Example 5 - XUMÈNE.

— Under this name, a Spirit presents itself spontaneously to the medium, who is accustomed to this kind of manifestation, for her mission seems to be that of assisting the inferior Spirits brought to her by her spiritual guide, with the twofold purpose of her own instruction and their progress.

Who are you? Is this name that of a man or of a woman? — A. Of a man, and one as unhappy as possible.

I suffer all the torments of hell.

But if hell does not exist, how can you suffer its tortures? — A. A useless question. 2 — I understand, but others need explanations… — A. That troubles me little.

Might not egoism be one of the causes of your suffering? — A. It may be.

— If you wish to be relieved, begin by repudiating your evil tendencies… — A. Do not trouble yourself with what is none of your concern; begin by praying for me, as you do for others, and then we shall see. 2 — If you do not assist me with your repentance, prayer can have little value. — A. But by talking instead of praying, you will help me even less.

Then you wish to advance? — A. Perhaps… I do not know. Let us see the essential thing, that is, whether prayer relieves suffering. 2 — Let us then unite our thoughts with the firm will to obtain your relief. — A. Very well.

(After a prayer by the medium.) Are you satisfied? — A. Not as much as one might wish. 2 — But the remedy, applied for the first time, cannot immediately cure an old ailment… — A. That is possible… 2 — Do you wish to return? — A. If you call me…

— The guide of the medium: Daughter, you will have much labor with this hardened Spirit, but the greatest merit does not come from saving those who are not lost. Courage, perseverance, and you will triumph at last.

There are no guilty ones who cannot be regenerated by means of persuasion and example, since Spirits, however perverse, end by correcting themselves with time; 3 the fact that it is often impossible to regenerate them promptly does not mean that such efforts are useless.

Even against their will, the ideas suggested to such Spirits make them reflect. They are like seeds which, sooner or later, must bear fruit. One does not shatter the stone with the first blow of the mallet.

What I tell you may also be applied to the incarnate, and you must understand why Spiritism does not immediately make men perfect, even among the most believing adepts.

Belief is the first step; faith comes next and then transformation in its turn; but, beyond this, it is necessary that many come to be reinvigorated in the spiritual world.

Among the hardened Spirits there are not only the perverse and the wicked. Great is the number of those who, without doing evil, remain stationary out of pride, indifference, or apathy.

These are no less unhappy for that, for their inertia afflicts them all the more as they see themselves deprived of worldly compensations. The prospect of the infinite becomes, to be sure, intolerable to them, yet they have neither the strength nor the will to break with this situation.

We refer to those individuals who lead an idle existence, useless to themselves as to their neighbor, often ending in suicide, without serious motives, out of weariness of life.

As a rule, such Spirits are less susceptible of immediate regeneration than those who are positively wicked, since the latter at least possess energy, and, once instructed, devote themselves to good with the same ardor that evil inspired in them.

As for the others, many incarnations are needed for them to progress, and this little by little; overcome by tedium, as the others are by suffering, they seek out, in order to divert themselves, some occupation which later comes to be transformed into a necessity.