Spiritual obsession, cause of the great human anguishes
Autor: HESSEN | Publicado: 2010-12-13T07:33:00-08:00

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Translation                                                                              Renata Rinaldini - renatarinaldini@hotmail.com                                                                    Spiritual                  obsession, cause                  of the great                  human anguishes                                                   To secure                  ourselves                  against its                  influences one                  must strengthen                  faith through                  mental renewal                  and through the                  practice of good                  within the                  framework of                  evangelical                  codes                                                                                     Dear Colleagues,                  once in a while                  we are asked why                  living on Earth                  is so                  complicated and                  life is so often                  bitter? I answer                  by saying that                  this sensation                  can eventually                  be an aspiration                  to happiness and                  freedom and                  that, as we are                  handcuffed to a                  physical                  wrapping which                  serves us as a                  prison, we apply                  useless effort                  to get out of                  it.  However,                  some fall into                  discouragement,                  and reverberate                  their                  lamentations all                  the time.                  However, we need                  to resist                  energetically                  despondency and                  sensations of                  despair, because                  the dreams of                  happiness of                  living are                  intrinsic to all                  men, though we                  must not eagerly                  look for them                  only in the                  material and the                  transitory                  experience of                  earthly life.                                                                    Commenting on                  melancholy, we                  find the Spirit                  François de                  Geneve dictating                  the following                  passage in the                  book The                  Gospel according                  to Spiritism:                                                   Remember, during                  your exile here                  on Earth, you                  have a mission                  to fulfil that                  you do not even                  suspect; be it                  dedicating                  yourself to your                  family or                  fulfilling the                  various                  obligations                  bestowed upon                  you by God. If                  within the                  course of this                  exiled                  probation, while                  seeking                  exoneration, you                  feel about to                  collapse through                  anxiety,                  uneasiness, or                  tribulations, be                  strong and                  courageous                  enough to                  support these                  pressures. Stand                  up to them with                  resolution for                  they will soon                  pass. These are                  the only means                  by which you may                  reach those for                  whom you pine                  and who,                  jubilant at                  seeing you once                  again amongst                  them, will hold                  out their hands                  towards you so                  as to guide you                  to regions                  inaccessible to                  earthly                  afflictions.                  FRANÇOIS DE                  GENEVE                  (Bordeaux).*                                                   There are,                  however, many                  disappointments                  which can have                  their origins in                  the infidelity                  to Christian                  commitments,                  hence melancholy                  is installed in                  the being, which                  can result in an                  obsessive                  process.                  Etymologically                  speaking, the                  term obsession                  has its origin                  in the word                  obsessione,                  a Latin word                  meaning                  impertinence,                  persecution. For                  some studious                  spiritist                  people,                  obsession is                  perceived as a                  great worldwide                  scourge. This                  view is of                  utmost gravity                  in society,                  which is                  nowadays well                  advanced                  technologically,                  be it in the                  fields of                  communication                  and computing,                  or be it in                  other areas of                  knowledge,                  broadening and                  deepening the                  responsibilities                  of each one of                  us before                  collective life.                                                                                       Obsession is a                  maleficent                  influence upon                  the mind                                                    The Portuguese                  language                  Dictionary                  “Aurélio                  Buarque” defines                  obsession as                  being a                  preoccupation                  with a                  determined fixed                  idea, which                  dominates the                  spirit in a                  sickly manner,                  resulting or not                  from repressed                  feelings; fixed                  idea; mania. In                  the same way the                  term “obsession”                  is used in a                  vulgar way, to                  mean a fixed                  idea on                  something, a                  nervous tic, a                  generator of                  manias, strange                  attitudes, and                  so on.  However,                  according to the                  spiritist point                  of view, the                  term has a                  broader meaning                  and                  interpretation.                  