The reason for the antipathies we suffer on Earth

Laughing Fool, J. Cornelisz van Oostsanen (circa 1500). Source: Wikipedia.

(...) A wrong-doing, misguided spirit feels hostile towards anyone who can see into its inner nature. When it meets such a person for the first time, it unconsciouly anticipates that person's disapproaval. Its aversion then changes into hatred or jealously and inspires it with a desire to do that person harm. A good spirit, on the other hand, feels discomfort and the need to keep a certain distance, knowing it will be met with contempt because of the difference in feelings and attitudes. But strong in its own superiority, it will neither hate nor feel jealously towards the other. It will feel compassion for the person. (A. Kardec, "The Spirits Book" [1], answer to Question 391.)

Translation from the original post in Portuguese: A razão das antipatias que sofremos na Terra. Link (2024): https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-razao-das-antipatias-que-sofremos-na.html

Spiritist knowledge encompasses more than only the study of spiritist manifestations or the mechanisms that connect the spirit and the perispirit. This study, which is still in its early stages, allows us to objectively grasp a variety of effects, both positive and negative, that we encounter throughout our lives. 

This knowledge is founded on the new vision that revelation provides, particularly of the true reason for human life. True, modern psychology provides processes and makes recommendations on how we should behave mentally in our daily lives. However, the revelation of the Spirits provides additional components that allow us to absorb these recommendations more sensibly. Every psychological treatment is evidently rational in the sense that it aims to improve life and restore happiness and calm. However, any and all new teachings that contribute to this goal should be similarly encouraged. Knowing your reason for existing and your ultimate goal is the most important life lesson you can learn.

The causes of the sympathies, but mainly, antipathies that we face in life are well described in Chapter VII of the 2nd Part of "The Spirits' Book". Still inspired by the difficulties of the "Return of the Spirit to Bodily Life" (Chapter VII), an entire section is dedicated to "earthly sympathy and antipathy." It is vital to note that there is nothing intrinsically bad or good about two Spirits feeling, say, reciprocal hostility. This is extremely evident in the response to Question 390:

Spirits do not necessarily have bad natures because they are not well attuned. The antipathy may spring from a dissimilarity in their way of thinking. But as the spirits evolve, these differences fade away; and aversions disappear.

As a result of this independence, antipathy does not originate initially in the spirit of lower nature: "It may begin simultaneously on the part of both" states the beginning of question 391, the second part of which we can read at the beginning of this post. Although the antipathy is mutual, it produces various responses in each Spirit.

In the lower spirit, it exacerbates pre-existing feelings of envy, wrath, and the "desire to do evil". As a result, even though the feeling is reciprocal, the lowest part almost always takes the lead in regrettable behavior, persecution, insult, or slander, acts that, if not restrained, are the root cause of many crimes that we see every day in many newspapers.

"My mother doesn't like me" or dislikes in the family.

A superficial reading of the issue we study here could lead us to believe that the spirits were merely referring to 'fortuitous' antipathies we meet in our lives, such as difficulties between friends or at work. However, the hardest lesson for incarnated spirits is having to endure hostility within their own family. Because, as a result of the spirits' teaching, a mother, father, or children have no intrinsic or genetic responsibility to love each other if they are unsympathetic spirits.

Many may be shocked by these conclusions, but the sense of revolt is, in fact, a result of cultural preconceptions and what is considered 'normal', rather than the hidden reality of the greater life that is well demonstrated in specific cases. In fact, the rules of affinity between spirits and their past lives explain many of the conflicts that occur among families. Many people ask why, but the explanation is well given. We emphasize that such spirits can be antipathetic toward each other but not necessarily wicked.

However, it makes no difference what color, culture, familial ties, or education a person has if they engage in acts such as racism, bullying, systematic persecution for useless reasons, and so on. They will always be proof of their spirits' inferior nature, which will be corrected in the future. On the other hand, it is far preferable for parents and children to adhere to the values of respect and fairness despite their personal animosities.

It is also incorrect to believe that our animosity for someone close or distant in our family is exclusively based on past lives. This is frequently claimed among Spiritists, but a close reading of the part we reviewed here in [1] yields this logical conclusion, which also applies to affinities:

Two spirits who have affinity may naturally gravitate toe each other, without prior acquaintance as incarnate beings. (Question 387)

Once mutual distaste is acknowledged, each person must strive to prevent disagreements and build a culture of mutual respect. This occurs more naturally among people whose spirits are more developed morally. When antipathy is identified, aversion against the circumstance arises, as does a desire to flee or distance from the other. According to the spirits, this is entirely natural, and the situation fits under the category of "vicissitudes" of life, which are tests that spirits must go through to better control their emotions and develop their personalities.

