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In Children’s Paradise
When young children have to leave the earthly world, they return home to a children’s paradise corresponding to their level of development. Here, they are lovingly cared for and brought up. A deceased woman called Magda describes her tasks in such a children’s paradise – for example, how she guides children’s souls from the earth back to the spiritual world. She also gives insight into the nature of space and time in the world beyond.
Personal account given by Magda through the medium Beatrice Brunner, 1 June 1960
Personal account given by Magda through the medium Beatrice Brunner, 1 June 1960
Magda: God bless you. I have been instructed to speak to you, to briefly describe something of my life, and to then give an account of my work in the spiritual realm. I will endeavor to do so.
In earthly life, I worked as a nurse. I really loved my job. I nursed children, young and old people. I gave them all my attention, and I cared for them in the name of Jesus Christ. I wanted to earn heaven through my work. When doing the most difficult nursing work, I always said to myself, “I do this in the name of God and in the name of Christ.” So, after a life of work, I was allowed to leave this earth gently; I was not sick for long.
I would now like to focus on what happened after I awoke in the other world. Here, I was surrounded by many, many beautiful figures. I really was not at all sure where I actually was. Someone was standing very close to me and repeatedly stroking my face with their hand, saying, “Now you have your place in heaven; now you are in heaven.” I did not dare look around, and I actually could not grasp that it really was true. Everything was enveloped in a wonderful blaze of color. I was lying on a bench in a garden, and, looking around, I saw meadows full of the daintiest daisies – it was a carpet, beautiful! And I would have loved to say to those who were around me and fussing over me, “Be careful of these beautiful flowers; you are trampling them.” I felt sorry for them.
As I looked into the distance, I saw children approaching. They were cheering and singing and jumping. They picked these little flowers, and some of them made small bouquets, and others wove little garlands. Yes, I rejoiced to see this, but I was still not sure what was going on. One of the beings around me then brought a vessel containing a fragrant oil. The spirit who was so close to me and repeatedly stroking my head with their hand now dipped their hands in the oil and began rubbing me with it – my face, my hands, my whole body, everything. I was then wrapped in a beautiful garment and covered up. I thought it smelled very nice.
The children then came to me, held out their hands to me, and rejoiced. They brought me their little bouquets and garlands, and they wanted to put these garlands on me, and I tried to resist. Among them was a small child who came very close – I still remember it so well – and said to me, “Oh, you smell nice!” I just looked at the child and said, “Well, you might be right.” And those around me smiled. Whole crowds of children came, and they asked me to stand up. I had a little trouble in straightening myself up at first, but I was supported, and then it was fine. On instruction from my higher companions, I had to breathe deeply, and then I felt quite well. From far away, I also heard wonderful music. I asked whom this music was being played for and why the musicians did not come closer. Hardly had I inquired when a crowd of music-making, colorfully-dressed brothers and sisters drew close. They smiled at me, and they sang and played.
Well, what was going to happen to me now? I could hardly understand why they were making such a fuss over me and showing me so much honor. I was then told, “Your task will initially consist of working alongside these children in a children’s paradise. But before you attend to these tasks, we also wish to show you a piece of heaven.” Yes, they spoke of all that I had done in my life, how much I had overcome, and what sacrifices I had made. But, interwoven here and there, they also made it clear that I, too, had occasionally done things wrong. But they told me that they did not want to speak about that because, after all, there was so much good on display that these other things could surely be corrected. Yes, I was certainly happy to hear it; I had actually been a little afraid. I had a yearning to see Christ, for I had devoted my life to him. I had done the most difficult work in his holy name, and it then became easy for me. I was then told, “Of course, you will be able to see Christ, but we will first prepare you somewhat. You will certainly be allowed to meet him; we will accompany you to him.” And they explained that it was not only I who would see him, but many others who had performed the same tasks as I; they, too, would meet him. Together, we would be allowed to step before him. And I was contented. I actually thought it immodest of me to request such a thing, but I really had a yearning for Christ. It was because of him that I had had the strength to live and work in the way that I had during life.
They now wanted to tell me something about heaven. I was shown beautiful gardens; they showed me the houses from which all these brothers and sisters would depart in order to attend to their tasks. What especially amazed me was how quickly one could go from one place to another, and I inquired, “How does time actually work here?” They were happy to teach me about this, saying, “Look, we have brothers and sisters here who concern themselves with time; we call them time spirits. They interest themselves in human time, and they interest themselves in spiritual time. You will also come into contact with them, but let these brothers and sisters attend to such matters for now. Still, we would like to tell you something about time as we have it here, in the spiritual realm. You can see that here, where you are right now, everything is so beautiful, everything is in bloom, and the atmosphere is so pleasant – it is not too hot, it is not too cool, it is just lovely. As a human being, you had a tear-off calendar to keep track of the days. This we do not have, we do not need it. You also had to observe your hours at work. We do not have this either, we have no clock like human beings have. We have the time spirits; they are the timekeepers, but one does not always come into contact with them. Furthermore, human beings have the seasons; from this alone, they are able to calculate and establish a certain sense of time. In addition to this, they have night and day, and they have their weekdays, and every day has its name. And with us? With us,” they explained to me, “it would be like human beings going somewhere on vacation without knowing when they have to return, and each day is more beautiful than the last, and they are simply told, ‘When it is time, we will collect you.’ But that might equally be in three years as perhaps in three or four days. No one knows when they will be collected, and no one worries about tomorrow or the day after. They have no worries, and they do not have to finish their work by a certain time, nor do they have to think about hoarding money – nothing of the sort. Time stands still, it is always beautiful, and there is always a summery atmosphere, or it is always spring, or one goes to a place where things are constantly ripening – but, still, there is no time in the way that human beings have it.”
I was told, “See, you can stay here for a long, long time, and you will not know how long you have been here, for you have neither day nor night, you are never too cold or too hot, and you will not be pressured to work. It is so beautiful, and you can always be in peace, work in peace; you do not have to reckon with any time. If it really is a matter of knowing what time it is, then they will come – the brothers and sisters, the time spirits – and they will tell you what time it is for you, and then you will be astonished. But not all spirits come into contact with these time spirits.”
I was also informed that there were brothers and sisters who did not have such a beautiful life as I now had – those who were too bound to human beings and to their sense of time. They did not need to ask whether it was summer or winter and which day and what date it was, because they still lived with that time; they had not yet been able to separate themselves from the earth and remained bound to human beings and their sense of time. In the kingdom of heaven, however, where one is free and happy, oh, one does not ask about the time. One is simply happy, and each day is as beautiful as another.
They also mentioned to me, “Then there are these lovely encounters that bring delight and make everyone happy. There is a competitive quality when it comes to these festivals and events – all that can be thought up and realized in terms of new ideas. But this does not happen as it does among human beings, who have their exact dates that determine when a festival will be held or when their houses or huts – or whatever else they possess – have to be ready. They must also precisely observe the time with regard to the flowers that they plant; they must be placed in the soil at the correct moment so that they flourish and bloom at the right time. And what about us? Flowers are brought to us, plants are brought to us, and they can grow and flourish at any time. They grow; they grow and bloom. This is how things stand with time.” This is what they told me. Yes, I had to marvel. I could not really understand it all yet, but I was able to get a sense of it. If one is not rushed, if something does not have to be finished by a particular date – oh, how glorious it must be to simply live unhurriedly into eternity! “Yes, that is eternity,” I was told.
I then wanted to know something else that interested me greatly. I had the feeling that one could walk so easily here. Yes, of course, as a human being, the body was often a hindrance, one had physical difficulties with walking. One does not have this as a spirit – that is, if one is a free, happy spirit. I was led from one place to another at lightning speed, and each time I had the feeling that we had covered a great distance, so I asked, “Is that possible in such a short period of time?” – “It certainly is,” they confirmed, and they told me, “You are a homecomer who is interested in how one can travel so rapidly from one place to another. There are many spirits who are not interested in this; they simply say to themselves, ‘Well, everything is anyway wonderful in heaven, and everything is completely different,’ and they do not marvel at anything, they simply accept it, and it is taken for granted.” My companions were happy that I had shown interest in this, and they told me, “See, we guide you upon a special pathway, and so that you can understand, we will explain it to you as follows: it is just like when human beings stand on a moving walkway or on an escalator, they do not need to make any effort at all, and they are quickly transported from one place to another. They see the conveyor belt or the stairs on which they stand; they see how it moves. With us, the pathways are such that we cannot see them – that is, they can indeed be seen if one’s spiritual eye is specifically tuned in to them, thus making discernible which vibration the respective pathway or level has. We walk on these pathways in an entirely serene and leisurely way, but we do not actually set the pace, we are simply pulled along. We walk lightly, and it is like a belt that pulls us along; it can go fast, it can go rapidly.”
They then explained, “See, we have many and various kinds of these pathways. Our brothers and sisters who have recently returned to us from earth are at first not interested in this; they simply marvel at heaven. Well, there are indeed such pathways upon which one is rapidly pulled along. Usually, one is accompanied or directed to the necessary pathway in order to arrive at one’s desired location.” In addition to these pathways, there are also small country lanes. To walk along these lanes requires one’s own effort – here, one must walk just as you do. One can also be led along these lanes, because one is usually not alone; indeed, a spirit is accompanied by these exalted brothers and sisters who take an interest in them and who guide them to their work. They simply say, “Come along,” and it is just like with you when you desire to go somewhere and use one of your modern means of transportation: you take the people along, be that in the streetcar, be that in your car, or on the train, or in an airplane, and so on. So, according to your wish, you are able to take them here or there in a very short period of time. But you must first consider which mode of transportation is most suitable. The angels do the same; they also think about what is good and what is actually wanted, whether it is necessary to take this “speedy” pathway or whether one should walk along a small country lane using one’s own effort. The term “small country lane” is perhaps a completely wrong choice for your understanding. This small country lane may actually be thirty meters wide, whereas I have no scale to describe the width of the pathway that moves – no spirit has a scale with which to measure it. As such, it is difficult for a spirit like me, who is not yet familiar with all these wondrous laws, to describe it. One accepts it, because heaven is wonderful, and one simply marvels; but one does not ask questions, because one expected that heaven might also be strange.
I was then told, “Now you can walk onto this pathway.” And, with great speed, we went from one place to another, visiting each in turn. I also used the other lane – I called it a country lane – the narrow and yet wide lane, where I had to walk using my own strength and effort. Yes, when one walks this lane, one pursues quite different goals: when one walks using one’s own strength and is in company, one correspondingly has a leisurely conversation. There are pauses, there are many things to attentively observe and admire, and there is conversation – after all, there is no hurry. I was thus instructed, and I wanted to know, “Are these pathways to be found everywhere?” I was told, “Yes, such pathways exist everywhere. But there are also places of banishment, where it can be that one is unable to set foot on such a pathway. That is what these angelic watchers are there for, these angels of God. They ensure that a particular being must walk using their own spiritual effort, that they walk the path with their own sluggish gait, which is strenuous for them.”
So, the lanes and pathways cross, merge, and pass through one another, and there is no obstacle. It is strange, and one marvels at it upon entering this other world. If, however, one already had a strong connection with divinity as a human being and praised God’s wisdom, his glory, then, already as a human being, one will actually have assimilated the thought that heaven must look wonderful and perhaps strange. Well, I do not want to say more on this at present. I have now given you some indications regarding time and space, how quickly they are overcome. You have perhaps already been made aware by other spirit beings that one simply has to think of the desired location and is then immediately there. Well, that is perhaps saying a little too much. When you human beings want to go somewhere, you also have to set off in order to arrive at this or that place. It is the same in the spiritual world, but one can then set foot on this pathway, which takes one so quickly to another place.
I would now like to tell you what I was doing before I came to you. I was in a playground where there were many children, and I was observing them. Where was I? I was not here in Switzerland; I was very far away, where the sun was shining wonderfully and the children were still playing. I simply had the task of keeping a close eye on them. That was my task before I was prompted to get ready to come to you.
The task I was given after these diverse and meaningful explanations led me to a children’s paradise. As I had always had a great fondness for children, I was allowed to work with them in the spiritual world as well. A magnificent heaven with many children was opened to me. As I entered it, these children did not just suddenly dash toward me, for they were all so busy with their games. This heaven had the most wonderful playgrounds, beautiful gardens, and all kinds of toys were available. In this children’s paradise, where I was now to begin my task, there were children up to the age of seven, according to your measurement of time. Here I saw them, the very, very small ones together; they were being cared for. Yes, they were lying in beautiful cradles, but they were not covered with blankets and suchlike – as is usual among you – because it is so pleasantly warm here, so lovely. The cradles are always decorated with all kinds of flowers. These flowers have to be brought by the older children, those who are – let us say – five, six, and seven years old. These older children are also assigned an infant to visit, to engage with, and to look out for. In this way, the children are integrated into the order early on; they are given a task – namely, one that can be expected of a child. All manner of feelings thus come to expression.
I must mention at this point that my brothers and sisters who are engaged in this children’s paradise are all very beautiful. They have such delicate figures. The sisters have beautiful, wavy hair, which is held together with garlands made of flowers – just the way children love it. Flowers are also woven into their dresses. When the children play with an angel, they go and choose this or that flower and then fasten it to their dress – and they are allowed to do so. When the children have finished their assigned tasks, they go into the large gardens and meadows and gather flowers in their little baskets. They must keep themselves busy. You should not imagine that the children in a children’s paradise have nothing to do; rather, according to their spiritual strength and dispositions, they are called upon to work – lovely work, of course, because in a children’s paradise there is nothing else. So, they collect these flowers, and the older children chat with the younger ones – with the two-, three-, and four-year-olds.
Of course, at this point I must say – because maybe not all my brothers and sisters here know this – that these children also grow up in the world beyond, but I will talk about this later. I just wanted to give an insight into the activities of these small children. They are always surrounded by these beautiful, glorious angels. Full of love, they are admonished and encouraged to work. Naturally, they still have enough free time for playing and dancing.
So, I was now to take myself to these angels of God – after all, I first had to learn everything that I am now telling you. I knew nothing at all about the fact that children in children’s paradise grow up and that one engages with them; I had absolutely no idea about it. This, too, was something new to me. So, on one occasion I was here, on another occasion there, sometimes with the smallest children, then with the older ones, and then with those who were – let us say – seven years old, according to your measurement of time, and who would soon be leaving this stage of children’s paradise. So, on one occasion I was here, and on another occasion there, and, depending on the age of the children, I had to engage them in conversation.
I do not want to neglect to say – I spoke of the time spirits – that the angels who work here do not concern themselves with time; yet everything is so wonderfully ordered. The children grow up, and one watches them grow so nicely. Then they come, these time spirits, and say, “The time has now come for you … and for you …” The older children are then gathered, and there is a big celebration. When children leave this heaven, there is singing and dancing as a farewell. There is great joy, because these children are told that they will now join bigger brothers and sisters in another heaven and have new experiences. Time and time again, such children are gathered and taken out of this heaven, and so a constant joy prevails.
As I arrived at my tasks, these heavenly brothers and sisters greeted me and introduced me to the little ones – to those who could understand and with whom one could speak. You would now like to know: “Yes, what language do you speak with these little ones?” It is a language, a common language. In the beginning, however, when children arrive in the kingdom of heaven and they have this knowledge within their soul and they express themselves in their own language, then the angels will also respond to them in this language; but they very quickly learn the heavenly common language in this children’s paradise. Well, what happens in those paradises where older children arrive who also require the care of God’s angels? Here, those who speak the same language, having spoken it on earth, are brought together. They are then given the opportunity to learn this heavenly language as well. I just wanted to mention this in passing.
I would now like to point out that I was in this children’s paradise for a long time, busy with the children. I was eventually approached again and told, “Your task not only consists of caring for these smallest of brothers and sisters; rather, you must now set forth from this children’s paradise and go to the children of human beings in the earthly realm. There, you are to guide back into heaven those children on earth who are ill and whom we have marked for a short life. You will be told where to guide them, because the time spirit will let you know the age of the child on earth, and another spirit will instruct you on where they belong. You will be able to accompany this child into the world beyond without difficulties, especially so as you will not be alone, for the child has their own guardian angel. You will approach the child’s guardian angel, greet them with honor, and say, ‘I will accompany you and guide you into the children’s paradise.’ After all, it is not only the child’s guardian angel who will accompany them into the spiritual realm. Oh, the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, and whole hosts of spirit beings are summoned to guide them back. Thus, smaller and larger hosts will go and guide these children into the kingdom of heaven.”
So, I was also enlightened in this regard. And I wanted to know, “Well, how shall I know where I must go? The earth is large. I am familiar with these ‘speedy’ pathways, and I now know how quickly I can get from one place to another, but how shall I recognize where a child is ready for the kingdom of heaven?” And I was again told, “In this respect, too, there is order.” I was only to guide back children up to the age of three; those older than three did not belong within my area of responsibility. Yes, these little children on earth – one of them lives, let us say, in Switzerland, another in France, yet another in England. Distance is no obstacle; the pathway took me so quickly to them. After all, such pathways, which take one from one place to another in such a short time, not only exist in the heavenly worlds but also in your earthly realm. Here, too, there are these waves, this vibration, these bands, or – I do not know what I should call them – I will just call them pathways.
Now, I said that the time spirit comes and tells me, “Here and there, time is up; there you must go.” I am given precise instructions; a kind of cord is placed in my hand, and I am told, “Follow the cord, and there you will be informed by the child’s guardian angel whether the time has come.” I am not given just one cord; I have a whole armful of cords, and those that are urgent light up. I am, therefore, attached to this work, to this order, and the guardian angel of the child in question desires to return to the kingdom of heaven in company. I can then choose which cord I prefer, because I cannot be everywhere at once. I have often had a handful of cords lighting up, and I could only attend to one after the other. Wherever I was unable to go, another sister or another brother was in attendance. I would have to pull on a cord, and it brought me to this pathway, and I was always there at the right moment to guide the child back.
Then, out of joy, others who were not connected with this work would come; these were the child’s relatives, who are usually in attendance as well. They would also come if it was somehow permitted, desiring to journey into the kingdom of heaven together, or at least up to the threshold of the children’s paradise. So, on each occasion, one is gathered with many, many brothers and sisters, with beautiful and less beautiful ones. And then, at the threshold of the children’s paradise, the others must take their leave – those who have no business there. My task was to go to the child’s guardian angel, to take the child and carry them to where they had been assigned, where they belonged, as I indicated earlier. And there they stand, my brothers and sisters from the children’s paradise, and they take the child into their care and begin tending to them.
