Our way of approaching the subject
As always at the end of our workshops, we decide what next time’s theme will be. Inspiration was to be found in the subject of spiritual healers’
This subject is vast and to be honest seemed unclear to us. We didn’t really know where to start, nor what to call the workshop.
When we think of the healers, magnetizers, alternative medicine, faith healers, shamans and even charlatans come to mind.
We insisted however in keeping this subject so as to encourage us to intensify our research work, as we found this type of mediumship intriguing.
In fact this wasn’t going to make our task easier as even though Allan Kardec described and classified it in the Book of Mediums, this category of Medium was only touched upon in this book and as well as in the Spirit Book.
The subject is dealt with in a more detailed manner in the Spirit Review, in the September 1965 edition of the psychological journal entitled ‘Spiritual Healing.’ Here is a synthesis of a few passages we borrowed from it in order to ease our understanding.
As often for our group’s research purposes, we draw upon non-Spirit sources and works.
Through studying the nature of the spiritual healer, and through the searching of witness accounts on possibly the greatest spiritual healer in history, we were able to grasp the importance of care to a Spirit group, which would affect our actions to come.
What is a Medium Healer
The most efficient slant by which to approach a new subject that one doesn’t yet master is to understand the words of which it is composed?
It is interesting to note that the word medium, even though it existed in musical terms, was invented as we know it today by Allan Kardec in the 19th century.
According to the spiritualist definition, mediums (from Latin: medium, middle, intermediary) are people susceptible to the influence of spirits and are gifted to a varying degree in their faculty to receive and transmit communications from and to them.
For spirits, the medium is an intermediary, an agent or a useful instrument, more or less so according to the strength or manner of their faculty. This faculty is due to a special organic disposition which is susceptible to development. Depending on the type of medium and the type of transmission, several different types of medium can be distinguished, including healer mediums.
According to common definition, a healer is a person who heals the sick without being officially a doctor, and by using methods which are not recognized by medicine (at least not in the West).
We note here that more and more physicians are interested in the influence of spirits and magnetic forces on the psychological body. Some have come together to create the Medico-spirit International Association (SMA).
Through healing, the healer is a therapist, from the Greek thérapeutaï, taken from thérapeueïn, to serve, to heal, that is to say God’s servants.
The tools of the healer and the healer as a tool
- Terrestrial, human and animal magnetism or personal magnetism
The first thing to remember, is that the study of magnetism removes all notion of magic or other esoteric mystery
Indeed, it is scientifically possible to explain magnetical occurrences and physically possible to measure magnetic fields emitted by all of the elements which make up our material environment and our dimension, including living beings. The atomic constitution of living things involves radiation when, from their electrically conductive nature, a magnetic field results if it is brought close to another magnetic field.
In fact the whole of Earth, with its magnetic poles (austral in the south and boreal in the north), is a gigantic magnet.
We are therefore all capable of feeling these magnetic variations as well as being able to make magnetic projections.
The magnetiser is capable of feeling magnetic variations and also to make magnetic projections.
In his physiological constitution, he will dispose of a lesser of greater degree of magnality, which is made up of oxide and iron (voir les travaux de Pierre Weiss sur l’aimantation de la magnétite cristallisée et sur “la nature du ferromagnétisme et son concept du champ moléculaire) When it is charged, this magnality becomes a permanent magnet capable of functioning without extra exterior energy.
Nothing magnetic about that then, except for a common physiological make-up, the particular disposition of some people, interaction with the terrestrial environment and the possibility in all cases to better the characteristics of it by work.
By definition and taking into account of our inferior ethereal incarnation conditions, animal or human fluid is on a completely relative level of purity?
- Spiritual magnetism
Although different degrees of spiritual magnetic fluid exist according to the elevation of the spirits that procure it, it contains superior pureness to human fluid. The spirits, who are freed from the imperfections of humans, have the disposition to master the fluids of the celestial dimensions.
