It is gratifying when works by Spiritist authors with analytical background are reviewed. Understanding the essence of the Spiritist teachings is fundamental for our improvement as human beings, immortal Spirits.

Gonzales Soriano, quoted by the late Herculano Pires, said, “Spiritism is the essential synthesis of human knowledge applied to the investigation of Truth”. In the 19th century, the Spaniard had already understood the essence of Spiritism, which is always good to rescue.

His reflection, that the Spiritist Doctrine is the essential synthesis of human knowledge, perhaps deserves a little more attention. Since the beginning, man has applied, between attempts at success and error, his understanding of life and the appropriate interpretations, according to his resources, about the truth. Starting from this premise, we are invited to develop an understanding of the transience of life on the plane of the incarnate, which is to say that the knowledge of the truth is something that improves, becomes more perfect, as the potentialities of the mind expand, a field awakened by the conscience, in the words of the Spirit Emmanuel.

This understanding makes the understanding of life broader in the face of differences in behavior, social atrocities, personal imbalances and diseases that undermine humanity, especially those of mental origin.

Spiritism, said Herculano Pires, is a Doctrine about the world. Spiritism gives us its interpretation and shows us how we should conduct ourselves in the world. This is what defines the true Spiritist: efforts undertaken in the practical, daily application of doctrinal teachings. It would be, interpreting the thinking of the Spiritist philosopher of greatest expression in Brazil, to make a reading of the world and of life, applying the doctrinal teachings despite the force present in humanity: selfishness.

Human beings experience the paradox of evolutionary growth, when they are invited to adapt to circumstances. Adapting does not mean giving in to the desires of selfishness and instilling the behavior that has attacked society, increasing social ruptures. It is about the absorption of doctrinal knowledge and its application, as one puts himself with supreme will to overcome himself. This movement, to paraphrase Umberto Eco, will “coexist”, for a while, with other refractory movements, contrary to the renewing impulses. Knowing how to live with this coexistence is to understand the greater meaning of adapting oneself.

It sounds complex, maybe not so simple, but let us take mediumship as an example. Allan Kardec in The Book of Mediums and Leon Denis in In the Invisible are objective as to the importance of the medium developing a routine of preparation for the systematic moments of exchange with the spiritual world. I would say, categorically, under penalty of being misunderstood, that it is the medium's "obligation" to prepare for the mediumistic sessions. We must all prepare ourselves, especially the medium.

No matter how well versed the medium is in the face of doctrinal content and no matter how good his preparation and conditioning of his faculty over time, it is important that the medium remains in a constant educational process of the mediumistic faculty. The study of mediumship is the study of a lifetime. It is not about reading, studying and knowing certain works. It is a constant study to expand its scope of action and become an instrument for fluid communication between the material and spiritual worlds.

Why is the rigor in relation to the medium different? Because administering and educating the faculty that allows greater lucidity in contact with the spiritual world requires such conditioning on the part of the medium.

Observe the Spiritist literature on communication with the spiritual world, from the experiments of the time of Kardec, Leon Denis and Gabriel Delanne, to the present day with the works of the medium Chico Xavier. The guidelines are clear: the preparation of the medium is a sine qua non condition for a reliable exchange. It seems obvious, but it is not always: contact with the spiritual world means contact with minds and thoughts that may be very different from yours and, therefore, will require greater capacity of the medium to be a faithful instrument.

A medium who is sure of his potential, knows the importance of preparing himself. The beginner medium, with a supreme desire to educate mediumship, uses patience to adapt between the demands of the material world and a rigorous preparation. As for the word "rigor", it is worth remembering that rigor is elastic and therefore varies according to with the circumstances and the reason for which the medium has prepared himself as an instrument of exchange).

However, as much as they are clear about the importance of preparing the medium, it is up to the student and hardworking apprentice to apply common sense faithfully to the purposes of seeking their spiritual improvement.

The medium who drinks alcoholic beverages, who uses tobacco and other licit and illicit drugs, when studying the Spiritist Doctrine starts to worry about how to manage such situations until he understands that the transformation of habits requires education of the senses in search of a higher purpose over time.

As an educational process, the importance, in the Spiritist literature on mediumship, of creating a routine for self-knowledge is observed and thus allowing contact with their various emotions and, ipso facto, with their superior ideals in a persevering and patient way. It is important, and in many cases, for the medium to abstain from such habits for longer and longer periods before the meeting. To do this consciously, however, it is essential that he knows how to understand the origin of such habits and act on the causes, concomitantly with the period of abstinence, which can be made easier with changes in habits, preferably accompanied by a professional specialized in the health area.

Contrary to common sense, it is not about comparing what is more relevant, whether physical or mental habits. It is about understanding the efforts that everyone uses to tame their evil inclinations. Moreover, we all have these inclinations in different degrees and natures and at different points from those mentioned in these reflections.

We have heard comments like "it's better to accept a smoker in the mediumistic meeting than a slanderer". Perhaps the discussion ends there (despite the difficulty of identifying a slanderer, which can occur with the observation of behavior in the coexistence)! Not eating meat, not drinking alcohol, not speaking ill of others, not wishing ill on others, are all linked to the process that we are invited to review.

What we invite the reader to reflect on is that the preparation of a medium, as well as the study of the Spiritist Doctrine, may even begin with a specific task in the Spiritist house, but it should not be limited to this task, much less to the Spiritist House. The Spirits that manifest themselves in mediumistic meetings do not use the “spiritual files” of a Spiritist worker to observe him only during the exercise of his activities in the Spiritist House. The being is integral. Therefore, if there is morality to be developed, it occurs when the individual makes an effort in the face of life's commitments, with the resources he has and his choices, much more than the time he has in a Spiritist task. In short, we would say that, in order to learn better, we necessarily go through an understanding of circumstances and contexts. Habits are actions repeated for a long time. Changing these actions requires a strategy that is constant over time so that the individual makes efforts capable of providing the transition between a harmful habit and other habits more consistent with what is desired for the future. To compare behaviors is to run the risk of being unfair to those who make the effort and volunteer for a task that is, perhaps, the change of habit that you so much crave; every task in the Spiritist House - as well as every voluntary task in life - is a legitimate door to spiritual improvement. If habits are still incompatible with a disobsession mediumistic meeting, for example (whatever habits they are), let's start with other tasks, gain more confidence in changing habits until we are prepared for mediumistic meetings (always in dialogue with the leader to better understanding of your case). Even so, in the face of all possible care, one stands out: love.

Do everything with love! Love is understanding, fraternal, patient and benevolent!