English Spiritualist Medium, Ivy Northage, was known for her teaching abilities at the Ivy Northage School for Mediums. She took a no nonsense approach to training, and many of her students became highly successful mediums. Ivy demonstrated clairvoyance and transfiguration early in her career. For well over 40 years, she served churches, and taught at the SAGB (Spiritualist Association of Great Britain), and the College of Psychic Studies.
Ivy’s spirit guide, Chan, gave hundreds of inspirational trance lectures. He used a practical and comprehensive approach to spiritual development. Many of his teachings were recorded and remain relevant today.
Chan had much to say about the transition from the physical world to the spiritual plane. He first explained that the ease of transitions depends upon the manner of death. For the person who is elderly or who has been sickly for an extended period, the passage is expected. During times of sleep or unconsciousness, the spirit leaves the body “while the silver cord which links the spirit body to the physical gradually becomes thinner and thinner.” A slow and gradual transition can take place.
Those experiencing a sudden death may not be aware that they are dead for some time. If the person is in an accident, he might think he has miraculously escaped. He will tell the spirits greeting him that he is feeling fine. Because of the shock, he imagines surroundings that look identical to those on Earth. He sees himself still dressed in the clothes he was wearing. When spirit guides help him, he may believe he is being taken to a hospital. It isn’t until the deceased notices that things are not quite normal, that the illusion begins to dissolve.
Chan refers to the astral belt of communication as a condition of higher vibration, not an actual physical location. Because a spirit can create the illusion of still being on the physical plane, he might not want to accept that he has passed. The spirit receives “spiritual first-aid” at this time, and is gradually weaned away from his emotional attachment to his earthly existence.
Some spirits may a first choose to stay in familiar surroundings, creating houses and surroundings that maintain their comfort. This depends upon how attached they were to their physical life. The length of time that it takes a spirit to move beyond this stage is highly dependent upon the individual. At some point, the spirit will quicken its vibration and move beyond the emotional astral vibration that is closest to the Earth.
Reference: Journey Beyond: Trance Talks by Chan, Spirit Guide of Ivy Northage. Light Publishing. Great Britain. Reprinted 1993.