Is everything obsession?

As with illnesses and all tribulations of life, obsession must
be considered a test or an atonement and should be
accepted as such

 (Part One)

Is everything really obsession? An unforeen disease. A car accident. A family argument. A financial difficulty. Is everything obsession? An argument between a couple. Malicious gossip at the spiritist centre. A relative who is involved in drugs. The neighbour who was attacked by her husband. The electricity black out that took place on Monday morning. Is it really be obsession? My fern dried up, my fish died, my cat chocked, my dog died. I think it was a disembodied obsessor who projected evil fluids into the fish which I loved so much, so that it would die and cause me to be depressed. Is it..., this obsessor really wants to unbalance me! But is everything really obsession? A-ha! Hold on a second! This is an exaggeration!! This is too much! Of course obsessions exist, but to think that everything is obsession means that one is not a spiritist, but neurotic! One is being a religious fanatic. It is to interpret everything that takes place through the restrictive point of view of Spiritism! It is to have a fixed way of thinking. This is in truth to create a self-obsession. Every neurotic is in need of a good treatment to be cured.  That is alright. I agree. But, before the treatment, I make the following proposal: Shall we study a little bit together? Without the intention of exhausting the theme, perhaps the clarifications brought by spiritist philosophy will help us, providing us with a better understanding. If we wish to know if everything is obsession or not, shall we start at the beginning? What is obsession? What is its concept?

The codifier explains it in the book “The Gospel according to Spiritism”:

Obsession is the persistent action which an inferior or bad Spirit exercises over an individual. It may present many varied characteristics, from a simple moral influence with no perceptible exterior signs, to a complete organic and mental perturbation. It obstructs all mediumship faculties. In automatic-writing this may be shown by the insistence of one Spirit in communicating, to the exclusion of all other Spirits.⁽¹⁾ 

It is clear that obsession is carried out by an evil Spirit (evil here is understood as an ignorant Spirit, still transitorily inferior because it ignores what is good), generally disembodied, with persistence and within a very broad gradation, from a simple moral influence up to a complete disturbance of the body and of the mental capacities.

But in what way is this moral influence carried out?

In question 456 of “The Spirits’ Book”, the spirits teach us that disincarnated Spirits can see everything we do, as long as they pay attention, and that they are around us all the time. In question 457 we read that the spirits know our most secret thoughts and actions, and when we are alone it is common to have a multitude of Spirits observing us. Question 459 affirms that the spirits influence our thoughts and actions more frequently than we imagine and that they commonly direct us.. And question 460 confirms that we frequently suffer, at the same time, influence of the thoughts of spirits and that commonly these are contrary to each other (good and evil thoughts) and they are mixed in our minds with our own thoughts. 

Obsession is like a constant war between good and evil 

According to what “The Spirits’ Book” teaches us in the aforementioned questions, it is evident that from simple moral influence up to complete perturbation of the body and of mental faculties (plus all its intermediary gradation presented by Allan Kardec in the concept of obsession) both are affected by the constant influence of the obsessor upon the obsessed person’s thought. These thoughts, which induce the obsessed person to moral deviations and consequent actions from these deviations, have as an objective the perturbation of the harmony of the obsessed person’s body and mind. 

To make an analogy, obsession is like a constant war between good and evil, whose battle ground is our mind.  The moves of this war are expressed through our thoughts, articulated by the Spirit of each one of us, who by making use of the free-will it is endowed with, leads to responsibilities, decisions and actions.  

From the moment God created us (question 115), simple and ignorant, we were beings endowed with the capacity to think. There isn’t one moment throughout twenty four hours of the day, in all the days of our lives, in which our Spirit is not thinking. Our soul is a thinking Spirit (Spirit’s Book – question 460). From the moment in which we reach, through evolution, the awareness of ourselves, we access the free-will of our thoughts and actions. In order that free-will is perfect there is not any influence which surpasses another, neither good’s over evil’s, and nor evil’s over good’s. That is, there is a balance of influences so that the Spirit can really decide through its own free will (Question 122) and so be the only one responsible for its actions. Kardec asks in questions 122a and 122b of “The Spirits’ Book”: 

a)Whence come the influences that act upon him?

"From the imperfect spirits, who seek to take possession of him and to dominate him, and who are happy to see him succumb. It is this temptation that is allegorically pictured as Satan." 

b) Does this influence act upon a spirit only at its origin?

"It follows him through all the phases of his existence as a spirit, until he has acquired such thorough self-command that evil spirits renounce the attempt to obsess him."⁽²⁾ 

It is curious to observe that some spiritist workers and principals, despite so much reading and study, think that they are immune to obsessions. They believe that they are immune to spiritual influences from imperfect Spirits. They argue that the daily work in the spiritist centre, be it during passes^* , in counselling sessions, in the gospel lectures, in disobsession (deobsession)* work, in social assistance work; in hospital, day care centres, shantytown visits, and ultimately all actions in true charity create such an intense and broad halo of protection which makes obsessions impossible to happen.   Yes, it is true that we have an intense and broad spiritual protection. Yes, it is true that we attract good Spirits, and that their presence fend off inferior Spirits. Yes, it is true that when we are in active and sincere work in the Harvest of the Master Jesus, we are with our thoughts balanced and tuning in with spiritual benefactors and this fends off bad thoughts which may be suggested to us by our obsessors. But do we have this thought control integrally throughout the 24 hours of the day? 

Evil Spirits pullulate around Earth because they are inferior 

Could be that we have forgotten that we are imperfect Spirits treading along the long evolutionary path, and that our imperfections constantly attract Spirits who possess vibrational affinity with us? Could be that we have already reached “so much control upon ourselves that the evil ones have given up obsessing us? (The Spirits’ Book – question 122). Could be that we can already do without “Watch and Pray”. Some argue that inferior Spirits are isolated and confined only to places to which they are attracted by people with the same moral affinity, with the same affinity of thoughts and actions. But what is the moral affinity of the largest majority of inhabitants of our planet? Kardec clarifies this point to us with very much wisdom. 

“Evil Spirits pullulate around Earth, due to the moral inferiority of the inhabitants of Earth. The maleficent action they cause is part of the scourges with which humanity finds itself struggling in the world. Obsession, as all the infirmities and tribulations of life, must be considered as a test or atonement and as such be accepted.”⁽¹⁾  

Many of us have forgotten that throughout our incarnation here on Earth we are atoning for past debts and being tested in several forms; at work, in the family, in society, in emotional relationships, and also in our tasks in the religious field. 

We are subjected to negative spiritual influences, to spiritual attacks; ultimately all of us, walkers of evolution, are subjected to obsession. Spiritual combats between good and evil are locked by all of us, within the various spiritual levels. Even the most elevated Spirits confront those of lesser elevation in the course of their missions, in order to install good in the universe. Emmanuel ponders upon the intense spiritual battle that the Divine Master locked against the enemies of his Gospel: 

“It is forgotten, however, Jesus’ life on Earth was a constant and silent battle against obsessions, obsessed people and obsessors. 

The fight begins at the dawn of the divine apostolate. 

After the resplendent consecration in a manger, the Master meets the first major obsessed in the person of Herod, who orders the killing of little ones, in order to annihilate him.⁽⁴⁾ 

The apostles were also subjected to temptations and to obsessions. They were Spirits chosen before reincarnating for the wonderful mission of disseminating the Gospel of Jesus to the world. Spirits who for sure possessed living and active faith and who had a special connection with the Master of the Masters, but, above all, who were still inferior Spirits, subjected to temptations, tests and atonements that are necessary to the evolution of us all. 

We all have disaffections from past lives here 

Emmanuel presents us with the following considerations:  

“Obsessions and different psychoses rise amongst those who commune Jesus’ path.”

Mary Magdalene, who would became the messenger of the resurrection, was victim of perverse entities.

Peter suffered periodical obsession.

Judas was blinded in fulminant obsession.

Caiaphas showed himself to be paranoid.

Pilate had crises of fear.

On the day of crucifixion, we see the Lord surrounded by obsessors of all kinds, to the point of being considered by the crowd, inferior to Barabbas, a malefactor and a vulgar obsessed person.

And, finally, as if he deliberately wanted to legate us the precious lesson of charity towards those who are, mental alienated (either declared or not); who swarm the world, the Divine Friend preferred to leave Earth within the intimacy of two thieves, who according to today’s Science would be classified as obstinate kleptomaniacs.⁽⁵⁾ 

We know that we are immortal Spirits, millennial beings and that we have already gone through numerous reincarnations (questions 169 and 196 – The Spirits’ Book), accumulating victories and defeats to our spiritual patrimony, winning or succumbing to tests to which we were submitted. It is natural that we understand, therefore, that we all are spiritual debtors accumulating mistakes and further mistakes in these numerous incarnations. 

