Why spirits are not afraid of death

10. The Spiritist Doctrine changes entirely our views of the future. The life to come is no longer a hypothesis, but a fact. The state of the soul after death is no longer a matter of theory, but a result of observation. The veil is lifted, and the spirit-world appears to us in all its activity and reality. It is not men who have discovered that world, through some ingenious conception of their imagination; it is the inhabitants of that world who come in person to describe to us the state of being in which they find themselves! We see them at every degree of spirit-life, in every phase of happiness or of unhappiness. We contemplate all the incidents of the life beyond the grave. It is this knowledge of the nature and details of life in the spirit-world that enables Spiritists to see death with calmness and gives serenity to his last moments upon the Earth. What sustains him is not a mere hope, but a certainty; he knows that the future life is only a continuation of his present life, but under more favorable conditions. And he looks forward to it with as much confidence as that with which he looks forward to a new sunrise after a dark and stormy night. This confidence of Spiritist is a result of the facts that he has witnessed, and of the accordance of those facts with reason, with the justice and goodness of God, and with the deepest inspirations of the human mind.

For Spiritists the soul is not an abstraction for they know that it possesses an ethereal body which makes of it a real and definite being, susceptible of being conceived of as such by our thought. This knowledge suffices to correct our ideas in regard to its individuality, aptitudes and perceptions. Our remembrance of those who are dear to us repose, henceforth, on something real. We no longer represent them to ourselves as so many flickering flames offering nothing of their former personality to our thought. On the contrary, we see them under a concrete form which shows them to belong to the category of living beings. Moreover instead of regarding them as being lost to view, as formerly, in the depths of space, a Spiritist knows that they are beside us and around us; for he has learned that the corporeal world and the spiritual world are in close and perpetual connection. Doubt in relation to the future life being no longer possible to him, he has no longer any reason to be afraid of death. He beholds its approach with perfect equanimity; for he knows that the dissolution of his fleshly body will be for him a deliverance, the opening of a door through which he will pass, not into the yawning abyss of annihilation, but into a higher and happier state of existence.

Heaven Hell - Chapter II - Fear of Death - Why spirits are not afraid of death

Regeneration worlds

Regeneration worlds

16. Among the many scintillating stars in the blue canopy of the sky, how many worlds there are like yours, destined by God to serve for atonement and probation! But although there are some that are more miserable, there are also others that are happier, like those of transition which can be called worlds of regeneration. Each planetary vortex, moving in space round a common centre, drags with it its own primitive worlds of exile, probation, regeneration and happiness. We have spoken to you of worlds where newly-born Spirits are placed, when they are still ignorant of both good and evil, but where they have the possibility of travelling towards God, being in possession of themselves through free-will. We have also revealed to you the fact that ample faculties are given to each soul to enable it to practise good. But alas, there are those who succumb! So God, Who does not desire their annihilation, permits that they go to these worlds where from one incarnation to another they are purified and regenerated, returning worthy of the glory for which they were destined. 

The Gospel According to Spiritism - Chapter III -  In my father's house are many Mansions - Regeneration worlds

The Lesson of the Seed

Because his listeners were perplexed, Jesus spoke convincingly: “It really is very difficult to overcome the troubling cares of human life. Everywhere we look, we see war, misunderstanding, injustice and suffering. In the Temple – the Lord’s House – we see the rich

displaying pride and vanity, and the poor, hatred and rebelliousness; it is not always possible to have as pure and clean of a heart as might be desired, because we are surrounded by thorns, mire and serpents. However, the idea of the Divine Kingdom is just like a tiny grain of

wheat: it is nearly imperceptible when it is sown in the ground, and it has to bear detritus and the weight of the soil; nonetheless, if it does

sprout, neither the pressure nor impurities of the soil can stop its progress. It passes up through the dark ground, and although it takes

most of its nutrients from it, its drive to seek the light above holds sway. From then on, come rain or shine, day or night, it labors tirelessly to grow, and in its eagerness, it multiplies for the good of all. Disciples who have felt this inner drive – as happens to the grain of wheat – know that long roots hold them to earthly inhibitions … They know that malice and suspicion shadow their footsteps, that pain is a constant threat; even so, they feel, more than anything else, the drive to grow spiritually and they can no longer be held back. On behalf of the general good, they continue to act within the sphere in which they are making their pilgrimage. They no longer encounter irresistible temptations amongst the flowers along the way. The reencounter with the Divinity – whose heir they recognize themselves to be – is their unwavering goal, and they can no longer rest, as if a consuming and flaming light were tormenting their soul. Without even realizing it,

they produce the fruits of hope, goodness, love and salvation, because they never look back to count the blessings of which they were the faithful instruments. Seeing the Father is the overriding concern vibrating in the souls of these longing children.”

The Master didn’t say anything for a few moments and then concluded: 

“As a result, even though disciples’ feet remain stuck in the mire of the earth, their untiring work for the good – wherever they may be – is the unmistakable mark of their spiritual growth. We can recognize trees by their fruit and we can identify heaven’s workers by the services they render.”

At this point, Peter interrupted and asked:

“Lord, what, then, would you say about those who understand the sacred principles of charity but do not put them into practice?”

Jesus looked pleased and explained:

“These, Simon, are seeds that lie dormant in spite of having been sown in the bountiful bosom of the earth. They contain the precious

qualities of heaven, but they remain useless for a long time. Nevertheless, we may be absolutely certain that downpours and tempests will pass over them and will change their position in the soil, and that they will sprout victorious some day. In our Father’s fields there are millions of such souls awaiting the renewing storms of life so that they may head toward the glory of the future. Let us help them with love, and in our turn, let us press on with our eyes fixed ahead!”

Then, while everyone was silent, Jesus blessed the little family group and left.

From The book "Jesus In The Home". Psychographed by Francisco Cândido Xavier. By The spirit Neio Lucio

The reality of Jesus

The reality of Jesus

4. We can all recognise that the Kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. But could He not also have a kingdom an Earth? The title of 'King' does not always imply temporary authority. We

give this title by unanimous consent to anyone who, by their own talent, rises to the highest level of whatever idea, who dominates his time or influences human progress. In this way we frequently use the expression the 'king' or 'prince' for philosophers, artists, poets, writers, etc. Does not this kind of royalty, coming from personal merit or having been consecrated by posterity, reveal in many cases a supremacy far greater than that which circles a royal crown? The first is imperishable, whereas the second is but a toy of the vicissitudes. The generations which fallow the first always bless themselves, whereas sometimes those who follow the second have cause to curse. The earthly one

extinguishes with life; but the sovereignty of morality continues and maintains its reign, ruling above all after death. From this aspect then, is not Jesus a mightier and more powerful King than all he sovereigns of the Earth? It was with goad reason then that He said to Pilate: "I am a King, but my Kingdom is not of this world."

The Gospel According to Spiritism - Chapter II -  My Kingdom is not of This World - The reality of Jesus

Evangelical treatments

André Luiz

Always help.

Do not fear.

Never despair.

Learn incessantly.

Think profoundly.

Meditate more.

Speak little.

Correct lovingly.

Work happily.

Direct sensibly.

Obey contentedly.

Do no complain.

Go forward.

Observe what is beyond.

Look well ahead.

Discuss serenely.

Shed light.

Sow peace.

Spread blessings.

Struggle and elevate.

Be joyful.

Live fearlessly.

Demonstrate courage.

Reveal calmness.

Respect everything.

Pray confidently.

Be watchful with benevolence.

Go forth, progressing.

Serve today.

Await tomorrow.

Habituate yourself to serenity and strength in the circles of human

struggle. Without these conquests it will be difficult for you to free

yourself from the succession of inferior reincarnations.

Extract from the book Christian Agenda. Dictated by the spirit André Luiz. Medium Fransisco Cândido Xavier

How a British woman found her faith back from being an atheist in Brazil

A story worth to watch: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1439720870605810

Divaldo Pereira Franco's Death

 

The medium and spiritualist speaker Divaldo Pereira Franco passed away at 9:45 p.m. on May 13, at the age of 98, in Salvador, Bahia. Divaldo dedicated his entire life to spreading spiritualism, alongside his counterpart Chico Xavier. 

A statement issued by Mansão do Caminho, an institution created by Divaldo, reads as follows: 

"The medium, spiritualist speaker and ambassador of peace in the world Divaldo Pereira Franco returned to the Spiritual Homeland today at 9:45 p.m. at the age of 98. Divaldo dedicated his life to the Spiritist Cause and to loving his fellow man in Salvador and around the world." 

The wake will be held at the Ginásio da Mansão do Caminho, on Thursday, at 10 am, in Salvador, and from 9 am to 8 pm, at the Bosque da Paz cemetery. 

By Marcio Varela

Yearning and Prayer

Lord! ...

I know You have bestowed to us all

A post or a mission.

You do not promote anything purposelessly,

You do nothing in vain.

To the star You granted

The blessing of supporting itself

And shining without a veil,

Just like it happens to the Sun that leads us

Through the pathways of Heaven.

You assigned it to the Earth

The compose and recompose function

In the way the work concedes us

The science of love.

You put at the sea the immense endowment

Of manifesting your power

And in the fountain, the privilege of teaching us

The humility as norm and the forgiveness as duty.

You have commissioned the friendly trees,

In which the lesson of good is expressed and

condensed,

For the task of keeping your life

And assisting without reward.

You donated the flower the gift of scenting And You put on the road the gift of driving

To the birds, You conceded the music,

To the wind, the sweet ministry of serving.

Everything filters your sovereign glory,

Everything exalts your law,

For this reason, I myself recognize

That I am almost nothing, and almost nothing do I

know.

But if I may ask you something,

Please convert, Lord, my very imperfection

Into a tiny channel that shows You

The strength of goodness and the light of

compassion.

MARIA DOLORES

(Source Marked Hands - Francisco Cândido Xavier - Diverse spirits)

Pope Francis dies after suffering an irreversible stroke

The Holy See announced this morning that Pope Francis has died after suffering an irreversible stroke.

This was one of the causes of Pope Francis' death, which occurred at 7:35 am this morning, the 21st, in his apartment in the Casa Santa Marta, in Vatican City.

By Márcio Varela

On April 18, 1857, The Spirits' Book was released in France

The Spirits' Book French version

Published on April 18, 1857, The Spirits' Book begins the set of five publications codified by Allan Kardec. Considered the Comforter Promised by Jesus Christ, Spiritism presents a new path and the belief that life continues after death.

Structured in four parts — First Causes; Spiritual or Spirit World; Moral Laws; and Hopes and Consolations —, the work contains 1,019 questions formulated by the Codifier, addressing the Spiritist teachings in a logical and rational way, from the scientific, philosophical and religious aspects. It thus brings together the teachings of the Superior Spirits through mediums from various parts of the World.

"The true Spiritist Doctrine is found in the teachings given by the Spirits, and the knowledge that this teaching entails is too profound and extensive to be acquired in any way other than through persevering study, done in silence and seclusion. Because only in this condition can one observe an infinite number of facts and particularities that go unnoticed by the superficial observer, and form an opinion." — Allan Kardec The first edition of 1857 contained only 501 questions. After the second edition revised by Allan Kardec and published in 1860, 518 questions were added, totaling the current 1,019. The 12th edition of the original in French from 1864 is considered the definitive one.

The Biblical Account of the Creation - The Spirit's Book

59. The different nations of the earth have formed to them-selves widely divergent ideas of the creation; ideas always in harmony with their degree of scientific advancement. Reason and science concur in admitting the fantastic character of certain theories. The explanation of the subject now given through  spirit communication is confirmatory of the opinion which has long been adopted by the most enlightened exponents of modern science. 

This explanation will no doubt be objected to, on the ground that it is in contradiction with the statements of the Bible; but a careful examination of those statements shows us that this contradiction is more apparent than real, and that it results from the interpretation which has been given to expressions whose meaning is allegorical rather than historical.

The question of the personality of Adam, regarded as the first man, and sole progenitor of the human race, is not the only one in regard to which the religious convictions of the world have necessarily undergone modification. The hypothesis of the rotation of the earth round the sun appeared, at one time, to be in such utter opposition to the letter of the Bible, that every species of persecution was directed against it, and against those who advocated it. Yet the  earth continued to move on in its orbit in defiance of anathemas; and no one, at the present day, could contest the fact of its movement without doing violence to his own powers of reasoning.

The Bible also tells us that the world was created in six days, and fixes the epoch of this creation at about 4000 years before the Christian era. Previously to that period the earth did riot exist. At that period it was produced out of nothing. Such is the formal declaration of the sacred text, yet science, positive, inexorable steps in with proof to the contrary. The history of by the formation of the globe is written in indestructible characters in the worlds of fossils, proving beyond the possibility of denial that the six lays of the creation arc successive periods, each of which may have been of millions of ages. This is not a mere matter of statement or of opinion. It is a fact as incontestably certain as is the motion of the earth, and one that theology itself can no longer refuse to admit, although this admission furnishes another example of the errors into which we are led by attributing literal truth to language which is often of a figurative nature. Are we therefore to conclude that the Bible is a mere tissue of errors ? No; but we must admit that men have erred in their method of interpreting it.

Geology, in its study of the archives written in the structure of the globe itself, has ascertained

the order of succession in which the different species of living beings have appeared on its

surface, and this order is found to be in accordance with the sequence indicated in the book of

Genesis, with this difference, viz., that the earth, instead of issuing miraculously from the

hand of God in the course of a few days, accomplished its formation under the impulsion of

the Divine will, but according to the laws and through the action of the forces of nature, in the

course of periods incalculable by us. Does God appear less great and less powerful for having

accomplished the work of creation through the action of forces, and according to laws, of His

own ordaining? And is the result of the creative energy less sublime for not having been

accomplished instantaneously? Evidently not; and puerile indeed must he the mind that does

not recognise the grandeur of the Almighty Power implied in this evolution of the worlds of

the universe through the action of eternal laws. Science, so far from diminishing the glory of

the Divine action, displays that action under an aspect still more sublime, and more consonant

with our intuitive sense of the power and majesty of God, by showing that it has been

accomplished without derogation from the. laws which are the expression of the Divine will

in the realm of nature.

Modern science, in accordance with the Mosaic record, proves that man was the last in the

order of creation of living beings. But Moses puts the universal deluge at the year of the

world 1654, while geology seems to show that the great diluvian cataclysm occurred before

the appearance of man, because, up to the present time, the primitive strata contain no traces

of his presence, nor of that of the animals contemporaneous with him. But this point is far

from being decided. Various recent discoveries suggest the possibility of our being destined

to ascertain that the antiquity of the human race is much greater than has been hitherto

supposed; and should this greater antiquity become a matter of certainty, it would prove that

the letter of the Bible, in regard to the date assigned by it to the creation of man, as in regard

to so many other matters, can only be understood in an allegorical sense. That the geological

deluge is not that of Noah is evident from the lapse of time required for the formation of the

fossiliferous strata; and, if traces should eventually be discovered of the existence of the

human race before the geological deluge, it would be evident either that Adam was not the

first man, or that his creation dates back.

From The Spirit's Book - Chapter III - Creation - The Biblical Account of the Creation - Ed Federação Espírita Brasileira FEB

Problem Solving

Therefore, if you desire the assistance of Spiritual Friends in solving your organic problems or the health and balance problems of your companions, place your container of crystal clear water at the front of your prayers, wait and trust.

The dew of the Divine Plan will magnetize the liquid with rays of love, in the form of a blessing, and you will then be consecrating the sublime teaching of the glass of pure water, blessed in Heaven.

(By the Spirit Emmanuel, medium Francisco Cândido Xavier)

Translated by Márcio

Birth of Francisco Cândido Xavier - Chico Xavier

Francisco Cândido Xavier (April 2, 1910, Pedro Leopoldo-MG, June 30, 2002, Uberaba-MG), or Chico Xavier, is known as one of the exponents of the Spiritist Doctrine, having developed several charitable works with an exemplary exercise of mediumship. An example of love and selflessness.

During his childhood in Pedro Leopoldo (MG), Chico Xavier went through different trials, but also great teachings that accompanied him throughout his life, such as patience, resilience and humility. In 1927, he founded the Luiz Gonzaga Spiritist Center in the city, together with other people. In 1932, at the age of 21, he delivered to the FEB his first work as a psychographer, the work Parnaso de além-túmulo.

Of the four jobs he held in 32 years, he also worked at the Model School of the Ministry of Agriculture, in Pedro Leopoldo, until 1959, when he moved to Uberaba. Chico always supported himself with his modest salary, not burdening anyone. He retired as a typist working for the Ministry of Agriculture.

In his 92 years of life, he inspired the creation of several support homes, daycare centers and schools throughout the country. His legacy includes letters and messages of love and charity, which made him one of the most representative figures of the Brazilian people.

With a kind personality, he dedicated himself to helping those most in need. His work to benefit others allowed the medium to be nominated, by more than 10 million people, for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1981. In 2012, Chico was elected “The greatest Brazilian of all time”, in an event held by SBT.

He wrote more than 400 works, which resulted in a collection of different genres of literature, such as poems and poetry, short stories and chronicles, novels, and works of a scientific, philosophical and religious nature.

The Death of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail - Allan Kardec

Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail (October 3, 1804, Lyon-FR, March 31, 1869, Paris-FR) was a French educator and researcher. Under the pseudonym Allan Kardec, he was the codifier of Spiritism.

Educated at the Pestalozzi School in Yverdun (Switzerland), he became one of the most eminent disciples of the teaching method. Later, he became a member of the European learned society of the time. From 1835 to 1840, he founded, in his home on Rue de Sèvres, free courses in Chemistry, Physics, Comparative Anatomy, Astronomy, among others, at a time when few had the opportunity to receive this level of education.

It was in 1855 that Allan Kardec began to experience spirits and adopted his pseudonym, which originated in previous incarnations. He carried out the missionary task of codifying, that is, presenting in methodically, didactically and logically organized, commented and explained books, the postulates of the Spiritist Doctrine.

On April 1, 1858, he founded in Paris the first regularly constituted Spiritist Society, under the name of the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies, whose exclusive purpose was the study and contribution to the progress of the new science.

His main works on this subject are: The Spirits' Book (1857), concerning the philosophical part; The Mediums' Book (1861), concerning the experimental and scientific part; The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864), concerning the moral part; Heaven and Hell (1865), the justice of God according to Spiritism; The Genesis, the Miracles and the Predictions (1868); The Spiritist Magazine, a journal of psychological studies, a monthly periodical that began on January 1, 1858, among others.

International Study: Consulting the Things of the Spirits

(Credits: Marleen de Witte)

Today, I bring to our dear readers an international article entitled "Consulting the Things of the Spirits: Evidencing the Invisible Presence in Missionary Collections", which talks about how an entry point to unravel ancient artifacts from Africa in missionary collections.

As part of an international work to unravel the composition of ancient collections of African spiritual artifacts in missionary collections by the Pressing Matter and the Legba Dzoka Project, Marleen de Witte and Birgit Meyer wrote an article entitled “Consulting the Things of the Spirits: Evidencing the Invisible Presence in Missionary Collections”, which was recently published in the journal Museum Anthropology, on March 6th.

An original abstract of the article in question:

Contributing to ongoing efforts to address the colonial legacies of museums, this article takes the question of evidence as an entry point to unravel the multilayered composition of African spiritual artifacts in missionary collections. Focusing on Dutch and German missionary collections of legbawo and dzokawo from the Ewe region of Ghana and Togo, we analyze how such artifacts were subjected to “evidentiary practices” by multiple parties over a period of 120 years. These collections enshrine coexisting and conflicting forms of evidence: multiple possibilities of knowing (about) the items, their trajectories, and their relationships with humans and nonhuman beings. In addition to analyzing the missionary and museum structures imposed on these artifacts, we investigate contemporary Ewe religious practitioners’ ritual technologies of knowing about the presence, identities, and desires of spirits as alternative modes of evidencing invisible presences. We argue that the pluralization of evidence offers opportunities for decolonial critique and for rethinking established museum and research structures.

The article in English can be read here.

Written by Márcio

Plurality of Worlds

55. Are all the globes that revolve in space inhabited?

"Yes; and the people of the earth are far from being, as you suppose, the first in intelligence, goodness, and general development. There are many men having a high opinion of themselves who even imagine that your little globe alone, of all the countless myriads of globes around you, has the privilege of being inhabited by reasoning beings. They fancy that God has created the universe only for them. Insensate vanity!"

God has peopled the globes of the universe with living beings, all of whom concur in working out the aims of His providence. To believe that the presence of living beings Is confined to the one point of the universe inhabited by us is to cast a doubt on the wisdom of God, who has made nothing in vain, and who must therefore have assigned to all the other globes of the universe a destination more important than that of gratifying our eyes with the spectacle of a starry night. Moreover, there Is nothing in the position. size, or physical constitution of the earth to warrant the supposition that It alone, of the countless myriads of globes disseminated throughout the infinity of apace. has the privilege of being inhabited.

56. Is the physical constitution of all globes the same?

"No; they do not at all resemble one another."

57. The physical constitution of the various worlds not being the same for all does it follow

that the beings who inhabit them have different organisations?

"Undoubtedly it does; just as, in your world, fishes are organised for living in the water, and

birds for living in the air."

58. Are the planets furthest removed from the sun stinted in light and heat, the sun only

appearing to them of the size of one of the fixed stars?

"Do you suppose that there are no other sources of light and heat than the sun? And do you count for nothing the action of electricity which, in certain worlds, plays a very much more important part than in your earth? Besides, how do you know that the beings of those worlds see in the same manner as you do, and with the aid of organs such as yours?"

The conditions of existence for the beings who Inhabit the various worlds must be supposed to be appropriate to the sphere in which they are destined to live. If we had never seen fishes, we should be at a loss to understand how any living beings could exist In the sea. So in regard to all the other worlds, which doutless contain elements that are unknown to us. In our own earth, are not the long polar nights illumined by the electrical displays of the aurora borealis? Is It impossible that. In certain worlds, electricity may be more abundant than in ours, and may subserve, in Its general economy, various important uses not imaginable by us? And may not those worlds contain in themselves the sources of the heat and light required by their inhabitants?

From The Spirit's Book - Chapter III - Creation - Plurality of Worlds - Ed Federação Espírita Brasileira FEB

The cure of obsession

You are an adult and a conscientious human being, responsible for your behavior. Control your ideas, reject the inferior and disturbing thoughts that influence your good tendencies and repel the negative ones. Take care of yourself.

God has granted you jurisdiction over yourself; it is you who possesses the control over yourself in the pathways of life. Do not act as a spoiled child. Learn how to control yourself at every instant and on every circumstance. Experiment with your powers and you will see that it is greater than you imagine.

The cure of obsession is a self-cure. No one can free you of the obsession if you do not want to get rid of it yourself. Start by ridding yourself now, by repeating to yourselves: “I am a normal person, endowed with the power and the duty to command myself. I know my duties and I can fulfill them. God supports me.”

Always repeat this when you feel that you are disturbed. Repeat and practice what you said. Make the decision to behave as a normal person who you truly are, confident in God and in the power of the natural forces that are in your body and your spirit waiting for your command. Be the guide of your life.

Reformulate the concept that you have of yourself. You are not a poor abandoned soul in the world. Even the worms are protected by natural laws. Why would you not have protection? Eliminate from your mind the idea of sin and punishment. What they call sin is the error, and errors can and must be corrected.

Correct yourself. Establish the control over your own self, little by little, patiently and confidently.

You do not depend on others; you depend on your own mind. Keep an open mind, by opening wide the windows to the world, breathe with certainty and walk with firmness. Think about the blind people, the mutes and the deaf, the crippled and disabled who often improve their condition by trusting in themselves. Develop

your faith. Faith is confidence. The Divine Faith exists, which is the confidence in God and in His Power that controls the Universe. Can you rationally doubt this? There is the human faith that is the confidence of the person in himself. Do you not trust your intelligence, your common-sense, and your capacity to act? Do you believe you are an incapable person, thus being carried away by diminishing ideas

regarding your own self? Change this way of thinking, because it is incorrect.

When you come to the disobsession meetings, come with confidence. Those who wait for you are willing to assist you. Be grateful to those who are interested in you, and help them with your good will. If you follow this advice, your

obsession is already in process of being eliminated. Do not be afraid, be courageous.

From The book "Obsession" by Jose Herculano Pires - Translated by Jussara Korngold & Marie Levinson

Freud and Kardec

Obsession - What is obsession? - Guidance for the treatment of cases of obsession

Many psychologists and psychiatrists accuse Spiritism of invading their scientific domains in cases of mental and psychic disturbances. Unfamiliar with the Spiritist Doctrine and its history, they do not know that exactly the opposite has occurred. They claim that obsession is a disturbance resulting from endogenous imbalances, that is, from the patient's own psycho-mental structures in relation to environmental factors. They attribute almost everything to the patient's constitution, to organic and particularly cerebral or emotional dysfunctions. The unconscious is generally the seat of all psychic disturbances. They understand that Spiritists confuse the imaginary ghosts generated by the patient's pathological manifestations with real ghosts from the oldest magical and religious superstitions of Humanity. They believe that Spiritism represents a process of returning to the world of superstition.

Freud was only one year old when Kardec raised the problem of the unconscious in scientific terms, in his research on spiritual phenomena, today scientifically called paranormal phenomena. Kardec went deeper than Freud on the subject, reaching the problem of individual and collective archetypes, which only Adler and Jung would later research. In researching the problem of animism in mediumistic manifestations and psychic infiltrations in real manifestations, Kardec duly emphasized the importance of manifestations of the unconscious in individual and collective behavior. Freud approached the question of dreams within the limits of his doctrine. For no less than twelve years, Kardec had already carried out intensive research in experimental psychology (an absolute pioneer in this field) at the Parisian Society for Spiritist Studies. Today, parapsychological research, carried out in the largest university centers around the world, fully proves Kardec's accuracy. We provide this historical information solely so that victims of obsessions and their families do not allow themselves to be misled into fatal mistakes in difficult cases of obsession. Spiritist Science does not oppose Material Sciences in any field, but only tries to help them with the necessary complementation of their own research and achievements. It is easy to verify the truth of this information by simply consulting Kardec's works, including the reports on obsessions and disobsessions in his works published in the collection of the Spiritist Magazine, now entirely translated and published in our language. 

(From the book: Obsession: the Pass – the Doctrine - Chapter I - Obsession What is obsession? - Guidance for the treatment of cases of obsession.)

The 17 lines of spiritist conduct

 The 17 lines of spiritist conduct

I - Being calm and moderate

II - Help the next one with all the strength

III - Use but not abuse, material goods

IV - Do not judge the similar, for only God knows the secret furniture that makes him so act.

V - To not impose on anyone their way of understanding life and respecting that of others. He does his own experience.

VI - Clarify the next and be indulgent.

VII - To remember that a man's life does not belong to him. Be discreet.

VIII - Recall that a bad thought is a force that hurts or heals.

IX - Don't forget a bad thought turns against you projecting it.

X - Not to think about evil, because who is really good should not fear, and if not, seek to improve.

XI - Trust, during doom, in Divine providence, who wants your spiritual advance.

XII - Repay tranquilo when your work was a meritory.

XIII - To remember that suffering is to make you better understand the unhappiness of others.

XIV - Do not reject the ordeal, saying, "My God, give me the strength to bear it," for with sincerity, she will not prevail.

XV - Being humble and compassionate.

XVI - Pray.

XVII - Help yourself, because the High will help you.

(Extracted from The Portuguese "Livro do Medium Curador - By José Lhomme)

Reviewed and translated by Márcio Varela

Difficult relatives

We ought to accept difficult relatives based on generosity and understanding, in the certainty that God's Laws do not bind us to one another without a just cause.

The relative that causes us difficulties is always a test to examine our spiritual evolution.

Often, the complicated individual who joins our family brings the marks of suffering or deficiencies we imposed on them in past reincarnations.

Don't demand behavior like yours from family members different from you, for each of us is characterized by advantages or losses accumulated in our souls.

Don't try to get rid of difficult relatives by requiring unnecessary hospitalizations in nursing homes at the cost of money.

The real disconnection will come in the processes of nature when you have settled your debts with the Greater Life.

In the trials and conflicts of our earthly home, we are frequently paying through the installment system for debts incurred wholesale.

(By the medium Francisco C. Xavier, spirit Andre Luiz)

Frederick von Stein - Doctors of Space

In the cover image, the German medical spirit Frederick von Stein

Just as in the early days of the work at Lar de Frei Luiz, when beings from various backgrounds were embodied by mediums, passing on messages in favor of charity, love and fraternal help, the materialization meetings for healing began to have collaborators from different astral spheres. To operate or even support the activities with different teachings, in order to strengthen the harmony of the environment, entities materialize who present themselves as Catholic friars and priests, old blacks, Indians, Buddhists, Hindus and Arabs – such as Pradahana Ahmed, who was photographed on February 8, 1969 (see photo book). The master of pacifism, the Indian Mahatma Gandhi, has already been seen by some participants in these sessions, as well as Francis of Assisi.

However, amidst these experiences that demonstrate the ecumenical spirit of the Home founded by Frei Luiz and Luiz da Rocha Lima, an extraphysical being has been standing out in the work since 1970: Frederick von Stein. However, until he decided to collaborate, helping many people to cure various illnesses, some very serious, either through the medium Gilberto or through materialized operation, this German who had passed away during the Second World War went through a slow and difficult process of becoming aware.

Many, in a tone of ironic disbelief, trying to discredit countless healing works, ask why we hear about so many “spirits of Germans” working in Brazil. The story told by Frederick helps to shed light on this issue. With their culture, the birthplace of Nazism, some Germans served in life to strengthen the forces of evil, war, and destruction. Thus, it is only natural that, upon passing away and making their atonement for their guilt, they decided to work in Brazil and other places with serious social and economic deprivation. A task of learning and giving in favor of his ascension in astral spheres.

This is the case of Frederick von Stein.

The first manifestation of this spirit occurred on April 2, 1960, in a disobsession meeting with 13 participants, at Rocha Lima's house. Suddenly, a being speaking German took over the medium Alberto Benaion. Luckily, among those present was Antônio Prodon, who spoke German fluently and was able to understand this disturbed spirit who said he was called Frederick von Stein. Laughing out loud, without realizing that he was already dead, since he thought he was still living in his residence in Berlin, he boasted about his dissolute life, fueled by alcohol and relationships with several women, including virgins.

Frederick was an example of what happens to many who disincarnate abruptly and are extremely attached to earthly things. By projecting the unconscious desire to remain alive as matter, they end up creating a “real” scenario around them, spending a long time deluding themselves, as if they were still on Earth.

When he was indoctrinated so that he would understand his new reality as a disembodied being, Frederick reacted by shouting: “You have to know that you are talking to a noble German and not to some man of inferior race.”

In his second manifestation, a week later, he would talk about cruel bombings and battle fronts in the Second World War. He would then make the medium stand up and, in a military position, salute his beloved Hitler. As the guidance work continued, however, he would begin to moan and cry, complaining of a strong pain in his right shoulder, caused by a bleeding wound. In his third incorporation, on April 16, he would reveal that his parents and siblings had been killed in a bombing of Berlin by the Allies. Still stewing in hatred, he would arrogantly state: “The murderers will pay for the bestiality they committed.”

Finally, in his sixth manifestation, on May 28, his conversion would occur, when for the first time he would recognize that he had already disincarnated. Amidst advances and setbacks, in which he praised men like Hitler, Goebels and Goethe – “They are the gods of Germany, and each country has its own” –, he ended up falling into the reality that he had so feared and, in a strong fit of crying, sobbing, he said: “Oh! my God!... Forgive me; forgive me, oh! my Jesus!... Forgive me for my wickedness!...”

At that moment, he made the medium Benaion open his eyes and, astonished, looking around the room, he said in German: “I want to see!... I want to see!... That which I did not believe!... Thank God, it is true! I am a spirit and I am free!” Then, upon looking at a painting by Frei Luiz, he groaned, somewhat terrified. Feeling strong pain in his right leg, he made the medium limp, almost falling. Finally, he washed his head with water from a bowl and said firmly: “I want to leave here clean!”

Later, in June, he would return to the medium and, embarrassed because he could not yet speak the Brazilian language, he said: “I need to learn Portuguese so that I can narrate all the scenes I have observed and experienced in my spiritual life.” Then, addressing Rocha Lima, he added: “I will come to narrate many things and bring you many gifts, Luiz.”

The members of the group would only hear from Frederick again on December 7, 1967, when Friar Luiz, in a direct voice through the trumpet, warned that it would be necessary for the medium Gilberto to prepare himself, remaining calm, because “a brother” who had been “a great doctor” on Earth wanted to work in the spiritual world now, but was finding “some difficulty” in manifesting himself.

At that time, Gilberto, then 26 years old, felt strong pain in his right leg. Pain that had been with him for years, without him being able to identify the origin. “It was a pain I couldn’t bear. I had to get up, my leg hurt,” he recalls. After that meeting in December 1967, Rocha Lima himself would also begin to feel pain in the muscles and tendons of his right leg. Finally, in the materialization session on February 15, 1968, the entity that calls itself Father Zabeu would respond directly, through the trumpet, that the pain was caused by Frederick’s presence. Gilberto recalls that, in a meeting at Rocha Lima’s house, he received the spirit of the German doctor, who, already speaking in Portuguese, apologized for the pain in his leg. “Frederick said that his mission was with me, and that whenever I felt that pain, I would ask for forgiveness, but it was a spiritual identity to incorporate itself into me.” Then, a pain so intense that he fainted. “The pain was so bad that I even urinated. It was terrible. Then, I passed out.” This occurred due to the proximity of Frederick and Gilberto's electromagnetic fields, causing the medium to assimilate the pain that the German still felt, trapped in the energetic vibrations of his physical wound before he disincarnated.

It would take Frederick until October 17, 1970, to begin to effectively operate at Lar de Frei Luiz, whether incorporated in Gilberto or materialized, with basic help from the ectoplasm of this medium of physical effects. Always limping on his right leg, as Rocha Lima reports, he never used any scalpel or sharp instrument to perform his extraphysical surgeries. Using mental and ectoplasmic force, he basically operates through the process of atomic disintegration of tumors and other diseased parts of the patient.

