de l'ester—with pleasure we salute you, and we are gratified to find you awaiting us. but before starting on our journey i must again insist that you shall protect yourself against interruption. yes, i see how you are situated, but the fact remains that it is harmful to you to be disturbed. yesterday, while you were with us, some one attempted to enter your apartments. the locked doors prevented the intrusion but you were so disturbed that it was all we could do to keep control of you. it is not well that you shall be suddenly called back to your physical body. it injures you, and is a great disappointment to your comrades. cannot you take further precaution against intrusion?
medium—i do not see that i can. i fully realize that it harms me to be disturbed, but at times i cannot prevent it.
de l'ester—well, what cannot be cured must be endured, but we shall hope that you may be left in peace to-day. your sister inez accompanies us, and desires to speak to you.
inez—dear sister sara, i bear greetings to you from many loved and loving ones, who, with delight and boundless interest, watch the progress of our mission of loving endeavor to which you and many other devoted ones are for its accomplishment applying such talents and energy as are at your and their command. but our counsellor
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and guide grows restive, and we must not delay our journey.
de l'ester—now, madame, we are ready for our flight to ento. compose your too active soul forces and trust yourself unreservedly to our care. george, we are a little late, so will make a hasty passage. upward now and outward. more swiftly than the lightning's flash cleaves the sky we are borne on this wondrous magnetic ocean which knows no shore but is as boundless as the universe and changeless as god.
in grandest, sweetest cadences ever its magical undulations are murmuring, "glory to the highest! glory to the highest!" and angel choirs innumerable join the glad pæan, "glory to the highest! glory to the highest!" ah, madame, little do or can mortals know of the wonderful existence on our side of life, and in some not very far away time you again will enter the marvellous spirit realms, which language is too poor to describe, and we, with our dear ones who watch and wait for you will meet and greet you on the threshold of two worlds, the spiritual and the physical.
yes, madame, we are nearing ento. lower, lower, george. that is well. we will move slowly, so that we may closely observe such scenes as may come into view. we now are about 1,400 miles north of the equator, and below us is a mountain range of no great altitude. the height of its loftiest peak is not over 3,000 feet. those rugged heights are but the vestiges of snow-capped, cloud-piercing giants of bygone ages. yes, in that shaded cleft is some snow, and to mortal sense the air here would appear quite cool. lower still, george. madame, look downward now, for beneath us is the deepest canyon on ento, but in either area or depth it is not to be compared with many such formations on our planet.
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george, we will alight near the margin of the stream.
medium—what a quiet, solitary spot.
de l'ester—it is indeed a quiet, solitary spot. here is a scant growth of grass amid which are some tufts of flowering plants and on yonder rocky elevation are some low-growing shrubs and stunted trees. from its base upward the mountain's side is worn into deep fissures, partly screened from view by shrubs and several species of conifera. there is no sight or sound of bird or bee or of any living thing. from the rocky ledges tiny rivulets of sparkling water trickle downward, finding their ways to the level and into this limpid stream. from yonder cleft in the mountain side a volume of water gushes with such energy that as it strikes the ledge lower down it is dashed into silvery spray whose myriad drops fall into the deep, dark pool whose over-flow is tributary to this stream, which flows southward, then eastward, finding entrance into an underground channel at the base of the mountain, where it too curves outward, thence debouching on the further side, where it is joined by other streams, all flowing into a small but pretty lake, which later on you shall see.
madame, you are silent. does the quiet of this solitary spot oppress you?
medium—friends, i feel absolutely dazed. i had thought to find everything on ento altogether unlike anything on earth, yet here is water and there are tufts of star-shaped white and pink flowers very like some i have seen on earth. then see those pretty purple flowers, so closely resembling violets, and on that elevation and up the mountain's side are shrubs, trees and vegetation so very similar to growth on our own planet that you will pardon me for saying that not only am i surprised, but in a sense am disappointed. no, george, i did not imagine
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that i should find either people or trees growing upside down, but i did imagine that surely there must exist more striking dissimilarities between the life expressions of this planet and our own. such speculations relating to it as i have become aware of have led me to expect something very different from what thus far i have observed on ento.
von humboldt—madame, with your and our counsellor and guide's permission, i shall say that since i have been not of earth, i have journeyed far and have looked closely into nature as expressed on many habitable planets, and i have learned that everywhere infinite, intelligent energy is manifested in strikingly similar ways. you have been told that the homogeneity of matter is universal. that the qualities of metals of all planets are exactly the same and that the constituents of water never anywhere vary, neither do the crystallized forms of either ever vary. so it should not surprise you to find here water quite as palatable as the sparkling beverage of our earth-world.
of course their relative positions to, and their distances from central suns, occasion differences in the bodies of planets, particularly as to their density; then, too, in accordance with conditions, atmospheres vary as to being rarefied or dense, humid or dry and so on, but life germs of fauna and flora ever are the same, and given like or similar planetary conditions their expressions will present more or less close resemblances. yes, environments occasion differences, but environments are the results of planetary conditions. but that is too comprehensive a question for present consideration. at another time we may recur to it.
the physical and atmospheric conditions of ento and earth being so much alike, naturally their fauna and flora must present mutual likenesses. as for chemical
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affinities and their unvarying expressions, they are universal.
as has been said to you the universe is indeed a unit. everywhere infinite, intelligent energy seeks to express itself not only in harmony and beauty, but along the same lines, and ever toward a state of perfection, beyond the highest conception of spirit or mortal, for who can conceive an idea of that which is known by many names, but whom you name god? from my own observation and through association with spirits of advanced spheres whose mission, like my own, is planetary research, i can say with assurance that among the life expressions of all sufficiently evolved planets there is what may be termed a universal homogeneity, for while there are dissimilarities there are equally close resemblances which may be expressed as unity in variety.
as to man on ento, earth and other planets, we find our brethren so like ourselves that, logically, we all must claim the same origin. yes, madame, i do assure you that in limitless space there are myriads of worlds, varying as to bulk, density, and atmospheric conditions, but in other respects so like ento and earth as to present fauna and flora very similar to those of either planet. they are peopled by humans like ourselves, in various stages of evolvement, and all, like the peoples of ento and earth, are engaged in the endeavor to solve the problem of eternal progress. between those on the lowest and those on the loftiest heights of progress on different planets, the intermediate stages represent man in all degrees of evolvement. on some planets i have visited, man,—the human animal, slowly, through ages,—has pursued his certain way, toward the period in which he is destined to become a spiritualized being, and now the hairy, unshapely limbed creature who scarcely walks erect, with face
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full enough of the mystery of existence to startle one, approaches nearly the line of demarcation between the human animal and the spirit man.
on other planets, compared with man on either ento, or earth, the spiritualized human is as a god.
if what i have said may suffice as replies to your questions and remarks, or may in some measure reconcile you to the close resemblances between features of ento and earth, i shall account myself more than fortunate.
de l'ester—thanks, von humboldt, for your timely remarks, which we hope may lessen madame's regret at finding ento so like our own beloved planet, and its human denizens so like ourselves,—with but one head, two arms, and as many legs. madame, i but jest that i may bring a smile to your perplexed face. since i have accomplished that i feel that i may hope for pardon.
aside from affording you a general idea of the varied formations and scenery of ento, we have a special purpose in bringing you to this spot. we desire that you now shall closely observe these rose-colored, lily-shaped blooms, whose long slender stems springing from tufts of dark green, glossy foliage are crowned with a profusion of the pretty, dainty flowers. as they will be used for one of our illustrations, i will give their ento name—which is loisa̤ yanû, in your language water gems or jewel. these compact masses of prettily leafed plants with their numerous white, star-like blooms are named oina̤ mista̤. oina̤ signifying lamp and mista̤, snow. you will remember that to the entoans the shining points in space are the lamps of astranola̤, hence oina̤ mista̤, or snow lamp.
yes, these purplish blue flowers, almost hidden by abundant foliage, in form, color and fragrance are very like earth's wild violets. entoans know it as loisa̤ infûen, but you may name it, water drinker, for that is as near the
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significance of its ento name as i can arrive at. loisa̤ yanû, oina̤ mista̤, and loisa̤ infûen, always are found growing in marshy places, or by the margin of flowing streams.
loisa infuen
now we will learn what yonder elevation may offer. no, it is not an isolated mass. do not you perceive that on the further side it connects with the mountain of which, doubtless, it is a small spur? i have said that in bringing you here we have had a special purpose in view. in this pretty, flowering plant our purpose stands revealed. yes, this is the hinifro enora̤. the yellow wonder which requires so little soil or moisture as to be practically independent of either. when, nearly two years ago, through your automatism, poole created a copy of it, promising to sometime on another planet show it to you growing and in bloom, you smiled rather incredulously. as we have fulfilled that promise, so shall all else that we have promised you come to pass.
these densely foliaged trees are known as oona̤mosa̤ tûla̤. in your language this would signify burr-berry. they seldom grow to a greater height than thirty feet. yes, they do resemble chestnut trees, but the burrs contain berries, not nuts, and they now are fully ripened. certainly it could not harm you to taste the fruit, but through its extreme acidity and astringency it is very unpalatable.
we now will examine these pretty shrubs whose dark green, glossy foliage renders them quite attractive. the fruit has a luscious appearance but is unfit for human food. its ento name is gûfon litza̤, which i shall translate into bitter sweet. once inez was curious enough to taste this fruit and very much to her discomfiture. as you are aware, your sister was a still born child, consequently her mortal education has been acquired under such difficulties as you, in your present state, little comprehend. being
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of an inquiring turn of mind she investigates for herself, at times gaining information at some cost, which makes it all the more valuable.
inez—de l'ester, i owe you thanks for regarding my overweening curiosity so leniently. i confess that i am of a very inquiring turn of mind, but since largely through this means i acquire necessary mortal experiences which, through my premature return to the spirit side, were denied me, i feel assured that your forbearance will condone what may amount to a fault.
de l'ester—inez, dear friend, i did not mean that my brusquerie should occasion you even a passing thought. pardon me if i may have caused you a suggestion of pain.
inez—pardon is not a word that should pass between two such close friends as are we. there, i offer you my hand with my heart in it and thus the fancied wound is healed.
medium—de l'ester, george, what a strange looking animal is emerging from that cleft in the mountain. what an ungainly, ugly creature and what vicious looking eyes it has.
de l'ester—really, the creature is as much a surprise to us as to you. as none of us have seen its like on ento, we must conclude that it belongs to a nearly extinct species. that it is of the marsupial family is apparent. its structural formation, hair and other characteristics are those of your american opossum, but its size is much greater than that of those creatures. i should say that it is quite two feet in height, four in length, and its weight not under one hundred pounds.
as it comes this way sniffing, grunting and rooting under the leaves for the fallen fruit of the oonamosa tûla̤, it impresses one with the idea that it is an ill-tempered,
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pugnacious animal. when our ento spirit friends join us we may learn its name, habits and so on.
hinifro enora̤
although we twice have visited this canyon we have not, until now, seen in it an animal or bird of any kind, but we have been informed that during the mid-summer season of this latitude a species of water-fowl comes here for breeding purposes, but that as soon as their young are able to fly they migrate to other regions. we know that very recently they were here in considerable numbers, now not one remains. earlier in the summer the canyon produces a harvest of wild grains, and those low growing shrubs bear an abundance of fruit which affords them subsistence.
madame, you perceive that the mountain curves toward the east; now look quite to our left and you will observe a rift in it extending southward. once when george with these and other friends were examining this region they discovered an opening in the rift, leading into a cavernous formation which they consider worthy of observation. as neither inez nor i have yet seen it, we will share with you whatever of interest it may offer. george, you and inez will lead the way, and i shall have the pleasure of assisting madame.
yes, the entrance is somewhat forbidding. we will remain here while george lights up the interior. how? through the ignition of elemental substances. sooner or later all spirits learn the laws of chemical affinities. it is a simple matter, the production of molecular combustion. we now will proceed.
this rather low and narrow passage widens as we descend, and now terminates in this vast chamber, which truly is wondrously beautiful. stalactites depending from the lofty ceiling meet upspringing stalagmites, forming seemingly endless rows of columns, united by snowy arches
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so singularly perfect in their outlines as to present a spectacle strangely, weirdly, marvellously lovely. in this soft radiance columns, arches, and walls appear as though incrusted with countless, many colored jewels, whose splendor might bedim the rarest, costliest gems worn by ento's or earth's rulers.
we now will approach more nearly yonder grotesque formations, which certainly are very remarkable. sufficiently so to suggest a sermon on what some learned persons might term unintelligent energy in unintelligent matter. be not alarmed, friends, though in these peculiar formations there are many sermons of a nature to arouse earnest inquiry; at present i am not in a mood for sermonizing but i must say that they positively are startlingly strange. one readily can imagine them animal forms of some far away age whom suddenly death stilled into immobility, leaving to pitiful nature the kindly office of enveloping them in snowy winding sheets.
in this spacious niche is another group, apparently composed of the forms of a man, two females and the torso of a child, all so admirable in outline, pose and drapery as to suggest the skill of an able sculptor. it, indeed, would require uncommon artistic ability to surpass, or even equal the grace of this snowy group.
here is another formation still more wonderful than those we have been observing. george, you have done well to hold in reserve this masterpiece of nature. it really is marvellous. it is as though some weary mortal of a past age laid down to rest, death coming this way blew upon him his icy breath and froze him into perpetual silence, then gently enshrouding him in purest whiteness passed on, leaving him to the peacefulness of endless sleep.
how many years have elapsed since nature began these strangely beautiful formations? who can say? not i,
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madame. such a lapse of time is inconceivable. but we know that here, during an unrealizable length of time, from dripping water charged with lime, atom has been added to atom and thus the stupendous wonder has grown, grown in darkness, and silence, and never have any but spirit eyes gazed with admiring awe upon the splendor and loveliness of this scene which naught but infinite, intelligent activity could create.
on no other planet have we found formations of this nature excelling these, seldom have we seen them equaled. those arched openings invite us into other divisions of this underground fairyland. we will enter this chamber on our right. these formations differ somewhat from those we have seen, but are quite as beautiful. see how those great stalagmites, singly and in groups, unite themselves with the white loveliness of descending stalactites, all apparently forming a gateway to a veritable garden of snow trees and vegetation, the drooping branches laden with blossoms and fruit, forbidden fruit, we may conclude, as between it and ourselves there is a swiftly flowing stream. what do i think of the biblical legend concerning adam and eve? madame, my opinion is, that had the mythical garden been as beautiful as this the commendably inquisitive eve would have been content with the prescribed diet and the amiable adam would, to this day, be promenading under the edenic trees. one is tempted to linger in this strangely beautiful spot, but we must pass on.
we pointed out to you that the stream traversing the canyon entered an opening, at the northern base of the mountain; it is the same stream now rushing by us toward an exit at the southern side of the mountain, thence into the lake of which we have spoken. we now will cross it to glance through other portions of the cavern, some of
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which, george says, are not greatly unlike those we already have explored.
medium—although i have not seen them, i know that on our planet there are formations similar to these; may i ask are such formations features of all planets you have visited?
de l'ester—yes, of all planets sufficiently aged. do not you remember that on our moon we once showed you a cavern similar to, but not nearly so extensive as this that contained stalactites and stalagmites too, but of rather diminutive proportions? you also may remember that we demonstrated to your satisfaction that there was a time when luna was capable of and did sustain many life expressions of both fauna and flora, but that now the internal heat of the little planet is so nearly exhausted that but a limited number of peculiar life expressions survive the rigor of its extremely low temperature? the history of a planet may be likened to that of a human. in the case of the planet, birth, growth, maturity, with a gradual but unceasing withdrawal of vitalizing heat and energy, which finally must culminate in the extinction of all its life forms, aye, of even the cohesive energy which has so long held it in form, followed by inevitable disintegration of its atoms which are the building material of new worlds.
the parallel history of the human includes birth, growth, maturity, then gradual withdrawal of vital energy, during which the heart beats respond less vigorously to the crimson current which flows more and more sluggishly and the history draws near its conclusion. the extremities grow colder, colder, animation dies out of the expressive features, the eyes grow dim and sightless, pulseless, breathless, lies the mortal body, but it is not dead. no, no, there is no death. life is in every atom of the uni
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verse and the disintegrated particles of the physical body afford material for new life expressions, while the freed ego, the ever conscious, cohesive, vitalizing spirit force which held the mortal body in form assumes other and higher relations and thus revolves the wheel of evolution whose circumference is the universe, whose centre is god.
madame, you are so given to asking questions and i to loquacity that we too much delay our progress. your pardon, friends, for having kept you waiting. now we will move on. yes, it would be rather difficult for even a diminutive mortal to penetrate this passage which now widens and grows loftier, and now we have reached the last of the series of caverns. gradually we have been descending and now are far below the level of the entrance and on the brink of a deep and narrow chasm. no occasion for alarm, madame, but to reassure you we will join hands. inez, you will take your sister's right hand, giving your right hand to humboldt. i will hold your left hand, madame, and agassiz, with george, will precede us. george, you will be good enough to light us down the abyss. yes, it is a tremendous chasm, but here we stand, safe and sound, and you perceive that there was no danger. it is too much to expect that, while you yet are on the physical plane you will wholly free yourself from apprehension. indeed, we have experienced some misgiving as to the amount of courage you might exhibit on occasions to which, during your mortal existence, you must be unaccustomed.
george, as you are acquainted with this uncanny locality, i desire that i now may stand aside while you shall act as guide and i suggest that you shall say to madame something relating to our mission. your discretion will limit your statements.
george—you, madame, have been informed that cer
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tain spirits being aware that you possessed such qualities as gave promise of a peculiar phase of mediumship, suited to a special purpose, have since your birth, been endeavoring to prepare you for it. with measureless patience and loving care they have guarded and guided you, sometimes by straight, ofttimes through devious ways, but ever toward a definite end. finally it became possible to control you for our purpose and i, with von humboldt, darwin, agassiz, bulwer lytton, giordano bruno and others of our band traversed ento, with the purpose of arranging a programme against the time when we should have you with us. as unfavoring events may oblige us to accommodate our movements to such circumstances as may occur, we do not anticipate that our programme will, in its entirety, be carried to its conclusion, but to that end we all will do our utmost, and we feel assured that divine influences will aid us in our mission which, as yet, you but slightly comprehend, but which in time will unfold itself.
one purpose we have in view is to show you much that will be of interest to you, through whom we hope to bring to the peoples of our planet the positive knowledge that the neighboring world, about which they are so curious, has much in common with earth.
yes, it is matter for regret, that much concerning our journeys and mission must be left unsaid and that necessarily the written account of our experiences must be somewhat sketchy, otherwise it would be too voluminous for the average reader's patient perusal.
through some ento spirits we learned of the existence of these great caverns and of a very unique spectacle which, presently, we will observe. this one is much larger than any of those we have examined and, as you perceive, it contains no formation to break its immensity. we are
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about eleven miles distant from the outer entrance and quite one thousand feet below its level. a half mile further on will reveal the cause of this continuous vibration and the tumultuous detonations which resemble the discharge of artillery. thanks to our spirit condition, we are invulnerable to the condition existing here, else we would not dare to approach the fiery horror we are nearing.
the roaring of ocean's storm-tossed waves is as nothing to the sounds breaking upon the stillness of these cavernous depths; but fear not, madame, for with safety you may, with us, approach a scene so grand, so appalling that you are not likely to ever forget it.
we now are in another great cavern whose floor slopes abruptly to this precipitous elevation and, standing on its edge, we look down upon a very hell of tumultuous flames. yes, lacking a stirring feature or two, it easily might hold its own against dante's "inferno."
look, now, away toward the left where is bursting forth a huge column of flame. up, up, toward the vaulted roof it climbs, twisting, curving, writhing like a gigantic serpent; now it slowly sinks downward and is engulfed. now in the distance a storm is raging. see how the fiery billows are rising; higher, higher, leaping and curving their angry crests they madly rush toward us as though they would overwhelm us and as they burst against this precipice, involuntarily one shrinks back from their hot, mephitic breath.
observe that pyramidal fountain near the centre. is not it grandly, wonderfully beautiful? see how it forms itself into a rose shape, while from its heart numerous jets shoot upward. a moment and it is gone and all over the surface of the fiery lake myriad fantastic shapes of many hued flames are glowing, scintillating and projecting them
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selves toward the lofty roof, forming a magnificent pyrotechnic display.
the noise is indeed deafening and the ever changing spectacle so awe inspiring that words cannot adequately describe its terrible, but wondrous beauty. truly, silence is at times golden.
medium—still, i should like some one to break the silence by an explanation of this, to me, strange phenomenon. is it volcanic?
von humboldt—one does not desire to long remain in proximity to this underground conflagration, for, madame, that is what it is. not for one moment could a mortal live in this mephitic atmosphere. as you perceive even spirits are, to a degree, sensitive to it. as we return toward the upper world i shall briefly explain to you the origin of the truly wonderful spectacle. we have reached the cavern at the bottom of the chasm and if it may please you, friends, we will pause here while i shall attempt to satisfy madame's laudable curiosity.
all over ento in certain localities, are deposits of the various coals of sulphur, of naphtha, of natural gas, and of such mineral formations as are found on other planets, and since remote times coal, naphtha, natural and manufactured gases as fuel and for lighting were universally used. then came a knowledge of applied electricity, and with this knowledge a disinclination for the old, cumbrous methods of heating and lighting, and ere long, save in rural localities, electricity became almost the sole illuminant and heating energy, and coal as fuel fell into disuse; but for certain uses, to a limited extent, it yet is mined.
the region in which, for a period equaling nearly twenty years of your time this conflagration has been raging, contained vast stores of bituminous coal, sulphur and naph
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tha. through some mischance a colliery became ignited, and ere the danger became apparent, the fire was inextinguishable. a large area has been burned out, extending to the southern base of the mountain where the fire burst into the immense cavern which holds, as in a basin, the terrific, raging, incandescent volume of heterogeneous matter. as the coal deposit extends no further than the base of the mountain and other inflammable materials involved finally must become exhausted, we may conclude that at no very distant time the conflagration will die out. soon an opportunity will be afforded you for observing the devastation it has wrought elsewhere.
madame, you owe me no thanks. it is both my duty and my pleasure to contribute what i may to the interest of our undertaking.
medium—may i ask if you still are interested in such researches as engaged your attention while in earth life?
von humboldt—madame, the bent of mind which, during earth life, has impelled mortals in certain directions or toward special pursuits, is an inherent part of each individual. entering upon an advanced plane of existence i found myself possessed of the same inclinations and traits as formerly characterized me. the same may be said of our friends, agassiz, darwin, bulwer lytton, bruno and others of this band. the chemist, the mathematician, the geologist, the naturalist, the astronomer, the mystic each is true to his inherent traits or tendencies. when freed from the ills and cares incident to mortal existence, with quickened senses and desires, with enlarged abilities and the universe an open book in which all who strive for attainment may learn to read the wondrous story written by infinite intelligent energy, strange, indeed, would it be did not these and all aspiring spirits in time acquire a larger knowledge
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of such arts, sciences or pursuits as dominated their lives on the physical plane.
in contradistinction one must use such terms as spirit, mortal, spiritual, physical and others. yet, substantially, they all are states of being. spirit, per se, as we understand it, is the vitalizing, unchanging principle which expresses the infinite, intelligent, indestructible, unvarying, all pervading energy and in every atom of the universe this indivisible spirit is manifested. as without substantiality there can be no existence or state of being, conclusively, spirit is substantial and all entities or individualized expressions of substance hold within them the spiritualized potentiality of evolution or growth. and, as in each individualized expression of substance there is a quality which may be termed plasticity, it follows that through inheritance and environment entities evolve in various directions, thus manifesting the scientific, the artistic and other tendencies.
yes, the spirit body is as substantial as is the physical body, but of a finer expression of substance. you now are apart from your physical body, yet you are conscious that your spirit body is substantial, and where there is consciousness there is being, which is but another name for spirit. i may add that there is not an atom of the universe that is not, in a certain sense, conscious, hence, in a certain sense, individualized and intelligent.
i am aware, madame, that i have answered your questions in a superficial manner; at present i cannot do otherwise.
our chemist is ready to light our way to the outer world and you will allow me to assist you. as we proceed, i shall, with your permission, relate a past personal experience.
age and infirmity came to me as it comes to many, and the hour of my departure from earth life drew near. for a
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time i had lain apparently unconscious, though really i was fully alive to all that was transpiring about me, and gradually, yet with a certain suddenness, i experienced a most peculiar sensation. i felt as though i were ascending what seemed to be a rift between walls of adamant. darkness so profound i never before had experienced and, in some perplexity, i reached out my hands and groped blindly, hoping to touch something that might indicate my whereabouts; but in vain. the sensation of being between two walls continued and i felt myself ascending, ever ascending. i do not recall that i experienced a sense of alarm, but in an indolent fashion i queried as to what the peculiar sensation might mean. certainly, i did not associate it with the change called death. suddenly, as we now come into the sunlight, i emerged into a soft radiance, indescribably, gloriously beautiful, and in great surprise i looked about me, seeing nothing but the soft radiance which wrapped me about as with a garment. great as was my surprise, i at once began to wonder where i was and as to what had occurred to me. was i dreaming? was i delirious? no, i was fully awake and in possession of all my senses. yet something unusual had occurred. surely i had not died. no, that could not be, for here, i said, is my body, and i am as alive as a man can be. perceiving that i could move about through the bewildering, unaccountable radiance, i began to investigate my surroundings which, imperceptibly, had assumed an air of strangeness. imagine, if you can, my amazement when, after a little, i found myself standing near my old, worn body over which friends were tenderly bending, closing its wide open, dim eyes, smoothing its scant locks, and otherwise preparing it for its last resting place.
as spellbound i gazed upon the pitiful scene, i felt,
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rather than saw, some one near me. turning, i, in great surprise beheld a company of radiant beings, who called to me in joyous tones: alexander! alexander! we have come to meet and greet you; come with us, come away from this sorrowful star[1] to our glorious spirit realms.
in a moment i recognized dear, long-lost friends of my youth. in a moment i was in the embraces of my parents, no longer aged, but glowing with life, with love, with the beauty of immortals. there were my nearest and dearest ones, each vieing with the others in joyous congratulations upon my having been freed from earth life. all, all with loving embraces and tenderest speech, drew me away from my mortal home to the realms of immortals, the realms which know neither death or hopeless partings.
has this reminiscence wearied you? no? then i shall not regret having related it. you, and all mortals, must pass through the change called death. when this change shall come to you the memory of this recital may aid you in your ascent from the physical to the spiritual plane of being.
de l'ester—dear friend, you are silent. nay, you need not tell me why. i read your thoughts, as you might read an open book. true, the change called death must come to you, as it must come to all mortals, yet dread it not, for so frail is the tie between your real self and your physical body that almost ere your physical eyes shall be closed as in sleep, your spirit eyes will open to undreamed of glories.
now make your adieux, for we must not hold you with us longer. george, i shall accompany you and this somewhat wearied comrade to her home, where approaching night is already enfolding her physical body with darkening shadows.
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across space with the speed of thought we have journeyed. and now commending you to the care of angelic guardians, whose watchful love ever protects you. au revoir.
footnotes:
[1]
spirit name for earth, "the sorrowful star."
