fra
https://glz.org/en/spiritual-world-online/issues/dirDesc?fcid=72#glz-modal
Lene, 19 September 1962
The Sleep Life of Human Beings

During the hours of rest, the human spirit is able to release themselves from the earthly body and has then various possibilities of spiritual experience. Depending on their level of development and interests, the human spirit may visit earthly regions or regions of the beyond during the hours of sleep. They may receive instruction or pursue different tasks. They may also be guided by spirits of God and find recovery and strength.

Lene: God bless you. Dear brothers and sisters, a good and undisturbed sleep is necessary for every human being. If one has slept well, one is strengthened and refreshed. During a human being’s sleep, various processes take place. I will now try to give you some explanations. One can also meditate on this – one can obtain answers to various questions during meditation.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us first consider a human being whose body is not healthy and whose thinking is not independent – a human being who is burdened by karma, expressed according to spiritual language. What happens to such a human spirit during sleep?

When this person goes to sleep and his spirit is released from the body, he will be able to enter the regions from which he came. There he can try to educate himself further, which means he himself must see to it that he is looked after and perhaps given help – perhaps…

On the other hand, one will observe the activities of such a human being. After all, he is not entirely of sound mind. But, what the spiritual world takes into consideration is whether he is of good or ill will and how he gets along with his fellow human beings. If someone is malicious as a result of their situation, they will be given entirely different guidance in spirit than someone who is kind-hearted and of good will.

A spirit who acts maliciously through his earthly body will be observed at night by a spirit of God once he has released himself from his body and only remains connected to it via the life-band or silver cord. Indeed, such a being is very often approached. A human being acting in such an evil way cannot expect any consolation in daily life from such a spirit of God whose attention he has. Rather, they remind him to be tolerant and to overcome evil. They will show him the exact borders within which his human spirit may move during the time that his body rests. He cannot move freely among human beings, perhaps causing harm here and there, nor is he allowed to be active in this way within his spiritual areas; rather, a spirit of God watches over him. They will not need to constantly stand over or beside him, but such a human spirit is under constant supervision, so to speak.

One wants to humble such a spirit who has been given the opportunity to enter a new human life in order to cast off some of his burden so that, on earth, he clears some of his debt. The spirit who now sees his sick body during sleep is not at all satisfied with it, and he is not thrilled about these restrictions either. If he has a malicious nature, he is just as dissatisfied in spirit and can cause mischief in his dissatisfaction.

However, one will prevent this by observing him closely and, if he is really malicious, will even ban him during those hours, so that nothing unjust can happen. He therefore deserves such a restricted life. And even though he has to live on earth in a sick body, he still has a much better life than if he was banned somewhere in the spiritual world as a suffering spirit.

Indeed, whilst in the human body, though he cannot act independently, he sees his fellow human beings and, on the one hand, has to accept scorn from them but, on the other hand, may also receive love and helpfulness. This should be an answer for him – that one also has to give and meet one’s fellow human beings with benevolence. However, if such a being does not put aside his maliciousness, he will be banned. Such a spirit will only be released when he is pulled back by his earthly body, that is, when the rhythm of bodily rest has been completed or when a sudden noise forcibly pulls the spirit back to the earthly body, so that spirit and body are once more united.

You may perhaps think, “Why is such a human spirit not given consolation, whereas other suffering spirits are given consolation in the spirit world?” I therefore have to tell you the following: it can happen that, every now and then during the time of his earthly life, he receives a consoling spirit of God who tries to give him consolation. However, this consolation is shared out sparingly, because one also has to earn this consolation. One expects nothing more from him than that he put aside his maliciousness.

If someone is able to do this in the course of his life, these boundaries become wider, the possibility to develop is given, and the consoling spirits stand at his service, as well as those who would like to teach him. If such a change occurs in the course of his life, his spirit teachers would like to teach him with joy. His spirit will then have become just as free as another’s.

Now, let us look at a human being who is an unbeliever, but who is nevertheless able to distinguish clearly between right and wrong and even tries to do a lot of good. They just cannot believe; they acknowledge neither God nor Christ, yet they live no worse than those who believe in God. What possibilities does such a person have during the hours of rest? How are they received?

Well, they too have the possibility of entering certain spheres. On earth, they do not possess any belief – that is, the knowledge of faith does not manage to penetrate their earthly body or come through their thinking. But, as spirit, they stand in the kingdom of God, recognizing the power and all its glory and therefore know, “I am subject to divine rule.” The spirit may feel very sad that they stand far from God, that the earthly gloss impresses them so much, and that they neither recognize nor experience the miracle of nature.

During the time of bodily rest, such a being has various possibilities. For one, they can move around the earthly realm, taking an interest in this or that, namely for things that also interest them when they are clothed in the earthly body. Then again, they can also develop an interest for things that do not penetrate the thinking of the outer human being. Thus, such a being can pursue their interests, developing themselves therein and thereby enriching their knowledge. The spirit world of God will not hinder them.

However, it is not just the earth that offers them the possibility to move around; rather, such a human spirit also has the possibility of entering into the realm of spirits, to the place where they were before incarnation. There they can talk with their peers and, depending on their interests, they visit and talk to such beings. In every sphere of ascent, there are beings who have different interests. There are those who face everything with total indifference and, despite this, they are in the same sphere. Therefore, one will seek out those with whom one can converse, and certain friendships develop in this way.

All human spirits know that they are linked to their earthly body by this life-band and will return when pulled back by the body. The stay in these spiritual spheres is, therefore, sometimes very brief. Perhaps one can just glance around the sphere and is hardly able to greet those brothers and sisters. There are, in turn, particular circumstances that can cause this: it could be insomnia – a person cannot fully disengage themselves, and the spirit is therefore pulled back again and again. However, even when a person is only lying in a certain slumber and thinks they are not asleep but just in a relaxed state, their spiritual body is still able to move around certain earthly regions.

It should be understandable for you that such a being who cannot believe as a human will not particularly experience these spiritual spheres in their splendor and beauty. Spirits of God have the task of receiving those human spirits as well. They reproach them for not having the strength to let their faith penetrate. They try to show them the way to faith by explaining how they should live and what paths they should take. They tell them about God’s plan of salvation and order. Indeed, they strongly urge these beings in the pleasant hope that it will be effective. It can also happen that, through this spiritual support, a change takes place in an individual during the course of his life and he is suddenly able to believe.

When it comes to such a success in which people were not involved – that is, the person concerned is not convinced to believe by human beings, but rather it happened spiritually in that one looked after the individual and tried to convince him – then one will give him the possibility of gaining insight into the spiritual realms in a completely different way. One is very happy about this and opens ever more doors for him. The spirit messengers will then try to establish connections to this human being. They will look after his personal life and work for him accordingly, so that he stays strong in his belief and does not lose it again.

During his time of rest, such a being will already reap a certain reward in the kingdom of God. He passes through the level of ascent from which he came, and these numerous levels of ascent, out of which beings come forth, have various places: beautiful and less beautiful ones. I would like to compare these to a village or town, where not every place is worthy of admiration. Yet, such a town or village will most certainly possess a beautiful spot where it is very pleasant to live, perhaps because one can enjoy more sunshine or a better view. Thus, there are also better places that can be occupied in the beyond.

You cannot compare the concept of space here with yours, because in the spiritual world this is not to be experienced in the way that it is with you. In the spiritual world, a being that gained merit in the manner described will be allocated a more beautiful place within their sphere.

You know that in all spheres there are different kinds of work. Wherever items are required, work has to be performed. Beyond a certain level of ascent, one can find artistic workshops everywhere.

Thus, one who has gained merit will be guided by a divine being to a better place in the sphere in which they belong, in which they are allowed to stop over. They do not overstep their borders for a long time yet – it is just as I have explained it to you: a sphere has beautiful and less beautiful places to offer.

If a human being has found the way to belief, he will accordingly have a protective, helpful spirit in his human life, where he is active. One is interested in his life and, in addition to his guardian spirits who have accompanied him and watched over his life so far, he is now given a more distinguished, higher spirit being as a guardian angel. This may now take place thanks to his transformation, because he has ascended spiritually.

