Heaven and Hell Revisited - Book Review

[Ollie]

Heaven and Hell Revisited: Updates from the World of Spirit, by Stafford Betty, (2014).

This forms the middle book of three on the afterlife by Stafford Betty, a university professor at California State, Bakersfield, and an expert on afterlife research. His first book is, The Afterlife Revealed: What the Dead are Telling Us About Their World, (2011), and his third: When did you ever become less by dying? AFTERLIFE: The Evidence, (2016).

Brief extracts from the third book were the subject of a thread by Joe: Descriptions of the "afterlife". Highlights from the first book were given in the same thread by Altair. What is concentrated on here, in this particular thread, is more to do with personal development, or soul advancement, taken in more detail, along with a little scene setting, than the broader topics covered in the thread on ‘Descriptions of the ‘afterlife”’.

The research contained in the book is based on Beings who speak from the afterlife through mediums, legitimate in both cases, both evidential spirits an mediums – covering research into the topic over the last 160 years – and a consistency and congruence of these accounts.

As there are a lot of quotes (the post is quite long) a separate thread is started here, rather than in the above-mentioned thread. Rather than a strict book review, it is more a series of excerpts with the odd comment, to give a taste of what lies within the book. To a degree, the excerpts are self-explanatory, yet provide plenty of food for much thought about soul development in the afterworld.

So, what follows are some interesting, and relevant, quotes from some of the chapters of this book. The post is split into 5 parts for easier reading.

First a little scene setting.

Dying

… Her passing was perhaps typical of what ours will be like. She died in old age of natural causes and seems to have been a conventionally good person of no particular distinction.

After I woke from the sleep of death, and following its uneasy dreams, some pleasant, some nightmares, my father and mother appeared to welcome me. Then your father [she is writing to her son through Miss Cummins] and my sisters came. But my end was my beginning, I was too overjoyed at getting a glimpse of George, your brother, so your father and mother soothed me, calmed me, took charge of me and gave me my first sense of locality and environment.
It was all rather graceful – time of oblivion and unawareness, then those two were there beside me – my parents almost like doctor and nurse, and they guided me back into real consciousness.

What is perhaps most interesting … is the reuniting with loved ones and the absence of a judging God. … there is a judgement. But it doesn’t unfold the way most of us have been taught.
Note the presence of spirit helpers … It’s one of the many ways that spirits render loving service to each other. …
Perhaps the most important lesson here is that we don’t really die when we pass. We just shed the physical body and keep going in a spiritual, or “astral,” body.

So, from dying, of which we are fairly familiar with the process, here on the Forum, to a description of the world beyond death – it is a world of infinite possibility.

Their World

… [on earth], as here {this is a person speaking from The Beyond}, each views life from his own standpoint, and personal preference guides attention towards one thing and away from another; this play of individuality shows itself conspicuously in communications from death.
…
There is another fact that makes such descriptions vary; all who speak are not dwelling in the same part of the next world. Some are in supernal light, others in dim borderlands where they remain until improved character defines their senses and so makes possible an advance to brighter realms. … life present wide differences in The Beyond.
…
… I’ve come to the following conclusions about the afterworld based in part on research summarized from my earlier book, The Afterlife Unveiled.

1.Our present ideas about heaven and hell are illusionary. Hell is hellish, yes, but it’s not a place of physical pain, nor is it everlasting, nor is it a place where there is no help. And heaven is not one place but a spectrum of worlds stretching from the lowly joys of souls newly arrived to spheres of unimaginable bliss and perfection for souls far more advanced. … It is a place with landscapes and seas and houses and cities reminiscent of our own world. It is an objectively real material world, but made of matter vibrating much more rapidly than our senses can pick up. … but no factories, fire stations, sanitary landfills, or smokestacks. There are no dirty jobs to do. … describing a relatively low zone of the afterworld sometimes called Paradise or Summerland. It resembles a glorified earth.

2.The afterworld begins at the earth’s surface and expands outward. Earth is a nucleus of the entire world system that the spirits describe. “The spirit world begins very near the earth and extends millions of miles beyond, … surrounds you on all sides, like the atmosphere does the globe, and every nation has its counterpart in spirit, surrounding it, in connection with that part over or nearest its earthly place of residence.”
…
5.The newly “dead” are thoroughly themselves when they pass. Their personalities and habits and character, for better or worse, are completely intact. Nothing miraculous happens to them when they pass. … Once the physical body dies, the inner body quite naturally becomes the outer …

This is similar to Laura’s post in ‘Descriptions of the “afterlife”’ thread.

I'm also reminded of the idea that "a dead Presbyterian is just that, a dead Presbyterian."

7. Life in the afterworld is more vivid and intense than on earth, not more ghostly. Spirits often describe their world as more real than ours: Our earth is a facsimile of theirs, theirs is the prototype. Astral beings have fewer limitations. They can communicate telepathically and with much greater precision than through the cumbersome medium of speech. They can move from place to place by willing to be at their destination, though they can walk if they want to. Their minds are sharper, their emotions more acutely felt, both positive and negative. They see and hear as before, but in a more intense way. On the other hand, they may be no wiser or morally better than they were before. …
…
11. The afterworld provides opportunities for every wholesome interest or avocation – from science to music to theology to astral architecture to homebuilding. It is a joyful, endlessly fascinating place, full of challenges for those mature enough to value it.
…
12. There are hellish regions in the astral, and large populations that make their home there. The Shadowlands are a vast world of many conditions. The landscapes vary from sordid city neighbourhoods to parched gray scrubland to dark, lifeless deserts. The vivid clarity of higher realms is missing. Instead there is a dull overcast. Temporarily lost or confused or stubbornly unrepentant souls populate these regions. Disturbing noises and howls are sometimes mentioned. …
…
15. Spouses, relatives, friends, and former teachers, some from earlier lives, some forgotten, turn up and may renew old friendships. …
…
17. Spirits are not naked, but clothed. Astral clothing is fashioned by the mind, usually without any conscious effort. Clothes are actually part of the astral body. … “automatically reflect his character because they are part of the total self – part, in fact of the subtle body that automatically responds to his habitual thoughts and feelings.” There are no clothes closets in the astral.
…
The universe that channelled literature describes is not micromanaged by an almighty God. The Infinite Source leaves all that to spirits, from the highest to the humblest, from the creator of a habitable planet to the inspirer of a musical composition. …

The Divine Source

The lesson we draw is that the Infinite Source loves in a manner that is absolutely superior to any love we have ever known. …
… belief in a vast, transcendent, more-than-loving, yet always mysterious Source anchors the religious life of heaven.

To be continued …

 

[Ollie]

Continuing on.

The Human Self

Free will Zabdiel {a spirit} states the principle simply: “Now evil is the antithesis of good, but both may be present, as you know, in one person. It is only by free will that that person is held responsible for both good and evil in his heart.” A spirit … said, “Each [of us] builds what we call character. And we know that the extent of the building depends upon the personal initiative of each, on his individual free will.” But conditions are different after death for residents of heaven, even the “lowlands of heaven.” Drayton Thomas’s father {a spirit} explains: “I have freedom of choice. I could do wrong, but I would not. I should not be on this plane if I chose wrong. … But we can choose different ways of doing things, just as you have different ways of working on earth. … I could not have chosen a wrong way, yet I might have chosen one not so good.”
…
No hiding what we are. There are no masks in the astral. You can’t hide from others what you are: the quality of light shining forth from your body tells all. Mattson tells us that our negative thoughts “go around like a big, heavy, sluggish piece of material – like mud or oil slicks.” Even the house a spirit lives in reflects his spiritual nature. These facts can be humiliating at first, but it spurs many spirits on to a greater effort to improve themselves.

Again, I am reminded of Laura’s post in ‘Descriptions of the “afterlife”’ thread.

What does seem to be suggested all the way around is that our actions and deeds and thoughts and attitudes in 3D do have a profound effect on what we experience when we pass over.

Another post of Laura’s in the thread, which is equally relevant here:

in general, the principle seems to be that Cosmic Mind/Information Field is not mocked: what you sow, you WILL reap, one way or another, no matter at what level of existence you may be.
…
It seems to me that being unkind, that is, selfishly, self-centredly, mean, even if it seems to be small potatoes, or even if our brains create elaborate narratives about why we are justified in being mean to another person, is deadly to the soul.

Then there is the post by strategic enclosure in the same thread, which builds on a similar point.

… I cannot change the past but I can use realisation of my missteps in the past to shape who I am now which will shape who I am in the future. There will be no escaping the agonies of self reflection on my past conduct when I 'die' but the less I add to the ledger from now on the better.

Followed by Laura referring to the above post of strategic enclosure.

Absolutely right. That's the awakening of conscience Gurdjieff described, and yes, we are still in the body and that gives us an opportunity to heal the present as much as possible, and thus, shape our future both in this world and in the next. And perhaps, by healing the present, we can change the past, too.

No time like the present to examine oneself, one's deeds, who one has hurt out of selfishness or self-centeredness (some hurt can't be avoided), and to take measures, if such are possible, to confess and make amends. It only takes a few lies, a few mean acts, an overarching selfishness, to subtract serious points and start one on the road to serious suffering either now, or in the next world, or both.

In a very real sense, God is watching us.

Progress Through Stages

… Charles Henry {a spirit} explained that he was “one of a group, operating in the ‘fourth sphere’, that controls me collectively, with [myself] as the actual point of mental contact – a sort of committee of like-minded discarnates who operate in harmony but can act separately.” … Charles Henry wrote {through a medium} …:

Whereas on the third [lower] sphere we are still very individualised, and have much in common with the life we lived on earth, in the fourth [higher] sphere we enter a sort of common life with others, and share something like a common will and a common source of spiritual energy. You need not suppose my personality is suppressed, however it is not like that at all. Rather it is a vivid intensification of those parts of the personal self which are attuned to the higher life, and a lessening of the parts that are attached to the earth and to lower spheres.

This instruction from heaven makes it clear that spirits can progress. The spirit author has risen from the third to the fourth sphere, so called because it encircles the earth at a greater distance out from the earth than the third.
…
… Zabdiel, another spirit … tells …,

If it were possible that I should take you now into that sphere [where I live] you would not see anything at all, because your condition is not yet fitted to it. What you would see would be a mist of light, more or less intense according to what region of that sphere you were in. In the lower spheres you would see more, but not all, and what you would see you would not understand in every part.

… There are endless opportunities for growth; and growth, … requires discipline and self-sacrifice. But the will is free at every level, and no one is forced to take the high road. Zabdiel tells us that spirits eager to rise attend “colleges.” He explains that “from the lower to the higher spheres there is a graded system of progress, and every step onward implies an added capacity, not alone of power, but in enjoyment in the using of it. ”
But not all spirits are eager to rise. …
In many respects conditions in the afterworld are similar to conditions here. Many of us on earth, perhaps most are content to be our ordinary selves, while only a minority are serious about changing ourselves for the better. … According to Hatch {a spirit}, my old friend {who did not believe in change} is not likely to expect more of himself after he dies than he did before. And the heavenly realms will be closed off to him. His destiny, according Hatch and many other spirits, will sooner or later be another shift on earth. …

It appears that suffering in the afterworld can be intense, and it exists to awaken souls to their errors so that they can enter into the happiness of higher realms where corruption cannot enter. This is suggesting a separation between STO and STS in the higher realms.

Judgement

What do the spirits say about judgement? … Does a good or bad character have any impact on the quantity of life in the hereafter? Most of us are constantly playing the blame game – the media sees to it! Is this habit of passing judgment on everything that happens around us, in in us, a petty planetary pastime, or does it go to the very heart of who we are? …
Judgment is a central concern, not only of spirits newly dead, but much further along. Let’s begin with those who have recently passed. “When coming to this land,” says W.T. Stead, the Titanic victim, “that whole record [of one’s thoughts and actions] has to be dealt with. … by our own spirit selves. In spirit life we have a full and clear remembrance of all these things and according to the quality of those individual thoughts, so we are brought into a state of regret, happiness, or unhappiness, despair or satisfaction.” Drayton Thomas’ aunt {a spirit} told him that

The judgment to come consists of being able to see ourselves as we are, and by no stretch of the imagination being able to avoid seeing it. It is a judgment of God on us through our higher selves. …and no other person could be so severe or just a judge of us as we are ourselves can be when facing the truth. For many it is a terrible hour.

We get a vivid picture of this kind of suffering in the following statement, made by an elderly unnamed woman two years after her death:

I have had the most disturbing experiences, I don’t really know how I lived through them. … One of the tasks set me was that of looking back. I have been shown the effects of all my acts upon other people’s minds. Their thoughts were shown to me. It was the most awful and humiliating experience. … I have seen what is called “the emotional reactions” to my own acts. … On the whole I deserved what I got. … I am changed. I am a much softer person now.

…
A D Mattson {a spirit} tells us that few people on earth have any idea how significant their ordinary acts are. They don’t suspect, therefore, that these acts, or failures to act, will have consequences in the world to come. Mattson wants us to see they do:

When an individual, on earth or here, omits doing something that he feels and knows he should do, the whole creation feels the loss. Whereas when new do something that adds grandeur and stature to life, the whole created universe gains from that action. It can make you shiver to know and appreciate how far-reaching a thought or deed or word of any person can be.

Another judgment account comes to us from Frances Banks. In life she had been a highly respected teacher, a licenced psychologist, a nun for 25 years, and an “earnest seeker after spiritual life.” But, like the rest of us, she made mistakes. She was said to have had a “will of iron” and could be “obstinate and obdurate.” A month and a half after her death in 1965, she reported she was shocked to discover she had gone into flesh with a blueprint, a plan and her guides had worked out and that she had intended to carry out in her new life. Placing this blueprint next to the actual life she lived, she saw they “differed exceedingly.” You find, she explained, “that you did so little when you could have done so much; that you went wrong so often when you were sure that you were right.”

Her whole life was spread out before her, and she saw it “in a kaleidoscope of pictures.” But there was no one judging her, … Instead, “You are the accused, the judge, and the jury.”

Where there is judgment, reward or punishment must follow. And it does – just as much in the world to come as in ours. The main difference is that their world justice is perfect, whereas in ours it seldom is and therefore carries overtones of harshness. This harshness needs softening; we call it mercy. But mercy has no place in the afterworld. Aphraar {a spirit} explains: “… you have to learn that with us it {justice} means strict rightness, and if you add mercy to that on behalf of either party, the adulteration produces injustice.”

Justice isn’t a one-time affair either. The first judgment, Imperator {A spirit} tells us, is complete when, shortly after death, the spirit “gravitates to the home which it has made for itself. There can be no error. It is placed by the eternal law of fitness.” But later on, perhaps much later, “the spirit is fitted to pass to a higher sphere, when the same process is repeated, and so on and on until the purgatorial spheres of work are done with, and the soul passes within the inner heaven of contemplation. … Judgment is ceaseless, for the soul is ever fitting itself for change.”

To be continued …

 

[Ollie]

Continuing on with the chapter extracts.

Love and Service
This chapter is probably the crux of whole of the soul developmental activities. The extracts given are very much reminiscent of what the C’s have said of STO activities in the higher densities, both 4D and 6D.

So what is the “religion” of heaven? What is the nature of the “call” that needs to be answered? Drayton Thomas puts it concisely: “The ruling principle is service to others, and sharing happiness.” AD Mattson tells us that “God still gives us the opportunity and responsibility in the spiritual world … to serve.” Francis Banks tells us that she desires to advance to sphere for which my whole soul yearns” and that the key to progress is “continued service.” Serving, doing something useful, benefiting others – heaven vibrates to this kind of music. But service, after all, can be a joyless grind. The kind of service described in practically all spirit sources, however, is rewarding, even when it isn’t well received, even when its rejection brings pain to the one serving. That’s because the service is lit up by love. And love always carries joy in its wake. Imperator says, “We have our work to do; and in doing it we find our delight.”
… service lit up by love, but this time love for us. Nowhere is the primacy of love brought out more forcibly than in the following instruction given Aphraar by an advanced spirit: “Love! This life in all its phases, its multiform developments, its heights and depths, is but a grand community on that one word. Love is the only study we pursue – the food we eat, the life we live.” But love doesn’t come easily to heaven’s residents. It must be worked at, perfected. Advancement depends on such mastery. Zabdiel explains:

This is one of those things which make for difficulty in this life of the spheres. For not until man has learned to love all without hating any is he able to progress in this land where love means light, and those who do not love move in dim places where they lose their way, and often become so dull in mind and heart that their perception of the truth is as vague as that of outward things.
There are, on the other [hand], mansions here which sparkle with love in every stone, and send forth radiance over the country round to a great distance by reason of the high purity of love in those who dwell in them.