It is embodied                  in a maleficent                  influence                  relatively                  persistent which                  discarnated                  and/or                  incarnated, as                  much as or less                  spiritually                  developed than                  ourselves, can                  exercise on our                  mental life.                                                   For the                  classical school                  of psychiatry,                  obsession is a                  thought, or a                  persistent or                  recurrent                  impulse which is                  unwelcome and                  distressing and                  which comes                  involuntarily to                  the mind,                  despite an                  attempt to                  ignore it or                  repress it.                  Psychiatrists                  who do not admit                  anything beyond                  matter cannot                  understand a                  hidden                  (spiritual)                  cause, but when                  the scientific                  community moves                  beyond its                  materialistic                  view, it will                  recognise in the                  action of the                  invisible world                  that surrounds                  us and in the                  environment in                  which we live, a                  force that acts                  upon physical                  stuff as well as                  upon moral                  things.  This                  will be a new                  open way to                  progress and the                  key of a                  multitude of                  badly understood                  phenomena of the                  human psychism.                                                   Obviously the                  possibility of a                  psychosomatic                  anomaly is not                  discarded, but                  the Spiritist                  Doctrine allows                  us to                  acknowledge                  other sources of                  human misery,                  maintained                  through the                  moral frailty of                  the beings.                                                   We recognise                  that the use of                  anti-depressive                  chemicals                  establishes a                  chemical harmony                  of the brain,                  improving the                  patient’s mood,                  however, they                  simply act on                  the effects, as                  these medicines                  do not cure                  obsession in its                  intrinsic                  causes, only                  re-establish the                  transit of                  neuronal                  messages,                  correcting the                  neuro-chemical                  functioning of                  the central                  nervous system.                  Socrates already                  affirmed way                  back that “if                  doctors are                  unsuccessful in                  treating most                  diseases, it is                  because they                  treat only the                  body without                  treating the                  soul”.                                                                    By insincerity,                  in our tenuous                  effort for inner                  moral reform, we                  prevent balanced                  and balancing                  relationships                  with others and                  with ourselves.                  Our entire                  disharmony leads                  to the                  development of                  vicious tuning                  in with other                  sick minds, be                  it discarnated                  or incarnated,                  which greatly                  sharpens our own                  inner                  disarrangement.                                                   In the intimacy                  of the home, of                  the family, of                  the Spiritist                  Centre or of the                  work                  environment,                  bitter                  adversaries from                  the past get to                  meet up. Invited                  to readjustment                  by the                  Benefactors from                  Beyond, they are                  rarely able to                  overcome the                  aversion which                  they feel for                  each other, and                  feed this                  aversion again                  with passion in                  the inner                  essence of                  themselves and                  the toxic rays                  of aversion                  which, when                  concentrated,                  become magnetic                  sharp darts,                  susceptible to                  provoke                  illnesses and                  death itself.                                                   Spiritual                  obsession is                  tuning in or                  exchange of                  similar vibes.                  Kardec defines                  obsession as a                  persistent                  action that a                  morally inferior                  Spirit exerts on                  an individual,                  presenting                  varied                  characteristics                  which go from a                  simple moral                  influence,                  without                  perceptible                  exterior signs,                  up to complete                  perturbation of                  the organism and                  of mental                  faculties.                  Obsession is the                  encounter of                  inferior forces                  portraying each                  other.                                                                      The multiple                  facets of                  obsession                                                    There are cases                  of obsessions                  bursting out                  throughout                  everywhere and                  in all levels,                  be it                  discarnated upon                  incarnated or                  vice-versa;                  incarnated upon                  incarnated, as                  well as                  discarnated upon                  discarnated.                                                   