The Equinox (Volume I, Number IX)

THE KEY OF THE MYSTERIES CHAPTER II THE POWER OF THE WORD It is the word which creates forms; and forms in their turn react upon the word, in order to modify it and com- plete it. Every word of truth is a beginning of an act of justice. One asks if man may sometimes be necessarily driven to evil. Yes, when his judgment is false, and consequently his word unjust. But one is responsible for a false judgment as for a bad action. What falsifies the judgment is selfishness and its unjust vanities. The unjust word, unable to realize itself by creation, realizes itself by destruction. It must either slay or be slain. If it were able to remain without action, it would be the greatest of all disorders, an abiding blasphemy against truth. Such is that idle word of which Christ has said that one will give account at the Day of Judgment. A jesting word, a comicality which vecveates and causes laughter, is not an idle word. The beauty of the word is a splendour of truth. A true word is always beautiful, a beautiful word is always true. For this reason works of art are always holy when they are beautiful. 239