Secret_History

Afterword 627
“We must not forget that it is an esoteric science. Consequently, a keen
intelligence, an excellent memory, work, and attention aided by a strong will are
NOT sufficient qualities to hope to become learned in this subject.”
“Nicolas Grosparmy writes: ‘Such people truly delude themselves who think that
we have only made our books for them, but we have made them to keep out all
those who are not of our sect.’”
“Batsdorff, in the beginning of his treatise, charitably warns the reader in these
terms: ‘Every prudent mind must first acquire the Science if he can; that is to say,
the principles and the means to operate. Otherwise he should stop there, without
foolishly using his time and his wealth. And so, I beg those who will read this little
book to credit my words. I say to them once more, that THEY WILL NEVER
LEARN THIS SUBLIME SCIENCE BY MEANS OF BOOKS, AND THAT IT
CAN ONLY BE LEARNED THROUGH DIVINE REVELATION, HENCE IT IS
CALLED DIVINE ART, or through the means of a good and faithful master; and
since there are very few of them to whom God has granted this grace, there are also
very few who teach it.’” [Fulcanelli, The Dwellings of the Philosophers, Boulder:
Archive Press 1999, pp. 49, 65, 84]
In view of this question, it might be useful to look at excerpts from an article
written by Camille Flammarion, the friend and associate of Jules Violle and Allan
Kardec which reflects our views exactly:
Spiritism is, in general, in bad repute, and deserves to be. Most of its disciples are
unmethodical; they are often lacking in mental poise, are often dupes of illusions.
They prefer a belief and a religion which merely console, to the impartial and
critical investigation without which we can be sure of nothing. These are bad
conditions for research; adequate safeguards are lacking.
In Allan Kardec’s time (in the course of the speech which I made at his grave on
April 2, 1869) I believed it helpful and even necessary to proclaim, at this very
grave, that “spiritism is not a religion but a science”, and to add that “we are now
at the dawn of an undiscovered science”. During the fifty years which followed the
utterance of these words, the continued progress of our research has lent them
greater and greater emphasis, confirmed them more and more fully.
It is by the scientific method alone that we may make progress in the search for
truth. Religious belief must not take the place of impartial analysis. We must be
constantly on our guard against illusions.
Apart from deliberate deception, dishonest and inexcusable, there is autosuggestion
leading to involuntary deception. [...]
There are also dishonest exploiters of credulity, who give “séances”, promising
apparitions and posthumous manifestations to the simpletons who listen to them.
Those who have been gulled then complain, laughably, of having been robbed! The
human race, supposedly intelligent, is truly strange. One must have a great deal of