The Drawing Back of the Veil: An Explanation of Symbols in the Hierologium

His divine power, which flows as if from the internal fountain of the Godhead, [He] extended, and He infused Himself into the matter of light, not that He made it a participant of the divine essence and nature—for nothing can stand before it—but that He dispersed life and seminal virtue everywhere. And thus, that which was dark night was not only internally an heir, but that which seemed to be inanimate and dead was a dwelling place, hidden and latent, of all living things. But when particles of light lowered themselves into the abyss, in such quantity as sufficed for the existence and primary formation of those things which were to exist, and they were impregnated with the vital statute and divine spirit, the further influxes of light ceased, and all things were enveloped in darkness, and the darkness hid the light so that it seemed to have vanished entirely. Then in the obscurity of nature, it began to act, and as the gloom condensed, the light passed into wateriness and attempted to free itself from the bonds cast upon it, but it could not; and all things which were to proceed from it lay mixed and confused in elemental disorder, and in a most heavy conflict, such that one had a great over-weighting of the other. See here what this night was and has been, and what it contained within itself. And this is simultaneously the second and the first Night. But such as this was, which preceded the creation of all things, such it also shows itself now, and it concludes within itself the seeds of all things, and it is that very one which the first Table of the sacred discourse places before your eyes. What could ever come to be without this night? Indeed, there is not even a single moment in which the light has ceased. How else could the universe consist? We live by the virtue of light, we hope, we are sustained, all things grow and flourish, and the celestial aura passes through your entire being. Nevertheless, there is night, in which it especially flourishes and demonstrates its admirable and creative virtue. The crowd indeed sees it, but only the morning star shines for you. You seek divine wisdom so that by its virtue you may penetrate the inner secrets of things and enter the inmost sanctuary of either nature, O mystic consecrated to God. Look at the sky; it will rise to light your way toward investigating the truth hidden from the plebeians. But it falls at the same time, for it wishes to mingle among men, to be known and touched more closely, and to make them friends of God and prophets. Behold your sandals, for the place where it has lowered itself is holy. Its hexagonal figure is a double triangle, supernal as well as infernal, for it contains in itself the nature of either kingdom. It is truly of the highest origin, but when it betakes itself into these sublunary regions, the same happens that occurred to the primordial light; in the retraction of the irradiations of the Godhead, it clothes itself, namely, with corporeality, and although it may still shine somewhat when it has just reached the end of its journey, nevertheless, corporeality seems to carry off the victory, and it clothes and wraps itself in it. Do not despair. Where it seems to be dead, it contains the force of life within itself; where the light seems to be extinguished, it burns, hidden intrinsically; where it seems most corporeal, the force of the spiritual is internal. All things pass into it and into its visceral sickness, and all things lie in confusion and mixture; but when the internal conflict has ceased, all things will extricate themselves, and you will marvel at the great works of God, for it contains the stamina of all things; Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Spirit, Soul—all are present in abundance, and they will rise from darkness into light, from confusion into order, just as the hand will have wisely received them, so that all things were ordered by the virtue of the Word, which is the Wisdom of the Father. And this is simultaneously the second, the third, and the first night. See what it contains! But you, who are light and draw your origin from on high, and have been lowered into this corporeality, you also are enveloped in darkness, so that no one, nor even you yourself, would attribute to yourself so great and so sublime an origin. But you are light yourself and draw your origin from light, as do all the supernal spirits who constitute the blessed family of the heavenly Father. But when your will declined toward sensual things, you descended into darkness and were bound by the chains of darkness, which are corporeality. But this was not done in vain, nor so that the spark of light in you should be extinguished, obscured though it were. But so that, while darkness and light are in that internal mixture of affections—while some incline themselves upward, others downward, and are in conflict—you, having been awakened and refreshed by the Word and Wisdom, might put aside corporeality and darkness, might extricate your free and celestial spirit, might seek again the supernal, and might arrive at communion with God. Behold, this corporeal life is night; ignorance and depraved affection and desire are darkness; and it will release you from your bonds, and that which is intrinsically hidden, obscured, and buried, it will awaken; and by its virtue, the hidden power will appear when the light has carried off the victory over the darkness within you.

Concerning Death.

Death is the companion of all corporealities, and it is at the same time the gate of all spirits. Death is the end of life and is at the same time the fountain and principle of life. Death is a dissolution; it is therefore necessary that those things which are subject to death be composite. Death is a transition; it cannot be without a change of place and state. Behold what the second table puts before your eyes, where in the midst of the darkness of night, you see a lifeless corpse cast down. See here the origin of all living things, of those to be awakened from death. You are astonished at how, when the progeny of light and the spiritual offspring could have been subject to death; how that which gives life could undergo death; how that which is unique and simple could be dissolved; how that which is unalterable could suffer change? Truly, all these things could not come to pass unless that had been done regarding the light which was manifested to you before. For...