STEPHEN LAMPE The Christian and Reincarnation

(The author has drawn his knowledge from !n the Light of Truth" The #rail Message $% A$d&ru&shin'

CHAPTER 6
THE LAWS GOVERNING CREATION AND REINCARNATION The Divine Laws are true friends in everything, they are helpful blessings from the Will of God, Who this opens the paths to salvation for everyone who strives towards it. There is not a single other road to this than the one clearly shown by the Laws of God in Creation! The whole of Creation. is the Language of God, which you should earnestly strive to read, and which is by no means as difficult as you may thin . ("In The Light of Truth: The Grail Message," Composite Edition, p. 20 !

Creation is maintained through God s La!s The "asis for understanding rein#arnation, and indeed all life and e$isten#e, is the %no&ledge of the 'i(ine La&s of Creation, &hi#h are manifestations of the )ill of God. The 'i(ine La&s ma* also "e #alled the La&s of Life and the* in#orporate the La&s of +ature. The Ten Commandments are, of #ourse, in full a##ord &ith these la&s. The La&s of Creation ha(e al&a*s e$isted and &ill al&a*s e$ist, hen#e the* are #alled Eternal La&s. The* do not #hange, #annot "e su"(erted or #ir#um(ented "* the ri#h, the po&erful, or the #le(er. The* appl* e-uall* to all, regardless of #ir#umstan#es or "eliefs. .nd the* operate not onl* on earth "ut also in the "e*ond and, indeed, throughout Creation. The effe#ts of these La&s are the same on those &ho %no& them as on those &ho are ignorant of them. Ignoran#e is no e$#use/ 0or a deeper appre#iation of the nature of these La&s, let us #ontrast them &ith the la&s that men ma%e. 1e#ular la&s, or the la&s of man (ar* from so#iet* to so#iet*. The La&s of Creation are the same e(er*&here. 1e#ular la&s ma* "e #hanged at &ill, &hat &as

perfe#tl* legal *esterda* ma* "e#ome a #riminal a#t toda*, and (i#e (ersa. The La&s that are the manifestations of the )ill of the .lmight* are immuta"le, the* ha(e al&a*s "een and &ill e(er remain the same. 2uman la&s are diffi#ult to understand. Therefore, &e often depend, for their interpretation, on la&*ers &ho ha(e de(oted *ears of stud* to se#ular la&s. .nd e(en la&*ers do not al&a*s agree on the interpretation of a gi(en la&. In #ontrast, the Eternal La&s are simple, #lear, and eas* to understand. +o s#hooling, in the ordinar* sense of the &ord, is re-uired. In fa#t, the* are hinted at in the pro(er"s of all #ultures. Moreo(er, human la&s do not al&a*s promote 3usti#e. Indeed, -uite often the* ar# e$ploited "* la&*ers to set free people &ho ha(e a#tuall* #ommitted #rimes. In #ontrast, the La&s of Creation ensure that, at all times, 4usti#e, Lo(e, and 5urit* are simultaneousl* upheld. 6nli%e the large num"er of la&s men ma%e for themsel(es, the Eternal La&s, the La&s of Creation are rather fe&. 0or our purpose, the* ma* "e dis#ussed as three interrelated and #omplementar* La&s. The La! o" So!ing and Rea#ing 7ne of these La&s is the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping 9popularl* e$pressed as &hate(er &e so&, &e are o"liged to reap. This La& is des#ri"ed "* (arious other e$pressions su#h as: the La& of :arma, the La& of 1eed and 2ar(est, the La& of Cause and Effe#t, the La& of 8e#ipro#al .#tion, and the La& of 8etri"uti(e 4usti#e. It is a La& that must "e familiar to all Christians, for it is indi#ated in a num"er of ;i"le passages in#luding the follo&ing: !s " have seen, those who plough ini#uity, and sow trouble, reap the same. (4o"<:=!. $or they sow the winshall reap thed, and they whirlwind. (0losea =:>!. $or no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. (Lu%e ?:<@!. Do not be deceived% God is not moc ed, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians ?:>!.

