The Spirits' Book

Allan Kardec

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Commemoration of the Dead - Funerals

320. Do memories of people they loved on Earth affect spirits?
“Much more so than you may believe. This memory increases their happiness if they are already happy, and gives them immense solace if they are unhappy.”


321. Are spirits particularly attracted to their loved ones on the Earth on All Souls’ Day? Do they make it a point to visit people who pray before their graves?
“Spirits respond to the appeals of loving memory on that day just like any other.”


a) Do they visit the burial site of their physical body on that day?
“They visit cemeteries in droves on All Souls’ Day because they are attracted by the thoughts of a large number of people. However, each spirit goes there solely for its own loved ones and not for those who mean nothing to them.”


b) What is their form when they visit these places? If we could see them, what would they look like?
“The form and appearance by which they were known during their lifetime.”


322. Do the spirits of forgotten people, whose graves no one visits, visit cemeteries despite this neglect? Do they feel remorse or regret in realizing that no one remembers them?
“What is the Earth to them? They are only connected to it sentimentally. If there was no affection for a spirit while it was in this world, nothing can attach it to it. It has the whole universe before it.”


323. Does a spirit derive more pleasure from someone visiting its grave than a prayer offered in its name by loved ones in their own home?
“Visiting a grave site is a symbolic gesture and a way of showing a spirit that it was not forgotten. As I have told you, the prayer blesses the gesture of remembrance. Where the prayer is offered is of little signifcance, so long as it comes from the heart.”


324. When statues or other monuments are erected in honor of the deceased, are spirits present at inauguration? Do they derive any pleasure from these ceremonies?
“Spirits often attend such occasions when they can, but they attach less importance to these honors than the memory in which they are held.”


325. What makes some individuals prefer one burial spot over another? Do they go there more willingly after death? Is it a sign of inferiority if a spirit attributes such importance to a material issue?
“Spirits who have preferences for certain burial places show a sign of moral inferiority. Why would the different burial spots be of a concern to elevated spirits? Aren’t they aware that they will be reunited with their loved ones regardless of the location of their physical remains?”


a) Is it pointless to bury the physical remains of an entire family in the same spot?
“No, this is a heartfelt testimony to the consideration for our loved ones. It is of little importance to spirits, it is useful to people whose memory of the deceased is strengthened.”


326. When the soul returns to the spirit life, does it fnd the honors paid to its material remains pleasing?
“When a spirit has reached a certain degree of perfection, it is no longer controlled by human pride or pleasure and understands their futility. Still, there are many spirits who take great pleasure in the honors paid to their memory. There are some who are disturbed at discovering that they have been forgotten when they frst cross over into the other life. They still have not shed some of the false ideas they held during their physical life.”


327. Do spirits ever attend their own funeral?
“Very often, but they frequently do not understand what is happening because they are still in that state of confusion that usually follows death.” a) Do they feel fattered by a large attendance of people at their funeral? “This depends on the sentiment that has brought these people together.”


328. Does a spirit ever attend the meetings organized for the reading of his or her last will and testament?
“Almost always. It is God’s requirement for the enlightenment of some spirits and the atonement of greedy and selfsh ones. The deceased can evaluate the loyalty and affection people had for them because they can perceive all true feelings then. They are often extremely disappointed in witnessing the greed of those who dispute their assets. Greedy heirs are in turn punished in due time.”


329. Is the respect human beings have instinctively given to the dead attributed to an intuitive belief in a future life?
“That is the natural consequence. If this belief did not exist, such respect would have no purpose.”

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