Guardian Spirits

We present in this issue the topic #96 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. What are angels?

2. Is there any relation between angels and spiritual entities called by the names of “guardian angel” or “spiritual protector”?

3. What are the differences among “spiritual guardian”, “familiar spirit” and “friendly spirit”?

4. Is the spiritual guardian always by the side of the protégé?

5. Do the savages have spiritual guardian too? What about cities and nations?

Text

Angels are beings who have travelled all the levels of evolution

1. In order to understand what the “guardian angels” or “spiritual protectors” represent in our lives, first it is necessary to retrospect the meaning of the word angel. As we have seen, according to the Spiritism, those who we call angels are creatures of God who have travelled all the levels of evolution. Some – reveals the question of number 129 from the Spirit’s Book – accepted their mission without mutter and reached their destiny faster; others took longer.

2. Religions, in the majority, or in the totality, talk about angels and, although they give them several names, place them in a position of superiority in relation to Humankind. Angels would be, for almost all of them, intermediaries between God and men, an idea obviously denied by the materialists, who do not admit anything beyond the matter and, therefore, place angels in fictions and allegories that seduce the human being.  

3. According to the Spiritist Doctrine, the soul is created simple and ignorant and evolves little by little, improves and advances in the spiritual hierarchy, until it reaches the state of Pure Spirit or Angel. Angels are nothing more, therefore, than the souls of men who have reached the level of perfection accessible to the human creature.

4. As the Humankind is not limited to the Earth, even before the formation of our planet, there were already Spirits who, having travelled the numerous stages of evolution, reached the condition of pure Spirits. As their corporal existences took place in another epoch, very remote, it is evident that, when one met them, men assumed that such beings had been created like that, already perfect, since the beginning.

The mission of a spiritual guardian is like of a good father 

5. Spiritual entities designated by the names of “guardian angels” or “spiritual protectors” have nothing, however, to do with the so called angels. Spiritual guardians, that God grants each of His creatures, are Spirits like ourselves, still in the path of evolution, and not pure Spirits, comers to the top of evolution, although many spiritual guardians are Spirits of a high moral  magnitude. 

6. There are differences among “spiritual guardian”, “familiar spirit” and “friendly spirit”. Familiar spirits are those who connect to certain people through bonds more or less durable with the aim of being useful, within the limits of the power they deploy. They can be good, however, very often they are little advanced and, therefore, they occupy with peculiarities of people’s intimate lives, only acting with an order or permission from the guardian Spirits.   

7. Friendly spirits are those who feel attracted to us through particular affections and also through a certain similarity of tastes and sentiments, for the good or bad.

8. Guardian Spirit, guardian angel or good genius is the Spirit who has the mission of accompanying man in life and of helping him to progress. He is always of a higher nature comparing to his protégé. His mission is of father to his child: guide one through the path of the good, assist one with his advices, comfort one in his afflictions, and cheer one up during the tests of life. The spiritual protector is devoted to his protégé since one’s birth until death, and many times accompany one in the spiritual life, after the disincarnation.   

9. For those who think that is impossible for truly elevated Spirits restrict to such hardworking and every instant job, spiritual instructors say they influence our souls being, sometimes, in a distance of a million leagues, once space doesn’t exist to them and, even living in other world, they can maintain a bond with us. Each guardian angel has, therefore, his protégé and watches over one, like a father watches over his child, getting happy when sees one the good path or sad when his advices are disdained.  

Every man bonded to Earth has a spiritual guardian

10. Once the assigned job has been accepted, the spiritual guardian compels to watch over his protégé. Evidently, before assuming it, he can choose, as protégé, a being who he finds friendly. That way, while the assigned mission is a pleasure to some, to others can be just a duty. The spiritual guardian is not, constantly by the side of his protégé, once there are circumstances which his presence is not necessary. When he sees that his advices are useless, he can drive away, but he never completely abandon his protégé, always seeks to make himself heard. And he will return, for sure, to the protégé, once one calls him.

11. If, however, along the mission, he needs to be away in order to fulfil other tasks, incompatible with that one, he will be replaced by other Spirit, in such a way that nobody, in any moment, will be deprived of spiritual protection, except when the creature can guide oneself on one’s own, case in which there will not be the necessity of a guardian angel; but this – informs the Question of number 500 from the Spirit’s Book – doesn’t happen in Earth.  

12. The action of the spirits who wish us well is always regulated in a way of leaving us our freewill. It is the wisdom of God that demands to be like this, since if we didn’t have responsibility we wouldn’t advance in the path that should lead us to the Creator.

13. The spiritual guardian, as we mentioned before, feels happy when sees his cares crowned with success. Get that achievement is a triumph to him, as a preceptor triumphs with the success of his disciple. But he suffers with the mistakes done by his protégé, and regrets, although his afflictions is nothing like the anxieties of the terrestrial parenthood, once he knows that there is medicine for the evil and that what has not been done today, it will be done tomorrow.    

14. Concluding, we can assure, based on what the Spiritism teaches us, that every man, even the savage, has a Spirit that watches over him, and the same happens with societies, cities and nations, which have special guardian spirits, because they march to a common goal and have the necessity of a superior direction.

Answer Key

2. Is there any relation between angels and spiritual entities called by the names of “guardian angel” or “spiritual protector”?