Theosophical Questions

XVIII. Theosophical Questions. Fragment 3.

[it] comes an outflowing Yes original: "Jah." Böhme uses this both as the Divine name and the affirmative "Yes" of existence., which stands eternally thus in the breathing of itself, and is an insensitivity In this context, a state of being where nothing is felt or perceived because there is no contrast., for it has nothing within it in which it may perceive itself, except only in the receptivity original: "Annehmlichkeit," referring to the capacity of the will to receive or "take in" the divine light. of the departed will, as in the No, which is an opposition original: "Gegenwurf," literally a "counter-throw" or counter-image. of the Yes, in which the Yes becomes manifest, and in which it has something that it can will.

6. For the One has nothing in itself that it can will, unless it doubles itself so that it be Two; thus it also cannot perceive itself in the unity, but in the duality it perceives itself.

7. Therefore, now understand the ground correctly: The separated will has gone out from the equality of the eternal willing, and also has nothing that it can will except only itself: But because it is a Something over against the unity (which is as a Nothing, and yet is Everything), it introduces itself into a desire for itself, and desires itself, and also the unity from which it has flowed.

8. It desires the unity for the sake of sensitive love-pleasure, so that the unity may be perceptible within it, and it desires itself for the sake of movement, knowledge, and understanding, so that there may be a distinguishability original: "Schiedlichkeit," the state of being divisible or distinct. in the unity, so that powers may originate: And although power has no ground nor beginning, yet in the receptivity differences arise, from which differences Nature originates original: "urständet," a word Böhme coined to describe the process of taking a stand or emerging into existence..

9. This outflowing will introduces itself into desire, and the desire is magnetic, as if drawing inward, and the unity is outflowing. Now it is an opposition original: "Contrarium.", as Yes and No: For the outflowing has no ground, but the drawing-inward creates a ground. The Nothing wants to go out from itself so that it may be manifest, and the Something wants to go into itself so that it may be perceptible in the Nothing, so that the unity may become perceptible in it. Thus, Out and In are an inequality.

10. And the No is called a No because it is an inward-turned desire, as if enclosing "No-wards": And the Yes is called Yes because it is an eternal exit, and the ground of all beings, as pure truth. For it has no No before it, but rather the No first originates in the outflowing will of receptivity.

11. This outflowing, desiring will is drawing-inward, and grasps itself within itself; from this come formations original: "Gestältnisse," or forms. and properties. (1) The first property is Sharpness: from which...