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The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1860 > July
July
AVISThe office of The Spiritist Review as well as the private residence of
Mr. Allan Kardec were transferred to Rue de Sainte-Anne, 59 located at
Passage Sainte-Anne
Bulletin of the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies
Friday, June 1st, 1860
(Private Session)
Works and minutes of May 25th session were read. The Society admits Mrs. E…, from Vienna, as a full member by proposal of the Committee and after a verbal report.
(Private Session)
Works and minutes of May 25th session were read. The Society admits Mrs. E…, from Vienna, as a full member by proposal of the Committee and after a verbal report.
ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESSES:
The Society adopts the following proposal from the Committee:
• According to Article 16 of the Bylaws, one may make public
the intention of certain members who wish to withdraw their
membership.
• If the nomination for the Board and Committee were to happen
before that time they could then include members that will no
longer stay;
• It would not be rational to have those who intend to leave taking
part in the nominations.
The Society then resolves:
1st - The nominations to the Board and to the Committee will
take place in the first session of May. The current members will
carry their functions over up to that time.
2nd – Considering that a long and not programmed absence
of the members of the Board and Committee may hinder the normal
progress of work, the Society resolves that the members who
do not attend meetings for three consecutive months, without
previous notice, will be considered resignations and thus replaced.
MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS:
1st – A spontaneous communication obtained by Mrs. L… was
read, about “relative honesty”, signed by Georges, a familiar spirit.
2nd – Another communication read by Ms. Schmidt, about
the influence of the medium upon the spirit, signed by Alfred de
Musset.
3rd – Report of a case involving two individuals of which one
of them is a poor young lady whose current relationships are a
consequence of a previous life. Circumstances apparently serendipitous
brought them in contact and they felt a mutual sympathy,
revealed by a singular coincidence of mediumistic power. A
superior spirit, when questioned about the fact, stated that the
young lady was the other person’s daughter in a previous life and
having been abandoned, she returned to her path in the present
life, giving her the opportunity of making amends, by protecting
her, what she is prepared to do despite her precarious condition,
since she survives only of her work.
The fact with many interesting aspects comes to reinforce
what has always been said about certain sympathies whose causes
originate from previous lives. There is no doubt that such a principle
gives one more reason to the fraternal feeling that turns charity and benevolence into law, since it strengthens and multiplies
the links which must unite humanity.
STUDIES:
1
st – Evocation of the great Françoise, one of the main
Convulsionaries of Saint-Médard, from whom a first evocation
was published in the last May issue. The spirit was called again,
from her own initiative, with the intent of rectifying an idea that
she had expressed about Deacon Pâris. She blames herself for
having calumniated him, mistakenly judging his intentions, and
she thinks that her spontaneous apologies will spare her some deserved
punishment. St. Louis complements this communication
with some news about worlds that are destined to the punishment
of guilty spirits.
2nd – Analytical and detailed examination of Charlet’s communications
about the animals. The spirit develops, complements
and rectifies certain statements which seemed obscure or wrong.
This examination will continue in the next session. (Published
below.)
3rd – Two spontaneous essays are obtained, the first by Ms.
Huet, about the persistence of the memories in the spirit; the second
by Ms. L, signed by Georges, her familiar spirit, about the
critical analysis of the spiritist communications, proposed by the
Society. The spirits give full support to that kind of study, indicating
it as a means of avoiding false communications.
Friday, June 8th, 1860
(General Session)
Works and minutes of the June 1st session were read.
The widow Mrs. G…, former member and not included in the April
30th list, according to the new Bylaws, writes to us explaining the reasons for her absence and requesting to be reintegrated as a member. Following
the Committee’s recommendation, she is admitted as requested.
MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS:
1st – A spontaneous essay received by Mrs. Lesc… and signed
by Delphine de Girardin is read, about the first impressions of a
spirit. It contains a very poetic and realistic image experienced by
the spirit when leaving Earth.
2nd – Another essay was received by the same medium and
signed by Alfred de Musset, with the title Aspirations of a Spirit.
3rd – An interesting and personal fact reported by Mr. M…,
from Metz, about the influence that a medium may exert upon
another person in order to develop her mediumship. It was developed
in Mr. M… by that way; the particular aspect of this case is
that it occurred at a distance. The medium that was in Châlons
and Mr. M… who was in Metz, scheduled the time for the test
and Mr. M… attested the right moment when the medium influenced
him and when such influence stopped. Furthermore, he
described the spiritual sensations of the medium and from which
he could have no idea, while the medium wrote the same words
that Mr. M…drew.
Another curious event of direct writing occurred with the same
medium,, without his intention or provocation, since he was not
even thinking about it. Several words of undoubted origin, when
the circumstances are known, were found unexpectedly written
with demonstrated intention and adequate to the situation. The
medium unsuccessfully tried to repeat the manifestation.
STUDIES:
1st – Several questions addressed to St. Louis (1. About the state
of the spirits; 2. About what must be understood by the sphere
or the planet of flowers, mentioned by certain spirits; 3. About latent intellectual faculties; 4. About signs of recognition to find
the identity of spirits.)
2nd – Evocation of Antoine T…, who disappeared a few years
ago, leaving no clue about his fate. Since a first evocation was
identified as inaccurate, he explains the reasons, providing new
details about himself. The investigation will clarify if these are
more accurate than the first ones.
3rd – Evocation of Vogt, the astrologer from Munich, who
committed suicide on May 4th, 1860. His barely freed spirit is still
heavily influenced by the same concerns he had when alive.
4th – Two spontaneous and simultaneous essays are obtained,
the first by Mr. Didier Jr. about fatality and signed by Lamennais;
the second by Mrs. Lesc… about Human Masquerades, signed by
Delphine de Girardin.
Friday, June 15th, 1860
(Private Session)
Works and minutes of the June 8th session were read.
As proposed by the Committee, Mr. Count de N… from Moscow
and Mr. P… a property owner in Paris were accepted as members.
SEVERAL COMMUNICATIONS:
1st – Reading of a letter informing that the clergy is seriously
dedicated to the study of Spiritism in certain regions and that
well informed members of that community speak of Spiritism as
something that has come to exert great influence upon the social
fabric.
2nd – Reading of a private evocation which took place at
Mr. Allan Kardec’s house of Mr. J…Junior, from Saint-Étienne.
Although of private attention, the evocation presents useful teachings
given the elevation of the evoked spirit, and it was heard with
great interest.
3rd – Observation made by Mr. Allan Kardec about a prediction
addressed to him by a medium of his acquaintance.
According to that prediction, certain events must take place on
precise dates and for confirmation the spirit had determined that
those predictions be known by several people, among them Mr.
Allan Kardec, in order to certify with the occurrence the dates
they were made. I refused, said Mr. Allan Kardec, for the following
considerations: “There is already a significant tendency to see
in Spiritism a channel for soothsaying, contrary to its objective.
When future events are announced and do take place we certainly
have an exceptional and curious case but it would be dangerous
to take that as a general rule. That is why I did not want
to have my name associated to something which could endorse a
belief which would mislead the understanding of Spiritism in its
principle and application.”
STUDIES:
1st – Evocation of Thilorier, the physicist who died thinking that
he had found the means of replacing steam by condensed carbon
acid as the driving force. He acknowledges that such discovery
was nothing more than his imagination. (Published below.)
2nd – Continuation of the critical analysis of Charlet’s communications
about the animals. It will be published.
3rd – Evocation of a rapping spirit that manifests to the son
of Mr. N…, member of the Society, through physical effects of
certain originality. He claims to have been the master drummer
with the military band of the Vatican, was and goes by the name
Eugène. His language contradicts the qualities that he attributes
to himself.
4th – Spontaneous essay obtained by Mrs. Lesc.., about the
development of the intellectual faculties, regarding the evocation
of Thilorier, signed by Georges, a familiar spirit. It is noticeable that this spirit adapts his communications to the current events,
demonstrating that he takes part in the conversations, even without
being evoked. This has happened on several other occasions
with respect to other spirits. Another one received by Mr. Didier
Junior, signed by Vauvenargues with some select thoughts.
Friday, June 22nd, 1860
(General Session)
The works and minutes of the June 15th session were read.
MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS:
1st – A spontaneous essay received by Mrs. Lesc.., from Alfred de
Musset, about dreams.
2nd – Report of a natural fact of spontaneous mediumship, as
a writing medium, given by Mrs. Lub…, member of the Society.
The person is a fifteen-year-old peasant with no knowledge of
Spiritism and writes almost daily, sometimes full pages, in an absolutely
mechanical mode. She has an intuition that it must be a
spirit talking to her because when she is led to write she takes a
pencil and says: “Let us see what he is going to tell me today.” Her
communications are always related to episodes of her private life,
hers or of those of her acquaintance, and almost always of extreme
fairness about things completely oblivious to her. It is likely that if
her faculties were cultivated and well guided they would develop
in a remarkable and useful way.
STUDIES:
1st – Questions about animals of transition which can fill
out the existent blanks in the scale of the living beings
between animal and human beings. To be continued.
2nd – Questions about the inventors and premature
discoveries, with respect to the evocation of Thilorier.
3rd – Physical manifestations produced by Mr. N…
Jr., a thirteen-year-old boy, mentioned in the previous
session. The rapping spirit associated to him makes him
simulate with hands and fingers and incredible flexibility
every military evolution, like the charge of the cavalry,
maneuvers of artillery, attacks to forts, etc., reaching out
to objects around him to simulate weapons. He expresses
all his feelings like rage, impatience or mockery, by violent
knocks and very suggestive gestures of pantomime.
In addition he shows unconcern and indifference while
his hands are given to that kind of exercise. It became
evident that all movements are independent of his will.
During the remaining part of the session and when the
experience is over the spirit takes the opportunity to express
in his own way his contentment or disappointment
with what is said. In short, one can see that the spirit
uses the boy’s legs as if they were his own. Such a kind
of manifestation offers an interesting subject for study,
given its originality, and can lead to the understanding of
how the spirits act upon certain persons.
Once questioned about the consequences that such manifestations
may have on the young man, St. Louis gives very wise warnings,
advising not to provoke them. Furthermore, he requests that the
Society should not enter into that line of experimentation, whose
result would be the separation of the serious spirits; the Society
should continue to do as done so far, carrying out in-depth studies
of the important issues.
Phrenology and Physiognomy
Phrenology is the science that studies the functions attributed to each
part of the brain. The founder of this science, Dr. Gall, had thought
that since the brain is the termination of all sensations and where every
intellectual and moral manifestation begins, each one of the primitive
faculties should have their special spot there. Thus, its system consists
on the localization of those faculties. As the development of the skull is
determined by the development of each part of the brain with its protuberances,
he concluded that from the analysis of those protuberances one
could infer the predominance of this or that faculty, and consequently
the character or aptitudes of the individual. The other name, cranioscopy
given to this science, also derives from that with the difference that phrenology
aims at the study of the functions of the brain whereas cranioscopy
is limited to the inductions resulting from the inspection of the brain. In
short, what Gall did with the brain and skull Lavater did with the physiognomic
traces.
We shall not discuss the merit of that science here or if it is true or
exaggerated and its consequences. Nonetheless, it has been alternately defended
and criticized by people of high scientific value. If certain details
are still hypothetic it does not mean that it doesn’t rest on an incontestable
principle, which is that of the general functions of the brain and about the relationships between the development or atrophy of that organ and the
intellectual manifestations. Our purpose here is the study of their psychological
consequences.
Some scientists concluded from the existing relationships between the
brain’s development and the manifestation of certain faculties that the
organs of the brain are the very cause of the faculties, a doctrine that is
nothing more than materialism once it leads to the negation of an intelligent
principle, alien to matter. It consequently turns human beings into
a machine without free-will, with no responsibilities for their actions since
they could always blame their physical organization for their mistakes
and it would be unfair to punish them for faults which would not have
depended on them. The consequences of such theory stuns us, and rightly
so. Should phrenology be banned because of that? No, but instead a careful
examination to what can be true or false in that way of seeing things
should be carried out. In fact, that analysis demonstrates that the functions
of the brain and even the location of the faculties may be perfectly
appeased with the strictest spiritualist.
Let us admit for a moment, and hypothetically so, the existence of
a special organ for the musical instinct.
Let us go further and suppose,
as taught by Spiritism, that a spirit whose existence comes from a much
earlier period, than its body incarnates with a much-developed musical
faculty. Such a faculty will naturally influence the corresponding organ,
driving its development, like exercising a limb increases the muscular volume.
In the infancy, since the skeleton offers little resistance, the skull
suffers the expanding influence of the cerebral mass. Thus, the development
of the cranium is produced by the development of the brain just as
the development of the brain is produced by that of its source. The faculty
is the primary cause; the state of the brain is a subsequent effect. Without
the faculty there would not be the organ or it would just be rudimentary.
Seen from that point of view, phrenology has nothing contrary to the
moral because it leaves the individual with full responsibility and we still
add that such a theory is at the same time logical and according to the
observation of facts. There is objection based on the well-known cases where the influence of the body on the manifestation of the faculties is
indisputable, such as insanity and idiocy, but it is easy to resolve the issue.
We see every day very intelligent people becoming fools, and what does
that prove? A strong man can break his leg, and then he cannot walk, yet
the will to walk is not in his leg, but in his brain, and it is only that will
that is paralyzed by his inability to move his leg. In the mad person, once
the organ that served the manifestations of the ideas has been deranged by
any physical cause, the thoughts cannot be regularly expressed, wandering
wildly, doing what we call extravagances but keeping their integrity,
and the proof is in that if the body can be restored, the thought returns
as before, like the movement of the leg that is mended. Therefore thought
is neither in the brain nor in the skull. The brain is the instrument of
thought as the eye is the instrument of sight, and the skull is the solid
surface that molds to the movements of the instrument. If the instrument
is damaged, the manifestation no longer takes place, just as when an eye
has been lost and one can no longer see.
Sometimes, however, it happens that the suspension of the free manifestation
of thought is not due to an accidental cause; like in madness
the primitive constitution of the organs may offer the spirit an unbreakable
obstacle, since birth. That happens when the organs show atrophy or
present an overwhelming deficiency. That is the case of idiocy. The spirit
is somewhat imprisoned and suffers that constriction, but still thinks as
a spirit, like the prisoner behind bars. The study of the manifestation of
the spirit of living persons by the evocation sheds great light onto the
psychological phenomena. By isolating the spirit from matter, one can
prove by facts that the organs are not the cause of the faculties but simple
instruments through which the spirit manifests with more or less freedom
or accuracy; that often those instruments operate like dampers which inhibit
the manifestations, explaining the greater freedom of the spirit once
separated from matter.
In the materialistic concept, what is a mentally impaired person? It
is nothing. At its best he is a human being. According to Spiritism, it
is a rational being, like everyone else, but with an ill brain since birth, like others are with their limbs. By rehabilitating mental handicap
isn’t this doctrine more moral, more human than the one that turns
them into a reject? Isn’t that more consoling to a father who is unfortunate
to have a son like that to think that his imperfect casing hides
a thinking soul?
