(7) The Father and the Son have one Will, and that Will is the Holy Ghost, Who gives Himself to the soul so that the Divine Nature permeates the powers of the soul so that it can only do God-like works. Just as a spring, which perpetually flows and waters the roots of the flowers, so that the flowers bloom and receive their colours from the water of the spring, so the Godhead imparts Itself to the capacities of the soul that it may grow in the likeness of God. The more that the soul receives of the Divine Nature, the more it grows like It, and the closer becomes its union with God. It may arrive at such an intimate union that God at last draws it to Himself altogether, so that there is no distinction left, in the soul's consciousness, between itself and God, though God still regards it as a creature. Wherefore let yourselves not be misled by the light of nature. The higher the degree of knowledge which the soul attains to in the light of grace, the darker seems to it the light of nature.

If the soul would know the real truth it must examine itself, whether it has withdrawn from all things, whether it has lost itself, whether it loves God purely with His love and nothing of its own at the same time, so that it may not be separated from Him by anything, and whether God alone dwells in it. If it has lost itself, it is as when the Virgin Mary lost Christ. She sought Him for three days, and yet was sure that she would find Him. All the while Christ was in the highest class in the school of His Father, unconscious of His mother's seeking Him. Thus happens it to the noble soul which goes to God to school, and learns there what God is in His essence, and what He is in the Trinity, and what He is in man, and what is most acceptable to Him. St Augustine saith that the righteousness of God in the Godhead and in the Trinity and in all creatures is the source of the chief joy which is in heaven. God in human nature is a lamp of living light, and "the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not." The darkness must ever more flee the light, as the night flees day.

Thus the soul learns to know God's will. St Paul saith, "This is God's will, our sanctification." And this is our sanctification, to know what we were before time; what we are in time, and what we shall be after time. Thus the soul loses itself in these three, and recketh naught of the body, till it comes to it in the temple, and obeys it without murmuring. The Father is a revelation of the Godhead, the Son is an image and countenance of the Father, and the Holy Ghost is an effulgence of that countenance, and a mutual love between Them, and these properties They have always possessed in Themselves. The Three Persons have stooped out of pity down to human nature, and the Son became man, and was the most despised man on the earth, and suffered pain at the hands of the creatures whom He Himself created with the Father, through Whose will He became man. Thus was Christ till His death, and when He rose from the dead then was seen the most despised of all men united with the Godhead in the Person of Christ.

(42) For as the light goeth forth from the Son of God in the whole Father into all the powers, and affecteth all the powers of the Father, and on the other side all the powers of the Father affect the light of the Son of God wherefrom ariseth the Holy Spirit:

(58) Now those powers of the Father which stand in the kindling of the light are the holy Father, and the meek Father, and the pure birth or geniture of God; and the spirit which riseth therein is the Holy Spirit. But the sharp birth or geniture is the body, wherein this holy life is continually generated.

(101) When the light riseth up in this striving, then the Holy Ghost moveth in the power of the light, in the play of the other six spirits, and so in the seventh spring up all manner of fruits of life, and all manner of colours and vegetations, or ideas and forms.

(1) "I had pity on the light of the spirit that the mind had received. I returned to my position to pray to the exalted, infinite light that the power of the spirit might increase there and might be filled without dark defilement. And reverently I said, You are the root of the light. Your hidden form has appeared, O exalted, infinite one. May the whole power of the spirit spread and may it be filled with its light, O infinite light. Then he will not be able to join with the unconceived spirit, and the power of the astonishment will not be able to mix with nature. According to the will of the majesty, my prayer was accepted.

(93) Now observe: As from the Father and the Son there goeth forth the Holy Ghost, who is a self- subsisting Person in the Deity, and moveth in the whole Father, so also out of the powers of thy heart, veins and of thy brain, goeth forth the power which moveth in thy whole body; and out of thy light, in the same power, goeth forth reason, understanding, skill and wisdom to govern the whole body, and to distinguish all whatsoever is externally without the body.

(42) And being generated, it is another person than the Father is; for the Father is the power and the kingdom, and the Son is the light and the splendour in the Father, and the Holy Ghost is the moving or exit out of the powers of the Father and of the Son, and formeth, figureth, frameth and imageth all.

(4) "The light of the infinite spirit came down to feeble nature for a short time until all the impurity of nature became void, and in order that the darkness of nature might be exposed. I put on my garment, which is the garment of the light of the majesty—which I am. I came in the appearance of the spirit to consider the whole light, which was in the depths of the darkness, according to the will of the majesty, in order that the spirit by means of the word might be filled with his light independently of the power of the infinite light. And at my wish the spirit arose by his own power. His greatness was granted to him that he might be filled with his whole light and depart from the whole burden of the darkness. For what was behind was a dark fire that blew and pressed on the spirit. And the spirit rejoiced because he was protected from the frightful water. But his light was not equal to the majesty. What he was granted by the infinite light was given so that in all his members he might appear as a single image of light. And when the spirit arose above the water, his dark likeness became apparent. And the spirit honored the exalted light: 'Surely you alone are the infinite one, because you are above every unconceived thing, for you have protected me from the darkness. And at your wish I arose above the power of darkness.'

(79) As the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father and the Son, and affecteth all the powers of the Father, as also all heavenly fruits and forms, from whence all has its rising, and wherein the heavenly joyfulness does consist:

(32) But the sharp birth or geniture of the stars cannot again apprehend the heart of God, nor the Holy Ghost; but the light of God, which riseth up in the anxiety, together with the moving of the Holy Ghost, remaineth free to itself as the heart, and ruleth in the midst or centre of the closure of the hidden heaven, which is from or out of the water of life.

(94) And both these are but one, in the government of thy mind, viz. [they are] thy spirit, which [spirit] signifieth God the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost from God ruleth in this spirit in thee, if thou art a child of light, and not a child of darkness.

(47) "Whoever, then, knows the Father in pure knowledge will depart to the Father and repose in Unbegotten Father. But whoever knows him defectively will depart to the defect and the rest of the Eighth. Now whoever knows Immortal Spirit of Light in silence, through reflecting and consent in the truth, let him bring me signs of the Invisible One, and he will become a light in the Spirit of Silence. Whoever knows Son of Man in knowledge and love, let him bring me a sign of Son of Man, that he might depart to the dwelling-places with those in the Eighth.

(36) For the generating or geniture of the Father cannot catch or comprehend the light, and use it to its generating, but the light stands by itself, and is not comprehended by any geniture, and it replenisheth and enlighteneth the whole geniture, viz. [John i. 14.] the only begotten Son of the Father. This light I call, in the human birth or geniture, the animated or soulish birth— ["Understand, the image which budded forth out of the essences of the soul, according to the similitude of God."] —or the soul's birth or geniture which qualifieth, mixeth or uniteth with this animated or soulish birth or geniture of God; and herein is man's soul one heart with God: but that is when it stands in this light.

(2) "Now, therefore, all men, sinners or better who are no sinners, not only if ye desire that they be taken out of the judgments and violent chastisements, but that they be removed into a righteous body which will find the mysteries of the godhead, so that it goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom,--then perform the third mystery of the Ineffable and say: Carry ye the soul of this and this man of whom we think in our hearts, carry him out of all the chastisements of the rulers and haste ye quickly to lead him before the Virgin of Light; and in every month let the Virgin of Light seal him with a higher seal, and in every month let the Virgin of Light cast him into a body which will be righteous and good, so that it goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom. "And if ye say this, amēn, I say unto you: All who serve in all the orders of the judgments of the rulers, hasten to hand over that soul from one to the other, until they lead it before the Virgin of Light. And the Virgin of Light sealeth it with the sign of the kingdom of the Ineffable and handeth it over unto her receivers, and the receivers will cast it into a body which will be righteous and find the mysteries of the Light, so that it will be good and goeth on high and inheriteth the Light-kingdom. Lo, this is it on which ye question me."

(1) "For I said these things to you, Shem, that you might know that my likeness, the son of the majesty, is from my infinite thought, since I am for him a universal likeness that does not lie, and I am above every truth and am the origin of the word. His appearance is in my beautiful garment of light, which is the voice of the immeasurable thought. We are that single, sole light that came into being. He appeared in another root in order that the power of the spirit might be raised from feeble nature. For by the will of the great light I came forth from the exalted spirit down to the cloud of the hymen without my universal garment.

(19) For the love in the light and clarity or glorious brightness goeth forth from the Heart or Son of God, in all the powers of the Father, and the Holy Ghost moveth in them all.

(57) For the light is in the midst or centre of the birth or geniture, and is the place of life wherein the meek life of God is generated from or out of all the powers of the Father, and in the same place the Holy Ghost goeth forth from the Father and the Son.

(91) From that power springeth up thy light, so that thou seest, understandest and knowest in the same power what thou art to do; for that light glimmereth in thy whole body; and the whole body moveth in the power and knowledge of the light, which signifieth God the Son; for the body helpeth all the members in the knowledge of the light.

(59) Here you must lift up your eyes beyond nature, into the light-holy triumphing divine power, into the unchangeable Holy Trinity, which is a triumphing, springing, moveable being, and all powers are therein, as in nature.

(19) But the animated or soulish spirit, which qualifieth or uniteth with God, that comprehends it well; but the bestial body attains only a glimpse thereof, just as if it lightened: For thus presenteth itself the innermost birth or geniture of the soul, when it teareth through the outermost birth or geniture in the elevation of the Holy Ghost, and so breaketh through the gates of hell; but the outermost birth presently shuts again; for the wrath of God bolteth up the firmament, and holds it captive in its power.