D M Deed presents in this article the significance and making of a cross shape through two loops of cord. The use of the term “sword of spirit” relates to the wording in a Slavonic rite where the cord or “sword of spirit” denotes the word of God. This article resembles an instruction manual since the author commits most space to outlining in detail how to form this cross with two strings. The step-by-step process is interspersed with commentary on the symbolism of the process including how the forming of this shape symbolizes the two natures, namely the descent of God and the deification of man. Deed concludes that although this process takes a full day, it is well-worth the effort since each step has a symbolic aspect such as how the number of times the cord is wrapped parallels the seven days of creation.

In this article Kathleen Raine analyses the poem about Kubla Khan, delving into how it compares with the art and philosophy of other works and thinkers. She begins with a history of the poem, and how the idea became re-introduced later on in American thought. Later she begins to compare the ideas represented in this poem with those of other thinkers such as Freud, Plato, and Emerson. The poem of Kubla Khan becomes a focal point within this article for an analysis of the ideas of paradise and human emotions. Raine skillfully inserts passages from the work and thus makes it easier to understand the specific concepts discussed about this article.

Science and how it relates to the art, or science, of hand-reading is the main topic of this article. Guenon primarily discusses how the meaning of hand reading is related to Islam through the 99 names of God. The planets also relate to the hands in the same way that different parts of the Islamic rosary relate to the hands, through different fingers. And even the twelve zodiac signs are related to the structure of the hands. Ultimately, Guenon makes the point that “there is always a question of adaptation which makes it impossible to transfer these sciences, just as they are, from one traditional form to another”.

Lord Northbourne examines the way that humans conceive of all-possibility and possibility in the world. In this article the physical universe is regarded as a single complex possibility rather than an example of all-possibility. The human concept of laws and limits is also discussed here, and Northbourne states that the individual is responsible for knowing that there are laws in his universe. Towards the end of this article, religion is addressed in relation to the subject of all-possibility, possibility, and limits. According to Northbourne “religion is only indirectly concerned with the multiple states of being as they affect non-human entities, animate or inanimate.”

The subject of Islamic art in various forms is the central topic of this article and the reader is given an in-depth analysis of the symbolism and meaning of this traditional art. The author’s goal is to approach the topic of this article without using the historical evidence of influence from other cultures as much as the historical background of how Islamic art reflects the original goals of that religion. Burckhardt also points out some of the problems of the approach that modern science takes towards Islamic art. The author also provides some intriguing comparisons between Islamic and Christian art and how the differences in form symbolically reflect differences in religious doctrine. Some of the specific subjects analyzed in this way include icons, or lack thereof, the architecture of mosques and basilicas, structural ornamentation and inscriptions within sacred structures.

In the first letter, from Robert Irwin Tucker, he complains about Marco Pallis’s “vindication” of René Guénon in response to the criticism of Mr. Messrs. According to Mr. Tucker, Pallis’s response was too sentimental and “feminist” which are characteristics that Guénon himself would not have approved of. The writer refers to Guénon’s work on the Principles of the Infinitesimal Calculus, which Pallis purposefully ignores or considers unimportant, but which the writer himself regards as sadly overlooked. Mr. Tucker continues in his analysis of Guénon’s work as a mathematician and makes the point that as “Metaphysics is the supreme science of the Absolute…then it must contain all the positive possibilities of the lesser science of mathematics, including…clarity, precision, and authority…” In the second letter, Mr. Robert Bolton has an opinion to express on the subject of Guénon, specifically on his style of writing. According to Mr. Bolton, Guénon’s style of writing is incomprehensible when the subject itself is also incomprehensible. Had Guenon been writing about personal matters then Mr. Bolton feels that the terms “intolerant” and “hectoring” would have been perfectly suited if not too mild. Bolton concludes by stating “that wisdom and unclouded conviction should look like empty dogmatism, while stultification and egoism are able to parade themselves as honesty and good sense is certainly a dire reflection, but not a reflection, on Guénon”.