A World Beyond: A Startling Message from the Eminent Psychic Arthur Ford from Beyond the Grave

«AUTOMATIC writing is as mysterious as the cycle of birth and death and considerably more difficult to prove. We see a newborn baby and know that it has emerged from its mother's womb. We witness death and are aware that the life force has departed. Nothing remains but an outworn husk, which is cremated or sealed in a tomb. Automatic writing can also be seen, and even read, but the source of its intelligence and the propellant which directs the pencil or typing keys is unperceivable by any of our five physical senses.» — Montgomery abre el Foreword con la tesis que fija el estatuto del volumen: la escritura automática se ve y se lee, pero la fuente de su inteligencia y lo que mueve el lápiz o las teclas queda fuera del alcance de los cinco sentidos, de modo que es más difícil de probar que el nacer y el morir.

«We know that many books have been written totally by means of this directed force, including the Patience Worth series received by a Midwestern housewife and the fascinating New Testament stories dictated through Geraldine Cummins.» — y sitúa el libro dentro de una serie de precedentes que nombra por su vía y no por su título: la serie de Patience Worth recibida por un ama de casa del Medio Oeste y los relatos del Nuevo Testamento dictados a través de Geraldine Cummins.

«Almost invariably the source claims to be a discarnate who once lived in the flesh, even as you and I. Some of those who doubt the existence of communication between the living and dead argue that the thoughts originate within the subconscious, where our memory bank is stored. Others believe that the messages are imparted by a superconscious, or higher, self which has contact with all knowledge through a sort of all-pervading ESP.» — Montgomery pone una al lado de otra las tres lecturas que circulan del fenómeno y no toma ninguna: la fuente casi siempre dice ser un discarnado que vivió en carne; quienes dudan de la comunicación con los muertos la remiten al subconsciente donde está el banco de memoria; y otros la atribuyen a un yo superconsciente en contacto con todo saber por una especie de percepción extrasensorial omnipresente.

«I do not claim to know the answer. I can only attest that the vivid descriptions of afterlife imparted through this book are not products of my imagination or conscious knowledge and that in those instances where assertions are provable, they were totally unknown to me before they came through my typewriter.» — la reserva de la autora, dicha en primera persona: no sostiene saber la respuesta, y solo atestigua que las descripciones del más allá no salen de su imaginación ni de su conocimiento consciente y que, donde son comprobables, le eran del todo desconocidas antes de llegar por su máquina de escribir.

«Dr. I. C. Sharma, head of the department of philosophy at Udaipur University, wrote an airmail letter to me from Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, on March 28, 1971.» — el caso que ofrece como prueba arranca con una carta fechada: la de un jefe de departamento de filosofía de la Universidad de Udaipur escrita el 28 de marzo de 1971; el nombre se coteja contra el crudo y el libro lo imprime así.

«replied through automatic writing, "We have met and talked to Seeta, who is a lovely soul, bustling with energy and happiness to be here in this beautiful majesty.» — la respuesta que el libro presenta como escrita por Ford a través de la escritura automática de Montgomery: dice haber encontrado y hablado con la difunta, a la que describe como alma encantadora y llena de energía.

«She asks that they remember a little blue flower that she particularly liked and to think of her when they see it, for she will be there too.» — el mismo dictado transmite, en voz de la difunta, el encargo de la flor azul que a ella le gustaba: es el detalle que Montgomery va a poner a prueba.

«I had never before heard the name Seeta. I did not know if blue flowers even bloom in such a place as Hissar, which I had not known existed.» — Montgomery mide su propia ignorancia antes del cotejo: nunca había oído ese nombre y no sabía si en aquel lugar, cuya existencia desconocía, florecen flores azules.

«"Every word of the communication by Arthur Ford was correct," he wrote. "The blue flower was not known to me. But [my father-in-law] told me that during the last six months of Seeta's stay in the world, she had taken a fancy to flowers, particularly some blue flowers that grow in their courtyard, which she cultivated and used to decorate the living room with them. So her reference to liking the small blue flower was revealing for dear Bhag. It has given her great consolation."» — y la respuesta del corresponsal, citada como carta suya: dice que cada palabra de la comunicación fue correcta y explica que la difunta había tomado afición a unas flores azules del patio en los últimos seis meses, cosa que él ignoraba.

«Surely the more rational explanation would be that Arthur Ford had contacted Seeta on "the other side" and had passed along a particular piece of information which would seem evidential to her daughter and son-in-law.» — la conclusión que Montgomery saca del caso, marcada por ella como la explicación más razonable y no como un hecho: que Ford habría contactado a la difunta del otro lado y pasado un dato que resultara probatorio para su hija y su yerno.

«This book I believe to be Arthur Ford's own account of life in the next stages of existence beyond the portal that man calls death.» — y el cierre del Foreword, donde adjudica el libro con verbo de creencia: lo tiene por relato del propio Ford sobre la vida en las etapas siguientes, más allá del portal que el hombre llama muerte.

«And now, a world without Arthur. It was January 4, 1971, and throughout that long day I mourned his passing.» — Montgomery narradora fecha el arranque del libro en el día de la muerte de Ford, el 4 de enero de 1971, y lo cuenta como duelo propio.

«I had loved him as a father for a dozen years, and it was through Arthur's trance sittings that I first seemed to recapture the closeness with my own father, when he made his appearance through Fletcher, Ford's otherworld control.» — y declara de dónde viene el vínculo: doce años de trato, y el reencuentro con su propio padre que dice haber tenido en las sesiones de trance de Ford por medio de Fletcher, a quien el libro llama el control del otro mundo de Ford.

«automatic writing, and a high-minded control who called himself Lily dictated much of the material which I used in my book A Search for the Truth and in a chapter of Here and Hereafter. Then, after completing those two manuscripts, I abandoned automatic writing.» — Montgomery declara una práctica anterior y su abandono: el control que se llamaba Lily le dictó buena parte del material de dos libros suyos, y al terminarlos dejó la escritura automática.

«For one thing, I was too busy. For another, I had proven at least to my own satisfaction that communication with the so-called dead is possible, and I had no wish to become a medium.» — y da las dos razones del abandono, la segunda dicha sin rodeos: que ya había probado a su propia satisfacción que la comunicación con los llamados muertos es posible, y que no quería volverse médium.

«Late in that heavy-hearted January day after the telephone call, I suddenly felt an impelling urge to go to my typewriter and once again try automatic writing.» — el retorno a la máquina de escribir lo describe como impulso y no como decisión razonada, el mismo día del aviso de la muerte.

«Probably nothing would occur, for I had deserted Lily so abruptly that there was no reason to expect such a busy spirit still to be on tap. But he was! No sooner had I murmured my usual prayer for protection and placed my fingers in touch-typing position than the writing began:» — Montgomery consigna su expectativa contraria —no esperaba que un espíritu tan ocupado siguiera disponible— y el procedimiento exacto: la oración de protección y los dedos en posición de mecanografía al tacto.

«"Ruth, this is Lily and the group. Arthur Ford is here and wants you to know that he is as young as the merry month of May. He feels great and does not want you to grieve. He is so glad to be here, more delighted than you will ever know, for he has secretly yearned to make this trip of exploration and finds it much more beautiful than he had imagined or glimpsed while in trance.» — lo primero que el libro presenta como dictado lleva firma de dos: Lily y el grupo, que anuncian a Ford y lo dan por gozoso del viaje de exploración que, dicen, había anhelado en secreto.

«The next morning Lily presented my father, Ira Whitmer Shick, who wrote, "Ruth, Arthur and I are buddies now. He is a wonderful fellow and I appreciate all that he did to awaken you to this perfectly normal means of communication, but he says I should have some of the credit because you wanted to reach me enough to keep plodding away at it."» — la segunda voz que el libro consigna es la del padre de Montgomery, presentado por Lily, que dice haberse hecho amigo de Ford y reparte el mérito de la comunicación entre el difunto y el deseo de ella.

«Arthur then came through himself, writing, "Ruth, this is Art. For the time being, never mind telling people that we're in communication, because every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the country is going to be claiming that, and I don't have time to answer all of their pleas for admission and response.» — y la primera vez que el libro presenta a Ford escribiendo por sí mismo: pide discreción, con el argumento de que cualquiera reclamaría estar en comunicación y él no tendría tiempo de atender las peticiones.

«The next morning, with the urging of Lily, I agreed to resume the regular morning sittings at my typewriter, as I had done while amassing the material for A Search for the Truth.» — Montgomery narra el pacto de método: reanudar las sesiones matinales regulares ante la máquina de escribir, como las que dice haber hecho para un libro anterior.

«Arthur is not here just now, as he wants to check on his funeral details and what to do with the estate that he left. But this is a passing phase, as he will soon learn that it makes no difference here what is done with what, and who is where.» — Lily, en el dictado, explica una ausencia de Ford por asuntos terrenos —el funeral y la herencia— y la declara fase pasajera, porque del otro lado, dice, no importa qué se haga con qué ni quién esté dónde.

«We are not allseeing, all-knowing on this side, and many things are unknown to us on the physical plane unless they penetrate the intelligence of one with whom we work closely, such as yourself.» — y el mismo dictado pone un límite a lo que se atribuye: no son omniscientes de aquel lado y muchas cosas del plano físico les quedan ocultas salvo que penetren la inteligencia de alguien con quien trabajen de cerca. La capa de texto une aquí *all-seeing* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«He wished me to be free to write a book in collaboration with him about life in the next stage of eternal life. With his usual zest, he assured me that he was collecting ample material, so that we could present "a totally accurate picture" of conditions in the plane where he now found himself.» — Montgomery narra el encargo del libro como colaboración propuesta por el difunto, que —dice— le aseguró estar reuniendo material para dar un cuadro del todo exacto de las condiciones de su plano.

«manuscript was unnecessarily delaying our work together on a far more important and lasting project, that which Arthur Ford has been discussing with you. We will begin at once, if you are agreeable, and will delve into the existence of life from one stage to another, telling how it differs with each stage. We will discuss the crossover to this phase as one sheds his mortal body, and as we progress with our account of life here, I will give you glimpses of the higher phases which are yet to come."» — Lily, en el dictado, fija el programa del volumen: recorrer la existencia de una etapa a otra, el cruce al soltar el cuerpo mortal y, según avance, atisbos de las fases superiores.

«"Ruth, you and I were together in many previous lifetimes, as I sensed there on your plane and now know to be a fact. We were friends and comrades, relatives in some lives and not in others, but never were we rivals or enemies, which is why we worked so well together and felt such consummate loyalty to each other in the phase which I have just finished.» — lo que el libro presenta como primeras palabras de Ford al tomar la máquina: vidas anteriores compartidas con Montgomery, nunca como rivales, de donde deriva la lealtad entre ambos.

«Now, let us start with the premise that each person is a continuing entity through all eternity. No beginning and no ending, despite what some of the moralists say about our life beginning with physical birth as a baby and ending with Judgment Day. Bosh! There has never been a time when we were not, and we always will be, even though in constantly changing forms and stages, for we are as much God as God is a part of us.» — la premisa con que arranca el dictado de Ford: cada persona es entidad continua por toda la eternidad, sin principio ni fin, y somos tanto Dios como Dios es parte de nosotros. La glosa no adjudica la tesis a nadie más que a la voz que el libro le asigna.

«For if each of us is God, then taken together we are God; and since it takes all of us to make a complete God, we know that another person is as necessary to us and to the common welfare as we ourselves. Therefore, it behooves each of us to concern ourselves mightily with others, for they are as necessary to us as our own arms and legs and eyes and ears.» — y la consecuencia moral que Ford saca de esa premisa: si hace falta la totalidad para completar a Dios, el otro es tan necesario como uno mismo, y por eso conviene ocuparse de los demás como de los propios miembros.

«"Each of us is incomplete without the totality of humanity, both living and dead. Don't forget that this all-for-one-and-one-for-all applies equally to the living and so-called dead, for it is the totality that makes us the whole of the Universal Spirit which we are wont to call God.» — el mismo dictado extiende la regla a vivos y muertos por igual: es la totalidad la que hace el todo del Espíritu Universal al que se acostumbra llamar Dios.

«The clergy may not like this concept, but if you think about it awhile you realize that it is much nearer to fulfilling Christ's commandment 'Love One Another,' and His teaching that 'The kingdom of God is within' than all the stuffy preaching about a God who sits on high to judge the quick and the dead.» — y Ford anticipa la objeción del clero, apoyándose en dos frases que atribuye a Cristo, el mandamiento de amarse y el reino de Dios que está dentro, contra la prédica de un Dios que juzga desde lo alto.

«Fletcher was his French-Canadian boyhood friend in Florida who lost his life in World War I and a few years thereafter became the master of ceremonies for spirit entities who wanted to come through Ford while he was in trance.» — y presenta a Fletcher con los datos que el libro le da: amigo de infancia francocanadiense en Florida, muerto en la Primera Guerra, y después maestro de ceremonias de las entidades que querían pasar por Ford en trance.

«"Fletcher's first words to me were, 'Old friend, welcome, welcome. And how happy is the release for both of us. Now I can go on to higher duties.' But first he talked to me at length, filling me in on what to expect on this side and giving me a few valuable words of advice about not becoming as earthbound as he did through taking over that long, drawn-out (fifty-year) project with me.» — el dictado de Ford pone en boca de Fletcher la bienvenida y el alivio del relevo, y le atribuye un consejo: no volverse tan atado a la tierra como él por haber tomado un proyecto de cincuenta años.

«I am not going to tie myself down to years and years of being a message bearer, as poor Fletcher did for me.» — de donde Ford deriva la razón de prisa del libro: no atarse años como portador de mensajes, sino cerrar un proyecto corto y seguir a otras tareas.

«As to all that business about sidereal time versus orthic time, I'll leave that to the great brains like Betty and Stewart Edward White [authors of The Unobstructed Universe], who are quite advanced here, incidentally. Let's keep ours in layman's language that is easy of comprehension, so that we don't lose our readers in high-flown terms.» — y el dictado declara el registro que quiere para el volumen: dejar el tiempo sidéreo y órtico a los autores que nombra y hablar en lengua de lego para no perder al lector.

«Time, of course, is different. There's no such thing as clock time here, for we are able to eliminate time as well as space, since we are able to will ourselves to be anywhere at any moment of earth time and are able to look ahead so far into what you call the future that this also transcends the earthly idea of time.» — la tesis de Ford sobre el tiempo: no hay tiempo de reloj de aquel lado, porque se elimina el tiempo junto con el espacio al poder quererse estar en cualquier sitio, y la mirada alcanza tan lejos que trasciende la idea terrena de futuro.

«Arthur would return to this philosophy again and again in the weeks ahead, expanding his thesis» — Montgomery narradora anuncia que esa filosofía vuelve una y otra vez en las semanas siguientes; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la 12, donde ella pone su propio interés en el reencuentro de Ford con Fletcher.

«So what is fear? Simply lack of faith in the plan. Be relaxed, available, willing to take what comes and do the best that you can."» — y define el miedo como simple falta de fe en ese plan, con la receta que le sigue: estar relajado, disponible y dispuesto a tomar lo que venga.

«"Death is no more than the passage through a beckoning door. It is so brief, so transitory as scarcely to be noted, for it is what lies beyond the door that counts. The body, let us say, is tired and weakened. At a certain point the heart stops, not merely because the body mechanism will not function, but also because the soul has slipped off through the opening door. Some go gladly, some reluctantly, but all in answer to the universal urge for peace and tranquility.» — la tesis central de Ford sobre el morir: paso por una puerta que llama, tan breve que apenas se nota, porque lo que cuenta es lo que hay del otro lado; el corazón se detiene no solo por falla del mecanismo sino porque el alma se ha escurrido.

«For a time the soul in transit may slumber, particularly if there has been undue shock or mental weakening. On this side they let it sleep until it stirs and seems to feel need, of its own accord, for contact with those on this side. But sometimes the step across is so gentle as to seem like the wafting of a summer's breeze.» — y el dictado admite dos formas del tránsito sin armonizarlas: el alma puede dormitar si hubo choque o debilitamiento mental, y a veces el paso es suave como el soplo de una brisa de verano.

«This was so in my case, because I knew enough of what to expect to welcome the shedding of the husk which was my ailing body. The pain ceased, the spirit departed, and here I was amid such beauty as you cannot dream. The here was not different from the there except that, with no need for physical comforts, only the beauty of the world remained.» — Ford aplica la segunda a su propio caso y explica por qué: sabía bastante de lo que le esperaba para dar la bienvenida al desprendimiento del cuerpo enfermo. El aquí, dice, no era distinto del allí salvo por la belleza, sin necesidad de comodidades físicas.

«I found that it was as I subconsciously remembered, although no one can quite recall the beauty and the deep affinity that one has for others of like-thinking here. It was like coming home, to slip through that door and release the tired old body.» — y describe el reconocimiento como recuerdo subconsciente y vuelta a casa, con la afinidad profunda entre los que piensan parecido.

«In an instant, without conscious thought, I was here surrounded by relatives, and my mother was saying, ‘Hallelujah, Arthur. Welcome to Canaan Land.' Well, it isn't Canaan Land, but my mother was of the small-town evangelical pattern, and to her it still seems like it, because that is what she expected to find here.» — el mismo dictado consigna una discrepancia con su propia madre y la explica por la expectativa: ella lo recibe con la fórmula evangélica de la tierra de Canaán, y él dice que no lo es, pero que a ella se lo parece porque es lo que esperaba encontrar.

«"Let's clear out the minds of those on your side who cling to those childish patterns of imaginative thought. It retards their progress here to expect such nonsensical things. Instead of clothing the truth with so much fluff, which takes time to strip away, it would be better to proceed with the work at hand.» — de ahí Ford deriva un encargo: limpiar de la mente de los vivos los patrones infantiles del pensamiento imaginativo, porque esperar cosas sin sentido retrasa el progreso y vestir la verdad de adorno cuesta tiempo.

«At least that's what I've found to date, although admittedly I'm a newcomer in a land that is never the same to a soul, even though we pass along this way after each earthly incarnation. We are different each time we come through the open door again. We have formed new patterns of thought and new ideas about what to expect, and since thoughts are definitely things, we are the cocreators with God of what we find for ourselves here. Ruth, we want you to wake up the people there to the importance of this towering truth. They, with their thoughts, are not only creating the pattern of their future lives but their own heaven or hell."» — el límite que el propio dictado se pone —admite ser recién llegado— junto con la tesis que más repite: que los pensamientos son cosas y que somos cocreadores con Dios de lo que hallamos, de modo que con sus pensamientos los vivos fabrican su propio cielo o infierno.

«Arthur, in his report on Aunt Mabel, declared, "At first she joyously greeted old friends and relatives, rushing from one to another. But then I noted a change. On your side she was narrow-minded, devout, and good, but she had no original thoughts and was too circumspect to seek them. Here she is even more so, for this plane goes against what she had been led to expect of a heaven, and thus she sometimes feels that she is in the wrong place. There is no such thing as a right and wrong place. It is all one, one with you there and with us here, but what we make of it here is influenced by what we had expected while on your side.» — el caso de la tía de Montgomery, en voz de Ford: estrecha y devota de este lado, allá lo es más, y como el plano contradice lo que le habían enseñado a esperar de un cielo, siente a veces estar en el sitio equivocado. De ahí la tesis de que no hay sitio correcto ni equivocado.

«That is why I would have you picture each of us as God, as well as a part of God, for you and we are the gods who decide whether we grow or remain as embryos.» — el corolario con que el dictado cierra el argumento: figurarse a cada uno como Dios y como parte de Dios, y por eso dioses que deciden si crecen o siguen embrionarios.

«"Progression. That is the key to happiness here as well as there, and what an exciting place this is for those of us who are eager to learn and to grow. We have sky and flowers, trees, sunsets more vivid than you can comprehend; for everything in this world and in yours is a pattern of thought.» — Ford nombra la progresión como clave de la felicidad en los dos planos y describe lo que ve —cielo, flores, árboles, puestas de sol— declarándolo todo, allá y aquí, patrón de pensamiento.

«Here we communicate and work and grow and thrive only through thought, and since we are without interference from physical minds, which are mere mechanical machines, our thoughts instantaneously react to whatever we wish to project. We instantly see another person or soul of whom we think. We are constantly projecting thought patterns of our own, so that wherever we wish to be, we are.» — la mecánica que el dictado atribuye a ese plano: comunicarse, trabajar y crecer solo por pensamiento, sin la interferencia de las mentes físicas, que llama meras máquinas mecánicas, con reacción instantánea de lo proyectado.

«We are unaware of the filth, the degrading slums, the polluted air, because we do not respond to them except as half-forgotten ideas. Thoughts are things, you know, and into our thoughts we are able to put whatever we choose to see, just as you in physical bodies are able to make your lives sweeter or uglier by what you think. Think evil and evil comes, think goodness and you see only goodness in those about you. Think love and you are surrounded by love, think hate and the world is a loathsome place filled with ogres and baneful voices.» — y la extensión moral de la misma tesis: de aquel lado no se responde a la basura ni al aire sucio más que como ideas medio olvidadas, y de este los vivos endulzan o afean su vida con lo que piensan.

«Our minds, which are actually spirit, project their own thought patterns, so that it is easy to recognize those of like thought patterns, and we find each other. As we used to say, 'Birds of a feather flock together,' or 'Like begets like.'» — el dictado hace del pensamiento el principio de agrupación: las mentes, que declara ser espíritu, proyectan sus patrones, de modo que los semejantes se reconocen y se encuentran, con los dos refranes que él mismo pone.

«During my last telephone conversation with Arthur Ford, I had suggested that he write another book about the psychic for my editor, Ellis Amburn, and he had promised to consider it.» — Montgomery narradora da el antecedente terreno del encargo: le había propuesto a Ford escribir otro libro para su editor, y él quedó de pensarlo.

«Now he broke into his discussion of the next world to say, "Tell Amburn that this should more than compensate for the book that I was not able to write for him there. There was little new I could have added to what I had already written from that side, but now we will be able to reveal many of the things which have long puzzled mankind on that side of the door. Lily and his group want me to tell you all that we can about the state of being on this side, the whys and wherefores which make it important to prepare there for this side, the purposes of meditation» — y el dictado retoma esa conversación como si le diera cumplimiento: pide avisar al editor que este libro compensa el que no pudo escribir, y anuncia el programa, lo que hace importante prepararse de este lado.

«We hope by so doing to awaken thoughtful, thinking people to the reality that each day there is wasted unless some progress has been made in preparing for the steps ahead.» — Ford declara el fin del volumen: despertar a la gente reflexiva a que cada día se pierde si no se ha avanzado en la preparación de los pasos siguientes.

«Each day lost from meditation is a day wasted, and the time runs out rapidly for all of us. If people could see what I see from this side, they would realize that each lifetime is little more than a flash of lightning in duration, and the eons which sometimes occur between earth lives are slow waiting periods, unless we're doing some extraordinary work like Lily here, or Fletcher, or the ones who worked through Eileen Garrett [a famous Irish-American psychic known personally to Arthur and me], and others to try to bring the message to those who will open their minds in your phase."» — el dictado mide la vida terrena contra los intervalos: cada día sin meditación es un día perdido, cada vida poco más que un relámpago, y los eones entre vidas terrenas son esperas lentas salvo para quienes hacen trabajo extraordinario; Montgomery intercala entre corchetes la identificación de la psíquica que Ford nombra.

«He interrupted himself to add, "By the way, I've seen Eileen several times here. No more arthritic pains or emotional upsets; calm, serene, beautiful, fully awake now, as the veil drops when we cross through the door. She is keen to be on with her work, too, but wants to find just the right link that will carry on the research that she was doing there."» — y el informe que Ford da de esa misma psíquica muerta: sin dolores ni trastornos, despierta del todo, porque el velo cae al cruzar la puerta, y deseosa de hallar el enlace que continúe su investigación.

«For things are planned ahead—make no mistake. If earthlings realized how much of it is planned ahead, they would not struggle so strongly to» — el dictado de Ford sostiene que lo venidero está planeado de antemano y empieza a sacar de ahí la consecuencia práctica; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la 13, donde dice que no vale la pena preocuparse tanto.

«There is work here, but only that which is purposeful, necessary, and congenial. No» — la tesis del trabajo en aquel plano, en voz de Ford: lo hay, pero solo el que es útil, necesario y grato; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana, donde sigue diciendo que nadie es forzado a tarea alguna.

«He himself chooses what to do, and if it helps with his spiritual growth, that is enough to make the angels sing, as the preachers say. But he will never be compelled to grow or develop. No teachers on this side to force Johnny to learn to read or spell, unless Johnny wants to grow and develop. Therefore we need to be stronger here than there. Understand? There we are pushed against our will by loving parents and teachers to make something of ourselves. Here we're left to our own devices, and the lazy ones loaf by the wayside, without ever putting their feet upon the path and searching for the Way.» — y la consecuencia que Ford saca de esa libertad: cada cual elige, nadie es obligado a crecer, no hay maestros que fuercen a aprender, y por eso allá hace falta ser más fuerte que aquí, porque los perezosos se quedan al borde del camino sin buscar el Camino.

«Since Mabel expected harps and angels floating amid palaces and sylvan glens, she is for a time disappointed. But that will pass as she develops, provided that she works at it. Otherwise, a soul can remain in a kind of suspension for many thousands of years. Growth. Growth of spirit as well as development of soul are essential whether here or there.» — la regla general que Ford extrae del caso de la tía: la decepción pasa si se trabaja, y si no, un alma puede quedar en suspensión miles de años, porque el crecimiento de espíritu y el desarrollo de alma son igual de necesarios en los dos planos.

«"Take a youngster's school books, for instance. Each day he prepares a new lesson, more advanced than the day before, progressing through many lessons until examination day, when the teacher grades him on his progress. Simple, isn't it? Easy to understand.» — el símil escolar con que Ford sostiene la vuelta a la tierra como aprendizaje: cada día una lección más avanzada hasta el día del examen, cuando el maestro califica el progreso; el tramo se corta en el límite de troceo dentro de la misma plana.

«We all come back there to go to school and learn how to grow and develop more speedily, as well as to test ourselves on the progress made on this side.» — y la aplicación del símil, en voz de Ford: se vuelve al cuerpo físico a la escuela, a aprender a crecer más deprisa y a ponerse a prueba sobre lo adelantado del otro lado. El tramo arranca después del límite de troceo que parte la plana 16.

«In the spiritual sense it is like the little child at school. Each day offers new challenges, new opportunities, new ways to test soul development and inner growth.» — el mismo dictado traslada la figura al sentido espiritual: cada día trae desafíos, ocasiones y modos nuevos de probar el desarrollo del alma y el crecimiento interior.

«ARTHUR FORD was America's best-known living medium at the time that he suffered his fatal heart attack. Scholarly, well read, and urbane, with a pixie humor and wry wit, he was a delight to have around, whether conscious or in trance.» — Montgomery narradora abre el capítulo biográfico situando a Ford como el médium vivo más conocido de los Estados Unidos al momento de su infarto mortal.

«Throughout the fifty years of his mediumship, he sat for the world's mighty and the humble nonentities with equal grace. He was totally without race prejudice, and although convalescing from a severe heart attack at the time, he joined other clergymen on the first March on Washington, which was led by Martin Luther King. Why? Because he believed in human rights.» — y mide los cincuenta años de su mediumnidad por a quién atendía —los poderosos y los don nadie con igual gracia— y por un dato público: que se sumó convaleciente a la primera Marcha sobre Washington encabezada por Martin Luther King, por creer en los derechos humanos.

«He was an accomplished clairvoyant and an excellent psychometrist, but he was not a direct voice medium. In other words, he could seemingly pick up messages from the deceased, even when fully awake, and he could discern a great deal about an absent person simply by handling some object that had belonged to him; but when in trance, it was Fletcher who conveyed messages from the so-called dead. The discarnates did not speak directly through Ford by trumpet.» — la distinción técnica que Montgomery traza sobre su oficio: clarividente y psicómetra, pero no médium de voz directa, porque en trance era Fletcher quien llevaba los mensajes y los discarnados no hablaban por trompeta a través de Ford.

«Thus, he was able to operate at all times in full light, by simply tying a dark handkerchief across his eyes to facilitate his own trance sleep. Those who call themselves direct voice mediums insist upon total darkness, arguing that trumpets cannot float in the light, and they may be correct. Unfortunately, however, such blackened rooms provide cover for hocus-pocus if the medium is so inclined; whereas with Ford it was always possible to take copious notes or tape-record the proceedings.» — de esa diferencia deriva ella la consecuencia probatoria: el pañuelo oscuro sobre los ojos le bastaba y podía trabajar siempre con luz plena, mientras que los de voz directa exigen oscuridad total, que —dice— da cobertura al truco si el médium está dispuesto a ello.

«Ford was a modest, unassuming man who sometimes regarded his unique gifts as a heavy cross to bear, but because he also came to regard mediumship as his mission in this particular lifetime, I never heard him complain.» — el retrato que Montgomery hace de su carácter, con la tensión dicha y no limada: tenía sus dones por cruz pesada y a la vez por misión de esa vida.

«As a boy in Titusville, Florida, his family's entire social life centered around the church. His mother's family had been staunch Southern Baptists for many generations, and because Arthur devotedly attended every morning and evening service and was active in the young people's Union, his mother assumed that he would become a Baptist minister.» — el origen religioso que ella le adjudica: familia bautista del sur por generaciones y una madre que lo daba por futuro ministro bautista.

«Arthur's mother remained a Baptist until her death, but her son developed such iconoclastic views after reading tracts of the Unitarian Church that the local Baptists read him out of their parish. He won a scholarship to Transylvania University, and shortly after World War I was ordained a Christian minister in the Disciples of Christ Church.» — y el desvío que narra a continuación: los bautistas locales lo expulsaron de la parroquia por las opiniones iconoclastas que tomó de los folletos unitarios, y acabó ordenado ministro cristiano en los Discípulos de Cristo.

«Assigned to Camp Grant, he was a self-assured young officer until he awakened one morning "seeing" the names of those in camp who had died of influenza during the night. He told himself that he could shake off the disquieting dream by going over to see the real roster, but when he picked it up he discovered that not only were the names identical, but even in the exact order which he had "seen" them. For the next two mornings the phenomenon recurred, and when some of his buddies doubted his story, he told them the names that he saw as soon as he awakened. Again the camp roster confirmed his dream, and this time there were witnesses.» — el episodio con que ella data el arranque de su facultad: los nombres de los muertos de influenza del campamento vistos al despertar, el cotejo con la lista real en idéntico orden, la repetición dos mañanas más y, a la tercera, testigos.

«Soon he began dreaming the names of those killed in the Rainbow Division fighting overseas, and the casualty lists in the daily newspaper invariably confirmed his dream roster in the same sequence.» — y la extensión del mismo fenómeno a las bajas de ultramar, que el relato da por coincidentes con las listas del periódico en la misma secuencia.

«With the end of the war he returned to Transylvania, and to his immense relief the disturbing dreams ceased, for he feared insanity.» — Montgomery consigna el alivio de Ford al cesar los sueños, y le atribuye el motivo: temía la locura.

«Not until Professor Elmer Snoddy, a psychology instructor, introduced him to books on mysticism did he learn that many other people including John Wesley, Martin Luther, Emanuel Swedenborg, Dwight Moody, and Catholic saints, had experienced psychic phenomena.» — el remedio que ella le adjudica: un profesor de psicología le puso libros de mística delante y con ellos la noticia de que otros habían pasado por fenómenos psíquicos, entre los que el libro nombra a Juan Wesley, Lutero, Swedenborg, Dwight Moody y santos católicos. Los nombres se cotejaron contra el crudo.

«This new knowledge eased his Puritan conscience, and with a small group of professors and clergymen, he began experimenting with table tipping and clairvoyance.» — y el paso a la práctica: aliviada la conciencia puritana, empezó a experimentar con mesas giratorias y clarividencia junto a un grupo pequeño de profesores y clérigos.

«His curiosity was so piqued that he made a summer trip to New York to inspect the work of the American Society for Psychical Research, and his interest in the occult continued after he became a full-time minister at a small parish in Barbourville, Kentucky.» — Montgomery data el interés institucional en un viaje de verano a Nueva York para ver el trabajo de la American Society for Psychical Research, sostenido después en una parroquia pequeña.

«The young minister fully intended to return to the pulpit in the fall, but he never did. He studied for a time under Swami Yogananda, an Indian mystic who was then lecturing in the United States, and with the rapid development of his psychic powers he became a sensation in London as well as New York. In 1924 Fletcher assumed the task of» — el momento en que el púlpito queda atrás para siempre, con el estudio bajo un místico indio que el libro nombra y el éxito en Londres y Nueva York; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana, donde entra la fecha en que Fletcher toma su oficio.

«acting as unseen interlocutor between the living and dead while Ford was in trance, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle persuaded Arthur to become a professional medium. The author of the Sherlock Holmes books believed that both ministers and mediums are "called of God," and since there were many more of the former than the latter, he argued that his young friend Art should choose mediumship.» — el relato del oficio de Fletcher como interlocutor invisible durante el trance, y el argumento con que, según Montgomery, el autor de Sherlock Holmes convenció a Ford de volverse médium profesional: que unos y otros son llamados de Dios y de ministros ya hay muchos más.

«In 1928 Ford broke the Houdini code which the deceased magician had managed to transmit through the unconscious Ford to his wife, Beatrice Houdini, and although carping critics shouted "fraud," Mrs. Houdini issued a written statement that only she and her late husband had known the agreed-upon code message that Ford transmitted.» — el caso público que ella data en 1928, consignando a la vez la acusación de fraude y la declaración escrita de la viuda de que solo ella y su marido conocían el mensaje en clave.

«Arthur Ford's trance performances were repeatedly tested by some of the best known personalities of the times: the great English physicist Sir Oliver Lodge; Professor William McDougall, of the psychology department at Harvard; novelists Upton Sinclair, Jack London, Gerald Heard, Hugh Walpole, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Dr. Sherwood Eddy, world secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association; and many other writers, artists, Senators, Congressmen, White House intimates, and European nobility.» — la lista de quienes, según Montgomery, pusieron a prueba sus trances: un físico inglés, un profesor de psicología de Harvard, varios novelistas, un secretario mundial de la asociación cristiana de jóvenes y nobleza europea. Los nombres se cotejaron contra el crudo.

«He lectured on three continents and was at the peak of his amazing career when, en route from South Carolina to New York, his automobile was struck by a tobacco truck near the North Carolina line. His sister and a friend were killed in the accident, and Arthur was so near death from multiple internal injuries that a doctor kept him under heavy sedation to ease his final days. Unfortunately, the young physician was more interested in Arthur's psychic powers than in his physical welfare, and when he discovered that his drugged patient could diagnose the ailments of other patients in the small hospital, he continued the massive injections of morphine long after they were needed.» — el accidente de carretera y lo que ella cuenta como su consecuencia: un médico joven, más interesado en sus facultades que en su salud, le sostuvo la morfina mucho después de hacer falta al descubrir que el paciente drogado diagnosticaba a otros enfermos.

«Arthur's dope addiction was finally discovered by another physician, who promptly removed him from the hospital to New York, but he suffered such agonies during the withdrawal phase that a doctorfriend suggested a shot of alcohol to steady his nerves and invite sleep. Ford had never before touched liquor, but he uncovered a remarkable capacity for it. Not until he had consumed more than a bottle of scotch did he at last feel its effects and fall asleep. For the next twenty years he fought tension with alcohol, as he continued to travel around the world and appear on lecture platforms, but now he was addicted to alcohol instead of morphine.» — y la segunda adicción, narrada como remedio de la primera: el trago que un médico amigo le sugirió contra la abstinencia, y veinte años de alcohol en lugar de morfina. La capa de texto une aquí *doctor-friend* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Despite his worldwide renown, I had never heard of Arthur Ford until 1956, when I began researching the subject of psychic phenomena at the Congressional Library for a series that I was to write for International News Service. Nearly every book had some favorable reference to medium Arthur Ford, and many of the authors described such evidential sittings with him that I was intrigued, although I was then a nonbeliever in communication between the living and dead.» — Montgomery data su propio encuentro con el nombre de Ford en 1956, investigando fenómenos psíquicos para una serie periodística, y declara lo que era entonces: no creyente en la comunicación entre vivos y muertos.

«The subject of our interview was a new organization called Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship which Ford and a group of other clergymen, college professors, and professional men had formed to probe psychic phenomena within the framework of existing churches.» — el objeto de la entrevista: la organización que Ford y un grupo de clérigos, profesores y profesionales habían formado para sondear los fenómenos psíquicos dentro del marco de las iglesias existentes.

«Before departing his hotel suite, I confessed that I had recently published a newspaper series debunking mediums, and he bravely volunteered to go into trance for me then and there. The impressive results of that séance have been previously recorded in my book A Search for the Truth.» — Montgomery consigna su propia serie periodística contra los médiums y la respuesta de Ford, que se ofreció a entrar en trance ahí mismo; remite los resultados a un libro anterior suyo.

«I often invited friends to sit in on Arthur's séances, and their identities were unknown to Ford. But not to Fletcher! At each sitting he brought through a wealth of evidential material about them from deceased relatives, each of whom he identified by name.» — y el procedimiento de prueba que ella describe: invitados cuyas identidades Ford ignoraba, sobre los que Fletcher traía material probatorio de parientes muertos nombrados uno a uno.

«But not until Arthur passed through what he calls the open door did we have such regular communication as we now enjoy at the same hour each morning.» — el cierre del capítulo, donde Montgomery contrasta veinte años de amistad con la regularidad de lo que dice tener ahora: comunicación a la misma hora cada mañana, con la fórmula que el libro usa para el morir, la puerta abierta.

«talents, and the pulpit soon lost him to the world stage, although much of the remainder of his life was to be spent in awakening the minds of fellow clergymen to the vista of a continuing life which can be perceived beyond the five physical senses.» — Montgomery cuenta el cambio de oficio como pérdida del púlpito y le asigna un fin al resto de esa vida: despertar a otros clérigos a la vista de una vida continuada perceptible más allá de los cinco sentidos físicos. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana que parte la frase en la 17.

«He tried numerous cures, but nothing could break the habit, until in desperation he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous and began to find himself again.» — Montgomery consigna el desenlace de la adicción: nada rompía el hábito hasta que, desesperado, recurrió a Alcohólicos Anónimos.

«prolonged bouts with the bottle his psychic powers were not impaired, and he continued to bedazzle audiences here and abroad.» — y la reserva que ella no arma con lo anterior: durante los años de bebida las facultades psíquicas de Ford no quedaron mermadas y siguió deslumbrando auditorios. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«"Ruth, today let's discuss what happens when a person like myself comes over here, happy to be rid of a fractious body and eager to continue the search for spiritual development. Let me say first of all that I knew what to expect, for often in my trance states I had glimpses of the people on this side and knew that they were as much with us on the earth as my friends there.» — Ford, por la escritura automática de Montgomery, declara que sabía qué esperar porque en sus estados de trance atisbaba a los de aquel lado y los tenía por tan presentes en la tierra como a sus amigos vivos.

«Understand that I had no wish to hurry the coming state. I was willing to serve out my time in the body, and because I had often abused that body (with alcohol) it was not in as good a shape as if I had taken better care of it. That in itself is a lesson for those of you there. Don't abuse your body, for it is a temple of the living God, and the more we respect it and use it like a spirit temple, the better it will respond to our needs.» — y el dictado saca del propio caso una moral para los vivos: no maltratar el cuerpo, que llama templo del Dios vivo, con el abuso del alcohol nombrado entre paréntesis por el libro.

«I became more contemplative and tried to prepare my subconscious mind for the freedom which it would know when it became a free spirit, for it is the one which comes with us and stays with us and is the mind of the spirit. For that reason, if for no other, it is good sense on that side of the so-called veil to let the subconscious develop along with the conscious mind. Give it freedom to expand and to demonstrate its remarkable powers, instead of keeping it under too tight a rein so that only the conscious mind rules the heart and head.» — la tesis del dictado sobre el subconsciente: es la mente que acompaña al espíritu y permanece, por lo que conviene dejarla desarrollarse junto a la consciente en vez de tenerla a rienda corta.

