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BV 5072 .B62 1920
B ohme, Jakob, 1575-1624.
Six theosophic points and
other writings
SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
AND OTHER WRITINGS
GONE WEST
BY A SOLDIZE DOCTOR
FOUR-DIMENSIONAL VISTAS
BY CLAUDE BRAGDON
THE DEAD HAVE NEVER DIED
BY EDWAHD C, RANDALL
At all booksellers
NEW YORK: ALFRED • A • KNOPF
220 WEST FORTY-SECOND STREET
SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
AND OTHER WRITINGS
By JACOB BOHME
NEWLY TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY
JOHN ROLLESTON EARLE, M.A.
NEW YORK
ALFRED • A • KNOPF
MCMXX
COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY
ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
FEINTED IN THK UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE
READER
We have written this work, not for the irrational
animals who, in their exterior, have the form of
man, but in their image, in spirit, are evil and wild
beasts, which is disclosed and exhibited by their
properties; but for the image of man, for those
who are budding forth out of the animal image
with a human image that belongs to God's kingdom, and who would fain live and grow in the human image, in the right man. Those who are often
and much hindered by the contrarious life, and thus
are involved in the mixed life, and travail in desire
for the birth of the holy life: for them are these
wi'itings written. And we bid them not regard it
as impossible to discern and to know such mystery ;
and we give them this to consider of in a similitude.
Let them imagine a life which is the outcome and
growth of all lives, and is mixed. But let them also
imagine another life to grow in it from all the lives,
which, though it had grown from all the lives, was
free from all the other lives, and yet possessed all the
essential properties of those lives. This other new
life (let them imagine) is illuminated with the light,
and only in itself; so that it could behold all the
other lives, and they (the other lives) could not see
nor apprehend the new life. Thus is every one.
6 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
who, out of the mixed life, evil and good, is born
again in and of God. This new image, born in the
life of God, beholds all the natural lives, and nothing is strange or difficult to it; for it beholds onlyits root from which it grew. As a fair flower grows
out of the rough earth, which is not like the earth
but declares by its beauty the power of the earth,
and how it is mixed of good and evil; so also is
every man, who, out of the animal, wild, earthly
nature and quality, is born again so as to become
the right image of God.
For those who are a growth of such a kind, and
are shooting forth into the fair lily in the kingdom
of God, and are in process of birth, have we written
this book ; that they should strengthen their essences
therein, bud in the life of God, and grow and bear
fruit in the tree of paradise. And seeing all the
children of God grow in this tree, and each is a
twig of this same tree, we have wished to impart
to our twigs and fellow-branches in our tree, in
which we all are, and from which we all grow, our
sap, savour and essence, that our tree of paradise
may become great, and that we may rejoice one
with another. And we would urge all children, who
are thus growing in this tree, friendly to ponder
that each branch and twig helps to shelter the other
from the storm, and we commend ourselves unto
their love and growth.
CONTENTS
SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
PAGE
Author's Preface to the Reader 5
The First Point. Of the springing of the three Principles, etc. 13
Chapter I. Of the first growth and life from the
first Principle, etc. 13
Chapter II. Of the proprium of the principle, etc. 31
The Second Point. Of the mixed tree of evil and
good, etc. 47
Chapter III. 47
The Third Point. Of the origin of contrariety in
growth, etc. 54
Chapter IV. 54
The Fourth Point. How the holy and good tree of
eternal life grows through and out of all the growths
of the three principles, etc. 64
Chapter V. 64
Chapter VI. 70
The Fifth Point. How a life may perish in the tree of
life, etc. 76
Chapter VII. 76
Chapter VIII. Of the right human essence from
God's essence 90
7
8 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
PAGE
The Sixth Point. Of the life of darkness, wherein the
devils dwell, etc. 99
Chapter IX. 99
Chapter X. Of the four elements of the devil and
of the dark world, etc. 112
SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
Preface 127
The First Point. On the blood and water of the soul 129
The Second Point. On the election of grace, etc. 131
The Third Point. On sin, etc. 135
The Fourth Point. How Christ will deliver up the
kingdom to his Father 141
The Fifth Point. On Magic. What Magic is, etc. 143
The Sixth Point. On Mystery. What it is 148
ON THE EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY
MYSTERY
The First Text 153
The Second Text 154
The Third Text 155
The Fourth Text 156
The Fifth Text 159
The Sixth Text 162
The Seventh Text 164
The Eighth Text 168
The Ninth Text 172
CONTENTS 9
PAOI
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
Chapter I. What God is, etc 177
Chapter II. Of the mind, will, and thoughts of human
life, etc. 191
Chapter III. Of the natural ground, etc. 202
Chapter IV. Of the In and Out, etc. 219
SEX PUNCTA THEOSOPHICA
OR
HIGH AND DEEP GROUNDING OF
SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
BY
JACOB BOHME
AN OPEN GATE OF ALL THE SECRETS OF LIFE
WHEREIN THE CAUSES OF ALL BEINGS
BECOME KNOWN
Written in the year 1620
THE FIRST POINT
Of the springing of the three principles
What sort of tree or life each generates
in itself and from itself. How we are
to investigate and know the ground of
nature
CHAPTER I
Of the first growth and life from the first Principle.
That we are so to ponder and consider it, as if it
stood alone and were not mixed with the other,
— what its power might he. That, therefore,
we are not to think of it as being such that it is
one and united in a single figure or creation;
hut [we are to think of it so'] that we learn to
explore and fathom the centrum naturae, and
to distinguish the divine Essence from Nature.
1. We see and find that every life is essential,
and find moreover that it is based on will ; for will
is the driving of the essences.
2. It is thus, as if a hidden fire lay in the will,
and the will continually uplifting itself towards the
fire wished to awaken and kindle it.
3. For we understand that every will without
the awakening of the fiery essences is an impotency,
as it were dumb without life, wherein is no feeling,
13
14 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
understanding or substantiality. It resembles
only a shadow without substance; for it has no
conductor, but sinks down and suffers itself to be
driven and led like a dead thing, — such as is to be
compared to a shadow, which is led along without
essence.
4. Thus an essential will is a dumb existence
without comprehension or life; and yet is a figure
in the unfathomable eternal nothing, for it is
attached to the corporeal things.
5. Now, as the will without essence is dumb and
without being, so in the essence it is a being and
image according to the essences, which is fashioned
after the essences ; for the life of the will is generated
from the essences.
6. Thus life is the essences' son, and the will,
wherein life's figure stands, is the essences' father;
for no essence can arise without will. For in the
will is originated desire, in which the essences take
their rise.
7. Seeing then the first will is an ungroundedness, to be regarded as an eternal nothing, we
recognize it to be like a mirror, wherein one sees
his own image; like a life, and yet it is no life, but
a figure of life and of the image belonging to life.
8. Thus we recognize the eternal Unground out
of Nature to be like a mirror. For it is like an eye
which sees, and yet conducts nothing in the seeing
wherewith it sees; for seeing is without essence,
although it is generated from essence, viz. from the
essential life.
9. We are able then to recognize that the eternal
THE FIRST POINT 15
Unground out of Nature is a will, like an eye wherein Nature is hidden; like a hidden fire that bums
not, which exists and also exists not. It is not a
spirit, but a form of spu'it like the reflection in the
mirror. For all the form of a spirit is seen in the
reflection or in the mirror, and yet there is nothing
which the eye or mirror sees; but its seeing is in
itself, for there is nothing before it that were deeper
there. It is Hke a mirror which is a container of
the aspect of Nature, and yet comprehends not
Nature, as Nature comprehends not the form of the
image in the mirror.
10. And thus one is free from the other, and yet
the mirror is truly the container of the image. It
embraces the image, and yet is powerless in respect
of the form, for it cannot retain it. For if the
image depart from the mirror, the mirror is a clear
brightness, and its brightness is a nothing; and
yet all the form of Nature is hidden therein as a
nothing; and yet veritably is, but not in essence.
11. And so it is to be understood concerning the
hidden eternal wisdom of God, which resembles an
eternal eye without essence. It is the unground,
and yet sees all; all has been hidden in it from
eternity, and therefrom it has its seeing. But it is
not essential, as in the mirror the brightness is
not essential, which yet embraces all that appears
before it.
12. Secondly, this is to be understood also of the
eternal will, which likewise is without essence, as
also of the Spirit of God. For no seeing is without
spirit, neither is any spirit without seeing. And
16 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
we understand thus, that seeing sliines forth from
the spirit, and is its eye or mirror, wherein the
will is revealed. For seeing makes a will, as the
unground of the deep without number knows to find
no ground nor limit; hence its mirror goeth into
itself, and makes a ground in itself, that is a will.
13. Thus the miiTor of the eternal eye shines
forth in the will, and generates to itself another
eternal ground within itself. This is its centre or
heart, from which the seeing continually takes its
rise from eternity, and through wliich the will becomes moving and directive, namely of that which
the centre brings forth.
14. For all is comprised in the will, and is an
essence, which, in the eternal Unground, eternally
takes its rise in itself, enters into itself, grasps
itself in itself, and makes the centre in itself; but
with that which is grasped passes out of itself,
manifests itself in the brightness of the eye, and
thus shines forth out of the essence in itself and
from itself. It is its own, and j^et also in comparison to Nature is as a nothing (understand, in
comparison to palpable being, so to speak) ; though
it is all, and all arises from thence.
15. And herein we understand the eternal Essence of the triad of the Deity, with the unfathomable wisdom. For the eternal will, which
comprehends the eye or the mirror, wherein lies
the eternal seeing as its wisdom, is Father. And
that which is eternally grasped in wisdom, the
grasp comprehending a basis or centre in itself,
passing out of the ungroundness into a ground.
THE FIRST POINT 17
is Son or Heart; for it is the Word of life, or its
_ essentiality, in which the will shines forth with
lustre.
16. And the going within itself to the centre of
the ground is Spirit; for it is the finder, who from
eternity continually finds where there is nothing.
It goes forth again from the centre of the ground,
and seeks in the will. And then the mirror of the
eye, viz. the Father's and Son's wisdom, becomes
manifest; and wisdom stands accordingly before
the Spirit of God, who in it manifests the unground.
For its virtue, wherein the colours of the wonders
shine forth, is revealed from the Father of the
eternal will through the centre of his Heart or
Ground by the forthgoing Spirit.
17. For it (wisdom) is that which is uttered,
which the Father utters out of the centre of the
Heart by the Holy Spirit, and stands in divine
forms and images, in the ocular view of the Holy
Tri-unity of God ; but as a virgin without bringing
forth. It generates not the colours and figures
which shine forth in it, and are revealed in the
ground and essence; but all is together an eternal
Magia, and dwells with the centre of the heart in
itself, and by the spirit goes forth from the centre
out of itself, and manifests itself in the eye of virgin
wisdom endlessly.
18. For as the essence of the Deity has no gi-ound
from which it arises or proceeds, so also the Willspirit has no ground where it might rest, where
there were a place or limit, but is called Wonderful. And its word or heart, from which it goes
18 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
forth, is called the eternal Power of the Deity ; and
the will which generates the heart and the power
in itself is called eternal Counsel.
19. Thus the essence of the Deity is everj^where
in the deep of the ungi'ound, like as a wheel or eye,
where the beginning hath always the end ; and there
is no place found for it, for it is itself the place
of all beings and the fulness of all things, and yet
is apprehended or seen by nothing. For it is an
eye in itself, as Ezekiel the prophet saw this in a
figure at the introduction of the spirit of his will into
God, when his spiritual figure was introduced into
the ^visdoni of God by the Spirit of God; there he
attained the vision, and in no other way can that be.
The Second Text.
20. We understand, then, that the divine Essence
in threefoldness in the unground dwells in itself,
but generates to itself a ground within itself, viz.
the eternal word or heart, which is the centre or
goal of rest in the Deity; though this is not to
be understood as to being, but as to a threefold
spirit, where each is the cause of the birth of the
other.
21. And this threefold spirit is not measurable,
divisible or fathomable; for there is no place found
for it, and it is at the same time the ungi'ound of
eternity, which gives birth to itself within itself in
a ground. And no place or position can be conceived or found where the spirit of the tri-unity is
not present, and in every being; but hidden to the
THE FIRST POINT 19
being, dwelling in itself, as an essence that at once
fills all and yet dwells not in being, but itself has a
being in itself; as we are to reflect concerning the
ground and unground, how the two are to be understood in reference to each other.
22. Thus, we understand eternity: (1) How it
was before the times of the creation of this world.
(2) What the divine Essence is in itself without a
principle. (3) What the eternal beginning in the
unground is, and the eternal end in its own ground
generated in itself, viz. the centre to the wordi,
which word is the centre itself. (4) And yet the
eternal birth of the Word in the will in the miiTor
of the eternal wisdom, in the virgin, continually
takes place from eternity to eternity without a
genetrix or without bringing forth.
23. And in this virgin of the wisdom of God
the eternal principle is as a hidden fire, which is
recognized as in a mirror by its colours. It has
been known from eternity to eternity in figure,
and is known also thus to all eternity in the eternal
origin, in wisdom.
24. And in this mirror, where the principle is
disclosed from the eternal Unground, the essence
of the three principles, according to the likeness of
the holy triad, has been seen with their wonders as
in an unfathomable deep, and that from eternity.
25. We are now to understand that the first
Principle is magical in origin ; for it is generated in
desire, in the will. Hence its craving and contrawill to bring forth is also magical, namely to bring
forth the second Principle.
20 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
26. And whereas in the first and second principle
only a spirit without comprehensible [corporeal]
being is understood; yet there is also the cra\ang to
give birth furthermore to the third Principle, wherein the spirit of the two principles might rest and
manifest itself in similitude.
27. And though each principle has its centre, the
first principle stands in magical quality, and its
centre is fire, which cannot subsist without substance; therefore its hunger and desire is after
substance.
28. And in regard to the first principle, if we
speak only of one (though it is not single and solitary) , we are to understand that the unfathomable
will in the centre of the unground, in which the
eternal Word is continually generated from eternity, is desirous ; for the will desires the centre, viz.
the word or heart.
29. Secondly, it desires that the heart should be
manifest. For in the unground there is no manifestation, but an eternal nothingness;; a stillness
without being or colours, neither any \drtue — (but
in Desire colours, power and virtue come to be) —
and is thus hidden in itself, and were eternally not
manifest ; for there would be no light, splendour or
majesty, but a threefold spirit in itself, which were
without source (Qual) of any being.
30. And thus we are to understand the essence of
the deepest Deity, without and beyond Nature.
31. Further, we are to understand that the
eternal will of the Deity desires to manifest itself
from its own ground in the light of Majesty, whereTHE FIRST POINT 21
by we apprehend the first will of the Father to the
Son and to the light of Majesty to be desirous.
And that in two ways : The first way to the centre
of the Word; the second to Light or manifestation
of the Word. And we find that every desire is
attrahent, though in the unground there is nothing
that can be drawn; hence the desire di'aws itself,
and impregnates the other will of the Father, which
imaginates for the hght of Majesty from the centre
of his word or heart.
32. Now is the heart pregnant with Light, and
the first will pregnant with Nature; and yet were
none of this manifest, if the principle were not
generated.
33. The Father generates from the first will the
first Principle, as the nature which in fire attains
to the highest perfection; and then he generates
the second Principle in and from the other will to
the Word, in that he desires the manifestation of the
Word in the Hght of Majesty. Thus the fire of the
second principle in the light of Majesty is a satisfying or appeasing of the first will : namely gentleness, which is opposed to the fire of the first principle, and quenches its fierce wrath, and brings it
into an essential substance as into an eternal life.
But the fire is hidden in the light, and gives to the
light its power, strength and might, so that together
there is an eternal union, and one without the other
would not be.
22 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
Of the first Principle in itself; what it is
(singly) in itself.
34. We are to consider Desire; for every desii'e
attracts what is in the desiring will.
35. God, however, desires only light, viz. the
lustre from his heart, that he may shine forth in
wisdom, and the whole God thus be manifest in
himself, and by the forth-going Spirit out of himself, in the virgin of his wisdom; and that there be
an eternal perfect joy, delight and satisfaction in
him.
36. Now this can be accomplished in no other
way than through fire, where the will is brought into
the deepest sharpness of omnipotence, as it becomes
consuming in fire. Contrariwise, light is a gentleness of the genetrix of the omni-substantiality.
37. But fire must have a genetrix to its origin
and life, and here it appears in two lives and sources.
And they are rightly called two principles, although
there is only one; but it is a twofold source in one
being, and is in respect of the source regarded as
two beings, as is to be seen in fire and light.
38. We now consider Desire, and find that it is
a stern attraction, hke an eternal elevation or
motion. For it draws itself into itself, and makes
itself pregnant, so that from the thin freedom
where there is nothing a darkness is produced.
For the desiring will becomes by the drawing-in
thick and full, although there is nothing but
darkness.
39. The first will would now be free from the
THE FIRST POINT 23
darkness, for it desires light, and yet cannot thus
attain it. For the greater the desire is for freedom,
the greater becomes the attraction and the sting
of the essences, which take their rise in the drawing
or desire.
40. Thus the will draws the more strongly into
itself, and its pregnancy becomes the greater, and
yet the darkness cannot comprehend the centre of
the word or heart of the ternary; for this centre is
a degree deeper in itself, and yet is a band.
41. But the first will, in which the gestation of
Nature takes place, is deeper still than the centre
of the word, for it arises from the eternal Unground
or Nothing; and thus the centre of the heart is
shut up in the midst, the first will of the Father
labouring to the birth of fire.
42. Now, we are to understand that in the stern
attraction a very unyielding substance and being is
produced. And so then substance from eternity
has its origin; for the drawing gives sting, and the
drawn gives hardness, matter from nothing, a
substance and essentiality. The sting of the drawing dwells now in this essentiality, pierces and
breaks; and all this from the desiring will which
draws.
43. And here we are to recognize two forms of
Nature, viz. sour (astringent), that is Desire, and
then the sting, which makes in the desire a breaking
and piercing, whence feeling arises, that is, bitter,
and is the second form of Nature, a cause and
origin of the essences in Nature.
44. Now the first will is not satisfied with this,
24 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
nor set at rest, but is brought thereby into a very
gi*eat anguish; for it desires freedom in light, and
yet, however, there is no brightness in freedom.
Then it falls into terrible anguish, and so uplifts
the desire for freedom, that the anguish, as a dj^ing
or sinking down through death, introduces its will
into freedom out of the breaking, piercing and
powerful attracting.
45. Here, then, we understand the will in two
ways: One, which rises in fierceness to generation
of the wrath-fire ; the other, which imaginates after
the centre of the word, and, passing out of the
anguish, as through a dying, sinks into the free life ;
and thus brings with it a life out of the torment
of anguish into freedom, so that the eternal Unground is recognized as a life, and from the Nothing
an eternal life springs.
46. Seeing then the first movement of the will
rises to the birth of fire, we recognize it as the first
nature, viz. the Father's nature in fierce wrath;
and the other entrance of the will into freedom,
into the centre of the heart, we recognize as the
Divine Nature, as the life in light, in the power of
the Deity.
47. It is now clear what the first will to fire
operates and effects, viz. stern, hard, bitter, and
great anguish, which is the third form of Nature;
for anguish is as the centre where life and will
eternally take their rise. For the will would be
free from the great anguish, and yet cannot. It
would flee, and yet is held by the sourness (astringency) ; and the greater the will for flight becomes,
THE FIRST POINT 25
the greater becomes the bitter sting of the essences
and plurality.
48. It being unable then to flee or ascend, it turns
as a wheel. And here the essences become mixed,
and the plurality of essences enters into a mixed
will, which is rightly called the eternal mind, where
plurality in numberless essences is comprised in a
mind, where always from an essence a will again
may arise according to the property of that essence,
whence the eternal wonders spring.
49. Seeing then the great and strong mind of the
form of anguish goes thus in itself as a wheel, and
continually breaks the stern attraction, and by the
sting brings into plurality of essences; but in
anguish, in the wheel disposes again into a one, as
into a mind: therefore now the anguishful life is
born, viz. Nature, where there is a moving, driving,
fleeing and holding, as also a feeling, tasting and
hearing. And yet it is not a right life, but only
a Nature-life without a principle. For it has no
growth, but is like a frenzy or madness, where
something goes whirling in itself as a wheel, where
indeed there is a bond of life, but without understanding or knowledge; for it knows not itself.
50. Further, we are to inquire concerning the
other will of the eternal Father which is called
God, which in the centre of its heart desires light
and the manifestation of the triad in wisdom. This
will is set or directed towards the centrum naturae,
for through Nature must the splendour of Majesty
arise.
51. Now, this other will in the Word of life has
26 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
freedom in itself; and the anguishful will in the
sharpness of Nature desires freedom, that freedom
might be revealed in the anguish of the fierce wrathful mind.
52. Whence then also anguish arises, that the
first will wishes to be free from the dark sourness
(astringency), and freedom desires manifestation;
for it cannot find itself in itself without sharpness
or pain. For the will of freedom, which is called
Father, desires to manifest itself, and that it cannot
do without properties.
53. It is therefore desirous of properties, which
take their rise in anguish, in essences, in fire, thereby
to manifest its wonders, power and colours, which
without Nature cannot be.
54. Thus, the first will (which is called Father,
and is itself freedom) desires Nature, and Nature
with great longing desii-es freedom, that it may
be released from the torment of anguish. And it
receives freedom in its sharp fierceness in the
imagination, at which it is terrified as a flash; for
it is a terror of joy that it is released from the
torment of anguish.
55. And in the terror arise two beings, a mortal
one and a living one, to be understood thus :
56. The vdll which is called Father, which has
freedom in itself, so generates itself in Nature,
that it is susceptible of Nature, and that it is the
universal power of Nature.
57. The terror of its Nature is a kindler of fire.
For when the dark anguish, as the very fervent,
stern being, receives freedom in itself, it is transTHE FIRST POINT 27
formed in the terror, in freedom, into a flash, and
the flash embraces freedom or gentleness. Then
the sting of death is broken; and there rises in
Nature the other will of the Father, which he drew
prior to Nature in the mirror of wisdom, viz. his
heart of love, the desire of love, the kingdom of joy.
58. For in the Father's will fire is thus generated,
to which the other will gives the power of gentleness and love. The fire takes the love-quality into
its essence, and that is now its food, so that it burns,
and gives from the consumption, from the terror,
the joyous spirit.
59. That is, here, the Holy Spirit, who originally
prior to Nature is the Father's Will-Spirit, becomes
manifest, and receives here the power of wonders;
and proceeds thus from the Father (viz. from the
first will to Nature) , from the other will in Nature,
from fire, or from the terror of joy in the source of
love, into the substantiality of gentleness.
60. For gentleness is also become desirous of the
fire's property, and the desire draws the gentleness
of the kingdom of joy into itself. That is now the
water of eternal life, which the fire drinks, and gives
therefrom the light of Majesty.
61. And in the light dwells the will of the Father
and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the life therein. He reveals now the power of the gentle essentiality in the light, and that is colours, wonders and
virtues.
62. And this is called virgin Wisdom; for it is
not a genetrix, neither itself reveals anything, but
the Holy Spirit is the revealer of its wonders. It
28 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
is his vesture and fair adornment, and has in it the
wonders, colours and virtues of the divine world;
it is the house of the Holy Trinity, and the ornament
of the divine and angelic world.
63. In its colours and virtues the Holy Spirit
has revealed the chou's of angels, as well as all the
marvels of created things, all which have been
beheld from eternity in wisdom; without being
indeed, but in wisdom as in the mirror, according
to their figures; which figures have in the motion
of the Father advanced into essence and into a
creaturely existence, all according to the wonders
of vnsdom.
64. Now, understand us also concerning the other
being, where in the terror Nature divides into two
beings, as mentioned above: viz. one through the
Father's will into fire or into the fire-world; and
one through the Father's other will that is drawn
or generated in himself, into the majestic lightworld.
65. And the other being, viz. the house of terror
in itself, in death, in the darkness of the hostile
source (Qual) , which must stand thus in order that
there may be an eternal longing in this anguish to
be freed from the source. For this longing makes
the first will to Nature eternally desirous to come
to the aid of its being. Whence then in the
Father's will mercy arises, which enters with freedom into the anguish, but cannot remain in the
anguish, but goes forth in fire into the source of
love.
66. That is, his other will, or his heart, issues in
THE FIRST POINT 29
him as a fountain of love and mercy, from whence
compassion has its origin, so that there is a pity on
distress and misery, and a sympathy; viz. here, the
Father's will, which is free, reveals itself in the
fierceness of Nature, so that the fierce wrathfulness
is mitigated.
67. But nevertheless on one part the terrible
wheel of fierceness continues independently. For
in the terror a mortification is brought about, not
indeed a still death, but a mortal life; and resembles the worst thing, as is an aqua fortis or a
poison in itself. For such a thing must be, if the
centrum- naturae is to subsist eternally.
68. And on the other part life proceeds out of
death, and death must therefore be a cause of life.
Else, if there were no such poisonous, fierce, fervent
source, fire could not be generated, and there could
be no essence nor fiery sharpness; hence also there
would be no light, and also no finding of life.
69. The first will, which is called Father, finds
itself thus in wonders; and the other will, which is
called Son, finds itself thus in power. Moreover,
thus also the kingdom of joy arises ; for if there were
no pain, there were also no joy. But this is the
kingdom of joy, that life is delivered from anguish,
although life has its origin thus.
70. And therefore the creatures have poison, viz.
a gall, for their life. The gall is the cause that there
is a mobility by which life rises; for it occasions
fire in the heart, and the right life is fire, but it is
not the figure of life.
71. From the fire-life springs the right spirit.
30 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
which goes forth from fire in the hght; it is free
from fire as air, which nevertheless arises from
fire, is free from fire.
72. For the right spirit, or in man the spirit which
is generated from the soul's fire, has its property
in the Light of life, which burns from fire. For it
arises from death, it proceeds out of death, the
hostile source has remained away from it in fire,
and below fire, in the cause of fire, viz. in fierce
wrathful death.
73. Fierce wrathful death is thus a root of life.
And here, ye men, consider your death and also
Christ's death, who has begotten us again out of
death through the fire of God; for out of death is
the free life born. Whatever can go out from
death is released from death and the source of wrath.
That is now its kingdom of joy, that there is no
longer any fierce source in it ; it has remained away
from it in death (in the dark world) . And thus out
of death life attains eternal freedom, where there
is no more any fear or terror; for in life the terror
is broken.
74. The right life is a power of joy, a perpetual
well-being and pleasing delight; for there is no
pain in it, save only a desire, which has all the
property of pain, and yet the pain cannot uplift
itself in it so as to kindle its property therein, for
light and freedom hinder that.
THE FIRST POINT 31
CHAPTER II
Of the propriuni of the principle. What the
principle is, or what they all three are.
1. When life and movement appears, which previously existed not, a principle is present. Fire is
a principle with its property, and light is also a
principle with its property, for it is generated from
fire, and yet is not the fire's property. It has also
its own life in itself, but fire is cause thereof, and
the terrible anguish is a cause of both.
2. But the will to anguish, which gives birth to
the anguishful nature, and which is called Father,
that it is impossible to search out. We inquire
only how it brings itself into the highest perfection,
into the being of the Holy Trinity; and how it
manifests itself in three principles, and how the
essence of each source arises ; what essence is, whence
life with the senses has its origin, and the wonder
of all beings.
3. Thus, we recognize the third principle, or the
source of this world, with the stars and elements,
to be a creation from the mai'vels of the eternal
wisdom.
4. The third principle manifests the first two,
though each is manifest in itself. But the eternal
Being has willed in his wonders, which have been
beheld in wisdom, to manifest himself in such a
32 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
property, viz. according to the ground of eternity,
according to the source of wrath and of love; and
has created all into a creaturely and figurative
being, evil and good according to the eternal origin.
As we plainly see that in this world there is evil and
good; of which, however, the devils are a gi*eat
cause, who in their creation have at the fall moved
more vehemently the fierce matrix in the wrath,
God having moved himself more exceedingly
according to the property of wrath, to cast them
forth out of light into the death of fierce wrathfulness; whereby also the heavenly Essence was
moved, so that very much which stood in freedom
has become shut up in the earthly essence.
5. As we see in gold and its tincture, which is
free from the earthly essence. For it resists fire
and every quality, no quality can hold it in check,
but only God's will; and that must come to pass
repeatedly by reason of the unworthiness of the
world.
6. And if we rightly consider the creation of this
world and the spirit of the third principle, viz. the
spirit of the great world with the stars and elements,
we find therein the property of the eternal world
as it were mixed, like unto a great marvel, whereby
God, the highest good, has willed to manifest and
bring into being the eternal wonders which existed
in mystery.
7. We find good and evil, and we find in all
things the centrum naturae or the torture-chamber.
But we find especially the spirit of the great
world in two sources, viz. in heat and cold.
