Thy friend's soul hovers in the heights above. Only her mortal image hath she left Here with us: and where'er a human form Is found bereft of soul, there is the room Sought by the enemy, the foe of good, To enter into realms perceptible, And find some carnal form through which to speak. Just such an adversary spake e'en now, Who would destroy the work imposed on me For thee, my son, and millions yet unborn. Were I to deem these wild anathemas, Which our friend's shell did utter here and now, Aught else but some grim tempter's cunning skill, Thou durst not follow more my leadership. The enemy of Good stood by my side, And thou hast seen into the darkness plunged All that is temporal of that dear form, For whom, my son, thy whole love burns and glows. Since through her mouth spirits spake oft to thee, The Karma of the world could not restrain Hell's princes also speaking thus through her. First now thou mayst seek her very soul And learn her nature's inmost verity; For she shall form for thee the prototype Of that new higher type of humankind To which thou dost aspire to raise thyself. Her soul hath soared aloft to spirit-heights, Where every man may find his being's source Which springs to life and fulness in himself. Thou too shalt follow her to spirit-realms, And see her in the Temple of the Sun.-- Within this circle there is formed a knot Of threads which Karma spins, world fashioning. My son, since thou hast now attained thus far, Thou shalt still further pierce beyond the veil. I see thy star in fullest splendour shine. There is no place within the realm of sense For strife, such as men wage when they do strive And struggle after consecration's gift. The riddles which arise in worlds of sense Must find solution through man's intellect; From all that sense engenders in man's heart Whether of love or hate, whate'er its source And howsoever direful its results, The spirit-seeker needs must stand aloof, Whence he may cast his glance all undisturbed Upon the fields where such contentions rage. For him must other powers unfold themselves Which are not found upon that field of strife. So didst thou need to fight to prove thy soul In combat such as comes to him alone, Who finds himself accoutred for such powers As do belong unto the spirit-worlds. And had these powers found thee not ripe enough To tread the path of knowledge, they needs must Have maimed thy powers of feeling, ere thou daredst To know all that which now is known to thee. The Beings, who can gaze into world-depths, Lead on those men, who would attain the heights, First to that summit whence it may be shown Whether there lies in them the power to reach To conscious sight within the spirit-realms.