The Earth
THE SPIRITUAL EARTH
- Chapter 29 -
The domicile of the pure spirits
The future degree of perfect bliss depends on the complete return of all that which belongs to a being. Whatever concerns the physical body and its immediate predecessor - everything specific, in fact - will be given in proper chronological order without any action on the part of the spirit. But it is different with regard to the collection of the spirit's qualities, for which he is accountable. The reason for this is that every spirit can and should acquire such qualities from the instructions of pure religions. Whosoever is not active in this respect, and concerns himself with matters of the flesh rather than matters of the spirit, can only blame himself when he is judged by the Word. It was given to him from Heaven as a loyal guidepost, pointing out how he should collect his life and return from whence he originally came.
Even the spirits that are already purified have to remain for longer periods of time in the third region of the air in order to procure their psychical specifica. Here they must wait until their physical bodies have decomposed and passed over to the astral (soul) matter.
This state should not be considered a punishment; it is as necessary as the duration of the physical body on Earth. This must continue for a certain time; for some it is a short time, and for others longer, so that the spirit may gain time to develop and stabilize his being. Since this is required, it lies beyond the scope of the spirit's will. The court only judges the will's attitude. Everything is unimportant as long as the will is brought into order in accordance with clear knowledge of My divine will.
When these pure spirits remain in the third region for several hundred years at a time, they lose nothing by being there; they can only gain. Besides that, they are exceedingly happy and blissful. They constantly gain by increasing their intelligence. If they perform small duties properly and prudently, they will become suitable for managing greater tasks in the future. In order to prove their spiritual enterprise they will, as angelic spirits, be placed in charge not only of a few parts of a celestial body but over entire universes and solar systems.
The pure spirits of the highest region of the air frequently descend to the second and sometimes even to the first region. These localities on Earth are essentially their visible places of confinement, which, due to their considerable heights, are permanently covered with snow and ice. Herein lies the reason why those regions have for almost every human being - as you would express it - such a magical, blissful, and at the same time such a calming appeal or attraction for the whole human disposition.
Whosoever has a melancholy heart and is full of inner restlessness should proceed in My name to such heights, or at least go as close as possible to such places, and his heart will be inundated as with a strengthening balsam. That is why you should gladly go up into the mountains.
The disposition of the heart in the lower regions becomes steadily more oppressive, difficult, and hard to bear, like the feelings of one who climbs through canyons and caves; his feelings when he climbs such pure heights, however, become more and more cheerful. And whosoever climbs up may rightly say, "Lord, that is a good place to remain!" But then I will reply, "The time has not yet come for you to remain here!"
Nonetheless, despite all this I will say, "Gladly go to the mountains! I Myself, while I walked on Earth in the body, frequently visited the mountains. On one of these mountains My transfiguration took place; on a mountain I drove away the Greatest Tempter; upon a mountain I preached about the kingdom of Heaven; I prayed upon a mountain, and upon a mountain I was crucified!"
That is why you should love to go to the mountains, because not only your spirit but also your body gains more there than it could from a hundred apothecaries!
It should also be mentioned that the pure spirits first stay in the areas where they had lived on Earth while in their physical bodies. When they become more highly developed, their sphere of activity expands over the entire Earth. The strongest spirits guard the polar regions, and the weaker and more tender spirits the tropical regions of the Earth. The more active spirits guard the oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginners are entrusted with the supervision of the larger and smaller mountains. The female spirits, for the most part, manage plant life and exercise their influence upon the entire vegetation of the Earth's surface.