Silence, perfect silence, not a whisper of sound, not a rustle, nothing. Silence so great that there was an absolute absence of anything except silence.

Darkness, so dark that Arnold could almost see things in the light. His eyes had been used to light, they must have stored up light patterns because now in the darkness so pro - found he was getting optic nerve flashes.

An absolute absence, of everything. Arnold moved and could not tell that he had moved, everything was emptiness, emptier, he thought, than space itself. But then suddenly a faint point of light appeared 'somewhere', and from it blue rays were flung out like sparks on a red-hot horseshoe being beaten by a blacksmith. The light was blue, pale blue in the centre deepening to a purple blue further out. The light expanded, it was still blue, and then Arnold saw the world, the Earth which he had so recently left. It seemed to be floating in space. There was nothing but a mass of clouds, it seemed almost like a ball of cotton wool of different colours, black clouds and white clouds, and he had a momentary glimpse of what he thought must be the Sahara Desert, nothing but sand and desolation. Then through the earth he saw other globes - all intermingling and yet not one of them touching. 'I'm going mad,' thought Arnold, 'let's get out of here!' And he turned to make his escape. Behind him he saw two glowing orbs. He stared back at them and then had an impression: 'It is all right, Arnold, we know all about you, we have been examining your past. You have done very well in this last life other than that you have been so lazy that you did not rise above the deacon stage, you did not bother to get ordained. That was lazy of you, Arnold.'

Arnold stared, and the impression came to him: 'No, you cannot see us, we are of a different vibration. All you can see is a globe of light and that is not at all what we look like. Soon you will be one of us if you wish - and if you do not so desire then you will have to go back to Earth and clear up a few ends that you left untied such as the business of staying as a deacon when you could have risen so much higher.'

'But what are you like?' asked Arnold.

'Not everyone knows how a king lives,' thought one of the spheres. 'People have the most weird ideas about kings and queens, some thinking that they live all day sitting on a golden throne with a crown on their head and holding the Orb and the Sceptre. Kings and queens do not live that way at all. Similarly on Earth people have many weird ideas about the immediate life after death, they - think there is Heaven with Pearly Gate - well, there is Heaven with Pearly Gates for those who think there is, because here in a land which is controlled by thought people are what they think they are, and if a person thinks there are angels flying about then they will see angels flying about. But it's all a waste, there is no use at all in such a life, and these intermediate stages are so that people can rationalise things and become straightened out.'

There seemed to be some conversation going on between the two globes because there was much bobbing and vibrating between the two. Then from one of the globes there came this thought; 'We are much amused that people on this plane of existence are so tied up with their habits and customs that they even have to imagine food which they then imagine that they eat. We have seen,' the telepathic voice continued, 'some very religious people here who even have to eat fish on Fridays!'

'Holy mackerel!' said Arnold, 'that does seem a bit farfetched (søkt), doesn't it?'

'But why do people fear death so much?' asked Arnold. 'Although I was a religious and obeyed all the rules of the Order I confess that I was terrified of dying. I thought God would be there ready to smite me down for all the wrongs I had done, and I have always wondered why people feared death so much.'

The telepathic voice came again: 'People fear death because we do not want them to know the truth. Death is pleasant, when one comes to the last stages of dying all fear is removed, all pain, all suffering is removed. But people have to fear death otherwise they would commit suicide and there would be mass suicides; if people knew how pleasant death is and how much better the life here is then they would commit suicide and that would be a very bad thing indeed. They go to Earth as children go to school to learn, and children must be kept in school and not allowed to escape into the joys of the countryside. So it is that people fear death until the last moment, until it is clear that they cannot possibly live longer. Then they embrace the warmth of death, the happiness of death.' (The Danish spiritual author Martinus tells that the life here as like to the school - or common work - and the death is then like the most fantastic holidays or vacation. R.Ø.rem.)

'But we want you to leave the material worlds and come to the worlds of the spirit,' thought one of the globes.

'But why is there a material heaven -even though an imitation one - if people do not need material things?' asked Arnold.

'Because for an Overself or Soul or whatever you like to call it - is necessary to get material experience, and in the hardships of the Earth one can learn hard lessons in just a few years, whereas if the lessons had to be absorbed by a spirit living in a spirit world then it would take eons of time. But now we have to show you your past life. Watch!'

The world in front of Arnold seemed to expand, it expanded so rapidly that he thought he was falling over the edge of a precipice (skrent) - a precipice in space? -on to the turning world. He fell, or thought that he fell, for thousands of miles and then he found himself living just a few feet above the Earth. In front of him there were strange looking men engaged in mortal combat, wielding spears, axes, and even sticks with heavy stones at the end. Arnold looked at them, and one figure in particular attracted him. The figure suddenly rose up from lying on the ground and put his spear right through the chest of an approaching enemy. The enemy toppled to the ground in a welter of blood. 'That was a bad deed you did, Arnold,' said a voice in his head, 'you had to live many lives to atone for that.'

The pictures went on from the times of the Assyrians - on through different periods of Earth history, and then at last he saw the life he had just left, he saw his early days and the little offences he had committed such as robbing an old neighbour's orchard (frukthage) or taking some coins out of a milk bottle which had been left for collection by the milkman. He saw how he had gone to the market a few tinies and swiped fruit, apples, pears and bananas. (As described in the many books on the "near-death-experience" - Moody/Ring/Kübler-Ross etc - this is exactly what the dying person says - they saw the smallest, apparent insignificant incidents - in these life-reviews from the other side - but remember that Rampa described these spiritual mechanisms so many, many years ahead - before it became known/popular here in the western society. Precisely this very strong indicates that Rampa actually described the real connections in these "early" books - the first came nearly half a century ago!! R.Ø.rem.)

Later he saw himself as a monk overcome with the fear that he would not be able to pass the examinations for Ordination and so adopting a supercilious attitude to cover up the fear of his own incompetency.

He saw again his dying and his death, and then he seemed to be rocketing - out of the Earth, going up and up and up, and then landing upon another plane of existence.

'You performed very well in that life,' said the - voice in his head, 'and it would be a mere waste of time for you to go back to the Earth phase again. We think instead you should come to the world beyond material things where you can undoubtedly learn much.'

'But what about my friends here?' asked Arnold, 'My father and my mother and the many people I knew before, isn't it rather bad to come and take their hospitality and then suddenly go off to a higher plane? Whatever will they think of me?'

The voice in his head had a definite laugh as it replied, 'If they were worthy of going higher, Arnold, they would have gone higher, and if you do not come out of this building in a form which they can recognise, then they will appreciate that you have gone higher, to a higher plane of existence. When we come out of here the three of us will appear as globes of light to them, and having seen two enter and three come out they will know that the third was you and they will rejoice accordingly at your advancement and your elevation. It will also give them much hope that eventually they may do the same.'

And so it came about that in his mind Arnold thought, 'Yes,' and then to his profound astonishment he found that he felt absolutely vital, more full of life than he had ever felt before, he felt full of energy and looking down he could not see his feet any more, he could not see his hands. While he stared in a somewhat bemused manner the voice came to him again: 'Arnold, Arnold, you are as us now, if you look at us you will see how you are, we are just masses of pure energy taking in extra energy from our surroundings. We can go anywhere and we can do anything entirely by thought, and Arnold, we do not eat food as you know it any more!'

There was a peculiar singing sensation and Arnold found that he was following his two new friends through the wall of the Hall of Memories. He smiled slightly as he saw some of his friends outside, he saw the expression on their faces as they noted that three globes went off but only two had entered.

And the singing noise increased, and there was a sensation of rushing, of speed, and Arnold thought, 'I wonder why we always seem to go upwards and never down?' As he thought that he got the answer. 'Well, of course we go upwards, we go up to a higher vibration. You've never heard of going down to a higher vibration, have you? We go up in the same way on Earth when you want to change your state you get away from the Earth, you go up which is the way; if you went down you would get closer to the centre of the Earth, the thing you were trying to avoid, but - - - pay attention where we are going.'

Just at that moment Arnold experienced a shock or a jolt. He could not explain exactly the type of sensation but probably if he had thought about it he would have likened it unto a jet plane breaking through the sound barrier. It was definitely a 'peculiar' sensation as if he was entering another dimension, and that is precisely what he was doing.

There was this sudden jolt and everything seemed to flare around him, he saw coruscating, scintillating colours of hues which he had never before experienced, and then he looked at the two entities With him and exclaimed, 'Oh! You are humans just like me!'

The other laughed and said, 'But of course we are humans the same shape as you, what should we be? The great Plan of the Universe makes it necessary that people shall adopt a certain shape, for example we are humans no matter if it is sub - human, ordinary human or super - human, we all have the same number of heads, arms, and legs, and the same basic method of speech, etc. You will find that in this particular Universe everything is built on the carbon molecule form so no matter where you go in this Universe humans or humanoids are basically the same as you or us. In the same way, the animal world is basically the same, a horse has a head and four limbs - just as we have - and if you look at a cat - well, there is the same again, a head, four limbs and a tail. Years ago humans had tails, fortunately they have done without them. So remember wherever you go in this Universe, no matter in what plane of existence, everyone is of basically the same form, what we call the human form.'

'But, good gracious me, I saw you as a ball of light!' said Arnold in some confusion. 'And now I see you as super, super - human forms although you still have a lot of light around you.'

The others laughed and replied, 'You'll soon get used to it. You're going to be here in this plane for quite a long time, there is a lot to be done, a lot to be planned.' They drifted on for some time. Arnold was beginning to see things he had never seen before. The others were watching him and one said, 'I expect your sight is getting used to seeing things here, you are in the fifth dimension now, you know, away from the world or plane of material things. Here you won't need to dream up food or drink or things of that nature. Here you exist as pure spirit.'

'But if we are pure spirit,' said Arnold, 'how is it that I see you as human shapes?'

'But it doesn't matter what we are, Arnold, we still have to have a shape. If we were round balls of flame we would have a shape, and now, here, you are getting your fifth dimensional sight in focus and so you see us as we are, human in shape. You see, also, plants, flowers, dwellings around you; to the people of the plane from which you have just come they would be nothing, not that they could come here - if they came here they would be burned by the very high radiations here.'

They drifted on over such beautiful country that Arnold was entranced. He thought how difficult it would be if he ever had to return to the Earth and describe what conditions here were like. On the Earth, or on the fourth dimensional plane there were no words at all to describe life in this fifth dimension.

'Oh, what are those people doing?' asked Arnold as he pointed to a group inside a very pleasant garden. They seemed to be sitting in a circle, and they seemed - although the idea was quite absurd to Arnold - that they were making things by thought. One of his companions turned leisurely and said, 'Oh them? Well, they are just preparing things, which will later be sent forth as an inspiration to certain people on the Earth. You see, there are many things originating here which we put into the dull minds of humans to try to raise their spiritual level. Unfortunately the people of the Earth want to use everything for destruction, for war, or for capitalistic gain.'

They were speeding along now up in the air. There were no roads, Arnold was astonished to note, from which he devined that all traffic here was done through the air.

They came to more parkland with a lot of people in the park. These people seemed to be walking about and they had paths just through the park. 'So they can stroll more easily, Arnold,' said one of his guides. 'We use walking as a pleasure and as a means of getting to places slowly so we only have pathways where we can practise pleasurable walking by the side of a river or lake, or in a park. Normally we go by controlled levitation as we are doing now.'

'But who are all these people?' asked Arnold. 'I have a most uneasy feeling that I - well, I - seem to recognise some - of them. It's perfectly absurd, of course, perfectly preposterous, it just is not possible that I know any of them or they know me, but I have a distinct and very uncanny feeling that I have seen them before. Who are they?'

The two guides looked about them and said, 'Oh, THEM! Well, that one over there talking to a big man - was known on Earth as Leonardo da Vinci and he is talking to the one known on Earth as Winston Churchill. Over there - - - ' pointing to another group - 'you will find Aristotle who on Earth in days long gone was known as the Father of Medicine. He had a hard time getting up here because it was held that instead of being the Father of Medicine he delayed the progress of medicine for many, many years.'

'Oh, how is that then?' asked Arnold looking toward the group.

'Well, you see, Aristotle was claimed to know everything there was to know about medicine and about the human body. And it was therefore a crime against such a great person to try to investigate further, and so a law was passed making it an absolute death - punishable crime to dissect a body or to make research into anatomical things, because in doing so there would be insult to Aristotle. And that delayed progress in medicine for hundreds and hundreds of years.'

'Does everyone come up here?' asked Arnold. 'There seem to be not many people about if that is the case.'

'Oh no, no, no, of course they don't all come up here. Remember the old saying about many are chosen but few succeed. Many fall by the wayside. Up here there is a small number of people of very advanced mentality or spirituality. They are here for a special purpose, the purpose being to try to advance the progress of humanity on Earth.'

Arnold looked very gloomy. He had a terribly uneasy, guilty feeling. Then he said humbly, 'I think a mistake has been made, you know. I am just a poor monk, I have never aspired to be anything else, and if you say there are people of superior mentality or spirituality here then I must be here under false pretences.'

The two guides smiled at him and said, 'People of good spirituality usually misjudge themselves. You have passed the necessary tests and your psyche has been examined in very great detail, that is why you are here.'

They sped on, leaving behind the pleasure grounds, going up into what in another plane Arnold would have called a high country. He found that with his improving spiritual sight and fifth dimensional insight it would have been impossible for him to explain to anyone else what was happening. Before they came down to a landing in a very special city he had one further question: 'Tell me, do any people of the Earth plane ever come here and then return to the Earth plane?' he asked.

'Yes, under very special circumstances, very special people who have been chosen to go down there - in the first place come up for a time to be, let us say, briefed on how things were at this time and to be given fresh information, as to what they should tell people on Earth.'

They swooped down, three together as if tied together with invisible bonds, and Arnold entered into a fresh phase of existence, one which would be beyond the understanding of humans to comprehend or to believe….

End of extract