Chapter I The Other Side
Chapter II There Is No Death
Chapter III The Planes of Life
Chapter IV The Astral Plane
Chapter V After Death
Chapter VI The Soul-Slumber
Chapter VII The Souls Awakening
Chapter VIII Astral Plane Geography
Chapter IX Primitive Soul-States
Chapter X Astral Religious Experiences
Chapter XI Astral Heavens and Hells
Chapter XII Astral Self-Expression
Chapter XIII Astral Plane Occupation
Chapter XIV Astral Companionship
Chapter XV Spirit Communication
Chapter XVI Earth Bound Souls
Chapter XVII Astral Shells
Chapter XVIII The Second Soul-Sleep
Chapter XIX Re-Birth
Chapter XX Beyond Reincarnation
Chapter
I The Other Side
One of the questions most frequently asked
the teachers of the Wisdom of the East is this: What do you
teach regarding the other side of the river of death? To the
trained and developed occultist, this question never seems to
lose its strangeness. To such, it would seem as the question:
What do you teach regarding the 'other side' of the street?
would seem to the ordinary man on the street. The latter would
naturally feel surprised that there should be any question of
'teaching' on the subject, for the inquirer would have but to
use his own eyes to obtain the answer to his query.
The Oriental teacher never fails to wonder at the many
evidences of the result of mere theory and dogmatic teaching
on the part of the majority of the teachers and preachers of
the Western world. These so-called teachers are like the
'blind leading the blind', for they have no means of verifying
their statements, and merely pass on what they have blindly
received from others, who, in turn, have received their own
instruction in the same way. In the Orient, on the contrary,
one meets with
so many persons of developed higher psychic and spiritual
sense, to whom the phenomena of 'the other side' is as
familiar
as is the phenomena of 'this side', that the 'other side'
seems as The Life Beyond Death real and actual as does the
ordinary environment of earth-life.
Among developed Orientals 'the other side' is no uncharted
sea, but has its currents, depths, islands, and general facts
as
clearly stated and understood as is the Atlantic Ocean by the
Western mariner. Moreover, every educated Oriental is taught
from youth that the phenomena of 'the other side' need not be
taken on faith, but may be actually known to those who will
expend the time and study required for developing the higher
senses which are possessed by all of the race.
But, from the same reasons, the developed Oriental occultist
finds himself confronted with a most perplexing, not to say
discouraging task when he attempts to convey his knowledge on
this subject to Western students. The Western mind
instinctively refuses to accept truth in the manner of the
mind of the Oriental student. Not having realized by actual
experience certain fundamental psychic and spiritual facts,
which serve as a basis for the detailed teaching, the Western
mind naturally demands 'actual proof' of these basic facts
before being willing to proceed further. Inasmuch as these
facts must first
be experienced to be known, no amount of argument ever serves
to bring that conviction of truth which should serve as
the fundamental basis for the detailed teaching. Consequently
by the Western student, the general basic statements of the
teacher are accepted either purely on faith, or else regarded
as mere guesses or speculation on the part of the teacher.
And, as there are thousands of such guesses and speculative
theories advanced in the Western world, the student may well
be
excused from refusing to accept any of them as truth, for, as
he often argues, 'one guess is as good as another.'
In the presentation of the facts of 'the other side' to which
the present volume is devoted, the student must realize from
the beginning that there can be no actual physical proof
afforded him, in the absence of a highly developed state of
his higher psychic and spiritual senses. In his case, the
proof demanded is akin to that asked of the blind man, who
demands
proof of scarlet or any other color of the article; or like
that asked by the deaf man, who demands proof of the existence
of harmony in music. From the very nature of things, the proof
cannot be afforded in such case. Imagine the attempt
to explain the sensation of the taste of sugar to one who had
never experienced the taste of anything sweet. How and where
could one begin? How, and where could one proceed?
So let us understand each other thoroughly, teacher, and
students. Let us understand that the teachings of this book
are
not offered as proof of the phenomena of 'the other side,' but
merely in the spirit of the traveller returned from some new
and strange country, and who tells the tales of his journeying
and the sights seen therein. As we said to the students of our
first lessons, given to the Western world nine years ago: We
do not mean that the Eastern teachers insist upon the pupil
blindly accepting every truth that is presented to him. On the
contrary, they instruct the pupil to accept as truth only that
which he can prove for himself, as no truth is truth to one
until he can prove it by his own experiments. But the student
is taught that before many truths may be so proven, he must
develop and unfold. The teacher asks only that the student
have confidence in him as a pointer - out of the way, and he
says, in effect, to the student: This is the way; enter upon
it, and on the path you will find the things of which I have
taught you; handle them, weigh them, measure them, taste them,
and know for yourself. When you reach any point of the path
you will know as much of it as did I or any other soul at that
particular stage of the journey; but until you reach a
particular point, you must either accept the statements of
those who have gone before or reject the the whole subject at
that particular point. Accept nothing as final until you have
proven it; but if you are wise, you will profit by the advice
and experience of those who have gone before.
Every man must learn by experience, but men may serve others
as pointers of the way. At each stage of the journey it will
be
found that those who have progressed a little farther on the
way, have left signs and marks and guide-posts for those who
follow. The wise man will take advantage of these signs. I do
not ask for blind faith, but only for confidence until you are
able to demonstrate for yourselves the truths I am passing on
to you, as they were passed on to me by those who went before.
The skeptical Western student may object that we offer no
scientific proofs of the phenomena of 'the other side'.
If by
scientific he means the proofs of physical science, we agree
with him. But to the advanced occultist, the term scientific
has a much broader and wider meaning. The person who expects
to weigh, measure and register spiritual things by
physical standards has nothing but disappointment and failure
before him, for he will never receive the proof he seeks.
Physical apparatus is intended for physical objects only. The
world of spirit has its own set of apparatus, which alone is
capable
of registering its phenomena. Therefore we wish the matter
clearly understood by the reader who is undertaking the study
of this book. No physical proofs are offered. There are none
such, strictly speaking, to be found anywhere. Moreover, there
is no attempt at argument.for there is no basis for argument
between the seers of 'the
other side,'and those whose
vision is limited to the earth plane.
But this does not mean that we are offering you a mass of
irrational statements, and insisting that you take them on
faith.
Far from this is our intent. For while the reason alone can
never hope to pierce the veil separating the two sides of
Life.Death, nevertheless the reason, if allowed to follow its
own reports divested of prejudice and blind adherence to
teaching, will perceive a certain reasonableness in a true
statement of the facts of the unknown.it will seem that the
teachings square with other accepted facts, and that they
explain in a reasonable way phenomena otherwise unexplainable.
In short, the reason will seem that the teachings of truth
reconcile apparently opposing sets of facts, and join together
many obscure bits of truth which one finds accepted by his
reason, but which, heretofore, he has not been able to
place together and join in a connected structure of mental
concept.
The student is urged to suspend judgment until he has read
carefully, and then as carefully considered, what we have to
say. Then let him re-read, and re-consider the book as a
whole.
Then let him ask himself the honest question: "Does not this
seem reasonable and probable?" If he can do no more than to
accept it all as a working hypotheses, by all means let him
rest satisfied with that position - although to us the term
may
evoke a smile when we realize that the teaching is built upon
the experience and testimony of the wise of the ages. But, if
the teaching is carefully read and considered, it will prove
to be regarded as more and more reasonable as the years pass
by with the individual. Fact after fact will be seen to fit
into the general teaching, and, as older conceptions are
discarded from time to time, these teachings will be found to
take their place. It is noteasy to escape from a truth, once
it has been presented to you.
It has a way of itching your mental ear, once it has lodged
there. For behind that ear is a part of you, hidden though it
may be, by many sheaths, which Knows! Deny it though you may,
you cannot escape from Truth once its seed has been lodged
within your consciousness, for it will draw sustenance from
your subconsciousness, and will in time sprout and put
forth leaf and blossom.
So, after all, it matters little whether or not the student
can fully grasp the teaching at this time. For Time is long,
and
one has all the time there is in which to master the lesson.
All teachings, at the last, is but a process of seed sowing.