As we have seen, the medium is an intermediary. Also, as we are able to see in the Spirit Review, the psychological studies journal of September 1865, when the magnetizer magnetises with his personal human fluid, the healer medium transmits the magnetic spirit fluid of the spirits.
We should add, that if all humans dispose of the ability to magnetise and that the radiation of our being subjected to a magnetic field, makes it possible to send as to receive, we think that the healing medium still uses, in part, his animal magnetism, at least as a triggering spark. The latter being however, under the influence of the Spirits, greatly augmented and directed.
It is the mixture of the magnetic fluids of the embodied and the disembodied, which creates a fluidy nature enhanced in its quality and effects. It often acts quickly, even instantaneously, with stronger effects without exhausting the healing medium.
- Will, abilities, work, purification
To transmit the purest possible Spiritual fluid, the healer medium must work on their purification. Indeed, for the mixture to be good and for the spiritual fluid to dominate, the sources must be the best, or even the purest.
However, the highest spirits will reach out more easily to those who present greater moral qualities, a healthy lifestyle and especially the most beautiful and strongest intentions.
Thus, in the great majority, healer mediums, always subject to their human imperfections, apply a fluidic mixture, although magnified by the intervention of the spirits, always dominated by human magnetism.
Pure water transported by moldy, smelly and poorly maintained pipes will always give dirty water and in smaller quantities for the drinker.
The dangers are great for those who don’t work on their advancement and to master this force of their human magnetic disposition fed by the Spiritual fluid. Despite the greater purity of this second, the first can be a vector of harmful principles for the magnetized.
An important work is therefore to be provided by the person blessed with this ability to transmit the Spiritual magnetic fluid of the Spirits to improve reception.
Like all mediums, they will have to increase their vibratory level through her moral and spiritual elevation, the maintenance of their earthly vehicle (her body), detachment from material things, liberation from their vices and above all by practicing charity. This will all be the subject of another workshop.
It will also be important for them to work on the tools and methods that will allow them to facilitate exchanges with the astral world in complete safety and to increase their control and the quality of their human magnetism to get as close as possible to such a pure fluid, than that of the Spirits.
So it can improve transmission.
Moreover, the power of the care will be entirely proportional to the intention of wanting to appease his neighbor and therefore proportional to the disinterested love that we have for him.
Finally, as we will see, prayer proves to be a powerful tool for carrying intentions and making them reason in the highest astral spheres so that spirits can act through the healing medium.
We can therefore easily deduce that true healing mediums in their purest acceptance are extremely rare on earth.
As we can read in the Spirit review: “only those can obtain, by the laying on of hands, those instantaneous healings which seem prodigious to us; very few people can claim this favour”
[…] Pure healing mediumship is therefore an exception down here”.
Jesus as a great Medium-Healer ?
To identify eye-witness accounts and healing events of this type it was easy to draw upon our memories distantly lulled by the accounts of our Christian culture. It was therefore only natural that we were able to identify facts and testimonies of healings performed by Jesus in the Gospels. We should make clear that if there were group members of other faiths, cultures or philosophies, we would have explored other areas.
We have found most of the details of the acts of healing of Luc and Marc that we have found the most detail of the acts of healing of Jesus, even if in the other gospels that are mentioned but with less detail.
A god for some, son of God for others, or even a prophet for others still, who was Jesus? Although that question will be the subject of a presentation and of separate workshops, we can read in “Jesus Christ according to Spiritism in the Allan Kardec Lyon Spirti Centre” ref 3
Christ is in our eyes the initiator of the purest morality, the most sublime of evangelical Christian and universal morality which must renovate the world, bring people together and make them proud; which must bring forth from all human hearts charity and love of neighbor, and create between all men a common solidarity, of a morality which must transform this world and make it a stay for beings more evolved than those who inhabit it today. This is the fundamental principle of the law of progress to which nature is subject and which is for the purposes of God. Jesus, in our opinion, was a divine messiah for the double reason that he got his mission from God and that his perfections put him in direct contact with God. “
In Genesis, miracles and predictions according to Spiritism, ref. 10 we can read:
As man, he had the organization of organized beings; but as a pure spirit, detached from matter, he must have lived in the spiritual life more than in the carnal, of which he had not the weaknesses. His superiority over men was only of his spiritual nature, which absolutely controlled matter, and his perispirit, which was formed of the most refined of earthly fluids (chap. XIV, n° 9). His soul must have been attached to the body only by the most indispensable links; constantly separated from one another, it must have endowed him with a double sight, not only permanent, but of an exceptional penetration, very superior to that of ordinary men. It must have been the same with all the phenomena which depend upon the perispiritual or psychic fluids. The quality of these fluids gave to him an immense magnetic power, seconded by a constant desire to do good.
Thereby, as we can see, Jesus had the absolute purity necessary to be a medium healer and the many miracles and healings that he performed, by simply by the use of his hands or his will, would make him a channel of infinite perfection to transmit the spiritual fluid if the highest spirits.
But is we consider Jesus to be himself the son of God, a creator at the sides of the creator and being above all of the spirits inhabiting the highest astral spheres around our terrestrial globe and in contact with god, as we can also read in Genesis, miracles and predictions according to Spiritism ref. 10:
In the cures which he performed, did he act as a medium? Can he be considered as a
powerful healing medium? No; for the medium is an intermediary, an instrument which discarnate spirits use. Now, Christ had no need of assistance, he who assisted others; he acted, then, by himself, by virtue of his personal power. Thus can incarnated beings, in certain cases, do according to their strength. What other spirit would have dared to inspire him with his own thoughts, and charge him to transmit them? If he received a strange influx, it could only be from God. According to a definition given of him by a spirit, he was a medium from God.
Deliver, Heal, Teach
In reading the gospels about Jesus’ healing events through several times, appeared at first an intuition, followed by a strong interrogation and finally a certitude, making sense in the context of our actions in a Spiritist group
And what we interpreted as a revelation is summed up in Luke 13-32:
«[…] Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to tomorrow, and third day I shall be perfected »
What we revealed is that in the gospels according to Mark 1,4 and 5 and in Luke 4 and 13, Jesus always applies the same outline according to these three approached and in the same order:
- Firstly he frees the suffering spirits and or the obsessed ones
- Then he accomplishes healings so everyone comes to him to bring other ill people
- Finally, they listen to his teachings, and Jesus is fulfilled, meaning that he has fully achieved his mission of awakening and enlightenment through his teachings.
This approach is confirmed in Marc 4&5. To summarize, we can read that he preaches, that they listen and that they have a fear. Then he frees a man from a demonic named legion. He then frees a young girl who had been losing her blood since the age of twelve, then he goes on to preach and everybody listens to him without fear.
As a first stage, we understand that in order to heal, we have to firstly free the person of the obsessions of spirtis in trouble or any other vampire entities. This work to be done for the patient can be as much for the one who seeks to apply the care as for his assistance.
6/And this is one of the missions of the Spirit group through its actions of the freedom of spirits in the trouble which obsesses or not, the incarnates. At our humble level, we cannot simply speak with authority to instantly free troubled or obsessive minds. Our many faults as well as our material and terrestrial vibrations require permanent work in order to elevate our consciousness, to better the setting in which we evolve, to develop our judgment and to perfect our techniques. The way to arrive at this level is a long one and a great deal of work is required to realize such acts to liberate in the securest and most efficient conditions for incarnates as well as disincarnates.
As a second step we understand that care is the main and unshakeable base permitting to obtain the attention and credibility from the person who wants to teach the world the revelation of philosophy.
