There echoes Benedictus' noble voice; His words are ringing in the spirit here, And are the same as in the book of life Are written down to aid his pupils' work, Which souls on earth find hard to understand And which are even harder to fulfil. What part of spirit-land is this, where sound The words which serve to test the souls on Earth? MARIA: Hast thou abode so long in spirit-land In such a way that thou hast learned so much And yet this region is unknown to thee? CAPESIUS: What lives here in its own reality Souls, versed in spirit-ways, can grasp with ease; Each thing explains itself through something else. The whole may stand revealed in light, when part Seen by itself, may often still seem dark. But when a spirit-essence doth unite With earthly nature to create some work, The soul begins to lose her grasp of things. And not alone a part, but e'en the whole Is oft concealed from her by darkness deep. Why words which come in Benedictus' book And which were written for men's souls on Earth, Should echo here, within a place like this, That is the problem which doth offer here. BENEDICTUS (still invisible): Within thy feeling, cosmic forces play. CAPESIUS: Again there come the words which on the Earth Did Benedictus to his pupils trust; And here in his own voice they echo forth. They stream through all the limitless expanse Of this great realm arousing darksome powers. MARIA: I feel already what I must pass through Within the boundless spaces of this realm; And Benedictus' nearness draws me on. In this place he will let me gaze on things Incomprehensible to souls on Earth The while they dwell in bodies bound by sense, And e'en whilst serving spirit-pupilship. So must the master bring them to this place Where words do not depend on human speech, But are imprinted on their souls by signs; Here he transforms to speech world happenings-- A world-descriptive language for the soul. I'll loose my inmost being from the Earth, Condensing all my powers within my soul, And so await whate'er may be revealed To indicate my way through spirit-space. And then when I return to life on Earth 'Twill be a thought which, when recalled will shine As knowledge in mine inmost depths of soul. BENEDICTUS (appears from the background): Win thou thyself in power of cosmic thought, Lose thou thyself in life of cosmic force; Thou shalt find earthly aims reflect themselves Through thine own being in the cosmic light. CAPESIUS: So Benedictus is in spirit here! Perhaps his words re-echo of themselves. Doth then the teacher bring the lore of earth To vivify and work in spirit-realms? But what can be the meaning here of words Which he doth use on earth in other ways? BENEDICTUS: