The Perispirit - Envelope of the Soul

The Perispirit - Envelope of the Soul

Source: http://www.spiritistsocietyfl.com/science/5.html

- The perispirit is the semi-material envelope of the spirit (even when it is in the spirit world) and it is this intermediate nature that enables the spirit and the body to act upon each other when it is incarnated in the material world. The perispirit is drawn from the universal fluid.

- The perispirit unites the spirit with the physical body when the spirit is incarnated in the material world; the spirit has two envelopes then, the perispirit and the physical body when incarnated.

- The spirit with its perispirit can radiate out beyond its physical body.

- When a spirit in incarnating into the material world, its spirit with its perispirit, attaches itself at the moment of human conception in a process that is complete upon a live birth.

- The perispirit disperses throughout the physical body and, upon physical death it removes itself, fast or slow, depending on the circumstances of death and the moral and spiritual elevation of the spirit involved.

- The physical body, the perispirit, and the soul (or spirit) are all considered what we call "matter" but all are at different stages of evolutionary development. The physical body, of course, is of a more gross and solid nature in caparison to the perispirit and spirit that are both more ethereal and fluidic. All three evolve into a more refined state, as the spirit evolves intellectually, morally, and spiritually.

- Spirits from the spirit world, through the force of their will, can (utilizing their perispirit) assume many different appearances (good and bad) to those in the spirit and material world. In the material world, spirits can use it to make sounds, make things move, and can make themselves visible and tangible to our touch.

- The vital principle (taken from the universal fluid) under the action of a spirit can give artificial and momentary life to inert objects. Inferior spirits generally do not know how they really do this; they just do it through a force of their will. 

- Many people in the material world, especially mediums, can "read" or pick up a person's thoughts, feelings, desires, and more, off of the perispirit of other individuals. Their own spirit is what "sees" or "feels" these things. This can be called "soul sight." When mediums, and others, see visions, they are generally seeing these things with their spirit not their material eyes. Superior spirits oversee what is allowed to be "seen" or "picked up" by mediums and/or any spirits.

- What people call auras, chakras, and the like are manifestations of the perispirit and/or the vital principle. The exact nature of the perispirit is not known at this time but its effects have been studied by Spiritists over 120 years.

- People can feel the effects of the perispirit fluids of other persons, whether in the material world or the spirit world. A person can meet some one for the first time and "feel" like they don't like them without any reason to base this on. What is happening is that the person with its own spirit, is "feeling" the effects of that other person's perispirit who may not be very nice. At other times, we may feel good around someone because that is the type of perispirit fluids they have around if they are generally a nice person.

- Mediums in the material world (people who can see, hear, and communicate in more direct ways with spirits in the spirit world), in general, are much more sensitive to the perispirit fluids of others. Fluids of disturbed or malevolent spirits (whether in the spirit world or incarnated in the material world) can cause them to become "physically" ill and even feel physical pain, depending on the moral nature of the fluids. Mediums should be very careful of their environment and whom they frequent with (review "medium education" section on this same web site).

- The fluids of the perispirit of a medium and those perispirit fluids of spirits in the spirit world, in conjunction with the universal fluid, are used in the process of spirit communications, spiritual healings, and in spirit materializations as well.

- Our spirits (with our perispirit) have qualities of which not all can be manifested in the material world. It is only when spirits are in the spirit world where this can be accomplished.

Source: http://www.spiritistsocietyfl.com/science/5.html

André Luiz (Biography)

André Luiz (Biography)

Source: http://www.explorespiritism.com/Biographies/Andre%20Luiz.htm

André Luiz

In his last life, he was a medical doctor and researcher, in the early 20th century.  Today, Spiritists know the spirit author, André Luiz, as a magnificent messenger, teacher and friend, one who is greatly admired and honored for his literary contributions to the advancement in mankind's understanding of spirit matters.  From the moment his first book, "Nosso Lar" was published in Brazil, in 1944, after having been psychographed by the Brazilian, Spiritist medium, Francisco Candido Xavier, also known as Chico Xavier, André Luiz captured the hearts and minds of his readers.  "Nosso Lar" was the first in a series of novels that would literally catalyze the Spiritist movement, by awakening readers to the "tangibility", so to speak, of spirit life and of the interaction between the spiritual and material worlds. We could, perhaps, say that the study of Spiritism, as we know it in more recent years, would not be the same without the literary gifts presented by André Luiz and his loyal medium, Chico.

Faithful to the indispensable and solid foundation found in Allan Kardec's codification of Spiritism, the collection of novels from André Luiz, in reality  an amazing, non-fictional, first-hand account of the author's educational and transformational experiences in the spirit realm, literally bring to life the teachings of Spiritist philosophy, the revealing observations of Spiritist science, and the unequivocal operation and justice of the natural laws that regulate life.  

About "Nosso Lar" Andrea Dessen writes¹,

"André Luiz acts as a reporter on conditions in the spirit world, revealing details of its life, people, places, and organization.  He does so through the lens of his reflections on his own after-death experience, and his struggles to make sense of his new reality.  In this very personal account, André Luiz reveals his identity as a medical doctor who practiced in southeastern Brazil in the first decades of the twentieth century, and who left the physical body a few years prior to the beginning of World War II.  A true skeptic at the time of his demise, he is initially shocked at the discovery that death is nothing more than a doorway to a new and richer life.  As time progresses, however, he undergoes inevitable experiences and teachings in the spirit realm which lead him to a better understanding of life's meaning".

This progress that began for André, or "André", in "Nosso Lar", continued on, as narrated by André in the books to follow.  In each book,  "André" takes readers along with him as he accompanies his mentors and other friends he makes along the way, in carrying out different tasks that take them to a variety of places.  Readers, especially those new to Spiritist ideas, will be surprised by the realities of spirit life, as seen through André's eyes2, and by how much we interact with those living beings who are not presently incarnated. Yet, that is the beauty of André's accounts.  We may know, for example, that God helps us in our troubles, or that we need to trust God's justice and wisdom.  André however, observes the literal "embodiment" of this true love and compassion, executed by his mentors and friends who consider themselves God's workers.  On top of all this, what André discovers along this journey and shares with his readers, include ideas and concepts that reveal the spiritual mechanisms behind physical phenomena that science is only now discovering !   Whether André is acquiring new scientific awareness or being taught important moral lessons, as readers, we feel like we are right there, learning along with him.  We get to read about the people, places, and events that make us see life in a whole new way.  Over time, the impact that all these experiences have on André, and the way they transform him is educational and inspiring.

Despite the newness of ideas, and, in some cases, the complexity of concepts covered, André Luiz shares them with us in a language that is both comprehendible and captivating. In addition to the novels discussed here, André Luiz wrote several books with messages that both inspire superior thoughts and sentiments and guide our behaviors in the right direction.  The beloved Chico Xavier is no longer living among us here on Earth.  However, as Spiritists, and as people, in general, we will all benefit from the contributions that André has already made and from the fruit of his collaboration with Chico Xavier.

¹ Andrea Dessen, Ph. D, Project (translation) Director of the Allan Kardec Educational Society (A. K. E. S), in the introduction to the book, version of translation published by A. K. E. S. 2 The authors of the André Luiz biography on the site of the André Luiz Spiritist Center, in Guara-DF, Brazil 

(http://www. cealdf. org. br), remind us that, in part, André's descriptions are similar to ones that that existed from the early times of "modern spiritualism" - for example, those registered by Andrew Jakson Davis (1826-1910), but were later forgotten."

Source: http://www.explorespiritism.com/Biographies/Andre%20Luiz.htm

Emmanuel (Source: http://www.sgny.org/biographies/emmanuel/)

Emmanuel
Spiritist Group of New York Aug 2002

Great Exponents of Spiritism

Source: http://www.sgny.org/biographies/emmanuel/

Emmanuel, written exactly as is, with a double " m " is the name of the spirit, in the original French "L'Evangile Selon le Spiritisme," in a message dated in Paris, in 1861 and inserted in the chap. XI, item 11 of the mentioned work, entitled "Selfishness."

The name became well-known, among the Brazilian spiritists, due to the psychographed works of the medium, Francisco Cândido Xavier. According to him, it was in the year 1931 that, at a regular meeting at the Spiritist Center that the kind spirit Emmanuel, first appeared to him.

Francisco Xavier, thus, describes Emmanuel: "I saw the countenance of an older man and my soul was feeling the gentleness of his presence; however what impressed me the most was that the generous spirit made himself visible to me within the luminous reflections in the form of a cross."

We invited him to introduce himself. He informed us of some features of his previous lives, describing that he had been a Roman senator, descendant of the proud "Gens Cornelia" and, as well as a priest, who had lived in Brazil.

From October 24th, 1938 to February 9th, 1939 , Emmanuel transmitted his impressions to the medium Francisco Cândido Xavier, allowing us to know that he had been Públio Lentulus Sura and in the following incarnation, the proud Roman, Públio Lentulus Cornelius, whose life culminated in the extraordinary novel: "Two thousand years ago."

Públio had been a proud man, but also a nobleman. Rome was his world and he fought its' battles. He doesn't admit to being involved in its corruption, thus demonstrating since that time his righteous character. Being very strict, he suffered for many years, suspecting that he had been betrayed by the wife to whom he had consecrated his love. For her, in the years of his youth, he composed the most beautiful verses: "Twin soul of my soul," "Flower of light of my life," "Sublime fallen star," "From the beauties of the immensities." and, later on: "You are my infinite treasure," "I swear eternal allegiance to you," "Because I am your hope" "As you are all my love!"

He had the opportunity of meeting Jesus personally, but between the option of being a servant of Jesus or of being a servant of the world, he chose the latter.

It is for no other reason that he writes, at the beginning of the mentioned mediumistic work: "To me, those memories have been very tender, as well as very bitter. Gentle, for the friendly remembrances, but deeply painful, considering that my hardened heart, did not know how to take advantage of this radiant moment that had rung in the clock of my Spiritist life Two thousand years ago ".