He who cares and soothes whilst respecting the rules of as well as a complement to traditional medicine, seems to be irrefutable. His disinterested actions leave no doubt concerning his intentions. So confidence comes naturally because in his search to be accompanied, the magnetized person will open the doors of his fragile intimacy to the magnetizer. The results will be as much proof of the love that the care of others represents.
Finally as a third step comes teaching and teaching is different to preach.
Jesus in direct contact with God, speaking in his name, was able to teach by preaching. At our humble level, we can simply transmit and exchange what we have received from those before us, from spirits themselves and from what we have learned through our diligent work of research, of practice and of life experience.
Teaching allows those who receive it to develop their understanding, critical thinking and analytical skills in order to find their own path of evolution. According to his mission, he will participate, at his level, either to carry out a work of saving awakening on himself or also, to participate, in a more direct way, in the moral and spiritual elevation of our globe.
The teaching of spirits, as well as that which can be found in the great sacred books in their purest and most stripped-down reading, are necessarily oriented towards the well-being of individuals, of all humanity and of our earthly environment and of the astral world around us.
Teaching itself is therefore a treatment that also contributes to the appeasement of our tormented environment and the elements that make it up. So this is how this tertiary cycle repeats itself.
Treatment
We will look at magnetism as a treatment in a dedicated workshop, as this subject is very important in a spirit group.
What we have underlined in this workshop is that it is difficult or even dangerous, to talk about healing.
Firstly, because conventional medicine continues its progress and because even though it strives mainly to heal the effects rather than the cause, it has the merit of being the best treatment of the mechanics of the human body. It annihilates, limits or delays the damages of evil, offering respite or appeasement of the spirit which is embodied in its human experience.
Spirits intervening by the intermediary of a Medium also intervene on the physiological, lymphatic; neurological and endocrinal systems in the same way as physical doctors do, but in a more subtle manner. They also act on the etheric and perispirit bodies as well as all the constituent energies.
In a sense the two approaches complement each other. That’s the reason we underline the importance to those who are ill of continuing their medical monitoring and treatment.
Physicians of the embodied world and the astral world work together, each from their own dimension, to improve the health of the patient.
It is also highly likely that doctors are influenced, or rather inspired by the spirits in the treatment of the seriously ill.
The day will certainly come where embodied and disembodied doctors will consciously work together.
Healing holds a preponderant place in a spirit centre and as is it possible to see in centres already in place and holding workshops, the work sessions often end with a snack and a glass of magnetized water, and magnetic passes.
Let’s start first with prayers or thought chains. The members of a Spirit group must strive, in their evolution, to master the magnetic passes. The more a spirit group will progress in maturity, the more he can help magnetizers to develop themselves or even attract experienced magnetizers whilst bringing them the fundamentals of the spirit philosophy.
This cross-work of mediumship, of the development of charity through the understanding of the spirit philosophy has led to the emergence of healer mediums in spirit groups. In any case, members providing magnetic passes in Spirit center are rarely alone in receiving the assistance of disembodied brothers and sisters.
In its overall approach, a Spirit group, along with the individuals who make it up, must progress in its togetherness, in its vibrations, in its intentions and with the assistance that the astral world brings it. Thereby the importance of the healing and the results obtained will be according to this evolution.
The road is certainly long before being able to claim to participate in a significant way in healing. We will say that a Spirit group, in its early days will rather have ambitions of appeasement, relief and active support. In all cases, the intention is there and all actions are important to participate in healing.
Over time, the techniques and experience acquired will allow more and more difficult cases to be dealt with. This is what we must all strive for. We believe it is important that all members of a Spiritist group, if they wish, embark on a journey of learning healing magnetism.
Words are important and patients’ expectations are great too, we must be very careful in how we approach this notion of healing, and always ensure the patient’s balance and that also that they undergo conventional treatment, whether medical or psychological.
Selflessness
Providing care within the framework of a Spirit group is always a selfless act and primarily focused on the love of one’s neighbor. The spirit of volunteerism is always encouraged and developed.
