Domestic Relations of the Next Life

AFTER your birth, and a period of adjustment, into the next life, you will not find
yourself an inhabitant of the astral slums, and unless you are a very exceptional
individual, a true saint or adept, you will not pass immediately to the still higher
velocity spiritual spheres. The ordinary person, who is neither a saint nor a devil,
starts the duties of his new existence on some of the astral levels not too remote from
earth.

The habitual criminal and the insane must be considered in any comprehensive
account of human society on the earth. And in like manner it has seemed necessary to
describe something of the abode and life of the gross and really wicked in the
after-life. But these people and their habits are not the normal conditions of the
next-life lands. No more so than hospitals, prisons and insane asylums are normal for
the general run of humanity on earth. And the usual condition in which the vast run of
people find themselves not long after passing to the next realm is superior in many
respects to their condition while on earth.

Not that everything straightens out just to one’s satisfaction merely by passing to the
next life; but that many things which cause difficulty on earth are there handled in a
far superior manner. No one, through an imperfect economic system, for instance, is
deprived of the privilege of work, or denied sustenance. Such hunger as is
experienced in the afterlife is for greater knowledge, for greater ability to serve, and
for the spiritual attainments that enable the individual to rise to more glorious spheres
of life.

You have been accustomed to eating about ever so often, and when you emerge from
the period of adjustment to conditions there, this habit may still be rather strong. You
do not need to eat food to sustain vitality, because the energy you require can be
gained, and on the higher levels is gained, more directly by transpiration. But so long
as you still crave solid food, that food can easily be supplied. No flesh can be had, but
very acceptable substitutes may be secured, until the habit of using this kind of
substance has vanished.

But you do not buy your food. Instead, you make it. At first you will be unable to do
this, and others will help you make what you want, and will instruct you how to do
this work for yourself. Yet when you have had some experience, by means of
thought-power, you will be able to coagulate the astral substance of your
surroundings into any form and substance that you can clearly visualize. And in this
manner you can supply yourself with any kind of food you desire.

You might think that in a land where there is no rain, little wind, no great extremes of
heat and cold, that shelter would be unnecessary. There are regions which you
probably will not visit in which there are conditions resembling the storms and
weather inclemencies of earth. But where most people go the climate is quite serene.
Yet in spite of this, homes, laboratory houses, and public buildings are found to be
advantageous.

The Need of Shelter

–They are so constructed as to afford a certain amount of insulation from the
influence of various kinds of vibratory rates from the outside. Vibrations that
correspond to those we on earth apprehend by means of sight and sound have great
range and freedom of movement on the astral plane, and annoyance from them is
prevented by the sheltering walls of one’s dwelling or of the building where one
works.

Astrological influences also set up various vortices of force that sweep over the astral
terrain with tremendous power. I do not here refer to those astrological influences
that work in the lives of individuals; for these are internal releases of energy that
operate much as do progressed aspects on earth, and therefore cannot be cut off or
prevented from expression by any kind of astral house. Instead I mean that
astrological conditions corresponding somewhat to those caused by the current
positions of the planets in relation to each other, as shown from day to day in the
ephemeris, set up, at times, astrological storms that resemble somewhat the electrical
storms of earth. These astrological pressures would tend to deflect the population of a
region from their predetermined course. And thus houses are constructed to insulate
those within from this class of astrological influences; permitting them to direct their
energies to other things without the necessity of resisting such pressures or storms.

Not only are the buildings of the astral plane so constructed as to insulate their
inhabitants from outside interference, but they provide another function not common
to houses on earth. They afford a means of concentrating the energies of those
occupying them. The thoughts, by means of the insulating walls, are prevented from
wasteful dissipation of their power. By means of specially constructed transmitters
these thoughts may be either broadcast or sent as a beam in special directions. And by
means of condensers they are able, there, to receive thought messages even from far
distant levels.

For their curative effect, or for their use in special kinds of work, it is possible to build
the walls and roof of a substance that will shut out all but certain astrological rays.
The windows still permit the entrance of the astral light, which is rather constant in its
luminosity at any particular point; but only the astrological influence needed finds its
way into the house. The general principle is that which is utilized on earth when glass
is used to permit only blue light, or only red light, or only yellow light, to enter.
Substances are used which permit the passage of only one or more astrological ray.