He disincarnated in Pompeii , in the year of 79, victim of the lava which flowed from the Mount Vesuvius ' volcano. At that time he had becoming blind, but was already devoted to the principles of Jesus.

Fifty years later, in the year of 131, he returns to the stage of the world. This time he was born in Ephesus , of Jewish origin, he was enslaved by an illustrious Roman who drove him to the old country of his descendants. At 45 years of age, presumably, Nestorio displays the appearance of an Israelite, with a silent and unconformable pride. Separated from his son, who had also been enslaved; he would again meet him during a sermon as he, Nestorio, preached in the catacombs. A Christian since his childhood, he was arrested and jailed, and because of his continued faith to Jesus, he was condemned to death.

Together with his son, Ciro, and about 20 other Christians, at the end of an afternoon, he was driven to the center of the arena of the famous Roman circus, located among the hills of Celio and of Aventino, in the capital of the Empire. Tied to a post by thick ropes attached to links of brass, extremely thin, and dressed with only a piece of cloth that covered his waist to the kidneys, his body was pierced by poisoned arrows. With the others, facing martyrdom, he sings, raising his eyes to the Sky and subsequently in the spiritual world, he is received by his former love, Livia.

Around the year 217, he once again reincarnates on Earth. As a young man, we can now find him as Quinto Varro, a passionate Roman dedicated to the ideals of freedom.

Faithful to Jesus, he feels his soul oppressed by the ignorance and the poverty in which the privileged classes of Rome maintained the crowds.

He feels that the thoughts of the Christ hover over the Earth, but the Roman aristocracy attempts to battle it. Quinto Varro doesn't ignore that a new world had been created in the ruins of the old one.

Becoming a victim of a conspiracy to kill him, during a trip on the high seas, he assumes the identity of an old preacher of Lyon , named Brother Corvino, and start to work as a gardener. After being convicted to be beheaded, his execution was suspended after the third blow, and instead was granted a slow death, in jail.

Eleven years later, he reincarnates as Quinto Celso. From his childhood, he was introduced to the art of the reading, and revealed having a prodigious memory and great discernment.

As true Christian, he suffered the martyrdom in the circus, tied to a post. He is anointed with a resinous substance and is set on fire. He was about 14 years-old.

His last reincarnation took place on October 18th, 1517 in Sanfins, Entre- Douro-e-Minho, in Portugal , under the name of Manoel de Nóbrega, at the time of the reign of D. Manoel I, The Lucky One.

Possessing a privileged intelligence, he entered the University of Salamanca , in Spain , at 17 years of age. At 21, he was in College at "Canones da Universidade" where he attended the classes of canonical right and philosophy, and received the Doctoral Laureate Degree on June 14, 1541 .

While in Brazil , it was he who studied and chose the place for the foundation of the city of São Paulo , on January 25th, 1554 . The chosen date, was due to the day of the Conversion of the Apostle Paulo, intent on paying homage to Paul of Tarsus.

The historian from São Paulo , Tito Lívio Ferreira, ends his work: "Nóbrega and Anchieta in São Paulo of Piratininga" describing: "Priest Manoel de Nóbrega had founded the School of Rio de Janeiro . On October 16th, 1570 , he supervises it with the same enthusiasm; he then visits his friends and local inhabitants and bids goodbye to everyone, as he had been informed he would be returning to his Homeland. His friends find his attitude to be strange, and so they ask him where he is going, and he replies pointing the Sky.

On the following day, he no longer awakens. He receives the Extreme Unction. On the morning of October 18th, 1570 , the very day of his birthday, when he had concluded 53 years of age, 21 of which had been of constant service to Brazil , whose foundations he had built, the founder of the city of São Paulo passed away.

The last words of Manoel de Nóbrega were: "I give you thanks, my God, my Fortress, my Refuge, who marked this day for my death ahead of time, and conceded me the perseverance in my religion until this last hour."

He died without knowing that because of his works the city had been awarded, for the second time, the title of "The Provincial of Jesus' Company in Brazil "- the earth of his life, his passion and death."

As a curiosity, we found in the registry that the deputy Freitas Nobre, who has already disincarnated, declared, in a TV program (of the TV Tupi of São Paulo), on the night of the 27th to July 28th, 1971, that when he was writing a book about Anchieta, he had the opportunity of finding and photographing a signature of Manuel of Nóbrega, like E. Manuel.

Thus, the initial "E" of Francisco Cândido Xavier's mentor was derived from an abbreviation of Ermano, which, according to him, would authorize his name to be written Emanuel, one "m" only, and pronounced with the accent in the last syllables.

Bibliography:

Ave Christ - Francisco Cândido Xavier/Emmanuel

Fifty years later - Francisco Cândido Xavier/Emmanuel

Interviews - Francisco Cândido Xavier/Emmanuel

Two thousand years ago - Francisco Cândido Xavier/Emmanuel

L'Evangile Selon le Spiritisme - Allan Kardec Magazine

Spiritist Presence - Jan/Feb 1991 - Curiosities

Source: http://www.sgny.org/biographies/emmanuel/

André Luiz (Biography)

André Luiz (Biography)



 

In his last life, he was a medical doctor and researcher, in the early 20th century.  Today, Spiritists know the spirit author, André Luiz, as a magnificent messenger, teacher and friend, one who is greatly admired and honored for his literary contributions to the advancement in mankind's understanding of spirit matters.  From the moment his first book, "Nosso Lar" was published in Brazil, in 1944, after having been psychographed by the Brazilian, Spiritist medium, Francisco Candido Xavier, also known as Chico Xavier, André Luiz captured the hearts and minds of his readers.  "Nosso Lar" was the first in a series of novels that would literally catalyze the Spiritist movement, by awakening readers to the "tangibility", so to speak, of spirit life and of the interaction between the spiritual and material worlds. We could, perhaps, say that the study of Spiritism, as we know it in more recent years, would not be the same without the literary gifts presented by André Luiz and his loyal medium, Chico.

 

Faithful to the indispensable and solid foundation found in Allan Kardec's codification of Spiritism, the collection of novels from André Luiz, in reality  an amazing, non-fictional, first-hand account of the author's educational and transformational experiences in the spirit realm, literally bring to life the teachings of Spiritist philosophy, the revealing observations of Spiritist science, and the unequivocal operation and justice of the natural laws that regulate life.  

 

About "Nosso Lar" Andrea Dessen writes¹,

"André Luiz acts as a reporter on conditions in the spirit world, revealing details of its life, people, places, and organization.  He does so through the lens of his reflections on his own after-death experience, and his struggles to make sense of his new reality.  In this very personal account, André Luiz reveals his identity as a medical doctor who practiced in southeastern Brazil in the first decades of the twentieth century, and who left the physical body a few years prior to the beginning of World War II.  A true skeptic at the time of his demise, he is initially shocked at the discovery that death is nothing more than a doorway to a new and richer life.  As time progresses, however, he undergoes inevitable experiences and teachings in the spirit realm which lead him to a better understanding of life's meaning".

 

This progress that began for André, or "André", in "Nosso Lar", continued on, as narrated by André in the books to follow.  In each book,  "André" takes readers along with him as he accompanies his mentors and other friends he makes along the way, in carrying out different tasks that take them to a variety of places.  Readers, especially those new to Spiritist ideas, will be surprised by the realities of spirit life, as seen through André's eyes2, and by how much we interact with those living beings who are not presently incarnated. Yet, that is the beauty of André's accounts.  We may know, for example, that God helps us in our troubles, or that we need to trust God's justice and wisdom.  André however, observes the literal "embodiment" of this true love and compassion, executed by his mentors and friends who consider themselves God's workers.  On top of all this, what André discovers along this journey and shares with his readers, include ideas and concepts that reveal the spiritual mechanisms behind physical phenomena that science is only now discovering !   Whether André is acquiring new scientific awareness or being taught important moral lessons, as readers, we feel like we are right there, learning along with him.  We get to read about the people, places, and events that make us see life in a whole new way.  Over time, the impact that all these experiences have on André, and the way they transform him is educational and inspiring. 

 

Despite the newness of ideas, and, in some cases, the complexity of concepts covered, André Luiz shares them with us in a language that is both comprehendible and captivating. In addition to the novels discussed here, André Luiz wrote several books with messages that both inspire superior thoughts and sentiments and guide our behaviors in the right direction.  The beloved Chico Xavier is no longer living among us here on Earth.  However, as Spiritists, and as people, in general, we will all benefit from the contributions that André has already made and from the fruit of his collaboration with Chico Xavier.

 

¹ Andrea Dessen, Ph.D, Project (translation) Director of the Allan Kardec Educational Society (A.K.E.S), in the introduction to the book, version of translation published by A.K.E.S.
2 The authors of the André Luiz biography on the site of the André Luiz Spiritist Center, in Guara-DF, Brazil (http://www.cealdf.org.br), remind us that, in part, André's descriptions are similar to ones that that existed from the early times of "modern spiritualism" - for example, those registered by Andrew Jakson Davis (1826-1910), but were later forgotten."

Source: http://www.explorespiritism.com/Biographies/Andre%20Luiz.htm

In this universe (Leon Denis)

 

In this universe (Leon Denis)

"In this universe, where all beings and every created thing  are interdependent and united, like the links of an endless chain, there is space neither for the supernatural, nor for the miraculous. Laws, as rigid and inflexible as those which govern matter, rule the invisible world. To understand the admirable mechanism of this law, there is but one way, the patient study of them."

(Leon Denis )

Spiritism Quotes (spiritism.tumblr.com)

Spiritism Quotes

 

A motivational collection of quotes in English by Allan Kardec, Chico Xavier, Andre Luiz, Joanna de Angelis, Divaldo Franco, Emmanuel and other great workers and philosophers of the Spiritism, also known as Kardecism.

This site is kept by the volunteers of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Spiritist Society (SACDSS), a non-profit Christian Kardecist organization established in London on 1st September 2007.

