Shadows in the Heart (extract)

Afterlife Encounters

When Inessa views Beatrice, she is intrigued.

“Beatrice is in a kind of cocoon that is positioned in a house, in an upstairs bedroom,” she observes. “I believe it is a child’s nursery. Her cocoon is filled with beautiful images that she gazes at, but none of them reflect the reality of her situation.”

I catch my breath—I think I know where Beatrice is! Inessa’s view aligns exactly with a 1933 photograph of my mother’s childhood home, Celandine. Here, in Ernest’s picture, Beatrice stands at the first-floor nursery window, gazing down at Penny’s pram by the porch.

“Yes,” exclaims Inessa, “this is the locus of her cocoon! Beatrice hasn’t looked out of it for over sixty years. The trauma of her death drove her to retreat into memory, and lack of spiritual grounding now stops her progressing.”

Beatrice’s cocoon is spun from memory and fear. It shields her from pain—but traps her in timeless isolation. She is in a state called earthbound, like the soul I encountered during the supersensible research course. Now I learn more about earthbound souls.

They are not acting malevolently—only confused, overwhelmed, lost. A soul in this state might remain tied to a trauma, or bound to a place, person, or uncompleted earthly task. Emotions carried within the soul can cause this state—guilt, panic, shock, disbelief and denial, for instance. Beatrice’s case is especially poignant because her cocoon is crafted from love—but it is a misplaced devotion that helps no one, least of all herself.

© 2025 Phoebe Tallis