Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

“Is it right to recall those who have passed over, and who are progressing to higher spheres?“ My reply is: “ We do not recall them. We cannot evoke the presence of spirits. They come,drawn by sympathy.” In fact, a great desire to see any particular spirit sets up a barrier whichusually prevents their making themselves known. In the seance-room this is a warning frequentlygiven by controls. If the sitter is not mentally passive, he will not receive visits from his friends onthe other side. Those in the next state know best; they are the best judges of how such visits willaffect their progress. My most convincing tests have been unexpected and unsought. Spirits whohave risen to higher spheres are—so I am informed—always able to retrace their path and manifestto human beings whom they wish to impress. In my own case I believe that the motive has been toprove immortality to one who had inferred that the evidence for it was inadequate.I have thought it best to confine my notes to my personal experiences; but my evidence forthe opinions expressed above is drawn, also, from veridical narratives by other investigators. Thereare many thousands in this country who can support my views by their own personal tests. Theaccumulated evidence of the presence of spirits who do benevolent work in families, by impressionand guidance at critical times, is enormous, and cannot possibly be ignored by any intelligentinquirer. Thousands of sane men and women in the British Islands can testify to the truth of myassertion. No particular need of consolation led me to embrace the spiritist faith. The sensitive is athis or her best when consolation is urgently required; therefore, I am positive that my experiencesmust be feeble in comparison to hundreds of others who, when overtaken by some suddenbereavement, have sought the psychic and obtained incontestable evidence that those whom theyloved were still alive and still observant of their interests and affection. I am no propagandist, andhave a rooted dislike to argument with critics or sceptics, however honest they may be. There are avast number of people who do not possess the faculty for determining the truth or otherwise ofpsychic phenomena. Five years ago I tried to convince others. I do so no longer; the loss is theirswho, unhappily, cannot see what is obvious to those who have been trained in habits of exactinvestigation. My life has been spent in exploring and chart-making; if habits of accurateobservation had been wanting, I should, twenty years ago, have lost my occupation.Sensitives are born, not made. If well educated, they are on their guard against impressionsfrom the lower spirits in the next state, and derive immense benefits from the higher. I have arelative, mentioned before, a professional man, who tells me that when he is by himself in thecountry, out of reach of all distractions, and in calm, still weather, he is impressed by a sense ofharmony and melodious sounds that defy description. The strains of music often reach him in thatsemi-waking state which follows a night’s rest. He finds repose in sitting through a church service,not on account of the service itself—for he is not in sympathy with dogma or ritual of any kind—but because high spirits aye around, drawing from him and making his natural body very cold, butleaving him with a sense of mental refreshment. It is probable that Diakka and evil spirits cannotenter a church, and that struggling, weary-laden human beings are much assisted in their sincereprayers by the presence of high spirits, who will enter and function in any place of worship, nomatter of what denomination, and no matter what sort of parson, nor how erroneous his pulpitteaching.So far, no proof has been given to more than a few people at one time. It is a natural law thatno great truth shall be assimilated without strenuous effort. If the knowledge of direct intercoursewith our friends who have passed over were lightly obtained, universal faith in it would not bepermanent. Even a simple truth such as the revolution of the earth round the sun was notuniversally accepted until more than sixteen centuries had elapsed since the idea was first mooted.In such a solemn and vitally important matter as spirit intercourse, no man can accept theevidence of another for the purpose of determining his own faith. This work can be of use only as acorroboration of such testimony as has been gathered, or will be gathered, by my readers.Let us beware of overlaying the beautiful truths which we are allowed to discover by dogmaand cursings of those who do not agree with us. Jesus of Nazareth, the greatest sensitive who has202