There is no specific question in "The Spirits' Book" about what occurs when two Spirits achieve equal levels of enlightenment but are antipathetic. However, the response is clearly a logical consequence of the stated premises. Furthermore, the answer to Question 390 states that truly great spirits do not preserve antipathies since they are no longer influenced by inferior passions. Thus, when they grow up spiritually, "antipathy will cease to exist." This is not to say that they do not have antipathies while on a mission on Earth. In fact, this is what happens most of the time since their nature is so distinct from their surroundings.

Antipathies among the less developed spirits

However, there is still the extremely difficult challenge of dealing with the hostility that develops between spirits of lower nature. As long as reason does not intervene and persuade both parties that maintaining the necessary distance is in their best interests, the relationship almost always descends into a downward spiral of feelings, beginning with the abusive practice of unjustified persecution, which can lead to crimes, some of which are hideous. They instigate each other since they can't figure out what's causing the animosity. They thus accumulate debts that can only be repaid in later lives, usually always in even more severe circumstances. Many people who share common lives around these spirits suffer greatly or develop into actual adversarial groups or avowed foes.

Detail of "Christ carrying the cross" by Hieronymus Bosch (1490).

Unable to understand the source of the concealed antipathy - whether due to a lack of natural affinity or shared acknowledgment of causes in the past - the escalation of evil that fuels spirits' antipathies can only be counterbalanced by forgiveness of offenses. This is the most difficult lesson that spirits still attached to evil must learn: forgive the faults and failings of those who show themselves as opponents.

It's probable to imagine that they'll keep fighting until they reach the stage of discernment. Personal interests bind them together in the crucible of frivolous feelings. They are unable to forgive, so they punish their opponents. By doing so they reap disappointments and sorrow for an extended amount of time while experiencing brief happiness that fires their sensations at the time even more. There is no turning back until the anguish caused by this corrodes all courage to do evil and gives birth to light in the soul. Repentance precedes forgiveness since the spirit gradually realizes that the old method of acting does not satisfy it anymore. The spirit's inner being becomes a vast field of regeneration. Here and there, however, it will still encounter its antipathies, from which, now redeemed, it will try to evade in peace.

This will continue until the spirit is totally changed in its psychological structure and becomes so morally solid that nothing can upset it. Then it will have attained true salvation.

Societies, like spirits, evolve by recognizing the source of evil and systematically rejecting it. But that's a topic for a future post.

Reference

[1] A. Kardec. The Spirit's Book. Citations in this texts follow the published version by: Allan Kardec Educational Society. (1996). ISBN 0-9649907-0-9

Near-death experiences: considerations on recent conventional explanations

In the ecstatic state, the obliteration of the physical body is almost complete. The body no longer possesses anything beyond organic life. The soul is held by a single thread, which would rupture forever with only a small effort. In such a state, all earthly thoughts disappear, replaced by perceptions that constitute the very essence of the immaterial being. Absorbed completely in this sublime contemplation, the soul views earthly life as only a temporary stay. The successes and misfortunes of the material world, its gross joys and afflictions, appear as so many trifling incidents on a journey, the end of which the soul feels lucky to glimpse. 

(A. Kardec, "The Spirit's Book, Chapter IX, "The liberation of the soul".)   

Translation from the original post in Portuguese: Experiências de quase-morte: considerações sobre explicações convencionais recentes.. Link (2024): https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2022/09/experiencias-de-quase-morte.html

We received a proposal to publicize more recent NDEs (or "near-death experiences"). What has changed since our first texts [1] on the subject? Many such experiences were reported throughout time. Readers can visit websites like the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS), its specialized Journal of Near-Death Studies, or the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF). These sites are dedicated to collecting and studying near-death experience stories systematically.

From 2012 to 2022, what did the academic community say about the subject? The term "academic community" might refer to people who do not agree with some of the pioneering researchers on the subject, such as R. Moody, S. Parnia [3], or Dr. Bruce Greyson [4]. These researchers contributed to the mainstream media's coverage of these events. They highlight the atypical nature of NDE reports, including the fact that they "suggest" the continuation of life after death.

A discussion has naturally developed between advocates of the "survivalist" hypothesis (suggesting the experiences reveal a deeper reality beyond life) and others who deny this. Examples of opinions in this last direction can be found in [2], [2b], [5], [6], and [7]. This is apparently reasonable because there is no comprehensive theory of consciousness, which is seen as a result of brain activity. According to the majority of academics, NDEs are simply normal brain reactions in times of life's perils, similar to the phenomenon of "thanatosis" in insects.

The lack of a theory of consciousness

Problems begin with the appropriate definitions of "brain death." This definition is fundamental to understanding the phenomenon since everyone who reported the experience survived. In other words, the brain was not actually "dead", despite the cardiac arrest.

To gain an understanding of the current uncertainty, we must evaluate considerable research mapping brain areas and their associations with core cognitive functions. Such functions are considered to be "generated" or "processed" in highly specific regions of the brain. This is equivalent to arguing that the brain tissue in these locations is responsible for cognitive operations. This idea, however, is undercut by the concept of "brain plasticity" in patients who have severe damage to specific sections of the brain yet have little effect on their cognitive behavior. Plasticity is described as the "capacity of the brain to alter its structure and function" [8]. Given this, what actually drives cognitive functions? Instead of focusing on specific regions and tissues, the explanation requires acknowledging that the brain as a whole is the source, rendering mapping somewhat unnecessary from a fundamental standpoint. In summary: the phenomenon itself is regarded as the cause.

The "complexity" of the connections between the billions and billions of neurons that make up the brain makes it even more difficult to identify the root cause. This complexity would be the source, according to the current explanation, with the variety, richness, and multiplicity of conscious experiences the result of an organization that is inaccessible on a tiny scale. Any explanation is possible, but such an idea may impose severe obstacles to the correct understanding of NDE.

These methodological challenges can be seen in one of the first studies to appear to fully record brain activity following a death. As detailed in [9], it was only completed in 2022. There are obvious practical and ethical challenges, such as securing family permission to do scientific research on a loved member who has been diagnosed with an irreversible clinical disease and is about to die.

Current conventional opinion

Reference [2b] summarizes the mood among defenders of conventional explanations. The author considers:

I accept the reality of these intensely felt experiences. They are as authentic as any other subjective feeling or perception. As a scientist, however, I operate under the hypothesis that all our thoughts, memories, percepts and experiences are an ineluctable consequence of the natural causal powers of our brain rather than of any supernatural ones. That premise has served science and its handmaiden, technology, extremely well over the past few centuries. Unless there is extraordinary, compelling, objective evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to abandon this assumption.

There is certainly a problem with the perception of causation here. Survival is described as a "supernatural experience" without clarifying what this entails: would a break from the natural order be required in the survival theory? Furthermore, it is obvious that the brain filters all NDE experiences, just as it does with normal cognitive experiences. Nonetheless, the latter are given the property of "reality" that exists independently of brain "recreation". However, standard brain explanations fail to explain how this is possible. It makes no difference, neurologically speaking, whether "the brain sees an external light bulb on" or "imagines seeing a light bulb" (the same brain regions are involved in perceiving and imagining something).

This passage in [2] summarizes the usual explanation, which lacks any reference information from external reality:

Not surprisingly, many have seized on NDEs as evidence of life after death, heaven and the existence of god. The descriptions of leaving the body and blissful unity with the universal seem almost scripted from religious beliefs about souls leaving the body at death and ascending toward heavenly bliss. But these experiences are shared across a broad range of cultures and religions so it’s not likely that they are all reflections of specific religious expectations. Instead, that commonality suggests that NDEs might arise from something more fundamental than religious or cultural expectations. Perhaps NDEs reflect changes in how the brain functions as we approach death.

In short, the consistency and uniformity of reports are linked to a "generalized religious belief" that is the result of common events in the brain. The universality of experience stems from the universal biology of what happens in the dying brain.

The objectivity, and convincingness of NDEs must be sought in the character of the independent "external reality" that some reports demonstrate and which defies conventional explanations.

The link between NDEs and external reality

It is quite clear that if NDEs continue to be "meaningful, lived experiences" for those who experience them, nevertheless, they will remain as indistinguishable as "normal" fantasy states as well. This significant and profound feature is irrelevant to the conventional view of the mind as a product of the brain. Whatever you imagine or experience will always be a private experience, and hence a fantasy created by brain neurons.

But is it exactly what NDEs report? The current interest of neuroscientists in NDE cases often goes far away from previous reports in the specialized literature on "true NDEs" [10]. This term refers to NDEs in which patients describe exterior world events that they would be unable to know in their current state and body position. There are other recorded examples, one of which has already been described here [10b].  However, it is often the case many academic opinions simply dismiss such examples as "pure fiction".

Stripp argues in a recent paper [11] that the academic community purposely ignores accounts of authentic NDEs in conformity with the mainstream "reductionist bias". Stripp accurately considers the "ontological and epistemological fallacies" linked with NDEs [12]:

Such a statement is based on ontological materialistic assumptions. These are assumptions that the authors fail to mention or discuss, leading to a circular reasoning fallacy: since everything is only biology, NDEs have a biological purpose. I am not arguing against a commonality among all humans but suggesting that commonality may not necessarily amass solely to the biological components constituting the human body. We simply do not know all that ties us together. Furthermore, pure objectivity is, in many views, impossible, as there will always be some subjectivity and human decision in all research. Also, this subjectivity introduces a bias that one should reflect critically upon. Even the most common axioms of science are human constructs and should be treated as such.

In other words, when truly veridic evidence is supplied, the reports are not deemed sufficiently "objective" to warrant "academic credit" under the ostensible need for objectivity. However, this is irreconcilable with the very nature of the phenomenon being examined.

This lack of deference is carefully chosen so that only narratives that fit the dominant materialist viewpoint are reported to make sense. Many conventional methodologies, as a result, wind up focusing just on parts of the phenomenon that appear to be well explained by what researchers believe from the start. For example, reducing NDEs to "drug-induced hallucinations" is one strategy for deconstructing the reports' rich phenomenology [12]. Some researchers [13] have condemned this approach, which cannot be called scientific.

This situation, in our opinion, is regrettable from a "scientific" viewpoint, but completely understandable. It will be impossible to promote a change in academic thought without doing comprehensive studies on NDE experiences.  In fact, what will be most "extraordinary" to accomplish is a complete shift of thinking about the subject. Because these are data that must be "collected in passing" (as Kardec would say), it will be extremely difficult to establish any form of rigorous control over their frequency, occurrence, and assessment. It would be analogous to attempting to fully understand sporadic events that occur on a huge scale in nature in closed laboratories. Despite attempts to fit NDE events into preconceived notions and mental disorders, they present and will always supply very persuasive evidence of the truth of life's survival.

References

[1] Reflexões sobre o contexto de experiências de quase-morte: artigo de Michael Nahm (2011). https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2012/11/reflexoes-sobre-o-contexto-de.html

[2] R. Martone (2019). "New Clues Found in Understanding Near-Death Experiences".https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-clues-found-in-understanding-near-death-experiences/

[2b] C. Koch (2020). What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about the Brain. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-near-death-experiences-reveal-about-the-brain/

[3] What Happens When We Die (Dr. Sam Parnia): https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2011/11/livro-iii-o-que-acontece-quando.html

[4] Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/our-research/near-death-experiences-ndes/

[5] Evrard, R., Pratte, E., & Rabeyron, T. (2022). Sawing the branch of near‐death experience research: A critical analysis of Parnia et al.’s paper. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[6] Hannah Flynn (2022). When are we really dead? New study sheds light. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/when-are-we-really-dead-new-study-sheds-light

[7] Martial, C., Gosseries, O., Cassol, H., & Kondziella, D. (2022). Studying death and near-death experiences requires neuroscientific expertise. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/293819/1/comment%20on%20parnia%20et%20al_final.pdf

[8] Kolb, B., & Whishaw, I. Q. (1998). Brain plasticity and behavior. Annual review of psychology, 49(1), 43-64.

[9] Vicente, R., Rizzuto, M., Sarica, C., Yamamoto, K., Sadr, M., Khajuria, T., ... & Zemmar, A. (2022). Enhanced interplay of neuronal coherence and coupling in the dying human brain. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 80.

[10] Ring, K., & Lawrence, M. (1993). Further evidence for veridical perception during near-death experiences. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 11(4), 223-229.

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Madelaine-Lawrence/publication/226754118_Further_evidence_for_veridical_perception_during_near-death_experiences/links/0fcfd513923c05c0e5000000/Further-evidence-for-veridical-perception-during-near-death-experiences.pdf

[10b] Experimentum crucis: EQMs em pessoas cegas.https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2013/04/experimentum-crucis-eqms-em-pessoas.html

[11] Stripp, T. K. (2022). Near-death experiences and the importance of transparency in subjectivity, ontology and epistemology. Brain Communications, 4(1), fcab304.

[12] Van Lommel, P. (2011). Near‐death experiences: the experience of the self as real and not as an illusion. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1234(1), 19-28.

[13] Moreira-Almeida, A., Costa, M. D. A., & Coelho, H. S. (2022). Cultural Barriers to a Fair Examination of the Available Evidence for Survival. In Science of Life After Death (pp. 73-77). Springer, Cham.

The mediumship of Orlando Noronha

  

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” – Albus Dumbledore

Psychography is a phenomenon of extraordinary versatility. As Kardec [1] points out, this variety of mediumshp:

It is definitely the simplest, easiest, and most comfortable mode of communication because it requires no preparation and, like regular writing, lends itself to the most comprehensive advances...

