exactly what he fits himself to receive. He cannot possibly be
overlooked. By his spiritual aspiration each lights the lamp in the
window of his soul and to the watchers from the heights that light
against the background of the overwhelming materiality of our times
must be as the sun in a cloudless sky. Other things come later but
these simpler things, to realize the necessity for conscious
evolution, to comprehend the method of soul development, to take full
control of the mind and the physical body, to resolutely curb the
grosser desires and to give free rein to the higher aspirations are
the first infant steps in the self-development that leads to
illumination. Then we begin to discover that this very desire for
greater spiritual power is generating a force that carries us forward
and upward. We soon begin to observe actual progress. The brain
becomes clearer, the intellect keener. Our sphere of influence grows
wider, our friendships become warmer. Aspiration lifts us into a new
and radiant life, and the wondrous powers of the soul begin to become
a conscious possession. And to this soul growth there is no limit. The
aspirant will go on and on in this life and others with an
ever-extending horizon of consciousness until he has the mental grasp
of a Plato, the vivid imagination of a Dante, the intuitive perception
of a Shakespeare. It is not by the outward acquirement of facts that
such men become wise and great. It is by developing the soul from
within until it illuminates the brain with that flood of light called
genius.

And when, through the strife and storm, we finally reach the
tranquility of the inner peace we shall comprehend the great fact that
life really is joy when lived in the possession of spiritual power and
in perfect harmony with the laws of the universe. With even these
first steps in occult achievement the aspirant enters upon a higher