Our souls here humbly offer sacrifice Unto the spirit by whose power alone The inner soul of man is fructified. And we would strive that our own wills may be A revelation of the spirit-will. By cosmic wisdom is the temple led Which unconfused doth guide to future times. Thou showest us directions which thyself Hast read within the cosmic book of fate, What time thy pupils passed their proof severe. So lead them now within our sacred shrine, That they may join their work unto our own.
(Hilary knocks within the Temple; then enter Thomasius, Capesius, Maria, Felix Balde, Dame Balde, and Strader. Trustworthy and Torquatus so guide their entrance that when they come to the middle of the Temple, Thomasius is standing in front of Benedictus and Hilary, Capesius in front of Bellicosus and Torquatus, Strader in front of Trustworthy, whilst Maria is with Felix and Dame Balde.)
My son, the words man utters in this place Spell guilt which cries aloud to spirit-worlds Unless the speaker follows truth alone. As great the guilt, so strong too are the powers Which strike it, and destroy the one who speaks And proves himself unworthy of his task. He who is standing here before thee now, Was conscious of the working of his words And tried to full extent of all his powers To render service to the spirit-world Before this holy symbol of that light Which shines upon our Earth from out the east. It is the will of fate that thou henceforth Shalt stand and serve within this sacred place. And he who consecrates thee to the task And of his office hands thee now the key, Doth give his blessing also that it may Prove of good service, in so far as he Hath served the sacred customs worthily.
Exalted Master, he would not presume-- This poor weak mortal, who doth dare to stand Before thee now in body,--e'en to shape One wish that thy successor he might be Within this ancient consecrated place. He is not worthy e'en to place one step Across the threshold of this mystic shrine, But what he dares not wish for, for himself, He must perceive in deep humility Since powers of fate have of necessity Desired to send this call unto his soul. It was not I, as I am in my life Nor as I saw myself a short time back In spirit, as a wholly worthless soul, That let me now draw near unto this place. And yet the man who stands here visible Hath been, by Benedictus and his friend, Endowed with second manhood, which the first Shall henceforth only as a bearer serve. The spirit-pupilship hath given me A self that can show forth itself with power And to the full unfold its own pursuits E'en when the bearer needs must know himself Full far removed from lofty aims of soul. If, in such case, his duty it doth seem To give this second self that's roused in him To service in the progress of the Earth His life must aye observe this strictest rule To be a light before his spirit-eyes, That nought from his own self must enter in Nor cause disturbance in that work, which he Hath not himself arranged nor brought to pass But which his second self must execute. Concealed within himself he thus will work That one day he may be what he doth know To be the future goal of his true self. Throughout his life he'll carry his own cares Locked fast in deep recesses of his soul. I told thee when at first thou called'st me That I could never tread the temple courts In mine own human personality. He who now comes, as though another's life Had been entrusted to him, sees that fate Hath laid on him the task of watching o'er Results of his own work and guiding them With dutiful attention from this place For such time as the spirit doth command.