On earth we have as yet found no means, other than using the human nervous system,
of collecting in concentrated volume and intensity the energy of a given planet and
directing it into the body, and specifically to the organ where it is needed, to correct
some discord that in human life manifests as disease.

On either plane the events attracted into the life, including the diseases that develop
in the physical body on the outer plane, are due to the activity of certain groups of
thought-cells exerting extra- physical power upon the environment then occupied by
the individual. If, through any means, either the intensity of the activity, or the
desires, of a given group of thought-cells is changed, the events attracted also will be
changed. This means in physical life that if the discordant activity of a group of
thought-cells which is responsible for a disease is changed into harmonious activity,
the disease will disappear. In a broader sense, as explained in detail in Course 16,
Stellar Diagnosis and Stellar Healing, unfortunate events of all kinds, as well as those
affecting the health, are diseases, that is, they are conditions attracted by
inharmonious, or unbalanced, thought-cell activity.

And in Course 16 is explained how a Stellar Healer who has trained his nervous
system so that he can tune in on the vibrations of any particular planet, can pick up,
radio fashion, the astral vibrations of that planet, and using the electromagnetic
energy generated by his nerves as conductors, can direct it harmoniously and in
concentrated volume, to the thought-cell group within a patient that needs this
particular energy either to recondition it, or to give it greater activity. Such treatment
with planetary energies was first given great attention by, and widely used during the
reign of, Akhenaten in Egypt over 3,000 years ago. When properly applied by one
duly qualified, it is most successful not merely in healing the ills of the mind and
body, but in healing the ills of the pocketbook, the domestic existence, and those of
all the other twelve departments of life.

To be sure, not everyone can apply this method, and its technique is open to much
improvement. But other than using thought to change the volume of thought-cell
activity and the desires of the thought-cells, it is the only manner of healing that goes
directly to, and changes the chief cause of a disease. Environment may give facilities
for a given disease or given misfortune, but the disease or misfortune only comes into
the life when the thought-cell activity especially favors it. The thought-cell activity is
thus the chief cause of any disease. And by properly changing the thought-cell
activity, either through a specially selected type of thinking and feeling, or through
feeding the thought-cells planetary energies that cause them to have different
desires, the basic cause is reached, and the disease prevented or cured.

And while not needed to prevent or cure bodily illness on the astral plane, properly
changing the thought-cell activity so that unfortunate events will not be attracted, and
so that fortunate events will come into the life, is just as important on the inner plane
as on the outer. But there they have produced substances that permit only the
planetary ray needed to enter a room, and shuts out the others. And by thought power,
even as the Stellar Healer on earth also must use thought-power for the same purpose,
this planetary energy is directed specifically to the thought-cells which need it to
correct their discord or to give them greater activity.

There is no day and no night on the astral plane, but as one moves to levels higher
than the earth-plane there is plenty of light. This light is of a diffusive nature, and
differs in intensity on different levels, and in tint of color in different places. Every
variety of color on earth is present in the astral realm in more vivid tone, and there are
other ranges of tints with which earth is quite unfamiliar. Due to the astrological
rulership of localities, which also determines the kind of work done there, the light of
each locality tends to take on at least a faint tint of corresponding color. Thus, from
the intensity and tint of the light in a region alone, much can be learned about the
development and activities of its inhabitants.

Home

–All this is preliminary explanation to pointing out that when you become adjusted
to the next life you will have a home. Home in the spiritual world contains certain
treasures, built of your longings, aspirations and spiritual triumphs. But home on the
astral plane, where you probably will sojourn for a while, if you have made some
reasonable advancement before leaving the physical plane and are ready to take up
your work in the new realm, will be of your own choosing.

You are not compelled to live in any particular kind of house; not so much so as on
earth where the pocketbook has so much influence. And, while you may do so if you
desire, you are not compelled to build your own domicile. If you have not advanced
far enough to be anxious to perform your own function in this new commonwealth it
may be difficult to secure the assistance of others. But I am assuming that you are
ready and anxious to render assistance to others to the extent of your training and
ability. And in this case, if you do not know just what kind of a house you want, or
how it should be arranged there are those who specialize in architecture, and those
who specialize in home construction, who will gladly either advise you or build your
home. Nor will they ask for compensation. Your own work for the good of others is
their sufficient reward.

