Questions and IssuesMediumistic masterpieces
Why don’t the Spirits of the great geniuses that were renowned on Earth produce masterpieces through mediumship, as they did when alive and considering that they did not lose anything in intelligence?
That question is at the same time one of those whose solution interests the Spiritist science, as a matter of study, and an objection opposed by certain deniers to the reality of the manifestations. “Such superior art work, they say, would be a proper proof of identity to convince the most reluctant one, whereas the mediumistic production signed by the most illustrious names is hardly positioned above vulgarity. Up until now there hasn’t been any fundamental work that can be close to the great scholars and great artists. When I see, some add, the Spirit of Homer bringing a new Iliad, Virgil bringing a new Aeneid, Cornelius a new Cid, Beethoven a new symphony in la, or a wise man like Laplace solving one of those uselessly sought resolutions like the quadrature of the circle, for example, I will then be able to believe in the reality of the Spirits. But how do you want me to believe when I see seriously signed works by Racine with poetries that a fourth grader student could correct; the attribution of badly finalized verses, without soul and salt, attributed to Béranger, or lending the language of a cook to Voltaire and Chateaubriand?”
There is a serious side in that objection contained in the last part but that does not indicate less ignorance about the fundamental principles of Spiritism. If those that make such objection did not judge it, before they had studied it, they would spare themselves a useless task.
It is a known fact that the identity of the Spirits is one of the great difficulties of practical Spiritism. It cannot be considered positively unless it is done to contemporary Spirits whose character and habits are known. They are then revealed by a number of particulars, in facts and language that would not leave room for any doubt. These are the ones whose identities are more interesting to us for the links that we have with them. Frequently a sign, a word is enough to attest their presence and these details are the more significant the more similarity is found in the series of familiar conversations that we have with the Spirits. Besides, we must consider that the closer the Spirits are to us, since their earthly death, the lesser they will have changed in character, habits and personal ideas that they made known to us.
That is different with respect to Spirits that somehow are only known through History. For those there is no material proof of identity; there could be presumption but not absolute certainty of personality. The more the Spirits are away from us considering the time in which they lived, the less the certainty since their ideas and character may have modified with time.
Second, those that achieved a certain elevation form a family of similar by their thoughts and by the degree of advancement; we are far from knowing all of their members. If one of them communicates he will utilize a name known to us, as an indication of his category. If, for example, Plato is evoked it is possible that he responds to the appeal but if he cannot, a Spirit of the same class will respond in his name. This Spirit will be his thought but not his individuality. That is what one needs to understand well.
As a matter of fact the superior Spirits come to instruct us. Their absolute identity is secondary. What they say is good or bad, rational or illogical, worthy or undeserving of the signature, and that is the whole issue. In the first case it is accepted; in the second it is rejected as apocryphal.
Here enters a big obstacle with the meddling of frivolous and ignorant Spirits that decorate themselves with great names to have their foolishness and utopias accepted. In this case the distinction requires caution, observation and almost always special knowledge. In order to assess something one must have competency. How can someone that is not educated in literature and poetry appreciate the qualities and defects of communications of that kind? Ignorance in this case make take emphasis, flowery language and sound words that hide the emptiness of ideas by sublime beauties; it cannot identify the particular genius of the writer to assess what can or what cannot be from him. Consequently we frequently see mediums that are proud of receiving verses with the signature of Racine, Voltaire or Béranger having no difficulty in considering them authentic, however bad they may be. Happy are those that do not get upset with persons that allow themselves to question those productions.
We therefore consider perfectly fair the criticism that opposes similar things because such criticism is in agreement with our opinion. The error is not with Spiritism but with those that very easily accept what comes from the Spirits. If those that have transformed this into a weapon against the Doctrine had studied it before they would know what the Doctrine admits, not attributing to the Doctrine what it rejects nor the exaggerations of a blind and unthoughtful credulity. The mistake is even greater when they publish things with known names, unworthy of the origin that are attributed to them. That is the same as offering an unguarded flank to founded criticism, damaging Spiritism.
One must know that rational Spiritism absolutely does not sponsor such productions and does not bear responsibility for publications carried out with more enthusiasm than caution.
Do the uncertainty about the identity of the Spirits, in certain cases, and the frequency of meddling of frivolous Spirits prove anything against the reality of the manifestations? Not at all because the fact of the manifestations is as well proven by inferior Spirits as it is by the superior ones. The abundance of the former demonstrates the moral inferiority of our planet and the need to work for our betterment, leaving it behind as soon as possible.
There still remains the main question: Why don’t the Spirits of geniuses produce masterpieces in mediumistic way?
Before anything else we must see the utility of things. What good would that do? People will say that it would convince the incredulous. But when we see them resisting to the most tangible evidence, a masterpiece would not be better to convince them about the existence of the Spirits because they would attribute it to the super excitation of the brain. A familiar Spirit, a father, a mother, a son, a friend that comes to reveal unknown circumstances to the medium, that comes to say words that touch the heart say much more than a masterpiece that could have come from one’s own brain. Doesn’t a crying father, that attests the presence and love of a missing son, become more convinced than if Homer had come to bring a new Iliad or Racine a new Phaedra? Why then requesting prodigies of power from them that would be more astonishing than convincing, when they reveal themselves by thousands of private signs to everybody?
