the Equinox - The Hermetic Library

186
THE EQUINOX
meteorites they seemingly come from nowhere, splash like
falling stars through the firmament of our meditation, sparkle
and are gone; but ever coming as a distraction to hamper and
harass our onward march.
Once the mind has conquered these, a fresh difficulty
arises, the danger of not being strong enough to overcome the
occult powers which, though the reward of our toils, and
liable, like the Queen in her bedchamber, to seduce the Conqueror
in spite of his having conquered the King her husband,
and secretly slay him as he sleeps in her arms. These are the
powers known in the West as Miraculous Powers, in the
East as Siddhis.
The mind is now a blank, the senses have been subdued,
the subconscious thoughts slain; it stretches before us like
some unspotted canvas upon which we may write or paint
whatever we will. We can produce entrancing sounds at will,
beautiful sights at will, subtle tastes and delicious perfumes;
and after a time actual forms, living creatures, men and women
and elementals. We smite the rock, and the waters flow at our
blow; we cry unto the heavens, and fire rushes down and
consumes our sacrifice; we become Magicians, begetters of
illusion, and then, if we allow ourselves to become obsessed
by them, a time comes when these illusions will master us,
when the children we have begotten will rise up and dethrone
us, and we shall be drowned in the waters that now we can no
longer control and be burnt up by the flames that mock
obedience, and scorn our word.
Directly we perform a miracle we produce a change: a
change is Mara the Devil, and not God the Changeless One.
And though we may have scraped clean the palimpset of our