Speaker 1: You see something's going to happen. What What's going to happen?
Speaker 1: What help? Welcome to the occult rejects. In this episode,
Speaker 1: we journey into the blazing center of mystic vision and
Speaker 1: divine contradiction, the life and mind of Jacob Bowman, shoemaker
Speaker 1: by trade. Jacob became one of the most profound Christian
Speaker 1: mystics in our chemical visionaries of the early modern era.
Speaker 1: Born in fifteen seventy five in Gorlitz, Germany, he would
Speaker 1: go on to receive divine revelations that defied both church
Speaker 1: and reason, triggering theological firestorms and spiritual awakenings that echo
Speaker 1: to this day. This episode, we're going to peel back
Speaker 1: the layers of his most important works, Aurora, whereas Divine
Speaker 1: Spark first ignited the Three Principles, which reveal the cosmological
Speaker 1: roots of good and evil in Divine will, and the
Speaker 1: seven Signatures and metaphysical map linking all things in nature
Speaker 1: to the divine archetypes. Will also confront the soul through
Speaker 1: his Forty Questions, a haunting metaphysical interrogation of what we
Speaker 1: truly are, and will dive into the depths of Mysteria magnum.
Speaker 1: His grand commentary on Genesis that reveals an occult blueprint
Speaker 1: hidden beneath creation itself. Whether you see him as a prophet,
Speaker 1: heretic or philosopher, Jacob remains a voice from the edge
Speaker 1: of the divine abyss, calling us to awaken to the
Speaker 1: fire within. So here we go. We're gonna get right
Speaker 1: into it. In the year sixteen hundred, in a small
Speaker 1: German town, nestled on the edge of Saxony, a young
Speaker 1: shoemaker sat by a window polishing a dish of pewter. Outside,
Speaker 1: sunlight poured across the landscape like molten gold, and then
Speaker 1: something happened, something he would never forget. He later described
Speaker 1: it as a moment of absolute clarity, as though the
Speaker 1: veil of the world had been torn open and he
Speaker 1: could see into the very heart of creation, trees, stones, water, light,
Speaker 1: all radiated with divine fire. It was the beginning of
Speaker 1: transformation and the birth of one of the strangest and
Speaker 1: most profound mystics Europe has ever known. This is the
Speaker 1: occult life of Jacob Bone, a journey into visions, heresy,
Speaker 1: divine darkness, and the hidden architecture of the cosmos. Jacob
Speaker 1: Bone was born on April twenty fourth, fifteen seventy five,
Speaker 1: in alt Seidenberg, a village and the electorate of Saxony.
Speaker 1: He was the fourth of five children born to Jacob
Speaker 1: and Ursulable, who were poor but devout Lutheran peasants. No
Speaker 1: education in theology, no great library of ancient texts, just
Speaker 1: a modest apprenticeship in shoemaking. At least that's how the
Speaker 1: story goes. Bohm's formal education was limited, reflecting his family's
Speaker 1: socioeconomic status. He attended a local village school, where he
Speaker 1: learned basic reading and writing skills that were not common
Speaker 1: amongst peasants at the time. His education were primarily religious,
Speaker 1: centered on the Bible, which would later become the foundation
Speaker 1: of his mystical theology. Despite his lack of advanced schooling,
Speaker 1: Boum's intellectual curiosity and spiritual depth far surpassed the expectations
Speaker 1: of his social class. After his basic schooling, Baum was
Speaker 1: apprenticed to a shoemaker in Gorlitz around fifteen ninety four.
Speaker 1: He completed his apprenticeship and became a master shoemaker, eventually
Speaker 1: opening his own shop. In fifteen ninety nine. He married
Speaker 1: Katharina Kunschmann, the daughter of a local butcher, and together
Speaker 1: they had four sons. Bauhm's life as a shoemaker provided
Speaker 1: him with his stable livelihood, but his true calling emerged
Speaker 1: through his spiritual and philosophical pursuits spurred by the mystical
Speaker 1: experiences beginning in sixteen hundred, and then came the moment
Speaker 1: that would change everything. Jacob is at work polishing pewter.
Speaker 1: The sunlight strikes the dish, and suddenly he is overtaken.
Speaker 1: A mystical experience floods his mind. For Boehm, this wasn't
Speaker 1: just a vision. It was a revelation, a glimpse of
Speaker 1: the divine structure beneath reality. He would later describe it
Speaker 1: as seeing into the essence of essences. But visions don't
Speaker 1: pay rent, at least that back then it didn't. So
Speaker 1: returned to his shoemaking, quietly, secretly writing down fragments of
Speaker 1: what he'd seen. Over the next decade, he began composing
Speaker 1: a book, one that would remain hidden until it was
Speaker 1: discovered by accident, a work he never meant to publish,
Speaker 1: Aurora or The Morning Redness. The book was a strange, fiery,
Speaker 1: chaotic thing, full of alchemical imagery, biblical references, and cosmic metaphors.
Speaker 1: It spoke of a divine fire that moved through all things,
Speaker 1: of the struggle between light and darkness within the soul,
Speaker 1: and of God as both wrath and love. But Gurlitz
Speaker 1: was not ready for this kind of theology, especially not
Speaker 1: from a shoemaker. When the towns Lutheran pastor, Gregorious Rector,
Speaker 1: got a hold of Arora, he was outraged. Bohm was
Speaker 1: accused of heresy. In order to stop writing or face management,
Speaker 1: Jacob agreed reluctantly. For years, he said nothing outwardly obedient,
Speaker 1: but inwardly the fire still burned, and eventually it couldn't
Speaker 1: be contained. He began writing again, not for the world
Speaker 1: but for God. His ideas grew stranger, more alchemical, and
Speaker 1: more apocalyptic. For years after the first blinding vision, Jacob
Speaker 1: Boone kept silent. He worked, he prayed, he pondered, but
Speaker 1: his inner world that was on fire. Sometime around sixteen twelve,
Speaker 1: the fire spilled over. He began writing that sermons, not dogma,
Speaker 1: but revelation, a kind of sacred science. His first major work,
Speaker 1: Aurora of the Morning, Redness in the Rising Sun and
Speaker 1: a quote from that book, For the wild nature was
Speaker 1: not yet overcome, and light and darkness wrestled so long
Speaker 1: the one with the other, till the sun arose, and
Speaker 1: with its force this tree so that it did bear
Speaker 1: a pleasant, sweet fruit. That is, till there came the
Speaker 1: Prince of Light out of the heart of God and
Speaker 1: became man in nature, and wrestled in his human body
Speaker 1: and in the power of the divine light, and in
Speaker 1: the wild nature. Aurora Chapter nineteen. Aurora is chaos and beauty,
Speaker 1: Light and thunder, part spiritual journal, part metaphysical explosion. Bom
Speaker 1: doesn't describe God as a simple, loving creator, know in
Speaker 1: his vision, God is dynamic, unfolding process, a mystery of polarities.
Speaker 1: At the heart of Bohm's vision is tension. Creation is
Speaker 1: not clean, it's not easy. It begins with a rupture.
Speaker 1: As we begin to start to take a look at
Speaker 1: this book. In the preface paragraph one, you come across
Speaker 1: Jacob's cosmic tree allegory. Courteous reader, I compare the whole philosophy, astrology,
Speaker 1: and theology, together with their mother, to a goodly tree
Speaker 1: which grows in a fair garden of pleasure. Bohm sets
Speaker 1: up the master metaphor for the book. Sap equals the
Speaker 1: hidden godhead, trunk equals the stars, branch equals the four elements,
Speaker 1: fruit equals humanity. The image lets him talk about nature, science,
Speaker 1: and salvation as one living organism whose root is the divine.
Speaker 1: Paragraph eight, he touches on the primemortal split. But there
Speaker 1: are two qualities in nature, even until the judgment of God.
Speaker 1: The one is pleasant, heavenly, and holy. The other is fierce, wrathful, hellish,
Speaker 1: and thirsty. Here Bohm introduces his famous doctrine of the
Speaker 1: two qualitating the mingled principles of love, light, and wrath, fire,
Speaker 1: whose tension drives every process in the universe and inside
Speaker 1: the human soul. This book is divided into three main parts.
Speaker 1: It explores the divine Trinity, the creation of the world,
Speaker 1: and the spiritual transformation of the individual. The first part
Speaker 1: focuses on God as the eternal, infinite source of all existence,
Speaker 1: emphasizing the trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as a
Speaker 1: dynamic unity. He describes God as encompassing all qualities, light, love, wrath,
Speaker 1: and fire in a harmonious balance. He introduces the concept
Speaker 1: of the seven qualities or spirits, which correspond to planetary
Speaker 1: and elemental forces, forming the basis of both divine and
Speaker 1: natural existence. These qualities astringent, sweet, bitter, heat, love, sound,
Speaker 1: and corpus of the building blocks of creation, reflecting Divine's
Speaker 1: will manifestation. Bomes also addresses the origin of evil, not
Speaker 1: as an independent force, but as a distortion of divine
Speaker 1: qualities when separated from God's unity. He uses the fall
Speaker 1: of Lucifer as an example, describing how Lucifer's desire to
Speaker 1: exalt himself disrupted the divine order, introducing discord into creation.
Speaker 1: This sets the stage for the cosmic struggle between light
Speaker 1: and darkness. The second part delves into the creation of
Speaker 1: the world, portraying it as an act of divine love.
Speaker 1: He describes how God's will through the seven qualities, generates
Speaker 1: the elements in nature, forming a genetic matrix of existence.
Speaker 1: He sees the universe as a reflection of divine order,
Speaker 1: where every element, from stars to plants, contain a spark
Speaker 1: of God's essence. Humanity, created in God's image is central
Speaker 1: to the process tasked with participating in divine love to
Speaker 1: reconcile creation with God. He emphasizes the dual nature of
Speaker 1: humanity existing in both the outward material and inward spiritual worlds.
Speaker 1: This duality creates a tension that humans must navigate to
Speaker 1: achieve spiritual awakening. He warns against being consumed by material
Speaker 1: desires which align with the darkness of Lucifer's fall, and
Speaker 1: advocates for a return to the light through faith and
Speaker 1: self awareness, and in quotes for according to the outward man,
Speaker 1: we are in this world, and according to the inward man,
Speaker 1: we are the inward world. Since then we are generated
Speaker 1: out of both worlds. We speak in two languages, and
Speaker 1: we must be understood also by two languages. The final part,
Speaker 1: though incomplete, focuses on the individual's spiritual journey toward enlightenment.
Speaker 1: He stresses the importance of self knowledge and the surrender
Speaker 1: of ease go to achieve unity with God. He also
Speaker 1: describes this process as a rebirth, where the soul, through
Speaker 1: faith and contemplation, overcomes its animal corrupted nature and aligns
Speaker 1: with the divine will. This transformation is not merely personal,
Speaker 1: but cosmic, contributing to the reconciliation of all creation with God.
Speaker 1: For Jacob, the fall of man isn't just an event
Speaker 1: in history, It's an ongoing spiritual condition. Humanity continuously experiences
Speaker 1: separation and disunity, yet possesses the potential for redemption through
Speaker 1: inner spiritual awakening and transformation. From Aurar, Chapter twelve, section
Speaker 1: thirty six, man Hath lost his true image, but aliath
Speaker 1: hidden within him, and he may find it again if
Speaker 1: he turn and seek diligently within. Central to Aurora is
Speaker 1: the idea that true knowledge of God can only be
Speaker 1: found through personal internal revelation, not merely through external teachings
Speaker 1: or dogma. Jacob emphasizes spiritual rebirth and inward awakening as
Speaker 1: the path to genuine knowledge of divine truths, and from
Speaker 1: chapter ten, section forty three, the Kingdom of Heaven is
Speaker 1: not far off, but it is near us, yeah within us,
Speaker 1: and it breaks forth and appears in the awakened soul.
Speaker 1: Jacob's mysticism is practical, urging readers to praise, study, and
Speaker 1: perform good deeds to transcend the tenevorous world of material existence.
Speaker 1: He warns against dougmatic religion, advocating for a direct experiential
Speaker 1: relationship with God and in quotes it is the greatest
Speaker 1: folly that is in Babbel for people to stry about
Speaker 1: religion so that they contend vehemently about opinions of their
Speaker 1: own forging. In chapter one, he touches on how light
Speaker 1: becomes dynamic. In quotes, heat wrestleth and fighteth together in
Speaker 1: its twofold source as one thing. It is also one thing,
Speaker 1: but it hath a double source. The light subsisteth in
Speaker 1: God without heat, but it doth not subsist so in nature.
Speaker 1: In his Elemental Physics, Jacob says fire and heat gives motion,
Speaker 1: while light gives life. Their wrestling is what turns inert
Speaker 1: divinity into living, perceivable nature. And in this book he
Speaker 1: also talks about the mixture at the heart of creation.
Speaker 1: This is the first chapter in quotes, in this consideration
Speaker 1: are found two qualities, a good one and an evil one,
Speaker 1: which are in each other as one thing in this world.
Speaker 1: And no creature in the flesh in the natural life
Speaker 1: can subsist unless it has two qualities. Having named the qualities,
Speaker 1: Jacob insists that in the temporal world they are never
Speaker 1: fully separated. Their interpenetration explains why created beings experience both
Speaker 1: the light and torment. In Aurora, he also writes of
Speaker 1: the ungrin, the groundless abyss, they state before creation, before
Speaker 1: God as we know him. From this crownless, the divine
Speaker 1: will emerges, raw, blind and longing to know itself. And
Speaker 1: from that will light and darkness are born, pain and bliss,
Speaker 1: wrath and love. Creation, for Jacob is not a peaceful act.
Speaker 1: It is a cosmic alchemy, a divine war. To make
Speaker 1: sense of this divine drama, Jacob develops a symbolic framework,
Speaker 1: which he calls the seven qualities of nature and in quotes.
Speaker 1: The first quality is a stringent or cold and sharp,
Speaker 1: contracting and attracting. The second is sweet, soft and thin,
Speaker 1: a friendly pleasure. The third is bitter, trembling and piercing,
Speaker 1: a stinging or pricking. The fourth is the heat, which
Speaker 1: maketh all soft and pliable, and is the beginning of life.
Speaker 1: The fifth is the love or the light, wherein the
Speaker 1: deity appeareth. The sixth is the sound of the word,
Speaker 1: wherein all qualities are expressed. The seven is the substance
Speaker 1: or the body, wherein all are contained. Aurora, chapter eight.
Speaker 1: This is one of Boehm's clearest summaries of the seven qualities.
Speaker 1: Outlining this sequence and rolls, Each quality builds on the
Speaker 1: previous one, culminating in the seventh, which represents the complete
Speaker 1: manifestation of creation, containing all prior qualities. Each one represents
Speaker 1: a force in the unfolding of the vine being. The
Speaker 1: first quality, a stringency, is a sharp, contracting force that
Speaker 1: draws together and hardens, forming the foundation of structure and substance.
Speaker 1: It is cold, severe, and represents the initial no or
Speaker 1: resistance in the divine process. This quality initiates creation by
Speaker 1: providing boundaries and form, akin to spiritual compression. The first
Speaker 1: quality is a stringent or cold and sharp, contracting and attracting.
Speaker 1: It is the beginning of all essence, drawing together the
Speaker 1: eternal being into a corporeal form. Aurora chapter eight. Tacob
Speaker 1: likens this to the divine will's initial act of self limitation,
Speaker 1: creating the potential for form and differentiation. The second quality, sweetness,
Speaker 1: is a gentle, expansive force, softening the harshness of a stringency.
Speaker 1: It is warm, fluid, and represents a yielding or merciful aspect,
Speaker 1: often associated with a sweet fountain water. Sweetness balances contraction
Speaker 1: with expansion, introducing pliability and life giving potential. The sweet
Speaker 1: spring or fountain water is generated by the driving about
Speaker 1: or rising up of the spirits. For when the light
Speaker 1: is generated in the heat, then the enstringing quality is
Speaker 1: amazed or terrified for great joy, and this is a
Speaker 1: submitting or lying down or growing thin chapter eleven. This
Speaker 1: quality reflects the divine response to the initial harshness, introducing
Speaker 1: a loving, softening dynamic that prepares for future manifestation. The
Speaker 1: third quality, bitterness, is a restless, stinging or trembling force
Speaker 1: characterized by agitation and motion. It arises from the tension
Speaker 1: between its stringency and sweetness, creating a dynamic friction. Bitterness
Speaker 1: introduces movement and struggle, driving the process forward and sparking
Speaker 1: the potential for life. In the third quality, which is bitterness,
Speaker 1: the spirits become moving and driving, and there is a
Speaker 1: stinging and trembling. It is a piercing and anguishing quality Aurora,
Speaker 1: chapter twelve. Jacob sees bitterness as the source of motion
Speaker 1: and conflict, essential for the emergence of life, but also
Speaker 1: linked to suffering and turmoil. The fourth quality is heat,
Speaker 1: which ignites and activates the previous qualities, marking the beginning
Speaker 1: of life and light transforms the raw energy of bitterness
Speaker 1: into a creative force. Heat is the turning point kindling,
Speaker 1: the divine spark that leads to illumination and vitality. The
Speaker 1: fourth quality is the heat, which maketh all soft and pliable,
Speaker 1: and is the beginning of life. For in the heat
Speaker 1: the light is kindled and the life beginneth Aurora, chapter twelve.
Speaker 1: Heat represents the divine fire that purifies and enlivens, preparing
Speaker 1: the way for the emergence of love and light. The
Speaker 1: fifth quality is love, manifested as the vine, light, clarity,
Speaker 1: and joy. It is the revelation of God's essence where
Speaker 1: the deity becomes fully perceptible. Love. Light is the spiritual pinnacle,
Speaker 1: embodying divine grace and the presence of God, transforming the
Speaker 1: process into one of harmony. The fifth is the love
Speaker 1: or the light wherein the deity appeareth. It is the
Speaker 1: holy clarity, the kingdom of joy, where the eternal love
Speaker 1: riseth up Aurora, chapter eight. Jacob associates this quality with Christ,
Speaker 1: the Prince of Light, who embodies divine love and illuminates creation.
Speaker 1: This six quality is sound, or the divine word, whether
Speaker 1: equalities are expressed and articulated. It represents the communicative and
Speaker 1: creative power of God. Sound gives voice to the divine process,
Speaker 1: making the qualities manifest and audible to the logos. In
Speaker 1: Christian theology, the sixth is the sound of the word,
Speaker 1: wherein all qualities are expressed. It is the voice of
Speaker 1: the spirits, whereby the eternal will become manifest Aurora, chapter eight.
Speaker 1: This quality reflects the divine act of self expression, where
Speaker 1: the inequalities become outwardly perceivable, as in creation's harmony for
Speaker 1: the human soul's praise. The seventh quality is the culmination
Speaker 1: of the process, where all equalities coalesce into a complete,
Speaker 1: tangible form or substance. It is the body of creation,
Speaker 1: containing all prior qualities. The corpus represents the fully manifested creation,
Speaker 1: both divine and material, embodying the unity of the process.
Speaker 1: The seventh is the substance of the body, wherein all
Speaker 1: are contained. It is the house of qualities, the essence
Speaker 1: of the eternal being, wherein the deity and the creature
Speaker 1: subsist Aurora, chapter eight. Jacob sees this as the final
Speaker 1: stage where the divine process becomes a stable, unified reality,
Speaker 1: such as the physical world or the glorified human soul.
Speaker 1: Before we move on, here are two more quotes from Aurora.
Speaker 1: The wheel and its incorporated structure and frame signifieth the
Speaker 1: estringent quality, which attracteth or draweth together the whole corporal
Speaker 1: being of the deity, and holdeth it and drieth it
Speaker 1: so that it subsisteth. The sweet spring or fountain water
Speaker 1: is generated by the driving about or rising up of
Speaker 1: the spirits. For when the light is generated in the heat,
Speaker 1: then the estringent quality is amazed or terrified for great joy.
Speaker 1: And this is a submitting or line down or growth within,
Speaker 1: and the hard corporal being sinketh down like a meekness
Speaker 1: of mildness Aurora, chapter eleven. This quote describes the first
Speaker 1: two qualities, destrigency and sweetness, and their interaction with heat
Speaker 1: and light. Jacob uses the metaphor of a wheel to
Speaker 1: show the cyclical, interdependent nature of these qualities in forming
Speaker 1: the divine material worlds, and the last one. In the
Speaker 1: third quality, which is the bitterness, the spirits become moving
Speaker 1: and driving, and there is a stinging and trembling. And
Speaker 1: in the fourth quality, which is the heat, the light
Speaker 1: is kindled, and the love riseth up, and the life
Speaker 1: beginneth in the sweet fountain water Aurora chapter twelve. Here
Speaker 1: Jacob focuses on the bitterness and heat qualities which lead
Speaker 1: to the emergence of light. This illustrates the dynamic progress
Speaker 1: toward divine life and illumination. But these aren't just metaphors
Speaker 1: in Jacob's mind. They are ontological engines, forces that shaped
Speaker 1: not just God's being but your soul, the planets, the stones,
Speaker 1: and the grass under your feet. And then there are
Speaker 1: the three Principles, the Divine Trinity. As Jacob's sort, there
Speaker 1: are the three principles in one only essence, and yet
Speaker 1: there is but one God and one only essence. The
Speaker 1: three principles are the dark world the light world. In
Speaker 1: this outward visible world, the dark world is the eternal fire,
Speaker 1: the wrath of God. The light world is the eternal love,
Speaker 1: the kingdom of joy. And this outward world is generated
Speaker 1: out of both as a mixed thing, having in it
Speaker 1: the qualities of both Aurora, chapter sixteen. This quote encapsulates
Speaker 1: Jacob's doctrine of the three Principles, showing how the divine
Speaker 1: Essence contains the dark world wrathful and contracting fire, the
Speaker 1: light world, loving and expanse of grace, and the visible
Speaker 1: world material reality. A blend of the two. The unity
Speaker 1: of these principles reflects God's singular essence. The dark world,
Speaker 1: the fire, the hunger, the wrath, the light world, the joy,
Speaker 1: the revelation, the love, the outer world, nature itself, the
Speaker 1: realm of mixture and trial. Jacob believed we lived in
Speaker 1: the crucible where all three meet. But how do you
Speaker 1: speak of such things? How do you put divine paradox
Speaker 1: into human language? Jacob often wrote entangled, almost feverish prose,
Speaker 1: full of invented words, al chemical references, and violent oppositions.
Speaker 1: Critics call the jebberish. Others heard truth in the madness.
