I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 03.11.1944 

3316   Different spheres in the spiritual kingdom ....

Immediately after physical death the soul leaves the body and moves into the spiritual kingdom which, depending on its maturity, can be close to or far away from earth. This should not be understood in a three-dimensional sense, the distance is the result of the difference between the spheres which indeed belong to the spiritual kingdom because they are away from and outside of the earthly-material world and the immature soul has to travel a long path in time before it arrives in the spheres of light. By comparison, a mature soul arrives in these spheres as fast as lightening after its physical death since it requires neither time nor space to overcome the distance from earth into the light spheres. It only needs the strength which its state of maturity has acquired.

However, imperfect souls cannot separate themselves as swiftly from earth, partly because they are too weak to elevate themselves and partly because their senses are still attached to earthly matters. They do not want to leave earth and thus remain close to earth for a long time, mostly within the surroundings they used to occupy during their lifetime. Subsequently they cannot always feel their change from the earthly into the spiritual kingdom either. Their surrounding still appears earthly to them and the souls are frequently unaware that they are no longer physically alive. Nevertheless, they find it strange that they cannot establish a connection with the people on earth any longer, that they cannot make themselves heard and are ignored by people. This condition gradually makes them aware of their situation, they come to understand that they no longer live on earth but that they are beyond earth in the spiritual kingdom. But as long as the soul is still earthly minded it cannot remove itself from this surrounding; it is still grounded and experiences this as a painful condition because everything it desires or believes to possess it unattainable.

And now it slowly has to overcome its desire for earthly possessions; only when it has succeeded in doing so will it gradually move away from earth, the spheres will take on a different appearance, and depending on the soul’s maturity it will no longer see earthly but only spiritual creations, i.e. the spiritual vision of the soul will be able to see spiritual creations which the immature being cannot see even though they are present. But when a mature soul departs from earth it can instantly distinguish its surrounding in the spiritual realm since its maturity has acquired the ability of spiritual vision. Such a soul will also recognise the souls it meets in the beyond whilst immature souls are unable to do so, i.e. they only recognise souls who walk in darkness like themselves, who are in the same imperfect state. However, beings of light are invisible to them, and even when these disguise their light and come close to them they cannot perceive them .... Spiritual vision only develops during a certain state of maturity but then the souls are also surrounded by light, while those who are unable to see due to their undeveloped spiritual vision are surrounded by spiritual darkness.

However, the earthly items they desire are visible to them; nevertheless they are mere illusions which do not really exist but which appear due to the soul’s longing, only to disappear again like a mirage as soon as the soul wants to touch or use them, because their fleeting nature should make the soul understand that it ought to strive for higher values than temporary earthly possessions. Consequently, no beings of light will come close to the soul as long as it still desires such belongings, since earthly minded souls will not listen to the beings of light when they arrive in disguise to bring the Gospel. In this situation they can only be helped by the prayer of another human being, only then will they turn away from matter and look for an alternative in the spiritual realm. Then beings who are willing to help will meet them, instruct them and direct them to the path of ascent. And the more willingly they accept the light beings’ instructions the sooner they will acquire spiritual vision and are thus delivered from darkness .... they have entered the spheres where they may receive and give light. They have travelled the path which can take a short but also a very long time, depending on the soul’s determination for material possessions which keep it attached to earth until they lose their appeal, and are then introduced to the pure truth by the beings of light in order to work for the kingdom of God in the beyond by sharing the knowledge with needy souls who are still living in spiritual darkness ....

Amen