Wisdom of Ramadahn by Ursula Roberts

 Chapter 3

Life in the Spirit World

 Can you tell us something of the spiritual plane you call the Summerland?

 In this beautiful place, sometimes called the Summerland, sometimes Heavenland or the Life Elysian, all is harmony and beautiful colour.

When in your earthly experience you are conscious of calmness, and have an awareness of great beauty surrounding you in which you feel your unity with the great Giver of all Life, this is a dim reflection of the state which you will one day know when you pass from the confines of your mortal body into the freedom and light of the Summerland.

 Here, there is no winter or summer, but there is a season in which life-waves of varying activity come to their fullness and die silently away. It is as if for a season a golden life-wave brings a golden radiance to all things, and as this dies away it is replaced by a green life-wave, and for a while there is a greenness within all. The variety of colours known upon earth all come into manifestation in turn, bringing into bloom blossoms which belong to their particular strata, so the colour waves touch everything, transforming, changing and beautifying.

 The best way to understand this is to visualise yourself standing in some great peaceful. valley with gentle waters flowing through. From time to time there is a mighty rainbow, or lamp with rainbow colours, which slowly turns in its orbit, flooding the valley, touching the grassy hillsides and transforming the calmness of the water with the differing shades reflected.

 Because there is no season of cold or heat we do not need dwelling places which are enclosed or roofed, so structures are erected for our use similar to the ancient temples, with raised pillars through which curtains can be hung or foliage trained to create privacy, for the habit and need to withdraw is still felt. These temples are sometimes left open, that the light from a higher realm may stream through, bringing concentrated blessing unto those who commune within.

 Here too are temples wherein spirits may gather into congregations, and upon altars are set, not symbols of religion as you know them, but vessels of transparent light, mirrors which capture and reflect the concentrated light as it falls from higher planes. Through these pure mirrored surfaces light may shine to bless and illumine those who come to commune, worship, and to uplift their thoughts, desiring that even from this beautiful plane they may rise higher to gain experience in other realms of beauty, drawing forever nearer to the great Pure Light which is beyond the comprehension of man in his present state, but nevertheless seen by him in the spiritual vision when dwelling in the Summerland.

Do spirits grow older there, as people age in earthly life?

 Within this realm there is no ageing, and in reality, no youth. There is the shining soul maturity of those who come carrying the burden of experiences garnered from many years of earthly understanding, but the body they use is free from age and stands in the beauty of its maturity. Those who grow from infancy or youth within the spirit realm, these too mature slowly to adult form, but they retain within the inner spirit the radiant purity of their joyful childhood.

 Even as I try to lay before you the vision of this beautiful place would it not be good to so order your lives that when you come to the ending of your earthly journey you pass swiftly into this place? So, day by day, think not that what happens to you is of importance and grieve not over the actions which others extend to you, but rather think unto yourself: "The wisdom of the spirit lies not in what others do, but in how I react unto what others may do."

 Order your life so that your reaction is always one of forgiveness, gentleness, peacefulness, lovingness. So will your spirit become lightened and brightened, and at the end of the journey it will be released, ready to rise into the realm of light where it may enjoy all the happiness, harmony and beauty which I strive so inadequately to clothe in the words of earth, that you may gain some faint understanding of the beauty you may all see one day.

 Can you give us a description of that part of the Summerland in which you live?

 I would describe it in this way. There is a temple situated at the foot of a mountain, and running through the centre of this temple is a stream of pure water. Upon the sides of this flowing stream are mossy banks and little grottos in which Indian spirits may come to rest, to meditate and to draw fresh power ere some new ministry is undertaken on the earth. It is from this stream of healing or purification that the spirit known as Rushing River draws the influence he endeavours to impart through his medium, for the stream can be diverted, or used by any individual who so desires.

 Also within this temple are kept scrolls which relate to the further work we plan to do, and special scrolls or books to which I myself may refer when giving a specific teaching on a subject unfamiliar to me but good for those on earth. This corresponds to a library, and is my place of study and meditation.

 Within this temple is the hall of rest wherein many spirits still joined to their earthly bodies can come during sleep or entrancement, to absorb the atmosphere of peace and inspiration which may help them in their further progression. At the far end of this temple is a gateway of silver filigree. We only open these gates at special times of festivals or recreation, and when we do, it reveals a shining pathway by which we may go upward upon the mountainside to attend festivals of reunion. There we commune with those of a more advanced nature who give us a baptism of power, that upon our return we may bring fresh power to cleanse and harmonise the conditions wherein we work near the earthly plane itself.

 Around this temple is a rolling grassland with trees; children come and go, and the souls of the weary sometimes come to rest here. It is not a permanent structure, but one we have raised for our special work, and when our time of service unto earth is completed, the temple will dissolve silently away.

 What about those who died defending their country? What do they do in the spirit life?

 Some of those who fought and swept the world with fire, after their transfer into the spirit existence, say unto the spirits of wisdom: "For what purpose was all the effort? I did not desire to create harm but that was all I could do. Can I now do something for the creation of peace?"

