Spontaneous Communications
Estelle Riquier
Society, January 13th, 1860
I am consumed by boredom, grief, and despair. Guilty wife, cruel mother,
I abandoned the sacred joys of my family; the matrimonial dwelling
beautified by the presence of two little angels from heavens. Dragged by
the paths of addiction, by a limitless egotism, pride and vanity, a woman
with no heart, I conspired against the sacred love of the one who God and
people had given me as the support of my life. He hopelessly sought the
refuge of death against my coward abandonment and dishonor.
Christ forgave the adulterous woman and the regretful Magdalene.
The adulterous woman had loved and Magdalene repented. But I, miserable
one, I sold dearly a false love which I had never felt. I sowed pleasure
and did not harvest but neglect. The horrible misery and cruel hunger
brought an end to a hateful life… and I did not regret! And I, miserable
and infamous, oh! How often have I employed my influence as a
spirit, leading poor women to the vice, women that I saw virtuous and
in good health, enjoying the happiness which I had neglected? Will God ever forgive me? Perhaps, if the disgust inspired in you doesn’t prevent you
from praying for the unfortunate Estelle Riquier.
OBSERVATION: The following questions were addressed to this uncalled
spirit, and unknown to the audience.
1. When have you died? – A. Fifty years ago.
2. Where did you live? – A. In Paris.
3. What was your husband’s social echelon? – A. Middle class.
4. How old were you when you died? – A. I was 32.
5. How have you come spontaneously to communicate with
us? – A. It was allowed for your instruction and to serve as an
example.
6. Did you have any education? – Yes.
7. We hope that God will take into account the honesty of
your confession and your regret. We wish God may be merciful
to you and send good spirits to clarify you regarding the means of
repairing your past. – A. Oh! Thank you, thank you! May God
hear you!
OBSERVATION: Several people informed us that they consider
a duty to pray for the suffering spirits that we have indicated and
who ask for help. We wish these charitable thoughts may spread
among our readers. Some received the spontaneous visit of the
spirits to whom they addressed their good wishes, who came to
thank them.
Present Time
Society, January 20th, 1860
You are guided by the true Genius of Christianity, as I told you. Christ
himself presides over every work in progress, opening up the era of
renovation and betterment predicted by your spiritual guides. In fact, if
you look to the contemporary events, beyond the spiritist manifestations,
you will undoubtedly recognize the precursor signs inexorably demonstrating
that the time has come.
Communications are established among all peoples and the material
barriers are knocked down. The moral obstacles opposed to their
union; the political and religious prejudices will quickly fade away and
the kingdom of fraternity will then be definitely established and everlasting.
Behold, - something incredible to us - the sovereigns themselves, as
if guided by invisible hand, from now on are taking the initiative of the
reforms; and the reforms which spontaneously come from the top are
faster and more long-lived than those which forcibly come from the bottom.
Despite the prejudices of childhood and education, and the cult of
the past, I have foreseen the current times. I am happy for that and even more so for having come to tell you: “Courage brothers! Work for you
and your family’s future. Work for your personal improvement, before
anything else, and you will enjoy in your new existence a happiness which
is as much difficult to imagine as it is to me to explain it to you.
Chateaubriand
The Bells
Obtained by Mr. Pécher
Society, January 13th, 1860
Can you tell me why have I always liked the sound of bells? The reason
is that the soul of a person who thinks or suffers always tries to
withdraw when feeling that mute happiness which awakes in us the vague
memories of a past existence. That sound is a translation of Christ’s words
that have been vibrating in the air for eighteen centuries. It is the voice
of hope. How many hearts has it comforted! How much strength has
it given to the believing humanity! The divine voice has terrified those
people who were great in their times. They were scared of that because
the truth that they had subdued made them tremble. Christ showed that
to everyone. They killed the Christ but not the idea. His sacred word had
been understood. It was immortal and yet how often has your heart been
taken by doubt! How often has the individual accused God of unfairness!
He exclaimed: My God, what have I done? Has disgrace followed me
since birth? Am I then destined to follow this avenue which breaks my
heart? There seems to be a fatality chained to my feet. I feel the strength failing me. I will break this life. At this point in time God shines a ray of
hope onto your heart. A friendly hand removes the blindfold of materialism
from your eyes and a voice from heavens tells you: Look at that bright
light in the horizon. It is a sacred fire from God. That flame must illuminate
and purify the world. It must make that light penetrate human’s
heart and from there break the darkness that covers his eyes. Some people
pretended to have brought you light only to produce a mist which lost you
in the straight path. Don’t be blind, you to whom God shows the light. It
is Spiritism that allows you to lift the tip of the veil which covered your
past. Look at what you were and think. Bow before our Creator’s justice.
Glorify God for giving you the courage to persist in your chosen trials.
Christ said: “…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Such an
absolutely spiritist thought contains the mystery of your sufferings. May
hope in God’s benevolence give you courage and faith! Always listen to
that voice which vibrates in your hearts. It is up to you to understand with
wisdom and elevate your soul with fraternal thoughts. May the wealthy
reach out to the unfortunate ones, since the wealth was not given for their
personal pleasures, but to be God’s helper and God shall have you reporting
to him the use you gave to that richness. Your virtues are the only
wealth acknowledged by God; the only one which you shall carry when
leaving this world. Let the false scholars talk, those who call you crazy. It
may well be that tomorrow they will request your prayers since God will
judge them.
From your daughter, who loves you and prays for you.
Family Advices
(Continuation – read at the Society on January 20th, 1860 – see January
issue of the Review)
My dear children, in my preceding instructions I advised you with
calmness and courage; however, not all of you show them as you
should. You must consider that apologies do not mitigate pain. On the
contrary, it tends to increase it. A good advice, a good word, a smile, a
simple gesture gives strength and courage. A drop of tear softens the heart
instead of hardening it. Cry, if your heart drives you to that but may it
happen in solitude and not in the presence of those who need all of your
energy or strength which a single tear or a sigh of sadness may diminish
and weaken. We all need encouragement and nothing better than
a friendly voice, a benevolent look, and a word from the heart. When
I advised you to get together it was not to gather your tears and sufferings;
it was not to drive you to the prayers which only demonstrate good
intention but to unite your thoughts, your collective endeavors; so that
you could mutually advise one another, and as a group you must try to
triumph over the obstacles instead of sharing your sadness. A beggar will ask God for his subsistence in vain since it shall not fall from heavens.
He must work and however little he may get that will have a greater value
than all prayers. Useful work is the most pleasing prayer to God, whatever
the work is. I repeat: the prayer only demonstrates a good intention, a good
feeling; however it only produces a moral effect, because it is all moral.
It is excellent as a consolation to the soul because the soul that sincerely
prays finds relief to their moral sufferings. Outside of these effects and
those which come from the prayers, as I have explained to you on other
instructions, you must wait for nothing, since you will meet deception.
Then, follow exactly my advices. Do not be content in asking God to
help you. You must help yourselves and that is how you will demonstrate
the authenticity of your prayers. In fact, it would be too easy to just ask
for something in your prayers to have it granted. It would be the greatest
stimulus to laziness and to the neglect of the good deeds. I could elaborate
even further about it but it would be too much for you. Your level of
advancement does not accommodate it. Think about this instruction, as
about the preceding ones, for those are intended to occupy your minds for
a long time. They have the embryonic teachings of everything which you
shall learn in the future. Follow my previous advices.
Allan Kardec