Our mental world                  rules the life                  which is                  peculiar to us                  in all its                  dimensions;                  however we find                  ourselves still                  at the beginning                  of understanding                  the implications                  of mental force,                  of the meaning                  and coverage of                  the mental                  formations in                  life. The                  obsessors1                  are skillfull                  and intelligent,                  perfect                  strategists who                  plan every step                  and have been                  following their                  prey for some                  time, observing                  their                  tendencies,                  their                  relationships                  and their                  ideals. They                  identify their                  prey’s                  vulnerable                  points (which                  are almost                  always to do                  with misguided                  sexual choices)                                                   Thought is                  exteriorised and                  is projected,                  forming images                  and suggestions                  which are hurled                  into the                  objectives that                  one proposes to                  reach. When                  thought is good                  and edifying, it                  is adjusted to                  the Laws which                  rule us,                  creating harmony                  and happiness;                  however, when                  unbalanced and                  depressing, it                  establishes                  anguish and                  ruin. Mental                  chemistry acts                  as a basis of                  all                  transformations                  because we                  really evolve in                  deep telepathic                  communion with                  all those                  incarnated and                  discarnated who                  are similar to                  us.                                                    Our mental                  universe is like                  a sky, but                  beneficial                  sunbeams and                  rain fall from                  the heavens                  towards                  planetary life,                  as well as,                  during the                  instant of                  friction between                  atmospheric                  elements and                  from the same                  sky, destructive                  electrical arcs.                  From it,                  balancing and                  restorative                  forces are                  originated for                  the trillions of                  cells of the                  physical body,                  but, when                  perturbed, it                  emits magnetic                  rays of highly                  destructive                  content towards                  our psychic                  structure.                                                   In question 466                  of “The                  Spirits’ Book”,                  the master from                  Lyon asked the                  Spirits “why                  does God permit                  spirits to                  incite us to                  evil?” Their                  answer was:                                                   "Imperfect                  spirits are used                  by Providence as                  instruments for                  trying men's                  faith and                  constancy in                  well-doing. You,                  being a spirit,                  must advance in                  the knowledge of                  the infinite. It                  is for this end                  that you are                  made to pass                  through the                  trials of evil                  in order to                  attain to                  goodness. Our                  mission is to                  lead you into                  the right road.                  When you are                  acted upon by                  evil influences,                  it is because                  you attract evil                  spirits to you                  by your evil                  desires, for                  evil spirits                  always come to                  aid you in doing                  the evil you                  desire to do;                  they can only                  help you to do                  wrong when you                  give way to evil                  desires. If you                  are inclined to                  commit murder,                  you will have                  about you a                  swarm of spirits                  who will keep                  this inclination                  alive in you;                  but you will                  also have others                  about you who                  will try to                  influence you                  for good, which                  restores the                  balance, and                  leaves you of                  your decision."                                                                     Moral renewal as                  a basis for                  spiritual                  disobsession2                                                    The venerable                  Codifier, in                  The Mediums’                  Book,                  affirms that                  moral                  imperfections                  give access to                  obsessors and                  the safest                  environment to                  get rid of them                  is to attract                  good Spirits                  through the                  practice of                  good. Obsession                  is impotent in                  face of redeemed                  Spirits! And                  what is a                  redeemed Spirit?                  It is one who                  recognises its                  limitations and,                  as announced by                  Apostle Paul,                  feels happiness                  in knowing                  itself to be                  “enrolled in the                  school of good”                                                   This                  psycho-spiritual                  disarrangement                  should be                  eliminated from                  society in the                  instant that the                  legitimate                  example of love                  is experienced                  and disseminated                  in all                  directions,                  according to                  what Jesus                  consolidated and                  experienced up                  to the                  bitterness of                  his death,                  continuing from                  apostolic times                  until today.                                                   Spiritism,                  unveiling the                  intervention of                  the Spirits                  hardened in evil                  in our lives,                  casts light on                  questions still                  ignored by                  materialistic                  sciences as a                  cause of                  psychopathology.                                                   