 So here in the spirit places a great army of peace has been formed, soldiers, sailors and airmen of the past whose simple desire is to establish peace. They now belong to the great armies of peace in the spirit world, and when there is a threat of war on earth, or when it seems the ways of men are bringing a great crisis into being, the clairvoyants on earth may say they see the coming of the armies of light into the atmosphere of the world. They come not to fight with the weapons of destruction, not with destructive fire, but with their purified will which has become like a gleaming sword. They fight with their thought, which goes forth with vibrations of peace into your mortal existence.

 How do spirits communicate with each other?

 The language of the spirit is the language of thought, and we who dwell within the spirit existence learn to use thought more and more directly. I can only speak from my own understanding and experience.

 In the plane where I dwell I may desire to convey to another spirit the knowledge that one still in the earth life needs strength and light. So, I think of that person, clothing the thought in the shape of a circle to show the other spirit that I am thinking of one encircled by the hard shell of earthly experience; then often I complete the message by picturing a shining golden star. Thus they will understand that an earthly one is troubled and needs the gold of spiritual hope. So that spirit may go swiftly unto the earth to impart to that mind a star-like golden thought to give encouragement, light and strength, and in the fullness of time in it will be said, "Truly spirit heard my prayer and brought unto me the light I needed."

 Within the first plane of spirit we have schools where those newly come are taught how to use their power of thought. Often you ask about them, saying: "What are they doing?" How can we explain in the simple words of earth that these men and women, whom you considered wise in their earthly years, are at school learning how to think! Not many of you learn to use your power of thought correctly or constructively. You allow your thoughts to go this way and that, wasting energy in thinking thoughts which create hopelessness and destruction in the future rather than peace and harmony.

 Consider how it will be when you yourself have died and are living again in the spirit existence. You may come close to the earth, wishing to convey comfort unto your mother, brother or to the child whom you love, but they do not hear your thought nor know you are near. Therefore you as spirit must wait patiently until such time as they are in a state when the mind is at rest, or when they turn from their grieving to the remembrance of you. Then, standing by, you create by thought a memory picture of your appearance, or of a place, or something your loved one will remember as being associated with yourself.

 You will have to concentrate all your effort on thinking what will comfort that one, then silently gathering together all your will power, project it on to the mind of that one you desire to help. But because you are anxious and unaccustomed to this communicating, your thought picture may be distorted and the earthly one will shake his head and say, "What strange thing is this which comes before my mind?"

 To such spirits we say: "Do not try to create a complex thought picture, but visualise a light, a colour or blossom which the loved one on earth, seeing and beholding, may know comes to them from spirit."

 Your thoughts from the earth unto spirit need to be trained. From your minds should begin to vibrate thoughts of gentle love, of rose-pink encouragement and tenderness unto those spirits who wish to return to you. Thus as you learn to think thoughts of creative beauty now, so are you training yourselves to think well and beautifully when you come to the closure of your earthly life and continue in the planes of the spirit existence.

 On earth you marvel that you are able to prove the reality of telepathic power. What childlike thing, what foolishness is this, that the spirits of men and women using the mortal brain and body know so little about the language of the spirit that they know not that it is one of thought? It should be natural for you to exchange thoughts with each other, to project thoughts of gentleness, healing and understanding, for this is but the speaking of spirit unto spirit, just as it will be when you come to the closure of your earthly life.

 What do we need to do in order to progress quickly in the spirit world?

 What may cause you to stand waiting for a long time at certain gates of understanding lies hidden deeply in your own consciousness. So, try to consider what it is within yourself that holds you back from wider progression. Let go of regret and let go of self reproach. Say sometimes in your prayer: "Yes, great Father of All, I have failed in this. I should have done better. Help me next time to fulfil this with a greater understanding."

 Do not weep over your failure and reproach yourself endlessly, for you only build a barrier which holds you back from Light and comfort. Self-pity cannot help you. Others may pity you, but pitying yourself enfolds you in garments which will clog and hinder your progression. Rather, think unto yourself "Yes, I have walked this difficult way, searching in loneliness for my treasures in darkness, but others too have walked this way and have been glad. I too will be glad!"

 The gross errors of fear, selfishness, hatred and jealousy are like old garments, which belong not to brothers and sisters such as yourselves. But beware the garments of regret and self pity, and also beware the robes of superiority. Be not like some who, having gained understanding and the power to serve, feel that they are superior to their brothers and sisters, for their very state of superiority creates around them an armour which may, until it has been laid on one side, prevent them from going forward in the garments of humility which will clad them in the great Summerlands of joy.

 They may take you and teach you how to return to the atmosphere of your earthly world. How can Spirits help a guilty soul feel less guilty? That by silently standing by you may shield a child whom you neglected in your time of earthly existence. The child may not be aware of your influence, but as you stand there giving strength and protection, so some part of this neglect will be alleviated. A great part of the serving of the spirit to your mortal world occurs in this way. Spirits come back to shield, guide and strengthen or to give goodness into the world, because they are conscious of the disharmony they created during some of their seasons of mortal existence. So even if you have sinned or done harm do not torment yourself feeling that all is lost, rather remember you may clear this by doing greater good, by comforting the sick and lonely, and by sowing wisdom and peace in the later years of your mortal life.

