A Pansophic Diagram of Light and Darkness
In this article Christine Eike provides an excellent overview of a forgotten Rosicrucian diagram during the early Pansopher movement. Christine is an excellent writer and with this article she makes her first blog post here, one of many we hope.
Abraham von Franckenberg (1593 – 1652) was a Silesian mystic, Boehmenist and pansopher. In 1651 his Sphaera mystica was published with three interesting emblems accompanied by a text in Latin. Here is an English translation of the text to Figura III
Redrawn by Stephen Murtaugh from the original
Abraham von Franckenberg: Sphaera mystica sive Speculum 1651 Figure III
Translation of the Latin:
The epistle of St. Paul to the Philippines chapter 2 verses 10 and 11
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Epilogue
And this is, oh mortals! the clear mirror of universal nature and art in the dark, on the horizon of the soul, up to the sun of justice, to be examined wisely by the the simple eye of the mind.
Thus to contemplate the genuine and original face of the unadorned truth in it, and in wonder and admiration the kind of its beauty, at the same time to convert the whiteness and beauty into the interior of the soul.
For thus, in fact, from high heaven will lower itself
descending to you, the divine γνῶθι σεαυτόν know thyself.
This is not exactly by your good merit, on earth you were once a mortal man; now by the holy task of Christ you will soon in heaven be almost an immortal God, seeing and living God and the universes, with God unto the ages, happy and glorious.
Thus
If you believe, you are elect.
If you withdraw, you are exiled (banned)
Because outside, there are impure dogs
but on the inside
there are sincere sons of thanks and wisdom.
For which reason
This one but repentance and entrance;
that one but sorrow and evading.
There, where
Above,
Light without a veil; peace without discord;
Love without hate.
Below.
Night without a beam of light; a cross without consolation;
Pain without joy;
In both cases eternity without an end.
Just like the righteous ones
will shine and rejoice for ever and ever (unto the ages of ages)
in the kingdom of light and its father;
the godless ones, on the contrary,
will lie and whine in the pool of fire and sulphur, for ever and ever,
Oh joys of heaven!
Oh torments of the underworld!
Oh, eternity endless!
For ever
and ever,
How great the duration of this, how great!
To be hoped for by the good!
As much as to be dreaded by the evil ones.
Consider these ! and with you,
dwell
known to you, given to God.
(Figure III regards this) in which the mystery
of eternity is seen.
Figure III Epilogue
Everywhere heaven
Love
Peace
Light
Of the Lamb
Without end
For ever and ever
Revelation 22.5 (And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever).
Without end
Of the he-goat (of the beast)
Night
Cross
Pain
Everywhere inferno
For ever and ever
Revelation 20.10 (And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever).
By Christine Eike
