The Forty Questions of the Soul
330. But the true life in the light of the Majesty, in the Ninth Number, is the tincture of the * virgin; it is a fire, and yet not a fire; it burneth, but it consumeth not; it is the love, the meekness, the humility; it is the life of God, and of the holy souls, an incorruptible life, and an 2 unsearchable life; for it is in the abyss in itself; it is in the centre of it; which centre is its first life, and yet doth not comprehend it, as the fire doth not comprehend the light.
331. And thus the Ninth Number is the life in the fire of God, and it 3 is the life which standeth before the Ternary, viz. an angel standing before the cross, 4 for God's works of wonder, and 4 the heavenly glory.
The 5 Tenth Number and Form of Fire. The Gate 6 in Ternarium Sanctum.
332. You know from reason, that where there is a root, * there is a desiring will, which is the noble tincture that driveth upwards, out of itself, and seeketh a similitude of its form.
333. The tincture is a virgin, and is known in the wisdom of God in the wonders: it is 7 no genetrix, but an opener of the wonders which are in the wisdom; it seeketh no glass, but merely openeth the essences, that a whole similitude may bring forth itself out of the essences; it driveth the twig out of the tree.
1 Or wisdom of God.
2 Or infinite, unfathomable.
3 Or is called, or accounted the life in the presence of the Trinity.
4 Or to set forth.
5 10 X. -f<
6 into the Holy Ternary.
7 not one that is a bearer or bringer forth.
* "there is a desiring will," lit., "there is a desiring will within it."
334. This we understand of angels and the soul: they proceed from Gods essences, from the whole tree; the angels from two Principles; and the soul with the body of the outward life from three Principles, and therefore man is higher than the angels, if he continueth in God.
335. And in the l Tenth Number upon the cross, the angels and souls are
2 awakened, and incorporated into the heavenly essentiahty; * though you must understand, that the Tenth Number belongeth to the place between the fifth and sixth 3 , as in a globe, and the Heart is in the midst in the centre; which is the Heart of God, viz. the Word of God.
336. The power in the whole tree (viz. the pith in the wood) hath the essences of the whole tree; and thus God is a spirit, and the Word is his Heart, which he
4 soundeth forth from all powers and wonders: Therefore Isaiah calleth it a
5 Wonder, Counsellor, and Power, the Prince of Peace, as a pacifier of the wrath, and an eternal power of the wonders; a Counsellor of the genetrix.
337. For the Word upholdeth the centre of nature, and is the Heart and Lord of nature; it is f the genetrix in the eye of God, a giver of power, and it is the strength of the omnipotence; it holdeth the centre of the fire captive with the love-fire; so that the fire must be dark in itself, and the Word only hath the light-life.
1 10.
2 Or first quickened, or enlivened.
3 form.
4 speaketh out of all, etc.
5 Isa. ix. 6.
* "though you must understand," etc. Lit., "though the tenth number belongeth between the fifth and the sixth, but in a globe [sphere] as it were."
f "the genetrix," lit., "the begetter."
338. We cannot find but that the Tenth Number is a cross; and it is the original of the Essence of all essences, which essence divideth itself into three beginnings, as is mentioned before; each of which hath its essence, and they are all in one another, and have no more but one spirit.
339. And in the middle of the point is the centre, which is the cause of the life, and in the centre is the light of the Majesty, out of which the life proceedeth, viz. the second Principle; and out of it the Tree of the Eternal Life always grew from eternity, and the twigs grow out of the tree.
340. These twigs are the spirits of angels, which indeed were not corporeal from eternity; but the essences were in the tree, and their image appeared in the virgin of wisdom from eternity; for they were a figure from eternity in the tincture, not corporeal, but only essential without corporality.
341. And therefore this is the greatest wonder that the eternity hath wrought; that it hath 1 made the eternal a corporeal spirit; which thing no reason can comprehend, nor any sense find out, and it is 2 unfathomable to us.
330. But the true life in the light of the Majesty, in the Ninth Number, is the tincture of the * virgin; it is a fire, and yet not a fire; it burns, but it consums not; it is the love, the meekness, the humility; it is the life of God, and of the holy souls, an incorruptible life, and an 2 unsearchable life; for it is in the abyss in itself; it is in the centre of it; which centre is its first life, and yet does not comprehend it, as the fire does not comprehend the light.
331. And thus the Ninth Number is the life in the fire of God, and it 3 is the life which stands before the Ternary, viz. an angel standing before the cross, 4 for God's works of wonder, and 4 the heavenly glory.
The 5 Tenth Number and Form of Fire. The Gate 6 in Ternarium Sanctum.
332. You know from reason, that where there is a root, * there is a desiring will, which is the noble tincture that drivs upwards, out of itself, and seeks a similitude of its form.
333. The tincture is a virgin, and is known in the wisdom of God in the wonders: it is 7 no genetrix, but an opener of the wonders which are in the wisdom; it seeks no glass, but merely opens the essences, that a whole similitude may bring forth itself out of the essences; it drivs the twig out of the tree.
1 Or wisdom of God.
2 Or infinite, unfathomable.
3 Or is called, or accounted the life in the presence of the Trinity.
4 Or to set forth.
5 10 X. -f<
6 into the Holy Ternary.
7 not one that is a bearer or bringer forth.
* "there is a desiring will," lit., "there is a desiring will within it."
334. This we understand of angels and the soul: they proceed from Gods essences, from the whole tree; the angels from two Principles; and the soul with the body of the outward life from three Principles, and therefore man is higher than the angels, if he continues in God.
335. And in the l Tenth Number upon the cross, the angels and souls are
2 awakened, and incorporated into the heavenly essentiahty; * though you must understand, that the Tenth Number belongs to the place between the fifth and sixth 3 , as in a globe, and the Heart is in the midst in the centre; which is the Heart of God, viz. the Word of God.
336. The power in the whole tree (viz. the pith in the wood) has the essences of the whole tree; and thus God is a spirit, and the Word is his Heart, which he
4 sounds forth from all powers and wonders: Therefore Isaiah calls it a
5 Wonder, Counsellor, and Power, the Prince of Peace, as a pacifier of the wrath, and an eternal power of the wonders; a Counsellor of the genetrix.
337. For the Word upholds the centre of nature, and is the Heart and Lord of nature; it is f the genetrix in the eye of God, a giver of power, and it is the strength of the omnipotence; it holds the centre of the fire captive with the love-fire; so that the fire must be dark in itself, and the Word only has the light-life.
1 10.
2 Or first quickened, or enlivened.
3 form.
4 speaks out of all, etc.
5 Isa. ix. 6.
* "though you must understand," etc. Lit., "though the tenth number belongs between the fifth and the sixth, but in a globe [sphere] as it were."
f "the genetrix," lit., "the begetter."
338. We cannot find but that the Tenth Number is a cross; and it is the original of the Essence of all essences, which essence divids itself into three beginnings, as is mentioned before; each of which has its essence, and they are all in one another, and have no more but one spirit.
339. And in the middle of the point is the centre, which is the cause of the life, and in the centre is the light of the Majesty, out of which the life proceeds, viz. the second Principle; and out of it the Tree of the Eternal Life always grew from eternity, and the twigs grow out of the tree.
340. These twigs are the spirits of angels, which indeed were not corporeal from eternity; but the essences were in the tree, and their image appeared in the virgin of wisdom from eternity; for they were a figure from eternity in the tincture, not corporeal, but only essential without corporality.
341. And therefore this is the greatest wonder that the eternity has wrought; that it has 1 made the eternal a corporeal spirit; which thing no reason can comprehend, nor any sense find out, and it is 2 unfathomable to us.
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