10

Different natures of manifestations. — Mediums. — Various categories of mediums. — Role and influence of the medium and of the surroundings in the manifestations. — Signs of superiority or of inferiority of the Spirits. — Nature of the spirit communications. — Can the Spirits reveal the future, previous existences, hidden treasures? — Spiritism is not a means of divination. — Purpose of the spirit manifestations. — Evocations. — Conditions most favorable to evocation. — Spontaneous manifestations. — Spirits who may be evoked. — Evocation of living persons. — Human telegraphy, or spirit communications between living persons. (Questions 200 to 276 a.)

Can the Spirits attest their presence in any way? “Yes, in many ways.”

The Spirits attest their presence in various ways. Their manifestations may be hidden or ostensive, spontaneous or by means of evocation.

Can all men feel the effects of the presence of the Spirits? “Yes, according to the aptitudes of each one; there are, however, some persons for whom such effects are more evident.”

Since all men are under the influence of the Spirits, each one can feel the effects of their presence, whether morally or materially, according to his particular aptitudes.

Can the Spirits manifest themselves in a perceptible manner? “Yes, by the most diverse means.”

a. Can they impress the sense of touch? “Yes, and also hearing, sight, and smell.”

b. Can they appear to the living under a non-material human form? “Yes, in what you call visions.”

c. Do all the Spirits appear to us under the same forms? “No.”

d. Can we provoke the apparition of the Spirits? “Yes, but rarely; most often it is spontaneous.”

e. What should we think of the blue flame that, as it is said, appeared above the head of Servius Tullius when he was a child? [The Mediums’ Book, item 100, question 29 a.] “The fact was real; it was his familiar Spirit.”

f. What is the purpose of the Spirits in their ostensive manifestations? “To draw your attention to something and to attest their presence.”

g. In what manner can the Spirits act upon matter? “By means of the bond that unites them to matter.”

The material manifestations of the Spirits occur under very varied forms. They can affect our senses in diverse ways: touch by the impression of an invisible body, hearing by noise, smell by odors without known causes, and sight by visions.

Often they attest their presence by the movement and the displacement of solid bodies without tangible intermediaries.

They also manifest themselves under the appearance of flames or glimmers, or further by assuming human forms or any others whatsoever, which have nothing of the known properties of matter. It is with the aid of their semi-material envelope, or perispirit, that they act upon matter and upon our senses.

Often, such manifestations are nothing more than simple natural effects provoked by the Spirits to draw our attention to some point or some fact. At other times, they are phenomena whose cause is unknown to us, which we explain according to our ideas and prejudices, or which we qualify as supernatural when their cause seems to escape the ordinary laws of Nature.

Are there things that may be qualified as supernatural? “No; since a certain thing happens, it is because it is possible.”

a. Why, then, are they called supernatural? “Because you do not understand them and because, out of pride and self-love, you find it simpler to deny them.”

b. Among the phenomena cited as proof of the action of a hidden power, there are some that are evidently contrary to all the known laws of Nature. In such a case, is it not permissible to doubt? [The Mediums’ Book, item 74, question 25.] “It is that man is far from knowing all the laws of Nature; if he knew them all, he would be a superior Spirit.” There is nothing supernatural in this world, since nothing can occur that is not within the possibilities and the laws of Nature. Man, however, is still very far from knowing all the forces of the Universe and, in his pride, finds it simpler to deny what he does not understand, for his self-love would suffer were he to confess his ignorance. Nevertheless, each day that passes offers a refutation to those who, supposing they know everything, claim to impose limits upon Nature; this, however, does not make them any less proud. By ceaselessly unveiling new mysteries, God warns man to mistrust his own enlightenment, for a day will come when the knowledge of the wisest will be confounded.

Can any person have proofs of the spirit manifestations? “Yes; frequently you have proofs, but you do not pay due attention or you attribute them to other causes.”

a. Are there persons more accessible than others to the manifestations? “Yes, those whom you call mediums.”

Although the ostensive manifestations often occur spontaneously and any creature may receive them, there are persons endowed with a fluidic power and with special dispositions by virtue of which they manage to obtain more easily manifestations of a certain category. They are designated by the name of mediums.

Does the faculty enjoyed by mediums depend on physical or moral causes? “On both. The soul of mediums communicates more easily with the other Spirits.”

a. Why does the soul of mediums enter more easily into communication with the other Spirits? “Because, their body being more impressionable, the Spirit detaches itself more easily.”

The faculty enjoyed by mediums depends as much on physical as on moral causes. It depends, in the first place, on a certain impressionability and, at the same time, on the nature of the incarnated Spirit which, by detaching itself more easily from matter, consequently enters more easily into communication with the other Spirits. Most often, the cause of such special aptitudes is not appreciable by our senses; it is due to the intimate nature of those who are endowed with such a faculty.

Is the faculty enjoyed by mediums circumscribed by age and by sex? “No.”

a. With what purpose has Providence endowed certain individuals in a more special manner with this faculty? [The Mediums’ Book, item 220.] “It is a mission with which they have charged themselves and by which they feel happy. They are the interpreters between the Spirits and men.”

b. Can the mediumistic faculty be withdrawn from them? “Yes, if they abuse it.”

There are mediums of both sexes and of all ages. The faculty granted to them constitutes a precious gift of Providence, since it bestows upon them the power of being the direct interpreters of the Spirits and of the teaching that these transmit to men. It is a mission that has been entrusted to them and of which they should not become vain, since God can withdraw it if they abuse a faculty that was given to them solely for good.

At the moment in which he exercises his faculty, is the medium in a perfectly normal state? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 1st question.] “Never completely, for it is necessary that his Spirit reacquire part of its independence. He always finds himself, to a greater or lesser degree, in a state of crisis, and it is this that fatigues him, which is why he needs rest.” When they are exercising mediumship, mediums are generally in a state of crisis or of overexcitation, during which they make an abnormal expenditure of vital fluid. This loss causes them a fatigue that some of them cannot endure for long, except by appealing to rest in order to recover their strength.

To which persons can we apply the qualification of medium? “All those who feel, in any manner whatsoever, the presence of the Spirits.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 159.]

a. Since not all mediums feel and produce the same effects, there are various kinds of them. How can we classify them? “As you wish, for some have only one aptitude, while others possess them all.”

b. Do you approve of the classification of mediums that we give right below? “A classification is useful; this one here is good; both it and any other. We repeat incessantly: do not convert into substance that which is nothing more than form.”

We can classify mediums into several principal categories, according to the kind of manifestations that it is especially given to them to obtain. They are:

Motor mediums;

Writing mediums;

Speaking mediums;

Seeing mediums;

Somnambulist mediums;

Ecstatic mediums;

Sensitive mediums;

Inspired mediums.

Some mediums unite within themselves all or several of these faculties. This classification, moreover, has nothing absolute about it; since each of them presents an infinity of nuances and degrees, we can multiply or restrict their number at will.

What is the cause of the movement of solid bodies under the influence of motor mediums? “Action of the Spirit; it is the first cause.”

a. Does the Spirit act directly upon the object or by some intermediary? “By an intermediary, since you are in a world too coarse for the Spirits to be able to manifest themselves to you without an intermediary.”

b. Is that intermediary material? “A middle term between matter and spirit; but it is more or less material, according to the nature of the worlds.”

c. Is the Spirit of the medium the impulsive cause of the movement, or is it a foreign Spirit? “Sometimes it is the Spirit of the medium; at other times, one or several foreign Spirits.”

Motor mediums are those who have the power to impart movement to certain movable objects, without material impulsion, often even without any participation of the will, or solely by the action of thought. For the production of this phenomenon, the concurrence of several persons will at times be necessary, according to the nature and the volume of the objects; not always, however, is such concurrence indispensable, since the medium, alone, can often act upon the most considerable volumes. This category of mediums is very numerous, there being few persons who, in some degree, are not endowed with this faculty.

Sometimes the movement is imparted by the direct action of the Spirit of the medium; at other times, by the action of one or several foreign Spirits, to whom the medium serves as instrument.

Does the movement imparted to objects always have some meaning? “No.”

a. What, then, is the purpose of these manifestations? “To convince persons of the presence of a force superior to man; to confound his pride and lead him to know the truth.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 85.]

b. How to prove that the first cause is a Spirit and not the purely physical action of some agent? “Intelligence is not in matter. Well then! When this movement gives proofs of intelligence, can you believe that it comes from matter? When someone speaks to you, making signs with his arms or giving taps with a stick, do you believe that the being who thinks is the arm or the stick?” In most cases, the movement imparted to objects has no meaning, except to convince man of the presence of a hidden and impalpable power. It could be explained solely by the effect of a fluidic or electric current if it were always purely mechanical; nevertheless, the intervention of an extra-human intelligence became obvious when intelligent communications were given by this means. Intelligent manifestations must, therefore, have an intelligent cause. Now, since matter, by itself, is not intelligent, the cause can only be found in the Spirit. When a weathervane is agitated by the breeze, its movement is purely physical; if it transmits signals, it is because an intelligence makes it move.

Is the faculty of writing under the influence of the Spirits conferred upon all? “For the present, no; later, however, all will have this faculty.”

a. What condition must Humanity fulfill in order that such a faculty become general? “When men transform themselves and become better, they will have this faculty and many others, of which they are now deprived by their moral inferiority.”

b. Will this transformation take place on Earth, or only in better worlds? “As we have already said, it will begin here itself.”

c. Is the faculty of writing spontaneous, or is it also susceptible of being developed by exercise? “One and the other; it almost always requires patience and perseverance. The constant desire of the medium helps the Spirits to put themselves into communication with you.”

d. Is faith necessary in order to acquire the faculty of a writing medium? “Not always; often, with faith one does not write, and without it, one writes. Nevertheless, faith comes afterward; it will depend on the plans of Providence.”

e. Is the writing medium never conscious of what he writes? “Never is not the term, for it happens often that he sees, hears, and understands while he writes.”

f. When the writing is undecipherable, how will the medium interpret it? “By a kind of second sight; or else, the Spirit himself speaks to him.”

g. Could a person who does not know how to write be a writing medium? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, question 18.] “Yes.”

h. What consequence can be drawn from the change of handwriting in the medium’s writing? “A different Spirit who communicates.”

Writing mediums are those endowed with the faculty of writing under the direct influx of the hidden power that directs them. Their hand is agitated by an involuntary convulsive movement; they yield to the impulse of a power that evidently escapes their control, since they can neither stop nor continue at will. They take up the pencil without wishing to and let it go in the same manner, for neither the will nor the desire can make the pencil move, if it is not meant to run over the paper. At times it is possible to obtain writing by the simple imposition of the hands upon an object suitably arranged and provided with an instrument fit for writing. The hidden power imparts to that object the movement necessary to trace the letters, without it being necessary to guide it for that effect.

According to the power of the medium, the replies are more or less long and formulated with greater or lesser precision. Some mediums obtain only isolated words; in others the faculty develops through exercise and complete sentences and extensive dissertations are obtained on proposed subjects, or transmitted spontaneously without having been provoked by any question. Most often the medium has no consciousness whatsoever of what he writes, except after having read the message; frequently, however, he sees, hears, and understands what he writes during the very act of writing.

Sometimes the writing is clear and legible; on other occasions it may be undecipherable to other persons, except to the medium who received it and who interprets it by a kind of intuition.

By the hand of the same medium the writing may change completely, according to the hidden intelligence that manifests itself, the same type of lettering being reproduced each time the same intelligence communicates.

Is the speaking medium conscious of what he says? “Sometimes he knows it perfectly and is surprised at the ease with which he expresses himself; most often, however, he remains in a somnambulic or ecstatic state, a condition in which, as a Spirit, he is conscious of what he speaks; nevertheless, he is not so as a man, for he loses the remembrance upon awakening.”

a. Can the speaking medium express himself in a language that is foreign to him? “Yes, that can happen.”

b. Could a person deprived of speech recover it as a medium? “Yes, momentarily, and hearing as well.”

Speaking mediums are those who feel in the vocal organs the influence of the hidden power that makes the hand of the writing medium move. In the state of momentary overexcitation in which they find themselves, they speak spontaneously and offhand, or reply to questions, even the most foreign to their knowledge, often without being conscious of what they say and without retaining the remembrance of it. They transmit by speech all that the writing medium transmits by writing.

Does the seeing medium see by the ordinary organs of sight? [The Mediums’ Book, item 167.] “Yes, sometimes; since, after all, it is his soul that sees, he can see equally well with the eyes closed as with the eyes open.”

a. This being so, could a blind man be a seeing medium? [The Mediums’ Book, item 167.] “Yes.”

b. The apparitions that some persons believe they see, are they effects of reality or of an illusion? “Sometimes they are due to the overexcited imagination; to an illusion, therefore. Nevertheless, we have already told you that the Spirits can appear under the human form, under the form of a flame, etc.”

Seeing mediums are those endowed with the faculty of seeing the Spirits, when these manifest themselves in an ostensive manner under any form whatsoever. Some of them enjoy this faculty in the normal state and retain complete remembrance of the fact; others possess it only in a somnambulic state or very close to somnambulism. This faculty is not permanent; it is always the effect of a momentary and passing crisis.

All persons endowed with second sight may be placed in the category of seeing mediums.

Can somnambulists and ecstatics be considered mediums? “Yes; they are those whose Spirit is more detached from matter; they enjoy more freedom, which is why they unite almost all the other faculties.”

Somnambulist mediums and ecstatic mediums are persons capable of passing into the state known by the name of somnambulism and of ecstasy, whether naturally and in a spontaneous manner, or by means of the magnetic power.

What is the faculty that characterizes sensitive mediums? “We can give this name to all persons who, like the sensitive plant, are very impressionable and receive mental communications, even though they do not realize the fact.”

a. Would it not be better to say that the impressionability results from a nervous irritability? “Yes, when it is only physical; but there are persons who do not have delicate nerves and who feel more or less the moral impressions.”

b. Could one include in this category of mediums the persons who are called inspired? “Yes, and there will be very few who are not so, more or less, at certain moments.”

c. Could an author, a painter, a musician, for example, in the moments of inspiration, be considered as sensitive mediums? [The Mediums’ Book, item 183, 3rd question.] “Yes, because in those moments their soul is freer and as if detached from matter; the soul partially recovers its faculties of Spirit and receives more easily the communications of the other Spirits who inspire it.” Sensitive mediums are affected mentally by impressions of which they do not realize and which are, for them, as if revelations of past or future things.

In this category we can include the persons to whom thoughts are suggested in opposition to their preconceived ideas, often incompatible with their low cultural level and with the simplicity of their intelligence.

We can also include in this category the persons who, even without being endowed with a special power and without leaving the normal state, have flashes of intellectual lucidity that give them momentarily an extraordinary facility of conception and elocution. In those moments, rightly called inspiration, ideas abound, succeed one another, link themselves together, as it were, by themselves and by an involuntary and almost feverish impulsion; for them, it is as if a superior intelligence came to their aid; it is as if their Spirit freed itself from a burden. All mediums are necessarily sensitive; impressionability is the rudimentary faculty indispensable to the development of all the others.

Among the different modes of communication, which are the ones to be preferred? “You are not at liberty to choose, because the Spirits communicate by the means they judge most suitable to employ; this depends on the aptitudes.”

a. Do the Spirits prefer a certain mode of communication to another? “For teaching they prefer the most rapid ones: speech and writing.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 145.]

Writing and speech are the most complete and most rapid means for the transmission of the thought of the Spirits, whether by the precision of the replies, or by the extensive developments they admit of. Writing has the advantage of leaving material traces and of being one of the means most suited to combating doubt.

Is the Spirit who manifests himself in the different communications always wandering? “No; he may be incarnated in your world or in another.”

a. In what state is the body at the moment in which the Spirit manifests himself? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 39.] “It sleeps or dozes. When the body rests, the senses grow torpid and the Spirit becomes freer.”

b. Do incarnated Spirits manifest themselves as easily as wandering Spirits? “It depends on the worlds they inhabit. The less material the body is, the more easily the Spirit detaches itself; it is almost as if it were not incarnated.”

In written, verbal, or other communications, the Spirit who manifests himself may be wandering, or be incarnated in this world or in another.

Incarnation does not constitute an absolute obstacle to the manifestation of the Spirits; but, in the worlds in which the bodies are less material, the Spirit, by detaching itself more easily, will be able to manifest itself almost as easily as if it were not incarnated.

The incarnated Spirit manifests itself in the moments in which the body rests and the senses are inactive. Upon awakening, the Spirit returns to the body. It is thus that our own Spirit can manifest itself in other places, whether directly, or by the interference of a medium.

Are written communications, or any others, always those of a foreign Spirit, or may they likewise come from the Spirit incarnated in the medium? “The soul of the medium can communicate, like that of any other. If it enjoys a certain degree of freedom, it recovers its qualities of Spirit. You have proof of this in the visits made to you by the souls of living persons, who often communicate with you by writing, without your calling them. For, know it well, among the Spirits you evoke, some are incarnated on Earth; they, then, speak to you as Spirits and not as men. Why should the same thing not happen with the medium? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 2nd question.]

a. How to distinguish whether the Spirit who replies is that of the medium, or another? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 3rd question.] “By the nature of the communications. Study the circumstances, the language, and you will distinguish.”

b. Could the Spirit of the medium not, by a somnambulic effect, penetrate the thought of the person who interrogates and there gather his ideas? In that case, how to prove that it concerns a foreign Spirit? “Yes; nevertheless, once again, study the circumstances and you will recognize it easily.”

c. Since the Spirit of the medium may have acquired, in previous existences, knowledge that he forgot under the corporeal envelope, but of which he remembers as a Spirit, how to establish, in what he says, what comes from his own incarnated Spirit? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 4th question.] “I have just replied. There are circumstances that do not permit doubt. Study at length and meditate.” In written or other communications, the Spirit who manifests himself is, almost always, a foreign Spirit; nevertheless, it may also happen that it is the very Spirit incarnated in the medium, when it finds itself in a state of sufficient freedom to act as a Spirit.

The intervention of a foreign Spirit is recognized by the nature of the communications. When they are outside the ideas, the character, and the opinion of the medium, it becomes evident that they must have a foreign source.

The Spirit of the medium can, it is true, penetrate the thought of the one who interrogates and reflect it, even if it is not formulated by speech; but this cannot happen when it expresses ideas contrary to those of the interlocutor, or when it replies to a question that has no solution in the thought of anyone whatsoever.

The Spirit of the most ignorant medium can, it is also true, possess knowledge acquired in previous existences and of which it remembers as a Spirit. But it would be equally an error to believe that it draws from within itself all that it says. If it were so, why would it attribute to a foreign intervention what would be within itself? An attentive observation of the facts demonstrates that this is impossible in innumerable circumstances. The communications transmitted by the medium can, therefore, proceed as much from foreign Spirits as from the Spirit of the medium, it being for the attentive observer to make the distinction. When a man speaks to us, we easily recognize the ideas that are his own from those that are foreign to him; the same thing occurs when we converse with the Spirits.

Are the communications that come from the Spirit of the medium always inferior to those that may be given by other Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 5th question.] “Not always, for the communicating Spirit may be of an order inferior to that of the medium and, then, speak with less good sense. It is what is seen in somnambulism. There, most often, the one who manifests himself is the Spirit of the somnambulist, who, not rarely, says very good things.” The value of the communications depends on the evolution of the Spirit who reveals them. Those that come from the Spirit of the medium are not, merely because of their own origin, tainted with errors, for the foreign Spirit who manifests himself may belong to an order inferior to that of the medium and, consequently, deserve less confidence than the latter. It is principally in the somnambulic state that the soul of the medium acts by itself.

Does the communicating Spirit transmit his thought directly, or does this have as intermediary the Spirit incarnated in the medium? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 6th question.] “The Spirit of the medium is the interpreter, because it is bound to the body that serves for speaking and because a chain is necessary between you and the Spirits who communicate, just as an electric wire is needed to transmit a piece of news over a great distance, provided there is, at the end of the wire, an intelligent person who receives it and transmits it.”

a. Does the Spirit incarnated in the medium exert any influence over the communications of other Spirits that it must transmit? [The Mediums’ Book, item 223, 7th question.] “Yes, because if there is no affinity between them, the Spirit of the medium can alter the replies of the foreign Spirits and assimilate them to its own ideas and inclinations; but it exerts no influence over the communicating Spirits; it is merely a bad interpreter. Moreover, the Spirit of the medium may be more or less well disposed depending on its material envelope, and then the manifestations occur with greater or lesser ease. Often, however, the medium wants to say everything and do everything, which causes its undoing; we, then, abandon it to its own forces. If it has vices, it is only Spirits of its own category that communicate through it.” The Spirits detached from matter can communicate among themselves without an intermediary; but, in order to affect our senses, they need a material intermediary. For verbal or written communications, the intermediary is the medium.

The medium is animated by its own Spirit, the one that is incarnated in it, and that Spirit is the interpreter of the foreign Spirit who communicates. If there is no sympathy between them, the Spirit of the medium will be able to oppose a certain resistance and become a bad interpreter, at times even an unfaithful one, since it will act as the antagonist of the Spirit who communicates. If it has vices, the thought it is to transmit may be distorted or reflect its character and its tendencies. This occurs very frequently in the world, when the counsel of a wise man is transmitted by a scatterbrain or by a man of bad faith. Besides the moral qualities, there exist special dispositions that make the medium more or less apt to transmit the communications. The medium is a more or less good instrument, more or less convenient, of which the superior Spirits make use only willingly when they find in it the minimum possible of obstacles to the free transmission of their thoughts, a fact to which the inferior Spirits give little importance.

Besides the direct influence of the Spirit of the medium upon the sincerity of the manifestations, can other Spirits contribute to altering them? “Yes, for the Spirit of the medium attracts to itself sympathetic Spirits who help and encourage it in everything it may do of evil, if its nature is evil.”

The incarnated Spirit attracts to itself the Spirits who are sympathetic to it and who form around it a kind of column of Spirits. If, then, that of the medium is imperfect, it will be seconded by a multitude of acolytes of the same nature who will excite it to repel or disfigure the thought it is to communicate.

Does the surroundings in which the medium finds himself exert any influence upon the manifestations? [The Mediums’ Book, item 231, 1st question.] “All the Spirits who surround the medium help it, for good or for evil.”

a. Cannot the superior Spirits overcome the ill will of the incarnated Spirit who serves them as interpreter and of those who surround it? [The Mediums’ Book, item 231, 2nd question.] “Yes, when they judge it suitable and in conformity with the intention of the person who addresses them. The more elevated Spirits can sometimes communicate, thanks to a special favor, notwithstanding the imperfection of the medium and of the surroundings; but, then, these remain completely foreign.” Since every man is the incarnation of a Spirit, the Spirits of the persons who surround the medium act upon the manifestations by virtue of the sympathy or the antipathy they have for the evoked Spirit. According to the imperfection of each one, they oppose their ill will, corroborated by that of the equally imperfect Spirits whom they attract to themselves. Thus is explained the influence of the surroundings upon the nature of the spirit communications. Nevertheless, when the Spirits judge it useful, and according to the intention of the person with whom they communicate, the medium and the surroundings may remain foreign to the Spirits and constitute no obstacles to the sincerity of the manifestations.

Communicating in two different centers, can the same Spirit give, in each of them and on the same point, contradictory replies? [The Mediums’ Book, item 301, 1st question.] “If the two centers differ between themselves in opinions and ideas, the reply may reach them disfigured, because they are under the influx of different phalanxes of Spirits; not that the reply is contradictory, but the manner in which it is given. “To discern the truth from error, one must go deeply into the replies and meditate upon them long and seriously; it is a whole study to be made. Time is needed for this, as for studying all things.”

Two centers differing between themselves in opinions and ideas may receive contradictory replies on the same subject, though proceeding from the same source, because they are under the influence of different phalanxes of Spirits who are sympathetic to them and concur in distorting the primitive idea.

It is like two men receiving the light, one through a red pane, the other through a blue pane; taking the effect for the cause, the first will say that the light is red, while the other will say that it is blue; nevertheless, the light will always be white, but altered by the medium it passed through.

It is understandable that a reply may be altered. But, when the qualities of the medium exclude every idea of bad influence, how to explain that superior Spirits use different and contradictory languages on the same subject, toward perfectly serious persons? [The Mediums’ Book, item 301, 2nd question.] “The Spirits who are truly superior never contradict themselves and the language they use is always the same, with the same persons. It may, however, differ, according to the persons and the places. One must, however, be attentive to the fact that the contradiction is often only apparent, lying more in the words than in the ideas, it being enough that one reflect to verify that the fundamental idea is the same. Moreover, the same Spirit may reply differently on the same question, according to the degree of perfection of those who evoke him, for it is not always suitable that all receive the same reply, since not all are equally advanced. It is exactly as if a child and a wise man asked you the same question. Surely, you would reply to each one in such a way that they understood you and were satisfied. The replies, in that case, although different, would be fundamentally the same. We must make ourselves understandable. If you have a quite solid conviction on some point or doctrine, even a false one, it is necessary that we turn you away from that conviction, but little by little. This is the reason why we frequently make use of your own terms, even seeming to agree with your ideas, so that you are not suddenly dazzled, nor cease to instruct yourself in our company.” The contradiction that we sometimes note in the replies of the Spirits, according to the persons who communicate with them, is only apparent; they adapt the language to those who listen to them and can thus say the same thing with different words.

For the superior Spirits the form represents nothing; the thought is everything. They judge things from an angle completely different from ours; that which seems to us most important is often quite secondary in their view. They can, therefore, agree with certain opinions and even make use of somewhat prejudiced language, in order to be better understood; nevertheless, they will not thereby be in contradiction with themselves. The means matters little, provided they attain the end, for truth is above all the petty distinctions out of which sects and parties make their articles of faith. Whether the Supreme Being be called God, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, or the Great Spirit, He will be no less the Sovereign Lord. On questions of metaphysics, not even men themselves are in agreement as to the value of words. The Spirits can, therefore, use the words according to the idea of each one, in order to be understood more easily, since they are not charged with reforming the language. The error is on the part of men, in taking the accessory for the principal. Human language is always subordinate to the breadth of the ideas, being, therefore, insufficient to express all the shades of the thought of the Spirits, just as that of the savage would be incapable of expressing all the ideas of the civilized man.