Speaker 1: Though Aurora was never formally published in his lifetime, copies
Speaker 1: circulated quietly among friends, seekers, even nobles. This book is
Speaker 1: a visionary work that merges theology, philosophy, and mysticism to
Speaker 1: explore the divine order, human purpose, and the path to
Speaker 1: spiritual enlightenment. Through its three parts, Jacob articulates a cosmology
Speaker 1: where God's qualities permeate creation, humanity, navigates a dual existence,
Speaker 1: and spiritual readbirth reconciles all things with the divine. The
Speaker 1: books quotes reveal Jacob's poetic and profound style, urging readers
Speaker 1: to seek God within themselves and the world. Despite its
Speaker 1: incomplete state and historical controversy, Aurora remains a cornerstone of
Speaker 1: Western mystical thought, offering timeless insights into the nature of existence. Now,
Speaker 1: while some whispered that Jacob had uncovered this secret of
Speaker 1: a creation, others feared he had opened the door that
Speaker 1: should have remained shut. Jacob claimed to have received his
Speaker 1: knowledge from divine vision. He had no formal education, no Latin,
Speaker 1: no university, just the and of fire and the will
Speaker 1: to speak it. But here's the thing, he wasn't alone.
Speaker 1: Across Europe, a secret current was rising, a revival of
Speaker 1: ancient wisdom, alchemy, hermeticism, Christian Kabbalah, occult ideas hidden beneath
Speaker 1: the surface of religion, philosophy, and even science. And he
Speaker 1: was right at the heart of it, whether he knew
Speaker 1: it or not. Now, going back a little before we
Speaker 1: get into more of Jacob's writings, let's touch on some
Speaker 1: of Jacob's spiritual influences for a moment. Growing up, he
Speaker 1: was raised Lutheran and did accept many key doctrines, salvations
Speaker 1: through Christ, the centrality of scripture, the hiddenness of God,
Speaker 1: yet he divert word sharply in mystical and esoteric directions,
Speaker 1: which caused tension with church authorities. The Bible, especially the
Speaker 1: Book of Genesis, was a huge influence. Bohme's entire metaphysics
Speaker 1: is grounded in a mystical reading of Genesis, the same
Speaker 1: with the creation out of the Abyss and the fall
Speaker 1: as a cosmic event, not just moral. And he saw
Speaker 1: the serpent, the Tree of life, and divine wrath as
Speaker 1: spiritual realities. He was also influenced by new ideas and
Speaker 1: thoughts of the time. During the late fifteen hundreds and
Speaker 1: early sixteen hundreds, it was a strange place. Europe was
Speaker 1: caught between worlds, between Reformation and counter Reformation, science and superstition,
Speaker 1: apocalypse and rebirth, and beneath it all another world. The
Speaker 1: occult revival. Books like the Corpus Hamticum, rediscovered in the Renaissance,
Speaker 1: spoke of a hidden divine wisdom, one that linked the
Speaker 1: human soul to the stars as above so below, that
Speaker 1: which is in heaven is reflec upon earth. This was
Speaker 1: the language of hermeticism, a sacred science blending astrology, alchemy,
Speaker 1: and mystical philosophy. It also introduced the idea of the
Speaker 1: divine mind shaping the cosmos, unity of all things through
Speaker 1: divine energy. And it wasn't just fringe magic. Even thinkers
Speaker 1: like Giordano Bruno, Marcello Ficino, Paracelsus were steeped in these ideas.
Speaker 1: They believed in a universe alive with meaning symbols in
Speaker 1: divine patterns, and so did Jacob. One of the strongest
Speaker 1: influences on Jacob, whether directly or through cultural osmosis, was Paracelsus,
Speaker 1: the wandering physician and philosopher who declared the universe is
Speaker 1: a living organism, the human being is a microcosm of
Speaker 1: the macrocosm. Disease and salvation alike come from hidden spiritual forces. Now,
Speaker 1: even though Jacob didn't practice laboratory alchemy, used its symbolic language.
Speaker 1: Transformation of base metals, transformation of the soul fire is
Speaker 1: both destructive and regenerative central to his cosmology, and the
Speaker 1: seven qualities are properties of nature that are folded divine. Also,
Speaker 1: Jacob drew from the Kabbalah and Neoplatonism, which emphasized interconnectedness
Speaker 1: of the spiritual and material worlds. He was also influenced
Speaker 1: by Christian mysticism. The Theologia Germanica, an anonymous fourteenth century
Speaker 1: mystical texts highly influential in German Lutheran spirituality. It emphasized
Speaker 1: the death of the ego and the rebirth of God
Speaker 1: within the soul, a central theme for Jacob. The Rhineland
Speaker 1: mystics Johannes Toller and Friends of God to what about
Speaker 1: inner surrender to the divine and detachment from the world.
Speaker 1: Now there's another layer that. There's also been a rumor
Speaker 1: that Jacob was a part of something larger, a secret brotherhood,
Speaker 1: a hidden order, maybe the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucian Manifestos appeared
Speaker 1: just a few years after Aurora, anonymous texts promising a
Speaker 1: universal reformation of science, religion, and magic. Jacob never mentioned them,
Speaker 1: but many saw his work as aligned. The world is
Speaker 1: pregnant with a great reformation. The truth shall no longer
Speaker 1: be hidden from the Rosicrucian Manifestos. Coincidence, was Jacob a
Speaker 1: quiet part of this esoteric awakening. Jacob never called himself
Speaker 1: a Rosicrucion, He never used the name, never claimed the
Speaker 1: membership in any secret society, and yet his ideas echo theirs.
Speaker 1: His timing is uncanny. The same flame that burned in
Speaker 1: his visions seemed to illuminate a movement spreading across Europe
Speaker 1: like wildfire. So what's the truth. Was Jacob part of
Speaker 1: the Rosicrucian brotherhood? Was he simply a mystic tuned to
Speaker 1: the same occult frequency. Well, let's take a look at it.
Speaker 1: In the early seventeenth century, almost the exact time Jacob
Speaker 1: was writing Aurora, strange documents began to circulate across Europe, Anonymous, mysterious,
Speaker 1: and revolutionary. They were the Rosicrucian manifestos Fama Frattinatus sixteen fourteen,
Speaker 1: Confessio Frattinitatus sixteen fifteen, and the Chemical Wedding of Christian
Speaker 1: Rosencruts in sixteen sixteen. They spoke of a secret brotherhood
Speaker 1: of enlightened men, hires of ancient wisdom, hermatic science, and
Speaker 1: divine truth. Their goal the spiritual reformation of mankind, a
Speaker 1: restoration of lost knowledge. Jacob was writing Aurora around sixteen twelve.
Speaker 1: The Fama Frattinatatus appeared in sixteen fourteen. Both speak of
Speaker 1: hidden wisdom. Both described divine knowledge revealed not by reason,
Speaker 1: but by illumination. Both refer to the morning star, the
Speaker 1: light before dawn, and most striking of all. Both propose
Speaker 1: a threefold vision of the world, the divine and eternal,
Speaker 1: the natural, the material, and the human caught in between.
Speaker 1: For the Rosicrucians, this was symbolized in all chemical terms sulfur, mercury,
Speaker 1: and salt. For Jacob, it was the three principles dark fire,
Speaker 1: holy light in the external world. They even shared a
Speaker 1: belief in the sevenfold structure of nature. Coincidence maybe, but
Speaker 1: maybe the same current our idea was flowing through them both.
Speaker 1: But still we also have to be honest. There are differences.
Speaker 1: The Rosicrusions were deeply symbolic, often allegorical, that chemical wedding
Speaker 1: reads like a surreal al chemical dream. Jacob, for all
Speaker 1: his mysticism, is trying to map a system, real metaphysical forces,
Speaker 1: not allegories. The Rosicrucians emphasize secrecy and initiation. Jacob be
Speaker 1: if divine truth should be shared, not hoarded, And while
Speaker 1: the Rosicrucians hinted at magic, ritual and secret rights, Jacob
Speaker 1: focused on the inner transformation of the soul. No robes,
Speaker 1: no ceremonies just fire and light. So maybe the question
Speaker 1: isn't was Jacob a Rosicrucion? Maybe the better question is
Speaker 1: were the Rosicrucians in Jacob both flames of the same fire,
Speaker 1: Both spoke of divine knowledge hidden in nature. Both saw
Speaker 1: the soul as a mirror of the cosmos, and both
Speaker 1: believed that behind the chaos of the world as spiritual
Speaker 1: rebirth was coming, whether through mystic vision or our chemical code.
Speaker 1: Both called us to awaken in a world ruled by
Speaker 1: a doctrine certainty with safety. The Church was the compass,
Speaker 1: the state was the sword. Mystics were dangerous, not for
Speaker 1: what they destroyed, before what they revealed, and Jacob he
Speaker 1: was about to learn what happens when a shoemaker starts
Speaker 1: speaking with the voice of a prophet. In Gorlitz sixteen twelve,
Speaker 1: Jacob is still unknown, his mystical writings kept mostly to himself,
Speaker 1: But one day a copy of his private manuscript Aurora
Speaker 1: of the Morning Readiness falls into the wrong hands, all
Speaker 1: the right ones depending on your perspective. That hand belonged
Speaker 1: to Gregor Richter, the chief pastor of Goletz. Rictor reads
Speaker 1: Jacob's words astatic, strange, unorthodox, and he is furious Shoemaker
Speaker 1: writing about the hidden structure of God, about light and
Speaker 1: darkness as divine principles. This wasn't just dangerous, it was heretical.
Speaker 1: Richter denounced Jacob publicly from the pulpit. He pressures the
Speaker 1: Gorlitz City Council, and within days Bomus summoned the city elders.
Speaker 1: Don't want trouble. They ordered Jacob to stop writing as
Speaker 1: it never publish again, and for a while he obeys.
Speaker 1: But before we finish his story, let's go back to
Speaker 1: his book, just for a little bit more. Strap in,
Speaker 1: because I'm about to take you on a deep dive
Speaker 1: into Jacob's three principles mentioned in Aurora. The first principle
Speaker 1: is the fire of the eternal nature, the dark world,
Speaker 1: where the wrath of God burneth forever. The second principle
Speaker 1: is the light of the Holy Love, where the Deity
Speaker 1: appeareth in clarity and meekness. The third principle is the
Speaker 1: outward world, which is a similitude of the first two,
Speaker 1: where in the good and the evil strive together Aurora,
Speaker 1: chapter eighteen. The three principles provide a framework for understanding
Speaker 1: the structure of reality, encompassing the divine, spiritual, and material
Speaker 1: realms in their interplay in creation, human existence, and salvation.
Speaker 1: In Aurora, Jacob uses the three principles to explain the
Speaker 1: dynamic relationship between God's eternal nature, the spiritual worlds, and
Speaker 1: the visible universe, emphasizing the tension and reconciliation of opposites.
Speaker 1: The first principle, the dark world, fire, wrath, or eternal no,
Speaker 1: represents the fiery, wrathful, contracting aspect of God's eternal nature,
Speaker 1: characterized by severity, darkness, and resistance. It is the source
Speaker 1: of divine judgment and the potential for evil when separated
Speaker 1: from love. It is a sharp, astringent, and compressive. Akin
Speaker 1: to the first of the seven qualities, it creates structure
Speaker 1: and limitation. It is the root of divine anger, which
Speaker 1: becomes destructive when separated from love. As a lucifer's wool,
Speaker 1: it exists within God's nature as a necessary polarity, enabling
Speaker 1: free will and the possibility of evil. Though God himself
Speaker 1: is not evil in creation, the dark world is the
Speaker 1: foundation of the eternal nature, the matrix of qualities that
Speaker 1: allows differentiation and manifestation in humanity, It manifests as the sinful,
Speaker 1: self centered will, prone to pride and wrath, as seen
Speaker 1: in Atom's Full It is the realm of fallen angels
Speaker 1: who embrace the dark fire in rejected divine love. The
Speaker 1: first principle represents God's severity and justice, which must be
Speaker 1: balanced by love to avoid becoming a consuming fire. It
Speaker 1: is not inherently evil, but become so when isolated, as
Speaker 1: in the case of hell. The first principle is the
Speaker 1: fire of the eternal nature, the dark world, where the
Speaker 1: wrath of God burneth forever. It is the sharp, astringent,
Speaker 1: and fiery quality which is the root of all life.
Speaker 1: But without the light, it is a consuming fire Aurora,
Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen, paragraph ten. The second principle, the light world,
Speaker 1: embodies the loving, expansive and luminous. This aspect of God's
Speaker 1: nature characterized by mercy, clarity, and divine joy. It is
Speaker 1: the realm of divine love in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Speaker 1: It is warm, gentle, and radiant, akin to the fifth
Speaker 1: of seven qualities. It represents divine freedom and joy. It
Speaker 1: is the source of divine compassion, counteracting the wrath of
Speaker 1: the first principle. It is the domain of unfallen angels
Speaker 1: and the redeemed, where God's presence shines unhindered in creation.
Speaker 1: The light world is the revelation of God's love, as
Speaker 1: seen in Let there Be Light of Genesis, which Jacob
Speaker 1: interprets as the emergence of divine grace in humanity. It
Speaker 1: manifests as the divine spark or soul's potential for love, faith,
Speaker 1: and union with God restored through Christ. It is the
Speaker 1: eternal home of the Redeemed, where the soul aligns with
Speaker 1: divine wisdom. The second principle is the heart of Jacob's
Speaker 1: crystocentric theology, embodied by Christ, the Prince of Light, who
Speaker 1: bridges the principles and restores humanity to divine love. It
Speaker 1: represents God's mercy and the ultimate goal of spiritual transformation.
Speaker 1: The second principle is the light of the Holy Love,
Speaker 1: where the Deity appereth in clarity and meekness. It is
Speaker 1: the kingdom of Joy, wherein the eternal Love riseth up
Speaker 1: and the Divine wisdom shineth as in a looking glass Aurora,
Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen, paragraph eleven. The third principle, the visible world,
Speaker 1: is the physical, temporal world and a synthesis of the
Speaker 1: first two principles, where light and darkness, good and evil
Speaker 1: coexist and contend. It is a realm of human experience
Speaker 1: in the stage for spiritual struggle and redemption. It combines
Speaker 1: qualities of both the dark world and the light world,
Speaker 1: resulting in a dualistic reality. It is transient, unlike the
Speaker 1: eternal first and second principles, and subject to birth, decay,
Speaker 1: and death. It is the arena where the soul chooses
Speaker 1: between aligning with the light world or the dark world.
Speaker 1: In creation. The visible world was formed at the Lucifer's
Speaker 1: fall to replace his lost kingdom as a new arena
Speaker 1: for God's glory. It reflects both divine love and wrath
Speaker 1: in humanity. The third principle is the outward physical body
Speaker 1: and the soul's earthly existence. Torn between the influences of
Speaker 1: the first and second principles. It is the realm of
Speaker 1: free will, where humans navigate the tension between good and evil,
Speaker 1: with Christ as the guide to the light world. The
Speaker 1: third principle underscores Jacob's view of the material world as
Speaker 1: a divine creation, not inherently evil, but corrupted by the fall.
Speaker 1: It is the stage for salvation where Christ's incarnation reconciles
Speaker 1: the principle, transforming the visible world into a new heaven
Speaker 1: and new Earth. These principles are not separate entities, but
Speaker 1: interconnected aspects of a single divine essence, reflecting Jacob's monastic
Speaker 1: yet dynamic view of reality. They operate within God's eternal nature,
Speaker 1: the spiritual realms, and the human soul, with Christ as
Speaker 1: the mediator who reconciles their tensions. The three principles are
Speaker 1: aspects of one divine essence, but they exist in dynamic tension.
Speaker 1: The first principle's wrath and the second principle's love are
Speaker 1: eternal opposites within God, reconciled in his unity. The third
Speaker 1: principle manifests this tension in time and space, where opposites
Speaker 1: strive for dominance. Let's not forget that the seven qualities
Speaker 1: in Aurora are the mechanisms through which the three principles operate.
Speaker 1: The first principle aligns with the astringent, bitter, and fier equalities,
Speaker 1: which create structure and motion but can become destructive. The
Speaker 1: second principle corresponds to the love, light, and sound qualities,
Speaker 1: embodying divine grace and expression. The third principle incorporates all qualities,
Speaker 1: reflecting their interplay and material form. The human soul exists
Speaker 1: across all three principles. The first principle is the soul's
Speaker 1: potential for sin and self will, linked to the old atom.
Speaker 1: The second principle is the soul's divine spark, awakened by
Speaker 1: faith in Christ. The third principle is the soul's earthly life,
Speaker 1: where it navigates the struggle between wrath and love. Christ
Speaker 1: as the incarnate world, bridges the principles by entering the
Speaker 1: third principle to conquer the first principle's wrath and restore
Speaker 1: humanity to the second principle's light. Jacob describes Christ as
Speaker 1: the Prince of Light who replaces lucifer dominion. The three
Speaker 1: principles reflect Boem's dialectical view of reality, where opposites are
Speaker 1: necessary for existence and reconciled in God. Jacob's Aurora was
Speaker 1: his first and arguably most explosive work. Though never published
Speaker 1: in his lifetime due to its controversial nature, Aurora became
Speaker 1: one of the most influential hidden texts of Western mysticism.
Speaker 1: Oh and so why the name Aurora? The title itself
Speaker 1: Aurora Latin for dawn, symbolizes the illumination of hidden truths,
Speaker 1: the dawn of spiritual insight, breaking through darkness. It represents
Speaker 1: the awakening of divine wisdom in the human soul and
Speaker 1: internal sunrise, illuminating profound spiritual secrets. Though initially banned and
Speaker 1: suppressed by religious authorities, Aurora deeply influenced countless mystics, theologians, alchemists,
Speaker 1: and philosophers. Its secret circulation inspired groups like the Rosicrucians,
Speaker 1: Christian Mystics, and later Theosophists, profoundly shaping the landscape of
Speaker 1: Western spiritual thought. Today. Aurora offers us a rich metaphor
Speaker 1: for spiritual awakening, inner exploration, and the sacred tension between
Speaker 1: our darkness and light. It reminds us that Divinity is
Speaker 1: not distant, but hidden within our very struggle, longing and
Speaker 1: ultimate awakening. Jacob offered not just theology, but a vision,
Speaker 1: a vision of a God who lives with intention, creation
Speaker 1: as divine alchemy, and redemption, not as escape, but as illumination. Now,
Speaker 1: let's go back to sixteen nineteen. Europe was boiling and
Speaker 1: the Thirty Year War is igniting. Apoca Elliptic visions are
Speaker 1: in the air, and Jacob breaks his silence. He begins
Speaker 1: writing again, faster, deeper, and stranger than before, works like
Speaker 1: the Three Principles of the Divine Being, the Signature of
Speaker 1: All Things, Forty Questions of the Soul, and Mysterium Magnum.
Speaker 1: They were wild, luminous texts, full of mystical diagrams, spiritual chemistry,
Speaker 1: and almost a manic sense of urgency. To orthodox theologians,
Speaker 1: Jacob's writings are a time bomb. He speaks of God
Speaker 1: as a dynamic process, not a fixed being. He claims
Speaker 1: that evil is not a mistake, but a necessary aspect
Speaker 1: of divine unfolding, and that the full and redemption are
Speaker 1: woven into the structure of nature itself. These aren't just
Speaker 1: radical ideas, they shake the foundations of Lutheran theology and
Speaker 1: Richtor He returns to the attack with greater fury. This
Speaker 1: time he accuses Jacob of Satanic inspiration and pushes for
Speaker 1: criminal charges. In sixteen twenty four, things came to a head.
Speaker 1: The Gorlitz Council, under pressure, banishes Jacob from the city.
Speaker 1: He goes into exile, traveling to meet supporters and noble
Speaker 1: patrons across Saxony. He's welcomed into intellectual circles and read
Speaker 1: in secret by mystics and scholars, but his health is failing.
Speaker 1: Later that year, Jacob is allowed to return to Gorlitz
Speaker 1: under surveillance. A few weeks later he does. He was
Speaker 1: forty nine years old. Jacob died nearly unknown, hounded by
Speaker 1: his church, unprinted, unread by the public. But like all
Speaker 1: occult seeds, he flourished in the dark. His manuscripts are copied,
Speaker 1: spread and translated. His works influenced German Peists, English Bahamists, theosophists,
Speaker 1: Romantics like William Blake, and even twentieth century philosophers like
Speaker 1: Hegel and Schelling. They saw in Jacob not madness, but
Speaker 1: vision a fire from beyond. Now let's get into a
Speaker 1: little bit more about how he saw things, to take
Speaker 1: a dip into the Abyss and discuss more of his writings. First,
Speaker 1: we have The Three Principles of the Divine Essence. The
Speaker 1: Three Principles of the Divine Essence, written between sixteen eighteen
Speaker 1: and sixteen nineteen. This work isn't just another dusty old book.
Speaker 1: It's basically Jacob's flexing his philosophical muscles and doubling down
Speaker 1: on ideas he teased in his earlier piece Aurora. Now.
Speaker 1: It's important to note that Jacob wrote this after he
Speaker 1: caught some heat pot intended for his earlier work Aurora.
Speaker 1: Facing persecution didn't silence him. Instead, it pushed him to
Speaker 1: articulate his ideas even more clearly. And the three principles
Speaker 1: he's blending Christian mysticism, alchemy, and a healthy dose of
Speaker 1: neoplatonic philosophy. Sort of like mixing theological smoothie ingredients that
Speaker 1: you didn't think could run together, but somehow they taste great.
Speaker 1: These three principles, instructed as a dialogue between the divine
Speaker 1: essence and the created order, explore ring how God's nature
Speaker 1: manifests in the cosmos and the human soul. Jacob aims
Speaker 1: to explain the origin of evil, the purpose of creation,
Speaker 1: and the path to spiritual regeneration. The book is divided
Speaker 1: into chapters that systematically address cosmological, theological, and anthropological questions.
Speaker 1: Written in Jacob's characteristic, dense and symbolic style, Its central
Speaker 1: thesis is that all existence, divine, natural, and human, operates
Speaker 1: through the interplay of three principles, which are not separate entities,
Speaker 1: but dynamic aspects of God's essence. Jacob begins by stating
Speaker 1: his intent to reveal the root of all being, addressing
Speaker 1: questions left unresolved by traditional theology, such as the origin
Speaker 1: of evil and the nature of God's relationship with creation.
Speaker 1: He claims divine inspiration. Writing as a layman guided by
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit rather than scholarly learning, the three principles
Speaker 1: are introduced as the framework for understanding God's essence and
Speaker 1: its manifestation in the world. Jacob argues that these principles
Speaker 1: are not sequential, but coexist eternally within God and are
Speaker 1: reflected in creation, particularly in humanity's dual nature. Thus there
Speaker 1: are three principles, yet be one only God, one principle
Speaker 1: of the Divine power, one in the divine light, and
Speaker 1: one in the outward world. The Three Principles Chapter one,
Speaker 1: Section three, and Now I will touch on the three
Speaker 1: principles a little bit more before we move on the
Speaker 1: first principle again, the Dark World. This first section explores
Speaker 1: the dark fire world, which Jacob associates with God's wrathful aspect,
Speaker 1: though not evil in itself. This principle is the source
Speaker 1: of divine energy characterized by contraction, e stringency, and fiery intensity.
Speaker 1: It is the no or negative pole of the existence,
Speaker 1: necessary for creation, but dangerous when separated from the light world.
Speaker 1: Jacob uses the full of Lucifer to illustrate how the
Speaker 1: first principle becomes destructive. Lucifer, enamored of his own fiery power,
Speaker 1: sought to dominate, severing himself from the light of God's
Speaker 1: love and thus birthing evil. Jacob emphasizes that evil is
Speaker 1: not a substance, but a misdirection of the vine qualities.
Speaker 1: The fire world, when balanced by the light world, is
Speaker 1: a part of God's creative process, but in isolation it
Speaker 1: becomes chaotic indestructive. The first principle is the original eternal will,
Speaker 1: and it is the dark world a fire world, and
Speaker 1: it is called the Father's property the Three Principles, Chapter three,
Speaker 1: Section twelve. The second principle is the realm of the vine, love, mercy,
Speaker 1: and life, where God's will manifests in harmony and unity.
Speaker 1: Jacob describes this as the eternal yes and the counterpoint
Speaker 1: to the fire world's no. It is the domain of Christ,
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, and the divine wisdom of Sophia, which
Speaker 1: softens the harshness of the fireworld and brings forth creation
Speaker 1: and love. The light world is not separate from the fireworld,
Speaker 1: but transforms its energy into a generative force, producing the
Speaker 1: spiritual and material cosmos. Jacob stresses that the second principle
Speaker 1: is accessible to humanity through faith in spiritual rebirth. By
Speaker 1: aligning with the light world, the soul can overcome the
Speaker 1: pull of the fireworld and participate in divine love. The
Speaker 1: second principle is divine power and virtue, the kingdom of light,
Speaker 1: wherein the eternal world or a son of God hath
Speaker 1: his domain, out of which the divine love shines. The
Speaker 1: three principles Chapter four, Section one, and the third principle
Speaker 1: the visible world. The third principle is the material world,
Speaker 1: where the first and second principles interact to create the
Speaker 1: physical universe. Jacob sees the cosmos as a divine tapestry
Speaker 1: with every element, stars, plants, animals, reflecting the interplay of
Speaker 1: fire and light. Humanity, as the pinnacle of creation, embodies
Speaker 1: all three principles. The body belongs to the third principle,
Speaker 1: the soul to the first fire, and the spirit to
Speaker 1: the second light. This triadic nature makes humans a microcosm
Speaker 1: of the universe, capable of aligning with either Heaven or Hell.
Speaker 1: Jacob explores the fall of Adam, who, like Lucifer, succumbed
Speaker 1: to the fire world's temptation by seeking self will over
Speaker 1: divine unity. Christ's incarnation, however, restores the balance, enabling human
Speaker 1: to return to the light world through repentance and faith.
Speaker 1: The third principle is the visible world, generated out of
Speaker 1: the first and second principles, a mixture of light and darkness,
Speaker 1: wherein all things live and move and have their being
Speaker 1: The Three Principles Chapter five, Section one. The latter chapters
Speaker 1: focus on the individual's path to spiritual regeneration, which involves
Speaker 1: overcoming the fireworld's dominant self will and sin and embracing
Speaker 1: the light world's love. Jacob outlines a process of self knowledge, repentance,
Speaker 1: and surrender to God's will, which he calls the new Birth.
Speaker 1: This transformation aligns the soul with the second principle, allowing
Speaker 1: it to transcend the material world's limitations on participate in
Speaker 1: divine eternity. Jacob concludes by affirming that the three principles
Speaker 1: are not separate, but aspects of a single divine essence.
Speaker 1: Is Wrath the first principle, and love the second principle,
Speaker 1: coexist eternally and the material world. The third principle is
Speaker 1: their temporal expression. Humanity's purpose is to harmonize three principles
Speaker 1: within itself, becoming a vessel for divine love and contribution
Speaker 1: to the cosmic restoration of all things. Man was created
Speaker 1: out of all three principles. He is an image of
Speaker 1: the threefold divine manifestation, containing the eternal dark world, the
Speaker 1: eternal divine world, and the outward temporal world. The Three
Speaker 1: Principles Chapter seven, Section four. Jacob's Three Principles of the
Speaker 1: Divine Essence is one of those mystical classics that is
Speaker 1: deep enough to impress your philosophy professor, but relatable enough
Speaker 1: to chat about over Qualfi. In this influential work, Jacob
Speaker 1: takes us on an intriguing journey into the nature of God,
Speaker 1: the universe, and humanity spiritual quest all structured around his
Speaker 1: innovative framework of the three key principles. Throughout the book,
Speaker 1: Jacob doesn't shy away from big questions like origins of
Speaker 1: evil and the path of spiritual regeneration. His poetic style
Speaker 1: nudges us toward introspection, encouraging readers to find the divine
Speaker 1: spark within and rise above mere material concerns. Sure, this
Speaker 1: text stirred up some controversy back in the day, that's
Speaker 1: often the sign of a great thinker pushing boundaries. Today,
Speaker 1: the three principles remain a cornerstone of Western mysticism. Now
Speaker 1: next we will move on to Signature of All Things.
Speaker 1: The Signature of All Things is another one of Jacob's
Speaker 1: later and more mature works. Building on concepts from Aurora
Speaker 1: and other writings, It is written in a dense symbolic style,
Speaker 1: blending Christian theology, al chemical imagery, and metaphysical speculation. The
Speaker 1: book's title refers to the idea that all created things
Speaker 1: bear a signature, spiritual mark or pattern that reveals their
Speaker 1: origin in God and their role in the cosmic order.
Speaker 1: Jacob argues that by understanding these signatures, one can discern
Speaker 1: that divine wisdom embedded in nature and achieve spiritual transformation.
Speaker 1: Jacob introduces signatures as the outward forms that reveal the
Speaker 1: inward power or essence of all things. Drawing on the
Speaker 1: hermatic principle of as above, so below, he argues that
Speaker 1: the physical world reflects the spiritual realm, with every object
Speaker 1: bearing a signature that indicates its divine purpose. Understanding these
Speaker 1: signatures requires spiritual insight, as their true meaning is hidden
Speaker 1: from the unawakened mind. Jacob sets the stage for a
Speaker 1: mystical journey, suggesting that divine illumination unlocks the unity of existence.
Speaker 1: The whole outward visible world, with all its being, is
Speaker 1: a signature or expressed form of the inward spiritual world
Speaker 1: The Signature of all Things preface, Section two. He also
Speaker 1: addresses the full of Lucifer and Adam, whose disobedience distorted
Speaker 1: their signatures, introducing disharmony. Christ's incarnation, however, restores the divine
Speaker 1: signature offering redemption. Man is a little world or compendium
Speaker 1: of the great world, endowed with all the properties of
Speaker 1: the signature of the divine manifestation The Signature of all Things.
Speaker 1: Chapter one, Section seven. Jacob examined signatures in the natural world,
Speaker 1: using examples like plants, animals, and elements. He incorporates how
Speaker 1: chemical and astrological ideas, suggesting that a plant's healing property
Speaker 1: or an animal's behavior reveal their spiritual roles. For instance,
Speaker 1: a sunflower turning toward the sun reflects its connection to
Speaker 1: divine life. Eight, the human body is presented as a microcosm,
Speaker 1: with each part bearing his signature linked to cosmic and
Speaker 1: spiritual forces, echoing Renaissance ideas of the body as a temple.
Speaker 1: The eternal nature stands in seven properties, whereby the one
Speaker 1: eternal will introduces itself into form and separable being the
Speaker 1: signature of all things. Chapter two, Section five, focusing on humanity,
Speaker 1: Jacob argues that each person's thoughts, actions, and spiritual state
Speaker 1: carry a signature reflecting their inner character. And selfish individual
Speaker 1: bears the signature of the dark fire world, while a
Speaker 1: loving person reflects the light world. Self knowledge is key
Speaker 1: to aligning one's signature with God's will. Jacob warns against
Speaker 1: full signatures from worlldy desires and advocates for a life
Speaker 1: of contemplation and surrender. Jacob also writes on spiritual regeneration,
Speaker 1: purifying one signature to align with the vine light using
Speaker 1: our chemical metaphors. Jacob compares the soul's transformation to refining
Speaker 1: metal into gold through divine love. This path involves repentance, faith,
Speaker 1: and following Christ. Jacob critiques ragid dogma, emphasizing direct divine
Speaker 1: revelation over institutional religion and urges readers to seek the
Speaker 1: inner light. Jacob concludes that all signatures point to God,
Speaker 1: the source of all being. The diversity of creation reflects
Speaker 1: divine complexity, and the understanding signatures enables humanity to restore
Speaker 1: cosmic harmony. Jacob teaches that the world is a living,
Speaker 1: breathing reflection of divine forces, a place where every tree, stone, star,
Speaker 1: in human soul reveals the hidden signature of God. And
Speaker 1: as he wrote, he who knoweth Himself knoweth all things
Speaker 1: in all creatures, for all creatures are but the signature
Speaker 1: of his own being, the signature of all things. Chapter five,
Speaker 1: Section seven. This text is structured in sixteen chapters, each
Speaker 1: addressing aspects of creation, the human soul, and the path
Speaker 1: to divine knowledge. Jacob integrates his doctrines of the Seven Qualities,
Speaker 1: the three Principles, and the interplay of light and darkness
Speaker 1: to explain the unity of God, nature, and humanity. Here
Speaker 1: I will give a short summary on each chapter. Chapter
Speaker 1: one of the Search into the Signature of All Things,
Speaker 1: Jacob introduces the concept of the signature, the divine imprint
Speaker 1: in all things that reveals their spiritual nature. He explains
Speaker 1: that God's wisdom is reflected in creation, and the enlightened
Speaker 1: soul can perceive these signatures through divine insight. All whatsoever
Speaker 1: is spoken, written, or tort of God without the knowledge
Speaker 1: of the signature is dumb and void of understanding, for
Speaker 1: it proceeds only from an historical conjecture from the mouth
Speaker 1: of another, wherein the spirit without the knowledge is dumb.
Speaker 1: But if the spirit opens to him the signature, then
Speaker 1: he understands the speech of another. And further he understands
Speaker 1: how the Spirit has manifested itself in the sound of
Speaker 1: the voice. Chapter one, paragraph one. This opening statement introduces
Speaker 1: the core idea of this signature, the spiritual imprint in
Speaker 1: all things that reveal their divine essence. Jacob emphasizes that
Speaker 1: true understanding requires spiritual insight to perceive these signatures, not
Speaker 1: mere intellectual or historical knowledge. Chapter two, How all things
Speaker 1: proceed from one essence, Jacob sees all creation originates from
Speaker 1: a single divine essence, differentiated through thisies. Jacob describes the
Speaker 1: intiplay of these qualities as the process by which God
Speaker 1: manifests the world, the whole outward visible world, with all
Speaker 1: its being is a signature or figure of the inward
Speaker 1: spiritual world, and every creature has its own signature by
Speaker 1: which it is known by what it is. The eternal
Speaker 1: nature has seven properties which generate themselves in order from
Speaker 1: one from another, and the outward nature is a figure
Speaker 1: of the inward generated out of the seven properties. Chapter two,
Speaker 1: paragraph six, Jacob connects the seven qualities to the signatures
Speaker 1: of creation. The visible world mirrors the spiritual world, and
Speaker 1: each creature's form reflects the interplay of these divine properties,
Speaker 1: a concept echoing Aurora. Chapter three of The Inward and
Speaker 1: Outward Cure of Man, Jacob explores a correspondence between the
Speaker 1: the inner and outer human being. The soul's ailments mirror
Speaker 1: physical diseases, and both can be healed by aligning with
Speaker 1: divine signatures. Chapter four of The Sulfur, Mercury and Salt
Speaker 1: of the Body and Soul. Using alchemical terms, Jacob describes
Speaker 1: the soul and body as composed of sulfur, mercury, and salt.