THE FIRST POINT 33
Here, by cold we understand the centre of the
sour sharp fierceness, and by heat the principle
of fire, and yet they have but one origin from one
another.
8. Fire arises from the fierceness of the cold, and
cold from the centrum naturae, viz. from the sour
sharp anguish, where the sourness (astringency)
contracts so strongly into itself and makes substance. As we are to know that in the motion of
the Father at creation it has made earth and stones,
although there was no matter for this, but only
His own being, which is generated in two principles,
viz. in the light-world and world of death, in two
desires.
9. That which the fierceness attained in the
motion became shaped into the terrestrial globe.
And we find therein a diversity of things, evil and
good; and it often happens that from the worst
may be made the best, because the centrum naturae
is therein. If it be brought into fire, the pure child
of the eternal Essence may be extracted from it;
when it is liberated from death, as is to be seen in
gold.
10. In this world, however, we cannot attain
the eternal fire, and therefore also can develop
nothing from this principle. That is want of the
eternal fire, which we do not reach but in imagination only, by which a man has power to lead life
out of death and bring it into the divine substantiality. This can be done only in man; but what is
outside of man belongs to God, and remains unto
the renovation, to the end of this time.
34 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
11. And thus we give j^ou to understand the
nature and property of the principles. The first
Principle lies in the fire of the will, and is a cause
of the two others, also of life and understanding;
and is an upholding of Nature, as weU as of all the
properties of the Father.
12. The second Principle lies in light, as in the
fire of desire. This desire makes substance from
the property of the first principle.
13. The first and second principle are Father and
Son in eternity. One dwells in the other, and yet
each retains its property. There is no mixing in
the essence; but one receives the other in desire,
and the light dwells in the fire's desire, so that the
fire's property gives its desire to the light, and the
light to the fire.
14. Thus there is one being and not two, but
two properties, whereof one is not the other, nor
eternally can become so. As the spirit's property
cannot be fire and hght, and yet proceeds from
fire out of light, and could not subsist either from
fire or from light alone. Fire alone can not give
it, neither could light, but the two give it. It is
the life of both, and is one being only, but three
properties, whereof one is not the other, as is to
be seen in fire, light and air.
15. The third Principle has just these properties.
It has also fire, light and spirit, that is, air; and
is in all particulars like to the eternal Being. But
it has a beginning, and proceeds from the Eternal ;
it is a manifestation of the Eternal, an awakening,
image and similitude of the Eternal. It is not the
THE FIRST POINT 35
Eternal; but an essence has arisen in the eternal
Desire, which has manifested itself therein and
brought itself into a being like the Eternal.
16. Reason says: God has made this world out
of nothing. Answer : There was certainly for that
no substance or matter that were outwardly palpable; but there was such a form in the eternal
power in the will.
17. The creation of this world was brought about
by an awakening of the Will-spirit. The inner
will, which exists within in itself, has stirred up its
own nature, as the centre, which, passing out of
itself, is desirous of the light which is pressing forth
from the centre. Thus the centre has seized out
of itself a being in desire; that is, it has seized
or made for itself being in its own imagination
in desire, and has also laid hold of the light's
nature.
18. It has with the beginning laid hold of the
Eternal; and therefore the beings of this world
must enter by figure again into the Eternal, for
they have been apprehended in the Eternal. But
whatever was made or seized from the beginning
in desire, that returns into its aether as into the
nothing, merely into the mirror of imagination
again. That is not of the Eternal, but is and belongs to the eternal Magic in desire. Like as a fire
swallows up and consumes a substance whereof
nothing remains, but becomes again as it was when
as yet it was no substance.
19. And thus we give you to understand what
this world's existence is. Nothing else than a
36 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
coagulated smoke from the eternal aether, which
thus has a fulfilment like the Eternal. It shuts
itself in a centrum of a substance, and finally consumes itself again; and returns again into the
eternal Magic, and is but for a while a wonder as a
revelation of the Eternal, whereby the Eternal,
which is manifest in itself, manifests itself also out
of itself, and pours out its imagination; and thus
renews that which was seized or made by the motion
in desire, that the end may again enter into the
beginning.
20. For nothing can enter into the freedom of
the Eternal, except it be like the Eternal, subsist in
the fire of the will, and be as subtle as the light's substantiality, that is, as a water which can dwell in a
being wherein the light can dwell, and convey its
lustre through. This is not laid hold of by the
centrum naturae, and though it be the property of
Nature, yet it is something eternal.
21. Thus we give you to understand that all
that is born in this world, which has substance,
which proceeds not from the eternal Essence,
inherits not the Eternal; but its figure persists
magically in the eternal Mystery, for it went originally at creation out of the Eternal. But its body
and the entire substance of the source passes away,
as a smoke is consumed; for it is from the beginning, and goeth into the end.
22. But whatever arises from the eternal Essence,
from the essentiality of the eternal Light, cannot
pass away. That only in it perishes, which, proceeding from the temporal, has entered into the
THE FIRST POINT 37
Eternal ; as the outer flesh, which through imagination was in man introduced into the Eternal; that
must be consumed like smoke.
23. But whatever originating from the eternal
Imagination is re-introduced into the Eternal,
persists eternally ; and that which is born from the
Eternal (understand, from the Eternal Nature),
and is in man the soul, remains eternally, for it has
arisen from the Eternal.
24. But if something be born from the eternal
centre of wrath, that may enter into its renovation,
if it will. As the Eternal Nature of the essence
of external Nature renews itself, and abandons that
which it made in the beginning, and retains only
the magical image which it brought out of the
eternal will into the outward by the Verhum Fiat
at creation; so may man also renew that which he
makes. If he abandon the earthly, then he may
renew that which he has progenerated from the
Eternal ; but if it be not renewed, it remains in the
source.
25. For all that becomes not or is not as fire,
light and water, cannot subsist in freedom, but
remains in the source of that which it has awakened
or made in itself, — understand, from the centrum
naturae. Whatever it has introduced into the will
of freedom will thus be for it a torment and gnawing, or contrary opposite will, which it has generated
from its own nature, by which it has made freedom
dark for itself, so that the light cannot shine
through. That will be its darkness.
26. For where the will is dark, there also the being
38 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
of the will, or its body, is dark ; and where the will
is in torment, there also the body is in torment.
For wliich cause the children of the light of freedom will be separated in the source of anguish from
the cliildren of darkness, each into its principle.
27. Further, we give you to understand that each
principle generates its own life according to its
property. But fire is the bound of separation
which satisfies the two eternal principles, darkness
and hght. To the darkness it gives its sting and
the pang, and to the hght its sensibihty and life.
28. So also the third Principle has two properties,
viz. heat and cold. Heat is the principle, and gives
its sting and pang to the cold; and to the light
it gives life and sensibility. The hght in its turn
gives its substantiahty to the fire, so that it is
united amicably with it. The cold gives also its
property and substantiality to the fire, and the
fire breaks this, and makes from its substantiality
death and a dying. There is always, therefore, an
enmity between heat and cold, and they are never
at one.
29. But this they attain in their enmity, that
life buds through death; for from heat and cold
arises the growth of the third principle (in which
we live outwardly). From cold there comes fruit
out of the earth, as well as the body of all creatures,
and, in the elements, substance. From heat there
comes in its contention life into the body of all
creatures and plants; as also in the deep of the
elements it gives the spirit of the great world
in diversity of figures. That is to say, where
THE FIRST POINT 39
cold makes substance, there heat makes a spirit.
30. Thus is the Essence all in wrestling combat,
that the wonders of the eternal world may become
manifest in fragility, and that the eternal exemplar
in the wisdom of God may be brought into figures.
And that these models in the eternal Magic, in
INIystery, may stand eternally to God's glory, and
for the joy of angels and men; not indeed in being,
but in Mystery, in Magic, as a shadow of being,
that it may be eternally known what God has
wrought, and what he can and is able to do.
31. For, after the dissolution of this world, there
remains in existence only what is eternal, as eternal
spirits with the eternal substantiahty of their bodies,
together with the wonders wrought here, which
stand in figure magically, by which the spirits will
recognize the might and marvels of God.
32. We are now to consider the principles with
their wonders. These are all three none else than
the one God in his wonderful works, who has
manifested himself by this world according to the
property of his nature. And we are thus to understand a threefold Being, or three worlds in one
another.
33. The first is the fire-world, which takes its
rise from the centrum naturae, and Nature from the
desiring will, which in eternal freedom has its origin
in the unground, whereof we have not nor support
any knowledge.
34. And the second is the hght-world which
dwells in freedom in the unground, out of Nature,
but proceeds from the fire-world. It receives its
40 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
life and sensibility from fire. It dwells in fire, and
the fire apprehends it not. And this is the middle
world.
35. Fire in the centrum naturae before its enkindling gives the dark world; but is in its enkindling in itself the world of light, when it separates
into light and leaves the centre in darkness, for it
is only a source in itself, and a cause of life.
36. It has creatures, but they are of the same
fierce essence. They feel no pain; to them the
light were a pain. But to the fallen devils, who in
the principle were created in the world of light,
to them the darkness is a pain, and fire a strength
or might, for it is their right life, although according
to many properties, by virtue of the centrum naturae, in accordance with that essence.
37. The third world is the outer, in which we
dwell by the outer body with the external works
and beings. It was created from the dark world
and also from the light-world, and therefore it is
evil and good, terrible and lovely. Of this property
Adam was not to eat, nor imaginate thereinto;
but the three worlds were to stand in him in order,
that one might not comprehend the other, as in God
himself. For Adam was created from all the three
worlds, an entire image and similitude of God.
38. But seeing he has eaten of evil and good, and
introduced the outer into the middle, the outer
must now break off from the middle ; and a separation takes place, in which the outer must return
into its aether, and the middle remains.
39. Thus, if one see a right man, he may say:
THE FIRST POINT 41
I see here three worlds standing, but not moving.
For the outer world moves by the outer body, but
the outer body has no power to move the lightworld; it has only introduced itself into the world
of light, whereby the light-world is become extinguished in man. He has, however, remained to
be the dark world in himself; and the light-world
stands in him immoveable, it is in him as it were
hidden.
40. But if he be a right man by the new birth,
then it stands in him as light shines through water,
and makes the essence mobile and desireful, so that
the essence buds. Thus it is with the new man in
the Light. And as we cannot move the light of the
sun, so neither can we move the eternal Light or
the light-world. It stands still and shines through
everything that is susceptible of it, whatsoever is
thin like a nothing, as indeed fire and water are;
though all is substantial, but in reference to the
external as a nothing.
41. Thus each principle has its growth from
itself; and that must be, else all were a nothing.
42. The principle of fire is the root, and it grows
in its root. It has in its proprium sour, bitter,
fierceness and anguish; and these grow in its
proprium in poison and death into the anguishful
stern hfe, which in itself gives darkness, owing to
the drawing-in of the harshness. Its properties
make sulphur, mercury and salt; though the fire's
property makes not Sul in sulphur, but the will of
freedom makes Sul in Phur, whilst the principle
goes forward.
42 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
43. But what advances into its properties is only
Phur, viz. sternness, with the other forms in the
centre. This is the chief cause of hfe and of the
being of all things. Though it is bad in itself, yet
it is the most useful of all to life and the manifestation of life. For there could be no hfe without this
property, and this principle is gi'ounded in the
internal and external world; in the internal as
imperceptible, in the external perceptible by its
fierceness.
44. The second Principle has also its growth from
itself, for fire streams forth in light with its properties. But the Light transforms the fierce wrathful properties into a desire of love and joy. And
therefore the fire's essence and property is wholly
transformed in the Light, so that out of anguish
and pain comes a love-desire, out of the stinging
and raging a friendly sensible understanding.
45. For the Light kindles the essences with the
quality of love, so that they give from themselves
a growth in the property of the spirit : viz. a friendly
will, morality, piety, patience in suffering, hope
to be delivered from evil; continually speaking of
God's wonderful works in desire and joy, ringing
forth, singing and rejoicing in the works and wonders of God ; always desiring to do right, to hinder
evil and wickedness; always wishing to di*aw one's
neighbour by love into the world of light; fleeing
from evil; always subduing the evil affections with
patience, in hope of being released therefrom;
rejoicing in the hope of that which the eyes see
not and external Reason knows not; continually
THE FIRST POINT 43
pressing forth out of evil, and introducing the desire
into the divine Being; always wishing to eat of
God's bread.
46. These properties hath the new man who is
born again from the light-world. These are his
fruits, which the light-world continually brings forth
in him quite hiddenly to the old Adam, and continually mortifies the old Adam of this world, and is
always in combat with him. Which old Adam
must therefore follow the new man; in sooth like
a lazy ass which is obhged to carry the sack, his
master continually lashing him on. Thus doth the
new man to the old; he compels him, so that he
must do what he would fain not do. What pertains
to the joy of this world were more acceptable to the
old ass; but he must thus be the servant.
47. Secondly, the principle has its growth, and
gives its fruit to the third principle generally, viz.
to the spirit of the great world, so that the external
and internal turba are held in check. It presses
through and gives f ruitf ulness ; it stays the fierceness of the stars, and breaks the constellation of
the spirits and also of the firmamental heaven.
It resists the wrath of the devil and the devices of
wicked men, so far however as there are found saints
who are worthy of it.
48. The third Principle has also its growth; and
therein were generated and created from what is
inward the stars and elements, which in this place
together with the sun are called the third principle.
For the two inward worlds, viz. the fire-world and
light -world, have manifested themselves by the third
4)4 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
principle ; and all is mixed together, good and evil,
love and enmity, life and death. In every life
there is death and fire; also, contrariwise, a desire
of love, all according to the property of the internal
world. And two kinds of fruit grow therefrom,
evil and good; and each fruit has both properties.
They show themselves moreover in every life in
this world, so that wi-ath and the evil quality are
always fighting against love, each property seeking
and bearing fruit. What the good makes, that
the evil destroys; and what the evil makes, that
the good destroys. It is a perpetual war and
contention, for the properties of both the inward
principles are active externally; each bears and
produces fruit to the internal kingdom, each will
be lord.
49. Cold, as the issue from the inward centre,
from the fierceness of death, will be lord, and be
continually shutting up in death ; it always awakens
the sting of death. And heat, as the issue from the
right fire, will also be lord; it would subdue and
consume all, and will be always crude or unfashioned, without a body. It is a spirit, and desires
only a spirit-life. It gives sting to the cold, for
oftentimes it kills it, so that it must forego its right
and surrender itself to the heat.
50. In the same way the sun, or the light, will
also have reason and be lord. It overcomes heat
and cold, for it makes in its lucid gentleness water,
and introduces in the light's spirit a friendly spirit,
viz. the air; although fire gives the force of the
wind, and the sun the gentle spirit which is properly
THE FIRST POINT 45
called air. It is indeed one, but has two properties,
one according to the fire, as a terrible uplifting, and
one according to the light, as a gentle life.
51. The external principle is thus a perpetual
war and contention, a building and breaking; what
the sun or the light builds, that the cold destroys,
and the fire consumes it entirely.
52. In this struggle its growth rises in mere
combat and disunion ; the one draws out of the earth
its f ruitfulness, the other destroys or swallows it up
again.
53. In all animals it causes malice and strife ; for
all animals and all the life of this world, except man,
is only a fruit of the third principle and possesses
only the life of the third principle, both its spirit
and body are only this. And all that moves in
this world, and man by his spirit and visible body in
flesh and blood, is also only the fruit of this same
essence, and nothing else at all.
54. But seeing he has in himself also the two
inward worlds (which give him the right understanding, discernment and disposition; which also
during this time of the earthly and elemental body
are in conflict with one another), let him therefore
take heed; the world that he makes lord in him,
the same will eternally be lord in him. During
this time he can break, and no farther. When the
outward breaks, then all stands in its aether. The
soul is free, and is the punctum, and has the understanding; it may incline whither it will and may
support which principle it pleases; the aether into
which it enters, there it is eternally.
46 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
55. And thus we understand the foundation of
the three principles ( like as the tongue of the beam
of a" balance) ; what God and eternity is and is able
to do, and what growth each principle gives from
itself, from its property, and how we are to investigate the ground of Nature.
Thus the first part or point is completed.
THE SECOND POINT
Of the mixed tree of evil and good^ or the life
of the three principles in one another;
how they unite and agree.
CHAPTER III
1. In God's kingdom, viz. in the light-world, no
more than one principle is truly known. For the
Light rules, and the other sources and properties
all exist hiddenly as a mystery; for they must
all serve the Light, and give their will to the Light.
And therefore the wrath-essence is transformed in
the Light into a desire of Hght and of love, into
gentleness.
2. Although the properties, viz. sour, bitter,
anguish and the sharp pang in fire remain eternally
even in the light-world, yet none of them is manifest in its property; but they are all of them
together only causes of life, mobility and joy.
3. That which in the dark world is a pang, is in
the light-world a pleasing delight ; and what in the
dark is a stinging and enmity, is in the light an
uplifting joy. And that which in the dark is a fear,
terror and trembling, is in the light a shout of joy, a
ringing forth and singing. And that could not be,
if originally there were no such fervent, austere
source.
47
48 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
4. The dark world is therefore the ground and
origin of the Hght-world; and the terrible evil must
be a cause of the good, and all is God's.
5. But the light-world is only called God; and
the principle between the light-world and dark
world is called God's anger and fierce wrath. If
this be awakened, as by the devil and all wicked
men, these are then abandoned of the Light and
fall into the dark world.
6. The dark world is called death and hell, the
abyss, a sting of death, despair, self-enmity and
sorrowfulness; a life of malice and falsehood, in
which the truth and the hght is not seen and is not
known. Therein dwell the devils and the damned
souls; also the hellish worms, which the Fiat of
death has figured in the motion of the omnipresent
Lord.
7. For hell hath in the darkness the greatest
constellation of the fervent, austere power. With
them all is audible as a loud noise. What rings in
the Light, knocks and thumps in the Dark, as is
to be seen in the thing men use to strike upon,
that it gives a ringing sound. For the sound is not
the thing; as a bell that is rung is itself not a sound,
but only a hardness and a cause of the sound. The
bell receives the stroke as a knocking, and from the
hard knocking proceeds the ringing sound. The
reason is this, that in the matter of the bell there is
an element, which, at creation, in the motion of the
omnipresent God, was shut up in the hardness; as
is to be seen in the metalline tincture, if men would
not be so mad and blind.
THE SECOND POINT 49
8. We recognize, then, that in hell, in the abyss,
there are many and divers spirits, not only devils,
but many hellish worms according to the property
of their constellation, and void of understanding.
As in this world there are irrational animals —
worms, toads and serpents — so has also the abyss
such in the fierce wrathful world. For all willed
to be creaturely, and is gone into a being, so that
the wrath-mirror also exhibited its wonders and
manifested itself.
9. There is indeed no feeling of pain in the hellish
worms, for they are of the same essence and property. It is their life, and is a nature that is hidden
to the outer world; but the Spirit of God who in
all three principles is himself the source in accordance with each property, he knows it and reveals it
to whom he will.
10. If now we would say how the three principles
are united together, we must place fire in the middle
as the highest force, which brings to each principle
a satisfying life and a spirit that it requires. There
is, therefore, in the principles no strife; for fire
is the life of all the principles, — understand, the
cause of Hfe, not the life itself. To the abyss it
gives its pang, viz. the sting, so that death finds
itself in a life; else the abyss were a stillness. It
gives it its fierceness, which is the lift, mobility and
original condition of the abyss; else there were a
still eternity and a nothing.
11. And to the light-world fire gives also its
essence, else there were no feeling nor light therein,
and all were only one. And yet beyond fire a
50 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
Nothing, as an eye of wonders that knew not
itself, in which were no understanding; but an
eternal hiddenness, where no seeking or doing were
possible.
12. And to the tliird principle, viz. to the kingdom of this world, fire gives also its essence and
quality, whereby all life and growth rises. All
sense, and whatever is to come to anything, must
have fire. There springs nothing out of the earth
without the essence of fire. It is a cause of all
the three principles, and of all that can be named.
13. Thus fire makes a union of all the three
principles, and is for each the cause of being. One
principle fights not against another, but the essence
of each desires only its own, and is always in combat; and if that were not, then all were a still
nothingness. Each principle gives to the other its
power and form, and there is a perpetual peace
between them.
14. The dark world has the great pain and
anguish which gives birth to fire, so that the will
longs after freedom, and freedom longs after manifestation, viz. after essences, and gives itself to
fierceness that it may thus manifest itself. And it
is brought thus into fire, so that from fierceness and
freedom a fire arises. It gives itself to fierceness
to swallow up in death ; but passes out of death with
the received essences into a sphere of its own, as
into a special world or source ; and dwells in itself
unapprehended by death and the dark world, and
is a light in itself.
15. Thus are death and fierceness a mother of
THE SECOND POINT 51
fire, also a cause of the light-world ; a cause, moreover, of all the essence of the third principle, a
cause of all the essences in all lives. How then
should one principle fight against another, if each
vehemently desires the other?
16. For the angelic light-world, and also this our
\asible world, must have the essence of dark death
for their life and source; there is a continual hunger
after it.
17. But each principle makes the source according to its property. It gives to the evil its good,
and unites itself Avith it, and of three makes one,
so that there is no strife between the tlii'ee principles.
But in the essence there is strife; and that must
be, or all were a nothing.
18. But we are to consider whence enmity has
its origin. God has in each principle created
creatures from the nature and proprium of the
principle, therein to remain. And if they remain
not therein, but introduce another thing by their
imagination into themselves, into their property,
that is an enmity and torment to them, as to the
devil and fallen man. Both these are gone out
from the light -world; the devil into the abyss of
the strong wrath-power through pride, and man
into this world, into the mystery of multiscience,
as into the wonders.
19. And now man has a difficulty and struggle
to come out again; and this world, into which he
has entered, holds him, for it will have him; and if
he go out from it by force, it becomes hostile to him,
assails him, and will not suffer him in itself.
52 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
20. Hence it is that the children of this world
do hate, vex, strike, kill and drive from them the
children of light, for the spu'it of this world impels
them thereto. To which also the devil helps, for
he knows that this world rests upon the abyss, and
that he will receive the children of this world at
the dissolution of this Mystery into his kingdom.
Therefore he drives the children of God from this
world, lest they introduce his children of this world
along with them into the world of light.
21. But if man had been created for this world,
he would certainly let him alone ; but he continually
desires to recapture his royal seat which he had, and
from which he was cast out ; and if he may in no wise
obtain it, he would deny it to the children who are
to possess it.
22. Now this is for man highly to consider, and
not to be so blind. Every man has entered into
the mystery of this world ; but he should not therefore as a prisoner enter also into the earthly craving
of the confining of death, but should be a
discerner and knower of the Mystery, and not
the devil's butt and fool. He should by the
imagination continually go out again into the lightworld for which he was created, in order that the
light may give him lustre, that he may know
himself and see the outer Mystery. Then he is
a man. But if not, he is the devil's fool and the
ape of the light-world. Just as an ape will be
knowing and play with everything, and imitate
everything, so it is with the earthly man, who is but
an ape. His juggling tricks with the light- world,
THE SECOND POINT 53
when he presses not thereinto with earnestness,
but only plays therewith, — this the devil derides,
and accounts him a fool. And so he is; he is an
animal-man. So long as he is attached with his
will to the external, and regards this world's good
as his treasure, he is only a man with this world's
essence, and not with the essence of God's lightworld; and he gives his body to this world or to
the earth, and his soul to the abyss of the dark
world.
23. Thus we give you to understand that in the
tree of the three principles, these agree very well
together, but not the creatures; for the creatures
of each principle desire not the others. And there
is a strong bar and closure between them, so that we
know not, nor shall we see the others.
24. But the devil's envy wars against the human
race, for they have possessed his seat. Therefore
it is said : Man, seek thyself, and see what thou art,
and beware of the devil. So much on the second
point, how the three principles can agree unitedly
together.
THE THIRD POINT
Of the origin of contrariety in growth, in
that life becomes strifeful in itself.
CHAPTER IV
1. A thing that is one, that has only one will,
contends not against itself. But where there are
many wills in a thing, they become contending,
for each would go its own conceived way. But if
one be lord of the other, and has entirely full power
over all the others, so that it can break them if
they obey it not; then the thing's multiplicity
has its existence in one reality, for the multitude
of wills all give themselves to obedience of their
lord.
2. And thus we give you to understand life's
contrariety, for life consists of many wills. Every
essence may carry with it a will, and indeed does so.
For sour, bitter, anguish and acid is a contrarious
source, each having its own property, and wholly
adverse one to the other. So is fire the enemy of
all the others, for it puts each source into great
anguish, so that there is a great opposition between
them, the one being hostile to the other, as is to
be seen in heat and cold, fire and water, life and
death.
3. So hkewise the life of man is at enmity with
54
THE THIRD POINT 55
itself. Each form is hostile to the other, and not
only in man, but in all creatures ; unless the forms
of life obtain a gentle, gi-acious lord, under whose
control they must be, who can break their might
and will. That is found in the Light of life, which
is lord of all the forms, and can subdue them all;
they must all give their will to the Light. And
they do it also gladly, for the Light gives them
gentleness and power, so that their harsh, stem,
bitter, anguishful fomis are all transformed into
loveliness. They all give their will to the Light
of life, and the Light gives them gentleness.
4. Plurality is thus transformed into unity, into
one will which is called the mind, and is the fountain from which the one will is able to draw evil
and good. This is done by imagination, or by
representation of a thing that is evil or good; and
hence the thing's property is susceptible of the
same property in the life. The life's property
seizes the property of the thing represented, be it
either a word or a work, and enkindles itself therewith in itself. It kindles also the other forms of
life therewith, so that they begin to qualify, and
every property burns in its source, either in love
or wrath, all according to the nature represented.
Whatever the imagination has seized, that it introduces into the mind.
5. We give you therefore to imder stand that
when the mind thus enkindles itself in a form, it
enkindles the whole spirit and body, and forthwith
carries its imagination into the inmost fire of the
soul, and awakens the inmost centrurti naturae.
56 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
This, when it is enkindled, be it in wrath or love,
apprehends itself in all the seven forms of Nature,
which reach after the spirit of the soul's will, wherein
is the noble image in which God reveals himself,
and introduce their enkindled fire thereunto. As
you have a similitude of this in fire: According to
the matter in which it burns, such a light does it
give; as is to be seen in sulphur compared with
wood, and in many things besides.
6. We understand then by this, that whatever
nature and property the fire hath, such a property
getteth also the light and the power of the light.
7. Seeing then our noble image of God stands in
the Light of life, in the soul's fire, it is highly recognizable by us how the spirit of the soul's will or the
noble image is corrupted, and becomes enkindled
in the source of wrath, often also in the source of
love. And we see here our great danger and misery, and do rightly understand why Christ has
taught us patience, love and meekness, viz. that the
soul's fire kindle not itself in wrath, also that we give
not occasion to others to kindle their souls' fire
in wrath, in order that God's kingdom be not
hindered.
8. Herein we recognize our heavy fall, that Adam
has introduced into our souls' fire earthly matter,
which burns as often as a source is awakened in
the centre of the property of wrath. We see thus
how we lie captive in God's wrath between anger
and love, in great danger.
9. And we give you this highly to recognize.
You know, as we have set forth above and in all
THE THIRD POINT 57
our books, how from fire light proceeds as another
principle, and yet has the fire's property and power,
for the fire's centre gives them to the light's centre.
And how the light is also desirous, and has a matrix
of longing desire, which makes itself pregnant in
desire with the power of the light, viz. with the
gentleness of the light; and in this pregnancy lies
the substance of the hght, that is in the pure love
of the Divine Nature.
10. And then we have informed you how the fire
draws this substance into itself, uses it for its light's
essence, and swallows it up in itself, but gives from
the essence another spirit, which is not fire. As
indeed you see that fire gives two spirits: One
that is furious and consuming, consisting of fierceness as property of the first matter; and secondly
an air-spirit, which is the property of the light's
gentleness.
11. We are now to consider in what matter fire
burns in the first essence. In whatever it has
kindled itself, in love or anger, that is, in earthly
or divine desire, such a fire it is, and gives also such
a fire of light, and such a spirit from the fire of
hght.
12. Now, if the matter of the first fire, wherein
the fire burns, be good, then has the other fire of
light also a good property, savour and source, and
gives also a good, powerful, lovely light, and from
the light's centre also a good and powerful spirit;
and this spirit is the similitude of God, the noble
image.
13. But if the first fire be evil in its essence, and
58 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
has an evil matter in which it burns, then is also
the life's light a false source and a dim shining, as
is to be seen in a sulphurous light; and the centre
of this desiring light brings also out of its property
such a matter into its fire, and the fire gives such a
spirit from itself.