What are the conditions necessary for the word of the superior Spirits to reach us free from any alteration? [The Mediums’ Book, item 226, question 11.] “To will the good; to repel selfishness and pride. Both these things are necessary.”

a. Why do the superior Spirits allow persons endowed with great power as mediums, and who could do us so much good, to be instruments of error? [The Mediums’ Book, item 226, 7th question.] “The Spirits seek to influence them; but, when these persons let themselves be dragged along bad paths, they do not prevent them. It is for this reason that they make use of them with repugnance, since the truth cannot be interpreted by falsehood.” The truth is distinguished from error when the light arrives without obstacle; this condition is found in the purity of the sentiments, in the love of the good, and in the desire to instruct oneself, whether of the medium, or of the persons who surround him. To obtain communications from the superior Spirits, free from all alteration, it is not enough to have a medium, however powerful he may be; it is necessary, above all and as an express condition, a pure medium, that is, one whose soul is not stained by any of the passions that characterize the inferior Spirits; however pure it may be, water is altered when passing through muddy ground.

Since the moral qualities of the medium keep away the imperfect Spirits, how is it that a medium endowed with good qualities transmits false or coarse replies? [The Mediums’ Book, item 226, 6th question.] “Do you, perchance, know all the secrets of the human soul? Moreover, the creature may be frivolous and trifling, without being vicious, needing, at times, a lesson, in order to keep himself vigilant.” A medium, even though endowed with good moral qualities, sometimes transmits inconsequential communications, false or even full of the most revolting coarseness. It is that, without being vicious, he may be deprived of the solid qualities that constitute the true man of good. Alongside some qualities there may be found hidden vices or, at the least, futility and frivolity.

Why, habitually, do certain persons only transmit or only receive absurd or trivial communications, despite the desire to obtain serious communications? “It is the consequence of the inferiority of the Spirit of such persons, which sympathizes with imperfect Spirits. Nevertheless, even in the midst of insignificant communications, there often exists a good teaching. A superior Spirit, who has answered your call, will not remain long if you are very frivolous, but, without dwelling on minutiae, he will tell you some truths, in order to induce you to be less frivolous.” Every medium or every person who, in a general way, only receives or transmits absurd, coarse, or simply frivolous communications, should deplore it as an indication of the inferiority of his own Spirit. By provoking such communications with a view to curiosity, man attracts inferior Spirits, always on the lookout for occasions to jest or to practice evil. Happy, on the contrary, are those who only hear words impregnated with wisdom, for they are the elect of the good Spirits.

If the word of the superior Spirits only reaches us pure under conditions so difficult to be found, does this fact not constitute an obstacle to the propagation of the truth? [The Mediums’ Book, item 226, question 12.] “No, because the light always reaches the one who desires to receive it. Everyone who wishes to enlighten himself must flee from the shadows, and the shadows are found in the impurity of the heart.” The fact that the superior Spirits only communicate by means of a concurrence of exceptional circumstances does not constitute an obstacle to the propagation of the light. Those, then, who wish to receive it, must strip themselves of pride and humble their reason before the infinite power of the Creator, as the best proof of their sincerity. Such a condition all can fulfill.

By what signs can we recognize the superiority or the inferiority of the Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 268, 1st question.] “By the language, as you distinguish a sensible man from a scatterbrained person. We have already said that the superior Spirits never contradict themselves and only speak useful things. They will only the good, which constitutes their sole preoccupation. “The inferior Spirits are still under the dominion of material ideas; their discourses reflect the ignorance and the imperfection that are characteristic of them. Only to the superior Spirits is it permitted to know all things and to judge them dispassionately.”

The character of a man is recognized by his language, by his maxims, and by his acts. So it is with the Spirits. By studying with care the character of those who present themselves, especially from the moral point of view, we shall recognize their nature and the degree of confidence they inspire in us. Good sense could not be mistaken. A language always serious, without trivialities or contradictions, the wisdom of the replies, the elevation of the thoughts, the purity of the moral doctrine, allied to the marks of benevolence and kindness, are signs that characterize the superior Spirits.

Is it enough that a question be serious to obtain a serious reply? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, 2nd question.] “No; this depends on the Spirit who replies.”

a. Nevertheless, does a serious question not keep away the frivolous Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, question 2 a.] “It is not the question that keeps away the frivolous Spirits, but the character of the one who asks it. The frivolous Spirits reply to everything, just as scatterbrained persons do.”

It is not enough to interrogate a Spirit in order to know the truth. We must, above all, know to whom we are addressing ourselves, because the inferior Spirits, by virtue of the very ignorance in which they find themselves, treat the most serious questions with frivolity.

Neither is it enough that a Spirit was on Earth a great man, in order that he be found, in the spirit world, in possession of the sovereign science. Only virtue, by purifying him, has the power to bring him closer to God and to broaden his knowledge. (Note 8).

Is scientific knowledge always a certain sign of the elevation of a Spirit? [The Mediums’ Book, item 268, 2nd question.] “No, because if he is still under the influence of matter, he may have your vices and prejudices. There are persons who, in this world, are excessively envious and proud; do you judge that, as soon as they leave it, they lose these defects? After the departure from here the Spirits, principally those who nourished strong passions, remain enveloped in a kind of atmosphere that preserves for them all the evil things with which they became impregnated.” Among the Spirits who are not yet completely dematerialized, morality does not always keep relation with the knowledge at their disposal. The knowledge they exhibit, often with a certain ostentation, does not constitute an irrefutable sign of superiority. It is the unalterable purity of the moral sentiments that represents the true touchstone. However wise he may be, the Spirit betrays his moral imperfections by the language, although the imperfections this presents may also be the reflection of the imperfections of the medium.

Can the imperfect Spirits sow discord among friends, inducing them to false attitudes? “Yes, they are satisfied to cause you embarrassment and are not at all scrupulous as to the means employed.

“The superior Spirits are always consistent with themselves. Mistrust, then, when one of us speaks well of someone in a certain group, and ill of him in another group that also invokes us. You will judge that it is we, and you will be mistaken. The Spirits who have not yet attained perfection, although already quite elevated, also have their moments of antipathy. “Believe always in the good, keep yourselves away from evil, and seek to sound out their real state; only by dint of conversing with one and another will you acquire this knowledge. Good sense shall guide you.”

The imperfect Spirits do not limit themselves to sowing disturbance in our soul; often they take advantage of the means of communication at their disposal to give perfidious counsels; they incite mistrust and animosity against those who are antipathetic to them, they arouse unjust prejudices and are satisfied with the evil they manage to make others practice. Weak men are their target for inducing them to evil; those who can unmask their impostures become the object of their aversion. Now they employ sophisms, now sarcasms, injuries, and even material signs of the hidden power at their disposal, in order to better convince them and turn them away from the path of truth. Without being evil, the Spirits who are not yet sufficiently elevated also have their unmotivated moments of antipathy, resulting from their incomplete purification.

When an inferior Spirit manifests himself, can we oblige him to withdraw? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 25.] “Yes.”

a. In what manner? “By not paying him attention. But, how do you wish him to withdraw, when you amuse yourselves with his vileness? Those who really wish to free themselves of them will always be able to do so with the assistance of the good Spirits, if they ask for it with fervor and in the name of God. The inferior Spirits attach themselves to those who listen to them complacently, like the fools among you.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 25.] The inferior Spirits always end up withdrawing, provided we show persistence and firmness, not paying them attention. Whoever acts thus will be able to oblige them to it, summoning them, in the name of God, to depart, or calling to himself the good Spirits, with fervor and confidence, always in the name of God.

Do not imagine, however, that the name of God is here a vain formula of exorcism; if it is nothing more than a banal word on the lips of the one who pronounces it, it will be better to say nothing.

Nature of the spirit communications.

Do the Spirits reply willingly to the questions that are addressed to them? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, 1st question.] “According to the questions.”

a. Which are the ones they reply to with the most satisfaction? “The superior Spirits always reply with pleasure to those that have for their purpose the good and the means of your progressing. They do not lend ear to futile questions and only attach themselves to serious persons.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, 1st question.]

b. Are there questions that are antipathetic to the imperfect Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, question 3 a.] “No, because they reply to everything, without concerning themselves with the truth.”

The superior Spirits reply more or less willingly to the questions that are addressed to them, according to their nature. Those that aim at the good and at the research of the truth are always favorably received by them and are particularly agreeable to them.

The useless and frivolous questions, those that have for their purpose to put the Spirits to the test, or that reveal the desire to do evil, are, in a special way, antipathetic to the good Spirits, who do not deign to reply and withdraw.

The frivolous Spirits reply to everything, without concerning themselves with the truth.

What should we think of the persons who only see distraction and pastime in the spirit communications, or a means of obtaining revelations on questions of personal interest? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, 4th question.] “These persons please greatly the inferior Spirits who, in the same manner as they, like to amuse themselves and are satisfied when they manage to mystify them.” Those who seek in the spirit communications nothing but an occasion to satisfy vain curiosity, or who only see in them a means of obtaining revelations, are very much mistaken. Such intentions denote the inferiority of the Spirit of these persons, it being to be expected, therefore, that they will become victims of mocking Spirits. (Note 9).

Are the superior Spirits absolutely opposed to jests? “No; often they condescend to your weaknesses and go along with your puerilities, especially when they see in them a means of attaining a more serious purpose.”

a. Will they at times lend themselves to a joke? “Yes, even going so far as to provoke them sometimes; but, when they speak seriously, they want everyone to remain serious, for, otherwise, they withdraw. It is then that the frivolous Spirits take their place.”

The superior Spirits are not averse to jests; they too lend themselves to a joke within a certain measure and know how to condescend to our weaknesses. They do so, however, without departing from propriety, and it is in this that one can appreciate their nature. Among them, the joke is never trivial; often it is fine and piquant, and the biting epigram always lashes with accuracy. As, however, their mission is to teach, they are accustomed to withdraw when they see that we do not lend them ear. Among the Spirits who, though mocking, are not coarse, the satire is almost always pertinent.

Can we ask the Spirits for material signs as proof of their existence and of their power? “No; they do not lend themselves to the caprice of men.”

a. When, nevertheless, a person asks for such signs in order to be convinced, would there not be utility in satisfying him, seeing that he would be one more adherent of the Spirits in the production of perceptible phenomena as a real testimony of their existence and of their power, saying that it is to convince the skeptic, who thus wishes to submit them to tests? “The Spirits live in conditions that are unknown to us; that which is outside of matter cannot subject itself to the sieve of matter. It is, therefore, to deceive oneself roundly to judge them from our point of view. When they find it useful to reveal themselves by particular signs, they do so; but this never occurs to satisfy our will, for the Spirits are not subject to our caprice.”

Is there utility in provoking the ostensive phenomena of the manifestation of the Spirits? “Since men are still big children, it is necessary to amuse them; but wisdom is in the word of the wise man and not in his material force, which can belong as much to the bad as to the good, and even much more to the bad, for only the inferior Spirits occupy themselves with these things. Sometimes the superior Spirits make use of them, as you would do with an employee, when you wish to be heard. At present, there are Spirits of all types who have for their mission to provoke your admiration, in order to lead you to understand that life does not end with the end of your envelope.” The ostensive and extraordinary effects by which the Spirits can attest their presence do not constitute the essential purpose of their manifestations. Such purpose is the moral improvement of man, by means of the teachings they transmit to him, whether about the nature of things, or in relation to the conduct he should adopt to attain the perfection that will guarantee him future happiness. To attach oneself to the phenomena more than to the teachings is to act like certain schoolboys, who have more curiosity than will to learn. The superior Spirits teach us by the word; the inferior ones do the same thing, by striking our senses. The man who has already elevated himself, the man who has faith does not need phenomena; he awaits them without provoking them.

When the Spirits do not reply to certain questions, is it because they do not wish to, or because a superior force opposes itself to certain revelations? [The Mediums’ Book, item 288, 5th question.] “Superior force. There are things that cannot be revealed.” 107

a. Could one, by means of a firm will, constrain a Spirit to say what he does not wish to? “No. We have already said that it is difficult for the Spirits to specify certain facts. It is very important that this be clear; the Spirit himself may not find himself in a suitable state, the medium may be frivolous, or the environment little sympathetic. For this reason it is always good to wait when we ask you to wait and, above all, not to persist in wishing to make us reply.” Providence has imposed limits on the revelations that can be made to man. The serious Spirits keep silence about all that they are forbidden to reveal. By insisting in order to obtain a reply, we expose ourselves to the trickery of the inferior Spirits, always ready to take advantage of the occasions to lay snares for our credulity. The persons who occupy themselves more with going deeply into the impenetrable mysteries of the origin and the essence of things, than with the means of promoting their own improvement, turn away from the views of Providence. Nevertheless, great truths about the extra-human knowledge can be revealed, this depending on the purity of intention of the one who interrogates and on his aptitude to receive certain teachings, as well as on the elevation of the Spirit who wishes to communicate with him.

Can the Spirits reveal to us the future in certain cases? [The Mediums’ Book, item 289, 7th question.] “In certain cases, yes; in all, no, for this is not permitted to them. If man knew the future, he would not take care of the present.

“This is a point on which you always insist, with a view to obtaining a precise reply. It concerns a great error, for the manifestation of the Spirits is not a means of divination. If you make an absolute point of a reply, it will be given to you by a frivolous Spirit, as we have said at every instant.

“Often, it is we who do not wish to warn you, so that you understand by yourselves that a risk exists, and submit yourselves later to our counsels.”

In its wisdom, Providence has judged it good to conceal the future from us. Only within certain limits can it be revealed to us; it will be, therefore, useless for us to try to penetrate beyond the frontiers traced for that which we are permitted to know on Earth. God willed, by this, that we apply all our intelligence to the discharge of the mission we are to fulfill as corporeal beings. If man knew his future, he would certainly neglect the present, to the detriment of the general harmony toward which all his acts should concur. For this reason the future is only shown to him as an end that he must attain by his efforts, but without knowing the thread by which he must pass to arrive there.

What means of verification do we have to recognize the degree of probability of that which is announced to us by the Spirits? “This depends on the circumstances: the nature of the Spirit, the purpose you aim at, and, finally, the character of the persons.”

a. Certain events are announced without being foreseen or provoked. What is the character of such predictions? “They are the most positive; the Spirit sees the things and judges it useful to make them known.”

b. Why, in general, do the Spirits make mistakes about the dates? “It is that they do not appreciate time in the same manner as men. Often, it is you yourselves who are mistaken, interpreting in your own way that which we say; and, then, it is the words of your material language that frequently fail us. We see the events; nevertheless, we cannot always specify the epoch in which they will occur, or we ought not to. We warn you; that is all. “Once again, our mission is to make you progress; we help you as much as we can. The one who asks the superior Spirits for the counsel of wisdom will never be deceived; but do not believe that we waste our time listening to all your foolishness and reading your fortune. We leave that task to the frivolous Spirits, who amuse themselves with it like mischievous children.” The degree of probability of the future events announced depends on the superiority of the communicating Spirits, on the more or less sympathetic social surroundings in which they find themselves, and on the more or less serious purpose that one has in view. In general, the spontaneous communications, that is, those that emanate from the initiative of the Spirits, without being provoked by questions, offer greater certainty; in that case, the Spirit only gives them because he sees the utility of them. The Spirits see, or foresee by induction, the future events; and they see them fulfilled within a time that they do not measure as men do; in order to define for them the epoch, they would need to identify themselves with our manner of calculating dates, which they do not always judge necessary; hence very frequently a cause of apparent errors. [Question 240.] It should not be lost from sight that it is to delude oneself completely about the finality of the spirit communications to see in them only a means of divination of petty personal interests. The purpose is much more serious: to make us advance on the path of progress. The teaching they minister to us may have for its object Humanity in general, or each individual in particular. Whoever addresses elevated Spirits, with sincerity and good faith, will receive from them only salutary counsels, whether for his moral conduct, or even for his material interests, and will never be induced to error.

Are there not men endowed with a special talent that makes them glimpse the future? [The Mediums’ Book, item 289, question 12.] “Yes, those whose soul detaches itself from matter. In that case, it is the Spirit who sees. When He judges it suitable, God permits them to reveal certain things, with a view to the good. Nevertheless, even among them there are impostors and charlatans.” Some men, whose soul detaches itself in advance from the terrestrial bonds and enjoys the faculties of the Spirit, have received from God the gift of knowing certain details of the future and of revealing them for the good of Humanity; but, how many ambitious ones disguise themselves under the mantle of the prophet for the profit of their passions, thus abusing the credulity of others!

Can the Spirits reveal our past existences? [The Mediums’ Book, item 290, question 15.] “Generally, no; God forbids it. Nevertheless, sometimes they are revealed with truth, but, even so, according to their finality. If it is for your edification and instruction they will be truthful, especially if the revelation is spontaneous.”

a. Why do some Spirits never refuse to make this kind of revelation? [The Mediums’ Book, item 290, question 15 a.] “They are mocking Spirits who amuse themselves at your expense.”

God likewise casts a veil over the existences we have traversed. Nevertheless, this veil is not entirely impenetrable. They can be revealed to us if the Spirits judge it useful to do so for our edification and instruction and according to the purpose we set ourselves in asking for that revelation; outside of this, it will be useless to seek to know them; the serious Spirits keep silence in this respect; the others amuse themselves, inflating with pretended origins the vanity of the curious one.

Can we ask the Spirits for counsels? [The Mediums’ Book, item 291, question 17.] “Yes, certainly. The good Spirits never refuse aid to those who invoke them with confidence, principally in what concerns the soul.”

a. Can they enlighten us about things of particular interest? [The Mediums’ Book, item 291, question 18.] “Sometimes, according to the motive.”

b. Can they guide men in scientific research and in discoveries? [The Mediums’ Book, item 294, question 28.] “Yes, if it is of general utility; but one must mistrust the counsels of the mocking and ignorant Spirits.” 108

c. Can they also give us information about our relatives, friends, and persons who preceded us in the other life? “Yes, when this is permitted to them.”

The Spirits can help us with their counsels, principally those that refer to the soul and to moral perfection. The superior Spirits never refuse succor to those who invoke them with sincerity and confidence; but they repel the hypocrites, those who feign to ask for the light and take pleasure in the shadows.

They can, likewise and within certain limits, help us in what concerns the things of this world, point out to us the path of the research that is useful to Humanity, guide us in all that has for its end the accomplishment of the moral and material progress of man, and project light upon the obscure points of History.

Finally, they can speak to us about our relatives and friends, as well as about various personages who preceded us in their midst.

Can the Spirits give counsels about health? [The Mediums’ Book, item 293, question 24.] “Yes, particularly certain Spirits. Health is a necessary condition for the mission that one is to carry out on Earth, which is why the Spirits occupy themselves willingly with it.”

The knowledge that the superior Spirits have of the laws of Nature permits them to give useful counsels about health, and to furnish, about the cause of the maladies and about the means of treatment, indications that leave human science very far behind. (Note 10).

Is the science of the Spirits universal? “They know everything when they are superior Spirits; the others, no.”

a. Are the scholars of the Earth equally learned in the world of the Spirits? “No; they do not know more than the others and often less.”

b. Upon becoming a Spirit, does the scholar recognize his scientific errors? [The Mediums’ Book, item 293, question 26.] “Yes; and if you evoke him, he will confess them without being ashamed, in case he has arrived at a degree elevated enough to find himself free of vanity and to understand that his development is not complete.” Once in the world of the Spirits, the scholars of the Earth are no more learned than the others. If, indeed, they are superior Spirits, their science has no limits and they recognize the errors that they took for truths during the corporeal life. If they are inferior Spirits, the knowledge at their disposal is limited and they may be mistaken. Nevertheless, those who during one or several existences went deeply into a determined subject occupy themselves with it with more solicitude and frequently with more success, because it is the point in which they progressed.

Do the Spirits preserve some sign of the character they had on Earth? “Yes; when they are not completely dematerialized, they keep the same character, good or bad; they still preserve some of their biases.”

a. Do they not understand that those biases were mistaken? “They will understand later.”

The Spirits of the men who had on Earth an exclusive preoccupation, material or moral, remain still under the empire of the terrestrial ideas and keep with them a portion of the biases, of the predilections, and even of the manias they had here, in case they are not perfectly purified and detached from the influence of matter. This is easily recognizable by their language.

Can the Spirits cause hidden treasures to be discovered? [The Mediums’ Book, item 295, question 30.] “No, the superior Spirits do not occupy themselves with these things; but the mocking Spirits will make you see a treasure in one place, when it is in the opposite location. They are, in truth, malicious Spirits and this has its utility: to show that you must work, and not run after chimeras. If Providence destines such riches for you, you will find them; otherwise, no.” It is useless to interrogate the Spirits about the existence of hidden treasures. The superior Spirits only reveal useful things and, in their eyes, treasures are not of that number. The inferior Spirits feel a malign pleasure in giving false indications.

When buried riches are to be discovered, they will be revealed to those who are destined to enjoy them, and this is for them often a test to which Providence submits them.

What should we think of the belief in Spirits guardians of hidden treasures? [The Mediums’ Book, item 295, question 31.] “There are Spirits who live in the air, as there are the Spirits of the Earth, charged with directing its interior transformations. It is also true that certain Spirits interest themselves only in persons; but, there may be a category that interests itself in objects. As I told you the other day, misers, who hid their treasures, and who do not yet find themselves sufficiently dematerialized, may still, after being dead, watch over those things until they understand the uselessness of such an attitude.” The more imperfect the human soul, the more it will remain bound to the things of this world. It is thus that the Spirit of the miser, who hid a treasure, frequently attaches himself to what gave him pleasure during life; and although those riches can no longer serve him, he will oppose resistance to those who attempt to discover them, until time makes him understand the uselessness of his vigilance. With this purpose, the miser can, therefore, divert the search by means of fascination, acting by himself or with the aid of other Spirits as imperfect as he. This is the true meaning of the belief in Spirits guardians of hidden treasures.

Are the persons who have not had the chance to obtain verbal or written communications thereby deprived of the succor of the lights of the Spirits? “No; inspiration will come to their aid, not to speak of the circumstances that the Spirits will bring about.”

a. Could they not receive a pernicious inspiration? “Yes; but when they desire only the good, their protecting Spirit will suggest something better to them.”

The persons who do not have the possibility of obtaining from the Spirits verbal or written communications, whether by themselves, or by means of mediums, are not thereby deprived of the succor of their lights. Inspiration, brought about by their familiar or protecting Spirits, as well as the circumstances that these provoke, will come to their aid. And happy are they if they have enough faith and will to shake off all pernicious influence! Evocations.

How should the evocation of the Spirits be made? “It is necessary that they be evoked in the name of God Almighty and for the good of all.”

a. Is faith necessary for the evocations? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 13.] “Faith in God, yes.”

b. Is the belief in the Spirits also necessary? “No, if you wish the good and if you have the desire to instruct yourselves; the belief will come afterward.”

Every evocation should be made in the name of God, with faith, fervor, recollection, and for the good of all; but, above all, let the name of God not be a vain word on the lips of the one who utters it!

Faith in God is necessary. With relation to the Spirits, and in the absence of a conviction acquired by experience, the love of the good and the sincere desire to instruct oneself are sufficient for serious manifestations to be obtained.

Can any person evoke the Spirits? “Yes.”

a. Does the evoked Spirit always attend to the call that is made to him? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, 2nd question.] “Yes, if he has permission for it.”

Any person can evoke one or several determined Spirits, and the evoked one attends to that appeal, according to the circumstances in which he finds himself, if he can and if it is permitted to him to do so.

Does the evoked Spirit always manifest his presence in an ostensive manner? “No, for he does not always have permission for it; but if he is beside the person who evokes him, he will assist her and will bring about good thoughts in her.”

If he does not manifest his presence in an ostensive manner, the evoked Spirit will always make himself known, provided he finds himself in propitious conditions and is beside the one who evokes him, aiding him to the measure of his possibilities.

Gathered in communion of thoughts and of intentions, do men have more power to evoke the Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 14.] “Yes; when they are gathered by faith and for the general good, men obtain great things.”

a. Are evocations preferable on determined days and hours? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 16.] “Yes, and in the same place, for the Spirits attend there with more satisfaction and more easily. The constant desire you have is what aids the Spirits to put themselves into communication with you.”

When gathered in communion of thoughts and of intentions, with faith and sincere desire of the good, men become more powerful to evoke the superior Spirits. By elevating the soul for a few instants, thanks to recollection at the hour of evocation, they identify themselves with the good Spirits who, then, come to them more easily. The evocations made at regular times, on fixed days and hours and in the same place, are more favorable to serious manifestations. The Spirits have their occupations, and do not always leave them suddenly.

Does the evoked Spirit come spontaneously, or constrained? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, 8th question.] “He obeys the will of God, that is, the general law that governs the Universe. Nevertheless, the word constrained does not fit the case, since the Spirit judges of the utility of coming, or of refraining from coming. There too he exercises free will.” In attending the evocation, the Spirits obey the necessity of the general order of things, although they remain masters of themselves, according to the degree of their elevation and the utility of the communications that are solicited of them. It is for this that they delay more or less long or postpone their replies.

Is the evocation agreeable or painful for the Spirits? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, 20th question.] “According to the request that is made of them. When the purpose is praiseworthy, the evocation constitutes for them an agreeable and even attractive thing.”

a. Do the Spirits see with pleasure the persons who seek to instruct themselves? “Yes, they are the most esteemed of the good Spirits and obtain from them the means of attaining the truth.”

The Spirits attend the evocation with greater or lesser satisfaction, according to the purpose of those who call them.

