CHAPTER IV The Dark Spheres

The division of the world to come into spheres or belts is purely artificial, and there is no fixed line of demarcation. They merge one into the other, and so there are countless grades of happiness. The story of the “ great gulf fixed between me and thee” is purely a metaphor, and the gulf consists in the barrier formed by the state of progress of the soul. Just as I should be like a fish out of water in a higher sphere, so the ignorant but self-orientated prelates, when they come over, would be out of place here. Everybody goes automatically where he belongs, and nothing can alter this.

Yesterday I visited one of the dark spheres, and It made so deep an impression on my mind that I feel I must tell you about it. Those who are the most difficult to help are those who have had the opportunity o f learning the truth, but have deliberately rejected it. Those who are either ignorant, or what you would call wicked, are not so difficult, because they reincarnate very soon and so pass through another stage of evolution. They are little above the level of animals, and must evolve before they are capable of learning very much over here. But those who know the truth and deliberately reject it are very hard to deal with.

I met one of these men who, when on your side, suppressed every spiritual instinct and made those around him unhappy and discontented. He was rich and prosperous, but his wealth came from the sweated labour of the poor and from what you call “ share­pushing.” I found him sitting alone in a wretched little hut, very angry because he could not understand where he was or whey he could not enjoy the pleasures that meant so much to him. At first he scarcely answered when I spoke to him, but eventually I induced him to talk. I did my best to help him, but it will take a long time to get him out of his present state. After a time he talked more readily, and I was surprised when he told me that he was genuinely happy when on your side, and that he never had the slightest misgiving as to the manner in which he obtained the bulk of his money: by preying on the foolish and inducing them to invest their savings in worthless speculations. He had a relative who was an enlightened soul and who had often tried to interest him in spiritual things.

For a short time he had associated himself with Spiritualist circles, but he soon decided that the acquisition of wealth was more important than an investigation of what happens after death, so he gave up prayer in order to have more time for preying on his fellow­men. He died suddenly, as the result of a seizure, and when he woke, he found himself all alone on a dreary expanse of moorland. It was foggy and depressing, and for some time he wandered about, wondering whether he had been kidnapped or shipwrecked, or whether he had lost his memory. I talked to him and tried to explain how he could improve his condition, but he insisted that all he wanted was to return to his earth life. I promised to do all I could to help him, and as a matter of fact, he is with me to-day, looking on while I write. The only advantage, as far as he is concerned, is that he now realises that he has died and that his money is of no further use to him. I was asked to visit him by one of his few friends, who had tried in vain to help him. When he grasps the fact that his selfishness is the direct cause of his present state, he will begin to progress. He will of course have to pass through more than one further incarnation, and next time he will not enjoy a life of luxury, but will probably have to toil as a hard-working peasant.

On another occasion I went to see a relative of one of the dog owners on this side. When on earth, this relative was a most selfish individual, and never in his life helped anybody, although he was rich in money and high in position. My friend the dog-love, whom we will call Frank, asked me to accompany him. His dog, a big retriever not unlike your Lon, came with us. As you know, we have no difficulty in traveling, and when the dogs have learned the method, they can come too. I taught mine by first going very short distances, just out of sight, and then sending him a mental message to follow me. The dog was puzzled at first, but soon learned to travel short distances by the power of thought. Then I went further off, until the dog could come any distance and now I merely have to say: “ I am going on a journey,” and the dog understands perfectly, just as yours know the meaning of the word “ car” .

Well, we set off for the dark spheres, and the first time we were accompanied by one of the guides, as we did not know what to expect, nor had we any knowledge of the best way to help the man we were to visit. There are various grades of the dark spheres, some more depressing than others. In the lowest parts, the inmates do not stay long, being so degraded and blind to all but their evil desires that they are soon sent back to matter in order that they may lean their lessons over again. The man we were visiting was not a blackguard of this description, and he was in one of the less dreary parts. What struck me most was the absence of flowers and birds and sunshine. We found ourselves on a desolate stretch of sand by the sea that was rolling up in sullen, leaden waves. There was a high bank of rocks cutting off the mainland, just as you may see on your coasts. Among the rocks were dark caves, and at the entrance of one of them was the man we sought. He stood looking out to sea, and when he caught sight of us, he came forward.

Frank greeted him cordially, and introduced me as a lover of dogs. Many people were wandering along the shore, and some tried to throw stones at our dog, while others were rowing in small boats. They all seemed unhappy and gloomy, and Frank’s relative had little to say beyond complaining of the conditions in which he found himself. He had not been over here very long, but he realised that he had shed his physical body, and his main grievance was remorse that he had not done more with his earth life. “ This is a dismal hole,” he said, “ and I d not like my neighbours. They grumble all the time and are in mo way companionable.” I asked him whether he had many visitors from other spheres. “ A few,” he replied, “ but they never stay long, as there is nothing to attract them here. Would you like to see where I live?” and he lad the way to his cave home.

As caves go, it was not bad, but I should not care for it as a permanent dwelling. There was a bed made of moss and seaweed, and our host was beginning to learn how to obtain what he needed, by the power of thought. “ I made a cocktail the other day, will you try one, gentlemen?” we neither of us knew what he meant, cocktails being unknown in our day, but we concluded is was some kind of refreshment, and we thought it might seem discourteous to refuse. He poured our a pale, brown liquid into some tall wine­glasses, and although, to us, it tasted like brackish water, he seemed to find it pleasant and sipped it appreciatively. “ It is customary to give each cocktail a distinctive name,” he remarked, “ and I call this one ‘the cave-man’s remorse’!”

He then produced some cigarettes, which he offered us, but we declined and soon took our leave. “ Where is our guide?” I exclaimed, realising for the first time that he was no longer with us.

“ Here I am,” replied a familiar voice, and to my surprise, our friend walked beside us as we climbed the slope. “ I purposely made myself invisible,” he went on, “ because your friend is not yet ready for the help that I will give him later. You are puzzled because he apparently enjoyed a liquid that, to you, was tasteless. It is a good illustration of the power of thought. To him, it was a potent drink that stimulated his energies and made him cheerful, but to you who are unfamiliar with these concoctions, it is unattractive and tasteless. If he had offered you a whisky-and-soda, you would have been more appreciative, and if you had accepted his cigarettes, you would have found them perfectly genuine. It is his strong desire for these things that enables him to produce them, but the desire for material things soon passes, as you both know from your own experience. The earth people were very critical of similar remarks made by the son of a well-known scientist, when he declared that he was able to enjoy cigars and whisky soon after his passing. But Raymond spoke the truth, and anything that a newly arrived spirit desires is his for the asking, without money and without price, merely by means of constructive thought.”

I have been telling you about the grey spheres, and to-day I want to say more bout the lowest “ hells,” as they call them on your side. These are not, as your clergy teach you, reserved for the un-baptised and for un-believers; they are merely the automatic result of very evil lives. There are many people who, though quite ignorant concerning spiritual matters, are ready to learn when they have the opportunity, and they would be out of place in the dark spheres. Those who spend a certain time there are those who have lived evil lives, preying on their fellows, and entirely devoid of a redeeming spark of kindness. Gangsters who have no respect for human life, white slave traffickers, dope peddlers, and all who have sought to enrich themselves through the misery of others. These must learn their lesson, and sooner or later will have to reincarnate, but before they can derive any benefit from another earth life, they must suffer as the direct consequence of their evil ways.

This is what has given rise to the idea of hell fire, and like most wide-spread beliefs, it has a substratum of truth. There are a few individuals so degraded, so lost to all decency, that they do not survive, but are reabsorbed into the life-essence like the lowly animals. Their evil spirit is, as it were, diluted in the cosmic melting-pot, and they cease to exist as individuals. This has been called the second death, but there are not many who have no redeeming grace. This is another of your stock phrases that has a real meaning. If there is a spark of love for others, or a desire for progress, the individual may atone for his past and gradually rise out of the black depths of his depravity. There are people over here who spend much time trying to help these souls in prison, and it is from one of these missionaries that I have learned about these lowest grades of humanity. But if a depraved soul does not respond, and continues to harm the incarnate by prompting them to evil, or even by taking possession of their bodies, then it is better for all concerned that he should be annihilated. In this sense only can life be destroyed; the life-essence persists, but not the individual.