Mysterium Magnum

CHAPTER 5: Of the Five Senses

Light is meek, pleasant, lovely, and yields essence.

2. The fire causes light and air; and out of the air comes the water because of the meekness of the light. For the longing original: "Lubet"; a term Böhme uses to describe a free desire, inclination, or "pleasure" inherent in the divine nature for the fire is transformed original: "mortifyed"; in this context, it refers to a mystical or chemical transformation where one state ends so another can begin in the fire-blaze. Thus, that which is transformed in the fire is a meek essence, yet it is only a spirit. But when it proceeds from the fire into the light, it coagulates and is the "death" of the fire, causing the fire to go out. However, if it is of a spiritual nature, it is the food and refreshment of the fire. We see plainly that every burning fire puts forth air, and out of the air, a water. The fire draws this air and watery spirit back into itself for its own life and luster. If it cannot have it, it is soon extinguished and goes out; that is, it smothers, for the air is its life, and yet the fire produces the air.

3. Likewise, we should consider the divine Being and how the Eternal Understanding of the Abyss Abyss: the "Unground" or the bottomless, infinite void of God's hidden nature introduces itself into the Byss Byss: the "ground" or the state of being manifested and measurable and Essence. This is an eternal generation and decoration, which is how the Abyss manifests itself. It is an eternal love-play, where the Abyss wrestles, sports, and plays with itself in its own conceived manifestation. It gives itself into "something," and again takes that "something" back into itself, and from there brings forth another thing. It introduces itself into a longing and desire, and further into power, strength, and virtue. It mutually produces one degree from the other, and through the other, so that it might be an eternal play and melody within itself.

4. We are to consider this in the fifth form of nature: when the powers of the Eternal Word or understanding are made manifest through the eternal spiritual fire, in the eternal light of the Majesty. Each power or property is manifest in itself and enters into an essence of feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing, and seeing. This is achieved through the fire, where all things become spiritual, quick, and full of life. At that point, one property enters into another, for they have all proceeded out of one source: the free longing. Therefore, this free longing is still in all of them, and they all jointly desire to enter again into this free longing, which is the One. There, when one property tastes, smells, feels, hears, and sees the other in the Essence, they embrace each other in their holy conjunction. This is what the real divine Kingdom of joy consists of, as does the growing and flourishing life of this world. This may be understood by looking at the seven properties and the light and power of the sun.

5. The divine Kingdom of joy in the Heaven of God—that is, in God manifested in his expressed or breathed-forth original: "Spirated" Essence, to speak for our understanding—consists in the love-desire. This is the power which has manifested itself through the fire into the light. The fire gives essence and a source to the meek, free longing, so that it is differentiated original: "Severized" and moved, and becomes a Kingdom of joy.

6. Thus we must also consider the darkness. Whatever is a desiring love in the light, wherein all things rejoice and sing in love, is an enmity in the darkness. For that fire is cold and burn-