Modlitwy Nad Jeziorem

8/13/2019 Modlitwy Nad Jeziorem

1/246

I

Who is that staring at me through all the stars inheaven and all the creatures on earth?

Cover your eyes, stars and creatures; do not lookupon my nakedness. Shame torments me enoughthrough my own eyes.

What is there for you to see? A tree of life that has

been reduced to a thorn on the road, that pricks bothitself and others. What else e!cept a heavenly flameimmersed in mud, a flame that neither gives light norgoes out?

"lowmen, it is not your plowing that matters but the

#ord who watches.Singers, it is not your singing that matters but the#ord who listens.

Sleepers, it is not your sleeping that matters but the#ord who wakens.

$t is not the pools of water in the rocks around thelake that matter but the lake itself.

What is all human time but a wave that moistens theburning sand on the shore, and then regrets that itleft the lake, because it has dried up?


2/246

% stars and creatures, do not look at me with youreyes but at the #ord. &e alone sees. #ook at &im and

you will see yourselves in your homeland.What do you see when you look at me? A picture ofyour e!ile? A mirror of your fleeting transitoriness?

% #ord, my beautiful veil, embroidered with golden

seraphim, drape over my face like a veil over the faceof a widow, and collect my tears, in which the sorrowof all 'our creatures seethes.

% #ord, my beauty, come and visit me, lest $ beashamed of my nakedness(lest the many thirstyglances that are falling upon me return home thirsty.II

Who put me in this bed of worms? Who buried me inthe dust, to become a neighbor of snakes and aban)uet for worms?

Who pushed me off the high mountain, to become acompanion of bloodthirsty and godless men?

*y sin and 'our +ustice, % #ord. *y sin stretches fromthe creation of the world, and it is swifter than 'our

+ustice.


3/246

$ count my sins throughout my entire life, throughoutthe life of my father and all the way back to thebeginning of the world, and $ say -ruly, the name of

the #ord s +ustice is mercy.$ bear the wounds of my fathers on myself woundsthat $ myself was preparing while $ was still in myfathers(and now they have all appeared on my soul,like a spotted hide on a giraffe, like a cloak of vicious

scorpions that sting me.&ave mercy on me, % #ord, open the floodgate of theheavenly river of 'our grace, and cleanse me ofleprous evil, so that without this leprosy $ may dare toproclaim 'our name before the other lepers withoutthem ridiculing me.

At least raise me up by a head above the rottenstench of this bed of worms, to inhale the incense ofheaven and return to life.

At least raise me up as high as a palm tree so $ canlaugh at the serpents chasing my heels.

% #ord, if there has been even one good deed in thecourse of my earthly +ourney, for the sake of that onedeed deliver me from the companionship ofbloodthirsty and godless men.

% #ord, my hope in despair.


4/246

% #ord, my strength in weakness.

% #ord, my light in darkness."lace +ust one finger on my forehead and $ shall beraised. %r, if $ am too unclean for 'our finger, let asingle ray of light from 'our kingdom shine upon meand raise me raise me, from this bed of worms, % my

beloved #ord.III

Are there days gone by, % man, to which you wouldwish to return? -hey all attracted you like silk, andnow remain behind you like a cobweb. #ike honey

they greeted you, like stench you bade them farewell. All were totally filled with illusion and sin.

See how all the pools of water in the moonlightresemble mirrors; and how all the days that were litup with your levity resemble mirrors. /ut as youstepped from one day to the ne!t, the false mirrorscracked like thin ice, and you waded through thewater and mud.

Can a day that has a morning and an evening asdoorways be a day?

% luminous #ord, my soul is burdened with illusions


5/246

and longs for one day(for the day without doorways,the day from which my soul has departed and sunkinto the shifting shadows(for 'our day, which $ used

to call my day, when $ was one with 'ou.$s there any happiness gone by, % man, to which youwould wish to return?

%f two morsels of the same sweetness the second is

the more trite. 'ou would turn your head away inboredom from yesterday s happiness, if it were set outon today s table.

*oments of happiness are given to you only in orderto leave you longing for tme happiness in the bosomof the everhappy #ord; and ages of unhappiness aregiven to you, to waken you out of the drowsy dreamof illusions.

% #ord, #ord, my only happiness, will 'ou provideshelter for 'our in+ured pilgrim?

% #ord, my ageless youth, my eyes shall bathe in 'ouand shine more radiantly than the sun.

'ou carefully collect the tears of the righteous, andwith them 'ou re+uvenate worlds.IV


6/246

*y elders taught me, when $ was a youth, to cling toheaven and earth, lest $ stumble. 0or a long time $remained a child, and for a long time $ used to lean

on the crutch that they gave me./ut once eternity flooded through me and $ felt like astranger in the world, heaven and earth snapped intwo in my hands like a frail reed.

% #ord, my strength, how frail are heaven and earth1-hey look like palaces built of lead, but theyevaporate like water in the palm of the hand in 'ourpresence. %nly by their bristling do they conceal theirfrailty, and frighten uneducated children.

2et out of my sight, suns and stars. Sunderyourselves from the earth. 3o not entice me, womenand friends. What help can $ receive from you, whoare helplessly growing old and sinking into the grave?

All your gifts are an apple with a worm in its core. Allyour potions have passed through someone s entrailsmany times. 'our garments are a cobweb that mynakedness mocks. 'our smiles are a proclamation ofsorrow, in which your feebleness is screaming to minefor help.

% #ord, my strength, how feeble heaven and earthare1 And all the evil that men do under heaven is anadmission of feebleness and(infirmity.


7/246

%nly someone strong dares to do good. %nlysomeone who is nourished and watered with 'ou, my

strength, is filled with strength for goodness.%nly someone who sleeps in 'our heart knows rest.%nly someone who plows before 'our feet will en+oythe fruit of his labors.

*y childhood, nourished with fear and ignorance,came to an end; and my hope in heaven and earthvanished. 4ow $ only ga5e at 'ou and cling to 'ourga5e in return, % my cradle and my resurrection.

V

6ust a little longer and my +ourney will end. 7eep meon the steep path to 'ou +ust a little longer, %Con)ueror of death; because the higher $ climbtowards 'ou, the more people try to drag me down(into their abyss. -he fuller their abyss becomes, thegreater their hope is of defeating 'ou. $n truth, thefuller the abyss becomes, the further away from theabyss 'ou are.

&ow stupid the servants of the tree of knowledge are1-hey do not measure their strength in 'ou, but intheir numbers. -hey do not adopt a law of +ustice in

'our name, but by their numbers. Whichever way thema+ority of them choose is the way of truth and


8/246

+ustice. -he tree of knowledge has become the tree ofcrime, stupidity, and icy darkness.

-ruly, the knowledgeable men of this world knoweverything e!cept that they are servants of Satan.When the last day dawns, Satan will re+oice in thenumber of people in his harvest. All the meager earsof grain1 /ut in his stupidity, even Satan counts on)uantity rather than )uality. %ne of 'our ears of grain

will be worth more than the entire harvest of Satan.0or 'ou, % Con)ueror of death, rely on the fullness ofthe bread of life, and not on numbers.

$n vain $ tell the godless 8&ead for the -ree of #ifeand you will know more than you could possibly wishto know. 0rom the tree of knowledge Satan fashions aladder for you to descend into the nether world.9

-he godless ridicule me and say 8-hrough the -ree of#ife you want to convert us to your 2od, whom we donot see.9

$n truth, you will never see &im. -he #ight that evenblinds the eyes of the seraphim will bum your pupilsforever.

%f all that thrives in the putrescence of the earth,those who believe in 2od are the rarest. % lake andmountain, help me to be glad that $, too, am

+ourneying with these most rare, most unlearned, and


9/246

most despised believers.

6ust a little longer, brethren, and our +ourney will end.

Sustain us +ust a little longer, % Con)ueror of death. VI

%nto your knees, generations and nations, before thema+esty of 2od1 'ou are )uick to fall down on yourknees before your bandit leaders, yet you hesitate tofall down on them before the feet of the Almighty1

'ou say 8Will the #ord really punish us who are sosmall? $f &e had made us bigger and stronger, then&e would punish us. /ut as it is, take a look(we arescarcely any taller than a thorn bush along the road

compared to the roaring universe around us, yet doyou threaten us with punishment by %ne who isincomparably greater than we are?9

0ools1 When your bandit leaders summon you to evilthat even causes the universe to tremble, you still say

that you are too small. 'ou e!cuse yourselves byreason of smallness or weakness only when it comesto performing illustrious deeds.

:ven if you are small in your own eyes, you arerecorded in the book of fate under a great name. 'our

forefather Adam used to have the greatness of anarchangel and used to glisten with an angelic


10/246

countenance. -herefore, either the reward of anarchangel or the punishment of an archangel isdesignated for you.

When the desire of your forefather creeps into yourheart without a sound, the desire to know creationwithout the Creator, his archangelic countenancedarkens like the earth, and his greatness cmmblesinto trifles(into you, his seed. 0or he wishes to know

trifles and to cmmble into trifles, so that he mightenter into the trifles, taste them, and test them.

All trifles, all trivial trivia, most come together andturn their face from the earth to the Creator, so thatyour archangelic forefather may be established onceagain and so that his face may shine once again withthe radiance of a mirror turned toward the sun.

% my #ord and my Creator, establish man as 'ou firstcreated him. -his sort of man is not 'our work. -hissort of man created himself. &is name is disease(how was there ever disease in 'our hands? &is nameis fear(how could fear have ever come from the0earless %ne? &is name is malevolence (how couldmalevolence ever have come from the /enevolent%ne?

0ill me with 'ourself, % my health; fill me with youreternal matinal light, and make disease, fear, andmalevolence evaporate out of me even as a marsh


11/246

evaporates in the presence of the sun and istransformed into a fertile field1

VII

Would that $ could make musicians out of stone, anddancers out of the sand of the lake, and minstrels outof the leaves of all the trees in the mountains, so thatthey might help me glorify the #ord and so that thevoice of the earth might be heard amidst the choirs of

angels1

-he sons of men gorge themselves at the table of theabsent *aster, and do not sing for anyone e!ceptthemselves and their mouthfuls, which musteventually return to the earth.

:!ceedingly sad is the blindness of the sons of men,who do not see the power and glory of the #ord. Abird lives in the forest, and does not see the forest. Afish swims in the water, and does not see the water. Amole lives in the earth, and does not see the earth. $ntruth, the similarity of man to birds, fish, and moles ise!ceedingly sad.

"eople, like animals, do not pay attention to whate!ists in e!cessive abundance, but only open theireyes before what is rare or e!ceptional.

-here is too much of 'ou, % #ord, my breath,


12/246

therefore people do not see 'ou. 'ou are too obvious,% #ord, my sighing, therefore the attention of peopleis diverted from 'ou and directed toward polar bears,

toward rarities in the distance. 'ou serve 'our servants too much, my sweetfaithfulness, therefore 'ou are sub+ected to scorn. 'ourise to kindle the sun over the lake too early, thereforesleepyheads cannot bear 'ou. 'ou are too 5ealous in

lighting the vigil lamps in the firmament at night, myunsurpassed 5eal, and the la5y heart of people talksmore about an indolent servant than about 5eal.

% my love, would that $ could motivate all theinhabitants of the earth, water, and air to hum a hymnto 'ou1 Would that $ could remove leprosy from theface of the earth and turn this wanton world back intothe sort of virgin that 'ou created1

-ruly, my 2od, 'ou are +ust as great with or withoutthe world.

'ou are e)ually great whether the world glorifies 'ouor whether the world blasphemes 'ou. /ut when theworld blasphemes 'ou, 'ou seem even greater in theeyes of 'our saints.

VIII

Worlds swarm around 'ou, like bees around a cherry


13/246

tree in blossom. %ne world pushes the other aside;one contests the patrimony of the other; one looksupon the other as an intruder in his home. All claim a

greater right to 'ou than 'ou 'ourself do.0rom the effusion of 'our fullness swarms arenourished, % ine!haustible Sweetness. All overeat,and all go away hungry.

%f all the swarms the human swarm leaves the mosthungry. 4ot because 'ou did not have food for men,% *aster, but because they fail to recogni5e theirnourishment, and so they contend with caterpillars forthe same foliage.

/efore all creatures, and before all time and sorrow. 'ou, % #ord, formed man in 'our heart. 'ou conceivedof man first, even though 'ou manifested him last inthe rosaries of creation(even as a gardener thinksabout the blooming of a rose all the time he is diggingand planting the dry rose stems even as a buildere!periences the +oy of the domes while planning achurch, even though he builds them last.

'ou gave birth to man in 'our heart, before 'oubegan creating.&elp my mortal tongue to name this man, thisradiance of 'our glory, this song of 'our blessedness.Should $ call him the ltimate *an? 0or +ust as &ewas contained in 'our heart, so also was all the


14/246

manifested world, including man and the heralds ofman, contained in &is mind.

And no one knows the 0ather e!cept the Son, nordoes anyone know the Son e!cept the 0ather.< 'ouwere like nirvana,9 % #ord, until the Son wasconceived within 'ou, 'ou were without number orname.

&ow shall $ magnify 'ou in the midst of a swarm ofhungry caterpillars, which one wind blows onto theblossoming cherry tree and another blows off, andwhose entire lifetime is spent between two winds?

% #ord, my dream day and night, help me to magnify 'ou, so that nothing may become great in my hearte!cept 'ou.

#et all creatures magnify 'ou, % #ord, lest they makethemselves great instead of 'ou.

-ruly, 'ou are e!ceedingly great, % #ord, would thatall our hymns could make 'ou greater1

:ven when all the swarms of insects are blown off theblossoming cherry tree, the cherry tree remains thesame in its ma+esty and vernal beauty.

====================


15/246


16/246

All &oly Spirit, the Son was begotten. -his is thebegetting of 2od from above.

As above, so below(the ancients used to say. Whathappened in heaven happened also on earth. Whathappened in eternity happened also in time.

'ou are dear to me, my love, because 'ou are amystery to me. :very love burns without burning out

as long as the mystery lasts. *ystery revealed is loveburned out. $ promise myself to 'ou with eternal loveeven as 'ou pledge 'ourself to me with eternalmystery.

'ou have clothed 'ourself with seven heavens; 'ouhave hidden 'ourself too deep for any eyes. $f all thesuns were to merge into a single eye, they would beunable to burn through all 'our veils. 'ou have notconcealed 'ourself intentionally, % 2reat #ord, butbecause of our imperfection. A divided and dissectedcreature does not see 'ou. 'ou are unhidden only toone who has become one with 'ou. 'ou are unhiddenonly to one for whom the wall between 8$9 and 8'ou9has been ra5ed.

% #ord, my soul s most cherished mystery, how lightthis world is, when $ weigh it on a scale with 'ou1

%n one side of the scale is a lake of molten gold, andon the other a cloud of smoke.


17/246


18/246

-ruly $ say to you the father of these thoughts is the All &oly Spirit, and their mother survives as the virgincorner of your soul, where the All &oly Spirit still

dares to enter.-hus every wisdom in heaven and on earth isbegotten of the irgin and the All &oly Spirit. -he All&oly Spirit hovered over the chastity of the firsthypostasis, and the ltimate *an, the Wisdom of

2od, was begotten.What the chastity of the 0ather is in heaven, thevirginity of the *other is on earth. What the action ofthe &oly Spirit is in heaven, &is action is on earth.What the begetting of wisdom is in heaven, thebegetting of wisdom is on earth.

% my soul, my eternal surprise1 What happened oncein heaven and once on earth must happen to you. 'oumust become a virgin, so that you can conceive theWisdom of 2od. 'ou must be a virgin, so that theSpirit of 2od may fall in love with you. All the miraclesin heaven and on earth originate from the irgin andthe Spirit.

A virgin gives birth to creative wisdom. A wantonwoman creates barren knowledge. %nly a virgin cansee truth, while a wanton woman can only recogni5ethings.

% triune #ord, cleanse the vision of my soul, and bow


19/246


20/246

'our hypostases were the truth within 'ou, for it wasimpossible for them not to be in 'ou. /ut they did notrecogni5e one another, for they were unconscious of

their diversity. $n a second eternity 'ou were in 'ourmatinal blessedness, and the three hypostasesrecogni5ed themselves as such.

-he 0ather was not before the Son, nor was the Sonbefore the 0ather, nor was the All &oly Spirit before or

after the 0ather and the Son. As a man while wakingsuddenly opens both eyes at the same time, so didthe three hypostases within 'ou suddenly open at thesame time. -here is no 0ather without the Son and noSon without the &oly Spirit.

When $ lie beside my lake and sleep unconsciously,neither the power of consciousness, nor desire, noraction, die within me ( rather they all flow into oneblessed, nirvana like, indistinguishable unity.

When the sun pours out its gold over the lake, $awaken not as a nirvana like unity but as a triunity ofconsciousness, desire, and action.

-his is 'our history in my soul, % #ord, interpreter ofmy life. $s not the history of my soul the interpreter ofthe history of everything created, everything dividedand everything united? And of 'ou as well, my&omeland, my soul is(forgive me, % #ord ( theinterpreter of 'ou.


21/246

% my &omeland, save me from the assaults offoreigners upon me.

% my #ight, chase the darkness out of my blood.

% my #ife, burn up all the larvae of death in my souland my body.

XII

Anoint my heart with the oil of 'our mercy, my mostmerciful #ord.

*ay neither anger against the strong nor scorning ofthe weak ever erupt in my heart1 0or everything is

weaker than the morning dew.*ay hatred never make a nest in my heart againstthose who plot evil against me, so that $ may bemindful of their end and be at peace.

*ercifulness opens the way to the heart of allcreatures, and brings +oy. *ercilessness brings fog tothe fore, and creates a cramped isolation.

&ave mercy on 'our merciful servant, most -ender&and, and reveal to me the mystery of 'our mercy.

-he ltimate *an is the child of the 0ather s mercy


22/246

and the Spirit s light.

All creation is merely a story about &im. -he mighty

suns in the heavens and the smallest drops of waterin the lake cany in themselves one part of the storyabout &im. All the builders of heaven and earth, fromthe e!ceedingly mighty seraphim to rulers and thetiniest particle of dust, tell the very same story about&im, their fore essence and fore source.

What are all the things on the earth and the moone!cept the sun in stories? -ruly, in this way all visibleand invisible creation is the ltimate *an in stories.:ssence is simple, but there is no end or number tothe stories about essence.

*y neighbors, how can $ tell you about essence, whenyou do not even understand stories.

Ah if you only knew how great the sweetness, thee!panse, and the strength are, when one reaches thebottom of all thestories(there, where the storiesbegin and where they end. -here, where the tongueis silent and where everything is told at once1

&ow boring all the lengthy and tedious stories ofcreatures become then1 -ruly, they become +ust asboring as it is for one who is accustomed to seeinglightning to hear stories about lightning.


23/246

Deceive me into 'ourself, % %nly /egotten Son, sothat $ may be one with 'ou as $ was before creationand the 0all.

#et my long and weary story about 'ou end with amoment s vision of 'ou. #et my self deception die,that would have me think that $ am somethingwithout 'ou, that $ am something else outside of

'ou.

*y ears are stuffed with stories. *y eyes no longerseek to see any display of clothing but 'ou, myessence, overladen with stories and clothing.

XIII

'ou do not ask much of me, my love. $ndeed, peopleask more.

$ am wrapped in a thick wrapping of none!istencethat covers the eyes of my soul. 'ou only ask my soulto take off her misty wrapping and open her eyes to

'ou, my might and my truth. "eople ask my soul towrap herself more and more thickly with heavier andheavier wrappings.

% help me, help me1 &elp my soul to attain freedomand lightness, to attain lightness and aerial wings, toattain aerial wings and fiery wheels.


24/246

Stories are long, too long; the moral is short oneword. Stories spill over into stories, the way thesmooth face of my lake spills over from color to color.

Where does the colorful overflowing of the waterunder the sun end, and where does the overflowing ofstories into stories end?

Stories are long, too long; the moral is short oneword. 'ou are that word, % Word of 2od. 'ou are the

moral of all stories.What the stars write across heaven, the grasswhispers on earth. What the water gurgles in the sea,fire rumbles beneath the sea. What an angel sayswith his eyes, the imam shouts from his minaret.What the past has said and fled, the present is sayingand fleeing.

-here is one essence for all things; there is one moralfor all stories. -hings are tales of heaven. 'ou are themeaning of all tales. Stories are 'our length andbreadth. 'ou are the brevity of all stories. 'ou are anugget of gold in a knoll of stone.

When $ say 'our name, $ have said everything andmore than everything

% my love, have mercy on me1

% my *ight and -roth, have mercy on me1


25/246


26/246

shall cry out 8Alas, we ate ashes on earth, and nowwe must eat fire in heaven19

'our prophets, % heavenly *other, were thediscoverers of the fire beneath the ashes, who doveinto the mouths of volcanoes. -hrough 'ourboundless mercy 'ou allowed each prophet todiscover the spark for which he dove, until all thesparks merged into the bla5ing conflagration of 'our

Son, % heavenly *other.% #ord, 'ou raised up shepherds for every flock, andthe shepherds kindled fires for their flocks, lest theyfree5e on the rugged road of history, leading to thetime when the ltimate *an, the %nly begotten Son,would burst into a great fire and summon all theflocks to warm themselves.

$ndeed how deeply hidden are all the preciousmetals the eyes of the depths of the earth1 6ust as

'ou are concealed beneath the ashes of the world, %most precious Stone1

-he poor man plows his field and shakes his headwhen $ say to him 8Dich man, deep beneath yourbarren field lies a lake of molten gold.9

3o not shake your heads, impoverished sons of the7ing, when $ tell you that the body is more preciousthan clothing, the soul is more precious than the


27/246

body, and the /la5ing 7ing is more precious than thesoul.

===================


28/246

cypresses or sense the mood of the wild animals shesees only the face of her bridegroom; she hears onlythe music from his lips; she smells only his soul.

When love goes to meet love, no events befall it.-ime and space make way for love.

Aimless wanderers and loveless people have eventsand have history. $Fve has no history, and history hasno love.

When someone makes their way down a mountain orclimbs up a mountain without knowing where he isgoing, events are imposed upon him as though theywere the aim of his +ourney. -ruly, events are the aimof the aimless and the history of the pathless.

-herefore the aimless and the pathless are blocked byevents and s)uabble with events. /ut $ tran)uillyhasten to 'ou, both up the mountain and down themountain, and despicable events angrily move out ofthe way of my footsteps.

$f $ were a stone and were rolling down a mountain, $would not think about the stones against which $ wasbanging, but about the abyss at the bottom of thesteep slope.

$f $ were a mountain stream, $ would not be thinkingabout my uneven course, but about the lake thatawaited me.


29/246

-ruly terrifying is the abyss of those who are in lovewith the events that are dragging them downward.

% heavenly *other, my only love, set me free fromthe slavery of events and make me 'our slave.

% most radiant 3ay, dawn in my soul, so that $ maysee the aim of my tangled path.

% Sun of suns, the only event in the universe thatattracts my heart, illuminate my inner self, so that $may see who has dared to dwell there besides 'ouso that $ may eradicate from it all the fruits that seemsweet from the outside, but smell rotten in their core.

XVI

Arise % sons of the Sun of 2od1 Arise, the mercifulsun has risen and has begun to pour its light lavishlyover the dark fields of the earth. $t has risen to setyou free from sleep s gloom and terror.

'our sins of yesterday are not written out on the sun.-he sun does not remember or seek revenge foranything. %n its face there are no wrinkles from yourforehead, nor is there any sadness, envy, or sorrow.$ts +oy lies in giving, its youth its re+uvenation(liesin serving. /lessed are those who serve, for they shallnot grow old.


30/246

What if the sun were to imitate you, my neighbors?&ow little light it would shed on earth, you misers1&ow bloody its light would be, you murderers1 &ow

green it would become with envy when it saw greatersuns that itself, you envious people1 &ow red withwrath it would become when it heard the profanitiesbelow, you short tempered people1 &ow yellow itwould become with yearning for the beauty of thestars, you greedy people1 &ow pale it would become

with fear, if no one marked its way, you cowards1 &owdark it would become with worry, you worrisomeworriers1 &ow wrinkled and old it would become livingon yesterday s wrongdoing, you vengeful people1 &owastray it would go from the right way if it fought overrights, you auctioneers of rights1 &ow cold and dead itwould become, and how it would envelop the entireuniverse with its death, you preachers of death1

%h how fortunate it is for the world that the sun willnever imitate you, % sons and daughters of earth1

$ndeed, the sun does not know many things as youdo, but it does know two things eternally that it is aservant and a symbol. $t knows that it is a servant ofthe %ne who kindled it and that it is a symbol of the%ne who put it at &is service.

/e servants of the %ne who illuminates you with thesun on the outside and with &imself on the inside,and you will taste the sweetness of eternal youth.


31/246

/e a symbol of the %ne who put you among theanimals of the earth, and you will surpass the

radiance of the sun. -ruly all the animals around youwill swim in happiness beneath the rays of yourgoodness, even as moons swim around suns.

'et what are the sun and all the stars e!cept piles ofashes, through which 'ou shine, % Son of 2od? "iles

of ashes that lessen 'our radiance and sift it throughthemselves like a thick sieve? 0or indeed, in 'our fullradiance nothing would be seen e!cept 'ou, +ust as intotal darkness nothing is seen e!cept darkness.

% #ord, #ord, do not scorch us with 'our radiance,which is unbearable for our eyes; and do not leave usin the gloom where one grows old and decays.

'ou alone know the measure of our needs, % #ord,glory to 'ou1

XVII

&ow tedious to me are the counsels of human leadersand wise men oh how tedious they seem to me eversince 'our wisdom caused my heart and mind totremble, &oly 2od.-hose whom the dark desires of the heart aredragging into the abyss do not believe in 'our light.-here are no obstacles for a stone while it is rollingdown a hill. -he higher the steep slope and the


32/246

deeper the abyss(the swifter and more unrestrainedis the rolling of the stone.%ne dark desire lures another with its success; and

that one hires yet another, until all that is good in aperson withers, and all that is evil gushes out in atorrential flood until, along with everything else, allthat the &oly Spirit has built is washed away, bothinside and out;

ntil the scorners of the light begin to scorn

themselves and their teachers;ntil the sweetest sweets begin to choke them withtheir stench;

ntil all the material goods, for which they killedneighbours and ra5ed cities, begin to mock theirmonstrosity.-hen they stealthily lift their eyes toward heaven, andthrough the dung of their profaned and putride!istence, they cry out 8&oly 2od19&ow it irritates me like a burning arrow to hear menboasting of their power, ever since $ came to know of

'our powerful hand, &oly *ighty1-hey build towers of stone and say 8We are betterbuilders than your 2od.9 /ut $ ask them 83id you, oryour fathers, build the stars?9-hey discover light inside the earth, and boast 8Weknow more than your 2od.9 /ut $ ask them 8Whoburied the light beneath the earth for you todiscover?9-hey fly through the air and arrogantly say 8/yourselves we have created wings for ourselves, where


33/246

is your 2od?9 /ut $ ask them 8Who gave you the ideaof wings and flying if not the birds, which you did notcreate?9

'et see what happens when 'ou open their eyes totheir own frailty1 When irrational creatures showthem their monstrous power; when their mindbecomes filled with wonder at the starry towers, thatstand in space without pillars or foundations; whentheir heart becomes filled with fear of their own frailty

and insanity then, in shame and humility, theystretch out their arms toward 'ou and cry 8&oly*ighty19&ow it saddens me to see people overrating this life,ever since $ tasted the sweetness of 'our immortality,&oly $mmortal1-he shortsighted see only this life, and say 8-his isthe only life there is, and we shall make it immortal bymeans of our deeds among men.9 /ut $ tell them 8$fyour beginning is like a river, then it must have asource; if it is like a tree, it must have its root, if it islike a beam of light, it must come from some sun.9

And again $ tell them 8So, you intend to establishyour immortality among mortals? -ry starting a fire inwater19/ut when they look death in the face, they are leftspeechless, and torment sei5es their heart. When theysmell the flesh of their dead brides; when they leavethe empty faces of their friends in the grave; whenthey place their hands on their sons chests that havegrown cold; when they reali5e that even kings are not


34/246

able to buy off death with their crowns, nor heroeswith their mighty deeds, nor wise men with theirwisdom then they feel the icy wind of death

breathing down their necks too, and they fall down ontheir knees and bow their heads over their toppledpride, and pray to 'ou 8&oly $mmortal, have mercyon us19

XVIII

Depent of your ways, inhabitants of the earth. /ehold,the eye of the *aster of the world is keeping watchdeep within you. 3o not trust your seducible eyes, letthe :ye illumine your way. 'our eyes are curtains overthe :ye of 2od.

Depentance is admission of the way of sin.Depentance opens up a new way. -he penitent s eyesare open to two ways to the way which he is going,and to the way he should be going.

-here are more who feel repentant than there arewho turn their wheels onto a new way. $ tell you thepenitent must have two types of courage he musthave the courage to weep over his old way, and hemust have the courage to prepare himself for a newway.

What good is it for you to feel repentant and stilltread the old way? &ow do you describe a person who


35/246

is drowning and shouts for help, but when help arriveswill not grab hold of the life line? $ liken such a personto you.

Depent of your yearning for this world and all that isin this world. 0or this world is the graveyard of yourancestors, which is gaping and waiting for you. 6ust alittle longer and you will be ancestors and will yearnto hear the word 8repentance,9 but you will not hearit.

6ust as the wind begins blowing and carries off themist before the sun, so will death carry you off beforethe face of 2od.

Depentance re+uvenates the heart and lengthens one slifetime. -he tears of a penitent wash darkness fromhis eyes, and give his eyes a childlike radiance. -heeye of my lake is like the eye of a deer, always moistand radiant as a diamond. $n truth, the moisture inthe eyes drains the anger in the heart.

-he soul in the penitent is like a new moon. A fullmoon must wane, a new moon must wa!.

-he penitent clears the weeds from the field of hissoul, and the seed of goodness begins to grow.

-ruly, the penitent is not one who laments over theevil deed he has committed, but one who lamentsover all the evil deeds that he is capable of


36/246

committing. A wise landowner not only cuts thethornbush that has pricked him, but every thornbushon the field that is waiting to prick him.

% my #ord, make haste to show a new way to everypenitent, after he scorns his old way.

% heavenly *other, /ride of the All &oly Spirit, bowdown toward our heart, when we repent. %pen the

fountain of tears within us, that we may wash awaythe heavy clay, that saddens our eyes.

% All &oly Spirit, blow and disperse the uncleanstench from the soul of the penitent that has beenchoking him and lead him to repentance.We bow down and beseech 'ou, % #ife giving and*ighty Spirit1

XIX

Amidst the racket and ridicule of people my prayerrises toward 'ou, % my 7ing and my 7ingdom. "rayeris incense, that ceaselessly censes my soul and raisesit toward 'ou, and draws 'ou toward her.

Stoop down, my 7ing, so that $ may whisper to 'oumy most precious secret, my most secret prayer, mymost prayerful desire. 'ou are the ob+ect of all myprayers, all my searching. $ seek nothing e!cept 'ou,truly, only 'ou.


37/246

What could $ seek from 'ou, that would not separateme from 'ou? Should $ seek to be #ord over a fewstars, instead of reigning as #ord with 'ou over all the

stars?Should $ seek to be first among men? &ow shameful itwould be fore me, when 'ou would seat me at thelast place at 'our table1

Should $ seek to be surrounded by the most preciousob+ects from the entire world? &ow humiliating itwould be for me for those ob+ects to outlast me andbe glistening even as earthen darkness fills my eyes1G

Should $ seek for 'ou not to separate me from myfriends? Ah separate me, % #ord, separate me frommy friends as soon as possible, because they are thethickest wall between 'ou and me.

8Why should we pray,9 say my neighbors, 8when 2oddoes not hear our prayers?9 /ut $ say to them 8'ourprayer is not prayer, but peddling merchandise. 'oudo not pray to 2od to give you 2od but Satan.-herefore, the Wisdom of heaven does not accept theprayers from your tongue.9


38/246

8Why should we pray,9 grumble my neighbors, 8when2od knows what we need beforehand?9 /ut $ sadly

answer them 8-hat is true, 2od knows that youneed nothing e!cept &im alone. At the door of yoursoul &e is waiting to come in.H -hrough prayer thedoors are opened for the entrance of the ma+estic7ing. 3oes not one of you say to the other at yourdoor I"lease enter ?

82od does not seek glory for &imself but for you. Allthe worlds in the universe can add nothing to &isglory, much less can you. 'our prayer is a glorificationof you, not of 2od. 0ullness and mercy are to befound in &im. All the good words that you direct to&im in prayer, return to you twofold.9

% my illustrious 7ing and my 2od, to 'ou alone $ bowdown and pray. 0lood into me, as a raging stream intothirsty sand. 6ust flood me with 'ourself, life givingWater; then grass will easily grow in the sand andwhite lambs will gra5e in the grass.

6ust flood into my parched soul, my #ife and mySalvation.

================


39/246

G. *att. K J.LL

-hink of yourself as though you were dead, $ say tomyself, and you will not feel the coming of death./lunt the barb of death during life, and when it comesit will not have the means to sting.

-hink of yourself every morning as a newborn miracle,and you will not feel old age.

3o not wait for death to come, because death hasindeed already come and has not left you. $ts teethare continually in your flesh. Whatever was livingbefore your birth and whatever will survive yourdeath that even now is alive within you.

%ne night an angel unwound the tape of time, theend of which $ was unable to perceive, and heshowed me two dots on the tape, one ne!t to theother. 8-he distance between these two dots,9 he said,

8is the span of your lifetime.9 8-hat means my lifetime is already over,9 $ shouted, 8and $ must be prepared for the +ourney. $ must belike a diligent hostess, who spends the present daycleaning house and making preparations fortomorrow s slava< celebration.9


40/246

-ruly, the present day of all the sons of men is for themost part filled with concern for the ne!t day. 'et fewof those, who believe in 'our promise, concern

themselves with what will happen the day after death.*ay my death, % #ord, be my last sigh not for thisworld, but for that blessed and eternal -omorrow.

Among the burned out candles of my friends, mycandle, too, is burning down. 83o not be foolish,9 $

reprimand myself, 8and do not regret that your candleis burning out. 3o you really love your friends so little,that you are afraid to set out after them, after themany who have strolled away? 3o not regret thatyour candle is burning low, but that it is leavingbehind unclear and dim light.9

*y soul has become accustomed to leaving my bodyevery day and every night, and to stretch herself outto the limits of the universe. When she has sproutedin this way, my soul feels as though suns and moonsare swimming over her even as the swans swim overmy lake. She shines through suns and supports life onearthly planets. She supports mountains and seas;she controls thunder and winds. She completely fills

'esterday, -oday, and -omorrow.> And she returns toshelter in a cramped and dilapidated habitation onone of those earthly planets. She returns to the bodythat she still, for another minute or two, calls herown, and which sways like her shadow amongmounds of graves, among lairs of beasts, among


41/246

howls of false hopes.

$ do not complain about death, % #iving 2od, it does

not seem to me to be anything sad. $t is a terror thatman has created for himself. *ore strongly thananything on earth, death is pushing me to meet 'ou.

$ had a walnut tree in front of my house, and deathtook it from me. $ was angry at death and cursed it

saying 8Why did it not take me, an insatiable animal,instead of something sinless?9

/ut now $ think of myself as though $ were dead, andnear my walnut tree.

% my $mmortal 2od, look mercifully upon a candlethat is burning out, and purify its flame. 0or only apure flame rises toward 'our face, and enters 'oureye, with which you watch the whole world.

============================================ ====================== . M6esus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and


42/246

forever9 @&eb.


43/246

praises now know yet another, opposite song, thatyou will hear later.0lee from the glory that resembles a tower built on

the back of a whale, lest both enemies and friendslaugh at you from the shore.-he unanimous glory that comes from men is themost inglorious, because it is indifferent.

$f your glory is a reward from the people, then you

are a day laborer who has been paid off, andtomorrow the people can throw you off their fields.

-ruly, no new day recogni5es your contract with a daygone by. :very day opens a new field and makes anew agreement.

$f your glory is the work of your mighty arms, yourdays will be anger and your nights will be fear.

$f your glory is the work of your wisdom, wisdom willbe a castration of your glory and you will be unable tomove.

$f you call your glory your own, &eaven will punishyou for lying and stealing.

Stroll with your glory through a cemetery and seewhether the dead will glorify you.

$n truth, you are already strolling through a cemetery,


44/246

and you are receiving glory from mobile tombs. Whowill glorify you, after the mobile tombs becomeimmobile?

'ou will become very sad in the other world, whenyou hear what those who have been glorifying you inthis world really think of you. % heavenly *other, hideme far from the eyes of men and the tongues of men.&ide me where only 'our eye penetrates and only

'our word is heard.$ beseech 'ou, my :ternal /eauty1

XXII

% %nly Son of 2od, receive me into 'our wisdom. 'ou

are the head of all the sons of men. 'ou are theirheavenly comprehension, illumination and +ubilation.

'ou are the %ne who thinks the same goodness in allmen the same thought and the same light. A manrecogni5es another man through 'ou. A manprophesies to another man through 'ou. -hrough

'our voice men hear each other. $n 'our languagethey understand. -ruly, 'ou are the ltimate *an, fore!istentially all men are in 'ou and 'ou are in each.

'ou build the mind of man, and 'our shadowdemolishes it.

'ou have formed all forms, and 'ou have stamped all


45/246

of them with the seal of 'our wisdom. 'ou havefashioned all vessels from clay and have filled them allwith the song and +oy of the &oly -riunity, but 'our

shadow has dripped a drop of sorrow into eachvessel, with which the sorrowful inscribe griefs on 'ou.

% *a+estic #ord1 'ou dance on 'our *other s lap,)uickened by the All &oly Spirit. 3irect my mind to

'our mind, and with 'our radiance cleanse it ofsorrowful thoughts, of sorrowful forebodings, ofsorrowful intentions. % my *a+estic #ord1

'ou fill the whole soul of 'our *other, all &er virginbreast; and there is nothing in 'our *other s soule!cept 'ou. 'ou are &er radiance and &er voice, truly&er eye and &er song.

'ou are the pride of the &oly Spirit #ord &is activityand &is fruit &is fascination and &is admiration1 'ou,my *a+estic #ord, who dance on 'our *other s lap,)uickened by the &oly Spirit1

'ou are the courage of the &oly -rinity, $ts heroismand $ts history. 'ou dared to let one triune ray intochaos and darkness, and the world became amiracle, that the eye can not see nor the ear hear, %Creator of the eye and the ear.

And this whole miracle is +ust a pale picture of 'ou,


46/246

+ust a copied and distorted likeness of 'ou in pieces ofa half darkened mirror. Arise, % stone and rock, and worship &im, for &is holyfeet walked over you.

Arise, % desert, and re+oice, for &e sanctified you with&is longest and most mysterious prayers.G

Arise, % wheat and grapevine, for &e blessed youespecially among all created things. Arise and bless&im.

Arise, % fish, and glorify the #ord, for &e was hungryand you nourished &im.H

Arise, % water and skies, and serve &im, for by &ispower &e cleansed you and calmed you.B

Arise, % sycamore tree, and clothe yourself in silk, for

in you &e saw a sinner and saved him.K Arise, % sheep and o!en, and be filled with awe, for inyour lowly stable &e was born.

Arise, % birds, and sing, for &e raised you up as ane!ample for men.N

Arise, % oil, and burn before &is throne, for when &ewas anointed with you &e felt +oyful and saved asinful woman.E

Arise, % thorns and reed, and be filled with shame, foryou caused &im pain.


54/246

believe in &im. Arise, % leaders of the people, and sprinkle yourselveswith ashes, for you passed +udgment over &im.. Cf. *t. K >N >E.G. Cf. *t. H < < < GG.K. Cf. #k. J.N. Cf. *t. K >K and #k. >H.E. Cf. #k. G BJ.


55/246

G G GE.

K < B and B KN.


56/246

breaks into rain drops.% #ord, *aster of the voice, speak more clearlythrough 'our heralds1

%ne e!clamation escaped the breast of the /ride of2od when She saw 'our Son a voice filled with a lovethat could not be contained in silence. And thate!clamation echoed in the heart of &er Son, and thisecho this response to the love of &is *other the&oly Spirit has spread with &is powerful arms

throughout the entire universe. -herefore, all theuniverse is filled with 'our heralds, % my Song andmy love.% #ord, *aster of the voice, speak more clearlythrough 'our heralds10or this reason 'ou also spoke in parables, % Son of

2od, and 'ou would e!plain things and events asstories about the *ost &igh 2od. 'ou cured the sickwith words and raised the dead with words, for 'ourecogni5ed the mystery of love. And the mystery oflove is a mystery of words. -hrough all creatures, asthrough piercing and blaring trumpets, words pour

forth and through words, the love of &eaven.% #ord, *aster of the voice, teach me 'our lovethrough all 'our heralds.

XXVIII

$ feel mute and inarticulate, my #u!urious #ord, when$ want to e!press 'our stability and all 'our fullness.-herefore, $ beseech the entire universe to kneel


57/246

down with me and speak in my stead, since $ amincapable and inarticulate.$ build stone altars for 'ou, % stone 0oundation of my

hope. And the arrogant sons of the world, whopretend to be nearer neighbors to 'ou than 'oursaints, ridicule me 8#ook at the pagan, who wouldrather worship stone than the #ord19 -ruly, $ am not worshiping stone, but rather $,together with stone, am worshiping the #iving #ord.0or stone is also distant from the #ord and is in needof salvation. Sin has made me more impure thanstone before the face of &eaven. *ay the stone besaved together with me, and may it, as a symbol ofstability help my feeble words to e!press the stabilityof 2od s +ustice. -herefore, $ embrace stone as a

companion in the 0all and as a companion in prayerand salvation.$ light oil and wa! on the stone altar, %$ne!tinguishable #ight. And the arrogant puffthemselves up and e!claim #ook at the superstitious man, who does not knowthat 2od is spirit19

'our servant, % #ord, knows that 'ou are spirit, buthe also knows of 'our mercy towards all flesh. And sowhen $ see the radiant oil and fragrant wa!, $ say tomyself 8&ow are you better than oil or wa!? %il andwa! at midnight, like the sun at noon, represent theglory of the #ord more clearly than your tongue. #et


58/246

them be your help in prayer. #et them be yourcompanions in prayer and salvation.9 $ adorn 'our altar with wooden icons, golden crosses,

silver seraphim, silk brocades, and books of salvationbound in leather. And $ prostrate myself before 'ourembellished altars. /ut the arrogant laugh at me andsay 8#ook at the idol worshiper, who does notworship the #ord but mute ob+ects19 4evertheless, 'ou know, my only $dol, that $ amworshiping 'ou alone. /ut so that arrogance may notengulf my heart and delay my salvation, $ call upontree and plant, resins and animals, to cry out togetherwith me to 'ou, each in its own language. $ndeed, allcreatures and all creation are in need of salvation,therefore, all also need to +oin in prayer with man,

who led creation into sin and leads it to salvation.$ consecrate bread and wine on 'our altar, and $nourish my soul with them. #et the arrogant ridiculeme to the end of time, and $ shall not be ashamed ofmy desire to have 'ou for my food and drink, % my#ife giving 4ourishment.$ worship before an altar of stone, so that $ may learnto consider the entire universe the altar of the *ost&igh.$ nourish myself with consecrated bread and wine at

'our altar, so that $ may learn to consider everything $eat to be 'our holy body, and everything $ drink to be

'our holy blood.


59/246

$ pray with all creation and for all creation, so that $may learn humility before 'ou, and so that $ maye!press all the mystery of my love for 'ou, % all

embracing #ove. XXIX

0or all the sins of men $ repent before 'ou, *ost*erciful #ord. $ndeed, the seed of all sins flows in myblood1 With my effort and 'our mercy $ choke thiswicked crop of weeds day and night, so that no taremay sprout in the field of the #ord, but only purewheat.J and B >H.

XXXVII

*artyrs of great love, pray to 2od for us. 'ou who have known a love stronger than death, prayto #ove for us.

'ou who in this life luckily escaped from the snare of

transitory love, which is like a little color on a boulder,which the rain washes away; 'ou who have preached that love is more mysteriousthan the flesh, and more eternal than the stars inheaven;

'ou who through love have understood both wood

and stone, both the beast in the forest and the fish inthe water @for love breaks the seals of all mysteries,and all things appear naked to their lover ;

'ou who with love have fulfilled all the prophets,satisfied all religions, and surpassed all laws;

'ou are the greatest of con)uerors, who is strongerthan you?

'ou are the greatest of wise men, who is wiser thanyou?

'ou are the greatest of precious stones, who isscarcer than you?

'ou are gods,< who have seen yourselves in 2od and2od in yourselves.


77/246

'ou have an honor greater than the angels, for theangels became angels without torment andmartyrdom.

-o you we bow down and pray, pray to 2od for us.-hat we too may cleanse ourselves of the illusorylove, that ends in hatred.-hat we too may crown our faith and hope with acrown in which even suns have little value.

-hat we too may begin to see, and know, and re+oicewith the +oy, with which only the angels can re+oice.-hat our life may also become a triradiate splendor,like the %ne from whom all splendor, unmi!ed withdarkness, comes.-hat we too may recogni5e in ourselves the eternal

virgin, and the pre eternal Son of the irgin, and thedove like Spirit.*artyrs of great love, only your suffering is less thanyour love. :very worldly love brings suffering greaterthan its love. /ut you have loved what is deeper thantime and wider than space.When your mortal brothers hear about your sufferingsthey consider them unbelievable and unbearable. 0orthey can really imagine themselves only in yoursufferings and not in your love, in the meaning ofyour sufferings. %h, if they could only imaginethemselves in your love also1 All your sufferings wouldseem like nothing to them, +ust as they seemed toyou. 6ust as the cold rain and the howling of the wind


78/246

seem like nothing to a mother as she hurries home toher child.-o one who has a goal greater than the world, the

world can do nothing.%ne who hurries to a home wider than space, spacecannot contain.%ne who has a love more precious than temporalcreations, can neither be impeded nor trampled bytime.

Across all rugged terrain and through all stormytempests #ove leads &is beloved ones and drawsthem to &imself.*artyrs of great love, pray to 2od for us.

===================


79/246

-he bones of the saints proclaim 'our name and 'ourpresence, while the tongue of people has been struckdumb by disbelief.

When generals have forgotten how to achieve victory, 'ou make the rank and file the victors. 'ou have filled dead ob+ects with fire, so that theymay shine, when darkness closes the eyes of thestars.When there is no sun, the fern and the hawthornassume the duty of shining.When the blind begin to lead the blind,< 'ousurrender the army to the horses and dogs.When sick men foist themselves upon the sick ashealers, 'ou make healers out of dead bones and

mud.When 'our image in the human soul vanishes, 'ougive power and might to 'our image in wood.-hose, who in the end will weep bitterly, laugh andsay 8&ow can dead ob+ects work wonders, whicheven we cannot work?9

Are these ob+ects not alive, if 'ou bring them to life? And are people not dead, if 'ou abandon them, %0earful #ord?

'our angels know, yet people do not know, that allpowers are 'ours, in 'ou and from 'ou, and that 'oumanifest them through pure channels. What if a stoneis pure while a man is impure? Will not the #ord s


80/246

might be manifested through the stone rather thanthrough the man?%nly a righteous man laughs with the laughter of +oy.

-he laughter of the unrighteous man is malice.-he unrighteous man laughs at the relics of thesaints, and he is consumed by malicious laughter. %hif he only knew that the dead relics of the saintscontain more life than his own flesh and blood1-ruly, malice is distant from the *ost *erciful #ord ,

+ust as malice is always distant from virginity,rationality and sanctity.$ndeed, the #ogical #ord is always ready to do good tomen through men. /ut when men become impure,and become bereft of logic and holiness, the All*erciful rushes to help people through dead ob+ects.% All *erciful and #ongsuffering #ord, do not leavethe world without channels of 'our might and mercy.

====================


81/246

the summer?/ecause the daughters of men have hated the fruit oftheir womb, and kill it while it is still in blossom.

3o you know, my child, why the springs have gonedry, and why the fruits of the earth no longer havethe sweetness that they used to have?/ecause of the sin of man, from which infirmity hasinvaded all of nature.

3o you know, my child, why a victorious nationsuffers defeats as a result of its own disunity anddiscord, and eats bread made bitter by tears andmalice?/ecause it con)uered the bloodthirsty enemies arounditself, but failed to con)uer those within itself.

3o you know, my child, how a mother can feed herchildren without nourishing them?/y not singing a song of love to them while nursingthem, but a song of hatred towards a neighbor.3o you know, my child, why people have become uglyand have lost the beauty of their ancestors?/ecause they have cast away the image of 2od, whichfashions the beauty of that image out of the soulwithin, and removes the mask of earth.3o you know, my child, why diseases and dreadfulepidemics have multiplied?

/ecause men have begun to look upon good health asan abduction of nature and not as a gift from 2od.


82/246

And what is abducted with difficulty must with doubledifficulty be protected.3o you know, my child, why people fight over earthly

territory, and are not ashamed to be on the samelevel as moles?/ecause the world has sprouted through their heart,and their eyes see only what is growing in the heart;and because, my child, their sin has made them tooweak to struggle for heaven.3o not cry, my child, the #ord will soon return and seteverything right.

XL

With prayer $ cleanse the vision of my faith, lest itlose sight of you in the mist, % my *ost Dadiant Star.

What use will your prayer be to 2od?9 ask theswarthy workers of the earth. 'ou speak rightly, sons of earth. What use is themariner s telescope to the 4orth Star, when it sees themariner even without a telescope? /ut do not ask me,since you already know, what use a telescope is to amariner."rayer is necessary for me, lest $ lose sight of thesalvation bearing Star, but the Star does not need it tokeep from losing me.What would become of my inner vision, if $ were tostop training it with prayer?

Are the soldiers of the earth not trained, e!tensively


83/246

and strenuously, to see targets in the distance? Are weavers of silk not trained, e!tensively andstrenuously, to recogni5e the finest fibers?

&ow could $ not train the vision of my faith to see mysole treasure as clearly as possible?-rapped in a web of illusions, $ have barely caughtsight of a way out, so do you really e!pect me to losesight of it?

2et it into your heads, my fellow wayfarers, thatseeing 2od is not a cheap affair. 'ou who sacrificefortunes to see the lu!uriance of the tropics or thepolar lights of the arctic, must pay more dearly to seethe %ne for whom the lu!uriance of the tropics ispoverty and the polar lights are a tallow candle.

When you give even your entire life in order to see&im, you have barely paid a penny. 4evertheless &e ismagnanimous and good hearted, and e!pects nothingmore from you than this.

'ou who train your bodies, who every morning do notforget to e!ercise your arms and legs, your head and

neck, are you in truth contemplative beings you whoare like samurai warriors? Are you in truthcontemplative beings, if you maintain that your faithin 2od will become and remain clairvoyant withouttraining? All the stars of &eaven, which have seen thee!perience of your fathers, bear witness to me that

your faith will go blind, if indeed it had ever evenbegun to see at all. And in place of the lost blessing


84/246

there will remain a hypocritical vision in name only.7eep your eyes blindfolded for +ust three days, andafterward you will find that the light of the sun hurts

them. Sever your bond with 2od for +ust three hoursand you will find it painful to look at &is light again.

'ou ask me how long does my prayer last? Can youunderstand me when $ tell you that it lasts longerthan my days? 0or by my prayer $ must train yourfaith also, and open its eyes, and show it how to seeand whom it is seeing. -ruly, $ continuously fill bothmy days and yours with prayer.$ ceaselessly cense my faith with prayer, lest thescents of the world blind it.$ ceaselessly call upon all the celestial spheres tosustain me in my prayer for everlasting prayerfulness,so that $ too may be deemed worthy to ga5e uponthat 2lory and /eauty, which is wide open to theirga5e.%h my fellow wayfarers, how ma+estic is the vision offaith1 $ swear to you, if you only knew how ma+estic itis, your prayer would never pause or end.

XLI

With fasting $ gladden my hope in 'ou, my #ord, Whoare to come again.0asting hastens my preparation for 'our coming, thesole e!pectation of my days and nights.0asting makes my body thinner, so that what remains


85/246

can more easily shine with the spirit.While waiting for 'ou, $ wish neither to nourish myselfwith blood nor to take life so that the animals may

sense the +oy of my e!pectation./ut truly, abstaining from food will not save me. :venif $ were to eat only the sand from the lake, 'ouwould not come to me, unless the fasting penetrateddeeper into my soul.$ have come to know through my prayer, that bodilyfasting is more a symbol of true fasting, verybeneficial for someone who has only +ust begun tohope in 'ou, and nevertheless very difficult forsomeone who merely practices it.-herefore $ have brought fasting into my soul topurge her of many impudent fiancP s and to prepareher for 'ou like a virgin.

And $ have brought fasting into my mind, to e!pelfrom it all daydreams about worldly matters and todemolish all the air castles, fabricated from thosedaydreams.

$ have brought fasting into my mind, so that it might +ettison the world and prepare to receive 'ourWisdom.

And $ have brought fasting into my heart, so that bymeans of it my heart might )uell all passions andworldly selfishness.

$ have brought fasting into my heart, so that heavenlypeace might ineffably reign over my heart, when 'our


86/246


87/246

*y love keeps vigil and through vigil it never growsweary. -he %ne, whom $ love and whom $ await, iscoming to me surrounded by a heavenly retinue. &ow

could $ be sleeping, and how could vigil make meweary?$ keep vigil over the stories of men and the stories ofthings, in case $ can discern some secret message ofmy #ove. 4o story interests me by virtue of the storyitself or because of the story teller, but only on

account of 'ou.$ do so in the manner that a singer, who loses his ownnote, begins to listen attentively to everyone else spart, and attempts to recogni5e his own part. Andeverywhere he finds some note similar to his part, butnowhere his part completely.

$ do so in the manner that a man, who shatters aglass mirror, then proceeds to see his own face in thefaces of people, in the faces of animals, and in thefaces of all things. And everywhere he finds somefeature similar to his own face, but nowhere his facein its entirety.-hus $ too keep vigil over the innumerable voices ofthe entire universe. And $ keep vigil over theinnumerable faces in the universe, from the face ofthe white pebbles by the lake to the starry face of the/ig and #ittle 3ippers, to see whether $ can recogni5ethe face of my #ove. And no one deceives me, rathereach tells me whatever little he can of what he knowsabout 'ou.


88/246

When $ pose )uestions to people, $ await answersfrom 'ou. When things speak, $ listen to 'ou. When $look at nature, $ am looking for 'ou.

When people see me pensive, they suppose that $ amthinking about them, while $ am actually thinkingabout 'ou. When they see me loving to labor, theythink that $ am laboring for people, but $ am laboringfor 'ou.When nature hears its name on my lips, it thinks that$ am lauding it, but $ am lauding 'ou. When $ feed adove, $ am offering it to 'ou. When $ hug a lamb, $am hugging 'ou. When $ smile at the sun, my smilepenetrates through all the stars until it meets with

'our smile. When $ bow down to kiss the white lily, $am dropping my kiss through seven realms onto the

footstool of 'our feet.-he vigilance of my love goes side by side with theprayer of my faith and the fasting of my hope. Andnone of them rises

All the activity of my mind serves my faith. All the activity of my heart serves my hope. All the activity of my soul serves my love. .>. 8-hen 6esus spoke to them again, saying, I$ am thelight of the world. &e who follows *e shall not walk indarkness, but have the light of life. 9 @6ohn N .

XLVI

$ descend deep into my soul to see who is being bornwithin her and who is departing from her.&ow dreadful is the depth of the soul of man, % /rideof &eaven, when a man dares to plunge into her1 %newho dares to do so plunges through the world andthrough &ades all the way to the milkwhite choirs ofangels, who surround 'ou like 'our outer raiment.$ was astonished, when $ beheld all the multitudinousoffspring of my soul, who were frightened of me andflew off to the side like frightened ravens fromcarrion.

And my soul was lying there debauched withdrunkards of /abylon like a slut, who had forgottenher betrothed.

And with the wrath of a weakling and in the mannerof one caught in the act, my soul began to +ustifyherself. :ven before there was an accusation shebegan to +ustify herself by saying 8Am $ not bearing

you sons? Am $ not sending you spirits?9 /ut $ hid my face for shame and said -ruly, and in


97/246

this are to be found both my downfall and yours,because you keep bearing me sons when $ need theSon, and you keep sending me spirits when $ need

the Spirit. 'ou have not borne me sons but hirelings and thieves. 'ou have sent me not spirits but the unclean demonsof &ades.

As a virgin you were given to me, your kinsman, forprotection, so that you would conceive from the &olySpirit and bear me the Son. /ut you, wretched wench,have not conceived from 2od but from the world, andyou have not borne me 2od but the world.Why did you not wait for the Spirit of 2od in virginity,rather than receive the spirits of darkness, who havemultiplied within you and have enslaved my heart?

'ou were raised to be a temple for 2od, but you haveturned yourself into a wayside tavern, where thievesdrop in and loll.Why did you not give birth to the Son of Wisdom, whowould have given you light and a good reputation,instead of bearing me sons of evil, who have sei5edmy mind, and have repaid you with darkness andirrationality?/ehold you are being nourished with the same sort offruit as you have borne. And everything that is comingout of you, is returning to you multiplied.

%h if you knew, my soul, if you only knew the beautyof the heavenly irgin, whose image you were


98/246

supposed to be within me1 $f you knew howmarvelous and mighty the Spirit is, whoovershadowed &er1< $f you only knew how e!ceeding

ly handsome and ma+estic the Son is, whom She bore1$ assure you, my ugliness, that you would burst intotears of blood, for you have stamped the seal of yourugliness on my body as well.

And you would cast out the unclean spirits, my soul,and would chase them away into the swine.> And you

would kick out your offspring, who have been feedingboth you and themselves hogwash. And you would cense your home with the mostfragrant incense, and would illuminate it with altarcandles. 'ou would adorn it with flowers and stars.

And the angels, who surround your &eavenly #ady like

milkwhite raiment, would freely come to visit you andwould bear the glad tidings of the Annunciation,G atwhich your womb would tremble. 'our womb wouldtremble like the morning dew on the mountainbeneath the gentle blows of the sunbeams.

And you would re+oice, my soul, among the prodigalsouls of the earth. And you would give birth to theSon, who with &is light would drive out the illusoryshadows from my mind and who with &is fire wouldconsume the worldly desires in my heart. And &ewould free my entire life from the power of evil spirits,and would wrap it entirely in the mantle of the power

and the glory of the Spirit of 2od.$ see tears instead of anger in your eyes and $ am


99/246

glad, my repentant soul.$ observe your silence, in which a rebellion againstyourself is being born.

Depent and be restored, my soul, repent while youstill have time. Array yourself in virginity )uickly; more)uickly, before your defiled temporality becomes adefiled eternity.

============================================ =================== . Cf. *ark B


100/246

in the sun and pours flattery and pomposity all over it, +ust to seduce my soul.*anifest all 'our splendor, % &oly Spirit, so that my

soul may recogni5e whose bride she is.Come closer to me, closer still, % "ower of the &oly-rinity. :nter into my consciousness more deeply thanthoughts and emblems of the world can. $n the sameway as a wise mother, when she conceives, preparesand embellishes a cradle for her child, so prepare andembellish my mind for that which will be begottenfrom 'ou, % /eauty and "urity.*any evil thoughts lurk like serpents around thecradle of 'our Son. And many wicked desires emergefrom my heart and seek the cradle of 'our "rince, topoison &im with their arrows.3efend the cradle of my mind, and teach my soul howto give birth and care for an infant.Shroud in deep darkness the +ourney of all malevolentvisitors coming to see my newborn son. And raisealoft a most radiant star over the way of the Wise*en from the :ast> men who are truly wise, becausethey are coming to visit my most precious child withthree gifts(faith, hope, and love.GCome closer to me, closer still, % ma+estic Son of 2od.3escend deeper into my heart than any emotion, ordesire, or passion of the world can descend into it.

"rotect my heart from the countless merchants, fromthe numerous buyers and sellers, who are forever


101/246

swarming in legions around my young andine!perienced heart. And teach my heart not to becra5y about the motley illusions of people and things.

-ake up 'our abode in the bottom of my heart, as themaster of a house does in his own home, my belovedSon, and be for me a merciless +udge and a sagaciouscounselor.%nce purity of soul and sagacity of mind occupy myheart, truly in vain will evil spirits dance attendance inorder to step into it.

And my heart will be filled with an ineffable heavenlypeace, and will glorify 2od in chorus with thecherubim and the seraphim. And enriched, it willreturn to the soul and the mind what it borrowed, foras their e)ual it will recompense them in e)ualmeasure.

And my heart will be filled with sweet love for its #ord,and with compassion for and good will towardsuffering souls in the world and in &ades.Come closer to me, still closer, my ma+estic #ord.

============================================ ============ G > .>. Cf. *att. > < .G. Cf. < Cor.


102/246

prepare herself to receive the 3ivine Son into herimmaculate womb;$mploring her to become a ladder, down which 2od

will descend into the world, and up which man willascend to 2od;-he wise man of China admonishes my soul to bepeaceful and still, and to wait for -ao to act within her.2lory be the memory of #ao tse, the teacher andprophet of his people1-he wise man of $ndia teaches my soul not to beafraid of suffering, but through the arduous andrelentless drilling in purification and prayer to elevateherself to the %ne on high, who will come out to greether and manifest to her &is face and &is power.2lorious be the memory of 7rishna, the teacher andprophet of his people1-he royal son of $ndia teaches my soul to emptyherself completely of every seed and crop of theworld, to abandon all the serpentine allurements offrail and shadowy matter, and then in vacuity,tran)uility, purity and bliss to await nirvana. /lessedbe the memory of /uddha, the royal son andine!orable teacher of his people1-he thunderous wise man of "ersia tells my soul that


103/246

there is nothing in the world e!cept light anddarkness, and that the soul must break free from thedarkness as the day does from the night. 0or the sons

of light are conceived from the light, and the sons ofdarkness are conceived from darkness. 2lorious bethe memory of Roroaster, the great prophet of hispeople1-he prophet of $srael cries out to my soul /ehold, thevirgin will conceive and bear a son, whose name will

be(the 2od man.G 2lorious be the memory of$saiah, the clairvoyant prophet of my soul1% heavenly #ord, open the hearing of my soul, lestshe become deaf to the counsels of 'our messenger.3o not slay the prophets sent to youH, my soul, fortheir graves contain not them, but those who slewthem.Wash and cleanse yourself; become tran)uil amid theturbulent sea of the world, and keep within yourselfthe counsels of the prophets sent to you. Surrenderyourself entirely to the %ne on high and say to theworld 8$ have nothing for you.9 :ven the most righteous of the sons of men, whobelieve in you, are merely feeble shadows which, likethe righteous 6oseph, walk in your shadow. 0ormortality begets mortality and not life. -ruly $ say toyou earthly husbands are mistaken when they saythat they give life. -hey do not give it but ruin it. -heypush life into the red sea and drown it, and


104/246

beforehand they wrap it in darkness and make it adiabolical illusion. -here is no life, % soul, unless itcomes from the &oly Spirit. 4or is there any reality in

the world, unless it comes down from heaven.3o not slay the prophets sent to you, my soul, forkilling is only an illusion of shadows. 3o not kill, foryou can slay no one but yourself./e a virgin, my soul, for virginity of the soul is theonly semi reality in a world of shadows. A semireality until 2od is born within her. -hen the soulbecomes a full reality./e wise, my virgin, and cordially receive the preciousgifts of the wise men from the :ast, intended for yourSon. 3o not glance back toward the West, where thesun sets, and do not crave gifts that are figmental andfalse.

============================================ =========== N and 6ohn < B. Cf. :!.


105/246


106/246


107/246

6erusalem. HJ.>. Cf. 6ohn GN.LV Who are 'ou?9 the children of the world ask the Son,% my virgin soul.0or they see &im walking among them as a 7ingamong slaves. And they listen to &is powerful words,but fail to understand. And they behold &is powerful

deeds, and are filled with fear. And they feel powergoing out of &im, and are confounded.


121/246


122/246

chops a man up into pieces and grinds him intopowder. 6ust as it is no longer possible for the scattered

ashes of a tree to recogni5e a verdant tree, so is itimpossible for you to recogni5e *e. -ruly $ am the -ruth, the same yesterday, today, andtomorrow.> -he Spirit of -ruth, who is with *e, &e itis who also speaks through *e and &e it is who liveswithin *e. Without &im $ would be nothing, +ust asyou yourselves are. /ut because of &im living within*e, $ am the %ne Who $s. $ have come down from on high, like frightful rain, tofill a parched river bed, which you always used to calla river. %thers brought laws, but $ bring the -ruth.G %therscleared the river bed of its dried mud and prepared itfor water, but they could not supply the water. $ amsupplying the water; $ am filling the river bed; and $am +ustifying the river s name. $ have not come to your drought stricken land to

teach you how to dig for ground water; rather $ the#iving Water have come so that thirsty souls maydrink *e.H 4either have $ come to teach you how to makebread, but rather to be bread for all souls thathunger.B

4either have $ come down into your darkness toteach you how light is created, but rather to illumine


123/246

you. $ndeed, even the sun a light far dimmer than*yself does not teach how light is emitted, butinstead illumines.

4either have $ descended into this maniacal)uivering of shadows to teach you what reality is, butrather to be Deality, in regions of emptiness andnothingness. -ruly, $ have not come to you as a teacher ofwisdom, but as Wisdom itself. Whoever does not accept *e, does not eat *e, doesnot drink *e, does not breathe *e, and thereby doesnot become one with *e, remains outside *e whichmeans he remains outside of #ife and -ruth.9

============================================ ============= . Cf. 6ohn


124/246

H. Cf. 6ohn GN.B. Cf.6ohnK >> BELVI

*y soul runs after truth, % Son of -ruth, and there isno end to her running and no term ade)uate todescribe her e!haustion.$t would be better to be at peace, my soul, and toattract truth to yourself by means of your peace.What would you think of someone who said atmidnight 8$ cannot bear to be without light, $ mustrun to the sun to bring back some rays?9 Why begin a race of a thousand years, when light isfaster than you and can fall into your lap in a matterof seconds?

%pen yourself to light, % soul, and light will come intoyou.-he walls that stand between you and truth and loomup before you like colossal mountains, which you havebeen trying to cross by running to the point ofe!haustion, are your own creation and are more

fragile than the white foam on the lake. $f only youcould open your eyes wide enough not to see them.-ruly, the e!istence of these walls depends upon yourseeing them. $f you did not wish to see them, theywould not e!ist.$ once watched a chicken on top of a blackboard

running around inside a circle that had been drawn onit with white chalk. $ watched him for a long time as


125/246

he ran to and fro and hesitated to +ump over thewhite line, which he probably perceived to be a livingcreature or a high wall.

-his is like my soul, $ said in sorrow, when she thinksthat she is cut off from her freedom either by somemighty giants or by frightful towering walls. $n actualfact, between her prison and her freedom there e!istsonly an imaginary line, thinner than a hair.

All the walls of your prison, my soul, consist of yourfear of the world, of your desire for the world and ofyour thoughts about the world. All these walls youyourself have built according to the instructions ofyour senses from the material that they have givenyou, a material that is truly more fragile than foam.$n the beginning you did not have senses, my soul,and you were not separated from truth. After youbecame blind, you sent out your senses to chase aftertruth. And those greyhounds have been chasing andfetching the closest and easiest game, and bringingback wolves to their blind master, who has beeneating them as though they were venison.3o not run, my soul, for it is characteristic of thesenses to run. Servants and slaves run, but a masterremains peacefully still./ehold, in that corner of profound peace and virginalpurity left within you, your pre eternal eye hasopened. -his eye does not see the walls of yourprison, therefore neither does it run up mountains


126/246

that do not e!ist. -his eye is the Son of -ruth, one ofthe -rinity that rules over all the heavenly kingdom,from which you barred yourself by wanting to be the

80ourth.9 -ruly $ tell you, a 8fourth9 does not e!istanywhere throughout what e!ists. &is name is(4one!istent./y your playing and clowning around with me in thedarkness, my soul, you have made me into a 8fourth.9

All your people out of the world of 8fourths9 will cast

stones at the Son of -ruth. 0lee, wretched soul, fleefrom the world of 8fourths.9 -otally unshackle yourselffrom it, totally re+ect it, totally despise it and bowdown before the -ruth of the -rinity, which is given toyou through the Son of -ruth.% #ord of -ruth and #ife, help my soul to prostrate

herself before 'ou and sob 8'ou are my /eing, my#ife and my -ruth, % beloved Son of the &oly -rinity. 'ou are my everything, and $ surrender myself, nakedand poor, to 'ou. $ no longer have anything to re+ector to scorn or to despise, because nothing even e!istse!cept 'ou. &ave mercy on me, and receive me into

'our arms embrace.9 LVII Are 'ou the %ne who is to come?9 the sons of earthask the %ne born of your irgin, % my soul./ut the %ne born of the irgin glistens with matinallight amid the sons of earth, who are as dark ase!tinguished days.


127/246

-he flaming Seraphim shine in &is eyes; the sapientCherubim sit upon &is lips; the #ordly -hronesGbolster &is stance. Seeing &im alone, a #eader

without an earthly army, every sane man is convincedthat this could be a leader of an awesome andenormous army of invisible powers.

And behold, surrounded by the angelic hosts your#eader, % soul, opens &is mouth and speaks $n truth, $ am the %ne for whom you have beenwaiting; do not hope for another. $f you have beensearching for the way, $ am the Way.< $ am your -omorrow from today until the end oftime. :verything good, that you have been e!pectingfrom the days of tomorrow, is within *e. -oday yourtomorrow is fulfilled in *e. And no day, from now untilthe last day, will bring you what $ am bringing you.#o, $ am the day that has no beginning and no end.> $ am the treasury of every future that e!ists and $am the way to that treasury. -he future in its entiretycannot give you so much as a.kernel of good, unless itborrows it from *e. All the prophets have pointed out the way that leadsto *e. All the ways of the prophets come to an endand lose themselves in *e. 0rom this time forth $ amthe only Way, and outside *e are only regions withoutroads or ways. #ike many streams flowing into asingle river and then losing their way, so have all theprophets flowed into *e, and from this time forth $


128/246

direct the course of #ife. Whoever continues to followthe ways of the prophets further, will be followingpaths that no longer e!ist and will in+ure themselves.

-he prophets came to show the way; $ have come tobe the Way. Whoever wishes to follow *e, must follow *e notwith his feet alone, but with all his soul, with all hisheart, and with all his mind.G *y way is long, and whoever trusts solely in his feetwill drop from e!haustion. When children want to keep up with giants, theymust forego walking on their own feet and sit on theshoulders of giants. Whoever wants to keep up with *e, must renounce

his feet, his soul, his heart, and his mind. Whoeverrenounces all this, $ shall take onto *y feet, into *ysoul, into *y heart, and into *y mind. And he will notbe heavy for *e, nor shall $ be tiring for him.&owever, anyone who fails to renounce everything,cannot overtake or detain *e along the way.H

$ am the Way, and he who follows *y Way, does not +ourney alone but with *e. -he prophets used topoint out the way hither or thither or over in thatdirection, because they were not themselves the way.$ cannot point out the way hither, thither, or over inthat direction; nor can $ leave any of my wayfarers to

+ourney without *e. Whoever wishes to follow *yWay, $ *yself shall carry.B


129/246

$ tell you one thing more $ am what is desiredtomorrow and the Way to tomorrow. Without *e youcannot find the way to what you desire tomorrow, nor

can you e!pect it.9 % 2od bearing Son, have mercy on us and beginleading us 'ourself.

============================================ ============ > G .H. Cf. *att. H.B. Cf. *att. E GJ.LVIII

3o you ask me for the way, e!hausted runners?-o what are you racing, sons of men? $f you knewwhat you were +ogging toward, you would also knowthe way.

'our destinations are innumerable, therefore yourways are also innumerable.

'ou collide with one another and curse at each other,because your pathways cut across each other.:ven if there were as many of you as there are bladesof grass on the earth, you would not be colliding withone another, if you had one destination and onedirection. And your mouths would )uit cursing.

-hose who search for life and truth, have onedestination and one direction. -heir destination shows


130/246


131/246

% #ord, my #ord, my triradiate 2odhead, who willsuffice e!cept 'ou?-he ways of men are a trap, in which runners run all

day and at dusk find themselves in the same place.-he entrapped ways of men bewilder me and $ askmyself who will suffice for a haven e!cept my #ord? Whoever recogni5es *e as the destination of hiswayfaring,9 says the #ord, 8will have *e as the Way to*y mansions.M>% #ord, my #ord, my triradiate 2odhead, who will dareto enter into 'our light? Whoever draws near to ga5e upon *y light withinhimself, will dare to enter into *y light, and will notbe scorched.9

% soul, my soul, my trinocturnal darkness, when willyou remove your mask and be transfigured intotriradiate daylight?Save yourself while the divine torch is burning aboveyou. 0or when it goes away from you it will vanish,even as the dancing moonlight has vanished in the

depths of the lake. ===========================

Modlitwy Nad Jeziorem

Documents

Transcript of Modlitwy Nad Jeziorem