2 Practical Spiritism HEAVEN AND HELL OR THE DIVINE JUSTICE VINDICATED IN THE PLURALITY OF EXISTANCES. CONTAINING A COMPARATIVE EXAMINATION OF THE VARIOUS DOCTRINES CONCERNING THE PASSAGE FROM THE EARTHLY LIFE TO SPIRIT-LIFE, FUTURE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS, ANGELS AND DEVILS, etc. Followed by numerous examples of the state of the soul during and after death. Being the practical confirmation of “THE SPIRITS’ BOOK.” BY ALLAN KARDEC Translated from the Sixtieth Thousand by ANNA BLACKWELL. LONDON: TRUBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL, 1878. [All rights reserved.] Electronic Version prepared by the Spiritist Alliance for Books 3 Translation copyright © Spiritist Alliance for Books, 2003 Spiritist Alliance for Books/Spiritist Group of New York http://www.sgny.org P. O. Box 2223 - Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101-2223 Email:[email protected] Original Title: Le Ciel et L’Enfer – Allan Kardec All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Cover design: Crisley Thomé Library of Congress Control Number: Main entry under title: Heaven and Hell 1. Religious Philosophy 2. Spiritist Doctrine 3. Christianity I. Kardec, Allan, 1804 ISBN This version was edited and revised utilizing the French original (Nouvelle Edition conforme a L'Edition Originale - Union Spirite Française et Francophone) by the Editorial and Publishing Department of the Spiritist Group of New York (SGNY) and the Spiritist Alliance for Books (SAB) team. The Spiritist Group of New York (SGNY) is a non-profit organization, has the sole aim to promote and disseminate the Spiritist Doctrine in English, as codified by Allan Kardec. The group was officially established on April 12th, 2001. However, the members of the group have been earnestly fostering the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine in the United States for over six years. As a result, a number of its founders and participating members have founded The Spiritist Alliance for Books (SAB), which is an organization that aims to unite people from all over the world who are willing to volunteer in the effort of translating spiritist books (which were originally written in other languages) into English. 4 Anna Blackwell’s Translations Of ALLAN KARDEC’S WORKS THE SPIRITS’ BOOK; containing the Principles of Spiritist Doctrine. Crown 8vo, pp. 152, price 7s. 6d. THE MEDIUMS’ BOOK; or, Guide for Mediums and Evocations. Crown 8vo, pp. 476, price 7s. 6d. HEAVEN AND HELL; or, The Divine Justice Vindicated in the Plurality of Existences. Crown 8vo, pp. 466, price 7s. 6d. GENESIS. To be published shortly. 5 6 Preface to the New English Edition For many years the English speaking public has been able to become acquainted with the principles of the Spiritist Doctrine due to the thorough efforts and work of some dedicated translators. One of them was the British writer, Ms. Anna Blackwell, who alone translated three of the five books that comprise the Spiritist Codification: “The Spirits’ Book,” “The Mediums’ Book” and “Heaven and Hell.” The latter is the motive of our endeavor. Without radically modifying the language structure that she utilized in her original translation, we have tried to substitute a few terms commonly used in the 19th century, to a more familiar present day terminology. But, above all, our main concern was to insure a faithful translation from the original French written and published by Allan Kardec in 1865. In order to achieve this goal, we had to eliminate some additional comments that were not found in the original publication, as well as to include additional paragraphs and items that were completely omitted in Ms. Anna Blackwell’s translation. The reader will be able to verify these changes at the end of the book, and will, therefore, be able to enjoy the original unaltered translation of the French version. A task of this magnitude could only be accomplished through the efforts and dedication of tireless workers that we would like to acknowledge for their excellent contribution: Dean Whorton, Maria Levinson, MilenaWhorton, Crisley Thomé, João Korngold, Eliene Brito and Louis Day In particular, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our spiritual guides for being ever present, at our side through the entire process and completion of this work. Jussara Korngold Spiritist Alliance for Books New York, July, 2002 7 8 TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE Of the four principal works of Allan Kardec, the first The Spirits’ Book, sets forth the Spiritist theory of life and destiny; the second The Mediums’ Book, treats of experimental Spiritism, in other words, of Medianimity,1 under its various aspects and in reference to the conclusions to which it leads; the third (Heaven and Hell, which the translator has now the pleasure of offering to English readers,) gives a series of spirit- narratives confirmatory of the Spiritist theory; the fourth (Genesis, of which a translation will soon follow the present volume,) shows the consonance of this theory with the results of modern science. These works constitute the basis of a religious belief that is equally in harmony with reason, with science, with experience, and with aspiration. They consequently supply the true substitute for the unreasoning faith that is so rapidly dying out from the minds of men, the true antidote to the scientific materialism of the day, the true cure for the selfishness which is the practical outcome of the short-sightedness that regards our present life as the sum of our existence, the true explanation and guide of the sentiment which prompts each human being to desire something better than the unsatisfying conditions among which he finds himself. The correctness of this estimate of the works of Allan Kardec will be recognized in proportion, as the scope and bearings of the principles they enunciate are understood; and the conditions of human life will improve in proportion—and only in proportion—as the principles obtain mental assent, and practical application, among mankind. ANNA BLACKWELL LONDON, 1877 1 From the Latin words medium, middle, and anima, soul; the special faculty which enables certain persons to serve as a middle-man, or channel of communication, between souls in bodies of flesh and souls in the fluidic bodies of the spirit-world. 9 “I swear by myself, saith the Lord God, that what I will is not the death of the sinner, but that he should turn from his evil ways and live.”—EZEKIEL, chap. xxxiv. II. 10 PART FIRST DOCTRINE 11 12 CHAPTER I FUTURE LIFE AND ANNIHILATION 1. It is certain that we live, think, and act; it is no less certain that we shall die. But, on quitting the earth, whither shall we go? What will become of us? Shall we be better off, or shall we be worse off? Shall we continue to exist, or shall we cease to exist? “To be, or not to be,” is the alternative presented to us; it will be for always, or not at all; it will be everything, or nothing; we shall live on eternally, or we shall cease to live, once and forever. The alternative is well worth the consideration. Every one feels the need of living, of loving, of being happy. Announce, to one who believes himself to be at the point of death, that his life is to be prolonged, that the hour of death is delayed—announce to him, moreover, that he is going to be happier than he has ever been—and his heart will beat high with joy and hope. But to what end does the human heart thus instinctively aspire after happiness, if a breath suffices to scatter its aspirations? Can anything be more agonizing that the idea that we are doomed to utter and absolute destruction, that our dearest affections, our intelligence, our knowledge so laboriously acquired, are all to be dissolved, thrown away, and lost forever? Why should we strive to become wiser or better? Why should we lay any restraint on our passions? Why should we weary ourselves with effort and study, if our exertions are to bear no fruit? If, erelong, perhaps tomorrow, all that we have done is to be of no further use to us? Were such really our doom, the lot of mankind would be a thousand times worse than that of the brutes; for the brute lives thoroughly in the present, in the gratification of its bodily appetites, with no torturing anxiety, no tormenting aspiration, to impair its enjoyment of the passing hour. But a secret and invincible intuition tells us that such cannot be our destiny. 2. The belief in annihilation necessarily leads a man to concentrate all his thoughts on his present life; for what, in fact, could be more illogical than to trouble ourselves about a future which we do not believe will have any existence? And as he whose attention is thus exclusively directed to his present life naturally places his own interest above that of others, this belief is the most powerful stimulant to selfishness, and he who holds it is perfectly consistent with himself in saying: “Let us get the greatest possible amount of enjoyment out of this world while we are in it; let us secure all the pleasures which the present can offer, seeing that, after death, everything will be over with us; and let us hasten to make sure of our own enjoyment, for we know not how long our life may last.” Such as one is, moreover, equally consistent in arriving at this further conclusion—most dangerous to the well being of society—“Let us make sure of our enjoyment, no matter by what means; let our motto be: ‘Each