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Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism176
from active participation in it by a thin veil which separates them from
their own kind in the body. These souls hang around the old scenes of their
earthly degradation, and often influence one of their kind who is under the
influence of liquor and who is thereby open to influences of this nature.
They live their old lives over again in this way, and add to the brutality and
degradation of the living by their influences and association. There are quite
a number of these lower planes, as well as the higher planes, each containing
disembodied souls of the particular class belonging to it. These lower plane
souls are in very close contact with the material plane, and are consequently
the ones often attracted to seances, where the medium and sitters are on a
low plane. They masquerade as the “spirits” of friends of visitors, and others,
often claiming to be some well known and celebrated personages. They
play the silly pranks so often seen at seances, and take a particular delight
in such things, and “general devilment,” if permitted to do so. They are not
fit company for people on the higher plane, whether they be embodied or
disembodied.
These lower plane souls spend but little time in the disembodied state,
and are strongly attracted by the material life, the consequence being that
they are filled with a great desire to reincarnate, and generally spend but
little time between two incarnations. Of course, when they are reborn they
are attracted to, and attracted by, parents of the same tendencies, so that
the surroundings in their new earth-life will correspond very closely to
those of their old one. These crude and undeveloped souls, as well as the
souls of the savage races, progress but slowly, making but a trifling advance
in each life, and having to undergo repeated and frequent incarnations in
order to make even a little progress. Their desires are strong for the material,
and they are attracted to and by it—the Spirit’s influences exerting but a
comparatively slight attraction upon them. But even these make some
progress—all are moving forward if even but a little.
The souls on each of the succeeding higher planes, of course, make
more rapid progress each earth-life, and have fewer incarnations, and a