7rcTIX1xP

Lesson III: Spiritual Consciousness.287
spirit. And, in the deep silence, the mysterious event will occur which will
prove that the way has been found.” We have tried to tell you what is that
mysterious event. We trust that we have at least made possible a clearer
conception of it on your part.
The writer of the little manual evidently shared the difficulty that confronts
everyone who attempts to describe the great experience. She goes on to
say: “Call it by whatever name you will, it is a voice that speaks where there
is none to speak; it is a messenger that comes—a messenger without form
or substance—or it is the flower of the soul that has opened. It cannot be
described by any metaphor. But it can be felt after, looked for, and desired,
even amid the raging of the storm.”
She goes on then to speak of the duration of “the silence that follows the
storm,” in which occurs the “mysterious event.” She says: “The silence may
last a moment of time, or it may last a thousand years. But it will end. Yet you
will carry its strength with you. Again and again must the battle be fought
and won. It is only for an interval that nature can be still.”
In this last paragraph, the text evidently refers to the partial or temporary
Illumination to which we have referred in this lesson. The time when the
Spiritual Consciousness will become permanent—when the Brahmic
Splendor remains with the soul continuously, is far beyond us—those who
enjoy that state are now beings far beyond us in the spiritual scale. And yet
they were once as we are—we shall some day be as they now are. These
flashes of Illumination come to the advanced student as he progresses along
the Path. And although they leave him, he carries their strength with him.
We would also call the attention of the student to the foot note
accompanying this last precept, as it contains a wonderful occult truth in
the shape of a promise. This promise has cheered thousands along The
Path—has nerved them for further efforts—has given them renewed ardor
and courage. Listen to it: “Know, O disciple! that those who have passed
through the silence, and felt its peace, and retained its strength, they long