This higher-ranking guardian angel will then accompany this human being. They have greater knowledge of the laws and do not have to ask other brothers and sisters whether it is permitted to allow their protégé this or that; rather, a guardian angel of such standing decides by themselves. This is no humiliation for the other guardian spirits, because they themselves are classed according to their rank. It is quite an experience for a human spirit to see that he is given such an exalted being as a companion in life. He is therefore told, “This happens out of gratitude.”

This guardian angel will not just take care of their protégé during his active time in daily life; rather, they are already standing by when he settles down to rest. They want to talk to him – not about superficial things, but about meaningful and useful things. They will then guide their protégé in the spiritual world, in the sphere from which he came, because he cannot pass beyond his sphere. However, for his instruction, he can enter other spheres that are below his own but where he can learn much.

In this way, a spirit of God engages themselves with a human being. They also occasionally engage themselves in things that the human has to fulfill during the day or about which he thinks. A spirit of God who accompanies such a human being has the possibility of forging a closer connection with him. They can show him something clearly during sleep, which means this human being then dreams, as you call it. The angel of God can give him symbolic images in a dream. In general, they will not speak to him in human language; this only happens when it must and when the connection with the guiding spirit has been forged to such an extent, when the vibrations are so well regulated, that they can clearly say to their protégé, “You should do this and you must leave that.” This happens now and then in exceptions, but one generally gives symbolic images.

When a human being seeks the quiet and meditates, they can sometimes really hear the answer and what is meant by it. I would like to emphasize, however, that a good spirit will never frighten a human being with any symbolic imagery or with any words. A good spirit will ensure that there is a strong separation between the body and the human spirit now outside the body. The body, which is still connected to the spirit, may be able to receive something very shadowy from the experience. There may be various shadows in a form that causes confusion, so that the human being cannot clearly explain these images and dreams. One should not then attach any meaning to them at all. However, when the spirit world of God wants to make something clearly perceptible to a person, it knows the means and ways to do so. I will come back to this later.

I have now told you about the development of a burdened spirit and the limited possibilities of his actions. I also spoke about the departure of a human spirit from the body during sleep and how an unbelieving human being came to belief through the influence of a high-ranking spirit. I described to you how the spiritual world shows its gratitude toward him. All these are just small extracts from the immeasurably varied experiences in the sleep life of human beings.

Let us also now consider a truly devout human being who performs good deeds. He may not necessarily have entered human life from a particularly great spiritual height but, during his life on earth, he managed to gain these insights and came to be a good and noble Christian.

When this human spirit has freed himself from the body, he will also be guided to spiritual regions. But he cannot yet transcend his place either – he will stop over in the place from which he came. However, once the band is severed, he will no longer have to return to the same place, because he is able to ascend further. After all, the spirit world of God does not want such a human being who has proven himself to return to a lower sphere; rather, it stands helpfully by his side. It has so many possibilities to guide and teach this human spirit. Indeed, he also needs guidance and instruction whilst his earthly body rests. Depending on his disposition, such a human spirit will pursue an activity that gives him particular pleasure.

In this context one must know that everywhere, be it on earth or in the spheres of ascent, high spirits can have their dwelling places. If one has placed oneself in service to the divine, then a spirit of God looks after such a noble human being and guides his spirit to these more pleasant places during sleep. He may be led to a house where spirits of God dwell, because they also have their dwelling places in the lower levels of ascent. However, I would like to make this clear: it is not their permanent home, but they do have a home in a beautiful location of that sphere. In this house, the divine messengers come together and talk things over. From this place, they then go forth to their brothers and sisters and, every so often, they also have the possibility of taking one of their brothers or sisters into their home. Because, I repeat, even when a human being does good deeds during life, his spirit cannot go beyond its borders during the time of sleep but has to wait until the band is severed. However, already before this, a spirit of God would like to bring a human spirit to more beautiful places for his delight, and so they guide him in the spiritual spheres to those places where spirits of God dwell. He can then talk things over with them, he can work for them, he will be included in their league, so to speak.

