The Rosicrucian Threefold World in One: Origins of the Secret Symbols Diagram

It is an acknowledged fact that the well-known image “How within this World three Worlds in each other” from Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians, Altona 1785-88, is based on Jacob Boehme’s cosmology. Less well-known is the fact that there exist a couple of previous images about this motive from the 17^th century. And there is even a text from that century which explains this figure in full.

The first of these pictures is part of the “Oculus Aeternitatis” (The Eye of Eternity;   Spiritual knowledge of God) by Abraham von Franckenberg[1], admirer and biographer of Jacob Boehme. As the bookbinder was told, this figure was to be attached between page 58 and 59.[2] It is beyond doubt that Abraham von Franckenberg was the creator of this figure. It was definitely already published before 1649, as the protocol of a conversation between Abraham von Franckenberg and Georg Lorenz Seidenbecher shows. Under the date of 31^st of August 1649 Seidenbecher confirms that the figure of the threefold world is invented by Franckenberg and printed in Nuremberg.[3] Furthermore Johann Georg Gichtel says, in a letter of 1697[4]:

“The figure of Boehme is Franckenberg’s design, which I have hung in my chamber, are the three worlds in one another, and it is very well conceived”.

This same figure is also included in an edition of Paul Kaym’s Helleleuchtender Hertzens-Spiegel (The mirror of the mystical heart). Paul Kaym was a contemporary and admirer of Jacob Boehme. Gichtel also tells us in 1697 that the figure was added to a print of Kaym some 17 or 18 years ago. So that must have been around 1680 then. It definitely shows up in the 1705 edition of Kaym today.

The other one (below) is attached to a copy of Boehme’s “Forty questions of the Soul”, before page 1, Amsterdam 1663.[5] But this second one stems definitely from 1654, as the picture itself shows. It is redrawn after Franckenberg´s three-word figure by his friend, tax accountant and typist Wilhelm Schwartz (1596 / 97−1661) from Breslau (Wroclaw). Schwartz published this leaflet, clearly based on the ideas of Boehme, under the title Figürliche Bildung wie in dieser Welt Dreyerley Welten in einander (figure how in this world a threefold world is within) and signed it with Wilhelmus Schwartz 1654. The one attached to the forty questions of the Soul, shows that the principles are numbered differently: the third and second have changed places. But in another copy, one that is kept in “Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg, Signatur 24549/1337” the numbering is corrected by an old hand.[6]

Both show three circles arranged one above the other and intertwined, the upper one representing the “heavenly world” and “God’s love”, the lower one representing the “hellish world” and “God’s wrath”; the third, which forms the central circle is the material “earthly” or “sun world”. It belongs half to the realm of light and half o the realm of darkness, which forms the central circle and half belongs to the realms of light and darkness . At the centre of the earthly world and thus at the intersection of the two outer circles is the human heart, which has an equal share of heaven and hell and thus has the choice to choose between good and evil. This choice is put into the picture by the two ways (“Way to Life through Much Tribulation” or “The Way to Death”). Inscribed in the three worlds are moments in the Salvation story from the six days of creation, paradise and fall to the Last Judgment (“Right Hand of God” or “Left Hand of God”) as well as Boehme’s teaching of the three principles. The whole becomes encircled by an outer circle, emphasizing the universality” of God[7].

As said Franckenberg’s figure is a pictorial attempt to represent a compilation of Jacob Boehme’s cosmology. This cosmology we find in various works of Boehme. We can mention e.g. the Three principles, the Forty questions, Of the threefold Life of Men. In “Sex puncta theosophica”, concerning point 1, he talks directly about the three worlds in one. There he calls the first the fire-world, originating from the centre of nature and nature originating from the desiring will. It is the dark world before the fire is ignited. The second he calls the light world, outside of nature. The third is the outer world in which we live bodily, which is both evil and good. In the letter to Caspar Lindner (12^th letter, 1621) he shortly explains what he understands as the three principles. There he sees the three worlds or the dimensions of existence, underlying all being. And there he says:

“For I saw and recognized the being of all beings, the ground and the original foundation and abyss, as well as the birth of the Holy Trinity, the descent and the origin of this world and all creatures through divine wisdom. I recognized and saw in me all three worlds, firstly the divine, angelical or paradisiacal, secondly the dark world as the primordial state of nature to the fire, and thirdly the external visible world being a procreation, or extern birth; or as a substance expressed, from both the internal, spiritual worlds. I saw and recognized the whole being in the evil and the good; and in the mutual original and existence of each of them … “[8]

In the letter 47 (about the true and false light) to Gottfried Freudenhammer and Joh. Huser; 11^th November 1623, “in which annexed table, the ground of all the mysteries of the divine manifestation is portrayed” . He gives us this table at the end and there he says the first principle is God in Wrath, the second is God in Love, and the third God in Wrath and Love (and the spoken word)[9]

But Michael Schellling[10] points to something else. In Böhme’s preface to his work De Regeneratione, or From the New Rebirth there is a list of his further works, recommended for in-depth reading. There Boehme says

“But whoever desires to explore the deep ground from which this flows, and who has the gift of reason, should read the book on the Threefold life of man: also the three books on the Incarnation and Birth of Jesus Christ; also the book of Six points; from the Mysterio Magno; Of the three worlds, as they stand in each other as one, but make three Principles, that is, three births or beginnings etc. also the book De Tribus Principiis”.

This formulation could mean, possibly, that there was a special book about the three worlds in one, now lost. Or as Schelling says: then Franckenberg’s figure is not to be seen as a compilation of Bohemian cosmology from different writings, but as a graphic implementation of this one lost work by the Gorlitz cobbler.

This should be enough documentation about the figures itself and its history of origin.

Now to the explanatory text about this Franckenberg picture in Oculus Aeternitatis, printed in Amsterdam 1677.

The printed book states that the author is Abraham von Franckenberg. But there are reasonable doubts in the learned world that he really wrote it. Sibylle Rusterholz’s thorough research[11] gives us some of the main reasons for this. First: the style of writing that we know from Franckenberg otherwise. It differs. It seems much less “learned”. Then: the view-point in chapter XV of the Oculus about the question of a geocentric contra a heliocentric model for the universe, is quite different from what we know about Franckenberg´s quite “modern” opinion, supporting both Copernicus’, Kepler’s and Boehme’s view. Also there are quite some discrepancies between what The Oculus says about the fate the soul after death and what Franckenberg says about it (even published in the same volume). But the explanation of the “Three worlds”, except what clearly is added about the non-heliocentric standpoint, is at least chiefly based on what Franckenberg must have said about it. As a possible “real” author Rusterholz propagates Georg Lorenz Seidenbecher (see above), Seidenbecher having clearly had some talks with Franckenberg himself about the figure. From old another possible author is mentioned: Boehme-friend and chiliast Paul Kaym.

The explanations of the figure show up in several chapters of the text of the Oculus, from chapter VII on. But I will give you a translation of the main two where this question is dealt with: chapter VII (where also the engraving about the three worlds was attached) and chapter XV.

Chapter VII
From the creation of heaven and earth, as also of man.

In the figure above, the 6 days of creation show themselves through the points, which are spirit and word, light and darkness. The centre A, of light, is the first point and is called the right hand of God in heaven; and the centre of darkness E gives the other point, and is called the left hand of God or God’s wrath in hell. From these points of wrath the visible world, heaven and earth are created, between light and darkness; and B is the centre of this world: This is how God started the creation of this world in the evening, namely when Lucifer was expelled from his kingdom from heaven into the extreme darkness and a great chasm was fixed between light and darkness; and right in the middle of the same chasm, where its evening ends, God started the creation, from point F to point G, where the chasm of light has its end and the day begins: and there is the first day’s work , and the extreme depth of this world, which was very dark. Now three 3 principles show: the first principle is shown by the letter F, where the outermost darkness of the infernal realm is separated. After that is the first day’s work from F to G, between light and darkness; and there is the other principle of the earthly realm: and with the letter G there is the third principle; that separates the light of the heavenly angelic world; And every principle has a conclusion or heaven out of its water. The infernal kingdom has its conclusion or heaven from its water. The infernal kingdom has its conclusion or heaven from the dark cold water of death; the earthly kingdom has its conclusion or heaven from the water of this world, from light and darkness; and the heavenly kingdom has its conclusion or heaven from the water of life.[12]

The first day or the first day’s work.

