It is stated (Toward the Light, page 5: 3) that God created thousands upon thousands of glorious, graceful figures—spiritual beings—the angels. Further on, the guardian spirits of human beings are mentioned. From this it appears the “angels” should be counted at least by the millions, rather than by the vague number “thousands upon thousands”. Is it not possible to give the correct number of God’s first children?

In Toward the Light, page 17: 3, Ardor explains how the “shadows” were transformed into human spirits when endowed with a spark of God’s own flaming Being, that is to say with Thought and Will. But through millions of years this first contingent of human spirits was increased many times over through numerous new creations, whereas the number of God’s first children was established once and for all time.

Although no more spirits remain Earth-bound—according to Toward the Light—spiritualistic mediums nevertheless can still communicate with all manner of spirits at any time. But is it conceivable that the incarnate Eldest—during nightly sleep release—can be responsible for all these manifestations?

As so often stated, spiritualistic mediums have no further contact with “Earth-bound spirits”, since these are no longer present on the Earth’s astral plane. Thus, authentic manifestations are due to the incarnated Eldest when disembodied during nightly sleep and also to a number of human spirits from the fifth and to some extent the sixth sphere. But these humans have no permission to visit the plane of the Earth and so must atone for their disobedience through an incarnation undertaken much sooner than usual.³⁴

 However, it is self-evident that such unlawful releases of the spirit—which should normally be firmly bound to the visible body—must eventually slacken the rapport between the spirit’s psychic brain and the body’s physical brain. If such releases continue frequently over the years they can give rise to longer or shorter states of insanity—possibly over the remainder of an individual’s earthly life.

All mediums who perform under the cloak of spiritualism do so in conflict with God’s law. It cannot be repeated enough: no human being should attempt to act spiritualistically as a link between the “living” and the “dead”.

It is written (Toward the Light, page 84: 4) that the human spirit must incarnate voluntarily. But on page 249 it says that those spirits who—against their better judgment and without permission—return to the Earth, then lose, for each such visit, the equivalent of one earthly year from their allotted time for rest and development in the spheres. How can these two statements be reconciled with each other?

Thus, the barrier and the stated section of the law are only temporary measures, to be abolished when people have learned that no one must call upon the “dead”. But a number of centuries may pass before this can be fully accomplished.

In reply to Question 6, First Supplement, it is stated: “Daily thousands of human spirits are drawn to the Earth and daily the spirits of Light lead these insubordinate spirits back to their homes in the spheres”. How can the calling thoughts of mediums bring these comparatively advanced spirits from the fifth and sixth spheres to transgress so readily against the law, and to surmount the restraining “barrier” of Light? Compared to earthly conditions, it can hardly be imagined that people would travel hundreds of miles to violate the law because of an external thought-influence.

The questioner’s comparison between the situation in the spheres and on Earth applies not in this particular case inasmuch as the thought-influence of one human upon another follows other laws than those forming the background for thought-influence of a human being upon a discarnate spirit, or vice versa. However, in the earthly world a coded telegram or a coded message delivered over the telephone would often have a similar effect. A considerable number of people could be persuaded by such a message to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to commit an unlawful act.

Christian Wilster’s poem, “Memento”, in Greetings to Denmark, contains this passage: “I followed my life from birth until death, a hand unseen held me fast”. Since the human spirit has a free will and should decide it does not want to review its past life, how can it be forced to do so by an ‘unseen hand’?”

Recollections of the many stages of the earthly life just ended arise quite spontaneously in the thoughts of the spirit. No one—neither God nor the guardian spirit—compels the spirit to “listen” to the emerging thoughts or to “look” at the scenes of the past life as they pass before the eye. If the spirit wishes not to consider its past actions and wishes not to contemplate the visions of its past life then it can—by strength of will—suppress these things. But they will reappear time after time and invite reflection. It is this state of self-searching that Wilster poetically likens to the grip of an unseen hand.

The automatic appearance of these visions and memories of life is due to the divine origin of the human spirit. The divine element will always react to any wicked or unlawful thought or action borne in the memory of the spirit from life on Earth. What happens is thus the attempt of the spiritual self to cleanse itself of earthly Darkness and cast off the oppressive yoke of the guilt of sin.

The task of the guardian spirit in the home in the spheres is thus to help and sustain its charge during the time of self-searching. With love and patience the guardian spirit seeks to reason with and to convince its charge that every aspect of the life on Earth must be considered, acknowledged and, where necessary, repented of before rest and peace of mind can come to the spirit.

The old adage, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall not fall on the ground without the will of your Father”, does not apply to earthly conditions. Sparrows fall to the ground day in and day out without the slightest involvement of God’s Will. And thousands upon thousands of humans die daily, long before the actual day and hour appointed by God—without His Will!

 God employs not directly the blindly acting powers of Darkness in outlining the forthcoming earthly lives of human spirits. If a spirit is to live an earthly life under the Law of Retribution, that individual will usually be bound to a fetus conceived in a family wherein disposition for disease or deficiency is latent or active in the body or in the brain. The spirit is thus born to life in homes or surroundings that can produce exactly what is demanded by the Law of Retribution—a deformed and sickly body, mental deficiency or insanity, or a life of poverty, want and misery.

But if the individual dies at the appointed time without having done penance, then the spiritual self—after rendering its account—is incarnated to a new life on Earth in circumstances paralleling those of the life just ended, for no time of learning is needed for such parallel incarnations.

Since God determines the duration of human lives on Earth and their manner of death (Toward the Light, page 85), how can the many deaths through apparent accidents be explained?

The many deaths from unpredictable accidents—by lightning, by fire, by other natural catastrophes, and by accidents at sea, on land or in the air—are applied by God to counter-balance the guilt of sin of the present or previous lives on Earth, provided the individual is not to blame for what happened. If the individual is to blame there is then no counter-balancing.

Even though God pre-ordains each life span, the chosen hour of death is often not reached. (Question 26.) The blindly acting powers of Darkness are chiefly to blame for this. So are Ardor’s pre-determinations for the lives of individual human beings as well as for entire nations; and finally to blame is human recklessness, foolhardiness, competitiveness, irresponsibility, and so on, as well as the fact that people fail to heed the warnings of their guardian spirits.

The answer to Question 16 (First Supplement) would seem to indicate that the full severity of the Law of Retribution is rarely brought into force since it is applied only to those who fail to repent at the opportune moment. How then can the immensity of suffering on Earth be explained in terms of retribution for transgressions of the past?

How often down through the ages have fathers and mothers not pronounced curses against unruly sons and daughters who went astray and sank deeper and deeper into sin and Darkness? How many fathers and mothers have in their self-righteousness, bitterness and anger closed the door of their home to an errant son or daughter? How many sons and daughters have left home despite the wishes and pleadings of their parents? And how many have remorsefully returned home to ask the forgiveness of their father and mother? They can be easily counted, for they are few! And how many fathers and mothers have during their lifetime called back their sons and daughters whom they have cursed, called them back to forgive them and to bestow their blessing upon them before death ended their earthly life? They too are easily counted, for they also are few!

And how many wedded couples have separated in anger, spite and hatred? And how many have asked each other’s forgiveness before their lives ended? They are still more easily counted, for their number is appallingly small!

If someone through lack of responsibility, recklessness, foolhardiness or the like causes one or more fellow beings to become maimed, wounded or disfigured, does that individual then ask forgiveness of the victims? Rarely. Mostly the matter is settled in the courts through proceedings against the guilty person, who must then pay proper compensation to those injured; but it occurs not to the guilty one to first attempt to seek the forgiveness of the victims. And if the transgressor does happen to consider this—perhaps thinking about it even for quite a long time—he or she still shrinks from taking such action because of a feeling that it would be “beneath dignity” to approach the victims with an apology. Yet, if this is not done, the opportune moment is forfeited.

Or how many curses have been called down upon those entrusted the care of funds and property of others who have then betrayed this trust and deceived and plundered both rich and poor, both widows and orphans? Have such individuals sought forgiveness of their victims? Rarely. But their conduct has caused endless grief, despair, anger and hatred. Such guilty persons have often taken their own lives rather than face earthly judgment and punishment. They too have forfeited the opportune moment for remorse and forgiveness.

Let us hope this will become a reality in the not  too distant future.

It is stated (Toward the Light, page 306) that all must clearly understand that no human beings endure any greater spiritual or physical suffering than that they bring upon themselves from previous lives. Can such awareness not serve to blunt sympathy for those who suffer, or even to arouse reproach for their unknown past sins?

That should be out of the question. Should not the sight of the sufferings of others rather increase one’s sympathy and compassion? Would not most people reason thus: What have I myself transgressed in the past? Of what sins am I guilty in my present life? Perhaps I have endured the same sufferings, the same sorrows myself—perhaps I shall in some future life come to endure similar pain and misery. Would not these thoughts arouse compassion in the heart? And would not the sight of the suffering of others bring human beings into closer contact with their conscience? Awareness that none suffer more than they have brought upon themselves should in any case cause everyone to reflect a little more than hitherto on the possible guilt in their own present lives, rather than speculate on their neighbors’ possible transgressions in previous ones. But one thing is certain: those who have themselves suffered on account of previous guilt of sin will feel the deepest compassion for those who suffer and grieve, because they carry some faint remembrance of the significance of grief and suffering for the development and education of humanity.

Once the meaning, for the individual, of free will and responsibility has been fully understood, then humans will exercise greater care and vigilance in all of life’s aspects. Then will people not wait for their neighbors to first better themselves and then perhaps follow their example. No, then will they begin by improving themselves, by seeking to become examples inspiring enough that their neighbors will hopefully emulate them. Thus should it be, and thus will it be one day when humans have fully assimilated the ethical and religious teaching given in Toward the Light.

The unrepentant will never escape with a lesser penance than is their due. The scales of God never err, for the guilt of sin and the penance of atonement will always balance. But if humans will grieve for themselves, will repent fully of their guilt of sin, will pray for God’s forgiveness and for that of their fellow beings, then atonement under the Law of Retribution is annulled. It becomes no longer necessary.

Gradually, as people come to better understand what responsibility means and grow more considerate in thought, in word and in action—so that increasingly they commit fewer thoughtless, wicked or unlawful deeds—life on Earth will become correspondingly brighter and better, not only for the individual but for everyone. The guilt of sin will thus lessen and the atonement will then be in proportion to the lesser guilt.

When all the Eldest presently incarnated on the Earth have been removed through physical death, Darkness will no longer influence mankind as strongly as it once did and does still. But humans will then—in proportion to their degree of spiritual development—receive lessened help through their conscience than previously, for in this respect will balance also be maintained.

Time and again during the 14,000 years⁴¹ that the Eldest held almost exclusive sway over mankind, they drew huge accumulations of Darkness from encapsulation in the Light, gathering these accumulations closely about the globe so as to strengthen their own position in the struggle against the influence of the Youngest upon earthly life. Thus it was necessary for the “conscience” to be ever alert and ready to intervene, to lead and to guide the spirit that was bound to the human body. But once the reign of the Eldest on Earth has finally ceased, it will no longer be possible to bring any “newly separated” Darkness to this globe and then—infinitely slowly—the separated accumulations of Darkness will be eliminated through the earthly lives of the Youngest and of the human spirits, and a new era in the history of human existence will begin—an era during which it will be necessary for all to exert greater vigilance against the influence and temptations of Darkness!

In the spheres the spirit assumes the appearance of the human body at age 30 to 40 years (Toward the Light, page 191: 4). Does this mean the spirit-body suffers the same deficiencies and deformities that may have afflicted its human body?

When God promised some of His fallen children that He would take mankind into His care—that He would endow each human being with thought and will, that is—He had also to give these spiritually weak and undeveloped individualities an embodiment to serve them in the Spheres between incarnations. God then formed from the Light a pliable and elastic substance with which He clothed these spiritual individualities, giving each individual Light-body a plastic form at the same time. Just as the prototype of a blossom is hidden in the seed, so God conceals in this plastic form an ethereal “something”, a super-prototype for the ultimate embodiment of the “self”, or ego. This first manifests visibly upon the spiritual self’s release from further earthly rebirth. This embodiment of thought and the will has always preceded the entry of each “new spirit” into the earthly world, and each spirit therefore carries in its visible⁴² body an invisible ethereal prototype of its true form. In this way God endows His child with a concealed characteristic for eternal life in the Paternal Home.

The pliability and elasticity of this substance of the Light, and its plastic properties—its ability to reflect and conform to any shape and its ability to expand and contract—enables the spirit-body to assume, at each rebirth on Earth, the shape of the new-born human infant. This substance also—after the binding of the spirit to the human fetus—assumes a misty state as the fetus develops. In other words the spirit-body is prepared quite automatically to assume the shape and appearance of the little body at the moment of its birth. If the body of the newborn child is malformed in any way, the spirit-body assumes the same malformed appearance down to the smallest detail. By virtue of the Light-body’s ability to expand, it conforms at all times to the human body as this grows and takes on greater dimensions. When the human body “dies”—regardless at what age—the corresponding spirit-body will appear in every detail as an exact copy of it. It will thus either appear aged and bear the various characteristics of same, or appear young and supple with handsome, plain or unlovely features, or it will be deformed, as it was when the corresponding human body was born to life. If a child dies immediately after birth or in childhood, the spirit grows up⁴³ in the sphere where its home is located; and as the body assumes larger dimensions it is shaped and developed according to the characteristics it received when the corresponding earthly body was born.

Similarly, the spirit-body will be released automatically if death is by decapitation, hanging or electrocution. But if these modes of death have been decreed by an earthly court of justice, the spirit-body will be marked by the injury. However, in the instance of decapitation the head of the spiritual body will not be missing. A crimson ring will instead be formed around the neck. If a miscarriage of justice was the cause of death, the spirit-body will not be marked by the act of violence but will appear as it was before the physical body expired.

If anyone takes their own life, by whatever method⁴⁴—and it is not carried out in delirium or while of unsound mind—the spirit-body will be conspicuously marked⁴⁴ by the wilful action. If one commits suicide and destroys the body by explosives, or pours flammable liquid over the body and ignites it so that the fire partly or completely consumes the body, if one throws oneself before a train and is lacerated by the wheels, and so on, then the spirit-body is released in the normal way at the moment of death, but it enters a black, misty state shortly afterward. If suicide is by firearms and the head is partly or completely shattered, the head of the spirit-body will, to a greater or lesser extent, assume a black, misty appearance. In all suicides—except committed in delirium—the thought will without cease reflect on that which has happened. And the state wherein the spirit finds itself after death will continue until the hour that was appointed to be the last has been reached. The dreadful appearance of a person who has committed suicide will also remain until that hour, and is therefore often retained for many years.

Thus: any manner of wilful death by the individual will leave its unmistakable mark on the spirit-body.

When the account has been rendered, when the spirit has fully grieved and fully repented of its errors, sins or transgressions, then the spirit-body assumes the appearance it had at age 30 to 40 years. If the human being dies earlier, the spirit-body retains the younger appearance. All marks and blemishes acquired during life and work on Earth are taken away and “smoothed out” by God. Lost limbs or organs are drawn forth and reconstituted by the power of God’s Will, and the spirit-body thus resumes a normal appearance. But those spirits whose human bodies were—in accordance with the Law of Retribution—born more or less malformed, lame or with a feeble-minded appearance, will, under the same law, bear a modified stamp of such deformities or of feeble-mindedness.

Those spirits who refuse for a long time to repent, retain the earthly body’s signs of old age, suffering and misery until remorse at last arises—perhaps not until they have spent many years in their home in the spheres. If the spirit insists that it be incarnated earlier than would be normal,⁴⁶ this appearance is retained until the request can be accommodated. And also, those spirits that committed suicide as humans will see their mutilated spirit-bodies restored in the same way as all others after the rendering of the account and after repentance in full. But when all or part of the spirit-body has assumed a dark, misty consistency, God clothes the thought and the will once more with new Light-substance⁴⁷, from which a new spirit-body can be formed. The Spirit is then bound immediately to a human fetus to live through another earthly life parallel to the one abruptly terminated through suicide. Even though God clothes the thought and the will in new plastic Light-substance, it means not that the spiritual self must begin again its series of incarnations, only that God enables the thought and the will—the spiritual self—to continue, through earthly rebirth, the development already begun.

Thus: all deformities and disfigurements acquired by the spirit-body through the life and work of the corresponding human body in the earthly world will be made straight and “smoothed out”, its missing limbs reconstituted and the body’s signs of sickness and suffering replaced by a youthful appearance from the age of 30 to 40, or earlier. This happens not until the spirit has rendered its account, has grieved, has shown regret and has repented of its guilt of sin. But all the malformations that the spirit-body acquired from the birth of the corresponding human body—in accordance with the karma⁴⁸ of the spiritual self—are retained, although in milder form, until a new incarnation is entered.

Thus: through the love, mercy and compassion of God these unfortunate beings will, through a new birth immediately after death be removed far enough from the bodily and spiritual sufferings they have endured that the spirit can, more calmly, review its previous life on Earth.

It is stated (Question 31) that human bodies malformed at birth will retain such appearance in the spiritual world. Why does God not allow these beings a normal form of spirit-body once they have rendered their account?

1) The form or characteristic assumed by the plastic substance⁴⁹ of the spirit-body at the birth of the corresponding human body cannot be altered until a new rebirth, that is, until a new incarnation, takes place. Only then can there be a change both in the spiritual self and in the human body. This change is brought about through the inheritance received by the reborn spirit from its parents and their ancestors—bodily as well as spiritually.⁵⁰

2) If God were to restore the “spirit-bodies” that were malformed from birth to normal characteristics, to a normal appearance, once these spirits had rendered their account, these beings would be “strangers” to themselves, just as relatives and friends from life on Earth would be unable to recognize, on meeting in the beyond, those on whom they had once bestowed their love, protection and tender care.

Therefore: the spiritual and physical characteristics received by a human spirit through earthly birth are retained both in its present life on Earth and in the spheres, until a new incarnation is entered whereby the spirit is endowed with new characteristics, both in a spiritual and in a physical sense.

Since the embodied spirit, according to Toward the Light, enshrouds the body of the newborn child like a mantle, how then can the organs of the spirit-body assume the characteristics or shapes of the corresponding organs in the earthly body?

Once the Youngest have given account of their earthly lives to God, the astral spirit-body in which their true selves have been concealed during life on Earth is automatically cast off and dissolved. In their dwellings—in the last plane of the sixth sphere—they therefore appear in the “ethereal body”—their eternal form. But when the Youngest labor in the spheres—during their service as tutors—they reduce their ethereal vibrations by power of will and thus become visible to their charges. In those few cases where the human bodies of the Youngest have been malformed through karma, their misshapen bodies will also be cast off once the account to God has been rendered. This is possible because their ethereal bodies have space-filling properties within the plane of their homes in the sixth sphere, whereas the corresponding ethereal body of the human spirit has no space-filling properties within the four-dimensional worlds of the spheres.

 The human spirit must therefore retain its deformity until the following incarnation provides it a new form. God can make use of this condition when human spirits must atone under the Law of Retribution.

Some people feel justified in helping others to die when their suffering is great, and death is imminent anyway. How should we regard this? And though “mercy killing” may not be justifiable, to what extent may we relieve pain by narcotics, even though they might shorten life?

Under God’s laws it is never permitted to take the life⁵³ of a fellow human, not even at the wish and request of the person concerned. If someone suffers a painful disease, suffers after surgery, or because of wounds or injuries from accidents or the like, the doctor may administer narcotics to any extent deemed necessary and justified. But if a patient’s body is weaker than the doctors in all sincerity and to the best of their judgment had presumed, and the narcotics therefore hasten death, the doctors will not be assigned any guilt. However, if they are aware that the ailing body cannot tolerate the prescribed doses they will be regarded as having taken a life unlawfully under God’s laws. The same applies to those who end a life out of “compassion” in order to spare a relative or a friend prolonged suffering from an illness. And the person who through the “merciful help” of a fellow human has been given death so as to escape human suffering will be regarded as a suicide. Such persons must then, like others who took their own lives, endure in their home in the spheres the sufferings that they evaded until that moment arrives when the earthly body should normally have died. If a life is terminated without the ailing person’s request, then of course that person bears no guilt. The responsibility then rests only with the one who carried out the “mercy killing”.

How regard alcohol, tobacco, coffee and other more or less harmful stimulants? Must these be considered when humans after death render their accounts of earthly life? What are the consequences if a life is thereby shortened and the spirit returns to the spheres before the appointed day of death?

Christ (Speech of Christ, Toward the Light, page 128: 10) says: “Be prudent with all strong drink and dulling drugs; for know that you yourselves must bear the full responsibility for the foolish, evil, wicked deeds you commit when you lose control of your senses and of your will through carelessness or base habits.” Mankind is thus admonished to exercise caution in the use of certain stimulants. Their use is not forbidden, but it is said that they should be used in such manner that they do not damage one’s health and do not form bad habits, nor cause the individual to lose self-control.