Family Conversations from Beyond the Grave
Father Crépin
PARISIAN SOCIETY, SEPTEMBER 2nd, 1859
The papers have recently announced the death of a man from Lyon,
where he was known by the nickname Father Crépin. He was a
multi-millionaire of an uncommon greed. Over the last years of his life
he moved in with the Favre’s couple, under the obligation to feed him for
only thirty cents per day, outside of an additional deduction of ten cents
for tobacco. He owned nine houses, formerly living in one of them, in a
kind of niche that he had built under the stairs. When it was time to collect
rent he would pick up paper from the streets and use the material for
the receipts. The local government decree to whitewash the houses caused
him a great distress; he made useless attempts to get an exemption. He
would scream that it was his ruin. If he had one house only he would accept
but, he added, he had nine.
1. (Evocation)
- I am here. What do you want from me? Oh! My gold! My
gold! What was made of it?
2. Do you miss your life on Earth? - Oh! Yes!
3. Why do you miss it?
- I can no longer touch my gold, count and keep it.
4. How do you spend your time?
- I am still too bonded to Earth and it is difficult to regret.
5. Have you come many times to see again your dear treasure and
your houses?
- As many times as I can.
6. When you were alive, haven’t you given any thought to the fact
that you would not take any of that with you to the other world?
- No. My only thought was related to the treasure, aiming
at its accumulation. I have never given any thought to the
separation.
7. What was your objective by piling up that treasure that served
nothing, not even yourself, since you were deprived of everything?
- I experienced the ecstasy of touching it.
8. Where did you take such parsimonious behavior?
- From the pleasure experienced by my spirit and my heart for
having a lot of money. I had no other passion here on Earth.
9. Do you understand what the greed was?
- Yes, I understand now that I was a miserable. However my
heart is still too worldly and I still experience certain pleasure
when I see my gold. But I cannot touch it and it is the beginning
of a punishment in my current life.
10. You never had any pity towards the unfortunate ones who suffered
in misery? Had you never had the idea of alleviating them?
- Why didn’t they have any money? Too bad for them!
11. Do you have any memory of your existence prior to this one that
you have just left?
- Yes, I was a shepherd, physically very unhappy, but happy in
my heart.
12. What were you first thoughts when you found yourself in the
world of the spirits? - My first thought was to search for my treasure and, above all,
my gold. When I saw nothing but space I felt very unhappy.
My heart was shattered and remorse started to take me over.
It seems that the more time goes by the more I will suffer
from my worldly avarice.
13. What is now the consequence of your Earthly life?
- Useless to my fellow human beings, useless before eternity,
unfortunate to me before God.
14. Could you foresee a new corporeal existence?
- I don’t know.
15. If you were to have a brief corporeal existence which one would
you choose?
- I would pick one through which I could be useful to my fellow
human beings.
16. You had no friends when alive since a greedy person like yourself
could not have them. Do you have them among the spirits?
- I never prayed for anybody. My guardian angel, which I disregarded,
is the only one that has pity on me.
17. Has anybody welcomed you when you entered the world of the
spirits?
- Yes, my mother.
18. Have you been already evoked by other people?
- Once, by a person who I mistreated.
19. Haven’t you been in Africa, in a center where they deal with the
spirits?
- Yes, but those people had no pity on me. That is really sad.
Here you have compassion.
20. Will our evocation be beneficial to you?
- Very much.
21. How did you acquire fortune?
- Some I honestly earned but I exploited a lot and stole some
from my fellow citizens.
22. Can we be of any help to you? - Yes, have some pity on this suffering soul.
SOCIETY, SEPTEMBER 9th, 1859
QUESTIONS ADDRESSED TO ST. LOUIS REGARDING
FATHER CRÉPIN
1. Father Crépin that we evoked lately is a rare kind of greedy individual.
He could not give us information about the origin of his
passion. Could you kindly enlighten us? He said he had been a
shepherd, physically very unhappy, but happy in his heart. We see
nothing there, which could produce such a sordid avarice. Could
you tell us what triggered that?
- He was ignorant and inexperienced. He asked for the wealth
and it was conceded but as a punishment for his request. Be
assured that he will no longer request that.
