From the above explanations of the nature and possibilities of Spiritism, which are the results of years of meditation and observation, as well as communication with all kinds of nature of spirits on the Astral Plane, who attach themselves to and influence man, you may draw the following conclusions and rely upon them as being literally and sacredly true: That the spirit protector, good genius or guardian angel is the one whose mission it is to follow each man through the course of life, and to aid him to progress to his degree of advancement which is always superior to that of his ward.

Familiar spirits attach themselves,to certain persons for a longer or shorter period, in order to be useful to them within the limits (often somewhat narrow) of their possibilities; they are generally well-intentioned, but sometimes rather backward and even frivolous. They busy themselves with the every-day details of human life, and only act by order with the permission of the spirit guardians.

Sympathetic spirits are those who are drawn to us by personal affection, and by a similarity of tastes in good or in evil. The duration of their relationship with us is almost dependent on circumstances. An evil genius is an imperfect or wicked spirit, who attaches himself to a man for the purpose of perverting him, but he acts of his own motion and not in virtue of a mission. His tenacity is proportionate to the more or less easy access accorded to him. A man is always free to listen to the suggestions of an evil genius or to repel them.

There are persons who attach themselves to others in order to urge and influence them on to their injury, or to direct them in the right path. And many persons do in fact exercise over others a fascination and influence which seems irresistible. When this influence is used for evil it is to be attributed to an evil spirit or soul, who makes use of evil men in order the more effectually to subject their victim, and this is often done in order to try a person. Many times spirits attach themselves to all the members of a family in order to watch over, aid and guide them, and as spirits are attracted to a family so they become attracted to a large number of individuals by sympathy. They are also attracted to an order or company of people and become united in their views with them. Spirits go by preference to the places where they meet their similars; they are more at ease among such and more sure of 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.

Agglomerations of individuals, such as societies, cities, nations, have their special spirit guardians, for these assemblages constitute collective individualities, who are pursuing a common end, and who have need of a higher direction. There are certain spirits who advance the progress of Occult teachings by protecting those who cultivate them. Again 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 see nor the deaf 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 were 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 guardians 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 correspond to the generality of individuals; that stranger spirits are attracted to it by identity of tastes and thoughts, in a word, that these assemblages, as well as individuals, are more or less favorably 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 spirits are the habits, manners and 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 paralyze the good influences which, being only partial, are lost in the crowd, like a solitary wheat ear in the midst of tares.

It is therefore easy, by studying the character of nations, or of any assemblage of men, to form to oneself an idea of the invisible population which is mixed up with them in their thoughts and in their actions.