Question: A little dog of mine was killed by an auto some months ago. Was that an accident, or was it the way she was supposed to go? Do animals live on the astral plane after death, perhaps in their earthly home, as discarnate human Spirits do? Is it possible that my little pet is with my dear father, who passed on a short time ago? And do you think she might be reborn soon and come to me again?

Answer: When man domesticates animals, he takes over to some extent the influence of the Group Spirits, and the animals become able to express a higher intelligence because of their association with human beings. Thus the animals may have their evolutionary progress considerably accelerated, and also, man profits by the service he has rendered. However, unfortunately for the animals in many cases, man has free will and may determine the manner of death for his younger brothers with little regard for their suffering. The majority of people do not yet realize that "there is only one Life in the universe, which is God's life . . . All that lives is thus a manifestation of God. We are in time to become creators, as He is a Creator, but so long as we brutally destroy the forms of other beings, we are hindering ourselves," as well as those whose forms we destroy.

Yes, animals live in the Desire World after death until they are reabsorbed by the Group Spirits, their length of stay there depending upon their stage of evolution. They are very apt to remain in their former surroundings as long as they can, and may associate with former friends who have passed into the Desire World.

It is possible that your little dog may be reborn in your lifetime and come to you again as a pet. The Law of Association would doubtless work in such a case, to the extent that the animal has evolved under your care. However, we do not think it wise to allow ourselves to become too attached to any one pet. It is our duty to cultivate the universal attitude, and the care and attention we give to an animal will affect all of that species for good during the reabsorbtion period.

Question: When dogs or other animals pass away with a painful sickness, do they regain their health at once? Does it take three days for the silver cord to break? How can they be reborn soon if they pass back into the Group Spirit? Or can they leave it after entering?

Answer: As soon as the dense body is left behind, the animal is in its higher vehicles, and, under the direction of the Group Spirit, is no longer subject to sickness or disfigurement. The Group Spirit is able to change the higher vehicles of its charges by thought, much as human beings may do for themselves when they have passed over.

No, we do not think it takes three days for the individual silver cord of the animal to break in most cases. The time would depend to a large extent upon the evolutionary stage of the animal. In the case of a beetle, it is only a few minutes; for the dog "or any of the higher animals, there is a correspondingly longer time and more consciousness in the Desire World than in the case of the lower forms."

"As a man has a body composed of many cells, each with an individual consciousness, so is a Group Spirit an entity functioning in the spiritual worlds possessing a spiritual body composed of many separate animal spirits. The Group Spirit itself cannot function in the material world, but it evolves by sending the different animal spirits into a body which it creates, and which then forms a species or tribe of animals, and the Group Spirit guides all these animal bodies by means of suggestion which we call instinct." It can send the animal spirit back into earth life whenever it sees fit.

Question: Where does the lion get its fierce disposition? Does it come from an unevolved Ego, the desire body, or the Group Spirit? Compare it with the deer.

Answer: There is no real enmity between animals or their Group Spirits, either on the visible or the invisible planes. For instance, the lion does not hate the deer it eats any more than a cow hates grass. It is simply a question of obtaining food wherewith to sustain life. The Group Spirit of one species of animal is not the enemy of any other species. In relation to this subject Max Heindel makes the following statement: "The main object of existence is the evolution of consciousness, and the ingenuity displayed by one class of animals in capturing another, the patient concentration of the cat watching the mouse-hole, and the many varied schemes used by other animals to catch the unwary are easily counterbalanced by the vigilance displayed by the animals preyed upon in their wild state, when they are totally dependent upon the Group Spirit to save them from pursuers."

Question: I am desirous of knowing if the spirits of animals go to the Desire World between births. Also if they resemble their earth form after death. Could they be recognized by a former master in the spirit world? After their death do they ever stay near the ones they loved on this plane?

Answer: Yes, the spirits of animals go to the Desire World between births. Here, for a short time, they lead an independent existence, but soon they become absorbed by the Group Spirit, and remain so until they are sent out again to reincarnate for another earth life. For a short time after death they can be seen and recognized by a trained clairvoyant. If a former master were conscious in the Desire World, he would be able to recognize his animal pets there. Sometimes for a very short period they remain close to the earth plane near their masters. Animals reincarnate much oftener than human beings.
— Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine, September/October, 1995