ANY QUESTIONS?

　　　CНAPTER XV

　　　　ANY QUESTIONS?

　IT was a question session in Hannen Swaffer's home circe. Sometimes Silver Birch devotes the whole of the seance time to answering questions sent to us by all kinds of people with all kinds of perplexities.

　"What were the feelings of a man like H. G. Wells, an anti-Spiritualist and a life-long Rationalist, when he passed on and found himself in a spirit world in which he did not believe?"

　When this question was put to Silver Birch he replied, first of all, by referring to Wells as "a great soul, unfortunately blinded by a large intellect," adding, "If only supreme intel-lect could be wedded to child-like simplicity the super race would be evolved on earth." The guide said that spirit life was "a tremendous shock" to individuals like Wells and they had to face processės of adjustment.

　"It is a complete overthrow of a lifetime of philosophy and they cannot understand it," declared Silver Birch. "They think there must be something wrong with the universe because it does not agree with their conception, which they had proved most logically and most scientifically. And so the adjustments have to be made and there are long arguments and discussions."

　Silver Birch added that the one who helped Wells the most was Charles Bradlaugh, the Rationalist who was a great fighter for human rights. Another man who aided Wells, said the guide, was Thomas Paine, the celebrated Freethinker.

　"Paine was a great man," said Hannen Swaffer. 

　"He is a great man," was Silver Birch's correction, "far greater than your world has ever given him credit for." The guide described him as "a giant, a spiritual giant, who towered head and shoulders above his generation, a natural psychic whose vision showed the solution to world problems, who realised that mankind must be free and that chains must be swept away, a great religious man, and, I mean 'religious' in its real sense."

　"Theodore Roosevelt called Paine a 'dirty little atheist,'" Swaffer commented.

　"I know," said the guide. "If you could see, as I have seen, how Paine has helped him, then you would realise his great-ness of stature. Earthly values become changed when reality confronts you."

　Wells, he added, was sorry that he did not listen and he was so prejudiced about Spiritualism.

　"He went on with his own work, anyway," said Swaffer.

　"Yes, I know, but you must realise that death is a tremend-ous awakening and, caught in the full flush of this spiritual up-heaval, there is a tendency to enmphasise what seems to have been neglected and to overlook the great work that has been done."

　"The trouble seems to me that the better you are the worse you think you are," Swaffer said.

　"That must be so when you are in the early stages of spirit life," the guide declared. It is part of the balancing and ad-justing processes. Given time you find your normal level and you begin to appreciate more logically and truthfully the value of your earthly life. When a person comes to our world, very soon all pretence drops away; the soul stands naked, perhaps for the first time in that individual's life. That is a tremendous shock and the individual begins to think, What have I done that I should not have done and what are the things I have neglected?' 

　"He forgets all the goodness, the service, the helpfulness and concentrates on what he regards as imperfections. Once that phase is over, and it is caused by the first magnetic touch of spirit life, then he gets a truer picture. That is why for so many it is a shock and for others it is a pleasant surprise. Many individuals, quiet, unknown, trying to do good in their little, obscure ways, are surprised to find how much more they are regarded in our world than some whom they regarded with admiration. It works both ways."

　"I suppose Welle got a great reception," Swaffer said.

　"Yes, that was his right," the guide said. "He illumined the world and confronted it with knowledge. He brought truth to many and he opened the eyes of millions who were living in blindness."

　Later, in a discussion on post-war conditions, the guide said: "Peace on earth can come only when earthly individuals earn it by living lives of service, co-operation, toleration and have good will for one another. It is not to be found by the aggrandisement of selfishness, by the few enjoying the luxuries and pleasures while they deny simple necessities to the many.

　"Peace will come and dwell amongst you when all over the world mankind desires to live in peace and all members of the human family remember their divine origin and realise that they are knit together in an eternal fellowship of the spirit. If they build their systems on the foundations of this know-ledge, then truly there will be peace."

　In personal mood, Silver Birch added: "It is a great source of joy to me that we have been able to help some to realise that they are never bereft, hopeless, or long in despair, to make them understand that the power of love is at their dis-posal. I rejoice because there are some who have been able to welcome truth and knowledge into their midst. 

　"There are, alas, still too many in your world who are bowed down with grief, who are afflicted with suffering through no fault of their own, who are denied all the beauty and joy which should be theirs. Whilst there is one such being, our labour cannot be regarded as completed. So let us always continue the task to which we have dedicated our-selves, the task of striving to serve humanity so that whatever we have which has brought freedom to us shall be handed on to them."

　There was present at this seance a man who has received in the last fourteen years automatic writing from a famous statesman who has refrained from giving proof of his identity. This man believed that the absence of personal proof would deter people from reading his script.

　"I wonder whether you are right," Silver Birch told him. "This is the old difficulty in the case of communication. Certain individuals in our world set themselves the task of adding to the illumination of your world by passing on know-ledge which they have acquired. When these individuals are regarded as famous in your world, they hesitate to give per-sonal proof, at least for some time, because if they did it would confuse the purpose of the writing.

　"I am told that the significance of the writing is not to provide a series of evidential messages, evidential that is so far as identity is concerned, but to convey the nature of inspiration, its heights and its depths, in a form which are quite different from your normal mode of writing. If the attempt was made to give overwhelming proof of identity at the early stages, then it would, in all probability, have acted as a barrier to the transmission of the messages. You your-self might have been sceptical that it was the person who claimed to have written.

　"Instead, there has been a concentration on the message because it has been believed that it is the message which is important and the messenger is unimportant. The writings must stand or fall upon the value of their own contents. You must remember that the purpose of furnishing evidence is in a different category from that of providing knowledge to your world. In the one case it is necessary to convince the sceptical; in the other case you are making an appeal to those who are ready to receive it.

　"You must appreciate that spiritual truths can be discerned only by those who are ready to receive them. Wisdom is not accepted until the recipient has reached the stage where he can receive it. The task of the world of spirit is two-fold in its nature. One aim is to bring conviction of spiritual realities by means of a demonstration that will satisfy man's physical senses.

　"The other aim, equally as important, is to apply the implications of this knowledge to daily life, to make your world realise that man is a spiritual being with a spiritual heritage and a spiritual destiny and that because man is truly made in the likeness of divinity, he has the right, the in-alienable right, to all that is necessary to the growth of his spirit, his mind and his body.

　"All the injustices and inequalities, all the abuses and selfish-ness, all that fosters the darkness and hinders the light, all who have a vested interest in preserving ignorance and repressing knowledge must be opposed because man must live in free-dom, freedom for his spirit, his mind and his body."

　Finally the visitor was told by Silver Birch: "Rejoice that the truths of the spirit have been able to embrace you and that they have succeeded in finding a lodgment in your mind, that they have been able to flourish on fruitful soil."

　Questions answered by Bernard Shaw were also submitted to Silver Birch by a newspaper proprietor who is a Spiritualist.

　Shaw was asked, "As you do not believe in continuation of in-dividual life on another plane under different conditions, what do you think will happen to us after our so-called death?"

　He replied, "Nothing can happen to us when we no longer exist."

　When Silver Birch was asked if he wanted to comment on Shaw's statement, the guide said:

　"The comment I would like to make is that the 'we' will always exist, that life is imperishable and individuality is in-violate after death. The law of nature will operate in every case. It will make no exceptions. All will pass through death into life, for that is the divine fiat.

　"Even disbelievers must obey the natural law. The wise and the foolish, the saintly and the sinner, the philosophical and the ignorant, the rich and the poor, indeed, all will survive because it is part of the natural law."

　The next question that was put shaw was: "Do you believe in materialisation, which might explain the resurrection

of Jesus?"

　His reply was: "Life is a materialisation to provide physi-cal agents for the Life Force. The resurrection of Jesus did not

occur. It is a fable invented by somebody as ignorant of astronomy as Jesus himself."

　Silver Birch commented:

　"That is very sweeping, but that does not make it true. It is easy to say that it did not happen and it could not happen. Even wisdom can speak ignorance when it is unfamiliar with facts that are commonplace to millions. 

　"The resurrection of Jesus was a normal, natural happening, as normal and as natural as the resurrection of every individual who dies and lives again. It has nothing to do with astronomy. It is, I insist, a part of natural law, if you like, a purely bio-logical function."

　Silver Birch frequently repeats witty comments made by Northcliffe, who he says is present. Northcliffe's joke was, "Man will become a superman without going back to Methuselah."

　The third question was: "As we are sons of God do we even-tually become Gods?"

　Shaw replied: "That is what the Life Force is trying to make of us. Meanwhile we have to invent fictitious Gods to get on with."

　Silver Birch said: "We are all gods in miniature, for what-ever power the Great Spirit of life possesses we possess. The Great Spirit is a part of us, as we are a part of the Great Spirit. To the extent that we allow the gifts of the spirit to be unfolded, and permit the latent dignity, nobility, grandeur and saintliness to express themselves, to that extent we are more godlike than we were before.

　"The path of progress is an eternal one, and through all the ages to come man will continue to walk that path, shed-ding and discarding the grosser elements of his being and allowing the more spiritual qualities of his inner self to find a fuller, richer expression."

　The last question was: "Do you believe the Old Testament should be separated from the New and be treated as two separate books?"

　Shaw replied: "They are separated. You can buy them separately."

　Silver Birch said: "It does not strike me as being a very important question. The two books have a certain value, but not the value attributed to them by those who give blind devotion to certain theological beliefs. There is some amount of history, a great deal of wisdom, much beauty, but alas, particularly in the Old, there is much that is repugnant and cruel and disgusting. As to whether they are regarded as separate or not is unimportant."

　This is how, at another question and answer session, Silver Birch replied to a question on, “What is spirit?"

　He said, "Spirit is perfect in its origin. Spirit possesses intrinsically the creative forces of all life. Spirit is not subject to age, infirmity, disease, wastage, or to any of the defects that affect the physical body.

　"The ravages of time as you understand them do not work their ill effects on the spirit. The line of spirit evolution is from immaturity to maturity. Part of its evolution is ac-complished through a physical body, which it has created for that purpose, just as the life force constructs a cocoon to enable it to emerge later as a freed creature.

　"Here you are, with a physical body created by the spirit, living in a physical world. Spirit is dominant, spirit is the king, spirit is the ruler. But here comes the paradox. There is an interaction between spirit, mind and body, and the body restricts the activity of the spirit on earth because the spirit can express itself on earth only through the body at its disposal.

　"With a full knowledge of how to release all the power contained within that spirit, which is you, while you are on earth, the release of that power would drive away all disease and illness and pain and affliction to which the physical body is subject, because the life force, which is the spirit, would cleanse the whole of the body of all these imperfections if it could be allowed to express itself. Were man to live truly in accordance with the law, death would not come because of disease, but only when the spirit was ripe and the body dropped away like the fruit from the tree."

　"If, as we are told, the earth and all who dwell thereon assume a merely shadowy appearance to those who have passed on," was the next question, "how is it that one hears of intimate personal descriptions of our physical actions being witnessed by the dead?"

　"It is when, through love, there is such a close association that the person in my world actually enters for a short time into your physical life," said Silver Birch, "just as a spirit guide controls a medium and sees through your eyes and hears through your cars. Love enables for a time to take place what happens every time a medium is controlled by a guide; that is, they are actually there in your world.

　"And this happens mostly with those whose passing to our life is comparatively recent, when they are still very familiar with the ways of earth life, more familiar, indeed, than they are with the operations of the world of spirit. I do not suggest that they are earthbound. I do not mean that. They are very close to earth because naturally there is an attraction of earth holding them to one they love."

　"I have often noticed that it is usually those who have recently passed on who bring back that particular kind of evidence," was a sitter's comment. "They are the ones who are more enthusiastic as a rule."

　"Yes, it is particularly true of these vital young men who have passed in time of war," said the guide. "Naturally the attracting force is the love that is on earth. They know more of that than anything else, and it holds them because they want to be held, for where their love is that is where they are. That intensity of love enables them to register in your world more closely than those who have passed for many, many long years and who are not so interested in earthly hap-penings and so have lost some of the links that bind them to earth."

　"If during sleep we visit the astral plane, do those near and dear ones who have already passed over become conscious of our temporary presence in their sphere of existence?" was another question. 

　"Yes, of course they do," was the reply, "because you are all meeting on a similar level of consciousness."

　"Why," began a question, "do certain people who attempt to give service in Spiritualism meet so much frustration in

material affairs?"

　"Because he who would strive to serve must be tried and tested to the uttermost," said Silver Birch.

　"Those who are to be soldiers in the army of the spirit must be strong enough to withstand any difficulty, to meet any obstacle and to rise triumphant over all troubles that assail them.

　"What is the use of instruments of the spirit who will fall by the wayside when the first difficulty comes their way? Those who are to give the greatest service must be tried and tested in the purifying flames, for what emerges has the strength and durability of steel. All that which seems frustra-tion is inevitably part of the plan of discipleship. If those who are called upon to serve had a life that was a bed of roses, with no trials, no stresses, no storms, no troubles, then their character might not emerge as it should and they might not be great enough to perform the task that awaits them."

　"Accepting the belief that no one passes into the other world accidentallyー" began the next question, when Silver Birch interrupted with, "Oh, I do not accept that!" The question continued, "ーbut passes according to a law, how can there be any objection to capital punishment since the executioner is but the instrument of the law that has deter-mined that one's passing?"

　"There are unfortunately far too many who pass to the world of spirit before they are ready." said the guide.