Surrounded by such glorious spirits of God, he feels happy. He will learn a lot because, depending on his development and achievements, they will tell him more about the divine world. Such a human spirit will therefore gain insight into a more beautiful and better world.

Sometimes it is the case that a human spirit already finds himself in the company of a truly beautiful angel and in magnificent surroundings, whilst he has in fact not gone beyond his borders. Thus, he was not having an experience of a highest level, but through this guidance it happened that a heavenly messenger took him along to their home situated on a lower level, in which this spirit of God temporarily stays to fulfill their task. In this way, the spirit world of God rewards individuals for everything, during the hours of physical rest as well.

There are many devout human beings – I say this in general – who have some kind of illness. They pray to God to give them the strength to recover or to endure their illness. Here, too, there is a certain possibility that during their hours of sleep such beings will be taken by angels – I say explicitly by angels – to a place where they can be blessed and recover. The spirit in and of itself is not sick: the body that it has left behind is sick. But the spirit soaks up the power of recovery into itself and passes it on to the earthly body. By way of a good sleep, recovery can come about.

The spirit world of God knows everyone’s hour of death. If a human being has an illness, and one sees that this illness must pass by, the divine world can say, “We will give them back their health.” It will take its particular rhythm before the body is again capable of absorbing the power passed on to it by the soul, but true healing can thus come from the spirit and is thereby accelerated.

Elsewhere, if one sees that the hour has come for someone to pass over to us, then this support no longer has to be given. To you it appears somewhat harsh to stop helping a human being, but for us it is entirely different. We consider it a greater help when we can draw them over to us, because we believe we have just as many possibilities for their ascent. If a human being has already reached a certain level of development and a certain maturity in life, we would like to say, “With us, you will find the time in which you can fully mature, and we will accelerate this remaining time of maturation for you.”

One can say this about certain beings, but never generalize, because many can only accelerate their ascent by living as a human being on earth, sometimes having to go through a difficult life. This is because they are not mature within and have not yet become worthy of receiving this special treatment, this divine devotion from a spirit of God. And so, each human life will follow the path it needs to take.

You can see that the spiritual world has wonderfully arranged everything in all details. It has something to give to everyone who has laid their body down to sleep. The more a human being is able to work for the divine realm, the more the divine realm will approach them and make them happy in life.

There is endlessly much to explain about all this, and I would still like to tell you something quite essential: namely, in what other way a spirit now outside the body can be active, so that they overcome space and time. I will try to give you an example of this.

If a human being has relatives far away, let us say across the seas – be it a brother or perhaps father and mother – and they would like to give them a message in spirit, they then have the possibility of doing so. This possibility is given when certain uniform threads are tied together or when a reciprocal mediumship exists. Perhaps it does not even need to be a reciprocal mediumship – just a one-sided mediumship may already suffice.

Before I explain this further, I would like to point out that this occurs particularly with those whose relatives are located far away. They have the desire to visit them. During sleep, they approach them and, as far as is possible, talk with them. They try to make themselves noticeable, although this is seldom perceived. But they are interested in them and want to know how father and mother, brother or sister are faring. They take an interest in the events, in the happiness or misfortune of those living so far away.

The spirit of such a human being feels compelled to seek out his relatives because he is linked to them by the bond of kinship. This band of od between him and the others facilitates the way for him, so to speak. You should, therefore, never think that your loved ones living somewhere far away would not care about you. Indeed, if it is possible, they do so. They will visit you if they have a certain longing for you. Even if you do not feel it, they are around you at a certain hour. That it can happen in this way is a joy for you. This bond, this od-band, remains in existence until the life-band or the silver cord is severed. This od-band is then undone as well.

Now, you may also have heard of someone having had a special experience, in which they very clearly saw and heard one of their relatives in front of them in a dream, or perhaps while dozing. Maybe they were given a message. This can happen if someone would like to bid farewell to someone else by saying, “Tomorrow I will die; I will enter the spiritual world.” They may even be able to specify the time when they will leave the earthly world.