Speaker 1: These correspond to the three principles and govern spiritual transformation.
Speaker 1: The sulfur, mercury and salt of the body must be
Speaker 1: changed and turned into another thing, which is done by
Speaker 1: the inward fire of the soul, which must be kindled
Speaker 1: by the Holy Spirit, and so it becomes a new
Speaker 1: creature which lives in the divine signature and is no
Speaker 1: longer in the earthly sulfur. Chapter four, paragraph ten, Jacob
Speaker 1: uses alchemical terms sulfur, mercury, and salt to describe the
Speaker 1: soul's perefit. The inward fire divine spark transforms the soul
Speaker 1: on lining it with the divine signature, akin to turning
Speaker 1: base metals into gold. Chapter five of the Center of
Speaker 1: All Beings. The center of all beings is the Divine spark,
Speaker 1: a will which connects creatures to God. Jacob describes the
Speaker 1: full Lucifer and Adam, who turned from the Divine center
Speaker 1: to self will. Chapter six of the Mystery of the Creation,
Speaker 1: Jacob elaborates on the creation process driven by the seven
Speaker 1: Qualities and three Principles. The visible world is the signature
Speaker 1: of the eternal, reflecting both divine love and wrath. Chapter
Speaker 1: seven of the Holy Trinity and Divine Wisdom. The Trinity
Speaker 1: is the source of all signatures. The Divine wisdom permeates creation.
Speaker 1: Jacob links the Trinity to the seven Qualities showing their unity.
Speaker 1: The divine wisdom, which is the eternal Sophia, is the
Speaker 1: looking glass of the deity wherein all things are seen
Speaker 1: and known, and this wisdom is the signature of the
Speaker 1: eternal nature, which opens the mysteries of God. In the
Speaker 1: Creatures chapter seven, paragraph three Sophia, divine wisdom is central
Speaker 1: to Jacob's mysticism, acting as the medium through which God's
Speaker 1: signatures are revealed. This reflects his trinitarian view, wherein wisdom
Speaker 1: mediates divine knowledge. In chapter eight of the Will of
Speaker 1: the Great Mystery, Jacob goes on about the divine will
Speaker 1: operates through the qualities, shaping creation according to God's eternal purpose.
Speaker 1: Human free will can align with or resist this divine will.
Speaker 1: In chapter nine of The Sulfur and Mercurial Life, Jacob
Speaker 1: further explores the alchemical principles of sulfur and mercury, describing
Speaker 1: the soles struggle between divine love and wrathful desire. Chapter
Speaker 1: ten of The Paradisecical Nature, Jacob says paradise is the
Speaker 1: state of harmony where all signatures aligned with divine love.
Speaker 1: Jacob describes the prefallen state and its restoration through Christ.
Speaker 1: The paradisical signature is that wherein the creature lives in
Speaker 1: the light of God and all its qualities are in harmony,
Speaker 1: as they were before the fall, and this is restored
Speaker 1: in the soul by the eternal Word, which brings it
Speaker 1: back to the divine center. Chapter ten, paragraph twelve, Jacob
Speaker 1: describes the prefallen state of harmony or paradise as the
Speaker 1: ideal signature which Christ reaches stores in the soul, reconnecting
Speaker 1: it to divine unity. Chapter eleven, of the process in
Speaker 1: the generation of Man, Jacob states human generation mirrors the
Speaker 1: divine the soul bears the signature of both divine and
Speaker 1: faign qualities, requiring regeneration. Man has three principles in him,
Speaker 1: whereof the first is the dark fire world the wrath
Speaker 1: of God, the second is the light world, the Kingdom
Speaker 1: of Joy, and the third is the outward world, wherein
Speaker 1: the soul is clothed with the body and is a
Speaker 1: mixed being of both the other principles, which strive one
Speaker 1: against another. Chapter eleven, paragraph fourteen. This quote outlines Jacob's
Speaker 1: doctrine with the three principles dark world, light world, and
Speaker 1: visible world, applying it to the human soul. The soul
Speaker 1: exists in tension between divine wrath and love, with the
Speaker 1: material of body as the battleground, a reoccurring theme from Aurar.
Speaker 1: Chapter twelve of The Outward and Inward Man, Jacob contrasts
Speaker 1: the outward or material and inward spiritual human, emphasizing that
Speaker 1: true life lies in the inward man's alignment with God.
Speaker 1: The outward man is transient, the inward man is eternal.
Speaker 1: The outward is a figure of the inward. The inward
Speaker 1: works in the outward, and the outward receives the virtue
Speaker 1: of the inward. Thus, the body is a house of
Speaker 1: the soul, and the soul is a guest in the body,
Speaker 1: and both must be united in one will, else the
Speaker 1: signature is broken. Chapter twelve, paragraph five, Jacob emphasizes the
Speaker 1: microcosm macrocosm relationship, where the outer and inner human reflect
Speaker 1: each other. Harmony between body and soul is essential to
Speaker 1: maintain the divine signature. Chapter thirteen of The Soul's Combat
Speaker 1: and Victory, Jacob sees the soul's journey as a battle
Speaker 1: between light and darkness, requiring faith in Christ to overcome
Speaker 1: the dark fire of wrath. The soul stands in the
Speaker 1: combat of two kingdoms, the kingdom of Wrath and the
Speaker 1: Kingdom of Grace, and it must strive through the fire
Speaker 1: of the wrath and enter into the light of the Grace,
Speaker 1: where it receives the signature of the Divine Love. Paragraph seven,
Speaker 1: chapter thirteen. This quote captures the soul's spiritual struggle navigating
Speaker 1: the dark world and the light world. Redemption involves passing
Speaker 1: through trials to embody the divine signature, aligning with the
Speaker 1: three principles. And then, in chapter fourteen of The Philosophical
Speaker 1: Stone and the New Creature, Jacob identifies Christ as the
Speaker 1: true Philosopher's Stone, enabling the soul's transformation into a new creature.
Speaker 1: This is the culmination of spiritual alchemy. The true Philosopher's
Speaker 1: Stone is the very eternal Word which is become man
Speaker 1: and has assumed human nature and regenerates the soul out
Speaker 1: of the dark fire into the light fire so that
Speaker 1: it becomes a new creature. In the Love of God.
Speaker 1: Chapter fourteen, paragraph eight, Jacob identifies Christ as the ultimate
Speaker 1: alchemical agent, the Philosopher's Stone, who reconciles the soul's dark
Speaker 1: and light principles, enabling spiritual rebirth. This underscores his christrocentric theology,
Speaker 1: and then in chapter fifteen of the Resurrection and Eternal Life,
Speaker 1: Jacob explains the regenerated soul participates in eternal life, where
Speaker 1: all signatures are perfected in divine harmony. Jacob describes the
Speaker 1: resurrection as a cosmic restoration, and then chapter sixteen of
Speaker 1: the True Knowledge of God. In this chapter, Jacob talks
Speaker 1: on how true knowledge comes from perceiving the signatures through
Speaker 1: divine illumination, not mere intellect. Jacob urgesility and faith as
Speaker 1: the path to wisdom. He that will see the signature
Speaker 1: of God must seek it in the Cross of Christ.
Speaker 1: For in the Cross is the mystery open, and the
Speaker 1: eternal wisdom is revealed to the humble and lowly, who
Speaker 1: seek not themselves but God. Chapter sixteen, Paragraph fifteen. In
Speaker 1: the final chapter, Jacob stresses the true knowledge of divine
Speaker 1: signatures comes through humility and faith in Christ, not intellectual pride.
Speaker 1: The Cross symbolizes the reconciliation of opposites. And here are
Speaker 1: a few more quotes from the book before we wrap
Speaker 1: this one up. Good and evil spring from one and
Speaker 1: the same root, but the difference lies in the will's
Speaker 1: inclination either into light or into darkness. Chapter four, section eleven.
Speaker 1: The will of the abyss is a cause of all causes,
Speaker 1: and yet it is without cause itself, being the groundless
Speaker 1: ground of all being. Chapter three, section one. There is
Speaker 1: nothing in the visible world which does not have its
Speaker 1: likeness inwardly in the spiritual world. Chapter five, section six.
Speaker 1: The new birth stands in the light of God and
Speaker 1: is hidden to the earthly understanding, but revealed to the
Speaker 1: inward man who yields himself to the spirit. Chapter eleven,
Speaker 1: section three. The heart is the center wherein the Spirit
Speaker 1: of God moveth. If it be open to him, it
Speaker 1: becometh his dwelling place. Chapter thirteen, section seven. The fire
Speaker 1: maketh the light manifest, and in the light is the
Speaker 1: true life. Without fire, there would be no light, and
Speaker 1: without light, no joy. Chapter six, section two. The sixteen
Speaker 1: chapters progress from metaphysical principles to their application in human salvation,
Speaker 1: culminating in eschatological hope. Each chapter bills on the previous,
Speaker 1: creating a cohesive system. Jacob's prose is dense, repetitive, and symbolic,
Speaker 1: requiring careful reading. He uses metaphors in alchemical terms, reflecting
Speaker 1: his uneducated but inspired background as a shoemaker. Jacob's doctrine
Speaker 1: of signatures suggests that knowledge of God is accessible through creation,
Speaker 1: but only through spiritual insight granted by faith and divine grace.
Speaker 1: The book integrates Christian sordiology and alchemical symbolism, presenting salvation
Speaker 1: as a transformative process akin to refining base metals into goal.
Speaker 1: Initially circulated in manuscript, the book gained traction among mystics
Speaker 1: and intellectuals, influencing figures like William Way and even William Blake. However,
Speaker 1: its unorthodox ideas in symbolic language provoked criticism from Orthodox clergy,
Speaker 1: who label Jacob a heretic. The Signature of all Things
Speaker 1: reflects Jacob's mature thought after years of spiritual struggle and persecution.
Speaker 1: Claiming divine inspiration, Jacob wrote as a mystic, not a scholar.
Speaker 1: The title nods to Paracelsus's concept of signature and nature,
Speaker 1: but Jacob expands into a mystical theology, and now we
Speaker 1: come to Jacob's Forty Questions of the Soul. The Forty
Speaker 1: Questions of the Soul is one of Jacob's most direct
Speaker 1: and profound works, written around sixteen twenty to sixteen twenty one.
Speaker 1: In It, Jacob presents a series of forty questions and
Speaker 1: answers them with clarity, deep mysticism, and a sense of
Speaker 1: spiritual urgency. These questions revolve around the nature, origin, full suffering, redemption,
Speaker 1: and the old ultimate fate of the human soul. Written
Speaker 1: in a time of religious upheaval and intellectual froment, Jacob's
Speaker 1: work offers a mystical psychology of the soul, discussing not
Speaker 1: just its spiritual dimensions, but how the soul's journey through
Speaker 1: life can reveal divine truths. It is a theological road
Speaker 1: map for anyone seeking to understand the connection between the
Speaker 1: human spirit and the divine cosmos. Some of the major
Speaker 1: themes in Forty Questions are the origin of the soul.
Speaker 1: Jacob teaches that the soul originates from the divine eternal will,
Speaker 1: born out of the depth of God's own nature. The
Speaker 1: soul is from the inward spirit world, a spark out
Speaker 1: of the eternal divine will, breathe forth out of the
Speaker 1: spirit of God. Question one, Section three. The soul is
Speaker 1: not made from earthly material It is an eternal spirit
Speaker 1: born directly from God's being. The nature of the soul Jacob.
Speaker 1: It states the soul is invisible, fiery, and substantial, not
Speaker 1: bound by material form, but capable of interacting with both
Speaker 1: the divine and natural world. The soul is like fire.
Speaker 1: It consumeth all, and yet itself is not consumed. It
Speaker 1: is subtle, powerful and incorporable, and it can take to
Speaker 1: itself what it willeth Question two, section six. The soul
Speaker 1: is dynamic, self moving, and operates beyond earthly limitations. The
Speaker 1: fall of the soul, Jacob says, the soul fell when
Speaker 1: it turned its will away from God and into selfishness
Speaker 1: and material desire. Into temporal nature. The soul turned itself
Speaker 1: into its own will and desire to feel and taste
Speaker 1: in the selfhood, and so fell into the anguish and
Speaker 1: darkness Question five, section eight. The soul's fall was not
Speaker 1: by force, but by its own choosing, desiring separation from
Speaker 1: divine unity. The suffering of the soul, Jacob states. Once fallen,
Speaker 1: the soul experiences anguish, fear, and death, losing its original
Speaker 1: divine clarity. Thus, the soul entered into pain, fear, sorrow,
Speaker 1: and into the house of death. It must now battle
Speaker 1: within the mortal image Question seven, section ten, Jacob says
Speaker 1: human suffering is the soul's agony within corrupted nature, a
Speaker 1: direct consequence of separation from the divine light. And then
Speaker 1: we have the devil on the soul. Jacob insists that
Speaker 1: the devil cannot create the soul, but can impress his
Speaker 1: image into it. When the soul turns towards darkness, the
Speaker 1: soul is not of the devil. Though the devil worketh
Speaker 1: in the soul, if it turneth, it will away from God.
Speaker 1: Question nine, section three, Jacob says evil does not create
Speaker 1: the soul, it corrupts it. Evil is parasitic and not creative,
Speaker 1: and then we have redemption of the soul. Jacob thinks
Speaker 1: redemption happens when the soul turns back to God, yielding
Speaker 1: its self will and reawakening the inner Christ nature. The
Speaker 1: soul must die to its own will and arise anew
Speaker 1: in the will of God. It must be born again
Speaker 1: out of the spirit of Christ. Question twelve, section six,
Speaker 1: Jacob says rebirth is necessary and inward death and resurrection
Speaker 1: within the soul itself, and then we have the new
Speaker 1: birth or a mystical rebirth. Jacob thinks spiritual rebirth is
Speaker 1: not symbolic. It is an actual, mystical new generation of
Speaker 1: the soul and divine light. The new Man must be
Speaker 1: generated out of the divine light in the soul, becometh
Speaker 1: a child of God again. Question fourteen, section four, Jacob
Speaker 1: says the goal is nothing less than transmutation of the
Speaker 1: soul back into divine being, and then we have heaven
Speaker 1: in hell. Jacob thinks heaven and hell and not places,
Speaker 1: but conditions within the spiritual world. Heaven is in man
Speaker 1: and Hell is in man. Both are close at hand
Speaker 1: according to the will of the soul. Question twenty two,
Speaker 1: section seven, Jacob thinks the souls in a state determines
Speaker 1: its environment, the light or the wrath. He talks on
Speaker 1: the resurrection of the body. Jacob speaks of a spiritual
Speaker 1: body that arises from the divine seated plant in the soul.
Speaker 1: At the last day, the image of the soul shall
Speaker 1: arise anew in a glorified celestial form out of the
Speaker 1: heavenly substantiality. Question thirty six, section nine, Jacob says the
Speaker 1: true resurrection is a restoration of the soul's divine body,
Speaker 1: not a return to corrupt flesh. When it comes to
Speaker 1: the fate of the soul. Jacob teaches that each soul
Speaker 1: has the power to choose its fate. Either returns to
Speaker 1: God in a state of eternal harmony, or remains locked
Speaker 1: in spiritual suffering, separated from the divine light. As the
Speaker 1: soul standeth in its will at the departure from the body,
Speaker 1: so it enter into eternity Question twenty, section five. In
Speaker 1: this sense, heaven and Hell are not external places, but
Speaker 1: internal states that depend on the soul's orientation toward God
Speaker 1: or away from Him. In Jacob's mystical framework, the resurrection
Speaker 1: of the soul involves a transformation of both spirit and body.
Speaker 1: The soul becomes spiritually awakened, and in the last days
Speaker 1: will experience the glorification of the body as part of
Speaker 1: its reunion with God. In this book, Jacob doesn't offer
Speaker 1: us some plistic salvation. He offers spiritual alchemy, a transformation
Speaker 1: from death into light, darkness into light. And as he wrote,
Speaker 1: the soul hath the key to its own house. It
Speaker 1: may open to God or to Hell, as it willeth
Speaker 1: Question fifteen, section two. In this life, the soul standeth
Speaker 1: in the balance, and it hath power to incline to
Speaker 1: which side it will. Blessed is he who turneth to
Speaker 1: the light, for he shall dwell in eternal joy? Question
Speaker 1: forty section twelve. The forty questions of the Soul form
Speaker 1: the backbone of Jacob's mystical teachings. Each question not only
Speaker 1: reveals a profound insight into the soul's nature, but also
Speaker 1: aligns with Jacob's core philosophy of transformation, redemption, and divine union.
Speaker 1: His answers are meant to guide the reader through a
Speaker 1: deep spiritual awakening, a journey that echoes the alcol of
Speaker 1: the soul. Blessed is he who turneth to the light,
Speaker 1: for he shall dwell in eternal joy, Question forty section twelve.
Speaker 1: Now least, but not least, we have his book Mysterium Magnum.
Speaker 1: Jacob's Mysterium Magnum from sixteen twenty three is one of
Speaker 1: his most ambitious and comprehensive works, mystical and theological commentary
Speaker 1: on the Book of Genesis. Written late in his career,
Speaker 1: it synthesizes his core doctrines, the Seven Qualities, three Principles,
Speaker 1: and the concept of divine signatures. The title meaning great Mystery,
Speaker 1: reflects Jacob's aim to unveil the esoteric spiritual truths underlying
Speaker 1: the scriptures, revealing the interplay of divine and human nature.
Speaker 1: Mysterium Magnum is a verse by verse commentary on Genesis,
Speaker 1: spanning seventy eight chapters. Though its scope extends to a
Speaker 1: cosmic and mystical vision of God, creation and salvation. Jacob
Speaker 1: interprets Genesis as a symbolic narrative that encodes the spiritual
Speaker 1: processes of divine manifestation, the fall of Lucifer and Atom,
Speaker 1: and the restoration of humanity through Christ. The book integrates
Speaker 1: his earlier ideas from Aurora and the Signature of Things,
Speaker 1: but with greater emphasis on scriptural grounding and the historical
Speaker 1: progression of salvation. Jacob's method is allegorical and esoteric, viewing
Speaker 1: the Biblical text as signature of divine truths. He employs
Speaker 1: his metaphysical framework, particularly the Seven Qualities and Three Principles,
Speaker 1: to explain creation as a dynamic interplay of divine wrath
Speaker 1: and love. The work is dense, repetitive, and symbolic, reflecting
Speaker 1: Jacob's uneducated but inspired style as a shoemaker turned mystic.
Speaker 1: Mysterium Magnum is not strictly divided into parts, but its
Speaker 1: seventy eight chapters can be grouped thematically based on the
Speaker 1: Genesis narrative. Chapters one through ten the Eternal Nature and Creation,
Speaker 1: Jacob explains the pre creation state of God's eternal nature,
Speaker 1: the Seven Qualities, and the creation of the world from
Speaker 1: Genesis one. Some of his ideas is that God's essence
Speaker 1: is dynamic, manifesting through the seven qualities, which form the
Speaker 1: wheel of the divine activity. The creation of light from
Speaker 1: Genesis one three symbolizes the emergence of divine love, while
Speaker 1: darkness reflects the wrathful principle. The three principles structure the cosmos,
Speaker 1: with the visible world arising from the interplay of the
Speaker 1: dark and light worlds. And here are a few ideas
Speaker 1: and themes from some of the chapters in the book.
Speaker 1: Chapter one introduces the Mysterium magnum as the eternal source
Speaker 1: of all things, rooted in God's will. Chapter four describes
Speaker 1: the Seven Qualities as the process of creation from a
Speaker 1: stringency to substance. Chapter seven interprets the let there be
Speaker 1: Light as the revelation of divine love countering the dark
Speaker 1: fire of wrath. Chapters eleven through twenty the fall of
Speaker 1: Lucifer and the angels, and here you will have the
Speaker 1: rebellion and the fall of Lucifer, who sought self will
Speaker 1: over divine harmony. The pregenesis narrative, and one of the
Speaker 1: main ideas is Lucifer's pride disrupted the seven qualities, turning
Speaker 1: his light into dark fire. His full created the dark world,
Speaker 1: necessating the visible world as a new creation. The angelic
Speaker 1: realms reflect the three principles, with the fallen angels embodying wrath.
Speaker 1: Chapter twelve details Lucifer's corruption of the divine qualities leading
Speaker 1: to his expulsion. Chapter fifteen explains the creation of the
Speaker 1: material world as a replacement for Lucifer's lost kingdom, and
Speaker 1: then from chapters twenty one to thirty you have the
Speaker 1: creation of Adam in Eden, the creation of Adam, Eve
Speaker 1: and the Guard and of Eden, which is from Genesis one,
Speaker 1: and here Adam is the microcosm containing all divine qualities
Speaker 1: and principles. Eden represents the paradiscal signature, a state of
Speaker 1: harmony between the light and visible worlds, and Sofia divine
Speaker 1: wisdom is Adam's original companion, later replaced by Eve after
Speaker 1: the fall. Chapter twenty two describes Adam's creation as a
Speaker 1: living signature of God, embodying the seven qualities. In chapter
Speaker 1: twenty five, he betrays Eden as a reflection of the
Speaker 1: light world, where Adam was to live in divine unity.
Speaker 1: From chapters thirty one to forty that is the fall
Speaker 1: of Adam and Eve and the temptation and full of
Speaker 1: Adam and Eve from Genesis three and One of the
Speaker 1: main ideas discussed here is that Adam's temptation by Lucifer
Speaker 1: let you know, via the Serpent, led him to seek
Speaker 1: self will, disrupting the divine signature. Eve's creation from Adam's
Speaker 1: tincture reflects a division in the adrogenous human nature, the
Speaker 1: full aligance humanity with the dark world necessating redemption. Chapter
Speaker 1: thirty three analyzes the serpent's deception as Lucifer's influence corrupting
Speaker 1: Adam's will. Chapter thirty six discusses the loss of Sophia
Speaker 1: and the introduction of mortality, and then from chapters forty
Speaker 1: one to sixty that is the consequence of the fall
Speaker 1: and the promise of redemption, the expulsion from Eden, the
Speaker 1: curse and the promise of a savior, and that basically
Speaker 1: covers Genesis three to four. The fall introduces strife between
Speaker 1: the three principles, with humanity caught right between wrath and Grace.
Speaker 1: Cana Enables symbolized the dark and light worlds. God's promise
Speaker 1: of a seed foreshadows Christ, the restorer of the divine signature.
Speaker 1: Chapter forty two he interprets the curse as the dominance
Speaker 1: of the dark world in human nature. Chapter forty seven
Speaker 1: he sees Able's sacrifice as a type of Christ aligning
Speaker 1: with the light world. Chapters sixty one to seventy eight
Speaker 1: include the Patriarchs in Salvation history, the lineage from Noah
Speaker 1: to Abraham prefiguring Christ. Genesis five to eleven. Fewidas from
Speaker 1: these parts of the Patriarchs represents stages in the restoration
Speaker 1: of divine order. The flood symbolizes the purification of the
Speaker 1: visible world, and Abraham's covenant foreshadows the ultimate reconciliation through Christ.
Speaker 1: This book concludes with a vision of Eschatologia. Harmony in
Speaker 1: chapter sixty five views Noah's arc as a symbol of
Speaker 1: the soul's preservation amidst Wrath. Chapter seventy six interprets Abraham's
Speaker 1: faith as a return to the light world preparing for Christ.
Speaker 1: And here I will cover a few quotes from the
Speaker 1: book Mysterium Magnum when he speaks on the seven qualities
Speaker 1: in creation. The seven properties of eternal nature are the
Speaker 1: ground of all beings, and in them is the Mysterium
Speaker 1: magnum comprehended. For the first is the astringent, the second
Speaker 1: the sweet, the third the bitter, and the fourth the heat,
Speaker 1: The fifth the love, the sixth the sound, and the
Speaker 1: seventh the substance, wherein all are united in one essence.
Speaker 1: Chapter four, paragraph five, Jacob outlines the seven qualities as
Speaker 1: the foundation of creation, echoing Aurora and the signature of
Speaker 1: all things. These qualities form the wheel of divine manifestation,
Speaker 1: shaping both spiritual and material realms. On the three principles
Speaker 1: of creation, there are three principles in the eternal nature.
Speaker 1: The first is the fire of wrath, the dark world.
Speaker 1: The second is the life light of love, the holy world.
Speaker 1: The third is the outward visible world, which is similitude
Speaker 1: of the two first, wherein the good and evil strive together.
Speaker 1: Chapter eight, paragraph twelve. This quote summarizes the three principles,
Speaker 1: a central framework in Jacob's cosmology, and on the fall
Speaker 1: of Lucifer, Lucifer the Great Prince did elevate himself in
Speaker 1: the fire of the First Principle, and would be a
Speaker 1: god in his own might. And so he turned from
Speaker 1: the light of love into the dark fire, and was
Speaker 1: cast out into the abyss of wrath. Chapter twelve, paragraph eight,
Speaker 1: Jacob describes Lucifer's fall as a misuse of the seven Qualities,
Speaker 1: particularly the fiery astringent principle. This event sets the stage
Speaker 1: for the creation of the visible world to replace Lucifer's
Speaker 1: lost kingdom on Adam as a microcosm. Adam was created
Speaker 1: in the signature of the whole Mysterium magnum, having in
Speaker 1: him the properties of the eternal nature, and was a
Speaker 1: living image of God, where in the divine wisdom did
Speaker 1: shine as in a looking class. Chapter twenty two, paragraph three.
Speaker 1: Adam is portrayed as a microcosm, embodying the seven Qualities
Speaker 1: and three Principles. His pre fallen state reflects divine harmony
Speaker 1: with Sophia as his spiritual counterpart. On the fall. In
Speaker 1: Sophia's loss, Adam turned from the divine Sophia into their
Speaker 1: earthly tincture, and so the heavenly Virgin departed from him,
Speaker 1: and he became a creature of the outward world, subject
Speaker 1: to the wrath of the dark Fire. Chapter thirty five,
Speaker 1: paragraph ten, Jacob interprets Adam's fall as a shift from
Speaker 1: the light world Sophia to the visible world, aligning with
Speaker 1: the dark world's influence. This nesitates Christ's redemptive way on
Speaker 1: Christ as the restorer. The seed of the woman which
Speaker 1: shall ruise the serpent's head is the eternal word which
Speaker 1: became man in Adam's nature and brought the soul again
Speaker 1: into the light of the divine Sophia, restoring the mysterium magnum.
Speaker 1: In Humanity Chapter forty four, paragraph seven, Jacob sees Christ
Speaker 1: as the second atom, fulfilling Genesis three by reconcealing the
Speaker 1: three principles and restoring the soul's divine signature through incarnation,
Speaker 1: and lastly on the eschatological vision. In the end, the
Speaker 1: mysterium magnum shall be fully open, and the light of
Speaker 1: God shall shine in all creatures, and the dark fire
Speaker 1: shall be shut up in its own principle, and the
Speaker 1: new Heaven and new Earth shall be eternal signature of
Speaker 1: the Divine Love. Chapter seventy eight, paragraph fifteen. In the
Speaker 1: final chapter, Jacob and Vis visions to eschatological restoration, where
Speaker 1: the light world triumphs and all creation reflects God's love,
Speaker 1: completing the divine mystery. The Mysterium Magnum had a profound
Speaker 1: impact on philosophy, theology, and esoteric traditions, influencing a wide
Speaker 1: range of thinkers and movements. Its blend of Christian mysticism
Speaker 1: and metaphysical speculation resonated with both intellectual and spiritual circles.
Speaker 1: George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel admired Jacob's speculative depth, particularly his
Speaker 1: dialectical view of opposites. Hegel's concept of the absolute spirit
Speaker 1: oes adept to Jacob's dynamic cosmology. Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling
Speaker 1: drew heavily on Jacob's ideas of divine self manifestation and
Speaker 1: the interplay of opposites in his Philosophy of Nature and Freedom.
Speaker 1: He praised Jacob as a precursor to German idealism. Figures
Speaker 1: like Novalis and Friedrich Schiegel were inspired by Jacob's mystical
Speaker 1: vision of nature as a divine signature, influencing Romanticism emphasis
Speaker 1: on the unity of spirit and matter. Jacob's alchemical and
Speaker 1: mystical ideas, especially the Seven Qualities in Sophia, influence Throws
Speaker 1: a Crucian thought which sought spiritual transformation through esoteric knowledge.
Speaker 1: Helena Bovotsky in the Theosophical Society, drew on Jacob's cosmology,
Speaker 1: particularly his ideas of divine wisdom and the unity of
Speaker 1: all things, integrating them into their syncretic framework. Rudolph Steiner
Speaker 1: was influenced by Jacob's spiritual cosmology, especially his emphasis on
Speaker 1: the soul's evolution and divine wisdom. William Blake's visionary poetry,
Speaker 1: with its emphasis on divine imagination and reconciliation of opposites,
Speaker 1: echoes Jacob's themes. Scholars suggest Blake encountered Jacob through translations
Speaker 1: like Sparrows. Jacob's emphasis on inter illumination and direct divine
Speaker 1: experience resonated with English Quakers and other nonconformist groups who
Speaker 1: circulated his works in the seventeenth century. Nikolai Bridiev, the
Speaker 1: Russian philosopher, drew on Jacob's concept of divine freedom in
Speaker 1: the interplay of light and darkness in his existential theology.
Speaker 1: Paul Tillich's theology of being and non being reflects Jacob's
Speaker 1: dialectical view of divine wrath and love. Before his writings
Speaker 1: were ever printed, Jacob's ideas spread by hand the pages
Speaker 1: of a Roar, The Three Principles, the Signature of all Things,
Speaker 1: copied in secret and passed from myistic to mystic and
Speaker 1: Protestant Saxony. These texts were dangerous. They questioned the church
Speaker 1: and reimagined God and collapsed the border between the divine
Speaker 1: and the human. But in times of war, plague, and
Speaker 1: religious fracture, that danger became desire. His ideas resonated with
Speaker 1: a growing undercurrent of seekers, people who believed that the
Speaker 1: truth was not owned by institutions, but revealed to the soul.
Speaker 1: Jacob's legacy took root in the soil of radical Reformation.
Speaker 1: These were people disillusioned with both Catholic and Lutheran authority,
Speaker 1: Spiritualists and a Baptists and eventually Peists. They believed and
Speaker 1: inner revelation, the mystical rebirth in the direct presence of
Speaker 1: God within. Jacob was their secret map maker. In cities
Speaker 1: like Amsterdam, Berlin and London, his manuscripts became part of
Speaker 1: the intellectual black market passed between visionaries and religious outcasts.
Speaker 1: By the sixteen forties, his writings had been translated into English,
Speaker 1: often by hands, sometimes in code. Figures like John Sparrow,
Speaker 1: Humphrey Blunden, and Jane Lead worked to publish his texts,
Speaker 1: sometimes in elaborate symbolic language, sometimes in plain, burning prose.
Speaker 1: They weren't just translators, they were interpreters, taking Jacob's vision
Speaker 1: into a full mystical theology. As the Enlightenment dawned, Jacob's
Speaker 1: influence took a strange turn. Philosophers like shelling Better and
Speaker 1: even Hegel began to read him not as a prophet,
Speaker 1: but as a mystical visionary. They soar in Jacob a
Speaker 1: system of dialectics, a mystical forerunner to modern philosophy. Even
Speaker 1: William Blake, poet painter Seer, seems to absorb Jacob's vision.
Speaker 1: In his fiery drawings and prophetic books. You can feel
Speaker 1: his echoes of the cosmic engine, the divine fire, the
Speaker 1: inward apocalypse. Why were Jacob's readers so often secret because
Speaker 1: his vision threatened everything. It said, you didn't need a
Speaker 1: priest to touch God, that suffering was divine and that
Speaker 1: the apocalypse was inside you, not outside, that good and
Speaker 1: evil were not final enemies, but twin mirrors of the
Speaker 1: same unfolding it gave the individual power, and power in
Speaker 1: the wrong hands is always dangerous to the system. Jacob's
Speaker 1: life and work exemplify the power of individual spiritual experience
Speaker 1: to transcend social and educational limitations. From his humble begin
Speaker 1: as a shoemaker to his status as a revered mystic
Speaker 1: and philosopher, Jacob's journey reflects his belief and the accessibility
Speaker 1: of the divine wisdom to all who seek it. His writings,
Speaker 1: though often challenging and esoteric, or for profound insights into
Speaker 1: the nature of God, the universe, and the human soul.
Speaker 1: Through his influence on later thinkers and movements, Jacob's legacy
Speaker 1: endures as a testament to the enduring power of mystical thought.
Speaker 1: And so we leave Jacob's world, his labyrinth of fire
Speaker 1: and light, suffering and redemption, creation and chaos. A cobbler
Speaker 1: by trade, yet a prophet in the realm of spirit,
Speaker 1: Jacob spoke truths so deep they cut the veil of
Speaker 1: time itself. Jacob's philosophy, though esoteric at times, cryptic is
Speaker 1: a call to awaken from the sleep of materialism, to
Speaker 1: rise out of the darkness and into the light of Divine,
Speaker 1: knowing it is a goal to see with the eyes
Speaker 1: of the soul, to feel with the heart of the universe,
Speaker 1: and to understand that in the end, the journey inward
Speaker 1: is the most sacred of all. In his words, we
Speaker 1: find no simple answers, but yet rich living dialogue with
Speaker 1: the Divine, a conversation between light and the darkness, the
Speaker 1: known and the unknown, the eternal and the fleeting. His work,
Speaker 1: like the soul itself, is both a mystery and a key.
Speaker 1: A key unlocks the door of deeper understanding of our
Speaker 1: own nature in the universe we live within. So let
Speaker 1: us carry these reflections, the spark of his inner fire,
Speaker 1: into our own lives. Let us remember that, as Jacob
Speaker 1: so often pointed out, that Divine is not a distant force,
Speaker 1: but something imminent, something inside of all of us. The
Speaker 1: journey of the soul is not a destination, but a
Speaker 1: path of continual transformation through suffering, through longing, and through
Speaker 1: the quiet illumination that arises when we finally turn within.
Speaker 1: As you walk your own path, may you like Jacob.
Speaker 1: Find that fire within you is your challenge and your salvation.
Speaker 1: Let it burn brightly, let it light your way. Thank
Speaker 1: you for joining me on this journey through the world
Speaker 1: of Jacob. I hope his words have found the place
Speaker 1: in your heart and they inspired you to seek not
Speaker 1: just knowledge but transformation. And until the next one, may
Speaker 1: the light of the Divine always shine in your soul.