Spiritist Dissertations - Received or read by several mediums at the SocietyImpressions of a Spirit
(Medium Mrs. Costel)
I will speak about the strange alterations that take place in the spirit just
after their liberation. The spirit dissipates from the body left behind,
like a flame disengaging from the fire it has produced; then arrives the
moment of great confusion and strange doubt: am I dead or alive? The
absence of the ordinary sensations of the body surprises and immobilizes;
so to speak, as a person that used to carry a heavy weight, our suddenly
light soul knows what to do with its freedom; and the infinity of space;
the countless wonders of the stars in a succeeding harmonious rhythm;
eager spirits floating in the air, and bursting with the subtle light that
seems to pierce them, the sudden feeling of freedom that takes over all
at once, with the need to soar into open space like birds who want to try
their wings, such are the first impressions that all of us feel. I cannot tell
you about all phases of this life. I will add only that as soon as the soul has
had enough of that feeling it becomes eager to climb even higher, searching
for the regions of true beauty, true good, and such aspiration is the
torment of the thirsty spirits, aiming at infinity.
Like the chrysalis, they expect to get rid of their skin, feeling the
sprouting wings that shall radiantly take them to the blessed blue skies.
However, still retained by wicked bonds, they must glide between Earth
and Heaven, not belonging to one or another.
What are all the earthly aspirations compared to the unquenchable
ardor of one who has glimpsed a corner of eternity! Thus, you shall suffer
a lot to become pure among us. Spiritism will help you since it is a blessed
work. It connects the spirits and the living, forming the rings of an invisible
chain that leads to God.
Delphine de Girardin
The Orphans (Medium Mrs. Schmidt)
Brothers, love the orphans. If you only knew how sad it is to be alone
and abandoned, particularly at an early age! God allows the orphans
to induce us to become parents. What a divine charity helping a pure little
abandoned creature, avoiding their cold and hunger, directing his soul,
so it does not get lost to vice! Anyone that reaches out to an abandoned
child pleases God because he understands and practices His law. Consider
also that often the child that you help now has been very dear to you in
another life; and that if you could remember, this would not be an act
of charity but of duty. Thus my dear friend, every suffering soul is your
brother or sister and deserves your charity; not that charity that hurts the
heart; not the alms that burns the receiving hand, because your offering is
often bitter. How many times, these sufferers would have rather refused, if
hunger and disease were not looming! Give kindly and add to the benefits
the most valuable of all: a good word, kindness, a friendly smile. Refrain
from an air of pity and protection which return a spear into a heart that is
already wounded, and consider that the good deeds you do, work on your
behalf and that of your loved ones.
Jules Morin
OBSERVATION: The spirit that signs off is completely unknown.
We can see from the communication above as for many others of the
kind, that it is not always necessary to have a prestigious name to obtain
beautiful things. It is puerile to become attached to a name. Good
must be well received from whatever source. As a matter of fact, the number
of illustrious names is very limited; the number of spirits is infinite.
Why then would there not exist capable ones among the unknown? We
make this reflection because there are people who believe to be able to
obtain sublime messages only from the so-called celebrities. Experience
demonstrates the opposite every day and shows that we can always learn
something from every spirit if we know how to take advantage of the
opportunities.
From a Dead Brother
to her Sister
(Medium Mrs. Schmidt)
My sister, you don’t evoke me frequently but that does not preclude
me to come to see you every day. I know your concerns: your life is
painful, I know that, but it is necessary to endure the not always happy
fate. However, there is sometimes a relief in your penalties. For example,
someone that does good to the expense of their own happiness may mitigate
the rigor of their own trials or those of others.
It is rare to do good with such abnegation in this world. It is difficult,
no doubt, but it is not impossible, and the ones who have that sublime
virtue are the real elected of the Lord. If we were aware of that poor
peregrination on Earth we would understand that. That is not the case
though: people remain in the permanent search for material things, as
if they would stay in this exile forever. Nevertheless, common sense and
the simplest logic daily demonstrates that we are no more than migrating
birds here and those who have lighter wings are the ones who arrive
sooner. My good sister, what good does all that wealth do to the rich?
