New Year's wishes from a Spiritist of Leipzig

A Spiritist of Leipzig had the following message printed in German, the translation of which we have the pleasure of giving.

MY WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THE SPIRITISTS AND SPIRITUALISTS OF LEIPZIG.

To you also who call yourselves materialists, because you wish to know only matter, I would be tempted to send my wishes for happiness, but I fear you would regard this as an effrontery from a stranger who has no right to be counted among you.

It is different with the spiritualists, who stand on the same ground as the Spiritists, as regards the immortality of the soul, its individuality, and its happy or unhappy state after death. Spiritualists and Spiritists alike recognize in every man a soul that is sister to their own, and for this reason they give me the right to send them my wishes. Both alike give thanks to the Lord for the year that has just passed and hope that, sustained by His grace, they may have the courage to bear the trial of unlucky days and the strength to work at their own improvement, subduing the evil passions.

To you, dear Spiritists, brothers and sisters known and unknown, I particularly wish a happy year, because you have received from God, for your earthly pilgrimage, a great support in Spiritism. Religion came to bring faith to all, and blessed are those who have kept it. Unfortunately, it is extinguished in a great number; this is why God sends a new weapon to combat unbelief, pride, and egoism, which are taking on ever greater proportions. That new weapon is communication with the Spirits; through it we have faith, because it gives us the certainty of the life of the soul and allows us to cast a glance into the other life; we thus recognize the vanity of earthly happiness, and we have the solution to the difficulties that made us doubt everything, even the existence of God. Jesus said to His disciples: “I would still have many things to tell you, but you could not bear them.” Today, Humanity having progressed, it can understand them. This is why God has given us the science of Spiritism, and the proof that Humanity is ripe for this science is that this science exists. It is useless to deny and to mock, as it was formerly useless to deny and to mock the facts advanced by Copernicus and Galileo. At that time these facts were as little known as those of the world of the Spirits are now. As in former times, the first opponents are the learned, until the day when, seeing themselves isolated, they will humbly acknowledge that the new discoveries, like steam, electricity, and magnetism, which were formerly unknown, are not the last word of the laws of Nature. They will be answerable before future generations for not having welcomed the new science as a sister of the others, and for having repelled it as madness. It is true that it teaches nothing new in proclaiming the life of the soul, for Christ already spoke of it; but Spiritism removes all doubts and casts a new light on this question. Nevertheless, let us beware of regarding the teachings of Christianity as useless, and of believing them replaced by Spiritism; on the contrary, let us strengthen ourselves at the source of the Christian truths, for which Spiritism is but a new torch, so that our intelligence and our pride may not lead us astray. Spiritism teaches us, above all, that “Without love and charity, there is no happiness,” that is, that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. Supporting itself on this Christian truth, it opens the way to the realization of this word of Christ: “One fold and one shepherd.” Thus, then, dear Spiritist brothers and sisters, allow me to add to my wishes for the New Year this prayer as well: That you may never abuse the power of communication with the spiritual world. Let us not forget that, according to the law on which our relations with the Spirits rest, the wicked are not excluded from the communications. If it is difficult to establish the identity of a Spirit whom we do not know, it is easy to distinguish the good from the wicked. The latter may hide themselves under the mask of hypocrisy, but a good Spiritist always recognizes them; this is why we must not occupy ourselves with these things frivolously, because we may become the plaything of wicked, though intelligent, Spirits, such as are sometimes found in the world of the incarnate. If we compare our communications with those obtained in the gatherings of fervent and sincere Spiritists, we shall soon know how to recognize whether we are on the good path. The elevated Spirits make themselves known by their language, which is the same everywhere, always in accordance with the Gospel and human reason. The means of preserving oneself from the wicked Spirits is, first of all, to make a sincere prayer to God; secondly, never to employ Spiritism for material things. The wicked Spirits are always ready to satisfy all requests and, though they sometimes say just things, they generally deceive, whether intentionally or through ignorance, because the inferior Spirits know no more than they knew in their earthly existence. The good Spirits, on the contrary, help us in our efforts to better ourselves and make known to us the spiritual life, so that we may assimilate it to our own. Such is the goal toward which all sincere Spiritists must tend. Adolf, Count Poninski.

Leipzig, January 1, 1868.