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Word Gems
exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity
Franchezzo
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He is invited to improve himself by joining a service organization. Membership is always voluntary, with the option of dropping out at any time as one’s right. We ever reserve the right to return to a way of sin and increase suffering, or to move forward along the very difficult path of moral recovery.
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Franchezzo is near his beloved in her room, but he cannot make himself known. A Guide comes to him and offers him a chance to improve himself, to establish his powers, thereby eventually gaining the ability to communicate with her more directly.
He spoke to me in a quiet kindly voice, and said that if I truly desired to write my own words through my darling herself, it would be well for me to join a Brotherhood of penitents who like myself desired to follow out the Better Way, and with them I should learn many things of which I was yet ignorant, and which would help me to fit myself to control her mind [for automatic writing] as well as give me the privilege I sought of being with her at times while she dwelt on earth.
a choice is offered: self destruction and misery or eventual happiness with the beloved in a perfected world
This way of Repentance was hard, he said, — very hard, —the steps many, the toil and suffering great, but it led to a fair and happy land [Summerland] at last where I should rest in a happiness such as I could not dream of now.
like the mirrored image of Dorian Gray, the hideous body will change as one's heart changes
He assured me (even as the kind earthly man [psychic-medium] had done) that my deformed body, which I was still so anxious to hide from my beloved one's eyes, would change as my spirit changed, till I should be once more fair to look upon, such as she would no longer grieve to see. Were I to remain upon the earth plane as I now was, I should most likely be drawn back into my former haunts of so-called pleasure, and in that atmosphere of spiritual degradation I should soon lose the power to be near my darling at all. For her own sake, those who guarded her would be obliged to exclude me.
On the other hand, were I to join this Brotherhood (which was one of Hope and Endeavour), I should be so helped, so strengthened, and so taught, that when in due course my time came to return to the earth plane, I should have acquired a strength and an armour that could resist its temptations. I listened to the words of this grave courteous spirit with wonder and a growing desire to know more of this Brotherhood of whom he spoke, and begged he would take me to them.
'all are free in the spirit world' to build or to destroy oneself
This he assured me he would do, and he also explained that I should be there of my own free will and choice only. Did I desire at any time to leave I could at once do so. "All are free in the spirit world," he said, "all must follow only where their own wishes and desires lead them. If you study to cultivate the higher desires, means will be given you to attain them, and you will be strengthened with such help and strength as you may need. You are one who has never learnt the power of prayer, you will learn it now, for all things come by earnest prayer, whether you are conscious that you pray or not. For good or for evil your desires are as prayers and call around you good or evil powers to answer them for you."
As I was again growing weary and exhausted, he suggested that I should bid adieu to my darling for a time. He explained that I should gain more strength as well as permit her to do so if I left her for the time I was to remain in this place of which he spoke. It would also be well that she should not try to write for three months, as her mediumistic powers had been greatly tried and, if she did not rest them, would be much impaired, while I would require all that time to learn even the simple lessons needful before I could control her. Ah me! how hard it seemed to us both to make this promise, but she set me the example, and I could but follow it.
If she would try to be strong and patient so should I, and I registered a vow that if the God I had so long forgotten would remember and pardon me now, I would give all my life and all my powers to undo the wrongs that I had done.
And so it was that I left for a time the troubled earth plane of the spirit world of which I had as yet seen so little, but in which I was yet to see and suffer so much.
the mental image of the beloved would sustain him through the long tortuous coming times of severe altruism
As I left the room to go with my new guide I turned to my love and waved my hand in farewell, and asked that the good Angels and the God I dare not pray to for myself might bless and keep her safe for evermore, and the last thing I saw was her tender eyes following me with that look of love and hope which was to sustain me through many a weary painful hour.
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