Clothing

–When you arrive in the next life you will not be without clothing. This may be
largely due to your habit of wearing clothing in the earth-life, but the custom is
continued in the astral world for still another reason. This clothing with which you
enter the new plane bears, in its texture and completion, a direct correspondence to
your character. Those of the astral slums have little or no power to dress themselves
in garments other than those corresponding to their dissipated estate. And even on the
highest astral levels, far above the middle region we are now discussing, the radiance
of the garb unerringly proclaims the spiritual state of development of its owner. Nor
do we find, as on earth, a really shabby character covered with rich apparel.

But on the plane where you will probably find yourself, you will have a wide choice
of garments. There are materials of many grades, and of ingenious textures that not
yet, but some day, will be reproduced on earth. The colors that may be had are all that
earth affords, and whole ranges of other tints and hues of wondrously pleasing effect
that cannot be duplicated here. The brilliancy and quality alone are restricted by the
plane you occupy; for you cannot wear the material of a higher level. And before you
can have any choice in your garments, some progress must be made. This progress,
resulting from your desire and effort to do something constructive and beneficial for
others, widens your freedom in this and in many other respects.

The clothing, which may be selected for its effect of stimulating certain thoughts and
energies, or for its power to insulate you from certain vibratory influences that seem
unfavorable, as well as for its appearance, may be had in an amazing variety of color
combinations and designs. It is thought-bui1t, as is most astral construction; but is
not less firm, and may be even more durable, than the clothing of earth. If you prefer,
after you learn how, you can make your own garments. Or if you do not care to do
this, there are others who specialize in such work, who can fit you becomingly. Your
own contribution to cosmic progress will be all the reward they expect or desire.

You will find the astral world, I am sure, a very different place from the orthodox
heaven in which there is almost no variety or change. You will not have the same
weather changes that you have on earth, but there are differences in astrological
influx that give climatic variations of sufficient breadth and intensity that one, if he
leaves the insulation of buildings, need never complain of its sameness. In the
architecture of the buildings, and the design and arrangement of homes, there is far
greater latitude, and a higher development of line, form, and arrangement than is
known on earth. Even the landscaping about the buildings and homes, the
arrangement of flower plots and gardens, and the murmuring brooks and tinkling
fountains, offer a richness of composition to anyone on this astral plane far
surpassing that possible even to the potentates of earth.

Nor is it surprising that beauty should be apparent in the garb; for the appreciation of
the beautiful refines the tastes and through cultivation of higher emotional responses
builds up the spiritual qualities. Dress, therefore, is selected not merely as
appropriate to the character, and as contributing to, or protecting from, vibratory
elements, but also for its esthetic value. And the artistic effects that are thus
produced, in the land where you probably will a little later dwell, are far more
pleasing and of far greater variety than anything you have ever experienced on earth.

Jokes

–Yet beauty and utility comprise but a part of the variety to be found in the next life;
for there are all the pleasant relations of human companionship, and even more
opportunities for the exchange of thought than here. It is not a region of continuous
seriousness; for merry-making also performs its part. Jokes and quips, you will find,
are still appreciated over there.

As illustrative of this, I will relate the experience of a friend who dropped into our
classroom for a little chat just at the time this lesson was first being written. She is
very fond of all work pertaining to healing, and in addition to her activities on the
physical plane, spends a part of her time out of the body doing similar work in the
astral world. This is mentioned not to comment on the inadvisability of this kind of
work for all except those specially qualified, but merely to explain why she was out
of her body and why she happened to be at a hospital where people are born into the
next life.

She said she went to this particular hospital to see how they handled patients that
came from the earthplane in a badly mangled condition. And among others to be
brought, while she was there, was an Irishman who accidentally had been run over by
a locomotive, so that his physical body was not much more than scrap-meat. He was
unconscious when brought in, and his awakening to consciousness in this hospital
constituted his birth into the next life.

