fairs have led to the many legends, beliefs,
religions and traditions of the race, past and present. They have
superimposed their knowledge and power upon the world, again and again,
all under the Law of THE ALL, of course.

But, yet, even the highest of these advanced Beings exist merely as
creations of, and in, the Mind of THE ALL, and are subject to the Cosmic
Processes and Universal Laws. They are still Mortal. We may call them
"gods" if we like, but still they are but the Elder Brethren of the
Race,--the advanced souls who have outstripped their brethren, and who
have foregone the ecstasy of Absorption by THE ALL, in order to help the
race on its upward journey along The Path. But, they belong to the
Universe, and are subject to its conditions--they are mortal--and their
plane is below that of Absolute Spirit.

Only the most advanced Hermetists are able to grasp the Inner Teachings
regarding the state of existence, and the powers manifested on the
Spiritual Planes. The phenomena is so much higher than that of the
Mental Planes that a confusion of ideas would surely result from an
attempt to describe the same. Only those whose minds have been carefully
trained along the lines of the Hermetic Philosophy for years--yes, those
who have brought with them from other incarnations the knowledge
acquired previously--can comprehend just what is meant by the Teaching
regarding these Spiritual Planes. And much of these Inner Teachings is
held by the Hermetists as being too sacred, important and even dangerous
for general public dissemination. The intelligent student may recognize
what we mean by this when we state that the meaning of "Spirit" as used
by the Hermetists is akin to "Living Power"; "Animated Force;" "Inner
Essence;" "Essence of Life," etc., which meaning must not be confounded
with that usually and commonly employed in connection with the term,
i.e., "religious; ecclesiastical; spiritual; ethereal; holy," etc., etc.
To occultists the word "Spirit" is used in the sense of "The Animating
Principle," carrying with it the idea of Power, Living Energy, Mystic
Force, etc. And occultists know that that which is known to them as
"Spiritual Power" may be employed for evil as well as good ends (in
accordance with the Principle of Polarity), a fact which has been
recognized by the majority of religions in their conceptions of Satan,
Beelzebub, the Devil, Lucifer, Fallen Angels, etc. And so the knowledge
regarding these Plan