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You may hear it said that we'll never know what the afterlife is like until we get there, for no one has been able to come back and tell us. Well, we know today that, to the contrary, may have been able to communicate through and to those who are still living in the material world, telling about the experiences they've undergone upon parting from the material plane.
Though Spiritism is not the first or only source of such information, the first concepts relating to the life in Spiritual realm that were brought by the Spiritist Doctrine are found in Allan Kardec's "The Spirits' Book" (see our section on History), indirectly through its teachings about the Spirits and Divine Laws in general, and directly in the chapter entitled, "Spirit Life". Later came the testimonials and examples found in a latter book in the series forming the codification of the Doctrine, entitled "Heaven and Hell." Since then, the supplemental works of the doctrine have come to include several books written by Spiritual authors (through mediums) that enlighten us about the conditions encountered by the discarnate Spirit and about life in the Spiritual realm.
Information found in "The Spirits' Book", "Heaven and Hell", "Genesis" and others, tell us about the state of the Spirit while living in the Spirit Realm. Some examples of what these books teach us are:
A spirit, upon leaving the material body, maintains its individuality, and therefore does not become someone different, for they have only lost their material covering.
Depending on the state of the Spirit upon disincarnation, the Spirit will go to a place in the spiritual realm with which it has the most affinity (sometimes even remaining on Earth for a good time until it either realizes the reality of its situation or releases itself from its affection for material things and/or pleasures of the material world).
The zones of the spirit realm closest to the Earth are the least pure. Spirits of a lesser degree of advancement and those who are in a morally weak state will find themselves there. Those who engaged in behaviors of a very immoral nature and those who were responsible (through their actions on Earth) for the significant suffering of others (even of their own) will undergo a great deal of suffering, of mental torture brought on by their own conscience, and this suffering will last until they "awaken" to face and repent for what they have done, whereby they will want to get better and will seek help in returning to the right path and to, eventually, deserving their next chance to make amends.
Spirits who have made good use of their material lives (even despite some mistakes made along the way) and who do not remain bound to Earth by materialistic ties will be received by loved ones and friendly spirits who will take them to places farther from the Earth's crust where they will recuperate from the process of disincarnation and then continue their progress while living in the spiritual realm and preparing for their next incarnation.
Spirits are able to continue their progress in the Spirit realm through various educational activities, and depending on their efforts, they can make great advances. Still, however, they will have to put the ideas they acquire into practice in the material realm.
Spirits have all the same perceptions they had in their earthly life and others that we on Earth do not have. The more advanced the Spirits are, the wider is their range of knowledge and the broader and more distinct are their perceptions. Also, they are often able to see the past (though they see it with the vividness of the present) and, depending on their advancement, they are sometimes able to foresee events of the future (though they see it only partially and are not always allowed to reveal it).
Before incarnating, the Spirits (who have achieved a significant level of awareness and responsibility) will take part in the selection of the trials they will undergo in the coming incarnation, depending on their present evolutionary needs. (For more information, see "An Incarnation Bgins: Planning and Rebirth" (on menu bar at left) or see "Choice of Trials" in Chapter 5 of "The Spirits' Book" for an even more detailed explanation.)
A hierarchy of authority does exist among the Spirits, but it is not like the authority found on Earth, for authority in the Spiritual Realm is a reflection of the Spirits' moral state. The spirits associate with, and are attracted to one another by affinity, though the higher Spirits do try to reach out and help the lower ones to overcome their negative tendencies.
Through the medium of the cosmic principle, spirits communicate to one another by thought, and likewise are able to read one another's thoughts.
Spirits retain their affection for loved ones they leave behind in the spirit realm upon incarnating and likewise, for those they leave behind in the material realm upon their return to spirit life. They can recognize then, and are often reunited with loved ones that that lived with on Earth, even in incarnations prior to the most recent. For the loved ones who remain, at that time, on Earth, the Spirits often pray and ask for help, and even try to help them themselves, whenever possible.
Just as they recognize loved ones, Spirits in the spiritual realm also recognize their enemies. Imperfect spirits will hold on to their resentments and may even seek revenge. As Spirits mature to a greater advancement, however, they often arrive in the spirit realm only to forgive one another, for they are able to see that their earthly hatred was stupid and caused by something foolish.
The memory of a Spirit's last, as well as other incarnations, will come back to the Spirit upon disincarnation, though slowly, depending on the Spirit's material ties as well as the attention the Spirit focuses on it. (for more on this see, "Memory of Incarnate Lives", Chapter 5, "The Spirits' Book") The Spirit will then use this knowledge to plan its next incarnation.
Since the books of the Doctrine's Codification were written, there have been others that have brought additional detail and testimony regarding life in the Spiritual Realm. One of the most well known of such books within the Doctrine is the first in the series of books written by the well-respected Spiritual Author (former physician), André Luiz, entitled "Nosso Lar" (translation= "Our Home"), dictated to the medium, Francisco Candido Xavier. The impact of this book was so great because André Luiz broadened our picture of the afterlife by describing not only the state of the spirit but also details of the physical environment. He described first the lower zone to which he first was drawn, upon disincarnation, as a result of his behavior and attitude on Earth, the events that rescued him, and then that with which the book had the greatest impact, the Spiritual City (called "Nosso Lar") to which he was taken and to which the majority of the book is dedicated. Since the publication of "Nosso Lar" André Luiz has written additional books which form a series, and these books bring us even more knowledge about Spirit life and the interaction of Spirits both in the Spirit Realm and between the Spiritual and Material realms. In addition, there have since been other books of a similar nature, by other Spiritual authors, describing the colonies of the Spirit World.
As surprising as it may seem, we find that in the relatively advanced, i.e. "civilized" places of the Spirit World, referred to as "colonies", the environment is, in many ways, similar to what we see here on Earth. Remember that the spiritual fluids form the material of the spiritual realm (see subsection "Basic Fundamental Principles" under "Science" in the Triple Aspect study category), and with this material, the Spirits form their cities, with buildings, parks, hospitals (for illnesses of a spiritual nature), schools, etc.! There are even administrative entities that govern the colonies. Life, however, does differ from that here on Earth. First of all, as stated above, the perceptions and sensations of Spirits are different, as the Spirits are free from the influence of a material body. Likewise, they don't have to deal with many of the societal issues that we have here, the need for financial income, physical survival, etc. However, they are not inactive. They spend time studying in classes (sometimes even universities), attending lectures, and even public performances such as theatre, music, etc. They also spend a good deal of time working, not in the same way we do here on Earth (for financial income) but in jobs in which they are able to help other Spirits who are suffering or in need of some kind of assistance. There are also jobs in which they are able to help the incarnate on Earth. Such work helps them to grow and progress and earn merit as well.
We have not gone into great detail here, so if you would like to learn more about the life in the Spiritual Realm, we encourage you to read "The Spirits' Book". And we strongly recommend two of André Luiz's books that are available in English, "Nosso Lar, A Spiritual Home" and "And Life Goes On". (see our "Spiritist Books" page for how to obtain them). You will find both of these books fascinating, enlightening, and motivational.