by Anthony Borgia

Who are the residents of the homes in the spirit worlds? Are they family groups or single occupants?

Doubtless, you will call to mind such concentrations as you have on earth, but you must also remember that even on earth family groups are continually altering their composition. The children in an earthly family grow up, and for various reasons they leave their parental homestead upon marriage, for example, or for reasons connected with their business or occupation. People on earth live alone for equally varied reasons. And so the changing of family groups is constantly going on. In normal times on earth, families live their lives with these changes taking place in their family ties, and eventually they come into the spirit world.

Upon earth the number of generations of a family is fairly limited, but in the spirit world all previous generations of a family are co-existing. So that it might reasonably be asked: who will live with whom? That, as you can see, will raise a very considerable problem if viewed from the strictly limited viewpoint of the earth. But it presents no problem to the organization of the spirit world. Family ties, as such, have little significance in the spirit world. Here the one deciding factor in this matter of human relationships and family ties, is the bond of affection and mutual interest that prevails between any two or more people. The rule applies in all circumstances. It applies to husband and wife, to brother and sister, to father and mother, and to all the remaining degrees of family relationship. And it applies to ordinary friendships between individuals of different families and between both sexes. and mutual interest that prevails between any two or more people. The rule applies in all circumstances. It applies to husband and wife, to brother and sister, to father and mother, and to all the remaining degrees of family relationship. And it applies to ordinary friendships between individuals of different families and between both sexes.

In the spirit world we are at liberty to live as we wish. If we desire to join forces with one or more companions, we shall soon be able to find others, similarly inclined, to unite with us and share the one domicile. Many of us here do that. Apart from mutual regard and respect and interest, we may all be occupied in the same type of work, and so, sharing our knowledge and experience, we live our lives together under the one roof, and in complete accord. If at any time we should wish to occupy a separate establishment we can do so without fear of hurting the feelings of our companions.

When I first came to the spirit world I found myself the possessor of a replica of my old home on earth. There it stood, fully equipped and ready for my instant habitation. Edwin, my old friend and colleague, undertook to show me a little of the new world I had just entered, and during our tour of inspection I met a very charming young person whose name is Ruth. She joined our small expedition, since there were many things that she, too, had not yet seen, and finally, after spending so much time together in our peregrinations, the three of us felt that we should like to work together if that were possible. It was possible, and we have so worked ever since. Ruth and Edwin are each the possessors of very charming houses, of which they are ‘sole occupants’, but we are so much together, the three of us, that Edwin and Ruth spend far more time in my house than they do in their own. Their homes are filled with their possessions and the things they value, but the prolonged absence of the owners makes no difference. They will always find their houses to be in the same state of good order whenever they wish to retire to them, as they do occasionally.

The same situation also applies to an old friend who has also taken up his residence with us. Gordon by name, he has but recently arrived in these lands. He had been in active communion and communication with us for a great many years of his earth life, and he was himself a powerful psychic instrument. It was a great pleasure to Ruth and me to assist at his passing, and to bring him to our home. He awoke to his new life to find himself reclining comfortably upon the couch in our main room, through the windows of which he had the first glimpse, as a permanent resident, of the land of his new life. Ourselves apart, there were other friends to welcome and greet him, friends of his earthly days: two small sparrows, his dog, and two handsome pumas. So that altogether our household is an animated and lively one. We are living a happy life working together, taking our amusements together, receiving our friends together, and visiting together.

It is no uncommon sight to see such arrangements; indeed, I think they preponderate in these realms. The bonds that unite us are firm and undeniable, otherwise the joint establishment would soon collapse. The plan fits in with our particular temperaments and tastes and desires, whether the latter be of work or of play. It is the wish of all five of us that our present system and arrangement of living shall always continue. And it will so continue, until the time comes for one or all of us to proceed to another realm in the natural course of our spiritual progression.

There are many couples to be found living in charming houses here; for example, a husband and wife who were happily married when upon the earth, admirably suited to each other, and with a real bond of affection between them. Or there may be other family groupings such as I outlined to you a moment ago. If you remember that all these small communities are formed not because of blood-relationship, but because of mutual esteem and affection, you will always find the answer to the question: who will live with whom? in the residential relationships of the spirit world.

Other reasons apart, if spiritual progression brings about the departure of some member of a household in the spirit world, it might be thought that it would cause some measure of unhappiness or sadness to the remainder of the household. In such a case we should greatly miss the customary presence of our former companion upon his proceeding to a higher realm, but we should not feel the same rather blank despair as do you upon earth in other circumstances of departure. We have a keen appreciation of the greater happiness which will be the good fortune of our departed friend, and that will spur us on to attain our own progression, and so join him who has preceded us. But it is not by any means certain that we shall take our next step in progression when it comes, if I may so express it.

There are many people to be found in these and other realms, both higher and lower, who have earned for themselves their undoubted removal into a higher sphere of spiritual life, but who prefer to remain where they are for a variety of sufficiently good reasons. For example, some of the great teachers in these realms are fully entitled to live in a higher realm, and actually possess houses in those higher states, but they have chosen to remain where they are and carry on their present form of work. This act of self-denial is itself a means of still further progression, though it is to be doubted if any such thought ever enters the head of the individual who elects to adopt this course of action.

When I say teachers, I do not mean only teachers of spiritual truths and so forth, but instructors of all kinds in the various arts and crafts of these particular realms. There are thousands of people here who are learning some form of work that is new to them, details of which I have already recounted to you. In this case it is the work itself and the joy it brings in the service to their fellow-beings that prompts such folk to postpone their advancement of spiritual estate. One day, however, the time will come when they will be obliged to betake themselves into their rightful sphere since to remain longer in a lower realm might cause them some discomfort. But they can return whenever they wish and make prolonged visits to their old friends, and even resume for a limited period their former tutorial occupation, needless to say, to the extreme delight of their colleagues and pupils.

It is not only teachers who postpone their permanent elevation and remain where they are, although entitled to reside in a higher realm. It is open to anyone, without exception, to do the same whenever the circumstances arise. The circumstances, in fact, are many in which this can happen. For instance in one case: two people are mutually attracted while upon earth, a husband and wife, shall we say? The wife passes into the spirit world and attains to a certain sphere. Later on the husband in turn passes into spirit life, but goes to occupy a realm lower than that of his wife. But the mutual attraction still exists, and so the wife takes up her life in the lower sphere in order to be with her husband and to help in his progression. Thus they will be enabled to advance together and remain together for all time, or until such other circumstances arise as will cause a natural severance of their present ties.

There are many selfless souls here who have done and are doing the very same thing. They are perfectly free to make their own choice in the matter.

The greater happiness, generally speaking, that would be theirs in the higher state, receives some measure of compensation in their being re-united with some much-loved relation or friend.

So you will see, there are no sad partings, no dispersals of pleasantly situated little communities of relations or friends by the natural procedure of spiritual progression. We do not experience that crushing, almost overwhelming depression that you can experience upon the earth at the departure of one who is greatly loved.

Even if a cherished friend has departed into higher regions, and we should feel ourselves becoming saddened by the event, it must be remembered that we are in instantaneous touch with each other here. A thought sent out will bring back the absent one in a twinkling to our side, if that should be the only remedy for our desolation. But that would be an extreme case, a highly improbable eventuality, and scarcely ever to be encountered. Then again, we are unerringly in touch with each other here by thought regardless.

As I have had occasion to remark previously, the spirit world is not a static world. There is always movement, especially among its people. How, otherwise, could we eventually pass to the higher states if it were not so? At some time or another certain small communities of a few friends or kindred souls, who are occupying the same domicile together and working in concert, must come under the influence of the universal law of change that is one of the great elements of spirit life. But these re-groupings, with their consequent severance of earlier ties, are not terrible tragedies. They are the natural outcome of the march of progression. We must move onwards as the will to move exerts itself within us. None would hold us back, although we might elect to stay until other circumstances prevail. But you can be sure of this: we are all completely satisfied under this scheme of things, we know that no other plan would be feasible, and, what is most important from the point of view of our feelings in the matter, we are supremely happy under it.

Excerpt from Here And Hereafter