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Rogério Miguez |
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Allan
Kardec
and the
Magnetic
Banquets |
The
Animal
Magnetism
Principles
have
accompanied
us since
the
beginning
of
History,
and even
before,
after
all,
they are
Laws of
God. We
are
emitters
and
receivers
of
magnetic
fluids,
whether
we like
it or
not,
regardless
of our
creed,
race,
and
evolutionary
stage.
The
ability
to
manipulate
Fluid
Magnetism
is
embedded
in the
essence
of the
Spirit,
it can
be
controlled
by the
will,
but
cannot
be
suppressed;
it is
part of
the
mechanics
of
divine
postulates.
It is
not
uncommon
for
famous
men to
be
particularly
interested
in
certain
matters
during
their
childhood
or
youth,
and due
to this
early
knowledge
they may
have
favored
in the
future
the
conduction
of the
particular
mission
of these
Spirits.
We
believe
that
this was
the case
of Allan
Kardec.
He was
basically
an
educator,
a
nationwide
writer
of
didactic
books,
this in
France,
perhaps
the most
outstanding
culture
of the
world in
the
nineteenth
century.
Before
he began
his
special
mission
- the
elaboration
of the
Spiritist
Pentateuch
- in
1823, at
the age
of 19,
Professor
Rivail
focused
his
attention
on the
magnetic
phenomena
and
began to
attend
the
works of
the
Society
of
Magnetism
in
Paris.
From
that
moment
on he
became
involved
for 35
years
with
magnetism
and
magnetizers,
becoming
himself
one of
them.
Why did
he
involve
himself
so young
with
magnetism?
Undoubtedly,
this
initiation
in the
laws of
magnetism,
this
"magnetic"
past,
certainly
helped
him
greatly
in the
elaboration
of the
Spiritist
theory,
because
nothing
happens
unintentionally.
In those
days
there
was
great
interest
and
acceptance
in the
world by
the
so-called
Magnetism
Science,
but
there
were
also
strong
opponents
and the
scientific
mentality
itself
did not
see with
good
eyes the
so-called
magnetic
passes.
There
was
certain
mistrust
that
everything
was just
charlatanism,
led by
its
greatest
promoter
and
practitioner:
Franz
Anton
Mesmer.
Why two
annual
banquets
in
tribute
to
Mesmer?
In spite
of this
resistance,
Magnetism
became
very
important
at the
time of
Kardec,
because
several
cures
occurred
due to
this
practice,
and one
cannot
go
against
facts.
Every
May 23,
Mesmer’s
birthday,
the
scholar
par
excellence
of
Animal
Magnetism
held two
banquets
with
Paris
best
magnetizers,
as well
as
foreign
magnetizers
too, as
recorded
in the
Spiritist
Magazine
of 1858.(1)
Professor
Rivail,
magnetizer
and also
a
scholar
of the
subject,
was
invited
and
participated
of these
events,
and he
asked:
For
which
reason
was this
date
always
celebrated
in two
rival
banquets,
where
each
group
drank to
the
health
of the
other,
and
where
with no
positive
result,
they
still
made a
toast to
this
union?
The fact
was
"justified",
because
there
was a
division
among
the
sympathizers
and
practitioners
of
Mesmerism.
Something
similar
to what
happened
and will
happen
in many
other
fields
of
knowledge.
At that
event, I
also
thought:
One has
the
impression
that
they are
about to
understand
each
other.
Why,
then, a
split
between
men who
are
dedicated
to the
good of
Humanity
and to
the
worship
of
Truth?
Is not
the
Truth
presented
to them
in the
same
light?
Do you
have two
ways of
understanding
the good
of
Humanity?
Are you
divided
on the
principles
of your
Science?
Absolutely.
They
have the
same
beliefs
and the
same
master,
who is
Mesmer,
disembodied
in 1815.
If this
master,
whose
memory
they
invoke,
attends
to their
call, as
we
believe,
he must
suffer
when he
sees
that his
disciples
are not
united.
The
magnetizers
–
through
the
movement
or
imposition
of
hands,
among
other
methods
– tried
to
transmit
the
salutary
magnetic
fluids,
seeking
the cure
of all
those
who
sought
them,
coming
from
this
fact the
questioning
of the
Encoder.
After
all,
their
final
purpose
was
noble –
to heal
the sick
– so how
could
they
disagree
on this
attempt?
The
appeals
of
spirituality
for the
sake of
unification
Then he
continues
his
reasoning:
As
harmless
as this
war is,
it is no
less
regrettable,
even
considering
that it
is
limited
to the
strokes
of a
quill
and to
the fact
that
each one
drinks
in his
corner.
We would
like to
see the
men
united
by the
same
feeling
of
fraternization.
With
this
Magnetic
Science
would
profit
in
progress
and
consideration.
And who
wouldn’t,
too? The
amazement
of the
Gaulish
Sage was
fully
justified,
for he
could
not
understand
how the
followers
of this
useful
Science
could be
divided,
leaving
for the
future a
little
edifying
example.
After
all, he
began a
very
important
task in
order to
enlighten
Mankind,
and a
great
work
still
awaited
him.
Could
the same
thing
happen
to the
Doctrine
of
Consolation
in the
process
of being
prepared?
Perhaps,
he also
wondered
about
this.