As for the healing medium, while he works as an intermediary, he cannot claim any retribution.
This does not mean that a Spiritualist cannot be remunerated for the care he gives as part of his daily activity outside the center. Indeed as we can read in the Gospel according to Spiritism in chapter XXVI – Give freely what You Have Received freely – Free Mediumship:
Mediumship is something sacred which should be practised in a saintly and religious manner, and if there is one type of mediumship which requires this condition even more absolutely than the others, it is that of healing (2). A doctor gives the fruits of his study, which were often gained at the cost of painful sacrifices. A magnetizer gives his own fluids, sometimes even his health. A price can be put upon these. A curing medium however, retransmits healing fluids from the good Spirits, and consequently has no right to sell them. Jesus and His Apostles, although poor, did not charge for the cures they obtained. So then, those who lack the necessary means of financial support can seek their funds wherever they like, except within mediumship, and if necessary only dedicate their spare time to this work after material needs have been satisfied. The Spirits will take into consideration the devotion and sacrifices, whereas they will turn away from those who expect to turn them into a ladder for material ascension.
The importance of prayer
Like in all of the subjects that we deal with and in this one more than any other, prayer is the first and the most important element of treatment.
It is the base that allows the patient to accept the care, the healer to ask for guidance and accept to serve as the most perfect tool and finally the entourage of the patient and the healer to provide support.
Prayer strengthens and opens wide the channels for the transmission of reception and guidance.
Although the strongest prayers are always those that come from the heart, here are three prayers from the collection of Spiritual prayers:
Apart from ordinary medication elaborated by science, magnetism allows us to know the power of fluidic action, and Spiritism reveals another powerful force in the mediumship of healing and the influence of prayer. (See below Preface 81, the note about the mediumship of healing)
- PRAYER (To be said by the sick person):
Lord, You are all justice. The illness You saw fit to send me must be deserved, because You never impose suffering without just cause. Therefore I entrust my cure to Your infinite mercy. If it pleases You to restore my health, may Your Name be blessed! If on the contrary it is necessary for me to suffer more, may You be blessed just the same. I submit without complaint to Your wise purpose, since what You do can only be for the good of Your creatures.
Dear God, let this infirmity be a timely warning to me, which will cause me to meditate upon myself. I accept it as an expiation for my past and as a test of my faith and submission to Your blessed will. (See Prayer No. 40)
- PRAYER (For the sick person)
Dear God, Your designs are impenetrable and in Your wisdom You have sent this affliction to X… I implore You, Lord, to cast a glance of compassion over his sufferings and if You see fit, to terminate them.
Good spirits, you who are ministers of the Almighty, I beseech you to second my request to alleviate his sufferings; direct my thought so that a balsam may be poured over his body and consolation poured into his soul.
Inspire him with patience and submission to God’s Will. Give him enough strength to support the pain with Christian resignation, so that the fruits of this test may not be lost. (See Prayer No. 57)
- PRAYER (To be said by the healer)
Dear God, if it pleases You to use me as an instrument, although I am unworthy, may I cure this infirmity if You so desire, because I have faith in You. But I know I can do nothing alone. Permit the good spirits to concentrate their beneficial fluids in me, so that I may transmit them to the sick person and free me from all thoughts of pride and selfishness, which might alter their pureness.
The impact of this workshop on our group
The more we advance in our research and in our exchanges, the more we understand the importance that the will to appease one’s neighbour through magnetic healing is important for a Spirit group. True pillar of a triptych around which revolve with equal importance the Mediumship and the teaching of Spirit philosophy. It is indeed the Gospels which reveal it to us by presenting to us that although one or the other can today be practiced independently by some, it is indeed this complete system which allowed the message of Jesus to have so much impact on humanity.
While this may seem like common sense to many Spiritualists, at the stage of our development we needed to find and formalize this path. It is imperative that we develop, in a structured way, with patience and work these three aspects of teaching, mediumship and care.
Fraternally,