This instruction is given in particular to persons that do not know the basics of Spiritism and to whom one wishes to provide a succinct idea in a few words. In groups and Spiritists groups in which there are rookie attendees it may be useful as a preamble to the session, according to the needs.
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Persons that are strange to Spiritism and do not understand its means and objectives almost always have a false idea about it. Above all what they miss is the knowledge of the principle, the first key to the phenomena. In the absence of that what is heard or seen brings no benefit or interest to them. It is a demonstrated fact that the simple observation or report about the phenomena is not enough to convince. Someone that witnesses events capable of confounding her remains more astonished than convinced.
The more extraordinary the event the more suspicious it becomes.
The only thing that can lead to conviction is a serious previous study. Frequently that is even enough to change the way people think. In any case such a study is indispensable for the understanding of the phenomena. In the absence of a comprehensive instruction that cannot be given in a few words a succinct summary of the law that governs the manifestations will be enough to help the non-initiated to see things clearly. This is the first guideline that we provide in the short instruction that follows. A previous observation, however, is necessary.
The non-believer tends to suspect the good faith of the mediums, supposing the use of fraudulent means. Besides the fact that such a supposition is insulting to certain persons one must always question what would their interest be by pretending, deceiving or even playing a role in a comedy. The best assurance of honesty is the total lack of interest since charlatanism makes no sense in a place where there is nothing to gain. As for the reality of the phenomena it can be attested by everyone when placed in favorable conditions for the observation of the facts and when showing the necessary patience, perseverance and independence.
1. Spiritism is at the same time a science of observation and a philosophical doctrine. As a practical science it consists on the relationships that can be established with the Spirits; as a philosophy it embraces all the moral consequences that derive from those relationships.
2. The Spirits are not, as sometimes thought, special beings in creation. They are the souls of those that lived on Earth and in other worlds. Hence souls and Spirits are one and the same thing from what follows that anyone that believes in the existence of the soul consequently believes in the existence of the Spirits for that very reason.
3. People generally have a very wrong idea about the state of the Spirits. They are not, like some people think, vague and undefined beings, nor they are flames like foxfires or ghosts like in stories of apparitions. They are people like us, with a body like ours but invisible and vaporous in their normal state.
4. When the soul is united to the body during life it has a double envelope: one that is heavy, dense and destructible like ours; another one fluid, light and indestructible called perispirit. This perispirit is the link between the soul and the body. It is through the perispirit that the soul makes the body act, perceiving the sensations felt by the body.
5. Death is only the destruction of the dense envelope. The soul leaves that envelope behind like we leave behind an old peace of clothes or like the butterfly leaves the chrysalis behind but the soul keeps its fluid body or perispirit. A person is formed by the union between the soul, the perispirit and the material body. The soul and the perispirit form the so called Spirit when separated from the body.
6. The death of the body disengages the Spirit from the envelope that attached it to Earth, making the Spirit suffer. Once released from that load the Spirit only has its ethereal body with which it travels the space and transposes distances with the speed of thought.
7. The fluid that forms the perispirit penetrates all bodies and pass through them like light goes through transparent bodies. There is no material obstacle to that fluid. That is why the Spirits penetrate any environment however hermetic the place may be. The idea that they enter through an aperture or the hole of a lock or chimney is ridiculous.
8. The Spirits populate space. They form the invisible world around us in which we live and are in permanent contact.
9. The Spirits have all the perceptions they had when on Earth but to a higher degree because their sensations now are no longer lessened by matter; have sensations that are unknown to us; see and hear things that our limited senses do not allow us to see or hear. There is no darkness for them except for those whose temporary punishment is to remain in darkness. All of our thoughts reach them and are read by them like in an open book so much so that what we can hide from anyone when alive cannot be hidden from a Spirit.
10. The Spirits preserve the serious affections they had on Earth. They find pleasure in returning to be near the loved ones particularly when attracted by their thoughts and by the kind feelings addressed to them whereas they are indifferent to those that show indifference to them.
11. The Spirits may communicate in many different ways: through sight, hearing, touch, noises, movements of bodies, writing, drawing, music, etc. They manifest through persons that are gifted with a special aptitude for each kind of manifestation and that are designated mediums. That is how there are distinguished mediums clairvoyant, speaker, hearing, sensitive, of physical effects, painter, tiptologist, writing etc. Among the writing mediums there are several types according to the nature of the communications that they are capable of receiving.