This
happened
several
decades
ago; the
master
of Lyon
had just
published
The
Book of
Spirits
in
1857 -
the
first
lights
that
were to
begin
the
process
of
enlightenment
of
Humanity
were
already
shining,
but the
fact
presents
a
surprising
parallel
to the
present
moment.
The
focus
shifted,
the
followers
are
others,
but the
split
continues,
now
among
the
followers
of the
Doctrine
of the
Spirits
itself.
Spirituality
has sent
several
calls in
order to
make
unification
feasible.
However,
we
believe,
it has
not had
the
desired
effect,
for
divisions
continue,
whether
in
practice,
in
theory,
or in
both,
although
the
basic
Spiritist
books
are
exactly
the
same,
nothing
has
changed.
It is a
fact:
much has
been
added by
the work
of
dedicated
mediums,
notably
Chico
Xavier,
Divaldo
Franco
and Raul
Teixeira,
among
many
others,
making
it
possible
to
receive
various
instructions
from
noble
and
trained
Spirits,
however
let us
highlight
that
none of
them has
changed
the
solid
content
of the
Pentateuch.
Examples
of the
current
misconduct
in
Spiritist
disputes
Even so,
each
Spiritist
Association
wants to
possess
its
truth.
They
argue
that
they are
the
Doctrine
of full
freedom,
and are
not
wrong,
but they
wrongly
conclude
that
each one
has the
choice
of how
to
practice
it, to
interpret
it, and
of what
books to
adopt,
forgetting
that
freedom
must
always
be
accompanied
by
Responsibility.(2)
Let us
mention
very few
examples
of the
current
misconduct
of some
followers
of
Spiritism:
1. There
are
already
reports
of more
than 50
mediums
psycho-graphing
messages
from the
disincarnated
Spirit
Chico
Xavier,
and as
if that
were not
enough,
there is
already
one or
more
centers
receiving
mediumistic
orientations
of the
medium
born in
the
state of
Minas
Gerais,
their
particular
"mentor";
2.
Others,
in the
name of
their
peculiar
interpretations
of the
Laws of
God,
based on
unreliable
literature,
claim to
exist
toilets
on the
spiritual
plane,
where
the
Spirits
would
necessarily
need to
use them
for
their "perispirit
cleansing"
functions;
3. Books
of any
kind are
sold in
certain
Spiritist
centers,
used or
new,
regardless
of their
content,
aiming
only at
obtaining
income;
4. There
are
reports
of
Spiritist
centers
performing
wedding
ceremonies,
baptisms,
blessings
of
wedding
rings,
when the
participants
wear
white
robes
and are
accompanied
by their
respective
godparents;
5.
Adepts
of the
spiritualist
music
have
innovated
and
present
themselves
as old
religious
groups,
bringing
to the
interior
of the
centers
the
church
atmosphere,
extolling
this or
that
religious
personage
of our
History
or even
disembodied
Spiritists,
as if
they
were
saints;
6.
Parties
are
organized
in the
premises
of the
Spiritist
centers,
leaving
nothing
to be
desired
at any
party
room of
our
urban
environment;
7. On
the
spiritual
pass, it
is a
special
chapter,
since
there
are
several
modalities
and all
its
practitioners
justify
themselves
based on
the
examples
of
Jesus,
in
details
of the
Codification,
and,
unfortunately,
on non-Spiritist
proposals.
There
are even
those
defending
and
teaching
that
there is
no
transmission
of vital
fluid
during
the
laying
on of
hands!
How to
avoid
this
pitiful
situation?
One can
easily
understand
by this
small
number
of
simple
examples
how
Spiritism
in
Brazil
goes.
Kardec,
wherever
he is,
will
surely
also be
thinking
about
this
situation,
with the
aggravation
of not
only
being a
division
in the
segment
of
practitioners
of
magnetism,
but of
the
Spiritist
movement
as a
whole.
How to
avoid
such a
situation?
One
possible
solution,
perhaps
the most
effective
suggestion,
would be
to
remain
faithful
to the
concepts
contained
in the
basic
works,
and only
to
follow
other
literature
proven
Spiritist.
One
should
not be
impressed
by
Spiritist
pseudo-literatures
when –
due to
the fact
that the
books
bring on
their
back
covers
the
words "Spiritist
books" -
they are
accepted
and,
even
more
worrying,
studied,
as if
they
were
Spiritist
material,
even
being
recommended
in
certain
Spiritist
associations
as
initial
studies
to those
who
enter
the
centers
for the
first
time,
without
any
guidance
to the
neophytes.
The
so-called
Magnetic
Banquets
have
left us
this
troubling
lesson,
and we
ask:
when
will we
become
attentive
and
vigilant
regarding
the "Spiritist
pseudo-novelties”,
not
accepting
them,
and thus
minimizing
the
divisions
within
the
Spiritist
community,
since
those
come in
the tens
at this
moment
of
planetary
transition,
many of
them
inviting
us to
forget
the
Gaulish
Master?
References:
(1)
KARDEC,
Allan.
Spiritist
Magazine:
Journal
of
Psychological
Studies.
Year 1,
no. 6,
June
1858.
Translated
by:
Evandro
Noleto
Bezerra.
Varieties
- The
magnetic
banquets.
(2)
MIGUEZ,
Rogerio.
See the
article
entitled
"Speaking
of
Freedom,"
published
in the
Magazine
“Reformador”,
year
132, no.
2.225,
August
2014,
pages
46-48.
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