During that time, I learned that, stupendous as our coming experience seemed, we were still very far from the Heights. That there were many of an exalted degree who moved in a blaze of glory which we could not even comprehend as yet. The Master made us realise that everything was gradual and delicate in Heaven’s realm, that just as Nature’s laws on earth advanced the seasons almost imperceptibly and brought forth growth in patient slowness, so each soul was treated with unfailing gentleness. A ray from the reflection of the Father’s Light must of necessity be of infinite majesty and splendour, yet we would experience it only beneath the shadow of our Master’s Hand. . .
Janet, I knew, was receiving the same encouragement and comfort, for I heard her murmuring the Master’s words. “How often would I have gathered together thy children as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. . .”
When we arrived, an air of festivity surrounded us, and we soon found ourselves in the centre of a group. The Hall was thronged with angels. They all moved about, assigning places to those newly arrived. We were escorted to a group of Green-Gowned who made us welcome with loving congratulations.
“If you only knew! If you only knew!” they said to us repeatedly, and their eyes held a secret beyond the reach of words. There was an atmosphere of dignity about the Green-Gowned that I had not seen before, except perhaps in Richard.
“Have you received the ray?” I asked one tall fellow who sat on the ground nearby. He turned his calm eyes upon me.
“I do receive it. . . Once a man is permitted to enter the Radiance reflected from the Father’s Light, he can never again be outside it, for it lives in him.”
“How wonderful.” I drew nearer to him instinctively.
“It is. The Father has drawn His sons nearer to Him, and all who become heirs carry about with them the truth, wisdom and tenderness that radiates from Him. Of course, they can only receive a gleam of it, but it is enough to fill their every moment with an awareness of wonder.”
Just then another of the Green-Gowned joined us, and quoted, “Being instructed in. . . the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus, in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Then a sound of trumpets blazed forth and the multitude fell on their knees. Once more I saw the awe-inspiring spectacle of those great groups, clad in their distinctive colours. Between the groups were massed many ranks of angels, their draperies of every shade of mauve, gleaming through the multi-coloured mist. The points of their wings rose up above the bowed heads like spears. Like a thousand mighty organs, the music of Heaven rolled forth!
Janet and I, kneeling side by side, felt that we could scarcely contain the torrents of joy that swept over us in that interval. We sang exultantly, while over the rim before us, the light glowed and flamed, increasing in intensity.
Before my mental eyes flashed a picture of all we had done, seen and learned since our arrival. I knew that, wonderful though it had been, it was little in comparison with the glory that awaited us. On. . . on. . . on. . . stretched my mind, into the far reaches of the beyond. I knew that time would but increase knowledge, and knowledge, wisdom; and wisdom, service; and service, joy. I felt the drawing of the Father’s Love, and this same Love pulsing in the hearts of all this multitude. . . Then I knew indeed that “Heaven is fulfilment.”
At last the front ranks of the angels broke up. They went in pairs to the side of one who was to receive the Green Gown. Turning to look upon my companions I was overjoyed to recognise my own dear, angel-guides. We exchanged a smile and once more they reminded me of earth-parents, fond and proud. At my side I saw Janet greeting her guides and I guessed these were old friends also. Once more a trumpet sounded. Our guides raised us. They began to walk forward, calling, “Come!”
Thus we followed the angels into the mist. What happened to us there, no words of mine can describe, but each will one day discover it all for himself when he too steps over the rim, into the heart of Heaven’s realm.
THE END!
]]>All at once a wonderful thing began to happen. The pink chestnut over our house began to fall! Shower after shower of the petals floated down, and though they quickly piled high, yet the blossoms looked exactly as before. After a short time there was a heap of petals before our house. Over it, the pink chestnut, undisturbed, swayed in the breeze.
While I stood gazing, the children left the ranks, and running down the grassy avenue, plunged their hands into the rosy drift. Then they returned with loaded arms, scattering the petals all along the avenue until it was thickly carpeted.
All this time, the trumpets were growing louder and now they blazed forth. At the end of the green, a multitude of angels began to appear, walking two by two. They were singing. They spread out all over the green, behind the ranks of people, and then everyone fell on their knees whispering excitedly, “It is the Master!”
There, in the grassy avenue, stood the Holy One. He was robed in crimson and as we all bowed low, He held His Hands up in blessing. At once a voice rang out from among the angels: “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven!” All the other angels took up the cry, saying, “He suffers the children to come unto Him, for He is the King of Heaven’s realm!”
Slowly he walked down the avenue and the petals were fragrant under His feet. He had a smile for all the little ones, and many times He stopped to touch a head in blessing. As He passed, the people looked up and joined with the angels in their song. As He drew nearer our heads bent low and our hearts beat with love and awe. Just as we thought He had passed, He paused and turned. His hand went out to touch the head of Rose. In my heart, and in Janet’s heart at that moment, stole the words, “Why, Rose, you have come at last. . .Welcome!” I think Rose heard them too, for the tears filled her eyes. She bent forward, picked up the hem of the crimson robe and pressed it to her lips.
Once more the angels gathered about Him. Once more He raised His Hand in blessing, and we watched Him until He was lost to sight in the shadows of the wood. . .
Silently, the crowds dispersed, their faces rapt. Soon, the green was deserted. I thought at first, that we would all three return to the house, but Rose led the way to the beach. She seemed as one half-fainting as she turned at the water’s edge.
“Goodbye, my dear friends,” she whispered, gripping our hands. “I cannot tell you all you have done for me, all you will do. For I will come again soon!” I pressed her hand, and Janet took her into her arms murmuring, “Do not forget to tell them He is all Love!”
“He is all Love, all Love,” Rose echoed. She turned and went from us over the surface of the sea. We stood and watched her until she had dropped out of sight over the horizon, and then walked back to our house.
We were very silent as we reached our couches. Each of us had turned within to the secret place of the heart, for there the Master was calling. I met His loving gaze, and my whole soul went out to Him, my Beloved. In that moment it seemed that He drew me entirely into Himself, that in my heart I leant upon His Heart and listened to the words of the Word. The bliss of that moment! Closer was He than when He had passed me in the flower-strewn avenue, closer far. The words of Paul came to me then and I turned them over in my mind with a new understanding. “He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.” One Spirit. Yes, it was so. My spirit was knit to His, and in that moment of union my Lord spoke in my heart.
“You have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, ‘Father’. . . And if sons, heirs also, heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ.” As He ended these words I became aware again of Janet, and she of me. We rose immediately and went forth over the green. There was no need of words, for each knew the other had communed with the Master, that each was summoned to the Presence of the Father to receive a ray from the reflection of His Light, to be robed in green and be made an Heir.
The prospect was stupendous, and our courage would have failed had we not received the Master’s assurance. For had He not said that we receive nothing of ourselves, but that we were hid in Him? He had spoken to us the words, “For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ, in God.” Ah surely, hid in Him we should be safe.
Thus it was that we halted on the edge of the green, and Janet whispered in a low, thrilled tone, “To the Hall of Audience, Bernard!”
]]>“See how simple it is,” Janet said. “On earth, people complicate life so much. Here, with a place to rest, fruit to eat and all the land to roam in, one can be completely happy.”
“I almost wish I could stay,” our guest said. “How strange it is that one can come here in sleep and then go back again!”
“So many people do it without knowing,” I told her. “It is the true, hidden value of sleep that the Father uses to teach His children.”
“He giveth His beloved sleep,” Rose said gently. Janet and I exchanged a quick glance; then I told her what my angel had said—that at the reading or quoting of His Word, in Heaven or earth, the angels bow down to worship at the Throne. She was enchanted and begged to hear more. Had I really seen an angel? Had I been beyond this Plane, into Heaven? Had I seen the Master? She was such a simple creature and so fired with love for her Master that we delighted to talk to her. I forgot all about my misgivings and we all three chatted away as though we had known one another a lifetime. Janet produced the fruit, and once more Rose plied us with questions. We were at last forced to call a halt, or we thought she would become confused with all she heard, so for a while we refreshed ourselves in silence.
After some time, our visitor began again. “Will I remember all you have taught me when I return to earth?”
“No,” I told her regretfully. “As soon as you enter your physical body again, you will become limited to its five senses, and so all memory of this visit will be gone.”
“Oh, what a pity,” she exclaimed, her face clouding. “How will I be able to take advantage of all this learning?”
“You will be able to do that,” Janet comforted her. “Things that often puzzled you before will be quite clear, but you will not know why they are clear.”
“I see what you mean,” she said eagerly. “ I shall retain all the wisdom, but not remember how I came by it.”
“Yes!”
“It is wonderful,” she mused. “Earth has so many problems and one needs wisdom. One cannot find the answers to questions in the mind, or in books. But now I shall find it in sleep!”
“One thing you must remember,” I told her, “and that is that the Father is Love! If only more and more men could realise this! Men think of death as an ordeal, or as a falling into nothingness instead of as a falling into Love Itself. If only men knew how lovely Heaven is!”
“I will remember,” she whispered. “I have always thought of Him as Love! I thought if one tried really hard, we could come to Him as the little children came. Then, the disciples tried to send them away, and now, people’s own ideas of Him keep them away from His love. Yes, yes, I will tell the people that the Father is Love.”
“Another thing,” said Janet, after a pause. “Try to help people to realise the value of preparation. If they do another person wrong and they are uncaring, it leaves a stain, but if they try to make amends, all is clean again. Of course, we cannot make ourselves clean, but if we try to give good in place of evil, we unite ourselves to Him.”
“All this I will tell them,” Rose promised us. “Help me to tell people on earth how to please Him! This will enable me to please Him also.”
After our long conversation, we were feeling very happy about meeting Rose again. She too asked anxiously if she could come to us, and we assured her that our house should be her home between earth and Heaven. While we had been resting, I was dimly aware that the other houses were filling up, that people were meeting and talking there, and waiting. . .
Waiting! Suddenly the memory of my last visit returned to me and a great joy sprang up in my heart. I wondered if Janet remembered, and glancing toward her, found that she was looking at me.
“I think perhaps we should tell Rose now,” she suggested. Rose turned attentively to hear the news.
What joy it gave us to describe the coming visit! Her face glowed as she listened and her breath came fast. She could scarcely believe it, and kept exclaiming under her breath, “To see Him again, really to see him!” Afterwards we fell silent, waiting in company with all the others in the houses. The air was still and the rhythmic sound of the sea was like an anthem. . .
]]>“On the sea!” I echoed, “but I thought you said she came from earth? How can she have such powers?”
“Does a soap-bubble have ‘powers’ when it rises higher than a man can jump?” he retorted, and added, when he saw my puzzlement, “Of course she would have ‘powers’ if she walked on earth’s sea in her physical body, but remember that she has left that behind in sleep. Her spiritual body can walk either on earth or sea, or rise into the air and travel swiftly, as yours can.”
“Well,” said Janet in surprise. “I had not thought of that. Can we do it also?”
“Walk on the sea? Yes, of course, if you want to. Remember that spiritual powers in a physical realm are miracles, but spiritual powers in a spiritual realm, are natural.”
“Then how can I swim?” Janet demanded. Robert laughed.
“You are thinking hard. Well, the spiritual body is able to increase or decrease its weight at will, so that it can adjust itself in a moment to walking, swimming, or floating in the air.”
“Why, of course!” I exclaimed. “We have been doing it all the time, Janet, and did not realise it.” Robert came across to grasp my shoulder.
“Well, now I have answered all your questions I will leave you to entertain your visitor. Remember, this will be her first sleep-visit.” The next moment he was gone. Janet met my eyes with a smile.
“This is an adventure, Bernard.”
“I know. How strange that people think their adventures are over when they die!” We lay down then, and talked of all we had heard. I was a little doubtful about our entertaining, wondering what it would bring forth, but Janet was quite serene.
“Why should it be any different, just because she has only left her body for a few hours?” she pointed out. “I shall treat her just as I did a new acquaintance on earth. Beside, if there is any difficulty, I can easily ask her about conditions there. . .
“I shall ask how He is loved on earth, whether they try to follow the King’s commands and to prepare for the time when they will meet Him.”
“Of course I should have known that you would do that.” After a rest, I suggested that we should go out to gather some fruit for our visitor. Janet was enchanted at this and cast an admiring glance at the empty fruit bowls as we went out, then darted into the wood.
“Now what I want is some deep red fruit,” she began briskly. “They will look beautiful in a copper bowl, in that sea-green light. Then something blue or purple, like a night sky!”
“I thought we were gathering this fruit to eat,” I protested.
“So we are, but we may as well have a lovely colour scheme too.”
“She drove me after that, in the search for fruit of the exact shades, despite my laughter. At last she was satisfied and we carried home our finds in triumph. I must admit the bowls looked beautiful. One bore a heap of fruit of the shape and colour of raspberries, only much bigger and without pips. Another held three of Stephen’s peaches, which we felt we could not possibly leave out. The third bowl was filled with grape-like fruit the size of small oranges. They gleamed richly beneath their bloom.
“I wonder what our visitor’s name will be,” I said at last.
“Rose,” pronounced Janet without an instant’s hesitation, and, when I gazed in astonishment, “I already have a link of sympathy with her.” We were silent after that, resting on our couches and gazing out over the sea, until Janet suddenly whispered in a thrilled tone, “She is coming! I feel it. Let us go down to the shore and welcome her.” Thus it was that we were sitting on the sands much sooner than we had expected, looking out to the horizon for the first sight of Rose. We both saw her at the same time but no word was uttered. It was such a very new spectacle to us, awe-inspiring. I just reached out and grasped Janet’s hand and we slowly rose to our feet. We felt like two children lost in wonder. . .
She walked up over the rim of the horizon, much as Richard had appeared out of the mist on that wonderful occasion of the First Star. She was a graceful figure draped in white, and she moved so swiftly over the surface of the sea that she very soon reached the shore. We saw her face was radiant and one hand was raised from her side. With a quick, upward smile that did not seem to be for us, she lowered her hand and stepped lightly on to the sands.
We moved forward a little awkwardly. She looked so much like an angel that we did not know what to say, but she asked quickly, “Are you angels?” At that Janet and I were too amused to be shy any more.
“Why, we thought you looked like an angel!” Janet laughed. At that our visitor smiled and said quickly, “Oh no. I am just Rose. How could you think me an angel when I am so little and plain?”
“You little and plain?” I asked in surprise. “Why, you are beautiful.” She gave a startled cry and bent over a little pool that lay in a hollow in the sand.
“How strange,” she mused half-aloud. “I look just like myself, only younger, taller, and all the blemishes smoothed away. It must have been the Master.”
“Have you seen Him?” Janet asked quickly.
“Did you not see Him too?” Rose queried in a puzzled tone. “He came for me while I slept and seemed to beckon me to follow. I thought He had come to show me the way to Heaven, so I went willingly. When we came to the sea, He—He held my hand all the way just as He held Peter’s,” she finished in a reverent whisper.
“No, we did not see Him,” I answered, murmuring to Janet, “Wonderful are His ways. . . .”
“Is this Heaven?” asked Rose, looking round with interest.
“It is the plane between earth and Heaven,” Janet explained.
“Did you want to die?” I asked.
“Not quite yet. There was so much I wanted to do on earth. People seem to forget Him unless one reminds them in little ways. And then there was prayer. . .”
“You will still be able to do your work on earth,” I told her.
“You have not died, but have only come here in sleep. Come to our house and we will talk about it.” She followed us, and very soon we were resting on the couches with the sound of the sea in our ears.
]]>“It is every bit as lovely, and if our houses are a little apart, we can exchange visits with Stephen and James, and they with us.”
“Why, that will be fine,” I agreed. “It is like having a country estate on earth.”
“More like a country cottage!” Janet laughed. “For all the vastness of the land, no-one keeps large portions for himself.” When we reached the Plane Between, we had the happiness of seeing Doris re-united to her child, and then left her in the care of one who was returning immediately to the Halls. Now that her anxiety for her daughter was dispelled, she was very eager to visit the Hall of Friends. So she bade us goodbye with many expressions of gratitude. At last Janet and I felt free to seek our house.
We set off eagerly into the wood behind the clearing, and here we could not refrain from lingering often on the way. The light fell in shafts through the trees like earth-sunlight, the ground was carpeted in grasses flecked with pale-hued flowers. These flowers were so dainty and so delicate of colour that they gave the impression that bluebells do. Here one could look closely, lifting the cuplike blossoms in the fingers, and still the outlines would be blurred and ethereal. When I remarked on this, Janet said wisely, “Distance does not lend enchantment to the view here, because all things have beauty.” All the trees were laden with fruit and I saw many of the bread-stems that grew also in the Hall of Sleep.
When we reached the next clearing we were immediately welcomed by one of Janet’s friends. He introduced himself as Robert and explained that he had received word of our coming. While we talked, we strolled up and down the green and I looked around. It was very like the first village I had seen, except that the green sloped at one side toward a beach. As we paused nearby, the great waves came rolling up with their organ-note so familiar on earth, and the spray flecked our faces refreshingly.
“This is grand,” I cried. “How good to have a little house in sight of all this. . . I suppose we can have a house?” I added anxiously to Robert. He laughed.
“Yes, if you fulfil the conditions!”
“Conditions?” we both echoed in surprise.
“It is a kind of rent. Anyone who has a house here must undertake to give hospitality to a visitor from earth—a traveller in sleep, you know.”
“What do we have to do?” I asked in astonishment. It seemed a stupendous idea.
Robert explained in a matter-of-fact tone, “You must welcome the visitor and make him feel at home, answer all his questions and generally familiarise him with the thought of leaving his body so that he is prepared for death.”
“You mean he will die soon if he comes here in sleep?” Janet asked.
“Oh no,” said Robert, “he may live for many years; but you must always be ready to welcome him when he comes, and to teach him Heaven’s truth. Of course, he will not come every night—they never do.”
“How will we know when he is coming?” I queried.
“By thought. You will know in plenty of time, and sometimes one of you can come here while the other continues some task in the higher realm. You see, you are always in contact in your minds. . . Now,” he added, “do you like the idea? It is very important work, you know.”
I thought of that text about sleep again, and said soberly, “Yes, it is.” For a while Janet and I communed in silence; then she said, “We accept gladly!”
“Good,” said Robert, “then come and see your house.” And he led the way without more ado.
“I have always wanted to live within sight of the sea,” Janet said. “Think of being able to go swimming in the early mornings!” I turned to Robert doubtfully.
“Can one go swimming here?” Robert smiled at us.
“Heaven is fulfilment.” I took a couple of strides to catch him up. “How is it,” I queried, “that you use these words? They are favourite words of Janet’s.”
“They are favourite words of Heaven’s,” he countered. “Some of these phrases of truth, having been passed on to newcomers for so long, are impressed as it were, upon the atmosphere. They become like a melody of earth, lingering and rising up here and there. . . Well, here is your house!” he finished.
It was at the extreme end of the row, facing of course, the green, but its side flanked the sea. It was composed of the same pearly substance as the others we had seen and the tree which brooded over it was a pink chestnut. Janet cried out in delight at the sight of the blossoms.
“Will they fall?” she asked. Robert shook his head. “The Master has stayed them with His Word.” Inside, the floor was carpeted with the same downy material as Stephen’s, and I was reminded of the Hall of Sleep. Stooping, I pressed my fist down, and sure enough, my wrist was quickly covered. At one side of the room was a low shelf and on this were standing several bowls, gleaming like burnished copper in the green-hued light.
“Those are for fruit,” explained Robert. “One of the artists built them in the Hall of Metal-Workers.”
“Do they need cleaning?” Janet asked practically, and Robert laughed.
“Dirt is a kind of surface-decay! How could that be here? All is enduring beauty.”
“It is marvellous,” Janet said, touching the bowls with a reverent finger, for we knew Whose plan they had been. All the time we had been speaking, the sound of the waves had come to us like the accompaniment to a song. The slow hiss of the sea drew back and the hushing-sound as the waves came up the beach.
Standing in the house, where the front was entirely open, we could see a vast expanse of ocean, and to our left, where the coast line curved, a tiny cove. The cliffs rose above it and were the deep red that is sometimes seen on earth. They were topped with green, and a tree bent over the edge, its brown trunk outlined against the sky.
“How happy we shall be, sitting on the sands with our backs against those rocks,” murmured Janet.
“Yes.” Robert came and stood beside her. “There you will watch for your visitor.”
“How will he come?”
“Your visitor is a woman,” he corrected. “She will be timid at first, but she is a sweet creature—very earnest and sincere.”
“Then I shall love her,” Janet said decidedly. She stood musing, and as she did not repeat her question, I asked it for her.
“How will she come, Robert?” At that he turned round to face me and I saw that he looked almost embarrassed.
“I am sorry to give you a shock, old man,” he said at last, and yet there was a twinkle in his eye, “but she will walk in on the sea.”
]]>“How is it that some newcomers need sleep when they arrive and others do not?”
“Some have laboured for many years on earth and are weary.”
“Do you mean that only those who have worked hard go to this Hall?”
“No indeed. Some people who have worked very hard quickly throw off their weariness and so they do not need to go to this Hall. Others who have worked but a short time need a long rest there.”
“Then how is it arranged?”
“Bernard,” she laughed, “you do like asking questions.”
“I do like people to explain things to me, and much prefer it to reaching out for information for myself. It is a legacy from earth, I expect.”
“Well, theirs is a legacy from earth.”
“How do you mean?”
“People who have always thought of Heaven as a place where they can rest, would not be happy if they were taken at once to one of the other Halls. Of course, as soon as they shed their physical bodies they shed their weariness also, but nevertheless the memory of it remains. They feel it would be perfect bliss to sink down into a long sleep, so—as Heaven is fulfilment—this is given them first of all.”
“I love that expression, ‘Heaven is fulfilment’.” We journeyed for a while in silence, and then I asked, “Is the sleep in the Hall similar to earth sleep?” Janet considered a moment.
“No, it is more than that. Here, there is nothing to distract, for here all of the person sleeps.”
“Does not all the person sleep on earth?”
“Now Bernard, you must know the answer to that!”
“I suppose I do”, I confessed after reflection. “You mean that on earth a man’s body sleeps while his spirit goes out to the Plane Between, and is busy there.”
“Yes. On earth, each time of sleep is like a miniature death. During his sleep-time a man learns his way about the Plane-Between, learns to travel through the void. Sleep is a merciful plan of the Father’s for it makes men familiar with death although they are not conscious of it. If it were not for sleep, the ordeal of death would be scarcely endurable.”
“Now it is just like a familiar friend,” I finished. When we reached the Hall I was immediately struck by the subdued light. It was like a summer twilight, and into the air stole a profusion of flower-scents, now one, now another, coming to caress the nostrils and made glad the heart. Silently reaching out for the information (for here, as little talking is done as possible and that only in a low tone, that those who sleep may not be disturbed) I knew that the ‘twilight’ was always here. How soothing to tired senses, I reflected, and how familiar to those who fall asleep in their beds on earth and awake—here.
As soon as I began to walk, the extraordinary nature of the ground drew my attention. It was soft and springy, yet amazingly light to walk upon. Indeed, although it was possible to press the hand down so that the wrist, too, was covered, every step was aided as though taken from a springboard. I saw at once the double advantage of this for not only could weary ones find walking easy but they could lie down anywhere and discover a couch with a natural spring.
In the subdued light, we saw many sleeping forms. I was particularly struck with the relaxed position of their bodies—quite unlike the sometimes rigid attitudes of adults in sleep on earth. Here, they resembled young children or animals. They might have been dragonflies drifting on a leaf down a lazily-flowing stream. Some had a smile just curving the lips as though in enjoyment of a happy dream.
“These are the ones who will soon awake,” Janet told my mind, “for here the sleep is dreamless.”
“Yes. They do not have to both rest and learn in Heaven’s sleep.”
“So much more is taught in sleep on earth than people realise,” Janet continued to think into my mind as we walked on. “When awake, men often reject wisdom. They like to have a reason for everything, to grasp things with the intellect on which they pride themselves. Some things can never be seen clearly on earth, but only with the extended Heaven-sight. There, they must accept things on trust at times. That is why, when man’s intellect is sleeping, wisdom often comes.”
“How does that text go?” I thought back. “That should tell man why he is sometimes wiser for ‘sleeping on’ a problem! ‘God speaketh once. . . by a dream, in a vision by night, when deep sleep falleth upon men and they are sleeping in their beds. Then He openeth the ears of men, and teaching, instructeth them. . .’ ”
Close beside us, as we walked, there was a movement, and instantly Janet stopped to kneel beside the awakening one. It was a man. He was stretching like a sleepy kitten.
“Stay with him,” Janet instructed me, “until I bring some fruit. We never let them awake in loneliness—we must welcome our visitors.” She travelled with incredible swiftness, her step more like a flight than a walk, and with all her speed there was not a sound. I turned my attention to the sleeper. He had finished stretching and his glance was casting lazily about. At last it rested on me. We smiled.
“Not morning yet?”
“It is always like this here,” I explained.
“What, always drawn curtains? How odd! Though I must say it is very restful.” I saw that he did not realise where he was, so remained silent beside him. After a while he said musingly, “Strange I feel so well. When I went to bed last night I was ill. In fact, I was not sure I would wake again on earth. Thought I might just snuff out in my sleep, you know.”
“You did,” I said quietly.
“I did—what?” Then he began to stare at me, at first startled, then slowly returning my smile. We did not say a word for a time after that. I just sat smiling casually, as though it was the most natural thing for us to be here, as indeed it was. At last he just said, “Well!” and a joyous look flashed over his face. A moment later Janet came back.
She met my eyes and learned that he knew his whereabouts. Dropping down on the other side of him, she said gaily, “Let us have a picnic!” and she tumbled out of her arms a pile of grapes and three of Stephen’s peaches. Beside these, she laid some thick stems that she had evidently snapped off from a bush.
“What are those?” I asked, picking up one. It was light and spongy, and had that delicious smell that steals forth from a bakehouse at midnight.
“Oh, they grow everywhere. They are bread-stems and go beautifully with fruit.” Our companion, who introduced himself as Henry, was delighted with the feast. We all sat eating heartily and I was able to demonstrate the correct way to eat the peaches. They were new to Janet and she declared that they would henceforth be her favourite fruit. During the meal Henry plied us with questions and we explained all that we possibly could. He was enthralled by our description of the Halls and decided to visit the Hall of Gardens immediately.
“I feel so strong and well, I can hardly wait to choose a plot and begin work!” What a joy it gave us, to hand him over to an angel-guide to see him start on his journey! “You must come to see my garden later on,” he insisted, and of course we promised. After that we welcomed many waking ones. One of them—a woman—could not be interested in any of the Halls because she thought her little girl would be pining for her on earth.
“She only had me,” the mother explained. “How can I be happy, knowing that she is not?” Janet and I looked at each other and we decided that this necessitated a visit to the Plane Between. When we told the mother our plans to show her a place of meeting for herself and the child, she was almost overcome with joy.
“To think such things can be!” she marvelled, and Janet answered,
“Heaven is fulfilment.”
]]>Examining my companions, I had the opportunity of admiring the many beautiful golden-shades. To my right I glimpsed a group who were clothed in robes of deep cream, with an intricate design in gold on some of the foremost of them and with my extended Heaven-sight I saw other groups in the distance, some robed in varying shades of green, others blue, and one group stood out clearly in crimson. Far to my left I caught a glimpse of groups of pearl-grey and leaf-brown. “Who are they all?” I whispered to Janet. “I do not know,” she answered soberly, “except that some of them are of very high degree.” “Are they higher than the Purple-Gowned?” “Yes, every one, but if we are faithful we too shall climb to the Heights.” “Now we are two, it should be easier.” Janet smiled and quoted, “It is better therefore that two should be together, than one. . . if one fall, he shall be supported by the other,” and this time we heard the angels’ music coming faintly from the region of the Throne. As it died away, other music burst forth, much nearer, and instantly the great multitude fell on their knees.
Kneeling beside Janet, with Stephen and James beside me, I gave myself to the reverent hush, sinking into a deep absorption of spirit which I somehow shared with all. There was a long pause after that, and then a bell-like note sounded once, in the distance, followed by the sound of one who walked slowly but with a firm step behind us.
No-one turned, but the whisper flew from mind to mind, “It is Richard!” In a moment he came into view, walking between the ranks of kneeling figures. He gazed straight before him and his hands were touching palm to palm. As he halted, standing in front of the multitude, an angel came forward and faced him. In his hands he carried a scroll, and unrolling it, began to read in a ringing voice. “For faithful service in the Hall of Reception, the Hall of Adventure, the Hall of Children and the Hall of Friends. Also for special work carried out in a mission to earth, the First Star is awarded to Richard by the King of Kings!” Then a great sound of trumpets and singing broke forth; the angel turned and led Richard away from us.
We watched him drop out of sight into the mist. For a long time we remained on our knees, but not a word was uttered or a thought-message sent. Each of us inwardly revelled in our great privilege, breathing deeply of the blessing that our presence in this Hall afforded us. Each felt a growing strength, a deepening awareness of the glory of the Father, and every moment was precious.
At last the music sounded again. There was a sudden movement through the ranks and the far-flung thought, “It is the Mother!” At once all prostrated to the ground, veiling their eyes, and there was that same impression of brilliance and sweetness that I had felt before on that memorable occasion at the gates. Then came that dear embrace when I alone seemed to be in her bosom, yet I knew that each one was there also. During that long, time-less pause wisdom seemed to flow into my heart like a river.
I knew just how dependent the children are on the Great Father and how deep His Love. My own love and worship seemed to flow through my Mother’s hands to the very foot of the eternal Throne. . . Then she was gone, the bell-like note sounded again, and Richard appeared, walking, as it were, over the rim of the world, out of the colourful mist. Around him, a light seemed to glow, but brighter still was the first Star set as a diamond in the centre of his crown.
He wore that crown like the king he was. His face was far more glorious than any face of man we had seen before. As he approached the front ranks, he unjoined his hands and lifted them in blessing. We all bowed our heads, and as the rays from the Star touched us, it seemed like the touch of the Master’s Hand. How we sang after that! Richard stood in our midst, and with face uplifted, led the praises that went rolling up to the Throne. The angels joined with us. Gradually, the groups began to disperse, as messages of invitation arrived. We lingered as long as we could, but at last Janet came to me with the news that we were wanted in the Hall of Sleep.
]]>It seemed, in one way, that Janet and I had only just parted, so natural was our meeting, yet in other ways, measuring by all that I had seen and done since I met her last, it seemed as though ages rolled between. We talked a great deal of our experiences and I discovered that hers had been very similar to mine, except that she had been a longer time in the Hall of Friends, giving her services there. She had even met my friend of Browning Walk quite recently, whose name, she told me, was Anna. She described the joy that was there. How Anna and many like her declared that this was their Heaven and that they never wanted any other. At that we smiled, for we knew that fulfilment would bring a new desire, later, which would draw them on to another Hall, to new growth. Even in Heaven, nobody stands still. . .
We spoke a little of earth. Janet had left it before I did and so I was able to give her some news, but there was not much to say, for earth seemed very far away, curiously small and unimportant in comparison with this vast, eternal Realm. Janet said that when we had progressed a little further, we should receive the power to visit earth at times. This was to gain information to use in the service of some of the people in the Halls.
Stephen and James also had long conversations, and then for a while we would all speak together, making plans for the future. I told them about my arrangement for future meetings with Rainbow, and Janet said she had a cat-friend there—so dainty, serene and wise, she said he was. Stephen confessed to having a monkey who followed him everywhere in the Hall of Animals, but James said he had never been there at all. We promptly fixed up a meeting there, the first arrival to wait if the others were delayed. I looked forward to watching James’ first reactions there. He was the kind of man who always seemed deep, as though much more were hidden than he allowed to appear, even in the clear-seeing of Heaven’s realm. Whether this was true or not, I could not say, but it certainly added immensely to his interest as a new acquaintance.
As soon as we drew near to the fringe of the Hall of Reception—which, I discovered, is the outer Hall, we were met by messages from many directions. Marie was calling me excitedly and so was Arthur. Janet, Stephen and James each spoke of similar invitations. Everybody seemed to be fired with joy, as though each, if on earth, had come into a large fortune! I could not help smiling at this reflection, for I knew that joy does not always mean a personal gain here, but quite often the gain of another. So great is the spirit of brotherly love that everyone celebrates for the favoured one.
“Do you know what it is all about?” Janet asked Stephen.
“Not yet, except that it is something big!” We all remained silent for a while, and gradually, as the Hall of Reception was almost under our feet, the news filtered in. We knew it simultaneously, and each turned to pass it on to the others, which caused a good deal of laughter. And then, without spoken agreement, we all wheeled, avoiding the Hall of Reception, and set off in the opposite direction, for our summons was to the heart of Heaven’s realm—the Hall of Audience.
As we journeyed on we met other groups hurrying in the same direction. Everyone was smiling, and the news flashed from mind to mind, “Richard is to receive the First Star!” It was the first time I had been in the Hall of Audience—indeed, it was a great privilege for which many waited a long time—and as we drew near to its centre, I looked about eagerly. It proved to be quite different from my own ideas of it. I had imagined gorgeous scenery and the sight of hills or valleys. Instead, it was rounded, like the top of a globe, so that anyone walking from you would quickly drop out of sight. No scenery of the usual kind was to be seen, and as to colour—there seemed scarcely anything else! It was like a spring mist on an early morning on earth, but instead of the filmy, drifting white, all was glowing rainbow hues. It was an extraordinary sight, most awe-inspiring, and reminded me of an evening I had once spent in an old church when the setting sun had sent its rays through a stained-glass window to drop its beauty in a patch on the stone floor.
]]>Who are they and where were they when we first came?” “This is a Plane Between,” Stephen explained. That was all he said but it opened up my link with his mind. I just lay, drinking it all in. . . The Plane Between. So this is where people met. People from Heaven’s realm and people from earth who had left their bodies in sleep.
Then these people—I looked searchingly at them—were from both Heaven and earth! “You cannot see any difference between them.” I said at length. “Why should you?” responded James in a matter-of-fact tone. “Each has shed his physical body on earth. Because one sheds his sheath for a few hours only, why should his spiritual body appear to be different?
If a man takes off his overcoat for an hour while he visits a friend, does he appear to be different from the same man who hangs his overcoat on a peg for the night in his own home?” The force of this argument completely convinced me. I just lay watching these people as they laughed and played, talked and lived. How ordinary it was. Oh, foolish men who fear to shed their earth-bodies!
And then a new thought occurred to me. “What of their robes? Do they not appear different after all the reparation and cleansing?” “Those are visible to the angels. We do not look upon the mystic robe of another. Then, of course, the Master sees all.” Presently, James broke the silence by saying gently, “The Master will be coming soon.” “He is coming here? Here, where all can see Him? Oh, it will be like Palm Sunday on earth!” (For in that moment my gladness revealed to me more than was spoken in words.) “It will be like Palm Sunday in Heaven,” Stephen cried with an exultant ring in his voice. “Every evening He comes to His people here. That is why it so closely resembles the Realm above.” “Will I be able to speak to Him? Really be able to speak to Him, even to touch His robe? Will I—” I broke off, breathless. “All those things,” Stephen assured me. “He comes as a King among His subjects, as a Friend among His friends, and as such we acclaim Him, draw near, and He blesses us.”
“From Him you will receive the Golden Sash when you are united before Him to The One,” said James. I did not know what he meant by that and my spirit was too hushed to find expression in words. I just lay gazing out over the green where all the people had melted away. I knew that in the houses others were waiting, even as I. . . Thus it fell out, even as Stephen and James had said. I cannot recall every incident. I could not describe it all, even if I would. I only know that every smallest wish to see Him as He was in those far-off earth-days was fulfilled. My ears still ring with the praises of the people and the music the angels played when He came. All they said of Him, those simple fishermen, was true!