SACDSS is a is a voluntary society, with the aim to promote the study of the Spiritist Doctrine in the UK in its three aspects: scientific, philosophical and religious, as codified by Allan Kardec.

spiritism.tumblr.com

Spiritism - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spiritism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about Spiritism. For the similar movements prominent in most English-speaking countries, see Spiritualism.

Allan Kardec, The Codifier of Spiritism

Spiritism is a doctrine codifed in the 19th century by the French educator Allan Kardec. Spiritism soon spread to other countries, having today 35 countries represented in the International Spiritist Council.[1]

The first appearance of the term occurred in French literature with the publication of the The Spirits' Book. In this book, Kardec sought to distinguish spiritualism and Spiritism. Spiritualism is a name common to various religions, philosophies or other names, refers to the opposite of materialism.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritism

Astral City - A Spiritual Journey (Nosso Lar)

Astral City - a spiritual journey, based on the novel Our Home, by medium Chico Xavier.

Source: http://www.nossolarofilme.com.br/ingles/

***

Nosso Lar (Our Home aka The Astral City) is a 2010 Brazilian drama film directed by Wagner de Assis, based on the book of the same name by Francisco Cândido Xavier. It is distributed by 20th Century Fox and features a soundtrack composed by Philip Glass.

Andre Luiz, the main character of the story, is played by Renato Prieto. He shares the screen with well known actors and actresses of Brazilian television drama such as Othon Bastos, Ana Rosa and Paulo Goulart, among others. It was shot on location in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia during the months of July, August and September of 2009 and took 9 months to complete post-production. It was released on September 3, 2010 in Brazil to great critical acclaim and more than one million viewers in its opening weekend.

The film is an adaptation of the 1944 book of the same name, said to be dictated by the spirit Andre Luiz and psychographed by Chico Xavier Brazil's most well known and respected medium, having channeled more than 400 books, all earning were directed to charities. The book is considered a great classic of the spiritist literature. Engaging the reader from a first-person narrative, Andre Luiz delivers his impressions of the spirit world he encounters after his death.

Detailed drawings of the city "Our Home" as well as the architecture of the buildings, ministries and homes, were created by the medium Heigorina Cunha through her observations made during her alleged travels outside of the body in March 1979, led and guided by the spirit Lucius. These drawings served as inspiration to create the visual architecture of the city, that you can see in the movie. His drawings have been clarified and confirmed by Chico Xavier that this was really the spiritual city of Rio de Janeiro called "Our Home".

Nosso Lar is rich in special effects. The majority of the movie takes place in this spiritual city, which is famous in the Spiritist movement. Many spiritists and spiritualists waited anxiously for the release of the film that recorded the second highest debut of a Brazilian film since the rebirth of Brazilian cinema in the '90s, after Tropa de Elite 2, released one month later.

For photography and special effects, international professionals were invited, including director of photography Ueli Steiger (from 10,000 BC and The Day After Tomorrow) and special effects supervisor Lev Kolobov, the Canadian firm Intelligent Creatures (The Hunt, Babel and Watchmen)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosso_Lar_(film)

Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home

Gospel at Home

STUDY MEETING OF THE GOSPEL AT HOME

Source: http://www.allankardec.org.nz/index.php?Itemid=63&option=com_content


The Groups, Centers, or Spiritist Societies offer the following basic activities:
"To motivate and to guide its participants to implement and maintain the Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home, as effective support for the spiritual harmony of the family."


1. Fundamentals

" What is the most perfect example that God has offered to us, to serve as a guide and model?
"Jesus"
Jesus the God-given model of moral perfection toward which we should all strive. Animated by the Divine Spirit, Jesus was the purest being who has ever appeared on Earth; and the doctrine He taught is, accordingly, the purest expression of the Divine Law."

Allan Kardec (The Spirits' Book, Question 625)

"Social interaction is necessary to evolution, and family ties are the basis for life in society. This is why social interaction is a natural law. God wants humans, by living together in society, to learn to love each other."

Allan Kardec (The Spirits' Book, Question 774)

"When the Gospel penetrates the home, the heart opens up more easily the door to the Divine Master."

Emmanuel ("Jesus no Lar “ Automatic Writing Francisco Candido Xavier)

The Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home is the gathering of the family for the study of the Gospel under the light of Spiritism and their joint prayers.
It is of vital importance for the spiritual balance of the family and the harmony of the domestic atmosphere.

In this meeting, in addition to the study and vibrations carried out together, there is also the opportunity for the Spiritual friends to provide spiritual assistance to the home, and in particular, to each one of its members.


2. Organization

- The entire family should be motivated to participate in the Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home, including the children.
- If other members of the family cannot or do not wish to participate in the study, one person alone can accomplish it, with the certainty that the home, as well as other relatives, will benefit from it.
- This should be a weekly meeting, on a day and hour previously chosen.
- The meeting should have a minimum duration of 30 min., but should not exceed 1 hour. If children are participating, the minimum time should be chosen.
- Punctuality at each meeting is indispensable, as well as the consistency of the meetings.
-The sequenced study of "The Gospel According to Spiritism" is recommended in addition to excerpts from other evangelical works with the active participation of every member of the family.
- Poetry, history, songs or Spiritist narratives can enrich the meeting.
- Manifestations of disincarnate spirits should be avoided.
- A glass of water should be placed for each person present so that they may be magnetized by the Spiritual Benefactors. Whenever necessary, passes may be administered, if there are people present with experience in such work.
- In addition to relatives, neighbors, and friends, visitors that are in the home at the hour of the meeting may also be invited to participate in the study.
- It is advisable, in order to avoid interruptions, to turn the telephone off.
- It is advisable to choose a place in the house that offers privacy, so that inconvenient interferences may be avoided.
- On the day of the Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home, in particular, the domestic atmosphere should be preserved by means of attitudes and thoughts of peace and cordiality, and of uplifting conversations.
- Less worthy conversations or inconvenient attitudes should not be permitted before, during, or after the meeting.

3. Development

- The family will always meet on the day, hour, and place previously chosen.
- Before the beginning of the meeting, the tasks of the study will be distributed, selecting the participants that will be responsible for the prayers and the reading.

3.1. - Initial prayer: Offered by the director or by the one choose by him/her; it should be concise, simple, and objective, asking God and the Superior Plane for blessings of peace and happiness. (2min.)
3.2. - Reading and comments: Read a page from "The Gospel According to Spiritism" and a page from another evangelical work, always in sequence. The recommended books are: "Vineyard of Light", "Source of Life", "Way, Truth and Life", and "Our Daily Bread" by Emmanuel, channeled by the medium Francisco Candido Xavier.
It is important that everybody actively participate with comments, contributing to enhance the subject and to enrich the lesson. (20 to 50min.)
3.3. - Vibrations: It is the prayer for the home, relatives and friends, sick persons, the obsessed, drug addicts, suicides, for incarnates and disincarnates, and especially for enemies. We should also ask for countries, world peace, and for everyone in need. Finally, vibrate for the benefit of the participants of the meeting and for the magnetization of the water. (3min.)
3.4. - Closing prayer: It should also be simple, clear, and concise, expressing gratitude to God, Jesus, and the Spiritual Friends for the blessings of the study and the lesson, and for the happiness of fraternal coexistence. (2min.)


4. Observations

-Upon consideration of the high objectives, the great spiritual reach of the Study Meeting of the Gospel at Home, and the great benefits it provides to people, their homes, and society, it is advisable that the Group, Center or Spiritist Society motivate its implementation in all homes, by means of campaigns promoting its practice, and by providing guidance for its implementation.
- These campaigns should be promoted through all possible means of communication.
- Properly trained teams can provide assistance and collaboration to these meetings in their initial phase.

The constant study of the Spiritist Doctrine based on Allan Kardec's works and the permanent purpose of practicing its teachings, are indispensable for the correct accomplishment of any spiritist activity.

Supporting Guidelines for Spiritist Activities 2005 Translated by: Jussara Korngold, Marie Levinson and Anabel Perez International Spiritist Council


Source: http://www.allankardec.org.nz/index.php?Itemid=63&option=com_content

***

Download the 5 books of the Codification (among other books) in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Esperanto: http://www.oconsolador.com.br/linkfixo/bibliotecavirtual/ingles/ingles.html

Allan Kardec - Biography

Source: http://2010.kardec.es/ing/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1

Allan Kardec was the codifier of Spiritism.

Allan Kardec was the scrupulous organiser of the material upon which 19thcentury Spiritist philosophy was based. He was by no means, an imaginative or a mystic writer.

On 18 April 1857 Kardec published “The Spirits Book”, which would signify the beginning of the Spiritist Doctrine. This book was signed by the name of Allan Kardec, therefore separating his current work from the time he was known as a writer and a prestigious pedagogue, when he used to sign his teaching works by his family name: Hippolyte Leon Denizard Rivail.

During the few years he had left in this existing reincarnation, he wrote all the books that comprise the Spiritist Codification.

Short biography of Allan Kardec

Hippolyte Leon Denizard Rivail (Allan Kardec) was born on the 3 October 1804, in the city of Lyon, France. He was the son of the judge Jean Baptiste-Antonie Rivail, and his mother was Jeanne Louise Duhamel.

Professor Rivail started his education in Lyon and completed his secondary studies in Yverdun, Switzerland, where he rapidly became one of the school’s most eminent pupils. An intelligent and zealous supporter of the famous Professor Pestalozzi, he then applied himself whole-heartedly to the propagation of the education system championed by Pestalozzi, which came to have a great influence on the French and German school systems.

Many times, when Pestalozzi was called abroad to establish Institutes such as that of Yverdun, he left Denizard Rivail in charge of his school. A remarkable linguist, he spoke German, English, Italian and Spanish fluently and could easily express himself in Dutch.

Professor Rivail was a member of several learned societies, among others, the Royal Society of Arras. He was the author of numerous educational works, such as:

. A Plan for the Improvement of Public Instruction (1828)
. A Course of Practical and Theoretic Arithmetic, on the Pestalozzian System, for the use of Teachers and Mothers (1829)
. A Classical Grammar of the French Tongue (1831)
. A Manual for the use of Candidates for Examination in Public Schools; with Explanatory Solutions of various Problems of Arithmetic and Geometry (1848)
. Grammatical catechism of the French Tongue (1848)
. Programmes of ordinary studies in physics, chemistry, astronomy and physiology, taught at the Lyceum
. Normal Dictations for the Examinations of the Hotel de Ville and the Sorbonne, with . pecial Dictations on Orthographic Difficulties (1849).

Alongside with his teaching career, Rivail also worked as an accountant for the trade industry, therefore having a very stable financial life. His name was well-known and highly respected, and many of his works were adopted by the University of France. He met the professor Amelie-Gabrielle Boudet during his teaching years and they married on 6February 1832.

In 1854, Professor Denizard for the first time and through a friend of his, Mr. Fortier, learned of the phenomena of the turning tables. This was a fashionable and popular game played throughout Europe since the first appearance of the Spiritist phenomena in 1848, in the city of Hydesville, in the USA, with the Fox sisters.

In the following year, after receiving more information about the intervention of the spirits from Mr.Calotti, his friend for more than 25 years, Denizard became more interested in the subject.

After a while, in May 1855, he was invited by Mr. Patier, a very reliable and educated man, to participate in one of these experimental meetings.

Professor Rivail had a great interest in magnetism and agreed to participate, thinking that the phenomena were somewhat related to each other. After attending a few sessions, he started to ask questions in the search for logical answers which could explain the fact that inert objects could send intelligent messages. He was awed by the manifestations, for it seemed that behind them there was an intelligent cause that was responsible for those movements. He decided to investigate because he suspected that behind those phenomena there was the revelation of a new law.

The “invisible forces” manifested in these sessions, revealed themselves as being the souls of men who once lived on Earth. The Codifier was becoming even more intrigued. In one of those sessions, a message was addressed specifically to him: “He would give life to a new philosophical, scientific, and moral doctrine.” Kardec replied that, since he had been chosen, he would do everything to successfully accomplish the obligations that had been entrusted to him.

Although very sceptical at first, Allan Kardec had begun his observations and studies of the spiritist’s phenomena with the enthusiasm typical of a grave and rational man: “I will believe it when I can see and prove that a table has brain and nerves and that it can became a sleepwalker.”

After his initial astonishment and disbelief, Rivail started to consider the validity of such phenomena. He then continued his studies and observations, even more convinced of what he was witnessing. He said: “Suddenly I was in the midst of a very strange fact, contrary, by the first view, to the laws of nature, happening in the presence of honourable and trustworthy people. Even so, the idea of a table that could speak didn’t fit in my mind”.

Basically, the development of the Spiritist Codification began at the residence of the Baudin family, in 1855. In the house lived two young girls who were mediums. They were Julie and Caroline Baudin, 14 and 16 years old, respectively. Using the “basket and spinning top”, a device similar to the turning tables, Kardec asked questions to the discarnate Spirits, which they answered by means of mediumistic writing. In proportion to the answers to his questions, Kardec noticed that the outlines of a doctrine were being drawn and he prepared himself to publish what later became the first work of the Spiritist Codification.

The way through which the Spirits communicated in the beginning was by usage of the basket and spinning top, fitted with a pencil in its centre. The mediums’ hands were placed at the edges of the basket and the involuntary movements provoked by the Spirits produced the writing. With time, the basket was substituted by the mediums’ hands, originating what it is now known as psychography. The consultations with the Spirits originated to the “Spirits’ Book”, published on April 18, 1857. A new horizon of possibilities in the field of knowledge was disclosed to the whole world.

From then on, Allan Kardec dedicated himself intensively to the work of expanding and revealing the Good Tidings. He travelled 2,079 miles, visited twenty cities, and attended more than 50 Spiritist doctrinal meetings.

For his profound love of the good and of the truth, Allan Kardec had constructed for ever the greatest Wisdom’s Monument that Humanity could have ever ambitioned, revealing, through rational and positive comprehension of the multiple existences, the greatest mystery of life and destiny; all of it enlightened by the Christian principles.

Born into a Catholic family and having being raised in the Protestant tradition, Allan Kardec decided to follow a different path, choosing to be a free thinker and a pragmatic man. From that perspective, of a very demanding intellectual life, he was a man of a grave character and highly educated, always eager to investigate the so called “turning tables”. Back then, the world was curious about the endless psychic events that could be seen everywhere and that, later on, would become the advent of the greatest comforting doctrine – lately receiving the name of Spiritism – having as its Codifier, the immortal and famous professor of Lyon.

Nonetheless, Spiritism was not a man’s creation but rather a Divine revelation for Humanity, in defence of Christ’s postulates legacy, appearing in a period of history when materialism prevailed amongst the most intelligent and prominent minds of Europe and America.

The Codification of Spiritist Doctrine has ensured Kardec’s inclusion to the gallery of Humanity’s greatest missionaries and benefactors. His work is as extraordinary as the French Revolution, which established human rights in society. Kardec’s work established man’s boundaries with the Universe and gave mankind the key to solve its mysteries, including the problem of death, which until then had been mistaken by the existing religions.

