The fifth sphere; plastic art and painting

‘And now on to the fifth sphere, André.’
Rapidly Alcar moved on.
Then came the moment in which a golden gleam lit them up, just as he had experienced on his previous journey and he had been stopped from going on.
Now he was allowed to continue!
‘Oh, Alcar, how wonderful all this is!
Is this your sphere, Alcar?’
‘Correct, my sphere; there you will see art as you never beheld before.’
He felt the marvellous radiance, the love of the fifth sphere, and this made him feel happy.
How many times had he not seen the spheres changing?
Each time he had seen light of greater beauty, and people becoming younger in years.
Everything changed, as he ascended.
Man kept on pursuing his course and became transformed.
If the people on earth were allowed to cast a glimpse into all this sanctity, thousands would instantly begin to live a different life!
‘They will cast a view into the hereafter, André; you will tell them about it on earth.’
Yes, although they didn’t amount to thousands, he had still reached many and convinced them of a life that continued forever.
He had received many letters; they all thanked Alcar for everything he had given them.
This made him feel happy.
He would face anything to achieve that.
There was one letter in particular that meant more to him than anything on earth.
An old lady had passed on with his book in her hands.
The last words she had apparently read were about Summerland.
That’s how they had found her.
Wasn’t it marvellous to be able to help mankind in this way?
When he had returned to earth to explain these wonderful conditions to man, it would make even more people rejoice.
It was a mercy and a great fortune to be permitted to know this.
Meanwhile they travelled on.
Beneath them lay Alcar’s sphere.
Nature was glorious; a golden haze covered everything.
He saw beautiful temples and buildings, and again he felt that there was even more beauty here than in the sphere of the children.
It was a beautiful scenery of nature which he perceived.
Alcar told him that they had reached the spot he had intended.
‘This is where we stay, my son; we will enter one of the temples.’
The temples had been built skyhigh.
He saw cathedrals which couldn’t be accomplished on earth because the feeling of a master builder on earth had not been developed to such a high degree.
They were made out of stone of different colours and had been erected in various styles; all the buildings spread a stupendous light such as he had never yet seen in any sphere.
The walls consisted of spiritual matter and he knew that it was alive, through which it radiated light.
In the distance he saw an enormous building, erected on a mountain.
Hundreds of towers decorated the entire object, and he was unable to perceive the highest part.
Was this the work of man?
Could people accomplish this?
It was incredible.
Yet it must be true, there was no other way.
Man lived in all this beauty.
God gave him all this happiness if life attuned to God.
‘How can man attune himself to such a high level, Alcar, I see no end, how is this possible?’
‘It’s just how life feels.
This is their attunement of life, and there’s no end to life.
Their art and also the love they cherish are in keeping with the way their feeling finds attunement.
These temples and buildings find attunement and are connected to the sixth sphere.’
André understood.
What he had seen in the first and the second sphere and all other conditions now showed up again in Alcar’s own sphere.
That’s how buildings and temples had reached that height, but that higher attunement wasn’t visible to the inhabitants, as they didn’t bear that love within.
Everything was love, this was the possession.
Everything was great and sacred in this sphere, he couldn’t find the words to express it.
‘All this is awesome, André, but it can’t be compared to the things you will behold in the sixth sphere.
The life of those who dwell there will be full of even greater and brighter happiness when everything has changed into a spiritual condition.
These buildings contain the arts of sculpture and painting.
The sixth sphere is the musical sphere; that is where you will go with my master.
Come, we will enter.’
The temple was decorated all around with flowers; without flowers of the spheres, life here was not possible.
How overwhelming this beauty was.
Here he dwelt in the fifth sphere and yet there were even higher attunements they wanted to show him.
How great the happiness is of those who dwell here.
How great their love is, how beautiful their radiance.
Very soon, he too would get to know these attunements.
‘God is Life’ it said at the entrance in golden letters.
Those who entered had to attune to life and link up in humility.
There was nothing he would do more gladly, and deep within he begged for the strength to be allowed to experience all this too.
When he entered the building he felt very moved.
What progress these beings had made in art!
Was there any end to this?