Many times                  Christ was                  sought out by                  obsessed people                  and he                  penetrated the                  causes of their                  restlessness                  and, using of                  his moral                  authority, freed                  both, obsessed                  and obsessors,                  allowing them to                  awaken to an                  exciting life                  towards                  recuperation and                  the pacification                  of the                  conscience.                  However, it is                  very important                  to remember that                  Jesus did not                  free the                  obsessed without                  imposing upon                  them the                  non-transferable                  need for inner                  reform, nor did                  he drive out the                  unconscious                  pursuers without                  giving them the                  address of God.                                                                     Conclusion                                                    In synthesis, we                  always identify                  in spiritual                  obsession the                  result of a lack                  of vigilance and                  moral                  deviations. In                  order to guard                  us against its                  influence we                  should                  strengthen faith                  through mental                  renovation and                  through the                  practice of good                  within the                  evangelical                  codes proposed                  by Jesus Christ,                  not forgetting                  the divine                  advice of                  Watch and Pray.                                                                     JORGE                     HESSEN                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              jorgehessen@gmail.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Brasília,                     Distrito                     Federal                     (Brasil)                                                   Sources:                                    Kardec, Allan.                  The Gospel                  according to                  Spiritism Rio de                  Janeiro:                  published by                  FEB, 2001,                  Chapter 5, item                  25                                                   Electronic                  Aurélio                  Dictionary; 21st                 century.                                  Rio de Janeiro, Nova Fronteira e Lexicon Computer, 1999, CD-rom,                  3.0 version.                                  Xavier, Francisco Cândido.                  In the domains                  of mediumship,                  Rio de Janeiro:                  FEB edition,                  2001, Chapter:                  Telepathic                  Domination                                                   Kardec,                  Allan.The                  Spirits’ Book,                  2003, question                  466                                  Kardec, Allan.                  The Mediums’                  Book, Rio de                  Janeiro:                  published by                  FEB, 1987-                  (Matthew 26:41;                  Mark 14:38; LuKe                  21:36 e  Peter                  5:8).                                                   Revue Spirite,                  February, March                  and June 1864.                  The obsessed                  young woman from                  Marmande.                                  Kardec, Alan.                  What is                  Spiritism,                  Chapter 2, The                  pitfalls of                  mediums, Rio de                  Janeiro:                  published by                  FEB, 2003                                  Kardec, Allan.                  The Gospel                  according to                  Spiritism,                  Summary of the                  doctrine of                  Socrates and                  Plato, item 19,                  Rio de Janeiro:                  FEB edition,                  2001.                                                                                                       *Transcript from                  Allan Kardec’s                  book The Gospel                  according to                  Spiritism –                  English                  translation from                  3rd                  edition of the                  original French,                  translator Janet                  Duncan, 1987                                                                    1Translator’s                  note: Obsessor:                                                   a perturbed and                  lost spirit                  attached to a                  person, thus,                  causing a                  maleficent                 impression                  on his victim.                  Hence its victim                  denomination -                  obsessed person.                                                                    2*Translator’s                  note:                 Disobsession                 (Deobsession):                  “In Spiritism,                  it is the                  practice whereby                  mediums receive                  lost and                  perturbed                  spirits and                  whereby another                  member of the                  spiritist centre                  talks to the                  spirit and                  evangelizes or                  “indoctrinates”                  it. These lost                  and perturbing                  spirists are not                  necessarily                  linked to the                  specific                  victims, and the                  people who have                  spirit attached                  to them do not                  need to be                  present at the                  disobsession                  meeting. (Non-Spiritists                  may refer to                  disobsession as                  “exorcism” which                  is a word                  rejected by                  Spiritists                  because of its                  implication,                  that is, it                  implies demons                  or other                  non-human                  spirits)(David                  J. Hess –                  “Spirits and                  Scientists –                  Ideology,                  Spiritism and                  Brazilian                  Culture”, 1991)”                  - (Extract from                  book “Obsession,                  Passes,                  Counselling” by                  Herculano Pires                  – translation by                  Jussara Korngold                  and Marie                  Levinson –SAB,                  2004, New York)