Noting my growing interest in the processes of nutrition, Lysias invited me to accompany him on an instructive excursion.
4 - An aerial vehicle similar to our large cable cars.
"Let's go," he suggested, "and see the Colony's great reservoir. There you will have the opportunity to see some things that will interest you and to learn the importance of water in our transition settlement."
My curiosity roused, I gladly accepted the invitation. When we arrived at the corner of the public square, my kind friend stopped.
"Here we wait for the airbus." [4] He said.
I had scarcely gotten over my surprise when a large vehicle approached, floating about fifteen feet above the ground, filled with passengers. It descended like an elevator. I looked at it closely – it was very long, like no vehicle I had ever seen on Earth. It seemed to be made of a very flexible material, and, judging from the number of antennae on its roof, I guessed that it was connected to invisible wires. Later, when visiting the large working plants of the Colony's Department of Traffic and Transportation, I found that my suppositions had been right.
Lysias gave me no time for my customary questioning. We climbed in, settled into comfortable seats, and the air-bus started in silence. I felt uneasy in this unusual environment, among so many strangers. We traveled at such a speed that I found it impossible to discern the details of any of the constructions that we passed. We covered a good distance, stopping briefly every three kilometers, until forty minutes later Lysias informed me that we had arrived.
The scenery before my eyes was of exquisite beauty. The woods were in bloom and the fresh air was filled with a gentle aroma. It was all a miracle of colors and lights. A great river wound its way leisurely between green banks sprinkled with blue flowers. The slow-moving waters, shimmering in the sun, reflected, like a crystal mirror, the many shades of blue in the sky. Wide paths cut through the woods in different directions, and at regular intervals large trees spread their friendly branches offering areas of shade in the sun-bathed landscape. Here and there, fancifully shaped benches invited one to rest. I was simply charmed, and Lysias noticed by enthusiasm.
"This place is called the Water Park. It is one of the finest regions of the Astral City, and a favorite meeting place for lovers. They come here to exchange sweet vows of love and fidelity for their future experiences on Earth."
These remarks brought a series of interesting questions to my mind, but Lysias gave me no chance to vent my eager curiosity. Pointing to a large and imposing building, he explained:
"That is the Colony's water works. The waters of the Blue River that you see over there are drawn into huge compartments from which they are distributed to every district in the Colony. Beyond the grounds of the Ministry of Regeneration, the waters converge again. The river then flows along its ordinary course towards the great ocean of substances, invisible to the Earth. "As a matter of fact, water here has quite a different density than that on Earth. It is much lighter and purer here, almost fluidical."
Noticing the magnificent building in front of us, I asked:
"Which Ministry controls the distribution of water?"
"It is one of the rare material activities under the Ministry of Divine Union."
"Really!" I exclaimed, at a loss for how to reconcile the two. Lysias smiled and continued with his explanation:
"On Earth, very few people recognize the importance of water. Here in the Astral City our attitude is different and our knowledge of the subject is far greater. It is obvious that all services that are created need energy and attention to remain in good order. In this spiritual city we learn to be grateful to the Father and His divine laborers for such a gift. Being more deeply acquainted with the properties of water, we know that it is one of the most powerful vehicles for all fluids, whatever their nature. Here, water is used especially for nutritive and medicinal purposes. In the Ministry of Assistance, you will find several departments entirely devoted to mixing pure water with certain elements drawn from solar rays and from spiritual magnetism. In most districts of our extensive Colony, the water thus prepared is the basis of our diet. It happens, though, that, of all of us, the Ministers of Divine Union have reached the highest degree of spiritualization. Consequently they were allotted the task of the general magnetization of the water of the Blue River, to purify it enough so that it might be used by all of the inhabitants of the Astral City. After the Ministers of Divine Union cleanse the water, various institutions carry out the specialized work of endowing it with nutritive and medicinal substances. When the different ducts join again at a distant point opposite these woods, the river flows away from our area, bearing some of our spiritual qualities."
I was completely astonished in the face of these explanations.
"On Earth," I remarked, "I never heard of anything like this."
"Man is inattentive." Lysias continued. "For many centuries the sea has kept his environment in balance, rain has supplied him with food, and the rivers have been vital in the formation of his cities. Water is a blessing in his home and work, and is the principal and most important element in his physical body. Yet man goes on thinking himself the absolute master of his world, forgetting that he is, before any other consideration, a child of the Most High."
"The time will come, though, when he will follow our example and recognize the value of this divine and precious gift. He will understand that the water in every home absorbs the mental characteristics of its inhabitants."
"In the physical world, my friend, not only does water carry away the residues of material bodies, but it also becomes impregnated with our mental vibrations. It can be harmful in wicked hands, useful in generous ones. When in motion, it current spreads the blessing of life and acts as a vehicle of Divine Providence, absorbing man's bitterness, hatred and worries, cleansing his physical home and purifying his inner atmosphere."
Lysias fell into reverent silence, while I gazed at the tranquil waters that had aroused in my mind so many sublime thoughts.
THE ASTRAL CITY - The story of a doctor’s odyssey in the Spirit World.
By André Luiz (spirit) Through Francisco Cândido Xavier
1st Electronic Edition by GEAE