A psychography of Chico Xavier

Psychography of Chico Xavier: would it be possible to evoke and obtain responses from Spirits like those who animated Chico Xavier and Allan Kardec, among others?

It is a recognized fact in spiritist science that we can evoke Spirits and that, done with good purposes and with the knowledge that this science gives us, they come willingly, with a desire to dialogue with those who seek to learn from them. It would be a mistake to believe that only superior Spirits would qualify in this case, but it is correct to say that only good Spirits, of all elevations, would qualify, since the bad ones will come with bad intentions (unless when evoked with serious and useful purposes). ) and will only find resonance among those in whom they find the imperfections that they themselves carry. The evocation of Spirits like those of Chico Xavier and Allan Kardec is possible and very useful, and no one has a monopoly on them. But it is clear that these communications will depend on the intentions, knowledge and moral state of those who carry them out..

Learn to study the Spiritist Magazine, the reliable source of Spiritist knowledge. Click here.

Those who intend to have dominion over certain Spirits, as well as those who wish to place themselves under the dominion of a particular Spirit, who generally gives a pompous and influential name and who exalt their own pride, will not only be in serious error, ignoring all the wealth of knowledge formed by the dedicated studies of Allan Kardec, how they will be setting themselves on the bitter path that begins with fascination and inevitably leads to obsession and madness.

That said, we want to deal with the evocation of the Spirit of Chico Xavier, exposed on the website Digital Spiritist Magazine. This is a longer article, but we will focus on this Spirit. The highlights are ours:

About Jesus

Another Spirit evoked was Chico Xavier, who was asked the following questions:

1. Could you tell us about how you understood Jesus, when in the body, and how you understand him now, as a Spirit?
2. Did you see Jesus as soon as he left his physical body?

3. Do you see him in our midst now? If you do, could you tell us how you perceive it?

Here are the answers:

“I'm here again, friends, happy for this opportunity that God offers us.

When I was in the body, I saw Jesus as a star of the first magnitude, which illuminated men and Spirits, but which was thousands of light years away from us; this idea was taught to us in our last existence from an early age, through the religious teaching of the past, and after we began to dedicate ourselves to mediumship, Religious spirits came to reaffirm our prejudices regarding this point, which we did not question, because such ideas were settled in our soul.. I thought that Jesus loved humanity, but I didn't realize that he attributed to him some of the characteristics that we see in many of the powerful people on Earth: they are difficult for the average man to access; They appear to be very busy, and therefore we cannot relate to them directly except through a lot of effort and some intermediaries. In fact, I had not understood the lessons that are present in the evangelical tradition, especially that Jesus would not leave us orphans, as well as that he would always be with those who called him, as long as they did not forget to love their neighbors. ((“Wherever two or three people are gathered together in my name, there I will be with them.” (Matt. XVIII, 20). ))

Today, I still see Jesus as a star, but I understand that if there is a huge distance that separates us from his position in the hierarchy, it is not for this reason that he is distant, because, as you know, your perispiritual fluid expands and radiates with perfection, reaching Spirits and men with a range that I would not know exactly. I see him today, above all, as an older and more mature brother who wants to teach us how to walk towards the Father's house.

I didn't see Jesus right after I died because I didn't consider that possibility at all, but if prejudice hadn't been such a big obstacle, I would have immediately sought him out by thought. However, this meeting was postponed for some time, until I could review my preconceived ideas. I learned that we can all see him, touch him, learn from him, and that he never refuses to reach out and help us with our immense ignorance.

I see Jesus here, in our midst, watching over everyone; I glimpse an illuminated face, but I can't capture the nuances of its face. However, I can see your gaze, so tender and so sweet... Your eyes denote an unchanging serenity, and are more beautiful than the most dazzling sunset. Lights come from his spiritual body, which he transmits to all who desire good, communicating his virtue to them and ensuring that his seed reaches the deep soil of hearts of good will. The sight is beautiful, friends, and I must say that all of us who are here bow before him with love and recognition, because his presence inspires pity and deep reverence. May Jesus be the lighthouse where we can all rest our eyes, taking advantage of his lights to walk along the good path that he shows us.

Receive a hug from someone who is very grateful to be among you. I recognize that I am not up to the task of answering such serious questions with benefit, and therefore I ask that you disregard any mistake that I may have made so far.” ((The group had evoked this same Spirit several times to instruct themselves on some issues regarding mediumship, the perispirit and other subjects. This is what he refers to.))

Chico Xavier
(Psychographed on December 6, 2016.)

DIGITAL SPIRIT MAGAZINE. About Jesus and the Spirit of Truth. Accessed on 10/05/2023. Available in https://www.revistaespirita.net/pt-br/artigo/57/sobre-jesus-e-o-espirito-de-verdade

The fact that it is a serious group, with knowledge of Spiritism and with good intentions, makes communication more reliable, although it must always be analyzed with caution, especially when the Spirit presents itself under a well-known and influential name. . In the case in question, it seems to me to be a language very similar to that of Chico in life, with characteristic signs. But what matters most is the background, which, instead of clashing with the Doctrine, confirms it in its nuances.

For example: “its perispiritual fluid expands and radiates with perfection, reaching Spirits and men with a range that I would not know exactly how to define”. This excerpt is in perfect agreement with the understanding left in Genesis and ends with a humble recognition of the inability to understand.

My only observation, then, is that this Spirit “materializes” the image of Christ, transmitting a human figure and, on this point, I would question, to be clear, since the predominant idea in the Spiritist Movement is linked precisely to this aspect of an excessive “materialization” of the world of Spirits. It may just be a figure of speech, as it may also be “the religious teaching of yesteryear”.

Let us keep this lesson in mind: we can and must resume practical Spiritism in our homes and small groups, treating it with the necessary seriousness. This cannot be made a source of mere curiosity or entertainment, which would place the participants of such responsibility on that previously mentioned ill-fated path... But, with good purpose and knowledge, communication with the Spirits is useful and beneficial, for both sides. , and does not need to be carried out only in the spiritist center.

I suggest reading the available PDFs in this link.




Can you practice mediumship at home?

My mission in this article is to provoke you about the subject: can you practice mediumship at home? I want you to not be able to contain yourself, clicking on the button at the end of it to download a PDF talking about the issue of communications with Spirits. Happy studying!

So does this mean that it is not dangerous to call Spirits into homes?

Another fallacy that has spread, and we want to believe that it is more due to ignorance than the malice of those who defend it, is the danger of communicating with Spirits in homes. Now, if it is possible to communicate with them even in prisons, it is even more possible to call loved ones in homes.

It is not the evocation that attracts the Spirits

Another important point to be considered, in the light of Spiritism, is that Spirits are not attracted by the direct call of men, that is, by evocation. Many of those who have suffered or are suffering from an obsession have never evoked the Spirits and do not even know that this would be possible. All the cures for obsessions that were published by Allan Kardec in his Magazine were from this issue. We were able to see this fact in relation to those who suffered from obsessions today, and who were cured.

Children at spiritist meetings

Many people may wonder: can children participate in spiritist meetings at home? We could answer this question with another: are children part of the family? No one could say no, or say that to be a member of the family you need to be a minimum age. Now, what are children? Aren't they incarnated Spirits, to whom the spiritist world is not strange? Aren't children familiar with their Angels, who are also Spirits, from the cradle, and even before they are born?




Spiritist Magazine – a light appears in the midst of darkness

Maybe some of you already know what I'm going to talk about. I didn't know, and I can only express extreme joy in doing so. I just found a group publishing in the style of Allan Kardec's Spiritist Magazine – carrying out evocations, receiving reports, analyzing them, etc.

A light in the midst of darkness: Revista Espírita.

This is the website “Revista Espírita” – simply that. Named in light of the Revista Espírita – Jornal de Estudos Psicológicas – publication that served as the basis for the development of the Spiritist Doctrine, there they present evocations, spontaneous communications and personal reports, all, as far as I could see, within the best rationality and with all the characteristics of the communication of Spirits duly aligned with the scientific principles of Spiritism.

The Revista Espírita Digital is subtitled: PERIODIC FOR THE DISCLOSURE OF PRACTICAL SPIRITISM. It couldn't be more right.

If you don't fully understand, I emphasize: are current evocations of Spirits. Yes. Like Kardec did.

Our objective is not the same as that of our dear Master in that century, nor do we even want to insinuate that we could, even if we are several spiritists working together, reach the feet of Allan Kardec, as we recognize our smallness. Kardec worked on creating a Science, and his Revue Spirite served for this purpose. 

What we want is to make available to everyone, in a single place, the studies carried out with the Spirits, and which we consider to be useful; our intention is to make a simple contribution from our spiritist group, formed in February 2007. In doing so, we wish to show our gratitude to Allan Kardec for the efforts he made in order to bequeath to us the spiritist science, which, as we know, is a practical science.

Team of Digital Spiritist Magazine, Curitiba, Parana.

As we can see, they have modest objectives, which is in full agreement with anyone who has really understood Spiritism. But what matters most, and what I want to highlight, is that this initiative is one that needs to be replicated, based on the knowledge obtained from Kardec's works.

Since the beginning of our group, with the creation of this website, I had a greater purpose in mind: infect. My biggest goal, after reading The Legacy of Allan Kardec, by Simoni Privato, and saying to myself “I need to do something”, was to spread as much as possible the understanding that it is required resume the evocations... And, today, I count two groups that I know carrying out this work.

I invite you to read the articles presented on their website and carry out your analyses, using the same principles outlined by Kardec. Check whether, in the communications presented, there are any types of thoughts that betray their alleged authors – among them Allan Kardec – and are invited to interact with us through the comments on our website and Facebook. I intend to start doing studies on articles published there.

I can only finish by saying: thank God.

Follow the link to access the aforementioned website: https://www.revistaespirita.net




Spiritism Science and Spiritism Religion

We have two aspects currently defended by the spiritist movement: that Spiritism is a science and that it is a religion. Uniting these two aspects, some claim that it has a triple aspect: science, philosophy and religion.

First of all, we need to highlight that Spiritism can only be seen as religion in the philosophical aspect, and not in the ecumenical aspect.

And the fact that it is a religion in the philosophical sense, stated by Kardec, is directly linked to the fact that the Spiritist Doctrine is a development of Rational Spiritualism, a Philosophical Movement that outlined French moral sciences and teaching, in that country, for a large part of the 19th century.

If so, you will ask, is Spiritism a religion? Why, yes, without a doubt, gentlemen; In the philosophical sense, Spiritism is a religion, and we glorify ourselves for this, because it is the doctrine that founds the bonds of fraternity and communion of thoughts, not on a simple convention, but on the most solid foundations: the laws of Nature.

KARDEC, Allan. Revista Espírita, December 1868. Annual session commemorating the dead.

Spiritism, therefore, is not a religion as we currently understand it. This is precisely why Allan Kardec argues that the term should not be used, so as not to cause misinterpretations and not place Spiritism in a field in which it does not fit and where, ceasing to be science, it is defeated by the dispute between religions and between science and religion. No, this is neither appropriate nor deserved for this doctrine born of the scientific method and present in nature itself.

Why, then, have we declared that Spiritism is not a religion? Because there is no one word to express every idea, and because, in general opinion, the word religion it is inseparable from the idea of worship; because it exclusively awakens an idea of form, which Spiritism does not have. If Spiritism called itself a religion, the public would see nothing more than a new edition, a variant, if you like, of the absolute principles in matters of faith; a priestly caste with its procession of hierarchies, ceremonies and privileges; he would not separate it from the ideas of mysticism and the abuses against which public opinion has so often risen.

Since Spiritism does not have any of the characteristics of a religion, in the usual sense of the word, it could not and should not adorn itself with a title about the value of which people would inevitably have been mistaken. This is why it is simply said: philosophical and moral doctrine.

ibid.

Spiritism-Religion

Spiritism-religion hides, as a religion, in spiritist centers, just as other religions live in their churches and temples (there are even those who are already calling the spiritist center a “temple”). He does not practice evocations and blindly accepts what mediums or isolated Spirits say, or even what institutions such as the FEB – Brazilian Spiritist Federation determine. Spiritism-religion became dogmatic and left aside the doctrinal and scientific principles born from the long and exhaustive study of Allan Kardec. He buried his legacy, in large part, to be left with the most diverse false modern ideas, originating from mysticism, which he allowed to settle within his heart.

To be a follower of Spiritualism-religion, the individual is led to believe that it depends on leaving aside their own religion, because that is how it works in this sense. You can study mathematics or botany as a Catholic or evangelical, but that's not the case with a religion, right?

