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J he Review of Reviews. 



July 1, 1909. 



HOW WE ARE HAUXTED AFTEE DEATH. 



Sometimes the soul becomes a kind of automatic 

 gramophone perpetually reproducing some crimes, as 

 of murder or of revenge. At others the awakened 

 soul finds itself surrounded by multitudes of em- 

 bodied thought-forms which are apparently alive. 

 and which threaten to cling to him everlastingly. A 

 sinner is haunted by the spectral forms of all those 

 whom he has injured. Wiertz's terrible picture of 

 Napoleon in the shades is but a faint shadow of the 

 reality. Sometimes all these multitudinous thought- 

 forms combine to form one gigantic phantom. Mr. 

 Leadbeater tells of "one such case which came re- 

 cently under the notice of our investigators." 



A music-hall singer who had been an incorrigible 

 coquette, and as such had inflicted untold misery on 

 many admirers, found herself confronted in the next 

 world by the rage and hatred of all those whom she 

 had deceived and ruined. " The concentrated anger 

 and detestation of many had collected into one hor 

 rible form, which in outward appearance somewhat 

 resembled a huge distorted gorilla. This unpleasant 

 attendant seemed filled with the most malignant 

 ferocity, and caused her the utmost terror, but 

 though she spent her astral life in flying from it, it 

 was quite impossible to escape it."' Mr. Leadbeater's 

 investigators " promptly destroyed this malignant 

 apparition '' without apparently doing its victim 

 much good. 



In another case, where one Arab had betrayed his 

 friend to death through jealousy, he was doomed in 

 the other world to suffer the perpetual horror of 

 friendly advances from his murdered friend, who, 

 being quite unconscious of the murderers treachery, 

 constantly sought his companionship : — 



In the nature of things this flight and pursuit must con- 

 tinue for years, wliicli no doubt would seem eternities of 

 unavailing repentance to the criminal, until at last b.v 

 slow degrees the outer shell would wear away and there 

 would come a time of mutual explanation. 



OX PREPAEATIOX FOR DEATH. 



So much fi^r the sinner. What about the others? 

 If Theosophy tolerates the doctrine of justification 

 by faith, it is only because, being justified by faith, 

 men bring forth works meet for repentance: — 



The only preparation for death that is of any real use or 

 importance is a well-spent life. Death does not affect the 

 real man in the slightest decree: the putting aside of the 

 physical body no more alters his nature than does the 

 removal of his overcoat. 



If in this earlier stage he has learnt to delight in un- 

 selfish actions and t-o work for the good of others, the astral 

 life will be for him one of the m3St vivid joy and the most 

 rapid progress. 



But there is great force in loving thoughts, and 

 prayers for the dead are specially commended. Mr. 

 Leadbeater says: — - 



One who has been widely loved is ver.r much helped and 

 nplifted by the currents of thought directed to him. A very 

 noticeable example of this was seen in the case of Her 

 Majest.v the late Queen Victoria, whose rapid passage into 

 the heaven world was undoubtedly due to the millions of 

 loving and grateful thought-forms which were sent to her 

 as well as to her own inherent goodness. 



BIETH IS DEATH AXD DEATH BIRTH. 



For the good it is so good to die that, if they only 



had themselves and their pleasure to consider, it 



would be well to commit suicide at once. " But there 



are lessons to be learnt on this plane which cannot 



be learnt anywhere else, and the sooner we learn 



them the sooner we shall be free for ever from the 



need of return to this lower and more limited life." 



For death is birth and birth is death : — 



It is a strange inversion of the facts, this employment 

 of those words living and dead, for surely we are the dead, 

 we who are buried in these gross cramping physical bodies, 

 and they are truly the living who are so much freer and 

 more capable because less hampered. 



THE AFTEE LIFE OF SaEXTIFIC MEX. 



Mr. Leadbeater sa)s of the man who during earth- 

 life has had any intelligent interest or soul enough to 

 look beyond gross matter, he will find death opens 

 to him new lines of investigation and study: — 



He discovers that life away from this dense body has a 

 vividness and brilliancy to which all earthly enjoyment is 

 as moonlight unto sunlight, and that through his clear 

 knowledge and calm confidence the power of the eidless life 

 shines out upon all those around him. As has been said 

 above, he may become a centre of peace and joy unspeak- 

 able to hundreds of his iellow-men. and may do more 

 good in a few years of that astral existence than ever he 

 could have done in the longest physical lite. 



For the first time since his earliest childhood man 

 after death is free to do precisely what he likes. Mr. 

 Leadbeater's investigators have found deceased 

 scientific men pursuing their studies and researches 

 with greater avidity than was possible on earth. 

 Mrs. Besant's reports of her visits to Professor Clif- 

 ford and Mr. Bradlaugh on the astral were very in- 

 teresting and suggestive. Philanthropists will pur- 

 sue their philanthropy more vigorously than ever, 

 and under better conditions. There are thousands 

 whom they can help, and with far greater certainty 

 of really being able to do good than we usually 

 attain in this life. 



WEEP NOT BUT PRAY FOR THE DEAD. 



The so-called dead are in touch with the living, 

 and are often influenced for good or for evil by the 

 passions and the prayers of those whom they have 

 left behind. Excessive grief for the departed retards 

 their developaient, whereas prayers and strong lov- 

 ing wishes for a particular dead person always reach 

 him and help him. "Europe little know? what it 

 owes to those great religious orders who devote them- 

 selves night and day to ceaseless prayer for the 

 faithful departed." We always shall recognise our 

 dead, and the bond of sympathy and affection 

 draws those who lo\e into close communion. 



THOUGHT FORMS ON THE OTHER SIDE. 



When the soul passes over, it finds itself in a 

 thought-world filled w'ith thought-forms of its own 

 creation. Devils and angels, Shakespeare's heroes 

 and heroines, the apostles, the patriarchs, Robinson 

 Crusoe and Jack the Giant Killer — all the phantas- 

 magoria of our thoughts during life take bodily and 

 apparentlv real shape on the other s'de. But 



