Journeys with a Brother; Japan to India Book

Things to remember when reading this book (I call this list a reminder or warning):

1.The Book on Mediums was translated from French to English so the translation might not be as accurate.

2. This book was written in the 19th Century and nearing the end of the Victorian Era. If you're not familiar with Victorian writing or authors like Arnold, Carlyle, or Ruskin you may have to read slowly or reread several times to understand what Kardec is trying to say.

3. Highlight the main points (Can you tell I was an English major?) Victorian writing is dry and never ending. Victorian writers absolutely adored run-ons and fragments. The more semi-colons, colons, and commas the better. So if you can't stand writers that don't get right to the point this book isn't for you. That said it is still full of interesting information. I personally love Victorian Literature because of it's tangents and dry sarcastic humor.

4. Once again keep in mind that this is the 19 Century people are still very much Christian so this book is filled with the writer's opinions of Christianity and Christan dogma.

5. Allan Kardec thought himself as a scientist. He thought that there was a science to being a Medium and while he did try to describe ghosts and being a medium as a liquid that exists in both the ghost and individual that challenges matter it's not really science. These ideas or laws he writes are more like theories rather than hypotheses. Now in the 21st Century science has vastly improved.

Now with those few warnings out of the way. The Book of Mediums is very interesting because while it is written by a mathematician gone scientist he claims to hate real scientists and atheists. Kardec views are very hypocritical and resemble those of Arnold and Carlyle. Basically you must be perfect, but not too perfect as to insult God. You can be a scientist, but not really because you don't want to cure the living, but find out more about the divinity in the dead. But then, you must not become obsessed with discovering information about ghosts because "spiritualism" is more the advancement of the soul and not to be dissected like cold scientists do.
That kind of nonsense.

The book while full of Christian dogma answers many non-Christian beliefs like auras, reincarnation/past lives, astral traveling/projection, empaths and being clairvoyant. Kardec believes that there are 3 shells that make a person. The useless body, the perispirit and your spirit or soul. Although, he argues that technically it is 2 shells because the perispirit and the soul are linked and the perispirit are liquid. People that have the ability to communicate with the dead also have a liquid in their spirit and once the liquids sync up to each other communication can be made. When people cannot communicate anymore with ghosts it is because they have used up all the liquid and need to rest.

Another issue I have with this book is how remarkably classist it is. While I do believe that there is a hierarchy for ghosts I believe it is more along ability rather than moral goodness and evil. Many times he claims that only the educated and noble elite class can become mediums. He also frowns upon non-christian beliefs yet believes that every Christian should believe in reincarnation.

I liked that he described the many types of mediums that exist and that a true medium is born instead of rather studying to become a medium. I also liked all the ways of communicating with the dead, but given that it is the 21st Century some of the methods in this book cannot be replicated because nobody speaks or behaves in the same way that they did in the 18th Century.

The book really isn't a guide on how to become a medium and more on how mediums work with ghosts. It would have been nice to have found this book when I was 18 so I wouldn't have thought I was going crazy, but the principals the book does say I learned on my own anyway. All in all, it was an interesting read once you find the information you're looking for. But, still not real science. Still waiting for the day when they explain my ability in more ways than insanity.