Someone who has such an experience, who lives far away from their relative, is usually unsure, “Did I dream, or is it reality?” They impatiently wait for some news, or try themselves to get in contact with the person concerned. Eventually, it comes to the point that one receives a message and learns that the person concerned died at the time they announced, or at the time in which they appeared to the other in sleep or in a doze.

Many people are puzzled by this and they cannot explain it. To be sure, those who are acquainted with the spiritual laws know that the spirit-body can step out and overcome space in order to appear in another place quickly. But there are so many human beings who do not understand this, and they cannot find an answer. I will try, therefore, to give you more detailed explanations about it.

I would like to point out that when a spirit being visits a distant relative and would like to stand in front of them and say, “See, I am here, I have a message,” – perhaps even a joyful message – that this cannot happen simply by chance. Just as you have to take certain measures if you want to pass on a message to someone, these beings also have to take particular steps when they wish to do the same in spirit. To this end, they must come into contact with their brothers and sisters, with holy spirit messengers.

For one, they must work out the time, because when it is daytime here, it may be night in another place. If it is daytime where the person concerned lives – at the time when their spirit wants to step out in order to appear to their brother or sister in a faraway land – this has to be taken into consideration. Thus, one accounts for the differing times and calculates when it is night in the distant country. Furthermore, one will try to choose a time when a certain quiet prevails. This quiet time is usually around or after midnight, because that is when the busy activity of life ceases. Many obstacles are then cleared away, and there is a calmer vibration. It is possible to perform such an appearance during this time. However, when an individual being expresses this wish, they will hardly be able to accomplish it by themselves; the assistance of others is required.

This is especially so as, if it is daytime here, the human being concerned may be engaged in some activity when the spirit has to release itself from the body for the intended encounter. With the help of the spirit world, one will watch over this human being who is tied to their spirit via the band and choose the best moment in which it is possible to let their spirit step out. This may happen if they are performing a task for which, and I emphasize this, they do not require the highest effort of their thought and will – when they are relaxed. This may take place when they are thinking of nothing and performing their task quite mechanically.

This will not take up much time either, because in spirit it is possible to accomplish this within a short period of time. The spirit can overcome great distances in a very short period of time, and it is possible for the spirit of the human being concerned to then step out whilst they are awake, in order to manifest themselves in another place. Thereafter, they will be pulled back as quickly as possible, and the human being performing their task will know nothing of what has happened. They will only be able to perceive and sense this experience if they are mediumistic to a high degree. These are, however, very rare cases.

Sometimes people ask each other, “How is it possible that one can sustain such a connection in this way, perceptible even far across the seas?” It is possible to come into contact with one another in the way that I have described, but only when the holy spirit world of God takes an interest in it and gives its permission. Of course, when I speak of the holy spirit world of God, of the possibilities it has to convey such an experience to its beloved brothers and sisters, it is also possible, in contrast, that the lower spirit world accomplishes something in a similar way. I say explicitly: it achieves such manifestations in a similar way. It will do it in its own way with the help of a human spirit.

I would like to leave this to one side and just make clear to you how wonderfully and gloriously this entire world, this entire human family, is joined together: how, on the one hand, one depends on one another; how, on the other hand, one is connected with one another in spirit; how, in spirit during sleep, one can pursue a wonderful higher task and perform it with satisfaction.

One day, when one returns from earth to the spiritual realm, the silver cord will be undone. One will not immediately have knowledge of all this guidance and these occurrences – I would like to make this quite clear. Were it not so, these encounters with the high spirit world of God [with the angels of justice] would be unnecessary. They would not have to call someone to account and accuse them of their misdeeds if these earlier conversations were remembered.

Through this change, resulting from the severing of the band that connects the earthly body to the soul, these experiences will also be hidden for a certain time. They will remain obscure for as long as it takes the spirit being to find their way in the new world, to familiarize themselves with the laws, to obey the laws of God, and to become obediently disposed toward the angels of God. The returned soul has to recognize that it is not just a question of expressing one’s God-given free will in every respect; rather, one has to be willing to accept the instructions that come from higher up, without considering and questioning them for a long time, so that one comes to the realization, “What is communicated to me from above is correct,” and acts accordingly.