 If we are all in different states of evolvement, does this mean that everybody goes through the same after-death process of rest and cleansing?

 No, for according to your degree of evolvement will be your consciousness when you come into the spirit existence. It may be possible for you to pass through the state of dying with a full awareness of what is taking place, and therefore you may come with a feeling of joy and will not need sleep, nor yet cleansing. But most certainly you will experience joyful reunion ere ever you pass on to the next state of working, serving or expressing, according to your state of understanding.

 Having died, some souls do not realise they are dead. Why is this? Have they not a spirit guide or guardian who can tell them?

 Some people come to the end of the mortal life with such a fixed idea in their mind that they will not accept there is a condition of life beyond death; they are unable to realise they are still living although the mortal ­body has died. It is impossible to penetrate through an area of fixed created ideas because this forms something similar to a shell around thaat ­spirit. Although there may be those who will show them and explain this, if they reject the explanation then there must be a waiting time until they are willing to accept it, even as in the mortal life you may explain something to your brother or sister and even reiterate it, but if they are determined not to listen to you then your explanation will be useless.

 If one of a family progresses more than another on earth, will the whole family be together in spirit?

 They will be together for a brief while, for the great law of love governs the way of the spirit state. So whether you are high or low in your progression, still the law of love, unity and joy will manifest itself. Even those who have known great spiritual progress in the earthly life are not divorced from simplicity, for this is part of their growth arid will bring them into the simple joy of the family group, that the simplicity may be expressed in the wholeness of the pattern.

 Is the music that one hears in the world of spirit something entirely celestial and beyond our comprehension, or is it similar to our own music?

 This will depend upon which region of spirit you may be entering. If you are in the first region surrounding the mortal world then the music will be very similar to that to which you are accustomed, but if you are able to move into the region where the musicians are active or even into the spirit gardens where the blossoms are sounding forth their own true note, then you will be aware of a differing music which you may find difficult to translate into the familiar sounds you know in the mortal life.

 Are there people from other planets in the spirit world?

 Truly, there are some who come and visit from other planets from time to time, just as there are some from high regions of spirit who may visit other celestial bodies. But when a spirit has moved out of the radiation which surrounds your immediate earthly planet it is not always easy for them to return, but certainly under some conditions there is movement to and fro.

 In the spirit world do we still have the same emotions and feelings as on earth?

 Your emotions will relate very much to the particular force under which you are operating. In the first stage, in the near-earth world, you may still feel the same greed, hunger, anger or desire for revenge. Such emotions hold the spirit very close to the earth where it may remain for a long time. But those who lived a normal life of reasonable emotion and loving kindness when upon earth pass swiftly into the first planes of the Summerland where harmony and love predominate, and certainly love will be the characteristic emotion of such a life. But there are others whose dominant key in their experience is in the mind, who are more developed in the body of thought and ideas, and these may pass quickly from the region of love into this other region where they seek knowledge, and in that one the emotion of love is not so dominant.

 What is the total population of the spirit world?

 This is something I cannot explain, because all entities form into groups which are sometimes like globes or circles, one, two, three or more blended together, and most labours are undertaken in these harmonious groups. As the whole atmosphere of the world of spirit is an expanding flowing freedom very similar to that of your sky, it is not possible to count spirits as you may count individuals in your mortal world.

 I believe in the spirit world there is not time. Why can't you follow our time?

 We can follow your time if we have communication with spirits who are still serving very closely with mediums or persons such as yourselves in the mortal atmosphere, for they will learn how to read your time vibrations. You have on your earth a clock which periodically gives forth sounds like a bell, and some spirits standing close by can measure time by that sounding bell. Then, too, earthly time is measured by your festivals, for when we see the myriad thoughts coming from earth's children in glory of preparation we know it is your Christmas season, and when we see you making prayers and joying in the blossoms we know it is Eastertime, and when we see emanating from you joyous thoughts when people have remembered you, we know it is the time of anniversary. But in spirit life we have no need for times of remembering, nor of the passing seasons, so we are happy to live in our timeless world, but if necessary we can become attuned to your earthly time.

 You spoke once of the law of harmonious relationships; what does this mean?

 The law of harmonious relationships is to be found in the twisting of the ropes bonded by thought and by love. As each soul moves forward into higher regions of spirit no-one can go alone, for always they draw another after them or take another with them, for this is surely the law of life.

 Even so is it for you upon earth. As you move forward in you development and as your unfoldment of the soul continues, because of the twisting of the chains and threads of relationships, inevitably you lift somebody else one step higher as you move forward, and they in their turn bring another with them. And so this law of harmonious relationships, this linking together of all in joy and peace, means the slow but steady forward movement of souls through experience, higher and higher into every increasing regions of light, love and harmony