The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1864

Allan Kardec

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In the previous article we described the poor situation of that young lady and the circumstances of her true possession. We gladly confirm what we said before about her complete cure.

After being released from her obsessing Spirit she presented serious health complications due to the violent shocks for more than six months. She is now recovered by she is still in a somnambulistic state that does not preclude her from doing her day to day activities. Let us describe the circumstances of the cure.

Several people had tried to magnetize her unsuccessfully except a slight and momentary improvement in her pathological state. As for the Spirit he was progressively more tenacious and the crises had achieved the highest levels of violence.

In that case it would be necessary to have a magnetizer as described in the preceding article with respect to the healing mediums that is covering the patient with a sufficiently pure fluid capable of eliminating the influence of the bad Spirit. If there is a case of mediumship that requires moral superiority that is undoubtedly the case of obsession for one does need to have the ability of imposing moral superiority to the Spirit.

According to what has been announced cases of possession must multiply strongly in the near future so that the means employed so far to combat it are proven to be powerless. Even something that we cannot mention now but that happened at the time of Jesus will contribute to develop a kind of demoniacal epidemic. There is no doubt that special mediums will appear with the skill of expelling the bad Spirits as the apostles had of expulsing the demons be it because God always places the remedy near the patient or be it to provide the nonbelievers with a proof of the existence of the Spirits.

In the case of Ms. Julia, as in many analogous cases, simple magnetism proved insufficient regardless of its energy level. It was necessary to act simultaneously onto the obsessing Spirit to have her dominated and to upon the patient’s moral that was disturbed by all those events. The physical disease was only consequence; it was the effect rather than the cause. Hence, it was necessary to deal with the cause before the effect. The physical disease should disappear once the mental issue had been destroyed. But for that one does need to identify the cause; study it with great care and in all of the nuances of the thoughts to move in one or another more favorable direction because the symptoms vary according to the degree of intelligence of the patient, the character of the Spirit and the reasons behind the obsession, reasons that almost always go back to previous existences. The failure of magnetism with Ms. Julia led many other people to try. Among them there was a young man with a great fluidic power but that unfortunately had no experience and above all had no knowledge necessary to handle similar cases. He attributed himself an absolute power over the inferior Spirits that, according to him, could not resist his will power. Such pretension stretched to the extreme and based on his personal power and not on the assistance of the good Spirits had to lead him to more than one failure. That alone should be enough to the young lady’s friends that he lacked the first of the qualities required to be an efficient help. But what should have clarified them, above all, that he generally had an entirely false idea about the Spirits. According to him superior Spirits have a fluidic nature that is so ethereal that makes it impossible to them to communicate with and assist people and hence that would only be possible to inferior Spirits given their grosser nature. Even during crises he made the mistake of sustaining such idea before the patient that is nothing else but the doctrine of the exclusive communication of demons. From that point of view he could only count on himself and could not evoke the only assistance that could help him, an assistance that he thought he could go without.

The most harmful consequence was for the patient that he discouraged taking from her the hope that she could have the assistance of the good Spirits. In her weak mental state such a belief that made the obsessing Spirit stronger could be lethal to her. She then repeated endlessly in moments of crises: “Mad, mad… he makes me mad… completely mad… I am not yet but will be.”

When talking about her magnetizer she gave the right image by saying: “He gave me the strength of the body but not of the Spirit.” A profoundly significant expression that would go unnoticed.

When we saw Ms. Julia her disease was in the apogee and the crisis that we witnessed was one of the most violent. It was exactly when we tried to cheer her up; that we tried to convince her that she could fight that bad Spirit back with the help of the good Spirits and her guardian angel whose supported was necessary to evoke that the young magnetizer that was around and from an undoubtedly providential circumstance came, without any provocation, affirm and develop his theory, destroying what we were doing differently. We had to make our point with energy, saying that what he was doing was bad and that he would be responsible for the poor young lady losing her mind and her life.

