The Future thatAwaits Us. 265
less dense types of spirit-matter which belong
tothe different planes formed by themfoldmg
ofthe Life. At lastthe momentcomeswhen
manistobeginto be-notmerelyanimalman,
but man himself; when this upward-climbing,
unfoldingenergyreachesthe pointat which it
ispossibleforittostretchupwardstotheever-
hving Firethat flashesdownwardsfrom above,
thelifebelowreachingupto thelifeabove,till
theymeet and man isborn. Letmeaid our
halting thoughts with a simile drawn from
every-day experience: you know the way in
which the electric arc is formed, the blazing
lightof the electriclamp; two carbon poles-
one positive, the other negative come ever
nearer and nearer to each other; all still is
deirkness,but m the darkness theyarecoming
closer andcloser,till at last theyare so near
eachotherthattheresistanceoftheairisover-
come,thecurrentspringsfrompoletopole, the
electric arc is formed, and light blazes out.
Thatelectric arcmaynot inaptlyserve usasa
symbolofthesuddenformationoftheindividual,
therealman,born whenwhatwemaycallthe
negativecurrentofAtmareachingupwardsand
the positive current of Atma reaching down-
wardsrushtogetherandmeet,and mancomes
into existence,to live through the measureless
T
