Chapter 11

Scene Description: A poignant interaction takes place between a ghost of a woman and a bright spirit identified as her brother, Reginald.
Initial Disappointment: The ghost expresses disappointment upon seeing Reginald instead of another individual, Michael.
- Ghost's Voice: "Oh, Reginald, it's you, is it?"
- Spirit's Response: "Yes, dear, I know you expected someone else."

Expectation of Meeting: The ghost had anticipated a meeting with Michael, indicating unfulfilled expectations and emotional urgency.
- Mention of Location: Michael is described to be far up in the mountains.
Concern for Michael's Awareness:
- Ghost's Question: "Why hasn't he come to meet me? Didn't he know?"
- Spirit's Reassurance: "Don't worry. It would all come right presently. He wouldn't be able to see or hear you as you are at present."

Explanation of Visibility: The spirit explains that the ghost is currently invisible to Michael and needs to undergo a transformation ("thickening up") to become perceptible to him.
- Ghost's Skepticism: "How?"
- Spirit's Proposal: The desire for someone beyond Michael is needed to start the thickening process.

Initial Resistance by the Ghost: The ghost exhibits frustration at the notion of needing to desire God for His own sake rather than as a means to an end—her son.
- Spirit's Clarification: The ghost must learn to love God first before she can love Michael properly.
Instinctive Love vs. Divine Love:
- Spirit's Insight: "You cannot love a fellow creature fully till you love God."
- Pushback from the Ghost: "But… there is no such thing as being only a mother."

Divine Perspective on Loss: The spirit argues Michael's removal was necessary for growth and a better understanding of love.
- Highlights:
- Stability in human relationships can never yield true, lasting happiness.
- The change is often initiated by loss, creating space for deeper connections.

Higher and Lower Natural Affections:
- Discussion on Different Types of Love: Natural feelings can become corrupt without divine guidance.
- Spirit's Assertion: "No natural feelings are high or low, holy or unholy in themselves."

Expressions of Grief: The ghost recounts sacrifices made for Michael's happiness, highlighting her fixation on the past.
Spirit’s Argument: Claims that excessive focus on grieving can hinder spiritual growth, likening it to embalming a body.

The Role of Suffering in Love: The spirit underscores that true love must be refined through trials.
- Critique of Attachment: Uncontrolled affection can lead to manipulation and misery.
- Reassertion of God's Love: Trust that God’s plans supersede human understanding of love.

Introduction of the Ghost with the Lizard: The ghost carries a red lizard symbolizing vice or sin.
- Lizard's Influence: The creature whispers to the ghost, luring him back into complacency.
The Angel's Offer: An angel offers to kill the lizard, indicating the need for destruction of vice for spiritual rebirth.

Ghost's Reluctance: The ghost hesitates, reluctant to sacrifice the lizard despite knowing its vile influence.
- Justifications: He rationalizes the need to keep the lizard, highlighting fear of change and loss.

Climactic Struggle: Upon granting permission, the lizard is killed with a painful scream from the ghost, signifying the birth of a new existence.
Transformation of the Lizard:
- Rebirth: The creature transforms from a lizard into a magnificent horse, representing spiritual elevation.
- Symbolism of the Horse: The horse embodies strength, elegance, and the full realization of promises of resurrection in the spiritual realm.

Understanding Love's True Nature:
- Comparison between Love Types: The chapter concludes with the assertion that maternal love must also undergo transformation akin to the other vices.
Final Teachings: The nature of spirituality means no aspect of humanity can remain unchanged and unexamined as one approaches divine realms.

Elevation: The transformed entities move onward into the mountains reflecting eventual enlightenment, suggesting that spiritual evolution is a continuous journey towards the divine.