This versatility has yet to be fully explored. The tremendous amount of information gleaned from mediumship writings of mediums like Chico Xavier and Divaldo Franco is proof of this statement. If other types of mediumship had nearly vanished (as in the case of physical effects, materializations, and so on), psychography would not face the same fate, fulfilling Kardec's prediction. Orlando Noronha Carneiro is an example of a modern medium that has been able to "channel" (as many would say) hundreds of psychographed letters containing private messages. "Private letters" differ from general-purpose psychographic essays. The latter provides general information that is of interest to the majority. In the former, however, the material is usually directed toward individuals and their private interests. The purpose of these letters channeled by mediums such as Divaldo, Chico, and Orlando is to alleviate family members' grieving by providing information that only close relatives can identify. These family members promptly identify the deceased in the letters, and their suffering is significantly alleviated.

Orlando Noronha.

Orlando is from Osasco (State of S. Paulo/Brazil) and started his voluntary work in the Spiritist Movement around 1980. During visits to the medium Chico Xavier, he informed Orlando that he would continue the work of writing family letters through mediumship. Most information about Orlando's psychographic letters can be obtained on various YouTube channels, the most important one is Mensagens de Luz (Messages of Light) [2], which posts videos of hundreds of messages read by the medium in front of the bereaved family. A recent interview with the medium can be found here [3].

The Portas do Amor (Gates of Love) website (https://www.portasdoamor.com.br/) provides information and Orlando's in-person agenda for the year. Videos from this site can also be watched on YouTube at [5].

Gabriel's case

The videos made available to this date (2024) are amazing in terms of quantity and quality, providing relatives with very relevant content. They also represent an important demonstration of how details are given, both in terms of variety and quantity.

The most important information transmitted in the letters is hidden in the pragmatic content (i.e., context-dependent information), which is only understandable to close relatives and is not publicly available. Drawings (particularly in letters of young diseased authors) and signatures are also present. There are numerous quotations of names, including of deceased relatives who are described as receiving the deceased in the hereafter and, in many cases, assisting him in writing the letter (as in the case of children).

Orlando reads Gabriel's message before his parents. 

In a 2018 video [4], the parents of Gabriel, who passed away in May 2018, talk about the letter they received. We summarize their opinion about this as follows: "Everything matched...Everything that was described belongs to Gabriel". According to the parents, the letter revealed facts about their son, including simple family occurrences that were only known to them. Already during their first visit to the medium, the parents were surprised when the medium asked a singer in the psychographic room to sing a song that Gabriel loved.

The letter translated into English [7] is reproduced below along with some of the relevant information, which are numbered:

Daddy friend Ivan, mommy Rose:

With much celebration, I came to tell you that the rainbow (1) is more than just beautiful; it is a bridge that connects heaven and Earth.

The person who greeted me here identified herself as my great-grandmother Joana (2); she is a very nice lady and a grandma from the heart. When I opened my eyes here, I saw the light (3) of this little grandma and followed her into her arms.

I will be eternally grateful to the community who fought alongside me while I was in the ICU. I hadn't come before (4). You are aware that I completed my stage alongside you and my brother Eduardo. Every prayer I received from the community brought me a breeze of peace that calmed me.

Dad and mom, you are the best; you battled beside me. But I had to bring a backpack (5), not for a journey with you, but to climb another mountain, on the side I live on today. I've already chased birds that fly happily around here.

Mom, you are so beatiful (6), you are everything to me, to dad and Eduardo... Follow in faith, no sadness, and jumping and jumping (7) on the rope of life. I'll come back later, but that is all for today. I am fine. Grandma Joana helps me, okay? Kisses for my grandparents. No jealousy, grandpa Luis (8) is my hand extended to all of my grandparents.

Okay? Thank you! From the happy and much better son,

Gabriel Lima Silva. 

As can be seen, to an outsider, the initial reading of the letter does not appear to reveal anything relevant (the narrated facts are quite ordinary, aren't they?), but this drastically changes in the eyes of the deceased's parents:

1. Before Gabriel became ill, the family saw a rainbow in the sky at home, and Gabriel even painted a picture of a rainbow, which his parents kept in the boy's room.
2. Joana, the name of Gabriel's father's grandmother (deceased a long time ago).
3. Shortly before Gabriel passed away, Gabriel's father suggested to the boy, on his deathbed, that he should "follow the light".
4. In her prayers, the mother asked God if her son had gone before his time.
5. Gabriel's father bought him a backpack the week he got sick. Gabriel commented that the backpack actually looked like a suitcase for a trip.
6. Gabriel repeated this phrase to his mother at home all the time before his death.
7. Gabriel loved the trampoline and wanted to practice parkour.
8. This is the name of Rose's father, Gabriel's grandfather.