You should not imagine that these other children, the older children, take no notice when their brothers and sisters, these spirit children, enter the children’s paradise. Indeed, they also have their tasks at this reception; they stand there with little flowers, and they sing and even recite poems, even if the newcomer is still too small to understand. But you must not forget: there are many spirits in children’s paradise who do not work here but who are visiting temporarily. Among them are spirits from the highest heavens who observe and scrutinize everything. They wish to rejoice over these little children who have returned, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So, these very little ones are greeted, though they are unable to take notice of it; it is much rather the grownups who take pleasure in how the other children welcome them. But, already from the second or third year of life, let us say, these newcomers are very interested in such a reception.
You should not think that these children are somehow frightened and enter the kingdom of heaven in tears. Oh no! The little spirit quickly makes friends with these beautiful surroundings. The guardian angel has the child in their arms and is so loving. You must bear in mind that the memories in the child’s soul of their parents only exist for a short time; for the spirits of heaven can see to it that these little spirits quickly find happiness and make friends with these heavenly messengers. They are given much nicer things to play with here, and they can interest themselves in things that were not possible for them on earth. They are especially fascinated by the vibrant colors. They are led to small ponds where – this is how you should imagine it – ripples move in a patchwork of colors, sparkling like a decorated Christmas tree: red, blue, green, purple, and every other color, all jumbled up. The children are invited to play with these colors. They kneel down beside these ponds and move their little hands in the water, and they watch as little beads float up, little bubbles, like soap bubbles. And they play with them; they dip their hands in the water and splash it around, and this gives rise to these bubbles. The children are delighted by this; they often chase one of these larger bubbles as it floats away, and then they return. There are wonderful things for these newcomers, with which they can find joy, and so they quickly forget. After all, heaven knows how to receive those who return to its realm. Yes, these little children are thus delighted, and even the older ones no longer express the desire to return to earth.
I may well have forgotten to say many things, and there is much I would still like to tell you, but I do not want to neglect to mention the following: angels from the most diverse spheres often come to us, and they ask these angels from the children’s paradise, “Prepare me fifty or” – let us say – “a hundred little spirits, little brothers and sisters, for a reception, for a feast. Teach them a round dance, teach them a game; we want to have them.” This must then be done, and an angel of God takes responsibility for it; they call the children together and give their brothers and sisters further instructions. And so, little games are learned. It is often simply a matter of one such child coming and greeting a newly-arrived spirit with a little bouquet of flowers, perhaps one of the child’s relatives who has now returned. There are so many possibilities. These little children are collected; they are requested in the most diverse spheres for festivals or for a reception. This is how heaven is ordered.
So, I had my task with these little children. I was to receive them up to their third year of life. I saw parents shedding many tears, and I thought to myself: “Good mother, if you only knew the beauty and splendor your child is now experiencing, you would rejoice and not weep.” I performed this task for a long time, bringing children back to the kingdom of heaven. I was then told, “You will no longer fulfill just this task; rather, you shall now guard and protect children in the earthly realm.” Once again, I was instructed to go here and there. I either had to watch over several homes in which children lived or I had my playgrounds where children would gather. I had to make sure they remained well protected, kept safe from human accidents and mishaps, if at all possible. Of course, it can be the case that, among these children, one is marked out to die. This is also explained to me beforehand, or I am told that I do not have to direct my attention to a particular child because they are under the responsibility of other spirits, who will fulfill their task with them. So, everything is organized, and we must strictly keep to this order.
So, today I have the task of going from one home to another, to observe these playgrounds, and also to report potential unforeseen dangers. This, too, is sometimes a necessity. You know that not everything can be seen in advance: through clumsiness, something can happen that was not expected. But, even for this, everything is ordered, or we have to report it as quickly as possible. So, today I am engaged in this wonderful task with my children.
And the yearning I had when I entered the spiritual world, my desire to meet him, to whom I had devoted my life and dedicated all my sacrifices – yes, this wish was fulfilled. I was told that I would now be allowed to see him – together with others as well, for you must understand that such a reception is not for one spirit alone; just consider how countlessly many there are who enter the kingdom of heaven and go up to the heights. So, I was told, “Get yourself ready with your children. Take some of the little ones and some of the older ones, and adorn them with flowers, as beautifully as you can; let your imagination run free. We will then guide you to the place where you can meet him with the children.” And so I did. I adorned the children with flowers; with all my powers of imagination, I prepared garlands for them and embellished their garments with dainty flowers. I then gathered them, and together we went to the designated place. I was not alone with them here; there were many, many others. There were many brothers and sisters who had also come with children, or, I should say, there were only those with children.
You would like to know where we gathered? Well, when so many come together, then it is best to gather in these magnificent gardens. The spirits assemble; here, there is ample space. And then we are allowed to see him: how he comes, and how he goes to the little ones, and how, here and there, he picks one up. They have no idea whose arms they were in, they cannot understand. But he also says, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.” And we, we tentatively approach him and bow before him. We are contented to see him, and we are delighted that he is pleased with our – with his – children. And he has good words for us. Then we must take our leave of him; that is difficult for us. We stay together for a long time. He is the first to withdraw. Suddenly he has vanished from us – so quickly.
You wish to know how he looked? I can tell you what the older children say. They say how beautiful he was. They tugged at his garments – for the precious gems upon it were like fire – and the children were allowed. They still speak about this magnificent garment; it made an impression on them. And they speak about his radiance and his scent and about the blaze of color that emanated from him. It was almost like that pond where they played with all those jumbled-up colors – that was how his garment shone. For I believe that he put this garment on specially for the children; it was a garment with such radiant gems of every color. For us, his entire figure was like a fire – one cannot explain it. The children still speak a lot about this encounter, about this beautiful brother with the beautiful garment. It is then our task to tell them who it was, and it remains in their memory. And later, when they have to say goodbye to the children’s paradise, this memory remains within them. They had their encounter with him in this manner. And many are given the opportunity to meet him again – that is, if they do not have to depart the heavenly realm once more and enter human life, where the memory of this wonderful experience is then extinguished.
This, my dear friends, is how I fulfill my task. You would still like to know my name. I am called Magda. I am so happy. I have no time – no time rushes me. And I would like to wish this for you: this is how it should be for you, too; when you arrive in the kingdom of heaven, you should not need to ask the time; it should always be spring or summer. You, too, can achieve what I accomplished in the earthly realm.
So, I return to my paradise, to my children, and leave you with the blessing and protection of God. God bless you.
Personal account given by ascending spirit Magda, received in German through the medium Beatrice Brunner in the hall on Münchhaldenstrasse in Zurich, 1 June 1960
In earthly life, I worked as a nurse. I really loved my job. I nursed children, young and old people. I gave them all my attention, and I cared for them in the name of Jesus Christ. I wanted to earn heaven through my work. When doing the most difficult nursing work, I always said to myself, “I do this in the name of God and in the name of Christ.” So, after a life of work, I was allowed to leave this earth gently; I was not sick for long.
I would now like to focus on what happened after I awoke in the other world. Here, I was surrounded by many, many beautiful figures. I really was not at all sure where I actually was. Someone was standing very close to me and repeatedly stroking my face with their hand, saying, “Now you have your place in heaven; now you are in heaven.” I did not dare look around, and I actually could not grasp that it really was true. Everything was enveloped in a wonderful blaze of color. I was lying on a bench in a garden, and, looking around, I saw meadows full of the daintiest daisies – it was a carpet, beautiful! And I would have loved to say to those who were around me and fussing over me, “Be careful of these beautiful flowers; you are trampling them.” I felt sorry for them.
As I looked into the distance, I saw children approaching. They were cheering and singing and jumping. They picked these little flowers, and some of them made small bouquets, and others wove little garlands. Yes, I rejoiced to see this, but I was still not sure what was going on. One of the beings around me then brought a vessel containing a fragrant oil. The spirit who was so close to me and repeatedly stroking my head with their hand now dipped their hands in the oil and began rubbing me with it – my face, my hands, my whole body, everything. I was then wrapped in a beautiful garment and covered up. I thought it smelled very nice.
The children then came to me, held out their hands to me, and rejoiced. They brought me their little bouquets and garlands, and they wanted to put these garlands on me, and I tried to resist. Among them was a small child who came very close – I still remember it so well – and said to me, “Oh, you smell nice!” I just looked at the child and said, “Well, you might be right.” And those around me smiled. Whole crowds of children came, and they asked me to stand up. I had a little trouble in straightening myself up at first, but I was supported, and then it was fine. On instruction from my higher companions, I had to breathe deeply, and then I felt quite well. From far away, I also heard wonderful music. I asked whom this music was being played for and why the musicians did not come closer. Hardly had I inquired when a crowd of music-making, colorfully-dressed brothers and sisters drew close. They smiled at me, and they sang and played.
Well, what was going to happen to me now? I could hardly understand why they were making such a fuss over me and showing me so much honor. I was then told, “Your task will initially consist of working alongside these children in a children’s paradise. But before you attend to these tasks, we also wish to show you a piece of heaven.” Yes, they spoke of all that I had done in my life, how much I had overcome, and what sacrifices I had made. But, interwoven here and there, they also made it clear that I, too, had occasionally done things wrong. But they told me that they did not want to speak about that because, after all, there was so much good on display that these other things could surely be corrected. Yes, I was certainly happy to hear it; I had actually been a little afraid. I had a yearning to see Christ, for I had devoted my life to him. I had done the most difficult work in his holy name, and it then became easy for me. I was then told, “Of course, you will be able to see Christ, but we will first prepare you somewhat. You will certainly be allowed to meet him; we will accompany you to him.” And they explained that it was not only I who would see him, but many others who had performed the same tasks as I; they, too, would meet him. Together, we would be allowed to step before him. And I was contented. I actually thought it immodest of me to request such a thing, but I really had a yearning for Christ. It was because of him that I had had the strength to live and work in the way that I had during life.
They now wanted to tell me something about heaven. I was shown beautiful gardens; they showed me the houses from which all these brothers and sisters would depart in order to attend to their tasks. What especially amazed me was how quickly one could go from one place to another, and I inquired, “How does time actually work here?” They were happy to teach me about this, saying, “Look, we have brothers and sisters here who concern themselves with time; we call them time spirits. They interest themselves in human time, and they interest themselves in spiritual time. You will also come into contact with them, but let these brothers and sisters attend to such matters for now. Still, we would like to tell you something about time as we have it here, in the spiritual realm. You can see that here, where you are right now, everything is so beautiful, everything is in bloom, and the atmosphere is so pleasant – it is not too hot, it is not too cool, it is just lovely. As a human being, you had a tear-off calendar to keep track of the days. This we do not have, we do not need it. You also had to observe your hours at work. We do not have this either, we have no clock like human beings have. We have the time spirits; they are the timekeepers, but one does not always come into contact with them. Furthermore, human beings have the seasons; from this alone, they are able to calculate and establish a certain sense of time. In addition to this, they have night and day, and they have their weekdays, and every day has its name. And with us? With us,” they explained to me, “it would be like human beings going somewhere on vacation without knowing when they have to return, and each day is more beautiful than the last, and they are simply told, ‘When it is time, we will collect you.’ But that might equally be in three years as perhaps in three or four days. No one knows when they will be collected, and no one worries about tomorrow or the day after. They have no worries, and they do not have to finish their work by a certain time, nor do they have to think about hoarding money – nothing of the sort. Time stands still, it is always beautiful, and there is always a summery atmosphere, or it is always spring, or one goes to a place where things are constantly ripening – but, still, there is no time in the way that human beings have it.”
I was told, “See, you can stay here for a long, long time, and you will not know how long you have been here, for you have neither day nor night, you are never too cold or too hot, and you will not be pressured to work. It is so beautiful, and you can always be in peace, work in peace; you do not have to reckon with any time. If it really is a matter of knowing what time it is, then they will come – the brothers and sisters, the time spirits – and they will tell you what time it is for you, and then you will be astonished. But not all spirits come into contact with these time spirits.”
I was also informed that there were brothers and sisters who did not have such a beautiful life as I now had – those who were too bound to human beings and to their sense of time. They did not need to ask whether it was summer or winter and which day and what date it was, because they still lived with that time; they had not yet been able to separate themselves from the earth and remained bound to human beings and their sense of time. In the kingdom of heaven, however, where one is free and happy, oh, one does not ask about the time. One is simply happy, and each day is as beautiful as another.
