Descriptions of the "afterlife"/5th Density

[Alejo]

Thanks a lot for sharing this,

It was a great way to take a pause and remember that learning is the purpose of most life events.

 

[Windmill knight]

Like 3/3.5 years ago I read a book written by a medium that was comunicating with a man who killed himself. Many things that you shared here were mentioned in this book, but unfortunately I didn't finish it because it talked about things that I didn't want to accept as true. For example it talked about hospitals where the soul would go to heal after such a traumatic event (suicide), it mentioned the presence of doctors, nurses, and beings that would help in this healing process, and I didn't want to accept the existence of hospitals in this case because I thought it was so similar to the material world and it was against what I thought this other side would be like according to me.
I can barely remember what I read, but there were some things similar to points 5,6,7, among others, but I won't go into details since I don't remember everything exactly as it was written. The reason I stopped reading it was because it mentioned some religious things and I thought that the medium or the soul were influenced by their own beliefs, so I thought it wasn't worth reading anymore. But having in mind that "A dead Presbyterian is just that: A dead Presbyterian", it would make sense. At the time I was questioning my religion and I didn't want to read anything that would give validation to it. I'll check the book and have a look at it again, maybe I can find more coincidences with what you wrote, I think we could get a general idea of what's on the other side/5D.

You are probably talking about the Brazilian medium Chico Xavier. My housemates and I watched a movie based on his book, and indeed the description of the afterlife is a lot like what Joe posted. Here's a trailer:

I'm not sure what to think of it. The picture they paint of the afterlife sounds a bit too 'material' to me - based on the Cs and the book 'Life Between Life' I was expecting something more 'abstract', where nothing similar to time or space would apply. But perhaps there are many levels over 'there', and it is experienced differently depending on how advanced a soul is.

 

[Chu]

Very, very interesting! It removes the typical "fear of death" too, when you look at it that way. Quite interesting parallels with what the Cs have been saying. It reminded me in a sense, of how important it is to do our best in the now, learning and sharing as much as possible,

Sometimes I think that it would be so cool to remember better what we told ourselves we were coming here to learn (re: Point 16). But then again, if we did, would we learn, or come up with a narrative for why we don't have to? It doesn't mean it's impossible to learn lots anyway if we do our best, and in the process, we can perhaps "remember" bits and pieces as we get to know ourselves and the world better, to be more honest and giving, etc.

I'm quite slow to write my posts when it comes to expressing, formulating my thoughts. I know I have to overcome obstacles to be of any help here.

FWIW, I though that post of your WAS helpful. The quote from Laura was a very useful reminder, and your thoughts interesting. So, keep going, it's a process, like you said.

 

[BrendaH]

You are probably talking about the Brazilian medium Chico Xavier. My housemates and I watched a movie based on his book, and indeed the description of the afterlife is a lot like what Joe posted. Here's a trailer:

I'm not sure what to think of it. The picture they paint of the afterlife sounds a bit too 'material' to me - based on the Cs and the book 'Life Between Life' I was expecting something more 'abstract', where nothing similar to time or space would apply. But perhaps there are many levels over 'there', and it is experienced differently depending on how advanced a soul is.

No, I'm talking about a book called "memorias de un suicida" written by Yvonne A. Pereira. In English is called "Memoirs of a Suicide". But is good to find more similar things, maybe we are onto something!

 

[seek10]

This is so true, I had an uncle who was an alcoholic and lived a very selfish life before he pass out two years ago. I saw him in a dream after death in some dirty old clothes among some other spirit in the lower astral. I eventually confirm this from reading Dr. Wickland book last month. I also had a dream a year ago of my spouse mother after death in some very pretty clothes. It shows how important it is to have knowledge of how to progress in the physical.

Impression got is "Knowledge of passing" is not going to decide to what sphere they live. The higher the sphere, the more beautiful and intricate clothes/jewels become to the lower one's, spiritual power they possess. It is hard to define except to say some body up there decides according to their experiential profile and needs.

In one story in 'Life beyond the viel', an old man built a house on the top of the mountain and waits for a LONG time for his wife to come and see. It looks there is no time as such. In another story a person who happen to be Law Minister on earth who is in 2nd sphere was told that his wife is in 5th sphere and waiting. He becomes angry and jealous of her and he was suggested to change his attitude( arrogance, jealousy) to go to her. But it was hard for him go beyond his ego and finally relents. One can suffer as much one wants, I think.

There are no RIP in the Spirit world.No religion to comfort the sheep.

I think it depends on what is meant by "Rest", "Peace" or "Religion" means. I think Earth's consensual standards doesn't apply.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Thanks Joe. Very enjoyable to read and reminded me of the line in the New Testament, In may father's mansion are many rooms. Not because of that statement alone, but from the many books on the subject, there seems to be a modicum of truth around this afterlife.

