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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Spirit Message: Rebirth (by Urbain Grandier)


"Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." (Luke, VIII, 52)


Humankind, to you I address these words! To you, who say lost, those who try to read you future! To you, annihilated by unbelief, frozen by skeptical selfishness, befogged by doubt! On you, poor daughter of Jairus, many exclaim: "No use calling, the girl is dead !!!"

But the Master gets in the house and moving closer says: "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep!"

Humankind, near this deathbed, where passions bind you, the Master has deigned to approach and, followed by some of his dear ones, has extended to you his divine hands and said: "My child, get up and walk! Leave this lethargy, this apathy so common to those approaching death, get up and walk!"

Get up Humankind and leave this deathbed of agony, the cause of your sufferings! Leave selfshness that restricts and smothers your noble passions; leave your pride, the thirst of gold erasing the generous pulsation of your heart! Renounce hatred, the desire that binds you, get up! Shake the shroud that keeps you captive, ignorance and lack of faith!

Get up and awake with the mighty blow, the divine blow, and hey you are reborn, you are rewarmed, you are saved again. Now, is the material life far from you, because you are a soul, you are an intelligence that was brough back to life?

You are indeed so surprised with the aspirations you feel within, your amazed glance search for help and for a new pathway.

Here my daughter, here is the new path, the path of love, of hope and faith! Walk, the truth will be your guide, science will be your torch, compassion your support, perfection your goal!

Walk toward this light, the sunshine of a homeland, now reaching you. The light will lead you to this homeland where one lives by love, work and justice!

Walk, the spark of transformation has just fallen upon you, daughter of Jairus, poor humankind, and has made this obscure world a sun of truth, life and love!

Your day has come! In vain passions of despair fight to keep you captive, we extended our hands to you and neutrilized the effect, you can now shake the yoke!

This divine breath, this spark of life, this powerful hand extended to the Earth, you can now recognize my friends, it is Spiritism! This young, powerful and sound grafting coming out of the old trunk diverted; it is the sublime belief, such an enlightened and wise philosophy that will give devotion to the strong, help to the weak and happiness and piece to all!
Urbain Grandier (1, 2) 

August, 1874
References


(1) On the Spirit author: Urbain Grandier (1590-1634) was a French Catholic priest burned at the stake in the famous witchcraft case of the "Loudun Possessions". In fact he was a victim of the political turmoin in France at his time. His process was a fraud enacted  by Ursuline's nouns. More about Grandier can be read here. 240 years after his death, his spirit is back through Mrs. Krell as one of the authors in many Spiritualist articles about the future of Humankind and the new era of Spiritualism/Spiritism.

(2) Spirit communicaton by Mrs. W. Krell, "Rayonnements de la vie spirituelle". Original source and text in French:

Renaissance
Août 1874 « Cette fille n’est pas morte, elle n’est qu’endormie.» (St Luc).  
Humanité, c’est à toi que j’adresse ces paroles ! A toi, que disent perdue ceux qui essayent de lire dans ton avenir ! A toi, anéantie par l’incrédulité, glacée par le sceptique égoïsme, engourdie par le doute ! A toi, pauvre fille de Jaïre de laquelle chacun crie : « il n’est plus temps d’appeler, cette fille est morte !!! » 
Mais le maître entre dans la maison et s’approchant il dit : « non, cette fille n’est pas morte, elle n’est qu’endormie ! »  
Humanité, près de ce lit de mort où te retiennent les passions, le maître a daigné s’approcher, et suivi de quelques-uns des siens, il a étendu vers toi sa main divine en te disant : « ma fille, lève-toi et marche ! Sors de cette léthargie, de cette torpeur que tous prennent pour la mort, lève-toi et marche ! »  
Lève-toi, humanité, et laisse sur ce lit d’agonie les causes de ta souffrance ! Laisse l’égoïsme qui t’étreint et étouffe tes nobles aspirations ; laisse l’orgueil, la soif de l’or qui éteignent les palpitations généreuses de ton cœur ! Rejette la haine, l’envie qui te tiennent ; lève-toi ! Secoue le suaire qui te retient captive, c’est l’ignorance, c’est le manque de foi !  
Lève-toi, je t’ai éveillée par un souffle puissant, un souffle divin et te voilà vivifiée, te voilà réchauffée, te voilà sauvée. Loin de toi maintenant la seule vie matérielle, car c’est une âme, c’est une intelligence que je viens de rendre à la vie ?  
En effet, tu es surprise des aspirations que tu sens au-dedans de toi-même et ton regard, étonné, cherche un appui et un chemin.  
Voici ma fille, voici la voie nouvelle pour toi, la voie d’amour, d’espoir et de foi ! Marche, la vérité sera ton guide, la science ton flambeau, la charité ton soutien, la perfection ton but !  
Marche vers cette lumière, rayon du soleil de la patrie, qui arrive aujourd’hui jusqu’à toi, elle te reconduira vers cette même patrie où l’on vit d’amour, de travail et de justice !  
Marche, l’étincelle qui doit te transformer vient de tomber sur toi, ô fille de Jaïre, pauvre humanité, et faire de ce monde obscur un soleil de vérité, de vie et d’amour !  
Ton jour est venu ! C’est en vain que les passions luttent avec la rage du désespoir pour te retenir, en étendant la main vers toi j’ai neutralisé leur effet mortel et dès maintenant tu pourras secouer le joug !  
Ce souffle divin, cette étincelle de vie, cette main puissante étendue sur le monde terrestre, vous l’avez compris, ô mes amis, c’est le spiritisme ! C’est cette jeune greffe saine et vigoureuse, sortant du vieux tronc dévié, c’est cette croyance sublime, cette philosophie éclairée et sage qui donnera aux forts le dévouement, aux faibles l’appui, à tous, le bonheur et la paix !  
Urbain Grandier. 






Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Spiritist Magazine by Allan Kardec in English

As announced in the blog NWSpiritism, we can now read some historic editions of "La Revue Spirite" (originally published in French, 1) by Allan Kardec in English. The formal name of the work in English is "The Spiritist Magazine - Journal of Psychological Studies". This achievement is just the beginning of a monumental translation work still under preparation by IPEAK (Allan Kardec Institute of Research) and carried out by Luiz A. V. Cheim. IPEAK website is a bilingual page (in Portuguese and French) which we hope will bring more content in English in the future.

This is surely a relevant endeavor, since A. Kardec was one of the pioneers of the psychic research but he is widely unknown to English speaking people. There are several cases of hauntings and psychic communications analysed by Kardec as a first read through "The Spiritist Magazine" can reveal. 

The Magazine also was a key tool in the beginning of Spiritism, since it contains many introductory texts where Kardec developed basic principles of Spiritualism and their relationships. For example, Kardec was the first thinker to understand the relation between reincarnation and the processo of soul evolution, linking these concepts to Christian ethics as many articles in the Spiritist Magazine show. 

Reincarnation in psychic communications already in 1857.

An interesting example can be found on page 99 of the February 1858 edition (2). Entitled "Conversations from beyond the grave - Evocation of Ms. Clary D." the full text is reproduced below in blue and show the presence of reincarnation ideas in a Spiritist work already in 1857.
Note: Ms. Clary D... was an interesting girl, who died in 1850 at age 13, who has since then stood as the genie of the family, where she is frequently evoked and where she gives a large number of communications of the highest interest. The conversation we reproduce below occurred between us on January 12th, 1857 through her brother, who is a medium. 
1. Do you have precise memories of your corporeal existence?
The spirit sees the present, the past and some of the future, according to their perfection and their proximity to God.
 
2. The condition of perfection is relative only to the future, or it also
refers to the present and the past?

The spirit sees the future more clearly as they get closer to God. After death, the soul sees and embraces, at a glance, all past migrations, but can cannot see what God prepares. For that we need to be fully in God, there are many existences.
 
3. Do you know when your reincarnation will be?
In 10 or 100 years.
 
4. On Earth or another world?
On another.
 
5. The world where you will be, compared to Earth, will have better conditions, same as on Earth or inferior?
Much better than on Earth. One is happy over there.
 
6. Since you are here among us, are you in a particular place? Where?
I’m ethereal in appearance. I can say that my spirit itself extends much further. I see many things and I transport myself far from here with the speed of thought. My appearance is right by my brother’s side and guides his arm.
 
7. This ethereal body which dresses you up allows you to experience physical sensations, such as heat and cold?
When I remember much of my body I feel a sort of impression, as when a blanket is removed from you and, for some time, you still keep the sensation that you have it on.
 
8. You said you can move with the speed of thought. Isn’t the thought the soul itself, which detaches from its involucre?
Yes
 
9. When your thoughts move to a given region, how does the separation of the soul take place?
The appearance vanishes. The thought goes alone.
 
10. Is it therefore a faculty that stands out, the actual “being” stays put?
The form is not the being.
 
11. But how does this thought act? Is it not always through matter?
No.
 
12. When your thinking faculty stands out, don’t you act then by means of matter?
The shadow fades away and reproduces wherever the thought may guide it.
 
13. Considering that you were only 13 years old when your body died, how can you give us answers beyond the reach of a child of that age, about such abstract questions?
My soul is very old!
 
14. Among your previous existences can you mention one in which you had raised your knowledge most?
I was in the body of a man who I made a virtuoso. After his death I was in the body of a girl whose face stamped my own soul. God rewards me.
 
15. Could we be allowed to see you here as you are now?
You could.
 
16. How could that be? It depends on us, on you or on those closest to you?  
On you. 
17. Which conditions should we satisfy to obtain that?
You need to seclude for some time, with faith and fervor; you need to be in a small group; you need some isolation and a medium like Home.
Then, the following article is an essay by A. Kardec about the mediumship of Daniel D. Home.

References

1 - Original texts of the Spiritst Magazine in French can also be read at the French mirror  site of Ipeak. Just click on the French flag on top and go to the link "Revue Spirite" (left menu "Oevres d'Allan Kardec").

2 - Only two links to 1858 and 1859 editions are provided: