Class. 
 Book. 
 
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 COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 
 
The Divine Gift of 
 Mediumship 
 
THE DIVINE GIFT OF 
 MEDIUMSHIP 
 
 LECTURES ON THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE 
 Given by~> jf 
 RICHMOND 1^ BISHOP 
 
 c^t©2e 
 
 School of Natural Science 
 
 Boston, cMassachusetts 
 
 1914—1915 
 
 fcsTOP)^ 
 
 PUBLISHING 
 HOUSE 
 
 BOSTON 
 

 Copyright IQ15 
 By Richmond Iy. Bishop 
 
 AUG 12 1915 
 
 ©CI.A410089 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE gift of mediumship is a subject of great 
 significance and profound interest to all stu- 
 dents of spiritual matters; and yet it has al- 
 ways 'been difficult to obtain information about it. 
 Very little has been written, or placed in available 
 form for the inquirer. To this task Mr. Bishop has 
 brought his own splendid gifts as a spiritual teacher, 
 and the result is here given, under the title of "The 
 Divine Gift of Mediumship." Thus at the start the 
 author shows his realization that mediumship is a 
 divine gift, and the student is prepared for the rev- 
 erent treatment accorded it in this book. No difficult 
 or technical language is used. The reader is given 
 valuable instruction in spiritual growth, in the one 
 way that is always most acceptable and vitally in- 
 teresting — namely, in the story of the author's own 
 development. This story precedes the lectures, lay- 
 ing the foundation for the application of principles 
 brought out by the author's experiences. 
 
 When anyone assumes to teach others, the question 
 always arises : How does he know these things ? What 
 is his authority? And finally, there is often the feel- 
 ing, when the teacher merely expounds and affirms, 
 that the student's problem is in some way different ; 
 that his life is more difficult, his conditions harder 
 
than others, and hence that the easy progress indi- 
 cated by the instructions given is not possible for him. 
 This usual condition is fully met by Mr. Bishop in 
 this book, by the simple and direct way in which he 
 tells the story of his spiritual experiences, from early 
 childhood, to his entrance into public work. It is 
 thus seen that the spiritual growth which he is trying 
 to help others attain, came to him through the daily 
 experiences that are common to all men ; through the 
 joys and sorrows that come into every life. Thus the 
 way is made easy, because each one recognizes some- 
 thing of his own intimate life in the story of the 
 author's life. To be able to tell a personal experi- 
 ence, in a way that appeals to all, is the supreme 
 achievement of the writer. This Mr. Bishop has done 
 with a charm of style that holds the reader's interest 
 throughout, and a clearness of detail that gives the 
 best possible reason why he is fitted to speak as a 
 teacher, on the subjects of the lectures that follow. 
 
 A. H. C. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter 
 
 Introduction ..... 
 
 Page 
 
 9 
 
 I. 
 
 Autobiographical .... 
 
 13 
 
 II. 
 
 Natural Science .... 
 
 73 
 
 III. 
 
 Life ...... 
 
 81 
 
 IV. 
 
 Character. ..... 
 
 89 
 
 V. 
 
 Charity ...... 
 
 97 
 
 VI. 
 
 Harmony ..... 
 
 105 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Problem of Life and the Wel- 
 
 
 
 fare of Humanity 
 
 113 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Prayer ...... 
 
 125 
 
 IX. 
 
 Love ...... 
 
 135 
 
 X. 
 
 The Voices of Silence . 
 
 143 
 
 XL 
 
 The Unknown .... 
 
 151 
 
 XII. 
 
 The Relationship of the Unseen to 
 
 
 
 the Seen ..... 
 
 171 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The Spiritual .... 
 
 185 
 
The Divine Gift of 
 Mediumship 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. 
 
 The Harmonial Philosophy of Natural Science 
 reveals the great eternal light that will shine down 
 through the ages and enable man to recognize the 
 spiritual laws that interblend in what is called by 
 the materialist the physical laws. These laws have 
 not entered the consciousness of the material 
 scientist because he is living on the plane of phy- 
 sical or material investigation and studying the 
 phenomena of effects in that realm which does not 
 offer its wonderful world of causation to the mind 
 that is dense to the spiritual perception that Nature 
 unfolds through spirit. 
 
 The time has come when the materialist must be 
 questioned as to the cause of phenomena, and as to 
 
14 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the life beyond so-called death. He must answer 
 us as man to man, not as the scientist who will 
 reply only in the language of external conclusions, 
 but as an individual who has become familiar with 
 the processes of Nature, and whose own soul sees 
 within the material forms and knows that there is 
 no effect without a cause, no result except through 
 progressive development, no such thing as inertia 
 or death, but a change of form and combination of 
 matter, and an endless cycle of infinite life that 
 calls him through his awakened mind to his immor- 
 tal spirit to answer the questions of the world in 
 clear and independent reasoning, and to maintain 
 the truth of Nature's laws and Nature's life as it 
 points to Deity and to immortality. If the under- 
 standing of the materialists could be opened to the 
 importance of this recognition, and realize what 
 result such doubts have upon their own develop- 
 ment and how unfortunately they have retarded the 
 world's consciousness of spiritual truth by their 
 own inflexible statements, they would weigh the 
 evidence very carefully before they gave forth opin- 
 ion that brings doubt to the minds that rely upon 
 the investigations of learned men. 
 
 And furthermore if they had the slightest con- 
 ception of their own regret as they awaken in the 
 spiritual sphere and come to a realization of their 
 own earthly blindness, they surely would enter into 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 15 
 
 the portal of spiritual truth while here, and where 
 causation reveals itself so lovingly. 
 
 During the years that I gave to the experiences 
 and investigations of the spiritual conditions, it was 
 my privilege to be shown some of the lowest planes 
 of development as well as the highest. My life had 
 been dedicated to the search for truth. Experiences 
 of such a nature, out of the usual things of daily 
 life, had brought me to the consciousness that there 
 was a wonderful power and wonderful expressions 
 intermingling with the usual affairs that were not 
 well understood. My desire for the truth regarding 
 these manifestations led me to very careful, very 
 thorough investigations, and I was ready to sacri- 
 fice many earthly privileges if I could but satisfy 
 myself regarding what seemed to me the greatest 
 truth of life. 
 
 Every step of the way was an onward march up 
 the heights of spiritual illumination and experience, 
 a perfectly natural result of my own organism, my 
 love of truth, my fearlessness of results, and my 
 love of knowledge. In this quest I was guided by 
 one of the spiritual masters who has told me that 
 he stood by the side of my dear mother and guarded 
 our organisms before J was born. This guardian 
 angel from the sphere of spirit said that from this 
 point of view my life was in his care, and that 
 through my earthly experience of studentship and 
 
16 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 of teaching, he would accompany me and that 
 throughout eternity we would be associated in this 
 spiritual progression. Under these conditions I 
 prepared for my life work. 
 
 The following brief sketch of some of the most 
 important experiences of my life, may give a better 
 understanding of my preparation for the work I 
 have undertaken as a teacher and practitioner of 
 Natural Science. 
 
 I was born in Cornwallis, Kings County, Nova 
 Scotia, August 12, 1868, of Scotch and English an- 
 cestry. My father, John Leander Bishop, was a 
 man of sterling characteristics, fearless, just, hon- 
 est and kind. My mother, Sarah (Bigelow) Bishop, 
 was a woman of tender, sympathetic qualities, noble 
 and loving. The recollections of our home life and 
 of my brothers and sisters, are very vivid and go 
 easily back to the time when I was only four years 
 old. 
 
 My mother and father and their people had true 
 psychic gifts that are especially characteristic of the 
 Scotch race, but these experiences were not under- 
 stood by them, and their religious beliefs did not 
 allow any confidence in the manifestations that 
 came from time to time. 
 
 One of these spiritual manifestations they after- 
 ward told me of came at the time my little brother 
 passed away in the year 1865, just at twilight, when 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 17 
 
 my mother, greatly grieved by the death of her 
 little boy, was alone in the room, waiting for my 
 father, who had just gone to the spring near by, 
 for the drinking water. 
 
 On my father's return he noticed that my mother 
 was very pale, and he asked her if she were ill. She 
 said that she was not, but she said that in the room 
 where the little form had been laid, she heard the 
 sound as of a thousand hands clapping — so it was 
 not strange if she looked pale and disturbed. 
 
 My father tried to persuade her that this was 
 impossible — and that she was nervous from the 
 shock of their child's transition. She asked him to 
 sit beside her and he did so. In a few minutes the 
 room was again filled with the sound of the clapping 
 of many hands. My father went directly into the 
 room, and all was silent. He examined the room 
 thoroughly, and could find no visible cause of the 
 sound, then returned to mother. As soon as he 
 was again seated there was an outburst of beautiful 
 music. They recognized the voices of dear friends 
 and relatives who had passed on to the higher life, 
 and must have received some peace and comfort 
 from this wonderful demonstration of love that was 
 given them in their sorrow. This music was re- 
 peated during the next seven days at the same 
 twilight hour. After that through the following 
 years I have heard my father and mother speak of 
 
18 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the beautiful emanations of light and the wonderful 
 interblending of colors that usually came at night 
 after they had retired. 
 
 My mother was a wonderfully gifted medium, but 
 did not understand her power, and so the use was 
 not made of it that would have been possible other- 
 wise. Dear, faithful mother to her family, an ex- 
 ample of honor and of love! She has now joined 
 her dear ones that are living in the spirit spheres. 
 
 In 1872, my dear, old grandmother, Margaret 
 Bigelow (my mother's mother), was not well, so my 
 mother wanted her to come to our home that she 
 could better take care of her, and she was with us 
 for about a year. My grandfather was a ship 
 builder, and in the early days had lived in a log 
 cabin which I well remember. My grandmother's 
 visit to us was a great delight to me. She was one 
 of the true, old-fashioned type of women that 
 blessed that generation, and my boyish heart went 
 out to her in the fullest of love. We were devoted 
 companions. She evidently found something in me 
 that won more than the usual love of a grandparent, 
 and I was very lonely for her after she went back 
 to her home. With the loving wisdom of age, she 
 cautioned my mother to be careful of me, and 
 watchful over me — for she felt that I had different 
 qualities then than is usual among little children. 
 Doubtless her intuitive spirit recognized the gifts 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 19 
 
 that were even then unfolding, and which were 
 called out but a short time afterward when she had 
 passed onward to the eternal home. 
 
 In the meantime a baby sister had come to me, — 
 Josephine, — who seemed to comfort me for the loss 
 I felt in giving up my grandmother, and whom I 
 loved intensely. It seemed to me that I worshipped 
 this little sister, and when she, too, was taken from 
 me at the tender age of thirteen months, I felt as if 
 nothing could ever seem beautiful again. My heart 
 was broken. I could not play — all I seemed to think 
 of was my little Josephine, — and then one night my 
 grandmother and baby sister came to my bedside. 
 I saw them clearly. I talked with them, and went 
 to sleep comforted and happy. This was in 1875, 
 and I was too young to question why or how this 
 was so. I only knew that my dear ones were again 
 with me. 
 
 One night my mother happened to hear me talk- 
 ing, and told me that I must not lie awake and talk, 
 but must go to sleep. I told her I was talking with 
 my grandmother and sister. Mother asked me if I 
 could see them, and I said that I could. She 
 watched me anxiously, and was much disturbed. In 
 the meantime my little brother who had passed 
 away before I was born came to me in the company 
 of a spirit, a tall man, with a long, white beard. 
 He was dressed in white garments, and looked un- 
 
20 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 like any one I had ever seen. I remember that he 
 held his hands over me and blessed me, and said, 
 "My little man, you are born with a power that shall 
 bring light and life to the world. I anoint you 
 with God's blessing, and I will guide you throughout 
 eternity." 
 
 I was very happy with these visitors, but my 
 mother became very much alarmed, and made me 
 promise that I would turn on my side, and close my 
 eyes when I went to bed. I did this, but I could 
 still see the beautiful forms and faces of my dear 
 ones. 
 
 Mother wept and prayed over me, and became so 
 unhappy that evidently the spirit visitors felt that it 
 was unwise to continue their manifestations in this 
 visible manner to me, and so their visits ended, and 
 our life went on in its usual way. 
 
 I well remember that when the spirit guide blessed 
 me, I felt an indescribable power that has been an 
 influence with me like a golden thread running 
 through my life, no matter what the reverses or hard- 
 ships were, there was always an influence of love 
 and light and power that guided me onward, that 
 grew stronger with the years, that unfolded from 
 experience, and that is still with me the most trea- 
 sured part of life. So the spirit manifestations that 
 came to me in childhood ceased, and the years went 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 21 
 
 on without any thought or any especial recall of 
 those experiences. 
 
 When I arrived at the age of twenty-four years I 
 found it necessary to make a most important deci- 
 sion. A question was before me, so serious that I 
 was overwhelmed by its responsibility. I was in 
 great doubt as to my own wisdom. I was young. 
 I needed advice. I wanted to do right. I wanted 
 to know what was right, — and I feared that if I 
 confided the question to earthly friends their advice 
 might be influenced by their love for me, and be 
 tarnished by selfishness. 
 
 I was alone, and greatly troubled. I felt inspired 
 to look to the unseen for guidance, and I said, "If 
 there are intelligent souls in the higher life, whether 
 they be my people or strangers to me, I ask with 
 love that they assist me now, — and I demand my 
 right to decide this question, and to be led accord- 
 ing to truth, whether it is for or against me. 
 / ask for truth!" 
 
 I waited calmly. The answer came to my con- 
 sciousness so clearly, so unmistakably, that I at once 
 acted upon it, and the decision changed my whole 
 life. 
 
 I then felt that I wanted to know more about the 
 higher life, and the loved ones there, and the laws 
 of communication, for I realized within myself that 
 there was something wonderful and beautiful in the 
 
22 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 help I had received, and that to know more of this 
 truth would be the most inspiring thing in the world. 
 
 My mother and father were Baptists. We knew 
 nothing of Spiritualism as a practice or a belief. 
 
 It was my desire to investigate for myself, and not 
 take the opinion of any one as to its truth. I could 
 be convinced only by my own experience, and I was 
 willing to give my life, if necessary, to know the 
 truth. The possibility of spirit communion — if a 
 truth — could be the most beautiful thing in the 
 world. If it were a delusion I wanted nothing of it. 
 
 I talked the matter over in our own home, for it 
 seemed to me that was the place in which to make 
 our investigations. We all were ready to study the 
 subject further, and so we began our sittings, — my 
 father and mother, four brothers, one sister and two 
 aunts (one my father's sister, the other my mother's 
 sister) made up our circle. 
 
 We kept one room for this purpose, and met 
 together twice each week, beginning our sitting at 
 eight o'clock in the evening. This was by the direc- 
 tion of the same spirit that came to my bedside when 
 I was a little child and then blessed me and foretold 
 a spiritual work for me — this spirit had again shown 
 himself to me as a loving counsellor. 
 
 Our first meeting was held in 1894. Our chairs 
 were placed in a circle. Two draperies were hung 
 across the corner of the room that the power might 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 23 
 
 be better concentrated. I sat behind these draperies. 
 The door was always kept locked during our meet- 
 ing. We were a loving, harmonious family seeking 
 to know the truth about spiritual manifestations. 
 We always began our sitting with music — and our 
 own harmonious relationship made the right con- 
 ditions for spiritual results. We were happy in the 
 thought that we were in the presence of our de- 
 parted ones we loved so much, and we felt thank- 
 ful to that Great Source of Infinite Power that 
 He had led us to a way whereby we could obtain 
 more knowledge. 
 
 We continued these meetings for eight years, — 
 and the memory of the love, the harmony, the 
 peace, the uplift, the conscious communion with 
 loved ones, the instructions of the higher souls, 
 the visions of heavenly scenes, the wonderful un- 
 folding of God's principles and the better under- 
 standing of the power and purpose of life, the 
 development that resulted through these sittings, 
 are the most precious treasures of my life. 
 
 Some of those experiences I shall place before 
 you, that their truth may help other souls who 
 are trying to find more light, and more truth. Our 
 progress was gradual — as is the law of any unfold- 
 ment. My experience during our first meeting was 
 that of more consciousness of the peace and uplift 
 and power that comes as a beautiful influence from 
 
24 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the spirit loved ones. Bright lights came and went 
 before my eyes. These lights were small, and of 
 different colors, blue and golden, and would remain 
 for about twenty seconds, then pass away — then 
 come again. This continued throughout the sitting. 
 We all felt a happiness in this experience, and de- 
 cided that we would meet together again. At the 
 second meeting, after we had sung, I felt the arms 
 of some spirit about me, and I lost consciousness to 
 waken in the embrace of my beloved grandmother. 
 I had not seen her since the experiences of child- 
 hood — when I so dearly lover her. She had changed 
 in looks, but I knew her, and was very happy in her 
 presence. My little sister Josephine was with her, 
 also the little brother who had passed over to spirit 
 life before I was born. They had grown up in the 
 years — just as we all do, whether in earth or in spirit 
 life, but the love ties in the spirit consciousness of 
 us all, makes known our dear ones to us, and we do 
 not realize the things of time and space when we 
 meet together in this love and heavenly harmony of 
 souls. There were two other beautiful spirit souls 
 that greeted me with such love as I had never ex- 
 perienced before, so pure, so gentle, so celestial in 
 expression. These two angel messengers brought 
 many distant relatives to me, that I had never seen 
 before, and I realized with delight what a wonderful 
 home it was in this heavenly land. The atmosphere 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 25 
 
 was indescribable, my stay seemed short, and I 
 opened my eyes to the earthly scenes, exclaiming to 
 the people in the circle, "Where are they, where are 
 all the friends, where have they gone!" My father 
 said, "No one else has been here — what do you 
 mean?" Then I told him that I had been talking 
 to grandmother and sister Josephine, and my 
 brother Everett — and then I realized that I had been 
 in spirit life, and it was there that I had talked with 
 our loved ones. 
 
 Our second meeting closed, and my people had 
 many questions to ask about my experience. It 
 gave us much to think about, and it can be readily 
 understood that we were anxious to continue these 
 sittings. The following eight years were full of 
 beautiful spiritual experiences and phenomena. 
 
 One evening while arranging the chairs for the 
 circle I attempted to take one of them away as 
 one member of the family was ill and could not 
 be present with us, but a spirit power stopped me, 
 and so this chair was left vacant. After we had 
 sung, this chair moved out from the circle, with- 
 out the aid of any earthly hands, and was placed 
 in the center of the room. The spirit intelligences 
 were asked to lift the chair — and the chair was 
 raised by spirit power, suspended in the midst of 
 the room, passed around it again to the center, then 
 back to the place in the circle from which it was 
 
26 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 taken. This was another evidence of spirit phe- 
 nomena. 
 
 A very wonderful experience came to me about 
 five months later when an unusual spiritual power 
 seemed to pervade our midst, and I felt as if 1 were 
 passing upward out of my body and became a ra- 
 diant center of golden light. I felt as if it had left 
 my body, and yet I was held in the earthly atmos- 
 phere, for I could see and hear all that was about me, 
 and feel the guidance of the spirit friends as they 
 accompanied me in the strange journey around the 
 upper part of the room. 
 
 "More slowly," they cautioned, "very steadily — 
 move along with me," and so we seemed to float 
 in the air, passing around the room. This took 
 about ten minutes — then I felt my consciousness 
 again unite with my physical form which had re- 
 mained sitting apparently dead to the realization 
 of life. My reasoning power, my sense of time, and 
 distance and of seeing and hearing, all seemed to 
 be concentrated in this form of golden light which 
 separated itself from the material body, and yet was 
 connected to it by its own life element, enabling 
 me to be united with it again as usual. No doubt 
 but this was the preparatory work for my going 
 out still further in spirit life — an experience I have 
 already narrated in the volume of The Philosophy 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 27 
 
 of Natural Science (p. 35). I can but repeat briefly 
 beautiful privilege that was then given to me, for it 
 is all in accord with the natural principles of the 
 universe of spirit as it interblends so wonderfully 
 and so wisely with the material structures. 
 
 The beauties and love powers of. the seventh 
 sphere are unexplainable to mortal ear — but if you 
 will listen with the soul faculties and open your 
 inner self to the contemplation of sublime truths 
 you will receive imperishable treasures into your 
 life, and become aware that the heavenly is dis- 
 tinguished by its spirit of universal service, and 
 perfect love. 
 
 The unseen guide asked me if there were any- 
 thing in life I desired that this sphere did not con- 
 tain, and when I began to think of the innumerable 
 beauties by which divine wisdom expressed itself, 
 my soul was filled to overflowing with love of Deity. 
 Here was everything to make life one grand sym- 
 phony. 
 
 Every one I met radiated happiness, they all 
 loved each other. There was no discord. All was 
 harmony. It was a blending of lives in God's per- 
 fect love. There was no malice nor wickedness. 
 
28 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 The imperfections of the earthly expression could 
 not enter there. 
 
 My guardian angel who conducted me there was 
 an ancient spirit, a teacher from one of the higher 
 planes of life, and as we entered the seventh sphere 
 two beautiful souls who stood by its portals smiled 
 and greeted us, and said, "Enter in." They were 
 clothed in white garments, and carried symbols of 
 liberty in their hands. 
 
 As we passed through the beautiful, white etherial 
 mist that separated this sphere from all others, two 
 brilliant lights appeared, one in front of my face, 
 and one in front of my guides. This light which 
 seemed about three feet away shone through the 
 seventh sphere and lighted our way. 
 
 When we were in this sphere I was conscious of 
 a wonderful uplift of power, and as I drew near 
 the celestial souls who lived upon this plane, I 
 Breathed in a life force of a most refined nature. 
 It was a drinking in of life, of love, of purity, — a 
 perfume of loveliness and goodness — an atmosphere 
 that was pervaded by every holy influence. 
 
 The spirits appeared to be clothed in garments of 
 etherial texture, which reflected the beauty and 
 purity of their surroundings. 
 
 Everything was symbolic of its own spiritual ascen- 
 sion and progression, so exquisitely adapted to every 
 loving thought that you would long to be with them 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 29 
 
 always. It would make you understand that life is 
 a thing of beauty, and of love, a love that never dies, 
 but that grows higher, stronger, purer, which is a 
 purity of heart, soul and purpose. It is the divine 
 love of the angels you and I will grow to be some 
 day in the distant ages, as we ascend from sphere 
 to sphere. Let us work together to hasten that day, 
 and to bring the kingdom of that thought, or heaven, 
 to earth. 
 
 The plants and flowers of that sphere were very 
 beautiful, some of which were like those of earth, 
 but many were of a type I have never seen in this 
 expression. 
 
 Some of these flowers of the seventh sphere seem 
 to lift their heads and smile as they unfolded their 
 faces of beauty and gave forth their breath of love 
 and purity. Here the birds sang when invited to 
 and their songs were strains of wonderful music. No 
 other bird did I ever hear sing so beautifully. Their 
 coloring was soft, delicate and harmonious. It was 
 all one grand, united outpouring of life thoughts, 
 rising from the Infinite, and flowing up in the hearts 
 and souls of everything that had its dwelling place 
 in this illumined sphere. 
 
 As I looked about, I discovered at a distance the 
 structure of a beautiful temple which was situated in 
 the rays of a glowing light. It was the center of 
 
30 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 wonderful power — attracting from the great spiritual 
 sun, God Almighty. 
 
 My inmost self was drawn toward this illuminated 
 edifice which seemed as a fountain of light, and I re- 
 quested my guide to go with me and visit this temple 
 of life where the great Positive Mind, God, was at- 
 tracting me. 
 
 My guardian smiled and said, "My child, you can- 
 not go there for if you did you would never return 
 to earth." I answered him by saying that I did not 
 want to return to the earth life. Again he smiled 
 and said to me, "You must return, your work in 
 earth is not done." I looked at him fair in the eyes 
 and said, "How can you ask me to go back to the 
 earth after bringing me to the seventh sphere where 
 all is peace and bliss?" 
 
 He placed his hand upon my head and said, "My 
 child, do you want another to carry your burdens 
 and to suffer your experiences? Would that be 
 just?" And then my earthly selfishness fell from me 
 and I saw the wiser plan of life. 
 
 He said to me, "Go back to earth, take up the 
 cross that awaits you, and when you are passing 
 through the dark vales of life, you will never be alone 
 for I will be near you to lead, guide and protect you, 
 and to lead you from the entanglements of life into 
 the broader fields of wisdom and truth. You shall 
 be a leader of men, and when your work is done in 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 31 
 
 the earthly life we will welcome you here with out- 
 stretched arms." 
 
 He then said, "Follow me!" and we passed back 
 through the beautiful mist of life that separated that 
 sphere from the earthly plane — and we returned to 
 earth to fulfill this mission. . . . 
 
 It is possible for the students of these immortal 
 truths to progress and grow into such an unfold- 
 ment of their own divine attributes, that under god- 
 like conditions they can leave the material conditions 
 and in spirit go from the physical body, and in com- 
 pany with a master or teacher from the spiritual 
 spheres visit the scenes of the future home, and 
 communicate with the loving souls who now dwell 
 there. 
 
 Among the spirit visitors to us during one of our 
 meetings was that of a man who appeared before me 
 smiling pleasantly and greeting me as if glad to be 
 with us. While there was something natural to me 
 about his face, yet I was sure I had never seen him 
 before, — then I recognized him from a picture that 
 had come to us ten years previously as my Uncle 
 John Bigelow, who had gone to New Zealand before 
 I was born. 
 
 I asked if this were not my Uncle John Bigelow, 
 and he smiled and bowed — and then went away. 
 
 My father was inclined to question the accuracy of 
 this as the family had received no news of his passing 
 
32 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 away — time and distance having made correspond- 
 ence very irregular, then, too, we had moved from 
 Nova Scotia to Boston, and my uncle's sons had lost 
 our address — we learned this later when my father 
 wrote one of the sons to ask him if his father had 
 passed away. The reply came that the father had 
 passed to the higher life three years before this — 
 and so the truth and genuineness of this spirit mani- 
 festation made a great impression upon our family 
 circle. 
 
 At another time the spirit of a man stood before 
 me whom I had never seen. His visit was directed 
 to my father so I described him. He carried a gun, 
 and seemed very sorrowful and wept as he looked 
 into my father's face. He gave me his name — and 
 at this my father was spellbound. 
 
 "Well, well!" he exclaimed, ''this is indeed won- 
 derful. It is an old neighbor of mine who died be- 
 fore you were born — it is the one that shot that 
 beautiful dog of mine — and now he has come to 
 tell me of his regret." 
 
 The spirit begged me to ask my father's forgive- 
 ness for his cruel act so long ago — and my father 
 said : 
 
 "Tell him I forgive him freely. It did grieve me 
 to lose my dog — but I hold no unkind feeling now. 
 Go onward, my friend, and find all that is bright 
 and happy in the home yon are now in." 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 33 
 
 I heard the spirit give a moan of relief, and say: 
 
 'Thank God I have found the way to right this 
 wrong," and he disappeared. 
 
 This incident illustrates most clearly the uner- 
 ring law of cause and effect — how the evil deed 
 done here follows us wherever we go, and troubles 
 our consciousness until we find the way to act with 
 justice and with love toward those we have injured, 
 and in turn receive their love and their forgiveness. 
 The spiritual laws never change. 
 
 During three of these years my two brothers had 
 passed into spirit life. When the younger one went 
 out from our home into the home above, I was ter- 
 ribly grieved. It seemed to me as if my earthly ex- 
 perience had brought more trouble and sorrow than 
 I could 'bear, and I retired that night wishing either 
 that I could have been taken in his place — or that I 
 too would waken in the morning in the heavenly 
 home. The moonlight was shining in my room, 
 flooding it with its pale light and as I looked upward 
 the face of my dear grandmother smiled into mine; 
 this came drifting toward me until her cheek rested 
 on mine in indescribable love and gentleness — and 
 though no word was spoken the strength and tend- 
 erness of her caress brought such comfort, such en- 
 couragement, such a harmonizing outlook upon the 
 trials and sorrows of this life, that I was filled with 
 a renewed purpose to go on uncomplainingly, and to 
 
34 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 live for the dear ones who were still in earth life and 
 who were bearing the same sorrows that is the com- 
 mon lot of all! 
 
 Daring these years of trial and adjustment, the 
 contrast between the spiritual conditions which were 
 revealed to us at our sittings, and the unloving and 
 unjust surroundings that are too great a part of the 
 material world was depressing and dispiriting. It 
 wore upon me, and I thought deeply upon the truths 
 that were unfolding before me. These were the eter- 
 nal verities. The earthly standards were but tem- 
 porary creations and abstractions made by man — I 
 wondered at their power over people — and I still 
 wonder that they have so false a standard of value. 
 
 At this time I was conscious of the protecting care 
 of an Indian chief whom I would find outside the 
 house waiting to accompany me as I went to my 
 work. His presence signified physical strength and 
 a sustaining power necessary while I was giving so 
 much thought and time to these investigations be- 
 sides attending to my customary business. 
 
 One of my friends became very ill, and was not ex- 
 pected to live. I went to call upon him and stayed 
 by his bedside a few minutes. He feebly asked me 
 to come again, so I went again in a few days. He 
 told me that he had felt a little stronger and asked 
 me to take his hand. I did so. He then rallied a 
 little and wanted to talk with me. He knew 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 35 
 
 that his case had been pronounced hopeless, and he 
 himself could see no ray of light to encourage him, 
 until I had come, and he had realized a certain 
 strength since my visit. Then to my vision he seemed 
 to be enveloped in a beautiful light that came from 
 that spark of life and filled his soul with hope of 
 getting well. This illumined his thoughts and per- 
 meated his body and aided in casting off the con- 
 gested conditions from which he was suffering. I 
 was hastened away by his sister, who feared that a 
 longer call would tire him, but he made me promise 
 to visit him again in a few days, saying I had helped 
 him more than the medicine of the physician or the 
 prayers of his friends. 
 
 I went to my home and thought this over. 1 
 asked my spirit guardian to consult with me as to 
 the possibility of healing this friend. The ancient 
 spirit told me that I would not be permitted by my 
 friend's family to do this. 
 
 I asked this spirit to allow me to try that I might 
 know the truth. He granted my request, and I 
 went to my sick friend, who told me that he was 
 better, and believed it was from some power that 
 had come to him when I had visited him. This 
 man had no knowledge of my recent spiritual expe- 
 riences, and at this time I had not told him that I 
 was trying to heal him — I simply explained to him 
 some of the spiritual laws of life, and took both his 
 
36 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 hands, and we were silent together. I was con- 
 scious of a strong spiritual power, and clearly saw 
 the ancient spirit guardian and another spirit stand- 
 ing beside us. To my opened vision the walls of 
 the room seemed to recede, and the beautiful faces 
 of numberless spirits made an enclosure, which 
 seemed to form the room we were in. They were 
 there to witness the work. 
 
 In a few minutes my friend spoke, and said he 
 was rilled with strength — that he was not sick, and 
 that he wanted to arise and dress. He called his 
 sister and asked for his clothing — but she would 
 not listen to any explanation and refused to help 
 him as he had asked her. He declared if he could 
 but get up he would promise never to be sick again 
 and there is no doubt but that he would then have 
 recovered if she had granted his request. 
 
 It was as my guide had foreseen, and I had to go 
 away, grieved at the unbelief, and the failure to be 
 given the needed co-operation of the family. So my 
 friend was kept in his bed, and the illness dragged 
 on for a long time — but the power had held him to 
 life here, and he did not pass over — but he did not 
 regain his health, even after he was up and about. 
 He was greatlv emaciated and seemed about to col- 
 lapse again when he came to me and asked for 
 spiritual treatments which I gladly gave him. This 
 was a work for truth — and no payment was ever 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 37 
 
 considered or made. In two months he had become 
 strong and well, and had gained until he had reached 
 his normal weight of two hundred and six pounds. 
 
 Meantime our family circles continued. We 
 were learning the great laws of life in the harmoniza- 
 tion of spirit and matter. Through the protecting 
 love of my guardian spirit I had been permitted to 
 behold the higher spheres of spirit, and where I 
 shall be privileged to enter again after I have ful- 
 filled the mission of the first visit, and need the 
 greater knowledge that can come only through such 
 illumined avenues. Through the liberty and har- 
 mony and love that dwell in spiritual laws, I was 
 allowed to see the lower planes of spirit spheres that 
 I might know for myself what was true, and what 
 was merely theoretical or dogmatic in the teachings 
 of the past. 
 
 These experiences of spirit consciousness are in- 
 describable. The preparations are according to 
 spiritual necessity. I found myself surrounded by 
 the power of perfect peace. It uplifted me by har- 
 monious strains of music that breathed forth from 
 the love that was in Nature. I felt within my physi- 
 cal body the cessation of its usual strength, and I 
 closed my eyes to open the spiritual vision, and 
 found myself sustained by a strength more wonder- 
 ful than anything that the physical body can realize. 
 
 As I was wakening to the spiritual consciousness 
 
38 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 I heard the strains of beautiful music, and I asked 
 my spiritual guide and teacher what this music was, 
 for I then knew that I had opened my eyes to the 
 spiritual world. He smiled and said: "It is your 
 own soul self singing in harmony with the spiritual 
 harmony." 
 
 Then I was awakened more fully to the perfect 
 oneness in life. Angelic forms were near us and 
 my guide made me acquainted with these friends, 
 whose radiance lighted our way, the plane less il- 
 lumined by the glory that comes only through the 
 best development of the soul self. 
 
 These beautiful companions greeted me with 
 gentleness. They smiled their welcome, and with 
 far-reaching looks, and with glowing eyes of glad- 
 ness and an expression of love, life, and truth, they 
 bowed to me in grace and tenderness. 
 
 We then proceeded on our journey. We appar- 
 ently drifted downward through an atmosphere 
 which was dark and dense in comparison with the 
 ethereal sphere of light in which I had awakened. 
 
 We traveled through this walled space, which 
 was illuminated and made clear by the radiance of 
 the two angels who guided and led the way for my 
 celestial teacher and myself. 
 
 One of the angels of light looked and one smiled 
 and said, "Do you fear?" 
 
 My soul self was only lifted to a still more earnest 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 39 
 
 desire for truth, and I was thrilled with courage 
 and power. I answered, "I am willing to trust my 
 life anywhere in the protecting, loving care of such 
 guides. I am willing to take every risk — if you call 
 it risk — to know the truth." 
 
 They gently passed on, and we drew near to the 
 suffering souls who were then living in the memory 
 and regret of their wasted earthly life. The two 
 angels halted on the way, and were so enveloped in 
 the glory of their own light that they were not vis- 
 ible to me, yet they illumined the world around 
 and below them. 
 
 My guide was standing beside me, and said : 
 
 "Now you can look." 
 
 The atmosphere grew clearer, the density that 
 depressed our consciousness disappeared and we 
 breathed easily and saw distinctly that which was 
 about us. The conditions are saddening to remem- 
 ber. My heart was overwhelmed by pity for the 
 unfortunate beings who must begin their spiritual 
 experience in such weakness and unhapiness. Even 
 their bodies lacked the development and noble pro- 
 portion that conies through character and goodness. 
 They seemed dwarfed and crippled by their mis- 
 deeds and unlovely lives. Their faces seemed 
 pinched and full of misery. At first I could not look 
 upon such misfortune ; they did not seem like living 
 men. 
 
40 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 I questioned my guide, and he said: 
 
 "They are living souls. They are what they 
 made themselves, by their acts while in the earthly 
 life." 
 
 I was deeply impressed by this revelation. I saw 
 as never before how the deeds, how the motives, 
 how the ignorance, how the unwise affections form 
 life and deform the soul of man. I then knew that 
 when the body was wholly put aside, and the spirit 
 stepped into the boundless realms of the infinite, it 
 went free of all pretense, free of all restriction, and 
 stood forth in just the semblance that the life here 
 had been fashioning it. 
 
 I was filled with a desire to give to the earth 
 world God's unchangeable truth. My spiritual self 
 was expanded by larger and nobler purposes. My 
 heart was filled with thanksgiving that I had been 
 privileged to see with my own consciousness the 
 truth of cause and effect, of the perfect adaptation 
 of spirit to its own sphere, and of the blessed provi- 
 sion the deific principle prepares for the unfolding 
 of the darkened mind and the unprogressed soul. 
 The truth of God is made manifest every day — even 
 hour, throughout eternity. It is the same revelation 
 that we grow according to our use of life, and we 
 gravitate to our own sphere wherever that may be — 
 even in this life — or in the home eternal in the 
 heavens. I was filled with a great desire and love 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 41 
 
 to be an instrument by which this truth could be 
 given to mankind. 
 
 The illumination from the two angels grew softer 
 and smaller, and the darkness around the unhappy 
 souls of that sphere grew dense again. They are 
 engulfed in their own darkness, and will be in this 
 shadow until their spiritual consciousness calls for 
 enlightenment and strength, that they may respond 
 to the never dying personality within that, according 
 to its own spirit life will gradually see with its own 
 spiritual eyes, and hear with its own spiritual ears, 
 and feel with its own intuitive knowledge, the jus- 
 tice that unerringly gives according to the capacity 
 to receive light and life and power and wisdom. 
 
 It is a sorrowful thing to see this spark of life so 
 nearly extinguished by dark deeds. It is a sadden- 
 ing thing to realize that the purity of the spirit 
 must be so environed by unspeakably base condi- 
 tions while in the earthly life, and the soul affections 
 given to foul and unworthy desires, that the men- 
 tality cannot grow and develop in the likeness of 
 wisdom, but must remain ignorant, uncultured and 
 depraved. The awfulness of the suffering in this 
 present sphere, and the unpreparedness of that soul 
 for anything like the higher planes of life is most 
 sorrowful — but the great lessons of life must be 
 learned by every experience, and the true under- 
 standing of the laws of spirit in Nature will teach 
 
42 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the world how to direct the growth of the soul. We 
 are not to judge who are victims of their own un- 
 worthiness, or of their own responsibility, or of their 
 destiny. We are to help make a better environ- 
 ment here, that each individual may be born into 
 purer conditions, and unfold here the soul develop- 
 ment that shall have entrance into the higher con- 
 ditions in the next sphere. 
 
 Natural Science will save souls from the deform- 
 ing influence of physical ignorance and spiritual 
 limitations, and open the understanding to the laws 
 of justice and progression, which are God's perfect 
 expressions. Then shall the face be turned toward 
 the great soul center, and be illumined by the rays 
 of celestial principles as they shine through every 
 expression, whether in this sphere or in the darker 
 places of the soul life. The growth is gradual there, 
 even as it is here. 
 
 The unhappy ones are aided by the angels of 
 light, and by the master teachers of the higher 
 planes. Through the avenues of eternal progres- 
 sion they will make their way — even as we ascended 
 upward and left the vales of shadows. 
 
 The angels accompanied my guide and myself to 
 the earth. We found ourselves free from the dark- 
 ness, and stood upon a plane of safety. This ex- 
 perience wrote itself in a language upon my heart 
 never to be forgotten, never to be outlined. The 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 43 
 
 memory will always serve to stimulate me to more 
 earnest endeavor to present truth and the helpful- 
 ness of truth to the world. It is not given to many 
 to visit these spheres, not even those from the 
 higher planes go there unless upon some special er- 
 rand of mercy or of illumination, and upon leaving 
 me my guide blessed me and said : 
 
 "This has been granted to you that you could 
 better understand the gradations of spirit and the 
 result of the lives that are misspent. You will 
 live not for earthly things, nor the fleeting pleas- 
 ures of a temporary existence, but to ever develop 
 the spiritual life that you may become a teacher 
 and illuminate the ever-living soul that is in all 
 humanity that they may learn more of the great laws 
 of life that are expressed through the wisdom and 
 love of Deity. Your life and light will shine down 
 through the ages. I will always be near you." 
 
 The angels of light smiled and blessed me. I 
 was filled with unspeakable language that ex- 
 pressed only in the silence of the soul. 
 
 They drew near to my physical body, and my 
 spiritual self united with its earthly temple to fulfill 
 my mission in earth life and to respond to the 
 teachings of those great souls. 
 
 At the last of my sittings I had desired to know 
 more about the phenomena of materialization, and 
 I asked the guardian spirits who were my teachers 
 
44 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 in this realm of spiritual investigation and educa- 
 tion if I might be permitted to see this and judge 
 for myself the possibility and the advisability of 
 such demonstrations of power. 
 
 During our sittings we had often seen ethereal 
 forms pass to and fro, but they were not tangible. 
 Now the time had come for a further experience. 
 
 After sitting a few evenings the form of a young 
 woman materialized, smiled to us — de-materialized, 
 then materialized again, then became smaller, and 
 finally appeared in the ethereal form and drifted 
 upward to the ceiling, then downward to the floor 
 and disappeared. In a few moments one of my 
 younger brothers who had passed away since our 
 circle was formed came in our midst as a material- 
 ized spiritual being, and stood before us. It was a 
 wonderful, indescribable thing to look upon, and 
 feel such a tangible reality in our presence of one 
 who had been so familiarly and so dearly beloved 
 in our family life, and then who had vanished from 
 our material surroundings by this great event we 
 misname death. 
 
 I grasped his arm and said: 
 
 "Henry, is this you?" 
 
 He spoke plainly so that all in the room heard 
 him answer: 
 
 "Yetf 
 
 His face was as natural to us as when he was in 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 45 
 
 the earth life, and he expressed his love for us, his 
 protecting care, and his tender interest in all our 
 experiences. The occasion was one that we all 
 cherished with great thankfulness. 
 
 I thank God for the wonderful privileges that his 
 principles give us. Our dear ones were all wel- 
 come visitors to us. In this life we are spirit em- 
 bodied — in that life they are spirit dis-embodied. 
 It is only because of the general misunderstanding 
 that has arisen through man's ignorance of spirit- 
 ual law that the possibility of communion and com- 
 munication has been denied. And, furthermore, 
 the living in the present only, the recognition of 
 only the visible effects, the ignorance of cause, the 
 indifference to future existence as developed by the 
 way life is used here — the dependence of the masses 
 upon a traditional irrational religion, has been the 
 easier way to slip along on the surface of appear- 
 ance and has allowed humanity to live selfishly and 
 cruelly. Spirituality teaches justice in every act of 
 life. It allows no happiness in the disregard of the 
 rights of others. It gives no peace to the ungener- 
 ous and the unloving. It teaches you that as you 
 live here — so do you waken tomorrow upon your 
 entrance to the higher spheres. If arbitrary and in- 
 tolerant here — so are you dwarfed in the immortal 
 attributes. If you have opposed the revelations of 
 the Infinite spirit and in your ignorance kept others 
 
46 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 from the enlightenment of truth then will you still 
 be slow to see and comprehend the beautiful laws of 
 life. In just that degree that you have hindered the 
 progressive development of yourself and your 
 friends, in just that degree are you miserable, and 
 your progress will be retarded. 
 
 It is a natural and a beautiful privilege that we all 
 have as a part of our own life and individuality to 
 recognize and to commune with our departed loved 
 ones, and to receive help and instruction from the 
 higher minds of the higher spheres. 
 
 We need to work out our own spirituality 
 through these natural avenues, and be harmonious 
 in our physical, mental and spiritual development 
 that they may work together, well poised, for the 
 unfoldment of larger spiritual consciousness. This 
 lifts the soul from materialism and the limited views 
 of life. This enables the individual to view all sides 
 of life and to understand the principles that have 
 hitherto been more or less obscure. 
 
 In this way the physical and the spiritual inter- 
 blend until through chemical changes the grosser 
 matter of the spiritual body becomes refined, the 
 mind is illumined by spirit wisdom, and the vision 
 is opened to the beholding of the spiritual realities, 
 and in this awakening you realize the power that is 
 in all life. 
 
 Very few people have reached this knowledge-^- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 47 
 
 probably not one quarter of the world's population 
 have advanced into the appreciation of the truth that 
 nature reveals. 
 
 The people of spiritual experiences, of vision, of 
 seer-ship, of illumination, of understanding of the 
 spiritual causation, of principles and effects have 
 always existed in all ages and in all climes. That 
 which is remote is often that which receives the most 
 consideration; that which is near and on every hand 
 is that which is criticised, denied, ridiculed, and mis- 
 understood! And yet it is these very manifestations 
 — it is these very truths that open the avenue to our 
 knowledge of spiritual conditions and the continuity 
 of life. The demonstrations that give us reason to 
 believe in the presence of our loved ones — lost awhile 
 — is the most precious thing in human experience. 
 
 And whence the criticism! Why the unfairness! 
 Does this not emanate from minds limited by the 
 material conditions and experiences — no matter how- 
 great is the scholarship if it is buried in tradition or 
 myth, or encrusted by materialism that has no in- 
 sight further than what the senses observe, and no 
 awakening of the higher faculties to the omnipotent 
 revelations of the whole of life as it expresses itself 
 universally in all of Nature. What is man that he 
 should judge of the Infinite, and limit the principles 
 and powers of that which is limitless! Why should 
 any individual assert a right to contradict the con- 
 
48 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 sciousness of truth that comes to another through 
 experience different from their own. 
 
 If there are many who live in the one-sided expres- 
 sions of the earthly life, why should they decry the 
 larger powers and assertions made by the few? 
 Should not justice and fairmindedness prevail be- 
 tween both classes? 
 
 If the lives of many are so artificial, so ignorant, 
 so unthinking that they do not behold the spiritual 
 laws that unfold in Nature and that control life, why 
 should they deny that such laws exist? The spiritual 
 man is shaping his life to better conform with Deific 
 law. He is seeing Nature with spiritual eyes, and 
 he is hearing the truth with spiritual ears; he is 
 sensing the harmony of all manifestations with his 
 spiritual faculties — he is not waiting until the change 
 called death shall open his consciousness to divine 
 understanding, but he is viewing the beautiful devel- 
 opments of life while he is in the earthly experience. 
 
 The limitations of mortals upon this little planet 
 earth cannot check progress or influence the great 
 divine principles of evolution. The spiritual un- 
 foldment will go on as surely as the seas ebb and 
 flow. The laws of Nature are revealing themselves 
 and opening the consciousness of men to truth. 
 This truth is already blooming in the hearts of man- 
 kind and unfolding souls with a knowledge of the 
 beauty that is spread over the earth illumining life 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 49 
 
 with a radiance unseen before. In this way mankind 
 is being lifted from ignorance and selfishness into 
 kindness and charity. The love of Deity is ever 
 flowing into the earthly channels even as the sunlight 
 warms and gladdens and vivifies this material exist- 
 ence, and brings forth the perfume enclosed in the 
 heart of the flower. 
 
 The spiritual faculties of seeing, hearing, sensing 
 all things are the faculties that are immortal and that 
 we take with us when we enter the spiritual spheres. 
 
 We are here to develop these, and it is inconsistent 
 and limited to deny the existence of the larger things 
 of life. It is as absurd to attempt to shut out the 
 spiritual possibilities as for man to draw a chalk line 
 around himself and refuse to see anything beyond 
 that boundary; such narrow confines make their 
 view pitifully restricted. 
 
 Let us enter into the uses and misuses of the spir- 
 itual gifts. Let us be kind, honest, and just to all 
 conditions as we find them. 
 
 The same laws control all spiritual gifts that con- 
 trol all expression in life. The visible and the in- 
 visible are one reality differing only in the condition 
 and refinement. It is all Spirit in Nature. The 
 laws of Nature are the laws of life. Life is the un- 
 foldment of spiritual laws. This teaches us that we 
 can obtain such knowledge of these principles that 
 we can add to our own enlargement of vision and 
 
50 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 character, or we can remain indifferent or wilfully 
 ignorant of the divinity in us all, and so become 
 dense and dwarfed in the true development. Thus 
 we have the privilege of constructing our lives — and 
 we also have the same liberty of misusing our divine 
 attributes and in a sense live in the destructive qual- 
 ities of material existence. 
 
 Deity's laws are such that we can build through 
 the natural avenues of life, through the interblending 
 of spirit and matter, through the communion with 
 spiritual teachers, through association with the mas- 
 ter minds of the higher spheres, and so uplift our 
 own selves and upbuild all humanity. Or we can by 
 the same law of cause and effect gravitate to the 
 lower planes of life and find association among the 
 grosser expressions and live there until truth calls 
 us from our misdeeds, and wakens us to the meaning 
 of life. In this process of individualization you must 
 sooner or later realize what is the truth. God has 
 given you his beautiful laws that will give you health, 
 happiness and justice if you choose to live in har- 
 mony with them. Mankind is given its liberty of its 
 own responsibility. God's justice must be recog- 
 nized, his laws fulfilled, and the individual possi- 
 bilities and gifts used righteously in order to make 
 true progress. 
 
 The "gifts" which seem to be of a higher spiritual- 
 ity than the usual development have been recognized 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 51 
 
 throughout the history of every nation and respected 
 by the thoughtful writers. Persia, Egypt, Chaldea, 
 India, China and Japan had their seers and prophets 
 — and in later days Grecian and Roman civilization 
 records the regard that the heroes gave to the utter- 
 ances of the sacred priestesses and sibyls. In the 
 European countries such gifts have always been in 
 evidence — while the book that is the familiar author- 
 ity of a large part of the world today makes direct 
 statements regarding the variety of these gifts. A 
 most familiar passage is that from I Corinthians, 
 1 2th chapter, 8th verse: 
 
 "For to one is given by the spirit the word of wis- 
 dom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same 
 spirit to another the gifts of healing, to another the 
 working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another 
 the discerning of spirits." 
 
 I Corinthians, 13th chapter, 1st verse: 
 
 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of 
 angels and have not charity I am become as sound- 
 ing brass and a tinkling cymbal." 
 
 Let us learn of these beautiful gifts through nat- 
 ural law, let us be charitable, let us gather more 
 knowledge of the gifts God expresses through his 
 children. 
 
 Too often it has happened that the sincere expo- 
 nents of spiritual truths have been passed by and the 
 superficial investigator has not chosen wisely when 
 
52 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 he has attended either public or private demonstra- 
 tion of the possibility of spirit communication. The 
 world is full of imposters, of charletans. What is 
 true in one phase of life is true in all others. No pro- 
 fession, no business association, no religious associa- 
 tion, no government is free from pretenders. This 
 is an undeveloped part of human nature, and we 
 should be universal enough to recognize this fact 
 when we are dealing philosophically with any ques- 
 tion or any relationship of life. The spiritualist me- 
 dium should not be the only one to suffer the preju- 
 dice of people simply because that gift has been sim- 
 ulated, and dishonest men and women have taken 
 advantage of the over-credulous or the ignorant or 
 the selfish seeker after a sort of knowledge that is 
 not uplifting nor beneficial, and through tricks and 
 some phases of psychic power have played upon hu- 
 manity disastrously. They advertise in such a man- 
 ner through the secular press, they promise to do 
 marvels, that the victim of these sad disappointments 
 revenge themselves upon all mediums by their lack 
 of discrimination and by their ill-judged conclusions. 
 On the other hand honest, scientific and careful 
 investigations have been systematically made that all 
 phases of the unusual gifts or demonstrations might 
 be better understood. Mediumship in its different 
 manifestations, spiritual phenomena and materializa- 
 tion, magnetism, clairvoyance and the various 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 53 
 
 psychic powers have attracted the attention of the 
 public. 
 
 Whatever the conclusion is, whatever the decision 
 arrived at by any one or number of the investigators, 
 it must always be remembered that the individual 
 judges only according to his individual capacity and 
 enlightenment, so the value of his opinion is entirely 
 in proportion to his knowledge of universal truth. 
 
 He may be a man of great or unusual scientific at- 
 tainments, yet he may be able to see only external 
 manifestation and reason wholly from exterior con- 
 ditions and have no exact understanding of the in- 
 terior cause which produces the various phases of so- 
 called mediumship or of clairvoyance. Just here let 
 me define mediumship as an instrumentality through 
 which spiritual beings communicate or impress con- 
 sciously or unconsciously ; which results in some form 
 of spiritual phenomena — mental or physical — while 
 clairvoyance is literally clear-seeing, and is wholly 
 constitutional with the individual so gifted and has 
 nothing to do with outside spirit aid. 
 
 The different phases of mediumship have already 
 been analysed and defined, as has been the psychic 
 qualities that are a part of the individual expression. 
 The manifestation of these powers is as old as hu- 
 manity itself for it is a part of humanity's life, and 
 does not, and has not, and never will depend upon 
 the denials or the affirmation of the investigator. 
 
54 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 Thank God the truth of spiritual law has been beauti- 
 fully evident to many a noble soul, not only to the 
 suffering ones whose hearts have been comforted by 
 loving message, but some of the world's most famous 
 poets, artists, philosophers and men of science have 
 been outspoken in their endeavor to enlighten the 
 world as to the importance of this truth. 
 
 Human experience has its similarities — its points 
 of convergence, and spiritual experience comes to an 
 individual in just the manner that is most natural to 
 his temperament and constitution. Many of these 
 experiences are private and personal, but none the 
 less convincing — many of them are of public demon- 
 stration, where they meet the belief or the prejudice 
 of people just as it may happen. But surely the opin- 
 ion of such a thinker as William James, late Professor 
 of Philosophy at Harvard University, is worthy of 
 respect. To this we could add a long list of names 
 of the thinkers of all nations — perhaps those of Al- 
 fred Russell Wallace, the eminent English scientist, 
 William Crookes, so well known by his discoveries 
 in electricity and inventions, and just now Sir Oliver 
 Lodge, who has addressed the British Association of 
 Scientists and called their attention to the spiritual 
 considerations as the most important question before 
 them. These men have investigated these demon- 
 strations through reputable media. 
 
 Spiritual gifts are as true today as in the days of 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 55 
 
 Jesus or any other spiritually organized soul. There 
 are prophets, seers, and sages. Transfiguration is as 
 true today as it was when Peter, John and James 
 went into the mount with Jesus and witnessed his 
 transfiguration. 
 
 Materialization is as true today as it was when 
 Jesus materialized and asked the doubtful Thomas to 
 feel of the wounds in his side that he might be con- 
 vinced of the truth of his personal reality. The same 
 laws of life exist today as they did two thousand 
 years ago, — only we should be doing greater things 
 — even as Jesus foretold. He tried to show that the 
 laws of Nature were the laws of life, and that these 
 were the laws by which he worked, and he foresaw 
 that time and progress would develop greater things 
 for the coming generations. Through wrong inter- 
 pretation of these laws man has ignored the more 
 spiritual revealments. 
 
 The world has progressed in the knowledge and 
 uses of material conditions, and has obtained much 
 exact knowledge of material structures, formation 
 and the so-called "kingdoms of the world" — it has de- 
 veloped the land, built generously, invented usefully, 
 and is constantly making important discoveries and 
 progressing in a most interesting manner so far as 
 external life is concerned, but even though the world 
 is taking more notice of humanity in all its aspects 
 and working earnestly for a human progress, the 
 
56 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 most beautiful, life-giving, fruitful law underneath all 
 conditions has been lost sight of — the spiritual law 
 that governs the illumination of the individual and 
 that is destined to refine, uplift, and educate the 
 whole of mankind. 
 
 The lack of this knowledge has limited man's pro- 
 gressive development. Here and there has the light 
 of the spirit shone unmistakably. Emanuel Sweden- 
 borg, the Swedish philosopher and scientist, is a well 
 known example of spirit illumination, and our own 
 Andrew Jackson Davis is, without doubt, the great- 
 est soul that has ever developed in any age. His 
 mind was opened to receive wisdom from the master 
 minds of the higher spheres, and his own spirit easily 
 entered into the knowledge of the principles of spirit, 
 and he grew in wisdom and gave to the world the 
 completest exposition of the truth that has ever been 
 written. His life itself is an inspiration of love and 
 wisdom, — and his writings are destined to yet awaken 
 the minds of the people to a larger knowledge, a 
 fuller understanding of divine life throughout the uni- 
 verse, and quicken the spirit of humanity into nobler 
 living that is the purpose of the earthly experience. 
 
 These are God given gifts through the natural de- 
 velopment of the spiritual principle, and I plead most 
 earnestly that all those more especially endowed may 
 use these gifts for the highest purposes, that the 
 darkness and destruction that comes of misuse may 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 57 
 
 pass away, and this work of the spirit may lift all 
 people to a higher plane of thinking and realizing and 
 living, when they may more consciously unite with 
 God and the angels for the upbuilding of truth 
 through God's divine principles that flow into this 
 sphere by the interblending of spirit through com- 
 munication. 
 
 There will be no dark valley even as Dwight M. 
 Moody declared as he was passing to spirit life. Some 
 writers who have not understood the spiritual laws 
 of communication have been of the opinion that such 
 interblending of lives is injurious to media. In reply 
 to this, I must again call your attention to the laws of 
 Deity as they flow through every avenue of nature — 
 and I must again repeat my statement that people 
 are very limited in their understanding and use of 
 these principles — they observe "experience" and re- 
 port it from their own point of view instead of from 
 a more universal recognition of the spirit power and 
 life that harmonizes with matter for eternal unfold- 
 ment and progress. 
 
 Manifestation of spirit through individuals differs 
 just as individuals differ in temperament, character, 
 and wisdom. This is true in both spheres of life — 
 only whatever is in spirit life is more refined than 
 when it was in the material body — yet that same 
 spirit has gone into the higher sphere with the real 
 qualities that characterized the individual when on 
 
58 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the earthly plane, and if the life of the medium is of 
 such a nature that the less developed and less wise 
 spirits are attracted into that life, the demonstrations 
 and the communication cannot be of so wise, or re- 
 fined, or uplifting, or so true a nature as that which 
 results from different living in both cases. 
 
 But the laws of spirit are such that no real injury 
 can ever come by contact with the spirit spheres. The 
 medium may be injured by his or her own lack of 
 wisdom in the use or misuse of these powers within 
 themselves — just as any individual may injure his 
 own life by misusing the perfectly good and benefi- 
 cent properties that are a part of the material condi- 
 tions here. It is greatly to be desired that the so- 
 called spiritual worker should become more truly 
 spiritual and enlightened and it is just as desirable 
 that the materialist should become more illumined as 
 to the great universal principles and more just as a 
 result of greater wisdom. 
 
 Any medium, or any person who lives in harmony 
 with eternal law must unfold to nobler proportions of 
 character, and attract the nobler influences from the 
 higher spheres. These spiritual minds are superior 
 to anything in earth, more intelligent, more loving, 
 more refined, more powerful. Their most earnest 
 desire is expressed for the upbuilding of humanity. 
 These high souls have lived through the earthly ex- 
 perience and have been in spirit life so long that they 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 59 
 
 have grown away from the imperfections and 
 densities of this sphere. Their lives are cleansed 
 from all that is gross in thought or deed or affection, 
 they have risen above the limitations of materialistic 
 ignorance, they have become wise in the use of the 
 great Deific principles and they bring into our at- 
 mosphere the glory and beauty of celestial under- 
 standing. They are living in a higher unfoldment of 
 God's laws — the same laws that give life in every 
 condition, the same principles that permeate every 
 expression, only advanced, refined, unfolded — and 
 they have become as God in the spontaneous expres- 
 sion of the infinite and immortal attributes of soul. 
 They are radiant with light, life, and truth which is 
 the building foundation of all life. They radiate 
 these qualities wherever they go, and to come in 
 touch with such souls is a privilege of the highest 
 order. It means light, and life, and truth to your 
 souls, as you receive their radiations and their 
 thought — even as it did to come in touch with Jesus 
 when he was upon the earth. The relationship of 
 such spirit helpers to the earthly mediums has none 
 of the qualities of hypnosis. It is not a case of one 
 mind dominating another, or of a gross power filling 
 an individual with soul paralysis and outside sug- 
 gestion. 
 
 Whatever the use or the purpose of hypnotism 
 as it is now experimented with in this earthly plane, 
 
60 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 whether for scientific information regarding the 
 hidden, psychic power, whether for suggestive help 
 to the deficient, the weak, or the criminal, whether 
 for evil purposes of mastery of one mind over an- 
 other, it must always partake of the limitations of 
 the understanding of the one who uses it, and it 
 must be a questionable operation of the benefit of 
 an active mind over one that is passive. 
 
 The real object of spiritual influx of life is to 
 awaken the soul, arouse the mind, inspire the whole 
 life of the individual with the better knowledge of 
 his immortal attributes and the purpose of life. It 
 is not partial in its exercise — it is not limited in its 
 environment or its understanding. It is the breath- 
 ing in of the life elements, it is the quickening 
 power of the whole life, it is spiritual in its principle 
 and in its purpose, and it is not to be confounded 
 with the materialistic phenomena of the unex- 
 panded soul in this sphere, forcing its own will into 
 the will of another by rendering the physical func- 
 tions inactive. 
 
 The spiritual power of the arisen souls acts upon 
 the physical form of the medium by quieting the 
 outer senses and wakening the interior sensibilities 
 — or by thus gathering the life forces from external 
 sensation that the soul and spirit may be more alive 
 and thus more easily express itself, in whatever way 
 is most natural to the medium that is receiving the 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 61 
 
 inspiration from the higher mind. This liberates 
 the spiritual faculties of the media whereby they 
 must be inspired to a greater realization of truth 
 and unfold their own character more in the likeness 
 of their heavenly associates. 
 
 The spiritual helper never depresses the mind or 
 body of the earthly companion, but, as a magnet, 
 lifts him to a higher conception of spiritual values, 
 where he may see for himself the radiant heights of 
 individual possibilities, quicken his intellect that it 
 may respond more readily to the higher attune- 
 ment and interblend in a more beautiful unity of 
 purpose with the spiritual, and be more awakened 
 to the light, love and life of the wisdom of God, and 
 in this power be made more positive with the Great 
 Positive Mind. This is the communion of the 
 spheres, this is the communication of disembodied 
 spirits with the embodied spirits, this is the inter- 
 blending of the principles of life for the upbuilding 
 and unfoldment of all God's children in the Universe 
 of Life! This must make clear the fact that the 
 exercise of mediumship is of itself an uplifting, up- 
 building means of unfolding the spiritual power, 
 and of adding to physical strength and is of itself 
 not to be confused with the results that come to 
 both mind and body from hypnotic association in 
 this sphere with the will force that is imperfect and 
 unwise in its manifestation. 
 
62 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 There is discrimination to be used in the exercise 
 of any gift. There are physical conditions to re- 
 gard. Excess in any direction has its penalties. 
 Balance and proportion should be the aim of every 
 individual whatever his interest or employment. 
 But the medium cannot be injured by association 
 with the spiritual guardians. They may be injured 
 while in that sensitive, passive condition to this 
 material sphere by coming in contact with the un- 
 pleasant, inharmonious, destructive, disturbing at- 
 mosphere of the people who come to them for help 
 in their questionings and their perplexities. Man 
 makes his own entanglements, consciously or un- 
 consciously, as he lives in violation of God's laws. 
 Then, as often happens when he finds himself sinking 
 from the weight of the heaviness of his own condi- 
 tions, he goes to a medium for help — and the spirit- 
 ual gift is used to give advice, or comfort, or sus- 
 taining power to the soul in trouble. The selfish- 
 ness, the falsity of such people is a shock to the in- 
 terior sensibilities, and has its impairing effect on 
 the physical strength — and then the world in its 
 ignorance blames the spiritual influences for that 
 which ignorance and selfishness is alone accountable 
 for. These congestions, and dross, these dis- 
 turbances are not in harmony with God's beautiful 
 expressions in the higher unfoldment, where wis- 
 dom and truth and love and power characterize the 
 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 63 
 
 lives of the arisen souls. These higher beings live 
 in oneness with the Father, and are a fountain of 
 light and life to all who come in contact with them; 
 they permeate the medium with these life-building 
 elements. An experience of my own will illustrate 
 the truth of this statement. 
 
 I remember one occasion especially some years 
 ago, when I had been suffering from a severe cold 
 and was greatly prostrated by fatigue from over- 
 work, and then took an additional cold which made 
 me feel very ill and exhausted so that when the 
 Sunday morning arrived, on which day I was en- 
 gaged to speak at Fall River, Mass., I was hardly 
 able to leave my bed and was in danger of fainting 
 at any minute. I thought the matter over. I had no 
 time to get any one else to speak for that society, 
 so I managed to make the trip, and in a half dazed 
 condition found myself upon the platform ready to 
 speak. Then I saw a spirit of great power and 
 beauty who stood beside me, who said: "I will take 
 charge of this meeting through your organism," 
 and I gladly welcomed this help. At the close of 
 the meeting, as the spirit influence left me, and my 
 own consciousness to outward events returned, I 
 found myself strong and well. I had no illness, no 
 weariness. I was uplifted and filled with strength 
 and I remained well — which shows that it was not a 
 sudden enthusiasm or powerful emotion of my own 
 
64 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 that would buoy me up temporarily, but proves that 
 our bodies can be greatly assisted by the wisdom 
 and strength that spiritual beings can radiate by 
 their presence and power. This is a revelation of 
 God's perfect life as it expresses itself in progressed 
 souls who live in light and love and wisdom. 
 
 Who can know these principles but those whose 
 lives have blended with those lives of the great 
 sphere of spirit? Surely these are not truths to 
 those who sit in the seats of the scornful and criti- 
 cise all manifestations that are not natural to them- 
 selves. 
 
 There have always been prophets and false 
 prophets, the immature, the ignorant and the un- 
 wise, and there are those who give their lives to 
 find the truth. This cannot be otherwise, for this is 
 the first sphere, the first expression of life where we 
 are individualized for our immortal journey, and it is 
 here that we naturally find imperfect conditions that 
 result from immaturity and inexperience. But, 
 thanks be to God, the great soul magnets of the higher 
 spheres are turning their faces toward the light, and 
 they are ready to give that light to the people of 
 earth, that the beautiful radiations of wisdom and 
 power may be received into the organisms of the 
 earthly beings. 
 
 There is nothing more human or more natural 
 than to receive the thoughts of your departed dear 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 65 
 
 ones, and it is a beautiful thing to be conscious of 
 their messages of love. The man or woman of cold 
 intelligence who would place psychical laws upon a 
 man-made system to please a class of people who 
 consider themselves able to judge of these higher 
 unfoldments simply because they may have more 
 experience in materialistic observation makes a 
 grave mistake in this attempt to popularize a spirit- 
 ual principle that it may adorn a fashionable plat- 
 form. The spirit of God is not limited. It descends 
 upon the poor and the unlettered, it enters the 
 hearts of the sorrowful, it is a universal quality that 
 depends not upon riches, nor honor, nor scholar- 
 ship, nor titles, nor university degrees. It speaks to 
 the humble, it seeks admission to the great. It is 
 ready to illumine every soul. It has the bread of 
 life in its outstretched hand. It has the illumina- 
 tion of wisdom in its expressive glance. It has com- 
 fort in its loving heart, it has unfoldment and har- 
 mony in its inspiring wisdom. 
 
 It has not readily gained admission into the in- 
 tellects that have not opened themselves to the 
 large and universal consideration of all truth, it 
 has hardly been accorded courteous attention by 
 the dogmatism of religious minds already domi- 
 nated by a system, it has been dismissed by the 
 proud as undesirable in its equalizing qualities, and 
 it has been rejected unheard by the selfish from 
 
66 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 whom too much of their liberty was demanded that 
 they might give more liberty to others. 
 
 Pure spirit makes its own likeness in the lives of 
 all spirit, and though it shine with its wonderful ra- 
 diance as clearly in this sphere of matter as in its 
 own home of light, yet it nourishes, sustains and 
 gives life to us all. It manifests itself in absolute 
 conformity to the individual temperament and un- 
 foldment, as indeed do all the other gifts and privi- 
 leges of this life, and the use each individual makes 
 of his or her especial gift is wholly in proportion to 
 the wisdom of the individual. But to criticise un- 
 fairly — to condemn unjustly, to be blind to the uni- 
 versal as well as the special aspects of truth is lim- 
 ited, while to arbitrarily assume authority over the 
 way truth manifests itself, and to sweep aside the 
 avenues by which the light has come — simply because 
 the channels have not been as clear, or as well placed 
 as might be agreeable to some other individuality is 
 unjust indeed. 
 
 Would this be the Christ principle? Must not 
 God's love and light shine in its own way, untar- 
 nished by worldly selfishness and pride? Would it 
 not be better to go among the poor, the uneducated, 
 the unwise, the lowly even as Jesus did and help 
 them by our love, our patience, our. charity, by our 
 own inspiration and wisdom, that they may better 
 use the gifts of life, and that we in return may re- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 67 
 
 ceive greater truths through the harmony and un- 
 foldment of all souls. 
 
 Centuries ago an immortal caution was spoken to 
 individual injustice, and Jesus befriended the outcast 
 until one without sin should cast the first stone. This 
 charity is as worthy emulation today — for over each 
 of us are always wiser souls who see our individual 
 imperfection, and would strive to help us to unfold 
 beauty of character. This should give us a very 
 humble spirit when we attempt to set others right 
 according to our own imperfect standard. 
 
 Our own inequalities are very apparent to critical 
 beholders, and each individual whatever the attain- 
 ment, or the scholarship, or the worldly success or 
 the administrative power, or the spiritual "gift" is 
 always overshadowed by something higher, and by 
 greater wisdom in some other direction which could 
 very easily offer criticism if it were so minded to 
 those less expert and less cultured. So it is not be- 
 coming in any individual to assert superiority, be- 
 cause the superiority here in any walk of life is very 
 imperfect and very unequal when viewed by a wisdom 
 that looks into the whole life and unfoldment. 
 
 The aim should be for a steady upbuilding first of 
 self — that equalization which must come of body, of 
 mind, of soul, and must be permeated by love and by 
 wisdom; then that life will send out its radiations 
 into the lives of others, and humanity will gradually 
 
68 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 respond to the spirit of love that seeks to uplift the 
 whole race, that would liberate every soul from the 
 thraldom of injustice, of inequality, of ignorance, of 
 suffering, of a misuse of its splendid gifts, of the 
 sway of materialism, it would touch the intellect and 
 show that true enlightenment which comes through a 
 love of truth, it would unfold a greater charity in the 
 hearts, it would inspire the individual to become 
 poised, healthy in body, firm in mind, powerful in 
 spirit, it would give to every person that courage 
 which knows that there is every possibility to so build 
 life here that its foundation will support the charac- 
 teristics that are enduring throughout eternity. 
 
 After eight years of this educational experience in 
 the phenomena and philosophy of spiritual laws and 
 manifestations from the unseen spheres of life, my 
 ancient spirit guardian made it known to me that I 
 was to go out into the world and carry the light that 
 had come to me into the dark places yet unreached 
 by the spiritual illumination and that I was to work 
 for the enlightenment of humanity. 
 
 This was a consideration so serious, so unexpected 
 to me, so unwished for that I was greatly disturbed 
 and saddened by the responsibility that I suddenly 
 found confronting me. I had entered into these in- 
 vestigations for the purpose of finding the truth for 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 69 
 
 myself — and in this experience I had enjoyed the 
 co-operative interest of our family circle. I had no 
 thought of making public our investigations, and I 
 felt wholly unprepared for a work so outside my own 
 plan of life. I wished to live quietly, simply, and 
 enjoy in my own humble way the blessings that had 
 come to me, so I opposed this request of my spiritual 
 guide, and resolutely objected to what seemed placed 
 before me for my undertaking. I felt as if the end of 
 life had come, so unpleasant was the thought of this 
 sacrifice. This selfishness on my part was met by 
 my beautiful spirit guide with a loving smile. 
 
 "My dear child," he said, "you know how valuable 
 is time to the leaders of your nation?" I replied that 
 I did. "Then," said he, "can you not see how val- 
 uable is time to the souls that have lived in earth life, 
 and have dwelt long in spirit and so understand what 
 must be done to accomplish the uplifting of man- 
 kind? Can you expect that wise spirits would devote 
 all this time to you, for your own personal enlight- 
 enment, if you were not to make known to others 
 the value of these great truths, and so help others to 
 arise in their own spiritual strength?" 
 
 I was touched by this new consideration, and felt 
 the truth of his appeal to my consciousness. "We 
 are depending on you," he continued, "as an instru- 
 ment with us, that we may give more light to the 
 
70 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 world, and aid in the uplift of humanity. Let us 
 work for the universal good of all people." 
 
 I felt the loving influence of the dear ones of our 
 own family who had passed to spirit life, and I saw 
 their beckoning hands — I was inspired with a deeper 
 knowledge of God's love and harmony, and appre- 
 ciated as never before what blessings had come to 
 me through the unselfish labors of my spirit friends. 
 I would arise in one-ness with them in the expression 
 of universal principles of life. I was conscious of 
 being called to a higher expression, and a larger 
 realization of the obligations of the individual to 
 mankind in general — and I said that I would be 
 equal to this call. 
 
 These beautiful spirit friends have guided me as 
 they felt it wise, and we shall be associated in work 
 throughout eternity. In the succeeding years I have 
 gained more strength and wisdom through further 
 experiences, and I gladly give this in whatever way 
 is necessary for the greater good that must result 
 as time goes on. 
 
 My desire is to make clearer the Deific principles 
 to the world, and thus I am working, not only to 
 better individualize myself, but to help others to an 
 unfoldment of their own soul principles that they too 
 may enlighten the minds of others and bring this 
 baptism of the Spirit to all mankind, that they may 
 see with their own spiritual eyes, and hear with their 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 71 
 
 own spiritual ears, and realize in their own conscious- 
 ness the beauty and the happiness that comes in 
 serving this Divine Principle that is the life of every 
 living creature, and that illumines every form in life. 
 Through this spiritual refining power and wisdom 
 shall we all individualize a spiritual character, and 
 radiate these truths into the universe. Thus the har- 
 monies of God's love inspires us by its music and 
 we go on in tune with all that is vibrating through- 
 out the spheres, and sing our souls' song in the uni- 
 versal symphony of souls. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 73 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 NATURAL SCIENCE. 
 
 The School of Natural Science has for its purpose 
 not only the better understanding of the questions 
 of health, but the subjects that pertain to the whole 
 of life. Natural Science deals with the laws of Na- 
 ture. These are the immutable laws of life that can- 
 not be changed by man. These are the laws that 
 are necessary for every one to understand, for it is 
 only through true knowledge that improvement can 
 be made in the conditions that environ mankind. 
 This Science of Nature applies to all things that 
 live and have their expression. These governing 
 principles have not been discovered by those who 
 live in the material interests only, for their eyes are 
 closed to the inner forces, and the manifestations 
 that reveal themselves so surely to the thoughtful 
 student of Nature. 
 
 This science refers you first to the blending of 
 
74 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 spirit life — which is Deific life — through every uni- 
 versal expression. When we open our eyes to look 
 at Deity as He manifests Himself in every phase of 
 life, then we have laid the cornerstone of the foun- 
 dation of our educational structure. This is the 
 requisite preparation for entrance into the great 
 university where we advance, step by step, grada- 
 tion by gradation, learning more of the wondrous 
 mechanism of the material system, comprehending 
 more and more of the living, loving principle that 
 dwells in the visible forms, till we have become 
 ready, through this wonderful educational process, 
 to enter the invisible habitation, even there to con- 
 tinue our search for truth and to eternally develop 
 our own soul's treasures throughout infinity. 
 
 Harmony — the harmonious interblending of mat- 
 ter and spirit — is the block of the structure. 
 
 When we have achieved something of harmony, 
 then do we begin to know something of the beauty 
 of this life. 
 
 As we look upon the forests, as we see the rip- 
 pling streams, as we breathe the fragrant air, as we 
 hear the music of the birds, as we feel the rapture of 
 the invisible associations, we are conscious of the 
 universal vibration that awakens our soul self to 
 responsiveness, and in harmony of spirit we are up- 
 lifted by this singing of the universe as it reveals 
 God's love and power. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 75 
 
 So we must look for the blending of the smaller 
 things, and through this rise to the larger apprecia- 
 tion and understanding of life, for only as we find 
 the keynote can we establish our harmony. This is 
 not the explanation as recognized by man, but that 
 understanding that is created by the Great Life 
 higher than ours. 
 
 It is not for man to worship, but for man to live! 
 It is for man to make a gradual growth, to unfold in 
 the material form which has been developed as a 
 temple in which to individualize the spirit — and if 
 we are clean in body and soul, we shall find that our 
 temple is clean to live in. 
 
 Life is eternal! Earth life is but a small fraction 
 of life, and in the few years we are to stay here we 
 must learn the laws of life that we may be harmoni- 
 ous in the great universe of life. 
 
 The opportunity is as good today as when you 
 step out into the unseen. You are living today in 
 eternal life, and after your transition you will still 
 be living in eternal life. Why wait? Why dream? 
 Why not come to the realization of your opportuni- 
 ties for a better progress in the truer unfoldment 
 now? As this process of growth goes on, and as 
 you live more in accord to natural law, you will be- 
 come stronger, nobler, purer, with an indestructible 
 foundation of truth. 
 
 There is nothing grander than truth! There has 
 
76 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 been no religious conception loftier than truth. The 
 awakening of your soul means the uncovering of 
 truth for you, that you may walk out into the light 
 of truth, and live by its clear radiance. 
 
 So do we construct our lives. God never forces 
 nor compels man to live according to any special 
 way or special belief. You have been placed here 
 by the constructive forces of life, and the way you 
 use these forces depends upon your understanding 
 of them, and of your willingness to be led by the 
 universal laws that determine all results. 
 
 As man lives his day, just so surely he receives at 
 night what is due him. The spiritual laws give us 
 perfect justice. If we are living in the constructive 
 laws, then we are ascending and building a stronger 
 expression. We have only the destruction in life 
 that man makes for himself. We have only the result 
 that has come of man's use or misuse of the forces 
 of life. We have the penalties and the benefits of 
 his understanding — or misunderstanding. 
 
 Man must be called back to the foundation princi- 
 ples — to the truth of life. He must recognize Deity 
 in all things and harmonize himself to the natural 
 laws and open his own soul to receive not only the 
 better things of this life as it spreads its beauty and 
 its blessing on every hand, but he must ascend in 
 his own spirit to receive the reflex of the higher 
 minds that have passed onward, and so become more 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 77 
 
 and more cognizant of the destiny that awaits him 
 and be led to the hilltop of a vaster scene and a 
 more elevated conception and aspiration of his own 
 conduct and growth. 
 
 Man has simply lived according to man's ideal, 
 drifting out on the surface of events to an uncharted 
 sea. 
 
 Why has not man recognized this! Why has he 
 not listened to the voices that have come from time 
 to time — like that one of old crying in the wilder- 
 ness — speaking that he may repent and prepare the 
 way in his own soul for the blessing of truth and its 
 guidance. Why has he not changed his course and 
 made safer paths for the generations which came 
 after him? Because the wheel of progress moves 
 slowly. It is a question of evolution — of growth, of 
 better reasoning power. 
 
 But progress is a principle in every form of life, 
 and it is leading man into the likeness for which he 
 was destined. It is lifting man from the materialis- 
 tic plane where he is living only in materialism, — 
 in a state of doubt dense as granite that cannot re- 
 ceive spiritual thought — it is leading him from these 
 conditions of selfishness into a more universal ap- 
 preciation of the rights of mankind. 
 
 What is this soul self that is given to man? The 
 soul self is given not to worship, but as a balancing 
 power to equalize the physical and the mental and 
 
78 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 to awaken the spiritual being that never dies, but 
 lives eternally. A few more seasons and we are 
 thrust out of this life. The spirit leaves the body — 
 and we step out from earth into the sphere which 
 is wholly spiritual. But even while we are housed 
 here in the earthly body we are in spirit life, for 
 there is no life possible that is not of spirit — it is 
 only through divisions of time and space, of density 
 and rarity, of what we call spirit and matter, that 
 we are able to make definition and apparently sepa- 
 rate that which is indivisible. It is all a question of 
 form and condition, and of progressive develop- 
 ment. 
 
 If the scientists have been taught to reason wholly 
 from a materialistic point of view, if because of their 
 inflexible rule to admit of no premise and no con- 
 clusion that cannot be proved except by visible 
 demonstration through matter, that does not estab- 
 lish any truth for the soul that sees deeper into the 
 causes of life and knows that the life energy of all 
 forms is the invisible spirit. And because this can- 
 not be shown in their laboratories through material 
 demonstration they turn deaf ears to the voice that 
 calls through all expressions, and close their eyes to 
 the wonderful beauty of the spiritual vision that re- 
 veals itself in every form. 
 
 We must not be made doubtful by the failures of 
 these external scientists to establish the cause of life! 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 79 
 
 Nay, rather must we hold them to the facts that we 
 present, and to the reasoning processes that can show 
 the interblending of spirit and matter, for this is life! 
 
 We are spirit beings now. This body is our 
 house. This world is our dwelling place. The ani- 
 mation of the whole is spirit. The governing laws 
 are spiritual. Why not learn to live according to 
 these laws? 
 
 These truths will guide you out from all trouble- 
 some conditions — for these conditions are not life. 
 They are only your conception of life. Walk out 
 into the freedom and truth of your own soul, and 
 there find health and all the other conditions that 
 favor enlargement of life from every point of view. 
 Power comes with wisdom and knowledge. Power 
 comes not of ignorance. 
 
 In Nature there is a limitless universal power that 
 lives in everything. Natural Science opens to the 
 individual an understanding of these laws that truth 
 may be perceived and used for the upbuilding of 
 humanity. There is no limitation to this accom- 
 plishment because the soul self deals with that 
 which is limitless. It depends upon us to what de- 
 gree we progress, and how we operate these princi- 
 ples, for in that proportion do we achieve life — and 
 life is given to us. 
 
 Man is accountable for his own condition in life. 
 That which man earns through his own effort is his 
 
80 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 forever. All that you gain here in wisdom and 
 power, in the knowledge of the soul lives on through 
 eternity. What you learn here you do not have to 
 learn when you step out from this life and take 
 your place in the advanced spheres. 
 
 These thoughts must arise within your own soul 
 self as you contemplate the conditions of life and 
 destiny. 
 
 Natural Science opens its arms to embrace the 
 universe. None shall be cast aside, but all shall be 
 included by its revelations. 
 
 When we speak of Natural Science we are speak- 
 ing of the laws of life. This school is needed. It 
 brings a system to you that gives you tangible 
 truths. It will teach you how to take care of your- 
 self physically, mentally, spiritually. It means for 
 you to become a powerful individual, a master of 
 your own being — physically, mentally and spirit- 
 ually — master of every condition in life that you 
 come in touch with. 
 
 This truth is to feed every soul. Natural Science 
 is kind to all. It will stimulate man to higher im- 
 pulses. It takes him kindly by the hand as a brother 
 and leads him out from the stumbling blocks to the 
 higher foundation that shall be as a habitation of 
 safety for all eternity. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 81 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LIFE. 
 
 As we look back over the past and into the fu- 
 ture we find from the viewpoint of Natural Science 
 that there has been much to retard the unfolding 
 of man to higher conditions. Interests have been 
 circumscribed by material considerations and lim- 
 ited to the apparent facts that seem most evident. 
 
 When I use the expression Life, I mean eternal 
 life — life as a whole, for life is endless and this 
 sphere of existence is but a small part of the whole. 
 
 We begin here as children to individualize and 
 develop the immortal characteristics, and the ques- 
 tion arises, How are we doing this? The question 
 also arises as to the life beyond — and regardless of 
 our religious preferences and beliefs, we must rec- 
 ognize the fact that it is a life governed by spiritual 
 law, and when we become cognizant of that fact 
 
82 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 then must we understand that spiritual laws are the 
 larger part of life. 
 
 The line of separation has been drawn not only 
 by the ignorant people, but by the educated as well, 
 to whom the principles of spiritual life are not evi- 
 dent and who are limited by material considera- 
 tions, so that the great soul fountain that inter- 
 blends throughout all expressions has not been ac- 
 cepted into the consciousness of mankind gener- 
 ally. 
 
 Few there are who deny the continued existence, 
 for the spiritual within is ever working for recogni- 
 tion, but the absolute knowledge of immortality and 
 of the Deity within all life is not given to them nor 
 made by them a living reason upon which to base 
 belief or scientific statement. 
 
 As soon as man recognizes a life beyond this, then 
 must he recognize spiritual law, not as a thing 
 apart from life, but the governing factor that is 
 within all life. They must recognize this life within 
 their own being and follow their own spiritual con- 
 sciousness, develop their own strength and individ- 
 uality and not be drawn hither and thither in the at- 
 tempt to pattern after other personalities. 
 
 The sooner you look into your own life and ex- 
 pand it, the sooner will you achieve what at the be- 
 ginning seems impossible. Then as you begin to 
 grow you are on the way to more celestial condi- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 83 
 
 tions; the banks of fog in which you have drifted 
 will gradually clear; you will look out further on 
 the great expanse of futurity and upon the ethereal 
 waves of Deific principle you will find the responding 
 love in Nature that uplifts you, that strengthens 
 you, and that comes to you as a baptism of the holy 
 spirit from the great throbbing heart of life called 
 Deity. 
 
 That life is an illuminating force filled with light, 
 filled with the love of truth, of justice, of harmony, 
 filled with everything that can make your life ex- 
 pand till your own organism is permeated, and you 
 find the physical, mental and spiritual working to- 
 gether in harmony. If you have a splendid physi- 
 cal body and a weak spiritual development what 
 will be the result? Can you have these beautiful 
 qualifications we have just spoken of? No, indeed! 
 You need the principles of life that will help you to 
 become a large spiritual character, a force today, a 
 power that will be felt by all mankind — a power that 
 is not limited to material things, but a power that 
 is universal, an inspiration that will speak to the 
 heart of man and open his vision to larger and 
 higher living. 
 
 I find that so many people are waiting — they do 
 not know what they are waiting for — but some- 
 thing not of the present, something that comes in 
 some mysterious way to miraculously change the 
 
84 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 dull things of the present into a sort of fabulous 
 radiance and glory, unlike the every-day environ- 
 ment, and more heroic than their own small en- 
 deavors. But the tomorrow comes with the same 
 stubborn facts, and the future has arrived — not in 
 guise dreamed of and waited for — but as a just re- 
 sult of the day after day of expectation without the 
 attempt of making it a growth of progress realized. 
 
 Today is the day of awakening! Today is the 
 day to form a truer acquaintance with your soul- 
 self and its immortal powers. Then you will find 
 yourself no longer living by limited circumstance, 
 you will no longer value the external and the fleet- 
 ing, for the spirit is throbbing in your breast, and 
 the spiritual principles are singing the songs of 
 love and peace, and the desire will arise within you 
 to grow to the heights, and so live that the world 
 may be made better for your living in it. 
 
 What has the old way of telling you to be good 
 ever accomplished? Has it ever awakened you to 
 the real value of life, or has it ever put implements 
 of usefulness in your hands? It is the old story of 
 casting your burdens on another, of being good 
 through the deeds of another, of waiting for the 
 glorious by and by — and the result is that your own 
 accomplishment is as far off as ever. The lan- 
 guage of the East came to us — the same drifting 
 toward the vast unknown, the same mysterious ful- 
 
OF MEDIUMS-HIP 85 
 
 fillment of another, the same, unaccountable presen- 
 tation of the wonders of Nature, the same waiting 
 for a more glorious era when mankind shall be sud- 
 dently raised to impossible heights of happiness. 
 
 Natural Science unveils the truth and shows that 
 there are no mysteries — no achievement without 
 preparation and growth. The great unseen is be- 
 fore your gaze at this very hour. The most impor- 
 tant thought of all is the necessity to begin to live 
 your life now. I care not how far off your ideal 
 may be, or the distance you find yourself from the 
 spiritual realizations, but" if the awakening has 
 come, whether from the East or whether from the 
 West, or whether from the heavens beyond and 
 over all, that mystery of life is solved for you from 
 this hour. 
 
 This truth which Natural Science can give to you 
 comes from one of the larger souls who went from 
 earth life and is completing a work to which I have 
 dedicated my life. 
 
 Now, cannot the declaration be made for your- 
 self! That spirit within your mentality speaks to 
 you surely of the sweetest, the grandest, the most 
 untarnished things in the world, it opens your soul 
 to the beholding of one of the greatest revelations 
 of love — a love for wisdom and a love for truth. 
 
 It is like a fountain when once opened, it is bub- 
 bling up from pure crystal waters, cleansing your 
 
86 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 life, baptising your very being to spiritual realiza- 
 tion. Then you do not find it necessary to remove 
 stumbling blocks, you do not have to avoid the 
 thorns, for you have become lifted up, your feet are 
 placed upon the foundations of truth. The imper- 
 fect things fall away. Sadness, worry, distress, and 
 all the troublesome appearances of this expression 
 are left behind you. Now you are no longer ham- 
 pered by the limited things, for you have become 
 universal. You can see God as he manifests him- 
 self. 
 
 You listen with your spiritual ears; you see with 
 your spiritual eyes; you sense with your spiritual 
 consciousness, feeling your own soul-self rising to 
 the heights of all these love principles which are 
 bringing home to you grander music from God's 
 great universe to harmonize you with yourself. 
 Through this harmony of love principles you are 
 living in a higher plane of life, even though in this 
 material organism. Do not feel that you should be 
 tied down in earth life or enslaved by anything. We 
 are spirit — only embodied according to our present 
 condition. The disembodied are your friends who 
 are living in the spiritual spheres, and are often in 
 your midst and visit you, that you may be guided 
 by their love and wisdom to more intelligently ful- 
 fill the destiny of your own individuality. If you 
 will recognize yourself as a spirit today you will 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 87 
 
 find that the narrow things of time have drifted 
 away upon the bosom of the limitless sea of eter- 
 nity. The universal love light fills all space. Life 
 is a thing of beauty that never dies, but lives on for- 
 ever. You and I have the same kindly privilege of 
 this light, and this love, and this life. You and I 
 can draw from this same great fountain, and find 
 the same harmonious laws in all forms. Life is en- 
 tirely in our hands. We mould and fashion our 
 events to take the shape that our ideal patterns. We 
 can break all shackles that bind us to lower life, and 
 build with a power stronger than any of the storms 
 that shall rise to wreck it. 
 
 We can build life full of spiritual love, full of help 
 for our brother man and sister woman. 
 
 Start on the way today. Climb the great spiritual 
 Alps of truth, view the limitless landscape that is 
 flooded by the sunshine of wisdom and truth. Come 
 face to face with the great laws of God, and you will 
 be able to operate these laws. The thought that 
 you are a free-born soul is a good thought to leave 
 with you — that through your own liberty you may 
 open your life to the spirit light and unfold into the 
 larger things and rise day by day into that knowl- 
 edge and power that is guiding you to the great soul 
 source which is the life of life. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 89 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CHARACTER. 
 
 In considering the question of character building 
 we must refer you to Nature's laws and the great 
 divine principle that permeates all things. This is 
 necessary in order to find the proper adjustment. 
 In meeting people we find in them some things that 
 attract us, some things that disappoint us — some- 
 thing that seems unequal, a lack of poise, a want of 
 completeness. 
 
 It is not a satisfactory answer to say that we are 
 living in very imperfect conditions, for in all of life 
 there is cause and effect, so we must investigate the 
 characteristics still farther to find the cause of the 
 lack of balance. It is well to find out whether we 
 have a tendency to build up or to tear down — 
 whether we are equalizing our nature in fairer pro- 
 
90 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 portions, according to the possibilities lodged in 
 every soul. 
 
 In this expression one may have a well-developed 
 physique, and yet the spiritual proportion may be 
 very deficient. It is not wise to expect more than 
 is in the person, but the question is that which re- 
 lates to the development of what one really is, for 
 the greatest factor in life is the unfolding of the 
 spiritual. 
 
 True, we are placed in a material world, and this 
 is the world we are to live in during the physical 
 existence, but if we live in wholly material effects 
 we find ourselves wholly unmindful of the spiritual 
 cause thus being weighed in the balance and find 
 ourselves wanting in equal development, or the beau- 
 tiful expression that results by union of the two. 
 We must open the doors of our physical life to the 
 spiritual truth. We must swing wide the portals of 
 our being that from the dungeon of igonrance our 
 souls may be liberated, and the imprisoned spirit go 
 forth from its slavery to become its own master of 
 circumstances. 
 
 This is what Abraham Lincoln did for an en- 
 slaved race. We find in him great spirituality that 
 expressed itself in charity for all of humanity. 
 
 The universal principle in character is that which 
 liberates it, and is that which liberates others. It is 
 an evidence in itself that the spirit is unfolding and 
 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 91 
 
 permeating the very atoms of the whole being with 
 new life for justice. It is this unfolding of the 
 spiritual part that gives you anything individually 
 beautiful when you enter the life beyond the grave. 
 It is really all that makes life beautiful here. It is 
 this that allows us to live in the fullness of experience 
 here as we prepare for the future existence in the 
 higher spheres. It relieves us of the obstructions 
 that mankind has been storing up. Mankind meets 
 with trouble and injustice because it has not yet 
 freely opened its heart and consciousness to that 
 great beauty that shines from the other sphere, the 
 love that sings its sweetness into the lives of mortals, 
 the justice that recompenses every life according to 
 spiritual charity and the liberty that bids all sad- 
 dened souls go free from their depths of slavery. 
 These are some of the things we can appreciate in 
 earth life. 
 
 The materialists complain at the hardness of life 
 here — but they scoff at spiritual truth — they are not 
 philosophical, for after making their own bed they 
 are unhappy at its lack of comforting qualities. This 
 is inconsistent to complain of the result of our own 
 hands. 
 
 In speaking of spiritual qualities I would banish 
 from your minds the usual thought that solemnity 
 is spiritual — solemnity only adds to your burdens. 
 In the great character of Deity we find that sunshine 
 
92 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 is a power, a living principle that sheds warmth and 
 love from the great source of light, and this warmth 
 and love will reach any man that will turn his face 
 to that great center called God. Even if you are 
 in the darkness caused by your own degradation, 
 the light is shining toward you from the great 
 spiritual sun, and in the heights of this great loving 
 character we find the infinite charity that ever opens 
 its arms to sustain and give justice to all those who 
 are ready to receive the spiritual embrace and be 
 led, a welcome guest, into that beautiful home of 
 celestial principles where the soul-self is illumined 
 and refreshed. 
 
 Can we not understand that spiritual unfoldment 
 is the union or the adjustment of the physical, men- 
 tal and spiritual within us, whereby we are thrilled 
 by a harmony impossible otherwise. So when we 
 speak of Deity's laws, we are not to feel meek and 
 lowly, we are to realize we are children of the In- 
 finite Father, and are to gather knowledge from 
 this fount of wisdom that is expressed throughout 
 all life, and in this love and wisdom feel only the 
 happier things of loving, feel only the truth, see 
 only the brightness that illuminates the way, and 
 know only the larger love that gives charity and 
 justice to our sister woman and brother man. 
 
 Then shall we smile and not weep. Then shall we 
 sing and not sigh, then shall we walk forth into the 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 93 
 
 sunshine of our own soul into the larger life that is 
 of all humanity. It is not necessary to set aside 
 certain moments, certain hours, certain days in 
 which to express these principles, but express them 
 at all times, under all conditions. It may be in the 
 market place, it may be in the social hour in our 
 own homes, or it may be in an hour when we are 
 confronted by serious responsibilities, grave ques- 
 tions, overwhelming griefs — but in these hours we 
 shall know the true light and sunshine that comes 
 from the equal development of the physical, mental 
 and spiritual characteristics. 
 
 In the development of the spiritual nature it is 
 beautiful to think that we are dealing with limitless 
 life. The material life is limited. It drifts back into 
 the elements from which it came, and is beautiful 
 only when individualized by the spirit. 
 
 It is a beautiful thought to realize that after you 
 have gathered all the truths you can absorb into 
 your life and live them through Deity's laws in Na- 
 ture, there is just as much left to draw from as on 
 the first day you feasted on the living elements. 
 It is limitless in time, limitless in space, unfathom- 
 able in all manifestations and conceptions. 
 
 This gives us a glimpse of the wonderful power 
 that is beyond the comprehension of any soul be- 
 cause it is infinite and eternal. 
 
 We have everything that is cheering, everything 
 
94 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 that is uplifting, everything that is attractive as we 
 go on our way, there is everything the living soul 
 can need for the development of its best character- 
 istics. This life, when separated from the great 
 perfect life is small, is limited, is cold, is unkind, is 
 selfish, and without the golden thread of love that is 
 interwoven in and out the souls of men, binding 
 them in love, uniting humanity in sympathy, this 
 life is not worth the living. 
 
 But however much this is disregarded, the truth 
 remains the same, and even if not lived here, the 
 spiritual life must prevail when you enter the spirit- 
 ual domain. 
 
 God does not make the darkened condition. Man 
 makes it and carries its consequences with him 
 wherever he goes. We find the well adjusted man 
 radiating sunshine. He is always ready to give light 
 to others, to lend a hand to the unfortunate, and to 
 speak the kindly word when it is helpful; such a 
 soul sends seeds of love over the universe which 
 shall spring up into trees of life and knowledge, shel- 
 tering and sustaining humanity. 
 
 Are you expressing Deity's principle through 
 your own natural organism? Are you doing the 
 work of a master of life? Are you a being who is 
 radiating the principles from the great soul center, 
 and in this earthly life living joyfully, justly, wisely, 
 naturally, so that when the great change called 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 95 
 
 death opens your vision to immortal realities you 
 will meet these with your spiritual eyes open, your 
 spiritual ears hearing the heavenly harmonies be- 
 cause you have realized these principles on earth, 
 and thus enter the higher life a freed soul? If so, 
 you find the home you yourself have builded because 
 you have lived with spiritual unfoldment in the ma- 
 terial life, and developed your character in accord 
 with natural principles. This character has unfolded 
 itself through the natural avenues which begin here 
 and lead onward and upward eternally. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 97 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CHARITY. 
 
 As we speak of Charity we find ourselves standing 
 upon the threshold of our own consciousness, here to 
 surge out on the sea of life and to use for our guid- 
 ance the chart that we find best adapted for our own 
 particular course. 
 
 Charity manifests itself unexpectedly in lives, as to 
 time and place and thought according to the persons 
 concerned. The common conception of charity is 
 one that usually defines material giving — thus we 
 have charitable institutions, charitable associations 
 in connection with private and public endowments 
 and appropriations for the benefit of the poor and 
 the unfortunate. 
 
 But true Charity is a living spirit. It is an inner 
 flower that blooms forth in the heart of man and 
 manifests itself in the outer expression as it ministers 
 
93 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 both to the inner life of humanity and to the supply 
 of material necessities. It is an essence that lives in 
 the spiritual consciousness. It expresses kindness, 
 harmony, love, — it is a universal principle of sun- 
 shine and gladness that glows in the faces of mortals 
 and radiates its power into the consciousness of all 
 within its reach. 
 
 It is one of the finer senses. It is a characteristic 
 of the individual that should receive cultivation. 
 Charity is a solvent for all the problems that con- 
 front mankind in life. With Charity you are enabled 
 to understand your brother man and sister woman 
 and realize his or her position arid condition in life, 
 and to judge of it justly — to do unto all as you would 
 be done by, if the circumstances were reversed and 
 it were you yourself who were experiencing that 
 life's particular phase. The artificial and the super- 
 ficial judgments are swept away by the revelations 
 Nature makes, for in these laws we are shown kind- 
 ness, justice and truth. You then have the key to 
 every situation and condition that confronts every 
 human soul, and it gives to you the open door to 
 your own consciousness, and it depends upon your- 
 self whether you act in a spirit of gladness and up- 
 lifting encouragement, or whether you reply in the 
 spirit of pharisaical criticism. 
 
 People too often make their own obstacles. Char- 
 ity never punishes. • Charity expands the under- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 99 
 
 standing. Chanty is one of the luminous rays of the 
 soul's illumination by which we discern more clearly 
 the reason of the darkness in humanity's sad experi- 
 ences. It is a part of the eternal light that pene- 
 trates all shadows and reveals the love that lives in 
 every heart. 
 
 You do not step downward as you seek to find the 
 way to help your brother, you do not take the posi- 
 tion of evil in coming in contact with its results ; you 
 lift the victim of its wretchedness to your plane, and 
 there make him an equal, by giving him an equal 
 opportunity to express the qualities that your light 
 has revealed to him. 
 
 Charity is not something to talk about — it is some- 
 thing that thrills us by its vibratory force. 
 
 It awakens mankind spiritually, mentally, physi- 
 cally, and has of its substance enough that is merciful 
 to give of its abundance to the whole world — not 
 only its material needs — but its spiritual life as well 
 For in these wonderful, stimulating spiritual forces 
 the mental can assert itself in just the degree the in- 
 telligence of the individual responds to its awakening 
 power. This is a truth that man will find in his own 
 consciousness when he gives up his physical form to 
 the control of his spiritual self. Then spirit assumes 
 the power of life; then will these grand truths be 
 manifest in every individual. 
 
 Vibration expresses itself in every condition ol 
 
100 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 life. These principles have been brought into ma- 
 terial instruments that are used for material pur- 
 poses, even to the upbuilding of physical health. The 
 rays of light, the rays of atmosphere, are classified 
 and their uses analyzed. Their relationship to the 
 individual life has been established — and the differ- 
 ent rays of light have been experimented with for the 
 cure of various diseases. 
 
 If man can manufacture out of his own conscious- 
 ness instruments to produce these physical effects by 
 vibration of light or electricity, why then is not his 
 own consciousness that made these instruments in- 
 telligent enough to use that mentality without the 
 external aids? This mentality is affected and stimu- 
 lated by the depths of your own consciousness to 
 send through your own organism these vibrations, 
 these rays of light and life that illuminate your own 
 center within by the light that is the life force, the 
 very Deific principle which draws us nearer the great 
 oversoul of life. This is a greater perfection than 
 can be obtained by any material force through any 
 mechanical construction or device! Why not use 
 these rays of the human soul instead of experiment- 
 ing with the cruder material waves of light that 
 come through material substance, instead of that 
 higher development which is a part of the vibratory 
 life of the eternal, immortal, infinite spirit! 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 101 
 
 These powerful rays can be sent through your 
 own organism. 
 
 These vibrations whose center is within your own 
 inmost soul is the life force of every life, and what 
 is there on earth that can compare with its purity and 
 power! The world has been too long rocked to sleep 
 by materialistic motions, but the time for the awak- 
 ening has come. Childhood is outgrown, and we 
 have now reached maturity. The sleep of ignorance 
 is not enlivening to the higher faculties. Material- 
 ism has ministered long enough to the senses. The 
 mental qualities have been dedicated long enough to 
 material advance, and now let the consciousness that 
 is superior to the exhibitions of mechanical instru- 
 ments be given its right to demonstrate its intuitive 
 wisdom and wonderful dominance over matter. 
 
 This refers you back to the truth that spirit pro- 
 duced matter, thus proving spirit to be the higher 
 intelligence and power. Every manifestation in the 
 world points to the fact that spirit is the living es- 
 sence in all persons and powers, so why should man- 
 kind continue to live enslaved by materialism. 
 
 Let us not be limited by the materialistic concep- 
 tion of Charity, for it is of spirit, and when man rec- 
 ognizes spirit in any form then has he recognized 
 spiritual law, and broken the bonds of his material- 
 istic limitations. He has taken away the foundation 
 for his previous argument whereby he attempted to 
 
102 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 prove that matter comprises all that we know. Char- 
 ity not only brings to others the helping hand, upon 
 which the heart is placed — but the very spirit of kind- 
 ness smiles in the act of mercy, and through which 
 material aid expresses itself by spiritual fullness and 
 greatness. Charity is so large, so broad, so peace- 
 ful, so loving, so powerful, so wonderful that it be- 
 comes limitless in its expressions. Man cannot 
 reach out to its wonderful heights nor comprehend 
 its vast deeps, nor exhibit its great power. We are 
 thankful that we can find our way out from the nar- 
 row avenues of materialistic confines, out into the 
 broad field of thought that is illuminated by our 
 own spiritual consciousness, and there find that from 
 the little things that we have gathered we have built 
 the foundation for the wonderful structure of Char- 
 ity that is so vast in its universal forms that we can 
 never explore all it contains as a Temple of Justice 
 and Mercy. 
 
 This spirit of Charity must be unfolded in its 
 beauty in our own lives, for it lives with us always. 
 It is with us on all occasions, all times, whatever the 
 obstacles, or whatever the beauty is that lies before 
 us — it is the spirit of life that is a part of the immor- 
 tal consciousness, it is a part of every individualiza- 
 tion. 
 
 It enriches your inner life with the perfume of its 
 perfect flowering, as it unfolds the blossom of your 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 103 
 
 own soul. We must observe this expression of per- 
 fect life, and cultivate it. This beautiful flower of 
 flowers from the garden of life, hidden from the vis- 
 ion of man because of his lack of charity — unrealized 
 by the cold world because of its unconsciousness of 
 the truer beauty that unfolds so slowly in the atmos- 
 phere of materialism. 
 
 But the light and life and color and perfume are 
 in every soul, and from this spiritual material you 
 are forming yourselves as individuals. 
 
 Are you making your soul's garments from the 
 texture of earthly material? What is the quality of 
 your covering? Are you weaving the substances of 
 life from the obstructions you have made? Are you 
 filling the background with darkness that is igno- 
 rantly made day by day because you have not known 
 the light that comes of Charity? Is it made of the 
 materials that we banish at the resurrection — is it 
 woven of that which corrupts and fetters the soul? 
 
 It is here that you are weaving the tapestry for 
 your home in spirit not made with hands. Is it pat- 
 terned with the brightness that shines from the love 
 that Charity gives you, or of the misdeeds and mis- 
 understandings, and wrong so ignorantly, so pitifully 
 done in this beautiful natural life given us by God? 
 
 The spirit of charity sweetens life; it is the con- 
 sciousness within you of God's light, love and truth, 
 
104 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and beams through your gaze out into the world that 
 all humanity may be helped by its gleam. 
 
 Flowers will spring up by the wayside, beautiful 
 in color, fragrant in perfume, warm and loving, — 
 flowers that will weave themselves in the tapestry 
 you are weaving for the temple of. your spirit. These 
 thoughts are not formed by the ideas that mankind 
 has given forth, but from the true spirit of love that 
 you forever have these things God has given you, 
 and through which you have been awakened and 
 your consciousness aroused by the comprehensive 
 consideration that Natural Science gives. 
 
 Charity is the spirit of Love that is expressed by 
 any individual however humble, at the moment it is 
 needed, and in the way it is needed. 
 
 These beauties and these glories radiate from the 
 soul center a brilliance that blinds the mortal eyes, 
 but gives sight to the immortal vision. Its great 
 forces of life are everlasting. Its love is extended to 
 all that all may know and live its power through the. 
 avenues opened to your better understanding 
 thrcttsrh Natural Science. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 105 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HARMONY. 
 
 As we are about to consider the beautiful subject 
 of Harmony let us look out into life itself that the 
 angels may strike the silver strings and sound the 
 melodies of Nature. 
 
 We find here the sweetest tones that the soul can 
 respond to. We find not only the symphony of har- 
 monious sound, but the symphony of color; we find 
 the light that radiates from its jeweled crown illum- 
 ining the hearts of those whose intelligence beholds 
 its rays divine. 
 
 Harmony is the spirit of loveliness that has been 
 ill-treated, misunderstood, ignored, ill-governed by 
 so many, that even though they have used it as a 
 watchword they have never manifested it in any 
 way in connection with themselves or introduced it 
 into their surroundings and so have never beheld 
 its wonderful beauty. 
 
106 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 Harmony is a two-fold force in the universe, its 
 wisdom, its power, its love is always seeking to 
 unite the elements of life, seeking to unite human 
 souls into greater consciousness of their own spirit- 
 ual, mental and physical possibilities, and awaken 
 them to the realization of this beautiful principle 
 that flows throughout every natural avenue. 
 
 Harmony in its loving wisdom unites individuals 
 through their own knowledge, spiritually, socially 
 and mentally, so we find this a mighty factor of the 
 unseen, a powerful, beautiful angel that is illumi- 
 nating the darkness in life and surely singing its 
 way into the hearts that are shadowed, dispelling 
 discord by its own vibrations, and thrilling human- 
 ity with nobler and gentler music than the sounds 
 of warfare and strife. 
 
 It is unselfish and universal in its love and kind- 
 ness. It is ever ready to blend itself into the lives 
 of all the children of the universe wherever they 
 may be. 
 
 I feel that it is almost impossible to express in 
 language what this spirit of harmony is to our con- 
 sciousness, or to use any word that shall express its 
 value, its grandeur; its luminous effect when it 
 once becomes the ideal principle in any life. It is a 
 wisdom so charitable in its conception that it is ever 
 ready to be the peacemaker in hours of trial — when 
 the dark clouds of sadness and grief have encom- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 107 
 
 passed the soul so strongly it seems as if they would 
 never be lifted, nor the sun ever shine in upon the 
 life. Here we find Harmony uttering a prayer that 
 the darkness be dispelled and that the sunshine may 
 pour down, and flood the consciousness with har- 
 monious realizations of the greater truths within 
 the soul-self and that have their source in the great 
 center of all that is love and wisdom and Harmony. 
 
 Its admission never fails to unite those who are 
 at war with themselves, or with each other. So we 
 find in this soul-life such a radiant delicacy of spir- 
 ituality, so boundless, that it reaches out into infin- 
 ity — throughout the whole universe of matter and 
 spirit, and yet it has been ignored, unrecognized in 
 this world of discordant purposes and has had to 
 wait in silence for the time to come when humanity 
 as individuals or as a whole shall welcome its sweet 
 utterance. 
 
 The great wells of life are overflowing with truths 
 yet unperceived by many. From this Deific foun- 
 tain I would bring a thought unspoken by man, that 
 there may be born into our consciousness this 
 greater knowledge, and that we may give these 
 thoughts to others that the world may be impreg- 
 nated by wisdom and become acquainted with this 
 beautiful spirit of Harmony. This would be the 
 world's chiefest blessing. It would remove from 
 life the most serious stumbling blocks in the path- 
 
108 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 way of man. I know of nothing the world is suf- 
 fering more from the want of than Harmony ! One 
 reason for this is the lack of comprehension of its 
 true meaning. The world has considered only the 
 outer material meaning of the word, and has not 
 beheld its true spiritual significance as it lives in all 
 life, in every sphere, in every universal law and so 
 this most merciful angel has suffered the enmity 
 instead of the friendship of mankind, and yet is 
 mankind's tenderest friend. 
 
 In entering the spiritual consideration of any- 
 thing we are entering into the fundamental laws of 
 the universe, thus we shall round out in our own 
 mentality a larger conception of harmony than is 
 otherwise possible. We shall behold its radiance 
 that shines in the lives of others, we shall see the 
 motion of the planets, we shall understand the 
 music of the spheres — we shall find that Harmony 
 is an infinite, eternal principle worthy of our high- 
 est thought and aspiration. Thus we will be wafted 
 away upon a flood of light by its sweet songs, for 
 we shall then hear the music of our own soul's 
 symphony that sings its part in the orchestration of 
 life, we shall sound the one string of this universal 
 unseen instrument that brings to every heart the 
 baptism of living music that thrills and stimulates 
 every organ of your physical being, and lifts you 
 out from the smaller things of every-day considera- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 109 
 
 tions, leads you out from the darkened pathway 
 and places you on this cloud of such ethereal yet 
 wonderful power that it seems like a bed of ease 
 upon which you drift in a universe of love, united 
 in motherly and sisterly harmony, drawing others 
 unto you that they may be glorified by this same 
 singing of the soul as it realizes the music of 
 Deity's universal symphony. 
 
 Thus we find the true relationship of each to the 
 other, and know the joys and the sorrows and the 
 obstacles in every life. 
 
 From the great fountain of heaven's soul-center 
 comes the baptism for every soul because it has 
 been won by its own beautiful quality, it has won by 
 its own beautiful light, which is still radiant and 
 luminous by the light of the heights, and as the 
 angels look down to us can we not feel their spir- 
 itual harmony and the love of our dear ones who 
 dwell in this unseen sphere? Is this thought not 
 filling our souls, is not this the true spiritual music 
 which harmonizes with our consciousness and 
 brings us close to the border line of the seen and 
 the unseen? 
 
 It is all an interblending of spirit and matter. It 
 is all for your unfoldment as an individual upon 
 this plane, that you may go on from this prepara- 
 tory structure to the many mansions in the great 
 celestial domain, where this spirit of love thrills 
 
110 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 every life and radiates back to those who still live 
 here, who still love and are loved ! The great so- 
 called mystery has passed away. The great curtain 
 has been pushed aside, and as each consciousness 
 enters here, finding its own place through its own 
 principle of harmonious relationship then shall it 
 see with its own spiritual eyes, and feel with its 
 own spiritual faculties, and hear with its own spirit- 
 ual ears, no longer held by the cold things of mate- 
 rial limitations, no longer held by the thought of 
 material death, but freed by eternal life with larger 
 realizations, and greater joy in this consciousness 
 of the boundlessness of this life. It is as if the soul 
 had blossomed into the unseen, — a spiritual flower 
 that has thrust itself through the veil that the 
 beauty and purity and harmony of that sphere may 
 be realized as is not possible in this environment, — 
 for it is here that you see with spiritual eye, and 
 hear with spiritual ear, and know with spiritual 
 consciousness. 
 
 Take home to yourself this beautiful harmony of 
 spirit. Nestle it close by your side, hover it to your 
 breast, make it your companion, let it live with you 
 and never perish, let it light your atmosphere and 
 never vanish; let it sing its songs to your heart, and 
 let your spirit flow through all the material conditions 
 so that these may be warmed and enlivened and never 
 grow cold. Make yourself worthy this beautiful 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 111 
 
 angel while here, that it be ever found at your side 
 accompanying you in all your relationships and ex- 
 periences, even if you have to walk the downward 
 path of misfortune it may then lead you to the 
 heights of your own consciousness and never be lost 
 from your sight. You are thus a part of this har- 
 mony. You have won it — it will live with you 
 throughout eternity. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 113 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PROBLEM OF LIFE AND THE WELFARE 
 OF HUMANITY. 
 
 The Problem of Life has presented itself to the 
 world since life began. The best minds in all ages 
 have given themselves to the solving of this problem — 
 the life of humanity has been given to the sustaining 
 of material life — and still the question presents it- 
 self just as complex and unanswered as it did at the 
 beginning. The research work of historian and 
 scientist has furnished only partial theories and 
 isolated attempts to give a practical theory upon 
 which to base some action, but the same facts are 
 stubbornly before us. Man has gone on his way 
 accumulating a materialistic supply, and brought to 
 his home the needs of the hour — and we must ask 
 how has he brought these comforts and these luxuries, 
 or even the necessities? How has he succeeded in 
 ministering to his own especial wants, while such in- 
 
114 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 equality of substance and comfort exists for the other 
 half of mankind? How has the individual amassed 
 his wealth? How has he obtained his pleasure? Can 
 any man have in abundance without oppressing some 
 other man? If so what is his gain? Has he solved 
 the problem of life? Has he added to the welfare 
 of humanity? No man has solved the problem of 
 his own life or any other life unless he has lived so 
 that he has helped his brother man, and because this 
 is not the general aim in the life of every individual 
 is the cause of all class distinction, and the reason 
 why there are such contrasts in conditions, and makes 
 the gulf between labor and capital, and the great un- 
 rest in the social and industrial world. 
 
 This is a living demonstration, this is a fact! Man 
 has accumulated in his own materialistic way, he has 
 toiled and gained for selfish purposes, he has reckoned 
 only to his own advantage, and that is the reason the 
 problem is standing before us at this time. The ques- 
 tion has not been met with the full realization of the 
 bearing that every life has upon this question. Single 
 attempts are made by generous souls to right the 
 wrongs of oppression, reforms are instituted by 
 wiser minds, and lives are given freely that the con- 
 dition of the enslaved may be improved, but until 
 there is a truer and better understanding of the laws 
 of life the general situation will remain the same — 
 unbalanced, incomplete. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 115 
 
 The School of Natural Science would turn people's 
 minds to spiritual law, to cause and effect, that the 
 world may be moved by the truth of Nature in its 
 universal methods, for in this truth is the curative 
 for all the ill and ignoble conditions of life. 
 
 The wealthiest as well as the poorest man is strug- 
 gling with the facts of life. The poor, depressed 
 children of the world are struggling for a mere exist- 
 ence ; the middle class are struggling to be respectable 
 and to gain some part of the advantages that even 
 now are just beyond their reach; the wealthy are 
 struggling for still more wealth and power, and 
 complain that the poor expect too much from them! 
 
 All classes complain of each other, all classes fret 
 against conditions, all classes make the unrest so 
 acute that warfare is constantly breaking out in one 
 form or another, and there is no settled peace among 
 nations, or among industries. These facts tell us that 
 each class is at fault. Each class is living on the 
 surface, — whether voluntarily or involuntarily, 
 whether from choice and attraction, or whether from 
 oppression and injustice, the people are living in 
 materialistic considerations, and are suffering the 
 effects that are a natural result of their own inter- 
 pretation of life. 
 
 To live unequally either in the material or spiritual 
 consideration means unbalance, and by this nothing 
 is adjusted. The world's problems must be grasped 
 
116 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 in their full and equal proportion as they affect all 
 classes, all conditions, — the welfare of the present 
 and the welfare of the future. The ideals, the 
 energy, the attainments of the whole world are toward 
 materialistic triumph. It is very necessary, and 
 very appropriate that everything pertaining to mate- 
 rial life should have the fullest consideration, that 
 mind, genius, invention should flower forth into all 
 the beauty and power that shall make this world and 
 its nations a perfect world — for Nature has given us 
 every resource, and has made man a comprehensive, 
 intuitive, inventive, industrious, artistic, resourceful 
 being — but it is not beautiful nor appropriate that in 
 the exercise of his faculties toward the materialistic 
 ends that he should dominate those who happen to 
 be weaker, or snatch from those whose reach is not 
 so long as his own, or gain for himself through the 
 sure loss of the others — and so have no heed of the 
 other part of his own life that would direct him 
 toward a spiritual unfoldment and interblending that 
 would enlighten him as to truth and justice and 
 solve once and forever his problem and the world's 
 problem of life. 
 
 So long as men live only on the materialistic side 
 of life, they will never know the spiritual. It is the 
 spiritual conception that must unfold the solution of 
 every problem in the great universe of life. This is 
 the unlimited fountain of truth, the only source of 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 117 
 
 energy, and it is here that the mind must go to find 
 the laws that make harmony possible. When we 
 awaken to this fact we find ourselves as a real part 
 of life, and that life has a real relationship to us in 
 all the possible unfoldment of purposes. Life means 
 to us just what we make it, just in what manner we 
 solve its problems, just in what degree we are con- 
 scious of its wonderful spiritual possibilities, so we 
 must refer to this consciousness within each indi- 
 vidual, and until the scholar and scientist realizes 
 this inner source of truth and the laws of spirit the 
 problem will not be solved upon purely educational 
 systems. It is these men who are educating the 
 world. They have the power to lead people as they 
 choose. They are the recognized authority, and when 
 one of these learned men or scientists admits the pro- 
 bability of the spiritual cause of life, and the immor- 
 tality of the individual spirit and the connection be- 
 tween spirit and matter, then the world suddenly 
 takes notice and listens momentarily as if this truth 
 had never been uttered before. 
 
 This shows us how unmistakably the universities 
 shape the thought of the times. How their profes- 
 sors have the confidence of the people, how the scien- 
 tists by chemical experiments in matter, are consid- 
 ered equal to the task of passing judgment upon the 
 great questions of causation, how medical authority 
 determines the methods of treating the human body, 
 
118 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and how all questions of brain, body, earth and plan- 
 ets and the social conditions are analyzed and classi- 
 fied according to the prevailing educational system 
 and the conclusions of these learned men are the 
 accepted standards that form the thought of the peo- 
 ple. Their progress or lack of progress, the history 
 of learning generally, its sources and its attainments 
 need not be detailed here. It has accumulated much 
 that is valuable in data, in material science, in historic 
 significance, but it will always be insufficient and halt- 
 ing until it accepts the truth of the interior principles 
 that are the laws of all existence and all phenomena, 
 and that must regulate all life if we are to have the 
 true expression of life. Educators must awaken to 
 the universal realities of Cause and Effect. 
 
 The School of Natural Science has started out in 
 the hope of turning the intelligence of mankind 
 toward the great spiritual laws and thus to an under- 
 standing of spiritual life — for all life is spiritual. 
 Without spirit there is no life. We hope to give to 
 the world a truth that will awaken mind within itself, 
 so it will know with its own spiritual faculties, and 
 see with its own spiritual eyes, and hear with its own 
 spiritual ears, and if we only plant the seed that even 
 fifty years later springs up into this wonderful tree 
 of knowledge, we shall feel that this work cannot be 
 measured in its value. It is spirit that will live in 
 
OF MEDIUM-SHIP 119 
 
 the words that are spoken, because back of them and 
 back of this work is spiritual power. 
 
 In this inspiration we find the angel of love that 
 is ever hovering above humanity seeking to raise 
 the consciousness of mankind that it may grasp this 
 truth and hold it high that it may be seen in all its 
 beauty and grandeur. 
 
 Men may search the highways and byways of life 
 — all the theories and creeds and social systems in 
 the universe — but so long as the welfare of human- 
 ity is measured by material or economic considera- 
 tions alone, and the problems of life weighed in the 
 scales not truly balanced by spiritual principles, 
 then will the reason be shown for the failure to 
 accomplish a true adjustment in the affairs of hu- 
 manity. The evils have grown since the beginning. 
 Ignorance is the cause of injustice. Selfishness pre- 
 vails in the struggle for existence. Ambition is the 
 legitimate result of selfishness — and in this confu- 
 sion of power and weakness the world has not been 
 able to see clearly into the cause and relief of unfor- 
 tunate situations. But the universe has its own 
 power within itself and within every condition to 
 adjust and save itself, for it is not of one quality 
 alone — matter — it is of spiritual essence that is pro- 
 gressionally interpenetrating all conditions, and, ac- 
 cording to its own law, bringing light into darkness 
 
120 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and opening the inner life to a knowledge of its 
 principles and its power, and its eternity. 
 
 Many grand and beautiful things have been ac- 
 complished through the material considerations, but 
 just so far as it lacks spiritual illumination, it fails 
 in just that degree to bring about the desired result. 
 Just so long as man is dense to spiritual light, just 
 so long will his true development be retarded. The 
 darkness is as real to his spiritual blindness as is 
 the density of granite walls to his natural eyes. 
 Until man extends himself beyond the limitations 
 he will continue to travel the same old paths, and 
 get no further from the selfhood of materialism. 
 This ignorance exists in all classes, in all people, 
 large and small, poor and rich, young and old, in 
 all nations and in all conditions. Life is viewed from 
 one circle — each standing at his own particular arc 
 or segment, but seeing only within the circle, and 
 not turning to look beyond the outer rim of its 
 boundary. Man possibly is not to blame for this — 
 he has been so engrossed by the material problem of 
 life that he has left his education to the minds of 
 those he considered qualified to teach, and placed 
 the care of his soul in the hands of priests and min- 
 isters who could generally assure him ease and re- 
 ward in the next existence. 
 
 But the mind of man will think for itself. It will 
 awake from ignorance, its own principles of progres- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 121 
 
 sion born of its own spiritual life will liberate man 
 so that he will find the right words and apply them 
 to the questions of life, and thus he will break from 
 the rule of injustice and set aside the selfish systems 
 and work toward his own soul freedom and the soul 
 freedom of every individual. Here and there in all 
 ages a few have been touched by the spiritual 
 inspiration, and these sensitive souls have been con- 
 scious of the spiritual laws, and realized that free- 
 dom was the birthright of every individual. If 
 they could have been given this freedom by the self- 
 made authorities, then they would have made this 
 truth a system for every life, and there would have 
 been no problem such as we are now considering. 
 These Deific principles would have breathed the life- 
 giving elements of self knowledge, of spiritual law, 
 of the freedom of every created soul, of the rights 
 of every individual to these laws into the conscious- 
 ness of all mankind, but instead of this has been 
 oppression and injustice and slavery and ignorance. 
 The great creative force of life is not known, and 
 it is as if men were walking with blinded eyes in a 
 world of sunshine. Even the sun worshippers gave 
 thought to the great form of life that sustained 
 them, and so knew they could not exist if there were 
 not matter created by spirit. Therefore there must 
 be a quality of spirit in our sunshine, so let us think 
 of that as spiritual, as well as material, power that 
 
122 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 is sustaining life and begin to harmonize ourselves 
 with Deity, and from these first principles go on 
 to the realization of the larger considerations. Let 
 us attract all of these life-giving elements of spirit 
 even as the earth attracts the vivifying rays of the 
 sun, and let us use this life for our own sustaining 
 power whereby we may be healed physically, men- 
 tally and truly harmonized with spirit. 
 
 Life is filled with everything. There is all that 
 man needs in all conditions and at all times, every- 
 thing that is adapted for his health, happiness and 
 prosperity — all that welfare can ask! Man was 
 born into this wonderful garden with everything to 
 supply his wants, everything to minister to his love 
 of beauty; into this he was born free — for God is 
 a God of Freedom. But man in his ignorance did 
 not know how to use this freedom, or allow others 
 the blessed gift of all gifts, his own self right — but 
 in his inexperience and immaturity has not ad- 
 vanced very far yet upon the broad highway of 
 knowledge, but has stumbled along in narrow paths 
 and deprived himself of much that was beautiful and 
 enjoyable. This is all very natural, all very much 
 in accord with progressive development, of learn- 
 ing through experience, and so from this ignorance 
 we know the flower of wisdom will blossom sooner 
 or later, and that man will seek to know more the 
 great life that is unfolding itself in the material 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 123 
 
 existence. The wonder is that the response does 
 not come more quickly. Man knows his own fail- 
 ure — he must recognize that his system is not a 
 success — or he would not complain of it — and he 
 should not blame God for the inequalities and the 
 bondage of life when God gave him Freedom. 
 
 Unfortunately the individuals who have seen be- 
 yond the limitations of any age, who have stepped 
 out in thought beyond the prescribed line, who have 
 sought to give freedom that men might be reformed, 
 who have called the world to awaken to truth, these 
 men who would bring more light to the world have 
 suffered the misunderstanding of the people, and 
 the hand that bears the torch has been struck down 
 by those that would live in darkness. 
 
 But we have stepped out of the limitations im- 
 posed by mankind, walk in the freedom of our own 
 lives, seeking light and truth, and the harmonization 
 that comes through spiritual law. Then do we have 
 power, and then do we have wisdom — and of this 
 power and wisdom do we give to the world healing 
 for the physical ills, healing for the social wounds, 
 healing for the suffering souls. 
 
 The science that is of Nature prefers to open 
 your eyes to a knowledge of your own power to an 
 understanding of the energy of life, that each one 
 may attract the life-giving force that is a part of his 
 spiritual equilibrium, and that makes his own har- 
 
124 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 mony of body and soul, and by this knowledge give 
 freely that the elements of perfect life may be 
 brought to the consciousness of the whole world. 
 This is the fulfillment of the law of life, the creative 
 universal force is equal to every need, and its truth 
 will solve every problem. This is the law of God. 
 Love it, control it for your own welfare, walk With 
 it as a brother and as a sister, live with it in peace, 
 act it in every expression, be conscious of it as the 
 natural law of life. 
 
 Then you will find yourself a part of life, not as 
 you now understand it, but made clear through the 
 spiritual light that is unlimited in height and depth 
 and breadth and penetration, for its illuminating 
 effect is universal. 
 
 This is yours to live today, not to wait until you 
 are thrust out into spirit, but to live it here as spirit, 
 and then when you open your eyes in that life you 
 have not only enjoyed its beauties and its truths 
 and its privileges and its power here, but you are 
 better fitted to enter into the fuller freedom of the 
 same laws and principles in the life that is there. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 125 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 A formal, customary prayer used for the masses is 
 of no value either to the one who makes it or the 
 ones who listen. Natural Science refers you to nat- 
 ural resources and to natural law, whereby you may 
 understand the uses of prayer, so through these prin- 
 ciples we must take into consideration the existing 
 conditions of life — of the individual and the source 
 of all life. 
 
 Why should there be any question as to the use 
 of prayer or as to its value and propriety since we 
 find that prayer has been a customary voluntary and 
 involuntary way of appeal to the Power outside the 
 realm of the world's immediate reach, through all the 
 ages. This would indicate that there is no doubt as 
 to the efficacy of prayer — that the results have not 
 
126 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 been in accord with the general understanding and 
 purpose of prayer. 
 
 It seems to us that the reason of this is that people 
 have been praying from their own lives as they have 
 been living them in a narrow, unenlightened ma- 
 terialistic sense, and that their prayers are a part of 
 their own conditions, and the result is that intellec- 
 tually it is of no benefit, and cannot reach the great 
 soul formation for it comes merely from the surface 
 of life and not from their own soul organism. 
 
 Thus prayer is just what man has made it, and 
 having made such petitions and lived in such con- 
 ditions, man inconsistently complains at the lack of 
 result of prayer, and is disappointed that the ex- 
 pected answer is not a realization. So he becomes 
 almost an infidel, unbelieving in spiritual things be- 
 cause they are not manifested according to his dark 
 and narrow thought. He simply has not received the 
 things he hoped for — and not seeing the great prin- 
 ciples of cause and effect as they are interwoven in 
 every condition of life, he becomes doubtful of any 
 purpose or design or immortal destiny in life, and 
 feels that it is all a bewildering maze of blind chance 
 or destiny — and continues on in more materialistic 
 efforts. We see that this is error, and that accord- 
 ing to Nature it is impossible to receive something 
 we have cut ourselves out from by our own forms of 
 thought and ways of life. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 127 
 
 It is only justice that we do not receive what we 
 thus ask — and we would turn the mind to the great 
 spirit life that lives in all forms and that permeates 
 all things, and in this way open the door of God's 
 divine laws of spiritual truth that the question may 
 be solved, and the answer brought home. Then 
 shall we find the spirit self freed and liberated from 
 the conditions that made it powerless by its material 
 conceptions, and then shall the soul rise to heights 
 within man and flood his thought with spirituality in 
 such a prayer that he will no longer question, but in 
 the mirror of life — in the dancing waters — will see the 
 reflected life of Deity and will receive his answer. 
 Such a prayer means that man is reaching to the 
 heights to be sustained and assisted to better the ma- 
 terial conditions that have held him in darkness. 
 
 Such a prayer grows out from the spirit self to co- 
 operate with the great souls from the higher life, and 
 to receive that Deific spirit that comes from the 
 heights whose truth is everlasting and can meet the 
 requirements of every life. 
 
 This prayer is a prayer from the soul-self and it 
 vibrates with the mighty power of God's wisdom and 
 love. Then is the soul-self an instrument whose 
 inner being rings out in harmonious tone from the 
 organism of the one who prays and its sweet melo- 
 dies are felt by all who listen. Its ascension to the 
 higher altitudes is felt by all who come in reach of 
 
128 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 its beautiful atmosphere. This is the true prayer of 
 the life of spirituality that is no longer drumming 
 away on the density of man's material corruption, no 
 longer is it a prayer that is merely pleasing to the 
 minds of the selfish or flattering to the ambitions of 
 those who wish to be powerful in material pleasures. 
 This prayer is the angel of love that you will feel in 
 your consciousness. Its waves of inspiring wisdom 
 will be felt, and the sweet peace of its love will per- 
 meate every atom of your material organism; the 
 sunshine of eternal life will pour upon you as an es- 
 sence of life that is passing through the gateway of 
 your own being, because your soul-self has reached 
 out into the universe of angels and has called for 
 their help — called for the interblending of their life 
 with yours, called for their assistance to cleanse the 
 atmosphere that is dense and stifling to your con- 
 sciousness, and through which your own higher prin- 
 ciple does not make its way without the power of the 
 arisen loved ones. 
 
 Thus we find in the sacredness of such a prayer 
 the answer that is according to its knowledge, ac- 
 cording to the great spiritual laws of life, according 
 to the perception of truth, and according to the sin- 
 cerity of the individual for such possibilities; then 
 will the answer come home to you and yours because 
 in the questions as to the benefit of prayer the reply 
 must come through the great natural-spiritual law 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 129 
 
 for the interblending of Deific force and life that can 
 
 permeate all forms and penetrate all things, and 
 illuminate all darkness, and lift all men to a higher 
 realization of spiritual principles. 
 
 So would I impress upon your minds the sacred- 
 ness of this beautiful, radiant gateway that opens 
 your life, and that is the entrance through which is 
 received the ever-living principles that you would in- 
 vite into your consciousness. 
 
 Your own soul asks as it feels the need of being 
 strengthened, supported, sustained and nourished by 
 a higher spirituality than you see about you, that you 
 may grow from a babe to a wonderfully developed 
 power within yourself, that you may become well 
 poised, independent, that you may gain for yourself 
 the power out of the life elements that you attract 
 through this radiant gateway, that you may control 
 every action, every motion of your life materially and 
 mentally; that no longer will you be struggling in 
 the narrowness of material ideals and opinions, no 
 longer feel the weakness of an unsupported material- 
 istic life without the spirit, no longer feel the dark- 
 ened hours of despair and loneliness, disheartened 
 because the radiant fields of life do not appear to you 
 in your saddened hours, but you will feel yourself 
 beaming with the sunshine of God's love flowing in 
 through this radiant gateway in answer to the call 
 of the spirit of your own life, and after you have be- 
 
130 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 come a strong, spiritual character greater reward 
 shall be yours because you are surging out on the 
 great deeps of life, you are reaching out to the great 
 source of refinement, to the heights of the ethereal 
 atmosphere that is the strongest power that prevails 
 in any form of life, and you have gained for yourself 
 through prayer this wisdom and peace and love that 
 shall live with you every hour, every day as long as 
 life is, and that lasts throughout eternity. 
 
 So in this thought of prayer we find the spirit of 
 prayer. This is the only kind of prayer that God 
 answers, for this is in accord with his wonderful con- 
 structive life, according to the beautiful life that is 
 more merciful to man than man could ever make life 
 for himself. 
 
 This conception of prayer and its manner of an- 
 swer could not be thrust on man in his ignorance; he 
 could not behold it in its true significance, he would 
 not understand its uses at all, — so until the world has 
 felt the power of a true spiritual reaching out into 
 the universe for universal benefits for the unselfish 
 needs of all mankind, it must go on in ignorance of 
 the true life and prayer and receive only the kind of 
 answers that the prayer can bring. Nothing from 
 nothing leaves nothing! 
 
 But when we find mere form drifting away on the 
 seas of time and men awaken to the consciousness of 
 spiritual baptism that comes from purity of thought, 
 
OF MEDIUM SHIP 131 
 
 that comes from a desire for the welfare of all, with- 
 out an atom of personal selfishness or wish for per- 
 sonal gain, when this is felt, and when the world 
 reaches this condition when man shall realize he is 
 living in the great ethereal love of God's great pulsat- 
 ing heart, when man knows he is calling upon the 
 higher sources for the advance of his own spiritual 
 welfare of all mankind, when he sees before his 
 vision like a revelation of life all the power that flows 
 from the spiritual sources for spiritual unfoldment, 
 then the bars that are stronger than prison bars — 
 the bars of selfishness that have confined his spiritual 
 faculties — those bars will be broken and his spirit 
 will leap from within its little dwelling place to the 
 heights of life where he may see the great picture of 
 life, and sense the great soul magnet whose waves of 
 love and truth are so powerful that he is lifted into a 
 closer union, and realizes a larger power for unself- 
 ishness, a greater knowledge of love and tenderness 
 that harmonizes within himself from these beautiful 
 conditions. 
 
 Prayer will fall as the windfall from the apple trees 
 when these grand truths have been unveiled from 
 darkness and prayer will be known as the greatest 
 blessing, as the guardian angel that will guard and 
 guide thee most tenderly; then there will be no more 
 inquiries, no more questions as to the use and benefit 
 of prayer, but mankind being freed from error, un- 
 
132 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 folded to larger and stronger beings, realize the 
 flower of purity that has unfolded within their life, 
 and know that its perfume will penetrate every ma- 
 terial organism, and that every soul will be seen, and 
 known and treasured by all who come in touch with 
 the ennobled beings. 
 
 This is the prayer of God. This is the connecting 
 link between you and the Deific self and these are the 
 great waves of spirit power that live in all space and 
 are the Deific principles and properties of the whole 
 universe. This is the law of cause and effect, of 
 asking and receiving. 
 
 This unveils all the mysteries in man's life. This 
 answers all questions in man's life. This has inter- 
 blended the avenues of his own spirit life in its ascen- 
 sion to the fountain of souls that is flowing, har- 
 moniously singing the sweet, love songs of the 
 angels. Then will no more questions be asked about 
 prayer — it will be seen and known for what it has 
 proven itself to be — and for what it is known to ac- 
 complish. 
 
 It stands as a thing of purity — it is the open gate- 
 way through which messages come that stimulate 
 and uplift the spirituality — it is a controlling influ- 
 ence in your life. This will be seen as a spiritual 
 vision by all who have opened their spiritual eyes, 
 and will be felt by all who have opened their spir- 
 itual faculties, their character will be known for its 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 133 
 
 spiritual unfoldment, it will be seen as the beautiful 
 gateway of the soul-self that has been the asker of 
 heavenly realities, it will be known as the true peti- 
 tioner of prayer. The interblending of such lives for 
 such noble truths will make the universe a likeness of 
 the celestial spheres. This was the first prayer of 
 man — and now we have reached the height where it 
 is the prayer of the universe — the prayer of angels 
 bowing in reverence to God the creator of all life, 
 all being — that has baptized all things with his love 
 and his purity. 
 
OF MEDIUM-SHIP 135 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LOVE. 
 
 Love is a universal principle that lives in all the 
 phases and expressions of life — its source is God, to 
 whom we refer as Love! 
 
 To deal justly with this subject it is necessary to 
 refer to the laws of life as they reveal themselves in 
 the material, mental, and spiritual expressions, and 
 in this consideration we must be most charitable 
 and kind so far as the mistakes and shortcomings 
 are concerned, for we find in every human being 
 many qualities of love, and different degrees and man- 
 ifestations of this principle according to the individ- 
 ual temperament and development. 
 
 There is the spiritual love which reaches out into 
 the universe of life to all living souls, and which has 
 justice and kindness in its brotherly and sisterly un- 
 selfishness and there is the opposite of this in the 
 selfishness that would claim all benefits for self, 
 
136 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and gather in for personal use whatever there is in 
 life that seems desirable for individual use and com- 
 fort. 
 
 The person who dwells only in the materialistic 
 phase of life accepts the material standard in all 
 things, and has not awakened to the spiritual sig- 
 nificance of any of the great moving principles of 
 life that have their origin in love. Their mentality 
 is material, so it is impossible for them to conceive 
 of anything that pertains to life, except in a very 
 limited and narrow way. The higher impulses are 
 stifled and obstructed, therefore their material, sel- 
 fish lives cannot be sweetened and illumined by the 
 life principle that is of itself beauty and light. There 
 is much that is destructive that has come through 
 such people — the innocent suffer at their hands, for 
 this is the natural result that comes from the malic- 
 ious, the selfish, the ignorant, when associated with 
 the spiritual love which is purity, and can only 
 mean sadness to both who are concerned. 
 
 There is another step down the ladder of life 
 which is more serious, more sad, than this of the 
 merely selfish element, and that is the one in which 
 we find the person has fallen so far below the nar- 
 row, selfish love that he is isolated from even that 
 expression, and becomes within himself a monster, 
 incapable of appreciating anything in life that is 
 elevating or refining, and having known only sel- 
 
OF MEDIUM-SHIP 137 
 
 fishness and the disillusions of the material ideals, 
 after losing sight of even the chance of selfish gain, 
 grasps at lust and calls this love — which is the 
 greatest insult that could be brought to this divine 
 life. 
 
 We find this creature with no love for anything 
 of an upward tendency, with no love for even their 
 own development, no love for the furtherance of 
 any cause of righteousness, no love for growth, no 
 love for anything higher than the condition in which 
 they have fallen by their own acts, and by their own 
 acts they have welded their heart on the anvil of 
 their own injustice so it has become too hard for 
 any love that may exist on any higher plane of life 
 than the one they are living in. 
 
 Let us look at the truer expressions as we reach 
 out into the grand universe of life and love, for we 
 find that in its principle love is the purest element 
 that exists. It is the beautiful life that moves the 
 whole universe. 
 
 Wherever there is love in the soul of man, then 
 are his highest aspirations carried out, for he rec- 
 ognizes the spirituality of his own being, and thus 
 finds the highest element the soul is heir to. This 
 is the great fountain that flows through the men- 
 tality and permeates the whole life with the ele- 
 ments that compose its own life — it means the up- 
 ward tendency of all souls, the expression of all 
 
138 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 that is good and true. If at any time this love spirit 
 feels the need of support, of being sustained and 
 strengthened to larger possibilities of life it reaches 
 out into the universe to draw to itself from that 
 beautiful fountain from God's ever-flowing and 
 everlasting source of love, that will refresh and re- 
 plenish and baptize your own spirituality with a 
 larger, deeper, stronger, fuller understanding, fuller 
 knowledge, greater wisdom and higher love to just 
 that degree of beauty and charity that the individ- 
 ual can receive and is able to radiate it to all souls 
 that it may be felt by all friends and associates as a 
 love for truth, a love for justice, a love for right, a 
 love to lift upward all who are lower down, and 
 bring them to a realization of the power and glory 
 of Love. 
 
 This love element, as we find it in the universe, 
 seems to cement the very atoms of life — it is a part 
 of every building process, it is the magnet of all 
 attractions, it is the great force in the movement of 
 the solar systems, of all the agitations of mankind, 
 of every thought that brings new methods of work, 
 it is the life of all that is beautiful in art, in poetry, 
 in industry, in anything that is ennobling and for 
 the welfare of the world. 
 
 It is the greatest defense of life, for it is the pro- 
 tecting power that exists; it is the spirit of mercy 
 for those less unfolded in the true expressions, and 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 139 
 
 in the consciousness of every individual speaks 
 sooner or later and leads him into the truth and 
 the wisdom of all that is good. 
 
 Oh, that the spiritual faculties could be opened 
 to see these spiritual guides of the affections ! But 
 man has so turned his back on the spiritual and 
 maintained only the material that he has ignored 
 his own best self, and lost his opportunities for 
 greater happiness through his selfish loves, his love 
 of wealth, his selfish love of power, his love to build 
 monuments that are of this world, his love of mas- 
 tery over the ignorant has made his life cold and 
 dark and distressed and destructive. But if he could 
 only be awakened to the true element of spirituality 
 that his eyes could behold love, if he could see this 
 as it permeats every portion of life, and remolds it 
 into beauty, and sweetens it with the untiring, eter- 
 nal love elements, then he would forsake the selfish 
 love, and soar out into the universe and become at 
 peace and know the happiness that the heights pour in 
 upon his soul. This is a love that never forsakes 
 you; it is your protector, your adviser, the beauti- 
 ful angel of light and truth and wisdom that can 
 lead you out from the densest darkness into the ra- 
 diant pathway that leads you upward to the heights 
 of purity and truth. When you feel this love rush- 
 ing over you, when this fills you, then the master 
 minds are inspiring you to the unfoldment of your 
 
140 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 own love character, and this is the highest type of 
 love that can live in the heart of man. This will 
 ever shine forth and radiate your face as you meet 
 your brother man and sister woman, as you give 
 your protecting hand to the unfortunate and reach 
 out to the little children who are wandering, un- 
 cared for, and gather them into a more favorable 
 condition. This love travels from mind to mind 
 and touches the soul. It plants its seed in the heart 
 of every man and woman and springs up into pre- 
 cious flower ten-fold in loveliness. From this will 
 come understanding — and you will draw all men 
 unto you. Some will wonder, some will misunder- 
 stand, and some will understand for their spiritual 
 sense has felt that love element as they grope to- 
 ward the light and power that may illumine and sus- 
 tain them in their dark hours. 
 
 Let this thought of love and purity sink deep in 
 your consciousnessness and find its lodging place 
 and live with you. This is the balancing power that 
 always advises you aright. It places you on a seat 
 of justice and makes you just. You listen to the 
 still small voice of love that speaks in your soul, 
 and you respond with the harmonious tones that 
 key themselves to all that is sweet and enduring. 
 Love is characterized by delicacy and all that is 
 etheral in appearance, yet its power is inconceivable. 
 
 I ask you here tonight to join hands in express- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 141 
 
 ing this spiritual conception of love that it may be 
 born anew to earth, that we may gather from the 
 unseen teachers the inspiration to treasure love in 
 its purity and beauty and frangrance; that we shall 
 hold it in our grasp that its essence of love elements 
 nourish us, that its light will shine in our darkness, 
 and its life accompany us in our loneliness, that we 
 may give this to the world that the war of ignor- 
 ance (not made by God, but by the ignorance of 
 man) may be quelled and that peace may result; 
 and that light and life and power will force its way 
 into every condition, and that the ignorant souls 
 living in the worldly passions may be permeated 
 with the diviner impulses and see the destruction 
 that comes of selfishness. 
 
 This is the most merciful truth that could be con- 
 sidered by human souls. May the angel of love 
 chisel its way through the hardened conditions of 
 material life and with its arrow sharpened with 
 tender love, pierce the hearts of all such that they 
 may bleed at the revelation of such disaster, and 
 may turn and be face to face with the angel of love 
 who shall point the way to the universal expression 
 of the love elements that there may be growth and 
 unfoldment and wisdom; — that those lonely, dark- 
 ened souls may start on their pathway with hearts 
 lifted to the truth, and though the hill be hard to 
 climb they shall find palms of victory waving along 
 
142 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 their journey, and at last discern the beckoning 
 hands of the angels of love in this earth life, that 
 are showing them the way to higher impulses and 
 more ennobling love, until at the end of the journey 
 they see the heights and can gaze on the fountain 
 of love, whose pure waters are baptizing the world 
 and cleansing every atom from the solar spheres 
 to the planet earth — this love that holds in its em- 
 brace all that is of eternal truth and goodness. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 143 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE VOICE OF SILENCE. 
 
 We are standing at the gateway of Heaven listen- 
 ing with our spiritual consciousness to the voice of 
 silence, the voice of the universe. We have now 
 entered into the silence which is immeasurable, in- 
 conceivable in all its manifestations. It is the 
 throbbing of God's love in the spiritual conscious- 
 ness of every soul, both seen and unseen, in the 
 universe. 
 
 That which is expressed only by the material 
 voice are the external things of life, usually express- 
 ing the superficial things and thus are limited in their 
 expression as these do not harmonize spiritually 
 with the great voice of silence. 
 
 As we surge out into the mighty deeps of silence 
 we drift out into the breadths of unlimited life that 
 expresses itself for higher spirituality through the 
 transmission of the truth of the soul. The voice of 
 
144 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 silence is mighty in its power because it carries with 
 it the universal spirit of life that not only expresses 
 itself in man, but lives in every manifestation of 
 life. Its expression is so refined, so sensitive, so 
 luminous that it is filled and illumined by the radia- 
 tions of the highest expression of all life and power 
 that the materialist does not understand nor see, 
 and is, therefore, ignorant of it, and so he lives in 
 the shadow of life instead of in its wonderful light. 
 
 He is living in the weaker side, the negative con- 
 dition of life, and is thus limited in all of his con- 
 ceptions, and has only that which the earth offers 
 without the interblending of the spirituality that is 
 spoken by the voice that has never been heard by 
 the mortal ear of man, for it speaks with the still 
 small voice in the language of Deity to the soul. 
 
 This expressive voice and its beautiful tone, un- 
 heard except in the silence of spirit, has been the 
 causation of all material existence, yet man has not 
 received its true life, not become powerful through 
 it because he has not opened the gateway of heaven 
 to himself, which is the gateway of his own spiritu- 
 ality out from his material self, and so has drawn 
 the line that severs himself from that which feeds 
 every living thing that ever was created, and he 
 continues to live under the influence of the past 
 interpretations of his earthly heritage. 
 
 We would call his attention to the limitless con- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 145 
 
 ditions, not with the voice of censure, but with the 
 language of love that we may open his conscious- 
 ness to hear the music that is ever vibrating in the 
 universe, by the voice that ever speaks throughout 
 immensity, and is in harmony with the angels of the 
 higher life, that he, too, may sense with his spiritual 
 faculties the vibrations that are ever reaching out 
 through the great universe, permeating and pene- 
 trating all materialism, that it may awaken the soul 
 to receive this divine harmony and become attuned 
 to its sweet, melodious wisdom. 
 
 These vibrations are but evidences of this voice 
 that is not spoken by material tongue. Its great 
 waves are carried through the world and felt by all 
 sensitives and interpreted by all souls capable of 
 receiving the silent language of life that not only is 
 guiding the great onward movements of progres- 
 sion, but is holding the planets in their orbits and 
 encircling your own physical organism by the radia- 
 tions of the soul, that each one may be brought in 
 harmony with the spirituality of his own being. 
 This attunement means the at-one-ment with the 
 great life that you may find in its immensity every- 
 thing your intelligence is capable of receiving. 
 
 Thus we find that the voice of silence is not a 
 plastic voice of the material vocal organs, or a lan- 
 guage spoken to suit the narrowness of a one-sided 
 life. It is that great voice of justice, it is that great 
 
146 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 voice of power, it is that great voice of love with its 
 tender ethereal breath that is wafted out in the uni- 
 verse to you and to me. It is the most powerful 
 because it gives us the highest conception of life. 
 It cannot be heard by the material ear, but as we 
 reach out into the universe of silence can we not 
 sense our spiritual consciousness reaching out into 
 the wonderful expansiveness of life? Do we not 
 find ourselves forgetting self, losing self-conscious- 
 ness, as it were, and with the awakening of self to 
 its true consciousness find ourselves coming back, 
 coming back — coming back to the soul center which 
 has been out into the great unseen to commune in 
 this silence when material voices are not heard and 
 all utterance is still. It is in this stillness, in this 
 quietude of life, when you find yourself alone with 
 yourself, that God is consciously present and 
 throughout the ages has repeated the command: 
 "Be still and know that I am God!" 
 
 Under these conditions you find yourself rising 
 to the heights within you. You find your soul ris- 
 ing because you have closed the natural portals and 
 opened the portals of silence, and you hear, as if 
 whispered from the distance, this voice of gentle- 
 ness as it speaks softly to you. You may think at 
 first because of its very gentleness that you mis- 
 interpret it, but it is always the strongest that is the 
 most refined, it is the most powerful that is the 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 147 
 
 most ethereal, it is the most persuasive because it 
 is the most loving, for it is only through love that 
 you can win any real victory, and in the silence of 
 that hour, and in the presence of yourself can you 
 not assert the strongest love that has ever been 
 asserted? You find that through the law of attrac- 
 tion when you have sent that thought of love you 
 are drawing back to yourself tenfold of all you gave, 
 and in that silence of eternal life you have sent your 
 highest love a messenger and you receive what 
 speaks in the very soul of man. 
 
 As a man thinketh, so is he! Man has been think- 
 ing too long through the avenues of the negative 
 condition of the material life. He has been thinking 
 too long and building too many idols of material 
 construction which sooner or later must fall before 
 his vision. He has with pleasure and ambition built 
 them because he has been ignorant of the result of 
 such labor. To him they are the most beautiful 
 idols he can conceive of, and he has hewed it as a 
 sculptor would hew with chisel and hammer, stroke 
 upon stroke, watching his idol take shape and ex- 
 pression, molding and forming, year after year, and 
 when he is nearly ready to bow down and worship 
 the work of his hands, his idol falls before his gaze 
 and he finds himself stunned and staggered by the 
 calamity, for he thought it was going to be some- 
 thing his selfish life would always have to worship, 
 
148 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 that in this he would always find it a wonderful 
 work, but in its fall his dreams are shattered, and 
 he, too, is almost dashed down on the rocks of such 
 disaster, to find himself awakened from his dream 
 of material purposes, haunted by the disillusions of 
 the past, he opens his eyes to behold the worthlessness 
 of his idol, and after suffering the penality of his 
 own ignorance, he totters to a resting place and 
 there sits alone with the voice of silence that at last 
 he must listen to. Out of this great unseen he finds 
 the restorative that is ever penetrating and per- 
 meating the life elements with vigor and with power, 
 illumining every experience, and in the quietude of 
 the silence, away from the clatter of materialism, he 
 reviews the situation. He has learned his lesson. 
 He has tasted of the fruits of good and of evil. He 
 sees both sides of life. He has opened his spiritual 
 consciousness humbly and meekly to the great laws 
 of life that solve every question. Here he is fed by 
 that everlasting food that lives throughout eternity. 
 Here he is nourished as a mother would nourish her 
 child, and out of this silence he is led by the voice 
 of the soul and is filled with wisdom and love, and 
 he realizes that he has been corrected by the princi- 
 ples of life in Nature, and he follows the light that 
 radiates from the silence, and in place of the tears 
 and distress, there is now gladness and rejoicing as 
 he looks back on his fallen idol and knows its worth- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 149 
 
 lessness. His lessons learned in sadness are as 
 jewels placed upon a string, now shining forth from 
 the unseen life to be possessed by his own conscious- 
 ness. Now they are as beacon lights — and he bows 
 in reverence to the angel of silence that revealed 
 his true treasures, and he joins with this angel in 
 thanksgiving to the great giver of all light that is 
 capable of giving all human souls all that is needed 
 and all that can be conceived of, and bring to that 
 soul that has found the beautiful, radiant gateway 
 of silence, heaven on earth. Thus he has become a 
 spirit in mortal form, a spiritual man, not lost in 
 ignorance and superstition, but found in the glory 
 of eternal wisdom and light — bathed in this foun- 
 tain of silence that flows to all mankind. This voice 
 of silence thrills every heart. Then are the ques- 
 tions answered, not by the voice of man in the ma- 
 terialistic world, but answered by that glorious voice 
 of silence that speaks in the heart and soul of all 
 who are led to seek it. This beautiful fountain is 
 ever flowing with love and spirituality and truth. 
 It is ever stimulating man with justice, with sincerity 
 of purpose, with firmness to stand for right, with 
 fearlessness for truth; it is never shattered nor 
 jarred by the opinion of the world; it is never influ- 
 enced by the demons of the materialistic conditions, 
 hut firmer than steel forged by the smith, welded by 
 the silences of life, it has been molded and formed 
 
150 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 into wisdom ; it is born in the deeps of the conscious- 
 ness soothed by the bosom of love of Deific princi- 
 ple that always speaks and is manifested in the 
 golden hour of silence. 
 
 Thus the erring one conquered over death. Thus 
 he was victorious over material conditions and be- 
 came universal in principle, saved, not lost — be- 
 cause he found himself! 
 
 He became the highest type of humanity, made 
 and attuned to harmony, fitted to live and play his 
 part in the great symphony of the universe. All 
 has been accomplished by the great giver, the great 
 molder, by the great power of the voice that speaks 
 only as the voice of silence. This is the voice heard 
 by the angels as they respond in harmony and sing 
 the praises of the Infinite wisdom. These universal 
 melodies will throb in the hearts of every individual. 
 These principles never die, but grow larger, nobler, 
 stronger, kinder because of their ever-living, ever- 
 lasting divine qualities of truth and love. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 151 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE UNKNOWN. 
 
 Almighty God of the Universe, Thou art here and 
 everywhere. We are a part of Thee, and Thou art 
 a part of us. 
 
 Tonight we launch our bark on the great unknown 
 that we have here opened our spiritual consciousness 
 to, that we might have more knowledge of thy life. We 
 have closed the door of our material life because we 
 realize the limited possibilities of this physical life 
 and we would harmonize the mental and the soul self 
 which is the great light between our consciousness 
 and the great light that has been unknown to the 
 materialist who is absorbed by the earth life. 
 
 We find ourselves being uplifted into a brighter, 
 yet softer illumination where all is light and life — 
 where there is no darkness, but one eternal day. We 
 find ourselves under these conditions harmonizing 
 with this great light of the universe. We find our 
 
152 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 hearts throbbing with its glowing and glorifying 
 radiance which fills all souls. We awaken to a 
 greater realization of our oneness with all life, and 
 we look back to review the hours that have been 
 passed in the earthly journeyings and we find that 
 all have been as a great lesson. There is nothing to 
 look back upon that is arbitrary and given by author- 
 ity, nothing to look back upon that can compare with 
 what we are receiving, but that we may comprehend 
 and to better realize that we are a part of the unpro- 
 gressed life, and with this knowledge of the great 
 processes of the everlasting life and everlasting love 
 we can understand how we have found our way up 
 through the thicket and are standing in the universal 
 light, love, and truth of all that the experiences in 
 life mean for us. 
 
 This review is but to awaken us to see with keener 
 vision, and to realize the great unknown and to sense 
 the great refinement of its delicacy and beauty. Even 
 though it has been thought to be so ethereal by the 
 inquiring minds of earth, yet it is more tangible in 
 every respect than the earth life. 
 
 We find ourselves surrounded by the beauties of 
 this wonderful garden of the heights where in the 
 unfolding of flowers we find them not as they appear 
 in the earthly life, but far more progressed, and such 
 is their phase of life and stage of existence that these 
 flowers are formed as beautiful faces that are thus 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 153 
 
 molded by the all-wise plan of Deity through the 
 change and interchange of elements, and by the pro- 
 gression in this form of life that exists for the flow- 
 ers, they have attained a condition far more perfect 
 than any of their expressions in the material life. 
 There is intelligence in their beautiful faces, and as 
 you look closely there comes to you a recognition in 
 the smile they give you, and their fragrance goes out 
 to all who love it and who express their love for the 
 flower, because of their intelligence they have full 
 control of their life, and they radiate beauty in just 
 the way they are experiencing the great law of life 
 and of those in harmony with it. 
 
 This type of life is not living without progression. 
 We speak as we see, we speak as we know, and yet 
 this is unknown to many thousands and who dis- 
 believe the revelations that come through the 
 sources of light and truth. In the presence of God 
 and the angels we declare this that we now behold. 
 
 In this beautiful garden of this sphere we find that 
 the birds are more beautiful in their plumage, more 
 intelligent in their life because they, too, have pro- 
 gressed up from more material conditions to this 
 spiritual expression; they have sung their praises to 
 Deity so sweetly when man has been in need of their 
 thrilling notes, and so he has been lifted out of sad- 
 ness by their songs in the forest, and many a soul 
 has taken courage and inspiration from these little 
 
154 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 messengers of the infinite love, and has found his 
 way into the universal harmonies through the melo- 
 dies poured forth from the soul of the bird. 
 
 We find them intelligent, and manifesting love, 
 harmonizing their lives together in unison with the 
 great symphony of life, responding to the call of 
 Deific law, ready to respond to us when we request 
 their music, giving their thoughts to human souls, 
 and still singing the praise of Deity, still singing the 
 laws of life and manifesting their beautiful adaptation 
 in the great universal order of life. 
 
 The birds and the flowers are loved and under- 
 stood by the souls in this sphere, as together the_y 
 progress in harmonious interblending of love and 
 wisdom. 
 
 We find the trees have an existence here. This is 
 not a barren life — it is a life of color and music and 
 verdure more beautiful than any material expression, 
 for it is spiritual — the progressed spirituality of that 
 which has lived on earth and has ascended in ethereal 
 essences to become a part of the great unknown. 
 
 The trees have been a welcome refreshment to 
 mankind in their toil and heat of the day, and the 
 shade of the leaf-covered branches has been an im- 
 portant part of their mission in life. But that is not 
 all, as you may have thought when these leaves have 
 fallen and nature has sunk into the stillness and sleep 
 of the changing season, and their sturdy forms decay 
 
OF MEDIUMS-HIP 155 
 
 and break down as the years of storm and sun beat 
 upon them. They have become worn out from their 
 toil and labor — and die — but they are not lost; we 
 find the spiritual expression goes on just the same, 
 and in the higher spheres has become more beauti- 
 ful, more refreshing, more graceful, its waving 
 branches in harmony with the great unseen life of 
 Deity, a harmony with the great souls who are pass- 
 ing by and linger in the soft shadow of their trans- 
 parent foliage. 
 
 Thus we find all the forms of life that have pro- 
 gressed through the material uses, for their spiritual 
 essences live on and on. 
 
 There is no death! All is life! We are surrounded 
 with these beautiful refreshments of form and color 
 and melody, and their delicacy thrills and feeds our 
 lives, and makes a more perfect harmonization in 
 every form of life. The flowers, the grasses, the 
 trees, the waters, and the landscapes, the birds and 
 the atmospheres, all that we find, all that we meet, 
 all that we see, reveal the perfect harmony that is 
 never marred by discord, because through Time and 
 the great law of life everything has unfolded these 
 beauties and these melodies, your soul has grown 
 into its nobler expression, and discord has gravitated 
 to its lower plane there to play its educating part 
 until it is wholly outgrown — for there is no oppor- 
 tunity in this sphere for anything to enter or to exist 
 
156 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 that is not harmonious. All this beauty fills your 
 whole consciousness, and you find it impossible to 
 ask for anything more — yet there is still the inner 
 burning love in your breast for still more knowl- 
 edge, still the onward movement to add more power, 
 still more strength, still more activity, still more life 
 to the great universe of life, for you are a part of it, 
 and as you become more advanced in all your won- 
 derful manifestations are you not adding to the 
 wheels of life that are turning and turning ever on- 
 ward, and becoming ever stronger because of the 
 great responsibility that you play, that is your part 
 in the universe? You do not forget the souls left 
 behind. !Your own lessons in this first experience 
 are ever before you, not because of their sadness, 
 not because of their disappointments, but because 
 through these wonderful lessons given you by ex- 
 perience you have gained your life, your character, 
 your glorification, your freedom. God's love is lim- 
 itless in all its possibilities, and because of this you 
 turn and think backward to the life of earth, and 
 you can know and remember your hours of wan- 
 dering in darkness and ignorance, your uncertainties 
 and your mistakes, and you sense the suffering that 
 comes from those limited conditions that were the 
 environments of your ancestry because of the past 
 teachings of material life — that were of earth and 
 not of spirit — and as you now know the truth, and 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 157 
 
 so your soul reaches down to your brother man and 
 sister woman and you realize the sacredness of the 
 life living in them, you realize that each one is a 
 soul entity, their light dimmed only because of the 
 material density around them, their expression re- 
 stricted because of the small space that confines 
 them, the ignorance that keeps the soul in slavery 
 because it is not privileged to exercise its own beau- 
 tiful rights, and so you desire to become a greater 
 power — not for self, but as a great and wonderful 
 magnet of spirituality, and with hands outstretched 
 to the suffering you send a ray from your own soul 
 that reaches the hearts of men and they feel a spirit- 
 ual unrest, a desire for more knowledge of that 
 which is beyond the grave. You are not standing 
 alone, but thousands of souls on that same plane 
 with you are working with you, not in sadness but 
 in gladness and in the glory of truth. 
 
 Thus you are glorified as you work to lift up 
 those lower down, and advance that part of life in 
 Deity. Your assistance is needed in all these ex- 
 pressions and you are a part of God and the heights 
 of life because you have been molded and formed 
 by deeds and acts that are inspired by love of truth, 
 and in this you are helped by those still higher and 
 you go on in your own soul's progression in the 
 discharge of your duties in universal life. 
 In every sphere you find life a great stage, and 
 
158 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 you have your part to play, and as you are in har- 
 mony with yourself you are in harmony with your 
 loved ones, in harmony with the angels who have 
 gone on still higher. . . . 
 
 We can see from the heights a light that shows 
 itself as a jewel of indescribable brightness glowing 
 with life, the symbol of a great center of powerful 
 radiations — even then as a jewel cut in a most artis- 
 tic form, almost inconceivable, inexpressible, as it 
 throbs and pulsates with all the eternal principles 
 of life — yet my spirit consciousness is open to this 
 great vision, this wonderful revelation of the soul 
 center of the heights, this mighty concentration of 
 power, whose rays are too penetrating to be re- 
 sisted by any formation. Language cannot explain 
 this grandeur and beauty and power. The material 
 understanding is not conscious of this spiritual ex- 
 pression. Here I see thousands of arisen souls 
 bowing in reverence to this great illuminating life- 
 giving power — and among those near this soul cen- 
 ter there is one whose characteristics and bearing 
 seems to me from all appearances to be Jesus — 
 bowing humbly to this luminous radiance, within 
 this life center, so beautiful in all its effects, intelli- 
 gent beyond my comprehension or any man's un- 
 derstanding. This intelligence searches into every 
 portion of life, and every form of life — its light is 
 felt in the very soul of all life, in all entities, and all 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 159 
 
 souls on every plane, its sight can penetrate 
 throughout every sphere (for it is as the eye of the 
 whole universe), its vision is limitless, and matter 
 cannot obstruct its rays. Within this great soul 
 center is known all the workings of life from the 
 lowest form, and the darkened condition to the 
 highest development, because this is the great 
 center of spirit. I see no personal God — but this 
 light as the fountain of truth and love. It is re- 
 freshing to all mankind. It is upbuilding to all 
 mankind. It is the great life that attracts all things 
 unto itself in its own likeness and spirituality. It 
 is the life that lives in all forms of material life. It 
 is the causation of all existence in every sphere, 
 every manifestation — and every expression and 
 manifestation is a part of this great life. 
 
 While I have been speaking I have been told by 
 this wonderful character, Jesus, that it is impossible 
 to know the real inner working, the real inner ex- 
 pression, the real inner essence of this great center, 
 but that I was privileged and blessed with this op- 
 portunity to express all that is possible now, from 
 what I saw, and from what I sense, and from what 
 I know, and that the blessing revealed from this 
 vision will be a new book, a new ray of truth, a 
 new thought in life for the salvation and the re- 
 deeming of more lives from superstition and from 
 
160 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the enslavement that is the result of material den- 
 sity and ignorance. 
 
 As we turn to mankind in the earth life, we would 
 say in all love, and all charity, and all reverence to 
 the most humble one struggling alone, even to those 
 held by conditions seemingly unbearable and be- 
 yond human endurance, well may you turn your 
 faces to truth and smile — not because of your pres- 
 ent suffering, but because of the great work it is 
 doing in your life. It is hewing and breaking down 
 conditions that have been gathering for years in 
 your life, conditions more powerful than could ever 
 be molded by muscle and sinew of man, and be- 
 cause of this power of inner experience you are hew- 
 ing your way, and forming your conscious-self until 
 the light within will be touched more powerfully by 
 this light above from the soul center, and your own 
 life will be liberated and will shine forth and will 
 be free to act naturally, and kindly, and normally, 
 and intelligently, and will respond to this great law 
 of life because of its own birthright of freedom, be- 
 cause of its own privilege to play its part of life, 
 because it is of power and is a part of the great soul 
 life that is the same in principle yet differing in in- 
 dividual expression. You are ever cutting in your 
 own life that wonderful gem that radiates in a 
 small degree in likeness to the one we have beheld 
 in the spiritual sphere. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 161 
 
 Thus you may work intelligently, diligently, and 
 patiently, and hopefully, bravely bearing the bur- 
 dens that seem so heavy, and are yet so small in the 
 eternity of life. Man allows such pitifully little 
 things to play such an important part in his mate- 
 rial existence that bows in sadness and sits down in 
 distress and becomes materialistic in his opinions, 
 and superstitious in his beliefs, that he shows him- 
 self weaker than the flower that in the garden of 
 life pushes its roots deeper for sustenance, and gath- 
 ers strength to force its way upward to the light 
 and beauty of the atmospheric needs, and even then 
 thrust out its thorns in self-protection that it may 
 flower in its natural loveliness and fulfil its des- 
 tiny despite wind and storm. 
 
 Man is given an individuality that he may act 
 independently and live naturally. If this were not 
 so, he would be only as the flower and perish at 
 the end of the season — even then to exist in the 
 chemistry of nature without the immortality of con- 
 sciousness. But as man is an individual he must 
 act as an individual, he must be allowed his free- 
 dom even if he wanders afar or sits down by the 
 wayside in despair, before his awakening comes, be- 
 fore this power from on high reaches down and 
 touches his life with its beam of light — then he 
 turns to the heights to look for the source of this 
 warmth and illumination that has kindled a new 
 
162 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 life within his consciousness, and he sees that light 
 is from the height where billions of his brother men 
 have found their way, led by the lessons that were 
 their steps up the steep ways of their experience, 
 and that from their elevation and unfoldment are 
 sending to him a life force that will arouse him to 
 action until he step by step climbs up the path 
 that leads to the higher expression. Then he in 
 turn finds his way back to the earth plane that he 
 may disperse some of the darkness in the lives of 
 others, and strengthen those who are weak, and 
 give truth to those who wander in error, and lead 
 humanity onward to true spirituality that they may 
 lift their heads and raise their eyes to the heights 
 and behold the vision from the unknown. Thus is 
 mankind touched by the unseen; thus are they 
 inspired by divine love ; thus are they attracted up- 
 ward — and the seed you have sowed — you shall find 
 as you retrace your steps backward — has become a 
 refreshing, up-building, strengthening, sustaining 
 force in some life, and you will better understand 
 how out from this unknown, this unseen, from these 
 heights, the master teachers, the great souls work 
 for the redemption of humanity, that all men and 
 all women may stand in their position as they ad- 
 vance in the universal order of Infinite life. 
 
 Thus we pass onward, yet ever backward, strug- 
 gling for the heights, then downward to the sad- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 163 
 
 dened mortals who in the silence are touched by 
 those from the Unknown, inspired and kindled by 
 love from the unseen, penetrated by the ray of light 
 that enters their darkness, and from the soul center 
 of all life receive the illumination that will ever 
 light their pathway and lead them ever upward to 
 higher and higher expressions. 
 
 When this light touches a sensitive its revelation 
 is spontaneous, and such an individual grows more 
 in harmony, kinder, more loving, nobler, more in one- 
 ness with the great center of life that is made by your 
 soul and mine. 
 
 If we listen closely we can almost hear from the 
 great throbbing heart of humanity the pounding 
 and the beating, the pulsating of life through the 
 material organism that is working unconsciously in 
 man's consciousness, unconsciously when man is 
 going downward, yet in spite of the decline he is in 
 reality on the way to progression, for he needs the 
 lesson that prepares him for his awakening, and 
 that will turn his face to grandeur, and larger and 
 more beautiful truths that he will find in the silence 
 and in the unknown. He will then listen from his 
 own soul center, and hear as we hear the clicking 
 and the working and the struggling of the inner 
 life the expanding of the Deific elements in the soul 
 of man. So his mental faculties awaken through 
 this great spiritual lesson of his own life, and of 
 
164 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 the marvelous reconstructing forces that in the soul 
 life of humanity sounds to us as a quarry where 
 through noise and gases and explosions and chis- 
 eling the children of earth are cut into the immortal 
 forms that are in likeness to Deity. 
 
 Do not despair! You are working in the quarry 
 of your own life, and out of its mistakes, out of its 
 short-comings, out of its inequalities, out of its sad- 
 nesses, out of its trials, out of its desolate hours, out 
 of its despair, you are working to hew out the living 
 image, you are cutting away the coarse things of 
 life, you are relieving the soul of its material con- 
 fines — though even that very materiality was nec- 
 essary to refine your life, and make these processes 
 possible, that you may arise in freedom to inherit 
 some day this life called unknown. It is unknown 
 to the materialist who is building his character in 
 granite denseness of earthly compositions and de- 
 sires, it is not found alone in the ignorant or the un- 
 fortunate, but ofttimes in those who are regarded as 
 the world's authorities, men and women of learning, 
 of position, of influence, those who are honored and 
 whose judgment is respected as a very judge of 
 judges, to whom this world gropes and turns be- 
 cause of their material or intellectual attainments. 
 
 By these thousands are led from the true goal be- 
 cause of their so-called position and education, their 
 scientific researches, their classic institutions, and 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 165 
 
 the consideration bestowed upon them by those less 
 learned. 
 
 Let us find this enlightenment which has come 
 like a lesson from the unknown. It is absolutely 
 necessary that we find the light that will lighten us 
 still further into the unknown, that we shall go on- 
 ward still further, and hear still more of God's mel- 
 odies of love and wisdom as it flows from the 
 heights, that we may become finer instruments to 
 hear and see and know and live, and find our own 
 life pulsations beating in harmony with the master 
 teachers, even as the Nazarene, may we be in- 
 spired to know what has been conceded to be un- 
 knowable. 
 
 We shall find what man cannot give or take 
 away from us, we shall attain that which cannot 
 be bought or sold. We shall gain that freedom to 
 hear and see and know these wonderful truths that 
 are free to all who live in the spirituality of their 
 own being. We can adjust our lives while here 
 with the spiritual vibrations of the higher expres- 
 sions, and we can so love spiritual truth and har- 
 mony that we need never allow the material condi- 
 tions to restrict our souls or fetter our individual- 
 ism. We can so treasure the forms that are the 
 homes of our immortality that we may never be un- 
 just to our physical expression or break the laws 
 which are the wisdom of our beings, but so live, 
 
166 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 so love this mortal temple that when we lay it 
 down, and no longer need it, we put it aside in 
 thanksgiving for its perfect adaptation to our needs, 
 rejoicing in it as a beautiful garment that we have 
 been privileged to wear here, that through it we 
 could become an immortal soul formed into an in- 
 dividual life — a life that is our own — our very own — 
 with all the life principles, all the life privileges, all 
 the life senses of all the faculties that can be at- 
 tuned and harmonized to melodious utterances, and 
 to the radiating of the gifts from the unknown. 
 
 You find yourself glorified for you have endeav- 
 ored to glorify your life by living in beauty and 
 love, and have attracted this light to lighten the 
 path of other souls. Its beauty deepens, and its 
 radiations become yet more powerful, even as they 
 are more delicate and spiritualized, and you now 
 find yourself bowing in reverence to the source of 
 your own life because of its victory, and because of 
 its unfoldment, and its harmonization, and you ut- 
 ter thanksgivings to the loved ones who worked 
 with you for your salvation from darkness ; you 
 rejoice with them. You have not bought your way, 
 or rested idly on any one's bosom, but through sun- 
 shine and rain, through tempest and through calm, 
 through the turning and the surging of life's ways 
 you have been molded by your own inner powers 
 as they have struggled toward the radiant center, 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 167 
 
 and you have made yourself what you are; not as 
 humble servant do you bow to any one, but you 
 raise your head to the great universe of all life, 
 because through these principles you have won the 
 harmonization of your higher self, and are living in 
 the atmosphere of the unknown. Here music em- 
 anates from all souls, and all of life's expressions. 
 It is a living essence in the atmosphere, a great 
 symphony not played by souls, but by the great 
 spirit of that sphere are the melodious praises sent 
 out into the vibrating harmonies of all life. 
 
 The delicacy and beauty of that sphere is made 
 by all that live in it. Even the flower that works 
 its way upward is a part of the life and truth of 
 God. All the beauties of vegetation, all the colors 
 of changing light, radiate the truth of progression. 
 The soul that has made its painful way is a part of 
 the life that is sacred, for he understands that he 
 has individualized his own character, allowing every 
 characteristic of his whole being to express itself, so 
 that he has not lost sight of self, but has unfolded, 
 expanded to a beautiful realization of his real char- 
 acteristics, of his every throb, and pulsation of his 
 own self. This is one of the greatest truths in 
 Nature that we can conceive of — the revelation of 
 the unfoldment and individual realization that we 
 discover in the unknown. 
 
 While you are fulfilling your own characteriza- 
 
168 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 tion, you are radiating all these elements in just 
 the accord of your own characteristics, in express- 
 ing them to others, and you also never lose one joy 
 that has been a part of your own life. In this awak- 
 ening of the entire consciousness you know yourself 
 — you experience the life that has flowed in your 
 being from the time you began the earthly expres- 
 sion, — it is all yours, even the thrill of love that 
 you as a babe sensed in your mother's arms when 
 she sang her lullabies as you nestled against her 
 breast, — you have not lost even that hour, not a 
 moment, so clear is your own realization of your 
 selfhood, and of the hours of forgotten childhood, — 
 all these live in your unfoldment and you stand 
 face to face with your own individuality as you are 
 on the heights, and still have the inspiration in 
 your own soul to go onward that you may find more 
 wonderful, more enduring truths in the still un- 
 known to you, that exists in eternity and still fur- 
 ther on reveals that which reaches higher and higher 
 into the far greater unknown — which will appear to 
 you, as high above you as that tonight which seems 
 unknown. This is progression in love and truth 
 and in loyalty to yourselves and to each other. It 
 is the light that always lives, leading you forever 
 on, and you, as a progressive child, will bow as did 
 the great Nazarene to this soul center, not in humil- 
 ity, but in rejoicing, in reverence, and in love, — be- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 169 
 
 cause you find that your life always means such a 
 process, such a wonderful molding power, such an 
 unfoldment, such an advance, such a joy, such a 
 light that it is unspeakable by human tongue, in- 
 describable by human language. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 171 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE UNSEEN TO 
 THE SEEN. 
 
 We have entered into the silence through the avenue 
 of our soul, we have illumined our mentality within 
 the spiritual consciousness complying with Nature's 
 laws as they manifest themselves in the material and 
 the spiritual, that we may unfold some thought upon 
 the subject of the Relationship of the Unseen to the 
 Seen, that we may hereby gain some new expression 
 and a better understanding that will be helpful to the 
 lives of all who are seeking spiritual unfoldment. 
 
 We look out into the unseen realizing the mighty 
 force of life from the soul center. Here we sense 
 the truth through our spiritual consciousness that 
 spirit is the causation of matter. This reveals to us 
 that all material forms of life have taken their form 
 for the growth and unfoldment of the soul, that spirit 
 may be individualized in the earthly expression. Thus 
 
172 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 we find that spirit is the great Mother and Father 
 God of all earthly forms and manifestations, that 
 none should perish, but that all should be permitted 
 to grow through the wisdom and Deity in this beau- 
 tiful avenue that has been prepared and opened by 
 that all-wise creative force that is constantly unfold- 
 ing and growing and expanding into larger and 
 greater and more beautiful expressions and manifes- 
 tations in the universe of life. 
 
 Thus we find that all earthly children are as beings 
 in the first room in the school, preparing for the 
 larger and higher classes of the next room of the 
 unseen. In this school of life you are placed on your 
 own resources that you may — and must — through 
 your own personality, express both materially and 
 spiritually and thus gain your own experience in your 
 own individualization. It is necessary for each one 
 to work out his own salvation. Although each one is 
 overshadowed by higher, diviner minds of the un- 
 seen, and though the love of these souls for their 
 dear ones in earth brings their guardianship to them, 
 — and also because they are talented instruments 
 who can be used as a luminous force whereby the 
 life elements of the unseen may shine through this 
 physical instrument that the lesser intelligent souls 
 may be assisted with their spiritual illumination, — 
 each is placed on his own resources and must, 
 through his own personality, both physically and 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 173 
 
 spiritually, gain the individualization that of itself 
 works out its own salvation. 
 
 We find that those in the higher life, dwelling in 
 the unseen, are ever loving and kind because they 
 have grown nearer to the more perfect expression of 
 Deity's life, being imbued with that love and life 
 and light and charity and justice and tenderness that 
 is ever reaching out to assist the children in the lower 
 classes, as would the teachers in this life smile on the 
 children in their guardianship, and with earnest love 
 ever give the truest guidance and the best instruc- 
 tion and the most helpful assistance that their pupils 
 may advance and unfold mentally, morally, and 
 physically. 
 
 This illustrates one of the natural laws of life that 
 even though wise assistance is always near, yet it is 
 the pupil himself who determines his advance and 
 attainments. This beautiful truth is ever (shining 
 from the unseen that it may illuminate the minds of 
 all mortals. It is a radiant force, — yet there are many 
 souls in the earth life who are walking in the lower 
 planes of materialism utterly ignorant of this beau- 
 tiful relationship of the unseen to the seen. These 
 individuals are standing in the shadow that is cast 
 by their own ignorance which obscures the radiance 
 that is ever shining and penetrating the darkness of 
 material life. 
 
 It is necessary for that soul to awaken and gain his 
 
174 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 own light according to his earthly experience. It is 
 through this that he must awaken to the spiritual. 
 This is the principle of individualization, of unfold- 
 ing one's own character, of being free to realize and 
 to understand according to one's own capacity. Each 
 one must experience his own growth according to the 
 life elements of his constitution which were formed 
 by conditions that existed at the time these life ele- 
 ments were formed, and that gave him his nature, 
 his character, and his own peculiar individuality — 
 whereby all differ from each other, and therefore 
 must have their own experience which is best adapted 
 to their growth and in a sort of harmonious relation- 
 ship to their requirements and their possibilities. 
 
 Therefore it would not be well for the materialist 
 on a low plane of life to suddenly behold the beauti- 
 ful relationship of the unseen to the seen, for he 
 must have the molding and forming influence of his 
 own experience. These are absolutely necessary to 
 him because of the condition of the life elements 
 that surrounded him at the time of his formation, 
 that through what may seem abnormal experiences, — ■ 
 but which the philosopher knows to be normal, be- 
 cause of the life elements that existed in his parent- 
 age at the time he was conceived, — this individual 
 must traverse the path which his own nature requires, 
 and in a sense chooses. 
 
 This emphasizes the necessity of charity for all 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 175 
 
 mankind — by all of mankind — at all times and under 
 all conditions, because no one can judge another soul 
 or know of the life qualities or qualifications that 
 enter his life as a fortunate or unfortunate heritage 
 from ancestry and from environment. The soul, 
 through its own life, must work out its freedom and 
 its salvation. If conditions are unfavorable, then it 
 becomes a struggle through sorrow, through labor, 
 through sadness — falling, rising, struggling again, 
 making a desperate attempt to gain the heights, and 
 after this struggle, this courage, this brave ambition, 
 after almost gaining what seemed a firm foundation 
 of truth through this spiritual awakening, falls again, 
 but rises with renewed endeavor to see more clearly, 
 to remove the shadows, and through his own life to 
 see the spirit which is ever illuminated by the light of 
 truth which is ever shining from the unseen to the 
 seen, and by which he is ever stimulated, made larger, 
 conceiving of more light, more truth, so once again 
 he gathers his forces and looks back upon his past 
 life to find it has been a struggle with the things he 
 no longer cares for or can ever use to his advantage. 
 He then sees these as the ashes that have fallen from 
 the cleansing fires of his own life, and looking to 
 the heights he is inspired by the unseen, and by the 
 souls of the unseen as they unite in a stronger force 
 to help him. 
 
 He senses this outpouring of life elements, and he 
 
176 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 once more battles for the right, battles for the truth, 
 battles for his own unfoldment, and rushes forth with 
 power to win the victory. His own spirit leaps from 
 the restricting conditions and seeks the unseen. He 
 has sprung from the prison cell that was formed by 
 the dross of physical imperfections, and he has 
 gained a higher plane in the material life, this time 
 to hold back the enemies that were of the past condi- 
 tions that surrounded him at the time of his first 
 formation — the effects of his heritage — and now he is 
 held firm on the rock made by his own efforts to 
 build upon a foundation of truth. 
 
 He does not fail in this attempt because of the 
 wonderful, artistic work that has been done in the 
 throbbing and pulsating of the elements of his inner 
 life, both spiritually and physically, that have formed 
 this rock foundation at last — a foundation that will 
 never fail him, but will hold him firm in his position 
 upon the rock of his own spirituality. 
 
 He has made this — it is his by the principle of his 
 own birthright. 
 
 He bows in reverence to the great spiritual law 
 that radiates from the soul center of the universe, 
 from the unseen to the seen. His spiritual conscious- 
 ness has realized fully every step of the way of his 
 progression from the time he was able to think and 
 remember — even the sweet dreams of childhood and 
 the good night kiss of his sainted mother. With this 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 177 
 
 spiritual consciousness of the past life, with the knowl- 
 edge of the beauty of it and the struggles of it, and of 
 his battling for the right, he is enveloped in a still 
 larger life still more illumined, still stronger, still 
 more powerful, because of this conscious review of 
 his unfoldment in the all-wise Deity's wonderful and 
 beautiful laws, both material and spiritual through 
 the unseen and the seen. 
 
 His spiritual faculties are keen. His sensitive 
 organism is so keenly attuned to the outworking of 
 his own unfoldment he can sense the most delicate 
 vibration. He now sees with his spiritual eyes, and 
 knows with his spiritual faculties because of this 
 growth and unfoldment, and this expansion of the 
 soul. He is so attuned to the higher vibrations, so sen- 
 sitive to the spiritual expressions that he senses the 
 thrills of the loving music that is ever flowing from 
 the unseen to the seen. Thus he yet awakens to still 
 more truths in his own character. He finds that a 
 beautiful instrument has been made and that so deli- 
 cate and sensitive are its strings the most beautiful 
 music can be played upon it, — the universal music 
 which vibrates from the unseen to the seen, and the 
 harmony of heaven is within his own life. 
 
 Again he awakens to still greater realizations, be- 
 cause he is in tune with the divine presence of his own 
 life, and is playing his part as an instrument in the 
 great symphony of the universe. He has individual- 
 
178 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 ized himself as a fitted character to maintain this 
 position in life, and he comes to the spiritual awaken- 
 ing to just the degree in his present unfoldment, at 
 the same degree as is his relationship to the unseen 
 as it reveals itself to the seen. He now senses the dear 
 ones that he loved in the earth life — the family ties, 
 and because of these ties he realizes the beauty of 
 his struggles and the suffering, and knows that he 
 has experienced his re-birth from the shadow of 
 his own ignorance to the glorious sunshine that radi- 
 ates from his own spiritual consciousness, radiates 
 from his own soul center, and he finds himself stand- 
 ing in the rays of eternal spiritual light, and becomes 
 more conscious of the higher teachers that are ever 
 ready to assist a worthy soul that, though strong, is 
 ready to be assisted because of this love for growth. 
 He no longer walks in the shadow of his path life — 
 perplexed as to its meaning — but he has gained the 
 beautiful knowledge that there never was and never 
 will be death — but that all is life, and growth, and 
 re-birth. He is now to enjoy the wisdom and loving 
 presence of such souls from the unseen, and realize 
 how beautiful are the truths that have been given him 
 through his own spiritual consciousness, that is even 
 then reaching out still further toward the higher 
 position where he will find still greater truth, still 
 larger life, because of the spirit's incentive for 
 spiritual growth. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 179 
 
 Thus he stands on the rock of his own life, graven 
 in beautiful proportion, and firm of base, placed where 
 he can view from the unseen to the higher room in 
 the school — and review the lower grades that were 
 as the valleys of his past experience. 
 
 He can also feel the return of thanks sent him 
 from the unseen by the souls who can now radiate 
 light, life, and truth with a kindly spirituality to the 
 souls who know not what they have to go through — 
 and it is all wise that they know not the experience 
 that awaits them in their journey to the position of 
 strength and knowledge — else they would despair. 
 But with the most delicate and inspiring wisdom, of 
 such luminous, limitless knowledge, step by step they 
 make their own conditions that they may helpfully 
 harmonize with all such souls and prepare their 
 backs for the burdens, and thus work out the salva- 
 tion that comes through the refining processes of 
 progression. 
 
 Thus the character gains for itself absolute free- 
 dom. The fetters are now broken and cast aside. 
 The limited conditions are outgrown, the one-sided 
 life that pertained only to the material organism has 
 been rounded out into the completeness of the spirit- 
 ual interblending of body and soul in the universal 
 expression and liberty of the limitless, and can now 
 unite with the fullness of the unseen, and be lighted 
 by the radiance of truth. 
 
180 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 He now realizes that the possibilities for the mold- 
 ing and forming of larger life is endless; that still 
 greater character, greater power, greater wisdom, 
 greater love can be expressed, that the more fully he 
 realizes that he is a universal child of the universal 
 principles of God's love and life, the more freely can 
 he give unto others this knowledge of the soul's pos- 
 session. He has, indeed, been re-born. The archi- 
 tectural work of his own life has built the rock of 
 his life's balance, and foundation. 
 
 He now understands the relation of the unseen to 
 the seen. 
 
 He looks out over the great immeasurable, unfath- 
 omable life, inconceivable in all its glory of love ele- 
 ments — its radiance and interblending of light — filled 
 with qualities of harmony, of love, of peace, its glory 
 of silence, — its breath of life that breathes with kind- 
 ness to the children in the universe who cannot per- 
 ceive or conceive of its wondrous possibilities — and 
 then he looks back upon the little life of earth, — and 
 with the largeness of his soul and spiritual compre- 
 hension he feels that he can hold the earth world in 
 the hollow of his hand. 
 
 He looks upon mortals as upon babes in the uni- 
 verse — some creeping, — some yet unable to creep, sit- 
 ting, waiting, and hoping for growth — that they may 
 creep some day — some are tottering as little babes 
 learning to walk, falling, rising, onward moving, — 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 181 
 
 falling, gaining — some seem to be developed to the 
 consciousness of children in the first room in the 
 school, old enough to listen, to catch some thought — 
 looking for a glimpse of something spiritual that they 
 may find the key that will open their own life to them- 
 selves, and grow larger and go further on — thus he 
 finds the earth world is but a small place in the kin- 
 dergarten stage of the great world within a world, 
 whose progressive wheels turn within progressive 
 wheels, expressing within itself the great expression 
 of all the expressions of Deity and the Universe. 
 
 The Unseen is ever radiating back its beautiful 
 expression to the children in the seen. No longer 
 does the question remain unsolved to this character 
 who has attained spiritual growth and vision. It is 
 only with eyes of tenderness that he looks, only 
 with a radiant smile, only with the loving con- 
 sciousness that throbs out from the great, pulsating 
 inner self as he realizes the experiences of the in- 
 terblending of the unseen and the seen as it ex- 
 presses itself to all mortals. 
 
 This is the position of knowledge and wisdom in 
 life. Then there is no more questioning because of 
 the greatness or the smallness of life — it has all 
 been answered. 
 
 There is no more judging — because the working 
 out of imperfect conditons that have been unjustly 
 manifested through heritage has been accomplished, 
 
182 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and the great Judge of all Judges has judged not 
 the children of earth — the less fortunate brothers 
 and sisters in the school of life. 
 
 It is all one great moving, onward, upward, un- 
 folding, growing, and experiencing and expressing 
 the still higher life elements and princples that are 
 breathing forth in every pore of his material organ- 
 ism — the finding of the way to the very fountain of 
 his life, absorbing, releasing, becoming still more 
 refined and purified by the great refining of the uni- 
 verse that is ever moving and turning — because 
 motion is the causation of all life — and with this 
 great moving and refining process the jewel from 
 within — or the unseen of his own life — is becoming 
 more brilliant, more radiant because of the still 
 more refined elements that are still hewing and cut- 
 ting and grinding this gem into still more perfect 
 form, and because of its more perfect form, the 
 more radiance it expresses. 
 
 We find the onward growth never ceases, and in 
 the meantime the seeds of all the loving acts that 
 have been cast by the pulsating of the inner life 
 have become as beautiful flowers, still unfolding in 
 more delicate expressions, more beautiful in forma- 
 tion, lovelier to behold because the spiritual eyes 
 have been made clearer, the senses have become 
 finer, and penetrate more comprehensively into the 
 life of this plane. These elements are in harmony 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 183 
 
 because spirit and soul in the material organism 
 have made a character unfold as a universal being 
 in the universe of life, receiving the still more re- 
 fined, the still more beautiful, the still more perfect, 
 because the soul is still a more perfect power in life, 
 better fitted to move onward in the great processes 
 of all life's motions in Deity's universe, to a greater 
 degree of helpfulness, both in the unseen and the 
 seen. 
 
 Thus we find that this soul may be a type in ex- 
 pression of a part of the universe that has worked 
 its way up through all darkness and obstructions, 
 and lonely hours of despair, wandering in the ob- 
 scure avenues and fogs of material life, struggling 
 upward to the heights where he has found the re- 
 lationship of the unseen to the seen, accomplishing 
 this at last through such efforts of faithfulness to 
 self in the response to the call of the voices of the 
 unseen, that thus inspired he has become a beauti- 
 fully developed being in the higher perfections of 
 the perfect elements of the higher life. He has be- 
 come radiant as a part of the higher soul self, and 
 has thus caused the universe of eternity to move 
 out into still larger expressions. And because he 
 has learned the great lesson of life that has ever 
 been spoken to the soul of all human life, that has 
 ever hovered over the hearts of all souls with such 
 
184 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 tenderness and love to God in his universe, he has 
 entered into the very causation of the relation of 
 the Unseen to the seen. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 185 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE SPIRITUAL. 
 
 We have gathered together in the divine source 
 of our highest spirituality opening our conscious- 
 ness through its highest avenues of our own life 
 elements which are spiritual, and close our material 
 self, that in this way we may gather thoughts and 
 visions from the unknown that will aid each one in 
 the progressive journey of life from this time 
 throughout all future experiences. 
 
 There are three beautiful souls that now appear 
 to my vision at this time from the unknown source 
 of life, drifting downward from higher conditions 
 in what at first seems like a luminous vapor, trans- 
 parent and bright like white and gold. This is 
 not material but formed of spiritual substance. As 
 the three spirits draw nearer I see that their gar- 
 ments are very etherial, their faces look almost 
 transparent, such is their soul refinement, yet they 
 
186 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 are radiant with light, life and spirituality. Their 
 eyes seem to speak with the reflection of heaven. 
 They are peace within themselves, and fill my soul 
 with more than mortal lips could possibly explain. 
 If you were to behold them they would lift you to 
 such a high consciousness of spiritual atmosphere 
 you would be willing to leave your position in earth 
 life and journey with them. Their thought ex- 
 presses volumes to you. Their smile is filled with 
 character and with love. They are radiating the 
 highest principles of light because of their years of 
 progression and unfoldment in higher truths. 
 
 They smile and say they are quite pleased with 
 the effort to describe them. The other spirit is a 
 man who is like a fortress, a mountain of strength 
 and power that lives within his character. He 
 shows absolute control and mastery of himself and 
 his position, whatever condition or whatever the 
 experience under which he is placed may be. He 
 has the pilot's seat in the vehicle that has brought 
 them here, and as I ask for an explanation of this 
 wonderful conveyance which they seem to be trav- 
 eling in, he tells me it is made of spiritual substance, 
 designed through spiritual mental power and wis- 
 dom, and that while in this unknown source of life 
 there is no material apparatus of any kind, the men- 
 tality is all that is necessary in bringing together 
 suitable elements for the construction of any kind 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 187 
 
 of mechanism one wishes to use, provided he or she 
 has learned the laws of life sufficiently in every 
 phase, to use the mental power in whatever rate of 
 vibration is necessary for the designing and con- 
 structing of the contrivance desired. 
 
 I understand that according to the unfoldment 
 and development of consciousness of souls in this 
 plane that they are permitted to have all they as 
 entities are capable of constructing by the unfold- 
 ment of their own powers through the wisdom of 
 the deific principles of higher life, and through the 
 principles that live in all creation from the lowest 
 to the highest. That life element holds everything 
 in it necessary to live in, and in which to develop 
 and operate all things that are necessary in life, all 
 things that are beautiful, and this is true on every 
 plane of existence throughout eternity, and in just 
 the degree of usefulness and beauty, and adaptabil- 
 ity that the life principles in the individual mind 
 can unfold, and use — this we find in the plane of 
 the unknown. 
 
 They have reached the progressive stage here 
 where they can construct beautiful things for 
 themselves according to their own genius and add 
 to the comfort and pleasure of others. They are 
 not limited as to wonderful devices, beauty of de- 
 sign, or skillful construction, because they are con- 
 scious of limitless intelligence that is continuously 
 
188 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 unfolding in all who are in these spheres of pro- 
 gression. So we find that this spirit has constructed 
 this beautiful vehicle, that is wonderful beyond hu- 
 man expression. It is delicate in finish, radiant 
 in color, etherial in appearance, modeled unlike any- 
 thing constructed for travel on the earth plane, 
 either by land, or water, or atmosphere, but com- 
 bines in its form the highest principles of adapta- 
 bility to the etherial ethers, and by its own inherent 
 powers of elements that are intelligence themselves 
 seems to guide itself in complete obedience to the 
 wishes of the spirit master. 
 
 Firm and strong, yet light and graceful, it em- 
 bodies the truth that the highest elements are the 
 most refined and powerful and that they are the 
 cause of all that is lower, that here in the earthly 
 plane we work in their material form, not realizing 
 that these very life impulses exist in higher vibra- 
 tions that can be so easily manifested in mechanical- 
 spiritual constructions through the unfolded wis- 
 dom of the higher beings as they perceive the qual- 
 ities and the uses of the elements and substances 
 that are living principles of every form that the uni- 
 verse contains, and that also through these living 
 principles is the inspiration or vibratory cause of all 
 the advance that takes place on any plane of life. 
 Thus nature's forms reproduce themselves, by their 
 living principles in every condition, under all cir- 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 189 
 
 cumstances, and in systematic progression. This 
 spirit addresses the other two angels of light, and 
 bows to them in reverence as if it were a privilege 
 to know two such souls and a privilege to be in 
 their presence, but this is given him because he has 
 been faithful in his field of service for human right 
 and the advance of those who are here in the earth 
 plane. The other two souls have deemed it their 
 pleasure to encourage and assist him in his won- 
 derful work and struggle that ignorance may be 
 dispelled in the material plane and man brought 
 into a larger realization of life and activity and have 
 more knowledge of the wonderful constructions in 
 every plane of existence. 
 
 The atmosphere of these souls might be spoken 
 of as the breath of heaven that has breathed upon 
 us. 
 
 They have now this unfoldment for themselves 
 through years and centuries of progressive life. As 
 they start upward I feel my own soul consciousness 
 gliding away with them because of the powerful 
 centers of their own lives, because of the loving, 
 attractive atmosphere of purity, and I would gladly 
 drift with them even if it meant never to return. 
 
 Their coming is to reach out more into the soul 
 center of the universe to gather at this time more 
 truth from that source, for this is necessary to com- 
 plete the work that the world shall awaken to this 
 
190 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 wisdom and use it. This is being done because of 
 the result that will be obtained through the clear- 
 ness of this truth, through the beauty of its methods 
 that these souls are preparing to give to the world. 
 We are carried a little nearer this great center of 
 life of spirit energy, to that circle of truth that is 
 made up of the essences that have been gained by 
 the progression and development and advancement 
 and expansion and unfoldment of smaller truths 
 into larger truths. This is the result of the eternal 
 progression of every entity, while enlarging their 
 own life they have added to this fountain, this soul 
 center (from whence their life came), for everything 
 is done through natural causes. Something cannot 
 be formed or developed or created from nothing — 
 but it is the unfoldment and development out of 
 the larger things of the universe, out from these 
 life principles to human consciousness, both in earth 
 and in spirit, that growth and development of even 
 the worlds of matter, as well as spirit, is constantly 
 building for the finer construction of souls as spirits 
 pass onward. In these life principles is all that is 
 necessary for all growth. 
 
 In this sphere of matter mankind is constantly 
 improving conditions through a better knowledge 
 of science and is continually adding to the world of 
 beauty in this material plane. The whole universe 
 is being unfolded into finer realizations because 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 191 
 
 progressed souls have unfolded in their own con- 
 sciousness and in the consciousness of all the life 
 principles that they contain within themselves. All 
 this gives mankind freer action and a higher out- 
 look. 
 
 This is the causation of the continual unfoldment. 
 It is the outreaching of human life to the source of 
 its own inspiration and wisdom. 
 
 This soul center holds these life principles, and 
 every entity is also a center of life principles, yet 
 this is the center of all centers. Its outward appear- 
 ance was described in a former lecture, while now 
 we are to obtain more knowledge of its power and 
 action. 
 
 As I behold it from this wonderful vehicle of 
 light, with these beautiful souls who assist me to 
 this position, I can see that the inner circle of this 
 center is continuously moving, and revolving, and 
 turning and vibrating with an indescribable motion 
 of rapidity. This is not the abiding place of souls 
 who have lived in earth-life and have progressed to 
 this center, but because of this wonderful expansive- 
 ness of life, this motion and vibration and action, 
 this gathering of forces and powers, it is from the 
 highest entities, from these life principles that con- 
 tain everything necessary for life, that there have 
 been emanating as sparks (if you wish a familiar 
 illustration) from entities in progression and because 
 
192 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 of processes within itself that this soul center is 
 the birthplace of souls who are filled with all these 
 life elements and principles, which is the essence of 
 spirit, made up of the wisdom of the universe, and 
 are thus born and molded into form to enter into 
 the earth-life there clothed with the physical body, 
 for the complete individualization, to experience 
 life in its natural order to go up the ladder of pro- 
 gression, onward from mother earth, upward 
 through every plane, until they become unfolded 
 souls, not only unfolded within themselves, but 
 from experiences have added to their consciousness 
 of all life, and have added living elements to the 
 fountain that gave them their immortal birth, and 
 have fulfilled the law — they have taken nothing 
 without giving something — and they have won 
 their own growth and by their wisdom and power 
 are luminous intelligence to guide others to the 
 same unfoldment of consciousness. 
 
 They fill their positions as masters in a masterly 
 way. All the life faculties are surrounding this 
 center and the all-wise life is ever encircling the 
 outer circles of this center. There are many circles 
 within this great center and it is a wonderful pro- 
 cess of interblending of powers that is beyond the 
 expression of human language to describe what I 
 see and what I sense. 
 
 ,Yet I hope some new thought has been gathered 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 193 
 
 as a new truth that will add to the completeness and 
 better understanding of the principles of universal 
 progression, and of the life elements of the universe. 
 I would that man may have an intelligent idea of 
 the universe of life, and know that it is not a place 
 created by any one special being, that superstition 
 and error have taught. We no longer want ignor- 
 ance as a stumbling block in life, but we desire that 
 when man leaves the earthly expression he may 
 pass on and not look back with regret upon a 
 wasted period of time, but that he may know that 
 through truth, he has built for himself a wonderful 
 existence through the endless chain of thought, 
 every link of which is perfect in its fulfillment of 
 the law of progression and unfoldment throughout 
 the endless spheres of eternity. 
 
 That he no longer may wish to worship idols, but 
 as a conscious being realize that nothing is so high, 
 so pure, so ennobling but that it is offered to him 
 for his uses in every-day life, for his unfoldment of 
 character, for his right use of all his powers and 
 for his harmonization of all that is in every expres- 
 sion and every experience of his whole being, that 
 he may live and realize that through his higher fac- 
 ulties he may have all knowledge of the constructive 
 purposes and principles, and may understand his 
 own individuality and its relationship to all human- 
 ity. May his mind be cleansed of its past conditions 
 
194 THE DIVINE GIFT 
 
 and superstitions, and may his heart be unlocked by 
 a new desire for life. He will realize that a new 
 flower has been unfolded within, and that he can 
 live in the beauty of its fragrance and love, for the 
 love from the heights has such life principles, it 
 has no limitations, but opens the understanding to 
 everything it is capable of knowing and realizing. 
 Its luminous beauty floods the life with a radiance 
 that is unspeakable — beyond explanation, and be- 
 cause of man's spiritual birthright he has the im- 
 mortal incentive for growth and unfoldment in wis- 
 dom and in such a life as these beautiful souls have 
 lifted me into, that there I may gather truths that 
 speak not with mortal lips but reveals itself in the 
 beauty of life that thrills the soul by its silent utter- 
 ances and revelations — the language of the unseen 
 and the unknown to mortals here. 
 
 This is a guiding star that you may be led to 
 know more of deific love and principle that inspire 
 the consciousness of all who have opened this gate- 
 way of spirit to see and know that their own har- 
 mony is heaven, and that this short message is but 
 one more round in the ladder of progression where- 
 by they may ascend higher and live nearer the 
 higher privileges of the spiritual plane. 
 
OF MEDIUMSHIP 195 
 
 A medium is one who stands at the divine gate- 
 way of mortal and spirit life, who receives and 
 transmits thoughts between the two worlds. 
 
 A Spiritualist is one who has unfolded the prin- 
 ciples of the soul into mortal consciousness. 
 
 Let he who is perfect, demand perfection. 
 
 Let he who will think, know the truth. 
 
 The truth will set you free. 
 
tl5R^5X ...9.1 ; congress 1 
 
 III 
 
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