Chapter VI
THE MYSTICAL ARK
Chapter VI How from speculation of one's self an understanding of spiritual things is secured or is restored after being lost On account of this exercise the abundance of gold increases, knowledge is multiplied, and wisdom is increased. On account of this exercise the eye of the heart is cleansed, natural capacity is sharpened, and understanding is enlarged. He who does not know himself cannot rightly estimate the value of anything. He who does not consider the worth of his original condition does not know how all earthly pride should lie under his feet. He who does not first reflect upon his spirit knows nothing; he does not know what he ought to think concerning the angelic spirit or the divine Spirit.
If you are not able to enter into yourself, how will you be capable of examining those things which are within or above you? If you are not worthy to enter into the first tabernacle, with what impudence do you dare to enter into the second tabernacle, that is, into the Holy of Holies? If you are not able to struggle along the high paths so that with the Lord Jesus or at least with Moses you can ascend into a high mountain, with what impudence do you come forth to fly to the heavens? First return to yourself; then you may dare to examine those things which are above you. First the sun illumines the boundaries of its rising, then it mounts up to higher places. For this reason, it is said by Solomon: "The sun rises and sets, and it returns to its place, where rising again it wheels round to the south, and is turned to the north"
(Eccles.
1:5-6).
Therefore the sun returns to its place so that it may rise again there; and rising again little by little from that place, it raises itself up to higher places so that later it touches the peak of heaven. "The sun rises and sets, and it returns to its place" (Eccles.
1:5). The sun rises when understanding of truth is inspired in the heart. The sun sets when the ray of understanding is withdrawn. But after setting, the sun returns to its place in order that it may rise again. The very place of this sort of sun is the soul. Understanding is born from the soul itself when it is visited by divine grace. What does it mean that the sun returns to its place except that the sight of the mind turns back to consideration of itself? Therefore, after setting, the sun returns to its place
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because by the withdrawal of grace, the eye of the mind is caused to rebound to the consideration of its defects. When divine grace withdraws itself for the moment, a man is compelled to learn that he is nothing and that he is able to do nothing by himself. But the sun rises again after returning to its place because by consideration of his own weakness, lost understanding is restored.
Chapter VH How understanding that has been receivedfrom speculation of one's self is enlarged to all things In its place the sun, rising again little by little, ascends to higher places since by knowledge of himself a man rises up into contemplation of heavenly things. But when he is led all the way to the highest point, there he gladly remains since he is refreshed there by a marvelous delight of supercelestial manifestations. Zealously the sun contrives delays in this place where it bends its course into a circle. On that account it wheels round to the south, but it is not carried there by means of desire, but rather it is turned to the north.
(Cf.
Eccles.
1:6.) The southern region is very pleasant from the excess of light and the heat of the day because it is a very delightful and delectable sight to contemplate the orders of blessed spirits making merry in the splendor and charity of God. Undoubtedly the region of the north has nothing of such a sort, for it has been given over to perpetual darkness and condemned to continual cold because the hearts of the reprobates—being cold by malice and blind by ignorance— are deservedly tormented in such regions.
Therefore the sun does not pass completely to that place but is only turned around, for I think it is not drawn by any longing to such an unlovable region. Nevertheless, it is turned so that it may look, as if from afar, at those things that are there and may know with what precaution it ought to seek to escape those evil things. In the east we receive knowledge of our moral character and the discretion between virtues and vices. In the south we contemplate the rewards of good merits, the joys of supernal citizens, and the secret things of divine mysteries. In the west we come to know the retributions of
THE MYSTICAL ARK
evil merits and the end of evil spirits and reprobate men. Do you see how much the full knowledge of himself can do for a man? For indeed, from this he advances to knowledge of everything celestial, terrestrial and infernal.
Chapter VIII Concerning the triple sense by means of which consideration of self is able to run here and there Therefore if you desire to fly up to the second or even the third heaven, you must pass through the first. For indeed, the spirit examines everything thoroughly, even the depths of God
(1 Cor.
2:10). Therefore if you prepare to examine thoroughly the depths of God, examine first of all the depths of your own spirit. For indeed, the heart of man is deep—nay, rather it is perverse and inscrutable
(Jer.
17:9). Inscrutable, yes, except perhaps to one who is spiritual.
For the spiritual person judges all things and is judged himself by no one because only spiritual persons have been found worthy to see the works of God and his marvelous things in the depths.
Certainly in the depths you will find many things worthily awesome and wonderful; there it is possible to find another kind of orb, wide and full indeed, another kind of fullness from the orb of the earth. There the spiritual person has his own kind of earth; there he has his own heaven; not just one but a second after the first and a third after the first and second. And in order to separate this triple heaven by a suitable distinction let the first be called the imaginative, the second the rational and the third the intellectual. And so imagination takes a place in the first heaven, reason in the second, and understanding in the third. And of these, the first is gross and fleshly in comparison with the others, and in its own certain way it is touchable and corporeal since it is imaginary and phantastical, drawing after itself and retaining in itself forms and similitudes of corporeal things. But the remaining two are very subtle by comparison with something wholly corporeal and are very far from the denseness of that. So surely, without any doubt, it is evident that this exterior heaven that we call the firmament is visible and cor-
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poreal; and indeed, it is itself the first and lowest of all the heavens.
What the earth is to this visible heaven, so bodily sense is to that internal, phantastical and imaginative heaven. For just as this visible heaven contains within the expanse of its vault the multitude of everything earth bears and nourishes, so imagination encloses within its bosom the similitudes of everything the senses touch and the faculty of desire brings to mind. And so similitudes and images of all visible things are contained in the first heaven. Meanwhile the rational principles, definitions and investigations of all things visible and invisible pertain to the second heaven. However, contemplations and understandings of spiritual things themselves and also divine things pertain to the third heaven.
Chapter IX Concerning the intellectual sense by which alone invisible things are able to be seen The eye of the understanding is that sense with which we see invisible things—not as with the eye of reason with which we seek and find hidden and absent things by means of investigation or as we often understand causes by effects or effects by causes, and now one set, now another set of things by every possible mode of reasoning. But just as we are accustomed to see corporeal things visibly, presently and corporeally by means of bodily sense, so the intellectual sense grasps invisible things invisibly, to be sure, but presently and essentially. However, this intellectual eye has before it a great spread-out veil that has been darkened on account of the delight of sin and intertwined with the changing multiplicity of so many fleshly desires. This keeps the sight of the contemplative from the secrets of divine mysteries, except insofar as divine esteem has admitted anyone for his own benefit or the benefit of another.
The Prophet, who said to the Lord "Unveil my eyes," bears witness to this (Ps.
118:18). Certainly he who asks that they be unveiled by the Lord shows that he has veiled eyes. Nevertheless by means of this very eye, the soul sees those things which are on this side of the veil, that is the invisible things of itself, namely those