Life in the Material World

As we have said before, each material lifetime undergone on Earth by a Spirit represents an opportunity for progression through the process of trials, expiations, and experiences that serve as lessons in the school of the material realm.  The subject of material life is vast and covers many different areas upon which to comment.  Here we will briefly discuss the following aspects of life in the material realm:

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 Developing Body -> Emerging Spirit  <top>

As mentioned in our section about the birth of a child, the Spirit's faculties, through the process of its union with the fetus and the completion of such at birth, are limited by the new body that the Spirit inhabits, and these faculties- of both a physical and intellectual nature- will only be able to manifest in accordance with the physical development of the body.  Some faculties can even remain "abnormally" limited, for example, in the case of mental and physical handicaps (which represent a trial or expiation chosen by the Spirit or imposed upon it if necessary). 

The underdeveloped body of a child, however, does not cause the Spirit to suffer, for this is like a time of rest for the Spirit.  The period of infancy and childhood serve several purposes, all stemming from its temporary masking of the Spirit's past and true nature.  For one thing, the innocence (or at least external appearance of such), tenderness, and fragility of a child serve to call for the attention and loving care of its parents who would never feel the same affection toward a child, for example, who's harsh or angry nature was immediately revealed.   

A second reason for childhood is to allow the Spirit a period of adaptation. On one hand, the Spirit must adapt in the change from the liberties it experienced in the Spiritual realm to the limits it experiences in the material world.  Second, the Spirit of a newborn may come from a place where it has acquired habits totally different from that of its parents, and this stage will allow it to learn and adapt to the latter.

Lastly, but not the least important, is the opportunity that the period of childhood offers for the influence of those who are entrusted with its care and education.  At this stage, and particularly before the age of 7,  a Spirit is more impressionable; The influence of its past has not fully emerged, and the impressions it receives more easily mold its new personality.  Under the advice and guidance of those with experience, the Spirits tendencies toward wrong-doing are re-directed and its faulty characters may be gradually reformed. 

Question 385 of "The Spirits' Book" asks, "Why does the character of young people change, especially as they go through adolescence. Is it the Spirit that changes.?"  The Spirits answer that "the Spirit, as it regains self-awareness reveals itself as it was before incarnation......After fifteen or twenty years, children no longer need [the same degree of protection and assistance of their parents], and their real characters begin to emerge."  At this point the young person makes its way toward adulthood where it will truly be able to exercise its free will and chose the direction its life will take.  Hopefully, it has received a proper education from its parents, one that will help it make good decisions along the way.
 

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 Forgetfulness of the Past   <top>

Along with the "loss" of its faculties experienced by the Spirit shortly before birth, is the temporary loss of memory of its past.   This is one of the key factors in the mechanism and justice of the process of reincarnation.

Kardec writes (discussion to question 394 of "The Spirits' Book), "Our forgetfulness of our past lives, especially the painful ones, offers a striking example of the wisdom and goodness of God.  Only on the most advanced worlds, where the memory of our painful lives will be no more than the shadowy memory of a bad dream, will we be able to recover the memory of our past in its entirety.  On the contrary, in worlds such as ours, the memory of past miseries would only magnify our present hardships.  Such considerations lead us to conclude that whatever has been created by God is for the best."

The total knowledge of our past, including other incarnations and time in the Spiritual plane, would present great inconveniences for the reeducation of individuals and for the progress of humanity.  These inconveniences could come in many forms.  For example, in our life of multiple relationships, we often live among adversaries of our past incarnations with the objective of achieving reconciliation.  This is often done through the love developed in family bonds, or in other circumstances (not necessarily involving a family relationship)  that offer the chance for one of us to help out the other, or even for both to work together on a mutual goal.  You can imagine, then, the difficulty of achieving a harmonious relationship if we were able to recognize one another, a situation that would arouse a continued animosity.

