(58) But the Holy Ghost is not dknown in the Original of the Father before the Light [breaks forth;] but when the soft Fountain springs up in the Light, then he goes forth as a strong Almighty Spirit in great Joy, from the pleasant Source of Water, and [from] the Light, and he is the Power and Virtue of the Source of Water, and of the Light; and he makes now the Forming, [Shaping, Figuring,] and Images, [or Species;] and he is the Center in all Essences; in which [Center] the Light of Life, in the Light of the Sun, or Heart of the Father, takes its Original. And the Holy Ghost is a several Person, because he proceeds (as a living Power and Virtue) from the Father and the Son, and confirms the Birth of the Trinity. forth in the Original of the Fire before the Light is kindled.

(9) But we must examine the fact that rivers are spoken of, and Wheels and Chariots attached to the Heavenly Beings. The rivers of fire signify the supremely Divine streams furnishing to them an ungrudging and incessant flow, and nourishing the productive powers of life; the chariots, the conjoined communion of those of the same rank; the wheels being winged, and advancing without turning and without deviation, the power of their advancing energy within a straight and direct path, towards the same unflinching and straight swoop of their every intellectual track, supermundanely straight and direct way. Also it is possible to explain, after another mystical meaning, the sacred description of the intellectual wheels; for the name Gel, Gel, is given to them, as the theologian says. This shews, according to the Hebrew tongue, revolutions and revelations. For the Empyrean and Godlike wheels have revolutions, indeed, by their perpetual movement around the Good Itself; but revelations, by the manifestation of things hidden, and by the elevation of things at our feet, and by the descending procession of the sublime illuminations to things below. There remains for accurate explanation, the statement respecting the rejoicing of the Heavenly Orders; for they are utterly incapable of our impassioned pleasure. Now they are said to rejoice with God over the discovery of what was lost, as befits their Divine good nature, and that Godlike and ungrudging rejoicing over the care and salvation of those who are turned to God; and that joy, beyond description, of which also holy men often partake, whilst the deifying illuminations of the Deity rest upon them. Let it suffice, then, to have said this much concerning the Divine representations, which, no doubt, falls short of their accurate explanation, but which will prevent us, I think, from being servilely entangled in the resemblance of the types. But if you should say that we have not mentioned in order the whole Angelic Powers, or operations, or likenesses, depicted in the Oracles, we answer in truth, that we do not possess the supermundane science of some; and further, in regard to them, we have need of another to conduct to light and to reveal. Other things, however, as being parallel to the things said, we have omitted, out of regard to the symmetry of the discourse; and the hiddenness, beyond our capacity, we have honoured by silence.

(4) There were opened all the Doors of the great Wonders, and the Apostles spoke with the Languages of all Nations; and so it may 6e seen clearly, that the Spirit of God had opened all the Centers of all Essences, and spoke out of them all; for Christ was the Lord, and the Heart of all Essences, and therefore the Holy Ghost went out of all Essences, and filled the Essences of all Men who turned their Ears with a Desire to it, and in that he pressed into all; and every one heard (out of his own Essences and Language) the Spirit of God speak out of the Disciples; and the Holy Ghost was born in the Bodies of all their Hearers, who had but an earnest Desire to it, and they were all filled; for the Spirit of God pierced through into their Hearts, as he pressed forth out of the the Center of the Trinity into the whole Body and princely Throne of Jesus Christ, and filled all outwardly in the Clarity [or Glory.]

(28) Seeing now we have spoken of the Tincture, as of the House of the Soul, so we will speak also of the Soul, what it is, and how it can be propagated, wherein we can the better bring the Tincture to P Light. The Soul is not so subtle as the Tincture; but it is powerful and has great Might [or Ability.] It can by the Tincture (if it rides upon the Virgin's Bride-chariot in the Tincture) turn Mountains upside-down, as Christ said; which is done in the pure Faith, in the Place where the Tincture is Master, which does it, and the Soul.gives the Thrust, whereas yet no Power can be discerned. Even as the Earth moves upon the heavenly Tincture, whereas there is not more than one only Tincture in the Heaven, and in this World, yet [it is] of many Sorts, according to the Essence of every Thing. In the Beasts it is not as in Men, also not in Fishes as in Beasts; also in Stones and Gems otherwise; also otherwise in Angels, and in the Spirit of this World.

(65) And know you not that the Band of the Eternity stands free, and makes itself? But that which inclines to him, is also P generated in God. And yet the Love presses not into the Anger, qbut the Love is generated out of the Anger, and is wholly free; and therefore the Heart of God in the Love, is another Person than the Father, and the Proceeding forth from them is the Holy Ghost, who goes not [back] again into the Anger.

(33) Now in this pleasant Source, the moving Spirit (which in the Original, in the Kindling, was the bitter aching Spirit) springs forth very joyfully without removing, and it is the Holy Ghost; and the sweet Source [or Fountain,] which is generated in the Center from the Light, is the Word or Heart of God; and in this Joy is the Paradise, and the Birth is the eternal Trinity: In this you must dwell, if you will be in Paradise; and the same must be born [or generated] in you, if you will be the Child of God, and your Soul must be in it, or else you cannot enjoy nor see the Kingdom of God.

(32) For the Fire in the Essence comes to be a a soft meek Light, and is nothing else but a zealous [or eager] Kindling of the Tincture, and the harsh Essence causes that the divine Virtue can draw it to itself, and taste it, for in the [sour or] harsh Essence the Taste does consist, in Nature: In like Manner the bitter Essence serves to [make] the moving rising Joy, Fragrancy and Growing; and out of these Forms the Tincture goes forth, and it is the House of the Soul; as the Holy Ghost [goes forth] from the Father and the Son, so also the Tincture goes forth from the Light of the fiery Soul, and then also from its virtuous [or powerful] Essences, and so it resembles the Holy Ghost, but yet the Holy Ghost of God is a Degree higher; for he goes forth from the Center of the Light wholly in the fifth Form, from the Heart of God, at the End of Nature.

(22) For God generates nothing else but his Heart and Son, and will never generate any other Thing out of himself. Therefore that which is spoken forth before [or from] the Will, is a Virgin of Chastity, which never generates any Thing else neither; but she discovers herself in the Holy Ghost in infinitum [infinitely] in the Deep of the Wonders of the Omnipotence, and opens them; A Word comprehended by the second Will, and she has the strong Fiat of God for an Instrument [to work with,] whereby she creates, and did create all in the Beginning, and she discovers herself in all created Things, so that (by her) the Wonders of all Things are brought to the Day-light. The strong Gate of the [Incarnation or] becoming Man of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

(17) As we have, in the Beginning of this Book, mentioned the eternal Birth in the Originality, so we have mentioned the Birth of the Essences, and the seven Spirits of the eternal Nature; and therein we showed how there is a Cross-Birth in the eternal Birth in the fourth Form, where the Essences in the turning Wheel make a Cross-Birth, because they cannot go out from themselves, but that the eternal Birth is every where so in all Things, in the Essence of all Essences.

(7) Thus we give you to understand, that this World (when the Will was moved) was created out of the Darkness, and the Out-going out of the Will in itself is God; and the Out-going out of God is Spirit, which has discovered itself in the dark Will; and that which was discovered were the Essences, and the Vulcanus was the Wheel of the Mind, that divided itself into seven Forms.

(10) For as all in the Fiat was held and created according to the [Will of the] a Fashioner, which was the sole and total Workmaster in all Things, in the seven Spirits of Nature, which broke nothing when he fashioned it, nor threw one [Part] from the other when he had made it, but every Thing separated itself, and stood in the Source of its own Essences, so there shall not need much Blustering, Thunder and Lightning, and Breaking, as this World in Babel teaches, but every Thing perishes in itself; the Source [or Flowing forth] of the Elements ceases, as a Man when he dies [ceases from working,] and all passes into its Ether [or Receptacle.] 1 1. And at the Time (before this Fabric [of Heaven and Earth] perishes and passes into its Ether) comes the Judge of the Living and the Dead; there all Men must see him in his, and in their Flesh; and all the Dead must rise through his Voice, and stand before him; and there the angelical World shall be manifested. And all the Generations of the Earth (which are not comprehended in the Body of Christ) shall howl, and then they shall be separated into two Flocks; and the Sentence of Christ passes over all, both Good and Bad; and there will be Howling, Trembling, Yelling, Roaring, and cursing themselves, the Children cursing their Parents, and wishing that they had never been born.

(56) For behold, the Father is the original Essence of all Essences. And if now the second Principle did not break forth and spring up in the Birth of the Son, then the Father would be a dark Valley. And thus you see, that the Son (who is the Heart, the Love, the Brightness and the mild Rejoicing of the Father,) [in whom he is well-pleased,] opens another Principle in his Birth, and makes the angry and wrathful Father (as I may say, as to the Originality of the first Principle) reconciled, pleased, loving, and as I may say, merciful; and he is another [Manner of] Person than the Father; for in his a Center there is nothing else but mere Joy, Love, and Pleasure. And yet you may see that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son, for when the Heart or Light of God is generated in the Father, then there springs up (in the Kindling of the Light in the fifth Form) out of the Water-Source in the Light, a very pleasant sweet smelling and sweet tasted Spirit; and this is that Spirit which in the Original was the bitter Sting or Prickle in the Harshness [or Tartness;] and that makes now in this Water-Source many thousand of the Water.

(16) On the contrary, the Righteous stand there in unspeakable great Joy, and their Joy rises up in the Source [or Well-spring] of the Holy Ghost; all their Sorrow and Heaviness (which they have had here) stands before them in Substance, and it appears how they have suffered wrongfully; their Comfort springs up in the Body of Jesus Christ, who has redeemed them out of so great Misery; all their Sins are washed, and appear as white as Snow; and there then they return Thanks to their Bridegroom, who has redeemed them out of such Necessity and Misery, wherein they laid captive here, and there is mere hearty Joy that the i Driver is destroyed; all their good Works, their Teaching and Well-doing, appear before them; all the Words of their Teaching and Reproving (wherewith they have shown the Ungodly the right Way) stand in the Figure.

(33) Therefore there is a Difference between the Tincture in Man, and the Holy Ghost; and the bestowed Virgin of the divine Virtue [or Power] dwells in the Tincture of the Soul, [that is] if it be true and faithful; but if [the Soul be] not [faithful] then she departs into her Center, which is not wholly shut up; for there is but half a Birth between, except the Soul passes into the Stock of Harshness and Malice [Evil or Wickedness,] and then there is a whole Birth between. For the Harshness stands in the fourth Form of the Darkness, and the Bitterness in the Fire, between the fourth and fifth Form, as is mentioned before.

(2) Let us, then, as I said, leave behind these things, beautifully depicted upon the entrance of the. innermost shrine, as being sufficient for those, who are yet incomplete for contemplation, and let us proceed from the effects to the causes; and then, Jesus lighting the way, we shall view our holy Synaxis, and the comely contemplation of things intelligible, which makes radiantly manifest the blessed beauty of the archetypes. But, oh, most Divine and holy initiation, uncovering the folds of the dark mysteries enveloping thee in symbols, be manifest to us in thy bright glory, and fill our intellectual visions with single and unconcealed light.

(12) The three Regions receive every one of them their Light, with the Springing up of the Tincture in the Blood; and each [Region] keeps its Tincture. The Region of the Stars keeps the Light of the Sun; and the first Principle [keeps] the Fire-flash; and the Essences of the holy Souls receive the most dear and precious Light of the Virgin, yet in this Body only her Rays, wherewith the fights in the Mind against the crafty Assaults of the Devil, as St. Peter witnesses. And although the dear Light stays for a While in many in the new Birth [or Regeneration,] yet it is not steady in the House of the Stars and Elements, in the outward Birth, but it dwells in its [own] Center in the Mind. The Gate of \ Speech.

(55) And now being to speak of the Holy Trinity, we must first say, that there is one God, and he is called the Father and Creator of all Things, who is Almighty, and All in All, whose are all Things, and in whom and from whom all Things proceed, and in whom they remain eternally. And then we say, that he is Three, and has from Eternity generated his Son out of himself, who is his Heart, Light, and Love; and yet they are not two, but one eternal Essence. And further we say, as the holy Scripture tells us, that there is a Holy Spirit, which proceeds from the Father and the Son, and that there is but one Essence in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which is rightly spoken.

(6) But now when the Meekness was in the Father, then the Love held the Anger captive, and [the Love] went out of the Source of the Father, and that was the Holy Ghost, in the Wonders. There stood the highly worthy heavenly Virgin of the Wisdom of God, in the highest Ornament, with her Garland of Pearls; there stood Mary in Ternario Sancto, of which the Spirit (in the Ancients) has spoken wonderfully. And here Adam was brought into Paradise again.

(103) And then the Word stood against him, in the Center of the Heaven; and he stood (in the Root of the Fierceness) against the Word; for his Spirit went out of the Gate of the Center of Heaven, and stood in the Source [or active Property] of the Original of the Creation in the fierce Root of the Fire, and desired the Out-Birth out of the holy Element (which also stood in the Kindling in the Fierceness) viz. the four Elements.

(61) And as we perceive that in this World there are Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, also the Sun and the Stars, and therein consist all the Things of this World, so you may conceive, by Way of Similitude, that the Father is the Fire of the whole [holy] Constellations, and also in the [holy] Element; and that the Son (viz. his Heart) is the Sun, which sets all the Constellations in a light pleasant Habitation; and that the Holy Ghost is the Air of the Life, without which neither Sun nor Constellation would subsist; and then that the concreted Spiritus majoris Mundi [or Spirit of the great World] is the chaste Virgin before God; which Spirit of the great World, in this World, gives to all Creatures, Mind, Sense, and Understanding, through the Influence of the Stars; and so also [does the chaste Virgin] in the Heaven.