INCIDENTS IN THE WONDERLAND OF LIFE AND DEATH

Albert Bennett Whiting gives the following account of his experiences in the death-trance—

I was a spirit with immortal beings. I could see my body as it lay upon the bed, cold and lifeless. I thought of my mother and sister at home, dependent upon me; of their deep sorrow when they should hear of my departure. The spirits around me were conversing together. Some said—Let him stay with us! Others said—No! let him go back to earth and fulfill his destiny. Then my guardian spirit said—He shall return to earth. I recognised, among those around, the tall Indian chief—one of the first four spirits who appeared to me—and a number of others whom I knew; but soon one approached whom I had never seen—a man of venerable and majestic aspect. He was attended by a numerous company of spirits, and eagerly greeted, as if expected, with the request, Aid us to restore to earth this wandering mortal. I saw a green and yellow light fall upon my dead body, and I knew no more until I awoke in the form. I was cold and stiff, and could not move for a long time, but gradually warmth and feeling returned, and the next day I arose and told my astonished friends that I was going home. They said I could not possibly live to get there, and, indeed, gave me no hope of recovery if I remained. I knew I must go; so I coolly replied, Well, I won't die here, and started on Thursday morning. I arrived at Niagara Falls Friday, where I found my old friend, Judge Manchester—formerly of Providence—and in his excellent family rested until Monday. Then, though even more feeble, and against the wishes of my kind host, I continued my journey and reached home the Tuesday following, more dead than alive.

The editor of the Gardiner Journal had a narrow escape from death, his horse running away as he hung in the wheel. He describes his sensations—

Oh, can't some of my spirit friends do something to help me out of this scrape? beseechingly I said or thought. It was a prayer not laid down in the books, and perhaps the form was not staid or formal. Short as it was, it did me good. I saw then crowds of spirits around me—-part of whom I knew. I do not see what they can do, I thought, and as they seemed to hover round the front part of the wagon, and over the horse, I wondered how they kept up with him. Then I thought, perhaps they will take the old horse's strength away, but I couldn't see very clearly how they were to do this, for Old Robin was a hard customer to manage. I probably should have lived but a few seconds longer. The reins had worn off upon the wheel just when my strength was all gone. Had I died, people would pityingly have said, it was a horrible death, but, really, I suffered very little. The shock was such that my nerves of sensation were benumbed. I had no fear; in fact, there was a physical sort of feeling that it was a bundle about three feet long, with a sort of handle to it (which was my left leg, probably), that was bouncing along over the ground, which I was trying to untangle. I had often heard that in such a crisis as this, one's whole life passes in review before him, and I thought of that fact, but had no such experience. I had only one regret for deeds done or left undone, and that was that I had neglected my usual custom of taking accident tickets, and this regret I felt ashamed of. My only thought was of my wife. The knowledge that I have faced death unflinchingly is not without satisfaction to me, and there is a something that I feel, which I cannot describe, that assures me that there were more powerful influences than my own aiding, comforting and sustaining me. My religious friends will say it was the Good Father, and it matters not what we call it, the feeling is the same. I do not feel of sufficient consequence to merit God's special providence, but that loving friends from the other sphere may have comforted and sustained me is not repugnant to my common sense, and does not lessen my idea of the goodness and greatness of the Creator.

He passed through one of the multifarious stages of death, but was fortunately saved.

The Encyclopaedia of Death and Life in the Spirit World—Opinions and Experiences from Eminent Sources, J. R. Francis, Chicago, The Progressive Thinker Publishing House, 1903

What kind of music do you hear in the great trees?

Me sing you sweet song the trees sing to me. And this is the song she sung, the silvery voice imitating the winds and swaying branches. She commenced with a low, soft, sighing sound; her lovely hands and arms moving slowly and gracefully above and around her swaying head. Then the leaves on all the trees began to flutter, her little fingers quivering and fluttering as did her voice. Her motions and voice changed rapidly as she represented the leaves of the different trees of the forest; the trembling flutter of the poplar; her little fingers would straighten out like the needles of the pine, and her voice would sing a mournful hush; then the beach, the oak, the maple, the cotton-wood, all were represented. Then the wind would blow with greater power, and the gale would become so strong that her arms and body swayed in all directions, until she would nearly touch the floor at every motion; her voice exactly imitating the sighing, rushing, roaring wind, Gust after gust, now would strike the trees; then all at once she stood motionless, her eyes flashing, her breast heaving. Then the scream of an eagle broke the silence, her arms waving majestically as he soared aloft. Then all the little frightened birds began to chirp and flutter; some flying to their nests, others with little screams of fright, scurrying before the wind. Suddenly she drew a glittering sword from her girdle, that had hitherto been concealed by the folds of her crimson skirt, and flashed it with such rapidity in all directions, that it nearly blinded us; then amid her gustful swayings, the low thunder muttered; then more screaming of frightened birds; then with a swish, swash, swish, the rain came down in floods. Again and again the rain came down in torrents. Again and again the lightning flashed, the rain beat and poured, the trees waved and swayed madly in the gale, the thunder muttered, bellowed, roared and crashed; suddenly she appeared as if broken at the waist; her head fell to the floor, her long black hair lying in a wide circle all about it and she made a noise like the splitting and breaking of a tree in the wind; then righting herself she represented the wind as blowing with great fury; then again the lightning flashed with blinding force; rip! split! split! rip! A tree had been struck and torn to pieces.

The Discovered Country 

I am because we are

Do you shiver and grow afraid when the Equinox approaches?

The sun crosses the line in March when the winds blow and enters the sign of the Ram and the Zodiac is traversed agian by the great life-giver the Sun. Do you shiver and grow afraid when the Equinox approaches?

The Judge [Last Letters from a Living Dead Man]