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OCCULT POWERS
relation of the soul and body, which relation is expressed in the form of thought, which is not to be confounded with consciousness. It is a lower stage. Sensations give rise to thoughts, and after thinking in a certain way, we come to a certain conclusion, and that is knowledge. If we can arrive at a stage where without having the sensations which generally give rise to thought, we can still have those thoughts, we are on the spiritual plane, where we can express our knowledge without any trouble, effort or labour. Even on the lowest mental plane, there are many powers ; the power of memory, for instance, is a power of mentality. It is pot a spiritual power, because the spiritual power means the soul itself.
To know is to think without effort, and if an effo t must be made to remember, it shows that there was ignorance before. But, however, to be on the plane which is truly spiritual, it is necessary that we should exercise the power of memory, and we must take active measures to strenghthen it. There is no royal road for the acquirement of that result. We are beings eternal at both ends, and therefore the consciousness, the memory, and all other powers of the soul are without beginning and without end. We think that we have acquired some powers, but it is rather a matter of expleling certain darkening forces present in the system. These powers cannot be acqired in a short time, without living a holy life, which is a great force to drive away impurities; but if we have developed these
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