They also mentioned to me, “Then there are these lovely encounters that bring delight and make everyone happy. There is a competitive quality when it comes to these festivals and events – all that can be thought up and realized in terms of new ideas. But this does not happen as it does among human beings, who have their exact dates that determine when a festival will be held or when their houses or huts – or whatever else they possess – have to be ready. They must also precisely observe the time with regard to the flowers that they plant; they must be placed in the soil at the correct moment so that they flourish and bloom at the right time. And what about us? Flowers are brought to us, plants are brought to us, and they can grow and flourish at any time. They grow; they grow and bloom. This is how things stand with time.” This is what they told me. Yes, I had to marvel. I could not really understand it all yet, but I was able to get a sense of it. If one is not rushed, if something does not have to be finished by a particular date – oh, how glorious it must be to simply live unhurriedly into eternity! “Yes, that is eternity,” I was told.
I then wanted to know something else that interested me greatly. I had the feeling that one could walk so easily here. Yes, of course, as a human being, the body was often a hindrance, one had physical difficulties with walking. One does not have this as a spirit – that is, if one is a free, happy spirit. I was led from one place to another at lightning speed, and each time I had the feeling that we had covered a great distance, so I asked, “Is that possible in such a short period of time?” – “It certainly is,” they confirmed, and they told me, “You are a homecomer who is interested in how one can travel so rapidly from one place to another. There are many spirits who are not interested in this; they simply say to themselves, ‘Well, everything is anyway wonderful in heaven, and everything is completely different,’ and they do not marvel at anything, they simply accept it, and it is taken for granted.” My companions were happy that I had shown interest in this, and they told me, “See, we guide you upon a special pathway, and so that you can understand, we will explain it to you as follows: it is just like when human beings stand on a moving walkway or on an escalator, they do not need to make any effort at all, and they are quickly transported from one place to another. They see the conveyor belt or the stairs on which they stand; they see how it moves. With us, the pathways are such that we cannot see them – that is, they can indeed be seen if one’s spiritual eye is specifically tuned in to them, thus making discernible which vibration the respective pathway or level has. We walk on these pathways in an entirely serene and leisurely way, but we do not actually set the pace, we are simply pulled along. We walk lightly, and it is like a belt that pulls us along; it can go fast, it can go rapidly.”
They then explained, “See, we have many and various kinds of these pathways. Our brothers and sisters who have recently returned to us from earth are at first not interested in this; they simply marvel at heaven. Well, there are indeed such pathways upon which one is rapidly pulled along. Usually, one is accompanied or directed to the necessary pathway in order to arrive at one’s desired location.” In addition to these pathways, there are also small country lanes. To walk along these lanes requires one’s own effort – here, one must walk just as you do. One can also be led along these lanes, because one is usually not alone; indeed, a spirit is accompanied by these exalted brothers and sisters who take an interest in them and who guide them to their work. They simply say, “Come along,” and it is just like with you when you desire to go somewhere and use one of your modern means of transportation: you take the people along, be that in the streetcar, be that in your car, or on the train, or in an airplane, and so on. So, according to your wish, you are able to take them here or there in a very short period of time. But you must first consider which mode of transportation is most suitable. The angels do the same; they also think about what is good and what is actually wanted, whether it is necessary to take this “speedy” pathway or whether one should walk along a small country lane using one’s own effort. The term “small country lane” is perhaps a completely wrong choice for your understanding. This small country lane may actually be thirty meters wide, whereas I have no scale to describe the width of the pathway that moves – no spirit has a scale with which to measure it. As such, it is difficult for a spirit like me, who is not yet familiar with all these wondrous laws, to describe it. One accepts it, because heaven is wonderful, and one simply marvels; but one does not ask questions, because one expected that heaven might also be strange.
I was then told, “Now you can walk onto this pathway.” And, with great speed, we went from one place to another, visiting each in turn. I also used the other lane – I called it a country lane – the narrow and yet wide lane, where I had to walk using my own strength and effort. Yes, when one walks this lane, one pursues quite different goals: when one walks using one’s own strength and is in company, one correspondingly has a leisurely conversation. There are pauses, there are many things to attentively observe and admire, and there is conversation – after all, there is no hurry. I was thus instructed, and I wanted to know, “Are these pathways to be found everywhere?” I was told, “Yes, such pathways exist everywhere. But there are also places of banishment, where it can be that one is unable to set foot on such a pathway. That is what these angelic watchers are there for, these angels of God. They ensure that a particular being must walk using their own spiritual effort, that they walk the path with their own sluggish gait, which is strenuous for them.”
So, the lanes and pathways cross, merge, and pass through one another, and there is no obstacle. It is strange, and one marvels at it upon entering this other world. If, however, one already had a strong connection with divinity as a human being and praised God’s wisdom, his glory, then, already as a human being, one will actually have assimilated the thought that heaven must look wonderful and perhaps strange. Well, I do not want to say more on this at present. I have now given you some indications regarding time and space, how quickly they are overcome. You have perhaps already been made aware by other spirit beings that one simply has to think of the desired location and is then immediately there. Well, that is perhaps saying a little too much. When you human beings want to go somewhere, you also have to set off in order to arrive at this or that place. It is the same in the spiritual world, but one can then set foot on this pathway, which takes one so quickly to another place.
I would now like to tell you what I was doing before I came to you. I was in a playground where there were many children, and I was observing them. Where was I? I was not here in Switzerland; I was very far away, where the sun was shining wonderfully and the children were still playing. I simply had the task of keeping a close eye on them. That was my task before I was prompted to get ready to come to you.
The task I was given after these diverse and meaningful explanations led me to a children’s paradise. As I had always had a great fondness for children, I was allowed to work with them in the spiritual world as well. A magnificent heaven with many children was opened to me. As I entered it, these children did not just suddenly dash toward me, for they were all so busy with their games. This heaven had the most wonderful playgrounds, beautiful gardens, and all kinds of toys were available. In this children’s paradise, where I was now to begin my task, there were children up to the age of seven, according to your measurement of time. Here I saw them, the very, very small ones together; they were being cared for. Yes, they were lying in beautiful cradles, but they were not covered with blankets and suchlike – as is usual among you – because it is so pleasantly warm here, so lovely. The cradles are always decorated with all kinds of flowers. These flowers have to be brought by the older children, those who are – let us say – five, six, and seven years old. These older children are also assigned an infant to visit, to engage with, and to look out for. In this way, the children are integrated into the order early on; they are given a task – namely, one that can be expected of a child. All manner of feelings thus come to expression.
