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CHAPTER XXIX

SPIRITIST MEETINGS AND SOCIETIES.

Of Meetings in general - Of Societies properly so called - Subjects for study - Rivalry among Societies.

Of Meetings in general.

324. SPIRITIST meetings may be very useful, by affording opportunities for mutual enlightenment through a reciprocal exchange of ideas, and through the questions and remarks made by each, and from which all may profit; but, for such meetings to be profitable, they must take place under certain special conditions, in regard to which we will now add a few remarks; premising, however, that such meetings are only an enlargement of the private sittings of those who are interested in the subject of Spiritism, and that their members will therefore naturally pursue the same ends, and take the same precautions to preserve themselves from the same dangers, as those we have already pointed out for the guidance of individuals.

Spiritist meetings are of three different characters, according to the aim they have in view; and may be designated, in consequence, as frivolous, experimental or instructive.

325. Frivolous meetings are composed of persons who regard these manifestations only as an amusement, and who divert themselves with the facetious remarks of light-minded spirits, always delighted to take part in assemblies of this kind, which give them an opportunity for disporting

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themselves, and which they take care not to miss. In such gatherings, all sorts of foolish questions are asked and answered; people get their fortunes told, or try to test the spirits' acumen by setting them to tell the ages of those who are present, what they have in their purses or pockets, what they are thinking of and various other things of equal interest and importance.

Such meetings lead to no serious results; but, as frivolous spirits are sometimes intelligent, and are generally good-tempered and jovial, they sometimes give rise to very curious incidents, which may be profitable to the attentive observer; but he who has seen nothing else, and who should judge of the world of spirits by such a sample, would have as false a notion of it as though he should judge of the population of a great city by what he found going on in some of its lowest quarters. Common sense suffices to assure us that elevated spirits would not be likely to attend meetings of this character, and that the invisibles, in such cases, are not likely to be more serious than the human beings who attract them. If people only wish to occupy themselves with futilities, let them frankly call up trivial spirits, as people call for Merry-Andrews, to amuse them, at a fair; but, in such a case, there would be both folly and profanation in attempting to evoke spirits of higher advancement, who would certainly pay no heed to such an evocation.

326. Experimental meetings have for their special object the production of physical manifestations. For many persons, these constitute a spectacle more curious than instructive; the incredulous, when they have seen nothing else, often going away from them more astonished than convinced, and only intent on discovering the tricks by which they suppose them to have been produced; for, being unable to account for them in any other way, they jump to the conclusion that they are a result of trickery. It is altogether different with persons who have previously studied the subject; for they have become convinced, beforehand, that many things hitherto regarded as im-

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possible may and do occur, and they are therefore prepared to accept the facts which may present themselves, and which serve to confirm and complete their conviction; on the other hand, if trickery is resorted to, the knowledge they have previously acquired enables them to detect it.

Meetings for experimentation, notwithstanding their frequent uselessness to persons unprepared for them, are, nevertheless, of incontestible importance. It is through the phenomena thus elicited that we have been enabled to discover the laws which govern the invisible world; and there are, undoubtedly, very many inquirers for whom they constitute a powerful means of conviction. What we mean to say is, that the sight of the phenomena, alone, is not sufficient to initiate us into the theoretic knowledge of spiritism, any more than the sight of an ingenious piece of mechanism can suffice to teach mechanics to those who know nothing of mechanical laws, although the value of the results arrived at, by experimentation of this character, will always be proportioned to the regularity and acumen with which they are conducted.

We shall recur to this subject a little further on.

327. Meetings for obtaining instruction from spirit-communications are quite different in character from the two other kinds of meetings just examined; and, since it is mainly from these that doctrinal information may be obtained, we think it incumbent upon us to be still more explicit in pointing out the conditions under which they should be held.

The first of these conditions is a grave and concentrated state of mind. We must remember that, if we would obtain teachings of high import, we must address ourselves to spirits of high degree, who alone are capable of imparting them. And we must also remember that the mere demand for the presence of such spirits does not suffice to attract them; that such spirits will certainly not come into an assembly of the frivolous and superficial, any more than they would do if they were still living upon the earth; and that, if we desire to enter into communication with them,

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we must place ourselves in the conditions which are most likely to attract them. A society which seeks to obtain communications from advanced spirits must devote itself exclusively to that aim; if it were wished to obtain extra-ordinary phenomena, the spirits who produce such phenomena would come for that purpose, but the higher ones would retire. In a word, whatever the character of a meeting, there will always be spirits ready to second it. A meeting for the elucidation of moral questions would consequently depart from its programme, if it allowed its attention to be diverted to other aims. Physical manifestations, as we have said, have their own special utility, and should be sought for, in experimentation-meetings, by those who wish to witness them; and those who seek to obtain clearer views of truth and of duty should seek them in meetings in which the moral and intellectual aspects of spiritism form the subject of research. In this way, all may complete their education in the intellectual and practical branches of spiritism, as, in the schools of art and of science, some of the students follow the theoretic lectures, and others the practical classes.

328. Theoretic spiritism includes both the search after truth and the study of the phenomena, with the aid of the spirits who come to elucidate these two aspects of the matter; it is thus that the knowledge of the nature and causes of the phenomena are arrived at; and it is, therefore, only through observation, methodically and perseveringly carried on, in meetings of the two distinct characters now under consideration, that our knowledge of the spirit-world can be advanced. And it would be a mistake to suppose that the more extraordinary phenomena are the only ones to be studied; for the phenomena of intelligent communication furnish us, at every step, with valuable indications that should not be overlooked by serious investigators; indications which it would be impossible to point out beforehand, but which naturally arise in the course of the meetings, and which, though less striking than the physical phenomena, are yet of the deepest interest to the observer,

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who finds in them the confirmation of principles already accepted, or the revelation of new principles, enabling him to penetrate still further into the mysteries of the invisible world.

329. Meetings for the study of spiritist questions with the aid of spirits are, moreover, very useful for the development of mediums who desire to obtain intelligent manifestations, and to fit themselves for becoming the instruments of superior spirits.

One of the principal stumbling-blocks of mediumship, as we have shown, is the obsession of spirits who fascinate their medium, and puff him up with a belief in his own infallibility; and the frequentation of those who are united in the pursuit of truth, and who bring their united judgement to the examination of the messages received from spirits, is, for writing-mediums, the best preservative from this very serious danger.

Every medium who would not become a cat's-paw for the dissemination of error should make a point of attending meetings of the serious character we are considering, and should avail himself of the friendly criticism of those about him, for the appraising of the communications he receives. He will thus get rid of deceptive spirits by showing them that he is open to conviction, and does not intend to allow himself to be imposed upon. No medium can reasonably be pained or offended by such criticism, because what he obtains is not from himself, and he is therefore no more responsible for it than he would be for the defects of an earthly writer for whom he should have acted as an amanuensis.

We have insisted on this point, because, if fascination be a trial for the mediums themselves, it is also such for the assemblies they attend (to which the co-operation of an obsessed or fascinated medium must always be more injurious than profitable), and to the spiritist public, from the false and erroneous ideas which ignorant, presumptuous, or lying spirits, are thus enabled to disseminate.

330. The prime object of meetings for spiritist study should be to keep off deceptive spirits; it would be an

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error to suppose that the object of such meetings, or the excellence of their mediums, will suffice to ensure this end, which can only be attained by favourable conditions on the part of the Society itself.

In order fully to comprehend what occurs in such a meeting, we beg our readers to refer to No. 231, concerning the influence of surroundings on spirit-manifestations.

Every human being is incessantly surrounded by a number of invisible sympathisers attracted to him by his temper, tastes, and tendencies; so that every person who enters a meeting brings with him a group of spirits in sympathy with himself. According to their number and their nature, these spirits exercise a good or bad influence on the assembly and on the communications received. A perfect meeting would be one in which all the members, animated with the same love of truth and goodness, should bring with them none but good and enlightened spirits; the next best would be one in which goodness and the desire for light should preponderate over vanity and evil; an assertion too self-evident to need further comment.

331. A meeting is a collective being whose qualities and properties are the result of the totality of those of its members, and that may be compared to a bundle of rods or a faggot, the strength of which is in proportion to its homogeneity. If our readers have weighed what has been stated (282, quest. 5) respecting the manner in which spirits in space are made aware of our evocation, the powerful attraction exercised by the consentaneous thought of an entire assembly will be readily understood. If a spirit be struck, so to say, by a thought as we are by a voice, the united thoughts of many persons must necessarily strike him with greater force than the isolated thought of a single individual; but, for all these thoughts to concur to the same end, they must vibrate in unison, their action blending into one; and this cannot occur without serious concentration of thought and purpose on the part of all who are present.

