peculation however, it is one of
the first facts of life demonstrated to the pupil of a Mystery school. He
is taught to watch a child in the act of dying, also, to watch it in the
invisible world from day to day, until it comes to a new birth a year or
two later. Then he knows with absolute certainty that we return to earth
to reap in a future life what we now sow.

The reason for taking a child to watch in preference to an adult, is, that
the child is reborn very quickly, for its short life on earth has borne
but few fruits and these are soon assimilated, while the adult who has
lived a long life, and had much experience remains in the invisible worlds
for centuries, so that the pupil could not watch him from death to
rebirth. The cause of infant mortality will be explained later, here we
merely desire to emphasize the fact that it is within the range of
possibilities of every one without exception to become able to know at
first hand that which is here taught.

The average interval between two earth-lives is about a thousand years. It
is determined by the movement of the sun known to astronomers as
_precession of the equinox_, by which the sun moves through one of the
signs of the Zodiac in about 2100 years. During that time the conditions
upon earth have changed so much that the spirit will find entirely new
experiences here, and therefore it returns.

The Great Leaders of evolution always obtain the maximum benefit from each
condition designed by them, and as the experiences in the same social
conditions are very different in the case of a man from what they are for
a woman, the human spirit takes birth twice during the 2100 years measured
by the precession of the equinox as already explained, it is born once as
a man and another time as a woman. Such is the rule, but it is subject to
whatever modifications may be necessary to facilitate reaping what the
spirit has sown, as required under the law of Causation which works hand
in hand with the law of Rebirth. Thus, at times a spirit may be brought to
birth long ere the thousand years have expired, in order to fulfill a
certain mission, or it may be detained in the invisible worlds after the
time when it should have come to birth according to the strict
requirements of a blind law. The laws of nature are not that however. They
are Great Intelligences who always subordinate minor considerations to
higher ends, and under their beneficent guidance we are constantly
pro