The Spirits' Book

«Our correspondence shows us, moreover, that communications, identical (in substance, if not in form) with those embodied in the present work, have been obtained in various quarters, and even, in some instances, previously to the publication of The Spirits’ Book, which has served to systematize and to confirm them.» — Kardec añade en el prefacio a la edición revisada que la correspondencia le muestra comunicaciones idénticas en sustancia obtenidas en otros lugares, algunas anteriores a la publicación del libro, al que atribuye la función de sistematizarlas y confirmarlas

«History, on the other hand, proves that most of the ideas herein set forth have been held by the most eminent thinkers of ancient and of modern times, and thus gives to them the additional sanction of its testimony.» — y el segundo apoyo que invoca: que la historia muestra sostenidas por los pensadores más eminentes de la antigüedad y de la modernidad la mayoría de las ideas que expone

«According to this purely materialistic belief, the soul is an effect, and not a cause.» — expone Kardec la primera de las tres acepciones de *soul* que censa en la Introducción, la materialista, en la que el alma resulta efecto de la organización corporal

«According to them, there is, in the entire universe, only one soul, which distributes sparks of itself among all intelligent beings during their life;» — la segunda acepción que expone, atribuida a quienes ponen una sola alma universal repartiendo chispas de sí entre los seres inteligentes mientras viven

«According to this hypothesis, the universal soul is God, and each being is a portion of the Divinity.» — la consecuencia que le adjudica a esa segunda acepción, que es la panteísta: el alma universal es Dios y cada ser una porción de la divinidad

«According to others, again, the soul is a moral being, distinct, independent of matter, and preserving its individuality after death.» — y la tercera acepción, la del alma como ser moral distinto e independiente de la materia que conserva su individualidad tras la muerte

«This doctrine, according to which the soul is a cause and not an effect, is that of the spiritualists.» — a esa tercera la nombra doctrina de los espiritualistas, definida por hacer del alma causa y no efecto

«However this may be, one fact is certain, for it is proved by observation, namely, that organic beings possess in themselves a force which, so long as it exists, produces the phenomena of life;» — el hecho que da por probado por observación, sin decidir la naturaleza del principio vital: los seres orgánicos poseen una fuerza que mientras existe produce los fenómenos de la vida

«that physical life is common to all organic beings, and is independent of intelligence and thought;» — y la primera distinción que saca de ahí, que la vida física es común a todo ser orgánico e independiente de la inteligencia

«that intelligence and thought are faculties peculiar to certain organic species;» — la segunda, que la inteligencia y el pensamiento son facultades propias solo de ciertas especies orgánicas

«that, among the organic species endowed with intelligence and thought, there is one which is endowed with a special moral sense that gives it an incontestable superiority over the others, namely, human species.» — y la tercera, que una sola de esas especies tiene además un sentido moral especial que le da superioridad, la humana

«It is evident that, being employed according to various acceptations, the term soul does not exclude either Materialism or Pantheism.» — la consecuencia terminológica que interesa a Kardec: usado en acepciones distintas, el término *soul* no excluye ni el materialismo ni el panteísmo

«Spiritualists themselves understand the term soul according to one or other of the first two definitions, without denying the distinct immaterial being, to which, in that case it would give some other name.» — señala que los propios espiritualistas usan el término en alguna de las dos primeras acepciones sin negar por ello el ser inmaterial distinto, al que entonces dan otro nombre

«This word, therefore, is not the representative of an opinion; it is a protean term, defined by each after his own fashion, and thus giving rise to interminable disputes.» — y el diagnóstico con que cierra: la palabra no representa una opinión, es un término proteico que cada quien define a su modo y que por eso engendra disputas interminables

«We might also avoid confusion, even while employing the word soul in the three senses defined above, by adding to it some qualifying term that should specify the point of view from which we consider it, or the mode in which we apply it.» — la salida que propone, calificar el término en vez de abandonarlo

«Thus we might say – and it would, perhaps, be the best plan to adopt – vital soul for the principle of material life, intellectual soul for the principle of intelligence, and spiritual soul for the principle of our individuality after death;» — y los tres términos calificados que propone, alma vital, alma intelectual y alma espiritual, uno por cada acepción

«It would be, in that case, a generic word, representing at once the principles of material life, of intelligence, and of the moral faculty, each of which would be distinguished by an attribute, as is done, for example, with the word gas, by adding the words hydrogen, oxygen, etc.» — el símil con que explica la propuesta: *soul* funcionaría como palabra genérica del modo en que funciona *gas*, distinguida por el atributo que se le añade

«We have thought it all the more important to be explicit in regard to this point, because the spiritist theory is naturally based on the existence in us of a being independent of matter, and that survives the body.» — la razón que da para detenerse tanto en el vocabulario: la teoría espírita se apoya en la existencia de un ser independiente de la materia que sobrevive al cuerpo

«We will endeavor to reply to some of the objections of the latter, by examining the worth of the reasons on which they are based, without, however, pretending to be able to convince everybody, but addressing ourselves to those who, without prejudices or preconceived ideas, are sincerely and honestly desirous of arriving at the truth;» — declara a quién dirige la Introducción, y con qué reserva: no pretende convencer a todos, sino a quien busque la verdad sin prejuicios

«and will prove to them that those objections are the result of a too hasty conclusion in regard to facts imperfectly observed.» — y a qué atribuye las objeciones, a conclusión apresurada sobre hechos mal observados

«If the phenomenon in question had been limited to the movement of inert objects, it might have been possible to explain it by some purely physical cause.» — la concesión con que abre la exposición del fenómeno de las mesas: si se hubiera limitado al movimiento de objetos inertes, habría cabido explicarlo por causa puramente física

«We are far from knowing all the secret agencies of nature, or all the properties of those which are known to us.» — y la cautela que la acompaña, que no se conocen todos los agentes de la naturaleza ni todas las propiedades de los conocidos

«Electricity, moreover, is not only multiplying, day by day, the resources it offers to mankind, but appears to be about to irradiate science with a new light.» — expone el estado de la electricidad en su época como recurso que se multiplica día a día y promete iluminar la ciencia

«It seemed, therefore, by no means impossible that electricity, modified by certain circumstances, or some other unknown agent, might be the cause of these movements.» — y la hipótesis que de ahí se seguía, que la electricidad modificada u otro agente desconocido causara los movimientos

«The fact that the presence of several persons increased the intensity of the action appeared to strengthen this supposition; for the union of these might not ineptly be regarded as constituting a battery, of which the power was in proportion to the number of its elements.» — el dato que reforzaba esa hipótesis, con el símil de la pila: varios asistentes formarían una batería de potencia proporcional al número de sus elementos

«That the movement of the tables should be circular was in no way surprising, for the circular movements are of frequent occurrence in nature.» — sobre la forma del movimiento, que lo circular no sorprendía por ser frecuente en la naturaleza

«All the stars move in circles; and it therefore seemed to be possible that in the movement of the tables we had a reflex on a small scale of the movement of the universe;» — y la analogía cósmica que se ofrecía, el movimiento de la mesa como reflejo en pequeño del movimiento del universo

«It was often irregular, disorderly; the object moved was sometimes violently shaken, overthrown, carried about in various directions, and, in contravention of all known laws of statics, lifted from the ground and held up in the air.» — el hecho que rompe esa analogía, expuesto por Kardec: el movimiento era a menudo irregular, el objeto se volcaba, era llevado en varias direcciones y quedaba suspendido en el aire contra las leyes conocidas de la estática

«Do we not see electricity overthrow buildings, uproot trees and hurl to considerable distances the heaviest bodies, attracting or repelling, as the case may be?» — la objeción que él mismo se plantea en forma de pregunta, que la electricidad también derriba edificios y arranca árboles

«The rapping’s and other unusual noises, supposing them to be due to something else than the dilatation of the wood, or other accidental cause, might very well be produced by an accumulation of the mysterious fluid; for does not electricity produce the loudest sounds?» — y el mismo recurso aplicado a los golpes, que podrían venir de una acumulación del fluido misterioso; el troceo imprime *rapping’s* con apóstrofo

«It is painful to be obliged to make the confession, but the neglect of the scientific world was due to causes that add one more proof to the many already given of the frivolity of the human mind.» — a qué atribuye el desdén del mundo científico por el fenómeno, dicho como confesión penosa: a la frivolidad del espíritu humano

«But men who pride themselves on their mental superiority are sometimes so puerile as to warrant the suspicion that a good many keen and cultivated minds may have considered it beneath them to take any notice of what was commonly known as “the dance of tables.» — y el mecanismo concreto de ese desdén, el nombre popular de *the dance of tables*, que bastaba para que mentes cultivadas tuvieran por indigno ocuparse del asunto

«But the movement in question was not always circular.» — la frase con que Kardec corta la analogía cósmica que acababa de exponer

«What an influence, in regard to even the most serious matters, is often exerted by a mere word!» — la observación que hace sobre el peso de un mero nombre en asuntos serios

«If the phenomenon observed by Galvani had been made known by some unlearned» — el paralelo que traza con Galvani; el troceo corta el renglón aquí y la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde el apodo imaginado es *the dance of frogs*

«person, and dubbed with some absurd nickname, it would probably have been consigned to the lumber-room, along with the divining-rod; for where is the scientist who would not in that case have regarded it as derogatory to occupy himself with the dance of frogs?» — la continuación de ese paralelo en la plana siguiente: con un apodo absurdo, el fenómeno de Galvani habría ido al desván junto con la varita de zahorí, y ningún científico habría querido ocuparse de una *dance of frogs*

«A few men of superior intellect, however, being modest enough to admit that nature might not have revealed to them all her secrets, conscientiously endeavored to see into the matter for themselves;» — reconoce que algunos sí examinaron el fenómeno, por admitir que la naturaleza podía no haberles revelado todos sus secretos

«the phenomena not having always responded to their attempts, and not being always produced at their pleasure, and according to their methods of experimenting, they arrived at an adverse conclusion in» — y por qué concluyeron en contra, según Kardec: los fenómenos no respondían siempre a sus intentos ni a sus métodos

«The tables, however, despite that conclusion, continued to turn; and we may say of them, with Galileo, “Nevertheless, they move!”» — la réplica que da a esa conclusión, poniendo en boca de Galileo la frase que el volumen imprime entre comillas

«We may assert, still further, that the facts alluded to have been multiplied to such an extent that they have become naturalized among us, so that opinions are now only divided as to their nature.» — y el estado de la cuestión que declara: los hechos se han multiplicado tanto que ya solo se discute su naturaleza, no su ocurrencia

«And here let us ask whether the fact that these phenomena are not always produced in exactly the same way, and according to the wishes and requirements of each individual observer, can be reasonably regarded as constituting an argument against their reality?» — la objeción que se plantea en forma de pregunta, si la irregularidad del fenómeno vale como argumento contra su realidad

«Are not the phenomena of electricity and chemistry subordinated to certain conditions, and should we be right in denying their reality because they do not occur when those conditions are not present?» — y la analogía con que responde, que la electricidad y la química también están subordinadas a condiciones

«Now, in order to acquire knowledge of such laws, it is necessary to study the circumstances under which those facts are produced; and such a study can only be made through long-sustained and attentive observation.» — el método que reclama para el asunto, estudiar las circunstancias en que los hechos se producen mediante observación sostenida

«“But,” it is often objected, “there is evident trickery in some of the occurrences referred to.”» — la objeción del fraude, que Kardec pone entre comillas como voz de sus contradictores, no de los espíritus

«To this objection we reply, in the first place, by asking whether the objectors are quite sure that what they have taken for trickery may not be simply an order of facts which they are not yet able to account for, as was the case with the peasant who mistook the experiments of a learned professor of physics for the tricks of a clever conjuror?» — y la primera respuesta que le da, con el ejemplo del campesino que toma los experimentos de un profesor de física por trucos de prestidigitador

«But even admitting that there has been trickery in some cases, is that a reason for denying the reality of facts?» — la segunda respuesta, que admitir fraude en algunos casos no obliga a negar los hechos

«Must we deny the reality of physics because certain conjurors give themselves the title of physicists?» — y el símil con que la cierra, que hay prestidigitadores que se dan el título de físicos sin que eso invalide la física

«A joke may amuse for a moment, but a mystification, if kept up too long, would become as wearisome to the mystifier as to the mystified.» — y el argumento por el cansancio: una broma divierte un momento, pero una mistificación sostenida cansaría tanto al que la hace como al que la sufre

«Besides, a mystification carried on from one end of the earth to the other, and among the most serious, honorable, and enlightened people, would be at least as extraordinary as the phenomena in question.» — el argumento por la escala, que una mistificación de un extremo a otro de la tierra entre gente seria sería tan extraordinaria como los fenómenos mismos

«For it was soon found that the impulsion communicated to inert objects was not the mere product of a blind mechanical force, but that it revealed the action of an intelligent cause, a discovery that opened up a new field of observation, and promised a solution of many mysterious problems.» — el giro que Kardec sitúa en el origen de la doctrina: el impulso comunicado a los objetos inertes no era fuerza mecánica ciega sino acción de una causa inteligente

«Are these movements due to an intelligent power? Such was the question first to be answered. If such a power exists, what is it? What is its nature? What its origin? Is it superhuman?» — las preguntas que declara haberse abierto entonces, encadenadas y sin respuesta todavía

«The earliest manifestations of intelligence were made by means of the legs of tables, that moved up and down, striking a given number of times, and replying in this way by “yes” or “no” to the questions asked.» — cómo describe las primeras manifestaciones de inteligencia, por golpes de las patas de la mesa que respondían sí o no

«Even here, it must be confessed, there was nothing very convincing for the incredulous, as these apparent answers might be an effect of chance.» — y la reserva que él mismo pone, que eso no convencía a los incrédulos porque podía ser efecto del azar

«But fuller replies were soon obtained, the object in motion striking a number of blows corresponding to the number of each letter of the alphabet, so that words and sentences began to be produced in reply to the questions propounded.» — el paso siguiente que describe, el número de golpes correspondiente a cada letra del alfabeto, con el que empezaron a formarse palabras y frases

«The mysterious being who gave these replies, when questioned as to its nature, declared itself to be a “spirit” or “genius,” gave itself a name, and stated various particulars about itself.» — según el volumen, el ser que daba esas respuestas se declaró a sí mismo *spirit* o *genius*, se dio un nombre y dio noticias de sí

«This is a circumstance of noteworthy importance, for it proves that no one suggested the idea of spirits as an explanation of the phenomenon, but that the phenomenon gave this explanation of itself.» — el peso que Kardec le da a ese hecho: nadie sugirió la idea de los espíritus como explicación, sino que el fenómeno la dio de sí

«The mode of communication furnished by the alphabet being tedious and inconvenient, the invisible agent (a point worthy of note) suggested another, by advising the fitting of a pencil to a small basket.» — el cambio de método, que atribuye a sugerencia del propio agente invisible: ajustar un lápiz a una cestilla

«This suggestion was made simultaneously in America, in France, and in various other countries.» — y la simultaneidad de esa sugerencia en América, Francia y otros países, que consigna como dato

«The basket, or planchette, will only move under the influence of certain persons gifted with a special power or faculty, who are called mediums, that is to say, go-betweens, or intermediaries between spirits and men.» — la definición de *medium* que da: la persona bajo cuya influencia se mueve la cestilla o la *planchette*, intermediaria entre espíritus y hombres

«The conditions, which give this power, depend on causes, physical and moral, that are as yet but imperfectly understood, for mediums are of all ages, of both sexes, and of every degree of intellectual development.» — y el límite que pone a esa definición, que las condiciones de la facultad se entienden mal y que hay mediums de toda edad, de ambos sexos y de todo grado de instrucción

«The object to which the pencil is attached being merely an instrument, its nature and form are of no importance, convenience being the only point to be considered.» — sobre el instrumento, que su naturaleza y forma no importan por ser mero utensilio

«It was next perceived that the basket and the planchette only formed, in reality, an appendix to the hand.» — y el paso siguiente, que la cestilla y la *planchette* no eran más que un apéndice de la mano

«The second point referred to is the character of the replies given, which are often, and especially when the questions asked are of an abstract or scientific nature, notoriously beyond the scope of the knowledge, and even of the intellectual capacity, of the medium, who, moreover, is frequently unaware of what he is made to write, since the reply, like the question asked, may be couched in a language of which he is ignorant, or the question may even be asked mentally.» — el segundo indicio que alega contra la explicación por el propio medium: respuestas notoriamente fuera de su saber y de su capacidad, a veces en lengua que ignora y a preguntas hechas mentalmente

«It often happens, too, that the basket, or the medium, is made to write spontaneously, without any question having been propounded, and upon some subject altogether unexpected.» — y la escritura espontánea, sin pregunta previa y sobre asunto inesperado

«The first of these is the way in which the basket moves under the influence of the medium, through the mere laying of his fingers on its edges, and in such a manner that it would be impossible for him to guide it in any direction whatever.» — el primer indicio, el modo en que la cestilla se mueve con solo los dedos posados en el borde, de suerte que el medium no podría dirigirla

«persons concerned in these manifestations should be taken into account, and the interest they may have in deceiving.» — el tercer criterio que Kardec propone contra la hipótesis del fraude; el arranque de la frase queda del otro lado del cambio de plana, donde dice *Moreover, the character of the*

«This impossibility becomes still more evident when two or three persons place their fingers at the same time on the same basket, for a truly phenomenal concordance of movements and of thoughts would be required between them, in order to produce, on the part of each, the same reply to the question asked.» — el refuerzo del primer indicio: con dos o tres personas sobre la misma cestilla haría falta una concordancia fenomenal de movimientos y de pensamientos

«And this difficulty is increased by the fact that the writing often changes completely with each spirit who communicates, and that, whenever a given spirit communicates, the same writing re-appears. In such cases, the medium would have to train himself to change his handwriting an indefinite number of times, and would also have to remember the particular writing of each spirit.» — y el segundo refuerzo, que la letra cambia con cada espíritu que comunica y reaparece igual cuando vuelve el mismo, de modo que el medium tendría que memorizar la escritura de cada uno

«The replies thus given, and the messages thus transmitted, are sometimes marked by such sagacity, profundity, and appropriateness, and convey thoughts so elevated, so sublime, that they can only emanate from a superior intelligence, imbued with the purest» — la disparidad de calidad que Kardec consigna en los mensajes; el troceo corta aquí en el límite de chunk y la frase sigue con *morality*, y con el reverso, mensajes tan triviales que no pueden venir de la misma fuente

«morality; at other times, they are so vapid, frivolous, and even trivial, that they cannot be supposed to emanate from the same source.» — la otra mitad de esa disparidad, ya en el tramo siguiente del troceo: mensajes insulsos, frívolos y hasta triviales

«The facts referred to, as being of an order beyond our usual circle of observation, do not occur mysteriously, but in broad daylight, so that every one can see them and ascertain their reality; they are not the privilege of a single individual, but are obtained by tens of thousands of persons every day at pleasure.» — lo que alega sobre la publicidad del fenómeno: no ocurre en secreto sino a plena luz, y no es privilegio de un individuo

«These effects have necessarily a cause; and as they reveal the action of an intelligence and a will, they are evidently beyond the domain of merely physical effects.» — la inferencia con que cierra: los efectos revelan acción de una inteligencia y de una voluntad, luego quedan fuera del dominio de lo puramente físico

«The beings who thus enter into communication with us designate themselves, as we have said, by the name of spirits or genie, and as having belonged, in many cases at least, to men who have lived upon the earth.» — cómo se designan a sí mismos, según el volumen, los seres que comunican: *spirits* o *genie*, y en muchos casos como habiendo pertenecido a hombres que vivieron en la tierra

«We will now briefly sum up the most important points of the doctrine which they have transmitted to us, in order to reply more easily to the objections of the incredulous» — la frase con que Kardec anuncia el resumen doctrinal que sigue, y que él transcribe entrecomillado como enseñanza transmitida por los espíritus

«The material beings constitute the visible or corporeal world, and the immaterial beings constitute the invisible or spiritual world, that is to say, the spirit-world, or world of spirits.» — la partición del universo en el resumen doctrinal que el volumen atribuye a los espíritus: seres materiales en el mundo corpóreo, inmateriales en el mundo de los espíritus

«The spirit-world is the normal, primitive, eternal world, pre-existent to, and surviving, everything else.» — y la primacía que ese mismo resumen le da al mundo espiritual, normal, primitivo, eterno, preexistente y sobreviviente a todo lo demás

«The corporeal world is only secondary; it might cease to exist,» — el corolario, que el mundo corpóreo es secundario; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana y la frase sigue con que podría dejar de existir sin cambiar la esencialidad del mundo espiritual

«or never have existed, without changing the essentiality of the spiritual world.» — la continuación de esa frase en la plana siguiente

«Spirits temporarily assume a perishable material envelope, the destruction of which, by death, restores them to liberty.» — según el resumen atribuido a los espíritus, la envoltura material es temporal y la muerte los devuelve a la libertad

«Among the different species of corporeal beings, God has chosen the human species for the incarnation of spirits arrived at a certain degree of development; it is this which gives it a moral and intellectual superiority to all the others.» — y por qué la especie humana, según ese mismo resumen: Dios la eligió para encarnar espíritus llegados a cierto grado de desarrollo, y de ahí su superioridad moral e intelectual

«The soul is an incarnated spirit, whose body is only its envelope.» — la definición de alma en el resumen doctrinal, espíritu encarnado cuyo cuerpo es solo su envoltura

«There are in man three things:– (1) The body, or material being, analogous to the animals, and animated by the same vital principle; (2) The soul, or immaterial being, a spirit incarnated in the body; (3) The link which unites the soul and the body, a principle intermediary between matter and spirit.» — la composición ternaria del hombre según el resumen: cuerpo, alma y el vínculo intermediario entre materia y espíritu; el troceo numera los tres con paréntesis

«Man has thus two natures; by his body he participates in the nature of the animals, of which it has the instincts; by his soul, he participates in the nature of spirits.» — y la doble naturaleza que de ahí se sigue, animal por el cuerpo y espiritual por el alma

«The link, or perispirit, which unites the body and the spirit, is a sort of semi-material envelope. Death is the destruction of the material body, which is the grosser of man’s two envelopes; but the spirit preserves his other envelope, namely, the perispirit, which constitutes for him an ethereal body, invisible to us in its normal state, but which he can render occasionally visible, and even tangible, as is the case in apparitions.» — la definición de *perispirit* en el resumen atribuido a los espíritus: envoltura semimaterial que sobrevive a la muerte y forma un cuerpo etéreo, invisible en estado normal y ocasionalmente visible y tangible en las apariciones

«A spirit, therefore, is not an abstract, undefined being, only to be conceived of by our thought; it is a real, circumscribed being, which, in certain cases, is appreciable by the senses of sight, hearing, and touch.» — la consecuencia que el resumen saca de esa definición: el espíritu no es un ser abstracto sino real y circunscrito, apreciable en ciertos casos por la vista, el oído y el tacto

«Spirits do not belong perpetually to the same order. All are destined to attain perfection by passing through the different degrees of the spirit-hierarchy.» — según el resumen, la jerarquía no es fija: todos están destinados a la perfección pasando por sus grados

«The qualities of the soul are those of the spirit incarnated in us; thus, a good man is the incarnation of a good spirit, and a bad man is that of an unpurified spirit.» — y la equivalencia que establece entre carácter moral y grado del espíritu encarnado

«Spirits who are not incarnated, who are errant, do not occupy any fixed and circumscribed region; they are everywhere, in space, and around us, seeing us, and mixing with us incessantly; they constitute an invisible population, constantly moving and busy about us, on every side.» — dónde están los espíritus errantes según el resumen: en ninguna región circunscrita, sino por todas partes, formando una población invisible en torno nuestro

«Spirits exert an incessant action upon the moral world, and even upon the physical world; they act both upon matter and upon thought, and constitute one of the powers of nature, the efficient cause of many classes of phenomena hitherto unexplained or misinterpreted, and of which only the spiritist theory can give a rational explanation.» — la potencia que el resumen les atribuye, acción incesante sobre lo moral y lo físico, y su pretensión de ser causa eficiente de fenómenos hasta entonces inexplicados

«Spirits are incessantly in relation with men. The good spirits try to lead us into the right road, sustain us under the trials of life, and aid us to bear them with courage and resignation; the bad ones tempt us to evil: it is a pleasure for them to see us fall, and to make us like themselves.» — el reparto de oficios entre buenos y malos según el resumen: los buenos sostienen en las pruebas, los malos tientan al mal por el placer de vernos caer

«Their occult communications are made through the good or bad influence they exert on us without our being aware of it; it is our duty to distinguish, by the exercise of our judgment, between the good and the bad inspirations that are» — cómo describe las comunicaciones ocultas, por influencia buena o mala que no se advierte, y el deber de discernirlas con el juicio; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«thus brought to bear upon us. Their ostensible communications take place by means of writing, of speech, or of other physical manifestations, and usually through the intermediary of the mediums who serve as their instruments.» — y las comunicaciones ostensibles, por escritura, palabra u otras manifestaciones físicas, ordinariamente por medio de los mediums

«Spirits manifest themselves spontaneously, or in response to evocation. All spirits may be evoked: those who have animated the most obscure of mortals, as well as those of the most illustrious personages, and whatever the epoch at which they lived; those of our relatives, our friends, or our enemies; and we may obtain from them, by written or by verbal communications, counsels, information in regard to their situation beyond the grave, their thoughts in regard to us, and whatever revelations they are permitted to make to us.» — lo que el resumen dice de la evocación: todos los espíritus pueden ser evocados, del más oscuro mortal al personaje más ilustre, y de ellos se obtienen consejos y noticias de su situación tras la tumba

«Spirits are attracted by their sympathy with the moral quality of the parties by whom they are evoked. Spirits of superior elevation take pleasure in meetings of a serious character, animated by the love of goodness and the sincere desire of instruction and improvement.» — la ley de afinidad moral que el resumen enuncia: los espíritus acuden por simpatía con la calidad moral de quien los evoca

«Their presence repels the spirits of inferior degree who find, on the contrary, free access and freedom of action among persons of frivolous disposition, or brought together by mere curiosity, and wherever evil instincts are to be met with.» — y su reverso, que los de grado inferior hallan acceso libre entre gente frívola o reunida por mera curiosidad

«So far from obtaining from spirits, under such circumstances, either good advice or useful information, nothing is to be expected from them but trifling, lies, ill-natured tricks, or humbugging; for they often borrow the most venerated names, in order the better to impose upon those with whom they are in communication.» — lo que cabe esperar en esas condiciones según el resumen: burlas, mentiras y suplantación de los nombres más venerados

«It is easy to distinguish between good and bad spirits. The language of spirits of superior elevation is constantly dignified, noble, characterized by the highest morality, free from every trace of earthly passion; their counsels breathe the purest wisdom, and always have our improvement and the good of mankind for their aim.» — el criterio de discernimiento que el resumen da: el lenguaje de los espíritus elevados es digno, sin rastro de pasión terrena, y sus consejos apuntan a la mejora propia y al bien de los hombres

«The communications of spirits of lower degree, on the contrary, are full of discrepancies, and their language is often commonplace, and even coarse. If they sometimes say things that are good and true, they more often make false and absurd statements, prompted by ignorance or malice.» — y el criterio inverso, discrepancias, lenguaje vulgar y afirmaciones falsas o absurdas por ignorancia o malicia

«The moral teaching of the higher spirits may be summed up, like that of Christ, in the gospel maxim, ‘Do unto others as you would that others should do unto you;’ that is to say, do good to all, and wrong no one.» — cómo resume la enseñanza moral de los espíritus superiores, igualándola a la máxima evangélica que el volumen imprime entre comillas simples

«This principle of action furnishes mankind with a rule of conduct of universal application, from the smallest matters to the greatest.» — y el alcance que le da, regla de conducta de aplicación universal

«They teach us that selfishness, pride, sensuality, are passions which bring us back towards the animal nature, by attaching us to matter;» — las tres pasiones que según el resumen devuelven al hombre a la naturaleza animal

«that he who, in this lower life, detaches himself from matter through contempt of worldly trifles, and through love of the neighbor, brings himself back towards the spiritual nature;» — y el movimiento contrario, el desapego de la materia y el amor al prójimo

«that we should all make ourselves useful, according to the means which God has placed in our hands for our trial;» — el deber de utilidad que el resumen enuncia, con los medios que Dios pone en las manos como prueba

«that the strong and the powerful owe aid and protection to the weak;» — y el deber de los fuertes y poderosos hacia los débiles

«creature violates the law of God. They teach us that, in the spirit-work, nothing can be hidden, and that the hypocrite will there be unmasked, and all his wickedness unveiled;» — la sanción que el resumen pone a quien abusa de la fuerza —la frase abre en la plana anterior con *he who misuses strength and power to oppress his fellow-*, partida por el cambio de plana— y lo que dice del mundo de los espíritus, donde nada puede ocultarse y el hipócrita queda desenmascarado; el troceo imprime *spirit-work* donde el sentido pide *spirit-world*

«that the presence, unavoidable and perpetual, of those whom we have wronged in the earthly life is one of the punishments that await us in the spirit» — uno de los castigos que el resumen enuncia, la presencia inevitable y perpetua de aquellos a quienes se agravió en la vida terrena

«that the lower or higher state of spirits gives rise in that other life to sufferings or to enjoyments unknown to us upon the earth.» — y la fuente de los goces y sufrimientos de la otra vida, el estado más bajo o más alto del espíritu

«But they also teach us that there are no unpardonable sins, none that cannot be effaced by expiation.» — la negativa que el resumen sostiene contra la doctrina del pecado imperdonable: no hay pecados que la expiación no borre

«Man finds the means of accomplishing this in the different existences which permit him to advance progressively, and according to his desire and his efforts, towards the perfection that constitutes his ultimate aim.» — y el medio de esa expiación, las existencias sucesivas que permiten avanzar hacia la perfección según el deseo y el esfuerzo

«Such is the sum of spiritist doctrine, as contained in the teachings given by spirits of high degree. Let us now consider the objections that are urged against it.» — la frase con que Kardec cierra el resumen entrecomillado y vuelve a su propia voz para pasar a las objeciones

«intelligences who thus manifest themselves. Do these intelligences reside in the human race, or are they beyond the pale of humanity?» — la explicación que Kardec da de la disparidad de los mensajes, la diversidad de las inteligencias que se manifiestan —la frase abre en la plana anterior con *This diversity of language can only be explained by the diversity of the*—, y la pregunta que de ahí deriva, si esas inteligencias residen o no en la especie humana

«worthy of the name are only to be obtained in centers of a serious character, whose members are united, by an intimate communion of thought and desire, in the pursuit of truth and goodness.» — la condición que el resumen atribuido a los espíritus pone para las comunicaciones instructivas; la frase abre en la plana anterior con *In a word, instructive communications*

«Many persons regard the opposition of the learned world as constituting, if not a proof, at least a very strong presumption of the falsity of Spiritism.» — la objeción que Kardec pone en boca de sus contradictores, que la oposición del mundo sabio sea presunción fuerte de falsedad

«We are not of those who affect indifference in regard to the judgment of scientific men; on the contrary, we hold them in great esteem, and should think it an honor to be of their number, but we cannot consider their opinion as being, under all circumstances, necessarily and absolutely conclusive.» — y la posición que él declara frente a esa objeción, con su límite dentro: estima el juicio de los científicos y no lo tiene por absolutamente concluyente

«When the votaries of science go beyond the bare observation of facts, when they attempt to appraise and to explain those facts, they enter upon the field of conjecture;» — la distinción con que sostiene ese límite: al pasar de la observación de los hechos a explicarlos, la ciencia entra en el terreno de la conjetura

«Do we not see every day the most divergent systems brought forward and rejected, one after the other; now cried down as absurd errors, and now cried up as incontestable truths?» — el argumento por el vaivén de los sistemas, formulado como pregunta

«Facts are the sole criterion of reality, the sole argument that admits of no reply: in the absence of facts, the wise man suspends his judgment.» — la regla que enuncia contra ese vaivén, los hechos como único criterio y la suspensión del juicio a falta de ellos

«In regard to all matters that have already been fully examined, the verdict of the learned is justly held to be authoritative, because their knowledge of them is fuller and more enlightened than that of ordinary men;» — a qué reconoce autoridad al sabio, a lo ya examinado a fondo

«but in regard to new facts or principles, to matters imperfectly known, their opinion can only be hypothetical, because they are no more exempt from prejudice than other people.» — y dónde se la retira, en lo nuevo o mal conocido, porque no está más exento de prejuicio que los demás

«It may even be said that scientific men are more apt to be prejudiced than the rest of the world, because each of them is naturally inclined to look at everything from the special point of view that has been adopted by him;» — la vuelta de tuerca que añade, que el hombre de ciencia es más propenso al prejuicio por mirarlo todo desde su punto de vista especial

«When a man has made for himself a specialty, he usually devotes his whole mind to it; beyond the scope of this specialty he often reasons falsely, because, owing to the weakness of human reason, he insists on treating every subject in the same way;» — y el mecanismo que le atribuye, tratar todo asunto del mismo modo fuera del alcance de su especialidad

«and therefore, while we should willingly and confidently consult a chemist in regard to a question of analysis, a physicist in regard to electricity, a mechanic in regard to a motive power, we must be allowed, without in any way derogating from the respect due to their special knowledge, to attach no more weight to their unfavorable opinion of Spiritism than we should do to the judgment of an architect on a question relating to the theory of music.» — la conclusión con el símil que la cierra: el juicio desfavorable de un químico o un físico sobre el espiritismo pesaría tanto como el de un arquitecto sobre teoría musical

«Science, properly so called, is therefore incompetent, as such, to decide the question of the truth of Spiritism; it has nothing to do with it; and its verdict in regard to it, whether favorable or otherwise, is of no weight.» — la tesis de incompetencia que sostiene, y que vale para el veredicto favorable tanto como para el contrario

«Spiritist belief is the result of a personal conviction that scientific men may hold as individuals, and independent of their quality as scientists; but to submit the question to the decision of physical science would be much the same thing as to set a company of physicists and astronomers to decide the question of immortality.» — cómo caracteriza la creencia espírita, convicción personal que un científico puede tener como individuo, y el símil con que rechaza someterla a la física

«Spiritism deals exclusively with the existence of the soul, and its state after death; and it is supremely unreasonable to assume that a man must be a great psychologist simply because he is a great mathematician or a great anatomist.» — el objeto que le asigna al espiritismo, la existencia del alma y su estado tras la muerte, y la inferencia que niega, de gran matemático a gran psicólogo

«The anatomist, when dissecting a human body, looks for the soul, and, as he does not find it under his scalpel as he finds a nerve or see it evaporate as does a gas, he concludes that it does not exist, because he reasons from an exclusively material point of view; but it by no means follows that he is right, and that the opinion of the rest of the world is wrong.» — el caso del anatomista que no halla el alma bajo el escalpelo y concluye que no existe, expuesto como razonamiento desde un punto de vista exclusivamente material

«When spiritist beliefs shall have become generalized, when they shall have been accepted by the masses (and, if we may judge by the rapidity with which they are being propagated, that time can hardly be very distant), it will be with those beliefs as with all new ideas that have encountered opposition; and scientific men will end by yielding to the force of evidence.» — la previsión que enuncia sobre la aceptación futura, con su paréntesis de cautela sobre la rapidez de la propagación

«They will be brought, individually, by the force of things, to admit ideas that they now reject; and, until then, it would be premature to turn them from their special studies in order to occupy them with a matter which is foreign alike to their habits of thought and to their spheres of investigation.» — y su acotación, que hasta entonces sería prematuro apartar a los científicos de sus estudios propios

«Meanwhile, those who, without a careful preparatory study of the matter, pronounce a negative verdict in regard to it, and throw ridicule upon all who are not of their way of thinking, forget that such has been done in regard to nearly all the great discoveries that honor the human race.» — lo que reprocha a quienes se pronuncian sin estudio previo, que lo mismo se hizo con casi todos los grandes descubrimientos

«They risk seeing their names added to the list of illustrious prescribers of new ideas, and classed with those of the members of the learned assembly which, in 1752, received Franklin’s paper on lightning rods with peals of laughter, and voted it to be unworthy of mention among the communications» — y el precedente que les pone delante, la asamblea sabia que en 1752 recibió con risas el escrito de Franklin sobre los pararrayos; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«addressed to it; or with that other one which caused France to miss the advantage of taking the lead in the» — la continuación de esa lista de precedentes en la plana siguiente, con la asamblea que hizo perder a Francia la delantera

«If those two assemblies, which numbered the most eminent scientists of the world among their members, had only contempt and sarcasm for ideas which they did not understand, but which were destined to revolutionize, a few years later, science, industry, and daily life, how can we hope that a question foreign to their labors should meet with any greater degree of favor at their hands?» — la inferencia que saca de los dos precedentes, en forma de pregunta

«The erroneous judgments of learned men in regard to certain discoveries, though regrettable for the honor of their memory, do not invalidate the title to our esteem acquired by them in regard to other matters.» — la reserva con que acota ese argumento: los juicios errados no invalidan el título de estima ganado en otras materias

«But is common sense only to be found associated with an official diploma, and are there only fools and simpletons outside the walls of scientific institutions?» — y la pregunta con que pasa del argumento de autoridad al de la composición social del movimiento

«Let our opponents condescend to glance over the ranks of the partisans of Spiritism, and see whether they contain only persons of inferior understanding, or whether, on the contrary, considering the immense number of men of worth by whom it has been embraced, it can be regarded as belonging to the category of old wives fables;» — la invitación que dirige a sus contradictores, a mirar quiénes componen las filas del espiritismo antes de tenerlo por cuento de viejas

«whether, in fact, the character and scientific knowledge of its adherents do not rather deserve that it should be said, “When such men affirm a matter, there must at least be something in it?”» — y la fórmula que propone que se diga de él, entrecomillada en el impreso

«We repeat that, if the facts we are about to consider had been limited to the mechanical movement of inert bodies, physical science would have been competent to seek out the physical cause of the phenomena; but the manifestations in question being professedly beyond the action of laws or forces yet known to men, they are necessarily beyond the competence of human science.» — la repetición del argumento central de esa sección, que las manifestaciones quedan fuera de las leyes conocidas y por eso fuera de la competencia de la ciencia humana

«When the facts to be observed are novel, and do not fall within the scope of any known science, the scientist, in order to study them, should throw his science temporarily aside, remembering that a new study cannot be fruitfully prosecuted under the influence of preconceived ideas.» — lo que pide al científico ante hechos nuevos, dejar de lado su ciencia mientras los estudia

«He who believes his reason to be infallible is very near to error.» — la sentencia con que resume ese requisito

«Even those whose ideas are false, profess to base them on reason; and it is in the name of reason that they reject whatever seems to them to be impossible.» — y la observación que la acompaña, que también las ideas falsas se dicen fundadas en la razón

«They who formerly rejected the admirable discoveries that are the glory of the human mind did so in the name of reason; for what men call reason is often only pride disguised, and whoever regards himself as infallible virtually claims to be God’s equal.» — lo que dice de la razón invocada así: a menudo es orgullo disfrazado, y quien se cree infalible se iguala a Dios

«We therefore address ourselves to those who are reasonable enough to suspend their judgment in regard to what they have not yet seen, and who, judging of the future by the past, do not believe that man has reached his apogee, or that nature has turned over for him the last leaf» — a quién declara dirigirse, a quien suspende el juicio sobre lo no visto y no cree que el hombre haya llegado a su apogeo; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«Let us add that the study of such a theory as that of Spiritism, which introduces us at once to an order of ideas so novel and so grand, can only be fruitfully pursued by persons of a serious turn of mind, persevering, free from prejudice, and animated by a firm and sincere determination to arrive at the truth.» — las condiciones que pone al estudio del espiritismo, seriedad, perseverancia, ausencia de prejuicio y determinación sincera

«We could not give this qualification to those who decide, in regard to such a subject, a priori, lightly, and without thorough examination; who bring to the work of study neither the method, the regularity, nor the sustained attention necessary to success: still less could we give it to those who, not to lose their reputation for wit and sharpness, seek to turn into ridicule matters of the most serious import, or that are judged to be such by persons whose knowledge, character, and convictions should command respect.» — y a quiénes niega esa calificación, a los que deciden a priori y a los que hacen del asunto materia de burla por no perder fama de agudos

«Let those who consider the facts in question as unworthy of their attention abstain from studying them; no one would attempt to interfere with their belief; but let them, on their part, respect the belief of those who are of a contrary opinion.» — la reciprocidad que reclama: quien tenga los hechos por indignos de atención que se abstenga, y respete a su vez la creencia contraria

«Is it strange that sensible answers are not always obtained from spirits in reply to questions which, however serious in themselves, are propounded at random, and in the midst of a host of others, unconnected, frivolous, or foolish?» — cómo explica las respuestas sin sentido, por preguntas hechas al azar y entremezcladas con otras frívolas

«Whoever would acquire any science must make it the object of methodical study, must begin at the beginning, and follow out the sequence and development of the ideas involved in it.» — el requisito de método que opone a esa práctica, empezar por el principio y seguir la secuencia de las ideas

«If one who is ignorant of the most elementary facts of a science should ask a question in regard to it of the most learned of its professors, could the» — el símil del ignorante que interroga al profesor más docto; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«For any isolated answer, give under such conditions, must necessarily be incomplete, and would, therefore, in many cases, appear unintelligible, or even absurd.» — y la consecuencia que saca, que la respuesta aislada resulta incompleta y puede parecer ininteligible o absurda; el troceo imprime *give* donde el sentido pide *given*

«We have said that spirits of superior advancement are only» — la condición que Kardec repite sobre los espíritus superiores; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana y la frase sigue con que solo acuden a las reuniones serias

«Frivolity and idle curiosity repel them, just as, among men, they repel all reasonable people; and the road is thus left open to the mob of foolish and lying spirits who are always about us, watching for opportunities of mocking us and amusing themselves at our expense.» — y su reverso, que la frivolidad los repele y deja el camino abierto a la turba de espíritus mentirosos

«If we would obtain serious answers, we must ourselves be serious, and must place ourselves in the conditions required for obtaining them; it is only by so doing that we shall obtain any satisfactory and ennobling communications.» — la regla de reciprocidad que enuncia entre la disposición del que pregunta y la calidad de lo que recibe

«We must, moreover, be laborious and persevering in our investigations, otherwise the higher spirits will cease to trouble themselves about us, as the professor ceases to occupy himself with the hopelessly idle members of his class.» — y el símil del profesor que deja de ocuparse de los alumnos irremediablemente ociosos

«The movement of inert bodies is a fact already proved by experience; the point now to be ascertained is, whether there is, or is not, a manifestation of intelligence in this movement, and, if there is, what is the source of this intelligence?» — cómo delimita la cuestión pendiente: no el movimiento, ya probado por la experiencia, sino si hay manifestación de inteligencia en él y de dónde viene

«We are not speaking of the intelligence displayed in the movement of certain objects, nor of verbal communications, nor even of those which are written directly by the medium: these manifestations, of which the spirit origin is evident for those who have thoroughly investigated the matter, are not, at first sight, sufficiently independent of the will of the medium to bring conviction to an observer new to the subject.» — la concesión que hace al observador nuevo, que esas manifestaciones no parecen bastante independientes de la voluntad del medium

«But let us suppose that, by some wonderful cleverness, the medium succeeds in deceiving the most keenly observant eye, how can we explain the nature of the communications, when they are altogether beyond the scope of the medium’s knowledge and ideas?» — y el argumento que opone a la hipótesis de la destreza del medium, el contenido de las comunicaciones fuera de su saber

«And it is, moreover, to be remarked, that we are speaking not of monosyllabic replies, but of many pages, dashed off, as frequently happens, with the most astonishing rapidity,» — el rasgo material que añade, páginas enteras escritas con rapidez asombrosa y no respuestas de una sílaba; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«To this query we have but one reply to make: “See and observe; opportunities of doing so will not be lacking; but, above all, observe often, for a long time, and according to the conditions required for so doing.”» — la única respuesta que declara tener para quien pide prueba, entrecomillada en el impreso: ver y observar, muchas veces y en las condiciones requeridas

«“But,” urge our opponents, “if there be no trickery, both parties may be the dupes of an illusion.”» — la objeción de la ilusión compartida, que Kardec pone entrecomillada como voz de sus contradictores

«But by what strange coincidence does there happen to be an understanding between the jokers, from one end of the earth to the other, to act in the same way, to produce the same effects, and to give, upon the same subjects, and in different languages, replies that are identical, if not in words, at least in meaning?» — y el argumento con que la responde, la coincidencia de sentido entre respuestas dadas en lenguas distintas y en puntos opuestos de la tierra

«And what adds to the strangeness of these facts is, that they are occurring the entire world over, and that the number of mediums is constantly increasing.» — el dato de extensión que añade, que los hechos ocurren en el mundo entero y que el número de mediums crece

«The phenomena on which it is based are so extraordinary that we admit the reasonableness of doubt in regard to them; but what is not admissible is the pretension of certain skeptics to a monopoly of common sense, and the unceremonious way in which, regardless of the moral worth of their adversaries, they tax all who are not of their opinion with infatuation or stupidity.» — lo que concede y lo que no: admite lo razonable de la duda y rechaza que los escépticos se arroguen el monopolio del sentido común

«For the affirmation of enlightened persons who have, for a long time, seen, studied, and meditated any matter, is always, if not a proof, at least a presumption in its favor, since it has been able to fix the attention of men of mark, having no interest in propagating an error, nor time to waste upon worthless trifles.» — el valor que reclama para el testimonio de personas ilustradas que han estudiado el asunto, dicho con su límite: presunción, no prueba

«One of these objections is prompted by the fact that the language of spirits does not always seem worthy of the elevation we attribute to beings beyond the pale of humanity.» — la objeción que reconoce más seria, que el lenguaje de los espíritus no siempre parece digno de la elevación que se les atribuye

«But, if the objector will take the trouble to look at the doctrinal summary we have given above, he will see that the spirits themselves inform us that they are not equals, either in knowledge or in moral qualities, that we are not to accept everything said by spirits as literal truth, and that we must judge for ourselves of the value of their statements.» — y la respuesta que le da desde el propio resumen doctrinal: los espíritus mismos declaran no ser iguales en saber ni en moral, y que hay que juzgar por cuenta propia lo que dicen

«Assuredly, those who infer from this fact that we have to deal only with maleficent beings, whose sole occupation is to deceive us, have no acquaintance with the communications obtained in the centers habitually frequented by spirits of superior advancement, or they could not entertain such an opinion.» — lo que reprocha a quienes infieren de ahí que solo hay seres maléficos, que no conocen las comunicaciones de los centros frecuentados por espíritus elevados

«We will merely suggest that, in some cases, the inquirers may not be so thoroughly principled in goodness as to repel evil, and that, taking advantage of their curiosity in regard to them, imperfect spirits make use of the opening thus afforded to come about them, while those of a higher order withdraw from them.» — la explicación que ofrece, dicha en modo conjetural: quien no está bastante afirmado en el bien deja abierta la entrada a los espíritus imperfectos

«To judge the question of spirits by these facts would be as little reasonable as to judge of the character of a people by the sayings and doings of a party of wild or disreputable fellows, with whom the educated and respectable classes of the population have nothing to do.» — el símil con que rechaza generalizar desde esos casos, juzgar a un pueblo por los dichos de una partida de sujetos de mala nota

«Such persons are in the position of the traveler who, entering some great capital by one of its worst suburbs, should judge of all its inhabitants by the habits and language of this low quarter.» — y la imagen del viajero que entra a una capital por su peor arrabal y juzga por él a todos sus habitantes

«In the world of spirits, as in our own, there are higher and lower classes of society. Let inquirers make a study of what goes on among spirits of high degree, and they will be convinced that the celestial city is not peopled solely by the ignorant and vicious.» — la estratificación que atribuye al mundo de los espíritus, con clases altas y bajas como en el nuestro

«“But,” it will be asked, “do spirits of high degree come among us?” To which question we reply, “Do not remain in the suburbs; see, observe, and judge; the facts are within reach of all but those alluded to by Jesus, as having eyes, but seeing not, and ears, but hearing not.”» — la objeción y la respuesta, ambas entrecomilladas en el impreso, con la remisión a la frase evangélica de los que teniendo ojos no ven

«it would have to be admitted either that the devil is sometimes very wise, very reasonable, and, above all, very moral, or else that there are good devils as well as bad ones.» — y la alternativa con que la responde, que habría que admitir a un diablo muy moral o bien diablos buenos junto a los malos

«But, in fact, is it possible to believe that God would permit only the Spirit of Evil to manifest himself, and this in order to ruin us, without giving us also the counsels of good spirits as a counterpoise?» — el argumento teológico que opone, en forma de pregunta: que Dios permitiera solo al Espíritu del Mal manifestarse, sin contrapeso

«To suppose that He cannot do this is to limit His power; to suppose that He can do it, but abstains from doing it, is incompatible with the belief in His goodness.» — y el dilema que le sigue, límite del poder divino o incompatibilidad con su bondad

«It must be observed that, to admit the communication of evil spirits is to recognize the existence of spirit manifestations; but, if they exist, it can only be with the permission of God, and how then can we, without impiety, believe that He would permit them to occur only for a bad purpose, to the exclusion of a good one?» — la vuelta que da a la objeción: admitir la comunicación de los espíritus malos es reconocer las manifestaciones, que solo pueden darse con permiso de Dios

«One strange feature of the matter, urge other objectors, is the fact that only the spirits of well-known personages manifest themselves, and it is asked why these should be the only ones who do so?» — otra objeción que recoge, atribuida a *other objectors*: que solo se manifiesten espíritus de personajes conocidos