«As my spirit or soul left that wearied body, I stepped as easily into the astral body as if I had always consciously worn it. The lightness, the freedom from restraint, the heavenly elixir of being without the heavy flesh was beyond description.» — Ford describe el paso al cuerpo astral como algo que se calza con la misma facilidad que si siempre se hubiera llevado con consciencia, y dice indescriptible la ligereza sin la carne pesada.

«Gloriously free to move about at any time and any place without so much as a railroad ticket or a walking step. It was better than being an active boy again, for here there are no barriers, no barricades, no blocks to our free passage. The mind wills where we will be, and there we are. The net effect is to be as nearly Godlike as it is possible for mere souls to be.» — y la libertad de movimiento que atribuye a ese estado: sin barreras ni bloqueos, la mente quiere dónde estar y allí se está, con el resultado de ser lo más semejante a Dios que un alma puede.

«Well, he will rest now, for his mission is accomplished and he has the choice of going on to a much higher plane or returning to another earthly existence, and as yet he has not made his determination. But one thing is definite: He is not coming through to others there, and the mediums who claim that he is sending messages to them are full of hogwash, or worse.» — el dictado de Ford informa sobre Fletcher —relevado de su misión y sin haber decidido entre subir de plano o volver a la tierra— y con eso niega a otros: quienes dicen recibir mensajes de él se equivocan, dice, o cosa peor. Es una objeción que el libro pone en boca de la voz dictante.

«"Life on this side is not too different from that on your plane, for we are here—not off in some other world. I am as much with you at this moment as ever I was when sitting in your living room in Washington, except that we now communicate more effectively. We are here! That is the first thing to emphasize. We are as much of the earth as you are, except that because we have shed the physical bodies, we are not tied to the basic laws which operate for you and provide impediments to movement.» — la tesis topográfica del dictado: la vida de aquel lado no está en otro mundo sino aquí mismo, tan de la tierra como los vivos, solo que sin sujeción a las leyes básicas que estorban el movimiento.

«We are spirit and can go through inanimate objects—or animate, for that matter. They exist only as thought forms, and since we see them not so much as forms as ideas, they are no hindrance to us.» — y la razón que da: los objetos existen solo como formas de pensamiento, y como se los ve más como ideas que como formas, no estorban.

«We are able to live in houses of thought forms, or on sunny slopes beside streams, or wherever we like to think of ourselves as being. But they are totally nonessential, since we need no habitation. We are as free as the wind to go wherever we choose at any given moment, but this is not to say that we rush about willynilly, for we soon develop purpose here. Growth is what counts here as well as there, and we do not grow so long as we transport ourselves aimlessly hither and yon.» — el dictado acota su propia libertad: se puede habitar formas de pensamiento o laderas soleadas, pero nada de eso es necesario, y andar de acá para allá sin fin no hace crecer, que es lo que cuenta en los dos planos. La capa de texto une aquí *willy-nilly* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«"Our purpose here is the same as there, to do that which God wishes for each of us. No two of us is alike, and our missions down through the ages have varied as much as the earthly personalities with which we drape our spirit. Here we do not actually see God, but we are so overwhelmingly aware of His beneficent presence that none on this side who has experienced the slightest bit of development will be unaware of His constant presence.» — la tesis del propósito: el mismo allá que aquí, hacer lo que Dios quiere de cada uno, sin que dos sean iguales; allí no se ve a Dios, dice, pero su presencia benéfica resulta ineludible para el que tenga el menor desarrollo.

«When we speak of being cocreators with God, we mean that he is as much a part of us as are our toes and fingers."» — el dictado define lo que entiende por cocreación con Dios: que Dios es parte de uno tanto como los propios dedos.

«Perhaps it is a hang-up from his ministerial days, but Arthur invariably waxes more eloquent about spiritual matters on the Sabbath. Early in our work together with the automatic writing, this truth became so apparent that on the first day of each week Lily would introduce him by dryly commenting, "And here's Art with his Sunday sermon."» — Montgomery narradora consigna una regularidad del propio dictado —que Ford se pone más elocuente en lo espiritual los domingos— y la fórmula seca con que dice que Lily lo presentaba esos días.

«"Take a rose and examine it closely: leaves, stem, and petals. Perfection, you say. But wait! Is there not something lacking? Perhaps one missing leaf, one petal curled a bit too much? So do you blame the flower, or the beetle, or the wind, or some other outside influence which affected its perfect symmetry? Something went awry, but what? God created the pattern which all roses were to follow. Therefore He will not be to blame if the pattern is sometimes faulted and error imposed against His wish.» — el argumento de la rosa con que el dictado descarga a Dios de la imperfección: Dios creó el patrón que las rosas siguen, y no es culpa suya si el patrón sale fallado por influencia de fuera.

«that we call God. This man was a thought pattern transmitted by that centrifugal force, but with the advent of other humans, both male and female, strife arose—a warring of the spirits who had lived amicably together before flesh was inhabited by them but who now quarreled over portions of a land which was so blessed that everything was there in abundance for all to use and develop.» — el dictado hace del primer hombre un patrón de pensamiento transmitido por esa fuerza, y data el conflicto en la llegada de otros humanos: espíritus que convivían en paz antes de habitar la carne y que riñeron por porciones de una tierra que daba de sobra para todos.

«"This strife created ugly thought patterns, and since thoughts are things, errors began to appear in the framework of human beings: missing toes, malformed heads, diseased minds, as these spirits continued to return to the flesh, until finally God sent again an example of perfect man in the one we call the Nazarene. Again the perfect being, the pattern without flaw, and some were wise enough to follow Him and worship the perfection of this son of God.» — y de ahí deriva el dictado su explicación de la deformidad y la enfermedad: los patrones de pensamiento feos imprimen errores en la hechura humana al volver los espíritus a la carne, hasta que Dios manda de nuevo un ejemplo de hombre perfecto en el que llama el Nazareno.

«But we will continue to seek perfection so long as our souls seek the love of God. This is the glue that binds us all to this central force: the power of love. So love one another, love God, and love thyself. Attune yourself in harmony with this all-powerful force."» — el cierre del sermón, en voz de Ford: el pegamento que ata a la fuerza central es el poder del amor, con el triple mandato de amar al prójimo, a Dios y a uno mismo.

«As the writing progressed from day to day, Arthur so often referred to God as a force that I finally broke in to ask, "Who or what is God? Do you know more about Him now than when you were here in the flesh?"» — Montgomery consigna aquí su propia intervención, que es lo que el libro llama sesión: ella interrumpe para preguntar quién o qué es Dios y si él sabe más ahora que estando en la carne.

«"Much more, Ruth," he instantly replied. "God is the core of the universe from which all else flows forth. He is truth and energy. He is matter and spirit, and all things of heaven and earth. He is eternity itself, wise and all-knowing, but whether we are aware of it or not, He is also the essence of our being, without which nothing would exist. It is His total harmony which melds together the universe and all therein and thereon, so that without His perfect Being the universe would instantly fall apart.» — y la respuesta que el libro presenta como de Ford: Dios como núcleo del que fluye todo, verdad y energía, materia y espíritu, eternidad y esencia del propio ser, cuya armonía total sostiene el universo.

«God is! The eternal I Am. He is so sublime that we are unable to grasp His full. Without God there is nothing and no thing. With Him there is truth and light and radiance and total harmony. He is life itself, and because this is true, there is no life or being without Him.» — el dictado nombra a Dios con la fórmula del Yo Soy eterno y declara que es la vida misma, de modo que no hay vida ni ser sin él.

«We are His and He is ours. There is no separation from Him, for we are of Him. As easy to think of the finger of one hand going its separate way without command from the physical mind as to think of a soul as a separate entity from God, the» — el dictado declara que no hay separación entre el alma y Dios y lo argumenta con el símil del dedo que no va por su cuenta; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la 23, donde lo llama Fuerza Creadora.

«Creating Force. We are all one, you and I and our neighbors and enemies and our God. There is no division. There is no separation. We are as responsible for the salvation of our enemy as we are for our own, inasmuch as we are inseparable from him in the bosom of the Lord.» — y la consecuencia moral que Ford saca de esa inseparabilidad: uno es tan responsable de la salvación de su enemigo como de la propia, por ser inseparable de él en el seno del Señor.

«Ford had been dead less than three weeks, when on January 24, 1971, he wrote, "Hi, Ruth. Happy Sunday! This, then, will be our day to discuss the more spiritual aspects of the life which lies ahead for all of you still on your side, which I must say I'm glad not to be a part of anymore. We will first consider the aspect of God, the one abiding force which melds all else together. This force or power is so intense that nothing will survive if it should fail for so much as the batting of an eye. It is the glue of the universe, the melding together, the complete atom.» — la tesis sobre Dios que el dictado enuncia el 24 de enero de 1971: no espíritu sino fuerza, la única que amalgama todo lo demás, tan intensa que nada sobreviviría si fallara un instante, con las figuras del pegamento del universo y el átomo completo.

«It is not, as some would have us think, a spirit but a force—a tremendous force for good that knows no other than good, for how could bad glue hold it all together? This force or Godhead is the universal truth, the universal good, the universal all-in-all. But there is room within the orb of this centrifugal force for disharmony and greed and evil. There is some evil in every living thing that falls into disharmony with the centrifugal force. The only remedy is to unite again in perfect harmony, for then there is no evil, no greed, no sickness, no disharmony. Time and again we come back here to learn that simple truth. Disharmony is the root of all our evils.» — y el lugar que ese mismo dictado le hace al mal: dentro de la órbita de esa fuerza centrífuga cabe la desarmonía, la codicia y el mal, que define por caída fuera de la armonía; el remedio es volver a unirse a ella, y la desarmonía queda por raíz de todos los males.

«So it is with man. God, or this powerful force, if you prefer, gave the pattern for mankind. Each part fitted neatly into other parts, so that the whole was perfection. The first man» — el traslado del argumento de la rosa al hombre, en voz de Ford: la fuerza dio el patrón de la humanidad, con cada parte encajada en las otras para que el todo fuera perfección; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«Thus we are as much a part of Him as He is of us,» — el dictado cierra la definición de Dios haciendo mutua la pertenencia; el tramo se corta en el límite de troceo, que aquí cae dentro de la misma plana.

«and because we are imperfect in our reactions and behavioral pattern, we must strive ever onward through many earth cycles until we achieve sufficient perfection to rejoin God as co-creators. It is the law, for no imperfect thing will ever have the opportunity to become a part of the Godhead, which would not function properly if full of» — y la consecuencia que saca para la reencarnación: por imperfección de reacción y de conducta hay que avanzar por muchos ciclos terrenos hasta bastante perfección para reunirse con Dios como cocreadores, porque nada imperfecto llega a ser parte de la Divinidad. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«imperfections. It is the law, immutable. Thus our ceaseless attempts to return to the physical state in order to erase our rough edges and be able to fit into the Godhead as perfect segments of the whole."» — el dictado llama ley inmutable a esa exigencia y de ahí deriva los intentos incesantes de volver al estado físico a limar asperezas hasta encajar como segmentos perfectos del todo.

«Still puzzled, I commented, "This makes God sound like an impersonal force. Does He then hear our individual prayers?"» — Montgomery objeta dentro de la propia sesión: dice que así Dios suena a fuerza impersonal y pregunta si oye entonces las oraciones individuales. La objeción de la autora se consigna como parte del texto.

«Arthur replied, "God is total awareness. He not only hears prayer but knows without being asked what the plea is going to be. He is truth supreme, wisdom all-knowing, and without Him there would be only chaotic blackness. He is light and truth and love. He is above all our Creator and our Father, who loves each and every one of us. This I know, and when we approach Him lovingly and trustingly, as we would a wise parent, He is ready to grant that which is for our best interests if it harms no one else. Not all prayers are therefore granted, but only those which spring from a faithful and loving heart.» — y la respuesta que el libro presenta como de Ford: Dios es consciencia total, oye la oración y sabe la súplica antes de que se formule, pero no todas las oraciones se conceden, sino las que nacen de corazón fiel y amoroso, y solo si no dañan a nadie.

«The following morning, Arthur declared that he wanted to explain about the transition which occurs as a soul sleeps away and awakens in spirit form. "We are not speaking now, as we will later, about sudden or unexpected death," he wrote, "but of the natural transition of a soul who sheds a tired or ailing body. The soul slides easily from its casing without pain or visible sensation. One moment he is there, still wearing the painful garb of flesh, and the next he is in heavenly raiment. That is not as fanciful as it sounds, for this actually occurs if the transition has been prepared for.» — el dictado distingue la muerte natural de la súbita y describe la primera: el alma se desliza de su envoltura sin dolor ni sensación visible, del ropaje doloroso de la carne al celeste, si se ha preparado el tránsito.

«We awaken into a realm of pure beauty and song. The trees are real trees here, not the reflections which you in the flesh see. The flowers are pure thought form and therefore much more exquisite than anything actually in the form seen by physical man. The birds, animals, spirits, yes, the many mansions are perfection here, for they are thought forms.» — y describe ese mundo como reino de belleza pura donde los árboles son árboles reales y no los reflejos que ve la carne, siendo las flores, aves, animales y mansiones formas de pensamiento.

«There is nothing we want that we cannot think into being at this point, except for another body of flesh, for this latter is not ours to command at any instant but a right to be earned either through long preparation and soul searching or because sudden death not of our making entitles us to a quick return to physical form,» — el dictado pone un solo límite a la creación por pensamiento: otro cuerpo de carne, que no se manda sino que se gana por larga preparación, o que corresponde a quien muere de golpe sin culpa suya.

«Little by little, as we adjust to the sudden alteration in soul covering, we realize that time is passing swiftly, that we would be on with our Father's business, if you will. That is when our true character begins to assert itself. Will we want to plunge into a round of festivities and pure pleasures, or will we want to develop our spiritual side? And if we choose the latter, do we think of it in terms of selfgrowth and self-advancement or as group growth and development? That is to say, will we want it for others as much as for ourselves?» — la prueba de carácter que el dictado sitúa tras el descanso inicial: elegir entre la ronda de festejos y el desarrollo espiritual, y dentro de esto último entre el crecimiento propio y el del grupo. La capa de texto une aquí *self-growth* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Remember what I told you earlier. The race advances only as all of us surge upward toward the common goal of enlightenment and perfection. Therefore, if we would advance rapidly ourselves we must make the effort to see that others of like interest are also given every tool for self-advancement."» — y la razón que da para la segunda opción: la raza avanza solo si todos suben hacia el fin común, de modo que quien quiera avanzar deprisa ha de procurar que otros tengan las herramientas.

«Now if the soul should be tainted with horrendous sins against others (the only true sin) then that soul will lie fallow for a long time, unless it is so beset by evil that it returns to trouble those left behind. We do not call this 'haunting' over here, but 'persecution.'» — el dictado nombra el único pecado verdadero —el cometido contra otros— y enmienda de paso el vocabulario corriente: a lo que se llama encantamiento lo llaman de aquel lado persecución.

«Sometimes the soul does not realize that he has passed into spirit, so he hovers around, wondering why no one seems to pay attention to him on the physical plane. Other times he makes a deliberate return, unable to give up thoughts of worldly goods and possessions. These troubled souls cannot be helped by our work on this side as much as they can through prayer from those of you still in the physical state. Pray for them.» — y da dos causas del regreso de un alma: que no se dé cuenta de haber pasado al espíritu, o que vuelva deliberadamente por no soltar bienes y posesiones; a esas almas, dice, las ayuda más la oración de los vivos que el trabajo de aquel lado.

«Others who come over suddenly, through accidents or war, feel great shock on learning that they are in the spirit world and will no longer be able to earn money, play ball, or do the things to which they are accustomed. For us this task presents problems, because we will not at first be able to convince them that this is the heaven they had heard about as children. We try to tell them gradually, bit by bit, for they perceive that all is as it was there except for the vividness of the thought patterns, which makes everything glitter and gleam more brilliantly than they remembered.» — el caso de los muertos de golpe por accidente o guerra: el dictado atribuye la dificultad a la expectativa infantil del cielo, porque lo que hallan es igual que lo de antes salvo por la viveza de los patrones de pensamiento.

«He hungers and we produce food. It is a thought pattern, but as real to him as that which he once used to sustain his physical body. He thirsts, and we give him drink.» — y la mecánica de la acogida: se produce comida, patrón de pensamiento tan real para el recién llegado como la que sostenía su cuerpo, mientras se acostumbra a no necesitarla.

«He asks about loved ones whom he does not see around him. Some are still in physical body, some here, some already progressed to a higher state or gone back into another earthly body.» — el dictado reparte a los muertos en cuatro estados a la vez y no los armoniza: unos siguen en cuerpo físico, otros están allí, otros han progresado a un estado superior y otros han vuelto a un cuerpo terreno.

«For a time we let them do exactly as they choose. It's up to them. Buy we are ever within call, and the day comes that they tire of this way and begin to wonder more about their present circumstances. If of a studious nature they will want to join classes, for we have them here. Others may join groups who are experimenting with earthly contact.» — y describe el paso de la libertad sin rumbo a la ocupación: hay clases para los de índole estudiosa y grupos que experimentan con el contacto terreno.

«"But let's take a look at a specific case. A man coming here after a short but severe illness stirs, wakens, opens the eyes of his astral body,» — el dictado introduce un caso particular como pieza narrativa, y con él el término que el libro usa para el cuerpo del recién llegado.

«The man wishes that he had brought a fishing pole and instantly finds one in his hand.» — dentro del mismo relato, la muestra de la creación por deseo: la caña de pescar que aparece en la mano al quererla.

«It would be a dream except that he can touch and smell the fresh-caught fish—for our astral bodies possess all the senses of physical ones, and more besides.» — y el argumento con que el dictado niega que sea sueño: los cuerpos astrales tienen todos los sentidos de los físicos, y alguno más.

«Suddenly he wants terribly to be at home, and he is instantly in his hometown, watching strangers bending over his body. What are they doing? Giving him medicine, perhaps? But no. This is not a sickbed, but a morgue.» — el giro del relato: el deseo lo traslada al instante a su pueblo, donde ve a unos extraños inclinados sobre su cuerpo y reconoce que no es un lecho de enfermo sino una morgue.

«At this point he exclaims, 'I might as well be dead,' and as he mutters the slang expression he finds himself back on the grassy plain beside the brook. But this time there are other people there enjoying the scenery. Half afraid of being ignored as he was by his family, he murmurs a timid 'hello,' and instantly they surround him with the warmth of friendship.» — y el desenlace, que el dictado hace depender de una frase hecha: al decir que más le valdría estar muerto se encuentra de vuelta en la pradera, donde otros lo rodean con amistad.

«He tells them that he has mislaid his car, and one of them remarks that he won't need it anymore, because he can will himself to any spot he wishes to go to.» — la enseñanza que uno de ellos le da y que el dictado repite a lo largo del libro: no hará falta el coche, porque se puede querer estar en cualquier sitio.

«'But a different kind of school, my lad,' the old man continues. 'This is the real school where we are taught how to remember, how to forget, and what to know without learning.» — y la definición que el anciano da de la escuela de aquel plano, en tres términos: aprender a recordar, aprender a olvidar y saber sin aprender.

«James, we are nearer to you than hands and feet, so in your perplexity you will never need to be alone. Simply accept for the time being that your family and friends will not be able to see and converse with you, even though you are able to see and talk with them.» — dentro del relato del recién llegado, el dictado pone en boca del maestro la regla de la asimetría: los vivos no podrán verlo ni hablarle, aunque él sí los vea y les hable.

«This proves that you are more alive than they are, because your faculties are so much greater now that you have left the body. But for the time being they will view you as nothing but thin air and think of you as beneath the ground.» — y la lectura que el maestro hace de esa asimetría: prueba de estar más vivo que ellos, por tener facultades mayores fuera del cuerpo, mientras ellos lo tienen por aire y lo piensan bajo tierra.

«Arthur Ford also stopped there, and the following day he digressed to say that this book was to be the story of the "actual passover of various types of souls from the physical life to the spirit."» — Montgomery narradora recoge aquí la declaración con que el dictado define el volumen entero: la historia del paso efectivo de diversos tipos de almas de la vida física al espíritu.

«Those who want mansions will find them ready, but those who want food for the spirit will find it in abundance, for that is what this is all about, material versus spiritual, and it is up to each soul to choose which way he will go.» — y el dictado reduce la elección a un par: mansiones o alimento para el espíritu, material contra espiritual, a decisión de cada alma.

«Those in the flesh were not able to share his pleasure because they did not know he was there. After a time he began to realize that they would no longer be able to see him and that his new life was even more exacting than the previous one, but with rules so firmly established that he had no reason to question them or to exert pressure against them.» — el dictado vuelve sobre el pescador del relato para sacar la lección: la vida nueva resulta más exigente que la anterior, con reglas tan firmes que no dan lugar a discutirlas ni a forzarlas.

«The types who have the hardest adjustment to make in coming over here," he wrote, "are those who either failed to believe in a life hereafter or were so totally unprepared that they will not try to adjust to the unexpected conditions.» — el dictado clasifica por dificultad de ajuste y pone arriba a dos grupos: los que no creyeron en una vida futura y los que llegaron sin preparación alguna.

«For instance, an avowed atheist finds himself waking up over here, after insisting all his life that there was nothing beyond the grave. At first he is astonished, then resentful, because he feels that this is hallucination and that those who try to help him adjust are fantasies of his imagination. Little by little he grudgingly accepts that he was wrong, however, and as dawn breaks through he is eager, even avid, to learn all about this sphere which for him had previously been nonexistent.» — el caso del ateo declarado, contado en tres tiempos por el dictado: asombro, resentimiento por tenerlo por alucinación, y por fin avidez de aprender sobre la esfera que negaba.

«When he makes the transition he is angry and tempestuous, for he finds himself in a situation of his own making, surrounded by other greedy souls, who because they are in like situation, welcome him gleefully to the hell that they have created for themselves.» — y el segundo caso, donde el dictado hace del infierno una obra propia: quien trató mal a otros se halla rodeado de almas codiciosas que lo reciben con alegría en el infierno que ellas mismas se hicieron.

«Those who are full of resentment have a harder adjustment to make. This sometimes includes soldiers who bitterly resented being sent into battle and are nearly bursting with wrath to find themselves without the youthful bodies they had manfully enjoyed. This is not true of all soldiers and servicemen—let me make plain. I speak now only of the bitterly resentful ones who were not willing to give their lives for freedom of mankind and who felt that the war was wrong.» — el dictado acota su propia clasificación con una salvedad explícita: no habla de todos los soldados, sino de los amargamente resentidos que no quisieron dar la vida y tenían la guerra por errada.

«Now we will discuss those who arrive here from a state of such inner turmoil that they have destroyed themselves. I speak of the unfortunate suicides. No person has the right to take the life within himself, any more than that of another person, since all are a part of the Godhead.» — la tesis del dictado sobre el suicidio: nadie tiene derecho a quitarse la vida, como no lo tiene sobre la de otro, porque todos son parte de la Divinidad.

«These people, if suffering from temporary insanity, are soon able to overcome the aberrations which provoked the attack on self, and as their awakening forces grasp the problem and come to understand the conditions which led to temporary insanity, they will adjust almost as rapidly as those who came here through accidental death.» — y la distinción que el mismo dictado hace dentro del caso: los que obraron por locura pasajera se ajustan casi tan pronto como los muertos por accidente.

«past mistakes in order to learn what this soul must assume as additional burdens when he again casts himself into a physical body.» — y la carga que el dictado les asigna: revisar los errores para saber qué cargas suplementarias asumir al volver a un cuerpo físico.

«"The murderers are, of course, in equal torment, having to face the horror of not being able to restore physical life to the one (the victim) who now is on this side, and suffering tortures for having robbed another of the opportunity to work out his karma in due process while in the physical body. There is no quick way to atone for such a sin against the very person of God. Thus, it is a miserable period until the person at last feels strong enough to reincarnate, with the avowed purpose of atoning in the physical world for what he did.» — el caso del homicida, donde el dictado enlaza la culpa con el karma: el tormento está en no poder devolver la vida y en haber robado a otro la ocasión de saldar su karma, sin atajo para expiar, hasta reencarnar con el propósito declarado de expiarlo en el mundo físico.

«Now we come to those who are sick and eager for death to relieve them of suffering. These are ordinarily the most easily adjustable souls, for they are joyously happy on this side. I was most certainly one of these, for although I wanted to do all possible while there to help prove the continued existence of the spirit, I was so plagued with pain from an ailing body that I eagerly looked forward to this release and have reveled in every minute since coming here.» — el dictado pone a los enfermos que desean morir entre los que mejor se ajustan y se cuenta a sí mismo entre ellos, con la razón que da: quería ayudar a probar la existencia continuada del espíritu, pero el dolor le hacía esperar el alivio.

«Some work with babies newly arrived who are without mothers here. Others help the newly arrived who need mental or soul adjustment to the new plane, while still others assist with consolation for the bereaved who are left behind in your plane, sending them loving thoughts and easing their path for a time.» — y el reparto de oficios que el dictado atribuye a los bien ajustados: atender a los bebés recién llegados sin madre, ajustar a los recién llegados y consolar a los deudos mandándoles pensamientos amorosos.

«Unless he is willing to start a new period of development, he gradually becomes despondent. He wants to continue the old drive for success and moneymaking. After a time, some of the older souls here take him in hand and gradually gain his attention. They escort him about, talking with him about the exciting new prospects which await him as soon as he makes peace with the old ego that still wants to roam the physical earth. Sometimes a long period of time is required to make him see that this way has far more potential for development than to keep hanging around the earth people, and he is gradually weaned away from the ties that bind him too closely to the earth phase.» — el dictado describe el destete de ese tipo: se vuelve abatido queriendo seguir con el afán de éxito y dinero, hasta que almas más viejas lo pasean y lo convencen de hacer las paces con el ego que quiere seguir rondando la tierra.

«Thereafter he begins to look about him here and adopt the methods used in this plane: quiet introspection, helpfulness to others, meditation, and thoughtful review of the life just passed. This will go on for as long as it is necessary for him to assess his past mistakes and reach the high resolve to do better the next time around.» — y nombra los cuatro métodos del plano: introspección callada, servicio a otros, meditación y revisión pensada de la vida recién pasada, hasta poder medir los errores y resolver hacerlo mejor.

«If he is still restless and eager to prove that he has learned his lessons well, he may seek the first possible opportunity to return to the flesh in another womb, and as his turn comes up he will have wide choice among those women who are able to offer him the opportunity he feels will best prepare him to meet the problems that he needs to overcome."» — el dictado hace del apremio una ventaja y un riesgo a la vez: quien quiere probar pronto lo aprendido busca la primera ocasión de volver a la carne, y al llegarle el turno elige entre las mujeres que le ofrezcan lo que cree necesitar.

«I asked for a broader explanation of the process by which a soul reincarnates into physical body, and he replied that the opportunity ordinarily comes only after the spirit has had "ample time to contemplate the sort of karmic debts it most needs to shed and to decide which qualities are most needed for further development."» — Montgomery consigna aquí su propia pregunta y la condición que la respuesta pone a la reencarnación: tiempo bastante para contemplar qué deudas kármicas conviene soltar y qué cualidades hacen falta.

«The idea of a computer in the physical world was carried there in the minds of men who had operated segments of this system here, and thus they tapped into the unlimited resources of this spirit plane, as Edison and others have done with their so-called inventions. "Let there be light, and there was light"—remember? Edison's system provided that in physical form somewhat in the same manner as here, by harnessing natural elements which were always there for the use of mankind.» — y la tesis sobre la invención que el dictado deriva de ahí: la computadora llegó al mundo físico en la mente de quienes habían operado partes de ese sistema, como Edison con la luz, aprovechando elementos naturales que ya estaban ahí.

«The soul who wins the assignment then hovers near the parents for some time to make sure that he is willing to proceed with a return to that physical body, and when the time is right and the physical blossoming occurs, he enters that newborn body, usually at the time of ejection but occasionally shortly before or after. If he hesitates too long the baby will not live."» — el momento de la entrada, según el dictado: el alma ronda a los padres para asegurarse, y entra en el cuerpo recién nacido casi siempre al ser expulsado, aunque a veces poco antes o poco después; si duda demasiado, el bebé no vive.

«I asked what happens with a stillborn baby, and he replied, "The body was not perfected, and thus a soul does not enter it. He will then have to start seeking again for a proper vehicle or wait his turn for those particular parents,» — y la respuesta al caso del nacido muerto: el cuerpo no quedó perfeccionado y el alma no entra, de modo que ha de buscar otro vehículo o esperar turno con esos mismos padres.

«force them to work, but neither will they grow or advance or develop or ever climb out of that embryonic stage until their own higher self tells them that the rest is up to them."» — el cierre del capítulo, en voz de Ford: nadie obliga a trabajar al holgazán, pero tampoco crece ni sale del estado embrionario hasta que su yo superior se lo dice. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana que parte la frase en la 29.

«He has dug his own grave, so to speak, and is allowed to lie in it for a while. "He is utterly miserable, for he now begins to see the folly of his ways but does not know how to avert his fate. We let him remain there until his own remorse for sinful ways begins to penetrate his being and he acknowledges to himself that he wasted a lifetime, a rare privilege, by thinking only of himself.» — la regla del remedio, según el dictado: se lo deja en la fosa que él mismo cavó hasta que el remordimiento penetre y reconozca haber desperdiciado una vida, que llama privilegio raro, pensando solo en sí.

«After he reaches full repentance he is then able to free himself of the unrepentant creatures around him, and for a long time thereafter he searches his own soul to review the past mistakes. This is sometimes a long, drawn-out process, because he will have to make his way alone. Only he is able to assess his wrongs and seek forgiveness,» — y lo que sigue a esa contrición: puede zafarse de las criaturas impenitentes y revisar largamente sus errores, cosa que ha de hacer solo, porque únicamente él puede medir sus faltas y pedir perdón.

«Ford next turned his attention to persons who die violent deaths, writing, "Today we will discuss those who, unprepared to come over, find themselves suddenly here through no fault of their own, the victims of accidents, murder, or war. They are at first astonished to find that they are here and that those on your plane no longer recognize their presence,» — Montgomery introduce el tema y el dictado nombra a los que vienen sin culpa propia: víctimas de accidentes, asesinato o guerra, asombradas de estar allí y de que los vivos no reconozcan su presencia.

«but if they were not antagonistic to the idea of a hereafter they will begin to adjust without too much delay. They sometimes sleep a little longer than those who, after a long illness, know that death is at hand, but when they have committed no great wrong, there are so many of us here willing to help them through the adjustment that they rapidly begin to understand and are sometimes more eager than the others to plunge zestfully into the new work» — y la condición que el dictado pone a su buen ajuste: no haber sido hostil a la idea de un más allá; duermen algo más que los enfermos largos, pero si no obraron gran mal se ajustan pronto y a veces con más ganas que los demás.

«Others are not so fortunate, for with their own reasoning power they deliberately set out to destroy their own body, thinking that they were destroying their soul as well. Since they could not succeed in the latter, their problem is far greater here than there, because no» — el otro caso del suicidio, según el dictado: los que destruyeron el cuerpo deliberadamente creyendo destruir con él el alma, y como no lo consiguieron tienen allí un problema mayor que aquí. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«problem has been solved, but only postponed until the next earth life, whenever that may be. Thus, they are what we refer to as suffering souls. They live hourly with the shame of self-destruction and rage within themselves for having failed to settle the problem while in the flesh, where it is much more easily faced than here.» — y la continuación: nada quedó resuelto sino aplazado a la vida terrena siguiente, y el dictado los llama almas que sufren, con la vergüenza de la autodestrucción y la rabia de no haber resuelto en la carne lo que allí se afronta más fácilmente.

«The whole concept of a hereafter, which is right here where he has always been, so baffles him that he is constantly running about seeking answers to questions that should have been settled within his» — la tesis topográfica del libro repetida en el caso del desconcertado: el más allá está aquí mismo, donde siempre estuvo, y lo que lo confunde son preguntas que debió resolver antes. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«Once this selection has been made," he continued, "he needs to find a situation where he will most likely have the chance to meet the tests which will develop his personality and character» — la mecánica de la elección de situación, en voz de Ford: hallar dónde se den las pruebas que desarrollen personalidad y carácter.

«If patience is needed, he will seek a situation where his impetuosity will most often be put to the testing. If he needs to learn to love, he will have to select a situation where that quality is not in great abundance, so that he will test his mettle against those who have not themselves learned to give love. And so it goes. If he has earned the right to select his own parents, he will begin looking about for those souls whom he has perhaps known in previous lifetimes in the flesh, those with whom he has some karmic ties, either good or bad.» — y los ejemplos con que la explica: si falta paciencia, una situación que ponga a prueba la impetuosidad; si falta amor, una donde no abunde; y quien ha ganado el derecho elige padres entre almas con lazos kármicos, buenos o malos, de vidas anteriores.

«Among those who have conceived and are expecting babies, he shops for the sex he wishes to be this time around and also for educational opportunities, if he is of high mental order. When the soul seeking reentry into physical body selects his preference, he must clear it with a sort of heavenly computer, as we laughingly term it here. This is a filing system so complex as to baffle and goggle a human mind, but here it seems totally logical, for there are always many souls simultaneously wishing to return to proper vehicles. If there is an overly heavy competition for one particular vehicle (or mother, as you term it) then the various qualifications are fitted into» — la figura que da título al capítulo: el alma que busca volver escoge sexo y oportunidades educativas y debe pasar su preferencia por lo que el dictado llama, entre risas, una computadora celestial, con competencia entre almas por un mismo vehículo. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«records here, which automatically select the proper soul to be assigned that particular mission.» — y el desenlace del trámite: los registros seleccionan por sí solos al alma que recibe esa misión. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«The baby Kennedy was an example of one who, not finding it possible to rejoin his previous relatives when the body proved inadequate to sustain life, chose to wait until another opportunity—which never came in that case—so he is still on this side and now is often with his father and uncle."» — el dictado aplica el caso del nacido muerto a un nombre público y dice de él que sigue de aquel lado, a menudo con su padre y su tío; el libro lo consigna como informe de Ford sobre un tercero y aquí no se afirma nada sobre esa persona.

«the means for reentry into the flesh. This free-flowing thought pattern feeds into a general pattern of thoughts of those who have also applied for similar types of parents or situations; and as the material is wafted into this thought pattern, the one most likely to succeed in that particular earthly environment automatically recognizes that he is the one selected.» — el dictado explica la selección sin árbitro: el patrón de pensamiento de cada aspirante se mezcla con el de los demás y el más apto para aquel ambiente terreno reconoce por sí mismo haber sido elegido.

«To those in the flesh this sounds nebulous and unconvincing, I realize, but here it is the most logical of procedures. Remember always that here we function through what most nearly corresponds to thought or ESP on the earthly plane. Since we need not communicate through sound or mechanical instruments, it is automatically made known through thought patterns."» — y el dictado admite de antemano la objeción del lector —que aquello suena nebuloso y poco convincente— apoyándose en que allí se funciona por lo que más se parece al pensamiento o a la percepción extrasensorial, sin sonido ni instrumentos.

«I broke in to inquire about those who enter into deformed bodies, and Ford replied, "Surprisingly, there are almost as many candidates for those bodies of newborn babes as for the healthy, normal ones, for this is an important lesson which is learned here. The greater the obstacles in the physical body, the more opportunity for a soul to pay off karmic debts and achieve more rapid spiritual growth.» — Montgomery pregunta por los cuerpos deformes y la respuesta invierte la expectativa: hay casi tantos candidatos a esos cuerpos como a los sanos, porque cuanto mayor el obstáculo, mayor la ocasión de saldar deudas kármicas.

«The hurdles are stepping-stones if successfully surmounted, and the soul who in flesh body cheerfully meets and overcomes physical handicaps is growing much more rapidly than another who seems by earthly standards to have everything to live for. The reward is not in the physical form but in spiritual development, and the more hurdles that are overcome in a physical lifetime, the less often that soul will thereafter need to return to physical form to round off the rough spots in his character."» — y la regla que el dictado deriva: el premio no está en la forma física sino en el desarrollo espiritual, y cuantos más obstáculos se superen en una vida, menos veces habrá que volver a la carne.

«I wanted to know about severe injuries which occur later, in youth or early adulthood, and Arthur declared, "Sometimes it is totally unforeseen and is impossible to prevent because of circumstances beyond control of the soul inhabiting the physical body, but more often the soul itself has unconsciously felt a need for atonement and has voluntarily permitted an accident to occur, so that he may pay off old karmic debts."» — sobre las lesiones graves de la juventud, el dictado ofrece dos causas y no arbitra entre ellas: lo imprevisto fuera del control del alma, y el consentimiento inconsciente del accidente por necesidad de expiación.

«How is sex determined upon by the returning soul? "Most often," Ford said, "the soul continues to be the sex that he has preferred in previous lifetimes, but sometimes he selects the opposite sex in order to learn certain qualities which are more easily understood by one sex than the other.» — Montgomery pregunta cómo se decide el sexo y la respuesta hace de la elección un instrumento de aprendizaje: por lo común se sigue con el preferido en vidas anteriores, y a veces se toma el contrario para aprender cualidades que un sexo entiende más fácilmente.

«Gentleness. A man who has been brutal will sometimes elect to become a woman in the next physical life in order to undergo gentling qualities and situations which require gentleness. Bravery. A cowardly little woman for hundreds of earth lives may then choose the body of a manchild in order to help overcome her physical fears.» — y los dos ejemplos con que el dictado lo ilustra: el brutal que se hace mujer para pasar por situaciones que piden dulzura, y la mujer cobarde de cientos de vidas que toma cuerpo de varón para vencer sus miedos.

«Now let's take the case of a woman with palsy who wonders why she should have to undergo such hardship when her present life seems to her nearly blameless. We find in the akashic records that in a lifetime in ancient Rome she was a cruel soldier who delighted in frightening others until they trembled with fear. He would turn wild beasts loose on tortured Christians to see them shake and tremble. Small wonder that in order to atone, this soul at last returned as a weak and trembling woman and by living a good life despite the palsy she can make tremendous spiritual advance.» — el caso de la mujer con parálisis, donde el dictado nombra el archivo del que dice sacar la explicación: en los registros akáshicos habría sido un soldado romano cruel que soltaba fieras sobre cristianos torturados, y de ahí la vuelta como mujer débil y temblorosa.

«Next I asked about those who are mentally afflicted from birth or early childhood, and he responded, "These are such unhappy situations that we dislike even thinking about them. These are souls so desperate to pay off karmic debts that are holding them back that they are willing even to undergo that torture in order to advance» — Montgomery pregunta por los afligidos de la mente y el dictado responde con una reticencia declarada —dice que les disgusta hasta pensar en ello— y con almas tan desesperadas por saldar deudas kármicas que aceptan esa tortura. El tramo se corta antes de la lista de casos.

«spiritually. Sometimes they are deliberately assigned to such afflicted bodies as a means of atonement for abuses committed in previous lives. Other times, if they are truly repentant of serious sins, they will voluntarily select such a body, but in most instances it is an assignment by higher forces who compassionately select that body for a soul so troubled and tortured by past misdeeds that he is incapable of making his own choice.» — y los tres casos que el dictado reparte sin unificarlos: asignación deliberada como expiación de abusos de vidas anteriores, elección voluntaria del verdaderamente arrepentido y, en la mayoría, asignación por fuerzas superiores cuando el alma no puede elegir.

«Medicine says that the injury to brain was due to malformation of the fetus or an injury at birth, and such, of» — el modo en que el dictado convive con la explicación médica sin negarla: la malformación del fetо o la lesión de parto son, dice, el caso. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«course, is the case; but the soul which enters that body at the time of birth or thereabout is aware of the damage and thus is paying penance for past misdeeds by assuming that afflicted form."» — y lo que el dictado añade sin contradecirla: el alma que entra en ese cuerpo al nacer sabe del daño y con esa forma paga penitencia por faltas pasadas.

