The nature of
mediumistic
communications
We present in this issue the
topic #100 from the Systematized
Study of the Spiritist Doctrine,
that is being presented weekly,
according to the programme
elaborated by the Brazilian
Spiritist Federation (FEB),
structured in 6 modules and 147
topics.
If the reader uses this program
for a study group, we suggest
that questions proposed be
discussed freely before the
reading of the text that
follows. If you would like to
study alone, we ask you to try
to answer the questions at first
and only then read the text that
follows. The answer key can be
found at the end of the lesson.
Questions
1. How does Kardec classify the
mediumistic communications?
2. Is there a difference between
gross and frivolous
communications?
3. What is the main
characteristic of the serious
communications?
4. Can a serious communication
be false? How to know it?
5. What are instructive
communications?
Text
The communication reflects the
degree of progress of the Spirit
1. In "The Book of Mediums,"
Kardec relevantly classifies the
nature of the mediumistic
communications, the encoder
divides them into four groups:
• gross
• frivolous
• serious and
• instructive.
2. The mediumistic
communications, teaches Kardec,
depend - regarding the content-
on the degree of progress of the
communicating spirit, which
means, on one’s position in the
spiritist scale, this subject is
discussed in the question of
number 100 and following ones in
the Spirits’ Book.
3. Just as with the incarnated,
the disincarnated spirits
present a huge variety regarding
intelligence and morality, and
because of this, the mediumistic
dictation reflects the degree of
moral or cultural progress of
the communicant.
4. It is said that a
communication is gross when is
conceived in terms that shock
the decorum. Communications of
this nature can only come, of
course, from spirits of low
spiritual condition, covered
with impurities of the matter
and they do not differ from
those which come from vicious
and coarse men.
Frivolous communications
emanate from banter spirits
5. According to the character of
the communicant, gross
communications are divided into
trivial, wicked, obscene,
insolent, arrogant, malicious
and even impious. Examining
them, the investigator will
easily deduct the evolutionary
degree of the one who
transmitted by this or that
mediator.
6. Frivolous communications come
from frivolous, sneering or
banter spirits, more malicious
than bad and that give no
importance to what they say. As
they don’t contain anything of
indecent, such communications
please certain individual who
have fun with them, because they
find pleasure in futile
confabulations where much is
talked and nothing is said.
7. Such spirits, very often,
make mischievous and acrid
comments and, not rare, say hard
truths that almost always hurt
with fairness. As the truth is
what they less worry about, they
have the malignant pleasure of
mystifying.
8. Serious communications are
thoughtful regarding the subject
and elevated regarding the form.
When a communication is free of
frivolity and rudeness, and aims
at an useful purpose, even being
of a particular nature, we can
consider it as a serious
communication. Since not all
spirits are equally clarified,
there are things that the
communicant can ignore and about
what can misguide in good faith.
A communication may be
serious and not true
9. Because of this, not always a
serious communication is
genuine. There are the false
ones. This is why the truly
superior spirits continuously
recommend us to refer all
communications to the sieve of
reason and the most rigorous
logic.
10. As we know, certain
presumptuous or pseudo-wise
spirits, seek, making use of an
elevated language, instill in
the incarnated the most false
ideas or absurd systems. They
have no scruple to be decorated
with respectable names, and only
with a rigorous and careful exam
can such mystification be
revealed.
11. Instructive communications
are serious communications whose
main object is any one lesson,
taught by the spirits, on
science, moral or philosophy.
They are more or less profound,
according to the degree of
elevation and dematerialization
of the communicant Spirit.
12. Instructive communications
are by definition true, since
what is not true cannot be
instructive. To judge the moral
and intellectual value of the
spirits who dictate them, it is
necessary frequency and
regularity in the
communications, what is easy to
comprehend, because if it is
necessary to have experience to
judge men, much more experience
is needed to judge Spirits.
Answer Key
1. How does Kardec classify the
mediumistic communications?
A.: The
encoder of the Spiritism divides
them into four groups: gross;
frivolous; serious and
instructive.
2. Is there a difference between
gross and frivolous
communications?
A.:
Yes. Gross communications
contain, as the name says,
discourtesies and can be
trivial, wicked, obscene,
insolent, arrogant, malicious
and even impious. Frivolous
communications come from
frivolous, sneering or banter
spirits, more malicious than bad
and that give no importance to
what they say.
3. What is the main
characteristic of the serious
communications?
A.:
Their main characteristic is
being thoughtful regarding the
subject and elevated regarding
the form. If the communication
is free of frivolity and
rudeness, and aims at a useful
purpose, even being of a
particular character, we can
consider it as a serious
communication.
4. Can a serious communication
be false? How to know it?
A.: Yes. Experience proves that
not always a serious
communication is genuine. There
are the false ones. This is why
the truly superior spirits
continuously recommend us to
refer all communications to the
sieve of reason and the most
rigorous logic, which is the
only way of knowing whether they
are true or not.
5. What are instructive
communications?
A.:
Instructive communications are
serious communications whose
main object is any one lesson,
taught by the spirits, on
science, moral or philosophy.
Instructive communications are
by definition true, since what
is not true cannot be
instructive.
Bibliography:
The Book of Mediums; by Allan
Kardec, FEB, 41st ed., items 133
to 137.