Reading Assignment:
- SB Part Two: Chapter IX – The Intervention of Spirits in the Corporeal World
Discussion Questions:
- Goethe is reported to have written[1], “Whoever said that we have only two beings wrestling within us underestimated the number by a considerable amount.” Discuss this statement in connection with this chapter.
- How great an influence do spirits have on our thoughts and activities?
- Do you have a sense that some of your thoughts and inspirations may be suggested to you? Is it important to distinguish between your own thoughts and “inspired” ones?
- How can we neutralize the influence of imperfect spirits?
- Does the maxim, “God helps those who help themselves” apply to cases of obsession?
- Hypnosis has been used for anesthesia[2]. Discuss this in light of Q483.
- What are protector spirits, familiar spirits, and sympathetic spirits? Can any of these be bad spirits?
- What is a “guardian angel” according to Spiritism? Is it a good idea to ask questions of one’s guardian angel? Can anyone do this, or do you need a special aptitude?
- What is a “presentiment”?
- Can spirits act directly on matter? Do material events always unfold according to natural law?
- Are “gifts of fortune” more likely to come from good or bad spirits?
[1] Quoted by Michael Lerner in Healing and the Mind, by Bill Moyers.
[2] Chapter 5: “The Mind Force Within”, Brain Wars, by the neuroscientist Mario Beauregard.