For the superior Spirits, it is neither painful nor disagreeable to attend the call each time the end is serious and praiseworthy; far from it! They will attend with pleasure, because they esteem those who seek to instruct themselves by elevating their intelligence toward the infinite.

Is there a need to evoke the Spirits, each time we wish them to manifest themselves? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 22.] “No; frequently they present themselves without being called, and there is the proof that it is by mission that they do so, and not by attaching themselves to the medium.”

a. It is understandable that it be so with relation to those who come to communicate good things; but, as for those who come to say vile things, what is their purpose? “It is still a mission, in order to put your character to the test.”

In written or other manifestations, the Spirits attend at times spontaneously, without a direct call. It concerns, in that case, a mission they come to fulfill, whether to instruct us, or to put us to the test.

In general, the Spirits who manifest themselves without evocation make themselves recognized by some name, whether by the name of one of the most known persons in whom they were incarnated on Earth, or by an allegorical or fanciful name. (Note 11).

Do the superior Spirits seek to direct the futile gatherings to more serious purposes? [The Mediums’ Book, item 231, 3rd question.] “Yes, they try to influence them and give good counsels; but, when they see that they are not heard, they withdraw, leaving to the frivolous Spirits all liberty to amuse themselves at the expense of those who listen to them.”

a. Are the inferior Spirits forbidden to attend the serious gatherings? [The Mediums’ Book, item 231, 4th question.] “No, but they keep silent, in order to take advantage of the teachings that are given to you.”

The superior Spirits keep away from the frivolous gatherings in which caprice, futility, and terrestrial passions predominate, when they recognize that their presence is useless. They then leave the field free to the frivolous Spirits, who are better heard there.

The imperfect Spirits are not excluded from the serious gatherings; they attend them in order to instruct themselves, since progress is a common law; nevertheless, they remain silent in the presence of superior Spirits, like scatterbrained ones in a gathering of sensible persons.

Can the Spirits adorn themselves with a venerated name? “Yes, this happens sometimes, but it is discovered easily. Moreover, they cannot take a venerated name if the good Spirit has supremacy, which is why the evocation is made in the name of God. Walk straight and you will have nothing to fear.”

a. Can we oblige the Spirits to identify themselves or to withdraw? “Yes, all bow before the name of God.”

b. How can the identity of the Spirits who present themselves be ascertained? [The Mediums’ Book, items 255 to 261.] “Study their language, and the circumstances will make you recognize them.”

The imperfect Spirits sometimes take venerated names, whether out of malice, or to deceive good faith and induce more surely to error; they cannot, however, sustain their role for long. The character of their replies soon makes us discover the deception, leaving no doubt about the nature of the Spirit who presents himself.

Moreover, whoever he may be, the Spirit cannot refuse to reveal his true name, nor to withdraw, in case he is summoned to do so in the name of God, since all bow before that fearful name, when invoked with fervor.

When the evocation is made in a general manner and without special designation, which Spirit presents himself? “The one who is nearest to you at the moment, or the one who has the most sympathy for you.”

When the evocation is made in a general manner and without special designation, the Spirit who attends is the one who is nearest to you at that moment or who has the most sympathy for the center in which the evocation is made.

Can the Spirit who is accustomed to present himself to certain persons cease to attend? “Yes.”

a. What cause can prevent him from coming? “His will, if he notes that his presence is useless; he may, also, be occupied elsewhere, or, again, not have permission to answer the call at that moment.”

The Spirit who habitually comes to be near certain persons may at times cease to come, whether in a definitive manner, or for a more or less long time. This may be the effect of his will, or of his need to be elsewhere, or, again, because he does not have permission to come at that moment.

Can the pure Spirits, that is, those who have already finished the series of their incarnations, be evoked? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 31.] “Yes, they are the superior and blessed Spirits; but, they only communicate with men of pure and sincere heart and not with the proud and selfish. For this very reason, one must mistrust the inferior Spirits who take their name.”

a. Can we evoke the Spirit of our relatives and friends and enter into communication with them? [The Mediums’ Book, item 274.] “Yes, and when they are happy, they would very much like you to understand that there is no reason whatsoever for you to afflict yourselves over the fact that they are no longer on Earth.”

The possibility of evoking is not circumscribed; it extends to all incorporeal beings, whatever the degree they occupy in the spirit hierarchy: to the pure Spirits as to the inferior Spirits; to the Spirit of our relatives and friends, with whom we can enter into communication; to those of the most illustrious men, as to those of the most obscure, whatever, moreover, may be the antiquity of the existence we attribute to them on Earth or the place of the Universe they inhabit, because, for the Spirits, time and space are effaced before the infinite.

How can the Spirits, dispersed through the different worlds, hear the evocations that are made to them from all points of the Universe, and be always ready to attend instantaneously to our call? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, 5th question.] “The familiar Spirits who surround us go out in search of those you evoke and bring them when these can come, because always ready is not the term, seeing that not always do those whom you evoke have the possibility of coming; and, then, in case they are incarnated, the needs of their bodies may retain them, which is why they do not always attend you immediately, leaving you sooner than you would like.”

a. Taking into account that, in a certain way, the familiar Spirits serve as messengers in the evocations, would they exert any influence on the coming of the evoked ones? “Without doubt; they bring more easily those who are sympathetic to them and, when they are imperfect, they cannot sympathize with the superior Spirits.” Not always do the evoked Spirits attend to our call immediately, seeing that they are not constantly at our side; but our familiar Spirits, who always accompany us, go in search of them. The evoked Spirits may be incarnated or occupied; their coming is often postponed, because they need some time to detach themselves and cannot always leave suddenly what they are doing. This is the reason why evocations on fixed days and hours are preferable, because the Spirits, being forewarned, remain prepared, and also because they esteem and recommend punctuality. The evoked Spirits attend with greater or lesser pleasure, according to the sympathy that the Spirit who evokes them inspires in them. They judge the evoker by the qualities of his messenger, which is why the persons whose character attracts imperfect Spirits enter more difficultly into relation with superior Spirits.

How is it explained that the Spirit of the most illustrious men attends with such ease and familiarity to the call of the most obscure men? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 32.] “Men judge the Spirits according to themselves, which is an error. After the death of the body, they are no more some than the others; only the good are superior and these go everywhere there is a good that they can do.” There is no reason whatsoever for us to be astonished to see the Spirit of the most illustrious personages of the Earth attend the evocation of the humblest mortals. When they leave the Earth, they are stripped of any and all worldly greatness; the one who was the greatest man in this world may come to be very small in the world of the Spirits, for, in such a world, only virtue confers superiority; if they are good, they will come for the good.

Can the Spirit evoked at the same time in many places reply simultaneously to the questions that are addressed to him? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, 30th question.] “He replies first to the one who evokes him in the first place or to the one who possesses more virtue. Often he is capable of replying at the same time, if the two evocations are as serious and fervent the one as the other; then, there is still a mystery: it is that, by design of the divine Providence, such evocations almost always have the same finality, and the same reply may serve both, and be heard by both.” Evoked at the same time in several different places, the Spirit replies first to the person who evokes him first or to the one who possesses more virtue, or also to the one whose fervor is greater and whose finality is more useful; he postpones the other to a determined time; but he can also reply simultaneously to several evocations, if the purpose is identical. The more pure and elevated he is, the more his mind radiates and expands like the light. It is like a spark that projects its brightness far off and can be perceived from all points of the horizon.

Can we evoke several Spirits with a view to the same purpose? “Yes; if there is sympathy among them, they will act in accord and will have more force.”

a. When several Spirits are evoked simultaneously, which is the one who replies? [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 28.] “One of them replies for all.”

We can evoke simultaneously several Spirits to concur to the same end. Those who attend to that collective appeal are Spirits sympathetic to one another. In this case, one of them will reply in the name of all, as if it were the expression of the collective thought.

How is it explained that two Spirits evoked simultaneously and speaking through two different mediums can exchange hostile words between themselves? Should they not be above such weaknesses? “The inferior Spirits are subject to your passions, and when they do not sympathize with one another, they may engage in disputes. Frequently, however, you judge that it is we who dispute, when it is you who do so; often, when you persist excessively and do not let us speak suitably, we keep silent; in that case, the mischievous Spirits, or even your own, remain disputing. That is all.” Two Spirits evoked simultaneously can reply each through a different medium and establish between themselves a conversation on a determined subject. The character of the talk corresponds to the degree of superiority of the Spirits or to the sympathy that exists between them. It will be grave and instructive if they are equally superior and animated by the same thought for the good. Otherwise, or according to the influence that the soul of the medium or of the assistants may exert upon the communications, the discussion may take on a passionate character, characterized by an exchange of more or less acerbic words. The mastery of the situation, however, always remains with the more elevated Spirit, who constrains the other to keep silent.

Can we evoke the Spirit of a person at the instant of death? “Yes.”

a. Although the separation of the soul and the body occurs instantaneously, 109 does the Spirit have immediately a clear and distinct perception of his new situation? “No; the Spirit needs some time to recognize himself, until he finds himself completely detached from matter.”

The Spirit can be evoked at the very instant of the death of the person he animated; nevertheless, although the separation of the soul and the body takes place instantaneously, it is necessary for him to have some time to detach himself completely from matter and recognize himself. This is the reason why, often, the first replies express a certain confusion of ideas, until the Spirit familiarizes himself with his new situation. (Note 12).

Can we evoke the Spirit of a child who died in tender age? “Yes.”

a. How will it reply to us, if it died at an age in which it had no consciousness of itself? “The soul of the child is a Spirit still wrapped in the swaddling bands of matter; but, freed from matter, it enjoys its faculties of Spirit, because the Spirits have no age.” [The Mediums’ Book, item 282, question 35.]

Upon being evoked, the replies given by the Spirit of a child who died in tender age will be as positive as those of the Spirit of an adult, since there is no age for the Spirits. Freed from the terrestrial ties, it recovers its faculties, whatever the age of the being it may have animated. Nevertheless, until it dematerializes completely, it preserves in its language some traces of the character of infancy.

Can the Spirits incarnated in other worlds manifest themselves? “Yes, and even those who are reincarnated on Earth. The less coarse the matter of their body, the easier it will be for them to detach themselves from it.”

The evoked Spirit may be free, that is, in the state of a wandering Spirit. He may, also, be reincarnated in another globe or in ours. The more elevated his new corporeal existence, the less the Spirit will find himself bound to matter, and the more easily he will communicate with us.

Can the Spirit of a living person be evoked? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 38.] “Yes, seeing that a reincarnated Spirit can be evoked. The Spirit of a living person can also, in his moments of freedom, present himself without being evoked, depending on the sympathy he has for the persons with whom he communicates.”

a. In what state is the body of the person whose Spirit is evoked? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 39.] “It sleeps or dozes; it is when the Spirit is free.”

b. What does the Spirit do when the body awakens? “He is forced to enter his body; it is then that he leaves you and almost always tells you the reason for it.” (Note 13).

The Spirit of a living person, present or absent, can communicate, whether spontaneously, or by evocation, and reply through the intermediation of the medium to the questions that are addressed to him. Such communication only takes place in the moments in which the Spirit enjoys a certain freedom, that is, during the sleep of the body. It may occur spontaneously, when the Spirit already finds himself almost detached, or else when God grants him this faculty, with a view to the transmission of a teaching. If the evocation is made in a waking state, it provokes sleep, or at least the prostration of the physical and intellectual forces.

Does a living person have consciousness of having been evoked? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 44.] “No; you yourselves are so more frequently than you think.”

a. Who could evoke us, if we are beings so obscure? “In other existences, you may have been known personages in this world or in others; moreover, you also have your relatives and friends in this world and in others. Let us suppose that your Spirit animated the body of the father of another person. Well then! When that person evokes the Spirit of his father, it is your Spirit that will be evoked and that will reply.”

b. When evoked, does the Spirit of a living person reply as a Spirit or with the ideas of the waking state? “This depends on his elevation; he judges, however, in a more sensible manner and has fewer biases, absolutely like the somnambulists; it is a similar state.”

c. Could the ideas of the normal state be modified, by acting upon the Spirit?

“Yes, sometimes.”

Upon being evoked, a living person replies as she herself would do directly; nevertheless, in such a state, her Spirit is no longer subject to matter by ties so intimate, although remaining always under the influence of the terrestrial passions. It is for this that he can judge things with more rectitude and with fewer biases, being able even, up to a certain point, to become accessible to the impressions that they wish to make him undergo, impressions which, when he finds himself in his normal state, may influence his manner of seeing. The living person evoked, when in her normal state, has no consciousness of the fact; only her Spirit knows it. Nevertheless, it may leave a vague impression of it, like that of a dream.

The Spirit radiates itself at times toward the place of the evocation without leaving the body; in this case, the evoked person may maintain all the faculties of her life of relation, or preserve part of them. If she is present, she can interrogate her own Spirit and reply to herself.

Does the evocation of a living person have any drawback? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 53.] “Yes, for it is not always free from danger; it will depend on the circumstances in which the evoked person finds herself, because, if she is ill, the evocation may increase her sufferings.”

a. Since we can be evoked without our knowledge, are we, perchance, exposed to permanent danger, and are certain sudden deaths not due to this cause? “No; the circumstances are not the same.”

Not always is the evocation of a living person free from drawbacks. The abrupt suspension of her intellectual faculties could offer her danger if, at that moment, she needed all her presence of mind. Moreover, if she is debilitated by age, or by maladies, her sufferings may be increased with the loosening of the ties that unite the soul to the body.

If we evoke a person whose fate is unknown to us, can we know from her herself whether she still exists? [The Mediums’ Book, item 292, question 23.] “Yes.”

a. If she has died, can she relate the circumstances of her death? [The Mediums’ Book, item 292, question 23 a.] “Yes; if she gives some importance to it, she will be able to do so. Otherwise, she will trouble herself little about it.”

From the possibility of evoking a living person follows that of evoking another whose whereabouts are unknown to us, and of thus knowing from her herself whether she still finds herself in this world. The information that her Spirit furnishes us keeps relation with the importance that he attributes to the things of the Earth.

Is the evoked Spirit of a living person free to say what he wishes? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 48.] “Yes; he has his faculties of Spirit and, consequently, his free will.”

a. If the person knows that she has been evoked, can her will influence the replies of her Spirit? “Yes.”

b. If the evocation is made without her knowledge, will the will of the evoked person exert any influence? “The Spirit only says what he wishes.”

c. In view of this, could one not oblige an evoked person to say what she did not wish to speak? [The Mediums’ Book, item 284, question 49.] “No, unless the individual himself wishes it.”

When the living person has knowledge of the evocation at the exact moment in which it occurs, her will can dictate the replies transmitted by the medium. If, on the contrary, the evocation is made without her knowledge, the replies, being spontaneous, may express the real thought of the individual, in case he has no interest in disguising it. The Spirit always preserves his free will and will only say what he wishes to say; since, however, he has more perspicacity, he acts with more caution than in the waking state. We would labor in error if we claimed, by mere abuse, to wrest from someone a secret that he wishes to keep. (Note 14).

Could two persons, who evoked each other reciprocally, correspond, transmitting from one to the other their thoughts? [The Mediums’ Book, item 285, question 58.] “Yes, and this human telegraphy will one day be a universal means of correspondence.”

a. Why cannot it be practiced from now on? [The Mediums’ Book, item 285, question 58 a.] “It is already practiced by some persons, but not by all. It is necessary that men purify themselves, so that their Spirits detach themselves from matter, and this constitutes one more reason for the evocation to be made in the name of God.” Two persons who evoked each other mutually could correspond and transmit from one to the other the thoughts, each one on his side, whatever the distance they are from one another.

This human telegraphy will become universal and will one day be the most rapid and most simple means of communication among men, when their Spirits, purifying themselves, are able to isolate themselves from matter more easily. Until then, human telegraphy will remain circumscribed to the souls of the elect.

[105] Translator’s Note: As he announced in the “Notice” that serves as preface to the 2nd edition of The Spirits’ Book, Allan Kardec judged it good to suppress from the 1st edition of The Spirits’ Book the teaching relative to the spirit manifestations properly speaking, and to mediums in general — the object of this chapter — since they constitute, in a certain way, a distinct part of the philosophy, requiring special study in a separate volume, a measure that was carried out in 1861, with the publication of The Mediums’ Book. It is for this reason that we insert, in the present chapter, some references to that book, so that the reader may compare them with the authoritative word of the Spirits of the Codification on the subject ventilated here (mediumship). [106] Translator’s Note: The same as impressionable mediums.

[107] Translator’s Note: In The Mediums’ Book, item 288.5, this reply is more comprehensive: “For both these causes. There are things that cannot be revealed and others that the Spirit himself does not know.”

[108] Translator’s Note: This reply is much more comprehensive in The Mediums’ Book, as may be inferred from this small excerpt: “Science is the work of genius. It must only be acquired through work, for it is only through work that man advances on his path. What merit would he have if it sufficed him merely to interrogate the Spirits? At that price, any imbecile could become learned. The same occurs with industrial inventions and discoveries [...].” [109] Translator’s Note: “instantaneously” is not quite the term. See question 155 a, of the definitive edition of The Spirits’ Book.

[110] Translator’s Note: Later, Allan Kardec modified the wording of this question, so as to make it more understandable. In the definitive edition of The Mediums’ Book it is conceived thus: “Could the ideas of a person in a waking state be modified, by acting upon his Spirit during sleep?”