November 29, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let me write a few lines for I am very anxious to write you in reference to a truth which obtains in our spirit world and with which you may not be acquainted.
As you may not know, there is in our world a law which makes the soul of one who has not yet been purified suffer the penalties for the acts of sin and evil of which he may have been guilty during his earth life; and there is no forgiveness of these acts in the sense that forgiveness is taught by the theologians and churches, but the only forgiveness is the cessation of recollection of these acts, so that they become as though they had never been; and, as the soul becomes naturally pure and in harmony with the laws of its creation, it then comes into its natural condition, and then, and then only, forgiveness takes place.
God does not forgive by the mere act of pronouncing forgiveness or by any arbitrary and sudden blotting exit of sins, and thereby removing the condition which creates the inharmony; and so you will understand, that He cannot forgive sin in this way, neither can the popes, priests, teachers or churches, and the pronouncing of forgiveness by these men constitutes a deception of, and an injury to, the persons who pray and ask for forgiveness, and for such deception, these men will have to answer when they come to the spirit world and realize the truth of forgiveness and the great deception that they had practiced upon those who were their followers and believers in these false doctrines. Many spirits are now living and suffering in darkness in their purgatories just because of their beliefs, and the results thereof, in these misleading teachings.
There is no forgiveness until man makes the effort by struggling and succeeding in getting rid of these recollections; and such riddance can be obtained only by men realizing the fact that sin is only the effect of their having done those things and thought those thoughts, which are out of harmony with the will of God and the laws governing the creation of man.
There can be no sinning of the physical body or of the spirit body, but only of the soul caused by the exercise of the will in a manner antagonistic to the will of the Father. The body, of course, is affected by these inharmonious thoughts and impelling directions of the will and is caused, thereby, to commit the act which is the external demonstrator of the inharmonious exercise of the will; and as God leaves to man the freedom of exercising his will, as such will may be influenced by the thoughts, desires and affections of his appetites and lusts, so God leaves to man the application of the remedies that will free the soul from such influence and effects as are caused by this exercise of the will; and only when these thoughts and appetites and lusts become eliminated from his soul and desires, does the soul come into its natural condition and in harmony with the will of God.
Man, himself, must be the actor and the initiating force to bring about these changes in his will, and no assurances of forgiveness by popes, priests or churches can eradicate these contaminating influences, or remove that which is the cause of the sin or the effect of the cause. You must see that there can be no relationship between the assurance of forgiveness and the sin or the cause thereof.
Prayer to the Father for forgiveness or supplication to priests and church is supposed to effectuate the objects sought, but this belief is erroneous and does not bring the relief prayed for; yet prayer is a very important element in forgiveness, and while the Father does not, and the priests and church cannot, forgive sin in the manner mentioned, yet true, sincere prayer to the Father for forgiveness will bring its answer, and affect, not the sin, but the soul and state of men, so that their will and appetites and desires may be influenced in such a way that they will receive and realize the fact of a wonderful help in changing these appetites and desires, and in turning their thoughts to those things that will enable them to remove from their recollections the acts and thoughts, which are the causes of the existence of their souls in a state of sin.
If men would only realize these truths, and, when they desire the forgiveness of their sins, pray to the Father for help in turning away from these thoughts and in exercising their will in accord with His will and not expect any arbitrary forgiveness or removal of their sins, they would find themselves on the way to this forgetfulness and the true forgiveness.
Well, I desired to write this short message and am pleased that I could do so. Thanking you, I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle of Jesus,
Peter
Showing posts with label recollections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recollections. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Herod Writes Further On the Description of the Hells
December 18, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Herod.
Let me write just a line before you close, as I am anxious to tell you of a matter that may be of importance to you in reference to the descriptions of the hells which you received last night from Swedenborg.
He says that the hells are places as well as conditions, and that they have as a part of them certain appearances and surroundings that make the sufferings of the evil spirits increase. Well, this is true, and in addition I wish to say that not only are these appearances and surroundings real and existing to the consciousness of the spirit, but are real as a fact, independent of the consciousness. If there were no spirits in these hells, these appearances and surroundings would exist just the same.
So you see, a great many mortals whom I have heard express their opinions to the effect that hell is a mere condition of the recollections of the spirit, and nothing more, are altogether wrong in such opinions, and they will find that the consolation, if any there be from such opinions, will not be found whenever they may become inhabitants of these hells.
I have passed through all of them, and know whereof I write; for there is no teacher so efficient and convincing as the teacher called experience.
I know that if I had only my recollections and remorse as the cause of my sufferings. they would have been much lighter and not so excruciating as they were. No, mortals will not find any consolation in such a hope, for there is no foundation for such hope, and the poor, deceived mortal who bases his ideas of hell on such a hope will be sadly disappointed. When you consider a moment, you will see that there is nothing unreasonable in the facts that I have stated.
You and all others who believe in the happiness of the higher spiritual spheres, not to mention the Celestial Spheres, believe that the happiness of the spirits who inhabit these spheres is increased and made more real by the beautiful surroundings and the fruits and living water that so many spirits have described as being a part of that higher existence. Then why is it not as reasonable to suppose that in the hells there are surroundings and appearances that will make the conditions of spirits whose evil lives have caused them to become inhabitants of these hells of even more unhappiness and create more suffering and misery. This supposition is one that no reasonable argument can prove to be incorrect.
I merely wanted to add what I have said to what Swedenborg wrote, for I know that conviction must come where statements are based upon actual experiences and where knowledge is derived from sufferings which came from the actual existence of things that are sometimes alleged not to exist.
I will not write more now, but in closing will say that I have long since left these hells and am now an inhabitant of higher spheres and a follower of the blessed Master.
When on earth I was known as Herod the King of Judea, and the poor, miserable, mistaken man who thought that by slaying the babes of Bethlehem, he would maintain his power as ruler.
So good night and God bless you.
Herod
* * * * * * * * * *
Mrs. Padgett Confirms Herod's Message
I am here, Your own true and loving Helen.
Well sweetheart, you have had a letter tonight from a spirit who ought to know what he is writing about, as he was a most wicked man and, as I have been told, suffered the torments of the lowest hells.
But as to you personally, I want to say that it will make no difference to you what the nature of the hells is, or whether there be any or not. You will never see them unless, when you come over, you have a desire to visit them for the purpose of doing good to some poor unfortunate. And I thank God for this assurance and knowledge.
I will not write more tonight.
With all my love, I am your own true and loving
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Herod.
Let me write just a line before you close, as I am anxious to tell you of a matter that may be of importance to you in reference to the descriptions of the hells which you received last night from Swedenborg.
He says that the hells are places as well as conditions, and that they have as a part of them certain appearances and surroundings that make the sufferings of the evil spirits increase. Well, this is true, and in addition I wish to say that not only are these appearances and surroundings real and existing to the consciousness of the spirit, but are real as a fact, independent of the consciousness. If there were no spirits in these hells, these appearances and surroundings would exist just the same.
So you see, a great many mortals whom I have heard express their opinions to the effect that hell is a mere condition of the recollections of the spirit, and nothing more, are altogether wrong in such opinions, and they will find that the consolation, if any there be from such opinions, will not be found whenever they may become inhabitants of these hells.
I have passed through all of them, and know whereof I write; for there is no teacher so efficient and convincing as the teacher called experience.
I know that if I had only my recollections and remorse as the cause of my sufferings. they would have been much lighter and not so excruciating as they were. No, mortals will not find any consolation in such a hope, for there is no foundation for such hope, and the poor, deceived mortal who bases his ideas of hell on such a hope will be sadly disappointed. When you consider a moment, you will see that there is nothing unreasonable in the facts that I have stated.
You and all others who believe in the happiness of the higher spiritual spheres, not to mention the Celestial Spheres, believe that the happiness of the spirits who inhabit these spheres is increased and made more real by the beautiful surroundings and the fruits and living water that so many spirits have described as being a part of that higher existence. Then why is it not as reasonable to suppose that in the hells there are surroundings and appearances that will make the conditions of spirits whose evil lives have caused them to become inhabitants of these hells of even more unhappiness and create more suffering and misery. This supposition is one that no reasonable argument can prove to be incorrect.
I merely wanted to add what I have said to what Swedenborg wrote, for I know that conviction must come where statements are based upon actual experiences and where knowledge is derived from sufferings which came from the actual existence of things that are sometimes alleged not to exist.
I will not write more now, but in closing will say that I have long since left these hells and am now an inhabitant of higher spheres and a follower of the blessed Master.
When on earth I was known as Herod the King of Judea, and the poor, miserable, mistaken man who thought that by slaying the babes of Bethlehem, he would maintain his power as ruler.
So good night and God bless you.
Herod
* * * * * * * * * *
Mrs. Padgett Confirms Herod's Message
I am here, Your own true and loving Helen.
Well sweetheart, you have had a letter tonight from a spirit who ought to know what he is writing about, as he was a most wicked man and, as I have been told, suffered the torments of the lowest hells.
But as to you personally, I want to say that it will make no difference to you what the nature of the hells is, or whether there be any or not. You will never see them unless, when you come over, you have a desire to visit them for the purpose of doing good to some poor unfortunate. And I thank God for this assurance and knowledge.
I will not write more tonight.
With all my love, I am your own true and loving
Helen
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Swedenborg Writes About the Truth of the Hells and Describes Its Location and Appearance
December 17, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let me write a few lines as I desire to write you some truths about what you and your friend were discussing; namely: "Are there any such hells;" as are described in the messages contained in the book (Dr. Peeble's Immortality) that you have been reading tonight.
Well, you must know that in the spirit planes, hell is a place as well as a condition and that, as a place, it has all the accompaniments that make it a reality to the spirits who inhabit it. Of course, the conditions of the spirits who are in these hells are determined by their recollections worked upon by their consciences. But notwithstanding that these recollections are the things that cause their sufferings, yet, the appearances of the locations in which they live are due to something more than these mere recollections for, as you have been informed, all these spirits are in darkness - the degree of the darkness in which they live being determined by their recollections. I mean that when the spirit has recollections of deeds done or not done, which are not so bad as the recollections of another; the former spirit is in a place where there is less darkness than the latter.
These places have their own fixed condition of darkness and of gloom and many other attachments, which increases the sufferings that spirits have to endure.
There are, of course, no fires and brimstone lakes and devils with pitchforks adding to the sufferings of the spirits, but yet, there are certain conditions and appearances which are outside of the spirits themselves, which causes their recollections to become more acute and to work in a manner to produce a greater degree of suffering.
These hells may be places of caverns and rocks and barren wastes and dark holes and other such things as have been written about; and mortals must know that evil spirits do not live in pleasant places and suffer only from the punishments, which their recollections bring to them.
And while the hells of the orthodox are in their descriptions greatly exaggerated, yet there is some truth in the ideas, which these descriptions convey as to the fact that the hells are places in which are darkness and many accompanying appearances that add to the tortures of the spirits of evil.
I tell you this because I see you want to know the truth, and for the further reason that you do not believe that there are such distinctive places as the hells; and that the darkness, which the spirits in their communications to you speak of is, in your opinion, produced by the conditions of the minds and souls of the spirits who write.
But such opinion is not altogether correct, and it is best for men to know that the mere recollections do not include all of what the hells are.
You say you have your hells on earth sometimes, and that is true to a limited extent, and many men suffer very much from their consciences and remorse, but when they come into the spirit world, if they have not gotten out of the condition which these recollections and remorse place them in, they will find that there is waiting them that place or location, which will add to their sufferings that arise from the recollections of evil deeds committed while on earth.
These evil spirits live in communities for the Law of Attraction operates in these dark and lower planes just as it does in the higher spheres and causes spirits of like or similar conditions to congregate together and find consolation, or what they may at times think to be consolation, in one another's company.
These hells are on the planes nearest the earth, and these spirits are not confined all the time to any particular hell. They have the privilege of moving at will along this plane, but wherever they go, they find that they are in these hells, and they cannot escape from them, unless they accept the help from spirits who can instruct them (in) what they must do.
Well, when they come to you to write, they are not very far from these hells, because the plane in which they live is a part of the plane in which the inhabitants of earth live.
Of course, I don't mean to say that that portion of the earth plane that surrounds your earth is composed entirely of these hells, for that is not true, as the earth sphere has in it considerable light and some happiness. And you must further remember that there are many planes in this earth plane.
These spirits, while their habitations are in these hells, have the privilege of leaving these particular localities and wandering for a short time in and over other parts of this earth plane; but this is only for a short time, and they have to return to the places where they have been placed, and which this Law of Attraction, that I speak of, draws them to.
Well, there are thousands of millions of evil spirits, and there is never a time when some of them - thousands of them - are not surrounding and trying to use their bad influences on mortals. We do not know why this is permitted, but only know that it is so. And here again, the great Law of Attraction operates, for many mortals are in similar conditions of development and evil thoughts to what these evil spirits are and, naturally, these evil spirits are drawn to them and do come to them. And frequently it happens, that while visiting these mortals of similar conditions to their own, they attempt to influence mortals who are in a better state of moral and spiritual condition and sometime succeed in doing them harm.
But the great fact is, that these evil spirits have a place of living, where they have to remain until by the operation of the Law of Compensation, they are relieved from some of their evil tendencies and desires when they are permitted to progress.
My principal reason in writing you is to have you know that there are hells of places as well as of conditions, and that these places, by reason of what they contain and their appearances, add to the suffering of the spirits.
As I have written a long time I will stop and say that I am a Christian and an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and one of the spirit band that is helping you in your great work of the Master. So in leaving you, I will subscribe myself,
Your brother in Christ,
Swedenborg the Seer
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let me write a few lines as I desire to write you some truths about what you and your friend were discussing; namely: "Are there any such hells;" as are described in the messages contained in the book (Dr. Peeble's Immortality) that you have been reading tonight.Well, you must know that in the spirit planes, hell is a place as well as a condition and that, as a place, it has all the accompaniments that make it a reality to the spirits who inhabit it. Of course, the conditions of the spirits who are in these hells are determined by their recollections worked upon by their consciences. But notwithstanding that these recollections are the things that cause their sufferings, yet, the appearances of the locations in which they live are due to something more than these mere recollections for, as you have been informed, all these spirits are in darkness - the degree of the darkness in which they live being determined by their recollections. I mean that when the spirit has recollections of deeds done or not done, which are not so bad as the recollections of another; the former spirit is in a place where there is less darkness than the latter.
These places have their own fixed condition of darkness and of gloom and many other attachments, which increases the sufferings that spirits have to endure.
There are, of course, no fires and brimstone lakes and devils with pitchforks adding to the sufferings of the spirits, but yet, there are certain conditions and appearances which are outside of the spirits themselves, which causes their recollections to become more acute and to work in a manner to produce a greater degree of suffering.
These hells may be places of caverns and rocks and barren wastes and dark holes and other such things as have been written about; and mortals must know that evil spirits do not live in pleasant places and suffer only from the punishments, which their recollections bring to them.
And while the hells of the orthodox are in their descriptions greatly exaggerated, yet there is some truth in the ideas, which these descriptions convey as to the fact that the hells are places in which are darkness and many accompanying appearances that add to the tortures of the spirits of evil.
I tell you this because I see you want to know the truth, and for the further reason that you do not believe that there are such distinctive places as the hells; and that the darkness, which the spirits in their communications to you speak of is, in your opinion, produced by the conditions of the minds and souls of the spirits who write.
But such opinion is not altogether correct, and it is best for men to know that the mere recollections do not include all of what the hells are.
You say you have your hells on earth sometimes, and that is true to a limited extent, and many men suffer very much from their consciences and remorse, but when they come into the spirit world, if they have not gotten out of the condition which these recollections and remorse place them in, they will find that there is waiting them that place or location, which will add to their sufferings that arise from the recollections of evil deeds committed while on earth.
These evil spirits live in communities for the Law of Attraction operates in these dark and lower planes just as it does in the higher spheres and causes spirits of like or similar conditions to congregate together and find consolation, or what they may at times think to be consolation, in one another's company.
These hells are on the planes nearest the earth, and these spirits are not confined all the time to any particular hell. They have the privilege of moving at will along this plane, but wherever they go, they find that they are in these hells, and they cannot escape from them, unless they accept the help from spirits who can instruct them (in) what they must do.
Well, when they come to you to write, they are not very far from these hells, because the plane in which they live is a part of the plane in which the inhabitants of earth live.
Of course, I don't mean to say that that portion of the earth plane that surrounds your earth is composed entirely of these hells, for that is not true, as the earth sphere has in it considerable light and some happiness. And you must further remember that there are many planes in this earth plane.
These spirits, while their habitations are in these hells, have the privilege of leaving these particular localities and wandering for a short time in and over other parts of this earth plane; but this is only for a short time, and they have to return to the places where they have been placed, and which this Law of Attraction, that I speak of, draws them to.
Well, there are thousands of millions of evil spirits, and there is never a time when some of them - thousands of them - are not surrounding and trying to use their bad influences on mortals. We do not know why this is permitted, but only know that it is so. And here again, the great Law of Attraction operates, for many mortals are in similar conditions of development and evil thoughts to what these evil spirits are and, naturally, these evil spirits are drawn to them and do come to them. And frequently it happens, that while visiting these mortals of similar conditions to their own, they attempt to influence mortals who are in a better state of moral and spiritual condition and sometime succeed in doing them harm.
But the great fact is, that these evil spirits have a place of living, where they have to remain until by the operation of the Law of Compensation, they are relieved from some of their evil tendencies and desires when they are permitted to progress.
My principal reason in writing you is to have you know that there are hells of places as well as of conditions, and that these places, by reason of what they contain and their appearances, add to the suffering of the spirits.
As I have written a long time I will stop and say that I am a Christian and an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and one of the spirit band that is helping you in your great work of the Master. So in leaving you, I will subscribe myself,
Your brother in Christ,
Swedenborg the Seer
Monday, December 17, 2012
Robert G. Ingersoll Writes That He is a Repentant Believer After Witnessing the Glory of Jesus and is No Longer an Agnostic
September 27, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I must say a word, for my heart is so filled with regret and remorse, and the recollections of my awful mistakes while on earth, that I must release my soul of its burdens so far as a confession can do it.
I am Ingersoll, and I am not the agnostic any longer, but the most repentant believer in all God's spirit world, and one who now knows that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God to the fullest meaning of the word.
Oh, how glad I am that I came to you when I did, and that you caused me to seek the society of your band of beautiful and bright spirits who are filled with the Divine Love of the Father. For if I had not been with them, I would not have witnessed the scene of last night, and today be a believer in the Jesus who I now know is the savior of men by his wonderful love and knowledge of the truth.
Well, my dear friend, such a scene as I witnessed last night was never witnessed on earth, except as I now believe, by the three disciples of the Master at the transfiguration on the Mount, and then I doubt if the glory was as great and the brightness of the Master so blinding and magnificent as they were last night.
I had seen the Master a number of times, and while to me he was the most beautiful and loving of all spirits and one to whom I was drawn in great affection, yet, I had no conception of the other qualities or attributes of his which he displayed last night.
And what must I think of you, a mere mortal as are thousands of others on earth, having a soul development to a certain degree, but not to that of any of the spirits in the soul spheres here, as I am informed, to be selected for the work of doing the Master's desires on earth and having that selection declared or rather ratified by an occasion that made all the spirits present tremble with awe at the glory and power which were displayed by Jesus Christ, who I on earth, proclaimed to be merely a good man.
I tell you that you are wonderfully favored, not only in being selected to do his work, but in having that selection anointed, as it were, by such evidence of glory and God-like power as were shown last night.
I had no conception of what the glory of God meant or what the power of God could mean, and least of all did I suppose that any spirit in all the spirit world could possibly possess such glory or manifest such power; but Jesus Christ possesses the glory and power to such a degree as to make him almost godlike.
As I said, I was present and observed him as he wrote to you, and also what he wrote and as he proceeded to tell you that he had selected you to do his work, he was the beautiful loving Jesus that he always is, as I had seen him; but as he proceeded and you doubted the possibilities of such things, and even to doubt if Jesus was really writing to you, there came into his countenance a wonderful look of authority and power and then the more wonderful brightness that outshone the noon day sun and glory indescribable, and upon which none of us could look, and we fell prostrate to the earth, as you would say.
Oh, I tell you, the power which emanated from him was beyond all conception and the wondrous authority that appeared in his whole being was not possible of being withstood by either spirits or mortals, and we were filled with awe and admiration.
When he had finished writing, the glory and brightness, that I describe, left him and he again appeared the humble loving but beautiful Master; and before leaving us he gave us his blessings, and to me came a great peace that passeth all understanding. I know now that Jesus is my savior and that the Divine Love of the Father is a real existing thing, and I am striving to obtain it.
I believe in the New Birth, and am praying for it, and your dear grandmother tells me that I will soon get it.
So now I say to you, that you can declare to the world that Ingersoll the agnostic is no longer an agnostic, but a believer in the Father's Divine Love and in Jesus Christ his beloved son, and the Way and the Truth and the Life.
I will not write more to night, but when I shall have gotten my thoughts and feelings together, I will write you at large and tell you of what my soul says as to my future destiny. Well, thanking you for your kindness and for you having such a grandmother and for such a Jesus.
I am your friend,
R.G. Ingersoll
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I must say a word, for my heart is so filled with regret and remorse, and the recollections of my awful mistakes while on earth, that I must release my soul of its burdens so far as a confession can do it.
I am Ingersoll, and I am not the agnostic any longer, but the most repentant believer in all God's spirit world, and one who now knows that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God to the fullest meaning of the word.
Oh, how glad I am that I came to you when I did, and that you caused me to seek the society of your band of beautiful and bright spirits who are filled with the Divine Love of the Father. For if I had not been with them, I would not have witnessed the scene of last night, and today be a believer in the Jesus who I now know is the savior of men by his wonderful love and knowledge of the truth.
Well, my dear friend, such a scene as I witnessed last night was never witnessed on earth, except as I now believe, by the three disciples of the Master at the transfiguration on the Mount, and then I doubt if the glory was as great and the brightness of the Master so blinding and magnificent as they were last night.
I had seen the Master a number of times, and while to me he was the most beautiful and loving of all spirits and one to whom I was drawn in great affection, yet, I had no conception of the other qualities or attributes of his which he displayed last night.
And what must I think of you, a mere mortal as are thousands of others on earth, having a soul development to a certain degree, but not to that of any of the spirits in the soul spheres here, as I am informed, to be selected for the work of doing the Master's desires on earth and having that selection declared or rather ratified by an occasion that made all the spirits present tremble with awe at the glory and power which were displayed by Jesus Christ, who I on earth, proclaimed to be merely a good man.
I tell you that you are wonderfully favored, not only in being selected to do his work, but in having that selection anointed, as it were, by such evidence of glory and God-like power as were shown last night.
I had no conception of what the glory of God meant or what the power of God could mean, and least of all did I suppose that any spirit in all the spirit world could possibly possess such glory or manifest such power; but Jesus Christ possesses the glory and power to such a degree as to make him almost godlike.
As I said, I was present and observed him as he wrote to you, and also what he wrote and as he proceeded to tell you that he had selected you to do his work, he was the beautiful loving Jesus that he always is, as I had seen him; but as he proceeded and you doubted the possibilities of such things, and even to doubt if Jesus was really writing to you, there came into his countenance a wonderful look of authority and power and then the more wonderful brightness that outshone the noon day sun and glory indescribable, and upon which none of us could look, and we fell prostrate to the earth, as you would say.
Oh, I tell you, the power which emanated from him was beyond all conception and the wondrous authority that appeared in his whole being was not possible of being withstood by either spirits or mortals, and we were filled with awe and admiration.
When he had finished writing, the glory and brightness, that I describe, left him and he again appeared the humble loving but beautiful Master; and before leaving us he gave us his blessings, and to me came a great peace that passeth all understanding. I know now that Jesus is my savior and that the Divine Love of the Father is a real existing thing, and I am striving to obtain it.
I believe in the New Birth, and am praying for it, and your dear grandmother tells me that I will soon get it.
So now I say to you, that you can declare to the world that Ingersoll the agnostic is no longer an agnostic, but a believer in the Father's Divine Love and in Jesus Christ his beloved son, and the Way and the Truth and the Life.
I will not write more to night, but when I shall have gotten my thoughts and feelings together, I will write you at large and tell you of what my soul says as to my future destiny. Well, thanking you for your kindness and for you having such a grandmother and for such a Jesus.
I am your friend,
R.G. Ingersoll
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Joe Shellington, a Friend of James E. Padgett, Writes About His Experience of Dying and Finding Himself in Semi-Darkness and Suffering
June 17, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Joe Shellington.
Well, I am glad to be able to write to you and let you know that I am in the land of the living. I have waited a long time to write to you but, as your band would not consent to my writing, I had to wait until it was agreeable to them, as well as to you.
I am in a state of semi-darkness and am suffering somewhat from the recollections of my life on earth, but thanks to your wife, I am commencing to see the light and to learn the way out of my sufferings.
When I found myself dying, I thought that I was going to sleep and that my body was resting from the cares and pains which my sufferings had caused, and when my spirit was separated from my body, I hovered around for a long time expecting that when my body should feel refreshed I would go into it again and continue my life on earth. But after waiting a long time and failing to see my body awaken, I commenced to wonder what had taken place and, at last, came to the conclusion that I was a dead one, and that no more would I walk on earth as a mortal.
Well, as soon as I realized that fact, I looked around and saw my mother and father, and several others that I knew on earth, and they told me that I had died, and was then a spirit, and would never more go into my body. And I commenced to ask questions and wanted to know where I was and what place I was in. They told me that I was in the spirit world, and in what is called the earth plane, and that my future home would be in that plane until I had by repentance and suffering progressed to a higher one.
My mother, who is a very beautiful spirit, tried to comfort me and told me that I must now think of the things that belong to the spirit world, and not let my thoughts run on the things that I had been interested in while a mortal. But while I considered her advice and was impressed with what she said, yet, I could not follow her advice, as I was compelled by something - which I did not understand - to give my thoughts to the affairs of earth, and especially to my wife and daughter. I was with them nearly all the time for many long day, and tried to speak to them and advise them what they should do, but they would not pay any attention to me. Of course, I know now that they did not know that I was present and did not hear my voice; but at the time, I thought it very strange, for they were just as real and unchanged to me as when I was with them in the body.
I never fully realized what my position was until long months after I died, and I could not think of anything but them at first and was with them all the time. I saw them sorrowing and weeping because of my death and tried so hard to comfort them, but all to no purpose. I, at last, saw that it was utterly hopeless for me to make them feel that I was with them, and so I sought for light or information among my spirit friends, and sought from them to know how I could reach my dear ones; but I could get no consolation, as they told me that it was only through the instrumentality or help of some earth medium could I ever be able to communicate with them or let them know that I was still alive and loved them just as I did when on earth.
So one time in my wanderings, I entered the circle of the medium where you heard me talk to you, and then I was happy because I thought that now I would be able to reach my wife and daughter. But I was disappointed, for you never told them that I had talked to you, and wanted them to know that I was anxious to talk to them. I suppose you thought that they would not believe, and so neglected to tell them. But you were mistaken in this, as they would have believed you had you told them.
My wife knows something of spiritualism, though she has not much faith in it, and while she may not absolutely have believed, yet, she would have had interest enough in it to have sought for the opportunity to learn more and, if possible, to hear me speak to her. So while you disappointed me, yet, I cannot altogether blame you.
But, old friend, do not fail to let her know that I have written to you tonight, and if not too much trouble, I would like for you to send her a copy of this message.
I still love her and am with her very often, and try my best to make her feel my presence, and realize that I am doing my best to comfort her. If she only knew how dear she is to me and that my whole heart burns with love for her, she would be happier, for I believe that she will be mine when she comes over, and through all eternity. So do not fail to send her a copy of this message.
When I passed over, I was not one particle afraid and while I was not just in condition to know what was taking place, yet, there was no dread or apprehension of my being in any way harmed. I arose, as I have said, from my body, but did not leave it and stayed with it and with my loved ones even until it was buried and then continued with my dear wife.
After I realized that I was a spirit, I found myself in a dark atmosphere surrounded by dark spirits who, I supposed, were like myself. My mother, while she often came to me, did not live with me but, as she told me, in a higher sphere where much happiness exists.
I was not happy and I suffered very much from my recollections of my earth life and had no fixed home. All spirits in a condition like mine have to roam about with no place that they can call home. Often have I longed for a home but found none, and even now I have one that is not very beautiful; but I am progressing and light is coming to me and my sufferings are decreasing. I rather expected to find myself in Hell, as I was not a Christian, and as I was taught that all who are not Christians and believe in Jesus must go to Hell. But I have not seen that Hell, and I do not believe that there is any such place. Yet, the sufferings which we all have creates a Hell enough for any spirit who wants such a Hell.
Well, I am now learning to pray to God and to believe in His Love, and the more I pray and the stronger my belief becomes, the more light I see and the less I suffer. Your wife came to me at about the time I spoke to you at the medium's, and tried to help me, and she has been with me many times since and has helped me very much. She is a beautiful spirit and seems filled with the Love of God, as she says. So I am seeking that Love, and I believe that I will soon get enough of it to get out of my present condition.
I thank you so much for this opportunity, and when it is agreeable I will come and write to you again. I will not take up more of your time tonight. So with my kindest regards and many thanks, I am
Your old friend,
Joe Shellington
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Joe Shellington.
Well, I am glad to be able to write to you and let you know that I am in the land of the living. I have waited a long time to write to you but, as your band would not consent to my writing, I had to wait until it was agreeable to them, as well as to you.
I am in a state of semi-darkness and am suffering somewhat from the recollections of my life on earth, but thanks to your wife, I am commencing to see the light and to learn the way out of my sufferings.
When I found myself dying, I thought that I was going to sleep and that my body was resting from the cares and pains which my sufferings had caused, and when my spirit was separated from my body, I hovered around for a long time expecting that when my body should feel refreshed I would go into it again and continue my life on earth. But after waiting a long time and failing to see my body awaken, I commenced to wonder what had taken place and, at last, came to the conclusion that I was a dead one, and that no more would I walk on earth as a mortal.
Well, as soon as I realized that fact, I looked around and saw my mother and father, and several others that I knew on earth, and they told me that I had died, and was then a spirit, and would never more go into my body. And I commenced to ask questions and wanted to know where I was and what place I was in. They told me that I was in the spirit world, and in what is called the earth plane, and that my future home would be in that plane until I had by repentance and suffering progressed to a higher one.
My mother, who is a very beautiful spirit, tried to comfort me and told me that I must now think of the things that belong to the spirit world, and not let my thoughts run on the things that I had been interested in while a mortal. But while I considered her advice and was impressed with what she said, yet, I could not follow her advice, as I was compelled by something - which I did not understand - to give my thoughts to the affairs of earth, and especially to my wife and daughter. I was with them nearly all the time for many long day, and tried to speak to them and advise them what they should do, but they would not pay any attention to me. Of course, I know now that they did not know that I was present and did not hear my voice; but at the time, I thought it very strange, for they were just as real and unchanged to me as when I was with them in the body.
I never fully realized what my position was until long months after I died, and I could not think of anything but them at first and was with them all the time. I saw them sorrowing and weeping because of my death and tried so hard to comfort them, but all to no purpose. I, at last, saw that it was utterly hopeless for me to make them feel that I was with them, and so I sought for light or information among my spirit friends, and sought from them to know how I could reach my dear ones; but I could get no consolation, as they told me that it was only through the instrumentality or help of some earth medium could I ever be able to communicate with them or let them know that I was still alive and loved them just as I did when on earth.
So one time in my wanderings, I entered the circle of the medium where you heard me talk to you, and then I was happy because I thought that now I would be able to reach my wife and daughter. But I was disappointed, for you never told them that I had talked to you, and wanted them to know that I was anxious to talk to them. I suppose you thought that they would not believe, and so neglected to tell them. But you were mistaken in this, as they would have believed you had you told them.
My wife knows something of spiritualism, though she has not much faith in it, and while she may not absolutely have believed, yet, she would have had interest enough in it to have sought for the opportunity to learn more and, if possible, to hear me speak to her. So while you disappointed me, yet, I cannot altogether blame you.
But, old friend, do not fail to let her know that I have written to you tonight, and if not too much trouble, I would like for you to send her a copy of this message.
I still love her and am with her very often, and try my best to make her feel my presence, and realize that I am doing my best to comfort her. If she only knew how dear she is to me and that my whole heart burns with love for her, she would be happier, for I believe that she will be mine when she comes over, and through all eternity. So do not fail to send her a copy of this message.
When I passed over, I was not one particle afraid and while I was not just in condition to know what was taking place, yet, there was no dread or apprehension of my being in any way harmed. I arose, as I have said, from my body, but did not leave it and stayed with it and with my loved ones even until it was buried and then continued with my dear wife.
After I realized that I was a spirit, I found myself in a dark atmosphere surrounded by dark spirits who, I supposed, were like myself. My mother, while she often came to me, did not live with me but, as she told me, in a higher sphere where much happiness exists.
I was not happy and I suffered very much from my recollections of my earth life and had no fixed home. All spirits in a condition like mine have to roam about with no place that they can call home. Often have I longed for a home but found none, and even now I have one that is not very beautiful; but I am progressing and light is coming to me and my sufferings are decreasing. I rather expected to find myself in Hell, as I was not a Christian, and as I was taught that all who are not Christians and believe in Jesus must go to Hell. But I have not seen that Hell, and I do not believe that there is any such place. Yet, the sufferings which we all have creates a Hell enough for any spirit who wants such a Hell.
Well, I am now learning to pray to God and to believe in His Love, and the more I pray and the stronger my belief becomes, the more light I see and the less I suffer. Your wife came to me at about the time I spoke to you at the medium's, and tried to help me, and she has been with me many times since and has helped me very much. She is a beautiful spirit and seems filled with the Love of God, as she says. So I am seeking that Love, and I believe that I will soon get enough of it to get out of my present condition.
I thank you so much for this opportunity, and when it is agreeable I will come and write to you again. I will not take up more of your time tonight. So with my kindest regards and many thanks, I am
Your old friend,
Joe Shellington
Saturday, June 30, 2012
What May Spirits Know About the Laws of the Spirit World After They Have Been in That World for a Short Time
April 13, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Professor Salyards.
Well, I am here as I agreed and will endeavor to write you my thoughts on the subject: "What may spirits know about the laws of the spirit world after they have been in that world for a short time."
As you know, I have been here for a comparatively short time, and while my studies have been to a considerable extent in the study of these laws, yet, I find that I have limited knowledge of the same, and much of my information has been gathered from other spirits who have lived here a great many years, and who have devoted their study and investigation to these laws.
Well, I want first to say that no spirit, by the mere fact of having shortly before made his advent to this world, has received any much greater knowledge than he had when on earth.
My knowledge of spiritual laws when on earth was not very extensive and, I found when I came into the spirit world that I did not know much more than I did before I came; and such is the experience of every spirit. But, as I continued to investigate these matters, I discovered that my capacity for learning was greatly increased, and that my mind was more plastic and received this knowledge more easily than when I was a mortal. This is largely due to the fact that the brain, I mean the mortal brain, is, when compared to what you might call the spirit brain, a thing of much inferior quality, and not so capable of learning the cause and effect of phenomena.
I am now undergoing a course of study that will, I have no doubt, give me wonderful information of these laws, so that ultimately I may become what you mortals might call a learned man.
The first and, to me, the most important Law that I have learned is that:
This great Law, while to you and to many others is well known and is an established fact, yet, to me was not known, as I had never had any experience in spiritualism and had never given any study to the subject. When I arrived in the spirit world, I learned that this law is one of God's truths, and that it is fixed and will never change, for all will survive the change of so-called death.
The next great Law that I learned is that:
This is another fixed truth, and one which many spirits even do not fully comprehend; for they think, or so express themselves, that all they have to do is to exercise a little will power and they can move from certain conditions. But this is not true, for the Law controlling this matter never has any exceptions in its operations. Man or spirit can, in a way, determine what his destiny may be, but when once fixed by this great power of will which God has conferred on man, he cannot by the exercise of that will change that fixed condition until the Laws of Compensation have been satisfied; and even then the change is not brought about by the exercise of his will, but by the operation of the Laws releasing him from memories and recollections, which hold him to the conditions that his life has placed him in. So when men think that they, by the exercise of their own will, can release themselves from a condition which they have made for themselves, they are mistaken.
Many spirits here have this idea, and believe that if they only chose to exercise their vaunted will power, they could relieve themselves of their darkened condition and get into happier conditions. But strange, they never try this and the reason, therefore, is apparent. They could not if they tried, and will not try because they cannot. And yet they think that when they get ready, they will only have to exercise this will and the change will follow. No, this Law is as fixed as any Law of this great universe of God.
Of course, while man or spirit cannot by the exercise of his will change his condition, yet, in order to secure that change, the will has to be exercised, because the help which comes from without, and which is absolutely necessary to man, and which causes the change, and will not come unless man exercises the will in the way of desiring and asking for it. So let not man think that he is his own savior, because he is not; and if the help did not come from without, he would never be saved from the condition which he finds himself in when he enters the spirit world.
You hear in your spirit circles and read in the publications about spiritualism that progression is a law of the spirit world. Well that is true; but it does not mean that a spirit by the mere fact of being in the spirit world necessarily progresses, either mentally or spiritually, for this is not true. Many spirits who have been here for years are in no better condition than when they first became spirits. All progression depends upon the help that comes from outside the mind or soul of man. Of course when this help comes, man has to cooperate, but without this help there would be nothing with which to cooperate, and no progress could possibly be made. Many of the spiritualists make this great mistake when they speak or write on this subject. But let them know, that if a man depends upon his own powers, exclusively, he will never progress. And this law does not apply only to the soul's progress, of which you have heard us speak so often, but to the progress of the mere mind, and also to what might be called the purely moral qualities. My observation, and my information from the other spirits that I have mentioned, confirms the truth of what I have said: man, of himself, cannot elevate himself either mentally or morally, and the sooner he learns that fact, the better for him.
Another Law of the spirit world is that:
This progression may be illustrated by the history of the snowball, which started rolling from the top of a hill. As it continues its descent not only does its velocity increase, but it continually enlarges its form and body by the outside snow attaching itself to the ball. So with the mind or soul of a spirit: as it ascends, it not only becomes more rapid in its flight, but it meets this outside help that I speak of, which help attaches itself to the spirit and, as it were, becomes a part of it.
So you see that the great problem is to make the start; and this principle will apply to mortals as well as to spirits because, if the start be made on earth, the mere fact of becoming a spirit will not halt or in any way interfere with the progress of the soul of that spirit. Of course, this means that a correct start be made. If the start be a false one or based on things other than the truth, instead of progress continuing when the man becomes a spirit, there may have to be a retracing of the way and a new start made in order to get on the right road. And this applies to the progress of the mind as well as to the progress of the soul.
The mind of a mortal learns many things which seem to that mind to be the truth and, which in its opinion must lead to progress and greater knowledge. But when the earth life gives place to the spirit life, that mind may find that its basis of knowledge were all wrong, and that to continue in the way that it had been moving would lead to increased error and, consequently, a new start must be made. And frequently, the retracing of that mind over the course that it had followed and the elimination of errors that it had embraced is more difficult and takes a longer time to accomplish than the learning of the truth does after the mind makes its correct start.
So sometimes the mind of great learning (according to the standards of earthly learning) is more harmful and retards more the progress of that man in the ways and acquirements of truth than does the mind that is, as you might say, a blank - that is, without preconceived ideas of what the truth is on a particular subject. This unfortunate experience exists to a greater extent in matters pertaining to religion than to any other matters, because the ideas and convictions, which are taught and possessed of these religious matters affect innumerably more mortals than do ideas and convictions in reference to any other matters.
A spirit who is filled with these erroneous beliefs, that may have been taught him from his mortal childhood, and fostered and fed upon by him until he becomes a spirit is, of all the inhabitants of this world, the most difficult to teach and convince of the truths pertaining to religious matters. It is much easier to teach the agnostic, or even the infidel, of these truths, than the hide-bound believer in the dogmas and creeds of the church. So, I say, let the minds of mortals be opened to the teachings of the truth, and even if they are convinced that what they believe is the truth, yet, let not that belief stand in the way of them being able to see the truth, when it actually is presented to them.
Another law is that:
I mean by this that the mere fact of living as a spirit does not of itself prove that such spirit is immortal. This is a subject that spirits discuss as much as do mortals, and it is just as much a question of uncertainty as is the immortality of the soul as taught among mortals now and for all ages past. While men know that the death of the body does not mean the death of the spirit and that such spirit, which is the real man, continues to live with all its qualities of a spiritual nature, yet, there has never been any proof presented to man that that spirit will live for all eternity or, in other words, that it is immortal.
I say this, because I have read the histories and beliefs of most of the civilized, and some not called civilized, nations of the world. And I was not able to find in all my readings that it was ever demonstrated that man is immortal. Of course, many pagan and sacred writers taught this, but their statements were all based on belief and nothing more and, so I say, immortality has never to mortals become demonstrated as a fact. In the spirit world, the spirits of not only the lower spheres, but those of the higher intellectual or moral spheres, are still debating the question among themselves.
I am informed that there are some who lived on earth many centuries ago, and who have become exceedingly wise and learned in the knowledge of the Laws of the Universe and have become so free from the sins and errors of their earth life that they may be called perfect men and, yet, they do not know that they are immortal. Many of them think that they are just such men or spirits as were they who were represented by Adam and Eve. They know not that they are any less liable to death than were the ones just mentioned. And, hence, immortality is a thing which may or may not exist for spirits as well as for mortals.
I know that many of your spiritualist friends on earth claim that the mere fact that spiritualism has demonstrated the continuity of life establishes the fact of immortality. But a few moments consideration will show you the falsity of this reasoning.
Change is the law eternal, both on earth and in the spirit world, and nothing exists the same for any length of time; and in the succession of these changes, how can it be said that in the future, far or near, changes may not come by which the existence of the spirit - the ego of man - may be ended, and that ego take some other form or enter into some other condition, so that it will not be the same ego, and not the same spirit which is now living as a demonstration of the continuity of life?
And so, many spirits, as well as mortals, do not know what is necessary to obtain, to have the certain knowledge of immortality. But many other spirits know that there is an immortality for spirits who choose to seek that immortality in the way that God, in his great wisdom and providence, has provided. I will not discuss this phase of immortality now, but will at some later time.