Tomorrow there will be no jewels helping them to step down into the tomb, where there is nothing to carry along! It is true that it has been a
beautiful journey to them; nothing was missed; there was nothing else to
be desired and the niceties of life were all experienced. It is also true that
they have sometimes thrown the alms in the hands of their brothers with
a smile in their faces. Has it deprived them from anything in life? No, not
a single pleasure was missed, not a single fantasy. However, that brother
is also a son of God, father of all of us, to whom everything belongs. Do
you understand, my sister, that a good father does not deprive one of his
sons to enrich the other? That is why he will compensate the one that was
without in this life.
Thus, those who consider themselves disinherited, abandoned and
forgotten will soon reach the blessed side where there is justice and happiness.
However, unfortunate are the ones who have made bad use of the
means entrusted by our Father. Unfortunate is also the person endowed
by the precious gift of intelligence if he has abused it! Believe me, Maria,
when there is belief in God there is nothing on Earth to be envy about but
the blessings of practicing His laws.
Your brother, Wilhelm
Christianity
(Medium Mr. Didier Jr)
Christian moral is what does need to be observed in Spiritism. Many
religions have been around for centuries, many splits and many supposed
truths. Everything that was erected outside Christianity has fallen
because it was not animated by the Holy Spirit. Christ sums up what is
the most pure and divine moral, his teachings to the human being touch
on his duties in this life and in the next. In the ancient world, where the
teachings were the most sublime, it is still poor before such a rich and
fertile moral. Plato’s halo fades away before that of Christ and Socrates’
cup is too little when compared to the immense chalice of the Son of the
Man. Is that you, oh Sesotris, tyrant of the immobile Egypt, did you want
to measure the height of the colossal pyramids compared to the birth of
Christ in a manger? Is that you Solon? Is that you Lycurgus, whose barbarian
law condemned the ill born children, will you be able to compare
to the one who face pride by saying: “Let the children come to me”? Will
that be you sacred priests of Numa, whose moral wanted the death of the
guilty vestals32, to compare to the one who said to the adulterous woman: “Stand up woman, and sin no more”? No, no more of those terrible mysteries
of your practices, oh ancient priests, with these Christian mysteries
that you have based this sublime religion on in the name of Christianity;
You will bow before him, all legislators and human priests, bow down for
it is God who spoke through the mouth of this privileged being who is
called Christ.
Lamennais
Waste of Time
(Medium Ms. Huet)
If you could, for a moment, think about time wasted, but think seriously
and calculate the immense mistake you make, you will see how much
this very hour, this minute that has just passed uselessly and that you
cannot recover, and that would have helped your future life. Not even all
treasures of Earth could return it to you, and had you utilized it badly you
will have to repair it through atonement, and perhaps in a terrible way!
What wouldn’t you do then to recover that wasted time? Useless vows;
superfluous sorrows! Thus, give a serious thought to that. It is of your own
future as well as present interest because sorrow may often reach us in this
life on Earth. When God comes to make the adjustments regarding the
life you were given, the mission that was assigned to you, what will you
answer? You will be like the messenger of a sovereign that far from following
the orders of his superior has spent the time having fun, not doing
the actual work for which he has the credentials. What wouldn’t be your
liability on your return? God sent you here and you shall have to respond
to him about the time spent with your brothers and sisters. I do recommend
that you meditate about it.
Massillon
Wise People
(Medium Ms. Huet)
Since you have called a spirit, God has allowed me to come. I will give
you good advice, particularly to Mr. …
You that are worried about the wise people, because that is your concern,
leave them alone. What could their power be over religious beliefs,
and in particular the spiritist beliefs? Haven’t they repelled the truths presented
to them at all times? Haven’t they rejected all inventions, treating
them as illusions? Weren’t those who presented those truths treated as
mad people, hence incarcerated; others thrown into the dungeons of the
inquisition; others still murdered or burnt at the stake?
Much later the truth did not shine less intensively to the eyes of the
surprised wise people, who had kept it a secret. By turning your attention
constantly to them do you want, a new Galileo to suffer the moral torture
of ridicule and to be forced to retreat? Has Jesus addressed the Academies
of his time? No. He preached the divine moral to everyone and to his
people in particular.