The message couldn’t be made much clearer! Deeds, and hence, character development are what matter. All accomplished with joy in our hearts. Words and beliefs count for nothing. Overall, and taken together, these are no small tasks.

…
Most spirit accounts assure us that each of us has one or more spirit guardians or guides. Monsignor Benson {a spirit} devotes a fascinating chapter to them. “Every soul,” he begins, “born upon the earth-plane has allocated to him – or her – a spirit guide.” He continues, “… guides understand and are in sympathy with their charges failings. Many of them indeed had the same failings when they were incarnate, and among other useful services they try to help their charges overcome these failings and weaknesses.” Although “unknown to those who serve,” spirit guides have a subtle influence over those entrusted to them, and “it is usually the spirit guide who has implanted the better thought within the brain.” By what means? By subtle instilled telepathic suggestions,” Judge Hatch {a spirit} tells us. However, “It must never be thought for one minute that the influence of the spirit guide negatives the possession or expression of free will,” Benson continues. Silver Birch {a spirit} is especially eloquent on this subject:

Unseen, unheard, we do reach you, exercising a silent but yet real influence in your lives, guiding you, quickening you, striving to direct you, aiding you to make the right choice so that your characters will grow, your souls will evolve, and you will be led into those paths which will enable you to extract from life all that is necessary for your growth and understanding.

But more often than not the spirits fail. They tell us they do their best to instill telepathically some encouragement or warning or piece of advice, but all too often it is rejected, sometimes with grave results. Even worse, they have to work around dark spirits counselling in the opposite direction. Judge Hatch says: “The heavens above your head now are literally swarming with souls who long to take a hand in the business of earth, souls who cannot let go, who find the habit of managing other people’s affairs a fascinating habit, as enthralling as that of tobacco or opium.” … not all spirits who penetrate our world are loving helpers.
…
Often they see the root of the problem in a materialist philosophy that denies the reality of spirit. Silver Birch is typical:

At the root of all your evils is … ignorance of spiritual law. Do you not realize that, once the gospel of materialism and all the self-interest it teaches is exploded forever, you have rid the world of its greatest curse? … Men have built their lives upon false foundations. Nations have tried to organize their policies on the principle of national self-interest. Dictators have risen and become tyrannical, only because they have been subservient to the gospel that might be right. Do you not see how necessary this knowledge is, not only for the individual, not only to the nation, but to the whole world?

…
Spirits sometimes wonder how earth manages to survive. Benson says that “had we withdrawn every element of our influence, the earth world would, in a very brief time, be reduced to a state of complete and absolute barbarity.”
… Ambrose Pratt {a spirit} tells us … “unevolved souls … remain human personalities living in their desired picture of earth for many years (according to earth-time) on this side of the border. Usually they go no further on the upward way. They eventually reincarnate.” They are not ready-yet-for the “Highlands of Heaven.” They haven’t developed the sense that they are “each other’s keeper … all part of the ONE pulsating, living, glorious WHOLE,” as AD Mattson puts it.
Aphraar marvels at “the tender sympathy and humility with which those higher, holier natures render assistance to the weaker. … Whatever they may have done,” he continues, “they have a wonderful power and aptitude of making you feel – no matter how great your enjoyment has been – that by far the greater happiness has accrued to them.”

Which is a brilliant introduction to the quotes of the next chapter. To be continued.

 

[Ollie]

Continuing on.

Next there are descriptions of the Beings of various levels (or, possibly as the C’s would say, densities).

Master Spirits, Messiahs, and Teachers

”Shall I tell you of one whom I call Beautiful Being?” wrote Judge Hatch through his medium … “If it has a name in heaven, I have not heard it. Is the Beautiful Being man or woman? Sometimes it seems to be one, sometimes the other. There is a mystery here which I cannot fathom.”
…
Hatch would meet the Beautiful Being a second time, and they had a conversation:

”Is this the particular heaven where you dwell? I asked.
“Oh, I dwell nowhere and everywhere,” … “I am one of the voluntary wanders, who find the charm of home in every heavenly or earthly place.” …
“And do you love the Earth?”
“The earth is one of my playgrounds. …”

... the other major force in Hatch’s spirit life. Hatch calls him simply the “Teacher.” … the Teacher … explains why he’s not Christ:

Like the ministering angles, I go where I am most needed. Only the strong ones can learn what I have to teach. The weak ones are the charges of the Messiahs [like Jesus] and their followers. But, nevertheless, between us and the Messiahs there is brotherhood and there is mutual understanding. Each works in his own field. The Messiahs help the many: we help the few. Their reward in love is greater than ours; but we do not work for reward any more than they do. Each follows the law of his being.

Benson describes …

… we have our temples where we can receive the great messengers from the highest realms, …
The building itself was magnificent. … The sanctuary … was filled with many beings from higher realms, with the exception of a space in the centre … And in the centre there slowly took shape the form of our visitant. As it gained in density we could see that he was a man whose appearance was that of a youth – spiritual youth – but we knew he carried with him to an unimaginable degree the … attributes of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Purity. …
… I knew that he was sending out to me, as to us all, thoughts of encouragement, of good hope, of kindness in the very highest degree …

…
Benson devotes the last chapter of his book to a journey he was allowed to take to one of the higher heavens. At first he is entranced by the beauty of the realm, ...
Far from being aloof and superior, … the residents of this place were welcoming: “As we walked down the corridors we met and were greeted by the most friendly and gracious beings. … There was no coldness, but everywhere the warmth of friendliness and affection. When brought into the presence of the ruler, again there was no standing on ceremony;

But, strange as it may sound, though we had been transported unfathomable distances to the presence of this transcendingly wonderful being, yet here in his very presence we felt perfectly at home, perfectly at ease with him. … He spoke to each of us individually, displaying an exact acquaintance with all our concerns, collectively and personally.

…
Another type of spiritual master is the leader of the so-called Group Soul. Many spirits are members of large spirit families, or “Group Souls,” that are waiting for them when they pass. … souls in a group are “part of ourselves. …” … the members of each group are inter-related and make a pattern. Discarnate and incarnate souls belong to a group. … Group souls are usually specialty groups, not family groups.

To be continued …

 

[Ollie]

The final set of extracts, used as a form of review of the book research.

Worship and Celebration

Another kind of ceremony marks the graduation of spirits to a higher sphere. A great multitude gathers to witness the elevation. Music and heraldry surrounded the event. Aphraar describes such an occasion. The leader, an “angel chief” of indescribable majesty with his attendants gathered around him, preaches a sermon without a word being spoken, at least not outwardly. Those who understood the sermon will be elevated. The great majority, including Aphraar, “stood and listened to the unbroken and profound peace that dwelt therein, but heard not the voice of the Father speaking; this was the test, the standard by which to measure the souls to be promoted.” In other words, those who heard the voice in the silence were the ones worthy of promotion. When the silence ended, a great Amen ended, a great Amen sounded and all felt that “some great mystery had taken place; that some had passed again, not from death, but from life into life more abundantly.” The ceremony closed when “another company of immortals descended from the hills on my right to the plain, chanting a song of welcome, to the friends they were to accompany to their new home. … the chosen ones arose, were joined by the choir above, and the festival was over. …

Note the similarity between the welcoming on passing over at death and being greeted by welcoming spirits to, if you like, a ‘new death’, of passing over from one level, a ‘death’, of the afterworld to the next. Could this be what happens when a soul progresses on from 5D to 4D, or 6D?

Exaltation, Ecstasy, Endless Evolution

… an endlessly expansive future for any soul desiring to know more, love more, and be more. We get glimpses of indescribable joy; and the degree of joy is proportionate to the development of noble character – a soul delighting in the truth, goodness, and beauty. We should bear in mind, however, that many spirits are no more interested in spiritual advancement than they were on Earth. … But there are plenty of teachers “who stand by ready to help anyone who wishes their help in making real and deep studies in the mysteries of life.”

Conclusion

7. The habit of giving service while on earth is the best preparation for eternity – or a better life the next time round. Our spirit friends see this with a clarity that we lack. … the ideal of service doesn’t stop at death. …

And that concluding remark just about sums up what we, personally, need to do here on Earth – NOW for soul development utilise the habit of giving service - DEEDS. As you sow on Earth, so you shall reap in the afterlife. Allied to STO is a loving disposition, a selfless love, to all that you come into contact with. These are prerequisites for soul development on this plane and for preparation for ‘life’ in the afterworld.

That is just a taste, if a long taste, of what lies within the book. For example, there are also chapters on: A Material Universe: Why?; Jesus, Christianity, and Earth’s Other Religions; Suicide; Prayer; The Dark Side; and Judaism in the Afterlife, which have not been considered here.

Recommended reading for all.

 

[cindyj]

Thank you for posting these excerpts. This is a subject which certainly deserves more reflection, and timely for me. I have felt the influence of a spirit helper this past few weeks, for which I am so grateful. One recent occurance involved finding an important document I had long forgotten about, but needed to better help my mom in her present circumstances. Friday morning, I had a vision of a yellow folder she had given me many years ago, although I didn’t trust the thought, assumed it was wishful thinking. Just to be sure, I searched, and sure enough, after looking through all my paperwork and files, I found it, and it was in a yellow folder. I still don’t have a clear memory of actually having gotten it years ago, but am so grateful for the “nudge,” if that was what it was.

 

[Maat]

In the Book of mediums, by Allan Kardec, there is this quote (from a spirit who called himself Erastes), which I thought deserved to be shared :

Remember that it is better to repudiate a dozen truths than to admit a single error; for, upon that one error, you might build up a whole false theory, only to see it crumble away like a pillar of sand, at the first breath of truth; whereas, though you should reject a true idea when first presented, and because it does not seem to you to be sufficiently proved, some indisputable fact, or some irrefutable argument, will ere long afford you the necessary proof of its correctness.

 

[thorbiorn]

Thank you Prodigal Son for sharing the excerpts of the book, you have read. It is really very inspiring and beautiful. And I imagine, I may send a thank you to all the spirits involved with sharing the information

 

[Harmony99]

Its great to have some knowledge of the Afterlife before we pass out. I have just recently acquired one of Betty books. I now look forward to reading all 3 books.
These information will push us to work much harder to save our Soul. Nice work Prodigal Son.We can only gain from this.If we loose we have no one to blame.

 

[Bluefyre]

Thank you for posting the excerpts Prodigal Son. I've just ordered this book and look forward to another good Betty read and applications in my life. This information touches a truth deeply buried for most of my life, that we exist because we are loved, that love created us. I'm finally shaking loose deeply held core beliefs about the error my existence and self-hatred imprinted in childhood. Joe's Afterlife thread and this additional thread has resulted in profound shifts in perception and how I experience life to my core. I think self-hatred is a sin against the soul, even in ignorance. But on the other hand, all there is, is lessons, so coming back to the truth, that love is what creates everything and the contrast between the lies I believed about myself and the truth that Life offers and making different choices at every opportunity is worth the self-chosen suffering.

 

[beetlemaniac]

Thank you for the information, Prodigal Son. I feel very fortunate to be able to get a glimpse into what life after death is like. It helps with re-prioritization of my values in life, which then gives me clearer path forward in terms of my interactions with the world. It gels very well with what's been outlined in the latest session. I hope to be able to keep this in mind at all times and that would require that I change my perspective on a lot of things in life, especially my relationships with others. It's hard work because I am not accustomed to challenging my thinking and dealing with the Predator's Mind head-on. It seems that the potential for change is always there in every moment, though. It's just whether we make the effort first to see who we are without blinders and to imagine what we could be when aligned with truth, beauty and goodness and bringing that into the world.

 

[1peacelover]

Thank You Prodigal Son for sharing!!! I look forward to exploring these books which confirms much of my brief stay in the Heavenly Realm during my rebirth/NDE. I am so eternally grateful for BEing given the opportunity to return to this school of life. I have had some difficult challenges, however I have never regretted my decision to BE here in the present. The Guides and Angels have assisted me more times than I can even count or know and if there were two words i could say for the rest of my physical life, they would be "Thank You". I know we are never alone.

One Love