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Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1865 > August
August
What is taught by Spiritism?Some people ask what is it new that we owe to Spiritism? Since it has not brought to the world a new productive industry, like the steam engine, people conclude that it has not produced anything. The majority of those that ask such a question, not having done the work of studying it, only know the Spiritism of fantasy, created to satisfy the critics and that has nothing to do with serious Spiritism. Hence, there is no surprise there when people ask about its practical and useful side. They should have sought it in its source and not in the caricatures made by those whose sole objective is to smear it.
Another group of people think differently and, on the contrary, see Spiritism marching too slowly for their taste. Those are surprised by the fact that it has not yet probed all mysteries of nature nor all questions that they believe are in its scope; they would like to see it teaching new things every day or enriching itself with some new discovery. Since it has not yet solved the issue of the origin of all beings, the principle and end of all things, the divine essence and a few other similar things, the conclude that it is still an alphabet of letters; that it has not yet entered the true philosophical path and that it still drags on in common places because it permanently preaches humility and charity. They say: “Up until now it has not taught us anything new, because reincarnation, the denial of eternal penalties, the immortality of the soul, the evolution through the periods of intellectual maturity and the perispirit are not properly Spiritist discoveries; it is then necessary to walk towards more truthful and solid discoveries.”
We believe to be appropriate to provide some observations in that regards that are not new either but there are things that must be repeated in several different ways.
It is true that Spiritism has not invented any of that since the real truth is only the one that is eternal and that for that very reason must have been germinated at all times. However, isn’t that something to have taken those ideas if not from the void at least from the forgotten; created a lively plant from a seed; generated a general belief out of an individual idea, lost in the darkness of times or muffled by prejudices; demonstrated what was only hypothetical before; proven the existence of a law in what was only considered exceptional or serendipitous before; created a practical thing of a vague theory and provided useful applications to what was unproductive idea? Nothing is more truthful than the proverb: “Nothing new under the Sun” and even that truth is not new. Hence there is no discovery from which one cannot find vestiges and principles somewhere else.
Based on that Copernicus would not have the merit of his system because there was suspicion of the movement of Earth before the Christian era. It was something so simple, but it was necessary to have it found. The story of Columbus’ egg will always remain as an eternal truth.
Besides, Spiritism undoubtedly still has a lot to teach us. That is what we have repeated tirelessly because we do not pretend that it has already said the final word. Nonetheless, considering that there is still work to be done, will it follow that Spiritism is still in its infancy? The alphabet of letters was the turning tables and since then it seems to us that it has already moved a few steps; it even seems that those steps were large in a few years if we have it compared to other sciences that required centuries to get to their present condition. None has arrived at their apex in a first impulse; they advance not out of peoples’ will but as the circumstances put them on the way of new discoveries. Now, nobody has the power of controlling such circumstances and the proof of that is that whenever an idea is premature it gets aborted, to resurge later when the time is right.
Still, in the absence of new discoveries will the persons of science remain idle? Chemistry will no longer be Chemistry if new elements are not discovered? Will the Astronomers be condemned to cross their arms if new planets are not discovered? The same applies to all fields of science and technology. Before new things are sought, shouldn’t we apply the current knowledge? It is precisely to give people time to assimilate, apply and spread knowledge that the Providence stalls the march forward. History is here to demonstrate that science does not follow a continuous ascending march, at least ostensibly. The great movements that revolutionize an idea only take place at more or less distanced intervals. Therefore, there is no stagnation but elaboration, application and fruitification of what was learned and that is always a sign of progress.
Could the human spirit incessantly absorb new ideas? Doesn’t Earth itself requires a resting time before reproduction? What to tell of a professor that daily teach new ideas to her students without giving them time to practice what they had learn, to familiarize them with those lessons and apply them? Would God be less thoughtful and skillful than a professor?
In all things the new ideas must fit in with the acquired one. If the existing ones are not sufficiently elaborated and consolidated in the brain; if the mind has not assimilated them yet, then the new ones that we would like to implant would not bear roots. We would be sowing in the emptiness.
It is the same with Spiritism. Have the followers taken so much advantage of what has been taught so far that there is nothing else to do? Are they so much charitable, selfless and benevolent to their neighbor; have they controlled so much their passions, denied hatred, envy and jealousy; finally, are thy so much perfect that from now on it would be useless to teach them charity, humility and abnegation, moral in a word? Such pretension on its own would demonstrate how much still they need such elementary lessons that some consider fastidious and puerile. It is, however, only with the support of those instructions, if well utilized, that they will be able to evolve enough to become worthy of receiving a superior teaching.
The objective of Spiritism is the regeneration of humanity: that is an attested fact. Since such regeneration can only occur through a moral progress it thus follows that such essential and providential objective is the individual betterment. They mysteries that it can reveal to us are accessory. We would not be more advanced for our future just because it had opened to us the sanctuary of every knowledge. To have us admitted to the banquet of supreme happiness God dos not ask us what we know or what we have but our worth and what we have done. Hence, every sincere Spiritist must work towards their individual betterment, before anything else. It is only the one that dominated their bad tendencies that took advantage of Spiritism and shall receive their reward. That is why the good Spirits, by the commandment of God, multiple their instructions and repeat them abundantly; only a senseless pride may say: I do not need anything else. Only God knows when they will be useless, and it is only up to God to guide the messengers and fit them to our advancement. Let us see, however, if beyond the purely moral teaching the results of Spiritism are as sterile as some pretend them to be.
Another group of people think differently and, on the contrary, see Spiritism marching too slowly for their taste. Those are surprised by the fact that it has not yet probed all mysteries of nature nor all questions that they believe are in its scope; they would like to see it teaching new things every day or enriching itself with some new discovery. Since it has not yet solved the issue of the origin of all beings, the principle and end of all things, the divine essence and a few other similar things, the conclude that it is still an alphabet of letters; that it has not yet entered the true philosophical path and that it still drags on in common places because it permanently preaches humility and charity. They say: “Up until now it has not taught us anything new, because reincarnation, the denial of eternal penalties, the immortality of the soul, the evolution through the periods of intellectual maturity and the perispirit are not properly Spiritist discoveries; it is then necessary to walk towards more truthful and solid discoveries.”
We believe to be appropriate to provide some observations in that regards that are not new either but there are things that must be repeated in several different ways.
It is true that Spiritism has not invented any of that since the real truth is only the one that is eternal and that for that very reason must have been germinated at all times. However, isn’t that something to have taken those ideas if not from the void at least from the forgotten; created a lively plant from a seed; generated a general belief out of an individual idea, lost in the darkness of times or muffled by prejudices; demonstrated what was only hypothetical before; proven the existence of a law in what was only considered exceptional or serendipitous before; created a practical thing of a vague theory and provided useful applications to what was unproductive idea? Nothing is more truthful than the proverb: “Nothing new under the Sun” and even that truth is not new. Hence there is no discovery from which one cannot find vestiges and principles somewhere else.
Based on that Copernicus would not have the merit of his system because there was suspicion of the movement of Earth before the Christian era. It was something so simple, but it was necessary to have it found. The story of Columbus’ egg will always remain as an eternal truth.
Besides, Spiritism undoubtedly still has a lot to teach us. That is what we have repeated tirelessly because we do not pretend that it has already said the final word. Nonetheless, considering that there is still work to be done, will it follow that Spiritism is still in its infancy? The alphabet of letters was the turning tables and since then it seems to us that it has already moved a few steps; it even seems that those steps were large in a few years if we have it compared to other sciences that required centuries to get to their present condition. None has arrived at their apex in a first impulse; they advance not out of peoples’ will but as the circumstances put them on the way of new discoveries. Now, nobody has the power of controlling such circumstances and the proof of that is that whenever an idea is premature it gets aborted, to resurge later when the time is right.
Still, in the absence of new discoveries will the persons of science remain idle? Chemistry will no longer be Chemistry if new elements are not discovered? Will the Astronomers be condemned to cross their arms if new planets are not discovered? The same applies to all fields of science and technology. Before new things are sought, shouldn’t we apply the current knowledge? It is precisely to give people time to assimilate, apply and spread knowledge that the Providence stalls the march forward. History is here to demonstrate that science does not follow a continuous ascending march, at least ostensibly. The great movements that revolutionize an idea only take place at more or less distanced intervals. Therefore, there is no stagnation but elaboration, application and fruitification of what was learned and that is always a sign of progress.
Could the human spirit incessantly absorb new ideas? Doesn’t Earth itself requires a resting time before reproduction? What to tell of a professor that daily teach new ideas to her students without giving them time to practice what they had learn, to familiarize them with those lessons and apply them? Would God be less thoughtful and skillful than a professor?
In all things the new ideas must fit in with the acquired one. If the existing ones are not sufficiently elaborated and consolidated in the brain; if the mind has not assimilated them yet, then the new ones that we would like to implant would not bear roots. We would be sowing in the emptiness.
It is the same with Spiritism. Have the followers taken so much advantage of what has been taught so far that there is nothing else to do? Are they so much charitable, selfless and benevolent to their neighbor; have they controlled so much their passions, denied hatred, envy and jealousy; finally, are thy so much perfect that from now on it would be useless to teach them charity, humility and abnegation, moral in a word? Such pretension on its own would demonstrate how much still they need such elementary lessons that some consider fastidious and puerile. It is, however, only with the support of those instructions, if well utilized, that they will be able to evolve enough to become worthy of receiving a superior teaching.
The objective of Spiritism is the regeneration of humanity: that is an attested fact. Since such regeneration can only occur through a moral progress it thus follows that such essential and providential objective is the individual betterment. They mysteries that it can reveal to us are accessory. We would not be more advanced for our future just because it had opened to us the sanctuary of every knowledge. To have us admitted to the banquet of supreme happiness God dos not ask us what we know or what we have but our worth and what we have done. Hence, every sincere Spiritist must work towards their individual betterment, before anything else. It is only the one that dominated their bad tendencies that took advantage of Spiritism and shall receive their reward. That is why the good Spirits, by the commandment of God, multiple their instructions and repeat them abundantly; only a senseless pride may say: I do not need anything else. Only God knows when they will be useless, and it is only up to God to guide the messengers and fit them to our advancement. Let us see, however, if beyond the purely moral teaching the results of Spiritism are as sterile as some pretend them to be.
- It initially gives, as everyone knows, a positive proof of the existence and immortality of the soul. True, it is not a discovery, but it is due to a lack of proofs about that point that there are so many nonbelievers or indifferent with respect to the future; it is by demonstrating what was only theory that Spiritism beats materialism and avoids its dismal consequences to society. By transforming the doubt about the future into certainty, it is a whole revolution of ideas and the consequences are incalculable. If this was the only result of the manifestations it would already be huge.
- It exerts a powerful influence upon peoples’ morale through the firm belief that it develops; it lead them to good, provide consolation in their suffering, gives them strength and courage in the trials of life and veer them off from suicidal thoughts.
- It rectifies every false idea formed about the future of the soul, heavens, hell, penalties and rewards; through the irresistible logic of the facts it thoroughly destroys the dogmas of the eternal penalties and the devil; in a word, it unveils a future life, showing it to us as rational and according to God’s justice. It is still something of great value.
- It describes what happen at the time of death. The up until now unfathomable phenomenon has no more mysteries; the minimal details of that much feared passage are known now. Well, since everybody dies, such a knowledge is of general interest.
- By the law of plurality of existences, it opens up a new field to Philosophy; mankind knows where it comes from, where it is going to and its objective on Earth. It explains the cause of all human miseries and all social inequalities; provides the law of nature itself as the basis for the principle of universal solidarity, fraternity, equality and freedom, that before appeared to be only theory. Finally, it casts light upon the most difficult questions of metaphysics, psychology and moral.
- By the theory of spiritual fluids, it allows clarifies the mechanism of sensations and perceptions of the soul; it explains the phenomena of double vision, distant vision and somnambulism, the ecstasy, dreams, visions and apparitions, etc.; it opens up a new field to physiology and pathology.
- By proving the relationships between the corporeal and spiritual worlds, it shows in the latter one of the forces of nature, an intelligent power, revealing a number of effects previously attributed to supernatural causes and that fed most of superstitious ideas.
- By revealing the fact of obsessions, it provides the knowledge of the up until now ignored cause of multiple diseases about which science had avoided in detriment of patients and provides the means of having them cured.
- By allowing us to understand the true conditions of prayer and its action mode; by revealing the reciprocal influence of incarnate and discarnate Spirits, teaching us the power that humans have upon imperfect Spirits to moralize them and to take them away from their suffering condition, inherent to their condition.
- By allowing us to understand spiritual magnetization, unknown until now, opens up a new path to magnetism and brings a new and powerful means of cure.
The merit of an invention is not in the discovery of a principle, almost always known before, but in the application of that principle. Reincarnation, no doubt, is not a new idea, as the perispirit that St. Paul described as the spiritual body, not even the communication with the Spirits. Spiritism, that does not brag about having discovered nature, carefully seeks every trace that can be found in the pre-existence of its ideas and, when found, promptly proclaims them as proof in support of its proposal. Hence, those that invoke such pre-existence as a means of blemishing what Spiritism does go against their own objective and act wrongly since that could raise suspicion of a preconceived idea.
The discovery of reincarnation and perispirit, therefore, does not belong to Spiritism. It is something known. But up until its appearance, what benefit had science, religion, moral taken from those two principles, ignored by the masses, kept in the state of dead letter? Spiritism not only brought it to the open and had them known as laws of nature but also developed them and made them bear fruits; it has already brought fecund and numerous results from that without which one could not understand a large number of things; it daily allows us to understand new ones and we are from exhausting that mine. Taking into account the fact that these two principles were known, why have them remained unproductive for so long? Why, for so many centuries, have all philosophies crashed against so many insolvable questions?
They were brute diamonds that needed to be chiseled; that is what Spiritism has done. It opened up a new path to philosophy, or even better, it created a new philosophy that daily conquers its place in the world. Are then these results so insignificant that we must accelerate the pace towards more truthful and solid discoveries?
In summary, a certain number of fundamental truths, sketched by certain strong minds and kept, in their majority, in a latent state, once studied, developed and demonstrated, from sterile they become fecund from which innumerable secondary principles and applications germinate, opening up a broad field to exploration, new horizons to science, philosophy, religion, moral and social economy.
These are, until today, the main successes of Spiritism, and all we have done is to indicate the most important points. Supposing that it was all we would already be satisfied; now saying that a new science that provides such results in less than ten years is not exactly nullity because it touches every matters vital to humanity, bringing to human knowledge a new contingent that cannot be neglected. Until the time when all those points have received every susceptible application and that people had taken advantage of them, there will still be a long time and the Spiritists that wanted to practice them for themselves and the greater good will not remain idle.
These are focal points from where uncountable secondary truths will irradiate, be developed and applied, as it is done every day because every day facts are revealed that lift up a new tip of the veil. In a few years Spiritism successively provided every foundation of the new edifice. It is now up to its followers to practice that material before new ones are requested. When their mission is accomplished God will know how to have them provided.
Some say that the Spiritists only know the alphabet letters of Spiritism. Be it. To begin with then let us learn how to spell that alphabet but that is not a one day task because even reduced to those small proportions a long time is required before we have exhausted all combinations and harvested all fruits.
Don’t we still have facts to explain? As a matter of fact, don’t the Spiritists still have to teach that alphabet to those that ignore it? Have them already sowed the seed in every possible place? Aren’t there nonbelievers to be converted, obsessed to be cured, consolations to be given and tears to dry? Are we right by saying that there is nothing else to be done when the task is not done, when there are still so many ulcers to be cured? There we have noble occupations that it is worth to get to know better and a bit sooner than the others.
Therefore, let us learn to spell our alphabet letters before we try to read correctly in the great book of nature. God will have it open to us as we advance but it is not up to any one force its way through, anticipating the time of each thing. If the tree of science hangs too high to be reached let us wait to be able to fly up there and that our wings may be ready and strongly fixated so that we do not have the same fate of Icarus.
The discovery of reincarnation and perispirit, therefore, does not belong to Spiritism. It is something known. But up until its appearance, what benefit had science, religion, moral taken from those two principles, ignored by the masses, kept in the state of dead letter? Spiritism not only brought it to the open and had them known as laws of nature but also developed them and made them bear fruits; it has already brought fecund and numerous results from that without which one could not understand a large number of things; it daily allows us to understand new ones and we are from exhausting that mine. Taking into account the fact that these two principles were known, why have them remained unproductive for so long? Why, for so many centuries, have all philosophies crashed against so many insolvable questions?
They were brute diamonds that needed to be chiseled; that is what Spiritism has done. It opened up a new path to philosophy, or even better, it created a new philosophy that daily conquers its place in the world. Are then these results so insignificant that we must accelerate the pace towards more truthful and solid discoveries?
In summary, a certain number of fundamental truths, sketched by certain strong minds and kept, in their majority, in a latent state, once studied, developed and demonstrated, from sterile they become fecund from which innumerable secondary principles and applications germinate, opening up a broad field to exploration, new horizons to science, philosophy, religion, moral and social economy.
These are, until today, the main successes of Spiritism, and all we have done is to indicate the most important points. Supposing that it was all we would already be satisfied; now saying that a new science that provides such results in less than ten years is not exactly nullity because it touches every matters vital to humanity, bringing to human knowledge a new contingent that cannot be neglected. Until the time when all those points have received every susceptible application and that people had taken advantage of them, there will still be a long time and the Spiritists that wanted to practice them for themselves and the greater good will not remain idle.
These are focal points from where uncountable secondary truths will irradiate, be developed and applied, as it is done every day because every day facts are revealed that lift up a new tip of the veil. In a few years Spiritism successively provided every foundation of the new edifice. It is now up to its followers to practice that material before new ones are requested. When their mission is accomplished God will know how to have them provided.
Some say that the Spiritists only know the alphabet letters of Spiritism. Be it. To begin with then let us learn how to spell that alphabet but that is not a one day task because even reduced to those small proportions a long time is required before we have exhausted all combinations and harvested all fruits.
Don’t we still have facts to explain? As a matter of fact, don’t the Spiritists still have to teach that alphabet to those that ignore it? Have them already sowed the seed in every possible place? Aren’t there nonbelievers to be converted, obsessed to be cured, consolations to be given and tears to dry? Are we right by saying that there is nothing else to be done when the task is not done, when there are still so many ulcers to be cured? There we have noble occupations that it is worth to get to know better and a bit sooner than the others.
Therefore, let us learn to spell our alphabet letters before we try to read correctly in the great book of nature. God will have it open to us as we advance but it is not up to any one force its way through, anticipating the time of each thing. If the tree of science hangs too high to be reached let us wait to be able to fly up there and that our wings may be ready and strongly fixated so that we do not have the same fate of Icarus.
Father Dégenettes, medium
Former priest of Notre Dame des Victories, in Paris
The following story was literally taken from the book entitled Month of Mary, by father Défossés:
“This is how it did happen, in the world, in a heavenly and supernatural way, the divine work of the archconfraternity of the most holy and immaculate Heart of Mary. Let's go to Mr. Dégenettes again. Who else could better describe to us what actually happened? The archconfraternity was born on December 3rd, 1836. Many of those that judge us by the appearances believe us to be the founder. Only God has the honor and glory. We did not have the drive of spirit nor the heart to have us prepared for that. We must confess, asking for God’s forgiveness and Mary’s, and as the son of Mary, used to admire and venerate her as the kindest mother, since our early days, we did not understand a thing about the devotion of her sacred heart and we even avoided to think about that. We must add that father McCarty, a saint religious man that one day preached in our charge of the foreign missions about the sacred heart of Mary, caused on special impression on us, although we attested the eloquence of the speaker, despite our boredom supported by our proud prevention since he handled a matter that we thought would not be useful to others or to ourselves. That was our mind frame on the very December 3rd, 1836, the celebration of St. Francis Xavier.
That day, at nine o'clock in the morning, I began the Holy Mass at the foot of the altar of the Blessed Virgin, which we have since consecrated to her most holy and immaculate Heart, and which is today the altar of the archconfraternity. I was in the first verse of Psalm Judica me, when a thought crossed my mind: it was the thought of the uselessness of my ministry in that parish; such a thought was no stranger to me; I had only too many opportunities to conceive it and remind myself of that; but in this occasion it struck me more vividly than usual. Since it was neither the place nor the time to take care of it, I made every effort to keep it away from my mind. I could not manage it, I always seemed to hear a voice coming from inside me saying to me: "Do not do anything, your ministry is nil; See, for more than four years that you have been here, what have you won? All is lost, this people no longer has faith. You should leave, out of common sense!
Despite all my efforts to send that unfortunate thought away, it took me over in such a way that it absorbed all the faculties of my spirit, to the point that I read and recited the prayers without understanding what I was saying.
I was fatigued by the violence that I had imposed on myself and that made me sweat abundantly. I remained like that until the beginning of the canon of the mass. After saying the Sanctus I stopped for a moment and tried to regroup; I was scared of my own state and said to myself: God, what is happening to me? How can I offer the divine sacrifice? My spirit is not free enough to give consecration. Oh my God, keep that distraction away from me. As soon as I said that I clearly heard these words spoken in a solemn fashion: Consecrate your parish to the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary. As soon as I heard those words that did not hurt but resonated inside me, I recovered the calm and freedom of spirit. That fatal impression that violently agitated me soon vanished, not leaving any impression. I carried out the sacred ministry without any recollection of my previous distraction. After the thanksgiving I analyzed the way I had offered the sacred sacrifice. It was only then that I remembered having had a distraction, a confusing memory that forced me to dig up for a few moments and find the objective of that. I assured myself, saying: I did not sin. I was not free. I then asked myself how that distraction had ended and the remembrance of the words that I had heard came back to mind. That thought horrified me. I tried to deny the possibility, but my memory confused the thoughts that I repelled. I fought myself for ten minutes. I said to myself: If I stopped there it would bring a huge disgrace upon me; it would affect my morale and I could become a visionary. Tired of that fight I made the decision and said: I cannot stop at that thought; it would bring very unpleasant consequences; besides, it is an illusion; I had a big distraction during the mass, that is all. The essential to me is that fact that I did not sin. I do not want to think about it. I rested my hands on the kneeler where I was. At that very moment, and even before rising (I was alone in the sacristy) I heard these very distinct words: Consecrate your parish to the sacred and immaculate heart of Mary. I fell on my knees, stunned. I tried not to believe for a few moments; I wanted to at least doubt but I couldn’t anymore. I had heard and could not deny it to myself. I felt suddenly sad; the uneasiness that had tormented my soul was back. I then tried to expel all those thoughts; I said: It is still an illusion, resulting from the confusion in your mind since the first impression you had; I did not hear, you could not have heard, and an intimate voice was telling me: you cannot doubt, you heard it twice.
I then decided not to think about it anymore and try to forget. But those words – consecrate your parish to the sacred and immaculate heart of Mary reverberated incessantly in my soul. To get rid of the impression that was tiring me I said: It is always an act of devotion to the St. Virgen that can result in something positive. Let us try. My acknowledgement was not free; it was demanded by my fatigued spirit. I then went to my apartment. To keep those thoughts away I started working on the bylaws of our association. As soon as I started the work the matter was clarified before my eyes and the bylaws were soon written. That is the truth and we did not tell that in the first editions of our manual; we even hid it from the venerable director of our consciences. Up until that they it was kept as a secret, even to the closest friends. We dared not reveal it; and today that the mercy has positively assigned the work of the prodigious propagation of the archconfraternity, and in particular by the remarkable fruits that it produces, my conscience obliges me to reveal the fact. – It is glorious, said Archangel Raphael to Tobias, the revelation of God’s works is glorious, so that all can acknowledge that the whole honor, glory and praise belong to him.”
This is a maximum demonstration of the auditive mediumship. Whoever denied the mediumistic effect and thought it was a miracle I would say that miracle is something exceptional and above the laws of nature and that nobody would consider as such the phenomena that do take place every day; their reproduction is a positive indication that they exist due to a law and that consequently do not escape the natural order of things. Well, events similar to that of father Dégenettes are among the most common of mediumship since phenomena of auditive communication are extremely numerous.
If, according to the opinion of some, the devil is the only agent of the mediumistic phenomena, one would forcibly have to conclude, to be consistent, that the foundation of the so called archconfraternity is the works of the devil because, following the good logic, the absolute analogy of the effects imply the cause.
A more embarrassing point to the partisans of the devil is the endless reproduction of all mediumistic phenomena in the very heart of the clergy and in religious communities, and the perfect similarity between several effects named sacred, with those that are considered diabolic. One must then acknowledge that the bad spirits are not the only ones with the power of manifestation, on the contrary the majority of the saints would be no more than “possessed”, since the beatification of many followed phenomena that today are reproduced by mediums. They ducked by saying that the good Spirits only communicate with the Church or it is only the Church that can differentiate those that come from God from those that come from the devil. Be it. It is a reason, like any other, to be appreciated by everyone but that exclude the exclusive communication of the devil.
Mr. Delanne that kindly reported the event above also added the following communication from father Dégenettes, received by Mrs. Delanne:
“My dear children, I gladly attend to your call. I will provide you with the details that you would like to know because today I am linked to the phalanx of the Spirits whose mission is to lead humanity on the path of truth. When I was on Earth I struggled to bring people back to God, but I only had a slight idea of this great law that entitles everyone to progress. Matter imposes serious blockades and our instincts frequently paralyze the efforts of intelligence. At the time of my hearing, therefore, I did not know, for sure, what to think; but since I continued hearing that voice I concluded it was a miracle. Yet, I saw myself as an instrument and everything I got through that only confirmed my idea. I was in fact an instrument but there was no miracle. I was one of those designated to carry the first stones of the doctrine, offering the proof of spiritual communications. Time is not far when you will be given developments about the so called mysteries and that were supposed to be up until now, because humanity was not yet prepared to understand them! Ah a thousand times happier those that today understand the beautiful mission of propagating the doctrine of revelation, showing a good and merciful God! Yes, my dears, when I was exiled on Earth I carried the precious gift of mediumship; but I repeat, I was not aware of that. When that voice spoke to my heart I acknowledged a more special and visible protection of Mary in all my actions, even the simplest, and if I hid that even from my superiors it was attending the advice of that same voice that made me understand that the time was not right for that revelation. I had the presentiment and a vague intuition of the renovation that is taking place now. I understood that the revelation was not supposed to come from the Church but that one day the Church would be forced to support it, by all facts that it are named miracles and are attributed to supernatural causes. I will continue this on another occasion, my friends. May the peace of the Lord be with you and allow you a peaceful sleep.”
Q – Should we send this communication and the events that led to it to Mr. Allan Kardec? A. – Haven’t I told you that I am one of the propagators of the doctrine? My name does not carry much value but I cannot see why I would not authorize you to proceed. In fact, this is not the first time I communicate. You can, therefore, forward to the master my simple instructions, or even better, my simple report.”
Dégenettes
Observation: Father Dégenettes in fact communicated several times with words that are worthy of the elevation of his soul. As much as we can remember he was the one that told the following story in a sermon given at the Notre-Dame des Victories:
That day, at nine o'clock in the morning, I began the Holy Mass at the foot of the altar of the Blessed Virgin, which we have since consecrated to her most holy and immaculate Heart, and which is today the altar of the archconfraternity. I was in the first verse of Psalm Judica me, when a thought crossed my mind: it was the thought of the uselessness of my ministry in that parish; such a thought was no stranger to me; I had only too many opportunities to conceive it and remind myself of that; but in this occasion it struck me more vividly than usual. Since it was neither the place nor the time to take care of it, I made every effort to keep it away from my mind. I could not manage it, I always seemed to hear a voice coming from inside me saying to me: "Do not do anything, your ministry is nil; See, for more than four years that you have been here, what have you won? All is lost, this people no longer has faith. You should leave, out of common sense!
Despite all my efforts to send that unfortunate thought away, it took me over in such a way that it absorbed all the faculties of my spirit, to the point that I read and recited the prayers without understanding what I was saying.
I was fatigued by the violence that I had imposed on myself and that made me sweat abundantly. I remained like that until the beginning of the canon of the mass. After saying the Sanctus I stopped for a moment and tried to regroup; I was scared of my own state and said to myself: God, what is happening to me? How can I offer the divine sacrifice? My spirit is not free enough to give consecration. Oh my God, keep that distraction away from me. As soon as I said that I clearly heard these words spoken in a solemn fashion: Consecrate your parish to the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary. As soon as I heard those words that did not hurt but resonated inside me, I recovered the calm and freedom of spirit. That fatal impression that violently agitated me soon vanished, not leaving any impression. I carried out the sacred ministry without any recollection of my previous distraction. After the thanksgiving I analyzed the way I had offered the sacred sacrifice. It was only then that I remembered having had a distraction, a confusing memory that forced me to dig up for a few moments and find the objective of that. I assured myself, saying: I did not sin. I was not free. I then asked myself how that distraction had ended and the remembrance of the words that I had heard came back to mind. That thought horrified me. I tried to deny the possibility, but my memory confused the thoughts that I repelled. I fought myself for ten minutes. I said to myself: If I stopped there it would bring a huge disgrace upon me; it would affect my morale and I could become a visionary. Tired of that fight I made the decision and said: I cannot stop at that thought; it would bring very unpleasant consequences; besides, it is an illusion; I had a big distraction during the mass, that is all. The essential to me is that fact that I did not sin. I do not want to think about it. I rested my hands on the kneeler where I was. At that very moment, and even before rising (I was alone in the sacristy) I heard these very distinct words: Consecrate your parish to the sacred and immaculate heart of Mary. I fell on my knees, stunned. I tried not to believe for a few moments; I wanted to at least doubt but I couldn’t anymore. I had heard and could not deny it to myself. I felt suddenly sad; the uneasiness that had tormented my soul was back. I then tried to expel all those thoughts; I said: It is still an illusion, resulting from the confusion in your mind since the first impression you had; I did not hear, you could not have heard, and an intimate voice was telling me: you cannot doubt, you heard it twice.
I then decided not to think about it anymore and try to forget. But those words – consecrate your parish to the sacred and immaculate heart of Mary reverberated incessantly in my soul. To get rid of the impression that was tiring me I said: It is always an act of devotion to the St. Virgen that can result in something positive. Let us try. My acknowledgement was not free; it was demanded by my fatigued spirit. I then went to my apartment. To keep those thoughts away I started working on the bylaws of our association. As soon as I started the work the matter was clarified before my eyes and the bylaws were soon written. That is the truth and we did not tell that in the first editions of our manual; we even hid it from the venerable director of our consciences. Up until that they it was kept as a secret, even to the closest friends. We dared not reveal it; and today that the mercy has positively assigned the work of the prodigious propagation of the archconfraternity, and in particular by the remarkable fruits that it produces, my conscience obliges me to reveal the fact. – It is glorious, said Archangel Raphael to Tobias, the revelation of God’s works is glorious, so that all can acknowledge that the whole honor, glory and praise belong to him.”
This is a maximum demonstration of the auditive mediumship. Whoever denied the mediumistic effect and thought it was a miracle I would say that miracle is something exceptional and above the laws of nature and that nobody would consider as such the phenomena that do take place every day; their reproduction is a positive indication that they exist due to a law and that consequently do not escape the natural order of things. Well, events similar to that of father Dégenettes are among the most common of mediumship since phenomena of auditive communication are extremely numerous.
If, according to the opinion of some, the devil is the only agent of the mediumistic phenomena, one would forcibly have to conclude, to be consistent, that the foundation of the so called archconfraternity is the works of the devil because, following the good logic, the absolute analogy of the effects imply the cause.
A more embarrassing point to the partisans of the devil is the endless reproduction of all mediumistic phenomena in the very heart of the clergy and in religious communities, and the perfect similarity between several effects named sacred, with those that are considered diabolic. One must then acknowledge that the bad spirits are not the only ones with the power of manifestation, on the contrary the majority of the saints would be no more than “possessed”, since the beatification of many followed phenomena that today are reproduced by mediums. They ducked by saying that the good Spirits only communicate with the Church or it is only the Church that can differentiate those that come from God from those that come from the devil. Be it. It is a reason, like any other, to be appreciated by everyone but that exclude the exclusive communication of the devil.
Mr. Delanne that kindly reported the event above also added the following communication from father Dégenettes, received by Mrs. Delanne:
“My dear children, I gladly attend to your call. I will provide you with the details that you would like to know because today I am linked to the phalanx of the Spirits whose mission is to lead humanity on the path of truth. When I was on Earth I struggled to bring people back to God, but I only had a slight idea of this great law that entitles everyone to progress. Matter imposes serious blockades and our instincts frequently paralyze the efforts of intelligence. At the time of my hearing, therefore, I did not know, for sure, what to think; but since I continued hearing that voice I concluded it was a miracle. Yet, I saw myself as an instrument and everything I got through that only confirmed my idea. I was in fact an instrument but there was no miracle. I was one of those designated to carry the first stones of the doctrine, offering the proof of spiritual communications. Time is not far when you will be given developments about the so called mysteries and that were supposed to be up until now, because humanity was not yet prepared to understand them! Ah a thousand times happier those that today understand the beautiful mission of propagating the doctrine of revelation, showing a good and merciful God! Yes, my dears, when I was exiled on Earth I carried the precious gift of mediumship; but I repeat, I was not aware of that. When that voice spoke to my heart I acknowledged a more special and visible protection of Mary in all my actions, even the simplest, and if I hid that even from my superiors it was attending the advice of that same voice that made me understand that the time was not right for that revelation. I had the presentiment and a vague intuition of the renovation that is taking place now. I understood that the revelation was not supposed to come from the Church but that one day the Church would be forced to support it, by all facts that it are named miracles and are attributed to supernatural causes. I will continue this on another occasion, my friends. May the peace of the Lord be with you and allow you a peaceful sleep.”
Q – Should we send this communication and the events that led to it to Mr. Allan Kardec? A. – Haven’t I told you that I am one of the propagators of the doctrine? My name does not carry much value but I cannot see why I would not authorize you to proceed. In fact, this is not the first time I communicate. You can, therefore, forward to the master my simple instructions, or even better, my simple report.”
Dégenettes
Observation: Father Dégenettes in fact communicated several times with words that are worthy of the elevation of his soul. As much as we can remember he was the one that told the following story in a sermon given at the Notre-Dame des Victories:
- A poor and unemployed working-class woman that came for her prayers encountered a man, when leaving the church, that approached her and said: You must go to this address to find a job; talk to Miss Jane Roe; she will fix it for you.
- The poor woman then saw a photograph hanging on a wall and then said: Look Ma’am, she said pointing at the picture; this was the gentleman that sent me here!
Father Dégenettes, therefore, believed in the apparition of the souls after their death, with the same looks as they had when alive. Events of such a kind are not unusual and we have numerous examples of them. It is unlikely that father Dégenettes reported this one from the pulpit without authentic proofs. His belief in this point, added to his personal experience, support his own words about his mission in the propagation of the doctrine of the Spirits.
An event like the one reported above would necessarily go among the marvelous and supernatural. It is only Spiritism that can give them a rational explanation by the knowledge of the properties of the perispirit. For that same reason it proves the possibility of Jesus Christ appearing to his disciples after his death.
An event like the one reported above would necessarily go among the marvelous and supernatural. It is only Spiritism that can give them a rational explanation by the knowledge of the properties of the perispirit. For that same reason it proves the possibility of Jesus Christ appearing to his disciples after his death.
Manifestations of Fives, Near Lillie (North)
The Independent of Douai, from July 6th and 8th, 1865 reads about the events that have just taken place in Fives:
I
I
“For about fifteen days some unexplained events have been taking place at Rue de Prieure, events that are causing great commotion in the whole neighborhood. At certain intervals and in the backyard of two houses in that street, there is a rain of projectiles that sometimes break glasses and hit the people, with no indication of the origin or the persons responsible for throwing them. Things got to a point that one of the tenants had to screen his windows out of fear of being hit.
In the beginning those involved observed the phenomenon carefully but later on the call the police that provided a careful investigation for days. That did not stop the abundant throwing of pieces of brick, charcoal, etc. in both backyards. An officer was even hit on his back at the time when he was trying to explain to one of his subordinates the parabola drawn by the objects before they reached the grounds. On the day before the glass-worker that was replacing some of the glasses on the windows was equally hit on his back. He was upset and swore vengeance but, like the others, he could never find the culprit.
More recently there has been a reduction in the volume of the projectiles but they are more frequent, so that the movement continues. Nonetheless the mystery is expected to be sorted out soon.
II
The bizarre phenomena that take place at Rue de Prieure, in Fives, since Thursday June 14th, and that we had already reported since Saturday, are now entering a new phase, says the journal from which we took the first article.
It is no longer just projectiles with an extraordinary noise thrown at doors and windows and less violently against people. Here is what is now happening in one of the two houses we talked about because the other one now is perfectly quiet: Last Saturday saw eight cents and five coins of two Belgium cents falling in the yard. The lady of the house saw several pieces of furniture moving around and chairs falling; she called neighbors to see. They put the chairs back on their feet but they fell again for several times. They also saw a pair of clogs left outside by the servant of the house moving, as if someone were wearing them and dancing. At night a calendar placed on the fireplace jumped and floated in the air; shoes left on the floor were jumping and falling upside down. The owner of the house, Mr. M…, came at night and remained vigilant. As soon as he was alone there was a noise; it was a lamp falling onto the fireplace; while he was picking that up a ladle fell on the ground; he bent to pick that up and another lamp fell on his back. Those events happened for part of the night. Meanwhile the maid that was sleeping on the upper floor screamed for help. She was found so scared that nobody doubted her honesty when she affirmed that someone had slapped her. She was sent downstairs to rest on a adjacent room; soon they heard her crying and even the sounds of the slapping on her. That young lady fell ill and had to return to her parents’ home.
There was still Belgium coins falling on Sunday morning. In the afternoon Mrs. X… left with some friends after having examined the whole house and found nothing unusual. The main door was carefully locked. Nobody could have gotten in. When she returned she found a large number eight drawn with socks and cloths that were locked in a wardrobe.
At night she did a thorough search with her husband, her nephew and a tenant that were the only dwellers, checking every room. Next morning, in the room previously occupied by the maid, she found a strange drawing formed by hats and ten steps of the stairs covered with jackets from her husband, her nephew and the tenant, all extended with a hat on top.
On Tuesday another Belgium cent fell in the yard. They intended to give it to the poor with the others that fell before but suddenly the box where they kept it fell from the furniture and the money disappeared, as well as the key to the desk. While they were sweeping the floor in the dining room they suddenly saw two knives thrown at and stuck on the floor and another one on the ceiling. Then a key fell in the yard. It was from the main door; then came the one from the desk; then shawl and scarves that had been missing for some time appeared folded and tied in knots. In the afternoon they saw a circle formed with clothes on Mr. M… bed, and in the cellar, they found a similar drawing formed with an old jacket and a basket.
All these events, together with the ones we reported on Saturday, are confirmed by the persons that live in the house whose characters are trustworthy and far from delusional. All that seems really strange even more when we consider that it is a nice neighborhood with active surveillance for three weeks.
One can imagine the suffering caused to those in the home. After having locked the windows that look to the backyard they decided to abandon the rooms where the reported phenomena took place, so that they are now camping in two or three remaining rooms, waiting for the end of all that nuisance.
Chronicle by Th. Denis.”
As one can see, these events have a certain analogy with those of Poitiers, the Boulevard Chave in Marseille, of those at Rue des Gres and Rue Noyers in Paris, those of Hoerdt, near Strasbourg, and several other places. The most stringent surveillance was established everywhere, with the support of the police. Thanks to their multiplication they will end up being an eye opener. If they did happen in a single place we would be led to believe that they were due to a local cause but since they occur in so much distant places and at different times, we are forced to acknowledge that the cause is in the invisible world since we cannot find it here. Given these largely multiplied facts that, consequently, have so many witnesses, the denial is no longer possible, and we see the news limited to mere reports. The Spirits had announced that manifestations of all sorts would be produced everywhere. In fact, if we examine what has been happening for some time we will see that they have plenty of information to attest their presence. The skeptical demand facts; the Spirits give it to them all the time, with even more value considering that they have not been provoked and are produced without the help of the commonly known mediums, and in most cases among people that are oblivious to Spiritism. It seems that the Spirits are telling them: You accuse the mediums of deception, fraud, hallucination; we give you facts that are unsuspected. If you do not believe, after all that, it means that you want to keep your eyes and ears closed.
The manifestations of Fives, besides, are reported by Mr. Mallet, from Douai, a high-ranking officer and a man of sciences, that attest their reality locally, together with the persons involved. We can then guarantee their perfect accuracy.
In the beginning those involved observed the phenomenon carefully but later on the call the police that provided a careful investigation for days. That did not stop the abundant throwing of pieces of brick, charcoal, etc. in both backyards. An officer was even hit on his back at the time when he was trying to explain to one of his subordinates the parabola drawn by the objects before they reached the grounds. On the day before the glass-worker that was replacing some of the glasses on the windows was equally hit on his back. He was upset and swore vengeance but, like the others, he could never find the culprit.
More recently there has been a reduction in the volume of the projectiles but they are more frequent, so that the movement continues. Nonetheless the mystery is expected to be sorted out soon.
II
The bizarre phenomena that take place at Rue de Prieure, in Fives, since Thursday June 14th, and that we had already reported since Saturday, are now entering a new phase, says the journal from which we took the first article.
It is no longer just projectiles with an extraordinary noise thrown at doors and windows and less violently against people. Here is what is now happening in one of the two houses we talked about because the other one now is perfectly quiet: Last Saturday saw eight cents and five coins of two Belgium cents falling in the yard. The lady of the house saw several pieces of furniture moving around and chairs falling; she called neighbors to see. They put the chairs back on their feet but they fell again for several times. They also saw a pair of clogs left outside by the servant of the house moving, as if someone were wearing them and dancing. At night a calendar placed on the fireplace jumped and floated in the air; shoes left on the floor were jumping and falling upside down. The owner of the house, Mr. M…, came at night and remained vigilant. As soon as he was alone there was a noise; it was a lamp falling onto the fireplace; while he was picking that up a ladle fell on the ground; he bent to pick that up and another lamp fell on his back. Those events happened for part of the night. Meanwhile the maid that was sleeping on the upper floor screamed for help. She was found so scared that nobody doubted her honesty when she affirmed that someone had slapped her. She was sent downstairs to rest on a adjacent room; soon they heard her crying and even the sounds of the slapping on her. That young lady fell ill and had to return to her parents’ home.
There was still Belgium coins falling on Sunday morning. In the afternoon Mrs. X… left with some friends after having examined the whole house and found nothing unusual. The main door was carefully locked. Nobody could have gotten in. When she returned she found a large number eight drawn with socks and cloths that were locked in a wardrobe.
At night she did a thorough search with her husband, her nephew and a tenant that were the only dwellers, checking every room. Next morning, in the room previously occupied by the maid, she found a strange drawing formed by hats and ten steps of the stairs covered with jackets from her husband, her nephew and the tenant, all extended with a hat on top.
On Tuesday another Belgium cent fell in the yard. They intended to give it to the poor with the others that fell before but suddenly the box where they kept it fell from the furniture and the money disappeared, as well as the key to the desk. While they were sweeping the floor in the dining room they suddenly saw two knives thrown at and stuck on the floor and another one on the ceiling. Then a key fell in the yard. It was from the main door; then came the one from the desk; then shawl and scarves that had been missing for some time appeared folded and tied in knots. In the afternoon they saw a circle formed with clothes on Mr. M… bed, and in the cellar, they found a similar drawing formed with an old jacket and a basket.
All these events, together with the ones we reported on Saturday, are confirmed by the persons that live in the house whose characters are trustworthy and far from delusional. All that seems really strange even more when we consider that it is a nice neighborhood with active surveillance for three weeks.
One can imagine the suffering caused to those in the home. After having locked the windows that look to the backyard they decided to abandon the rooms where the reported phenomena took place, so that they are now camping in two or three remaining rooms, waiting for the end of all that nuisance.
Chronicle by Th. Denis.”
As one can see, these events have a certain analogy with those of Poitiers, the Boulevard Chave in Marseille, of those at Rue des Gres and Rue Noyers in Paris, those of Hoerdt, near Strasbourg, and several other places. The most stringent surveillance was established everywhere, with the support of the police. Thanks to their multiplication they will end up being an eye opener. If they did happen in a single place we would be led to believe that they were due to a local cause but since they occur in so much distant places and at different times, we are forced to acknowledge that the cause is in the invisible world since we cannot find it here. Given these largely multiplied facts that, consequently, have so many witnesses, the denial is no longer possible, and we see the news limited to mere reports. The Spirits had announced that manifestations of all sorts would be produced everywhere. In fact, if we examine what has been happening for some time we will see that they have plenty of information to attest their presence. The skeptical demand facts; the Spirits give it to them all the time, with even more value considering that they have not been provoked and are produced without the help of the commonly known mediums, and in most cases among people that are oblivious to Spiritism. It seems that the Spirits are telling them: You accuse the mediums of deception, fraud, hallucination; we give you facts that are unsuspected. If you do not believe, after all that, it means that you want to keep your eyes and ears closed.
The manifestations of Fives, besides, are reported by Mr. Mallet, from Douai, a high-ranking officer and a man of sciences, that attest their reality locally, together with the persons involved. We can then guarantee their perfect accuracy.
Psychological Problem
Two insane brothers
In a working-class family of Paris there are two children that are mentally ill, presenting the particularity of being perfectly normal until they were five years old. Unless provoked by an accident, insanity[1] in children is almost always the result of an interruption in the development of the organs and, consequently, it manifests since birth. Besides, it is remarkable here the fact that two children were hit by the same disease in identical conditions. Since this double phenomenon can be the object of an interesting study, from a physiological point of view, one of the members of the Parisian Society, Mr. Desliens, was introduced to the family in order to report back to the Society. The result of his observations is as follows:
“When the father learned about the objective of my visit, he said, he went to a bedroom and returned with a being that had the features of an animal rather than showing any spark of intelligence. He also brought a second one, in the same brute state but showing more of human characteristics. None of them would produce any meaningful sound; their only audible manifestation were little screeches and high pitch sounds. Their faces almost always showed an unhuman smile. The oldest is called Alfred and the other one Paulino. Alfred is now seventeen years old and was born with normal intelligence that even manifested prematurely. At the age of three he spoke with fluency and was able to comprehend the tiniest signs. He then fell ill and became verbally impaired and showed mental disability. Medical treatments lead him to a total exhaustion of his vital forces and absolute rickets. That creature, that not even has the appearance of a man, nonetheless has feelings; he loves his parents and brother and is capable of showing sympathy or displeasure for those around him. He understands everything that people say; intelligence shines out of his eyes; he strives to find the resources to respond to things that interest him but all that unsuccessfully. He has an incontrollable fear of death and always hides when he sees a funerary car. One day his aunt jokingly threated to poison him if he were naughty and he understood that perfectly well and for over a year he refused to accept any food from her hands, although he has an extraordinary appetite. Paulino, the fifteen-year-old, physically he has a more human look. His severe mental illness shows on his bruised facial expression. He, nonetheless, loves but that is limited to exterior manifestations. He was equally normal up to the age of six. He cared a lot for his brother. He then fell ill at that age and went through the same process as the oldest. More recently he had a prolonged illness after which he seemed to understand things better. The clerics of the parish said that it was all about demoniac possession and that it was necessary to exorcize the boys. The parents hesitated. However, fatigued by their insistence and afraid of losing the support they had, given the state of the children, they agreed. Those gentlemen than stated that in fact there had been possession but, in another time, and that today there was nothing else that could be done. One must say, with respect to the parents, that they have always shown the greatest care and fondness towards those unfortunate creatures.”