Again he saw the fountain, more beautiful than in all the other spheres he had been allowed to perceive.
From the very first spiritual sphere onward, there had been love, wisdom and strength wherever there was life; existence was impossible otherwise.
He saw righteousness.
The fountain was the inner attunement in the spirit for all of them.
But God’s house contained many mansions; there was room here for every living soul from the earth.
He saw beings everywhere and wherever he looked, everything expressed love.
All the highly attuned souls, men and women, were together here.
Here he saw twin brothers and sisters, and twin-souls too.
They were one and linked up in all eternity.
A lot of spirits were busy on an enormous task.
A younger being was in charge of all of them, he sensed this clearly.
The object represented various sculptural groups, it was a magnificent expression of creative power.
André heard his leader say that the sculpture represented life.
Below, on the footing, he saw the mother giving birth to a young life.
This was surrounded by various other depictions, and all this had to do with her life on earth.
It was a condition of life of man on earth, all this had once been experienced.
The mother – expressed in art – was about to leave the earth, which he clearly sensed, and she would return to eternal life.
It was hewn in stone; the spirit was withdrawing from the physical body, just as he had been allowed to perceive with his aunt and many others.
How was it possible to create all this?
This was art, felt with such depth, that only those who sensed themselves that they were alive, were capable of this.
Life was expressed here through art; man saw himself reflected in it; it was his life.
He saw battle, grief and sorrow in various representations spread around an ensemble, and all this denoted life.
He was filled with deep awe.
The beauty of this art was moving.
Other groupings represented all man’s character traits, from animal-like up to spiritual life.
The master who led them all would have to possess deep and sacred feeling.
The creative power in man!
A master from the sixth sphere was in charge here; there were even some amongst them who dwelt in the seventh sphere.
He saw that the women had a different task here than on earth.
Supported by their love, the ultimate was attained.
Man as the creator, woman as the serving power.
Both were one, twin-souls forever.
Happy due to their love, their oneness.
If ever life were to be shown to him on the side beyond, it would be in this condition.
If art was at issue, then this was art of the highest degree.
There were no words to describe this.
André saw angels everywhere, who had arrived as spectators because their presence was required.
Their powers were also needed here; their love helped to accomplish this too.
This was possible only because they were united in love.
The entire work was one symphony in colours.
Every part radiated light in the colour it possessed.
Then he saw that where clay was used on earth, here a material was applied, which just as the other distributed light.
How strange, he thought, everything is alive here.
He would have liked to take some of it in his hands to see more clearly what kind of substance this was and how it could give off light.
He looked at his leader who made him understand that he could safely touch it.
André thought it would be heavy but to his amazement it didn’t weigh anything.
Again he was faced with a problem.
And yet it served to depict beautiful themes which were later on hewn in stone.
On earth the wind would scatter this material in all directions; nothing would be left of it all.
The sculpture would dissolve and wouldn’t have a chance to exist.
‘How is this possible, Alcar, it doesn’t weigh anything, and yet such beautiful sculptures are made out of it.’
‘This can be explained in a few words.
Spiritual substance, my son, because life possesses the gravity that matches its feeling and with which it has the same attunement.
The spheres get more rarefied and man changes.
Likewise, art and all other substances of life will radiate light, just as everything lives and feels.’
André understood; the spheres became more rarefied and everything changed into a higher attunement.
‘In the first sphere’, he heard in addition, ‘matter will have the same gravity as on earth, but in a spiritual attunement.
I already explained all this to you in the dark areas; there too I let you feel matter; but now you will have an even better understanding of everything.’
André was holding matter from the fifth sphere in his hands; in the sixth, everything would be even more beautiful and weigh even less.
He played with the substance in his hands and suddenly got a terrible shock.
What was he in for now, what was this?
Petrified, he looked at the substance; it had lost its colour and its radiance.
How could this occur so suddenly?
What was happening to him?
Who had changed this substance?
Its glowing colours had vanished; it was now enveloped in a soft blue haze.
The other substance he had taken it from, spread its light, but this had lost its power.
What kind of truth lay hidden behind here?
All these questions flashed through his mind.
He had put himself in a spot and didn’t know what to do.
Intuitive he felt that he had passed into an unfamiliar condition.
But which one?
He looked around and wanted to ask his leader about this, but Alcar was no longer with him.
Everything he experienced now was puzzling.
Oh, if only he could ask someone about this; he was still standing there with the substance in his hands.
He was overcome by an anxious feeling.
How stupid of him; it was his thirst for knowledge that had brought him into this predicament.
Suddenly an angel stepped up to him and said: ‘May I explain this to you, André, brother from the earth?’
He thought he was about to shrink into nothingness.
An angel was talking to him, but he didn’t dare look it in the face.
Did they know him on this side, in the fifth sphere?
‘Look at me’, the being said.
‘Everything will become clear to you when I tell you who I am.’
André raised his eyes and looked at the heavenly being.
By God, he thought, how beautiful, how pure this human being is!
How great must her inner life be?
A woman, dressed in a heavenly garment, was standing in front of him.
He shivered and trembled, dazed with happiness that he was being addressed; what he had longed for so much on his previous journey, was now coming true.
He was still holding the spiritual matter in his hands and he looked at her.
‘The substance in your hands distributes light inasmuch as you yourself feel and possess light.’
He was startled; he understood that he had received a lesson in life.
The substance had accepted his own attunement; he had linked up with the life within this sphere; life radiated his own power, the love he possessed.
Every word lashed through his soul.
He felt and understood every thought.
This was what he had wanted; now he had to accept it.
The substance had taken on his power of feeling, which made him understand that many years still lay ahead before he would be allowed to enter this sphere.
Life in this sphere was reflected in his own life; on earth it was impossible to link up in this way, this was only possible in the spirit.
They had given him a mild, yet clear lesson, because he had wanted this himself.
After all, why should he be so inquisitive?
He wanted to know everything!
Now he understood why he hadn’t seen his leader.
He didn’t want to give him this lesson, another spirit from his sphere had revealed all this to him.
Alcar was like a father to him, who took care of his child, and he always made him aware of it.
This time he had received quite a few lessons at once, and he understood even more, how beautiful and sacred life was.
The angel put her beautiful hands on the substance that he had kneaded into a ball and he instantly saw the substance change.
Her radiance, her power of love passed onto the substance; it radiated her light, now that she was connected with the substance.
The miracle had come about!
He carefully put it back where he had taken it away.
Everything lived in the Spheres of Happiness, their love lay in the material.
Now a splendid feeling of tranquillity flowed through him; it was the feeling of the being that was standing there before him.
His head bent, deeply saddened by what he had done, he begged God to forgive him.
Slowly his strength and his confidence returned, and he looked up at the being who regarded him with a smile.
Love flowed through him, a holy fire began to glow inside of him.
Like a lotus, shrouded in a haze of blue, the being looked at him and said: ‘Experience is life, André.
By living life it will awaken and receive the truth.
It will bring on happiness but also battle, grief and sorrow.
But don’t let it be a struggle to you, and continue on your way by experiencing life as God wills it to be.
It surprises you that I know you.
A few words will suffice to solve this for you too.
He who is leading you, who lets you experience all this, who returned to earth to help and support mankind and wants to convince people of everlasting life, who lets them feel his love, who does and wills everything to see them happy, who is nothing but love, he, André, is my twin-soul.’
Tears of happiness welled up in his eyes, now that he was allowed to get to know Alcar’s love.
There before him stood Alcar’s twin-soul.
Oh, how mighty everything was, and how great this event!
Angel of light, he thought - he could utter no words - I thank God for this sacred moment in which I was permitted to get acquainted with you.
The spirit caught his words and said: ‘Give thanks to God, André, I will also keep on thanking Him and I pray that we will one day be united forever.
Work on earth, André, live to do our work; I follow Alcar in everything and will keep on remembering both of you in my prayers.
He is my soul and my life; we are one and will remain one forever because it is God’s will.
One day he will return and then his task and yours on earth will be accomplished, the very reason why the masters sent him there.
Therefore know that I will follow you both wherever you may be.
Him I will strengthen with my love, so that he will be able to give all he has, in order to accomplish many things through you and in that way you will be helping me.
We will both serve him in a spirit of love; in return he will give you wisdom in the spirit and it will make others happy.’
Again two angel eyes regarded him; a world of love irradiated him.
André couldn’t speak, yet he wanted her to sense what he felt.
‘I thank you’, the being said to him, ‘thank you, André.
It will no longer appear strange to you that I know you.
I once dwelt on earth, and it was there that I got to know you.
He brought me to you, but that was a long time ago.’
A deep silence came over him, and in that silence he heard life; he saw it, it was inside of him, and his soul overflowed with spiritual happiness.
He suddenly felt his leader beside him.
Alcar put his arm around his shoulder, looked at him and a love like hers flowed into him.
Spirits of love, attuned beings, twin-souls, angels in the spirit, those were the beings he was now connected with!
Here lived, could his leader live, but he worked in the darkness of the earth to help mankind and make them happy.
Alcar was his true self here, with her, his eternal possession.
André could no longer think; his own conscious life lay a long distance away from him.
Now he heard a soft singing, accompanied by an orchestra.
On a bench, surrounded by flowers and all the other forms of life, his leader sat down with her; he seated himself next to them and was linked up with them, drawn into their lives.
The singing increased in splendour, and in this sacred sphere worked the masters.
He thought of the moment in which his life on earth would begin again.
How difficult it would be for him now, to have to live there.
Here he received love, here he felt nothing but gentleness and understanding, here everything was harmony, happiness, eternal bliss.
It was becoming almost impossible for him to have to live there.
They could keep everything the earth possessed; he longed most of all to die there; they could even flog him to death if necessary.
But was that courageous and grateful?
Didn’t this clash with everything God stood for and all the things he had been given?
Was this the way to show gratitude and to follow the one who let him experience all this?
He already regretted his thoughts; oh well, he was still a mere human being, within him was selfishness.
He was thinking of himself, not of his leader’s task, whose will it was to help others.
No, he shouldn’t think like that, he wanted and would defy everything; he would receive a lot, no matter how difficult it would be for him on earth.
Angels were singing together.
He only saw twin-souls, attuned beings.
Sisters and brothers in the spirit.
He didn’t dare descend into their great and mighty happiness, and it wasn’t possible for him either to sense everything.
He had missed a lot that was happening here due to his wrong way of thinking and feeling.
Now he heard the singing even more clearly; it put him into a different condition.
Peace and happiness returned, he was linked up again.
There before him, the masters were working, art was achieved by art.
The highest was linked up by the highest, love with love, feelings melted together.
The masters kept on working; they were never disturbed.
Only now did he feel that the spiritual product would soon be finished.
Everyone witnessed its completion, it required everyone, because the power of every being would be put into it.
Boosted up in feeling, linked by art and love, the perfection in this sphere was created.
What they accomplished was brought to life by heavenly melodies.
It spread that glow, it lived by virtue of their sacred feeling, their oneness with all of life.
Masters in music and song inspired the masters in plastic arts to imbue it with their sacred feeling and achieve the ultimate.
It was accomplished, it came about because they were angels in the spirit.
Here he felt how great a woman could be in love, how mighty her love was for the creative power, which meant twin-love.
It was mighty; he didn’t dare breathe.
The masters opened up their souls; a different kind of art descended into them, through art they felt their Father, their God, and they thanked Him for everything.
Their love for their Father was inherent in their art, their prayers had merged with it, the entire work radiated their love; it was the light of the Father.
The singing he heard resembled what he had heard during his previous journey, when two angels were consecrated who were to be admitted to the sixth sphere.
Everything merged here, everything was one and revealed happiness.
They asked God for the power to irradiate this creation with His holy Love.
He sensed the entire representation even more clearly than before.
The mother lived, the child she had born lived and all lives were one.
In the life after earthly death, art came about and developed through prayer.
They were granted power by linking up with God, and even here they linked up with higher conditions because they wanted to, because all were one in a spirit of love, and their powers and prayers united.
This was the end, the masters had accomplished it; they had carved a symphony of life out of stone.
How great their happiness was, they were masters of Love.
