According to the Spiritist Doctrine, God creates all Spirits simple and ignorant, beginning their evolutionary processes in a plurality of existences in the search for perfection, with Jesus as the way, the truth and the life towards the Father.

In reincarnations, the immortal Spirit retains its individuality, connecting past, present and future.

The Spirit Manoel Philomeno de Miranda, in the book Planetary Transition, in the psychography of Divaldo Pereira Franco, clarifies further: “Through reincarnations, stage by stage, the process of eliminating moral imperfections takes place, which transforms into relevant values, propelling you towards the plenitude that is destined for you. Making mistakes and correcting oneself, making attempts at progress and falling, only to get up again, this is the method of development that propels everyone towards their full happiness. (...) Existence in the physical body is a learning opportunity that life grants to the spiritual being in its process of inner growth, providing it with the appropriate resources so that the divine flame that exists in everyone reaches plenitude. According to the way each person behaves in the role, he will be sowing the occurrences of the future, which he will have to face, in order to recover and correct what was damaged. Each reincarnation is a sublime divine concession for the blissful construction of personal immortality. Blessed school, Earth is the beautiful stronghold in which we all perfect ourselves, removing the heavy denim of primarism, which prevents the shine of the stellar diamond of the Spirit that we are. The blows of the evolutionary process are responsible for freeing us, allowing the facets shaped by pain and honed by love to reflect sidereal beauty.”

Reincarnation is for the Spirit an opportunity for a fresh start, learning, inner growth, improvement, recomposition, correction, renewal, regeneration and transformation, to build its destiny and evolve morally and spiritually. The soul that has not reached perfection purifies itself by undergoing the test of new existence, experiencing transformation and benefits that indicate the manifestation of divine justice and mercy, which do not condemn the offending Spirit to eternal suffering.

According to the law of cause and effect, reincarnation provides the debtor Spirit with the conditions to remake its destiny, especially if there is a commitment to improving itself through the correct use of free will. With each existence, the Spirit takes a step on the path of progress and, when it is freed from all impurities, it no longer needs the trials of corporeal life.

Plurality of existence and repetition of experiences, lessons and learning

The Spirit Joanna de Ângelis, in the book Amor, imbatível amor, in the Chapter 39, titled “Self-affirmation,”in the psychography of Divaldo Pereira Franco, teaches: “Society marches inexorably towards the understanding of the eternal Spirit that man is, of his process gradual evolution through rebirths, heir of himself, who transfers from one stage to another the achievements made, happy or mistaken, like a student who adds educational experiences, promoting himself or retaining himself in the repetition of unrecorded lessons, with a view towards completion of the course.”

Joanna de Ângelis, in the book Autodescobrimento: uma busca interior, in “Problems of Evolution,”in the psychography of Divaldo Pereira Franco, clarifies:

“The human creature, somehow destined to perpetuate the species and its fulfillment, incarnates, reincarnates, repeating existential feats until reaching the climax that awaits him. In each new stage, the occurrences of the previous one remains, in a natural succession chain. And through this mechanism, successes open spaces for broader and more complex achievements, just as failure in some behavior establishes processes that impose problems in the development of courses that remain dormant. (...)

It is legal and natural for each person to consider themselves human, that is, with the right to mistakes and successes, not unscathed, not special. (...)

When you make a mistake, fix it; When you get it right, it grows.

Evolution occurs through various and repeated mechanisms of error and success, from the first steps to the firmness of decision and march.”

Through the texts of Joanna de Ângelis, we realize that the repetitions of accomplished deeds, whether happy or mistaken, in reincarnations, have an educational character for the Spirits, whose evolutionary process transfers existential deeds and past occurrences, of successes and mistakes, to other existences, in a succession chain, encouraging the retention of experiences and lessons learned and the repetition of unlearned actions to repair, correct or grow, until achieving the success that awaits.

This is because repetition represents the basis of education and learning for the development of various teachings for the accumulation of sacred treasures in the heart of each human being. With each repetition of a lived experience, the past and present are connected to build the future, in the search for intimate transformation to internalize divine attributes in a more solid way through the practice of love, kindness and charity.