He chose fishermen to be the apostles and promoters of his homecoming,
people of simple heart, very ignorant, who did not know the laws of nature and who did not know if a miracle could breach them, but who
believed ingenuously. “Go, Jesus said, and say what you have seen.”
He has never made a miracle that was not in favor of those who had
asked in good faith and conviction. He refused them to the Pharisees and
to the Sadducees, who came to tempt him, calling them hypocrites. Do
the same and address intelligent people who are prepared to believe. Leave
the wise ones and the incredulous.
As a matter of fact, what is a wise person? A person with better instruction
than others, because he has studied more, but has lost the former
prestige, a fatal halo that sometimes gave him the reward of being
burned at the stake. But as the popular intelligence developed their shine
has faded. A person of genius is no longer afraid of being accused of sorcery;
he is no longer allied to the Devil.
An enlightened humanity appreciates the fair value of someone that
knows a lot and works a lot; humanity knows how to raise the genius who
produces beautiful works to an adequate pedestal. Humanity is no longer
tormented by his science that is understood now; it bows before him since
it knows the origin of the creative genius. On the other hand humanity
wishes the freedom to believe in those truths that bring consolation. It
is no longer acceptable that the one who knows more or less Chemistry,
or Linguistic, or produces beautiful operas may come to deny their beliefs,
throwing ridicule on their faces and treating their ideas as madness.
Humanity will veer off that path and will quietly continue in its way. One
day truth shall cover the whole world and those who had repelled it will
be forced to believe. I myself who have dealt with Spiritism until my last
day have always practiced it in private.
I couldn’t care less about the Academy. Believe me: it will come to
you later.
Delphine de Girardin
The Human Being
The human being is a composite of greatness and misery, science and
ignorance. He is the true representative of God on Earth because his
great intelligence encompasses the universe. He found ways of discovering
the secrets of nature; knows how to use the elements; travels long distances
by means of steam; can talk to his fellow human beings from one
corner to the other of the world using electricity that he can control. His
is highly intelligent. When he is able to place all that before God’s feet and
pay tribute to God he is god-like! However, how miserable and petty he
can be when dominated by pride! He can’t see his misery; he can’t see that
his existence, this life that he cannot understand, is taken from him sometimes
instantaneously, just by the will of that divinity unknown to him,
since he cannot defend against such a power; he has to follow his fate!
The one who has studied and analyzed everything; who knows the
movement of the stars; does he know the creative power that germinated
the grain of wheat on the earth? Can he create a flower however simple
and modest it may be? No. His power stops there. He should then acknowledge
a power much superior than his. Humility should take his
heart over and he would then practice one act of adoration by admiring
the works of God.
St. Therese
Determination in the
Spiritist Work
I will talk about the determination that you need in your spiritist work.
A warning was given to you with that regard. I advise you to study it
wholeheartedly and apply it to yourselves because like St. Paul, you shall
be persecuted, not in flesh and blood, but in spirit. The incredulous, the
Pharisees of our time, will criticize and ridicule you. But have no fear. It
shall be a trial to strengthen you if you know to offer that to God. You
will see your efforts crowned by success later on. It will be a great triumph
to you before the light of eternity, not forgetting that it is already a consolation
in this world to those who have lost their relatives and friends.
It is a true happiness to know that they are okay and that it is possible to
communicate with them. Then, march forward. Accomplish your God
given mission and it shall be taken into account the day you appear before
the Almighty.
Channing
The Enemies of Progress
(Medium Mr. R…)
The enemies of progress, of light and truth, work in the shadows. They
prepare a crusade against our manifestations. Don’t bother with
that. You are powerfully supported. Let them agitate in their impotence.
However, dedicate yourselves to combat, annihilate by all means at your
disposal the idea of eternal penalties, that blasphemy against God’s justice
and benevolence, constituting the most fecund source of incredulity, materialism
and indifference that invades the masses since their intelligence
started to develop. The spirit has quickly learned the monstrous injustice
as soon as it was freed from the gross primitivism and just prior to becoming
enlightened. Human beings’ reason repels it and rarely confuses it in
the same ostracism of the revolting penalty and the God to whom it is
attributed.
Thus the innumerable evils that have precipitated upon you and to
which we bring the remedy. The more the authorities that support the
defenders of that belief avoid a formal declaration, the easier is the task
that we have assigned to you. Neither the Councils nor the priests of the
Church have brought this grave question to a closure. If, according to the
Evangelists themselves and taking Christ’s emblematic words literally, he has threatened the guilty ones with an endless fire, an eternal fire, there
is absolutely nothing in his words which demonstrates that he has condemned
the wicked for eternity.
Poor lost sheep, you must understand the Good Shepherd that comes
from far away and instead of willing to banish you forever from his presence
he comes himself to meet you and bring you back to the flock.
Lost sheep leave you voluntary exile. Drive your steps towards the paternal
dwelling. The Father embraces you and is always ready to celebrate
your return to the family.
Lamennais
Distinctive Nature
of the Spirits
(Medium Mrs. Costel)
I want to talk about the great truths of Spiritism. They are tightly connected
to those of morality thus they must not be separated. To begin
with, the point that attracts the attention of intelligent people is the doubt
they have about the validity of spiritist communications. The truth is the
first dignifying mark of the soul and is contained in this starting point.
Let us then establish it.
There is no infallible way to distinguish the nature of the spirits if we
renounce to reason, to comparison and reflection. These three faculties
are more than enough to safely distinguish the diverse spirits. Free-will is
the shaft that supports the pivot of human intelligence; the equilibrium
would be broken if the spirits had only to speak in order to dominate people.
Their power would then equal God’s power and that cannot be the
case. The interchange between human beings and the invisible beings is
like Jacob’s ladder: some are allowed to step up; others are allowed to step
down. And all of them, interacting with one another before God’s eyes, must march towards God, with the same love and intelligent submission.
I have touched the subject only superficially, advising you to study it
in-depth, in all its aspects.
Lazarus
Scarron
(Medium Ms. Huet)
My friends, I was very unhappy on Earth because my spirit was equal
and sometimes superior to the persons that surrounded me but my
body was inferior. Thus, my heart was wounded by moral sufferings and
by the physical limitations that had reduced my earthly body to a disgraceful
and miserable state.
I became a bitter person due to my diseases and the upsetting relationships
that I had with my friends. I allowed myself to be dragged to the
most outrageous evilness. I was apparently cheerful and unhurt, however
I suffered from the bottom of my heart and when I was alone, taken by
the most secretive thoughts of my soul, I groaned in the fight between
good and evil. The most beautiful day of my life was the day when my
spirit separated from my body, when then illuminated by a divine ray my
spirit was taken to celestial regions! I felt like being reborn and I was taken
by a state of happiness. I finally rested.
My conscience woke up later. I acknowledge my mistakes against the
Creator, experienced remorse and begged the Almighty for forgiveness.
Since then I strive to learn within the good path; I try to become useful to
people and I advance daily. However, I feel the need for prayers and I ask the true believers to elevate their thoughts to God on my behalf. If evoked
I will always try to answer your questions as much as I can. That is how
charity can be practiced.
Paul Scarron
The Nothingness of Life
(Medium Ms. Huet)
My good adopted friends, allow me to give you a few words of advice.
God allows me to come to you. Unfortunately I cannot transfer
to you all the emotion that was in my heart and what inspired me to do
good! Believe in God, author of all things; love God; be good and charitable.
Charity is the key to the heavens. In order to become good, give
sometimes some thought to death; it is a thought that elevates the soul
and makes it better, bringing humbleness to the soul. What are we on
Earth? We are an atom thrown in space; very little in the whole universe.
The human being is nothing. His time is numbered. Looking forward or
behind there is always infinity. His life, however long it may be, is a mere
dot in eternity. Then, think of your soul. Think of the new life that awaits
you since you cannot doubt that it does exist, even more so if you think
about the desires of your soul, never satisfied, demonstrating that they
must exist in a better world. Goodbye.
