274- Do the different orders of spirits establish a hierarchy of powers, and is there subordination and authority among them?
“Very much so. Spirits have authority over one another relative to their degree of evolution and exert it through an irresistible moral ascendancy.”
– Can low order spirits evade the authority of those who are more evolved?
“I said: irresistible.”
275- Do the power and influence that individuals enjoy on earth warrant them any supremacy in the spirit world?
“No, because the lowly will be exalted and the great will be abased. Read the Psalms.”
– How should we understand this exalting and abasing?
“Don’t you already know that spirits are of different orders according to their merits? Well then, the greatest on earth may be in the last class among the spirits, while their servants may be in the first. Don’t you understand this? Didn’t Jesus say: ‘Whosoever humbles himself shall be exalted, and whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled?’”
276- Don’t those who were great on earth but find themselves abased among the spirits feel humiliation?
“Of course, they almost always feel greatly humiliated, especially if they had been proud and jealous.”
277- After a battle, does a soldier who meets his general in the spirit world still acknowledge him as his superior?
“The title is nothing. True superiority is everything.”
278- Are the spirits of different orders mixed together?
“Yes and no; that is, they may see each other but they are distinguished from each other. They avoid or approach one another according to the similarity or dissimilarity of their sentiments, as is also the case amongst you. It is an entire world in and of itself and yours is only a dim reflection of it. Those of the same order are drawn together by a sort of affinity, and they form groups or families of spirits united by sympathy and purpose: the good ones, by their desire to do good; the evil ones, by their desire to do evil, by shame for their wrongs and by the need to find themselves among others like them.”
This is exactly like a large city, where individuals of all social classes and conditions see and meet one another without mixing together, where societies are formed by similarities in tastes, and where vice and virtue jostle each other without speaking.
279- Do all spirits have mutual access to one another?
“The good ones go everywhere; it must be this way in order to bring their influence to bear upon the evil ones. Nevertheless, the realms inhabited by the good ones are forbidden to the imperfect ones so that the latter cannot bring their evil passions there.”
280- What is the nature of the relationship between good and evil spirits?
“The good ones seek to combat the evil tendencies of the others in order to help them evolve – it is a mission.”
281- Why do certain low order spirits take pleasure in inducing us to evil?
“They do so out of spite for not having deserved to be among the good ones. Their desire is to prevent inexperienced spirits, as much as possible, from attaining the supreme good. They want to make others experience what they themselves are experiencing. Don’t you see the same amongst yourselves?”
282- How do spirits communicate with one another?
“They see and comprehend one another. Speech is material: it is a reflection of the spirit. The universal fluid establishes a constant communication among them; it is the vehicle for the transmission of thought, as the air is for you the vehicle for sound. It is a sort of universal telegraph line that connects all worlds, enabling spirits to communicate from one world to another.”
283- Can spirits disguise their thoughts and hide themselves from each other?
“No, everything is out in the open for them, especially when they are perfect. They may be apart from each other but they always see each other. This is not an absolute rule, however, since certain spirits can very easily make themselves invisible to others if they deem it useful.”
284- Since spirits no longer have a body, how can they establish their own individuality and make themselves recognizable to others around them?
“They establish their individuality by means of their perispirit, which makes them distinct from one another, as do bodies among humans.”
285- Do spirits recognize each other after having lived here on earth? Does the son recognize his father and the friend, her friend?
“Yes, and thus from generation to generation.”
– How do those who knew each other on earth recognize each other in the spirit world?
“We see our past life and read it there as if it were a book. As we watch the friends and enemies of our past, we also witness their passage from life to death.”
286- Upon leaving its mortal remains behind, does the soul immediately see the relatives and friends who had preceded it into the spirit world?
“Not always immediately. As we have already said, it requires some time to recognize its situation and shake off the material veil.”
287- How is the soul received upon its return to the spirit world?
“The soul of the just, as a beloved and long awaited bother or sister; the soul of the wicked, as a despised being.”
288- What sentiment do impure spirits experience at the sight of another evil spirit who has just arrived?
“Evil spirits are pleased at seeing beings who resemble them and who are deprived, like they are, of infinite happiness. Just like on earth, it is a rascal among equals.”
289- Do our relatives and friends sometimes come to meet us when we leave the earth?
“Yes, they come to meet the soul they love. If it has escaped the dangers of the road, they congratulate it as though it were returning from a journey, and they help it to break free of its corporeal bonds. It is a blessing granted to good spirits when those who love them come to meet them; on the other hand, those who are blemished remain in isolation or are surrounded only by spirits like themselves – it is a punishment.”
290- Are relatives and friends always reunited after death?
“That depends on how evolved they are and the path they are following for their advancement. If one of them is more advanced and progresses more quickly than the other, they cannot remain together. They may see each other occasionally, but they will not be reunited until they can walk side by side, or when they have reached equality of purification. Moreover, being kept from seeing relatives and friends is sometimes a punishment.”
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