The
Life Beyond
Death
Chapter XVIII The Second Soul-Sleep
One of the many facts which are impressed upon the minds of the
student of the occult is that which illustrates the principle
that Nature is consistent and uniform in her methods. On the
various planes of being, Nature has a few fundamental methods or
habits of manifestation which the student soon learns to look
for in his investigations, and which he always finds if he
continues his search sufficientlylong and with sufficient care
and watchfulness.
One of these constant methods of habits of Nature is that by
which she always interposes a period of rest, pause, sleep, or
recuperation between the end of one period of activity andthe
beginning of another. On the physical plane we h ave many
instances of this, from the momentary pause of the pendulum
between its forward and backward swing; the pause between
the inhalation and exhalation of the breath; the sleep between
the close of one day and the beginning of another; the period
of rest of the unborn child between its formative period and its
birth into the world, etc.
In the Astral world we find the same phenomenon in the
soul-slumber which occurs between that which we call Death
and the beginning of the new existence on the Astral Plane.
And, reasoning from analogy, we might naturally expect to be
informed that a similar phase or period exists between the
close of the activities of the soul on the Astral Plane and its
passing on to reincarnation or to higher spheres of spiritual
life.
And, indeed, such a phase or period does exist, and forms a very
distinct feature of the soul’s existence on “the other side.”
Such
phase or period is known to occultists as the “second
soul-sleep,” or slumber.
The second soul-sleep is preceded by a transition state of
gradually declining activity and consciousness, and a
corresponding desire for rest on the part of the soul. The
natural processes on the Astral Plane nearing their close, the
soul begins to experience a feeling of lassitude and weariness,
and instinctively longs for rest and repose. It finds that it
has lived out the greater part of its desires, ambitions, and
ideals, and in many cases has also out-lived them. There comes
to it that wistful feeling of having fulfilled the purpose of
its destiny, and a premonition of the coming of some newer phase
of existence. The soul does not feel pain at the approach of the
second soul-sleep, but, on the contrary, experiences
satisfactionand happiness as the coming of something which
promises rest and recuperation. Like the weary traveller who has
climbed the mountain paths, and has delighted in the experiences
of the journey, the soul feels that it has well earned a restful
repose, and, like that traveller, it looks forward to the same
with longing and desire.
The soul may have passed but a few years, or perhaps a hundred
or a thousand years, of earth-time, on the Astral Plane,
according to its degree of development and unfoldment. But, be
its stay short or long, the feeling of weariness reaches it at
last, and, like many aged persons in earth-life, it feels that
“my work is over—let me pass on, let me pass on.” Sooner or
later,
the soul feels a desire to gain new experience, and to manifest
in a new life some of the advancement which has come to it
by reason of its unfoldment on the Astral Plane. And, from
these reasons, and also from the attraction of the desires which
have been smouldering there, not lived out or cast off; or,
possibly influenced by the fact that some loved soul, on a lower
plane, is ready to incarnate, and wishing to be with that soul
(which is also a form of desire) the soul falls into a current
sweeping toward rebirth and the selection of proper parents and
advantageous circumstances and surroundings. In consequence
thereof it again falls into a state of soul-slumber, gradually,
and so when its time comes it “dies” on the Astral Plane, as it
did before on the material plane, and passes forward toward
re-birth on earth.
But, strictly speaking, the soul continues in a condition of
partial slumber even after it has been re-born on earth-life,
for
it does not at once wake up in the body of the newborn child, in
which form it has reincarnated. On the contrary, it awakens
gradually during the early childhood and youth, of the child.
