A MOTHER ASKS A QUESTION

　　　CHAPTER XXII

　　A MOTHER ASKS A QUESTION

　IT is not surprising that the horrors of modern warfare, in-volving so much destruction of innocent lives, have, dering the past few years, put despairing thoughts into the minds of numbers of people. "What can be the purpose of perpetuating our miserable bodies?” some have wondered. One mother put her doubts into words when in a letter which was read to Silver Birch, she asked the guide, "Is it fitting for children to be born today into this pitiful world?”

　"As far as I see it.” said the guide, "the anewer is to he found in human free will. I do not think that the word 'pitiful' is a fair description of your world, though such a blackness covers many parts of it. The earth has its part to play in a universe of ordered creation. The earth is one of the steps in the ladder of life. It is one of the spheres of being through which every individual has to pass as part of the equipment, the training for the spirit. If the earth were not necessary, then the earth would not exist. The fact that it does exist is evidence of the part it plays in the divine, evolutionary scheme.

　"Now, I would say that, generally speaking, it is the duty of those who are qualified, to bring children, young spirits, into the physical world, so that they can perform the tasks that are to be performed in the years that lie ahead. Imagination is usually worse than reality. When you are called upon to endure a situation on which you have pondered for a long time. the actual performance is always less terrible than what you had visualised. The fears about what children may have to endure are not based upon a true conception. The adult is looking at life, not through the eyes of a child, but through the eyes of an adult, and she is suffering, in advance, mental experiences that will not seem so threatening or awesome to the one who my be called upon to endure them.”

　"You said,” remarked a sitter, "that the person was thinking with the mind of an adult rather than putting herself in the place of the child. But don't you think that sometimes that is necessary? When you are an adult you know the possibilities of bombing."

　"That is precisely my point,” said Silver Birch, “because the child does not suffer as the adult does in the same situation. You see children playing with toys representing the imple-ments of warfare. The implications do not dawn upon their mind. It is a merciful provision that they do not, because the young mind is incapable of appreciating that which experience

and only experience will enable it to understand."

　The next question submitted to Silver Birch was: “You have said, 'In all the troubles and perplexities of life people need have no fears, as we can find a solution for every problem within our own selves.' How can we achieve this?"

　"You must remember," the answer began, "that the whole of humanity is not at exactly the same level of consciousness. There are thousands of groups all at different stages of pro-gress. If you had reached that stage of mental and spiritual unfoldment where you could allow your inner qualities to be expressed; if you had arrived at that stage of your develop-ment where you knew how to be still, how to turn within to find in your latent divinity all that you required, you would have the answer to your question. The fact that you ask 'how' means that there is still development to be achieved. You are part of the Great Spirit. That spirit is within you. That portion which you possess has within it, potentially, all the perfection that belongs to the Great Spirit of all life.

　"If you can harmonise yourself with it; if you can learn how to still yourself and hold yourself in perfect poise, when no wavering doubts or thoughts can come near you because you are at one with yourself and, therefore, at peace with the Great Spirit, then fear cannot touch you, for your soul would be beyond such vibrations. I do not say it is easy. I say it can be done, and there are many thousands who have abolished fear from their beings."

　"What is man's ultimate destiny after the cycles of his earthly lives?" was yet another question.

　"Ultimate destiny?" began the guide. “I know nothing of ultimates. With beginnings and ends I cannot deal. Life is infinite; progress is infinite, too. Cycles have neither end nor beginning. Progress is infinite."

　A further question was, “If evil is due to man's misuse of his free will, then why should the Great Spirit endow him with that free will which He knew would be misused?"

　"How else could you have man fulfilling his destiny?" was the reply. "Not all are evil, to use that word. There is a mixture in mankind. If you have to choose between a puppet, an auto-maton, and a being with potential powers of selfishness and saintliness, which would you prefer?

　"Would you prefer man to participate in the infinite pro-cesses of creation? If so, he must have virtues and faults, for without the faults he could not have the virtues. Life is com-parative. Man rises through struggle and difficulty, man attains, because attainment is not easy, but because it is hard, and that process refines his soul, purifies his nature and makes his character grow.

　"Darkness is where light is not; evil is where good is not; ignorance is where knowledge is not. If all the world were good, it would cease to be good. If all the world had know-ledge, it would cease to be knowledge. If all the world had light, it would cease to be light.

　"You grow through comparative experiences. You achieve the heights because you have tasted the depths. That which is achieved without struggle is lightly prized. That which is achieved with struggle is counted as an endearing prize."

　The vexed question of individuality was raised when a man wrote for an answer to the following, "We know where the spirit goes to, but where does it come from?"

　Silver Birch said: “Does he know where it goes? Where does it go?”

　"I take it," said the member of the circle who was reading the questions, "that he means it passes on to the next world, where you are."

　"But,” said Silver Birch, "your world uses such loose terms like 'next world.' All life is one life, with infinite gradations. You are now as much in the next world as ever you will be. It is only a question of the rate of your vibration. You are as much a spiritual being now as ever you will beーdeath will not transform you into a spiritual being, death will not enhance your spiritual stature by one iota.

