aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

204 AEOUND THE WORLD.
should keep their minds upon subjects high and spiritual,
in prayer seeking such controlling intelligences as must
necessarilj^ benefit humanity. On the other hand, if they
take the opposite course, — seeking such spirits as promise
wealth by finding treasures, such as promise fame and
worldly glory, or such as will pry into the secrets of others
from selfish motives,—they will certainlj^ be led to ruin.
self-denial, as abnegation of good to one's self, and earnest
labors for others' benefit, gives that for which one has not
sought, — happiness ; so the converse is true, that seeking
for comfort and for self-aggrandizement at
As
the expense
of others, leads to one's utter defeat and destruction.
" The reality, the philosophy, of spirit-control, then, are
matters of almost infinite importance. And the subject
should be aj^proached with care and caution, and be used
only by the wise, by the pure in purpose, for mental growth
and higher spiritual attainments. These ends sought, and
humanity will reap the rich reward for which the faithful
few have toiled, — the universal ministration of angels, the
enlightenment of the races, and the redemption of the
world!"
SEANCE rn.
A French Normandy spirit, claiming to have been in the
higher existence some three hundred years, coming by permission
of the circle, advocated these theoretical dogmas —
:
1. " There is no God ; nothing in the universe of being but matter,
and the negative forces in matter."
2. " Annihilation is true ; or, a conscious future existence, in the sense
of endlessness, is a farce. Spiritual beings, by becoming more pure and
etherealized, are finally absorbed in the great ocean of refined matter,
snuffed out, losing their consciousness and their identity."
3. " Fatalism is a truth. Man is not responsible for an act of his life.
All things, including men and their actions, are fated, or necessitated to
be precisely as they are. Man is a thing."
These exploded theories, once popular among atheists
France, are still taught by this shrewd, intelligent spirit.
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