Theosophical Questions

...in 2 Principles. 2. Since the central fire of the [creature's] own-will has moved itself: so the creation has proceeded, so that the Idea became pictorial; 3. In which movement the hellish foundation also broke forth, 4. after Lucifer turned away from God's love into the central fire of wrath, 5. which is now a center of the visible world, and is called Satan. 6.

1. Answer. GOD was with the two Central Fires, with the great powers, as an eternal infinite birthing of wonders, colors, and virtues, where the angels and the soul of man, along with all creatures—of this world and the inner angelic spiritual world—lay within an IDEA or spiritual in-modeling. Within this, GOD has seen all His works from eternity, not in a creaturely, formed manner or as a [distinct] separation, but in the formality of the powers, where God’s Spirit played with itself. Inmodelung: the internal shaping or "modeling" of a spiritual concept before it takes physical form.

2. In these Central Fires was the Element, and both Central Fires were a single being, only distinguished in two principles, like fire and light. In Böhme's thought, the "dark" fire of nature and the "light" fire of love are two sides of the same divine reality.

3. But when the Central Fire of the own-will Eigen-Wille: the individual will that seeks its own path rather than God’s moved itself and introduced itself into a greater desire for its own visibility and formation, then creation proceeded. This was moved by the eternal will of GOD according to both fires, so that the Idea became pictorial for the praise of the wonders of GOD.

4. And in such movement, the hellish foundation of GOD’S wrath broke forth, which GOD cast out from His [harmonious] operation and enclosed in darkness; there it stands even today, like a hungry palate, full of desire for the creation, and wants also to be creaturely and pictorial. The "hungry palate" is a vivid metaphor for the greed and consuming nature of evil/wrath.

5. And that is the ground and the cause why the Throne-Prince Lucifer turned away from GOD’S love into the Central Fire of wrath, wherein he thought to rule over GOD’S gentleness and love; but for that reason, he was cast out from the Central Love-Fire, lost his throne in the light, and now possesses hell; the same happens to the damned souls.

6. This hellish foundation in the curse of GOD’S wrath is a center of the visible world, and is called Satan.