(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Hikmat (Tablet of Wisdom), 1292? [1875-1876], to Mulla Muhammad Qa'ini (Nabil-i-Akbar) -- BH00223)
The visible world as a reflection of spiritual reality
material world a reflection of the spiritual
Editorial introduction
Look at the world, Bahá’u’lláh says, and it will unfold the book of its own self before your eyes. The heavens tell of sovereign power, the sea of wealth, the wind of nearness; the leaves of a tree are pages, and a calligrapher is told that deeds and conduct are the lines on an unfurled scroll. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá adds a necessary caution. To call the visible world a reflection, a mirage beside the reality of God, is not to call it nothing; in its own degree it exists, as an image in a mirror has a real person standing behind it. A reflection points beyond itself, and every likeness has its limits. The practical question is what such perception does to a life: whether a heart that reads signs in rain and growth learns gratitude, whether a community can become a mirror of the realm above, whether the earth, a workshop rather than a gallery, can refine character. The Qur’an, turning rain into drink, pasture and crops, calls that provision a sign for people who reflect [1]. From here the road runs toward the two books of creation and revelation, the human reality fashioned in the image of God, and the spiritual springtime in which an outward season answers an inward one.
Selected passages
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 79, The Reality of the World of Being, 1904-Oct-09 -- AB02618)
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Fathullah -- BH00598)
Some material things have a spiritual effect. The spoken words cause a vibration which produces an effect upon the ear. This is material, but the effect is spiritual--that is, the spirit of man feels the effect-- either of gladness or sadness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Helen Goodall and Ella Cooper spoken in Jan. 1908 -- ABU3428)
The verse concerns this: there are two unfurled books - one the Book of Creation and the other the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation comprises the heavenly scriptures revealed unto the divine Prophets and issued from the pure mouth of Truth. The Book of Creation is this preserved tablet of contingent being and the unfurled scroll of existence, and Creation follows Revelation. … When thou readest Revelation, thou becomest aware of divine mysteries, and when thou gazest upon the Book of Creation, thou beholdest the signs, symbols, realities, conditions and manifestations of the hidden mystery and the outpourings of the Incomparable Lord.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909-Oct-22, to Aqa Mihdi Radavi Al-Hamidani -- AB00170)
The former were inscribed in books, psalms, scrolls and tablets, while the latter appeared in the Preserved Tablet and the outstretched parchment of the horizons.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Muhammad Ali Mustawfi -- AB05536)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Dec or <, to Howard Macnutt -- AB00083)
O namesake of the Most Desired One! Open the eye of outward vision in the arena of existence, that thou mayest behold the verses of the Supreme Concourse inscribed, recorded and confirmed in clear script upon the scroll of the horizons. And observe with care the pure and delicate pages of creation, that thou mayest perceive the images of the most glorious Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Muhammad Husayn Khan -- AB08765)
O Calligrapher! This world of being is an inscribed book and an unfurled scroll.
… These lines are deeds and actions, ways and words and conduct.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mihdi Khattat Shirazi -- AB09343)
I ask God to make the heart of every one of you a temple of the Divine Temples and to let the lamp of the great guidance be lighted therein; and when the hearts find such an attainment, they will certainly exert the utmost endeavor and energy in the building of the Mashrak-el-Azcar; thus may the outward express the inward, and the form (or letter) indicate the meaning (or reality).
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-May-21, to Harrison, Cecilia et al -- AB06288)
As for the Spiritual Assembly, I pray that God may assist them in all affairs and enable them to exalt the Word of God and promote the divine teachings, so that they may become the cause of human unity and the spread of the divine breaths, until no prejudice remains between religions, denominations and races, and all may hold fast together to the cord of God, and misunderstandings between all parties may vanish, and the human world may become a mirror of the Kingdom of God upon which spiritual lights shine.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Jan-30, to Zia M Bagdadi -- AB04957)
I hope that this may be so, meaning that the loved ones of God may conduct themselves according to the teachings, counsels and exhortations of Baha'u'llah, so that the lights of the Kingdom may be reflected in the mirror of the human world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1914-Aug ca., to Gertrude G Richardson -- AB07234)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Baha'is of Qazvin, et al -- AB00034)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Ayat (Tablet of the Signs), 1893 ca. -- AB00444)
In like manner, from these spiritual realities infer truths about the material world. For physical things are signs and imprints of spiritual things; every lower thing is an image and pattern of a higher thing.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Aflakiyyih (Tablet of the Celestial Spheres), 1876-08 ca. -- AB00023)
O loved ones of God! Verily, the physical world corresponds to the spiritual world, and the material existence conforms to the spiritual existence. The realm of creation is but a reflection of signs indicating the attributes, perfections and ordinances of the divine realm in terms of names, qualities and laws.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Nov or < -- AB00123)
Although all created things are divine tablets and pages wherein the mysteries of Lordship are inscribed, the Preserved Tablet and the open scroll are the hearts of the friends.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Muhammad Khan Mirpanj -- AB02516)
O gracious Isma'il! There are two kinds of scriptures and books existent in the world. One consists of the tablets of hearts, which are inscribed by the sanctified Pen - "Nun. By the Pen and that which they write." The other consists of outward books and writings, which are traced by the known pen.
These outward scriptures are a reflection of those divine tablets and tablets of hearts.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Isma'il Mudhahhib -- AB09789)
Know that this material world is the mirror of the Kingdom, and each of these worlds is in complete correspondence with the other. The correct theories of this world which are the result of sound scientific thinking are in agreement with the divine verses without the slightest divergence between them, for the truth of all things is laid away in the treasuries of the Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Apr-04, to Georgine D'ange D'astre -- AB00457)
Make a mighty endeavour, then, and speak forth in such wise that the patterns and systems of the material world shall become aligned with the over-arching order of the cosmos itself and may reflect the beautiful symmetries of universal law. Then will the outer form correspond with the inner meaning and be entitled to the designation of Reality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá -- AB09507)
Consider material things, which are a symbol of spiritual things.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1913-Oct-26, to Mirza Aqa Khan son of Muhammad Taqi -- AB03186)
Every material thing we see around us represents some spiritual idea. As there is and outward, material reality, so there is also an inward, spiritual reality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in 1900 -- ABU1628)
How excellent is what was said: "That which is below has a form of that which is above."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909-Jun-26, to Mirza Muhammad Baqir Khan Shirazi -- AB03656)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at the Morton home on 1912-Apr-13 -- ABU1161)
Q. How can we compare philosophical thoughts with religious thoughts?
A. Know that this nether world is the mirror of the kingdom, and the former is exactly the counterpart of the latter.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá -- ABU2887)
May the human world become a mirror of the divine Kingdom and the lights of the realm of might shine forth in the world of existence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Mar-15, to Louise Waite -- AB01073)
May the material world become a mirror of the Kingdom and may the Sun of Truth shine upon all regions of the world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Feb-01, to Louise D Boyle -- AB01671)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Aug-18 -- ABU0049)
May the earthly realm take on the image of the heavenly realm and may the contingent world become the dawning-place of the Spirit of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903-Sep-28, to Lenore Brooks -- AB03721)
For whatsoever exists below has its counterpart above. Then will the expanse of earth and the realm of contingent being become the Abha Paradise.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1898 or <, to Muhammad Naqqash Hamadani -- AB08279)
The Easterner understands better than the Westerner that the world (the cosmos) is a reflection of the Creator. The Godhead is represented in the category (the image) of the light, the sun, and the created (the world) is a reflection of Divine Light, for the relationship of the created to the Creator is incomprehensible and can only be seen and represented in a pale comparison (analogy).