14. It is now evident what spirit can or cannot
attain the freedom of God. For the soul's spirit
or the image which has in itself the dim, dark
property, cannot be capable of the clear light of
God. Further, if it has in itself fierce wrathful
essences and qualities, at cannot unite with the
gentleness of God and inqualify with it; for wi'ath
is enmity against love and gentleness, and love
suffers not wrath within it. Here they are separated: love thrusts wrath from it, and neither does
wrath desire any more the property of love.
15. For as soon as fire gives spirit from itself,
it is perfect, and separates into its proprium, be it
a spirit of light, or a dark wrathful sulphurous
spirit. And into the same essence from which it is
gone out does it desire to return again; for it is
its property, be it in love or enmity to love.
16. Accordingly we understand what spirits or
souls live in the source of enmity, and how enmity
originally arises, so that a life is at enmity with
itself from the first matter unto the life's light.
The cause lies in the wheel of Nature, in the seven
spirits or forms, each of which has its own property; and in whichever property the mind becomes enkindled, such a property getteth its soul's
fire together with the will's spirit, which straightTHE THIRD POINT 59
way aspires after substance and being, how it may
realize that with which the spirit of the will is
pregnant.
17. Now it is necessaiy to break the earthly
will's power and kill the old evil Adam, and bring
his will-spirit by compulsion and force out of
wickedness. For here, in this time, that is possible ;
because the third principle by the water which
gives gentleness is attached to the centre of the
inward nature, and holds it captive as it were in its
quahty.
18. But if the spirit of the soul's will, as the
inward centre of light, breaks off from the outward
and remains alone, then the soul's spirit remains
in its property. For there is little remedy unless
the spirit of the will have in the time of the external
life turned round to God's love, and attained this
as a sparkle in the inward centre. Then something may be done. But in what agony and travail
that is done, experiences full well the sparkle of
love, which has to break down dark fierce death.
It is purgatory enough to it. In what enmity
life stands, in terror and anguish, till it can sink
into the sparkle, into the freedom of God, he indeed experiences who departs from this world so
nakedly with little light. This, the present much
too wise world regards as a jesting matter; but
what kind of knowledge it has, it shows by its
doing.
19. And thus we understand also the devil's fall,
who was an angel; how he imaginated back into
the centre of the first property, and sought great
60 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
strength and might (as the present world seeks
great might and honom*), and despised the hght
of love. Albeit he supposed the light would burn
for him thus (and the world also hopes and supposes
the light of God shall burn in its pomp), and he
willed to enkindle himself still more vehemently,
to see if he could dominate over all thrones, and
over the essence of the Deity in gentleness; which
proved to be his fall, as will happen also to the
present world.
20. Therefore let every man learn hereby to
beware of pride and covetousness ; for the devil's
fall came through pride and covetousness, in that
he kindled in himself the centre of the dark world.
Hence he was cast out of the light-world into the
dark world. And thus it fares with all men, who,
abandoning meekness and humility, enter into
wrath, pride, covetousness and envy. All these
imaginate into the centre of the dark Nature, as
into the origin of Nature, and withdraw into the
dark fire of the source of anguish, where the noble
image is introduced into another quality, so that
it must be in fear and enmity, each form of hfe
being hostile to the other.
21. And we see also very exactly herefrom, how
God's kingdom is found only in the bright clear
light in freedom, in love and gentleness ; for that is
the property of the white clear light. As is to be
seen in outer nature, that where there is a pleasant,
mild and sweet matter for the outer fire (which
is but the fierceness of the inner fire), that also
a pleasant light and odour arise from it. Much
THE THIRD POINT 61
more is this so in the spirit-fire, to which no comprehensible or external being belongs; but where
the seven spirits of Nature make in themselves a
fire, which is only a property and a source of fire,
as indeed the dark world and light-world stand in
such a spiritual property.
22. As also the inner man, who is from the
Eternal and who goeth into the Eternal; he has
only the two worlds in him. The property to which
he turns himself, into that world is he introduced,
and of that world's property will he eternally be,
and enjoy the same; either a source of love from
the light-world of gentleness, or a hostile source
from the dark world.
23. Here he buds and grows in the middle world
between the light-world and dark world; he may
give himself up to which he pleases. The essence
which obtains the dominion in him, whether fierceness or gentleness, the same he embraces, and it
hangs into him and leads him; it gives him morals
and will, and unites itself wholly with him; and
thereinto man brings the spiritual man, viz. the
image which God created from His being, from all
the three principles.
24. Therefore it is said : Take the cross upon thee ;
enter into patience, into a meek life. Do not what
the dark centre of wrath incites thee to, nor what
the falsehood and pleasure of this world entice
thee to; but break both their wills. Neither provoke any to anger. For if thou deal falsely, thou
dost incense thy brother and hinder the kingdom
of God.
62 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
25. Thou shouldst be a leader into the kingdom
of God, and enkindle thy brother with thy love and
meekness, that he may see in thee God's essence
as in a mirror, and thus in thee take hold also with
his imagination. Doest thou this, then bringest
thou thy soul, thy work, likewise thy neighbour
or brother into God's kingdom, and enlargest the
kingdom of heaven with its wonders. This has
Christ taught us, saying: If any smite thee on
one cheek, offer him the other also; if any take
away thy cloak, withhold not from him thy coat
also (Matt. v. 39, 40) ; that he may have in thee a
mirror and retreat into himself, see thy meekness,
acknowledge thou art God's child, and that God's
Spirit leads thee; that he may learn of thee, descend into himself and seek himself. Else, if thou
oppose him with defiance and spite, his spite becomes kindled still more, and at last he thinks he is
acting right to thee. But thus he must certainly
recognize he doth thee wrong.
26. And as God's love resists all wicked men,
and the conscience often dissuades from evil, so
also thy meekness and patience go to his bad conscience, and arraign the conscience in itself before
God's light in the wrath. In this way many a
wicked man goes out from his wickedness, descends
into himself and seeks himself. Then God's Spirit
puts him in mind of thy patience, and sets it before
his eyes, and so he is drawn thereby into repentance
and abstinence.
27. Not that one should not defend oneself
against a murderer or thief, who would murder and
THE THIRD POINT 63
steal. But where one sees that any is eager upon
unrighteousness, one should set his fault openly
with a good light before his eyes, and freely and
of good will offer him the Christian richly-loving
heart; that he may find actually and in fact, that
it is done out of love-zeal to God, and that love
and God's will are more to that man than the
earthly nature, and that he purposely will not
consent to anything passionate or evil being done;
that he may see that the children of God do love
more the love of God and do cleave more to it than
to any temporal good; and that God's children
are not at home in this world, but only pilgrims,
who gladly relinquish everything of this world
so that they may but inherit the kingdom of
heaven.
28. All this the Spirit of God puts before the
evil-doer in the Mfe's light, and exhorts him thereby to conversion. But if he will not, then the
wrath of God makes hellish fire from it, and finally
gnaws him, to see if even yet he would know himself and repent. Persisteth he in wickedness, then
is he a wholly evil tree, grown in the wrath of God,
and belongs to the abyss, to the dark world of
anguish, to the dark God Lucifer; there he must
devour his own abominations. So much on the
third point.
THE FOURTH POINT
How THE HOLY AND GOOD TREE OF ETERNAL LIFE
GROWS THROUGH AND OUT OF ALL THE GROWTHS
OF THE THREE PRINCIPLES^ AND IS LAID HOLD
OF BY NONE.
CHAPTER V
1. A thing that dwells in itself can be grasped bynothing, for it dwells in nothing; there is nothing
before it that can hold it in check, and it is free also
from the thing without it.
2. And thus we give you to understand concerning the divine power and light, which dwells in
itself and is comprehended in nothing; nothing
touches it, unless it be of the property thereof.
It is everywhere in Nature, yet Nature touches it
not (understand, the outer Nature of the world).
It shines therein as the sun in the elements. The
sun shines in water, also in fire and through the
air, and yet is not seized or held by any of them.
It gives to all beings power, and makes the essential
spirits lovely and joyous. It draws by its power
essence out of the earth, and not only essence, but
also the being of the essences, which gives out of
the essence a body.
3. What the sun does in the third principle by
transforming all hostile essence and quality into
64
THE FOURTH POINT 65
gentleness, that God's light does in the forms of the
Eternal Nature.
4. It shines in them and also from them; that
is, it kindles the forms of Nature, so that they all
obtain the Light's will, and unite themselves and
give themselves up wholly to the Light; that is,
they sink down from their own essence and become
as if they had no might in themselves, and desire
only the Light's power and might. The Light
accordingly takes their power and might into itself,
and shines from this same power. And thus all the
forms of Nature attain to the Light, and the Light
together with Nature is but one will, and the Light
remains lord.
5. Else, if the wills in the stern forms of Nature
will be lord, there is a separation and an eternal
enmity. For one form is always at enmity with the
other; each elevates itself. And therefrom comes
contrariety, that a creature is so evil, wrathful and
hostile, that often life is at strife in itself.
6. And as we know that the Light comes to the
aid of the stern life of Nature, of the properties of
the essences, so that a joyous hfe arises, and is thus
changed in the Light; so also we know that the
life of dark wrathfulness is the enemy of the Light,
for it cannot catch the Light. The eternal Light
shines through the darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend it ; for the plurality of wills in the
dark Nature are all shut up in death; the Light
shines not in them, but through them ; they seize not,
nor do they see the Light. Nevertheless, the
Light is in the dark world, but it fills not the dark66 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
ness; and therefore the essences of the dark world
remain a hostile poison and death, the essences being
at enmity with themselves.
7. Thus there are three principles in one another,
and one comprehends not the other ; and the eternal
Light cannot be laid hold of by anything, unless
that thing fall into death, and give its essence
voluntarily to the fire of Nature, and pass with its
essential will out of itself into the Light, and abandon itself wholly to the Light; and desire to will
or to do nothing, but commit its will to the Light,
that the Light may be its will.
8. Thus the Light seizes it, and it also the Light.
And thus the evil will is given up to the Light, and
the Light gives its power to the malignity, and
makes of the malignity a friendly good will, which
is only a love-desire; for the gentleness of the
Light has wholly embodied itself in the hostile will.
9. So then God's will is done, and the evil is transformed into good, and God's love shines from his
anger and fierce vn-ath; and no wrath is known in
God's Eternal Nature. Thus we are to understand
how the eternal Light, or the eternal Power-tree,
shines through all the three principles, unapprehended by any of them; for so long as an essence
is out of God's will (viz. the gentle light-will), so
long is it sohtary and dwells in itself , and comprehends nothing of God. But if it unite itself to
God, and break and sink its own will, then it is one
spirit in and with God, and God shines from that
essence.
10. And we understand also why the wicked soul,
THE FOURTH POINT 67
as well as the devil, sees not and knows not God;
namely, because their will will not unite itself to
God, it will itself be lord. It remains accordingly
without God, only in itself, and God remains also
in himself; and so one dwells in the other, and
knows nothing of the other, for one turns its back to
the other, and sees not the face of the other.
11. And thus the world of light knows nothing
of the devils, and the devils know nothing of the
world of light, save only this, that they were once
in it. They represent it to themselves as one who
sees in imagination; although the hght-world no
longer yields itself up to their imagination, neither
do they imaginate after it, for it terrifies them ; also
they are ashamed about it.
12. So likewise we are to understand concerning
the outer world. God's light shines through and
through, but is apprehended only by that which
unites itself thereunto. Seeing then this outer
world as it were dumb and without understanding
in respect of God, therefore it remains in its own
will, and carries its own spirit in itself, although
God has given it a Nature-god, viz. the sun, into
which every being should cast its will and desire;
whatever is in this world and does not do so, that
remains in itself a great malignity and is its own
enmity.
13. And this world is recognized as a special
principle because it has a Nature-god of its own,
namely the sun; and yet truly the light of the
Deity shines through all, through and through.
The light of the sun takes essence from God's fire,
68 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
and God's fire from God's light. And thus the
light of the sun gives this power to the elements, and
they give it to the creatures, also to the plants of the
earth; and all that is of a good property receives
thus God's power as a lustre through the mirror of
wisdom, from whence it has its growth and life.
14. For God is present to every being, but not
every being receives him into its essence; but as in
the mirror of the aspect in the sun's virtue ; for the
sun proceeds from the eighth number. Its root
from which it receives its brightness is the eternal
fire, but its body is in this world. Its desire is
directed wholly into this world, in which it shines;
but its first root is in the first world, in the fire of
God. This world gives being to its desire, and it
gives its power to being, and fills every being in
this world, as God's light does the divine lightworld. And if God's fire should burn no more, the
sun would be extinguished, and also the divine
Hght-world; for God's fire gives essence to both, and
is a principle of both. And if the dark world were
not, neither would these two be ; for the dark world
gives occasion for God's fire.
15. The three worlds must accordingly be in
one another, for nothing can subsist without a
ground. For the dark world is the ground of
Nature; and the eternal unfathomable will, which
is called Father, is the ground of the dark world,
as above set forth. And the light-world is hidden
in the dark world, and also the dark world in the
light-world.
16. It is to be understood thus: This world is
THE FOURTH POINT 69
shut up in the wrath of God as in death ; for wrath
springs up in this world's essence. If that were not
so, then might this world's essence seize God's light.
17. Thus this world receives only a reflection
of God through the sun's power. The sun is not
God's light, for it shines not wholly in divine
essence, but shines in elemental essence. It has
God's fire as its root, but is filled with this world's
essence. For it is desirous as a magical craving,
and receives in its imagination and craving the
power of the stars and elements; and from this it
shines also.
18. Though God's fire is its root, yet it belongs
not to God's kingdom. And here we understand
how the devil is the poorest creature; for he cannot
move a leaf except wrath be therein, and then he
moves it according to the property of wrath. For
the light and the power of this world is repugnant
to him ; he enters not with his will into the property
of the hght, neither is he able to do so. He stands
backward to the light of the sun in his figure and
property, and therefore the sun's light profits him
nothing. And all that grows in the sun's power,
that unites itself unto the sun, that he is enemy to;
his will enters not readily thereinto.
70 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
CHAPTER VI
1. If we consider all this, and pass from the
inward world into this outward visible world, we
find that the essence of the external world has proceeded from the internal, viz. from the imagination
or desire of the internal world. And we shall find
in the external world the property of the two inward
worlds; also how the wills of both properties are
moving and manifest in the external world. And
then how the good, or the essence which has proceeded from the light-world, is shut up in wrath
and death; and how the divine power activates all,
so that all grows through and out of the fierceness
of death.
2. For the earthly tincture has no communion
or fellowship with the heavenly in the light-world.
We find, however, in the earth another tincture
which has fellowship with the heavenly, as in the
precious metals, but is hidden in them.
3. And we understand thus the motion and the
Fiat of the two eternal worlds, viz. the dark world
and the light-world: Each has longed after being;
and as God put himself in motion once for all, one
world could not be moved without the other.
4. For the dark world contains the first centre
of Nature, and the light-world the other centre,
viz. the heart of God, or the Word of power of the
THE FOURTH POINT 71
Deity; and one world is not separated from the
other.
5. Hereby we should recognize in what danger
we stand, and think where we would plunge with
our will. For if we plunge into the earthly craving, ■
it captures us; and then the qualification of the
abyss is our lord, and the sun our temporal god.
6. But if we plunge with our will into the world
out of this world, then the light-world captures our
will, and God becomes our lord; and we abandon
the earthly life of this world, and take with us
whatever has come from the light-world into us, —
understand, into Adam; the same is carried out
of this world with the will which becomes one spirit
with God.
7. Reason says: Where are then the three
worlds? It would have absolutely a separation, in
which one were beyond or above the other. That,
however, cannot possibly be, else the eternal unfathomable Essence were bound to sever itself.
But how can that sever itself which is a nothing,
which has no place, which is itself all? That
cannot enter into particular existence which has
no ground, which cannot be comprehended, which
dwells in itself and possesses itself; but it proceeds out of itself, and manifests itself out of
itself.
8. It makes a thing out of itself, which in itself
is but a will. In itself it is a spirit, but makes out
of itself a form of spirit, and the form makes a
being according to the property of the spirit. As
indeed this world is a being, and the inward spirit
72 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
possesses it. He is in every place, yet the place
comprehends him not, but he comprehends the
place. The place knows nothing of him, but it
feels him; for he is the power and the spirit in
the place. His will goes through being, and being
has no eyes to see him, but he is the seeing of the
place; and is himself no place or position, but
makes for himself an unfathomable position, where
there is no measurement. He is all, and j^et also
like to a nothing in comparison with the external.
What he gives out of himself, that he possesses too ;
he passes not into it, but he is there before being
occupies the place. The place contains but a reflection of his will, as one sees one's form in a mirror,
and yet cannot take hold upon it; or as the sunshine is not laid hold of in water, yet the water
feels it and receives the lustre; or as the earth
receives power from the sun, so that it brings
forth fruit. In this way God dwells in all beings,
and permeates and pervades all, yet is laid hold of
by nothing.
9. And as we understand that the earth has a
great hunger and desire after the sun's power and
light, in which it draws to itself and becomes
susceptible of the sun's power and light, which
without desire could not be; in like manner outer
nature hungers after the inner, for the outward
form arises from the inner. Thus outer nature
receives in itself the form of the inner as a lustre
or power; for it cannot seize the inward spirit,
inasmuch as he dwells not in the outer, but possesses himself in himself in the inner.
THE FOURTH POINT 73
10. But the outer nature receives by the mirror
the form of the spirit, as water does the lustre of
the sun. We are not to think that the inner is far
from the outer, like the body of the sun is from
the water; though neither is that so, that the sun
is far from the water, for the water has the sun's
essence and property, else it would not catch the
sun's lustre. Although the sun is a corpus, yet the
sun is also in the water, but not manifest ; the corpus
makes the sun manifest in the water. And we
are to know that the whole world would be nothing
but sun, and the locus of the sun would be everywhere, if God was to kindle and manifest it; for
every being in this world catches the sun's lustre.
There is in all a min-or, that the power and form
of the sun may be received in all that is animate and
inanimate, in all the four elements and their essence
and substance.
11. And so it is also with the inner light-world.
It dwells in the outer world, and this receives
power from it. It grows up in the outward power,
and this knows nothing of it; and only feels the
power, and the inward light it cannot behold; only
in its life's mirror it receives the reflection thereof,
for the inward power makes in the outward form a
likeness of itself.
12. And thus then we are to recognize man. He
is the inner and outer world (the cause, moreover,
of the inner world in himself) , and, so far as belongs
to him, also the dark world. He is all three worlds ;
and if he remain standing in co-ordination, so that
74 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
he introduce not one world into the other, then he
is God's likeness.
13. He should introduce the form or the mirror
of the light-world into the outer world, and also
into the inmost dark world, and bring the power
of the middle or light-world into the mirror, and
then he is suspectible of the divine light ; for essence
seizes not the light, but the power of the light. But
the mirror of power catches the light, as water does
the sun ; for water is as a clear mirror in comparison
with earth.
14. Now if water be mixed with earth, it no
longer catches the sun's Hght ; so likewise the human
spirit or soul catches not God's light, unless it
remain pure and set its desire upon that which is
pure, viz. upon the light; for what life imaginates
after, that it receives. The life of man is the form
of the two inward worlds. If life desire sulphur
in itself, then is Phur out of Sul its darkening; but
if it desire only Sul, then it receives the power of
the light, and in the power the light with its
property. For in Phur, viz. in fierce wrathful
Nature, life cannot remain clear as a miiTor, but
in Sul it can; for the life of man is a true mirror
of the Deity, wherein God beholds himself. He
gives his lustre and power to the human mirror, and
finds himself in man, as also in angels and in the
forms of heaven.
15. The light-world's essence is his finding or
revelation, and the dark world's essence is his loss.
He sees not himself in the dark world, for it
has no mirror that were susceptible of the light.
THE FOURTH POINT 75
All that imaginates after the dark world's essence
and property, that receives the dark world's property, and loses the miiTor of God. It becomes filled
with dark wrath ; hke as one mixes water with earth,
and then the sun cannot shine therein. This water
loses the mirror of the sun, and must withdraw
again from the earth ; else it is nevermore any mirror
of the sun, but is imprisoned in the wrathul dark
earth.
16. So it is also with human life. As long as
it imaginates after God's Spirit, it receives God's
power and light, and knows God. But when it
imaginates after earthliness or after the dark
world's property, it receives the essence of earthliness and of the dark world, and becomes filled with
the same. Then is life's mirror shut up in darkness, and loses the mirror of God, and must be born
anew.
17. As we know that Adam thus made the pure
mirror earthly, and lost God's power and light,
which Christ, God's Son, restored again, and broke
open the earthly darkness, and forcibly introduced
the mirror of God.
18. Thus we recognize how the holy tree grows
through all things, and out of all beings; but is
apprehended by no being, save only in the mirror
of purity, as in the pure life of man; which life
desires that tree, and it can be apprehended in no
dark life. This then is the fourth point.
THE FIFTH POINT
How A LIFE MAY PERISH IN THE TREE OF LIFE.
How IT PASSES OUT OF THE SOURCE OF LOVE
AND JOY INTO A SOURCE OF MISERY, WHICH IS
CONTRARY TO ALL OTHER LIVES.
CHAPTER VII
1. Every life is a clear gleam and mirror, and
appears like a flash of a terrible aspect. But if
this flash catch the light, it is transformed into
gentleness and drops the terror, for then the terror
unites itself to the light. And thus the light shines
from the terrible flash; for the flash is the light's
essence, it is its fire.
2. The flash contains the centrum naturae, being
the fourth form of Nature where life rises, which in
the steady fire, as in the principle, attains to perfection, but in the light is brought into another
quality.
3. Now, the origin of the imagination [magical
attraction] is in the first form of Nature, viz. in the
desiring sourness, which carries its form through
the dark world unto fire; for the first desire goes
through all forms, makes also all the forms, and
is carried as far as to fire. There is the dividing
bound-mark of spirit, there it is born. It is now
free. It may by its imagination go back again
76
THE FIFTH POINT 77
into its mother the dark world, or, going forward,
sink down through the anguish of fire into death,
and bud forth in the light. That depends on its
choice. Where it yields up itself, there it must be;
for its fire must have substance, that it may have
something to feed upon.
4. Will the spirit eat of its first mother the sourness, that is, will it give to its fire for food the fierce
essentiality in the centre, or the light's essentiality
in the hght -world, that is all in its own power;
whatever its fire receives, in the property thereof
does it burn.
5. In the dark property it burns in the dark,
harsh, stern source, and sees in itself as a flash; it
has only the mirror of darkness, and sees in the
darkness. In the light's property it catches the
gentleness of the light, in which the light-fire burns,
and sees in the light-world. All is nigh unto spirit,
and yet it can see in no other world or property
save in that wherein its fire burns; of that world is
the spirit only susceptible, it sees nothing in the
other world; it has no eyes for that. It remains
to it an eternal hiddenness, unless it has been in
another world and gone out from thence, and given
itself to another fire, f.s the devils did, who have
indeed a knowledge of the light-world, but no
feeling or seeing thereof ; the light-world is nigh to
them, but they know it not.
6. And now we are to recognize life's perdition,
which comes about in the first Principle. There
is the hinge, there the will may plunge whither it
will, If it set its desire upon plurality and will
78 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
itself be lord, then it cannot lay hold of plurality
otherwise than in a dark, stern sourness, in the dark
world. But if it desire to plunge into the nothing,
into freedom, it must abandon itself to fire; and
then it sinks down in the death of the first principle,
and buds forth out of the anguish of fire in the
light. For when it abandons itself, the eternal
will to Nature (which is God the Father) leads
it out through fire into himself. For with the
abandoning it falls unto the first will to Nature,
who brings it by the other will, which is his Son
or Heart, out of the anguishful Nature, and places
it with the Son's will in freedom beyond the
torment of fire. There it obtains, instead of
plurality, all; not for its own glory or power, but
for God's glory and power; God is in it both its will
and its doing.
7. But whatever will itself be lord in fire, that
goeth into its own number, into its essence which
itself is; and whatever surrenders its power, surrenders also its fire-burning, and falls unto that
which is a cause of fire, viz. unto the eternal will of
God.
8. Thus it has fallen into freedom out of its fire
of torment, and freedom kindles its fire. Its fire
is now become a light and a clear mirror, for it has
yielded itself up to Freedom, viz. to God. And
thus its fire is a semblance and reflection of the
Majesty of God.
9. But that which will not, but will itself be lord,
that remains its own; it cannot bring itself in its
own forms higher than to fire, moreover only to
THE FIFTH POINT 79
the flash; for no clear fire can burn in it, seeing
it has in itself no clear substance for fire. The
centrum naturae has nothing in itself from which a
clear brightness is able to arise ; but the freedom out
of Nature is a cause of such shining. Whatever
yields itself up to Nature, yet desires not Nature's
property but freedom, that becomes enkindled in
its flash of life by freedom, in the way the second
Principle has enkindled itself.
10. Thus we understand how a life perishes, that
is, how it introduces itself in anguish and torment
into darkness ; namely, when it will be its own lord
and desires plurality. If it will not give itself up
to death, then it cannot attain any other world.
11. For every life arises in the torment of
anguish, in Nature, and has no light in itself, except
it enter into that which gives birth to Nature ; there
it receives light.
12. For all that is in Nature is dark and in
anguish, as is to be recognized by this world. Were
the sun to be taken away, there would be nothing
but anguish and darkness. And therefore God put
himself in motion, so as to give a light to this world,
that the external life might be in light.
13. But as regards the inner life of the soul, it
has another form. This inner life can the external
not attain. Hath the soul's fire not God's light,
neither can the soul's will enter into God's light;
it must remain in the darkness of the Eternal
Nature.
14. External Reason thinks, if the outward eye
sees, that is good; there is no other seeing possible.
80 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
Bad enough, forsooth! When the poor soul borrows the external mirror, and must make shift with
this alone, where is its seeing? When the external
mirror breaks, wherewith will it see then? With
the terrible fire-flash in the horror, in the darkness ;
it can see nowhere else.
15. Therefore it often happens when the poor
captive soul beholds itself in the inward root, and
thinks what will follow when for it the external
mirror breaks, that it is terrified, and plunges the
body in fear and doubt.
16. For it can look nowhere where its eternal rest
might be, but it finds that it is in itself in utter
unrest, moreover in a darkness; it has the external
mirror only by way of loan.
17. As long as the soul is in this body, it may
indeed make shift with the sun-mirror, for the sun
has in its root the inner fire as the principle of the
Father. From this fire the soul receives a lustre or
mirror in the essence of the body, so that it is able
thus in this earthly, transitory life to be in joy.
But when the external mirror breaks, that is at an
end ; and the soul's fire goes into the eternal house
of mourning, into the centre of darkness.
18. The soul has in the time of the outer body
three mirrors or eyes of all the three worlds. The
mirror to which it turns itself, by that does it see.
But it has no more than one as a natural right,
namely the fire-flash, the fourth form of the dark
world, where the two inward worlds separate (one
into the darkness, the other into the hght), and
where its eternal origin is. The world into which
THE FIFTH POINT 81
the soul introduces its will, in the same it receives
also substance, viz. a spiritual body. For this substance becomes for the soul's fire a food, or matter
of its burning.
19. And therefore God has introduced the soul
into flesh and blood, that it might not so easily
become susceptible of the wrath-essence. Thus it
has its delight meanwhile in the mirror of the sun,
and rejoices in the sidereal essence. Presented to
it is ( 1 ) the light-world in its true fire, ( 2 ) the dark
world in the fire-root, (3) the outer elemental world
in the astral source. Among them hovers the great
mj^stery of the soul's fire.
20. The world to which the soul unites and
abandons itself, from that it receives substance in
its imagination. But because it has in Adam
turned itself to the spirit of this world, and carried
its imagination into the same, its highest desire is
now in the essence of the sun and stars, and by this
desire it draws the spirit of the outer world with its
substance of four elements continually into itself,
and has its greatest joy therein; in which it is in
a strange lodging as guest, for the abyss is beneath
it, and there is great danger.
21. Here external Reason says: God has created
the soul in flesh and blood in the outer world, what
harm can that do it? This Reason knows no more
of the soul's origin than a cow does of a new stable
door. She looks at it, and it seems to her to be
strange ; so also to external Reason the inner world
seems to be something strange.
22. It finds itself in the outer world, and aspires
82 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
after that which the outer world has ; and yet finds
in itself the inner world, which continually arraigns
the soul before God's wrath. It finds also the
light-world, to which the inward desires of the soul's
principle look. It feels indeed the longing after
God, but the outer world hinders this and covers
it up; so that the desire after God's world cannot
kindle fire in itself. If that were done, then would
the hght- world be manifest in the first principle,
and the noble image of God would be revealed.
23. This is also hindered by the devil, who
possesses the root of this world in the soul's fire.
He is always holding up to the soul evil earthly
things, or moving the root in the centre of Nature
in the fierce wrath; so that the poor soul enkindles
itself either in the wrath-fire in the evil poisonsource, or else in fear and doubt of God's love. He
has then carried the day, and sets before the soul
external power, authority and honour, also the
splendour and pomp of the outer world. Then
the soul bites at this, and tickles itself therein with
imagination; and yet cannot truly enjoy the same,
for it is only a borrowed mirror.
24. The poor soul is thus drawn away from God's
light, and is sinking always into perdition, viz. into
the dark house of misery, into the dark world.
That did Adam prepare for us when he introduced
his desire into earthliness. And thus the poor soul
swims now in earthly flesh and blood, and is always
eating of the tree of temptation of evil and good,
and is drawn strongly by both; and the serpent's
monstrous shape is in the midst, in the source of
THE FIFTH POINT 83
wrath, and continually blows up the anger and
fierce wrath.
25. Here then can the noble lily-branch nowhere
recover itself, often also not recognize itself. It is
oftentimes overwhelmed with the fierceness of
malignity, so that it is as if it were wholly destroyed ;
and it would be destroyed were the mirror of the
Deity not turned towards it, in which the spirit
of the will of the poor captive soul may recover
itself, and regenerate itself therein.
26. For in the mirror of the light-world the incarnation of Christ is presented to the soul's spirit;
and the Word that became man stands in sound,
and is in action. Therein may the soul's spirit
recover itself and generate itself anew; else it were
often past help with the poor soul, when it is
immersed in wrath and in the poison of the dark
world.
27. And thus we understand at bottom what the
destruction of the noble tree, or the image of God,
is, namely this :
28. The entire man is in his being the three
worlds. The soul's centre, viz. the root of the soul's
fire, contains the dark world; and the soul's fire
contains the first Principle as the true fire-world.
And the noble image, or the tree of divine growth,
which is generated from the soul's fire and buds
forth through fierce wi'athful death in freedom or
in the world of light, contains the light -world or the
second Principle, And the body, which in the
beginning was created out of the mixed substance
which at creation arose from the light-world, the
84 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
dark world and the fire-world, contains the outer
world or the third mixed Principle.
29. The right soul is the spirit of these three
worlds, as God's Spirit is the spirit of all the three
worlds. In the dark world it is wrathful, stern and
an austere source, and is called God's anger. In
the hght-world it is lovely, gentle and joyous, and
is the spirit from God's Heart, the Holy Spirit.
In the outer world it is the spirit of air, as also of
fire and water, and may be used as man pleases,
all unto the great wonders.
30. Thus is man according to the particular person the great mystery in the three worlds. The
world to which he turns himself, in which he produces fruit, the same is lord in him, and this world
becomes manifest in him; the other two remain
hidden. As fire is hidden in wood, so light or the
light-world remains hidden in the wrathful dark
world; as also in malignity, in the distemper of
the inner world in the outer world.
31. But if the light- world cannot become manifest in man so as to be lord, then the soul at the
breaking of the outer world remains only in the
dark world; for there it is no longer possible for
the light-world to be kindled. There is for the light
no longer any mirror that were turned towards the
soul. The heart of God is not manifest therein,
nor eternally can be (for the dark world must be,
else the Hght would not be manifest) ; but here in
this world that may be.
32. And though a soul be plunged in the deepest
abyss, and lies in the wrath of God, yet in the
THE FIFTH POINT 85
external light of the sun it has before it the lightmirror wherein the divine power reveals itself, as
also the mirror of the incarnation of Christ, which
in the inner dark world never is known.
33. And our whole teaching is nothing else than
how man should kindle in himself God's light-world.
For if this be kindled, so that God's light shines
in the soul's spirit, then the whole body hath light,
as Christ says : If the eye be light, then is the whole
body light (JNIatt. vi. 22, 23) . He means the soul's
eye. And if the wi'ath of the dark world be kindled,
then are body and soul dark, and have only a lustre
from the sun. If the divine light be kindled, it
burns in love and meekness; and if the wrath of
the dark world be kindled, it burns in stinging envy
and hate, in fierce rage, and flees away in the
external mirror of the smi's light into pride, and
will always be mounting above the source of love,
whereupon follows scorn and contempt of meekness
and of all that is lowly.
34. And here man should prove or try himself,
and recognize which world is lord in him. If he
find that anger, wrath, envy, falsehood, lying and
deceit is his desire; also pride, avarice, and continual greed of honour and earthly pleasure, that
he is but a perpetual itch for wantonness and lewdness; then he may know with certainty that he
burns with anger, wrath, envy, falsehood, lying
and deceit in the dark, viz. in the dark world's
fire. For this fire gives such essence, desire and
will.
35. And the other desire, viz. earthly pleasure,
86 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
pride, thirst for honour, avarice, and the perpetual
wanton bestial itch of concupiscence, is the fruit
which grows out of the dark world in the outer
world.
36. As love buds out of death (where the spirit
of the will yields up itself to the fire of God, and
sinks down as it were in death, but buds forth in
God's kingdom with a friendly desire always to do
well) ; so hath the will of wickedness given itself to
perdition, viz. to wrathful, stern, eternal death, but
buds forth with its twig in this corrupt world in
outer nature, and bears such fruit.
37. By this should every one learn to know himself, he need only search for his distinctive property.
To whatever his will constantly drives him, in that
kingdom does he stand; and he is not a man as
he accounts himself and pretends to be, but a
creature of the dark world, viz. a greedy hound, a
proud bird, a lustful animal, a fierce serpent, an
envious toad full of poison. All these properties
spring in him, and are his wood from which his fire
burns. When the outer wood, or the substance of
four elements, abandons him at his death, then the
inner poisonous evil quality alone remains.
38. What figure now must stand in such a quality? None else but what was strongest amongst
these properties ; this is figured in the helhsh Fiat in
his form, as a venomous serpent, a dog or other
beast. The property to which the spirit of the will
has given itself up, that same property is afterward
the soul's image. And this is one part.
39. Further, man should prove or try himself
THE FIFTH POINT 8T
in his desire ( for every man has these evil properties
in him) , to see whether he finds in himself a constant
longing to kill this poison and malignity; whether
he be enemy to this poison; or whether he hath his
delight in continually putting the false poison into
operation, viz. in pride, covetousness, envy, hcentiousness, lying and deceit.
40. Now, if he find in himself that he hath his
delight therein, and is always ready to put the same
into practice, then he is not a man, as he accounts
himself to be; but the devil in a strange form
deceives him, so that he believes he is a man. But
he bears not God's but the serpent's image; and is
only in the external kingdom a likeness to an image
of man, so long as he remains in this property so
that this property is supreme lord.
41. But if he find strife and combat within him,
that his inner will always, yea, hourly, fights against
these evil properties, suppresses them, and suffers
them not to attain to evil being; that he would fain
always do well, and yet finds that these evil properties hinder him, so that he cannot accomplish
what he would; and finds the desire for abstinence
and repentance, that a perpetual desire after God's
mercy springs in him, so that he would gladly do
well if he could:
42. This man may think and assuredly know
that God's fire glimmers in him, and continually
labours towards the light. It would fain burn, and
is always giving essence for flame ; but is quenched
by the evil hmnidity of this world, which Adam has
introduced into us.
88 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
43. But when the outer evil body with its vapours
perishes, so that it can no longer obstruct the
glimmering wick, then the divine fire becomes
enkindled in its essence, and the divine image is
figured according to the strongest quality which the
man has here carried in his desire. If, however, he
continue not in the above-mentioned warfare, but
drops the struggle, he may again deteriorate most
dangerously.
44. The third proof and trial is this, that a man
recognize in what being or figure he stands. If he
find that he hath a constant desire after God, and
in his desire is so strong that he can again break
and transform into gentleness the evil essences,
as often as for him a quality becomes enkindled;
that he is able to let all go that shines and glitters
in this world; that he can do good for evil;
that he hath full mastery over all his worldly
substance, be it money or goods, to give thereof
to the needy and for God's truth to abandon it
all; and freely and willingly for God's sake resign
himself to misery in assured hope of that which
is eternal : for him the divine power flows, so that he
may kindle the light of the kingdom of joy therein;
he tastes what God is. He is the most undoubted
man, and carries the divine image with heavenly
essence in himself even in the time of the outer
body.
45. There Jesus is born of the Virgin, and that
man never dies. He lets pass from him only the
earthly kingdom, which was to him in this time an
opposition and hindrance, with which God has
THE FIFTH POINT 89
concealed him. For God will not cast pearls before
swine ; they are hidden in Him.
46. This same new man dwells not in this world;
neither doth the devil know him, only he is hostile
to his essence, which contains the inward centre;
for it impedes him that his will is not done. And
therefore he incites the evil animal-men against him,
to vex and persecute him, so that the true humanity
remains concealed.
90 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
CHAPTER VIII
Of the right human essence from God's
essence.
1. The right true himian essence is not earthly,
nor from the dark world ; it is generated only in the
light-world; it has no communion or fellowship
with the dark world, nor with the outer world;
there is a great bar, viz. death, between them.
2. Not that there is nothing of the true essence
in the external man. It is there; for it was given
to Adam in his image. But it is shut up and lies
in death, and cannot qualify; neither has it any
motion in itself, unless it becomes quick in the power
of the Deity. As it became quick in the Virgin
Mary by God's motion and entrance; there the
right human essence came again to life.
3. So also in us the right human essence is not
stirring, except we be born of God in Christ.
4. In the baptism of infants the Word of God
enters into union and connection with them in the
covenant, and is the first stirring in this world; as a
smouldering in wood that begins to glimmer, but
the wicklet is often after darkened and extinguished. Moreover, in many a child that is begotten of wholly godless essence, it is not susceptible.
5. Christ said: Suffer little children to come unto
me, for of such is the kingdom of God ( Mark x. 14) .
Not dogs, wolves, toads or serpents, but children,
THE FIFTH POINT 91
in whom the essence is not wholly devihsh. For
many a child is baptized in the wrath of God, for
which the parents are to blame. An evil tree bears
evil fruit, says Christ.
6. And though He is come into this world to
save what was lost, yet it depends also on the
essence of that which will let itself be helped. For
an animal-man may attain the image [of God], if
he turn round and suffer the Word that became
man to draw him. If not, then he remains in his
animal essence an evil beast.
7. But we are not to suppose that baptism lays
the first foundation of the human essence, and is
wholly the first enkindling cause of the divine fire.
No, that is not so; for a child becomes through
the parents' essence a spirit, as also flesh and blood,
with espousal of the constellation of the spirit
majoris mundi.
8. At the time when a child in the womb has
attained to life, then immediately divine or hellish
essence glimmers from the primal fount and origin.
9. And if but a small spark of the divine essence
be active, the child is susceptible of baptism. And
though it should die unbaptized, yet the spark is
in God's Mystery, and glimmers in God's kingdom, and is kindled in the fire of God. For it
dies in the Mysterium of the Father, and glimmers
up in the Mysterium of the Son who became man.
10. The parents' baptism and covenant is its
baptism and covenant. The reconciliation has
taken place in human blood, in the right true human
essence. God's word or heart has given itself to
92 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
the shut up, dead, human essence; not to the
earthly part, but to the heavenly part. Not to
the part that Adam by his imagination introduced,
which is earth; but to the part which was given
to Adam from the angelic world, which he corrupted and poisoned with the earthly craving for
in the craving earthly, coarse, animal flesh was
produced.
11. This part has the right human essence, and
in this part God became man. And this same part
has the ground of the angelic world, for it takes its
origin from the angelic world.
12. But if most frequently godless parents are
immersed wholly in the wrath of God, and so beget
children in the wrath; then is their seed shut up
in death, and has in it nothing of the right human
essence, which is moving, save only what the
constellation in the spirit ma j oris mundi has in
itself. There certainly the divine power has some
movement; but the wrath's power exists as
opposite, and is heavy. Nevertheless, there is no
impossibility; for the incarnation of God, his
becoming man, is presented to all souls in the life's
light.
13. But baptism contains something else. God's
essence (as the water of eternal life born of God's
gentleness) must move the right human essence
(with Adam shut up in death), and yield itself up
there as a new life or a living essence. God's water
must baptize ; the Holy Spirit must be the operant.
14. But I say, according to my knowledge, that
the water of eternal Hfe, upon which the Holy
THE FIFTH POINT 93
Spirit broods, will hardly yield itself up to the
poison of wrath and death, where there is not an
essence of desire [toward God] .
15. I say, then, that a child (as soon as it has life
in the womb) is, so far as the divine essence is
moving in the heavenly part, already baptized by
the Holy Spirit, and attains the incarnation of
Christ. For baptism depends not on the priest's
power, that the Holy Spirit should wait upon him.
The incarnation of Christ waited not upon man's
power, but upon the goal that God set in his
covenant. This goal was blessed. Therefore the
angel said to Mary: Blessed art thou among
women. The goal lay in her, and was blessed,
and blessed her also when God's heart awakened
the goal.
16. This goal reached back to Adam, and forward to the last man. When God became man,
the goal was awakened in the heavenly part; not
only in Mary, but also in Adam and Eve, and all
their children who had given themselves up to God ;
these were all blessed in the goal.
17. For that is the covenant of grace which God
estabhshed with Adam and Eve. This covenant
is in all human essence, but not in devihsh essence.
18. But baptism is the seal that God affixed to
the covenant, as in the old testament circumcision.
In baptism God gives divine water to the human
race as a pledge and seal; but the covenant is
already there before baptism; it was made in
paradise, yea before the foundation of the world.
As soon as a soul is stirring in the womb, so that
94 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
a human soul is born, it is in the covenant. For
Christ has given himself to the fire of God, to the
principle, and fulfilled the covenant, and is become
the result of the testament.
19. This result waits not upon any external ordinance, upon the delusion of the outer man; but as
soon as a soul is born from the principle, it is in the
result of the testament, so far as the divine life is
moving in it. But not in godless souls; in them
the divine life must first be born. God's wi-ath
swallows up many a soul still in essence, before it
attains the principle ; because it is from false essence,
from evil seed of the parents.
20. Reason says: What can a child do to this,
that the parents are wicked? Nay, what can even
God do? It is in the parents' power to get a child.
What can God do to this, that whores and profligates creep together? Though the false tree
springs not thus from this line only, but also in
marriage. Man is free; if he awaken no life, his
seed remains an essence. Shall God, because of the
child's innocency, cast pearls before swine? The
kingdom of heaven confronts it; let it enter, God
closes the kingdom of heaven to none.
21. But a bad man is shut up in body and soul,
why not also in the seed? The seed is truly the
fruit of his body. If we would reap good wheat,
we of right sow wheat; but if thistle seed be sown,
a thistle gi'ows from it. Must God then change
that into wheat? Has not the sower power to
sow in his field what he pleases? Or wilt thou
say: What can the thistle do to this, that it is
THE FIFTH POINT 95
a thistle and pricks? It belongs not among the
wheat, but grows up itself along with it.
22. God were certainly content though no thistlechild did grow; it is not his ordinance. But the
devil sows weeds amongst the wheat, viz. in the
heart of man. Why does man suffer this and destroy himself, so that his essence becomes a thistleseed, and yields weeds to the fire in the wrath of
God? It is not all attributable to the seed, but
depends on the field. INIany a noble gi-ain perishes
in the evil field's essence. The heavens with the
sun give life and power to all growth. The sun
makes no weeds, neither desires any ; but the essence
in the field makes oftentimes another thing, and
destroys the good.
23. So also in man. Many a curse sticks which
one wishes the other, when the other has provoked
it, and is apt for it; as indeed is common among
godless married people, one wishing the other the
devil and hell-fire. If then they both be godless,
should not then their godless will be realized to
them, by their begetting godless childi'en? There
is not anything that is good in them, what good
thing then shall come out of them? What can God
do to this? He sets his word and teaching before
them, and announces to them their destruction.
If they will not regard it, let them go whither they
please. So too is their seed; and thus many a child
is born a thistle and evil beast, and is baptized in the
wrath of God.
24. For, of what essence the soul's spirit is, in
such an essence it receives also the divine nature
96 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
in the covenant: one in the power of light, in love;
another in the power of wrath, in darkness.
25. The covenant at baptism stands firm. Every
child is baptized in the covenant; the Spirit of
God baptizes each one, if we observe the customary
form, but ki accordance with the child's property.
Often the father and mother, as also the baptizer,
are godless, and only evil beasts, and there is no real
earnestness. The outward pomp and the money is
the main point with them ; they despise the mystery.
Here the child is wholly in the property of wrath.
Who then shall baptize? None other than the
wrath of God in his covenant, for that men do but
make a mock of it.
26. Thus the source of wrath seizes the new
spirit, works powerfully in it, and brings forth fruit
to perdition. As St. Paul says of the other testament, that the wicked man receives it unto judgment, not discerning the Lord's body (1 Cor. xi.
29). That is, he distinguishes not in himself the
heavenly part of his essence from the earthly, to put
his will into the heavenly and offer this up to God ;
but deems all common, as an ox eats the fodder.
27. Therefore the wrath of God springs in him, so
that he doth not break off his will from the earthly
and repent of his wickedness. His heavenly part
cannot become partaker of God's body, because
he cannot awaken the essence of the heavenly
part. Thus it has no mouth to receive God's body,
the mouth being shut up in death. The earthly
part, however, receives Christ's body, but according
to the property of wrath, according to the propTHE FIFTH POINT 97
erty of the dark world; for the testament must
stand.
28. In like manner is baptism. According as
the soul's essence is in being, so also does it enjoy
God's covenant. It were better a wholly godless
child were not baptized, and that a wicked man in
his sins without conversion did not touch God's
testament; for it brings them both only power to
perdition. God's covenant is never moved without
fruit. God works in his covenant according to his
word.
29. As is the soul which moves the covenant, so
is the medicament in the covenant, and in such a
power the Spirit of God works in love and wrath;
for he is the spirit of every life, and assimilates
himself to every life. He is in every thing as the
thing's will and property is, for one property seizes
the other. What the soul wills, that he wills also,
and thereinto the soul enters.
30. It is all magical; what the will of a thing
wills, that it receives. A toad takes only poison
into itself; though it sit in the best apothecary's
shop; the like also does a serpent. Every thing
takes only its own property into itself ; and though
it eat the substance of a good property, yet it converts all in itself into its own property. Though
a toad should eat honey, yet this becomes poison in
it. As indeed the devil was an angel ; but when he
willed nothing good, his heavenly essence became
to him hellish poison, and his evil will remained evil
one time as another.
31. We are therefore highly to consider our hfe.
98 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
what we would do and be at. We have evil and
good in us. The one wherein we draw our will,
its essence becomes active in us; and such a property we draw also from without into us. We
have the two Mysteries, the divine and the devilish
in us, of the two eternal worlds, and also of the
outer world. What we make of ourselves, that we
are; what we awaken in ourselves, that is moving
in us. If we lead ourselves to good, then God's
Spirit helps us; but if we lead ourselves to evil,
then God's wrath and anger helps us. Whatever
we will, of that property we obtain a leader, and
thereinto we lead ourselves. It is not God's will
that we perish, but his wrath's and our own will.
And thus we understand the fifth point.. How
a life perishes, and how out of good an evil comes,
and out of evil a good, when the will turns round.
THE SIXTH POINT
Of the life of darkness, wherein the devils
dwell; WHAT BIRTH AND QUALITY IT HATH.
CHAPTER IX
1. The life of darkness is repugnant to all life
of light; for the darkness gives fierce and hostile
essence, and the life of light gives love-essence.
2. In the darkness there is in the essence only
a perpetual stinging and breaking, each form being
enemy to the other — a contrarious essence. Each
form is a liar to itself, and one says to the other,
that it is evil and adverse to it, that it is a cause
of its restlessness and fierceness. Each thinks in
itself: If only the other form were not, thou wouldst
have rest; and yet each of them is evil and false.
Hence it is, that all that is born of the dark property
of wrath is lying, and is always lying against the
other forms, saying they are evil; and yet it is
itself a cause thereof, it makes them evil by its
poisonous infection.
3. Thus are they all, and lying is their truth.
When they speak lies, they speak from their own
forms and properties. And so also are their
creatures. Therefore Christ said: The devil is a
liar and murderer from the beginning (John viii.
44). For each form desires to murder the other,
99
100 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
and yet there is no killing; but the greater the
strife is, the greater becomes their murderous
life.
4. And therefore it is called an eternal death
and enmity, where nothing but contrariety arises.
For there is nothing that could abolish the strife,
nothing that could hold in check a single form.
The more it were resisted, the greater would be
the fierceness; hke a fire that is stirred, whereby it
burns but the more.
5. Thus the fierce wrathful kingdom can be
extinguished by nothing, save only by God's light,
by which it becomes wholly gentle, lovely and full
of joy. And neither can that be; for if the dark
kingdom were to be kindled with the light, the light
would have no root to its nature and property, no
fire could be generated, neither were there any
light, nor any power, but all were a nothing.
6. Hence the kingdom of wrath must be, for it
is a cause of the fire-world and the light-world, and
all is God's. But all is not acknowledged as or
called God, as the dark world has another property, and the light-world is a cause of the fierceness and terror of the dark property; for the darkness is terrified at the light, and stands in eternal terror because the light -world dwells in it. It trembles
eternally before the light, and yet cannot apprehend
it ; but is only a cause of life and of movement. And
thus all must be subservient to the glory of God.
7. The life of darkness has many forms ; it is not
one and the same property. As we are to recognize
by the creatures of this world, where one is always
THE SIXTH POINT 101
worse than the other, also has its subsistence in
a different source from the other; who nevertheless
all live in the sun's power and light, by which they
are meekened.
8. But if the sun were to be extinguished, then
would the deep be wrathful and stinging. Then
we should soon see the property of the dark world,
how all creatures would become poisonous and
evil.
9. For every hfe is rooted in poison. The light
alone resists the poison, and yet is a cause that the
poison lives and faints not.
10. We are therefore to recognize that the life
of darkness is only a fainting poison, like a dying
source; and yet there is no dying there. For
the light-world stands opposed to the mirror of
darkness, whereby the darkness is eternally in
terror.
11. The dark life is like a terror, where the flash
and terror is always mounting upwards, as if it
would quit the life and fly out above it. And hence
arises pride, so that the devil is always wishing
to be above God ; it is his proprium, his life's figure
is so, and he cannot do otherwise. Just as a poison
rages and pierces, as if it would break loose from
the member;
12. So is the hfe of darkness in itself. The
poisonful essences make such an inward disposition, and from the disposition proceeds such a
will-spirit. There is such a property therein, and
consists of seven forms, according to the centre of
Nature with its principle. As the life of joy con102 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
sists of seven forms by right of Nature, so also
does the life of sorrowfulness. That which in
the light gives joy, in the darkness gives sorrowfulness.
13. And yet it is not to be thought that the life
of darkness therefore sinks down into misery, that
it would forget itself as if it were sorrowful. There
is no sorrowing; but what with us on earth is
sorrowing according to this property, is in the darkness power and joy according to the property of the
darkness. For sorrowfulness is a thing that is
swalllowed up in death. But death and dying is
the life of the darkness, just as anguish is the life of
the poison. The greater the anguish becomes in
the poison, the stronger becomes the poison-life, as
is to be seen in the external poison.
14. We cannot, then, say of the devil that he
sits in dejection, as if he were faint-hearted. There
is no faint-heartedness in him, but a constant will
to kindle the poison-source more, that his fierceness may become greater. For this fierceness is
his strength, wherein he draws his will to mount
above the thrones and inflame them. He would
be a mighty lord in the poison-source, for it is the
strong and great life. But the light is his misery
and dread; that checks his bravery. He is terrified at the light; for it is his true poison, which
torments him. Because he abandoned it, it now
resists him. Of which he is ashamed, that he is
thus a deformed angel in a strange image. He
would be content with the source of wrath, if only
THE SIXTH POINT 103
the light were not so near him. Shame is therefore
so great in him that he grows furious, and kindles
his poisonous source more and more, so that his
jSgure becomes increasingly horrible, and the divine
image is not recognized in him. He aims only at
how he may storm and rage against God, as if he
were a foreign thing, or a foreign power, as if he
had a foreign kingdom; whereas he is poor, and
the dark kingdom is not his, but he is only a prisoner in it. It is God's abyss ; he is only a creature
therein. He would be lord therein, and yet is
but a juggler with the fierceness; although he
must act according to the property. And this is
also a wonder before the stern might of eternity.
It is as a sport wherewith the stern might hath
its dissipation, by which it is distinguished what
evil or good, joy or sorrow, is; and that the
creatures in the light-world have cause to humble
themselves. And yet God created no devil, nor
destined Lucifer for the dark world. But this is
enmity in Lucifer, that he was an angel, and
that the light is so near him that he became an
apostate.
15. There is no pain in the creatures which have
been created in the dark world ; for they are of the
fierce wrathful property, and know nothing of the
light. Fierceness is their strength and might, and
enmity their will and life. The more evil and
hostile a creature is in the dark world, the greater
is its might. As the powerful tyrants of this world
often exhibit their power in malignity, so that men
104 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
must fear them, or as tame animals are afraid of
ferocious ones; so has this Hkewise a property in
the dark world.
16. If we will rightly consider the property of
the dark world, let us look upon the malice and
pride of this world, which is a figure or type. For
all malice, falsehood, pride and covetousness has
its root from the dark world; it is the property of
the dark world, whether it be recognized in men or
beasts.
17. For this world rests upon the foundation of
the dark world. The dark world gives to this world
essence, will and quality. And had not the good
been introduced also at creation, there would be
no other doing or will in this world than in the dark
world. But the divine power and the sun's hght
hinder that. As is to be seen among men and
beasts, how there is a biting, hating and striking,
and an arrogant self-will, each wishing to rule over
the other, to kill and devour the other, and elevate
itself alone; also to trample upon everything with
guile, wrath, malice and falsehood, and make itself
lord.
18. In like manner the dark world has such a
property. What all wicked men in this world do
in their malice and falsehood, that also the devils
do in the dark world; and what the poisonous evil
worms and beasts in their malignity do, that also
the other creatures do in the dark world. Though
they are without such a body, yet they have such
a property in their spiritual body ; and though they
THE SIXTH POINT 105
have a body, yet it is after the fashion of spirit, as
the devils have one.
19. The birth, being, essence and dominion of
the dark world lies principally in the first four
forms of Nature, viz. in the source of anguish, in
an exceedingly strong and powerful dominion,
where all in the essence is divulged. For gentleness
is the enmity of the wrath-power, and each is against
the other.
20. Else, if they should be one, there would
necessarily be but one quality; and if there were
also only one will, the eternal wonders could not
become manifest. But the manifold quality makes
the eternal wonders manifest. For eternity could
not otherwise become manifest, nor attain to being,
save through the enkindling, viz. in the stern harsh
attraction in which the dark world stands, and in
which the fire-world and also the light-world take
their rise. All is only a single essence or substance,
but it separates itself into three properties. One
property is not separated from the other, but each
gives the other; as is to be seen in fire and light,
as also in the matter from which the fire burns.
21. And man need not search deeper, for he
is himself the essence of all beings. But because
he has in his creation turned aside from his original
order, and introduced and awakened another quality
in himself, it is necessary for him to inquire how
he may re-enter into his eternal order and quality,
and generate himself anew. And then, how he
may extinguish the fierce wrathful quahty which
106 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
is moving in him, for all is active in him and draws
him, both evil and good. Therefore he should learn
how to resist wrath, and walk in meekness, in the
quality of light and love.
22. Man, moreover, has no law except he enkindle
himself in the dark world's property, and walk
according to this property. Independently of that,
all is free to him. Whatsoever he doth in meekness
and love is without restriction for him, and is his
proper being; it consists not in any one's name or
presumption.
23. All that is grown from one root is and belongs
to one tree, it is but one manner of fruit; unless it corrupt itself, so that the very essence
changes.
24. As long as a thing remains in the essence
from which it arose, it has no law; but if it withdraw therefrom into another quality, the first
quality hangs unto it, and is in conflict with the
other. And then law ensues, that it should return
again into that which it originally was, and be one,
not two; for one thing should exercise only one
dominion, not two. Man was created in the
dominion of love and gentleness, as in God's Being,
and therein he was to remain.
25. But because he was awakened another dominion, viz. fierce wrath, he is now in combat and
strife, and has laws, that he may mortify and
abandon the fierceness, and be in one dominion
again. Since then both dominions are become
powerful in him, and the dominion of wrath has
overpowered love, he must wholly break to pieces
THE SIXTH POINT 107
in substance, and be re-born again from the first
root. And therefore he has in this twofold being
laws, how he should conduct himself and generate
a will-spirit unto the eternal dominion.
26. All this hes in his power. He may bring
forth the spirit of wrath or the spirit of love, and in
accordance with the same he is separated whither
and into which world he belongs; for he separates
himself.
27. But the law continues over him as long as he
is in this hfe (field). Then, when the weed separates from this field of the body, it is in one dominion
again, where it shall remain eternally; for after
that there is nothing more to give it law, inasmuch
as it is wholly one in its will, either to do evil or
good.
28. But in this external life man is in combat and
strife. Two dominions, qualities and laws repose in
him. The divine unto love and righteousness ; and
the wrathful in the rising of pride in the power of
fire, in the stern, harsh, hellish covetousness, envy,
anger and malice. The one to which the spirit
unites itself, of that dominion it is. The other
hangs unto it, and reproaches it to its face as a
perjured wi-etch and an apostate; but nevertheless draws it, and will have it. Thus hfe is in a
desperate strait between the two, and is at odds
with itself.
29. But if it resolve rashly, and abandon itself
wholly to the wrath, then the fierce wrath destroys
the first image according to God. And if it cannot entirely, because the divine power hinders that.
108 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
then it would cast the whole man headlong; and
many a one is plunged into despair in this anguish,
so that he lays violent hands on himself.
30. Thus the soul with the image falls unto the
wrathful, dark world; and the image is brought
into a hellish figure, into a form of its property
which it had here. So it fared also with the devils,
who have lost their first image.
31 Every devil has an image according to his
property, according to the figure of the wrath,
in accordance with its quahty; like as there are
horrible worms or evil beasts, and such a thing has
also the lost soul to expect.
32. External Reason supposes that hell is far
from us. But it is near us. Every one carries
it in himself, unless he kill the hellish poison with
God's power, and bud forth therefrom as a new
twig, which the hellish quality cannot seize or
touch (riigen).
33. Though indeed the fierceness of hell is recognized more in one place than in another, all
according to the hellish dominion, where the upper
dominion is powerful in various places in the locus
of this world; all according to the fire enkindling
of King Lucifer, as in many places of the earth,
as also in the deep between the stars and the
earth, is the hellish quality to be discerned above
other places, where the inner fierceness extends
to the external principle. Here then are distinct
dominions of devils, also of the other hellish
properties ; here the fierce wrath of God has strongly
THE SIXTH POINT 109
inflamed itself, and now burns until the judgment
of God.
34. Every man carries heaven and hell within
hi min this world. The property which he awakens,
the same burns in him, and of that fire is the soul
susceptible. And when the body dies, the soul
needs to go nowhither, but it is committed to the
hellish dominion of which it is the property. Those
devils who are of its property await it, and receive
it into their dominion until the judgment of God.
And though they are confined to no place, yet
they belong to the same dominion, and the same
quality they have everywhere. Wherever they
go, they are in the same dominion and quality;
for the abyss has no place, neither time nor space.
As it was before the times of the world, when there
was no place; so it is and remains so eternally in
the abyss.
35. And though the place of this world was given
to Lucifer for a kingdom (for he was created
therein), yet he has been cast out from place and
position, and dwells in the abyss, where he can
never reach any place of the angehc kingdom; but
is shut up in his own realm in the abyss, where he
must bear eternal reproach as a prisoner. As is
done to a malefactor, who is put into a dark dungeon
away from all the beings of this world, where he
must do without any mundane joy or pleasure and
bear the reproach of his crime.
36. So it fares also with the devils, and with all
damned souls, who he captive in the dark prison.
110 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
Nor do they desire to come out, because of the
great reproach of their horrible form and image.
And wherever they go, yet they never enjoy any
good; there is among them no refreshment. But
they lie in hell as the dead, or as eternally hungry,
fainting and thirsty; and are only an evil poisonsource. All is to them adverse and contrary.
They have only a thirst after anguish and malice;
these they devour eternally, and bring forth
blasphemies upon themselves. The more horrible
they can make their figure, the more pleasing that
is to them. Like buffoons, who on earth would
fain be always the greatest fools, give themselves
a hideous appearance, and have their delight
therein; so they do also eternally in hell, and
accordingly they begin the game here on earth. As
the tyrant delights when he can torment men, and
spend their sweat in show and luxury, in foolish
strange attire and behaviour, and ape the fool; so
do also the devils in hell. And the luxury of this
world in its strange garb is a true type of the hellish
world.
37. AH the curious tassels and tufts which the
proud man devises, and clothes his foolish man
therewith, whereby he would be distinguished from
the true children of God, are types of the hellish
world. All his bedizenment, glittering show and
ostentation, by which he withdraws himself from
humility, is a hellish mirror; for the devil's pride
will be like to none, it keeps itself distinct in this
world. And the blind man understands not this,
how the devil fools and deceives him, and thus only
THE SIXTH POINT ill
to mock God prefigures his own proud mask; so
that the poor man does as he does, and thinks he is
thereby fine, and better than other men, whereas
we all arise and proceed from one body and spirit.
But before God and his angels he is recognized
only as a devil's mask, and is in the sight of heaven
an abomination. As a fool in comparison with
wisdom is but an abomination, so is also hypocritical
pride an abomination before God and his angels,
in presence of the noble image. The world still
cleaves to this abomination, and therewith marks
out the corrupt image of earthliness.
38, He who sees a proud man sees the heavy fall
of Adam, and a type of the hellish world; a half
devil and half man, to whom the devil has continual access. For he is the devil's servant in this
world; the devil does his work thi'ough him, and
the poor man knows it not, and so enters the devil's
service to his eternal reproach. He thinks he is
thereby fine and important, and is thereby in the
sight of God only as a fool, who puts on strange
clothing and takes to himself animal form.
112 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
CHAPTER X
Of the four elements of the devil and of the dark
world; how we shall know them in this outer
world,
1. The first element of the dark world and of the
devil is pride, the second covetousness, the third
envy, the fourth anger. These four elements are
everlastingly hatching a young son, who is called
Falsehood. This son is also a true son of the
corrupt Adam, whom he left behind him to be a
lord of the world. He has become king in the
world, and has possessed the whole world, and
rules everywhere in the third principle. Whoever
rightly knows this king, knows the four elements of
the devil ; for in the dark world these four elements
have entire dominion in spirit and body, and in all
that is called being.
2. And we see hereby clearly that this world
rests upon the foundation of these four elements,
and receives from them tendency, quality and will.
For the son of these four elements rules on earth;
he will have all obedient under him, and has four
different races of his subjects. (1) The race of
pride, which will be above all other, and will put
itself on a level with none. (2) The race of
covetousness, which will alone possess all, subdue all
under it, and will have all. This second race is the
son of the first, for pride will also have all, that
THE SIXTH POINT 113
it alone may be all. (3) The third race is envy,
which is the son of covetousness. When it sees
it cannot alone have all, it stings like a poison, and
begrudges anything to any one. Its will in all
things is either to draw to itself and possess alone,
or to rage therein with an evil will. (4) The fourth
race is anger, which is the son of envy. What it
cannot attain with evil will, that it enkindles in the
fire of wrath, and breaks it by force. It brings
about war an^ slaughter, and would destroy everything. This race would subdue all by violence.
3. These, then, are the four elements of the devil,
all which four are in one another as one. One
proceeds from the other, and one gives birth to the
other. They take their origin from the dark
Nature, viz. from sour, bitter, anguish and fire.
4. But seeing God's power is for them an opposition, so that in this world they have not full
dominion, they have generated a crafty son, by
whom they rule, who is called Falsehood. He takes
the coat of divine colours upon him, that he may
not be known ; and wishes to be called a son of truth
and virtue, but is an imposter. He speaks in one
way, and thinks and acts in another. He carries
the lustre of God on his tongue, and the devil's
power and poison in his heart.
5. This is king on earth, and manages two kingdoms. The first is called perdition; the second
Babel, a confusion. The kingdom of perdition this
king has clothed with strength and might; it is
the garment of that kingdom. On the other kingdom, Babel, he has put a white shining garment.
114 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
That must be to it in place of God, and with that
the king rules on earth as if he were God. And
the people worship this garment; and beneath it is
the man of falsehood and deceit, and hath in him
his mother the four elements, ^dz. pride, covetousness, envy and anger.
6. Thus the four elements of the devil rule under
a hypocritical coat, and men strive eagerly for this
coat. Every one will put it on; but he who puts
it on, puts on hell and God's wrath. The coat is
honoured in God's stead, and is the coat which the
wrath of God did put on Adam and Eve, when the
devil deceived them, so that they fell from obedience
to God. And it is the very same coat of which God
from the beginning of the world has warned us,
that we should not put it on; for the devil has
his lodging in it. When we put it on, we take up
our abode with the devil, and must do what he
pleases; for he is host in that house, and rests in
that coat.
7. Because he is a prisoner of God, he puts his
coat on us, and sends us therewith to Babel into
his service, where we cannot but mock God; for
we have on God's coat, and the devil lodged under
it as guest. Thus the tongue gives God's good
words, and the heart has the spirit of the four
elements of wrath ; and God is therefore mocked by
the devil, that God shall see that he, the devil, is lord
and king over men, and esteems God's dominion
in man only as a shining coat, in which he, the devil,
is man, and has man captive in his arms. He covers
him indeed with the coat, and allows man to call
THE SIXTH POINT 115
himself God's child ; but in this coat man does only
his will for him, so that all that the devil cannot or
may not do in the external kingdom, that man does
for him in his service. The devil may not kill any
one, and man does it readily to please him. Neither
can the devil use God's creatures, and man misuses
them willingly to please him, thereby to mock God.
With this he practises pride and covetousness, also
falsehood and malice, and accomplishes by them
all that the devil would have; he shines also therewith as if he were God.
8. The external kingdom is therefore become a
perpetual murderous den of the devil. The false
and pretended man (who calls himself a man, but is
not) does butchery, and increases God's wrath,
and kindles the dark world in this outer world, so
that God's wrath continually burns in this world.
9. Thus God's kingdom is hindered, and the
devil's will done; and the devil remains a prince
on earth, whereas othervrise he could accomplish
nothing on earth. The pretended man is in his
service, and does his will. Two species of men,
then, dwell together on earth. The one are real
true men, who serve God in the coat of humiHty
and misery, whom the devil derides and torments
them with the other species, and in their case brings
all his wonders to pass by means of those who serve
him.
10. The other species also calls itself men, walk
also in human form, but they are evil beasts. They
put on the garment of their King, that is to say.
Falsehood; and live in the power of the four
116 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
elements of their king, viz. in pride, covetousness,
envy and anger.
11. Pride is the first virtue. It snatches the
bread from the mouth of the real man, and coerces
the wretched, that it may satisfy itself. It insists
that nothing shall be on a level with it; it will be
alone the fairest child in the house. It has put
on the coat of dissimulation, and would be called
righteous; people must honour it and bow themselves before it. Nothing must compare itself to
it. It will be lord, and says: I am modest in my
demeanour.
12. But its heart is covetousness. That is the
wolf, and devours the sweat and labour of the
wretched. Pride mounts up above all. It explores
daily the wonders of God, to see how it may dissemble and play the hypocrite. It affects to be
friendly and chaste, as if it were a virgin full of
modesty; and yet is a strumpet full of flaws, and
at heart hates all virtue, chastity and righteousness. It is a perpetual enemy of love and humility.
Whatever is simple, that it despises ; and yet forces
the simple under its yoke. It says to the real true
man: Thou art my dog, I will hunt thee whither
I list. Thou art foolish, and I am wise; and it
is itself the biggest fool. It forfeits God and the
kingdom of heaven for a little while's delight of the
eyes ; it plunges itself into darkness, and puts on the
coat of anxiety.
13. The second virtue of this King Falsehood is
covetousness. This draws all to itself, and
darkens the shining adornment of pride. It draws
THE SIXTH POINT 117
to itself evil and good promiscuously, and continually fills pride full. And when it has filled it, it
takes its son envy and torments pride therewith,
so that it has no rest in its splendour. Envy
stings incessantly in the desiring covetousness, as
if it were mad and frantic; and tortures pride
day and night, so that it never rests. Covetousness is the right coarse swinish beast; it desires
more than it can eat. Its jaws are wide open day
and night. It suffers not man to rest, and torments him continually in its sordid filthiness, so
that he has an eager longing earthward, and toward
the things the earth yields without any one's
covetousness; only labour belongs thereto, and no
covetousness.
14. Covetousness plagues itself and is its own
enemy; for it fills itself with pain and disquietude,
and clouds man's understanding, so that he cannot
recognize that all comes from the divine hand. It
makes dark for man his life's light, consumes the
body, and robs him of the divine senses and glory.
It casts him into the pit of death, and brings him
temporal and eternal death. It attracts dark
matter into man's noble image, and makes of an
angel a fierce wrathful devil. It creates the turba
in body and soul, and is the homble beast in
the abyss of hell, for it is the cause of suffering
and pain ; without it no pain could arise. It causes '
war and strife, for it is never satisfied. If it had
all the world, it would want to have also the abyss ;
for there is no place made for its rest. It builds up
countries and kingdoms, and destroys them also
118 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
again. It drives man into mere trouble and turmoil ; it is simply the devil's heart and w^ill.
15. For pride is the brave spirit which grows
from covetousness. It is the fair child that was to
possess heaven; but covetousness has transformed
it into a bastard-child, and has introduced it
into Babel, into the mother of the great whoredom on earth. There pride continually prostitutes itself to covetousness, and is but a bastardchild in the sight of God. It cannot possess
heaven; it has its kingdom of heaven on earth. It
makes court to King Falsehood, who takes all
its labour, and gives it to the four elements of the
devil in the dark world; and thither must pride
follow also with covetousness, when the bag of
anxious avarice breaks. The same is indeed so
very just, and yet takes its covetousness with it
into the abyss, that pride may have its dehght
therein. As a fool in his fool's dress, who toils
and vexes himself that he may bring forth folly
and please his spectators, that he may be an
extravagant fool; so in like manner pride and covetousness is God's fool and the devil's juggler, who
hath his delight in this, that he can make of God's
image a fool's image.
16. The third virtue is envy, in the four elements
of the devil, in the kingdom of falsehood. The
same is a sting, a rager and raver, like an evil
poison. It can abide nowhere, and has no restingplace Its mother covetousness allows it no rest;
it must always rage and rave. It must enter into
that in which it is not generated. It is the mouth
THE SIXTH POINT 119
of covetousness, a perpetual liar and slanderer. It
pierces into its neighbour's heart, and wounds it.
It devours itself for very poisonful hunger, and yet
never has enough. It causes restlessness without
limit or measure. It is the greatest poison and the
eye of hell, whereby the devil sees in the soul and
body of man. Nothing is like unto it. It is no
fire, but the sting of fire. It brings about all ill,
and yet finds no rest; the more it pushes on, the
more frantic it is. It is a famished poison. It
needs no being, and yet rages in being. It makes
man more than mad, so that he desires to storm
and rave against God. It is the essence of hell
and of wrath, and makes of love the greatest enmity.
It grudges any one anything, and yet is itself a
starved nothing.
17. Envy is the devil's will-spirit; and the man
who takes it as a lodging, receives the devil and
God's wrath; for it brings heUish torture and pain.
It is the eternal hostile torment and unrest, and
destroys the noble image of God; for it is the enemy
of God and of all creatures.
18. The fourth virtue, in the four elements in
the kingdom of falsehood of the devil, is anger,
rage. This is the right hell-fire; for anger is
generated between covetousness and envy. It is
the fire and life of envy. What envy cannot do,
that anger accomplishes. Anger takes body and
soul together, and runs hke a raging devil. It
would destroy and shatter everything; it runs
against walls and strongholds. And though it
burst itself, still it is furious, like a mad dog that
120 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
bites and kills all; and is so venomous in its wrath,
that, what it cannot overpower, it nevertheless
poisons. This is the true podagra of the world.
When pride in its hypocritical coat cannot get the
mastery by guile and falsehood, it must then give
effect to the fourth virtue, which strikes with the
fist and brings about war. Oh, how merry is the
devil when his four elements rule thus! He still
thinks he is lord on earth. For though he is a prisoner, yet the animal-men perform his office well;
and accordingly he holds men in derision, that they
are and do worse than he himself can do.
19. These are, then, the four elements of the
dark world, in which the devil opines to be a God;
and therewith he rules on earth by his faithful son
Falsehood. This latter is the smug kitling, who
before gives good words, and yet always has the
mouse in view. Can it but catch it: Oh, how brisk
and jocund it is when it can bring the roast meat
to the devil! With these four elements man is
surrounded, and lodges in the country of the false
king. They shoot him at all hours to the heart,
and would destroy his noble image. He must
always be at war against them, for they lodge with
him and in him; they make thrusts continually at
him, and would destroy his choicest jewel.
20. If but one of these four elements obtain in
man power to qualify, this one enkindles all the
others; and they straightaway rob him of his noble
image, and make of him a mask of the devil. And
no man who allows to these four elements power
to qualify can with truth say of himself, that he
THE SIXTH POINT 121
is a man ; for he qualifies into the devil's property,
and is an enemy of God. And though the devil
clothe him with the hypocritical coat, so that he
is able to give good words and knows how to be
elegant in his manners, that men think he is a child
of God, yet he is not a man as long as these four
elements have the upper-hand in him; but he is a
diabolized man, half devil and half man, till he
make his measure full: then he is an entire devil in
human shape.
21. Let every one, therefore, learn to know himself,— what kind of properties rule in him. If he
find that all these four elements, or one only, rule
in him, he has to take the field against them, or
it will turn out ill in the end. He will not be
permitted to comfort himself with the kingdom of
heaven. Only let him not suffer the devil to wrap
him round with the hypocritical cloak, as happens
when men live in these four elements, and subtly
flatter themselves with the sufferings of Christ.
That must be the covering of this impostor. The
impostor might retain his dominion, if he did not
tickle himself with Christ's satisfaction.
22. Oh, how the shining coat of Christ will be
stript off thee! Then will be seen standing in
Babel the whore with the four virtues. It is not
merely a question of taking comfort, but of keeping down the impostor, lest he become master in
the house. He must not bear rule, but righteousness, love, humility and chastity, and constant
cheerful well-doing. Not dissembling and giving
good words, but doing. There must be doing: viz.
122 SIX THEOSOPHIC POINTS
striving against the devil's will, contenting oneself
with little, in patience shutting oneself up in hope
in God, resisting the four evil elements and taking
in God's four elements, which are love, meekness,
mercy, and patience in hope. These should man
awaken in himself, and therewith continually fight
against the devil's four elements.
23. JVIan must here be at war against himself, if
he wishes to become a heavenly citizen. He must
not be a lazy sleeper, and with gormandizing and
swilling fill his belly, whereby the devil's elements
begin to qualify; but he must be temperate, sober
and vigilant, as a soldier that stands before his
enemy. For God's wrath fights continually against
him; he will have enough to do to defend
himself.
24. For the devil is his enemy, his own corrupt
flesh and blood is his enemy, God's wrath is his
enemy within him, and the whole world is his
enemy. Wherever he looks he sees enemies, who
all desire to rob him.
25. Therefore fighting must be the watchword,
not with tongue and sword, but with mind and
spirit; and not give over. Though body and soul
should break, yet God must remain the strength of
the heart, as David says (Psal. Ixxiii. 26). And
though a man should see that the whole world were
godless, if he purpose becoming a child of God, he
must nevertheless continue steadfast.
26. And though it should seem to him that he
were alone in this path, and the whole world should
say: Thou art a fool, and art mad! yet he should
THE SIXTH POINT 123
be as if he were dead in the world, and heard that
from the mouth of the devil, who is his worst
enemy. He should nowhere give ground ; but think
that in his purpose he pleases God, and that God
himself in him is his purpose; that he would thus
deliver him from the devil, and bring him into his
kingdom. Amen.
SEX PUNCTA MYSTICA
OR
A SHORT EXPLANATION OF
SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
BY
JACOB BOHME
Written in the year 1620
PREFACE
The precious knowledge is not found unless the
soul have once conquered in the assault and struck
down the devil, so that it obtains the knight's
garland, which the gracious virgin Chastity puts
upon it as a token of victory that it has overcome
in its dear champion Christ. Then the wonderful
knowledge rises, but with no perfection.
127
THE FIRST POINT
On the blood and water of the soul.
1. All that is substantial and tangible is in this
world. Now, since the soul is not a substance or
entity in this world, neither is its blood and water
a substance or entity in this world.
2. Certainly the soul with its blood and water is
in the outer blood and water; but its substance is
magical. For the soul is also a magical fire, and
its image or form is generated in the light (in the
power of its own fire and light) from the magical
fire ; and yet is a veritable image in flesh and blood,
but in the original state thereof.
3. As God's wisdom has being, and yet it, wisdom, is not a being; so the soul with its image has
being, and yet it, the soul, is only a magical fire, but
its sustenance is from its substance.
4. As a fire must have substance if it is to burn,
so likewise the magical fire of the soul has flesh,
blood and water. There would be no blood if the
tincture of fire and light were not in water. This
tincture is the ens or life of wisdom (which has in
it all the forms of of Nature), and is the other
magical fire.
5. For it gives all colours; and from its form
goes forth divine power in the gentle nature of the
light (understand, according to the property of the
129
130 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
light in it) ; and according to the property of the
fire in it, it is a sharpness of transmutation. It can
bring eveiything to its highest degree; although it
is not a live spirit, but the supreme ens.
6. Hence also the tincture is such an ens in water,
and introduces thereinto the property of fire and
of light, with all the powers of Nature; whereby
it transforms the water into blood ; and this it does
in the outer and inner water, as in the outer and
inner blood.
7. The inner blood of the divine substantiality is
also magical; for it is Magic which makes it into
substance. It is spiritual blood, which outer nature
cannot touch (riigen), but by imagination only.
The inner imagination introduces the outer will into
the inner blood, whereby the flesh and blood of the
divine substantiality is corrupted, and the noble
image of the likeness of God is eclipsed.
8. The soul's flesh and blood is in the highest
mystery, for it is divine substantiality. And when
the outer flesh and blood die, it falls unto the outer
mystery, and the outer mystery falls unto the
inner.
9. And every magical fire has its brightness and
darkness in itself; on account of which a final day
of separation is appointed, when all must pass
through a fire and be proved, what shall be fit for
it or not. Then everything goes into its own magic,
and thereafter is as it was from eternity.
THE SECOND POINT
On the election of grace. On good and evil.
1. God is from eternity alone all. His essence
divides itself into three eternal distinctions. One
is the fire-world, the second the dark world, and
the third the light-world. And yet they are but
one essence, one in another; but one is not the
other.
2. The three distinctions are alike eternal and
without bounds, and confined in no time nor place.
Each distinction shuts itself in itself in a being;
and its qualification is in accordance with its property, and in its qualification is also its desire, as
the centrum naturae.
3. And the desire is its making, for desire makes
being where there is none, and that in the essence
of the desire, according to the property of the
desire. And all is together only a Magia, or a
hunger after being.
4. Each form makes being in its desire; and each
form fulfils itself out of the mirror of its brightness, and has its seeing in its own mirror. Its
seeing is a darkness for another mirror, its form
is hidden to another eye; but in feeling there is a
difference.
5. For each form derives its feehng from the
original state of the first three forms in Nature, viz.
131
132 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
from sour, bitter and anguish ; and yet in these three
there is no pain in themselves, but fire causes pain
in them, and light transforms it into gentleness
again.
6. The right life is rooted in fire; there is the
hinge of light and darkness. The hinge is desire;
with whatever it fill itself, to the fire thereof the
desire belongs, and its light shines from that fire.
That light is the form or seeing of that life; and
the substance introduced in the desire is the fire's
wood, from which the fire burns, be it harsh or
soft; and that also is its kingdom of heaven or
of hell.
7. Human Hfe is the hinge between light and
darkness; to whichever it give itself up, in that
same does it burn. If it give itself to the desire
of essence, it burns in anguish, in the fire of
darkness.
8. But if it give itself to a nothing, then it is
desireless, and falls unto the fire of light, and then
it cannot burn in any pain; for it brings into its
fire no substance from which a fire could burn.
Seeing then there is no pain in it, neither can the
life receive any pain, for there is none in it; it
has fallen unto the first Magia, which is God in
his triad.
9. When the life is born, it has all the three worlds
in it. The world to which it unites itself, by that
it is held, and in that fire enkindled.
10. For when the life enkindles itself, it is
attracted by all the three worlds; and they are in
motion in the essence, as in the first enkindled fire.
THE SECOND POINT 133
Whatever essence the life in its desire takes in and
receives, its fire burns.
11. -If the first essence in which the life enkindles
itself be good, then is also the fire pleasant and
good. But if it be evil and dark, consisting of a
fierce wrathful property, then is the fire also a
wi-ath-fire, and has a coiTcsponding desire conforming to the property of the fire.
12. For every imagination desires only essence
like unto itself, wherein it originally arose.
13. The life of man in this time is hke a wheel,
where the undermost is soon uppermost. It enkindles itself at every essence, and soils itself with
every essence. But its bath is the movement of the
heart of God, a water of gentleness ; and therefrom
it is able to introduce substantiality into its fire-hf e.
The election of God depends not on the first
essence. i
14. For the first essence is only the mysterium
for a life; and the first life with the enkindling
belongs properly to its mysterium out of which it
proceeded, be it wholly fierce essence, or a mixed
essence, or an essence of light according to the
light-world. [
15. The property from which the life first takes
its rise, from that also burns the light of its hfe.
This life has no election, and no judgment is passed
upon it ; for it stands in its own primitive condition,
and carries its judgment in itself. It separates
itself from all other som'ce (Qual) ; for it burns
only in its own source, in its own magical fire.
16. Election is in respect of that which is intro134 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
duced, whether it belong to the hght or to the
darkness. For according as it belongs to the one
property or to the other, so also is its life's will.
And here it becomes known whether it is of the
fierce wrathful essence, or of the love-essence. So
long as it burns in one fire, it is forsaken of the
other ; and the election of that fire wherein it burns
passes upon the life; for it would have it, it is of
its property.
17. But if that fire's will (as the flying punctum) plunge into another fire and enkindle itself
therein, then it may enkindle the whole life with
that fire, if it remain in that fire.
18. Then is the life new-born, either unto the
dark world or unto the world of light (in whichever the will has enkindled itself), and upon it
comes another election. And that is the reason why
God suffers people to teach, and so does the devil.
Each wishes the life's will to plunge into his fire,
and enkindle itself. And then one mysterium
seizes the other.
THE THIRD POINT
On sin. What is sin, and how it is sin.^
1. A thing that is one has neither commandment
nor law. But if it mix with another, then there
are two beings in one, and also two wills, one
running counter to the other. There is the origin
of enmity.
2. Thus we are to consider of enmity against
God. God is one and good, without any pain or
hmiting characteristic (Qual) ; and though all
source or quality (Qual) be in him, yet it is not
manifest. For the good has swallowed up the evil
or contrary into itself, and keeps it in restraint in
the good, as it were a prisoner; for the evil must
be a cause of hfe and of light, but immanifest.
But the good dies to the evil, that it may dwell in
the evil, without pain or feeling, in itself.
3. Love and enmity are only one thing; but each
dwells in itself, and that makes two things. Death
is the bound of separation between them; and yet
there is no death, save that the good dies to the evil,
as the hght is dead to the pain of fire, and no
longer feels the fire.
4. Thus then must we explain sin in human life.
For life is one and good; but if there be another
quality therein, then it (life) is an enmity against
1 i,€. What things are sins, and what makes them sins.
135
136 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
God; for God dwells in the highest life of
man.
5. Now, no unfathomable existence can dwell in
one that is fathomable. For, as soon as the right
life awakens pain in itself, it is not identical with the
unground, in which there is no pain; hence immediately one separates from the other.
6. For the good or the light is as nothing; but
if something come into it, then this something is
another than the nothing. For the something
dwells in itself in torment (Qual) ; for where there
is something, there must be a quality (Qual) which
makes and keeps the something.
7. And thus we are to consider of love and
enmity. Love has but one quality and one will, it
desires only its like, and not many. For the good
is only one, but quality is many; and the human
will that desires many, brings into itself, into the
One (wherein God dwells) , the torment of plurality.
8. For the something is dark, and darkens the
life's light; and the One is Light, for it loves itself
and is no desire after several.
9. The life's will must therefore be directed
towards the One (as towards the good), and thus
it remains in one quahty. But if it imaginate into
another quality, it makes itself pregnant with the
thing after which it longs.
10. And if this thing be without an eternal foundation, in a frail perishable root, then it seeks a root
for its preservation, that it may remain. For every
life stands in magical fire ; and every fire must have
substance in which it burns.
THE THIRD POINT 137
11. This same thing must make for itself substance according to its desire, that its fire may
have food to feed upon. Now, no fire-source can
subsist in the free fire; for it attains not that,
inasmuch as it is only a self -thing.
12. All that is to subsist in God must be freed
from its own will. It must have no individual
fire burning in it; but God's fire must be its fire.
Its will must be united to God, that God and the
will and spirit of man may be but one.
13. For that which is one is not at enmity with
itself, for it has only one will. Wherever it goes,
or whatever it does, that is all one with it.
