The Spiritualism Path Ascending — Robert Bayer — [2017] (210 pages) by Robert Bayer

The Spiritualism Path Ascending Robert Bayer [Editor] (2017)

Table of Contents

The Harmonial Brotherhood — Andrew Jackson Davis [5] True Spiritual Development — Andrew Jackson Davis [9] What is the true worth of Spiritualism? — Judge Edmonds [14] Life and Immortality —

Andrew Jackson Davis

The Soul — Andrew Jackson Davis

[18]

[22]

Testimony in Favor of Freedom — Andrew Jackson Davis [24] The Unfolding Progression — Andrew Jackson Davis [25] The Unfolding Progression — Andrew Jackson Davis [30] The Spirit of Brotherhood — Andrew Jackson Davis [35] Transition — David Duguid [44] A Personal Message of Wise Import — Anna Danforth Loucks [47] Summation of Points in Chromo-Mentalism — Edwin Babbitt [49] Life in the Spirit World — E. V. Wilson [53] Only Love — Eugene Crowel [56] There is No Finality — Spirit Teachings [58] Materialistic Bondage — Cora Richmond [60] The First Public Lecture on Spiritualism — Samuel Byron Brittan [65] There Is No Death — J. J. Owen [67] What Has Spiritualism Wrought? — Cora Richmond [69] The Star of Destiny — Franchezzo [75] To Love or To Rise or Both? — Franchezzo [77] Guidance for All Who Listen for the Word — William W. Aber [79] 2

The Totality of Spiritualism — Hudson Tuttle [81] Hypnotics - The Immensity of The Stellar Universe Creative Energy Therein — William W. Aber [84] The Transmigration of Souls — Robert James Lees [87] The Spirit of the Universe — JM Peebles [91] Exegetical Spiritualism – Inspiration — J. M. Peebles [92] Like to Like — J. M. Peebles [95] Exegetical Spiritualism – Resurrection — J. M. Peebles [97] Guardian Angels — J. M. Peebles [100] Religion of The Future — William Denton

[102]

Spirit, Soul, and Body — Gambier Bolton [112] Seeking the Inner Sanctum of Quiet — Ralph Waldo Trine [118] The Unseen Teachers of Righteousness — Spiritual Reconstruction [121] Thoughts’ Creative Power — G. Vale Owen [124] Why Spiritualism Matters — John S. King, M.D. [128] Quieting Thoughts: Making a Channel For The Inflow Of Power — Mary Bruce Wallace

[130]

Reliance Upon Spiritual Power — Mary Bruce Wallace [132] Aspiring Heavenward — Mary Bruce Wallace [134] A Vision — Mary Bruce Wallace [136] Receptivity Rather than Wrestling — Mary Bruce Wallace [138] Love All; Forgive All; Help All — Mary Bruce Wallace [140] What Shall We Do To Be Saved? — Walter DeVoe [142] 3

The Coming of the Hosts of Angels — Walter DeVoe [153] Slaughter of the Innocents — Gladys Leonard [159] Of Birth And Death - From Whence To Where — Walter DeVoe [166] The Temple Of Angels

— Walter DeVoe [174] — Arthur Finlay [177]

Death, Resurrection and Etherea

The Process of Death — Arthur Findlay [183] Arising in the Spirit Realms — Arthur Findlay [186] Communication between the Different Spheres — Arthur Findlay [191] Pure Thoughts — John Henry Remmers [195] What Modern Spiritualism Reveals — The Eloists [197] Questions and Answers — E. F. Morley [199] The Vortex Within — Trance Sessions [201] Our Choice — Robert Bayer [208]

The Harmonial Brotherhood Andrew Jackson Davis Spiritual Declaration of Independence (1851)

We believe that the destiny of all men is Immortality, endless Happiness, and eternal Progression!

We believe—in accordance with the interior and material constitution of the human species—that there is a general mission for each individual to accomplish.

1st. To properly beget and perpetuate his kind.

2d. To justly respect and honor, and wisely direct and cultivate the heavenly germ—the spiritual principle—which is deposited in the soul.

3d. To live here with special reference to individual and social happiness, and with an ultimate reference to another and a higher life!

We believe (with the glorified Solon) that it is only the good who die happily; for the troublesome or troubled spirit is sometimes not quiet 5

until after it has been, for a considerable length of time, removed from the earth; and until it has experienced the subduing, the chastening, and disciplining influences, which universally pervade the spiritual habitations of all spirits, angels and seraphs.

We, therefore, declare it to be “our highest duty” to become enlightened concerning ourselves; and concerning the powers and spheres of the human mind; to the end that we may grow in personal harmony—give to human society a healthy constitution—and thus gratify our homocentrical desire—“our continual prayer” for social Peace and universal Unity!

And it is our happiness to believe (with James Victor Wilson,) that the chief employment of our departed friends, the dwellers of the Spirit-land, is the transmission of thoughts, truths, and pure affections, from circle to circle, and from sphere to sphere; and that true happiness and true progression consist, both here and hereafter, in receiving and imparting; in unfolding the elements of our being and assisting others to unfold; in seeking the Great Divinity and imparting to the world the results of our investigations.

And we, moreover, freely declare it to be our sacred conviction, which we base upon the past historical experience of humanity and upon our highest intuitions and reason, that all true religion and all 6

true inspiration are natural to the human soul.

We believe that heaven is harmony, and that no man can secure his condition merely by doing penance at the virginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shrine; nor by being prayed for or prayer; nor by building Churches and hiring Gospel preached; nor by believing, or trying to believe any system of religion. On the contrary, we do declare it to be our deepest conviction that Heaven is attainable only through self-development and self-harmonization. And we believe, that popular Theology, and popular Education, and popular Society, are insufficient to supply the human spirit with its proper nourishments and encouragements to an easy, natural progression toward truth and perfection! We believe that Theology is inadequate to the reconstruction of Society; and that modern systems of Education (which are saturated with this Theology) are inadequate to a proper education and cultivation of the spirit.

We declare ourselves free and independent of these systems, we repeat, because they restrain us in our investigations, and set up many and various barriers to our development; and we declare ourselves free of them, also, because they do not cover our wants, nor respond to the imperative necessities of our outer and inner being! We feel that we have mentally and morally out-grown themâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;out-grown their virtue, their principles, and their means and 7

methods of individual and social reformation.

And we furthermore declare ourselves independent of these systems of superstition and error, because they circumscribe the sphere of our researches; and because they create a false issue, and perpetuate a conflict, between physical philosophies, and sciences, and what they term religion; while we believe all truth, whether scientific or religious, to be equally divine, harmonious, and eternal!

True Spiritual Development Andrew Jackson Davis The Great Harmonia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; IV â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The Reformer (1855)

Human beings, like trees, grow from and upon the soil. The earth, like a wise parent, supplies the germ. I speak now of the original method: for now, men and trees propagate themselves, and, although the earth still superintends the process, the method is improved.

Like trees, also, do souls attract to, and assimilate with, themselves qualities of congenial substance from the organisms and from the atmosphere of universal Nature. You will observe that trees absorb vitality and substances from the earth and the atmosphere, which is generated by and thrown out from all the planets in space. And thus you see great giant-trees building themselves up â&#x20AC;&#x201D; adding ton after ton of substance, limb, and leaf-without in the least diminishing the size or weight of the ground, which they so beautifully refine, refresh, and decorate!

So it is with human souls. Minds absorb vitality and substances in general from the atmosphere, which is generated by and thrown from all the spiritual spheres. Therefore, you will perceive that there is a 9

spiritual atmosphere within the material atmosphere. The soul feeds on the one; the body upon the other; until, by a refining process, they blend into ONE, whereby the spirit is made to increase in substance.

And as you see trees growing without diminishing the earth, so you also see souls multiplying and building themselves up-bringing into the world new thoughts and new principles - without exhausting the spiritual FOUNT which they correspond to and represent. You will remember the exact analogy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that trees grow by attracting and assimilating to themselves the terrestrial atmosphere which is thrown from all the planets; and that souls grow, in a corresponding manner, by attracting and assimilating to themselves the celestial atmosphere which is thrown from all the spheres.

Therefore, human minds, like trees, grow large and beautiful, or, like trees, remain sometimes small and deformed; strictly in accordance with their origin and subsequent situation. Minds possessing an equal amount of spiritual life, though of dissimilar temperaments, will be drawn to associate with each other. As there are hundreds of different types in this respect, so there are hundreds of different associations. Hence you perceive the entire naturalness of sects and institutions; the inevitableness of parties, clanships, and isolated nations.

The Harmonial Philosophy should teach the world, therefore, to shake

hands

over

its

multiform

distinctions;

forget

all

uncharitableness, and draw a wet sponge over the records of all animosities. We come now to the practical conclusion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; viz.: that human souls will accumulate spiritual substance, obtain the real elements of mental nutrition, in strict harmony with their individual aspirations.

Those who aspire to Love will grow spiritually wealthy in Love; those who aspire after Knowledge will grow rich in the memory of Facts and Things; those who aspire unto Wisdom will increase in the perception and enjoyment of Principles and Generalizations! Therefore, is nature ever true to her children â&#x20AC;&#x201D; giving Silver, and Iron, and Gold to those who seek. Silver is love; Iron is knowledge; Gold is wisdom. Just in proportion as these departments of mind are opened (by organization, culture, and situation) to the celestial atmosphere, within the common air, so will Love, and Knowledge, and Wisdom, increase the substance of the soul.

This celestial air, in which the spirits delight to live and love, contains all the essential principles of human life and of mundane development. And as soon as these different departments of the soul begin to absorb and appropriate their congenial elements, then will you see an enlargement of the corresponding external portions. The 11

external head will change and alter, and improve in its form and symmetry,

exact

ratio

with

the

interior

alterations

and

improvements.

If you seek a Knowledge of Facts and Phenomena, then your forehead will round out and widen. It will give you a bright look, like expert lawyers or craftsmen, full of talent and cunning. If you seek Wisdom, then, in truth, “she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace, and a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee;” and you will be truly the children of nature — pure, childlike, loving, noble, good, great, and free! If you seek Love, then will your physical form begin to resemble the beautiful and the blest! Your features will lose their sharp, hard, penetrative expression; and there will be a “look of love” in every lineament, even your walk will be an expression of inward peace and purity. But you will be earnest in this, my Friends, and fail not to attract nourishment to each part of your soul.

Do I hear a voice — “How shall we commence?” My reply is, that you should cultivate your Wisdom by trying to grasp great general Principles; and by meditating and feeding upon them, as you would look over a landscape and enjoy the living whole. Strength comes only with appropriate exercise. And you should cultivate your Love by trying, with all your might, to think only affectionately toward mankind. Commence by acting so good that you cannot help loving yourself — 12

then, you will expand outwardly; and “friend, kindred, neighbor” next it will embrace — till, at last, you will be delivered from discord and debt, owing “no man anything but love.”

Accustom your memory to think only of kind words. Forget to use hard terms — leaving all terrible invectives to the uncivil preacher-and think only of words which express friendship and affection. For it is wonderful how men feel through, their thoughts, and have thoughts only as they remember words to utter them!

What is the true worth of Spiritualism? Judge Edmonds Spiritual Tracts (1858)

1.1. It enables us to know the thoughts and Purposes, the secret intentions and character of those who are living around us. Over and over again has this been demonstrated, yet I will venture to say the Bishop never heard of it; for if he had, he surely would be as ready as any one to see that, in this feature of Spiritualism, there is a better protection against, and prevention of, hypocrisy and false pretenses than all the preaching ill the world has afforded.

2. It enables us to feel and to know that our most secret thoughts are known to the intelligence of the Spirit world, whatever the character of that intelligence, whether for good or evil. It has been for years and centuries preached to us, that the Supreme Intelligence knows our every thought. Yet how few have actually realized itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;how few have acted as if they believed it, let the Sins and perversions of mankind say. But now it comes so demonstrated that no man can doubt it. It is a fact as certain as that the sun shines at noon-day. And I would ask, what greater prevention to vice can there be, than the thorough conviction that the deepest secrets of our hearts are all

known to the Intelligence which is ever around and near us, and can be disclosed to the world?

3. It demonstrates the immortality of the soul by direct appeals to the senses. Hitherto the appeal has been to abstract reasoning to prove that; and what ill success has attended that effort, no man knows better than the Right Reverend gentleman himself. He has been a lawyer in his day, and lie is aware, from his knowledge of the world, thus and otherwise acquired, that the greater portion of the educated classes among us have not yielded to the reasoning, and have been, to say the least, skeptical as to an existence after this life. But now the proof comes with a force like that which establishes the facts that the grass grows and the water runs, and leaves no room for cavil in the sane mind. In the book from which the Bishop quoted so freely*—though I am not advised that he quoted from that part—some twenty instances were given of conversions from an unbelief as to the future. Those were a few only of the cases which are within my own knowledge. They are numbered by hundreds and thousands within the knowledge of Spiritualists all over the land, and they show how powerful—how all-controlling is the argument in favor of man's immortality, which spiritual intercourse furnishes—how much more convincing than all the preaching to which the subjects of such conversions have listened for years and years.

4. It demonstrates that the Spirits of our departed friends can and do commune with us who are left behind. The substance of the Bishop's position on this topic is a denial of the fact, for lie speaks of the "folly and unreasonableness of supposing that the Spirits of our departed friends are suffered to remain on earth, and to mingle in the affairs of men," and of the "unhappiness it would be to them to remain among strifes and sorrows which they could not alleviate."

The same course was once taken by this same Prelate in regard to the

manifestations

themselves,

and

was

"folly

and

unreasonableness" to suppose they were anything but delusion or deception. But he, and many others of his calling have been compelled to yield to the force of overwhelming testimony, and admit their reality. So it would be with him on this point, if instead of persisting in the ignorance of the Subject (of which he boasts, for conscience-sake,) he would investigate for himself, or take the testimony of those who have investigated. He would then learn that the identity of our departed friends is too clearly made out to be doubted by a rational mind. He would see, too, how enduring is the love they bear to us stillâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that the cold grave does not quench its ardor, and that their care and sympathy for us is not removed at such an immeasurable distance from us, as he would teach, but that it is ever around and near us, leading us on toward that goal which in his creed' is too far off for us to comprehend, but is now brought so dear 16

that can understand what it is, and learn how to attain it. He would learn that it would be no more a source of happiness to our departed friends thus to labor for redemption from sin, than it is now for him in his ministerial functions to lead a sinner to repentance; and descending from his lofty position on the Episcopal bench, to enter the brothel or the prison-house, and lift an erring brother to the light of the Gospel. He would learn to bear to the mourner's heart such comfort as he has never yet borne, and to speak to it, in most effective tones, of righteousness and the judgment to come. He would learn then, if he has not yet learned, that it could be no such great unhappiness for the Christian mind to remain amid strifes and sorrows, where it could sympathize even if it could not alleviate, and he would see, practically, that there is no sorrow for suffering humanity, which Heaven, through its messengers, cannot heal.

5. It demonstrates also, that through this Spirit influenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;be it what it mayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the sick are healed, the blind are made to see, the lame walk, and "devils cast out" of those who are possessed.

Life and Immortality Andrew Jackson Davis Morning Lectures (1863)

The foundations for countless and various societies in the Summer-Land are thus laid and established. Death is largely a cleansing process, and is the hope of the world, not its point of darkness. So beautiful are its siftings, strainings, and other processes, that the active causes of passions and appetites are dropped and left on earth with the gross materiality. So beautiful is the law of Progress, that even the active effects that accompany the individual cannot be perpetuated (as evils and discords) throughout eternity.

Why? Because in the center of the universe a positive power reigns, breathing its spirit throughout the illimitable spaces; and, and by the slow workings of its progressive laws, it cleanses all personalities of their transient imperfections. Only eternal GOOD can eternally exist. There is a universal gathering of all spirits and angels â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not in one place, under the blaze of one heavenly central sun, but under the influence of musical distributions, of harmonious varieties, each adding completeness and happiness to the other. 18

Many persons are harmonized in this world when they are “born again,” and thus lifted out of their low motives and consequent imperfections. Hundreds and thousands of “things” that annoy, vex, and wear the spirit, before it is thus born, cease to exert any bad effect.

Such minds grow sweet, and gentle, and loving, under the new life; before, the same persons were hateful, discordant, and full of consuming passions. The evil woman, who had “seven devils” cast out of her, is an instance of what good can be accomplished by exchanging bad motives for good ones. How many hateful propensities, how many demonic habits, and how many unladylike characteristics were cast out of her by the psychological power, is left to every one’s imagination.

Therefore there is a great individual work here to be done. The ounce of prevention is wanted which will make the tons of cure unnecessar y. Each person can start on the right track before death this is the best place to get under full sail for a happier harbor. To-day is better than to-morrow. The sooner you begin, the farther you will find yourself in the path of harmonious life. This is the doctrine which we are impressed to teach. I think all should commence at once to see what can be done toward preparing for a better, sweeter screenage 19

at death, and to insure a beautiful entrance into superior societies. No one can hurt the Infinite Father nor the Infinite Mother — you can permanently injure only yourself. This being the truth, we have but to proclaim, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is” next door, just beyond, on the other side of the death-screen, through which each must sooner or later pass. How many persons will feel, after attaining the elevation of self-control, that they have begun anew!

Each person can in this world select his associations after death. It is, therefore, important to get a passport to harmonious central societies in the Summer-Land. You should feel no enmity toward any human being, however much you have been injured. The lion and the lamb lie down together only within the purified human spirit. The hidden, cave-like cerebellum, the back-brain, is a den full of untamed animals. Spiritual TRUTH is the only conqueror that can enter and still the passions, tame them to peace, and hold them in abeyance until the outward disturbance is gone. Motives, when high, lift up the soul, which is thus prepared to be a better neighbor and more successful in all the genuine enterprises of present life.

All true progress brings an immediate and glorious satisfaction. We discourse upon “life and immortality,” not because it is a spiritual fact, but because it is the foundation and inspiration of immediate personal improvements. It stimulates us to beautiful effort and 20

causes us to teach practical reforms. We can bring innumerable tests and mathematical evidences that these things, which we relate with respect to the other sphere, are true; but time will supply you with all necessary testimonies; many of them you have already heard, many of them you know by heart, and ask for nothing more. Now, therefore, the time has come for each to step upon the solid rock of Truth of eternal principles which will surely stand, while the spirit makes substantial progress toward higher and more beautiful societies which blossom beyond the stars.

The Soul Andrew Jackson Davis Morning Lectures (1863)

The soul, which is not as high as spirit in refinement and function, is in contact with this world. It is the source and the play-ground of passions and appetites. It is the fulcrum on which all passion and force-levers are placed; the bridge over which all animal emotions, impulses and energies travel between the body (outmost) and the spirit (inmost). Only now and then do we perceive glimmerings of pure spirit in man. Men and women sing about being angels in this world. It is difficult to become angels in the cellar kitchen of life; but it is possible. You can live a sweetly ordered life, and can use your will-power to regulate your thoughts and keep discord away. Genuine angels know nothing about being â&#x20AC;&#x153;temptedâ&#x20AC;? to do anything that is wrong. If you can be tempted, you are not yet above the conditions from which temptation emanates. Pure spirit is above the reach of temptation. Moral strength to overcome or to resist evil, is the promise of the future angel. It is, in fact, the basis on which the angel-character is finally erected; yet if you are tempted at all, you have not ascended above the soul-plane. You do not yet live in the Spirit. You will, therefore, be tempted to do various things â&#x201D;&#x20AC; little things, great things, bad things, indifferent things sometimes, 22

perhaps, good things may be done unwisely, or overdone, or done to excess.

Testimony in Favor of Freedom Andrew Jackson Davis Morning Lectures (1865)

In November, 1852, Judge Edmonds reported the following from the Summer-Land: “This is the day when Freedom shall be known among the sons of humanity. This is the day when the chains shall fall from the oppressed spirit. This is the day when the pulse of humanity shall quicken with an inward life. And now shall the arm of man be made strong. Now shall the stream of truth brighten and deepen in its flow. Now shall the light of heaven grow clearer and brighter amid this glorious dawning. Prepare ye for the resurrection of humanity. Stand ye up in the strength and majesty of spiritual manhood. Let the scenes of earth no longer enthrall your senses and deaden the soul. A voice calls you to a higher destiny. It is the voice of Freedom breaking from the skies. Listen! Not with your ears only, but with your souls. Listen! And in the deep silence of your inner being may ye find its earnest whisperings to lead you up beyond the vale of darkness, beyond the tumults of this lower sphere — to lead you up — up far up in the pathway of unfolded angels, and give you strength to mount on high, as the eagle soars, to breathe the air of Freedom forever and ever.”

The Unfolding Progression Andrew Jackson Davis A Stellar Key to the SummerLand (1868)

When spirits conversing appeal to each other's memory, the memory mirrors forth a perfect representation of the thing remembered, which is perceived and understood by the conversing spirit. I behold beautiful representations in the memory of those in the higher societies. These representations are of the most exquisite character, because they proceed from the memory of highly enlightened intellects; and they are therefore delightful, inviting, and instructive.

I perceive that everything in this Sphere is created and manifested only by and through the exercise and direction of wisdom. Hence the perfect order and uniformity that subsist, and the inexpressible happiness that flows as a consequence from such exquisite harmony and unity of action. Everything is appreciated as a blessing conferred upon them by the light and life of Divine Love, and the order and form of Divine Wisdom. It is pleasing to behold these heavenly societies; for I see them at this moment existing in the most perfect degree of brotherly love, and joined inseparably together by constant ascending and descending affections.

How very clear and bright

are their countenances and expressions! They are unblemished by 25

artificiality, and unspotted by rudimental and gross intrusions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for they are above and superior to these, and highly developed. The first society is indeed low, in comparison to the highest; but the variety and the degree is nevertheless a form of the whole â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a complete brotherhood.

The diversity consists in the different degrees of

development; and the lowest cannot approach the highest, because of the dissimilarity of quality and spheres.

But the lowest contains

and involves the highest, while the latter, in return, comprehends and pervades the whole Sphere, manifesting a grace and beauty beyond the power of language to describe. And there exists almost an infinite variety of dispositions, of loves, of affections, and of wisdom, among them; yet each modification of previous conditions of mind is only an ascending degree of refinement toward perfection.