Afterwards, when He had gone and everyone was hushed, I found that Janet was beside me and I knew that she was The One. About my waist, and about hers also was a sash of a golden hue. These matched one another exactly. Inwardly I new that every pair of sashes matched and that no two pairs were of the same shade. That just as many pairs of sashes as there were, so were there shades of gold, ranging from the palest straw-colour to the deepest flame. I knew also that we had been united here—and all others, too—because it was on this Plane we had first met, where we had cemented our relationship while our bodies slept on earth. Truly it was fitting that here we should receive the Golden Sash!
]]>In the summery light it glowed and sparkled in a thousand iridescent colours which produced an effect almost too beautiful to be real. There were no windows, for the whole of the front of the houses was open, the interior being in shadow so that only glimpses could be seen. The roof-substance appeared to be of thin slats of wood or matting, extending over the houses in front to form a kind of veranda. Over each roof drooped a great tree, its whispering leaves filling the air with music. In my surprise I had come to a halt on the edge of the clearing. The beauty and unexpectedness of it held me speechless, and all the while questions were hurrying through my mind too swiftly for me to reach out for an answer.
Who lived there? Did they build the houses and how were they kept in repair? Was there no protection against the weather? Who designed the clearing? Was this a street and were there any other streets? What did people do here and where were they now? Suddenly Stephen’s voice cut across my thoughts amusedly.
“All these things you will discover by and by, my friend. Perhaps you would like to rest now, and take a little refreshment?” Without waiting for me to reply—which was just as well since I was so amazed by everything I saw—he led the way across the grass into the cool, green depths of one of the houses. As I followed, it struck me that it resembled a place under the sea, for the light, streaming through first the green of the tree overhead, and then the ‘slatting’, gave the effect of sea-coloured, rippled calm. The sense of rest, of sanctuary was amazing. I just sank down on to a pile of cushiony stuff without a word, and lay with hands under my head, gazing up and breathing as deeply as I could.
The sound of children’s laughter roused me at last. I opened my eyes slightly and lay gazing out under my lids on to the grassy clearing. It was peopled with the happiest of little ones! Some were playing games with their mothers—or perhaps teachers or friends. At any rate, the adults were evidently as happy as the children. I spied many a father bowling for his son or crawling on the grass with a ‘passenger’ astride him! Along the edge of the green a fat baby took his first toddling steps while his mother knelt before him, holding out her arms with pride.
I could not help comparing it with a village green—an ideal village green that many a man and woman has built before his ‘castle in the air’. At first I imagined that I was on earth again; then the remembrance of my journey, my subsequent meeting with Stephen and James returned with a rush. I opened my eyes wide, rolled over on my downy couch and found my friends regarding me.
“Had a nice rest?” Stephen inquired. James just smiled at me.
“Glorious!” I cried, marvelling. “It seems as though I had never slept before, as though I never understood what sleep is!”
“Then you must be hungry,” pronounced Stephen, rising.
“Oh no,” I began, and stopped, for I suddenly became aware of an appetite, a zestful desire for food greater than I had ever experienced on earth. “Make it plenty, old man,” I finished urgently. They both laughed at that.
“Have a peach?” said Stephen, dropping something on to my couch. I turned to pick it up, and then stared.
“Why, it is bigger than a melon!”
“Yes.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Off a tree in the wood here. There are hundreds of them.” I held it between my hands, trying to remember.
“Why Stephen,” I cried excitedly, “it is your peach!”
“It was the Father’s pattern,” was all he would say.
“Eat it up,” James commanded. I saw they had one each, also. We all fell to in silent enjoyment. The first bite into mine was a revelation. I just turned the delicious, juicy flesh over in my mouth, wonderingly. It took quite a long time to eat that fruit, and when I had finished I was fully satisfied.
“Now break the kernel with your teeth,” James instructed, “and drink up the last drop of juice.” I held the orange-like thing between my fingers and shook it inquisitively. It gave out a drum-like sound as the juice struck against the outer skin. Following their example, I bit into it at the top, stretched the taut skin into a lip and drank. Very soon, all that was left was a wisp of crinkled brown stuff. “Eat that too!” It tasted of nuts, and I chewed it for a long time before swallowing.
“Fruit, nuts and wine!” I exclaimed. “You are a marvel, Stephen.”
“It was the Father’s pattern,” he said again. “All I had to do was to work over it, to get it exactly as He designed.”
“But that was in the Hall of Food,” I pointed out. “How did it come to be here?” James leant forward to tell me.
“As soon as anything is perfected, it pleases the Father to give it everlasting life. From that moment it begins to grow all over Heaven’s realm, and in the Plane Between.”
“Do they need much attention while growing?”
“No attention at all,” Stephen assured me. “There are no adverse weather conditions—except in the Hall of Adventure, and that makes Heaven for the sportsmen! As the weather is always favourable everything grows without a pause. Then, nothing decays. These houses, which man built to the Father’s design, remain like this for ever. They need no attention—no cleaning, even, for there is no dust!”
“Don’t things get very overgrown?”
“He who commanded the waves to be still commands also nature’s growth. He can still it at any point, and it remains, as it were, mute under His Hand until permission is given to grow again.”
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