Gifts of the Mind

"For Allegorical discourses being in themselves hard to understand are the Cause of many Errors, especially as the same words are applied to different thinges and different words to the same thinges. Whoever would free himself from these difficultyes must either have a divine Genius to perceive Truth through much darknesse, or he must have inexhaustible wealth and patience to find through experiment what is True and what is not."
- Michael Maier, "Atalanta Fugiens"

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"At this time, close the end of what is possibly the most momentous and most crucial century in the recorded history of humankind, we are reaching back into the past for clues to help us through the next decade, to unite the simplicity of the old with the impetus and knowledge of the new. If we succeed we might possibly make it to the next century. But such gifts of the mind as trained by the methods of the Mysteries are not to be had just for the asking, nor will all who come to the gate pass through to attain the high levels they hope for. We have become too used to the idea that what we want, we are entitled to have. Unfortunately this is not the way it happens.

Some minds are peculiarly adapted to working in such ways, but it is a talent like music, singing, being able to paint or write or sew. It requires certain gifts, an ability to imagine things visually so well that the everyday world seems strangely unreal when you return to it. A lucid and adaptable memory that can supply information rapidly, concisely and cross index items with ease and correctness. A mind that is encyclopaedic in its ability to store information of all kinds, with insatiable curiosity. Total dedication to the study, sometimes to the exclusion of all else. A certain dramatic flair for ritual, a love of silence and loneliness for what it can offer to the still mind.

 But unless you try, you will never know if you could have succeeded. If you do try, the least of your rewards will take you far beyond what you would have been. Your concentration and ability to cope with Life’s storms will be increased, you will be able to cope with situations others find impossible. You will have more ability to control your environment and your life and will enjoy it more."

- "Servants of Light"