Allan Kardec-THE Spirit's Book_ The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1989)

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THE SPIRITS’ BOOK
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."
At the moment of death, everything appears confused. The soul takes some time to recover its selfconsciousness,
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.
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 pew situation.
This state of confusion assumes special aspects according to characterial peculiarities, and also according
to different modes of death. In all cases of violent or sudden death, by suicide, by capital punisment,
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. 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. Death having come upon him by surprise, the spirit is stunned by the suddenness of the
change that has taken place in him. For him, death is still synonymous with destruction, annihilation and
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 perceive Its ethereal nature, but supposes it to be solid and compact like the otherand when his
attention has been called to this point, he is astonished at finding that it is not 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 as leep. Some spirits present this peculiarity, even in cases where death has not
supervened unexpectedly but it more frequently occurs in the case of those who, although they may have
been ill, had no expectation of death. 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.
In the mental confusion which 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.
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.