The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-01

Mrs. Besant iectured yesterday after
noon to a highly appreciative audience.
which filed the body of the Seattle thea
ter Her theme. Life After Death" was
admirably calculated to display the won
dsrful power and charm of her eioquence,
and she held the deep and undivided at
tention Of her hearers throughout the
entire discourse. Her peroration. in
which she spoke of the divine heritage
and powers Of the human soul. was mag
nificent in the extreme, and throughout
the whole lecture she appealed with great
I force and earnestness to all that Is high
and spiritual In man. As she finished, 1t
seemed to some. at least, OF her auditors,
like the ceasing Of exquisite music"
She spoke with undated vigor for at
least one and a half hours. and it Is pos
sble only to touch briefly on one or two
points i'm her long and able discourse.
She stated that death is nothing more
than the slipping out of the body. and no
more painless than sleep. The soul does
not suffer from the commissions of the
body, which occasionally occurs at death,
these being of an entirely physical and
automatic nature. produced by the ner-
vous system. She said that II Is quite
common TO people To aver that they pos
sessed soul. whereas in reality the body
was the mere possession and garment Of
the soul: there was no magic powers In
death and the character was not chang
ed by the putting off OF the body any more
than by changing ones clothes.
Mrs. Besant then went on to describe
the astral plane. known in the Catholic
church as "purgatory." and sometimes
vaguely alluded to by Protestants as the
intermediate state. This was divided into
several sub-planes. In the lowest of these
subdivisions were to be found the souls
of those who had led grossly impure lives.
Having developed strong sensual appe-
tites, which still remain with them In their
astral body. and which they are then I'M
able TO crafty. they suffer terribly IN
consequence. To them il is truly hell,
but this condition only lasts for limited
period. In the next higher SUBDIVISION
OF this plane are 10 be found those whose
lives have been almost entirely occupied
by the trivialties of the physical life. ana
here they are occupied in the same petty
manner II is necessary, indeed. to 90
ones duty, even to wash disnes ana
sweep floors but the mind need not DC
always dwelling on the trivtaliues OF lie.
On the highest subdivisions OF the astrai
plane are located those realms which are
often alluded to in spiritualistic works
as summer land" There are to be found
many good and earnest souls. who i've
very much as they did il the world,
among the astral counterparts or their
former surroundings, their thoughs De-
co,n,np objective In the astral matter. All
sour{ however. that have had any pure
emotions or spiritual aspirations in eartn
life ultimately pass from the astral 70 the
DevachanIc plane, the heavenly state me
trle home of the soul. When the enuty
first passes into this condition X expert
ences feelings of intense and indescrih-
able bliss and enormously Increased power
and finds itself, so 10 say. floating In sea
of living light When it gradually De-
comes accustomed to its Surroundings. 1t
finds itself in contact with the souls OF
all that IL had loved whether living on
earth or not and in this region of pure
and elevated peace and Joy, is able TO re-
alize all its highest aspirations and de-
sires Hera II sssimilates all the expert
ences of its former earth life. and the
efforts and aspirations II had put forth
upon earth now become faculties and pow
ers which II brings with II again when 1t
reincarrates.
Mrs. Resant stated that the description
given Of the after-death states was of her
own knowledge; that Just as in her earlier
life she had experimental with and made
herself familiar with chemistry. so she
had been able 10 investigates the condi-
tions OF these more subtle planes of con-
sciousuess and verify ths facts that she
stated
She then briefly alluded to still higher
and more glorious planes Of spiritual life
and brought her lecture to a close.
The last of Mrs. Besant's series of lee
lures will be delivered this evening. in the
Seattle thes,er. The subject is Mans
Invisible Bodies: Glimpse OF the Tn
op1ieon views painted By Mr.. John Marley.
.es}sflrafe1 London artist