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When a spirit enters the Spirit World its condition of mental, moral and spiritual development determines where it shall first live. In the large majority of cases, the first home of the spirit is in the earthplane and in that there are a number of planes, respectively higher or lower than others. So when the spirit finds itself in the earth plane it also finds that its condition is not much different from what it was on earth. The same ideas of right and wrong, of beliefs, of affections and of desires remain. Sometimes these conditions will last for many years, and again the change will come comparatively soon. This change of condition depends , frequently, upon the friends or relatives, when they come over, who try to help and instruct them. If such spirit helpers are themselves developed in the line of intellectual pursuits, they will more naturally endeavor to direct the newly arrived spirit along the same line of thought and aspirations; and so with the morally developed helpers they will make the questions of morality the important ones for the new spirits to give attention to. And so with the spiritual helpers, or those who have received the Love of the Father in their souls, and to whom such Love is the most important thing in all the Spirit World. Naturally, they will endeavor to instruct the spirit in matters pertaining to this Love and the increased development of it. A lot depends upon the helpers which the new spirit finds waiting its advent into the Spirit World, and the instructions which such spirit helpers give it. But more will depend upon the condition of the spirit itself. When it comes into the Spirit World it brings with it all its beliefs, desires and affections, and these respective qualities will, to a more or less extent, influence the directions of its progress. It is much easier to influence a spirit who has had, while on earth, awakened to him a Love of God even to a small degree, to pursue the thoughts that will lead him into spiritual ways, than to persuade one who has never had an awakening. And so with the spirit, who while on earth, gave his studies and thoughts to mental pursuits to the exclusion of thoughts relating to God or to religious matters. Such spirits will naturally be attracted to those things which it considers a continuation of its earthly thoughts; and consequently, they are its treasures which necessarily have the most of its affections, and from these affections will arise its desires which will, unless something greater intervenes, cause it to follow the course of these desires. And the same principles can be applied to every condition of the spirit, mental, moral and spiritual. Such spirit following the natural inclination of its condition will endeavor to get into that sphere in its progress, where there are afforded the greatest opportunities for the development of the particular phase of its condition which constitutes its chief motive force. And this is in accordance with spiritual law. The spirit desiring above all else the development of its mental qualities will naturally seek that sphere where these qualities have the greatest opportunity for such development. And so with the moralist and the spirit of religious thought.
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