In this issue, we begin the study of the book, What is Spiritism, launched in Paris in July 1859. This study will be divided into 19 parts. The pages cited in the text and suggested for reading refer to the 20th edition published by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (Federação Espirita Brasileira). The answers to the questions suggested for discussion can be found at the end of this text.
Questions for discussion
A. What was one of the first conclusions of Allan Kardec regarding his observations?
B. Kardec highlights two very important points in the communication of the Spirits. Which ones are they?
C. On September 19, 1860, Kardec, in Lyon, his hometown, classified for the first time the Spiritists. According to that speech, how did Kardec consider the Spiritists?
Reading Text
1. It was in 1854 that Professor Rivail (Allan Kardec’s real name) first heard about the turning tables. At the beginning he heard it from Mr. Fortier, a magnetizer, with whom he had contact because of his interest in magnetism. Fortier told him: "not only can you make a table rotate by magnetizing it, but you can also get it to talk. We question it, and it answers”. Rivail answered him. "That's another question. I'll believe it when I see it, and when they have proven to me that a table has a brain to think, nerves to feel, and that it can become a sleepwalker. Until then, allow me to consider this as an invention..." (What is Spiritism, Biography, page 14).
2. In the year 1855, Mr. Carlotti, a friend of 25 years, talked about the phenomena for more than an hour with the enthusiasm he always put in all new ideas. Although Professor Rivail recognized in him the qualities that characterize a great and beautiful soul, he also suspected of his heat. "He was the first one to speak to me about the action of the Spirits, and told me so many amazing things that far from convincing me, he increased my doubts," then said Allan Kardec. (Biography, page 15).
3. In May 1855, Professor Rivail went to Mrs. Roger’s home, a sleepwalker, together with Mr. Fortier, her magnetizer. There he met Mr. Patier, and Mrs. Plainemaison, who told him about the phenomena in the same manner as Mr. Carlotti had previously done, but in a different tone. "Mr. Pâtier was a civil servant, of a certain age, a very learned man, of a serious character, cool and calm; he spoke in a calm manner, free from all enthusiasm, and he really impressed me!” recorded Kardec. (Biography, page 16).
4. Invited by Mr. Pâtier, Professor Rivail went to see the experiences that took place at Mrs. Plainemaison’s. The first session occurred on a Tuesday, May 1855, at 8 o’clock in the evening. Allan Kardec says: "There, I witnessed for the first time the phenomenon of the turning tables, which leaped and ran, and this in such a way that one could not doubt it." The Encoder reports seeing also, at the same meeting, some psychic writing essays on a slate, which occurred with the aid of a basket. (Biography, page 16).
5. Regarding the meeting at Mrs. Plainemaison’s, Kardec said. "My opinion was far from having changed, but there certainly was something causing these facts. I saw something serious, a kind of a revelation of a new law, behind these apparent trifles and fun, and I promised myself to further study this". (Biography, page 16).
6. In one of the evenings at Mrs. Plainemaison’s, Professor Rivail met the Baudin family, who had weekly sessions in their home. "That's when I first started to study Spiritism seriously, much less through what I was told and more through my own observation”, noted the Encoder. (Biography, page 16).
7. Allan Kardec applied the experimental method to the new science. He wrote: "I have never developed preconceived theories; I used to watch closely, comparing, and then deduced the consequences; based on the effects I used to look for its causes using the process of deduction, the logical sequence of events, not accepting as valid an explanation only if it could solve all the difficulties of this issue". (Biography, pages 16 and 17).
8. One night a friendly Spirit, identified as Z., told Professor Rivail that they had met in a previous life, at the time of the Druids, and lived together in Gaul. The Professor’s name was at that time, Allan Kardec. On this occasion, the Professor was encouraged by Z, and this made him accept the task to organize several communications recorded in 50 notebooks. These messages had been put together by a group of friends formed by Messrs. Carlotti, Rene Taillandier, Tiedeman-Manthese, Sardou, father and son, and Didier. (Biography, page 18).
9. The Professor took the notebooks, copied them carefully, removed all repetitions and put each dictation and session reports in order. Then, he pointed out gaps to be filled, obscure statements to be clarified, and prepared some necessary questions to solve these doubts. (Biography, page 18).
10. Until then, the sessions at Mr. Baudin’s had no particular purpose. With Professor Rivail, that changed. He attended each session with a series of prepared and methodically arranged questions, which were answered accurately, deeply, and logically. Since then the meetings had a different feature, and serious attendants took keen interest in the work. (Biography, pages 18 and 19).
11. At first, Professor Rivail had in mind only his own education; later, when he saw that it formed a set and took the proportions of a Doctrine he thought of publishing it. The Encoder then registered in his memoirs: "These same issues, successively developed and completed, became the basis of The Book of Spirits." (Biography, page 19).
Answers to the proposed questions
A. What was one of the first conclusions of Allan Kardec regarding his observations?
Kardec says that one of the first results obtained in his remarks was that the Spirits had neither the sovereign wisdom, nor the sovereign science. Their knowledge was limited to the level of their development, and that their opinion had but the value of a personal opinion. (What is Spiritism, Biography, page 17).
B. Kardec highlights two very important points in the communication of the Spirits. Which ones are they?
The first point is that the communication with the Spirits proved the existence of an invisible world. The second is that, through this exchange, it became possible to know how that world was and its customs. (Ibid, page 17).
C. On September 19, 1860, Kardec, in Lyon, his hometown, classified for the first time the Spiritists. According to that speech, how did Kardec consider the Spiritists?
Kardec said at that time that there were three categories of followers: those seeking, above all, the phenomena; those who understand the philosophical purpose of the Spiritist facts and admire the moral that stems from them but do not practice it; and finally, those who are not contented in only admiring the moral, but want to practice it, they accept the consequences and have in Charity the rule of their conduct. The latter are, according to the words of the Encoder of Spiritism, the true Spirtists, or rather Christian Spiritists. (Ibid, pages 28 and 29).
