Into the dark the life proceeds. A different voice seems to sound forth. "Enter the cave and find your own; walk in the dark and on your head carry a lighted lamp." The cave is dark and lonely; cold is it and a place of many sounds and voices. The voice of the many sons of God, left playing on the playground of the Lord, make their appeal for light. The cave is long and narrow. The air is full of fog. The sound of running water meets the rushing sound of wind, and frequent roll of thunder.

Far off, dim and most vaguely seen, appears an oval opening, its color blue. Stretched athwart this space of blue, a rosy cross is seen, and at the center of the cross, where four arms meet, a rose. Upon the upper limb, a vibrant diamond shines, within a star five-pointed.

The living soul drives forward towards the cross which bars his way to life, revealed and known.

Not yet the cross is mounted and therefore left behind. But onward goes the living soul, eyes fixed upon the cross, ears open to the wailing cries of all his brother souls.

Stage V

Out into radiant life and light! The cave is left behind; the cross is overturned; the way stands clear. The word sounds clear within the head and not within the heart. "Enter again the playground of the Lord and this time lead the games." The way upon the second [470] tier of stairs stands barred, this by the soul's own act. No longer red desire governs all the life, but now the clear blue flame burns strong. Upon the bottom step of the barred Way he turns back and passes down the stairs on to the playground, meeting dead shells built in an earlier stage, stepping upon forms discarded and destroyed, and holding forth the hands of helpfulness. Upon his shoulder sits the bird of peace; upon his feet the sandals of the messenger.

Not yet the utter glory of the radiant life! Not yet the entering into everlasting peace! But still the work, and still the lifting of the little ones.

Here in symbolic form we have pictures of human life and progress, of life in form and growing through the building process which marks the creative work. It is only a bald translation of some mantric phrases, and of some basic symbols, and must in no way be considered to be anything except indicative of a process, veiled and couched so that only those who know can understand. Esotericists will understand that these five stages cover the life period of every form, no matter whether the creator is cosmic, planetary or human.

Every form is built by an impulsive spark of life, emanated by a creator, and growing stage by stage under the law of accretion - an aspect of the law of attraction, which is the law of life. This law cooperates with the Law of Cause and Effect, which, as we know, is the law governing matter. Cause, attraction or desire, accretion and effect - these four words govern the construction of any thought-form. When the latter is a completed entity, it is an effect built by accretion under the power of an organized cause.