André gathered all his strength to be able to hold his ground.
But the feeling of happiness was too overwhelming, it dazed him; he felt himself being upheld by loving hands; God descended into him, love caressed him, smiled at him just as his own child had.
He sat there, huddled up, but was unable to realize what he perceived.
He still heard the singing and the music, and beside him his leader’s twin-soul was sitting, which made a beaming sun light up within and all around him, so that he felt as if he were returning again.
He perceived whilst he fluctuated between two worlds; one of these was his own attunement and the other was the sphere in which he now lived.
Once again he prayed to be allowed to hold on so that he might witness the end of this great event.
The singing had stopped now; in this short moment the masters had completed the sculpture; an enormous work of art had been born.
The end was marked by washing down the sculpture, which also marked its baptism to receive God’s holy Dedication, obtained by singing and music.
A child of the spheres was born; it was received with love.
Light, carried by the masters, was presented to this life.
The sculpture was hundreds of yards high, beautiful in style, and radiant with love.
It was life, it was God Himself.
All the beings now gathered and sent up their prayers of thanksgiving to the Father for the beauty they had received.
Again they sang and he heard mighty chords, and souls merged.
It was heavenly what he now perceived.
A soft voice came to him that said: ‘Be strong, André, I helped you just now to experience all this; also now you will feel my powers.’
André knew who was speaking to him; it was the voice from the dark areas.
Ubronus, nobody else but Ubronus, he thought, has helped me.
‘Oh, good spirit, how must I thank you for everything?’
‘We know what you wish for; we will help you in all things.’
The voice was gentle; it was also full of love.
The events surpassed each other in greatness; he was tired with happiness; all this heavenly happiness had to be digested.
A fresh power flowed through him; he lived by another power, he sensed their mighty life.
Alcar was in his own sphere and couldn’t help him, even higher powers were needed here.
He thanked Ubronus fervently for his help.
Without his powers he would not have been able to hold out.
The angels had finished their prayers.
Many of them left, others came to behold the Divine work of art.
What was art on earth compared to this?
Did masters in the spirit exist on earth?
It wasn’t possible.
Now he understood his leader’s words, that he wasn’t a master and never had been.
One day it would be shown and explained to every artist of the earth.
On this side, in the life after their earthly death, all people of the earth would experience it, when they had reached this height.
Only then would they accept, before that this wasn’t possible.
A lot had been shown and made clear to him, and all this made him get to know and appreciate life after death.
Alcar made him feel that they would go on.
The end of his journey hadn’t been reached yet.
He was to experience other conditions.
He saw how Alcar bade his twin-soul farewell, but they would see each other again; separation didn’t exist for them.
The angel came up to André, took his hands in hers but didn’t say a word.
Two eyes looked at him, a sea of love held him captive.
She parted from him and an intense feeling of happiness descended unto him.
‘Farewell’, he caught, ‘may God’s blessing rest upon your work.’
Alcar preceded him, he followed his leader, his great brother, in his footsteps; other conditions were awaiting him.
Yet her glow and her light remained in his soul.
André saw still more artists, who were busy depicting other scenes.
Alcar said to him: ‘I will now show you some more sculptures, and afterwards you will be able to admire the art of painting.
But first look at this sculpture, it’s a mighty work of art by one of my brothers.
It represents the cycle of the soul and it’s carved out of stone.’
Again he saw the mother and her child, followed by the transition into this world, the first and the second sphere, the third and the highest sphere, where the artist lived who had accomplished this.
He saw an enormous globe on top of the sculpture, but he didn’t understand what it meant.
He looked through it and thought he perceived a sphere of less density.
The answer came to him as a gentle yet distinct feeling.
‘The mental regions, André.
This is where life passes into, and then on into another, the fourth mentality.’
This work of art was magnificent and it constituted a mighty complex.
He couldn’t find the words, it was all too great for his understanding.
The sculpture held him captive for a long time; finally he was able to free himself and he felt his own smallness.
Alcar went on, further and further through the spiritual studio.
There was no end to it; he could go on walking here for days on end.
All kinds of human conditions, expressed in art, were arranged left and right.
‘We will now go on to the art of painting, the building is linked up to this one; it’s one unit.
But we won’t stay here for long.’
He followed his leader, who showed him lots of spiritual treasures.
Finally they got to the place where Alcar wanted to be.
What would he be shown this time?
This building was open too, just like all the others he had seen until now.
Lots of angels were busy on a work of art.
They worked like on earth, but here other colours were known, and here perfection was achieved.
They surpassed each other in beauty, great in design and deeply sensitive.
He saw a gathering of fantastic colour shades, which its creator had applied in harmony and tranquillity.
He saw colours which encompassed all the hues, as in the stone which he had just perceived.
It was all remarkable, it couldn’t possibly be compared with the earth, he couldn’t find the words for it.
Here they tried to paint life, and they succeeded in full.
Everything was alive and radiated light because the artist sensed life.
Here he saw how great man could be in art; after all, this stood for spiritual attunement.
Miracles were performed here; they were letting him experience nothing but miracles on this journey.
It enabled him to get to know and to love the life of the spirit.
A thousand times he felt that urge creep up on him; he felt such gratitude that he would have liked to tell everyone who lived here.
‘We’ll stay here for a little while, my son.
Look, there in front of you, a rare image of the spheres, there, in-between those columns.’
André sat down beside his leader.
There, ahead of him, he saw an extraordinary beautiful landscape.
Tranquillity, deep tranquillity.
It was a panorama of such beauty and sanctity that it seemed to him as if he were dreaming.
He saw birds and many other beings, and everything was covered with a golden glow.
He saw a nature such as he had never seen before.
How quiet it was there, it seemed to him like a holy spot; nowhere had he sensed such tranquillity.
The angels he perceived were sunk in deep prayer.
He didn’t want to disturb them and thought of something else, but the image held him captive; he couldn’t tear himself away from it.
Who lived there must feel overjoyed.
Was it a higher sphere he perceived?
Was it a place where man would be more capable of reaching his God?
He wouldn’t be allowed to enter there, he sensed that in everything.
But how great the peace would be that descended unto him.
How long had they already been praying to their Father amidst all the life that surrounded them.
The birds alighted next to man, and they too prayed to life.
He felt himself becoming enchanted by this fabulously beautiful and sacred land.
Was his leader showing him a vision?
No, because there it lay, full of peace and happiness.
Alcar looked at him and asked: ‘Would you like to dwell there, André?’
André didn’t dare say anything, neither a yes nor a no passed his lips.
Alcar smiled.
‘You can safely say so, it is possible.’
‘Wouldn’t I be creating a disturbance, Alcar?’
‘If you want to approach our life with love, in simplicity and humility, then everything will be given to you.
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’, as our Master Jesus Christ once said.
With that image in mind, God will grant you the power which will allow you to experience everything in the life of the spirit.’
‘I gladly would, Alcar; I want to and will do everything to avoid any disturbance.’
‘Come on then, we will descend; you will also experience this.’
André was full of joy to be allowed to dwell in that place too.
‘You go on ahead, I will follow you.
There, down those stairs.’
André hurried down the steps; his leader followed him.
Suddenly he was unable to go on.
It was a painted canvas, a work of art by one of the masters!
He was deeply touched by this miracle of human capability.
This was natural, here he saw perfection.
‘Created by a master from the sixth sphere, my son.
Nothing can be improved nor can anything be added to this.
Now this is art as I sensed it on earth yet wasn’t able to achieve, and all the others along with me felt the same kind of shortcoming, we lacked this spiritual feeling.
We sensed perfection on behalf of the earth, but were unable to accomplish it.
This piece of art is thousands of years old; the master dwells in the mental regions and won’t return here.
This is man-made, but from a man, who dedicated his gift to the Divine.
What is left to explain to you?
This is the most sacred we possess.’
Again André sat down and he looked at this miracle for a long time.
Temples and other buildings, flowers and plants, man and animal were one.
The scene was Divine.
‘Absorb all this thoroughly, André, and tell them on earth what you were permitted to receive and admire on this side.
Now we will continue, the final conditions are awaiting you.
To my own dwelling.’