Thus speaks the power of love, which bindeth worlds And filleth beings with the breath of life:-- Let warmth flow in his heart that he may grasp How by the sacrificing of that vain Illusion of his personality He doth draw near the spirit of the world. His sight from sleep of sense thou hast set free; Love's warmth will wake the spirit in his soul: His Self from carnal covering thou hast drawn; And love itself will crystallize his soul That it may be a mirror to reflect All that doth happen in the spirit-world. Love too will give him strength to feel himself A spirit, and will fashion thus his ear That it can hear and know the spirit-speech. ROMANUS (in the West): Nor are my words the revelation true Of mine own self. Through me the world-will speaks. And since thou hast thus raised unto the power To live in spirit-realms the man to thee Entrusted, now this power shall lead him forth Beyond the bounds of space and ends of time. To those realms shall he pass wherein do work Creative spirits, who shall there reveal Themselves to him; demanding from him deeds; And willingly will he perform their work. The purposes of Him who moulds the worlds Shall fill his soul with life; there too the earth's Primeval sources shall enspirit him; World potencies shall there empower him; The mights of spheres shall there enlighten him, And rulers of the worlds fill him with fire. RETARDUS (in the North): From the foundation of the world ye have Been forced to suffer me within your midst. So must ye also to my words give ear In your deliberations here today. Some little time must surely yet elapse Before ye can fulfil and bring to pass What ye have set forth in such beauteous words. No sign as yet hath come to us from earth That she doth long for new initiates. So long as this spot, where we council hold, Hath not been trodden by the feet of those Who, uninitiate still, cannot set free Their spirit from realities of sense, So long the task is mine to check your zeal. First must they bring us message that the earth Doth seem in need of revelations new. For this cause hold I back your spirit-light Within this temple, lest it may bring harm Instead of health to souls that are not ripe. Out of myself I give to man on earth That faculty which lets the truths of sense Appear to him the highest, just so long As spirit wisdom would but blind his eyes. Nay more, e'en such belief may also lead Him nearer to the spirit, for the aims Formed by his will may yet be guided right Through his blind tastes and gropings in the dark. ROMANUS: