According to the
Spiritist Doctrine, God
creates all Spirits
simple and ignorant,
beginning their
evolutionary processes
in a plurality of
existences in the search
for perfection, with
Jesus as the way, the
truth and the life
towards the Father.
In reincarnations, the
immortal Spirit retains
its individuality,
connecting past, present
and future.
The Spirit Manoel
Philomeno de Miranda, in
the book Planetary Transition,
in the psychography of
Divaldo Pereira Franco,
clarifies further: “Through
reincarnations, stage by
stage, the process of
eliminating moral
imperfections takes
place, which transforms
into relevant values,
propelling you towards
the plenitude that is
destined for you. Making
mistakes and correcting
oneself, making attempts
at progress and falling,
only to get up again,
this is the method of
development that propels
everyone towards their
full happiness. (...)
Existence in the
physical body is a
learning opportunity
that life grants to the
spiritual being in its
process of inner growth,
providing it with the
appropriate resources so
that the divine flame
that exists in everyone
reaches plenitude.
According to the way
each person behaves in
the role, he will be
sowing the occurrences
of the future, which he
will have to face, in
order to recover and
correct what was
damaged. Each
reincarnation is a
sublime divine
concession for the
blissful construction of
personal immortality.
Blessed school, Earth is
the beautiful stronghold
in which we all perfect
ourselves, removing the
heavy denim of
primarism, which
prevents the shine of
the stellar diamond of
the Spirit that we are.
The blows of the
evolutionary process are
responsible for freeing
us, allowing the facets
shaped by pain and honed
by love to reflect
sidereal beauty.”
Reincarnation is for the
Spirit an opportunity
for a fresh start,
learning, inner growth,
improvement,
recomposition,
correction, renewal,
regeneration and
transformation, to build
its destiny and evolve
morally and spiritually.
The soul that has not
reached perfection
purifies itself by
undergoing the test of
new existence,
experiencing
transformation and
benefits that indicate
the manifestation of
divine justice and
mercy, which do not
condemn the offending
Spirit to eternal
suffering.
According to the law of
cause and effect,
reincarnation provides
the debtor Spirit with
the conditions to remake
its destiny, especially
if there is a commitment
to improving itself
through the correct use
of free will. With each
existence, the Spirit
takes a step on the path
of progress and, when it
is freed from all
impurities, it no longer
needs the trials of
corporeal life.
Plurality of existence
and repetition of
experiences, lessons and
learning
The Spirit Joanna de
Ângelis, in the book Amor,
imbatível amor,
in the Chapter 39,
titled “Self-affirmation,”in
the psychography of
Divaldo Pereira Franco,
teaches: “Society
marches inexorably
towards the
understanding of the
eternal Spirit that man
is, of his process
gradual evolution
through rebirths, heir
of himself, who
transfers from one stage
to another the
achievements made, happy
or mistaken, like a
student who adds
educational experiences,
promoting himself or
retaining himself in the
repetition of unrecorded
lessons, with a view
towards completion of
the course.”
Joanna de Ângelis, in
the book Autodescobrimento:
uma busca interior,
in “Problems of
Evolution,”in
the psychography of
Divaldo Pereira Franco,
clarifies:
“The
human creature, somehow
destined to perpetuate
the species and its
fulfillment, incarnates,
reincarnates, repeating
existential feats until
reaching the climax that
awaits him. In each new
stage, the occurrences
of the previous one
remains, in a natural
succession chain. And
through this mechanism,
successes open spaces
for broader and more
complex achievements,
just as failure in some
behavior establishes
processes that impose
problems in the
development of courses
that remain dormant.
(...)
It is legal and natural
for each person to
consider themselves
human, that is, with the
right to mistakes and
successes, not
unscathed, not special.
(...)
When you make a mistake,
fix it; When you get it
right, it grows.
Evolution occurs through
various and repeated
mechanisms of error and
success, from the first
steps to the firmness of
decision and march.”
Through the texts of
Joanna de Ângelis, we
realize that the
repetitions of
accomplished deeds,
whether happy or
mistaken, in
reincarnations, have an
educational character
for the Spirits, whose
evolutionary process
transfers existential
deeds and past
occurrences, of
successes and mistakes,
to other existences, in
a succession chain,
encouraging the
retention of experiences
and lessons learned and
the repetition of
unlearned actions to
repair, correct or grow,
until achieving the
success that awaits.
This is because
repetition represents
the basis of education
and learning for the
development of various
teachings for the
accumulation of sacred
treasures in the heart
of each human being.
With each repetition of
a lived experience, the
past and present are
connected to build the
future, in the search
for intimate
transformation to
internalize divine
attributes in a more
solid way through the
practice of love,
kindness and charity.
In The Book of
Spirits, in the
Introduction, Allan
Kardec comments: “Spirits
do not perpetually
occupy the same
category. Everyone
improves by going
through the different
degrees of the spiritist
hierarchy. This
improvement takes place
through the incarnation,
which is imposed on some
as expiation, on others
as a mission. Material
life is a test that they
must suffer repeatedly,
until they have reached
absolute moral
perfection.”
In the plurality of
existences, passing
through the different
degrees of the spiritist
hierarchy, we repeat
tests for our
improvement in the
acquisition of moral
virtues, adding
experiences and lessons
learned corresponding to
the evolutionary stage
in which the Spirit
finds itself, making it
advance from darkness to
light.
This entire process of
transformation requires
work, effort and
firmness of purpose, as
virtues are individual
achievements of the
Spirit, achieved in
successive reincarnation
experiences.
Compulsion and desire to
repeat old habits
So far, we have
reflected on educational
repetitions of good and
bad acts in
reincarnations, both of
which contribute to our
moral and spiritual
evolution, in which the
repetition of good acts
consolidates teachings
and acquired moral
attributes, and that of
bad acts emerge as
opportunities for
correction, repair and
regeneration of the
Spirit.
Despite the
opportunities available,
some Spirits insist on
the same mistakes, acts
and behaviors,
compulsively. Compulsion
is related to the
repetitive, excessive
act or activity or
meaningless mental
exercise, which is
carried out in an
attempt to alleviate or
avoid, usually
temporarily, an
affliction, anxiety or
anguish. This is a
behavior to reduce
psychological discomfort
due to different
factors.
Compulsive behavior
presents changes in
attitudes and thoughts,
cultivating rituals and
repetitions, accompanied
by excessive worries,
obsession, fear, doubt,
discomfort, distress,
guilt and other negative
feelings. In
compulsivity, the person
cannot control
themselves, doing
something that, at
first, gives pleasure,
but later brings guilt
and resentment.
Haroldo Dutra Dias, in
the book O
Evangelho de João:
Interpretado e comentado,
in Chapter 7: Witness,
in his narrative about
John the Baptist,
supported by the book Boa
Nova, by Spirit
Humberto de Campos,
highlights John the
Baptist's struggle
against his own
imperfections and the
challenges to overcome
compulsion, repeating
atavistic imperfections:
“Another
aspect highlighted by
Humberto de Campos: João
Batista represents the
Christian in struggle
with his own
imperfections (bad
inclinations, vices,
defects, difficulties,
impulsiveness),
highlighting that our
bad inclinations,
imperfections,
impulsiveness are all an
arid desert.
We have vices of all
kinds: addictions to
food, to drinking, to
bad mouthing. We have
addictions of a sexual
nature, of an emotional
nature, of sadness, of
anger, of anxiety;
physical, mental,
spiritual addictions...
(...)
Therefore, Humberto de
Campos' assertion: João
Batista represents the
Christian in an active
struggle to overcome his
addictions. For this
reason, the allusion to
being in the desert – a
voice calling for
preparation. It is
essential to prepare
yourself to overcome an
addiction, to overcome a
bad inclination, a
difficulty. It is
necessary to plan before
acting, to develop a
strategy, otherwise we
will run into the same
problem, because it is a
compulsion, an energy of
compulsion that makes
the addiction want, at
all times, to repeat
itself.
A person who is addicted
to bad mouthing always
finds an opportunity to
speak ill of someone.
Similarly, a creature
with an addiction to
criticism never focuses
on the good side of
people or situations, as
they constantly look for
something to criticize.
So, it's important to
have a strategy to deal
with this, otherwise you
won't win, you won't
overcome. However, this
strategy requires
discipline, restraint,
and requires a lot of
hard, unpleasant work.
It is not pleasant to
overcome an addiction,
an imperfection, a bad
inclination, since it is
painful, it is
challenging, it
generates tension...
that is John the
Baptist.”
Through this text, we
see that compulsion
makes a person act on
impulse, repeating
previous attitudes
without being able to
control themselves,
knowing that it is
wrong, but continuing to
do the same thing and
incurring recurring
faults.
In life, we are faced
with several conflicting
situations represented
by difficulties of all
kinds. These situations
can be seen as
conditioning or dominant
reflections of the
personality, which are
expressed in the form of
passing, superficial
interests that do not
give way to deeper
understandings.
The essence lies in the
intimate struggle, in
the fight against moral
imperfections, in which
we must seek improvement
as human beings,
establishing harmony in
our fraternal
coexistence. Thus, we
wage, within ourselves,
an internal struggle
between good and evil,
fighting against
inferior tendencies. The
vibratory current of
good stimulates
progress, empowers
harmony and positions
one for immortal glory.
The inner struggle is a
blessed challenge that
the law of progress
imposes. We can fight
for the knowledge of the
truths that free the
Spirit, taking advantage
of them to build the
inner dwelling on
perennial foundations.
Happiness or misfortune
will depend on the
understanding and
conduct of each one of
us.
If we manage to trigger
this fight, climbing the
heights of evolution for
the emancipation of the
soul, using the arsenals
of love, work,
selflessness, devotion
and living testimony of
virtues, we will have,
like Paulo de Tarso,
fought the good fight
and won another stage,
and maintained faith and
trust in God.
The bad tendencies
result from unhappy
experiences lived by
human beings, in their
current and past
existence, and always
resulting from their
level of evolution,
moral and intellectual.
The Spirit evolves in
each reincarnation
experience and on the
spiritual plane, with
bad tendencies being
replaced by good ones,
so that the vicious man
of today will be the
virtuous man of
tomorrow.
When combating
addictions and passions,
it is important to
remain vigilant,
emitting thoughts
related to the good,
neutralizing the
undesirable consequences
arising from vicious
processes, serious
obstacles to the
intellectual and moral
progress of the Spirit.
In truth, we have
courage for many things,
but when it comes to
fighting within
ourselves, it will be
easier to undertake an
external fight, where we
will find excuses to
justify our mistakes,
errors, failures and
vices, postponing the
introspection that we
must carry out to change
behavior and correct the
course in life.
According to scientific
methodology, if I carry
out an experiment in the
same way, under similar
and controlled
conditions and
circumstances, following
the defined steps,
repeatedly, the result
of the observation will
be the same, seeking to
discover the
cause-and-effect
relationship of the
phenomenon studied.
Similarly, we can carry
this vision into our
lives in search of most
of the causes of our
problems, the effects of
which have their
reasons. And to change
what has been troubling
us until now, we will
need to find a new path
to overcome the
mountains of
difficulties. If it
doesn't change, there's
no way to expect a
different result.
Inner reform involves
the fight against one's
own imperfections in the
search for inner peace,
through self-discovery
and self-knowledge,
becoming more aware of
ourselves and our latent
resources, freeing
ourselves from inferior
feelings contrary to
God's laws, due to one's
own evolution, through
effort, edifying work,
practice of love and
charity.
Moral imperfections lead
human beings to commit
mistakes that can result
in imbalances that cause
great physical and
spiritual disturbances.
Normally, we try to
improve our physical
appearance, take care of
the beauty of our body,
do physical exercises to
strengthen our muscles,
but we are not concerned
with our moral and
spiritual improvement to
face the challenges that
trials bring. We take
care of the physical
body, why don't we take
care of the soul?
Dominated by
materialism, we give
wings to selfishness,
pride, vanity, among
other inferior feelings
that highlight the
spiritual smallness in
which we live, deceiving
ourselves in the
possession of material
goods and in the
pleasure of wealth and
power, having as a life
script “me.”
Selfishness is a great
obstacle to intimate
reform. In “me” culture,
we look at people for
ourselves. Through the
curtain of “I”,
we cannot see our fellow
man who needs our help.
The importance of moral
transformation arises
when human beings
realize that the
pleasures of material
life no longer satisfy
them, establishing a
milestone for the
awakening of the Spirit
in their journey of
ascension towards the
supreme good. This moral
and spiritual
transformation must
occur within us, in a
work of inner
improvement, an action
from the inside out,
through a continuous
process of moral
improvement of the
Spirit for its necessary
evolution. However,
intimate reform cannot
be achieved overnight.
It demands time, good
will, discipline,
incessant effort, a lot
of resignation, fighting
against inferior
tendencies and, above
all, being vigilant
about defects and
focusing on the task of
improving.
Each human being is at a
certain evolutionary
stage. To identify this
stage, you must carry
out an examination of
conscience, an intimate
diagnosis, to identify
the real circumstances
of your life.
Certain that we will not
stop our evolution to
carry out the intimate
reform, it must be
carried out during the
present existence. It's
not waiting to improve
to work. It’s
about working to
improve.
The incessant action of
moral transformation is
work every day, every
time, and vigilance must
be permanent, in order
to avoid stumbles and
falls. Therefore, it
will be important to
maintain a positive
attitude, of mental and
emotional vigilance. It
will be impossible to
improve yourself morally
without sacrifices or
renunciations.
If each human being
changes their behavior,
sowing peace within
themselves, eliminating
inferior feelings, they
will contribute to peace
on the planet in an
action of universal
fraternity.
Thus, without knowing
ourselves and fighting
against our
imperfections, there is
no intimate reform,
remembering that the
process of intimate
enlightenment requires
discipline and constant
efforts, starting within
us.
So, wake up now and have
the courage to face
yourself!
Bibliography:
BÍBLIA
SAGRADA.
ÂNGELIS,
Joanna de (Espírito); na
psicografia de Divaldo
Pereira Franco. Amor
imbatível amor. 18ª
Edição. Salvador/BA:
Editora Leal, 2021.
ÂNGELIS,
Joanna de (Espírito); na
psicografia de Divaldo
Pereira Franco. Autodescobrimento:
uma busca interior.
19ª Edição. Salvador/BA:
Editora Leal, 2017.
CAMPOS,
Humberto de (Espírito);
(psicografado por)
Francisco Cândido
Xavier. Boa
Nova. 37ª
Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2016.
DIAS,
Haroldo Dutra. O
Evangelho de João:
Volume 1. 1ª Edição.
São Paulo/SP: Intelítera
Editora, 2022.
DIAS,
Haroldo Dutra. Parábolas
de Jesus: texto e
contexto. 1ª Edição.
Curitiba/PR: Federação
Espírita do Paraná,
2011.
EMMANUEL
(Espírito), na
psicografia de Francisco
Cândido Xavier. O
Consolador. 10ª
Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2019.
KARDEC,
Allan; tradução de
Evandro Noleto Bezerra. A
Gênese. 2ª Edição.
Brasília/DF: Federação
Espírita Brasileira,
2013.
KARDEC,
Allan; tradução de
Guillon Ribeiro. O
Evangelho Segundo o
Espiritismo. 1ª
Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2019.
KARDEC,
Allan; tradução de
Guillon Ribeiro. O
Livro dos Espíritos.
1ª Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2019.
LUIZ,
André (Espírito); na
psicografia de Francisco
Cândido Xavier. Evolução
em dois mundos. 27ª
Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2018.
MIRANDA,
Manoel Philomeno de
(Espírito); Divaldo
Pereira Franco
(psicografado por). Transição
Planetária. 5ª
Edição. Salvador/BA:
Editora Leal, 2017.
MOURA,
Marta Antunes de
Oliveira de
(organizadora). Estudo
aprofundado da doutrina
espírita: espiritismo, o
consolador prometido por
Jesus. Livro IV. 1ª
Edição. Brasília/DF:
Federação Espírita
Brasileira, 2016.
|