)e %no& that if &e so& maiAe, &e #an onl* reap maiAe, and if &e &ant to har(est &heat, &e must so& &heat. This La& ensures the maintenan#e of order and perfe#t 3usti#e in Creation. Imagine &hat #onfusion and "e&ilderment &ould result if &e #ould not "e #ertain &hat the har(est &ould "e &hene(er &e planted an* seed, if at one time, a planting of maiAe ga(e us &heat, at another time the same planting ga(e us mango et#. ;e#ause of this La&, &e %no& &hat har(estB to e$pe#t &ith ea#h planting, and &hat &e must plant if &e desire a parti#ular har(est. E(er* effe#t has a #ause, and e(er* #ause must result in an effe#t. It is important for us to note that this La& is no respe#ter of religions. Indeed, this is true for all the La&s of Creation as &ell as the Ten Commandments. If a Christian so&s maiAe, he &ill reap maiAe, so also &ill a 4e&, a Moslem, a ;uddhist, or a pagan. If a pagan so&s goodness, he is "ound to reap goodness, so &ill a ;ishop, a 2indu mon%, or a Moslem Imam. Indeed, the Creator in 2is perfe#t 4usti#e, #annot "e e$pe#ted to dis#riminate on an* "asis in the operation of 2is La&s. This (ie&point has ample support in the ;i"le. 5eter, the 'is#iple, on#e de#lared: "Trul* I per#ei(e that God sho&s no partialit*, "ut in every nation any one &ho fears 2im and does &hat is right is a##epta"le to 2im." (.#ts 0: @< 9 @C, itali#s mine! The .postle 5aul made a similar point in se(eral of his letters (see, for e$ample, 8omans 2: D9 , Ephesians ?: C9D, Colossians @:2C!.

This fa#t should lead us to the realiAation that religions are onl* a means to an end, and not ends in themsel(es. If our religion helps us to understand thoroughl* the )ill of the .lmight* and sho&s us ho& to do this )ill, then it has pla*ed its part. ;ut &e &ould "e &rong to imagine that mem"ership of an* religion or se#t &ould guarantee sal(ation. In this regard, &e re#all &hat the Lord 4esus Christ said: &ot every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the ingdom of heaven% but he who does the Will of 'y $ather who is in heaven. (Matthe& >:2 !

Let us learn a "it more a"out this La&, &hi#h holds the %e* to so man* unsol(ed pro"lems. Christians &ill, of #ourse, understand that "so&ing" is not limited to its ordinar* agri#ultural sense. )e "so&" through our thoughts, our &ords, our (olitions, as &ell as our a#tions. This implies that &e all are #onstantl* so&ing, "e it onl* in our thin%ing and in our general attitude to life. If our thoughts are al&a*s good, &e reap har(ests of "lessings, if they are e(il, then &e heap e(ils on oursel(es. .s &e shift gear "et&een good and e(il, so do the har(ests #hange. )e %no& that -uite often menBs a#tions are different from their thin%ing and their (olition. . man ma* "e smiling at *ou and sa*ing ni#e &ords to *ou &hile planning to harm *ou, his (olition is in #onfli#t &ith his &ords and a#tions. . man ma%es a donation to the #hur#h e(en though he does not share the ideals and the o"3e#ti(es of the #hur#h. 2e simpl* &ants the pu"li#it* or see%s fa(our from mem"ers of the #hur#h. In all su#h #ases, the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping ensures that the har(ests are &eighed #arefull* to refle#t not onl* the a#tions "ut also the related thoughts and (olitions. Most human "eings #annot read other peopleBs thoughts nor fathom their real (olitions. .nd so, the* #annot "e good 3udges in the sense of the Eternal La&s. 2en#e &e must heed the follo&ing admonition: "4udge not, that *ou "e not 3udged. 0or &ith the 3udgment *ou pronoun#e *ou &ill "e 3udged, and the measure *ou gi(e &ill "e the measure *ou get." (Matthe& >: 9 2! This is not onl* another statement of the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping, "ut it also tou#hes on the fa#t that &e la#% the a"ilit* to 3udge aright. 0or e(en &hen &e o"ser(e the a#tion and hear the &ords, &e ma* not %no& the moti(es. .nother aspe#t of the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping, &hi#h &e must note, is that one planted seed *ields, at har(est, man* seeds. The har(est is of the same %ind (-ualit* or spe#ies! as &hat &as so&n "ut its -uantit* is mu#h greater. Thus our a#tions, good or "ad, return to us multiplied. The in#rease is the result of another La& 9 the La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies or the La& of Li%e .ttra#ts Li%e, &hi#h is dis#ussed later in this #hapter.

Moreo(er, &e should note that the period "et&een so&ing and reaping depends on &hat is so&n. 1ome grain #rops are read* for har(ests four months after planting, &hereas some tree #rops do not Eield an9 har(ests until after man* *ears. Indeed, &e plant some trees %no&ing full &ell that the* &ill not "e read* for har(esting in our ,lifetime. E(en for the same #rop, the period re-uired for maturit* ma* (ar* a##ording to (ariet*. 0or e$ample, traditional (arieties of #o&peas, also #alled "eans, a food legume that is highl* relished in )est .fri#a, northeast ;raAil, and southern 6nited 1tates, mature in a"out 00 da*s. Modern (arieties of the same #rop are read* for har(esting in a"out ?0 da*s after planting. 1u#h differen#es in the periods to maturit* also appl* to the a#tions, thoughts, &ords, pra*ers, and (olitions of :men. Thus, &e #an understand &h* a person doing e(il no&, &ill reap the #onse-uen#es onl* in the future, near or distant. 1imilarl*, the good fruits of the good man &ho ma* no& "e suffering, &ill surel* #ome. 0urthermore, the good that ma* #urrentl* "e falling on the laps of a "ad man must "e the good he did in the past. .nd the "ad ,e$perien#es of the person &ho is presentl* stri(ing to do good are the #onse-uen#es of some &rong done in the past, &hi#h are onl* no& read* for har(esting. The perfe#t 4usti#e of the .lmight* does not permit an* ar"itrariness. E(er*"od* reaps onl* &hat he or she has personall* so&n and no"od* reaps &hat he or she has not so&n. There appear to "e in3usti#es in some #ases onl* "e#ause of our o&n ignoran#e. . %e* aspe#t of this ignoran#e is our la#% of the %no&ledge of, or deli"erate "ut unfortunate re3e#tion of, rein#arnation. The truth is that some fruits &e no& reap, &hether the* are good or "ad, &ere planted in some distant past, in pre(ious .earth9li(es. 7n the other hand, some "seeds" &e are no& so&ing ma* not "e read* for har(est until a distant future, in the "e*ond or in another earth9life. "'o not "e de#ei(ed, God is not mo#%ed, for &hate(er a man so&eth that shall he also reap." The Creator grants us the free &ill to de#ide &hat &e ma* or ma* not so&. ;ut on#e &e ha(e done the so&ing, &e are o"liged irre(o#a"l* to "eat the har(est". It does not matter &ho &e are. Man* persons &ho ha(e some %no&ledge of the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping readil*, and &ithout an* diffi#ult*, asso#iate it &ith 'i(ine 4usti#e. ;ut relati(el* fe& realiAe that in this La& also lies 'i(ine Lo(e. Consider a man &ho so&s a good seed. The La&