Later, at the end of 1972, Frederick would begin to give more details about his death in his last incarnation on Earth, which would explain his problem with his right leg. A medical researcher and officer in the German army, he had killed many people. One night, after one of these macabre investigations, he was heading home with authorities from the Third Reich when his car was shot at by Allied aircraft. The jeep he was in overturned, and he was thrown into a swamp with his right leg mangled. Speaking directly through the trumpet, he explained his terrible end:

“I suffered, my brothers, for almost two days, thrown into a swamp! My medicine bag was far away, and I could not put an end to my suffering, because it contained injections of hemlock. With a small dose, I would end my life, disembodying. I suffered for three long days with my leg gangrenous from bullet wounds, in the swamp.

When he died, he would face a long and tortuous learning process. Attended by beings of light, he would end up being informed that he would have to help needy children to regenerate himself, performing spiritual surgeries at the Lar de Frei Luiz. In this way, according to his words, he would have the opportunity to go through a “true school of love and affection, so that he could learn techniques that I now apply in dematerializations and materializations, processes that you will only be able to understand when you come here!”

Revised and compiled by Márcio Varela

(Excerpt from the book in Portuguese "Os Médicos do Espaço: Luiz da Rocha Lima e o Lar de Frei Luiz / Ronie Lima. – 6th edition")

In Portuguese here

The Mediumistic Treatment

The mediumistic treatment does not follow only a single rule. It varies according to the nature of the case involved and the specific psychological

condition of the patient. It must always be conducted under medical orientation, but by a doctor who possesses adequate knowledge of the Spiritist Doctrine. Without this prior knowledge, many doctor-mediums had become involved in practices that the spiritist research had already demonstrated as being useless and therefore unnecessary, serving only to give the rational treatment a superstitious aspect. All mediumistic treatment must be gratuitous, according to Kardec’s orientation, because it ultimately depends on the spiritual assistance provided. Spirits do not charge for their services and they are not in favor of our charging in their behalf. Therefore, it must be carried out in doctrinal institutions, where

doctors work as spiritists who possess medical knowledge as well, excluding the professionalism. The spiritist service is of self-denial; it is the payment that mediums and doctors make to God, through the human suffering they have alleviated, and for the many blessings they receive daily. Those who do not

understand this, permitting themselves to be controlled by greed, will end up fatally overwhelmed and subjugated by the inferior spirits.

The purity of intentions on the part of the mediums and doctors is the only possible guarantee for the effectiveness of the mediumistic treatment. As was stated by Kardec, the lack of attachment to worldly interests is the first condition of interest the Superior Spirits have in our efforts on behalf of our fellow man.

From The book "Obsession" by Jose Herculano Pires -  Translated by Jussara Korngold & Marie Levinson

Chapter 9 - The Problem of Nutrition

Chapter 9 THE PROBLEM OF NUTRITION

Captivated by the sight of the magnificent gardens, I asked Lysias to rest with me for a while on a bench nearby, and he willingly greed. I was filled with a pleasant feeling of peace, watching the graceful sprays of colored

water rising in the air, forming intricate patterns.

“Whoever observes this immense colony of work,” I said thoughtfully, “is led to inquire about all sorts of possible problems. For instance, the problem of supply. There in no Ministry of Economy here, is there?” “That branch of ser ice,” answered Lysias, “used to assume much greater importance here. Then our Governor decided to reduce, as much as

possible, the number of practices which might remind us of purely physical phenomena. Therefore the activities of the Department of Supply were reduced to mere distribution, under the direct control of the Central

Administration. As a matter of fact, this was a very important decision. Our records show that a century ago the Colony underwent great trouble to adapt its inhabitants to the principle of simplicity. Many newcomers to the Astral

City, still imbued with earthly vices, insisted on the most extravagant accommodations, including sumptuous meals and stimulating drinks. Only the Ministry of Divine Union, owing to its inherent characteristics, shunned

such abuses; the others spent their time overburdened with problems of this dort. Our Governor, however, spared no efforts to put an end to the deplorable situation, introducing decisive measures against it the moment he assumed his administrative duties at the Astral City.

“Some of our older missionaries have told me about that time. They say that the Governor’s request two hundred instructors came to us from a very high sphere in order to propagate new theories about respiration and the

absorption of life-giving elements from the atmosphere. Numerous lectures were given on the subject. Many of our own experts were against those innovations on the grounds that, because the Colony serves as a transition

zone, it would be unjust and dangerous to submit newly-arrived spirits to such drastic changes. They believed that such changes could cause serious damage to our patients’ spirit-bodies. But the Governor did not give in.

“For thirty years the lectures, illustrative examples, and technical explanations proceeded without interruption. Various eminent spirits went so far as to formulate public protests against the Governor’s actions. They repeatedly crowded the Ministry of Assistance with patients who declared

themselves victims of the deficient new diet. During such crises, those who were against the change intensified their attack. Yet the Governor never resorted to punishment. Instead, he would summon his critics to the

Government House in a fatherly manner, expounding on the aims and benefits of the new program, emphasizing its superiority as an efficient means of spiritualization. For the most obstinate he would arrange instructive excursions to higher spheres, winning over a great number of them.

After a long pause, I said:

“Please go on, Lysias. How did that edifying struggle end?”

“After twenty one years of persevering efforts on the Governor’s part, the Ministry of Elevation gave in and cut its supplies to the strictly necessary. The Ministry of Elucidation, however, took a long time to follow this good example, owing to the greater number of statistics-minded spirits working there. They were the most obstinate adversaries, still entrenched in their earthly ideas that the ingestion of protein and carbohydrates is

indispensable to the human frame. They insisted on maintaining their ideas here, and every week they sent the Governor lengthy reports, full of warnings and observations, tests and numerical data, supporting their claims. Such impertinence even reached the point of arrogance, yet the Governor’s patience never failed.”

“Having decided not to act alone, he obtained the assistance of the highly evolved entities who guide us through the Ministry of Divine Union,

and together they examined every one of those documents thoroughly. While the scientists multiplied their arguments and the government stalled for time, dangerous disturbances were brewing in the Department of Regeneration, now known as the Ministry of Regeneration. Some of the less developed spirits there were caught up in the spirit of rebellion of those in the Ministry of Elucidation and acted simply deplorably. The atmosphere of unrest divided the Colony, exposing the Astral City to dangerous attacks from inhabitants of the lower zones. Such entities endeavored to invade our

city availing themselves of the breach of services of the Department of Regeneration, where many workers had been carrying on clandestine dealings in order to satisfy their undesirable addictions to food.

“The alarm was given, and though the crisis posed a serious threat to us all, the Governor maintained his usual serenity. He asked the Ministry of Divine Union for a meeting, and, after listening to our highest council, had

the Ministry of Communication temporarily closed. He ordered the dungeons of the Department of Regeneration prepared for the isolation of the more stubborn rebels. He admonished the Ministry of Education, whose

impertinence he had withstood for thirty years, and decreed that any further assistance whatsoever to the lower regions should be suspended until further notice. For the first time in his administration he had the electric weapons in the city walls turned on, so as to emit magnetic darts as a measure of defense. There were neither battles nor attacks on the Colony’s side only resolute defense. For over six months the diet of the Astral City was reduced

to the life-supporting principles in the atmosphere and the electrical, magnetic and solar elements in the water. Thus for the first time the Colony felt the indignation of a kind and just spirit."