There is another law, which enables spirits to become - by the mere operation of their natural affections and loves - pure and free from the consequences and evils of their mortal lives and again become perfect, like the first parents before the fall. This does not mean that the Law of Compensation does not operate to the fullest, and that it does not demand the last farthing, because such is the exactness in the operation of this Law that:
As you believe, and as many other mortals believe, a man's punishment for the sins committed by him on earth are inflicted by his conscience and memories. There is no special punishment inflicted by God on any particular man, but the Law of Punishment operates alike on every man. If the facts that brings that punishment into operation are the same, that punishment will be the same, no matter whether the object of its infliction be the same or different persons. So you see, it cannot be escaped on any ground of special dispensation so long as the facts, which call for its operation exist, and the conscience and memories of the spirit realize these facts.
When a spirit first enters the spirit life, it does not necessarily feel the scourging of these memories, and this is the reason why you will so often hear the spirit - who has so recently left his mortal life - assure his friends or sorrowing relatives at the public seances that he is very happy and wouldn't be again in the earth life, and similar assurances. But after a little while, memory commences to work, as the soul is awakened, and then never ceases until the penalties are paid. I don't mean that the spirit is, necessarily, continuously in a condition of torment, but substantially that, and relief does not come until these memories cease their awful lashings. Some spirits live here a great number of years before they receive this relief; while others more quickly obtain it.
The greatest cause, which operates to relieve these spirits of these memories, is love. I now mean the natural love - and this love embraces many qualities, such as remorse and sorrow, and the desire to make amends for injuries done, etc. Until a spirit's love is awakened none of these feelings come to him. He cannot possibly feel remorse or regret or the desire to atone, until love, no matter how slight, comes into his heart. He may not realize just what the cause of these feelings may be, but it is love just the same.
Well, as these various feelings operate, and he acts in accordance with them, a memory here and there will leave him, never to return; and as these memories in turn leave him, his sufferings become less, and after awhile, when they have all left him, he becomes free from the Law, and it, as to him, becomes extinct. But it must not be understood that this is a work of quick operation, for it may be years - long, weary years of suffering - before he becomes thus free and once more a spirit without sin or these memories. This is the way the great Law of Compensation is satisfied. It cannot be avoided, but all its demands must be met, until sin and error are eradicated, and the soul returned to a pure state.
But this gradual release from these penalties does not mean that a spirit is progressing in his journey to the higher and brighter spheres; because even without this torture and torment, he may still remain stationary as to the development of his higher nature, mental and moral. But when he has been relieved of these sufferings, he is then in a condition to start towards the progression that I have spoken of.
As you are tired, I will continue the balance of my discourse when I write again. With all my love I am,
Your true friend and professor,
Joseph H. Salyards
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Professor Salyards.
Well, I am here as I agreed and will endeavor to write you my thoughts on the subject: "What may spirits know about the laws of the spirit world after they have been in that world for a short time."
As you know, I have been here for a comparatively short time, and while my studies have been to a considerable extent in the study of these laws, yet, I find that I have limited knowledge of the same, and much of my information has been gathered from other spirits who have lived here a great many years, and who have devoted their study and investigation to these laws.
Well, I want first to say that no spirit, by the mere fact of having shortly before made his advent to this world, has received any much greater knowledge than he had when on earth.
My knowledge of spiritual laws when on earth was not very extensive and, I found when I came into the spirit world that I did not know much more than I did before I came; and such is the experience of every spirit. But, as I continued to investigate these matters, I discovered that my capacity for learning was greatly increased, and that my mind was more plastic and received this knowledge more easily than when I was a mortal. This is largely due to the fact that the brain, I mean the mortal brain, is, when compared to what you might call the spirit brain, a thing of much inferior quality, and not so capable of learning the cause and effect of phenomena.
I am now undergoing a course of study that will, I have no doubt, give me wonderful information of these laws, so that ultimately I may become what you mortals might call a learned man.
The first and, to me, the most important Law that I have learned is that:
Man continues to live in the spirit world without his earthly body.
This great Law, while to you and to many others is well known and is an established fact, yet, to me was not known, as I had never had any experience in spiritualism and had never given any study to the subject. When I arrived in the spirit world, I learned that this law is one of God's truths, and that it is fixed and will never change, for all will survive the change of so-called death.
The next great Law that I learned is that:
No man can - of his own power - make his condition or position in the spirit world
just what and where he would have it be.
This is another fixed truth, and one which many spirits even do not fully comprehend; for they think, or so express themselves, that all they have to do is to exercise a little will power and they can move from certain conditions. But this is not true, for the Law controlling this matter never has any exceptions in its operations. Man or spirit can, in a way, determine what his destiny may be, but when once fixed by this great power of will which God has conferred on man, he cannot by the exercise of that will change that fixed condition until the Laws of Compensation have been satisfied; and even then the change is not brought about by the exercise of his will, but by the operation of the Laws releasing him from memories and recollections, which hold him to the conditions that his life has placed him in. So when men think that they, by the exercise of their own will, can release themselves from a condition which they have made for themselves, they are mistaken.
Many spirits here have this idea, and believe that if they only chose to exercise their vaunted will power, they could relieve themselves of their darkened condition and get into happier conditions. But strange, they never try this and the reason, therefore, is apparent. They could not if they tried, and will not try because they cannot. And yet they think that when they get ready, they will only have to exercise this will and the change will follow. No, this Law is as fixed as any Law of this great universe of God.
Of course, while man or spirit cannot by the exercise of his will change his condition, yet, in order to secure that change, the will has to be exercised, because the help which comes from without, and which is absolutely necessary to man, and which causes the change, and will not come unless man exercises the will in the way of desiring and asking for it. So let not man think that he is his own savior, because he is not; and if the help did not come from without, he would never be saved from the condition which he finds himself in when he enters the spirit world.
You hear in your spirit circles and read in the publications about spiritualism that progression is a law of the spirit world. Well that is true; but it does not mean that a spirit by the mere fact of being in the spirit world necessarily progresses, either mentally or spiritually, for this is not true. Many spirits who have been here for years are in no better condition than when they first became spirits. All progression depends upon the help that comes from outside the mind or soul of man. Of course when this help comes, man has to cooperate, but without this help there would be nothing with which to cooperate, and no progress could possibly be made. Many of the spiritualists make this great mistake when they speak or write on this subject. But let them know, that if a man depends upon his own powers, exclusively, he will never progress. And this law does not apply only to the soul's progress, of which you have heard us speak so often, but to the progress of the mere mind, and also to what might be called the purely moral qualities. My observation, and my information from the other spirits that I have mentioned, confirms the truth of what I have said: man, of himself, cannot elevate himself either mentally or morally, and the sooner he learns that fact, the better for him.
Another Law of the spirit world is that:
When a spirit once commences to progress, that progress increases
in geometrical progression,
in geometrical progression,
(as we used to say when teaching on earth). Just as soon as the light breaks into a man's soul or mind, and he commences to see that there is a way for him to reach higher things and make greater expansion of either his mind or soul, he will find that his desire to progress will increase as that progression continues, and with that desire will come help in such abundance that it will be limited only by the desire of the spirit. His will then becomes a great force in his success in progressing and working in conjunction with the help that calls it into operation. It becomes a wonderful thing of power and irresistible force.
This progression may be illustrated by the history of the snowball, which started rolling from the top of a hill. As it continues its descent not only does its velocity increase, but it continually enlarges its form and body by the outside snow attaching itself to the ball. So with the mind or soul of a spirit: as it ascends, it not only becomes more rapid in its flight, but it meets this outside help that I speak of, which help attaches itself to the spirit and, as it were, becomes a part of it.
So you see that the great problem is to make the start; and this principle will apply to mortals as well as to spirits because, if the start be made on earth, the mere fact of becoming a spirit will not halt or in any way interfere with the progress of the soul of that spirit. Of course, this means that a correct start be made. If the start be a false one or based on things other than the truth, instead of progress continuing when the man becomes a spirit, there may have to be a retracing of the way and a new start made in order to get on the right road. And this applies to the progress of the mind as well as to the progress of the soul.
The mind of a mortal learns many things which seem to that mind to be the truth and, which in its opinion must lead to progress and greater knowledge. But when the earth life gives place to the spirit life, that mind may find that its basis of knowledge were all wrong, and that to continue in the way that it had been moving would lead to increased error and, consequently, a new start must be made. And frequently, the retracing of that mind over the course that it had followed and the elimination of errors that it had embraced is more difficult and takes a longer time to accomplish than the learning of the truth does after the mind makes its correct start.
So sometimes the mind of great learning (according to the standards of earthly learning) is more harmful and retards more the progress of that man in the ways and acquirements of truth than does the mind that is, as you might say, a blank - that is, without preconceived ideas of what the truth is on a particular subject. This unfortunate experience exists to a greater extent in matters pertaining to religion than to any other matters, because the ideas and convictions, which are taught and possessed of these religious matters affect innumerably more mortals than do ideas and convictions in reference to any other matters.
A spirit who is filled with these erroneous beliefs, that may have been taught him from his mortal childhood, and fostered and fed upon by him until he becomes a spirit is, of all the inhabitants of this world, the most difficult to teach and convince of the truths pertaining to religious matters. It is much easier to teach the agnostic, or even the infidel, of these truths, than the hide-bound believer in the dogmas and creeds of the church. So, I say, let the minds of mortals be opened to the teachings of the truth, and even if they are convinced that what they believe is the truth, yet, let not that belief stand in the way of them being able to see the truth, when it actually is presented to them.
Another law is that:
Not all who know that life in the spirit world is continuous are certain
that continuous life means immortality.
I mean by this that the mere fact of living as a spirit does not of itself prove that such spirit is immortal. This is a subject that spirits discuss as much as do mortals, and it is just as much a question of uncertainty as is the immortality of the soul as taught among mortals now and for all ages past. While men know that the death of the body does not mean the death of the spirit and that such spirit, which is the real man, continues to live with all its qualities of a spiritual nature, yet, there has never been any proof presented to man that that spirit will live for all eternity or, in other words, that it is immortal.
I say this, because I have read the histories and beliefs of most of the civilized, and some not called civilized, nations of the world. And I was not able to find in all my readings that it was ever demonstrated that man is immortal. Of course, many pagan and sacred writers taught this, but their statements were all based on belief and nothing more and, so I say, immortality has never to mortals become demonstrated as a fact. In the spirit world, the spirits of not only the lower spheres, but those of the higher intellectual or moral spheres, are still debating the question among themselves.
I am informed that there are some who lived on earth many centuries ago, and who have become exceedingly wise and learned in the knowledge of the Laws of the Universe and have become so free from the sins and errors of their earth life that they may be called perfect men and, yet, they do not know that they are immortal. Many of them think that they are just such men or spirits as were they who were represented by Adam and Eve. They know not that they are any less liable to death than were the ones just mentioned. And, hence, immortality is a thing which may or may not exist for spirits as well as for mortals.
I know that many of your spiritualist friends on earth claim that the mere fact that spiritualism has demonstrated the continuity of life establishes the fact of immortality. But a few moments consideration will show you the falsity of this reasoning.
Change is the law eternal, both on earth and in the spirit world, and nothing exists the same for any length of time; and in the succession of these changes, how can it be said that in the future, far or near, changes may not come by which the existence of the spirit - the ego of man - may be ended, and that ego take some other form or enter into some other condition, so that it will not be the same ego, and not the same spirit which is now living as a demonstration of the continuity of life?
And so, many spirits, as well as mortals, do not know what is necessary to obtain, to have the certain knowledge of immortality. But many other spirits know that there is an immortality for spirits who choose to seek that immortality in the way that God, in his great wisdom and providence, has provided. I will not discuss this phase of immortality now, but will at some later time.
There is another law, which enables spirits to become - by the mere operation of their natural affections and loves - pure and free from the consequences and evils of their mortal lives and again become perfect, like the first parents before the fall. This does not mean that the Law of Compensation does not operate to the fullest, and that it does not demand the last farthing, because such is the exactness in the operation of this Law that:
No spirit is released from its penalties until he has satisfied the Law.
As you believe, and as many other mortals believe, a man's punishment for the sins committed by him on earth are inflicted by his conscience and memories. There is no special punishment inflicted by God on any particular man, but the Law of Punishment operates alike on every man. If the facts that brings that punishment into operation are the same, that punishment will be the same, no matter whether the object of its infliction be the same or different persons. So you see, it cannot be escaped on any ground of special dispensation so long as the facts, which call for its operation exist, and the conscience and memories of the spirit realize these facts.
When a spirit first enters the spirit life, it does not necessarily feel the scourging of these memories, and this is the reason why you will so often hear the spirit - who has so recently left his mortal life - assure his friends or sorrowing relatives at the public seances that he is very happy and wouldn't be again in the earth life, and similar assurances. But after a little while, memory commences to work, as the soul is awakened, and then never ceases until the penalties are paid. I don't mean that the spirit is, necessarily, continuously in a condition of torment, but substantially that, and relief does not come until these memories cease their awful lashings. Some spirits live here a great number of years before they receive this relief; while others more quickly obtain it.
The greatest cause, which operates to relieve these spirits of these memories, is love. I now mean the natural love - and this love embraces many qualities, such as remorse and sorrow, and the desire to make amends for injuries done, etc. Until a spirit's love is awakened none of these feelings come to him. He cannot possibly feel remorse or regret or the desire to atone, until love, no matter how slight, comes into his heart. He may not realize just what the cause of these feelings may be, but it is love just the same.
Well, as these various feelings operate, and he acts in accordance with them, a memory here and there will leave him, never to return; and as these memories in turn leave him, his sufferings become less, and after awhile, when they have all left him, he becomes free from the Law, and it, as to him, becomes extinct. But it must not be understood that this is a work of quick operation, for it may be years - long, weary years of suffering - before he becomes thus free and once more a spirit without sin or these memories. This is the way the great Law of Compensation is satisfied. It cannot be avoided, but all its demands must be met, until sin and error are eradicated, and the soul returned to a pure state.
But this gradual release from these penalties does not mean that a spirit is progressing in his journey to the higher and brighter spheres; because even without this torture and torment, he may still remain stationary as to the development of his higher nature, mental and moral. But when he has been relieved of these sufferings, he is then in a condition to start towards the progression that I have spoken of.
As you are tired, I will continue the balance of my discourse when I write again. With all my love I am,
Your true friend and professor,
Joseph H. Salyards
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