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Dionysius Andreas Freher (1649–1728) foi um místico e escritor alquímico famoso por seus extensivos comentários sobre os trabalhos e idéias de Jacob Boehme. Nasceu na Alemanha mas passou a maior parte de sua vida em Londres, Inglaterra.

Sobre sua obra "THE PARADOXICAL EMBLEMS":

Ele tinha um dom para ilustrar idéias místicas em forma pictórica, e aplicou este dom à obra de Boehme na criação de uma série de "emblemas paradoxais", composta de 153 diagramas emblemáticos cada um com uma pequena linha de texto. Embora preparado no início do século 18 para publicação, infelizmente eles nunca apareceram na imprensa. Estes emblemas são um sistema integrado coerente de exercícios interiores. Cada um destes enfoca uma declaração espiritual fundamental simples, dos quais Freher nos dá a essência de uma imagem para meditar.
A sequência de 153 emblemas começa com emblema 1 apontando em todos os lugares o espaço vazio e a máxima de Hermes Trismegisto "O Centro dos Centros está em toda parte, e a Circunferência em lugar nenhum", e termina com o emblema 152-3, "Todas as coisas foram, são e serão, fora do Um, através do Um e para o Um"

Dionysius Freher (1649-1728) was a longtime student of Jacob Boehme best known for his 13 diagrams published as:

An Illustration of the Deep Principles of Jacob Behmen, the Teutonic Theosopher.

FIGURA UM:

God without all Nature and Creature.
The unformed Word in Trinity without all Nature. (see Mysterium Magnum ch4:8)
The Eternal Unity, or Oneness, deeper than any Thought can reach.
Alpha and Omega; the Eternal Beginning and Eternal End, the First and the Last.
The great Softness, Meekness, Stillness, etc.
Nothing and All. Eternal Liberty.
Abyss, without Ground, Time, and Place.
The Still Eternity. Mysterium Magnum without Nature. Chaos.
The Mirror of Wonders, or Wonderful Eye of Eternity. The first Temperature, or Temperature in Nothingness; a calm, serene
Habitation; but without all Luster and Glory.
The Trinity unmanifest; or rather, the Triune Unsearchable Being, which cannot be an object of any created Understanding.

This Abyssal Nothing will introduce itself into Something, viz., into Nature, that is, into Properties: and through Nature into Glory & Majesty. This now is done -
by a Sharp, Harsh or Strong Desire, represented by this Gross and Dark Circling Line: Which Desire is turning out together with the Lubet (yet not mixed nor...
by a soft, meek or tender Lubet, represented by this finer Circling Line: Which Lubet goes along with (but secretly and incomprehensibly to) the Desire through...

FIGURA DOIS:

The three first (Sal, Sulphur and Mercury).
The Triangle in Nature.
The inferior, restless Part of Nature.
The Properties of Darkness. The Root of Fire.
The Wheel of Nature.
The Three Properties on the Left Hand, appropriable in a Sense to Father, Son and Spirit.
The Hellish World, if in a Creature divorced from the Three on the Right.
N.B. Virgin……Opposite to what in the Light World is called Virgin Wisdom.

Confounded, but as it were Parallel with it) through these three first Dark, Fighting, Whirling and all Restless Properties of Nature and...
These three First Properties of Nature. In the Fourth it makes that great Conjunction between the Eternal Liberty and this Dark, Restless Nature:

FIGURA TRÊS:

The Fourth Property of the Eternal Nature.
The Magic Fire. The Fire World.
The Third Principle.
The Generation of the Cross.
The Strength, Might and Power of Eternal Nature.
The Abyss's or Eternal Liberty's Opening in the Dark World, breaking and consuming all the strong Attraction of Darkness. The Distinguishing Mark, standing in the Midst between three and three, looking with the first terrible Crack (made in the first, gross and rough hardness) into the Dark World; and with the second joyful Crack (made in the second, soft, watery or conquered Harshness) into the Light World; and giving unto each what it is capable of, viz., Might, Strength, Terror, etc. unto the former, but Light, Splendour, Luster and Glory, unto the latter.

here in the fourth it ends: as being fulfilled or satisfied by what now further is produced in, by and through the Fire.
Which Conjunction is the Generation of Fire: Through which this Lubet, having thus taken up Life and Motion, returns Home in the Light Triumphantly bring-

FIGURA QUATRO:

The three Exalted, Tinctured or Transmuted Properties on the Right Hand. The Kingdom of Love, Light and Glory.
The Second Principle.
The Second Temperature, or Temperature in Substantiality.
The Trinity manifested, which only now can be an Object of a created Understanding. Byss. Wisdom. Tincture.

-ing this Life along with it from Nature into Liberty: And so that Former Temperature in Nothingness, is made a most Glorious Habitation of the Holy Trinity, as being manifest therein. And is now called a Temperature in Substantiality, full of Natural but Tinctured Harmonized Properties.

FIGURA CINCO:

The first four Figures were to show, in some Manner (according to the deep and wonderful Manifestation of the Divine Spirit, given to Jacob Behmen) the Generation of Eternal Nature, which has a Beginning without Beginning, and an End without End.
This fifth represents now, that this great Royal Residence, or Divine Habitation of Glory, of GOD the Father, GOD the Son and GOD the Holy Ghost, was replenished at once with innumerable Inhabitants, All Glorious Flames of Fire, All Children of GOD, and All Ministering Spirits, divided in Three Hierarchies (each of such an Extent, that no Limits can be perceived, and yet not infinite) according to the Holy Number Three. But we know the Names only of two of them, which are Michael and Uriel. because only these two, with all their hosts, kept their habitation in the Light.

FIGURA SEIS:

Here now one of those three Hierarchs, even the most glorious of them, because he was the Created Representative of GOD the Son, commits High Treason, revolts, lets his dark, proud Will-Spirit, in a false Magia, without any Occasion given him from without, out of his own Center fly up on high, above God and all the Hosts of Heaven, to be himself All in All; but he is resisted, and precipitated down, and falls through the Fire into Eternal Darkness, in which he is a mighty Prince over his own Legions, but in reality a poor Prisoner, and an infamous Executioner of the Wrath of God; and may now well be reproached, and asked, How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, Son of the Morning? To which Question a profound, prolix, distinct, most particular and circumstantial Answer is given, in the Aurora, to his eternal Shame and Confusion, which he had hid and covered from the Beginning of the World.

FIGURA SETE:

When Lucifer by his Rebellion had brought the whole Extent of his Kingdom into such a desolate Condition, that it was, as Moses describes it, without Form and Void, and Darkness was upon the Face of the Deep, that whole Region was justly taken away from under his Dominion, and transformed into such another meaner and temporary Condition, that it could no more be of any use to him. And when this was fully settled in Six Days Time, according to the Six Active Spirits of the Eternal Nature, so that it needed nothing more but a Prince and Ruler, instead of him who had forsaken his Habitation in the Light, ADAM was created in the Image and Likeness of GOD, an Epitome, or Compendium, of the whole Universe, by the VERBUM FIAT, which was the Eternal Word, in Conjunction with the first Astringent Fountain-Spirit of Eternal Nature.

FIGURA OITO:

This ADAM, though he was indeed created in a State of Innocence, Purity, Integrity and Perfection, could not yet stand on that Top of Perfection which he was designed for, and would have been drawn up into, if he had stood his Trial, for which there was an absolute Necessity. Three Things there were that laid claim to Adam, and though they stood within him in an equal Temperature, yet did they not so without him, for Lucifer had made a Breach.
These three Things were, (1.) above him, SOPHIA, called (Malachi 2:14) his Companion, and the Wife of his Youth. (2.) SATAN, that uncreated Dark Root in the Beginningless Beginning of Eternal Nature. And (3.) The SPIRIT OF THIS WORLD. And herein lies the Ground of the Necessity of Adam's Temptation.
In this Consideration the Devil comes yet not in, though he is not far out of the Way; nor the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; because this was but a necessary Consequence of Adam's wavering, and dealing treacherously with the Wife of his Youth.

FIGURA NOVE:

Here now is poor Adam fallen away from all his former Happiness and Glory, and has lost whatsoever was good and desirable both in himself and round about him: He lies as dead, on the outmost Borders of the Spirit of this World. SOPHIA has forsaken him, or rather he, having dealt treacherously, has forsaken Her, and the Holy Band of the Marriage-Covenant that was between them is dissolved: He is all over dark, and lies even under the Earth, over which he was to rule: All the Stars shoot their Influences upon him, of which the very best are but Death and Poison to that Life for which he was created: And nothing less could he expect, but that every Moment he should be quite drawn down and swallowed up in the Belly of Satan. This was his State and Condition after his Transgression, and before he heard the Word of Free Grace, that the Woman's Seed should bruise the Serpent's Head.

FIGURA DEZ:

Here Adam, by that Word of Grace treasured up in his Heart, whose Name is JESUS, is raised again so far, that he can stand above the earthly Globe, upon the Basis of a fiery Triangle, which is an excellent Emblem of his own Soul, and the Holy Name JESUS stands above him upon the Top of a watery Triangle, and these two Triangles, which in Adam's Fall were divorced from each other, do now touch each other again, though (in this Beginning) but in one Point: that the Soul's Desire may draw down into itself the [upper triangle] and that Holy Name may draw up into itself more and more the [lower triangle] till these two make a complete [Star of David] the most significant Character in all the Universe: For only then the Work of Regeneration and Reunion with SOPHIA will be absolved. And although, during this mortal Life, no such Perfection of the whole Man can be wrought out, yet is it attainable in the inward Part; and whatsoever seems to be an Obstruction (even SIN NOT EXCEPTED) must, for this very End, WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD. Praised be His Triune Holy, Holy, Holy Name, in this Time, and throughout all the Extent and Duration of Eternity.

FIGURA ONZE:

Here Adam, in the same Place as before, appears again, but in Union with Christ, which is to be referred to the Person of Jesus Christ, or of the second Adam in our Humanity upon Earth; and is to show the absolute Necessity of His Holy Incarnation, and immaculate Sacrifice for all Mankind, without which the great Work of our Regeneration and Reunion with SOPHIA could not have been wrought out to Perfection. In His Incarnation He brought that most significant Character, which the first Adam had lost, into the Humanity again, but first in His own Human Person, although it could not be visible in Him from without, whilst He was upon Earth a Man like unto us in all Things, Sins excepted. And therefore He, and even He alone, was able and sufficient to go for us into Death, to kill Death in His own Death, to break in His Passage the Hook and Sting of Satan, to enter into, and through his dark Territory, to bruise the Serpent's Head, and to ascend up on high, to take possession of His Throne, whereby the Prophecy of Micah 2:13 was fulfilled: "The Breaker is come up before them."

FIGURA DOZE:

From the Time in which that Breaker, prophesied of by Micah, was come up before us, the Gate stood open, that the First Adam's Children could follow Him and enter into Paradise, which could not be done by any Soul before that Time. Holy Souls, both before and after the Deluge, that lived according to the Dictates of the Word treasured up in their Hearts, could, in their Departure from this World, go so far as to the Gate of Paradise, but Entrance could not be had by any one, till the First-Born from the Dead was entered in HIS own Person.
Yet is there still a vast Difference between Souls in their Departure from this World; and this Difference wholly depends upon the real State and Condition of that significant Character, which was spoken of before; for those Souls that have attained it in this Life to Perfection, or in other Words, those that here have put on the Heavenly Substantiality of Jesus Christ, meet with no Obstacle in their Passage. Those in whom that Character is more or less defective, meet with more or less Impediment; and those that have nothing at all of it, cannot go any further than into that Region, which most significantly is called the Triangle in Nature. O that there were none such at all!

FIGURA TREZE:

When the third Hierarchy, which Lucifer destroyed and depopulated, shall be completely filled again with Inhabitants from the Children of Adam, Good and Evil shall be separated, Time shall be no more, and GOD shall be All in All. This third Hierarchy, which, for good Reasons, was always hitherto represented as inferior to those of Michael and Uriel, is now here again exalted above them in the supremest Place: For as the Hierarch Jesus Christ, being the Brightness of GOD the Father's Glory, and the express Image of His Person, excels all the Angels, and has by Inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they, who are all to worship Him, and to none of whom HE ever said, as HE said to Him, Sit on my Right Hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy Footstool, (Heb. 1) so also His subjects in this Hierarchy, surpass all the Holy Angels in this,that they are Images of GOD, as manifested in all the three Principles, when the Holy Angels are only his Images, as HE was manifested in two of them: Wherefore also they are distinguished from the Angels by this peculiar character [the circled Stars of David] which is not contrived by human Speculation, but is written in the Book of Nature by the Finger of God; for it points directly, not only at the Creation of this third Principle in six Days; but also at fallen and divorced Adam's Reunion with the Divine Virgin SOPHIA.
To those who are more like (though not in their outward Shape) the Animals of this World than Men, nothing is to be said of these and the like Things, because they are Spiritual, and must be Spiritually discerned.