The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-20
WHERE THE SOUL GOES TO
MRS. BEsANT ON THEoSoPHY,s IDEA
OF LIFE AFTER DEATH
The seuI, shs says, Goes TO the Particular
Heavenly world TOE which Its Existence
Here Has Rendered II R1ost Suitable
Heavenly Worlds 60 suit All Kinds.

The soui, she says, Goes to the Particular
Heavenly world ToF which lus Existence
Here HAS Rendered 1t Most Suitable
Heavenly Worlds TO suit Al Kinds.
Mrs. Annie Besnnt. tho English Theosophist,
lectured at Chickering Hall last night on Life
After Death" Mrs. Besant will sail for homo
on Wednesday, and tonight will give a resume
OF her work In this country. There was an au-
dience OF more than a thousand persons at last
nights lecture. a large number OF them being
spirituallsts. 1t was generally understood that
Mrs. Besant would say something about the
methods of spiritualists, comparing them to
those OF the Theosophists. She did.
MAN has always, since tho beginning Of time,
asked one question, Where do we go after
death = said Mrs. Besant. To-day there is
an answer to this question In all religions. an
answer based on the experiences of those who
have reached the stages Of life after death. with
the soul still in tho body. st. John and st. Paul
both visited the worlds by man unseen, and st.
John came back to tell what he had experienced
there. st. Teresa left the records Of a visit to
post.mortem states. and later 8 nedonborg, tho
mystic and scientist, told tho world of his eI.
periences in heaven and hell.
I'm our day there are two classes who
claim that man can get in touch with souls
that are out Of the body. lc,rn how they live and
what states surround them. They are tho Spirit
ualists and the Theosophists. The methods Of
the two classes are different. the mediums Of
the latter rendering themselves passive and
neg tive and then permitting themselves to DO
Influenced by souls out Of matter. The criti-
cism Of that is that the results Of such commun-
ion may be hearsay. You are entirely de-
pendent for your information Of other worlds on
what you are told by souls.
There can be no question that the messages
received by Spiritualists, or at least q largo
number OF them, are genuine. Tho methods of
the Spiritualists, however. are not those WI fol-
low. We do not think It wise to give ourselves
up and to allow the people OF unseen worlds to
use us as they will. and to expose us 10 great
dangers. We urge on our Spiritualist friends
that. IL they must follow mediumship, they
should guard II from every mischievous influ-
ence; ANY child born with that peculiar faculty
should be carefully guarded from all evil, sur
thing that Is beautiful and pure. 1t is only by
such care that mediumship can be anything but
dangerous and misleading.
The average spiritual communication 10 Of
the, most commonplace order and absolutely
useless. It is mostly such stuff us I am here
I am glad to see you, How are you Z and Il
am Well There is absolutely no information
that have left the body should go onward and
not be dragged back TO communicate with the
physical body. To bring a soul back is to check
us progress and TO retard its natural evolution.
The work Of souls is hampered and INSTRUCTED
every time one is drawn back through medium.
ohApf eta III " No huO"U uttDly
OF the condition OF post-mortcm states should
try to prevent by argument as much as argu-
1T Is possible for the soul to leave the body
at Will. This can be accomplished by elevatinR
the highest ideals OF life. at the expense OF the
lowest. The doorway OF the body prison viii
open and the SOU, can go forth into other worlds.
Every night while you are in deep sleep your
mediate world. BY training it can be made to
pass into heavenly worlds. That is tho
students OF theosophy. With a practical knowl-
edge OF other worlds obtained in life. death 10
going. In he Words Q: M Nine B 81 Wnss you IL sf is
Ike passing from one house into another.
There Is no such thing as death. You can.
taken on again, The soul carries with it all the
hnowledSe and experience obtained in tho
world. Men see. hear. speak, and think with
the soul. Take 1t away and the body can do
none of these things.
us natural place, the place made most suitable
for Il by its past life; Where it awakes depends
which any OF you here tonight are apt TO
awaken in: Il. belongs to those who in life have
lot OF such a soul is suffering and pain. The
soul demands what IL is used to in life, and
craving for i in this world. where there is moth.
state. The suicide. who makes away with him.
sell to escape some crime or Disgrace. for in
s!ay himself. sudden death is always un.
fortunate for the soul is cast out without having
finished It's life period. Such n soul has unlim-
tied power for mischief. 1t becomes a prompter
OF crime in the community where il is set free.
That is why we have epidemics OF suicide.
The abode OF trivial souls is the next region
OF the astral world. There abide the souls OF
the Sossips. the people whose interests are OF tho
most petty nature. being principally confined TO
scandals and their neighbour new clothes.
These souls are as much gossips after they leave
the physical body as they We're before. They
are the ones who come to the mediums. Shut
them out.
There are worlds for the people too literal in
reIiRion, Peep e. for, instance. who have ma
teritlized the worlds of 81. John when they
should have spiritualized It. Lastly there is
heaven. and IL should be the work OF our lives
TO train ourselves to pass through all these in
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