Perispirit

Is the spirit, properly so called, without a covering, or is it, as some declare, surrounded by a substance of some kind?

"The spirit is enveloped in a substance which would appear to you as mere vapor, but which, nevertheless, appears very gross to us, thought it is sufficiently vaporous to allow the spirit to float in the atmosphere, and to transport himself through space at pleasure."

As the germ of a fruit is surrounded by the perisperm so the spirit, properly so called, is surrounded by an envelope which, by analogy, may be designated as the perispirit.

Kardec was compelled to develop further the notion, especially by given "scientific" fundamentation to his theory. He studied the properties of what was then called "fluids" (electricity, magnetism, heat) and broadened the research towards those he termed "psychic" or "spiritual fluids". Both terms, especially the previous have stuck and are still used (or abused) up to now.

Properties

In Kardec's later conception, found in The Book on Mediums, he described the perispirit (then assumed as "technical term") in terms of a "fluidic body" with the following properties:

• It is made of the "Universal Cosmic Fluid", which in different densities and states, is the source of all matter;
• It enclosed the spirit proper;
• It gave the spirit an appearance drawn from his previous life and his current state, serving as a shape by which spirits saw each other;
• It sends forth "fluidic" emanations that can affect those around;
• Being "subtle" and semi-material, it was able to act as a bond between the physical body (material) and the spirit (immaterial);
• It allowed the spirit to act over matter other than that of its body, to some extent;
• It is constantly under change, as the spirit progresses and may eventually be harmed, even destroyed.
• It won't be necessary any more when all spirits attain perfection.