CONSCIOUSNESS -- THE ONE AND ONLY REALITY
In the beginning was the word... The word may satisfy many people in the linear, orthodox world of rationalism and legalities, but when it comes to adopting a belief system that life does not end at the local cemetery, that there is indeed a life beyond the veil, people are hesitant, sometimes angrily denouncing the concept.
This is in spite of the fact that since the time of the ancients, men and women have instinctively been aware that “something” exists beyond death. The prophets, mystics, philosophers including spiritual teachers, plus most of the sacred texts, have proclaimed a “life everlasting.” Indeed, the Resurrection of Jesus, the fundamental doctrine of immortality in Christianity, lives on with greater satisfaction and meaning when applied to spirit, but flops unhappily when applied to the physical body.
It’s difficult for many people overcome those old, ingrained blocks: “For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return,” says Genesis ( 3:19), and the Apostolic Creed which claims the “resurrection of the body,” words chanted regularly by million of churchgoers. Life after death is difficult to comprehend when you know that the body of a departed loved one is returning to the earth--ashes to ashes. It’s difficult to avoid orthodox religions’ hell and damnation teachings when discussing the afterlife. It’s difficult to truly comprehend what pure consciousness is like without the earthly reality of the physical body. Yet, consciousness is the one and only reality.
It isn’t enough for Spiritualists to say, there is life after death, that there is indeed life beyond the veil. It has to be proven through intelligent use and promotion of existing research and demonstrations, and through the ongoing work of spiritualist mediums in the physical, and spirits working to assist intelligent understanding, from the spirit world.
What is it like on the other side of the veil? Andrew Jackson Davis in “The Summer Land as Seen by Clairvoyance,” describes the specific degrees of form and development of spirit evolution, then goes to on to tell of the distinct societies or associations of men and women. “Every spirit has a peculiar sphere of its own, and also a general one in which it can with pleasure exist. And spirits know and associate with each other according to the quality of the sphere which is exhaled from their interiors.”
This confirms the teachings of the yoga philosophers whose writings discuss like attracting like, certain energy vibrations attracting similar energy vibrations. It happens both on the earth plane and the spirit plane, although many people on earth may not be aware of the Law of Attraction which works in both places.
This also confirms the often heard sayings of some North American Indians referring to departed
warriors: “He’s gone to the happy hunting ground in the sky.” Older societies were well versed regarding the world of spirit.
A.J. Davis in “Summerland,” eulogized the spirit world, as did Arthur Findlay in “On the Edge of the Etheric.” Writing on spirit entities: “Their bodies are as warm and living and vital as our own bodies. The etheric body has definite shape... It is even more durable than the physical body with a mobility that is refreshing.”
Betty White, a medium in spirit, gives vivid descriptions of the spirit world in “The Unobstructed Universe” by her husband Stewart Edward White. She also gives new meaning to the old earthly Newtonian physics -- Time, Space and Motion. In the spirit world, the essences of these are Receptivity, Conductivity and Frequency. Space is the necessity that gives objects form. Consider, for instance, what would a tree be like without space? Physical Space has no meaning in the spirit world, and because Consciousness is energy which is always in motion (you cannot have stagnant energy!!!) , neither does motion. Time, the other factor, has no meaning in spirit, which is why some mediums and many humans cannot understand why spirits have little or no understanding of accurate time.
Betty compares the rigors of living in the physical, described as the Obstructed Universe, to that of living in the Spirit World or the Unobstructed Universe. Living with time is an obstruction on the earth plane, as are stone walls and similar objects. In the Unobstructed Universe there are no known blocks. She gives an example of what she means. A person walks through a radio wave. “It did not obstruct you, so for you it just wasn’t there. If you will only think, you will find that already you know a lot about an unobstructed universe, “ she said, then points out, in reality there is only one universe. Consciousness is the one and only reality.
William Thomas Stead, the famous British newspaper editor and spiritualist, who predicted the Titanic disaster in April 1912, and ironically lost his life aboard the ship, gives a fascinating account of life in spirit. Communicated through automatic writing and published in 1922 in a book called “The Blue Island,” Stead describes his experiences of a new arrival beyond the veil.
Stead too, writes of the obstructed and unobstructed universe and the vast differences. “One of the most blessed and merciful differences between the two is the manner in which the mental is unhindered by the physical. You on earth have mental desires and ambitions of various kinds, for money, success in business, pleasure, power, knowledge, etc.; but always the desires are limited, cramped, often made impossible owing to your physical condition--here when the mental desire is good, the field is unlimited. Any mental desire for truth, knowledge, be it what it may, can be gratified in a most astonishing manner in this world.”
Stead also emphasizes the importance of a good mind. “...On earth it is so essential to control your bodies by your minds, and not the reverse. When you come here your mind is all-powerful, and everything depends, for your own degree of happiness here, upon the kind of mind you bring with you,” wrote Stead.
“The presence or absence of contentment is entirely due to the earth life you have led, the character formed, opportunities taken and lost, the motive of and for your actions,” he added. “Here only the mind matters, it is in your keeping entirely, and is in whatever state you have made it in your life.”
In essence, it is well to recall the words of Andrew Jackson Davis: “Spirits are real people...stripped of their outer garment of flesh, but still possessed of real, substantial bodies which we know as the spiritual body,” and “The spirit world is a real world.”
Here’s a point for hard-nosed skeptics who believe that life after death is a fabrication and a waste of time, consider this. You really can’t lose by maintaining a belief that life exists after death. How so? Well, if you believe in life after death and intelligently learn and experience spirit communication, you’ll be pleasantly prepared for what happens when you die. You’ll also enjoy your life, not having a fear of death. However, if you reject the idea of life after death, and nothing happens when you expire, you’ll never get the satisfaction of knowing you were right. You’ll also have lived your life perhaps experiencing the fear of death, considered to be the leading cause of all human anxieties. In lousy deals that’s a double whammy!
Communication between the two worlds has been so extensive, and so meaningful. Innumerable contacts have been recorded, involving thousands upon thousands of people, some of them exceptionally noteworthy. Sir Oliver Lodge, British physicist, author and speaker, lost his son Raymond in World War One. Shortly after, Raymond, accompanied by psychologist and psychic researcher, F. W. H. Myers, also in spirit, came through with deep insights regarding the world of spirit. These beautiful encounters, prompted the famous scientist to write: “Death is not a foe, but an inevitable adventure.”
Note from Author: These are notes from my upcoming book "The Light Beyond the Glass Darkly" (provisional title) a sequel to "Cracking the Glass Darkly."
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