As we near 12/21/12, we may get attacks of “what if?” What if Ascension does not happen on 12/21/12? What if Ascension is not sudden but gradual?
We don’t know for certain whether Ascension will take place on that date or another, suddenly or gradually.
We do have the assurances of a large number of sources that it will but we have no certain evidence of our own to refer to.
For my part I’m meeting “what if” with “as if.” I’m going forward acting “as if” Ascension will occur on that date, not knowing for sure whether it will or not.
No matter how many higher beings say it will happen on 12/21/12, the divide in opinion between the sudden and the gradual school, the advocates of Dec. 21 and of other dates, or of no date, remains.
If I’m wrong and Ascension does not happen on Dec. 21, it’ll be quite painful, to be sure. But there’s nothing that can be done but wait to find out what will happen.
To lend support to the notion of sudden Ascension, let me offer several instances of it from the spirit side of life.
The first is the ascension of “Dr. G” as recorded by T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia) in his Postmortem Journal. Remember that Ascension means the leaving of one plane and entry into another. It is not the leaving of one subplane of a plane and the entry into another subplane of the same plane. On the spirit planes up to now, it has seen the traveller leave, say, the astral body and find him or herself in the mental body.
Dr. G. is sensing that his time for transitioning is drawing near and tells Lawrence:
“‘The timelessness of our life,’ he said, ‘misleads us into thinking that there is no longer any period to our happiness. We have no lengthening shadow of old age to put a natural limit to our activities and so, when we are happy and easy, we think it can continue indefinitely.
“‘But I know there are natural periods in our time here and that I am approaching one of them. I could perhaps disregard the intimations and stay on here [in the Astral Plane], but, if I did so, I should be perverting the pattern. So you see, even this paradise may not be enjoyed for too long lest it thwart one’s proper growth. …
“‘I am growing old in this [astral] body and shall soon be done with it. Then I shall go on to explore this wonderful universe on another level [i.e., the Mental Plane].’” (1)
As Dr. G. spoke, “the illumination of his wise spirit made a glory around him and was more convincing than many words.” (2) Lawrence adds: “I had heard about this second death and transition to the next sphere…. Now it seems that I may be privileged to watch it happening to another.” (3) In fact Lawrence does watch it.
Lawrence describes the sudden Ascension of Dr. G. from the Astral Plane to the Mental Plane (or from the Fourth to the Fifth Dimension):
“The end came suddenly. I called on him and was told that he was sleeping. We stood around and watched his still form and the light which waxed and waned there. In a breathtaking second the change came. The light gathered itself together and burnt itself to a keen thought of light so intense and inward that we gasped and turned aside. Then it had gone and only a wraith of our friend remained which shrank away and disappeared as we watched.
“We sat speechless, absorbed in the beauty and meaning of the transition. It was long before anyone broke the silence and then one said: ‘I have heard that some time is needed for a spirit to get used to the new conditions, just as we needed time to adjust when we first came here, so we must not expect our friend to come to us yet. I suggest that when an interval has elapsed we should meet here again and wait and hope for his coming.’ We agreed to do this and went off full of thought to our various occupations.” (4)
Later Dr. G. descended to pay Lawrence and his friends a visit. Lawrence describes it:
“Dr. G. has kept his promise to come to us but he appeared when we were least expecting him. Some few of us were sitting quietly talking when his voice suddenly took up the parable and as we looked up, startled, we saw the outlines of a form which speedily filled in and took substance and there he was among us again.
“He brought with him an exalted air and we felt his presence as a spiritual baptism, a stream of pure joy absorbed hungrily by our thirsty beings. Light and happiness glowed up in us too with the pleasure of heightened being. He stayed only a short while … and left us again.” (5)
Here is a second presumed instance of Ascension. Frances Banks tells of the ascent of a young evolved spirit named Jeannie, who was escorted by an angel from the Astral to a much higher plane. At first the angel simply visited Jeannie.
“’The Angel … came when I was resting. … You know, I think He was my Angel. I seemed to have known Him before.’” (6)
Then he came again and took her to a higher plane.
“[Jeannie] left us very quietly. One moment she was there, laughing, dancing, chattering amongst us all. Then we became aware of a Being standing beyond the shade of the trees; a Man of Light, tall, graceful with the beautiful limbs of a dancer. He stood in the Light and he held out his hand.
“’Come, Jeannie,’ he said. She ran to him immediately. Then she turned. Her little face was transfigured with joy.
“’It’s the Messenger,’ she cried. ‘Isn’t it wonderful! Wonderful.’
“She waved to us all. ‘Thank you for what you have done for me. Thank you for helping me get well. Now I shall really dance. You will come to the Beautiful Place to see me sometime, won’t you? Won’t you?’ She put her hand with perfect trust into the hand of the Messenger. ‘Goodbye.’
“’Farewell for a space,’ we called back.
“Together the two walked down the long sunlit slopes and the Light of the Messenger seemed even brighter than the Light shimmering over our gardens. Then they were gone … and I, for one, felt that we had given back a ray of sunshine to the Great Creative Sun.” (7)
We don’t know for sure that the angel escorted Jeannie to a higher plane rather than a subplane, but, in afterlife histories, the intercession of an angel usually means that an Ascension from one plane to another is occurring. Angels don’t attend to escort a spirit from the Middle Summerlands, for instance, to the Higher Summerlands, both being on the Astral Plane. Usually an ascent from the Astral Plane to the Mental Plane is also unescorted. An angelic escort usually comes to escort someone from the Astral, say, to the Causal, Buddhic, or Nirvanic Plane, or higher.
(To be concluded in Part 2.)
Footnotes
(1) T.E. Lawrence through Jane Sherwood, medium, Post-Mortem Journal. Communications from T.E. Lawrence. London: Spearman, 1964, 76.
(2) Loc. cit.
(3) Ibid., 77.
(4) Ibid., 78-9.
(5) Ibid., 83.
(6) Frances Banks, Helen Graves, Testimony of Light. London: Churches Fellowship for Psychical & Spiritual Studies, 1975; c1969, 95.
(7) Ibid., 95-6.