«Consider a man who wants to be loved by everyone and goes about doing generous acts in order to gain the love of his fellow men. People tolerate his affliction because he seems so kindly disposed to others, even though they are repulsed by a giant welt on his face and neck. What a pity, they think, that this kindly man has such a heavy cross to bear.» — el segundo caso del capítulo, el del hombre generoso con una marca grande en cara y cuello, a quien la gente compadece por la cruz que carga.

«They are right, but the man himself was strong enough to elect that handicap, for in another life he struck a child so roughly across the face and neck that the bones were shattered and the youngster died. An eye for an eye, says the Good Book, and that is what all of us here know must be worked out before we are fit to join our maker as cocreator.» — y el vuelco que el dictado le da: el propio hombre eligió ese estorbo, porque en otra vida golpeó a un niño en la cara y el cuello hasta matarlo, con la fórmula bíblica del ojo por ojo como condición para unirse al hacedor como cocreador.

«The body of Arthur Ford was cremated, and in fulfillment of his instructions, the ashes were scattered over the Atlantic Ocean near Miami. Less than a month later he began discussing a new facet of his continuing life, writing, "After I greeted old friends and had several chats with Fletcher, I began seeking for that which I knew to be awaiting, the temple of wisdom, which I had vaguely recalled from previous lives here and had sometimes half glimpsed during trance states.» — Montgomery narradora data el nuevo asunto: menos de un mes después de esparcidas las cenizas, el dictado empieza a hablar del templo de sabiduría que dice haber recordado de vidas anteriores y entrevisto en trance.

«The master led off with a discussion of meditation, reminding me how important it is to continue that process here as well as in the physical body, for it is our enchanted link with the heart of God. This is why it is vital for mankind while in the flesh to keep at the daily meditation, for what he learns there is of the essence here and should never have a broken link. Even a newborn baby continues to meditate there and to feel unity with his creator.» — la tesis sobre la meditación que el dictado pone en boca del maestro: es el enlace con el corazón de Dios y por eso hay que sostenerla a diario en la carne, sin romper el eslabón, porque hasta un recién nacido medita.

«Incidentally, Ruth, the old souls who lead my particular discussion group here at the temple of wisdom did not have to consult for even a moment before giving approval for me to continue these morning sessions with you until our work together on this manuscript is completed, because they are as anxious as I am to have this word disseminated so that all may benefit from it. This will be of temporary duration, because when the task is finished I will go on to other duties which will help prepare me to join the masters as an instructor of similar-minded students who will be coming over here.» — el dictado declara aquí la autorización de su propio libro: dice que las almas viejas de su grupo aprobaron sin dudarlo seguir las sesiones matinales hasta acabar el manuscrito, y que después pasará a prepararse para instruir a otros.

«It has existed in its present form since the beginning of time, and there were counterparts of it in ancient Thebes and Athens, having been established there by old souls who brought enough of the memory of this temple with them into physical body to try to create a duplicate of this sacred thought form.» — la antigüedad que el dictado atribuye al templo y su linaje terreno: dice que existe así desde el principio del tiempo y que hubo contrapartes suyas en la antigua Tebas y en Atenas, hechas por almas viejas que trajeron bastante memoria de él.

«The counseling is purely mental here, but the spiritual so permeates every particle of the teaching that it is daily as if you had heard the most inspirational sermon of one's entire lifespan there. The uplift is beyond description, filling one with the glory of God and the mystery of the universe.» — y cómo describe la enseñanza: consejo puramente mental, tan permeado de lo espiritual que equivale a diario al sermón más inspirado de toda una vida. La capa de texto une aquí *life-span* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Here those souls who are in a proper state of advancement congregate each according to his own needs. There is no single sermon or service, as in the earth plane when we met on Sunday for an hour or so to sing God's praises and pass the collection plate. Here each draws from it according to his needs, and the cup needs never to be replenished, for the wisdom is bottomless and pours forth in the amount for which the soul thirsts at the moment.» — el dictado opone el templo a la iglesia terrena por su modo de repartir: no hay sermón ni servicio único como el domingo con su platillo de colecta, sino que cada cual saca según su necesidad de una fuente sin fondo.

«As with the dictation from Lily a decade ago, I am never able to remember what Arthur Ford has written through me, until at some later date I review large segments of it at once. But Arthur's memory is superb.» — Montgomery consigna una condición de su propio procedimiento: no recuerda lo que ha escrito hasta releer tramos grandes tiempo después, y contrasta esa amnesia con la memoria de la voz que dicta.

«Some of us underwent vilification on that side of the door, from know-it-alls who disputed our findings and poked fun at our endeavor to prove the immortality of the soul through communion between the quick and the dead. We withstood that ridicule, remaining true to our trust and to the inner knowledge that this was but one phase in a long progression. Those who scoff are to be pitied, for they are unwilling to stretch their minds sufficiently to absorb the idea that we are one continuing soul from the beginning to the end of time."» — y el dictado consigna la hostilidad recibida en vida —los que disputaban sus hallazgos y se burlaban del empeño en probar la inmortalidad— con una respuesta que es compasión y no refutación: a los que se mofan hay que compadecerlos por no estirar la mente.

«One morning I was feeling so miserable with a sore throat and chest cold that I did not drag myself to the typewriter until nearly two hours after the appointed time. Lily ordinarily opened the daily discussion, but on this particular morning it was Arthur Ford who wrote, "Ruth, this is Art. The others have gone, but I understand that you don't feel well and thus forgot about our date this morning. Used to happen to me too, when I was not feeling up to par. Lily's been here so long he forgets all the pulls of the flesh, but I hung around until you were ready.» — Montgomery narra una sesión fuera de hora por enfermedad suya, y el libro la usa para separar las dos voces dictantes: dice que Lily abría de ordinario y que ese día escribió Ford, que se quedó esperando porque, dice, recuerda los tirones de la carne.

«We here know each other through many many lives, some having been together at various stages in physical development, but all of us at one time or another crossing paths, here or there. As a consequence there's no such thing as a stranger here, which makes it easier for us to understand that we are all part of one another as well as of God.» — la tesis del dictado sobre el conocimiento mutuo: por muchas vidas cruzadas no hay allí tal cosa como un extraño, de donde deriva que todos son parte unos de otros y de Dios.

«Right and wrong are not always the same to different groups of people, but within all of us is the innate knowledge that to harm another soul is to harm oneself and harm God.» — el dictado admite que lo correcto y lo incorrecto varían entre grupos humanos y, sobre esa variación, pone un saber innato: dañar a otra alma es dañarse y dañar a Dios.

«Now, if the wrong way falls afoul of the law, let's say in the United States, we have committed a sin against law but not necessarily against God. Such laws are often necessary to make it possible for large masses of people to live together in harmony, but the most basic sin is the. deliberate injury of another person, physically or mentally, because our thoughts are deeds, either of commission or omission, and what we think against others is often as harmful as taking the food from his table."» — y la distinción con que separa ley de pecado: quebrar la ley de un país no es necesariamente pecar contra Dios, porque el pecado básico es el daño deliberado, físico o mental, y los pensamientos cuentan como obras de comisión u omisión.

«When I came over here, as previously stated, I thought that I knew exactly what to expect, having read a great deal about it and occasionally experienced the sensation of being here while in trance. But certain surprises were awaiting me. For instance, no one's whims are automatically granted without effort on his part.» — el dictado enmienda su propia expectativa: creía saber qué esperar por lo leído y lo entrevisto en trance, y la sorpresa fue que ningún capricho se concede sin esfuerzo.

«If no one wants to see you, you are not able to intrude on his solitude or other activities. It must be a two-way street.» — la primera excepción a la libertad de moverse por deseo: no se puede irrumpir en la soledad de quien no quiere verlo a uno, porque la vía es de doble sentido.

«If I want to tell someone something at a given moment, he will not necessarily be available, for there are a multiplicity of projects going on here at all times and we are not at the instant summons of any other soul who might suddenly wish to see us. Am I making this clear? It protects the privacy, as in that phase you don't have to answer the ring of a telephone unless you feel like it.» — y la segunda, que el dictado compara con no contestar el teléfono: nadie está a la convocatoria instantánea de otra alma, y eso protege la intimidad.

«The path will be lightened and shortened by every good deed which we do for others without seeking gratification of self in return. "The will to give freely, without hope of reward, is the rung of the ladder to spiritual success. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does, remember? So stop hoping for gratification of self or earthly reward, but give in secret, telling no man and finding happiness in the doing rather than the telling.» — la regla del dar que el dictado formula con la frase evangélica de la mano izquierda: dar en secreto y sin esperar recompensa es el peldaño de la escalera.

«Why expect reward from God if you've already had reward from man?—that is, praise and publicity over having helped someone there. We don't expect praise when we help ourselves, so why seek it in helping another, who is part of us and part of God?» — y el argumento con que la cierra: no se espera elogio por ayudarse a uno mismo, luego tampoco por ayudar a otro, que es parte de uno y de Dios.

«The temple of wisdom is not a place, of course, but a state of mind; for it is a consciousness of all the beauty of thought and awareness. We each no doubt see it in different lights, but to me it is the embodiment of beauty and truth.» — el dictado enmienda su propia figura: el templo no es un lugar sino un estado de la mente, consciencia de la belleza del pensamiento, y cada cual lo ve de otro modo.

«Nothing is accomplished without inner effort, if it is to be of lasting value. "This growth effort must be constant throughout every phase if we are to develop into a better people, a finer human race. Make no mistake about it, we have the power and ability to develop into what would be called a Super Race. But here's the catch: No man or group of men will be able to accomplish this. It is a total effort of the human race» — y la tesis colectiva con que cierra el capítulo: se puede llegar a lo que llamaría una Raza Superior, pero ningún hombre ni grupo lo logra por su cuenta, porque es esfuerzo del género humano entero.

«Once we were a part of a super race. We were close to this knowledge which I am telling you now and knew what to do with it before greed, avarice, hate, and other dire emotions gradually seized hold of the humans who incarnated into flesh."» — el dictado sitúa esa raza superior en el pasado y no en el porvenir, y data su pérdida en la codicia, la avaricia y el odio que fueron apoderándose de los encarnados.

«I had not long to seek, for without direction from anyone I came upon it, just where I remembered, beside a rippling stream in a half hidden knoll beyond the first slope of a grassy hill. It was rustic yet so beautifully fitted into the landscape that it seemed to be a part of the life-stream. The teachers were awaiting and greeted me joyfully, happy to know that I had never quite lost the remembrance of its wonders and beauty of thought.» — el dictado describe el hallazgo del templo sin guía de nadie, junto a un arroyo y encajado en el paisaje, con maestros que lo reciben contentos de que no hubiera perdido su recuerdo.

«The chairs were drawn up in a circle, and as I took my accustomed place the eldest of the masters exclaimed, 'Arthur, you have scarcely been away!' That made me feel good, for my seventy-odd years in the earth plane had seemed like a goodly stretch to me, but here it was as the flicker of an eyelash.» — y la escena del reencuentro, donde el dictado mide el tiempo al revés que los vivos: el mayor de los maestros le dice que apenas se ha ido, y sus setenta y tantos años terrenos resultan un parpadeo.

«No one is able to drink of the wisdom more rapidly than his own needs are attuned. Little by little, setting our own pace of development, we partake of this wisdom and sanctify our souls in the doing, for God is so near to us in this temple of» — el límite que el dictado pone al reparto: nadie bebe más deprisa que lo que sus necesidades consienten, de modo que cada cual marca su paso. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«the temple of wisdom that I mentioned yesterday is not for everyone, but only for those who through long experience with soul development in the earth plane have acquired the facility to meditate and commune with the universal force. We who have earned this right are highly privileged on this side because, having refrained from wasting time in the earth phase, we are able to progress more rapidly here.» — el dictado restringe el templo a quienes se han ejercitado largamente en meditar y comulgar con la fuerza universal, y hace de ese privilegio una ventaja para quien no malgastó tiempo en la fase terrena.

«I wish all those who eventually read these words would appreciate the importance of what I have just said. I want them to know the excitement and satisfaction that come on this side from continuing such studies into the spirit and soul of man. Then they are able to advance so rapidly that fewer returns to earthly form are necessary.» — y la economía que deriva de ahí, dicha como deseo al lector: seguir esos estudios del espíritu permite avanzar tan rápido que hacen falta menos vueltas a la forma terrena.

«We souls are simply manifestations of the Creator, as are the trees and» — el dictado pone a las almas entre las manifestaciones del Creador junto a los árboles; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«flowers and rills, but because He breathed the soul of Himself into each of us, He made us like unto Himself in that we have the power to reason and to know right from wrong.» — y la diferencia que el mismo dictado traza: el aliento del alma de Dios los hace semejantes a él en tener razón y discernimiento del bien y el mal.

«Some here are teaching new souls who come over, others are going to school to catch up with the philosophy and development courses» — el dictado enumera las ocupaciones de aquel plano: enseñar a los recién llegados y estudiar los cursos de filosofía y desarrollo que no se dominaron en vida. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«which they failed to master on your side of the veil. Some are actively engaged in exploration of ideas or are trying to atone for past omissions by deep meditation and prayer. We are not so much closer to that so-called heaven than you are, you know. It is folly to think that because we swapped in our physical bodies for spiritual ones, we» — el dictado niega una creencia corriente: es necedad pensar que cambiar el cuerpo físico por uno espiritual da por sí la unidad con Dios. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«automatically have achieved oneness with God. Oneness is something to be earned after eons of special effort to conform to God's laws and assist others on the upward path.» — y dice qué la da, según él: eones de esfuerzo especial por conformarse a las leyes de Dios y ayudar a otros en el camino ascendente.

«At the temple we are exposed to the greatest minds in the philosophic field: those who are here at present, and the benefit of those who have reincarnated into the flesh, for their imprint remains here, just as yours is here from other lifetimes in the spirit.» — el dictado describe el profesorado del templo y le añade a los ausentes: están los grandes de la filosofía que se hallan allí y el beneficio de los que ya reencarnaron, porque su impronta queda.

«We learn the proper way to think as well as to meditate, for our thinking apparatus is a part of the soul, and that is why it is known there as the subconscious mind. It is always with us, whereas the so-called conscious mind is propelled solely by the mechanical apparatus of the physical body.» — y la identificación con que el dictado explica el aprendizaje: el aparato de pensar es parte del alma, que es lo que en la tierra se llama subconsciente, mientras la mente consciente la mueve solo el aparato mecánico del cuerpo.

«The subconscious stores all of the knowledge we have absorbed since the beginning of creation. It is like unto the greatest filing cabinet ever known, except that while in the physical body it will not always be tapped in ordinary ways, since the store of knowledge is too great to be readily brought to the surface at any given time. Through dreams and meditation we tap into that great well of knowledge, and through proper hypnosis we also are able to surface some of the storehouse, though by no means all of it.» — la tesis del subconsciente como archivo de todo lo absorbido desde el principio de la creación, con las tres vías que el dictado nombra para tocarlo en vida —sueños, meditación e hipnosis adecuada— y el límite de que ninguna lo saca entero.

«Here it is available to us at all times, and if we develop certain faculties of the spirit we are able to expand the remembrance not only of the last life and the previous one here, but through the eons of time into other lives of ours as well.» — y lo que atribuye a la facultad desarrollada del espíritu: recordar no solo la última vida y la estancia anterior allí, sino, por eones, otras vidas propias.

«Here in the temple of wisdom Socrates has sat, and Kant and Jung, and many of those so highly respected in the earth phase. Here they are also towering figures of greater or lesser degree. Some great minds in the temple were never recognized as such on earth, but grew through the simplicity of their beliefs into great masters who serve well in the temple here.» — el dictado nombra a tres filósofos entre los que han estado en el templo y de inmediato relativiza la fama terrena: hubo grandes mentes allí que nunca fueron reconocidas como tales y que crecieron por la simplicidad de sus creencias. Los nombres se cotejaron contra el crudo.

«Many of them need never reincarnate, because they not only fulfilled their destiny on earth but have contributed so much on this side that their missions are complete. They are free to travel here through various stages of development to the very highest realms but are so devoted to service that they spend some of each so-called day here in the temple helping the rest of us along the way.» — y describe a los que, teniendo por cumplida su misión, quedan libres de reencarnar y sin embargo dedican parte de cada día a enseñar en el templo.

«We not only were created in God's image but of the very stuff of God, so that in order to complete our circle and return to Him, we must absorb the philosophy of the universe and come to understand its laws, so that we never again will be out of harmony with this creation of our Father.» — y el argumento del retorno: hechos no solo a imagen de Dios sino de su propia sustancia, hay que absorber la filosofía del universo y entender sus leyes para cerrar el círculo y no volver a estar fuera de armonía.

«At the lower schools the souls are taught how to absorb time. We become time itself, so that nothing proceeds without our cooperation, at least as far as each of us is concerned. Thus, if we fall by the wayside and loaf, we are time standing still, but if we are ambitious to grow and develop, the time within us moves ahead at a steady pace until that lesson is completed» — la enseñanza de las escuelas menores, en voz de Ford: absorber el tiempo hasta ser tiempo uno mismo, de modo que el holgazán es tiempo detenido y el ambicioso avanza a paso firme.

«Time is relative and different for each of us, for no two souls are in exactly the same stage of development. Wise old masters help us to move time ahead by opening the portals of the conscious and forging new paths for us to climb.» — y la consecuencia que saca: el tiempo es relativo y distinto para cada cual, porque no hay dos almas en el mismo punto, y los maestros viejos lo mueven abriendo los portales de lo consciente.

«Ford stressed that all of us when we pass through the door called death almost immediately sense our "misalignment" with the harmony of the universe. "Those who sense this first are the ones most nearly in attunement," he continued, "for they realize the lack because they are so nearly in harmony that the offside is evident. Those whose alignment is way off center are so used to being out of tune that it takes a little longer for them to realize what is amiss, but all sooner or later become aware of this lack.» — Montgomery introduce la tesis del desalineamiento y el dictado la ordena al revés de lo esperable: quienes más cerca están de la armonía son los primeros en notar el desajuste, y los más descentrados tardan por costumbre.

«These souls, whenever ready within themselves, begin seeking out a teacher who will set them straight, and the moment that the longing for a proper teacher strikes, the master is ready to appear. He is only waiting to be summoned, and just as the wish is father to the thought, so the master appears the moment that the thought becomes tangible.» — y la regla del maestro que el dictado enuncia como automatismo: en cuanto la búsqueda de maestro se vuelve pensamiento tangible, el maestro aparece, porque solo esperaba ser convocado.

«When the master appears, he takes the willing pupil to a house of learning where others of like thought are already gathered in study. They learn together in good fellowship, and although a few backslide even on this side, refusing to accept the precepts or the diligent labor necessary, most of them begin the steep upper climb in good spirit.» — el dictado describe la escuela como estudio en compañía y consigna la excepción sin limarla: unos pocos recaen allí mismo, rehusando los preceptos o el trabajo diligente.

«The laws are, and that is enough for us. It is only the recent comers who are still used to having their own way in the earth body, or so they think, who try to challenge some of the precepts here, and this delays the progression of the soul.» — el dictado da la fórmula de esa obediencia —las leyes son, y basta— y atribuye el desafío a los recién llegados acostumbrados a salirse con la suya, con la demora del alma por castigo.

«Had they spent some time while in the physical body studying the psychic patterns and trying to grasp God's precepts, they would advance more rapidly here, for learning discipline is one of the fastest of all methods for advancing spiritually —discipline to God's will, discipline even to the laws of the earth phase, which are devised to help men live peaceably together.» — y hace de la disciplina el método más rápido para avanzar espiritualmente: disciplina a la voluntad de Dios y también a las leyes de la fase terrena, hechas para que los hombres convivan en paz.

«Discipline is the lesson which should be instilled into every baby and constantly applied through all his earth life, for discipline is a cardinal principle here and even more important to those in the spiritual body than to those still wearing the flesh of earth souls."» — el cierre del capítulo, donde el dictado extiende la regla a la crianza: disciplina inculcada a cada bebé y aplicada toda la vida, por ser principio cardinal de aquel plano y aún más importante allí que en la carne.

«Many souls who choose to learn and press ahead after arriving here are not yet ready for the teachings in the temple of wisdom, for this is esoteric and they have not made sufficient progress in previous lifetimes to be ready for its teachings. For them there are many other schools of development where they learn not only rudiments of» — el dictado acota su propio templo: muchos que quieren aprender no están listos para su enseñanza, que llama esotérica, y para ellos hay otras escuelas donde se empieza por los rudimentos de la filosofía. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«There the rudiments of God's plan are expounded, the abiding faith in the workability of all things divinely inspired, and the essentiality of» — el contenido de la enseñanza de esa escuela: los rudimentos del plan de Dios y la fe en que todo lo divinamente inspirado funciona. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«DURING the last few months of Arthur Ford's life, I knew that he was working spasmodically on another book, but I had no idea of the subject matter. Not until nearly four months after his passing did I learn from our mutual friend, the Reverend William V. Rauscher, that Arthur had already chosen his title. Strangely enough, it was to be called What Happens After Death.» — Montgomery consigna una coincidencia como dato y la atribuye a un tercero nombrado: dice haber sabido por un amigo común, meses después de la muerte, que Ford ya había elegido para un libro suyo el título que ahora encabeza este capítulo.

«Within a few days after Ford's funeral, when he took over my typewriter for fifteen minutes each morning, he made plain that we were to collaborate on a book which would describe what life is like on the other side of the door called death. Arthur Ford is apparently a very determined soul who leaves no stone unturned.» — y Montgomery cierra la observación con una frase suya sobre la voz que dice recibir: que es alma muy resuelta y no deja piedra sin remover.

«Today we'll talk about the kind of place one will find here if he has never given a thought to a hereafter—neither believer nor nonbeliever, just indifferent and too busy to give it a thought in the hurly-burly of his earth life.» — el dictado abre el cuarto caso de su clasificación, fechado el 14 de febrero: el del indiferente, ni creyente ni incrédulo, demasiado ocupado para pensar en un más allá.

«He finds himself in what appears to him to be the same place he left, only more so. By that I mean everything is more vividly colored here and the sky is without clouds, but other than that he thinks that he is still living and ready to go about his regular appointments.» — y describe su llegada con la misma tesis topográfica del libro: el mismo sitio que dejó, solo que más, con los colores más vivos y el cielo sin nubes, creyéndose vivo y con citas que atender.

«For the first time he sees himself in earthly form lying there and is appalled. This cannot be, he tells himself over and over. There is the family he loves, the friends and business acquaintances he knows best, and all are talking about poor ol' Joe, when he's right there trying frantically to attract their attention.» — el momento de la revelación dentro del relato: se ve a sí mismo en el ataúd mientras los suyos hablan de él, y él intenta en vano llamarles la atención.

«These are tough cases for us over here, because having never held a philosophical thought in his life, good ol' Joe has had no more preparation for a so-called hereafter than a baby lamb shorn of his wool. It takes time, a lot of time, for us gradually to begin to convince Joe that he is immortal, that he's alive in spirit, but that the flesh is gone. His bewilderment and grief is often much greater than that of the widow he leaves behind, for she hopes someday to see him, whereas he will not accept that this is real."» — y la moral que el dictado extrae del caso: al que nunca tuvo un pensamiento filosófico le cuesta mucho aceptarse inmortal, y su desconcierto resulta mayor que el duelo de la viuda, que al menos espera volver a verlo.

«Now let's take the case of someone who is expecting to find angels and harps floating around in a blue sky, with marble buildings and mansions, and a high throne where God sits all day and night looking benevolently at the happy souls. This is the view of the narrow-minded church people in small towns throughout America and elsewhere, but it just isn't true.» — el dictado nombra y descarta la iconografía corriente del cielo —ángeles, arpas, palacios de mármol y un trono— y la atribuye a la gente de iglesia de miras estrechas de los pueblos.

«If a soul who comes over here wants to will himself into marble palaces, he will be able to do so, because they do exist in the earth and we are able to go where we choose; but it's pretty hard to conjure up angels with wings and harps, because if they exist anywhere, we've never seen them where I am now.» — y acota su propio descarte: los palacios de mármol pueden quererse y existen en la tierra, pero de ángeles con alas y arpas dice no haber visto ninguno donde está.

«Rather, the souls themselves shine with varying degrees of light, because some are truly shining souls who reflect the aura of goodness and pure light, but we don't think of each other as floating around on wings. It's the thought that transports us, and since all solid objects on the earth's surface are merely thought forms, we move through them."» — lo que el dictado pone en su lugar: almas que brillan en grados distintos de luz según su bondad, transportadas por el pensamiento y capaces de atravesar los objetos por ser estos formas de pensamiento.

«Let me tell you about a station here in which some people rest for a very, very long time, until something at last awakens them to the potential of growth. The Catholics would call it purgatory, but the difference is that they think we all go there for a time, whereas this is not true.» — el dictado nombra el purgatorio católico para una estación de aquel plano y a la vez enmienda la doctrina que le adjudica: no todos pasan por ella.

«Catholics believe in praying for loved ones during this immediate crossover phase, and let me say that prayers do indeed help all of us here. We strongly feel the vibrations for good that those yearning, loving prayers provoke.» — y aprueba en cambio la oración por los muertos, diciendo que sienten con fuerza las vibraciones que esas oraciones producen.

«But as to this immediate stage, this purgatory, it is a state of nebulism in which the soul hovers halfway between earth phase and this phase. It is not necessarily peopled with bad spirits but mostly with those who made no preparation or did not want to go on living and have immortality.» — el dictado define esa estación como nebulosa a medio camino entre las dos fases, poblada no tanto de malos espíritus como de quienes no se prepararon o no querían seguir viviendo.

«Ford said that such souls may "lie in limbo" for a long time, morose and unhappy, until at last the idea comes through that they are holding themselves back, that no one can do anything for them until they themselves make the effort.» — Montgomery resume y cita a la vez: esas almas quedan en el limbo, tristes, hasta que les llega la idea de que son ellas las que se detienen y de que nadie puede hacer nada por ellas.

«In more normal cases, he continued, souls are first greeted by relatives, close friends or old classmates, so that they "at once feel the tensions created by a wornout body slipping away and youth returning; for we here are all in our prime of years, no matter at what age we crossed over. Even the babies quickly mature under skillful tutelage because, after all, we souls were all created at the beginning of time, and here there's no aging schoolmaster or heavy-handed parent to lay down the law to other souls» — el caso normal, según el dictado: recibimiento por parientes, amigos o compañeros de escuela, con el cuerpo gastado que se desprende y la juventud que vuelve, porque allí todos están en la plenitud de la edad, se hayan muerto cuando se hayan muerto.

«After the initial greeting, the souls are introduced about and made acquainted with the laws which govern their transport and conversation with others, although little guidance along that score is needed, because they have already been conversing through osmosis, or thought-melding, or whatever we would call this when still in the body. Here it's more natural even than breathing is to those on earth, and very few souls with bodies have to be taught to breathe. Same here with communing with each other and transporting ourselves from here to there by the mere wish or desire to be there.» — y el dictado declara innecesaria buena parte de la instrucción: el trato por pensamiento ya se ejercía en el cuerpo, y allí es más natural que respirar.

«As the soul begins to look about him and ask questions, he begins also to unfold his memories of past lives as well as the most recently completed life. He wonders why he failed so miserably to accomplish some parts of the mission that had been his goal when he took flesh the last time around. Now he remembers his aims at that time and begins to assess the life and see wherein he failed to accomplish certain portions of it. Why, he now wonders, did he fail to remember consciously while in the flesh these things which his subconscious so well knew.» — lo que el dictado hace seguir a ese despliegue: el recuerdo de las vidas pasadas y la medida de la vida recién acabada contra la misión que se había fijado, con la pregunta de por qué no recordó en la carne lo que el subconsciente sabía.

«Now let's take the case of a child who came over here suddenly after being struck by a car in the street. That child is innocent of wrongdoing in that life, and no one is able to understand why such a blameless little tyke would have to die. But think! That little tot is» — el caso del niño muerto de golpe, donde el dictado niega la inocencia aparente sin negar la del acto: esa criatura es alma tan vieja como sus padres y trae de otras vidas sus propias manchas y deudas. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Accidents seldom exist, for the planning on this side takes care of nearly everything except sheer, monumental evil which grows rapidly in a bad man's soul and overpowers the original plan he had pledged to carry out. A Hitler, let us say, who promised this time around to be a painter and develop the artistic side of his soul but who, at seizure of power in Germany, let all the wickedness that had been developing in his soul through eons past take over to transform him into a human monster."» — y el límite que el dictado pone a su propia doctrina del plan: los accidentes casi no existen porque de aquel lado se planea, salvo cuando el mal enorme desborda el plan; el ejemplo que da es el de un dictador que, dice, se había comprometido a ser pintor.

«At another session Arthur took up the cause of those who, "having made the transition with full consciousness and knowing what to expect, realize that they are no longer in the body and cannot be seen by their loved ones there. Often they attend their funeral to pay a sweet farewell, and then, unless sorely needed by grieving ones, are able to step into the new role without taut strings to their earth life.» — el caso opuesto, el de quienes cruzan con plena consciencia: asisten a su propio funeral a despedirse y entran en el papel nuevo sin cuerdas tensas hacia la vida terrena.

«They teach the rudiments of knowledge, the Eastern philosophies as well as the newer ones like Christianity and Muhammadanism, and when this has been absorbed they go on to esoteric teachings of the type with which Christ was familiar when he walked the earth as the man Jesus.» — el temario que el dictado atribuye a esas escuelas, en orden de antigüedad: las filosofías orientales, luego las más nuevas que nombra, y después enseñanzas esotéricas del tipo que dice familiar a Cristo cuando anduvo por la tierra.

«These are the rememberers, those who retained enough of their recollection of studies here that material man was not able to rob them of it on the fleshly level.» — y el nombre que el dictado da a los que despiertan allí con el patrón entero de sus vidas a la vista: los que recuerdan, porque el hombre material no pudo robarles en la carne lo estudiado.

«We learn, for instance, that the best way to advance is to love, for an unkind or openly hostile thought about another soul retards the progress to such a degree that sometimes more than one future lifetime is required to erase the blot from the record.» — la regla práctica que el dictado saca de esa escuela: amar es el modo más rápido de avanzar, y un pensamiento hostil retrasa tanto que a veces hace falta más de una vida para borrar el borrón.

«Speak no evil. Think no evil. There is no evil except that which we create, for I have seen no signs of a devil on this side of the veil. We are our own devils, with our thoughts and subsequent deeds."» — y la negativa con que cierra: dice no haber visto señal de un diablo de aquel lado y hacer del mal cosa creada por nosotros, de modo que somos nuestros propios demonios.

«I asked Arthur Ford to elaborate on the idea of the devil, and he responded, "Here we are taught the age-old wisdom once fully known to Homo sapiens but lost through the ages because of fleshly desires while in the physical state. We know that it is possible while in the» — Montgomery pide que desarrolle la idea del diablo, y el dictado empieza por la tentación: el estado temporal es de prueba, y vencerla es el modo más rápido de subir, porque el cuerpo físico se lleva un instante dentro de la eternidad del hombre. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«This evil of which we speak is not the devil incarnate, as some preachers would have us believe, but the forces and vibrations that emanate from those other souls who, having passed that way, have left permanent imprint, permanent stain. Perhaps we are not accurate in saying 'permanent,' since goodness will eventually erase these imprints, provided that enough others sweeten the path to undo the disharmonious influences.» — y la definición que el dictado propone en lugar del diablo encarnado: fuerzas y vibraciones dejadas como impronta por las almas que pasaron, con la salvedad de que llamarlas permanentes tal vez no sea exacto, porque la bondad las borra.

«There is a devil, but not as man conceives it. The devil is the force of evil which has been gathering in the earth since man first trod in physical form. It is the residue of that which is evil, and because man seems not to become more Christlike, this evil gathers force as each passing generation leaves its own stamp of evil doing on the force that we think of as a devil.» — la tesis que el dictado sostiene sobre el diablo: lo hay, pero no como el hombre lo concibe, sino como fuerza del mal acumulada en la tierra desde el primer hombre, que crece con el sello de cada generación.

«The devil was not a person ever but a force so powerful that it gathers strength with each new wrongdoing, just as good shines forth more brightly with each kind and thoughtful deed. In the beginning was the word and the word was good, which is, of course, God. The Father who conceived the earth phase for testing souls put no evil there, but the errant souls who eagerly inhabited bodies lusted, fought, and squabbled, hoping to enhance their own importance, thus establishing a force of evil which eventually came to form into a solid that they were wont to call Satan. Man, not God, created Satan, and he lives not as a wicked soul but as the personification of all evil,» — y el corolario que el dictado no suaviza: el hombre, no Dios, creó a Satanás, que no es alma perversa sino personificación de todo el mal, alimentada por cada pensamiento y acto malos.

«If Satan is to be destroyed, it will be done through man's awakening to the fact that even thoughts are deeds and that the devil shrinks in size each time we replace an ugly thought or action with a loving kindness.» — y el modo de deshacerlo que el mismo dictado propone: que el hombre despierte a que también los pensamientos son obras, porque el diablo mengua cada vez que se sustituye uno feo por una bondad.

«Thus we will approach the so-called millennium when good replaces evil in the hearts of those» — el dictado cierra el argumento del mal con una expectativa colectiva: el llamado milenio, cuando el bien reemplace al mal en los corazones de los que habitan la tierra en carne y en espíritu. El tramo cruza a la plana 52. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«I wanted to know whether animals achieve immortality, and Ford replied: "Time has no meaning here. We are ageless, having existed since the beginning, and we are without end. Thus we are here, and that is all there is to time. Having grasped this truth, we are ready to understand why it is that there is no such thing as waste. Nothing dies. Let me emphasize that strongly. Nothing dies. There is no such thing as death. All matter has existed from the beginning of creation, and nothing perishes but is transformed into various states, just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and then disintegrates in physical form as the spirit passes to yet another state of being. That is the key phrase: state of being, for 'being' is constant and never-ending. Thus the fly that we swat in physical form emerges into another state but does not lose its personality as a fly.» — Montgomery pregunta por la inmortalidad de los animales y el dictado responde con una tesis general: nada muere ni se pierde, toda materia existe desde el principio y solo cambia de estado, de modo que hasta la mosca aplastada pasa a otro estado sin perder su personalidad de mosca. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«The same with a dog that is run over by a car. The physical body returns to earth form, while the spirit exists as perpetually as any other spirit, to be reborn again and again. This is the immutable law. As we are in the beginning, so shall we ever be except as we improve our spiritual selves.» — y la aplicación al perro atropellado: el cuerpo vuelve a la tierra y el espíritu persiste para renacer, cosa que el dictado llama ley inmutable.

«Sometimes a faithful pet is so advanced in the physical state that its soul need not return to physical body, but that soul ever remains a canine, for what is a higher state than being a totally dedicated and loving spirit whose whole life is devoted to helping and protecting others? In the sight of God, that dog has reached perfection when he puts master before self at all times. What a valuable lesson for all of us to learn. We too achieve perfection when our thoughts are of others' welfare at all times, rather than our own Nervous Nelly apprehensions for self.» — el dictado hace de la fidelidad del perro un modelo de perfección y a la vez fija un límite a su progreso: el alma del animal adelantado puede no volver al cuerpo, pero sigue siendo canina para siempre.

«The souls in these lesser animals, plants, minerals, and birds are sparks of a different kind than those we know as man. They dissemble and fragmentize as an atom splits off into fragmentation, being incomplete souls who serve limited purposes and lack capacity to develop ever into souls of men.» — la tesis del dictado sobre las almas de animales, plantas, minerales y aves: chispas de otra clase que la del hombre, incompletas, que se disgregan como un átomo y sin capacidad de llegar a ser almas de hombres.

«Yet the trees, the birds, the rocks, the animals, the beasts, the soil, and every living thing have personality and soul, even though totally different types of soul from those that we identify as man in the earth phase. These are living, breathing substances complete with sparks of God, and although none is as highly developed as the souls which assume» — y a la vez sostiene, sin armonizar las dos cosas, que árboles, aves, rocas, bestias y suelo tienen personalidad y alma, con chispas de Dios, y responden al amor como los que toman forma humana. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«They have their likes and dislikes, their whimsies and spurts of resentment. They go about their assigned roles and also try to become good and beautiful or ugly and bad, depending on their innate personality, which is a quality of the soul. That is why some of the growing plants respond to prayer and why others refuse to cooperate even though they are tended with loving care.» — de ahí deriva el dictado una explicación para lo que se observa en las plantas: unas responden a la oración y otras no, según su personalidad innata, que declara cualidad del alma.

«In the temple of wisdom we learn the power of prayer on every living thing, whether it be the healing of bodies or the striving for soul development. We learn that plants and animals and rocks and insects and everything which we are able to see and hear and feel and taste are influenced by prayer, for the Almighty God is supreme in His being and amiable to every honest plea for improvement of His creations.» — la tesis sobre la oración que el dictado atribuye a la enseñanza del templo: alcanza a todo lo viviente, cuerpos, plantas, animales, rocas e insectos, porque Dios atiende toda súplica honesta por sus creaturas.

«The wind in the trees, the whistle of birds, the whispering of insects, and the cry of man are equally heard by the Almighty One. Each has his own means of communication, and the God of us all has an ear always bent to these sighs and whispers and whistles and other forms of communication with Him and with each other.» — y el corolario auditivo: el viento, el silbo de las aves, el susurro de los insectos y el grito del hombre se oyen por igual, cada cual con su medio de comunicación.

«Do not think that this is a fairy tale. It is true, Ruth, and until we learn to communicate with all other forms of life, whether in spirit or physical stage, we are not yet beginning to achieve oneness with God. Think of this at every available moment. Learn to listen to the voices of rocks and trees and stones and whispering insects and all forms of creation. Penetrate their secrets by sending this communication which links all of us together and makes every one of us a manifestation of God.» — el dictado sale al paso de la incredulidad del lector y pone una condición fuerte: mientras no aprendamos a comunicarnos con las demás formas de vida no empezamos siquiera a lograr la unidad con Dios.

«'Things' are no more things than we are. Each has its own form of life and being. Rocks are as much a part of the divine plan as are birds and bees and all of us. To each his own place in the divine scheme."» — y la formulación con que cierra: las cosas no son más cosas que nosotros, cada cual tiene su forma de vida, y las rocas son parte del plan divino tanto como las aves.

«Sorely troubled, I asked whether we should then destroy harmful insects, and he wrote, "Fleas and worms and insects which stray out of the orbit for which they were intended will have to meet the threat of destruction by man, for there will have to be living space for each kind of created mass or form.» — Montgomery consigna su propio apuro moral —si entonces hay que destruir los insectos dañinos— y el dictado responde con un criterio de espacio vital para cada forma creada.

«The dinosaurs of ages past finally disappeared from the earth phase, since they had begun to overrun the preserves of man and all other beasts and birds. Let this also be a warning to man. If he becomes so numerous and destructive as to threaten all other forms of life, he too may face extinction.» — y el dictado convierte el caso de los dinosaurios en advertencia para el hombre: desaparecieron por invadir el terreno de los demás, y el hombre que amenace a las otras formas de vida puede enfrentar la extinción.

«How interesting was his comparison of man with dinosaurs and insects: Man, the litterbug of the universe. Twentieth-century man, who pollutes the lakes and streams, despoils the once-pure air, paves the once-rich soil with tens of thousands of acres of concrete, and depletes the forests. Are we thereby writing our own doom, as surely as the mammoths vanished from this earth?» — Montgomery cierra el capítulo con su propia glosa, y es de las pocas veces en que ella misma extiende la doctrina: llama al hombre del siglo veinte basurero del universo y pregunta si con la contaminación estamos escribiendo nuestra condena.