Thus, we can say that the message is encoded in the letter and can only be decoded by those who share pragmatic or contextual knowledge as family members. There appear to be hundreds of such letters, each with an equal degree of detail, addressed to mourning parents and other relatives. At the end of the sittings, the letters are delivered to these relatives, however, their content may be heard in the referenced videos which help to keep the interest in these "anomalous" letters alive.

The final picture, along with the impression on the faces and sayings of these relatives, attests to the truth of the messages' origins and, as a result, to the survival of life after death.

Kardec on the importance of private messages

It is always relevant to review what Kardec says about the "utility of private evocations", which is in Chapter 25 of "The Book of Mediums" [6]:

Now, the superior spirits are the luminaries of the spirit world; their very elevation places them so far above us that we are frightened by the distance that separates us from them. More bourgeois spirits (allow us this expression) make the circumstances of the new existence in which they find themselves more palpable. In them, the connection between corporeal life and spiritual life is more intimate, we understand it better, because it touches us more closely. By learning with them what they have become, what they think, what men of all conditions and of all characters feel, the good men and the vicious as well, the great and the small, the happy and the unhappy of the century, in a word the men who lived among us, whom we have seen and known, whose real life, virtues and failings we know, we understand their joys and their sufferings, we connect  with them and we draw from them a moral teaching all the more profitable as the relationships between them and us are more intimate. We can more easily put ourselves in the shoes of those who have been our equals than of those we only view through the haze of celestial glory.

A strong scenario emerges as the letters accumulate. We may apply an analogy here. In the first episode of "Harry Potter" (Philosopher's Stone, 1997) written by British writer J.K. Rowling, Harry, the main character, is invited to initiate himself as a wizard at Hogwarts School via a letter sent by special mail employing owls. It turns out that his jealous relatives intercepted the messages. Many missives were intercepted in an attempt to prevent Harry from fulfilling his destiny. But the retaliation that followed from the wizarding world was devastating: thousands of letters piled up at Harry's nasty family's home before he could read at least one. 

This is how private psychographed letters work: if a few messages aren't enough to persuade us of the great truth of life beyond death, what can we say about thousands? Nothing can prevent them from continuing to arrive and pilling up through the hands of dedicated mediums to comfort people mourning their loved ones temporarily moved to the hereafter.

References

All references as available in 2024.

1 -  A. Kardec. Practical Instructions on Spiritist Manifestations, Chapter IV – Different modes of communication, Psychography. Translated from the Portuguese version available at www.ipeak.net. Original in French:

De tous les moyens de communication, c'est, sans contredit, le plus simple, le plus facile et le plus commode, parce qu'il n'exige aucune préparation et qu'il se prête, comme l'écriture courante, aux développements les plus étendus. Nous y reviendrons en parlant des médiums.

2 - https://www.youtube.com/@MensagensdeLuz-Oficial/videos 

3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2cynPgcbUM 

4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooFoPSfAEuw&t=41s 

5 - https://www.youtube.com/@PortasdoAmorOrlandoNC  

6 - A. Kardec. The Medium's Book. Second part - Spiritist manifestations, Chapter XXV - Evocations. The usefulness of particular evocations. Translated from the original in French available at www.ipeak.net:

Or, les Esprits supérieurs sont les sommités du monde spirite; leur élévation même les place tellement au-dessus de nous que nous sommes effrayés de la distance qui nous en sépare.  Des Esprits plus bourgeois (qu'on nous passe cette expression), nous rendent plus palpables les circonstances de leur nouvelle existence. Chez eux, la liaison entre la vie corporelle et la vie spirite est plus intime, nous la comprenons mieux, parce qu'elle nous touche de plus près.  En apprenant par eux-mêmes ce que sont devenus, ce que pensent, ce qu'éprouvent les hommes de toutes conditions et de tous les caractères, les hommes de bien comme les vicieux, les grands et les petits, les heureux et les malheureux du siècle, en un mot les hommes qui ont vécu parmi nous, que nous avons vus et connus, dont nous connaissons la vie réelle, les vertus et les travers, nous comprenons leurs joies et leurs souffrances, nous nous y associons et nous y puisons un enseignement moral d'autant plus profitable que les rapports entre eux et nous sont plus intimes. Nous nous mettons plus facilement à la place de celui qui a été notre égal que de celui que nous ne voyons qu'à travers le mirage d'une gloire céleste. 

7- Translated from the original in Portuguese:

Papai amigo Ivan, mamãe Rose:

Com muita festa, chego aqui para lhes dizer que o arco-íris não é só belo, é uma ponte que liga o céu e a Terra. 