guarantees that at har(est he re#ei(es fruits of the same %ind, and this #an "e per#ei(ed as 4usti#e. 2o&e(er, the effe#t of the La& is not onl* on -ualit* or %ind, "ut also on -uantit*. 2e &ho so&s, for e$ample, one seed of maiAe, ma* reap t&o #o"s of maiAe #ontaining hundreds of seeds. Is it not Lo(e, &hen for one good seed, the 'i(ine )ill ensures a return of man* good seedsF Let us also note that 'i(ine Lo(e #onsiders onl* &hat is of "enefit to us spiritually. .nd &hat #arries spiritual "enefits ma* sometimes "e -uite un#omforta"le or painful to us. Indeed, man must redefine lo(e in his relationships &ith fello& human "eings in terms of &hat &ill "enefit them spirituall*. In this #onne#tion, it ma* "e remar%ed that some human a#tions and attitudes that appear to demonstrate lo(e are unhelpful and &rong &hen (ie&ed from a spiritual perspe#ti(e. The "itter fruits of the "ad seeds &e so&ed are spirituall* helpful reminders of the fa#t that &e stra*ed from the &a* ordained "* the Creator. .n* ad(ersit*, pain or suffering should "e seen as #ues, hints of the need to ree$amine our understanding of the La&s of the Creator and ho& &e stand in relation to them. 1u#h ree$aminations, if done in genuine humilit*, are "ound to help us to gro& spirituall*. .s &e learn the right lessons and ma%e ne#essar* ad3ustments so that &e so& onl* s&eet seeds, the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping assures us of "ountiful har(ests of s&eet fruits, at the appropriate time. .nd this, surel*, is Lo(e. Therefore, &e see that the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping is a &a* "* &hi#h God sho&s 2is Lo(e, &hile at the same time ensuring 2is 4usti#e. 0or 'i(ine 4usti#e and 'i(ine Lo(e #annot "e separated, the* are one. God does not infli#t suffering and traged* on people. 5eople "ring them a"out purel* "* themsel(es, and "* a pro#ess through &hi#h the* #ould also ensure a"undan#e, happiness and "liss for themsel(es. It is the &or%ing out of this La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping, the La& of 8e#ipro#al .#tion, that ensures "(engean#e" and "re#ompense". .nd this #larifies the deep meaning of the ;i"li#al passage: "Gengean#e is mine, and re#ompense."('euteronom*@2:@C! Attitude to the Su""ering Let us, right a&a*, raise and ans&er a -uestion that ma* &ell arise at this point in the minds of &ell9meaning Christians: does it follo& from all these that &e do not ha(e to

&orr* a"out suffering people sin#e the* are themsel(es responsi"le for their sufferingF That is, ma* &e maintain that the* are onl* reaping &hat the* so&ed in this earth9life or in an earlier one and do not therefore deser(e our helpF The Law of (owing )and *eaping should suggest the opposite to us. The La& sho&s #learl* the need to do good at all times, for &hate(er good &e do and to &home(er &e do it, "e it an e(il man or a good man, &e stand to reap the good fruits. In realit*, an* good &e do, &e do for oursel(es, sin#e the fruits return to us as multiples of the seeds &e planted. )hene(er &e see some"od* suffering, &e should #onsider oursel(es as ha(ing an opportunit* to so& good seeds. )e should not #on#ern oursel(es &ith the #ause of the personBs suffering, &e should not 3udge. Moreo(er, &e should %no& that if a sufferer does not deser(e help, no"od* &ho is in a position to help &ill #ome into #onta#t &ith him or her. .nd ho& do &e %no& that our relationships in former earth9li(es are not su#h that &e o&e the parti#ular suffering person a de"t that &e must pa* through offering help at that pointF .nother -uestion that a Christian might as% has to do &ith forgi(eness. 0or Christians, and indeed e(er* human "eing, the issue of forgi(eness is so important that a separate Chapter is de(oted to it. The Chapter follo&s our dis#ussion of t&o more 'i(ine La&s. ;efore &e #onsider other La&s of Creation, &e must mention one important #hara#teristi# of the human spirit. It is the 0ree )ill. It is an insepara"le part of the spirit and thus e(er* human "eing ma*, for e$ample, #hoose &hat to so&. ;ut ha(ing made the #hoi#e, he or she is #ompelled to reap the fruits. . man holding a loaded gun, has the 0ree )ill to de#ide &hether or not to turn the gun on another person. If he does so, he is still free to de#ide &hether or not to pull the trigger. 7n#e he pulls the trigger, he has no #ontrol o(er &hat happens to his (i#tim. .s &e do not pi#ture man &ithout a head, so there #an "e no human "eing &ithout 0ree )ill. The La! o" Attra$tion o" Homogeneous S#e$ies "Li%e al&a*s attra#ts li%e" is a La& of Creation. This La& is %no&n (ariousl* as the La& of .ttra#tion of 2omogeneous 1pe#ies, the La& of 2omogeneit*, or the La& of 1imilar 1pe#ies. The pro(er" ";irds of a feather flo#% together" hints at this La&. 1o also does the sa*ing "1ho& me *our friends and I &ill tell *ou &ho *ou are."