We ask those who, although not materialists, do not admit the plurality
of existences: What is the soul of a mentally impaired person? If the
soul is created at the same time as the body, why would God create such
unfortunate beings? What would their future be? Now, on the contrary,
if you admit a succession of existences then it all gets explained according
to the justice: mental handicap may be a punishment or a trial and, in
any case, it is no more than an incident in the spirit’s life. Isn’t that more
deserving of God’s justice than the supposition that God had created an
eternally frustrated being?
Let us now look into physiognomy. This science is based on the incontestable
principle that thought is the driver of the organs’ actions, impinging
certain movements to the muscles. It follows that it is possible
to deduce invisible thought based on the study of relationships between
thought and the visible and apparent movements. That is how we cannot
be mistaken as for the intention behind an aggressive or friendly gesture;
that we distinguish a person in a hurry from another who is not by the
way they walk. The face holds the most mobile muscles. It is the face that
often shows the most delicate nuances of thought. That is why it is said,
and rightly so, that the face is the mirror of the soul. The muscles get used
to the movements related to certain sensations and their frequency, thus
forming the wrinkles. The exterior form modifies by the impressions of
the soul, hence, sometimes it is possible to deduce those impressions, like
one can deduce the thought from a gesture. That is the general principle
of the physiognomic art, or science if you like. This principle is true. It is
not only founded on a rational basis but also confirmed by observation
and Lavater has the merit of having if not discovered it, at least developed
and formulated it in a body of doctrine. Lavater unfortunately fell in
the common mistake of the majority of authors of new systems. That is, starting from a true principle and in certain circumstances, they conclude
by the universality, and out of enthusiasm for having discovered a truth
they see it in everything. The exaggeration is right there and sometimes
ridiculed. We will not examine Lavater’s system in detail here. We shall
only say that he is as much coherent for associating moral to certain exterior
physical signs, as he is illogical when attributing any given meaning
to the forms or signs upon which thought may not have any action. It
is the false application of a true principle that has often thrown it into
the common ditch of superstitious beliefs, and that leads to the denial of
those who see correctly and those who exaggerate, both equally confused
in the same reproach.
However, let us in fairness say that the fault is more frequently of the
disciples than of the master and that the former’s fanatical and thoughtless
admiration sometimes leads to consequences of a principle beyond
reasonable limits.
If we now analyze this science in its relationships with Spiritism we
will have to combat several erroneous inferences that people could make.
There is one physiognomic relationship that has suffered the influence of
imagination in particular. It is the similarity between some people with
certain animals. We will then try to seek the causes.
The physical similarity among relatives results from the consanguinity
which transmits similar organic particles from one to the other, since
the body derives from the body. However, nobody should suppose that
someone who looks like a cat has cat’s blood. There is something else. To
begin with, such similarity may be serendipitous and without any significance,
being that the most common case. However, besides the physical
similarity sometimes it is possible to detect certain analogy with respect
to tendencies. This could be explained by the same cause that modifies
the physiognomic traces. If the undeveloped spirit keeps as a human being
some animal instincts, he shall have those traces and his passions may give
those traces something that vaguely resembles the animal whose instincts
he bears. But those traces fade away as the spirit depurates and the individual
advances in the path of perfection.
In such a case it would be the spirit impressing the physiognomy;
but from that similarity it would be absurd to conclude that the human
being who may share the instincts of the cat could be the incarnation of
the spirit of a cat. Far from teaching such theory, Spiritism has always
demonstrated the ridicule and impossibility of that. It is true that one
can detect a continuous progression in the animal chain; but between
the animal and the human being there is a solution of continuity. Well
then, even admitting that the spirit has passed through all levels of the
animal scale, which is only a hypothesis, before arriving to human being,
there would always be an interruption from one to the other, interruption
which would not exist if the spirit of the animal could incarnate directly
in a human being’s body. If that were the case, which is not, there would
be animal spirits among the errant spirits, as there are spirits of human
beings.
Without going into an in-depth analysis of this issue which shall be
discussed later, we say that according to the spirits that are in agreement
with the observation of facts, no human being is the incarnation of an
animal. The animal instincts of the human being derive from the imperfection
of the spirit, not yet depurated, and that under the influence
of matter man gives more importance to the physical rather than moral
needs and the not sufficiently developed moral sense. Since the physical
needs are the same in humans as in the animal, it results that while there
isn’t a moral counter weight there can be a certain analogy between human’s
and animal’s instincts but the parity stops there. A definite line of
separation between human beings and animal is established by the moral
sense which is inexistent in the animal and grows incessantly in humans.
Another not less erroneous inference is taken from the principle of
the plurality of existences. People’s similarities with certain persons lead
them to conclude that they may have been those persons. Now, from the
preceding it is easy to demonstrate that this is only an illusory idea. As we
said, the relationships by blood may produce similarity of appearances,
but that is not the case since Aesop might have later been a handsome
man and Socrates a beautiful youngster. Thus, when there is no corporeal lineage there will only be a serendipitous similarity once there is no need
for the spirit to inhabit similar bodies, and when taking a new body the
spirit does not carry any component of the previous one. However, according
to what was said above about the character impinged by the passions
onto the physical traces, one could think that in the case of a spirit
who had not evolved significantly, coming back with the same tendencies,
that spirit could present similar facial traces as before. That is correct but
it would be no more than a family trace, and from that to a real similarity
there is a great distance. As a matter of fact, this should be an exceptional
case since the spirit seldom returns to a new existence in conditions which
are not significantly modified. Hence, it is not possible at all to grasp any
indication from previous existences based on physiognomic signs. Those
traces can only be found in the moral characters, in the instinctive and
intuitive ideas, in the innate inclinations, those which do not stem from
education, and also in the nature of the current expiations. And even all
that could not indicate but the kind of existence, the character that one
might have had, taking into account the evolution but not the individuality
(see The Spirits’ Book, # 216, 217).
The Revenants
The Academy defines this word as: “It is said of the spirits that supposedly
come back from the other world”. The Academy does not
say: that come from the other world. The spiritists are the only ones crazy
enough to dare to say such things. Yet, one can say that the belief in revenants
is universal. It is evidently founded on the intuition about the existence
of the spirits and in the possibility of communicating with them.
From that stand point, every spirit that manifests its presence through
the writings of a medium or by knocking on a table would be a revenant.
However, that almost sepulchral name is reserved to those who become
visible and come, as the Academy rightly supposes, under more dramatic
conditions. Are these old wives tales? The fact itself, no; the accessories,
yes. It is widely known that the spirits may be seen and even under a
tangible form; that is what is real. But the accessories form the fantastic
through which fear, which exaggerates everything, ordinarily follows the
phenomenon that is so simple that can be explained by a very natural law,
consequently having nothing magical or diabolic. Why then are revenants
feared? Precisely due to those accessories that imagination insists in making
terrifying, because imagination had been terrified before and had perhaps
believed to have seen something that was not true.
They are generally presented in a lugubrious way, coming preferably
at night, particularly at the darkest nights, at fatal hours, in sinister places,
appearing zombie like or dressed in a very strange way. Spiritism, on the contrary, teaches that the spirits may show up anywhere, at any time, during
the day or at night; that they generally bear the same appearance they
had when alive; that only imagination created the ghosts; that those who
show up, far from inspiring fear, most of the time are friends or relatives
that come to us for fondness or even unfortunate spirits that we can help.
