CHAPTER VTL

klX years had passed. I had attained quite a reputation for m; skill in healing disease, which had latterly come to me as a gift, one of the results of persistent advance in the line of occult knowledge. Many of the cures were so remarkable that I was looked upon by the ignorant with awe and some little distrust, lest my power should be outside the lines of the Catholic Church. My reputa- tion as a leech had extended eyen to the Capital. I knew it had spread through spies, by whom the king had kept himself informed of all the outside world knew of my daily acts and pur- suits. So long as they had no political signifi- cance he had not cared to molest me.
218 THREE SEVENS.
^^ Bat on the day of which I now speak, a ooorier from the Capital announced that the plagne had broken out at Madrid, and the king summoned me to try my skill in controlling it.
^ long train of consequences would eyolve, I retired to my laboratory and sought advice from my Ghiru. Fixing my thought on the far-off, the astral presence soon responded, and his low, strength-inspiring tones said :
^^ ^ My brother, I see thou dost not question as to the opportunity to help thy fellows, but simply desirest instruction as to how it can best be accomplished. Further, thou seekest to know the best manner in which it may be expe- dient for thee to move in the matter. It is well. Hesitate not to obey the king's behest, but when in the days to come he shall seek thy life, the Brotherhood will protect thee. It is all so written in thy line of life. Thy strength shall be according to thy burdens. Bid thy wife
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&rewell for an indefinite period, for like the reyolving circles, your lives cease to run parallel until such time as the tasks before each shall be completed/
"Preparations were made. With a long embrace and caress my wife and myself parted, not inconsolable, but relying on the promises of those who had never thus far failed us, that we* should again be united, when that which was set for us to do should be accomplished.
^^ Arriving at the Capital, I reported at the palace, where I found confusion and dismay on every hand. All audience was denied. Find- ing there was no head to affairs but fear, I went forth to the most loathsome part of the city and commenced my career. My success was won- derful. It seemed as if the sick in the lazar- houses had but to hear my words, to look upon my presence, in order to bring healing to them- selves, so mighty was the manifestation of the power of the Brotherhood through me. Nor
220 THREE SEVENS.
did my powers decrease as the days went by. Through me the Brotherhood interposing a bar- rier stayed the plague.
^^' I was hailed as a deliverer, a friend of all. My reputation brought me a large practice, from which I could not escape, even if I desired selfishly to lay down the burden. Really, not for myself, but for the sake of those in need and distress, I worked on.
" My growing popularity alarmed the king, and disturbed the physicians, who declared I had no right to practice medicine, because I had never studied at the schools. The king sought means to stop the outward expression. They were not far off.
'^ One night, three black-robed figures, in the usual manner, arrested me at my lodgings. Within an hour I was occupying a cell of the Spanish Inquisition, that realized hell of man's imagination. When brought before the infernal tribunal I was accused of practicing the Black
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Art. My success in alleyiating the miseries of mankind, was declared to be the work of the devil, with whom I must be in league.
^' I confessed that I was not an educated phy- sician, and that my success in healing was due to a superior power, but naught else could they extort from me. Because I would not say that good wae^ evil, and declare myself worthy of death, I was sentenced to torture.
^^ On the morrow my sentence was to be car- ried out. Lying upon the rude pallet in my cell, meditating upon the injustice of man to his fellow, it occurred to me that he had no right to injure nor maim another, under any pretext whatsoever, and that I was not called upon to endure torture of any kind, least of all, from those who used religious pretense to cloak selfish purposes. My eyes fell upon the sapphire ring upon my finger. Its pale, blue light kindled under my gaze and streamed out in penetrating potency. The parting instructions of my Guru
222 THREE SEVENS.
recurred to my mind, with startling distinctness. Those wonderful words, the pass of the Neophyte, offered themselves plainly, and were gravely, reverently spoken, out into the silence, for the first time audibly in almost sevm years, since before the door of the Temple Chamber I had received them* Almost seven years. Days and nights had been so crowded with events, since I came to ihe Capital that the nearness of the end of my probation had passed from my memory.
^^ No sooner had the first sound vibrated upon the air, than a presence formulated itself before me, and as I finished, one of the brothers, whom I knew well, stood in my cell.
" * Thy Guru hath requested me to come for thee. It is time thou didst turn thy face towards those who lovingly wait for thee, and truly desire thy wel&re.
" * Robe thyself for the outside world, take this staff, and let us go hence.' I at once put on my garments, and taking the staff he offered
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me, was ready to accompany him. The immense triple-locked doors of the great prison of the Inquisition opened for us. Neither keeper nor sentinel offered obstruction to our progress. The darkness veiled us. At the outskirts of the city, we found horses waiting us. Mounting, we rode rapidly Westward. On a spur of the Sierra de Gata we halted a few moments, not because of the need of our animals, for they were as fresh as when we started, but because I desired to look over the broad country that had brought so much of sorrow, and so little of joy to me.
*' * My brother,' said my companion, * look thy last upon ingrate Spain, whose dust thou now shakest from thy feet forever. A hard and bitter mother has she been to thee. But that which she had to do for thee and that which thou hadst to do for her is this day finished.'
" Although I felt it to be true that Spain had been only a fierce, exacting protector, yet the
224 THREE SEVENS.
force of the love I had cherished for her, gave a shade of regret to this, the final parting. I have since been in all the countries of the earth, and in the Spanish colonial possessions, bat I have never, since that time, entered the bounda- ries of the mother country. We crossed Por- tugal swiftly without hindrance or delay, from any source whatever.
'^ Arrived at the seaboard on the summit of one of the mountains of the coast range, at my companion's suggestion we dismounted. As we stepped away to refresh our cramped limbs after our long ride, our horses vanished into thin air. I looked at my companion. He was standing erect with his face toward the West. A peculiar look of concentrated potency overspread his features. As I watched him and noticed the hardening of all the lines of his face, my eye involuntarily followed his line of projection into the Western horizon. In the far-off sky I noticed first, a tiny speck which gradually
THREE SEVENS. 225
enlarged until there rested upon the dope at our feet, an air yaoht, complete in all its appoint- ments.
"My companion motioned me to step on board, and he followed, taking the helm himself. Obeying the impulse of his intelligence, the yacht swung around, her immense sail filled before a strong breeze from the East. Without the friction of resisting matter, moving at the same speed as the wind, we were on our journey, like an arrow from the bow. Far beneath us lay the ocean and the clouds.
" *My brother,' I questioned, * whence comes this vessel V
" ' Oh !' he replied, Mt is one of the models laid up in the astral light, from the thought of the Old Atlantians. Some day, some of the clear-sighted earth-bom will see it, and have knowledge and power enough to manifest it for themselves. Meanwhile it will continue in its store-house, except when it may be used as we
226 THREE SEVENS.
nxe now ucdng it All the inyentions of the earth-bom are made in this way. They are discovered in the sense that one disoovers a sail on the ocean. But in the sense of creation fir^m nothing, never.'
a i yfixj could I not have come to you in this way, on my previous trips ?' I asked.
^^ ' Because you had not sufficient soul-unfold- ment,' was the reply. ^Now, you do not depend upon other force than your own potency. Of this you are fully self-conscious. This makes you calm, and evenly poised. Seven years ago this was not so. It employs the utmost meas- ure of my own will power, to hold our vessel in manifestation. If I were required to hold you up also, with an uncertain and varying amount of sustaining, we might suddenly find ourselves wrecked.'
" Thus whiling away the time in conversation, we swept on and on, until at length far beneath us, could be seen the outlines of the old fort.
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We lingered not here, but with nnslackened velocity sped forward, to find ourselves, at last, at the crest of the mountains towering over the Temple. Here our craft beached, and swung broadside to, for us to disembark.
^' My companion said : ^ You know the way down into the gardens, where I will join you as soon as I have re-assumed my outer garment of flesh.'
. " Following his direction, I soon found myself in company with my brothers, whose quaint, kind words of joy, had more gladness for me than any other human thing. We were soon joined by the brother, under whose guidance I had made my recent journey. He did not seem in any wise discomfitted by his late absence from his body.
^^ Best and refreshment were my most urgent needs. The next day my Guru said : ^ My brother, seven months of preparation lie before thee, and then comes your final trial. If sue-
228 THREE SEVENS.
oessfoly more worlds than this lie at your feet But remember that even great ones fiall back from the threshold. Beware of feeling unduly uplifted by self-consciousness, at the present position.'
^' I had not dreamed this to be possible. I had never, from the first hour of my entrance into the Temple, indulged in any hopes for the future yet to come, after reaching this or that point. My only formulated hope was, that some day it might be my lot to share the life of the Brothers in the Temple. I only thought of this, as it might be worthily won by me as a right, and not in any sense as an usurpation of another's rights or place. But I was glad of my Guru's suggestion, for it set me to examin- ing myself in the secret thought, and to the striving for the obliteration of any and all taint of selfishness.
"A large part of the days of preparation were spent in the practice of controlling the action of
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nature in the fonnation and shaping of the inanimate, inorganic oombinationB of the ele- ment called matter. This will always respond to the vibrations of thought, if we know how to project onr potency of Will. All things are One, from one source. The hints of the ability to transmute one metal into another, are not idle suggestions. That which has been once created by the Infinite Thought of the Uniyerse, cui also be changed and transfonned, under the same law, by the finite thought
^^ I was more fully taught, that as I was one with the whole Uniyerse, I could neither disturb nor injure another without affecting myself. He who suffers most from selfishness, is the one who is selfish, seeking only his own ends r^ardless of the desires or good of others. It was also deeply impressed upon my mind that, having eliminated the selfishness that springs firom, and is co-ordinate with, manifestation on the physical plane, one could only hope to reach full attain-
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ment by striving to comprehend, in all its follness, the fitct that the Higher Self is not now, nor can be separate from the One Absolute Self. Whenever this is wholly comprehended, then man, even on &6 physical plane, can become ^one of us,' die Adonai, Elohim or Devas. Once having won his way into the ranks of the Brotherhood in its highest degree, he is entitled to the harmony of the whole, and the protection and assistance of every member. Again and again daring the months of prepara- tion, were these truths brought clearly and forcibly to my mind, until they became certain convictions.
^^ In my hours of meditation, I was bidden to reflect on the One, the Causeless Cause ; and to let the diought of its immensity overshadow me, but in no way to ima^e either possibility or power of equality. But by dwelling upon It, in its unknowability, my own spirit should be strengthened, and my soul force be quickened
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and stirred to its utmost power, and thus hold in leash the physical, to respond promptly when the hour of trial should strike.
^'Thus, through the short seven months, my training went forward, I knew I was growing stronger, and also that my self-abnegation, my desire to benefit all the world, entirely regard- less of any consequences, or reflex action on myself, was becoming an impelling motive of my every action. All the petty distinction of friend or foe, or of family ties, oesused to exercise any binding foree. In all the Universe, there could be to me only those who had attained to the Brotherhood, and those who had not, but might if they would. To these last the hand of help was always to be extended, in all tenderness and love.
''One should first seek to inspire them with a desire to advance out of the darkness of ignorance, because without this no gain can be permanent.
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^^ The last month of preparation was devoted to physical training. My Chira said:
^^ ' The perfect man must be perfect, both physically and spiritually. That is, the body most, if the training were correct, be the mani- festation of the correct currents flowing from within, and be a reflection of the right thought. As you have reached the point where the body is to receive its last trial, it must be possessed of its utmost vigor.'
^^ At last, dawned the day of days. As the first glimmer of light brightened the Eastern sky, my Guru came to me, bade me rise and accompany him. Having dressed myself, myself, we went forth from my chamber to- gether. Instead of descending, we went out upon a level through a passage that led us to an immense plateau. As we went on my Guru said :
" ' Tour trial is now two-fold. It will require all your strength of body and soul. The first half must take place beyond our boundary.
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Neither I, nor any of the Brotherhood, will in physical form attend you* But you know oar powers are not limited to these bounds. Those who serve us are also beyond, as well as with us. Into trusly hands we shall commit you, and our undivided attention will be given you, during your trial. If thou hast need use this call.' Here he whispered a word of potency in my ear. ' It will give to thee immediate and sup- porting strength.' As he spoke, the passage through which we were moving opened, by a sudden turn into the sunlight.
^^Here we paused. I saw my Guru's lips move. Then two men, huge of stature and massive in muscle, came into the passage. They respectfully saluted my Guru and awaited orders.
said he, ^ I commit our brother, who by obedi- ence to the law, seeks to reach that which the law holds for him, in common with all disciples/
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The strangers bowed, and my Gum, with a grave smDe, turned back whence he came, while I went forward into the light of the new day, with my two friends.
"When we had reached the outer air we stood on a beach of sand, within an old volcanic crater of immense size. It was almost a per- fect circle in form, with a bench of sandy beach running two-thirds of the way about it, and beyond that the lake placid and unruffled. On its sur&ce was no ripple. No sound, nor motion, came firom its unknown depths. Standing upon its brink, with my attendants, they said :
" * At the bottom of this pool lies thy way. Stand still, and listen for the voice of the Unseen.'
" Obeying my instructors, I stood once more quiet as to my body, and introverted as to my spiritual sense. From out the silence came to my perception the voice of him, I had so often heard, in assurance :
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" ' Divest thyself of thy apparel, and seek by thy strength, the bottom of the pool. Waste not thy force, but use judiciously, reserving for the final efibrt/
'^ With not a single moment's hesitation, I stripped off my wrappings, and plunged head first into the pool. I was considered an excel- lent swimmer, and my training of the last few months had made available every fibre of my body. But I could not reach the bottom and soon found myself floating upon the surface again. Once more I essayed to reach the bot- tom and failed. Still undismayed, for the third time I made the attempt, and now all that con- stitutes the man, was concentered in the action. Not a single atom of the physical, not a single idea of spirit potency that was not wholly intent on the one purpose. This time, the waters, feel- ing the full imperiousness of accomplishment, seemed to cleave asunder of their own accord. When I reached the golden sands at the bottom
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they, too, opened. The direction of my move- ment was now reversed ; instead of being head down I was coming up^ apparently, through the cleft at the bottom into a pellucid pool, in an immense grotto.
with soft moss. Here, exhausted, I stretched myself at fall length, for a few moment's rest. Bousing myself from the semi-trance condition in which I waspluniced at the Supreme moment I noted the sensation of quiet and rest and ikmi fell asleep.
"From this condition of lethargy, I was aroused by the sound of musical voices in soft cadence. Rising to a sitting posture, a little group of water nymphs, not far from me, per- ceived I had wakened, and came towards me. Beautiful in form, and lovely in all that word implies, I could not but admire, as it is a man's privilege to admire, anything and everything upon the earth, without a craving for possession.
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'' Having approached me, the stateliest one of the group thus accosted me :
" * Oh, mortal-bom ! what dost thou seek in the realm of the " Spirit of the Water ? " '
"A voice, not of myself, but still seeming myself, made answer: ^Fair nymphs, I seek audience with the Spirit of the Water, and I crave from you the boon of speedily furthering my wishes.'
" ' But why hasten ? ' was her reply. * You may dwell with us. Are we not &ir In feature and beautiful in form ? Doth not that always suffice the mortal-bom ? '
" And my Higher Self made answer : * Thou sayest but too traly, Daughter of the King. These things do satisfy the mortal-bom, but when he has been regenerated of the water and the fire, the continual attainment of that which lies beyond is the only source of content.*
" * But the way you seek to travel is beset with dangers. Strong, bold men have perished
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there, and we would save thee from their doom/
^^ ' But what would be the doom of him who proves recreant to his vows ? '
^' Thou hast thus far accomplished, Oh Mor- tal ! Be satisfied and seek nothing beyond.'
