94 TheSpiritual Life.
develop,the formsmust be continuallychang-
ing, for each form is first an instrument and
lateraprison. Asthelatentpowersinalife-
inseparate everfrom the one Life as a plant
from its hidden root-are drawn out by the
playoftheenvironmentuponit,theformwhich
was its helpfulvehicle becomes itsencramping
mould. What thencanhappen? Either the
lifemustperish,stifledbytheformithadshaped,
ortheformmust breakinto piecesandsetfree
thelifeinanembryonicform of a highertype.
Butthe lifecannotperish,beinganoffshootof
the Eternal; hencetheformmustbreak. The
breaking of a series of forms round an ever-
expandinglifemeans-evolution.
The expansionofthislifemaybelikenedto
theexpansionoflifeinaseed-fromnucleusto
embryo,fromembryotoseedling,fromseedling
to sapling, from sapling to tree, capable of
yielding seeds like that from which it grew.
All growthis theunfoldingof hidden powers,
powers that in a LoGOS have reached their
highestpoint for thatuniverse-Hisuniverse-
and that Heplantsasseedofeveryseparated
life. Aswater ever rises to its own level so
does thisdown-poured lifestrivetorisetothe
levelofitssource; asmassattractsmasssodoes
eachlifeseparateinmanifestationseekitself,the