On the other hand, a spirit, finding himself in the midst of sympathetic surroundings, is more at his ease; evoked

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by friends, he comes more willingly, and is both more disposed and better able to reply.

Whoever has attentively observed the course of spirit-communications will have seen that, when the thoughts of the assembly are divergent, they produce a jarring of ideas which is disagreeable to the spirit, and is consequently prejudicial to his communication. It is the same as with a man who is about to make a speech; if he feels that the thoughts of his hearers are sympathetic and kindly, the impression he receives from them reacts upon his own mind and gives more life and energy to his ideas; for this concurrence of sentiment exercises over him a sort of magnetic action which increases his power a hundred-fold, while he is confused and paralysed by indifference or hostility. In the same way, actors are electrified by applause; and spirits, being far more impressionable than men, are still more powerfully affected by the influences around them.

Every meeting for spiritist purposes should therefore cultivate unity of sentiment, as the means of obtaining the co-operation of wise and good spirits; but if its aim is simply to obtain communications of any sort, no matter what, and without reference to the qualities of the spirits who give them, it is evident that such a precaution is unnecessary; but, in that case, people must not complain of the quality of the results obtained by them.

332. Earnestness of purpose and harmony of feeling being essential conditions of every serious meeting, the presence of too many persons may be prejudicial to the attainment of the desired homogeneity of influence. No absolute rule, however, can be laid down as regards numbers; and it is evident that a meeting of a hundred persons, if earnest and sympathetic, may offer more favourable conditions than one of ten, if disunited and frivolous; but experience has shown us that, in general, the greater the number of persons assembled, the more difficult it is to obtain the requisite conditions, and that small, intimate circles are usually those which offer the most favourable conditions for spirit-action.

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333. Another point of no less importance to the success of spiritist meetings is regularity. When meetings are held on stated days and at fixed hours, the spirits with whom we are in communication make their arrangements in consequence, and rarely fail to be present. There are spirits, not, however, the highest class, who are punctual even to excess, take offence at being kept waiting, and, if they have themselves appointed the time of converse, would be expected in vain if evoked a single instant too soon, or too late. Spirits can come, undoubtedly, at other hours than those appointed, and they do so, voluntarily, if the object to be attained is important; but nothing is more unfavourable to the obtaining of fine communications or successful manifestations, than the calling of spirits at random, just when the fancy takes us, and without any serious motive. The spirits whom we evoke at random may decline to come; and, in such cases, inferior spirits are tolerably sure to take their places and to borrow their names.

Spiritist Societies.

334. All that we have said concerning spiritist meetings is equally applicable to regularly constituted societies; and as we have frequently been asked for advice respecting the mode of organisation which may be usefully adopted by such bodies, we proceed to state briefly our opinion in regard to this point.

Spiritism, being in its infancy, * is still too diversely regarded, and its essentials are still too little understood, by many of its adherents, to constitute any very strong bond of union among persons associated in a society of this kind. Such a bond can only exist between those who see its moral bearing, and who endeavour to make a practical application of its principles. Between those who see in it only an order of facts more or less curious, no strong bond of union can exist; its members being more interested in facts than in principles, a mere difference of

* This was written in 1861. Is it less true today? - TR.

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opinion in regard to the phenomena would suffice to create disunion between them. On the other hand, a society that should be united in principle, and in which mutual trust and kindness should exist to the exclusion of their opposites, whose members should assemble with the sole aim of obtaining truth through the communications of superior spirits, would not only be likely to live, but would be indissoluble. But the difficulty of bringing together elements really homogeneous, has led us to the conviction that spiritists should aim at multiplying small groups, rather than at forming themselves into large agglomerations. These groups, corresponding together, visiting each other, and transmitting to one another the results arrived at by each, may, even now, form the nucleus of the great spiritist family which will one day rally to itself all opinions, and unite all men in the common brotherhood of Christian charity. *

335. We have seen how important is unity of sentiment as a condition of obtaining useful results; and it is evident that this unity must be more difficult to arrive at in proportion to the number of persons admitted to membership. In small groups, the members are better known to each other, and are more sure of the new ones who are added to them from time to time; concentration of thought is more easily secured, and the meetings resemble the intimate gatherings of a single family. Large assemblies, on the contrary, exclude the possibility of intimacy through the variety of their component elements; they necessitate special places of meeting, larger pecuniary resources, and

* This argument in favour of restricting the number of members in Spiritist Societies must be understood as referring solely to the obtaining of methodic and continuous communications, or other spirit-manifestations, and must not be supposed to indicate disapproval, on the part of the author, of the union of societies in a General Association. At the time of his death, Allan Kardec was elaborating the basis of an organisation which was to have had its centre in Paris and to which the innumerable local groups of that city, of France, and of all other countries, were to have been affiliated. - TR.

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an administrative machinery not needed in small groups; the divergence of characters, ideas, and opinions, is more defined in large assemblies, and this divergence offers, to quarrelsome spirits, more facilities for sowing discord. The larger the meeting, the more difficult is it to satisfy everybody; each would like to have everything managed according to his own views and wishes, and this opposition of sentiment and of effort engenders unpleasantness and disunion that may end in dissolution. Small groups are not liable to the same fluctuations, and, besides, while the fall of a large society would present the appearance of a check to the spiritist cause which its enemies would not fail to make the most of; the dissolution of a small group not only passes unnoticed, but is sure to be speedily followed by the formation of a score of new ones. On the other hand, it is certain that twenty groups, of from fifteen to twenty persons each, will do more for the cause of propagation than could be done by a single gathering of three or four hundred persons.

It will doubtless be said that the members of a society, who should fall out in the way we have been considering, could not be true spiritists, because the very first duty imposed by our doctrine is the practice of charity and benevolence. That is perfectly true, and such persons would be spiritists only in name (28); but, as there are many such, we maintain our advice.

336. Let us not forget, too, that spiritism has its enemies, the most dangerous of whom are not those who attack it openly, but those who pretend to be its friends in order to injure it underhandedly; that such persons find it far more easy to pursue their aim of sowing discord in large assemblies than in little groups of which all the members are known to each other; and that ruptures and unfriendliness, deplorable as they are in any society, are doubly so in Spiritist Societies, because they are the negation of the very aim of their formation, and destroy the very first condition of their success.

337. “But if a society is getting upon a wrong track; "

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it may be asked, "have not sensible and well-meaning members the right to criticise what they regard as a departure from its true path of action, instead of maintaining a silence that might seem to imply approbation?" Undoubtedly they have this right, and it is their duty to exercise it; but criticism, dictated by true and friendly motives, should always be made in considerate and kindly terms, and, when it is not received in the same spirit, those who have proffered it should leave the society altogether; for upright and worthy men could not remain in a society the tendencies of which they disapproved.

338. Besides the notoriously ill-disposed, there are others who, through their character and temper, bring trouble with them wherever they go; too much care, therefore, cannot be exercised in regard to the introduction of new elements into a society. The most objectionable are not those who are ignorant of the subject, nor even the incredulous; conviction can only be arrived at through experience, and there are many who, knowing nothing and even doubting, are yet honestly desirous of getting at the truth. Those whom it is most important to guard against are the theorisers; those who have erected negation into a system; habitual doubters who are inaccessible to the dearest evidence; and those who believe that they alone are capable of seeing the light, look disdainfully on all who differ with them, and are bent on making every one conform to their opinion. We must not allow ourselves to be taken in by the pretended desire of such persons for enlightenment; for not a few of them would rather remain in error than admit that they had been mistaken. It is also wise to have as little as possible to do with tiresome talkers, who delight in contradicting and who must always have the last word; such people would only cause us to lose our time without benefit to themselves, for advanced spirits have no sympathy with idle words.

339. In view of the necessity of avoiding everything that could give rise to confusion and trouble, Spiritist Societies should adopt proper measures for ensuring order and harmony, and for ridding themselves of the fomenters of

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disorder. Small private groups need only a few simple rules for determining the order of their meetings; regularly constituted societies require a more complete organisation, though, even in their case, the simpler the arrangements adopted, the greater will be the probability of success.

