For most people who are not familiar with the subject, spiritism and the spirit world belong to the realm of the supernatural and the paranormal. And this elicits precisely two reactions: rejection and curiosity. The sceptics will either not look any further into the subject or they will put forward succinct (false) arguments against the truth of spiritism or the existence of the spirit world. It is not about these sceptics. Rather, the following advice is aimed at the curious who strive to know more about spiritism/spirit world. There are some important points to keep in mind.

1. Check your intention: Why do you want to get involved in Spiritism? Why do you want to get in touch with the dead or spirits? Think carefully and be honest. If you just want to do all this out of curiosity or whim, because you fancy terrifying attractions or even out of boredom and have no desire to seriously study things and develop yourself spiritually and morally, leave it alone! Spiritism, the spiritual world and, above all, spiritual beings are not toys that provide us with amusement and entertainment. Quite the contrary. If you do not approach the matter with the necessary seriousness and caution, the lower spiritual beings will take advantage of your ignorance and immaturity and make you their plaything. And that will certainly not be fun.

2. Learn to discern the spirits: In modern esotericism, I will call it ‘light and love’ esotericism, there is a widespread belief that evil and everything negative does not really exist or is an illusion. Thus, the spiritual world consists only of light and love. Consequently, all spiritual beings are, of course, absolutely pure and good, happy, peaceful, blameless, one with the universe and omniscient. But such a belief is not only naïve, but also dangerous. To stubbornly deny everything negative by believing that it does not exist is like closing one's eyes and believing that one is invisible because one can no longer see anything. But, of course, this is not the case. So be extremely cautious when you come into contact with spirits, especially if you are a beginner and inexperienced. For not all spirits are good and not all their intentions are pure.

When you begin to make contact, I advise you to pray to your guardian angel or guardian spirit. Ask him or her to remove all lower and mocking spirits from your environment and to allow only good and higher spirits to communicate with you. And even if contact does occur, caution is the first commandment. Why? Are the angels doing a bad job? No, it may simply be that, despite prayer, lower spirits are allowed to pass through to test the caller or to teach him a lesson. So remember well, not all spirits who respond are pure. And not all spirits who claim to be a certain person are really that person. Even if, for example, you record a tape and recognise the voice of your grandfather, aunt, father, etc. speaking to you from the ether, remain suspicious despite all the joy. Pay more attention to their way of speaking. Did the deceased person also formulate sentences in the same way, did they use words in the same way, maybe there are also some striking phrases etc. by which you can recognise the person.

3. Spirits are not omniscient and are not there to answer all our questions: As mentioned at the beginning, there are many who believe that the spirits, precisely because they are in the afterlife, automatically know everything. There are also quite a few who, either out of desperation or out of curiosity, seek answers and advice from the deceased. This is understandable and human, but only to a certain extent. Avoid at all costs contacting the spirit world for any little thing. If possible, never ask questions like ‘Does he/she really love me?’, ‘Who and where is the man/woman of my heart?’, ‘What are next week's lottery numbers?’. ‘Where did I put the car keys?’, “What can I eat today?”, etc. For know that no higher spiritual being would rush to you just to answer such questions.

You must not forget that higher spiritual beings, as their name suggests, see everything from a higher perspective. They are so spiritually and morally developed that such questions seem trivial and irrelevant to them. There is simply no reason for them to answer them. It would be like calling a professor of advanced mathematics and asking if one apple plus another apple is really two apples. Instead, it is the lower spirits who will react to such banalities. The gullible questioner can then be easily deceived and duped.

4. Atheists can never be true spiritists: even if they are very interested in reincarnation, life after death, spirits and mediumistic abilities and strongly believe in them, but deny the existence of God, they will never understand the profound wisdom of spiritism.

5. The Spiritism is neither a religion nor a sect, much less the mere conjuring of spirits: religion, sect and necromancy are the terms always associated with Spiritism, but it is none of these things. Allan Kardec (actually Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail; 1804 - 1869), the founder and codifier of modern Spiritism, considered it a philosophy and a science. And indeed, the spiritism doctrine is the result of a synthesis of the teachings and messages of the spirits based on logic and sobriety.

Therefore, Spiritism also lacks any tendency towards mysticism. Every spiritist is encouraged to experience, understand and elaborate the teachings of Spiritism through serious study and hard work. Spiritists should not believe blindly, as most religions want them to, but experience for themselves. Spiritism demands independence and non-dependence on any priest, guru, teacher or constitution. Moreover, every spiritist who discovers in himself a gift of mediumship is called upon to use it freely for the benefit of his fellow men. On the other hand, the use of the gift to enrich others is strongly criticised. Spiritism must not be abused to take money out of the pockets of desperate people. It is not a lazy way of avoiding work. Nor does it have anything to do with Spiritism to hold (alleged) necromancies under its name in order to deceive the curious and to increase one's own fame. Spiritism is a spiritual beacon whose radiant light leads us to spiritual and moral perfection, and thus to our salvation.

Daniela M.