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in the house of Abdu'l-Baha ca. 1909-1910 -- ABU0218)
Whatever exists above has a form below, though any portrait made by human fingers and visual precision, however splendid and radiant it may be, cannot match the original in every respect. But the image of the sun is a true reflection that comes from the inherent properties of pure substances, and its Creator is the Hand of Divine Power - thus it matches reality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mirza Hasan Khan (Brother of Abdu'l-Baqi Khan) et al -- AB05743)
Now we live in belief, in surmise, in feeling, in delicate, fragile proof by analogy (comparison), in the reflection and refulgence of the Eternal, the Immeasurable, the Incorporeal. -O atheist, I cannot reach down for you, for example, the moon from the firmament, to touch and see close to, but approach the water and at least look at its reflection, the image of the heavenly body. Much can now only be 'seen from afar', imagined from afar, but the day of seeing it close - of touching and possessing, will come, and then we shall speak further."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken to Miss St. in Aug 1910 -- ABU0610)
Therefore, strive thou to capture images of the Concourse on High in the mirror of capability and potential, and to show forth heavenly reflections upon earthly planes. These images are infinite, and these reflections enduring and established. That which is below hath its image in that which is above.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1912-Feb-13, to Mirza Hasan Akkasbashi -- AB07496)
For the contingent world - that is, the realm of the senses and the external sphere - in relation to the stations of heart and soul and the world of the heart and spirit, is like the realm of the womb in relation to the world and cosmos.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Hand of the Cause Ali Muhammad Ibn Asdaq -- AB05191)
O thou who art enamored of truth! Human reality is a divine trust, and the human world represents its natural emanations.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Dec-18, to Muntazimul-Hukama -- AB04068)
The adornment and light here is but a ray from the effulgence there.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Mihraban Bihjat -- AB10102)
O thou who hast inhaled the fragrance of faithfulness! Every divine reality and every reality in creation, whether outward forms or inner meanings, possesses a fragrance and bestows a breath of spirit. The reality of faithfulness, like a hundred-petaled crimson rose, bestows the life-giving fragrance of musk and grants souls both spirit and sweet perfume. Thus there exists a sweet fragrance in steadfastness and firmness in the Covenant and Testament.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Munir Nabilzadih -- AB10270)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mirza Abdu'llah Muallim -- AB06829)
It is very enlightened; it is spiritual; it is heavenly. As has been said by a Persian poet, the celestial globe is in such a form that the under part is, as it were, a reflection of the upper part. That is to say, whatever exists in heaven is reflected in this world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Thornburgh-Cropper home, 1911-Sep-12 -- ABU1118)
Mir Findiriski says:
This turning wheel which is thus delicate and pleasant and beautiful,
Has below it a form of that which is above.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1913 ca., to Patrolman of Dilijans between Rasht and Qazvin -- AB04959)
Even in this earthly center, consider what news there is from the divine world:
"The wine full of dregs makes us mad
If it becomes pure, I know not what it will do!"
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Muhammad Mihdi Muayyad -- AB07603)
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290? -- BH01509)
Verily in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the alternation of light and darkness, and in the budding forth of trees, and in the motion of the Ark of Oneness upon the sea of fire, and in the wafting of the holy breezes from the Paradise of Beauty, and in the sending down of verses from the cloud of the Divine Essence are signs for people who reflect.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Husayn Nahri (Mahbubush-Shuhada) -- BH02606)
(Bahá’u’lláh, Javahiru'l-Asrar (Gems of Divine Mysteries), to Haji Siyyid Muhammad Mujtahid Isfahani -- BH00012)
Methinks I hear its bright voice saying: "Wake up, O ye who are asleep! Bestir yourselves, lethargic ones! Make haste, O ye who are dispirited! Arise! O apathetic ones! Cast off the veils, ye who are shrouded! Drink deep of the cup of dawn, ye that are sunk in torpor! For I am a visible sign of that true Sun of divine Reality; I am the outward appearance of that resplendent Source of Divinity that has arisen in the Orient of God. Verily, these rays of mine are the symbols, merely, of the all-embracing sovereign grace which is shed upon the world by Him Who is the Day Star of the worlds of God."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1900 or <, to Siyyid Mihdi -- AB08127)
Whatever there is in the world of contingency is a symbol of the spiritual world; whatever there is on the earth is a symbol of heavenly things. For example: In the spiritual world there is the light of guidance, in the outer world there is the lamp, its symbol. In the divine world there is love, symbolized in the material world by magnetism.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to George Winterburn et al, spoken on 1904-Feb-06 -- ABU1318)
