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

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THE SPIRITS’ BOOK
being listened to. Every one attracts spirits to himself according to his tendencies, whether as
an individual or as an element of a collective whole, such as a society, a city, or a nation.
Societies, towns, and nations are therefore assisted by spirits of more or less elevated degree,
according to the character and passions which predominate in them. Imperfect spirits
withdraw from those who repel them; from which it follows that the moral excellence of
collective wholes, like that of individuals, tends to keep away bad spirits and to attract good
ones, who rouse and keep alive the sense of rectitude in the masses, as others may sow among
them the worst passions."
519. Have agglomerations of individuals-such as societies, cities, nations-their special spiritguardians?
"Yes, for those assemblages constitute collective individualities, who are pursuing a common
end, and who have need of a higher direction."
520. Are the spirit-guardians of masses of men of a higher degree of advancement than those
who are attached to individuals?
"Their advancement is always in proportion with the degree of advancement of masses as of
individuals."
521. Can certain spirits advance the progress of the arts by protecting those who cultivate
them?
"There are special spirit-protectors who assist those by whom they are invoked when they
judge them to be worthy of their help; but what could they do with those who fancy
themselves to be what they are not ? They cannot make the blind to see, nor the deaf to hear."
The ancients converted these spirit-guardians into special deities. The Muses were nothing else than the
allegoric personification of the spirit-protectors of arts and sciences, just as the spirit-protectors of the
family-circle designated by the name of lares or of penates. Among the moderns, the arts, the various
industries, cities, countries, have also their protecting patrons, who are no other than spirit-gusrdians of a
higher order, but under different names.
Each man having his sympathetic spirit, it follows that, in every collective whole, the generality of
sympathetic spirits corresponds to the generality of individuals that stranger-spirits are attracted to it by
identity of thoughts : in a word, that these assemblages, as well as individuals, are more or less favourably
surrounded, influenced, assisted, according to the predominant character of the thoughts of those who
compose them.
Among nations, the conditions which exercise an attractive action upon spines are the habits, manners,
dominant characteristics, of their people, and. above all, their legislation, because the character of a
nation is reflected in its laws. Those who uphold the reign of righteousness, among themselves combat the
influence of evil spirits. Wherever the laws consecrate injustice, inhumanity, good spirits are in the
minority and the mass of bad ones who flock in, attracted by that state of things, keep the people in their
false ideas, and paralyse the good influences which, being