The Master’s mission, as foreseen by The Spirit of Truth, was full of obstacles and risks, for his mission was not only the work of codification of the Spiritist Doctrine, but above all to instruct and transform humanity. His mission was so enduring that, in a letter written on 1 January 1867, Kardec talks about his friends’ ingratitude, his enemy’s hatred and the insults and defamation from fanatics. Despite it all, he never failed his mission.

His pen name, Allan Kardec, has the following origin: One night, a spirit who called himself “Z”, told him as part of a personal message received through a medium, what happened in a previous existence. This was that he had lived as a Druid, Galia, answering by the name of Allan Kardec.

His friendship with the Spirit of Zephyrus, who promised to help him in his transcendental task, in which he would effortlessly succeed, was getting stronger. When the time came to publish the Spirits’ Book, the author was faced by a dilemma: would he sign his new work with the name of Hipolyte Leon Denizard Rivail, or would he use his pen name of Allan Kardec? Because his name was famous in the scientific world, he adopted definitely the name he used in a previous existence, “Allan Kardec” to prevent his fame from overshadowing his new area of work.

Books codified and written by Allan Kardec:
. The Spirits’ Book (1857)
. What is Spiritism (1859)
. The Mediums’ Book (1861)
. The Gospel According to Spiritism (1864)
. Heaven and Hell (1865)
. The Genesis (1868)
. Posthumous Work (1890)

On January 1, 1858 Allan Kardec published the first number of the Revue Espirite, which served as powerful auxiliary for the work he carried out for twelve years without stop, until his death. It is also considered to be the core of Spiritism, not only because he was its editor until 1869, but also because the Revue Espirite expressed his thoughts and his work as the Codifier of the Spiritism.On April 1, 1858 Allan Kardec founded The Spiritists' Parisian Studies Society, which had as its objective the study of all the relative phenomena to the spiritist’s manifestations and its applications to the moral sciences, physics, history and psychology.

From 1855 to 1869 Allan Kardec dedicated his existence to Spiritism. Representing The Spirit of Truth, he established Spiritism and brought to Mankind the Promised Consoler.

The Codifier of Spiritism died in Paris, on 31 March 1869, at the age of sixty five. It is written in his grave: “To be born, to die, to be reborn yet again, and to constantly progress, that is the Law.”

Source: http://2010.kardec.es/ing/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1

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Download the 5 books in English: http://www.2010.kardec.es/ing/pack-kardec.zip

Download the 5 books of the Codification (among other books) in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Esperanto: http://www.oconsolador.com.br/linkfixo/bibliotecavirtual/ingles/ingles.html

A Message from André Luiz (The Astral City) - Uma Mensagem de André Luiz (Nosso Lar)

A Message from André Luiz

Life never ceases. Life is an overflowing source, and death is only an obscure effect of illusions.

The great river follows its own course before joining the vast sea. Likewise, the soul follows equally varied routes and passes through different stages, receiving here and there tributaries of knowledge, strengthening its personality and perfecting its qualities before reaching the Ocean of Eternal Wisdom.

The closing of our earthly eyes is such a simple event.

The shedding of the physical body does not solve the fundamental problems of enlightenment, just as changing ones clothes has nothing to do with the deep questions of life and destiny.

Ah, paths of the soul, mysterious ways of the heart! One must walk their full lengths before facing the supreme equation of Eternal Life. It is essential for you to live all their conflicts and to know them fully in the long process of spiritual ascension.

How childish to imagine that the mere "ringing down of the curtain" would settle transcendental questions of the Infinite.

One life is but a single act.

One body - a garment.

One century - a day.

One task - an experience.

One triumph - an acquisition.

One death - a breath of renovation.

How many lives, how many bodies, how many centuries, how many tasks, how many triumphs, how many deaths are still allotted to us?

And yet religious philosophers will speak of final decisions and immutable situations!

Alas, everywhere we find scholars in doctrine who are spiritual illiterates!

It takes great effort for man to enter the School of the Gospel, and his admission thereto nearly always comes to pass in a strange manner - he finds himself alone with the Master, struggling through a difficult course, learning lessons in an invisible classroom, and attending long lectures of unspoken words.

Long, very long therefore, is our arduous journey. Here our humble efforts can bring you only a glimpse of this fundamental truth.

I speak to you as an anonymous friend, in this anonymity which stems from brotherly love. The great majority of mankind is like a fragile vessel which cannot yet contain the whole truth. Therefore, we restrict ourselves here to conveying only the profound experience itself in its collective values. We will not torment anyone with the idea of Eternity. Let the vessels first become stronger. Thus we dedicate this brief record to the eager spirits of our brothers struggling for their spiritual ascent, who understand, as we do, that "the wind blows where it wills".(John, 3:8)

And now, my friend, let my thanks fall upon this paper, and thence rise and merge into a great silence of sympathy and gratitude. Attraction, appreciation, love and joy live in the soul. Be sure that in the depths of mine I hold these sentiments toward us.

May the Lord bless us.

André Luiz.

Read the book online: http://www.geae.inf.br/en/books/ac/index.html