PREFACE.

has, by the very act of destruction, cleared the way for rebuilding. It has fulfilled the man’s function, that of analysis, and made possible the woman’s—that of synthesis The authors use 19th-century gender archetypes here: the "masculine" principle represents the intellectual act of breaking ideas down (analysis), while the "feminine" represents the intuitive act of pulling them together into a whole (synthesis).. And this is according to the Divine order.

These discourses do not, however, represent all that has been recovered concerning the sacred Mysteries In the ancient world, "Mysteries" were secret religious systems (like those of Eleusis or Egypt) where sacred knowledge was revealed only to initiated members. of antiquity. Now, as of old, those Mysteries comprise two classes of doctrine, of which, one class only,—that which, being historical and interpretative, belongs to the “Lesser Mysteries,” The introductory or outer level of spiritual teaching that can be explained through language and history.—may be freely communicated. The other, known as the “Greater Mysteries,” The deeper, experiential truths of spiritual life that the authors believe can only be understood through a person's own internal spiritual growth. is reserved for those who, in virtue of the interior unfoldment of their consciousness, contain within themselves the necessary witness.¹

In both nature and method, therefore, this book is mainly interpretative, and, consequently, reconciliatory. And it is this, not only in respect of the Hebrew, Christian, Oriental, and Classic writings in particular, but in respect also of modern thought and human experience in general. It aims at making at-one-ment A common late-19th-century esoteric breakdown of the word "atonement," emphasizing the state of being "at one" or in harmony with the Divine, rather than just payment for sins. between Mind and Heart; by bringing together Mercy—that is, Religion,—and Truth—that is, Science. It seeks to assure man that his best and most powerful friends on every plane are Liberty and

¹ It is for reasons arising out of this necessary reserve that no precise account is given respecting the derivation of the fragments which constitute the Appendices to this volume and some of the italicised citations occurring in the Lectures.