quarta-feira, 31 de março de 2010

HEAVEN AND HELL (3) – ALLAN KARDEC

5. There is another doctrine that repudiates the qualification of “Materialist,” because it admits the existence of a principle distinct from matter; we allude to that which asserts that each individual soul is to be absorbed in the Universal Whole. According to this doctrine, each human being assimilates, at birth, a particle of
this principle, which constitutes his soul and gives him life, intelligence and sentiment. At death, this soul returns to the common source, and is merged in infinity as a drop of water is merged in the ocean.
This doctrine is, undoubtedly, an advance upon that of pure and simple Materialism, inasmuch as it admits something more than matter; but its consequences are precisely the same. Whether a man, after death, is dissolved into nothingness, or plunged into a general reservoir, is all one, as far as he himself is concerned; for
if, in the one case, he is annihilated, in the other, he loses his individuality, which is, for him, exactly the same thing as though he ceased to exist: in either case, all social relations are destroyed forever. What is essential for each human being is the preservation of his me; without that, what does it matter to him whether he exists, or does not exist? In either case, for him, the future is nil, and his present life is the only thing of any importance to him. As regards its moral consequences, this doctrine is, therefore, just as pernicious, just as devoid of hope, just as powerful a stimulus to selfishness, as materialism properly so called.
6. The doctrine we have been considering is open, moreover, to the following objection. All the drops of water contained in the ocean resemble one another exactly and possess identically the same properties, as must necessarily be the case with the several parts of any homogeneous Whole; how is it, then, that the souls of the human race, if they are only so many drops taken out of a great ocean of intelligence, are so unlike one another? Why do we find genius side by side with stupidity? The sublimest virtues, side by side with the most ignoble vices? Kindness, gentleness, forbearance, side by side with cruelty, violence, and barbarity? How can the parts
of a homogenous Whole be so different from one another? Will it be said that they are modified by education? But, if so, whence come the various qualities which they bring with them at birth, the precocious intelligence of some, the good or bad instinct of others, that are not only independent of education, but often altogether out of harmony with the surrounding amidst which they are found?
Education, most undoubtedly, does modify the intellectual and moral qualities of the soul; but here another difficulty presents itself. Who is it that gives, to each soul, the education that causes it to progress? Other souls, who—according to the doctrine that makes them out to be drops of a homogenous ocean of soul— could be no more advanced than themselves! On the other hand, if the soul, after having thus progressed during the life, returns to the Universal Whole from which it came, it gives back an improved element to that Whole; and it would therefore follow that the general Whole will be, in course of time, profoundly modified, and improved, by this educational modification of its parts. How is it, in that case, that ignorant and perverse souls are constantly being produced from it?
7. According to this doctrine, the universal source of intelligence, from which souls are produced, is distinct from the Divinity; it is, therefore, not quite the same as Pantheism. Pantheism, properly so called, differs from this doctrine inasmuch as it considers the universal principle of life and intelligence as constituting the Divinity. God, according to Pantheism, is both spirit and matter; all the beings, all the bodies, of nature, compose the Divinity, of which they are molecules, the constituent elements. God is the total of all that is; each individual, being a part of this total, is himself God; the total is not ruled over by any commanding and superior being; the universe is an immense republic without a chief, or, rather, in which each of its members is a chief, endowed with absolute power.

(Book: Heaven and hell – Allan Kardec).

domingo, 21 de março de 2010

Reponse d’un mail

Merci beaucoup pour cet article Rafael!
Je connais pratiquement rien sur le spiritisme , et donc apres cet article j'aimerais bien savoir pourquoi les spirites sont venus? Pour quelle raison? Pour montrer que le spiritisme existe?
Merci
Oksana – Moscou

Reponse:

Les spirites sont toujours avec nous. A travers l'histoire , dans tous les religions , toutes les cultures et dans toutes les parties du monde. On peut parler de manières différentes sur eux, selón chaque culture, mais ils sont toujours dans l’histoire. Si on cherche dans les livre Sacrés , on va trouver plusieurs cas où ils parlent de la médiumnité et la possibilité de communication avec les spirites. Alors au siécle XIX plusieurs recherches tres celebres ont commencé a faire des etudes avec les médiums  et des manifestations spirites.
Le but de cette manifestation c'est de montrer a travers la science et la philosophie que la vie continue apres la mort du corp.
Le Spiritisme c'est la science qui essaye de montrer cette realité, mais toujours avec la liberté de penser.

Merci a vous.

Rafael

sexta-feira, 19 de março de 2010

UN CAS DE LA MÉDIUMNITÉ DE DANIEL DUNGLAS HOME

C'est encore en Russie, chez la baronne Taoubé, à Saint-Pétersbourg, que se passèrent les faits suivants : tous les assistants, sauf la baronne, étaient inconnus de Home ; l'un d'eux, le Dr Karpovitch, médecin russe de renom, après avoir fait le procès-verbal de cette séance, le soumit à l'approbation des autres personnes et c'est de ce document, qui est en possession de Mme Dunglas Home, qu'elle donne les passages les plus saillants, rapportés ici :
« L'appartement dans lequel nous nous trouvions, » écrit le Dr Karpovitch, « était éclairé, a giorno, indépendamment de deux grandes lampes, dont l'une était placée sur la table carrée autour de
laquelle nous étions assis, au nombre de neuf : M. Home, la dame de la maison, sa fille, ses trois fils, la princesse Havanschky, le général Philosophoff et moi. Le tapis qui recouvrait la table ne tombait d'aucun côté jusqu'au parquet ; on avait mis sur ce tapis un crayon, du papier, la lampe mentionnée et un accordéon que j'examinai minutieusement sans y rien remarquer de particulier, si ce n'est qu'il était d'assez médiocre qualité; cet instrument appartenait à la baronne. Toute la société était entièrement inconnue de M. Home qui, le soir de cette mémorable séance, entrait pour la première fois chez Mme Taoubé.
Au moment où nous prenions nos places, M. Home nous dit que les manifestations ne dépendant pas de lui, il ne pouvait rien nous garantir. Après dix minutes d'attente, nous sentîmes vibrer la table
et des raps bien nets se firent entendre dans le bois; puis la table se pencha presque perpendiculairement. Chacun des côtés s'inclina ainsi tour à tour en face des sitters; lorsqu'elle se pencha vers moi, j'avançai involontairement la main pour empêcher la lampe de tomber, mais M. Horne me dit qu'il n'y avait pas lieu de craindre, que rien ne tomberait.
M. Home nous ayant ensuite invités à demander mentalement des modifications dans le poids de la table, chacun de nous obtint à son tour satisfaction, en posant tacitement sa demande ; les différences de poids étaient remarquables; un moment la table était légère comme une plume, bientôt après elle devenait étonnamment lourde.
M. Home prit alors l'accordéon d'une main et le tint, les clefs en bas, en vue de tout le monde; après l'avoir ainsi tenu pendant deux minutes, il retira sa main. L'instrument resta suspendu en l'air, puis
alla de lui-même se placer doucement sous la table, où il resta, toujours en l'air, et commença à donner des sons. On vit alors les clefs se mettre en mouvement et l'accordéon jouer pendant près d'une demi-heure une douce mélodie dont nous fûmes tous ravis. Chacun de nous put examiner l'instrument pendant qu'il jouait, ainsi suspendu en l'air. Vers la fin du morceau, les sons se perdirent graduellement. M'étant baissé à ce moment, je vis distinctement une petite main de femme qui jouait. Elle disparut alors et l'accordéon tomba sur le plancher. Pendant la production de ce phénomène, les mains de M. Home étaient sur la table, ainsi que celles de tous les sitters et M. Home se tenait tout à fait tranquille.
Aucune manifestation n'avait eu lieu depuis quelques instants, lorsque le général Philosophoff dit qu'on tirait le pan de son uniforme. M. Home l'ayant engagé à mettre sa main sous la table, je
m'aperçus, au mouvement de son bras, qu'elle était secouée ; il nous déclara avoir, en effet, senti une main qui, par trois fois, avait serré la sienne affectueusement. M. Home lui dit que trois de ses amis étaient présents – des camarades morts depuis des années - et il lui en donna les noms de famille et de baptême…
Un fauteuil qui se trouvait à quelque distance de la baronne s'éleva alors à six ou huit pouces de hauteur et vint se placer entre sa chaise et celle de M. Home, qui nous pria, les uns après les autres, de bien examiner le fauteuil pour nous convaincre qu'il se tenait réellement en l'air, sans point d'appui. Un instant après, nous voyions le mouchoir de la baronne sortir de sa poche, se pelotonner et rester suspendu entre le fauteuil et M. Home, à un mètre environ au-dessus du parquet.
Puis, M. Home annonce qu'il se sent lui-même soulevé ; son corps prend la position horizontale et il est transporté, les bras croisés sur la poitrine, jusqu'au milieu de la salle ; après y être resté quatre ou
cinq minutes, il est ramené à sa place, transporté de la même manière.
« J'affirme, » écrit le Dr Karpovitch en terminant, « l'exactitude de tous les détails que je viens de donner - détails confirmés par tous les assistants. Le général dit avoir été d'autant plus surpris en entendant les noms de ses trois anciens camarades, qu'à ce moment il ne songeait nullement à eux. C’est en témoignage de mon estime et de ma reconnaissance que j'ai rédigé ce rapport sur les phénomènes étonnants de cette soirée; je déclare que les conditions dans lesquelles ils se sont produits mettaient les assistants à l'abri de toute supercherie. »
Il est à remarquer que le phénomène de lévitation, si fréquent chez Home, fut constaté ici en pleinelumière.

 

Livre: Le Médium D. D. Home – sa vie et son caractere, par Louis Gardy.

sábado, 13 de março de 2010

COMO COMECEI A ESCREVER…

Atendendo a algumas solicitações enviadas por email (nasbrumasdamente@gmail.com), achei interessante reproduzir aqui uma rápida biografia que consta no nosso primeiro livro publicado em 2008. Lá vai:

Segundo me contam, desde pequeno sempre surpreendi meus pais com relatos de conteúdo mediúnico. Os fenômenos variavam em especificidade e intensidade. E durante a infância nunca cessaram de acontecer. Sem entendimento, minha família se viu na contingência de procurar orientação e o fez através de amigos espíritas. Durante a adolescência, a intensidade das manifestações
mediúnicas diminuiu, mas elas jamais deixaram de acontecer.
Talvez o momento emblemático tenha sido por volta dos vinte anos, quando as manifestações voltaram a se intensificar. Com o senso crítico já bem desenvolvido, e desde pequeno amante da literatura, acabei me interessando por algumas obras espíritas. E percebi, então, que o que acontecia comigo era uma oportunidade valiosa a ser aproveitada. Comecei a freqüentar o Grupo de Estudos Espírita Irmão Áulus, localizado bem próximo de onde residia.
Quando lá cheguei, já havia lido as obras básicas de Allan Kardec e, após comentar as manifestações mediúnicas que aconteciam comigo com bastante freqüência, fui convidado a permanecer no mesmo dia no grupo de estudos. Não demorou e me vi integrado ao grupo, e em plena atividade.
Habituado à leitura, certa noite, ao estudar um texto de “A Gênese”, de Allan Kardec, forte vontade de escrever me impulsionou a tomar lápis e papel. Imaginando não escrever nada além de reflexões pessoais, fui aos poucos tendo que pegar mais folhas em branco e, ao final, senti forte torpor em toda a minha cabeça.
Essa ocorrência se repetiu mais algumas noites até que, espontaneamente, sem que houvesse comentado o fato, fui estimulado através da mediunidade de outro companheiro de agrupamento mediúnico a me dedicar à atividade de psicografia. Durante aproximadamente dois anos, estive em intensa atividade de aprendizado, na qual pude constatar a presença de pelo menos doze
espíritos diferentes, que me exercitavam na recepção mediúnica, ao mesmo tempo em que muitos deles também aprendiam a se utilizar de um médium.
Terminada essa primeira etapa de preparação, passei a escrever uma obra que fluía com bastante naturalidade. Quando a obra encontrava-se em pleno desenvolvimento, vim conhecer o nome do autor. Foi a primeira vez que ouvi falar no nome de François Rabelais, para mim até então um completo desconhecido. Esse mesmo espírito emendou de imediato uma segunda obra, sob o título de “Nas Brumas da Mente”.
Apesar do intenso trabalho que a elaboração de suas obras exige de mim, tenho podido contar com intensa supervisão do espírito Frei Felipe, que me orienta no aprendizado, preparando-me para que alcance as devidas condições de recepção exigidas pelas obras mediúnicas. Frei Felipe tem se mostrado um tutor que com maestria atua de forma discreta sem jamais se ausentar, mesclando afabilidade e energia, quando as situações assim exigem. Creio poder dizer que sou o maior beneficiado de todo o processo, pois as respostas de muitas indagações íntimas têm sido encontradas através desse intercâmbio e do envolvimento nos ideais espíritas.

