When Sol and Mani entered the first castle on the lowermost step of the bridge, deep dark night received them; Mani could not see anything anymore.

Her brother took her by the hand and said, ”This tower is the first of seven security-towers. Whoever wants to enter the palace from the bridges has to go through these seven towers.

“The darkness that prevails here is the darkness of deepest ignorance, as the unanimated nature experiences it permanently - for example in the stones.

We humans experience this darkness of greatest ignorance in our deep sleep, in that state of consciousness which is at the basis of our two relative states of consciousness, waking and dreaming.

“Those who practise on this Island of Happiness, have conquered deep sleep earlier already during their exercises on the Island of Overflowing Wealth - therefore deep sleep cannot subdue them anymore.”

Mani was suddenly overcome by a great tiredness; quite unexpectedly it spread within her more and more; she feared to fall asleep on the spot.

But before she could sink down to rest - only with utmost effort she was able to keep on her legs - her brother began to sing very quietly.

Immediately Mani felt refreshed again; after a few moments she was wide-awake but could not see anything yet, because the darkness still prevailed around her.

When they left the castle on the other side, and went on the next arch of the bridge which led further up towards the palace, Sol stopped singing and explained to his sister,

“Everyone who is not experienced in keeping his senses alert with the energy-rich light of inner cognition falls asleep in this tower; for here in this tower those mighty cosmic powers dominate which in nature harness the thoughts and the senses of perception as if they were mighty horses.

“As soon as someone enters the tower, these cosmic powers cause a reduction of his mental activity and lead to a complete standstill of thinking.

At the same time they reduce all bodily functions so that great rest and relaxation arises.

“The deep silence within the tower is only an expression of this process. When the human mind can no longer produce a thought because its waves calm down like the waves of an ocean when the wind calms down - and his senses do not perceive anymore because they have not learned to stay alert in the state of greatest silence of the mind - then the senses go to rest and they sleep like tired animals.

And when the own inner self-effulgent faculty of cognition has not been discovered yet because man has not yet had a chance to perform the relevant exercises - and when no more strong and exciting stimuli impress him from outside, from the environment, and keep him alert - then he sinks into a deep dreamless sleep; thus falling asleep in the tower he cannot go on. For someone who has not yet conquered his deep sleep this tower thus is a natural absolute limit.”