Common species to all genres of mediumship

We present in this issue the topic #106 from the Systematized Study of the Spiritist Doctrine, that is being presented weekly, according to the programme elaborated by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB), structured in 6 modules and 147 topics.

If the reader uses this program for a study group, we suggest that questions proposed be discussed freely before the reading of the text that follows. If you would like to study alone, we ask you to try to answer the questions at first and only then read the text that follows. The answer key can be found at the end of the lesson. 

Questions

1. What are the characteristics that natural or involuntary mediums have?

2. Is it possible to a natural medium pass to the condition of an optional medium?

3. What are, according to Kardec, the varieties common to all genres of mediumship?

4. It is recommended to develop the mediumship in children?

5. At what age should people initiate in the field of mediumship?

Text

The natural medium can pass to the condition of optional medium

1. The mediums of physical effects can be divided into optional or voluntary mediums and natural or involuntary mediums.

2. Optional or voluntary Mediums are those who are aware of its strength and produce spiritual phenomena by action of their own will. Clearly, for this, they need the cooperation of a Spirit. This faculty, although inherent in the human species, is far from existing in everybody in the same degree. But there are few people in whom it is almost null, even more rare are those who are able to produce large effects, such as lifting heavy bodies, their translation and, more importantly, the apparitions.

3. Natural or involuntary mediums are those whose influence is exercised despite their desire. They have no consciousness of its strength and, often, what happens of extraordinary around them doesn’t seem to them, in any way, extraordinary. The fact can occur at any age and it can even be verified in children at very early age.

4. The invisible beings who show their presence through sensitive effects are, in general, Spirits of a lower order and can be dominated by the moral ascendant of the medium. It is necessary, therefore, that the medium acquires this ascendant. For that, it is necessary to the medium to pass from the condition of a natural or involuntary medium to the condition of an optional medium.

5. Then it will be produced an effect similar to that found in sleepwalking. As the experience has shown, the natural somnambulism usually cease when replaced by the magnetic somnambulism. Not for the possibility of emancipation of the soul, it is given to it another way. The same applies to the mediumistic faculty. Therefore, instead of hindering the phenomena, what are rarely achieved, it is necessary to excite the medium to produce them in his will, imposing to the Spirit.

Spirits are distinguished by the nature of the impression they provoke  

6. As Kardec states in item 188 in the "The Book of Mediums", these are the varieties common to all genres of mediumship:

I. Sensitive mediums;
II. Natural or involuntary mediums;
III. Optional or voluntary mediums.

7. Sensitive mediums are people likely to feel the presence of Spirits by a general or spotted impression, vague or material. In general, we can differ good Spirits from the bad by the nature of the impression that they cause.

8. Spiritism teaches that delicate and very sensitive mediums must refrain from communications with violent Spirits or whose impression is painful, because the fatigue that is resulted.

9. Natural or involuntary mediums , as we saw in Section 3 above, are those who produce the phenomena spontaneously, without any involvement of his will and, in most cases, despite its.

10. Optional or voluntary mediums are those who have the power to cause the phenomena by an act of their own will as long as there is, of course, the cooperation of a Spirit. If this one refuses, they could not, which shows that it is verified in the mediumistic fact the influence of a weird force.

It is dangerous to develop mediumship in children

11. Kardec asked three questions to the Superior Spirits regarding mediumship in children. See below what they taught ("The Book of Mediums", item 221, paragraphs 6, 7 and 8):

I - It is very dangerous to develop mediumship in children, because their delicate organization would be undermined and their imagination super excited with the mediumistic practice. Thus, cautious parents should remove them from these ideas or at least discuss the matter only from the point of view of its moral consequences.

II - When the mediumistic faculty is spontaneously in a child, it is a sign that it is in one’s nature and that one’s constitution is for that. The same thing does not happen when it is provoked and super excited.

III - There is not a precise age at which a person begins to deal with mediumship. That depends mainly on the physical development and, even more, on the moral development. There are children at the age of 12 years who are less affected than some adults.

Answer Key

1. What are the characteristics that natural or involuntary mediums have?

A.: Natural or involuntary mediums are those who produce the phenomenas spontaneously, without any participation of one’s will and, in most cases against their desire. They have no consciousness of its strength and, often, what happens of extraordinary around them doesn’t seem to them, in any way, extraordinary.  

2. Is it possible to a natural medium pass to the condition of an optional medium?

A.: Yes, it is possible.

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