If we are able to remember that which we have done wrong- especially our most offensive and hurtful wrong-doings- regardless of whether or not the individual(s) we wronged were incarnated along with us, we may become struck with an excessive guilt that could encumber our ability to focus the needs and objectives of our present life.   In a different cases, the knowledge of a past life of prestige and honor could provoke the powerful and dangerous human pride, while knowledge of a past of misery and suffering (or even terrible errors) could cause an unnecessary humiliation and possibly remorse, both cases having the ability to paralyze any positive initiatives in the present.   As Kardec writes, "Temporary forgetfulness is a blessing.....If life's suffering seems long, what would it be like if memories of the past were added to it?" 

You may wonder how a material existence can help us if we are unable to remember who we were and what we did in our previous existence(s).  Well, such memories, though they are always kept with us, guarded in our unconscious, are not necessary for us to complete the planned work that we agreed to before reincarnating, for we do retain the experience.  We are able to build on that experience, just like the adult who does not remember his first steps in infancy but conserves the acquired ability to walk.  

Our instinctive tendencies, or in some cases, the type of vices and trials that we suffer (though there is no magic and definitive formula) can often give us some insight into our past.  The observation of such can help us discover the efforts that we must make for our evolution. 


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 Necessity of Material Life  <top>

Some ask why we can't undergo our necessary learning experiences in the Spiritual plane. What is it that is special about the material life that makes it beneficial to our purification and growth?  The answer is found in the design of the Natural Law that requires us to learn certain lessons and obligates us to undergo circumstances that can only be afforded by the material life in which we experience both the physical body and the societal factors found in the material realms.

The following experiences that aid in our evolution are afforded by the material body:

 

  

In addition to obligation to express ourselves through the material body, the material realm, at least at the level of evolution found on Earth, offers us the experiences of societal issues that stem from the great levels of social, intellectual, moral, racial, and material inequalities.  

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 The Meaning of our Suffering  <top>

"If God is supremely good and just, then no Divine act can ever be clouded with caprice or favoritism.  We must conclude, then , that the hardships of life stem from a cause, and since God is just, that that cause must also be just."....."Through the teachings of Jesus, God started us on the path toward understanding that cause. Now humanity has advanced to the point where wit can appreciate this more encompassing and objective revelation, which has been brought forth through the words of illuminated spirits." - Kardec (Gospel, pg 58).

Suffering is an inevitable part of life in the material world.  The Spiritist Doctrine helps us to understand the causes of suffering and how we should respond in order to benefit from it.

There are two kinds of suffering on Earth.  The first kind of suffering is that which has its cause in the present-day life.  In fact, if we look carefully, we will realize that this accounts for the greater number of our problems.  The root causes of such suffering stem from our own faults, for example: our pride, selfishness, arrogance, or thoughtlessness;  our lack of discipline or perseverance; our lack of tolerance, patience, and charitableness.  Through our own poor choices, bad conduct, and unhealthy attitudes, we become, as Kardec says, "the architects of our own troubles."  As a result, individuals suffer, families suffer, and consequently, societies suffer.  When we are experiencing moments of disappointment and loss, a careful study of the situation and of our own conscience will often lead us to the conclusion that: If we had only done or not done such and such a thing, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in today.  

The other kind of suffering stems from causes outside the present life, and it is usually the consequence of a wrong-doing in a previous life.  Every action has its consequences, and thus every infraction of Divine Law will bring its repercussion in an equal degree, whereby we  we come to experience what we have made others suffer.  Sometimes the consequences of our actions are felt in the same lifetime and serve as a warning, which if heeded, will lead us to change a particular attitude and/or behavior and, if such is the case, to make amends with someone we have wronged.  Often times, however, we do not acknowledge such warnings, or we come to recognize our errors when it's too late and our time has run out.  In other cases, we come to complete that very lifetime without yet feeling the consequences of our actions, which by law we must eventually experience.  In either case, we're always given the chance to make up for lost time and to correct our mistakes through the opportunity of another incarnation.  
Through our forgetfulness of the past, however, we do not remember what we have done in a previous life, whereby many of life's hardships appear to be, as Kardec says, "completely outside our control, as if they were entirely the force of destiny", where we haven't done anything in this life to deserve them, nor could we have done anything to avoid them or change them. (Gospel, 59-60). These are the kinds of hardships that arise from events of a former incarnation.  Kardec writes, "If we can't find the wrong-doing in this life, it must have taken place in the previous one."

It is important to point out that not every case of suffering indicates a previous wrongdoing.  Sometimes, before incarnating, Spirits (who are at an appropriate level of advancement) request such experiences as a form of trial to help in their purification and to accelerate their progress. Still, as Kardec points out, the need for such trials and purification indicates imperfection.   These cases can usually be recognized by the calm and resigned mindset with which the Spirit undergoes the trial, asking only that God give them the strength and patience to handle the difficulty calmly.  Unlike these Spirits, those whose suffer the consequence of a wrongdoing often react with moaning and protest, resistance, and sometimes contempt toward God.  In the latter case, such despair and complaint causes us to waste valuable opportunities for growth, and we risk having to start over once again. Understanding the existence and implications of our multiple lives is important, then, for it gives us the motivation to react to our trials with a calm resignation and to view them 'as opportunities to correct wrongs of the past and to heal our spirit' (Kardec), which is the only path to spiritual purification.   "

To read more on this subject, check out Chapter 5 of  "The Gospel As Explained By The Spiritist Doctrine."

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 Moments of Liberation  <top>

Once a Spirit begins the process of a material incarnation, it is not bound constantly to the material body until the moment of its disincarnation (at the death of the material body).  During moments of sleep (of the material body), the bonds that tie the Spirit to the body are loosened, and though it is not completely freed from the body, the Spirit is able to interact with the material and spiritual planes, in a state very similar to that of the discarnate.  It enjoys faculties that are inactive in the waking state, and it can communicate with other Spirits, either on Earth or other planets.  Sometimes the Spirit can even remember the past or foresee the future.

The activities of the Spirit during such moments of liberation depend on its state at that time.   Spirits who have attained a reasonable level of progress will use such time to visit loved ones or to converse with more advanced Spirits who can give them advice.  Some may also engage in work activities in the Spirit realm, in which they collaborate with other good Spirits to bring aid to those in need, both in the spiritual and material realms.  Other Spirits (a great many) seek places of a less useful nature. The Spirits (in answer to Q#402, "The Spiritist' Book") tell us that these Spirits "seek the lower spheres, to which they are attracted by old affections or their own primitive inclinations; and once there they indulge every sensual pleasure.  On these visits they also receive corrupt suggestions, often baser than they conceive of when awake."

You may wonder, then, what significance our dreams have.  Well, they are often a recollection of what our Spirit experienced during sleep.  Still, they are often hard to interpret or understand because our memories we retain may be only of the of confusion that accompany our departure from, or return to the body.  These memories, or other kinds which include scenes observed in other domains, can then become mixed up with vague impressions of what we did or thought about during the waking state.  We may not even recall a dream at all, since the impressions a Spirit receives during sleep do not come through its body's physical organs and are, therefore, difficult to retain upon awaking in the heavy, material body.

Kardec, Allan. "Return to the Body." The Spirits' Book.  Trans. Allan Kardec Educational Society (translated from 2nd edition in French). Philadelphia, PA. Allan Kardec Educational Society. 1996. 128-137.

Barbosa, Pedro Franco. "O Homem." [Man] Espiritismo Basico [Basic Spiritism]. 3rd ed. Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil: Federação Espírita Brasileira [Brazilian Spiritist Federation].1987. 160-162.

Kardec, Allan. "Blessed are the Afflicted." The Gospel  Explained By The Spiritist Doctrine.  Trans. Allan Kardec Educational Society (translated from 3rd edition in French). Philadelphia, PA. Allan Kardec Educational Society. 2000. 57-63.

Simonetti, Richard "Esquecimento do Passado" [Forgetfullness of the Past]. Reencarnação [Reincarnation]. 3rd ed. Baru-SP, Brazil: Centro Espírita Amor e Cardidade [Love and Charity Spiritist Center]. 1992. 149-152.

Simonetti, Richard "Evoluindo Sempre" [Always Evolving]. Quem Tem Medo Dos Espíritos? [Who's Afraid of Spirits]. 11th ed. Baru-SP, Brazil: Centro Espírita Amor e Cardidade [Love and Charity Spiritist Center]. 1992. 115-121

Estudo Sistematizado da FEB, Programa II, roteiro N 15.
Systematized Study Published by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation)