Mr. Sanson

Paris, 1862. Mr. Sanson, one of the earliest members of the Spiritist Society of Paris, died after a year of intense suffering. Before his death, he asked Allan Kardec to evoke his spirit as soon as possible after his passing so people could better understand what happens after death through his testimony.

AllanMr. Sanson, can you hear us?

Mr. SansonYes. I respond to your call in order to fulfill my promise.

AllanDear Mr. Sanson, it is both our duty and our pleasure to speak with you immediately after your death, just as you wished.

Mr. SansonI thank God for allowing my spirit to communicate with you.

Mr. SansonAnd I thank you for your kindness.

Mr. SansonBut I still feel weak... and I tremble.

AllanYou suffered greatly before your passing.

AllanDo you still feel the terrible pains that troubled you?

AllanHow does your present condition compare to what you experienced two days ago?

Mr. SansonMy condition is now a very happy one, because I no longer feel any of my former pains.

Mr. SansonI feel renewed... almost completely transformed.

Mr. SansonAt first, the transition from life on Earth to spirit life was something I could not understand.

Mr. SansonEverything seemed confusing to me.

Mr. SansonSpirits sometimes remain for several days without fully recovering clarity of thought.

Mr. SansonBut before I died, I prayed that God would allow me to speak to the people I love.

Mr. SansonAnd my prayer was granted.

AllanHow long did it take before you regained clarity of thought?

Mr. SansonAbout eight hours.

Mr. SansonI can't be thankful enough to God for answering my prayer.

AllanAre you completely certain that you are no longer in our world?

AllanAnd if so, how do you know it?

Mr. SansonOh yes... I'm certainly no longer in your world.

Mr. SansonBut I will always remain near you, to protect and support you in teaching charity and selflessness, which guided my life on Earth.

Mr. SansonI will help spread the true faith... the faith of Spiritism... which is destined to restore belief in truth and goodness.

Mr. SansonI feel well and strong.

Mr. SansonI'm completely transformed.

Mr. SansonYou would not recognize me as the weak old man whose memory was fading after leaving behind the pleasures and joys of life on Earth.

Mr. SansonI now belong to the spirit world.

Mr. SansonI'm freed from the burden of the physical body.

Mr. SansonSpace itself now feels like my home.

Mr. SansonAnd my future belongs to God, whose power and glory shine throughout the universe.

Mr. SansonI wish I could speak with my children so I could encourage them to believe what they always refused to accept.

AllanWhat effect does seeing your body lying here beside us have on you?

Mr. SansonMy body... poor and insignificant remains... will return to dust.

Mr. SansonBut I will always cherish the memory of all those whose respect and kindness surrounded me during my life.

Mr. SansonPoor body... home of my spirit... instrument of my trials through so many long years of suffering...

Mr. SansonI now look upon you with gratitude.

Mr. SansonYou purified my spirit.

Mr. SansonAnd the suffering... blessed suffering... that you caused me to endure helped me attain the place I now occupy.

Mr. SansonIt also earned me the privilege of speaking with these friends so soon after death.

AllanDid you remain conscious until the very end?

Mr. SansonYes. My spirit retained all its abilities.

Mr. SansonI no longer saw with physical eyes... but I foresaw.

Mr. SansonMy entire life on Earth passed before my mind.

Mr. SansonAnd my final thought... my final prayer... was that I would be allowed to speak with you as I'm doing now.

Mr. SansonI also asked God to help you in this matter, so that the wish of my life would be fulfilled.

AllanWere you aware of the moment your body drew its last breath?

AllanWhat happened within you at that moment?

AllanWhat sensation did you experience?

Mr. SansonAt the moment of separation, life seems to collapse.

Mr. SansonThe sight of the spirit is extinguished.

Mr. SansonWe seem to enter a vast emptiness... an unknown.

Mr. SansonThen, carried away by a wonderful force, we suddenly find ourselves in a world where everything is greatness and joy.

Mr. SansonI no longer felt anything physical.

Mr. SansonAll suffering disappeared.

Mr. SansonI no longer understood what was happening within me or around me.

Mr. SansonAnd yet, at the same time, I was filled with impossible-to-describe happiness.

AllanDo you know what I intend to read at your grave?

Mr. SansonOh yes, my friend, I know all about it.

Mr. SansonI saw you yesterday, and I see you again today, to my great satisfaction.

Mr. SansonThank you... thank you.

Mr. SansonSpeak, so that those gathered around my grave may understand my convictions.

Mr. SansonSpeak, so that you may capture their attention.

Mr. SansonDon't hesitate.

Mr. SansonThe presence of the dead inspires respect.

Mr. SansonSpeak, so that the skeptical may be led to believe.

Mr. SansonGoodbye.

Mr. SansonSpeak with courage and confidence.

