Salvador Martín:
 

“Spiritism has come to clarify and illuminate consciences”

The president of the Spanish Spiritist Federation talks about
the origins of the Spiritist movement in his country and how
Spiritism has been spread in the country of Fernandez
Colavida, known as the Spanish Kardec

Salvador Martin Moral (picture), president of the Spanish Spiritist Federation, is our interviewee this issue. With good will he answered the request to talk to us about important aspects of the Spiritist Doctrine. Questioned about what Spiritism is in his life, he answered: “There are so many things and they could be defined in so many ways, but in this moment I’ll say that it is the instruction manual to drive life correctly and allows us not only to get out of it victoriously, but also live it happily, with this happiness that is not subjected to the external circumstances”. He,  who  has  in Leon Denis as one of his

favorite authors, talks to us inspired in one of his books: “Since the day I finished reading Leon Denis’ The Problem of Being, Destiny and Pain, which is the most important in my life, and I’ve been trying ever since for it to be the one in everybody’s lives”.

Coming up, the entire interview:

O Consolador: Salvador, where were you born?

Manzanares de Ciudad Real, Spain.

O Consolador: Where are you currently living?

I currently live in Alicante.

O Consolador: Why did you move to this city?

It’s been seven years since I moved because I got a promotion in my job.

O Consolador: What is your educational background?

High School.

O Consolador: What other activities do you have in the Spiritist movement?

I was president of the Spiritist Center of my hometown, coordinator of the teen area of the Spanish Spiritist Federation (FEE) and member of the executive commission of CEI – International Spiritist Council.

O Consolador: What is your role these days?

FEE’s president. 

O Consolador: When and how did you have your first contact with Spiritism?

I was born to Spiritist parents and that’s why since my childhood I’ve had contact with it, but I started enjoying it when I was 19, when I started reading to try and answer personal questions. 

O Consolador: From the three aspects of Spiritism – scientific, philosophical and religious –, which one is more appealing to you?

I like them all when it comes to studying but, in a practical way, the moral one. 

O Consolador: What are your favorite Spiritist authors? 

Allan Kardec, Leon Denis and Camille Flammarion. 

O Consolador: What are the most important books for those who are starting off in Spiritism?

What is Spiritism, The Spirits’ Book and The Problem of the Being, Destiny and Pain.  

O Consolador: If you went to a distant place, away from Spiritist activities, which books would you take?  

If I had to pick 5 books, I’d definitely take the Spiritist Compilation, because even if I had already read it, and studied countless times, I’d still find information that only with our intellectual, spiritual and developed maturity we can understand.

O Consolador: Do you consider Spiritism to be a religion?     

For me Spiritism is not a religion, nor should we reduce it to one. Allan Kardec defines it so well as science and philosophy of moral consequences.

O Consolador: What is your opinion about standardized passes, proposed by Edgar Armond?

Here in Spain, in some Spiritist Centers we can find the passes proposed by Edgar Armond, but they are few and the majority opts for the longitudinal pass, which is the recommended one by the Spanish Spiritist Federation. In terms of history, in Egyptian hieroglyph, in Hindi recordings, in Christian reports we find several times this recommendation. Magnetism, according to many authors, recommends it, and so does Kardec, who thoroughly studied this, he mentions some of these books in his catalogue of recommended books to create a Spiritist library. The spirits, as well as in magnetism, point out the importance of the will rather than the movement, but even more in the case of the Spiritist pass, recommending naturalness and simplicity. This is, in my opinion, the most important aspect of this question, because our complementation to the Spiritist Doctrine won’t help it. We should avoid any formulas, rites, etc., that will do harm and take the future Spiritist to incorporate questions out of Spiritism reach influenced by these habits. Spiritism will be what men do to it, according to Leon Denis. We should keep it pure so we can find it still this way in our future incarnations.

O Consolador: What can you make of the discussion about abortion?

Spiritism has come to clarify and illuminate consciences. Our efforts should be towards spreading the Spiritist Doctrine more, with no confrontations. The same way we don’t go to the door of a disco with signs that read against the consumption of alcohol and drugs, even if we see the suicidal connotation of this behavior, we shouldn’t do it in other questions. Let’s remember Jesus, who not only never rejected to give any teaching, quite the contrary, his whole life was a teaching and an example, but he never combated this.  

O Consolador: Euthanasia, as we know, has no support from Spiritism. Lately, we have heard about the orthothanasia, backed even by Spiritist doctors. What do you think about it?

