These cases, however, are very rare in comparison with the total number
of deaths. In most cases I imagine that the dead man is too
preoccupied with his own amazing experience to have much thought for
others. He soon finds, to his surprise, that though he endeavours to
communicate with those whom he sees, his ethereal voice and his
ethereal touch are equally unable to make any impression upon those
human organs which are only attuned to coarser stimuli. It is a fair
subject for speculation, whether a fuller knowledge of those light rays
which we know to exist on either side of the spectrum, or of those
sounds which we can prove by the vibrations of a diaphragm to exist,
although they are too high for mortal ear, may not bring us some
further psychical knowledge. Setting that aside, however, let us
follow the fortunes of the departing spirit. He is presently aware
that there are others in the room besides those who were there in life,
and among these others, who seem to him as substantial as the living,
there appear familiar faces, and he finds his hand grasped or his lips
kissed by those whom he had loved and lost. Then in their company, and
with the help and guidance of some more radiant being who has stood by
and waited for the newcomer, he drifts to his own surprise through all
solid obstacles and out upon his new life.
This is a definite statement, and this is the story told by one after
the other with a consistency which impels belief. It is already very
different from any old theology. The Spirit is not a glorified angel
or goblin damned, but it is simply the person himself, containing all
his strength and weakness, his wisdom and his folly, exactly as he has
retained his personal appearance. We can well believe that the most
frivolous and foolish would be awed into decency by so tremendous an
experience, but impressions soon become blunted, the old nature may
soon reassert itself in new surroundings, and the frivolous still
survive, as our seance rooms can testify.
And now, before entering upon his new life, the new Spirit has a period
of sleep which varies in its length, sometimes hardly existing at all,
at others extending for weeks or months. Raymond said that his lasted
for six days. That was the period also in a case of which I had some
personal evidence. Mr. Myers, on the other hand, said that he had a
very prolonged period of unconsciousness. I could imagine that the
length is regulated by the amount of trouble or mental preoccupation of
this life, the longer rest giving the better means of wiping this out.
Probably the little child would need no such interval at all. This, of
course, is pure speculation, but there is a considerable consensus of
opinion as to the existence of a period of oblivion after the first
impression of the new life and before entering upon its duties.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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