4ust as "irds of the same feather flo#% together, so do fishes of the same %ind. The* #ongregate and mo(e together in large groups #alled shoals or s#hools. This grouping has man* ad(antages for them. 0or e$ample, fishes in s#hools find food more readil* and are less prone to atta#% "* predators. . fish that stra*s from its s#hool e$poses itself to the ris% of "eing atta#%ed and %illed "* enem* fishes. The La& of 2omogeneit* manifests itself in the relationships among men, among animals, and e(en in the natural #ommunities of plants. Those &ho ha(e gi(en some thought to their stud* of #hemistr* see the effe#t of this La& -uite #learl* in the #oming together of identi#al mole#ules to form #ompounds, as &ell as in man* #hemi#al rea#tions. The La& of .ttra#tion of 2omogeneous 1pe#ies also ensures that if a parti#ular spe#ies is split, the split parts &ill re9unite &hen gi(en an opportunit*. It is for this reason that opposite poles of a magnet attra#t. The fa#t that unli%e poles of a magnet attra#t appears, at first, to "e a #ontradi#tion of the La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies. Let us therefore ta%e some time to refle#t on it. Consider a "ar magnet. 1uppose &e hold this magnet in su#h a &a* that the left end is the south pole and the right end the north pole. Imagine that &e then #ut the "ar magnet into t&o (the t&o parts need not "e e-ual!. )e no& ha(e t&o "ar magnets. Call the left pie#e "magnet ." and the right pie#e magnet ;". ;* #on(ention, the right end of "magnet ." is a ne& north pole, &hile the left end of "magnet ;" "e#omes a ne& south pole. ;ut remem"er that the right end of "magnet ." (the ne& north pole! and the left end of "magnet ;" (the ne& south pole! &ere one and the same point "efore &e #ut the original "ar magnet into t&o. Therefore, &hen the ne& north pole attra#ts the ne& south pole, &e are merel* &itnessing the #oming together of #losel* similar parts that &ere for#i"l* separated, ad3a#ent mole#ules that &ere separated are gi(en a #han#e to re3oin. .nd the* do so, in a##ordan#e &ith the Creation La& of "Li%e .ttra#ts Li%e". )hole spe#ies that are similar &ill attra#t. ;ut so &ill the split parts of the same spe#ies see% to reunite. Thus, the La& of .ttra#tion of 2omogeneous 1pe#ies is fundamental for e(er*thing that is stri(ing for union in Creation. ;ut &hat appears to "e attra#tion #an "e differentiated into genuine attraction &hi#h ta%es pla#e "et&een whole spe#ies that are similar, and the

desire for a union of split parts of the same definite species. The human "eing is not a &hole spe#ies "ut onl* a splitting &hi#h #arries &ithin itself the desire for union. .nd this (se$ual instin#t "eing e$#luded! e$plains the attra#tion 9 "et&een man and &oman. 2o&e(er, the thoughts, the deeds, and the (olitions of human "eings are &hole spe#ies that attra#t similar spe#ies. In general, a split spe#ies #an gi(e rise not onl* to split spe#ies "ut also to #omplete spe#ies. )hen ne$t *ou are at a gathering, o"ser(e this La& at &or%. 1mall groups form themsel(es "ased on &hat the indi(iduals ha(e in #ommon 9 "e it profession, religious or spiritual "eliefs, language, politi#al opinion, lo(e of fashion, a shared hatred et#. )e %no& that hell is the flo#%ing together of people &ho share similar &ea%nesses or e(il. This is to say that hell is not the creation of God. If men did no e(il, then there &ould "e no gathering of the e(il9minded, that is, there &ould "e no hell. S#iritua% &ua%ities Come 'irst It is understanda"le that "e#ause man is a spiritual #reature, spiritual #hara#teristi#s are for him the most important fa#tors of homogeneit*. 5erhaps as a &a* of tea#hing us this lesson, 4esus, &hen told that 2is mother and 2is "rethren &ere &aiting to see 2im, stret#hed forth 2is hand to&ard 2is dis#iples and said: "2ere are m* mother and m* "rothers/ 0or &hoe(er does the )ill of m* 0ather in hea(en, is m* "rother, and sister, and mother." (Matthe& ()" *+&,-' It is to "e e$pe#ted that superfi#ial persons and persons &ho do not ha(e an* understanding for the inner and finer -ualities &ould "e attra#ted most readil* onl* "* out&ard appearan#es su#h as s%in #olour, ph*si#al loo%s, fashion et#. The fa#t that ra#e and ethni#it* are for man* people the %e* #onsiderations in their relationships &ith others is #lear e(iden#e of the per(asi(e superfi#ialit* and immaturit* of man%ind toda*. )ith in#reasing spiritual %no&ledge, parti#ularl* the right %no&ledge of rein#arnation, the relati(e unimportan#e of a personBs ra#e and nationalit* "e#omes o"(ious. .nd one is then a"le to assess others on the "asis of their &orth as human "eings, their #hara#ter, their personal a"ilities, et#.

