The aggregation of souls is objective--that is, the souls exist in time and space; the heaven which they enjoy is subjective, though they may all see the same thing at the same time, as, for instance, the vision of Him whom they adore as Redeemer. That is as clear as I can make it. LETTER XLV THE GAME OF MAKE-BELIEVE ONE day I met a man in doublet and hose, who announced to me that he was Shakespeare. Now I have become accustomed to such announcements, and they do not surprise me as they did six or eight months ago. (Yes, I still keep account of your months, for a purpose of my own.) I asked this man what proof he could adduce of his extraordinary claim, and he answered that it needed no proof. “That will not go down with me,” I said, “for I am an old lawyer.” Thereupon he laughed, and asked: “Why did you not join in the game?” I am telling you this rather senseless story, because it illustrates an interesting point in regard to our life here. In a former letter I wrote about my meeting with a newly arrived lady, who, finding me dressed in a Roman toga, thought that I might be Cæsar; and that I told her we were all actors here. I meant that, like children, we “dress up” when we want to impress our own imagination, or to relive some scene in the past. This playing of a part is usually quite innocent, though sometimes the very ease with which it is done brings with it the temptation to deception, especially in dealings with the earth people. You see the point I wish to make. The “lying spirits,” of which the frequenters of séance rooms so often make complaint, are these astral actors, who may even come to take a certain pride in the cleverness of their art. Be not too sure that the spirit who claims to be your deceased grandfather is that estimable old man himself. He may be merely an actor playing a part, for his own entertainment and yours. How is one to tell, you ask? One cannot always tell. I should say, however, that the surest test of all would be the deep and _unemotional_ conviction that the veritable entity was in one’s presence. There is an instinct in the human heart which will never deceive us, if we without fear or bias will yield ourselves to its decision. How often in worldly matters have we all acted against this inner monitor, and been deceived and led astray! If you have an instinctive feeling that a certain invisible--or even visible--entity is not what it claims to be, it is better to discontinue the conference. If it is the real person, and if he has anything vital to say, he will come again and again; for the so-called dead are often very desirous to communicate with the living.