To discover what kind of place the next world is, we must inquire of someone who lives there, and record what is said; that is what has been done in this book. The end result is a book as simple as it is sincere, as warm as it is heartfelt.

Giving one of the most comprehensive accounts of the life and conditions of the spirit world and its people, this book is rightly regarded as a classic of Spiritualist literature.

The communicator, Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, delightfully shows us, with both humour and compassion, how many of our preconceived notions of 'the next life' are substantially incorrect. One of the great regrets from his earth life was that he too added to this general misconception by his writing The Necromancers, a book which dealt with the subject of spirit return, but which gave a distorted view of the facts. The writing of the present volume, however, has enabled Monsignor to redress his wrongs.

The countless millions of people, of whatever religion (or none), who have simply undergone the natural and normal process of 'death', find themselves to be the inheritors of a vast world: a world of both unsurpassed beauty and illimitable opportunity.

On passing to the spirit world, every person, regardless of colour or creed, will find themselves the inheritors of precisely the spiritual abode to which their earthly lives have befitted them. The spirit world is the land of the great harvest, the seeds of which were sown upon the earth: "Whatever a man sows, that shall he reap" has its full and just application. Those who find themselves in the bleak and meagre surroundings of the dark realms have only themselves to reproach, for what they see about them is an outward expression of the current state of their spiritual progression. Just as the beauties of the light realms are created and upheld by theirs inhabitants, so have the conditions of the dark realms been brought about: beauty of deed and thought can produce nothing but beauty.

We have been taught to believe that God punishes, actually punishes people by condemning them to Hell for all eternity. The churches have built up a monstrous conception of the Eternal Father of Heaven. It is man alone who qualifies himself for the state of his existence after his passing into spirit. There is no 'Judgement Day' to fear - that which has always been such a powerful weapon in the ecclesiastical armoury; every soul living in the dark realms has judged themselves.

Spiritual progression is the birthright of every soul, however, and no matter how low they may have sunk spiritually, it is within the power of each and everyone to attain to the highest heaven; nothing stands in their way but themselves. Great organisations exist in the spirit world with dedicated helpers working to assist all those affected souls who live in darkness, with the hope that they will rise out of it into the light. The urge, however, must come from within the fallen soul himself.

Adherence to any religious faith, in itself, has no relevance, or bearing, towards ones inheritance in the great world of spirit. Services that are performed for a fellow being, with no other intention than that of helping him, or of bringing him some good, is the substance of which spiritual progression is composed. Those good deeds are reflected back upon us, and so go to make up our inheritance in the spirit world. No service, however small, or however unobtrusively performed, is overlooked or gone 'unrecorded', and each go to add still more colour to our spiritual make up.

Religion being such a potent force, however, it binds the minds of so many good people. Whole communities of people can be found who still exercise their old earthly religion. They are free to do so, and no pressure is brought to bear upon them, for free will is an ever-respected attribute of life in spirit realms. The members of these communities know that they have passed on, but think that part of their heavenly reward is to continue with their man-made forms of worship. They will continue to do so until such time as a spiritual awakening takes place; mental resurrection, however, must come from within.

There are also those who fervently uphold that a future state does not exist, or those who never gave the matter much thought. These individuals also have to be helped in their early days. Simply showing the newly arrived soul what kind of place the spirit world is does much useful work however, and many soon but realise that: Orthodoxy is man-made, but that the universe is God-given.

In company with Ruth (whose meeting Monsignor describes in this volume) Edwin, an old friend and colleague, acts as their guide, showing them the beauties of their new life and the freedom that comes with it...