QUOTE(earthchick @ May 12 2006, 06:30 AM) [snapback]1185377[/snapback]
I think that the spirits of very young children being left behind is very unlikely. In my opinion, spirits of the innocent go directly into the light, or to Heaven, however you wish to view it, upon death. I'd say that for most children, innocense begins to disappear at approx. age 5. This is likely why there is not much heard of infant spirits.
Ghosts, however, are a different matter, if you adhere to the theory that ghosts are simply a replay of events caused by residual energy. In that case I suppose one could see a ghost of an infant or young child, even though its spirit has long ago moved on. I don't personally know of any actual stories about such cases though. Sorry.
I'm going to have to disagree:
Entry into the next life has the potential to bring great joy. Death is likened to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother."
The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the view of earthly existence. Just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's initial physical development, the physical world provides the matrix for the development of the individual soul. Accordingly, I view life as a sort of workshop, where one can develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.