14. One will has only one imagination; and the
imagination makes or desires only that which assimilates with it. And so in like manner we are to
understand concerning the contrary will.
15. God dwells in all things; and nothing comprehends him, unless it be one with him. But if
it go out from the One, it goes out of God into
itself, and is another than God, which separates
itself. And here it is that law arises, that it should
proceed again out of itself into the One, or else
remain separated from the One.
16. And thus it may be known what is sin, or
how it is sin. Namely, when the human will separates itself from God into an existence of its own,
and awakens its own self, and burns in its own fire,
which is not capable of the divine fire.
17. For all into which the will enters, and will
have as its own, is something foreign in the one will
of God. For all is God's, and to man's own will
138 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
belongs nothing. But if it be in God, then all
is its also.
18. Thus we recognize that desire is sin. For it
is a lusting out of one into many, and introduces
many into one. It will possess, and yet should be
will-less. By desire substance is sought, and in
substance desire kindles fire.
19. Now each particular fire burns in accordance
with the character of its own being; and here separation and enmity are born. For Christ says : He
that is not with me is against me; and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth (Luke xi. 23).
For he gathereth without Christ ; and whatsoever is
not in Him is out of God.
20. We see, then, that covetousness is sin; for
it is a desire out of God. And we see also that
pride is sin, for it will be a thing of its own; and
separates itself from God, as from the One.
21. For whatever will be in God must walk in
him, in his will. Seeing then we are in God but
one in many members, it is against God when one
member withdraws itself from the other, and makes
a lord of itself, as pride does. Pride will be lord,
and God alone is lord. Thus there are two lords,
and one separates from the other.
22. All, therefore, is sin and a contrary will, that
desire possesses as its own, be it meat or drink.
If the will imaginate thereinto, it fills itself therewith and kindles the fire thereof, and then another
fire burns in the first, and there is contrary will
and error.
23. Therefore out of the contrary will must
THE THIRD POINT 139
grow a new will, which gives itself up again to the
one Unity; and the contrary will must be broken
and slain.
24. And here we are to consider the Word of
God that became man. If man place his desire
therein, he goes out from pain (Qual) , from his
own fire, and is new-born in the Word. And thus
the out-going will dwells in God; and the first will
in greed, earthhness and plurality.
25. Accordingly plurahty with the body must
break, and it (plurality) must perish and fall away
from the out-going will, and then the out-going
will is recognized as a new birth. For in the One
it takes all again into itself; but not with its own
desire, but with ^ its own love — a love that is united
with God, that God may be all in all, and his will
the will of all things ; for in God exists but a single
will.
26. Thus we find that evil must be subservient
unto the life of the good, provided the will again
goes out from the evil, from itself, into the good;
for fierceness must constitute life's fire.
27. But the life's will must be turned against
itself in conflict; for it must flee from fierceness,
and not will it. It must not will desire, and yet its
fire {i.e. Hfe's fire) wills desire, and must have desire.
Therefore the thing is, to be born anew in will.
1 Mr, H. H. Joachim writes : 'Bohme's point here is very deep :
the individual's will when united with God does not lose its individuality. It takes all into itself with a love peculiar to itself — but since
it is love, and not desire, it (the love) can be the will's very own, peculiar to it, and yet not separate it from other individuals or from
God.'
140 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
28. Every will-spirit that remains in the desire
of its life's fire (as in the ferventness of the wood
for fire), or enters thereinto and possesses the
earthly, is separated from God as long as it possesses
what is foreign, viz. the earthly.
29. Thus, we recognize how superfluity of meat
and drink produces sin. For the pure will, which
goes out from life's fire, is drowned in desire and
imprisoned, so that it proves too powerless in
combat. For the source of fire (or of desire)
holds it captive and fills it with craving, so that
this same will carries its imagination into the
desire.
30. Accordingly the will in the desire for meat
and drink is earthly, and is separated from God.
But the will that escapes from the earthly fire, bums
in the inward fire, and is divine.
31. This will that flees from the earthly desire
arises not from the earthly fire. No; it is the will
of the soul's fire, which is caught and concealed by
the earthly desire. It wills not to remain in the
earthly desire, but will enter into its One, into God,
out of which it originally sprang.
32. But if it be kept a prisoner in the earthly
desire, then it is shut up in death, and suffers agony.
And thus is sin to be understood.
THE FOURTH POINT
How CHRIST WILL DELIVER UP THE KINGDOM
TO HIS FATHER.
1. At the creation of the world and of all being,
the Father put himself in motion in accordance
with his property, viz. by the centre of Nature,
by the dark world and the fire-world. These
continued in motion and domination till the Father
moved himself in accordance with his heart (and
the light-world), and God became man. Then
the love of the hght overcame the Father's fierce
wrathful property, and the Father ruled in the Son
with love.
2. Then the Son had dominion in those that did
cleave unto God; and the Holy Spirit (that proceeds from the Father and Son) drew men in the
light of love, through the Son, to God the Father.
3. But in the end the Holy Spirit moves in the
Father's and also in the Son's property, and both
properties become active at once. The spirit of
the Father reveals itself in fire and light, as also
in the wrath of the dark world. Then the kingdom falls unto the Father. For the Holy Spirit
must govern eternally, and be an eternal revealer
in the light -world and also in the dark world.
4. For the two worlds will stand still; and the
Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and
141
142 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
Son, bears rule eternally in the two worlds, according to each world's nature and property.
5. He alone will be the revealer of the wonders.
And thus to the Father (who is all) the eternal
dominion, which he exercises with the Spirit, is
delivered by the Son.
THE FIFTH POINT
On magic. What magic is. What the
magical ground is.
1. Magic is the mother of eternity, of the being
of all beings; for it creates itself, and is understood in desire.
2. It is in itself nothing but a will, and this will
is the great mystery of all wonders and secrets, but
brings itself by the imagination of the desireful
hunger into being.
3. It is the original state of Nature. Its desire
makes an imagination (Einhildung) , and imagination or figuration is only the will of desire. But
desire makes in the will such a being as the will in
itself is.
4. True Magic is not a being, but the desiring
spirit of the being. It is a matrix without substance, but manifests itself in the substantial being.
5. ]\Iagic is spirit, and being is its body; and yet
the two are but one, as body and soul is but one
person.
6. Magic is the greatest secrecy, for it is above
Nature, and makes Nature after the form of its
will. It is the mystery of the Ternary, viz. it is
in desire the will striving towards the heart of God.
7. It is the formative power in the eternal wisdom, as a desire in the Ternary, in which the eternal
143
144 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
wonder of the Ternary desires to manifest itself in
co-operation with Nature. It is the desire which
introduces itself into the dark Nature, and through
Nature into fire, and through fire, through death or
fierceness into the light of Majesty.
8. It is not Majesty, but the desire in Majesty.
It is the desire of the divine power, not the power
itself, but the hunger or craving in the power. It is
not God's Almightiness, but the directrix in God's
power and might. The heart of God is the power,
and the Holy Spirit is the revelation of power.
9. It is, however, the desire not only in the power,
but also in the conducting spirit ; for it has in it the
Fiat. What the Will-spirit reveals in it, that it
brings into a being by the sourness which is the
Fiat; all according to the model of the will. According as the will makes a model in wisdom, so
does desiring Magic receive it; for it has in its
property imagination as a longing.
10. Imagination is gentle and soft, and resembles
water. But Desire is harsh and dry, like a hunger;
it makes the soft hard, and is found in all things,
for it is the greatest thing ( Wesen) in the Deity.
It leads the bottomless to foundation, and the nothing into something.
11. In Magic are all forms of Being of all beings.
It is a mother in all three worlds, and makes each
thing after the model of that thing's will. It is
not the understanding, but it is a creatrix according to the understanding, and lends itself to good
or to evil.
12. All that the will models in wisdom, if the
THE FIFTH POINT 145
will of the understanding also enter thereinto, that
does ]\Iagic make into a being. It serves those
that love God in God's Being; for it makes in the
understanding divine substance, and takes this
from imagination, as from the gentleness of the
light.
13. It is Magic that makes divine flesh; and the
understanding is born of wisdom, for it is a disscerner of colours, powers and virtues. The understanding guides the right true spirit with a bridle;
for the spirit is soaring, and the understanding is its
fire.
14. The spirit is not dissentient, that it should dissent from the understanding; but it is the will of
the understanding. But the senses in the understanding are flying-out and dissentient.
15. For the senses are the flash from the fii'espirit, and bring with them in the light the flames of
Majesty; and in the darkness they bring with them
the flash of terror, as a fierce flash of fire.
16. The senses are such a subtle spirit that they
enter into all beings, and take up all beings into
themselves. But the understanding tries all in its
own fire; it rejects the evil and retains the good.
Then Magic, its mother, takes this and brings it
into a being.
17. Magic is the mother from which Nature
comes, and the understanding is the mother coming
from Nature. Magic leads into a fierce fire, and
the understanding leads its own mother. Magic,
out of the fierce fire into its own fire.
18. For the understanding is the fire of power,
146 SIX MYSTICAL POINTS
and JNIagic the burning fire; and yet it is not to be
understood as fire, but the power or mother to fire.
Fire is called the principle, and Magic is called
desire.
19. By Magic is everything accomplished, both
good and bad. Its own working is Nigromantia,
but it is distributed into all the properties. In that
which is good it is good, and in that which is evil it
is evil. It is of use to the children for God's kingdom, and to the sorcerers for the devil's kingdom;
for the understanding can make of it what it
pleases. It is without understanding, and yet comprehends all; for it is the comprehension of all
things.
20. It is impossible to express its depth, for it is
from eternity a gi'ound and support of all things.
It is a master of philosophy, and likewise a mother
thereof.
21. But philosophy leads Magic, its mother, as
it pleases. As the divine power, viz. the Word (or
heart of God), leads the severe Father into gentleness; so also does philosophy (or the understanding) lead its mother into a gentle divine quality.
22. Magic is the book of all scholars. All that
will learn must first learn Magic, be it a high or a
lowly art. Even the peasant in the field must go
to the magical school, if he would cultivate his field.
23. Magic is the best theology, for in it true faith
is both grounded and found. And he is a fool that
reviles it; for he knows it not, and blasphemes
against God and himself, and is more a juggler than
a theologian of understanding.
THE FIFTH POINT 147
24. As one that fights before a mirror, and knows
not what the quarrel is, for his fighting is superficial; so also the unjust theologian looks on Magic
through a reflection, and understands nothing of
the power. For it is godlike, and he is ungodlike,
yea, devihsh, according to the property of each
principle. In sum: Magic is the activity in the
Will-spirit.
THE SIXTH POINT
On mystery. What it is.
1. Mystery is nothing else than the magical will,
which still lies caught in desire. It may fashion
itself in the mirror of wisdom how it will. And as
it fashions itself in the tincture, so it is fixed and
formed in Magic, and brought into a being.
2. For Mysterium magnum is nothing else than
the hiddenness of the Deity, together with the Being of all beings, from which one mysterium proceeds after another, and each mysterium is the mirror and model of the other. And it is the great
wonder of eternity, wherein all is included, and from
eternity has been seen in the mirror of wisdom.
And nothing comes to pass that has not from eternity been known in the mirror of wisdom.
3. But you must understand this according to
the properties of the mirror, according to all the
forms of Nature, viz. according to light and darkness, according to comprehensibility and incomprehensibility, according to love and wrath, or according to fire and light, as has been set forth elsewhere.
4. The Magician has power in tliis Mystery to
act according to his will, and can do what he pleases.
5. But he must be armed in that element wherein
he would create; else he will be cast out as a
stranger, and given into the power of the spirits
148
THE SIXTH POINT 149
thereof, to deal with him according to their desire.
Of which in this place no more is to be said, because
of the turha.
MYSTERIUM PANSOPHICUM
OR
A FUNDAMENTAL STATEMENT
CONCERNING THE
EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY
MYSTERY
HOW THEY ARE IN ONE ANOTHER, AND HOW IN
THE EARTHLY THE HEAVENLY IS MANIFESTED
DRAWN UP IN NINE TEXTS
WHERE BABEL, THE GREAT CITY ON EARTH, IS
TO BE SEEN WITH ITS POWER AND MARVELS. WHY
BABEL IS BORN, AND FROM WHAT. WHERE
ANTICHRIST SHALL STAND NAKED
A most wonderful revelation, taken out of the
highest arcanum. Herein is wholly revealed what
the turba of all beings is.
Written for the children of God, who by such
warning will flee from burning Babel, and shall
be born children of God out of the turba.
AU very earnestly and faithfully given from knowledge of the great Mystery, the 8th May, 1 6'20
BY
JACOB BOHME
THE FIRST TEXT
The unground is an eternal nothing, but makes an
eternal beginning as a craving. For the nothing is
a craving after something. But as there is nothing
that can give anything, accordingly the craving itself is the giving of it, which j^et also is a nothing, or
merely a desirous seeking. And that is the eternal
origin of Magic, which makes within itself where
there is nothing; which makes something out of
nothing, and that in itself only, though this craving
is also a nothing, that is, merely a will. It has nothing, and there is nothing that can give it anything ;
neither has it any place where it can find or repose
itself.
163
THE SECOND TEXT
1. Seeing then there is a craving in the nothing,
it makes in itself the will to something. This will
is a spirit, as a thought, which goes out of the craving and is the seeker of the craving, for it finds its
mother or the craving. Then is this will a Magician
in its mother ; for it has found in the nothing something, viz. its mother, and so now it has a place for
its dwelling.
2. And herein understand that the will is a spirit,
and different from the desirous craving. For the
will is an insensitive and incognitive life; but the
craving is found by the will, and is in the will a
being. Thus the craving is a Magia, and the will a
Magus; and the will is greater than its mother which
gives it, for it is lord in the mother ; and the mother
is dumb, but the will is a life without origin. The
craving is certainly a cause of the will, but without
knowledge or understanding. The will is the understanding of the craving.
3. Thus we give you in brief to consider of nature
and the spirit of nature, what there has been from
eternity without origin. And we find thus that the
will, viz. the spirit, has no place for its rest ; but the
craving is its own place, and the will is a band to it,
and vet is not held in check.
154
THE THIRD TEXT
1. Seeing then the eternal will is free from the
craving, but the craving is not free from the will
for the will rules over the craving), we recognize
the will as the eternal Omnipotence. For it has no
parallel. The craving is indeed a movement of
attraction or desire, but without understanding; it
has a hfe, but without knowledge.
2. Now the will governs the hfe of the craving,
and doth therewith what it will. And though it
doth somewhat, yet this is not known till the same
reveals itself through the will, so that it becomes an
entitj^ in the life of the will; then it is known what
the will has wrought.
3. We recognize, therefore, the eternal Willspirit as God, and the moving life of the craving as
Nature. For there is nothing prior, and either is
without beginning, and each is a cause of the other,
and an eternal bond,
4. Thus the Will-spirit is an eternal knowing of
the unground, and the hfe of the craving an eternal
being [body] of the will.
155
THE FOURTH TEXT,
1. Seeing then the craving is a process of desire,
and this desire a hfe, this same desiring Mfe goes in
the craving forward, and is always pregnant with
the craving.
2. And the desire is a stern attraction, and yet
hath nothing but itself, or the eternity without foundation. And it di*aws magically, viz. its own desiring into a substance.
3. For the will takes where there is nothing. It
is a lord and possessor. It is itself not a being, and
yet rules in being, and being makes it desirous,
namely of being. And since it becomes in itself
desirous, it is magical, and makes itself pregnant,
viz. by spirit without being ; for originally it is only
spirit. Thus it makes in its imagination only spirit,
and becomes pregnant with spirit as with the eternal knowing of the unground, in the All-power of
the life, without being.
4. As then it is pregnant, the engenderment goes
within itself, and dwells in itself. For the essence
of the other life cannot grasp this pregnation, and
be its container. Hence the pregnation must go
within itself and be its own container, as a Son in
the eternal Spirit.
5. And as this pregnation has no being, then that
is a voice or sound, as a Word of the spirit ; and yet
156
THE FOURTH TEXT 157
remains in the primitive condition of spirit, for it
hath else no seat.
6. But in this Word is a will, which desires to
go out into a being. This will is the life of the
original will, and proceeds out of the pregnation,
as out of the mouth of the will, into the life of Magic,
viz. into Nature ; and reveals the non-understanding
life of Magic, so that the same is a mysterium in
which an understanding exists essentially, and thus
obtains an essential spirit. There, every essence is
an arcanum or a mysterium of an entire being, and
is thus a comprehension as an unfathomable wonder of eternity; for many lives without number are
generated, and yet all is together but one being.
7. The threefold Spirit without being is its master and possessor; and yet it possesses not the Nature-being, for it (the Spirit) dwells in itself.
8. The Word is its centre or seat, and is in the
midst as a heart ; and the spirit of the Word, which
takes its origin in the primal eternal will, reveals
the wonders of the essential life. There are, then,
two mysteries : one in the spirit-life, and one in the
essential life. The spirit-life is acknowledged as
God, and is rightly so called; and the essential life
is acknowledged as the Nature-life, which would
have no understanding if the Spirit or the spirit-life
were not desirous. In this desire the divine Being,
as the eternal word or heart of God, is continually
and from eternity generated ; from which the desiring will as Spirit eternally goes out into the Naturelife, and reveals therein the mystery in essences.
So that there are two lives and also two beings.
158 ON HEAVENLY MYSTERY
from and in a single, eternal, unfathomable origin.
9. And thus we apprehend what God and Nature
is ; how the one and the other is from eternity without any ground or beginning. For it is an everlasting beginning. It begins itself perpetually and
from eternity to eternity, where there is no number ;
for it is the unground.
THE FIFTH TEXT
1. Seeing then there have been from eternity two
beings, we cannot say that one exists beside the
other, and is disposed so that the one comprehends
the other; neither can it be said that one is outside
of the other, and that there is a separation. No;
but thus we apprehend it, that the spirit-Hfe faces
inwards, and the nature-Hf e outwards and forwards.
2. Together, then, we compare them to a spherical orb which goeth on all sides, as the wheel in
Ezekiel indicates.
3. The spirit-life is an entire fulness of the nature-life, and yet is not laid hold of by the naturelife. They are two principles in a single origin,
each having its mystery and its operation. The nature-life works unto fire, and the spirit-Hfe unto the
light of glory. By fire we understand the fierceness of the consuming of the essentiality of Nature ;
and by hght the production of water, which deprives
the fire of power, as is set forth in the Forty Questions on the soul.
4. And thus we are able to recognize an eternal
substantiality of Nature, identical with water and
fire, which are as it were mixed together ; where then
this gives a light-blue colour, like the flash of fire;
where it hath a form as a ruby mixed with crystal
in one substance, or as yellow, white, red and blue
159
160 ON HEAVENLY MYSTERY
mingled in a dark water; where it is as blue in
green, yet each has its lustre, and shines. And the
water checks the fire, so that there is no consuming
there, but an eternal essence or substance in two
mysteries united in one another, and yet the distinction of two principles as two kinds of Hfe.
5. And thus we understand here the essence of
all beings, and that it is a magical essence, as a will
can create itself in the essential hfe, and so enter
into a birth, and in the great Mystery, in the origin
of fire, awaken a source which before was not manifest, but lay hidden in mysteiy like a gleam in the
multiplicity of colours; as we have a mirror of this
in the devils and in all malignity. And we recognize also from whence all things, evil and good, take
their origin, namely from the Imagination in the
great Mystery, where a wonderful essential life
generates itself.
6. As we have a sufficient knowledge thereof by
the creatures of this world, as where the divine Life
awakened once for all the Nature-life, when it
brought forth such wonderful creatures from the
essential mystery; whereby we understand that
every essence is come to be a mysterium or a life,
and also that in the great Mystery there is a magical
craving, so that the craving of every essence makes
in its turn a mirror, to see and to know itself in the
mirror.
7. And then the craving seizes this (namely the
muTor), brings it into its imagination, and finds
that it is not of its hfe. Hence opposition arises
and loathing, so that the craving would discard the
THE FIFTH TEXT 161
mirror, and yet cannot. And therefore the craving
seeks the limit of the beginning, and passes out of
the mirror. Thus the mirror is broken, and the
breaking is a turha, as a dying of the formed or
comprehended hfe.
8. And it is highly recognizable by us how the
imagination of the Eternal Nature has the turha
in the craving, in the Mystery, but not awakenable,
unless the creature, as the mirror of eternity, doth
itself awaken this, viz. the fierce wrath, which in
eternity is hidden in mystery.
9. And we see here, when the Eternal Nature
put itself in motion once for all by the creation of
the world, that the fierce wrath was awakened too,
and also manifested itself in creatures. As indeed
we find many evil beasts, likewise herbs and trees,
as also worms, toads, serpents and the like, — of
which the Eternal Nature hath a loathing, and the
malignity and poison is nourished only in its own
essence.
10. And therefore the Eternal Nature seeks the
limit of the malignity, and would abandon it. Then
it falls into the turha, as into a dying ; and yet there
is no dying, but a spewing-out in the Mystery, where
the malignity with its life must stand apart as in a
darkness. For the Eternal Nature abandons it and
casts it into shade, so that it stands thus by itself as
an evil, poisonous, fierce mysterium, and is itself its
own magic as a craving of the poisonful anguish.
THE SIXTH TEXT
1 . When we consider and take cognizance of ourselves, we find the opposition of all essences, each
being the loathing of the other, and enemy to the
other.
2. For every will desires a purity without turba
in the other essence ; and yet has itself the turba in
it, and is also the loathing of the other. Then the
power of the greater extends over the lesser and
holds it in subjection, unless it escape from it; otherwise the strong rules over the weak. Therefore
the weak doth run, and seeks the limit of the driver
or oppressor, and would be free from compulsion.
And thus the limit, which is hidden in mystery, is
sought by all creatures.
3. And hence arises all the power of this world,
that one rules over the other. And this was not in
the beginning commanded or ordained by the highest good, but grew out of the turba. Afterward
Nature acknowledged it as her own being, which
was born from her, and gave it laws, to generate itself further in the framed government. Where
then this birth has climbed to regal prerogative, and
has moreover sought the abyss, as the One, till it is
become monarchy or empire. And there it is
climbing still, and will be one and not many. And
though it be in many, yet will the first source, from
which all is generated, rule over all, and will alone
be a lord over all governments.
162
THE SIXTH TEXT 163
4. And as this craving was in the beginning one
government, but in time divided itself into many according to the essences ; therefore the plurahty again
seeks the One, and it is certainly born in the sixth
number of the crown, in the six thousandth year in
the figure ; not at the end, but in the hour of the day
in which the creation of the wonders was completed.
5. That is, when the wonders of the turba are in
the end, a Lord is born who governs the whole
world, but by many forms of administration.
6. And then the self-grown authority and the
oppressor will be sought; for the lesser, who hath
lain under, has run to the limit. Then everything
separates itself, for it is at the limit, and there is no
staying or revoking.
7. Also the turba, as the fierce wrath of all creatures, will be sought ; for it has with the loathing of
the creatures run to the limit, and now becomes manifest, viz. in the midst, in the number of the crown,
in the six thousandth year, a little over, not under.
8. In the day and the hour when the creation was
accomplished in mystery, and was set as a mirror of
eternity in the wonders [of this time] }
9. That took place on the sixth day, past noon.
There [also in the end] the mystery with the wonders is revealed and is known. Where then puinty
shall drive out the turba for a time, till the beginning pass into the end. And then is the mystery
[of creation but] a wonder in figures.
1 The explanatory additions within brackets [] are from Claassen's
book of extracts.
THE SEVENTH TEXT
1. Now, seeing in the mystery of the Eternal
Nature we have such an arcanum from which all
creatures evil and good were generated and created, we recognize it to be a magical essence or substance, where one Magic has by desire awakened
another and brought it into being, where everything
has elevated itself and carried itself to the highest
power. For the Spirit of God is not a maker in
Nature, but a revealer and a seeker of the good.
2. Thus hath evil as by magical craving always
sought and found itself in the Mystery, and has
been revealed apart from the divine purpose. For
fierceness is a harsh rigorousness, and rules over the
simple.
3. All has, therefore, grown from its own tree
without premeditation. For the first revealer, viz.
God, ordained not malignity to the government, but
reason or wit, which was to reveal the wonders and
be a guide of life. And here there meets us the
great secret which has from eternity existed in mystery, viz. the Mystery with its colours, which are
four. The fifth is not proper to the mysterium of
Nature, but is of the Mysterium of God, and shines
in the mysterium of Nature as a living light.
4. And these are the colours wherein all things
lie: blue, red, gi-een and yellow. The fifth, white,
belongs to God; and yet has also its lustre in Na164
THE SEVENTH TEXT 165
ture. It is the fifth essence, a pure unblemished
child; as is to be seen in gold and silver, and in a
white clear stone that resists fire.
5. For fire is the proof or trial of all the colours,
in which none subsists but white, the same being a
reflection of God's Majesty. The black colour belongs not to the mystery [of the wonders of creation], but is the veil or the darkness wherein all
things lie.
6. Further, we find here the tree of tongues or
languages, with four alphabets. One signed with
the characters of the JNIystery, in which is fomid the
language of Nature, which in all languages is the
root. But in the birth of plurality (or of many
languages) it is not known save by its own children,
to whom the Mystery itself gives understanding;
for it is a wonder of God. This alphabet of the
language of Nature is hidden among them all in
the black colour ; for the black colour belongs not to
the number of colours. The same is mystery and
not understood, save by him who possesses the language of Nature, to whom it is revealed by God's
Spirit.
7. The second alphabet is the Hebrew, which
reveals the mystery [of the language of Nature],
and names the tree with the branches and twigs.
8. The third is the Greek, which names the tree
with the fruit and every ornament, and first correctly expresses knowledge.
9. The fourth is the Latin (to which many nations and tongues have recourse, which expresses
the tree with its power and virtue.
166 ON HEAVENLY MYSTERY
10. The fifth is God's Spirit, which is the revealer of all alphabets; and this alphabet can no
man learn, unless it reveal itself in man's spirit.
11. These alphabets take their origin from the
colours of the great Mystery, and distribute themselves moreover into seventy-seven languages; although we recognize only five for chief languages,
and seventy-two for the marvels wherein Babel is
understood, as a mouth of a confusedness. There
reason abandoned her guide and willed to go alone,
and to climb aloft into the Mystery.
12. As is to be known by the children of Nimrod
at the tower of Babel, when they had fallen from
obedience to God into their own individual reason;
then they had lost their guide and did confound
reason, so that they comprehended not their own
language.
13. Thus many languages, viz. seventy-two, grew
out of confused Babel, and each entered into itself
and sought knowledge, each in its own reason and
iniquity; for they had forsaken God and were become heathens. And he suffered them to walk in
their wonders, for they would not cleave unto him,
but would be a special self-ful growth. And their
own reason (which was mixed of all the colours)
had to rule them.
14. Then the turha was born, so that they were
not of one mind; for every one would live under
guidance of his own colour. And yet these were
not the true chief colours, but only their evil selfhatched children, who hatched themselves out in
reason. And they ran without the right guide, who
THE SEVENTH TEXT 167
had created all in one tongue, and revealed no more
than one, — one tree with the branches and the power
together with the fruit.
15. For the four alphabets are in one tree, and
proceed from one another. But the multitude of
languages must have recourse to their characters
as members of the same family, and yet also will be
their very own. And all shoot forth in opposition
to the tree.
THE EIGHTH TEXT
1. We see here the origin of two sorts of rehgions,
from which Babel as an idol-god is born, and that
in heathens and Jews.
2. For Babel is in both, and they are two races
in one. One, under guidance of its reason (as of
the life and spirit of Nature), goes forward and
seeks to elevate itself. It makes itself a way in its
being; for its will proceeds out of its own craving
and seeks its magic, as a great number for its government, and goes simply out of itself forward.
Its will remains in its plm-ality, and is the god and
guide of its plurality.
3. And though the Free-will of God oppose it
and reprove it, yet the idol-god only flatters with
its lips the Free-will, viz. the Spirit of God, and
honours its own will in the number of plurality.
For this will is generated from its treasure, from its
own magic, and comprehends not the Free-will of
God. It is born therefore from flesh and blood,
from its own nature ; and is a child of this world, and
regards its treasure as its love. Hence it is a hypocrite and a confused Babel. The number of plurality and its own magic confuse it, in that it goes out
from one number into many. This multiplicity is
a confused Babel; and its hypocritical mouth, with
which it gives good words and solemnly promises
much to the Spirit of Unity, is an antichrist and a
168
THE EIGHTH TEXT 169
liar. For it speaks in one way and acts in another.
Its heart is a craving, and the spirit of its heart has
turned itself to the craving.
4. Thus the Magician of multiplicity is a proud,
aiTOgant, covetous, malignant devourer, and a spirit
from the desiring plurality; and is a false god. He
is not attached to the Free-will of Nature, which
hath the might of wonders at its command, and he
has no understanding in the Divine Mystery, for he
cleaves not with his will to that Spirit. Else, if
his will were turned towards Freedom, the Spirit of
God would reveal his magical mystery, and his wonders and works would, with his will, stand in God.
