Spiritist Dissertations
Occupation of the SpiritsParisian Society of Spiritist Studies, February 16
th, 1866
Medium Mr. Leymarie
You were so good to me, gentlemen, so kind to newcomer that I am back to request a few moments of your attention. Since I got to the world of the Spirits, I feel like transmitting to you some thoughts that I learned, for they have the capacity of completely changing the ideas I acquired in the latest incarnation. If you allow me, I will then convey some of those reflections suggested by false ideas of certain critics of Spiritism. Is it not uncommon to hear from all the detractors: But those that made the Spiritist discovery could tell us the occupation of the Spirits that got into the famous erraticity.
[1] Do they have a body like ours or is it a fluidic body? Do they have an infused science? Do they know better than we do? Then, why so many one-o-one communications, in an ordinary French, to the reach of everybody? But the first to come may say as much!... And they still add: But these joker Spirits, what kind of gymnastics do they do in the eternal trapezes? What do they live on? How do they have fun? But if they are in the ambient air, busy watching us work, they must not take pleasure in our bad actions, in our ridiculous thoughts. They are, perhaps, in eternal contemplation. And, if they see God, how is God made? What idea could they give us about God’s greatness? Alas, derision! They repeat. And when we think that there are people that believe to be sensible and believe in all this nonsense! I saw them repeating these ideas, and laughing like the others, or bitterly pitying the followers of a doctrine that led to madness, in our opinion, and I have often asked myself the reason for such mental aberration in the nineteenth century. One day I found myself free like all my earthly brothers, and arriving at this world to which I had shrugged so much, here is what I saw:
The Spirits, according to the skills acquired on Earth, seek the environment that is proper to them, unless, for not being able to detach, they remain in darkness, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, in that terrible wait that is the true hell to the Spirit. The ability that the free Spirit has of going everywhere by a simple effect of his will enables him to find an environment where his faculties can develop through contrasts and difference of ideas. During the separation of Spirit and body, one is led by sympathetic souls to those who were waiting, anticipating one’s return.
I was, naturally, received by friends as much incredulous as I was. But, since in this wicked world all virtues are in evidence, all merits shine, all reflections are well received, and all contrasts are transformed in a diffusion of lights. Attracted, out of curiosity, to visit numerous groups that prepare reincarnations, studying all the details that must be clarified by the Spirits called to return to Earth, I conceived a great idea of reincarnation. When a Spirit prepares to a new existence, it submits the ideas to the decisions of the group to which it belongs. The group discusses; the Spirits that form it go to more advanced groups or to Earth; they seek elements of application in your place. The Spirit then advised, strengthened, and clarified about all points, will be able to follow its path, if so wishes, unflinching.
The Spirit will have, in its earthly pilgrimage, a crowd of invisible Spirits that will not lose sight of it; having participated into the preparatory work, they applaud the results, the struggle to succeed, the strong will that, by dominating matter, allow the Spirit to bring a contingent of achievements and love to other incarnate Spirits, according to the great instructions, finally according to God that dictates them in all affirmations of science, vegetation, of all problems that are finally the light of the Spirit when solved in a rational way.
Belonging to a group of some scientists that are concerned with political economy, I learned not to despise any faculty at which I once laughed so much. I realized that man, too inclined to pride, refuses to admit, even without study, anything new and outside his kind of mind. I also told myself that many of my former friends were on the wrong tracks, mistaking the shadow for reality. Nevertheless, I have followed the works of humanity where there is nothing useless. I understood the great law of equality and equity that God poured upon the whole human element, and said to myself that even the one that believes in nothing, and that despite all that, do good deeds and loves their fellow human beings, without expecting rewards, is a noble Spirit, much more than those that by foreseen another life, and believing in human progress, expect compensation. I finally learned to be tolerant, watching these legions of Spirits dedicated to so many diverse works, an intelligent horde that foresees God and seeks to coordinate all the elements of the future. I told myself that man, this pygmy, is so proud that he loves and adores himself while despising others, instead of giving in to the great instincts, in particular to the healthy and conscientious idea revealed by a future life, developed by the spiritualist ideas, and mostly by Spiritism, this magnificent law that everyday strengthens more and more the solidarity between the terrestrial world and erraticity. It is he who initiate you in our thoughts, our hopes, in everything that we prepare for your advancement, to the desired objective of the generation that must soon emigrate to superior regions.
So long, thank you.
Gui
Observation: This Spirit, from whom we gave a remarkable communication in the Spiritist Review, December 1865, was a distinct economist in his life, but taken by materialistic ideas and one of the mockers of Spiritism. However, since he was an advanced man, intellectually and morally, and that sought progress, it did not take long for him to acknowledge his mistake, and his greatest desire was to bring his friends to the path of truth. He dictated several communications in their intention. However much profound and logic this one may be, one can see that the does not know the world of the Spirits completely. He is wrong when says that the present generation must soon emigrate to superior regions. No doubt that part of that generation will leave Earth and move to more advanced worlds; but considering that a regenerated Earth will be itself more advanced than it is, to many it will be a reward to reincarnate here. As for the hardened ones, that are an ulcer here, since they would be out of place, they would be an obstacle to progress, perpetuating evil here, hence it is in inferior worlds that they would expect to see light. That is what comes out of the general teaching given by the Spirits about this matter.
[1] Erratic state of the Spirit, just after death (T.N.)
Douai, October 13
th, 1865
In an exemplary group, that knew and practiced the Spiritist duties, it was noticed with surprise that certain elevated Spirits, frequent attendees, had for some time abstained from giving instructions there, what motivated the following question:
Q – Why the elevated Spirits, that normally assist us, are now communicating more rarely with us?
A – Dear friends, there are two causes for the abandonment in your complaint. However, to begin with it is not an abandonment; it is just a momentary and necessary estrangement. You are like students that, well instructed and provided with the preliminary rehearsals, are forced to do their homework, without the support of the teachers; they seek their memory; look for a sign, trying to discover a word that can help: nothing comes, nothing must come. You wait for our encouragement, our advices about your conduct, about your determinations: nothing satisfies you because nothing must satisfy you. You were given wise, loving teachings, with frequent encouragement, full of friendliness and true wisdom; you had many proofs of our presence, of the effectiveness of our help; faith was given to you, communicated to you; you grasped, reasoned and adopted it. In a word, like the schoolchild, you have
been provided for the duty. You must carry it out, without mistakes, with your own resources, and not with our support. Where would your merit be? We can only tell you the same thing repeatedly. It is up to you now to apply what we taught you. It is necessary to fly with your own wings and walk without boundaries.
For every man, God, at some point, provides the weapon and the strength to continue to overcome new dangers. The moment when a new force is revealed is always a time of joy and enthusiasm to him. Fervent faith then accepts any pain without analyzing it, for love does not count sorrows. But then, after these sudden events that are the feast, work is needed, and work alone. The soul calmed down, the hard slowed down, and there come struggle and trial; that is the enemy, it is necessary to withstand the shock; it is the decisive moment. So, may love transport you, and make you despise Earth! Your heart must conquer victory against the bad instincts of egotism and discouragement: it is the trial.
We have told you this for a long time, warned you that you have the need to tighten up, unite and strengthen for the struggle. The time has come and there you are. How are you going to sustain it? There is nothing else that we can do, like the teacher that cannot whisper the composition to the pupil. Will he win the prize? That depends on how much advantage he took from the lessons he received. It is the same with you. You have a conde of instructions that is sufficient to lead you to a certain point. Read them again, meditate about them and do not ask for others until you have applied them seriously, which we alone are the judges of, and when you get to the point that they are insufficient, regarding your moral progress, we will know how to give you others.
The second reason for this kind of isolation that you complain about is the following: many of your sympathetic counselors have, together with other men, analogous missions to the ones that they wanted to carry out with you, and the number of evocations that they have to respond to, often preclude them from being diligent with your group. Your friend Madeleine performs a difficult task far from here, and her concerns, while near you, are also with those that she has devoted herself to saving. But they will all return; in a given time you will meet your friends, like in the past, in one sympathetic thought of support to their proteges. Use this time to your own improvement, so that when they return they can say: we are happy for you.
Pamphile, Protector Spirit
Observation: This communication is an answer to those that complain about the uniformity of the teaching of the Spirits. If we thought about the number of truths that they taught us, we would see that they offered us with a wide field of meditation, until we have assimilated them ourselves, and have deduced all their applications. What would we say of patient that asked his doctor for a new remedy every day, without following his prescriptions? If the Spirits do not teach us new things every day, with the support of the key that they placed in our hands, and the laws that they revealed to us, we learn ourselves new things every day, by understanding what was incomprehensible to us.