One of the most remarkable things that had been observed by everyone but whose consequences had not been deduced by anybody and happened during the magnetization. When it took place during the fight with the bad Spirit the fluid was entirely absorbed by the Spirit that made the Spirit stronger while the patient weakened and succumbed to her attacks. It must be considered that the patient was always in a somnambulistic state, consequently she saw what was happening and she was the one that described it. They thought it was a malice from the Spirit and hence abstained from magnetizing her at those times, and just observed the party.

By knowing the nature of such fluids it is easy to understand the phenomenon. To begin with it is obvious that the Spirit would absorb the fluids to gain more strength against the patient and convince the magnetizer of the uselessness of his intentions. If there was any malice from the Spirit it was against the magnetizer since the Spirit was utilizing the same weapon with which the magnetizer used against him. It was not less evident that the Spirit’s easiness of appropriation of the magnetizer’s fluid indicated affinity between both whereas fluids of opposing nature would have repelled one another like water and oil. This alone is sufficient to demonstrate that there were other conditions to be met. Therefore it is one of the most serious mistakes, and we can even say, of the most dismal mistakes, to miss the point that there is more a simple fluidic transmission but there is also the intimate nature of the fluids. In the majority of the cases the success rests entirely on that quality like it does in normal therapeutics and thoroughly depends on the quality of the medication.



It would never be too much to call the attention to this fundamental point that has been demonstrated both by logic and experience. In order to combat the influence of the magnetizer’s doctrine that had already influenced the patient, we said:

  • My dear, have confidence in God! Look around you. Don’t you see good Spirits?
  • It is true, she said, I see luminous Spirits that Fredegund dare not lay her eyes on.
  • There you go! They are the ones to protect you and will not allow the bad Spirit to succeed. Beg for their assistance; pray with fervor and in particular pray for Fredegund.
  • Oh! No, I could never do that for her.
  • Be careful there! Notice that the good Spirits stay away after such words. If you want their protection you must deserve it through your good feelings, struggling to be better than your enemy. How would you like them to protect you if you cannot be better than her? Think about the fact that in previous lives you also were prone to criticism and what happens to you now is an atonement. If you want it to stop you will have to improve and to demonstrate that you will have to start by showing that you are good and charitable to your enemies. Fredegund herself will be touched and you will perhaps make regret penetrate her heart. Think about it.
  • I will do that.
  • Do it right now and repeat with me: “My God, I forgive Fredegund for the harm she has brought upon me; I accept that as a trial and an atonement that I deserved. Forgive me for my own faults as I forgive her for hers. And you, good Spirits that surround me, open your hearts to better feelings and give me the strength I lack.
  • Do you promise to pray for her every day?
  • Yes, I do.
  • Good. As for myself I will look after you and her. Have faith.
  • Oh thank you. I have the impression that this will end soon.


After this matter was brought to the Society the following instructions were given about it:

The issue that you are involved with touched even the good Spirits that want to come and help the lady with their advice. It is true that she presents a very serious case of obsession and this is among the most important ones that you have ever seen or will see, by the particularly interesting teachings already shown and the novelties that will still offer. As I told you already these cases of obsession will frequently appear and provide two distinct subjects of utility; the first is to you and the second to those that suffer them.

First to you because like with many ecclesiastics that strongly contributed to the propagation of Spiritism among people that were completely strange to it, the same with the obsessed whose number will increase significantly to remain superficially analyzed, but instead will be broadly and profoundly assessed, opening the doors of science so that the Spiritist philosophy may join in occupying its rightful place side by side with doctors and people of science. The other utility is to them because in the state of Spirit, before incarnating among you, they accepted the struggle that such possession puts them through, aiming at their own advancement and that struggle, trust me, makes their own Spirit suffer greatly and when the body is not in a way their entire property they are perfectly aware of what is going on. Depending on how they withstand that test, whose duration you can greatly diminish with your prayers, they will have progressed more or less. The reason being, rest assured, that despite the momentary possession, they keep sufficient awareness of themselves to distinguish the cause and the nature of their obsession.



