Dr. Cardon
Dr. Cardon spent many years as a doctor on whaling ships, living a rough and dangerous life that tied him strongly to material, worldly ways of thinking. Later, he retired and became a small-town doctor. In time, he developed a fatal heart condition and fell into deep fear and depression at the thought of death.
Two months before his death, he predicted the exact day he would die. When that day came, he gathered his family around him to say goodbye. For a moment, he seemed completely dead. His face turned blue, his eyes closed, and everyone believed his life had ended. But a few minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes again with an expression of extraordinary joy and peace.
He then described a magnificent spiritual experience and urged his family not to fear death. Shortly after that, he died for good. His face stayed so peaceful and radiant that crowds came just to look at him before the funeral.
Dr. CardonOh, my children... how beautiful it is.
Dr. CardonHow wonderful.
Dr. CardonOh, death... what a blessing.
Dr. CardonWhat a joy.
Dr. CardonI was dead.
Dr. CardonAnd I felt my soul rising very high.
Dr. CardonBut I'm allowed to come back and tell you this:
Dr. CardonDo not be afraid of death.
Dr. CardonDeath is freedom.
Dr. CardonIf only I could describe to you how great what I saw was, and what filled my soul.
Dr. CardonBut you would not understand it.
Dr. CardonOh, my children...
Dr. CardonAlways live in a way that makes you worthy of that happiness kept for those who've become good.
Dr. CardonLet charity shape your lives.
Dr. CardonWhatever you have, give some of it to people in need.
Dr. CardonMy dear wife...
Dr. CardonI'm leaving you in a harder position than I wanted.
Dr. CardonMany people owe us money.
Dr. CardonI beg you, don't trouble them.
Dr. CardonMany of them are struggling too.
Dr. CardonWait until they're able to pay.
Dr. CardonAnd if some of them truly can't pay, then make the sacrifice and let it go.
Dr. CardonGod will reward you.
Dr. CardonYou, my son, must work hard to support your mother.
Dr. CardonAlways be honest and upright.
Dr. CardonBe careful never to do anything that could bring dishonor on our family.
Dr. CardonTake this cross that belonged to my mother.
Dr. CardonNever set it aside.
Dr. CardonLet it always remind you of my last words.
Dr. CardonMy children...
Dr. CardonHelp one another.
Dr. CardonSupport one another.
Dr. CardonAlways live in harmony with one another.
Dr. CardonBe neither vain nor proud.
Dr. CardonForgive your enemies, if you want God to forgive you.
Dr. CardonMy children...
Dr. CardonI give you my blessing.
The medium’s hand begins writing...
AllanAre you here?
Dr. CardonI am near you.
AllanWe've heard the remarkable details surrounding your death.
AllanWould you describe what you experienced in the interval between what seemed like your first death and your final death?
Dr. CardonWhat I saw...
Dr. CardonCould you really understand it?
Dr. CardonI do not know.
Dr. CardonI can't find words that can express what I witnessed during those few moments when my spirit left the body.
AllanCan you tell us where you went?
AllanWas it far from Earth?
AllanWas it another world?
AllanOr somewhere out in space itself?
Dr. CardonSpirits don't measure distance the way human beings do.
Dr. CardonI was carried away by a marvelous current.
Dr. CardonI saw the wonders of a heaven beyond anything even the most beautiful dream could imagine.
Dr. CardonThis journey through infinity happened so fast that I can't tell how much time passed.
AllanAre you now enjoying the full happiness you briefly glimpsed?
Dr. CardonNo.
Dr. CardonIf that were my present condition, I'd rejoice greatly.
Dr. CardonBut God couldn't grant me a reward so far beyond my merits.
Dr. CardonToo often in life, I pushed back against the wise inspirations placed in my mind.
Dr. CardonDeath seemed like an injustice to me.
Dr. CardonAs a skeptical doctor, my profession had led me toward disbelief in the spiritual nature of human beings.
Dr. CardonI thought the immortality of the soul was just an invention for weak minds.
Dr. CardonAnd yet, despite my skepticism, the idea of complete annihilation terrified me.
Dr. CardonThe spiritual voice within me, which I'd so often resisted, kept knocking at the door of my heart.
Dr. CardonBut the empty philosophy I'd trusted failed to show me the greatness of God...
Dr. CardonThe God whose wisdom gives out both joy and suffering for humanity's improvement.
AllanAfter your final death, did you immediately regain full consciousness?
Dr. CardonI had already regained awareness during the temporary separation, when my spirit visited the spiritual regions.
Dr. CardonBut after my actual death, several days passed before I fully woke up.
Dr. CardonGod granted me a special mercy.
Dr. CardonI will explain why.
Dr. CardonBefore my death, my old disbelief had already started to fade.
Dr. CardonAfter studying the illness that was killing me as a man of science, I realized no material explanation alone could account for everything.
Dr. CardonI recognized the action of a power higher than nature itself.
Dr. CardonThat conviction gave me comfort and courage stronger than my suffering.
Dr. CardonI blessed what I'd once cursed.
