PREFACE.

Reason, as his worst enemies are Ignorance and Fear; and that until his thought is free enough and strong enough to bear him aloft to "heaven," as well as to "the lowermost parts of the earth," This phrasing alludes to the vast scope of human consciousness, which must be able to explore both the highest spiritual heights and the deepest material or psychological depths to find truth. he is no true Son of Hermes In the Hermetic tradition, a "Son of Hermes" is an initiate or student of sacred wisdom. Hermes (associated with the Egyptian Thoth) represents the intellect, communication, and the bridge between the human and the divine., whose typical name is Thought, and who yet is, in his supremest vocation, the Messenger and Minister of God "the Father."

ADVENT, 1881. Advent is the Christian season of preparation for the birth of Jesus. Dated here, it implies the authors view their work as a spiritual "arrival" or a new beginning for the reader.