Earth as a school?

We have all earth's accumulated faults and habits to combat. The nearer we come to perfection on earth, the higher our intellectual and spiritual development will be—the clearer our perception will be when arriving in the spirit world of the truth, and the greater our strength will be to meet the new conditions and duties. We see clearly here the inevitable results of our past lives, and realise that the waves set in motion by every thought and act of our earth life go on forever.

Meaning of the light?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 

Repeat this often, and try to grasp its meaning. Try to understand that each ray of that Divine light will shine forever. 

Try to realise that it really exists in each individual. Try to help all, and each one you come in contact with, to clear away the cobwebs of ignorance and error, which dim the light of this Divine ray.

Divine Omnipresence and Power?

You are indissolubly connected with the Divine Generator of Life who is God.

God is infinite—He knows all, fills all space and is all-powerful. In Him are all the attributes of perfection. 

His thought is life-giving—His love is life-sustaining. 

He does not need the earth, as His only theatre for our development. All the conditions of earth are outgrown forever.

Progress and space?

Progress can never mean retrogression. The earth is the cradle of the human race, but that is all.

Infinite expanse?

The whole Universe is before you, and your free will takes you ever higher, for, as you see more clearly, so you must progress.

Soul as a seed?

Each individual is perfect. Each soul is a Ray of Divinity, an unquenchable ray, which is capable of radiating eternally, but that ray is like a seed planted in the soil. It must follow the law of its evolution. 

It must disintegrate and permit the living principle to develop sufficiently, to uplift its earthly covering and permit its appearance in the sun. 

Even then it needs the soft rain and the warm, life-giving sun to bring it to maturity. 

It has always to struggle against the encroaching weeds, but it always follows its destiny and struggles to blossom and perfect itself in fruit or flower. Even when it drops again to earth and decay, it liberates its vital part and comes again to life in another form. So, each individual soul is brought to maturity through difficulties. 

The differences in earthly environment and opportunities do not make great difference in the real development of the soul.

Balance of grace?

 God gives so much and asks so little. Never forget that in giving you life, He has given one of His noblest gifts, which is liberty. Never again can you be anything, but yourself.

Inner peace? Mental strength? Empathy?

Try to realise the importance of understanding something of the soul.

Believe me when I say that this simple exercise will help you to strengthen the mind and body and to become conscious of the soul. When you have reached this, you will be at peace and while there must be trials, you will know how to bear them, and help others.

Ways to seek understanding?

Knowing God, you would ineludibly love Him above all things. You would understand that knowing God means understanding that you are an emanation of the divinity—you are an expression of Divine Intelligence—you are a manifestation of Eternal Spirit—you are a reflection of beneficent and vivifying love. Therefore, try to know God.

Inner spiritual potential?

You carry within yourself the Divine Germ, and you are permitted to develop it according to your own individuality.

Personal self-actualization?

You carry within yourself the Divine Germ, and you are permitted to develop it according to your own individuality.

Spiritual foundation?

Life on earth is very short.

Each stage of development reached depends on the individual only, and not on outward circumstances.

The very best work you can do on earth is to permit each little child to work out its own destiny.

Give it only a few simple rules of virtue and honesty, with the fundamental of love God above all things, and your neighbour as yourself.

Love God above all things, and your neighbour as yourself contains the whole law.

If these are learned, there will be an ennobling and simplifying of life in all its expressions, and liberation of the spirit, fitting it better to leave its earthly environment in tranquil faith, ready to go on untrammelled in its future evolutions.

Divine knowledge and awareness?

The most essential need is to understand God is Perfect Wisdom—He knows everything, nothing is hidden from Him, no secret underlying motive can be hidden from Him, and no weakness or inherited tendency is ignored by Him. He is the creative Force of the entire Universe. Nothing exists except as an expression of His intelligence.

Beyond time?

 God sees all—Eternity is His outlook.

Divine omniscience?

God knows the entire plan and scheme of creation, and since He is goodness itself, He knows all is good. Each individual will reach perfection eventually, and the trials, which you have to meet are given for your development. God sees all—Eternity is His outlook.

Inviolability of choice?

Your earthly career is only an episode in your life, and in His clear vision He knows that free will is one of His noblest gifts. It is godlike in itself. If you could understand this, you would see that nothing in your power can interfere with this God-given gift.

Infinite source?

God’s love is the real sustaining force of the Universe. It is an active principle. It is given fully and freely to all. It rests with you to decide how much you are capable of assimilating His love.

Infinite God?

God is Infinite. God is Intelligence. God is Love. God is Spirit. Nothing could exist without Him. Each thought of that Infinite Intelligence generates life, which is forever sustained by His inexhaustible love.

Progress? Resilience? Guidance?

Each step counts. Each sincere aspiration lifts you higher. Each stumbling fall is useful if it makes you know yourself better and forces you to seek for light and help from above.

Infinite love?

God, the All-creative Spirit of Life, the Omniscient Intelligence is infinite, comprehending, sustaining, never-failing love itself—a love that knows all our most secret thoughts, understands all our weaknesses, appreciates all our honest efforts, gives us courage to face any trial, makes us willing to do anything to understand and reflect it more, for each honest effort to do good to others carries you further into the Realm of Intelligence, pure and unbounded.

Spiritual truths?

All that God created is good. He is not the Creator of evil. Your soul is an emanation of the Infinite Spirit or Soul of God, and is pure and perfect in its essence, and its destiny is to be a perfect part of the infinite whole.

Does freedom prove the soul reflects the nature of God?

