Capesius, henceforth 'twill be thy task To serve the holy temple in this place Whence love through wisdom shall stream forth to men As warmly as the sunshine's noontide rays. He who would to the spirit sacrifice With understanding of the mystic work, Must needs face dangers here, for Lucifer Can in this place draw near with secret tread To whomsoever faithfully doth try To carry out the spirit-service here, And on each word he can impress the seal That marks the adversary of the gods. Thou stood'st before the adversary's throne And saw'st what follows his activities; So for thine office thou art well prepared.
He who hath viewed the adversary's realm As powers of fate permitted me to do, He knows that 'good' and 'evil' are but words Which mankind scarce can understand aright. Who speaks of Lucifer as wholly bad Might also say that fire is evil too, Because it hath a power that can kill life; He might call water evil, since a man Might in the water easily be drowned.
Through other things doth Lucifer appear As evil to thee; not through that which he Would indicate as evil of himself.
The cosmic spirit who could bring the light To souls of men when first the Earth was formed Must render service to the universe, In ways which in themselves seem neither good Nor evil unto spirits who have learned What stern necessity doth oft reveal. For good can turn to ill, if evil minds Make use of it for their destructive ends; And what seems evil may be turned to good If some good being guideth it aright.
So dost thou know what thou wilt have to do So long as thou dost stand within this place. Love doth not value powers that are revealed Within the world by judgment's stern decree-- She treasures them for what they may bring forth And asks how she can mould and use the life Which is created out of cosmic depths.
Yet love speaks often with such gentle words, And needs support within the depths of soul. Here in this place she will unite with all That follows cosmic law with threefold will And is unto the spirit dedicate. Maria will unite her work to thine. The vow she took in Lucifer's domain Is now permitted to ray forth its powers.
Capesius spake words of deep import Which can reveal the truth if they proceed From that same spirit which can guide mankind Toward true love, in progress of the Earth, But which but error upon error heap When they are fashioned by an evil mind And in the soul transform themselves to ill. 'Tis true that Lucifer doth show himself As bearer of the light to man's soul-sight When it would seek to gaze on spirit-space. But then the human soul will always wish To waken also in its inmost depths What it can only gaze on and admire. Although upon his beauty it may look Ne'er may it fall 'neath Lucifer's fell sway Lest he should gain the power to work within. When he, the bearer of the light, sends forth His rays of wisdom and the worlds are filled With haughty sense of self, and with full light Each creature's personality shines forth A pattern of his own imperious self, Then may the inmost being of the soul Build up on this appearance, and rejoice In all its senses, whilst it radiates The joy of wisdom, all around, that lives In its own self and loves to feel alive. But, more than any other spirit, man Requires a God who doth not only ask For admiration when his outward form Reveals itself in glory to the soul, But One who radiates His highest power When He Himself doth dwell within man's soul, And loving unto death foretelleth life. A man may turn to Lucifer and feel Inspired by beauty, or some splendour bright: And yet so live his life within himself That Lucifer can ne'er find entrance there; But to that other Spirit man doth cry, When he can fathom his own self aright: 'The goal of love for earthly souls--'tis this Not I, but Christ, doth live within me now.'