The Second Book.
Called
"Poemander."
1.
My Thoughts being once seriously busied about the things
that are, and my Understanding lifted up, all my bodily
Senses being exceedingly holden back, as it is with them
that are very heavy of sleep, by reason either of fulness
of meat, or of bodily labour. Me thought I saw one of an
exceeding great stature, and an infinite greatness call me
by my name, and say unto me, "What wouldest thou Hear and
See? or what wouldest thou Understand, to Learn, and Know!"
2. Then said I, " Who art Thou?"
"I am," quoth he, "Poemander, the mind of the Great Lord,
the most Mighty and absolute Emperor: I know what thou
wouldest have, and I am always present with thee."
3. Then said I, "I would Learn the Things that art, and
Understand the Nature of them and know God."
"How?" said he.
I answered, "That I would gladly hear.''
Then he, "Have me again in thy mind, and whatsoever thou
wouldst learn, I will teach thee."
4. When he had thus said, he was changed in his Idea or
Form and straightway in the twinkling of an eye, all things
were opened unto me: and I saw an infinite Sight, all
things were become light, both sweet and exceedingly
pleasant; and I was wonderfully delighted in the beholding
it.
5. But after a little while, there was a darkness made in
part, coming down obliquely, fearful and hideous, which
seemed unto me to be changed into a Certain Moist Nature,
unspeakably troubled, which yielded a smoke as from fire;
and from whence proceeded a voice unutterable, and very
mournful, but inarticulate, insomuch that it seemed to have
come from the Light.
6. Then from that Light, a certain Holy Word joined itself
unto Nature, and out flew the pure and unmixed Fire from
the moist Nature upward on high; it is exceeding Light, and
Sharp, and Operative withal. And the Air which was also
light, followed the Spirit and mounted up to Fire (from the
Earth and the Water) insomuch that it seemed to hang and
depend upon it.
7. And the Earth and the Water stayed by themselves so
mingled together, that the Earth could not be seen for the
Water, but they were moved, because of the Spiritual Word
that was carried upon them.
8. Then said Poemander unto me, "Dost thou understand this
Vision, and what it meaneth?"
"I shall know," said I.
Then said he, "I am that Light, the Mind, thy God, who am
before that Moist Nature that appeareth out of Darkness,
and that Bright and Lightful Word from the Mind is the Son
of God."
9. "How is that?" quoth I.
"Thus," replied he, "Understand it, That which in thee
Seeth and Heareth, the Word of the Lord, and the Mind, the
Father, God, Differeth not One from the Other, and the
Unison of these is Life."
Trismegistus. "I thank thee."
Pimander. "But first conceive well the Light in thy mind
and know it."
10. When he had thus said, for a long time me looked
steadfastly one upon the other, insomuch that I trembled at
his Idea or Form.
11. But when he nodded to me, I beheld in my mind the Light
that is in innumerable, and the truly indefinite Ornament
or World; and that the Fire is comprehended or contained in
or by a most great Power, and constrained to keep its
station.
12. These things I understood, seeing the word of Pimander;
and when I was mightily amazed, he said again unto me,
"Hast thou seen in thy mind that Archetypal Form, which was
before the Interminated and Infinite Beginning?" Thus
Pimander to me.
"But whence," quoth I, "or whereof are the Elements of
Nature made?"
Pimander : "Of the Will and Counsel of God; which taking
the Word, and beholding the beautiful World (in the
Archetype thereof) imitated it, and so made this World, by
the principles and vital Seeds or Soul-like productions of
itself."
13. For the Mind being God, Male and Female, Life and
Light, brought forth by his Word; another Mind, the
Workman: Which being God of the Fire, and the Spirit,
fashioned and formed seven other Governors, which in their
Circles contain the Sensible World, whose Government or
Disposition is called Fate or Destiny.
14. Straightway leaped out, or exalted itself front the
downward born Elements of God, the Word of God into the
clean and pure Workmanship of Nature, and was united to the
Workman, Mind, for it was Consubstantial; and so the
downward born Elements of Nature were left without Reason,
that they might be the only Matter.