Chi%dren and their 'ami%ies The La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies and the La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping determine the famil*, pla#e, and other #ir#umstan#es into &hi#h one is "orn. E(er* thought, &ord or a#t gi(es rise to a "form" that has a #hara#teristi# #onsisten#*. Ea#h "form" #an "e per#ei(ed &ith the sense appropriate to it. Thus, for e$ample, thoughts #an "e "pi#%ed." .n a#t of #on#eption sends a form into #reation alerting the human spirits in the "e*ond of an opportunit* for an in#arnation on earth. 7f the man* souls in the "e*ond that might &ish to in#arnate, the one that su##eeds depends on the spiritual en(ironments of the parents, parti#ularl* of the pregnant &oman. .mong possi"le spe#ifi# fa#tors &ould "e the similarit* "et&een the (olitions, strengths, &ea%nesses, propensities, et#. of the in#oming soul and those of the prospe#ti(e mother, father, or someone &hom the mother allo&s to e$ert a strong influen#e on her around the time of in#arnation. In addition to these, an* threads of fate dating from past li(es that lin% mem"ers of the famil* to the in#oming soul, also pla* a role. In#arnation ta%es pla#e a"out the middle of pregnan#*. That is the time the in#oming soul ta%es full possession of the foetus 9 the gro&ing "od*, &hi#h it &ill use for its ne& earth9 life. To ensure that no"od* dra&s a &rong #on#lusion from this fa#t, &e should state right a&a* that it must not "e imagined that a"ortion ma* "e #ommitted &ithout spiritual reper#ussion at any time. The a#t of pro#reation is li%e in(iting the man* an$ious human spirits in the "e*ond to get read* for a #han#e to e$perien#e an earth9life, &ith all the opportunities an earth9life offers for spiritual de(elopment. Termination of a pregnan#* "efore in#arnation thus, at least, amounts to frustrating and dashing the hopes of an aspiring soul. 1u#h an a#t #annot go unpunished. It is, of #ourse, #lear that a"ortion after in#arnation has alread* ta%en pla#e is, from the standpoint of the La&s of Creation, ph*si#al murder. The solution is to a(oid #on#eption. )e should ne(er delude oursel(es into "elie(ing that an a#tion is ne#essaril* &ithout sin 3ust "e#ause earthl* la&s permit it. )e must al&a*s allo& oursel(es to "e guided "* the )ill of God as e$pressed in 2is La&s.

