The Summer Land of Life

True to the cause of humanity, I come and will endeavour to give a truthful delineation of our beautiful spirit home, narrates the spirit of Martha Washington through the mediumship of Mrs Upham Hendee.

We have met here today, to bring our love, our sympathies and joys to the earnest and truthful investigation of this heavenly subject. Yes, my beloved Washington and mother are here today, showering blessings from their summer land home, and to assist me in my description of its beauties and realities—for their surprise, like mine, was unbounded. In their love and assistance, I have been cradled and guarded through all the scenes of my observation.

Martha begins her history of travels, as we might call it—

First Section

On first awakening to this enchanted and sublime land—the summer land of life—we are filled with amazement and can only look and exclaim, so powerless and overcome are we to behold it filled with such sacred and holy conceptions and realities of God's infinite power.

On first leaving earth, she dictates, we are often reminded of our earthly home and feel a longing desire to return to awaken our friends to our great discovery—to give them glad tidings from this unknown life or beautiful sphere—for it is not that uncertain visionary heaven that was taught of old, but a real living, breathing country full of all life, both vegetable, animal and spirit, all in spiritual beauty, showing forth the handiwork of the divine Creator, and that the fullness thereof is for all.

Everyone has all that he can use or comprehend, and as it is the design of the All-wise to create a hungering for knowledge of this fruitful and glorious home, therefore spheres are prepared for the reception of all adapted to their condition. Here they are nourished and educated to comprehend all its uses and all its blessings until prepared to enter the next abode.

Oftentimes the guardian spirits from higher spheres descend and take them to other spheres to show the glories that await them when they shall be prepared, which quickens their souls to embrace every opportunity to advance and enter the beautiful home beyond.

Each sphere has its laws, labour and education. Every scholar has studies adapted to his taste or capacity, and thereby advances much faster in the higher knowledge by this harmonious blending.

We find that mortals are comprehending this law of spiritual affinity for adaptation to mental and physical education, thereby elevating humanity to a scale of advancement beyond the former compress of mind into one mould which thus destroyed its capacity instead of achieving the desired object.

Now, friend, we shall take you by the hand and lead gently through the beautiful road up to the glorious Temple of liberty and knowledge, where science and truth set their seal to the great gateway of glory and immortality.

My spirit took its flight through the airy realms. I seemed on wings of ethereal light and felt such glorious, inward joy, that I could not speak, although attended by hosts of angels and loved ones. Astonishment, wonder, awe and thrilling joy filled my soul. At times, I feared I might be called back to earth as I could feel the tie still binding through the chemical condition of atmosphere.

My guides, however, told me that I was free and could not return to inhabit an earthly form, but should return when I had become sufficiently strong to hold the conditions of spiritual life, and be clothed with spiritual garments.

Yes, friend, we are but new born babes in the hands of angels who guard and guide us until we become able to establish our individuality. Since I have become fully grown, and comprehend the true spiritual laws, I cannot understand how mortals could ever have been so darkened and lost to their true condition, relative to this beautiful world, which embodies all in its glorious folds of eternal

sweetness and loving knowledge.

It pains us here, as well as we see it also does you of the earthly sphere, to see so many who only live to vegetate without one influx of light from their spiritual home, because they are so dense that they cannot comprehend their brain or sensational life.

Second Section

Life here is very similar to that of earth and differs only as we comprehend it from our present standpoint. For instance, life is varied as on earth; also are the inhabitants in their traits of character, which are diffused in different ways to blend in harmony and not jar inharmoniously from want of sympathy. Thus, every sphere in heaven or earth has its variety and condition adapted to the wants of its inhabitants; each fundamental principle being of itself a sustaining power which must come from the outer to strengthen the inner soul.

We must give you the leading steps to our loved abode; so that as you advance, you can comprehend what we wish to convey to your mind, and also be enabled to impress upon you the true revelation of this God-given home, and its true locality and adaption. Many have returned so elated with its glories, that they could not define to mortal understanding the true condition of this grand universe, but as this Temple is not made with hands, but wrought out of divine principles in all its wonderful and glorious unfoldment, so has it developed man in all its glorious conceptions and proportions to carry out the wonderful beatitude of his Divine Creator, and as all things must be seen and known in the all coming times, by every mortal whose perceptions lead him to the infinite, so, also, will he yet unvail the true secret of his origin and future. We, who are, as it were, dead to the world, are yet of the world a part and shall ever hold the magnetic chord of earthly conditions. We cannot possibly break them; they may become finer, and the tissue may be lost to earthly gaze, yet we shall ever be connected and shall be helpers in the great work of the world's reform, for it is our world, and, as such, belongs to us. Though we may visit, inhabit it, and admire other worlds, yet this world is our home. The earth is our mother, and we shall ever bless her, for we cannot do otherwise. Our Father is the universe, and by him and through him, we are being educated and unfolded to learn the wonderful and glorious revealments he is making.

In passing from earth, we are momentarily lost, but as we emerge from a chamber of forgetfulness, we gradually awaken to a glorious consciousness of beauty and light. Our weary eyes unclose as from slumber and the lullaby song of our early days come back to us full of love and sweetness, as when in our mother's arms, and an all refreshing and quieting influence pervades our being. We feel no desire to know our condition; we are merely passive to the glorious sights and sounds that float around us, while we perceive that we are gaining strength, and restoration is pervading our senses.

This was my experience, and I find many who tell me the same, but many differ—some remain a great length of time in primitive darkness, and are brought out by the constant exertions of spirit friends, who try to relieve and awaken them to a knowledge of their change. Many are never entirely lost and can hardly perceive the change of the chemical structure falling from their spirit body. These are so spiritually alive as not to be aware of the change until some spirit friend, long gone, awaiting, reminds them of their passage to this glorious realm. They have changed their garments so easily while on the earth plane, that the spiritual body superseded the structure of physical life, donning the spiritual garment so gracefully as not to perceive it until reminded by their spiritual friends and the glorious surroundings. Thus it is, that the awakened ones of earth will ever be, by becoming spiritualised while in the form. But all cannot do this, as they are not chemically prepared by their anterior condition. They are too gross to enter into the spiritual atmosphere and become embalmed with its influence. It will take generations of physical life to permeate the whole earth with a spiritual condition.

Earth is yet in her primitive condition and not yet spiritualised. She has her work to do, and must revolve many centuries before we can receive her to the spiritual sphere atmosphere. When that time does come, then will her inhabitants comprehend the true soul relation of mortals, as well as beings, who inhabit the spirit world.

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (Mrs George Washington)