Thou has made known unto me, O my Lord, that the material worlds are but a reflection, O my Beloved, of those invisible Divine worlds that can never be understood save by every man of insight, who witnesseth and hearkens, having transcended all earthly things.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1903-11 ca., to Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani -- AB00326)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at All Souls Unitarian Church on 1912-Jul-14 -- ABU0023)
The face of the earth became the highest paradise, and the surface of the world became the Abha Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Rashti, Aqa Mirza Husayn Khan et al -- AB08712)
As in the physical world there are four seasons, so in the realm of religion there is the season of heavenly and spiritual springtime.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Windsor Hotel in Montreal, 1912-Sep-07 -- ABU2227)
Assuredly it will illumine the human world, breathe new life into hearts, make blind eyes seeing, make deaf ears hearing, resurrect dead souls, make the world another world, and make the material world a mirror of the divine realm.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1914-Apr-15, to W W Harmon -- AB04374)
It is for us to consider how we may educate men that the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness may disappear and that the radiance of the kingdom may encompass the world; that the nations of men may be delivered from selfish ambition and strife, and be revivified by the fragrance of God; that animosity and hatred may be dispersed and wholly disappear, while the attracting power of the love of God so completely unites the hearts of men that all hearts beat as a single heart; that the arteries of all mankind may pulsate with the love of God; that contention and war may utterly pass away, while peace and reconciliation lift their standard in the midst of the earth and men become enamoured of one another; that the joys of spirituality may prevail over material pleasures; that East and West may delight in one another as lovers, and North and South embrace each other in closest affection; that the visible world may be the mirror of the world of the kingdom; that the image of the Supreme Concourse may be reflected in all gatherings of men; that the earth may be changed into the paradise of the Glorious One, and the Divine Jerusalem embrace the terrestrial globe.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Myron Phelps and Madame Canavarro in Dec. 1902 -- ABU1932)
The real, true Baha'is are the seeing, the perceptive, the knowing; their most noble task is that they make good use of the grace of understanding and refine the conscience of men everywhere, thus paving the way for the Kingdom of God on earth. For love and peace bring heaven down to earth.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken to Miss St. in Aug 1910 -- ABU3332)
Beyond this it is obvious and observable, in the written Divine and indisputable tablets that the primary Divine Principal and goal, The Holy Will of God, is none other than the unity of all the peoples of the world, that the Oneness of the entire human race, composed of all the diverse, antagonistic and distinct ethnic groups prevails to the extent that God's Word "Unity" is embodied and characterized on all levels, so that this earthy kingdom mirrors the Heavenly Kingdom.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Nayrizi, Mulla Muhammad Shafi son of Mulla Ali Naqi -- AB06664)
Through the grace of the Abha Beauty, may my spirit be sacrificed for His loved ones, this lower assembly must be made into the image of the Supreme Concourse, and this earthly realm must be made to reflect the gatherings of the highest heaven, and this contingent world must be made the dawning-place of the signs of the Sovereign of the throne of the realm of divine transcendence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1894 ca. -- AB04249)
Yet man must ever remember the earth plane is a workshop, not an art gallery for the exhibits of powers. This is not the plane of perfection, but earth is the crucible for refining and moulding character.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá -- ABU2410)
"But the outward raiment must be also clean and immaculate, so that the outer may be a faint expression of the inner.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Mirza Lotfullah, spoken on 1914-Jan-23 -- ABU0727)
Between the material things and spiritual things there is connection. The more the body is healthful the greater will be the power of the spirit in man; the power of the intellect, the power of the memory, the power of reflection shall be more powerful. This world is like the body. The Cause of God, the Confirmation of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Bounties, the Spiritual Power are like the Spirit.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Arthur Agnew et al, spoken on 1907-Apr-10 -- ABU0602)
As all things are nourished and sustained by the light and warmth of the sun, so are all created beings filled with the overflowing bounty of Christ.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to E.J. Rosenberg et al, spoken around Feb. 1901 -- ABU3187)
That divine power may then assist him in all his undertakings and the penetration of the word of God will change this nether world into the mirror of the realm on high.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá -- ABU3269)
I submit, therefore, that whatever is seen and heard in this temporal world, this world of limitations---of every name and description, of every form and attribute---also has a presence and manifestation in every world of the worlds of God suitable to and befitting that world, where it appears and is revealed by another name and description, and in another form with other attributes.
… Those mature philosophers who have drunk the choice wine of true understanding have acknowledged the embodiment of deeds. The All-Glorious states: "He will requite them for their [acquired] attributes (wasf)." The Dayspring of the Revelation of the All-Merciful has declared: "The people will be requited for their deeds, with reward being the consequence of good deeds and punishment the consequence of wrongdoing." It is evident, then, that deeds will be preserved and every [acquired] attribute will continue to exist, so that through the attribute or deed itself requital can be given.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Haqqu'n-Nas -- BH00423)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 81, Reincarnation, 1904 ca. -- AB00036)
O true servant of the Abha Beauty! That which thou beholdest in this temporal world are the fleeting shadows of the world of the Kingdom and the external images of the celestial realm. This is why thou observest that these shadows and forms are continuously being renewed. They are not permanent, but the succession of similar forms and like states is such as to give the appearance of constancy. In the end, however, it will become clear that it was a mirage, not real water; illusions, not the realities of the signs.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1904 ca., to Aqa Buzurg (Darrih Jaz) -- AB05577)
The outward and perishable is but the sign of the inward and imperishable.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Julia Grundy spoken around Jan. 1905 -- ABU1183)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Mrs Edith House -- AB04567)
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1915 or <, to Baha'is of Johnstown, NY -- AB02813)
O ye who are attracted by the Fragrances of God!
Verily, this mundane world is as the mirage of the desert, but the Kingdom is like unto a sea of great surges and rolling waves.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1916 or <, to California Maidservants et al -- AB02446)
This mortal world is fickle and unstable like unto a shifting shadow, and the human life is like unto a mirage and a reflection on the water.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1907-Apr or <, to Aseyeh Wellesca Dyar -- AB07819)
All that existeth in the world of dominion and the kingdom is but a reflection and shadow of the hidden divine realms, yet the heedless ones hunt after and seek these shadows and reflections.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Aqa Siyyid Ashraf -- BH08751)
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Mulla Muhammad Zarandi (Nabil-i-Azam) -- BH00846)
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Mirza Nazar Ali -- BH03287)
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Ahmad (Persian), to Ahmad -- BH00249)
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Sin Farid Zi -- BH03550)
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
Know then that those mathematical [astronomical] questions which have stood the test of scrutiny and about the soundness of which there is no doubt are those that are supported by incontrovertible and logically binding proofs and by the rules of geometry as applied to astronomy; that are based on observations of the stars and careful astronomical research, and are in conformity with the principles of the universal themes expounded in the divine sciences. ('Abdu'l-Baha, provisional translation, Lawh-i-Aflakiyyih,
MKT1:019) cf. "Thou hadst inquired about astronomy. Whatever dependeth on mathematics is acceptable, whereas the things previously established by the astrologers of old ... are figments of the imagination and products of the thinking of former generations, and are bereft of a firm foundation." (AB03340, https://adibmasumian.com/translations/ab03340/)
The meaning of the Kingdom (malakut) in its primary sense and degree is the scene of His transcendent glory. In another sense it is the world of similitudes ('alam-i-mithal) which existeth between the Dominion on high (jabarut) and this mortal realm (nasut); whatever is in the heavens or on the earth hath its counterpart in that world.
(Baha'u'llah, provisional translation, Tablet to Varqa, in "Relativism: A Basis for Baha'i Metaphysics", MA1.018)
...if thou dost compare the ideal world to the human world and apply spiritual principles to physical matters thou wilt discover that this view is flimsier than a spider's web, because, just as the luminous spiritual worlds are sanctified above computation or limitation, so too are the physical worlds in this vast immensity of space.
(Abdu'l-Baha, provisional translation, Lawh-i-Aflakiyyih, MKT1:023-024)
When the reflection or physical bounty of the world of creation is infinite how is it possible to circumscribe the reality, or spiritual bounty, which is the basis of the divine creation? The spiritual world is so much greater than the physical world that in comparison with it the physical world is non-existent.
ADP.168-169
...know that the world of creation is in perfect conformity to the Heavenly Kingdom, and that the material growth coincides with the spiritual, and that the material world is nothing more than published and corresponding signs which denote the conditions and the perfections of Divinity.
('Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets Revealed by the Blessed Perfection and Abdul-Beha Abbas (Board of Counsel, New York, 1900), p. 5)
The visible world comes forth from the world of malakut just as the shadow comes forth from the thing that throws it, the fruit comes forth from the tree, and the effect comes forth from the cause. The keys to knowledge of effects are found only in their causes. Hence, the visible world is a similitude of the world of malakut.
(Al-Ghazali, The Niche of Lights, p. 12; 27)
That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to do the miracles of one only thing. And as all things have been arose from one by the mediation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.
(The Emerald Tablet of Hermes, Isaac Newton's translation)
...the existence of the world itself 'means' something, 'wants to say' something... the world is neither mute nor opaque... it is not an inert thing without purpose or significance. For religious man, the cosmos 'lives' and 'speaks'. The mere life of the cosmos is proof of its sanctity.... This is why, beginning at a certain stage of culture, man conceives of himself as a microcosm. (Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, p.165) ...for the nonreligious men of the modern age, the cosmos has become opaque, inert, mute; it transmits no message, it holds no cipher. Ibid. 178
Source reference not supplied
It is He who sendeth down rain out of Heaven: from it is your drink; and from it are the plants by which ye pasture. By it He causeth the corn, and the olives, and the palm-trees, and the grapes to spring forth for you, and all kinds of fruits; verily in this are signs for those who ponder.
Qur'an 16:10-11
And it is not difficult, my son, to contemplate God in thought, or even, if you will, to see him. Look at the order of the Kosmos; look at the necessity which governs all that is presented to our sight, and the providence shown in things that have been, and in things that come to be; look at matter filled to the full with life, and see this great god [Kosmos] in movement, with all things that are contained in him. Tat: But these, father, are nothing but forces at work. Hermes: If they are forces at work, my son, who is it that works them? Is it not God? Do you not know that, just as heaven and earth and water and air are parts of the Kosmos, even so destiny and necessity and providence and nature ar parts of God? And there is nothing that comes to be or has come to be, in which God is not.
(Corpus Hermeticum, Lib. xii:21, p. 237, W. Scott trans.)
in Intellect there is desire and a movement to convergence with its form. Intellect is, certainly, beautiful, and the most beautiful of all; its place is in pure light and pure radiance and it includes the nature of real beings; this beautiful universe of ours is a shadow and image of it.
Plotinus, Enn.III.8.11
The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it....Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion.
GWB#153 p328-329
Know ye that the world is like unto a mirage which the thirsty one thinks to be water; its water is a vapor; its mercy a difficulty; its repose hardship and ordeal...
TAB.407
...realize that all the created things are as letters and words...
TAB.537
Continue exploring
For thought and discussion
Questions to carry forward
- How might perceiving the world as a book change the quality of everyday attention?
- What is the difference between calling material things relative, transient, or illusory?
- Where do the images of book, mirror, garden, and workshop illuminate spiritual reality, and where might their usefulness end?
- How does Qur’an 16:10–11 connect practical nourishment with reflection on signs?
- In what ways can outward worship, communal cooperation, and individual conduct express inward qualities?
- What responsibilities toward people and the natural world might follow from learning to perceive spiritual significance within them?