The Equinox (Volume III, Number I)

A MASTER OF THE TEMPLE The result of these practices on Frater V.I.O. was a marked one. For one thing, the cutting of his arm during the first practice in the control of speech-resulted in a sub- conscious wariness, for during the second—the details of which I have not recorded—he noticed that although the object of the practice was the control of the body by not crossing the legs, yet the attempt of the legs to drop into their old habits often had the effect of making him suddenly more careful in his speech, thus showing that there was an underlying connection in his subconscious mind resulting from his former work. These practices may then be said to have a cumulative effect, which makes them all the more valuable in helping towards the general control of body and mind. But what is of still greater importance as far as Frater V.1.0. was concerned, they evidently had the effect—height- ened perhaps by a letter from his Neophyte—of causing him to make a fresh and more determined effort to perform the Mystical Exercises for a definite period and with regular- ity, according to his original A..A.. instructions. From January 30th, 1911 to April 30th of that year, he kept a sci- entifically tabulated diary and during the prescribed three months he never missed a day in the performance of his appointed task. His results, during this period, were perhaps not of a very startling nature, but, as any true Student learns, it is the long and continued “grind,” the determined effort to carry out the work in hand or task set, in spite of every obstacle that may arise, that really counts when it comes to lasting results. It is the Will that needs training, and the accom- 143