(3) That flowed forth, and went towards the sun. And that forms what seems to stir in the centre of the sun.

(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.

(11) But the tone of voice riseth up in the middle centre, in the flash or lightning, where the light is generated out of the heat, where the flash or lightning of life riseth up. Observe how this is done:

(25) But the splendour and the power of the Son of God, or Heart of God, which is the light or source and fountain of joy, taketh up his fairest and most joyful original in the centre or midst of these kingdoms, and shineth into and through all the angelical gates.

(94) For when the light is generated, it is generated in the midst or centre of the body, as a heart or spirit out of all powers; and there it stands and remaineth in the place where it had its beginning, and goeth forth through all the powers.

(32) But the light, which subsisteth in the midst or centre in all the seven spirits, and wherein stands the life of all the seven spirits, whereby all seven become triumphing and joyful, and wherein the heavenly joyfulness rises up:

(3) That flowed forth, and went towards the sun. And that forms what we call the extreme dark (parah krishnam) light of the sun.

(26) Thereafter, the whole personal being bends toward illumination, toward Eternal Life.

(155) But because it is generated in the centre or circle of life, as a bright shining light, like unto the heavenly birth or rising up of the Holy Ghost, with a fiery driving or impulse of the spirit, therefore I cannot resist or withstand it, though the world always make a mock of me for it.

(4) The circulation of the Light is the inclusive term, The further the work advances, the more can the Golden Flower bloom. But there is a still more marvellous kind of circulation. Till now we have worked from the outside on what is within; now we tarry in the centre and rule what is external. Hitherto, it was a service in aid of the Master; now it is a dissemination of the commands of this Master. The whole relationship is now reversed. If one wants to penetrate the more delicate regions by this method, one must irst see to it that body and heart are completely controlled, that one is quite free and at peace, letting go of all entanglements, untroubled by the slightest excitement, with the Heavenly Heart exactly in the middle. Then let one lower the lids of the two eyes as if one received a holy edict, a summons to the minister. Who would dare disobey? Then one illumines the house of the abysmal (water, K'an) with both eyes. Wherever the Golden Flower appears, the true Light of polarity goes out to meet it. The principle of that which adheres to (lightness, Li), is light outside and dark within; it is the body of the creative. Darkness enters and becomes master. The result is that the heart (consciousness), becomes dependent on things, is directed outward, and is tossed about on the stream. When the rotating light shines within the heart, it does not become dependent on things, the power of the Dark is limited, and the Golden Flower shines with concentration. It is then the collected Light of polarity. Things which are related attract each other. Thus the polarity Light-line of the abysmal presses upward. It is not only the Light in the abyss, but it is creative Light meeting creative Light. As soon as these two substances meet each other, they unite inseparably, and unceasing life begins; it comes and goes, rises and falls of itself, in the house of the primordial power. One is aware of e fulgence 60 and infinity. The whole body feels lighter and would like to fly. This is the state of which it is said: Clouds fill the thousand mountains. Gradually it [life] goes here and there quite quietly; it rises and falls imperceptibly. The pulse stands still and breathing stops. This is the moment of true creative unity, the state of which it is said: The moon gathers up the ten thousand waters. In the midst of this darkness, the Heavenly Heart suddenly begins a movement. This is the return of the one Light, the time when the child comes to life.

(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,

(3) From the midst of that radiance, the natural sound of Reality, reverberating like a thousand thunders simultaneously sounding, will come. That is the natural sound of thine own real self. Be not daunted thereby, nor terrified, nor awed.

(135) The light went forth from the innermost birth or geniture, and kindled itself in the outermost. It gave again to the outermost a natural peculiar light of its own.

(38) Where then the King (viz. the Light of the Sun) is so very joyful in the Spirit, and does so highly triumph, exult, and rejoice, that he moves all the Essences of the Stars, and brings them into their highest Degree, to generate her; where then all Centers of the Stars fly open, and the loving Virgin beholds herself in them. Where then the Essences of the Soul (in the Light of the Virgin) can see in the Centers of the Stars, what is in its Original and Source.

(9) On that path of radiance there will come to shine glorious orbs of lights, blue in colour, emitting rays, the Dharma-Dhatu Wisdom [itself], each appearing like an inverted turquoise cup, surrounded by similar orbs, smaller in size, more glorious with five yet smaller [satellite] orbs dotted round about with five starry spots of light of the same nature, leaving neither the centre nor the borders [of the blue light-path] unglorified by the orbs and the smaller [satellite] orbs.

(10) Now the Gate of the Light stands between both these Regions, as in one [only] Center inclosed with Flesh, and it shines in the Darkness in itself, and it moves towards the Might of the Darkness and Fierceness, and sheds forth its Rays, even to the Noise of the Breaking through, from whence the Gates of Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, and Feeling, go forth; and when these Gates apprehend the sweet, loving, and pleasant Rays of the Light, then they become most highly joyful, and run into their highest Region into the Heart (as into their right Dwelling-house) into the Essences of the Spirit of the Soul, which receives it with Joy, and refreshes itself therein; and there its Sun springs up (viz. the pleasant Tincture in the Element of Water) and by the sweet Joy becomes Blood. For all Regions rejoice therein, and suppose that they have got the noble Virgin again, whereas it is but her Rays, as the Sun shines upon the Earth, from whence all Essences of the Earth rejoice, spring, grow, and blossom. Which is the Cause that the Tincture rises up in all Herbs and Trees. 1 1. And here we must accurately consider wherein every Region rejoices; for the Sun and Stars apprehend not the Divine Light, as the Essences of the Soul [do,] and yet only that Soul which stands in the new Birth; but pthey taste the Sweetness which has imprinted [or imaged] itself in the Tincture; for the Blood of the Heart, wherein the Soul moves, is so very sweet, that there is nothing to be compared to it. Therefore has God by Moses forbidden Man to eat the Flesh in its Blood; for the Life stands in it. For the bestial Life ought not to be in Man, that his Spirit be not infected therewith.

(57) For the light is in the midst or centre of the birth or geniture, and is the place of life wherein the meek life of God is generated from or out of all the powers of the Father, and in the same place the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father and the Son.

(31) But since Thence come the beauty and light in all, it is Thence that Intellectual-Principle took the brilliance of the Intellectual Energy which flashed Nature into being; Thence soul took power towards life, in virtue of that fuller life streaming into it. Intellectual-Principle was raised thus to that Supreme and remains with it, happy in that presence. Soul too, that soul which as possessing knowledge and vision was capable, clung to what it saw; and as its vision so its rapture; it saw and was stricken; but having in itself something of that principle it felt its kinship and was moved to longing like those stirred by the image of the beloved to desire of the veritable presence. Lovers here mould themselves to the beloved; they seek to increase their attraction of person and their likeness of mind; they are unwilling to fall short in moral quality or in other graces lest they be distasteful to those possessing such merit- and only among such can true love be. In the same way the soul loves the Supreme Good, from its very beginnings stirred by it to love. The soul which has never strayed from this love waits for no reminding from the beauty of our world: holding that love- perhaps unawares- it is ever in quest, and, in its longing to be borne Thither, passes over what is lovely here and with one glance at the beauty of the universe dismisses all; for it sees that all is put together of flesh and Matter, befouled by its housing, made fragmentary by corporal extension, not the Authentic Beauty which could never venture into the mud of body to be soiled, annulled.

By only noting the flux of things it knows at once that from elsewhere comes the beauty that floats upon them and so it is urged Thither, passionate in pursuit of what it loves: never- unless someone robs it of that love- never giving up till it attain.

There indeed all it saw was beautiful and veritable; it grew in strength by being thus filled with the life of the True; itself becoming veritable Being and attaining veritable knowledge, it enters by that neighbouring into conscious possession of what it has long been seeking.

(6) He moves about becoming manifold within the heart where the arteries meet, like spokes fastened to the nave. Meditate on the Self as Om! Hail to you, that you may cross beyond (the sea of) darkness!

(82) Now when the bitter fire-crack was captivated by the light, then the light in its own power pressed yet higher in the deep, till it reached into the hard and cold seat of nature. And there the power of the first going forth or rising up from the sun could not get higher, but sitting, stayed there corporeally, and took possession of that place for a habitation.