Quem me recebeu aqui é aquela que se identificou como sendo a minha bisavó Joana, ela é uma senhora boa demais, e uma avozinha do coração.  Quando eu abri os olhos aqui, vi a luz dessa avozinha e a segui nos seus braços.

Sou eternamente grato pela comunidade que lutou comigo, enquanto eu lutava lá na UTI. Não vim antes não. Vocês sabem que cumpri a minha etapa ao lado de vocês e de meu irmão Eduardo. Cada oração que recebi da comunidade foi uma brisa de paz que me acalmava.

Pai e mãe, voces são o máximo, lutaram comigo. Mas eu tinha que pegar uma mochila, não para uma viagem com vocês, mas para subir uma outra montanha, que é o lado em que vivo hoje aqui. Eu já corri atrás de pássaros aqui que voam felizes.

Mão você é linda, meu tudo, do pai e do Eduardo. Sigam na fé, nada de tristeza, pular e pular, com a corda da vida. Volto depois, mas hoje é isso. Está tudo bem comigo. Bisa Joana me ajuda, tá? Beijão para os meus avós. Sem ciumera que o vô Luis seja a minha mão enviada para todos os meus avós. 

Tá certo? Valeu. O Filho feliz e bem melhor,

Gabriel Lima Silva. 

Why are environmental education and ecology relevant to the Spiritist movement?

Andre Luiz and Aniceto. Scene of the movie "The Messengers".  

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8, 19:21)

Translation from the original post in Portuguese: Por que educação ambiental e ecologia são relevantes para o movimento espírita? (Parte II). Link (2024): https://eradoespirito.blogspot.com/2024/04/por-que-educacao-ambiental-e-ecologia.html

Aniceto's environmental class

Environmental education and ecology are practical duties of the Spiritist (and Spiritualist) movement and not merely a fact of intellectual interest. It is the product of Spiritist ethics applied not just to our fellow humans and our relationship with the Higher Power, but also to creatures that appear lesser than us. To this day, we believe we can dispose of and destroy these beings because they are "our property."  Given that the law of love cannot yet be imposed on the hearts of most men, we must educate ourselves about it. We should start by learning about how we view all of the creatures and natural resources around us. Repeated thousands of times by reason and comprehended by the intellect, this law may find refuge in our hearts one day.

But, are there explicit references in Spiritist literature about the need to preserve the environment? The subject was too new for Kardec in the 19th century. There are, however, some indirect references in it, like Kardec's work Genesis according to Spiritism [1]:

Everything in the Universe is connected, everything is linked, and everything is subject to the great and harmonious law of unity.

Question 750 of The Spirits' Book (read online here: https://www.febnet.org.br/portal/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/the-spiritis-book.pdf) is another example of this requirement, but it is still formulated as a lesson that challenges the reader to determine whose side he should take in the debate over environmental preservation. We are aware of the argument that Spiritism's goal is not to interfere with any material part of existence, but rather to provide teachings that aid the soul's moral evolution.

Other more recent works have already treated the importance of ecology. André Trigueiro, for example, has recently written Spiritism and Ecology [4], which is an important resource for this consciousness awakening. Other researchers emphasized the importance of the theme to the Spiritist Movement [5]. In Emmanuel's O Consolador [6], an entire section "Biology" (First Part) is dedicated to Nature, with special emphasis on questions 27, 28, and 29.

The Spirit Aniceto's 1944 lecture on "The Gospel in the Rural Environment" in Chapter 42 of Os Mensageiros ("The Messengers") [3] is sometimes overlooked, yet it is a more direct approach. The Messagers is the second book written by the medium Francisco C. Xavier by automatic writing. I'm not sure if the passage was explored in this new movie release The Messengers based on the same book, because I didn't see the movie. Here, I study a piece directly from this book that provides numerous topics for reflection. 

After quoting a passage of the Epistle to the Romans (8:19-21, at the beginning of this post), Anicetus begins his comments:

For millennia, nature has waited for human understanding. She has not only eaten on hope, but he also lives in ardent expectation, waiting for the insight and assistance of the Spirits incarnated on Earth, who are more correctly referred to as children of God. However, natural forces continue to be oppressed by all human vanity. This, my friends, happens because the Lord also hopes for the liberation of the beings enslaved in the Earth crust, so that freedom can be seen in the splendor of man. (My emphasis)

This demonstrates that there is a bond of fraternity that connects Humanity to all beings of Nature and that this collective of beings (and non-biotic resources) awaits our consideration as childrens of God. For now, she is still subjected to the "oppression of all human vanities."

