Preface.

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Essence, the Ground and the Abyss Abyss original: Ungrund. In Böhme's philosophy, this is the absolute 'non-ground' or nothingness that precedes all existence and even the self-revelation of God.: likewise, the knowledge of the birth of the Holy Trinity original: Dreyfaltigkeit / the origin and the primary state of this world / and of all creatures / through the Divine Wisdom: I recognized / and saw in myself all three worlds / namely (1) the Divine / Angelic or Paradisiacal; and then (2) the dark world / as the primary state of nature leading to fire: and then (3) this external / visible world / as a creature and offspring / or as a spoken-forth being original: ausgesprochen Wesen. This refers to the idea that the physical world is the 'expressed' or 'spoken' manifestation of the inner spiritual word. out of both inner spiritual worlds. I saw and recognized the whole Essence in Evil and Good / how one originated from the other / and how the Mother of the birthing-one was original: Mutter der Gebärerin; likely referring to the source of all generative nature / so that I did not only wonder greatly / but also rejoiced.

And it came upon me immediately so strongly in my mind / to write this down for myself as a memorial original: Memorial, a private record or reminder: Although I, in my external human self, could only with great difficulty grasp it / and put it to pen; I had to begin at once to work in this very great mystery original: Geheimniß / like a child going to school. In the interior, I saw it well / as if in a great depth / for I saw through it