Chapter 1. In Man.

that it...that it is a holy joy and paradise of the spirit, which is called God.

So also the soulSo also the soul of man is from the bond of the eternal original source: "Uhrkundes," referring to the primal foundation or record of existence from which the soul originates., standing eternally within it, and it desires within itself to break into the second principle: The realm of Light and Love in Böhme’s cosmology. toward God, and to satisfy itself with God’s power.

13. Because, however13. Because, however, it [the soul] cannot enter into the light and power of God with its whole being or its own essences: "Effentien," the vital spiritual substances or "inner senses" of the soul., any more than eternal nature can force its way into the light of God so as to possess that light as its own property; rather, the light shines out of love in its own principle within eternal nature. Thus the light remains a heart of eternal nature, while eternal nature does not grasp it, but rejoices in the light and brings forth its wonders through the light’s power and understanding, where they then become manifest.

15. So also the soul15. So also the soul of man cannot force its way into the light of God with its own essences to master it. Instead, it must break into God’s love within itself, as if into another principle. For you must understand here a different, new birth in the soul; for it must not only break out of the stars and the elemental life, but also out of its own torment of life: "Lebens-Quall." Böhme uses this term to describe the restless, vibrating quality of the soul's own drive or source (Quelle) before it finds rest in God. and draw its will from the life of God, so as to be within it. And this drawn-forth will is accepted by God, and God dwells in that same will. Thus the divine life and light come into the soul, and it becomes a child of God. For while it stands in its own torment and