Spirits, because their envelope (perispirit) is only semi-material, exist in a series of dimensions different from the physical world we interact with in our daily lives. In Spiritism our world is commonly called the ‘material world’ and the dimensions inhabited by Spirits are collectively called ‘the spiritual world’. It is important to understand that the spiritual and material worlds do not exist separately, like different planets in a solar system. Instead, they exist simultaneously occupying the same space in the universe.

Science tells us that our senses are only capable of being aware of a tiny part of the world around us. Even with the most advanced instruments we can only get tiny controlled glimpses of the microscopic and macroscopic universe that we are a part of. It is because of the limitations of our senses that we do not perceive the other dimensions that exist simultaneously as part of our world. Of course this does not mean that we do not posses at least the possibility of becoming aware of these other dimensions. In fact we each possess a ‘6th sense’ that can, once developed, do just that.

Each dimension in the spiritual world corresponds to the level of evolution of the Spirits that inhabit it:

Lower Dimensions or Lower Zones

It is important to first note that the inhabitants of lower and middle Spirit dimensions use their perispirits to manipulate the dense matter that is found in their dimension. In this way they create environments they are accustomed to on earth. So Spirits in these two categories of dimensions live in cities.

Lower zones dimensions are actually composed of more dense matter than our own physical world. Spirits in these dimensions exist in a state of fear, pain, chaos, ruin and endless darkness. These dimensions are the ones religious dogma has given the name hell. Though the Spirits are not forsaken or condemned, they simply cannot travel to any other higher dimensions because their perispirits are so dense resulting from their lack of evolution. This density means that their perispirits appear like human material bodies that do not age or die.

The darkness comes from the very little luminescence that the Spirits can radiate, another natural limitation of their evolution. The fear, pain and chaos come from the nature of the inhabitants. Spirits who on earth enjoyed violence, torment, cruelty and impulsiveness without remorse return to their lower spheres and continue these endless cycles of obsession.

The ruin comes from the fact that anything formed within a dimension using dense matter can only be maintained by vigilance and cooperation. Two things rarely found among such ignorant individuals.

Middle Dimensions

Middle dimensions are composed of matter less dense than our material world. The enviorment in these dimensions is closer to the ideals of futuristic human life. Spirits there live in idealistic communities. They perform charitable work in the form of traveling and performing tasks in lower dimensions. Spirits also continue their intellectual and ethical evolution through the teachings of more advanced spirits.

Middle dimensions possess one unique hindrance not found in lower zones, higher dimensions or our Earthly dimension, instability. Many middle dimensions are on the edges of Lower dimensions, serving as places of rest, recuperation and learning for Spirits in lower zones who have finally progressed to a higher level. According to Spirit teachers, constant vigilance to maintain these energy barriers between the very dense and less dense dimensions is required.

It is Spirits of middle dimensions that are that most often surrounding developing mediums. These spirit friends, councel, protect and help these mediums during the long and trial filled process of development and during the equally difficult but imensely satisfying stage when the medium begins regularly using their ability.

Higher Dimensions

The highest dimensions are the least dense. Spirits progressing to those completely lack the animalistic density found in all other dimensions. Spirits in these dimensions no longer need to reincarnate because they have achieved a level of intellectual and ethical evolution where it is no longer a necessity. These Spirits spend their time in constant charitable work, as Spirit governors of developing worlds, as the engineers of vast building projects for God or as Spirit masters working through mediums, with spirits of middle dimensions as go-betweens. As for a more detailed explanation of the appearance of these dimensions, the Spirit teachers have volunteered little, most probably because of the limitations of human language in expressing this information accurately.

Our Earthly Material Dimension From the Spirit Point of View

Our material world, as you can read on this section of the guide, is very unique and distinct from all the Spirit dimensions. We exist as human extensions of Spirit beings, and our world is one of trial, learning and atonements of past mistakes.

Our world is an estimated 4.5 billion years old, yet only recently , 6,000 years ago, saw Humans evolve to what we are today. Of our 6,000 years on this earth an understanding of God as our creator and of the basic moral laws that we need to all share occured a very brief 2000 years ago and the discovery of our Spirit reality, the imortality of our soul, and a profoundly deeper understanding of God’s laws became a reality only 110 years ago.

We are the dominating animal on this planet but have yet to evolve beyond war, greed, cruelty, poverty, the destruction of our home planet and slow self-destruction. One would think that we are lost, forsaken children with little hope for long-term survival as a species. In fact our Earthly dimension is one of daily progress too, both in our intellectual growth (through science) and our ethical growth. The last is happening through religion, social progress, the new search for Spirituality so many people have embarked on and with the slowly growing worldwide belief in Spiritism.

Eventually our material earthly life will evolve and dramatically change. The spiritual ideals of middle dimensions will become a reflection of our earthly lives. Human society will change, focusing on the continued ethical progression of its inhabitance and leaving behind the materialistic driving forces of our world today. One day all diseases will have cures, there will be no poverty, no violence, people will live to very old age, most people will be active mediums, and there will be a worldwide collaboration between the Spiritual world and our material physical world.

This earthly progress is certainly far away, but the same divine laws that assure the progress of all beings also assure the progress of all worlds in the material dimension. So that beautiful future is not a remote possibility but an assured fact. It is simply a matter of how long it will take for us to go down that path.