^^ ^ I thank you for your interest in me, but do not seek to detain- me. Show yourselves the friends you claim to be, by helping me to that which I seek.'
'' Tender indeed were the speaker's accents now : ' If thou wilt not be dissuaded from thy danger, then will we help you to the utmost of our power.'
^'As she finished speaking, it grew dark. There was a motion as of all my environment at once, just as if one were borne on the midst of a deep sea current. A little while and Ae motion ceased. The darkness unfolded, and I found myself reclining in a large hall, scooped out of the adamantine rocks, by the moving waters. There were many forms flitting all about me,
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incessantly coming and going on the business to which they were set. From here, the tides were managed, and the springs of the earth maintained. From here, was regulated the rush of the mountain torrents, and the mighty rivers were guided and renewed in their flow. Here, also, was the manufactory of the dews and rains, and the controlling power by which their supply was equalized throughout, the seasons.
^^ All the attendants, in their pre-occupation ignored my presence. I had only time for a short glance about me. Near where I was reclining, a throne of white marble, fimtastically carved, rose from the rock floor to an imposing height, and shone with an inherent light, resembling the phosphorescent glow of the sea, but steadier and brighter in its action. Upon the upper table of the structure, rested a huge shell, whose clear surface of pearl glistened even beneath the fabric of sea silk, upon which sat half-reclining, a dwarf, perfect -in his form
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and proportions. His long, white beard flowed to his feet, bat his dark eyes, though piercing, were kindly.
'^As his glance fell upon me, I arose, and kneeling at the foot of the throne, I heard his words:
" ' Stranger, of the earth-bom, what seekest thou in the palace of the Spirit of the Water ? '
" My Higher Self made answer : * Gracious One, I seek the Hierophant's pass to the Veil of Isis.*
^^ ' Bold mortal ! knowest thou not, that I may give thee but two syllables of the pass? The word of words is in the keeping of my brother the Spirit of the Fire, and can only be imparted to him who is found worthy. I am bound by an oath to reveal to him only, who has been fully purified in the physical by water. Many have perished in the trial. The way is long and dangerous. I do not like to see you perish. Stay with us, and do not tempt your fate against what may prove overwhelming odds.'
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** ' Nay, Oh, Spirit of the Water ! ' once again answered my Higher Self. * I thank thee for thy kind words. But 0ioa knowest it would be better to perish striving to attain, than to lie ingloriously, satisfied with partial knowledge. Should I accept your offer, your respect for me( would not be increased.'
" * Thy wisdom doth not fall behind thy attainment. Thou shalt be allowed to have thy wish. Rise and go hence. The nymphs will accompany thee the Hall of Trial. If thy courage fails not, and thou shalt succeed, then that thou dost seek will be in thy possession, and I will be thy servant.'
^^He ceased speaking, and the whole Hall filled with a low, sweet melody, like the ripple of laughing waters over a stony bed. Turning to the group of nymphs who stood near. I accompanied them, going by a narrow passage, worn out of the rock, to a large, circular cham- ber. This room, like all others, here, was the
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result of the labors of the waters for long, weary years. The sides were of water-worn rocks, dark with age, while underneath, the footsteps fell upon firm, white sand. On the farther side was a large, irregularly shaped opening, in which I could hear the pattering of rain drops on the slightly ascending floor, and beyond that an inexplicable, rushing sound of something heavier and more fear-inspiring.
^^ Standing before this opening, the elder nymph, who had at the first spoken to me, said, and her tones were sadly tender :
" ^Mortal, there lies thy only way to the upper air. Once thou ^ssayest the passage, thou canst never return thither. The great drops thou hearest falling are the salt tears of the world's agony. Once they strike thy body, thou takest upon thyself the burden of the world's sorrow and sin. If thou canst not bear it, then, indeed, thou wilt sink under it, and be crushed by its weight. Or if the pains of passage grow
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too hard for thee, and mortal pain takes away thy self-possession, thy spirit may need many more bodies to complete its round of perfection. If thou art as strong and fearless as I hope thou art, thou wilt see the sunlight, with the taint of decay and death washed clean from thy physical body, never to return. Be courageous and enduring' — ^here her eyes grew inexpressibly wistful — ' and we may serve thee in all time to come, as the fair delight to honor the brave.'
" I bowed low. ' Fair nymphs, I thank you most sincerely, for your kind interest in my welfare. I pray you, give me in this time of trial your utmost help.'
" Looking upon their faces for the last time, I turned away, and entered the passage. The icy-cold drops, scattered like a spring shower, smote upon my naked body, but with a singular sensation, as if they penetrated beneath the surface of the skin, into the flesh, and with this came a terrible over- shadowing and oppression, which no words could
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describe, for the sorrow and grief therein con- tained were perfectly inexpressible.
