ANIMALS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD

Let me begin by saying that I am as much of an animal lover as anybody, and for many years have worked on their behalf. Since 1970, I have had a vegan diet and have not eaten any animals or animal byproducts. I also do not use any products obtained from animals or tested on them, nor do I ware any clothing made from them. I consider myself to be an ethical vegan and do not attend any events where animals are exploited, imprisoned or abused; such as zoos, rodeos, circuses, bull fights etc. When it is my time and go to the spirit world I hope to have my little schnauzer back and I believe that I will.

In 1982 with the discovery of the spirit communications of the Washington, D.C. lawyer, James E. Padgett I became a spiritualist. My investigations into the subject of animal survival has convinced me that there definitely are animals in the spirit world. This is based on spiritualist literature that describes the existence of animals in the spirit world and from the accounts of spiritualist mediums that I have witnessed, which proves this by their ability to see animals clairvoyantly. And, on occasion these mediums can even give messages from departed pets, which can serve to identify a person in the spirit world. The question here is are these the same animals that lived on the Earth and survived death because they have souls, or is there another explanation for their being there?

My studies and observations have given me the understanding that there are are two types or classes of animals in the spirit world - wild animals created for the beautification of the spirit world and pets recreated for the spirit person's happiness. However, it is my belief that none of these animals are the animals that once roamed the Earth, flew its skies or swam its seas.

As the homes in the spirit world that spirits live in are not the same homes they had on the Earth, or are their furnishings the same, nor is the clothing that they wear to cover their spirit bodies the same cloths that hung in their closets on Earth. And, by the same token the spirit pets are not the same animals they had on Earth for all of these things and everything else in the spirit world are creations.

When a spirit person wants his or her pet back all that is required is the desire, and in God's goodness the pet will be recreated for that persons pleasure and happiness. It matters not what type of animal it may have been - dog, cat, bird, horse, turtle, etc.

According to James Padgett's spirit writings animals do not survive death because they do not have souls, but instead, they have a spirit that gives them life and animates them. I can attest to this because when my little dog Duson died, two friends were visiting, and all three of us saw or sensed something wispy rise out of her body. When I rushed over to her basket she was dead.

I believe when animals die, their spirit leaves their body and returns to a pool or reservoir in the spirit world from whence it came. I also believe that the recreated pet can be given back that very same spirit it had when on Earth from the spirit pool. In this way the pet will not only look identical, but will have the same personality and recognition of its owner, affording the spirit person comparable satisfaction with its pet that it had on the Earth.

If for a moment we were to consider the possibility that animals do have souls, survive physical death and go to the spirit world, what comes to mind is does this means all the animals? Could anyone possibly imagine how many animals have existed since the creation of the animal kingdom? I realize that some people think that not all animals have souls and survive death, just the highest ones – the primates, and those closest with humans - the pets. It is true that companion animals take on human characteristics more so than do wild animals, but this is merely the result of their contact, breeding and training.

If we were to examine the role of animals in the wild it is clear that they perform invaluable tasks for the ecology of the planet. For example the insects, butterflies and humming birds pollinate blossoms so fruit will grow; beavers build dams to divert water to create new habitats, and the dung beetle rolls seeds in elephant dropping burying them in the ground to insure new trees on the landscape. None of these and the other myriad of functions that animals preform for the Earth are necessary in the spirit world.

The spirit world is a place for human beings that is for the human soul, and is where the soul continues its eternal existence and spiritual unfolding. The human soul is a much higher creation than that of the animal's spirit because it is created in the image and likeness of its Creator. The human soul is an individualized being - the real person - not a shadowy emanation or projection of God, but a created entity that will exist as a spirit in a spirit body of energy for all eternity in the spirit world.

The Creator is also a soul, but not the soul that is the created human, but the soul that is Deity. The object of human creation is for God to have a family of souls that live in harmony and happiness in a spiritual kingdom. To achieve this more than the short term on Earth is often necessary, and it is in the spirit world where this progress continues, or perhaps, begins. The spiritual goal is to come closer to the source of the love, the light and wisdom of God, not just in ones own soul qualities, but in ones physical location to God in the spirit world. The animals are not the children of God and do not have an eternal existence to accomplish this spiritual goal.

Human beings are created with a longing for a relationship with God, and to eventually become one with God and inherit a kingdom high up in the heavens. This is not the destiny of the animals, when their lives are completed they have served the purpose of their creation on the Earth.

Therefore, I am convinced that the animals in the spirit world are not the same animals that roamed the Earth, flew its skies or swam its seas, but are creations along with everything else in the spirit world of God.

Alan Ross