The Crisis was fiver the government had won. The Ministry of Elucidation itself admitted its error and lent a hand in it is said that during

the festivities the Governor was moved to tears, declaring that the general, good understanding of his fellow citizens was the dearest reward to his heart. The Department of Regeneration was promoted to Ministry, and the city returned to its usual routine.

Since that time only the Ministries of Regeneration and Assistance are allowed greater supplies of nutritive substances, owing to the low spirituality of many of their patients. In all other Ministries the diet is limited to the essentials, according to the rules of the strictest sobriety. Nowadays everyone agrees that the Governor’s apparently arbitrary imposition was a most valuable measure towards our assent. Our contact with material things was reduced, giving rise to a greater spirituality.”

Lysias fell into silence, while I pondered deeply over the great lesson I’d just receive.

From the book The Astral City "Nosso Lar" - Chapter 9 - The Problem of Nutrition

Diversity of Human Races

52. What is the cause of the physical and moral differences that distinguish the various races

of men upon the earth?

"Climate, modes of life, and social habits. The same differences would be produced in the

case of two children of the same mother, if brought up far from one another, and surrounded by different influences and conditions; for the children thus diversely brought up would present no moral resemblance to each other."

53. Did the human race come into existence on various points of the globe?

"Yes, and at various epochs; and this is one of the causes of the diversity of human races. The

people of the primitive periods, being dispersed abroad in different climates, and forming

alliances with those of other countries than their own, gave rise perpetually to new types of

humanity."

- Do these differences constitute distinct species?

"Certainly not. All of them constitute but a single family. Do the differences between the

varieties of the same fruit prevent their all belonging to the same species."

54. If the human species do not all proceed from the same progenitor, should they, on that

account, cease to regard one another as brothers?

"All men are brothers in virtue of their common relation to the Creator, because they are

animated by the same spirit, and tend towards the same goal. The human mind is always

prone to attach too literal a meaning to statements which are necessarily imperfect and

incomplete."

From The Spirit's Book - Chapter III - Creation - Diversity of Human Races - Ed Federação Espírita Brasileira FEB

Explanations by the Master

In the middle of an uplifting conversation in the pleasant confines of Peter’s home in Capernaum, Sarah, the wife of Benjamin (who raised goats), had been listening to the Master’s remarks. With a look of fascination in light of the new revelations, she asked:

“The notion of the Kingdom of God in our lives is truly sublime; but how can I begin to experience it? We have listened to you

preaching on the lakeshore, and we know that the Good News recommends love and forgiveness above all else … I would love to be

faithful to such principles, but I feel stuck in the old rules. I can’t forgive those who have injured me, and since I can’t fathom a life in which we trade our advantages for the sake of others, I’m attached to my things and am jealous of everything I own.”

Sarah made her confession honestly in spite of the frustrated smile of someone who has met with almost insurmountable obstacles.

“In order to forgive,” remarked Peter, “goodwill is crucial.”

“With faith in our Heavenly Father,” offered Simon’s wife, “we can surmount the hardest obstacles.”

Everyone present had a look of longing expectation, wondering what the Lord would have to say. After a long silence, he asked:

“Sarah, what is the fundamental business of your family?”

“Raising goats,” she replied curiously.

“How do you keep their milk untainted and pure for home use?”

“Lord, more than anything else, we have to very carefully wash the container that is going to hold it. If there is any dirt in the jar, all the

milk will soon go sour and will be useless for the slightest purpose.”

Jesus smiled and explained:

“Thus is the heavenly revelation within the human heart. If we do not purify the container of the soul, our understanding, no matter how great it is, gets mixed in with our inner dirt and goes sour, reducing the proportion of the assets we would otherwise collect. In fact, Moses and the prophets were priceless bearers of divine messages, but the descendants of the Chosen People did not purify the living receptacle of their spirits enough in order to receive them. That is why our contemporaries are righteous and unrighteous, believing and disbelieving, good and evil at the same time. The pure milk of higher enlightenment enters their hearts as new nourishment, but there it gets mixed in with the rust of their old selfishness. Of the renewing work of the soul, only the vinegar of incomprehension remains, thereby delaying the effective work of the Kingdom of God.”

The small gathering in Peter’s home was truly impressed by this simple yet sublime lesson, and no one said a word. The Master, however, got up humbly and discreetly, stroked Sarah’s hair and concluded kindly:

“The dew on a white lily is a heavenly diamond, but in the dust of the road it becomes a muddy droplet. Remember this simple and clear

truth of nature.”

From The book "Jesus In The Home" psychographed by Francisco Cândido Xavier - By The spirit Neio Lucio

Chapter 8 - Administrative Organization

Chapter 8 - Administrative Organization

For the first time after some weeks under intense treatment I ventured out in Lysias’ company. The sight of the streets impressed me. The wide avenues, bordered with shady streets, which stretched out before us, were filled with pure air and an atmosphere of profound spiritual tranquility. Yet I saw no signs of inactivity or idleness anywhere. Instead, the city streets were crowded. I watched as the crowds passed by me. Some seemed absorbed in thought, while others smiled cordially as they passed. Lysias, seeing my surprise, quickly began to explain.

“We are now in the district of the Ministry of Assistance. Everything you see here, all of the buildings and houses, are either institutions where the activities of our jurisdiction are carried out or home for our working staff and

instructors. In the Ministry, patients are assisted, prayers are heard and sorted, earthly reincarnations planned and rescue groups promoted on behalf of those inhabiting the lower spirit zones or suffering on Earth. Here all problems related to human suffering are examined and solutions studied.” “So there is a Ministry of Assistance in the Astral City?” I asked.

“And why not? All of our activities here are controlled by an organization which is constantly improving under the efficient supervision of those watching over our destinies. During our collective prayers, didn’t you notice our Governor, surrounded by his seventy-two assistants? They are the Ministers of the Astral City. The colony, whose purpose is essentially work and accomplishment, is divided into six Ministries, each under the direction of twelve Ministers. The six Ministers are named: Regeneration, Assistance, Communication, Elucidation, Elevation, and Divine Union. The first four connect us with the Earth; the other two link us to the higher spheres. So you see our spiritual city is really a transition zone. The coarsest, most material activities are carried out by the Ministry of Regeneration. The most sublime is the Ministry of Divine Union. Clarence, our friendly instructor, is one of the Ministers of Assistance.”

I never imagined the possibility of finding such a complete organization after the death of the physical body.”

“Yes”, Lysias continued, “the evil of illusion is very dense in the spheres of the flesh. The average man is unaware that all manifestations of order around him proceed from higher planes. Just as Nature becomes a garden when tended by man, so the mind, dull in primitive creatures, is transformed into a creative force when inspired by consciousness functioning in higher spheres. Every useful organization on the material plane has its first roots in higher spiritual worlds.” “But those the Astral City have a history like the great cities of Earth?”