　"You are spirit; you always were spirit; you always will be spirit; and at present you are aware of that portion of spirit which is manifested in a physical body. As you evolve after what is called death, more and more of the unexpressed spirit will be able to display itself; but spirit has never gone any-where; it has never come from anywhere. It always was; it always is; it always will be."

　"How," asked a sitter, "did it express itself before it found earthly expression? I suppose that is what he means."

　"Spirit always exists as spirit," was the reply, "but it does not exist as individual or individuated spirit until it has an embodiment in matter. Individuality comes to spirit from its association with an earthly body."

　"Just as the individuality of a domestic animal depends on its association with man, I suppose?” said this sitter, and the guide's reply was, “Yes.”

　"When we lose this physical body,” said another, “shall not we still be individuals?"

　"More so," was the spirit answer.

　"But gradually, I suppose, you merge into what you call the Great Spirit, because you are more a part of it," was an opinion put by a member of the circle.

　"You are still an individual,” explained Silver Birch, "be-cause you yourself are expressing latent qualities which depend for their expression on your evolution. The more you evolve, the more of the unexpressed self comes to the surface. That means more of perfection is being expressed, and because more of perfection is being expressed the closer you are to the Great Spirit.

　"If perfection were a finite process, then you would, in a stated time, merge with the Great Spirit. But it is an infinite process, for the more you evolve the more you realise there is to be evolved, so that you are becoming more and more individualised as time goes on.” 

　When the conversation turned to the men who are being killed in war, the guide said: “Do not judge eternity by the infinitesimal fragment of earthly life. Do not judge the universe by your world. Life does not end with death. The word 'finis' does not appear on the book of life because the body has come to its end. Life goes on and its story is continued and developed amidst scenes of greater splendour, beauty and richness than those who dwell on earth have any conception. It is sad that fruit should drop from the tree before it is ripe, but there are compensations. Love and life are eternal, and those who leave the physical body in time of war, before their spirits have had an opportunity for maturity, are able to complete their un-foldment elsewhere."

　A problem was put to Silver Birch by an inquirer who wrote, “If the spirit world is a replica of this one, are all the ugly things duplicatedーslums, bad working conditions, and so on?"

　Silver Birch answered: "These conditions are duplicated in the lower realms of the astral world because they are the natural environment for many who cannot picture life existing under any other circumstances. You must remember that it is not the reality, but rather the expression of the mentality of those who dwell on such a plane of being.

　"The moment they realise they are not compelled to live in squalor, in dirt, in conditions that proximate to the worst of the earth life, then they are freed; and the only ones who dwell there are those who are first of all so ignorant that they cannot conceive of anything different, and those who are not yet spiritually ready to move upwards. You must realise that it is all part of the wise provision that there should be easy steps in the unfoldment of the spiritual life. If there were no easy steps, then the shock caused by the transition could be a very, very terrible thing." 

　"Can you say something about the right use of leisure?" the guide was once asked. 

　"That," commented Silver Birch, "is a very good question. The right use of leisure should be devoted to the cultivation of the gifts of the mind and of the spirit. That is important, for already most people devote sufficient time to the require-ments of the physical body. They concern themselves, par-ticularly in these days, with the food that is required to sustain them and give them energy, although they are not always

cognisant of those laws of health which would enable the body to be the vital organism it should be. But few remember that the mind and spirit require development, and these are the ones who go through life spiritually deaf, dumb and blind. The vast inexhaustible riches of the spirit are unknown to them. The beauty which could fill their mind and spirit has not yet been made known to them. They know little of the many arts, the cultivation of which would bring them inner peace and a greater appreciation of the larger side of life.

　"Then, above all, is the cultivation of the spirit itself which can be accomplished in the quietness of the individual, where he can learn to attune himself to all that power that is round and about him; where he can learn to harmonise his mind with the great minds of the larger life; where he can learn to become a better receptacle for the inspiration and wisdom, for the knowledge and truth, for all the learning that is await-ing him from the infinite storehouse, the Great Spirit."

　Discussion turned to the solving of human problems, and the guide said: “Always there are more problems. That is something of which you should be proud, although you may not think so at the time. There is a great work still to be done, and there should be preparation made for those who are coming, and who will be coming in increasing numbers, to quench their thirst at the living wells of truth.

　"There are many hungry ones whom you can feed, and it will be necessary for all who desire to serve to be ready for the ones who require their ministrations. There is a need for the ranks to be closed, for there are also more attacks to be launched upon you who are the standard-bearers of the spirit. You will have to learn to hold fast and not be afraid of whatever tries to assail you.

　"I wish," said the guide, “I could speak with so many; so many who in the quietness of their own homes embarrass me with the thoughts they send, for I am not worthy of the praise that I receive. 

　"I am only a messenger, a servant, striving to reveal the simple truths that can help the children of the Great Spirit to enjoy the heritage which is theirs and to fulfil their divine destiny. To all who serve and who desire to serve, I send my love and bid them hold their heads high. There is no need for loneliness or for grovelling, for all who work for truth bear the hall-marks of His divinity, and they are stamped with the pattern of infinity. They have a great task to perform, and with courage and determination they will perform it, and help to illumine the pathway which at present is so dark for many in your world.

　"You can provide them with a haven of peace where their troubled minds can find the solution to the problems that afflict them, and they can see across the gulf of death the end of mystery and speculation, the end of fear, for they will possess the knowledge that will bring them confidence. Then shall they know that all is well, and that the Great Spirit, through His unchanging laws, rules the whole universe, wisely and well."

　When millions of people in Britain listened to the B.B.C. Brains Trust discussing their ideas of freedom they must have been disappointed, for not one speaker expressed himself clearly. Only negative conclusions were reached.

　Asked the simple question, "What do you mean by free-dom?" Silver Birch did not fumble for words and phrases, but replied: “I view all questions in the light of the experience of the spirit. I see man as a spirit striving to express himself through a body, and I see millions with that spirit stifled, crushed, re-pressed and trampled on.

　"I see millions held in subjection, and I know that it is wrong for their spirits to be prisoners. The spirit should be free. It should live in the sunlight of knowledge and all noble qualities should be its automatic expression. True freedom is an ideal to be attained, an ideal which depends upon the evolution and the development of the individual, for until you have the key which knowledge brings, your conception of freedom is an impoverished one and you do not have that conception which is true freedom.

　"If you know that man is spirit, then you know that every-thing in your world which prevents the spirit of man from having the fullest expression that is possible is wrong, and that those who try to repress that spirit must not be allowed to have the freedom to do that which is wrong.

　"True freedom does not mean the right of every individual to do as he pleases, the right to follow every whim, caprice or inclination. Freedom involves responsibility and under-standing of the purpose for which human beings have been placed in your world. Your task is to be co-operative, to live lives of service, of mutual helpfulness. If you have developed gifts, you should place those gifts at the service of those who do not possess them, so that you are able to help those less fortunate than yourself.

　"All knowledge, wisdom, truth and understanding that you have received because of your development and evolution should be freely offered to those who do not possess them, and thus you will help them to achieve a freedom of mind, body and spirit which is at present denied to them. The spirit was made to be free. It is part of the Great Spirit of all life. It is beyond all the restrictions that man imposes, but it still is subject to the natural laws of the universe which provide the framework in which spirit must express itself.

　"There is no need for any philosophical dissertations on absolute freedom, which means anarchy. All I say is that, with knowledge, you have the responsibility of understanding that freedom is that which enables you to live in harmony with the laws of nature and to help others to achieve the same result.

　"There is one other aspect on which I should like to touch, and that is the child. Your world starts with a great handicap because it allows the young, untrained mind to be filled with doctrines which are untrue, at an age at which it is unable to resist them. And so the mind is given a distortion, it is pre-vented from having a natural unfoldment. It is forced to be closed when it should be open and receptive, and in years to come it suffers from its defect. When it has reached the

estate of manhood or womanhood, already its outlook and attitude have been influenced by the early childhood train-ing.

　"This, because it came at a plastic time, has moulded the very subconsciousness and without knowing it, in after years, the man or woman has already made up his or her mind on subjects where he or she should be free to inquire. You must resist, with all the means at your disposal, efforts that are still being made to poison the minds of children with doctrines whose falsity has been exposed and insist that only that which is demonstrably true should be taught, so that children can at least start life unhampered, free to find out for themselves."

　On the tasks that lie ahead for all who seek to build a new world, the guide said: "There is a lot more work to be done, and you will want all the power that is behind you to sustain you in the days that lie ahead in the task of conveying truth to those whose eyes are holden, to enable them to appreciate those simple truths which will bring them freedom and liberty and deliver them from the bonds of servitude which have fettered them for too long.

　"There are such magnificent opportunities awaiting man-kind, opportunities of rebuilding all over again without the many terrible mistakes that lead to selfishness and self-interest predominating everywhere.

　"There is no need to repeat the chaos that was allowed to rule before. Man tastes freedom today, the freedom for which he has yearned, and now he has the chance to rebuild his systems everywhere so that the greatest freedom can be given to the greatest number. But, unfortunately, there are still those whose desire is not to help the children of the Great Spirit to find more freedom but to have less and less liberty. They still seek to perpetuate their own aggrandisement; they still cling to greed and rapacity and think of enriching them-selves, when the tasks of all who claim to be leaders should be dedicated to the enfranchisement of the multitude.

　"I know these are simple truths that become almost weari-some when they are expounded, but truth is nevertheless truth even if it become stale in its repetition. Your country calls itself a Christian country. If the Nazarene were to come back to you again in physical form, he would say the same things: 'Love one another'; 'Serve one another'; for these are the golden maxims of human conduct; these are the eternal moral standards to which all should conform. The golden rule still stands, but how few there are prepared to practise it. You still have to go out into the world, wielding the sword of truth and justice, demanding that all who are unable freely to express the wondrous gifts which the Great Spirit has given them should be allowed to do so, and that all who stand in the way must be opposed.'