Hell is caused by people rejecting God; not the other way around. People are not cast into Hell; they cast themselves away from God, and move away from all that is good. They choose to go to where goodness is not. The place where goodness is not is called Hell. The experience of Hell is the natural consequences of a series of choices made over a lifetime. Choices based on hate rather than love; vengeance rather than forgiveness and cruelty rather than compassion.
"The [origin of evil] is so far away in an unknown past that only the Creator of us all can rightly tell of its origin and use. But we know that all things work toward a final greater good, and that is sufficient for us at present.” — Spirit World and Spirit Life
There are some Afterlife states that are unpleasant, but are not necessarily Hell states. Many people learn their lesson at one of the Lower Realms and turn aside from hateful thinking and make their way upwards. Others refuse to learn and go on further down. Some, having led a malicious life on Earth, go straight to a Hell State.
In this example, two Afterlifers, Ruth and the narrator of the story, go along with Two Spiritual Guides, Edwin and an unnamed helper, to assist a man who had been stuck in a Lower Sphere for a long time. He had been a successful man, but he only lived for his business and would resort to just about any legal means to achieve his ends. He was a bully and his needs and wants dominated his family life. He gave large sums to the church and had expected to be rewarded accordingly. After finding himself in very poor conditions in the Afterlife, he was angry and adamant that he was being treated unfairly.
“The ground was hard under foot; the green of trees and grass was gone. The sky was dull and leaden, and the temperature had dropped very considerably, but we could feel an internal warmth that counteracted it. The landscape was bleak in the extreme with, here and there, a dwelling house of the meanest order. We came closer to one of the latter, and we were able to examine it better. It was a small, squat house, squarely built, devoid of ornament, and looking altogether thoroughly uninviting. It even had a sinister look in spite of its plainness, and it seemed to repel us from it the nearer we approached it. There was no sign of life to be seen at any of the windows or round about it. There was no garden attached to it; it just stood out by itself, solitary and forlorn.
[Out two Guides Edwin and a friend] evidently knew both the house and its inmate quite well, for upon going up to the front door, Edwin gave a knock upon it and without waiting for an answer opened it and walked in, beckoning us to follow. We did so and found ourselves in the poorest sort of apology for a house. There was little furniture, and that of the meanest, and at first sight to earthly eyes one would have said that poverty reigned here, and one would have felt the natural sympathy and urge to offer what help one could.
But to our spirit eyes, the poverty was of the soul, the meanness was of the spirit, and although it roused our sympathy it was sympathy of another kind, of which material help is of no avail. The coldness seemed almost greater within than without, and we were told that it came from the owner of the house himself. We passed into a back room and met the sole occupant seated in a chair.
He made no attempt to rise or give any sign of welcome. Ruth and I remained in the background while the other two went forward to speak to our unwilling ‘host’. He was a man just past middle years. He had something of an air of faded prosperity and the clothes he wore had been obviously neglected, whether through indifference or other causes - in the light of my earthly recollections! - I was unable to say. He rather scowled at the two of us as Edwin brought us forward as new visitors. It was a moment or two before he spoke, and then he railed at us rather incoherently, but we were able to gather that he deemed himself to be suffering under an injustice.
Edwin told him in plain terms that he was talking nonsense, because injustice does not exist in the spirit world. A heated argument followed, heated, that is to say, on the part of our host, for Edwin was calm and collected, and in truth, wonderfully kind. Many times did the former glance at Ruth, whose gentle face seemed to brighten the whole dingy place. I, too, looked at Ruth, who held my arm, to see how this strange man was affecting her, but she was unperturbed.
At length, he quieted down and seemed much more tractable, and then he and Edwin had some private conversation together. At the end of it, he told Edwin that he would think about it, and that he could call again if he wished and bring his friends with him. Upon this, he arose from his chair, escorted us to the door and showed us out. And I observed that he was almost becoming affable - though not quite. It was as if he was reluctant to submit to being pleasant. He stood at his front door watching us as we walked away, until we must have been nearly out of sight.” — Life in the World Unseen
The man described above might be considered to have been in a Lower Sphere rather than a truly Hell state which can be much more extreme. However, it gets the idea across of what these places can be like.
This visit was the turning point for that man and he later was able to move to a Higher Sphere. It transpired that Ruth had somehow reminded him of his own daughter, who he had till that point put out of his mind, and this helped to soften his attitude.
