will then be able of look at God, the Sun of Heavens, without the risk of becoming blind or frustrated by the power that tells you: “Do not go beyond!” That is what I have to tell you!


The Truth

Note: Mr. Jobard manifested several times in Mr. and Mrs. P… home, members of the Society. At one point he showed up spontaneously and without having anybody given any thought to him, showing himself to a somnambulist who described him with great accuracy and gave his name although she had never met him. A conversation was established between him and Mr. P… through the somnambulist. He remembered several particularities that left no doubt about his identity. There was something that impressed them in particular: it is the fact that the only occasion that they had the opportunity to see him at the Society he stared at them during almost the whole session, as if he had identified them as his acquaintances. This fact had been forgotten and Mr. Jobard brought that up through the somnambulist. The couple had never had any contact with him during his life and hence they wanted to know the reason for the sympathy that he seemed to demonstrate towards them. The following communication was about that subject.

“Non-believer! You needed this confirmation from the somnambulist to believe in my identity! Ungrateful! You forgot me for a long time under the pretext that others remember better. Nonetheless, let us stop the criticism and talk. Let us discuss the subject that drove the evocation. I can easily explain why my attention was focused on the couple that was strange to me but who I knew through a kind of instinct, a second vision or a foresight. After my freedom I realized that we had met previously and I then returned to them – that is the word.”


“I started to live my spiritual life more at peace and less disturbed by the evocations that were plentiful through indirect means. Fashion dominates, even among the Spirits. When the fashion Jobard gives space to someone else and I am forgotten by the humans I will then ask the serious friends – with that I refer the minds that do not forget – I will ask them to evoke me. We will then exhaustively discuss issues that are only superficially handled and your completely transfigured Jobard will be able to be useful to you, something that he wishes from the bottom of his heart.”

Mr. Henri Lacroix writes to us from Montreal saying that he had sent three letters to Mr. Jobard who had only received two of those. The third one arrived too late and he only responded to the first one. Learning about his death through the papers Mr. Lacroix received communications from several Spirits signed Voltaire, Volney, and Franklin assuring him that the news was false and that Mr. Jobard was very well. The Spiritist Review eliminated the doubts, confirming the fact. It was when the evoked spirit of Mr. Jobard gave the communication below whose accuracy Mr. Lacroix asks us to verify.

“My dear master, you say that I died. I am not dead since I speak with you. Those who told you that I was not dead certainly wanted to kid you. I do not know them yet but I will and then I will know why the acted like that. Write to Mr. Kardec and I will respond to you. I do not believe I can do that through the planchette. In any case, let us try and I will do my best. The two letters that I received from you had a strong contribution in the cause of my death. Later you will know how.”

Mr. Jobard was evoked about this on January 10^th, acknowledging as being the author of the communication, but the hypothetical portrayal made below was not his, something that we believe effortlessly since it absolutely does not look like him.

How could the reading of those two letters have contributed to your death? – A. I cannot and I do not want to say but that the reading of the letters after a meal caused a congestion that took me or, if you like, liberated me.

Observation: During this answer another medium wrote the following: Spirits that like to ramble without any commitment to the truth. “There are Spirits that act like humans: receive some news and either confirm or deny them in the same way.”

It is obvious that the names who signed the denial of Mr. Jobard’s death are apocryphal. In order acknowledge that it would be enough to consider that Spirits like Franklin, Volney, and Voltaire are occupied with serious things and that details of such a nature are incompatible with their character. This should only raise doubt with respect to their identities and consequently with respect to the truthfulness of the communications. It would never be too much to repeat: it is only a serious, complete and attentive study of the Spiritist Science that can provide the means of unmasking the mystifications of deceiving Spirits that expose the novice who lacks experience.


You only responded to the first letter from Mr. Lacroix. He would like to get the answer to the other two and specially the third one that, as he says, had a private meaning and that could only be understood by you. – A. He will get it later. At the moment I cannot answer. It would be useless to provoke it since he would certainly know that the answer was no mine.


Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, February 21^st, 1862 – medium Ms. Stephany


When the Society initiated a fund-raising in favor of the brothers of Lyon a member pledged 50 francs from which 25 were from his account and 25 in the name of Mr. Jobard. The latter gave the following communication about that:

“I will respond once more my dear Kardec. I am touched and thankful for not have being forgotten among my Spiritist friends. Thanks to the generous heart to have given you an offering that I would have made if I were still in your world. There is no need for money where I am now. Hence, it was necessary to take it from the purse of friendship to give material proofs that I was moved by the misery of our brothers of Lyon. Brave workers that eagerly harvest the vines of our Lord, how much you must believe that charity is not a vain word since the small and the great demonstrate their sympathy and fraternity towards you! You walk the great humanitarian avenue of progress. May God keep you there and may you be happier. Friendly Spirits will sustain you and you will triumph!”

Jobard