experiences different sensations pertaining to the gross sphere, so in certain cases, a man can consciously so use his gross organs as to get the experience of the semi-subtle sphere, and this amounts to being able to have communications with or getting glimpses of the spirits of the dead. Therefore, spirit communication is the experience of the semi-subtle through the gross means in the conscious state. It is not at all a mark of advancement on the divine Path, as it has nothing to do with the Gnosis, the subtle sphere and the Planes. There lies a world difference between the subtle and the semi-subtle. The semi-subtle is the link between the gross and the subtle spheres. The spirits of all human beings (with the exception of those who have gone beyond the fourth plane, or the stage of the first Journey) come to this semi-subtle sphere, and according to their sanskaras either go to "heaven" or to "hell," from which they again return to the semi-subtle sphere, or to wait directly for a new gross body, to reincarnate in the gross sphere, without, however, necessarily being aware of it. It is the spirits that are in the "waiting room" of the semi-subtle sphere who are likely to enter into communications with those who are in the gross sphere. They may either be on the point of going to "heaven" or "hell," or may have finished their terms of pleasure and pain in heaven or hell, as the case may be; or they may be directly awaiting reincarnation following the last physical death; but it is only these spirits that can be communicated with, though not always with a mathematical precision, as believed by many.

As to the various descriptions of the conditions prevailing in the semi-subtle sphere and in heaven or hell, which are purported to come from such spirits, some of these are in some way or other true, but it is not proper to attach importance to them. The semi-subtle sphere and even heaven and hell and the respective happiness and sufferings in them are not of real existence. The experience [sic] *in the semi-subtle are like those in a dream; and heaven and hell are nothing but states in which the Jivatman, according to his good or bad sanskaras, experiences subtle enjoyments and miseries respectively through the subtle organs. When Jivatman gets Self-realized, heaven and hell are found to have been imaginary existences, just as one, who in the dreaming state enjoys and suffers, finds the dream experiences devoid of reality when one gets up.

Worldly people can never enter into communication with higher spirits, i.e. spirits belonging to subtle, mental, and super-mental spheres; for though the spirits of the subtle and also, in some cases, of the mental spheres have to reincarnate, they don't have to stay in the semi-subtle sphere at any time. Spiritually advanced persons can, of course communicate with advanced, disembodied spirits but they do not do so, for it is unnecessary. Spirituality has nothing to do With spiritism, or communication with the spirits of the dead.

The first Journey continues through the mental sphere, or the sphere of the mind, when the pilgrim reaches the fifth Plane or stage. He now becomes the master of the mind. He can work wonders through the medium of the mind without the help of the gross and subtle organs. In other words, without using his gross or subtle organs, the pilgrim can bring about the desired results in any of the gross, subtle and mental spheres, with far greater certainty and exactitude then those who work through the media of the mind and the gross and subtle organs. It is true that every ordinary human being can also do a lot of things mentally. In fact, none can do anything in the gross or the subtle sphere without first doing that thing in the mind, whether slowly or swiftly, consciously or unconsciously. But generally, "doing in the mind" means doing only in imagination. Suppose you are in India and think that you are in Russia, you will feel yourself to be there to a certain extent; but would you feel yourself to be actually in Russia with the

* In Volume 2 Number 2 page 28 first paragraph of the Awakener Magazine, Shri Meher Baba: His Philosophy and Teachings it says  "the experiences" with an "s".