I must mention at this point that my brothers and sisters who are engaged in this children’s paradise are all very beautiful. They have such delicate figures. The sisters have beautiful, wavy hair, which is held together with garlands made of flowers – just the way children love it. Flowers are also woven into their dresses. When the children play with an angel, they go and choose this or that flower and then fasten it to their dress – and they are allowed to do so. When the children have finished their assigned tasks, they go into the large gardens and meadows and gather flowers in their little baskets. They must keep themselves busy. You should not imagine that the children in a children’s paradise have nothing to do; rather, according to their spiritual strength and dispositions, they are called upon to work – lovely work, of course, because in a children’s paradise there is nothing else. So, they collect these flowers, and the older children chat with the younger ones – with the two-, three-, and four-year-olds.
Of course, at this point I must say – because maybe not all my brothers and sisters here know this – that these children also grow up in the world beyond, but I will talk about this later. I just wanted to give an insight into the activities of these small children. They are always surrounded by these beautiful, glorious angels. Full of love, they are admonished and encouraged to work. Naturally, they still have enough free time for playing and dancing.
So, I was now to take myself to these angels of God – after all, I first had to learn everything that I am now telling you. I knew nothing at all about the fact that children in children’s paradise grow up and that one engages with them; I had absolutely no idea about it. This, too, was something new to me. So, on one occasion I was here, on another occasion there, sometimes with the smallest children, then with the older ones, and then with those who were – let us say – seven years old, according to your measurement of time, and who would soon be leaving this stage of children’s paradise. So, on one occasion I was here, and on another occasion there, and, depending on the age of the children, I had to engage them in conversation.
I do not want to neglect to say – I spoke of the time spirits – that the angels who work here do not concern themselves with time; yet everything is so wonderfully ordered. The children grow up, and one watches them grow so nicely. Then they come, these time spirits, and say, “The time has now come for you … and for you …” The older children are then gathered, and there is a big celebration. When children leave this heaven, there is singing and dancing as a farewell. There is great joy, because these children are told that they will now join bigger brothers and sisters in another heaven and have new experiences. Time and time again, such children are gathered and taken out of this heaven, and so a constant joy prevails.
As I arrived at my tasks, these heavenly brothers and sisters greeted me and introduced me to the little ones – to those who could understand and with whom one could speak. You would now like to know: “Yes, what language do you speak with these little ones?” It is a language, a common language. In the beginning, however, when children arrive in the kingdom of heaven and they have this knowledge within their soul and they express themselves in their own language, then the angels will also respond to them in this language; but they very quickly learn the heavenly common language in this children’s paradise. Well, what happens in those paradises where older children arrive who also require the care of God’s angels? Here, those who speak the same language, having spoken it on earth, are brought together. They are then given the opportunity to learn this heavenly language as well. I just wanted to mention this in passing.
I would now like to point out that I was in this children’s paradise for a long time, busy with the children. I was eventually approached again and told, “Your task not only consists of caring for these smallest of brothers and sisters; rather, you must now set forth from this children’s paradise and go to the children of human beings in the earthly realm. There, you are to guide back into heaven those children on earth who are ill and whom we have marked for a short life. You will be told where to guide them, because the time spirit will let you know the age of the child on earth, and another spirit will instruct you on where they belong. You will be able to accompany this child into the world beyond without difficulties, especially so as you will not be alone, for the child has their own guardian angel. You will approach the child’s guardian angel, greet them with honor, and say, ‘I will accompany you and guide you into the children’s paradise.’ After all, it is not only the child’s guardian angel who will accompany them into the spiritual realm. Oh, the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, and whole hosts of spirit beings are summoned to guide them back. Thus, smaller and larger hosts will go and guide these children into the kingdom of heaven.”
So, I was also enlightened in this regard. And I wanted to know, “Well, how shall I know where I must go? The earth is large. I am familiar with these ‘speedy’ pathways, and I now know how quickly I can get from one place to another, but how shall I recognize where a child is ready for the kingdom of heaven?” And I was again told, “In this respect, too, there is order.” I was only to guide back children up to the age of three; those older than three did not belong within my area of responsibility. Yes, these little children on earth – one of them lives, let us say, in Switzerland, another in France, yet another in England. Distance is no obstacle; the pathway took me so quickly to them. After all, such pathways, which take one from one place to another in such a short time, not only exist in the heavenly worlds but also in your earthly realm. Here, too, there are these waves, this vibration, these bands, or – I do not know what I should call them – I will just call them pathways.
Now, I said that the time spirit comes and tells me, “Here and there, time is up; there you must go.” I am given precise instructions; a kind of cord is placed in my hand, and I am told, “Follow the cord, and there you will be informed by the child’s guardian angel whether the time has come.” I am not given just one cord; I have a whole armful of cords, and those that are urgent light up. I am, therefore, attached to this work, to this order, and the guardian angel of the child in question desires to return to the kingdom of heaven in company. I can then choose which cord I prefer, because I cannot be everywhere at once. I have often had a handful of cords lighting up, and I could only attend to one after the other. Wherever I was unable to go, another sister or another brother was in attendance. I would have to pull on a cord, and it brought me to this pathway, and I was always there at the right moment to guide the child back.
Then, out of joy, others who were not connected with this work would come; these were the child’s relatives, who are usually in attendance as well. They would also come if it was somehow permitted, desiring to journey into the kingdom of heaven together, or at least up to the threshold of the children’s paradise. So, on each occasion, one is gathered with many, many brothers and sisters, with beautiful and less beautiful ones. And then, at the threshold of the children’s paradise, the others must take their leave – those who have no business there. My task was to go to the child’s guardian angel, to take the child and carry them to where they had been assigned, where they belonged, as I indicated earlier. And there they stand, my brothers and sisters from the children’s paradise, and they take the child into their care and begin tending to them.
You should not imagine that these other children, the older children, take no notice when their brothers and sisters, these spirit children, enter the children’s paradise. Indeed, they also have their tasks at this reception; they stand there with little flowers, and they sing and even recite poems, even if the newcomer is still too small to understand. But you must not forget: there are many spirits in children’s paradise who do not work here but who are visiting temporarily. Among them are spirits from the highest heavens who observe and scrutinize everything. They wish to rejoice over these little children who have returned, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So, these very little ones are greeted, though they are unable to take notice of it; it is much rather the grownups who take pleasure in how the other children welcome them. But, already from the second or third year of life, let us say, these newcomers are very interested in such a reception.