. no"le spirit &ill, in general, in#arnate in a famil* of no"le people, "* the La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies. .nd, (i#e (ersa. .sso#iation &ith a not9so9honoura"le person "* a pregnant &oman ma* let do&n a "ridge for the in#arnation of a so9#alled "la#% sheep. +o"ilit* spirit, and indeed spiritual #hara#teristi#s in general, are not inherited. 7nl* ph*si#al, gross material #hara#teristi#s are passed along through geneti# pro#esses. +or are geneti# pro#esses "* an* means a##idental. The La& of 1o&ing and 8eaping ensures that onl* those &ho ha(e so&n the ne#essar* seeds are in#arnated into families and pla#es &here the* are "ound to en3o* geneti# ad(antage or suffer from hereditar* handi#ap. 0or e$ample, as a gi(en disease is #on-uered in a parti#ular part of the &orld, those &hose %arma #all for that diseaseB #an onl* in#arnate in another #ountr* &here the disease has not "een &iped out. In realit*, no"od* is a (i#tim of #ir#umstan#e. It also follo&s that if &e #ould rid the earth of all diseases and the #auses of human suffering, an* souls that need to e$perien#e suffering &ould "e una"le to in#arnate on earth. 1imilarl*, if &e &ould all stri(e to "e no"le in our thoughts, &ords, aspirations, deeds and intuiti(e per#eptions, un&orth* spirits &ould find it impossi"le to in#arnate on earth. .nd there"*, the earth &ould "e#ome li%e 5aradise. The La! o" S#iritua% Gra(it) . third La& of Creation, &hi#h should help our understanding of the pro#ess of rein#arnation, is the La& of 1piritual Gra(it*.. This La& ma* "e e$plained "* referen#e to the ph*si#al la& of gra(it*, &hi#h is the form in &hi#h this Eternal La& manifests on earth. )hate(er is light, rises automati#all*, &hereas that &hi#h is hea(* falls. .t death, the spirit drops its ph*si#al #loa%, it lea(es its ph*si#al "od* "ehind. )here the spirit, &ith its innerB #loa%s, finds itself is then determined "* the La& of 1piritual Gra(it*. E(il deeds, "ad thoughts, &rong aspirations and attitudes ma%e the spirit hea(*. This hea(iness #auses it to sin%, to fall a&a* in a dire#tion opposite from that of 5aradise. That is, it retrogresses. 2o& deep it sin%s, depends on ho& mu#h it has immersed itself in &rong9doing, and therefore ho& hea(* it has "e#ome. 0ollo&ing its fall, it #ongregates

&ith other spirits that ha(e similar &ea%nesses, again, in a##ordan#e &ith the La& of the .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies. If, for e$ample, greed is one of its ma3or (i#es, it &ill get dra&n to others &ho are as greed* and these &ill infli#t greed on him #ontinuousl*. The gathering of the greed*, #onstantl* perpetrating greed on one another, there"* forms a "greed se#tion" of hell. .n* mem"er &ho, through the distasteful e$perien#e in this se#tion, "e#omes disgusted &ith greed and no longer &ishes to "e a part of it, is automati#all* mo(ed a&a* 9 again a##ording to La&. 0or, he &ould ha(e "e#ome different from that en(ironment, and the La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies ensures his separation. +o"le a#tions, thoughts, and attitudes ma%e the spirit light so that, on#e it has shed the ph*si#al "od*, it rises automati#all* to&ard 5aradise, its home. 2e rises along &ith similarl* no"le spirits from &hom he re#ei(es lo(e, and to &hom he also gi(es lo(e. Thomas .-uinas, re#ogniAed "* the 8oman Catholi# Chur#h as its foremost philosopher and theologian, in his (umma Theologiae, des#ri"es ho& departed souls rea#h their "pla#es", their immediate destinations. 2is des#ription tallies remar%a"l* &ith the La& of 1piritual Gra(it* outlined a"o(e. .-uinas sa*s that "odies ha(e a tenden#* to sin% as &ell as to rise &here"* their pla#es are determined. BThe pull from the higher &orlds ma%es itself felt through Ble(itationB, and the pull from the lo&er &orld is felt as gra(it*B, a##ording to the -ualit* of the past earthl* life. The soul then follo&s, as it &ere, the magneti# pull from that supersensi"le region to &hi#h it feels a%in, either gra(itatingB or Ble(itatingB as the #ase ma* "e". , +(umma Theologise 1uppl. ?D.2, #ited "* 8udolf 0rieling!. )e should also note that the pro#ess des#ri"ed "* Thomas .-uinas implies support for the La& of .ttra#tion of 1imilar 1pe#ies.