Now in the beginning when God created the world, heaven and earth, the earth was desolate and empty and it was dark in the depths and the spirit of God was hovering over the water.

And God said: let there be light! And there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then God separates the light from the darkness and calls the light day and the darkness night and then from evening and morning became the first day.

Here we see clearly from the figure that the day has its origins in the angelic heavenly realm; and the night has its origin from the infernal realm. And between day and night God made a separation of good and evil, light and darkness. For Moses does not call the night good, but calls the light good and says: and God saw that the light was good, then God separates the light from the darkness.

Because there is light and darkness in this world, it follows that heaven and hell also have an effect in this world; and man stands in the middle of the division; if he now turns against the light, he goes into the light. if he turns to the darkness, he goes into the darkness. He has for himself light and darkness, good and bad, fire and water, life and death; for this world is created from light and darkness and man is also created in his body from this world, which is subject to light and darkness so that he can be a part of it: therefore he can also enter, either into the light or into the darkness. But no angel is able to do this, because the angels are out of light and not out of darkness: Lucifer, however, established wilfully for himself the darkness, against the nature of good, so he was cast out into the darkness and sealed with a chasm that no one can come there from the light; from this can be seen that all evil comes from the devil.

Christ says: Whoever does not have, what he has shall be taken from him and given to those who have a lot: So also happened to Lucifer: For after he was rejected from heaven, he was thrown down to earth, but at that time it was not this earth as it is now, but it was the earth as part of the darkness, which was in the darkness, in which Satan is trapped; but there was still an inner spiritual earth; So that he was thrown into darkness, where there was something in it that the devil should not have; and that is why God created part of this world in the Lucifer kingdom and put man in this world who would have his place in heaven, he should also be given what God took from Lucifer in the creation of this world: and therefore Adam had not to be just a mere angel, since the angels have no access to darkness, but a man who could take in both light and darkness, thereby the great miracles of God can be recognized and revealed. But this is the greatest miracle that God for man’s sake has himself become man. This will be shown afterwards: and this should be said of the first day of creation.

The second day

The other day of creation extends from point G to A. And now God is moving with the creation into the heavenly angelic kingdom through the gap of the angelic world.And God said: Let there be a firmament between the waters and it should be a separation between the waters. Then God made the firmament and separated the water under the firmament from the water over the firmament; and so it happened. And God calls the firmament heaven. Then evening and morning became the other day.

From this we see in this figure how God made a firmament between the waters. The highest firmament is from the water of life, from the centre of the angelic kingdom which Lucifer possessed; and with that the principle of the upper water or sky of this world is made; there is a difference between the waters, namely the land of the living is the place of the dead holy souls, which rest at the right hand of God, in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live, there is the bosom of Abraham; a place of joy and comfort; a place where the souls are not touched by any torment, whereto their deeds follow, a container for the believers, a paradise and pleasure garden of God: you can see this place in this world in the place which is called the third heaven. And that should be said of the other day.

The third day

The third day’s work extends from point A to point H. And God said: Collect the water under the sky, in special places, so that one can see the dry! And so it happened: and God calls the dry earth and the collection of water sea: and God saw that it was good.

From this we see: that the water has collected under the sky: but the sky of this world meets and touches with one part the heavenly realm of joy from which the light comes; with the other part the sky of this world touches the dark water of death and the infernal realm of sadness from which the darkness comes. The waters of light and darkness flow together into a centre, in which the earth is also mixed: this is what God separates and calls the dry for earth and the water for sea; and herein is one part from light and the other part from darkness; yet the darkness was immediately swallowed or hidden by the light, like the night in the day or the blackness of the coals in the glowing fire; so the darkness did no harm to this world, because there was still something good in it that Satan should not have in the infernal kingdom, and from which he was (as said before) deprived by creation and which was given to man for possession. And God saw, that it was good.

