Redemption in Spirit Life

What is the condition and redemption in spirit life of the one who was a wrong-doer in earth life—say, of a murderer?

IT depends upon the condition of wrong-doing: where no wrong is intended no sin is imputed.

As in earth life one desiring to do the right, who finds he may have unwittingly wronged another, experiences regret and strives to redress the wrong, so the one who in the light of spiritual unfoldment finds his earthly influence among men had a wrong or corrupt tendency strives by every means within his power to counteract the influence he left behind him, by spiritual impressions, inculcating the right tendencies of thought. He is not comfortable in mind till he sees he has done something to appease his own regrets, and has witnessed some fruits of his opposing efforts.

Thus with the murderer who unintentionally deprives his victim of life. He devotes himself as soon as he is able to the amelioration of any adverse conditions of his victim outcoming from the deprivation of earthly experiences from which he was too suddenly cut off. But the Cain who deliberately spills his brother's blood through hate—his condition is the most wretched that can be imagined.

While no earthly repentance can atone for the deed, still, if he truly repent in earth life it is a great help—then he has before him the light of a true perception of his own condition, and he is permitted (through his own earnest desire) to begin to work out his own redemption through the devotion with which he lends himself to the service of his victim.

Such a weary, dreary task! The ages stretching out before him, showing through their darkness but one light for him—that of the service which it is shown him he may perform toward his victim or those who were connected with him, upon whom his death may have had an indirect influence (through want and misery, perhaps) of depriving them of the spiritual development which the wretched slayer may perceive might have been theirs if his hand had not deprived them of their loved one, or if thoughts of hate and revenge had not been engendered in their minds through the dreadful shock and sorrow which they then experienced.

For there is endless difference between a service which must be performed to redress one's own wrongdoing and a service wherein the highest seems to stoop to the lowest, yet proves his spiritual altitude by the largeness of his love when he bends.

The wilful murderer, who passes over with his soul seething with the passions of hate and murder, is indeed in outer darkness—the darkness of his own soul, which excludes all light. There are the bad spirits—the ones who, imprisoned between barriers of their own wilful embracings of evil passions and undesire of betterment, are necessarily associated with only those as evil as themselves in a spiritual existence, where only the laws of attraction regulate the planes of thought. And thus evil festering with evil reproduces evil in more hideous forms of thought than could be possible to a mind on earth, where, from the admixture of good with bad, the most evil nature is constantly somewhat toned and improved.

Now every individual spirit has an aroma as well as every individual of the vegetable kingdom (be it attractive flowers, noxious weeds or tempting fruit) has its odour. And there is a thought atmosphere as well as that every planet has its atmosphere, wherefrom the life pertaining to it draws sustenance, and likewise injury at times. The atmosphere of the earth will float miasmas born of its own species' decay as well as the health-giving tonic native to its growth and unfoldment.     

The more subtle, soul-sustaining thought atmosphere is likewise capable of certain infections from the dark spirits which recede from light, in place of advancing in order of progression toward it.      

These spirits of darkness, then, continually foster the evil influences on earth, while the spirits of light as constantly lend their disinfectant, health-giving influence to the earth, developing souls. 

                                                              

No spirit of evil can come near enough to influence an earthly inhabitant to his harm unless his thoughts and desires attract it. But if his mind has a bent to delve in the darkness of error and sin, earthly workers may do far more to induce him to turn to the light than any spirits of goodness and love can.

He may be influenced on earth through his outer physical conditions—oftentimes his physical sufferings induce him to a different reflection, understanding and desire—but when the conditions of flesh are passed, and his soul can no longer experience bodily pain, there seems nothing to lift him to better thoughts and desires, and the spirit seems to lose even the rays of light which were once native to it.

What the conditions of such a spirit's redemption may be we cannot tell. If he be really so lost to light as to have no desire for betterment, the mind of God alone, which can know his whole condition and the reason for it, can know what may be his redemption, and what time in God's eternity it may take to solve it.

But we have no reason to say there can be no redemption more than that eternity can have an end.

It is not possible, in a spiritual existence, that the good should come near such evil—should even witness their manner of existence or thought. They could not help them, and there would be nothing to attract on either side.

But we have never witnessed such a soul passing from earth life; always there is a regret—always in the heart of the most stubborn-lipped wretch there is a consciousness of wrong, an appreciation of the good and true, that makes him willing to turn his face toward the light of improvement.

If he is unable to bear light from higher sources he may return to earth to learn of those striving to be good there. His own influence is not good, since he is below those whom he approaches, yet the earthly one striving to do right protects himself by prayer—by the earnest wish of his soul to be right—from all such influences that would be malarious to his spirit; he has a sure antidote that is within the reach of everyone.

But it is important that one should get the right start in spiritual development in earth life, else he cannot hope to do such double work as retracing his steps and ever catch up with those who, leaving earth in proper purity and development, keep steadily advancing toward the centre of all light and holiness.

Spirit Author Unknown — LEAFLETS OF TRUTH; OR, Light From the Shadow Land, M. KARL, CHICAGO: 1886