Message from James Padgett’s grandmother, Ann Rollins, published in The Gospel of God’s Love, page 402.
“When a spirit enters the spirit world, its condition determins where it shall first abide. In a large majority of cases, the first home of the spirit is in the earth plane, or lower levels of the First Sphere. It’s condition is not much different from what it was on earth – the same ideas of right and wrong, beliefs and desires, prevail.
“Sometimes this condition will last for many years, then again, a change can come comparatively soon. Their change of condition depends frequently upon the friends or relatives who try to help instruct the newly arrived spirit. If these helpers are developed in intellectual pursuits, they will tend to direct the spirit along those lines. Similarly with the morally developed helper and, those who have received the Love of God into their souls.
“But more depends upon the spirit itself; its condition upon arrival here brings with it all its beliefs, desires and affections, and these determine the direction of its progress. It is easier to influence a spirit to pursue a spiritual path when that spirit, while on earth, had an awakening to the love of God, even to a smal degree. The same principle applies to every condition of the spirit.
“Such spirit, following the natural inclination of its condition, will endeavor to get into that sphere where the greatest opportunities for developing its interests are located. This is in accordance with spiritual laws. God has provided these several spheres, qualifying them for the purpose of their creation. All spirits have a choice which path to follow; there are several planes in every field of interest, to provide opportunity for the spirit to progress into higher levels in their field of interest.
“The 2nd, 4th and 6th spheres are appropriated for spirits who desire to develop their mental and moral natures. Spirits must, of course, pass through the intervening spheres, but they don’t linger long in the 3rd or 5th sphere because the qualities which they are attempting to develop are not given much attention there. However, the fact of passing through the soul-spheres does not indicate that the spirit will receive any development of their soul qualities; for the contrary is true – a spirit in the Third Sphere possessing the Divine Love, has more soul development than one with developed intellect living in the Sixth Sphere, who doesn’t have this Love.” To be continued…