And God spoke; let the earth grow grass and weed so that it can fertilize; and fertile trees, that everything bears fruit according to its kind and has its own seed with itself on earth! And so it happened: and the earth grew the grass and weeds, each fertilizing in its own way. And God saw that it was good, and evening and morning became a third day. These have all been good fruits from the part of the light of the heavenly angelic world that emerged from the earth, in which there was no death and dying, because the spirit is acting with the light and thus the third day is glorified with the part of the light and this effect is attributed to God. And now the effect of the word starts into darkness, with the beginning of the creation of the power of the light, the sun, moon and stars.

The fourth day

The fourth day’s work extends from point H to point I. And God said: There shall be lights in the firmament of heaven that separate day and night and give times and days and years, and are lights in the firmament of the sky that shine on earth! And so it happened: And God made two great lights, one great light that rules the day and one little light that rules the night; also stars, and put them on the firmament of the sky, that they shall shine on earth and rule on earth and rule day and night, and separate light and darkness: and God saw that it was good. Then evening and morning became the fourth day.

From this we see clearly that on the fourth day God came again to the separation point, where he divided the light and the darkness on the first day, namely the heavenly angelic light from the hellish devilish darkness: And the fourth Day he now separates, opposite to the first day, the earthly light from earthly darkness. Which earthly light should be ruled by the sunlight and shine and create times, years and days on earth. So we see that the sun, moon and stars are only created lights in this world, which have to start with time and end again with time, and can in no way grasp eternity, neither belong to heaven nor to hell, but are put on the firmament of the sky, from which matter they are undoubtedly created, so that they shine as long as time lasts, and separate day and night; give signs, times, day and night and years. Because without such lights we would have no time, because they themselves are the time and make the time so that day and night can be distinguished, that one knows how to tell about years and days; and they affect the time in all creatures, how long they grow, bloom and bear fruit, rise and fall, live and die, how much time concerns their life; astronomy and astrology and their art are based on this. As from this, the naturalists explore what the time, place, nature and quality of each thing is, why and where one loves or the other hates, builds and breaks. Likewise, the medics recognize the herbal powers and medicines from this, how they work. Because from such lights in the firmament of the sky all arts on earth arise, whatever they are called; because they all must be learned from this school, which is but vain and transient anyhow, because they come from the origin of time and pass away again with time; there are only earthly plants, which will come and go and are of use to man, or may also be harmful in this earthly-temporal life, which will soon also perish and end: Because whether for joy or suffering, it is only temporal. Therefore, every man who wants to be blessed and live forever should not pay attention to such earthly-temporal and transient-vain things, rather avoid them and seek heavenly things that will last forever. Since man is not at home in this world of time, but in a foreign country, and right at the dividing point where light and darkness separate from each other, between heaven and hell. Whereto his will works, he will get there; he must come to eternity, be it in heaven or hell, in the hour and moment when his separation comes, separating his body and soul from each other, he must go away and go to the place where he remains eternally. If he wants to obey God’s will with his will, he will have heavenly joy with God in heaven. If he obeys the devil’s will with his will, he will suffer hellish pain with the devil in hell: and so much can be said of the fourth day.

The fifth day

The fifth day’s work extends from point I to point E. And God said: The water is to be vivified with living and moving animals. And with birds that fly on earth and under the firmament of the sky. And God created great whales and all kinds of animals, that live and move and are enlivened by the water, each in its own way; and God saw that it was good: evening and morning became the fifth day.

This day God moved with his creation into the infernal kingdom, into the darkness, through the chasm right into the centre of the this same kingdom, which is called the left hand of God, and created the creatures out of the water, which are watery and airy in nature. These creatures have their departure, by their body, from the realm of darkness, from the good part, which Satan had not been worthy to possess, such has been withdrawn from him through the creation of this world and was given to man, to possess it and rule over.