 

[Gaby]

That was deeply inspiring, especially when you see people struggle with their personal tragedies and still are there for their loved ones and keep up with their duties with dignity. It helps to put things into perspective. Thanks for sharing!

 

[theos]

Thanks for sharing that, Joe. I, too, found it very soothing. So many people have a fear of death (especially a physically painful or traumatic death) but this excerpt serves to take some of the sting away from that whole process. Knowing that there is still room for growth and connection with others on 'the other side' as well as knowing that it really is a privilege to be here learning really is comforting.

If that bit about there being hospices is true, I want to work at one .

 

[Joe]

Thanks for sharing that, Joe. I, too, found it very soothing. So many people have a fear of death (especially a physically painful or traumatic death) but this excerpt serves to take some of the sting away from that whole process. Knowing that there is still room for growth and connection with others on 'the other side' as well as knowing that it really is a privilege to be here learning really is comforting.

If that bit about there being hospices is true, I want to work at one

Well, since all of this is, technically, theoretical, I may as well throw out associated ideas that occurred to me while reading this kind of material. So 5D is, let's say, more or less as described in these texts. If it were on 3D earth, it would be like a large walled monastery that is impervious to any intrusion from outside. A place where humans can go for some rest and recovery, take a pause from their lives in peace and safety and contemplate their progress so far. Then, when ready, they can leave the monastery and reengage with material life.

The texts also allude to 'higher levels' within 5D, or at least different 'places' that a person can do depending on their level of awareness and drive to learn and grow and that may not be as similar to an earthly environment as described in the text from the book. I'm reminded of the ref. in a session to Caesar (the savior formerly known as Jesus™) being in a kind of contemplative or meditative state where he receives and answers "prayers" etc. So that's maybe one function for certain people that hang out in 5D.

BUT, none of this has much to do with the major focus of the Cs sessions, which is a transition to '4D', which is the ostensible reason that the Cs transmissions exist, i.e. to prepare humans for a move of the entire planet and sector of space/time to 4D. Obviously we have no way of knowing, but I'm thinking that 4D is pretty different from 5D. First, 4D is partly physical, so in theory, if our planet 'moves to 4D' everything might initially appear pretty much the same as it does now, at least at first. Then we might begin to notice some weird 'effects', and maybe some even weirder abilities. These might be pretty shocking for a lot of people who aren't even psychologically prepared (a session referred to this as "lost lambs beying in the night"), more shocking than a move to 5D which, according to the reports from 'dead dudes', is a fairly gentle and progressive transfer and does, after all, usually (for most) involve the person being aware that they are dying and in that way prepared for some kind of shift.

Anyway, it's a bit weird to be talking about these things in this matter of fact way, but I figured that we've been exposed to these ideas for so long now, we may as well at least start to try and flesh out some of the possible scenarios. Might even be a useful mental exercise.

 

[JEEP]

The afterworld is not some fantastic vision of infinity where souls are locked in poses of permanent rapture gazing at the face of God. And no one floasts on a cloud while playing a harp.

Apologies - I couldn't resist . . .

Actually, I always found anything relating to the afterlife extremely interesting and compelling. Raymond Moody's Life After Life maybe being the first book I read on the subject. Thanks Joe for sharing the general descriptions gleaned from the book - they really answer a lot of questions for me assuming their validity. I often wondered how 'heaven' could just be some etheral existence of sheer joy for infinity like some never-ending drug induced state of euphoria? Just didn't seem quite right. I also wondered about persons who insist their NDE was absolutely a visit to hell - didn't the Cs say there was no hell? The supplied descriptions give an answer to that apparent contradiction. I'm also happy/hopeful that I will indeed be reunited w/ pets from my past whereas before I was sure I wouldn't due to 2D going back to their soul pool.

Attending beautiful gardens and landscapes, nurturing babies and children - yup, that's certainly my idea of heaven! And so much better than a perpetual state of mindless bliss! Whereas others felt relief re DBB, this very possible reality gives me much relief and intensified hope.

BUT, none of this has much to do with the major focus of the Cs sessions, which is a transition to '4D', which is the ostensible reason that the Cs transmissions exist, i.e. to prepare humans for a move of the entire planet and sector of space/time to 4D. Obviously we have no way of knowing, but I'm thinking that 4D is pretty different from 5D. First, 4D is partly physical, so in theory, if our planet 'moves to 4D' everything might initially appear pretty much the same as it does now, at least at first. Then we might begin to notice some weird 'effects', and maybe some even weirder abilities. These might be pretty shocking for a lot of people who aren't even psychologically prepared (a session referred to this as "lost lambs beying in the night"), more shocking than a move to 5D which, according to the reports from 'dead dudes', is a fairly gentle and progressive transfer and does, after all, usually (for most) involve the person being aware that they are dying and in that way prepared for some kind of shift.

"I'll think about that tomorrow." - Scarlett O'Hara, Gone with the Wind.

 

[JEEP]

In mentioning Dr. Raymond Moody's book, Life After Life, from 1975, I was surprised to find this relatively recent (Oct. 2016) youtube interview with him - 1:01:05 :

“Life After Life” author, Dr. Raymond Moody is the man who coined the phrase “near death experience” about his research that began in the 1960’s... into this phenomenon about what happens when we die. Dr. Moody is now the bestselling author of twelve books, which have sold over 13 million copies. He has spoken all over the the world for over three decades…talking about life after life, death with dignity, life after loss, surviving grief, finding hope and so much more. He continues to train hospice workers, clergy, psychologists, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals on matters of grief recovery and dying. He also offers private and personal consultations.

 

[mkrnhr]

The texts also allude to 'higher levels' within 5D, or at least different 'places' that a person can do depending on their level of awareness and drive to learn and grow and that may not be as similar to an earthly environment as described in the text from the book.

There is also the possibility that people from 3D would go to 5D sectors that are more or less familiar to them while people from 4D would go to the 5D sectors (or levels of non-physicality) that are more or less familiar to them.

 

[Cleo]

Thanks as well for sharing!

26. Many spirits are members of large spirit families, or “Group Souls,” that await them when they pass. They feel as if they have come home when they are received by the familiar group. One spirit tells us that souls in a Group are “part of ourselves. Their connection with us is deeper and far more permanent than mere earth contacts could make it.”

The above reminded me of what was mentioned in Session 22 July 2000, specifically the part I emphasized in bold below. I'd since forgotten a lot of the surrounding discussion in that session so it's really interesting to read back through it in light of this thread.

A: How do you perceive the reincarnation process to be?

Q: (LC) I perceive it as you come back with people you choose to come back with, and that you choose people that you are karmically connected to. (IT) I see it a little bit differently than that...

A: Aha! We have a variance!

Q: (IT) I think that when we die and go to 5th density, that we make pacts with people in each incarnation, so when you come back, it is coming back to fulfill that pact. (LC) Yes, that is the way my line of thinking is going. But, when they asked that question, I was thinking that you have people you come back with because of closeness. Somebody may be your mother in one life, and there is a love bond, and then there are other people that you come back with because you have to resolve something to let go of that person rather than to get closer.

A: This is partially correct. But, there is more to it than this. For example, one can incarnate on various planes of existence, not just the one you perceive currently. And, one may actually reincarnate on more than one plane concurrently, if one is advanced enough to do this.

Q: (IT) You know, a psychic told me that I had two lives going on at once... (L) Are you suggesting that ...

A: Yes, we are!

Q: (L) I was thinking it, but they didn't let me finish. For the record, I was thinking that we are all part of the same soul unit here.

A: To an extent, but you may not yet understand what exactly a "soul unit" is in that sense. And of course, there is more than one sense for this as well. The "trick" that 3rd density STS life forms will learn, either prior to transition to 4th density, or at the exact juncture, is to think in absolutely limitless terms. The first and most solid step in this process is to not anticipate at all. This is most difficult for you. We understand this, but this as also why we keep reiterating this point. For example, imagine if one of your past lives is also a future life?

Q: (IT) There we have quantum tunnelling!

A: Yes.

Q: (IT) This has to do with past lives and future lives.

A: Yes.

Q: (IT) But somehow I can't put it together yet. I can't connect it.

A: You will. "All in due time, my pretty, all in due time."

 

[Siberia]

Very interesting thread, thank you for sharing, Joe!

I found this video on YouTube where Stafford Betty discusses these aspects too. The video is 26 minutes long:

 

[fabric]

I thought I'd share it here since I found it interesting and because it touches on many points made in the Cs sessions. It also seems to suggest that, while these descriptions are likely of '5D', there appears to be different levels there also, and perhaps the bulk of the descriptions here are of a fairly 'low level realm' or maybe that experienced by new arrivals or something.

That sounds like a very interesting book! I find the subject fascinating and my first introduction to it was a book a friend gave me called “The Spirits’ Book” by Allan Kardec in 1857. A lot of that reminded me of the book. It’s channeled material that he compiled but the questions and answers were well organized and overlapped with a lot of things I read later down the road. I also liked his approach and it also covered a really wide range of subjects.

In the introduction he describes some of the methods they used. I liked the basket idea. :

The earliest manifestations of intelligence were made by means of the legs of tables, that moved up and down, striking a given number of times, and replying in this way by "yes" or "no" to the questions asked. Even here, it must be confessed, there was nothing very convincing for the incredulous, as these apparent answers might be an effect of chance. But fuller replies were soon obtained, the object in motion striking a number of blows corresponding to the number of each letter of the alphabet, so that words and sentences began to be produced in reply to the questions propounded. The correctness of these replies, their correlation with the questions asked, excited astonishment.

[...]

The mode of communication furnished by the alphabet being tedious and inconvenient, the invisible agent (a point worthy of note) suggested another, by advising the fitting of a pencil to a small basket. This basket, placed upon a sheet of paper, was set in motion by the same occult power that moved the tables; but, instead of obeying a simple and regular movement of rotation, the pencil traced letters that formed words, sentences, and entire discourses, filling many pages, treating of the deepest questions of philosophy, morality, metaphysics, psychology, etc., and as rapidly as though written by the hand.

The object to which the pencil is attached being merely an instrument, its nature and form are of no importance, convenience being the only point to be considered. The instrument known as the planchette has since been generally adopted.

The basket, or planchette, will only move under the influence of certain persons gifted with a special power or faculty, who are called mediums,-that is to say, go-betweens, or intermediaries between spirits and men. The conditions which give this power depend on causes, physical and moral, that are as yet but imperfectly understood, for mediums are of all ages, of both sexes, and of every degree of intellectual development. The faculty of mediumship, moreover, is developed by exercise.

[...]

Two points of the highest importance, and that could not escape the notice of the attentive observer, sufficed to settle the question. The first of these is the way in which the basket moves under the influence of the medium, through the mere laying of his fingers on its edges, and in such a manner that it would be impossible for him to guide it in any direction whatever. This impossibility becomes still more evident when two or three persons place their fingers at the same time on the same basket, for a truly phenomenal concordance of movements and of thoughts would be required between them, in order to produce, on the part of each, the same reply to the question asked. And this difficulty is increased by the fact that the writing often changes completely with each spirit who communicates, and that, whenever a given spirit communicates, the same writing re-appears. In such cases, the medium would have to train himself to change his handwriting an indefinite number of times, and would also have to remember the particular writing of each spirit.

Although his book has a very ‘Christian’ flavor to it, and also likely stuff passed on by ‘dead dudes’, it made a lot of sense to me. Then again there's alot of people alive who say very wise things so it stands to reason they might know a thing or two. Below are a few relevant excerpts I thought worth sharing.

****​

On Incarnation

180. In passing from this world into another one, does a spirit retain the intelligence which he possessed in this one?

"Undoubtedly he does; intelligence is never lost. But he may not have the same means of manifesting it for that depends both on his degree of advancement and on the quality of the body he will take." (Vide, Influence of Organism.)

217. Does a man, in his different incarnations, retain any traces of the physical character of his preceding existences?

"The body is destroyed, and the new one has no connection with the old one. Nevertheless, the spirit is reflected in the body; and although the body is only matter, yet, being modelled on the capacities of the spirit, the latter impresses upon it a certain character that is more particularly visible in the face, and especially in the eyes, which have been truly declared to be the mirror of the soul-that is to say, that the face reflects the soul more especially than does the rest of the body. And this is so true that a very ugly face may please when it forms part of the envelope of a good, wise, and humane spirit; while, on the other hand, very handsome faces may cause you no pleasurable emotion, or may even excite a movement of repulsion. It might seem, at first sight, that only well-made bodies could be the envelopes of good spirits, and yet you see every day virtuous and superior men with deformed bodies. Without there being any very marked resemblance between them, the similarity of tastes and tendencies may, therefore, give what is commonly called a family-likeness to the corporeal bodies successively assumed by the same spirit."

Progressive Transmigrations

192. Is it possible for us, by leading a perfect life in our present existence, to overleap all the intervening steps of the ascent, and thus to arrive at the state of pure spirits, without passing through the intermediate degrees?

"No; for what a man imagines to be perfect is very far from perfection; there are qualities which are entirely unknown to him, and which he could not now be made to comprehend. He may be as perfect as it is possible for his terrestrial nature to be; 'but he will still be very far from the true and absolute perfection. It is just as with the child, who, however precocious he may be, must necessarily pass through youth to reach adult life; or as the sick man, who must pass through convalescence before arriving at the complete recovery of his health. And besides, a spirit must advance in knowledge as well as in morality; if he have advanced in only one of these directions, he will have to advance equally in the other, in order to reach the top of the ladder of perfection. But it is none the less certain that the more a man advances in his present life the shorter and the less painful will be the trials he will have to undergo in his subsequent existences."

195. Might not the certainty of being able' to improve one self in a future' existence' lead some persons to persist in evil courses, through knowing that they will always be' able' to amend at some later period?

"He who could make such a calculation would have no real belief in anything; and such as one would not be any more restrained by the idea of incurring eternal punishment, because his reason would reject that idea, which leads to every sort of unbelief. An imperfect spirit, it is true, might reason in that way during his corporeal life; but when he is freed from his material body, he thinks very differently; for he soon perceives that he has made a great mistake in his calculations, and this perception causes him to carry an opposite sentiment into his next incarnation. It is thus that progress is accomplished; and it is thus also that you have upon the earth some men who are farther advanced than others, because some possess experience that the others have not yet acquired, but that will be gradually acquired by them. It depends upon each spirit to hasten his own advancement or to retard it indefinitely."

Wandering Spirits

223. Is the soul reincarnated immediately after its separation from the body?

"Sometimes immediately, but more often after intervals of longer or shorter duration. In the higher worlds, reincarnation is almost always immediate. Corporeal matter in those worlds being less gross than in the worlds of lower advancement, a spirit, while incarnated in them, retains the use of nearly all his spirit-faculties, his normal condition being that of your somnambulists in their lucid state."

227. In what way do wandering spirits obtain instruction? It can hardly be in the same way as men.

"They study their past, and seek out the means of raising them-selves to a higher degree. Possessed of vision, they observe all that is going on in the regions through which they pass. They listen to the discourse of enlightened men, and to the counsels of spirits more advanced than themselves, and they thus acquire new ideas."

229. How is it that spirits, on quitting the earth, do not leave behind them all their evil passions, since they are then able to perceive the disastrous consequences of those passions?

"You have among you persons who are, for instance, excessively jealous; do you imagine that they lose this defect at once on quitting your world ? There remains with spirits, after their departure from the earthly life, and especially with those who have had strongly marked passions, a sort of atmosphere by which they are enveloped, and which keeps up all their former evil qualities; for spirits are not entirely freed from the influence of materiality. It is only occasionally that they obtain glimpses of the truth, showing them, as it were, the true parth which they ought to follow."

230. Do spirits progress in the state of erraticity?

"They may make a great advance in that state, in proportion to their efforts and desires after improvement, but it is in the corporeal life that they put in practice the new ideas they have thus acquired."


232. Can spirits in the state of erraticity enter all the other worlds?

"That depends on their degree of advancement. When a spirit has quitted the body, he is not necessarily disengaged entirely from matter, and he still belongs to the world in which he has lived, or to a world of the same degree, unless he has raised himself during his earthly life to a world of higher degree; and this progressive elevation should be the constant aim of every spirit, for without it he would never attain to perfection. A spirit, however, may enter worlds of higher degree; but, in that case, he finds himself to be a stranger in them. He can only obtain, as it were, a glimpse of them; but such glimpses often serve to quicken his desire to improve and to advance, that he may become worthy of the felicity which is enjoyed in them, and may thus be enabled to inhabit them in course of time."

233. Do spirits who are already purified ever come into worlds of lower degree?

"They come into them very frequently in order to help them forward. Unless they did so, those worlds would be left to them-selves, without guides to direct them."

234. Are there, as has been stated, worlds which serve as stations and resting-places for errant spirits?

"Yes; there are worlds which are specially adapted for the reception of wandering beings, worlds which they may temporally inhabit; a sort of camping-ground in which they may bivouac for a time, and repose after a too lengthened erraticity - a state which is always somewhat wearisome. Those worlds constitute intermediary stations between the worlds of other orders, and are graduated according to the nature of the spirits who are to come into them, and who will find in them the conditions of a rest more or less enjoyable."

Perceptions, Sensations, and Suffering of Spirits

242. How do spirits acquire the knowledge of the past, and is this knowledge without limits for them?

"The past, when we turn our attention to it, is perceived by us as though it were present, exactly as is the case with you, when you call to mind something which may have struck you in the course of your present exile; with this difference, however, that, as out view is no longer obscured by the material veil which covers your intelligence, we remember things that are at present effaced from your memory. But spirits do not know everything; for example, their creation."

243. Do spirits foresee the future?

"That, again, depends on their degree of advancement. Very often, they foresee it only partially; but, even when they foresee it more clearly, they are not always Permitted to reveal it. When they foresee it, it appears to them to be present. A spirit sees the future more clearly in proportion as he approaches God. After death, the soul sees and embraces at a glance all its past emigrations, but it cannot see what God has in store for it. This foreknowledge is only possessed by the soul that has attained to entire union with God, after a long succession of existences."

247. Do spirits need to travel in order to see two different points? Can they, for instance, see the two hemispheres of the globe at the same time?

"As spirits transport themselves from point to point with the rapidity of thought, they may be said to see everywhere at the tame time. A spirit's thought may radiate at the same moment on many different points; but this faculty depends on his purity. The more impure the spirit, the narrower is his range of sight. It is only the higher spirits who can take in a whole at a single glance."

254. Do spirits experience fatigue and the need of rest?

"They cannot feel fatigue as you understand it, and consequently they have no need of your corporeal rest, because they have no organs whose strength requires to be restored. But a spirit may be said to take rest, inasmuch as he is not constantly in a state of activity. He does not act materially; his action is altogether intellectual, and his resting is altogether moral; that is to say, that there are moments when his thought becomes less active, and is no longer directed to any special object, and this constitutes for him a state which is really one of repose, but a kind of repose which cannot be likened to that of the body. The sort of fatigue which may be felt by spirits is proportionate to their inferiority; for, the higher their degree of elevation, the less is their need of rest."

Choice of Trials

258. In the state of erraticity, and before taking on a new corporeal existence, does a spirit foresee the things which will happen to him in that new existence?

"He chooses for himself the kind of trials which he will undergo, and it is in this freedom of choice that his freewill consists."

259. If the spirit has the choice of the kind of trials which he will undergo, does it follow that all the tribulations we experiance in the earthly life have been foreseen and chosen by us?

"It would not be correct to say that such has been the case with all of them; for you cannot be said to have chosen and foreseen all the things which happen to you in this life, and all their details. You have chosen the kind of trial to which you are subjected; the details of this trial are a consequence of the general situation which you have chosen, and are often the result of your own actions.

"If, for instance, a spirit has chosen to be born among male-factors, he knew to what kind of temptations he was exposing himself, but not each one of the actions which he would accomplish; those actions are the effect of his volition, of his free-will. A spirit knows that, in choosing such and such a road, he will have such and such a kind of struggle to undergo; he knows, therefore, the nature of the vicissitudes which he will encounter, but he does not know whether these will present themselves under one form or under another. The details of events spring from circumstances and the force of things. It is only the leading events of his new life, those which will exercise a determining effect on his destiny, that are foreseen by him. If you enter upon a road full of ruts, you know that you must walk very warily, because you run a risk of stumbling; but you do not know the exact place where you will stumble, and it may be that, if you are sufficiently on your guard, you will not stumble at all. If, when you are passing along a street, a tile falls upon your head, you must not suppose that 'it was written,' as the common saying is."

260. How can a spirit choose to be born among those who are leading a bad life?

"It is necessary for him to be sent into the conditions which will furnish the elements of the trial he has demanded. To this end, there must be a correspondence between the imperfection of which he desires to free himself, and the social surroundings into which he is born. For example, if he have to struggle against the instinct of brigandage, it is necessary for him to be thrown among brigands."

268. Until a spirit has reached the state of perfect purity, has he constantly to undergo trials?

"Yes; but not such as you understand by that term. By the term trials, you understand only material tribulations. But when a spirit has reached a certain degree of purification, although he is not yet perfect, he has no more tribulations of that kind to undergo. lie has, nevertheless, to perform creating duties which advance his own improvement, but there is nothing painful in these, as, for example, the duty of aiding others to work out their own improvement."

269. Is it possible for a spirit to make a mistake as to the efficacy of the trial he chooses?

"He may choose one which exceeds his strength, and, in that case, he will succumb; or he may choose one from which he will reap no profit whatever, as, for instance, if he seeks to lead an idle and useless life. But, in such cases, he perceives, on returning to the spirit-world, that he has gained nothing, and he then demands to make up for lost time."

Relationships Beyond the Grave

204. As we have had many existences, do our relationships extend beyond our present existence?

"It cannot be otherwise. The succession of their corporeal existences establishes among spirits a variety of relationships which date back from their former existences; and these relationships are often the cause of the sympathies or antipathies which you sometimes feel towards persons whom you seem to meet for the first time."

206. If there be no filiation among the spirits successively incarnated as the descendants of the same family, does it follow that it is absurd to honour the memory of one's ancestors?

"Assuredly not; for one ought to rejoice in belonging to a family in which elevated spirits have been incarnated. Although spirits do not proceed from one another, their affection for those who are related to them by family-ties is none the less real; for they are often led to incarnate themselves in such and such a family by pre-existing causes of sympathy, and by the influence of attractions due to relationships contracted in anterior lives. But you may be very sure that the spirits of your ancestors are in no way gratified by the honours you pay to their memory from a sentiment of pride. Their merits, however great they may have been, can only add to your deserts by stimulating your efforts to follow the good examples they may have given you; and it is only through this emulation of their good qualities that your remembrance can become for them not only agreeable but useful also."

283. Can spirits hide their thoughts from each other? Can they hide themselves from one another?

"No; with them everything is open, and especially so with those who have attained to perfection. They may withdraw from one another, but they are always visible to each other. This, however, is not an absolute rule, for the higher spirits are perfectly able to render themselves invisible to the lower ones, when they consider it to be useful to do so."

286. Does the soul see, immediately on quitting its mortal remains, the relations and friends who have returned before it into the world of spirits?

"Immediately is not always the right word; for, as we have said, the soul requires some time to resume its self-consciousness, and to shake off the veil of materiality."

289. Do our relatives and friends sometimes come to meet us when we are leaving the earth?

"Yes, they come to meet the soul of those they love; they felicitate it as one who has returned from a journey if it have escaped the dangers of the road, and they aid it in freeing itself from the bonds of the flesh. To be met thus by those they have loved is a favour granted to the souls of the upright; while the soul of the wicked is punished by being left alone, or is only surrounded by spirits like itself."

291. Have spirits special personal affections among themselves, besides the general sympathy resulting from similarity?

"Yes, just as among men; but the link between spirits is stronger when the body is absent, because it is no longer exposed to the vicissitudes of the passions."

293. Do those who have been enemies on earth always retain their resentment against one another in the spirit-world?

"No; for they often see that their hatred was stupid, and perceive the puerility of the object by which it was excited. It is only imperfect spirits who retain the animosities of the earthly life of which they rid themselves in proportion as they become purified. Spirits whose anger, as men, has been caused by some merely material interest, forget their dissension as soon as they are dematerialised. The cause of their dissension no longer existing, they may, if there be no antipathy between them, see each other again with pleasure."

297. Does the affection which two spirits have felt for each other upon the earth always continue in the spirit-world?

"Yes, undoubtedly, if that affection were founded on sympathy; but, if physical causes have had more share in it than sympathy, it ceases with those causes. Affections are more solid and lasting among spirits than among men, because they are not subordinated to the caprices of material interests and self-love."

298. Is it true that the souls of those who will eventually be united in affection are predestined to this union from their beginning, and that each of us has thus, in some part of the universe, his other half, to whom he will some day be necessarily reunited?

"No, there is no such thing as any special and fated union between any two souls. Union exists between all spirits, but in different degrees, according to the rank they occupy,-that is to say, according to the degree of perfection they have acquired; and the greater their perfection, the more united they are. It is discord that produces all the ills of human life. The complete and perfect happiness at which all spirits eventually arrive is the result of concord."

Remembrance of Corporeal Existence

305. Does the remembrance of his corporeal existence present itself to a spirit, complete, and spontaneously, immediately after his death?

"No; it comes back to him little by little, in proportion as he fixes his attention upon it, as objects gradually become visible out of a fog."

307. In what way does his past life present itself to a spirit’s memory? Is it through an effort of his imagination, or is it like a picture displayed before his eyes?

"It comes back to him in both ways. All the actions which he has an interest in remembering appear to him as though they were present; the others are seen by him more or less vaguely in his thought, or are entirely forgotten. The more dematerialised he is, the less importance does he attach to material things. It has often happened to you, on evoking some wandering spirit who has just left the earth, to find that he remembers neither the names of persons whom he liked, nor details which to you appear to be important. He cares but little about them, and they have faded from his memory. But you always find that he perfectly remembers the main facts of his life which have conduced to his intellectual and moral progress."

308. Does a spirit remember all the existences which have preceded the one he has just quitted?

"His entire past is spread out before him like the stages already accomplished by a traveller, but, as we have told you, he does not remember all his past actions with absolute precision; he remembers them more or less clearly in proportion to the influence they have had upon his present state. As to his earliest existences, those which may be regarded as constituting the period of spirit-infancy, they are lost in vagueness, and disappear in the night of oblivion.

314. When a man, who has commenced a series of important labours in view of some useful end, has seen these labours interrupted by death, does he, in the other world, feel regret at having had to leave them unfinished?

"No, because he sees that others are destined to complete them. On the contrary, he endeavours to act upon the minds of other human beings, so as to lead them to carry on what he had begun. His aim while upon the earth was to be useful to the human race: his aim is the same in the spirit-world."

335. Is the spirit allowed to choose the body into which lie will enter, or does he only choose the kind of life which is to serve for his trial?

"He may choose a body also, for the imperfections of a given body are so many trials that will aid his advancement, if he succeeds in vanquishing the obstacles thus placed in his way. This choice does not always depend on himself, but he may ask to be allowed to make it."

Forgetfulness of the Past

393. How can a man be responsible for deeds, and atone for faults, of which he has no remembrance? How can he profit by the experience acquired in existences which he has forgotten? We could understand that the tribulations of life might be a lesson for him if he remembered the wrong-doing which has brought them upon him; but if he forgets his former existences, each new existence is, for him, as though it were his first, and thus the work is always to be begun over again. How is this to be reconciled with the justice of God?

"With each new existence a spirit becomes more intelligent, and better able to distinguish between good and evil. Where would be his freedom if he remembered all his past? When a spirit reenters his primitive life (the spirit-life), his whole past unrolls itself before him. He sees the faults which he has committed, and which are the cause of his suffering, and he also sees what would have prevented him from committing them; he comprehends the justice of the situation which is assigned to him, and he then seeks out the new existence that may serve to repair the mistakes of the one which has just passed away. He demands new trials analogous to those in which he has failed, or which he considers likely to aid his advancement; and he demands of the spirits who are his superiors to aid him in the new task he is about to undertake, for he knows that the spirit who will be appointed as his guide in that new existence will endeavour to make him cure himself of his faults by giving him a sort of intuition of those he has committed in the past. This intuition is the evil thought, the criminal desire, which often come to you, and which you instinctively resist, attributing your resistance to the principles you have received from your parents, while it is due in reality to the voice of your conscience; and that voice is the reminiscence of your past, warning you not to fall again into the faults you have already committed. He who, having entered upon a new existence, undergoes its trials

396. Some persons believe themselves to have a vague remembrance of an unknown past, which comes before them like the fugitive image of a dream that one vainly endeavours to recall. Is this belief only an illusion?

"It is sometimes real, but it is often an illusion to be guarded against; for it may be merely the effect of an excited imagination."

399. The vicissitudes of corporeal life being at once an expiation of the faults of the past and lessons for the future, can we, from the nature of those vicissitudes, infer the character of our preceding existence?

"You can do so very frequently, since the nature of the punishment incurred always corresponds to that of the fault committed. Nevertheless, it would not do to consider this as being an absolute rule. The instinctive tendencies furnish a more certain indication; for the trials undergone by a spirit are as much for the future as for the past."

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Obviously we have no way of knowing, but I'm thinking that 4D is pretty different from 5D. First, 4D is partly physical, so in theory, if our planet 'moves to 4D' everything might initially appear pretty much the same as it does now, at least at first...

Yes, I think there is a distinct difference comparing 5D and 4D as well. It does seem like when they are talking about “higher worlds” that they could be referring to something like 4D. And when they talk about 'higher or more advanced souls' perhaps it's a reference to 6D. Something that comes to mind is when comparing the two states is that 5D removes all physical limitation, however a 4D state has within it some limitation – although less due to its variability. This could in part explain the greater awareness available to a 4D being since it is physically less restrictive and the consciousness is not wholly 'confined' to the available genetics. However we can see that even in a limited 3D state we are able to have some effect (for example epigenetic changes by controlling what we allow inside us, such as food, thoughts, emotions and our responses to them etc) on our physical bodies. Perhaps these same actions will carry even greater impact as the transition progresses.

One thing that seems to be a recurring theme is that souls don't retrogade - only stay static or (eventually) advance. I'm still trying to make sense of that (assuming that is true). My question is how does that fit with the contractile nature of STS? If STS is generally understood as ‘evil’, along what lines is soul advancement defined to allow a spirit more advanced to be 4D STS?

Perhaps it is something like the progression forward is not necessarily connected to how much "good" you did but the nature of your experiences. For some (or maybe many), it is necessary to have been on 'both sides' to gain the knowledge needed to complete the trials chosen during incarnative periods.

The result of those trials is a greater awareness of what types of worlds one could incarnate. At some point they would have progressed enough that continuing on requires learning on higher planes. The question still remains though – why? Why would a more advanced soul want to align itself with STS? If a sufficiently advanced soul has this awareness, it seems strange to me to choose that. But perhaps the reasons are just as varied as the reasons we continue to spend many incarnations on a 3D STS world (ie. part of the lesson plan they chose).

Another reason could be, assuming progression is a 'mandate' of sorts (as is hinted at), and those rebellious (despite doing what they can to stall it), eventually will find themselves at a juncture where “where they fit” is a 4D learning environment. Since it’s sort of the ‘last stop’ before pure consciousness, an STS mode of expression would be most attractive to them – basically since it prolongs what is said to be ‘inevitable’. The opposite would be STO, which would bring one towards advancement.

Now this is all pure speculation, so take it with a grain, or several of salt – but I’ve always been curious about the mechanics of it all. Good news (or not) is we’ll all get to find out at some point or another, if one is so inclined.