The Rainbow
The Confessions of Jacob Boehme
Extract from the introduction, and quote from ‘The Confessions’ below taken from the book.
According to Boehme, all life is derived from a generative process derived from the ‘first Principle’ or Godhead Itself. According to Boehme, evil is attributed to the energy of negation (‘separation’), representing the principle of contradiction in God. Consequently, in Boehme’s metaphysics, two opposing actions from the Divine Unity coexist simultaneously. These actions manifest as darkness and light. The coexistence of good and evil, truth and falsity, creates a desire in man to choose between good and evil. The term ‘evil’ can be understood as any force working against the will of God. Boehme personifies this as the Devil, but truthfully, it is an aspect of the forces that drive the manifestation of nature. While we can distinguish between good and evil, Boehme believed that at the Fall of Adam, he lost complete free will, and what remained of it could be influenced by the good or bad spiritual intelligence hidden in the elements.
“The sensation I had was of a fiery love arising within me, rekindling the bitter, astringent, cold, dark, and dead powers I have and enveloping me in the most caring and loving way. I have always had to fight my inner demons every hour of every day. I sometimes get the better of them, and they of me. Yet even when they get the upper hand, they cannot fully overcome me because when I fall, the power of God within makes me stand up again and fight. Occasionally, the demons take a hit, and they lose a fight. They must all be defeated for the gate to be opened in my spirit so I can see the divine being inside my heart and learn from its wisdom. When this happens, my mind and senses are suddenly illuminated, and the spirit within pauses to reflect. God created people like angels and the seven spirits; occasionally, his divine power manifests itself in them. If it materialises, our corrupted nature cannot comprehend it. The spirit within bursts like a lightning bolt and cannot be contained in the flesh. Like lightning, it ascends to the brain through the seven spirits which flash and strike my heart. I feel the Deity’s presence in that Light as though he is all about me.In this condition, the Spirit of God discerns the depth of my heart. I firmly believe and trust in God because of the assurances my inner spirit has given me. I would never be able to accept this work, much less grasp it, even if an angel from heaven had appeared and told me of it. I would always have questioned whether it was true and happened. Yet I am sure of it because the Sun-like Light of my spirit rises within me.”
Text © M.R Osborne / Ninaki’s Highlights 2025
link to book: https://mrosborne.org/books/the-rainbow-a-layman-s-guide-to-managing-spiritual-crisis-with-the-confessions-of-jacob-boehme-m-r-osborne/9781068400803
