Obsession and its characteristics

We present in this issue the topic #122 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. How does Spiritism define obsession?

2. In the beginning of obsession, how do spirits who attach themselves to men act?

3. Which factors lead to the appearance of obsession?

4. Does it exist any connection between obsession and certain addictions such as smoking and addiction to food?  

5. Which consequences can come from ignoring spiritual influences that are negative?

Text

In the beginning of obsession, spirits act subtly

1. As a consequence of moral inferiority of people from our planet, there are many morally inferior spirits in the spiritual world. The action of those spirits upon our actions and thoughts is part of the difficulties that are faced by humanity.

2. One of the results of this influence is obsession, which can be defined as the control that some spirits gain upon certain individuals. In the book Genesis by Allan Kardec, obsession is defined as a persistent action that an evil spirit exercise upon an individual.

3. This action, explain Kardec, can vary from a very simple moral influence to a complete disturbance of body and mind. Mediumship is troubled if there is obsession involved. The reason is simple: spirits who influence negatively are always mean because the good spirits never care to dominate or embarrass people in general.

4. In obsession, these spirits act subtly  and progressively in the mind of the individual. It can evolve with time to a complete domination upon the incarnated spirit sometimes.

There are some factors present in obsession such as moral flaws and addictions

5. The action of these spirits upon the individual can be noticed in the beginning as an external mental influence interfering with our own thoughts or an uneasy feeling without an apparent reason.

6. The same way that diseases appear in our body where there is lack of immune defence, obsession appears in the mind of the individual who has moral flaws from the past and from the present that scarred the individual’s spirit.     

7. Some addictions, however, must be considered as a factor that favours the appearance of obsession. This happens because these addictions harm our body and mind. There are some examples such as alcoholism, smoking, drug use, troubled sexuality, addiction to food, the habit to gossip, rage, jealousy, envy, stinginess and selfishness.   

8. Alcoholism is a problem that brings moral, organic and social consequences. It’s a problem that allows alcoholic disincarnated spirits to practice vampirism in the incarnated spirits with serious trouble to their body and mind.    

Moral flaws are ways that lead to negative influences

9. Drugs, when acting upon the individual’s nervous system, give passage to memories from their past lives, which mix with the frustrations from the present moment, disturbing him/her emotionally. When the individual is emotionally disturbed, this opens doors to negative influences from disincarnated spirits who are also troubled emotionally.

10. Disturbed sexuality also opens doors to synchrony with disincarnated spirits who are extremely afflicted and absorb vital energies of the individual. This process ends up in serious obsession.

11. Addiction to food, the habit to gossip, rage, jealousy, envy, stinginess, and selfishness are some examples of open doors to obsession, like any other moral flaw. Bad spirits take advantage of those things to synchronise with us and influence negatively our behaviour and thoughts.

12. If we don’t work against or don’t combat obsession, this influence will become more and more persistent and get more serious each time, potentially leading the person influenced to madness.  

Answer Key