340. Spiritist Societies, whether large or small, have to guard, in all their meetings, against another danger. Fomenters of discord are to be found, not only among their members, but also among the denizens of the invisible world. Just as there are Protecting Spirits for societies, towns and peoples, so there are maleficent spirits who attach themselves to groups of persons as they do to individuals, and whose insidious action, if not promptly resisted, will spread obsession among their members like a contagious disease, showing itself in the mediums by the disturbance of their medianimity, and, among the rest of their members, by a sentiment of hostility, a perversion of the moral sense, and the destruction of harmony. Under these circumstances we must make a strong appeal to good spirits for aid in bringing back all the members of the group to a sentiment of charity, and in opening the eyes of the victims of evil spirits to the real nature of the influence under which they have fallen.

The first of these attracts the help of spirits of high degree; the second discourages evil spirits by showing them that their machinations are discovered and resisted.

341. The influence of surroundings and conditions, as we have already shown, is a consequence of the nature of spirits and of their mode of action on men. The conditions necessary for attracting good spirits and for keeping off evil ones may be summed up as follows: -

Perfect community of views and sentiments;

Reciprocity of kindly feeling among the members;

Abnegation of every sentiment contrary to Christian charity;

A general desire for truth;

Exclusion from the sittings of everything like frivolity;

Concentration of thought and desire in the pursuit of the

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common end, and in the evocation of the spirits whose presence is desired;

Co-operation of the mediums, with the disinterested desire to be useful, without vanity, ambition, or any other selfish motive.

Are these conditions unattainable? We think not; we believe, on the contrary, that centres combining these conditions already exist in many places, and that they will be greatly multiplied in course of time; and we do not hesitate to assert, on the one hand, that their multiplication will constitute a powerful means of propagating a belief in the reality of spirit-manifestations, and, on the other hand, that the bond thus established among their members will tend to generalise the sentiment of human solidarity, and will thus contribute to the advancement of the cause of progress in general.

342. It would be an error to suppose that meetings for obtaining physical manifestations are exempted from the need of fraternal harmony, for we have proof to the contrary in the fact that manifestations of this nature, even when sought for with the aid of a powerful medium, cannot be obtained amidst unfriendly and inharmonious surroundings, because any divergence or hostility of feeling among those present necessarily paralyses the action of the spirits and impedes their manifestations.

Physical manifestations, as we have already said, are of vast utility; they open out an immense field to the observer, for they constitute an order of phenomena altogether apart from our ordinary experience, and of which the consequences are incalculable. Spiritist Societies, as well as private groups, may therefore occupy themselves seriously and usefully with these phenomena; but they cannot attain their end, whether of study or of experimentation, unless under favourable conditions on the part of those present. The first of these conditions is, not faith, but the sincere desire to ascertain the truth; the second is restriction as regards numbers, so as to avoid bringing together heterogeneous elements. Although physical manifestations are

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generally produced by spirits of comparatively slight advancement, they none the less occur for a Providential purpose, and their production is superintended and favoured by spirits of high degree, whenever a useful result is to be attained thereby; harmony of feeling and concentration of thought are therefore important aids to that production.

Subjects of study.

343. When we have evoked the spirits of our relations and friends, or those of celebrated personages with a view to ascertaining their opinions on questions of general interest, we are often at a loss as to what to say to them, and are sometimes in danger of falling into commonplaces and futilities. Many persons suppose, moreover, that The Spirits' Book has exhausted the series of moral and philosophical questions that may be profitably addressed to the people of the other world; but this is an error, as we are about to show.

344. If the evocation of illustrious spirits is eminently useful through the instructive statements they make to us, that of ordinary spirits is not less so, because, although the latter are incapable of answering questions of high import, their very inferiority is instructive, through the light it throws on the subject of our intellectual and moral progress, and on the conditions of existence beyond the grave, as we explained above (281).

An inexhaustible mine of observation is therefore furnished by the statements of all those whose earthly life has presented some peculiarity, however trifling, whether in the manner of their death, their age, their good or bad qualities, their social position, their habits, mental state, etc., as compared with their state in the spirit-world. With elevated spirits, the area of investigation is still farther enlarged besides the psychological questions we may address to them, but which have their limit in the present state of our faculties and scientific knowledge, we may propose to them an infinity of moral problems concerning the various positions and uses of the earthly life, the best method of

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acting under certain circumstances, our reciprocal duties, etc. The value of the answers we receive on any subject, whether moral, historical, philosophical, or scientific, depends, it is hardly necessary to say, on the degree of elevation of the spirit interrogated; it is for us to judge of this value with the aid of examination and of reason.