At his bed-side, anxiously awaiting his birth that she might welcome him with open
arms and loving kindness was his wife, who had passed over some years before. He
had been aware that the engine had struck him, but had then quickly lapsed into sleep.
And now, as he regained consciousness, he was quite aware that he had passed over.
But as he saw his wife tenderly bending over him he could not resist a bit of fun, and
as he arose with a glad smile to embrace her he remarked, “It’s all just like it used to
be. I thought I was hit by a railroad train, and when I come to, I find you standing over
me.”

Domestic Ties

–These domestic, and other emotional ties of earth, are not severed at the moment of
death. They persist as influences in the life until there has been some more adequate
adjustment. Of this, however, you may be assured, there are no ties of compulsion.
No one is forced to live with, or remain in the company of, anyone who is distasteful.

Where one person has injured another, or where there is a debt of gratitude that seems
to require it, the two may be drawn together by a mutual desire to rectify the mistake
or make payment possible. Faced by the records of their motives and deeds, as
recorded in the astral light, one may feel that the best way to remedy a condition
established on earth is to seek out the other person; and the other person, desirous that
the one person should not find the avenue of progress closed, may acquiesce in this.
But people on the astral plane, at least in the realm where you are apt to find yourself,
cannot force their unwelcome company on others.

No one is forced into marriage on the astral plane; but companionship between man
and woman is the rule rather than the exception. It is the foundation of home life
there, even as it is here. The offspring of such unions, however, are thought creations,
and not children; although, to the extent there are strong common interests and
emotional ties, the children of earth may live close to their physical parents; several
generations sometimes constituting such a group.

On earth, certain physical considerations often play an important part in marriage;
but these physical considerations have no weight in the next life. There people are
attracted to each other, and unions are formed, on the basis of complementary
affinity.

This is not merely planetary attraction, such as sometimes causes people of earth to
experience a wild infatuation for each other, only to bum out after a time. Infatuations
are due to one or more groups of thought-cells in the astral body of each finding
exceptional facilities for energy exchange with a group of thought-cells in the astral
form of the other. If such exchanges are due to dynamic thought-cell structures
mapped in the birth-chart, the attraction may be permanent; but if due only to
thought-cell activity stimulated by progressed planetary positions, they are
temporary, and later both persons may wonder why they ever were attracted to the
other.

But the complementary affinity, of which I here speak, is a fuller measure of
attraction which is afforded by the harmonious relation of the finer forms based upon
similarity of fitness in the cosmic scheme of things. That is, each individual is being
fitted by all his experiences to fill a definite position in the cosmic work. And this
work, as it is to be performed in celestial realms, requires the united efforts of man
and woman who have attained to those exalted states They each, therefore, in the
lower spheres, are developing certain characteristics which fit them to perform this
identical cosmic work, each to act as the inspiration and complementary helpmate of
the other.

This does not mean that those who are perfect complements of each other commonly
meet in the astral world. But those who, by virtue of developing qualities that more
nearly fit them for performing the same function, because of the complementary
nature of the vibratory rates constituting their characters, are strongly drawn toward
each other.

Man and woman, in the higher spheres, each form one-half of a unit that performs a
definite function in cosmic society. In the performance of this particular function
both contribute, but the type of their contribution is characteristic of the sex. Their
development, consequently, to perform this function, is not identical, but
complementary. And to the extent they thus have characteristics that enable them
together to perform this same function, even though they are not the perfect
complements of each other, are there those similar and complementary vibratory
rates within the forms they now occupy that are attractive and give them pleasure in
each other’s company.

In the after-life love and affection play quite as important a part as they do on earth.
And because the form is finer and more sensitive to vibrations, and the senses more
keenly alive, the enjoyments resulting from such human relations are more intense
and rapturous than any that can be experienced in the gross body of earth. Yet
because of this increased responsiveness, the attractions of the new life are much less
haphazard than those commonly observed on earth. And those that draw man and
woman together as domestic companions and helpmates are kindred tastes, identical
aspirations, harmony of vibration and the complementary characteristics which
enable them together to perform some useful work.

The creative energies of man and wife on the astral plane are as important to the
production of creative work there as they are on earth in the generation of children.
Creative work, on any plane, consumes creative energy. Even on the physical plane
the new things are brought forth only by those with surplus creative energy. Great
artists, poets, inventors, and writers cannot be deficient in virility. And this creative
dynamo is best maintained at productive level through the responsive vibrations of
pure love and high affection between man and his mate.