The Spirits seek to convince the crowds and not this or that individual because the opinion of the masses makes law whereas the individuals are lost units in the multitude. That is why they give little importance to the stubborn ones that want to take it by force. They know well that sooner or later they will have to bow before the force of public opinion. The Spirits yield to the caprices of no one. They employ the means of their choice to be convincing, according to the individuals and circumstances. Too bad for those that are not happy with that; their time will come later. That is also why we tell the followers: Be with the people of good faith because you will not fail, but do not waste your time with the blind ones that do not wish to see and the deaf that do not wish to hear. Is that a lack of charity? No, because this is just a delay to them. While wasting your time with them you miss the opportunity of giving consolation to many others in need and that would gladly accept the bread of life that you offer. In addition consider that the refractory ones, that resist to your words and the proofs that you give them, will one day give in to the ascendant of public opinion that will form around them. Their self-love will suffer less with that.
The theme of the masterpieces is connected to the principle that governs the relationships between incarnate and discarnate. Its solution depends on the knowledge of that principle. Below the answers given about it at the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies.
January 6th, 1865 – medium Sr. d’Ambel
“There are mediums that, thanks to their previous acquisitions and by their particular studies carried out in the present existence, became more capable or if not more useful than the others. The moral issue plays no role here; it is a simple question of intellectual capacity. But one must not ignore the fact that there aren’t many of these mediums and that if they receive messages of an elevated order it must be beneficial to them only. More than one masterpiece of art and literature is the product of an unconscious mediumship. Without that where would the inspiration come from? You dare say that the communications received by Delphine de Girardin, Auguste Vaquerie and others were up to what one would expect from the Spirits that communicated with them. On those occasions, unfortunately very rare in Spiritism, the souls that wanted to communicate had good, excellent instruments in their hands, or even better, mediums whose intellectual capacity provided all the elements of words and thoughts needed to the manifestation of the inspiring Spirits. Now, in the majority of the cases when the Spirits communicate, the great Spirits I mean, they are far from having at hand the elements necessary to the emission of their thoughts in the same way as they would have done when alive. Is that a reason for not receiving their instructions? Certainly not because if the form is sometimes lacking the substance is always worthy of the signee of the communications. Besides, these are disputes of words. Does the communication exist or not? That is all. If it does exist never mind the Spirit and the name that is taken! If they do not exist it is even less important to worry about that. The Spirits work to convince; when they don’t, it is an unimportant inconvenience; it only happens because the incarnate is not yet prepared to be convinced. Nonetheless, I feel at ease here to affirm that among one hundred of individuals of good faith that experience it themselves or through mediums that are strange to them, more than two thirds become sincere followers of the Spiritist Doctrine, because in these exceptional times the action of the Spirits is not circumscribed to the action of the medium only but it also manifests through a thousand material or spiritual facets upon the one that evokes himself. In short, nothing is absolute and there will be a more fecund, more productive time that the preceding hour. These are in two words my answer to the question raised by your president.”
Erastus
January 20th, 1865 – medium Ms. M.C.
You question is why have the Spirits excelled on Earth by their genius but do not give the mediums communications at the same level as their earthly productions, when in reality they should give superior ones considering the time span since their deaths their knowledge should have grown. Here is the reason:
To make themselves heard the Spirits must act upon the instruments that are at the level of their fluidic resonance. What can a good musician do with a broken instrument? Nothing. Well? Many, if not the majority, of the mediums are imperfect instruments to us. You need to understand that everything requires similarity, be it with the spiritual fluids be it with the material ones. In order for the superior Spirits to communicate with you they require mediums capable of vibrating with them in synchronization; in the same way with the physical manifestations, it is necessary that the incarnate have the same type of material fluids as the Spirits in erraticity that still have action upon matter. Hence, Galileo cannot really manifest but through an Astronomer capable of understanding him and transmitting astronomical data without mistakes; Alfred de Musset and other poets will need a medium that loves and understand poetry; Beethoven and Mozart will seek musicians worthy of transcribing their musical thoughts; the instructor Spirits that unveil to you the secrets of nature, secrets that a little known or still ignored, need mediums that have already understood the magnetic effect and that have studied mediumship well.
You must understand, my friends, that you don’t order an outfit from a hat maker nor your hair style to a tailor. You need to understand that we need good interpreters and that some of us, for not finding such interpreters, deny communication. But the place is then taken. Do not forget that frivolous Spirits are in large number and that they take advantage of your faculties with so much facility as so many among you, proud by receiving notable signatures, not much concerned with investigating the true source, confronting what is obtained with which should have be obtained. General rule: when you want a mathematician do not address a dancer.
A protector Spirit
Observation: This communication rests on a true principle that perfectly addresses the issue from a scientific point of view but that could not be taken in a more absolute sense. At first sight the principle seems to contradict the so many examples of mediums that deal with subjects beyond their knowledge, apparently implying that the superior Spirits could only communicate with mediums at their level.
Well, this can only apply to special matters and of a high importance. It is conceivable that if Galileo wants to treat a scientific issue; if a great poet wants to dictate a poetic work they have the need of an instrument that responds to their thoughts but that does not mean that to handle other subjects, a simple moral issue for example, a good advice to be given, they won’t need a medium that is a scientist or a poet. When a medium easily handles matters of superior importance that are alien to them it is an indication that the Spirit of the medium has an innate development and latent faculties, beyond the education that was received.
