In the ordinary life of the world, a man’s marriage is often one of the most important points, for with it he begins an entirely new chapter in life. Therefore, at that point the Church steps in to give his action her formal recognition and blessing, to start him in that new chapter in the right spirit and to give him such help along the way as he is able to receive.
The General intention of the marriage service is to open the natures of the bride and bridegroom towards each other, especially at the astral and mental levels and, having done this, to draw a ring around them, separating them to certain extent from the rest of the world. From the point of view of the inner life matrimony is a tremendous experiment, in which the parties agree to make certain sacrifices of individual freedom and preferences, in the hope and with the intention that through their mutual reaction each will intensify the inner life of the other so that their combined output of spiritual force may be far greater than the sum of their separate efforts would be, and secondly, that they may have the privilege of providing suitable vehicles for souls who desire and deserve a good opportunity of rapid evolution.
