The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-09-29
Heaven OF the TheOsOphists.

last OF her lectures on thc0S0phlc
teachings, her subject being "Lifc
After Death" A much larger audi
encc heard her than on Thursday eve
ming.
"The mere statement that there is
life after death implies belief that
there is something that exists after
the body falls apart. Consequently,
we will start out upon the assumption
that there is soul" Thus Mrs. Be-
SAINT began her second lecture. "There
are two classes Of people," she con-
tinued, "who have dealings with the
immortal, but from different stand
points. These are the spiritualists
and the theosophists. Spiritualists
rely upon obtaining information of the
beyond from souls of persons who
have passed through death. Thcoso-
phists, as a rule, do not approve of
that manner Of gaining information.
They say if you wish to learn of the
state after death, you should follow
the paths of the old teachers, and by
the evolution and development of the
soul, and by prayer and introspection,
lift yourself while yet in this life to
planes where knowlege awaits and
where the future is opened. So elc-
vate yourself that the soul may be
able to leave The body at will-not
necessarily awaiting for death to per-
form that ofice-and thus gain
knowledge at first hands for ourselves.
In this way we gain view of the cir
cumstances that surround the soul on
the other side of death.
"There have been those among US
who have been trained to separate
soul and body. Man possesses three
bodies: First, the physical, that we
all know; the astral, which is the
body IL desire, the bridge between the
physical body and the mind, in which
pleasure and pain and all the senses
and appetites have their seat, and the
mental body, which is the immediate
garment of the soul. In these man
dwells in the physical world and may
range the astral and mental planes Of
existence, gathering knowledge Of
each. At death he shakes off the
physical and astral bodies, and the
freed soul, clad in the mental body
and brooded over by the spirit and its
vehicle, then passes onward into a Sc
rene and happy state, in which he as
similates the experiences gathered in
the life passed through; then the
mental body also disintegrates; the
soul weaving into his own nature all
that in this life is worthy of immor-
tality. Experience in this life means
great deal. A life which is sorrow,
full to the outward vision may be life
in which the soul rejoices, for every
obstacle conquered; and every pain
endured are transmitted by this spirit
ual alchemy INTO new forces and new
qualities.
"The soul takes with it into the
next existence all it's past, all its pas
sions and desires, all it's knowledge.
Death changes nothing in man ex.
cept that he loses the body. The de-
sires exist while no means of crafty.
ing them can be found. The result is
that all these desires are his torment,
all his passions his punishment. A
soul that has allied itself only to the
animal finds itself in a world where
no animal desires can be gratifed
and thus learns by suffering the value
of restraining those passions.
''The day Of judgment is in this in
termediate state, where the majority
of souls remain for some time, trou.
bled and unhappy. 1t is from these
souls that communications come to the
seances of our spiritualistic brethren
Anything that ties soul up with an
earthly interest deters it from passing
at once into higher state. The kind
Of souls that come back to manifest
themselves in spiritual communica.
tions are those that enjoying astral
gossip.
cat last the soul grows weary OF
these lower states and passes on to
that true level Of development where
it belongs. If you live the true life
here you need not linger in that in.
termediate state. The recognition OF
friends in Heaven is fact. 1t is not
the love of body for body, but of SOU
for soul, that binds US in ties of affec,
tion or earth, and the soul does not
forget in the vast beyond. If the soul
did not know its beloved in Heaven
it would be shorn of most of its pleas
ures.
''Every seed you SOW on earth shall
bear it's harvest in Heaven. Ii your
Heaven is narrow, it is because your
earth life was narrow. All that is
noblest in US finds its fruition in tbs
heavenly life, so that in coming back
for another visitation to earth we
bring higher ideals, until at last, after
innumerable passages through these
lives, we shall attain to union with
the Divine and Supreme. Such is
Heaven. What idea Of ours can pic
ture it's beauties, what words portray
it's unspeakable glories? Not one son
of man is shut out therefrom, not
even those poor, undeveloped souls
whose earthly experience was so sad
Every kind act they did, every good
thought of their minds, come back to
them as their narrow Heaven.
"Thus the soul journeys on his
way from life TO life, until all that
earth can give him Of experience has
been reaped. He reaches the greatest
altitude compatible with life in this
world, and then a choice is before
him. He can pass onward trium'
phant into realms of lofticr nature
and there expand and grow, or, this
glorious pride within his reach, he
may turn back to earth, patiently
again to bear the burden of the flesh,
until the lowliest son of man has
reached his own level and he enters
into peace with all his race. For the
service of man is the noblcst of priyi
leges, and to work for the world the
richest of prizes. Our philosophy,
our science, our religion, have only
worth as they make us more usefu:
members of the brotherhood of man.
FOR SALE.