250 The SpiritualLife.
andofwideningout beyondthehabituallimits
ofthelife,therecognition ofa Self,divine and
puissant, which islife, not form; joy,not sor-
row; thefeelingofamarvellouspeace,passing
allof whichthe world candream. With the
fallingaway of limitations comes an increased
intensityof life, as though lifeflowed in from
every side rejoicingoverthe barriersremoved,
sovividafeelingofrealitythatalllifeinaform
seems as death, and earthlylight as darkness.
It is anexpansionso marvellous inits nature,
that consciousnessfeels asthough it had never
known itself before, forall it had regarded as
consciousnessisasunconsciousnessinthepresence
ofthisupwellinglife. Self-consciousness,which
commenced to germinate in child-humanity,
which has developed, grown, expanded ever
within the limitations of form, thinking itself
separate, feeling ever "I," speaking ever of
"me" and "mine"-this Self-consciousness
suddenly feels all selves as Self, all forms as
commonproperty. Heseesthatlimitationswere
necessaryfor thebuilding of a centre of Self-
hoodinwhichSelf-identitymightpersist,andat
thesametimehefeelsthat theform is onlyan
instrument he useswhilehe himself,the living
consciousness, is one in all that lives. He
knowsthefullmeaningoftheoft-spokenphrase
