The Forty Questions of the Soul
3. For, as we have mentioned before, the soul had 4 power to change the body into another form; and so also it had power to bring forth a twig out of itself, according to its property, if Adam had stood out in the 5 trial.
1 Or body of the mother.
2 turn over a new leaf, or change our copy.
3 after, or according.
4 might, or ability.
5 proba, or temptation.
4. But when he imagined 1 according to the omnipotence, and let in the spirit of this world into the soul, and the serpent into the tincture, and took a longing in himself after the earthly fruit, to eat of evil and good, then also his tincture conceived such an image as was half earthly, viz. a monster, into which also the turba then instantly insinuated itself, and sought the limit.
5. And so the noble image was found in the earthly, and then destruction and death began, and Adam could not 2 bring forth, for his omnipotence was lost.
6. And would indeed have ever been lost, if the Heart of God had not instantly
* turned itself, with the Word of the Promise, into Adam 's soul; which so preserved it, that its image must perish, and the soul must sink down with the heavenly body through death into the new life, where its spirit will be renewed again.
7. And thus Adam in 3 impotence fell asleep, and then the second creation began; for God took the tincture of the water, as a twig out of Adam's soul, and a rib out of Adam, and half of the cross that was in Adam, and 4 made a woman of them.
f8. As you know that the woman hath the one half cross in her 5 head, and the man the other; for in the head, in the brain, dwelleth the soul's spirit, out of which God hath taken a branch, viz. a child out of Adam's soul's spirit, and given it to the woman.
1 in, or as to, or with.
2 generate.
3 inability, or weakness.
4 Or framed, or built a woman with them.
s Or skull. Q
* "turned itself (eingewunden), "enwrapt itself," or "entwined itself." f Note. — Par. 8 is reprinted from Sparrow's translation of 1665.
9. And he hath given the tincture of the water to her, that she should not bring forth devils; and the man hath the tincture of fire, viz. the true original of life.
10. And therefore the woman hath gotten the matrix, viz. the tincture of Venus, and the man hath the tincture of fire: understand, the woman hath the tincture of light, which cannot awaken life; the life ariseth in the tincture of fire.
11. And so it cannot be otherwise now, but that they must propagate as beasts do, in two seeds, the man soweth soul, and the woman soweth spirit; and being sown in an earthly field, it is also brought forth after the manner of all beasts.
12. Yet nevertheless all the three Principles are in the seed, but the inward cannot be known by the outward: For in the seed the 1 soul is not living; but when the two tinctures come together, then it is a whole 2 essence: For the soul is essential in the seed, and in the 3 conception becometh substantial.
13. For so soon as the fire is 4 struck upon by Vulcan, the soul is wholly perfect in the essence, and the spirit goeth instantly out of the soul into the tincture, and attracteth the outward 5 dominion to itself, viz. the stars, together with the air.
1 Note how the soul is before the conception.
2 Or being or substance.
3 Or breeding.
4 hammered by the smith, or the faber hath struck fire.
5 rule, or regimen, or influence.
14. And then it is an eternal child, and hath the corruptible spirit also with the turba hanging to it, which Adam took in by his imagination.
15. Then instantly the turba seeketh the l limit in the spirit of this world, and will enter into the limit; and so soon as the soul hath its life, the body is old enough to die: Also many a soul perisheth in the essence, while it is in the sulphur in the seed.
16. But that you may perceive that the man hath the tincture of the fire, and the woman the tincture of the light in the water, viz. the tincture of Venus, you must observe the eager imagination of both towards one another; for the seed in the essence eagerly seeketh the life, the 2 man's in the 3 woman's in Venus, and the woman's in the fire, in the original of life; as we have very clearly demonstrated it in the third book, and therefore we refer the Reader thither.
17. And we answer here, that the soul cometh not at all into the body, or is breathed into it, 4 from without, but the three Principles have each of them its own
3. For, as we have mentioned before, the soul had 4 power to change the body into another form; and so also it had power to bring forth a twig out of itself, according to its property, if Adam had stood out in the 5 trial.
1 Or body of the mother.
2 turn over a new leaf, or change our copy.
3 after, or according.
4 might, or ability.
5 proba, or temptation.
4. But when he imagined 1 according to the omnipotence, and let in the spirit of this world into the soul, and the serpent into the tincture, and took a longing in himself after the earthly fruit, to eat of evil and good, then also his tincture conceived such an image as was half earthly, viz. a monster, into which also the turba then instantly insinuated itself, and sought the limit.
5. And so the noble image was found in the earthly, and then destruction and death began, and Adam could not 2 bring forth, for his omnipotence was lost.
6. And would indeed have ever been lost, if the Heart of God had not instantly
* turned itself, with the Word of the Promise, into Adam 's soul; which so preserved it, that its image must perish, and the soul must sink down with the heavenly body through death into the new life, where its spirit will be renewed again.
7. And thus Adam in 3 impotence fell asleep, and then the second creation began; for God took the tincture of the water, as a twig out of Adam's soul, and a rib out of Adam, and half of the cross that was in Adam, and 4 made a woman of them.
f8. As you know that the woman has the one half cross in her 5 head, and the man the other; for in the head, in the brain, dwells the soul's spirit, out of which God has taken a branch, viz. a child out of Adam's soul's spirit, and given it to the woman.
1 in, or as to, or with.
2 generate.
3 inability, or weakness.
4 Or framed, or built a woman with them.
s Or skull. Q
* "turned itself (eingewunden), "enwrapt itself," or "entwined itself." f Note. — Par. 8 is reprinted from Sparrow's translation of 1665.
9. And he has given the tincture of the water to her, that she should not bring forth devils; and the man has the tincture of fire, viz. the true original of life.
10. And therefore the woman has gotten the matrix, viz. the tincture of Venus, and the man has the tincture of fire: understand, the woman has the tincture of light, which cannot awaken life; the life arises in the tincture of fire.
11. And so it cannot be otherwise now, but that they must propagate as beasts do, in two seeds, the man sows soul, and the woman sows spirit; and being sown in an earthly field, it is also brought forth after the manner of all beasts.
12. Yet nevertheless all the three Principles are in the seed, but the inward cannot be known by the outward: For in the seed the 1 soul is not living; but when the two tinctures come together, then it is a whole 2 essence: For the soul is essential in the seed, and in the 3 conception becomes substantial.
13. For so soon as the fire is 4 struck upon by Vulcan, the soul is wholly perfect in the essence, and the spirit goes instantly out of the soul into the tincture, and attracts the outward 5 dominion to itself, viz. the stars, together with the air.
1 Note how the soul is before the conception.
2 Or being or substance.
3 Or breeding.
4 hammered by the smith, or the faber has struck fire.
5 rule, or regimen, or influence.
14. And then it is an eternal child, and has the corruptible spirit also with the turba hanging to it, which Adam took in by his imagination.
15. Then instantly the turba seeks the l limit in the spirit of this world, and will enter into the limit; and so soon as the soul has its life, the body is old enough to die: Also many a soul perishes in the essence, while it is in the sulphur in the seed.
16. But that you may perceive that the man has the tincture of the fire, and the woman the tincture of the light in the water, viz. the tincture of Venus, you must observe the eager imagination of both towards one another; for the seed in the essence eagerly seeks the life, the 2 man's in the 3 woman's in Venus, and the woman's in the fire, in the original of life; as we have very clearly demonstrated it in the third book, and therefore we refer the Reader thither.
17. And we answer here, that the soul comes not at all into the body, or is breathed into it, 4 from without, but the three Principles have each of them its own
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