Visiting the compendium of words - the dictionary -, obsession means: ⁽¹⁾ 1. Impertinence, persecution, vexation. 2. Fig. Preoccupation with a certain idea, which sickeningly dominates the Spirit, and resulting or not from repressed feelings; fixed ideas, mania.

This is the very much summarized view from the academic, materialist point of view, which can contemplate the existence of obsessive behavior through two processes: originated between two or more people, who persecute each other, mutually or not, or originating only from the individual himself, over himself. In either case, always bearing in mind the temporarily disarrayed minds of those involved, for whatever reason.

In principle, under this approach, there is no spiritual interference in the process, and it can be seen as a self-obsession, if the obsessed person imposes this situation through his quirks or oddities, or through an obsession between individuals.

As examples of a case involving more than one person, we can mention the case of an unhealthy love an obsessor feels for another person. Thus, generating excessive jealousy for no reason, causing the obsessor to control the other's life - through connections or recurring messages - in addition, the feeling of fear or tension may arise as a result of the obsessed person's distancing. There is also the obsession provoked by stalking in the workplace, or even in the family.

However, considering the spiritualist approach, particularly Spiritist, this concept is considerably more comprehensive, as it admits and demonstrates the possibility of discarnate entities acting in these pathological processes.

These spiritual harassments have always existed, and they are not new. However, they were unveiled and clearly presented to Humanity when there was the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine in the 19th century. Perhaps the first attempt at conceptualizing the meaning of spiritual obsession is recorded in this quote: ⁽²⁾

One of the biggest pitfalls of mediumship is obsession, that is, the dominion that certain spirits can exercise over mediums, imposing themselves on them under apocryphal names and preventing them from communicating with other Spirits.

By this definition, Allan Kardec restricted the process only in relation to mediums who naturally relate to the disembodied, because in this work, he was talking about the difficulties in the exercise of mediumship. We emphasize that the Spirits act in an imposing way, and, as is known, sometimes presenting themselves despite the medium's will, sometimes trying to deceive through false identities. In the latter case, we could make an analogy with known criminal conduct and say that it would be a kind of spiritual fraud.

A more detailed meaning of the obsession phenomenon is contained in the second basic work of Spiritism: ⁽³⁾

[...] dominion that some Spirits manage to acquire over certain people. It is never practiced except by inferior Spirits, who seek to dominate. Good Spirits inflict no constraint. They advise, they fight the influence of the bad ones and, if they do not listen to them, they withdraw. The bad ones, on the contrary, cling to those on whom they can prey. If they manage to dominate one, they identify with his Spirit and lead it as if it were a real child.

In relation to this second meaning, the possibility of the obsessive process still referring to mediums stands out, as this chapter deals with the pitfalls in the practice of Spiritism, contained in The Book of Mediums.

Furthermore, we must always in mind that the good Spirit is one who already has a reasonable understand of the Laws of God, obtained, evidently, at the cost of his own efforts to learn them. He starts to live and apply these principles in his evolutionary journeys, giving him a good level of moral education. He was not created good by God, he never, on the contrary, acquired this condition through his continued moral and ethical conquests made throughout his many existences.

On the other hand, the inferior Spirit is the one that has not acquired, until now, this degree of moral and ethical evolution, governing his life, consequently, under the postulates that he considers fair according to his still shy and limited point of view. These are still relatively ignorant Spirits, however, they will also reach, according to their own efforts, a higher spiritual stage, when, then, they will also be called good Spirits. However, for the time being, that is, temporarily, they are seen as evil Spirits. It is also worth remembering about the possibility that bad Spirits are very intelligent, prepared, perspicacious and astute, because the moral advance, which they have not yet conquered, does not always immediately follow the intellectual progress they may have already made.

There is also, at the end, the surprising information about the possibility of the obsessed medium being literally commanded in his actions and thoughts.

In the third fundamental work we have: ⁽⁴⁾

Obsession is the persistent action that an evil Spirit exerts on an individual. It presents very different characters, from a simple moral influence, without perceptible external signs, to a complete disturbance of the organism and mental faculties.

Now the Encoder emphasizes the possibility that the obsession presents itself continuously, reaching the obsessed person for a longer time, reaching him deeply, and therefore, both the physical body and the victim's ability to judge.

In another basic work, the last one, Allan Kardec defined the mechanism as follows: ⁽⁵⁾

Note in this other conceptualization of the Father of Kardecist Spiritism, the emphasis on the damage to the good exercise of the mediumistic faculty, and, consequently, to the mediumistic activities that will not be able to develop properly while their bearers try to act prisoners of some obsessive process.

Already in Posthumous Works, there is also this very concise meaning: ⁽⁶⁾

Obsession consists of the dominion that bad spirits assume over certain people, with the aim of enslaving them and submitting them to their will, for the pleasure they experience in doing evil.

In this other one, the Lyon Master points out a new motivation for the possible obsessors to act, i.e. the simple satisfaction in the practice of evil. Nothing to be surprised, because the Spirit when disincarnated, if he was bad during his path in material existence, he will remain bad on the other side of life, looking for the means to satisfy his bad nature.

It is interesting to emphasize that, although these Spiritist definitions highlight the occurrence of obsession related to the practice of mediumship, it does not apply only to mediums, but to any human being. This broader understanding can be verified in the writings of the Encoder himself when he states that the obsession phenomenon can occur in anyone: ⁽⁷⁾

An important fact to consider is that obsession, whatever its nature, is independent of mediumship, and that it is found, of all degrees, especially the last, in a large number of people who have never heard of Spiritism.

When Allan Kardec refers to the last degree of obsession, he means subjugation and, in addition to this, there is simple obsession, fascination and possession, these being the main varieties.

Finally, but not that this is the ultimate definition, as one can eventually find another one in doctrinal works, we have: ⁽⁸⁾

Obsession is the almost permanent action of a strange Spirit, which causes the victim to be induced, by an incessant need, to act in this or that direction, to do this or that thing.

The concept of obsession, according to Spiritism, is reasonably aligned with the common notion that we have about this phenomenon, with the fundamental difference that Spiritism expands this understanding, making it oceanic. It points out the possibility of obsession being practiced by the so-called dead, together with those who are still alive, and vice versa, revealing a much broader and deeper scenario in dealing with the issue, in relation to the restricted proposals that do not admit the continuity of life, much less the immortality of the soul.

Although it cannot be concluded directly from the definitions mentioned, there is also the intriguing self-obsession, contemplated in the dictionary meanings by the figurative sense of the process. This can only be overcome if the person affected by this disease learns to behave according to divine principles, leaving aside the practices supported by his monoideism, which can easily lead the unwary to the edge of madness.

From the above, it can be seen that the problem of obsession is a vast and, sometimes, complex subject, with a vast Spiritist literature on the subject.

All these slight remarks should only serve to call our attention to the multiple facets of the process, with the possibility of reaching us whenever we are unvigilant and careless with our mental and moral life, moreover, when we let vanity and pride guide our actions.

For now, since we are in a world of trials and atonement, there is no absolute shield against obsessors, except the one built by a straight and unblemished life, without slips and, above all, without offense to others, in order to avoid future revenge. A difficult task to achieve, but not impossible. Let us at least try, and if failures overtake us, let us lift our disjointed knees and move on, never give up.

It is always time to start reading the accounts offered by spirituality on this exciting topic.

Furthermore, it is living and learning, experimenting and growing, all under the aegis of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

References:

¹ HOLANDA, A. Buarque de. New Aurelio Dictionary of the Portuguese Language. Revised and enlarged. 2^nd ed. Rio de Janeiro: Publisher Nova Fronteira, 1986.

²_________. What is Spiritism. Translation by the Reformer's Newsroom in 1884. 56^th ed. 1. Print Brasilia: FEB, 2013. Mediumship Pitfalls. Chap. II. Item 70.

³ _________. The Book of Mediums trans. by Guillon Ribeiro. 54^th ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 1987. On Obsession. Chap. 23. item 237.

⁴ _________. The Gospel According to Spiritism. trans. By Guillon Ribeiro. 131 editions. 6 prints Brasilia: FEB, 2015. Chap. 28, item 81.

⁵ _________. The Genesis, trans. by Guillon Ribeiro. 53 ed. 1 print [Historical Edition]. Brasilia: FEB, 2013. Obsessions and possessions. Chap. 14, item 45.

⁶_________. Posthumous works. trans. By Guillon Ribeiro. 22^nd ed. Rio de Janeiro: FEB, 1987. First part, VII. Of obsession and possession, item 56.

⁷ _________. What is Spiritism. Translation of the Reformer's Newsroom in 1884. 56^th ed. 1. print Brasilia: FEB, 2013. Mediumship Pitfalls. Chap. II, item 76.

⁸ _________. Spiritist Magazine: journal of psychological studies. year 1. No. 10. Oct. 1858. Obsessed and subjugated. Trans. Evandro Noleto Bezerra. 4^th ed. 1. print Brasilia: FEB, 2019.