We continue the methodical study of the Pentateuch Kardec, which focuses on the five major works of the spiritual doctrine, in the order they were first published by Allan Kardec, the Encoder of Spiritualism.

The answers to the questions suggested for discussion was the end of the text below. 

Questions 

A. What is the greatest danger of mediumship?

B. What are the main varieties of obsession?

C. How can we recognize the occurrence of obsession?

D. What are the causes of obsession?

Text for reading

232. The higher spirits can triumph over the unwillingness of the incarnate spirit that serves as their interpreter and of those around him, but do not attend meetings where their presence is useless. In means uneducated, but where there is sincerity, they are present in willingly, but not the means instructed where dominates the irony. In such ways, you have to talk the ears and eyes: that is the role of scouts and Spirits zom-beteiros. It is recommended that those who are proud of their science are humiliated by spirits less educated and less advanced. (Item 231, questions 2 and 3)

233. To allow access to the inferior spirits serious meetings, to seize the teachings that are given here, but keep silent on them, as an assembly of people madcap weighted. (Item 231, question 4)

234. Wherever there is a meeting of men, there is about them a hidden assembly, who sympathizes with their qualities or their shortcomings, independently of any idea of ​​evocation. (Item 232)

235. Not always sufficient for an assembly to be serious, to receive communications of high order. There are people who never laugh and whose heart, or so it is pure. It is the heart, especially that attracts good spirits. So you see the huge influence that the environment has on the nature of intelligent spirit communications. We therefore briefly, saying that environmental conditions will be much better, much more homogeneity there for good, more pure and elevated sentiments, more sincere statement, without preconceived ideas. (Item 233)

236. Among the pitfalls that presents the practice of Spiritism that it takes place on the first line obsession. (Item 237)

237. In simple obsession, the medium is well aware that if you think of a prey Spirit liar and this is not disguised in any way conceal their evil intent and purpose of contradicting. The medium recognizes without difficulty a felony and, as remains in custody, is rarely fooled. (Item 238)

238. The fascination has consequences far more serious because it is an illusion produced by the direct action of the Spirit on the thinking of the medium and that, somehow, it paralyzes the reasoning in communications. The medium fascinated not believe that they are deceiving: the Spirit is the art of inspiring trust him blindly. (Item 239)

239. The subjugation is a constriction that paralyzes the will of the one who suffers and does his act despite. The patient is under a real yoke, which can be moral or body. In moral subjugation, the enslaved is constrained to make resolutions that often absurd, by a kind of illusion, he thinks wise, it is like a fascination. In the body, the Spirit acts on the material organs and causes involuntary movements. (Item 240)

240. Formerly gave the name of the empire exercised possession by evil spirits, when the influence was going to freak the faculties of the victim. Possession would be, for us, a synonym of the subjugation, but this last word expresses the idea better. So for us, there is possessed, in the ordinary sense of the term, there is only obsessed, fascinated and overwhelmed. (Item 241) ⁽¹⁾ 

Answers to questions 

A. What is the greatest danger of mediumship? 

Among the difficulties that presents the practice of Spiritism has to put on the first line obsession, ie the spirits know that some empire have on certain people. The obsession does not happen only by the desire of inferior spirits, who seek to dominate. Good spirits do not use any embarrassment; advise, fighting the influence of evil and, if they are heard, they retire. The bad, on the contrary, they cling to what they offer facilities if anyone can master, identify with his spirit and drive like a real child. (The Book of Mediums, item 237.) 

B. What are the main varieties of obsession? 

Are simple obsession, fascination and subjugation. A simple obsession takes place when an evil spirit is imposed on a medium, builds up against his will in the communications it receives, prevents him from communicating with other spirits and replace those that are evoked. Fascination is an illusion produced by the direct action of the Spirit on the medium and the thought that paralyzes some sort of judgment about his communications. The medium does not judge fascinated fooled: the Spirit is the art of inspiring him a blind trust that prevents him from seeing the scam and understand the absurdity of writing, yet even jump for all to see, the illusion can even do it see most ridiculous in the sublime language. The subjugation is a pressure that paralyzes the will of the one who suffers and does act against his will. The person is under a real yoke, which can be moral or body, sometimes causing the person to practice obsidiada the most ridiculous acts. (Ibid., items 238-240.) 

C. How can we recognize the occurrence of obsession? 

Obsession has the following characteristics: 1º - Persistence of Spirit in communicating both the medium like it or not, writing, hearing, etc. by typtology., preventing others spirits can do it; 2º - The illusion that despite the intelligence of the medium prevents it from recognizing the falsehood and ridicule communications received; 3º - Belief in the infallibility and absolute identity of spirits that communicate and that under respectable and venerable names, false or absurd things they say , 4º - Confidence in the medium accolades that make the spirits who communicate with him; 5º - Willingness to get away from people who can give you helpful reminders; 6º - Taking hurt by criticism about the communications you receive; 7º - untimely and incessant desire to write; 8º - Placing any physical dominating the will and forcing the medium to act or speak against their will; 9º - persistent noises and movements around him, and which is the cause or object. (Ibid., item 243.) 

D. What are the causes of obsession? 

The causes of obsession vary according to the character of the Spirit. It is sometimes a revenge that he has on an individual which had to complain during his lifetime or in another existence, often the reason is just the desire to do evil, because if he suffers a kind of experience joy in making others suffer in torment them and make them pass vexamer. Thus, the impatience that the victim demonstrates stimulates it because, angering him and despite showing the victim does exactly what the Spirit wants. Others act out of hatred and envy the good behold by directing their gaze on the evil honorable people. There is, finally, those who act so moved by a feeling of fear, which leads them to take advantage of the moral weakness of certain individuals that they know them unable to resist. One should add to this list the obsessing spirits without malice, that have even something good, but they have the pride of false knowledge, and because of this, seek mediums gullible enough to accept them with my eyes closed, whom fascinate preventing them to discern the true from the false. Revenge is, however, the most common cause of obsessive phenomena. (Ibid., items 245 and 246.) 

⁽¹⁾  Kardec later changed his thinking on the subject possession, whose existence he admits and explains. See about the book Genesis, ch. XIV, items 45 and following.