“Certainly. All of the planes near the Earth possess their own specific nature and unique history. The Astral City is an old settlement, founded by a group of distinguished Portuguese pioneers who, after passing on, settled in

the spirits planes over Brazil in the sixteenth century. According to the annals of our Colony, these settlers at first encountered tremendous and exhausting difficulties here. There are obstacles in the invisible zones close to

the Earth, just as there are on the Earth itself. Enormous areas with undeveloped potential here are comparable to the great tracts of forbidden terrain on Earth.”

“The pioneers’ work was indeed hard and discouraging, even for the stronger spirits. The area where delicate vibrations and majestic buildings now abound was also peopled with other more primitive inhabitants whose

architecture reflected their elementary minds and who filled the atmosphere with their undeveloped thoughts. Still the founders did not lose heart. They proceeded with their efforts, following the example of the Old World settlers

on the physical plane. Only they substituted persevering work, brotherly solidarity and spiritual love for violence, war and slavery.”

By this time we had reached a large, artistically designed square, filled with beautiful gardens. In its center stood a magnificent palace crowned with majestic and lofty towers whose tips reached so high they disappeared from

sight.

“Here, where the Government House now stands, the settlers placed the cornerstone of the Colony.”

Pointing to the palace, he went on:

“This square is the converging point of the six Ministries I told you about. They start at the Government House and stretch out in a triangular shape. Our devoted Governor lives here. A staff of three thousand individuals

assist him in his administrative duties. He is the most earnest and untiring worker in the Colony. The Ministers travel at times to other spheres to renew their energies and acquire new knowledge, and we, too, have our habitual

amusements. Only the Governor has no leisure time whatsoever. While he insists that we take periodic vacations to rest, he himself works ceaselessly, sacrificing even his sleeping hours. It seems he finds his reward in neverending service. I have been here for forty years, and except for the collective prayers, I have never seen the Governor at any public entertainment. Yet the radiation of his powerful mind reaches every branch of activity and his fatherly assistance involves everybody and everything here.”

After a long pause, the friendly attendant continued:

“Only a short time ago, we celebrated the one hundred fourteenth anniversary of his magnanimous administration.”

Lysias went on walking in reverent silence, while I, keeping pace with him, gazed in awe at the marvelous steeples which seemed to pierce the skies.

From the book The Astral City "Nosso Lar" - Chapter VIII - Administrative Organization

Peopling of Earth. Adam

50. Did the human race begin with one man only?

"No; he whom you call Adam was neither the first nor the only man who peopled the earth."

51. Is it possible to know at what period Adam lived?

"About the period which you assign to him; that is to say, about 4000 years before Christ."

The man of whom, under the name of Adam, tradition has preserved the memory, was one of those who, In some one of the countries of the globe. survived one of the great cataclysms which at various epochs have changed Its surface, and who became the founder of one of the races that people the earth at the present day. The laws of nature render it impossible that the amount of progress which we know to have been accomplished by the human race of our planet long before the time of Christ could have been accomplished so rapidly as must have been the case If it had only been In existence upon the globe since the period assigned as the date of Adam. The opinion most consonant with reason is that which regards the story of Adam as a myth, or as an allegory personifying the earliest ages of the world.

From The Spirit's Book - Chapter III - Creation - Peopling of Earth. Adam - Ed Federação Espírita Brasileira FEB

The Oracular Mediumship

The Ifa Orunmila Oracle

The oracles acles dominate the entire civilized horizon. They practically constitute the center of guidance for all urban and rural life, both political and religious. But what are the oracles? Their definition is not very easy, which shows the transitory nature of these religious institutions. The old forms of relationships mediumistic are in transition to new you forms, and for this very reason they present, in the its oracular constitution, with evidently syncretic, reasons for different interpretations, making its definition difficult relative.

The oracle is sometimes the Divinity itself, other times the response given to inquiries, the sanctuary or temple, the medium who attends to the seekers, or the location of the consultations: a sacred grove, a mysterious cave, a miraculous spring. The word is used to designate all these things, one at a time, or all together. Because the popular mindset does not yet know how to distinguish the mysterious force. what age, nor its means of action. The Divinity can speak for itself, as it can be embodied in the sanctuary, in the temple, in the tripod, in the oracle, or in the elements of nature.

Oracles are sought by everyone: kings and sages, warriors and merchants, men and women of the people. In this, they all agree, because they all recognize and respect the presence of a supernatural force in these sacred places. The "law of worship," which Kardec discusses, reaches the oracles in a form. in synthesis, bringing together the achievements made throughout its evolution in the horizons previous ones. Present and intermingled are the successive forms of the development of law, which we find in the tribal and agricultural horizons. The "animistic conception of primitive mediumship", the worship of ancestors, the deification for the cohesion and organization of societies, are also evident. These mental achievements have allowed humans to transcend the basic elements of nature worship and develop complex systems of belief and governance. 

The evolution from tribal societies to advanced civilizations showcases the human ability to create structured communities with ethical and legal frameworks, which serve as the binding force for these diverse elements. by individualization, they shape the agglutinated elements, thus giving a complex structure to the mediumistic communication process.

The natural phenomenon of mediumistic exchange becomes artificial. The process of rationalization, on the other hand, requires the development of cosmogonies. Oracles are not, therefore, simplistic forms of religious worship or mere places for mediumistic consultation. Their structure, often quite complex, is based on a conception of the world. The vague nature of this conception corresponds to the very syncretic nature of the oracular institution. The mediumistic phenomenon appears in it as a mystery. 

Nothing explains it, nor can it be explained, nor should one dare to do so. The tribal taboo imposes itself more vigorously and more broadly now. developed in a rational form, which is the conception of the sacred. Humanity finds itself, at this stage, like an adolescent, who reworks within themselves the dreams, fears, and hopes stemming from the initial perceptions of the external world.

The childhood phase of psychic undifferentiation, collectively experienced in the tribal horizon still exerts its influence over the oracular cosmogonies. It is curious to note that there is no what we would call mediumistic individualization in the oracles. Although there is a medium, sometimes called an oracle, sometimes a pythoness, and although there is a communicating entity, the messages are given through impersonal processes. 

Sometimes, it is the murmur of the source that responds to the consultant; at other times, it is the rustling of the forest or the mysterious sounds of a cave; and when the medium responds directly, their response mimics the murmurs confusions of nature. In all cases, the answer depends on the interpretation priestly. Therefore, there is a body of priests that collectively responds to oracle consultations. The exceptions represent cases of advancement in the process. evolutionary, in the sense of individualization.

Oracular mediumship is, therefore, a form of transition to the individual worship of Spirits, guides and which in turn will require mediumistic individualization, already defined in typical cases, such as the Witch of Endor, mentioned in the Holy Bible.

The History of Religions shows us that the worship of ancestors was initially collective, with the spirits of the dead considered as a group and worshiped as such, as in the case of the Roman parentum and manes. 

The individualization of this practice It progresses slowly, evolving human collectives, like developing children, from "psychic undifferentiation" to the higher stages of rationalization. Oracles represent, on the civilized horizon, this moment of transition.

Translation and reviewed by Márcio Varela

In Portuguese https://lardobompastor.blogspot.com/2025/02/mediunismo-oracular.html

(Original source in Portuguese O Espírito E O Tempo - J Herculano Pires)