rld of objects. But it does not make one scrap of difference whether
it goes out to physical, astral, or mental objects: it is all the
objective consciousness, and therefore the very reverse of the
spiritual. But the Indian does not shrink from that as ordinarily the
man in the West does. He is perfectly honest. He says: "Yes, the
powers of the intellect applied to the objects of the world are a
hindrance in the spiritual life. We do not want them, do not care to
think about it. We give up all the objects of the physical plane when
seeking the Self." And if you are prepared to say that, then by all
means turn aside from psychism, but do not at one and the same time
encourage intellectuality on the physical plane and denounce what you
call psychism on the others, because that is mere folly. If it is
better to be blind here than to see--and the Indian will tell you it
often is, because it shuts out all the distracting objects of the
physical plane--if you are prepared to say that, and say: "Yes, I
would rather be blind than see," then you may go on to denounce seeing
on the astral plane. But if you value your physical sight, why not
value the astral sight--it is a stage higher--as well? and the mental
sight--which is a stage higher yet--as well? Why denounce astral and
mental, and praise up the physical? Why admire the power of sight of
the painter, who sees more shades than you can see, and denounce the
sight of the clairvoyant, who sees very much more than the cleverest
painter? They all belong to the object world; they all lead the Self
away from the realisation of himself, and they are all exactly on the
same level. It seems strange when one sees the same person exalting
the psychic on the physical plane and denouncing it on the astral and
mental.

But now let us turn to "spirituality" and see what that means. "The
Self-realisation of the One"; not the declaring that all men are one,
that all men are brothers: we can all do that. Anyone who has reached
a certain stage of intellectual knowledge will recognise the unity of
mankind; will say, with the writer in the Christian book, that God has
made all men of one blood--quoted again from what is called a Pagan
book. That intellectual recognition of the unity is practically
universal among educated people; but very few are prepared to carry
out the intellectual recognition into practical life and practical
training. Now for the development of what are called psychic facul