Sacred and Truly Christian Philosophy, or Cosmic Meteorology

Sect. I. Port. IV. Pars I. Lib. II.

...homogeneous and of the same nature as that of the greater world The Macrocosm, or the universe at large; therefore, the human spirit lives and is sustained by the breathing in of external air. By this means, it is refreshed, preserved, and nourished, receiving both celestial and earthly gifts. In the same reciprocal way, the spirit of the Earth also lives; it draws the liquid of its life from the same fountain, and without the breathing in of the infinite air, it could not endure for even a moment of time.

It is for this reason that we have it confirmed by the fathers of Astrology and the more abstruse Philosophy, that not only the Earth, but indeed all bodies—even the celestial ones—are to be regarded as certain giant animals. Within them exists a spirit of life breathed from the universal World Soul original: "vniuersa mundi anima", by which they are daily refreshed and live through a continuous administration of spirits. For this reason, a vast distance of airy spirit is placed between each of these huge bodily animals, so that enough vital spirit might be supplied to each for its own existence and for the life and breathing of the creatures living upon and within it. This occurs without the ambitious intrusion or incursion of one into the portion of another. Thus, the Greatest and Best Creator fixed a constant place in the world for each, lest one, like a predator wandering beyond its proper limits, should rashly or unjustly invade the territory granted to another by the Creator, and thereby ignite war and discord in the bowels of a peaceful world. This is why the stars and the Earth always claim the same stations for themselves.

Therefore, the entire space of the airy region between the Moon and the Earth is appropriated to both the Moon and the Earth, but especially to the Earth. Without the breath of its spirit, it is impossible for the Earth or any of its creatures to endure. From this, it follows beyond all doubt that the Earth breathes in and breathes out this airy spirit (which is filled with the grace of divine life) no differently than a human, any other animal, or even a plant.

In man, we see that the heart is that noble organ whose duty is to purify the spirit drawn in centrally by breathing, and then to expel the superfluous and smoky air through exhalation. Does the Earth not also have its own heart? It has the central sun This refers to a hidden, spiritual, or central fire within the Earth, a common concept in Hermetic and alchemical philosophy. Through its operation, celestial benefits of life are attracted by a certain magnetic virtue through the pores, carried by the airy spirit. Then, through a contraction or narrowing, that which is superfluous is emitted in the form of vapors. Along the way, those vapors are frozen in the veins and changed into water, from which springs arise. However, that which is useful is reserved in the Earth's belly and is abundantly shared with the creatures she nourishes like a bountiful mother.

By the same logic, the human heart offers and scatters a portion of its Manna original: "Manna"; here used to mean a celestial, life-giving dew or essence or celestial honey—newly collected or drawn from the air—through the arteries to all the members of the whole body, and especially to its spirits. That which is superfluous, it sends outside. If the place into which that vapor is exhaled is smoky, narrow, and cold, it condenses into drops of water. For example, if someone breathes into a vial, a mirror, or onto marble, we perceive that spirit coagulating first into a mist, then into dew, and finally into drops.

But someone will object (I know) that "breathing in and out" is not proper to the Earth, or at least is entirely hidden from men. To this we reply: if we consider the ebb and flow of the sea The tides with diligent intuition, we will perceive that it was not made in vain by "Nature Naturing" original: "natura naturante"; a philosophical term referring to God or the creative force of nature as an active agent. Rather, it was ordained for the inspiration and expiration of the giant Earth itself. Thus, in the Diastole The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood, the Earth seems to dilate as if by the retreating tide, and in that time it absorbs subtle water and even air into its bowels. But in the Systole The phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries, by contracting itself in a certain way—or by the hidden virtue of nature—it expels superfluities through its "marine mouth" as well as through its pores, creating the incoming tide.

It is not enough for those who will argue that the ebb and flow are not universal; for by the same logic, it is well known that the lungs in a man are not in the whole body, but in a single place most convenient for respiration and expiration. We see a similar motion in the gills of recently caught fish, which they now contract and now dilate, just like the ebb and flow of the sea.

But now I know it will be objected against us: if this is probable and consistent with reason, let the reason be shown why there is not as much time between the Systole and Diastole of a human as there is between the ebb and flow of the sea? We answer that the larger the animals are, the slower is their motion in breathing in and out. The Earth is an animal of immense magnitude, so that a long time is required for the complete inspiration of its spirit, its dilation through all its inner limbs and members, and likewise for its expiration.

Salomon King Solomon, traditionally the author of Ecclesiastes seems to prove this same thing by its effect, asserting that: "All the rivers enter into the sea, yet the sea does not overflow; to the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return, to flow again" original: "Eccl. c. 1"; referring to Ecclesiastes 1:7. From this, he seems to argue that the thinner part of the sea, free from all saltiness, is drawn into the bowels of the earth by inspiration along with the air dispersed everywhere in those waters. There, what is pure and suitable for the sustenance of earthly creatures is reserved by the Archeus Archeus: In Paracelsian philosophy, the "inner alchemist" or vital force located in an organ that separates the useful from the waste, the servant of nature. The rest is converted into vapor, which, as it moves through the veins and pores, is condensed into drops. From a multitude of these drops joined together, springs are created for the benefit of creatures, and especially for man, who is the end of all creatures. From the union of springs and rivulets, rivers result, which hasten their way back to the sea from whence they originated.

In this sense, there will be an agreement (though it might not appear so at first glance to all philosophers) between the opinion of Aristotle—which is that the origin of springs is from terrestrial vapor frozen into water—and that of Salomon—which is that springs arise from the sea and tend toward the sea from which they were derived. Bernard did not see everything original: "Bernardus non vidit omnia"; a Latin proverb meaning that even the most learned men (referring to St. Bernard of Clairvaux) are not omniscient,