The birth of a child is so often referred to as the miracle of life.   As we watch a new life come into this world, we are awed by the design and wonder of the whole process.  This is true, regardless of our specific religious beliefs.  The teachings of Spiritism, however, through it's lessons in the immortality and multiple [material] existences of the soul, adds to our amazement and appreciation for the meaning of birth. For the parents of the child, the event is especially meaningful. It represents, for them, an enormous responsibility with which they have been entrusted, for this Spirit- their child- will depend on them for the loving care, education, and moral guidance that will prepare it for the experiences it will face throughout its incarnation.  Likewise, the event often represents a chance for the Spirit of the child and that of one or more of its parents or other family members to develop a love through which they can repair some kind of discord between them, caused by events of a previous existence.  Here we'll look at some of what is involved in the Spirit's return to Earth, both in the preparation for it's next material journey, as well as the period of its union with the material body.

 Planning for the Incarnation 

No incarnation of any Spirit happens out of chance or as a complete random series of events.  There is a degree of planning that goes on beforehand in the Spiritual Realm.  The entire life of the Spirit is not planned out, for that would negate the Spirit's free will in constructing its own pathway through evolution, but rather based on the conditions of the Spirit at the time, meaning the moral and intellectual progress the Spirit has made thus far (throughout previous experiences) as well as its needs in terms of repair for its past wrongdoings or opportunities to test what it has learned, certain parameters of the Spirit's coming incarnation are planned out.  This includes the family that will receive it, the body into which it will incarnate (including any tendencies toward certain illness, deformities, etc), and other significant events and persons that are to become a part of it's Earthly existence, and which will serve to create the Spirit's opportunities for learning and growth, for trials and expiations.  

Spirits are always assisted in this planning by mentors of a higher level then their own who are entrusted by superior authorities to act in such a role. The level of involvement in the planning granted to the Spirit to reincarnate depends on various factors such as:  1) the development of its knowledge and conscience, and subsequently, its ability to evaluate its own progress and needs,  and 2) its merit, in terms of the effort and desire it has demonstrated in favor of its own progress.  There are some Spirits who know nothing of their coming incarnation (either as mere result of their stage of evolution or, in some cases, in an imposed state that serves as a form of admonition and correction), others who sense it coming just as we sense the approach of our death, and yet others who know much more detail about the timing of their return to the material world.  Some incarnations are imposed, such as when the Spirit's consciousness is still too unadvanced to choose wisely or when the Spirit's moral state or rebelliousness makes it necessary.  Those that are not imposed are planned by the Spirit in conjunction with help, to the degree as needed, from Spirit mentors.

Often times, the Spirit to reincarnate will meet with it's [Earthly] parents to be, both before and during the pregnancy period, while the latter are liberated temporarily as their material bodies are asleep.  Together, and with the aid of their spiritual mentors, they discuss their coming union.  Likewise, during the pregnancy, the Spirit may accompany its parents to be as they go about their daily lives, unaware of the presence of this Spirit, but even so, undergoing the process of a fluidic attachment.

Spirits who are aware of their coming incarnation often experience a significant degree of anxiety that stems from the uncertainty about the outcome of the trials they will undergo. For many, this anxiety is heightened by their awareness of the significance of this opportunity, one which they may have been awaiting for a long period of time (the population of discarnate Spirits is much greater than that of incarnate spirits, whereby those who are resentful of their mistakes and eager to make amends must wait "in a long line" behind others also awaiting their turn).   They are, however, always counseled by their Spiritual mentors that will offer them guidance, both at this stage and throughout the actual incarnation.  

 Uniting with the Physical Body 

As you will recall from the identically titled segment in our section on the perispirit (see menu bar at left), the union of the soul with the material body of the child to be born, is carried out through the perispirit which will serve as a tie between the Spirit and the matter.  Remember that the Spirit is first tied to the embryo through a fluidic bond or "cord" (which is actually an extension of the perispirit) that attracts it with an irresistible force, from the moment of conception; as the embryo develops, the fluidic cord shortens, and the perispirit is joined, molecule by molecule, to the embryo.  

In an extremely varied and complex mechanism, either through the action of the reincarnating Spirit, or through the action of its spiritual benefactors, the perispirit is reduced, condensed and assimilated to the material molecules.  The perispirit becomes a fluidic mold that acts upon the body in formation, together with the hereditary conditions, the maternal mental influence, and the action of the benefactors that collaborate in the reincarnatory process.

 From Conception to Birth 

Question 351 of "The Spirits' Book" asks, "During the time between conception and birth, does a Spirit have the use of all its faculties?"  The Spirits replied, "To some degree. It depends on the stage of gestation at which the physical body has arrived.  As yet, the Spirit still has not fully incarnated in the new body; it is only attached to it.  From the moment of conception, however, a change takes place in the Spirit, a state of confusion, signaling that the time has come for it to enter a new life.  This condition becomes more and more pronounced until the time of birth.  Between the two periods- that is, while its new body is in the womb, the Spirit's state is similar to that of a sleeping person.  As the moment of birth approaches, its thoughts and ideas fade away; so do memories of the past, of which it will  no longer be conscious once incarnated. Once it returns to the Spirit-world, though, this memory will come back to it little by little." (read more about forgetfulness of our past, please read the equally titled segment found in the web section Life in the Material World--(see menu bar at left). 

Kardec writes, (in "Genesis") "From the moment [the Spirit] is caught up in the fluidic tie that holds it to the fetus, it enters a state of perturbation that increases as the the attachment tightens, and the Spirit, in the last moments, loses all consciousness of itself, with such luck that it never 'witnesses' its own birth.  When the child breathes, the Spirit begins to recover its faculties, which develop in proportion to the formation and consolidation of the organs that will serve it in its manifestations [of its faculties]." 

At this point then, we would not say, strictly speaking, that the developing fetus has a soul, but rather that the incarnation is in process and that the fetus is linked to the Spirit that will inhabit it.   Regarding the nature of life in the womb, the Spirits said (question) that "it is akin to vegetative- that is, unconscious functioning- though it already has a biological life.  Its union with the Spirit at birth adds a spiritual one."

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. 23-141.

Kardec, Allan. "Solution to Some Problems by the Spiritist Doctrine." Christian Spiritism (a compilation of two Kardec books: Spiritism Reduced to Its Simplest Expression and What is Spiritism).  Trans. Allan Kardec Educational Society (translated from original French editions, published 1860 and 1859, respectively). Philadelphia, PA. Allan Kardec Educational Society. 1985. 166.

Simonetti, Richard "Chapter." 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. 101-106.

Kardec, Allan. "Genese Espiritual" [Spiritual Genesis]. A Genese [Genesis]. 37th ed. Trans. Guillon Ribeiro (translated from 5th edition in French). Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil: Federação Espírita Brasileira [Brazilian Spiritist Federation].1987. 214-215.

Luiz, André (Spirit Author) / Xavier, Francisco Cândido (Medium). "Reencarnação" [Reincarnation]. Missionarios Da Luz [Missionaries of Light]. 26 ed. Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil. Brazilian Spiritist Federation. 1995 206-207. 

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