«This query is suggested by an error due, like many others, to superficial observation.» — y a qué atribuye esa objeción, a error de observación superficial

«Among the spirits who present themselves spontaneously, the greater number are unknown to us, and, therefore, call themselves by names that we know, and that serve to characterize them.» — la primera parte de su explicación, que los espíritus desconocidos se dan nombres conocidos que sirven para caracterizarlos

«With regard to those whom we evoke, unless in the case of relatives or friends, we naturally address ourselves to spirits whom we know of, rather than to those who are unknown to us; and as the names of illustrious persons are those which strike us most forcibly, they are, for that reason, those which are most remarked.» — y la segunda, que uno evoca a quienes conoce, y que los nombres ilustres son los que más se notan

«It is also considered as strange that the spirits of eminent men should respond familiarly to our call, and should sometimes interest themselves in things that appear trifling in comparison with those which they accomplished during their life.» — la tercera objeción de esa serie, que los espíritus de hombres eminentes respondan con familiaridad y se ocupen de cosas nimias

«But there is in this nothing surprising for those who know that the power and consideration which a man may have possessed in this lower life give him no supremacy in the spirit-world.» — y la respuesta que le da, que el poder y la consideración de esta vida no dan supremacía en el mundo de los espíritus

«attracted to centers in which there reigns a serious desire for light, and, above all, a perfect communion of thought and feeling in the pursuit of moral excellence.» — la condición que Kardec pone para que acudan los espíritus superiores; la frase abre en la plana anterior con *We have said that spirits of superior advancement are only*

«A variety of the same objection consists in attributing all spirit communications, and all the physical manifestations by which they are accompanied, to the intervention of some diabolical powerful new» — la variante diabólica de esa objeción, que atribuye todas las manifestaciones a un Proteo diabólico; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *Proteus that assumes every form*

«Proteus that assumes every form in order the more effectually to deceive us Without pausing to analyze a supposition that we regard as not susceptible of serious examination,» — y cómo despacha esa suposición, negándose a analizarla; el troceo imprime *deceive us Without pausing* sin el punto

«A fact ascertained by observation, and confirmed by the spirits themselves, is the borrowing of well-known and venerated names by spirits of inferior degree.» — el hecho que consigna como comprobado y admitido por los propios espíritus, la usurpación de nombres venerados por espíritus de grado inferior

«This doubt exists among many fervent adherents of spiritist doctrine.» — y a quiénes alcanza esa duda sobre la identidad de los comunicantes, también a adherentes fervorosos de la doctrina

«It is only when spirits have arrived at a certain degree of purification that they are entirely freed from all corporeal influences;» — la condición que pone para el desprendimiento completo, cierto grado de purificación

«and as long as they are not completely dematerialized (to employ their own expression), they retain most of the ideas, tendencies, and even the hobbies, they had while on earth, all of which furnish additional means of identification;» — y el rasgo que de ahí saca como medio de identificación: mientras no están *dematerialized* —término que atribuye a los propios espíritus— conservan ideas, tendencias y hasta manías de su vida terrena

«but these are especially to be found in the vast number of small details that are only perceived through sustained and attentive observation.» — dónde sitúa esos indicios, en la multitud de pormenores que solo aparecen con observación sostenida

«Spirits who have been authors are seen to discuss their own works or views, approving or blaming them;» — un caso concreto de esos indicios, el espíritu de un autor discutiendo su propia obra para aprobarla o censurarla

«and from all these indications we obtain what may, at least, be regarded as moral presumptions in favor of their identity, the only ones that can be looked for under the circumstances of the case.» — y el estatuto que les reconoce, con su límite dentro: presunciones morales, las únicas posibles en el caso

«If, then, the identity of the spirit evoked may be established, to a certain extent and in certain cases, there is no reason why that identity may not exist in others;» — la generalización que propone desde esos casos, dicha con la reserva de *to a certain extent and in certain cases*

«and although we may not have the same means of identification in regard to persons whose death is of more distant date, we always have that of language and character, for the spirit of a good and enlightened man will assuredly not express himself like that of a depraved or ignorant one.» — el criterio que queda para las muertes lejanas, el lenguaje y el carácter

«If some one, for instance, calling himself Fénelon gave utterance to remarks at variance with common sense or morality, his imposture would at once become evident;» — el ejemplo con que ilustra ese criterio, un supuesto Fénelon que dijera cosas contrarias al sentido común

«but if the thoughts expressed by him were always noble, consistent, and of an elevation worthy of Fénelon there would be no reason to doubt his identity, for otherwise we should have to admit that a spirit whose communications inculcate only goodness would knowingly be guilty of falsehood.» — y el reverso del mismo ejemplo, con el argumento moral que lo cierra: un espíritu cuyas comunicaciones inculcan solo el bien no mentiría a sabiendas

«Experience shows us that spirits of the same degree, of the same character, and animated by the same sentiments, are united in groups and families;» — lo que dice de la organización de los espíritus, agrupados por grado, carácter y sentimientos

«but the number of spirits is incalculable, and we are so far from knowing them all, that the names of the immense majority of them are necessarily unknown to us.» — y la consecuencia práctica, que la inmensa mayoría de los nombres nos es desconocida

«It is certain, however, that the assumption of false names by spirits may give rise to numerous mistakes may be a source of error and deception, and is, in fact, one of the most serious difficulties of practical spiritism;» — la dificultad que reconoce como de las más serias del espiritismo práctico, la suplantación de nombres

«We cannot too often reiterate the warning that spiritism is a new field of study, and one that demands long and assiduous exploration.» — la advertencia que dice no cansarse de repetir, que el espiritismo es campo nuevo y exige exploración larga

«Being unable to produce at pleasure the facts on which Spiritism is based, we are obliged to wait for them to present themselves;» — el límite metodológico que declara, que los hechos no se producen a voluntad y hay que esperarlos

«It is the same in regard to every other branch of science; while the superficial observer sees in a flower only an elegant form, the botanist discovers in it a mine of interest for his thought.» — y el símil del botánico y de la flor con que ilustra la diferencia entre observador superficial y estudioso

«The foregoing remarks lead us to say a few words in relation to another difficulty, namely, the divergence that exists in the statements made by spirits.» — la dificultad siguiente que aborda, la divergencia entre lo que dicen unos espíritus y otros

«The contradictions alluded to, moreover, are not always as absolute as they may seem to be at first sight.» — y la primera acotación que le pone, que esas contradicciones no siempre son tan absolutas como parecen

«Do we not see every day that men who are pursuing the same science give various definitions of the same thing; sometimes because they make use of different terms, sometimes because they consider it from different points of view, although the fundamental idea is the same in each case?» — el paralelo con las ciencias humanas, donde varían las definiciones sin variar la idea de fondo

«It must also be remembered that the form of the answer often depends on the form under which the question has been put;» — y el segundo factor que alega, que la forma de la respuesta depende de la forma de la pregunta

«The higher spirits pay no heed to forms of expression; for them, the thought itself is everything.» — lo que atribuye a los espíritus superiores en materia de forma, que solo cuenta el pensamiento

«The subject of Spiritism is immense. It involves all other subjects, physical, metaphysical, and social; it is a new world that opens before us.» — la extensión que reclama para la materia, un mundo nuevo que abarca lo físico, lo metafísico y lo social

«All human sciences offer the same variations of detail; every investigator has his own system; and systems change, but science remains the same.» — la distinción con que cierra el argumento de las divergencias, entre los sistemas que cambian y la ciencia que permanece

«For spirits, and especially for those of high degree, the idea is everything, the form is nothing.» — la fórmula con que resume la relación de los espíritus con el lenguaje

«It must not, however, be inferred from these remarks that they are unable to express themselves with conventional correctness; they do this when they judge it to be necessary; as, for instance, when they dictate verses, some of which, written, moreover, by illiterate mediums, are of a correctness and elegance that defy the severest criticism.» — y el límite que le pone en la misma frase: cuando lo juzgan necesario dictan versos de corrección y elegancia irreprochables, incluso por mediums iletrados

«but he must be very short of arguments who would make this fact the object of serious criticism on the plea that, “since spirits know everything, they ought to be well up in spelling.”» — cómo despacha la objeción de la ortografía de los espíritus, citando entrecomillada la frase de sus contradictores

«Thus he who has been first in the earthly life may be one of the last in that other world;» — la sentencia evangélica que Kardec dice confirmada por los espíritus; la frase abre en la plana anterior con *Spirits confirm the gospel statement*

«We assert, therefore, that Spiritism does not predispose to insanity; nay, more, we assert that, when correctly understood, it is a preservative against insanity.» — la tesis con que responde a la acusación de que el espiritismo lleva a la locura, en dos tiempos: ni predispone a ella, y bien entendido preserva de ella

«Intense mental application of any kind may induce cerebral disease; science, art, religion even, have all furnished their quota of madmen.» — el argumento con que iguala el espiritismo a cualquier otra ocupación intensa: la ciencia, el arte y la religión han dado también su cuota de locos

«The predisposing cause of madness is to be found in some tendency of the brain that renders it more or less accessible to certain impressions; and, where the predisposition to insanity exists, its manifestation takes on the character of the pursuit to which the mind is most addicted, and which then assumes the form of a fixed idea.» — dónde sitúa la causa predisponente de la locura, en una tendencia del cerebro, y cómo la ocupación dominante le presta su forma

«It is probable that the victim of religious mania would have gone mad on Spiritism, if Spiritism had been his predominant mental occupation; just as he who goes mad over Spiritism would, under other circumstances, have gone mad over something else.» — y la consecuencia que saca, dicha en modo probable: el maniático religioso habría enloquecido con el espiritismo si esa hubiera sido su ocupación dominante

«His convictions, therefore, give him a resignation that preserves him from despair, and consequently from a frequent cause of madness and suicide.» — la razón que da para la segunda mitad de su tesis: la convicción espírita da una resignación que preserva de la desesperación

«Spiritism furnishes the religious element with a more efficient support than superstitious terror.» — lo que le atribuye frente al terror supersticioso como sostén de lo religioso

«Religion would be weak indeed if its power could only be sustained by fear.» — y la sentencia con que juzga la religión fundada en el miedo

«Yes; but only as do nursery-terrors and bugaboos in general; and when these have lost their power, they who have been subjected to this sort of training are apt to be worse than before;» — su comparación de esos terrores con los espantajos de la infancia, y lo que augura cuando pierden su poder

«Two objections still remain to be examined, the only ones really deserving of the name, because they are the only ones founded on a rational basis.» — las dos objeciones que reconoce como únicas dignas del nombre por estar fundadas en razón

«According to the first of these objections, all the manifestations attributed to spirits are merely effects of magnetism, and mediums are in a state that might be called waking somnambulism, a phenomenon which may have been observed by any one who has studied animal» — la primera de esas dos, la explicación por el magnetismo y el sonambulismo en vigilia; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *magnetism*

«It is not by us, who have witnessed its prodigies and studied all its phases during thirty-five years, that the action of somnambulism could be contested, and we admit that many spirit-manifestations may be thus explained; but we assert that sustained and attentive observation shows us a host of facts in which any intervention of the medium, otherwise than as a passive instrument, is absolutely impossible.» — lo que concede y lo que niega frente a esa objeción: admite que muchas manifestaciones se expliquen por sonambulismo, y sostiene que hay hechos donde el medium no es más que instrumento pasivo

«But if their lucidity were such as you declare it to be, why should they attribute to spirits what they have derived from themselves?» — la pregunta que devuelve a los partidarios de la explicación sonambúlica, por qué el medium atribuiría a los espíritus lo que sacara de sí

«Either mediums are lucid, or they are not; if they are, and if we trust to their veracity, we cannot, without inconsistency, suppose them to be in error on this point.» — y el dilema con que la cierra, sobre la coherencia de fiarse de la lucidez del medium y a la vez tenerlo por equivocado justo en ese punto

«The want of unity so often observed in the manifestations obtained by the same medium is a proof of the diversity of the sources from which they proceed; and as the cause of this diversity is not to be found in the medium himself, it must be sought for elsewhere.» — el argumento por la falta de unidad de lo obtenido por un mismo medium, que atribuye a diversidad de fuentes

«According to the other objection, the medium is really the source of the manifestations, but instead of deriving them from himself, as is asserted by the partisans of the somnambulist theory; he derives them from the persons among whom he finds himself.» — la segunda objeción racional que examina, que el medium refleje el pensamiento de los presentes

«It cannot be denied, for it is one of the fundamental principles of spiritist doctrine, that those who are» — lo que admite de esa objeción desde su propia doctrina; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«but this influence is very different from what it is assumed to be by the hypothesis we are considering, and, so far from the medium being the mere echo of the thoughts of those around him, there are thousands of facts that prove directly the contrary.» — y el límite que le pone, que hay millares de hechos que contradicen la idea del medium como eco del pensamiento ajeno

«Their theory would be specious if it explained all the facts of the case; but this it cannot do.» — el juicio que da de esa hipótesis, con su condicional dentro

«In vain is it proved by the evidence of facts that the communications of the medium are often entirely foreign to the thoughts, knowledge, and even the opinions of those who are present, and that they are frequently spontaneous, and contradict all received ideas;» — los hechos que opone, comunicaciones ajenas al saber y a las opiniones de los presentes, y a menudo espontáneas y contrarias a las ideas recibidas

«The radiation of thought, say they, extends far beyond the circle immediately around us; the medium is the reflection of the human race in general; so that, if he does not derive his inspirations from those about him, he derives them from those who are further off, in the town or country he inhabits, from the people of the rest of the globe, and even from those of other spheres.» — la ampliación que atribuye a sus adversarios, la radiación del pensamiento del género humano entero e incluso de otras esferas

«We do not think that this theory furnishes a more simple and probable explanation than that given by Spiritism; for it assumes the action of a cause very much more marvelous.» — y su juicio sobre esa ampliación, que supone una causa más maravillosa todavía que la espírita

«The earliest manifestations, in Europe, as in America, were not made either by writing or by speech, but by raps indicating the letters of the alphabet, and forming words and sentences.» — el dato histórico con que responde a la hipótesis del reflejo del pensamiento: las primeras manifestaciones en Europa y América no fueron por escritura ni por palabra, sino por golpes que indicaban las letras

«It is by this means that the manifesting intelligences declared themselves to be spirits; and therefore, even though we should admit an intervention of the medium’s mind in the production of verbal or written communications, we could not do so in regard to raps, whose meaning could not have been known beforehand.» — y el peso que le da: por ese medio se declararon espíritus las inteligencias, y el sentido de los golpes no podía saberse de antemano

«We might adduce any number of facts proving the existence of a personal individuality and an absolutely independent will on the part of the manifesting intelligence; and we therefore invite our opponents to a more attentive observation of the phenomena in question,» — lo que dice probar con esos hechos, una individualidad personal y una voluntad independiente en la inteligencia que se manifiesta

«If the medium were only a mirror reflecting the thought of those about him, nothing should be easier for him than to answer such questions.» — el argumento por las preguntas sin respuesta, contra la hipótesis del medium como espejo

«It is precisely because they are at a higher point than ourselves that spirits decline to answer idle and foolish questions; keeping silence when such are» — y la razón que atribuye al silencio de los espíritus ante preguntas ociosas, su superioridad; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«If the medium were acted upon solely by the mental impulsion of those around him, it is evident that the union of their wills, in such a case, ought to stimulate his clairvoyance.» — el segundo argumento del mismo orden: la unión de las voluntades de los presentes debería estimular su clarividencia

«If, therefore, he does not yield to the wishes of those assembled, strengthened by his own desire, it is because he obeys an influence which is distinct from himself and from those about him, and which thus asserts its own independence and individuality.» — y la inferencia que saca de que no ceda, una influencia distinta de él y de los presentes que afirma su independencia

«Incredulity in regard to spirit-communication, when not the result of systematic opposition from selfish motives, has almost always its source in an imperfect acquaintance with the facts of the case; which, however, does not prevent a good many persons from attempting to settle the question as though they were perfectly familiar with it.» — a qué atribuye la incredulidad cuando no es oposición interesada, a conocimiento imperfecto de los hechos

«It is possible to be very clever, very learned, and yet to lack clearness of judgment; and a belief in one’s own infallibility is the surest sign of the existence of this defect.» — y la observación que la acompaña sobre la creencia en la propia infalibilidad

«Spiritism consists of two parts: one of these, the experimental, deals with the subject of the manifestations in general; the other, the philosophic, deals with the class of manifestations denoting intelligence.» — la partición que hace del espiritismo, una parte experimental sobre las manifestaciones y otra filosófica sobre las que denotan inteligencia

«Whoever has only observed the former is in the position of one whose knowledge of physics, limited to experiments of an amusing nature, does not extend to the fundamental principles of that science.» — y el símil con que juzga a quien solo observó la primera, el que conoce de física solo los experimentos divertidos

«Spiritist philosophy consists of teachings imparted by spirits, and the knowledge thus conveyed is of a character far too serious to be mastered without serious and persevering attention.» — cómo define la filosofía espírita, enseñanzas impartidas por los espíritus, y la atención que reclama para ellas

«Astronomers, in sounding the depths of the sky, discovered seemingly vacant spaces not in accordance with the general laws that govern the distribution of the heavenly bodies and they therefore conjectured that those spaces were occupied by globes that had escaped their observation.» — la analogía astronómica con que cierra la Introducción: los astrónomos conjeturaron globos no observados a partir de vacíos aparentes

«On the other hand, they observed certain effects the cause of which was unknown to them; and they said to themselves, “In such a region of space there must be a world, for otherwise there would be a void that ought not to exist; and the effects we have observed imply the presence in that seeming void of such a world as their cause.”» — y el razonamiento que les atribuye, entrecomillado en el impreso, de los efectos observados a la existencia del mundo que los causa

«Reasoning, then, from those effects to their cause they calculated the elements of the globe whose presence they had inferred, and facts subsequently justified their inference.» — el desenlace de esa analogía, que Kardec declara verificada después por los hechos

«If we observe the series of beings, we find that they form a continuous chain from brute matter to man.» — la cadena continua de los seres que traza, de la materia bruta al hombre

«But between man and God, who is the alpha and omega of all things, what an immense hiatus!» — y el hueco que señala entre el hombre y Dios

«Reason shows us that between man and God there must be other links, just as it showed the astronomers that between the worlds then known to them there must be other worlds as yet unknown to them.» — lo que la razón exige según él para llenar ese hueco, eslabones intermedios, con la analogía astronómica todavía en pie

«Spiritism shows that it is filled with the beings of all the ranks of the invisible world, and that these beings are no other than the spirits of men who have reached the successive degrees that lead up to perfection; and all things are thus seen to be linked together from one end of the chain to the other.» — y con qué lo llena el espiritismo, con los espíritus de hombres que recorren los grados que llevan a la perfección

«Phenomena which are inexplicable by any known laws are occurring all over the world, and revealing the action of a free and intelligent will as their cause.» — el arranque de los Prolegómenos, donde Kardec resume el hecho de partida: fenómenos inexplicables por las leyes conocidas que revelan una voluntad libre e inteligente

«Reason tells us that an intelligent effect must have an intelligent force for its cause; and facts have proved that this force is able to enter into communication with men by the employment of material signs.» — la inferencia que hace de ese hecho, y el segundo dato, que la fuerza comunica con los hombres por signos materiales

«This force, interrogated as to its nature, has declared itself to belong to the world of spiritual beings who have thrown off the corporeal envelope of men.» — según los Prolegómenos, esa fuerza interrogada se declaró perteneciente al mundo de los seres espirituales que dejaron la envoltura corporal

«It is thus that the existence of spirits has been revealed to us.» — y la conclusión que Kardec saca de esa declaración

«Communication between the spirit world and the corporeal world is in the nature of things, and has in it nothing supernatural.» — la tesis de los Prolegómenos sobre el estatuto de la comunicación, que está en la naturaleza de las cosas y no tiene nada de sobrenatural

«Traces of its existence are to be found among all nations and in every age; they are now becoming general and evident to all.» — la extensión histórica que le atribuye, huellas en todas las naciones y en toda época

«Spirits assure us that the time appointed by Providence for a universal manifestation of their existence has now come; and that their mission, as the ministers of God and the instruments of His will, is to inaugurate, through the instructions they are charged to convey to us, a new era of regeneration for the human race.» — la misión que, según los Prolegómenos, los espíritus se atribuyen a sí mismos: inaugurar una era de regeneración como ministros de Dios

«Many of the spirits who have taken part in the accomplishment of this task declare themselves to have been persons whom we know to have lived at different epochs upon the earth, preaching and practising virtue and wisdom of the names of others history has preserved no trace; but their elevation is attested by the purity of their doctrine and their union with those who bear venerated names.» — lo que los Prolegómenos declaran de los colaboradores del libro, y el criterio con que suplen la falta de nombre: la pureza de la doctrina y su unión con los que llevan nombres venerados

«write, we shall lay the foundations of the new edifice which is destined to unite all men in a common sentiment of love and charity; but, before making it public, we shall go thorough it with you, so as to ensure its accuracy.» — según el volumen, así encargan los espíritus el libro y se reservan revisarlo antes de publicarlo; la frase abre en la plana anterior con *In the book you are to*

«We shall be with you whenever you ask for our presence, and shall aid you in all your labors; for the preparation of this book is only a part of the mission which has been confided to you, and of which you have already been informed by one of us.» — y la asistencia que prometen, con la advertencia de que el libro es solo parte de una misión mayor

«Of the teachings given to you, some are to be kept to yourself for» — la reserva que imponen sobre parte de las enseñanzas; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *the present*

«the present; we shall tell you when the time for publishing them has come. Meanwhile make them the subject of your meditations, that you may be ready to treat of them at the proper moment.» — la continuación de esa reserva en la plana siguiente, con la meditación entre tanto

«Put at the beginning of the book the vine-branch we have drawn for that purpose, because it is the emblem of the work of the Creator. In it are united all the material elements that most fitly symbolize body and spirit: the stem represents the body; the juice, the spirit; the fruit, the union of body and spirit.» — según el volumen, los espíritus mandan poner el emblema del sarmiento y lo interpretan: el tallo es el cuerpo, el jugo el espíritu y el fruto la unión de ambos

«Man’s labor calls forth the latent qualities of the juice; the labor of the body develops, through the knowledge thus acquired, the latent powers of the soul.» — y la lección que sacan del emblema, el trabajo del cuerpo desarrollando las potencias latentes del alma

«Do not allow yourself to be discouraged by hostile criticism. You will have rancorous contradictors, especially among those whose interest it is to keep up existing abuses.» — la advertencia sobre los contradictores, que sitúa entre quienes tienen interés en mantener los abusos

«You will have such even among spirits; for those who are not completely dematerialized often endeavor, out of malice or ignorance, to scatter abroad the seeds of doubt.» — y su parte más notable, que también habrá contradictores entre los espíritus no desmaterializados del todo

«Believe in God, and go boldly forward. We shall be with you to sustain you on your way; and the time is at hand when the truth will shine forth on all sides.» — la exhortación con que siguen y el anuncio del tiempo próximo

«The vanity of some men, who imagine that they know everything, and are bent on explaining everything in their own way; will give rise to opposing opinions; but all who have in view the grand principle of Jesus will be united in the same love of goodness, and in a bond of brotherhood that will embrace the entire world.» — lo que atribuyen a la vanidad de quienes creen saberlo todo, y la unión que prometen a quienes tengan a la vista el gran principio de Jesús

«Putting aside all vain disputes about words, they will devote their energies to matters of practical importance, in regard to which, whatever their doctrinal belief, the convictions of all who receive the communications of the higher spirits will be the same.» — y la convergencia práctica que anuncian por encima de la creencia doctrinal de cada quien

«Perseverance will render your labor fruitful. The pleasure you will feel in witnessing the spread of our doctrine and its right appreciation will be for you a rich reward, though perhaps rather in the future than in the present.» — la recompensa que prometen, con su acotación temporal dentro

«Be not troubled by the thorns and stones that the incredulous and the evil-minded will place in your path; hold fast your confidence, for your confidence will ensure our help, and, through it, you will reach the goal.» — y la condición que ponen a su ayuda, la confianza sostenida

«Remember that good spirits only give their aid to those who serve God with humility and disinterestedness; they disown all who use heavenly things as a stepping-stone to earthly advancement, and withdraw from the proud and the ambitious.» — según el volumen, la condición última que ponen los espíritus a su ayuda, humildad y desinterés, y a quiénes desconocen

«Pride and ambition are a barrier between man and God; for they blind man to the splendors of celestial existence, and God cannot employ the blind to make known the light.» — y la razón que dan de esa condición, con la que se cierran los Prolegómenos y el aparato introductorio del volumen

«1. What is God? “God is the Supreme Intelligence – First Cause of all things.» — la pregunta 1, con que abre el Libro Primero, y la respuesta que el volumen atribuye a los espíritus: Dios es la Inteligencia Suprema y causa primera de todas las cosas

«2. What is to be understood by infinity? “That which has neither beginning nor end; the unknown: all that is unknown is infinite.» — la pregunta 2 y su respuesta, que define lo infinito por lo que no tiene principio ni fin y lo iguala a lo desconocido

«3. Can it be said that God is infinity? “An incomplete definition. Poverty of human speech incompetent to define what transcends human intelligence.» — la pregunta 3 y la respuesta, que rechaza la fórmula por incompleta y atribuye el defecto a la pobreza del habla humana

«God is infinite in His perfections, but “infinity” is an abstraction. To say that God is infinity is to substitute the attribute of a thing for the thing itself, and to define something unknown by reference to some other thing equally unknown.» — el comentario de Kardec a esa respuesta, donde explica el defecto lógico de definir lo desconocido por otra cosa igualmente desconocida

«4. What proof have we of the existence of God? “The axiom which you apply in all your scientific researches, ‘There is no effect without a cause.’ Search out the cause of whatever is not the work of man, and reason will furnish the answer to your question.» — la pregunta 4 y la respuesta, que remite al axioma de que no hay efecto sin causa, entrecomillado dentro de la propia respuesta

«To assure ourselves of the existence of God, we have only to look abroad on the works of creation. The universe exists, therefore It has a cause. To doubt the existence of God is to doubt that every effect has a cause, and to assume that something can have been made by nothing.» — el comentario de Kardec, que desarrolla ese axioma hasta hacer de la duda sobre Dios una duda sobre la causalidad misma

«6. May not our seemingly intuitive sense of the existence of God be the result of education and of acquired ideas? “If such were the case, how should this intuitive sense be possessed by your savages?”» — la pregunta 6, que plantea la objeción de la educación, y la respuesta, que la contesta con otra pregunta sobre los salvajes

«If the intuition of the existence of a Supreme Being were only the result of education, It would not be universal, and would only exist, like all other acquired knowledge, in the minds of those who had received the special education to which it would be due.» — el comentario de Kardec a esa respuesta, que hace de la universalidad de la intuición el argumento contra el origen educativo

«7. Is the first cause of the formation of things to be found in the essential properties of matter? “If such were the case, what would be the cause of those properties? There must always be a first cause.» — la pregunta 7, sobre las propiedades esenciales de la materia como causa primera, y la respuesta que la devuelve en forma de pregunta

«To attribute the first formation of things to the essential properties of matter, would be to take the effect for the cause, for those properties are themselves an effect, which must have a cause.» — el comentario de Kardec, que llama a eso tomar el efecto por la causa

«8. What is to be thought of the opinion that attributes the first formation of things to a fortuitous combination of matter, in other words, to chance? “Another absurdity! Who that is possessed of common sense can regard chance as an intelligent agent? And, besides, what is chance? Nothing.» — la pregunta 8, sobre el azar como causa, y la respuesta, que lo llama absurdo y niega que el azar sea nada

«The harmony which regulates the mechanism of the universe can only result from combinations adopted in view of predetermined ends, and thus, by its very nature, reveals the existence of an Intelligent Power. To attribute the first formation of things to chance is nonsense for chance cannot produce the results of intelligence. If chance could be intelligent, it would cease to be chance.» — el comentario de Kardec, que arguye desde la armonía del universo y cierra con la paradoja del azar inteligente

«We judge of the power of an intelligence by its works as no human being could create that which is produced by nature, it is evident that the first cause must be an Intelligence superior to man.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la inferencia de las obras a la potencia de la inteligencia que las produce

«Whatever may be the prodigies accomplished by human intelligence, that intelligence itself must have a cause and the greater the results achieved by it, the greater must be the cause of which it is the effect.» — y su continuación, que aplica el mismo axioma a la inteligencia humana misma

«It is this Supreme Intelligence that is the first cause of all things; whatever the name by which mankind may designate it.» — la conclusión de ese comentario, con la indiferencia declarada respecto del nombre que se le dé

«10. Can man comprehend the essential nature of God? “No; he lacks the sense required for comprehending it.» — la pregunta 10 y la respuesta, que niega la comprensión por falta del sentido requerido

«11. Will man ever become able to comprehend the mystery of the Divinity? “When his mind shall no longer be obscured by matter, and when, by his perfection, he shall have brought himself nearer to God, be will see and comprehend Him.» — la pregunta 11 y la respuesta, que condiciona esa comprensión al desprendimiento de la materia; el troceo imprime *be will see* donde el sentido pide *he*

«The inferiority of the human faculties renders it impossible for man to comprehend the essential nature of God.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la inferioridad de las facultades humanas

«In the infancy of the race, man often confounds the Creator with the creature, and attributes to the former the imperfections of the latter.» — y el error que atribuye a la infancia de la especie, confundir al Creador con la criatura

«and he is able to form to himself a just and more rational idea of the Divine Being, although his idea of that Being must always be imperfect and incomplete.» — el límite con que cierra ese comentario, que la idea de Dios mejora con el sentido moral y aun así queda siempre imperfecta

«12. If we cannot comprehend the essential nature of God, can we have an idea of some of His perfections? “Yes, of some of them. Man comprehends them better in proportion as he raises himself above matter; he obtains glimpses of them through the exercise of his intelligence.» — la pregunta 12 y la respuesta, que hace del alzarse sobre la materia la condición para vislumbrar las perfecciones divinas

«13. When we say that God is eternal, infinite, unchangeable, immaterial, unique, all-powerful, sovereignty just and good, have we not a complete idea of His attributes? “Yes, judging from your point of view, because you think that you sum up everything in those terms; but you must understand that there are things which transcend the intelligence of the most intelligent man, and for which your language, limited to your ideas and sensations, has no expressions.» — la pregunta 13, que enumera los atributos, y la respuesta, que los concede desde el punto de vista humano y advierte que hay cosas para las que el lenguaje no tiene expresión

«possess those perfections in the supreme degree; for, if one of them were lacking, or were not possessed by Him in an infinite degree, He would riot be superior to all, and consequently would not be God. In order to be above all things, God must undergo no vicissitudes, He must have none of the imperfections of which the imagination can conceive.» — el cierre de esa misma respuesta, que exige el grado supremo de cada perfección para que Dios sea Dios; el troceo imprime *riot* donde el sentido pide *not*

«God is eternal. If He had had a beginning, He must either have sprung from nothing, or have been created by some being anterior to Himself. It is thus that, step by step, we arrive at the idea of infinity and eternity.» — el comentario de Kardec, que deduce la eternidad por la alternativa entre surgir de la nada y ser creado por un anterior

«God is unchangeable. If He were subject to change, the laws which rule the universe would have no stability.» — la inmutabilidad, deducida de la estabilidad de las leyes del universo

«God is immaterial, that is to say, that His nature differs from everything that we call matter, or otherwise. He would not be unchangeable, for He would be subject to the transformations of matter.» — la inmaterialidad, deducida de que la materia se transforma

«God is unique. If there were several Gods, there would be neither unity of plan nor unity of power in the ordaining of the universe.» — la unicidad, deducida de la unidad de plan y de poder

«God is all-powerful because He is unique. If He did not possess sovereign power, there would be something more powerful, or no less powerful, than Himself. He would not have created all things and those which He had not created would be the work of another God.» — la omnipotencia, encadenada a la unicidad en el mismo comentario

«God is sovereignty just and good. The providential wisdom of the divine laws is revealed as clearly in the smallest things as in the greatest and this wisdom renders it impossible to doubt either His justice or His goodness.» — y la justicia y la bondad, deducidas de la sabiduría de las leyes divinas; el troceo imprime *sovereignty* donde el sentido pide *sovereignly*

«14. Is God a being distinct from the universe, or is He, according to the opinion of some, the result of all the forces and intelligences of the universe? “If the latter were the case, God would not be God, for He would be effect and not cause; He cannot be both cause and effect.» — la pregunta 14, que enuncia la posición panteísta como opinión de otros, y la respuesta, que la rechaza por hacer de Dios efecto

«“God exists. You cannot doubt His existence, and that is one essential point. Do not seek to go beyond it; do not lose yourselves in a labyrinth which, for you, is without an issue. Such inquiries would not make you better; they would rather tend to add to your pride, by causing you to imagine that you knew something, while, in reality, you would know nothing.» — la continuación de esa respuesta, que desaconseja la indagación por conducir al orgullo

«15. What is to be thought of the opinion according to which all natural bodies, all the beings, all the globes of the universe are parts of the Divinity, and constitute in their totality the Divinity itself; in other words the Pantheistic theory? “Man, not being able to make himself God, would fain make himself out to be, at least, a part of God.» — la pregunta 15, que expone la teoría panteísta, y la respuesta, que la explica por el deseo del hombre de hacerse al menos parte de Dios

«16. Those who hold this theory profess to find in it the demonstration of some of the attributes of God. The worlds of the universe being infinitely numerous, God is thus seen to be infinite; vacuum, or nothingness, being nowhere, God is everywhere: God being everywhere, since everything is an integral part of God, He is thus seen to be the intelligent cause of all the phenomena of the universe. What can we oppose to this argument? “The dictates of reason. Reflect on the assumption in question, and you will have no difficulty in detecting its absurdity.» — la pregunta 16, que expone el argumento panteísta en su forma más fuerte, y la respuesta, que remite al dictamen de la razón

«The Pantheistic theory makes of God a material being, who, though endowed with a supreme intelligence, would only be on a larger scale what we are on a smaller one.» — el comentario de Kardec, que reduce el panteísmo a un Dios material de mayor escala

«But, as matter is incessantly undergoing transformation, God, if this theory were true, would have no stability. He would be subject to all the vicissitudes, and even to all the needs, of humanity He would lack one of the essential attributes of the Divinity, namely, unchangeableness.» — y la objeción que le opone, que un Dios así carecería de inmutabilidad

«We do not know what God is; but we know that it is impossible that He should not be and the theory just stated is in contradiction with His most essential attributes.» — la fórmula con que cierra, que no se sabe qué es Dios pero sí que no puede no ser

«It confounds the Creator with the creation, precisely as though we should consider an ingenious machine to be an integral portion of the mechanic who invented it.» — y el símil de la máquina y su inventor con que ilustra la confusión que le imputa

«The intelligence of God is revealed in His works, as is that of a painter in his picture; but the works of God are no more God Himself than the picture is the artist who conceived and painted it.» — el símil del pintor y su cuadro, con que separa las obras de Dios de Dios mismo

«17. Is it given to mankind to know the first principle of things? “No. There are things that cannot be understood by man in this» — la pregunta 17 y el arranque de su respuesta; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *world*

«18. Will man ever be able to penetrate the mystery of things now hidden from him? “The veil will be raised for him in proportion as he accomplishes his purification; but, in order to understand certain things, he would need faculties which he does not yet possess.» — la pregunta 18 y la respuesta, que liga el levantamiento del velo a la purificación y añade la falta de facultades

«“That God exists; for whence could the human mind derive this intuition if it had no real basis? The inference to be drawn from the fact of this intuition is a corollary of the axiom» — y su respuesta, que hace de esa intuición un corolario del axioma de que no hay efecto sin causa

«Put aside systems. You have things enough to think about that concern you much more nearly, beginning with yourselves. Study your own imperfections, that you may get rid of» — el cierre de la respuesta a la pregunta 14, que manda dejar los sistemas y empezar por las propias imperfecciones; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«them; this will be far more useful to you than the vain attempt to penetrate the impenetrable.» — la continuación de ese cierre en la plana siguiente

«5. What is to be inferred from the intuition of the existence of God which» — la pregunta 5, sobre la intuición de la existencia de Dios; el troceo la parte en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *may be said to be the common property of the human mind?*

«The farther man advances in the study of the mysteries around him, the greater should be his admiration of the power and wisdom of the Creator.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre el efecto que debería tener el avance del saber en la admiración del Creador

«He heaps systems upon systems; and every day shows him how many errors he has mistaken for truths, how many truths he has repelled as errors.» — y el reverso que consigna, los sistemas amontonados y los errores tomados por verdades

«19. Cannot man, through scientific investigation, penetrate some of the» — la pregunta 19, sobre si la investigación científica puede penetrar los secretos de la naturaleza; el troceo reemite aquí la marca de plana en el límite de sus tramos y parte la frase, que sigue con *secrets of nature?*

«“The faculty of scientific research has been given to him as a means by which he may advance in every direction; but he cannot overstep the limits of his present possibilities.» — y la respuesta que el volumen atribuye a los espíritus, que reconoce esa facultad como medio de avance y le pone el tope de las posibilidades presentes

«But, partly through pride, partly through weakness, his intellect itself often renders him the sport of illusion.» — la acotación de Kardec en ese comentario, que hace del propio intelecto juguete de la ilusión por orgullo y por debilidad

«20. Is man permitted to receive communications of a higher order in regard to matters which, not being within the scope of his senses, are beyond the pale of scientific investigation? “Yes. When God judges such revelations to be useful, He reveals to man what science is incompetent to teach him.» — la pregunta 20, sobre las comunicaciones de orden superior fuera del alcance de los sentidos, y la respuesta, que las condiciona al juicio de Dios sobre su utilidad

«It is through communications of this higher order that man is enabled, within certain» — el comentario de Kardec sobre lo que esas comunicaciones permiten conocer; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *limits, to obtain a knowledge of his past and of his future destiny*

«21. Has matter existed from all eternity, like God, or has it been created at some definite period of time? “God only knows. There is, nevertheless, one point which your reason should suffice to show you, namely, that God, the prototype of love and beneficence, can never have been inactive. However far off in the past you may imagine the beginning of His action, can you suppose Him to have been for a single moment inactive?» — la pregunta 21, sobre la eternidad de la materia, y la respuesta, que remite el asunto al saber de Dios y arguye desde su actividad incesante

«22. Matter is generally defined as being “that which has extension,” “that which can make an impression upon our senses,” “that which possesses impenetrability.” Are these definitions correct? “From your point of view they are correct, because you can only define in accordance with what you know. But matter exists in states that are unknown to you. It may be, for instance, so ethereal and subtle as to make no impression upon your senses; and yet it is still matter, although it would not be such for you.» — la pregunta 22, que recoge tres definiciones corrientes de materia, y la respuesta, que las concede desde el punto de vista humano y sostiene estados de la materia que no impresionan los sentidos

«– What definition can you give of matter? “Matter is the element which enchains spirit, the instrument which serves it, and upon which, at the same time, it exerts its action.» — la subpregunta que sigue, marcada con raya en el impreso, y la definición de materia que da la respuesta: lo que encadena al espíritu y a la vez le sirve de instrumento

«From this point of view it may be said that matter is the agent, the intermediary, through which, and upon which, spirit acts.» — el comentario de Kardec, que reformula esa definición como agente e intermediario

«23. What is spirit? “The intelligent principle of the universe.» — la pregunta 23 y la definición de espíritu que da la respuesta

«– What is the essential nature of spirit? “It is not possible to explain the nature of spirit in your language. For you it is not a thing, because it is not palpable; but for us it is a thing.» — la subpregunta por su naturaleza y la respuesta, que declara la imposibilidad de explicarla en lengua humana y opone lo que es para unos y para otros

«24. Is spirit synonymous with intelligence? “Intelligence is an essential attribute of spirit, but both merge in a unitary principle, so that, for you, they may be said to be the same thing.» — la pregunta 24 y la respuesta, que hace de la inteligencia atributo esencial del espíritu y los funde en un principio unitario

«25. Is spirit independent of matter, or is it only one of the properties of matter, as colors are a property of light, and as sound is a property of the air? “Spirit and matter are distinct from one another; but the union of spirit and matter is necessary to give intelligent activity to matter.» — la pregunta 25, con los símiles del color y del sonido, y la respuesta, que los distingue y a la vez exige su unión

«– Is this union equally necessary to the manifestation of spirit? (We refer, in this question, to the principle of intelligence, abstractly considered, without reference to the individualities designated by that term.) “It is necessary for you, because you are not organized for perceiving spirit apart from matter. Your senses are not formed for that order of perception.» — la subpregunta, que trae entre paréntesis su propia precisión, y la respuesta, que hace de la necesidad algo relativo a la organización humana

«26. Can spirit be conceived of without matter, and matter without spirit? “Undoubtedly, as objects of thought.» — la pregunta 26 y la respuesta, que concede la separación solo como objeto de pensamiento

«27. There are, then, two general elements of the universe matter and spirit? “Yes; and above them both is God, the Creator, Parent of all things. These three elements are the principle of all that exists – the universal trinity.» — la pregunta 27 y la respuesta, que añade a Dios sobre los dos y llama al conjunto trinidad universal

«But to the material element must be added the universal fluid which plays the part of intermediary between spirit and matter, the nature of the latter being too gross for spirit to be able to act directly upon it.» — la continuación de esa respuesta, que introduce el fluido universal como intermediario entre espíritu y materia

«Although, from another point of view, this fluid may be classed as forming part of the material element, it is, nevertheless, distinguished from that element by certain special properties of its own. If it could be classed simply and absolutely as matter, there would be no reason why spirit also should not be classed as matter.» — y el argumento con que la respuesta separa ese fluido de la materia sin más

«It is fluid, just as matter is matter, and is susceptible of being made, through its innumerable combinations with matter, under the directing action of spirit, to produce the infinite variety of things of which you know as yet but a very small portion.» — lo que la respuesta le atribuye por sus combinaciones con la materia bajo la acción del espíritu

«This universal, primitive, or elementary fluid, being the agent employed by spirit in acting upon matter is the principle without which matter would remain forever in a state of division, and would never acquire the properties given to it by the state of ponderability.» — y el oficio que le asigna, sin el cual la materia quedaría dividida para siempre y no adquiriría la ponderabilidad

«– Is this fluid what we designate by the name of electricity? “We have said that it is susceptible of innumerable combinations. What you call the electric fluid, the magnetic fluid, etc., are modifications of the universal fluid, which, properly speaking, is only» — la subpregunta que lo iguala a la electricidad y la respuesta, que hace del fluido eléctrico y del magnético modificaciones del fluido universal; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«matter of a more perfect and more subtle kind, and that may be considered as having an independent existence of its own.» — el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que llama al fluido universal materia más perfecta y sutil con existencia propia

«28. Since spirit itself is something, would it not be more correct and clearer to designate these two general elements by the terms inert matter and» — la pregunta 28, que propone hablar de materia inerte y materia inteligente; el troceo corta el renglón aquí

«“Questions of words are of little importance for us. It is for you to formulate your definitions in such a manner as to make yourselves intelligible to one another. Your disputes almost always arise from the want of a common agreement in the use of the words you employ, owing to the incompleteness of your language in regard to all that does not strike your senses.» — la respuesta a esa pregunta, que devuelve el asunto del vocabulario a los hombres y atribuye sus disputas a la incompletitud de su lengua

«One fact, patent to all observers, dominates all our hypotheses. We see matter which is not intelligent: we see the action of an intelligent principle independent of matter.» — el comentario de Kardec, que fija el hecho de partida por encima de las hipótesis

«The origin and connection of these two things are unknown to us. Whether they have, or have not, a common source, and points of contact preordained in the nature of things, whether intelligence has an independent existence of its own, or is only a property or an effect, or even whether it is (as some assume it to be) an emanation of the Divinity, are points about which we know nothing.» — y la abstención que declara sobre el origen y la conexión de materia e inteligencia, incluida la hipótesis de la emanación divina que atribuye a otros

«Matter and intelligence appear to us to be distinct; and we therefore speak of them as being two constituent elements of the universe.» — el porqué de tratarlos como dos elementos, dicho como apariencia y no como tesis

«We see, above these, a higher intelligence which governs all things, and is distinguished from them all by essential attributes peculiar to it; it is this Supreme Intelligence that we call God.» — y la definición operativa de Dios con que cierra el comentario

«29. Is density an essential attribute of matter? “Yes, of matter as understood by you, but not of matter considered as the universal fluid. The ethereal and subtle matter which forms this fluid is imponderable for you, and yet it is none the less the principle of your ponderable matter.» — la pregunta 29 y la respuesta, que distingue la materia tal como se la entiende del fluido universal imponderable

«Density is a relative property. Beyond the sphere of attraction of the various globes of the universe, there is no such thing as “weight,” just as there is neither “up” nor “down.”» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace relativa la densidad y niega el peso y el arriba y abajo fuera de la esfera de atracción de los globos

«30. Is matter formed of one element or of several elements? “Of one primitive element. The bodies which you regard as simple are not really elementary; they are transformations of the primitive matter.» — la pregunta 30 y la respuesta, que niega que los cuerpos simples sean elementales

«31. Whence come the different properties of matter? “From the modifications undergone by the elementary molecules, as the result of their union and of the action of certain conditions.» — la pregunta 31 y la respuesta, que remite las propiedades a las modificaciones de las moléculas elementales

«32. According to this view of the subject, savors, odors, colors, sounds, the poisonous or salutary qualities of bodies, are only the result of modifications of one and the same primitive substance? “Yes, undoubtedly; and that only exist in virtue of the disposition of the organs destined to perceive them.» — la pregunta 32, sobre sabores, olores, colores y sonidos, y la respuesta, que los hace depender además de la disposición de los órganos que los perciben

«This principle is proved by the fact that the qualities of bodies are not perceived by all persons in the same manner. The same thing appears agreeable to the taste of one person, and disagreeable to that of another, what appears blue to one person appears red to another. That which is a poison for some, is wholesome for others.» — el comentario de Kardec, que ilustra esa dependencia con la discordancia de los gustos y de los colores entre personas

«33. Is the same elementary matter susceptible of undergoing all possible modifications and of acquiring all possible qualities? “Yes; and it is this fact which is implied in the saying that everything is in everything.» — la pregunta 33 y la respuesta, que la remite al dicho de que todo está en todo

«Oxygen, hydrogen, azote, carbon, and all the other bodies which we regard as simple, are only modifications of one primitive substance. But the impossibility, in which we have hitherto found ourselves, of arriving at this primitive matter otherwise than as an intellectual deduction, causes these bodies to appear to us to be really elementary and we may, therefore, without impropriety, continue for the present to regard them as such.» — el comentario de Kardec, que da los cuerpos simples por modificaciones de una sustancia primitiva y a la vez autoriza seguir tratándolos como elementales mientras esa materia no sea accesible sino por deducción

«– Does not this theory appear to bear out the opinion of those who admit only two essential properties in matter, namely, force and movement, and who regard all the other properties of matter as being merely secondary effects of these, varying according to the intensity of the force and the direction of the movement? “That opinion is correct. But you must also add, according to the mode of molecular arrangement; as you see exemplified, for instance, in an opaque body, that may become transparent, and vice versa.» — la subpregunta que trae la opinión de quienes reducen la materia a fuerza y movimiento, y la respuesta, que la concede y añade el modo de disposición molecular

«34. Have the molecules of matter a determinate form? “Those molecules undoubtedly have a form, but one which is not appreciable by your organs.» — la pregunta 34 y la respuesta, que afirma la forma y la declara inapreciable para los órganos humanos

«– Is that form constant or variable? “Constant for the primitive elementary molecules, but variable for the» — la subpregunta por la constancia de esa forma y el arranque de la respuesta; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«secondary molecules, which are themselves only agglomerations of the primary ones; for what you term a molecule is still very far from being the elementary molecule.» — el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que advierte que lo que se llama molécula dista mucho de ser la molécula elemental

«35. Is universal space infinite or limited? “Infinite. Suppose the existence of boundaries, what would there be beyond them? This consideration confounds human reason; and nevertheless your reason itself tells you that it cannot be otherwise. It is thus with the idea of infinity, under whatever aspect you consider it. The idea of infinity cannot be comprehended in your narrow sphere.» — la pregunta 35 y la respuesta, que afirma lo infinito por la pregunta de qué habría más allá de los límites y declara la idea incomprensible para la esfera humana

«If we imagine a limit to space, no matter how far off our thought may place this limit, our reason tells us that there must still be something beyond it and so on, step by step, until we arrive at the idea of infinity; for the “something beyond,” the existence of which is recognized by our thought as necessity, were it only an absolute void, would still be space.» — el comentario de Kardec, que reconstruye ese razonamiento paso a paso hasta el vacío absoluto, que seguiría siendo espacio

«36. Does an absolute void exist in any part of space? “No there is no void. What appears like a void to you is occupied by matter in a state in which it escapes the action of your senses and of your instruments.» — la pregunta 36 y la respuesta, que niega el vacío y lo llena de materia inaccesible a los sentidos y a los instrumentos

«The universe comprises the infinity of worlds, both of those we see and those we do not see all animate and inanimate beings all the stars that revolve in space, and all fluids with which space is filled.» — el comentario de Kardec que abre el capítulo de la creación, con el inventario de lo que comprende el universo

«37. Has the universe been created, or has it existed from all eternity, like God? “Assuredly the universe cannot have made itself; and if it had existed from all eternity, like God, it could not be the work of God.» — la pregunta 37 y la respuesta, que niega a la vez que el universo se haya hecho a sí mismo y que pueda ser eterno como Dios

«Reason tells us that the universe cannot have made itself, and that, as it could not be the work of chance, it must be the work of God.» — el comentario de Kardec, que descarta también el azar

«In the first place, the non-glamour of the object which mainly served as the basis of the earliest experimentations had something to do with this disdain.» — la primera causa que Kardec asigna al desdén científico, la falta de prestigio del objeto con que se experimentaba

«Without reflecting that the movement referred to might be communicated to any object, the idea of tables became associated with it in the general mind, doubtless because a table, being the most convenient object upon which to experiment, and also because people can place themselves round a table more conveniently than round any other piece of furniture, was generally employed in the experiments referred to.» — y por qué quedó asociado a la mesa, según él: por comodidad para experimentar y para sentarse alrededor, no por nada propio del fenómeno

«It is exactly the same in regard to the relations which we establish with spirits. If we would learn in their school, we must go through a complete course of teaching with them; but, as among ourselves, we must select our teachers, and work on with steadiness and assiduity.» — la aplicación que hace del símil del profesor a la relación con los espíritus, con la selección de maestros incluida

«he before whom all bowed their heads during the present life may then find himself beneath the humblest artisan, for, on quitting the earthly life, he leaves all his grandeur behind him; and the most powerful monarch may be lower than the lowest of his subjects.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la inversión de rangos al dejar la vida terrena, hasta el monarca más poderoso bajo el último de sus súbditos

«How, then, can we be sure that those who say they were, for example, Socrates Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Fénelon, Napoleon, Washington, etc., were really the men they claim to have been?» — la pregunta con que Kardec plantea el problema de la identidad, con la lista de nombres que el troceo imprime *Socrates Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, Fénelon, Napoleon, Washington*, sin coma tras el primero

«They admit the reality of the intervention and manifestation of spirits, but they ask themselves what certainty we can have of their identity?» — cómo formula la duda de esos adherentes, que aceptan la manifestación y preguntan por la identidad

«This certainty it is, in fact, very difficult to obtain; but though it cannot be settled as authentically as by the attestation of a civil register, it may, at least, be established presumptively, according to certain indications.» — y el estatuto que le concede a la respuesta, presunción por indicios y no certeza de registro civil

«When the spirit who manifests himself is that of some one personally known to us, of a relative or friend, for instance, and especially if of one who has been dead but a short time, it is generally found that his language is perfectly in keeping with what we know of his character; thus furnishing a strong presumption of his identity, which is placed almost beyond reach of doubt when the spirit speaks of private affairs, and refers to family matters known only to the party to whom he addresses himself.» — el primer indicio que propone, la conformidad del lenguaje con el carácter conocido del difunto y la referencia a asuntos privados de familia

«A son could hardly be mistaken as to the language of his father and mother, nor parents as to that of their child.» — y el caso doméstico con que lo ilustra

«Most striking incidents often occur in evocations of this intimate kind – things of a nature to convince the most incredulous. The most Skeptical are often astounded by the unexpected revelations thus made to them.» — lo que dice del efecto de esas evocaciones íntimas sobre los incrédulos; el troceo imprime *Skeptical* con mayúscula a media frase

«Another very characteristic circumstance often helps to establish a spirit’s identity. We have already said that the handwriting of the medium generally changes with the spirit evoked, the same writing being reproduced exactly every time the same spirit presents himself; and it often happens that, in the case of persons recently deceased this writing bears a striking resemblance to that of the person during life, the signatures, especially, being sometimes perfectly exact.» — el segundo indicio que propone, el parecido de la escritura del medium con la del difunto reciente y la exactitud de las firmas

«nevertheless, very far from adducing this fact as a rule, or as being of constant recurrence; we merely mention it as a point worthy of notice.» — y la reserva con que lo acota, que no lo presenta como regla ni como cosa constante

«Freed from matter, their language among themselves is as rapid as thought, for it is their thought itself that is communicated without intermediary; and it must therefore be very inconvenient for them to be obliged, in communicating with us, to make use of human speech, with its long and awkward forms, its insufficiencies and imperfections, as the vehicle of their ideas.» — cómo describe Kardec el lenguaje de los espíritus entre sí, pensamiento comunicado sin intermediario, y el estorbo que les supone el habla humana

«They often allude to this inconvenience; and it is curious to see the means they employ to obviate the difficulty.» — el dato de observación que añade, que ellos mismos aluden a ese estorbo

«The same difficulty is felt by the man of genius, impatient of the slowness of his pen, which always lags behind his thought.» — y el símil del hombre de genio impaciente con la lentitud de su pluma

«It is therefore easy to understand that spirits attach but little importance to questions of spelling, especially in the transmission of serious and weighty teachings. Should we not rather wonder that they are able to express themselves equally in all tongues, and that they understand them all?» — la consecuencia que saca sobre la ortografía de los espíritus, y el asombro que propone en su lugar, que se expresen en todas las lenguas

«insist too strongly upon it), that the somnambulist theory, and that which may be called the theory of reflection, have been devised by the imagination of men; while, on the contrary, the theory of spirit-agency is not a conception of the human mind, for it was dictated by the manifesting intelligences themselves, at a time when no one thought of spirits, and when the opinion of the generality of men was opposed to such a supposition.» — el argumento de origen con que Kardec cierra la discusión de las dos hipótesis rivales: las dos son invención humana, y la de la agencia de los espíritus la dictaron las inteligencias mismas cuando nadie pensaba en espíritus

«We have therefore to inquire, first, from what quarter the mediums can have derived a hypothesis which had no existence in the thought of anyone on earth? And, secondly, by what strange coincidence, can it have happened that tens of thousands of mediums, scattered over the entire globe, and utterly unknown to one another, all agree in asserting the same thing?» — y las dos preguntas que de ahí deriva, de dónde sacaron los mediums una hipótesis inexistente en el pensamiento de nadie y por qué coinciden decenas de miles de ellos

«38. How did God create the universe? “To borrow a well-known expression, by His will. Nothing can give a better idea of the action of that all-powerful will than those grand words of Genesis, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”» — la pregunta 38 y la respuesta, que remite a la voluntad divina y cita el Génesis dentro de sus propias comillas

«39. Can we know how worlds are formed? “All that can be said on this subject, within the limits of your comprehension, is this: Worlds are formed by the condensation of the matter disseminated in space.» — la pregunta 39 y la respuesta, que da la condensación de la materia difusa como formación de los mundos, con el límite de la comprensión humana declarado

«40. Are comets, as is now supposed, a commencement of condensation of the primitive matter – worlds in course of formation? “Yes; but it is absurd to believe in the influence attributed to them. I mean, the influence which is commonly attributed to them; for all the» — la pregunta 40, sobre los cometas como mundos en formación, y la respuesta, que lo concede y llama absurda la influencia que se les atribuye

«41. Is it possible for a completely formed world to disappear, and for the matter of which it is composed to be again disseminated in space? “Yes. God renews worlds as He renews the living beings that inhabit them.» — la pregunta 41 y la respuesta, que iguala la renovación de los mundos a la de los seres vivos

«42. Can we know the length of time employed in the formation of worlds – of the earth, for instance? “This is a matter in regard to which I can tell you nothing, for it is only known to the Creator; and foolish indeed would he be who should pretend to possess such knowledge, or to number the ages of such a formation.» — la pregunta 42 y la respuesta, que declara el dato reservado al Creador y llama necio a quien pretenda numerar esas edades

«43. When did the earth begin to be peopled? “In the beginning all was chaos; the elements were mixed up in a state of confusion. Gradually those elements settled into their proper places, and then appeared the orders of living beings appropriate to the successive states of the globe.» — la pregunta 43 y la respuesta, que hace aparecer los órdenes de seres vivos según los estados sucesivos del globo

«44. Whence came the living beings that appeared upon the earth? “The germs of these were contained in the earth itself, awaiting the favorable moment for their development. The organic principles came together on the cessation of the force which held them asunder, and those principles formed the germs of all the living beings that have peopled the earth. Those germs remained latent and inert, like the chrysalis and the seed of plants, until the arrival of the proper moment for the vivification of each species. The beings of each species then came together and multiplied.» — la pregunta 44 y la respuesta, que pone los gérmenes en la tierra misma, latentes como la crisálida y la semilla hasta el momento de la vivificación de cada especie

«45. Where were the organic elements before the formation of the earth? “They existed, so to say in the fluidic state, in space, in the midst of the spirits, or in other planets, awaiting the creation of the earth in order to begin a new existence on a new globe.» — la pregunta 45 y la respuesta, que sitúa los elementos orgánicos en estado fluídico en el espacio o en otros planetas

«Chemistry shows us the molecules of inorganic bodies uniting to produce crystals of regular forms that are invariable for each species, as soon as those molecules find themselves in the conditions necessary to their combination. The slightest disturbance of those conditions suffices to prevent the union of the material elements, or, at least, to prevent the regular arrangement of the latter which constitutes the crystal.» — el comentario de Kardec, que toma de la química el modelo de la cristalización sujeta a condiciones

«Why should not the same action take place among the organic elements? We preserve for years the seeds of plants and of animals, which are only vivified at a certain temperature and under certain conditions: grains of wheat have been seen to germinate after the lapse of centuries.» — la analogía que propone con los elementos orgánicos, y el dato de los granos de trigo germinados tras siglos

«There is, then, in seeds a latent principle of vitality, which only awaits the concourse of favorable circumstances to develop itself. May not that which takes place under our eyes every day have also taken place at the origin of the globe?» — la inferencia que saca del principio latente de vitalidad hacia el origen del globo

«Does this view of the formation of living beings brought forth out of chaos by the action of the forces of nature itself detract in any way from the glory of God? So far from doing this, the view of creation thus presented to us is more consonant than any other with our sense of the vastness of His power exerting its sway over all the worlds of infinity through the action of universal laws.» — la objeción teológica que se plantea y su respuesta, que tiene esa visión por más acorde con la vastedad del poder divino

«This theory, it is true, does not solve the problem of the origin of the vital elements, but nature has mysteries which it is as yet impossible for us to explain.» — y el límite que él mismo pone a esa teoría, que no resuelve el origen de los elementos vitales

«46. Do any living beings come into existence spontaneously at the present day? “Yes; but the primal germs of these already existed in a latent state. You are constantly witnesses of this phenomenon. Do not the tissues of the human body and of animals contain the germs of a multitude of parasites that only await for their development the occurrence of the putrid fermentation necessary to their life? Each of you contains a slumbering world of microscopic beings in process of creation.» — la pregunta 46 y la respuesta, que concede la generación espontánea remitiéndola a gérmenes previos y pone el ejemplo de los parásitos y del mundo microscópico en cada cuerpo

«47. Was the human species among the organic elements contained in the terrestrial globe? “Yes; and it made its appearance at the time appointed by the Creator. Hence the statement that man was ‘formed out of the dust of the ground.’”» — la pregunta 47 y la respuesta, que la afirma y cita entre comillas simples la fórmula bíblica del polvo de la tierra

«48. Can we ascertain the epoch of the appearance of man and of the other living beings on the earth? “No; all your calculations are chimerical.» — la pregunta 48 y la respuesta, que niega la posibilidad y llama quiméricos los cálculos

«50. Did the human race begin with one man only? “No; he whom you call Adam was neither the first nor the only man who peopled the earth.» — la pregunta 50 y la respuesta, que niega el origen en un solo hombre y a Adán la primacía y la exclusividad

«51. Is it possible to know at what period Adam lived? “About the period which you assign to him, that is to say, about 4000 years before Christ.» — la pregunta 51 y la respuesta, que acepta la fecha corriente de unos cuatro mil años antes de Cristo

«The man of whom, under the name of Adam, tradition has preserved the memory, was one of those who, in some one of the countries of the globe, survived one of the great cataclysms which at various epochs have changed its surface, and who became the founder of one of the races that people the earth at the present day.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace de Adán un superviviente de un cataclismo y fundador de una de las razas

«The laws of nature render it impossible that the amount of progress which we know to have been accomplished by the human race of our planet long before the time of Christ could have been accomplished so rapidly as must have been the case if it had only been in existence upon the globe since the period assigned as the date of Adam.» — y el argumento que da, la imposibilidad de acumular en ese plazo el progreso conocido antes de Cristo

«The opinion most consonant with reason is that which regards the story of Adam as a myth, or as an allegory personifying the earliest ages of the world» — la lectura que declara más conforme a la razón, la historia de Adán como mito o alegoría de las primeras edades del mundo

«52. What is the cause of the physical and moral differences that distinguish the various races of men upon the earth? “Climate, modes of life, and social habits. The same differences would be produced in the case of two children of the same mother, if brought up far from one another, and surrounded by different influences and conditions; for the children thus diversely brought up would present no moral resemblance to each other.» — la pregunta 52 y la respuesta, que atribuye las diferencias de raza al clima, los modos de vida y los hábitos sociales, con el ejemplo de dos hermanos criados aparte

«– Do these differences constitute distinct species? “Certainly not. All of them constitute but a single family. Do the differences between the varieties of the same fruit prevent their all belonging to the same species.» — la subpregunta por las especies y la respuesta, que lo niega y las reúne en una sola familia con el símil de las variedades de un fruto

«54. If the human species do not all proceed from the same progenitor, should they, on that account, cease to regard one another as brothers? “All men are brothers in virtue of their common relation to the Creator, because they are animated by the same spirit, and tend towards the same goal. The human mind is always prone to attach too literal a meaning to statements which are necessarily imperfect and incomplete.» — la pregunta 54 y la respuesta, que funda la fraternidad en la relación común con el Creador y advierte contra la lectura demasiado literal de enunciados imperfectos

«55. Are all the globes that revolve in space inhabited? “Yes; and the people of the earth are far from being, as you suppose, the first in intelligence, goodness, and general development. There are many men having a high opinion of themselves who even imagine that your little globe alone, of all the countless myriads of globes around you, has the privilege of being inhabited by reasoning beings. They fancy that God has created the universe only for them. Insensate vanity!» — la pregunta 55 y la respuesta, que afirma la habitación universal y niega a los hombres de la tierra la primacía en inteligencia y bondad

«God has peopled the globes of the universe with living beings, all of whom concur in working out the aims of His providence. To believe that the presence of living beings is confined to the one point of the universe inhabited by us is to cast a doubt on the wisdom of God, who has made nothing in vain, and who must therefore have assigned to all the other globes of the universe a destination more important than that of gratifying our eyes with the spectacle of a starry night.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace de la creencia contraria una duda sobre la sabiduría de Dios

«Moreover, there is nothing in the position, size, or physical constitution of the earth to warrant the supposition that it alone, of the countless myriads of globes disseminated throughout the infinity of space, has the privilege of being inhabited.» — y el argumento por la posición y el tamaño de la tierra, que no la señalan como única habitada

«56. Is the physical constitution of all globes the same? “No; they do not at all resemble one another.» — la pregunta 56 y la respuesta, que niega la semejanza entre los globos

«57. The physical constitution of the various worlds not being the same for all does it follow that the beings who inhabit them have different organizations? “Undoubtedly it does; just as, in your world, fishes are organized for living in the water, and birds for living in the air.» — la pregunta 57 y la respuesta, que deduce organizaciones distintas con el símil de los peces y las aves

«58. Are the planets furthest removed from the sun stinted in light and heat, the sun only appearing to them of the size of one of the fixed stars? “Do you suppose that there are no other sources of light and heat than the sun? And do you count for nothing the action of electricity which, in certain worlds, plays a very much more important part than in your earth? Besides, how do you know that the beings of those worlds see in the same manner as you do, and with the aid of organs such as yours?» — la pregunta 58, sobre los planetas lejanos del sol, y la respuesta, que invoca otras fuentes de luz y calor, la electricidad, y pone en duda que se vea allá con órganos como los humanos

«The conditions of existence for the beings that inhabit the various worlds must be supposed to be appropriate to the sphere in which they are destined to live. If we had never seen fishes, we should be at a loss to understand how any living beings could exist in the sea.» — el comentario de Kardec, con el símil de los peces para quien nunca los hubiera visto

«In our own earth, are not the long polar nights illumined by the electrical displays of the aurora borealis? Is it impossible that. In certain worlds, electricity may be more abundant than in ours, and may sub serve, in its general economy, various important uses not imaginable by us? And may not those worlds contain in themselves the sources of the heat and light required by their inhabitants?» — y las preguntas con que extiende esa conjetura desde la aurora boreal a la economía general de otros mundos

«59. The different nations of the earth have formed to themselves widely divergent ideas of the creation; ideas always in harmony with their degree of scientific advancement. Reason and science concur in admitting the fantastic character of certain theories. The explanation of the subject now given through spirit communication is confirmatory of the opinion which has long been adopted by the most enlightened exponents of modern science.» — el pasaje numerado 59, que en el impreso no es pregunta sino exposición de Kardec: las naciones se han hecho ideas divergentes de la creación según su adelanto científico, y la explicación dada por comunicación espírita concuerda con la ciencia moderna más ilustrada

«heavenly bodies have their share of influence in the production» — el cierre de la respuesta a la pregunta 40, que sí concede a los cuerpos celestes su parte de influencia; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *of certain physical phenomena*

«49. If the germs of the human race were among the organic elements of the globe, why are human beings not produced spontaneously at the present day, as they were at the time of its origin? “The first beginning of things is hidden from us, nevertheless, it may» — la pregunta 49, sobre por qué no siguen produciéndose hombres espontáneamente, y el arranque de la respuesta, que declara oculto el primer comienzo de las cosas; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«be asserted that the earliest progenitors of the human race, when once brought into existence, absorbed in themselves the elements necessary to their formation in order to transmit those elements according to the laws of reproduction. The same may be said in regard to all the different species of living beings.» — el resto de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, con la absorción de los elementos por los primeros progenitores y su transmisión por las leyes de la reproducción

«53. Did the human race come into existence on various points of the globe? “Yes, and at various epochs; and this is one of the causes of the» — la pregunta 53 y el arranque de la respuesta, que afirma orígenes múltiples en lugar y en tiempo; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«diversity of human races. The people of the primitive periods, being dispersed abroad in different climates, and forming alliances with those of other countries than their own, gave rise perpetually to new types of humanity.» — el resto de esa respuesta, que hace de las alianzas entre pueblos dispersos una fuente perpetua de tipos nuevos

«This explanation will no doubt be objected to, on the ground that it is in contradiction with the statements of the Bible; but a careful examination of those statements shows us that this contradiction is more apparent than real, and that it results from the interpretation which has been given to expressions whose meaning is allegorical rather than historical.» — la objeción bíblica que Kardec se plantea y la salida que propone, que la contradicción es más aparente que real y viene de leer como histórico lo que es alegórico

«The question of the personality of Adam, regarded as the first man, and sole progenitor of the human race, is not the only one in regard to which the religious convictions of the world have necessarily» — el precedente que invoca para esa lectura, que la personalidad de Adán no es el único punto en que las convicciones religiosas hubieron de modificarse; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«undergone modification. The hypothesis of the rotation of the earth round the sun appeared, at one time, to be in such utter opposition to the letter of the Bible, that every species of persecution was directed against it, and against those who advocated it. Yet the earth continued to move on in its orbit in defiance of anathemas; and no one, at the present day, could contest the fact of its movement without doing violence to his own powers of reasoning.» — el ejemplo con que lo ilustra, la persecución de la hipótesis del movimiento de la tierra y su aceptación posterior

«The Bible also tells us that the world was created in six days, and fixes the epoch of this creation at about 4000 years before the Christian era. Previously to that period the earth did not exist. At that period it was produced out of nothing. Such is the formal declaration of the sacred text, yet science, positive, inexorable steps in with proof to the contrary.» — el segundo ejemplo, la creación en seis días y la fecha de unos cuatro mil años antes de la era cristiana, contra los que opone la ciencia positiva

«The history of the formation of the globe is written in indestructible characters in the worlds of fossils, proving beyond the possibility of denial that the six days of the creation are successive periods, each of which may have been of millions of ages.» — la prueba que alega, el registro fósil, y la lectura que propone de los seis días como períodos sucesivos

«This is not a mere matter of statement or of opinion. It is a fact as incontestably certain as is the motion of the earth, and one that theology itself can no longer refuse to admit, although this admission furnishes another example of the errors into which we are led by attributing literal truth to language which is often of a figurative nature.» — el estatuto que le da a esa lectura y el error general que le imputa a la lectura literal de un lenguaje figurado

«Are we therefore to conclude that the Bible is a mere tissue of errors? No; but we must admit that men have erred in their method of interpreting it.» — la objeción extrema que se plantea y su respuesta, que traslada el error del texto al método de interpretarlo

«Geology, in its study of the archives written in the structure of the globe itself, has ascertained the order of succession in which the different species of living beings have appeared on its surface, and this order is found to be in accordance with the sequence indicated in the book of Genesis, with this difference, namely, that the earth, instead of issuing miraculously from the hand of God in the course of a few days, accomplished its formation under the impulsion of the Divine will, but according to the laws and through the action of the forces of nature, in the course of periods incalculable by us.» — la concordancia que sostiene entre la sucesión geológica de las especies y la secuencia del Génesis, con la diferencia del tiempo y del modo

«Does God appear less great and less powerful for having accomplished the work of creation through the action of forces, and according to laws, of His own ordaining? And is the result of the creative energy less sublime for not having been accomplished instantaneously?» — las dos preguntas con que responde a la objeción teológica de la creación por leyes

«Modern science, in accordance with the Mosaic record, proves that man was the last in the order of creation of living beings. But Moses puts the universal deluge at the year of the world 1654, while geology seems to show that the great diluvian cataclysm occurred before the appearance of man, because, up to the present time, the primitive strata contain no traces of his presence, or of that of the animals contemporaneous with him.» — la coincidencia que consigna entre la ciencia moderna y el relato mosaico sobre el orden del hombre, y la discrepancia sobre la fecha del diluvio

«But this point is far from being decided. Various recent discoveries suggest the possibility of our being destined to ascertain that the antiquity of the human race is much greater than has been hitherto supposed; and should this greater antiquity become a matter of certainty, it would prove that the letter of the Bible, in regard to the date assigned by it to the creation of man, as in regard to so many other matters, can only be understood in an allegorical sense.» — la reserva con que deja abierta esa discrepancia, y lo que se seguiría de probarse mayor antigüedad del hombre

«That the geological deluge is not that of Noah is evident from the lapse of time required for the formation of the fossiliferous strata; and, if traces should eventually be discovered of the existence of the human race before the geological deluge, it would be evident either that Adam was not the first man, or that his creation dates back from a period indefinitely remote.» — la distinción que sostiene entre el diluvio geológico y el de Noé, y la alternativa que dejaría abierta

«There is no arguing against fact; and the antiquity of the human race, if proved by geological discovery, would have to be admitted, just as has been done in regard to the movement of the earth and the six days of the creation.» — la regla que enuncia sobre los hechos, con los dos precedentes ya citados

«The existence of the human race before the geological deluge, it may be objected, is still doubtful. But the same objection cannot be urged against the following considerations:– Admitting that man first appeared upon the earth 4000 years before Christ, if the whole of the human race, with the exception of a single family, were destroyed 1650 years afterwards, it follows that the peopling of the earth dates only from the time of Noah, that is to say, only 2500 years before Christ.» — el cálculo con que arma su argumento demográfico, que dataría el poblamiento en Noé, hacia el año 2500 antes de Cristo

«But when the Hebrews emigrated to Egypt in the eighteenth century before Christ, they found that country densely populated, and already in possession of an advanced civilization. History also shows that, at the same period, India and various other countries were equally populous and flourishing, to say nothing of the chronological tables of other nations, which claim to go back to periods yet more remote.» — y los datos que opone a ese cálculo: Egipto densamente poblado y civilizado en el siglo XVIII antes de Cristo, y lo mismo la India y otros países

«The diversity of the various human races confirms this view of the subject. Climate and modes of life undoubtedly modify the physical characteristics of mankind, but we know the extent to which these modifications can be carried, and physiological examination conclusively proves that there are between the different races of men constitutional differences too profound to have been produced merely by differences of climate.» — el segundo argumento que aduce, las diferencias constitucionales entre razas, demasiado profundas para el solo clima

«The crossing of races produces intermediary types; it tends to efface the extremes of characteristic peculiarities; but it does not produce these peculiarities, and, therefore, creates only new varieties.» — lo que atribuye al cruce de razas, variedades nuevas y no peculiaridades nuevas

«But the crossing of races presupposes the existence of races distinct from each other; and how is the existence of these to be explained if we attribute their origin to a common stock especially if we restrict the production of these various races to so brief a period?» — y la pregunta que de ahí saca contra el tronco común en plazo breve

«How is it possible to suppose, for example, that the descendants of Noah could have been, in so short a time, transformed into Ethiopians? Such a metamorphosis would be as inadmissible as that of a wolf into a sheep, of a beetle into an elephant, of a bird into a fish.» — el caso extremo con que lo ilustra, con tres símiles zoológicos

«No preconceived opinion can withstand, in the long run, the evidence of opposing facts.» — la regla que enuncia sobre las opiniones preconcebidas y los hechos

«But, on the contrary, all difficulty disappears if we assume that man existed at a period anterior to that which has hitherto been commonly assigned to his creation; that Adam commenced, some 6000 years ago, the peopling of a country until then uninhabited; that the deluge of Noah was a local catastrophe, erroneously confounded with the great geological cataclysm; and, finally, if we make due allowance for the allegorical form of expression characteristic of the Oriental style, and common to the sacred books of every people.» — las cuatro suposiciones con que dice disolver la dificultad, incluida la del diluvio de Noé como catástrofe local y la del estilo alegórico oriental

«It is unwise to insist upon a literal interpretation of figurative statements of which the inaccuracy may, at any moment, be rendered evident by the progress of scientific discovery; but the fundamental propositions of religion, so far from having anything to fear from the discoveries of science, are strengthened and ennobled by being brought into harmony with those discoveries.» — la advertencia con que cierra el capítulo, contra la lectura literal de lo figurado, y lo que espera de la armonía entre religión y ciencia

«And it is only when the religious sentiment shall have been enlightened by its union with scientific truth that religious belief, thus rendered invulnerable to the attacks of skepticism, will take the place of skepticism in the minds and hearts of men.» — y la condición que pone para que la creencia religiosa se haga invulnerable al escepticismo

«Organic beings are those which have in themselves a source of activity that produces the phenomena of life. They are born, grow, reproduce their own species, and die. They are provided with organs specially adapted to the accomplishment of the different acts of their life, to the satisfaction of their needs, and to their preservation. They include men, animals, and plants.» — la definición de ser orgánico que da el comentario de Kardec al abrir el capítulo del principio vital

«Inorganic beings are those which possess neither vitality nor the power of spontaneous movement, and are formed by the mere aggregation of matter; as minerals, water, air» — y la de ser inorgánico, por agregación de materia y sin movimiento espontáneo

«60. Is the force which unites the elements of matter in organic and inorganic bodies the same? “Yes; the law of attraction is the same for all.» — la pregunta 60 y la respuesta, que iguala la ley de atracción para lo orgánico y lo inorgánico

«61. Is there any difference between the matter of organic and inorganic bodies? “The matter of both classes of bodies is the same, but in organic bodies it is animalized.» — la pregunta 61 y la respuesta, que hace la materia una y la declara animalizada en los cuerpos orgánicos

«62. What is the cause of the cannibalization of matter? “Its union with the vital principle.» — la pregunta 62 y la respuesta, que remite esa animalización a la unión con el principio vital; el troceo imprime *cannibalization* donde la respuesta anterior y el sentido piden *animalization*

«63. Does the vital principle reside in a special agent, or is it only a property of organized matter; in other words, is it an effect or a cause? “It is both. Life is an effect produced by the action of an agent upon matter; this agent, without matter, is not life, just as matter cannot become alive without this agent. It gives life to all beings that absorb and assimilate it.» — la pregunta 63, que plantea la alternativa entre causa y efecto, y la respuesta, que responde las dos cosas y hace de la vida un efecto de la acción de un agente sobre la materia

«64. We have seen that spirit and matter are two constituent elements of the universe. Does the vital principle constitute a third element? “It is, undoubtedly, one of the elements necessary to the constitution of the universe; but it has its source in a special modification of the universal matter, modified to that end. For you, it is an elementary body, like oxygen or hydrogen, which, nevertheless, are not primitive elements; for all the bodies known to you, though appearing to you to be simple, are modifications of the primal fluid.» — la pregunta 64, sobre si el principio vital es un tercer elemento, y la respuesta, que lo hace necesario y a la vez lo deriva de una modificación especial de la materia universal

«– This statement seems to imply that vitality is not due to a distinct primitive agent, but is a special property of the universal matter resulting from certain modifications of the latter “Your conclusion is the natural consequence of what we have stated.» — la subpregunta que saca de ahí la conclusión, y la respuesta, que la sanciona

«65. Does the vital principle reside in any one of the bodies known to us? “It has its source in the universal fluid; it is what you call the magnetic fluid, or the electric fluid, animalized. It is the intermediary, the link between spirit and matter.» — la pregunta 65 y la respuesta, que hace del principio vital el fluido universal animalizado e intermediario entre espíritu y materia

«66. Is the vital principle the same for all organic beings? “Yes; but modified according to species. It is that principle which gives them the power of originating movement and activity, and» — la pregunta 66 y el arranque de la respuesta, que lo declara uno y modificado según la especie; el troceo corta en el límite de sus tramos dentro de la misma plana

«distinguishes them from inert matter; for the movement of matter is not spontaneous. Matter is moved; it does not originate movement.» — el cierre de esa respuesta, que niega a la materia el movimiento espontáneo

«67. Is vitality a permanent attribute of the vital principle, or is vitality only developed by the play of the organs in which it is manifested? “It is only developed in connection with a body. Have we not said that this agent, without matter, is not life? The union of the two is necessary to the production of life.» — la pregunta 67 y la respuesta, que hace de la vitalidad algo que solo se desarrolla en unión con un cuerpo

«– Would it be correct to say that vitality is latent when the vital agent is not united with a body? “Yes; that is the case.» — la subpregunta por la latencia del agente vital y la respuesta, que la concede

«The totality of the organs of a body constitutes a sort of mechanism which receives its impulsion from the active or vital principle that resides in them. The vital principle is the motive power of organized bodies. And while the vital principle gives impulsion to the organs in which it resides, the play of those organs develops and keeps up the activity of the vital principle, somewhat as friction develops heat.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace del principio vital la potencia motriz del cuerpo y describe la reciprocidad entre órganos y principio con el símil del frotamiento y el calor

«Science, so far from diminishing the glory of the Divine action, displays that action under an aspect still more sublime, and more consonant with our intuitive sense of the power and majesty of God, by showing that it has been accomplished without derogation from the laws which are the» — la conclusión de Kardec sobre la relación entre ciencia y acción divina; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *expression of the Divine will in the realm of nature*

«We must, therefore, suppose that, from the twenty-fourth to the eighteenth century before Christ, that is to say, in the space of 600 years, the posterity of a single individual was able to people all the immense countries which had then been discovered, not to speak of those which were then unknown, but which we have no reason to conclude were destitute of inhabitants; and we must suppose, still further, that the human race, during this brief period, was able to» — la consecuencia que Kardec declara insostenible, que la posteridad de un solo hombre poblara en seiscientos años esos países; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«raise itself from the crass ignorance of the primitive savage state to the highest degree of intellectual development – suppositions utterly irreconcilable with anthropological laws.» — y el cierre de esa consecuencia en la plana siguiente, con el salto del salvajismo al más alto desarrollo intelectual

«68. What is the cause of the death of organic beings? “The exhaustion of their bodily organs.» — la pregunta 68 y la respuesta, que pone la causa de la muerte en el agotamiento de los órganos

«– Would it be correct to compare death to the cessation of movement in a machine that had got out of gear? “Yes; when the machine gets out of order, its action ceases. When the body falls ill, life withdraws from it.» — la subpregunta con el símil de la máquina descompuesta y la respuesta, que lo acepta

«69. Why is death caused more certainly by a lesion of the heart than by that of any other organ? “The heart is a life-making machine. But the heart is not the only organ of which the lesion causes death; it is only one of the wheels essential to the working of the machine.» — la pregunta 69 y la respuesta, que llama al corazón máquina de hacer vida y niega que sea el único órgano cuya lesión mata

«70. What becomes of the matter and the vital principle of organic beings after their death? “The inert matter is decomposed, and serves to form other bodies; the vital principle returns to the general mass of the universal fluid.» — la pregunta 70 y la respuesta, que devuelve la materia inerte a otros cuerpos y el principio vital a la masa general del fluido universal

«On the death of an organic being, the elements of which its body was composed undergo new combinations that form new beings. These, in their turn, draw the principle of life and activity from the universal source they absorb and assimilate it, and restore it again to that source when they cease to exist.» — el comentario de Kardec, que describe ese ciclo como préstamo y restitución del principio de vida

«The organs of organic beings are, so to say, impregnated with the vital fluid. This fluid gives to every part of an organized being the activity which brings its parts into union after certain lesions, and reestablishes functions that have been temporarily suspended. But when the elements essential to the play of the organism have been destroyed, or too deeply injured, the vital fluid is powerless to transmit to them the movement which constitutes life, and the being dies.» — y lo que atribuye al fluido vital, la reunión de las partes tras las lesiones y su impotencia cuando los elementos esenciales quedan destruidos

«The organs of a body necessarily react, more or less powerfully upon one another their reciprocity of action results from their harmony among themselves. When from any cause this harmony is destroyed, their functions cease just as a piece of machinery comes to a standstill when the essential portions of its mechanism get out of order, or as a clock stops when its works are worn out by use, accidentally broken, so that the spring is no longer able to keep it going.» — el símil del mecanismo y del reloj con que explica el cese de las funciones al romperse la armonía entre los órganos

«We have an image of life and death still more exact in the electric battery. The battery, like all natural bodies, contains electricity in a latent state; but the electrical phenomena are only manifested when the fluid is set in motion by a special cause. When this movement is super induced, the battery may be said to become alive; but» — el símil que declara más exacto, el de la pila eléctrica con su fluido latente; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«when the cause of the electrical activity ceases, the phenomena cease to occur, and the battery relapses into a state of inertia. Organic bodies may thus be said to be a sort of electric battery, in which the movement of the fluid produces the phenomena of life, and in which the cessation of that movement produces death.» — el cierre de ese símil en la plana siguiente, con el cuerpo orgánico como una suerte de pila eléctrica

«The quantity of vital fluid present in organic beings is not the same in all; it varies in the various species of living beings, and is not constantly the same, either in the same individual or in the individuals of the same species. There are some which may be said to be saturated with it, and others in which it exists in very small proportions. Hence certain species are endowed with a more active and more tenacious life, resulting from the superabundance of the vital fluid present in their organism.» — la desigualdad de fluido vital que consigna entre especies e individuos, y la vida más tenaz que de ahí deriva

«The amount of vital fluid contained in a given organism may be exhausted, and may thus become insufficient for the maintenance of life, unless it be renewed by the absorption and assimilation of the substances in which that fluid resides.» — y la posibilidad de agotarlo, con la renovación por absorción y asimilación

«The vital fluid may be transmitted by one individual to another individual. An organization in which it exists more abundantly may impart it to another in which it is deficient; and may thus, in certain cases, rekindle the vital flame when on the point of being extinguished.» — la transmisión de fluido vital de un individuo a otro que Kardec consigna, con la reanimación de la llama vital como caso límite

«71. Is intelligence an attribute of the vital principle? “No; for the plants live and do not think; they have only organic life. Intelligence and matter are independent of one another; for a body may live without intelligence; but intelligence can only manifest itself by means of material organs. Animalized matter can only be rendered intelligent by its union with spirit.» — la pregunta 71 y la respuesta, que separa inteligencia y materia con el ejemplo de las plantas y condiciona la manifestación de aquella a órganos materiales

«Intelligence is a faculty which is proper to certain classes of organic beings, and which gives to these the power to think, the will to act, the consciousness of their existence and individuality, and the means of establishing relations with the external world and providing for the needs of their special mode of existence.» — la definición de inteligencia que da el comentario de Kardec, por las facultades que confiere

«We may therefore distinguish: 1st, Inanimate beings, formed of matter alone, without life or intelligence the bodies of the mineral world; 2nd, Animated non-thinking beings, formed of matter and endowed with vitality, but without intelligence; 3rd, Animated and thinking beings, formed of matter, endowed with vitality, and possessed of an intelligent principle which gives them the faculty of thought.» — y la clasificación en tres órdenes con que la ordena, de los cuerpos minerales a los seres animados y pensantes

«72. What is the source of intelligence? “We have already told you: the universal intelligence.» — la pregunta 72 y la respuesta, que remite a la inteligencia universal ya declarada

«73. Is instinct independent of intelligence? “No, not precisely so, for it is a species of intelligence. Instinct is an unreasoning intelligence, by means of which the lower orders of beings provide for their wants.» — la pregunta 73 y la respuesta, que hace del instinto una inteligencia sin razonamiento

«74. Is it possible to establish a line of demarcation between instinct and intelligence; that is, to say, to define precisely where the one ends and the other begins? “No, for they often blend into one another. But the actions which belong to instinct and those which belong to intelligence are easily distinguished.» — la pregunta 74 y la respuesta, que niega la línea divisoria y a la vez declara distinguibles los actos de cada uno

«75. Is it correct to say that the instinctive faculties diminish in proportion with the growth of the intellectual faculties? “No; instinct always continues to exist, but man neglects it. Instinct, as well as reason, may lead us in the right direction. Its guidance almost always makes itself felt, and sometimes more surely than that of reason. It never goes astray.» — la pregunta 75 y la respuesta, que niega esa disminución, dice que el hombre descuida el instinto y le atribuye una guía a veces más segura que la razón

«– Why is it that reason is not always an infallible guide? “It would be infallible if it were not perverted by a false education, by pride, and by selfishness. Instinct does not reason. Reason leaves freedom to choice, and gives man free-will.» — la subpregunta por la falibilidad de la razón y la respuesta, que la achaca a la mala educación, al orgullo y al egoísmo, y liga la razón al libre albedrío

«Instinct is a rudimentary intelligence, differing from intelligence properly so called in this particular, namely, that its manifestations are almost always spontaneous, whereas those of intelligence are the result of combination and of deliberation.» — el comentario de Kardec, que distingue los dos por la espontaneidad de uno y la deliberación del otro

«The manifestations of instinct vary according to the differences of species and of their needs. In beings that possess self-consciousness and the perception of things external to themselves, it is allied to intelligence, that is to say, to freedom of will and of action.» — y lo que dice de la variación del instinto por especies y de su alianza con la inteligencia donde hay consciencia de sí

«– Would it be correct to say that every intelligent being draws a portion of» — la subpregunta que propone para la inteligencia el mismo símil de absorción que para la vida material; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *intelligence from the universal source*

«intelligence from the universal source, and assimilates it as it draws and assimilates the principle of material life? “Such a comparison would be far from exact, for intelligence is a faculty that is proper to each being, and constitutes its moral individuality. Besides, we have told you that there are things which man is unable to fathom; and this, for the present, is one of them.» — el cierre de esa subpregunta y la respuesta, que rechaza el símil por inexacto, hace de la inteligencia individualidad moral propia y declara el punto fuera del alcance humano por ahora

«76. What definition can be given of spirits? “Spirits may be defined as the intelligent beings of the creation. They constitute the population of the universe, in contradistinction to the forms of the material world.» — la pregunta 76, con que abre el Libro Segundo, y la respuesta, que define a los espíritus como los seres inteligentes de la creación y población del universo

«NOTE. The word spirit is here employed to designate the individuality of extra-corporeal beings, and not the universal intelligent element.» — la nota que Kardec intercala en el impreso para acotar el uso de *spirit* a la individualidad extracorporal y no al elemento inteligente universal

«77. Are spirits beings distinct from the Deity, or are they only emanations from or portions of the Deity, and called, for that reason, “sons” or “children” of God? “Spirits are the work of God, just as a machine is the work of the mechanic who made it: the machine is the man’s work, but it is not the man. You know that when a man has made a fine or useful thing, he calls it his ‘child’ – his ‘creation.’ It is thus with us in relation to God. We are His children in this sense, because we are His work.» — la pregunta 77, sobre la emanación divina, y la respuesta, que niega la emanación con el símil de la máquina y su artífice y explica el sentido de llamarlos hijos

«78. Have spirits had a beginning, or have they existed, like God, from all eternity? “If spirits had not had a beginning, they would be equal with God; whereas they are His creation, and subject to His will. That God has existed from all eternity is incontestable; but as to when and how He created us, we know nothing. You may say that we have had no beginning in this sense, that, God being eternal, He must have incessantly created. But as to when and how each of us was made, this, I repeat, is known to no one. It is the great mystery.» — la pregunta 78 y la respuesta, que niega la eternidad de los espíritus por no igualarlos a Dios y a la vez declara desconocido el cuándo y el cómo de su creación

«79. Since there are two general elements in the universe, namely, the intelligent element and the material element, would it be correct to say that spirits are formed from the intelligent element as inert bodies are formed from the material element? “It is evident that such is the case. Spirits are the individualization of the intelligent principle, as bodies are the individualization of the material principle. It is the epoch and mode of this formation that are unknown to us.» — la pregunta 79 y la respuesta, que hace de los espíritus la individualización del principio inteligente como los cuerpos lo son del material

«80. Is the creation of spirits always going on, or did it only take place at the beginning of time? “It is always going on, that is to say, God has never ceased to create.» — la pregunta 80 y la respuesta, que declara la creación continua

«81. Are spirits formed spontaneously, or do they proceed from one another? “God creates them as He creates all other creatures, by His will. But we must again repeat that their origin is a mystery.» — la pregunta 81 y la respuesta, que remite la formación a la voluntad divina y repite la reserva sobre el origen

«82. Is it correct to say that spirits are immaterial? “How is it possible to define a thing in regard to which no terms of comparison exist, and which your language is incompetent to express? Can one who is born blind define light? ‘Immaterial’ is not the right word; ‘incorporeal’ would be nearer the truth, for you must understand that a spirit, being a creation, must be something real. Spirit is quintessential matter,¹ but matter existing in a state which has no analogue within the circle of your comprehension, and so ethereal that it could not be perceived by your senses.» — la pregunta 82 y la respuesta, que rechaza el término *immaterial* por *incorporeal* y llama al espíritu materia quintaesenciada en un estado sin análogo para el hombre; el símil del ciego de nacimiento y la luz va dentro de la propia respuesta

«We say that spirits are immaterial, because their essence differs from everything that we know under the name of “matter.” A nation of blind people would have no terms for expressing light and its effects. One who is born blind imagines that the only modes of perception are hearing, smell, taste, and touch: he does not comprehend the other ideas that would be given him by the sense of sight which he lacks. So, in regard to the essence of superhuman beings, we are really blind. We can only define them by means of comparisons that are necessarily imperfect or by an effort of our imagination.» — el comentario de Kardec, que explica por qué se usa igualmente el término y desarrolla el símil del pueblo de ciegos

«83. Is there an end to the duration of spirits? We can understand that the principle from which they emanate should be eternal; but what we desire to know is, whether their individuality has a term, and whether, after a given lapse of time, longer or shorter, the element from which they are formed is» — la pregunta 83, sobre si la individualidad del espíritu tiene término; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«not disseminated, does not return to the mass from which they were produced, as is the case with material bodies? It is difficult to understand that what has had a beginning should not also have an end.» — el cierre de esa pregunta en la plana siguiente, con la dificultad que confiesa: cuesta entender que lo que tuvo principio no tenga fin

«“There are many things that you do not understand, because your intelligence is limited; but that is no reason for rejecting them. The child does not understand all that is understood by its father, nor does an ignorant man understand all that is understood by a learned one. We tell you that the existence of spirits has no end; that is all we can say on the subject at present.» — y la respuesta, que opone la limitación de la inteligencia humana con los símiles del niño y del ignorante, y se detiene en afirmar que la existencia de los espíritus no tiene fin

«84. Do spirits constitute a world apart from that which we see? “Yes; the world of spirits or incorporeal intelligences.» — la pregunta 84 y la respuesta, que afirma el mundo aparte de las inteligencias incorpóreas

«85. Which of the two, the spirit-world or the corporeal world, is the principal one in the order of the universe? “The spirit-world. It is pre-existent to, and survives, everything else.» — la pregunta 85 y la respuesta, que da la primacía al mundo espiritual

«86. Might the corporeal world never have existed, or cease to exist, without changing the essentiality of the spirit-world? “Yes; they are independent of each other, and yet their correlation is incessant, for they react incessantly upon each other.» — la pregunta 86 y la respuesta, que declara los dos mundos independientes y en correlación incesante

«87. Do spirits occupy a determinate and circumscribed region in space? “Spirits are everywhere; the infinitudes of space are peopled with them in infinite numbers. Unperceived by you, they are incessantly beside you, observing and acting upon you; for spirits are one of the powers of Nature, and are the instruments employed by God for the accomplishment of His providential designs. But all spirits do not go everywhere; there are regions of which the entrance is interdicted to those who are less advanced.» — la pregunta 87 y la respuesta, que los pone en todas partes como una de las potencias de la naturaleza y a la vez interdice ciertas regiones a los menos adelantados

«– Is this flame or spark of any color? “If you could see it, it would appear to you to vary from a dull gray to the brilliancy of the ruby, according to the degree of the spirit’s purity.» — la subpregunta por el color y la respuesta, que lo hace variar del gris apagado al brillo del rubí según la pureza

«Genii are usually represented with a flame or a star above their foreheads – a sort of allegorical allusion to the essential nature of spirits. The flame or star is placed upon the head because the head is the seat of intelligence.» — el comentario de Kardec, que lee la iconografía de los genios como alusión alegórica a esa naturaleza

«89. Do spirits employ any time in transporting themselves through space? “Yes; but their motion is as rapid as that of thought.» — la pregunta 89 y la respuesta, que iguala su movimiento a la rapidez del pensamiento

«– Is not thought the movement of the soul itself, a transportation of the soul itself to the place or the object thought of by it? “Wherever the thought is, there the soul is, since it is the soul that thinks. Thought is an attribute.» — la subpregunta que identifica pensamiento y traslado del alma, y la respuesta, que sitúa el alma donde está el pensamiento y llama a éste atributo

«90. When a spirit travels from one place to another, is he conscious of the distance he traverses and of the extent of space through which he passes; or is he suddenly transported to the place to which he wishes to go? “A spirit can travel in either way. He can, if he will, take cognizance of the distance he passes through, or he can rid himself entirely of the sense of distance. This depends on the spirit’s will, and also on his degree of purity.» — la pregunta 90 y la respuesta, que deja las dos modalidades de traslado a la voluntad y al grado de pureza del espíritu

«91. Does matter constitute an obstacle to the movement of a spirit? “No; spirits pass through everything; the air, the earth, water, fire even, are equally accessible to them.» — la pregunta 91 y la respuesta, que niega el obstáculo material

«92. Have spirits the gift of ubiquity? In other words, can a spirit divide itself, or exist at several points of space at the same time? “There can be no division of any given spirit; but every spirit is a center which radiates in all directions, and it is thus that a spirit may appear to be in several places at once. The sun is only one body, yet it radiates in all directions, and sends out its rays to great distances; but it is not divided.» — la pregunta 92 y la respuesta, que niega la división del espíritu y explica la ubicuidad por radiación, con el símil del sol

«– Have all spirits the same power of radiation? “There is a great difference between them in this respect: it depends on the degree of their purity.» — la subpregunta por la igualdad de esa radiación y la respuesta, que la hace depender del grado de pureza

«Each spirit is an indivisible unity, but each spirit has the power of extending his thought on all aides without thereby dividing himself. It is only in this sense that the gift of ubiquity attributed to spirits is to be understood. It is thus that a spark sends out its brightness far and wide, and may be perceived from every point of the horizon. It is thus, also, that a man, without changing his place, and without dividing himself, may transmit orders, signals, etc., to many distant points in many different directions.» — el comentario de Kardec, que acota en qué sentido se entiende la ubicuidad y la ilustra con la chispa y con el hombre que transmite órdenes a distancia; el troceo imprime *aides* donde el sentido pide *sides*

«93. Is the spirit, properly so called, without a covering, or is it, as some declare, surrounded by a substance of some kind? “The spirit is enveloped in a substance which would appear to you as mere vapor, but which, nevertheless, appears very gross to us, thought it is sufficiently vaporous to allow the spirit to float in the atmosphere, and to transport himself through space at pleasure.» — la pregunta 93 y la respuesta, que describe la envoltura como vapor grosero para los espíritus y bastante vaporoso para flotar; el troceo imprime *thought* donde el sentido pide *though*

«As the germ of a fruit is surrounded by the perisperm so the spirit, properly so called, is surrounded by an envelope which, by analogy, may be designated as the perispirit.» — el comentario de Kardec, que acuña el término *perispirit* por analogía con el perispermo del fruto

«94. Whence does the spirit draw its semi-material envelope? “From the universal fluid of each globe. For this reasons the perispirit is not the same in all globes. In passing from one globe to another, the spirit changes its envelope as you change a garment.» — la pregunta 94 y la respuesta, que saca el *perispirit* del fluido universal de cada globo y lo hace mudable con el símil de la vestidura

«– When spirits who inhabit worlds of a higher degree than ours come among us, are they obliged to take on a grosser order of perispirit? “Yes; they are obliged to clothe themselves with your matter in order to be able to enter your world.» — la subpregunta por los espíritus de mundos superiores y la respuesta, que los obliga a revestirse de la materia de éste

«95. Does the semi-material envelope of the spirit assume determinate forms, and can it become perceptible for us? “Yes; it can assume any form that the spirit may choose to give to it. It is thus that a spirit is able sometimes to make himself visible to you, whether in dreams or in your waking state, and can take a form that may be visible, and even palpable, for your senses.» — la pregunta 95 y la respuesta, que atribuye a esa envoltura cualquier forma que el espíritu le dé, visible y aun palpable

«96. Are all spirits equal or does there exist among them a hierarchy of ranks? “They are of different degrees according to the degree of purification to which they have attained.» — la pregunta 96 y la respuesta, que gradúa a los espíritus por el grado de purificación alcanzado

«97. Is there a fixed number of order or degrees of purification among spirits? “The number of such orders is unlimited, because there is nothing like a barrier or line of demarcation between the different degrees of elevation; and, therefore, as there are no fixed or arbitrary divisions among spirits, the number of orders may be increased or diminished according to the point of view from which they are considered.» — la pregunta 97 y la respuesta, que declara ilimitado el número de órdenes por no haber línea de demarcación entre los grados

«Nevertheless, if we consider the general characteristics of spirits, we may reduce them to three principal orders or degrees “We may place in the first or highest rank those who have reached the degree of relative perfection which constitutes what may be called ‘pure spirits.’ We may place in the second rank those who have reached the middle of the accessional ladder, those who have achieved the degree of purification in which aspiration after perfection has become the ruling desire. We may place in the third or lowest rank all those imperfect spirits who are still on the lower rungs of the ladder.» — la reducción a tres órdenes que la misma respuesta propone, con los espíritus puros arriba, los que aspiran a la perfección en medio y los imperfectos abajo

«88. Have souls a determinate, circumscribed, and unvarying form?» — la pregunta 88, sobre la forma del alma; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue la respuesta

«“Not for eyes such as yours; but, for us, they have a form though one only to be vaguely imagined by you as a flame a gleam, or an ethereal spark.» — y su respuesta, que niega la forma para los ojos humanos y la describe como llama, destello o chispa etérea

«characterized by ignorance, the love of evil, and all the low passions that retard their progress upwards.» — el cierre de la respuesta a la pregunta 97, que caracteriza al tercer orden por la ignorancia y el amor al mal; el troceo corta antes en el límite de sus tramos

«98. Have spirits of the second order only the aspiration after perfection; have they also the power to achieve it? “They have that power in degrees proportionate to the degree of purification at which they have severally arrived. Some of them are distinguished by their scientific knowledge, others by their wisdom and their kindness; but all of them have still to undergo the discipline of trial through temptation and suffering.» — la pregunta 98 y la respuesta, que reparte entre ellos el saber y la bondad y los somete a todos a la prueba

«99. Are all spirits of the third order essentially bad? “No. Some of them are inactive and neutral, not doing either good or» — la pregunta 99 y el arranque de la respuesta, que niega la maldad esencial del tercer orden; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«evil; others, on the contrary, take pleasure in evil, and are delighted when they find an opportunity of doing wrong. Others, again, are frivolous, foolish, fantastic, mischievous rather than wicked, tricky rather than positively malicious; amusing themselves by mystifying the human beings on whom they are able to act, and causing them various petty annoyances for their own diversion.» — el resto de esa respuesta, que distingue a los que gozan en el mal de los frívolos y burlones, traviesos más que malvados

«100. Preliminary Observations. The classification of spirits is based upon the degree of their advancement, upon the qualities which they have acquired, and upon the imperfections from which they have still to free themselves. This classification, however, is by no means absolute. It is only in its totality that the character of each category is distinctly marked, for each category merges in the one above it by imperceptible gradations, the peculiarities of the successive categories shading off into one another at their extremities, as is the case in the various reigns of nature, in the colors of the rainbow, in the phases of a human life.» — el pasaje numerado 100, que en el impreso no es pregunta sino observación preliminar de Kardec: la clasificación se apoya en el adelanto y las imperfecciones, y no es absoluta porque las categorías se funden por gradaciones imperceptibles

«It is in this matter as in all other systems of scientific classification. The systems adopted may be more or less complete, more or less rational, more or less convenient for the understanding; but, whatever may be their form, they change nothing in regard to the facts of the science which employs them.» — la analogía que traza con toda clasificación científica, que cambia la forma y no los hechos

«That the answers of spirits, when questioned on this point, should vary as to the number of the categories into which they are divided is, therefore, a matter of no practical importance.» — y la consecuencia que saca sobre las divergencias de los propios espíritus en el número de categorías

«Too much weight has been attributed to this apparent contradiction by those who forget that disincarnate intelligences attach no importance whatever to mere conventionalities.» — lo que reprocha a quienes dan peso a esa contradicción aparente

«Another thing that should never be lost sight of is the fact that there are among spirits, as well as among men, some who are very ignorant, and that we cannot be too much on our guard against a tendency to believe that all spirits know everything simply because they are spirits.» — la advertencia que declara no perder nunca de vista, que hay espíritus muy ignorantes y que no lo saben todo por ser espíritus

«The work of classification demands method, analysis, and a thorough knowledge of the subject investigated. But those who, in the spirit-world, possess only a small amount of knowledge are as incompetent as are ignorant human beings to embrace the whole of any subject or to formulate a system.» — lo que exige la clasificación y por qué los espíritus poco instruidos no pueden hacerla

«And even those who are capable of this discrimination may vary, in their appreciation of details, according to their special point of view, especially in regard to a matter which, from its very nature, has nothing fixed or absolute about it.» — la variación que admite incluso entre los capaces de discriminar, por su punto de vista

«Linnaeus, Jussieu, Tournefort, have each their special system of classification, but the nature of botany has not been changed by this diversity of system among botanists.» — el ejemplo con que lo ilustra, los tres sistemas botánicos y la botánica que no cambia por ellos

«The latter have not invented either plants or their characteristics; they have merely observed certain analogies, according to which they have formed certain groups or classes. We have proceeded in the same way. We have not invented either spirits or their characteristics. We have seen and observed them, we have judged them by their own words and acts, and we have classed them by order of similitude, basing our classification on the data furnished by them.» — y la equiparación que hace de su propio trabajo con el del botánico: no inventó los espíritus, los observó y los clasificó por semejanza con los datos que ellos dieron

«The higher spirits generally admit the existence of three principal categories, or main divisions, among the people of the other world. In the lowest of these, at the bottom of the ladder, are the imperfect spirits who are characterized by the predominance of the instincts of materiality over the moral nature, and by the propensity to evil. Those of the second degree are characterized by the predominance of the moral nature over the material instincts, and by the desire of good. They constitute the category of good spirits. The first or highest category consists of those who have reached the state of pure spirits, and have thus attained to the supreme degree of perfection imaginable by us.» — las tres categorías que Kardec atribuye a los espíritus superiores, con el criterio que separa cada una: predominio de lo material, predominio de lo moral, y espíritus puros

«This division of spirits into three well-marked categories appears to us to be perfectly rational; and, having arrived at this general classification, it only remained for us to bring out, through a sufficient number of subdivisions, the principal shades of the three great spiritcategories thus established. And this we have done with the aid of the spirits themselves, whose friendly instructions have never failed us in the carrying out of the work upon which we have been led to enter.» — el juicio que da de esa división y cómo declara hechas las subdivisiones, con ayuda de los propios espíritus; *spirit-categories* quedó unido en *spiritcategories* al retirar el troceo el guion de fin de renglón

«With the aid of the following table it will be easy for us to determine the rank and degree of superiority or inferiority of the spirits with whom we may enter into communication, and, consequently, the degree of esteem and confidence to which they are entitled. The power of determining these points may be said to constitute the key to spiritist investigation; for it alone, by enlightening us in regard to the intellectual and moral inequalities of spirits, can explain the anomalies presented by spirit-communications.» — para qué sirve la tabla que sigue, según Kardec: determinar el rango del comunicante, y con ello la confianza que merece; a eso llama la clave de la investigación espírita

«We have, however, to remark that spirits do not, in all cases, belong» — la reserva con que acota el uso de la tabla; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue *exclusively to such and such a class*

«exclusively to such and such a class. Their progress in knowledge and purity being only accomplished gradually, and often, for a time, more in the one than in the other, they may unite the characteristics of several subdivisions; a point which is easily settled by observing their language and their acts.» — el resto de esa reserva: como el progreso es gradual y desigual, un espíritu puede reunir rasgos de varias subdivisiones

«101. General Characteristics. Predominant influence of matter over spirit. Propensity to evil. Ignorance, pride, selfishness, and all the evil passions which result from these.» — la entrada 101, con que Kardec abre el tercer orden en su tabla: predominio de la materia sobre el espíritu y las pasiones que de ahí resultan

«They have the intuition of the existence of God, but they have no comprehension of Him.» — lo que atribuye a los espíritus imperfectos en materia de conocimiento de Dios

«Their knowledge of the things of the spirit-world is narrow, and the little they know about them is confused with the ideas and prejudices of the corporeal life. They can give only false and incomplete notions of the spirit-world; but the attentive observer may always find in their communications, however imperfect, the confirmation of the great truths proclaimed by spirits of the higher orders.» — el valor limitado que da a sus comunicaciones, y a la vez lo que el observador atento puede sacar de ellas

«Their character is revealed by their language. Every spirit who, in his communications, betrays an evil intention, may be ranged in the third order; consequently every evil thought suggested to our mind comes to us from a spirit of that order.» — el criterio de reconocimiento que propone, y la consecuencia que le añade sobre el origen de todo mal pensamiento sugerido

«They see the happiness enjoyed by good spirits, and this sight causes them perpetual torment; for they experience all the agonies produced by envy and jealousy.» — el tormento que les atribuye, la envidia ante la dicha de los espíritus buenos

«They preserve the remembrance and the perception of the sufferings of corporeal life; and this impression is often more painful than the reality. They suffer, in fact, both from the ills they have themselves endured, and from those which they have caused to be endured by others. And as these sufferings endure for a very long time, they believe themselves to be destined to suffer forever. God, for their punishment, wills that they should believe this.» — y el sufrimiento que les asigna por lo padecido y lo causado, con la creencia de estar destinados a sufrir para siempre que Dios quiere para su castigo

«Certain nations have made of them infernal deities; others designate them by the name of demons, evil genie evil spirits.» — cómo los han nombrado los pueblos según Kardec, deidades infernales, demonios y espíritus malos; el troceo imprime *evil genie evil spirits* sin comas

«The human beings in whom they are incarnated are addicted to all the vices engendered by vile and degrading passions – sensuality, cruelty, roguery, hypocrisy, cupidity, avarice. They do evil for its own sake, without any definite motive; and, from hatred to all that is good, they generally choose their victims from among honest and worthy people. They are the pests of humanity, to whatever rank of society they belong; and the varnish of a civilized education is ineffectual to cure or to hide their degrading defects.» — lo que atribuye a los hombres en quienes esos espíritus encarnan, con la lista de vicios y la nota de que escogen sus víctimas entre la gente honrada

«103. Ninth Class–Frivolous Spirits. They are ignorant, mischievous, unreasonable, and addicted to mockery. They meddle with everything, and reply to every question without paying any attention to truth. They delight in causing petty annoyances, in raising false hopes of petty joys, in misleading people by mystifications and trickery. The spirits vulgarly called hobgoblins, will-o’-the-wisps, gnomes, etc., belong to this class. They are under the orders of spirits of a higher category, who make use of them as we do of servants.» — la clase novena, los espíritus frívolos, donde Kardec sitúa a los duendes y fuegos fatuos y los pone al servicio de espíritus de categoría superior

«In their communications with men their language is often witty and facetious, but shallow. They are quick to seize the oddities and absurdities of men and things, on which they comment with sarcastic sharpness. If they borrow distinguished names, as they are fond of doing, it is rather for the fun of the thing than from any intention to deceive by so doing.» — y el lenguaje que les atribuye, ingenioso y superficial, con la usurpación de nombres ilustres hecha por broma más que por engaño

«jealousy, and obstinacy, from which they have not yet freed themselves, are abundantly perceptible.» — el cierre de esa entrada, con los rasgos de que no se han librado

«105. Seventh Class – Neutral Spirits. They are not sufficiently advanced to take an active part in doing good, nor are they bad enough to be active in doing wrong. They incline sometimes to the one, sometimes to the other; and do not rise above the ordinary level of humanity, either in point of morality or of intelligence. They are strongly attached to the things of this world, whose gross satisfactions they regret.» — la clase séptima, los espíritus neutros, ni bastante adelantados para el bien ni bastante malos para el mal

«106. Sixth Class – Noisy and Boisterous Spirits. Spirits of this kind do not, strictly speaking, form a distinct class in virtue of their personal qualities; they may belong to all the classes of the third order. They often manifest their presence by the production of phenomena perceptible by the senses, such as raps, the movement and abnormal displacing of solid bodies, the agitation of the air, etc. They appear to be, more than any other class of spirits, attached to matter; they seem to be the principal agents in determining the vicissitudes of the elements of the globe, and to act upon the air, water, fire, and the various bodies in the entrails of the earth. Whenever these phenomena present a character of intention and intelligence, it is impossible to attribute them to a mere fortuitous and physical cause.» — la clase sexta, los espíritus golpeadores, que Kardec no separa por cualidad personal sino por los fenómenos sensibles que producen y por su apego a la materia

«All spirits are able to produce physical phenomena; but spirits of elevated degree usually leave them to those of a lower order, more apt for action upon matter than for the things of intelligence, and, when they judge it to be useful to produce physical manifestations, employ spirits of subaltern degree as their auxiliaries.» — y el reparto que establece: todos pueden producirlos, y los elevados los dejan a los de orden inferior o los emplean como auxiliares

«They have no idea, or but a very imperfect one, of any sort of classification. All spirits superior to themselves appear to them to be of the highest order; for they are as» — por qué a esos espíritus todo superior les parece del orden más alto; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue el símil del salvaje

«incapable of discriminating the various shades of knowledge, capacity, and morality by which they are distinguished, as one of our savages would be to discriminate the various characteristics of civilized men.» — el símil del salvaje incapaz de discriminar los rasgos del hombre civilizado, con que se cierra esa observación

«102. Tenth Class – Impure Spirits. They are inclined to evil, and make it the object of all their thoughts and activities. As spirits, they give to» — la clase décima de la tabla, los espíritus impuros; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«men perfidious counsels, stir up discord and distrust, and assume every sort of mask in order the more effectually to deceive. They beset those whose character is weak enough to lead them to yield to their suggestions, and whom they thus draw aside from the path of progress, rejoicing when they are to retard their advancement by causing them to succumb under the appointed trials of the corporeal life Spirits of this class may be recognized by their language, for the employment of coarse or trivial expressions by spirits, as by men, is always an indication of moral, if not of intellectual, inferiority. Their communications show the baseness of their inclinations; and though they may try to impose upon us by speaking with an appearance of reason and propriety, they are unable to keep up that false appearance, and end by betraying their real quality.» — lo que Kardec les atribuye, consejos pérfidos y máscaras, con el lenguaje grosero como indicio de inferioridad y la imposibilidad de sostener la apariencia de decoro

«104. Eighth Class – Spirits who pretend to more Science than they Possess. Their knowledge is often considerable, but they imagine themselves to know a good deal more than they know in reality. Having made a certain amount of progress from various points of view, their language» — la clase octava, los que se atribuyen más ciencia de la que tienen; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«has an air of gravity that may easily give a false impression as to their capacities and enlightenment; but their ideas are generally nothing more than the reflection of the prejudices and false reasoning of their terrestrial life. Their statements contain a mixture of truths and absurdities, in the midst of which traces of presumption, pride,» — lo que Kardec les atribuye, gravedad de lenguaje sobre ideas que reflejan los prejuicios de su vida terrena; el troceo corta en el límite de sus tramos

«107. General Characteristics. Predominance of spirit over matter; desire of excellence. Their qualities and their power for good are proportionate to the degree at which they have arrived. Some of them possess scientific knowledge, others have acquired wisdom and charity; the more advanced among them combine knowledge with moral excellence. Not being yet completely dematerialized, they preserve the traces of their corporeal existence, more or less strongly marked, according to their rank – traces which are seen either in their mode of expressing themselves, in their habits, or even, in some cases, in the characteristic eccentricities and hobbies still retained by them.» — la entrada 107, con que Kardec abre el segundo orden de su tabla, los espíritus buenos, y las trazas de la existencia corpórea que conservan por no estar del todo desmaterializados

«But for these weaknesses and imperfections they would be able to pass into the category of spirits of the first order.» — lo único que, según Kardec, los separa del primer orden

«They have acquired the comprehension of the idea of God and of infinity, and already share the felicity of the higher spheres. They find their happiness both in the accomplishment of good and in the prevention of evil. The affection by which they are united affords them ineffable delight, troubled neither by envy, remorse nor any other of the evil passions that make the torment of spirits of lower degree; but they have still to undergo the discipline of trial until they have completed the work of their purification.» — lo que les atribuye, la comprensión de Dios y del infinito y una dicha sin envidia ni remordimiento, con la prueba todavía pendiente

«As spirits, they infuse good and noble thoughts into the minds of men, turn them from the path of evil, protect those whose course of life renders them worthy of their aid, and neutralize by their suggestions, the influence of lower spirits on the minds of those who do not willingly yield to the evil counsels of the latter.» — el oficio que les asigna respecto de los hombres, inspirar el bien y neutralizar la influencia de los espíritus inferiores

«To this order belong the spirits commonly designated in the popular beliefs by the names of good genie protecting genie, good spirits. In periods of ignorance and superstition, men have regarded them as beneficent divinities.» — cómo los ha nombrado la creencia popular según Kardec, genios buenos y protectores, y como divinidades benéficas en tiempos de superstición

«108. Fifth Class – Benevolent Spirits. Their dominant quality is kindness. They take pleasure in rendering service to men and in protecting them, but their knowledge is somewhat narrow. They have progressed in morality rather than in intelligence.» — la clase quinta, los espíritus benévolos, adelantados en moral más que en inteligencia

«109. Fourth Class – Learned Spirits. They are specially distinguished by the extent of their knowledge. They are less interested in moral questions than in scientific investigation, for which they have a greater aptitude; but their scientific studies are always prosecuted with a view to practical utility, and they are entirely free from the base passions common to spirits of the lower degrees of advancement.» — la clase cuarta, los espíritus sabios, distinguidos por el saber y con la utilidad práctica como fin declarado

«110. Third Class – Wise Spirits. The most elevated moral qualities form their distinctive characteristics. Without having arrived at the possession of unlimited knowledge, they have reached a development of intellectual capacity that enables them to judge correctly of men and of things.» — la clase tercera, los espíritus prudentes, con las cualidades morales más altas y sin saber ilimitado

«111. Second Class – High Spirits. They unite, in a very high degree, scientific knowledge, wisdom, and goodness. Their language, inspired only by the purest benevolence, is always noble and elevated, often sublime. Their superiority renders them more apt than any others to impart to us just and true ideas in relation to the incorporeal world, within the limits of the knowledge permitted to mankind. They willingly enter into communication with those who seek for truth in simplicity and sincerity, and who are sufficiently freed from the bonds of materiality to be capable of understanding it; but they turn from those whose inquiries are prompted only by curiosity, or who are drawn away from the path of rectitude by the attractions of materiality.» — la clase segunda, los espíritus superiores, y las dos condiciones con que Kardec regula su trato: acuden a quien busca la verdad con sencillez y se apartan del que pregunta por curiosidad

«When, under exceptional circumstances, they incarnate themselves in this earth, it is always for the accomplishment of a mission of progress; and they thus show us the highest type of perfection to which we can aspire in the present world.» — y lo que dice de sus encarnaciones excepcionales, siempre por misión de progreso

«112. General Characteristics. The influence of matter null; a superiority, both intellectual and moral, so absolute as to constitute what, in comparison with the spirits of all the other orders, may be termed perfection.» — la entrada 112, con que Kardec abre el primer orden, los espíritus puros, definido por la nulidad de la influencia de la materia

«113. First and only Class. They have passed up through every degree of the scale of progress, and have freed themselves from all the impurities of materiality. Having attained the sum of perfection of which created beings are susceptible, they have no longer to undergo either trials or expiations. Being no longer subject to reincarnation in perishable bodies, they enter on the life of eternity in the immediate presence of God. They are in the enjoyment of a beatitude which is unalterable, because they are no longer subject to the wants or vicissitudes of material life; but this beatitude is not the monotonous idleness of perpetual contemplation.» — la clase única de ese orden, ya sin pruebas ni expiaciones ni reencarnación, y con la beatitud expresamente distinguida de la contemplación ociosa

«They are the messengers and ministers of God, the executors of His orders in the maintenance of universal harmony. They exercise a sovereign command over all spirits inferior to themselves, aid them in accomplishing the work of their purification, and assign to each of them a mission proportioned to the progress already made by them.» — el oficio que les asigna, mensajeros y ministros de Dios que mandan sobre los espíritus inferiores y les asignan misión

«To assist men in their distresses, to excite them to the love of good or to the expiation of the faults which keep them back on the road to the supreme felicity, are for them congenial occupations. They are sometimes spoken of as angels, archangels, or seraphim.» — sus ocupaciones respecto de los hombres, y los nombres con que se los designa a veces

«They can, when they choose to do so, enter into communication with men; but presumptuous indeed would he be who should pretend to have them at his orders.» — y el límite que Kardec pone a esa comunicación, contra quien pretendiera tenerlos a sus órdenes

«114. Are spirits good or bad by nature, or are they the same spirits made better through their own efforts? “The same spirits made better through their own efforts. In growing better they pass from a lower to a higher order.» — la pregunta 114 y la respuesta, que hace de la bondad obra del propio esfuerzo y del ascenso de orden su consecuencia

«115. Are some spirits created good and others created bad? “God has created all spirits in a state of simplicity and ignorance, that» — la pregunta 115 y el arranque de la respuesta, que declara a todos creados simples e ignorantes; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«is to say, without knowledge. He has given to each of them a mission, with a view to enlighten them and to make them gradually arrive at perfection through the knowledge of the truth, and thus to bring them nearer and nearer to Himself. This perfection is, for them, the condition of eternal and unalloyed happiness. Spirits acquire knowledge by passing through the trials imposed on them by God. Some of them accept these trials with submission, and arrive more quickly at the aim of their destiny others undergo them with murmuring, and thus remain, through their own fault, at a distance from the perfection and the felicity promised to them.» — el resto de esa respuesta, con la misión dada a cada uno y el reparto entre quienes aceptan las pruebas y quienes las sufren con murmuración

«– According to this statement, it would appear that spirits, at their origin, are like children, ignorant and without experience, but acquiring, little by little, the knowledge which they lack, by passing through the different phases of human life? “Yes; the comparison is correct. The child, if rebellious, remains ignorant and faulty; he profits more or less according to his docility. But the life of man has a term; whereas that of spirits stretches out into infinity.» — la subpregunta con el símil del niño y la respuesta, que lo acepta y le pone la diferencia decisiva: la vida del hombre tiene término y la del espíritu no

«116. Do any spirits remain forever in the lower ranks? “No; all become perfect. They change in course of time, however long may be the process of amendment; for, as we have already said, a just and merciful parent cannot condemn his children to eternal banishment. Can you suppose that God, so great, so good, so just, is less kind than you are?» — la pregunta 116 y la respuesta, que niega la permanencia eterna en los rangos bajos con el argumento del padre justo que no condena a destierro eterno

«117. Does it depend on the spirits themselves to hasten their progress towards perfection? “Certainly; they reach the goal more or less quickly according to the strength of their desire and the degree of their submission to the will of God. Does not a docile child learn faster than one who is obstinate and idle?» — la pregunta 117 y la respuesta, que hace del deseo y de la sumisión la medida de la prisa, con el símil del niño dócil

«118. Can spirits degenerate? “No; in proportion as they advance, they understand what has retarded their progress. When a spirit has finished with any given trial, he has learned the lesson of that trial, and never forgets it. He may remain stationary; but be never degenerates.» — la pregunta 118 y la respuesta, que niega la degeneración y admite el estancamiento; el troceo imprime *be* donde el sentido pide *he*

«119. Could God exonerate spirits from the trials which they have to undergo in order to reach the highest rank? “If they had been created perfect, they would not have merited the enjoyment of the benefits of that perfection. Where would be the merit without the struggle? Besides, the inequality which exists between spirits is necessary to the development of their personality; and, moreover, the mission which each spirit accomplishes at each step of his progress is an element of the providential plan for ensuring the harmony of the universe.» — la pregunta 119 y la respuesta, que funda la necesidad de la prueba en el mérito y hace de la desigualdad entre espíritus una condición del plan providencial

«Since, in social life, all men may reach the highest posts, we might as well ask why the sovereign of a country does not make a general of each of his soldiers, why all subaltern functionaries are not made heads of departments, why all scholars are not schoolmasters. But there is this difference between the life of the social and the spirit worlds, namely, that the first is limited, and does not afford to every one the possibility of raising himself to the highest rank whereas the second is unlimited, and ensures to every one the possibility of attaining to supreme degree.» — el comentario de Kardec, con los símiles del soldado y del escolar, y la diferencia que establece entre la vida social, limitada, y la del espíritu, ilimitada

«120. Do all spirits pass by the road of evil to arrive at good? “Not by the road of evil, but by that of ignorance.» — la pregunta 120 y la respuesta, que sustituye el camino del mal por el de la ignorancia

«121. How is it that some spirits have followed the road of good, and others the road of evil? “Have they not their free-will? God has not created any spirits bad; He has created them simple and ignorant, that is to say, possessing an equal aptitude for good and for evil. Those who become bad become so of their own free-will.» — la pregunta 121 y la respuesta, que invoca el libre albedrío y niega que Dios haya creado espíritus malos

«122. How can spirits, at their origin, when they have not yet acquired self-consciousness, possess freedom of choice between good and evil? Is there in them any principle, any tendency, which inclines them towards either road rather than towards the other? “Free-will is developed in proportion as the spirit acquires the consciousness of himself. Freedom would not exist for the spirit if his choice were solicited by a cause independent of his will. The cause which determines his choice is not in him, but is exterior to him, in» — la pregunta 122, sobre cómo puede haber elección antes de la consciencia de sí, y el arranque de la respuesta, que hace crecer el libre albedrío con esa consciencia; el troceo corta en el límite de sus tramos

«the influences to which he voluntarily yields in virtue of the freedom of his will. It is this choice that is represented under the grand figure of the fall of man and of original sin. Some spirits have yielded to temptation; others have withstood it.» — el cierre de esa respuesta, que lee la caída del hombre y el pecado original como figura de esa elección

«– Whence come the influences that act upon him? “From the imperfect spirits, who seek to take possession of him and to dominate him, and who are happy to see him succumb. It is this temptation that is allegorically pictured as Satan.» — la subpregunta por el origen de las influencias y la respuesta, que las pone en los espíritus imperfectos y lee a Satán como figura alegórica de esa tentación

«– Does this influence act upon a spirit only at its origin? “It follows him through all the phases of his existence as a spirit, until he has acquired such thorough self-command that evil spirits renounce the attempt to obsess him.» — la subpregunta por la duración de esa influencia y la respuesta, que la extiende a todas las fases de la existencia hasta el dominio de sí

«123. Why has God permitted it to be possible for spirits to take the wrong road? “The wisdom of God is shown in the freedom of choice which He leaves to every spirit, for each has thus the merit of his deeds.» — la pregunta 123 y la respuesta, que funda la libertad de elección en el mérito

«124. Since there are spirits who, from the beginning, follow unswervingly the right path, and others who wander into the lowest depths of evil, there are, no doubt, many degrees of deviation between these two extremes? “Yes, certainly; and these degrees constitute the paths of the great majority of spirits.» — la pregunta 124, sobre los grados intermedios entre los dos extremos, y la respuesta, que los declara el camino de la gran mayoría

«125. Will the spirits who have chosen the wrong road be able to reach the same degree of elevation as the others? “Yes; but the eternities will be longer in their case.» — la pregunta 125 y la respuesta, que concede la misma elevación y alarga el plazo

«This expression, “the eternities,” must be understood as referring to the belief of spirits of inferior degree in the perpetuity their sufferings, resulting from the fact that it is not given to them to foresee the termination of those sufferings, and that this conviction of the perpetuity of the latter is renewed after every new trial to which they have succumbed.» — el comentario de Kardec, que acota el término *the eternities* como creencia de los espíritus inferiores en la perpetuidad de su sufrimiento por no ver su término

«126. Are spirits who have reached the supreme degree after wandering into the wrong road less meritorious than the others in the sight of God? “God regards the wanderers who have returned to the right road with the same approval and the same affection as the others. They have been classed, for a time, as evil spirits, because they succumbed to the temptation of evil; but, before their fall, they were merely neutral in regard to good and evil, like all other spirits.» — la pregunta 126 y la respuesta, que iguala ante Dios al que volvió al camino y precisa que antes de caer eran neutros

«127. Are all spirits created equal in point of intellectual capacity? “They are all created equal, but not knowing from whence they come; for their free-will must have its fling. They progress more or less rapidly in intelligence as in morality.» — la pregunta 127 y la respuesta, que los declara creados iguales y con progreso desigual; el troceo imprime *but not knowing from whence they come*

«The spirits who, from the beginning, follow the right road, do not thereby attain at once to the state of perfection for, although they are free from evil tendencies, they have nonetheless to acquire the experience and the varied knowledge indispensable to their perfection. They may be compared to children who, however good their natural instincts, need to be developed and enlightened, and who cannot attain to maturity without transition. But, just as some men are good and others bad from their infancy, so some spirits are good and others bad from their beginning; with this radical difference, however, that the child possesses instincts already formed, whereas the spirit, at his formation, is neither bad nor good, but possesses all possible tendencies, and strikes out his path, in the direction of good or evil, through the action of his own free-will.» — el comentario de Kardec, que con el símil del niño distingue al espíritu del niño: éste tiene instintos ya formados, aquél ninguna inclinación previa

«128. Do the beings whom we call angels, archangels, seraphim, form a special category of a nature different from that of other spirits? “No; the spirits who have purified themselves from all imperfection, have reached the highest degree of the scale of progress, and united in themselves all species of perfection.» — la pregunta 128 y la respuesta, que niega a los ángeles naturaleza distinta y los identifica con los espíritus purificados

«The word angel is generally supposed to imply the idea of moral perfection; but it is often applied, nevertheless, to all beings, good or bad, beyond the pale of humanity, we say, “a good angel” “a bad angel,” “an angel of light,” “the angel of darkness,” etc. In those cases, it is synonymous with spirit or genius. It is employed here in its highest sense.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre los usos del término *angel*, que también se aplica a seres malos, y el sentido en que lo emplea aquí

«129. Have the angels passed up through all the degrees of progress? “They have passed up through all those degrees, but with the difference which we have already mentioned. Some of them, accepting their mission without murmuring, have reached the goal more quickly; others have been longer in reaching the same goal.» — la pregunta 129 y la respuesta, que los hace pasar por todos los grados con desigual prontitud

«131. Are there any demons in the usual acceptation of that term? “If demons existed, they would be the work of God; but would it be just on the part of God to have created beings condemned eternally to evil and to misery? If demons exist, it is in your low world, and in other worlds of similar degree, that they are to be found. They are the human hypocrites who represent a just God as being cruel and vindictive, and who imagine that they make themselves agreeable to Him by the abominations they commit in His name.» — la pregunta 131 y la respuesta, que niega los demonios en el sentido corriente y sitúa a los que merecerían ese nombre entre los hipócritas humanos

«It is only in its modern acceptation that the word demon implies the idea of evil spirits, for the Greek work daimon from which it is derived, signifies genius, intelligence, and is applied indiscriminately to all incorporeal beings, whether good or bad.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la etimología del término, que remite al griego *daimon* como genio o inteligencia sin carga moral; el troceo imprime *the Greek work* donde el sentido pide *word*

«Demons or devils,² according to the common acceptation of these words are supposed to be a class of beings essentially bad. If they exist, they must necessarily be, like everything else, a creation of God; but God, who is sovereignly just and good, cannot have created beings predestined to evil by their very nature, and condemned beforehand to eternal misery. If, on the contrary, they are not a creation of God, they must either have existed, like Him, from all eternity, or there must be several creators.» — el dilema con que Kardec ataca la doctrina de los demonios: o son criatura de Dios, y entonces predestinados al mal por un Dios justo, o son eternos como él o hay varios creadores; el troceo conserva la llamada a la nota de la traductora

«The first requisite of every theory is to be consistent with itself; but that which asserts the existence of demons, in the popular acceptation of the term, lacks this essential condition of theoretic soundness.» — el criterio con que juzga esa doctrina, la consistencia interna

«It was natural that the religious belief of people, who, knowing nothing of the attributes of God, were backward enough to admit the existence of maleficent deities, should also admit the existence of demons; but, on the part of those who acknowledge the goodness of God to by His distinguishing quality, it is illogical and contradictory to suppose that He can have created beings doomed to evil, and destined to do evil forever, for such a supposition is the negation of His goodness.» — a quiénes concede esa creencia y a quiénes se la niega, según reconozcan o no la bondad de Dios como atributo distintivo

«The partisans of the belief in devils appeal to the words of Christ in support of their doctrine and it is certainly not we who would contest the authority of His teachings, which we would faint see established, not merely on the lips of men, but» — la objeción de sus adversarios desde las palabras de Cristo, y la deferencia con que Kardec la recibe; el troceo corta el renglón aquí

«But are those partisans quite sure of the meaning attached by Him to the word “devil”? Is it not fully admitted that the allegorical form is one of the distinctive characteristics of His utterances, and that the Gospels contain many things which are not to be taken literally?» — la pregunta con que responde a esa objeción, sobre el sentido que Cristo daba a la palabra y sobre la forma alegórica de sus dichos

«“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven... Verily I say unto you. This generation shall not pass till all these things are fulfilled” (Matt. xxiv. 29, 30, 34.)» — el pasaje evangélico que Kardec cita para probar esa forma alegórica, con la referencia tal como el volumen la imprime

«Christ could not have made a statement knowing it to be false. If, therefore, His sayings contain statements which appear to be contrary to reason, it is evident either that we do not understand their meaning or that we have interpreted them erroneously.» — la alternativa con que Kardec cierra ese argumento, que carga el error en la interpretación y no en el que habla

«Men have done in regard to devils what they have done in regard to angels. Just as they have imagined that there are beings who were created perfect from all eternity, so they have imagined that spirits of the lower degrees were beings essentially and eternally bad.» — la simetría que traza entre los dos errores, el de los seres creados perfectos y el de los creados esencialmente malos

«The words demon, devil, ought, therefore, to be understood as indicating impure spirits who are often no better that the imaginary beings designated by those names, but with this difference, namely, that their state of impurity and inferiority is only transitory. They are the imperfect spirits who rebel against the discipline of trial to which they are subjected, and who, therefore, have to undergo that discipline for a longer period, but who will, nevertheless, reach the goal in time, when they shall have made up their minds to do so.» — el sentido en que Kardec admitiría esos términos, con la diferencia decisiva: la impureza es transitoria

«The words demon, devil, might accordingly be employed in this sense; but as they have come to be understood exclusively as conveying the meaning now shown to be false, their employment might lead into error by seeming to recognize the existence of beings specially created for evil.» — y por qué desaconseja emplearlos igualmente, por el sentido que ya han tomado

«As regards the term “Satan,” it is evidently a personification of the principle of evil under an allegorical form for it is impossible to admit the existence of a being who fights against God as an independent and rival power, and whose sole business in life is to contravene His designs.» — lo que dice del término *Satan*, personificación alegórica del principio del mal, contra la idea de un poder rival de Dios

«As images and figures are necessary in order to strike the human imagination, men have pictured to themselves the beings of the incorporeal world under a material form, with attributes indicative of their good or bad qualities.» — la explicación que da de esas figuras, la necesidad de imágenes para herir la imaginación

«It is thus that the ancients, wishing to personify the idea of time, represented it under the figure of an old man with a scythe and an hour-glass. To have personified it under the figure of a youth would have been contrary to common sense.» — el ejemplo con que la ilustra, el tiempo figurado como anciano con guadaña y reloj de arena

«The moderns have represented the angels or pure spirits under the form of radiant beings with white Wings – emblem of purity Satan, with horns, claws, and the attributes of bestiality – emblems of the lowest Passions; and the vulgar, prone to understand such representations literally, have taken these allegorical embodiments of abstract ideas for real personalities, as they formerly did in regard to the allegorical personifications of the old mythology.» — y el paralelo moderno, los ángeles alados y el Satán con cuernos y garras, tomados por personas reales por el vulgo; el troceo imprime *Wings* y *Passions* con mayúscula a media frase

«132. What is the aim of the incarnation of spirits? “It is a necessity imposed on them by God, as the means of attaining perfection. For some of them it is an expiation; for others, a mission.» — la pregunta 132, con que abre el capítulo de la encarnación, y el arranque de la respuesta, que la declara necesidad impuesta por Dios, expiación para unos y misión para otros

«In order to attain perfection, it is necessary for them to undergo all the vicissitudes of corporeal existence. It is the experience acquired by expiation that constitutes its usefulness. Incarnation has also another aim, namely, that of fitting the spirit to perform his share in the work of creation; for which purpose he is made to assume a corporeal apparatus in harmony with the material state of each world into which he is sent, and by means of which he is enabled to accomplish the special work, in connection with that world which has been appointed to him by the divine ordering. He is thus made to contribute his quota towards the general weal, while achieving his own advancement.» — el resto de esa respuesta, que añade a la expiación un segundo fin, habilitar al espíritu para su parte en la obra de la creación con un cuerpo acorde al mundo donde se le envía

«The action of corporeal beings is necessary to the carrying on of the work of the universe; but God in His wisdom has willed that this action should furnish them with the means of progress and of advancement towards Him. And thus, through an admirable law of His providence, all things are linked together, and solidarity is established between all the realms of nature.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace de esa acción a la vez servicio a la obra del universo y medio de progreso propio

«133. Is incarnation necessary for the spirits who, from the beginning, have followed the right road? “All are created simple and ignorant; they gain instruction in the struggles and tribulations of corporeal life. God, being just, could not make some of them happy, without trouble and without exertion, and consequently without merit.» — la pregunta 133 y la respuesta, que la declara necesaria para todos porque la felicidad sin esfuerzo carecería de mérito

«– But it so, what do spirits gain by having followed the right road, since they are not thereby exempted from the pains of corporeal life? “They arrive more quickly at the goal. And besides, the sufferings of life are often a consequence of the imperfection of the spirit; therefore, the fewer his imperfections, the less will be his sufferings.» — la subpregunta por lo que ganan entonces los que siguieron el buen camino, y la respuesta, que responde con la prontitud y con la proporción entre imperfección y sufrimiento; el troceo imprime *But it so* donde el sentido pide *But if so*

«130. If the opinion which admits that some beings have been created perfect and superior to all others be erroneous, how is it that this opinion is to be found in the tradition of almost every people? “Your world has not existed from all eternity. Long before it was called into being hosts of spirits had already attained to the supreme» — la pregunta 130, sobre por qué la tradición de casi todos los pueblos admite seres creados perfectos, y el arranque de la respuesta; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«degree, and, therefore, the people of your earth naturally supposed those perfected spirits to have always been at the same degree of elevation.» — el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que explica la creencia por la anterioridad de esos espíritus al mundo terrestre

«Have we not seen that the form of the biblical text, in reference to the creation and movement of the earth, is contradicted by the discoveries of science? May it not be the same in regard to certain figurative expressions employed» — la analogía con que Kardec aplica al Evangelio lo dicho del texto bíblico sobre la creación y el movimiento de la tierra; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«by Christ in order to adapt His teachings to the time and the scene of His mission?» — el cierre de esa pregunta en la plana siguiente

«He who is neither envious, jealous, avaricious, nor ambitious, will not have to undergo the torments which are a consequence of those defects.» — el cierre en la plana siguiente de esa misma respuesta a la pregunta 133: según el volumen, los espíritus responden que quien no es envidioso, celoso, avaro ni ambicioso no padecerá los tormentos que esos defectos acarrean

«134. What is the soul? “An incarnate spirit.” – What was the soul before its union with a body? “A spirit.” – Souls and spirits are, then, the very same thing? “Yes; souls are only spirits. Before uniting itself with a body, the soul is one of the intelligent beings who people the invisible world, and who temporarily assume a fleshly body in order to effect their purification and enlightenment.» — la pregunta 134 y su respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus definen el alma como espíritu encarnado y sostienen que almas y espíritus son la misma cosa, seres del mundo invisible que asumen un cuerpo de carne para purificarse e ilustrarse

«135. Is there in man anything else than a soul and a body? “There is the link which unites the soul and the body.” – What is the nature of that link? “It is semi-material, that is to say, of a nature intermediate between soul and body, as it must necessarily be, in order that they may be enabled to communicate with each other. It is by means of this link that the spirit acts upon matter, and that matter acts reciprocally upon the spirit.» — la pregunta 135 y su respuesta, que introduce entre alma y cuerpo un vínculo semimaterial de naturaleza intermedia, por el cual el espíritu actúa sobre la materia y la materia sobre el espíritu

«Man is thus formed of three essential elements or parts:– 1st. The body, or material being, analogous to the animals, and animated by the same vital principle; 2nd. The soul, or incarnated spirit, of which the body is the habitation; 3rd. The intermediary principle, or perispirit; a semi-material substance, which constitutes the innermost envelope of the spirit, and unites the soul with the body. This triplicity is analogous to that of the fruit, which consists of the germ, the perisperm, and the rind or shell.» — el comentario de Kardec que ordena ese resultado en tres elementos, cuerpo, alma y principio intermediario o *perispirit*, y lo compara con el germen, el perispermo y la cáscara del fruto

«Yes; but it is only when the body ceases to live that the soul quits it, previous to birth, the union between the soul and the body is not complete; but, when this union is definitively established, it is only the death of the body that can sever the bonds that unite it to the soul, and thus allow the soul to withdraw from it. Organic life may vitalize a body without a soul, but the soul cannot inhabit a body deprived of organic life.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 136 que la vida orgánica puede vitalizar un cuerpo sin alma, pero que el alma no puede habitar un cuerpo privado de vida orgánica; el troceo imprime *quits it, previous to birth* sin punto entre las dos cláusulas

«137. Can the same spirit incarnate itself in two different bodies at the same time? “No; the spirit is indivisible, and cannot simultaneously animate two different beings.» — la pregunta 137 y su respuesta, que niega la encarnación simultánea porque el espíritu se declara indivisible

«139. Certain spirits, and certain philosophers before them, have defined the soul as “An animated spark that has emanated from the Great Whole”; why this contradiction?» — la pregunta 139, que confronta a los espíritus con la definición del alma como chispa animada emanada del Gran Todo, atribuida a ciertos espíritus y a filósofos anteriores a ellos

«There is nothing contradictory in such a definition. Everything depends on the meaning you attribute to the words you use. Why have you not a word for each thing?» — y la respuesta que el volumen le atribuye a los espíritus, que no ve contradicción y devuelve la dificultad al vocabulario: todo depende del sentido que se dé a las palabras

«This idea does not exclude that of a moral being, a distinct personality, independent of matter, and preserving its own individuality. It is this being which, at other times, is called the soul, and it is in this sense that we speak of the soul as an incarnate spirit.» — el comentario de Kardec, que admite la acepción figurada del alma como porción del principio vital y sostiene que no excluye la del ser moral, personalidad distinta e independiente de la materia que conserva su individualidad

«In giving different definitions of soul, the spirits who have given them have spoken according to their various ways of applying that word, and also according to the terrestrial ideas with which they are more or less imbued.» — y la explicación con que Kardec atribuye la divergencia de definiciones a los modos de aplicar la palabra y a las ideas terrestres de que cada espíritu está más o menos impregnado

«If by soul is meant the vital fluid, that theory is right, if the word is used to express an incarnate spirit, it is wrong. We have already told you that a spirit is indivisible; it transmits movement to the bodily organs through the intermediary fluids, but it undergoes no division.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 140, sobre el alma subdividida en tantas partes como músculos hay en el cuerpo, distinguiendo dos sentidos de la palabra: verdadera si se habla del fluido vital, falsa si se habla del espíritu encarnado, que transmite movimiento por los fluidos intermediarios sin dividirse

«Spirits who are ignorant may mistake the effect for the cause.» — y la respuesta breve con que descartan la autoridad de los espíritus que dieron esa definición

«The soul is not shut up in the body like a bird in a cage. It radiates in all directions, and manifests itself outside the body as a light radiates from a glass globe, or as a sound is propagated from a sonorous center.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 141 que el alma no está encerrada en el cuerpo como un pájaro en su jaula, sino que irradia en todas direcciones al modo de la luz en un globo de vidrio o del sonido desde su centro sonoro

«The soul has two envelopes; the first, or innermost, of these, of a light and subtle nature, is what you call the perispirit the other, gross, material, heavy, is the body. The soul is the center of both these envelopes, like the germ in the stone of the fruit, as we have already said.» — el cierre de esa respuesta, que da al alma dos envolturas, el *perispirit* sutil y el cuerpo material, con el alma por centro de ambas; el troceo imprime *is what you call the perispirit the other* sin puntuación entre las dos cláusulas

«The spirit is a unit and is as entire in the child as in the adult. It is only the bodily organs, or instruments of the manifestations of the soul, that are gradually developed and completed in the course of a lifetime. Here, again, you mistake the effect for the cause.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 142 que el espíritu es uno y está entero ya en el niño, y que lo que se desarrolla con los años son los órganos por los que se manifiesta

«All spirits are not equally enlightened in regard to these matters. Some spirits are still so little advanced intellectually as to be incapable of understanding abstract ideas; they are like children in your world. Other spirits are full of false learning, and make a vain parade of words in order to impose their authority upon those who listen to them. They, also, resemble too many in your world. And besides, even spirits who are really enlightened may express themselves in terms which appear to be different, but which, at bottom, mean the same thing, especially in regard to matters which your language is incapable of expressing dearly, and which can only be spoken of to you by means of figures and comparisons that you mistake for literal statements of fact.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 143, sobre por qué no todos definen igual el alma, censando tres causas: los poco adelantados que no alcanzan las ideas abstractas, los llenos de falsa erudición que hacen alarde de palabras, y el propio lenguaje humano, que obliga a hablar por figuras que el lector toma por enunciados literales

«The universal principle of life and intelligence from which individualities are produced. But, very often, they who make use of these terms do not know what they mean by them. The word soul is so elastic that every one interprets it according to his own imaginings. Certain persons have also attributed a soul to the earth, which must he understood as indicating the assemblage of devoted spirits who direct your actions in the right direction when you listen to them, and who are, as it were, the lieutenants of God in the administration of your globe.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 144 definiendo el alma del mundo como el principio universal de vida e inteligencia del que salen las individualidades, y entienden el alma atribuida a la tierra como el conjunto de espíritus que dirigen las acciones humanas

«Those men were precursors of the eternal truths of the true spiritist doctrine, for which they have prepared the way. They were men, and therefore subject to error, because they often mistook their own ideas for the true light; but their very errors have served the cause of truth by bringing into relief both sides of the argument. Moreover, among those errors are to be found many great truths which a comparative study of the various theories thus put forth would enable you to discover.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 145, sobre por qué tantos filósofos antiguos y modernos discutieron sin llegar a la verdad, llamándolos precursores que prepararon el camino y sosteniendo que aun sus errores sirvieron a la causa al poner en relieve los dos lados del argumento

«The physiologist refers everything to the standard of his senses. Human pride imagines that it knows everything, and refuses to admit that there can be anything which transcends the human understanding. Science itself inspires some minds with presumption; they think that nature can have nothing hidden from them.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 147, sobre por qué anatomistas y fisiólogos caen en el materialismo, atribuyéndolo al orgullo humano que no admite nada que trascienda su entendimiento y a la presunción que la ciencia misma inspira

«It is not true that materialism is a consequence of those studies; it is a result of the imperfection which leads men to draw a false conclusion from their studies, for men may make a bad use of the very best things. The idea of annihilation, moreover, troubles those who profess to hold it more than they will allow to be seen; and those who are the loudest in proclaiming their materialistic convictions are often more boastful than brave. The greater number of the so-called materialists are only such because they have no rational ground of belief in a future life. Show a firm anchor of rational belief in a future state to those who see only a yawning void before them, and they will grasp it with the eagerness of drowning men.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 148 negando que el materialismo se siga de esos estudios y atribuyéndolo a la imperfección que saca conclusiones falsas; añaden que quienes más proclaman su materialismo suelen ser más jactanciosos que valientes y que carecen de fundamento racional para creer en una vida futura

«No; but it may be said to reside more especially in the head, in the case of men of great genius and of all who think much, and in the» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 146 negando al alma un asiento circunscrito en el cuerpo, aunque la sitúan sobre todo en la cabeza de los hombres de gran genio y de cuantos mucho piensan; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«heart, in the case of those who feel much, and whose actions have always a humanitarian aim.» — el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que sitúa el alma en el corazón de quienes mucho sienten y obran con fin humanitario

«The spirit may be said to inhabit more especially such a part of your organism, because it is to such a part that all the sensations converge; but those who place it in what they consider to be the center of vitality confound it with the vital fluid or principle. Nevertheless, it may be said that the soul is more especially present in the organs which serve for the manifestation of the intellectual and moral qualities.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por quienes ponen el alma en un centro de vida orgánica: según el volumen, los espíritus conceden que el espíritu habita sobre todo la parte donde convergen las sensaciones, pero objetan que situarlo en el centro de vitalidad lo confunde con el fluido vital

«They have looked to see whether anything still remained, and as they have found nothing but matter that has become inert, as they have neither seen the soul escape from the body nor been able to take hold of it, they have concluded that everything is reducible to the properties of matter, and that death is consequently the annihilation of all thought.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre el camino del materialista: no habiendo visto escapar el alma del cuerpo ni podido asirla, concluye que todo se reduce a propiedades de la materia y que la muerte aniquila el pensamiento

«A melancholy conclusion, if such were really the case for, were it so, good and evil would be alike devoid of aim every man would be justified in thinking only of himself, and in subordinating every other consideration to the satisfaction of his material instincts. Thus all social ties would be broken, and the holiest affections would be destroyed forever.» — y la consecuencia moral que Kardec le atribuye a esa conclusión: sin fin para el bien y el mal, cada quien quedaría justificado en pensar solo en sí, con los lazos sociales rotos y los afectos destruidos

«A state of society founded on such a basis would contain within itself the seeds of its own dissolution; and its members would tear each other to pieces like so many ferocious beasts of prey.» — la acotación con que Kardec limita el alcance de esas ideas, que dice nunca erigidas en sistema de doctrina, y el pronóstico que hace de la sociedad que se fundara en ellas

«Man has an intuitive belief that, for him, everything does not end with the life of his body; he has a horror of annihilation. No matter how obstinately men may have set themselves against the idea of a future life, there are very few who, on the approach of death, do not anxiously ask themselves what is going to become of them for the thought of bidding an eternal adieu to life is appalling to the stoutest heart.» — Kardec opone al materialismo un dato de hecho: la creencia intuitiva de que no todo termina con el cuerpo y el horror a la aniquilación, que a la hora de morir alcanza incluso a quienes se opusieron a la idea de vida futura

«What is the good of our possessing a soul, if our soul is to be merged in immensity like a drop of water in the ocean? Is not the loss of our individuality equivalent, so far as we are concerned, to annihilation?» — la objeción que Kardec pone en boca de quienes preguntan qué es el alma, y que él transcribe entrecomillada: si el alma se funde en la inmensidad como una gota en el océano, la pérdida de la individualidad equivaldría a la aniquilación

«But the vague, indefinite assurance of a future existence, which is all that is given us either by religion or by reason, cannot satisfy our natural desire for some positive proof in a matter of such paramount importance for us; and it is just the lack of such proof, in regard to a future life, that, in so many cases, engenders doubt as to its reality.» — y el diagnóstico de Kardec sobre el origen de la duda: ni la religión ni la razón dan más que una seguridad vaga de la existencia futura, y es la falta de prueba positiva lo que engendra la duda

«No one, it is averred, has ever come back to give us an account of that world. But this statement is erroneous: and the mission of Spiritism is precisely to enlighten us in regard to the future which awaits us to enable us, within certain limits, to see and to touch it, not merely as a deduction of our reason, but through the evidence of facts.» — Kardec objeta que nadie haya vuelto a dar cuenta del otro mundo y enuncia la misión que atribuye al *Spiritism*: ilustrar sobre el porvenir dentro de ciertos límites, no como deducción de la razón sino por la evidencia de los hechos

«Is there anything anti-religious in such a demonstration? Assuredly not since it furnishes unbelievers with a ground of belief, and inspires lukewarm believers with renewed fervor and confidence.» — la pregunta con que Kardec sale al paso de la objeción religiosa, y su respuesta: la demostración da fundamento de creencia a los incrédulos y renueva el fervor de los tibios

«Spiritism is thus seen to be the most powerful auxiliary of religion. And, if it be such, it must be acknowledged to exist by the permission of God, for the purpose of giving new strength to our wavering convictions, and thus of leading us back into the right road by the prospect of our future happiness.» — y la posición que Kardec le fija al *Spiritism* frente a la religión, la de auxiliar suyo y no de rival, existente por permiso de Dios para dar fuerza a las convicciones vacilantes

«149. What becomes of the soul at the moment of death? “It becomes again a spirit, that is to say, it returns into the world of spirits, which it had quitted for a short time.» — la pregunta 149 que abre el tercer capítulo, y la respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus dicen que el alma vuelve a ser espíritu y regresa al mundo de espíritus que había dejado por poco tiempo

«150. Does the soul, after death, preserve its individuality? “Yes, it never loses its individuality. What would the soul be if it did not preserve it?” – How does the soul preserve the consciousness of its individuality, since it no longer has its material body? “It still has a fluid peculiar to itself, which it draws from the atmosphere of its planet, and which represents the appearance of its last incarnation» — la pregunta 150 y su respuesta, que afirma la conservación de la individualidad y la explica por un fluido propio que el alma toma de la atmósfera de su planeta y que reproduce la apariencia de su última encarnación, el *perispirit*

«Nothing but the remembrance of that life and the desire to go to a better world. This remembrance is full of sweetness or of bitterness according to the use it has made of the earthly life it has quitted. The more advanced is the degree of its purification, the more clearly does it perceive the futility of all that it has left behind it upon the earth.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden que el alma no se lleva de esta vida sino el recuerdo y el deseo de un mundo mejor, recuerdo dulce o amargo según el uso que haya hecho de la vida terrestre

«151. What is to be thought of the opinion that the soul after death returns to the universal whole? “Does not the mass of spirits, considered in its totality, constitute a whole? Does it not constitute a world? When you are in an assembly you form an integral part of that assembly, and yet you still retain your individuality.» — la pregunta 151 y la respuesta que devuelve la objeción con una analogía: la masa de los espíritus ya constituye un todo y un mundo, como quien está en una asamblea forma parte de ella sin perder su individualidad

«Is not this proof furnished by the communications which you obtain? If you were not blind, you would see; if you were not deal you would hear; for you are often spoken to by a voice which reveals to you the existence of a being exterior to yourself.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 152, que pide prueba de la individualidad del alma tras la muerte, remitiendo a las comunicaciones mismas; el troceo imprime *if you were not deal* donde el sentido pide *deaf*

«Those who think that the soul returns after death into the universal whole are in error if they imagine that it loses its individuality, like a drop of water that falls into the ocean; they are right if they mean by the universal whole the totality of incorporeal beings, of which each soul or spirit is an element.» — el comentario de Kardec, que parte en dos la tesis del todo universal: yerra quien entiende que el alma pierde su individualidad como gota que cae al océano, acierta quien entiende por todo universal el conjunto de los seres incorpóreos

«If souls were blended together into a mass, they would possess only the qualities common to the totality of the mass there would be nothing to distinguish them from one another, and they would have no special, intellectual, or moral qualities of their own.» — y el argumento con que Kardec la objeta: fundidas en una masa, las almas solo tendrían las cualidades comunes del conjunto y nada las distinguiría entre sí

«But the communications we obtain from spirits give abundant evidence of the possession by each spirit of the consciousness of the self, and of a distinct will, personal to itself; the infinite diversity of characteristics of all kinds presented by them is at once the consequence and the evidence of their distinctive personal individuality.» — la prueba que Kardec opone, tomada de las comunicaciones mismas: la conciencia del yo, la voluntad distinta y la infinita diversidad de caracteres que en ellas se presenta

«individualities, perfectly distinct from one another. This individuality becomes still more evident when they are able to prove their identity by unmistakable tokens, by personal details relating to their terrestrial life, and susceptible of being verified; and it cannot be a matter of doubt when they manifest themselves to our sight under the form of apparitions. The individuality of the soul has been taught theoretically as an article of faith; Spiritism renders it patent, as an evident, and, so to say, a material fact.» — el cierre del comentario tras el corte de plana, que hace de la individualidad del alma, enseñada teóricamente como artículo de fe, un hecho patente y material para el *Spiritism*

«153. In what sense should we understand eternal life? “It is the life of the spirit that is eternal; that of the body is transitory and fleeting. When the body dies, the soul re-enters the eternal life.» — la pregunta 153 y su respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus reservan lo eterno para la vida del espíritu y llaman transitoria y fugaz la del cuerpo

«The life of that degree might rather be termed eternal happiness; but this is a question of words. You may call things as you please, provided you are agreed among yourselves as to your meaning.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta que propondría reservar el término para los espíritus purificados: los espíritus lo llaman más bien felicidad eterna y remiten de nuevo el punto al acuerdo previo sobre las palabras

«154. Is the separation of the soul from the body a painful process? “No; the body often suffers more during life than at the moment of death, when the soul is usually unconscious of what is occurring to the body. The sensations experienced at the moment of death are often a source of enjoyment for the spirit, who recognizes them as putting an end to the term of his exile.» — la pregunta 154 y su respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus niegan que la separación duela y sostienen que el cuerpo sufre más en vida que al morir, cuando el alma suele estar inconsciente de lo que le ocurre

«In cases of natural death, where dissolution occurs as a consequence of the exhaustion of the bodily organs through age, man passes out of life without perceiving that he is doing so. It is like the flame of a lamp that goes out for want of aliment.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la muerte natural por agotamiento de los órganos, que compara con la llama de una lámpara que se apaga por falta de alimento

«No; the soul disengages itself gradually. It does not escape at once from the body, like a bird whose cage is suddenly opened. The two states touch and run into each other; and the spirit extricates himself, little by little, from his fleshly bonds, which are loosed, but not broken.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta de la 155 negando el tránsito abrupto: el alma no escapa de golpe como pájaro de jaula abierta, los dos estados se tocan y el espíritu se desprende poco a poco de lazos que se aflojan sin romperse

«During life, a spirit is held to the body by his semi-material envelope, or perispirit. Death is the destruction of the body only, but not of this second envelope, which separates itself from the body when the play of organic life ceases in the latter.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace del *perispirit* el lazo del espíritu con el cuerpo y precisa que la muerte destruye el cuerpo pero no esa segunda envoltura

«Observation shows us that the separation of the perispirit from the body is not suddenly completed at the moment of death, but is only effected gradually, and more or less slowly in different individuals. In some cases it is effected so quickly that the perispirit is entirely separated from the body within a few hours of the death of the latter; but, in other cases, and especially in the case of those whose life has been grossly material and sensual, this deliverance is much less rapid, and sometimes takes days, weeks, and even months, for its accomplishment.» — y la observación que Kardec declara sobre la duración desigual del desprendimiento, de unas horas a días, semanas y aun meses en quienes llevaron vida groseramente material y sensual

«This delay does not imply the slightest persistence of vitality in the body, nor any possibility of its return to life, but is simply the result of a certain affinity between the body and the spirit which affinity is always more or less tenacious in proportion to the preponderance of materiality in the affections of the spirit during his earthly life.» — con el límite que Kardec le pone de inmediato: la demora no supone vitalidad persistente ni posibilidad de volver a la vida, sino afinidad entre cuerpo y espíritu proporcional a la materialidad de sus afectos

«It is, in fact, only rational to suppose that the more closely a spirit has identified himself with matter, the greater will be his difficulty in separating himself from his material body; while, on the contrary, intellectual and moral activity, and habitual elevation of thought, effect a commencement of this separation even during the life of the body, and therefore, when death occurs, the separation is almost instantaneous.» — y la regla que de ahí deriva Kardec: cuanto más se identificó el espíritu con la materia, más le cuesta desprenderse, mientras que la actividad intelectual y moral empieza la separación ya en vida

«The study of a great number of individuals after their death has shown that affinity which, in some cases, continues to exist between the soul and the body is sometimes extremely painful for it causes the spirit to perceive all the horror of the decomposition of the latter. This experience is exceptional, and peculiar to certain kinds of life and to certain kinds of death.» — el caso extremo que Kardec consigna como excepcional: la afinidad que persiste hace percibir al espíritu el horror de la descomposición de su propio cuerpo

«It sometimes happens that the soul has quitted the body before the last agony comes on, so that the latter is only the closing act of merely organic life. The dying man has no longer any consciousness of himself, and nevertheless there still remains in him a faint breathing of vitality. The body is a machine that is kept in movement by the heart. It continues to live as long as the heart causes the blood to circulate in the veins, and has no need of the soul to do that.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 156 que el alma puede haber dejado el cuerpo antes de la agonía, y describen el cuerpo como máquina movida por el corazón que sigue viva mientras circule la sangre

«The soul often feels the loosening of the bonds that attach it to the body, and does its utmost to hasten and complete the work of separation. Already partially freed from matter, it beholds the future unrolled before it, and enjoys, in anticipation, the spirit-state upon which it is about to re-enter.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 157 que el alma percibe aflojarse sus lazos, apura la separación y, ya parcialmente libre, goza por anticipado del estado de espíritu al que va a volver

«158. Do the transformations of the caterpillar – which, first of all, crawls upon the ground, and then shuts itself up in its chrysalis in seeming death, to be reborn there from into a new and brilliant existence – give us anything like a true idea of the relation between our terrestrial life, the tomb, and our new existence beyond the latter? “An idea on a very small scale. The image is good; but, nevertheless, it would not do to accept it literally, as you so often do in regard to such images.» — la pregunta 158, que propone la metamorfosis de la oruga y la crisálida como imagen de la vida terrestre, la tumba y la existencia posterior, y la respuesta, que acepta la imagen a escala muy pequeña y advierte contra tomarla al pie de la letra

«That depends on circumstances. He who has done evil from the love of evil is overwhelmed with shame for his wrongdoing. With the righteous it is very different. His soul seems to be eased of a heavy load, for it does not dread the most searching glance.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 159 que la sensación al recobrar la conciencia en el mundo de los espíritus depende de la conducta: vergüenza para quien hizo el mal por amor al mal, alivio de una carga para el justo

«Yes; and more or less promptly according to the degree of his affection for them and of theirs for him. They often come to meet him on his return to the spirit-world, and help to free him from the bonds of matter. Others whom he formerly knew, but whom he had lost sight of during his sojourn on the earth, also come to meet him. He sees those who are in erraticity, and he goes to visit those who are still incarnated.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 160 que el reencuentro con los conocidos ya muertos ocurre con prontitud proporcional al afecto mutuo, y que estos salen al encuentro del recién llegado y le ayudan a soltar los lazos de la materia

«162. After decapitation, for instance, does a man retain consciousness for a longer or shorter time? “He frequently does so for a few minutes, until the organic life of the body is completely extinct; but, on the other hand, the fear of death often causes a man to lose consciousness before the moment of execution.» — la pregunta 162 y su respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus conceden que tras la decapitación puede quedar conciencia unos minutos hasta extinguirse la vida orgánica, aunque el miedo a la muerte suele hacerla perder antes de la ejecución

«The question here proposed refers simply to the consciousness which the victim may have of himself as a man, through the intermediary of his bodily organs, and not as a spirit. If he has not lost this consciousness before execution, he may retain it for a few moments afterwards, but this persistence of consciousness can only be of very short duration, and must necessarily cease with the cessation of the organic life of the brain.» — la acotación de Kardec, que restringe la pregunta a la conciencia de sí como hombre por los órganos corporales, no como espíritu, y la declara de duración muy breve

«The cessation of the human consciousness, however, by no means implies the complete separation of the perispirit from the body. On the contrary, in all cases in which death has resulted from violence, and not from a gradual extinction of the vital forces, the bonds which unite the body to the perispirit are more tenacious, and the separation is effected more slowly.» — y la distinción con que Kardec la completa: cesada esa conciencia, el *perispirit* sigue unido al cuerpo, y en la muerte violenta los lazos son más tenaces y la separación más lenta que en la extinción gradual

«Not at once. It is for a time in a state of confusion which obscures all its perceptions.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 163 que el alma no recobra de inmediato la conciencia de sí, sino que atraviesa un estado de confusión que oscurece todas sus percepciones

«No; this depends entirely on their degree of elevation. He who has already accomplished a certain amount of purification recovers his consciousness almost immediately, because he had already freed himself from the thralldom of materiality during his bodily life; whereas the carnally minded man, he whose conscience is not clear, retains the impression of matter for a much longer time.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 164 que la duración de esa confusión depende del grado de elevación: quien ya se había liberado de la materia en vida recobra la conciencia casi de inmediato, y el hombre carnal retiene mucho más la impresión de la materia

«It exercises a very considerable influence on that duration, because it enables the spirit to understand beforehand the new situation in which it is about to find itself; but the practice of rectitude during the earthly life, and a clear conscience, are the conditions which conduce most powerfully to shorten it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 165 que conocer el *Spiritism* influye mucho en acortar la confusión porque permite entender de antemano la nueva situación, pero anteponen a ello la rectitud practicada en vida y la conciencia limpia

«At the moment of death, everything appears confused. The soul takes some time to recover its self-consciousness, for it is as though stunned, and in a state similar to that of a man waking out of a deep sleep, and trying to understand his own situation. It gradually regains clearness of thought and the memory of the past in proportion to the weakening of the influence of the material envelope from which it has just freed itself, and the clearing away of the sort of fog that obscured its consciousness.» — el comentario de Kardec, que compara ese estado con el de quien despierta de un sueño profundo y trata de entender dónde está, y hace depender la recuperación del debilitamiento de la envoltura material

«The duration of the state of confusion that follows death varies greatly in different cases. It may be only of a few hours, and it may be of several months, or even years. Those with whom it lasts the least are they who, during the earthly life, have identified themselves most closely with their future state, because they are soonest able to understand their new situation.» — y el rango que Kardec le declara, de unas horas a varios meses o años, con la duración menor para quienes en vida se identificaron más con su estado futuro

«This state of confusion assumes special aspects according to character peculiarities, and also according to different modes of death. In all cases of violent or sudden death, by suicide, by capital punishment, accident, apoplexy, etc., the spirit is surprised, astounded, and does not believe himself to be dead. He obstinately persists in asserting the contrary; and, nevertheless, he sees the body he has quitted as something apart from himself he knows that body to be his own, and he cannot make out how it should be separated from him. He goes about among the persons with whom he is united by the ties of affection, speaks to them, and cannot conceive why they do not hear him.» — la descripción que Kardec da de la muerte violenta o súbita, por suicidio, pena capital, accidente o apoplejía: el espíritu se niega a creerse muerto, ve como ajeno el cuerpo que sabe suyo y habla a los suyos sin entender por qué no le oyen

«This sort of illusion lasts until the entire separation of the perispirit from the earthly body, for it is only when this is accomplished that the spirit begins to understand his situation, and becomes aware that he no longer forms part of the world of human beings.» — y el término que Kardec le fija a esa ilusión, la separación completa del *perispirit* respecto del cuerpo terrestre

«Death having come upon him by surprise, the spirit is stunned by the» — el comentario de Kardec sobre la muerte que sorprende: para ese espíritu la muerte sigue siendo sinónimo de destrucción, y como piensa, ve y oye, le parece que no puede estar muerto; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«suddenness of the change that has taken place in him. For him, death is still synonymous with destruction, annihilation and he thinks, sees, hears, it seems to him that he cannot be dead. And this illusion is still further strengthened by his seeing himself with a body similar in form to the one he has quitted for he does not at first» — el cierre de ese razonamiento en el segmento siguiente, donde Kardec añade que la ilusión se refuerza al verse el espíritu con un cuerpo de forma semejante al que dejó; el troceo corta de nuevo en el cambio de plana

«perceive its ethereal nature, but supposes it to be solid and compact like the other, and when his attention has been called to this point, he is astonished at finding that it is not palpable.» — y el remate en la plana siguiente: solo al advertírsele se asombra de que ese cuerpo no sea palpable

«This phenomenon is analogous to that which occurs in the case of somnambulists, who, when thrown for the first time into the magnetic sleep, cannot believe that they are not awake. Sleep, according to their idea of it, is synonymous with suspension of the perceptive faculties; and as they think freely, and see, they appear to themselves not to be asleep.» — la analogía con que Kardec lo explica, tomada del sonambulismo magnético: quien es dormido por primera vez no cree estarlo, porque piensa y ve, y para él dormir es sinónimo de suspensión de las facultades perceptivas

«The curious spectacle is then presented of a spirit attending his own funeral as though it were that of someone else, and speaking of it as of something which in no way concerns him, until the moment when at length he comprehends the true state of the case.» — y el caso que Kardec describe como espectáculo curioso: el espíritu asiste a su propio funeral como si fuera de otro y habla de él como de algo que no le concierne

«In the mental confusion that follows death, there is nothing painful for him who has lived an upright life. He is calm, and his perceptions are those of a peaceful awaking out of sleep. But for him whose conscience is not clean, it is full of anxiety and anguish that become more and more poignant in proportion as he recovers consciousness.» — el desdoblamiento que Kardec hace de esa confusión según la conducta previa: apacible despertar para quien vivió rectamente, ansiedad y angustia crecientes para quien no tiene limpia la conciencia

«In cases of collective death, in which many persons have perished together in the same catastrophe, it has been observed that they do not always see one another immediately afterwards. In the state of confusion which follows death, each spirit goes his own way, or concerns himself only with those in whom he takes an interest.» — y la observación que Kardec consigna de las muertes colectivas: los que perecen juntos no siempre se ven en seguida, porque cada espíritu va por su lado o solo se ocupa de aquellos que le interesan

«166. How can the soul that has not attained to perfection during the corporeal life complete the work of its purification? “By undergoing the trial of a new existence.” – How does the soul accomplish this new existence? Is it through its transformation as a spirit? “The soul, in purifying itself, undoubtedly undergoes a transformation; but, in order to effect this transformation, it needs the trial of corporeal life.» — la pregunta 166 que abre el capítulo de la pluralidad de existencias, y la respuesta: según el volumen, los espíritus remiten la purificación a la prueba de una nueva existencia, porque la transformación del alma necesita de la vida corporal

«Yes; we all have many such existences. Those who maintain the contrary wish to keep you in the same ignorance in which they are themselves.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por el número: según el volumen, los espíritus afirman muchas existencias corporales para todos y atribuyen a la ignorancia de quienes lo niegan el querer mantener en ella a los demás

«167. What is the aim of reincarnation? “Expiation; progressive improvement of mankind. Without this aim, where would be its justice?» — la pregunta 167 y su respuesta, que fija a la reencarnación dos fines, la expiación y el progreso de la humanidad, y hace de la justicia divina el argumento

«No; he who advances quickly spares himself many trials. Nevertheless, these successive incarnations are always very numerous, for progress is almost infinite.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 169 que el número de encarnaciones no es igual para todos, aunque en todos los casos son numerosísimas porque el progreso es casi infinito

«The justice of God, and revelation; for, as we have already remarked, an affectionate father always leaves a door of repentance open for his erring children. Does not reason itself tell you that it would be unjust to inflict an eternal privation of happiness on those who have not had the opportunity of improving themselves? Are not all men God’s children? It is only among selfish human beings that injustice, implacable hatred, and irremissible punishments are to be found.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 171, sobre el fundamento de la reencarnación, invocando la justicia de Dios y la revelación, y objetando que privar de felicidad para siempre a quien no tuvo ocasión de mejorar sería propio de la injusticia humana, no de un padre

«It would not be consistent with the justice or with the goodness of God to sentence to eternal suffering those who may have encountered obstacles to their improvement independent of their will, and resulting from the very nature of the conditions in which they found themselves placed. If the fate of mankind were irrevocably fixed after death. God would not have weighed the actions of all in the same scales, and would not have treated them with impartiality.» — el comentario de Kardec, que declara incompatible con la justicia y la bondad divinas condenar a sufrimiento eterno a quienes hallaron obstáculos ajenos a su voluntad, y sostiene que un destino fijado sin remedio tras la muerte no pesaría a todos en la misma balanza

«The doctrine of reincarnation, that is to say, the doctrine which proclaims that men have many successive existence – is the only one which answers to the idea we form to ourselves of the justice of God in regard to those who are placed, by circumstances over which they have no control, in conditions unfavorable to their moral advancement; the only one which can explain the future, and furnish us with a sound basis for our hopes, because it offers us the means of redeeming our errors through new trials. This doctrine is indicated by the teachings of reason, as well as by those of our spirit-instructors.» — y la posición que Kardec le asigna a la doctrina, la única que a su juicio responde a la idea de justicia divina para quienes están en condiciones desfavorables por circunstancias que no gobiernan, y la única que ofrece medio de redimir los errores con nuevas pruebas

«He who is conscious of his own inferiority derives a consoling hope from the doctrine of reincarnation. If he believes in the justice of God, he cannot hope to be placed, at once and for all eternity, on a level with those who have made a better use of life than he has done; but the knowledge that this inferiority will not exclude him forever from the supreme felicity, and that he will be able to conquer this felicity through new efforts, revives his courage and sustains his energy. Who does not regret, at the end of his career, that the experience he has acquired should have come too late to allow of his turning it to useful account? This tardily acquired experience will not be lost for him; he will profit by it in a new corporeal life.» — el uso consolatorio que Kardec le da: quien se sabe inferior no espera ponerse de golpe al nivel de quienes vivieron mejor, pero sabe que esa inferioridad no lo excluye para siempre, y que la experiencia adquirida tarde no se pierde

«Not all of them, for those existences take place in many different worlds. The world in which you now are is neither the first nor the last of these, but is one of those that are the most material, and the furthest removed from perfection.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 172 que las existencias no transcurren todas en esta tierra, y sitúan a la tierra entre los mundos más materiales y más alejados de la perfección

«It may live many times on the same globe, if it be not sufficiently advanced to pass into a higher one.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 173 que el alma puede vivir muchas veces en el mismo globo mientras no esté bastante adelantada para pasar a uno superior

«No; but if you do not advance, you may go into a world no better than this one, or even worse.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 174 que no es necesario volver a esta tierra, con la advertencia de que quien no avanza puede ir a un mundo igual o peor

«No special advantage, unless it be the fulfillment of a mission; in that case the spirit advances, whether incarnated in this earth or elsewhere.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 175 que volver a la tierra no da ventaja especial salvo el cumplimiento de una misión

«Yes; just as you may go into other ones. All the worlds of the universe are united by the bonds of solidarity; that which is not accomplished in one of them is accomplished in another.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 176 que se puede venir a este mundo por primera vez tras encarnar en otros, y declaran unidos por lazos de solidaridad todos los mundos del universo

«No; for there are a great number of worlds of the same degree, in which a spirit would learn nothing new.” – How, then, are we to explain the plurality of his existences upon the same globe? “He may find himself, each time he comes back, in very different situations, which afford him the opportunity of acquiring new experience.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 177 que no hace falta pasar por todos los mundos, pues muchos son del mismo grado y nada nuevo enseñarían, y explican las existencias repetidas en un mismo globo por lo distinto de las situaciones

«Spirits may remain stationary, but they never retrograde; those who are rebellious are punished by not advancing, and by having to recommence their misused existences under the conditions suited to» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta de la 178, que propondría enviar a los rebeldes a mundos inferiores como expiación, negando el retroceso: los espíritus pueden quedarse estacionarios pero nunca retrogradan, y el castigo del rebelde es no avanzar y rehacer las existencias mal usadas; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«They who fail in the fulfillment of their mission, or in the endurance of the trial appointed to them.» — y la respuesta que nombra a quiénes toca rehacer la misma existencia, los que fallan en su misión o en la prueba que les fue señalada

«They undoubtedly have bodies, because it is necessary for the spirit to be clothed with matter in order to act upon matter; but, this envelope is more or less material according to the degree of purity at which each spirit has arrived, and it is these gradations of purity that decide the different worlds through which we have to pass; for in our Father’s house are many mansions, and therefore many degrees among those mansions. There are some who know this, and possess the consciousness of this fact, while upon the earth; and there are others who have no such intuition.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 181 que los habitantes de los otros mundos tienen cuerpo, más o menos material según el grado de pureza alcanzado, y citan la casa del Padre con muchas moradas para nombrar esas gradaciones

«168. Is the number of corporeal existences limited, or does a spirit go on reincarnating himself forever? “In each new existence, a spirit takes a step forwards in the path of» — la pregunta 168, sobre si el número de existencias corporales es limitado, y el arranque de la respuesta: cada nueva existencia es un paso adelante en el camino del progreso; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«progress; when he has stripped himself of all his impurities, he has no further need of the trials of corporeal life.» — y el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que da por terminada la prueba corporal cuando el espíritu se ha despojado de todas sus impurezas

«We, spirits, can only reply according to the degree at which you have arrived, that is to say, that we must not reveal these things to all, because some are not in the state which would enable them to» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 182 poniendo un límite a lo que revelan del estado físico y moral de los otros mundos: responden solo según el grado alcanzado por quien pregunta, porque no todos están en condición de entenderlo; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«understand such revelations, and would be confused by them.» — el cierre de esa respuesta tras el corte, que declara que quienes no pueden entender esas revelaciones quedarían confundidos por ellas

«In proportion as a spirit becomes purified, the body with which he clothes himself also approaches more nearly to the spirit-nature. The matter of which his body is composed is less dense he no longer crawls heavily on the surface of the ground; his bodily needs are less gross and the various living beings in those higher worlds are no longer» — el comentario de Kardec que sigue: a medida que el espíritu se purifica, su cuerpo se acerca a la naturaleza del espíritu, la materia es menos densa y las necesidades corporales menos groseras; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«obliged to destroy one another in order to feed themselves. A spirit incarnated in those worlds enjoys a greater degree of freedom, and possesses, in regard to objects at a distance, orders of perception of a nature unknown to us; he sees with his eyes what we see only in thought.» — el cierre en la plana siguiente de ese comentario de Kardec sobre los mundos superiores, donde los vivientes ya no han de destruirse para alimentarse y el espíritu encarnado percibe a distancia lo que aquí solo se ve con el pensamiento

«The purification of spirits determines the moral excellence of the corporeal beings in whom they are incarnated. The animal passions become weaker, and selfishness gives place to the sentiment of fraternity.» — y la correspondencia que Kardec establece entre la purificación del espíritu y la excelencia moral del ser corporal que habita: las pasiones animales se debilitan y el egoísmo cede al sentimiento de fraternidad

«Thus, in worlds of higher degree than our earth, wars are unknown, because no one thinks of doing harm to his fellow-beings, and there is consequently no motive for hatred or discord. The foresight of their future, which is intuitive in the people of those worlds, and the sense of security resulting from a conscience void of remorse, cause them to look forward to death without fear, as being simply a process of transformation, the approach of which they perceive without the slightest uneasiness.» — la consecuencia que Kardec saca para los mundos superiores: no hay guerras porque nadie piensa en dañar a su semejante, y la previsión intuitiva del porvenir hace mirar la muerte sin temor, como simple transformación

«The duration of a lifetime, in the different worlds, appears to be proportionate to the degree of moral and physical superiority of each world and this is perfectly consonant with reason. The less material is the body, the less subject is it to the vicissitudes which disorganize it; the purer the spirit, the less subject is it to the passions which undermine and destroy it. This correspondence between moral and physical conditions is a proof of the beneficence of providential law, even in worlds of low degree; as the duration of the suffering which is the characteristic of life in those worlds is thus rendered proportionally shorter.» — la proporción que Kardec propone entre la duración de la vida y la superioridad moral y física de cada mundo, con la contrapartida que él mismo señala: en los mundos inferiores el sufrimiento dura proporcionalmente menos

«Infancy is, in all worlds, a necessary transition; but it is not, in all of them, so stupid as it in yours.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 183 que la infancia es transición necesaria en todos los mundos, aunque no en todos tan torpe como en el nuestro

«Not always; but he can make his demand, and it may be granted, but only if he has deserved it; for the various worlds are only accessible to spirits according to the degree of their elevation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 184 que el espíritu no siempre escoge el mundo que habitará, aunque puede pedirlo y obtenerlo si lo ha merecido, porque los mundos solo son accesibles según el grado de elevación

«No; worlds, like the beings that live in them, are subject to the law of progress. All have begun, like yours, by being in a state of inferiority; and the earth will undergo a transformation similar to that which has» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 185 sometiendo también a los mundos a la ley del progreso: todos empezaron en estado de inferioridad y la tierra sufrirá una transformación semejante a la ya cumplida por los otros; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«been accomplished by the others. It will become a terrestrial paradise, when the men by whom it is inhabited have become good.» — y el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que condiciona el paraíso terrestre a que se hayan vuelto buenos los hombres que la habitan

«The races which now people the earth will gradually disappear, and will be succeeded by others more and more perfect. Those transformed races will succeed the races now upon the earth, as these have succeeded earlier races, still more gross than the present ones.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace desaparecer gradualmente las razas actuales de la tierra en favor de otras cada vez más perfectas, como las presentes sucedieron a otras más groseras

«Yes, and this envelope itself becomes so etherealized that, for you, it is as though it did not exist. This is the state of the fully purified spirits.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 186 que hay mundos donde el espíritu ya no tiene más envoltura que el *perispirit*, eterizado hasta parecer inexistente, y que ese es el estado de los espíritus plenamente purificados

«No such demarcation exists. The difference between them growing gradually less and less, they blend into one another as the darkness of night melts into the dawn.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por el límite entre las últimas encarnaciones y el estado de espíritu puro, que lo niega: la diferencia se atenúa y ambos estados se funden como la noche en el alba

«No; it is more or less ethereal. On passing from one world to another, a spirit clothes himself with the matter proper to each, changing his envelope with the rapidity of lightning.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 187 que la sustancia del *perispirit* no es la misma en todos los globos, y que al pasar de un mundo a otro el espíritu se reviste de la materia propia de cada uno con la rapidez del rayo

«The pure spirits inhabit certain worlds, but they are not confined to them as men are confined to the earth; they possess, in a higher degree than any others, the power of instantaneous locomotion, which is equivalent to ubiquity.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 188 que los espíritus puros habitan ciertos mundos sin quedar confinados a ellos, y les atribuyen en grado sumo la locomoción instantánea, equivalente a la ubicuidad

«According to the statements of spirits, the earth, as regards the physical and moral qualities of its inhabitants, is one of the least advanced of all the globes of our solar system. Mars is stated to be at a point even lower than that of the earth, and Jupiter to be greatly superior to the earth in every respect. The sun is not a world inhabited by corporeal beings, but is a place of meeting for the spirits of a higher order who, from thence, send out the radiations of their thought towards the other worlds of our solar system, which they govern through the instrumentality of spirits of a less elevated degree, to whom they transmit their action by the intermediary of the universal fluid. As regards its physical constitution, the sun would appear to be a focus of electricity; and all the other suns seem to be identical with ours in nature and function.» — el comentario de Kardec que ordena el sistema solar según lo declarado por los espíritus: la tierra entre los globos menos adelantados, Mars por debajo de ella, Jupiter muy por encima, y el sol no como mundo habitado por seres corpóreos sino como lugar de reunión de espíritus de orden superior y foco de electricidad

«The size of planets, and their distance from the sun, have no necessary relation with their degree of advancement for Venus is said to be more advanced than the earth, and Saturn is declared to be less advanced than Jupiter.» — y la advertencia con que Kardec desliga el tamaño y la distancia al sol del grado de adelanto, con Venus declarado más adelantado que la tierra y Saturn menos que Jupiter

«The souls of many persons well known on this earth are said to be reincarnated in Jupiter, one of the worlds nearest to perfection; and much surprise has been felt on hearing it stated that persons who, when here, were not supposed to merit such a favor, should have been admitted into so advanced a globe. But there is nothing in this fact that need surprise us, if we consider, first, that certain spirits who have inhabited this planet may have been sent hither in fulfillment of a mission which, to our eyes, did not seem to place them in the foremost rank secondly, that they may have had, between their lives here and in Jupiter, intermediary existences in which they have advanced;» — la objeción que Kardec registra ante la reencarnación en Jupiter de personas que aquí no parecían merecerlo, y las dos primeras salidas que le da: que pudieron ser enviadas aquí en misión, y que pudieron tener existencias intermedias en que avanzaron

«and thirdly, that there are innumerable degrees of development in that world as in this one, and that there may be as much difference between these degrees as there is, amongst us, between the savage and the civilized man. It no more follows that a spirit is on a level with the most advanced beings of Jupiter because he inhabits that planet than it follows that an ignoramus is on a level with a philosopher because he inhabits the same town.» — y la tercera, con su comparación: hay grados innumerables de desarrollo en aquel mundo como en este, y habitar Jupiter ya no pone a un espíritu al nivel de sus seres más adelantados, como habitar la misma ciudad no iguala al ignorante con el filósofo

«A person who had died some years previously, on being evoked, stated that he had been incarnated for six months in a world the name of which is unknown to us. Being questioned as to his age in that world, he replied, “that is a point which I am unable to decide; because, in the first place, we do not count time in the same way as you do, and, in the next place, our mode of existence is not the same as yours. Our development is much more rapid in this world; for, although it is only six of your months since I came here, I may say that, as regards intelligence, I am about what one usually is at the age of thirty in your earth.» — el caso que Kardec transcribe de un evocado encarnado hacía seis meses en un mundo cuyo nombre se declara desconocido, que se niega a decir su edad porque allí ni se cuenta el tiempo igual ni se existe del mismo modo, y se sitúa en lo intelectual como quien aquí tiene treinta años

«A great number of similar replies have been given by other spirits; and these statements contain nothing improbable. Do we not see upon our earth a host of animals that acquire their normal development in the course of a few months? Why should not men do the same in other spheres?» — y el argumento con que Kardec lo declara nada improbable, tomado de los animales terrestres que alcanzan su desarrollo normal en pocos meses

«Short-sighted indeed are they who look upon our present selves as being in all respects the normal type of creation: and to suppose that there can be no other modes of existence than our present one, is, in soothe, a strange narrowing of our idea of the possibilities of the divine action.» — el reproche con que Kardec cierra: tomar nuestro estado presente por el tipo normal de la creación estrecha la idea que se tiene de las posibilidades de la acción divina

«No; for the spirit, like the man, has his infancy. Spirits at their origin have only an instinctive existence, and have scarcely any consciousness of themselves or of their acts; it is only little by little that their intelligence is developed.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 189 que el espíritu no goza de sus facultades desde el principio sino que tiene su infancia, con existencia instintiva y apenas conciencia de sí

«A state analogous to that of infancy, considered in its relation to a human life. Its intelligence is only beginning to unfold itself; it may be said to be essaying to live.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 190 comparando el estado del alma en su primera encarnación con la infancia, con la inteligencia apenas desplegándose

«Of relative infancy; but they are souls that have already accomplished a certain amount of development, for they have passions.” – Passions, then, are a sign of development? “Of development, yes, but not of perfection. They are a sign of activity, and of the consciousness of the me; while, on the contrary, in the primitive state of the soul, intelligence and vitality exist only as germs.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 191, sobre las almas de los salvajes, con una infancia relativa: ya tienen pasiones, y las pasiones son signo de desarrollo y de conciencia del yo, no de perfección

«The life of a spirit in his totality goes through successive phases similar to those of a corporeal lifetime. He passes gradually from the embryonic state to that of infancy, and arrives, through a succession of periods, at the adult state, which is that of his perfection, with this difference, however, that it is not subject either to decrepitude or to decline, like the corporeal life that the life of a spirit, though it has had a beginning, will have no end; that he takes what appears from our point of view to be an immense length of time in passing from the state of spirit-infancy to the attainment of his complete development; and that he accomplishes this progression, not in one and the same sphere, but by passing through different worlds. The life of a spirit is thus composed of a series of corporeal existences, each of which affords him an opportunity of progress; as each of his corporeal existences is composed of a series of days, in each of which he acquires a new increment of experience and of knowledge. But just as in a human lifetime there are days which bear no fruit, so in the life of a spirit there are corporeal existences which are barren of profitable result, because he has failed to make a right use of them.» — el comentario de Kardec que traza la vida entera del espíritu por fases análogas a las de una vida corporal, sin decrepitud ni fin, cumplida no en una sola esfera sino pasando por mundos distintos, y con existencias corporales estériles como hay días estériles en una vida

«No; for what a man imagines to be perfect is very far from perfection; there are qualities which are entirely unknown to him, and which he could not now be made to comprehend. He may be as perfect as it is possible for his terrestrial nature to be; but he will still be very far» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 192, que preguntaba si una vida perfecta permitiría saltarse los grados intermedios, negándolo: lo que el hombre imagina perfecto dista mucho de la perfección, y hay cualidades que ni siquiera podría comprender; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«from the true and absolute perfection. It is just as with the child, who, however precocious he may be, must necessarily pass through youth to reach adult life; or as the sick man, who must pass through convalescence before arriving at the complete recovery of his health. And besides, a spirit must advance in knowledge as well as in» — el cierre de esa respuesta tras el corte, con dos comparaciones, la del niño precoz que ha de pasar por la juventud y la del enfermo que ha de pasar por la convalecencia; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«morality; if he has advanced in only one of these directions, he will have to advance equally in the other, in order to reach the top of the ladder of perfection. But it is nonetheless certain that the more a man advances in his present life the shorter and the less painful will be the trials he will have to undergo in his subsequent existences.» — y el remate en la plana siguiente, que exige avanzar por igual en saber y en moral para llegar a lo alto de la escala, con la compensación de que cuanto más se adelante en esta vida, más cortas y menos penosas serán las pruebas siguientes

«As regards his social position, yes; but not as regards his degree of progress as a spirit.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 193 que en una nueva existencia se puede descender de posición social pero no de grado de progreso como espíritu

«194. Can the soul of a good man, in a new incarnation, animate the body of a scoundrel? “No; because a spirit cannot degenerate.” – Can the soul of a bad man become the soul of a good man? “Yes, if he has repented; and, in that case, his new incarnation is the reward of his efforts at amendment.» — la pregunta 194 y sus respuestas: según el volumen, los espíritus niegan que el alma de un hombre bueno anime el cuerpo de un canalla porque el espíritu no degenera, y admiten el paso inverso si hubo arrepentimiento, como recompensa de la enmienda

«The line of March of all spirits is always progressive, never retrograde. They raise themselves gradually in the hierarchy of existence they never descend from the rank at which they have once arrived. In the course of their different corporeal existences they may descend in rank as men, but not as spirits. Thus the soul of one who has been at the pinnacle of earthly power may, in a subsequent incarnation, animate the humblest day laborer, and vice versa; for the elevation of ranks among men is often in the inverse ratio of that of the moral sentiments. Herod was a king, and Jesus, a carpenter.» — el comentario de Kardec, que separa el rango entre los hombres del rango como espíritu: el alma que estuvo en la cumbre del poder terrestre puede animar al jornalero más humilde, y él cierra con dos nombres, Herod rey y Jesus carpintero

«He who could make such a calculation would have no real belief in anything; and such an one would not be any more restrained by the idea of incurring eternal punishment, because his reason would reject that idea, which leads to every sort of unbelief. An imperfect spirit, it is true, might reason in that way during his corporeal life; but when he is freed from his material body, he thinks very differently; for he» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 195, que temía que la certeza de mejorar después animara a persistir en el mal: quien hiciera ese cálculo no creería realmente en nada, y tampoco lo detendría la amenaza del castigo eterno; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«soon perceives that he has made a great mistake in his calculations, and this perception causes him to carry an opposite sentiment into his next incarnation. It is thus that progress is accomplished; and it is thus also that you have upon the earth some men who are farther advanced than others, because some possess experience that the others have not yet acquired, but that will be gradually acquired by them. It depends upon each spirit to hasten his own advancement or to retard it indefinitely.» — y el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que hace del error advertido tras la muerte el motor del progreso y deja en cada espíritu apresurar o retardar indefinidamente su propio adelanto

«The man who has an unsatisfactory position desires to change it as soon as possible. He who is convinced that the tribulations of the present life are the consequences of his own imperfections will seek to insure for himself a new existence of a less painful character and this conviction will draw him away from the wrong road much more effectually than the threat of eternal flames, which he does not believe in.» — el comentario de Kardec, que declara más eficaz para apartar del mal la convicción de que las tribulaciones presentes son consecuencia de las propias imperfecciones que la amenaza de llamas eternas en que no se cree

«Yes; that is the case. They improve themselves under the trials of corporeal life by avoiding evil, and by practising what is good. But it is only through many successive incarnations or purifications that they succeed, after a lapse of time which is longer or shorter according to the amount of effort put forth by them, in reaching the goal towards which they tend.» — según el volumen, los espíritus aceptan la imagen que propone la pregunta 196, la vida material como criba por la que han de pasar los seres del mundo espiritual, y ponen la meta al cabo de muchas encarnaciones sucesivas

«Your spirit is everything; your body is a garment that rots, and nothing more.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por cuál de los dos influye sobre el otro, que resuelve el punto sin reparto: el espíritu lo es todo y el cuerpo es una vestidura que se pudre

«A material image of the various degrees of purification of the soul is furnished by the juice of the grape. It contains the liquid called spirit or alcohol, but weakened by the presence of various foreign elements which change its nature, so that it is only brought to a state of absolute purity after several distillations, at each of which it is cleared of some portion of its impurity. The still represents the corporeal body into which the spirit enters for its purification the foreign elements represent the imperfections from which the perispirit is gradually freed, in proportion as the spirit approaches the state of relative perfection.» — la imagen material con que Kardec figura la purificación, tomada del jugo de la uva y del alambique: el cuerpo es el alambique donde el espíritu entra a purificarse, y los elementos extraños son las imperfecciones de que el *perispirit* va quedando libre

«He is sometimes much more so; for he may previously have lived longer and acquired more experience, especially if he be a spirit who has already made considerable progress.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 197 que el espíritu de un niño muerto en la infancia puede estar mucho más adelantado que el de un adulto, por lo vivido en existencias anteriores

«If he has done no evil, he has also done nothing good; and God does not exonerate him from the trials which he has to undergo. If such a spirit belongs to a high degree, it is not because he was a child, but because he had achieved that degree of advancement as the result of his previous existences.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 198 que no haber hecho el mal tampoco es haber hecho el bien, y niegan que la muerte en la infancia exima de las pruebas ni ponga por sí sola al espíritu en un grado alto

«The duration of the life of a child may be, for the spirit thus incarnated, the complement of an existence interrupted before its appointed term; and his death is often a trial or an expiation for his parents.” – What becomes of the spirit of a child who dies in infancy? “He recommences a new existence.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 199 que la vida breve de un niño puede completar una existencia interrumpida antes de su término, y que su muerte es a menudo prueba o expiación para los padres

«If man had but a single existence, and if, after this existence, his future state were fixed for all eternity, by what standard of merit could eternal felicity be adjudged to that half of the human race which dies in childhood, and by what would it be exonerated from the conditions of progress, often so painful, imposed on the other half? Such an ordering could not be reconciled with the justice of God. Through the reincarnation of spirits the most absolute justice is equally meted out to all. The possibilities of the future are open to all, without exception, and without favor to any. Those who are the last to arrive have only themselves to blame for the delay. Each man must merit happiness by his own right action, as he has to bear the consequences of his own wrong-doing.» — el argumento de Kardec contra la existencia única, tomado de la mitad de la especie que muere en la infancia: por qué medida se le adjudicaría la felicidad eterna y por cuál quedaría eximida de las condiciones de progreso impuestas a la otra mitad

«It is, moreover, most irrational to consider childhood as a normal state of innocence. Do we not see children endowed with the vilest instincts at an age at which even the most vicious surroundings cannot have begun to exercise any influence upon them? Do we not see many who seem to bring with them at birth cunning, falseness, perfidy, and even the instincts of thieving and murder, and this in spite of the good examples by which they are surrounded?» — y la objeción de Kardec a tener la infancia por estado normal de inocencia, apoyada en los niños de instintos viles a una edad en que ningún entorno pudo influirlos

«But whence proceed the instinctual differences observable in children of the same age, brought up amidst the same conditions, and subjected to the same influences? Whence comes this precocious perversity, if not from the inferiority of the spirit himself, since education has had nothing to do with producing it? Those who are vicious are so because their spirit has made less progress and, that being the case, each will have to suffer the consequences of his inferiority, not on account of his wrong-doing as a child, but as the result of his evil courses in his former existences. And thus the action of providential law is the same for each, and the justice of God reaches equally to all.» — la pregunta con que Kardec remata, por el origen de las diferencias de instinto entre niños de la misma edad criados en las mismas condiciones, y su respuesta: la inferioridad del propio espíritu y sus existencias anteriores, no la conducta del niño

«Not as you understand sex; for sex, in that sense, depends on the corporeal organization. Love and sympathy exist among them, but founded on similarity of sentiments.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 200 que no tienen sexo en el sentido humano, que depende de la organización corporal, aunque sí amor y simpatía fundados en la semejanza de sentimientos

«Yes; the same spirits animate men and women.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 201 que un mismo espíritu anima cuerpos de hombre y de mujer en existencias distintas

«That is a point in regard to which a spirit is indifferent, and which is always decided in view of the trials which he has to undergo in his new corporeal life.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 202 que el espíritu es indiferente a encarnar como hombre o como mujer, y que el punto se decide por las pruebas que le tocan

«Spirits incarnate themselves as men or as women, because they are of no sex and, as it is necessary for them to develop themselves in every direction, both sexes, as well as every variety of social position, furnish them with special trials and duties, and with the opportunity of acquiring experience. A spirit who had always incarnated itself as a man would be only known by men, and vice versa.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace de ambos sexos y de toda posición social pruebas y deberes distintos por los que el espíritu ha de pasar para desarrollarse en toda dirección

«The animal life only is given by the parents, for the soul is» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 203 que los padres solo transmiten la vida animal, porque el alma es indivisible; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«indivisible. A stupid father may have clever children, and vice versa.» — y el remate de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, con el ejemplo del padre estúpido de hijos avispados

«It cannot be otherwise. The succession of their corporeal existences establishes among spirits a variety of relationships which date back from their former existences; and these relationships are often the cause of the sympathies or antipathies which you sometimes feel towards persons whom you seem to meet for the first time.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 204 que los parentescos vienen de más atrás de esta existencia, y explican por ellos las simpatías y antipatías que se sienten ante personas a quienes se cree ver por primera vez

«It extends those ties, but it does not destroy them; on the contrary, the conviction that the relationships of the present life are based upon anterior affections renders the ties between members of the same family less precarious. It makes the duties of fraternity even more imperative, because in your neighbor, or in your servant, may be incarnated some spirit who has formerly been united to you by the closest ties of consanguinity or of affection.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la objeción 205, que acusa a la reencarnación de destruir los lazos de familia, sosteniendo lo contrario: los extiende, y vuelve más imperativo el deber de fraternidad porque en el prójimo o en el sirviente puede estar encarnado quien antes estuvo unido a uno por la sangre o el afecto

«That is true; but this importance is usually founded on pride: for what most people honor in their ancestors is title, rank, and fortune. Many a one, who would blush to have an honest shoemaker for his» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por la importancia de la ascendencia: según el volumen, los espíritus conceden que la reencarnación se la quita, y atribuyen esa importancia al orgullo, porque lo que se honra en los antepasados es el título, el rango y la fortuna; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«grandfather, boasts of his descent from some debauchee of noble birth. But, no matter what men may say or do, they will not prevent things from going on according to the divine ordering; for God has not regulated the laws of nature to meet the demands of human vanity.» — el cierre de esa respuesta tras el corte, con el contraste entre el zapatero honrado que avergüenza y el libertino de noble cuna del que se presume, y la sentencia de que Dios no reguló las leyes de la naturaleza a la medida de la vanidad humana

«Assuredly not; for one ought to rejoice in belonging to a family in which elevated spirits have been incarnated. Although spirits do not proceed from one another, their affection for those who are related to them by family-ties is nonetheless real; for they are often led to incarnate themselves in such and such a family by pre-existing causes» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 206 que honrar la memoria de los antepasados no es absurdo aunque no haya filiación entre espíritus, porque el afecto por quienes los lazos de familia les unen es real; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«of sympathy, and by the influence of attractions due to relationships contracted in anterior lives. But you may be very sure that the spirits of your ancestors are in no way gratified by the honors you pay to their memory from a sentiment of pride. Their merits, however great they may have been, can only add to your deserts by stimulating your efforts to follow the good examples they may have given you; and it is only through this emulation of their good qualities that your remembrance can become for them not only agreeable but useful also.» — y el límite que ponen en la plana siguiente: los antepasados no se complacen en los honores rendidos por orgullo, y el recuerdo solo les es útil cuando emula sus buenas cualidades

«No; because they have different souls or spirits. The body proceeds from the body, but the spirit does not proceed from any other spirit. Between the descendants of the same race there is no other relationship than that of consanguinity.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 207 que los padres no transmiten semejanza moral porque las almas son distintas: el cuerpo procede del cuerpo, pero el espíritu no procede de otro espíritu

«The attractive influence of moral sympathy, which brings together spirits who are animated by similar sentiments and tendencies.» — y la causa que asignan al parecido moral que a veces se da entre padres e hijos, la influencia atractiva de la simpatía moral

«They exercise, on the contrary, a very great influence upon it. As we have already told you, spirits are made to conduce to one another’s progress. To the spirits of the parents is confided the mission of developing those of their children by the training they give to them; it is a task which is appointed to them, and which they cannot without guilt fail to fulfill.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 208 que los padres influyen mucho en el espíritu del hijo, y les confían por misión desarrollarlo con la educación que le den, tarea de la que no pueden desentenderse sin culpa

«No; but they can improve the spirit of the child whom they have brought into the world, and is confided to them for that purpose. It is their duty to do this; but bad children are often sent as a trial for the improvement of the parents also.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 210 que los padres no pueden atraer con sus intenciones y oraciones un espíritu bueno al cuerpo del hijo, aunque sí mejorar al que les fue confiado, y añaden que los hijos malos son a menudo prueba para los propios padres

«The sympathy of two spirits who are attracted by the similarity of their sentiments, and who are happy to be together.» — según el volumen, los espíritus explican en la respuesta 211 la semejanza de carácter entre hermanos, y sobre todo entre gemelos, por la simpatía de dos espíritus que se atraen

«Yes; but their resemblance to one another often makes them seem to you as though there were but one.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 212, sobre los niños de cuerpos unidos con órganos en común, que hay en ellos dos espíritus y dos almas

«It is not a rule that only sympathetic spirits are incarnated as twins. Bad spirits may have been brought into this relation by their desire to struggle against each other on the stage of corporeal life.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 213, por la aversión que a veces se dan los gemelos, negando que solo encarnen como tales espíritus simpáticos: los malos pueden buscar esa relación para luchar entre sí

«As a figurative representation of their hatred to one another, which, to indicate its inveteracy, is made to date from before their birth. You rarely make sufficient allowance for the figurative and poetic element in certain statements.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 214, sobre los relatos de niños que pelean en el vientre materno, leyéndolos como figura del odio mutuo fechado antes del nacimiento para indicar su antigüedad, y reprochan que rara vez se conceda bastante al elemento figurado y poético

«Spirits constitute different families, formed by the similarity of their tendencies, which are more or less purified according to their» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 215, por el carácter distintivo de cada pueblo, con familias de espíritus formadas por la semejanza de sus tendencias; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«elevation. Each group of people are a great family formed by the assembling together of sympathetic spirits. The tendency of the members of these families to unite together is the source of the resemblance which constitutes the distinctive character of each people. Do you suppose that good and benevolent spirits would seek to incarnate themselves among a rude and brutal people? No; spirits sympathies with masses of men as they sympathies with individuals. They go to the region of the earth with which they are most in harmony.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que hace de cada pueblo una gran familia de espíritus simpáticos y niega que los benévolos busquen encarnar entre gente ruda y brutal; el troceo imprime dos veces *sympathies* donde el sentido pide el verbo *sympathize*

«Yes, he may do so; but, as he improves, he changes. His social position, also, may be greatly changed in his successive lives. If, having been a master in one existence, he becomes a slave in another, his tastes will be altogether different, and it would be difficult for you to recognize him. A spirit being the same in his various incarnations, there may be certain analogies between the manifestations of character in his successive lives; but these manifestations will, nevertheless, be modified by the change of conditions and habits incident to each of his new corporeal existences, until, through the ameliorations thus gradually effected, his character has been completely changed, he who was proud and cruel becoming humble and humane through repentance and effort.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 216 que quedan trazas del carácter moral de las existencias anteriores, pero modificadas por el cambio de condiciones y hábitos, hasta que el soberbio y cruel se vuelve humilde y humano por el arrepentimiento y el esfuerzo

«The body is destroyed, and the new one has no connection with the old one. Nevertheless, the spirit is reflected in the body; and although the body is only matter, yet, being modeled on the capacities of the spirit, the latter impresses upon it a certain character that is more particularly visible in the face, and especially in the eyes, which have been truly declared to be the mirror of the soul, that is to say, that the face reflects the soul more especially than does the rest of the body. And this is so true that a very ugly face may please when it forms part of the envelope of a good, wise, and humane spirit; while, on the other hand, very handsome faces may cause you no pleasurable emotion, or may even excite a movement of repulsion. It might seem, at first sight, that only well-made bodies could be the envelopes of good spirits, and yet you see every day virtuous and superior men with deformed bodies.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 217 que el cuerpo nuevo no tiene conexión con el viejo, aunque el espíritu se refleja en él y le imprime un carácter visible sobre todo en el rostro y en los ojos, con la advertencia de que hombres virtuosos y superiores tienen a diario cuerpos deformes

«The body with which the soul is clothed in a new incarnation not having any necessary connection with the one which it has quitted (since it may belong to quite another race), it would be absurd to infer a succession of existences from a resemblance which may be only fortuitous; but, nevertheless, the qualities of the spirit often modify the organs which serve for their manifestations, and impress upon the countenance, and even on the general manner, a distinctive stamp.» — el comentario de Kardec, que declara absurdo inferir una sucesión de existencias de un parecido que puede ser fortuito, y concede a la vez que las cualidades del espíritu modifican los órganos y estampan un sello en el semblante y aun en el porte

«Some persons, who have risen from the lowest position, adopt without effort the habits and manners of the higher ranks, and seem to have returned to their native element while others, notwithstanding their advantages of birth and education, always seem to be out of their proper place in refined society. How can these facts be explained unless as a reflex of what the spirit has been in his former existences?» — y el indicio que Kardec propone leer en la conducta social: quienes suben desde lo más bajo y adoptan sin esfuerzo los modos de los rangos altos frente a quienes, con nacimiento y educación, siempre parecen fuera de lugar

«There remains with him a vague remembrance, which gives him what you call innate ideas.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 218 que del saber de existencias anteriores queda un recuerdo vago, y que ese recuerdo es lo que se llama ideas innatas

«No; the knowledge acquired in each existence is not lost. A spirit, when freed from matter, always remembers what he has learned. He may, during incarnation, forget partially and for a time, but the latent intuition which he preserves of all that he has once known aids him in advancing. Were it not for this intuition of past acquisitions, he would always have to begin his education over again. A spirit, at each new existence, takes his departure from the point at which he had arrived at the close of his preceding existence.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por si las ideas innatas son quimera, que la niega: el saber no se pierde, la encarnación solo lo olvida en parte y por un tiempo, y cada espíritu parte del punto en que quedó al cerrar su existencia anterior

«That connection is not always so close as you might suppose it to be; for the conditions of the two existences are often very different, and, in the interval between them, the spirit may have made considerable progress.» — según el volumen, los espíritus acotan en la respuesta 219 que la conexión entre dos existencias sucesivas no siempre es tan estrecha, porque sus condiciones difieren y el espíritu pudo progresar mucho en el intervalo

«The vague remembrance of their past; the result of progress previously made by the soul, but of which it has no present consciousness. From what else could those intuitions be derived? The body changes, but the spirit does not change, although he changes his garment.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 220, por las facultades extraordinarias de quienes sin estudio poseen lenguas o aritmética, con el recuerdo vago del propio pasado, del que no se tiene conciencia presente

«Yes, if you have sullied that faculty, or made a bad use of it. Moreover, an intellectual faculty may be made to slumber during an entire existence, because the spirit wishes to exercise another faculty having no connection with the one which, in that case, remains latent, but will come again into play in a later existence.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 221 que al cambiar de cuerpo pueden perderse facultades intelectuales si se las mancilló o se hizo mal uso de ellas, y que una facultad puede quedar dormida una existencia entera para volver a jugar en otra posterior

«Yes, to a remembrance which man has preserved of what he knew as a spirit before he was incarnated; but pride often stifles this sentiment.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 222, por el sentimiento instintivo de la existencia de Dios y el presentimiento de una vida futura, remitiéndolos al recuerdo de lo sabido como espíritu antes de encarnar, y añaden que el orgullo sofoca a menudo ese sentimiento

«That doctrine is as old as the world, and is, therefore, to be found everywhere; a ubiquity which proves it to be true. The incarnate spirit, preserving the intuition of his state as a spirit, possesses an instinctive consciousness of the invisible world; but this intuition is often perverted by prejudices, and debased by the admixture of superstitions resulting from ignorance.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta por las creencias análogas a la doctrina espírita halladas en todos los pueblos declarándola tan antigua como el mundo y tomando esa ubicuidad por prueba de su verdad, con la salvedad de que la intuición se pervierte con prejuicios y se degrada con supersticiones

«223. “The dogma of reincarnation,” it is sometimes objected, “is not new; it is a resuscitation of the doctrine of Pythagoras.” We have never said that spiritist doctrine was of modern invention; on the contrary, as the inter-communication of spirits with men occurs in virtue of natural law, it must» — Kardec cita la objeción que reduce la reencarnación a una resurrección de la doctrina de Pythagoras, y responde que nunca dijo que la doctrina espírita fuera invención moderna; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«have existed from the beginning of time, and we have always endeavored to prove that traces of this inter-communication are to be found in the earliest annals of antiquity. Pythagoras, as is well known, was not the author of the system of metempsychosis; he borrowed it from the philosophers of Hindustan and of Egypt, by whom it had been held from time immemorial. The idea of the transmigration of soul was, therefore, in the earliest ages of the world, a general belief, equally admitted by the common people and by the most eminent thinkers of that period.» — y el desarrollo tras el corte: Kardec niega a Pythagoras la autoría de la metempsicosis y la declara tomada por él de los filósofos de Hindustan y de Egypt, entre quienes venía de tiempo inmemorial

«By what road did this idea come to them? Did it reach them through revelation or through intuition? In regard to this point we know nothing; but it may be safely assumed that no idea could thus have traversed the successive ages of the worlds, and have commanded the assent of the highest intellects of the human race, if it had not been based on some solid ground of truth and reason. The antiquity of this doctrine should therefore be considered as an argument in its favor, rather than as an objection.» — Kardec declara no saber si esa idea les llegó por revelación o por intuición, y convierte la antigüedad de la doctrina en argumento a su favor y no en objeción

«But, at the same time, it must not be forgotten that there is, between the antique doctrine of metempsychosis and the modern doctrine of reincarnation, this capital difference, namely, that the spirits who inculcate the latter reject absolutely the idea that the human soul can pass into an animal, and vice versa.» — y la diferencia capital que Kardec pone entre la metempsicosis antigua y la reencarnación moderna: los espíritus que enseñan esta rechazan de plano que el alma humana pueda pasar a un animal

«The spirits, therefore, who now proclaim the dogma of the plurality of our corporeal existences reassert a doctrine which had its birth in the earliest ages of the world, and which has maintained its footing to the present day in the convictions of many minds; but they present this dogma under an aspect which is more rational, more conformable with the natural law of progress, and more in harmony with the wisdom of the Creator, through the stripping away of accessories added to it by superstition.» — la posición que Kardec le fija a la enseñanza recibida, no como novedad sino como doctrina antiquísima presentada bajo un aspecto más racional y despojada de los accesorios que le añadió la superstición

«A wicked spirit may ask to be allowed to have virtuous parents, in the hope that their counsels may help him to amend his ways; and» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 209, sobre por qué padres virtuosos engendran hijos perversos, diciendo que un espíritu malo puede pedir padres virtuosos con la esperanza de que sus consejos le ayuden a enmendarse; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«God often confides such an one to the care of virtuous persons, in order that he may be benefited by their affection and care.» — y el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente, que hace de esa confianza un acto de Dios para que el espíritu se beneficie del afecto y del cuidado recibidos

«A circumstance worthy of notice is the fact that it is not in this book alone that the doctrine in question has been inculcated by them of late years; for, even before its publication, numerous communications of a similar nature had already been obtained in various countries, and their number has since been greatly» — el dato que Kardec declara digno de nota, que la doctrina no se enseñó solo en este libro: ya antes de publicarse se habían obtenido comunicaciones semejantes en varios países; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«It may here be asked, why it is that the statements of all spirits are not in unison in regard to this subject? To this question we shall recur elsewhere.» — y la objeción que Kardec se plantea y aplaza, por qué no concuerdan todos los espíritus en este punto

«Let us, for the present, examine the matter from another point of view, entirely irrespective of any assumed declarations of spirits in regard to it. Let us put the latter entirely aside for the moment; let us suppose them to have made no statement whatever in regard to it; let us even suppose the very existence of spirits not to have been surmised. Placing ourselves a moment on neutral ground, and admitting, as equally possible, the hypotheses of the plurality and of the unity of corporeal existences, let us see which of these hypotheses is most in harmony with the dictates of reason and with the requirements of our own interest.» — el procedimiento que Kardec propone para el capítulo: dejar de lado toda declaración de espíritus, suponer siquiera que no se hubiera sospechado su existencia, y comparar en terreno neutral las hipótesis de la pluralidad y de la unidad de existencias

«There are persons who reject the idea of reincarnation simply because they do not like it, declaring that their present existence has been quite enough for them, and that they have no wish to recommence a similar one. Of such persons we would merely inquire whether they suppose that God has consulted their wishes and opinions in regulating the universe?» — Kardec objeta a quienes rechazan la reencarnación por no gustarles preguntándoles si suponen que Dios consultó sus deseos y opiniones al regular el universo

«Either the law of reincarnation exists, or it does not exist. If it exists, no matter how displeasing it may be to them, they will be compelled to submit to it; for God will not ask their permission to enforce it. It is as though a sick man should say, “I have suffered enough today; I do not chose to suffer tomorrow.” No matter what may be his unwillingness to suffer, he will nevertheless be obliged to go on suffering, not only on the morrow, but day after day, until he is cured.» — y la disyuntiva con que corta el punto, ilustrada con el enfermo que declara haber sufrido bastante hoy y no querer sufrir mañana, y que seguirá sufriendo hasta curarse

«Such objections are too puerile to deserve a more serious examination. Let us say, however, for the consolation of those who urge them, that the spiritist doctrine of reincarnation is by no means so terrible as they imagine it to be; that the conditions of their next existence depend on themselves, and will be happy or unhappy according to the deeds done by them in this present life; and that they may even, by their action in this life, raise themselves above the danger of falling again into the mire of expiation.» — el consuelo que Kardec le ofrece a quienes objetan así: las condiciones de la existencia siguiente dependen de uno mismo y de lo obrado en esta, y cabe ponerse por encima del peligro de volver a caer

«Do you, perchance, consider yourself to be one of the most excellent of those who have ever existed upon the earth, and therefore entitled to supreme felicity? No. You admit, then, that there are some who are better than you, and who have consequently a right to a higher place, although you do not deserve to be classed among the reprobate.» — el paso siguiente del razonamiento de Kardec, que hace admitir al interlocutor que hay mejores que él con derecho a un lugar más alto, sin que él merezca contarse entre los réprobos

«Place yourself, then, in thought, for a moment, in the medium condition which, according to your own admission, will properly be yours, and suppose that some one comes to you and says, “You suffer; you are not so happy as you might be; and meanwhile you see others in the enjoyment of unmixed happiness. Would you like to exchange your position for theirs?” “Undoubtedly, I should,” you reply; “what must I do to bring about such a result?” “Something very simple; you have only to begin again what you have done badly, and try to do it better.” Would you hesitate to accept the offer, even at the cost of several existences of trial?» — y el diálogo imaginario con que Kardec cierra el argumento: puesto en esa condición media, se le ofrece cambiar de posición a cambio de rehacer mejor lo mal hecho, y él pregunta si alguien vacilaría en aceptar aun al costo de varias existencias de prueba

«Suppose that someone comes to a man who, though not in a state of absolute destitution, has to endure many privations through the smallness of his means, and says to him, “Here is an immense fortune, of which you may have the enjoyment, on condition that you work hard during one minute.” The laziest of men, in response to such an offer, would say, without hesitation, “I am ready to work for one minute, for two minutes, for an hour, for a whole day if necessary! What is a day’s labor in comparison with the certainty of ease and plenty for all the rest of my life?» — la segunda ilustración, que Kardec llama más prosaica: la fortuna inmensa ofrecida a cambio de un minuto de trabajo duro, que hasta el más perezoso aceptaría

«But what is the duration of a corporeal life in comparison with eternity? Less than a minute; less than a moment.» — y la proporción que Kardec saca de ella, la vida corporal frente a la eternidad: menos que un minuto, menos que un momento

«God, who is sovereignly good, cannot impose upon man the hard necessity of recommencing a series of sorrows and tribulations.” But would there be more kindness in condemning a man to perpetual suffering for a few moments of error than in giving him the means of repairing his faults?» — la objeción que Kardec transcribe, la de un Dios soberanamente bueno incapaz de imponer el recomenzar de las penas, y la pregunta con que la devuelve: si habría más bondad en condenar a sufrimiento perpetuo por unos momentos de error que en dar el medio de reparar las faltas

«Two manufacturers had each a workman who might hope to» — la parábola de los dos fabricantes con que Kardec figura las dos doctrinas; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«become some day the partner of his employer. But it happened that both workmen made so very bad a use of their day that they merited dismissal. One of the manufacturers drove away his unfaithful workman, despite his supplications; and this workman, being unable to obtain any other employment, died of want. The other said to his workman:– ‘you have wasted a day; you owe me compensation for the loss you have thus caused me. You have done your work badly; you owe me reparation for it. I give you leave to begin it over again. Try to do well, and I will keep you in my employ, and you may still aspire to the superior position which I had promised you.» — y su desarrollo en la plana siguiente: uno despide al obrero infiel, que muere de miseria, y el otro le da licencia para rehacer el trabajo y le conserva la esperanza de la posición superior prometida

«Need we ask which of the manufacturers has shown himself to be the most humane? And would God, who is clemency itself, be more inexorable than a just and compassionate man? The idea that our fate is decided forever by a few years of trial, and notwithstanding the fact that it was not in our power to attain to perfection while we remained upon the earth, fills the mind with anguish; while the contrary idea is eminently consoling, for it leaves us hope.» — la pregunta con que Kardec cierra la parábola, si Dios sería más inexorable que un hombre justo y compasivo, y el contraste que establece entre la idea que angustia y la que consuela porque deja esperanza

«A philosopher has said “if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him for the happiness of the human race;” the same might be said in regard to the plurality of existences.» — la sentencia que Kardec atribuye sin nombrarlo a un filósofo, que de no existir Dios habría que inventarlo para la felicidad del género humano, y que él traslada a la pluralidad de existencias

«If the law of reincarnation does not exist, we can have but one corporeal existence; and if our present corporeal life be our only one, the soul of each individual must have been created at the same time as his body; unless, indeed, we assume the anteriority of the soul, in which case we should have to inquire what was the state of the soul before its union with the body, and whether this state did not constitute an existence of some kind or other. There is no middle ground.» — el dilema con que Kardec abre el examen filosófico: sin reencarnación, el alma se crearía junto con el cuerpo, salvo que se admita su anterioridad, y entonces habría que preguntar qué estado era ese y si no constituía ya una existencia

«1. Why do souls manifest so great a diversity of aptitudes independently of the ideas acquired by education?» — la primera de las seis preguntas que Kardec le dirige a la creencia general de que el alma nace al mismo tiempo que el cuerpo, por la diversidad de aptitudes independiente de las ideas adquiridas por educación

«6. Why is it that among the races which people the globe some are savage and others civilized? If you took a Hottentot baby from its mother’s breast, and brought it up in our most renowned schools, could you succeed in making of it a Laplace or a Newton? What is the philosophy or the theosophy that can solve these problems?» — y la sexta, sobre los pueblos salvajes y civilizados, con la prueba imaginaria de criar en las mejores escuelas a una criatura Hottentot y el reto de hacer de ella un Laplace o un Newton

«Either the souls of men are equal at their birth, or they are unequal. If they are equal, why these inequalities of aptitude? Will it be said that these inequalities depend on the corporeal organization of each child? But such a doctrine would be the most monstrous and the most immoral of hypotheses; for, in that case, man would be a mere machine, the sport of matter; he would not be responsible for his actions, but would have the right to throw all the blame of his wrongdoing on the imperfections of his physical frame.» — la disyuntiva con que Kardec cierra, y la objeción que le hace a la explicación por la organización corporal: haría del hombre una máquina, juguete de la materia, no responsable de sus actos y con derecho a culpar de sus faltas a su propio cuerpo

«If, on the other hand, souls are created unequal, God must have created them so; but, in that case, why is this innate superiority accorded to some and denied to others? And would such partiality be consistent with the justice of God, and the equal love He bears to all His creatures?» — y la que le hace a la rama contraria, la de las almas creadas desiguales: por qué se acordaría esa superioridad innata a unos y se negaría a otros, y si tal parcialidad se conciliaría con la justicia de Dios

«Admit, on the contrary, a succession of existences, and everything is explained. Men bring with them, at their birth in flesh, the amount of intuition they have previously acquired. They are more or less advanced, according to the number of existences they have previously accomplished, according as» — la salida que Kardec propone, la sucesión de existencias, con los hombres trayendo al nacer la intuición ya adquirida y adelantados en proporción a las existencias cumplidas; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«We take it for granted that those whom we are addressing believe in some sort of future after death, and that they do not look forward either to annihilation or to a drowning of their soul in a universal whole, without individuality, like so many drops of rain in the ocean;» — la premisa que Kardec le supone a su interlocutor: alguna suerte de porvenir tras la muerte, y no la aniquilación ni el ahogo del alma en un todo universal sin individualidad, como gotas de lluvia en el océano; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«which comes to much the same thing. But, if you believe in a future state of existence, you probably do not suppose that it will be the same for all; for, in that case, where would be the utility of doing right? Why should men place any restraint upon themselves? Why should they not satisfy all their passions, all their desires, even at the expense of the rest of the world, if the result is to be the same in all cases?» — y la consecuencia que Kardec le opone en la plana siguiente: si el porvenir fuera igual para todos, no habría utilidad en obrar bien ni razón para reprimir pasión alguna

«Either the soul existed before its union with the body, or it did not. If it existed, what was its condition? Was it possessed of self-consciousness? If not, its state must have been nearly equivalent to non-existence. If possessed of individuality, it must have been either progressive or stationary; in either case, what was its degree of» — las preguntas que Kardec le hace a cada rama: si el alma no tenía conciencia de sí, su estado equivaldría a la no existencia, y si tenía individualidad, habría sido progresiva o estacionaria; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«they are nearer to or farther from the common starting-point; exactly as, in a company made up of individuals of different ages, each will possess a degree of development proportionate to the number of years he has already lived; the succession of years being, to the life of the body, what the succession of existences is to the life of the soul.» — la proporción con que Kardec cierra ese razonamiento en la plana siguiente: la sucesión de existencias es a la vida del alma lo que la sucesión de años a la vida del cuerpo

«Bring together in the same place, at the same time, a thousand individuals of all ages, from the newborn babe to the patriarch of eighty. Suppose that a veil is thrown over their past, and that you, in your ignorance of that past, imagine them all to have been born on the same day. You would naturally wonder how it is that some are wrinkled and others little; that some are wrinkled and others fresh; that some are learned and others ignorant; but if the cloud which hid their past were dispersed, and you discovered that some had lived longer than others, all these differences would be explained.» — la prueba imaginaria con que Kardec lo ilustra, mil individuos de todas las edades cuyo pasado un velo oculta: creyéndolos nacidos el mismo día asombran sus diferencias, y disipada la nube quedan explicadas

«God, in His justice, could not create souls more or less perfect. But granting the plurality of our corporeal existences, there is nothing in the differences of quality that we see around us in any way inconsistent with the most rigorous equity; for what we see around us is then perceived to have its roots, not in the present, but in the past.» — y la conclusión que Kardec saca: admitida la pluralidad de existencias, las diferencias de calidad que se ven alrededor no contradicen la equidad más rigurosa, porque tienen su raíz en el pasado y no en el presente

«Is this argument based on any pre-conceived system or gratuitous supposition? No. We start from a fact that is patent and incontestable, namely, the inequality of natural aptitudes and of intellectual and moral development; and we find this fact to be inexplicable by any of the theories in vogue, while the explanation of this fact afforded by another theory is at once simple, natural, and rational. Is it reasonable to prefer a theory that does not explain this fact to one that does?» — la defensa que Kardec hace de su método: parte de un hecho patente, la desigualdad de aptitudes y de desarrollo, inexplicable a su juicio por las teorías en boga, y pregunta si es razonable preferir la que no lo explica

«In regard to the sixth question, it will doubtless be replied that the Hottentot is of an inferior race; in which case we beg to inquire whether a Hottentot is or is not a man? If he is not a man, why try to make him a Christian? If he is a man, why has God refused to him and to his race the privileges accorded to the Caucasian race? Spiritist philosophy is too broad to admit the existence of different species of men; it recognizes only men whose spiritual part is more or less backward, but who are all capable of the same progress. Is not this view of the human race more conformable with the justice of God?» — la réplica que Kardec le hace a quien conteste su sexta pregunta alegando que el Hottentot es de raza inferior, con su dilema sobre si es o no hombre, y la posición que él fija: la filosofía espírita no admite especies distintas de hombres, sino espíritus más o menos atrasados y todos capaces del mismo progreso

«1. If our future destiny is to be decided solely by our present existence, what will be in the future the respective positions of the savage and of the civilized man? Will they be on the same level, or will there be a difference in the sum of their eternal felicity?» — la primera de las cinco preguntas que Kardec le dirige a las teorías en boga respecto del porvenir: qué posición tendrían el salvaje y el civilizado si el destino se decidiera solo por esta existencia

«3. Can the man who has done wrong because the means of enlightenment have been denied to him be justly punished for wrong-doing which has not been the result of his own choice?» — y la tercera, si puede castigarse justamente al que obró mal porque se le negaron los medios de ilustrarse

«4. We endeavor to enlighten, moralize, and civilize mankind; but, for one whom we are able to enlighten, there are millions who die every year without the light having reached them What is to be the fate of these millions? Are they to be treated as reprobates? and, if they are not to be so treated, how have they deserved to be placed in the same category with those who have become enlightened and moralized?» — la cuarta, por los millones que mueren cada año sin que la luz les llegue, y la disyuntiva que Kardec plantea entre tenerlos por réprobos o ponerlos en la misma categoría que los ilustrados

«5. What is to be the fate of children who die before they have been able to do either good or evil? If they are to be received among the supremely happy, why should this favor be granted to them without their having done anything to deserve it? And in virtue of what privilege are they exempted from undergoing the tribulations of the earthly life? Which of the doctrines hitherto propounded can solve these problems?» — y la quinta, por la suerte de los niños muertos antes de poder obrar bien o mal, y el privilegio que los eximiría de las tribulaciones de la vida terrestre

«But, if we admit the fact of our consecutive existences all these problems are solved in conformity with the divine justice. What we are not able to do in one existence we do in another. None are exempted from the action of the law of progress; every one is rewarded progressively, according to his deserts, but no one is excluded from the eventual attainment of the highest felicity, no matter what may be the obstacles he has to encounter on the road.» — la salida que Kardec propone para las cinco: admitidas las existencias consecutivas, lo que no se pudo en una se hace en otra, nadie queda exento de la ley de progreso y nadie queda excluido de la felicidad más alta

«The questions growing out of the subject we are considering might be multiplied indefinitely, for the psychologic and moral problems which can only find their solution in the plurality of existences are innumerable. In the present considerations we have restricted our inquiry to those which are most general in their nature. “But,” it may still be urged by some objectors, “whatever may be the arguments in its favor, the doctrine of reincarnation is not admitted by the Church; its acceptance would therefore be the overthrow of religion.» — Kardec declara innumerables los problemas psicológicos y morales que a su juicio solo resuelve la pluralidad de existencias, y transcribe la objeción que le queda por atender: que la Iglesia no admite la reencarnación y aceptarla derribaría la religión

«What, we may ask in our turn, would have become of the Church if, in opposition to the convictions of mankind and the testimony of science, it had persisted in rejecting overwhelming evidence, and had cast out from its bosom all who did not believe in the movement of the sun or in the six days of creation? What would be the credit or authority possessed among enlightened nations by a religious system that should inculcate manifest errors as articles of belief? Whenever any matter of evidence has been established, the church has wisely sided with the evidence.» — y el precedente que Kardec invoca, el del movimiento del sol y los seis días de la creación: la Iglesia, dice, se ha puesto sabiamente del lado de la evidencia cuando esta quedó establecida

«We shall show, elsewhere, that religion has no more to fear from the acceptance of this doctrine than from the discovery of the motion of the earth and of the periods of geologic formation, which, at first sight, appear to contradict the statements of the Bible.» — la promesa que Kardec deja para otro lugar, con la comparación entre esta doctrina y el movimiento de la tierra o los periodos de formación geológica, que a primera vista parecen contradecir la Biblia

«Moreover, the principle of reincarnation is implied in many passages of Holy Writ, and is explicitly formulated in the Gospels:– “When they came down from the mountain (after the transfiguration), Jesus gave this commandment, and said to them: ‘Speak to no one of what you have just seen, until the Son of Man shall have been resuscitated from among the dead.’ His disciples thereupon began to question Him, and inquired, ‘Why, then, do the Scribes say that Elias must first come?’ But Jesus replied to them, ‘It is true that Elias must come, and that he will re-establish all things. But I declare to you that Elias has already come, and they did not know him, but have made him suffer as they listed. It is thus that they will put to death the Son of Man.’ Then His disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.» — y el pasaje evangélico con que Kardec sostiene que el principio de la reencarnación está formulado explícitamente, la respuesta de Jesus sobre Elias que ya vino y a quien no reconocieron, referida por los discípulos a John the Baptist, que él cita como Matt. xvii

«Since John the Baptist is declared by Christ to have been Elias, it follows that the spirit or soul of Elias must have been reincarnated in the body of John the Baptist. But whatever may be our opinion in regard to reincarnation whether we accept it or whether we reject it; it is certain that we shall have to undergo it, if it really exists, notwithstanding any belief of ours to the contrary.» — la inferencia que Kardec extrae del pasaje, que el alma de Elias hubo de reencarnarse en el cuerpo de John the Baptist, y su advertencia de que la reencarnación, de existir, habrá de sufrirse cualquiera que sea la opinión que se tenga

«The point which we here desire to establish is this, namely, that the teaching of the spirits who proclaim it is eminently Christian, that it is founded on the doctrines of the immortality of the soul, of future rewards and punishments, of the justice of God, of human free-will, and the moral code of Christ; and that, therefore, it cannot be anti-religious.» — la tesis que Kardec declara querer establecer, que la enseñanza de los espíritus que proclaman la reencarnación es eminentemente cristiana por fundarse en la inmortalidad del alma, los premios y castigos futuros, la justicia de Dios, el libre albedrío y el código moral de Christ

«We have argued the matter, as we remarked above, without reference to statements made by spirits; such statements being, for many minds, without authority. If we, and so many others, have adopted the hypothesis of the plurality of existences, we have done so not merely because it has been proclaimed by spirits, but because it has appeared to us to be eminently rational, and because it solves problems that are insoluble by the opposite hypothesis.» — la razón que Kardec declara de su propia adhesión a la pluralidad de existencias: no que la hayan proclamado los espíritus, sino que le ha parecido racional y que resuelve problemas insolubles para la hipótesis contraria

«Had it been suggested to us by a mere mortal, we should, therefore, have adopted it with equal confidence, renouncing, with equal promptitude, our preconceived opinions on the subject; for when an opinion has been shown to be erroneous, even self-love has more to lose than to gain by persisting in holding it. In like manner, we should have rejected the doctrine of reincarnation, even though proclaimed by spirits, if it had appeared to us to be contrary to reason, as, indeed, we have rejected» — y el criterio que Kardec declara aplicar en ambos sentidos: la habría adoptado igual si se la hubiera sugerido un mortal, y habría rechazado la reencarnación aun proclamada por espíritus si le hubiera parecido contraria a la razón; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«many other ideas which spirits have sought to inculcate, for we know, by experience, that we can no more give a blind acceptance to ideas put forth by spirits than we can to those put forth by men.» — el remate tras el corte, donde Kardec dice haber rechazado ya otras ideas que los espíritus quisieron inculcarle, porque no cabe dar aceptación ciega a lo que dicen los espíritus más que a lo que dicen los hombres

«The principal merit of the doctrine of reincarnation is, then, to our minds, that it is supremely rational. But it has also in its favor the confirmation of facts – facts positive and, so to say, material, which are apparent to all who study the question with patience and perseverance, and in presence of which all doubt as to the reality of the law in question is impossible. When the appreciation of these facts shall have become popularized, like those which have revealed to us the formation and rotation of the earth, they who now oppose this doctrine will be compelled to renounce their opposition.» — el mérito principal que Kardec le reconoce a la doctrina, ser supremamente racional, y el segundo apoyo que le añade, hechos positivos y materiales que él compara con los que revelaron la formación y la rotación de la tierra

«To sum up:– We assert the doctrine of the plurality of existences is the only one which explains what, without this doctrine, is inexplicable; that it is at once eminently consolatory and strictly conformable with the most rigorous justice; and that it is the anchor of safety which God in His mercy has provided for mankind.» — el resumen con que Kardec cierra el capítulo: la pluralidad de existencias es la única que explica lo de otro modo inexplicable, a la vez consoladora y conforme con la justicia más rigurosa, y ancla de salvación provista por Dios

«The words of Jesus Himself are explicit as to the truth of this last assertion; for we read in the 3rd chapter of the Gospel according to St John that Jesus, replying to Nicodemus, thus expressed Himself:– “Verily, verily, I tell thee that, if a man be not born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And when Nicodemus inquires, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter again into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?” Jesus replies, “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the spirit is spirit. Be not amazed at what I have told thee; you must be born again.» — y el segundo pasaje evangélico con que Kardec lo apoya, el diálogo de Jesus con Nicodemus en el capítulo tercero del Evangelio según St John sobre nacer de nuevo

«It is not our intention to treat of the question, in this place, under the special aspect suggested by the foregoing objection; it is sufficient for our present purpose to have shown the eminently moral and rational character of the doctrine we are considering. But it may be confidently asserted, that a doctrine which is both moral and rational» — la respuesta con que Kardec aparta por ahora la objeción eclesiástica: le basta haber mostrado el carácter eminentemente moral y racional de la doctrina; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«cannot be antagonistic to a religion which proclaims the Divine Being to be the most perfect goodness and the highest reason.» — y el remate en la plana siguiente, que declara imposible el antagonismo entre una doctrina moral y racional y una religión que proclama al Ser Divino como la bondad más perfecta y la razón más alta

«Sometimes immediately, but more often after intervals of longer or shorter duration. In the higher worlds, reincarnation is almost always immediate. Corporeal matter in those worlds being less gross than in the worlds of lower advancement, a spirit, while incarnated in them, retains the use of nearly all his spirit-faculties, his normal condition being that of your somnambulists in their lucid state.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 223 que abre el capítulo de la vida del espíritu que la reencarnación puede ser inmediata o tardar, y que en los mundos superiores es casi siempre inmediata porque allí el espíritu encarnado conserva casi todas sus facultades, como el sonámbulo en estado lúcido; el volumen imprime el número 223 dos veces, aquí y al abrir el capítulo anterior

«It becomes an errant or wandering spirit, aspiring after a new destiny. Its state is one of waiting and expectancy.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 224 que en el intervalo entre encarnaciones el alma queda como espíritu errante, en estado de espera

«From a few hours to thousands of ages. Strictly speaking, there are no fixed limits to the period of erraticity or wandering, which may be prolonged for a very considerable time, but which, however, is never perpetual. A spirit is always enabled, sooner or later, to commence a new existence which serves to effect the purification of its preceding existences.» — y el rango que le dan a ese intervalo, de unas horas a miles de siglos, sin límites fijos pero nunca perpetuo, porque tarde o temprano se abre una nueva existencia

«No, for there are errant spirits of every degree. Incarnation is a transitional state, as we have already told you. In their normal state, spirits are disengaged from matter.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 225 que la erraticidad no es signo de inferioridad, porque los hay errantes de todo grado, y declaran la encarnación estado transitorio y el desprendimiento de la materia estado normal

«Yes, as regards those who are to be reincarnated; but the pure spirits who have attained to perfection are not errant; their state is definitive.» — según el volumen, los espíritus acotan en la respuesta 226 que no todo desencarnado es errante: los espíritus puros que llegaron a la perfección tienen estado definitivo

«In virtue of their special qualities, spirits are of different orders or degrees of advancement, through which they pass successively as they become purified. As regards their state, they may be: 1. Incarnated, that is to say, united to a material body; 2. Errant or wandering, that is to say, disengaged from the material body and awaiting a new incarnation for purposes of improvement; 3. Pure spirits, that is to say, perfected, and having no further need of incarnation.» — el comentario de Kardec que ordena los tres estados posibles del espíritu, encarnado, errante y puro, según su relación con el cuerpo material

«They study their past, and seek out the means of raising themselves to a higher degree. Possessed of vision, they observe all that is going on in the regions through which they pass. They listen to the discourse of enlightened men, and to the counsels of spirits more advanced than themselves, and they thus acquire new ideas.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 227, por el modo en que se instruyen los errantes, con el estudio del propio pasado, la vista de cuanto ocurre en las regiones que atraviesan y la escucha de los hombres ilustrados y de los espíritus más adelantados

«Elevated spirits, on quitting their bodily envelope, leave behind them the evil passions of humanity, and retain only the love of goodness. But inferior spirits retain their earthly imperfections. Were it not for this retention, they would be of the highest order.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 228 que los elevados dejan atrás las malas pasiones humanas y conservan solo el amor del bien, mientras los inferiores retienen sus imperfecciones terrestres

«You have among you persons who are, for instance, excessively jealous; do you imagine that they lose this defect at once on quitting your world? There remains with spirits, after their departure from the earthly life, and especially with those who have had strongly marked passions, a sort of atmosphere by which they are enveloped, and which keeps up all their former evil qualities; for spirits are not entirely freed from the influence of materiality. It is only occasionally that they obtain glimpses of the truth, showing them, as it were, the true path which they ought to follow.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 229, por qué no se dejan al morir todas las malas pasiones, con la imagen de una atmósfera que envuelve al espíritu y le mantiene sus antiguas cualidades, porque no queda enteramente libre de la materialidad; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«They may make a great advance in that state, in proportion to their efforts and desires after improvement, but it is in the corporeal life that they put in practice the new ideas they have thus acquired.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 230 que en la erraticidad cabe gran adelanto, aunque las ideas nuevas se ponen en práctica en la vida corporal

«More or less so according to their deserts. They suffer from the passions of which they have retained the principle, or they are happy in proportion, as they are more or less dematerialized. In the state of erraticity, a spirit perceives what he needs in order to become happier, and he is thus stimulated to seek out the means of attaining what he lacks. But he is not always permitted to reincarnate himself when he desires to do so, and the prolongation of erraticity then becomes a punishment.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 231 que los errantes son felices o desdichados según sus merecimientos y su grado de desmaterialización, y añaden que no siempre se les permite reencarnar cuando lo desean, y entonces la erraticidad prolongada es castigo

«That depends on their degree of advancement. When a spirit has quitted the body, he is not necessarily disengaged entirely from matter, and he still belongs to the world in which he has lived, or to a world of the same degree, unless he has raised himself during his earthly life to a world of higher degree; and this progressive elevation should be the constant aim of every spirit, for without it he would never attain to perfection. A spirit, however, may enter worlds of higher degree; but, in that case, he finds himself to be a stranger in them. He can only obtain, as it were, a glimpse of them; but such glimpses often serve to quicken his desire to improve and to advance, that he may become worthy of the felicity which is enjoyed in them, and may thus be enabled to inhabit them in course of time.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 232 que el errante sigue perteneciendo al mundo en que vivió o a otro del mismo grado, y que en los mundos superiores entra como extraño, con vislumbres que le avivan el deseo de merecerlos

«They come into them very frequently in order to help them forward. Unless they did so, those worlds would be left to themselves, without guides to direct them.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 233 que los ya purificados bajan con frecuencia a los mundos inferiores para ayudarlos, porque de otro modo quedarían sin guías

«Yes; there are worlds which are specially adapted for the reception of wandering beings, worlds which they may temporally inhabit; a sort of camping-ground in which they may bivouac for a time, and repose after a too lengthened erraticity – a state which is always somewhat wearisome. Those worlds constitute intermediary stations between the worlds of other orders, and are graduated according to the nature of the spirits who are to come into them, and who will find in them the conditions of a rest more or less enjoyable.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 234 afirmando la existencia de mundos de tránsito para los errantes, especie de campamento donde vivaquear y reposar de una erraticidad demasiado larga

«Yes, they can leave them for any other region to which they may have to go. They are like birds of passage alighting on an island in order to rest and recover strength for reaching their destination.» — y la comparación con que la respuesta describe esa estancia: aves de paso que se posan en una isla para descansar y recobrar fuerzas antes de llegar a su destino

«No; their position in the hierarchy of worlds is only temporary.” – Are they, at the same time, inhabited by corporeal beings? “No; their surface is sterile. Those who inhabit them have no corporeal wants.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 236 que esos mundos no son de naturaleza especial ni destino perpetuo de los errantes, y describen su superficie estéril y a sus habitantes sin necesidades corporales

«The inexhaustible richness of creation is manifested by beauties of immensity that are no less admirable than the terrestrial harmonies which you call the beauties of nature.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta por si esos mundos carecen de bellezas naturales oponiéndoles bellezas de la inmensidad no menos admirables que las armonías terrestres

«Such has already been its state.” – At what epoch? “During its formation.» — y la respuesta que aplica esa condición transitoria a la tierra misma, situándola en el periodo de su formación

«Nothing in nature is useless everything has its purpose, its destination. There is no void every portion of immensity is inhabited. Life is everywhere. Thus, during the long series of ages which preceded man’s appearance upon the earth, during the vast periods of transition attested by the superposition of the geologic strata, before even the earliest formation of organized beings, upon that formless mass, in that arid chaos in which the elements existed in a state of fusion, there was no absence of life. Beings who had neither human wants nor human sensations found therein a welcome refuge. The will of God had ordained that the earth, even in that embryonic state, should be useful.» — el comentario de Kardec, que puebla de vida hasta el caos árido anterior a los seres organizados: en aquella masa informe hallaron refugio seres sin necesidades ni sensaciones humanas, porque Dios quiso útil la tierra ya en estado embrionario

«Who, then, would venture to say that, of the innumerable orbs which circulate in immensity, one only, and one of the smallest of them all, lost in the crowd, has the exclusive privilege of being inhabited? What, in that case, would be the use of the others? Would God have created them merely to regale our eyes? Such a supposition, of which the absurdity is incompatible with the wisdom that appears in all His works, becomes still more evidently inadmissible when we reflect on the myriads of heavenly bodies which we are unable to perceive.» — y la objeción que Kardec le hace al privilegio exclusivo de la tierra habitada: para qué servirían entonces los demás orbes, y qué sentido tendrían las miríadas de cuerpos celestes que ni siquiera se alcanzan a percibir

«grandeur and sublimity of the idea that worlds in course of formation, and which are still unfitted for the habitation of material life, are, nevertheless, peopled with living beings appropriate to its condition – an idea which may possibly contain the solution of more than one problem as yet obscure.» — el cierre del comentario tras el corte de segmento, que declara grandiosa la idea de mundos en formación poblados ya de seres apropiados a su condición y le atribuye la solución posible de más de un problema todavía oscuro

«Yes; and others which it did not possess in that life, because its body acted as a veil which obscured them. Intelligence is an attribute of spirit; but it is manifested more freely when not hindered by the trammels of flesh.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 237 que el alma conserva tras la muerte las percepciones de la vida terrestre y gana otras que el cuerpo le velaba, porque la inteligencia se manifiesta más libremente sin las trabas de la carne

«It is a consequence of the spirit’s free-will. Spirits act with full discernment; but, in some cases, the prolongation of this state is a» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden que la duración de la erraticidad sale del libre albedrío del espíritu, que obra con pleno discernimiento; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«punishment inflicted by God, while in others, it has been granted to them at their own request, to enable them to pursue studies which they can prosecute more effectually in the disincarnate state.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que deja la prolongación como castigo de Dios en unos casos y como concesión pedida en otros, para estudios que se prosiguen mejor desencarnado

«The nearer they approach to perfection, the more they know. Spirits of the higher orders possess a wide range of knowledge; those of the lower orders are more or less ignorant in regard to everything.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 238 que su saber no es ilimitado sino proporcional a su cercanía de la perfección, con los de órdenes bajos más o menos ignorantes de todo

«That depends on their degree of elevation and of purity inferior spirits know no more than men.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 239, sobre si comprenden el principio primero de las cosas, que los inferiores no saben más que los hombres

«No; and this is why you do not always understand us when you seek to fix dates and epochs.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 240 que no perciben la duración como los hombres, y de ahí la dificultad cuando se les piden fechas y épocas

«The life of spirits is exterior to the idea of time as perceived by us. The idea of duration may be said to be annihilated for them; ages, which seem so long to us, appear to them only as so many instants lapsing into eternity, just as the inequalities of the earth’s surface are effaced and disappear beneath the gaze of the aeronaut as he mounts into space.» — el comentario de Kardec, que declara aniquilada para el espíritu la idea de duración y compara los siglos vistos por él con las desigualdades del suelo que se borran bajo la mirada del aeronauta que asciende

«Their view, in comparison with yours, is pretty much what eyesight is in comparison with blindness. They see what you do not see; they judge, therefore, otherwise than you do. But we must remind you that this depends on their degree of elevation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 241 comparando su visión del presente con la vista frente a la ceguera, y ponen enseguida el límite de que ello depende del grado de elevación

«The past, when we turn our attention to it, is perceived by us as though it were present, exactly as is the case with you, when you call to mind something which may have struck you in the course of your present exile; with this difference, however, that, as out view is no longer obscured by the material veil which covers your intelligence, we remember things that are at present effaced from your memory. But spirits do not know everything; for example, their creation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 242 que el pasado se les presenta como presente y que recuerdan lo ya borrado de la memoria humana, pero acotan que no lo saben todo y ponen por ejemplo su propia creación; el troceo imprime *as out view* donde el sentido pide *our*

«Complete is not the word; for God alone is the sovereign master, and none can attain to equality with Him.» — y el límite que ponen a los espíritus llegados a la perfección absoluta: su conocimiento del futuro no es completo, porque solo Dios es el señor soberano

«Only spirits of the highest order see and understand Him: spirits of lower order feel and divine Him.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 244 que solo los del orden más alto ven y entienden a Dios, y que los de orden inferior lo sienten y lo adivinan

«He does not see God, but he feels His sovereignty; and when anything is not to be done or said, he feels a sort of intuition, an invisible warning, which commands him to abstain. Are not you yourselves sometimes conscious of a secret impression, enjoining on you to do or not to do, as the case may be? It is the same thing with us, but in a higher degree; for you can easily understand that, the essence of spirits being more supple than yours, they are better able to receive the divine monitions.» — y la explicación que dan de cómo sabe un espíritu inferior que algo le está mandado: no ve a Dios, siente una intuición o advertencia invisible, como la impresión secreta que a veces sienten los hombres

«Those commands do not come direct from God; in order to communicate directly with God, a spirit must have made himself worthy of such communication. God transmits His orders through spirits of higher degrees of wisdom and purity.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden que las órdenes divinas no llegan directamente sino por espíritus de mayor sabiduría y pureza, y que comunicar sin intermediario con Dios exige haberse hecho digno de ello

«As spirits transport themselves from point to point with the rapidity of thought, they may be said to see everywhere at the tame time. A spirit’s thought may radiate at the same moment on many different points; but this faculty depends on his purity. The more impure the spirit, the narrower is his range of sight. It is only the higher spirits who can take in a whole at a single glance.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 247 que se trasladan con la rapidez del pensamiento y por eso ven en todas partes a la vez, con el alcance de la vista tanto más estrecho cuanto más impuro el espíritu; el troceo imprime *at the tame time* donde el sentido pide *same*

«The faculty of vision, among spirits, is a property inherent in their nature, and which resides in their whole being, as light resides in every part of a luminous body. It is a sort of universal lucidity, which extend to everything, which embraces at once time, space, and things, and in relation to which, darkness or material obstacles have no existence. And a moment’s reflection shows us that this must necessarily be the case. In the human being, sight being produced by the play of an organ acted upon by light, it follows that, without light, man finds himself in darkness; but the faculty of vision being an attribute of the spirit himself, independently of any exterior agent, spirit-sight is independent of light.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace de la vista del espíritu una lucidez universal residente en todo su ser, como la luz en cada parte de un cuerpo luminoso, e independiente de todo agente exterior

«More distinctly, for their sight penetrates what yours cannot penetrate: nothing obscures it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 248 que ven las cosas más distintamente que los hombres porque su vista penetra lo que la humana no penetra

«All the perceptive faculties of a spirit are attributes of his nature, and form part of his being. When he is clothed with a material body, his perceptions reach him only through the channel of his bodily organs; but the perceptions of a spirit, when restored to the state of freedom, are no longer localized.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta de la 249 que todas sus facultades perceptivas son atributos de su naturaleza, canalizadas por los órganos mientras está encarnado y ya no localizadas cuando vuelve a la libertad

«Do you mean the music of your earth? What is it in comparison with the music of the celestial spheres, of that harmony of which nothing in your earth can give you any idea? The one is to the other as is the howl of the savage to the loveliest melody. Spirits of low degree, however, may take pleasure in hearing your music, because they are not yet able to appreciate anything more sublime. Music has inexhaustible charms for spirits, owing to the great development of their sensitive qualities; I mean, celestial music, than which the spiritual imagination can conceive of nothing more exquisitely sweet and beautiful.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 251 oponiendo a la música terrestre la de las esferas celestes, y comparan una con otra como el aullido del salvaje con la melodía más hermosa, sin negar que los espíritus de grado bajo gocen de la humana

«The beauties of nature are so different in the different globes, that spirits are far from knowing them all. They are sensible of them in proportion to their aptitude for appreciating and comprehending them; but, for spirits of a high degree of advancement, there are beauties of general harmony in which beauties of detail are, so to say, lost sight of.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 252 que las bellezas naturales difieren tanto de un globo a otro que ningún espíritu las conoce todas, y que para los muy adelantados las de detalle se pierden en las de la armonía general

«They know them, because they have undergone them; but they do not, like you, experience them materially: they are spirits.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 253 que conocen las necesidades y los sufrimientos físicos por haberlos padecido, pero que no los experimentan materialmente

«Mental anguish, which causes him tortures far more painful than any physical sufferings.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 255 que el sufrimiento del espíritu es angustia moral, con tormentos más dolorosos que cualquier sufrimiento físico

«Such sensations on their part are caused by the remembrance of sufferings endured by them in the earthly life, and are sometimes as painful as though they were real; but complaints of that nature are often only figures by which, for lack of any better means of description, they endeavor to express the situation in which they find themselves. When they remember their earthly body, they experience the same sort of impression which makes you feel for a few moments, when you have taken off a cloak, as though you had it still upon your shoulders.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 256 que sus quejas de frío o de calor vienen del recuerdo de lo padecido en vida y son a veces solo figuras a falta de mejor descripción, con la comparación de quien se ha quitado la capa y sigue sintiéndola sobre los hombros

«257. The body is the instrument of pain, of which, if not the primary cause, it is, at least, the immediate cause. The soul possesses the faculty of perceiving the pain thus caused; the perception of pain is, therefore, the effect of this action of the soul. The remembrance of pain retained by a spirit may be very painful, but cannot exercise any physical action. The tissues of the soul cannot be disorganized either by cold or heat; the soul can neither freeze nor burn.» — la explicación teórica que Kardec numera como 257 y firma con su propia voz, sin pregunta ni respuesta: el cuerpo es el instrumento del dolor y el alma la facultad que lo percibe, de modo que sus tejidos no pueden desorganizarse por el frío ni por el calor

«But do we not constantly see that the remembrance or the apprehension of physical pain may produce all the effect of reality, and may even occasion death? We know that recently-amputated patients often complain of felling pain in the limb they have lost: yet it is evident that the amputated limb cannot really be the seat, nor even the point of departure, of the pain feel, which is due solely to the action of the brain, that has retained and reproduces the impression of the pain formerly experienced by them. It may therefore be inferred that the suffering felt by spirits after death is of a similar nature.» — y la analogía clínica con que Kardec la apoya, la del amputado que se queja de dolor en el miembro perdido, que él atribuye al cerebro que retiene y reproduce la impresión; el troceo imprime *felling pain* y *the pain feel* donde el sentido pide *feeling* y *felt*

«That, again, depends on their degree of advancement. Very often, they foresee it only partially; but, even when they foresee it more clearly, they are not always permitted to reveal it. When they foresee» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 243 que la previsión del futuro depende del grado, que a menudo es parcial y que no siempre se les permite revelarla; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«it, it appears to them to be present. A spirit sees the future more clearly in proportion as he approaches God. After death, the soul sees and embraces at a glance all its past emigrations, but it cannot see what God has in store for it. This foreknowledge is only possessed by the soul that has attained to entire union with God, after a long succession of existences.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente: el futuro se les aparece como presente, tanto más claro cuanto más se acercan a Dios, y el alma abarca tras la muerte todas sus emigraciones pasadas pero no lo que Dios le reserva

«They see of themselves, and have no need of any exterior light. There» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 246 que ven por sí mismos y no necesitan luz exterior; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«is, for them, no other darkness than that in which they may be made to find themselves as expiation.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que solo les reconoce por oscuridad aquella en que puedan ser puestos como expiación

«A spirit only sees and hears what he chooses to see and hear. This statement, however, is to he taken in a general sense, and mainly as» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 250 que el espíritu solo ve y oye lo que quiere, y ponen enseguida a esa afirmación un sentido general; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«regards spirits of the higher orders; for imperfect spirits are compelled to see and hear, and often against their will, whatever may be useful for their amelioration.» — y la salvedad en la plana siguiente: eso vale para los órdenes altos, porque a los espíritus imperfectos se les obliga a ver y oír, aun contra su voluntad, lo que les sea útil para mejorar

«They cannot feel fatigue as you understand it, and consequently they have no need of your corporeal rest, because they have no organs whose strength requires to be restored. But a spirit may be said to take rest, inasmuch as he is not constantly in a state of activity. He does not act materially; his action is altogether intellectual, and his resting is altogether moral; that is to say, that there are moments when his thought becomes less active, and is no longer directed to any special object, and this constitutes for him a state which is really one of repose, but a kind of repose which cannot be likened to that of the body. The sort of fatigue which may be felt by spirits is proportionate» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 254 que no sienten fatiga corporal ni necesitan reposo del cuerpo, y describen un reposo moral en que el pensamiento se aquieta y deja de dirigirse a un objeto; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«to their inferiority; for, the higher their degree of elevation, the less is their need of rest.» — y la proporción con que cierran en la plana siguiente: la fatiga que un espíritu puede sentir es proporcional a su inferioridad

«A careful study of the perispirit, which plays so important a part in all spiritphenomena, the indications afforded by apparitions, whether» — Kardec enumera las fuentes de las que dice haber salido la explicación teórica que sigue: el estudio del *perispirit*, las apariciones, el estado del espíritu al morir y los cuadros de los suicidas y los ajusticiados; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento; *spirit-phenomena* quedó unido en *spiritphenomena* al retirar el troceo el guion de fin de renglón

«vaporous or tangible, the state of the spirit at the moment of death, the striking pictures presented by the victims of suicide and of capital punishment, by the spirits of those who have been absorbed in carnal enjoyments, and a great variety of other facts, have thrown new light on this question, and have given rise to the explanations of which we offer the following summary:» — y la continuación de esa enumeración en la plana siguiente, que Kardec cierra anunciando el resumen que ofrece

«The perispirit is the link that unites the spirit with the material body. It is drawn from the surrounding atmosphere, from the universal fluid; it participates at once in the nature of electricity of the magnetic fluid, and of inert matter. It may be said to be the quintessence of matter; it is the principle of organic life, but it is not that of intellectual life, the principle of which is in the spirit.» — la definición que Kardec da del *perispirit*: sacado de la atmósfera y del fluido universal, participa de la electricidad, del fluido magnético y de la materia inerte, es quintaesencia de materia y principio de la vida orgánica, pero no de la intelectual, que reside en el espíritu

«It is also the agent of all the sensations of the outer life. Those sensations are localized in the earthly body by the organs which serve as their channels. When the body is destroyed, those sensations become general. This explains why a spirit never says that he suffers in his head or in his feet.» — y la consecuencia que Kardec le saca: destruido el cuerpo, las sensaciones dejan de estar localizadas por los órganos y se vuelven generales, y por eso un espíritu nunca dice sufrir de la cabeza o de los pies

«But we must take care not to confound the sensations of the perispirit, rendered independent by the death of the body, with the sensations experienced through the body; for the latter can only be understood as offering a means of comparison with the former, but not as being analogous to them.» — la advertencia con que Kardec limita su propia comparación: las sensaciones del *perispirit* liberado no son análogas a las del cuerpo, y este solo sirve de término de comparación

«When freed from the body, a spirit may suffer, but this suffering is not the suffering of the body. And yet it is not a suffering exclusively moral, like remorse, for example, for he complains of feeling cold or hot, although he suffers no more in summer than in winter, and we have seen spirits pass through flames without feeling any painful effect there from, temperature making no impression upon them. The pain which they feel is therefore not a physical pain in the proper sense of that term; it is a vague feeling perceived in himself by a spirit, and which he himself is not always able to account for, precisely because his pain is not localized, and is not produced by any exterior agents: it is a remembrance rather than a reality, but a remembrance as painful as though it were a reality.» — y la naturaleza que Kardec le atribuye a ese sufrimiento: ni corporal ni exclusivamente moral como el remordimiento, sino un sentimiento vago no localizado, recuerdo más que realidad y tan doloroso como si lo fuera; añade haber visto espíritus pasar por las llamas sin efecto alguno

«Observation has shown us that the perispirit, at death, disengages itself more or less slowly from the body. During the first few moments which follow dissolution, a spirit does not clearly understand his own situation. He does not think himself dead, for he feels himself living. He sees his body beside him, he knows that it is his, and he does not understand that he is separated from it; and this state of indecision continues as long as there remains the slightest connection between the body and the perispirit.» — la observación que Kardec declara: el *perispirit* se desprende con lentitud, y mientras quede la menor conexión el espíritu no se cree muerto, ve su cuerpo al lado, lo sabe suyo y no comprende estar separado de él

«Now, most assuredly, the worms were not devouring his perispirit, still less could they be devouring the spirit himself. But, as the separation between the body and the perispirit was not complete, a sort of moral repercussion transmitted to the latter the sensation of what was taking place in the former.» — y la explicación que Kardec le da en la plana siguiente: incompleta la separación, una suerte de repercusión moral transmitía al *perispirit* la sensación de lo que ocurría en el cuerpo

«Repercussion is perhaps hardly the word to be employed in this case, as it may seem to imply an effect too nearly akin to materiality; it was rather the sight of what was going on in the decaying body, to which he was still attached by his perispirit, that produced in him an illusion which he mistook for reality. Thus, in his case, it was not a remembrance, for he had not, during his earthly life, been devoured by worms. It was the feeling of something which was actually taking place.» — la corrección que Kardec se hace enseguida sobre su propio término, por parecerle demasiado material, y la distinción que preserva: no fue recuerdo, porque en vida no lo habían devorado los gusanos, sino sentimiento de algo que estaba ocurriendo

«During life, the body receives external impressions and transmits them to the spirit through the intermediary of the perispirit, which constitutes, probably, what is called the nervous fluid. The body, when dead, no longer feels anything, because there is in it no longer either spirit or perispirit. The perispirit, when disengaged from the body, still experiences sensation; but, as sensation no longer reaches it through a limited channel, its sensation is general.» — el mecanismo que Kardec propone: en vida el cuerpo transmite las impresiones al espíritu por el *perispirit*, al que identifica con lo que se llama fluido nervioso, y muerto el cuerpo ya nada siente porque no queda en él ni espíritu ni *perispirit*

«Now, as the perispirit is, in reality, only an agent for the transmission of sensations to the spirit, by whom alone they are perceived, it follows that the perispirit, if it could exist without a spirit, would no more be able to feel any sensation than is the body when it is dead; and it also follows that the spirit, if it had no perispirit, would be inaccessible to any painful sensation, as is the case with spirits who are completely purified.» — y la doble consecuencia que Kardec extrae: un *perispirit* sin espíritu no sentiría más que un cadáver, y un espíritu sin *perispirit* sería inaccesible a toda sensación dolorosa, como ocurre con los completamente purificados

«We know that, in proportion as the spirit progresses, the essence of its perispirit becomes more and more etherealized; whence it follows that the influence of matter diminishes in proportion to the advancement of the spirit, that is to say, in proportion as his perispirit becomes less and less gross.» — la proporción que Kardec establece entre el progreso del espíritu y la eterización de su *perispirit*, que va disminuyendo la influencia de la materia

«But, it may be urged, it is through the perispirit that agreeable sensations are transmitted to the spirit, as well as disagreeable ones; therefore, if the purified spirit is inaccessible to the latter, he must also be to the former. Yes, undoubtedly so, as far as regards those which proceed solely from the influence of the matter which is known to us. The sound of our instruments, the perfume of our flowers, produce no impression upon spirits of the highest orders; and yet they experience sensations of the most vivid character, of a charm indescribable for us, and of which it is impossible for us to form any idea, because we are, in regard to that order of sensations, in the same position as that in which men, born blind, are in regard to light.» — la objeción que Kardec se hace, que el espíritu purificado quedaría también cerrado a las sensaciones agradables, y la concede en cuanto a las que vienen de la materia conocida, pero le opone sensaciones vivísimas frente a las cuales estamos como el ciego de nacimiento frente a la luz

«But we seek in vain to understand by what intermediary these faculties act; of this we know nothing. Spirits themselves can give us no explanation of the matter, because our language can no more be made to express ideas which are beyond the range of our comprehension than the language of savages can be made to furnish terms for expressing our arts, our sciences, or our philosophic doctrines.» — y el límite que Kardec declara de ese saber: se ignora por qué intermediario obran esas facultades, y ni los espíritus pueden explicarlo, porque nuestra lengua no expresa ideas fuera de nuestro alcance como la de los salvajes no expresa nuestras artes y ciencias

«In saying that spirits are inaccessible to the impressions of earthly matter, we must be understood as speaking of spirits of very high order, to whose eternalized envelope there is nothing analogous in our lower sphere. It is different with spirits whose perispirit is of denser quality, for they perceive our sounds and our odors, though no longer through special parts of their personality, as they did during life.» — la restricción con que Kardec acota lo dicho: vale para los espíritus de orden muy alto, mientras que aquellos cuyo *perispirit* es más denso sí perciben nuestros sonidos y olores, aunque ya no por partes especiales de su persona; el troceo imprime *eternalized envelope* donde el sentido pide *etherealized*

«The molecular vibrations may be said to be felt by them throughout their whole being, reaching thus their common sensorium, which is the spirit himself, although in a different manner, and causing, perhaps, a different impression, which may produce a modification of the resulting perception. They hear the sound of our voice, and yet are able to understand us, without the help of speech, by the mere transmission of thought; and this penetration is the easier for them in proportion as they are more dematerialized.» — y el modo en que Kardec describe esa percepción: las vibraciones moleculares sentidas por todo su ser hasta alcanzar el sensorio común, que es el espíritu mismo, y el entendimiento sin habla por mera transmisión del pensamiento

«Their sight is independent of our light. The faculty of vision is an essential attribute of the soul, for whom darkness has no existence; but it is more extended, more penetrating, in those whose purification is more advanced. The soul or spirit, therefore, possesses in itself the faculty of all perceptions; during our corporeal life these are deadened by the grossness of our physical organs, but in the extra-corporeal life, they become more and more vivid as our semi-material envelope becomes more and more eternalized.» — la tesis con que Kardec cierra ese tramo: la visión es atributo esencial del alma, para la que no existe la oscuridad, y todas las percepciones se avivan a medida que la envoltura semimaterial se eteriza; el troceo vuelve a imprimir *eternalized* donde el sentido pide *etherealized*

«Without possessing organs of sensation, spirits are able to render their perceptions active, or to prevent their action: there is but one thing which they are compelled to hear, and that is the counsels of their guides.» — la única excepción que Kardec le reconoce a la libertad del espíritu sobre sus propias percepciones: hay una cosa que está obligado a oír, los consejos de sus guías

«The sight of spirits is always active, but they are able, nevertheless, to render themselves invisible to one another, according to the rank they occupy; those of a higher rank having the power of hiding themselves from those who are below them, although a spirit of lower rank cannot hide himself from those who are above him.» — y la jerarquía que Kardec describe en la invisibilidad mutua: el de rango alto puede ocultarse del que está por debajo, y el de rango bajo no puede ocultarse de los que están por encima

«In the first moments after death, the sight of a spirit is always dim and confused; it becomes cleared as he becomes freed from the body, acquiring not only the same clearness which it possessed during life, but also the power of penetrating bodies which are opaque for us. As for the extension of a spirit’s vision through space, and into the future and the past, that depends entirely on his degree of purity and of consequent elevation.» — la progresión que Kardec traza de la vista del espíritu, turbia al principio y despejada al liberarse del cuerpo hasta penetrar los cuerpos opacos, con la extensión en el espacio y en el tiempo dependiente del grado de pureza

«Alas, yes! We may still have to suffer, to suffer much, and for a long time; but we may also have no more to suffer, even from the very moment of quitting the corporeal life.» — y la respuesta con que la admite sin ceder: puede que haya que sufrir mucho y por largo tiempo, y puede también que no haya que sufrir más desde el momento mismo de dejar la vida corporal

«The sufferings of our present existence are sometimes independent of ourselves; but they are often the consequences of our own volition. If we trace our sufferings back to their source, we see that the greater number of them are due to causes which we might have avoided. How many ills, how many infirmities, does man owe to his excesses, his ambition – in a word, to the indulgence of his various passions! He who should live soberly in all respects, who should never run into excesses of any kind, who should be always simple in his tastes, modest in his desires, would escape a large proportion of the tribulations of human life.» — el paralelo que Kardec traza desde esta vida: la mayoría de los males vienen de causas evitables, y quien viviera sobriamente, sin excesos, sencillo en sus gustos y modesto en sus deseos escaparía a buena parte de las tribulaciones humanas

«It is the same with regard to spirit-life, the sufferings of which are always the consequence of the manner in which a spirit has lived upon the earth. In that life undoubtedly he will no longer suffer from gout or rheumatism; but his wrong-doing down here will cause him to experience other sufferings no less painful.» — y la aplicación que hace a la vida del espíritu: allí no habrá gota ni reumatismo, pero el mal obrado aquí hará experimentar otros sufrimientos no menos penosos

«It depends, therefore, on each of us to free ourselves from the influence of matter by our action in this present life. Man possesses free-will, and, consequently, the power of electing to do or not to do. Let him conquer his animal passions; let him rid himself of hatred, envy, jealousy, pride; let him throw off the yoke of selfishness; let him purify his soul by cultivating noble sentiments; let him do good; let him attach to the things of this world only the degree of importance which they deserve – and he will, even under his present corporeal envelope, have effected his purification, and achieved his deliverance from the influence of matter, which will cease for him on his quitting that envelope. For such a one the remembrance of physical sufferings endured by him in the life he has quitted has nothing painful, and produces no disagreeable impression, because they affected his body only, and left no trace in his soul. He is happy to be relieved from them; and the calmness of a good conscience exempts him from all moral suffering.» — la salida práctica con que Kardec cierra el capítulo, apoyada en el libre albedrío: vencer las pasiones animales, sacudirse el odio, la envidia, los celos y el orgullo, y dar a las cosas de este mundo solo la importancia que merecen, para haber cumplido la purificación bajo la envoltura presente

«We have questioned many thousands of spirits having belonged to every class of society; we have studied them at every period of their spirit-life, from the instant of their quitting the body. We have followed them step by step in that life beyond the grave, with a view to ascertaining the changes that should take place in their ideas and sensations; and this examination – in which it has not always been the most commonplace spirits that have furnished us the least valuable subjects of study – has invariably shown us, on the one hand, that the sufferings of spirits are the direct result of the misconduct of which they have to undergo the consequences, and, on the other hand, that their new existence is the source of ineffable happiness for those who have followed the right road. From which it follows that those who suffer do so because they have so willed it, and have only themselves to thank for their suffering, in the other world, as in this one.» — y la base empírica que Kardec declara del conjunto, muchos miles de espíritus de toda clase social seguidos paso a paso desde el instante de dejar el cuerpo, de la que dice haber salido siempre lo mismo: que el sufrimiento del espíritu resulta de su propia mala conducta

«One who had committed suicide said to us, “No, I am not dead,” and added, “and yet I feel the worms that are» — el caso que Kardec transcribe de un suicida que le declaró no estar muerto y sentir a la vez los gusanos; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«This envelope is drawn from the atmosphere in which the spirit finds himself for the time being, and varies according to the nature of the different worlds. In passing from one world to another, spirits change their envelope as we change a garment when we pass from summer to winter, or from the pole to the equator. The most elevated spirits, when they come to visit us, assume a terrestrial perispirit, which they retain during their stay among us, and their perceptions are therefore produced, while they are thus clothed upon, in the same way as those of the lower spirits, of whom this grosser order of» — la explicación que Kardec da del cambio de envoltura al pasar de un mundo a otro, como se cambia de vestido del verano al invierno o del polo al ecuador, con los espíritus más elevados asumiendo un *perispirit* terrestre mientras nos visitan; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«perispirit is the appropriate envelope; but all spirits, whether high or low, only hear and feel what they choose to hear and to feel.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que iguala a todos en un punto: altos o bajos, solo oyen y sienten lo que quieren oír y sentir

«is anything but encouraging. We had thought that, once freed from our gross bodily envelope, the instrument of all our sufferings, we should suffer no more; and now you tell us that we shall still suffer in the other life, although not in the same way as we do here. But suffering is nonetheless painful, whatever its nature; and this prospect is by no means an agreeable one.» — la objeción que Kardec transcribe entrecomillada contra su propia teoría, que esperaba no sufrir más una vez fuera de la envoltura corporal y encuentra que se sufrirá también en la otra vida, de otro modo pero no menos

«He chooses for himself the kind of trials which he will undergo, and it is in this freedom of choice that his free-will consists.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 258 que el espíritu escoge por sí mismo la clase de pruebas que sufrirá, y que en esa libertad de elección consiste su libre albedrío

«Nothing comes to pass without the permission of God, for it is He who has established all the laws that rule the universe. You would have to inquire why He has made such and such a law, instead of taking some other way. In giving to a spirit the liberty of choice, He leaves to him the entire responsibility of his acts and of their consequences. There is nothing to bar his future; the right road is open to him as freely as the wrong road. But if he succumbs, there still remains to him the consoling fact that all is not over with him, and that God in His goodness allows him to recommence the task which he has done badly. You must, moreover, always distinguish between what is the work of God’s will and what is the work of man’s will. If a danger threatens you, it is not you who have created this danger, but God; but you have voluntarily elected to expose yourself to this danger, because you have seen in so doing a means of advancement, and God has permitted you to do so.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por si las tribulaciones son castigo impuesto por Dios: según el volumen, los espíritus le dejan a Dios las leyes que rigen el universo y al espíritu la responsabilidad entera de sus actos, con la distinción entre lo que es obra de la voluntad divina y lo que es obra de la humana; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«It would not be correct to say that such has been the case with all of them; for you cannot be said to have chosen and foreseen all the things which happen to you in this life, and all their details. You have chosen the kind of trial to which you are subjected; the details of this trial are a consequence of the general situation which you have chosen, and are often the result of your own actions.» — según el volumen, los espíritus acotan en la respuesta 259 que no todo lo que ocurre en la vida fue previsto y escogido: se escoge la clase de prueba, y los detalles se siguen de la situación general elegida y a menudo de los propios actos

«If, for instance, a spirit has chosen to be born among malefactors, he knew to what kind of temptations he was exposing himself, but not each one of the actions which he would accomplish; those actions are the effect of his volition, of his free-will. A spirit knows that, in choosing such and such a road, he will have such and such a kind of struggle to undergo; he knows, therefore, the nature of the vicissitudes which he will encounter, but he does not know whether these will present themselves under one form or under another.» — y el ejemplo con que lo precisan: quien eligió nacer entre malhechores sabía a qué tentaciones se exponía, pero no cada uno de los actos que cumpliría, que salen de su libre albedrío

«It is necessary for him to be sent into the conditions which will furnish the elements of the trial he has demanded. To this end, there must be a correspondence between the imperfection of which he desires to free himself, and the social surroundings into which he is born. For example, if he has to struggle against the instinct of brigandage, it is necessary for him to be thrown among brigands.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 260, sobre cómo puede un espíritu elegir nacer entre gente de mala vida, exigiendo correspondencia entre la imperfección de que quiere librarse y el medio social en que nace: para luchar contra el instinto del bandidaje hay que ser echado entre bandidos

«Would there be any reason for complaining, if such were the case? The case you suppose is that of the worlds of higher order, to which evil has no access, and which are therefore inhabited only by good spirits. Try to bring about such a state of things as soon as possible in your earth.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por un mundo sin gente de mala vida, que remite a los mundos de orden superior donde el mal no tiene acceso, con el encargo de acelerar en la tierra ese estado de cosas

«Certainly not, since there are, as you know, many spirits who take from the beginning a road which spares them the necessity of undergoing many of those trials; but he who suffers himself to be drawn into the wrong road, exposes himself to all the dangers of that road. A spirit, for instance, may ask for riches, and his demand may be granted; and, in that case, he will become, according to his character, avaricious or prodigal, selfish or generous, and will make a noble use of his wealth, or waste it on vanity or sensuality; but this does not imply that he will be compelled to run the gauntlet of all the evil tendencies that may be fostered by the possession of riches.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 261 que no hace falta pasar por toda clase de tentación, con el ejemplo del espíritu que pide riquezas y según su carácter se vuelve avaro o pródigo, egoísta o generoso

«God supplies what is lacking through his inexperience, by tracing out for him the road which he has to follow, as you do for the infant in its cradle; but he allows him, little by little, to become the master of his» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 262, sobre cómo puede elegir con acierto un espíritu simple e ignorante, diciendo que Dios le traza el camino como se hace con el niño en la cuna y solo poco a poco lo deja dueño de su elección; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«choice, in proportion as his free-will becomes developed; and it is then that he often loses his way and takes the wrong road, if he do not listen to the advice of the good spirits, who endeavor to instruct him; it is this which may be called the fall of man.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, donde el extravío del que no escucha a los buenos espíritus recibe el nombre que el volumen consigna, la caída del hombre

«God can afford to wait; He never hurries the work of expiation. Nevertheless, God does sometimes impose an existence upon a spirit, when the latter, through his ignorance or his obstinacy, is incapable of perceiving what would be to his advantage, and when He sees that this existence may subserve his purification and advancement, while furnishing him also with the conditions of expiation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta de la 262 que Dios puede esperar y no apura la expiación, aunque a veces impone una existencia al espíritu que por ignorancia u obstinación no percibe lo que le conviene

«No; many of them believe their sufferings to be eternal: you have already been told that this is a chastisement.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 263 que la elección no se hace en seguida tras la muerte, porque muchos creen eternos sus sufrimientos, cosa que ya han declarado castigo

«He chooses those which may serve to expiate faults, and at the same time help him to advance more quickly. In view of these ends, some may impose upon themselves a life of poverty privations, in order to exercise themselves in bearing them with courage; others may wish to test their powers of resistance by the temptations of fortune and of power, much more dangerous, because of the bad use that may be made of them, and the evil passions that may be developed by them; others, again, may desire to strengthen their good resolutions by having to struggle against the influence of vicious surroundings.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 264 censando tres modos de escoger la prueba: la pobreza y las privaciones para ejercitarse en soportarlas, la fortuna y el poder para probar la resistencia, y el medio vicioso para fortalecer las buenas resoluciones

«Such instances undoubtedly occur; but only among those whose moral sense is still but imperfectly developed. In such cases, the needed trial occurs spontaneously, and they are subjected to it for a longer time. Sooner or later, they will understand that indulgence of the animal instincts leads to disastrous consequences, which they will undergo» — según el volumen, los espíritus admiten en la respuesta 265 que hay quien escoge un medio vicioso por gusto y no como prueba, aunque solo entre aquellos cuyo sentido moral está poco desarrollado, y en tal caso la prueba les llega igual y por más tiempo; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«during a period so long that it will seem to them to be eternal; and God sometimes leaves them in this state until they have comprehended the gravity of their fault, and demand, of their own accord, to be allowed to repair it by undergoing trials of a profitable nature.» — y el cierre de esa respuesta en la plana siguiente: Dios los deja en ese estado hasta que comprenden la gravedad de su falta y piden por su cuenta pruebas provechosas para repararla

«From your point of view, it would seem to be so, but not from that of the spirit; when he is freed from materiality, his illusions cease, and he thinks differently» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 266, sobre si no sería natural escoger las pruebas menos penosas, separando los dos puntos de vista: liberado de la materialidad, cesan las ilusiones del espíritu y este piensa de otro modo

«Man, while upon the earth, and subjected to the influence of carnal ideas, sees only the painful aspect of the trials he is called upon to undergo and it therefore appears to him to be natural to choose the trials that are allied to material enjoyments. But when he has returned to spirit-life, he compares those gross and fugitive enjoyments with the unchangeable felicity of which he obtains occasional glimpses, and judges that such felicity will be cheaply purchased by a little temporary suffering. A spirit may therefore, make choice of the hardest trial, and consequently of the most painful existence, in the hope of thereby attaining more rapidly to a happier state, just as a sick man often chooses the most unpalatable medicine in the hope of obtaining a more rapid cure.» — el comentario de Kardec, que explica por la influencia de las ideas carnales que en la tierra solo se vea el lado penoso de la prueba, y compara al espíritu que escoge la existencia más dolorosa con el enfermo que escoge la medicina más desagradable esperando curar antes

«country does not seek a flowery road. He takes the road which will bring him most surely to the aim he has in view, and he is not deterred from following it even by the dangers it may offer. On the contrary, he braves those dangers for the sake of the glory he will win if he succeeds.» — el cierre de esa comparación tras el corte, con el explorador que toma el camino más seguro para su fin y afronta sus peligros por la gloria que ganará si acierta

«The doctrine of our freedom in the choice of our successive existences and of the trials which we have to undergo ceases to appear strange when we consider that spirits, being freed from matter, judge of things differently from men. They perceive the ends which these trials are intended to work out – ends far more important for them than the fugitive enjoyments of earth. After each existence, they see the steps they have already accomplished, and comprehend what they still lack for the attainment of the purity which alone enable them to reach the goal and they willingly submit to the vicissitudes of corporeal life, demanding of their own accord to be allowed to undergo those which will aid them to advance most rapidly. There is, therefore, nothing surprising in a spirit making choice of a hard or painful life. He knows that he cannot, in his present state of imperfection, enjoy the perfect happiness to which he aspires but he obtains glimpses of that happiness, and he seeks to effect his own improvement, as the sole means to its attainment.» — la razón con que Kardec quita extrañeza a la elección libre de las existencias: liberados de la materia, los espíritus juzgan de otro modo, ven tras cada existencia los pasos ya cumplidos y lo que les falta, y piden por su cuenta las pruebas que más los hagan avanzar

«Do we not, every day, witness examples of a similar choice? What is the action of the man who labors, without cessation or repose, to amass the property which wilt enable him eventually to live in comfort, but the discharge of a task which he has voluntarily assumed as the means of insuring for himself a more prosperous future? The soldier who offers himself for the accomplishment of a perilous mission, the traveler who braves dangers no less formidable in the interest of science or of his own fortune, are examples of the voluntary incurring of hardships for the sake of the honor or profit» — y los ejemplos terrestres con que Kardec la vuelve familiar, el hombre que trabaja sin descanso para asegurarse un porvenir holgado, el soldado que se ofrece para una misión peligrosa y el viajero que arrostra peligros por la ciencia o por su fortuna; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«The details of events spring from circumstances and the force of things. It is only the leading events of his new life, those which will exercise a determining effect on his destiny, that are foreseen by him. If you enter upon a road full of ruts, you know that you must walk very warily, because you run a risk of stumbling; but you do not know the exact place where you will stumble, and it may be that, if you are sufficiently on your guard, you will not stumble at all. If, when you are passing along a street, a tile falls upon your head, you must not suppose that» — el límite que los espíritus ponen a la previsión, restringida a los sucesos capitales de la nueva vida, con la imagen del camino lleno de baches en que se sabe que se puede tropezar sin saber dónde, y la advertencia a propósito de la teja que cae en la calle; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«He who aspires to immortalize his name by the discovery of an unknown» — la segunda comparación de Kardec, la de quien aspira a inmortalizar su nombre descubriendo un país desconocido; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«that will result from their successful endurance. What will not men undergo for gain or for glory? Is not every sort of competitive examination a trial to which men voluntarily submit in the hope of obtaining advancement in the career they have chosen? He who would gain a high position in science, art, industry, is obliged to pass through all the lower degrees which lead up to it, and which constitute so many trials.» — la continuación en la plana siguiente del cotejo de Kardec entre las pruebas escogidas por el espíritu y las que los hombres se imponen a diario: los exámenes de oposición y los grados inferiores que hay que recorrer para llegar alto en la ciencia, en el arte o en la industria

«Human life is thus seen to be modeled on spirit-life, presenting the same vicissitudes on a smaller scale. And as in the earthly life we often make choice of the hardest conditions as means to the attainment of the highest ends, why should not a disincarnate spirit, who sees farther than he saw when incarnated in an earthly body, and for whom the bodily life is only a fugitive incident, make choice of a laborious or painful existence, if it may lead him or towards an eternal felicity?» — y la analogía que Kardec establece entre las dos vidas, con la humana modelada sobre la del espíritu y presentando las mismas vicisitudes en escala menor

«Those who say that, since spirits have the power choosing their existences, they will demand to be princes and millionaires, are like the purblind, who only see what they touch, or like greedy children, who, when asked what occupation they would prefer to follow, reply that they would like to be pastry-cooks or confectioners.» — la objeción que Kardec transcribe, que los espíritus pedirían ser príncipes y millonarios, y las dos comparaciones con que la despacha: los cortos de vista que solo ven lo que tocan y los niños golosos que preferirían ser pasteleros o confiteros

«It is with a spirit as with a traveler, who, in the depths of a valley obscured by fog, sees neither the length nor the extremities of his road. When he has reached the top of me hill, and the fog has cleared away, his view takes in both the road along which he has come and that by which he has still to go. He sees the point which he has to reach, and the obstacles he has to overcome in reaching it, and he is thus able to take his measures for successfully accomplishing his journey. A spirit, while incarnated, is like the traveler at the foot of the hill when freed from terrestrial trammels, he is like the traveler who has reached the top of the hill. The aim of the traveler is to obtain rest after fatigue the aim of the spirit is to attain to perfect happiness after tribulations and trials.» — la comparación del viajero con que Kardec figura los dos estados: al pie de la colina, entre la niebla del valle, no se ve ni el largo ni los extremos del camino, y desde lo alto se abarca lo andado y lo que falta; el troceo imprime *the top of me hill* donde el sentido pide *the*

«Spirits say that, in the state of erraticity, they seek, study, observe, in order to make their choice wisely. Have we not examples of analogous action in corporeal life? Do we not often spend years in deciding on me career upon which, at length, we freely fix our choice, because we consider it to be the one in which we are most likely to succeed? If, after all, we fail in the one we have chosen, we seek out another and each career thus embraced by us constitutes a phase, a period, of our life. Is not each day employed by us in deciding what we shall do on the morrow? And what, for a spirit, are his different corporeal existences, but so many phases, periods, days, in comparison with his spirit life, which, as we know, is his normal life, the corporeal life being only a transitional passage?» — y la analogía que Kardec traza entre la deliberación del espíritu errante sobre su próxima existencia y los años que un hombre pasa decidiendo su carrera; el troceo imprime *deciding on me career* donde el sentido pide *the*

«His desire may exercise a certain amount of influence, according to the quality of his intention; but, when he returns to spirit-life, he often judges things very differently. It is only as a spirit that he makes his choice; but he may, nevertheless, make it during the material life, for a spirit, even while incarnated, has occasional moments in which he is independent of the matter he inhabits.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 267 que el deseo del encarnado influye algo según la calidad de su intención, pero que la elección se hace como espíritu, y conceden que aun encarnado tiene momentos en que es independiente de la materia que habita

«Yes; but not such as you understand by that term. By the term trials, you understand only material tribulations. But when a spirit has reached a certain degree of purification, although he is not yet perfect, he has no more tribulations of that kind to undergo, he has, nevertheless, to perform certain duties which advance his own improvement, but there is nothing painful in these, as, for example, the duty of aiding others to work out their own improvement.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 268 separando dos sentidos de prueba: pasado cierto grado de purificación cesan las tribulaciones materiales y quedan deberes no penosos, como el de ayudar a otros a mejorar

«He may choose one which exceeds his strength, and, in that case, he will succumb; or he may choose one from which he will reap no profit whatever, as, for instance, if he seeks to lead an idle and useless life. But, in such cases, he perceives, on returning to the spirit-world, that he has gained nothing, and he then demands to make up for lost time.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 269 que el espíritu puede equivocarse al escoger su prueba, sea excediendo sus fuerzas y sucumbiendo, sea eligiendo una vida ociosa e inútil de la que no saca provecho

«It seems to me that you yourselves might answer this question. Is not the existence of such vocations a necessary consequence of what we have told you concerning the choice of trials, and of the progress accomplished in a preceding existence?» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 270, por el origen de las vocaciones, devolviéndosela a quien pregunta como consecuencia necesaria de lo ya dicho sobre la elección de pruebas y el progreso de una existencia anterior

«Those who are born among cannibals are not advanced spirits, but spirits who are still at the cannibal degree, or, it may be, who are even lower than cannibals.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 271, por qué habría de nacer un espíritu entre caníbales, negando que los nacidos allí sean espíritus adelantados

«A spirit can only advance gradually he cannot clear at a single bound the distance which separates barbarism from civilization. And in this impossibility we see one of the causes that necessitate reincarnation, which is thus seen to be really a consequence of the justice of God for what would become of the millions of human beings who die every day in the lowest depths of degradation, if they had no means of arriving at higher states? And why should God have refused to them the favors granted to other men?» — y la causa que Kardec deriva de esa gradualidad para la reencarnación misma, apoyada en la justicia divina: qué sería de los millones que mueren cada día en la mayor degradación si no tuvieran medio de llegar a estados más altos

«Yes, such spirits sometimes come into your world, through trying to reach a degree too far above them; but they are out of their proper place among you, because they bring with them instincts and habits that clash with the convictions and habits of the society into which they have strayed.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 272 que un espíritu de mundo inferior puede nacer entre pueblos civilizados por intentar un grado demasiado alto, y que queda fuera de lugar porque trae instintos y hábitos que chocan con los de esa sociedad

«Such beings present us with the melancholy spectacle of ferocity in the midst of civilization. For them, to return among cannibals is not a going down, but only a resuming of their proper place and they may even gain by so doing.» — el comentario de Kardec sobre esos casos, que llama espectáculo melancólico de ferocidad en medio de la civilización, y para los cuales volver entre caníbales no sería descenso sino recuperación de su lugar propio

«Yes; but that would depend on the kind of expiation he had incurred. A master who had been cruel to his slaves might become a slave in his turn, and undergo the torments he had inflicted on others. He who has wielded authority may, in a new existence, be obliged to obey those who formerly bent to his will. Such an existence may be imposed upon him as an expiation if he had abused his power. But a good spirit may also choose an influential existence among the people of some lower race, in order to hasten their advancement; in that case, such a reincarnation is a mission.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 273 que un hombre de raza civilizada puede reencarnar entre salvajes como expiación, con el ejemplo del amo cruel vuelto esclavo, y separan de ese caso la existencia influyente escogida por un buen espíritu para acelerar el adelanto de un pueblo, que llaman misión

«No; for in that world the humble are exalted and the proud abased. Read the Psalms.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 275 que el poder y la consideración gozados en la tierra no dan supremacía en el mundo de los espíritus, y remiten a los Psalms

«Do you not know that spirits are of different orders, according to their degree of merit? Therefore, he who has held the highest rank upon the earth may find himself in the lowest rank in the world of spirits, while his servitor may be in the highest. Is not this clear to you? Has not Jesus said that ‘whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted?» — y la explicación que dan de exaltar y abatir, con el ejemplo de quien ocupó el rango más alto en la tierra y se halla en el más bajo mientras su sirviente está en el más alto, apoyada en una sentencia que atribuyen a Jesus

«Often exceedingly so; especially if he has been haughty and jealous.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 276 que quien fue grande en la tierra suele sentirse muy humillado al hallarse en lugar inferior, sobre todo si fue altivo y celoso

«Titles are nothing; intrinsic superiority is everything.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 277, sobre el soldado que encuentra a su general tras la batalla, que los títulos no son nada y la superioridad intrínseca lo es todo

«Yes and no, that is to say, they see each other, but they are nonetheless removed. They shun or approach one another according to the antipathies or sympathies of their sentiments, just as is the case among yourselves. The spirit-life is a whole world of varied conditions and relationships, of which the earthly life is only the obscured reflex. Those of the same rank are drawn together by a sort of affinity, and form groups or families of spirits united by sympathy and a common aim – the good, by the desire to do what is good, and the bad, by the» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 278 que los de órdenes distintos se ven pero permanecen apartados, y describen la vida del espíritu como un mundo entero de condiciones y relaciones del que la vida terrestre es reflejo oscurecido; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«Undoubtedly; in such cases it is their material instinct which desires greatness in order to enjoy its satisfactions. The spirit could only» — y la distinción que hacen ante quienes desean grandeza y riquezas: quien las desea por sus satisfacciones es el instinto material; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«desire it in order to understand its vicissitudes.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que solo le concede al espíritu desearlas para entender sus vicisitudes

«We know that our anthropophagi are not at the lowest degree of the scale, and that there are worlds in which are found degrees of brutishness and ferocity that have no analogues in our earth. The spirits of those worlds are, therefore, lower than the lowest of our world, and to come among our savages is, for them, a step in advance, as it would be for our cannibals to exercise, in a civilized community, some profession» — el comentario de Kardec, que sitúa a los antropófagos terrestres por encima del último grado de la escala y describe mundos de embrutecimiento y ferocidad sin análogo en la tierra, para los cuales venir entre nuestros salvajes es ya un paso adelante; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«obliging them to shed blood. If they take no higher aim, it is because their moral backwardness does not allow of their comprehending any higher degree of progress.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que atribuye a su atraso moral el que no apunten más alto, porque no alcanzan a comprender grado de progreso mayor

«Yes; the authority of spirits over one another, in virtue of their» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 274 que hay entre ellos jerarquía y autoridad fundada en su superioridad relativa; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«relative superiority, is very great, and gives to the higher ones a moral ascendancy over the lower ones which is absolutely irresistible.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que declara absolutamente irresistible el ascendiente moral de los superiores sobre los inferiores

«I have said that the authority which comes of superiority is» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta por si los inferiores pueden sustraerse a esa autoridad remitiéndose a lo ya dicho; el troceo corta la frase, que cierra con la palabra irresistible

«desire to do evil, by the shame of their wrong-doing, and by the wish to find themselves among those whom they resemble.» — el cierre en la plana siguiente de la respuesta 278, que agrupa también a los malos por el deseo de hacer el mal, la vergüenza de lo obrado y las ganas de estar entre semejantes

«The spirit-world is like a great city, in which men of all ranks and conditions see and meet one another without mixing together in which various social circles are formed by similarity of tastes in which vice and virtue elbow each other without speaking to one another.» — la comparación de Kardec para ese mundo, una gran ciudad donde hombres de todo rango se ven sin mezclarse y donde el vicio y la virtud se codean sin hablarse

«The good go everywhere, as it is necessary that they should do, in order to bring their influence to bear upon the evil-minded. But the regions inhabited by them are inaccessible to inferior spirits, so that the latter cannot trouble those happy abodes by the introduction of evil passions.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 279 que la accesibilidad no es recíproca: los buenos van a todas partes para influir sobre los malos, y las regiones que estos habitan quedan cerradas a los inferiores

«The good ones endeavor to combat the evil tendencies of the others, in order to aid them to raise themselves to a higher degree; this intercourse, is, for the former, a mission.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 280 que los buenos combaten las tendencias malas de los otros para ayudarlos a subir, y que ese trato es para ellos una misión

«From jealousy. Not having earned a place among the good, their desire is to prevent, as far as in them lies, other spirits, as yet inexperienced, from attaining to the happiness from which they are excluded. They desire to make others suffer what they suffer themselves. Do you not see the working of the same desire among yourselves?» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 281, por qué los inferiores gustan de inducir al mal, con los celos: quieren impedir a otros la felicidad de que están excluidos y hacerles sufrir lo que ellos sufren

«They see and comprehend one another. Speech is material; it is a reflex of spirit. The universal fluid establishes a constant communication between them; it is the vehicle by which thought is transmitted, as the air, in your world, is the vehicle of sound. This fluid constitutes a sort of universal telegraph, which unites all worlds, and enables spirits to correspond from one world to another.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 282 que se comunican sin palabra, y describen el fluido universal como vehículo del pensamiento y como una suerte de telégrafo universal que une todos los mundos

«No; with them everything is open, and especially so with those who» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 283 que no pueden ocultarse el pensamiento entre sí y que todo está abierto para ellos; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«have attained to perfection. They may withdraw from one another, but they are always visible to each other. This, however, is not an absolute rule, for the higher spirits are perfectly able to render themselves invisible to the lower ones, when they consider it to be useful to do so.» — y la salvedad que ponen en la plana siguiente, que los espíritus superiores sí pueden hacerse invisibles a los inferiores cuando lo juzgan útil

«Their individuality is established by their perispirit, which makes of each spirit a separate personality, distinct from all others, as the body does among men.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 284 que su individualidad la establece el *perispirit*, que hace de cada uno una persona distinta como el cuerpo entre los hombres

«We see our past life, and read therein as in a book; on seeing the past of our friends and our enemies, we see their passage from life to death.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la subpregunta de la 285 que se reconocen leyendo la vida pasada como en un libro, donde ven el paso de la vida a la muerte de amigos y enemigos

«Immediately is not always the right word; for, as we have said, the soul requires some time to resume its self-consciousness, and to shake off the veil of materiality.» — según el volumen, los espíritus acotan en la respuesta 286 que el alma no ve enseguida a sus parientes y amigos, porque necesita tiempo para recobrar la conciencia de sí y sacudirse el velo de la materialidad

«That of the righteous, as a dearly-beloved brother, whose return has been long waited for; that of the wicked, with contempt.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 287 que al justo se le recibe como a hermano largamente esperado y al malvado con desprecio

«Such spirits are gratified at seeing others who resemble them, and who, like them, are deprived of the highest happiness; just as a band of scoundrels, upon the earth, are gratified at meeting with another» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 288 que los impuros se complacen al ver llegar a otro semejante, privado como ellos de la felicidad más alta; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«Yes, they come to meet the soul of those they love; they felicitate it as one who has returned from a journey if it have escaped the dangers of the road, and they aid it in freeing itself from the bonds of the flesh. To be met thus by those they have loved is a favor granted to the souls of the upright; while the soul of the wicked is punished by being left alone, or is only surrounded by spirits like itself.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 289 que parientes y amigos salen al encuentro del alma que deja la tierra y la felicitan como a quien vuelve de viaje, y declaran castigo del malvado quedarse solo o rodeado de espíritus como él

«That depends on their elevation, and on the road they have to follow for their advancement. If one of them is further advanced, and progresses more rapidly than the other, they cannot remain together: they may see one another occasionally, but they can only be definitively reunited when he who was behind is able to keep pace with him who was before, or when both of them shall have reached the state of perfection. Moreover, the privation of the sight of relatives and friends is sometimes inflicted on a spirit as a punishment.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 290 que parientes y amigos no siempre se reúnen tras la muerte, porque el que avanza más aprisa no puede quedarse con el otro, y añaden que la privación de verlos se impone a veces como castigo

«Yes, just as among men; but the link between spirits is stronger when the body is absent, because it is no longer exposed to the vicissitudes of the passions.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 291 que tienen afectos personales como los hombres, y más fuertes en ausencia del cuerpo porque el lazo ya no queda expuesto a las vicisitudes de las pasiones

«Hatreds only exist among impure spirits. It is they who sow hatreds and dissensions among men.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 292 que el odio solo existe entre los impuros, y les atribuyen la siembra de odios y disensiones entre los hombres

«Just as two schoolboys, when they have reached the age of reason, perceive the folly of their boyish quarrels, and no longer keep up a grudge against each other on account of them.» — la comparación con que Kardec lo glosa, la de dos escolares que llegados a la edad de la razón ven la necedad de sus riñas de niños

«If they are good, they forgive you as soon as you repent; if they are bad, they may retain resentment against you, and may even pursue you with their anger in another existence. This may be permitted by God as a chastisement.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 295, por el sentimiento de aquellos a quienes se agravió, que los buenos perdonan en cuanto hay arrepentimiento y los malos pueden guardar rencor y perseguir en otra existencia, cosa que Dios permitiría como castigo

«No; for they cannot be mistaken in one another. The mask under which hypocrites hide themselves on earth has no existence in the world of spirits, and their affections, when they are pure, are therefore unchangeable. The love which unites them is a source of supreme felicity.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 296 que sus afectos no cambian porque no cabe engaño entre ellos: la máscara del hipócrita no existe en su mundo

«Yes, undoubtedly, if that affection were founded on sympathy; but, if physical causes have had more share in it than sympathy, it ceases with those causes. Affections are more solid and lasting among spirits than among men, because they are not subordinated to the caprices of material interests and self-love.» — según el volumen, los espíritus acotan en la respuesta 297 que el afecto terrestre continúa si se fundaba en la simpatía, y cesa con sus causas si fueron más físicas que simpáticas

«No, there is no such thing as any special and fated union between any two souls. Union exists between all spirits, but in different degrees, according to the rank they occupy – that is to say, according to the degree of perfection they have acquired; and the greater their perfection, the more united they are. It is discord that produces all the ills of human life. The complete and perfect happiness at which all spirits eventually arrive is the result of concord.» — según el volumen, los espíritus niegan en la respuesta 298 la unión predestinada entre dos almas y la mitad esperando en alguna parte del universo: la unión existe entre todos los espíritus, en grados según su perfección, y es la discordia la que produce todos los males de la vida humana

«The expression is incorrect. If one spirit were the half of another spirit, he would, if separated from that other, be incomplete.» — según el volumen, los espíritus declaran incorrecta en la respuesta 299 la expresión *other half* que ellos mismos emplean, porque un espíritu que fuera mitad de otro quedaría incompleto al separarse

«The sympathy which attracts one spirit to another is the result of the perfect concordance of their tendencies and instincts. If one of them were necessary to complete the other, he would lose his individuality.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 301 que la simpatía sale de la concordancia perfecta de tendencias e instintos, y no de que uno complete al otro, porque entonces perdería su individualidad

«Perfect sympathy between two spirits results from equality in the degree of their elevation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 302 que la simpatía perfecta resulta de la igualdad en el grado de elevación

«Yes, all will be sympathetic in course of time. Thus, of two spirits who were once together, one may have advanced more rapidly than the other; but the other, though now in a lower sphere, will by and by have advanced sufficiently to be able to enter the higher sphere in which the former is now residing. And their reunion will take place all the sooner if the one who was most advanced should fail in the trials he has still to undergo, and so should remain for a time just where he now is, without making any further progress.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 303 que todos llegarán a ser simpáticos con el tiempo, y que el reencuentro se adelanta si el más avanzado falla en sus pruebas y se detiene

«The hypothesis of twin-souls is merely a figurative representation of the union of two sympathetic spirits, and must not be understood literally. The spirits who have made use of this expression are certainly not of high order; and, therefore, as their range of» — el comentario de Kardec, que reduce la hipótesis de las almas gemelas a figura de la unión de dos espíritus simpáticos y declara de orden no elevado a los espíritus que emplearon esa expresión; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«thought is necessarily narrow, they have sought to convey their meaning by using the terms they were accustomed to employ in their earthly life. The idea that two souls were created for each other, and that, after having been separated for a longer or shorter period, they will necessarily be eventually reunited for all eternity, is, therefore, to be entirely rejected.» — y el rechazo con que Kardec cierra tras el corte: la idea de dos almas creadas la una para la otra y reunidas necesariamente para toda la eternidad debe descartarse por entero

«No; for they often see that their hatred was stupid, and perceive the puerility of the object by which it was excited. It is only imperfect» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 293 que los enemigos en la tierra no conservan siempre su resentimiento, porque ven la puerilidad de aquello que lo excitó; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«spirits who retain the animosities of the earthly life of which they rid themselves in proportion as they become purified. Spirits whose anger, as men, has been caused by some merely material interest, forget their dissension as soon as they are dematerialized. The cause of their dissension no longer existing, they may, if there be no antipathy between them, see each other again with pleasure.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que deja las animosidades terrestres solo a los imperfectos y hace olvidar su disensión a quienes riñeron por interés material apenas quedan desmaterializados

«Certainly, if one of them is wanting in energy, and lags behind, while the other is advancing.» — según el volumen, los espíritus admiten que dos espíritus hoy simpáticos dejen de serlo si uno flaquea y se rezaga mientras el otro avanza

«Yes; having lived many times as a human being, he remembers what he has been, and often smiles pityingly at the follies of his past.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 304 que el espíritu recuerda su existencia corporal y sonríe con lástima de las necedades de su pasado

«As a man, who has reached the age of reason, smiles at the follies of his youth and the silliness of his childhood.» — y la glosa de Kardec, que compara esa sonrisa con la del hombre llegado a la edad de la razón ante las locuras de su juventud

«No; it comes back to him little by little, in proportion as he fixes his attention upon it, as objects gradually become visible out of a fog.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 305 que el recuerdo de la vida corporal no vuelve completo ni de golpe, sino poco a poco según se fija en él la atención, como los objetos que se hacen visibles saliendo de la niebla

«He has the power of recalling the most minute details of every incident of his life, and even of his thoughts; but when no useful purpose would be served by exerting this power, he does not exert it.» — y la potestad que reconocen en la respuesta siguiente: puede recobrar hasta el detalle más menudo de cada incidente y aun de sus pensamientos, pero no ejerce esa facultad cuando de nada serviría

«It comes back to him in both ways. All the actions which he has an interest in remembering appear to him as though they were present; the others are seen by him more or less vaguely in his thought, or are entirely forgotten. The more dematerialized he is, the less importance does he attach to material things. It has often happened to you, on evoking some wandering spirit who has just left the earth, to find that he remembers neither the names of persons whom he liked, nor details which to you appear to be important. He cares but little about them, and they have faded from his memory. But you always find that he perfectly remembers the main facts of his life which have conduced to his intellectual and moral progress.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 307, sobre el modo en que se le presenta la vida pasada, con las dos formas a la vez, y observan que el espíritu recién salido de la tierra suele no recordar nombres de personas queridas y sí los hechos capitales que sirvieron a su progreso

«His entire past is spread out before him like the stages already accomplished by a traveler, but, as we have told you, he does not remember all his past actions with absolute precision; he remembers them more or less clearly in proportion to the influence they have had upon his present state. As to his earliest existences, those which may be regarded as constituting the period of spirit-infancy, they are lost in vagueness, and disappear in the night of oblivion.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 308 que el pasado entero se despliega ante el espíritu como las etapas ya recorridas por un viajero, con las existencias más antiguas, las de la infancia del espíritu, perdidas en la vaguedad y en la noche del olvido

«As an uncomfortable garment that hampered him, and that he is delighted to be rid of.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 309 que el espíritu mira el cuerpo que acaba de dejar como una vestidura incómoda que le estorbaba

«Almost always that of indifference; as something about which he no longer cares.» — y el sentimiento que le atribuyen ante la descomposición de ese cuerpo, casi siempre la indiferencia

«A spirit is always gratified at being held in kindly remembrance by those he has left. The objects thus preserved in remembrance of him serve to recall him to the memory of those by whom they are preserved; but it is the action of their thought which attracts him, and not those objects.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 311 que al espíritu le complace ser recordado con afecto, y precisan que lo que lo atrae es la acción del pensamiento de quienes lo recuerdan, no los objetos conservados

«They frequently do so; and this remembrance makes them realize all the more vividly the worth of the felicity they enjoy as spirits.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 312 que conservan a menudo el recuerdo de los sufrimientos de su última existencia, y que ese recuerdo les hace sentir mejor lo que valen su felicidad presente

«Only spirits of inferior degree can regret material satisfactions in harmony with impurity of nature, and which are expiated by suffering. For spirits of higher degrees of elevation, the happiness of eternity is immeasurably preferable to the ephemeral pleasures of the earthly life.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 313 que solo los de grado inferior echan de menos las satisfacciones materiales, y que para los elevados la felicidad de la eternidad es incomparablemente preferible a los placeres efímeros

«As the adult despises what constituted the delights of its infancy.» — y la glosa con que Kardec lo remata, la del adulto que desdeña lo que hizo las delicias de su infancia

«No, because he sees that others are destined to complete them. On the contrary, he endeavors to act upon the minds of other human beings, so as to lead them to carry on what he had begun. His aim while upon the earth was to be useful to the human race: his aim is the same in the spirit-world.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 314 que quien murió dejando una obra útil sin acabar no lo lamenta, porque ve que otros la completarán, y que procura obrar sobre las mentes de los vivos para que la continúen

«He judges them from another point of view, according to his elevation, and he often blames what he formerly admired.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 315 que quien dejó obras de arte o de letras las juzga desde otro punto de vista y a menudo censura lo que antes admiraba

«That depends on his degree of elevation, and on the mission he may have to fulfill. What appears magnificent to you often appears a very small matter to spirits; if they take an interest in it, it is only as a man of learning takes an interest in the work of a schoolboy. They examine whatever indicates the elevation of incarnated spirits and mark the degree of their progress.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 316 que el interés por las labores terrestres y el progreso de las artes y las ciencias depende del grado y de la misión, y comparan ese interés con el del sabio ante el trabajo de un escolar

«For spirits of elevated degree, their country is the universe; in regard to the earth, their only preference is for the place in which there is the greatest number of persons with whom they are in sympathy.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 317 que para los de grado elevado la patria es el universo, y que en la tierra solo prefieren el lugar donde hay más personas con quienes simpatizan

«The situation of spirits, and their way of looking at things, are infinitely varied, according to their various degrees of moral and intellectual development. Spirits of a high order generally make but short sojourns upon the earth; all that goes on here is so paltry in comparison with the grandeurs of infinity, the matters to which men attribute most importance appear to them so puerile, that the things of this earth have very little interest for them, unless they have been sent to it for the purpose of quickening the progress of its people.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace breves las estancias terrestres de los espíritus de orden alto porque lo de aquí les parece mezquino frente a las grandezas del infinito, salvo que hayan sido enviados a acelerar el progreso del lugar

«The common run of spirits may be said to be sedentary among us; they constitute the great mass of the ambient population of the invisible world. They retain very much the same ideas, tastes, and tendencies which they had while clothed with their corporeal envelope, and mix themselves up with our gatherings, our occupation, our amusements in all of which they take a part more or, less active according to their character. Being no longer able to satisfy their material passions, they take delight in witnessing the excesses of those who abandon themselves to their indulgence, to which they excite them by every means in their power. Among their number are some who are better disposed, and who see and observe in order to acquire knowledge and to advance.» — y la descripción que Kardec da de la masa común, sedentaria entre nosotros y mezclada en nuestras reuniones, ocupaciones y diversiones, con los que se complacen en los excesos ajenos que ya no pueden satisfacer y los mejor dispuestos que observan para instruirse

«Very considerably. A spirit’s ideas undergo very great modifications in proportion as he becomes dematerialized. He may sometimes retain the same ideas for a long period, but little by little the influence of matter diminishes, and he sees more clearly. It is then that he seeks» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 318 que sus ideas se modifican mucho a medida que se desmaterializan, y que pueden retener las mismas largo tiempo hasta que disminuye la influencia de la materia; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«This feeling is only momentary, and results from the confusion that follows their waking; they soon recover their knowledge of themselves, as the memory of the past comes back to them, and the impression of the terrestrial life becomes effaced.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 319, por qué se asombran al reentrar en un mundo donde ya habían vivido, que ese sentimiento es momentáneo y resulta de la confusión que sigue a su despertar

«Very much more so than you are apt to suppose. If they are happy this remembrance adds to their happiness; if they are unhappy, it affords them consolation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 320 que el recuerdo de los seres amados en la tierra los afecta mucho más de lo que se supone, añadiendo felicidad a los felices y consuelo a los desdichados

«Spirits answer to the call of affectionate remembrance on that day as they do on any other day.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 321, sobre el día que en algunos países se consagra a la memoria de los muertos, que acuden al llamado del recuerdo afectuoso ese día como cualquier otro

«They go to the cemeteries in greater numbers on that day, because called thither by the thoughts of a greater number of persons, but each spirit goes solely for his own friends, and not for the crowd of those who care nothing about him.» — y la precisión que añaden: si acuden en mayor número es porque los llama el pensamiento de más personas, pero cada espíritu va solo por los suyos y no por la multitud

«What is the earth to them? They are only linked to it by the heart. If, upon the earth, no affection is felt for a spirit, there is nothing that can attach him to it; he has the whole universe before him.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 322, por los muertos olvidados cuya tumba nadie visita, que a la tierra solo los ata el corazón, y que sin afecto que lo retenga el espíritu tiene delante el universo entero

«He remembers the things of his life more or less distinctly and in detail, according to the influence they have exercised on his state as a spirit; but you can easily understand that there are many things in his» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 306 que el recuerdo es más o menos distinto y detallado según la influencia que cada cosa tuvo en su estado de espíritu; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«life to which he attaches no importance, and which he does not even seek to remember.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que deja fuera del recuerdo lo que el espíritu no juzga importante y ni siquiera busca recordar

«A visit made to his grave is a way of showing to a spirit that he is not forgotten; it is a sign. As I have told you, it is the prayer that sanctifies the action of the memory; the place where it is offered is of little importance, if it comes from the heart.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 323 que visitar la tumba es una señal de que no se ha olvidado al muerto, pero que lo que santifica el recuerdo es la oración, y que el lugar donde se ofrece importa poco si viene del corazón

«Spirits often attend on such occasions, when able to do so; but they attach less importance to the honors paid to them than to the remembrance in which they are held.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 324 que asisten a menudo a la inauguración de estatuas y monumentos erigidos en su memoria, pero que dan menos importancia a los honores que al recuerdo

«That desire is prompted by a spirit’s affection for certain places and is a sign of moral inferiority. To an elevated spirit, what is one spot of earth more than another? Does he not know that his soul will be reunited with those he loves, even though their bones are separated?» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 325, sobre el deseo de ser enterrado en tal lugar y no en otro, declarándolo signo de inferioridad moral, porque para un espíritu elevado ningún trozo de tierra vale más que otro

«Such reunion is of little importance to spirits; but it is useful to men, whose remembrance of those who have gone before them is thus strengthened and rendered more serious.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por reunir en un mismo sepulcro los restos de una familia, que la declara de poca importancia para los espíritus y útil para los hombres

«When a spirit has reached a certain degree of advancement, he is purified from terrestrial vanities, for he comprehends their futility. But there are many spirits who, in the early period of their return to the» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 326 que pasado cierto grado de adelanto el espíritu queda purificado de las vanidades terrestres porque comprende su futilidad; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«other life, take great pleasure in the honors paid to their memory, or are much disturbed at finding themselves forgotten; for they still retain some of the false ideas they held during their earthly life.» — y la salvedad en la plana siguiente: muchos, en el primer periodo de su vuelta, gozan mucho de los honores rendidos a su memoria o se afligen al verse olvidados, porque retienen ideas falsas de su vida terrestre

«Spirits very often do so; but, in many cases, without understanding what is going on, being still in the state of confusion that usually follows death.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 327 que asisten con mucha frecuencia a su propio funeral, aunque a menudo sin entender lo que ocurre por la confusión que sigue a la muerte

«Almost always. Providence has so ordained it for the spirit’s own instruction, and for the chastisement of selfishness. The deceased is thus enabled to judge of the worth of the protestations of affection and devotion addressed to him during his life and his disappointment on witnessing the rapacity of those who dispute the property he has left is often very great. But the punishment of greedy heirs will come in due time.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 328 que el difunto asiste casi siempre a la reunión de sus herederos, dispuesto así para su propia instrucción y para castigo del egoísmo, y que su decepción al ver la rapacidad de quienes se disputan sus bienes suele ser muy grande

«The one is the natural consequence of the other; were it not for that belief, such respect would have neither object nor meaning.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 329 que el respeto instintivo a los muertos se sigue naturalmente de la creencia intuitiva en una existencia futura, y que sin ella no tendría objeto ni sentido

«They have the presentiment of that return, as a blind man feels the heat of the fire he is approaching. They know that they will be reincarnated, as you know that you will die; but without knowing when the change will occur.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 330 que presienten su vuelta a la vida corporal como el ciego siente el calor del fuego al que se acerca, y que saben que reencarnarán como se sabe que se ha de morir, sin saber cuándo

«There are some who never give it a thought, and who even know nothing about it; that depends on their greater or less degree of advancement. In some cases, the uncertainty in which they are left in regard to their future is a punishment.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 331 que no todos se ocupan de antemano de su encarnación próxima, y que en algunos casos la incertidumbre sobre su porvenir es un castigo

«He may hasten it by the action of a strong desire; he may also put it off if he shrink from the trial awaiting him (for the cowardly and the indifferent are to be found among spirits as among men), but he cannot do so with impunity. He suffers from such delay, as the sick man suffers who shrinks from employing the remedy which alone can cure him.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 332 que el espíritu puede adelantar su reencarnación con un deseo fuerte y aplazarla si le arredra la prueba, porque también entre espíritus hay cobardes e indiferentes, pero que no lo hace impunemente

«No, not indefinitely. The necessity of advancing is one which is felt by every spirit, sooner or later. All spirits have to ascend; it is their destiny.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 333 que ningún espíritu puede prolongar indefinidamente una erraticidad cómoda, porque la necesidad de avanzar la siente tarde o temprano y ascender es su destino

«The spirit who is to animate a given body is always designated beforehand. Each spirit, on choosing the trial he elects to undergo, demands to be reincarnated; and God, who sees and knows all things, has foreseen and foreknown that such and such a soul would be united to such and such a body.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 334 que el espíritu que animará un cuerpo queda designado de antemano, porque al elegir su prueba pide reencarnar y Dios previó esa unión

«He may choose a body also, for the imperfections of a given body are so many trials that will aid his advancement, if he succeeds in vanquishing the obstacles thus placed in his way. This choice does not always depend on himself, but he may ask to be allowed to make it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 335 que también el cuerpo puede escogerse, porque sus imperfecciones son otras tantas pruebas que ayudan a avanzar si se vencen, aunque esa elección no siempre depende del espíritu

«If he refused, he would suffer much more than one who had not attempted to undergo a new trial.» — y la consecuencia que le fijan al espíritu que se negara a última hora a entrar en el cuerpo elegido, sufrir mucho más que quien no intentó nueva prueba

«God provides for all contingencies. Every child who is predestined to be born viable is also predestined to have a soul. Nothing is ever created without design.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 336, sobre un niño por nacer para el que ningún espíritu quisiera encarnar, que Dios provee a toda contingencia y que nada se crea sin designio

«It is sometimes imposed, as well as the different trials to be undergone by a spirit, and especially when the latter is still too backward to be able to choose wisely for himself. A spirit may be constrained, as an expiation, to unite himself with the body of a child that, by the circumstances of its birth, and the position it will have in the world, will become for him an instrument of chastisement.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 337 que Dios impone a veces la unión de un alma con un cuerpo, sobre todo cuando el espíritu está aún demasiado atrasado para elegir con acierto, y que la posición del niño puede volverse para él instrumento de castigo

«In such a case, it is God who judges as to which spirit is best fitted to fulfill the destiny appointed for the child; but, as I have already told you, the spirit is designated before the instant in which he is to unite himself with the body.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 338 que cuando varios espíritus piden un mismo cuerpo es Dios quien juzga cuál conviene mejor al destino señalado para el niño

«Yes, but much greater and especially much longer. At death the spirit is emancipated from the state of slavery; at birth, he re-enters it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 339 que la confusión de la encarnación es mucho mayor y más larga que la de la muerte, y resumen el contraste: al morir el espíritu se emancipa de la esclavitud y al nacer vuelve a entrar en ella

«He is like a traveler who embarks on a perilous voyager, and who does not know whether he may not find his death in the waves among which he is venturing.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 340 comparando al espíritu que va a encarnar con el viajero que se embarca en travesía peligrosa sin saber si hallará su muerte en las olas; el troceo imprime *voyager* donde el sentido pide *voyage*

«Just as the death of the body is a sort of rebirth for the spirit, so reincarnation is for him a sort of death, or rather of exile and claustration. He quits the world of spirits for the corporeal world just as a man quits the corporeal world for the world of spirits. A spirit knows that he will be reincarnated, just as a man knows that he will die; but, like the latter, he only becomes aware of the change at the moment when it occurs. It is at this moment that the confusion produced by the change takes possession of him, as is the case with a man in the act of dying and this confusion lasts until his new existence is fully established. The commencement of reincarnation is, for the spirit, a sort of dying.» — el comentario de Kardec, que invierte los términos: la muerte del cuerpo es renacimiento para el espíritu y la reencarnación es para él una suerte de muerte, o más bien de destierro y de clausura

«Yes, of very great anxiety, since those trials will retard or hasten his advancement, according as he shall have borne them ill or well.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 341 que la incertidumbre sobre el éxito de las pruebas les causa gran ansiedad antes de encarnar

«Yes, in very many cases; they come to visit you as you visit a prisoner in his cell.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 343 que los amigos de rostro desconocido que se ven en sueños son con frecuencia esos espíritus, y que vienen a visitar como se visita a un preso en su celda

«The union begins at the moment of conception, but is only complete at the moment of birth. From the moment of conception, the spirit designated to inhabit a given body is united to that body by a fluidic link, which becomes closer and closer up to the instant of birth; the cry then uttered by the infant announces that he is numbered among the living.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 344 que la unión del alma y el cuerpo empieza en la concepción por un lazo fluídico que se estrecha hasta el nacimiento, y que el grito del recién nacido anuncia que ya cuenta entre los vivos

«The union between them is definitive in this sense namely, that no other spirit could replace the one who has been designated for that body. But, as the links which hold them together are at first very weak, they are easily broken, and may be severed by the will of a spirit who draws back from the trial he had chosen. But, in that case, the child does not live.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 345 que ningún otro espíritu puede reemplazar al designado, pero que los lazos son al principio tan débiles que la voluntad del espíritu que retrocede ante la prueba puede romperlos, y entonces el niño no vive

«In such a case, the new being’s consciousness of his existence is so slightly developed that his death is of little importance. As we have told you, such deaths are often intended mainly as a trial for the parents.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 347, por el provecho de encarnar en un cuerpo que muere a los pocos días, que la conciencia de esa existencia está tan poco desarrollada que su muerte importa poco, y que tales muertes se destinan sobre todo a probar a los padres

«He sometimes knows it; but if he chooses it on this account, it is because he shrinks from the trial he foresees.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 348 que el espíritu sabe a veces que el cuerpo escogido no vivirá, y que si lo escoge por eso es porque le arredra la prueba que prevé

«If you mean to ask whether, as a man, he may complain of the life he has to undergo, and whether he may not wish it were otherwise, I answer, Yes; but if you mean to ask whether he regrets the choice he» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 350 separando dos preguntas: si como hombre puede quejarse de la vida que le toca, responden que sí; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«has made, I answer, No, for he does not remember that he has made it. A spirit, when once incarnated, cannot regret a choice which he is not conscious of having made; but he may find the burden he has assumed too heavy, and, if he believes it to be beyond his strength, he may have recourse to suicide.» — y la segunda rama tras el corte: no lamenta la elección porque no recuerda haberla hecho, aunque puede hallar demasiado pesada la carga asumida y recurrir al suicidio si la cree superior a sus fuerzas

«That depends on the sphere which the spirit inhabits. If he belongs to a sphere in which affection reigns, spirits who love him remain with» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 342 que en las esferas donde reina el afecto los espíritus que lo quieren se quedan con el que va a encarnar; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«him to the last moment, encourage him, and often even follow him in his new life.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que los deja acompañándolo hasta el último momento y a menudo siguiéndolo en su nueva vida

«Not always immediately. The spirit requires time to make a new choice, unless his instantaneous reincarnation had been previously decided upon.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 349 que al espíritu que no pudo cumplir una encarnación no se le provee otra en seguida, porque necesita tiempo para escoger de nuevo

«He does so more or less according to the various periods of gestation; for he is not yet incarnated in his new body, but only attached to it. From the instant of conception confusion begins to take possession of the spirit, who is thus made aware that the moment has come for him to enter upon a new existence; and this confusion becomes more and more dense until the period of birth. In the interval between these two terms, his state is nearly that of an incarnated spirit during the sleep» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 351 que entre la concepción y el nacimiento el espíritu no está aún encarnado sino solo atado al cuerpo, y que desde la concepción lo va ganando una confusión cada vez más densa; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«of the body. In proportions as the moment of birth approaches, his ideas become effaced, together with his remembrance of the past, of which, when once he has entered upon corporeal life, he is no longer conscious. But this remembrance comes back to him little by little when he has returned to the spirit-world.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que borra las ideas y el recuerdo del pasado a medida que se acerca el nacimiento y los devuelve poco a poco al volver al mundo de los espíritus

«No; they are gradually developed with the growth of his organs. The corporeal life is for him a new existence; he has to learn the use of his bodily instruments. His ideas come back to him little by little, as in the case of a man who, waking out of slumber, should find himself in a different situation from that in which he was before he fell asleep.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 352 que el espíritu no recobra sus facultades al nacer, sino que las despliega con el crecimiento de los órganos y ha de aprender el uso de sus instrumentos corporales

«The spirit who is to animate it exists, as it were, outside of it; strictly speaking, therefore, it has no soul, since the incarnation of the latter is only in course of being effected; but it is linked to the soul which it is to have.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 353 que el feto, hablando con rigor, no tiene alma porque la encarnación está en curso, y que está enlazado con el alma que ha de tener

«That of the plant which vegetates. The fetus, however, lives with vegetable and animal life, to which the union of a soul with the childbody at birth adds spiritual life.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 354 que la vida intrauterina es la de la planta que vegeta, con vida vegetal y animal a la que la unión del alma en el nacimiento añade la vida espiritual; *child-body* quedó unido en *childbody* al retirar el troceo el guion de fin de renglón

«That often happens. Such births are permitted as a trial, either for the parents or for the spirit appointed to animate it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 355 que hay niños constituidos de modo que no pueden vivir, y que tales nacimientos se permiten como prueba para los padres o para el espíritu designado

«Yes, there are some who never had a spirit assigned to them, for whom nothing was to be done. In such a case, it is simply as a trial for the parents that the child arrives.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 356 que entre los nacidos muertos hay algunos a los que nunca se asignó espíritu, y que llegan simplemente como prueba para los padres

«What would it be if such were not the case? It would not be a human being.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por todo niño que sobrevive al parto, que le atribuye necesariamente un espíritu encarnado

«It is an existence that is null, and must be commenced over again.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 357 que para el espíritu el aborto es una existencia nula que hay que recomenzar

«Every transgression of the law of God is a crime. The mother, or any other, who takes the life of an unborn child, is necessarily criminal; for, by so doing, a soul is prevented from undergoing the trial of which the body thus destroyed was to have been the instrument.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 358 que el aborto provocado es crimen en cualquier periodo de la gestación, porque impide a un alma la prueba de la que ese cuerpo iba a ser instrumento

«It is better to sacrifice the being whose existence is not yet complete than the being whose existence is complete.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 359, sobre el caso en que el parto pusiera en peligro la vida de la madre, prefiriendo sacrificar al ser cuya existencia no está aún completa

«In the one, as in the other, you should recognize the will and the handiwork of God, and these are always to be respected.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 360 que en el feto como en el cuerpo del niño que vivió ha de reconocerse la voluntad y la obra de Dios, siempre dignas de respeto

«They are those of the spirit who is incarnated in him. The purer is that spirit, the more decidedly is the man inclined to goodness.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 361 que las cualidades morales del hombre son las del espíritu encarnado en él, y que cuanto más puro es ese espíritu más se inclina el hombre al bien

«They are hare-brained, prankish, and sometimes mischievous.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 362 que los hombres en quienes encarnan espíritus ligeros y locos son atolondrados, burlones y a veces dañinos

«No; if they had, they would communicate them to you.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 363 que no tienen pasiones ajenas a la humanidad, porque de tenerlas se las comunicarían a los hombres

«Certainly it is the same. A man has not two spirits in him.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 364 que un mismo espíritu da al hombre sus cualidades morales y sus cualidades intelectuales

«It is because the spirit incarnated in a man is not sufficiently purified, and the man yields to the influence of other spirits still worse than himself. The upward progress of a spirit is accomplished by slow degrees; but this progress does not take place simultaneously in all directions. At one period of his career he may advance in knowledge, at another in morality.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 365, por los hombres muy inteligentes y a la vez muy viciosos, que el progreso del espíritu no ocurre a la vez en todas direcciones: en un periodo avanza en saber y en otro en moral

«The physical and moral worlds offer us, in regard to this subject, numerous points of comparison. While the attention of mankind was confined to the appearance of natural phenomena, they believed in the existence of many kinds of matter. In the present day, it is seen that all those phenomena, however varied, may very probably be merely the result of modifications of a single elementary matter. The various faculties of a human being are manifestations of one and the same cause, which is the soul or spirit incarnated in him, and not of several souls just as the different sounds of an organ are the product of one and the same air, and not of as many sorts of air as there are sounds.» — el comentario de Kardec, que compara la reducción de los fenómenos naturales a modificaciones de una sola materia elemental con la de las facultades humanas a un solo espíritu, y añade la imagen del órgano cuyos distintos sonidos salen de un mismo aire

«According to the theory in question, when a man acquires or loses aptitudes or tendencies, such modifications would be the result of the coming or going of a corresponding number of the spirits conjoined with him, which would make of him a multiple being without individuality, and, consequently, without responsibility. This theory, moreover, is disproved by the numerous manifestations of spirits which conclusively demonstrate their personality and their identity.» — y las dos objeciones con que Kardec la cierra: esa teoría haría del hombre un ser múltiple sin individualidad y sin responsabilidad, y le oponen las manifestaciones de los espíritus, en las que él ve su personalidad y su identidad

«Matter is only the envelope of the spirit, as clothing is the envelope of the body. A spirit, in uniting himself with a body, retains the attributes of his spiritual nature.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 367 que el espíritu unido a un cuerpo no se identifica con la materia, que es solo su envoltura como el vestido lo es del cuerpo

«The exercise of faculties depends on the organs which serve them for instruments. Their exercise is weakened by the grossness of matter.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 368 que el ejercicio de las facultades depende de los órganos que les sirven de instrumento y queda debilitado por la grosería de la materia

«The action exercised upon a spirit by the gross matter of his body may also be compared to that of muddy water, impeding the movements of the objects plunged into it.» — y la comparación que Kardec añade, la del agua enlodada que estorba el movimiento de los objetos sumergidos en ella

«Those organs are the soul’s instruments for the manifestation of its faculties; that manifestation is, therefore, necessarily subordinated to the degree of development and perfection of those organs, as the perfection of a piece of manual work depends on the goodness of the tool employed.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 369 que la manifestación de las facultades queda subordinada al desarrollo y la perfección de los órganos, como la calidad de una obra manual depende de la bondad de la herramienta

«Do not confound effect and cause. A spirit always possesses the faculties that belong to him; but you must remember that it is not the organs that give the faculties, but the faculties that incite to the development of the organs.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 370, sobre la relación entre los órganos cerebrales y las facultades, invirtiendo el orden: no son los órganos los que dan las facultades, sino las facultades las que incitan al desarrollo de los órganos

«To say that it does so ‘solely,’ would not be altogether correct. The qualities of the incarnated spirit are, undoubtedly, the determining principle of those aptitudes; but allowance must be made for the influence of matter, which hinders every man, more or less, in the exercise of the faculties inherent in his soul.» — y el límite que ponen a su propia tesis: no sería del todo correcto decir que las aptitudes dependen solo del estado del espíritu, porque hay que contar con la influencia de la materia, que estorba a todo hombre en el ejercicio de las facultades de su alma

«A spirit, in incarnating himself, brings with him certain character predispositions therefore, if we admit the existence, for each of these, of a special organ in the brain, the development of the cerebral organs is seen to be an effect, and not a cause. If his faculties were a result of his bodily organs, man would be a mere machine, without free-will, and would not be responsible for his actions. Moreover, if such were the case, we should be forced to admit that the greatest geniuses – men of science, poets, artists – are only such because a lucky chance has given them certain special organs whence it would follow, still further, that, but for the chance – acquisition of those organs, they would not have been geniuses, and that the stupidest of men might have been a Newton, a Virgil, or a Raphael, if he had been provided with certain organs a supposition still more flagrantly absurd, if we attempt to apply it to the explanation of the moral qualities.» — el comentario de Kardec, que hace del desarrollo de los órganos cerebrales efecto y no causa: si las facultades salieran de los órganos, el hombre sería máquina sin libre albedrío, y el más estúpido habría podido ser un Newton, un Virgil o un Raphael de habérsele dado ciertos órganos

«For, according to this system, Saint Vincent de Paul, had he been gifted by nature with such and such an organ, might have been a scoundrel and the greatest scoundrel alive, had he only been gifted with an organ of an opposite nature,» — y la reducción al absurdo con que Kardec la aplica a lo moral, con Saint Vincent de Paul vuelto canalla por un órgano y el mayor canalla vuelto Saint Vincent de Paul por otro; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«might have been a Saint Vincent de Paul. If, on the contrary, we admit that our special organs, supposing such to exist, are an effect and not a cause, that they are developed by the exercise of the faculties to which they correspond, as muscles are developed by movement, we arrive at a theory which is certainly not irrational. Let us employ an illustration equally conclusive and commonplace. By certain physiognomic signs we recognize a man who is addicted to drink. Is it those signs that make him a drunkard, or is it his drunkenness that produces those signs? It may be safely asserted that our organs are a consequence of our faculties.» — la salida que Kardec propone tras el corte, órganos desarrollados por el ejercicio de las facultades como los músculos por el movimiento, con la ilustración del bebedor: los signos fisonómicos no lo hacen borracho, su borrachera los produce

«Yes; but you should rather say ‘of an imperfect spirit,’ otherwise it» — la corrección de vocabulario que los espíritus imponen a la subpregunta de la 361: al espíritu del hombre vicioso conviene llamarlo imperfecto y no malo; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«might be supposed that there are spirits who will always remain bad, what you call devils.» — y la razón que dan en la plana siguiente, que de otro modo se supondría que hay espíritus condenados a ser malos para siempre, lo que se llama demonios

«The absurdity of such an opinion becomes evident on a moment’s reflection. Each spirit is destined to possess all possible aptitudes; but in order to progress, he must possess one sole and unitary will. If a man were an amalgam of different spirits, this unitary will would not exist, and he would possess no individuality, because, at his death, all the spirits would fly off in different directions, like birds escaped from a cage. Men often complain of not comprehending certain things, and yet how ingenious they are in multiplying difficulties, while they have within reach the simplest and most natural of explanations! Such an opinion is but another instance of the way in which men so often take the effect for the cause. It does for man what the pagans did for God.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 366, sobre la opinión que haría de cada facultad un espíritu distinto encarnado, objetando que sin voluntad única no habría individualidad y que al morir esos espíritus volarían como pájaros de una jaula abierta, y comparan esa opinión con la de los paganos ante Dios; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«They believed in the existence of as many gods as there are phenomena in the universe; but, even among them, the more sensible ones only saw in those phenomena a variety of effects having for their cause one and the same God.» — y el cierre de la comparación en la plana siguiente, con los paganos más sensatos que veían en los fenómenos variedad de efectos de un mismo Dios

«No; they have a human soul, which is often more intelligent than you suppose, and which suffers acutely from the insufficiency of its means of communication, as the dumb man suffers from his inability to speak.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 371 que el alma del idiota no es de naturaleza inferior sino humana, a menudo más inteligente de lo que se supone, y que sufre agudamente por la insuficiencia de sus medios de comunicación, como el mudo por no poder hablar

«Idiots are incarnations of spirits who are undergoing punishment, and who suffer from the constraint they experience, and from their inability to manifest themselves by means of organs which are undeveloped, or out of order.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 372 que los idiotas son encarnaciones de espíritus que cumplen castigo y que sufren por no poder manifestarse con órganos sin desarrollar o descompuestos

«We have never said that organs are without influence. They have very great influence on the manifestation of faculties, but they do not give faculties; there is just the difference. A skilful player will not make good music with a bad instrument, but that will not prevent his being a good player.» — y la distinción con que rechazan que se les atribuya haber negado toda influencia a los órganos: influyen mucho en la manifestación de las facultades pero no las dan, como el buen ejecutante que no hará buena música con mal instrumento sin dejar por eso de ser buen ejecutante

«It is necessary to distinguish between the normal state and the pathologic state. In the normal state, the moral strength of an incarnated spirit enables him to triumph over the obstacles which are placed in his way by matter; but there are cases in which matter opposes a resistance so powerful that the manifestations of the spirit incarnated in it are hindered or changed from what he intended, as in idiocy and madness. These cases are pathologic and as the soul, in such states, is not in the enjoyment of its full liberty, human law itself exempts such persons from the responsibility of their actions.» — el comentario de Kardec, que separa el estado normal del patológico: en aquel la fuerza moral del espíritu vence los obstáculos de la materia, y en la idiocia y la locura la resistencia es tal que la ley humana misma exime de responsabilidad

«Such an existence is imposed as an expiation of the abuse which a spirit has made of certain faculties; it constitutes a pause in his career.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 373, por el mérito de una existencia que no puede hacer ni el bien ni el mal, que se impone como expiación del abuso de ciertas facultades y constituye una pausa en la carrera del espíritu

«Yes; genius sometimes becomes a scourge when it is abused.» — y la respuesta a la subpregunta por si el cuerpo de un idiota puede alojar al espíritu de un hombre de genio, que lo admite: el genio se vuelve azote cuando se abusa de él

«Intellectual superiority is not always accompanied by an equal degree of moral superiority, and the greatest geniuses may have much to expiate. For this reason, they often have to undergo an existence inferior to the one they have previously accomplished, which is a cause of suffering for them the hindrances to the manifestation of his faculties thus imposed upon a spirit being like chains that fetter the movements of a vigorous man. The idiot may be said to be lame in the brain, as the halt is lame in the legs, and the blind, in the eyes.» — el comentario de Kardec, que separa la superioridad intelectual de la moral y hace del idiota alguien cojo del cerebro como el tullido lo es de las piernas y el ciego de los ojos

«Yes; very often. He comprehends that the chains which hinder his action are a trial and an expiation.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 374 que el idiota, ya como espíritu, es muy a menudo consciente de su condición y comprende que las cadenas que le estorbaban eran prueba y expiación

«A spirit, in the state of freedom, receives his impressions directly, and exerts his action directly upon matter; but when incarnated, he is in an altogether different condition, and compelled to act only through the instrumentality of special organs. If some or all of those organs are injured, his actions or his impressions, as far as those organs are concerned, are interrupted. If he loses his eyes, he becomes blind; if he loses his hearing, he becomes deaf; and so on. Suppose that the organ which presides over the manifestations of intelligence and of will is partially or entirely weakened or modified in its action, and you will easily understand that the spirit, having at his service only organs that are incomplete or diverted from their proper action, must experience a functional perturbation of which he is perfectly conscious, but is not able to arrest the course.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 375 que en la locura es el órgano de la inteligencia y de la voluntad el que queda debilitado o desviado, y que el espíritu padece entonces una perturbación funcional de la que tiene plena conciencia sin poder detener su curso

«Yes; but you must not forget that, just as a spirit acts upon matter, matter, to a certain extent, reacts upon him; and that he may therefore find himself, for the time being, subjected to the influence of the false impressions consequent on the vitiated state of his organs of perception and of action. And it may happen, when this mental aberration has continued for a long time, that the repetition of the same perverted action may exercise upon a spirit an influence from which he is only delivered after his complete separation from all material impressions.» — y la reciprocidad que añaden a la subpregunta por si es el cuerpo y no el espíritu lo desorganizado: la materia reacciona sobre el espíritu, que queda sujeto a las impresiones falsas de sus órganos viciados, y una aberración larga deja una influencia de la que solo se libra al separarse por completo

«In such cases, the spirit suffers from the constraint which he feels, and from his inability to manifest himself freely; and he therefore» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 376, por qué la locura lleva a veces al suicidio, con el sufrimiento del espíritu que no puede manifestarse libremente; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«seeks death as a means of breaking his chains.» — y el cierre en la plana siguiente, que hace buscar la muerte como medio de romper esas cadenas

«He may continue to feel it for some time after death, until he is completely freed from matter; just as a man, on waking, continues to feel, for some little time, the confusion in which he has been plunged by sleep.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 377 que el espíritu del loco puede seguir sintiendo su trastorno un tiempo después de la muerte, hasta quedar del todo libre de la materia, como quien al despertar arrastra un rato la confusión del sueño

«It is an effect of remembrance, which weighs like a burden upon the spirit; and as he was not aware of all that took place during his madness, he always needs a certain amount of time for recovering the hang of his ideas. It is for this reason that the continuance of his uneasiness after death is always proportioned to the longer or shorter continuance of the corporeal insanity from which he has previously suffered. A spirit, when freed from the body, still feels, for a longer or shorter time, the impression of the links that united him with it.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 378 que la enfermedad del cerebro obra tras la muerte por vía del recuerdo, y hacen la duración de ese malestar proporcional a la de la locura padecida en vida

«He may be more so, if, before reincarnating himself, he had progressed farther; it is only the imperfection of his organs that prevents him from manifesting himself. He acts according to the state of the instrument by which alone, when incarnated, he can manifest himself.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 379 que el espíritu que anima el cuerpo de un niño puede estar más desarrollado que el de un adulto, y que solo la imperfección de sus órganos le impide manifestarse

«While he remains a child, it is evident that his organs of thought, not being developed, cannot give him all the intuition of an adult; his range of intellect is therefore only narrow, until increasing age has ripened his reason. The confusion which accompanies incarnation does not cease, all at once, at the moment of birth; it is only dissipated gradually with the development of the bodily organs.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 380 que mientras es niño el espíritu no dispone de la intuición del adulto porque sus órganos de pensamiento no están desarrollados, y que la confusión de la encarnación no cesa de golpe al nacer sino que se disipa con el desarrollo del cuerpo

«The observation of a fact of human life furnishes us with a confirmation of the preceding reply, namely, that the dreams of childhood have not the character of those of adult age. Their object is almost always childish a characteristic indication of the nature of a spirit’s thoughts during the infancy of his organs.» — la confirmación que Kardec le busca en un hecho observable, que los sueños de la infancia no tienen el carácter de los de la edad adulta y su objeto es casi siempre infantil

«He should do so, since he is freed from his fleshly envelope; but, in point of fact, he only regains his former lucidity when the separation is complete, that is to say, when there is no longer any connection between the spirit and the body.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 381 que el espíritu del niño muerto solo recobra su lucidez anterior cuando la separación es completa, no en el instante de la muerte

«No; that state is a necessity. It is a part of the ordination of nature, and of the providential plan. It constitutes a time of repose for the spirit.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 382 que el espíritu no sufre por la restricción de la infancia, porque ese estado es una necesidad del plan providencial y para él tiempo de reposo

«The aim of incarnation is the improvement of the spirit subjected to it; and a spirit is more accessible during childhood to the impressions he receives, and which may conduce to his advancement – the end to which all those who are entrusted with his education should contribute.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 383 que la infancia sirve porque en ella el espíritu es más accesible a las impresiones que pueden hacerlo avanzar, fin al que han de contribuir los encargados de su educación

«It is in order to excite the mother’s interest on his behalf, and to ensure to him the care he needs. Can you not understand that if a child, before he is able to speak, uttered only cries of joy, those around him would trouble themselves very little about his wants? In all these arrangements admire the wisdom of Providence.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 384, por qué las primeras voces del recién nacido son llantos, con la necesidad de despertar el interés de la madre: si solo diera gritos de alegría, nadie se ocuparía de lo que necesita

«The spirit, regaining possession of himself, shows himself such as he» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 385, por el cambio de carácter en los umbrales de la edad adulta, que el espíritu vuelve a poseerse y se muestra tal como era antes de encarnar; el troceo corta la frase

«You know not the secrets hidden under the seeming innocence of children. You know neither what they are, nor what they have been, nor what they will be; and nevertheless you love and cherish them as though they were a part of yourselves, and to such a degree, that the» — y el pasaje con que la misma respuesta se extiende sobre el amor a los niños, cuyos secretos declara ignorados: no se sabe lo que son, ni lo que fueron, ni lo que serán, y se les ama como parte de uno mismo; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«Children are beings sent by God into new existences, and, in order that they may not be able to reproach Him with having been unduly severe to them, He gives them all the external appearances of innocence; even in the case of a child of the worst possible nature, its misdeeds are covered by its unconsciousness of the quality of its acts. This apparent innocence does not constitute for children any real superiority over what they previously were; it is merely the image of what they ought to be, and, if they are not such, it will be on themselves alone that the punishment will fall.» — según el volumen, los espíritus explican la apariencia de inocencia de los niños como don de Dios para que no puedan reprocharle severidad, y le niegan valor de superioridad real: es imagen de lo que deben ser, y si no lo son, sobre ellos solos caerá el castigo

«But it is not merely for themselves that God has given to children this appearance of innocence; it is given to them also, and especially, in view of their parents, whose love is so necessary to them in their weakness: for this love would be greatly diminished by the sight of a harsh or cross-grained nature, whereas, believing their children to be good and gentle, they give them all their affection, and surround them with the most minute and delicate care. But, when children no longer need this protection, this assistance, which has been given them during fifteen or twenty years, their real character and individuality reappears in all its nudity. He who is really good remains good; but, even then, his character reveals many traits and shades that were hidden during his earlier years.» — y la segunda razón que dan de esa apariencia, en vista de los padres, cuyo amor mermaría ante un natural áspero, con el carácter real reapareciendo en toda su desnudez cuando el niño ya no necesita esa protección

«Get it well into your minds that the spirit of the child who is born among you may have come from a world in which he has acquired habits totally different from yours; how would it be possible for this» — y la razón última que dan de la infancia, que el espíritu del niño puede venir de un mundo con hábitos del todo distintos; el troceo corta en el cambio de segmento

«new being, coming among you with passions, inclinations, tastes, entirely opposed to yours, to accommodate himself to your world, if be came among you in any other way than in that which has been ordained by God, that is to say, by passing through the sieve of infancy? It is through this sifting process of infancy that all the thoughts, all the characteristics, all the varieties of beings engendered by the crowd of worlds in which creatures pursue the work of growth,» — el cierre tras el corte, que llama a la infancia una criba por la que se mezclan los pensamientos y caracteres engendrados por la multitud de mundos

«are eventually mingled. And you, also, on dying, find yourselves in a sort of infancy, and in the midst of a new family of brothers; and in your new non-terrestrial existence you are ignorant of the habits, manners, relations of a world which is new to you, and you find it difficult to express yourselves in a language which you are not accustomed to employ, a language more living than is your thought» — y el paralelo que la misma respuesta traza entre la infancia terrestre y el estado del recién muerto, ignorante de los hábitos y relaciones de un mundo nuevo y torpe en un lenguaje al que no está acostumbrado; el troceo corta en el cambio de plana

«Childhood possesses yet another utility. Spirits only enter into corporeal life in order to effect their improvement, their selfamelioration. The weakness of corporeal youth tends to render them more pliable, more amenable to the counsels of those whose experience should aid their progress. It is thus that evil tendencies are repressed, and faulty characters are gradually reformed; and this repression and reformation constitute the duty confided by God to those who assume the parental relation, a sacred mission of which parents will have to render a solemn account to Him.» — según el volumen, los espíritus añaden una segunda utilidad de la infancia, que la debilidad del cuerpo joven vuelve al espíritu más dócil a los consejos, y hacen de esa reforma la misión sagrada de la que los padres han de rendir cuenta; *self-amelioration* quedó unido en *selfamelioration* al retirar el troceo el guion de fin de renglón

«You see, therefore, that childhood is not only useful, necessary, indispensable, but that it is, moreover, the natural result of the laws which God has established, and which govern the universe.» — y el remate con que la respuesta cierra el capítulo, que declara la infancia no solo útil e indispensable sino resultado natural de las leyes establecidas por Dios

«They could not recognize one another; but they might be attracted to each other. The attraction resulting from the ties of a former existence is often the cause of the most intimate affectionate unions of a subsequent existence. It often happens in your world that two persons are drawn together by circumstances which appear to be merely fortuitous, but which are really due to the attraction exercised upon one another by two spirits who are unconsciously seeking each other amidst the crowds by whom they are surrounded.» — según el volumen, los espíritus responden a la pregunta 386 que dos seres que se conocieron y amaron no se reconocen en una existencia nueva, aunque pueden atraerse, y explican por esa atracción los encuentros que parecen fortuitos