The whole is beautiful â&#x20AC;&#x201D; surpassingly beautiful and sublime! For there exists that continual emanation of love and wisdom from societies and individual forms, displaying a brilliancy of illumination beyond any light or color on earth. It is even so very bright and beautiful, that those in the lower societies who approach are almost thrown into ecstasies of delight. They become prostrated, and apparently fall on their faces, because of the beauty and brilliancy of the aroma that encompasses the superior societies of the spirit-home.

Thus it is that all preserve an order in their lives

and situations; and

thus it is that their approach to each other is graduated according to the unfolding of the spiritual senses and faculties to the external. They represent the circular and spiral forms; for there exists among them a uniform and also an ascending movement. And one is continually unfolding the possessions of another, even as from the germ

are unfolded the body and the flower. And even as

the

flower perpetuates the species of the plant, so does the superior society pervade the lower ones, and is constantly introducing them into its own vast possessions;

and thus all go onward to a still

higher Sphere of spiritual and intellectual elevation.

Thus fixed, unvarying, and universal laws of the Father govern and regulate all his universe. Throughout all the ramifications of the spiritual, physical, and celestial, eternal unity, order, and harmony reigns â&#x20AC;&#x201D; conception, development, progression, and perfection mark all things, and all point with irresistible force of reason and demonstration to the immortality of the Spirit.

ln taking this philosophical view of the plan and progress of Nature and the works of God, how grand, how sublime, how comprehensive, how rational and satisfactory â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to the independent-thinking and inquiring mind, who wishes to ''have a reason for the faith that is within him " â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how perfectly are the love and wisdom and justice of 27

the Father and Mother conjugated and displayed! And how real, conclusive, and overwhelming the evidence — appealing directly to the senses, the intellect, and the affections — of the self-conscious, immortal existence and progressive happiness of the "spirit" that is within us! The human race being the last and highest development of earth, and mind the intelligence that around

only organism possessing reason and

examines and investigates all that is beneath and

itself, and that has a consciousness of the future —

endeavoring to raise or draw aside the thin, semi- transparent vail that hangs suspended between the physical and spiritual existence — analogy, "reasoning from what we know," points directly not only to the probability, but to the absolute certainty and necessity of a future existences called the Summer Land.

All organic forms below man not only produce their like, but the substance of their material forms mingle

with previously formed

compounds, to produce a new and distinct type superior to itself. But the human type has no superior development and there is no retrogression in the works of nature. Each new unfolding is superior to the preceding. Man, then, is destined

for other and higher

Spheres. In those Spheres, or new states of existence, man's spirit must present not only an "image and likeness" of Nature and God, but a consciousness of identity and individual selfhood. knowing this, he should so live while in 28

Feeling and

this rudimentary and

preparatory state of existence,

that all his physical, intellectual,

moral, and spiritual structure, formation, growth, and maturity, be fully

developed, cultivated, and perfected; so that when the

"mortal puts on immortality," and seeks "a home in the heavens," it can expand into a celestial life, without spot or blemish to mar its beauty or impede its progress in bliss and glory eternal.

The Unfolding Progression Andrew Jackson Davis A Stellar Key to the SummerLand (1868)

How very clear and bright

are their countenances and expressions ! They are unblemished by 30

artificiality,

and unspotted by rudimental and gross intrusions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for

they are above and superior to these, and highly developed. The first society is indeed low, in comparison to the highest; but the variety and the degree is nevertheless a form of the whole â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a complete brotherhood.

The diversity consists in the different degrees of

development; and the lowest cannot approach the highest, because of the dissimilarity of quality and spheres.

But the lowest contains

and involves the highest, while the latter, in return, comprehends and pervades the whole Sphere, manifesting a grace and beauty beyond

the power of language to describe. And there exists almost

an infinite variety of dispositions, of loves, of affections, and of wisdom, among them; yet each modification of previous conditions of mind is only an ascending degree of refinement toward perfection.

The whole is beautiful â&#x20AC;&#x201D; surpassingly beautiful and sublime! For there exists that continual emanation of societies and individual forms,

love and wisdom from

displaying a brilliancy of illumination

beyond any light or color on earth. It is even so very bright and beautiful, that those in the lower societies who approach are almost thrown into ecstasies of delight. They become

prostrated, and

apparently fall on their faces, because of the beauty and brilliancy of the aroma that encompasses the superior societies of the spirit-home.

Thus it is that all preserve an order in their lives

and situations; and

are unfolded the body and the flower. And even as

the

flower perpetuates the species of the plant, so does the superior society pervade the lower ones, and is constantly introducing them into its own vast possessions;

and thus all go onward to a still

higher Sphere of spiritual and intellectual elevation.

all things, and all point with irresistible force of reason and

demonstration to the immortality of the Spirit.

ln taking this philosophical view of the plan and progress of Nature and the works of God, how grand, comprehensive,

how

rational

and

how sublime, how

satisfactory

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the

independent-thinking and inquiring mind, who wishes to ''have a reason for the faith that is within him " â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how perfectly are the love 32

and wisdom and justice of the Father and Mother conjugated and displayed! And how real, conclusive, and overwhelming the evidence — appealing directly to the senses, the intellect, and the affections — of the self-conscious,

immortal existence and progressive

happiness of the "spirit" that is within us! The human race being the last and highest development of earth, and mind the only organism possessing reason and intelligence that

examines and investigates

all that is beneath and around itself, and that has a consciousness of the future —

endeavoring to raise or draw aside the thin, semi-

transparent vail that hangs suspended between the physical and spiritual existence — analogy, "reasoning points directly not only to the

from what we know,"

probability, but to the absolute

certainty and necessity of a future existences called the Summer Land.

All organic forms below man not only produce their like, but the substance of their material forms mingle

with previously formed

for other and higher

Spheres. In those Spheres, or new states of existence, man's spirit must present not only an "image and likeness" of Nature and God, but a consciousness of identity and individual selfhood. 33

Feeling and

knowing this, he should so live while in preparatory state of existence,

this rudimentary and

that all his physical, intellectual,

moral, and spiritual structure, formation, growth, and maturity, be fully

developed, cultivated, and perfected; so that when the

"mortal puts on immortality," and seeks "a home in the heavens," it can expand into a celestial life, without spot or blemish to mar its beauty or impede its progress in bliss and glory eternal.

The Spirit of Brotherhood Andrew Jackson Davis Arabula (1868)

The voice of Fraternal Love was heard by many, for the light had reached and resurrected hosts of women and men not only, but a multitude of little children also, and the assemblage was large and influential. We gathered in the spirit of the “Progressive Friends,” who said:— Mingling with the chime of church bells, and with the tones of the preacher’s voice, or breaking upon the stillness of our religious assemblies, we heard the clank of the slave’s chain, the groans of the wounded and dying on the field of bloody strife, the noise of drunken revelry, the sad cry of the widow and the fatherless, and the wail of homeless, despairing, poverty driven:

“By foul Oppression’s ruffian gluttony

Forth from life’s plenteous feast;”

and when, in obedience to the voice of God, speaking through the holiest sympathies and purest impulses of our Godlike humanity, we sought to arouse our countrymen to united efforts for the relief of human suffering, the removal of giant wrongs, the suppression of foul 35

iniquities, we found the Church, in spite of her solemn professions, arrayed against us, blocking up the path of reform with her serried ranks, prostituting her mighty influence to the support of wickedness in high places, smiling complacently upon the haughty oppressor, “justifying the wicked for a reward,” maligning the faithful Abdiels who dared to stand up for the truth, and to testify against popular crimes, — thus traitorously upsetting the very foundations of the religion she was sacredly bound to support and exemplify, and doing in the name of Christ deeds at which humanity shuddered, obliterating her indignant blushes only with the tears that welled up from the deeps of her great, loving heart. In the plenitude of omniscient truth, and aided by the insight of intuition, I felt, although, intellectually, I did not fully concur with Byron, that –

“They: never fail who die

In a great cause. The block may soak their gore;

Their heads may sodden in the sun; their limbs

Be strung to city gates and castle walls

But still their spirit walks abroad. Though years

Elapse, and others share as dark a doom,

They but augment — the deep and Sweeping thoughts

Which overpower all others, and conduct

The world at last to freedom.”

It was a sad, foreboding thought that my intellect did not, even after all my interior trials, quite come up in perception to the lofty standard revealed by Arabula. Oh, must I ever again go down into hades? Am I, intellectually, yet unborn? No, no; keep me from the hollow cave of doubt! Help, help, O ye angels of the sacred Summer Land! Help me to stand on the solid rock of Wisdom, which gardenizes the earth, enlighteneth the intellect, pours light through, all the ties and affections, and leadeth to God. But the fear was born of the alarmed instinct of caution. “I am not in darkness” said I; and “I will not borrow trouble.”

At that very moment the love fraternal was beautifully burning and shining in my heart. Filled with its bounty, as the ocean is formed by uncounted rivers from mountain streams, I realized that the world redeeming spirit of BROTHERHOOD had descended from higher spheres. 37

Practical works of benevolence, deeds of fraternal love, efforts to overcome evil with good, labors for the uplifting of down-trodden millions, combinations for deepening justice and diffusing liberty throughout the land, mark the present day, and: this, too, notwithstanding the mighty wars which now distract and threaten to disintegrate the nations, and in spite of the demon of sectarianism, that would overthrow the temples of brotherly love in every land. Truly said the poet –

“We are living, we are dwelling,

In a grand, eventful time,

In an age on ages. Telling —

To be living is sublime.”

BROTHERHOOD, the sun of universal unity, beams with gladness over land and sea. A mighty spirit stands in the heavens before humanity, calling nations to repentance and urging individuals to action. Fraternity comes with the, new morning, kindling a golden love-fire in every gentle heart, inspiring with new life and joy thousands who dwell far away beyond gilded hills and mountain 38

summits, and strengthening mighty hosts with truths at once beautiful, heaven-revealing, heart-uplifting, and harmonious: The angelic

song

“Brotherhood”

comes

from

surrounding

Summer-Lands, and streams like a holy river through desert souls and humble homes — causing the very earth to rejoice, and the people to sing the hymns of gratitude.

Heaven’s kingdom comes to mankind through man. It comes through manifestations of brotherly affection, through unselfish love, and through the saving deeds of unfolded wisdom. Chance and change, and the decay of ages, cannot efface from the soul tile impress of fraternal love. Its changeless goodness is steadily poured into the open heart—causing it to swell like a fountain brimming over with the living waters of the Father’s wisdom and the Mother’s love. Such love brightens the spirit’s sky, and lightens all life’s burdens. In misfortune it enters at the open door, and saves your failing and falling soul. In sickness its gentle hand is outstretched to soothe and heal you. In loneliness it traces out your silent steps, and extends to you the hand of faithful friendship.

Believe me, the human heart is full of kindness, and is ever ready to overflow with angelic affection. Only in moments of blindness and impatience do men spurn one another, and violently trample down the fragrant flowers of fraternal love. Hand in hand, heart to heart, 39

soul clinging to soul, all equal children of God and Nature, travelers in the path of one destiny, all facing the same way, all progressing together toward higher realms of life; thus, thus fraternally working and onward marching are mankind, — governed by the laws of necessity, — regulated by similar interests — and influenced to better growth by unchangeable principle. Let the world become better acquainted with itself, for you will find that:

“There is no dearth of kindness In this world of ours; Only in our blindness Take we thorns for flowers! Cherish God’s best giving, Falling from above; Life were not worth living Were it not for LOVE.”

Thus was born “THE MORAL POLICE FRATERNITY.” Fraternal men and women enrolled themselves beneath its broad banner, bearing the motto: “LET NO ONE CALL GOD, FATHER, WHO CALLS NOT MAN, BROTHER.” The members, while receiving and enjoying the co-operation of minds who inhabit higher spheres, held that natural, persistent, progressive agencies were required to bring the heavenly state on earth. The effect of the fraternity was to 40

harmonize the ideas and sentiments of its members, and to direct their benevolence and labors upon individuals in discord, in misfortune, in sickness, in prison, in poverty, in crime, in ignorance, and in misery.

A humanitarian movement so natural and fraternal, or something akin to it, I thought, would build its altars throughout civilization. Its plan of operation was broad, comprehensive, philanthropic, and practical. The ends of charity and justice to individuals can be surely and quickly accomplished through the instrumentality of a self-moving body so simply and effectively organized. I thought that every person would wish to become a “member” of an organization in which no one member could “suffer” without attracting the attention and securing the Sympathy of “the whole body.” Unlike many self-protective and beneficial societies, this plan did not; exclude. Woman from any of its departments, privileges, or benefits. A solemn covenant was thus made between man’s, spirit-inmost, the universe of Angels, and: the Most High.

It was urged that a lost and “a shipwrecked Brother” could not be reached, and, saved unless, the Body had “living members” in every part of the, land. Fraternities, with few signs and secrets, should multiply, and they will. Darkness and, despair will roll away from human hearts on, the approach of these redeemed Brothers and 41

Sisters. The lamps of Hope will once more shine o’er man’s, bewildered lot; in the secret chambers of long-suffering hearts a new life will come forth; and homeless women, young and old, under equal care, and blest, by faithful justice, will stand resurrected by the side of their noblest brothers.

A mighty lever for accomplishing good among the millions was thus born, a Christ in the manger, over whom the angels sang “glad tidings of great joy — peace on earth, good-will to all men.” Who can do more for the individual than a loving — hearted woman or man. “Though wandering in a stranger-land,” the truly fraternal is the sure medium of loving — kindness, to a Brother or a Sister in affliction. The morning stars did not more harmoniously chant the songs of truth. Just think of overcoming evil, and shedding, whenever you can, light and love in desert hearts! To prevent crimes, to lessen evils, to remove ignorance, to lift the fallen, to brighten the weapons of truth, to oppose intemperance, to resist sectarianism, to overcome passion, to strengthen virtue, to dethrone tyranny, to promote progress; to do all the good you can to whomsoever and wheresoever. What mission more full of human sympathy and love, or more grateful to grief stricken, time-tossed, joy-bereft, suffering, saddened humanity? Your spirit will grow under the warmth of heavenly blessings. With wide-extended arms it will impartially embrace the acquaintance and the stranger, and freely shower fertilizing influences upon kindred, 42

neighbors, foes, and friends.

Transition David Duguid Hafed, Prince of Persia (1876)

Transition, …

Thus I meditated, and thus I wonderingly mused, and as I did so, the truth, like rays of light, darted into me. That which I had been accustomed to look on as substantial realities, even Earth’s great rocks and mountains and seas, now appeared to me but as shadows when contrasted with the grand and magnificent objects on which my vision rested. It was not, however, until the forms of my wife and son, with my beloved parents, and friends and companions long passed away, stood round about me, that I realised the fact of my transition — that I had indeed passed from death to life — from the mortal to the immortal.

Besides, I could now perceive the hearts of those dear ones with whom I came in contact. Of course I do not refer to the bodily heart — that great force-pump of the blood (if you carefully examine that blood you will perceive the magnetic spark so necessary to the proper action of the heart) — not that, but something different from and yet corresponding with that important organ of the body — I 44

mean the spirit heart — the affections — the thoughts projected from the innermost of the Inner Man.

Observe, the Spirit has what I may call an Inner Spirit. If you could but understand it! You look on man encased in his wondrous human form, and you behold in that form only the temple of the Spirit — the dwelling-place of the Man — so beautifully adapted to all his requirements as an inhabitant of Earth; you turn your eyes to the Spirit-form — the heavenly body; but that is not the Man — that is not the all, there is in that celestial body the Inner Man — the thinking, feeling, acting being, the Divine Part— the eternal indestructible offspring of God.

Do you see it? There is, first, the Body; then the Spirit; and then the Divine Part: all these go to make up the individual, the Man. In the Earth-life, the inner or God-part — the Soul — may be so obliterated — so defaced by worldliness and sin, that there seems to be nothing left but the Spirit. Man, by transgression of law, shuts out God. Coming here in such a condition he is driven — he cannot help being driven — into the dark regions of despair: there he abides without hope, and abandoned of God as he thinks. But still there is hope, for he is not forgotten: the angels of mercy and love are on the watch for an opening by which they may operate on the inner part of this darkened immortal; and when this opening does take place, as a 45

result of the discipline undergone — when the little chink appears, then is the door thrown open for the influences of the ministers of love and truth; the light flows into the dark cells of his being, gradually and slowly at first, but ever increasing; and as the light comes in, so does the degraded one emerge from his miserable condition, and rises — ever rises upward and onward.

We, in our loved missions, are ever on the watch in such cases, and when the opportunity occurs, it is our joy and delight to work for goodness and truth — to lift the poor helpless, hopeless one up out of the foul waters of his sins to God’s pure stream of truth, and thus to float him on into our sphere of light and love. In those who come here in a renewed condition, the Divine part of their nature becomes the thinking, acting part, and as they continue in this course, so they become more and more like unto God.

A Personal Message of Wise Import Anna Danforth Loucks Visions of the Beyond (1877)

The following message came to me soon after the close of the above vision. I insert it here, notwithstanding its personal character, under the impression that it may be of use to others, as it certainly has been to me. It should be premised, however, that the immediate cause of its being to me was, that for some time previous I had seemingly been very much isolated from a conscious nearness of those whose presence was especially valued by me; and that I had suffered much from sadness in consequence. The message claims to be from the higher wisdom of my spirit-helpers, but conveyed to me personally through my nearest guardian and loved one. It is as follows: —

“We, your special loved ones, are not away from you, as you seem to think. We are only — for wise and important reasons — out of your special sphere of consciousness for a time. It is to teach you more fully self-reliance, — the power of your own will to work out for yourself high results.”

“You should learn to stand nobly up, both in body and spirit, and breathe in deeply of the inspirations of a healthy and positive 47

energy.”

“Then, when your own powers are fully expanded, the helps of the higher life will amply brace you up to whatever work you may find it in your way to do. In other words, the lesson is, to be positive to all the natural obstacles and discordances of the external world; and negative, or quietly receptive, to the unseen influences that may flow down to you in response to the earnest aspirations of your inner being.”

“The central thought is, that help comes to those who first help themselves. Hence, if you would enjoy most fully the sympathy and aid of the higher conditions, you must aim to grow up to them, rather than expect that they will descend toward you.”

“It is true, that, as a needed self-protection, a good degree of retirement and isolation may still be rightly yours for a season; but this is only because a well-rounded and perfectly harmonious development is a thing of the future rather than of the present; and if you would learn to grow wisely, and with accelerated steps, learn to lean as little as possible upon anything but your own will-force, aided and inspired, as it will then surely be, by the superior helps that will spontaneously come to you.”

Summation of Points in Chromo-Mentalism Edwin Babbitt Principles of Light and Color (1878)

Intellect is the culmination of power, and may be affected indirectly by ordinary light, still more by odic light, and most of all by the psychic light which is the direct messenger and servant of the spirit in its relationship to the outward world.

2. The psychic lights and colors are inexpressibly beautiful and manifest the infinite activities of nature unseen by ordinary eyes.

This higher vision exalts the conception and shows that there is a grander universe within the visible which is the real cosmos.

Thousands of persons are able to see these psychic colors.

They reveal the primary laws of force. When scientists dwell only among the coarser grades of matter, they deal with the outer shell of things and fail to find the richer kernel within.

6. This light renders opaque substances transparent from its power to penetrate

them, and hence those who can get in rapport with it 49

become what is called

clairvoyant. The Committee of the French

Royal Academy recognized this

fact, and Major Buckley

developed 148 persons so that they could read sentences shut up in boxes or nuts.

7. Ordinary sleep is caused by drawing the vital ethers, and with them the blood away from the front brain into the cerebellum and body, thus leaving the mental powers so inactive as to be unconscious, while somni-science, or the lucid magnetic sleep, not only calls these coarser vital ethers away, but brings into action the finer interior forces which being more swift and penetrating cause greater keenness of mental power, and, when sufficiently developed, clairvoyance itself.

8. This lucid condition is often induced by fastening the mind on some near or distant object to draw the finer ethers outward, and is sometimes assisted by downward passes to draw the coarser ethers away from the brain.

9. These psychic forces can bless mankind by opening up a sublimer vision of the possibilities of the universe and of human life, by controlling physical, mental, and moral diseases in a very remarkable way, and by circumventing fraud.

10. Self-Psychology, or Statuvolence, is a condition which is brought about by gelling in rapport with these psychic forces, when by the power of the will, the subject can cause all sensation to cease in a part or the whole of his body, or cure disease, or permanently correct many of his mental and moral deficiencies.

11. Every part of the intellectual, moral, or passional nature can be aroused into greater action; or subdued into a feebler action by charging different portions of the brain and body with these psychic forces with the hand, or otherwise, or by drawing them off. When the subject is in a somnambulic or otherwise sensitive condition, each part of the brain so touched will arouse a special and intense kind of thoughts and feelings entirely different from every other part, thus showing that the brain has its special organs, or regions of special mental characteristics. The psychic colors which vary in different parts of the brain in harmony with these organs, also confirm the same idea.

12. The fine forces of the brain radiate colors on much the same principal as the odic forces in nature.

13. The left hemisphere of the brain receives the blue and electrical forces and radiates the warm red forces more strongly than the right, while the right brain radiates the blue forces and receives the red 51

more strongly than the left. The left brain is stronger in the domain of intellect, the right, in that of organic life.

14. The highest faculties radiate their forces most strongly upward; the lowest, most strongly downward. The Intellectual faculties radiate their forces both upward and downward in front, the Propelling faculties, both upward and downward behind, and the color radiations arc beautiful and pure about every person in proportion as his mental and moral character becomes refined and ennobled.

Life in the Spirit World E. V. Wilson The Truths of Spiritualism (1879)

Dear reader, we give above the contents of a letter from a friend, in whom we have the utmost confidence, and we know that she writes no uncertain report. There are points in this communication worthy of careful attention.

First — This kind of haunted-house phenomena is becoming mere and more common throughout the country. The fact can no longer be ignored. The “Newburyport School House,” the “Dunn County (Wis.) House,” the “Virgil House,” and many others, are proofs positive that these things are. The testimony is before us. The judgment rendered is, that this phenomena is the result of spirit, or ultra-mundane, life. What we now wish to understand, is the law through which this phenomena takes place. Is it the work of the Diakka?

Second — The lesson taught: There is no forgiveness in this life, or the after-life; every penalty must be paid; there is no escape.

Third — Life in the Spirit World is identical with life in this mundane world; fear, sorrow, joy, hate, spleen, and all kindred elements of 53

passion, are parts of this great Spirit World; that we are unfolding for humanity, and, above all, that the Star of Progression hovers over that world as well as this.

Fourth — Not only are our media helpers to us in the present life, but they are benefactors to those unfortunate souls who are in prison in the Spirit World; and, through the law of interblending of our natures, both spheres are benefited by spirit and mortal conditions.

Fifth — Certain parties, or persons, who, dying in the act of crime, or the cause of crime, or in plotting for crime, do leave a force or influence in a house, or on a spot of ground, or on any article that may be in contact with them at the time of the act, that will repeat in testimony the act in evil they commit whenever a corresponding force, or law, in another comes in contact with what they have left behind them; hence, the phenomena of the haunted house, pond, or field.

Sixth — Sometimes these criminals, in the very act, are bound in chains, and remain bound until relieved by the law of development, progression, or the charity of some ministering element.

Seventh — Can spirits remove obnoxious men and women from their path? And, if so, are we not, sojourners here, on very ticklish ground indeed? And that our continuance in this life depends on our good 54

behavior here as well as hereafter? Finally, is this not an age of wonder and wisdom? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let us prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good.â&#x20AC;? Let us do right, and exercise charity, and all will be well.

Only Love Eugene Crowel The Spirit World (1879)

There is in all the universe no force but that of love. All hatred, all evil and all ugliness, are merely the absence of the position pole, which is Love. Many of the evils, so called, are not even the result of the absence of this force but are the result of its operation on a plane beyond your limited comprehension.”

“So be always sure when you complain of trouble that it is not a blessing in another guise. When you are distraught with the world’s complexities, pause a moment in memory of us and of what we have told you, and we will speak to you in the reality of Silence. When you feel there is someone who guides you, always know that it means we are with you. Trust us, no matter how steep the path up which we lead you. There is nothing to be learned in the pleasant pads of dalliance that lead smoothly through the valleys. The higher the hilltop, the broader the view, whether to eyes of body or of spirit.”

“Sometimes your feet may falter, but remember then that only those who go on in spite of the faltering win through to the goal. Most of the world’s present generation is incapable of this high enterprise. That 56

only makes the obligation the more vital for those who are ready for itâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since there is only Love in the universe, there is health and joy in the perception and appreciation of the fact. There can be no situation so grave or no situation so trivial that this law is not operative. Business is not business unless it be also Love. We are not working for the material benefit of those who serve us except as that material benefit will free them for wider and finer service. When you have served your apprenticeship in tribulation, either in this life or in an earlier one, you are ready for the freedom, which comes close on the heels of financial independence.

There is No Finality Spirit Teachings William Moses (1883)

So long as man is a physical being, physical acts will be of importance. It is because we have no fear that sufficient importance will not be attached to them that we have not dwelt on this side of the question. We are concerned rather with spirit, and with the hidden spring, by which, if it be working aright, the external acts will be duly done. We carry throughout the principle on which we have always dealt with you, of referring you back to that which is your true self, and of urging you to consider all you do as the outcome and external manifestation of an internal spirit, which, when you leave this sphere, will determine your future condition of existence.

This is the true wisdom; and in so far as you recognize the spirit that animates everything, that is the soul of all, the life and reality which underlies Nature and Humanity, in all their several manifestations, are you actuated by true wisdom. This being the duty of man in such sort as we are now able to put it before you, we have now to deal with the results of the discharge of that duty, or its neglect. He who fulfills it according to his ability, with honesty and sincerity of purpose, and with a single desire to discharge it aright, earns his legitimate 58

reward in happiness and progress. We say progress, because man is apt to lose sight of this enduring fact, that in progress man's spirit finds its truest happiness.

Content is, in the pure soul, only retrospective. It cannot rest in that which is past; at best it views the achievements of the bygone days only as incentives to further progress. Its attitude to the past is one of content, to the future, of hope and expectation of further development. That soul which shall slumber in satisfaction, and fancy that it has achieved its goal, is deluded, and in peril of retrogression. The true attitude of the spirit is one of striving earnestly in the hope of reaching a higher position than that which it has attained. In perpetually progressing it finds its truest happiness. There is no finality; none, none, none!

Materialistic Bondage Cora Richmond Spiritual Spheres (1886)

Here is a materialist â&#x20AC;&#x201D;we do not mean materialistic in a scientific sense, but in an external sense. external pleasure.

He devotes his life and time to

He builds up only those things which will

administer to his self-love and his aims.

He gathers wealth that he

way fulfill every wish and desire of his external mind. He gropes with all the problems of existence that he may surround himself with luxury and pleasure, and an honorable name among men.

leads a life of self-interest; all that he does for others he does that he may promote his own interest.

He may be generous or kind of heart,

but this is also that he may have helpful hands when he needs, and may gather around him those who will praise his name and consider him great among his kind.

He passes out of earth life.

His sphere in earth life has been such as you know, perhaps, that of a hundred men to have been.

He has ministered to the pride and

folly of others, and gratified the lesser tastes of others in gratifying his own larger tastes; and he has found a sufficient number of friends who would bask in the sunlight of his presence because of the plausibility and excuse which it gave them also for selfish enjoyment. 60

He enters spirit life.

His is no exalted condition of saint.

His is no heaven set apart for the elect and the just.

He mounts to

no altitude because of self-denial; there are no adorning memories around his way, no charities with which to grace his habitation.

enters, perhaps, a void and barren waste, filled only with the selfishness of his own individual life.

He turns from one form to

another of the pleasures that satiated him upon earth, and that meet him there face to face as the only inheritance of his spirit.

He finds

his life has been barren, devoid of use, and that he has no spiritual power on which to rise.

He hovers near the scenes of his former

enjoyments.

He enjoys vaguely and by reflection, the repetition of his pleasures in the external life of others below.

He has no anchorage of the soul,

no starting point; he does not know the one secret upon which the soul takes the first step in its spiritual advancement â&#x20AC;&#x201D; namely, forgetfulness of self in the happiness of another.

He did not find it

here; he has not found it as yet, and therefore his spiritual existence, as we say, is a barren waste. He associates with other spirits like himself who also have no motive nor object; they float around in an atmosphere of self-existence.

They perhaps are not wicked.

They do not intend malice, but 61

having no purpose in view they fulfill simply the objects of each casual moment, and drift and drift until they are beset by some spiritual or other power that draws them away from themselves. Yonder is a saint â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the estimation of his fellows. externally, all laws of Christian devotion.

He has fulfilled,

He has prayed regularly,

and according to every theological idea fulfilled his Christian duties. He has even been kind and charitable and beneficent. His name is arrayed in all lists of charitable objects and purposes on behalf of the church and the welfare of Christianity.

He is known and talked of

among mankind as a beneficent man.

He has indeed sought the kingdom of heaven by prayers, by vigilance, by justice to his fellow men.

He has not told a lie,

because he might not find the sacred citadel when he should die. He has violated none of the commandments, because if he did he was fearful he would not enter the kingdom of heaven. He has fulfilled every letter of the law, and given his life to the purposes of worship and devotion.

For what end has he done all this? That his soul might be saved. Did he think of the soul of the heathen when contributing to the Board of Foreign Missions? Did he think of their probable physical and spiritual wants? Did be think of the poverty at his own door when praying that his sins might be forgiven? Did he think charitably of 62

the erring one, the Magdalen, who had not the voice to pray, and to whom he might have spoken a word of kindness? Did he, in his innermost soul, love, the humanity fashioned in the image of God, and thereby wish to be good that be might save them?

Nay, the one thought and supreme idea was, "Save me, oh, Lord!" And who was he, that Christ and God should come out of their places in heaven for that one selfish pleading, and uplift him to the paradise of the blessed, while over there is a toiling mother, and yonder a chained slave, with no one to pray for them, who are weeping tears of anguish day and night for the sake of loved ones?

Who was Christ, that this smooth faced Christian should be the one extolled and exalted into heaven, which, with its streets of gold paven with light and land flowing with milk and honey, was supposed to be his divine inheritance? He prayed with one thought; he worshiped with one impulse; he had but one power, and that was to be saved himself.

He enters spiritual life.

He has his heaven. The streets

are paven with gold, glittering and shining, and cold as his own lifeless brain.

The walls are fashioned of shining light and alabaster

whiteness, but without life, void and empty.

There is a heaven

within which he is confined, and which he has fashioned for himself, and which is made of his own prayers and aspirations, and so narrow that he has no room to move therein. 63

He does praise God and sing,

on the single harp string of his own selfishness, the song of adoration to the Deity, and oh I how it sounds!

Not even the lost souls pictured by Milton, not even Dante's Inferno, could give forth such sound as that one song of solitary praise, for the salvation of this individual soul, from his own lips.

Is he saved?

The walls are adamant; the streets are lifeless; the

sound of the voice beats back upon the brain and heart of the singer. He has not learned the first lesson that his Master taught: The abnegation of the individual me, that others may be happy and blessed.

The First Public Lecture on Spiritualism Samuel Byron Brittan Banner of Light (1887)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To the great centre of intelligence; to the positive sphere of thought; to that Focus of life, light, and being, from which proceeds, and to which returns, all knowledge and power; to the spiritual Sun of the Universe I go to receive my instructions.â&#x20AC;?

Andrew Jackson Davis

All I can myself say, in summing up, is that we are in a position to affirm that the immortality of the soul is proved; that direct, nay, open, communion between the mortal and immortal worlds is now established; that revelations of the most convincing character may take the place of doubts, fears, hopes, and theological beliefs concerning the life hereafter; and that a vast and ever-expanding future seems to be opening up before the gaze of humanity, the goal of which no mortal can discern.

What we do know, is that we are in the morning of a new day such as the world has never seen the like of; that we are entering upon a new dispensation, the revealments of which must revolutionise the status of science, reform, and, above all, theological opinions.

We may object to accept of all these new ideas, but they move on to their resistless triumphs, and never heed us.

We may cling desperately to the planks of human opinion that we have set up, but we see them struck out of the path by viewless hands, the owners of which never wait to ask our leave, or seek room for their work. We may piteously cry, “Whither are we drifting?” but our only answer is now, as in the days of Martin Luther—“God lives and reigns;” and in his strength, assured love, wisdom, and power we can afford to trust.

Even now through the voices of his ministering angels we hear the words of Divine assurance, “Be still and know that I am God,” and in the certainty that “God is a spirit” we may assure ourselves that this outpouring of spiritual power is but the commencement and the up building of “a new earth and a new heaven.”

There Is No Death J. J. Owen Spiritual Fragments (1890)

The lessons of our translated loved ones is that there is no death that what seems so is only transition the birth to a new life, as real, aye, far more real than this; for here we bear the changing conditions of time youth, with its bright hopes and golden dreams; manhood, with its fierce contests in the battle of life, its struggles with the busy world; old age, if we have lived rightly, with its sheaves of ripened grain, its pleasant memories, and its calm outlook upon the future. But there, in that new life, these mortal changes and conditions do not exist.

He who has profited by his earthly experiences, goes onward in the path of eternal progression, amid scenes and surroundings that are real and tangible to spirit sense. Here all is change. There is no permanency in matter. The hills wear away and melt into the sea: the rocks themselves crumble to ashes at the touch of time; the â&#x20AC;&#x153;firm set earthâ&#x20AC;? is growing old, and in some distant aeon, will doubtless become a dead world to be buried, perhaps, in the bosom of the sun. Spirit is the eternal, unchanging substance, while matter is the evanescent shadow of things, upon every atom of which is written 67

“change.” It is a beautiful thing to grow in years gracefully and wisely to carry down into the sunset of life the gentle graces and sweetness of a spirit enriched with good thoughts and noble impulses. Age is not measured by years nor whitened locks, to one who lives rightly.

The soul never grows old. It may lose its elasticity of expression through its worn out instrument; the footsteps may become faltering and the voice feeble with time, but the soul is there just the same, with all its garnered earth experiences, all its luster untarnished. It has only withdrawn a little within the veil, whence sooner or later it will step out into the open day of a new life. When Death comes to a good man or woman, in the fullness of time, it comes as a welcome friend. One after another their hearts’ treasures have been gathered to the home of the spirit, and at last they stand alone, like ripened grain ready for the sickle. The struggle of active life is over; the battle has been fought; the world’s stern work has passed into younger hands, and they stand alone with the evening’s calm around them, and with ear bent for the sound of the boatman’s oar that shall bear them over the silent waters.

What Has Spiritualism Wrought? Cora Richmond Presentation of Spiritualism (1893)

As a whole movement, the scope of its influence is measureless. Its manifestations extend into every department of human thought; its presence in the world has changed the entire attitude of thoughtful minds concerning the problems of death and the after life, and their relation to human states, at the same time opening up for investigation a vast inter-realm, including the latent possibilities of the human spirit while in the earthly environment.

It has reached

the man of science in his laboratory, or study, and within its rare Alembic, has rewrought the demonstration of immortality.

It has walked into the churches of al denominations, religions and tongues; as stood beside the clergyman or priest or ministrant, and has whispered the message of immortal life, saying: "Are they not all ministering spirits?"

It has proved itself a solvent of all religions and philosophies by correcting erroneous ideas born of imperfect, human interpretations concerning a future life, and substituting knowledge.

It has restored spiritual gifts and made them a portion of the recognized opinions of the human race.

It has made thousands and hundreds of thousands to acknowledge by name within and without the churches; within and without established schools of philosophy; within and without the walks of science, by knowledge alone; and thousands of others to accept its evidence in the form of belief based upon testimony of others.

Its sources of inspiration are the invisible hosts.

It teachers and messengers are the great, the wise, and the loved ones who have passed on.

It has opened a royal or inner way to knowledge for many who are its chosen instruments, by touching child minds with facts and data, with scientific and philosophical knowledge, with wisdom far beyond their years, and with eloquence unknown to mortal art.

It not only has created a literature of its own, in hundreds of volumes of experience and philosophy, and scores of periodicals publishing its demonstrations and advocating its propositions, but it has pervaded the best literature of the age, touching and illumining the minds of such writers as Dickens, Thackery, Longfellow, Phelps and scores of 70

others with its living presence.

Its uplifting influence is felt in every life that accepts its truths, and in the whole world by making the aims of life here consistent with a continued existence, primary steps in the external pathway, and by making the basis of life Spiritual, not material.

To a materialistic and unbelieving age, it has demonstrated the existence of the human spirit beyond the change called death.

To those who had "hope" and "faith" through any form of religious belief in a future life, it has added knowledge, and to both has opened the gateways that had not even been left "ajar" between the spiritual and material realms.

It has removed the fear of death, and of what might come to the spirit after dissolution of the body by a knowledge of the states and conditions of these who have passed beyond that change as declared by the testimony of disembodied spirits, who must be in the very nature of the case the only authentic sources of information upon subjects pertaining to that future existence.

It has bridged the chasm, spanned the gulf between the two states of existence by the Iris archway of love.

Immortal messengers have bought the knowledge of their state of existence and have announced in unmistakable ways the nearness of that so-called "undiscovered country."

Invisible hands have rekindled the fires upon the altars of inspiration that had long been desolate.

Angels and ministering spirits have anew attuned the voices of mortals to immortal songs.

And they have "rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulcher" of thousands of human hearts who thought their dead lived not.

Its authority is truth wherever found;

Its sacred books the inspiration of every age.

Its Oracles and Priests, those whom the truth anoints and inspiration calls; its creed the unwritten law of knowledge, wisdom, truth, and love.

Its ceremonials the service of a noble life.

Its communion is with kindred spirits and its fellowship with all;

Its altars, the human spirit, its temples, living souls; It is the open door, the present light, the demonstration, philosophy and religion of the immortal soul.

Calm-browed and unafraid this mild-eyed, open-visioned Presence views the heretofore and the hereafter, the present and the future, with equal interest and courage born of perfect truth.

The "well-springs of eternal life" are hers, and she bids mortals drink fearlessly at their living fountains.

The "bread of life" is hers, and she bids all spirits partake freely from the all-bounteous store.

From the vintage of the spirit the wine of her everlasting kingdom is distilled in streams of living inspiration.

Poets quaff as this golden goblet is pressed to their lips and sing the songs of the spheres.

Sages gather from its open treasure house the wisdom of the skies.

Seers and prophets, inspired anew, reveal again the forever old, forever new, immortal theme.

The mourner forgets her grief and dries her tears while listening to the messages of love.

The weary find their rest in its all reposeful and eternal ways.

The weak find strength in its unhindered helpfulness.

Crime, sin and all human imperfections and shadows fade gradually, yet surely, before its all potent light.

The whole world touched, awakened, thrilled, aroused from the lethargy of material propositions and dogmatic assertions, from charnal houses of the senses, the tombs of death and despair, from sepulchers wherein their hope and faith and highest love were well-nigh buried, turns toward this anew day-dawn saying,

"Is not

this the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world?"

The Star of Destiny Franchezzo Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (1896)

My vision of the earth and its surroundings faded away, and in its stead I beheld one lone star shining above me with a pure silver light. And its ray fell like a thin thread of silver upon the earth and upon the spot where my beloved dwelt.

Ahrinziman said to me: Behold the star of her earthly destiny, how clear and pure it shines and know, oh! beloved pupil, that for each soul born upon earth there shines in the spiritual heavens such a star whose path is marked out when the soul is born; a path it must follow to the end, unless by an act of suicide it sever the thread of the earthly life and by thus transgressing a law of nature, plunge itself into great sorrow and suffering.

“Do you mean that the fate of every soul is fixed, and that we are but straws floating on the stream of our destiny?”

“Not quite. The great events of the earth life are fixed; they will inevitably be encountered at certain periods of the earthly existence, and they are such events as those wise guardians of the angelic 75

spheres deem to be calculated to develop and educate that soul—whether they shall be the turning point for good or ill, for happiness or for sorrow—rests with the soul itself, and this is the prerogative of our free will, without which we would be but puppets, irresponsible for our acts and worthy of neither reward nor punishment for them.

But to return to that star—note that while the mortal follows the destined path with earnest endeavor to do right in all things, while the soul is pure and the thoughts unselfish, then does that star shine with clear unsullied ray, and light that pathway of the soul. The light of this star comes from the soul and is the reflection of its purity. If, then, the soul cease to be pure, if it develop its lower instead of its higher attributes, the star of that soul’s destiny will grow pale and faint, the light flickering like some will-o’-the-wisp hovering over a dark morass; no longer will it shine as a clear beacon of the soul; and at last, if the soul become very evil, the light of the star will die out and expire, to shine no more upon its earthly path.”

To Love or To Rise or Both? Franchezzo Wanderer in the Spirit Lands (1896)

Ah! How many, many poor spirits would in crowds to those meetings (sĂŠances), hoping for the chance that they, too, might be able to show themselves and win some recognitionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;see again someone who was glad to know that they still lived and could return; and how many were always certain to go away sad and disappointed because there were so many and only a certain amount of power, and those who were nearest and dearest were naturally granted a preference.

The spirit world is full of lonely souls, all eager to return and show that they still live, still think of those whom they have left, still feel an interest in their struggles, and are as ready and often more able to advise and help than when they were on earth, were they not shut out by the barriers of the flesh. I have seen so many, so very many spirits hanging about the earth plane when they might have gone to some bright sphere, but would not, because of their affection for some beloved ones left to struggle with the trials of earth, and grieving hang about them, hoping for some chance which would make the mortal conscious of their presence and their constant love. Could these but communicate as do friends on earth when one has 77

to go to a distant country and leave the other behind, there would not be such hopelessness of sorrow as I have often seen; and although years and the ministrations of the comforting angles will soften the grief of most mortals, yet would it not be a happier state for both mortals and spirits could they but still hold sweet communion together as of yore?

Guidance for All Who Listen for the Word William W. Aber Rending the Vail (1899)

"There is guidance for each one of you, and by lonely listeningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you shall hear the right word.

"Why do you choose, so painfully, your place and occupation and associates and modes of action and of entertainment?

"Place yourself in the middle of this stream of power and wisdom which flows into your life, place yourself in the full center of the flood of light; then you are, without effort, impelled to the truth; then you put all gainsayers in the wrong. Each man has his own vocation. There is one direction in which all space is open to you. You have faculties inviting you thither to endless exertion.

"The spirit world is large and affords space for all modus of love and fortitude. You live in the midst of blessings, but you are utterly insensible to the greatness of the source from whence they come.

"You speak of your civilization, your arts, your freedom, your laws; you forget entirely how large a share is due to Spiritualism, which, 79

out of the page of man's history, and what would these laws have been?

"Elevate the despairing people and make them free and happy; but teach them to be majestic in their force, generous in their clemency, noble in their triumphs. It is a holy mission, holy must be your motives and your acts. Act as if your souls' salvation hung on each deed, and it will: For you stand, already, in the shadow of eternity.

The Totality of Spiritualism Hudson Tuttle Arcana of Nature (1900)

The Totality of Spiritualism may be expressed in a few words. Its aim is the aim of nature, â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the production of a perfect man, and the elimination of a perfect spirit.

That has been the ideal of Creative Energy through all the vicissitudes of the past from the chaotic beginning. The stars sang together, "Let us make a perfect man." The terrible saurians of the primeval slime, the gigantic brutes of prehistoric ages, chanted the same.

In the perfect man, there can be no self-abasement; there can be no appeal to anyone else; there can be no dwarfing of any faculty of the mind. Go by, blear-eyed Theology, that calls the body sinful and corrupt; that would blot out the noblest emotions of the soul. Your ideal is the Stylite on the top of his high pillar, flagellating, lacerating, and starving the flesh, that his miserable soul may gain heaven.

Evolved from and by the elemental forces of nature, being their concentration, or rather centrestantiation, man is an integral part of 81

the whole universe. In him everything is represented. He is capable of comprehending all, because a part of all. In his mind is laid the orbits of starry worlds: solar systems and galactic universes dance through the congeries of his brain. He makes grooves in which he compels the elements to run, by embodying his ideas in matter. All he does is the concretion of pre-existing thought. The engine, â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beautiful, perfect, a miracle of workmanship, â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the telegraph, and the steamship, are ideas clothed with matter, embodied thoughts.

For a moment lay aside all prejudices; let your religious education be as though it had never been; and calmly contemplate this being, with such antecedents, such universal relations, such boundless capacity, and such a destiny. Will you not scorn any system that offers violence and insult to the integrity of his character? Aye, trample underfoot the supposition that he is destined for anything but the unlimited progress of angel-life?

Such are the broad deductions of Spiritualism.

Man is not to be miserable on earth to enjoy heaven in the hereafter. We stand in the courts of heaven as much this hour, we see as clearly the presence of God now, as we shall a thousand ages hence. We are our own saviours, achieving our salvation. This is the religion of the future, the highest type of civilization. Other systems will linger 82

with the races of men whose highest ideal they represent; but from the courts of the world's intellectual nobility they will vanish, and be spoken of as myths which once aided infantile progress, leading-strings necessary to walk by until the use of our limbs had been attained.

Hypnotics — The Immensity of The Stellar Universe Creative Energy Therein William W. Aber Rending The Vail (1901)

“Friends, there is a principle or power that pervades all animated nature: by some termed life; by others, spirit.

“This power is the same in all beings, but more expressive in man; though in some it is weak, in others it is very strong. Some men, who possess this power in an extraordinary degree, are capable of acting upon their weaker fellows, producing good or evil effects as their various dispositions direct them to act, and the nature of the subject will permit. But, when this power is examined with benevolent design, much good can be produced to your fellow-man.

“We have worlds innumerable. Our worlds are similar to yours; but so numerous that it would be as easy for man to count the particles in the atmosphere as to number the worlds that exist throughout this vast extent of universal space.

“To your eye these starry luminaries are invisible, and yet the smallest of them is nearly as large as the earth you inhabit; while the 84

greater portion are hundreds and even thousands of times greater in bulk.

“Of such vast extent is the distance of the nearest star that a bird of swiftest wing could not fly the same extent of space in many thousands of years.

“Within these central spots exist that Great Power, the Great Soul and Mind which is the source of all life that exists throughout the boundless expanse of matter and of space, the great universe of life, of light and love and motion, whom all mankind feel and acknowledge.

“The vast material elements wrestled and struggled with the infused life of Divine Love and burst throughout the vast extent of space, forming themselves into worlds and satellites, whose motions gradually submitted to law, and at length assumed the magnificent display of starry constellations you now behold, comprising your vast expanse of universe.

“This ascending and progressive work of organization is by successive spheres of development, and all bound together by the mutual bonds of interest and dependence; the higher being developed from the energy of all of the lower, until the powers of 85

each sphere are developed to its ultimate design.

(Signed) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reedâ&#x20AC;?

The Transmigration of Souls Robert James Lees The Life Elysian (1905)

I have more than a passing pleasure in doing this, because I am sure that a glance at the great work of educating children on our side will be of genuine interest to my readers; and second because I would combat an erroneous idea gaining ground in the minds of some that an almost endless series of re-births on earth is demanded to explain ‘some of life’s most puzzling problems.’

It will be altogether impossible to deal exhaustively with the question of reincarnation at this time, but let me briefly say that it is a subject for which in my earth life I felt much sympathy and have made wide inquiries concerning it since crossing the boundary, with this result: among the souls who are still subjected to earth conditions — from whom all experiences have to be received with caution, and not acted upon until they are confirmed from more reliable sources

—

there are many who honestly think reincarnation to be a fact, and teach it to be so; among those who have passed away from these conditions and learned to accept truth for its own sake, who know and study, tracing origins and sequences many of them through unsuspected ages beyond the rise of history, I have been unable to 87

meet with one holding the theory of rebirth to be true.

The origin of the idea is to be found in savage superstition. Without a definite knowledge of immortality and equally certain that there is more in man than simply body, it has always been a problem to the untutored mind as to what happens when the body ceases to breathe and begins to grow offensive from decomposition.

The philosophy of ignorance is always expeditious, and the savage solved the problem by allowing a new-born child to inhale the breath of a dying man, and the departing life was thus provided with another body, in which to continue its existence. From this crude beginning the idea of transmigration of souls has been worked over and over in various ways with much philosophical reasoning and speculation, but it stands still where we found it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a baseless superstition, alike at variance with the law, love and purpose of God.

I am not at all unconscious of the fascination of the subject, and would, for this reason, willingly continue the discussion of it were it reasonably within the scope of my present purpose. But it not being so, I must resist the temptation for the present, with the hope that I may return to it at some future time. I might, however, here call attention to the unstudied side-light which is necessarily thrown upon the question by the record of my general experiences, the which I 88

think will show with some degree of reasonable clearness that God has made provision to meet every just requirement that can possibly arise by far more expeditious and less cumbrous means than such a circuitous and hypothetical system.

It must always be borne in mind that all the requirements of God from men are based upon justice. To expect perfection to be produced by imperfect conditions would be to expect the impossible, hence the attainment to Nirvana in the flesh would be a condition as unrealizable as stepping, in the mortal body, from earth on to the surface of the sun. Let us begin to be reasonable and appreciate the fact that evolution from the human to the Divine must proceed in the future according to the law which has governed the past.

We have still to climb from step to step, and as we go, must perforce be continually dropping the lower until by imperceptible gradations we ascend to the goal. In this process it must needs be that this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mortal must put on immortalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; before we reach the zenith, and the eye bear the sight of that uncreated beam.

From this handicapping limitation of the flesh the incarnated soul cannot free itself. It is a house of bondage from the influence of which one can only be free by breaking away, and ten thousand 89

births would furnish no increase of advantage, especially where the memory of all that has gone before is not available for guidance.

Like all man-made systems, the speculation of re-birth is a weariness and confusion to the mind, without a place of rest in its ceaseless struggle to escape a spiritual Scylla on the one hand and Charybdis on the other.

The Spirit of the Universe JM Peebles Immortality and Our Employments Hereafter (1907)

Commencing the communications again at seven o’clock, from the first circle of the celestial spheres, the medium reporting down through the spheres below him, says:

“The scenery and

surroundings here are too glorious for delineation. No poet can describe them, no artist put them upon canvas. The rays of light seem to descend from the great central sun of the universe. The atmosphere is warm, mellow, and golden. Breathing is living. All is calm and peaceful. The clothing of the spirits is ethereal and shining in their whiteness. The dreams of paradise are here more than realized. Humility is the gem, truth the pearl sought for, love the law obeyed, and wisdom the purpose of the soul’s perpetual search. Everything moves in perfect harmony, because near is the great Ruling Spirit of the universe.

Exegetical Spiritualism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Inspiration J. M. Peebles Seers of The Ages: Embracing Spiritualism Past and Present (1907)

Inspiration comes obedient to the law of attraction; it is as natural to the mental affections as air to the lungs. It is ever ratioed to the plane of our moral status of character.

Only the active, thinking, loving,

aspiring mind is truly inspired. We get here what we seek. There are spiritual strata of inspiration as there are natural strata in our material atmospheres for each grade of sentient being.

We may, therefore, be inspired in the department of passion, of reflection, of invention, of music, of poetry, of patriotism, of philanthropy, of the loves of childhood, of moral justice, of divine recognition, just as we adjust and habituate these functional organs and faculties. The lower the plane the grosser is the qualitative inspiration; the higher the plane the purer is the inspiration. Our status of love-life determines the degree of our heaven or spiritual sphere of use. If we would be ushered into holy light, the holiest purpose must animate the will to corresponding activities. Thus, and thus

only, do we drink of the immortal fountains of undimmed

and celestial goodness. Under such an inspiration, we are able to 92

discover defects in our forces of character, creating a keen, sharp pain in a tender conscience that rouses up to focalize those dormant faculties to higher points of mind and heart, that then loom up in visions as an attainable glory.

The holiest spirits have the deepest pain when any taint is found upon their inner life. When admitted to inspirations and consociations of such spirits, our unstrung or untouched chords of love are attuned to heavenly order, when our whole being is at length spiritually musicalized,

heard

and

felt

raptured

gratitude

the

"white-vestured" come to lead us into their Edens of Innocence and Beauty.

Believing in inspiration, then, we would go up day by day

on to the

Mount of Transfiguration; would open the windows of our souls to the constant reception of higher truths; would be charitable to all fresh thoughts, from whatever source, to all newly conceived ideas, for they may have traveled as blessings down from sunnier zones. Behind even the faintest coruscation of some weird, halfexpressed truth, there may gleam a star silver-shrouded, or a celestial sun awaiting earthly recognition.

God is in the present. The books of inspiration are not closed and sealed. Ideas, principles, the laws of pure intelligence, require no 93

crutches. Americans can stand erect without spinal stiffening from Asian monuments. Prayer need not float to heaven on the breath of ancient memories; nor assume oriental attitudes to secure a hearing.

"Where'er there's a life to be kindled by love, "Wherever a soul to inspire, Strike this key-note of God that trembles above, Night's silver-tongued voices of fire."

Our granite-hills and highlands, are sacred as Israel's mountains; our rivers holy as the Jordans of Asia, and our forests beautiful as the olives and cedars that shaded first word to Moses in the to John on

Lebanon. God did not speak his

Old Testament ; nor pronounce his last

Patmos. The aspirations of true men cannot be held in

slavish subjection to the letter of past revelations. Souls have living bread. They must bathe in living streams, from the " River of Life." They must be free as

must

branching

God's winds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; free

as the loves of the angels.

Inspirations can never know a finality, being manifest in all forms of life ; in the progressive movements of the ages; in religion, art and science; in the moral heroism of reformers; in the tender affections of woman; in the ministry of spirits; in the sincere devotions of the prayerful, and in the sweet trust of a pure and holy life. 94

Like to Like J. M. Peebles Seers of The Ages: Embracing Spiritualism Past and Present (1907)

The comparative darkness attending certain spirits for a long period in the land of souls, is only the reflex action of their own spiritual states. They generate the mist that dims their vision.

Life is one lengthened chain. Voluntary acts are the links. As to-day is related to to-morrow, and as the conduct of youth affects manhood; so this life's thoughts, purposes, deeds, determine the immediate condition and position of those entering the immortal world. No death-miracle transforms sordid, scheming, wicked men in the "twinkling of an eye" to angels.

True growth is a stranger to abrupt leaps. All progress is gradual. The malicious and depraved of this, carrying their hells with them, enter the hells or lower spheres of the spirit-life. They are in prisons of moral darkness. They lived base, and selfish lives. Their affections centered upon earth and earthly things, and by an inexorable law of their being they are mentally and psychologically imprisoned for a time near the surface of this planet. As fish to water, bird to air, so the 95

earthly-minded to the grosser strata and aural circles belting the earth, till through aspiration, unfoldment, and refinement, they become prepared to traverse the starry spaces of the higher heavens.

Exegetical Spiritualism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Resurrection J. M. Peebles Seers of The Ages: Embracing Spiritualism Past and Present (1907)

During the process of death, consciousness, in the seeming, is sometimes suspended, as with those who are suddenly

ushered

into the spirit world by capital punishment, suicide or accident, and with those especially whose habits of life, given to pernicious gratification, have materialized their

senses, as if locked in "chains

of darkness." Those who have lived pure and exalted lives, aglow with truth and charity, do not lose their consciousness for a moment, but cognize the transition from a darker to a more illumined room in the mansions of the Father.

There are no idiots to the spiritual vision. Imbecility is caused by malformation of the physical organization. Entering the spirit world, released from ante-natal and social perversions, they immediately commence their upward march of knowledge and wisdom.

Infants are immortal from the sacred moment of embryonic existence. Uniting the alkali and acid, instantly you have the third and higher compound â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the salt. So when the positive and negative relational 97

forces blend, then and there is the divine incarnation. Nature never takes a retrogressive step. If purposely blasted, during the gestative life, the spiritual principle remaining undisturbed, and the individuality intact, the tender riven bud is borne by matronly angels to the nursery gardens of innocence to be trained in the virtues of the spheres. Designed abortion is murder ! Multitudes will meet those offended little ones that ought to have had a natural, physical birth and the experiences of an earthly life, preparatory to a ripened entrance into the world of spirits. Prematurely ushered there, the spiritual objective being based upon the material, they are necessitated by a law of their being, to return under heavenly guidance to the mediumistic spheres of sympathizing friends to gather glimpses of, and participate in, earthly struggles and victories. Identity is cognate with existence itself. It is the natural attribute of spirit â&#x20AC;&#x201D; its very impressibility. It depends not on form for recognition, but the form on it. Every part of the grain we sow is represented in the harvest. Essential spirit being inseparable substance, and ever reporting itself magnetically, we recognize it by sympathy, the same as a child in the darkness knows its mother without the aid of sight or hearing. Our spheres are ourselves extended â&#x20AC;&#x201D; our

very loves

and thoughts in telegraphic communication. When, therefore, spirits from the mortal lands meet the gone before, instantly, by sympathy, they recognize each other, and the past, with all its checkered pilgrimages, indelibly engraved on the tablet of memory, rolls in upon 98

the consciousness with light and shadow, all in order of relations and events, in sweet, unspeakable joy and fall of glory.

Guardian Angels J. M. Peebles Seers of The Ages: Embracing Spiritualism Past and Present (1907)

"We owe to our guardian angels great reverence, devotion and confidence. Penetrated with awe, walk always with circumspection, remembering the presence of angels, to whom you are given in charge, in all your ways. In every apartment, in every closet, in every corner, pay respect to your angel. Dare you do before him what you dare not commit I saw you?"

"Consider with how great respect, awe, and modesty we ought to behave in the sight of the angels, lest we offend their eyes, and render ourselves unworthy of their company.

Woe to us if they

who could chase away our enemy, be offended by our negligence, and deprive us of their visits."

Our good angels reveal many things to those who seek into the works of nature.

A celebrated writer on jurisprudence, informs us of a person who used to pray heartily to God, morning and evening, that He would 100

send him " a good angel to guide him in all I is actions; " and, in answer to his soul's entreaty, a

spirit at last responded; at first in

dreams and visions to correct

certain bad habits; afterwards,

warning him of dangers, and showing him how to overcome difficulties. When his mediumship was better developed, he heard the voice of his angel, appeared to thee spirit

saying, " I will save thy soul. It is I that

before." This spirit would knock at his door —

rappings — direct him in his devotions — guard him in his

sickness — prevent his reading anything morally injurious — him of evil by touching his left ear, of good results by right ear — map out for him the true path of life and impressions.

101

warn

touching his

by signs, visions

Religion of The Future William Denton The Dawn of Another Life (1910)

We venture to say that the new movement will spring from the Spiritualistic ranks which by and by, all of the orthodox will unhesitatingly recognize all of the spiritual teachings and reinterpret their doctrine in the spirit of the new.

We hope there will be a reinterpretation of the old, and it is to be hoped that all religions will convincingly tend toward the same goal. Spiritualism will satisfy the essential needs of the human heart. You drift tempest-tossed, on the ocean of life, and you need guidance and comfort and encouragement. In the face of the unrest which surrounds you, you want to have the assurance of a ground where your anchor can catch. You want to know your goal and the direction in which you have to steer. All of this must be supplied by spiritual knowledge, and where your knowledge is insufficient, faith steps in. Spirituality is inborn in every soul in the same way as gravity is inalienably part of all matter. Everything is a particle that exists interlinked with the whole of the cosmos. It is swayed by it; it is attached to it, its momentum is determined by it in the exact proportion of its weight, of its position, and generally of its relation to 102

the universe. The innate energy of every particle, every atom presses forth in one direction or another beyond its own limits, as if it were yearning beyond itself. No piece of matter is existence in itself: its nature and its movements are conditioned by the rest of the universe, and it can find the fulfillment of its belonging only outside its own energy.

In the same way every sentient soul yearns beyond itself and becomes easily conscious of the fact that it is only a part of an immeasurably great whole, that stretches forth into unknown infinitudes; and that the significance of its life lies outside the sphere of its ego.

Spiritualism is so strong that it may be counted as the deepest passion of which man is capable. It is possessed of a motive power which excels all other passions, and can if misdirected, lead to deeds, which otherwise would be impossible; such as sacrifice of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self or of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own deity who is believed to demand such offerings. Spiritualism enters into every fiber of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spiritual existence, and throughout the development of human actions it remains the factor which adjusts the relation of the individual to the all-important factor. It grows and matures with the growth and maturity of man.

It weaves out of his experiences a world of conceptions in which it 103

appoints him to his place, assigns his duties, and furnishes his direction for his conduct. The functions of Spiritualism, however, go deeper still. Your entire world is the actualization of eternal types which develop according to law, and brings into existence these possibilities which in philosophy are called Platonic ideas. Accordingly man is not a mere congries of atoms: he is more than a corporal conglomeration of matter; he is the actualization of the type of his personality: his essential and characteristic being consists in the ideas he thinks, in the aims he pursues, and in the significance which he possesses for the great movement of human life. Life is eternal and has made its appearance in corporeal and visible shape, and no thinking man will ultimately deny the existence of another life. Spiritualism reminds you of the eternal background against which the fleeting phenomena of the material world take shape. This eternal is the essential part of life, that transfigures the transient in which it is actualized. The higher man rises, the better he understands how to distinguish between faith and knowledge. In the dogmatic state, you are like children, being nursed with fairy tales and parables; but in the state of manhood you shall see face to face, and have a clear and unequivocal comprehension of the truth. When once one has caught some vision and hope of the fullness of life that Spiritualism reveals, when he has seen some glimpses of the ideal spiritual realm to which its aspirations point, he is then concerned only in making that ideal a reality. 104

No man becomes a saint by dreaming of heaven. Faith can never satisfy the longing soul; it is ever looking forward; he sees the promise of spring in the storms of winter; he sees the handiwork of Nature and he finds the promise of full life everywhere. You are nearer to the psychical moment than you know. Revelations from the world of mind, the realm of the spiritual, are alike craved and claimed in all lines of life, religious, social and even political. You are not alone in this movement. No, far from it. You have on your earth level headed men who give themselves openly to the study or acceptance of the physical phenomena, and as well from king to baronet, show revived interest and faith in the spiritual phenomena; but some writers, professors and preachers take up what someone calls, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the psychical crazeâ&#x20AC;? and give their most matter of fact paragraphs and preachments to some phase of it. The mere possibility of such stories coming in these tunes from staid newspaper correspondents and finding such accepting the daily statements of press, shows what a change has come upon the public mind since the days when ghost stories of this nature were whispered mainly in the fireside corners and confidential gossip guarded by strict pledges against a scoffing world. Spiritual phenomena are subjects of special interest to the intellectual world at the present time, mainly as it relates to the spiritual laws for the formation of a correct, man and also, a correct government for all men. 105

Even the tremendous question of life hereafter is held in abeyance before the vital interest in grasping the relation of the spiritual laws and forces, to the earth life. Christian Science, Mental Science, New Thought, etc. are all relative to spiritual laws and controlled wholly by spiritual influences. The psychic teacher will serve to illustrate the question of the occasional opening of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s normal vision to the knowledge of the existence of spiritual beings. And further to show the purpose of such awakening, as well as to explain the nature of it he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The human eye and ear are tuned to the perception of waves or vibrations of light and sound traveling at velocities that have been measured.â&#x20AC;? There are vibrations below those to which the eye and ear are attuned of which man is absolutely unconscious; yet such vibrations do exist. It is true that the lower you go in the scale of vibration, the more nearly you approach the inorganic world; on the other hand the higher you go in the inorganic world, the higher you go in the scale of vibration and the closer you come to unknown forces and to the brink of a world that forces itself upon your consciousness. There is no obstacle to force vibrating at high velocities; as light penetrates glass it penetrates any organic matter. And the soul, the spirit, the ego, partakes of the qualities of these forces and to a much higher degree may be a legitimate deduction. Commonly, it is its disembodied state that is looked to as the one to put it into the active exercise of these forces; but that sometimes 106

even while in the body pent, it breaks through the muddy vesture of decay and touches the unknown keys of harmony and omnipotence in the universe of pure power, the history of genius itself testifies as well as the indisputable evidence of psychic power and phenomena which the scholars and scientists now recognize; and are, above all else concerned to investigate. All poets have signalized their consciousness of rare moments, when they were superior to themselves — when a light, a freedom, a power came to them which lifted them to performances they were wholly unable to reach at other times. Your inspiration comes from the higher forces and sometimes from the higher spheres of spiritual truth, and touches the plane where life means something powerful, and that can only be measured by eternity. These forces make you feel first of all the indifference of circumstances, that you have called in other than material forces to your aid, is the thing that makes you a strength and an inspiration to mankind, as all the psychic teachers of today are conspiring to set forth.

The swinging of time’s pendulum in the direction of the psychical, is clearly indicated by introducing experiments in psychic phenomena into students’ classrooms, and bespeaking truth for mediumistic demonstrations and by this trend of all thought and philosophy, to locate human power and achievement in the mental or spiritual forces. Science is merely “searching the sixth sense in man, and the 107

spiritual moment that may break in upon this great mystery is perchance, not so far distant. The spiritual view-point which has been dimly presented to man by teachers and mystics of long ages, may at length, declare itself in man’s consciousness which is a point to revolutionize the whole life problem. How many writers whose prophetic souls disclose the might and meaning of this spiritual awakening! There are hundreds who are alive to the force of this distinction in the unveiling of spiritual truth to man and who follow the vision to its surest heights of blessedness and power in the uplifting of mankind. This unveils the glad realms of life and power to man, and in all-embracing joy of it, no dismal goadings of conscience that marked the darkened hour, find any place. Once the veil is lifted between man and “the place where joy resides at the heart of creative being all is well.” It is ignorance that makes error and all its haunting monitors in man’s pathway. It may be that in the time of ignorance, conscience is the little spark of “celestial fire” that struggles to light the way to the true haven of spiritual truth. But once the vision is made clear, the narrow mission of science is at an end. If you wish to reform a man, do not tell him that he is a sinner; show him who and what he is, and he will reform himself: aye, and if he holds the balance of power in his hands he will reform the world — which is directly in line with spiritual laws, and one who gives the true vision with his means to forward it — it would surely know how to meet all the difficulties the short sighted ones he could conjure up in 108

his pathway. It is more than “a faith” which is original as the spiritualists acknowledge it, that illumines your presentation of the case; it is a truth that is mighty to save by anchoring itself in “leaders” on the heights of the struggle in the firing line of truth. This is a truth that has been given to the people from the creation of your world; and no great thing was ever accomplished in your world without inspiration; but lacking the means to make his inspiration available in the life of men, many a seer and medium have missed the end of his vision. When the light breaks at the top of the world, and the men who see the best things, have power to bring them to pass, the millennium should not be far distant by whatever name the brethren are pleased to call it.

Meantime, the undercurrent of interest in spiritual things pertaining to the higher forces perceptible everywhere, must naturally prepare the way for men and women of genius who can focus and interpret the psychic or spiritual movement, and turn it to the highest service of mankind. That it shall bring a glimpse of the truth on earth for which weary, heavy laden men and women as well as the dwarfed and misdirected children of men, may well thank the spirits and their mediums.

The church is in the midst of one of the most appalling crises in its history. The reason is of its false teachings; as it claims of radical 109

criticism, and in the name of scholarship; whereas, the enemies of the past have been the reporters chiefly of outsiders; the present enemies are inside leaders in a great scholastic apostasy entrenched in foremost positions in pulpits, in the press, in educational institutions and even in theological seminaries.

Once the great aim of religious endeavor was to bring all men to church adherence, to confession of one or the other of the faiths. They have been working at that for centuries, and there remains just about as much real sin in the world as ever: there remains as much unnecessary misery; as much injustice and wrong. The world is far from being saved. The founders of Christianity taught men to be patient, meek peacemakers; pure in heart, neighborly, sincere, just, loyal to their best â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideas.â&#x20AC;? His followers could not content themselves with things as simple as these. They sought out subtleties; they taught men to dispute over historical and traditional data; they proclaimed that men would be saved by faith. There are many who call themselves preachers of the gospel; whose good news consists in this â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that men have only to force themselves into mental activity to accept this or the other faith or tradition, and they will have accomplished the will on high, they will have saved their own souls. Do you mean to say that you have a moral universe, where the one great thing required is that men should believe some things they can know nothing about? To tell the thief, the swindler, the liar, the 110

bankrupt and the social outlaw that what the great judge of all requires of them is nothing more than that they should believe some chapter in the bible (history), or some theory in some celestial place, may have indeed been the sound of good news to them. This seems a cheap and easy escape from the terrors of the law without the rigor of justice.

The religion that is to save the world is Spiritualism which underlies right action â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that which burns itself into the depths of a man and forces him to follow the truth, to serve the right, to battle wrong, to succor need, to give all he has, even life itself, for noble ends. Do you believe in goodness, right, justice, love, truth, and to choose Spiritualism as your guide post? Now do you admire these principles? If you do, follow them. This is the truth that will save the world and be the coming religion.

111

Spirit, Soul, and Body Gambier Bolton Ghosts in Solid Form (1914)

Q. In the fifteenth chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians in the Christian Bible, we read of “a spiritual body” Can you explain this to us?

A. “Man — Woman — know Thyself.” Man IS a spirit now and throughout the ages: and HAS a soul (or Spiritual-body) now and for a portion of his life beyond the grave: and HAS a material, physical, or earth-body during his life on earth, which he leaves behind him there for ever, at the change which you term “death.” In the letter to which you refer, the writer is dealing with this, the greatest of all the trinities in your sphere, Psyche, pneuma, soma (Spirit, soul, and body), “the three in one” which form Life in the earth-sphere: for, wherever there is life, there also is Spirit: where there is Spirit, there also is soul (or spiritual-body) so long as the earth-life lasts, and for a certain period in the spheres as well: where there is Spirit on the earth-sphere there also is a material body, which is left behind for ever at the “death” of that body.

You will remember that in the thirty-fifth verse in that chapter the 112

writer refers to the question so often asked, “How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come?” He replies, “Thou foolish one, the seed which thou sowest (in the ground) is not quickened (endued with life) except it (first) die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain — it may happen to be wheat or some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body.”

The insignificant looking grain of wheat is put into the ground, leaves its body there forever, but the Spirit, the Life, contained within that little seed, rises from the ground a tall and graceful stalk, bearing well-filled ears of corn. “So also,” he continues, “is the resurrection of the dead.” The earth or natural-body is sown in corruption: the spiritual-body (soul) is raised in incorruption. The natural-body is sown in dishonor: the spiritual-body (soul) is raised in glory. The natural-body is sown in weakness: the spiritual-body (soul) is raised in power. Mark this carefully: “It is sown a natural-body; it is raised a spiritual-body.

There

natural-body,

and

there

spiritual-body.”

And yet, in the face of such teaching as this, Christianity dares to proclaim the resurrection of the earth or physical body! By another entity. You and we are now and always immortal Spirits, and you are visiting the earth, as a part of your spiritual evolution, for a period of 113

training and discipline, and you are Spirits clothed, during this period, with an earth or physical-body and a spiritual-body (soul), and each one of you is therefore a complete “trinity in unity,” as has been said, in him or herself, formed as you are at this moment of Spirit, spiritual-body, and earth or physical-body. And, just as at the change which you term “birth,” at the commencement of your earth-life, the Spirit became clothed upon with its spiritual-body and developed its earth-body — so, at the change which you term “death,” at the termination of your earth-life, the Spirit, still clad in its spiritual-body, will pass out of your earth-body, which it then leaves for ever; and passing upwards during the ages from one sphere to another, it will gradually part with more and more of its spiritual-body at each step upwards, until at length, and as pure Spirit only, it will return to God, who IS Spirit.

In proportion as the Spirit progresses in the spheres, the essence of its spiritual-body, which consists of the finer nervous fluids, becomes more and more etherealized; whence it follows that the influence of matter diminishes in exact proportion to the advancement of the Spirit, i.e., the spiritual-body becomes less and less gross, and consequently more and more spiritual, as the Spirit within it progresses. By another entity.

The real YOU, altogether invisible to normal human sight, rests at 114

this moment within two separate and quite distinct envelopes or bodies: the one visible to normal sight, the material or earth-body, controlled by its brain; the other invisible to normal sight, although plainly visible to clairvoyant sight’, the spiritual body, controlled by its spiritual replica of the brain, the mind.

As was well said in one of your psychic journals recently — although I shall venture to make a few slight additions — “The spiritual-body consists of finer ether, and has a mind (consciousness), as distinct a thing from the brain as this spiritual-body is from the earth-body, but they are inhabitants of another sphere. And you can slip this finer body, with its mind, out of your physical body; and after death it is just the same in appearance as during life.”

This spiritual-body started its career at the moment you started being made by your microscopic father (spermatozoon) and mother (ovum). It is their offspring, as essentially as you are. It did not exist before you: it has no chance to be self-existent or immortal, like your Spirit. It had a natural beginning, as you had, and therefore from a normal point of view must have an end (and eventually does), but its dissolution does not occur at the time of the death of your earth-body, for it survives this,” and gradually becomes less and less as you, as Spirit, progress upwards through the spheres.

115

Many mortals seem to think that at birth you came to earth straight from your Deity — or, as you Christians say, from “heaven” to earth — and that at death you will return straight to your Deity — or, as you Christians say, to “heaven” or “hell,” according to the lives you have lived whilst on earth. Now “heaven” and “hell,” I would remind you, are not places above, below, or around you; but are states or conditions in your earth-life, and also in your life and ours in the spheres; and you and we make our own “heaven” or our own “hell,” according to the lives you and we lead in our respective spheres.

You will find that the human Spirit, far from coming straight to earth from “heaven,” has lived on many planets or worlds before it reached this one; just as it will live in many spheres after its period of training on earth is ended. Myriads of worlds swarm in space, and in a certain number of these worlds each Spirit in rudimental conditions performs a portion of its pilgrimage ere it reaches this little planet called “earth”; and it is the function of this world to confer upon the Spirit the consciousness of itself, and knowledge of good and evil.

Only whilst on earth is the Spirit man or woman; prior to this, in every other stage of its vast journey, it has been but an embryonic being, a fleeting temporary form of matter, gaining here a little and there a little; a creature in which is a portion of the high imprisoned Spirit-seed which shines forth in a rudimental shape with rudimental 116

functions, as a butterfly springing up from the chrysalis; ever going onward into new life, new death, living and dying, stretching and reaching upward, striving onward along the pathways of life in the planets. At last comes the day when it awakens to find itself a thing encased in a material body for the first time, to find itself a creature of flesh and blood for a short period termed “the earth-life” — a man or a woman.

After this birth of the Spirit — (encased in its soul or spiritual-body) — in a material or earth — body, it acquires the knowledge of its own individuality, its passions, its loves, and a knowledge of good and evil: it gains self-consciousness, and in doing these things, is closing forever its career of material pilgrimage and transformation. With the death of the earth-body, the Spirit (still clad in its spiritual-body) at once gravitates to a fresh series of pilgrimages and existences in our spheres, the realms of Spirit: and here begin the further purification and growth of the Spirit, now filled — by its experience gained during the earth-life — with either the sublime attributes of Love and Wisdom gained by self-knowledge, or with the lower attributes of the animal by which it permitted itself to be conquered or overcome during its earth-life. Hence the vital importance of the warning which we so often give to you men and women of earth to loosen the ties, especially the animal ties, which would tend to hold you to earth after you have passed out of your physical bodies for the last time. 117

Seeking the Inner Sanctum of Quiet Ralph Waldo Trine The Higher Powers: Mind and Spirit (1917)

If we would have the leading of the spirit, if we would perceive the higher intuitions and be led intuitively, bringing the affairs of the daily life thereby into the Divine sequence, we must observe the conditions whereby these leadings can come to us, and in time become habitual.

The law of the spirit is quiet to be followed by action but quiet, the more readily to come into a state of harmony with the Infinite Intelligence that works through us, and that leads us as our own intelligence when through desire and through will, we are able to bring our subconscious minds into such attunement that it can act through us, and we are able to catch its messages and follow its direction. But to listen and to observe the conditions whereby we can listen is essential.

Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own words as well as his practice apply here. After his admonition against public prayer, or prayer for show, or prayer of much speaking, he said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 118

closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” Now there are millions of men, women, and children in the world who have no closets. There are great numbers of others who have no access to them sometimes for days, or weeks, or months at a time. It is evident, therefore, that in the word that has been rendered closet he meant enter into the quiet recesses of your own soul that you may thus hold communion with the Father.

Now the value of prayer is not that God will change or order any laws or forces to suit the numerous and necessarily the diverse petitions of any. All things are through law, and law is fixed and inexorable. The value of prayer, of true prayer, is that through it one can so harmonise his life with the Divine order that intuitive perceptions of truth and a greater perception and knowledge of law becomes his possession. As has been said by an able contemporary thinker and writer: “We cannot form a passably thorough notion of man without saturating it through and through with the idea of a cosmic inflow from outside his world life the inflow of God. Without a large consciousness of the universe beyond our knowledge, few men, if any, have done great things.*

* Henry Holt in “Cosmic Relations.” 119

I shall always remember with great pleasure and profit a call a few days ago from Dr. Edward Emerson of Concord, Emerson’s eldest son. Happily I asked him in regard to his father’s methods of work if he had any regular methods. He replied in substance: “It was my father’s custom to go daily to the woods to listen. He would remain there an hour or more in order to get whatever there might be for him that day. He would then come home and write into a little book his ‘day-book’ what he had gotten. Later on when it came time to write a book, he would transcribe from this, in their proper sequence and with their proper connections, these entrances of the preceding weeks or months. The completed book became virtually a ledger formed or posted from his day-books.”

The prophet is he who so orders his life that he can adequately listen to the voice, the revelations of the over soul, and who truthfully transcribes what he hears or senses. He is not a follower of custom or of tradition. He can never become and can never be made the subservient tool of an organisation. His aim and his mission is rather to free men from ignorance, superstition, credulity, from half truths, by leading them into a continually larger understanding of truth, of law and therefore of righteousness.

120

The Unseen Teachers of Righteousness Spiritual Reconstruction Mary Bruce Wallace (1918)

By intuition you become aware of our presence with you and of great spiritual movements in higher spheres. By it also you will know the great Ones in the flesh among you now. There are many on the earth plane more highly evolved than some of us here, and we learn a great deal from them. They are the hidden Ministers of the Most High. They are meek and lowly in spirit and the servants of all. Now, as before, the prophets are killed and the Masters unheeded. Their work is of the highest value to all mankind and men are blessed by their rich interior lives. Listen to them, learn of them, and do not miss all they have to teach you, for they have attained to the Christ consciousness by loving union with the lowliest as well as with the highest.

Life is too serious to disregard these Teachers, since just now there is a great revolution in the thought world, and this is the reason of our anxious solicitude that you should rebuild and reconstruct with the finest thought material. Plans of order and harmony for your earth have been made, plans of beauty and splendor for the uplifting and blessing of your sorrow-stricken world. Meet together, pray much, 121

and glimpse the creative plans awaiting realization now. If you keep your heart pure and full of love to God and man, you will not fail in your search. These are the only conditions — Depend upon this power within, get quiet, meditate, listen, and if far down within your soul a feeble flash of intelligence gleams, follow it, obey it, and later it will be your guide and compass and will open to you many doors. When a man follows for a time the divine intuitions of the soul, he also provides a way for the higher Beings to send help. For your particular part — and as you read, you know that you have a part — in this reconstructive work, listen only to the voice within; it is of far greater importance than any outer guidance could be. Blend your thoughts with the transcendent and so draw into the human channel the higher Intelligences.

Here we speak without words and follow the intuitions at all times. Our thoughts are speech, and, according as we are allowed, we interpret yours. It is the thoughts you send that reach us, not words without thought. You may always speak to us and we may answer you in thought, so you see how the intuitions and thoughts need to be kept free from clouds of fear and doubt — the veils between us. We do hold intercourse with you on these inner planes, and when you are silent we are intimately near, as you often feel. Imagination is a frequent aid to spiritual perception; we can reach you through the image-making faculty. You prepare a thought form which we instantly 122

inhabit, in order to convince you of the reality of the thought world and its interpenetrating power. Make mention of us in your prayers. Speak to each other gladly of your dear ones here, think of them as happy and very often joyous and free.

"The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God; in the sight of the unwise they seem to die, but they are in peace." It is the intuition also that reveals God in nature and unveils that mystic realm where we hear the stars sing together and listen to the inner voices in woodland, grass and stream. The glorious forms with their infinite variety are the thoughts and expressions of the beauty of God. Yon will feel a depth of holiness and sublimity when you get through the mystic gate into the spirit and glory of nature. Yon will love her, until she becomes at one with you and yields up her secrets to you, and within all you will feel the rhythm and heart-beat of the Eternal. To reproduce the beauties of nature in form is to build and shape after the pattern of the divine Architect of the Universe. Come in to your own kingdom and bring forth treasure new and old.

123

Thoughtsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Creative Power G. Vale Owen Life Beyond The Veil: Book 1: The Lowlands of Heaven (1920)

Because of certain matters which are of importance to those who would understand our meaning in its inner sense, we have decided to endeavour to-night to give you some instruction which will be of help and guidance when dealing with those things which lie beneath the surface of things, and which are usually not taken into account by the ordinary mind One of these is the aspect which thoughts wear when projected from your sphere into ours.

Thoughts which are good appear with a luminance which is absent from those of a less holy kind. This luminance appears to issue from the form of the thinker, and, by means of its manifold rays of divided colours, we are able to come at some knowledge as to his spiritual state, not alone as to whether his state is of the light or of the darkness, and of what degree in light, but also of the points in which he excels or comes short in any direction. It is by this that we are able to allot to him the guardians who will best be able to help him in the fostering of that which is good in him, and in the cleansing away of that which is not good or desirable. By means of a kind of prismatic 124

system we divide up his character, and so reach our conclusions, which are based on the result In this life such a method is unnecessary, for it is a matter concerning the spiritual body, and here, of course, that body is patent to all, and, being a perfect index of the spirit, shows forth his characteristics.

Only I may say that the colours of which I have spoken are here communicated, in a degree, to our clothing, and those which are dominant over the others serve to classify us into our various spheres and grades. But thoughts which are the effect of spirit action, are seen in the effect they, in their turn, produce on the environment of the thinker, and not only are seen, but felt, or sensed, by us in a more accurate and intense way than with you Following on this line of reasoning, you will naturally see that when we think anything very intensely our wills are able to produce an outward manifestation which is really objective to those who behold it. Thus are many beautiful effects produced.

Can you give me a particular instance, by way of illustration?

Yes; it will help you to see what we mean A company of my friends and myself, who were being instructed in this knowledge, met together in order to see how far we had progressed, and resolved on an experiment to that end. We selected a glade in the midst of a 125

beautiful wood, and, as a test, we resolved all to will one particular thing, and see if we were successful.

What we selected was the producing of a phenomenon in the open space which should be so solid and permanent as to allow us examining it afterwards. And that was to be a statue of an animal something like an elephant, but rather different; an animal which we have here, but which has ceased to inhabit your earth We all sat round the open space and concentrated our wills on the subject to be produced. Very quickly it appeared and stood there before us. We were much surprised at the quickness of the result.

But, from our point of view, there were two defects. It was much too large; for we had failed to regulate the combination of our wills in due proportion. And it was much more like a live animal than a statue, for many had thought in their minds of the live animal itself, and also of its colouring, and so the result was a mixture between stone and flesh. Also many points were disproportionateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the head too large and the body too small, and so on, showing that more power had been concentrated on some parts than on others.

It is thus we learn our imperfections, and how to remedy them, in all our studies. We experiment, and then examine the result, and try again. We did so now Taking our minds off the statue so produced, 126

and talking together, it gradually faded away. And then we were fresh and ready for our next trial. We decided not to select the same model as before, or our minds would probably run into more or less the same grooves.

So we, this time, chose a tree with fruit on it—something like an orange tree, but not quite the same. We were more successful this time. The chief points of failure were that some of the fruit was ripe and some unripe. And the leaves were not correct in colour, nor the branches rightly proportioned. And so we tried one thing after another, and found ourselves a little more successful each time. You can imagine somewhat of the joy of each schooling as this, and the laughter and happy humour which result from our mistakes. Those among you who would think that in this life we never make jokes, and never even laugh, will have to revise their ideas some day or they will find us strange company—or perhaps we shall find them so. But they soon learn what the love of this land is, where we can be perfectly natural and unrestrained, and indeed are compelled to be so if we wish to be accepted into respectable company, as you would phrase it. I fear the obverse is rather true on earth, is it not?

Ah well, live and learn, and those who live in this life—and not merely exist, or worse—learn very quickly. And the more we learn, the more we marvel at the forces at our command. 127

Why Spiritualism Matters John S. King, M.D. Dawn of The Awakened Mind (1920)

If scientists and learned men are justified in their inquiry into the origin, growth and development of human life, and who can deny their right, then am I and others not also as fully justified in our enquiry into life's continuity, and true destination?

In other words it is recognized as legitimate to study conditions past, present and future, of earth, air and sea; and so I claim it is quite as legitimate to learn what we can of man in both time and eternity. It would seem unreasonable, useless, and folly that I should have ever had an individual existence if death of the body ends all.

If there be no other answer to the question of "What is the good of psychic investigation?" or more properly speaking "What is the good or benefit of finding out that you can commune with spirits?" I affirm that if for no other reason, this is not only my answer, but my justification. . . .

After I had proved by my investigations, that my loved ones, who are discarnate spirits, can come to me on thought waves, or by soul 128

power, and by the aid of mediums, and have come, as sworn testimony declares in following pages of the book, not once but repeatedly by aid of guides and different mediums or instruments, not in a single instance, but through one phase and instrument (or medium), viz.: a trumpet phase and medium in one place; a materializing phase and medium in another; and through a human-psychic-telephone and automatic medium in a third; and proved and doubly proved their identity, and established their personality in each case by tests agreed upon during life, thus proving the truth; it must needs be to me and to others a solace and a comfort, and enhance my personal happiness during my remaining years, to know I can reunite with those loved ones who have passed out of the physical body, and into higher, purer, nobler realms where they claim they have found themselves in a more perfect condition of being, with environment and occupation best suited to their several existences; where harmony and progression are stated to be of Heaven's eternal laws, and can and do, with favorable conditions existing, commune with me; and we will be enabled, each one of us, eventually to fulfill the future mission of our continued existence as a unit ego, in the great illimitable universe.

129

Quieting Thoughts: Making a Channel for The Inflow Of Power Mary Bruce Wallace The Coming Light (1924)

Call out; feel the influx of power; give thanks; and go on again.

This can be done any hour of the day. It must be done with a sure feeling that it is both possible and effective. Try it! You do not try it often enough. You could thus make a regular channel along which strength would continually flow to you. There, are three phases: firstly, the strong demand, uttered aloud if possible; secondly, a very definite realisation by faith of the down-pouring of power; thirdly, a very definite giving of thanks, even if you are not at the moment conscious of the receptivity. Then go straight on again with what you are doing. You should do this scores of times during the day, until you have formed the habit of continual realisation.

Believe me, you can do this. Seek the power for every need in your individual lives. Physical, mental, or any other need will be instantly supplied if you only realise it. I behold this power from on high pouring down constantly, and yet scarcely anybody seems to take advantage of it. We here are able to perceive the pouring down of the 130

supply, therefore we rely upon it instinctively, without any need of outer ceremony. For you it is perhaps better to practise daily meditation, at set times, because you cannot outwardly perceive the power. Your practice must be steady; two or three times will not do. You must go on and on, until you have the realisation fully established in your consciousness. This will lift you to a place of power and well-being. If only a few of you could rise to this with sufficient force, the effects would be wonderful. So much could you do for yourselves and your fellows.â&#x20AC;?

131

Reliance Upon Spiritual Power Mary Bruce Wallace The Coming Light (1924)

Since I have come here, I have realised, as never before, that everything worth having comes from the innermost, that is, from the spiritual realms, and from the spiritual depth of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nature. I did not realise this sufficiently when on earth. Now I know that all power to accomplish any work satisfactorily must be brought from the innermost, drawn to the outer man from the spiritual realms. He can do this by entering into his own being and discovering his link with the spiritual there, or by calling aloud for power from the heavens; but he must bring this into operation somehow before he can effect anything lasting on the outer plane. Instead of doing this, he uses the powers of the physical man, the intellectual powers merely, and moves upon the outer plane without making a conscious link with the spiritual realms.

There must be a conscious link for any effective power to be brought forth. So much that is done on earth is ephemeral, because it is wrought from without instead of from within. How much more could I have done in my life had I known this when I was there! Consequently I am eager to pass on the knowledge now, in hope of 132

helping others to understand better how to succeed in all things undertaken with hand and brain in whatsoever department of life. Where much has been accomplished by the intellectual man without this reliance upon spiritual power, far more could have been achieved had he had the realisation of infinite power that, let us say, Emerson possessed. His work will go down the ages long after works of science have been surpassed.

Just work along this line, and you will find great results. I do not mean you to model yourselves after Emerson, but to realise the principles which he realised. He brought forth great truths from the unseen worlds, and set them as lamps to illumine the dark ways of life. Whatsoever he chose to put his hand to would have succeeded. Many are the great men and women who have done this throughout the ages. It is only the average man and woman who as a rule fail to recognise the supreme importance of prayer, or of drawing upon the Infinite in whichever way appeals most for the accomplishment of their work. You will find, I think, if you look through history, that the greatest and most lasting work has been wrought by men and women of a lofty spiritual nature rather than by those of intellectual equipment only. These in every age have had access to the innermost in their own special manner.

133

Aspiring Heavenward Mary Bruce Wallace The Coming Light (1924)

Beautiful indeed are these ministers of God, who delight in service, and have no Thought of self to darken their beautiful spirits, but go forth upon any and every Errand with equal pleasure, with equal steadfastness, and with equal power to achieve the best that is possible at the moment for the need in the particular case. None of you have yet come to the spiritual stature of those who descend from the very high realms and are much with us at the present time. They are various orders of angels. There are thousands of such orders. Your mind is too small to grasp the magnitude of the Universe. Expand it in order that you may apprehend some of the mysteries of being, some of the infinite varieties of manifested life. Every possible form in all the grades upward, every possible order of being is represented.

Yet all are aspiring Godward or heavenward, and are returning to the centre of all, from which the life in them was breathed forth. They go forth as an idea, or type, or plan; they return as a perfected spiritual being. This is as near the truth as I can get in your crude earthly terms. Every being, every type of being, is an original and unique 134

conception issuing from the inner source, gradually materializing and developing as it goes outward, returning inward again as it goes outward, returning inward again perfected and individualized.

Prize therefore your privilege. Make the best use of every opportunity you have, both for evolving yourselves and for helping your fellow-men so to do.

You will never regret this. A strenuous life on earth is of immense value. That which is reaped from it compares most favorably with what is reaped from a far Longer and more easeful existence in these realms. The quality is particularly Durable, not so easily rent asunder by fresh experience; it is something knit into the texture of the soul, something acquired for eternity. I refer, of course, to all progressive faculties, not to vices, which are but as moth holes, or stains upon the garment, to be cast off with it. Darkness and sin are but a garment upon the soul; they never become an integral part of its being in the same way that virtue does. Vice is shed off; virtue is growth of soulâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a part of its muscle and tissue.

135

A Vision Mary Bruce Wallace Coming Light (1924)

I saw three angels fly down bearing a wreath of white flowers with which they crowned a little golden-haired child.

They then put

bread into his right hand and grapes into his left hand, and blessed him, and left him standing in a field of golden wheat.

Before him

stretched a smooth roadway to the sea where were many ships.

was to share his gifts with all nations.

I then saw a white table at which types of all the European nations sat and ate together, whereupon a great light shone, and they arose and took off fetters from the hands and feet of the black races. After this, a king took off his purple mantle, laid aside his crown and scepter, and stepped down from his throne amongst the people. Other rulers followed his example. In their places I now saw angels ruling the people with hands of light.

Above them was a vast

canopy of golden light that seemed midway between earth and heaven.

They uplifted their faces to it from time to time to receive

fresh power and inspiration.

I then saw flowing through the land,

blue limpid rivers created by the angelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;rivers which carried all impurities away into the ocean and made the whole earth fertile with 136

grain and fruit. Suddenly night came, and a full moon shone over the cities, and I realised that night was as free from impurity of thought and deed as was day in the habitations of men.

Bands of angels passed in the air across the fields, carrying benedictions, and little children crept out of bed and peeped through the windows and saw the angels as they passed. Again, there flashed before me the first picture of the little child, crowned and blest, and a voice said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the first foundation-stone to be laid for the New Era.

See to it that it is firmly and straightly laid, for upon this

depends the whole future structure of the new civilisation.

137

Receptivity Rather than Wrestling Mary Bruce Wallace Coming Light (1924)

How can one avoid being receptive to Bad Influences?

You must keep the vessel turned upwards. by exercising the will.

This can only be done

To put it in another way, turn the thoughts

towards the Highest, then make yourself receptive to it. By regular practice this will become easy, though effort may be necessary at first.

Use your will to stem the rush of irrelevant thoughts. Quiet

these thoughts and the battle is half won.

The teacher never really descends to your plane. It is you who at moments are enabled to rise to meet him on his. I can and do actually descend, but not always.

Sometimes you reach me here

instead. To rise in consciousness to our plane is not a matter of psychic power, but rather of spiritual aspiration.

All earnest souls

can do so, therefore, through prayer, noble thought, deep desire, and exaltation of feeling.

Such brings souls at once to our level of

atmosphere, where they are more or less affected by us, according to their power of spiritual or psychical receptivity.

Poets, musicians,

artists, in their best moments, thus rise and receive, either 138

consciously or unconsciously, inspiration from us and our world. They vibrate in harmony with our ideals, and so can reflect them. Do not dwell upon the seamy side of earth happenings, scandals of the nations.

Abide in the heart of the lilies.

Spiritual gifts are won by receptivity rather than by wrestling. Allow the Divine power to lift you to the place where you would be. We have to learn this when we come here, after usually acting otherwise on earth! To become receptive is an art not easily acquired, but it is the foundation stone of spiritual power. preparation for every hour of the day.

139

Try to make a spiritual

Love All; Forgive All; Help All Mary Bruce Wallace Coming Light (1924)

I would have you realise how much you can grow, even in one day of your earthly life.

Spiritual growth is not measured by time, but in the

light of eternity.

Therefore you can never gauge either your own

progress or that of others. We alone can do it who see from this side.

What I have said should lead you not only to deeper

earnestness in your endeavor to use to the full the brief opportunities of each day, but also to a large tolerance and charity with regard to the development of other human souls with whom you are brought into contact.

No man is fit to judge his fellows.

Love all, forgive all, help all whom you touch in any way.

You can

accomplish much if you control your emotions sufficiently.

Carry out

these three injunctions, and you will achieve more good than you can possibly imagine. Beautiful is the influence which streams from a soul that is endeavoring to practise them: it is like sunshine in the midst of gloom, like oil upon troubled waters, like peace after storm. You can in some respects reach one another better than we can who are not beside you in the flesh.

140

It is difficult for us to act upon souls devoid of any psychic development. These are screened from us, in the daytime at any rate, by their lack of receptive capacity.

Blessed are the pioneers able to

be in touch with us, and at the same time in touch with their brethren upon the earth in a subtle way uncomprehended by the ordinary individual.

Very important it is that they should realise that the

influence they exert is more penetrating than that of others who have not the like psychical development.

It is desirable that in every respect your thought and feeling should be constructive rather than destructive.

No thought or feeling must

be in any sense negative; every thought and feeling must be positive; that is, serene, hopeful, joyous.

The passivity demanded by

mediumship is not a negative state. It is a calm induced by self-control, a state of mind which would be frequently beneficial to every human soul, not to sensitives only.

Such mirrors may reflect

truly that which we desire to show to the world of men.

141

What Shall We Do To Be Saved? Walter DeVoe Inspiration (1928)

Children of the Creator!

You were not created to live on earth forever. Why do you fear the loss of your physical body? Your spirit is fabricated from the wisdom and substance of the eternal spirit. You are not a material being, subject to death. You are a spiritual being. Awaken from your dream of materiality! Cease to set your heart on the things of time! They must pass away. Where your treasure is, there will your spirit be.

You were created for a destiny greater than the extent of time and space. All the wisdom and will of the Creator is working to keep humanity from becoming attached and bound to materiality. Whenever you cease to be progressive, whenever you tie your spirit to anything material, whenever you bind your soul in limiting beliefs, the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s merciful wisdom cuts your spirit loose. The Creator cannot permit you, an immortal child, a form of the eternal spirit, to become bound in material or selfish conditions. It is the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will that you shall progress to greater and greater realizations of eternal love and power. 142

Naturally you must suffer whenever you try to stem the tide of the Ever-Present’s purpose for you. Your happiness consists in an ever-increasing expression of your self.

You Feel the Inner Urge The germ of beauty in the lily bulb must respond to the warmth of the sun and the vitality of the earth, and so expresses itself that it outgrows the mire and blossoms forth into the sunshine. Disobedience to the inner urge of growth means death. The bulb that does not grow rots in darkness. You feel the inner urge to grow, to progress, to absorb the sunshine of the Creator’s love, and to express that love in a life of beauty and power for the benefit of all. To the degree that you have obeyed that urge of the Ever-Present’s will, you have been exalted in spirit above material and selfish desires, and have realized the joy of self- expression. This is life and progress.

A New Race

Souls planted in earth have become earth-bound.

They do not crave or feed upon the sunshine of heaven. 143

They have ceased to grow and express beauty. They are poisoning the earth with the destructive acid of their selfishness. The whole spiritual atmosphere has become foul with the poison of greed. Earth and its spiritual world must be cleansed and prepared for a new sowing of souls. The acid mentality of the world must be neutralized and fertilized with the substance of the spirit. Every evil quality developed by past generations must be washed away. A new race must be brought forth uncontaminated by the destructive selfishness of past generations. The harvesting angels from the higher heavens have entered the spiritual atmosphere of earth to garner all souls ripe for the harvest. They are creating a new heaven and a new earth.

The Almighty is love. That love is infinitely wise.

It lets Its children play with fire and burn their fingers, but it does not permit anything to limit its permanent purpose for their good. Lift your thoughts above your little time on earth, if you would conceive of the wisdom and goodness of the Creator. That goodness is shown in the adaptation of all things and all forces to accomplish the sublime purpose for which you were created. That end is spiritual and not material. All your material losses conserve that spiritual end. Keep your mind growing by doing the most with all your intelligence and strength for the welfare of humanity, and you will soon know the 144

Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose for you.

You will not then become bound by any selfish ambition. Your spirit will continue to aspire and grow in understanding and vision. You will not lose anything. You will not suffer from limitations. You will outgrow the evils and fears of earth-directed minds. You will dwell with emancipated immortals. You will live in the consciousness of the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great love for all. Your spirit will be untrammeled and free.

The Creator is helping you Your Creator has given you the intelligence to make of earth a paradise. The omnipotent will is with you and in you to help you accomplish. As you use all your present will and wisdom to create good your capacity to know and do will increase. You will attract others of benevolent motive to give strength to your plans and purpose. Those who desire to gain good for self at the expense of others create about their souls a loveless atmosphere which shuts out the blessings of the Ever-Present. They suffer within their own mental creation, a loveless world. Because they are attached to things of earth, they will suffer when these things are taken from them. Non-attachment is peace. The great good that the inner divine soul of these people desires can only come to them as they lose everything to which they cling. Only those who lose their attachments 145

to the material life can know life everlasting. The spiritually blind will suffer as they are deprived of the things to which they have bound themselves. But for the sake of humanity, and for the bringing of paradise on earth, all must be purified.

Rejoice that earth’s long-prophesied purification is at hand. As you rejoice, your mind will be exalted, and you will see how the Creator’s great good is being brought into manifestation. Express your love and wisdom for your fellow creatures, and you will become an instrument through which the Ever-Present’s wisdom and mercy will manifest.

Open Your Mind and Receive The great angels of the almighty come in the spirit of joy. They are sowers and harvesters. They will pour their joy into your spirit as you learn to work with them. They bring strength and joy to all spirits working for human welfare in the depths of mortal darkness and depravity. They have a mighty revelation to give. Prepare your mind to receive it. They are revealing how souls may be saved from the limitations of mortality. They will teach every unprejudiced mind how to cooperate with the soul-world. They will attune your seeking soul to their inspiration and protection.

146

These ancient angels abide in the joy of the Creator’s presence. Learn to abide in their state of joy that may be unmoved by “the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” So great is their serene wisdom that they can see a continent submerged and be unmoved. To their vision there is no death. They see that every soul is a complete organism even without a physical body. They judge of good and evil from the standpoint of the soul. They see no loss in the destruction of the earth’s evils. Better to see destroyed a continent foul with spiritually degrading conditions than to permit those conditions to continue and poison future generations. They rejoice in the birth of souls into their world as people of earth rejoice when a child is born to new life on earth. As physicians calmly contemplate the miracle of physical birth despite the suffering, so they calmly aid in the resurrection of souls at the second birth. They judge a nation by the quality and grade of souls that are resurrected into its spiritual world. The angels of wisdom judge not according to appearances but according to righteousness.

Are you proud of your individual prosperity? Is your soul prospering in purity, truth, and the expression of the Creator’s love toward your fellow souls? Or are you weaving about your soul an entangling web of greed which will bind you in dark spiritual conditions for years after you have left the physical body? Is this what your all-satisfying prosperity means to your soul? 147

Are you proud of your national prosperity? Can a nation boast of its wealth and benevolence while a few of its most intelligent citizens create, for their own enrichment, a soul-stunning system which, like a huge octopus, sucks the life-blood from tens of thousands of little children? Every one of these little ones is as important in the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sight as the highest archangels. They are archangels in embryo. As humanity permits them to be debased, it degrades its own soul. As it does or fails to do for these little ones, it does or fails to do for its own soul. How do the angels judge of that nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wealth of soul when little children, infant divinities, are permitted to live in loathsome slums?

The angels call to benevolent souls on earth to unite with them to create a new spirit which will destroy this spirit of greed and all its works. They call to the benevolent to unite and create a social organism for their Divine Spirit of Benevolence, which is the spirit of the eternal. Through the kindness of multitudes of human beings united will the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

A Mighty Movement of Souls Men and women in all parts of the world are beginning to see the angels who are to usher in the new age. Before very long, the order 148

to march will be given. Then there will be a coming together of the inspired souls who are to plan and work for the creation of new spiritual and physical conditions. The workers will have ample evidence of the source and power of their inspiration. It will be the mightiest movement of souls in the history of the world. It will be backed and inspired by the irresistible power of the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will expressing through the most advanced and exalted immortals.

For years the angels have been preparing human instruments to fulfill their divine purpose. Their plans and methods have been revealed to a few completely consecrated souls. Those with wisdom and vision will be the inspired leaders and there will be countless numbers of them in all walks of life. Their wisdom will not be expressed in words alone but in deeds of might. World peace and prosperity will come through these doers of the will of the i am.

Repeat each affirmation three times; then with eyes closed, feel that your positive affirmation is vibrating out into the world of human minds. Feel that the angels know that you are voicing the thought of their presence and power in the world. Become one of their active helpers on earth. Attune your mind to their thoughts and give them the strength of your voice.

Fulfill the law of reciprocity, bless, and you shall be blessed. 149

I am the voice of inspiration! I am always speaking in the midst of human souls.

I am the inspiration of the almighty, which gives Humanity understanding.

I am the light that enlightens every mind in the world.

Everyone who will attune their thoughts and purpose to the goodwill of the Creator by doing good for all souls in need, will feel and know the indwelling presence of love divine.

The angelic hosts are calling you into loving service. They are calling you to give your life with others to save the world from the destructive spirit of selfishness.

Only by losing your life in unselfish service, can you find the life of love.

The Creator cannot reach the minds of humanity for they have shut their minds to the Ever-Presentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts of love by thinking wholly of self.

But you who have received this message can ponder over its words 150

and discover for yourself whether or not they are true.

When you feel the response of inspiration within your own soul, then you will act.

You will become a worker with the hosts of angels.

You will have the strength which they concentrate and broadcast through their organized, earthly co- Creators.

You will begin to gain the riches of wisdom which have been realized through years of work by other servants of the most high.

You will learn the method of angelic ministration which was lost to the world in ages past.

A mighty science of heavenly revelation will be shown to you as rapidly as your practice of love enables you to assimilate it.

Vistas of bright and glorious truth which could be seen only after years of self-sacrificing, upward travel will be revealed to your spiritual imagination.

You will have proof in your own life that the kingdom of angels is 151

ministering to mortals.

You will know that all who unite with their earthly co-workers can learn how to receive blessings to the fullest degree.

You will understand why religious traditions have been so powerless to save humanity from ignorance and sin.

You will enter the way of power which is now re-established on earth by the angelic hosts working through consecrated and highly attuned human instruments.

You will walk in the way of truth and lead others into this heavenly highway.

You will become a mighty influence to save thousands of souls from ignorance and selfishness.

You will become a doer of the Will of the Creator.

Jehovihâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Will and Wisdom shall dwell in you and glorify your life and actions forever.

I AM The Voice of Inspiration. 152

The Coming of the Hosts of Angels Walter DeVoe The Ministry of Angels (1928)

I saw the heavens opened and myriads of glorified human spirits like suns assembled as a countless host about the circumference of the planet. When first I saw this angelic host, it seemed afar off in a most exalted state or realm of mind. Between it and humanity on earth there were many zones or states or realms of human spirits. The soul light in these human spirits was very dim. Together they formed a vast veil of ignorance and selfishness, shot through with gleams of hatred.

This vast veil of undeveloped, selfish, human spirits clouded the minds of the peoples of earth. These spirits vibrated in unison with the selfishness and hatred of human beings on earth, inspiring and strengthening these qualities, and thus hiding the light of the Kingdom of love and goodwill from them. I was shown that the presence of these spirits with humanity stimulated and perpetuated their lusts, passions, greeds, and false beliefs, and caused epidemics of diseases, immoralities, and wars. The light of the Creator in the souls of humanity was so covered with the darkness of ages that they could not successfully express or organize the 153

goodwill which in more exalted moments they felt to be the expression of the Ever-Present in their souls.

I also saw that the rays of blessings streaming from the exalted angelic hosts in the Kingdom of Light penetrated through all lower states of mind into every human soul and kept alive the Divine Light in the souls of humanity.

Whenever people had responded fully to the inspiration of the angelic rays of heavenly blessings and had practiced goodwill towards their fellows sufficiently to outgrow all selfish traits, they had at death followed the ray of Inspiration to its source in the Kingdom of Light. By doing the will of the Creator on earth, they had been lifted up to a state of freedom from the selfishness which bound the majority of the spirits of humanity in both the physical and spiritual worlds.

I saw the Angelic Hosts of the Almighty working day and night through weeks, months, and years to purify, educate, and redeem the myriads of selfish, hateful, and ignorant earth-bound spirits which had for so long clouded the mind of humanity. As the glorious Hosts of Angels concentrated the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love to bless humanity incarnate and discarnate, they overcame the spirit rulers of darkness of this world. They penetrated into the spiritual realms of principalities 154

and powers, and into the kingdom of wickedness enthroned in heavenly places and in the mortal minds of the planet. As the power of their love and organized goodwill subdued the hosts of wicked and undeveloped spirits and lifted them to freedom, the Angelic Hosts drew closer and closer to the thought and feeling of humanity incarnate. At first the rays of angelic quickening roused into fierce opposition all the spirits of hatred and greed living in the lowest states of the spiritual world, and the antagonism to the cleansing light was reflected by people on earth with the result that racial hatreds were revived, and war and chaos reigned.

This same angelic quickening warmed the hearts of humanity with a new love for all mankind. I was shown that ultimately these spiritual causes of hatred, strife, ignorance and sensuality will be removed from the mind of humanity. Then all souls will work consciously with the Angels to establish the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity on earth.

The organized government of the Hosts of Angels will have a counterpart on earth, and heaven and earth will enter into an exalted unity. The spiritual vision of mortals will be quickened, and they shall see their beloved in their heavenly estate and know that in the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infinite Nature there is no death.

155

The Angels of the Ever-Present taught me how to organize a Place of Power in which angelic goodwill could blend with human wills so as to bring its power into the lower vibration of the mind of humanity. The Power House is, in electrical parlance, like a â&#x20AC;&#x153;step down transformerâ&#x20AC;? in which the power generated by angelic blessings of a high potential is transformed into human blessings of a low potential for the benefit of humanity.

From this Power House, the Angels are broadcasting blessings hourly to all humanity. The blessings are felt especially by those who have learned to concentrate with us and who thus cooperate in spirit to increase the organized power of goodwill on earth.

To this Place of Power, the Angels are attracting students to learn the true way of human regeneration and resurrection. When students understand the principles of inter-communication between heaven and earth and gain conscious inspiration and mastery under the angelic power, then the Angels will establish power houses in all parts of the world. The power of the Angels organized with benevolent wills on earth will then become the irresistible power of the I AM among humanity. The New Spirit thus developed will become organized into all departments of human society. The benevolent will of the Creator will inspire leaders and organizers of industry and commerce to develop a cooperative system that will 156

allow all the wealth that minds and labor produce to circulate freely for the good of everyone.

Religion will reveal the benevolent will of the Creator in the Temple of Humanity. Jehovahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love will inspire the home life, family and marriage relations, to represent the One Great Family of the Infinite. Culture, science, letters, and art will reveal the beauty and wisdom of the Benevolent Will of the Creator shining through all forms of life. Before this can be accomplished in any great degree, humanity must undergo a stupendous process of purification. Whether this is painful and of long duration or quickly and peacefully accomplished, depends upon humanity itself. Those who forsake lives of self-gratification to organize the benevolent will of the Creator for the benefit of their fellows will quickly and easily pass through the period of purification.

The Kingdom of love and goodwill cannot be established on earth without human cooperation. It will come out of the heart of humanity when people unite with others to organize as constructively and vigorously for the welfare of all, as in the past they organized destructively and fiercely in wars against themselves.

The Angel Hosts have revealed the principles of the Kingdom which all people need to understand in order to practice the will of the 157

Creator and to organize that Benevolent Will on earth. The organization of these principles into human society will do away with diseases, immorality, criminality, poverty, sorrow and suffering, and create an orderly and harmonious government on earth like that which angelic humanity has created in heaven.

The practice of these principles will attune human minds to exalted States of Mind. The wisdom accumulated by the most progressive souls in all ages and on all planets will be given by immortal souls to minds on earth attuned to their state of thought and feeling.

Those who give all to bless all will find all. Those who seek to get all for self will lose all. Those who are wise will quickly consecrate their lives to help create the New Spirit and the New Order. The old order of selfish competition is doomed. The Voice of the Creator is speaking to the peoples of all nations. Ancient prophesies are being fulfilled.

The old order of organized selfishness is ailing: it is doomed. The vision of the New Order of Goodwill is revealed to those who seek for the welfare of all. Come, let us cooperate to give the glad tidings of peace and goodwill to all the world. In unity of effort let us learn to organize the Kingdom of Jehovah on earth as the Angels have organized it in heaven. 158

Slaughter of the Innocents Gladys Leonard My Life in Two Worlds (1931)

The plane that Sir Walter and I disliked visiting even more than the one where we saw the suicides, was a place to which we went several times before we discovered what it was, and why it existed.

I have hesitated a great deal as to whether I should describe this particular sphere or not. Yet I feel it cowardly to shirk truth because it is unpleasant, and it seems a very poor policy always to present one side of a picture, and purposely to ignore the other, when one knows it exists. Let us dwell on the happy, hopeful aspects of life as much as we will, but we must not imagine there are no evils to be cleared away. While we pretend there are none, or purposely avoid discussing, or trying to tackle them, we help them to accumulate, just as one would by ignoring the presence of dirt or dust in a room, because one didn't want to raise trouble by making an onslaught on it.

While I was â&#x20AC;&#x201D; wrongly, I know â&#x20AC;&#x201D; considering the advisability of omitting this chapter, I put out my hand, without thinking, and reached for a book that stood on a table near by. I opened it idly and at random, and staring me in the face were these words: 159

They are slaves who fear to speak For the fallen and the weak; They are slaves who will not choose Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, Rather than in silence shrink, From the truths they needs must think. They are slaves who dare not be In the right with two or three. J. R. LOWELL.

This made me ashamed of my hesitation, so I must just tell you briefly what we saw in those lower regions. I must give my own idea of them, but Sir Walter has seen the same, or some of the places, too.

On my first few visits I was so puzzled as to the nature of the places, that I only brought back a feeling of abhorrence, and a vague memory of animals being there. I quietly thought it over during the day, and sent out a mental request that my Guides, or whoever was sending me to these places during sleep, would give me some enlightenment as to the purpose of their existence. Otherwise it seemed a waste of time, if I was just going there to have my feelings harrowed by something I did not in the least understand.

160

For some time after I did not see these places, and thought my visits must have been brought to an end by my instinctive dislike of them, and I felt that I must make a conscious effort to control such a feeling in which there might be lurking an element of fear, which often inhibits genuine â&#x20AC;&#x153;out of the bodyâ&#x20AC;? travelling and experiences.

I must mention here that I have noticed that the real astral, or etheric, experiences are stopped by reluctance or fear, but that ordinary dreams or nightmares, the kind that are caused by indigestion or some other physical disturbance that affects the brain, are not stopped; in fact, the more one fears, the more one is harassed by them. Many people have told me so, and children, too.

One night, soon after I recognized this fact, I found myself leaving the physical body, but instead of the soaring upward motion, I had a heavy weighted feeling, as if I were forced to travel in a horizontal position, and suddenly found myself in a narrow, dark street. I found I could just stand upright now, as if I were adjusting myself more easily to the atmosphere, but I did not want to put my feet on the ground as it was covered with mud and slime. Gloomy buildings, like stables, huddled against each other so closely that they almost touched, leaving only sufficient room for one to walk between. Here and there I saw a wider opening, which appeared to lead into a kind of yard, into which the doors of some of the stables opened. I looked in and saw 161

that the yard was crowded with animals â&#x20AC;&#x201D; bullocks, pigs and sheep â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dead, and yet alive. I knew they were dead, but I could also see that they were alive, too. They moved very slightly, many lay on the ground. I understood at once from their appearance that they had just been slaughtered.

I pulled myself together with a tremendous effort.

The place and everything in it was so horrible that I did indeed have to make an effort â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a great one. I noticed that there was a great difference in the substance of this plane, compared with that of the planes where I had seen ordinary discarnate human life. Even the suicides' plane was different, inasmuch as it seemed fixed and solid. This dreadful place gave me the' impression that it had but temporary existence. I will not go into more details of the place and the condition of the animals, but only tell you that it was indeed most dreadful and repulsive in every possible sense.

I soon became aware that somebody was speaking to me, somebody whom I could not see, and who seemed to be a long way off. This person, who I afterwards found out was one of my spiritual Guides, told me that the place lay between the earth and etheric planes. Its misery was due to the tremendous slaughtering of animals for food that takes place daily; so much strong animal life is 162

suddenly forced out of the actual physical condition into one that is very close indeed to earth, and yet is in no way part of the spiritual world. What happens to the animal astrals, I do not know. I was only shown this horrible scene on the astral side, which followed all the killing and pain on the earth side. In the very air around me was a most definite feeling of terrible fear, suffering, and blind resentment that was even more tangible than the buildings and walls. My Guide told me that it was this awful feeling that was to be deplored, not only because it was an indication of the sufferings that these wretched animals had experienced, but because it affected the spiritual and mental atmosphere of the earth, and had a bad effect on human life and progress.

Now, up to a short time ago I had been a flesh-eater. Every day I had my cutlet, cut off the joint, or piece of chicken. It always looked so nice and appetizing that somehow one hadn't thought of it as being a piece of something that had walked and breathed, and felt pain and discomfort, just as we do ourselves. From time to time Feda had tried to discourage me and other people, too, from eating meat, but as there is only a limited amount of power that can be used, I had been obliged to devote it to the needs of bereaved sitters, and so had little opportunity of questioning Feda on this point. Now, after all I had seen, and the explanation given me of the reason for the existence of this horrible plane, I felt I wanted to ask several questions, so I got 163

one or two sitters to ask Feda about it, while they were talking to her through me.

One thing we asked was, “What would happen if we all suddenly stopped eating meat? Surely, the world would be overrun with cattle, sheep and other animals?”

“No,” said Feda. “You wouldn't be overrun with them because you would stop breeding them. There would not be anything like the number you have got if you hadn't purposely encouraged them by breeding them.”

She said that, in time, as people understood more of the Spiritual World, they would eat less flesh, and be better for it, and from my own more recent personal experience, I have come to the definite conclusion that Feda was right. Since I gave up meat entirely a few years ago, my health has improved very much, in spite of strenuous work done under sometimes very difficult conditions. My husband, too, has found great benefit through becoming a vegetarian, and the same has been told us by many of our friends. My mind is clearer, and I am more “open” to direct spiritual guidance than I used to be. You must not think that all animals that die, or have to be “put to sleep,” go to such places as I have described. An animal that you have loved and who has loved you, whether it be horse, dog, cat, or 164

bird, goes usually to the third sphere where somebody takes care of it, and where it leads a normal animal life (except that it doesn't reproduce its species as it would on earth), and is even brought to see you at times while you are still on earth. I know you will meet your pets, the animal companions that you have loved. I have seen my special cats, and also a dog, a pekinese, to whom my husband and I were much attached. It seems as if the animals who love, and are loved, attain to spiritual rights and have an after-life in the spiritual world, just as we do. Whether their â&#x20AC;&#x153;post-physicalâ&#x20AC;? lives continue forever, I do not know. I rather doubt it; that is, I doubt if they continue everlastingly in animal form, but they certainly live for a considerable time in the shape we loved and knew them by, and, thank goodness, they will live with us again when we pass over.

165

Of Birth And Death â&#x20AC;&#x201D; From Whence To Where Walter DeVoe The Daily Life of Walter DeVoe (1933)

Let us begin your journey through eternity from the only logical starting point, conception. We could begin with the infinite vastness of the All Person because the essence of your being, your soul, is and always has been the very Person of your Creator, and for that reason the essence of your being has always existed through the infinite eons of the past. In that sense your soul being has always had an existence, but in the same sense even the physical body you possess has always existed, for the atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and so forth of which it is composed have been part of your planet, your sun, your galaxy, your nebula and thence from previous stars and nebulae that have been dissipated and gone from an unfathomable and incomprehensible time long passed. Could the atoms of your physical body speak with a conscious awareness, they could tell you awesome stories of stars and planets, peoples and civilizations in the farthest reaches of space, that were born, struggled with the limitations of corpor for a time and then passed on.

Their histories long forgotten except in the minds of great gods and 166

goddesses high now in etherea who either lived on those birth places of immortal souls or in some way had assisted with their resurrection and growth.

Yes, even if the spiritual "atoms", if we may use the poetic license to call them such, of your soul being could speak, they could tell you tales of life through the numbing distant unlimited past, of a place infinitely far away or so very close, of a time incomprehensibly ancient and yet as recent as the very now, of experience and wisdom whose comprehension and magnitude would leave even the highest raised angel speechless with awe.

But wait, all of this is our fanciful imagination at play, for none of it can be. Your earthly shell cannot speak, nor can the component parts of your astral shell or soul, though that is where the Great Intelligence that created you resides; and neither can you speak of those times, for the you that you are, the self-conscious, self-knowing aware being that you are came into being at the moment of conception.

The essence of Jehovihâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Person that is all knowing and resident in the sperm, and the spark of the Divine Being that is all knowing and resident in the egg came together in a magical transformation within a star-flash of that union and at that moment a new soul was born. At that moment you were a dual being in soul: the very I AM of the All 167

Person and a "blank slate" that was destined to be the sentient, self-aware, reasoning being that you are. Due to the maturity of our age, the you that you are became an immortal soul when those two components cleaved together in the physically primitive embryonic cell. Understand that whether your physical embryo ever reached further stages of development or not, the spiritual being that you are was already assured immortality as a soul and was destined to grow into more expansive realms forever onward. If it had not been allowed to proceed with its growth on the physical plane in the womb, then it would have continued the growth The I AM ordained it to experience but on the spiritual plane instead by special dispensation. The means by which this is accomplished will be discussed in a later chapter. This then was the birth from whence you came, and this is sufficient understanding to allow us to turn our attention to the places you will be exploring in the days ahead.

Each person born as to life on earth is bestowed with three component attributes, namely a soul or spiritual nature, a corporeal or physical being and the qualities of action, movement, self-expression, metabolism and similar manifestations of energy in motion which we call life. This is why it is said that we are born in the Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image, because the Great Spirit also has the same three components which are the Ever-Present All-Spirit, the infinite corporeal creation (composing our universe) and the All-motion or 168

the manifestation of sentient Energy, the All-Life.

Since we are bestowed with those same attributes in a limited form, and since our destiny is an ever expanding comprehension and usefulness as our Creatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s "hands" in action, it is logical to begin by experiencing one aspect of creation at a time and thus allowing our infant souls a chance to grow at a tolerable rate, and at the same time provide an anchor through which our immature spirit may be nurtured until it reaches a state where it can comfortably subsist on its own.

The main purpose of corporeal existence therefore is to acquire a basic appreciation of the physical aspects of creation, to provide an elementary education for our newly formed souls, which are like blank slates waiting for the experiences of life to be written upon them, and finally to provide a fetal stage for the embryonic development of our soul-selves, the spiritual being that our earthly shell merely reflects.

While it is important to put our brief sojourn on this earthly plane to the greatest possible use, and to grow in maturity and wisdom to the best of our ability before our time comes to move on, yet, in the great scheme of things, our time here is of minor importance in comparison to the eternity ahead, just as our nine months in the womb is of minor 169

importance when compared to the perhaps 90 or even 100 years of corporeal existence. Life in the womb would probably be of great importance, indeed, to the fetus were it able to comprehend, but that nine months pales in comparison to the life time ahead. It is the same when comparing the earth life to the infinity that lies before us in the world of spirit. Were life in corpor of more importance, would not the Creator have provided greater safeguards to make our physical bodies less vulnerable to premature death as to this life? The simplest and most unexpected mishaps can snuff our corporeal lives out, for the mortal body is so delicate and vulnerable. But the truth is that our corporeal existence is only like a heartbeat when compared to the infinite life ahead, and our corporeal life while important is not paramount and is not crucial to our eventual development.

And so it is, be it soon or late, the time comes for each of us. The delicate bond between spirit and corpor snaps to allow our true selves, the spiritual beings that we are, to emerge like a butterfly from a cocoon and take its rightful place in the greater part of creation. For the world of spirit is not a vague and ephemeral place. It is only the imperfect perception of your mortal senses which gives you these false impressions.

Your whole world consists of the surface of a little ball of corpor, while our spiritual world penetrates all levels of the rest of creation. We 170

here in spirit can see, hear and feel on levels that you can only dream of, for your earthly shell handicaps the natural spiritual senses that you possess in a blunted form. We are free from your earthly drudgery. We are freer on every level beyond your wildest dreams, for we are the real inhabitants of a real world, a world that you are destined to inhabit as your true and rightful place in an infinite creation.

No two souls describe the act of passage in the same way, for no two individuals perceive through the windows of their separate souls in quite the same way, and the circumstances of each transition differ in detail. Suffice it to say that everyone admits that the actual process that liberates the spirit from corpor is easier and smoother than anyone expected. Some "arrive" with such swiftness that they at first donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize that the change has taken place at all, while others make the change so gradually that they can describe every detail as a remarkable experience of joy and wonder. Realize that when we say "arrive", that no actual travel necessarily occurs, for when we speak of you being "there", while we are "here" describes not so much the difference of location as it does describe the difference of dimension, which is something that interpenetrates the same place at the same time at a differing level of vibration. This difference in state prevents you from not only perceiving us, but also prevents the interference of one level of experience with that of the other unless 171

extraordinary conditions come into play.

Yet, in spite of the illusion of a great chasm separating us, everyone, soon or late, will make the transition called death, for all your earthly existence is merely preparation for that great event. All you experience, both good and bad, has been an exercise for your soul to build in strength and perfection so that it may be ready to stand on its own in the more refined states of thought, where your self-control and will must be at a greater stage of maturity than had been required when your being was localized in its corporeal shell. For while the personality that you are is housed in its earthly shell, the dulling influence of the lower vibrations of corpor allows the "thought being" that you are to subsist with greater safety and efficiency. Realize that your lack of maturity as a young and immortal soul allows your concentration to wander, and your self control or will is seldom a dominant force in your existence. You are easily distracted by things in your environment and you are often led in your weakness to do things which are not in your best interest or in the best interests of others. You can see, however, when comparing an infant to a mature adult, that some degree of progress has been made in this regard, through oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life time. There is more self control. There is a greater understanding of how your mental powers can be applied to create and accomplish. There is a greater exercise of will to do what is right and necessary even when your lower 172

propensities would have you act differently. Of course, there are great differences in the degree of development even in mature adults, but in most cases it is of a great enough degree to allow that individual after death to subsist in the freer and more refined state of spirit with a great enough degree of competence to keep from being a burden on the rest of the newborn in spirit who are residing on the same plane of existence. Should this newborn be too imperfect, then special provisions must be made, depending on the degree of imperfection and the reason for its occurrence. The innocent soul thrust prematurely into spirit life by being killed through abortion, for example, must be dealt with in a very different manner than a person who has passed over as a result of the fruits of a life of crime. But in all cases, whether it is through natural development in a normal corporeal existence or through special corrective measures applied afterwards, every soul must reach a state of mental development that allows him or her to exist competently in a state of refined vibrations of thought, for the world of spirit requires much greater strength of personality and control of will than is required in the grossness of corporeality. Always remember our basic truth that you are in essence a being of thought. The greater totality that you are is not your corporeal shell but rather your mind, which is thought, and in thought, as a distinct portion of the All-Thought, will you live, move, and have your being for all time to come.

173

The Temple Of Angels Walter DeVoe The Pathway of Light (1936)

Whenever I enter into meditation in our Sanctuary, and look deep within the Light that enfolds my soul, I behold the interior of a vast Temple. It is a structure of crystallized Light.

I have the sense of being within an edifice of magnificent proportions and of spiritual strength. It is more than a vision; it is a vivid reality.

As I gaze into the luminous substance of the walls and high-raised arches I behold the faces and forms of Angels.

The outer walls, buttresses and towers of this Temple are formed by multitudes of Angels of Protection, standing serenely and strongly together to resist all the mortal forces of the mind of the world.

The inner walls, pillars, arches and dome are composed of luminous presences of Angels of beauty, symmetry and harmony.

In the center of this Temple is the Throne of Power, and here the light 174

is concentrated as a sun. About the Throne stand the Angels of wisdom, love and power who direct the twelve departments of Administration.

Raying out from the Sun Center are the twelve angels, each one of which symbolizes the heavenly meaning of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Within the luminous depths of each one of these naves is a great concourse of Angels, concentrating its unity to fulfill the several offices and functions of the mighty creative and regenerative work now being accomplished with souls in all the world.

How happy a company of Immortals! Light, beauty, harmony, joy everywhere! Their joy is in creating together to make the will of the Creator manifest.

The atmosphere within the Temple is vibrant with activity and achievement. Something very important is being achieved. And to my questioning thought there came this response:

"The Foundation of the Kingdom of Light is now established on earth. It is so firmly fixed that the forces of hatred and destruction cannot prevail against it. They must succumb to our united expression of the Father's will ..

175

"We are the victorious Army of the Almighty. From now on our influence will be felt more powerfully by all souls on earth, and our purpose will be accomplished more rapidly than. has been possible heretofore. The forces of evil will inevitably be overwhelmed by the outshining light and peace of Heaven.

"We stand serenely powerful upon our secure foundation within this spiritual structure now established in contact with your realm of time and space. We unite with you to speak forth the creative decrees of the Almighty for the liberation of all His souls in darkness."

And then the whole Temple resounded with a song of triumphant joy, the refrain of which was:

We are souls of radiant power, Shining light to all the world.

From this illuminated Temple of Angels shines forth the great Light that the merciful hosts of heaven are bringing to earth to awaken all souls to the true way of immortal life. And it shall increase and extend its influence until all the peoples of earth are panoplied by its protective power.

176

Death, Resurrection and Etherea Arthur Finlay Where Two Worlds Meet (1951)

What is the cause of a tree in full bloom retaining its shape and its leaves, while another, which is called "dead," breaks in pieces at a touch and crumbles away into dust? There must be a something, to which we give the term "life," which animates the living organism, and is absent in the dead organism. That something has the power to give the substance form and expression, whereas, when the something is absent, form and expression go, and the substance which was previously animated returns to form part of the earth.

Evidently there is something we cannot see or handle, which is nevertheless real and powerful, besides having this faculty of creating forms out of inanimate earth. I say it must be powerful, because it is capable of raising matter against the force of gravity, and retaining matter in an erect position, as, when it leaves the substance, the force of gravity again assumes control and the substance in question is affected by all the forces of nature.

A man, an animal, a tree, can stand erect when this life force permeates them, but when it does not they fall to the ground. Life, 177

therefore, is an organising force which can counteract the tendency in matter to disorganise itself. Life is a formative, thinking force, entering matter and arranging it, whereas matter without it is inert and devoid of personality. Life, therefore, cannot be a part of matter any more than the potter can be a part of the clay he uses in his moulds, and, besides this, it has personality. Every living thing has personality, because everything alive is different from every other living thing. This life force, by this process of arguing, has powers quite beyond the powers attributed to matter. It is more powerful than matter, it can organise matter, and therefore thinks. Besides that it has individuality.

Consequently we can safely take a further step forward, and say that this organising force is influenced by mind and that what we call Mind must be the living, active, dominating, controlling force in the Universe. Mind controls life and life controls matter. Death can therefore be described as a severance of mind from its association with matter, and it would be illogical to conclude that mind and its life-expressing vehicle, the etheric body, which have such power over matter, cease to exist when we lose sight of their organising powers.

Though we do not see mind at work, it is logical and reasonable to assume that what can control matter cannot be destroyed. This general argument, had we not direct evidence, might never lead us 178

to anything tangible. We might always be right in assuming the indestructibility of mind, and its expression, life, but had psychic phenomena not come to our aid we would have been only half-way to our goal. The goal, however, has now been reached, and the path has been prepared for the human mind to travel the whole road.

Logically, it is a reasonable assumption that mind should continue to exist after death apart from its association with matter, but now we have the proof from psychic science that this does happen and that the etheric body, which survives, is the real body and the one which holds the physical body together during life on earth. Death, I am told, is as easy and as simple as going to sleep and then awakening. Our duplicate etheric body, each etheric cell a duplicate of each physical cell, slips out of the physical body, carrying the mind with it, and we awake to our new surroundings to find our friends and relations ready to help and instruct us in our new life.

Death is simply the severance of this etheric body, or structure, from the physical body. The physical body returns to earth, and the etheric body, controlled by the mind, continues to function in Etheria, which, though within and also without the physical, cannot be appreciated by us so long as we are inhabitants of the physical body. Our range of sight and touch is too confined for us to appreciate these finer vibrations. 179

Our individuality therefore continues apart from physical matter, and we still think apart from the physical because the same mind which functioned, when associated with the physical body, now does so through the duplicate etheric body. We therefore continue to exist as separate thinking units in Etheria, much as we do to-day, but in new surroundings. With the same capacity for expanding thought as we have here, our minds develop, and seemingly develop more rapidly apart from physical matter. Our etheric bodies are similar to our present bodies, cell for cell, and that is the logical conclusion when we admit what has been said before, namely, that the etheric holds the physical particles together.

This etheric body, moreover, has weight as well as form, as weight is only a question of degree. In the etheric world weight, which in the physical is determined by gravity, is determined by some other force of a like nature. We shall therefore have weight, solidity, form, individuality and be the same in mind and body in Etheria as we are now, but what of our surroundings? As to these, we can accept what we are told in these communications from the other world, because we can make certain logical deductions based on our physical surroundings. We are informed that Etheria is similar to this world. Our world is composed of individuals, and other living things which are animated by a force we term "life", controlled by mind. It is 180

therefore not unreasonable to conclude that this force, combined with mind, which has the power to act on physical matter, and produce what we experience in the physical world, has likewise the power to influence etheric matter.

Therefore it is reasonable to believe that Etheria contains trees, animals and flowers, being to all intents and purposes similar to this world, and that when we make the change called death we shall find ourselves in a world very much like the one we live in today, except that we will not be encumbered by physical matter. Consequently our mind will be more active, and our thoughts and movements quicker.

There is another world, about and around us, interpenetrating this physical world, into which we pass at death. It has been described to me by those who have spoken to me from it, but only in language suited to our finite minds. When asked how best to explain it to others I was told to compare it to a sea of ether, wherein personal movement is even more rapid and easy than that of a fish in water. Let us take, for example, the sea in which is floating a submerged sponge. This can be compared to our earth in space. Surrounding this sponge is a sea of water which supports life, just as there is a sea of ether surrounding the earth which supports life.

Etheria can be likened to the water surrounding the sponge, except 181

for this difference, that the sponge absorbs only some of the water, whereas Etheria is not only outside our earth but inside as well, because its substance is of a higher vibrational frequency than is our earth. "Interpenetrates" is the only word we have to describe something real occupying the same space as something else which is real, and it is on the surface of this greater etheric globe we shall someday live.

Moreover, there are other greater and still greater globes of finer and finer substance, all interpenetrating each other, on the surfaces of which we shall some day dwell. We make our start on earth and, as our vibrations increase, as our mental vehicle, the body, becomes more and more refined, we climb this ladder through the spheres, rung by rung. As we reach the first stage after death we appreciate a new aspect and cease to sense the earth, and so on, after each change, the previous world becomes only a memory. This is what Etherians term our progress through the spheres, but where it all leads to they can only surmise. Nevertheless this increased knowledge enlarges our vision and increases our effort towards perfection, while giving everyone a purpose in and a greater understanding of life on earth.

182

The Process of Death Arthur Findlay The Way of Life (1953)

On another occasion, the following assurance was given:

"It is only a step over here, and you will have no difficulty in finding the door. We will be watching, and loving hands will welcome you on the shore. You know we love you and will always stand by you."

This, then, is the first step we all must take on our journey through the spheres. We discard the old body which has done its work, and live

our

etheric

duplicate

body

which

has

always

interpenetrated our physical body, and been the structure on which the material has grown and developed.

The etheric body is not just an inference or a hypothesis, as it has been seen by clairvoyants from time to time when leaving the body at death. This is how the famous medium Hudson Tuttle clairvoyantly witnessed a death. In his own words he tells us that

"Slowly the spiritual form (spiritual body) withdrew from the extremities and concentrated in the brain. As it did so, a halo arose 183

from the crown of the head which gradually increased. Soon it became clear and distinct, and I observed that it had the exact resemblance of the form it had left. Higher and higher it arose, until the beautiful spirit stood before us and the dead body reclined below. A slight cord connected the two, which, gradually diminishing, became in a few minutes absorbed and the spirit had forever quitted its earthly temple."

Under the guidance of our mind, which controls the new body as it did the old, we pass out of our earth body by the top of the head, to arrive, when the short cord between the two bodies is broken, in a new environment. Our old surroundings have passed away, we sense them no more and a new life opens before us. What it will mean to us will be told in the next chapter. This experience has come to all who have lived on earth, it will come to all who now live on earth, and to all who will live here in the years to come.

This we know because the voice of one who had made the change once told those present:

"Death is not the end but the beginning. I think it is a triumphal march when you leave the physical, if your life has been spent in the way in which you ought to have spent it. If this is so, it is a triumphal march to the spirit side of life, which is a path of glory all the way. It is for you 184

I am speaking and for myself as I was hitherto. When you realise before passing on that you have your duty to do in the earth life, and, provided you do it, you will pass on to a more bright and glorious way of life. It was like this I did the triumphal march across the border. I hope that will be your portion when your time comes. Do you know there is no balancing of accounts here? They are all balanced before you come, and also the path is clearly laid out, the path by which you have come and also the path by which you should have come. I am sorry to say I did not always walk in the right path."

185

Arising in the Spirit Realms Arthur Findlay The Way of Life (1953)

After a Red Indian had finished talking, a gentleman present once asked someone on the other side if it was possible to take the less developed to the higher planes. This is what he was told by the Etherian, who spoke in a loud clear voice:

"We cannot take them, but we tell them what is in store for them, and that when they become more enlightened they can go there. It is not the Indian who is speaking now, but I am not speaking disparagingly in any way. Many Indians are more advanced and have brighter souls than I have. We are all brothers and sisters, and we all have a time of what one might call evening star-that time of the last final parting with the Earth Plane, and we say good-bye to all things earthly, so to speak. One goes a little adrift for a little while until one finds one's bearings, or, I should say until some of the beautiful shining ones meet you and point the way, and tell you where you should go. You have all got to work out your own destiny. There is no doubt about it, work out your own Heaven, and rest assured the Great Father will see your labour, and reward you for it."

186

Then the speaker paused for a moment and continued:

"That is what happens as you will find when you come to my side of life. You have still to seek further knowledge. It would not be a real world on this side unless there was progress and still further progress, and those who have gone a little ahead, in advance, can always help the stragglers upwards as they go along. They are not all fit to start at a high level, they need a helping hand, and these helping hands are never far away.

"One meets all classes and conditions of friends on this side of life, and each and all require a helping hand. You cannot transform a soul immediately from the lower grade which he has left to a celestial grade. It is a gradual spiritual progress, and they are always obtaining fresh knowledge and fresh hope from those who are a little further advanced than they are, and who are always very willing to help a weaker brother up towards the brighter and more shining light."

He had still much more to say but this is given elsewhere, in fact his talk was more in the nature of an address, as it lasted for ten minutes.

Once the question was put about the different stages of development the people were in on the other side. Someone asked an Etherian, 187

who was a healer of earth people by means of healing rays, if undeveloped bodies are ever to be seen in Etheria, and this was the reply:

"Not undeveloped. The stage of development is seen by the light or the brightness, the shades of light. We see them in different stages of advancement, and talk with them.

There are many beautiful passengers who talk with us at times, and we get great enlightenment from them."

He then went on to tell how the etheric body has the same formation as the physical body, and that everyone has a perfect etheric body. His remarks will be found elsewhere. Then he returned to the subject of mental development and concluded with these words:

"Those who have not developed much in earth life just have to rise gradually, and those who have not had any spiritual development are generally taken to spheres where they can be ministered to in the way that they most need."

Towards the close of a long address on various subjects an Etherian spoke these words:

188

"If you have a will to travel in the spheres in God's service in the spirit side of life, you will find ample opportunity, if you are willing to work for the Master, but you will have to comply with his laws and the conditions of life which exist on the spirit side. You cannot take a hop, step, and jump, from the side of life which you are on just now, right to the celestial spheres on the spirit side of life. It is Work, Service and Love, which will bring joy and harmony and peace into your inmost souls. Of course, you will always have the knowledge that you are helping someone whom you know has not just reached the stage you have reached, and you will reach out a helping hand to help them up, and those on the higher plane above will immediately put out their hands to help you on a further step again.

"Progress all the time, until, in God's good time, you reach the fulfilment of a purified soul, that can work in harmony with the Great Spirit of All Life. Progress will go on until the full theme and completion of the Master's Will is accomplished, and you are able to mix with those Shining Ones, in a glorified condition, whom you hope to join someday.

"There is a stage when some of us can know no further. There is a world inside another world, but we have not progressed to that knowledge, nor will we, until we have advanced to a stage much above our present knowledge." 189

When a sitter once said that he liked to be able to give reasons for his belief in Spiritualism, he was told by a friend on the other side:

"Never argue. Don't, if you take my advice, my Brother. Rather tell them about the beauties of this life which you will discover. You are really just an explorer seeking out a new country, and you have acquired a mind which can see and glean something of the beauty of this land, which many others cannot. You will link up with those who have advanced beyond you by and by, and will learn from them.

"As the Great Master said: 'In my Father's house are many mansions,' and you are only going to the place which you in earth life, by your life on earth, have prepared yourself for, and then you will progress afterwards by getting into touch with those advanced ones who are ready to help you, and to give you knowledge of things which you do not know, but which will be given to you as you can assimilate and understand them. I am just putting it in the best way I can, and I hope you follow what I mean."

190

Communication between the Different Spheres Arthur Findlay The Way of Life (1953)

This is what we were once told by an Etherian at the close of a long talk

"I have progressed since then, and now I am able to return to the surroundings of earth life and be clothed in apparel like what I used to wear. The clothes change. I cannot tell you how, but, as we draw near the physical, the clothes change, there is no doubt about it. Perhaps I have not put it very clearly to you, but, when I draw near to the Earth Plane, I find myself standing in the surroundings where I used to stand, with similar garments to those I used to wear in earth life, and the robes I wear on the other side of life-the Summerland side change, imperceptibly to me, when I cross the border through the mist. Of course, there are others who can come, more advanced than I am, and they always come in their spirit robes. I wish you could see them -they are very beautiful."

Their minds have not only supernormal power over substance, but they also seem to have the power of transferring thoughts from mind to mind without the use of speech. They do use the spoken word just 191

as we do, but they have a telepathic gift which is very rare and exceptional on earth. This is what I was once told in answer to a question I asked about the different languages spoken in Etheria

"There are the various earth languages spoken here, such as English, French and German, but they are conveyed from mind to mind mentally. Communication takes place mentally from one to another, not only by the spoken word as on earth. This is just as if I were to say that the mind of the spirit gets into telepathic touch with the mind with which he is communicating."

A lady present asked her mother in Etheria if she had met Aunt Agnes, to be told

"No, but I have spoken to her, just as you would talk to someone on the 'phone. It is not the same, but that is the only way I can describe it. When I get the condition, I am able to speak to her. She is on beyond me. You will get many surprises at what happens here."

A man in Etheria who said he was not far advanced, in fact, that he was

rather

backward,

confirmed

this

telepathic

form

communication which all understand, no matter what was their earth language, because the pictures formed in one mind are conveyed to the one with which it is in communication. This is what he said 192

"I do not want to go very far on my way until I get the members of my own family with me. Meantime I understand that once we pass beyond these spheres in which I have been for a very long time, we shall at once acquire the knowledge of a language which everyone knows."

This greater freedom of expression, their greater ease of travel, their immense mental power over matter, may be the reason for the greater harmony which there prevails. This remark was once made in the course of a long conversation between the sitters and an active friend and helper on the other side

"There will be no unification of the peoples of the world until they all reach this plane of life, where no enmity, no jealousy or hatred to anyone can intervene. That is what I meant by unification, and then all will be well for all, but, until that time, be up and doing, by prayerful thoughts and kindly deeds, to help to bring comfort and cheer to the lonely ones."

When reading the next chapter, it will be evident that they are generally delighted to get into contact once more with friends on earth. In spite of the difficulties they experience in communicating with us, they face it with a will and determination because, as we 193

were once told by one of our friends there:

"It is a great satisfaction to us to know that the little thoughts, which we have managed to give of our knowledge of life here, are acceptable to you. Thank you very much. You will find when you come to my side that there was so much you could have done in earth life if you had just opened your heart. I am not speaking to you personally, you know, at all. I am just voicing the thoughts which are in my soul from my own experience."

194

Pure Thoughts John Henry Remmers The Great Reality (1967)

"John," continued May, "nothing man does or says goes unseen or unheard, and that is why some people oppose this truth so bitterly. Many desire to dismiss it as sheer nonsense, while others prefer that we remain asleep in the grave, until the resurrection on the last day. Such beliefs are more convenient and much easier on the conscience."

"How do these people reconcile themselves to this fact when they pass into your dimension?" I asked.

"Many," answered May, "do not realize they have made the change and haunt the earth in a confused state of mind. Their condition is pitiful but not hopeless. Some have become so imbued with the orthodox theory of sleeping until the resurrection, they remain in a 'coma' for periods varying from months to years. Others quickly appreciate what has happened, set out to right their mistakes, and in this way progress into a condition of enlightenment.

"All is governed by thought, your world as well as ours. If there were 195

less selfishness in men's hearts and more love, your world could be just as ideal as is ours. The universe is made up of innumerable planes of thought expression. You see, my brother, the universe is basically a mental mechanism, functioning in its various parts according to the thought energy predominant in that particular sphere. The purer the thought, the more ideal and wholesome the sphere; and none but the pure of thought are capable of inhabiting the more refined spiritual spheres."

With this, May gave us her blessing in words so eloquent I made no attempt to record them. She is a highly evolved personality, having left earth more than seventy years ago.

196

What Modern Spiritualism Reveals The Eloists Radiance (1988)

That people are immortal spirits, a form of the Spirit of the Creator.

That people are spiritual organisms clothed for a time with physical counterparts.

That nature has a spiritual counterpart.

That death alone does not change the character of a person.

That there are spiritual worlds in which human spirits live after the death of the physical body.

That each spirit associates with its kind in the spiritual world.

That all spirits progress according to their moral development. That all spirits will ultimately outgrow all imperfections of character and enter into higher degrees of wisdom and joy.

That spirits can communicate with mortals through mediumistic 197

personalities, and that this is a natural and normal process provided by the Creator.

198

Questions and Answers E. F. Morley Kosmon Unity (1994)

Introduction

With the coming of the New Age into which this world is rapidly passing, there has awakened a new desire for spiritual knowledge among many deep-thinking people today.

Naturally many questions arise in the minds of seekers regarding the spiritual philosophy, which is a renewal of the ancient wisdom religion. The following lines are given in simple language inÂˇ the hope that they will be of some assistance to seekers of a greater understanding. For all students the important thing is to keep the mind open and allow intuition and inspiration to guide

1. Is there such a thing as Hell?

We can make our own hell by the way we live now. In the next life like attracts like, thus habitual criminals flock together and may remain earth-bound for a long time until they desire to reform and enter the path of progress and service. 199

2. Is there a geography in Heaven? On the sphere nearest to us the geography is almost the same; thus where we have rivers or mountains or cities they have rivers or mountains or cities; but the higher one goes through the spheres the more refined and beautiful everything becomes.

3. Is there a second death as some folk think there is? If we call physical death the First Resurrection, there does come a time when our interest in the physical world has almost gone, and we desire progress, and are willing to live in harmony with everyone in affectionate co-operation, then the spiritual body does change a little and its vibrations intensify, we can call that entering the Second Resurrection. or second death if you wish, but it is a joyful experience.

200

The Vortex Within Trance Sessions Wayne Sturgeon (2003)

Greetings from our space to yours.

Many areas of development now are on the horizon of the Society. It is time to expand some ideas now into realization. The seeds of growth are now growing and in a very rapid manner. Being on top of the societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan for the growth planed is of primary importance. The numbers ever increasing now for manifold growth to many sections of the tree of the Society.

As mortals and Angels we admire the universe and the distance in which it goes. From the grass you stand on, to the bridge of Chin vat is where the end of perspective as mortals lay. It is beyond this great divide, in and bridging, from atmospherea to realms of spirit ENERGY, that we are deficient in the pattern of the past. It is at a turning place for your inquiry to probe the depths that are from within, as well as those beyond, into energy from the other perspective. Dwelling in one area for knowledge is of little value unless all areas are explored and by this we mean to turn to the inner self. As this has been but mere words to some, it is of utmost importance to the 201

creative process that we have inherited and now are responsible for.

The vortex that is within is very seldom explored to any great depth. It is like a bridge into the realms of unexplored heavens. Through the exploration of the inner vortex the keys to the heavens emancipated are in grasp. Those that are familiar with the principle of vortex and the power it contains will now be able to see, from within, the manifestations of matter development to their fullest form. It is a matter of seeing, in the simplest terms, the way of creation and to complicate it with the power, and the mathematics, involved will hold no significant purpose. Thus in simplicity the method can be revealed better than in the scientific method.

The words â&#x20AC;&#x153;seek from withinâ&#x20AC;? have been written, from the beginning, in all the creations apparent to mankind, in visible manifestation. Also through the written words of those that have sought for more knowledge in an undaunted manner will now be within our grasp. To continue with growth is to let the past be as example but not for truth as this can create dormancy of your being both spiritual and physical. But let the past wisdom be for knowledge and for nurturing the growth of the new. It is within the tree of the society that can inform us to the power that lay within the vortex within. To be builders, by thought, the most powerful of any matter and to be understood as we enter the realm within. 202

As with any circumstance there are two sides, therefore that which lies beyond Chinvat bridge can be explained by that which happen within the vortex within. The power of thought gathers like the galaxies of the heavens on a clear night to bring into being the material of thought. Gaining in density and in mass the thoughts of one bear fruit on the outer vortex because of the formation of a mature thought from within the inner vortex. It is the realm of detail in which thought matter, by attraction, manifests itself in the form of ideas born and into real objects emitted by forces and by the nature of organization.

Be aware of that placid garden of prayer and thought and that indeed it will carry forth over the inner Chin vat bridge into the vortex of inner matter. So what you think of today is already in full manifestation and, in due course, will inhabit your area, street, community, town, or village. The reigns of direction remain within the vortex of the innermost being of self. You are the custodian of such a wonderful power that lies within your ability to create. It is you that can harness this force or better-termed power of light.

Consider that you are but a letter in a word and the word is but a particle of a sentence and the complete sentence becomes manifest as a phrase. This is the direction given to you today to harness the 203

reigns of the inner vortex to master realities of the greatest and not to harbour anything less than this divine principle to enhance the people of the world. It is by our thoughts, and thoughts in unison, that we proceed through this edge of the new era, and proceeding as light bringers to darkness. To question every conceivable situation, institution and written word is the challenge. To dispense with the articles that have been used to undermine the divine within each person and each angel. Being foremost and always in our thoughts to bring truth within our midst. To cast away the principle, but not the persons, that wedges their once magnificent philosophies into the inner mindset and the vortex. It is like a healing crisis that happens within an organism that can and will repair from within that which is of no more use. The disease is Religion and the encompassing theories that have blackened the earth by what is called doctrine. The injuries to the souls of mortals and angels now will be eased both from before and after the bridge. That healing to the planet, now much overdue, is on course again with truth being a light bringer to the world. It is within that we can seek for truth and from without see the display of false messages of blood. Prove it, now being the master key to truth, is what we have created and in due time the rewards of truth will shine as light.

As these words now unfolding before you will need to be proven, as all works presented for personal guidance, should come under the 204

scrutiny of the unbiased and uncluttered mind. Become more familiar as humansă&#x192;ťbeing of a divine descent and not ever to be under the law as such happens within the animal, vegetable kingdom. Organic, and being disciplined like what was intended for the animals, at this time are not a positive attribute. To become engrossed with progress through the animals law is acting in violation of basic rights and freedoms. Mortals shall not perform and answer to a bell as they were given freedom from their transplanted beginnings from divinity. To be as gods now has been hampered by the many words of man which, through the assemblies of Religion, have made man less than animal or vegetable. To unwind this thread of knots and tangles cannot be done with any perfection only with the powers bestowed to humans and angels from divine realms. We have reached the second turning place for Mortals now being within our grasp, responsibility and because of the inherited power. The provisions of the great mother the earth now is in need of a complete inventory of both product of man and of product of thought.

No longer is needed the destruction of the planet mother by the powers now in control as the plentiful now becomes the needed. The basics now are dependent upon the ability to live without plunder and to love without passion. To be of giving rather than to be of taking, the community will develop in small steps to large leaps as the illness now identified can be healed. The vortex now becomes another 205

needed key for the development of the Race gifted from divinity. Be wise and be one of a questioning manner of that which is called law for the time of law is at an end, the use of such controlling forces has blackened the light of mortals to be less than an animal. Think and think it out thoroughly before your agreement binds you to more darkness. Let the ties of â&#x20AC;&#x153;bound by scripture, rituals, rites, and ceremoniesâ&#x20AC;? be first loosened by truth of thought. The ceremonies made for animals are now in the place of decline as impotent for the new mortal and may your own thoughts manifest quickly upon the earth our mother. Be not afraid to let go because healing is of the society and no injury can become more than a small bruise which is the healing from within. Some have done this and the numbers continue to gather momentum. The light of the society now is a beacon to those somewhat lost in the snarl of belief systems.

Continue to be free with understanding powered by love and to be driven by innermost pure, free and total thought and the manifestations are within sight. As pioneers explore into the realms of divinity, which was till this time forbidden for mortals and that has had its day and will flow back to darkness from which it came.

Take charge of your destiny and prove these words by planting thoughts in the vortex that works from within. The ability to create is in direct proportion to the amount of individual thought that enters 206

into the vortex. Thoughts that are for growth of the society will attract like and similar thoughts from the ever-plentiful garden placid. There is no shortage of material if there is no shortage of determination. It is the storehouse of the gods and the mechanism used for the new direction that mortals now are choosing.

It is for our understanding that the vortex of inner most thought is but a doorway to the vastness of creation. This doorway is in our hands and the hands of mortals and angels. It is a key to freedom to be used wisely. May you find it now and prove that our light will overpower that which is â&#x20AC;&#x153;greed, power, wealth and self of the masters and leaders.â&#x20AC;? Many have used this same vast storehouse of power to manipulate the ignorant into a doctrine of deceit thereby holding mortals as hostage and in bondage for many, many years too long.

May you find the door and plant the seeds of thought. Be keepers of the divine power that is the inheritance of mortals and angels. Never underestimate the power of organized thoughts. Be wise in knowledge and distribute love freely. Think carefully and in our highest light create our thoughts for the betterment of the world.

Farewell the Elders.

207

Our Choice Robert Bayer Visions of the New Age (2004)

The Creator is Spirit, the Motion of the Universe, the Motion of us all. This Energy Spiritual which creates, transforms, and animates, can be described as spiraling power which flows endlessly, and illimitably, in cycles, in the circles of All the Universe: atoms, worlds, and galaxies.

Indeed, the Trinities of the All One manifest in everyway imaginable: in birdsong, flowers, and waterfalls, in fire, sunshine, and lightning, in hearts, minds, and souls, in Love, Wisdom, and Power. This Infinite Power is named in Oahspe as Vortexya, and Be within and round the three great aspects of being: in corpor, in es, in etherea.

This Universal Force acts One with the Life Force of all the Living Children of the Ever-Present Spirit, in dimension, place, and time. The Great Purpose of the Creator which directs Vortex Power is Ever Greater Progression, Resurrection, and Creation.

The more advanced the Children of the Ever-Present Spirit are, the more they have learned to be One with the Ever-Present Spirit, in 208

choosing, and in fulfilling Universal Design, which is Boundless and Beautiful.

Angels of the Almighty, accomplish as One with the

Creator, One with All the Universe, and the Children therein, all that can be described as Good and Uplifting and Joyful.

As they and we learn to master and free self, to unfold the I AM within, to choose to serve with virtue for the greater benefit and harmony of all Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peoples, they and we also learn to purify, to forgive, to accept, and to attune toward Higher Heavens.

In every case, this

means finding and exploring the paths which bestow love, teach wisdom, and unify power within those in need.

So it is that the emotions we feel, the thoughts we think, and the dreams we envision, each and every one of them, are the Worlds of Happiness that we should seek to realize for others.

As we make

each step, each breath, each word, a Sacred Prayer of Thanks, of Hope, and of Compassion, to the All One Creator, we become ourselves the Creator, and together, an Unending Union or Galaxy of Illimitable and Immortal Lights. We now and forever choose to live as Angels of the Ever-Present Spirit.

The Love, Light and Will of Jehovih are All One.

209

210