15. But the Workman, Mind, together with the Word,
containing the Circles and Whirling them about, turned
round as a Wheel his own Workmanships, and suffered them to
be turned from an indefinite Beginning to an undeterminable
End; for they always begin where they end.
16. And the Circulation or running round of these, as the
Mind willeth, out of the lower or downward-born Elements
brought forth unreasonable or brutish creatures, for they
had no reason, the Air flying things, and the Water such as
swim.
17. And the Earth and the Water was separated, either from
the other, as the Mind would: and the Earth brought forth
from herself such Living Creatures as she had, four-footed
and creeping Beasts, wild and tame.
18. But the Father of all things, the Mind being Life and
Light, brought forth Man, like unto himself, whom he loved
as his proper Birth, for he was all beauteous, having the
Image of his Father.
19. For indeed God was exceedingly enamoured of his own
Form or Shape, and delivered unto it all his own
Workmanships. But he seeing and understanding the Creation
of the Workman in the whole, would needs also himself Fall
to Work, and so was separated from the Father, being in the
sphere of Generation or operation.
20. Having all Power, he considered the Operations or
Workmanships of the Seven; but they loved him, and every
one made him partaker of his own Order.
21. And he learning diligently and understanding their
Essence, and partaking their nature, resolved to pierce and
break through the Circumference of the Circles, and to
understand the Power of him that sits upon the Fire.
22. And having already all power of mortal things, of the
Living, and of the unreasonable Creatures of the World,
stooped down and peeped through the Harmony, and breaking
through the strength of the Circles, so shewed and made
manifest the downward-born Nature, the fair and beautiful
Shape or Form of God.
23. Which when he saw, having in itself the unsatiable
Beauty and all the Operation of the Seven Governors, and
the Form or Shape of God, he Smiled for love, as if he had
seen the Shape or Likeness in the Water, or the shadow upon
the Earth of the fairest Human form.
24. And seeing in the Water a shape, a shape like unto
himself in himself he loved it, and would cohabit with it;
and immediately upon the resolution, ensued the Operation,
and brought forth the unreasonable Image or Shape.
25. Nature presently laying hold of what it so much loved,
did wholly wrap herself about it, and they were mingled,
for they loved one another.
26. And for this cause, Man above all things that live upon
Earth, is double; Mortal because of his Body, and Immortal
because of the substantial Man: For being immortal, and
having power of all things, he yet suffers mortal things,
and such as are subject to Fate or Destiny.
27. And therefore being; above all Harmony, he is made and
become a servant to Harmony. And being Hermaphrodite, or
Male and Female, and watchful, he is governed by and
subjected to a Father, that is both Male and Female and
watchful.
28. After these things, I said: "Thou art my Mind and I am
in love with Reason."
29. Then said Pimander, "This is the Mystery that to this
day is hidden, and kept secret; for Nature being mingled
with Man brought forth a Wonder most wonderful; for he
having the Nature of the Harmony of the Seven, from him
whom I told thee, the Fire and the Spirit, Nature continued
not, but forth with brought forth seven Men all Males and
Females and sublime, or on high, according to the Natures
of the Seven Governors."
30. "And after these things, O Pimander," quoth I, "I am
now come into a great desire, and longing to hear, do not
digress, or run out."
31. But he said, "Keep silence, for I have not yet finished
the first speech."
32. Trismegistus. "Behold, I am silent."
33. Pimander. "The Generation therefore of these Seven was
after this manner, the Air being Feminine and the Water
desirous of Copulation, took from the Fire its ripeness,
and from the aether Spirit; and so Nature produced bodies
after the Species and Shape of men."
34. And Man was made of Life and Light into Soul and Mind,
of Life the Soul, of Light the Mind.
35. And so all the Members of the Sensible World, continued
unto the period of the end, bearing rule, and generating.
36. Hear now the rest of that speech, thou so much desirest
to hear.
37. When that Period was fulfilled, the bond of all things
was loosed and untied by the Will of God; for all living
Creatures being Hermaphroditical, or Male and Female, were
loosed and untied together with Man; and so the Males were
apart by themselves and the Females likewise.
38. And straightway God said to the Holy Word,. Increase in
Increasing, and Multiply in Multitude all you my Creatures
and Workmanships. And let Him that is endued with Mind,
know Himself to be Immortal; and that the cause of Death is
the Love of the Body, and let Him Learn all Things that
are.
39. When he had thus said, Providence by Fate and Harmony,
made the mixtures, and established the Generations, and all
things were multiplied according to their kind, and he that
knew himself, came at length to the Superstantial of every
way substantial good.
40. But he that through the Error of Love, loved the Body,
abideth wandering in darkness, sensible, suffering the
things of death.
41. Trismegistus. "But why do they that are ignorant sin so
much, that they should therefore be deprived of
immortality."
42. Pimander. "Thou seemest not to have understood what
thou hast heard."
43. Trismegistus. "Peradventure I seem so to thee, but I
both understand and remember them."
44. Pimander. "I am glad for thy sake, if thou
understoodest them."
45. Trismegistus. "Tell me, why are they worthy of death,
that are in death?"
46. Pimander. "Because there goeth a sad and dismal
darkness before its Body; of which darkness is the moist
Nature, of which moist Nature, the Body consisteth in the
sensible World, from whence death is derived. Hast thou
understood this aright!"
47. Trismegistus. "But why or how doth he that understands
himself, go or pass into God!"
48. Pimander. "That which the Word of God said, say I:
Because the Father of all things consists of Life and
Light, whereof Man is made."
49. Trismegistus. "Thou sayest very well."
50. Pimander. "God and the Father is Light and Life, of
which Man is made. If therefore thou learn and believe
thyself to be of the Life and Light, thou shalt again pass
into Life."
51. Trismegistus. "But yet tell me more, O my Mind, how I
shall go into Life."
52. Pimander. "God saith, Let the Man endued with a Mind,
mark, consider, and know himself well."
53. Trismegistus. "Have not all Men a mind?"
54. Pimander. "Take heed what thou sayest, for I the Mind
come unto men that are holy and good, pure and merciful,
and that live piously and religiously; and my presence is a
help unto them. And forthwith they know all things, and
lovingly they supplicate and propitiate the Father; and
blessing him, they give him thanks, and sing hymns unto
him, being ordered and directed by filial Affection, and
natural Love: And before they give up their Bodies to the
death of them, they hate their Senses, knowing their Works
and Operations.
55. "Rather I that am the Mind itself, will not suffer the
Operations or Works, which happen or belong to the body, to
be finished and brought to perfection in them; but being
the Porter and Door-keeper, I will shut up the entrances of
Evil, and cut off the thoughtful desires of filthy works.
56. "But to the foolish, and evil, and wicked, and envious
and covetous, and murderous, and profane, I am far off
giving place to the avenging Demon, which applying unto him
the sharpness of fire, tormenteth such a man sensibly, and
armeth him the more to all wickedness, that he may obtain
the greater punishment.
57. "And such a one never ceaseth, having unfulfillable
desires and unsatiable concupiscences, and always fighting
in darkness for the Demon afflicts and tormenteth him
continually, and increaseth the fire upon him more and
more."
58. Trismegistus. "Thou hast, O Mind, most excellently
taught me all things, as I desired; but tell me moreover,
after the return is made, what then?"
59. Pimander. "First of all, in the resolution of the
material Body, the Body itself is given up to alteration,
and the form which it had, becometh invisible; and the idle
manners are permitted, and left to the Demon, and the
Senses of the Body return into their Fountains, being
parts, and again made up into Operations.
60. "And Anger and Concupiscence go into the brutish or
unreasonable Nature; and the rest striveth upward by
Harmony.
61. "And to the first Zone it giveth the power it had of
increasing and diminishing.
62. "To the second, the machination or plotting of evils,
and one effectual deceit or craft.
63. "To the third, the idle deceit of Concupiscence.
64. "To the fourth, the desire of Rule, and unsatiable
Ambition.
65. "To the fifth, profane Boldness, and headlong rashness
of Confidence.
66. "To the sixth, Evil and ineffectual occasions of
Riches.