Thus the relation of marriage, although on the higher astral levels devoid of its
grosser aspects, is not confined to earth, but represents sacred functions in the highest
heaven.

Yet just because two people were married while on earth does not compel them to
eternal companionship in the spheres of the future, nor does it preclude such
companionship. Neither is there any compulsion in regard to entering into domestic
partnership on the astral plane. Until such time as the emotional education of the
individual engenders the desire for matrimony he is quite free to go his way alone. In
all such matters much less pressure is brought to bear than is customary on earth, and
there is much more opportunity to exercise liberty of choice and liberty of action.
Partnerships in the next life are formed only when the attractions and desires are
mutual.

The emotional ties that were formed on earth arc not severed when one passes to the
next plane. The love between husband and wife, and between parents and children,
persists. Yet, even on earth, we find normally six successive levels of affectional
development. In infancy there is the “narcissus” emotional level. The infant next
transfers his love nature from himself to his parents. At a later stage, there is the
hero-worship level. The fourth stage of emotional development is the transference of
the affection to the one who later becomes the husband or wife. In the fifth step the
affections for the partner should not be less, but there is a broadening of the emotions
to include children. And then, after the children are reared and gone from home, there
is the regenerate level. Even this level often is not reached because people all too
frequently never emotionally mature. This whole subject is treated in detail in
Course XIV, Chapter 10.

The seventh emotional stage of development, that of the spiritual union of
soul-mates, is seldom reached on earth. And it is not the common thing in the astral
region, where most live shortly after physical death, for men and women to find their
true soul-mates. But this seventh emotional stage, nevertheless, is the basis for
affectional adjustments in the next life.

At each of the six levels in the normal development of man’s emotional life he forms
attachments that he deems at the time could never be broken or transferred without
rending his heart. The school girl who has a “crush” on her lady teacher, or on some
other girl, just cannot imagine herself ever relinquishing this love and substituting in
its stead the love of some young man. Yet in the normal development of her love-life
she does just this. And the mother, while her children are young, cannot bear even to
think of their ever leaving her. Yet if she is wise, when they are of proper age, she no
longer holds them, but encourages them to go out into life and establish homes of
their own.

Normal emotional development requires, at different stages of the life, affectional
readjustments. And in the affectional readjustments of the next life, the seventh
affectional level may be a continuance or a transfer, of the affections, as the case may
be. To the extent that man and wife on earth are really suited to each other, not merely
because of habit but because of being close complements of each other, their
companionship in the next life is apt to prove enduring. And to the extent they are
really unsuited to each other, in spite of their marriage on earth, the companionship is
likely to be severed at the time of passing, or shortly after entrance into the next
world.

Because the real source of one-sided attractions can so readily be perceived and
analyzed, the emotional re-education that is acquired with any marked progress in
the next life provides for a healthy transfer of interest to a proper affectional object. I
do not mean that one-sided love affairs are non-existent on the inner planes; but that
they persist only among those who have made little progress; for as soon as some
progress is made there is a reconditioning toward affectional objects. This leads to
proper responses that displace any object of unrequited love. Love, on the more
advanced astral levels, is always reciprocal.

This reciprocal love, however, does not imply true soul-mates. It merely implies a
more or less complete degree of vibratory blending that is generated by characters
that find in each other more or less complete complements. On the astral plane it is
possible for perfect marriages to take place, and such are consummated far more
frequently there than on the earth-plane. But such perfect conditions are not the
general rule.

Instead, the degree of perfection that is possible to the development and evolutionary
requirements of the individual must be substituted. Perfection, even in this matter of
affectional relations, is not reached at a single step, or without effort. At first the ties
of earth, if they are pleasant, dominate the affections. And if they are based upon
something more enduring than the temporary needs of physical life, they will not be
severed, at least until progress has been made to a point where they are no longer
useful and pleasurable. But as time passes, one meets many others in this new sphere
where one now sojourns.

Then come problems arising from new contacts, and from those previously
established on earth. But there are learned astrologers, and those who specialize in
affectional readjustments, to offer advice and to help in finding a solution
satisfactory to everyone. Yet often, before this readjustment can be made, all parties
concerned must take a course in emotional re-education.

