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Book
Title: The Mediums' Book
Author: Allan Kardec
First Published: Paris, 1861
Original Title: (in French): Le Livre des Médiums |
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Description:
This book is extremely valuable for any serious student of the Spiritist
Doctrine, and is essential for those who participate in mediumship
sessions. The second book of the Codification of the doctrine, it
not only explains the physical occurrence of spirit communications/
mediumship phenomena, but it also provides us with a guide to the
disciplined and knowledge-based practice of mediumship oriented towards
its true benevolent purpose.
Allan
Kardec describes the book (in Le Revue Spirite (Spiritist Journal)
1861
) as such: "It constitutes the complement to "The Spirits'
Book" and contains the experimental piece of Spiritism, just as the
latter contains the philosophic piece. In this work, fruit of a long
experience of laborious studies, we sought to clarify all the questions
tied to the practice of the manifestations. In agreement with the
Spirit teachings, it contains the theoretic
explanation of the diverse phenomena and of the conditions in which they
are produced. But the section pertaining to the development and exercise
of mediumship was, on our part, was a topic of particular attention and
focus."
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The serious and moral nature of the practice of mediumship within the
Spiritist Doctrine follows the instruction provided by Kardec, who
recognized the need for comprehension of both the phenomena in operation
as well as the nature of the communicating spirits, recognizing both the
wide range of advancement (and hence knowledge and morality) found among
the Spirits (just as much as that found among men) and the ultimate
fraternal goals of the practice of mediumship. This importance is
reflected in a comment by Anna Blackwell in her 1876 translation into
English where she writes, "The high moral tone of 'The Mediums'
Book', as of all the writings of Allan Kardec, is in unison with the
assertion so often repeated by the Spirits whose communications he has co-ordinated
with such exceptional clearness and reach of though, that the the aim
of the open intercourse which is now being established between spirits and
men is
not the mere gratification of curiosity, not the mere enlargement of
the sphere of interesting inquiry, not even the mere giving of the
certainty of our continued existence beyond the grave, that sole
aim of this intercourse is the moral improvement of the human race, which
it will accomplish through the new light it will throw on the nature and
purpose of human life." (note:
italics are hers, boldface is ours) |
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CH 1
Do Spirits Exist |
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CH 2 Marvelous
and the Supernatural |
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CH 3 Plan of
Proceeding |
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With Materialists;
Systematic Materialists, and Materialists from lack of any better
hypothesis; Incredulity from ignorance, from ill-will, from
self-interest, from dishonesty, from pusillanimity, from religious scruples,
from hoaxings; Three Classes of Spiritists; Order to be observed
in the investigation of Spiritism |
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CH 4 Theories |
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Different opinions in regard to
Spiritism - Theories of Negation; Charlatanism; Madness;
Hallucination; The Cracking Muscle; Physical Causes;
Reflexion or Cerebration - Affirmative Theories; The Collective Soul;
The Somnambulic; The Pessimist; The Diabolic or Demoniacal;
The Optimist; The Unispiritist or Monospiritist; The
Multispiritist or Polyspiritist; Theory of the Material Soul |
PART SECOND
Spirit Manifestations
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CH 1 Action of Spirits
on Matter |
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CH 2 Physical
Manifestations. Table-Turning |
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CH 3 Intelligent
Manifestations |
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CH 4 Theory of
Physical Manifestations |
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Self-Imposed Trials and the True
Meaning of Self-Sacrifice |
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CH 5 Spontaneous
Physical Manifestations |
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Noises, racket, and
disturbances; Things thrown about; Objects introduced
spontaneously into rooms; Statements by a Spirit in regard to these
phenomena |
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CH 6 Visual
Manifestations |
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Theoretical explanation of
Apparitions; Theory of Hallucination |
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CH 7 Bi-Corporeity and
Transfiguration |
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Apparitions of the Spirit of
persons in the flesh; Doubles; St Alfonso of Liguori and St.
Antony of Padua: Vespasian; Transfiguration; Invisibility |
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CH 8 Laboratory of the
Invisible World |
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Spirit-clothing;
Spontaneous formation of tangible objects; Modification of the
properties of matter; Curative action of animal magnetism |
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CH 9 Haunted Places |
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CH 10 Nature of Spirit
Communications |
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Course, frivolous, serious, and
instructive communications |
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CH 11 Sematology and
Typtology |
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The language of signs, raps,
and tiltings; Alphabetical typtology |
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CH 12 Pneumatography or
Direct Writing; Pneumatophony or Direct Spirit-Sounds |
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CH 13 Psychography
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Indirect Psychography;
Planchettes, etc,; Direct or Manual Psychography |
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CH 14 Mediums |
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Physical Mediums; Electric
Persons; Sensitive or Impressionable Mediums; Hearing Mediums; Speaking
Mediums; Seeing Mediums; Somnambulist Mediums; Healing Mediums;
Pneumatographic Mediums |
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CH 15 Writing Mediums or
Psychographs |
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Mechanical Mediums; Intuitive
Mediums; Semi-mechanical Mediums; Inspired or Involuntary Mediums;
Presentient Mediums |
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CH 16 Special Mediums |
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Special aptitudes of Mediums;
Synoptical Table of the Different Varieties of Mediums |
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CH 17 Formation of
Mediums |
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Development of Medianimity;
Changes in the writing of Medium; Loss and Suspension of Medianimity |
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CH 18 Difficulties and
Dangers of Medianimity |
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Influence of Medianimity on the
Health; Idem on the Brain; Idem on Children |
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CH 19 The Action of
the Medium in the Obtaining of Spirit-Manifestations |
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Influence of the Medium;
Mediumship attributed to inert bodies; Aptitude of certain mediums for
languages, music, drawing, & etc., of which they have no present knowledge;
Dissertation of a Spirit on the action of mediums in Spirit-Manifestations |
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CH 20 Mental and Moral
Influence of the Medium |
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Questions; Dissertation of a
Spirit on the Mental and Moral Influence of Mediums on Spirit-Manifestation |
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CH 21 Influence of
Surroundings on Spirit-Manifestations |
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CH 22 Medianimity of
Animals |
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CH 23 Obsession |
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Simple Obsession; Fascination;
Subjugation; Causes of Obsession; Means of Combating Obsession |
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CH 24 Identity of
Spirits |
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Obtainable proofs of Identity;
Distinction between Good and Evil Spirits; Questions on the Nature and
Identity of Spirits |
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CH 25 Evocations |
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General Considerations; Spirits
who may be evoked; Mode of addressing Spirits; Utility of Special
Evocations; Questions on Evocation; Evocation of Animals;
Evocation of Living Persons; Human Telegraphy |
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CH 26 Questions That
May Be Addressed to Spirits |
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Preliminary Observations;
Questions that are agreeable or disagreeable to Spirits; Questions
about the Future; About Past and Future Existences; About Moral
and Worldly Interests; About the Destiny of Spirits; About Health;
About Inventions and Discoveries; About Hidden Treasures; About
Other Worlds |
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CH 27 Contradictions
and Hoaxings |
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CH 28 Charlatinism |
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Mercenary Mediumship;
Sham Spiritism |
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CH 29 Spiritist
Meetings and Societies |
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Purpose: To Be Said for the Spiritually
Disturbed |
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CH 30 Parisian Society
for Psychologic Studies |
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CH 31 Dissertations by
Spirits |
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On Spiritism; Mediums;
Meetings; Apocryphal Communications |
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CH
32 Spiritist Vocabulary
Index |
