In this issue, we continue 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 Espírita Brasileira). The answers to the questions suggested for discussion can be found at the end of this text.
Questions for discussion
A. What are the means of communication with the Spirits, according to Allan Kardec in the book we are studying?
B. What is the sign by which we can recognize that a person is a psychic?
C. What does it take for a Spirit to communicate?
Reading Text
63. The absolute disinterest in material compensation is the best guarantee of the sincerity of the medium. The nature of this psychic faculty does not permit it to be used as a profession, considering that the phenomenon depends on a strange urge to the medium, determined by the Spirit, and also because, when needed, the Spirit may just be absent. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, pages 98 and 99).
64. Affection and sympathy are the most powerful factors to attract the Spirits. Therefore, it is easy to understand why they will not attend the request of someone, who wants to make money by using them. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 99).
65. Mediums, who are truly honest, serious and devoted, work in normal jobs to provide for their financial needs, and do not leave their jobs: they only devote to medium ship their extra time. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 100).
66. Due to the harm caused to the Doctrine by the exploitation of medium ship, serious Spiritism is right to not accept and even repel this kind of help.(Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 101).
67. The fluidic affinities, the principle from which the psychic faculties emanate, are individual and not general, and they can exist between a medium and a determined Spirit, and not exist regarding another Spirit. Without these affinities, with their multiple nuances, communications are incomplete, false or impossible. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 103).
68. In most cases, the fluidic assimilation between the Spirit and the medium is only established after some time, and it is very rare to happen in a complete manner from the very first time. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 103).
69. Medium ship is subject to laws, in some manner organic, and therefore the mediums are also subject to these laws. If we do not agree with the idea of exploiting medium ship, we do not do it by whim, nor systematically, but because the principles governing our relations with the invisible world go against the necessary continuity and accuracy by the one, who makes himself available to the public. Not all selfish mediums are charlatans, but the ambition to succeed drives to quackery and authorizes the suspicion of trickery. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 103).
70. At all times there were natural and unconscious mediums, but they were considered wizards and punished because they agreed with the devil. But there is an obvious difference between the real ones and the so-called sorcerers. Spiritism stripped witchcraft of its alleged supernatural power and its formulas and amulets, showing that the psychic phenomenon is subject to natural laws and that no one has the power to compel the Spirits to answer to his call. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 104).
71. Man’s moral imperfections belong to the Spirit, and not to the body. It is a mistake to believe that the Spirits, leaving the material body, receive at once the light of Truth. Their progress is made gradually and sometimes very slowly. It is therefore an elementary principle of Spiritism that there are Spirits of all degrees of intelligence and morality. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 106).
72. If the conversation with the Spirits served only to give us proof of their existence, that alone would be enough for all who still doubt that they have a soul and ignore what will become of them after death. But communications have given us more: they made us know the true state of the spiritual world and this is of great interest to all of us, since we all shall go there one day. (Chapter I, Second Dialogue, pages 107 and 108). (To be continued in the next issue).
Answers to the proposed questions
A. What are the means of communication with the Spirits, according to Allan Kardec in the book we are studying?
The means of communication with the Spirits are varied and depend on both the nature, more or less accurate of the Spirits, and on the peculiar provisions of the persons who serve as their intermediary. The most common, or universal, is the intuition, that is, the ideas and thoughts they suggestus. Certain Spirits communicate by strokes,by writing or speech. The mediums have special skills for these different ways of communication. Therefore, there are mediums of physical, and audio effects, and speakers, visionaries, designers, musicians and scribes. (What is Spiritism, Chapter I, Second Dialogue, pages 93 and 94).
B. What is the sign by which we can recognize that a person is a psychic?
To date, there is no diagnosis, or a mark that can let us know if a person is or is not psychic. Experience is the only way to know if the gift is there. What we know is that the mediums are in a great number, very numerous and it is frequent to find them among our family members or the people around us. (Ibid, Chapter I, Second Dialogue, page 96).
C. What does it take for a Spirit to communicate?
For a Spirit to communicate, it is necessary that he wants to do it, that his position and occupation allows him to do so and that he finds in the medium the appropriate instrument to its nature. (Ibid, Chapter I, Second Dialogue, pages 96 and 104).
