Mediumnity is called the whole of the faculties which enable the human being to communicate with the Invisible World. The medium enjoys in advance the means of perception and sensation which belong more to the life of the spirit than to that of man. It is therefore his privilege to serve as a link between them.

We must see in this state the result of the law of evolution, and not a regressive effect, or a defect, as certain physiologists believe, who compare mediums to hysterics and the sick. Their error stems from the fact that the great sensitivity and impressionability of certain subjects causes sensory and nervous disturbances in their physical organism; but these are exceptions which it would be wrong to generalise, for the great majority of mediums are in good health and in perfect mental equilibrium.

The whole extension of the soul's perceptions is a preparation for a wider and higher life, an open outlet to a vaster horizon. From this point of view the mediumships as a whole represent a transitional phase between earthly life and the free life of space.

The first phenomenon of this kind to attract the attention of mankind was the vision. From the beginning of time, it revealed the existence of the world beyond and the intervention of the souls of the dead among us. These manifestations, when repeated, have given birth to the cult of the spirits, the starting point and basis of all religions. Afterwards the relations between the inhabitants of Earth and the inhabitants of space were established in the most diverse and varied forms, which have developed through the ages under different names, but all of which are based on a single principle. Through mediumship there has always existed a link between the two worlds, a pathway traced by which the soul received gradually higher revelations of good and of duty, ever more vivid illumination of its immortal destinies.

The great spirits, as a result of their evolution, acquire progressively greater knowledge and become instructors, guides to the human captives in the field... The authority and prestige of their teachings are further enhanced by the prophecies and foretellings that precede or accompany them.

Elsewhere we have studied in detail the different kinds of mediumship and the phenomena they produce. There it can be seen how the communion of the living and the dead is established; how that ideal frontier is constituted where the two humanities, the one visible and the other invisible, come into contact; how, thanks to this penetration, our knowledge of the future life, the notion we possess of the moral laws which govern it, with all its consequences and sanctions, is extended and made more precise.

By all medianimic means the higher spirits endeavour to draw the human soul from the depths of matter to the high and sublime truths which govern the Universe, that it may be imbued with the high aims of life and face death without terror, that it may learn to detach itself from the transient goods of the earth and prefer the imperishable goods of the spirit.

The higher spirits are joined by the loving souls of departed relatives, whose solicitude continues to extend over us and assists us in our painful struggles against adversity and evil. Thus mediumnity well exercised becomes a wellspring of light and consolation. Through it the voices from on high tell us:

«Escuchad nuestras llamadas, vosotros que buscáis y lloráis; no estáis abandonados. Hemos sufrido para lograr establecer un medio de comunicación entre vuestro mundo olvidadizo y nuestro inundo del recuerdo. La mediumnidad ya no se verá envilecida, menospreciada, maldita, porque los hombres no podrán ya desconocerla. Ella es el único lazo posible entre los vivos y nosotros, a quienes nos llamáis muertos. ¡Esperad: no dejaremos cerrarse la Puerta que hemos entreabierto para que en medio de vuestras dudas y vuestras inquietudes pudieseis entrever las claridades celestes!»

Having shown the great role of mediumnity, it is worth pointing out the difficulties encountered in its application. In the first place, we will say that good mediums are rare. This is not because there is a lack of notable faculties, but because they often remain of no practical use for lack of serious and profound studies. Many mediums hide themselves in intimate circles, in family gatherings, sheltered from exaggerated demands and unpleasant contacts; how many young girls of delicate organism, how many ladies we know, withdrawn by fear of criticism and evil tongues, stifle and lose beautiful medianimic faculties by not using them well, with good direction!

The adversaries of the Spiritism have always set about denigrating mediums, accusing them of fraud, trying to make them out to be neurotics, and endeavouring by every means to divert them from their mission; knowing that the medium is the essential condition of the phenomenon, they thus hope to destroy Spiritism at its very foundations. It is important that we should defeat this tactic, and to this end we must give encouragement and help to mediums, by surrounding the exercise of their faculties with all the necessary precautions.

War has taken millions of lives in the midst of youth and manhood. Epidemics, scourges of all kinds, have left enormous voids in the bosoms of families. All these innumerable spirits seek to manifest themselves to those whom they have loved on earth, to prove their affection, their tenderness, to wipe away their tears, to soothe their sorrows. On the other hand, mothers, widows, brides, orphans stretch out their hands and thoughts towards heaven in anxious expectation of news of their dead, eager to gather proof of their presence, testimony of their survival.

Almost everyone possesses latent and unknown faculties which could enable them to establish relations with their departed. Everywhere there are possibilities of establishing a link between these two multitudes of beings who seek each other, attract each other and desire to merge their feelings and their hearts in a common harmony. Spiritism and mediumship alone can bring about this sweet and holy communion and bring to all the peace and serenity of soul that gives strength and conviction.

It is above all among these victims of the cruel war, in the heart of the people, among the humble, the small, the modest that we must seek the psychic resources that will enable our friends from space to provide us with proof of the persistence of their vitality and the pledge of our future reunion. How many faculties slumber silently in the depths of these beings, waiting for the hour to open up, to blossom, to produce fruits of truth and moral beauty!

In this respect, great is the task incumbent upon the enlightened spirits, upon the self-sacrificing believers, upon the apostles of the great doctrine. Their duty is to shake off the indifference of some, the apathy of others, to go to meet all these obscure agents of the work of renewal, to instruct them, to bring into action the hidden resources and unsuspected riches which they possess, and to lead them to the appointed end. To accomplish this task, one must possess knowledge and faith. Thanks to the latter, and by similar means, the apostles of early Christian times brought about the miracles around them, and with them the religious enthusiasm which was to transform the face of the globe.

In our day, not only ardent faith is necessary, but also knowledge of the precise laws governing the visible and invisible worlds, in order to facilitate their harmony, their reciprocal interpretation, by separating from experimentation the elements of error, disturbance and confusion.

In gradual training we shall see the circle of psychic perceptions and sensations widen, and the most imposing certainty of the permanence of the vital principle which animates us will become evident.

The human soul will learn to know the shadows and splendours of the Beyond, and in this knowledge it will find a respite from its sorrows and a source of strength in misfortune and in the face of death.