Several Husbands Or Wives

–When several husbands who were married at different times to the same wife on
earth, all try to claim her in the next life, there are complications present that cannot
satisfactorily be solved except by making plain the true basis of affectional relations
as they now obtain. It may be that none of these husbands of earth is really the most
suitable companion for her, or it may be that one of them is quite satisfactory. In the
latter case this suitability is felt as the strongest attraction. Or if some other, who can
be located or who already has been contacted, is more suitable, these two, when
brought into each other’s presence, experience the strongest attraction.

And it is the function of certain astrologers of that plane to search out and bring
together those who are particularly suited to each other. The disconsolate partners of
earth who are less suited are taken in hand by those specializing in emotional
re-education. They are shown how foolish it is to have a “fixation” on an individual
who is really far less suited to be the domestic partner than some other. This is not
merely an appeal to reason; but is carried out under the laws governing the proper
reconditioning of the emotions. And in due course of time, through the efforts of
these astrologers, or by virtue of their constructive work on the plane they now
occupy, they are brought into touch with some other who is far more suitable, and
toward whom they can feel much deeper affection than they ever did, or could, feel
for the previous partner of earth.

As progress is made from one level of the astral world to another, it may, or may not,
as the result of marked development, usually extending over long periods of time,
make desirable still other affectional adjustments. When the sixth state of the
spiritual world is reached, merely as the result of having reached this exalted
condition, true soul-mates attract and recognize each other. This is one of the natural
results of high spiritual development. But on any level of the spiritual world less
advanced than this, and on any astral level whatever, due to many factors, it may, or
may not, be possible to contact the true soul-mate. But when there is need and desire
for a domestic companion, a mate is attracted that more or less approximates the true
ideal.

But these affectional attachments, which take the place of marriage on earth, are not
permanent until the true soul-mate has been found. They serve a purpose, often a very
good and valuable purpose, on the level where they occur. But the more speedy
advancement of one or the other may later make separation desirable. One may be
ready to pass to a new level of endeavor long before the other. This may make
advisable new affectional adjustments. If, however, the complementary affinity is
pronounced, even the passing of one to an entirely different plane-from earth-plane
to astral plane, or from the astral to the spiritual plane-does not weaken the
affectional relationship. They continue to work for a common end, remaining in
communication, by their thoughts, across the planes.

Separations

–Yet where it is found that the usefulness of a particular domestic partnership has
been outlived, it can be dissolved in favor of one more suitable to all parties
concerned. And because a recognition of emotional states as important factors in
spiritual development is common to any astral level much above the earth-plane,
such readjustments of this kind as seem necessary are free from jealousy, envy, or
animus of any sort. I cannot say they are always free from the sense of loss; but they
are looked upon as experiences necessary for proper spiritual growth.

This matter of the passing of one partner in marriage to a new plane–passing from
earth-life to inner-plane life, for instance–frequently poses a problem requiring the
most serious thought to solve. The partner left on earth, if the bond of affection has
been strong, not only continues to experience the sense of loss, but may grieve over a
long period of time. These thoughts of grief not only build discords into his own
thought-cells but they also reach the one who has passed to the inner plane, and
through the mental treatment which moves over the lines of the rapport that has been
established through their past relationship, discordantly affects the one on the inner
plane who, unless he builds up a high potential and exerts himself to the utmost to
prevent it, feels all the emotions of the one on earth.

Yet even those who realize they should not thus think of the loved one who has
passed while holding discordant emotions, often do not know what line of conduct to
pursue. They feel that to forget the one who has passed and turn their attention to
other things is to be disloyal. Because of their sense of loyalty they take pains that no
new affectional interest shall enter their lives. They feel they should continue to be as
true to the one who has passed as if that one were still with them on earth.

Each of such problems is somewhat different from others, and each therefore must be
solved on its own merits And the one sure criterion, as it also must be the criterion of
all other actions, is the comparative amount each course of conduct will contribute to
universal welfare.

There certainly are instances where the bond of love is so strong and so high that it
should not permit the physical death of one, or anything else, to sever it Under such
conditions the thought of the other proves an inspiration to each, and provides an
incentive for greater and greater effort to render higher and more abundant service,
and to progress spiritually.