12. Although invisible to us in its natural state the perispirit is still an ethereal matter. In certain cases the Spirit may produce a kind of molecular transformation onto the perispirit that makes it visible and tangible. That is how the apparitions are produced. Such a phenomenon is not more extraordinary than that of the vapor that becomes invisible when much too thin and visible when condensed. The Spirits that become visible almost always show up with the appearance they had when alive and by which they can be recognized.
13. The Spirit acts upon the living body through the perispirit. It is still with the help of that fluid that the Spirit manifests acting upon the inert matter, producing noises, motion of tables and other objects that are lifted, knocked down or transported. There is nothing remarkable about such a phenomenon if we consider that the most powerful mechanical principles among us are found in the thinnest fluids like air, vapor and electricity. It is equally with the help of its perispirit that the Spirit makes the medium write, speak or draw. Since the Spirit no longer has a tangible body to act positively the Spirit then utilizes the body of the medium when willing to communicate, making use of the organs as if their own, and all that by embracing the medium with its own fluid.
14. It is by that same process that the Spirit acts upon a table, moving it without a predetermined objective or making it rap intelligently indicating the letters of the alphabet for form words and phrases, a phenomenon called tiptology. In that case the table is not more than an instrument like the pencil that is used to write. The table receives a momentary vitality by the penetration of that fluid but there is no identification between the Spirit and the table. People that are moved by identifying the presence of a beloved one that communicates in that way and kiss the table do something ridiculous because it is absolutely the same as if they were kissing the walking stick of a friend that uses that instrument to make noise or as if the wood had become a Spirit. In the presence of such communications one must imagine the person at the table as if when alive and as the person would be seen if had become visible at that moment. The same applies to written communications. The Spirit would be seen by the side of the medium, directing the medium’s hand or transmitting the thought through a fluid tunnel. When the table is lifted from the ground and floats in space without support the Spirit is not doing that by the strength of the arm but involving and penetrating the object with a kind of fluid atmosphere that neutralizes the effect of gravity like the air does to balloons and kites. When planted on the ground it is in an analogous situation of the vacuum chamber. These are comparisons to show the analogy in the effects and not an absolute similarity of causes. After that it can be understood that to a Spirit lifting a person is not more difficult than a table or to transport an object from a place to another or throw it anywhere. These phenomena are produced by the same law. When the table is chasing someone it is not the Spirit that is running for the Spirit can calmly stay put but give the impulse to the table through a fluid chain through which moves the table at will. When the noises are heard in the table or somewhere else the Spirit is not hitting it with the hand or any other object. The Spirit addresses a beam of fluid to the place from where the noise is heard, producing the effect of an electric shock. The Spirit modifies the noises like we modify the sounds produced by air.
15. From those few words one can see that the Spiritist manifestations, irrespective of their type, have nothing of supernatural or wonderful. Those are phenomena produced according to the law that governs the relationships between the visible and invisible worlds, a natural law like that of electricity, gravitation, etc. Spiritism is the science that teaches us that law like mechanics teaches us the laws of motion and optics those of light. Since the Spiritist manifestations are part of nature they were produced at all times. When the law that governs them is known it explains a number of problems that were looked at as insoluble. It is the key to a number of phenomena that were exploited and amplified by superstition.
16. Keeping the supernatural totally away, there is no longer anything that repulses reason in such phenomena because they know come to take their seat side by side with other natural phenomena. In times of ignorance all the effects whose causes were unknown were named supernatural. Scientific discoveries progressively shrank the circle of the supernatural. The knowledge of this new law comes to shrink it to nothing. Therefore those that accuse Spiritism of having come to resuscitate the supernatural demonstrate for that very reason that they are talking about what they ignore.