But, often, this sincere adherent, thirsty for knowledge, finds in Spiritism-religion nothing more than a new religion, full of dogmas. Sometimes, Spiritism-religion even becomes prejudiced and drives away new followers, by being categorical in pointing out people with certain characteristics and saying that they are like that because they would be paying debts from past lives, among other ideas that border on the absurd.

But this does not correspond at all to Spiritualism-science.

Spiritism-Science

Spiritism-science did not hide. Climbed in the strength of Rational Spiritualism, which was developed by Experimental Psychology, it spread like gunpowder, like any other science. It was not only accepted, but studied, in person, by people from the most educated layers of society. Princes, princesses, kings, queens, philosophers, scientists, doctors, doctors. It spread, as something purely clear and rational, among religious people of all faiths, finding, among its numbers, even orthodox Catholics and Muslims.

IV. ─ Regarding instruction:The level of education is very easy to assess through correspondence. Careful instruction, 30%; simple scholars, 30%; higher education, 20%; ─ semi-literate, 10%; ─ illiterate, 6%; ─ wise officers, 4%.

V. ─ Regarding religious ideas: Roman Catholics, freethinkers, not bound by dogma, 50%; ─ Greek Catholics, 15%; ─ Jews, 10%; ─ liberal Protestants, 10%; ─ Catholics linked to dogmas, 10%; ─ Orthodox Protestants, 3%; ─ Muslims, 2%.

KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine, January 1869. Statistics of Spiritism.

Ah! how wonderful and, at the same time, simple, Spiritism-science was. It was practiced in homes. Families carried out private evocations of their loved ones, and learned and comforted themselves from them. Sometimes, they evoked suffering Spirits, and helped them to calm down, with new understandings. They often sent the notes of these evocations to Allan Kardec, who analyzed them with the other SPEE associates. How many times have these particular evocations given rise to new hypotheses and new investigations!

Spiritualism-science was seen seriously. New doctrinal principles were not admitted without being verified by the double control method: the communication of the same principle everywhere, with these communications being evaluated in the light of logic and reason. Nothing was denied or accepted without carrying out this process. How many times has Kardec gone back and abandoned a hypothesis, seeing it as invalid in the face of the evidence?

In Spiritualism-science, the centers They were serious centers of study. They practiced evocations for the purpose of learning and, in the most serious cases, according to Kardec's precepts, neither neophytes nor curious people were admitted to mediumistic meetings.

Spiritism-science is needed. In it, Kardec found very clear and rational arguments to discard the most absurd and unfounded criticisms against Spiritism. Today, Spiritism-religion often loses followers to disbelief, because ideas born from blind acceptance cannot face reason.

We would do better if we didn't even talk about “Spiritism-religion”, but just about “Religious Spiritist Movement”, perhaps. But it is important to highlight the incongruity between the two concepts, as we need to make efforts to return to “Spiritism-science”, the one that everyone can study, without abandoning their religions; he who gives reasoned faith, who can face reason at any time; the one, finally, that didn't end with Kardec, and that needs to continue.

Spiritism-science finds its formation largely recorded in the Spiritist Magazine from 1858 to 1869, the result of exhaustive work of more than 12 years on spontaneous communications, evocations and manifestations of thousands of Spirits, by thousands of mediums, in thousands of groups, by all over the world. “Spiritism-religion” is predominantly found in novels, the result of the opinion of a Spirit, who does not question himself through the necessary method.

On the date on which Allan Kardec's birth is celebrated, I think we need to do much more to defend his legacy, which, far from being a religious creation to lead believers, encompasses the the entire community of incarnating Spirits on planet Earth. This legacy is bigger than me, than you, than our group. It does not and should not depend on anyone’s opinion. It needs to be recovered at its source. Here's the job.


Allan Kardec, the person largely responsible for Spiritism as a science.

Until the last moment of his physical existence, Allan Kardec left deep teachings. He died as he lived: working for Spiritism. His industrious hands said goodbye to this world delivering the Spiritist Magazine — a periodical in which he recorded his teachings, his struggles, his victories and, in that last moment, his immortality.

[…]

In the cemetery, the curious tried to position themselves in the places where they could listen to the speeches. However, when the coffin descended to the bottom of the grave, emotion silenced the words; there was a great silence.

PRIVATO, Simoni. The Legacy of Allan Kardec.




Alzheimer's and Spiritism: atonement for debts from past lives?

Some time ago, a medium very well known said, in public, speaking about Alzheimer's and Spiritism, that degenerative diseases are expiations of mistakes from past lives...

Friends, be careful with generalizations. Unfortunately, most active Spiritists, and speaking in the name of the Doctrine, do not know Spiritism in its reality.

We forget that attitudes of this life, conscious or not, has consequences in this life? Have we forgotten that prolonged consumption of certain substances, including those sold in pharmacies, cause damage to our bodies?

It was because of these ideas that, when my grandmother died of cancer, I rebelled against God, because I wondered how such a good person as she could have to "pay" with something so bad. The regrettable effect of these absurd opinions, finally overcome by the study of Spiritism in its reality.

Where did we get these ideas that we suffer from in this life to pay off debts, if not from the absence of a deep study of spiritist science?

See: proof is all what we face in life and what allows us to learn. Already the atonement it is the conscious choice of the Spirit that aims to try to detach itself from an imperfection acquired by its own will.

"8th) The duration of the punishment is subject to the improvement of the guilty spirit. No condemnation for a specific period of time is pronounced against him. What God requires to end the suffering is repentance, atonement, and reparation—in short: a serious, effective improvement, as well as a sincere return to goodness."—KARDEC, Allan. Heaven and Hell, Chapter VIII – Future Punishments According to Spiritism. FEAL Publishing House

“To repair” is to repair this deviation, for those who take it. Not everyone takes these detours, but we will continue to incarnate on the planets related to our spiritual evolution, where we will suffer the vicissitudes of matter, increasingly smaller, as we rise through learning. collaborative.

There is no karma in Spiritism.




An evangelical studying Spiritism

I am increasingly happy to see that the amount of interest in Spiritism is growing among religions, and even among evangelical Protestantism. Today, I come to tell you about an evangelical studying Spiritism.

The friend, P…, with whom I had the grateful contact, says that he was born in the Protestant milieu and grew up in it. However, he says that his father, since his childhood, taught him not to blindly believe what the pastors said, recommending that, If in doubt, look for what was written in the Bible.. This is the principle of Spiritism, taught by an evangelical: the search for reason, blindly believing in nothing. It is always sad to note that, today, this principle is not found even in the spiritist movement itself.

See, friends, how much it is essential transmit the best values to children. I also give my example, because my father also taught me the same, reflecting Kardec's teachings, which are purely scientific. Even though I went through a period of disbelief, because what I once knew I was not established on this science that is Spiritism, I managed to find my way again, and today I study the Spiritist Doctrine where it resides in all its reliability: in the works of Allan Kardec.

Religious people studied Spiritism in the past

I want to highlight that Kardec, in the Revista Espírita of January 1869, gives the following statistics about spiritist followers:

Regarding religious ideas:

  • Roman Catholics, freethinkers, not bound by dogma, 50%;
  • Greek Catholics, 15%;
  • Jews, 10%;
  • liberal Protestants, 10%;
  • Catholics linked to dogmas, 10%;
  • orthodox Protestants, 3%;
  • Muslims, 2%.

These are very interesting numbers, especially when compared to the current era, in which Spiritism, seen as a religion (a false idea) finds resistance and difficulty in proliferating. Protestant, at that time, is today's evangelical.

It is not too much to remember that Spiritism is the science of Creation itself, existing among all and taunting, with its phenomena, even those who deny it. Being, above all, a science, it can be studied by everyone, with great benefit, and it was only through adulterations that it stopped being so.

Read too: No more feuds, no more fighting: the time has come to collaborate!

The importance of questioning

But it is also a fact that many who come to Spiritism enter through the door of the false ideas that reign in the modern spiritist movement, which is very reluctant to take up Kardec, first of all. Here, I must once again recognize the willpower of P…, born in an evangelical milieu, but who never put reasoning aside and, having found material that demonstrates the spiritist science, he promptly found something in it that met his rational inquiries.

That's why I always highlight the importance of everyone doing their part, in the best way they can. But, to do so, solidifying knowledge in science is essential. Less mistakes are made by acting this way.

Safe harbor

The safe haven of Spiritism is in Kardec's works, not because he gave the last word, but because the words he gave were born from the scientific method. Today, having abandoned the method, there is an infinite number of false ideas, often contrary to doctrinal principles, born from the methodological study of thousands of Spirits, evoked or freely communicated, everywhere.

It is necessary to study and, from this solidified study, it is necessary to produce. Let us do our part, as there are many others like P…, – Protestants, Catholics, Umbanda, etc. – around the world, who just lack contact with true ideas.




Hell, according to Spiritism

Spiritism demonstrated the impossibility of the existence of Hell, as well as purgatory as a place after death. It is logical to note that, in doing so, it demonstrates the impossibility of modern constructions of ideas such as that of umbral. But, at the same time, it demonstrated the existence of these last two, not as a fluidic place, but as a material place: the planets themselves like Earth and lower, where, literally, purge acquired imperfections:

“It is, therefore, in successive incarnations that the soul gradually sheds its imperfections—in other words, that it purges itself—until it is pure enough to deserve to leave the worlds of atonement and go to more blissful worlds, from where it later departs to enjoy supreme happiness. ((At the beginning of its evolution, there are imperfections that are mistaken habits created by attachment, which result in pride and selfishness. This personal responsibility, only of those who choose this painful path, configures the condition of moral imperfection and suffering that must be overcome through atonement. However, on primitive planets, there are vicissitudes resulting from the lack of intelligence to create better living conditions and comfort, such as food, housing, and health. There is also a lack of opportunities for everyone to progress, such as education, work, and family. Therefore, everyone faces trials, which are opportunities for progress, both individual and collective. These are the planets of atonement and trials. (Ed. Note) )).

Therefore, Purgatory is no longer a vague and uncertain idea, it is a material reality that we see, touch and suffer. He is in the worlds of atonement, and the Earth is one of these worlds – on it men atone for the past and the present for the benefit of their future. But, contrary to the traditional idea of Purgatory, it depends on each person whether to shorten or prolong their stay there, depending on the degree of advancement and purity they reach through work on themselves. We leave these worlds not because our time has come to an end, or because of the merit of others, but because of our own merit, according to the words of Christ: – To each one, according to his works –, words that summarize all the justice of God .

Spiritism did not come, therefore, to deny the future penalty – it came, on the contrary, to confirm it. What he destroys is the localized Hell, with its furnaces and its irremissible penalties. It does not deny Purgatory, because it proves that we find ourselves in it, defining and detailing it, explaining the cause of earthly misery, thereby leading those who denied it to believe.”

KARDEC, Allan. Heaven and Hell – Editora FEAL




Paul Broca and Magnetism

Pierre Paul Broca, Dr. Broca, is recognized in medical circles for being a major contributor to the field. Child prodigy, he was a great French surgeon and anthropologist. But there is an absolutely unknown facet of his experiences, linked to Mesmer's Magnetism (read “Mesmer: the negated science of Animal Magnetism”, by Paulo Henrique de Figueiredo), at that time known only by one of his “children”: hypnotism.

Addressing the experiences of several renowned scientists and doctors of the time, Allan Kardec – himself – presents, in the Revista Espírita of January 1860, the article “magnetism towards academia“, of which we highlight the following parts:

“Mr. Azam, substitute professor of clinical surgery at the Bordeaux School of Medicine, having successfully repeated Dr. Braid's experiments, exchanged ideas with Dr. Paul Broca, who imagined that hypnotized people were perhaps insensitive to the pain of surgical operations. The letter you have just addressed to the Academy of Sciences is a summary of your experiences in this regard.

“First of all, he had to assure himself of the reality of hypnotism, which he achieved without difficulty.

“Visiting a lady of around forty years old, somewhat hysterical, and who was bedridden due to a slight indisposition, Dr. Broca pretended that he wanted to examine the patient's eyes and asked her to stare at a small golden bottle that he was holding about fifteen centimeters away. from the root of the nose. After three minutes his eyes became a little red, his features were still, his responses were slow and difficult, but perfectly rational. Dr. Broca lifted the patient's arm and it remained in the left position; he positioned his fingers in the most extreme situations and they kept them; He pinched the skin in several places, with some force, and, apparently, the patient felt nothing. Catalepsy, insensitivity! Dr. Broca did not continue with the experiment, as it had already taught him what he wanted to know. A rub on the eyes and a blow of cold air on the forehead brought the patient to a normal state. She had no memory of what had happened.

“It remained to be seen whether hypnotic insensitivity would withstand the test of surgical operations.

“Among the patients at the Necker Hospital, in Dr. Follin's service, was a poor lady of 24 years old, victim of an extensive burn on her back and both right limbs and an extremely painful abscess. The smallest movements were an ordeal for him. Exhausted by suffering and, moreover, very pusillanimous, this unfortunate woman thought with terror about the operation that was necessary. It was there that, according to Dr. Follin, Dr. Broca decided to complete the hypnotism test.

“They put her on a bed in front of the window, preventing her from going to sleep. After two minutes his pupils dilated. They raised his left arm almost vertically above the bed and he remained motionless. In the fourth minute his responses are slow and almost painful, but perfectly sensible. Fifth minute: Dr. Follin pinches the skin on her left arm and the patient does not accuse him; new, deeper bite, which produces blood, and the same impassivity. They raise their right arm, which remains in the air. Then the covers are lifted and the lower limbs moved away, to reveal the seat of the abscess. The patient consents and calmly says that, without a doubt, they will hurt her. Once the abscess is opened, he lets out a weak scream. It was the only sign of reaction, and it lasted less than a second. Not the slightest tremor of muscles in the face or limbs, nor a movement in the arms, always elevated vertically above the bed. The slightly bloodshot eyes were wide open and the face had the immobility of a mask...

“Lifted, the left foot is suspended. They take away the shiny object, a spyglass, and the catalepsy persists. For the third time they sting her left arm, the blood bubbles and the operated woman feels nothing. For 13 minutes, the arm has kept the position it was given.

“Finally, a rub on the eyes and a breath of fresh air awaken the young lady almost suddenly. Relaxed, the arms and left leg immediately fall onto the bed. She rubs her eyes, regains consciousness, remembers nothing and is surprised that they had operated on her. The experience had lasted 18 to 20 minutes. The period of anesthesia, from 12 to 15.

“Such are, in summary, the essential facts reported by Dr. Broca to the Academy of Sciences. They are no longer isolated. A large number of surgeons in our hospitals have had the honor of repeating them, and have done so successfully. The objective of Dr. Broca and his illustrious colleagues was, and should be, surgical. Let us hope that, as a means of provoking insensitivity, hypnotism has all the advantages of anesthetic agents, without having their drawbacks. But Medicine is not our domain and, in order not to deviate from its responsibilities, our Journal must only consider the fact from a physiological point of view.

KARDEC, Allan. Spiritist Magazine of January 1861.




Mediumship in animals

Excerpts from an article about mediumship in animals, obtained from the Revista Espírita of August 1861.

To begin with, let's understand our facts. What is a medium? It is the being, the individual that serves the Spirits as a link, so that they can easily communicate with men, incarnated Spirits. Consequently, without a medium, no tangible communications, mental, written, physical, or of any kind.

Today I address the problem of animal mediumship, raised and supported by one of your most fervent followers. By virtue of the axiom who can do the most can do the least, he claims that we can mediate birds and other animals, using them in our communications with the human species. It is what, in Philosophy, or rather, in Logic, you call purely and simply a sophistry.

Men are always willing to exaggerate everything. Some ─ and I'm not talking about materialists here ─ refuse animals a soul and others want to grant them one, so to speak, similar to ours. Why would you want to confuse the perfectible with the imperfectible? No no. Be well convinced that the fire that animates animals, the breath that makes them act, move and speak their language has, until now, no ability to mix, to unite, to merge with the divine breath, the ethereal soul, the Spirit, in a word, that animates the essentially perfectible being, man, this king of Creation. Now, isn’t what marks the superiority of the human species over other earthly species this essential condition of perfectibility? Then! Recognize, therefore, that it is not possible to assimilate to man, the only person perfectible in himself and in his works, any individual of the other living races on Earth.

Certainly the Spirits can become visible and tangible by animals, often suddenly taken by that fear that seems unfounded to you, and which is caused by the sight of one or more of these Spirits with malicious intentions towards the individuals present or towards the owners of these animals. You often find horses that don't want to move forward or backward or that stall when faced with an imaginary obstacle. Well done! Be sure that the imaginary obstacle is often a Spirit or a group of Spirits who have fun preventing them from advancing. Remember Balaam's donkey, which saw an angel in front of him and, fearing his flaming sword, insisted on not moving forward. Before becoming visible to Balaam, the angel wanted to show himself only to the animal. But, I repeat, we do not directly mediumize animals or inert matter. We always need the conscious or unconscious assistance of a human medium, because we need the union of similar fluids, which we do not find in animals or in gross matter.

He says Mr. Thiry magnetized his dog. What happened? He killed him, because this unfortunate animal later fell into a kind of atony, of languor, as a result of the magnetization. In effect, flooding him with a fluid drawn from an essence superior to the special essence of his nature, it crushed him and acted upon him, albeit more slowly, in the manner of lightning. Thus, as there is no possible identification between our perispirit and the fluidic envelope of the animals themselves, we would crush them instantly if we were to mediumize them.

Having said that, I fully recognize that animals have different abilities; that certain feelings; that certain passions identical with human passions develop in them; who are sensitive and recognized, vengeful and hateful, depending on whether one acts well or badly towards them. It is because God, who makes nothing incomplete, gave animals companions or servants of man, qualities of sociability that are entirely lacking in wild animals that inhabit solitudes.

In short: mediumistic facts cannot manifest themselves without the conscious or unconscious assistance of the medium, and only among the incarnated, Spirits like us, can we find those who can serve us as mediums. As for educating dogs, birds or other animals to do such and such exercises, that is your business and not ours.

ERASTO.

Spiritist Magazine, August 1861 – The medium animals

Read more about mediumship.




Curse and Spiritism

This article aims to address, very succinctly, the topic of the curse according to Spiritism. Knowledge for this can be gleaned in abundance from Revista Espírita and other works by Allan Kardec.

If someone puts a curse on you, there are 5 possibilities:

1. No Spirit participates in this, but you, knowing about the “curse”, believe in it and suggest yourself;

2. One or more evil Spirits participate, and you, knowing about the “curse”, believe, self-suggest and allow yourself to be influenced by the Spirits;

3. You have no idea about the curse, but there are evil spirits involved in it. They seek to reach you through your thoughts, attacking you for possible imperfections. As imperfection is born from attachment, the thoughts please you and you, by not fighting them (the thoughts), slowly become obsessed.

4. You have no idea about the curse, and you don't allow yourself to have bad thoughts, attachments, etc. Nothing happens to you other than, who knows, a temporary inconvenience.

5. You know about the curse, whether there are bad Spirits involved or not, but you studied Spiritism in the works of Kardec, you know how things happen and you are always trying to watch yourself. He knows, moreover, that whoever does evil is doing it for himself. You say prayers for those people and Spirits, and they, not finding an open door in you, quickly give up.

The Spirits' Book gives the essential

552. What should one think of the belief in the power of certain people to bewitch?

“Some people have great magnetic power, which they can misuse if their own Spirits are bad, in which case it becomes possible for them to be supported by other bad Spirits. However, do not believe in an alleged magical power, which only exists in the imagination of superstitious creatures, ignorant of the true laws of nature. The facts they cite as proof of the existence of this power are natural facts, poorly observed and above all poorly understood.”

553. What effect can formulas and practices produce through which people pretend to dispose of the will of the Spirits?

“The effect of making them ridiculous, if they proceed in good faith. Otherwise, they are scoundrels who deserve punishment. All formulas are mere illusion. There is no sacramental word, no Kabbalistic sign, nor talisman that has any action on the Spirits, as they are only attracted by thought and not by material things.”

The Book of Spirits

Conclusion

Remove the idea that the curse is the transfer of bad energy. it is necessary to study Spiritism, in Kardec's works. Spiritual fluids have their role, of course, but they depend on attunement. Also, get rid of the idea of “hereditary curses”, because inheritance is of the flesh, but it is clear that the role here is spiritual. You would only “inherit” a “curse” if the Spirits find reason and acceptance in you to continue bothering you too.

And, of course, do not believe in magical formulas, rituals or any material objects to solve the case, as none of these have power over the Spirits, as has already been demonstrated. in this article. To “reverse” a curse, it is necessary to act on morality, that is, to understand, analyze yourself and try to change what takes you away from good.

Study the Spiritist Magazine (1858-1869)

Cover photo: Fariborz MP: https://www.pexels.com/pt-br/foto/acessorios-adulto-aventura-facanha-11009468/