For that one in particular that is your concern now it is necessary one advice. The magnetizations to which the incarnate Spirit is submitted to are really harmful in all aspects. That Spirit is systematic. And what a system! The ones that do not report all of their actions to the greater glory of God and that is proud the faculties that were granted to them will always be confused. The presumptuous will be diminished sometimes in this world but infallibly in the other.

You must then stop those magnetizations promptly, my dear Kardec, or the most serious inconveniences will result from its continuation not only to the young lady but also to the imprudent that believes to have all the Spirits of darkness under his command. I assure you that you will see these cases of obsession and possession developing for some time because they are useful to the progress of science and Spiritism. That is how doctors and wise people will open their eyes and will understand that there are diseases whose causes are not in the body and that must not be treated by matter. Those cases of possession will equally open totally new horizons to magnetism, making it stride forward by the up until now imperfect study of the fluids. It shall obtain great things helped by the new knowledge and by its alliance with Spiritism.

Unfortunately, in magnetism, as in medicine, there will still be for a long time yet people who believe that there is nothing to learn. Those frequent obsessions will also have a very good side due to the fact that one can stop them and even acquire the right of expelling the bad Spirits by the prayer, moral power, and by the improvement of one’s behavior, and everyone will seek that aptitude, awarded when meritorious by the Spirit of Truth that governs this planet. Have faith and trust in God that does not allow a useless and without reason suffering.

Hahnemann, medium Mr. Albert



“I will be brief. It will be very easy to cure that unfortunate possessed lady. The means were implicitly contained in Mr. Allan Kardec’s thoughts a moment ago. It is not only necessary a mental and material action but also a purely spiritual one. To the incarnate Spirit under the state of possession, like Julia, it is necessary an experienced magnetizer, perfectly convinced of the Spiritist truth. He needs besides to show irreproachable morality, without presumption. However, in order to act upon the obsessing Spirit there is still the need of a not less energetic good and discarnate Spirit. Hence it is a double action: earthly and extra-terrestrial; incarnate upon incarnate; discarnate upon discarnate; that is the law. If such an action was not executed so far that is exactly to bring you to the state and experimentation of that interesting question. That is why Julia had not been released yet. She should serve your studies.

That shows you what you have to do from now on in cases of positive obsession. It is indispensable to evoke the support of a superior Spirit to help you, a Spirit that simultaneously enjoys moral and fluidic power like the excellent d’Ars and know that you can count on the assistance of the venerable St. Vianney. Besides, our support will be given to all of those that claim our help with true faith and purity of heart.

In short: When Julia is magnetized it is necessary to begin by the eager evocation of d’Ars and other good Spirits that habitually communicate with you, asking them to act against the bad Spirits that persecute the young lady and that will then run away from the luminous phalanxes. Also, one must not forget that collective prayers have a great strength when done by a certain number of persons acting in synchronism, with a vivid faith and a true desire to alleviate.

Erastus, medium Mr. d’Ambel”



Those instructions were given in succession. Several members of the Society got together to observe the prayer as recommended. An essential aspect was to lead the obsessing Spirit to modify, and that would necessarily facilitate the cure. That is what was done by the evocation of that Spirit with the provision of advices. The Spirit promised do not torment Ms. Julia anymore and the word was kept. One of our colleagues was specially assigned by his spiritual guide with the moral education of the Spirit with satisfying results. Today that Spirit works for her own improvement and requests an incarnation to atone and repair her faults.

The importance of the teaching that comes out of that fact and from the observations that it gave rise to will not escape anyone and everyone will be able to collect useful instructions from the occurrence.

An essential observation that the case allows to attest and that is easily understood is the influence of the environment. It is obvious that if the environment seconds by a unity of visions, intentions an actions, the patient is placed in a kind of homogeneous atmosphere of beneficial fluids and that must necessarily facilitate and accelerate the process. However if there is disagreement, opposition; if each want wishes to act on their own there will be reactions, contrary currents that will forcibly paralyze and sometimes null the efforts that were tried towards the cure. If the fluidic irradiation that is the moral atmosphere is bad then it can be as harmful to certain individuals as are exhalations from marsh regions.



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