The Soul of Matter

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

This book contains four of the seven lectures I delivered in October 2002, during a trip through six European countries: Italy, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Portugal.

These lectures were selected and combined here to present the fundamentals of the medical-spiritist paradigm. The book highlights the basic principles of this paradigm, and examines how they provide the basic guidelines for what should be proscribed or prescribed in bioethics.

These lectures should be seen as basic outlines for more in-depth studies on medical-spiritist thought and practice. They are presented here in the following sequence, intended to provide a panoramic view of the subjects: The Medical-Spiritist Paradigm, Perispirit, Fundamentals of the Spiritist Bioethics and the Spiritist Perspective on Cloning. What emerges from the study and review of these basic concepts is the soul of matter.

Spiritism brought back the old concept of the soul, inherited from the Greeks. Plato and Aristotle, in particular, identified the presence of this divine element in man, a sacred being in origin and final destination. It is the soul that gives life, animates the body and raises us above the Earth, thus forming the basis for human dignity.

The vital body is the semi-material envelope of the soul, formed by basic elementary energy, which allows the spirit to command matter. This elementary energy has been known by many names through the ages: chi (Taoists), manu (Kaunas), prana (Hindus), élan vital (Henri Bergson), vital fluid (Hahnemann), libido (Freud and Jung), bioenergy (Reich), biological organizing model (Hernani Guimarães Andrade), morphic fields and morphic resonance (Rupert Sheldrake), among others.

These concepts underwent multiple formulations over time, and today we understand that the vital body is made up of immaterial fields responsible for structuring forms and animating all matter, from atoms and particles to human beings. The vital body concept helps explain complex and intricate biological phenomena, such as the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, embryology, the origin of life, biodiversity, the pathogenesis of innumerable illnesses of unknown origins, etc.

As we will see in this book, the soul shapes matter through this and other subtle layers, which in turn act as informational fields that influence and condition the development of forms. These subtle layers have an electromagnetic structure and are made up of elements still undetectable by current technologies. They belong to another kind of Mendeleyev table and are organized in vibratory patterns that are different from those of the physical body.

Thanks to the progress of the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Physics, it is now possible to glimpse this other reality – the implicat order idealized by David Bohm. This new reality is the basis for a new vision of the world: matter is now understood as energy, time itself has been proved to be variable, movement is discontinuous, interconnectedness is everywhere, and consciousness is able to influence events and choose possibilities. It is now easier to understand how the soul controls matter, although we still have a long way to go in this field of scientific research.

I believe that in the near future new technologies will significantly advance knowledge in Medicine and other Life Sciences. We will then be able to confirm the existence of this other reality, which transcends physical matter and gives it movement, meaning and organization.

I hope that this unpretentious book may contribute in some way to this debate and promote a greater convergence between Science and Spirituality.

THE MEDICAL-SPIRITIST PARADIGM: POINTS OF INTERSECTION BETWEEN MEDICINE AND SPIRITISM

In 1859, Allan Kardec, who codified the Spiritist Doctrine, wrote in the preamble of his book What is Spiritism? (Qu’est-ce que le Spiritisme?): Spiritism is a science that deals with the nature, origin and destiny of the Spirits, as well as their relation with the corporeal world.

The following are highlights of the Spiritism summary presented years later by Kardec, in November 1868, speaking to the Spiritist Society of Paris:

"To believe in one Almighty God, supremely good and just;

to believe in the soul and its immortality;

in the pre-existence of the soul as the explanation for the present;

in the plurality of existences as a means of redemption, reparation and intellectual and moral advancement;

in the perfectibility of the most imperfect beings;

in equitable reward for good or for evil, according to the principle to each according to his deeds;

in fair justice to all, with no exception, (...);

in man’s free will, which always allows us the choice between good and evil;

to believe in the continuity of the relations between the visible and the invisible worlds;

in the solidarity which re-unites all beings – past, present and future – incarnate and discarnate;

to consider earthly life as transitory and as one of the phases of the Spirit’s life, which is eternal;

to have the courage to accept trials and challenges in this life, sustained by the hope of a better future;

to practice charity in the broadest sense, in thought, words and acts;

to try each day to be better than the day before, eliminating any imperfection of the soul;

to submit all beliefs to free examination and reasoning, and to accept nothing in blind faith;

to respect all sincere beliefs, even though they may seem irrational to us, and not violate anyone’s conscience;

and finally, to interpret the discoveries of science as revelations of nature’s laws, which are God’s laws: this is the Creed, the doctrine of Spiritism, a doctrine that can conciliate itself with all other religions, i.e., with all ways of adoring God".(1)

These far-ranging ideas and ecumenical vision permeate all of Allan Kardec’s intellectual and moral work, reflecting the teachings received from the Superior Spirits. They also reflect Pestalozzi’s beneficial influence on Kardec’s education in Yverdun, Switzerland, during the first decades of the 19th century.

Kardec left us a legacy that should not be forgotten: respect for Science and the true meaning of Religion, as taught by Pestalozzi and the Superior Spirits.

Spiritism and Science complete each other; without Spiritism, it is impossible for Science to explain certain phenomena only on the basis of material laws; in turn, Spiritism without Science would lack support and control. (2)

By affirming the existence of the Spirit, as one of the elements that make up the universe, and the constant and permanent interaction between incarnated and discarnate beings, Spiritism necessarily touches upon most fields of science. (2) Spiritism unveils a new vision of reality, which includes the redefinition of what it means to be a human being. Its principles have revealed a perfect agreement with the new paradigms of Science, especially with the extraordinary advances of quantum physics.

Fritjof Capra, a noted physicist and humanist, emphasizes in his book The Mutation Point the need for a new vision of reality, based on the consciousness of the essential inter-relatedness and interdependence of all phenomena – physical, biological, social, and cultural. According to Capra, this vision transcends the present disciplinary and conceptual boundaries and will have to be explored within the scope of new institutions. (3)

The Medicine of the future, as proposed by Capra, requires several changes in the current paradigm. It will adopt a Holistic Approach to Health, taking into account the mental roots of pathological processes, and perceiving illness as an unbalanced condition often caused by lack of integration. This lack of integration can manifest itself in several parts of the body and generate symptoms of a physical, psychological and social nature.

In the Western world, this integral vision of the human being can be traced back to Hippocrates, at the Cos School, which considered health as the balance of environmental inputs, lifestyle, chemical and hormonal harmony, and the interdependence between body and mind. It also took into account the healing power of nature, the inherent self-healing ability of live organisms. A doctor should help these natural factors, creating favorable conditions for the healing process.

During the last two centuries, however, Medicine has grown away from this integral vision of man. Only recently, from the 1970’s onwards, have there been attempts by some isolated institutions to restore the sort of Spiritual Medicine described above.

Spiritism contributed to the rehabilitation of these broader concepts. It stimulated new discussions on themes such as the soul’s survival and ability to communicate. Mediumistic experiments provided evidence of interventions from the Spiritual realm, leading several experts and philosophers to further study those phenomena. Scientists began to consider the existence of a spiritual dimension in human beings, moving beyond purely materialistic explanations for human behavior. As recognized by Charles Richet, it was thanks to Allan Kardec’s insistence that scientists and philosophers started paying more attention to paranormal phenomena. But it was also Kardec who emphasized that several of these phenomena might be produced by the medium’s own psyche, thereby recognizing the medium’s possible influence over the physical body.

The spiritist approach to health is a holistic one: all morbid processes are essentially mental processes, commanded by the Spirit, and all phenomena (physical, biological, social, cultural or spiritual) have an influence over the Spirit, and are metabolized and integrated by the Spirit. According to this vision, health is the perfect harmony of the Soul. (4) Therefore health is a slow and gradual achievement of the Being, as it makes progress in knowledge and love, based on all the experiences acquired over successive lives.

Here I will start the exploration of Spiritism’s approach to health by reviewing the Spiritist principles revealed in France, during the 19th century, as described by Allan Kardec in the Codification books. I will also discuss how those original principles were complemented by new revelations received in Brazil, during the 20th century, through spiritual communications channeled by the medium Francisco Cândido Xavier. I will outline Spiritism’s holistic view of man as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual Being and then use this new paradigm to analyze the Perspectives for Health in the 21st century,

Throughout this process we should be mindful of Saint Augustine’s words: Faith seeks, the Intellect finds.(5) Science does not usually admit or consult directly the paths opened by faith, but it can still benefit from spiritual inspiration. The revolutionary theories of many scientific geniuses, which have deeply influenced life on this planet, originated from sparks of illumination, as admitted by Albert Einstein, in the preface of Max Planck’s book Where does Science go?

Thus, the supreme work of the physicist is the discovery of the more general and elementary laws, from which the image of the world can be logically deducted. But there is no logical path for the discovery of these elementary laws. There is only the path of intuition, helped by a sense of order, which underlies appearances, and this Einfuehlung is developed through experience. (6)

As Jeffrey Mishlove reminds us, Immanuel Kant also affirmed that it is through intuition that we build and maintain the basic elements of our world – our sense of space and time, of identity, the truth of things, our sense of beauty and kindness. Intuition, derived from the true structure or essence of our minds, is considered by philosophy as a priority for all perception and reasoning. (7)

Throughout human history, spiritual paths (which often cross intuition’s paths) have influenced in subtle ways the development and evolution of all living beings. Intuition is the secret path that links the Creator and the creature, and ties each incipient consciousness to the Sublime Consciousness of the Universe.

We believe that the revelations presented by Spiritism, and supported by Spiritist phenomenology, open new paths through which Science will follow sooner or later, building large avenues of progress for the benefit of humankind. Spiritist Doctrine is based on these paths and provides a coherent explanation for spiritual life and phenomena. We are convinced of this. However, in our studies and research