Does the soul feel emotions after death?

Man truly is a spirit, and has a body, not vice versa.

I know now the whole mistake lies in looking upon death as the end of activity with a renewal at some indefinite date, whereas, as a matter of fact, it is an incident only, though a very important one in a continuous life.

Your feelings, your memory, your love, your interests and ambitions remain―

All you have left behind―and even that one cannot at first realise―is the physical body, which proves to be merely the covering of the spiritual to enable it to function in a material world.

You wake up here the same personality exactly that left the earth plane—your individuality is intact—your feelings, your memory, your love, your interests and ambitions remain. Death works no miracle and you wake up here the same personality exactly that left the earth plane.

Your individuality is intact and your spirit body a replica of the one you have left down to small details—even deformities remain though I am told they lessen and disappear in time.

This is what makes it so difficult to realise one has crossed the great divide. Death is an incident in a continuous life—All you have left behind is the physical body. People with narrow, set and orthodox beliefs are puzzled by the reality, the ordinaryliness (if I may coin a word), of the spirit world.

If it were described to them as flashes of light, mauve and sapphire clouds, golden rivers, and so on, it would more readily approximate with their preconceived ideas. They require mystery about this future life.

I often laugh when I hear them complain they cannot believe in solid things like houses and gardens in the spirit world.

Science and religion are not antagonistic, there is nothing miraculous about them [natural laws], in fact, there is no such thing as a miracle. What seems so is merely a novel use of some existing natural law. Nor can anything be supernatural―it may be supernormal.

Man can create nothing―All new discoveries are merely further knowledge of how to use latent force or power.

Men will no longer be content with platitudes and unreasoning belief. You must satisfy their minds as well as their hearts, which is possible now that science and religion are not antagonistic.

There is no right of way—many roads lead to God―men cannot now be frightened with tales of hellfire. They have learned that many roads lead to God. There is no right of way, which is a prerequisite of any particular form of religion.

The only one that will influence men at all is one that is full of common sense, that makes everyday life worth living and death no longer a dreaded visitor, but even a friend, for indeed it may be that.

We are in the world to develop character and learn self-discipline.

This knowledge would not make earth life of less, but of greater value, for we should then realise and appreciate the fact that we are in the world to be trained, to develop character and learn self-discipline.

It would teach us to bear trials bravely and with understanding that now seem uncalled for and senseless. We should know that this earth life is only the school time and preparation of the fuller life that follows.

Claude's Book