The Equinox (Volume III, Number I)

THE EQUINOX thing should be enjoyed to the full, but always with the reservation that the absence of the thing enjoyed shall not cause regret. This is too hard for the beginner, and in many cases it is necessary for him to abandon pleasures in order to prove to himself that he is indifferent to them, and it may be occasionally advisable even for the Adept to do this now and again. Of course during periods of actual concentra- tion there is no time whatever for anything but the work itself; but to make even the mildest asceticism a rule of life is the gravest of errors, except perhaps that of regarding Asceticism as a virtue. This latter always leads to spiritual pride, and spiritual pride is the principal quality of the brother of the Left-hand Path. ‘Ascetic’ comes from the Greek Askio, to work curiously, to adorn, to exercise, to train. The Latin Ars is derived from this same word. Artist, in its finest sense of creative crafts- man, is therefore the best translation. The word has degen- erated under Puritan foulness. 15. When to the World’s turmoil thy budding Soul lends ear; when to the roaring voice of the Great Illusion thy Soul responds; when frightened at the sight of the hot tears of pain; when deafened by the cries of distress, thy Soul with- draws like the shy turtle within the carapace of SELF- HOOD, learn, O Disciple, of her Silent “God” thy Soul is an unworthy shrine. This verse deals with an obstacle at a more advanced stage. It is again a warning not to shut one’s self up in one’s own universe. It is not by the exclusion of the Non-Ego that saintship is attained, but by its inclusion. Love is the law, love under will. 14