«TEN weeks after Arthur Ford began taking over my typewriter for a brief period each morning, Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred A. Sechrist of Houston, Texas, came to visit us in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Elsie, an outstanding authority on the interpretation of dreams and other psychic phenomena, read with interest what Arthur had written and then suggested that I ask him to outline some specific cases of people who had crossed through the door called death. Ford cooperated with alacrity.» — Montgomery data el capítulo y nombra a quien lo pidió: una visitante entendida en sueños y fenómenos psíquicos que, tras leer lo escrito, sugirió pedir casos concretos de personas que hubieran cruzado.

«Today we have for you some news on the Kennedy brothers. Jack is at work on international problems and is trying to bring some kind of settlement between the Israelis and Arabs as his primary interest. Bobby is attempting to slow the pace of the impatient civil rightsers by cooling the situation. He says he thinks that he has had some influence on the more radical leaders of Black Panthers and such outlaw groups as those who are kidnapping diplomats and screaming for vengeance.» — el dictado abre la serie de informes sobre personas nombradas, y lo que se consigna es que el libro dice esto de ellas: a los dos hermanos los pone trabajando, uno en un arreglo entre israelíes y árabes y el otro en templar a los impacientes de los derechos civiles.

«Jack knew no moment of unconsciousness. He was instantly alert here and aware of what was happening in the country he had led. He worked with Lyndon on easing the tensions and tried to help him get legislation through. Although he was not always successful while in the physical body, he wanted those measures to succeed, and thus he put his back to the load, so to speak.» — el informe del dictado sobre el primero de ellos: dice que no perdió la consciencia ni un momento, que quedó al tanto de lo que pasaba en el país y que apoyó a su sucesor en la legislación.

«He feared that anarchy would result if he did not lend support to Lyndon, although he felt that LBJ's increasing involvement in the Vietnam War was a tremendous error. Even though he himself had increased our participation there, he had never entertained any intention of such large-scale involvement as his successor made.» — y el dictado le atribuye a la vez apoyo y desacuerdo, sin armonizarlos: temía la anarquía si no sostenía a su sucesor, y tenía por error enorme la implicación creciente en aquella guerra, mayor que la que él mismo había previsto.

«The close-knit family group was by prenatal choice, each wanting to share again his life with the others, for they were one family in early England in such pleasant surroundings that they pledged then never to be separated. Such pledges are not always easy to fulfill, but in the twentieth century by earth time they were able once again to find the proper vehicle so that all could again be one family in blood. Ethel [Kennedy] had been a part of that original family grouping, and when not able to come in this time to the same mother, there was never any question but that she and Bobby would find each other in the flesh again. They are as one soul, so close are they one to another since eons past. Jackie [Kennedy Onassis] was the outlander—but a queen whom they had known in England and were therefore able to pay homage to, while at the same time not accepting her quite as one of them."» — y el dictado extiende la elección prenatal a la familia entera: dice que fueron una familia en la Inglaterra antigua y se juraron no separarse, y reparte a las esposas entre la de dentro y la que llama la forastera, una reina a la que rendían homenaje. Es informe del dictado sobre personas nombradas y la casa no lo afirma. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«As we have indicated, the power of prayer is as important on this side as on your side of the veil that man calls death. When a loved one crosses through that veil, leaving behind his physical body, he is often bewildered and feels lost and forsaken. The adjustment is sometimes more difficult than anything he had encountered in that phase of life he has just completed, and because many of them had expected an entirely different kind of so-called heaven than we encounter here, they desperately need to have the assurance that God is aware of their predicament.» — el dictado vuelve sobre la oración: el recién cruzado se siente perdido y necesita la seguridad de que Dios conoce su apuro, porque muchos esperaban un cielo enteramente distinto.

«Thus, prayers are vitally important, and the Catholics have the right idea in their prayers for the dead, a custom which should be adopted by all faiths and creeds and also by all those who still love those souls who have passed on to the next phase of eternal life.» — y el dictado aprueba por su nombre una práctica confesional que el libro no comparte de suyo: dice que los católicos tienen razón en sus oraciones por los muertos y que la costumbre debería adoptarse en todas las fes.

«The Kennedy brothers are a striking example of the power of prayer. Such a tumultuous, spontaneous wave of prayers poured forth when the President was slain that he never really lost consciousness. Almost instantly he was attuned to what was going on, and because these prayers swept him onward and upward, he did not for even a little while have to encounter what the priests of his church would call purgatory: a state of souls wandering aimlessly and lost until something awakens them to the potential of their new state of being.» — y el dictado toma a los dos hermanos por ejemplo de esa tesis: dice que la ola espontánea de oraciones por el presidente asesinado lo mantuvo consciente y le evitó el estado que los sacerdotes de su iglesia llamarían purgatorio.

«I was not here at that time, but I have been told of it by others, and that there was rejoicing here that these two souls had carried high the banner for human dignity, and that they were not required to suffer a long and painful span of years.» — el dictado declara aquí un límite de su propio testimonio, y es de las pocas veces que lo hace: dice que él no estaba allí entonces y que se lo contaron otros.

«Remember the old saying, 'Only the good die young?' Well, there is much good in nearly every soul, and not all die young, but when a soul is able to achieve his mission in a shorter time and still avoid the infirmities of old age, he is especially blessed. Some great souls live to a ripe old age and continue their usefulness, but sometimes at the zenith of a career, when the specific mission is accomplished, it is fortunate for that soul to be permitted to lay aside the body and continue his development on this side.» — y enmienda el refrán que cita: no todos los buenos mueren jóvenes, pero quien cumple su misión en menos tiempo y se ahorra los achaques queda especialmente bendecido, y a veces conviene dejar el cuerpo en la cima de una carrera.

«The report on Jack and Bobby Kennedy led me to ask how President Eisenhower was faring on the other side. Ford promptly wrote, "He was a jolly good man who fulfilled his destiny by bringing peace to a sorely troubled world, but had he reached the Presidency at an earlier age, in less troubled times, he could have accomplished much more for human welfare.» — Montgomery pide el informe siguiente y el dictado lo da con una hipótesis contraria al hecho: dice del militar que cumplió su destino trayendo paz, y que de haber llegado antes a la presidencia habría hecho mucho más.

«When he crossed over here, there was tremendous rejoicing among the men whom he had led in battle, for they revered him as a father and respected the goodness of his heart. He is, still leading many of them who had so resented their departure from flesh at an early and untimely age that they had built up antagonism against adults. Ike has reasoned with them and taught them that within the human heart beats a part of the Creator who understands all which we do not and that there are many perils far worse than death for an ideal."» — y el oficio que el dictado le adjudica de aquel lado: guiar a los hombres que mandó en batalla, resentidos por la muerte temprana, enseñándoles que hay peligros peores que morir por un ideal.

«Here he thinks to resume his antics, his goose-step, his prattlings of power, but there is no one to listen or pay homage. This soul is so totally ignored that it is as if he were alone in a dark island without habitation. He prances, rants, shouts, to no avail. There is none here so low as to seek association with this monstrous soul. Shouting and strutting achieve nothing, so at last he falls into a deep pit of his own image-making, and into the black pit he falls, falls, falls until, like [Edgar] Cayce tells of Saturn, he is in outer darkness.» — y describe ese aislamiento: nadie lo escucha ni le rinde homenaje, hasta que cae en el pozo de su propia fabricación de imágenes, con una referencia a lo que Cayce dice de Saturno que Montgomery completa entre corchetes.

«There he is left to his own devices for many hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, depending on the severity of his crime against humanity. If he ever wakens again, his fate will not be a pleasant one, for until he has repaid at least some of his crimes against others by long and arduous study in this state of being, he will not be offered an opportunity again to return to earth life where progress would be faster.» — el dictado fija la duración por la gravedad del crimen y niega el atajo: no se le ofrecerá volver a la vida terrena, donde el progreso sería más rápido, hasta haber pagado parte por estudio largo y arduo.

«He has doomed himself to isolation for many eons, and the fate of Hitler will not be known to any of you living today, for his banishment—selfbanishment, if you will—will undoubtedly take much longer than anyone now living in the flesh can perceive."» — y el dictado insiste en que el destierro es propio y no impuesto, y lo pone fuera del alcance de cualquiera que viva hoy en la carne. La capa de texto une aquí *self-banishment* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Next Ford made passing reference to Albert Einstein, writing, "A great scientist dies to the physical life and is greeted here with shouts of joy, for he has used his talents well in the advancement of pure science and the betterment of the human race.» — el informe sobre el físico, que el dictado abre distinguiendo el uso de los talentos: lo reciben con gritos de alegría por haberlos empleado en la ciencia pura y en el bien del género humano.

«This genius, as he is regarded in the physical world, is actually a gifted practitioner of esoteric knowledge who, with the assistance of other scientifically talented souls on this side, was able to achieve virtual miracles in advancement. The telephone, electricity, the steamship, and many others of like caliber, including the cotton gin, were joint efforts of talented souls on this side and the physical side, working together to bring about betterment of conditions in the physical plane.» — y la tesis sobre la invención que el dictado repite aquí con más nombres: lo que el mundo llama genio es practicante dotado de saber esotérico, y el teléfono, la electricidad, el barco de vapor y la desmotadora fueron obra conjunta de almas de los dos lados.

«Einstein, who would nap for a few minutes at various times of the day, was actually tuning in here to the forces which renewed his objective and suggested the next step in his experiments. The moral for all is those nap times, when you as physical beings are able to commune with the spirit beings on this side to replenish energy, direction, and goals."» — y el dictado convierte una costumbre atribuida a ese hombre en receta para el lector: las siestas breves como sintonía con los espíritus para renovar energía, dirección y metas.

«Elsie Sechrist had asked for examples of various types of souls: priests, scientists, orthodox believers, suicides, babies, children, savages, and the like.» — Montgomery nombra la lista de tipos que la visitante había pedido, y con ella el programa del capítulo.

«His sermons here actually do draw souls who hunger for the kind of heaven that their finite minds had conceived, and they think that this Billy Sunday type will lead them rapidly to the promised land. They throng to his sermons and shout 'amen,' while he tells them that within a very short time they will all advance into heaven with a retinue of angels playing harps. 'Amen,' they shout again, and are grateful that one of their own at last has arrived to open the gates of the temple.» — y el dictado le concede público: almas que ansían el cielo que su mente finita concibió y que aclaman sus sermones esperando que las lleve pronto a la tierra prometida.

«For this is the promised land, and we make of it what we will through our own endeavors. Wiser heads, so to speak, take Billy in hand, for he is a good but misguided soul. They suggest that he attend a temple of wisdom for a time to have his eyes opened to the one truth: that all of us are God, and that until all have realized this basic truth, none of us will advance beyond the basic state of man.» — y la única verdad que el dictado le hace aprender en el templo: que todos somos Dios, y que hasta que todos lo reconozcan nadie avanza más allá del estado básico del hombre.

«When we grasp that each of us is as much a part of God as any other, then we are able to spread the good word that by helping these other parts of God we advance together to a higher plane of awareness, the veils drop from our eyes, and we are able to see exactly where and why we are here. Helping others is the watchword.» — la consecuencia práctica que el dictado deriva de esa tesis: ayudar a las otras partes de Dios hace subir a todos juntos, y ayudar a otros queda por consigna.

«assigned places in the firmament, and if we exceed our mission by disrupting harmony, we perish from the physical state, although nothing ever dies in the eternal sense."» — el cierre del argumento, con la reserva que el dictado no suelta: quien excede su misión rompiendo la armonía perece del estado físico, aunque nada muera nunca en sentido eterno. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«"Bobby left his heart in the civil rights movement, and he feels that» — el informe del dictado sobre el segundo hermano, con la tesis kármica del libro aplicada a una familia pública: dice que su llegada lo dejó abatido un tiempo y que los lazos entre los dos vienen de muchas vidas. El tramo cruza a la plana 56. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«We here pray as diligently as ever we did in the physical state, and because this establishes attunement with our Creator, we feel its effects more immediately» — el dictado declara que de aquel lado se ora con la misma diligencia y que el efecto se siente más pronto, y da a la oración de intercesión un efecto concreto: a veces es lo único que despierta a un alma allí. El tramo cruza a la plana 57. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Let us take the case of a Hitler, who seems to have wrought so much evil in one lifetime that he will never again be able to cleanse himself of such evil. He comes here after wrecking the lives and hopes and ideals of many other souls in the physical state, and he himself is an object of such scorn and horror that no one mourns his passing from the physical state.» — el informe sobre el dictador, donde el dictado formula el castigo como aislamiento y no como tormento: nadie lo llora y su mal parece de una vida que no podrá limpiar. Es informe del dictado sobre una persona nombrada.

«At last the old souls gather around and explain to Billy that he is preaching a false doctrine; that heaven is within each man, and so is his private hell; that he has arrived, and nothing is being hidden from him.» — la corrección que el dictado pone en boca de las almas viejas: que predica doctrina falsa, que el cielo está dentro de cada hombre y su infierno también, y que ya ha llegado sin que se le oculte nada.

«It is up to him to begin work on his own spiritual advancement, and he is retarding the progress of others to mislead them with false hopes of a promised land.» — y el reproche que le hacen las almas viejas: que retrasa el progreso de otros al engañarlos con esperanzas de una tierra prometida.

«assess his previous earthly existence, seeing where he misled others by not opening his own eyes and listening to the persuasive arguments of those who were less orthodox than himself in his tight-minded beliefs. He is eager to undo the damage he has done, and through other ministers of like faith in physical bodies he implants seeds of wisdom, which if placed in fertile soil begin to sprout roots and spread truth among the hardliners.» — el desenlace del caso del predicador, en voz de Ford: al medir su vida anterior ve dónde extravió a otros por no escuchar a los menos ortodoxos, y trabaja ahora implantando semillas de sabiduría en ministros vivos de su misma fe.

«Today we will take the case of a baby newly born into the flesh who, after a brief struggle for life, withdraws back into this spirit state. The baby had wanted life, to be sure, and had at least helped to select its parents, but what happened to alter the circumstances? Sometimes the baby finds a body so weakened by malformation that it will not sustain life, but more often it is the spirit which withdraws.» — el caso del recién nacido que muere pronto, donde el dictado reparte la causa entre dos y se inclina por la segunda: un cuerpo malformado que no sostiene la vida, o el espíritu que se retira.

«That baby has almost certainly had something to do with the decision to withdraw. Perhaps at first there was a reluctance to enter the human body or the spirit became convinced that this was not the proper vehicle for working out the karma that obstructed its spiritual growth.» — y las dos razones que el dictado atribuye a esa retirada: reticencia a entrar en el cuerpo humano, o el convencimiento de que ese vehículo no servía para el karma que estorbaba su crecimiento.

«The baby is not a baby, at least in the spirit world; for all souls were here from the beginning of time, and although some of them are more highly evolved and far wiser and more meaningful than others, because of experience here and in the earth states, none here is a baby.» — la tesis que el dictado repite sobre la edad de las almas: como todas existen desde el principio del tiempo, allí no hay bebés, por más que unas estén más evolucionadas que otras.

«The soul is disappointed at first when he returns here, for although babyhood is by no means an ideal existence, nevertheless he had chosen parents whom he loved and surroundings where he felt that he would be able to repay some karmic indebtedness. That this opportunity was denied him by physical limitations speaks itself of karmic patterns, for this soul realized that in a previous life he had ended the life of a new» — y la explicación kármica que el dictado da al caso: el alma había elegido padres amados y circunstancias donde saldar deuda, y la limitación física que se lo impidió responde, dice, a haber acabado por descuido con la vida de un bebé en otra vida. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Thus, although this was a life that he greatly wanted to complete, he had to make amends by withdrawing from that seemingly ideal situation. The so-called baby returns here and after a brief period of adjustment is ready to begin again in the temple of wisdom to learn how to resume the ascent toward the ideal of oneness with God. Because he has been gone from here only briefly, he needs little reinstruction, but if he had been a physical baby for two or three years, there would be souls here ready to help him adjust psychologically, to bring him out of the baby syndrome and into adulthood again."» — el dictado cierra el caso con una economía del tiempo: como el alma estuvo fuera poco, apenas necesita reinstrucción, mientras que dos o tres años de infancia habrían pedido ayuda para sacarla del síndrome de bebé.

«Let us take the case of an epileptic child who has seizures which grieve all of those around him who love the little tyke. He seems to be normal in every way except that at times he has uncontrollable seizures. The child is not allowed to live normally because of fears that he will harm himself during attacks, and life becomes such a chore for him that at last his soul withdraws from the body without the normal span of years. When he awakens on this side he is at first fearful that among strangers these attacks will return, and he wails for his mother and father and grandmother, who have treated him with such loving kindness. He is afraid to open the eyes of his soul for fear strangers will seize him, and the mental agony is in every sense real.» — el caso del niño epiléptico, donde el dictado insiste en que el sufrimiento del recién llegado es real: teme entre extraños que vuelvan los ataques y llama a los suyos. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«At last a famous doctor hears of his plight, and with consummate gentleness reassures the little boy that he will have the finest treatment. He works as gently on his mind as in the earth state he would have nurtured his body and little by little builds up such confidence in the child that he no longer is afraid. Then the doctor introduces other gentle souls who assure the little boy that he has nothing to fear from a body which has been abandoned. The child begins to search around him and discovers that no one is wearing the type of heavy bodies which were familiar to him. They are clothed in spiritual form more beautiful than earthly bodies, and all seem to give no thought to illness or pain.» — y el remedio que el dictado describe como cura del ánimo y no del cuerpo: un médico trabaja su mente con la misma delicadeza con que en la tierra habría tratado el cuerpo, hasta que el niño ve que allí nadie lleva cuerpos pesados. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«He revisits his home and finds that his parents, while sad, are no longer grieving for him because they are highly developed souls who think that he is now enwrapped in the love of God and will suffer no further pain.» — el dictado hace del duelo de los padres una medida de su desarrollo: no lloran ya porque, siendo almas muy desarrolladas, lo tienen por envuelto en el amor de Dios.

«When he begins to assess his past life, he finds that he himself had volunteered for those seizures because in a previous lifetime he had been unfeeling toward the physical suffering» — y la explicación kármica del caso, que el dictado formula como voluntariado: el propio niño pidió esos ataques porque en otra vida fue insensible al sufrimiento físico ajeno y quiso experimentarlo para entenderlo. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«He wishes to learn humility, and because in that most recent life he had been favored with well-to-do, highly educated parents, he had been proud and somewhat demanding of their constant attention. Thus, he will choose in the next lifetime to be born to humble parents of loving demeanor but intense dedication to the aid of others. As the son of a missionary he will learn of the problems in many parts of the underdeveloped world and thus grow through humble beginnings into a well-rounded soul.» — el dictado planifica la vida siguiente de ese niño con el mismo criterio correctivo: por haber sido orgulloso con padres acomodados, nacerá de padres humildes dedicados a ayudar a otros, y como hijo de misionero conocerá el mundo subdesarrollado.

«Let us take the case of an aborigine who, having lived all his life in a pagan land without contact with so-called civilization, finds himself in the world of spirit. He is frequently less surprised at what he encounters than those of us who believed in Christianity and lived in cultured lands. He is familiar with superstition.» — el caso que la visitante había pedido con el nombre de salvaje: el dictado invierte la expectativa y dice que se sorprende menos de lo que halla que los que creyeron en el cristianismo y vivieron en tierras cultas, por estar familiarizado con la superstición.

«They see their native land in detail and are more able to communicate with their loved ones still in physical state than are those who, through book learning and the admonitions of parents, have come to believe that no contact is possible.» — y el dictado hace de la creencia una condición del contacto: los suyos se comunican mejor con los vivos que quienes, por lectura y crianza, han llegado a creer imposible el contacto.

«He revisits his old haunts, and when he sees that rain is needed, he allies himself with other spirits to try to alter currents of air so that rain will fall in their land.» — el dictado le atribuye además una práctica: aliarse con otros espíritus para alterar las corrientes de aire y traer lluvia a su tierra.

«These aborigines are ones who have had far fewer physical lives than those who normally inhabit more advanced communities. Sometimes they have slept between lives for many thousands of years and are not yet fully awakened to the enormous advancement in the earth while they were sleeping.» — y el dictado explica su condición por la cuenta de vidas y por el sueño entre ellas: pocas vidas físicas y a veces milenios dormidos, sin enterarse del adelanto de la tierra.

«Thus, although their souls were born at the time of all others, they were backward physically and mentally, but not necessarily in spirit, because they were able to remember more definitely the days when man and God walked the earth together.» — la distinción que el dictado sostiene sin resolverla: esas almas nacieron a la vez que todas y quedaron atrasadas física y mentalmente, pero no necesariamente en espíritu, por recordar mejor los días en que el hombre y Dios andaban juntos.

«Why do people not remember more clearly their previous lives and this spirit realm, which is the true existence? Because from babyhood they are admonished not to prattle about imaginary things.» — y la razón que el dictado da del olvido de las vidas anteriores: desde la infancia se reprende al niño por hablar de cosas imaginarias.

«case of a man of the cloth, a Billy Sunday type who preaches hellfire and brimstones and believes every bit of the Good Book literally. He comes across here, and after the first shock of discovering that God is not sitting on a throne surrounded by angels, he begins exhorting those of us here to repent before it is too late. He thinks that this is a very brief interlude until he adjusts, and that the rest of us are probably lost souls who lack the righteousness to advance into God's waiting arms.» — el caso del predicador literalista, que el dictado abre el 26 de marzo: tras el choque de no hallar a Dios en un trono rodeado de ángeles, exhorta al arrepentimiento a los de aquel lado y tiene al resto por almas perdidas. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«This forgetting is not only deliberate but sometimes necessary in order to block from the conscious mind recollections of previous lives in which dreadful things occurred that would cause them needless anguish in the physical plane where they now find themselves. They have volunteered to return and undo some of that harm which they inflicted on others, but to remember too vividly the cause of their present suffering could become an unbearable burden."» — el dictado da una segunda razón del olvido, y esta la declara benéfica: bloquear del consciente los recuerdos de vidas anteriores con hechos terribles, porque recordar demasiado vivamente la causa del sufrimiento presente sería carga insoportable.

«Arthur Ford next discussed the case of "a savage who had never been exposed to Christianity or any other organized form of worship except for the jungle cult."» — Montgomery introduce el segundo caso de la serie con las palabras que cita del propio dictado, que nombra así a quien no tuvo contacto con forma alguna de culto organizado.

«This lad died after having been bitten by a cobra and was about nine years old when he crossed over. He was as totally uncivilized as anyone who has never seen any form of cleanliness or civilization, because it was perhaps thousands of years since that lad's previous incarnation and he had done little or nothing in the spirit form to improve himself. He slept for hundreds of years and was so disinterested in other souls here that when he finally decided to try on the physical body again, he was like a fish out of water.» — el caso del muchacho muerto por mordedura de cobra, donde el dictado explica el atraso por la historia del alma: milenios desde su encarnación anterior, siglos dormido y desinterés por los demás, de modo que al volver al cuerpo estaba fuera de su elemento.

«He lived in ignorance, and he died in the same manner, and thus progressed no single jot in that lifetime. For that reason there was no point in continuing his physical existence, and here, although kindly souls are trying to awaken him, he continues to sleep or thinks of nothing but himself and his pleasures, which are few, except that he likes to torture animals. Thus, the snake bite was in the way of karmic indebtedness for what he had done to those beings which are less evolved than human beings.» — y el dictado cierra el caso con una atribución kármica explícita: la mordedura sería pago por lo hecho a los seres menos evolucionados, porque le gustaba torturar animales.

«This type of soul is highly depressing here, even more than in the earth life, for there seems little to jog them into awareness of responsibilities and soul growth. But even that boy was no worse than many who, living in civilized areas with plenty to eat and much work to accomplish, give themselves over to riotous destruction instead.» — el dictado compara ese caso con otro y no lo pone peor: quienes viven en zonas civilizadas con comida de sobra y se entregan a la destrucción desordenada no valen más.

«They in their next incarnations may find themselves in circumstances similar to those of this boy who perhaps many eons ago had been equally destructive and thus was unwilling to return to physical state in order to repay his karmic debts.» — y les anuncia la misma suerte en la vida siguiente, con la hipótesis de que el muchacho del caso fue en su día igual de destructivo y por eso se resistía a volver a pagar.

«Growth, development, love, constructive action, and consideration for others are the keys to unlock the kingdom of heaven, and those who use force and anger to destroy, instead of love to rebuild, are earning dire consequences for» — el cierre del capítulo, con las cinco llaves que el dictado nombra —crecimiento, desarrollo, amor, acción constructiva y consideración por los demás— frente a la fuerza y la ira. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana, donde dice que las consecuencias caen sobre la vida de espíritu y las encarnaciones futuras.

«ARTHUR FORD demonstrated his skill as a narrator when on March 30 he began a fascinating two-day discussion about "a man who thinks he is ready for sainthood and expects to be ushered to the throne of God by Saint Gabriel as soon as he crosses over here."» — Montgomery presenta el capítulo como muestra de la habilidad narrativa de la voz que dicta, y cita del propio dictado el argumento: un hombre que se cree listo para la santidad y espera ser conducido al trono de Dios.

«This man has told everyone that he has done no wrong and firmly believes it because he has never stolen, robbed, cheated, or misused his sexual drive. He has been a worker in the church and in charities and feels that this life is the only life in physical form before rejoining God in heaven.» — el retrato del personaje en voz de Ford, con su creencia declarada: nunca robó ni engañó ni abusó de su impulso sexual, trabajó en la iglesia y en obras de caridad, y tiene esta vida por la única en forma física.

«He awakens here to see a beautiful landscape and at a distance notices several shining beings garbed in flowing white robes. He feels keen anticipation, sensing that they are coming to summon him to the judgment seat, which he thinks he has no reason to fear. The beings approach, but instead of stopping to greet him, they pass by on the other side of a stream that he had not yet noticed. Thinking that they have failed to see him, he tries to shout, but finds that he has no voice. He waves his arms, but they are not looking his way and soon have passed from view.» — el primer desengaño del relato: los seres resplandecientes que toma por comitiva del juicio pasan de largo al otro lado de un arroyo, y él descubre que no tiene voz.

«Again he calls out, but they pay no heed until he realizes that all he need do is impress his thought on them. Then they surround him with welcoming laughter.» — y la primera lección práctica del relato, que repite la mecánica del libro: basta con imprimir el propio pensamiento en los otros para ser recibido.

«He asks where Saint Gabriel is, and they tell him that they have not yet met any angels. He asks how long they have been there, and none of them seems able to give a proper answer.» — el segundo desengaño: los niños dicen no haber encontrado ángel alguno, y ninguno sabe cuánto tiempo lleva allí.

«They offer to teach him a new game, but he tells them that his time is too important for childish pursuits.» — y el defecto que el relato le atribuye desde el principio: rechaza el juego de los niños por tener su tiempo por demasiado importante.

«The newcomer asks where the cobbler hopes to sell his shoes, since in the spirit world bodies provide their own raiment, and the old man replies that there is no point in selling anything, he is simply trying to perfect an idea fie had for making such strong shoe material that children would not scuff or wear it out.» — la figura del zapatero, que el dictado usa para su tesis del trabajo sin provecho: allí los cuerpos se visten solos y él solo intenta perfeccionar una idea, un material de calzado que los niños no gasten.

«The newcomer requests the way to find Saint Peter or Saint Gabriel, and the old man replies, 'The way lies within.'» — la respuesta con que el zapatero desvía la pregunta por los santos porteros, y que el relato entero desarrolla: el camino está dentro.

«'I know,' the old man replies. 'That is why I bid you look within. Each of us must judge himself before we will be able to rejoin our Creator.'» — y el zapatero explica su fórmula con la tesis del libro sobre el juicio: cada cual ha de juzgarse a sí mismo antes de poder volver al Creador.

«The cobbler sits silent for a few minutes before replying, 'But what of your pride, friend? What of your assurance that you are without sin?'» — la objeción que el zapatero le hace y que es el nudo del relato: el orgullo y la seguridad de estar sin pecado.

«'You will find them here,' the cobbler responds. 'Here we find exactly what, we have prepared for ourselves in the physical life.» — y la regla que el relato enuncia por su boca: allí se halla exactamente lo que uno se preparó en la vida física.

«In that life I was a priest, and when I was not teaching little ones, or telling my beads, or praying and leading services, I was trying to help the poor in ghettos. I too felt that my life had been one of complete and total dedication to God. I had never lain with a woman or taken a farthing that did not belong to me. I ate no meat on Fridays or holy days and kept all of God's commandments. A more blameless life I could scarcely envision.» — el zapatero cuenta su propia vida de sacerdote como paralelo del caso, con el inventario de lo que no hizo: ni yació con mujer, ni tomó lo ajeno, ni comió carne en viernes.

«earthly time I have now been waiting seventy years, and I realize that many more earth lives will be required of me before I am fit to meet God.'» — y el desenlace de ese paralelo, que el dictado mide en tiempo terreno: setenta años de espera y muchas vidas más antes de estar en condiciones de encontrar a Dios.

«'Don't you see it yet, son?' he asks gently. ‘We were too concerned with our own souls to stop and ease the anguish of those less fortunate ones. I taught the children their catechism, yes; but did I stop to worry with their mothers and fathers? Did I sacrifice my own bread that there might be more food for the hungry old beggar on the corner?» — la explicación del fallo, en boca del zapatero: los dos se ocuparon demasiado de su propia alma para aliviar la angustia de los menos afortunados.

«Did you take time to listen to the personal problems of your employees down the line? What about your wife's frantic search for a calm and tranquil mind? Did you take her hand in yours and say, "Come, we will find it together," or were you always too busy with your own affairs to ease her troubled mind? She is happier now that you have gone than during the days when she felt that you expected her to look up to you as to a saint.» — y el zapatero traslada el reproche a la vida doméstica del recién llegado: no escuchó a sus empleados ni acompañó a su mujer en su búsqueda de sosiego, y ella está ahora más contenta.

«His widow sighs and replies, 'I fear that we must. People would talk if we married precipitously, but I can't imagine John really caring one way or the other. He was always so busy with his own salvation that I'm sure he would not care what happened here below.' 'Then you think he is in heaven?' the man asks. 'I am sure of it,' she sighs, 'but I do hope he isn't already trying to reform God. It's so dreadfully difficult to live with a saint, particularly a self-appointed one.'"» — la escena que el relato pone como prueba: la viuda dice que su marido andaba tan ocupado con su salvación que no le importaría lo de aquí abajo, y que es dificilísimo vivir con un santo, y más con uno autonombrado.

«he began to see that he had tried too hard to inflict his ideas of righteousness on others, for they too were individual souls with a right to their own understanding.» — el primer reconocimiento del personaje: había intentado imponer a otros su idea de rectitud, siendo ellos almas individuales con derecho a su propio entendimiento.

«Now he began to look into his own soul and to see that he had been less concerned with serving God and his fellow man than with building himself up as a saintly person. Worse, he realized that by reaping the rewards for his good deeds publicly, while in physical state, he had not stored up in the spirit world any particular bonus. He grew to understand that anonymity of giving and helping was the way to reap blessings in what man calls heaven. This man suffered great anguish of spirit on realizing that the saintly life he had seemingly led had not really benefitted his soul as much as it had enriched his physical life. Without love for the giver, unselfish love, the community tasks which he had performed with great publicity had merely filled empty hours.» — y el segundo, que el dictado formula como economía de lo espiritual: cobrar públicamente la recompensa de las buenas obras no acumula nada del otro lado, y el anonimato al dar es lo que rinde. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«The two men prayed together and rejoiced whenever prayers were said for them by those still in physical form, for they knew that such prayers are needed as much here as ever they were in the flesh.» — el dictado vuelve sobre la oración de los vivos dentro del relato: los dos se alegran cada vez que alguien en forma física ora por ellos, porque allí hacen tanta falta como en la carne.

«Now they are studying with us here and are beginning to comprehend that the mysteries of salvation are as plain as the noses that they once had on their faces: unselfish giving for others, putting the interests of others ahead of one's own, loving and doing for each other.» — y el relato desemboca en la tesis del libro dicha sin rodeos: el misterio de la salvación es dar sin interés, poner lo de otros por delante de lo propio y hacer unos por otros.

«This is the primary reason why each of us returns again and again to physical form, to see if we are able to put into execution that prime law of the universe which we learn while here. On this spirit side it» — el dictado da aquí su razón principal de la reencarnación: volver a la forma física a comprobar si se sabe ejecutar esa ley, que de aquel lado parece fácil. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Here we blend in harmony with those of similar interests and vibrations, but when we return to the flesh we» — y la razón por la que allí resulta fácil y aquí no, según el dictado: allí se convive con vibraciones afines y aquí con quien no lo es, de donde la elección deliberada de familias de gustos distintos como campo de prueba. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«When this man of whom we spoke eventually learned that lesson, he rejoiced that his wife had found a congenial soul with whom to spend the rest of her physical life; and because he had truly loved his family, in his own methodical way, he sent them harmonious thoughts and love to help smooth their path. Now he is advancing rapidly and is one of the most willing workers here with other souls who, like himself, expected to find God surrounded by angels in a room of gold, when they crossed to this single step in our climb toward life eternal."» — el cierre del relato: el personaje se alegra de que su viuda haya hallado compañía, les manda pensamientos armoniosos, y acaba ayudando a otros que esperaban hallar a Dios rodeado de ángeles en una sala de oro.

«A few days later Ford announced, "Today we will look into the heart and mind of a woman who believes that she is of saintly qualities and who expects to be transported directly to the arms of God. She fears nothing so much as having others in higher places of authority and is determined to impress Saint Peter with her virtuous ways so that no mistake will be made at the judgment throne.» — el segundo relato del capítulo, con el mismo defecto y otro sexo: una mujer que se cree de calidad santa, teme a quien tenga más autoridad y quiere impresionar al portero del cielo.

«'But, madam, how will you be saved until all those others who struggle upward are also rescued from the abyss below?' The woman replies that she has nothing to do with them, since they are all strangers to her.» — el argumento con que el relato le opone la salvación colectiva a la individual: cómo va a salvarse ella mientras los demás siguen subiendo la cuesta; y ella responde que nada tiene que ver con extraños.

«Finally another man approaches her, and she seems vaguely to recognize him as the old beggar down the street who was always holding out a tin cup when she hurried past his corner. 'What in the world are you doing here?' she demands of him. He replies that he has only recently left his battered physical body and is now in the next stage of development.» — la aparición del mendigo de su calle, que el relato usa para volver visible la distancia social que la mujer sostiene.

«The man replies, 'But, madam, all of us are god.' She looks wildly around and notices that he is including the old beggar in that sweep of his arms. This annoys her, for that beggar never seemed to wash and his hair had always been matted, although she observes now that he gives the impression of cleanliness.» — la respuesta que el relato pone en boca del hombre de rostro espiritual, y que es la tesis del libro: todos somos dios, con el mendigo incluido en el gesto.

«The one over there whom you think of as a beggar will be a good instructor for you during this interim period until we are able to assist you and others to reach a higher state.'» — y la asignación con que el relato remata la lección: el mendigo será su instructor durante ese tiempo intermedio.

«'But where is the judgment seat?' the woman demands impatiently. 'You are sitting on it, madam,' the beautiful young man replies. She looks wildly around, seeing no seat of any kind, and at last begins to perceive a glimmer of his meaning. She is to be the sole judge of herself.» — y el vuelco del relato sobre el juicio: a la pregunta por el asiento del juicio se le responde que está sentada en él, y de ahí que sea juez única de sí misma.

«She will have to work it out for herself, and as she begins to look within her own heart she discovers this terrible truth: In trying to live blamelessly, she has been thinking only of herself and her own spiritual growth. She was too busily concerned with her own goodness to think how to stop for a comforting word with those beneath her status. She had bethought herself to avoid contamination with those beneath her for fear that it would stain the white garments that she spiritually wore.» — el examen que ella misma se hace y lo que halla: por vivir sin culpa pensó solo en sí misma y en su propio crecimiento, evitando a los de menor condición por miedo a mancharse.

«No one would judge her, for she was the sole judge of self, and when she tried to assess the qualities of the beggar beside her, she knew that not in ten thousand years could she see into his heart and know his errors of commission and omission, for he also was the sole judge of himself."» — y el corolario que el relato saca de esa regla, y que impide juzgar también al mendigo: ni en diez mil años podría ella ver dentro del corazón de otro, porque cada cual es juez único de sí.

«The next morning, Ford addressed himself to the case of a newly arrived woman who was grieving for the family she had left behind in physical state. He said that during her final illness she felt that she could no longer go on living, but now she feels so keenly the separation from husband and children that she refuses to adjust to the continuance of life in the spirit plane. But let Art tell the story:» — Montgomery resume el caso siguiente y con ese resumen separa las dos voces: la madre que no se ajusta por no soportar la separación de su familia.

«She watches constantly at the side of husband and children, trying to influence their every move and desperately seeking to attract their attention to her presence. Nothing that we say to her about beginning her own spiritual growth in this plane appeals to her. She wants only to continue living the physical life with the loved ones who, she feels, deeply need her guidance. She lives vicariously through their pleasures but yearns to protect the children from every temptation. 'Mother knows best' is her constant plea, even though to her they seem totally unconscious of her warnings.» — el retrato de esa madre en voz de Ford: vigila a los suyos, trata de influir en cada movimiento, vive de sus placeres y repite que la madre sabe lo que conviene.

«Her own progress slows to a halt. That which does not grow wastes away. Her soul shrivels and she becomes a pathetic person, without brightness or hope.» — el efecto que el dictado atribuye a esa fijación, con una fórmula que aplica a todo: lo que no crece se consume, y su alma se encoge.

«At last she drops off into a deep and troubled sleep. This unconscious state may last weeks or months or years, but when she at last awakens she begins to see that her physical family is thriving without her, that they have made their adjustments to life, and that she is not as essential as she had believed.» — y la salida que el dictado le da: un sueño hondo de semanas, meses o años, tras el cual ve que su familia prospera sin ella y que no era tan imprescindible.

«She sees now that she was a destructive rather than constructive force in the physical state, too domineering over her children and too overpowering in her mother-love. She reviews these faults and determines to make amends. She vows that if given another chance to return to physical form, she will love with a light touch, freeing her loved ones from the intolerable burden of a too-consuming mother-love. She attends schools in which we are taught the difference between selfish and unselfish love.» — el reconocimiento de la madre y el propósito que hace: haber sido fuerza destructiva por dominante, y amar con mano ligera si se le da otra vuelta, para lo cual dice el dictado que hay escuelas donde se enseña la diferencia entre amor egoísta y desinteresado.

«Now when she sees her children in their physical state, she sends them loving thoughts and a mother's blessings, without trying to dominate them. We on this side notice the change in those children. Before they were tied in knots, emotional and afraid of making a move for fear of displeasing mother. Now they subconsciously feel her radiating love. Decisions come easier to them, for they feel that mother is released and happy,» — y el efecto que el dictado atribuye al cambio: los hijos, antes anudados y temerosos de disgustarla, sienten ahora esa irradiación de amor y deciden con más soltura.

«Perhaps because Arthur Ford was an ordained minister, he seems to relish reporting on preachers, as he invariably terms them. Shortly after Elsie Sechrist suggested that he describe specific cases, he told about "a preacher of the gospel who has influenced many people to» — Montgomery observa una preferencia del dictado —que gusta de informar sobre predicadores— y la explica por la ordenación del propio Ford. El tramo cruza a la plana 73. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«This preacher has had some doubts of his own from time to time about whether the Biblical descriptions of judgment day and bodies rising from the grave at the same time are properly interpreted, but he goes along with it because he is a sincerely seeking man who believes that the church is the best means of finding the path to the Father.» — el tercer caso del capítulo, donde el dictado consigna la duda del personaje sin resolverla: dudaba de la interpretación bíblica del día del juicio y de los cuerpos que se levantan, y seguía con ella por tener a la iglesia por mejor camino.

