(2) And that flash, or raging terror, or bitter spirit, is caught or laid hold on by the astringent quality, and in the clear bright light in the astringent spirit is glorified, and exceeding highly joyful; which now is the mobility, or the root of life, which in the astringent quality imageth, frameth and formeth the word, or makes it distinct or separable, so that in the body a thought or will does exist.

(72) This spirit taketh its original in the fire-flash, that is, in the bitter quality, and riseth up in the flash through the sweet water, wherein it mitigateth itself, so that it becometh clear and bright, and is caught or held in the astringent quality, and there it toucheth or stirreth all the spirits; and from this touching or stirring riseth up the tone; its rising source or quality stands in the flash, and its body or root stands in the sweet water in the love.

(27) Now the flash in the power of these four goeth forth in the heat, and riseth up in the sweet spring water or fountain; the bitter makes it triumphing; the astringent makes it shining, dry and corporeal; and the sweet makes it meek and mild; and so it receiveth its first shining and lustre in the sweet; and here now the flash, or the light, subsisteth in the midst or centre, as a heart.

(20) And the flash in itself keepeth its fierceness, from whence existeth the bitter quality, or the bitter spirit, which now riseth up in the astringent quality, and inflameth or kindleth the hardness with its fierce quality, and the light or flash drieth itself in the hardness, and shineth clear and bright, far brighter than the light of the sun.

(5) Now when upon the third day the fire-flash rose up out of the light, which was shining in the sweet water, which flash is the bitter quality which generateth itself out of the kindled terror or crack of fire in the water:

(13) For all powers are discerned or distinguished in the bitter, and the bitter receiveth the flash of the light, as if it were horribly terrified, and goeth with its trembling and terror into the astringent and hard quality, and there it is bodily captivated.

(103) Now the terror or the glance of the light riseth up in the astringent quality very gently and shivering, and trembleth, which now in the water is bitter, and the light drieth it, and makes it friendly and sweet.

(145) For when the flash riseth up in the centre, one seeth through and through, but cannot well apprehend or lay hold on it; for it happeneth to such a one as when there is a tempest of lightning, where the flash of fire openeth itself, and suddenly vanisheth.

(3) With this prologue we come to our discussion of Memory.

That the soul, or mind, having taken no imprint, yet achieves perception of what it in no way contains need not surprise us; or rather, surprising though it is, we cannot refuse to believe in this remarkable power.

The Soul is the Reason-Principle of the universe, ultimate among the Intellectual Beings- its own essential Nature is one of the Beings of the Intellectual Realm- but it is the primal Reason-Principle of the entire realm of sense.

Thus it has dealings with both orders- benefited and quickened by the one, but by the other beguiled, falling before resemblances, and so led downwards as under spell. Poised midway, it is aware of both spheres.

Of the Intellectual it is said to have intuition by memory upon approach, for it knows them by a certain natural identity with them; its knowledge is not attained by besetting them, so to speak, but by in a definite degree possessing them; they are its natural vision; they are itself in a more radiant mode, and it rises from its duller pitch to that greater brilliance in a sort of awakening, a progress from its latency to its act.

To the sense-order it stands in a similar nearness and to such things it gives a radiance out of its own store and, as it were, elaborates them to visibility: the power is always ripe and, so to say, in travail towards them, so that, whenever it puts out its strength in the direction of what has once been present in it, it sees that object as present still; and the more intent its effort the more durable is the presence. This is why, it is agreed, children have long memory; the things presented to them are not constantly withdrawn but remain in sight; in their case the attention is limited but not scattered: those whose faculty and mental activity are busied upon a multitude of subjects pass quickly over all, lingering on none.

Now, if memory were a matter of seal-impressions retained, the multiplicity of objects would have no weakening effect on the memory. Further, on the same hypothesis, we would have no need of thinking back to revive remembrance; nor would we be subject to forgetting and recalling; all would lie engraved within.

The very fact that we train ourselves to remember shows that what we get by the process is a strengthening of the mind: just so, exercises for feet and hands enable us to do easily acts which in no sense contained or laid up in those members, but to which they may be fitted by persevering effort.

How else can it be explained that we forget a thing heard once or twice but remember what is often repeated, and that we recall a long time afterwards what at first hearing we failed to hold?

It is no answer to say that the parts present themselves sooner than the entire imprint- why should they too be forgotten?- the last hearing, or our effort to remember, brings the thing back to us in a flash.

All these considerations testify to an evocation of that faculty of the soul, or mind, in which remembrance is vested: the mind is strengthened, either generally or to this particular purpose.

Observe these facts: memory follows upon attention; those who have memorized much, by dint of their training in the use of leading indications , reach the point of being easily able to retain without such aid: must we not conclude that the basis of memory is the soul-power brought to full strength?

The lingering imprints of the other explanation would tell of weakness rather than power; for to take imprint easily is to be yielding. An impression is something received passively; the strongest memory, then, would go with the least active nature. But what happens is the very reverse: in no pursuit to technical exercises tend to make a man less the master of his acts and states. It is as with sense-perception; the advantage is not to the weak, the weak eye for example, but to that which has the fullest power towards its exercise. In the old, it is significant, the senses are dulled and so is the memory.

Sensation and memory, then, are not passivity but power.

And, once it is admitted that sensations are not impressions, the memory of a sensation cannot consist in the retention of an impression that was never made.

Yes: but if it is an active power of the mind, a fitness towards its particular purpose, why does it not come at once- and not with delay- to the recollection of its unchanging objects?

Simply because the power needs to be poised and prepared: in this it is only like all the others, which have to be readied for the task to which their power reaches, some operating very swiftly, others only after a certain self-concentration.

Quick memory does not in general go with quick wit: the two do not fall under the same mental faculty; runner and boxer are not often united in one person; the dominant idea differs from man to man.

Yet there could be nothing to prevent men of superior faculty from reading impressions on the mind; why should one thus gifted be incapable of what would be no more than a passive taking and holding?

That memory is a power of the Soul is established at a stroke by the consideration that the soul is without magnitude.

And- one general reflection- it is not extraordinary that everything concerning soul should proceed in quite other ways than appears to people who either have never enquired, or have hastily adopted delusive analogies from the phenomena of sense, and persist in thinking of perception and remembrance in terms of characters inscribed on plates or tablets; the impossibilities that beset this theory escape those that make the soul incorporeal equally with those to whom it is corporeal.

(5) My mind in this wise wholly in suspense, Steadfast, immovable, attentive gazed, And evermore with gazing grew enkindled. In presence of that light one such becomes, That to withdraw therefrom for other prospect It is impossible he e'er consent; Because the good, which object is of will, Is gathered all in this, and out of it That is defective which is perfect there. Shorter henceforward will my language fall Of what I yet remember, than an infant's Who still his tongue doth moisten at the breast. Not because more than one unmingled semblance Was in the living light on which I looked, For it is always what it was before; But through the sight, that fortified itself In me by looking, one appearance only To me was ever changing as I changed. Within the deep and luminous subsistence Of the High Light appeared to me three circles, Of threefold colour and of one dimension,

(57) For the flash, as a crack, penetrateth suddenly, whereby joy existeth, and then the stock of the kindled light in the sweet water abideth standing, and presseth gently through the fire after the flash, even into the astringent quality, and mitigateth the fire, and makes the astringent quality beautifully mild and soft or subtle, which is also a birth or geniture of the water.

(29) Then first is discerned the glance or splendour, and out of the splendour the fire-crack, and after the fire-crack the power of the kindled body; and the light, with the power of the body, elevateth itself instantly above the crack, and ruleth or reigneth much higher, deeper and more powerfully than the fire-crack.

(14) Behold, without the flash all the seven spirits were a dark valley, but when the flash riseth up between the astringent and bitter qualities, in the heat, then it becometh shining in the sweet water, and in the flames of the heat it becometh bitter, and triumphing and living, and in the astringent it becometh corporeal, dry and bright.

(17) When the flash riseth up in the heat, then first the sweet water catcheth or captivateth it, for therein it becometh shining. Now when the water catcheth the flash, that is, the birth of the light, then the sweet water is terrified, and being so thin and pliant or feeble, it yieldeth, very much trembling; for the heat riseth up in the light.

(135) When the light in the sweet water did penetrate through the astringent spirit, then the fire- flash, terror or crack of the light, when it kindled itself in the water, rose up in the astringent and hard, dead quality, and made all stirring: from thence existed the mobility.

(102) For when the heat is so anxious in the cold in the astringent quality, that the light kindleth itself through the hidden heaven of the heart in the corporeity, then the anxious death in the wrath of God is terrified, and departeth as a crack or flash from the light, and climbeth upwards very terribly, trembling, and timorously; and the light of the heart hasteneth after it, and affecteth or possesseth it, and then it remaineth at a standstill.

(3) Thus round about me flashed a living light, And left me swathed around with such a veil Of its effulgence, that I nothing saw. "Ever the Love which quieteth this heaven Welcomes into itself with such salute, To make the candle ready for its flame." No sooner had within me these brief words An entrance found, than I perceived myself To be uplifted over my own power, And I with vision new rekindled me, Such that no light whatever is so pure But that mine eyes were fortified against it. And light I saw in fashion of a river Fulvid with its effulgence, 'twixt two banks Depicted with an admirable Spring. Out of this river issued living sparks, And on all sides sank down into the flowers, Like unto rubies that are set in gold; And then, as if inebriate with the odours, They plunged again into the wondrous torrent, And as one entered issued forth another. "The high desire, that now inflames and moves thee To have intelligence of what thou seest, Pleaseth me all the more, the more it swells.

(71) For when thou, in thy body, liftest thyself against anything whatsoever, be it in love or wrath, thou kindlest the quality of that against which thou liftest thyself; and that [kindled quality] burneth in the corporeal whole of thy spirit; but in the flash this same fountain-spirit awakeneth.

(8) Now in this clear and light flash the seven qualifying or fountain spirits were instantly kindled, as a man kindleth a fire, for they were affrighted at the terrible clarity or brightness of their spirit, and so instantly at the first flash suddenly became highly triumphing, proudly lifted up and joyful to excess, and so moved themselves towards a higher birth.

(86) After this flash the power of the light shot nimbly after it, like a meek elevated life, and overtook the fire-crack, and mitigated it, so that it became somewhat weaker, and could break no farther through the deep, but stayed trembling.