What is the system of study in spirit-life?

One marked feature of life in the spirit is that system of united work or study, which are called schools. 

You speak of yourself as belonging to the School of Giotto—the school of Paul—of Zoroaster—of Howard, and so on.

They come about in this way—

When the spirit-life begins to look around him, and ask himself to what use he had best put his new powers, he begins to think of those things of which he was most ignorant when on earth—

He is then drawn by a law of natural attraction to some who are pursuing the same course, and he finds among them those who have acquired knowledge that has been handed down from the long past—or who are learning by practical life to make such knowledge their own.

Spirit-lives seek the companionship of those who are walking in a similar path, and for months or years, they live and work together.

 

When spirit-lives speak of going and coming, they cannot be in two places at the same time, yet their power of passing to and fro is greatly increased, as is also the amount of thought and work, which can be compressed into a short space of time.

There is no need to go here and there to seek work—it lies at one’s right hand, ready whenever there is sufficient daylight in the spirit to enable spirit-lives to work aright.

Truly, it is often night with us when no man can work. 

Schools resemble in a few points our universities, art schools, and union of spirit-lives for kindred purposes—

They learn and work in other ways from ours—ways that may seem less direct, but are really the truest. 

They do not separate art from life—beauty from the soul—nor do they separate work from beauty or life from art. 

The outer and inner correspond, and they only know any art really when they have translated it into action.

There are also many communities for other purposes—for cultivating the earth—for though always beautiful because unstained, yet it is barren in some directions, and needs culture that it may yield delight to the psychic senses. 

Spirit-lives are not obliged to go to all such centres, for if need be they can be taught much by others who cause true pictures to arise before their vision, so that they can see all the processes, and then put them into action. 

Nor are they confined to those with whom they live for fellowship and intercourse. 

It is true they have both more fully with them, but if the need arises, they can be made to hear and see what goes on in any sphere, and can communicate and be communicated with. 

Then again, they listen with delight to the talks and ripe experience of some whose nature it is to give out to his fellows—someone who on earth was a poet or a preacher. 

He, in speaking to spirit-lives, can see exactly the effect produced upon them by his words, and he directs and modifies his speech accordingly—

They answer him, as it were, without interrupting him, and he need, therefore, never be out of harmony with his audience.

“I AWOKE!” Conditions of Life on the other Side