5. But seeing they go out from themselves, the
beginning seeks the end, and the middle is the turha.
For it is not in the Free-will of God; but it grows
from itself, and elevates itself like a proud tree.
6. And as God is one only in will, one in the
eternal Desire or in the eternal Magic (so that the
craving of the eternal Magic yields itself up to the
eternal Will, and draws therein its life), then the
apostate will is a perjured whore, for it is a generatress of falsehood, and hangs not on the Free-will.
7. And here we understand a separation from
God; a cause of all this being Lucifer, who made
the Magic of Nature subject to false desire. Thus
two eternal lives are born: one in the will of God,
the other in the will of the devil and of the fierce
wrath; and this is Babel with Antichrist on earth.
8. All that goes out from God's will into its own
will belongs to Babel. This is seen in Jews and
heathens, and in all peoples.
170 ON HEAVENLY MYSTERY
9. The heathen remained in their own magic.
But those who from the itch of corruption passed
out into the light of Nature because they did not
know God, yet have lived in purity, — these were
children of the Free-will, and in them has the Spirit
of Freedom revealed great wonders in their mystery, as is to be seen by the wisdom they have bequeathed to us.
10. But the others, who have lived only in their
own magical will from flesh and blood, — their will
was drowned in the turha. And the turha streamed
forth in their will, and gave them a spirit according
to the essences of covetousness and fierceness.
These have sought only the number of plurality, as
dominions and kingdoms.
11. And when the turha could not on account of
power advance, it grew furious and began hostilities. And from thence war has its origin, viz, from
pride and greed of plurality, and belongs with its
number to the Mystery of wrath.
12. Thus also were the Jews. God revealed
himself to them, but they were attached also to two
wills. One part to the commandment, with their
will directed into God's will, as the patriarchs and
all the pious hopers of Israel. The others performed with their hands the work of the law, and
adhered with their will to their poisoned magic, viz.
to covetousness, and sought only their numbers of
plurality. Their mouth was a Jew, and their heart
a Babylonish whore, a hypocrite and an antichrist,
with fair words and a false covetous heart.
13. And in the same way in Christendom and
THE EIGHTH TEXT 171
among all peoples the Babylonish whore with Antichrist is established. In one people dwell at once
two kingdoms, and are not miscible in the inward
spirit so as to become one, like as clay and iron are
not miscible. They mix indeed by the body, but
their spirits are two kinds (Dan. ii. 43).
14. Whosoever will know Antichrist, let him seek
him thus ; he will find him in every house. But the
worst of all is the crowned whore ; and her sponsors
at the baptism of whoredom are the brawlers who
lead out of the one will of God into many wills, that
they may inherit only the number of plurality, and
fatten earthly bellies.
15. And the other part of the Free-will of God
proceeds with its magical will out of itself into
Freedom, viz. into the one ungraspable will of God.
These stand turned backward in the magical figure.
Their life seeks bread, and goes forward; yet their
will is not in the bread, but passes out of itself, out
of the craving, into God. These live with the will
in God, in one nmnber; these are children of the
eternal true Magic. For God's Spirit dwells in
their will, and reveals to them the eternal wonders
of God; and their life's spirit reveals the wonders
of this world.
16. These are free from Babel and Antichrist,
even though they should sit in his lap. For the
true image of God is in the spirit of the will, which
is generated from the soul's spirit.
THE NINTH TEXT
1. Seeing then there are two Magics in one another, there are also two Magicians who lead them,
viz. two spirits. One is God's Spirit, and the other
the Reason-spirit, in which the devil ensconces himself. In God's Spirit is the love of unity. And
man cannot better prove or try himself than by
giving serious attention to what his desire and longing impel him: the same he hath for a leader, and
its child he is. Nevertheless, he now has power to
break and change that will; for he is magical and
possesses the power.
2. But there must be real earnestness; for he
must subdue the astral spirit which rules in him.
To do this, a sober calm life is necessary, with continual abandonment to God's will. For, to subdue
the astral influence, no wisdom nor art will avail;
but sobriety of life, with continual withdrawal from
the influxes. The elements continually introduce
the astral craving into his will. Therefore it is not
so easy a thing to become a child of God ; it requires
great labour, with much travail and suffering.
3. Antichrist indeed may call himself a child of
God. But Christ says: They shall not all enter
into the kingdom of heaven who say : Lord, Lord,
have we not in thy name cast out devils and done
mighty works? But he saith unto them: Away
173
THE NINTH TEXT 173
from me, ye stinking goats, I know you not (Matt.
vii. 21-23) . Ye have done this by means of false
magic, and have never become known in my spirit
and will. Ye are in your spiritual figure goats,
tyrants, covetous muckworms, proud arrogants, voluptuaries. Ye have carried my name on your
tongue, but sacrificed your heart to pleasure, to the
itch of the flesh, and are generated in the turha.
Ye must be proved by fire. And thus to every
kingdom its fruit comes home.
4. Therefore, thou brave world, look at thyself
in these writings, which the eternal Ground hath
set before thee, and meditate on it further and more
deeply. Else thou wilt be caught in thy turha.
There thou shalt with thy substance pass through
the fire of God; and whatsoever is a work out of
God's will shall remain in the fire.
5. But whatsoever is done in the will of God
shall stand to the honour and glory of God, and for
the eternal joy of the image of man.
6. Now think what thou doest. For Babel is
already in flames, and begins to burn. There is no
longer possible any quenching, nor any remedy.
She has been recognized as evil ; her kingdom goeth
to the end. Hallelujah.
THEOSCOPIA
OR
THE HIGHLY PRECIOUS GATE OF THE
DIVINE INTUITION
SHOWING WHAT MYSTERIUM MAGNUM IS, AND
HOW ALL IS FROM, THROUGH AND IN GOD;
HOW GOD IS SO NEAR ALL THINGS,
AND FILLS ALL
Written in the year 1622
BY
JACOB BOHME
CHAPTER I
What God is; and how we shall recognize his divine
nature in his manifestation.
1. Reason says: I hear much mention made of
God, that there is a God who has created all things,
also upholds and supports all things; but I have
not yet seen any, nor heard from the Hps of any,
that hath seen God, or that could tell where God
dwells or is, or how he is. For when Reason looks
upon the existence of this world, and considers that
it fares with the righteous as with the wicked, and
how all things are mortal and frail; also how the
riffhteous man sees no deliverer to release him from
the anxiety and adversity of the wicked man, and
so must go down with fear in misery to the grave :
then it thinks, all things happen by chance ; there is
no God who interests himself in the sufferer, seeing
he lets him that hopes in him be in misery, and therein go down to the grave ; neither has any been heard
of who has returned from corruption, and said he
has been with God.
2. Answer. Reason is a natural life, whose
ground lies in a temporal beginning and end, and
cannot enter into the supernatural ground wherein
God is understood. For though Reason thus views
itself in this world, and in its viewing finds no other
ground, yet it finds in itself a desire after a higher
ground, wherein it might rest.
177
178 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
3. For it understands that it has proceeded from
a supernatural ground, and that there must be a
God who has brought it into a hf e and will. And it
is terrified in itself at its willing of wickedness, it is
ashamed of its own will, and pronounces itself
wrong in the willing of evil. Even though it does
wrong, yet it accuses itself, and is afraid of a judgment which it sees not. This signifies that the hidden God, who has brought himself into Nature,
dwells in it and reproves it for its evil way ; and that
the same hidden God cannot be of the nature of
perceptibility, since Reason sees not nor comprehends him.
4. On the other hand, forsaken Reason, which
here wrongfully (to its thinking) is tormented in
misery, finds a desire within it, itself still more to
forsake, and willingly gives itself up to suffering.
But in its suffering wrong it enters into a hope that
that which has created it will take it from suffering
into itself ; and it desires to rest in that which is not
passive, and seeks rest in that which it is not in itself. It desires the death of its egoism, and yet desires not to be a nothing; but desires only to die to
suffering (Qual) , in order that it may rest in itself.
5. It gives itself up therefore to suffering, that
the power of pain should kill its suffering, and that
it might in its fife, through the death of the dying
of its Self, in that it is a painful life, enter into the
unpainful and unsuffering.
6. Herein we understand rightly the hidden God,
how he reveals himself in the heart of man, and reproves wrong in the conscience, and draws that
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 179
which suffers wrong by suffering to himself. And
how the life of Reason, viz. the natural life, must
in suffering get a desire to return again into that
out of which it proceeded; and how it must desire
to hate itself, and to die to the natural will, in order
that it may attain the supernatural.
7. Reason says : Why has God created a painful,
suffering life? Might it not be in a better state
without suffering or pain, seeing he is the ground
and beginning of all things? Why does he permit
the contrary will? Why does he not destroy evil,
that only a good may be in all things ?
8. Answer. Nothing without contrariety can
become manifest to itself; for if it has nothing to
resist it, it goes continually of itself outwards, and
returns not again into itself. But if it return not
again into itself, as into that out of which it originally went, it knows nothing of its primal being. ^
9. If the natural life had no contrariety, and were
without a limit, it would never inquire after its
ground from which it arose; and hence the hidden
God would remain unknown to the natural life.
Moreover, were there no contrariety in life, there
would be no sensibility, nor will, nor efficacy therein,
also neither understanding nor science. For a thing
that has only one will has no divisibility. If it find
not a contrary will, which gives occasion to it exercising motion, it stands still. A single thing can
know nothing more than a one ; and even though it
is in itself good, yet it knows neither evil nor good,
for it has nothing in itself to make this perceptible.
10. And so then we can philosophize concerning
1 Dr. Stirling's rendering of Urstand.
180 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
the will of God, and say: If the hidden God, who
is a single existence and will, had not by his will
brought himself out of himself, out of the eternal
wisdom in the temperament, into divisibility of will,
and had not introduced this same divisibility into
an inclusiveness for a natural and creaturely life,
and had this possibility of separation in life not
found expression in strife; how could then the hidden will of God, which in itself is one only, be revealed to himself? How can there be in a single
will a knowledge of itself?
11. But if there be a divisibility in the one will,
so that the divisibility disposes itself into centra and
self-will, so that thus in that which is separated there
is a will of its own, and thus in a single will unfathomable and innumerable wills arise, like branches
from a tree; then we see and understand that in
such a divisibility each separated will brings itself
into a special form, and that the conflict of the wills
is about the form, so that one form in the partibility
is not as another, and yet all have their subsistence
in one ground.
12. For a single will cannot break itself asunder
in pieces, just as the soul (Gemiith) breaks not in
pieces when it separates into an evil and good willing ; but the out-going of sense only separates into a
willing of evil and of good, and the soul remains in
itself entire, and suffers an evil and good willing to
arise and dwell in it.
13. Now saith Reason: Whereto is this good or
useful, that with the good there must be an evil?
Answer. That which is evil or of contrary will
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 181
occasions the good or the will to press back towards
its primal existence, as towards God, and the good,
viz. the good will, to become desirous. For a thing
that in itself is only good, and has no suffering
(Qual) , desires nothing; for it knows nothing better in itself or for itself after which it could long.
14. Thus then we can philosophize concerning the
one good will of God, and say, that he can desire
nothing in himself, for he has nothing in or for himself which could give him anything. And therefore
he brings himself out of himself into a divisibility,
into centra, in order that a contrariety may arise in
the emanation, viz. in that which has emanated, that
the good may in the evil become perceptible, effectual, and capable of will; namely to will to separate
itself from the evil, and to re-will to enter into the
one will of God.
15. But seeing the emanation of the one eternal
will of God continually proceeds from himself to
his manifestation, the good likewise, as the divine
power, flows from the eternal One with this emanation, and enters also into the divisibility and into the
centra of plurahty.
16. Now, the perpetual emanation of the will
occasions the good by its motion to long for standstill again, and to become desirous to repenetrate
into the eternal One; and in such penetration into
itself the One becomes mobile and desiref ul ; and in
such working lies feeling, cognition and will.
17. God, so far as he is called God, can will nothing but himself; for he has nothing before or after
him that he can will. But if he will anything, that
182 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
very same has emanated from him, and is a counterstroke of himself, wherein the eternal will wills in
its something. Now if the something were only a
one, the will could have no exercise therein. And
therefore the unfathomable will has separated itself
into beginnings and carried itself into being, that
it might work in something, as we have a simihtude
in the soul (Gemilth) of man.
If the soul did not itself flow from itself, it would
have no sense-perception; but if it had no senseperception, neither would it have any knowledge of
itself, nor of any other thing, and were incapable of
doing or working. But the efflux of sense from the
soul (which efflux is a counterstroke of the soul, in
which the soul feels itself) endows the soul with will
or desire, so that it introduces the senses into a something, viz. into a centrum of an ego-hood, wherein
the soul works through sense, and reveals and contemplates itself in its working through the senses.
19. Now if in these centra of sense in the counterstroke of the soul there were no contrariuni, then all
the centra of emanated sense were but a one ; in all
the centra of sense but one single will, that did continually but one and the same thing. How could
then the wonders and powers of the divine wisdom
became known by the soul (which is an image of
divine revelation) and be brought into figures?
20. But if there be a contrarium, as light and
darkness, therein, then this contrarium is contrary
to itself, and each quality occasions the other to
bring itself into desire to will to fight against the
other, and to dominate it. In which desire, sense
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 183
and the soul is brought into a natural and creaturely
ground to a will of its own, viz. to a domination in
its something, or by its centrum over all the centra,
as one sense of the soul over another.
21. Hence struggle and anxiety, also contrary
will, take their rise in the soul, so that the whole soul
is thereby instigated to enter into a breaking of the
senses, and of the self-will of the senses, as of the
natural centra, and, passing out of the pain of rebellion and strife, out of anxiety, to desire to sink
into the eternal rest, as into God, from whence it
sprang.
22. And therefrom arise faith and hope, so that
the anxious soul hopes for a deliverance, and longs
to return to its origin again, viz. to God.
23. So have we Hkewise to understand the divine
manifestation. For all things have their first beginning from the emanation of the divine will,
whether evil or good, love or sorrow; and yet the
will of God is not a thing, neither nature nor creation, wherein is no pain, sorrow nor contrary will.
But from the efflux of the Word, as by the outgoing
of the unfathomable mind (which is the wisdom of
God or the great Mystery, where the eternal understanding is in the temperament) , has flowed understanding and knowledge ; and this efflux is a beginning of will, when the understanding has separated
itself into form. Thus the forms, each in itself, became desirous to have also a counterstroke to its
similarity. And this desire is a comprehendingness
for selfhood or ownness, as for a place, for a something. And through this something the Mysterium
184 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
magnum, as the unnatural power, is become substantial and natural; and the something has comprehended itself so as to become an individual will.
24. For this individual will is a ground of its
selfhood, and shuts itself in as a desiring will,
whence the magnetic impression for sharpness and
hardness has taken its origin; and is a ground of
darkness and of painful feeling, whence contrary
will, anxiety and flight (sensibility) have their origin ; and is a ground of Nature, from whence comes
the plurality of the qualities, so that in such a contrariety each will has arisen from the other, to separate itself from pam, like as sense takes its rise
from the soul, the soul through the senses being in
continual anxiety, working, willing and breaking.
25. In this divine emanation, in which the divine
power breathes forth itself from itself, and brings
and has brought itself into Nature and creation, we
are to recognize two things. First, the eternal understanding of the one good will, which is a temperament, and thus only introduces itself into a sensibility and activity for the manifestation of power,
colours and virtue; that power and virtue may be
reahzed in separability, in form, and the eternal wisdom be revealed and pass into knowledge. From
thence also the angelic, soulic and creaturely ground
has proceeded, as well as thrones and dominions, together with the visible world.
26. And then, secondly, we are to understand the
original will of Nature, viz. the comprehensibility
of the centra, where each centrum in the divisibility
shuts itself in a place to egoism and self-will as an
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 185
individual mysterium or mind. Out of which
springs unlikeness of will, showing how in these two
a contrariiim arises, for they are two in one.
27. Namely (1) that which is inward from the
origin of the divine power requires only a counterstroke to its similarity, viz. something that is good,
wherein the good, divine, emanated will may work
and manifest itself. Then (2) the self -generated,
individual, natural will in the place of the self-hood
of the dark impression of the sharpness also requires a likeness, viz. a counterstroke through its
own comprehensibility ; through which comprehension it makes itself material, and requires nothing
but its corporality as a natural ground.
28. In these two we are to understand the good
and evil will in all things. And it is herein rightly
understood how the inward, spiritual ground of all
beings arises from the divine power, and how in all
things also an individual, natural desire arises ; and
how all the bodies of visible, sentient beings have
their origin from the desire of Nature.
29. Further, we should clearly observe that just
as the individual, natural desire, which has a beginning, makes itself material and makes for itself a
counterstroke, viz. a likeness, wherein it works; so
also the divine ground and will through the comprehensibility of its love makes for itself a counterstroke and spiritual being, wherein the divine will
works, and introduces the divine power into forms
and separabihty for the manifestation of the divine
power and glory.
30. And in this world always two natures in one
186 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
are to be understood : First, an eternal, divine and
spiritual; and secondly, one that has a beginning,
and is natural, temporal and perishable in self-will.
For two kinds of will are found in one life : First,
one that has a beginning and is natural, in which
the will is an individual astrum, and inqualifies with
all that is external, natural, elemental and sidereal ;
and secondly, an eternal spiritual will, or eternal
spiritual nature, which is a comprehension or comprehended existence of the divine will, with which
the divine will also makes for itself a counterstroke
and being, wherein it works. And these two are
understood in two principles: the first divine in a
heavenly, and the second temporal in an earthly.
31. And as the heavenly hangs on the earthly,
so also does the earthly on the heavenly, and yet
neither is the other. For the heavenly has a spiritual nature, which is wholly an essential power, and
permeates and pervades the earthly, and yet possesses only its principle. And it gives power to the
earthly, so that it obtains another new will, and
longs after the heavenly. Which longing is a desire to go out from the vanity of Nature, whereof
the Scripture says : All creatures do earnestly long
with us to be freed from the vanity to which they
are subjected against their will (Rom. viii. 19-22).
32. Understand it aright. The egressed Desire
of the divine power for Nature, from which Nature
and self-will has arisen, longs to be freed from the
natural individual will.
33. This Desire is laden with the impression of
Nature against its will, for that God has introduced
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 187
it thereinto. It shall at the end of this time be released from the loaded vanity of Nature, and be
brought into a crystalline, clear Nature. Then
will be evident why God has shut it up in a time,
and subjected it to pain [in the disposition] for suffering: Namely, that through the natural pain the
eternal power might be brought into forms, shape
and separability for perceptibility; and that creatures, viz. a creatui-ely Hf e, might be revealed therein in this time, and so be a play in the counterstroke
to the divine wisdom. For through folly wisdom
becomes manifest, because folly attributes power to
its own self, and yet rests upon a [another] foundation and beginning, and has an end.
34. Thus the endless life is displayed to view
through folly, in order that therein a praise might
arise to the honour of God, and that the eternal and
permanent might become known in the mortal.
35. And thus the first question put by Reason
is answered, in that it supposes all things happen by
chance, and that there is no God, seeing he suffers
the righteous man to be in pain, fear and tribulation,
and brings him at last to the grave, like the wicked
man; so that it seems as if God interested himself
in nothing, or as if there were no God, since Reason
sees not, knows nor feels him. Therefore it is declared to it, that it (Reason) is in its own hfe only
a counterstroke to the right life ; and if it find in itself no hunger or desire after that from which in
the beginning it arose, that it is in its own life only
a foolishness and play, wherein wisdom brings its
wonders to pass.
188 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
36. For Reason sees in the wise man also such a
folly according to the outward nature, and sees how
God abandons this folly of the wise, that it must
stand in shame and reproach before the self-willed,
foolish subtlety, which nevertheless knows not its
end. Therefore foohsh Reason supposes there is
no deliverer, and knows not how the wise man is dehvered in himself and freed from the inherited folly
by inmiergence of his own wiU. For his own will,
through the pain and opposition of the godless, enters into its breaking and into its willing nothing,
and sinks again into its first origin, as into God's
will, and therein is born anew. And that God is
not served by the coarse, mortal flesh, that he should
introduce deliverance into the animal, self-willed
life ; but that to him the matter lies in this, that selfwiU should break, and sink again into God. Thus
is the inward good nature comprehended in God's
will; and on the mortal body is the more pain laid,
that the individual, natural will may not enter again
into a desire of its own for selfhood, and set itself
up as a ruler over the inward gi'ound, and destroy
the true image of God.
37. This, earthly Reason understands not; for
it knows not how God dwells in it, and what God's
will and nature is. It knows not that God dwells
through it, and is so near it; and that its Hfe is but
a foolishness of wisdom, by means of which life
wisdom manifests itself, that it may be known what
wisdom is. Its will is gone from God into selfhood,
and boasts itself of its own power, and sees not how
its power has beginning and end, that it is but a
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 189
play, by which mirror (play) wisdom beholds itself
for a time in the folly of the wise; and, finally,
through such pain of the godless, folly in the case of
the wise breaks to pieces, in that they begin to hate
the frail, foolish life, and to die with Reason, and to
give up the will to God.
38. This, earthly Reason regards as a folly, especially when it sees that God also in the wise abandons their earthly folly, and lets the body of such
folly, wherein the folly beheld itself, go down without help to the grave. Therefore it supposes this
man has received no deliverance from God : Seeing
he trusted in Him, his faith must certainly have been
false, else He had surely delivered him in his lifetime.
39. Moreover, because it feels not its punishment
immediately, it supposes there is no longer possible
any serious earnest here; and knows not that the
longer the more it comprehends itself in folly, and
becomes in itself a strong source of eternal pain.
So that, when for it the light of outer Nature perishes, wherein for a time it has strutted in selfhood,
it then stands by itself in darkness and pain, so that
its false, own desire is a mere rough, stinging, hard
sharpness and contrary will.
40. It hopes during this time in an external help,
and brings itself into pleasure of its will, and holds
that for its kingdom of heaven. But when for it
the outer light is extinguished in death, it then
stands in eternal despair, and neither sees any deliverer about nor within it.
41. But the wise man becomes in this time to
190 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
himself a fool, and learns to hate his folly (which
folly Reason regards as prudence) . Accordingly
his wisdom (which the world regards as folly) must
be a foohshness to Reason, at which it is scandalized. And so also God in the wise man hates the
foolish mortal life, just as the wise man hates it himself, in order that the true divine life may rule in
him with the understanding. And therefore with
God there is no regret for the mortal body of the
wise man; for he comprehends his divine Ens in
him in his spirit and will, and lets the body of folly
with the foolish descend into its grave, till the day
of the separation of all beings.
42. And Reason understands not this; therefore
it is foolish. And a man should be a man, not according to folly, but according to God's Spirit; and
judge what is divine, not according to image-like
[creaturely] Reason, for it is written: He that
builds on the flesh (viz. on the mortal Reason of his
own will) shall of the flesh inherit corruption; but
he that builds on the spirit (viz. on the divine will) ,
and places his will in the hope of the divine promise,
shall of the spirit inherit eternal life (Gal. vi. 8) .
CHAPTER II
Of the mind, will, and thoughts of human life. How
it has its origin from the will of God, and how
it is an object or an image of God, in which
God wills, works, and dwells.
1. Reason says: As the mind with the senses is
a natural Mfe with a beginning, which stands in a
time and fragiHty; how may it then in this time be
brought to the supersensible divine life? Or, how
is the divine indwelling in hf e ?
2. Answer. The life of man is a form of the
divine will, and came from the divine inbreathing
into the created image of man. It is the formed
Word of the divine knowledge; but has been poisoned by the counter-breathing of the devil, and of
the fierce wrath of temporal Nature; so that the
life's will has fashioned itself with the outward,
earthly counterstroke of the mortal nature, and has
come out of its temperament into separation of
qualities.
3. For these reasons it is found still in the earthly
image, and is now to be considered in three principles. In the first Principle, by its true primal
existence, it stands in the outgoing will of God, in
the divine knowledge, which originally was a temperament, in which the divine power did work by
sense. And therein is rightly understood a para191
192 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
dise or working of divine powers, as a perpetual
formation of divine will. And by this budding is
to be understood the outgoing of the good senses,
whereby the divine wisdom formed itself in figure
in a divine manner, and by such formation the divine understanding manifested itself through the
outgoing of the life of sense. Hence it was rightly
called an image of God, in which the divine will revealed itself.
4. But when this life in the first principle was
breathed upon in its image by the fierce wrathful
devil, so that the devil whispered it, that it were
good and profitable for it that the outgoing of the
senses from the life should break itself off from the
temperament, and should bring itself into an image
of its own according to the properties of plurality,
to prove dissimilarity, viz. to know and to be sensible
of evil and good ;
5. Then the life's own will consented, and
brought the senses as the outgoing Desire thereinto ; it has introduced itself into desire for ownness,
and impressed or comprehended itself in selfhood.
6. And then immediately the Hfe's understanding
became manifest in [separated] qualities; Nature
has taken the life captive in dissimilarity, and set
up her rule. Whence the life is become painful,
and the inward divine ground of the good will and
nature has been extinguished, that is, has become
inoperative as to the creature. For the life's will
broke itself off therefrom, and went into sensibility,
out of unity into plurality; it strove against the
Unity, viz. the eternal one rest, the one good.
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 193
7. When this took place, the divine ground (viz.
the second Principle or the wisdom of God, which
in divine power with the out-breathing will of God
had imprinted itself in the image-like life [of the
soul or of the first, fieiy principle], as in the counterstroke to God) was eclipsed in the false will.
For the cause of the motion of the holy Essence had
turned itself to eai-thhness, in which evil and good
are in strife.
8. Understand it: The eternal, unfathomable
will of life had turned itself away from the divine
Ens, and wished to rule in evil and good. And
therefore the second principle, or the kingdom of
God, is become extinguished for it ; and in the stead
thereof is arisen the third Principle in its own figurative form, as the quality of the stars and of the
four elements ; whence the body became coarse and
animal, and the senses false and earthly.
9. Life has thus lost the temperament, viz. the
eternal rest, and has by its own desire made itself
dark, painful, harsh, hard and rough. It has become a mere restlessness, and runs now in earthly
power in an eternal ground, and seeks rest in that
which is frail or fragile, but finds none ; for fragility
is not life's equality. Therefore the life sets itself
forcibly above the existence of this world, and dominates the mortal power of the stars and elements as
an individual God of Nature. And it is by such
domination become silly and foolish, so that in such
earthly imagination (Bildung) and self-assumption
it cannot recognize its ground and original state,
wherein its eternal rest stood; and is rightly called
194 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
foolish. For it has brought itself out of the divine
Ens into an earthly (animal) ens, and placed itself
in a fragile being; and will inile in that which nevertheless perishes for it, and passes away quickly like
a smoke.
10. And when that breaks, over which it has ruled
for a while, then the life remains in its contrariety
in the first principle, in darkness ; and is nothing else
than an everlasting, unquenchable, painful firesource, as the devils also are such.
11. To the aid of this captive life came again the
great love of God; and immediately after such
downfall inbreathed itself again into the inward ens,
viz. into the deadened nature of divine quality ; and
gave itself to the life for an object, introduced itself
as a new fountain of divine unity, love and rest into
the faded divine Ens, and revealed itself therein;
from which the life is able to draw and its pain and
restlessness in the centra of ownness to extinguish.
12. Further, this new fountain of divine love and
unity has, by its outflow in Christ, embodied itself
in the true life of all the three principles of human
quality; and has entered into the image-like senses,
viz. into life's natural, creaturely, dissentient, image-like will, and assumed humanity ; and has shattered egoism and self-will by the influence of the
one love of God, as by the eternal One ; and turned
Hfe's will inwards again to the eternal One, to the
temperament, whereby the devil's introduced will
was destroyed, and life's painfulness brought into
the true rest. And has broken open the shutting-in,
viz. death, and restored again the divine paradisaic
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 195
budding with the holy senses and workings ; and led
the holy life through the confining of death, and
made death and the devil's will a reproach. And
has thus powerfully demonstrated how the eternal
One can predominate over plurality and particularity, that the might of what is image-like may not
be a God, but the might of what is super- and unimage-like rule all. For what is image-like is only a
counterstroke to the un-image-hke will of God,
through which the will of God works.
13. But seeing the great love of God in Christ
is thus come to the aid of human hf e in earthly form,
and has made for us poor men in the life of the humanity of Christ an open gate of grace to the divine
entrance ; therefore the matter now lies in this, that
the life's will taken captive in its image-like existence should abandon again the earthly, viz. egoism
and self-will, and immerse itself wholly and solely
in this embodied grace (which pressed from one, as
from the first man, upon all, Rom. v. 18) ; and take
to itself this grace, and in virtue of such acceptance
and divine union sink with the resigned life's will
into the supersensible, superfathomable, eternal
One, as into the first ground of life's beginning, and
give itself up again to the ground from which life
sprang forth ; then it is again in its eternal place, in
the temperament, in the true rest.
14. Reason says: How can a man do this, seeing
the Scripture saith (1 Cor. xv. 45; Gen. i. 28) : The
first man was made a natural life, to rule over all
the creatures and beings of this world. The life
must therefore introduce desire into earthly quality.
196 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
Answer. Human life is placed in a counterstroke
to the divine will, in and through which counterstroke God wills; and the earthly creatures are
placed in a counterstroke to human life, in and
through which counterstroke man was to will.
Man's will was with God's will to will, and rule over
all natural and creaturely life. Not in animal but
in divine essence was it to stand. Though man was
placed with life in Nature, yet his nature was a temperament, and his life a mansion of divine will.
15. But because hfe must stand during this time
in earthly essence, and cannot be rid of it, we must
look at the threefold nature of the life according to
the three principles; by which principle of the life
man may plunge into the supersensible being of
God, and how this may be done.
16. Christ said: Without me ye can do nothing
(John XV. 5) . No man can of his own power reach
the supreme ground, unless he sink his inmost
ground of the first principle, according to the life's
image-like nature, in the embodied grace of God;
and, in accordance with the same ground, stand still
from his own being in divine hope, and give himself
up wholly with the will to God, in such a way that
his will no longer wills to speak according to this
gi-ound, save what God speaks and wills through
this ground ; then he is at the highest goal.
17. If it be possible for him to stand still an hour
or less from his own inner willing and speaking,
then will the divine will speak into him. By which
inspeaking God's will embraces his will in Himself,
and speaks into the image-like, natural, external
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 197
Reason-life; and dissolves and illuminates the
earthly imagination of Reason's will, so that immediately the supersensible divine life and will buds
and incentres itself in Reason's will.
18. For as little as the hfe's own will can, in selfness and will turned away from God, stand still in
Nature a moment from its working, unless it sink
down beyond all Nature ; so little also can the divine
speaking, in the life resigned to the ground, stand
still from its working.
19. For if the life stand still from its own will,
it is in the abyss of Nature and creation, in the eternal, divine utterance ; and hence God speaks therein.
20. For from God's speaking the hfe has proceeded and come into body, and is nothing else than
an image-hke will of God. Now if its own imagination and will stand still, the divine imagination
and will arises. For whatever is will-less is with
the Nothing but one thing, and is out of or beyond
all Nature, which ungroundedness is God himself.
21. Seeing then the Unground or God is an eternal speaking, viz. a breathing forth of himself, the
Unground accordingly is inspoken into the resigned
life; for the breathing of the Unground speaks
through the stationary ground of the life. For the
life has arisen from the divine breathing, and is a
likeness of the divine breathing, therefore one hkeness seizes the other. As we understand in the
case of the life's senses, which are such an issue from
the breathing of the soul, as the soul is an issue and
counterstroke from the divine soul of the divine
knowledge.
198 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
22. Now as God, by his breathing forth of his
eternal wisdom and knowledge, has revealed himself by Nature and creation, both by the inward holy
life, by the life of angels and men, and has introduced his will of his knowledge into form for reutterance through a formed divulged mode ; as also
by Nature and its re-breathing forth of the creatm'es of the visible world, and has always made the
external, uttered by Nature, subject to the inward
principle, so that the inward should rule through
the external corporeal, and be a spirit of the external :
23. Know, then, that in like manner, the introverted, new-born hfe of man, in divine power and
might, can and should rule over the external Reason-life of stars and elements. And if this be not
done — viz. that the inward eternal life in man, in
divine power and light, rule over the external,
earthly, astral life of the mortal desire, and break
the will of the earthly desire (wherein lies the serpent's image) — then there is not yet any new birth
or divine will manifest in such life and working, and
such a man (as long as he stands in the earthly will
alone) is no child of heaven. For the divine scientia
is transformed into earthly, animal quality by the
individual imagination of the false will ; and is as to
the body an evil beast, and as to the soul an averse,
false will, which wills not with God — after the manner of the devils, who likewise stand in their own imagination of sensual knowledge.
24. Therefore Christ said (Matt. xii. 30) : He
that gather eth not with me scatter eth. That is,
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 199
whosoever works, wills and acts not with the embodied divine grace, which God through Christ has
revealed and offers, but works by natural individual
will, he disperses not only the divine order of the
senses, but scatters also his works into false gi'ound.
25. Consider a parable of the sun. If a herb
hath not sap, the sun's rays scorch it; but if it hath
sap, the sun's rays warm it, whereby it grows. So
also in the life of essence in man. Hath that life
not ens from God's gentleness and love, viz. from
the eternal One, then it impresseth itself into a
fierce, fiery sharpness, so that the mind becomes
wholly rough, hungry, covetous, envious and stinging. And such false sense and will proceeds then
from the life into the body, and into all its ways and
works. , , I n^^^^^ji^
26. Such a fiery, covetous, envious nature with
the life's sharp sense scatters and destroys all that
is good. There is danger in all it has to do with.
For it carries its poisonous rays thereinto, and will
draw all to itself, and bring its poison thereinto, viz.
hungry covetousness. But if it be that the fiery life
can eat of divine love, then it is a similitude how a
light presses forth from fire: Thus the right life
presses forth from the fiery nature with a new spirit
and will of divine love from within ; and is no longer
taking, as the fire's nature is, but giving. For the
will of love gives itself, as light from fire, which
gives itself to all things, and produces in all something that is good.
27. If the sun did shine no more in the deep of
the world, then would the spiritus mundi in the
200 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
sharpness of the stars, in the sulphureous, mercurial
nature in the four elements, be wholly stern, rough,
di-y, harsh, thick, dark, and hard. Hence all life
in the elements would perish, and it would soon be
seen what hell and God's wrath are.
28. And thus in hke manner as the outer man is
a limus of the external elemental world, whose hfe
has its subsistence in the power and virtue of the
sun and stars, and the body, as also the earth, is a
coagulation of the spmtus mundi; and if that were
unable to have in its food the sun's power of light
and of love, it would become wholly evil, fiery, and
mortal, and the external life would necessarily
perish :
29. So also, in like manner, the soul is a limus of
the inward spiritual world from the Mysterium
magnum, viz. from the issue and counterstroke of
the divine knowledge, which must receive its nourishment from the Mysterium magnum of the divine
power and knowledge. Now if it cannot have the
ens of divine love for its food, so that it breaks itself
off from the unground, as from resignation or renimciation, then it becomes sharp, fiery, dark,
rough, stinging, envious, hostile, rebellious, and an
entire restlessness itself; and introduces itself into
a mortal, dying, fierce source, which is its damnation, wherein it goes to destruction, as befell the
devil, and likewise befalls the wicked.
30. But if such a fire-source can again attain and
receive in itself divine love, viz. the essential light
of God, then this fire-source of the soul becomes
transformed into a kingdom of joy, into praise to
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 201
God. But without will that has turned round, that
stands still from its own impression and shutting-in,
this is not possible. For the light of the sun cannot
so work in a hard stone as in herbs and trees, for
the water is compacted and coagulated in the stone
into a hard impression.
31. And thus it is to be understood with regard
to the soul's false own will and divine gentleness, so
that in such a covetous, envious fire-greed the divine
gentleness accomplishes no working. Hence Christ
truly said (John vi. 53) : The hfe of man which
should not eat the bread that is come from heaven
to give hfe to the world, has no life in it. Thereby
he indicates the essential love which God has manifested in him (in Christ) by a new fountain for refreshment of the poor withered soul. The soul that
should not eat thereof cannot attain the divine
Light, and were without divine life. And indeed
he calls himself (John viii. 12) the Light of the
world. Item, in the Psahns : A Light that shines
in the darkness, which changes the darkness into
light (Ps. cxii. 4).
CHAPTER III
Of the natural ground. How Nature is a counterstroke to the divine knowledge, whereby the
eternal (one) will with the unfathomable, supernatural knowledge makes itself perceptible,
viable, effectual, and desireful. And what
Mysterium magnum is. How all is from,
through, and in God. How God is so near all
things, and fills all.
A highly precious gate, for the reader that loveth
God to well consider.
John i. 1-3 runs thus: In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with
God. All things were made by him, and without
him was not anything made that was made.
1. The beginning of all beings was the Word as
the breath of God ; and God was the eternal One of
eternity, and likewise remains so in eternity. But
the Word is the efflux of the divine will or of the
divine knowledge. As the senses flow from the
soul, and yet the soul is but a one ; so it was with the
eternal One in the efflux of the will, that is to say:
In the beginning was the Word. For the Word as
the efflux of the will of God is the eternal beginning,
and remains so eternally. For it is the revelation
of the eternal One, by and through which the divine
202
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 203
power is brought into a knowledge of somewhat.
By the Word we understand the revealed will of
God; and by the word God we mean the hidden
God, viz. the eternal One from which the Word eternally springs forth.
2. Thus the Word is the efflux of the divine One,
and yet God himself as his revelation.
3. This efflux flows from God; and what has
flowed forth is wisdom, beginning and cause of all
powers, colours, virtues and qualities.
4. From such a revelation of powers, in which the
will of the eternal One contemplates itself, flows
the understanding and the knowledge of the something (Ichts),^ as the eternal will contemplates itself in the something (Ichts), and in wisdom introduces itself into delight in a likeness and image.
5. This image is the Mystenum magnum, viz. the
creator of all beings and creatures ; for it is the separator in the efflux of the will, which makes the will
of the eternal One separable; it is the separability
in the will, from which powers and qualities arise.
6. These powers again are in efflux of themselves,
each power bringing itself into individual will according to the virtue of that same power. From
thence arises the multiplicity of wills, and from this
also the creaturely life of eternity has taken its origin, viz. angels and souls. And yet it cannot be said
that by this a Nature or creation is understood, but
the eternal imaged existence of the divine word and
will, as the Spirit of God has in such a counter stroke,
1 Ichts the opposite of Nichts (nothing) is "I," self-consciousness. —
Hegel, Hist, of Phil, vol. iii. p. 286.
204 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
in the powers of wisdom, sported with himself in
such formation of similitude. .
7. As the mind of man in the understanding introduces itself by the senses into a counterstroke of
an exact likeness, and by sense flows forth and disposes into images, which images are the thoughts
of the mind, wherein the will of the mind works, and
thus by desire brings itself into a sharpness, as into
a magnetic appropriation, from which joy and sorrow arise ;
8. So also, in regard to the eternal mind of perceptibility, we are to understand that the outgoing
of the one will of God has, through the Word, introduced itself into separability, and the separability has introduced itself into receptibility, as into
desire and craving for its self -revelation, passing
out of the Unity into plurahty.
9. Desire is the ground and beginning of the nature of perceptibility of the particular will. For
therein is the separability of the Unity brought into
receptibility, whence the separabilities of the wills
are brought into perceptibility of a self-hood,
wherein the true, creaturely, perceptible, angeHc,
and soulic life is understood.
10. For the will of the eternal One is imperceptible, without tendency to anything ; for it has nothing to which it could tend, save only towards itself.
Therefore it brings itself out of itself, and carries
the efflux of its unity into plurality, and into assumption of selfhood, as of a place of a Nature,
from which qualities take their rise. For every
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 205
quality has its own separator and maker within it,
and is in itself entire, according to the quality of
the eternal Unity.
11. Thus the separator of each will develops in
its turn qualities from itself, from which the infinite
plurality arises, and through which the eternal One
makes itself perceptible, not according to the unity,
but according to the efflux of the unity. But the
efflux is carried to the greatest sharpness with magnetic receptivity, to the nature of fire ; in which fiery
nature the eternal One becomes majestic and a light.
Thereby [by fire] the eternal power becomes desireful and effectual, and [fire] is the original condition of the sensitive life, where in the Word of
power, in the efflux, an eternal sensitive life has its
origin. For if life had no sensitiveness, it would
have no will nor efficacy; but pain makes it effectual
and capable of will. And the light of such kindling
through fire makes it joyous, for it is an anointment
of painfulness.
12. From this eternal operation of the sensation
and sense-element, which very working has from
eternity introduced itself into Nature and qualities,
the visible world with all its host sprang, and was
brought into a creaturely being. For the eternity
of such working to fire, Hght and darkness has with
visible world carried itself into a counterstroke, and
made the separator in all the powers of the emanated being a steward of Nature, by whom the eternal will rules, makes, forms and shapes all things.
13. We can, therefore, in no wise say that God's
206 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
essence is something far off, which possesses a special abode or place ; for the abyss of Nature and creation is God himself.
14. The visible world with its host of creatures is
nothing else than the emanated Word which has disposed itself into qualities, as in qualities the particular will has arisen. And with the receptibility of
the Will the creaturely life arose ; which hf e has in
the beginning of this world introduced itself into a
receptivity for a creaturely groiuid, which the separator has separated according to the quality, and
brought to a will of its own after such a fashion.
And with the self-will of such desire substance or
body of its likeness and quality has arisen to each receptivity; whereby the separator has signed itself
and made itself visible, as is to be seen in every life.
15. In this counterstroke of the divine will we
are to understand two kinds of life, viz. an eternal
and a temporal. That which is eternal is in the
Eternal, and arises from the eternal Word. It
stands at the basis of the eternal spiritual world, in
the Mysteriiini magnum of the divine counterstroke,
and constitutes the intellective life at the basis of
the eternal fire and light.
16. The inmost ground is a spark of the emanated will of God through the eternal divine breathing, and is united with God's Word to will nothing
but what the one will of God wills through such emanation.
17. It is nothing else than a mansion of divine
will, through which the divine will reveals itself;
and is revealed to no peculiarity of individual will,
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 207
but only to the instrument of the divine will, by
which this chooses to perforin its marvellous works.
It is the separator of the divine will, an instrument
of God, into which the divine will has fashioned itself so as to be a wonder-worker of omnipotence and
glory, by which he will rule all things. Wherefore
also the divine understanding was given to it.
18. The other life is a primal efflux of the separator of all powers, and is called the soul of the
outer world. This life became creaturely in the
emanated qualities, and is a life of all the creatures
of the visible world, whereby the separator or creator of this world fashions itself and makes a likeness of the spiritual world, in which the power of
the inward spiritual world forms, shapes and beholds itself.
19. For the spiritual world of fire, light and darkness is hidden in the visible elemental world, and
works through the visible world, and by the separator imprints itself with its efflux in all things, according to each thing's kind and quality. According as each several thing is of a kind and quality,
such a quality does it receive from the separator of
the inward spiritual power. Not for a possession
and individual power does the visible receive the
invisible, that the outer might thereby be transformed into the inner. No ; that is not so. The inward power fashions itself in the way we understand
this in the powers of herbs, trees and metals, that
their external spirit is only an instrument of the inward spirit or of the inward power, whereby the inward power imprints itself in the external spirit.
208 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
20. We understand indeed in such powers of
growing things three kinds of spiritus in different
centra, but in one corpus. The first and external
spiritus is the coarse sulphur, salt and mercury,
which is a substance of four elements, or of the stars
according to the property of their roughness. It
makes the corpus, and impresses itself or compacts
itself into a substance, or draws that which is internal out of the spiritual separator into itself, as
also the elements from without, and coagulates itself therewith ; whence immediately the signature or
sign is effected by the separator. It forms the visible corpus according to the property of the greatest
power of the spiritus mundi, viz. according to the
constellation of the stars or property of the planets
and now enkindled elements.
21. The second spiritus, which has a centrum, of
its own, is found in the oil of sulphur, which is called
the fifth essence, viz. a root of the four elements.
This spiritus is the softening and joy of the coarse,
painful spirit of sulphur and salt; and receives its
nourishment, firstly, from within, from the light of
Nature, from the efflux of spiritual gentleness, from
the inward spiritual fire and light. And, secondly,
it receives its nourishment from without, from the
sun and from the subtle power of the spiritus mundi,
and is the true cause of gi'owing life, a joy of Nature, as is the sun in the elements.
22. The third sjnritus is the tincture, a counterstroke of the divine Mysterium magnum, in which
all powers are in equality, and is rightly called paradise or divine dehght. It is a mansion of divine
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 209
power, a mansion of the eternal soul, whence all external powers spring, after the manner of air from
fire.
23. For the tincture is nothing else than a spiritual fire and light, in which fire and light is a single
and united being. But because it has within it its
separator, as the emanated divine will to manifestation, it is the highest reason for which the first separation of qualities comes about in the existence of
this world, and belongs by its own quality to eternity. For its origin is the holy power of God. And
it has a special centrum, viz. the most inward ground
of the creature, which indeed is hidden to the mortal
creature on this account, that man brought false
will against it. Hence arose the curse of the earth
at the fall of man. Yet this high, holy principle in
its own centrum presses forth through all the beings
of this world, and flows forth into the outer powers,
as the sun into the elements. But the creature cannot touch the centrum of this power, unless it be
done by divine permission, as comes to pass in the
new birth.
24. Such a revelation is seen in all living and
growing things. All things have their subsistence
in these three principles or beginnings. You see
an example in a herb of the earth, which has its
nourishment from within and without, viz. from
the earth, and from without from the sun and
stars, whereby the spiritus of the earth together
with the external spiritus fashions itself. When
the herb sprouts forth, it is in such power that
this is reaHzed. Thus the outward separator in
210 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
sulphur, salt and mercury signs itself externally
with the shape and form of the herb; for it is
the herb's motion and sensation, and makes itself
corporeal.
25. So that when I see a herb standing, I may
say with truth: This is an image of the Earthspirit, in which the upper powers rejoice, and
regard it as their child; for the Earth-spirit is
but one being with the upper, outward powers.
And when the herb is grown up, it blossoms; and
with the blossom the oleous spirit signs itself with
beautiful colours. And with the lovely smell of
the blossom, the tincture or the third principle
signs itself.
26. Here then we understand that the inward,
hidden spirit of the elements has revealed itself,
and brings itself also into the form of the fruit.
For the earth would have no such smell, neither
colours nor such vii'tue, if the hidden power of
the divine efflux did not manifest itself.
27. So also with metals, which outwardly are
a coarse corpus of sulphur, mercury and salt,
wherein consists the growth; but in their inward
ground they are a beautiful clear corpus, in which
the ideal light of Nature shines from the divine
efflux. In this lustre is to be understood the
tincture and great power, how the hidden power
makes itself visible. It cannot be said of such
power or virtue that it is elemental, as neither is
the power of the blossom so. The elements are
only a mansion and counterstroke of the inward
power, a cause of the motion of the tincture.
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 211
28. For power proceeds from the tincture
through motion of the coarse elemental spirit, and is
carried thereby into sensation, viz. into taste and
smell.
29. For smell is nothing but the sensation of the
tincture, through which the efflux of divine power
reveals itself, and thus assumes perceptibility. The
sharpness of smell is indeed elemental, but the true
power and virtue in the sharpness of the smell is
the tincture. For the motion of a thing is not the
highest reason of power, but that to which the cause
of the motion is due.
30. The physician uses a fragi'ant herb for his
medicaments; but the smell, that is, the sharpness
of the smell, is not the cure which cureth the
patient in his sickness. But that is the cure, from
which such balsam or smell arises, viz. the tincture,
which imprints itself in such balsam.
31. Christ said to the fig-tree: Be thou withered
(Matt. xxi. 19) . But the external, audible, human
word, or the sound, was not the power by which it
was done. But the power was that from whence
the word came. Else, if the external human soul
did it, other men could do it too.
32. The like also is to be understood concerning
faith. Confession and assent in respect to a thing
is not true faith, much less is science so. But
that is faith, from which the confession proceeds,
viz. the revealed Spirit of God in the inward gi'ound
of the soul, which by the confession frames itself
in the pronounced word and makes this visible
outwardly, and works with the visible elements of
212 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
faith and exhibits itself outwardly. So that we
understand that God's Spirit co-operates in the
work of faith, just as it works with and through
the power of the elemental world, and makes itself
visible through the existence of this world with a
counterstroke.
33. So that, as regards everything I look upon,
be it evil or good, I can with truth say: Here, by
this thing, has the hidden spirit of the separator
of all beings shaped itself into a property, and made
for itself here an object or image according to its
efflux, either according to evil or good; all according to the properties of Nature, according to heat
or cold, according to harsh, bitter, sweet or sour,
or however that may be. And in all such formation there is only outwardly such an elemental
nature, viz. such a sulphur and salt; but in the
inward ground, in the tincture, it is good and
profitable, and belongs to its hkeness for the nourishment of life, which by the astral and elemental
nature stands in all properties according to its
external ground.
34. Every particular thing, be is herb, gi-ass, tree,
beast, bird, fish, worm, or whatsoever it be, is of
use, and has proceeded from the separator of all
beings, viz. from the Word or separable will of God,
by which the separator of each thing's quality has
made for itself a likeness or image in which it
works.
35. For this visible world with all its host and
being is nothing but an objective representation of
the spiritual world, which spiritual world is hidden
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 213
in this material, elemental world, like as the tincture
in herbs and metals.
36. And as the tinctm-e with its virtue fashioneth
itself in all things with its efflux and makes itself
visible, so that we mav see and know by the figure,
as well as by the colours and smell, what manner
of separator or efflux of divine will has emanated in
the tinctm-e from the Mysterium magnum ; so likewise we may recognize in the visible world, in sun,
stars, elements and all creatures, the inward ground
from which they arose.
37. For no thing or being is come from afar to
its place, but in the place where it grows is its
ground. The elements have their cause, from
which they arise, in themselves; the stars also
have their chaos, wherein they stand, in themselves.
38. The elements are nothing but an image-like,
moving existence of what is invisible and nonmoving.
39. The stars likewise are an efflux of the qualities of the spiritual world, according to the separation of the separator, whose ground is the Word or
the separable will of God.
40. The being and motion of the elements is
fire, air, water and earth, wherein is thick and
thin, moist and dry, hard and soft, and these are
united together in one substance. Not that each is
from a particular origin, but they all proceed from
a single ground, and that place where they have
arisen is everywhere. We have only to conceive
how at one place there may have been a greater
214 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
enkindling according to one quality than at another
place, whereby the motion has become greater, and
of material things in such form and substance more
have been produced than at another place. As is
to be understood by the material things of the
earth, as also by the water and air, how a difference
exists at each pole, or at each position above the
earth. Whence also the difference of manners and
of virtues, as well as of governments, laws and
creatm'es.
41. But the differences of such qualities have all
arisen from iheMysterium magnum, by the motion
once for all of the powers of all beings, as when the
one will of all beings puts itself in motion at once,
and brought itself out of non-perceptibility into
perceptibility and separability of powers, and
made the eternal Power effectual and desireful,
so that in each power a counterstroke as an individual desire has arisen. This same desire in the
counterstroke of the powers has developed itself in
its turn out of itself into a counterstroke, whence
the desire of such efflux is become acute, strong
and excessive, and has coagulated and brought itself
into material things.
42. And as the efflux of the inward powers has
been from light to darkness, from sharpness and
gentleness, from the nature of fire and light, so
has been the origination of material things. The
further the efflux of a power has extended, the more
outward and coarse does the matter become; for
one counterstroke has proceeded out of another,
unto finally the coarse earth.
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 215
43. But we must deduce correctly the ground
of this philosophy, and indicate whence hard and
soft have taken their origin. This we recognize
in metals. For every matter which is hard, as are
metals and stones, as also wood, herbs and the like,
has within it a very noble tincture and high spirit
of power. As also is to be recognized in the bones
of creatures, how the noblest tincture according
to the power of the Light, or the greatest sweetness,
is in the marrow of the bones; and, on the other
hand, in the blood there is only a fiery tincture,
viz. in sulphur, salt and mercury. This is understood thus:
44. God is the eternal One, or the greatest
gentleness [stillness,] so far as he exists in himself
independently of his motion and manifestation.
But in his motion he is called a God in trinity,
that is, a triune Being, where we speak of three
and yet but of one, and in accordance with which
he is called the eternal Power and Word. This is
the precious and supreme ground, and thus to be
considered: The divine will shuts itself in a place
to selfhood, as to power, and becomes active in
itself; but also by its activity goes forth, and
makes for itself an object,^ viz. wisdom, through
which the ground and origin of all beings has
arisen.
45. In like manner know this: All that is soft,
gentle and thin in the existence of this world is
emanating and self -giving; and its ground and
origin is in accordance with the Unity of eternity,
the Unity perpetually emanating from itself. And
216 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
indeed in the very nature of thinness or rarity, as in
water and air, we understand no sensation or pain,
so far as that nature is one in itself.
46. But whatever is hard and impressing, as
bones, wood, herbs, metals, fire, earth, stones, and
the like material things, — therein is the image of
di\ane power and motion, and shuts itself up with
its separator (viz. the efflux of divine desire) against
the coarseness, as a noble jewel or sparkle of divine
power. And it is hard and fiery on this account,
that it hath its own ground of divine inclusion, as
where the eternal One introduces itself continually
into a ground of threefoldness for motion of powers,
and yet shuts itself up against the efflux, as against
the introduction of the particular will of Nature,
and with the power of the Unity works through
Nature.
47. And so it is to be understood in regard to
the noble tinctui'e. Where it is noblest, there it is
most of all shut up with the hardness. For the
Unity is involved in it in a mobiUty, as in a sensation
of activity, and therefore it is hidden, but in
thinness or rarity it is involved not in such sensation,
but is one with all things. As indeed water and
air are one with all things, and are in all things.
But the dry water is the true pearly foundation,
in which the subtle power of the working of
the Unity is in the centre. To ours, who are
worthy of this, it is hereby intimated, that they
should not give their attention to the soft and
yielding apart from the fiery nature, to seek
ON THE DIVINE INTUITION 217
the mystery therein. Understand this mystery
thus:
48. That the soft and thin arises from the Unity,
from its emanation, from the Mysterium magnum,
and is nearest to the Unity; and, on the other
hand, the noblest ground of divine revelation,
both in power and operation, lies in the fiery
hardness, and is a dry unity or a temperament,
wherein again is contained the separability of all
powers. For, where powers are comprised not in
the unity of a will, there the will is divided, and
no great power is to be understood in that
thing. Which ought well to be observed by the
physicians, that they should not look to the coarse
spiritus of strong smell, and regard that as
the true balsam; although it is present therein,
and so is the tincture therein very mobile and
evolant.
49. The spiritus or spiritual essences of the strong
power in smell must be brought into the temperament, into unity, and not be flying from it, whereby
men attempt to cure with salt, as with the sharpness of fire, and give to the patient soul without
spirit.
50. The soul of such balsams is separated in the
qualities; each one gives itself in its great joy
separately, but in separation they are too rebellious.
They unite not life's enmity and division, but kindle
life's division more.
51. Shut them up and make them one, so that
they all have one will in love, and you have the
218 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
pearl of the whole world. To provoke to wrath
causes pride and strife, which is to be recognized
in all things.
52. A prisoner is comforted only by his release,
until he place his will in hope, and compose himself
with patience; and so at last his restlessness falls
into hope, into the temperament, and he learns in
such hope to become humble. Then, if one tells him
of his release, he rejoices.
53. Therefore, ye physicians, observe it, that is
your pearl, if you can understand this, the meaning
is internal and external.
CHAPTER IV
Of the In and Out. How the eternal will of God
carries itself outicards and into perceptihility,
inwards and again into the One.
Here may he understood to what end the being of this
world was created, and zehat purpose the creaturely
ground serves. Further, to what end joy and sorrow have become manifest; and how God is so near
all things.
1. John i. 11-13 runs thus: He (Jesus Christ)
came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become children of God, even to them that
believe on his name : which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.
2. In these words we have precious ground
of divine revelation, viz. the eternal In and Out.
For they speak of this, how the hidden divine
eternal Word of the divine power of the Unity
came forth into the emanated, natural, creaturely,
image-Hke Word, viz. into humanity, into his
own.
3. For the emanated, image-like creaturely Word
is the ever-speaking Word's property. And it is
thereby clearly signified that his own, or the
averse, image-like, particular will, received him
219
220 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
not. This individual, image-like will had arisen
from its own ground, viz. from flesh and blood of
the self-ful nature of man and woman, that is, in
the separator of the emanated will, where the
eternal will had confined itself in ownership, and
would go forth and rule in personal power and
might.
4. This received not the eternal Word (which,
as an outflow of divine grace, again came forth
to the averse will), for it would be an individual
lord. But the will which has turned round, so that
it has been born anew in the divine outflow of love,
to that gave he power to become God's child. For
it is not the natural, individual will can inherit the
divine childship, but only that which, united with
the Unity, is one with all things, in which God
himself works and wills.
5. Wherein we clearly understand how the inward ground has extroverted itself and made itself
visible, and is a peculiar possession of God, as an
efflux of divine power and wiU.
THE END.
Date Due