«Firm in his faith, he finally passes from the physical body and after a gentle sleep awakens into a lovely spot with a steeple and graveyard behind him. He feels at home, for this is what his teaching centered around: the church and the grave.» — y lo que el relato le hace hallar al despertar, hecho a medida de lo que enseñó: una aguja de iglesia y un cementerio detrás.

«Finally he tells them that we are all to be judged alike on judgment day and then will be sent to heaven or hell. "The audience smiles sympathetically, and he wonders about this odd reaction. He warns against the fiery torment of hell,» — el sermón que predica allí, con la doctrina que el libro no comparte: el juicio igual para todos y el reparto entre cielo e infierno, con la advertencia del tormento de fuego.

«The audience smiles sympathetically, and he wonders about this odd reaction. He warns against the fiery torment of hell, and they begin to chuckle with kindly understanding. Now he is bewildered, until the souls in the audience arise with one accord and bid him welcome, saying that they have enjoyed his sermon and stand ready now to set him straight.» — y la reacción del auditorio, que el relato hace risueña y no polémica: se ríen con comprensión y se levantan a darle la bienvenida diciendo que están listos para enderezarlo.

«'You are one with us now, padre,' they say kindly, 'and here no one is judged except by himself. We're here to help you all we can and to listen to you whenever you feel the call to preach, but meanwhile begin your own evaluations of self and rest in peace.'"» — el cierre del caso, con la regla del capítulo repetida ante la lápida con su nombre y sus fechas: allí nadie es juzgado más que por sí mismo, y se le ofrece escucharlo predicar mientras empieza su propia evaluación.

«At last the young man turns to the throng of newly arrived souls and says sweetly, 'Hearken. God is everywhere. God is love, and as surely as each of you learns to love and assist each other, there will God be working among you. Now take up the mantle and see if it fits you any better than those who surround you.'» — la fórmula con que el relato define a Dios ante la multitud de recién llegados: Dios está en todas partes y es amor, y obra entre ellos en la medida en que aprendan a amarse y ayudarse.

«Another of Elsie Sechrist's suggestions was that Ford discuss a case in which two people in love are unable to marry, and he replied, "Let's take as an example a woman who wants more than anything to marry a man who is already tied to a wife who is non compos mentis. They are in love with each other, but because of the laws of man he is unable to divorce the wife who is institutionalized and marry the faithful friend of his heart's choice. They live out their lives wanting each other but unable to be together.» — el caso que la visitante había pedido sobre dos que se aman y no pueden casarse, planteado por el dictado como conflicto entre el vínculo del corazón y las leyes de los hombres.

«These two who lived ethically in the flesh will have one of the finest unions on this side imaginable to conceive, for although no such institution as marriage exists here, the melding of souls is infinitely more sublime.» — y la tesis del dictado sobre el vínculo de aquel lado: allí no existe institución como el matrimonio, y la fusión de almas es incomparablemente más alta.

«These two perhaps were twin souls in previous lives and had expected to find each other in that most recent incarnation, but something went awry. The man, having lost that inner-knowing of the woman he loved, met and married another before he found her in this past life. Thus the tragedy to them of lifelong separation in the flesh. But make no mistake, each of them grew through that experience of sacrifice, and although it was not intended to be a separation, it became so when the man wed too young.» — el dictado explica el caso por almas gemelas que se buscaban y no se reconocieron a tiempo, y sostiene a la vez que ninguno perdió: los dos crecieron por el sacrificio, aunque la separación no estuviera prevista.

«What is meant by a twin soul? It is nothing more than a melding together of two souls through deep affinity, where each feels strengthened by the proximity of the other.» — la definición que el dictado da del alma gemela: fusión de dos almas por afinidad honda, donde cada una se siente fortalecida por la cercanía de la otra.

«Some souls are more independent, just as a heart is used to functioning alone, whereas two fingers or toes are accustomed to having the other for balance or support. It is so with souls, some independent, others dependent, and who is to say which is the better way, for our bodies are projections of the thought of our Creator, and He made some of the parts of it independent and others dependent.» — y el símil anatómico con que acota esa doctrina para que no valga como regla: unas almas son independientes como el corazón y otras dependientes como dos dedos que se apoyan.

«and who is to say which is the better way, for our bodies are projections of the thought of our Creator, and He made some of the parts of it independent and others dependent. Yet, taken as a whole, each is an interlocking part necessary to the perfection of the whole."» — el dictado rehúsa expresamente jerarquizar esas dos maneras, apoyándose en que el Creador hizo independientes unas partes del cuerpo y dependientes otras, y todas necesarias al conjunto.

«I asked whether souls in the spirit stage have sex identity, and Arthur replied, "No, we are both male and female—or, more aptly, we are neither, but simply a unique ego, each different from every other soul but possessing the completeness of a whole rather than a divided sex.» — Montgomery pregunta por la identidad sexual de aquel estado y el dictado responde por la doble negación: ni macho ni hembra, o las dos cosas, un ego único con la completitud de un todo.

«Here, as we told you, there is no sex act since there are no sexes, but we are able to meld with those we love to such a degree that the» — y la consecuencia que saca: sin sexos no hay acto sexual, pero sí una fusión con los amados que declara más perfecta que la de la forma física. El tramo cruza a la plana 75. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«I wanted to know the "why" of homosexuals, and he responded, "Those who return to physical body with sexes confused were not able to decide here whether they wished to return as man or woman and had such poorly defined urges one way or another that they retain some of this confusion. With those bodies where both sexual apparatuses are present, these are freakish thought patterns, and because of this rather unique situation, such bodies are sometimes occupied by souls who are unable to make up their minds which sex they wish to be."» — la respuesta del dictado a la pregunta de Montgomery sobre los homosexuales, que explica por indecisión del alma antes de volver y por impulsos mal definidos; de los cuerpos con los dos aparatos dice que son patrones de pensamiento anómalos. Se consigna lo que el libro dice, sin suscribirlo.

«equipped to work with those like her do their best to calm her fears and teach her that each soul on the earth plane must live according to his own light, without domination from others, either in our plane or the physical one.» — la regla que el dictado opone a la madre posesiva: cada alma del plano terreno ha de vivir según su propia luz, sin dominación de nadie, ni de aquel plano ni de este. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«AS a newspaper reporter throughout most of my adult life, I have a highly developed curiosity about people. No friend with whom I exchange correspondence has been more obliging than Arthur Ford in tracking down answers to my many questions about notables, old friends, and those who have been active in the psychic field. He has kept me informed about the activities of my father and other relatives, but of more general interest are the fill-ins that he has provided about towering figures in the political, theatrical, and psychic fields. Most of these he has given in answer to my queries in behalf of this book, not because he fancies himself as a gossip columnist.» — Montgomery declara de dónde viene este capítulo y acota de antemano lo que no es: su curiosidad de reportera por los personajes, y el reparo de que la voz que dicta no se tiene por columnista de chismes.

«I have assembled these names into categories, although they often "came through" at random, because whenever I typed a list of dignitaries for him, he would reply, "We'll look them up for you and give a report when we assemble the facts."» — y describe el procedimiento del capítulo: ella mecanografiaba listas de nombres y el dictado contestaba que los buscarían y darían informe al reunir los datos.

«At the beginning of May he wrote, "Martin Luther King, Jr., is not here at present. He will not be around for a time, because he is working with newly crossed-over souls who meet death in battle, but we are able to see him now and then. Much of the time he actually spends at the battle sites in Vietnam and elsewhere. He bears no grudges and is too busy checking the welfare of his people and their rights in battle to be disturbed about the man who snuffed out the flame of his earthly life.» — el primer informe de la serie, fechado a principios de mayo: el dictado dice de ese hombre que trabaja con los muertos en combate, que está gran parte del tiempo en los frentes y que no guarda rencor a quien lo mató. Se consigna lo que el libro dice de él y nada más.

«Winston Churchill is often in conversation with Franklin Roosevelt. They are quite close on this side, and in fact have more in common with each other than with their own countrymen in many respects. Roosevelt seems fascinated by the British political situation, and Winnie is absorbed by the riots in America. Each takes an active interest in philanthropy and almost plays a game of seeing who will be able to persuade certain charitable men and institutions to do the most for his own pet projects.» — el informe sobre dos jefes de gobierno, donde el dictado los pone más afines entre sí que con sus propios compatriotas, intercambiados los asuntos —uno atento a la política británica y el otro a los disturbios americanos— y compitiendo por convencer a los filántropos.

«Mrs. Roosevelt is not around much as she is actively embroiled in the situation in South Africa and elsewhere, supporting the cause of the blacks and trying to get justice done in international bodies. Her interests are so far-reaching that seldom is she around more than a few moments at a time to check up on Franklin or some other relative or friend. Then she is off again on her peripatetic rounds to police the world and fight for justice for the downtrodden. A noble soul, but a rather exhausting one in some respects, as she lacks the serenity of some who would better leave some problems to God than to mankind."» — y el informe sobre ella, donde el dictado mezcla elogio y reparo sin resolverlos: alma noble metida en la causa de los negros en Sudáfrica, y a la vez agotadora por faltarle la serenidad de quien deja algunos problemas a Dios.

«What of Whitney Young, who so recently arrived? "He is already at the negotiation table. Hardly lost a second between death and awakening. A fine soul who earnestly wishes to win justice and fair play and who on this side sees that there are not just two sides but several to every problem, and he hopes to open the eyes of arbitrators and bargainers to this principle: not yes, or no, or maybe, but how do we do it together?"» — Montgomery pregunta por un dirigente recién muerto y el dictado dice de él que pasó casi sin intervalo de la muerte al despertar y que trabaja por hacer ver a los negociadores que los problemas tienen más de dos caras.

«Another day, after apparently checking akashic records, he wrote, "Now for George Washington Carver, the colored man—black, nowadays—who helped so much with the economy of the South by working with the peanut. For a long time he was here where we are now, working with other scientists on both sides of the veil to perfect other products to lift the Southern economy: rayons, dacrons, textiles, and the like. But more recently he has returned to America as a black boy in Harlem. To protect his privacy we do not say who he is now, but he will be an interesting person to watch, for he was a white man before being Carver and because he once had abused slaves he volunteered to return as Carver to make amends to the race which had suffered at his hands.» — el informe sobre el científico del cacahuate, donde el dictado aplica su doctrina de la expiación a una biografía pública: dice que antes fue un hombre blanco que abusó de esclavos y se ofreció a volver como ese hombre para reparar con la raza que había hecho sufrir. Montgomery consigna que la voz parece consultar los registros akáshicos. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«This time around, because he had accomplished so much as Carver, he was privileged to select almost any vehicle of any race, but he deliberately selected black Harlem because he felt that out of there must eventually come the salvation of the black race. He is now about thirteen years old by earth time and is showing great promise. His family is active in the political life of America, and that's all I can say right now."» — y el dictado declara reservada la identidad actual de ese mismo hombre, con un límite de discreción que él mismo se pone: un muchacho negro de trece años en Harlem, de familia activa en la política.

«Now as to Abraham Lincoln, a shining soul with tender compassion for all. He too has returned to flesh after a rather long period here and now lives in New Orleans, where he is studying the Southern race problem in all its manifest facets. He is an adult, and he works with universities and foundations to find proper solutions.» — el informe sobre el presidente, en la misma clave de reencarnación: el dictado dice que ha vuelto a la carne y que estudia hoy el problema racial del sur desde universidades y fundaciones.

«George Washington? He will not be around for some time, as he is resting after completing a recent life as a fighter in Vietnam. The shock of his death was such that he will sleep for some time. We prefer not to say more about his last identity, except that he led a platoon on a daring mission behind enemy lines and was captured.» — y el del primer presidente, que el dictado pone durmiendo tras una vida reciente de combatiente en aquella guerra, con la identidad reservada otra vez.

«Charles de Gaulle is eagerly watching developments in Europe and» — el informe sobre el general francés, a quien el dictado pone atento a Europa y al Oriente Medio y más ocupado de la estrategia de la paz que de la de la guerra. El tramo cruza a la plana 78. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Stalin is back in the flesh, but not in Russia. Went to another trouble spot and hopes to establish a dictatorial government, for he has learned little on this side. Still has the desire to spread the gospel of one-upmanship. He was not ready to return but did so when another soul stepped aside at the last minute, and Stalin assumed the newly born body of a child in Rhodesia. Sorry to report this, but you wanted to know.» — el informe más severo de la serie, donde el dictado consigna que poco ha aprendido y dice haber vuelto al cuerpo en otro punto conflictivo, con la disculpa a la lectora por la noticia. Es lo que el libro dice de esa persona.

«Karl Marx is still here and had no use for Stalin. They avoided each other with equal desire and, so far as I have learned, never even exchanged remarks with each other while both were on this side. Marx feels that he (Stalin) subverted his noble dream of the equality of man, and now Marx is trying to help the scholars put the whole movement of Marxism into proper perspective.» — y el informe sobre el filósofo, donde el dictado consigna una enemistad entre los dos y le atribuye el reproche de que el otro subvirtió su sueño de la igualdad.

«He wants to be remembered as a molder of men's minds, but this is faulty scheming, for we should not seek to remember our highflown marks in physical life. It is what we did for people that counts. Whether Marx helped or hindered the forward thrust of mankind is not for me to say."» — el dictado le objeta a ese mismo hombre el afán de ser recordado, que llama plan defectuoso, y se abstiene expresamente de juzgar si ayudó o estorbó al género humano.

«Thomas Jefferson? "Yes, living today in Virginia and still in his youth, not accomplishing too much. A problem with backsliding, when a soul had reached such a pinnacle of evolvement as Jefferson.» — el informe sobre otro presidente, que el dictado da con un reparo: vuelto a la carne y en su juventud, sin lograr gran cosa, con recaída para un alma que había llegado tan alto.

«The two queens about whom you asked have not been here for a long time but no doubt have reincarnated several times since their reigns in England and Scotland." He was referring to my queries about Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, and Ford apparently did not think it worthwhile to consult their so-called files in the akashic records.» — y una negativa que Montgomery consigna como tal: el dictado no sabe de las dos reinas por las que pregunta, y ella observa que no le pareció valer la pena consultar sus archivos.

«I asked about Thomas E. Dewey, who had recently crossed over, and Ford wrote, "A fine man who is awake on this side and ready to go on with his studies. He's a doer, and a bright man to have around. No need to have any qualms about people like Dewey, who will put their shoulder to the wheel, so to speak.» — el informe sobre un político recién muerto, a quien el dictado tiene por despierto y listo para seguir sus estudios.

«Yes, Marilyn Monroe is slowly getting back some of her strength, so to speak, after a torpor which lasted some time because of the drugs and the suicide. She will be all right eventually. Has lots of friends and admirers on this side to help her, and she is repentant for taking a life that was housed in such exquisite form and rare beauty. She had been a very great lady in one of her previous incarnations, and this made it doubly hard for her» — el informe sobre la actriz, donde el dictado consigna el letargo por las drogas y el suicidio y le atribuye arrepentimiento, con la doctrina de las vidas anteriores aplicada al caso.

«to live the kind of gutter life into which she chose to be born this past time in order to learn humility and compassion. Well, she almost made it, and the next time around she will probably achieve her goal of saintly perfection, unless she submits again to lusts and passion.» — y el dictado cierra el caso midiendo el plan que le adjudica: había nacido a esa vida para aprender humildad y compasión, casi lo logró, y la próxima vez podría alcanzarlo.

«Clark Gable is as admired here as he was there. A manly soul with great potential for good, and he wants to help everyone, so we need not fear for his progress. He works with out-of-work actors to help them find employment to tide them over until the movies boom again, as that industry will do before long. All it needs is a good scrubbing of morals, and people will flock to the flickers again.» — el informe sobre el actor, a quien el dictado pone ayudando a actores sin trabajo, con una predicción sobre la industria y una condición moral para ella.

«Rudolph Valentino has been back in the flesh for many years and is now happily married and living in Paris."» — y el informe más escueto de la serie, otra vez en clave de reencarnación.

«Suddenly I remembered that I had neglected to ask about my old friend Alben W. Barkley, the beloved "Veep." The moment that I mentioned his name, Ford was able to report without a moment's hesitation. "Happy as a jaybird," he wrote. "Young, frolicsome and as debonair here as there. Jane (Hadley Barkley) and his first wife are great pals, all of them laughing and studying together. The first wife was pleased that Alben found Jane, and they are a rollicking threesome. The Veep sometimes presides over the Senate and still wishes that he'd had a go at the Presidency. 'Never too old,' he chuckles."» — el informe sobre un vicepresidente amigo de Montgomery, donde el dictado consigna sin conflicto la convivencia de las dos esposas y le atribuye la vieja pena de no haber llegado a la presidencia.

«What a flood of memories that evoked! The disappointed "Veep" at the 1952 nominating convention in Chicago, when the labor leaders whom he had so faithfully supported turned thumbs» — y Montgomery añade su propio recuerdo de reportera —la convención de 1952 y los dirigentes sindicales que lo llamaron demasiado viejo—, que es lo que ella aporta al informe. El tramo cruza a la plana 80. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Because of my interest in the psychic field, I was particularly eager to know of the progress of those brave souls who had risked derision in earlier times to assert their belief in reincarnation and communication between the living and dead.» — Montgomery declara el criterio de la última sección del capítulo: los que arriesgaron la burla para afirmar la reencarnación y la comunicación entre vivos y muertos.

«Today we will discuss Edgar Cayce, as you requested. He is here in a different plane and is hard at work on experiments for guiding others to use their natural intuitive forces. He has made some progress in breaking through the credibility gap in the psychic field and will not be available for direct communication.» — el informe sobre el vidente, fechado a principios de abril: el dictado dice que trabaja en experimentos para guiar a otros en el uso de sus fuerzas intuitivas y declara que no estará disponible para comunicación directa.

«Some one of these days he will return to the physical, as he feels that this time he may complete his cycles of rebirth and reach a state near enough to» — y le atribuye un cálculo sobre su propio ciclo: volvería al cuerpo esperando completar sus renacimientos y llegar a un estado bastante cercano a la perfección. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Hugh Lynn (Cayce's elder son) is correct in believing that Cayce does not speak through mediums, but he will always be on tap for those who need vibrations to be raised so that the inner eye is opened."» — el dictado da por acertado al hijo de ese vidente en que su padre no habla por médiums, y a la vez dice que estará siempre disponible para quien necesite elevar sus vibraciones; Montgomery identifica al hijo entre paréntesis.

«I asked if Ford had seen Paramahansa Yogananda, the famous yogi under whom he studied for a time to develop his psychic powers, and he responded, "No, for that wonderful master is in a finer dimension and is said to be doing highly elevated work in more rarified atmosphere, so to speak. He is the embodiment of goodness and will be able to carry on greater works than most of those who have reached that elevation because of his highly developed psychic understanding and his long work in that field before coming here this past time. He is truly a master, in the best sense of that word."» — el informe sobre el yogui bajo el que Ford había estudiado, que el dictado sitúa en una dimensión más fina y fuera de su alcance, y al que llama maestro en el mejor sentido de la palabra.

«is overjoyed about the way their country's affairs are moving at this time, but there's not too much that any of us spirits can do about it unless we are able to infuse some long-range thinking into the minds of the earthly hotheads. Taft is teaching over here, and Dewey will decide what to do when he has finished work at a financial seminar where he wants to help influence stock market investors so that the economy will revive more rapidly.» — el dictado pone a dos políticos descontentos del rumbo de su país, con el límite que él mismo señala: poco pueden hacer los espíritus salvo infundir pensamiento de largo plazo en las cabezas calientes de la tierra. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«My earliest introduction to the psychic literature of our times was Stewart Edward White's The Unobstructed Universe, in which he described the remarkable psychic communications between his recently deceased wife, Betty, and Joan (of Joan and Darby fame) who in 1920 anonymously coauthored Our Unseen Guest. The» — Montgomery data su propia entrada en esta literatura por un libro que nombra, y cuenta que la identidad de la coautora anónima de otro se reveló por Fletcher hablando por Ford en trance. El tramo cruza a la plana 81. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Betty White needed little time on this plane where I am now before she rapidly moved upward to the third, fourth, and fifth planes. She had done her work well in the earthly body and with her keen enthusiasm for esoteric knowledge was able to keep up the rapid pace on this side.» — el informe sobre una de esas figuras, donde el dictado introduce la escala de planos que el libro usa después: subió pronto al tercero, cuarto y quinto por haber hecho bien su trabajo en el cuerpo.

«She will not be on call for future mediums, because after the arrival of her husband on this plane they were able to advance together to a higher plane, where they are now working with scientists who need particularly adept minds to aid in their exploration of inner and outer space. They are adepts of a high order and while not perfected souls, nevertheless have an aura which is shining bright, for I have occasionally seen them as they go about their tasks in various planes."» — y el dictado declara cerrado ese canal —no estará disponible para médiums futuros— y los pone a trabajar con científicos en la exploración del espacio interior y exterior, llamándolos adeptos de alto orden aunque no almas perfeccionadas.

«As Lily reported to me about Ford, "He had a good headstart on so many who come over here because he had worked on it all his past physical life and was ready and eager for the next step."» — Montgomery cita aquí a la otra voz dictante sobre Ford mismo, y la razón que le da de su ventaja: haber trabajado en ello toda su vida física.

«She applauds your efforts to tell the truth in your books on the psychic and says she regrets not having had the courage to make her identity known while there and get on with the business of spreading the word to nonbelievers that God lives and that we are eternal."» — el dictado le atribuye a la mujer que había publicado bajo seudónimo un pesar declarado: no haber tenido el valor de darse a conocer en vida y seguir con la tarea de difundir.

«I asked if Ford had seen Arthur Conan Doyle and Oliver Lodge since crossing over, and he replied, "They are still here, and we have» — el informe sobre los dos investigadores, donde el dictado dice que podrían volver a elegir vehículo y no lo hacen por repugnarles la violencia del mundo. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«They will eventually return, but not while your world is in turmoil and unthinking young people are rampaging up and down the land burning libraries and scientific buildings on college campuses. It is a sad state of affairs when the so-called young, who actually have spent as much time here as any of us, are so unenlightened as to try to extinguish the light of civilization. No world is perfect, but they were born into one which has reached a high level of learning and knowledge. They are the misfits, the incompetents, the hooligans who never adapted here and who, having felt their youth extinguished in an earlier age by war, are hell-bent, as the expression goes, to destroy that which would most benefit them if they pitched in, learned, studied, cooperated, and put their backs to the wheel."» — y el juicio que el dictado emite sobre los jóvenes revoltosos de entonces, que es de los pasajes más duros del volumen: los llama inadaptados y atribuye su furia a haber visto su juventud extinguida por la guerra en una época anterior. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«What of Emanuel Swedenborg? There was a towering light, a beacon for the universal knowledge of mankind. Never will that soul need to reincarnate in flesh again. What a monumental lift he gave to our work, and had only men opened their ears and closed their mouths, instead of vice versa, he could have rushed them ahead several centuries in thought and development. Seldom are there such great souls who give so freely of themselves, impervious to criticism from fellow man who considers them a kook."» — el informe sobre el visionario sueco, a quien el dictado exime para siempre de reencarnar y atribuye un adelanto no aprovechado: de haberlo escuchado, dice, habría hecho avanzar el pensamiento varios siglos.

«Another day I asked Arthur if he had seen Houdini, the famed magician who conveyed a coded message for his wife through Ford while the latter was still living here, and he gave this interesting reply: "No, he's not in spirit state now. Already returned to flesh, and so has his wife. They're still too young for us to know what they will do with their lives this time around."» — el informe sobre el mago del mensaje en clave, en la misma clave de reencarnación: dice que él y su mujer volvieron ya a la carne y son aún demasiado jóvenes para saber qué harán.

«Then I remembered the mystery surrounding the disappearance of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart a generation ago, and Ford responded, "She went down in the Pacific when her plane ran out of gas and was drowned. That is all there is to it.» — la respuesta más tajante de toda la serie, que Montgomery consigna sin ornato: el dictado dice que la aviadora se quedó sin gasolina sobre el Pacífico y se ahogó, y que eso es todo.

«And now the astronaut Virgil Grissom. A fine man who gave his life for an ideal: that of fortitude and achievement. Because he was cut off in his prime, at the pinnacle of fame, through no fault of his own, he will be able to reincarnate whenever the correct choice of vehicle appears, but whether he does so will depend on Gus. Right now he's actively working on a dynamic propellant without smog that could revolutionize air travel. Of course he keeps an eye on the space program, but his chief interest aside from a loving eye out for his family is this propulsion method of air or space travel which involves no carbon or fuels but is a method of projection with air currents at phenomenal speed, through dynamic thrust."» — el informe sobre el astronauta muerto en tierra, donde el dictado condiciona el regreso a la voluntad del propio interesado y le atribuye trabajo en un propulsor sin humo movido por corrientes de aire. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«Ford had already made clear that the usual means of conveying such new discoveries to physical man is through the implantation of ideas into his subconscious mind, preferably when sleeping or meditating.» — Montgomery recuerda aquí la tesis del dictado sobre cómo llegan esos hallazgos a los vivos: por implantación de ideas en el subconsciente, de preferencia durmiendo o meditando.

«Editor Ellis Amburn suggested questions about Beethoven, Ernest Hemingway, Napoleon, Bishop James A. Pike, and Pike's son who committed suicide. I passed this query along to Arthur Ford, who later reported as follows:» — y declara de dónde salen las preguntas de esta tanda: de su editor, con los cinco nombres que el libro imprime.

«First off, Beethoven has moved on to higher realms and for a long time has been in the fourth stage, where he is undoubtedly able to produce music from the rolling vibrations of the universe with such awesome planetary sounds to harmonize into one cadence. He had been a musician in many lifetimes before becoming Ludwig van Beethoven, and with his deafness in that last life he repaid so much karma that he did not need to return to earth body.» — el informe sobre el músico, donde el dictado hace de la sordera un pago kármico: músico en muchas vidas, con esa última pagó bastante para no tener que volver al cuerpo terreno.

«Hemingway is a big bear of a soul, as he was a man. In some previous lives he had been a Berber and a Hun who fought for the sake of fighting and relished brutality. A keen mind even then, but a thirst for blood. Therefore Hemingway made great progress as Ernest Hemingway the writer, even though there was still some remaining thirst for brutality and excitement for the sake of exciting passions.» — el informe sobre el escritor, con vidas anteriores de guerrero que el dictado nombra, y el progreso que le concede pese al resto de sed de brutalidad.

«But the unfortunate method by which his life ended has somewhat undone the tremendous advance that he had made. He will be working on this for some time yet. He had everything: fame, friends,» — y el dictado aplica al caso su doctrina del suicidio, con una negativa a seguir hablando que el libro imprime tal cual. El tramo cruza a la plana 84. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Ruth, every phony medium since the start of spiritualism has been claiming to produce poor old Napoleon at her séances. Let's get it straight. He went back into another incarnation almost immediately, because he lusted for one more victorious battle. He found it in his next life, but as a weary foot soldier.» — el único lugar del volumen donde aparece la palabra espiritualismo, y es dentro del dictado y en contra: dice que toda médium falsa desde el comienzo del espiritualismo ha pretendido producir a ese emperador en sus sesiones, y lo pone reencarnado casi en el acto como soldado raso fatigado.

«Since then he has had two lives in Portugal and Brazil, also of short duration. But he is a doer who loves activity and does not want to spend long periods here in contemplation and review. His rebirths are not therefore to chosen parentage, because he fails to achieve that state between earth lives when he is accorded that right. But he's not a bad sort at all and swaggers his way along, rising or slipping from time to time, but no real evil in him."» — y el dictado explica esos renacimientos por una regla del libro: quien no cumple el periodo de contemplación entre vidas no obtiene el derecho a elegir padres; con todo, no lo tiene por malo.

«Briefly, Pike's twenty-two-year-old son shot himself to death in a New York hotel room in February, 1966. About two weeks later, psychic phenomena began to occur in Bishop Pike's apartment at Cambridge University in England, where he was studying. One morning all clocks in his apartment stopped at 8:19, the time in Cambridge that young Pike had taken his life. Then safety pins began turning up in the apartment, bent open to that angle of clock hands.» — Montgomery narradora reconstruye el caso del obispo con los hechos que consigna: el suicidio del hijo, los relojes parados a la hora exacta y los alfileres doblados en ese ángulo.

«While two other people were working with Pike in his apartment, they simultaneously heard strange noises in a closet and on opening the door found the clothing in shambles. As they stared in astonishment, a shaving mirror belonging to Pike's deceased son» — y añade el testimonio de dos personas presentes: ruidos en un armario, la ropa revuelta y el espejo de afeitar del hijo muerto que baja despacio hasta el suelo. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«On hearing about these and other strange happenings, Mervyn Stockwood, Bishop of Southwark and a student of psychic phenomena, put Pike in touch with Mrs. Edna Twigg, a well-known English medium, who brought the bishop trance messages which he considered evidential from Pike's son. More than a year later, in September, 1967, Bishop Pike and Arthur Ford were brought together on a television program moderated by Allen Spraggett, religious editor of the Toronto Star.» — Montgomery consigna la cadena que lleva al episodio televisado: un obispo estudioso de estos fenómenos pone al primero en contacto con una médium inglesa, y más de un año después obispo y Ford coinciden en un programa. Los nombres se cotejaron contra el crudo.

«Fletcher apparently produced Pike, Jr., who identified the drug he had been using as LSD and said that a "bad trip" had caused him to take the life that he actually had wanted very much to retain. A great deal of other evidential material, unknown both to Bishop Pike and Arthur Ford, also came through and can be read in more detail in Ford's book Unknown but Known and in Pike's own testimony called The Other Side.» — Montgomery narradora describe lo que dice haber ocurrido en aquel programa —el hijo muerto identificando la droga y atribuyendo a un mal viaje la muerte que no quería— y remite el detalle a dos libros que nombra, uno de Ford y otro del obispo.

«Bishop Pike subsequently lost his life while on a tour of the Holy Land with his wife, when he apparently became lost in the desert near the Dead Sea and several days later was found dead.» — y consigna la muerte del obispo en el desierto cerca del mar Muerto, que es el hecho que hace posible el informe siguiente.

«Bishop Pike and son, yes. Have seen them both. Pike was not ready to come over here. Had a lot of work he wished to finish, but had no choice in the matter. Could no longer survive in the parched heat of desert without water, and when he came over here he wanted at first to return to earth life, but not now.» — el informe del dictado sobre los dos: dice que el padre no estaba listo para cruzar, que no tuvo elección y que al llegar quiso volver y ya no.

«He has rejoined his son, who is doing better since his father is here and adjusting more rapidly. They were closer than they knew to each other in the past life and are now studying philosophy and other subjects, including metaphysics, to prepare for a return to physical body when the opportunity arises. They will, of course, review their past lives before becoming eligible for a choice in the matter of environment and parents.» — y los pone estudiando filosofía y metafísica para prepararse a volver, con la condición que el libro repite: antes han de revisar sus vidas pasadas para ser elegibles.

«The boy will probably get a chance even before his father, for although he took his own life he was so doped that he had not intended to, and therefore it is viewed more as an accident than as a deed requiring great penance. He urges others to forgo the tragic kick of those mind-expanding drugs."» — el dictado matiza aquí su propia doctrina del suicidio: como el muchacho estaba drogado y no tuvo intención, el caso se ve más como accidente que como falta que exija penitencia; y le atribuye un aviso a otros contra esas drogas.

«I had been reading books about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and, touched by the tragedy of their lives, I asked Arthur Ford about their progress. His reply was, "They are both here and pretty much on the same level,» — Montgomery declara de dónde le viene la pregunta —lecturas suyas y la tragedia de esas dos vidas— y el dictado los pone en el mismo nivel.

«Two peas in a pod, so to speak. She the more brilliant mind, but he the more brilliant perfectionist. They have been here long enough now that the rough edges are being smoothed, and they together are helping others with like problems of alcoholism to face the problem here.» — y el informe los describe reñidos y a la vez inseparables, ayudando ahora a otros con el mismo problema de alcoholismo.

«That is the necessity for brilliant young people who think they know it all. Neither of the Fitzgeralds had an ounce of it to spare, and here they are having to learn over and over the importance of discipline.» — el dictado saca del caso su lección sobre la disciplina, dirigida a los jóvenes brillantes que se creen sabidos. El tramo cruza a la plana 86.

«In previous lives they were French nationals with a passion for painting, which they executed in similar fashion to the writing: bold, colorful blobs, but so little discipline that they frittered away their opportunity for immortality there.» — y les atribuye vidas anteriores de pintores, con el mismo defecto trasladado de la pluma al pincel: manchas audaces y poca disciplina.

«Now let's try to see them in perspective. He was immature and unable to focus his attention on the plot long enough to complete the material that danced in his head. She had the larger canvas but was so lacking in education and discipline that she was unable properly to combine the words with the thoughts. Much originality, but no perspective or philosophy to back up her words. He had the greater executive ability but was childish in his petulance and jealousy and envy of her splashes of word-color like paint on canvas. Unable to live with her or without her.» — el retrato comparado que el dictado hace de los dos, repartiendo por igual el talento y la falta: él sin concentración, ella sin educación ni perspectiva, y él celoso de sus manchas de color verbal.

«Of Dorothy Parker, whose sparkling wit convulsed the Algonquin Round Table and titillated the nation while privately she attempted suicides, Arthur Ford reported: "Sad womanly soul who abused her body and her talent. Not true to the inner urges» — Montgomery presenta el caso siguiente con los datos públicos que consigna, y el informe del dictado empieza por el abuso del cuerpo y del talento.

«Before that she was a nun in Yugoslavia who lived such a circumspect life that she rebelled in last life. She had no use for religion, because of an overdose of it before in the strict monastic life. She wanted to be free of sham and the ties that bind, but she went to the other extreme.» — el dictado explica la irreligión de esa mujer por reacción a una vida anterior de monja, con la fórmula del exceso que provoca el exceso contrario.

«She will probably achieve balance the next time around because of her brilliant mind, but she threw shackles to the wind and thus regressed to the extent that she forgot the basic principle that we are all a part of God.» — y mide la regresión que le atribuye por el olvido del principio que el libro repite: que todos somos parte de Dios.

«Her father was a stumbling block, but she deliberately chose a Jewish parent in order to be more liberal in belief, after the Catholic nunnery.» — el dictado le atribuye además una elección deliberada de padre para corregir la vida anterior, que es la doctrina del libro aplicada a una biografía conocida.

«Well, she will survive with serene spirit after she reviews those past lives and puts them side by side to see where the error crept in. Life without faith for Dorothy Parker was impossible, because she was so deeply imbued with it in her previous life and lives."» — y cierra el caso con una fórmula que no juzga: revisadas esas vidas puestas una al lado de otra verá dónde se coló el error, porque una vida sin fe le era imposible.

«She and her copilot are still here and have smiled over the furor about their disappearance. They will not be flying in planes again for sometime, as they prefer it here, where they are doing some fascinating research together in the dynamics of combustion engines and radar» — el dictado añade que la aviadora y su copiloto siguen allí, que se han reído del revuelo por su desaparición y que investigan juntos la dinámica de los motores de combustión. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«ARTHUR FORD is determined to get across the idea that those who have died are not floating around somewhere in space. They are here, just as much as we are here, but in a different dimension.» — Montgomery resume en una línea la tesis topográfica que el dictado más repite, y la pone como asunto del capítulo: los muertos no flotan en el espacio, están aquí, en otra dimensión.

«It is all one universe," he wrote one day, "and we aren't anywhere but here where you are, although we do have a different modus vivendi. We don't sleep in your beds or sit in your chairs, but we do carry on our daily activities in the midst of you who are toting around that body of flesh. We intermingle and sometimes converse, but try not to interfere except sometimes to save a life or steer a person who is lost or unaware of his surroundings.» — el dictado desarrolla esa tesis con su propia regla de no injerencia: comparten el mismo sitio con otro modo de vivir, se entremezclan y a veces conversan, pero procuran no interferir salvo para salvar una vida o guiar a un perdido.

«They are not there for us, because we are a light and energy pattern, and so are they, and neither blocks the free-flowing of the other. We coexist with the physical beings and they with us, but the essential difference is that they are unaware of us, while we are totally conscious of them; and although we do not touch or smell or hear, we do strongly pick up the thoughts of physical beings, because these are thought patterns which are as plainly observed as deeds."» — y la asimetría que el dictado traza entre los dos estados: ni tacto ni olfato ni oído, pero sí lectura del pensamiento de los vivos, porque los pensamientos se observan tan claramente como los actos.

«Ford said that those who train themselves to recall the spirit life while in the flesh are better equipped to receive inspiration from the other side. "Let us take an example," he wrote, "a genius who on your side perceives universal laws and puts them into motion, as an Einstein, an Oppenheimer, or any of the great physicists. Because they were able to recall the universal laws, at least in subconscious state, they seem there to be geniuses, but actually they were highly advanced souls here with a bent for physics, and with the help of others here while they were in physical body, they effected seeming miracles.» — la tesis del genio que el dictado sostiene, aplicada a dos físicos que nombra: no son genios sino almas muy adelantadas con inclinación a la física que recordaron en estado subconsciente las leyes universales, ayudadas desde aquel lado.

«The same with writers who succeed far above run-of-themill—a Shakespeare, a Bacon, a Browning, a Victor Hugo, or any of the greats. They trailed with them into the physical state recollections of the laws learned here, and inasmuch as harmony is a law unto itself, never changing, they were able to compose exquisite music or the tempo of rhythm in writing, to enhance the literature and arts and music of the physical plane in accordance with the universal law of rhythm and harmony.» — y la extiende a los escritores, nombrando a cuatro: trajeron consigo el recuerdo de las leyes aprendidas allí, y como la armonía es ley que no cambia, compusieron conforme a la ley universal del ritmo. La capa de texto une aquí *run-of-the-mill* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Sonnets are an example of the universal rhythm imprisoned in fourteen lines of beat. Music which lifts one above his normal range of sound or above the mundane money-grubbing of physical existence is recalled by those advanced souls who brought memory of this phase with them.» — el dictado pone el soneto por ejemplo de ritmo universal aprisionado en catorce líneas de compás, y la música que eleva por recuerdo de esa fase.

«Those who are able to attune themselves through meditation or dream to the real life that always exists and has been are the ones most likely to be termed geniuses in the physical plane. They are able to tap the source of universal wisdom and to put into play laws not yet discovered in the physical plane.» — la consecuencia práctica de la tesis del genio: quienes sintonizan por meditación o por sueño son los que pasan por genios, porque pueden tocar la fuente del saber universal y poner en juego leyes aún no descubiertas.

«Why, then, would not all earthly beings spend daily time in meditation and projection of nighttime dreams? Because they have not been sufficiently awakened to this source of tremendous knowledge and wisdom which is theirs for the tapping if they will but still their minds for an established period every day and listen to the forces within, which are capable of establishing contact with this other, this window of their soul, which opens onto this side of the veil."» — y el dictado responde a su propia pregunta de por qué no todos meditan: porque no han despertado a esa fuente, que está a mano para quien aquiete la mente a diario y escuche las fuerzas de dentro.

«For the past eleven years I have written about meditation, lectured about meditation, and urged meditation upon everyone with whom I speak about psychic matters, I have also practiced it, but never with the same diligence with which I urge it on others. I seem to lack the discipline which Arthur Ford constantly preaches. I know more "about" the subject than the subject itself.» — Montgomery consigna aquí una falta propia, que es de los pasajes donde su voz se separa más del dictado: predica la meditación desde hace once años y no la practica con la misma diligencia.

«In my book A Search for the Truth I wrote that prayer and meditation are two sides of the same coin, for in prayer we speak to God and in meditation we listen to Him.» — y da su propia fórmula, tomada de un libro suyo anterior: la oración y la meditación son dos caras de la misma moneda, porque en una se habla a Dios y en la otra se lo escucha.

«Now let's speak of the value of meditation to prepare for this next phase of life. The preparation is important, for it brings understanding of the way and the light.» — el dictado hace de la meditación preparación de la fase siguiente, que es el argumento del capítulo.

