Die uralte Weisheit. Eine kurzgefasste Darstellung der Lehren der Theosophie

22. The feet signify the near and the far, for in God, near and far are one thing. A person can reach the near and the far by means of the feet, but wherever he may be, he is in nature neither near nor far, for it is one thing in God.

23. The hands signify the omnipotence of God. For just as God can change everything in nature and make of it what he will, so also a human being can change with his hands all that has grown or come from nature. With his hands, he can make from it what he will. He rules with his hands over all of nature's work and essence, and they truly signify the omnipotence of God.

24. The whole body up to the neck signifies and is the round circle of the revolution of the stars, as well as the depth between the stars, wherein the planets and elements rule. The flesh signifies the earth, which is solidified and has no mobility of its own. Thus, the flesh also has in itself no reason, comprehensibility, or mobility, but is moved only by the power of the stars, which rule in the flesh and veins.

25. In the same way, the earth would bring forth no fruit, and no metal would grow within it—neither gold, silver, copper, iron, nor stone—if the stars did not work within it. Not even a tiny blade of grass would grow from it without the effect of the stars. The head signifies heaven. It is grown to the body with the veins and power-paths, and all powers go out from the head and brain into the body, into the source-veins of the flesh.

26. Now, however, heaven is a lovely hall of joy wherein all powers are present, as in all of nature, in stars and elements, but not so harsh, driving, and agonizing. For each power of heaven has only one species or form of power: bright and quite gently quallende welling up or pulsating, not evil and good mixed together as in the stars and elements, but pure and clear. It is made from the midst of the water, but not in such a characterizing way as the water in the elements, for the Grimmigkeit fierceness, wrath, or severity is not within it.

27. But nevertheless, heaven belongs to nature, for the stars and elements have their origin and power from heaven. For heaven is the heart of the water, just as in all creatures, as well as in all that

is in this world, water is the heart. Nothing exists without water, whether in the flesh or outside the flesh, in the growths of the earth, or in metal and stones; in all things, water is the kernel or the heart.

28. Thus, heaven is the heart in nature, wherein all powers are present, as in stars and elements. It is a soft and gentle matter of all powers, just like the brain in the head of a person.

29. Now heaven ignites the stars and elements with its power so that they well up and drive. Thus, also, the head of a person is like heaven. Just as in heaven all powers are gentle and lovely, as well as full of joy and interaction, so in the head or brain of a human being, all powers are gentle and full of joy. And just as heaven has a conclusion or fortress above the stars, yet all powers go out from heaven into the stars, so the brain has a conclusion or fortress for the body, yet all powers go out from the brain into the body and into the whole human being.

30. The head has within it the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling. Within these, the stars and elements interact, and from this arises the Siderische sidereal or starry spirit, or the spirit of nature, in humans and animals. In these, evil and good well up, for it is a house of the stars. The stars take such power from heaven so that they can make a living and moving spirit in the flesh of humans and animals. The movement of heaven makes the stars mobile; so also, the head makes the body mobile.

31. At this point, open the eyes of your spirit and behold God your Creator. Here now is the question: From where does heaven have or take such power that it creates such mobility in nature?

32. Here you must now look above and outside of nature, into the light-holy, triumphant, divine power, into the unchangeable, holy Trinity. This is a triumphant, welling, mobile essence, and all powers are within it, just as in nature. For that is the eternal mother of nature, from which heaven, earth, stars, elements, angels, devils, humans, animals, and everything have come, and in which everything stands.

33. If one names heaven and earth, stars and elements, and all that is within them, and all that is above all heavens, one names herewith the whole God, who has himself in this...