I know your sacrifices firsthand, devoted spiritual workers of the earthy soil! Many of you remain here, and in other parts of the world as well, assisting other incarnates who are trapped by the illusions of material greed. How many times has your aid resulted in low-level exploitation in the realm of worldly affairs? (My emphasis)

It is a reference to the assistance of Spirits in human actions (question 459 of The Spirits' Book), which has been distorted by "low exploitation" in Earth's affairs. The lecture proceeds even more vigorously:

The majority of land cultivators wants everything without offering anything back. While you carefully watch over the maintenance of the foundations of life, you have seen civilization function as a vigorous grinding machine, converting men, our brothers, into little Moloches of bread, meat, and wine, completely immersed in the addiction of feelings and excesses of food, unconcerned about the enormous debt to loving and generous Nature. (My emphasis)

This is an explicit reference to exploitative farming methods and the nearly unquenchable human desires that fuel this unsustainable exploitation. Despite technical improvement, civilization continues to dispose of natural resources as a "grinding machine." "Moloches of bread, meat, and wine" is an image and reference to the god Moloch from the Old Testament, a well-known terrible entity who demanded child sacrifice. Aniceto therefore accuses modern society of "addiction to feelings and excesses of food," as well as a disregard for "the loving and generous Nature."

They oppress inferior creatures, harm the benevolent forces of life, are ungrateful to the sources of good, serve rural industries more out of vanity and ambition to earn than out of love and usefulness, and are nothing more than unhappy servants of wild passions. They create false wealth programs that lead to their demise; they write economic policy treaties that lead to destructive war; they develop the trade in undue gain, reaping the international complications that cause misery; and they dominate and exploit the weakest, only to awaken later among the monsters of hatred! (My emphasis)

Even though it was written in 1944, this appears to be a pretty accurate assessment of the current situation. Since then, environmental conditions have only deteriorated, and our globe is now facing potential unforeseen climate disruptions. The corruption that causes pollution and environmental imbalance is the product of these lesser forces seeking "undue gain". In this paragraph, Aniceto also discusses the repercussions of the "compulsory harvest" to which unrestrained exploiters of natural forces are vulnerable to exploitation without due regard for Nature's resources.

Finally, Aniceto describes the spiritual destiny of the "sacrificed beings":

The Lord reserves sublime evolutionary values for sacrificed beings. He will never forget the useful tree, the killed animal, or the humble being that was eaten for the sake of another creature!

I believe these are the most direct remarks ever made in Spiritist literature about environmental preservation and reverence for natural resources.

Final remarks

The formal property relationship as a right, even if transitory, carries with it the duty of preservation. Preserving the environment and living sustainably are thus manifestations of the law of love applied to the "weakest".

In the same way that the current generation suffers the result of previous faulty environmental acts as seen in climate change, the Spirit incarnated or not, will be unable to live up to a better home in the future if these new principles are ignored. Just as there is a "law of cause and effect" in human interactions and affairs, the same law applies to the environment.

If we may attribute some of our past ignorance to a lack of understanding of environmental responsibility, this is no longer possible today. And this is achieved by both accessing the scientific proofs of the consequences of unrestrained material exploitation and denying materialism, which overlooks the affinity relationship that links all beings.

If Spiritism's aim is to eradicate materialism, it is also its mission to explain why it is critical to respect all creatures and natural resources by reducing addiction to unrestrained feelings and excessive food consumption. For the materialist, preservation is important for present survival; for the spiritualist, it is a chance for fresh opportunities on Earth beyond death that demonstrate the brotherhood and links among all things and living creatures.

References

[1] Kardec A. La Genese selon le spiritisme (Genesis according to Spiritism). See version in English here: https://www.oconsolador.com.br/linkfixo/bibliotecavirtual/ingles/Genesis.pdf 

[2] FEB (2023). O Espiritismo e a consciência ecológica (Spiritism and ecology consciousness). Acessado conforme disponível em março de 2024:  https://www.febnet.org.br/portal/2023/04/22/o-espiritismo-e-a-consciencia-ecologica/

[3] Xavier F. C. (2023). Os Mensageiros (The Messengers), Ed. FEB. 47a Edição.

[4] Trigueiro A. (2022). Espiritismo e Ecologia (Spiritism and ecology). FEB Editora; 5ª edição.ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-6555704372

[5] Miguel S. H. (2023). Espiritismo e desenvolvimento sustentável: caminhos para a sustentabilidade (Spiritism and sustainable development: sustainability paths). Revista Brasileira de História das Religiões. ANPUH, Ano XV, n. 45

[6] Xavier F. C (1940). O Consolador. 4a Edition, FEB (Brazilian Spiritist Federation).