They are also sometimes the jesters of the spiritual world, making fun of
us and enjoying the fear that they inspire. It is understandable that the
best thing to do with those is to have fun also and demonstrate to them
that we have no fear. As a matter of fact, those spirits most of the time
limit their action to making noise, rarely becoming visible. Most unfortunate
is the one who takes them seriously for they multiply their jokes. It
would be the same as exorcising a Parisian brat. Even supposing that it is a
bad spirit what bad could it do? Wouldn’t it be a hundred times more rational
to fear a living bully than a dead bully that became a spirit? In fact,
we know that we are constantly surrounded by spirits whose only difference
from the so-called ghosts is that we don’t see them. The adversaries
of Spiritism will not refrain from accusing you of accepting a superstitious
belief. However, they cannot deny the fact of the visible manifestations,
attested, explained in theory and confirmed by many witnesses, and every
denial cannot even impede the manifestations from happening since there
are only a handful of people who don’t remember nor have any memory
of one case of such a nature and that cannot be disputed. The best thing
to do then is to be informed about what is true or false, possible or impossible
in those stories. It is by explaining, reasoning about these things that
we can forearm against fear. We know several people who were afraid of
ghosts. Now that they know the meaning of that, thanks to Spiritism,
their strongest desire is to encounter one. We know others who had visions
that scared them; they became fearless after understanding them.
The dangers of fear to weak minds are well known. Well then, one of the
results of an elucidated Spiritist is precisely the cure of that illness, and
that is not one of its least benefits.
Memory of a Previous Life
Society, May 25th, 1860
One of our subscribers sent us a letter from one of his friends, from
which we extracted the following passage:
“You asked my opinion or at least if I believe or not in the presence of
the souls of our beloved ones around us. You also requested explanations
about my conviction that our soul changes its sheath too quickly.”
“No matter how ridiculous it may sound, I will tell you that I have
the sincere conviction of having been murdered during St. Bartholomew’s
massacres. I was still a child when such a memory hurt my imagination.
Later on, when I read about this sad episode of our History, it seemed
that many details had escaped me and I still believe that if the old Paris
were reconstructed I would recognize that old somber alley where I had
my back stabbed three times while running away. Some details of that
bloody scene have never faded away from my memory. Why would I have
such a conviction even before knowing what St. Bartholomew’s day was?
Why, when I read the report about that massacre must I ask myself: is it
a dream, an unpleasant and childish dream, whose memory I still carry
so vividly? Why, when I tried to dig up the archives of memory, why have
I felt like a miserable mad man, fighting to understand things? Why? I
don’t know. You will certainly find me ludicrous and yet I will still carry
the memory, the conviction.”
“If I told you that when I was seven years old I had a dream like this:
I was twenty years old, a seemingly wealthy young man. I saw myself in a
duel, losing my life. If I told you that I did the military greeting typically
done with the sword, before saluting, the first time I had a sword in my
hand; if I told you that I knew beforehand every detail taught about the
art of war, before my formal education with the weaponry, you will certainly
say that I am mad or maniac. Well, it may well be, but sometimes
it seems that a flash of light trespasses the mist and I have the conviction
that the memory of the past comes back to me.”
“If you asked me if I believe in the mutual sympathy of souls, in their
power of communicating with one another, despite the distance, despite
death, I would answer: yes, and this would be said with the full strength
of my belief.”
“It happened once that I was about 25 leagues out from Lima, in a twenty
six days trip, and I woke up weeping, with a deep pain in my heart. A fatal
sadness consumed me the entire day. I registered the fact in my personal
journal. At that very moment, in that evening, my brother had a stroke, seriously
compromising his life. I later verified the time and date. It was accurate.
People exist, that is a fact. Will you call me crazy? I have never read anything
about such a thing. I will do on my return. That may shed some light on me.”
Mr. V… is a navy officer currently on a work related trip. It would be
interesting to see if he would confirm his memories over an evocation, but
it was virtually impossible to warn him about our intentions and, on the
other hand, considering his activities, it could prove difficult to find an
adequate time for that. However, we were advised to contact his guardian
angel when we wanted to proceed with the evocation and he would let us
know about the possibility.
1. Evocation of Mr. V… guardian angel. – A. I attend your call.
2. You know the reasons why we would like to evoke your protégée. It is not about a vain curiosity but if possible to attest an interesting fact to the Spiritist Science, regarding memories of a
previous life. – A. I understand your reasons but at this moment
his spirit is not free. His body is actively busy and he is also troubled
by a relentless moral problem.
3. Is he at sea? – A. He is ashore but I can respond to some of your
questions since that soul has been always commended to me.
4. Since you are kind to answer, we ask if the memory that he supposedly
has about his death in a previous life is an illusion. – A.
It is a very real intuition. That person was on Earth very much so
at that time.
5. What is the reason that makes such a memory more accurate in
him than in other people? Is there any physiological cause or any
particular utility for him? – A. Those lively memories are very
rare. It is somewhat related to the kind of death he had which is
stamped on his soul, so to speak. However, many other people
had as terrible a death and they did not keep the memory. God
only allows that very rarely.
6. Has he had other existences after that St. Bartholomew’s
death? – A. No.
7. How old was he when he died? – A. He was thirty years old.
8. Can we know what he used to do? – A. He was an attaché to the
noble family of Coligny.
9. If we had the chance to evoke him we would have asked if he remembers
the name of the street where he was murdered, so that
going to that place when he returns to Paris he would have an even
more vivid memory of the scene. – A. It was at the Bucy crossroads.
10. Does the house where he died still exist? – A. No, it was rebuilt.
11. We would have asked his name over that time, with the same objective.
– A. His name is not known in History since he was just
a soldier. He was called Gaston Vincent.
12. His friend who is present here would like to know if he has received
his letters. – A. Not yet.
13. Were you his guardian angel in those days? – A. Yes. In those days
and now.
Observation: Skeptical people, more jesters than serious,
could say that his guardian angel did not protect him well and
ask why he hasn’t veered off the hand which hurt his protégé.
Although such a question hardly deserves an answer, perhaps a
few words about it may not be completely useless.
To begin with we shall say that since death is part of human
nature, no guardian angel will have the power to oppose the natural
course of things. Otherwise there would be no reason for them
not to prevent both natural as well as accidental death. Second,
considering that the kind and time of death is in everyone’s destiny,
it is necessary that fate be accomplished. Finally we shall say
that the spirits don’t see death as we do. True life is the spiritual
life, and the many corporeal lives are just episodes of that true
life. The body is an envelope, momentarily covering the spirit,
left behind as done with a piece of worn out or ripped clothing.
Thus, it does not matter that one dies a little bit earlier or later, in
this or that way, for it is always and definitely necessary to reach
death, that far from causing harm to the spirit it can actually be
very useful, according to the way it happens. It is like the prisoner
who leaves the temporary prison in exchange for the eternal freedom.
It may well be that Gaston Vincent’s tragic end was useful
to him, as a spirit, and that his guardian angel understood that
better than him, because one of them only saw the present whilst
the other saw the future also. Spirits, who are withdrawn from
this world by a premature death, at their prime, have sometimes
responded to us that it was a favor from God, keeping them from
evil to which they would be otherwise exposed.
The Animals
(Spontaneous essays by the spirit of Charlet, in several sessions of the
Society)
I
There is something among you that always excites your imagination
and curiosity. That mystery, since it is a great mystery to you, is the
connection or even better, the distance, between your soul and that of the
animals, a mystery that despite all their science, Buffon, the most poetic
of the naturalists, and Cuvier, the most profound, could never penetrate,
in the same way that the scalpel does not reveal the anatomy of the heart
to you. Well, know this: the animals live and everything that lives, thinks.
Thus, it is impossible to live and not think.
Thus, it is necessary to demonstrate that the more the human being
advances, not according to the time but to perfection, the more he shall
penetrate the spiritual science, and that applies not only to you but also to
those living creatures below you: the animals. Oh! Some people will exclaim,
persuaded that the word human signifies the whole perfection, but
is there a possible parallel between the human being and the brute? Can
you call intelligence something that is no more than instinct? Call feeling
something that is only sensation? In a word, can you lower the image of
God? We will respond.
There was a time when half of the human race was considered to be
at the level of the brute, in which there was no animal; a time, like now,
when half of the human race is considered inferior and the animal brute.
Well then! From the point of view of the world, that is how things are,
no doubt. From the spiritual point of view, things are different. What the
superior spirits would say about the Earthly humans, human beings say
about the animals.
Everything is infinite in nature, material as well as spiritual. Let us
then give attention to these unfortunate brutes, speaking in spiritual
terms, and you will see that the animal really lives, since it thinks. This
serves as a preface of a course that I will give you about it. As a matter of
fact, when alive I used to say that a dog is a person’s best friend.
Until next time.
Charlet.
II
The world is a huge staircase whose elevation is infinite, but whose base
rests on a horrible chaos. What I mean is that the world is nothing else but
a constant evolution of creatures. You are very low. Despite that, there are
many others below you. That is because, listen well, I don’t speak about
your planet only but every planet in the Universe. Don’t be afraid though,
since we shall limit ourselves to planet Earth.
Before that, however, a couple of words about a planet called Jupiter,
from which the ingenious and immortal Palissy has given you some
strange and supernatural insights for your imagination. Remember that
in one of those remarkable drawings he depicted some animals from
Jupiter. Isn’t there an evident progress in them? Could you deny a level of
superiority in them over the Earthly animals? Would you still see only an
evolution of the form and not of intelligence, considering that the activities
that they execute cannot be performed by the animals from Earth? I
only mention that example to you in order to indicate already a superiority
of creatures that are well below you. How about if I mentioned every
globe that I know, which is about, five or six? Even on Earth, observe the existing difference among them. Then! If the variation in form is so wide,
so progressive, that there is an even physical evolution, could you deny the
spiritual progress to those creatures? Well then, know this, that if matter
evolves, even the lowest, even more so the spirit that animates it.
Next time I will continue.
Charlet.
Note: In the August 1858 issue we published a plate drawn and engraved
by the spirit of Bernard Palissy, representing Mozart’s house in
Jupiter, with a description of that planet, which has always been described
as one of the most advanced in our planetary system, morally and physically.
The same spirit provided a large number of drawings about the same
subject. There is one among them which shows a scene with animals,
playing in the area reserved for their dwelling, at Zoroaster’s house. It is,
no doubt, one of the most interesting of the collection. Among the portrayed
animals there are some with a form closely resembling the Earthly
human form, at the same time showing something of the ape and of the
satyr. Their action indicates intelligence and it is clear that their structure
may be adequate to manual labor that they execute to human beings. The
animals, as they say, are the servants and the servers, since human beings
are only given to intelligent work. That is the reference used by Charlet
above, to a drawing made more than three years ago.
III
In the more advanced worlds, the animals are so much advanced that the
strictest orders are passed to them by the word, whereas among you it is
frequently by beating. In Jupiter, for example, one word is enough whereas
among you even the whip does not suffice. There is, however, a sensible
progress in your Earth which has never been explained: it is the fact that
the animal evolves. Thus, in former times the animals were much more
rebellious to human beings. There is also progress on your side for having
understood their improvement since you forbid yourself of mistreating
them. I was saying that there is moral progress in the animal. There is also
a progress in their condition. In that way a poor horse, mistreated, hurt by a carter even more than the animal, will be comparatively in a much
better condition, happier than its executioner. Isn’t that in all fairness
and should we be surprised by the fact that a suffering, beaten animal, be
rewarded for having endured a life of torture? God is just before anything
else and all creatures are ruled by his laws which states: “every weak creature
which has suffered shall be rewarded”. Always comparatively, I dare
say and add that the animal sometimes has more soul, more heart than
humans in many circumstances.
Charlet
IV
On your planet, the human being’s superiority is manifested by the elevation
in intelligence that makes him the King of the Earth. Compared to
humans, the animal is very weak, inferior, and a poor slave in this trying
land, having sometimes to endure cruel caprices of their tyrant: humans!
The former metempsychosis was a confusing reminder of reincarnation;
however that doctrine is nothing more than a popular belief. Great spirits
conceded to progressive reincarnation; the ignorant masses could not figure
out, themselves, the universe, so naturally it was decided: since human
beings reincarnate, then it must be on Earth only; then human’s punishment,
his trial must be life in an animal body. Exactly like in the Middle
Ages when the Christians used to say: the judgment shall take place in the
big valley, and after that, the guilty shall be sent underground, to burn in
the entrails of Earth.
By believing in metempsychosis the Ancients thus believed in spirits
of animals since they admitted the transition of human soul to the bodies
of the animals. Pythagoras remembered his previous life and recognized
the shield he used during Troy’s siege. Socrates died predicting his new
life.
Since, as I said, everything is progress in the universe; and God’s laws
can only be those of progress, from your standing position, from your spiritual
trends, it would be senseless not to admit the progress of everything
below human beings, giving proof of complete ignorance or indifference.
Does the animal not have what in humans you call conscience, and that
is nothing else but the feeling of having done good or bad? Watch and see
if the animal doesn’t give proof of conscience, always relatively to human
beings. Would you believe that the dog does not know that it has done
something right or wrong? If it did not feel it would not live. As I have
already told you the moral sensation, in a word, the conscience, does exist
in the animal as in human beings, without which we would have to
deny the fact that they show gratitude, they suffer and grieve, and finally
they show every trace of intelligence, traits that any serious person may
observe in the animals, on several levels, because even among them there
are singular diversities.
Charlet
V
King of the land by intelligence, human beings are also a superior being
from a material point of view. Their form is harmonious and their spirit
equally obeying, an admirable instrument: the body. Human’s head is
placed high and sees the sky, according to Genesis; the animal sees the
earth and by the structure of its body, it seems to be even more attached to
Earth than human beings. Furthermore, the magnificent harmony found
in human’s body is not found in the animal. Notice the infinite variety
that distinguishes them from each other and that doesn’t correspond to
their spirit because the animals – I mean the great majority – have, almost
all of them, the same level of intelligence. Hence, in the animal kingdom
there is variety in the form; in human beings there is variety of spirit. Take
two men who have the same tastes, tendencies, intelligence; now take one
dog, a horse, a cat, in a word, a thousand animals, and you will hardly notice
difference in their intelligence. Thus, the spirit sleeps in the animal;
in human beings it shines in all directions; human’s spirit predicts God
and understands the need for perfection. The simple harmony of the form
is then the beginning of infinity for the spirit. See now the superiority of
human beings that dominates the animal, physically for their remarkable
structure and intellectually for their immense faculties. It seems that it was God’s wishes to vary more the form of the animals, containing the
spirit; in human beings, on the contrary, to make the body into the material
manifestation of the spirit. Equally remarkable in both creations,
Providence is infinite in both, the material and the spiritual world. The
human being is to the animal as the flower and the vegetal kingdom are
to raw matter. I wanted to establish in these few lines, the place occupied
by the animal in the scale of perfection. We will see how the animal can
elevate in comparison to human beings.
Charlet
VI
How does the spirit elevate? It does through submission, humbleness.
Arrogance is what loses human beings, leading them to disregard their
subordinates, envying every one of their superiors. Envy is the most
vivid expression of pride. It is not the pleasure of pride but the sick
desire, the relentless wish of satisfaction. The envious are the proudest
when they become powerful. Observe the master of all of us, Christ,
the man by excellence, but at the highest level of sublimity. Christ, I
was saying, instead of showing audacity and insolence on fighting the
former beliefs, he comes to Earth incarnating in a poor family, being
born among animals. You will find those poor animals everywhere, at
all times when man simply lives the natural life, in short, thinking of
God. He is born among animals that exalt his power in their much more
meaningful language, so natural and so simple. See what a subject for
reflection! Their still inferior spirit foresees Christ, that is, the spirit in
all its perfection. Balaam, the false prophet, the complete corruption of
human pride, cursed against God and hurt his animal. Suddenly the
feeble soul of the donkey is inspired by the spirit and speaks. It becomes
momentarily like man and, by his word, it is what it is going to be in
thousands of centuries. We could mention several other events but this
seems really remarkable with respect to what I was saying about man’s
pride, capable of denying his own soul for not being able to understand it, moving on to the denial of any feeling among the inferior creatures,
among which Christ preferred to be born.
Charlet
VII
I have entertained you with something that I had promised. As I said since
the beginning, I did not speak from the anatomical or medical standpoint,
but only from the spiritual essence of the animals. I still have to
talk about several other points which although very different are not less
useful to the Doctrine. Allow me a final recommendation for you to mull
over everything I said. It is not long or pedant and believe me, and not
less useful because of that. One day, when the Good Shepherd separates
his sheep, may he count you among the good animals that followed his
precepts! Forgive me for such a lively image. Once more, you do need to
analyze what I tell you. As a matter of fact, I shall keep speaking to you
as you wish. Next time I will have to tell you something else to define my
thought about animal intelligence.
Yours,
Charlet.
VIII
Everything I can tell you now friends is that I am happy to see the guidelines
that you follow. May charity, this virtue of truly honest and noble
souls, always be your guide, for that is the sign of true superiority! You
must persevere in this avenue which will certainly lead everyone to the
truth and to unity, despite the efforts whose strength goes unnoticed.
Modesty is also a very difficult gift to acquire, isn’t that true ladies and
gentlemen? It is a very rare virtue amongst people. If you think that modesty
is all you need to advance on the path of good and progress, what
would become of you without God and His divine principles? You would
be a little bit less than those poor animals that I spoke about and that I
still want to discuss further. Put yourself together and be prepared to fight again but don’t yield. Keep in mind that you don’t fight against God, like
Jacob, but against evil that pervades everything and yourself all the time.
It would take too long for me to tell you what is left to be said tonight.
I intend to explain to you the animal’s moral downfall, after the moral
downfall of human beings. In order to conclude about what I have told
you regarding the animals, I will use the title: The first ferocious man and
the first animal made ferocious.
Beware of bad spirits; you have no idea of their strength. As I told
you a few moments ago, although this last statement is not related to the
preceding one, it is nonetheless true and pertinent. It is now up to you to
think.
Charlet
Observation: That day the spirit thought convenient to interrupt the
main subject of his writing to provide us with this incidental essay, motivated
by a particular circumstance that he wanted to use. We published it
anyway because it contains useful instructions.
IX
When the first man was created there was complete harmony in nature.
The creator’s omnipotence had placed a word of goodness, generosity and
love in each living being. Man was radiant. The animals sought his heavenly
eyes and he was as lovely to them as to his celestial companion.
Vegetation was luxurious. Nature was painted gold by Sun light in the
same way that the mysterious star of the soul, like a spark of God, illuminated
man’s intelligence. In a word, all kingdoms of nature showed that
infinite tranquility, seemingly understanding God. There were signs of
sufficient intelligence to praise God’s supremacy everywhere. The cloudless
sky was like man’s heart, and the translucent and blue water reflected
infinity, like man’s heart reflected God. A long time passed and everything
seemed to suddenly change. Oppressed nature issued a long sigh,
and God’s voice was heard for the first time. A disgraceful day when
man who had not yet heard His great voice had told them all: You are
immortal! Man became horrified by those words. “Cain, why have you killed your brother?” Soon everything changed: Abel’s blood spread all
over Earth; the trees changed color; the very colorful and rich vegetation
withered; the sky became dark. Why has the animal become ferocious?
A powerful and invincible magnetism over took all creatures, the thirst
for blood, carnage shining in their eyes, so kind in former times, and the
animal became as ferocious as man. Had not man, the former king of
Earth, given the example? The animal followed his example and since
then death slithered over Earth, death that became hateful instead of a
natural and spiritual transformation. Man’s body should levitate in the
air, like Christ’s body, but it diffused in the ground, in this earth watered
by Abel’s blood. And man worked and the animal worked.
Charlet
Critical Examination (Critical examination of Charlet’s messages about the animals)
About § I
1. You say: Everything that lives, thinks, thus one cannot live without
thinking. The proposition seems somewhat absolute to us
since the plant lives and doesn’t think. Do you take that as a
principle? – A. No doubt. I speak of the animal life only and not
vegetable. You must understand.
2. Later on you say: You will see that the animal truly lives since it thinks. Isn’t there an inversion in the statement? It seems that the proposition is: You will see that the animal thinks, since it lives. – A. That is obvious.
2. Later on you say: You will see that the animal truly lives since it thinks. Isn’t there an inversion in the statement? It seems that the proposition is: You will see that the animal thinks, since it lives. – A. That is obvious.
About § II
3. You brought up the drawings about the animals on Jupiter. It is
noticeable that they keep a remarkable analogy with the satyrs of
the fable. Would the idea of the satyrs be an intuition about the
existence of beings from other worlds, and in that case, wouldn’t
that be a mere fantastic imagination? – A. The newer the planet
was, the more he remembered. Human beings had an intuition of an order of intermediary creatures, sometimes inferior, sometimes
more advanced. That is what they called gods.
4. You then admit that the mythical divinities were nothing else
than what we call spirits? – A. Yes.
5. We were told that on Jupiter one can understand each other by
the simple transmission of thought. Do the inhabitants of that
planet use any particular language when addressing the animals
that are their servers and workers? Would they have an articulated
language to communicate with the animals, and communicate
through their thoughts among themselves? – A. No, there is no
articulated language but a kind of powerful magnetism which
makes the animal bow before their masters, leading them to execute
their smallest wishes and commands. The All-powerful spirit
cannot bow.
6. The animals evidently have a language among us since they understand
one another, but that is very limited. Do the animals on
Jupiter have a more accurate and positive language than ours? In
short, an articulated language? – A. Yes.
7. Do the inhabitants of Jupiter understand better than us the language
of the animals? – A. They see through them and understand
them perfectly well.
8. By examining the series of living beings one finds an unbreakable
chain, from the madreporite plant up to the most intelligent animal.
However, between the most intelligent animal and human
beings there is an obvious blank that must be filled out somewhere
because there is no void in nature. Where does that blank
come? – A. That blank is only apparent since it does not exist in
reality. It results from extinct races (St. Louis).
9. Such blank may well exist on Earth but it does not exist in the
whole set of the universe and must be filled somewhere. Wouldn’t
that be by certain animals from superior worlds that, like on
Jupiter for example, seem to approach very much the Earthly
individual by the form, language and other signs? – A. In the superior spheres the germen from Earth evolves and it is never
lost. Becoming spirits you shall meet again all beings that disappeared
in the cataclysms of your planet (St. Louis).
Observation: These interim races have existed on earth and disappeared,
justifies what Charlet said earlier that the more the world was new,
the more he remembered. Had they existed only in the higher worlds, the
human being of the earth being less advanced could not have kept the
memory of them.
About § III
10. You say that everything perfects and as a proof of animal evolution
you say that formerly it was more rebellious to human beings.
It is evident that there is animal evolution but at least on Earth
that takes place under human’s guidance. Once left to themselves
the animal returns to their ferocious nature, even the dog. – A.
And human beings evolve under whose guidance? Isn’t that under
God’s? Everything is scale in nature.
11. You speak about rewards to animals that are mistreated and
say that it is perfectly fair that they get such compensation.
Therefore, it seems that you admit the animal consciousness
of itself after death, with memory of the past. That is in opposition
to what we have been told. If things were as you say, it
would result in the presence of animals in the spiritual world.
There would be no reason not to have the spirit of the oysters
there. Can you tell us if you see spirits of cats, dogs, horses or
elephants around you, as you see human spirits? – A. You are
right, the animal’s soul is not aware of itself after death; it is a
confusing mass of germs which can move to the body of this or
that animal, according to the acquired development. It is not individualized.
However, I shall say that in certain animals, even
in many, it is individualized.
12. As a matter of fact that theory does not justify mistreating animals
in any way. Human beings are always guilty for the suffering
imposed on any living creature and the Doctrine tells us that he
shall be punished for that. But based on that principle there is a
huge distance for positioning the animals in a superior condition.
What do you think about it? – A. Yes, but you must consider that
there is always an animal scale and that there is some distance
between certain races. The more powerful the individual is the
more culpable.
13. How do you explain that in their most savage stage human beings
are still obeyed by the most intelligent animal? – A. It is the action
of nature in that case. The savage person is a natural person.
He knows the animal intimately. The civilized person studies the
animal and the animal bows before him. Human beings are always
human beings to the animal, savage or civilized.
About § V
14. (To Charlet) We have nothing to say about this paragraph that
seems very rational. Do you have anything to add? – A. Only this:
the animals have every faculty that I mentioned but their evolution
occurs from the education given by human beings and not by
themselves. If left in their savage stage the animal would return
to their primitive stage, when created by God. They evolve when
submitted to human beings. That is all.
15. That is absolutely correct for the individuals and species but if we
consider the whole scale of beings there is an evident ascending
march, not limited to the Earthly animals since those on Jupiter
are physically and intellectually superior to them. – A. Each race
is perfect in itself, not emigrating to foreign races. These are the
same kinds on Jupiter, forming distinct races, but they are not the
spirits of dead animals.
16. Then, what becomes of the spirit of dead animals? – A. It returns
to the mass from which each new animal extracts the necessary
portion of intelligence. Well, this is precisely what differentiates
human beings from the animal. In the human being, the spirit is
individualized, evolving on his own, and that is what makes him
superior to the animals. That is why even the savage individual, as
you noticed, is obeyed and even by the most intelligent animals.
About § VI
17. You refer to the story of Balaam as a positive fact. Seriously, what
is your opinion about that? – A. It is a pure allegory, or even better,
a fiction to punish pride. They made Balaam’s donkey speak
as La Fontaine made many other animals.
About § IX *
18. Charlet seems to have been taken by imagination in this passage
since the picture that he draws about the moral degradation
of the animals is more fantastic than scientific. In fact the animal
is ferocious out of necessity and that is why nature has given
them a special physical organization. If some must eat meat that
is due to a providential reason and because it was useful to the
general equilibrium that some organic elements were absorbed.
Hence the animal is ferocious by design and it would be inconceivable
that the moral downfall of human beings had developed
the tiger’s fangs or shrunk its intestines, since there would
then be no reason why the same would had not happened to the
sheep. Before that we say that here on Earth, considering that the human being is little advanced, here we find the inferior beings in
all senses, whose contact is cause of concern and suffering to the
person, and consequently, a source of trial that helps in his future
progress. What does Charlet think about these points? – A. I can
only support them. I was a painter and not a scholar or scientist.
That is why from time to time I am carried away by the pleasure,
new to me, of writing beautiful phrases, even to the detriment of
truth. However, your thoughts are very fair and inspired. I colored
certain received ideas in the picture that I gave you, avoiding
the shock with any conviction. The truth is that the first periods
were in the Iron Age, much far from the intended smoothness.
Civilization led human beings to the conquest of the true
Promised Land by the daily discoveries of God given treasures,
both in space and on Earth, due to the intelligence and work, not
freely delivered into the hands of the child like human beings,
who needed to find them out of their own intelligence. As a matter
of fact, my mistake could not harm the enlightened person
who could easily detect it. It would go unnoticed to the ignorant
ones. However, I acknowledge my mistake. I took it lightheartedly
and that gives you a chance to analyze how much you must
control the received communications.
_____________________________________________
* The original shows § XI which is inexistent and an obvious typo that escaped revision
(NT)
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
An important lesson stands out from these communications,
from the point of view of the Spiritist Science. The first thing that
strikes the reader, is the mix of fair, profound ideas, with a strong
mark of personal observation, together with others evidently false,
founded more on imagination than reality. There is no doubt that
Charlet was a man above the vulgar but as a spirit he is no more
universal than when alive, and may be wrong because since he is
not well advanced yet, he only sees things from his own standpoint.
As a matter of fact, only the spirits who have achieved the highest degree of perfection make no mistakes. The others, however
good they are, don’t know everything and may be wrong; but
when these are truly good they make honest mistakes and frankly
acknowledge that, whereas there are others who make conscious
mistakes, persisting on the most absurd ideas. That is why we
must exercise caution regarding everything that comes from the
invisible world, submitting it to the control of reason. The good
spirits always recommend that and are never offended by criticism
because they are either confident of what they say and are
afraid of nothing or they are not as confident and aware of their
insufficiency as the ones who seek the truth. Well then, if human
beings can learn from the spirits, some spirits can also learn from
human beings. The others, on the contrary, want to dominate;
expecting to impose the acceptance of their utopic ideas just because
their condition as spirits. Then, out of presumption or ill
faith, they cannot bear contradiction. They want to be accepted
in their word since they know well that they cannot afford serious
examination. These are offended by the slightest question about
their infallibility and arrogantly threaten to abandon you, as if
you were unworthy of hearing them. Also, there are some who
only like those that kneel before them. Aren’t there human beings
like that? Would there be any surprise in finding them in
the spiritual world as well? Such a trait is always an indication of
pride, conceit, foolish vanity, and thus petty ideas and poor judgment.
Something that is a clear sign of inferiority in people could
not be a sign of superiority with the spirits.
Charlet, as just seen, willingly gives himself to the controversy;
he listens and admits the objections, responding kindly;
develops what was obscure and openly acknowledges what was
not accurate. In short, he does not want to pretend to be wiser
than he actually is, demonstrating more elevation than if he had
persisted on false ideas, like certain spirits who are stunned by
the simple comment that their communications seem to require analysis. Something that is still proper of those proud spirits is a
kind of fascination exerted upon their mediums who sometimes
are led to share the same feelings. We say “their mediums” on
purpose because they are taken over and the spirits want to use
them as if blindfolded. They would never adapt to an inquisitive
medium or someone with clear vision. Doesn’t this also happen
among human beings? When the person is caught and out of
fear that he might escape, the person is inspired to stay away
from whoever may clarify them. The person is somehow isolated
to be more easily influenced or only allowed to approach
those who are harmless to the foreign influence. They pretend
to be good apostles in order to capture their trust, typically taking
the name of venerable spirits whose language they try to
imitate. Nevertheless, however much they do, ignorance shall
never be capable of imitating true knowledge and a perverse
personality shall never be able to replicate true virtue. Pride will
always hide under a cloak of false humility and because they
are afraid of being caught they avoid arguments, keeping their
mediums away from that.
There is no one, which when judging cold-bloodedly and
without prevention, could not judge such an influence as bad,
once it sticks out form the most basic common sense that a really
good and enlightened spirit would never use such influence.
Therefore, one can say that a medium that is submitted to that
kind of influence is under the empire of an obsession, from which
one must be freed as soon as possible. What we want, before
anything else, is not communications at any price but good and
truthful communications. Well then, in order to receive good
communications we need good spirits and in order to have good
spirits we need good mediums, free from any bad influence.
Thus, the kind of spirits that habitually assist a medium is
one of the first things to be taken into consideration. There is a flawless criterion to identify that and it is not in the material
signs or in the formulas of evocation or conspiracy that it will be
found. The criterion is in the feeling inspired in the medium by
the spirit. One can assess the nature of the spirits that guides a
medium by the way he behaves and consequently, the degree of
trust that his communications deserve.
This is not a personal opinion or a system but a principle
inferred from the strictest logic if we admit the following
premise: a good spirit cannot suggest a bad thought. While it
is not demonstrated that a good spirit may inspire evil things,
we shall say that every action that is far from benevolence,
charity and humility, and where one can detect envy, jealousy,
pride or simply acrimony, it cannot have been inspired but
by a bad spirit, even when the latter would employ the most
beautiful maxims; for a truly good spirit would demonstrate it
by acting according to those words. The practice of Spiritism
is surrounded by many difficulties; the deceiving spirits are
so canny, so smart and at the same time so numerous that
it would never be too much to forearm oneself with maximum
precaution to frustrate them. That is why it is necessary
to scrutinize with great care every indication that may betray
them and those indications are both in their language and in
the actions provoked by them.
Having submitted these reflections to the spirit of Charlet,
here is what he said about it: “I can only support what you have
just said and advise everyone involved with Spiritism to follow
such wise advice, evidently dictated by good spirits, but which are
not absolutely appreciated by the bad spirits, you can believe me
there, because they know very well that this is the most efficient
way of fighting against their influence. Thus, they do whatever
it takes to veer off that course anyone that they want to lure into
their nets.”
Charlet said that he was dragged by the pleasure, new to him, of writing
beautiful phrases, even at the expense of truth. What would happen had
we published his work without comments? Spiritism would have been
criticized for accepting such ideas and for not being capable of distinguishing
between true and false. Many spirits are in the same condition.
They find satisfaction to their self-serving purpose by going through the
mediums, since they cannot do it directly, to create pieces of literary, scientific,
philosophical or dogmatic work of large scope. However, when
these spirits have only pseudo-knowledge they write absurd things, like
some people would do. It is particularly present in those continued pieces
of work that we can assess them because their ignorance fails them, not
allowing them to take that role for long and they reveal their limitations
themselves, hurting logic and reason at every step. There are sometimes
some good ideas amidst several false concepts, and those good ones help
the illusion. Such incoherence can only demonstrate their incapacity.
These are the bricks that human beings can align the stones for the construction
but incapable of building a palace. It is sometimes curious to
see the inextricable mess of combinations and reasoning that they find
themselves getting into, and from which they do not exit but to the cost of
utopias and sophisms. We have seen some that have left their work, after
some effort. Some others, however, never give in and want to act to the
end, still laughing at those who take them seriously.
The considerations above were suggested to us as a general principle,
and it would be a mistake to see any application in them. Among the
several publications about Spiritism there is no doubt that some would
yield a founded criticism but we do not place them in the same basket;
we indicate the way of assessing them and every one can proceed as
they wish. If we have not decided to evaluate them in The Review it is
because we are afraid of any misunderstanding about the true objective
of the criticism that we could make. Hence, we prefer to wait until
Spiritism is better known and particularly better understood. Then, our
opinion sustained by a widely understood foundation cannot be accused
of partiality. This expectation happens daily since we see public opinion preceding ours in many circumstances. We then congratulate ourselves
for the reservation. We shall carry out that examination when the time
is right but we can already foresee the basis of our argumentation. It is
logic that can be applied by each and every person since we do not have
the silly pretension of having the honor of its ownership. In fact, logic
is the great criterion of every spiritist communication, as it is of every
human activity. We know well that someone whose reasoning is faulty
mistakenly, considers oneself logical. That person is logical in their own
right but only to themselves, not to others. When logic is rigorous, like
in two plus two equals four and the consequences are derived from obvious
axioms, sooner or later the general common sense does justice to all
those sophisms.
We believe that the following propositions have such a character:
1. The good spirits can only teach and inspire good; thus, anything
that is not rigorously good cannot come from a good spirit;
2. The enlightened and truly superior spirits cannot teach absurdities;
hence, any communication stained by manifested mistakes
or contrary to the most basic scientific data and contrary to observation,
attests the outright inferiority of its origin;
3. The superiority of any text is in the fairness and depth of the ideas
and not in the decorations and redundancies of style; hence, every
spiritist communication where there is more brilliant phrases and
words then solid thoughts, cannot come from a really superior
spirit;
4. Ignorance cannot counterfeit true knowledge, nor can bad counterfeit
true good, absolutely; thus, every spirit that says anything
incompatible with their borrowed venerable name is responsible
for fraud;
5. Giving more attention to the thought than to the external form
is in the very essence of an elevated spirit, thus resulting that the
elevation of the spirit is directly proportional to the elevation of
the ideas; hence, every spirit that is meticulously concerned with the details of form, that prescribes fatuities, in a word, that gives
importance to signs and to material things, reveals, for that very
reason, petty ideas, and cannot be truly superior;
6. A truly superior spirit cannot contradict oneself; thus, if two contradictory
communications are given under the same respectable
name, one of them is necessarily apocryphal, and if one is true,
then it can only be the one that by no means denies the superiority
of the spirit that signs it off.
The consequence that results from these principles is the moral questions
one must consider with reservations and must never be accepted
without examination. The need for great circumspection in the publication
of their writings derives from that, particularly when those are prone
to ridicule through the proposal of strange doctrines or incoherent ideas.
We must be cautious about the inclination of certain spirits to present
systematic ideas and the passion with which they seek their propagation.
Hence, it is particularly with the scientific theories that extreme prudence
is recommended, avoiding to take by truth some systems that are
sometimes more attractive than real, and that sooner or later may be officially
rejected. Those systems may eventually be presented as probabilities,
as long as they are logical, and as basis for future observation; but
it would be lack of prudence to faithfully accept them prematurely. The
proverb says: “Nothing more dangerous than a reckless friend”. Well, that
is the case of those in Spiritism who are led more by passion than reason.
Bibliography
We would like to announce the soon to appear publication of
Experimental Spiritism, a continuation of The Spirits’ Book, which
was supposed to be published in last April. The work was held up by circumstances
beyond our control, particularly considering the importance
that we gave to that book. We now expect to have it published soon and
the final date will be announced in due course.
Note: We are forced to postpone several important communications
that came to our hands for lack of space.
Allan Kardec