The idea, a vital entity or a germ of living potency, is seen through the medium of a partial view, distorted through the inadequacy of the mental equipment, and frequently stepped down into futility. The [60] mechanism for right understanding is lacking, and though the man may be giving his highest and his best, and though he may be able in some measure to hold his mind steady in the light, yet what he is offering to the idea is but a poor thing at the best. This leads to illusion through misinterpretation.

• The cause is an over-estimation of one's mental powers. The sin, par excellence, of the mental type is pride, and that colors all activities in the early stages.
• The cure is the development of a cautious spirit.