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

chaotic mixture begged for fire, that it might break forth with superabundant force and illuminate its hiding places and all things. The production of light was at once the cause of the great solution and division of all the elements, which were bound to one another by the chains of death in corruption. For as, by the command of the Word of God, Light came forth as the fifth element, the most subtle fire simultaneously sought the heights, and with insuperable force poured itself around the whole sphere and rotated around it with the greatest velocity. But since it was always drawn by the central fire toward the kinship of its own nature, and by that same kinship was pressed on all sides by the superior fire, it could not but assume a circular form and, with its great and spiritual agility, pour itself around the sphere in perpetual circulation. The air followed this fire at the same time. For when the fire, on account of its maximum spirituality and velocity, ascended with the greatest impetus, while the water, heated by the fire, had become a participant in the fiery nature, all things that intervened between the fire and the water were filled with a nebulous vapor, which held the middle ground between fire and water, being akin to the nature of both—to the fire, indeed, on account of its spirituality and velocity, but to the water on account of its thicker corporeality—which in like manner poured itself around the sphere, as did the fiery circuit, with swift rotation, and adhered everywhere to the confusion of the earth and water by its corporeal inclination, but to the fire by its spiritual one. And this was the separation of the subtle elements. However, the earth could never have been a habitation for living things, nor produce seeds hidden within itself, according to their specification, if all things had remained in that confusion, and a separation had not been made through the coercion of like elements, and a confluence? had occurred through the propulsion of fire and air into the more subtle elements. As soon, therefore, as the lighter and subtle elements were separated from the heavier and crasser ones by the hidden virtue of the fire, the internal fire also propelled the earth from the midst of the waters. And they would act wrongly; in the beginning, this separation was indeed made in like manner, as in fire and air, so that what was lighter ascended, while that which was heavier inclined downward. And if the earth were to separate itself with the waters, it prepared itself downward, and in such a way that its most heavy particles, namely the gravelly and sandy ones, formed as it were a foundation, while they received the lighter, dusty, and viscous ones. For the earth inclined downward by its own internal gravity, and one was laid over the other. But where the earth yields, whereby it had been gradually generated from the water through the internal putrefaction of the fire, and the water was clearly evacuated of the tenacity of corporeality, the internal fire, by its own virtue, propelled the earth so that the earth might rise from the midst of the waves like an island from the ocean, so that it might remain partly dry, with the waters and seas stratified, however deep they may be, and partly emerge from the waters and provide a habitation for all that ought to live upon the earth. And thus the order of stability is established, and the formless and confused separation of the elements has ceased and is perfected.

A similar operation of the elements undergoes mystical separation as well. Where, indeed, through the first and spontaneous solution—what was previously a viscous humidity, similar to a gasimatic glue—it passes into pure water similar to crystal; yet through death and putrefaction all things are commingled among themselves; at length, through fermentation by means of the virtue of fire, which in the first solution had been invisible in the pure water, the earth manifests itself in a wonderful way and adheres to the earth. Hence see, O Man, you who are incredulous and do not comprehend with your senses those things which you do not see, and refuse to believe: Where was the earth when you saw nothing clearly except fire; where would the earth, diffused and most pure, present itself only? to your eyes? But upon seeing these things, submit your mind to God, who works in the hidden and does things that far exceed your grasp and senses. But as the earth is heavy by its nature, so too in this separation of the elements it tends toward the depths, and precipitates itself in such a way that the water appears free from all terrestrial particles in the upper part, and the earth in the lower. Yet where this has been done, it is not that the internal fire in the production of the universe will propel the earth: for it is not to be a domicile of the living, but it is to be a fertile fruit, so that what nature has produced of its own accord in the production of the world is entrusted to you, namely, that you might fully separate the earth from the water so that it may appear dry? Discern, as I just told you, that fertile field: for the more fertile it is and the more apt for bearing fruits, the more it appears in blackness. For as all things that were to be done were hidden in darkness, so too are all things that must be prepared hidden in blackness, and the blacker it is, the better it is cooked and macerated in putrefaction. The water does not have the same ratio. It keeps, indeed, in a certain way the color of death and putrefaction, and it is apt and perfect in this grade if it is similar to a citrine color. But if it appears dusky, obscure, and impure, it still labors from earthiness and the elements are not sufficiently dissolved. Regarding the water, there is also the propagation. The parts must be perfect; otherwise, all things are insane and imperfect. Regarding the element of fire and air which were dispersed in this creation, and retreated into their own circuits before the water and the earth were separated from one another, they ascend precisely then. Yet since they cannot expand themselves, they remain in the element most agreeable to their nature, nor do they work in the water except by their own virtue, which the fire exercises especially, to exalt the virtue of the water, so that it may become more pure, more spiritual, and more efficacious, and apt for exciting the hidden Spirit in the earth; this is also the earth blessed in the good pleasure of God. Likewise, you also, when you have elevated your mind to God having overcome sensuality, and to that from which you draw your origin, through mortification the separation will be completed in you as well, and although you are still on earth as far as the body is concerned, your soul will nevertheless approach God and celestial things, and will join your spirit to the body in the future palingenesis. And it will exalt the body and render it spiritual.