Science offers us means to keep living, even in hard conditions and mechanically, the same way we have heart transplants, bypass and other mechanisms to make life longer. These tools also come from God and avoid them, as some religions do, like a blood transfusion, preached by some religious fanatics. We don’t know if the disease now considered incurable in a short while may be curable; as we don’t know until what moment we need to keep going through our probations in this life. Orthothanasia would still be a crime the same way that feeding artificially a hurt bird that can no longer fly. And it’s true these situations are hard to go by, that’s why we need to look for alternative ways to control the pain, but never life, in which medicine has the divine mission to defend whatever it takes. And Spiritist to praise it as a sublime opportunity of progress given by the High.

O Consolador: What is your opinion about the current state of the Spiritist movement in our country (Brazil)?

It is an international example in many aspects because of its growth, the countless social works, and the great Spiritist influence that marks a “there and then” in Brazilian citizens. However, just like everything else, men are not perfect, and everything can get better in Brazil, Europe and everywhere. The great number of Spiritist Centers in Brazil cause many good and not so good things. It will be in the fidelity to Kardec without adding things, sometimes because of a cultural aspect, which will always favor the best image of Spiritism.

O Consolador: When and how did the Spiritist movement start in Spain? 

Kardec makes a reference in the Spiritist Magazine about a serious group in Cadiz, in the light of the phenomena of Hydesville. But Spiritism itself starts through the so-called Captain of Buenaventura – a famous boat –, Ramón Lagier, who finds The Spirits’ Book in Marseille. He becomes the first Spaniard to read it and later, spread it. He was the one who delivered it to the one known as “The Spanish Kardec”, José Maria Fernandez Colavida, who would translate it. But the most notable fact in Spain would be the Auto-de-Fe of Barcelona, in 1861. A Bishop would burn 300 Spiritist books sent by Kardec. It would be one of the last acts of the Spanish Inquisition, as the Spanish people wanted to know what those books were all about. The press reported it and Captain Lagier himself was there shouting at the Inquisition and announcing that on his next voyage to Marseille would fill his boat with books.

There are not so many Spiritist groups as before. There was a period when the Spanish Spiritist movement was not only the biggest, but also the strongest and decided to promote acts, congresses and even got to take Spiritism to the Royal Court, as a proposal to incorporate it into schools, showed by many ministries. Franco’s dictatorship, connected to church, practically ends with the whole Spanish Spiritist movement, which needs to be clandestine. Because of that, the current Spiritist movement is quite new, to spread Spiritism through Spiritist Centers and seminars, conferences, interviews and also on the internet – log on to http://www.espiritismo.es – and, specially, through the national Spiritist congresses, which will reach the 16^th edition this year, next December.

O Consolador: Como How do you see criminality and violence in our world? How can Spiritist help in this situation?  

As Kardec said, with education more than instruction. We will have to promote the Spiritist Doctrine even more. To raise our children better, work on their education, be live examples of love and, among other things, visit jails, like the late Spanish Spiritist Miguel Vives, as Jesus said: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick”. 

O Consolador: A How long do you think it will take for Earth to be promoted from his current status, world of tests and atonement, to the condition of regenerating world, according to Saint Augustin, the word love will be written in all fronts and a perfect balance will ensure relationships? 

If a Spirit had given us a number, we would certainly think it was a liar one. It’s not a matter of years, but a process that already started. However, there’s no doubt it will be slow, we just need to see how much it costs to us, Spiritist, the implantation of love in ourselves, even knowing the spiritual reality. We will need the “born again” many times, however in this process there will be each time more developed spirits reincarnating, new generations that will boost not only the moral, but also the science, for this world won’t be only a planet where love will be written in the minds and hearts of everybody, but one where expiation and pain won’t be needed anymore. 

O Consolador: About the problems that the earthly society is facing, what should be the top priority for Spiritism in the world?
 

To show and demonstrate to humanity the reality of Spiritist phenomena. Educate and instruct in the philosophical aspects of Spiritism. Thus we’ll have the consciences awaken and not like before, with fear and religious impositions, but incentivizing them to feel as an immortal spirit on the way of progress. Enabling the best tools of study, inner development, fraternal care, social work, starting with the grains of sand (Spiritist Centers), which will build the great beach that will put us face to face with a new world, an ocean in which all will have to board, as humble sailors, working together, weighing anchors, setting sails so that the wind of progress will take us higher and further. 

O Consolador: Your final words to our readers. 

This is the moment of work. We are still imperfect, but spirituality needs us so that with this work we improve and contribute with the progress of humanity. It is the moment to plant, not to harvest. Let’s not expect great conquests, let’s not give up the fight and discourage from the setbacks. Work, work and work and everything else that comes to us. We have a whole lot to do and few hands that really work disinterestedly. Many fake workers are still among the true ones; but, if we get together and work with love and wisdom, the work will be done faster.