67. "And to the seventh Zone, subtle Falsehood always lying
in wait.
68. "And then being made naked of all the Operations of
Harmony it cometh to the eighth Nature, having its proper
power, and singeth praises to the Father with the things
that are, and all they that are present rejoice, and
congratulate the coming of it; and being made like to them
with whom it converseth, it heareth also the Powers that
are above the eighth Nature, singing praise to God in a
certain voice that is peculiar to them.
69. "And then in order they return unto the Father, and
themselves deliver themselves to the powers, and becoming
powers they are in God.
70. "This is the Good, and to them that know to be deified.
71. "Furthermore, why sayest thou, What resteth, but that
understanding all men, thou become a guide, and way-leader
to them that are worthy; that the kind of Humanity or
Mankind, may be saved by God!"
72. When Pimander had thus said unto me, he was mingled
among the Powers.
73. But I giving thanks, and blessing the Father of all
things, rose up, being enabled by him, and taught the
Nature, of the Nature of the whole and having seen the
greatest sight or spectacle.
74. And I began to Preach unto men, the beauty and fairness
of Piety and Knowledge.
75. O ye People, Men, born and made of the Earth, which
have given Yourselves over to Drunkenness, and Sleep, and
to the Ignorance of God, be Sober, and Cease your Surfeit,
whereto you are allured, and invited by Brutish and
Unreasonable Sleep.
76. And they that heard me, come willingly, and with one
accord, and then I said further.
77. Why, O Men of the Off-spring of the Earth, why have you
delivered Yourselves over unto Death, having Power to
Partake of Immortality; Repent and Change your Minds, you
that have together Walked in Error, and have been Darkened
in Ignorance.
78. Depart from that dark Light, be Partakers of
Immortality, and Leave or Forsake Corruption.
79. And some of Them That Heard Me, mocking and scorning,
went away and delivered themselves up to the way of death.
80. But others, casting themselves down before my feet,
besought me that they might be taught; but I causing them
to rise up, became a guide of mankind, teaching them the
reasons how, and by what means they may be saved. And I
sowed in them the words of Wisdom, and nourished them with
Ambrosian Water of Immortality.
81. And when it was Evening, and the Brightness of the same
began wholly to go down, I commanded them to give thanks to
God; and when they had finished their thanksgiving,
everyone returned to his
own lodging.
82. But I wrote in myself the bounty and beneficence of
Pimander; and being filled with what I most desired, I was
exceeding glad.
83. For the sleep of the Body was the sober watchfulness of
the mind; and the shutting of my eyes the true Sight, and
my silence great with child and full of good; and the
pronouncing of my words, the blossoms and fruits of good
things.
84. And thus came to pass or happened unto me, which I
received from my mind, that is, Pimander, the Lord of the
Word; whereby I became inspired by God with the Truth.
85. For which cause, with my Soul, and whole strength, I
give praise and blessing unto God the Father.
86. Holy is God the Father of All Things.
87. Holy is God Whose Will is Performed and Accomplished by
His Own Powers.
88. Holy is God, that Determineth to be Known, and is Known
of His Own, or Those that are His.
89. Holy art Thou, that by Thy Word hast established all
Things.
90. Holy art Thou of Whom all Nature is the Image.
91. Holy art Thou Whom Nature hath not Formed.
92. Holy art Thou that art Stronger than all Power.
93. Holy art Thou, that art Greater than all Excellency.
94. Holy art Thou, Who art Better than all Praise.
95. Accept these Reasonable Sacrifices from a Pure Soul,
and a Heart stretched out unto Thee.
96. O Thou Unspeakable, Unutterable, to be Praised with
Silence!
97. I beseech Thee, that I may never Err from the Knowledge
of Thee, Look Mercifully upon Me, and Enable Me, and
Enlighten with this Grace, those that .are in Ignorance,
the Brothers of my Kind, but Thy Sons.
98. Therefore I Believe Thee, and Bear Witness, and go into
the Life and Light.
98. Blessed art Thou, O Father, Thy Man would be Sanctified
with Thee, as Thou hast given Him all Power.