Wednesdays in Chicago - July 6 and July 20, 2016

(Note:  Our Wednesday sessions in Chicago include an educational topic.  We studied the subject of Obsessed Spirits for the first hour of two different two sessions.)

OBSESSION - Acts of Vengeance by Obsessor Spirits

Spiritism teaches us that in this reincarnation that our suffering arises as a direct result of our own mistakes and the poor use of our free will. The suffering we endure that does not pertain to our present life inevitably has roots in a previous existence. This is often referred to as a moral debt, or a consequence of one of our past existences. It's important to note that not every suffering we endure is a spirit based obsession. 

Allan Kardec wrote, "Obsession is almost always the expression of vengeance sought by a spirit, the origin of which is frequently found in relationships that the obsessed victim had with the obsessor, in a preceding existence." The spirits who incarnate on the planet Earth are still very far from their evolutionary goal of moral and intellectual imperfection. When someone hurts us in any way, we are often driven, by our inferior tendencies, to seek out revenge. We should know better from our moral teachings, but instead, we want the one who caused our suffering to suffer the same fate. 

When we depart for the spiritual world at the death of our physical body, we do not abandon our negative inclinations simply by leaving the material body behind. We carry with us all the sentiments that we cultivated on Earth, both good and bad. We maintain our individuality. When we do not make peace with our enemies before our transition, we carry those feelings of resentment and desires for revenge with us, and we continue to act upon them, even from the spiritual side. If the individual who is the object of our revengeful desires remains in, or returns to, the material world, the process of a vengeance-driven obsession begins. 

So what we did in our past existences has an effect on our present existence? 

An obsessor spirit becomes so overwhelmed by the pain of his suffering and the desire to take justice into his own hands, he develops a total mental fixation. For him, all time stops, and he is blinded to everything except the situation that torments him, so he begins to persecute his enemy. The spirit was a victim in the past, and now he seeks revenge on the one he holds responsible for his previous suffering. 

It is for this reason that we say that the human individual is living out the consequences of his own actions. In other words, the harm an individual caused in a previous life has now returned to cause him harm in this life. When we reincarnate, we do not remember our past lives. Our memory is temporarily clouded by the influence of our material existence, and we may not even be consciously be aware of any efforts from a vengeful spirit to cause us harm. 

However, our spirit does retain that memory, and we carry those continued feelings of contempt, or we carry the guilt with us over having committed them. The creditor and his debtor may often meet again, in the spiritual realm. When the incarnate (human) individual's spirit is partially liberated (while the body sleeps), these confrontations help to keep those past negative feelings fresh. When we wake up, the harmful feelings from the spirit may have established a mental connection between the spirit and the human individual. If a person fails to be attentive to his thoughts and actions (or gives into inferior tendencies), he will diminish his own spiritual defenses, opening the door for his spiritual persecutor to take action against him. 

It should also be noted that a spirit seeking vengeance against an individual may take action against a family member of that person - or someone else that is close to him or her, as that person might be more sensitive to the spirit's influence. By making another person suffer, the spirit has found a way to cause anguish and pain for his primary target. 

How do we remove these obsessor spirits?

Allan Kardec wrote in Genesis that for the obsessed human individual, our own hard work toward self improvement (in the majority of cases), is enough to free ourselves from the obsessor spirit, without any help from others. In more severe cases, help from a Spiritist Center is advised (through the passing of spirits, magnetized water or giving passes, etc). 

In cases where the obsessor spirit has not become severe, we need to be able to recognize the possibility of an outside spiritual influence. Signals that would indicate a spirit obsession include: 

1) Strange ideas which are of a disagreeable nature 

2) Uncharacteristic behavior or personality changes 

3) Sudden mood swings and frequent onsets of negative sentiments (sadness, anger, fear, etc.) 

4) The willingness to act on negative influences instead of overcoming them 

5) The appearance or sensation of physical ailments with no medical explanation 

Efforts toward inner reform (as explained by Spiritist teachings), are the key to warding off the harmful influence of unhappy, inferior spirits. The way to achieve this change and work toward personal growth is: 

1) The cultivation of elevated thoughts 

2) The regular dedication of our time for moments of study, reflection, and prayer 

3) The regular practice of kindness and compassion toward others, while seeking to diminish the dominance of moral weaknesses within ourselves 

With regards to prayer, pray to God and to the spirit guide(s) to help focus your efforts to change, and ask for strength and protection. At the same time, pray for the obsessor spirit, asking that this spirit may be helped and enabled to forgive the object of his obsession for any wrongdoing that was done, that the spirit's suffering be alleviated, and that the spirit be shown a better way - leading to peace and tranquility. 

Spiritists also need to understand the importance of time set aside for individual study of the literary resources available for spiritism (read!), and for attending public meetings at a Spiritist Center. The continued philosophical education of spiritism will help an individual to understand the reason for his or her suffering, the need for compassion and forgiveness, and the importance of the opportunities presented in the current incarnation. These moral teachings serve as both the compass and the nourishment needed in our journey towards inner reform, by strengthening our efforts to develop positive qualities while diminishing our inferior inclinations.