Free Will
“It is of no use to ask why [evil exists]. We do not know. There are many things that we do not comprehend. But we live in the midst of such advanced and beautiful lives, that we find it easy to trust. Also, the teachers from the higher planes help us to realize the infinite progression and the infinite goodness, so we trust and grow happy as we grow in faith.” — Spirit World and Spirit Life
Why does God allow all this suffering of the Hell States? This all seems to have to do with the outworking of free will. Often, these ‘straying ones’ can become a real force for good when they finally turn around towards the light. Their commitment to the good is usually very deep after having plumbed the depth. They have no doubts about being on the right path as they have experienced the results of being on the wrong one. They tried the dark path and found it wanting as it did not go anywhere other than greater and greater limitation and misery. It also seems to have to do with the development of individuality. On our evolutionary path, we are allowed great scope for making mistakes. We still have to face the consequences of those mistakes, but we are allowed to make them. Experiencing some independence from God helps our sense of individual selves, but leave us very prone to make errors. We initially experience this in the restrictions of a physical environment to limit the damage we can do – though that can still be considerable.
“There is nothing much that can be done for these people [in the Hell states] until they become sickened and satiated through and through. They then feel a desire for a better way of life. But it may take them ages to desire this change. However, some time or other, they will start the journey to higher mental levels.” — Letters From Mother
“God still reigns in His Heaven and all is well. Not one of its vast millions is ever forgotten by the Creator, but, as in the case of the lonely wanderer, there is only one way in which you can help [those in a low state], and that is by prayer and thought…Think kindly of them sometimes, and in your next petition to the Supreme God do not forget the unnumbered millions of souls drifting with no one to say them nay. Do not forget this little thing when next you pray; who knows, perhaps someone near and dear to you is numbered amongst that throng. Kindly thoughts help them upward, and the more kind thoughts that reach them from the earth plane, the better their chance of success.” — Children of Evolution
In effect, there is only the path towards greater and greater light. There is only God and only goodness, because all else is just a turning away from goodness into a lack of goodness.
Progress out of the Hell state depends on them facing up to the ways in which they earn their place there and eventually being willing to reach out and find ways to help others in a similar predicament to themselves. No matter how low someone has sunk, they always have the chance to progress and raise themselves. There is a spark of th
e Divine within everyone and even the lowest of the low cannot deny their own better nature forever and sooner or later, they have to face the consequences of their actions. In that sense, there is no judgment other than self-judgment in the form of the natural law which places them in the realm matching their state of consciousness.
Those on the lower spheres in the Hell states are not just left to suffer. There are many who work to encourage them to change their point of view and to let go of their old ways and look to a better way.
“Those of the higher spheres often make an effort to help those in the lower spheres. Indeed, it is one of the ways they can progress to yet even higher spheres. For one thing, they try to help those in the lower spheres realize that there are spheres above them and that these higher spheres are open to them if they will do the necessary work and face their character defects honestly. However, this only works if they can find people in the lower spheres who are ready and willing to make progress.” — Life Beyond Death
Those who have willfully dominated others, and therefore impinged on their free will, forcing them and manipulating them for selfish purposes find their place amongst others just like them.
“At first, there is felt a resentment at being in such a condition; this is followed by bitter disappointment at being unable to buy, or to enforce, better conditions. Then, when they realize that they cannot command different surroundings, they begin to wonder why. You can understand how each of these people becomes an object-lesson to the others, since each one is a reflection of the others.” — Life Beyond Death
When they begin to realize that they need to change their ways, visitors come to them from the Higher Spheres to point out that there are better and happier spheres to which they can go when they have risen above their lower selves. Also, the spiritual light and presence of those from the Higher Realms can help those on Lower Realms receive a glimpse of a better life.
“Eventually, the sense of contrast begins to act, and into the mind of one of them will come the question, ‘Why is it that this man or woman is so different from us? Why are they able to go away from this miserable place and then return when they choose? How is it that they speak to us with love, sympathy and hope, when all others here are thinking only of themselves?’
When that seed commences to germinate, it brings the realization, ‘I am with these miserable people because I am of them, in fact, because I am like them.’ When that happens, there comes the desire to be different. Then follows the awakening… It brings that bitterness and remorse which is the greatest and most terrible punishment man can have. No torture which another can inflict is so terrible as the remorse which one's own best self inflicts when this awakening comes.” — Life Beyond Death
The Devil
It is possible for evil people to influence those still on Earth, if they can find someone bad enough to carry out their will. However, they cannot coerce anyone against their will (the exception being someone who has such a weakness of character that they let themselves become possessed), and in the larger scheme of things, they are very limited in what they can do. However, this would not stop them from presenting themselves as all-powerful in order to try and scare susceptible people into doing what they want.
“Evil men may become strong in their evil ways, but there is nothing ‘god-like’ about them in power or ability. They are in some ways very limited in what they can do and where they can go. God is an immense being who transcends Earthly existence and all existence even in the Afterlife and is far beyond our comprehension. Evil men are largely confined to Hell, by their very nature. They do sometimes seem to be able to influence those on Earth, through those willing to act as agents of their malicious intentions, but they cannot force anyone to do something against their will.” — Life Beyond Death
According to various sources of information about the Afterlife, there is no actual Devil. There are certainly evil men, but there is no Devil in the sense of some immensely powerful being who could in any way be thought of as the opposite of God. We could say that evil is just the lack of good. It is not anything in itself; just as darkness is not anything in itself. The universe is ultimately composed of God, of goodness, and therefore evil is only tolerated to the extent that it serves God’s purpose. Human evil by its nature contracts and confines itself to the lower regions of the Earthly spheres (including the subtle realms); whereas human goodness expands itself, under guidance from higher beings, to realms far beyond the Earth.
Those committed to evil are often in competition with each other and strive to defeat one another the first chance they get. They cannot trust each other. This weakens them as they are limited in the ways they will act together. Whereas those committed to the good naturally work together and they have a collective power far in excess than those in the darker spheres can muster.
“…there is no organizer of evil, no individual spirit directing evil, no malignant force of personal evil. There are multitudes who pass over from earth in a sadly undeveloped condition, but the undeveloped soul of a person who lived a bad life on earth is a very different individuality from the traditional devil of popular imagination.” — Life Beyond Death
The End of Hell
Eventually, the need for a Hell will pass away as we will finally learn that only the good is truly real and stop cultivating that which is not good. We are learning, as a species, to use our free will in life-enhancing ways. It may seem to take us a large cycle of time to fully achieve this, but this is a mere blip in terms of the wider scale and the scope of our Cosmic Evolution.
“Descending to these levels… is always done in the company of very exalted beings from the higher spheres, who have progressed beyond human thought and attained true compassion. Their very presence ventilates the place and sheds light in the stygian darkness. Those who are not ready for reform shrink away from it, seeking the cover of darkness to continue their misdeeds. In others, it breeds an uneasiness of mind and the inkling of a desire for better things. For these souls, the light is gradually increased, according to their desire to accept it.” — Letters From Mother
In the meantime, we can help those inhabitants of Hell and Lower Spheres by sending them thoughts of kindness, love and compassion. Praying for them will help them considerably, mitigate their suffering and help them find a way upwards. It will also help us on Earth too as it will reduce the baleful influence those in the Hell states can sometimes have on the lower evolved ones here. This will make it much less likely that these lower evolved ones will be tempted into actions that result in them too becoming inhabitants of Hell for a time. In some ways, this process is already underway and sooner or later, the flow of human life into Hell states will reduce to a trickle and then stop altogether. One day, Hell will be finally closed for business.
“No soul is condemned to everlasting punishment. Help is always at hand for those who recognize their need for it.” — Letters from Mother
Chapter 11: The Higher Spheres
“We are children yet in the infinite knowledge, and we of mortal birth move along in smaller circles than the spirits of other planes or universes. But can you conceive a little of the joy of acquiring the knowledge that leads us into such limitless wonders! Knowledge is growth, and growth is happiness; and all avenues of thought lead upward to infinite wisdom, justice, and love." – Spirit World and Spirit Life
The Higher Levels of the Afterlife are the most difficult to describe. Our reference points of physical life become increasingly meaningless the higher the realm.
The levels just ahead of the Earth-like levels are difficult enough for the people describing them to do so without resorting to what could easily sound like hyperbole. Even those levels are so magnificent that they struggle to find the right words in describing them. Sometimes, they feel the need to hold back in case it all sounds too good to be true.
Fewer communications from people on the other side are from the higher levels. This is not because they are unwilling to do so, bu
t because the people on this side are not asking the types of questions, or asking for the type of help that requires their input.
The higher levels become more and more refined and hard to describe in terms that make sense to us in an Earth body. The sense of time and space can be very different the further we move away from Earth and this makes descriptions increasingly impossible. To a large extent, we are not going to understand what those aspects of life there are like except perhaps the occasional glimpse. This is not only true for us here. People in the Earth-like levels of the Afterlife are not yet able to really grasp what the higher levels are like either. Yet, it is not a problem for them as they can be gradually introduced to those levels when they are ready.
Those more advanced people on a lower level can often see into the higher levels and from time to time have a view of what is there and be uplifted by it. They naturally share their experience with others who are interested. Also, visitors from the Higher Realms frequently visit the lower Realms to offer help, advice and encouragement. They also take those on the levels below them on visits to the levels above.
“Messengers and visitors from these higher realms of light foster a divine discontent that urges us to seek greater spiritual advancement and understanding. Thus, are we, as children, trained in the ways of our Creator. The keynote to advancement is service; that, and the development of cosmic love.
I cannot describe to you the wonderful feeling of peace that is conveyed to us by these visitors. They radiate love and compassion; they make us all feel that we have a definite part to play in the great Universe of God. They encourage us to greater efforts by their very presence, but there is none of the ‘I am holier than thou’ attitude in their association with us. In fact, there are many who move about amongst us without our being aware that they are, indeed, messengers from more advanced spheres. We wonder why we have had a sudden feeling of upliftment after talking with them.” — Letters From Mother
Afterlife Adventures Page 15