The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1860

Allan Kardec

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Progress of the Spirits

(Medium Mrs. Costel)

The spirits can advance intellectually if they sincerely and strongly wish to do so. They have their free will, like people, and the errant state does not preclude them from using their faculties; it even helps, giving them the means of observation that they can utilize.

The bad spirits are not fatally condemned to remain evil. They can evolve but they rarely wish that since they lack discernment and find some sort of sickly pleasure out of their evil deeds. They must be violently shocked and punished in order to return to the good path because their wicked minds can only learn through punishment.

The weak spirits that take no pleasure in evil things but who don’t advance, these are restrained by their own weakness and by a kind of numbness that freezes their capabilities; they wander around; time goes by without their assessment; they couldn’t care less about what they see and take no advantage of that or even show rebellion. A certain degree of moral progress is necessary so that they can advance in the errant state. These poor spirits sometimes choose badly their trials; they particularly seek wealth in their material life, not concerned about the aftermath. These weak spirits eagerly seek reincarnation, not to depurate but to live again. The spirits who had many migrations are more experienced than the others: each life has given them a certain sum of knowledge; they saw and learned; they are less naïve than those who are closer to the starting point.

The spirits that come from Earth reincarnate back on Earth more frequently than in any other place, because the acquired experience is more applicable there. They almost never visit other worlds before or after their perfecting. Living conditions vary in each planet for the diversity of God’s work is inexhaustible. Nonetheless, the creatures who live in those worlds obey the same laws of expiation and all tend towards the same objective that is complete perfection.

Georges

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