INDIVIDUAL AND UNIVERSAL

unités it with itself and probably with adjacent pools also, giving the sensé of largeness, froedom, profound joy and peace, but with tremendous disturbance. The barrier of individuality is brokeû through ; what remains of it is submerged and is felt as being submerged ; the consciousness of separateness yields to that of intimate union.

This figure will sufiice, on the understanding that the puncturing of the barrier is from within. The Océan lies deeper within, rather than farstretching without, the individual. Nonnally^ the individual is capsuled from the Océan, but the film may be burst by the rising of the underneath waters, just as a commotion deep within the earth-crust may drive the molten ore up into the heart of the moimtain,

The prince of love . . . touched the walls of my hut with his ûnger from within, and passLag through like a ûre delivered me with great unspeakable deliverance from ail evil.*

It is probable that some such expérience as this Ues behind ail the phenomena of genius and inspiration.' It is the urge to ail créative work. It is the second birth which makes the poet, the artist, the musician, the prophet, the saint. In the case of some, the émotion is milder, the

> Cf. F. W, H. Myers : " Genius is . . . a power of appropriating the résulta of subliminal mentation, to subserv« th« supraliminal str^un of thought"