Jacob Boehme (1575 – 1624), a German mystic and philosopher, was born into a humble rural Lutheran family near the city of Görlitz, right on the border with Poland. Despite having no formal education, he gained the ability to see to the core of things with the eyes of his soul through a series of enlightening visions. This became the foundation of his teachings.
His first vision came to him as a young boy while he was tending his flock near his village. In this vision, he saw a great treasure filled with many precious items that were given to him on the condition that he would not use them for selfish purposes. Boehme later said that this vision had changed his life. From that moment on, he turned to reading the Bible, which became and remained the basis of his later teachings.
At the age of fourteen, his parents sent him to be an apprentice to a cobbler. In his twenty-fourth year, he became a master cobbler and started a family. It is said that he had four sons and two daughters. In the year 1600, around the time when Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for his teachings on the infinite, In the universe and the attack on Christian doctrine, Boehme receives his second enlightening vision. I have no words to describe the happiness and satisfaction I experienced. Nor can I compare this joy to anything but the state in which life is born amidst death. In this state, my spirit directly saw through everything and recognized God in everything, even in plants and grass. The knowledge he gained through this vision he revealed in the work “The Signatura Rerum”.
Ten years later, in 1610, Boehme receives his third vision, about which he says: I experienced the divine radiance contained in all of nature. My spirit embraced all things… Then, for seven days, I was in a state of constant ecstasy, surrounded by the light of the Spirit that penetrated me with contemplation and joy. I understood what God is and what His will is… I do not know how this happened to me, but my heart praised and glorified the Lord because of it! Everything he had seen before in separate flashes and unrelated, in this vision appeared to him as connected and clear. The entirety. These visions are contained in his most extensive work, Aurora (Dawn or Morning Redness in the East), published in 1612.
Shortly after the publication of Aurora, Lutheran pastor Gregorius Richter accuses Boehme of heresy and demands his expulsion from the city at the Görlitz city council. The Görlitz council succumbs to Richter’s pressure and decides to exile Boehme. However, due to his previous reputation, the city council ultimately softens the decision – Boehme can still stay in the city, but on the condition that he stops writing. Shortly after this event, he leaves his shoemaking job and starts traveling as a merchant to larger cities like Dresden and Prague. But the inner urge to expand his knowledge doesn’t leave him alone, and thus many significant works are created: The Signature of All Things, The Rebirth, On Supersensual Life, On Resignation, etc.
In the following years, Pastor Richter continues to persecute and accuse Boehme, even going so far as to ban his burial in the local cemetery. In Görlitz, which was still done at the urging of Count Hannibal von Drohne. There is also an anecdote that during a church sermon Richter openly attacked Boehme: Are these the words of Jesus Christ – the carpenter or the words of a shoemaker? Boehme quietly replied: These are not my words, these are the words of God whom I have recognized within myself.
There is also a recorded event related to Boehme’s participation in a gathering of theologians called by the German Emperor. Boehme was invited to attend the gathering and explain his theological views. It is said that his clarity and humility stunned the theologians present, who openly begged him to teach them. Due to his progressive beliefs that deeply penetrate the church’s understanding of that time, he gained many enemies and admirers during his lifetime. His most important student, Abraham von Frankenberg, becomes the guardian and continuation of his work after his teacher’s death, and publishes a collection of Boehme’s teachings called The Way of Truth. Emma Christ initiates and publishes his most extensive and best biography. Interestingly, Richter’s pastor’s son, Boehme’s staunchest opponent, also published a book of selected extracts from his writings.
Boehme’s works
In his works, Boehme presents an entire mystical and metaphysical system in which he elaborates his vision of God, man, and nature. Although firmly rooted in the Christian tradition, his writings often employ symbolic language that can be found in esoteric teachings such as Hermetism, Gnosticism, and Jewish Kabbalah, to explain things and phenomena.
However, Boehme writes in several places that he could barely read from books and that nature itself was his teacher. I do not bring a single letter from many books into my knowledge, but I have the letters within me… Because we are made in the image and likeness of God, if we dive into our own inner being, we can touch the very beginning of things… However, it is evident that in the pursuit of knowledge, which allows us to He sought explanations for all things and phenomena, searching for answers in the works of Paracelsus and in the Kabbalah
Thus, his most significant work, Aurora, begins with the Kabbalistic theme of the Tree of Life. According to Boehme, the Tree of Life is the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the fruits that grow on this tree symbolize man, who is, according to Boehme, the greatest intention of nature. Man has free will to choose between good and evil; when they direct themselves towards the manifested world, evil dominates, but when they recognize the vital sap in the Tree – then good dominates, lifting them towards divine qualities. Philosophy, astrology, and theology are the three branches of knowledge on the Tree of Life. Philosophy represents divine will as well as the nature of God Himself, archetypes of all things, and the good and bad qualities in nature. Astrology points to the forces in nature, the forces of planets, stars, and elements, and how they influence all living beings. Theology explains the nature of Christ’s principle and how man can become part of the transient earthly or part of the eternal divine world. opljev života samo jedno pismo, a to je ljubav, ona je izvor i suština svega u duhovnom svijetu.
In his work “The Signature of All Things,” Boehme speaks about the law of correspondence, the symbolism of planets, the universe, nature, and so on. The entire external, visible world with all beings is similar to the inner spiritual world. Although inner, this world is effective and also has the nature of the external world. Just as the spirit of every being manifests in the visible world through a material body, the Eternal being does the same.
Keeping in mind this connection and resemblance between the inner and outer world, Boehme advises studying nature: There is no created or born thing in nature that does not reveal its inner form through its outer form, and the inner always acts according to its revelation. We can see and recognize this in stars, elements, animals, trees, and plants. Therefore, the greatest possibility of knowledge lies in signatures, and through them, humans can not only know themselves but also learn to recognize the essence that is present in all beings.
Since the sung praise of life is only one letter, which is love, it is the source and essence of everything in the spiritual world. Closer to the essence of Boehme’s teachings, he points out important teachings and symbolism that went unnoticed by the eyes of the priests of the time. In his work Theoscopia, written two years before his death, he refutes the orthodox, Christian concept of God as the one who resides outside of our universe. By posing questions such as: Has anyone seen God? Can anyone describe His dwelling place? If there is no real proof of God’s existence, then why do we waste our time listening to sermons about Him or reading superficial descriptions of Him in writings? True understanding of God must come from an inner source and enter our minds through the living word of God that dwells in our soul. If that is not the case, then all teachings about divine matters are useless and worthless. God does not need a dwelling place, as He is both outside and within the world at the same time. No earthly mind can comprehend Him, nor His greatness and infinity. and says that the universe develops on seven planes, giving everything a seven-fold constitution. Thus, eternal nature rests on seven principles or foundations, which Boehme sometimes describes as tinctures, and sometimes as forces, forms, spiritual wheels, or sources. Each of these principles is born and exists within a supreme principle which he describes as Being or “being in itself.”
These seven principles of nature are constantly in conflict and, as Boehme emphasizes, create a “wheel of suffering” through which nature reveals itself to humanity. Like Heraclitus, Boehme sees cosmic life as a passionate struggle, as movement, as a developmental process, and as eternal genesis or creation.
In his works, he often speaks of the similarity between God and humanity. Man is created from God’s powers, from the seven divine principles. However, man has become corrupted over time, and therefore we cannot always recognize his divine birth within him. The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in a sinful body. Nevertheless, the divine spark hidden in the heart can be ignited. to rise to the brain, which is the source of the seven Divine principles. Then the soul will fulfill its purpose and knowledge. Ignition of the spiritual spark according to Boehme depends on man’s free will: Man is located in the center between God’s kingdom and hell, between love and hate – what he chooses depends on himself. Boehme also says that the whole created nature is within us, so man has the possibility of choice: We are located in the center of nature which is located within us. If we build angelic qualities, then we become angels, if we build demonic qualities, then we become demons. We are in what we have created, we can create.
However, he emphasizes that man is a prisoner of his lower nature, which can be liberated through free will. Before taking the first step on this path, one must face temptations and overcome them. The first of them is a dragon that wants to direct the eyes of man’s soul towards the emptiness of the world and show it its glory and beauty. The second temptation is supposed to be It is a spiritual pride and vanity. The third temptation is the use of occult powers for selfish purposes. When these three temptations are overcome, a new spiritual man with divine perception and divine will is born in the earthly human being.
The essential features of spiritual life are discussed in his work On Supernatural Life, which is actually a dialogue between a teacher and a student.
The student asks the teacher: How can I achieve a supernatural life in order to see and hear God speaking?
The teacher answers: When you are able to enter, even if only for a moment, where no creature resides, you will hear God.
Student: Is it near or far?
Teacher: It is within you, and if you can temporarily stop all your thoughts and desires, you will hear the inexpressible words of God.
Student: How can I hear the word of God when I don’t think or desire?
Teacher: When you stop thinking about yourself and stop desiring for yourself, when your mind and will become calm and obedient to the expression of the Eternal Word and Divine Even when your soul spreads its wings and rises above what is temporal, when, through holy separation from the material world, you restrain your imagination and external senses, then the Eternal Spirit, Vision, and Speech will manifest within you, and God will hear and see through you because you will now be the instrument of His Spirit, and God will speak in you and whisper to your soul, and your spirit will hear His voice. Therefore, you are blessed if you can refrain from thinking about yourself and desiring for yourself, and if you can stop the wheel of your imagination and senses. …
Between 1612 and 1624, he wrote thirteen books. My books are written only for those who wish to be devoted and united with God, from whom they originated. Not through my understanding, but through my submission to Christ, I have received knowledge of His mysteries. I earnestly prayed to write not for my own glory, but for the glory of God, and for the instruction and benefit of my brethren.
Boehme’s living testimony was a powerful inspiration for artists, writers, and scientists who emerged after him, not only in Germany. and in other European countries, especially in England and the Netherlands. He also influenced various trends in European thought; on one hand, his teachings initiated criticism of Newton’s materialistic concept of the world, which was later taken up by artists such as Goethe and William Blake during the Romantic period. On the other hand, his works inspired Newton himself to formulate the theory of gravity and the theory of the structure of light. He had a particularly strong influence on many German philosophers such as Hegel, Schelling, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Heidegger,… and enjoyed great respect from Carl Jung as well.
Although Boehme is remarkably close to Plotinus in expression, ancient Greek philosophy had no influence on him. His main foundation was the Bible, so he is classified within the tradition of Christian mystics. He drew precious pearls of universal wisdom from the Bible, but his message was directed to all people, regardless of their religious affiliation. His writings regularly featured drawings of an angel playing music. a trumpet from which words emerge: To all Christians, Jews, Turks, and unbelievers, to all peoples on Earth, this trumpet blows, and its book, The Sign of All Things, concludes significantly with the words of Christ: Seek, and you shall find.