The clerics wisely resigned to the exorcism that would certainly lead to failure. The children do not show any sign of obsession, in the way Spiritism understands it, and it all leads to the belief that the cause is purely pathologic. Both shows mental illness as a consequence of another disease that, undoubtedly, caused the atrophy of the brains. But it is clearly easy to see that there is a thinking mind behind that veil that finds an unbreakable obstacle to its free manifestation. The intelligence of those kids, in their early days of infancy, demonstrates that it is about advanced Spirits that later on had their manifestation hindered. If they were given a normal body they would have been intelligent men, and when death frees them from that impediment, they will recover the full use of their faculties. Such a constriction imposed onto a soul must have a moral and providential cause, and it must be fair since God is the source of all justice. Well, considering that those kids could not have time to do anything wrong in this current life that would lead to such a punishment, one must forcibly admit that they are paying for a debt of a previous life, unless we deny God’s justice. They provide us with a proof of the need for reincarnation, this key that resolves so many problems and daily casts light on to so many still obscure question (see The Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter V, item 5: Past causes of affliction).
The communication that follows was given at the Parisian Society about this subject, on July 7th, 1865 (medium Mr. Desliens): “The loss of intelligence in the two cases of mental illness is certainly explainable from a scientific point of view. Each one fell ill for a short while; one can then conclude that their brains were affected. But why had that accident occurred after the evident manifestation of their normal faculties, contrary to what generally occurs in cases of insanity? I repeat: every disturbance of intelligence or of the physical functions may be explained physiologically, irrespective of the cause, since the laws established by the Creator for the relationship between intelligence and the organs of its transmission cannot be denied. The disturbance of those relationships is a consequence of those laws and may reach the culprit for their previous faults: that is the atonement. Why are those two beings hurt together? Because they lived a common life; they were connected during the trial and must be reunited in their atonement. Why have they given early signs of intelligence, contrary to what commonly happen in similar cases? From the point of view of the providence, it is one out of thousands of nuances of atonement, that are individual and very difficult to assess by the simple fact that they are individual. One must also see here one of those many elements that daily come to confirm, to the careful observer, the bases of the Spiritist Doctrine, sanctioning by the evidence the principles of reincarnation. In addition, do not forget that the parents also have their part here. To them it is also a great test, for their love and care have no compensation. They must be congratulated for not having failed and the compensation that they do not find in this world they will find later on. Rest assured that the care and affection that they dedicate to those poor beings might well be a reparation to them, a reparation that have even more merit given the embarrassing condition of the whole family.” Moki
[1] Idiocy in the original. The term was medically correct in the times of Allan Kardec and had no negative meaning as it does today (TN)
“When the father learned about the objective of my visit, he said, he went to a bedroom and returned with a being that had the features of an animal rather than showing any spark of intelligence. He also brought a second one, in the same brute state but showing more of human characteristics. None of them would produce any meaningful sound; their only audible manifestation were little screeches and high pitch sounds. Their faces almost always showed an unhuman smile. The oldest is called Alfred and the other one Paulino. Alfred is now seventeen years old and was born with normal intelligence that even manifested prematurely. At the age of three he spoke with fluency and was able to comprehend the tiniest signs. He then fell ill and became verbally impaired and showed mental disability. Medical treatments lead him to a total exhaustion of his vital forces and absolute rickets. That creature, that not even has the appearance of a man, nonetheless has feelings; he loves his parents and brother and is capable of showing sympathy or displeasure for those around him. He understands everything that people say; intelligence shines out of his eyes; he strives to find the resources to respond to things that interest him but all that unsuccessfully. He has an incontrollable fear of death and always hides when he sees a funerary car. One day his aunt jokingly threated to poison him if he were naughty and he understood that perfectly well and for over a year he refused to accept any food from her hands, although he has an extraordinary appetite. Paulino, the fifteen-year-old, physically he has a more human look. His severe mental illness shows on his bruised facial expression. He, nonetheless, loves but that is limited to exterior manifestations. He was equally normal up to the age of six. He cared a lot for his brother. He then fell ill at that age and went through the same process as the oldest. More recently he had a prolonged illness after which he seemed to understand things better. The clerics of the parish said that it was all about demoniac possession and that it was necessary to exorcize the boys. The parents hesitated. However, fatigued by their insistence and afraid of losing the support they had, given the state of the children, they agreed. Those gentlemen than stated that in fact there had been possession but, in another time, and that today there was nothing else that could be done. One must say, with respect to the parents, that they have always shown the greatest care and fondness towards those unfortunate creatures.”
The clerics wisely resigned to the exorcism that would certainly lead to failure. The children do not show any sign of obsession, in the way Spiritism understands it, and it all leads to the belief that the cause is purely pathologic. Both shows mental illness as a consequence of another disease that, undoubtedly, caused the atrophy of the brains. But it is clearly easy to see that there is a thinking mind behind that veil that finds an unbreakable obstacle to its free manifestation. The intelligence of those kids, in their early days of infancy, demonstrates that it is about advanced Spirits that later on had their manifestation hindered. If they were given a normal body they would have been intelligent men, and when death frees them from that impediment, they will recover the full use of their faculties. Such a constriction imposed onto a soul must have a moral and providential cause, and it must be fair since God is the source of all justice. Well, considering that those kids could not have time to do anything wrong in this current life that would lead to such a punishment, one must forcibly admit that they are paying for a debt of a previous life, unless we deny God’s justice. They provide us with a proof of the need for reincarnation, this key that resolves so many problems and daily casts light on to so many still obscure question (see The Gospel According to Spiritism, Chapter V, item 5: Past causes of affliction).
The communication that follows was given at the Parisian Society about this subject, on July 7th, 1865 (medium Mr. Desliens): “The loss of intelligence in the two cases of mental illness is certainly explainable from a scientific point of view. Each one fell ill for a short while; one can then conclude that their brains were affected. But why had that accident occurred after the evident manifestation of their normal faculties, contrary to what generally occurs in cases of insanity? I repeat: every disturbance of intelligence or of the physical functions may be explained physiologically, irrespective of the cause, since the laws established by the Creator for the relationship between intelligence and the organs of its transmission cannot be denied. The disturbance of those relationships is a consequence of those laws and may reach the culprit for their previous faults: that is the atonement. Why are those two beings hurt together? Because they lived a common life; they were connected during the trial and must be reunited in their atonement. Why have they given early signs of intelligence, contrary to what commonly happen in similar cases? From the point of view of the providence, it is one out of thousands of nuances of atonement, that are individual and very difficult to assess by the simple fact that they are individual. One must also see here one of those many elements that daily come to confirm, to the careful observer, the bases of the Spiritist Doctrine, sanctioning by the evidence the principles of reincarnation. In addition, do not forget that the parents also have their part here. To them it is also a great test, for their love and care have no compensation. They must be congratulated for not having failed and the compensation that they do not find in this world they will find later on. Rest assured that the care and affection that they dedicate to those poor beings might well be a reparation to them, a reparation that have even more merit given the embarrassing condition of the whole family.” Moki
[1] Idiocy in the original. The term was medically correct in the times of Allan Kardec and had no negative meaning as it does today (TN)
Varieties
Epitaph of Benjamin Franklin
One of our members, from Joinville, Haute-Marne, sent us the following:
“Since I am aware that you welcome every document that has any relationship with the Spiritist Doctrine, I promptly let you know about a passage in the biography of Franklin, taken from the Mosaique, page 287, 1839. It demonstrates once more that superior minds, at all times, had the intuition of the Spiritist truths. The belief of that great man in the reincarnation and in the progression of the soul is fully revealed in the following few lines, forming the epitaph that he wrote himself. It goes like this:
“Here rests the body of Benjamin Franklin, thrown to the worms; a printer, like the cover of an old book whose pages were torn off, and whose title and graphic decoration were erased. But, as he believed, the work will not be lost, and it will come back in a new and better edition, reviewed and revised by the author”.
One of the most celebrated and honored American citizen therefore believed in reincarnation. He not only believed that he would be reborn on Earth but also believed that he would return improved by his own personal work. That is exactly what Spiritism says.
If we collected all the thousands of excerpts written in many spread out documents in favor of this doctrine we would acknowledge how much it was rooted in thinkers of all times, and we would be less surprised by the easiness with which it is welcomed today, because one can say that it is already latent in the conscience of the majority. Those thoughts, sowed here and there, were the precursor sparks of the fire that would shine later on, indicating the destiny of humanity.
“Since I am aware that you welcome every document that has any relationship with the Spiritist Doctrine, I promptly let you know about a passage in the biography of Franklin, taken from the Mosaique, page 287, 1839. It demonstrates once more that superior minds, at all times, had the intuition of the Spiritist truths. The belief of that great man in the reincarnation and in the progression of the soul is fully revealed in the following few lines, forming the epitaph that he wrote himself. It goes like this:
“Here rests the body of Benjamin Franklin, thrown to the worms; a printer, like the cover of an old book whose pages were torn off, and whose title and graphic decoration were erased. But, as he believed, the work will not be lost, and it will come back in a new and better edition, reviewed and revised by the author”.
One of the most celebrated and honored American citizen therefore believed in reincarnation. He not only believed that he would be reborn on Earth but also believed that he would return improved by his own personal work. That is exactly what Spiritism says.
If we collected all the thousands of excerpts written in many spread out documents in favor of this doctrine we would acknowledge how much it was rooted in thinkers of all times, and we would be less surprised by the easiness with which it is welcomed today, because one can say that it is already latent in the conscience of the majority. Those thoughts, sowed here and there, were the precursor sparks of the fire that would shine later on, indicating the destiny of humanity.
Bibliographic News
The manual of Xéfolius
This book is a proof of the fermentation of the Spiritist ideas much earlier than we were dealing with the Spirits. But here we are not talking about spread out thoughts; it is a series of instructions that we may are based on the current doctrine or, at least, that has drunk from the same spring. The work attributed to Felix de Wimpfen, beheaded in 1793, seems to have been published in 1788. In the beginning only sixty-six books were printed to some friends, according to a note placed at the introduction of the work, and consequently it was very rare. Below it follows the text of the preface dated 1788 and whose very ambiguous form could well be a way of dissimulating the personality of the author:
“If I told the public how the work I deliver today fell in my hands, the extraordinary contained in this story would not satisfy the reader more than my silence would bring uneasiness, adding nothing to the priceless gift that I pass on. Surprised and worried about such a singularity, I read it with a kind of suspicion; but soon the concern was replaced by admiration; I found what no philosopher had ever offered us, a complete system. I found my soul supported, established onto a foundation that corresponded in everything; I felt my soul growing and elevating; my heart felt the warmth of a new love towards my fellow human beings; my imagination hit by an even more profound respect for the author of all things; I saw why so much complaints against the eternal wisdom; since I was better off and happier I thought it was not by chance that I had been chosen and that the Providence wanted me to be the instrument of the publication of this manual, proper to all cults that are respected, to all ages that it instructs, to all states to whom it brings consolation, from the monarch to the beggar. Feeling and reason led me to share with my brothers the encouraging hopes, the peaceful resignation and the impulses towards perfection that took me over. Strengthened by a happiness that was unknow to me until now, I face the ridicule that will fall from me for my weakness, by the hands of the strong ones, and by anticipation I forgive their sorrow with which they will perhaps compensate the happiness for which I invite the reader, and that sooner or later will be their share.”
One of our colleagues from the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, that lives in Gray, in Haute-Saone, found this book on his desk, a short while ago, never knowing why or by whom it was brought there, not knowing anybody that could have done it, and in fact he does not understand the reason to hide it. Among his closest circle nobody ever mentioned that in their conversations, nor did they know anything about the book when he mentioned that. Touched by the ideas he found in the book he informed us about it in his last visit to Paris. We promptly obtained a recently launched publication by Hachette edition. The title unfortunately does not say much and must have contributed to keep it ignored by the public. We believe the Spiritists will thank us for bringing it out from anonymity and calling their attention to the work. Nothing better than citing a few of its passages.
