ed spiritual man attains to the perceptions of
genius. Genius is the vision, the power, of the spiritual man, whether
its possessor recognizes this or not. All true knowledge is of the
spiritual man. The greatest in all ages have recognized this and put
their testimony on record. The great in wisdom who have not
consciously recognized it, have ever been full of the spirit of
reverence, of selfless devotion to truth, of humility, as was Darwin;
and reverence and humility are the unconscious recognition of the
nearness of the Spirit, that Divinity which broods over us, a Master
o'er a slave.

6. This power is distributed in ascending degrees.

It is to be attained step by step. It is a question, not of miracle, but
of evolution, of growth. Newton had to master the multiplication table,
then the four rules of arithmetic, then the rudiments of algebra, before
he came to the binomial theorem. At each point, there was attention,
concentration, insight; until these were attained, no progress to the
next point was possible. So with Darwin. He had to learn the form and
use of leaf and flower, of bone and muscle; the characteristics of
genera and species; the distribution of plants and animals, before he
had in mind that nexus of knowledge on which the light of his great
idea was at last able to shine. So is it with all knowledge. So is it
with spiritual knowledge. Take the matter this way: The first subject
for the exercise of my spiritual insight is my day, with its
circumstances, its hindrances, its opportunities, its duties. I do what
I can to solve it, to fulfil its duties, to learn its lessons. I try to
live my day with aspiration and faith. That is the first step. By doing
this, I gather a harvest for the evening, I gain a deeper insight into
life, in virtue of which I begin the next day with a certain advantage,
a certain spiritual advance and attainment. So with all successive
days. In faith and aspiration, we pass from day to day, in growing
knowledge and power, with never more than one day to solve at a time,
until all life becomes radiant and transparent.

7. This threefold power, of Attention, Meditation, Contemplation, is
more interior than the means of growth previously described.

Very naturally so; because the means of growth previously described
were concerned with the extrication of the spiritual man from psychic
bondages and veils; while this threefold power is to be exercised by
the spiritual man thus ext