2. Father Crépin offers us the kind of ignoble greed but that passion
has degrees. There are people who are greedy to the others
only. Our question is which one is more culpable: the one who
accumulates by the pleasure of it, depriving himself even from
the necessary, or the other who deprives himself from nothing
but greed when involving the least sacrifice towards his neighbor?
- It is evident that the last one is more guilty since profoundly
selfish. The first one is crazy.
3. Has the spirit to go through all sorts of temptations in the trials
that it needs to endure reaches perfection? Could we say that the
turn of greed came to Father Crépin through the treasures that
were at his disposal and that he succumbed?
- This is not a general rule but it is exact in his particular case.
Know this that there are many who, since the beginning, take
a path that exempt them from many trials.
Mrs. E. de Girardin, Medium
We extracted the following article from the chronicle of the ParisJournal,
number 44. There is no need for comments. It shows that
the apparent “experts” of Spiritism are misguided, as unkindly say those
who unceremoniously assume the privilege of bearing common sense
judgment. We, however, can find consolation and even feel honored to
be consoled, following insight at the level of Mrs. de Girardin and so
many others.
“The other day I promised you the story of Mrs. de Girardin and a famous
doctor. I will do that today for I was granted permission to do so. It
is a very curious story. We will remain in the supernatural with which we
have been involved for a long time, we, who by duty, take Paris’ pulse and
feel that it is in a fervor-like disposition. Human imagination definitely
has the need of knowing the future and penetrating into the mysteries
of nature. When we see intelligences like that of Delphine Gay given to
practices which we consider puerile, we cannot deny them a certain importance,
particularly when supported by irrefutable testimonies, such as
this one that I will tell you and you will learn. I refer to the testimony and
not to the doctor – be aware.”
“Mrs. de Girardin had a little planchette and a pencil. She consulted
with that incessantly. She thus obtained conversations with many famous
people throughout History, and even the devil who also were amongst
those people. Once he came in one evening, revealing himself to an important
person who was not afraid since his role was to expel the devil.
The great Delphine did nothing before consulting with the planchette.
She asked for literary advice that was not refused. It was even considered
an academic severity to the illustrious poet. Thus it constantly reiterated
the request to no longer write tragedies without considering the wonderful
verses of her play Judith and Cleopatra. Who is going to watch the
representation of a tragedy? People who are drama and poetry fanatics.
What do they seek in a tragedy? The beautiful verses, which touch and
move them as well as Judith and Cleopatra, have plenty of these woman’s
thoughts, expressed by the heart of a woman of eminent spirit and heart,
whose talent is contested by no one. In one word, the planchette wanted
no more tragedies; it was obstinate with prose and comedy; cooperated
with the scripts and corrected the prolixity.”
“Delphine not only entrusted it with her literary works but also her
sufferings, asking for orientation regarding her health. Ah! Those orientations
dictated by the ill imagination or by the devil contributed to keep
her away from us. She took incredible medicines like slices of bread with
butter and pepper, bell pepper and all creations harmful to an inflammable
nature like hers. Proofs of that were found after her death, from
which her friends and admirers will never find consolation.”
“Everybody knows Chasseriau, also disappeared in the prime of his
age. He made a great portrait of the beautiful deceased from memory.
A poster image of that was made and now it can be found everywhere.
He took the portrait to the mentioned doctor and asked him if he was
happy with that. The doctor made some repairs. The painter was about
to agree with the modifications when both had the idea of addressing the
model herself. They placed their hands onto the planchette and thus Mrs.
de Girardin revealed herself almost immediately. One can only imagine
their commotion. Questioned about the picture, she said that it was not perfect but they should not touch it as they would take the risk of spoiling
it, and since total similarity is very difficult to capture when there is no
other resource but memory. They asked her other questions. She refused
to answer some but responded to others.”
“They asked about the place where she was.”
• “I don’t want to say, she replied.”
“Despite every request they could not obtain any answer about that.”
• “Are you happy?”
• “No”.
• “Why?”
• “Because I can no longer be useful to those who I love.
”
She became adamantly mute while she was told about the other life
and gave no explanation. She did not say either if she acted in such a manner
for prohibition or her own will. After a long conversation, she left.
The minutes of this session were registered. The two witnesses were so
impressed that they no longer dealt with the case. The doctor now could
evoke the one who helped him on that day and have these two spirits
guiding his planchette. How things are in this world! And what teachings
come out from these strange facts, if we consider them from the philosophical
and religious point of view.”
