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“Beloved Soul, if thou will be earnest without intermission, thou shall certainly obtain the favor of a kiss from the noble Sophia (or Divine Wisdom) in the Holy Name of Jesus; for she stands ever before the door of the Soul, knocking, and warning the sinner of his wicked ways. Now if once thou desires her love, she is ready for it and kisses it with the Beams of her sweet Love, from whence the heart receives joy. But she does not presently lay herself in the marriage bed with the Soul, that is, she does not presently awaken the extinguished Heavenly Image in herself, which disappeared in Adam in Paradise. No, there might be danger in that; for if Adam and Lucifer fell, having it manifest in them, the same may easily happen to Man, who is still so strongly enthralled in Vanity.
“The bond of thy promise must be firm and steadfast. Before she will crown thee, you must be tempted and tried. She lets thee stands as it were aloof, and answers thee not so much one look of her love. For before she will crown thee, thou must be judged. … Thou must come before the gates of Hell first, and there show forth the victory for her in her love, in the strength where she upholds you in opposition to the Devil’s influence.” ~Jacob Boehme
Earnest Without Intermission
Boehme doesn’t say here what it is we must be earnest in, but since his writings are all about spiritual growth and development, we can assume that is what is meant here. Being earnest in our spiritual development techniques means that we don’t think of it as some game or something to occupy space-time, but rather the most important thing in our lives. After all, most of us spend hours a week caring for our temporary bodies in one way or another, shouldn’t our eternal spirit get at least as much recognition and care?
Kiss from Sophia
What Boehme is calling “a kiss from the noble Sophia” is just another way of saying God’s Grace or God’s Light. It is through awakening and developing our spiritual faculties with the help of that Light that eventually leads to the Wisdom of Sophia that the Gnostics call Gnosis. This should not be confused with intellect. It is a Wisdom of the Soul unknown to the brain, it is consciousness, not intellect.
If One Desires Her Love
While it may be true that Sophia tries to warn the sinners of their errant ways, it is clear that they have closed those channels of communication and don’t hear her pleas. On the other hand, the one who truly desires to awaken and develop their spiritual faculties, Sophia is ready to help. More accurately, God’s angels and Holy One who have left the Eathly plain offer their help first. Sophia comes somewhat later.
Beams of Her Love
This is an important choice of words Boehm has made her hint at something he couldn’t say outright without getting into trouble with the religious authorities of his time. Sending beams of Love is his way of telling us that Light is involved, as it is Light that travels in beams. Specifically, Sophia’s Kiss comes in the Light of the Spiritual Sun that awakens and nourishes the spirit.
Before She Will Crown Thee
This is another case where Boehme has carefully chosen his words to hint at something he couldn’t say outright in his time. It would be nice if those who had awakened the Gnosis within were chosen as the leaders of the world, but in this materialistic age, it is simply not so. But before political leaders in the form of kings and queens stole the idea of wearing a crown of gold, they were worn by the high priests and prophets of the great spiritual schools to symbolize their closeness to God and to Sophia. The gold crown with the points on it represented the sun, so such priests were showing that they were one with the Spiritual Sun. So Boehm is telling us that if we want to be “crowned” by the truth and wisdom of Sophia, we must turn to the Spiritual Sun. It was, after all, the Light of the sun reflecting off a metal bowl striking him in the eyes that gave Boehm his spiritual awakening.
