John St. John

JOHN ST. JOHN 8.50. and break my fast humbly with Coffee and Sandwich. May it strengthen me in my search for the Quint— essence, the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness ! I hope (by the way) that I have made it quite clear that all this time even a momentary cessation of active thought has been accompanied by the rising-up of the mantra. The rhythm, in short, perpetually dominates the brain ; and becomes active on every opportunity. The liquid Moslem mantra is much easier to get on to than is the usual Hindu type with its 1% and n sounds predominating: but it does not shake the brain up so forcibly. Perhaps ’tis none the worse {or that. I think the unconscious training of the brain to an even rhythm better than startlingit into the same bya series of shocks. I should like, too, to remark that the suggestions in the “Herb Dangerous " [We hope to publish this essay in No. 2 of “The Equinox ”—EDr] for a ritual seem the wrong way round. It seems to me that the Eastern methods are very arid, and chiefly valuable as a training of the Will, while the Ceremonies of the Magic of Light tune up the soul to that harmony when it is but one step to the Crown. The real plan is, then, to train the Will into as formid— able an engine as possible, and then, at the moment in the Ritual when the real work should be done, to fling forth flying that concentrated Will “ whirling forth with re-echoing Roar, so that it may comprehend with 55