A MASTER OF THE TEMPLE
of action for the governance of his life and the solution of his
family difficulties as well as his occult problems. Hitherto,
as before remarked, he had been under the guidance of one
upon whom he had looked as his Neophyte, and in whom he
had placed the utmost confidence. He now found himself in
one of the most trying situations that had up to that time
been his lot to cope with, viz.: that he must choose between
the continuance of that guidance, and the regular course of
training mapped out in the Outer Order of the A..A.. He
must either resign the grade of Neophyte just conferred
upon him, severing his connection with the Outer Order, or
cease to work under Frater P.A. altogether. The reasons
for this cannot be dealt with fully in this place, nor would
they be of the slightest interest to our readers, suffice it to
say that Frater V.I.O. had pledged himself to work on cer-
tain lines for six months and that these lines had been laid
down by Frater P.A. His duty was then fairly clear, so he
practically severed himself from obtaining guidance from
either his old Neophyte or his newly appointed Zelator, until
that period of work, to which he felt bound by his own oath
to himself, was over, and at the end of that time, having’
worked hard and well, Those who were guiding and direct-
ing his life made the way clear for him, and he found himself
in a position to accept the instruction of the A..A.., coming
under the direct guidance of Frater O.M. This event must
not be supposed to reflect in any way on Frater P.A. for
whom he always felt and will feel great love and respect; the
circumstances leading up to this change were outside the
sphere of influence of Fra V.I.O. and the more difficult to
judge owing to his isolation in Canada. With this brief allu-
sion to the change in his occult affairs, we may pass on to a
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