The sixth day

The sixth day’s work stretches from point E to point F. And God said: The earth shall bring forth living animals, each according to its kind, beasts, worms and animals on earth, each according to its kind! And so it happened. And God saw, that it was good.

And here, too, the good from darkness has been withdrawn from Satan, that he should not have it, and it was given to man to possess and rule, which animals are earthly and fiery in nature: and from this we see and recognize: why primarily herbs and trees have special powers which serve human health and why they are of so noble a nature: for they are created on the third day, through the effect of the spirit, from the essence of the light angelic world; just as the power of perfect gold is heavenly because there is light and life in it: and likewise in the precious stones. The fish and birds, however, and the animals on earth, have their origins in the body from darkness, and yet they are all well created, although darkness is hidden in the good. Because if they had not been created out of darkness, Satan would not have had access to the serpent to speak through it.

With this God has now made a full circle and united the end with the beginning, and so heaven and earth are contained in the whole circle and the building of this world has been made and completed.

Now God goes to the centre of this world. And God said: let us make men, an image that is the same as us; so they rule over fish in the sea, over the birds under the sky and over the beasts, and over the whole earth and over all the worms that crawl on earth.

If man were to be created as an image of God that is equal to God, he would have to be created as a triune being like God, because God is a personal God and Lord, who has spirit and word with him, by which word he has created all things, and all things in this world are threefold, because every thing has a burning sulphur, water and salt; or a body, a mind and a soul: And so man must also have body, soul and spirit and be a triune being; and this not only earthly alone, but its best part had to be from God’s own being; for if man should rule over birds and animals, he must also be of the same kind and of such a being and matter that would be able to rule over the minor, just as a bee king is the first of their beings, hence the other bees obey and are obedient. Therefore the text says: And God created man in his image, in his image God created him, and he created a man and woman; then evening and morning became the sixth day.

So we see that man was created last from the centre of this world, in which place the forces of heaven and hell, light and darkness flow together; and at the same point man is appointed as a lord to rule this world. Because in this figure it can be clearly seen that the heart of man is placed in the centre of this world, in the middle of the cross, which is the turning point of heaven and hell, light and darkness; and at the same point it is the beginning and the end. And God said to them: Be fertile and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish in the sea, over the birds under the sky and over all animals on earth. So heaven and earth were completed with all their host.

About paradise

Here it is particularly and well to be noted that Moses did not want to put paradise, which is God’s pleasure garden, under the work of the creation of the six days, for it was created earlier than this world; likewise he does not want to add man’s soul to the work of creation, for it is not created, but breathed into man´s nostrils by God ; therefore, when Moses ended his first chapter about creation, he later reports in the next chapter about man’s soul and paradise and says: And God the Lord made man out of a lump of earth and blew into his nostrils a living breath and so man became a living soul. So we see that God has taken an earthly lump and made it out of the centre, in which all powers have an influence, and made Adam’s body out of it; but Adam’s soul is neither from heaven nor from hell nor from the world, but from the breath of God himself; why should not God´s equivalent by immortal? Why shouldn’t God love men then and make them take part in his benefits, because they are out of his breath?

Moses went on to say: And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden towards morning and put the man he had made in it.

So we also see that God did not create paradise on earth, but it is the pleasure garden of God in heaven, which he planted as a garden of heavenly plants on earth, in the land of Eden, in the place where Babylon is now. Such a garden is, as reported, a planting from the pleasure garden in the angelic world, which Lucifer possessed and in the same pleasure garden God has put man to try and test him through two trees as to whether man wanted to be obedient to God; or whether he wanted to turn away from him. If he had been obedient to God, he would have been a king and lord in the angelic world; but if he were disobedient, it would be necessary for God to be king in such a realm, because otherwise it would not be possible for any other creature. But when man had fallen, paradise was broken away from the earth again and put there, where it had been before the world was created, as afterwards will be be reported.

About the seventh day

So heaven and earth were completed, with all their host; and so on the seventh day God completed his works, which he made, and rested on the seventh day from all his works, and blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because he had rested on it from all his works, that God had created and made.

