In this issue, we continue the study of the book, Practical Instructions on Spiritist Manifestations, work published by Allan Kardec in 1858. This work which we suggest you read, refers to the edition published by “Casa Editora O Clarim”, and is based on Cairbar Schutel’s translation.
Questions for discussion
A. What is the purpose of spontaneous physical manifestations and how to stop them?
B. Kardec tells us in this book about his first contact with a familiar Spirit that helped him a lot in his Spiritist works. However, this Spirit introduced himself using a nickname. What is the process used by the Spirit in this contact? What was his nickname? Who was this entity in fact?
C. We have seen that Spiritist communications are classified as frivolous, rude, serious or instructive. How to tell if a communication comes from a High Spirit in fact?
Reading Text
63. Sematology: Spirits communicate their thought through signs such as knocks, beats, moving objects, and so on. (Spiritist Vocabulary, page 62).
64. Sibyls: they were female prophets who provided the oracles that were considered by the Ancient as being from a Divine origin. Putting aside quackery, and considering the gift itself, it can be said that the sibyls and pythonesses have all the faculties of the sleep walkers, of the ecstatic and certain mediums. (Spiritist Vocabulary, page 62).
65. Human Telegraphy: communication at a distance between two embodied persons, who evoke each other. This evocation causes the emancipation of the soul, or incarnated Spirit, which is manifest and can communicate his thoughts in writing or by any other means. Spirits say that human telegraphy will one day be a usual means of communicating, when men are more moralized, less selfish and less attached to material things. Until then, human telegraphy will be a privilege of the elite souls. (Spiritist Vocabulary, page 68).
66. Inborn tendencies: tendencies, ideas and knowledge not acquired that seem to come with us since birth. For quite some time now these inborn tendencies have been discussed, and some philosophers claim that they are all acquired in our present life. Spiritism says that these inborn tendencies are explained by our several lives: previous knowledge is passed to the following lives through what we call inborn tendencies. (Spiritist Vocabulary, pages 68 and 69).
67. All Universal: the same as the great whole. Some philosophers say that there is a Universal soul, of which each one of us owns a part. When we die, these individual souls return to their main source, but do not retain their individuality, just as raindrops merge with the waters of the ocean. This is what we call the great whole, the all universal. This doctrine is so disheartening as materialism, since without individuality after death, it's like as if we do not exist. Spiritism exactly proves otherwise, and when some Spirits use this expression, they mean the community of Spirits, the whole collective, universal whole, where nobody loses its individuality, like a soldier back to his regiment and each one’s independence is maintained. (Spiritist Vocabulary, page 69).
68. Clairvoyant: the person who is endowed with second sight. (Spiritist Vocabulary, pages 69 and 70).
69. Spirits can assume three states only: incarnation, erraticity or wandering state, and absolute purity. Every Spirit, who is free from the body and still has to reincarnate, is a wandering Spirit, i.e., it is in erraticity. The absolute purity is the state of pure Spirits; those who no longer need to reincarnate and are at the top of the evolution scale. The state of incarnation is essential to Spiritual progress. (Synoptic Scale, page 71).
70. In this book, the Spiritist Scale is formed by nine classes and three orders of Spirits. (See "The Book of Spirits", items 100 to 113, which has a different opinion on this matter). (Synoptic Scale, pages 71 and 72).
71. The mediums may be natural or optional and are divided into two major groups: mediums of physical influence, and of moral influences. (In "The Book of Mediums" this terminology is slightly changed and the types of psychic powers are more numerous). (Synoptic Scale, page 73).
72. Of all the fundamental principles of the Spiritist Doctrine, one of the most important is, without conflict, the one that determines the different orders of Spirits. It is proven that the invisible world is far from having only High Spirits. They themselves let us know that they are not equal in knowledge, or in morality, and that their enlightenment depends on the degree of perfection they have reached. We could then understand the diversity and conflict regarding their language and also that among the Spirits, just like among men, for a reliable source of information, we cannot rely on the first one that comes our way. (Chapter I, Spiritist Scale, page 74).
73. As practical science, the Spiritist Scale offers us a way to judge the Spirits that manifest and even to evaluate the degree of confidence passed through their language. (Chapter I, Spiritist Scale, page 75).
74. The Spiritist Scale comprises three main orders, indicated by the Spirits and perfectly characterized. Since each one of these orders present different degrees, they were subdivided into several classes based on the dominant character of the Spirits that are part of them. But this classification has nothing absolute: from one degree to another the shade is toned down, just as in Nature with the rainbow colors or in the different periods of life. Let us clarify that the Spirits do not always belong exclusively to this or that class. The Spirit’s development occurs gradually, and often more in one sense than in another. Thus, they can gather the features of several categories, and this is easy to recognize through their language and their actions. (Chapter I, Spiritist Scale, pages 75 and 76).
75. The scale starts by the lower orders: the third order is Imperfect Spirits. Their general features are: predominance of matter over Spirit, prone to evil, ignorance, pride, selfishness and all the resulting evil passions. They sense God but do not understand Him. Not all of them are basically bad. In some there is more levity, thoughtlessness and malice than genuine malice. Some do neither good nor evil. They are inferior because they do no good. Others, however, take pleasure in evil and are happy when they find time to practice it. (Chapter I, Spiritist Scale, page 76).
Answers to the proposed questions
A. What is the purpose of spontaneous physical manifestations and how to stop them?
Often, such manifestations have no direct intention: their purpose is to draw our attention to something and convince us of the presence of a higher power. When this purpose is reached the manifestations cease because it is no longer needed. However, when the manifestations become annoying, we must try and make an intelligent contact with the Spirit that is disturbing us, to know who he is and what he wants. When his wish is satisfied, he leaves us in peace. If one cannot dispose of a medium to help us, the solution is to become one of them. In the absence of a writing medium, we can question the Spirit that communicates through rapping and answer him in the same manner using raps previously agreed. (Ibid, Chapter II, pages 86, 87, 94, 95, 96 and 97).
B. Kardec tells us in this book about his first contact with a familiar Spirit that helped him a lot in his Spiritist works. However, this Spirit introduced himself using a nickname. What is the process used by the Spirit in this contact? What was his nickname? Who was this entity in fact?
The Spirit used rapping to communicate - a phenomenon later called typtology, which occurred in the room where Kardec was working for a period of four consecutive hours. The next day, through a psychograph medium, the master asked the Spirit that had previously communicated what was the reason for the raps. It was a Spiritual friend, a family Spirit of Kardec, who introduced himself under an allegorical name (Truth). Later on, Kardec learned from other Spirits that this Spirit was a renowned philosopher of Antiquity. (Chapter II, pages 95 and 96).
C. We have seen that Spiritist communications are classified as frivolous, rude, serious or instructive. How to tell if a communication comes from a High Spirit in fact?
If we consider the rule that never changes and has no exceptions, the language of the Spirits always corresponds to their degree of elevation, and therefore the really Higher Spirits’ language is always serious, dignified, and noble. These entities not only express thoughts of higher elevation, but also use a language that excludes in the most absolute manner all triviality. If the message is expressive, if there is a single expression indicating lowness, this is a sure sign of inferiority. All the more reason if it is offensive due to its rudeness. (Chapter III, pages 99 to 101).