^^ Still pressing on, my course being slightly upward, the fiJling water indireased in its volume and force of descent, until it seemed to run through my body as if it were a sieve. This downpour became a fierce, rushing torrent, and at the same time I noticed that the temperature was changing from cold to hot. As it grew warmer, there was a sense of compression added to the feeling of the water passing through, instead of over, the surfisice of my body. Then, lifted off my feet and whirled upward in a vortex, the rapidity of the motion seemed almost to reach the limit of physical endurance. I remembered to keep my arms pressed close to my sides, and my feet together. As thus I shot up, like an arrow from a bow, the heat grew more and more intense. How high the temperature reached, I know not, but I have never experi- enced anything like it either before or sincer
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When the extreme limit of physical resistance was reached, I was again plunged into a cold stratom. The pain, without my previous train- ing, would have overcome me. I know, also, if fear had added a single feather's weight to the just turning scale of bodily suffering, I should have been lost, crushed by the turbulence of the outer environment.
"With eyes and mouth closed, and breath suspended during the upward rush, I was still in the fullest possession of each and all of the higher principles. I affirmed within myself that which was true, ' I do not fear.' I knew, if I yielded ever so little to physical weakness, I should be overcome. With this thought para- mount over all the conditions of sense and men- tality, I suddenly found myself hurled into the daylight, in the pool from whence I started, where my guides waited my coming, to congrat- ulate me, or to prepare my body for burial.
** I was myself and yet not myself By the
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swell of the water, whose propulsion had shot me forth, I was thrown upon the white sands of the beach, breathless and exhausted. By my astral vision, I perceived the strong, white arms of the water nymph, as she bore me to the care of my friends, her anxiety for me having led her, unseen by my outer self, to accompany my rapid flight to the upper regions.
^^ My attendants lifted me to my feet, and threw over me a robe of white linen, permeated with a delicate refreshing fragrance. Out of this came new-bom strength. I felt wonderfully lightened. The grossness purged away, the body could be stimulated by an aroma, which is the subtile essence of the choicest and best sup- porters of physical vitality. As a consequence, my mentality worked sharply and clearly.
" On the boundary, I met my Guru and the two Brothers who had previously assisted me. Bidding farewell to those who had served me to the limit of their power in this last struggle, I,
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again, with my companions, entered the inner chambers of the Temple.
"As we walked slowly along, a sedate joy illumined the face of my Guru, as he said :
" ^ My brother, it is inexpressible pleasure to behold you thus, with your body in your posses- sion. Yet one more day, and the cleansed and purified physical shall receive a master worthy of itself. Then shall the perfect physical and the perfect spiritual constitute the Perfect man, as was designed by It, whose creative thought was the source of all being.
" * The third day, since you went forth on your mission, has reached high twelve. Retire to thy chamber for refreshment and rest. At low twelve we shall meet again.*
"Obeying his instructions, in my chamber attendants brought me food and drink, such as I had never before seen nor tasted. They were made of the essences, and not the gross elements. So soon as swallowed they were dilfiised in the
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ikkw man. A wonderful rehabilitation of power and strength was the immediate result. From that hour, no vileness of either food or drink has passed my lips. My knowledge has enabled me to find suitable substances in the air, in the water, and in the fire. The body is thereby renewed, without wasting a large part of its strength in separating and excreting the waste, which is not, nor never has been, of any use.
" A little before the appointed hour, my Guru came and awakening me from sleep, he said :
'^ ^ Thine hour of final attainment is at hand. Bouse thee, and as a man prepare to endure that which seizes hold upon the fountain head of all life and energy.'
^^I arose at once, and was soon in readiness to accompany him. Moving along a line of corridors towards the West, we reached at last a circular stairway, cut out of the solid rock, with an opening or well in the center. It was a long distance down. Although neither my Guru nor
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myself had any of the usual physical means of lighting our way, still all about us there was sufficient light to disclose clearly our immediate neighborhood. I noticed that the walls of solid rock contained great veins of gold. The reve- nues of an empire were almost constantly in sight, as we descended step by step. These deposits of wealth had been cut through and laid bare, in the process of opening communica- ^ tion with that which we now sought. But all these massed riches ceased to have value, beyond iheir use, in the eyes of those to whose knowl- edge it had come. Power to possess had destroyed its precious quality, as it does in all human con- ditions.
^^ As I have said, it was a long distance down. I walked on the inner side, next the wall. My Guru took the outer and unprotected side. Below us was darkness. Above us no light could penetrate. The end of the staircase was reached at last. We stopped in a small cham-
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ber, which opened into a krger one, and this into a still burger hall, all hewn out of the solid rock.
^^ As we commenced adyandng on a level, I noticed a brightness like the growing dawn of day. This grew brighter and clearer, until, pass- ing into the last hall, I beheld at the &rther end, a river and cascade of fire. The light was dazzlingly white, and pained the eyes. There was, however, no heat fi*om it manifest on the outside. While the appearance was that of a river of fire, falling over in a cascade, there was no progressive motion. A difference could be perceived in the continoity of the light, as now it fielded, and then grew brilliant again. This was more of a coruscation, than a wavering of strength or intensity.
^'Near the entrance, and farthest fix)m the fire, was a couch of stone, slightiy inclining from head to feet, and covered with a rug of soft texture. As we entered the hall, six of the
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Brothers were standing about the couch, con- versing in low tones. Arranged in a half oval, facing the fire, the couch occupying one of the fod, were seven seats. After greeting the Brothers, all of whom I knew, my Guru bade me recline upon the couch. The brothers took their places upon the stone seats. A moment of silence, and then the voice of my Guru :
" * Lie at ease upon thy back. Introvert thy consciousness, and let go of thy body.'
^ back, allowed the muscles to adapt themselves to the surface of the couch, and became passive. Hardly had I done this, before there stole over me a sense of quietness and rest, deepening into unconsciousness. My next sensation was a sound of fiuTroff music, harmonious and intense in its effect, a call to the soul which would take no denial. Then came a sense of full freedom from the circle of necessity. Apparently open- ing my eyes, I was standing by the couch facing
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my Gxira. In a single glance, I noted my body at rest, in deep sleep upon the coach. I noted also the corrents of thought moving in align- ment from all the Brothers, and centering where I stood.
" * Thou knowest,' began my Gum, * thy present condition, for thou hast met thy astral body before. Approach the cascade of fire, and enter boldly therein. Whatever is gross and unassimilable will be consumed, and only thy highest and best will resist the fire, even as fine gold grows brighter, under the fierceness of the flame.'
^^I turned toward the cascade leaping and plunging down its rocky bed. As I approached it, moving in all respects as if I were inside, instead of outside, of my physical garment, I noticed that its glow had deepened in its white energy. As I stood at the outer verge, I &lt no heat, only a curious sense of constriction, as if one were enclosed in the arms of a mighty wind.
THREE SEVENS. 253
The body of the fire hollowed itself out as I came nearer. When I had entered within its bounds, its dimensions grew ample in their enlargement. Seated upon a throne, was a regal figure, of brightness unapproachable, but stem in feature. His questioning glance rested fairly upon me as I drew near.
^^ ^ Possessor of a mortal body, what seekest thou in the audience chamber of the Spirit of the Fire?'
^^ ^I seek the word that shall place the Neo- phyte with power, before the Veil of Isis.*
"*Has thy physical body been purified by the Spirit of the Water, and did it remain in thy possession ? '
" * It did, Oh, Spirit of the Fire! But not to me alone, nor to my unaided strength, is the attainment due, but to the help and loving care of the Brotherhood, under whose guidance I have now sought audience with thee, Oh, Implacable ! '
264 THREE SEVENS.
the trial, ihy request shall be granted.'
^^ At this instant, above all, and through all, oame the voice of my Guru, more intense in its concentration and soul-inspiring in its modula- tion, than I had ever deemed possible:
^^^ Stand erect. Hold with thine utmost will power the thought : ^^ I am, and beside is naught else." '
^^I could feel a vivifying influx from the mighty power of the assembled Brothers, and my own will grew invincible, as I affirmed with strongest self-assertion, my consciousness of existence.
^^ There was no lapse of time in these last three happenings, nor were they in sequence, but came all at once. No sooner had the Spirit of the Fire ceased speaking, than a torrent of flame poured down upon me, in an awfulness which no earthly symbolism nor likeness can in any way portray. As the spirit is the essence
THBEE SEVENS. 255
of the body, so was this flame the essence of all fire, in its overpowering and almost omnipotent whiteness.
" Even the astral body fused under its fierce- ness. If at this supreme moment the Spirit should loose its grasp upon the idea of its own entity, and the outline, from any cause, grow dim, then farewell all hope for present attain- ment — ^the end comes at once and speedily. I was conscious of the motion, change and re- arrangement of soul particles, as the grossness disappeared, and under new polarization the soul itself was bom again of the fire, into the purest and the highest possibility.
^^ During all this focalization of unrestrained force, the astral body did not lose shape, nor become flexed in the slightest degree from its uprightness; for the Will, the Divine Monad, held firmly to the idea of existence. The potency of the affirmation, ' I am,' held even this volatile condition in its place and perfect
266 THREE SEVENS.
form, as received in the sequence of Oreative Thought
^^ There was no feeling of ezhaastion, nor diminntion, bat simply a perception of growing lightness as the dross purged away. There was also a consciousness that whoever ventured here, might without effort on iheir part disappear entirely.
^^ But fhe crisis was passed. The purifying force grew less and less. Once more I stood acquitted, and stronger and purer for the trial. To me, thus the Spirit of the Fire again spoke :
'^ ^ It is well, the storm for thee has passed. Return now to thy body, and thy Brothers. When thou dost stand before the Veil of Isis, the pass of the Hierophant, the word that sym- bolizes the withdrawing and the manifesting, shall be thine. Use it wisely, as thine own spirit shall teach thee, and all will be well. More than mortal I I, too, henceforth and for- ever serve thee.'
THREE SEVENS. 257
" With swift, gliding motion, hardly conscious how, I stood once more beside my body. An- other period of unconsciousness, as lying flat upon the insensible physical, I was absorbed into the outer personality . A shuddering thrill, so forcefdl as to seem a pain, and I awoke, never more to be the being who had laid down upon the couch ; but another, who at all times, and under all circumstances, haying put the law of Karma under his feet, could dominate the body.
^^ As I arose from my resting place, the Brothers also stood up, and coming to me, with quiet gravity, a real gladness in their tones, expressed their delight that I had succeeded.
" * But it was not I, but you, oh, beloved ! that made endurance possible. Alone, I never could have held fSsist to the center of manifested force.'
" * Now,* said my Guru, * we go once more to the Hall of Obligation. Take due note of all happenings.'
268 THREE SEVENS.
^* So we moved on, two by two, out of the light of the Fire, until we had reached the spiral stairway. Here, the Brothers arranged them* selves in the order of triumph. First, a single man, then three pairs, of which I was the middle one, nearest the wall, and a single man brought up the rear.
^^ In all my former exercises and trials, there had been, at the end, the feeling of fiisting and exhaustion, but now sustenance and bodily vigor came to me from the air I breathed. I was invigorated by eveiy step I took, by every breath I drew.
^^Triumphantly, I stood before the Hall of Obligation. Here my companions left me, my Guru saying:
^^ ^ He who lifts the Veil of Isis, must do it alone, by and for himself. Let not thy courage &il thee. Dare to do, to the fiillest extent, as thy knowledge shall guide thee.'

THREE SEVENS. 269
Obligation, and passed through the wide open- ing doors. A dim, difiused light permitted me to see my way, as I advanced slowly through the whole length of the HalL The Presence, as usual, overshadowed me, but now, more than at any previous time, with the intensity of its power.
^^ Beaching the five steps before the Chamber of the Neophyte, the sentinel held the gates. As the pass of the Neophyte trembled on my lips, the door opened. This Chamber was also vacant, in the visible, but the sense of the overshadow- ing of the Omnipotent rested upon me. The light was full, so that all objects were clearly discernible.
^^ About half way across, I was firmly held by invisible forces. Looking upon the polished surface of the room to the right, I noticed the beginning of an unrolling of all the good deeds of all my embodiments from the first incarnation, even to the present hour. On the left, in
260 THBEE SEVENS. .
Beqnenoe appeared all the deeds that had brought me discomfort or uneasmess, or pain of mind or body.
>^ While these manifestations were taking place, each side was reflected in the other, more or less clearly, as either was more or less influential in the on-flowing current of life. A curious intermingling and blending of each into each, was the result. This formed a complete picture of the movement of the lives. Equilibrium was attained by the adjustment of the actions themselves. This is the result of Earmio lair. Not all at once, but in the end adjustment was always completed.
** While looking upon this revealing, I had a curious sensation of being part of it, of being at one with it. It was as if the inanimate repre- sentation simply reflected the thing I, myself, was ; a complex result of actions, and not a unified entity ; the whole overshadowed and held together by an overmastering force of the inner.
THREE SEVENS. 261
Thus was proved to me that the material of the soul, gathered from experiences under the whole heaven and became at one with the Spirit, which is the Word of Power — ^the Human Will — the Expression of the Divine Energy, constitutes the individual, for the purpose of creating which, ^the Word was made flesh/ As the lesson closed, a voice said to me, plainly :
" * Thy soul is from the Universe ; thy Spirit is from the One. As the Universe manifests the One, so thy Soul manifests thy Spirit. Seek and thou shalt find.'
^^ Released now from the power that had held me for observation, I moved across tihe Hall and ascending the three steps, stood upon a sort of dais or platform. The heavy veil hung motion- less. The light behind it became more and more intense in its brightness, until it seemed to pierce through the meshes of the thickly woven stuff as ordinary sunlight passes through the interstices of thinnest laqe.
262 THREE SEVENS.
^ As I stepped upon the center of the plat- fonn, before the veil, an unseen hand, strong and restraining^ was hud upon my shoulder. At the same instant, a tongue of flame, resem- bling a fiery sword, lay breast high across the outer surface of the curtiun.
'^^ Stand, mortal! who art still under the law,' challenged a voice out of the Unseen, that I recognized as belonging to my Higher Self. ^ How hast thou approached the Holy of Holies 7 Give answer.'
^^ *' By the help of the Brotherhood, and my own obedience,' was my reply.
** * What more dost thou seek Y
" * To lift the Veil of Isis, and thus penetrate all mysteries, both of the Seen and the Unseen ; the animate and the inanimate. To become at one with thee, subtile and untiring questioner. To know what thou knowest, to become as thou art, the unchangeable of the centuries.'
^^
THREE SEVENS. 268
«*I have/
" * Then place thyself erect before the VeU of Im and pronounce it in low breath.'
^^ As I approached closer to the veil, the hand upon my shoulder was lifted, and the flaming barrier dropping its point vanished from sight. For the first time in all the initiations, in my proper self, I, using my own organism, pro- nounced the sentence that had been so hardly won, syllable by syllable, by me, through en- durance and peril.
"Sci^ely had my voice in low breath uttered slowly and distinctly the awful words, than intense darkness filled the chamber. The whole mountain quaked. Thunder rolled through the whole Temple. The veil, rent in twain, revealed to my eyes the whiteness of the brightness of the Truth that is Wisdom. Out of the effulgence, came words of exquisite modu- lation and sweetness. Like the brooding of a dove, they rested on my soul :
264 THREE SEVENS.
^^ ' The peace of the ages abideth unth him who has attained. Let thy light shine/
^^ Oh ! the exaltation and ecstasy of this snpreme'momenty when the Spirit, perfected by onion with the Infinite, and its own Higher Self, claims forever absolute dominion over its per- fected body. An enfolding presence wrapped itself about me. The light permeated and became part of myself. Ineffable quiet and rest was the only sensation. To this I yielded folly and entirely. '
' ** It was high twelve of the third day, when I found myself lying upon my couch, in my own chamber.
^^In the twilight, my Guru came to me and thus accosted me :
" * Hail, my brother indeed ! Thou hast now become one of us. The environment is at thy command. Even life itself waits thy bidding. You are entitled to share with us whatsoever thy necessity may demand. As we help you, so
THREE SEVENS. 265
will you help us. You will remain with us for a year. Then going out into the world, you will do the work appointed you, until such time a^ one of the Circle of Isis dwelling within the Temple shall desire forever to lay aside the physical body. Then you will be permitted to enter our seclusion, never more to go hence, except in the prescribed way of all mortal-bom. This will be at your option, years or centuries hence.'
*' For one year, I dwelt quietly in the Tem- ple, adding to my knowledge of the laws of the Universe. By practice increasing potency in the control of the inanimate, all the operations of nature became an open book. I compre- hended, at last, the full scope of that dominion, which the spirit in its highest and best estate was intended by the Creative Thought to have, not only over the immediate environment, but in a larger sense to manifest in all the realms far or near. Wherever polarization and vibra-
266 THBEE SEVENS.
tion are possible, and that is everywhere, there the thought currents reach the highest and the lowest, throaghout the length and breadth of the Boundless.
^^ There had, now, also come to me distinct views on all subjects, so much so, that the Brothers in conversing with me, addressed me as on an equality with themselves, and my words were listened to, as having weight* It is one of their maxims, that to the new-bom often come the clearest and brightest perceptions of wisdom.
life, after being ^ bom again of water and the Spirit.' Bidding them all, at its end, a kind fsurewell, I made my way at once to the far East, being summoned thither by a swift mes- senger, to witness my wife and companion finally lay aside, for the acccomplishment of present purpose, all earthly impediment.
^^ Since then I have visited every habitable quarter of the globe, and been brought into
THREE SEVENS. 261
contact with all races of men in the practice of the healing art. In this, such wonderful power has been granted me by the Brotherhood, that I have been called a miracle-worker. This is true in the sense of doing wonderful things; but as out of the course and law of Nature, not so. Even the Causeless Cause cannot violate a law. Law is the sequence of Creative Thought. If one link in the chain were broken, then the whole structure must £a.ll into destruction.
" Wealth has flowed in upon me, not because I needed it, but because it was necessary for those who needed healing, to make sacrifice to attain the thing they sought. Nine-tenths of all disease, is the result of selfishness, which para- lyzes polarization, and neutralizes vibration, thus destroying the harmony in the working out of the Creator's designs. This must always be overcome, if we desire a radical cure. But the end of my wanderings, and my service as one of the world's workers is near at hand. Look ! ''
268 THREE SEVENS.
I glanced at my Master. HIb features had become set and forceful. His eyes were looking intently out into the far-off. As he stopped speaking, the ring on his finger blazed out like a meteor. The polished wall opposite reflected a mountain peak crowning a broken country. I knew it was the exterior of the Temple. The scene dissolved into magnificent and well-watered gardens. I recognized the fountain in the cen- ter, and the high precipices, ever keeping protecting watch.
A third time the view changed. Now it was an upper chamber, into which, through a many pillared colonnade, streamed the rays of the rising sun. In the center, lay a reclining form, while about him were grouped fourteen sages, old in appearance of body, but young in spirit, and in the inspiration that moved and controlled the outer. Numberless ages rested on them all. He who was at ease said :
** Brothers, my body has become only an
THREE SEVENS. 269
encumbrance. I have finished that which I desired to do. If I find I so need, I can bring a fresher, newer mechanism, in which the spring of sequence is still uncoiled, to the service of the Brotherhood. I seek the invisible section, com- posed of those who, in perfected ripeness, have gone from us. By the absolute power of the Omnipotent word, I will ashes to ashes, and freedom from all its claims upon myself."
I could hear these words, like the murmur of the sea-shell, shaping itself into syllables. As ha finished speaking, a form, luminous in its astral condensation, dilated above where the body had just lain. So much of the body itself had become purified and essential, and thus capable of being absorbed into the astral principle, that only a little outline of dust alone marked the place where but now the physical body had reclined.
The floating form turned its luminous coun- tenance to the Maater and beckoned. The word
270 THREE SEVENS.
"Come," echoed in the air. The group of watchers in the form, tnmed their impressive, Messianic &ces toward him, and their voices as one said, " Come ! "
" At last," said the Master, " I am called. The purpose in giving you this history will develope. You will hear from me again." Rising, he took me by the left hand, and laid his right hand upon my head. A baptism as of fire, thrilled through my whole body. I felt myself drawn irresistibly toward the Brotherhood, wherever visible or invisible they might exist. With this parting benediction out of the Silence, he accompanied me to the outer door, and bade me £urewell.
Not many days after, a letter requested me to call at the office of a well-known and respectable firm of solicitors in the City. Here I was pre- sented with a deed of gift of aU the property described and the appertenanc^ thereto, on the sole condition that I should take up my residence
THBEE SEVENS. 271
here. I • accepted the trust. I have written this record in the room where it was given me. The luminous wall^ sometimes by picture and sometimes by word, has ever and anon refreshed my memory. And now as I write the closing words, I, too, am waiting for the time when I may be admitted into full fellowship with the Brotherhood.
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