|
 |
The Found Link
Allan Kardec
registered the
above on the
cover of the
Book of Mediums
[...] it
contains the
special teaching
of the Spirits
about the theory
of all kinds of
manifestations
[...] comprising
the following
Book of Spirits.»
(1) |
|
Enrique
Eliseo
Baldovino |
In the year 2011
we had the honor
to pay homage to
the
Sesquicentennial
of The Book
of Mediums,
meaning the 150th
anniversary of
the launching of
this monumental
book - one of
the basic works
of the Kardecian
Pentateuch - ,
volume launched
on Tuesday, 15th
of January of
1861, in Paris,
by Didier and
Company,
publishers (35,
Quai des
Augustins),
and by Ledoyen,
bookseller (Galerie
d’Orleans, 31
in Palais-Royal).
Excerpt from the
Book of Mediums
For many years
the words of the
renowned
Decoder,
featured on the
cover of Le
Livre des
Médiuns have
called our
attention and
serve as the
epigraph of our
article, whose
original in
French we cite
in unabridged
form as follows:
«Le Livre des
Médiums
ou Guide des
Médiums et des
Évocateurs,
contenant
l’enseignement
spécial des
Esprits sur la
théorie de tous
les genres de
manifestations,
les moyens de
communiquer avec
le monde
invisible, le
développement de
la médiumnité,
les difficultés
et les écueils
que l’on peut
rencontrer dans
la pratique du
Spiritisme, POUR
FAIRE SUITE au
Livre des
Esprits, par
Allan Kardec». (Destaques
nossos.)
(2)
The translation
is the
following:
«The Book of
Mediums or
Guide of
Mediums and
Evokers,
contains the
special
teachings of the
Spirits
surrounding the
theory of all
kinds of
manifestations,
the means of
communicating
with the
invisible world,
the development
of mediumship,
the obstacles
and choices
found in the
practice of
Spiritualism,
CONSTITUTING THE
SEGMENT of
the Book of
Spirits, by
Allan Kardec»
(Our
highlights.)
(1)
The French
expression
pour faire suite
a means:
to
constitute the
segment of, to
give sequence
to, to be the
continuation of
(3)
etc. The master
of Lyon was very
precise in his
words, and every
time we read and
study his
codified works
we are
overwhelmed, not
only by the
sublime
scientific,
philosophical
and religious
content of the
Spiritualistic
Doctrine, but
also by the
elevated form of
language sported
by the superior
Spirits and by
the Decoder
himself, in his
bright comments
and his unique
didactics.
1st rare issue
of
What is
Spiritualism
In this rare
French edition
(93 pages in the
original) of the
work
Qu’est-ce que le
Spiritisme,
published by
Kardec in July
1859, in Paris (Ledoyen,
bookseller, and
bureau of
Revue Spirite,
Imprimerie
of Mr. Beau, in
Saint-Germain-en-Laye),
a book that is
found on the
Internet today
(4), we
find a REVEALING
INFORMATION in
the final pages,
used by the
editor, by
imprimerie
and by
typographie
(today’s
printing shops),
in the manner of
a catalogue,
where the
following issues
are advertised.
Between pages 97
and 100 of the
referred 1st
edition of
What is
Spiritualism,
we find a
summary or
General Index of
Le Livre des
Esprits,
with its
respective Books
or Parts,
followed by its
unabridged
chapters. When
reaching page
100, and after
reading the
precious themes
of LIVRE
PREMIER – Las
Causes Premières
(FIRST BOOK – Of
Primary Causes),
of LIVRE
DEUXIÈME - Monde
spirite ou des
Esprits
(SECOND BOOK –
Of the spiritual
world or world
of Spirits), of
LIVRE
TROISIÈME - Lois
Morales
(THIRD BOOK – Of
moral laws) and
of the LIVRE
QUATRIÈME -
Espérances et
consolations
(FOURTH BOOK –
Of hopes and
consolations),
we read the
following with
attention and
great emotion:
LIVRE CINQUIÈME
- Manifestation
des Esprits
(FIFTH BOOK –
Manifestation of
Spirits).
(4)
We are really
admired to find
that the Decoder
had the
intention to add
another Book or
Part to the new
edition of the
Le Livre des
Esprits,
with the
intention to
develop themes
related to
medium
manifestations
and mediums,
thus giving
SEQUENCE to the
universe of
themes
introduced by
Spiritualism.
But afterwards,
by guidance of
Spirits or by
other reasons,
he opted to do
this SEGMENT in
a new specific
work, The
Book of Mediums,
having
mediumship as
the object of
study.
A Rare and
historic
facsimile
We present next
the rare and
historic
facsimile of the
afore mentioned
LIVRE CINQUIÉME
(Page 100, in
the final
advertising
papers of the 1st
issue of
Qu’est-ce que le
Spiritisme),
together with
our translation
from French to
Portuguese, of
the 8 chapters
of the
unpublished
FIFTH BOOK, that
was supposed to
be attached to
the Le Livre
des Esprits
(which ended up
not happening),
where you can
notice
interesting
themes about
mediums, and of
great up-to-date
doctrinarian
news.
We point out
that, up to the
referred time
(July, 1859),
only one issue
had been
published of the
Bright Book: the
first and
historical
edition of the
Le Livre des
Esprits, on
Saturday, 18th
of April 1857,
with 501
questions and 3
PARTS or BOOKS
(Paris, E. Dentu
bookseller,
Palais-Royal,
Galerie
d’Orleans, 13
Imprimerie
of Mr. Beau, in
Saint-Germain-en-Laye),
of which chapter
X of the 1st
Part was also
called
Manifestation
des Esprits
(questions 200
to 276 of the 1st
issue).
In the context
of the
appearance of
this rare
facsimile, we
are between the
months of July,
1859 and March,
1860, being the
latter the
publication of
the 2nd
and definite
issue of the
Book of Spirits,
entirely
refurbished and
considerably
augmented, as we
know today,
containing the
1019 questions
and the 4 BOOKS
or PARTS (Paris,
Didier et Cie,
et Ledoyen -
Imprimerie de
P.-A. Bourdier
et Cie, rue
Mazarine, 30).
Disclaimer about
this new issue
It is Allan
Kardec himself
who explains the
new distribution
of subjects in
the reprint of
The Book of
Spirits,
only in its
methodic form
and not
according to the
principles of
the Doctrine,
which did not
suffer any
amendments, as
he records in
this precious
Warning
(5), guided
by the Spirits
of Codification:
« [...] We
prefer to wait
for the the
reprinting of
the book to
merge it all
together,
distributing the
subjects in a
more methodical
manner and
suppressing the
repeated ones.
This reprint may
be considered a
new piece of
work, although
the principles
have not been
altered; only a
few points that
are more
complements and
clarifications
than proper
modifications.
[...]».
And in the final
paragraph of the
afore mentioned
Warning,
the Decoder
reveals the next
and historical
launching of the
praised work –
The Book of
Mediums -,
explaining why
this work
constitutes the
SEGMENT to
The Book of
Spirits:
«[...] The
teachings
related to the
manifestations
and the mediums
constitute, in a
way, a distinct
part of the
philosophy,
being a special
object of study
in itself.
Having this part
being developed,
due to the
acquired
experience, we
thought it’d be
good to make it
into A DISTINCT
VOLUME, which
contains all the
answers given
to all questions
related to
manifestations
and mediums,
as well as
countless
comments on
practical
Spiritualism.
This work will
be the
CONTINUATION or
the COMPLEMENT
to The Book
of Spirits».
(Highlighted in
bold face and
italics in the
original.)
(6)
When closing
this Avis sur
cette nouvelle
édition,, in
the second
edition of Le
Livre des
Esprits, the
Decoder presents
the following
valuable
footnote: «In
press»,
referring to the
future
publication of
The Book of
Mediums
(15/01/1861).
(7)
Precious and
rare Note from
Allan Kardec in
Prolegomena
In another
precious note
from Allan
Kardec, now in
Prolegomena
(8), the
Decoder hereby
expresses
himself about
the mentioned 2nd
edition of
The Book of
Spirits:
«[...] The
material was
organized in
order to present
a regular and
methodical
collection, and
was not
advertised
before a
throughout
revision, many
time over, and
corrected by the
Spirits. This
second edition
also deserved a
new and
throughout
examination by
the Spirits.
[...]».
All the 11
chapters of the
Second Part (“Of
the spiritual
world or world
of Spirits”) of
the 2nd
definite edition
of The Book of
Spirits, will be
unfolded and
enhanced greatly
in The Book of
Mediums, with
astonishing
beauty. Today we
know, from
studies of these
subjects, that
Le Livre des
Médiums had
its doctrinarian
origin in this 2nd
part of Le
Livre des
Esprits. The
brethren Vital
Cruvinel, on his
site,(9)
refers to that
issue of The
Book of Spirits,
that has not yet
been published
and where a 5th
part is featured
(Livre
Cinquième),
as the “lost
issue”.
We prefer to
call it “the
Found Link”, for
it constitutes
the segment, the
natural
sequence, the
continuation of
the logic of
thought of
Kardec, guided
by the Superior
Spirits of
Codification, in
order to unfold
those referred 8
chapters in
nothing less
than 36 new
chapters (of the
1st
and 2nd
Parts of The
Book of
Mediums), with
350 items and
over 500 pages
of the original
in French, a
Masterpiece that
we now pay
homage to, (10)
thanking God,
Jesus and Kardec
for the
blessings
contained in
these immortal
pages, that even
150 years later
continue to
light the script
and path of
mediums in their
relarionship
with the
incarnated and
the Invisible
World.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
REFERENCES:
(1)
KARDEC, Allan.
The Book of
Mediums.
Transl. Evandro
Noleto Bezerra.
1. ed. Rio de
Janeiro: FEB,
2008. Front
cover.
(2)
KARDEC, Allan.
Le Livre des
Médiums.
1ère édition.
Brasília: EDICEI,
2008. Front
cover.
(3)
PELAYO, Ramón
García-, TESTAS,
Jean.
Dictionnaire
Français-Espagnol-Español-Francés.
Collection
Saturne, 976 pp.
2ème édition.
Paris: LAROUSSE,
1989.
Page 705,
headword:
suite.
(4)
KARDEC, Allan.
Qu’est-ce que le
Spiritisme.
1ère édition.
Paris: Ledoyen,
1859. Available
at: <http://books.google.com.br/
(5)
KARDEC, Allan.
The Book of
Spirits.
Transl. Evandro
Bezerra. 2. ed.
Rio de Janeiro:
FEB, 2010.
Warning about
this new edition,
pp. 21-22.
(6)
–––––––.
––––––––.
With the
footnotes from
Kardec and the
translator, p.
22.
(7)
THE SPIRITUAL
WORLD. The
Found Link.
Commemorative
article by
Enrique Eliseo
Baldovino. June
of 2011, nº
1523, year 80,
pp. 23-25.
Curitiba/PR: FEP,
2011.
(8)
KARDEC, Allan.
The Book of
Spirits.
Transl. E.
Bezerra. 2. ed.
Rio de Janeiro:
FEB, 2010.
Prolegomena, pp.
72-73, with
translator’s
notes, p. 72.
(9)
Available at:
<http://decodificando-livro-espiritos.blogspot.com/2010/11/edicao-perdida-parte-1.html>.
(10)
SPIRITUAL
PRESENCE. The
Found Link.
Commemorative
article by
Enrique E.
Baldovino.
July/August
2011, year
XXXVII, nº 285,
pp. 46-51.
Salvador/BA:
LEAL, 2011.
|
