Where does a person go after death?

Here, in the spirit world, you may espy a rather stately building set among some well-wooded grounds—it is a home of rest for those who have come into spirit after a long illness—or who have had a violent passing and are suffering from shock.

It is built in the classical style, two—or three stories high, and it is entirely open upon all sides—it contains no windows.

It is white in colour, as far as the materials of its composition are concerned, but immediately above it, there is to be seen a great shaft of blue light, descending upon and enveloping the whole building with its radiance, the effect of which is to give a striking blue tinge to the whole edifice.

This great Ray is the downpouring of life—a healing ray—sent to those who have already passed here, but who are not yet awake.

When they are fully restored to spiritual health, there will be a splendid awakening and they will be introduced into their new land.

Immediately after their dissolution, they are sent gently into a deep sleep.

In some cases, the sleep follows instantly—or practically without break upon the physical death.

Long illness prior to passing into the spirit world has a debilitating effect upon the mind, which in turn has its influence upon the spirit body.

The latter is not serious, but the mind requires absolute rest of varying duration.

Each case is treated individually and eventually responds perfectly to its treatment.

During this sleep state, the mind is completely resting.

There are no unpleasant dreams—or fevers of delirium.

An outer vestibule leads into a lofty hall of considerable dimensions.

The space that would ordinarily be devoted to windows is occupied by tall pillars set some distance apart, and this arrangement is carried out through all four walls.

There is very little in the way of interior decoration—the floor is carpeted with some very soft covering, in a sober design, and here and there, a handsomely-wrought tapestry is hanging upon the walls.

Occupying the whole of the floor space are extremely comfortable-looking couches, each of which bears a recumbent form, quite still, and obviously sleeping profoundly.

Moving quietly about are a number of men and women intent upon watching the different couches, and their burdens.

As soon as you enter this hall you come under the influence of the Blue Ray and its effect is one of pronounced energising, as well as tranquillity.

Another noticeable quality is the entire absence of any idea of an institution with its inevitable officialdom.

There is no question of patronage, nor do you feel the least shade of being among strangers.

Those in attendance upon the sleepers do so, not in the attitude of a certain task to be done willy-nilly, but as though they were performing a labour of love in the sheer joy of doing it.

The glad awakening of these sleeping souls is an ever recurrent joy to them, no less than to the people who come to witness it.

While gazing upon this perfect manifestation of divine providence, the thought comes to you of those absurd earthly notions of ‘eternal rest,’ ‘everlasting sleep,’ and the many other equally foolish earthly conceptions, and you might wonder if by some chance—or other, this sleep you are now beholding has been distorted by earthly minds into a state of eternal slumber whither all souls pass at dissolution there to await in countless years’ time, the awful ‘last day’—the dread ‘Day of Judgment.’

Here is the visible refutation of such a senseless belief.

Constant watch is kept upon them, and at the first flutterings of returning consciousness, others are summoned, and all is ready for the full awakening.

Some will wake up partially, and then sink back again into slumber.

Others will shake off their sleep at once, and it is then that those experienced souls in attendance will have perhaps their most difficult task.

Until that moment, it has been mostly a matter of watching and waiting.

In so many cases, it has to be explained to the newly-awakened soul that he has ‘died,’ and is alive.

They will remember usually their long illness, but some are quite unaware that they have passed over into spirit, and when the true state of affairs has been gently and quietly explained to them, they often have an urgent desire to go back to the earth—perhaps to those who are sorrowing—perhaps to those for whose care and welfare they were responsible.

They are told that nothing can be done by their going back, and that others with experience will take care of those circumstances that are so distressing to them.

Such awakenings are not happy ones by comparison with those who wake up with the full realisation of what has taken place.

Were the earth more enlightened, this would be the more often the case, and there would be a great deal less distress to the newly awakened soul.

Sudden and violent cases are usually more difficult to manage—the suddenness of their departure has added far greater confusion to the mind.

Instead of a steady transition, the spirit body had been forcibly ejected from the physical body and precipitated into the spirit world.

The passing over had been so sudden that there seemed to them to be no break in their lives.

Such people are taken in hand quickly by bands of souls who devote all their time and the whole of their energies to such work.

And in the hall of rest you see the results of their labours.

Had so many of these souls had but a small knowledge of spirit matters, these awakenings would have been so much the happier.

It is not a pleasant sight to see these gentle, patient helpers wrestling mentally, and sometimes almost physically, with people who are wholly ignorant of the fact that they are ‘dead.’

It is a most saddening sight—

And who is to blame for this state of affairs?

Most of these souls blame themselves when they have been here long enough to appreciate their new condition—or alternatively, they blame the world they have but recently left, for tolerating such blindness and stupidity.