“We all start from the same point to arrive at the same circumference, following different radius; and it is the diversity of types that we have used that provides the diversity of our inclinations to the first prototype. As for the inclinations, for those that have already used several, they have so many different causes and nuances that if we want to indicate them we would get lost in infinity. I will limit myself to say that when we do nothing but to turn around the circle of vanity, we are always similar; but the one that follow the laws cannot conceive how it was possible to act in such different ways, and so much contrary to what one is now.” (page 87)
“Man is no more than a disform or weak prototype when criminally abused the power or the beauty of the one that has just been left, because after the experience we are deprived of the privileges that were abused by us, keeping us away from happiness and salvation, and we then receive again what can lead us closer to them. If, then, it was beauty, we are reborn ugly, disform; if health, weak, ill; if wealth, poor and neglected; if greatness, slaves and deprived; such that it is what the game of the universal laws shows us, down here already, some examples of those that after having abused their transient or conventional means to outrage their brethren, became object of neglect and pity to them.” (page 89)
“When we judge the penalties that a crime deserves we may vary with respect to the measure of punishment but we all agree that the crime must be punished. We are equally in agreement that the punishments imposed on a bad person by a good one would be preferable to the barbarism of the eternal penalties, useless to oneself and to the others, and that since the Almightiness cannot be threatened, offended and disturbed, and cannot seek vengeance; that as a consequence, everything that we experiment is for our enlightenment and change; but the invaluable price that man attaches to material objects of all kinds makes him believe that an infinite power is not less necessary to assign punishment to a fault of his own; then, in his mad passion, he believes that God will revenge as he would if he were god, whereas others try to convince themselves that heavens are oblivious to their crimes. But that is how the corrupted ones reason, each taking their own self-serving interest as basis.” (page 134)
“Had we not limited the universe to our little globe, to an Elysium, a Tartar, all surrounded by candles, we would have been fairer to God and to our brethren. You do not know what to do with the tyrant of Rome, after his uncountable mistakes, dying with the regret of not having achieved all of those in his list. Since you cannot move him to the Elysium, you invent the rages, a Tartar, and throw him into the abyss of eternal penalties. But when you realize that the tyrant, murdered at an early age, still lives; that he went through the most disgusting conditions; that he was punished by the “eye for an eye” law; that he suffered alone everything he made others suffer; when you realize that instructed by disgrace, that great teacher of mankind, modified by the suffering, hopeless and knowledgeable of everything that disturbs; that heart, in which there was abundance of sins and vices, and that vomited the crimes that the universal laws utilized to modify and salvage many of our brothers; when you realize, I say, that that very heart today is an asylum of truth, of the kindest and harmonious virtues, how are you going to feel about that?” (page 131)
“When men imagined a vindictive God, they used their own image for that. Man seeks revenge because believes to have been hurt or to demonstrate that he must be taken seriously, that is, revenge is caused by greed or fear, believing that it is only the demand for justice. Each one of us knows where the lack of harmony in our passions may lead us. But the Almighty, unreachable by our attacks, the Eternal, as good as just, he only carries out justice to the same measure of his goodness. Since his goodness created us for happiness, he ordered the nature of things so that:
“If I told the public how the work I deliver today fell in my hands, the extraordinary contained in this story would not satisfy the reader more than my silence would bring uneasiness, adding nothing to the priceless gift that I pass on. Surprised and worried about such a singularity, I read it with a kind of suspicion; but soon the concern was replaced by admiration; I found what no philosopher had ever offered us, a complete system. I found my soul supported, established onto a foundation that corresponded in everything; I felt my soul growing and elevating; my heart felt the warmth of a new love towards my fellow human beings; my imagination hit by an even more profound respect for the author of all things; I saw why so much complaints against the eternal wisdom; since I was better off and happier I thought it was not by chance that I had been chosen and that the Providence wanted me to be the instrument of the publication of this manual, proper to all cults that are respected, to all ages that it instructs, to all states to whom it brings consolation, from the monarch to the beggar. Feeling and reason led me to share with my brothers the encouraging hopes, the peaceful resignation and the impulses towards perfection that took me over. Strengthened by a happiness that was unknow to me until now, I face the ridicule that will fall from me for my weakness, by the hands of the strong ones, and by anticipation I forgive their sorrow with which they will perhaps compensate the happiness for which I invite the reader, and that sooner or later will be their share.”
One of our colleagues from the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, that lives in Gray, in Haute-Saone, found this book on his desk, a short while ago, never knowing why or by whom it was brought there, not knowing anybody that could have done it, and in fact he does not understand the reason to hide it. Among his closest circle nobody ever mentioned that in their conversations, nor did they know anything about the book when he mentioned that. Touched by the ideas he found in the book he informed us about it in his last visit to Paris. We promptly obtained a recently launched publication by Hachette edition. The title unfortunately does not say much and must have contributed to keep it ignored by the public. We believe the Spiritists will thank us for bringing it out from anonymity and calling their attention to the work. Nothing better than citing a few of its passages.
“We all start from the same point to arrive at the same circumference, following different radius; and it is the diversity of types that we have used that provides the diversity of our inclinations to the first prototype. As for the inclinations, for those that have already used several, they have so many different causes and nuances that if we want to indicate them we would get lost in infinity. I will limit myself to say that when we do nothing but to turn around the circle of vanity, we are always similar; but the one that follow the laws cannot conceive how it was possible to act in such different ways, and so much contrary to what one is now.” (page 87)
“Man is no more than a disform or weak prototype when criminally abused the power or the beauty of the one that has just been left, because after the experience we are deprived of the privileges that were abused by us, keeping us away from happiness and salvation, and we then receive again what can lead us closer to them. If, then, it was beauty, we are reborn ugly, disform; if health, weak, ill; if wealth, poor and neglected; if greatness, slaves and deprived; such that it is what the game of the universal laws shows us, down here already, some examples of those that after having abused their transient or conventional means to outrage their brethren, became object of neglect and pity to them.” (page 89)
“When we judge the penalties that a crime deserves we may vary with respect to the measure of punishment but we all agree that the crime must be punished. We are equally in agreement that the punishments imposed on a bad person by a good one would be preferable to the barbarism of the eternal penalties, useless to oneself and to the others, and that since the Almightiness cannot be threatened, offended and disturbed, and cannot seek vengeance; that as a consequence, everything that we experiment is for our enlightenment and change; but the invaluable price that man attaches to material objects of all kinds makes him believe that an infinite power is not less necessary to assign punishment to a fault of his own; then, in his mad passion, he believes that God will revenge as he would if he were god, whereas others try to convince themselves that heavens are oblivious to their crimes. But that is how the corrupted ones reason, each taking their own self-serving interest as basis.” (page 134)
“Had we not limited the universe to our little globe, to an Elysium, a Tartar, all surrounded by candles, we would have been fairer to God and to our brethren. You do not know what to do with the tyrant of Rome, after his uncountable mistakes, dying with the regret of not having achieved all of those in his list. Since you cannot move him to the Elysium, you invent the rages, a Tartar, and throw him into the abyss of eternal penalties. But when you realize that the tyrant, murdered at an early age, still lives; that he went through the most disgusting conditions; that he was punished by the “eye for an eye” law; that he suffered alone everything he made others suffer; when you realize that instructed by disgrace, that great teacher of mankind, modified by the suffering, hopeless and knowledgeable of everything that disturbs; that heart, in which there was abundance of sins and vices, and that vomited the crimes that the universal laws utilized to modify and salvage many of our brothers; when you realize, I say, that that very heart today is an asylum of truth, of the kindest and harmonious virtues, how are you going to feel about that?” (page 131)
“When men imagined a vindictive God, they used their own image for that. Man seeks revenge because believes to have been hurt or to demonstrate that he must be taken seriously, that is, revenge is caused by greed or fear, believing that it is only the demand for justice. Each one of us knows where the lack of harmony in our passions may lead us. But the Almighty, unreachable by our attacks, the Eternal, as good as just, he only carries out justice to the same measure of his goodness. Since his goodness created us for happiness, he ordered the nature of things so that:
- Not a single crime goes unpunished;
- The punishment, soon or later, becomes a light to the sinner and several others;
- We cannot change or infringe the laws without incurring in an error proportional to our fault and to the harm caused to our current condition.” (page 132)
“The more you advance the more beauty you will find in a heartfelt prayer, because it is through love that we shall be happy and since love is the link between all beings, its good vibe will act upon you. That invisible companion is perhaps the friend that you believe lost, or the other one that you believe to only exist in your desire; one moment more and you will be with him and every loved one, or those that you would had loved preferably, if you had known them.” (page 265)
“When an injustice or a malevolent act is a cause for your outrage, before you think about that injustice or harm, be rational with respect to your feeling, so that it will not become rage. Say to yourself: I need wisdom to withstand this. Wouldn’t this be an old debt that I pay now? If I lose my calm I will soon fall. Aren’t we all under the hand of the Great Worker and doesn’t He know better than I do the instrument to be used? Which advices I would give to a friend if I saw him in my situation? Isn’t that true that I would remind him of the progression of the beings; if a wild tree produces as good fruits as the one in the orchard; if he would like to be as delayed as the bad person, to become the same as him; if the attack that he suffered had not severed a link that he wasn’t able to break? Wouldn’t I finish by guiding his eyes to that eternal happiness, the price of the complement of a harmony in which we cannot progress but at the measure of our enlightenment, and our separation from the miserable interests that originate the continuous conflicts and that we raise above the finite!” (page 310)
These citations are enough to provide an insight into the book and make any comment unnecessary. The guide of the medium, Mr. Desliens, was asked about the possibility of evoking the Spirit of the author. He said: “Yes, certainly, even more because this is not his first communication. Several mediums were already guided by him on several occasions. I will pass to him the task of explaining that, as below.”
Evoked and questioned about the source of the ideas contained in his book, the Spirit then gave the following communication on June 29th, 1865:
“Considering that I do not attribute to me the exclusive merit of the work that you read, you must know that the wellbeing of humanity and the enlightenment of my brethren were my sole objective. That means that I will gladly give you the answers you expect from me. I have already come several times to attend the sessions of the Society not only as a spectator but as an instructor, and do not be surprised when I tell you that the Spirits, in their communications, use a name that is typical for the group to which they belong. Therefore, a Spirit that signs St. Augustine will not necessarily be St. Augustine himself but another one of the same order that arrived at the same level of perfection. Having said that you must know that in my life I was one of those inconscient mediums that frequently are found in your time. Here is why I have spoken in a seemingly premature way: For every moral and scientific acquisition several cornerstones are planted, repelled at first to succeed later, in order to seamlessly prepare the minds for the future developments. Every new idea has little chance of success, arriving at a supposedly wise world, facing the partisanship and opposition of its members. They may recognize the wisdom of the new ideas but to them it would be a sign of weakness to accept them, demonstrating the insanity of their particular systems. The prefer to deny them, out of self-love, human respect or even also out of ambition, until they are forced to acknowledge their mistakes by the evidence or pay the price of ridicule that they want to cast upon the new instrument of the Providence. It has been like that at all times and that is how it was with Spiritism. Hence, do not be surprised by finding several isolated manifestations in former times, preceding the great spiritualist movement, whose agreement with the present instructions demonstrate once more the intervention of the Almighty in all discoveries that humanity mistakenly attribute to any particular genius. No doubt that each one has its own genius; however, what would they do on their own? When someone, gifted by an intelligence capable of propagating new ideas with some chance of success, appear on Earth or somewhere else, that person is chosen by the hierarchy of the invisible beings, assigned by the Providence with the task of propagating the new invention, then receiving their inspiration for the discovery, and progressively making the incidents happen that will ensure its success.
During my incarnation it would have been impossible to have told you what driver of my writing was, the true manifestation of my individuality. Now I clearly see that I was the instrument, partially passive, of the Spirit in charge of guiding me to the harmonious target that should model me, in order to acquire the sum of perfection that I was able to expect from Earth. There are two types of very distinct perfections: the relative perfections, inspired by the guide of the day, a guide that is far away from the summit of the scale of perfectibility, and that are just above their proteges given their current stage of evolution, and the absolute perfection, a still veiled aspiration to me, since I still ignore it, and to which we arrive by the succession of relative perfections.
