Key to the Secrets of Nature

Read this book, read it with the eyes of the soul:
and these eyes are observation.
The eye of your soul must be
clear; and you shall achieve this purity
through the quieting of the passions In the ascetic and philosophical tradition, "passions" (страсти) refer not just to anger or lust, but to any turbulent emotion or worldly attachment that disturbs the mind's clarity..
Only in a clear spring is the
image of the sun visible; its light is murky
in a stormy river, where silt and mud stir up the
water from the bottom. It is the same in the discernment of Divine Wisdom original: "Премудрость" (Premudrost). This refers to Sophia, or the personified Wisdom of God, a central concept in both Eastern Orthodox mysticism and Western esoteric traditions..
Wax melts from the fire, wood
burns: one must be stronger than wax and
wood, so as not to melt and not to burn.
One's own discernment is the first
necessity. He who reasons for himself
is much higher than he who judges
by others. One must think for oneself,
examine for oneself, seek for oneself;
and not gape at what others have found.
It is good to read; but to reflect is even
better. He who wishes to read, let him read with
cool-headedness and equanimity original: "равнодушіемъ." In modern Russian, this means "indifference," but in this historical context, it signifies a state of "equal soul" or dispassion, being undisturbed by external prejudices., cleanse
your soul from prejudices toward the
opinions of others; be meek, and reject nothing
simply because you do not
know it; beware above all of pride.
Pride is an abomination in the eyes of
Wisdom. Pride seduced the human... The text cuts off mid-word: "чело-" likely begins "человѣка" (man) or "человѣчество" (humanity).