292. Questions on the Fate of Spirits.
21. "May we ask of spirits information of their situ ation in the world of spirits ? "
" Yes ; and they give it willingly, when the question is dictated by sympathy or the desire of being useful, and not by curiosity."
22. " Can spirits describe the nature of their suffer ings, or their happiness ? "
" Perfectly ; and these revelations are of great in struction for you, for they initiate you into the true nature of future pains and recompenses, destroying the false ideas you have had on this subject ; they tend to reanimate faith and your confidence in the goodness of God. The good spirits are glad to describe to you the happiness of the chosen ; the bad can be con strained to describe their sufferings to incite them to repentance ; they sometimes find a comfort in it ; the unhappy pour out their complaint in the hope of com passion. "
Do not forget that the essential, exclusive end of Spiritism is your advancement, and it is to attain it that the spirits are permitted to initiate you into the future life, offering you examples by which you may profit. The more you identify yourself with the world that awaits you, the less you will regret the one in which you now are. This is, in short, the actual end of the revelation."
23. " In invoking a person whose fate is unknown, may we know from himself if he is still living ? "
" Yes, if the uncertainty concerning his death is not a necessity, or a trial for those w.ho are interested in knowing it."
" If he is dead, can he give us the circumstances of his death, so that they can be verified ? " " If he attaches any importance to it, he will do it ; otherwise he cares little about it."
Remark. Experience proves that, in such case, the spirit is not impressed by the motives of interest there may be to know the circumstances of his death ; if he chooses to reveal them, he does it of himself, either through a medium or by visions or apparitions, and can then give more exact indications ; if he does not desire it, a deceiving spirit may perfectly counterfeit him, and be amused by the vain search he causes.
It frequently happens that the disappearance of a person, whose death cannot be officially confirmed, creates confusion in family affairs. It is only in very rare and exceptional cases that we have known the spirits show the way of getting at the truth, after being asked to do so ; if they wish to do it, doubtless they can, but often it is not permitted if the embarrassments are trials for those who might be interested in disen tangling them.
It is, therefore, but a chimerical hope we follow, when we take such means of recovering an inherit ance ; the most certain thing about it will be the money spent in the effort.
There are not wanting spirits well disposed to flatter such hopes, who make no scruples of inciting to pro ceedings of which one is often very happy to be re lieved at the expense of a little ridicule.