But in many other instances the one on earth continuing to keep the other strongly in
the consciousness, holds and disturbs the one on the inner plane sufficiently that he
cannot properly attend to his duties there. And the one on earth thus consumes so
much energy and attention thinking about the one who has passed on that he is unable
to do as much as he otherwise would. Neither is making the progress, and neither is
contributing as much to universal welfare, as if each had turned his attention to the
things of the plane he occupies, and started living there to his fullest.

Under such circumstances, instead of both remaining static, and much less useful
than they should be, if affection is essential to happiness, progress and efficiency, it is
much better for both to find a new affectional interest, and the one on the physical
plane to marry again.

Parents, on earth, usually experience some feeling of loss when their children grow
up and depart from home. But if they are wise parents they do not hinder this
departure at the proper time. To do so is to thwart the life of the children and to incase
themselves in a shell of narrow selfishness. And in the next life, the desire to have the
interest of society as a whole advanced as rapidly as possible outweighs any
temporary feeling of loneliness. And furthermore, such steps usually are not taken
without the counsel of astrologers, and experts in emotional matters, who give advice
and practical aid to make the affectional readjustments satisfactory and beneficial to
everyone concerned.

It may seem strange to the visitor from earth that those once married and now no
longer so, remain the best of friends. If the marriage was merely that of earth, and
marked by brutalities and discords, you may be sure it is not resumed in the next life.
But if there are elements of harmony sufficient to carryover into the life after physical
death, or if it is a domestic partnership entered into after passing from the physical
plane, it is looked upon by both persons as a happy even though perhaps only
temporary, relation- ship of benefit to both. The fact that this relationship has
outgrown its usefulness, and that progress has brought new affectional contacts, does
not make them enemies. On the contrary, each has a kindly regard for the other, and a
special interest in doing everything that in any way will assist the other to happiness,
to the successful performance of his work, and to spiritual progress.

And while I have been compelled, in order to give any adequate description of
domestic affairs in the next life, to speak of these affectional readjustments, I trust no
one will conclude the next world is a place given over to swapping partners. How fast
an individual moves from one astral level to another depends entirely upon him- self,
and it may be very swift or very slow. But following the initial adjustment to
domestic affairs after passing from earth, even in those cases where such changes
become desirable, it is unlikely a subsequent affectional readjustment would take
place within a period of time comparable to the ordinary length of life of man upon
the earth.

Reality Is Faced

–On earth a great many desires and activities are glossed over and made to appear
very different from what they really are. But in the next life, as soon as there has been
even a very little progress, everything about oneself and others is faced for what it
really is. Selfishness and carnality cannot be hidden from others if it is present, nor
given every appearance of beauty by bestowing upon it an euphonious name. Every
thought and motive is viewed in all its stark reality.

Yet on the other hand, no shame is attached to the exercise of any natural function.
The companionship and domestic life of man and woman are accepted as beautiful
expressions of love. It serves a manifold purpose. The emotions it engenders in each
tend to refine them and thus raise their spirituality. The love-thought of each going
out to the other is a healing balm, and the thought-image each holds of the other in
loving helpfulness becomes the ideal into which this other tends to develop and
grow. It is a potent force and treatment aiding in his advancement. And the energy
generated by their mutual attraction is a mighty reservoir upon which they can draw
for the performance of their selected work.

Transforming Energy

–You must realize that on any plane accomplishment consumes energy, and that the
energy supply that can be effectively used by any individual, or group of individuals,
is restricted by individual limitations. On the physical plane some of the energy we
use in our activities is derived from the consumption of fuels within the body. A
considerable portion of this fuel supply is furnished by breathing. And on the astral
plane a process somewhat analogous to breathing is the chief means of supplying the
energies used in the activities there. This breathing, of course, is not of air, but of the
energy-charged atmosphere of the plane occupied.

The form, on any plane, does not create energy, but merely acts as a transformer of
energy. People on earth have energy in varying amounts and grades because they
have different ability to transform it and turn it into paths of their own choosing. And
when they pass to the next life they do not suddenly develop the power to divert an
unlimited amount of energy and convert it to their own use. Thinking and all other
activities of the next life consume energy, and this energy must be provided from
some source. Mere breathing does not yield an unlimited supply, no more so than a
man may gain unlimited strength on the physical plane merely by eating an
enormous quantity of food. The power to transform energy depends upon the
individual.