This is a most interesting fact of occult science, and one that
is but little known even to many careful students. We have
spoken of it as follows, in a previous work: “A soul does not
fully awaken from its second soul-slumber immediately upon
re-birth, but exists in a dream-like state during the days of
infancy, its gradual awakening being evidenced by the growing
intelligence of the babe, the brain of the child keeping pace
with the demands made upon it. In some cases, however, the
awakening is premature, and we see cases of prodigies,
child-geniuses,etc., but such cases are more or less abnormal
and unhealthy. Occasionally, the dreaming soul in the child
halfwakes,
and startles us by some profound observation, or mature remark
or conduct…. The rare instances of precocious children and
infant genius, are illustrations of cases in which the awakening
has been more than ordinarily rapid. On the other hand, cases
are known where the soul does not awaken as rapidly as the
average, and the result is that the person does not show signs
of full intellectual activity until nearly middleage.
Cases are known where men seem to ‘wake up’ when they are forty
years of age, or even older, and then take on freshened
activity and energy, surprising those who had known them before.
But we are principally concerned now with the earlier stages
of the second soul-slumber—the stages which are passed on the
Astral Plane. In these early stages, the slumbering soul
undergoes a peculiar stage of what might be called “spiritual
digestion and assimilation.” Just as, in its first soul-slumber,
the
soul digested the fruits of its earth-life and assimilated the
lessons and experiences thereof, so in this second slumber the
soul digests and assimilates the wonderful experiences of the
Astral. For, be it remembered, the period on the Astral has been
not only one of retrospect on the one hand, and manifestation of
latent powers, on the other. It has also been a period of
reconstruction and unfoldment.Many things have been lived-out
and outlived on the Astral, and the soul leaves the Astral a far
different entity from that which entered it.
But, and remember this also, the change is always for the
better. Many undesirable characteristics have been burned away
by the fires of repentance and remorse, and many desirable
characteristics have been unfolded in the rich spiritual soil of
the higher planes, aided by the Sun of Spirit which envelopes
the soul on the higher planes. But, there is still needed a
process of “stock taking,” readjustment of mental conditions,
and spiritual preparation for a new life—and this is supplied
during the early stages of the second soul-slumber.
Just as the child, or the adult, receives the energy necessary
for the work of the new day, when it is wrapped in sleep at the
close of the old day, so does the sleeping soul receive energy
from the One Supply, that it may face the new life with vigor
and
power. We do not go into the details of this recuperative work
at this place, as we wish to avoid all appearance of
technicality.
Enough to say that the soul receives a fresh impetus of energy,
and is also given the “psychic pattern” of its new physical
body,
during the second soul-slumber. It is also allowed to
experience the attractive power of its Karmic ties, which
leads it into
the channel of rebirth in accordance with the character of its
nature—“like attracts like,” is the axiom which expresses the
processes.
Each soul goes to where it belongs by reason of what it is. It
is not subject to the arbitrary dictates of any being in heaven
or in earth, but the absolutely just and equitable law of Karma
operates in every case. There is no favoritism, nor is there the
slightest chance of even the faintest injustice being the fate
of any soul, no matter how humble or lowly it may be. The lowest
as well as the highest comes under the same law, for all are
children of the same parent—all little children in the
kindergarten of the Absolute. All are on The Path, whether they
know it or not—and their ignorance is not counted against them
in the reckoning.
In the last chapter of this book, we shall speak of a class of
souls that rise above further reincarnation in earth-life, and
ascend to planes and stages of existence far above anything
which the earth can offer. We mention them here merely to say
that even such souls must pass through the second soulslumber of
the Astral Plane before they can proceed further. In such cases
they lose in their sleep all that is left of the confining
sheaths of earth-desire, and throw aside all the fruits of earth
action except that which is called Liberation and Freedom.
Such souls never again awaken on earth, nor do they ever return
thereto, unless, perchance, they voluntarily revisit earth in
after ages as great teachers or leaders. Such have worn the garb
of men, now and then throughout the ages, but have always been
far more than men in all but form. There are planes upon planes
of existence higher than earth or its Astral Plane.
Blessed indeed is the soul which awakens from the second
soul-slumber and finds itself in even the most humble of these
exalted states. Even the wisest sage bows his head in reverence
at the mention of such spheres of existence, which transcend
even the human imagination.