OBS: Esse relato consta no livro “NAS BRUMAS DA MENTE” publicado no ano de 2008.

sábado, 6 de março de 2010

HEAVEN AND HELL – ALLAN KARDEC (2)

3. Let us suppose an entire nation to have acquired, in some way or other, the certainty that, at the end of a week, a month, or a year, it will be utterly destroyed, that not a single individual of its people will be left alive, that they will all be utterly annihilated, and that not a trace of their existence will remain; what, in such a case, would be the line of conduct adopted, by the people thus doomed to a certain and foreseen destruction, during the short time which they would still have to exist? Would they labor for their moral improvement, or for
their instruction? Would they continue to work for their living? Would they scrupulously respect the rights, the property, and the life, of their neighbors? Would they submit to the laws of their country, or to any ascendancy, even to that parental authority, the most legitimate of all? Would they recognize the existence of any duty? Assuredly not. Well, —the social ruin which we have imagined, by the way of illustration, as overtaking an entire nation, is being effected, individually, from day to day, by the doctrine of annihilation. If the practical consequences of this doctrine are not so disastrous to society as they might be, it is because, in the first place, there is, among the greater number of those whose vanity is flattered by the title of “free-thinker,” more of braggadocio than of absolute unbelief, more doubt than conviction, and more dread of annihilation than they care to show; and, in the second place, because those who really believe in annihilation are a very small minority, and are consequently influenced, in spite of themselves, by the contrary opinion, and held in check by the resistant forces of society and of the State: but, should absolute disbelief in a future existence ever be arrived at by the majority of mankind, the dissolution of society would necessarily follow. The propagation of the doctrine of annihilation would lead, inevitably, to this result.

But whatever may be the consequences of the doctrine of annihilation, if that doctrine were true, it would have to be accepted; for, if annihilation were our destiny, neither opposing systems of philosophy, nor the moral and social ills that would result from our knowledge that such a destiny was awaiting us, could prevent our being annihilated. And it is useless to attempt to disguise from ourselves that skepticism, doubt,
indifference, are gaining ground every day, notwithstanding the efforts of the various religious bodies to the contrary. But if the religious systems of the day are powerless against skepticism, it is because they lack the weapons necessary for combating the enemy; so that, if their teaching were allowed to remain in a state of immobility, they would, erelong, be inevitably worsted in the struggle. What is lacking to those systems—in this age of positivism, when men demand to understand before believing—is the confirmation of their doctrines by facts and by their concordance with the discoveries of Positive Science. If theoretic systems say white where facts say black, we must choose between an enlightened appreciation of evidence and a blind acceptance of
arbitrary statements.

4. It is in this state of things that the phenomena of Spiritism are spontaneously developed in the orderof Providence, and oppose a barrier against the invasion of skepticism, not only by argument, or by the prospect of the dangers which it reveals, but also by the production of physical facts which render the existence of the soul, and the reality of a future life, both palpable and visible. Each human being is, undoubtedly, free to believe anything, or to believe nothing; but those who employ the ascendancy of their knowledge and position in propagating, among the masses, and especially among the rising generation, the negation of a future life, are sowing broadcast the seeds of social confusion and dissolution, and are incurring a heavy responsibility by doing so.

(Book: Heaven and hell – Allan Kardec)