From this we see that God included his rest in the centre of the world, namely in the seventh day. Because God now placed man at the centre of the world as a lord of all creatures, God also included his rest in the centre of man’s heart; in it God wants to rest in man and man should rest in God and that is why God has sanctified the seventh day and commanded to sanctify the Sabbath day so that beasts should also have their rest on the seventh day. If the Sabbath were not in the heart of man, it would not be possible to keep the Sabbath and God would not have rest in man either.

The age and Sabbath of this world

Just as man is a small world, that he should work six days and rest on the seventh day, according to the similarity with God who also worked six days and rested on the seventh: so the great world should also work six days and on the seventh day have its rest; and its Sabbath should last for 1000 years, as every working day in the big world means 1000 years. Thus, without changing time into more or less, the world had to exist no less than 6,000 years in its work and 1000 years in rest, and afterwards it should burn and flee from God’s face and nothing further should take place; for it was created for the sake of man that it would deprive Lucifer of what he still had in darkness and give it to man, and that man would bring it into its centre and bring it back to the heavenly kingdom: and these are the deeds that are written about which follow them. (NB. Here a door is opened to us to see why so many people are condemned without God’s fault, which is revealed from the hellish principle. But because God has commanded to explore how to be saved and not to look at the damned to worry, they are left to the judgment of God.). And man should possess the kingdom from which Lucifer was expelled. But Christ, who is also a true man and true God, will be the king of men because he redeems people through his suffering and all believers have their being in him, which is why nothing more is necessary afterwards to the world.

The certainty of the 6 days or 6,000 years of work in the world would be self-evident but was also announced by the prophets, so that we should know. Because as we can clearly see in the figure, each day has a certain measured seize, none bigger than the other, and divides the circle in 6 equal parts, as far as one part stands from the other, so far they stand apart from the centre and middle in which the Sabbath is placed; and they all flow with everything that God has created or made into the Sabbath in the middle of the turning point: there are two gates open, one to heaven, the other to hell. In the middle of one gate God has his chair and his rest; in the other Satan has his chair among the children of the unbelieving, that is why time cannot increase or decrease, because it is in its order and God is a god of order, so after the good will of God, time will not be longer or shorter but surely reach its measured goal. And it is also not necessary that the godless days should be shortened so that they are no longer so tyrannical; for the creature cannot rush the creator who has previously considered, counted, measured and weighed all things, therefore the world must stand its time and no longer; because against God’s will there can be nothing done, he who wants each thing to achieve its specific goal and not any further.

Chapter XV
How this world understands three principles or beginnings; that three worlds are in one world! And when this world passes, then also three worlds in one world and at the same time three heavens pass. Also whether the sun moves around the earth, or the earth moves around the sun.

The Holy Scripture calls it a heaven where there is a special principle, or separation and beginning of a thing; as Moses says: In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Here we hear that in the beginning God created Heaven and earth, that there was one in the other that was in need of separation, namely of light and darkness because it was dark in the depths of this world; therefore it is wise enough that the depth and the darkness have been in this world, and still are, in which the wicked will be kept until the day of judgment. Though the Spirit of God was hovering over the water; of that water a conclusion and special principle were made afterwards, and called heaven; and this heaven is also in this world in which the faithful souls are kept until the resurrection of the righteous. And this deep darkness and the earth, which was desolate and empty, but afterwards made fertile, and the water over which hovers the spirit of God, from which water a heaven has been made, in which the light dwells, that is all together this world and this earth and this heaven, which must pass again at the end of time. And whereas it is all one world now that should not be in the curse for more than 6000 years and the blessing of a Sabbath for 1000 years until afterwards it will pass again and become a new heaven and earth: yet separation in three ways and characteristics in this world is in such a way that one can say with truth, there are three worlds in one world, namely:

One: a world of the damned, which is a container of godless souls and extends to the centre of the abyss, also stands in the devil’s kingdom , in extreme darkness, and that is one world.

The other world is a world in which mortal men live and move with their mortal bodies, in which there is day and night, light and darkness, good and bad, in which the sun, moon and stars rise and set, and in which the creatures act.

A question arises with this realm: whether the sun moves around the earth or the earth moves around the sun? So the answer is: Since God the Almighty created this world, he has given all physical things their own centre, that they exist in themselves, are a whole being and cannot fall out of nature anywhere, in the small bodies as well as in the big ones, and the big ones as the small ones. If it is now the earth (or a star), everything has its Sabbath and rest in its centre; but its periphery moves within itself, imperceptibly; for if there were no movement in itself, there would be no life in them, but where there is life, there is also movement, because a movement makes the other active, agile and lively; with it the spiritual light-fire is lit in all things, and oil is supplied to it, that one force is transferred into the other, that is the effect of the whole nature, which stands, though in different circles and cycles, which run into each other, and one effects the other, and everything that comes from the earth rests on the earth as upon its centre. Now we see that the ground is completely still to our eyes and our feelings, and yet it has its own movement in it, that it runs out or in the centre like a wheel, otherwise it would be dead and could not bear fruit.

Man can travel in all places on earth, on water and on land, and whether he is in our country or in those countries that are opposite our feet, so one place is like the other; he always turns when he stands with his feet against the earth and with his head against heaven, for he stands in all places in the middle of the centre of the earth, and there is the centre of this world right in the middle his heart, therein is the point of the separation of light and darkness, the infernal and the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, whether he travels the length and width of the entire ground, he cannot get away from the ground. He is at the centre of everything in himself. So all bodies that are outside the other body’s centre, move in their own centre, in themselves, and the other bodies are the same, as in a wide circle that moves around it and that is why the sun, the moon and stars rise and set for the earth, one moves around the other like big wheels, each according to its order, and the sun is the heart and king in the middle of this star world. If man stood upon the sun or any other star, he would not feel different than if he stood on earth, the sun would stand still because the sun and all the stars rest in their own centre, so that it will not evade anywhere, like the earth, and yet move within them imperceptibly, like the earth; otherwise they would have no life in them. And if man stood upon the sun, it would stand quite still for him, and the earth would move in a wide circle around the sun, going up and down. So every star has its centre and its outer movement within itself, so it is not necessary that the sun should move 1000 times 1000 miles around the earth in 24 hours or during day and night, as little as the earth is allowed to move 1000 times 1000 miles around the sun. The sun nevertheless rises and sets for the earth, so that day and night are separate, however it is not a quick imposed bustle, as reason tells, because nature works very gently in all things that it is not necessary to bustle so much, otherwise the creatures would be swept away by the powerful bustle with all might and even be crushed so nothing could exist in itself, nor would anything be able to grow, because growth is gentle and mild and the depth of this world cannot be fathomed by reason; and because reason partly sees this and partly does not see it, manifold speculation is the result. Much quarrel and dispute follows. One part wants the sun to stand still; the other part wants the earth to stand still; the third part wants neither the earth nor the sun to stand still. Each part proves their opinion with strong reasons, because all their opinions are true and not true; because the understanding will be according to each person´s good sense. But if man could learn to recognize how he has the centre of all things in himself; that he is the centre of this world, there would be no argument about such things. The one who has a true knowledge of nature, the question is answered sufficiently, and he can put the earth to the centre of this world appropriately, or the sun, it does not matter for him, and there is no mistake in this . Because near and far, present and future is one in God, according to the same powers he created these bodies and they are near and far, and show present and future, earthly reason does not understand this, but the spirit fathoms it easily and removes all quarrels because it has seeing eyes.

The third world is a world of dead, just souls, which extends to the centre of the angelic world and also stands in the light angelic world, in which there is no darkness; therefore in truth there are three worlds in this world, which is called heaven and earth, or 3 special principles and firmaments which are called heaven, as Moses says: God separates the light from the darkness and calls the light day and darkness night: evening and morning became the first day. Now it is evident from all of Scripture that Satan is a lord of darkness as far as night is concerned; but not of light, for he is expelled from light; that is why all three principles are distinguished here, namely the one in which Satan is Lord, indicated by the night; the other is the sun-world, represented by the day, in which man is a master. The third Moses shows who he is saying: God said: Let there be a firmament between the waters; Then God makes the firmament and separates the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament. From this it can be seen that between the water below the firmament and the water above the firmament a special place remains, which differs from the place under the firmament. And God called the firmament heaven; then evening and morning became the other day. This firmament, which is called heaven, is also a place in this world, which the dead righteous souls occupy, which extends to the centre of the angelic world, a Kingdom which Lucifer possessed: in the same kingdom Christ is Lord and King and is the paradise and the third world, or the third heaven. The first heaven contains the outer darkness, the place of the damned souls, the land of the dead and darkness. The other heaven is this sun-world, in which all people are born, good and bad. The third heaven is the bright world of joy, the land of the living whereto all just souls depart. But when this world passes, so do these 3 heavens or firmaments with it, namely 1. this sun-world; 2. the dark place of the damned 3. the light place of the just souls, or the land of the living.

But the kingdom of Lucifer, which he possessed before the fall and which stands in eternal light, will remain and will be a heavenly Jerusalem, an eternal dwelling place of the blessed, which will be and will remain forever. And there, after the judgment is held, Christ will give the kingdom to his father; for afterwards there is no longer any need for a valiant hero, there is no longer a need for a judge; there will be no petitioner, no fighter, no more disobedient, the enemies are all gone; the last enemy was death, and it was thrown into the fiery pool; the world of time has ceased and has passed, that is why the son is subject to his heavenly Father, together with all holy angels and men, so that God is all in all.
The abyss in which Lucifer was cast out from the heaven of the angelic kingdom will also remain, it is a fiery pool, hell and eternal prison of the devil, death and all the damned; there will be his eternal pain and eternal death and there is no hope of salvation from this forever.

Christine Eike

Version from the “Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians.”

Translation copyright to Christine Eike, 2020.

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[1] You can find the original text here: https://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/fs1/object/display/bsb10262654_00001.html.

This printed book, Amsterdam 1677, names Abraham Franckenberg as the author, but this authorship is not certain, as will be elaborated on later.

[2] Abraham von Franckenberg, Oculus Aeternitatis … With two useful tables belonging to it, Amsterdam, H. Betke, 1677, p. 10 (of the last treatise): ‘The table of the threefold world belongs to p. 58; Hertzenspiegel zu p. 165 ‘. Page 58, by the way, is right in front of chapter VII, trasnslated in this blog. Not all copies today include this figure, but it is definitely part of the copy of the Bavarian State Library Munich.

[3] ‘Figura triplicis mundi a se inventa, Norimbergae impressa’, cf. Abraham von Franckenberg, correspondence. Ed. J. Telle, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt 1995, 361.

[4] Johann Georg Gichtel: Theosophia practica part 5, fourth letter. See https://reader.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb10262999_00024.html?contextType=scan&contextSort=score%2Cdescending&contextRows=10&zoom=0.6500000000000001&context=Franckenberg

[5] Also this shows up in the copy of the Bavarian State Library Munich.

[6] Michael Schilling: Flugblätter religiöser Dissidenten in der Frühen Neuzeit. In: Literatur und Praktische Vernunft, Berlin-Boston 2016. Note 49. The etching itself is probably by David Tscherning.

[7] Ibid. page 79

[8] The original text one can find here https://archive.org/details/theosophiarevela06bohm/page/n9/mode/2up

[9] Ibid

[10] Flugblätter see noe footnote 6, page 80

[11] Rusterholz, Sibylle : Abraham von Franckenbergs Verhältnis zu Jacob Böhme. Versuch einer Neubestimmung aufgrund kritischer Sichtung der Textgrundlagen. In Garber, Klaus (red.): Kulturgeschichte Schlesiens in der Frühen Neuzeit, Nürnberg 2005

[12] The numbering of the principles does not match with the plate / figure that was attached to the book, principle 2 and 3 have swapped place in this text.