You should not think that these children are somehow frightened and enter the kingdom of heaven in tears. Oh no! The little spirit quickly makes friends with these beautiful surroundings. The guardian angel has the child in their arms and is so loving. You must bear in mind that the memories in the child’s soul of their parents only exist for a short time; for the spirits of heaven can see to it that these little spirits quickly find happiness and make friends with these heavenly messengers. They are given much nicer things to play with here, and they can interest themselves in things that were not possible for them on earth. They are especially fascinated by the vibrant colors. They are led to small ponds where – this is how you should imagine it – ripples move in a patchwork of colors, sparkling like a decorated Christmas tree: red, blue, green, purple, and every other color, all jumbled up. The children are invited to play with these colors. They kneel down beside these ponds and move their little hands in the water, and they watch as little beads float up, little bubbles, like soap bubbles. And they play with them; they dip their hands in the water and splash it around, and this gives rise to these bubbles. The children are delighted by this; they often chase one of these larger bubbles as it floats away, and then they return. There are wonderful things for these newcomers, with which they can find joy, and so they quickly forget. After all, heaven knows how to receive those who return to its realm. Yes, these little children are thus delighted, and even the older ones no longer express the desire to return to earth.
I may well have forgotten to say many things, and there is much I would still like to tell you, but I do not want to neglect to mention the following: angels from the most diverse spheres often come to us, and they ask these angels from the children’s paradise, “Prepare me fifty or” – let us say – “a hundred little spirits, little brothers and sisters, for a reception, for a feast. Teach them a round dance, teach them a game; we want to have them.” This must then be done, and an angel of God takes responsibility for it; they call the children together and give their brothers and sisters further instructions. And so, little games are learned. It is often simply a matter of one such child coming and greeting a newly-arrived spirit with a little bouquet of flowers, perhaps one of the child’s relatives who has now returned. There are so many possibilities. These little children are collected; they are requested in the most diverse spheres for festivals or for a reception. This is how heaven is ordered.
So, I had my task with these little children. I was to receive them up to their third year of life. I saw parents shedding many tears, and I thought to myself: “Good mother, if you only knew the beauty and splendor your child is now experiencing, you would rejoice and not weep.” I performed this task for a long time, bringing children back to the kingdom of heaven. I was then told, “You will no longer fulfill just this task; rather, you shall now guard and protect children in the earthly realm.” Once again, I was instructed to go here and there. I either had to watch over several homes in which children lived or I had my playgrounds where children would gather. I had to make sure they remained well protected, kept safe from human accidents and mishaps, if at all possible. Of course, it can be the case that, among these children, one is marked out to die. This is also explained to me beforehand, or I am told that I do not have to direct my attention to a particular child because they are under the responsibility of other spirits, who will fulfill their task with them. So, everything is organized, and we must strictly keep to this order.
So, today I have the task of going from one home to another, to observe these playgrounds, and also to report potential unforeseen dangers. This, too, is sometimes a necessity. You know that not everything can be seen in advance: through clumsiness, something can happen that was not expected. But, even for this, everything is ordered, or we have to report it as quickly as possible. So, today I am engaged in this wonderful task with my children.
And the yearning I had when I entered the spiritual world, my desire to meet him, to whom I had devoted my life and dedicated all my sacrifices – yes, this wish was fulfilled. I was told that I would now be allowed to see him – together with others as well, for you must understand that such a reception is not for one spirit alone; just consider how countlessly many there are who enter the kingdom of heaven and go up to the heights. So, I was told, “Get yourself ready with your children. Take some of the little ones and some of the older ones, and adorn them with flowers, as beautifully as you can; let your imagination run free. We will then guide you to the place where you can meet him with the children.” And so I did. I adorned the children with flowers; with all my powers of imagination, I prepared garlands for them and embellished their garments with dainty flowers. I then gathered them, and together we went to the designated place. I was not alone with them here; there were many, many others. There were many brothers and sisters who had also come with children, or, I should say, there were only those with children.
You would like to know where we gathered? Well, when so many come together, then it is best to gather in these magnificent gardens. The spirits assemble; here, there is ample space. And then we are allowed to see him: how he comes, and how he goes to the little ones, and how, here and there, he picks one up. They have no idea whose arms they were in, they cannot understand. But he also says, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.” And we, we tentatively approach him and bow before him. We are contented to see him, and we are delighted that he is pleased with our – with his – children. And he has good words for us. Then we must take our leave of him; that is difficult for us. We stay together for a long time. He is the first to withdraw. Suddenly he has vanished from us – so quickly.
You wish to know how he looked? I can tell you what the older children say. They say how beautiful he was. They tugged at his garments – for the precious gems upon it were like fire – and the children were allowed. They still speak about this magnificent garment; it made an impression on them. And they speak about his radiance and his scent and about the blaze of color that emanated from him. It was almost like that pond where they played with all those jumbled-up colors – that was how his garment shone. For I believe that he put this garment on specially for the children; it was a garment with such radiant gems of every color. For us, his entire figure was like a fire – one cannot explain it. The children still speak a lot about this encounter, about this beautiful brother with the beautiful garment. It is then our task to tell them who it was, and it remains in their memory. And later, when they have to say goodbye to the children’s paradise, this memory remains within them. They had their encounter with him in this manner. And many are given the opportunity to meet him again – that is, if they do not have to depart the heavenly realm once more and enter human life, where the memory of this wonderful experience is then extinguished.
This, my dear friends, is how I fulfill my task. You would still like to know my name. I am called Magda. I am so happy. I have no time – no time rushes me. And I would like to wish this for you: this is how it should be for you, too; when you arrive in the kingdom of heaven, you should not need to ask the time; it should always be spring or summer. You, too, can achieve what I accomplished in the earthly realm.
So, I return to my paradise, to my children, and leave you with the blessing and protection of God. God bless you.
Personal account given by ascending spirit Magda, received in German through the medium Beatrice Brunner in the hall on Münchhaldenstrasse in Zurich, 1 June 1960
Other personal accounts
Personal accounts from the world beyond given by deceased human beings through the medium Beatrice Brunner.