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The Spiritist Hierarchy is, in some way, the key of the Spiritist science

 1. There are different orders of Spirits, according to their degree of perfection they have reached. As there is no limitation as to their orders, they are countless. Considering, though, the main characteristics of Spirits, we may classify them into three orders: 

FIRST ORDER-PURE SPIRITS: The influence of matter null; a superiority, both intellectual and moral, so absolute as to constitute what, in comparison with the spirits of all the other orders, may be termed perfection.

SECOND ORDER-GOOD SPIRITS: Predominance of spirit over matter; desire of excellence.

THIRD ORDER-IMPERFECT SPIRITS: Predominant influence of matter over spirit. Propension to evil. Ignorance, pride, selfishness, and all the evil passions which result from these.

2. This classification, however, is by no means absolute. It is only in its totality that the character of each category is distinctly marked, for each category merges in the one above it by imperceptible gradations, the peculiarities of the successive categories shading off into one another at their extremities, as is the case in the various reigns of nature, in the colors of the rainbow, in the phases of a human life. The power of determining these points may be said to constitute the key to Spiritist investigation; for it alone, by enlightening us in regard to the intellectual and moral inequalities of spirits, can explain the anomalies presented by spirit-communications.

3. Based on these considerations, Kardec divided the orders aforementioned into ten classes, as it follows.

Imperfect Spirits cannot understand God

4. General Characteristics.-Predominant influence of matter over spirit. Pretension to evil. Ignorance, pride, selfishness, and all the evil passions which result from these. They have the intuition of the existence of God, but they have no comprehension of Him. 

Tenth Class-Impure Spirits: They are inclined to evil, and make it the object of all their thoughts and activities. 

Ninth Class - Frivolous Spirits: They are ignorant, mischievous, unreasonable, and addicted to mockery. They meddle with everything, and reply to every question without paying any attention to truth. 

Eighth Class-Spirits who pretend to more Science than they Possess: Their knowledge is often considerable, hut they imagine themselves to know a good deal more than they know in reality. Having made a certain amount of progress from various points of view, their language has an air of gravity that may easily give a false impression as to their capacities and enlightenment; but their ideas are generally nothing more than the reflection of the prejudices and false reasoning of their terrestrial life. 

Seventh Class-Neutral Spirits: They are not sufficiently advanced to take an active part in doing well, nor are they bad enough to be active in doing wrong. 

Sixth Class-Noisy and Boisterous Spirits: They often manifest their presence by the production of phenomena perceptible by the senses, such as raps, the movement and abnormal displacing of solid bodies, the agitation of the air, etc.; all spirits are able to produce physical phenomena; but spirits of elevated degree usually leave them to those of a lower order, more apt for action upon matter.

Good Spirits have as a characteristic to desire to do well

5. General Characteristics.-Predominance of spirit over matter; desire of excellence. Their qualities and their power for good are proportionate to the degree at which they have arrived. Some of them possess scientific knowledge, others have acquired wisdom and charity; the more advanced among them combine knowledge with moral excellence. Not being yet completely dematerialized, they preserve the traces of their corporeal existence, more or less strongly marked, according to their rank-traces which are seen either in their mode of expressing themselves, in their habits, or even, in some cases, in the characteristic eccentricities and hobbies still retained by them. But for these weaknesses and imperfections they would be able to pass into the category of spirits of the first order:  

Fifth Class-Benevolent Spirits: Their dominant quality is kindness. 

Fourth Class - Learned Spirits: They are less interested in moral questions than in scientific investigation, for which they have a greater aptitude. 

Third Class-Wise Spirits: The most elevated moral qualities form their distinctive characteristics. They have reached a development of intellectual capacity that enables them to judge correctly of men and of things.

Second Class-High Spirits: They unite, in a very high degree, scientific knowledge, wisdom, and goodness. They willingly enter into communication with those who seek for truth in simplicity and sincerity, and who are sufficiently freed from the bonds of materiality to be capable of understanding it. When, under exceptional circumstances, they incarnate themselves in this earth, it is always for the accomplishment of a mission of progress; and they thus show us the highest type of perfection to which we can aspire in the present world.

FIRST ORDER-PURE SPIRITS -The influence of matter null; a superiority, both intellectual and moral, so absolute as to constitute what, in comparison with the spirits of all the other orders, may be termed perfection: 

First and only Class–: -They have passed up through every degree of the scale of progress, and have freed themselves from all the impurities of materiality. Having attained the sum of perfection of which created beings are susceptible, they have no longer to undergo either trials or expiations.