Spiritual Darkness.^125
post,wearyandworn-out,perchance,butthere?
U he can,thenagreat peacewill succeed the
darkness, and in the peace he shall hear the
song of life. New strength willflow in upon
him, and he will be conscious of a deeper
vision,of afirmergraspontruth; thedarkness
will provebut the motherof light,and hewill
have learned in it priceless lessons that will
standhimingoodsteadinfuturetrials. Alas!
but too often courage breaks and endurance
fails,andthedarknessprovestobethedarkness
of a temporarytomb, and perhapsfor the re-
mainder of the incarnation, brings "ruin to
many a noble soul that has notyet acquired
strengthenoughtoendure.
Thirdly, the darkness is often a glamour
thrown over the aspirant by the destructive
forcesthat playin theworld. To theprocess
of evolution destruction isas necessaryascon-
struction, disintegration as integration. That
which apparently delays really strengthens, as
deathis but an aspectof birth. Theoccultist
knowsthateveryforce in nature representsthe
working of an invisible Intelligence, and that
thisis astrueof the destructiveasof thecon-
structive forces. And he knows that the
destructiveIntelligences-the Dark Powers,as
theyareoftencalled-setthemselvestobeguile,