　"If all who came to us were equipped, there would be no need for us to labour in your world. It is because so many millions come here unprepared, unready, without all the equipment of the soul and character that should be theirs that we have to work in your world to spread these elementary truths which should be in the possession of everybody. No, alas, it is not true; too many come before their time. There is a law, because it works within the framework of lawーbut it does not mean that the accident is predestined." 

　"What will be the fate of the war criminals in your world?" was another question.

　"The natural law will take care of every individual, no matter who he may be," was the reply.

　"The law is perfect in its operation. Effect always follows cause with mathematical precision. No individual has the power to alter by one hairbreadth the sequence of cause and effect. That which is reaped must be that which is sown, and the soul of every individual registers indelibly all the results of earthly life. He who has sinned against the law bears on his own soul the results of his earthly action, and there will be no progress until reparation has been made for every sinful deed.

　"There is no need to think that any man or woman or child can escape the results of earthly life. The whole stress of our teaching is to tell mankind that the universe is ruled by unchanging, immutable laws, and the Great Spirit cannot be mocked, cheated or deceived. You will have that heaven or hell which you have made by your own earthly life."

　The next question was more of a comment than an inquiry: "You recently said true prayer should enable a person to harmonise his will with the will of the Great Spirit, but you did not say how we are to reach this height."

　"Those who find that they cannot pray should not attempt to pray," said Silver Birch. "Prayer is an exercise of the mind and the spirit, a means by which you should harmonise your will with the will of the Great Spirit. If you cannot achieve that in prayer, and you have tried and tried again and again, then it means that you have failed. True prayer is the pre-cursor to action. It is the means by which the individual can so harmonise himself with the might and majesty and power of the greater life, that it fills and floods his being and he knows that he is at one with the whole cosmic consciousness and he is strengthened and fortified and ready to give service. That is what I understand by prayer."

　"Who appoints spirit guides?" asked someone else.

　"The law of attraction," was the reply.

　"What is the soul?" was another question. 

　"The soul is the divine garment that

every human wears," began Silver Birch with not a second's pause.

　"The soul is the light which the Great Spirit has given to every one of His children. The soul is the divine breath which enables the individual to function in the universe. The soul is the vital spark, the dynamic wellspring of his existence, that which relates him to the Great Spirit, that which makes him part of the infinity which broods over every manifestation of life. The soul is his imperishable gar-ment that he will wear for all time. He is the soul, for the soul is the individual, the one part that reflects, thinks, decides, judges, weighs, loves, and that has every aspect of

consciousness."

　"Is there truth in the prophecy of a rapidly approaching, final Armageddon?" someone else wanted to know.

　"No, there is no truth in the idea of an approaching Armageddon." answered the guide. "What must be realised is that all the people who helped to compile the Bible were, in greater or lesser degree, psychic, and, like all those en-dowed with the gifts of the spirit, their inspiration came to them in symbolic form.

　"Now spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. You must not read symbolism as reality. The impress of our world on yours is in pictorial representation and it is for you to interpret that which is received. It is not true that there will be a final Armageddon in which the whole world of matter will be destroyed and then the Nazarene will come once more in the flesh to be acclaimed lord of all the world. All life is part of evolution and there is no end to the physical world. It will improve, it will grow, it will evolve. And man improves and grows and evolves. In all life there is no beginning and there is no end."

　"We are told that everybody has a guardian angel," began one question. "If so, why in time of war should some guardian angels be unable to protect those in their care from harm and to keep them safe while others apparently are able to do so?"

　"It is all governed by the circumstances of the time," said the guide.

　"It is true that everybody has a guardian angel in one form or another, but how many realise this fact? Where there is no realisation, unless the individual is unconsciously psychic, then that guide or spirit being is unable to register in your world. The whole activity of the spirit is dependent upon your providing the conditions through which it can express itself. When you provide the conditions a finely-attuned instru-ment in harmony with the world of spirit, then those who are close to you can manifest their presence and make their impact on matter. That explains all the cases of guardian-ship, protection and guidance, of which you have many records. It is for you to provide the right conditions. You are our hands, without them we cannot work in your world."

　Then Silver Birch closed the sitting with these inspiring words: "The laws of the Great Spirit cannot fail. Through-out all time they have been in operation, and the sun, the stars, the moon, the tide, the ocean, the river, the perfume of the flower, all speak with eloquence in appreciation of the constancy of eternal law.

　"The power that fashioned this whole universe and all that it contains is the power that is within each one of you, striving to find a full expression. Have no fear of what the morrow will bring forth, for there is within you that power which

can sustain you and enable you to rise triumphant over every difficulty that comes in your pathway through life.

　"As long as you do not fail the Great Spirit, know that the Great Spirit cannot fail you."