(The hall grows dark. After a short pause the three Spirit-forms Philia, Astrid, and Luna appear in a cloud of light, and group themselves so that they completely hide Maria. The following is a spirit-experience of Thomasius.) PHILIA: The soul is athirst To drink of the light Which flows from the worlds, An all-caring will Hides close from mankind. But eagerly seeks The spirit to hear The language divine Which wisdom in love Doth hide from the heart. For danger surrounds The thoughts that would search In realms of the soul, Where secret things rule The senses from far. ASTRID: Yet souls are enlarged, Which follow the light And work through the worlds Which bold spirit-sight Reveals to mankind. The spirit doth strive Enraptured to live In realms of the gods Which wisdom benign Makes known to the seer. There mysteries beckon The bold keen desire To win those new worlds Which far from man's thought Deep secrets conceal. LUNA: It ripens the soul To picture the sight Whence powers will spring forth Which will, reft of fear, Doth kindle in man. The ransoming powers From primeval depths Bring magical might That sense cannot know, Close barriered in earth. And traces are there That each searching soul May find out the gate Fast closed by the gods 'Gainst erring desire. THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE (invisible): Now totter thy thoughts In Being's abyss; And what was lent as help to them, Thou now hast lost. And what shone as the sun for them For thee is quenched. Alone in cosmic depths thou wanderest, Which men intoxicated with desire Would seek to win. Thou tremblest in the fundaments of growth Where men must learn to be bereft of all Comfort of soul.... (The last words run straight on into the following ones spoken by Maria, who is still hidden by the Spirit-forms and cannot be seen. She speaks at first in a ghostly inward voice.) MARIA: So blend thy soul To powers of love Which once could penetrate her with the hope Of living warmth, Which once could all her will illuminate With spirit-light. Rescue from loneliness The powers of heart that seek And feel the nearness of thy friend In the darkness of thy strife. (The Spirit-forms vanish with the cloud of light. Maria becomes visible in her old place. Maria and Thomasius are alone, standing opposite each other. From now onwards the experiences are on the physical plane.) THOMASIUS (rousing himself from deep meditation): Where was I even now? My powers of soul Unveiled the conflict of my inner-self; The conscience of the world revealed to me What I had lost; and then as blessing came The voice of Love within the darksome realm. MARIA: