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

253Tom: I was telling you, you know, sometimes when people meet with accidents, andtheir body becomes unfit for their spirit to stay in any more, the spirit goes out of the body, andthat is what people call death. And many times, when the spirit is separated from the body in thisunnatural, sudden way, they are not aware of it. It isn’t like having sickness gradually loosen thespirit from the body, so that the spirit can pass out of the body in a natural manner. But when theygo out by accident, like being run over by the. cars, or drowned, or falling into a vat of hot soap,they don’t know it. And that is the way with you now; you don’t think you fell into that hot soap, doyou?S.: No, I thought I was going to.Tom: But now you don’t know you fell in, do you?S.: How could I be alive if I did?Tom: Your spirit could be alive, because that never dies. Would you be afraid if you foundthat your spirit had got out of your body?S.: Oh, no.Tom: You wouldn’t care very much, would you?S.: Yes, I would care, but I wouldn’t be afraid.Tom: Why would you care?S.: It’s a terrible thing to die, you know.Tom: Oh, no; it’s beautiful if you die in a natural way; but it is a great shock to the spirit togo out in an unnatural manner, as by accident or suddenly. And therefore, I will tell you, Robert, itwas a great shock to your spirit.S.: To my spirit! What do you mean by that?Tom: It was a shock to your spirit for you to fall into that vat of hot soap, for your spiritseparated from your body.S.: What do you mean by that?Tom: I mean you have made the change called death, my dear boy, for you are nothing buta boy.S.: Well, you are not much more than a boy, are you?Tom: To be sure I am.S.: You don’t look it.Tom: You don’t see me.S.: I guess I do.Tom: I know you think you see me, but you only see the young man whose powers of speechI am using to speak to you.S.: Well, what did you say to me?Tom: I said you have made the change called death.S.: I have made the change called death!S.: You mean that I have died?Tom: I mean that you have died, but you are not dead; your spirit has only left your body;you feel just the same until you are made acquainted with your condition and take up yoursurroundings and things pertaining to the spirit life which you have now entered.S.: Well, that seems very strange.Tom: Yes. You were brought here that you might be made acquainted with the fact and behelped up to your spirit friends, friends who are interested in your condition. And now I will showyou myself as a spirit, that you may see the difference between me and the young man.S.: It’s boggy here, isn’t it?Mr. B.: You look at him closely and tell us what you see.S.: There that man comes right out of him—it’s a sure case, no mistake about it; I saw itwith my own eyes.Mr. B.: Yes, that’s the spirit that occupied the young man temporarily, so as to talk to you;he controlled him.S.: He did!Mr. B.: Yes, he will go back pretty soon and talk to you again.S.: Is that your bird singing?