288 - (1). Do spirits willingly answer the questions addressed to them?

"That depends on the questions themselves. Serious spirits always answer with pleasure the questions that you address to them with a view to your moral advancement. They take no notice of idle questions."

2. Does the seriousness with which a question is asked suffice to ensure its receiving a serious answer?

"No, for the quality of the answer depends, in part, on the quality of the spirit who replies."

- But does not a serious question drive away frivolous spirits?

"It is not the question that drives them away; it is the character of the questioner."

3. What sort of questions are particularly displeasing to good spirits?

"All that are useless or prompted by mere curiosity; they do not answer such questions, but are repelled by them."

- Are there any questions which are specially disagreeable to imperfect spirits?

"None but such as would show up their ignorance and cunning, when they wish to deceive you; in other cases, they answer any and every question, without regard to truth."

4. What is to be thought of those who only seek, in spirit-communications, for amusement, or for information concerning their worldly interests?

"Such persons afford delight to inferior spirits, who, like themselves, want to be amused, and who take pleasure in hoaxing them."

5. When spirits do not answer certain questions, is it because they do not choose to do so, or because they are forbidden to do so by a superior power?

"It may be for either reason; there are some things that cannot be revealed to you at present, and others of which the spirits themselves are not cognisant."

- By insisting strongly, can we always succeed in getting a spirit to reply?

"No; the spirit who does not choose to reply is always able to go away. For this reason you should never persist in trying to make us answer. To insist on having a reply, when the spirit interrogated is not willing to give it, is a sure way to be deceived."

6. Are all spirits able to comprehend the questions addressed to them?

"Certainly not! There are many questions which imperfect spirits are incapable of comprehending; but this does not prevent their replying at random, as is done by foolish people in your world."

Remark - When a useful end is to be gained by so doing, a more enlightened spirit often comes to the aid of an ignorant one. Such help may be easily detected by the different quality of the answers, and also by the admissions of the more ignorant spirit himself. This, however, only happens when the latter is good, although ignorant; no such help is ever given to spirits who make false pretensions to knowledge.