in the mind and then sneaks back out of sight, to come forth again only to poison the mind with further licentious thoughts.

Of course it comes in such guise only to a mind open to such suggestions and to one that will misconstrue its meaning and purpose. For the serpent, because it is very subtle is likewise very wise; which is why the Sages of the East used it as a symbol also of wisdom.

In other words, sex acts as a snake to delude man, if it can, into thinking happiness can be found in the sensations of the flesh; or it acts as a guide to turn him within to the source of true and lasting joy that is to be found in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Man learns from experience, but he also can learn from wise guidance, if he is ready and really wishes to learn. The serpent has lured millions of souls to destruction and to a bondage that has took long ages from which to free themselves.

“Satiety always follows upon the heels of over-indulgence, and this alone should teach man the materiality of all sense indulgence; for true spiritual experience never satiates. Ecstacy of sense and ecstacy of soul are possible realizations of the two poles of the great Mystery—Love. The ecstacy of sense is the fulfillment of passion. The ecstacy of soul is the fruit of compassion. One must disappear in the face of the other; for the two can never meet. The one is separation from Spirit; the other is completeness of Spirit.

“Those who dare to degrade the ideal of Divine Love by prostituting it to low sense gratification come close to committing the unforgivable sin; and those who teach the ignorant that true enlightenment may come by such methods are creating a heavy karma.

We will close by adding to the above quoted two paragraphs the final word from the article from the “Teachings of the Temple,” under the title of “Sex,” published in the July ’34 issue of this Magazine.

“The student of life must know that sex-abuse, or any aspect of licentiousness, built the bridge whereby the Angels of Light entered the abode of demons—the gross physical plane. And they must recross that bridge by turning the creative forces in