Mr. SansonAnd may my children one day accept our respected belief.

During the ceremony at the grave, Mr. Sanson dictated another message.

Mr. SansonMy friends, don't fear death.

Mr. SansonIf we have lived rightly, death marks the completion of one stage of our journey, and it becomes a great happiness.

Mr. SansonIf we have worked honorably and endured our trials with patience, death becomes a blessing.

Mr. SansonOnce again, I tell you: courage and goodwill.

Mr. SansonPlace little importance on earthly things.

Mr. SansonYour selflessness will receive its reward.

Mr. SansonRemember that no one can enjoy too many earthly blessings without taking part of the well-being that belongs to others... and causing great moral harm to themselves.

Mr. SansonMay the Earth rest lightly upon me.

Two days later, at the Spiritist Society of Paris, Allan Kardec evokes Mr. Sanson again.

AllanWe are very grateful for the conversation we had with you on the day of your funeral.

AllanAnd since you allow us to continue speaking with you, we would like to ask more questions so we may better understand the spirit world.

Mr. SansonI'm fully ready to speak with you.

Mr. SansonAnd I'm happy that you continue to think of me.

AllanAnything that helps us better understand the invisible world is extremely valuable.

AllanFalse ideas about the afterlife often lead people into skepticism.

AllanSo please don't be surprised by the many questions we will ask you.

Mr. SansonI'm not surprised.

Mr. SansonI'm waiting to hear your questions.

AllanYou described the passage from life to death with great clarity.

AllanYou told us that at the moment when the body breathes its last breath, life seems to collapse and the sight of the spirit is extinguished.

AllanIs this moment painful?

AllanIs it accompanied by suffering?

Mr. SansonYes, undoubtedly.

Mr. SansonLife itself is a succession of sufferings, and death completes them all.

Mr. SansonWe experience a violent tearing sensation, as though the spirit must make a superhuman effort to free itself from the physical body.

Mr. SansonThat effort absorbs our entire being and causes us to lose awareness of what we are becoming.

Mr. Sanson then explains that this painful separation is not the same for everyone.

Mr. SansonThis is not always the case.

Mr. SansonExperience shows that many spirits lose consciousness before death occurs.

Mr. SansonAnd for spirits who have already become detached from material things, the separation happens without struggle.

AllanIs the moment of death more painful for some spirits than for others?

AllanFor example, is it more painful for the materialist who believes everything ends with the death of the body?

Mr. SansonCertainly.

Mr. SansonThe spirit who is prepared for death has already become accustomed to suffering.

Mr. SansonAnd the peace of mind with which he sees death approaching prevents him from suffering twice over.

Mr. SansonHe knows what awaits him.

Mr. SansonEmotional suffering is the most painful suffering of all.

Mr. SansonAnd freedom from that emotional anguish greatly lessens the pain of death.

Mr. SansonThe person who does not believe in a future life is like a prisoner sentenced to death, staring at both the execution scaffold and the unknown.

Mr. SansonThere is a similarity between such a death... and the death of the atheist.

Another spirit then gives a description of the death of the unbeliever.

Mediums’ GuideThe hardened unbeliever experiences, in his final moments, the terror of a horrible nightmare.

Mediums’ GuideIt is like someone standing at the edge of a cliff, about to fall into a bottomless abyss.

Mediums’ GuideHe struggles desperately to escape, but can't move.

Mediums’ GuideHe searches for something to hold onto... but finds nothing.

Mediums’ GuideHe tries to cry out for help... but no sound comes out.

Mediums’ GuideThis terrible anguish is why some dying people writhe in convulsions, twist their hands, and release broken, suffocated cries.

Mediums’ GuideIn ordinary nightmares, waking up frees you from the terror.

Mediums’ GuideBut the nightmare of death may continue for a very long time after separation from the body.

Mediums’ GuideSometimes it lasts for years.

Mediums’ GuideAnd this suffering becomes even worse because the spirit often finds itself surrounded by darkness.

Later, another spirit comments on Mr. Sanson’s passing.

Mediums’ GuideMr. Sanson experienced what may truly be called the death of the righteous.

Mediums’ GuideHis death was calm because it was accompanied by faith and hope.

Mediums’ GuideJust as daylight follows the dawn, spirit life followed naturally after his life on Earth.

Mediums’ GuideHis final breath carried gratitude and love.

Mediums’ GuideVery few people pass from Earth to spirit life in such peace.

Mediums’ GuideVery few can leave life on Earth already sensing the harmony of the higher worlds.

Mediums’ GuideBut the soul of the person who dies without faith or hope leaves the body wounded, trembling, and confused.

Mediums’ GuidePray for troubled souls.

Mediums’ GuidePray for all who suffer.

Mediums’ GuideCharity does not help only the living.

Mediums’ GuideIt also helps and comforts those who suffer in the spirit world.