The Forty Questions of the Soul
6. And the nether part of the cross representeth water, viz. humility or death; signifying that it should not domineer in the fire, and enflame itself, but should sink down in itself, and under itself, before the Majesty of God, and be as it were dead in its will, that God may live in it, and the Holy Ghost lead and govern it; so that it may not do what the turba in the fire willeth, but what the will in 1 light willeth.
7. Therefore its will should sink down into soft humility, in the presence of God, and so it goeth out from the turba of the fire, for its will is not in it; and then there can be no imagination which can bring forth such a glass, as in which it may behold itself in the fire, and find that it is a lord, and so be proud, and rule itself by its own might, as Lucifer did, and Adam in paradise.
1 Or love.
8. We mean thus: the soul in itself is a globe with a cross, and two eyes, a holy divine one, and a wrathful, helhsh one in the fire; this it should shut and 1 secretly reign therewith, through the anguish (viz. through death) in the second Principle in love.
9. And if love embraceth it, then the wrathful fire is as it were dead, and not perceived, but it becometh the joyful life of paradise; otherwise there would be no life nor dominion in the meekness, if the fire did not put itself into it; but the still eternity would remain without essence; for all essences arise in the fire.
10. And then thirdly, as to the whole body, with all its members, the soul is formed as followeth.
11. The soul is the stock or root, resembling the centre of the Ternary, which is like an eye, a globe, a cross, and its will (which proceedeth from the eternal will) is a spirit, * which hath the true soul in its power.
12. And this spirit openeth the essences in the fire and water, so that its whole form seemeth like a tree, having many twigs and branches, being distributed into all the branches of its tree, which must be understood as followeth.
1 Or hiddenly.
* "which hath the true soul in its power," etc. (den hat die rechte Seele in ihrer Gewalt), "which the true soul hath in its power."
13. The spirit distributeth itself into the whole body (we mean in the tincture), into all the members; they are all of them its branches: The spirit of the soul resembleth the whole man, with every member.
14. And herein it is the true image of God also, for the Holy Ghost dwelleth in the spirit of it, if it be faithful; if not, then the devil dwelleth in it: to which of these it giveth itself, either to covetousness and haughtiness, or to love and humility, to that it belongeth.
15. But if it persisteth in l wickedness, and so loseth God, then it loseth the cross, and its eye is a hellish eye; and its turba introduceth the form and 2 model of a horrible beast into the eye, and into the will and spirit.
16. Therefore Christ called the Pharisees, 3 serpents, and generation of vipers; for so the figure of their spirit in their pride and covetous will appeared to him, for they would be lords of themselves, and not the servants of God in love and humility.
17. And so the figure of Antichrist in Babel appeareth, in the presence of God, as a dragon with seven heads, which are seven spirits, upon which its hypocritical spirit rideth in the image of man in the abyss; 4 it will be accounted an angel, and yet is a monster in respect of a true child of God; it beareth the name, but its heart is that beast, Apocalypse xii. It would have God, and also the devil; therefore it is such a monster, as is hke a man, and yet hideth the devil in and under itself.
1 malice, or abominations.
2 idea, or shape, or image.
3 Matt. xii. 34; xxiii. 33.
4 Viz. that spirit.
18. O child of man, fly away, the door is open, the turba is come, it will destroy this image; if you fly not, you must go with it; there is no other l remedy or help, but to seek the true image in love, or else there remaineth nothing but tribulation and death, saith the spirit of wonders.
19. And this is now our direct answer to this question: That the soul in the first Principle, according to the original, hath the form of an eye, and yet twofold like a heart, wherein there is a cross.
20. And in the second Principle, it is a spirit, and a whole image, as the outward man is.
6. And the nether part of the cross represents water, viz. humility or death; signifying that it should not domineer in the fire, and enflame itself, but should sink down in itself, and under itself, before the Majesty of God, and be as it were dead in its will, that God may live in it, and the Holy Ghost lead and govern it; so that it may not do what the turba in the fire wills, but what the will in 1 light wills.
7. Therefore its will should sink down into soft humility, in the presence of God, and so it goes out from the turba of the fire, for its will is not in it; and then there can be no imagination which can bring forth such a glass, as in which it may behold itself in the fire, and find that it is a lord, and so be proud, and rule itself by its own might, as Lucifer did, and Adam in paradise.
1 Or love.
8. We mean thus: the soul in itself is a globe with a cross, and two eyes, a holy divine one, and a wrathful, helhsh one in the fire; this it should shut and 1 secretly reign therewith, through the anguish (viz. through death) in the second Principle in love.
9. And if love embracs it, then the wrathful fire is as it were dead, and not perceived, but it becomes the joyful life of paradise; otherwise there would be no life nor dominion in the meekness, if the fire did not put itself into it; but the still eternity would remain without essence; for all essences arise in the fire.
10. And then thirdly, as to the whole body, with all its members, the soul is formed as follows.
11. The soul is the stock or root, resembling the centre of the Ternary, which is like an eye, a globe, a cross, and its will (which proceeds from the eternal will) is a spirit, * which has the true soul in its power.
12. And this spirit opens the essences in the fire and water, so that its whole form seems like a tree, having many twigs and branches, being distributed into all the branches of its tree, which must be understood as follows.
1 Or hiddenly.
* "which has the true soul in its power," etc. (den hat die rechte Seele in ihrer Gewalt), "which the true soul has in its power."
13. The spirit distributs itself into the whole body (we mean in the tincture), into all the members; they are all of them its branches: The spirit of the soul resembls the whole man, with every member.
14. And herein it is the true image of God also, for the Holy Ghost dwells in the spirit of it, if it be faithful; if not, then the devil dwells in it: to which of these it gives itself, either to covetousness and haughtiness, or to love and humility, to that it belongs.
15. But if it persists in l wickedness, and so loses God, then it loses the cross, and its eye is a hellish eye; and its turba introducs the form and 2 model of a horrible beast into the eye, and into the will and spirit.
16. Therefore Christ called the Pharisees, 3 serpents, and generation of vipers; for so the figure of their spirit in their pride and covetous will appeared to him, for they would be lords of themselves, and not the servants of God in love and humility.
17. And so the figure of Antichrist in Babel appears, in the presence of God, as a dragon with seven heads, which are seven spirits, upon which its hypocritical spirit rids in the image of man in the abyss; 4 it will be accounted an angel, and yet is a monster in respect of a true child of God; it bears the name, but its heart is that beast, Apocalypse xii. It would have God, and also the devil; therefore it is such a monster, as is hke a man, and yet hides the devil in and under itself.
1 malice, or abominations.
2 idea, or shape, or image.
3 Matt. xii. 34; xxiii. 33.
4 Viz. that spirit.
18. O child of man, fly away, the door is open, the turba is come, it will destroy this image; if you fly not, you must go with it; there is no other l remedy or help, but to seek the true image in love, or else there remains nothing but tribulation and death, says the spirit of wonders.
19. And this is now our direct answer to this question: That the soul in the first Principle, according to the original, has the form of an eye, and yet twofold like a heart, wherein there is a cross.
20. And in the second Principle, it is a spirit, and a whole image, as the outward man is.
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