From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



Inspiration is the result of the free activity, increased 

 by liberation, of this higher extra-cerebral psychism. But, 

 by the very fact of the decentralisation which liberates 

 it, this activity only reacts on the normal consciousness 

 by flashes, intermittently or fragmentarily, in an incon- 

 stant and irregular manner. 



That which is called * unconscious work ' is, more- 

 over, rarely pure inspiration. Most frequently it is, 

 we repeat, the result of a kind of collaboration of the 

 conscious with the higher subconscious psychism. 



Consciousness elaborates or starts the work; but 

 the limitations of cerebral capacities do not allow of its 

 satisfactory conclusion, whatever efforts may be made. 

 Then the collaboration of the subconscious sets in by 

 a latent process. It is continued during, and especially 

 during, the repose of the brain ; for the subconsciousness 

 is then detached from the physiological contingencies 

 which affect that organ, and transcends its limitations. 

 The fact that this collaboration is unperceived causes 

 its results to. appear sometimes like a revelation. 



Genius takes its creative power from the very 

 essence of the Self. It is well to observe that theoreti- 

 cally, genius does not necessarily imply a high degree 

 of mental evolution for its manifestation. But practi- 

 cally, in order that its creations may be durable, genius 

 requires an extended knowledge of the mutual relations 

 of things, and this conscious or subconscious knowledge 

 implies a high evolutionary level. It must also be 

 remarked that genius does not imply perfection. The 

 diverse manifestations of genius scientific, philoso- 

 phical, artistic, religious, and so on are not protected 

 from disharmonies and errors. Reasoned control is 

 indispensable, as we have before observed. It is for 

 this reason that a man of genius can produce nothing of 

 use to humanity unless he is also at a high evolutionary 

 level. 



