Signs of the true spirit

Our beloved companion Hugo Gonçalves, who has so many and beautiful examples, used to say that the person who had a week of the Gospel could not excuse himself as a justification for his slips and hesitations.

If we add to this week of the Gospel the knowledge, however partial, of what Spiritism teaches us, the situation of the individual before the tribunal of conscience will become even more precarious and indefensible.

The reason for this is very simple, since spirits know perfectly what the purpose of our existence in the world is and what is expected of the spirit worthy of that name, that is, of the true spirit.

Spirit who is really a spirit has a moral duty to be better today than yesterday.

On the subject, Allan Kardec wrote:

"The true spirit is recognized for his moral transformation and the efforts he uses to tame his evil inclinations." (The Gospel according to Spiritism, chapter XVII, item 4.)

However, to tame the bad inclinations, as proposed by Kardec, implies submitting ourselves to a self-educative process, in which the so-called education of feelings will always have primacy.

Joanna de Ângelis, a mentor of Divaldo Franco's psychic work, referred to the theme in more than one occasion, always emphasizing, as an initial measure of moral transformation, the process of self-knowledge, from which, aware of soul´s real needs, the individual faces the dark depths of the soul and thus, with all diligence, tame his/her unhappy tendencies and inclinations.

Joanna de Ângelis proposes us in a well-known text titled "Therapy of self-knowledge":

"Deepen your self-analysis and have the courage to undress yourself before your own conscience.

List your most serious disturbing emotions and reason about your validity in your behaviour. Face them, one by one, by not justifying them, or by holding them back under the usual exculpation.

Solve yourself by healing the distressing situation of your days, opting for the acquisition of health.

Aware that you are what you have done for yourself, and you can be what you are doing for yourself, do not postpone the decision of self-encounter.

As long as lei´s anaesthesia obfuscates your reasoning, you will go from one problem to another without real peace.

[...]

The man who knows himself has treasure in his heart. The discernment that characterizes him is his light on the ground, pointing him to the direction.

Knowing the fragility of the carnal garment, value every hour and apply it well, living it intensely, in whose behaviour you will reap the best fruits.

Each time you decide to self-discover, lead a proposal of liberation. Begin with the social vices of lies, slander, slander, pessimism, suspicion, to the dramas of behaviour, envy, jealousy, resentment, resentment, hatred... Subsequently, elaborate educational measures to dependencies to alcoholics, to smoking, to hallucinogenic drugs, to lust, to conduct disorders and to the onslaught of psychological hallucinations...

Each step will be a new achievement. Every victory, no matter how small, will mean a breakthrough.

As conditioning is the second nature, in human nature, you will generate healthy habits, which will fulfil you in the form of balance and peace." (Moments of Enlightenment, work psychographed by the medium Divaldo P. Franco)

Is the task difficult?

Of course, in many cases it can be rather difficult and time-consuming. But its results are enduring and definitive, as well as being part of the journey towards perfection, a goal that the Creator has pointed out to all his creatures and which we can achieve more or less quickly, according to our own efforts.