Family Ties Strengthened by Reincarnation, but Severed by a Single Existence
18. Family ties are not destroyed by reincarnation, as certain persons believe; on the contrary, they are strengthened and become tighter. It is the opposite principle that does destroy them.
In the spirit world, spirits form groups or families united by affection, sympathy and similar inclinations. These spirits, happy at being together, seek out one another. Incarnation separates them only momentarily, because after their reentry into the errant state they meet again like friends who have returned from a journey. Frequently, they even follow one another into incarnation, wherein they are reunited in the same family or the same circle, working together for their mutual advancement. If some are incarnate while others are not, they are nevertheless united by thought. Those who are free watch over those who are captive; the more advanced try to help the less advanced to progress. After each existence, they will have taken a step on the path toward perfection. Less and less attached to matter, their affection is more alive due to the fact that since their spirit has become more purified, it is no longer troubled by selfishness or the clouds of the passions. They can therefore pass through an unlimited number of corporeal existences without any harm affecting their mutual affection.
It is to be understood that we are here referring to real affection from soul to soul, the only affection that survives the destruction of the body, because beings of this world who are united to one another only through the senses have no reason to look for each other in the world of spirits. There are no lasting affections except spiritual ones; physical affections die out with the cause that gave rise to them; but that cause no longer exists in the world of spirits, whereas the soul exists forever. As for persons united by the sole reason of self-interest, they really do not mean anything to each other – death separates them both in heaven and on earth.