From Manual espírita by "Bhima" (Francisco I. Madero), 1911.
English translation by C.M. Mayo, from:
...Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution:
...Francisco I. Madero and His Secret Book, Spiritist Manual
...By C.M. Mayo (Dancing Chiva, 2014)

(APPROX 3 MINUTES 39 SECONDS)



ON THE ORIGIN OF SPIRITISM

Q. Can you tell me something about the origin of Spiritism?

A. Spiritism is as old the world, for its philosophical doctrines, like the phenomena upon which they are based, were known to the divine missionaries and by groups of initiates that practiced these doctrines.

Thus Krishna said to his disciples, "Long before throwing off their mortal shell, the souls that have practised goodness aquired the ability to communicate with those who have come before them in spiritual life."

St. John the Evangelist (IV:1):"Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God."

The doctrines of Socrates and other Greek philosophers, as with the practices of the Druids of ancient Gaul and North America's savage Indians, demonstrate that humanity has always believed in the possibility of communicating with spirits and has always been in communication with them.

Nevertheless, the ignorance of these peoples did not permit Spiritism to be widely divulged; it was reserved for our modern rational spirit of criticism and analysis to take from spiritist phenomena the deductions that have formed the spiritist doctrine.

Modern Spiritism had its origin in the many noisy phenomena that appeared simultaneously in various parts of the world.

It was not until the opportune time that a phalanx of spirits knocked at the door of our material world, to prove to us their existence, and thereby demonstrate the soul's immortality, and give the fatal blow to the immoral materialist doctrines that had begun to reign in the world.

The old religions, overloaded with useless rituals, having lost their esoteric tradition, forgetting their essence, and having converted themselves into instruments of domination instead of serving as the refuge for the helpless, lost their prestige and power, and were unable to stop materialism's dreadful advances.

Then, the Supreme Being, alert to the evolution of the worlds, decided to reveal Spiritism to humanity.

The phenomena that appeared spontaneously could very soon be invoked, thus permitting their study. Wise researchers observed the laws these phenomena obeyed and from their deductions the spiritist doctrine of which I have already made a brief review resulted. I will endeavor to further develop this doctrine in the following chapters.

Among these wise men, the name of Allan Kardec stands out. A notable philosopher who lived in France in the middle of the previous century, he was the founder of the spiritist doctrine and its principal proponent by means of a series of notable works titled What Is Spiritism; The Spirits' Book; The Book on Mediums; The Gospel Explained by the Spiritist Doctrine; Heaven and Hell; and Genesis, which I recommend you read.