S. Swetchine
To the Mediums
(Medium Mrs. Darcol)
When you wish to receive communications from the good spirits,
it is necessary to be prepared for that through prayer and inner
silence, through good intentions and the true desire to do good, aiming at
the general progress. Keep in mind that selfishness is a cause of delay in
every path. Remember that if God allows some among you to receive the
breath of some of his children that deserved the happiness of understanding
God’s infinite benevolence through their actions, the reason is that
from our request and in lieu of your good intentions, God wants to give
you the means of advancing in your journey.
Hence, oh mediums! Take advantage of that faculty that God wants
to give you. Have faith in the kindness of our Teacher; always practice
charity; don’t ever stop practicing this sublime virtue, as well as tolerance.
May your actions always resonate with your conscience! It is a sure
means of multiplying your happiness a hundred times in this short and
transient life and even prepare you for an existence a thousand times
smoother.
The medium among you that does not feel strong enough to persevere
with the spiritist teaching should abstain, because if he does not take
advantage of the light that clarifies him, he will be less pardonable than
another and would only have to atone for his blindness.
François de Salles
Relative Honesty
(Medium Mrs. Costel)
Today we will comment the morality of those who don’t have it, that
is, the relative honesty that is found in the most corrupted hearts. A
thief does not steal the handkerchief of his comrade, even when his comrade
has two. The trader does not overcharge his friend; the traitor, despite
everything, is loyal to someone. The divine light is never absolutely
absent from the human heart; thus it must be preserved with extreme
care, or even developed. The strict and brutal judgment by people, given
its severity, makes recovery much more difficult than the practice of bad
deeds. Once developed, Spiritism should be and will be the consolation
and hope of those hearts hurt by human justice.
Full of sublime teachings, religion glides too high for the ignorant.
It does not reach them with sufficient objectivity, as it should, the sterile
imagination of the illiterate, who wishes to see in order to believe.
Enlightened by the mediums, perhaps medium themselves, the belief
shall flourish in their withered hearts. Hence, the true spiritist must address
the people in particular, like the apostles did in former times, so as
to propagate the consoling doctrine.
As pioneers, they must dive into the swamps of ignorance, filled with
defects; they clean and prepare the terrain of lost souls, so they can receive
the beautiful knowledge of Christ.
Georges
Taking Advantage
of the Advices
(Medium Ms. Huet)
Do you take advantage of our advice and what we tell you every day?
No. Not much. When you leave one of our sessions you talk about
the curiosity of the fact; you discuss the greater or lesser interest it has
caused in the audience. However, is there at least one among you who asks
how to apply the morality, the advice that we have just given you can be
adopted, with the intention of doing that? A communication was requested
and it was received. That is all. You go back to your daily occupations
promising to return to see again such an interesting show. You tell your
friends about the facts, exciting their curiosity and only to demonstrate
that the wise individuals can be confused. Very few do it with the sincere
objective of preaching morality. Very few really try to improve themselves.
My lesson is strict. However, I don’t want to discourage you. You
always bring the good will, now add a little bit more of good feelings towards
God and less desire to annihilate those who don’t want to believe.
Those belong to God and to time.
Marie (familiar spirit)
Select Thoughts
Oh People! How arrogantly proud you are! Your pretensions are truly
comic. You want to know everything and your fundamental ideas,
you must know, oppose the faculty of universal comprehension. You will
only come to understand this wonderful nature through persevering
work. You will only have the joy of exploring these treasures and foreseeing
glimpse of the inifinty of God, but through your own betterment and
charity, and doing everything for the common good and reporting that
faculty to God who in His singular generosity will reward you beyond
any expectation.
Massillon
The human being is at the mercy of events, as they frequently say; which
event are they talking about? What would be their cause and objective?
God’s finger has never been associated to that. Such vague and materialistic
thought, the mother of fatality has sent many great spirits and beautiful
minds astray. This is what Balzac said: “There are no principles; there
are only events.” It means that, according to him, the human being has
no free will; he is taken over by fatality since birth and fatality leads him
to the tomb. Monstrous invention of the human spirit! Such a thought
abates freedom; that is to say progress, the elevation of the human soul,
evident demonstration of God’s existence.
Thus, would people be led like that, slave of men and oneself? Oh
brothers and sisters! Analyze yourself. Were you born to be a slave? No.
You were born for freedom.
Lamennais