Because, for quite some time, not every being grasps this, even when they have entered our world and know that they are under God’s sovereignty. They are still subject to a certain compulsion and cannot yet act freely, in the way that they should; rather, the being still wants to give expression to the same way of life. They will still exhibit the same bad habits that they had as a human being. This is how it is when a being comes to us. They should, however, be free – free from all burdens. One must free oneself already on earth, so that one is really able to experience and delight in this new world that one encounters. One should not be full of questions, but acknowledge:

“Truly, I am under the sovereignty of God,
and I wish to work under it.
I wish to do everything that is commanded of me,
because the word of God shall be the highest word,
and I wish to bring it to fulfillment.”

It is not always easy… For you, because you have this or that insight, it seems to be easy. But, when you one day come over to us, much will pass by before you, and much that was once important to you in life will now quite suddenly be forgotten. And what, here on earth, you intended to tell us and express, thinking, “When the time comes, when I meet the spirit of God, I will say this,” by then you can no longer say it; by then you will have forgotten it.

That is why, dear brothers and sisters, it is good when one tries to draw as much strength as possible from the meditations. If you would like to come closer to us, you should seek the quiet, because the quiet brings you much balm, much healing. In this quiet, you can manage to detach yourself from earthly matters to a certain extent. It is emphasized time and again: try to move away from the earth, and wander in spirit. When you are all by yourself and have the will to do what is right and to draw close to God, then all those beings who are engaged with you – be it during your time of work or when your body rests and you pursue your spiritual activities – will draw close to you. During this hour, these holy messengers will try to stay close to you, even if only temporarily, for a short while. This is because it is not possible for them to constantly watch over you without interruption. They will go to other human beings, but will return to you again. And when they hear that you go into the quiet, wishing to make a connection with them, then one who stands by your side will pass on the message that they should come to be your guest and reside with you. They then want to give you joy, they want to strengthen you in body and soul, they want to uplift and guide you toward heavenly glory. In order for this to happen, some of you should meditate more often.

You often seek the quiet to get to know the right path, to hear an answer. And so, the spirits of God speak to your spirit. During this time, they inspire you, because the answer does not come from the walls; rather, the spirit beings want to give you the answer. If you have the right connection with them, your faithful friends will stand by your side during this hour and give you what you need. They guide and support you, bringing you a medicine that is not just useful for your soul, but that also lets your body recover.

That is why our greeting to you is: recover in body and soul. If you are connected with us, holy spirits can draw close to you, and you will be freed from your complaints. You shall find the right path in life with our support.

I have perhaps strained your thinking more than usual in this hour. It is important that, in this way, one correctly knows, “What happens to my spirit?” I would, however, like to caution those people who say, “I must now go to bed as quickly as possible, because my spirit has to go about its task.” Do not do this. Dear brothers and sisters, we are not dependent on minutes. Do not be fanatical, do not do this. I tell you: five minutes of deep sleep gives you enough spiritual strength.

To be sure, I emphasized that it is healthy for the body to rest properly. By these five minutes I mean: when the spirit can move to divine regions for just five minutes, then it has already fulfilled its task. Therefore, entrust everything to the holy spirit world of God, and do not become fanatical. You do not have to go to sleep any earlier because of it, you can keep your orderly rhythm – that is all right. But, do not become overzealous in this respect, because no human being can command that they want to do this or that during the time in which their body rests. The spirit world of God will decide upon this, because it can also say, “Today we will bind you to your bed. We do not need you in the spirit world – you do not need to gain insight. Nor do you need to wander around the earthly realm. Just stay nice and close to your body.”

----
norsk:


Therefore, no human being can determine what they want to do and what not – that will not work in spirit. The law of God rules over this, and that is a good thing.

Well, dear brothers and sisters, may God’s blessing permeate you, and may you recover in body and soul. God bless you.

Lecture by spirit-teacher Lene, received in German through the medium Beatrice Brunner in Wildhaus, Switzerland, 19 September 1962