Our force of character and determination is a valuable protection

On the road from Venice to those plains which he now understands to be the spiritual replica of the plains of Lombardy, Franchezzo's attention is suddenly attracted by a voice calling to him in a pitiful tone for help. Turning back a little way, he sees a couple of spirits lying apparently helpless on the ground and one is making gestures to cause Franchezzo to come to him.  Thinking it is someone in need of his help, he lets Faithful Friend go on and goes to see what he wants. As Franchezzo bends down to lift him up, the spirit holding out his hand to him clutches his legs with his hands and contrives to fasten his teeth in his arm. While the other one, suddenly jumping up, tries to fasten on his throat like a wolf.

With some trouble and a good deal of anger on his part, Franchezzo shakes himself free of them and is stepping back when he half-stumbles. Turning his head, he sees that a great pit has suddenly opened behind him into which with another step backwards he must have fallen.

He remembers the warnings given him not to allow his lower passions to be aroused and thus place himself on a level with these beings and he regrets his momentary burst of anger and resolves to keep calm and cool. He turns towards the two dark spirits again and sees that the one he fancies has been hurt is crawling along the ground to reach him, while the other is gathering himself together like a wild beast about to spring. He fixes his eyes steadily on the pair, whom he now recognises as the man with the withered hand and his friend, who has tried to deceive him with the false message a short time before.  Steadily he looks at them, throwing all the power of his will into the determination that they should not advance nearer to him. As he does so they falter and stop and finally roll over on the ground snarling and showing their teeth like a couple of wolves but unable to approach a step nearer. Leaving them thus he hurries after Faithful Friend – whom he soon overtakes – and narrates to him what has occurred.

Faithful Friend laughs and says –

I could have told you who those were, Franchezzo, but I felt it would do no harm to let you find out for yourself and likewise learn how valuable a protection your own force of character and determination can be. You are naturally strong-willed and so long as you do not use it to domineer over the just rights of others, it is a very useful and valuable quality. In your work in the spirit world you will find that it is the great lever by which you can act, not alone on those round you but even on apparently inanimate matter. I thought as those two are very likely to come across you from time to time you might as well settle now which should be master, which should be the dominant personality. They will be shy of directly meddling with you again but so long as you work about the earth plane, you will find them ready at any chance to thwart your plans if the opportunity comes. 

360 degrees fog bow – Brocken Inaglory (CC-by-SA-3.0)