The soul acquires new moral senses in each world in which it lives, allowing the Spirit to get to know things that were unknown up until then. Could I tell you what I was? What is my position in the scale of the beings? What is the point? What good would that do to me to have some of the earthly glory? I prefer to keep the memory of having been useful to my fellow human beings, to the limit of my forces, and continue the task assigned to me by God when on Earth, out of his benevolence. I learned by teaching others. I do the same here. I can only tell you that I am part of the phalanx of Spirits that you assign the generic name of St. Louis.”
Q. – Could you tell us: 1) were you the person designated by the name Felix Wimpfen in the preface of the re-edition of your book? 2) were you a member of the sect of theosophy whose opinions are very close to ours? 3) if you are supposed to reincarnate soon and join the phalanx of Spirits destined to complete the great movement that we observe? 4) Mr. Allan Kardec would like to promote your book. He also would like to know your opinion about it.
A. – No, I was not Felix Wimpfen, believe me. If it were me I would have no problem and telling you that. He was my friend, as several other philosophers of the eighteenth century; I even followed his painful end. But I repeat, my name will remain unknown since it seems useless to have it revealed. I certainly sympathized with theosophy but did not share the enthusiasm of certain followers of that school. I had several acquaintances among them and my ideas, as you saw, were very similar to theirs. I am totally submiss to the designs of the Providence and if it is in those designs my return to Earth to continue to purify and enlighten myself, that will be out of God’s benevolence. In fact, I have expressed that desire and expect it to happen soon. Since my book support the Spiritist ideas I can only approve our President’s attitude for having thought of that. But I might not have been the first promoter of that preparation, and from my side I am certain that some Spirits familiar to me contributed to have it in your hands and to inspire in you the intentions about me.
You will know it is me when you have me specially evoked but when I come to teach you, like in the past, you will only know that I am one Spirit of the order of St. Louis.
“When an injustice or a malevolent act is a cause for your outrage, before you think about that injustice or harm, be rational with respect to your feeling, so that it will not become rage. Say to yourself: I need wisdom to withstand this. Wouldn’t this be an old debt that I pay now? If I lose my calm I will soon fall. Aren’t we all under the hand of the Great Worker and doesn’t He know better than I do the instrument to be used? Which advices I would give to a friend if I saw him in my situation? Isn’t that true that I would remind him of the progression of the beings; if a wild tree produces as good fruits as the one in the orchard; if he would like to be as delayed as the bad person, to become the same as him; if the attack that he suffered had not severed a link that he wasn’t able to break? Wouldn’t I finish by guiding his eyes to that eternal happiness, the price of the complement of a harmony in which we cannot progress but at the measure of our enlightenment, and our separation from the miserable interests that originate the continuous conflicts and that we raise above the finite!” (page 310)
These citations are enough to provide an insight into the book and make any comment unnecessary. The guide of the medium, Mr. Desliens, was asked about the possibility of evoking the Spirit of the author. He said: “Yes, certainly, even more because this is not his first communication. Several mediums were already guided by him on several occasions. I will pass to him the task of explaining that, as below.”
Evoked and questioned about the source of the ideas contained in his book, the Spirit then gave the following communication on June 29th, 1865:
“Considering that I do not attribute to me the exclusive merit of the work that you read, you must know that the wellbeing of humanity and the enlightenment of my brethren were my sole objective. That means that I will gladly give you the answers you expect from me. I have already come several times to attend the sessions of the Society not only as a spectator but as an instructor, and do not be surprised when I tell you that the Spirits, in their communications, use a name that is typical for the group to which they belong. Therefore, a Spirit that signs St. Augustine will not necessarily be St. Augustine himself but another one of the same order that arrived at the same level of perfection. Having said that you must know that in my life I was one of those inconscient mediums that frequently are found in your time. Here is why I have spoken in a seemingly premature way: For every moral and scientific acquisition several cornerstones are planted, repelled at first to succeed later, in order to seamlessly prepare the minds for the future developments. Every new idea has little chance of success, arriving at a supposedly wise world, facing the partisanship and opposition of its members. They may recognize the wisdom of the new ideas but to them it would be a sign of weakness to accept them, demonstrating the insanity of their particular systems. The prefer to deny them, out of self-love, human respect or even also out of ambition, until they are forced to acknowledge their mistakes by the evidence or pay the price of ridicule that they want to cast upon the new instrument of the Providence. It has been like that at all times and that is how it was with Spiritism. Hence, do not be surprised by finding several isolated manifestations in former times, preceding the great spiritualist movement, whose agreement with the present instructions demonstrate once more the intervention of the Almighty in all discoveries that humanity mistakenly attribute to any particular genius. No doubt that each one has its own genius; however, what would they do on their own? When someone, gifted by an intelligence capable of propagating new ideas with some chance of success, appear on Earth or somewhere else, that person is chosen by the hierarchy of the invisible beings, assigned by the Providence with the task of propagating the new invention, then receiving their inspiration for the discovery, and progressively making the incidents happen that will ensure its success.
During my incarnation it would have been impossible to have told you what driver of my writing was, the true manifestation of my individuality. Now I clearly see that I was the instrument, partially passive, of the Spirit in charge of guiding me to the harmonious target that should model me, in order to acquire the sum of perfection that I was able to expect from Earth. There are two types of very distinct perfections: the relative perfections, inspired by the guide of the day, a guide that is far away from the summit of the scale of perfectibility, and that are just above their proteges given their current stage of evolution, and the absolute perfection, a still veiled aspiration to me, since I still ignore it, and to which we arrive by the succession of relative perfections.
The soul acquires new moral senses in each world in which it lives, allowing the Spirit to get to know things that were unknown up until then. Could I tell you what I was? What is my position in the scale of the beings? What is the point? What good would that do to me to have some of the earthly glory? I prefer to keep the memory of having been useful to my fellow human beings, to the limit of my forces, and continue the task assigned to me by God when on Earth, out of his benevolence. I learned by teaching others. I do the same here. I can only tell you that I am part of the phalanx of Spirits that you assign the generic name of St. Louis.”
Q. – Could you tell us: 1) were you the person designated by the name Felix Wimpfen in the preface of the re-edition of your book? 2) were you a member of the sect of theosophy whose opinions are very close to ours? 3) if you are supposed to reincarnate soon and join the phalanx of Spirits destined to complete the great movement that we observe? 4) Mr. Allan Kardec would like to promote your book. He also would like to know your opinion about it.
A. – No, I was not Felix Wimpfen, believe me. If it were me I would have no problem and telling you that. He was my friend, as several other philosophers of the eighteenth century; I even followed his painful end. But I repeat, my name will remain unknown since it seems useless to have it revealed. I certainly sympathized with theosophy but did not share the enthusiasm of certain followers of that school. I had several acquaintances among them and my ideas, as you saw, were very similar to theirs. I am totally submiss to the designs of the Providence and if it is in those designs my return to Earth to continue to purify and enlighten myself, that will be out of God’s benevolence. In fact, I have expressed that desire and expect it to happen soon. Since my book support the Spiritist ideas I can only approve our President’s attitude for having thought of that. But I might not have been the first promoter of that preparation, and from my side I am certain that some Spirits familiar to me contributed to have it in your hands and to inspire in you the intentions about me.
You will know it is me when you have me specially evoked but when I come to teach you, like in the past, you will only know that I am one Spirit of the order of St. Louis.
Spiritist Dissertations
Key to heavensSociety of Montreuil-Sur-Mer, January 5th, 1865
When we consider that everything comes from God and returns to God it is then impossible not to see that in all things in the divine creation the links that unite them also subject them to a work of general progress, and at the same time to an individual progress. Also, one cannot ignore the fact that the law of solidarity that results from all that does not force us to useless sacrifices of all kinds to one another. In addition, God has shown us the first primordial application of the established principles. It is the solidarity found in those principles that lead us to sympathize with other people’s sufferings, to have compassion and to alleviate them. That is not all. The prophets and the divine Messiah Jesus Christ gave us the example of a second application of the principle of solidarity, initially presented through the symbolic religious ceremonies and more frequently by the authority of their teachings, that is the love to thy neighbor; later on, establishing the practice of charity as a strictly necessary duty, the very expression of solidarity. Charity is the act of our submission to the law of God; it is the sign of our moral greatness; the key to heavens. That is the charity that I want to talk to you about. I will discuss only the material side for a simple reason: it is the aspect that interest people the least.
Neither the Christians nor the Spiritists denied the principle or the law of solidarity but tried to subtract its consequences and for that invoked a thousand pretexts. I will mention a few.
Things of the soul or heart, they say, have an infinitely superior price than the material ones, hence the consolation of sufferings through words or wise advices is infinitely worthier than material help. You are right, ladies and gentlemen, if the suffering that you mention has a moral cause; if its reason is in a ulcer of the heart; but if it is hunger, cold or a disease; if, in a word, are provoked by material causes, will your words of wisdom be enough to minimize them? Allow me to doubt. When God placed you on this Earth, if he had forgotten to provide you with the food to your body, would you have found its equivalent in the spiritual support that you are given? But God is not a man. God is eternal wisdom and infinite goodness. He gave you a body of mud but provided the needs of that body by fertilizing the fields and fecundating Earth’s treasures; God added the material help that your body claims to the spiritual nourishment addressed to your soul.
Since then and perhaps because selfishness deprived the poor from his earthly inheritance, how dare you consider yourself good with him? Just because human justice excluded him from the number of those entitled to temporary wealth, wouldn’t your charity find a more equitable justice to offer him? A renowned thinker of this century was not afraid of expressing himself like this, in his memorable profession of faith: “Each bee is entitled to the portion of honey necessary to its own subsistence, and if there are some people that go without the necessary, it means that justice and charity have vanished from your circle.”
However excessive this language may sound to you it still contains a great truth, a truth that may be incomprehensible to many among you, but evident to us, Spirits that are touched by the effects, who see the whole and the causes that produce them.
Ah, someone says, nobody is sorrier than I am for the tough deprivation of the true poor, of the one whose work is insufficient to maintain his family, despite the fatigue, and incapable of joy and happiness; but I considered to be a case of conscience to encourage, through blind liberalities, laziness or misconduct. In fact, I consider charity indispensable to the salvation of man; however, the impossibility of finding the true needs among so many others that are simulated, seem to justify my abstention.
The impossibility of finding the true needs, my friend, is your justification. Notice, however, my friend, that such justification shall never be sanctioned by your conscience and I do not wish any other proof other than your confession, because from the right that the poor has to your elms – and you acknowledge that right – it follows that it is your duty to find him. Do you look for him? The impossibility stops you. It is obvious! Charity has no limits, it is infinite like God from whom it comes, and it sees no impossibility! Yes, something stops you: it is selfishness and God that probes reason and heart will easily find that out under the fallacious pretexts with what you hide it. You can deceive the world, you can momentarily deceive your conscience, but you will never deceive God. In a hundred of years, in a thousand of years you will come back to Earth; you will certainly live here deprived from your current lavishness, bending to the weight of need. I tell you that you will then feel the neglect of the rich, the indifference that you had yourself shown in the past towards the poor. They say that nobility obliges; solidarity obliges even more. The one that breaches that law loses its benefits. The one that fed their selfish nature will suffer, in turn, the neglect of selfishness. Listen to these words by Rousseau:
“As for myself, I know that the poor are my brothers and that I cannot, without an inexcusable hardness, refuse the little support that they ask me. In the majority they are tramps, I agree; but I know well the toughness of life to be able to ignore the many disgraces that an honest man may find in his fate. I how could I be certain that the unknown person that begs for my assistance in the name of God is not an honest man, soon to perish in his misery, and that my refusal will lead to despair? When the elms that you give is not a real help to them, at least it is the witness that you sympathize with their misery, it is a mitigation of the rigidity of the refusal, a kind of salutation that is made.”
It is a son of Genève, ladies and gentlemen, that speaks of fate; it is a philosopher fed by the dry sources of the eighteenth century, fearing to miss an honest man among the unknown that reach out to him, giving to all. He gives to all because they are all his brothers: he knows that! Do you know less than he did gentlemen? I cannot believe that.