«When we go into meditation we are as near to God as we mere souls are likely to be for a long time yet. This is where we meet our God, within ourselves; and as we learn on this side, it is that withinness which makes it possible to assess our past errors and prepare either to advance to a higher state or return for another go-around in physical form.» — y sitúa el encuentro con Dios dentro de uno mismo, ligando esa interioridad con la regla del libro sobre el juicio propio y la elección entre subir o volver.

«Remember in meditation to breathe deeply at first, expelling the poisonous or noxious fumes which our physical bodies often contain. Use the mantram, or the aum, and feel yourself melding with the universal whole. Become a part of it, whether the nature around you, or the essence of God. Become one with the» — la receta de meditación que el dictado da paso a paso, con los términos sánscritos que el Glossary del volumen define: respiración honda, mantram o aum, fusión con el todo universal, olvido del ego y quince o veinte minutos diarios de quietud. El tramo cruza a la plana 89. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Now for prayer, which is totally different from meditation. Prayer is an active, not a passive attempt to touch the heart of God. Prepare yourself for this effort by putting from your thoughts all base and ulterior motives, so that you approach the Creator with clean hands.» — el dictado separa expresamente la oración de la meditación: la primera es intento activo de tocar el corazón de Dios y pide despojarse antes de motivos torcidos.

«Ask for blessings as if you took it for granted that they would be bestowed, for that is the part which means faith. Seek to know His will for you. Feel His presence, and then be sure that whatever you ask is for the best possible purpose and not a selfish whim. Remember that the prayer is useless if it would harm another or put you above rivals and friends.» — y las condiciones que le pone: pedir como si ya estuviera concedido, que en eso consiste la fe, y nunca lo que dañe a otro o lo ponga a uno por encima de rivales y amigos.

«Ask that God's will, not your own, be done, and then pray as if you expected to see the prayer granted in an instant.» — con la cláusula que el dictado no omite: que se haga la voluntad de Dios y no la propia, y aun así orar como esperando que se cumpla al instante.

«Some will go on to higher states of consciousness and will not return to earth life, and here's Lily to tell you something about that."» — y el dictado cede el turno a la otra voz para el asunto siguiente, que es una de las señales por las que el libro distingue a las dos.

«Lily then took over the typewriter, declaring, "As a soul tries to reach the heart of God, it will elevate his thoughts to such a degree that, without thinking of it, he will feel himself lifted, soaring free, and filled with rapture. The sensation is so tremendous that this soul begins to lose himself in the realm of pure spirit and will find that pleasures of fleshly life have no allure for him. Then he will want to advance here, rather than return to physical form, and the way is open for him to do so through prayer and meditation.» — la segunda voz dictante toma el relevo y describe el arrobamiento que aparta del deseo de volver a la carne, abriendo el camino de ascender por oración y meditación.

«This stage of which I speak is not the ultimate, but another step along the path. We walk in the light of this presence, and for a while experience the pure radiance of that which is universal truth. We do not permanently stay in that light, for we are not ready for the perfection. Thus we return to other duties that we have agreed to perform for advancement of spirit, rather than returning to earth life.» — y acota su propio estado: no es lo último, no se permanece en esa luz porque no se está listo para la perfección, y se vuelve a otros deberes en vez de a la vida terrena.

«That is why I was still here when you rested your fingers on the typing keys after such a long absence until Ford came over here. I was still here because this was a task I voluntarily had assumed, and when you are disinterested, as you so often are, I will do other tasks, although here will I be when needed."» — la misma voz explica por qué seguía disponible tras el largo abandono de Montgomery: por ser tarea asumida voluntariamente, y dice que hará otras cuando ella se desinterese.

«Lily has a habit of making me ashamed of myself, and this was no exception.» — Montgomery consigna su reacción a ese pasaje en una línea, que es la forma más breve en que el libro separa su voz de la que dicta.

«This man loses not one second in lamenting for his lost body, for he knows that he will see his loved ones again in spirit when they come here and that he has left his affairs in the best way that he could devise. In other words, his books were in order before he stepped through the door, and thus his progression is constant and ever upward.» — y la razón de esa soltura: sabe que volverá a ver a los suyos y había dejado sus asuntos en orden antes de cruzar la puerta.

«Not many would want to spend the rest of his days riding around on a cloud with a harp in his hands. Well, at least no one is tone deaf here, and all are able to project harmonious music if they are in tune with the universe.» — el dictado descarta de nuevo la iconografía de la nube y el arpa, y la sustituye por una capacidad: allí nadie desafina y todos pueden proyectar música armoniosa si están en acuerdo con el universo.

«Therefore, he will prepare for the next step through special work with the masters of the progression. They instruct in the beginning phases of altering vibration, so that one sheds the earthly pull as he gradually tunes into the higher notes of the next stage. Not until one has earned the right to do this will he be able to shift his vibrations sufficiently to ascend, so to speak, into the higher stratosphere.» — la mecánica del ascenso que el dictado describe: maestros que enseñan a alterar la vibración para soltar el tirón terreno, con el derecho ganado como condición.

«But remember that they too are here, except that they see us more clearly than we sometimes see them, for their vibrations often take them from our astral hearing and sight, just as we were taken from yours.» — y el dictado aplica a los planos superiores la misma asimetría que antes aplicó a vivos y muertos: también están aquí, ven mejor de lo que son vistos, y sus vibraciones los sacan del alcance astral.

«I will not return to physical form because I have experienced the rapture of this union with higher forces and will not want to lose that pure ecstasy by wearing flesh. In the higher states of consciousness we are pure spirit, without thought of self.» — la segunda voz dictante declara de sí que no volverá a la forma física por no perder ese éxtasis, y describe los estados superiores de consciencia como espíritu puro sin pensamiento de sí.

«This morning we speak of a man recently deceased in the physical, who suddenly finds himself here in a total state of awareness. He has prepared through thoughtful reading, study groups, and meditation to do the will of God and to help others find the way.» — el caso del preparado, donde el dictado nombra la preparación que le atribuye: lectura reflexiva, grupos de estudio y meditación.

«Thus, there is no moment lost when he steps forth here into his beta or astral body, and he is as assured here as there, for he has faith and understanding and tolerance for others.» — y el efecto de esa preparación, con el término que el Glossary del volumen define: no pierde un momento al entrar en su cuerpo beta o astral.

«Lily, for instance, appears to me more as a brilliant white light than as an astral body of form and substance, yet his personality radiates as sharply as if he were in physical form.» — la descripción que el dictado da de la otra voz del libro: se le aparece más como luz blanca brillante que como cuerpo astral, con la personalidad igual de nítida. El troceo reimprime este bloque, palabra por palabra, al abrir la plana 92; se ancla en la primera aparición.

«Lily tells me that I have several times previously gone into this next stage and then, after learning all that I felt necessary there, voluntarily returned to flesh form in order to put into effect that which I had learned. Such was the case before this last go-around as Arthur Ford, and that explains why I awakened seeing those rosters of names at camp, for in the higher stage I had learned to act as a receiving station for information happening anywhere in the universe.» — y el dictado explica por esa vía el episodio con que el libro data su facultad: en la etapa superior habría aprendido a servir de estación receptora, y de ahí las listas de nombres vistas al despertar en el campamento. El troceo reimprime este bloque, palabra por palabra, al abrir la plana 92; se ancla en la primera aparición.

«the rhythm, the symphony of blended and harmonious sounds are reflected sounds from this side. Heard sounds are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. So it is with our music here, for we are aware of rhythms and harmonious blending of notes which transcend anything heard there in the highest quality.» — el dictado declara refleja la música terrena: lo que se oye es dulce y lo que no se oye lo es más, porque allí perciben mezclas de notas que superan lo mejor de aquí. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«By contrast, Arthur next cited the case of a nonbeliever "who passes on and expects that to be the blessed end of everything." Instead, he said, "after a few days he begins to stir and show signs of life on this side. He gradually opens his eyes, so to speak, and beholds activity. He is astounded, for he remembers that he died and feels that this is a nightmare, like the last floppings about of a chicken whose head has been wrung. He struggles to end the delusion but instead finds some people around who call him by name and whom he remembers from previous association in the physical state. He squirms, protests, and finally demands an explanation. The friends of yore smile and say, 'Charlie, we tried to tell you before that we go on living, but you would not heed our words.' He squirms again and thrashes about a bit, because he does not like to be proved wrong, even in this new state of consciousness. His mind had been closed while in the physical state. He was always right, and he dismissed as a crank anyone who believed in continuing life.» — el caso del incrédulo, en voz de Ford: al despertar lo toma por pesadilla, se revuelve y exige explicación, con los amigos muertos que le recuerdan haberlo avisado; el troceo reimprime este bloque al abrir la plana 92 y se ancla en la primera aparición. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«He tries to shut out the sight and sound but in a little while looks again, and now the scene is somewhat altered. Instead of lovely trees and flowers and friendly personages, he views a chasm, bleak and bottomless and threatening.» — el vuelco del caso: al mirar de nuevo, el escenario amable se le convierte en un abismo sombrío y sin fondo. Entre las dos mitades de esta frase el troceo mete otra vez, palabra por palabra, el bloque de la plana 91, y por eso el ancla no es contigua en la capa de texto.

«The chasm widens and he feels himself falling into it, deep deep down. He shrieks for help, but the friends are no longer about to reassure him. He falls and falls, or so it seems to him. Is this the path to hell, as the old-time preachers used to warn? Down, down he hurtles, his mind in torment. Where were those friendly ones who had gently mocked him for his disbelief while in the flesh? Why did they not help him now? But he had driven them away by his nonbelief, just as he repelled believers while in physical form.» — y la explicación que el dictado da de esa caída: los amigos no acuden porque él mismo los había ahuyentado con su incredulidad, igual que había rechazado a los creyentes en vida.

«He eagerly asks for instruction, and because he was basically a good man with good impulses, despite his closed mind, he is enrolled in the wisdom schools and soon becomes one who voluntarily assists other nonbelievers as they awaken to spirit form."» — y el desenlace que el dictado le da: por ser en el fondo hombre de buenos impulsos, entra en las escuelas de sabiduría y acaba asistiendo a otros incrédulos.

«When such a soul finds himself on this side of the open door, he will not accept the fact, for he knows that there's no such place. When others try to rouse him from torpor here, he eyes them with hostility, believing them to be figments of his own imagination. He had expected neither punishment nor reward after physical death, for the places of heaven and hell simply did not exist, and he knew that his soul had perished with his body.» — el dictado vuelve sobre el incrédulo y describe su resistencia: toma por figuraciones a quienes lo despiertan, porque no esperaba castigo ni premio y daba el alma por perecida con el cuerpo.

«For a long time this soul may lie in stupor, waiting for the so-called hallucination to pass away. He is vaguely conscious of activity around him, but to him it has no reality. Sometimes a soul wastes eons in this state, simply because the soul mind has not yet accepted the fact that it is alive; but more often the soul is able to shake off the grip» — y el dictado reparte los desenlaces sin igualarlos: unos desperdician eones en ese estupor porque la mente del alma no acepta estar viva, y la mayoría se sacude el dominio de la mente física.

«Sometimes these honest doubters, who were fine but stubborn people with closed minds to the spiritual aspect of life, learn rapidly here when they have cast off their blinders. They are so eager to make up for lost time that they plunge wholeheartedly into the schools of learning and eagerly ply the masters with questions about immortality.» — el dictado distingue dentro del mismo grupo a los dudosos honestos, que una vez quitadas las anteojeras aprenden rápido y acosan a preguntas a los maestros.

«But those with allencompassing ego, whose minds were steel traps, will not recover so quickly and may lie in a semisleep state for a thousand or more years. There are a number of them here, and they are pathetic in the extreme."» — y los que aparta de ellos, con la única palabra dura que emplea: los del ego omniabarcante y la mente de cepo, que pueden quedar en semisueño mil años o más. La capa de texto une aquí *all-encompassing* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«Arthur told of numerous others who, having had no interest in immortality while in the flesh, reject the idea of a school for spirits, and therefore wander around various parts of the earth, engaging others in idle conversation. Such a person, or soul, is aimless and» — el caso del alma sin rumbo, que Montgomery resume y el dictado completa: rechaza la escuela de los espíritus, vaga por la tierra en charla ociosa, y entra y sale de la vida sin propósito mientras no abra la mente. El tramo cruza a la plana 94. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«To those who dislike the idea of a busy, working world beyond the grave, Ford has therefore presented an alternative. We can loaf if we like—at our own peril.» — Montgomery formula en una línea la alternativa que el libro deja abierta, y lo hace con la reserva del dictado incluida: se puede holgazanear, a riesgo propio.

«What of a murderer who deliberately kills another for his personal gain or satisfaction? This is not a pretty story. Full of hatred or vengeance, he expects to find nothing when he passes through the door called death, and for a long time that is usually what he finds— nothing. He is in a state like unto death for a goodly while, until at last something arouses him, and he wakens to find that the hell he had every reason to expect is indeed awaiting him. It is not goblins and devils that he sees, but visions of his own face distorted by hatred, greed, malice, and other defeating emotions.» — el caso del homicida, donde el dictado describe el infierno como espejo y no como escenografía: no ve duendes ni diablos sino su propio rostro deformado por el odio, la codicia y la malicia.

«He cringes from the sight, realizing that he sees himself thus, that he himself was possessed of a devil, and that except for his baser nature he would have been able unaided to cast him forth.» — y la consecuencia que el dictado saca de ese espejo: reconoce que él mismo estaba poseído de un demonio y que solo su parte más baja le impidió echarlo.

«Now he begins to remember his resolves before entering that last lifetime. He had promised to overcome greed or hatred or temptation, but instead he met himself face to face in circumstances of his own choosing.» — el dictado añade el recuerdo del propósito con que había entrado en esa vida —vencer la codicia, el odio o la tentación— y el encuentro consigo mismo en circunstancias elegidas por él.

«This soul will stay in torment for a long, long time, until he believes himself to be totally lost. When he eventually reaches this pit of despair, he may at last cry out to God to rescue him, and that wail of despair is heard by God.» — y la salida que el dictado deja abierta incluso para ese caso: tocado el fondo de la desesperación, puede clamar a Dios, y ese clamor se oye.

«Other souls are sent to ease his suffering, and if his will is truly uplifted toward spiritual development, he will slowly slowly slowly begin to work himself upward until he has learned the penalties for taking another life which was given by God.» — el dictado describe el ascenso lento que sigue, condicionado a que la voluntad esté de veras vuelta hacia el desarrollo espiritual.

«When he is sufficiently strong to do so, he will accost the person whose life he took, and the reaction is such as to ring bells in paradise; for, as likely as not, the other soul has» — y el encuentro que el dictado pone por remate, con el perdón puesto del lado de la víctima: el homicida acude a quien mató y suele hallarlo ya perdonado. El tramo cruza a la plana 95. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«This forgiveness uplifts the murderer to such an extent that he is gradually able to take his place in the society of other souls and finally to learn some» — el efecto que el dictado atribuye a ese perdón y la ley que enuncia con la frase evangélica de pedir, buscar y llamar. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«I asked if Jack Kennedy has seen his murderer, Lee Harvey Oswald, in the spirit world, and Ford replied, "Oswald will not be awake for eons of time. He will suffer such repentance when he eventually awakens as to soften the hardest heart, for his was a beastly crime without purpose or logic, and the shock of his crime will be too great to bear for ages to come.» — Montgomery pregunta por el asesino del presidente y el dictado dice de él que no despertará en eones y que su arrepentimiento será tal que ablandaría al más duro. Se consigna lo que el libro dice de esa persona.

«Jack holds no grudge, although he feels thwarted that he was unable to finish the job he had so brilliantly begun."» — y el dictado le atribuye a la víctima ausencia de rencor y solo el pesar de no haber acabado su obra.

«I also asked how Bobby Kennedy feels about Sirhan Sirhan, and the answer was, "He feels that Sirhan is worse off than Oswald, because he still lives with his bloodstained hands, whereas Oswald is unconscious in the sleep of shock."» — la misma pregunta por el otro caso, con una comparación que el dictado traza entre los dos asesinos: dice que está peor quien sigue vivo con las manos manchadas que quien duerme el sueño del choque.

«In that state we worship that which is the Godhead, and although we do not see God, we are at times totally» — con la reserva que esa misma voz no suelta: adoran lo que es la Divinidad y no ven a Dios, aunque a veces estén del todo sintonizados con su luz. El tramo cruza a la plana 90. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«he begins to wish for their comforting presence again. He would like to ask them more about the eternity that they said awaited all souls. He longs for them as he descends into the abyss. The wish is no sooner expressed than they are there with him again on the grassy plain. He automatically thanks God under his breath, for the abyss is gone and he no longer is alone. The friends assure him that a wish is as solid as a deed, a thought the same as an act. By wishing for comforting friends and wishing to know more about eternal life, he had, through thought form, created the reality of their presence.» — el remedio, que repite la tesis del libro sobre el pensamiento: basta desearlos para que estén, porque un deseo es tan sólido como un acto y un pensamiento igual que una obra. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«In discussing suicides, Ford stressed that it is far easier to work out the causative problem while still in physical body than on the other side of the grave. "If a person takes his own life in a fit of despondency or frustration," he explained, "the solution will not easily be found here, for we have no right to extinguish that which God has lighted; and the privilege of a physical body in order to work off karma is not to be dismissed lightly. Others await their turn to try for spiritual advancement there, and if we angrily snuff out the life in physical wrappings bestowed upon us by our Creator, we will have to pay and pay for that in this phase, as well as in delayed opportunity to return to the body to work on karma which has now increased tenfold."» — el dictado vuelve sobre el suicidio con dos argumentos: que el problema se resuelve mejor en el cuerpo, y que el cuerpo mismo es privilegio para saldar karma, de modo que apagarlo se paga en aquella fase y en la ocasión aplazada de volver. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«Ford voluntarily introduced the subject of a person who, having been abandoned as a baby by his physical parents, eventually meets them for the first time in the spirit world. "What is the reaction here?" he asked rhetorically. "As you think of it, you grasp the point: reunion. Laughter and tears in the spiritual sense.» — el caso del abandonado que encuentra a sus padres del otro lado, que el dictado resuelve en reunión y no en reproche.

«Why? Because on this side we are not willing to bear grudges against another, for the law is such that this is impossible if we are growing spiritually. Remorse? self-accusation? Better not, for it is a deterrent to spiritual» — y la razón que da, formulada como ley: allí el rencor es imposible si se crece espiritualmente, y ni el remordimiento ni la autoacusación sirven, porque hacen retroceder. El tramo cruza a la plana 96. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Let us consider another aspect. If a person was tortured by another in a prison camp, or on the battlefield, and they eventually meet on this side, what happens? If they are on different wavelengths; so to speak, without common interests to draw them together, they are unlikely even to meet here. But suppose that they do have sufficient interests in common that they are drawn into the same associative plane here. Does one forgive the other, or does the other reproach himself and beg for forgiveness? Not at all. That is a physical plane reaction, but here they simply accept that the one who did the torturing will sometime have to repay, by himself undergoing torture of the flesh.» — el caso del torturado y su torturador, donde el dictado descarta como reacción del plano físico tanto el perdón como la súplica de perdón: allí simplemente se acepta que el que torturó habrá de pagar pasando él por la tortura de la carne.

«The other, the one who was tortured, feels that in some way he has by such torture repaid some past deed of his own and that the slate in that offense is now clean. We waste no time here in self-reproach or in wishes for revenge against other souls in the spirit plane.» — y el lado de la víctima, en la misma clave: siente que con esa tortura pagó algo suyo de antes y que la cuenta queda limpia, sin tiempo perdido en reproche ni en venganza.

«True, there are some utterly earthbound souls who plot revenge against some so-called enemy in the physical plane; and perhaps because he uttered an oath to "get even" with him while still wearing fleshly garments, he hangs around the person, vowing vengeance and seeking opportunities to balance the score against him. Some will think of this as haunting.» — la excepción que el dictado consigna y nombra con la palabra corriente: almas atadas a la tierra que rondan a un enemigo vivo jurando desquite, lo que muchos llamarían encantamiento.

«It is childish and immature and wholly wrong, for here we are equipped with superior knowledge, so that the revengeful soul is turning his back on all of the feast of wisdom here to even the score with some poor devil in the earth plane. It is ridiculous, and such a soul retards his spiritual growth by tens of thousands of days or years, until he comes to realize that what is even worse than murder in the physical plane is continued seeking for revenge in the spirit plane, after we are fully equipped to know every right from every wrong."» — y el juicio que emite sobre esa conducta, con su escala de retraso: peor que el homicidio en el plano físico es la venganza sostenida en el plano del espíritu, donde ya se sabe distinguir lo justo de lo injusto.

«Let's talk," he began, "about a soul who wants to live a perfect life and has resolved to do so, but who is beset by so many temptations in a ghetto environment that he will not be able to resist all of them. He is poor, hungry, cold, and virtually unloved, so he steals to eat and steals to warm himself.» — el caso del hombre del gueto, planteado por el dictado como límite de su propia doctrina del mérito: quiere vivir una vida perfecta y no puede resistir las tentaciones del hambre y el frío.

«He therefore arrives on this side full of remorse for what he considers a wasted life. But was it? He thought always of others, even as he stole from them to preserve his own» — y la pregunta con que el dictado responde a la culpa del personaje: llega lleno de remordimiento por lo que tiene por vida desperdiciada, y el dictado pregunta si de veras lo fue. El tramo se corta en el cambio de plana.

«body. He was not vicious but merely unable to resist temptation when he found the need of food or warmth. On this side he will first have to learn to forgive himself and then will do whatever he feels able to assist others in need who are still in the physical state. He helps them to find warmth and food without stealing by putting into the hearts of others the desire to help them. He wistfully yearns to prevent these other poverty-stricken ones from yielding to temptation. This man, by so doing and laboring long and arduously to assist others, will so elevate his soul that he will probably not need to return to alpha body to perfect himself, because his heart is right.» — y el fallo que el dictado da: no era vicioso, ayuda ahora a otros pobres a hallar calor y comida sin robar, y por tener el corazón recto probablemente no necesitará volver al cuerpo físico.

«Thus, a repentant sinner is more beloved than a righteous bigot on this side."» — la fórmula con que el dictado cierra el caso, y es una de las pocas sentencias breves del volumen.

«Arthur reiterated that there is no judgment in the next stage of life except by our own conscience, and he added, "This voice of inner conscience is a part of God, as we ourselves are a part of the Creator, but the judgment which is meted out comes from our own being after the bandages are lifted from our physical eyes. The veil is withdrawn, and we are able to see clearly where we erred and where we chose rightly and thus advanced perceptibly.» — Montgomery resume la tesis del juicio propio y el dictado la precisa: la voz de la conciencia es parte de Dios, y el fallo sale del propio ser una vez quitadas las vendas.

«There is great joy as we realize that some of our most insignificant deeds, forgotten by ourselves, loom large in that advancement: the helping hand, the good deed done without personal gain, the sympathetic letter which helped a stricken person, the smile which we gave to strangers who were low in spirit. All these tiny, forgotten acts help us to advance more than one showy act of assisting financially, with great demonstration, for which we expected to store up credit in heaven.» — y la economía que el dictado invierte: los actos mínimos y olvidados —la mano tendida, la carta compasiva, la sonrisa a un desconocido— pesan más que un acto vistoso de ayuda financiera.

«We equally find, with disappointment, that some of the things we were sure would help us advance have, in fact, retarded our progress. We hand out advice freely and think that we are helping. We overdo our profusive praise or flattery. We tell people proudly of what a great thing we did to help somebody.» — y el reverso del mismo cálculo: el consejo repartido a manos llenas, la alabanza excesiva y el contar las propias buenas obras han retrasado el progreso.

«If we tell too much about our good deeds there, we receive ample reward in the physical state, so it stores up nothing to our account here. Let not the left hand know what the right hand does. Forget it. When we are in spirit we take with us none of the good deeds for which we have earned reward in the physical state. But how richly we reap reward for that which we did solely because another needed us, expecting no thanks or reward.» — la regla que el dictado formula con la frase evangélica de la mano izquierda: lo que ya se cobró en el estado físico no acumula nada allí, y solo rinde lo hecho porque otro lo necesitaba.

«Bear no resentments, then, toward those who seem unappreciative there. Help when you are able and then forget it. Go through life as an instrument of the Creator, asking nothing for yourself except that for which you work in order to live comfortably.» — y el consejo práctico que saca: no guardar resentimiento a los desagradecidos, ayudar y olvidarlo, y pasar por la vida como instrumento del Creador. El tramo cruza a la plana 98.

«Forget about publicized alms and make yourself a well which will never run dry, because bubbling up from that well is love which, freely given, continually pumps up more love to overflowing."» — el cierre del capítulo, con la figura del pozo que no se seca porque el amor dado libremente bombea más amor.

«IF there is any subject that I dislike to think about, it is bad habits, because I seem to have so many of them. Readers of A Search for the Truth will recall that Lily succeeded in persuading me to give up cigarette smoking; but two years later, having been unable to shed the unwelcome ten pounds which nonsmoking produced, I returned to the filthy habit. I still like a cocktail or two before dinner, and I am conscious of a caustic tongue which I sometimes fail to control.» — Montgomery abre el capítulo con un inventario de faltas propias, que es donde su voz se separa más de la doctrina que transcribe: el tabaco recuperado tras dos años, el par de copas antes de cenar y una lengua cáustica que no siempre domina.

«My old friend Arthur Ford was a gentle man, but he collected his own share of bad habits. Through no fault of his own, he was for a time addicted to drugs, and in order to overcome that problem he became an alcoholic to such a degree that even in his last years, he occasionally fell off the wagon, with near-disastrous results. He smoked an occasional cigarette, although he was by no means an addict in this respect. Consequently, I expected far more understanding from the spirit Ford than from my stern guide, Lily, but Arthur soon took me to task for these frailties of the flesh.» — y consigna la ironía del capítulo sin suavizarla: esperaba más comprensión del Ford del espíritu que de la otra voz dictante, por las adicciones que él mismo había tenido, y fue él quien la reprendió.

«The first mention of cigarettes came on March 1, when Lily wrote, "Ruth, it would be so much easier for us to project, and you to receive, if you were not filled with smoke, for it impedes the progress and is like a smokescreen in the world that you are in there. We find it difficult to permeate the fog, so why not give up smoking now, and let's get on with the work of this book."» — el reproche del 1 de marzo, en voz de Lily, que da además una razón técnica del propio procedimiento: el humo estorba la proyección y la recepción como una cortina.

«After a few more pertinent remarks, he wrote, "All right. Here's Art, who did not want to be the one to give you reproofs."» — y la fórmula con que el libro separa a las dos voces dictantes en la misma sesión: una pasa el turno a la otra, que no quería ser la de las reprimendas.

«Why would a soul want to rush back to earth form before he is ready? Here we face the failing in so-called human nature: the zest for pleasures of the flesh, desire for too much alcohol, sex, body-building, and the like. Some are so overly fond of the bodies they left behind that they are scarcely able to wait for an opportunity to form another body and set to work indulging it. These souls are the truly earthbound, who will not be able to advance spiritually until they learn to give less thought to appetites of the flesh.» — la tesis del capítulo en voz de Ford: la prisa por volver a la carne viene del gusto por sus placeres, y a esos los llama los verdaderamente atados a la tierra.

«Any habit-forming pleasure, and they are endless, traps one into the cycle of rebirth over» — y el dictado hace de todo placer que crea hábito una trampa del ciclo de renacimientos, con la lista de codicias y sustancias que nombra. El tramo cruza a la plana 100. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Drunks on this side hover around the earth souls who drink too much, lusting after the pleasures of alcoholism and unable to break the bond of habit which binds them to physical body. The same with heavy smokers or drug users, there or here, or the sex maniacs who take advantage of others to appease the bodily craving for intercourse.» — el dictado describe a los muertos que rondan a los vivos por el hábito no roto, con los tres casos que nombra.

«To escape the perpetual cycle of rebirth into physical form, we must erase the ties, the shackles which bind us to satiation of the physical body. So try to lick the bad habits while there. It is easier far than to come unloose from them on this side. Those who neither drink nor smoke nor use drugs nor lust after sex will be free of those shackles on this side.» — y la receta que saca: romper los hábitos aquí, porque allí cuesta mucho más soltarlos.

«But one must also remember that misers who hoard wealth instead of sharing it will have the same trouble over here. Those who are zealots in any line, whether politics or religion or whatever, and who lack tolerance for the beliefs of others will still be trying to run everything on this side, telling others how to think and act, unless they iron out those flaws of personality in the body form.» — el dictado extiende la regla del hábito a defectos que no son del cuerpo: el avaro que acapara y el fanático político o religioso seguirán igual allí, mandando a los demás cómo pensar.

«In other words, we are no better and no worse than those who still inhabit physical forms. We take with us the same flaws of character, the same cravings and shackles as we had while in the stage where you are now. And until those flaws are mended, we do not advance spiritually to any marked degree. That is why we return over and over to the earth form, hoping to erase those flaws and overcome the bonds» — y la tesis con que el dictado niega toda superioridad a los muertos: ni mejores ni peores que los vivos, con los mismos defectos y cadenas, y por eso se vuelve una y otra vez a la forma terrena.

«It is easier while in physical form to break these shackles than it is to undo them here, where no temptations are put in our way. Thus, there is no reward for behaving correctly here in spirit, because there is nothing to tempt us otherwise. The hard school is in the physical one, and there it is that we must meet and overcome the temptations."» — y el argumento que hace indispensable la vida física dentro de este sistema: allí no hay tentación y por tanto no hay mérito, de modo que la escuela dura es esta.

«Today we take the case of a person who has everything to live for but begins taking drugs and so loses interest in those about him that he eventually takes his life. This» — el caso del drogadicto que se quita la vida, con la atenuante que el dictado añade: la mente estaba tan confusa que apenas se dio cuenta de lo que apagaba. El tramo cruza a la plana 101. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«As he awakens here, still in a drugged state, and begins to search for another shot of morphine or looks about for a pusher from whom to buy whichever drug was his favorite, he sees many souls milling about that level, but none seems to know where he will be able to buy dope. Some look at him pityingly, but others are as indifferent to his needs as many on the physical plane would have been, for this is a lowly crossover point where only earthbound souls are foregathered.» — y el dictado describe un punto bajo del cruce donde solo se juntan almas atadas a la tierra, con el recién llegado buscando dónde comprar droga.

«His spirit craves the drugs as overwhelmingly as his physical body would have done. He flings himself to the ground and claws the turf with his fingernails, for in thought form these are as real to him as in physical form. He whimpers, begs, and weeps. He will have to have drugs, or his sanity will leave him, he firmly believes. Then he begins to rail at God, screaming that there is no mercy. In the spirit state he is as totally drugged as in the physical—a complete addict who cares nothing for self or others, but only for release from suffering by means of drugs.» — el dictado lleva el ansia al espíritu mismo y la describe con detalle físico, declarando reales en forma de pensamiento las uñas que arañan la tierra.

«At last he falls into a torpor, and this may last for months or eons, for the destruction of mind and weakening of physical forces in the earth state have so diseased his soul mind that he is unfit for spiritual growth for a long, long time.» — y el letargo que sigue, que el dictado explica por daño del alma-mente y no por castigo.

«He is indeed a lost soul, for he knows no one and has no inkling of his state; those whom he once loved or knew have long since advanced to higher levels or have once again incarnated into physical body under new names and identities.» — el dictado describe el aislamiento de ese hombre al despertar siglos después, con los conocidos ya ascendidos o reencarnados con otros nombres.

«This condition may again last dozens or hundreds of years, until at last he cries out to God to help him. God hears, as He would have heard the faintest murmur hundreds of years before if the plea for surcease from suffering had been uttered. But the effort must come from within each of us. God waits until our own need brings us to His feet.» — y la condición que el dictado pone al auxilio, que es la misma que en los demás casos: Dios habría oído el ruego siglos antes, pero el esfuerzo ha de salir de dentro.

«Immediately old souls gather around him, and he is lifted up and» — el remedio que el dictado describe con vocabulario clínico: un sanatorio donde a unos se los alivia de la abstinencia y a otros, dormidos eones, se los vuelve a enseñar que todos somos Dios. El tramo cruza a la plana 102. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«He vows never again to be tempted by anything which affects his mental range, and before he again volunteers for earthly rebirth he strengthens this vow by offering to work among those who are disoriented and diseased in mind or spirit."» — y el voto con que el dictado cierra el caso: no dejarse tentar por nada que altere el alcance mental, y trabajar antes de renacer con los desorientados y enfermos de mente o espíritu.

«On April 5 I asked Ford whether he had learned what karmic debt led to his automobile accident, which in turn led to the morphine and alcohol addiction. He replied forthrightly, "Only too well.» — Montgomery pregunta el 5 de abril por la deuda kármica del accidente que llevó a la morfina y al alcohol, y el dictado responde sin rodeos.

«From a previous record I see that I was a drunkard who had no thought for anyone but myself and my bottle. I died in the gutter, so to speak, in that life in Pennsylvania during the Colonial period. And although I was good-hearted, liquor proved to be my downfall, for its hold on me was stronger than that of a family whom I sacrificed to its tug.» — la vida anterior que el dictado se atribuye a sí mismo, con lugar y época: un borracho de la Pensilvania colonial que murió en el arroyo y sacrificó a su familia.

«When I entered the physical world again as Arthur Ford, it was with a firm resolve to atone and live a spiritual life. As you know from my book (Nothing So Strange) and our talks together, this was the pattern of my youth, and I might have lived out my life as a stuffy preacher in the hills of West Virginia or Kentucky, except that my eyes were opened through dreams to an earlier life as a seer in ancient Egypt.» — y la doble determinación que el dictado dice haber traído a la vida de Ford: el propósito de expiar y viviendo como predicador, y los sueños que le abrieron una vida anterior de vidente en Egipto.

«For a time these two determinations lived happily together, until through physical and mental exhaustion I opened that other window into the life as a wastrel drunk. The opportunity to overcome that karma was presented by the accident which, as far as I know, had not been planned, although who will ever be sure, since two women died in that accident.» — el dictado explica el accidente como ocasión de saldar aquel karma y a la vez declara no saberlo: dice que no parecía planeado, aunque nunca se estará seguro, porque en él murieron dos mujeres.

«Anyway, the temptation was handed to me, and because of that previous life as a wastrel my spirit subconsciously embraced the old friend liquor. It was no friend, believe me!» — y el mecanismo que le atribuye: por la vida anterior de disipado, el espíritu abrazó inconscientemente al viejo amigo licor, que el dictado declara en el acto no ser amigo.

«Because of that wasted life in Pennsylvania, I had built up such tolerance and capacity for liquor that it took an awful lot of it to get me tight in this past life. Would that it had not been so, for a little of it now and then might not have hurt me; but the karmic pattern of the Pennsylvania life was too much for my high resolve,» — el dictado hace de la tolerancia al alcohol una herencia de aquella vida, con el reparo de que un poco de cuando en cuando no le habría dañado.

«I had not willfully sought liquor, and except for that fool doctor I probably would never have tasted it in my life as Arthur Ford."» — y el dictado reparte la responsabilidad sin descargarse del todo: dice que no buscó el licor por voluntad propia y que sin aquel médico nunca lo habría probado en esa vida.

«We will want you to put into the book a great deal of the inspirational things that made A Search for the Truth so valuable to many seeking and distraught people. Therefore, today let's talk a bit about those high-minded subjects at which Lily is so adept. Here's Lily."» — el dictado declara aquí el reparto entre las dos voces del libro: pide meter lo inspirador que hizo valioso un libro anterior de Montgomery y cede el turno a la otra por ser la adepta en esos asuntos.

«Lily then took over the typewriter with this message: "Ruth, unless a soul sufficiently strives for perfection while in physical form, he is actually losing ground, because on this side the laws are such that it is not possible to backslide, merely to stand still or progress.» — la ley que la segunda voz enuncia y que sostiene toda la doctrina del capítulo: allí no se puede retroceder, solo detenerse o avanzar, de modo que no esforzarse en la carne es perder terreno.

«Therefore, the physical stage is for the purpose of advancing the progression of the soul through overcoming of temptation and assisting others to advance. If this is thoroughly understood, it will help to emphasize the importance of overcoming bad habits, silencing sharp tongues, quelling anger and pettiness, and putting the welfare of others at least on a par with one's own, so that no unkind deed or word passes from one soul aimed at another soul.» — y el fin que esa voz asigna a la etapa física: adelantar el alma venciendo tentaciones y ayudando a otros, con la lista de lo que hay que corregir, desde el hábito hasta la lengua afilada.

«In the spirit state we automatically assist others as needed, for we are directly under the laws of God and without as much personal choice as you there enjoy for a brief span of years. That is your most crucial testing.» — la segunda voz dictante da la razón de que la prueba esté aquí: allí la asistencia es automática y hay menos elección personal, y por eso el lapso breve de la carne es el examen decisivo.

«Automatically learning to think of the welfare of others, putting forth love instead of an angry outburst, thinking how much we dislike being the object of another's wrath and then determining never again to make another person the object of ours; putting husband before self or wife before self; loving those whom it is difficult for you to love because they are on a different vibratory level from you—these are terribly important in the physical state. For on this side we automatically avoid those on different wavelengths or vibrations, since only like attraction brings us together: Thus, the importance of growth on that side, where the challenge exists."» — y el temario de esa prueba, en voz de Lily, con el criterio de las vibraciones al final: amar a los que cuesta amar porque están en otro nivel vibratorio, ya que de aquel lado solo junta la atracción de lo semejante.

«Now let us speak again of those who, having reached this stage beyond death, are unable to forget that they were humans with human desires of the flesh and will not adjust here because they are unable to break habits incurred during the physical life just past. They hover around those who smoke or drink or take drugs, trying to enjoy the fumes or sensations as they once did and anxious to be part of the group that is enjoying drinking, or inhaling drugs, or taking pot and the like. They are to those on this side very pathetic souls, for they are so attached to the habit that they will not let go of it, trying to enjoy nefariously what they still crave here. They are so intent on these pleasures that they do not begin to develop spiritually here for such a long time that it is a terrible setback to their soul's advancement.» — el dictado vuelve sobre los que rondan a los vivos por el hábito, y los llama patéticos sin dejar de explicarlos: buscan disfrutar de refilón lo que todavía ansían. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«For this reason, if for no other, it is far better to break the smoking, drinking, or drug habits while in the flesh. It is easier by far to give them up there than it is to wait for the spirit life, when it is so nearly impossible to break the habit that one usually carries it back with him into the next earthly existence, when it may take a different and sometimes even more lethal form of intoxication or addiction."» — y la consecuencia que el dictado saca, con el riesgo de arrastre a la vida siguiente: lo que no se rompe en la carne se lleva a la existencia terrena próxima, a veces en forma más letal.

«I lacked the nerve to ask another direct question about his own addiction to alcohol, but one day Ford began abruptly, "Now let's discuss the question that has been bothering you—whether I continue to yearn for alcohol or other habits such as cigarettes and drugs. The answer is that if I had never touched them in the physical life just ended, I would be much better off here, with keener perceptions and more rapid development of soul. Yes, I sometimes hover around someone who is on a heavy bender, and this is a shameful and terrible thing, but there it is—a warning to others to lick the habit while there.» — Montgomery consigna su propio reparo a preguntar, y el dictado se adelanta a la pregunta con una confesión: dice que aún ronda a veces a quien bebe en exceso y llama vergonzoso ese hecho.

«You, Ruth, with your heavy smoking will not be able to shake it over here unless you first kick the habit there. I had never completely licked the problem with alcohol, as you know, falling off the wagon so to speak. Had I completely abandoned the bottle there and turned my attention to other things, I would be far better able to cope with advancement here, without that earthly tie in the wrong direction. So take heed. You know I'm not one for handing out unsolicited advice, but you did ask, and this is the answer. Abandon those habit-forming nuisances while you still can!"» — y el dictado aplica a la propia autora la doctrina del capítulo, con el argumento de su caso: no haber dejado el alcohol del todo lo estorba ahora, y ella no soltará el tabaco allí si no lo suelta aquí.

«ARTHUR FORD has followed no particular sequence in writing his contributions for this book. Some mornings are devoted to the subject of reincarnation, some to life in the higher states of being, and others to schools and behaviorism in the stage where he now is. Since we in physical bodies are accustomed to a more orderly progression, it has been necessary to sort these messages into categories, even though they sometimes overlap.» — Montgomery declara aquí su propio trabajo de edición sobre lo recibido: el dictado no sigue orden y ella ha tenido que clasificar los mensajes por materias, aunque se traslapen.

«Once when I was plying him with questions about famous personages in past ages, I inquired, "What is (blank) doing now?" I was trying to trick him, since he had previously told me that in one of my previous incarnations I had been that person, but he unhesitatingly replied, "You ought to know. Sitting at a typewriter asking me questions." Another day, when I asked how I could break the cigarette habit, he urbanely responded, "By not smoking."» — y consigna dos respuestas breves del dictado que ella misma presenta como humor, una de las cuales es un intento suyo de ponerlo a prueba con una pregunta capciosa.

«We grow, we live, we love, to return in endless cycles until at last we sluff off the imperfections which we picked up along the way and are fit to become a part of God Himself. Why are there so many sinners? Because so many of us put pleasure ahead of service.» — la tesis del ciclo, fechada el 3 de marzo: se vuelve una y otra vez hasta soltar las imperfecciones recogidas por el camino, y el dictado explica el pecado por poner el placer delante del servicio.

«If more of us found sheer pleasure in helping others, we would advance much more rapidly, because that would be combining business with pleasure. But the slothful, easy way is that most often followed: turning to idle pastimes and pursuits which are not helping others or even ourselves. That's what we are wont to call human nature, meaning the nature of a soul when occupying a physical form. The carnal lusts, the aimless dallying, the egotistical ways and pampering of self all help to make up what we think of as human nature.» — y el dictado define lo que se llama naturaleza humana como el modo de un alma que ocupa forma física: lujuria, dilación ociosa y mimo de sí.

«Yet some of it continues on this side, in the spirit form as well. Some primp before mirrors which their thought forms have created, wearing fancy clothing which they have wished into seeming reality. They lacquer hair which is only there in thought, live in fine homes created by their lust for importance, and drive such long automobiles that if we had to move out of the way of solid objects, we'd be dodging traffic all day long. But they are only thought forms, and thus are real only to those who believe in them.» — el dictado extiende ese mismo defecto a los muertos, con la escena de los que se arreglan ante espejos de pensamiento y conducen coches que solo son reales para quien cree en ellos.

«Let's discuss the way to prepare ourselves for the various stages of advancement. As we have stressed, the path is steep because it is necessary to help the others up the rising path too. For instance, if you try to press forward alone or race others toward the crest, you never reach the summit, because the ones left behind are pulling you backwards faster than you are able to climb. They need assistance, and for every stop along the way to take the hand of another, you are not losing ground but gaining it.» — la figura de la cuesta con que el dictado explica por qué no se avanza solo: los que quedan atrás tiran hacia abajo más rápido de lo que uno sube, y cada parada a dar la mano gana terreno.

«That's another example of why time means nothing except as a way to time appointments in the physical state. Time is relative and on this side means nothing. Even where you are, time races only when you want it to go slowly or creeps when you wish that it would speed up. There is always time to help another.» — y el dictado usa eso para su doctrina del tiempo: es relativo y solo sirve en el plano físico para fijar citas, de modo que siempre hay tiempo para ayudar.

«When we adapt ourselves to this new but age-old philosophy, we find happiness always present. No jealousies here, no pushing for position, no envy or malice. How would it be possible, when we are all one, to be jealous of another finger or toe? Are the hairs of our head jealous or envious of each other? No, they are all a part of the whole, as are your two eyes, your nose and ears. Each has an assigned duty, and not one of them is trying to outshine or outdo another part of your body.» — el dictado niega celos y envidia en aquel plano con un símil anatómico: ningún dedo envidia a otro ni un cabello a otro, porque todos son partes del mismo cuerpo.

«So why not think along those lines while you are in physical form? Try to surround yourself with harmonious thoughts, not by pulling into a cocoon but by spreading harmony around you. If you pour forth warmth and love, the souls around you will feel the encompassing harmony and subconsciously want to be near you. Don't pull away. Give of self and extend a helping hand to any that are outstretched."» — y traslada la figura a una práctica para los vivos: rodearse de pensamientos armoniosos no encerrándose sino difundiendo armonía.

«Why bother then to learn pious phrases, to make a name for oneself in the arts or sciences, when the progress which we all crave is measured only by how much you have helped another along the way? Here it is as nothing if a famous man steps through the door to our side. Why is he famous? Because he invented something for which the idea came from our side of the open door? Is he famous because he sang with perfect key and resonance? That was a talent bestowed on him by our Creator. It is whether these gifts were used to assist others and make their path brighter that weighs in his favor on this side.» — el dictado quita valor a la fama y a la invención como mérito propio: la idea vino de aquel lado y el talento lo dio el Creador, y lo que pesa es si sirvieron a otros.

«The tortoise and the hare, remember? The hare forgetting to help others, running by spurts and stops and thinking only of his own supremacy, while the tortoise plodded along, carrying a heavy load on his back."» — y remata con la fábula que él mismo nombra, con la liebre entendida como quien olvida ayudar.

«For those who are eager to push ahead with spiritual advancement, they will no sooner assess their previous lifetime in the physical body than they will register for further directions from a master. Each of us has special masters who have volunteered to help such souls grow and develop on this side. So they take the newcomer under their wing, so to speak, which is about as close as we get to wings over here. We meet for regular study, for here we automatically obey universal laws for orderly advancement. Otherwise chaos would result, since there are many more souls here than currently in your physical plane.» — el dictado describe la matrícula del recién llegado con un maestro voluntario y explica la disciplina por necesidad: sin obedecer las leyes universales habría caos, porque allí hay muchas más almas que en el plano físico.

«No need for arithmetic or geometry here, because those are needed only in the physical plane. Spelling is passé. We think in universal symbols and need no words in this language or that. Reading is reserved only for those who wish to scan akashic records, which are of course in universal symbols. Writing is the same. We write nothing here, for the records called akashic are indelibly imprinted by a soul's deeds and thoughts rather than inscribed with pen and ink.» — el temario que el dictado declara innecesario allí —aritmética, geometría, ortografía, escritura— porque se piensa en símbolos universales y los registros akáshicos se imprimen por obras y pensamientos, no con pluma.

«So what do we study? The rudiments of science for some, particularly those who wish to project ideas to scientists on the earth plane. Philosophy, for those who want to comprehend more of the universal laws. Goodness, which is the philosophy of living one with another. Ecology, for it will be needed» — y lo que sí se estudia, según el dictado: rudimentos de ciencia para quienes proyecten ideas a los científicos vivos, filosofía, bondad y ecología, esta última por el ambiente que hallarán las almas que vuelvan. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Love—yes, even that has to be learned, because so many of us unlearned it long ago in previous physical lives. Why would we need to study love? Because without love there is no harmony, and unless there is harmony the whole universal scheme of things will fall apart.» — el dictado pone el amor entre las materias de estudio y da la razón: sin amor no hay armonía, y sin armonía se deshace el esquema universal.

«We learn that love has little to do with physical attraction. That is an animal characteristic that arises from wearing physical form in the earth phase. Love is the attraction of soul for soul, and to enlarge the scope we need to file off our rough spots of personality, so that we are lovable to a larger and ever more expanding circle of souls.» — y separa expresamente el amor de la atracción física, que llama rasgo animal de la forma terrena: el amor es atracción de alma por alma y pide limar asperezas de la personalidad.

«Souls which once avoided each other like poison ivy on earth become devoted partners here, after each has gone through this cleansing experience of smoothing out the rough spots of his manner and behavior and conduct. As more and more souls find themselves in harmony, the expanding circle imprints itself on the world in which You and we both live: fewer wars, more exchanges and sharing between peoples and nations. And it is reflected here. When turmoil is everywhere, you may be sure that it is reflected on both sides of the veil.» — el dictado hace del trato entre almas una causa política: al ampliarse el círculo de las que concuerdan, el mundo tiene menos guerras y más intercambio, y el desorden se refleja en los dos lados del velo.

«The akashic records, Ford said, are those which we make with every deed and thought and act, "and the only way to erase the bad marks is to perform a kindly act for someone in need." For every good deed, he said, "we are also given a mark which is not jotted down by some scorekeeper, but automatically impressed on the record by each soul.» — Montgomery resume y cita a la vez la doctrina del registro: cada obra y cada pensamiento lo marcan, las malas marcas solo se borran con un acto bondadoso, y las buenas las imprime la propia alma sin anotador.

«We keep our own books in that way, and we are our own judge and jury for what we would like to think of as harsh judgment by some gray-beard is simply our own conscience, from which there is no escape. This will always be with us, as it has always been, and from time immemorial we have been placing our stamp on our own scroll. This is an important point. No slipping one over on the teacher or scorekeeper. Cheating does no good. We are the ones who keep the score, and we are never able to fool ourselves."» — y la consecuencia que el dictado saca, que es la tesis del juicio propio repetida: lo que se imaginaría juicio severo de un anciano es la propia conciencia, de la que no hay escape ni engaño posible.

«There are those souls who, having lived a full life in the earth phase, are in no rush to return. These take up studies here which will benefit other souls both here and in the flesh. They want to know how a child in the physical phase will better be able to withstand temptations and illnesses and accidents, so they do a great deal of research here. They work through scientists and psychologists and doctors still in physical body to bring these advancements to them. They are often able to inject these notions and suggestions into their minds through waking, as well as dream state: a sudden inspiration which leads to a breakthrough, a deft placing of a new instrument or book at their elbow, an insinuation into the conscious mind as well as through the subconscious while in drowsy or sleeping state.» — el dictado describe a las almas que investigan allí para beneficio de los vivos y enumera las vías por las que dice que llega el resultado: inspiración súbita, un instrumento o un libro puesto al alcance, e insinuación en la mente consciente o en la dormida. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«Most of the breakthroughs in the earthly state originated with souls working on the problem here, where we have wider grasp of the problems and the solutions. As I said, this is a busy, working world where I am now. What of those who invent evil tools for destruction? That too often originates on this side where I am, but the utilization which turned a good idea into a destructive purpose came from the physical bodies and not from the spirit souls.» — y el dictado adjudica el origen de los adelantos a aquel lado, incluidas las herramientas de destrucción, cargando el uso destructivo a los cuerpos físicos y no a las almas.

«Any invention has the potential of good or evil, depending upon who puts it to use, and it is a pity that marvelous scientific breakthroughs so often fall into the wrong brains and hands and are distorted into evil use rather than developed for the advancement of all mankind.» — la tesis con que el dictado resuelve esa ambivalencia: toda invención puede servir al bien o al mal según quién la use.

«It sounds funny, but we are not able to chuckle much at this obsession with things which» — la razón por la que el dictado dice no poder reírse de eso: un alma rezagada tira de la raza entera, y lo que cada cual hace mal perjudica a todos, con las dos frases que atribuye a Cristo. El tramo cruza a la plana 107. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Those who warn of danger in this pursuit [of esoteric knowledge] should understand that some have the ability developed in ages past to communicate easily with those on the other side of the thin veil between these two stages of continued life, and if balance is present, no dangers exist. The lack of a balanced personality will evoke problems whether one tries to communicate or lulls himself with belief in angels with harps. The unbalance is the» — la respuesta del dictado a quienes advierten del peligro de estas prácticas, y es de los pasajes donde el libro se defiende: dice que el peligro está en el desequilibrio de la persona y no en el asunto, y que meditar en ángeles no sería menos riesgoso; el corchete con la aclaración es de Montgomery. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Take the rioters and protesters. What a wonderful good they would do if they provided the solutions, instead of breaking down the good along with the bad in the system which they so loudly protest."» — el dictado aplica su tesis de la invención a los disturbios de entonces, con un reproche que no es de doctrina sino de método: harían un bien enorme si aportaran las soluciones en vez de derribar lo bueno junto con lo malo.

«On this approximate date nearly two thousand years ago, a man named Jesus who came from Nazareth died on the cross as a living symbol of eternal life. Some thought that He would remove himself from the cross to exhibit another miracle, but it was the Christ within him that survived death and returned again and again in astral form to prove that life is eternal, that the man of flesh is not the true man, but merely the physical symbol of the ever-living soul. He proved the truth of His preaching, and thereby became immortal as a physical Jesus as well as of the Christ consciousness, which has existed in the forces of God from the beginning of time.» — el sermón de Viernes Santo, donde el dictado separa a Jesús del Cristo: dice que lo que sobrevivió a la cruz fue el Cristo dentro de él, y que la consciencia crística existe en las fuerzas de Dios desde el principio del tiempo.

«Now let's take the case of Saint Paul, who saw a vision of Christ on the road to Damascus. He had never known the man Jesus, but instantly he saw the apparition he recognized it as the Christ who had inhabited the body of Jesus. The words to him were unmistakable. Jesus was the greatest of a long line of embodiments of one soul created in the beginning and from time to time incarnating in human form. He was the Buddha, the Messiah, the all-in-all, and the one for whom we always yearn within our soul—the big brother, the good guy, the peacemaker, the embodiment of good. God's son, to be sure, but aren't we all sons and daughters of God?» — y el dictado hace de ese Cristo una sola alma encarnada muchas veces, que identifica también con el Buda y el Mesías, con la pregunta que iguala a todos como hijos de Dios.

«The difference is that Jesus was empowered by God to lead all mankind back to basic truths: love one another, be good to those who harm you, speak no ill unless you want to be spoken ill of, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.» — la diferencia que el dictado sí mantiene, y es de función y no de naturaleza: Jesús fue facultado por Dios para llevar a la humanidad de vuelta a las verdades básicas, que enumera.

«The Christ Spirit lived and had its being for a span of years within Jesus of Nazareth, but remember this: The indwelling spirit which inhabits the physical form of all of us is equally a part of God and capable of withstanding evil, so let us each try a little harder to be that which in the beginning was pure and clean and true. Love thy neighbor as thyself."» — y la consecuencia que el dictado saca para cualquiera: el espíritu que habita en todos es igualmente parte de Dios y capaz de resistir el mal.

«Today marks the anniversary of the beautiful morning when the disembodied Christ arose from the tomb to demonstrate life eternal. Freed from his body, he appeared to many of his followers throughout the Palestinian land and even showed his wounds to doubting Thomas, but this is not the important message.» — el sermón de Pascua, donde el dictado descarta como asunto principal lo que la tradición subraya: las apariciones y las llagas mostradas.

«The salient point is that we all survive death with personality and memory intact. This Jesus demonstrated by dying on the cross, and» — y pone en su lugar la tesis del libro: que todos sobrevivimos a la muerte con la personalidad y la memoria intactas, y que el cuerpo físico no es parte del alma eterna. El tramo cruza a la plana 113. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«He had been a number of different men before that incarnation and in all of them was seeking the perfection of man. He wished to demonstrate to His Father and all others that it is possible to inhabit a physical body, withstand temptation, and live a life of perfection. Sometimes we forget that Jesus was a man like the rest of us. It was the Christ within that made Him superior. The same fleshly temptations were there to taunt Jesus as any other living man in the flesh, yet he withstood them all.» — el dictado hace de las encarnaciones de esa alma una búsqueda de la perfección del hombre, y recuerda que Jesús fue hombre como los demás, tentado como cualquiera.

«Let us remember then that each of us will be able to live as righteously as he wants, because it has been demonstrated that man even in the flesh is able to be perfect."» — y la conclusión práctica que deriva: como quedó demostrado que el hombre puede ser perfecto en la carne, cada cual podrá vivir tan rectamente como quiera.

«Now let's take the case of a man who tries to perfect himself in one lifetime in the flesh, but who has so much previous karma to resolve that the task seems impossible. 'Is it impossible?' you ask. Yes and no, for if the previous karma is sufficiently bad he will still have to make amends within himself, but by forgiving all others and then forgiving himself, he will come under the law of grace, and remember that to become involved with it, it is necessary not only to forgive others but also ourselves. 'Love' is the key word, Love others as well as oneself, but also learn to love oneself.» — el dictado introduce la ley de gracia como salida al karma acumulado, con una condición doble que subraya: perdonar a los demás y perdonarse a sí mismo.

«During my preparation for writing Here and Hereafter, I seemed to relive a number of previous lives while under prenatal hypnotic regression. Two of them seem worthy of relating here because subsequent events have lent credence to what I "saw" during hypnosis. In one, I found myself sitting in the lotus position at an ashram in the lower Himalayas. My arms were small and dark. Under questioning I described our diet at the ashram—berries, fruits, and nuts—and I said that I was a guru for young boys who came up from the village below, but that I also studied with a more advanced guru who lived higher up the mountain. The hypnotist (the woman scientist whom I called Jane Winthrop in Here and Hereafter) then took me forward twenty-five years and asked if I was still in the same ashram. I looked about in perplexity, and then came understanding. My higher guru had passed on, I explained, and I had taken over his duties. Jane asked if I had a mantram, and I exclaimed, "Certainly, everyone has a mantram." Told to give mine, I burst forth in a cadence I had never knowingly heard before, melding two syllables over and over.» — Montgomery pasa aquí a su propio testimonio, con el procedimiento declarado: regresión hipnótica prenatal para un libro anterior, y la vida de gurú en un ashram del Himalaya con el mantram que dice haber pronunciado sin conocerlo. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«I told no one of this experience, for obvious reasons. The possibility seemed too remote for further consideration Two months later, a stranger came to my house in Virginia Beach and introduced himself as Dr. I. C. Sharma of Udaipur, India, who was then an exchange professor of philosophy at a small university in Virginia. He had read my psychic books and wanted to discuss the subject with me. As he was preparing to leave, I expressed the wish to know what my mantram was, since each soul is supposed to have an individual vibration with God, and he said that he had would meditate on mine. Two weeks later he returned to Virginia Beach for another visit, bringing his wife, and when they prepared to depart I rather wistfully said, "I suppose you haven't had time to meditate on my mantram." "Indeed I have," Dr. Sharma replied. "I will write it for you here." He handed me a slip of paper on which were two syllables written as one, and to my astonishment they were exactly the same as those I had repeatedly uttered while under hypnosis.» — y el cotejo que ella ofrece como prueba de ese recuerdo: el profesor indio que dos meses después le escribe en un papel las dos sílabas que coinciden con las de la hipnosis. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«I repeat that story here because during a discussion of reincarnation the spirit of Arthur Ford wrote, "You were once a guru in India in the Himalayas, and I knew you in that incarnation, for I was then your guru and you studied with me until I passed on into the spirit plane. Then you succeeded to my post. You were a worthy student and we were exceedingly fond of each other, you as a lad and I as an old man then."» — el dictado recoge el episodio y lo enlaza con su propia serie de vidas: dice haber sido el gurú mayor de ella en aquel ashram.

«In repeating my second "past life" experience, I feel some embarrassment, but perhaps it will encourage others to delve into their own subconscious memories. This seeming recall began five years ago when, during meditation, I saw myself as a little girl of five or six years watching some Wise Men arrive not far from our cottage in Bethlehem. I knew that a baby had been born nearby, and sometime later I begged my father to let me follow the crowd to watch the baby being bathed in a pool somewhere between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. He at first demurred, but I pleaded so desperately that at last we started down the road, and as I slipped my little hand into his, I knew that he was the same soul as Arthur Ford.» — el segundo recuerdo que Montgomery ofrece, y lo antecede con su propio reparo: dice sentir cierta vergüenza al repetirlo, y lo publica por si anima a otros a sondear su subconsciente. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«During the next day's meditation I saw myself as a woman who had just heard that the baby, now grown to manhood, was preaching near the Dead Sea. I yearned to hear him, but because my husband would not give consent for me to go I raced across the desert, leaving my young baby behind. Later, under hypnosis by Jane Winthrop, I» — y la escena que dice haber revivido bajo hipnosis, con la identificación que ella misma acota: hermana de Lázaro y ni María ni Marta, porque las dos estaban presentes. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«This seemed too ridiculous for further contemplation, so I kept it to myself. Yet one of the first fan letters I received after publication of Here and Hereafter came from an unknown reader who said that he had psychically received the impression that I had once been a sister of Lazarus.» — Montgomery consigna la carta de un lector desconocido como primer respaldo exterior de ese recuerdo, y consigna a la vez que ella misma lo había tenido por ridículo.

«Another few weeks passed, and one day on impulse I bought a copy of the book The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, which had been psychically received at the beginning of the century by a man who identified himself only as Levi. Because it was written in Biblical style, I read only small portions each day; but great was my bafflement when I stumbled across a passage which discussed Lazarus and his three sisters—Martha, Mary, and Ruth.» — y el segundo respaldo que ofrece: un libro recibido psíquicamente a principios del siglo por un hombre que firmaba con un solo nombre, donde halló nombradas tres hermanas de Lázaro.

«Thereafter, in various references to this third sister, who is not mentioned in the Bible, Levi said that she had deserted her husband and two children to follow Jesus because her husband had no sympathy for the movement. He said that Jesus eventually persuaded Ruth to return to her family, and that after she did so her husband became converted and both were then active among His followers.» — y el detalle de ese libro que ella hace coincidir con su recuerdo: la tercera hermana, que la Biblia no nombra, habría dejado marido e hijos para seguir a Jesús hasta que él la persuadió de volver.

«You are eager to know about my previous lives in connection with your own. I am able to remember some of that, at least those which affected most directly my life as Arthur Ford. In one I was a Buddhist monk in Thailand, and I was a Dominican monk in another life, somewhere in France. These were not too many lives ago.» — el dictado da sus propias vidas anteriores, fechadas el 7 de marzo de 1971, con el límite que él mismo pone: recuerda las que más afectaron a su vida de Ford.

«I was also the father of a little girl named Ruth in the Holy Land, and also of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. That was a strenuous but exalting life, even though I did not make full use of my potential there by becoming a priest for Jesus. But I was considerably older than Jesus and was no longer living when He met His death on the cross. You were a child when he was born, and so were some of my other children. Some were older and some younger than you. We moved from Bethlehem to Bethany, but not long after that I passed on, leaving son Lazarus in charge.» — y la vida que enlaza las dos series, con el reparo que el propio dictado incluye: dice no haber aprovechado su potencial por no hacerse sacerdote de Jesús, y haber muerto antes de la cruz.

«Lazarus was not buried alive but did indeed die and come back to life, regardless of what the scoffers say. I was with him on this side and then watched as he returned to the physical body to prove that such things are possible if God wishes them to be done.» — el dictado toma partido en una disputa antigua sobre ese episodio, y dice haber estado del otro lado con el interesado mientras volvía al cuerpo.

«You were not as obedient as Martha and even Mary. You ran off from your husband because he would not drop everything to follow Jesus. You had to have your own way then as now, and you returned to your family only after Jesus himself persuaded you to put aside your impetuosity and put family first. This lesson is still a hard one for you to learn,» — y el dictado le hace a la propia autora un reproche personal sacado de aquella vida: haber puesto siempre el yo por delante, falta que dice seguir sin aprender y que la haría repetir el ciclo. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Arthur then gave me a bit of stern preaching about putting We and You before Me, adding, "Hand the reins to Bob for a while and learn to be a Japanese wife, following along behind him and letting him run the show for a while. It's a lesson in humility for you and also a test of grace." He made my face bum, because I knew that he had put his finger on one of my worst faults. I love to be the leader!» — Montgomery consigna el resto del reproche, incluida la figura de la esposa japonesa que el dictado le propone, y lo acepta como acierto sobre su peor defecto.

«In April, during one of our typewriter sessions, I asked Arthur if he could tell me anything more about our Palestinian life, and he responded, "It is as you already know—you the sister of Lazarus and I the father of the brood. We were not quite as high-minded as Lazarus and Mary and Martha, so they left us out of the Good Book, which will always be a regret, for we had the same opportunities as the others did but failed to make the most of them. I was not a follower of Jesus, for his preaching began after I had passed on, but the opportunity of service was there for me, and I feel that I failed to make the most use of it, being as I was a rather conservative Jew who was more interested in rote than right.» — el dictado vuelve sobre esa vida y explica en ella la ausencia de los dos en el evangelio: dice que él era un judío conservador más interesado en el rito que en lo recto. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«You were a delightful daughter and my favorite of the children, but you put yourself ahead of your husband and children and therefore missed the opportunity for greater service. It is true that you yearned to be a follower of the man Jesus who was the Christ, but instead of following Him around to hear Him speak and feast on His wise words, you would have been better off to concern yourself with the welfare of your children. Jesus knew this, of course, and finally sent you back home, and there you did your best work in gradually converting your husband to His teachings, and toward the last of Jesus' life there you were both followers, along with your little children."» — y el juicio que el dictado emite sobre la conducta de ella entonces, que enmienda la expectativa devota: habría hecho mejor en ocuparse de sus hijos que en seguir al predicador, y su mejor obra fue convertir al marido en casa.

«Arthur has, of course, written about numerous other lives of mine and his and of our previous contacts with some of the relatives and» — Montgomery declara aquí lo que deja fuera del volumen y por qué: otras vidas suyas y de él y de sus allegados, que no incluye por tratarse de un libro de interés general. El tramo cruza a la plana 117. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Will we meet ourselves better if, having been an intolerant, bigoted person toward minority groups such as blacks or Jews, we become one of that race or nationality the next time around? This is often the case, and some of those Negroes who are in the forefront of the civil rights movements were formerly white slaveowners who proved so intolerant toward the human rights of their slaves or minions that they took this opportunity of becoming themselves black, so that they were able to help their people from within, rather than try to uplift from without.» — la tesis del dictado sobre la elección de raza, aplicada a los dirigentes negros de entonces: habrían sido esclavistas blancos que eligieron nacer negros para ayudar desde dentro. Es lo que el libro sostiene y se consigna con su pasaje.

«Some of the Jews who died during the Hitler regime were formerly those who had persecuted Jews in previous witch-hunts and who had voluntarily come back as Jews in order to right their wrongs. They paid the supreme penalty by losing their lives but in doing so aroused the conscience of mankind and therefore advanced spiritually by many leaps and bounds.» — y el dictado aplica el mismo esquema a las víctimas del exterminio, diciendo que habrían sido perseguidores en cacerías anteriores que volvieron a enmendar su agravio.

«This was also race karma, for the Old Testament itself sometimes depicts the Jews of old as a warlike race that subjugated others in the name of its religion. Thus, we find that both race karma and individual karma were being met at that time, which does not excuse Hitler and his lieutenants one iota. They will be paying for their transgressions for many hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, so that judgment is not ours to make.» — el dictado introduce aquí el karma de raza y, en la misma frase, acota su alcance: dice que nada de eso excusa un ápice a los verdugos, que pagarán siglos, y que el juicio no es nuestro.

«The sins which we like to think are so perilous in the flesh phase are seldom the real ones when viewed on this side. We ask ourselves, Whom did we harm through our actions? Were they for self-aggrandizement and fleshly pleasure, or were we actually thinking of someone else and not wishing to harm that person? Self-denial is one of the greatest virtues, because it teaches us to put the love of others before love of self.» — y el dictado invierte el catálogo corriente de pecados: los que se tienen por graves en la carne rara vez lo son visto desde allí, porque la pregunta es a quién se dañó, y la abnegación queda por virtud mayor.

«Discipline is good for the soul. We need it all the time, but here we have so little opportunity for practicing it that we return again and again to the flesh in order to wipe out our self-indulgences and practice self-denial."» — con el argumento que vuelve a hacer indispensable la vida física: allí hay poca ocasión de ejercer disciplina y por eso se vuelve a la carne.

«For the most part we bring with us into the physical mind some memories» — el dictado explica el recuerdo de las vidas anteriores por la voluntad previa de conservarlo, y pone los sueños como enlace con el pasado que convendría atender. El tramo cruza a la plana 118. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«They are not disjointed hallucinations but a steady stream of consciousness which stays with us throughout eternity, or until the past errors are eventually wiped out by subsequent acts which make amends.» — y niega que esos sueños sean alucinaciones sueltas: los llama corriente estable de consciencia que dura hasta que los errores quedan enmendados.

«We see souls so transformed by goodness that we yearn to model ourselves after them. Yet aping another is not the way to rise and shine. Within each soul is the knowledge of good and evil, and each of us is affected differently by temptations and kindnesses. Thus, although we are all a part of the Supreme Whole, yet we are as different as fingerprints one from another. Just as a toe serves a different function from a finger, so we each have our own roles and must find our own path to perfection. A knuckle joint should not try to imitate a nose, and so it is with us. We know what is right, so why not do it?"» — el dictado desaconsaja imitar a otras almas pese a admirarlas, con el mismo símil anatómico del libro: cada cual tiene su función y su camino, y un nudillo no ha de imitar a una nariz.

«To begin with, the time between lives in physical body can be a thousand or a hundred years by earth reckoning, or a few hours or days or weeks or years. Some need desperately to make amends, and some who are tired of earthly woes want a long period of resting.» — el dictado da el intervalo entre vidas sin fijarlo: de horas a mil años, según la urgencia de reparar o el cansancio.

«Either way, he will not be able totally to decide for himself when he will return to the flesh, because other elements enter into the decision. For instance, there are only so many opportunities to return to a woman who wishes to be a mother. Since there are others waiting their opportunity, a system exists for rationing the mothers, so to speak, among the souls wanting to be reborn. The system goes into effect each time that a woman conceives.» — y el límite que pone a la decisión propia: hay solo tantas ocasiones como mujeres que quieran ser madres, de modo que existe un racionamiento que entra en vigor con cada concepción.

«If she herself is a lofty soul who deserves the right to have a lofty soul to rear as her flesh child, she will be given higher priority than one who thinks only of carnal pleasure. For these superior souls a system of classification will be set up here, so that those who qualify may be given a testing period to determine who is best qualified to meet the needs of the physical parents and also to fulfill his own goals.» — el criterio de prioridad que el dictado declara: la madre de alma elevada tiene preferencia sobre la que solo piensa en el placer carnal, y para esos casos hay clasificación y periodo de prueba.

«Those who have previously known or loved the two souls who are about to become parents will be given first priority if they have karmic problems to work out with that particular couple.» — y la regla de precedencia que cierra el trámite: quienes ya conocieron o amaron a esos dos tienen prioridad si les queda karma pendiente con la pareja.

«The fortunate soul who wins the right enters that fetus at or near the time of physical birth, while the other candidates search for other opportunities until one that matches their goal again becomes available and their numbers come up, so to speak.» — el momento de la entrada, según el dictado: en el feto al tiempo del nacimiento o cerca de él, mientras los demás candidatos esperan turno.

«Those who are not so highly evolved or have greater karmic debts to repay will have to settle for less attractive situations, and some will gladly be born into ghettos or backward nations in order to learn humility or suffering, with the firm resolve to overcome these obstacles and achieve higher status as more advanced spiritual beings.» — y lo que el dictado reserva a los menos evolucionados: situaciones menos atractivas, con almas que nacen de buen grado en guetos o naciones atrasadas para aprender humildad.

«Let me emphasize that no one is forced to return to physical form. If we so choose, we are permitted to remain here throughout eternity, although it is harder to advance.» — el dictado subraya que nadie es obligado a volver a la forma física y que se puede permanecer allí por toda la eternidad, con la contrapartida de que así se avanza más difícilmente.

«But those who rush back to physical bodies too quickly, settling for any opportunity that becomes available, have a difficult time in the earth cycle, for they learned little while here and did not properly assess the purpose of another physical round. Thus we have the many maimed and crippled beggars, and even thieves and robbers, who would not wait for appropriate physical form but seized any vehicle in sight."» — y explica por esa prisa a los lisiados y a los ladrones: almas que no esperaron forma apropiada y tomaron cualquier vehículo a la vista. Es lo que el libro sostiene y aquí se consigna sin suscribirlo.

«He replied, "Take one example at a time. Let's say that in another lifetime this selfsame mother deserted her children by running off with another man. In this last life she had to pay the penalty by leaving children when her heart was full of love for them. This was her way, her soul's way, of balancing the ledger.» — el caso de la madre que muere joven, resuelto por el dictado como equilibrio de cuentas: habría abandonado a sus hijos en otra vida y paga dejándolos ahora con el corazón lleno de amor.

«But what of the children left behind? Perhaps they too in a previous life had scorned supervision, going their headstrong ways and rebelling at kindly parental discipline. In this last life they loved their mother devotedly but were forced to do without her when she crossed over to this side. The law of karma is inexorable, unless through true repentance we are able to overcome some measure of it with the grace of God.» — y el dictado extiende la cuenta a los hijos, declarando inexorable la ley del karma salvo que el arrepentimiento verdadero permita sobreponerse a ella con la gracia de Dios.

«This example is not, of course, true of all such cases. Sometimes a mother has simply overburdened herself with too much childbearing» — el dictado acota expresamente su propio esquema: no todos los casos son así, y a veces se trata de un cuerpo agotado por demasiados partos, aunque en los accidentes suele haber base kármica. El tramo cruza a la plana 120. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«What of mother-child relationships? Why are some mothers so close to their children and so adored by them, while with others the friction is constant? One has chosen because of strong ties of love to be born to that woman, while the other has agreed to work on karma by coming to a former rival, enemy, or total» — la explicación del dictado para la amistad o el roce entre madre e hijo: uno eligió a esa mujer por lazos de amor y otro aceptó trabajar su karma con una antigua rival, enemiga o extraña. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«All right. How does this knowledge prepare you for coming over here in what you call old age? 'Going home,' says the psalm. True. We are at home on this side. It is there that we have made the adventure and stepped forth into alien ways, risking all for a chance to advance spiritually.» — el dictado invierte la fórmula de volver a casa que toma del salmo: la casa es aquel lado, y la tierra es la aventura y lo ajeno.

«Alas, the souls drag themselves back here more often than not in anguished defeat, realizing that what they had pledged to do was not fulfilled. At first they try to blame it on circumstances or on another person who blocked their progress, but as time passes and the soul devotes itself to earnest meditation on this side, it comes to realize that it was himself, the old fogie self, who caused the trouble.» — y describe el regreso más frecuente como derrota: primero se culpa a las circunstancias o a otro, y con la meditación se ve que fue uno mismo.

«So what to do? Resolve to review every mistake frankly while still there in the body physical. Review as earnestly there as you will be sure to do on this side. But make the review there, while there is still opportunity to change the direction of the pathway and mount to loftier heights.» — la receta que el dictado da para los vivos, y que es el argumento del capítulo: hacer aquí la revisión que allí se hará de todos modos, porque aquí todavía se puede cambiar de rumbo.

«On this side all that a soul is able to do is review, assess, study, resolve, and prepare for the next go-round in the body physical There you still have ample opportunity to fulfill the original mission, or at least to light the path of another, which earns you extra bonus stamps to trade in on faith."» — y el límite que el dictado le pone a su propio plano: allí solo cabe revisar, medir, estudiar, resolver y prepararse, mientras que aquí queda ocasión de cumplir la misión o de alumbrar el camino de otro.

«Lily then broke in to say, "How do we overcome temptations of the flesh and grow in depth? By listening to the still small voice within."» — el cierre del capítulo lo da la otra voz dictante en una sola línea, con la fórmula bíblica de la voz queda y pequeña.

«FROM time to time when referring to Edgar Cayce, Yogananda, Betty White, and other highly evolved souls, Arthur Ford made tantalizingly brief references to "higher planes" and "other planets." On April 10 I asked for greater elaboration, and he wrote, "The higher planes that you ask about are essentially higher degrees of consciousness. In other words, the place is similar, but the level of consciousness is so much more rarefied that those on this plane cannot advance into them without great preparation, whereas those on some of the higher planes encounter no difficulty in living in our plane simultaneously. It is a bit like the difference between our state and yours. Those in the next higher state are more aware of us than we are of them. They progress to that state when their rough, earthbound edges are rounded off, and their mental and spiritual progression is such that they are ready for higher learning in the esoteric sense. Those who feel that their progress will be more rapid by assuming again an earthly identity seldom pass on to that next higher stage, for to do so takes them out of direct line for return to physical form." Recalling that Arthur had made reference to a period which he spent in a higher plane before returning here as Arthur Ford, I asked if he and Lily were familiar with that stage. "Yes," he replied, "and Lily spends much of his time in the higher frequency of that plane. He will not be able to tell you much about it, because there is little to record that you would be able to understand with a finite mind. As said previously, it is a higher consciousness rather than a different plane, for the universe is one.» — Montgomery pide que desarrolle lo de los planos superiores y el dictado los redefine el 10 de abril: no son sitios sino grados de consciencia más enrarecidos, con la misma asimetría de siempre, porque los de arriba están más al tanto de los de abajo que al revés. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«He was a writer in his last incarnation, and since there are many writers now, he needs to advance his growth here in work that many others are not able to do, such as counseling those writers who are progressing here and working directly with those in physical body who would write spiritual treatises of a higher order.» — el dictado da la ocupación de la otra voz del libro y la explica por escasez: fue escritor en su última encarnación, y como escritores hay muchos, aconseja a los que escriben de un lado y del otro.

«The balloon rises higher and higher until it reaches the» — y el símil sigue con lo que le importa: el globo sigue tan vivo y palpable como en la tierra aunque el hombre ya no lo vea ni lo toque. El tramo cruza a la plana 123. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«In this higher consciousness the soul of man is as alive and aware as ever it was in physical form but is totally detached from the ties of physical form. We are now in the intermediate state, with earth ties and tensions, but when Lily goes into the higher state of consciousness he relinquishes all pulls from physical wills and barriers."» — la aplicación del símil: en la consciencia superior el alma está tan viva como en la carne y del todo suelta de los lazos de la forma física.

«I broke in to ask what Edgar Cayce meant by saying that a soul between lives sometimes goes to Uranus or other planets in consciousness, and he replied, "Many of the planets are occupied by spirit forms in various states of consciousness. Some are in higher and some in lower forms of consciousness than the earth dwellers, but because of various levels of development, some evolve more rapidly in certain vibratory planes than in others.» — Montgomery pregunta por lo que aquel vidente decía de los planetas entre vidas, y el dictado dice que muchos planetas están ocupados por formas de espíritu en distintos estados de consciencia.

«The communications which occasionally seem to be picked up from other planets are thought forms which they are able to send out in vibrations usually too high for your instruments to record. But occasionally, under certain atmospheric conditions of low enough caliber, your finest instruments are affected by them."» — y el dictado explica las señales que se creen captadas de otros planetas como formas de pensamiento enviadas en vibraciones demasiado altas para los instrumentos, salvo en condiciones atmosféricas bajas.

«From my own recollections I am able to say that the work there is of a different type, for instead of helping new souls to come over and learning lessons in philosophy, the advanced soul will be testing these theories and proving them as fact, while also taking on such interesting assignments as visiting other planets where forms of life exist and relating them to our own system from whence all of us here were once a part.» — el dictado describe el trabajo de los estados superiores como prueba de las teorías aprendidas y como visita a otros planetas donde hay formas de vida.

«The Atlanteans (those from the lost continent of Atlantis), many of whom were of a high order of development, often inhabit other planes and planets while taking note of that which is occurring in the earth, for parts of Atlantis will be more plainly seen within a decade,» — el dictado introduce a los atlantes y les atribuye una predicción fechada: que partes de la Atlántida se verán dentro de una década al elevarse de nuevo la tierra. La glosa aquí solo consigna lo dicho. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«These Atlanteans are keen on proving that they were of a superior order, and that the human race will be able to recapture some of its esoteric knowledge during the Aquarian Age now at hand. Needless to say, many of these Atlanteans have reincarnated again and again in physical form, and you and I were once Atlanteans ourselves; although some who have not returned to the physical are of exceedingly high vibration and were what we might term princes among men.» — y el dictado les atribuye un propósito y nombra por su nombre la era que el libro sitúa en curso: probar que eran de orden superior y que el género humano recobrará parte de su saber esotérico en la Era de Acuario.

«Meanwhile, they have been instructing those souls who advance beyond this stage where I now am and are helping them to understand the mysteries of the universe—those mysteries which souls inhabiting the world once knew automatically."» — el oficio que el dictado les da entretanto, con una tesis de saber perdido: instruyen a los que pasan de ese estado intermedio en misterios que las almas encarnadas conocían antes por sí solas.

«As we learn our lessons here in this intermediate state, we are given the choice of reincarnating or traveling onward to other realms of consciousness, and some of us elect to take this next step, as I have here. When we are ready, by having completed our philosophic discussions and reassessing our errors of flesh, we feel a lightening of spirit and with a little effort of thought are able to lift ourselves into a new consciousness in which we lose contact for a time with those here and those in your physical state of being.» — la otra voz dictante toma el relevo para describir el paso al estado siguiente: elegido el viaje en vez del renacimiento, un esfuerzo de pensamiento eleva a una consciencia nueva donde se pierde el contacto con los dos lados.

«We then find ourselves in what would be thought of as a purely ethereal realm, with total loss of contact with other souls for a time. This is a somewhat lonely experience, since we are used to having shared thoughts and ideas here as well as in the physical body.» — y esa voz consigna una incomodidad que el libro no oculta: el trance es solitario, porque se está acostumbrado a compartir pensamientos.

«We are, let us say, in the realm of Uranus, where vibrations are so tremendous that at first we feel shaken to our core. It is a violent atmosphere, or rather lack of atmosphere, where there is no protection from the rays and beams and pulsations. We stay there, if we are able to endure it, for a time while preparing for still another step in our development.» — la descripción que esa voz da del primer planeta de la serie, como atmósfera violenta o falta de atmósfera, sin protección contra rayos y pulsaciones, donde se permanece si se puede resistir.

«Some of the planetary vibrations are gentle and soothing, and others fiery and full of antagonistic pulls and pushes. We need to experience all of these in order to understand the universal oneness of all mankind and the laws which govern us."» — el fin que esa voz asigna al recorrido planetario: pasar por vibraciones suaves y por otras llenas de tirones antagónicos para entender la unidad universal y las leyes que rigen.

«In the higher state this two-way communication is impossible, except for some such soul on the earth plane as Edgar Cayce, who was able so to step up his vibrations that by lowering our vibrations we could meet him halfway, so to speak.» — el dictado declara un límite de su propio procedimiento: desde el estado superior la comunicación de ida y vuelta es imposible, salvo con un alma como la de aquel vidente que podía subir sus vibraciones a medio camino.

«When I wish to summon the talents of one with whom we would commune, I return from the higher to this intermediate state, but that is why I do not hang around you all the time waiting until your highness is ready to be seated and receive. I am not trying to be sarcastic [Oh, no? I thought to myself] but merely to explain that there are many things more pressing than waiting around to see if you arise and shine in time for these morning sessions.» — la reprimenda que la voz dictante le hace a la propia autora por su impuntualidad, con el paréntesis en que ella replica para sí; el libro imprime las dos cosas.

«In the next phase where I spend most of my life I am transfigured, so to speak, wearing light rather than astral form. This is because of the intensity of our devotion to the work of the Creator, and since we slip easily from the vibrations of one planet to others, we are best fitted for that work as a beam of light.» — esa voz describe su forma habitual como luz en vez de forma astral, y lo explica por la intensidad de la devoción y por el paso fácil entre las vibraciones de un planeta y otro.

«Whatever form we wear, we never cease to be our own ego, for the self is what we will never escape.» — y enuncia el límite que ninguna de las dos voces cruza: sea cual sea la forma, nunca se deja de ser el propio ego.

«You wonder if each must always be himself throughout all the ages. The answer is yes, and before you think that this is unfair, I add that they started in the beginning as equal sparks of God.» — la voz responde a la objeción de la injusticia con el origen común: todos empezaron como chispas iguales de Dios.

«But as lives in the earth and on this side passed in succession, each developed his own personality through reaction to given situations, and since we choose our own situations into which to be born in the earth, they are the products of what they themselves have carried with them from one life to another in the earth plane.» — y explica la diferencia por la reacción a las situaciones y por la elección de nacimiento, de modo que cada cual es producto de lo que él mismo arrastró de una vida a otra.

«This represents the reaction to temptation, so if one would be as the Master rather than as the uncouth oaf, let him look to himself and assess how he reacts to temptation. Form no habits that you cannot easily break, respond to the needs of others when asked, and remember always to be Godcentered."» — el cierre de ese pasaje, con tres consejos que la voz da a los vivos: no formar hábitos difíciles de romper, responder a quien pide, y estar siempre centrado en Dios. La capa de texto une aquí *God-centered* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«From here, as you know, we have the choice of returning to flesh or going on to what you would call the third stage» — la descripción de la tercera etapa, fechada el primero de mayo: dominio de vibraciones más altas y sintonía con ondas de sonido y luz que electrocutarían o dejarían sordo a un hombre físico. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«As we attune to these higher frequencies, we find ourselves in a state most nearly described as fluid, for although there is no liquid, we are poured into the universal pattern, so to speak, and become so nearly one with it that we for a time lose consciousness of ego or self. We are a part of the fluid whole, and this benefits our understanding of what I have told you earlier about the realizations here that we are all a part of the perfect Whole.» — y el estado que describe como fluido, donde por un tiempo se pierde la consciencia del yo, cosa que la voz enlaza con la tesis del libro sobre ser parte del Todo.

«Now that is stage three, and stage four is what I have suggested in earlier reports: inhabitation of such other planets as Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, and the like, but not so much in a physical sense as in a state of higher consciousness; for while these planets contain life forms, they are totally unrecognizable in terms of the life forms which inhabit earth in physical form.» — la cuarta etapa, que la voz sitúa en otros planetas y declara habitados por formas de vida del todo irreconocibles en términos terrenos.

«These planets, each so different from one another, have various stages of development from the lowest protoplasm to the highest forms of thought patterns, and while Uranus is a particularly destructive planet in terms of reformation from evil, the most highly developed one is Saturn, which contains pure thoughts without embroilment in lower states of consciousness.» — y la escala que traza entre ellos: uno particularmente destructivo en cuanto a la reforma del mal, y el más desarrollado el de los pensamientos puros.

«but let us think for a moment of a balloon filled with helium gas. On the ground it is a great physical form for all to see and touch, but when the moorings are cut it rises free of earth ties, which would correspond to the silver cord» — el símil del globo de helio con que el dictado explica los grados de consciencia, y con él el término que el libro usa para lo que se rompe al morir: el cordón de plata.

«Those who inhabit these planets for a time in thought form are sometimes so far removed from what earth folks call sanity and reason that if they ever decide thereafter to return to physical body they are rather out of tune with fellow souls incarnated at that time. Either they have mellowed to such an extent that they do not seem to have things in common with fellow souls there or they have been so fed by hatreds and warlike tendencies on Mars and some others that» — el efecto que el dictado atribuye a esa estancia planetaria sobre quien luego vuelve a la carne: queda desacordado con los suyos, o por haberse ablandado o por haberse alimentado de odio. El tramo cruza a la plana 127. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«At this point Arthur Ford broke in to say, "During my present time in this stage where I am now, I have not visited the other planets, but from recall I know of having been on three of them between other earth lives. I do not yet know whether I will go there again or will return to earth to complete my cycle of incarnations, but this I know: I do not want to visit Uranus again."» — el dictado declara aquí lo que no sabe de sí mismo y lo que sí: no ha visitado otros planetas en esta etapa, recuerda tres entre vidas, ignora si volverá a la tierra, y no quiere volver a aquel planeta.

«I asked Lily, Arthur, and the group whether any other planets are inhabited by physical forms somewhat similar to these on earth, and the reply was, "No, not life as we recognize it in the flesh form of earth. They have many species of interesting thought forms, such as radishes with wings, turnips with tails, lettuce that laughs, and animal forms which walk on air as well as water, besides many grotesque shapes of mineral life which would frighten an earthling out of his wits» — Montgomery dirige la pregunta a las dos voces y al grupo, y la respuesta niega vida semejante a la terrena y la sustituye por formas de pensamiento que el libro enumera con humor.

«They all have various forms of communication and operate on higher or lower frequencies than earth forms. They have their cycles of return to their planets, just as we reincarnate on earth, and once in a while the more adventuresome ones choose to tackle an earth life,» — y el dictado atribuye a esas formas ciclos de retorno a sus planetas equivalentes a la reencarnación terrena.

«For instance, when an aborigine is found in an isolated spot in Africa or wherever, he is usually one of these other-planet peoples trying to inhabit an earth body in the flesh.» — la explicación que el dictado da del aislado hallado en África, y es de los pasajes donde el libro coloca a personas reales dentro de su esquema: sería gente de otro planeta probando un cuerpo terreno. Se consigna lo que el libro dice.

«The little ones who occasionally have lived with animals and are unable to speak like a human when found are from other planets and through curiosity have tried out this new type of body. But they do not fit into it anymore than a wolf would wear sheep's clothing well.» — y la misma explicación aplicada a los niños hallados entre animales, con la figura del lobo mal vestido de oveja para decir el desajuste.

«When I say that we visit other planets for a time, I do not mean that we inhabit bodies there, as does the original life stock of those planets. We go simply as thought forms, to learn the laws of the universe and understand the immutability of the Law of One."» — el dictado acota su propia afirmación sobre las visitas: no se habitan cuerpos allí, se va solo como forma de pensamiento a aprender las leyes del universo y la inmutabilidad de lo que llama la Ley del Uno.

«These other stars present entirely different opportunities for growth than does the planet known as earth, the only one with which most of us are familiar here in this intermediate phase. We are all earth-trained souls.» — y el dictado declara el límite del saber de su propio plano: allí casi todos conocen solo el planeta tierra, porque son almas formadas en ella.

«The physical form assumed by a soul is compatible with environment, whether here, or on earth, or on other planets. Thus, what is suitable for one star often is not suitable for development on another.» — la regla que el dictado formula sobre la forma: se ajusta al ambiente, aquí, en la tierra o en otros planetas, y lo que sirve en uno no sirve en otro.

«We think of man as having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a throat, legs, arms, and trunk, but this is not the sole way that a soul will project himself as he returns to different forms to complete his spiritual growth. This is the earth form, yes, but not necessarily the one for Mars or Saturn, or any of a vast firmament of stars. We when in flesh had lungs for breathing and a pump to keep us functioning, but such a heart and lungs are not necessary on some planets. A much simpler or more complex mechanism is necessary in some planets to sustain the activity of movement and thinking and being.» — y el dictado niega que la figura humana sea la única forma en que un alma se proyecta, con el corazón y los pulmones puestos por ejemplo de mecanismo prescindible.

«Those souls who habitate other planets and stars are in various stages of development, some more primitive and some more advanced, but all are souls with the pulse of God within and the light of His love. Each has a responsibility for growth and correction of previous faults of the spirit to amend before he will be able to resume his journey toward reunion with the Creator.» — el dictado mantiene la igualdad de origen a través de toda esa variedad: en distintos grados de desarrollo, todas son almas con el pulso de Dios dentro y con la misma responsabilidad de enmienda.

«What if one soul goes astray on the earth to such a dire degree that it could take a thousand million lifetimes to undo that wrong which he has perpetrated on fellow souls? Sometimes in order to speed up the retribution he is given an opportunity to assume a totally different form of being on a harsher planet or star. There the conditions are such that, like a freshly created soul without sin, he will be able, if he perseveres under harsh surroundings, to develop enough atonement to make up for many lifetimes of mistake in the less severe habitat we know as earth.» — y el dictado ofrece el planeta más duro como atajo de expiación para quien tardaría mil millones de vidas en reparar su daño.

«The soul who has lost hope of ever atoning for transgressions in the earth phase will volunteer to become an inhabitant of a harsher planet and to assume a guise which you of the earth would not consider human.» — con la consecuencia que él mismo saca: quien ha perdido la esperanza de expiar se ofrece a habitar un planeta más áspero y a tomar una figura que en la tierra no se tendría por humana.

«Again there are planets where souls exist only in the thought plane as true spirit, without physical bodies. Sometimes these are on a far higher plane of development than the souls we meet on earth in bodily form.» — y el dictado consigna planetas donde las almas existen solo en el plano del pensamiento, a veces en grado más alto que las que se encuentran encarnadas en la tierra. El tramo cruza a la plana 129.

«Former earth beings who elect to go on to higher stages are as carefully schooled as if that soul were entering a monastery in the physical plane. They learn to project themselves through vibration into spheres they have sometimes not previously explored, and in this sense they become travelers not just in astral bodies, where they sometimes are seen by sensitive people in the physical realm, but also to other planets, as we have remarked earlier.» — el dictado compara con un noviciado la preparación de los que ascienden, y les atribuye viaje por vibración en cuerpo astral y a otros planetas.

«This travel contributes much to their knowledge of universal laws, and when they are in the fourth or fifth stages they may often be seen simultaneously in several planets at the same time, for the soul in higher consciousness is able to project its image simultaneously in many directions.» — y añade una capacidad que atribuye a los estados cuarto y quinto: ser vistos a la vez en varios planetas, porque la consciencia superior proyecta su imagen en muchas direcciones.

«Now let's talk about the ultimate on this side of the veil, the highest perfection, when souls at last meld with God in perfect union. Obviously we here are yet to experience that bliss,» — el dictado plantea el término del camino —la fusión con Dios— y declara en el acto no haberlo experimentado.

«but there is a teaching here that when souls near that final perfection they once again review not only their past lives but every thought and concept and idea which has touched them, or they it, since the beginning of the life of all of us. This is during the sixth plane.» — y lo que dice a continuación lo da como enseñanza recibida y no como vista: cerca de la perfección final se revisa no solo las vidas pasadas sino cada pensamiento e idea desde el comienzo, en el sexto plano.

«They finally decide that no stone remains unturned that they have not repaid in some manner or thought or way, and that they therefore have atoned for misdeeds and are ready to join God. There is no conceit in this decision but a totally accurate assessment of life since the beginning. They then are drawn into the oneness of God in perfect peace. This is hearsay, of course,» — el dictado describe esa decisión como medida exacta y sin vanidad, y acto seguido llama de oídas a todo el pasaje, porque quienes llegan no vuelven a contarlo.

«After such a sublime discussion of oneness with God, it seemed ridiculous to ask about flying saucers, but I knew that if I did not do so, my readers would ask me.» — Montgomery consigna por qué hace la pregunta siguiente pese a parecerle fuera de lugar: porque sus lectores se la harían.

«Ford, always agreeable, replied, "Yes, there are flying saucers and they do originate in the thoughts of those on other planets, but the physical manifestations which earth people seem to think they have touched or visited do not exist. They are not solids in the earthly sense, but transmissions of light and sound which appear as real as if they were made of steel. They are visible under certain conditions and have sometimes scorched the earth when venturing too near, but they are not available for entry by human beings in the earth plane." And that was that!» — la respuesta del dictado sobre los platillos voladores, que afirma y niega a la vez: los hay y nacen del pensamiento de otros planetas, pero no son sólidos ni se puede entrar en ellos, sino transmisiones de luz y sonido; el remate es de Montgomery.

«on the surfaces of these planets much as you in the physical state walk on earth, except that our beta bodies have no weight and no embodiments of flesh. We are rather more like ideas, and since we see other souls of like covering there, we could be said to mingle with them, but only as ideas.» — la voz describe el andar por esos planetas con el término que el Glossary define: cuerpos beta sin peso, más parecidos a ideas, que se mezclan con otros solo como ideas. El tramo arranca después del corte de plana.

«Time has no meaning on this plane where I am now, because we realize that we are forever, without beginning or ending. Thus, time is nonexistent here, whereas in the earth phase the necessity of time is obvious to regulate sleep and awakening, birth and so-called death, and the orderly procession of one's workaday appointments."» — el dictado abre el capítulo de las profecías negando el tiempo en su plano y concediéndoselo al terreno, donde lo declara necesario para regular el sueño, el nacer, el morir y las citas.

«We see a much longer spectrum of time from this side of the veil than do you, but by no means do we see from the beginning to the end of life. We are no more infallible here than there, except for broader vision and deeper awareness of the purpose of God's plan.» — y la reserva con que el libro enmarca todo lo que sigue: desde allí se ve un espectro de tiempo más largo, pero no de principio a fin, y no son más infalibles que los vivos.

«When we are born into the physical state, we are reduced to the pinpoint of so-called time and see no further ahead than the nursing or feeding, which is all that we need to know while a baby in arms. This pinpoint ever so gradually extends as babyhood becomes childhood, and on through the cycles of life there. At first time seems to drag as a child views the vast extension until some happy or dread event occurs, such as a party or the opening of school. To him it is a long time in relation to the span of physical life that he has lived to that point. But as we approach old age, time flees so rapidly that a year seems as a day to the little child. This is in proportion to the time spent in the physical body."» — la explicación que el dictado da de que el tiempo se acelere con la edad: desde el punto del recién nacido el intervalo se mide contra lo vivido, y por eso al viejo un año le parece un día. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«I was so intrigued by his assertion that on his plane souls see "a longer spectrum of time" that I asked if he could prophesy some coming events. He had already indicated that the lost continent of Atlantis would become visible during the next decade and that our active participation in Vietnam was drawing rapidly toward a close.» — Montgomery consigna por qué pide profecías y las dos que ya tenía: la Atlántida visible en la década siguiente y el fin cercano de la participación de su país en aquella guerra.

«A year before President Kennedy's assassination, Fletcher told me during a sitting that Jack would be killed in a moving conveyance while away from the White House.» — y ofrece como aval del pronóstico un acierto anterior atribuido a Fletcher por boca de Ford en trance, un año antes del magnicidio.

«A week before the 1964 election, on October 28, during a sitting in Philadelphia, Fletcher introduced the late Harold Ickes, who had been FDR's Secretary of the Interior, and said, "Ickes predicts that the Goldwater electoral vote will be a minimum of forty-three and a maximum of fifty-two." The Goldwater electoral vote turned out to be fifty-two.» — el segundo aval, fechado y con cifras: una predicción electoral dada en sesión y el resultado que Montgomery declara coincidente.

«Therefore, for what they are worth, I now disclose the predictions that Arthur Ford himself has made to me since passing to the next stage of life (because all are direct quotes, I will omit the quotation marks):» — Montgomery introduce la lista con una reserva propia —lo que valgan— y declara una convención tipográfica: como todo son citas directas, omite las comillas. Es lo que hace ilegibles las voces en esta sección si no se dice.

«Next year's election will return the Republicans to power, as they deserve to be, for the Democrats are split into a dozen warring factions and stand for nothing except to be against everything that Nixon tries to bring about. (I asked if this was definite or if conditions could change between now and the 1972 elections, and he replied) Nixon is a shoo-in. Bound to win.» — la primera predicción política de la serie, dada por el dictado en presente y con juicio de parte sobre los partidos.

«We see Ted Kennedy as an active Presidential candidate but not successful at least for the next five years. Beyond that, events can be affected by what occurs between now and then.» — y el dictado acota su propia profecía con una cláusula que repite: lo que pase después puede alterarse por lo que ocurra entretanto.

«Jordan will not much longer remain a separate nation. It will be gobbled up by Israel and Syria. A pity! A good king, Hussein.» — la predicción sobre aquel país, con el lamento y el elogio al monarca que el libro imprime.

«Egypt will find itself a different form of government within the next ten years and will greatly profit by the changeover to a more monolithic form, but with greater freedom. This will come about when a strong man with good heart and head steps forward to assume power.» — y la predicción sobre otro país de la región, ligada a la aparición de un hombre fuerte de buen corazón.

«France will continue to be France—ups and downs and Gallic tears. England remains strong but never reasserts her supremacy.» — las dos predicciones europeas más breves de la serie, una de continuidad y otra de fuerza sin primacía. El tramo cruza a la plana 132.

«Vietnam? America will gradually withdraw from the arena of fighting, but the bloodshed will continue for a long time yet, without peace or sanity. When peace returns to Southeast Asia, the men who made up our fighting forces there will come home to severe unemployment and will not be able to adjust to the ways of the marketplace. They will need help with their problems, and the best way is through schools which teach psychological adjustment. America ought to begin planning now for work programs with veteran preferential to soak up the restlessness that will otherwise result. They aren't going to want to study as much as the World War II and Korean vets. These are activists, and they want to plunge right into careers or work.» — la predicción sobre la guerra y sobre lo que seguiría a ella, con una recomendación práctica: programas de trabajo con preferencia para los veteranos, que —dice— querrán menos estudiar que los de guerras anteriores. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«Europe will not go Communist, and the Communist world will coexist with the so-called free for a long time to come. The hedonistic society of the Communist world will turn more and more toward God, because of these scientific mysteries (the psychic) which will more and more attract the attention of Soviet physicists and natural scientists. As they turn toward God, their minds and hearts will be opened and progress will be exceedingly rapid.» — la predicción sobre el bloque del este, que el dictado hace depender de un giro religioso provocado por el interés de sus físicos en los misterios que el libro llama psíquicos.

«But the yellow and white races are going to be at each other's throats during the next decade, and what a pity, for all of us who have had many lifetimes in the flesh have been members of both races, and many more. The truth is that there is no such thing as race or color, but simply different souls which spring from the same source, God.» — el dictado anuncia enfrentamiento entre razas y en la misma frase niega que la raza exista, apoyándose en que todos han sido de varias en muchas vidas.

«The time will come after this century when lusts and hates are to be laid aside and peace for a long time shall reign on earth, but you will not live to see it in physical body.» — y la promesa de paz duradera, que el dictado sitúa después de aquel siglo y declara fuera del alcance de la vida física de la autora.

«Japan will rise to supremacy in the commercial mart and will boom the marketplaces with her cleverly designed wares but will not make trouble in a warlike way again in the foreseeable future, for the rest of the century.» — la predicción comercial sobre aquel país, con la reserva de que no volvería a dar guerra en lo que quedaba del siglo.

«Arab-Israeli problems are acute and will have to be settled at the conference table before fighting gets out of hand, for that would set the civilized world back tens of thousands of years—the fratricidal slaying which takes us back to Cain and Abel. for a long time there will be disharmony in the Mideast, until at last Israel faces up to the terrible truth that it is not always right and others always wrong.» — la predicción sobre el conflicto de la región, donde el dictado pide un arreglo en la mesa de conferencias y hace una crítica que enuncia como condición del arreglo.

«They have been termed the Chosen People, but are they more chosen than those who themselves choose God? Israel is not what might be called a God-fearing nation in many respects today. The outward signs of worship, yes, but some of its leaders have turned away from God and will not always be victorious.» — y el dictado objeta el título de pueblo elegido con una pregunta y no con una tesis, distinguiendo los signos externos de culto de la conducta de algunos dirigentes.

«It would be ridiculous to say that the Mideast crisis will pass until the hearts of men are uplifted. The smoldering fire remains until man himself alters his consciousness and overcomes hatred and greed. This present crisis will not, however, lead to violent confrontation by the entire world. No world war, but a continuing thorn in the flesh.» — el dictado condiciona el fin de la crisis a un cambio de consciencia y a la vez descarta que lleve a una guerra mundial.

«A cancer cure? A start has already been made during the past year, and within the next seven years we will see a major breakthrough in finding that virus is part of the trigger but that man's attitudes and emotions play a vital part in the production of wild cells which are termed cancerous.» — la predicción médica de la serie, con su contenido doctrinal dentro: el virus como parte del disparador y las actitudes y emociones con papel decisivo en las células.

«Weather changes? Steadily increasing smog and contamination which automatically change weather by smokescreening earth from sun and moon. Hotter where it is hot and colder where it is cold, until the last decade of this century, when a major shift of the axis occurs and weather will be so drastically altered that it will be» — la predicción climática y catastrófica de la serie: contaminación creciente y, en la última década del siglo, un desplazamiento mayor del eje con muertes, mares revueltos y climas invertidos. El tramo cruza a la plana 134. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«Will this shift be better or worse for the earth and its inhabitants? Six of one, half a dozen of the other. After the first frightened reaction, some people will settle down to their old pursuits, scheming how to capitalize to their own advantage on the cataclysmic event, while others will try to assuage the hardship of those who are adversely affected. The doers and the takers!» — y el dictado rehúsa calificar de buena o mala esa catástrofe, repartiendo a la gente en los que aprovechan y los que alivian.

«If this is bound to happen, why should we bother to try to correct environmental problems and worry about ecology? Why not be learning lessons now which will be invaluable for the future? Avoid repeating the same mistakes, and meanwhile hundreds of millions of people are breathing stale air and putrid fumes. What of the newborn babies, those returning souls who through no fault of their own find the air almost too contaminated to sustain life already?» — la objeción que el propio dictado se plantea —si va a ocurrir, para qué cuidar el ambiente— y la responde con las almas que vuelven y hallan el aire ya irrespirable.

«Will California and Manhattan go into the sea before the end of the century? This eruption is overdue and will occur not too long hence, as Edgar Cayce predicted. Mexico will not be severely affected, except for the beach areas. The San Andreas fault in California is the first danger area, as it breaks apart and the land sinks into the sea. Manhattan somewhat later, as a sort of counter shift.» — la predicción geológica de la serie, apoyada en lo que el dictado dice que había predicho aquel vidente, con la falla de California primero y la isla después.

«The peace for which man strives will elude him until shortly after the turn of the century, when peace suddenly stills the guns of war. This peace will not be because of a single man but because a race of pacifists who are being born in increasing numbers will suddenly gain sufficient control of the governments of the world to demand an end» — la última predicción del capítulo, donde el dictado atribuye la paz venidera no a un hombre sino a una raza de pacifistas que nacen en número creciente, y los identifica con almas que sufrieron en una guerra antigua. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«And on that more cheerful note, Arthur Ford ended his predictions.» — y Montgomery cierra el capítulo con una línea suya, que es la manera en que el libro devuelve la palabra a la narradora.

«ALL of the material for this book was received during a fourmonth period beginning January 4, 1971, and concluding on May 7.» — el Epilogue fecha el periodo entero de recepción: cuatro meses que empiezan el 4 de enero de 1971 y acaban el 7 de mayo. La capa de texto une aquí *four-month* por el guion de fin de renglón, y así lo devuelve la extracción.

«At one of the final typing sessions I asked Arthur Ford if he would still be available at least until the book was published to answer queries, and he replied, "Won't be too far away, and Lily will be able to find me for you. Don't worry. We've always been on tap for each other, and I'm not going anyplace. Just working in a different sphere."» — Montgomery consigna su propia previsión editorial —preguntar si seguiría disponible hasta la publicación— y la respuesta del dictado, que se declara localizable por la otra voz.

«At our last session in May, Arthur wrote, "The task is about finished, and we are pleased with it and your faithfulness. I will now move on to other duties. Nor will Lily always be on hand, but if you wish to receive at this hour [8:30 A.M.] you will be protected by some of the group, and when you need Lily he will be here if the matter is urgent. We ask that before attempting the automatic writing you meditate and, as always, ask for protection, but we will not insist that you keep this up every morning. You need a rest now. Be a good girl, Ruth, and live according to that which we have written for this book. Love from all of us: Art, Lily, and the group. Go with God, amen."» — la despedida del dictado, firmada por los tres nombres que el libro reparte entre las voces, con la instrucción de meditar y pedir protección antes de escribir y el permiso de no hacerlo cada mañana.

«The sadness of another parting! But not the desolate ache that I had experienced at news of his passing, for now I knew that he was joyously engaged in work that he loved in higher realms of consciousness. We would meet again, and mean-while I too had work to do.» — y la reacción de Montgomery a esa despedida, distinta de la del primer duelo: tristeza sin el dolor desolado de entonces, porque dice saberlo ocupado en reinos superiores.

«The assignment that I am now completing has been an extraordinarily pleasant one. I had begun the manuscript in my usual manner, writing chapters in rough draft and then polishing before putting them into final form. But it soon became apparent that Arthur Ford's prose required so little editing that I wrote the remainder of the book on white bond paper, with inserted carbons.» — Montgomery describe aquí su propio trabajo de escritura y el cambio de método que dice haberle impuesto el material: empezó con borrador y pulido, y acabó escribiendo en limpio porque la prosa recibida pedía poca edición.

«As Lily had done in providing his material for A Search for the Truth, Arthur typed single-spaced on yellow paper, without punctuation or capitalization, but each sentence was perfectly formed. All that I omitted were apparently repetitious thoughts and messages of a purely personal nature having to do with myself or my family.» — la descripción material de lo recibido y lo único que ella declara haber omitido: papel amarillo a un espacio, sin puntuación ni mayúsculas pero con las frases bien formadas, y fuera lo repetitivo y lo personal.

«Because spelling is not one of my strong points, I wasted considerable time checking questionable spelling in Webster's Dictionary. Invariably Arthur was right and I was wrong.» — y la prueba de estilo que Montgomery ofrece sobre el origen del texto: comprobaba en el diccionario la ortografía dudosa y el dictado acertaba siempre.

«He sometimes used the word "torpor," and I thought that he must have meant "stupor," but on checking I found that he had selected precisely the word that best expressed his» — con los tres ejemplos de vocabulario que da como argumento, uno de los cuales cruza a la plana 136, y el juicio con que cierra: la personalidad de Ford asomaba en cada plana. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«I would like to thank the many thousands of readers of my previous psychic books who have written to me concerning them. To spare others like trouble in writing, perhaps I should answer, in this remaining space, the questions most frequently asked.» — Montgomery declara la función de la última parte del Epilogue: responder por escrito a las preguntas que más le hacen los lectores de sus libros anteriores.

«"Can automatic writing be dangerous?" The answer is yes. Unless a person is well-balanced mentally and physically, he should not open a door through which mischievous or malevolent spirits can enter.» — la primera de esas preguntas, con la única respuesta del volumen que admite peligro en su propio procedimiento: quien no esté equilibrado de mente y cuerpo no debe abrir esa puerta.

«As Arthur Ford wrote about a woman during a session in early April, "She is in no danger so long as she remains Christ-centered and lets her unconscious mind obey instructions from the guardian, or conscious mind. If she follows direction from the mind that ordinarily directs one's actions in that plane, she will come to no harm;» — y la cita con que lo apoya, de una sesión de principios de abril: la seguridad estaría en permanecer centrado en Cristo y en que el inconsciente obedezca al guardián o mente consciente.

«but the moment that she begins to give free rein to the subconscious mind, she is in for trouble, for this is the mind where the memory bank is stored, and when it takes over as predominant it becomes a jumble of forgotten memories stored away in caves of the being, which should not all be unleashed at one time.» — el reverso, en el mismo dictado: dar rienda suelta al subconsciente, donde está el banco de memoria, lo vuelve una maraña de recuerdos olvidados que no conviene soltar de golpe.

«The poor woman may seem to be possessed by demons; for as Jesus cast forth demons from mad men beside the Sea of Galilee, He was actually reestablishing control of the conscious over the subconscious mind.» — y el dictado lee en esa clave los exorcismos evangélicos: Jesús habría restablecido el dominio de lo consciente sobre lo subconsciente.

«Let this be a warning to those in the physical body who ignore warnings about safety valves and time controls and other brakes to the free rein of the subconscious. They are unleashing all the nightmares of Pandora's box when they permit the subconscious to become the dominant mental state."» — el aviso con que cierra el pasaje, con la figura de la caja de Pandora para lo que se suelta al dejar dominante al subconsciente.

«If you are intent on trying your hand at automatic writing, I strongly urge that you observe all the safety precautions I enumerated in A Search for the Truth and now repeat: Be sure that your intent is to seek spiritual growth, not frivolous amusement. Do not attempt it unless you are also meditating regularly each day for spiritual guidance. Always pray for protection before beginning automatic» — las precauciones que Montgomery enumera por su cuenta para quien quiera intentarlo: propósito de crecimiento y no diversión, meditación diaria, oración de protección, no más de quince minutos, hora fija y abandono inmediato si entran entidades malas o lenguaje soez. El tramo cruza a la plana 137. El tramo se corta antes del fin buscado, en el cambio de plana o en el límite de troceo.

«"Can you recommend a reliable medium, astrologist, or person who gives Cayce-type readings about past lives?" No, I am not sufficiently acquainted with professional psychics and cannot assume the responsibility of a recommendation.» — la negativa que Montgomery da a la pregunta más frecuente sobre profesionales, y la razón que da: no los conoce bastante para asumir la responsabilidad.

«"How can I safely develop my own psychic abilities or my awareness of past lives?" There are two nonprofit organizations which have study groups in various cities throughout the United States and Canada. These can be joined free or virtually without cost. Write to Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (the group which Arthur Ford helped found) at 800 Custer Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60202, or to the Association for Research and Enlightenment, P.O. Box 595, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451, for information about joining or starting a group in your area. There is safety in numbers, even if only two or three meditate together. Both organizations have excellent psychic libraries, and members can borrow books from them by mail.» — y las dos organizaciones que sí recomienda, con sus direcciones postales, una de ellas la que el libro dice que Ford ayudó a fundar; añade que hay seguridad en el número, aunque sean dos o tres meditando juntos. Tramo largo releído entero en el crudo.

«"Can you ask a question for me of your guides?" No. Lily has made plain that this is not their mission, and Arthur Ford has now gone on to other duties.» — la negativa con que Montgomery cierra el trato: dice que esa no es la misión de las voces y que la de Ford ha pasado a otros deberes.

«It is up to each of us to develop our own spiritual qualities through meditation, prayer, and the extension of a helping hand. No one else can forge the path for us. We must each find the way. And let us remember that the hardships and challenges of our lives help us to grow strong. We cannot always hope to have the wind at our backs.» — y la última línea del Epilogue, que es de ella y no del dictado: cada cual ha de forjar su camino, y las dificultades ayudan a fortalecerse.

«Alpha body: The physical one. Ashram: A habitat of yogis in the Orient, where psychic instruction is given to devotees.» — el Glossary abre con dos entradas y la primera fija el par de términos que el libro usa para los cuerpos: el alfa es el físico. Se ficha por muestra razonada, no entrada por entrada.

«Aum or Om: A spiritual chant used before meditation, which from the beginning of recorded history has been uttered in similar form by all races. The word "aum" represents God, and our word "amen" is thought to be a derivative of "aum."» — la entrada del canto que el dictado manda usar al meditar, con la afirmación de que todas las razas lo han pronunciado en forma parecida desde el comienzo de la historia y de que el amén derivaría de él.

«Automatic writing: The production of written messages, seemingly without the conscious thought of a living person, by means of a typewriter or a pencil held lightly on a piece of paper.» — la entrada que define el procedimiento del volumen entero, con el *seemingly* dentro: mensajes escritos producidos al parecer sin el pensamiento consciente de una persona viva.

«Beta body: The astral form which is said to surround the physical one and to be assumed at death.» — la entrada que completa el par de cuerpos, otra vez con la reserva del libro incorporada en el *said to be*.

«Good Book: The Bible, which is replete with psychic experiences such as visions, discourse with the dead, prophecy, spiritual healing, discerning spirits, automatic writing, and extrasensory perception.» — la entrada que da el nombre con que el dictado llama a la Biblia y la presenta como repleta de experiencias psíquicas, incluida la escritura automática; es el modo en que el volumen se inscribe en esa tradición.

«Karma: The law of cause and effect—the Biblical "eye for an eye," meaning that what we do to others will be done to us.» — la definición de karma que el libro usa a lo largo del volumen, igualada con la fórmula bíblica del ojo por ojo.

«Mantram: The Sanskrit name for the one or more syllables intoned at the beginning of meditation. Each person is said to have a different mantram which represents his unique vibration with the Universal One.» — la entrada del mantram, con la doctrina de la vibración propia dentro: se dice que cada persona tiene uno que representa su vibración única con el Uno Universal.

«Medium: A psychic person through whom communication is apparently made between the living and dead.» — la definición de médium, con el *apparently* que el libro mantiene incluso en su propio glosario.

«Reincarnation: The belief that each soul returns again and again to physical body in order to atone for past errors and seek perfection.» — la entrada de la reencarnación, que el libro define expresamente como creencia y no como hecho, aunque el dictado la trate como hecho a lo largo del volumen.

«Reincarnation is not to be confused with transmigration of souls into animal forms, a belief held by some Eastern sects.» — y la distinción que el Glossary añade en la plana siguiente: no se ha de confundir con la transmigración a formas animales, que atribuye a algunas sectas orientales.

«Séance or Sitting: A gathering of people to seek communication with the spirit world through a medium.» — la entrada que define con el vocabulario heredado la escena de la que el libro se aparta en la práctica pero cuyo término conserva.

«Spirit Control: A discarnate (like Fletcher) who seemingly relays messages from souls beyond the grave to living people through a medium.» — la entrada del control, que el Glossary ejemplifica con el nombre que el volumen usa para el intermediario de Ford y mantiene el *seemingly*.

«Spirit Guide: A di scarnate who seems to write or speak through a living person.» — la entrada del guía espiritual, que es la que corresponde a las dos voces dictantes del libro; el troceo parte la palabra en dos y así la devuelve la extracción.

«Trance: A state in which the conscious mind rests while another entity presumably takes over.» — y la última entrada del volumen, con el *presumably* que resume la reserva del libro sobre su propio procedimiento: un estado en que la mente consciente descansa mientras otra entidad se hace cargo.

«themselves in this spirit life and in future incarnations.» — el remate del capítulo, en voz de Ford: las consecuencias de usar la fuerza y la ira en vez del amor caen sobre la vida de espíritu y sobre las encarnaciones futuras. La plana 64 trae solo este renglón, que continúa la frase de la 63.

«A WORLD BEYOND A STARTLING MESSAGE FROM THE EMINENT PSYCHIC ARTHUR FORD FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE by Ruth Montgomery Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc., New York» — la portada entera, que es aparato editorial y a la vez el pasaje donde el volumen se anuncia como mensaje de un difunto: título, subtítulo, la autora con el *by* y el pie de imprenta.

«Twelfth Impression ISBN: 698-10404-8 Copyright © 1971 by Ruth Montgomery All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. Published on the same day in Canada by Longman Canada Limited, Toronto. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 77-154779 Printed in the United States of America» — la página de derechos: la mención de duodécima impresión y el ISBN, el copyright de 1971 a nombre de Montgomery, la reserva de derechos, la edición canadiense simultánea de Longman Canada Limited y el número de catálogo de la Library of Congress. El año de esta impresión no se imprime.

«CONTENTS Foreword I Arthur Ford Lives II The Arthur Ford Saga III Thoughts Are Things IV Heavenly Computers V Temple of Wisdom VI What Happens After Death VII Specific Cases VIII Storyteller Extraordinary IX Reports on Famous People X Proper Preparation XI Conquer Those Bad Habits XII Between Earth Lives XIII Examples of Reincarnation XIV Higher Planes and Other Planets XV Prophecy Epilogue Glossary» — el índice, que da la estructura declarada del volumen: Foreword, quince capítulos numerados en romanos y titulados, Epilogue y Glossary.

Ocultismo (occultisme) — El volumen usa la palabra tres veces y siempre desde fuera, como rótulo ajeno: la familia de Montgomery respira tranquila porque «Ruth had abandoned the occult»; el interés de Ford por lo oculto continúa cuando ya es ministro de tiempo completo; y el dictado lo exime de culpa por los desequilibrados, que «through no fault of the occult» se descomponen. Nunca es autodescripción del libro.

Imaginación (phantasia) — Es el término técnico de la disputa que el volumen sostiene consigo mismo, y aparece tres veces en las tres posiciones: Montgomery atestigua que lo recibido no es producto de su imaginación ni de su conocimiento consciente; el ateo del caso toma por fantasías de su imaginación a los que lo asisten; y el incrédulo endurecido los tiene por figuraciones de la suya. La misma palabra sirve para la reserva de la autora y para el error que el dictado atribuye a otros.