One of the attributes of God is liberty. Your soul, which is truly an image of God is capable of limitless development, always carrying to further perfection the gifts inherent in its Divine Nature, but never losing liberty or free will.

Universal connection?

In you is a Ray of His Divine Life, a seed of His Divine Wisdom. His Omniscient Intelligence and Omnipresent Love fill the entire Universe. Nothing is ignored or neglected.

Stages of unfolding?

You are permitted to follow your individual development from the moment of the expression of the Divine Idea, which gave you life.

Inner peace? Deep seeking? Quiet strength?

You have always within you the instinct of your immortality, and if you truly and sincerely ask to know more, you will be all right.

Gift of existence?

God gives so much and asks so little. Never forget that in giving you life, He has given one of His noblest gifts, which is liberty. Never again can you be anything, but yourself.

Mandate of authenticity?

God gives so much and asks so little. Never forget that in giving you life, He has given one of His noblest gifts, which is liberty. Never again can you be anything, but yourself.

Damnation in the Land of Horror?

Spirit Franchezzo's entrance was greeted with great shouts of laughter and wild applause, while half a dozen eager hands took hold of him and dragged him to the table―

Let us drink to the damnation of our new brother!

Let us baptise him with a draught of this fine cooling wine.

Before Spirit Franchezzo realised their intentions, they were all waving their glasses aloft amidst yells and shouts and horrible laughter.

One, seizing a full glass of the fiery liquid, tried to throw it over him.

Spirit Franchezzo had just presence of mind enough to step over him, so that the liquor was nearly all spilt on the floor, and only a small portion fell on his robe, which it scorched and burned like vitriol.

The wine turned into a bluish flame, such as one sees with lighted whisky, and disappeared with an explosion as of gunpowder.

They put before him a tray full of dishes, which at first sight resembled earthly delicacies, but on closer inspection, Spirit Franchezzo saw they were full of the most horrible corrupting and loathsome maggots.

As he turned away from them, a hag whose bleared eyes and fiendish expression make him recoil from her, seized him round the neck, and tried with many grimaces, which she intended for coquettish smiles, to induce him to join her and her party in a little game of cards―

The stakes for which we play consist of the liberty of the loser.

We have invented this pleasing mode of passing our time here since it revives for us the divertissements of the past, and because there is no money here, which we can win, seeing it all turns to dross in our hands, we have adopted this mode of paying our debts―

We agree to be anyone's slave who beats us at our games of chance and skill until we can turn the tables on them and make them our slaves. It is a charming arrangement, as you would find if you were to join our party for a little.

With a strange mixture of insolent arrogance and animosity in her tone, she added, These others here are but the canaille, the scum of the place, and you do well to turn from them and their amusements. But for me, I am a Royal Duchess, and my friends are all noble also―And we would adopt you who are also I perceive one of the elite among ourselves. With the air of a queen she signed Spirit Franchezzo to be seated beside her. He shook himself free of her, saying that cards had never possessed any attraction for him.

Spirit Franchezzo was bent on getting near the woman he wished to speak to, and very soon, an opening in the crowd allowed him to do so.

As soon as he got beside her, he addressed her in a low voice and asked if she were sorry for the murder of her child. Spirit Franchezzo added, Do you wish to leave this place even though it will be a long and sad and suffering road that will take you from it? Her face brightened as he spoke, and she eagerly faltered out, What do you mean? Spirit Franchezzo assured her that he meant her well. He told her to watch and follow him, he intended to find some means for them both to leave. She pressed his hand in assent. She did not venture to speak, for the other spirits were again crowding around them in a way that was rapidly growing more and more threatening, although they kept up their guise of friendliness.

The Duchess and her party returned to their cards with a frightful avidity―they were quarrelling over them and accusing each other of cheating. It seemed as though a fight was about to begin in that corner of the room to vary the monotony of their existence.

Spirit Franchezzo noticed that the others were collecting in groups round the doors, so as to keep him from leaving in case he desired to do so, and he saw his enemy with the withered hand whispering with some others of very low degraded type, such as might have been slaves in their past lives.

Half a dozen men and women came up and urged him to join in a dance they were indulging in, which was like some of those abominations you read of in descriptions of the Witches' Sabbaths of the old days of witchcraft.

As these creatures approached, Spirit Franchezzo saw they were trying to get behind them in a ring and surround them.

Some instinct told him not to allow them, and he drew back close to the wall, holding the woman's hand in his and whispering to her not to leave go of him on any account.

The whole crowd of spirits were now gathering towards his end of the room, the dull ferocity of their faces and wild savage glitter of their eyes in terrible contrast to their affectation of light-hearted gaiety.

Closer and closer they gathered―

A moving mass of evil personified.

For once their quarrels and jealousies merged in their common desire to do him harm, to get him down, and trample and rend him to pieces.

As the muttering of a storm came here and there, broken disjointed words of hate and menace, while those dancing kept up their wild antics in front of them.

All at once a great cry―

A yell of fury broke from them―

A spy!

A traitor!

An enemy has got amongst us!

It is one of the accursed brothers from above come here to spy on us and carry away our victims.

Down on him!

Stamp on him!

Crush him to death!

Tear him to pieces!

Hurl him into the vaults below!

Away with him!

Away!

Away!

Like as an avalanche swept down the mountain side they rushed on them, raging fiends, and Spirit Franchezzo thought they were done for.

He regretted that he had been drawn into entering the place at all.

He thought he was lost, but just as the nearest was actually on them, the wall behind opened, and Faithful Friend and another spirit drew them through, the wall closing again so suddenly that the yelling crowd scarce realised how they have disappeared.