Preface

...mind original: "Gemüth"; a central term in German mysticism referring to the seat of the soul's emotions, will, and consciousness. driven by God's Spirit walks in humility, often calculating the account of its internal powers, [to see] whether one dares to stand with ten against twenty thousand A reference to the parable in Luke 14:31 about a king weighing the cost of war; here used as a metaphor for the soul assessing its strength against spiritual temptation., and would rather walk slowly than "fly" referring to spiritual pride or rushing into advanced mystical states without preparation, despise his enemy, and finally be overcome.

9. I write this as a warning to those who indeed joyfully enter into the Lord’s discipleship; but as yet know nothing of any earnest struggle: For the beginning is commonly sweet, joyful, and very pleasant; but when it comes to the earnest work—that the soul must withdraw its will from the outer stars original: "äussern Gestirne"; in the mystical tradition of Jakob Böhme, this refers to the influence of the physical cosmos and the "World-Spirit" on the human mind. and turn itself into its Center original: "Centrum"; the innermost point of the soul where the divine presence dwells. in God, leaving all visible things behind, and must penetrate through the eighth form of fire original: "achte Gestalt des Feuers"; a technical term in Böhmean theosophy. It represents a "spiritual fire" or a point of transformation where the soul passes from the darkness of self-will into the light of God.—then it costs labor and bloody sweat, as the soul must wrestle with God and men.

10. If you should now love your life and want to look back, then the Devil comes with seven more evil spirits A reference to Matthew 12:45. and bars your poor soul in all its forms, so that you remain for the whole time of your life in great misery, poverty, hunger, and the earthly belly-worry original: "Bauch-Sorge"; an archaic term for the obsessive anxiety regarding one's physical survival and material needs., a slave of the World-Spirit, and the Devil’s prison-