17. A more or less widespread idea among those that do not know Spiritism is the belief that just because they are detached from matter the Spirits must know everything and have the supreme wisdom. That is a serious mistake. When the Spirits leave behind their corporeal envelopes they are not immediately freed from their imperfections. It is only with time that they depurate and improve. Since the Spirits are the souls of people and since there are people at all levels of knowledge and ignorance, goodness and malice the same happens to the Spirits. There are among them those that are only lighthearted and jesters; others are liars and deceivers, hypocrite, evil and vindictive; and there are others that on the contrary have the most sublime virtues and knowledge that is unknown on Earth. That diversity in the Spirits’ qualities is one of the most important points to consider for it explains the good or bad nature of the communications that are received. One must be careful in distinguishing them. The consequence of that is that it is far from enough to address any Spirit willing to get a fair answer to each question because each Spirit will respond according to their knowledge and many times will only give their personal opinion that may be right or wrong. A judicious Spirit will confess ignorance about something that is unknown; if lighthearted or liar will answer to everything without any concern with the truth; a proud Spirit will issue a personal idea as if the absolute truth. That is why St. John the Evangelist said: “Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but prove the Spirits, whether they are of God.” Experience demonstrates the wisdom of that advice. Thus, it would be imprudence and lightheartedness to accept everything that comes from the Spirits without control. The Spirits can only respond about what they know and also about what they are allowed to respond because there are things that they must not reveal because it is not time yet for mankind to know everything.
18. The level of the Spirits is known by their language. The really good and superior Spirits always use a dignified, noble, and logical language, exempt from any triviality, foolishness or contradiction; it breathes wisdom, benevolence and modesty; it is concise and free from useless words. The language of the inferior, ignorant or proud Spirits lacks those qualities; the emptiness of the ideas is almost always compensated by an abundance in words.
19. Another point to consider equally important is that the Spirits are free. They communicate with those of their choice and when they wish to do so and also when they can since they have their activities. They are not at the service or caprice of whoever and nobody has the power of making them come against their will or making them say what they do not wish to so much so that nobody can say that a given Spirit will respond to their appeal and come at a given time or respond to this or that question. To say otherwise is to demonstrate the most absolute ignorance about the most elemental principles of Spiritism. It is only charlatanism that has infallible sources.
20. The Spirits are attracted by sympathy, similarity of tastes and characters and by the intension that requires their presence. Superior Spirits do not attend futile gatherings like the earthly scientist would not join a party of foolish youngsters. Simple common sense says so; or, if they sometimes attend is to provide a healthy advice, combat vices and try to guide people in the right direction. If they are not heard they leave. It would be completely wrong to believe that serious Spirits would enjoy giving answers to silly questions that do not demonstrate interest or respect towards them nor the real desire of learning and even less that they could come to give spectacles to entertain curiosity. If they did not did that when alive they will not do it after death.
21. From the above it results that every Spiritist gathering must be serious and respectful as a first condition; that everything must take place in a serious, religious and respectful way, with dignity if the habitual support of the good Spirits is expected. One must not forget that if those elevated Spirits had attended the meeting when alive they would have enjoyed a regard that is even more justifiable after their death. It is useless to argument that certain curious, frivolous and funny experiments are necessary to convince the skeptical; the result is the opposite. The non-believer, already used to make fun of the most sacred beliefs, cannot see something serious in what people have fun with; cannot respect what is shown to them with disrespect. Therefore futile and careless meetings like those in which there is no order, sincerity and reverence always leave a bad impression. What can best convince them is above all the proof of the presence of their loved ones. We see them paling, touched by the solemn and serious words carried with intimate revelations. However, for the very reason that there is more respect, veneration and attachment to the soul that is presented to the skeptical the same person would be shocked by seen a loved one coming to an irreverent assembly among dancing tables and jester Spirits. However skeptical that person may be her conscience totally repeals such an alliance between the serious and the frivolous, between the religious and the profane, a reason for calling everything foolishness and sometimes leaving the meeting less convinced than when arrived. Meetings of that sort always do more harm than good because the keep away from the Doctrine more people than they attract, not to mention the fact that they give rise to the criticism of detractors that find there founded reason for mockery.
22. It is a mistake to transform physical manifestations into entertainment. They may not have the importance of the philosophical teachings but have their utility from the point of view of the phenomena since they are the basis of the science to which they provided the key. Although less necessary today they still help to convince certain persons. But they do not exclude absolutely order and seriousness in the gatherings where they take place. If they were always practiced in a more adequate way they would convince more easily and by all means produce much better results.
23. There is no doubt that these explanations are incomplete and may necessarily provoke many questions but one must keep in mind that this is not a course on Spiritism. They are enough to show the basis upon which Spiritism rests, the character of the manifestations and the degree of confidence that they may inspire according to the circumstances. As for the utility of the manifestations it is huge due to their consequences. Nonetheless even if their only result would be that of allowing us to get to know a new law of nature and materially demonstrate the existence of the soul and its immortality it would already be a lot because it would have opened a wide avenue to philosophy.
