and its stains, and earthly life and its delusions. This opening of the spiritual mind constitutes the essential feature of the second stage of regeneration.
I speak of the opening of the spiritual mind, or the bringing to our consciousness the truth that we possess such a faculty. Do not let us leave this expression involved in mystery. I use it in the same manner that I would speak of any other faculty.
The child is born with full capabilities and possibilities, and these in great variety, limited only to the peculiarities of his genius. These are to be opened, strengthened and developed. It is the object for which he is brought into existence. And this opening and development is by and through his surroundings as assisting means. Thus, he is born with the possibilities of walking and talking. But the power of using the tongue, lips and palate in the formation of words comes through the slow strengthening and development of the muscles of those organs by the constant effort to use them in speech. Parallel with this, the powers of the mind unfold to a sufficient extent to attach rational meanings to words, as fast as the ability to form them proceeds. Thus also the power of walking comes from incipient possibilities opened and developed into actual realities, by gradually through the use of the limbs gaining strength, and by slowly unfolding the