Dr. CardonDeath no longer seemed terrifying.
Dr. CardonIt seemed like liberation to me.
Dr. CardonThe thought of God is as vast as the universe.
Dr. CardonAh... what marvelous comfort there is in the power of sincere prayer.
Dr. CardonThe instinct to pray is one of the clearest proofs of our spiritual nature.
Dr. CardonThrough prayer, I came to understand.
Dr. CardonI arrived at firm and unwavering conviction.
Dr. CardonAnd for that reason, God granted me the privilege of receiving this vision before my life on Earth ended.
AllanDuring your temporary separation from the body, were you already dead?
Dr. CardonYes... and no.
Dr. CardonSince the spirit had left the body, bodily life was indeed fading away.
Dr. CardonBut when I returned and entered the body again, physical life returned as well.
Dr. CardonThe body had passed through a kind of sleep or transition.
AllanDuring that state, did you still feel connected to the body?
Dr. CardonCertainly.
Dr. CardonThose bonds are hard to break.
Dr. CardonThe spirit has to wait for the final trembling of the flesh before fully returning to normal spiritual life.
AllanHow is it that during your first apparent death, your spirit separated instantly and clearly, while after your final death you experienced several days of confusion?
AllanYou'd think the opposite would have happened.
Dr. CardonYou've often evoked living spirits and received genuine replies from them.
Dr. CardonAt that moment, I was in a similar condition.
Dr. CardonGod called me.
Dr. CardonHis servants said, "Come."
Dr. CardonAnd I obeyed.
Dr. CardonI thank God for the special favor granted to me...
Dr. CardonThe favor that let me glimpse and understand the immensity of His greatness.
Dr. CardonI also thank the spirits who, before my final death, helped me give my last advice to my children...
Dr. CardonEncouraging them toward goodness and uprightness in life on Earth.
AllanWhat inspired the beautiful advice you gave your family after briefly returning to life on Earth?
Dr. CardonThose words reflected what I'd seen and heard while separated from the body.
Dr. CardonMy spirit-friends inspired my voice and affected my appearance.
AllanWhat effect do you think your words had upon your family, especially your children?
Dr. CardonThey were deeply moved.
Dr. CardonPeople don't easily suspect a dying person's words of being false.
Dr. CardonEven ungrateful children respect a parent's voice in the final moments of life.
Dr. CardonIf you could see into the hearts of children standing beside a parent's grave...
Dr. CardonYou'd see sincere and noble emotions awakened in them by the influence of good spirits nearby.
Dr. CardonThose spirits whisper into their thoughts:
Dr. Cardon"Tremble if your conscience is not clear."
Dr. Cardon"Death is either reward or punishment."
Dr. Cardon"For God is just."
Dr. CardonI assure you that despite the widespread disbelief in this world, my family and friends will never forget what I told them before I died.
Dr. CardonI became the mouthpiece of the spirit world.
AllanYou have said that you are not yet enjoying the full happiness you glimpsed.
AllanDoes this mean you're unhappy?
Dr. CardonNo.
Dr. CardonBecause before dying, I came to believe sincerely and deeply.
Dr. CardonThe suffering we endure in life on Earth contributes greatly to spiritual advancement.
Dr. CardonGod took into account both my prayers and my trust in His goodness.
Dr. CardonI'm now on the road toward perfection.
Dr. CardonAnd in time, I will reach the glorious state I was allowed to see for a moment.
Dr. CardonPray, my friends.
Dr. CardonThrough prayer, you strengthen your connection with the spirits who guide the destinies of the Earth.
Dr. CardonPrayer is a force that links together spirits from all worlds.
AllanWould you like to leave a final message for your wife and children?
Dr. CardonI ask all who love me to believe in God...
Dr. CardonThe all-powerful, just, and unchanging God.
Dr. CardonBelieve in prayer, which comforts and strengthens.
Dr. CardonBelieve in charity, the holiest result of life on Earth.
Dr. CardonRemember that even the poorest person can still give something.
Dr. CardonIn God's eyes, the small gift of the poor is often greater than the large gift of the rich.
Dr. CardonGod knows the poor give much even when they have little.
Dr. CardonTrue future happiness is found in charity...
Dr. CardonIn kindness toward everyone...
Dr. CardonIn the conviction that all human beings are brothers and sisters...
Dr. CardonAnd in freedom from selfishness and vanity.
Dr. CardonMy beloved family...
Dr. CardonHard trials still await you.
Dr. CardonBut take courage in knowing that God sees your patience and acceptance.
Dr. CardonRepeat often this prayer:
Dr. Cardon"God of love and goodness..."
Dr. Cardon"Give us strength so we do not retreat before suffering."
Dr. Cardon"Make us kind, gentle, and charitable."
Dr. Cardon"If we possess little wealth, let us become rich in goodness of heart."
Dr. Cardon"May the truths of Spiritism deeply penetrate our lives on Earth..."
Dr. Cardon"So that we may better understand and love You in the spirit world."
Dr. Cardon"May Your name, O God, symbol of freedom, become the source of comfort for all who desire to love, forgive, and believe."