One of the greatest problems that confronts every person, not merely on earth and in
the astral world but also in the highest conceivable states, is how to increase the
quality and quantity of energy that can be used. The quality of energy received and
transmitted depends upon the refinement of the organism through which it passes. To
refine the thoughts, emotions and form is to gain ability to use a higher-frequency
energy. And because of its higher frequency, the more spiritual the energy thus
handled, the more real power.

Yet quality of energy is only part of the problem; for to accomplish anything
worthwhile on the plane where this energy is used it must be utilized in volume. And
this is where the intensity of the thoughts, desires and aspirations play their part. For
it is through mental and emotional intensity that large volumes of energy are taken
from the atmosphere in the process analogous to breathing.

Man and woman, therefore, when the love attraction between them is pure, strong
and unwavering, as when such domestic life as I have described obtains, constitute a
natural dynamo for the generation of energy on the plane where they work. Their
love-life enables them to accomplish tasks of magnitude without undue fatigue.

In this region, which is not close to earth, there is no night and day, but there are
periods of activity and repose. And fatigue also is present as the result of prolonged or
strenuous activity. It is not due, as on earth, largely to the presence of lactic acid in the
blood, but to lack of sufficient energy to keep up the desired activity. Before
activities are resumed there must be a recharging of the psychic batteries, as it were.
Harmonious domestic life, recreations of various kinds, rest, relaxation, and music,
all contribute to this revitalization.

It would be pleasant reading to some if I could say that in the next life there were no
troubles, no obstacles, no difficulties, no disappointments no sorrows, no pain, no
fatigue, and nothing distasteful.

I find, however, that in the slums and hells there is even something very much
resembling physical pain. And there are still anxieties, until one has progressed to a
point, through the practice of spiritual alchemy in which one refuses to be anxious.
These anxieties on the level where you will probably find yourself, will not be
concerning yourself, but concerning the possible happenings and conditions to be
faced by loved ones remaining on earth.

Fear can be experienced in that after realm quite as vividly as on earth. But the
progressive person soon realizes what he should comprehend before leaving earth,
that fear has no useful part to play in the life of any enlightened man, and merely
tends to attract the condition feared. Nothing, without your permission, can injure
your immortal soul. Anxiety and fear are obstacles in your path that now or later you
must rise above. Before you have made much progress in the next life they must be
left behind.

I have already mentioned that sorrows may arise over separations that take place
among those in the after-life. Sorrow may also arise over failure; for even in the next
life people do not always attain at once their aims. But the most common source of
sorrow is the thoughts of loved ones still on earth that carry even to the rather interior
levels. Those left on earth often grieve for years, and their thoughts reaching loved
ones in the next life may cause much sorrow.

Yet as progress is made to higher levels, all grief and sorrow is left behind. Not
because there are no more separations, nor because the loved ones on earth have been
forgotten, nor because those on higher levels always are successful in their
endeavors. Sorrow is left behind because there has been sufficient emotional and
spiritual advancement to realize it is better for all concerned to raise a barrier against
the thoughts of grieving ones on earth. And because it is realized that separations,
disappointments, and failures, by a proper attitude toward them, can be made
spiritual assets of great value. As one moves from lower to higher astral levels one
observes less and less of sorrow and more and more the prevalence of radiant Joy.

The universe moves forward in its ever more perfect development through the labors
of its co-operative intelligent parts. Never is there reached a point where nothing
remains to be accomplished. And those in the next life can always find something
worth doing that, no matter how much energy they command, enables them, in a
good cause, to become fatigued. The progressive plan of things always provides still
other obstacles when some have been overcome.

The next life is not a tepid region of inaction. But the people in the advanced levels do
not have the troubles of those on earth. This is largely because, through their
advancement, they know how to live constructively. They do have the advantage of a
better system of human relations, and they are not faced by some of the stringent
necessities that beset those on earth. But of still more importance than this, they have
learned more about how to live to be happy. And if we would be guided by their
wisdom we also could learn and practice this art before leaving earth.