Love, the Food of Souls: Selections from “Astral City,” Chapters 15 &18, Part 1 of 2

These afterlife insights, including an understanding of the soul’s immortality, have been transcribed into Spiritist books. One such volume is “Nosso Lar,” or “Astral City,” conveyed by Spirit André Luiz through Spiritist medium Francisco Cândido Xavier. Francisco Cândido Xavier was a Brazilian philanthropist who co-authored more than 400 books, donating all proceeds to charity.

“Astral City” describes not only the continuation of life beyond the physical body, but more importantly, how Heaven cares for each and every human soul. The following excerpts from “Astral City” emphasize love as the transformative principle that uplifts all souls in the Universe.

Chapter 15: My Mother’s Visit “Stunned with joy, I saw my mother approaching with outstretched arms. ‘My child, my child! Come into my arms, my dear one.’ Speechless and trembling with joy, I stroked her hands, while she, stronger than I, spoke serenely: ‘The Lord never forgets us, my child. We shall never be able to thank Him for all His kindness. How long our separation has been, but you mustn’t think that I had forgotten you. Sometimes Providence parts us temporarily so that we may learn Divine Love.’

‘We must consider the Lord before everything else. You aren’t the only discarnate man redeeming his errors, nor am I the only mother parted from her loved ones. The merit of our suffering, my son, doesn’t lie in the tears it makes us shed, nor in the bleeding wounds it inflicts on us, but in the gateway of light it opens up to us. Tears and wounds are only a blessed means of helping us to purify our soul.’

‘Why not enjoy these fleeting moments in the sunshine of love, instead of wasting them in the shadows of unhappiness? Let’s serve, my child, and serve cheerfully, while at the same time constantly rejoicing in the Lord. Change your mental attitude, I beg you. Your confidence in my love and your affection for me, bring me sublime happiness, but I can’t return to experiences which have passed. We must love each other now with the great and sacred Divine Love.’”