345. Besides evocations, the spontaneous statements often made by spirits afford an endless variety of subjects for study. Thus, in spiritist meetings, we may either make a direct appeal to some spirit previously determined on, or we may await the manifestations of spirits who may present themselves spontaneously, as they sometimes do most unexpectedly, and whose statements may give rise to a multitude of interesting questions.

346. The occupations of meeting for study may be divided under the following heads: -

1. Reading of spirit-communications obtained at the previous meeting.

2. Reading of reports, correspondence, and communications obtained elsewhere. Relation of facts bearing on spiritism.

3. Consideration of given subjects in conjunction with spirits. Spontaneous dictations by spirits, through the mediums present. Questions on various moral subjects addressed to the spirits who take part in the meeting. Evocations.

4. Analytical and critical examination of the communications obtained.

Discussion of points of spiritist doctrine.

347. Spiritist groups, in their early stages, are sometimes impeded by the want of mediums; and even those which possess several mediums may accidentally find themselves without any. Scientific societies have not always their instruments of experimentation at hand, yet they are seldom at a loss to find subjects upon which to discourse; in the absence of poets and orators, literary societies comment upon the works of ancient and modern authors; religious societies meditate on the Scriptures, and so on, Spiritist Societies should follow these examples; and, in

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the absence of mediums, may read and comment upon everything connected with spiritism, both for and against it. From discussions of this sort, to which each member brings the tribute of his reflexions, much light may be elicited, especially in the larger societies, including members of intelligence and experience, such as would rarely be found in private groups.

Besides distinctively spiritist subjects, the daily press presents a constant succession of facts, narratives, events, traits of virtue and of vice, which involve weighty questions of morality that can only be answered by the spiritist theory, connected as it is with every department of natural law and of social order.

Rivalry among Societies.

348. The societies which devote themselves to intelligent communications, and those which devote themselves to obtaining physical manifestations, are equally useful, equally indispensable to each other. Whichever should regard the other disparagingly, would prove itself to be devoid of the true sentiment of spiritism, and would only injure the cause it professed to serve.

349. These remarks are equally applicable to differences of opinion, on the part of certain groups, in regard to points of doctrine. As is remarked in our chapter on Contradictions, these differences are often more apparent than real; it would be childish to allow such differences to produce separation and disunion, and still worse to allow them to become pretexts for opposition and rivalry.

350. If, as has been announced, spiritism is destined to effect the transformation of humanity, that result can only be effected by the amelioration of the masses; and this amelioration can only be accomplished gradually, through the amelioration of individuals. Of what use is it to believe in the existence of spirits, if our belief does not make us better, kinder, more indulgent towards our fellow-creatures, more humble, more hopeful, more patient under adversity? Of what use is it for the miser to be a spiritist, if he remains

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miserly? What is the proud man the better for his spiritist belief, if he is proud and full of himself? or the envious man, if his envy still remains with him? All men might believe in spirit-manifestations, and yet the human race remain stationary; but such, we are assured, is not God's design. It is towards the realisation of the aim of Providence that Spiritist Societies should tend, by grouping together those who are imbued with the same sentiments; union, sympathy, and fraternity will then succeed to the vain and puerile antagonism of self-conceit, and good deeds will take the place of words. Let all Spiritist Societies adopt as their basis a principle that cannot be overthrown, viz., the good of all; and they will compel respect, because their actions will be the practical carrying out of the morality of Christ.

This is the direction which we have constantly endeavoured to give to the spiritist movement. On our banner is inscribed Christian and Humanitarian Spiritism; and we rejoice to see so many already rallying round it from every part of the globe, because they comprehend that this motto is the anchor of individual safety, the safeguard of public order, the signal of a new era for the human race. We invite all Spiritist Societies to concur in this great work; by holding out helping hands to one another all the world over, they will constitute - with the aid of the good spirits whom they will attract to them - a barrier which evil spirits will be unable to pass; and they will thus usher in the reign of goodness and happiness predicted by Christ in His sublime prayer that the "will" of God might "be done on earth as it is in heaven."