To reinforce this concept, André Luiz teaches us: 

“We all have disaffections from past lives, and, in the level of evolution in which we are, we attract the presence of less evolved entities, who are adjusted to our thought patterns, commonly involuntarily harming our dispositions and possibilities of making progress of life and of time.⁽⁶⁾ 

” All incarnated beings are mediums and old debtors of each other”⁽⁷⁾ 

And Emmanuel also wisely presents to us some passages such as the teaching below: 

“Against our longing for clarity, we have millennia of darkness. The centuries, in which we took delight in evil hold on, putting themselves before our most humble aspirations to grow in the good. ⁽⁸⁾

“To all of us, who have erred infinitely, on the long way over centuries, always comes a minute in which we sigh, anxious for a change of life, fatigued by our own obsessions” ⁽⁹⁾ 

Obsession is always the result of a moral imperfection 

It is difficult for all of us, after several years studying and working on the practice of charity; to comprehend and accept that we are imperfect and debtors from the past; ultimately, that we are obsessed Spirits. Because obsessions finds shelter in our imperfections and in our past debts, as Kardec ponders in the following passage: 

 “In the same way that diseases result from physical imperfections, which makes the body accessible to outer pernicious influences, obsession is always the result of a moral imperfection, which gives access to an evil Spirit. Physical causes counterwork physical forces; a moral cause, has to oppose a moral force. To  defend one from illnesses, the body must be strengthened; to exempt one from obsession, the soul must be strengthened, therefore it becomes necessary that the obsessed person works for their own improvement, which most often is enough to save him from the obsessor, without resorting to third parties." Listen ⁽¹⁾ Read phonetically

Dictionary - View detailed dictionary

1.verb

1.contradict

2.counterwork

3.interfere

4.arise against 

This awareness, although necessary and salutary, in principle shakes our self-esteem, bringing an inner sensation of discomfort. The majority of us prefer to deny this reality, maintaining an unreal self-image connected to sanctity. It is easier to think of oneself as a saint than to become aware of the contrary and to have to make an effort in the practice of inner improvement (inner reform). 

Despite the serious problem of obsession, presented by Kardec as “the largest obstacle in the practice of Spiritism” ^(10), God also wisely conceded us spiritist therapeutic tools for its control; that is the remedy alongside the disease. Amongst them we have prayer, passes, study, counselling, the explanation of the Gospel, and mediumship with Jesus, the practice of charity in all its forms, and the most specific tool which is the sessions of disobsession*. We receive support from the higher spiritual sphere in all these activities, eliminating negative fluids and receiving positive vital fluids (spiritual energies). These negative spiritual energies (vital fluids) are created by ourselves (self-obsession) and, in a like manner, we established a bond of sympathy with lower Spirits, or ideas which were ably introduced (obsession) in our minds, in a subtle and gradual manner, by specialised obsessors. All the spiritist therapeutics tools aim to give us support and strength thus enabling us to carry out our inner-improvement (inner reform), creating an aura of protection against obsession.  

“Amongst the obstacles presented to the practice of Spiritism, obsession ought to be in first place, that is, the control which some Spirits have on certain people. 

Obsession is never practiced by any spirits other than inferior Spirits who sought to control.⁽¹⁰⁾   

In all cases of obsession, prayer is the most powerful aid for those who can be act on an obsessor Spirit.⁽¹⁾ 

(This article will be concluded in the next edition of this magazine.)

*Translator’s note: Obsessor: a perturbed and lost spirit attached to a person, thus, causing a maleficent impression on his victim. Hence its victim denomination - obsessed person.

*Translator’s note: Passes (pass: laying on of hands: Donation of spiritual energies or vital fluids from a medium and/or a spiritic source to the patient. 

*Translator’s note: Disobsession (Deobsession): “In Spiritism, it is the practice whereby mediums receive lost and perturbed spirits and whereby another member of the spiritist centre talks to the spirit and evangelizes or “indoctrinates” it. These lost and perturbing spirists are not necessarily linked to the specific victims, and the people who have spirit attached to them do not need to be present at the disobsession meeting. (Non-Spiritists may refer to disobsession as “exorcism” which is a word rejected by Spiritists because of its implication, that is, it implies demons or other non-human spirits)(David J. Hess – “Spirits and Scientists – Ideology, Spiritism and Brazilian Culture”, 1991)” - (Extract from book “Obsession, Passes, Counselling” by Herculano Pires – translation by Jussara Korngold and Marie Levinson –SAB, 2004, New York)

Sources: 

The Spirits’ Book – Brazilian Spiritist Federation, 76^th Edition. 

Victor Manoel Seco has been a Spiritist Philosophy student for approximately two decades, having frequented several spiritist centres in Sao Paulo city. He is a collaborator of the site www.espiritismoemdebate.com.br.