In The Book of Spirits, in the Introduction, Allan Kardec comments: “Spirits do not perpetually occupy the same category. Everyone improves by going through the different degrees of the spiritist hierarchy. This improvement takes place through the incarnation, which is imposed on some as expiation, on others as a mission. Material life is a test that they must suffer repeatedly, until they have reached absolute moral perfection.”

In the plurality of existences, passing through the different degrees of the spiritist hierarchy, we repeat tests for our improvement in the acquisition of moral virtues, adding experiences and lessons learned corresponding to the evolutionary stage in which the Spirit finds itself, making it advance from darkness to light.

This entire process of transformation requires work, effort and firmness of purpose, as virtues are individual achievements of the Spirit, achieved in successive reincarnation experiences.

Compulsion and desire to repeat old habits

So far, we have reflected on educational repetitions of good and bad acts in reincarnations, both of which contribute to our moral and spiritual evolution, in which the repetition of good acts consolidates teachings and acquired moral attributes, and that of bad acts emerge as opportunities for correction, repair and regeneration of the Spirit.

Despite the opportunities available, some Spirits insist on the same mistakes, acts and behaviors, compulsively. Compulsion is related to the repetitive, excessive act or activity or meaningless mental exercise, which is carried out in an attempt to alleviate or avoid, usually temporarily, an affliction, anxiety or anguish. This is a behavior to reduce psychological discomfort due to different factors.

Compulsive behavior presents changes in attitudes and thoughts, cultivating rituals and repetitions, accompanied by excessive worries, obsession, fear, doubt, discomfort, distress, guilt and other negative feelings. In compulsivity, the person cannot control themselves, doing something that, at first, gives pleasure, but later brings guilt and resentment.

Haroldo Dutra Dias, in the book O Evangelho de João: Interpretado e comentado, in Chapter 7: Witness, in his narrative about John the Baptist, supported by the book Boa Nova, by Spirit Humberto de Campos, highlights John the Baptist's struggle against his own imperfections and the challenges to overcome compulsion, repeating atavistic imperfections:

“Another aspect highlighted by Humberto de Campos: João Batista represents the Christian in struggle with his own imperfections (bad inclinations, vices, defects, difficulties, impulsiveness), highlighting that our bad inclinations, imperfections, impulsiveness are all an arid desert.

We have vices of all kinds: addictions to food, to drinking, to bad mouthing. We have addictions of a sexual nature, of an emotional nature, of sadness, of anger, of anxiety; physical, mental, spiritual addictions... (...)

Therefore, Humberto de Campos' assertion: João Batista represents the Christian in an active struggle to overcome his addictions. For this reason, the allusion to being in the desert – a voice calling for preparation. It is essential to prepare yourself to overcome an addiction, to overcome a bad inclination, a difficulty. It is necessary to plan before acting, to develop a strategy, otherwise we will run into the same problem, because it is a compulsion, an energy of compulsion that makes the addiction want, at all times, to repeat itself.

A person who is addicted to bad mouthing always finds an opportunity to speak ill of someone. Similarly, a creature with an addiction to criticism never focuses on the good side of people or situations, as they constantly look for something to criticize.

So, it's important to have a strategy to deal with this, otherwise you won't win, you won't overcome. However, this strategy requires discipline, restraint, and requires a lot of hard, unpleasant work. It is not pleasant to overcome an addiction, an imperfection, a bad inclination, since it is painful, it is challenging, it generates tension... that is John the Baptist.”

Through this text, we see that compulsion makes a person act on impulse, repeating previous attitudes without being able to control themselves, knowing that it is wrong, but continuing to do the same thing and incurring recurring faults.

In life, we are faced with several conflicting situations represented by difficulties of all kinds. These situations can be seen as conditioning or dominant reflections of the personality, which are expressed in the form of passing, superficial interests that do not give way to deeper understandings.

The essence lies in the intimate struggle, in the fight against moral imperfections, in which we must seek improvement as human beings, establishing harmony in our fraternal coexistence. Thus, we wage, within ourselves, an internal struggle between good and evil, fighting against inferior tendencies. The vibratory current of good stimulates progress, empowers harmony and positions one for immortal glory. The inner struggle is a blessed challenge that the law of progress imposes. We can fight for the knowledge of the truths that free the Spirit, taking advantage of them to build the inner dwelling on perennial foundations. Happiness or misfortune will depend on the understanding and conduct of each one of us.

If we manage to trigger this fight, climbing the heights of evolution for the emancipation of the soul, using the arsenals of love, work, selflessness, devotion and living testimony of virtues, we will have, like Paulo de Tarso, fought the good fight and won another stage, and maintained faith and trust in God.

The bad tendencies result from unhappy experiences lived by human beings, in their current and past existence, and always resulting from their level of evolution, moral and intellectual. The Spirit evolves in each reincarnation experience and on the spiritual plane, with bad tendencies being replaced by good ones, so that the vicious man of today will be the virtuous man of tomorrow.

When combating addictions and passions, it is important to remain vigilant, emitting thoughts related to the good, neutralizing the undesirable consequences arising from vicious processes, serious obstacles to the intellectual and moral progress of the Spirit. In truth, we have courage for many things, but when it comes to fighting within ourselves, it will be easier to undertake an external fight, where we will find excuses to justify our mistakes, errors, failures and vices, postponing the introspection that we must carry out to change behavior and correct the course in life.

According to scientific methodology, if I carry out an experiment in the same way, under similar and controlled conditions and circumstances, following the defined steps, repeatedly, the result of the observation will be the same, seeking to discover the cause-and-effect relationship of the phenomenon studied. Similarly, we can carry this vision into our lives in search of most of the causes of our problems, the effects of which have their reasons. And to change what has been troubling us until now, we will need to find a new path to overcome the mountains of difficulties. If it doesn't change, there's no way to expect a different result.

Inner reform involves the fight against one's own imperfections in the search for inner peace, through self-discovery and self-knowledge, becoming more aware of ourselves and our latent resources, freeing ourselves from inferior feelings contrary to God's laws, due to one's own evolution, through effort, edifying work, practice of love and charity.

Moral imperfections lead human beings to commit mistakes that can result in imbalances that cause great physical and spiritual disturbances. Normally, we try to improve our physical appearance, take care of the beauty of our body, do physical exercises to strengthen our muscles, but we are not concerned with our moral and spiritual improvement to face the challenges that trials bring. We take care of the physical body, why don't we take care of the soul?

Dominated by materialism, we give wings to selfishness, pride, vanity, among other inferior feelings that highlight the spiritual smallness in which we live, deceiving ourselves in the possession of material goods and in the pleasure of wealth and power, having as a life script “me.”

Selfishness is a great obstacle to intimate reform. In “me” culture, we look at people for ourselves. Through the curtain of “I”, we cannot see our fellow man who needs our help.

The importance of moral transformation arises when human beings realize that the pleasures of material life no longer satisfy them, establishing a milestone for the awakening of the Spirit in their journey of ascension towards the supreme good. This moral and spiritual transformation must occur within us, in a work of inner improvement, an action from the inside out, through a continuous process of moral improvement of the Spirit for its necessary evolution. However, intimate reform cannot be achieved overnight. It demands time, good will, discipline, incessant effort, a lot of resignation, fighting against inferior tendencies and, above all, being vigilant about defects and focusing on the task of improving.

Each human being is at a certain evolutionary stage. To identify this stage, you must carry out an examination of conscience, an intimate diagnosis, to identify the real circumstances of your life.

Certain that we will not stop our evolution to carry out the intimate reform, it must be carried out during the present existence. It's not waiting to improve to work. It’s about working to improve.

The incessant action of moral transformation is work every day, every time, and vigilance must be permanent, in order to avoid stumbles and falls. Therefore, it will be important to maintain a positive attitude, of mental and emotional vigilance. It will be impossible to improve yourself morally without sacrifices or renunciations.

If each human being changes their behavior, sowing peace within themselves, eliminating inferior feelings, they will contribute to peace on the planet in an action of universal fraternity.

Thus, without knowing ourselves and fighting against our imperfections, there is no intimate reform, remembering that the process of intimate enlightenment requires discipline and constant efforts, starting within us.

So, wake up now and have the courage to face yourself!

Bibliography:

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