But how much should you give, or better saying, what is the part of your possessions that belongs to you and the one that belongs to the poor? You part, ladies and gentlemen, is the necessary and nothing beyond the necessary, and you must not exaggerate. It is useless to prevail from your position, the responsibilities that follow from that, the luxurious obligations that it entitles. All that is related to the world and if you want to live for the world you will not advance but with the world; you will not move faster than the world.
In vain still you will allege, in order to justify your habits of slackness, a work which is not performed by the poor, and which, practiced at home and by you, makes you a beneficiary of greater ease; In vain will you alleviate this, because every man is bound to work, either for himself or for others, because the carelessness of his neighbor would not absolve him of the abandonment in which he would have abandoned you.
From your patrimony, as from your work, you are not allowed to take in your benefit but what is necessary to you. The rest is to the poor. That is the law. I don’t deny the fact that in certain cases and under certain circumstances this law involves temperament; however, before the divine light and truth there is none of that.
How about family? Are we done just because we help those that we call poor? No, evidently not gentlemen, because as soon as you acknowledge the need to deprive yourself in favor of the poor it is time to establish a hierarchy. Well, your women and your children are you first poor; they are the ones to deserve your first elms. Take care of the future of your children; make sure you help to prepare calm and tranquil days for them amidst this vale of tears; even leave a small inheritance that allows them to continue your good work: that is legitimate. However, do not teach them to live egoistically and to look at things that belong to everyone as if they were theirs. Before and after them, the authors of your days, those that fed and kept you, those that protected your first steps and guided your adolescence, your father and your mother, have the right to your solicitude. Then come the souls that God gave you as your bloody brothers; then your heartily friends; finally, every poor, starting from the most miserable ones.
I saw them, I give you temperaments, establish a hierarchy according to your instincts. Avoid, nonetheless, to favor too much ones with the exclusion of others. It is through the equitable partition of your benefits that you will show your wisdom, and it is still through that equitable partition that you shall obey God’s law with respect to your brothers, that is the law of solidarity.
Lamennais says that “justice is life; charity is also life but a more beautiful and sweet life”. Yes, charity is a beautiful and sweet life, it is the life of the saints, it is the key to heavens.
Lacordaire
When we consider that everything comes from God and returns to God it is then impossible not to see that in all things in the divine creation the links that unite them also subject them to a work of general progress, and at the same time to an individual progress. Also, one cannot ignore the fact that the law of solidarity that results from all that does not force us to useless sacrifices of all kinds to one another. In addition, God has shown us the first primordial application of the established principles. It is the solidarity found in those principles that lead us to sympathize with other people’s sufferings, to have compassion and to alleviate them. That is not all. The prophets and the divine Messiah Jesus Christ gave us the example of a second application of the principle of solidarity, initially presented through the symbolic religious ceremonies and more frequently by the authority of their teachings, that is the love to thy neighbor; later on, establishing the practice of charity as a strictly necessary duty, the very expression of solidarity. Charity is the act of our submission to the law of God; it is the sign of our moral greatness; the key to heavens. That is the charity that I want to talk to you about. I will discuss only the material side for a simple reason: it is the aspect that interest people the least.
Neither the Christians nor the Spiritists denied the principle or the law of solidarity but tried to subtract its consequences and for that invoked a thousand pretexts. I will mention a few.
Things of the soul or heart, they say, have an infinitely superior price than the material ones, hence the consolation of sufferings through words or wise advices is infinitely worthier than material help. You are right, ladies and gentlemen, if the suffering that you mention has a moral cause; if its reason is in a ulcer of the heart; but if it is hunger, cold or a disease; if, in a word, are provoked by material causes, will your words of wisdom be enough to minimize them? Allow me to doubt. When God placed you on this Earth, if he had forgotten to provide you with the food to your body, would you have found its equivalent in the spiritual support that you are given? But God is not a man. God is eternal wisdom and infinite goodness. He gave you a body of mud but provided the needs of that body by fertilizing the fields and fecundating Earth’s treasures; God added the material help that your body claims to the spiritual nourishment addressed to your soul.
Since then and perhaps because selfishness deprived the poor from his earthly inheritance, how dare you consider yourself good with him? Just because human justice excluded him from the number of those entitled to temporary wealth, wouldn’t your charity find a more equitable justice to offer him? A renowned thinker of this century was not afraid of expressing himself like this, in his memorable profession of faith: “Each bee is entitled to the portion of honey necessary to its own subsistence, and if there are some people that go without the necessary, it means that justice and charity have vanished from your circle.”
However excessive this language may sound to you it still contains a great truth, a truth that may be incomprehensible to many among you, but evident to us, Spirits that are touched by the effects, who see the whole and the causes that produce them.
Ah, someone says, nobody is sorrier than I am for the tough deprivation of the true poor, of the one whose work is insufficient to maintain his family, despite the fatigue, and incapable of joy and happiness; but I considered to be a case of conscience to encourage, through blind liberalities, laziness or misconduct. In fact, I consider charity indispensable to the salvation of man; however, the impossibility of finding the true needs among so many others that are simulated, seem to justify my abstention.
The impossibility of finding the true needs, my friend, is your justification. Notice, however, my friend, that such justification shall never be sanctioned by your conscience and I do not wish any other proof other than your confession, because from the right that the poor has to your elms – and you acknowledge that right – it follows that it is your duty to find him. Do you look for him? The impossibility stops you. It is obvious! Charity has no limits, it is infinite like God from whom it comes, and it sees no impossibility! Yes, something stops you: it is selfishness and God that probes reason and heart will easily find that out under the fallacious pretexts with what you hide it. You can deceive the world, you can momentarily deceive your conscience, but you will never deceive God. In a hundred of years, in a thousand of years you will come back to Earth; you will certainly live here deprived from your current lavishness, bending to the weight of need. I tell you that you will then feel the neglect of the rich, the indifference that you had yourself shown in the past towards the poor. They say that nobility obliges; solidarity obliges even more. The one that breaches that law loses its benefits. The one that fed their selfish nature will suffer, in turn, the neglect of selfishness. Listen to these words by Rousseau:
“As for myself, I know that the poor are my brothers and that I cannot, without an inexcusable hardness, refuse the little support that they ask me. In the majority they are tramps, I agree; but I know well the toughness of life to be able to ignore the many disgraces that an honest man may find in his fate. I how could I be certain that the unknown person that begs for my assistance in the name of God is not an honest man, soon to perish in his misery, and that my refusal will lead to despair? When the elms that you give is not a real help to them, at least it is the witness that you sympathize with their misery, it is a mitigation of the rigidity of the refusal, a kind of salutation that is made.”
It is a son of Genève, ladies and gentlemen, that speaks of fate; it is a philosopher fed by the dry sources of the eighteenth century, fearing to miss an honest man among the unknown that reach out to him, giving to all. He gives to all because they are all his brothers: he knows that! Do you know less than he did gentlemen? I cannot believe that.
But how much should you give, or better saying, what is the part of your possessions that belongs to you and the one that belongs to the poor? You part, ladies and gentlemen, is the necessary and nothing beyond the necessary, and you must not exaggerate. It is useless to prevail from your position, the responsibilities that follow from that, the luxurious obligations that it entitles. All that is related to the world and if you want to live for the world you will not advance but with the world; you will not move faster than the world.
In vain still you will allege, in order to justify your habits of slackness, a work which is not performed by the poor, and which, practiced at home and by you, makes you a beneficiary of greater ease; In vain will you alleviate this, because every man is bound to work, either for himself or for others, because the carelessness of his neighbor would not absolve him of the abandonment in which he would have abandoned you.
From your patrimony, as from your work, you are not allowed to take in your benefit but what is necessary to you. The rest is to the poor. That is the law. I don’t deny the fact that in certain cases and under certain circumstances this law involves temperament; however, before the divine light and truth there is none of that.
How about family? Are we done just because we help those that we call poor? No, evidently not gentlemen, because as soon as you acknowledge the need to deprive yourself in favor of the poor it is time to establish a hierarchy. Well, your women and your children are you first poor; they are the ones to deserve your first elms. Take care of the future of your children; make sure you help to prepare calm and tranquil days for them amidst this vale of tears; even leave a small inheritance that allows them to continue your good work: that is legitimate. However, do not teach them to live egoistically and to look at things that belong to everyone as if they were theirs. Before and after them, the authors of your days, those that fed and kept you, those that protected your first steps and guided your adolescence, your father and your mother, have the right to your solicitude. Then come the souls that God gave you as your bloody brothers; then your heartily friends; finally, every poor, starting from the most miserable ones.
I saw them, I give you temperaments, establish a hierarchy according to your instincts. Avoid, nonetheless, to favor too much ones with the exclusion of others. It is through the equitable partition of your benefits that you will show your wisdom, and it is still through that equitable partition that you shall obey God’s law with respect to your brothers, that is the law of solidarity.
Lamennais says that “justice is life; charity is also life but a more beautiful and sweet life”. Yes, charity is a beautiful and sweet life, it is the life of the saints, it is the key to heavens.
Lacordaire
Faith
Spiritist Group of Douai, June 7th, 1865
Plain faith on Earth is searching for a place to dwell and a heart to enlighten. Where will it go? To begin with it will penetrate and take over the soul of the primitive man; it will place a temporary veil onto reason that begins to develop, vacillating in the darkness of the spirit. It will lead mankind through the ages of simplicity and become the master of revelations. However, since reason is not matured enough to distinguish between true and false and judge what comes from God, it will lead humanity out of the right path, hand and hand and with a veil on the eyes. There have been many detours, since that is the flagship of a blind faith with its meaning and utility.
The virtue disappears when the soul, presenting that it can see with its own eyes, keeps the faith away and only marches with reason that helps to erase false beliefs that were adopted without examination. Reason is good for that. But people find many mysteries and obscure truths in their path, getting confused when attempting to unveil them. Their judgment cannot follow it; they are in a hurry, but any progression is gradual. The faith that was repelled is no longer there, as with reason that they wanted to surpass. They then do like the fearful butterfly, burning the wings in the light and getting lost in impossible deviations. That is the origin of the bad philosophy that sought too much and replaced nothing.
It was time for transformation. Man was no longer the blind believer or the believe that rationalize belief; it was a universal crisis represented by the chrysalis. Clarity shines when sought in darkness and many deviated souls find the light, faded by so many useless deviations, then returning as guides and eternal leaders. Faith and reason make us move forward, and their combined beams of light prevent us from getting lost once again. Faith is then founded on the solid basis of reason that in turn is helped by inspiration.
It is your chance, friends. Follow the path. God is at the end.
Demeure
Plain faith on Earth is searching for a place to dwell and a heart to enlighten. Where will it go? To begin with it will penetrate and take over the soul of the primitive man; it will place a temporary veil onto reason that begins to develop, vacillating in the darkness of the spirit. It will lead mankind through the ages of simplicity and become the master of revelations. However, since reason is not matured enough to distinguish between true and false and judge what comes from God, it will lead humanity out of the right path, hand and hand and with a veil on the eyes. There have been many detours, since that is the flagship of a blind faith with its meaning and utility.
The virtue disappears when the soul, presenting that it can see with its own eyes, keeps the faith away and only marches with reason that helps to erase false beliefs that were adopted without examination. Reason is good for that. But people find many mysteries and obscure truths in their path, getting confused when attempting to unveil them. Their judgment cannot follow it; they are in a hurry, but any progression is gradual. The faith that was repelled is no longer there, as with reason that they wanted to surpass. They then do like the fearful butterfly, burning the wings in the light and getting lost in impossible deviations. That is the origin of the bad philosophy that sought too much and replaced nothing.
It was time for transformation. Man was no longer the blind believer or the believe that rationalize belief; it was a universal crisis represented by the chrysalis. Clarity shines when sought in darkness and many deviated souls find the light, faded by so many useless deviations, then returning as guides and eternal leaders. Faith and reason make us move forward, and their combined beams of light prevent us from getting lost once again. Faith is then founded on the solid basis of reason that in turn is helped by inspiration.
It is your chance, friends. Follow the path. God is at the end.
Demeure
Notice
The sessions at the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies will be suspended, like in previous years, from August 1st to October 1st.