Another week had passed, and I, in accordance with instructions, had striven to the best of my ability to secure mastery over mind. And now for the first time I commenced to realize the power of the human will. Whenever my thoughts recurred to Iole, with relentless severity I cast them away. In order to do this more effectually, I chose deep questions in science, metaphysics and philosophy, and concentrated all the power of my mind upon them. I took the symbols and instructions that had been partially explained 'or outlined to me, and dwelt upon them separately, and whenever my mind tended to another object I brought it back with firmness and determination. Likewise, in all the little things of life I practiced concentration; I tried by all possible means to overcome the habitual tendency of the mind to wander, and strove to attain to what the Hindu yogi calls "Onepointedness." Following certain rules, I locked the door, put out the lamp, and took my position on my heavy cushioned seat. For several moments there was a slight wavering, but, as I persisted, this ceased, and my mind became centered upon my subject. The concentration grew more fixed, a pain commenced to throb within my head. It ceased, and a numbness, commencing in my lower limbs, stoic up my body. At the same time an inner suction commenced between my eyes, and a burning fire pervaded my upper brain and temples. At this point a violent agitation commenced in my right side, and a sense of fear came over me. I opened my eyes, which had been closed to facilitate concentration, and—My God! I was surrounded by a white light, and just beyond it in the darkness, now full of red-colored currents, was a host of horrid creatures, half-human, half-animal, with monstrous shapes and evil features. With a cry I sprang up; the light vanished, the Another week passed by, and I thought I had done my duty well. Evening having come, and having received no orders to the contrary, I took my carriage for the place of meeting. The masked woman motioned me to enter the door at the right as before, and, passing through, I found myself in the presence of the woman before whom I had first appeared, and who was known to me as Madame Petrovna. Without a word she motioned me to a seat, and, fixing her penetrating blue eyes upon me, gazed at me with searching looks for several minutes. I returned her gaze without flinching, and at last she said: "Brother, your teacher informs me that you wish to enter the sixth sub-degree; is this so?" I thought I was already a member of the sixth degree, and, as if she read my very thoughts, she said: "No, you are not yet in the sixth degree; you are merely a probationer. You can enter only when vouched for by a member who knows you. "Only indirectly, by telling me of the grand heights to be attained; I ask of my own free will and without solicitation." "’Tis well; it is dangerous to proselyte; for, by so doing, we unite ourselves with the results of the failures that may come. You then assume all responsibilities, do you?" "I do," I answered. "Do you realize the serious nature of this step? Do you know the responsibilities and duties that it brings?" "I assume all these, whatever they may be; I am ready and willing," I answered. "Do you love your teacher?" she asked. "As strong as man can love," I answered, without hesitation. "Then do not fail, for, if you do, she too is doomed." Then, as though by a secret signal, Iole opened the door and entered. She had on her accustomed dress of white, but her beautiful face was unveiled and her long rich hair hung loosely over her shoulder. "Sister," she said, turning to Iole, "do you know, approve, and recognize him as your brother?" "I do," she answered, in a clear, certain voice, as she looked at me with a deep and intent gaze. "Then take him as your full brother; instruct him in the teachings of this degree; we hold you responsible for all failures." "Brother," she said, turning to me, "our most beloved daughter and sister will teach you the secrets of the sixth degree; and as you love her, as you love your soul, never, so long as life lasts, divulge them. Let torture seal your lips; let rewards and fame but add muteness to your silence." "I swear, never will I speak unless permit is given," I answered solemnly. "Then go on, persevere; surmount all obstacles, and we may meet again;" and at her motion Iole conducted me to a side-room. Having closed the door and seated ourselves opposite each other at a center-table, she leaned forward on her hands, and, looking me kindly in the face, said: "Brother, tell me of the experience you had in your room last meeting night." "Why? how did you find out concerning it?" I asked in astonishment. "Will you explain more fully what you mean?" "It is best that you should learn from experience; to explain by talking to you of things perceptible only to senses you have not as yet unfolded, would be but adding mystery to mystery. You can hardly understand what is beyond your experience. When with our aid you have evolved or brought from their latent condition your higher senses, all will be clear. Now proceed." I then related my experience, just as it was, and when I had finished she said: "The last three exhortations I gave you, my brother, were to kill out doubt, fear, and love or thoughts of self, the three great enemies of knowledge. You evidently forgot these or failed to do as I told, for fear, and therefore thought of self, brought on this astral vision. But, brother, you should know that so long as you are pure and your thoughts unselfish, you have naught to fear. That white light which shone around you, so long as white, is impenetrable and proof against all evil external powers, visible and invisible. Guard the evil in you, and you have no need to fear any evil that may be without. The gods have not left the pure man without protection; he is guarded, even though he knows it not. And further, you are now
"Sister, your words recall the teachings of my parents, and fill me with an anxious haste to know more of the Great Brotherhood, its Masters, and my beloved parents who await me there." "Brother, everything must abide its time; the eternal decrees of law cannot be set aside to gratify your haste. You cannot be put into the Great Brotherhood, you must grow into it. Heretofore, little has been told you of your noble parents; now this much I tell you; they live, and are members of the exalted 'Third Degree.'" "And canst thou tell me of my sister, Esmeralda?" "She too lives, a virgin sister, and you will meet her in this degree. Now let us to our studies." As she spoke she drew a rolled parchment from her robe and spread it out between us on the table. It was a kind of vellum, and looked very ancient. Upon it was a strange combination of numbers, signs, letters, colors, plants and animals; while in the corners were four allegorical scenes. "This key, my brother, was brought from Thibet, or Tartary, by Paracelsus in the sixteenth century; and, like all the occult works of that great mystic, is incomprehensible to all but the initiated." Iole had now, indeed, become a teacher; and as "These signs," pointing to a number of signs, "known to all astrologers, symbolize the seven qualities that make the universe. Now you will notice," she continued, as I bent forward, deeply interested, "these three symbols are separated and there is no sign of correspondence between them. This is a blind; they are really the most closely related of the whole, and symbolized under the words, Sulphur, Mercury and Salt, conceal a great mystery in the constitution of man. Know that the universe came from an all-pervading, primordial, homogeneous substance, every part or portion of which contained in potentiality all the powers that now or ever hereafter shall exist. Now every particle of the present heterogeneous universe, being but a conditioned aspect of the homogeneous from which it came, contains inherent within it all these infinite powers which are ever Passing her fingers to some other peculiar signs, she continued: "Now there are many different kinds and rates of motion or vibration, and every motion or vibration makes its corresponding substance, color, sound and number. Of the different kinds of motion, this character represents the spiral, this the vortical, this the vibratory, this the undulatory, and this attraction and repulsion. Scientists, by the aid of microscopes, have discovered invisible lives corresponding to all these, and even their form reveals their relation. Let them beware, they are treading on the domains of the occult, and before long may be proclaiming as scientific the much-ridiculed superstitions of the ancients. Under new names ancient occultism is being taught today." Thus for two hours she continued on this one "Infinite," she answered. "The higher we go, the farther we see, the limits that have bound us ever expanding, ever enlarging, until the vastness of man and the universe give place to a still greater vastness." "Oh, Iole," I exclaimed, "how much I owe to you——"Her finger checked me, and she replied: Naught but your deserts; in time every man receives the full rewards of his merits, full justice and all her dues, be they good or evil. You delayed yourself, your heart you did not check; and when the past you know, this will all be clear. Now again our lesson time ends," she said, as a musical note vibrated through the room. " With the key you now possess you must study for some time alone. I simply show the way, you, yourself must do your work. I have now tried to show you the infinity of love and likewise the infinity "Do you consider man the consummation of all things?" I asked. Man, containing all things, is the consummation of all. In him is the universe in miniature. In man is God and demon; heaven, earth and hell; stars, suns and planets; spirits, angels, and all the hosts that be." "Then, truly, the ancient axiom, 'Know thyself,' had far wider meaning than most men give." "Far wider," she answered, "he who knows himself comprehends the universe." "You just said that all men in time got their deserts; do not men often obtain what they do not deserve, and do not many suffer unjustly? Do you believe that justice is certain and that there is no injustice?" "We cannot say with certainty what a man deserves or what he does not deserve; we do not know his past, which extends through many lives gone by. The innocent do suffer and there is injustice in the world, but this is because man is unjust to man; God and nature are infallibly just and certain. Man has it within his power to go contrary to the laws which should govern his nature, "But," I persisted, "how can you say that God and nature are just when there are so many self-evident inequalities in the world? How explain the inequalities that come from birth? Why is this babe born pure and good, with noble tendencies, when this other child is born diseased, an imbecile, or evil in its tendencies? Shall the sins and errors of the parents be thus visited upon the innocent children, and by nature's God-made law? Conceding that man has the power to pervert nature's laws with regard to results which affect himself, it seems to me that there should be guards to prevent these perversions when the results affect others." "Then you accept the teaching of pre-existence and re-birth as an explanation? "Without these teachings to justify the inequalities among men, duty has no basis and justice is a myth. Without these teachings, the soul's continuance has no logic; conservation has no basis; evolution has no meaning, and the inequalities of life blaspheme the Creator. But, my brother, all this will become clear to you when you have passed through this degree." As she finished speaking we arose and proceeded toward the entrance. Our minds had made time pass almost as rapidly as upon the preceding evenings, and we were among the last to leave. She dwelt with peculiar emphasis upon this last question, and I responded: "If I were always as strong as when in your presence, I never should succumb.
"Ah! I forget that glorious truth, my soul," I answered, returning the clasp. "You must not forget my love of this life and many lives gone by," she replied, as she laid her head on my shoulder. Oh, the fever of love was coming over me again; the calm tranquillity of the higher love commenced to give place to a more restless energy. I pressed her hand, and as I looked into her face I saw that her beautiful brown eyes were filled with tears. "Iole," I said, "why are you so sad? why those pretty eyes thus filled with tears?" "Cleo," she answered, with a tremor in her voice and form, "my pent-up love would speak." "My darling, my love," I answered as I embraced her and kissed away her tears, let us be happy in our love." Now her head nestled on my breast, now her heart beat against my own. Oh, what joy has love! Too full for words we loved in silence. Smoothing back the beautiful brown hair from her broad white forehead, I kissed her brow with fervent kiss. And now her loving arms are around my neck and with fond caress she whispers: "Cleo, my darling, I love you, I love you." And now the carriage stops and we are home. "’Tis only for a little while, my love," I answered; "but, my darling, why did you repulse my love so long?" "That was but a test to try it, Cleo," she answered, as I lifted her from the carriage. "Then from now on our love shall know no barriers," I said, as I kissed her good-night, "you are to be mine—my own true loving wife, will you not, Iole?" "My own darling husband," she answered, and with a lingering caress we parted. Back to my home I returned; now all my thoughts made one continuous dream of love. Iole my wife—my darling wife. Thus a week went by, and I appeared before the inner guards. The patriarch and woman in black both looked at me sharply; when they had finished their scrutiny in silence, a hitherto unknown door opened, and at their command I passed through. Looking around, I found myself in a room finished in a combination of green and indigo. Around the walls were a number of isolated glass compartments, each containing a large cushioned seat, a shelf of books and a small table, while upon the glass doors of each was a hieroglyphic character. In the center of the room, almost surrounded by a table hung with indigo-colored trimmings, covered with mystical characters, sat a man "I failed!" I gasped, with a vague apprehension of fear. "Yes, you failed; but only because she sought to take you by extraordinary means to the seventh sub-degree, of which she is a member. You failed because you had not sufficiently developed your will to control your heart. Before you can pass into the seventh sub, where she now is, your will must be made supreme king." A suspicion commenced to steal across my mind, and I asked: "What have I done? When did I fail?" "When you yielded to her love and your heart's desires last meeting-night," he answered. Now all became clear, her love had been a test; she had warned me of a trial, I had declared my "My brother," he answered solemnly, "the degree to which she sought to take you is superhuman. When you reach it you will be more than man as he is now known." For a moment I sat in thought, my teacher looking silently on. "And does this mean separation?" I asked, steadying myself. "Until you have the strength to meet her in her proper sphere, you must remain apart. No more will it be permitted her to descend and suffer again for you; you must from now on fight your own battles and unfold and rely upon your own strength." "Your course must now be regular; and, while slower, it is sure and certain if persevered in First, you must labor for complete mastery over mind, and when this is accomplished your will, developed by the process, will be sufficiently strong to master your heart. Both heart and mind must be mastered and controlled before you can pass into the next degree." "Then I am ready, and without delay put myself under your direction," I answered, with firmness. "What is your course? What shall I do? Let me proceed at once." My teacher, with an indulging smile, replied: "Aspirant, your fierce impetuosity speaks well, but remember that enduring growths come slowly. Learn all patience and strive to realize the eternity of time. Your first duty will consist of solitary meditation and study. In addition to the instructions you have already received, you will be given more; and in a private room, devoted to no other purpose, you must ponder faithfully upon their meaning. Every meeting-night a lecture will be given here, and when it is finished you are to At this point a number of students who had evidently left the room for the time being, reentered, and the teacher commenced a lecture, saying by way of introduction: "Brothers and sisters, a new member has joined us in our search for truth, and for his instruction I will call your attention again to the three professional requirements necessary for entrance into this degree. We do not seek knowledge to store it away unused within the chambers of our brains We seek knowledge that we may be useful in the "By music, subtle language of the soul and inseparable from art, we calm the outer nature and soothe the soul that lies buried in the man of sense. By the secret power of sound we reach the souls of the most debased, and stir them, even though it be ever so little, to a higher life. "We learn and know medicine that we may relieve the suffering and mitigate the world's great pain. Here vast are the opportunities for good; for, in this charnel-house of life, pain and misery contend with death to keep the world in woe. Great is the happiness that comes to him who relieves the miseries of another; therefore, both for duty and for happiness, we seek to be physicians. "We master law that we may protect the helpless, defend the innocent, and secure justice in the world of men. We must excel in law; not law as perverted for cruel and selfish ends, but law, the rule of right, in whose courts the weak with equity He paused, and assuming a low, conversational tone, commenced a secret lecture on the great triune mystery of color, form and sound, as made clear by numbers. Having finished his discourse thereon, he handed each member a chart, giving me one also, as well as a key to one of the compartments. Going to the one designated I unlocked the door and entered. Unrolling the chart upon the table I found it to be a cipher-key; and taking the books from the shelves I found they were in similar characters and treated on spiritual magic. This was the commencement of a course of study which continued for six months. All through the study hours of this period the chief teacher sat in the middle of the room and kept a careful watch upon each student; while at the end of each session he took all charts and keys. During these six months I had, with a determination that was almost cruel, "Then follow me," he answered coldly. I now had an idea of what the test would be, and was therefore better prepared. I knew it would be a test of mental concentration. They would give me a subject for thought, and then try, by means of noise, confusion and other devices, to divert my attention from my subject. I recalled Socrates, who stood for an entire day lost in deep thought, even while the army was moving in confusion around him. I remembered the Hindu yogi who, during the Indian mutiny, sat for hours silent and immovable while the cannons thundered over him and the bullets hissed around. With mind on the alert I accompanied my companion to the test. With a mask on my face, he led me to the center of the crowded ball-room.TESTS.
