John St. John

THE EQUINOX 810. read and understand quite easily with the mantragoing; 8.22. 8.40. 9.0. 46 one can remember things. For example, I see my watch chain; I think. “Gold. Au, 196 atomic weight. AuClg, £s 105. od. an ounce ” and so on aw! infinitum; but the act of writing down these things stops the mantra. This may be (partly) because I always say under my breath each word as I write it. [P.S.-But I do so, though less possibly, as I read] As I am really awake, I may as well do a little Prana- yama. How little I know of magic and the conditions of success! My 17 cycles of breath were not absolutely easy; yet I did them. After a big dinner!!! The sweating was quite suppressed, in spite of the heat of the night and the exercise ; and the first symptoms of the Bhuchari-Siddhi—the “jumping about like a frog" ——were well marked. I am encouraged to spend a few minutes (still in Asana) reading the Shiva Sanhita. Asana very painful again. True, I was doing it very strictly. I notice they give a second stage—trembling of the body—as preliminary to the jumping about like a frog —1 had omitted this, as one is so obviously thefgerm of the other. The Hindus seem to lack a sense of proportion. When the Yogi, by turning his tongue back for one half— minute, has conquered old age, disease and death; then instead of having a good time he patiently (and rather pathetically, I think !) devotes his youthful