Gifts of Heaven · Volume 1 · Chapter 143

About the spiritual spring

1st May 1841, afternoon

Wilhelmine H. asked: ,,What is spring and what can you learn from spring?" Transcriber: Ans. H. – Wilhelmine H. – Julie H. – The Lord answered through J. L.:

[1] As far as spring is concerned, it is naturally nothing other than what every person experiences in the morning after awakening, namely an awakened activity of all spirits.

[2] When these spirits are awakened from their sleep by the light and by the increasing warmth, they begin their orderly activity anew. All the senses open up; the stomach announces it’s need for food, and all the juices of the body begin a lively circulation.

[3] Behold, so it is also in the great nature! Countless eons of spirits are awakened by the light and the warmth of the sun from their rigid winter sleep, begin their vegetative activity anew and start to form and develop all kinds of plants, herbs, bushes and trees as well as countless armies of the small animal world, and all this according to the established order.

[4] See, this is the natural spring! But what can you learn from this? I tell you – a lot!

[5] You know how it arises naturally, namely through the increasing light and through warmth.

[6] Now see, if you really diligently and faithfully listen to My word or read it yourself, then the great spiritual sun of your earthly or worldly still cold northern winter zone of the heart is also approaching. This "sunlight" gradually releases more and more warmth, which is love for Me, for true spiritual life activity.

[7] When something like this begins to happen, then the "spiritual spring" has entered the person.

[8] But just as it is that the natural spring, along with many useful plants and animals, awakens just as many poisonous and harmful ones into life, so it is also with the spiritual spring that many poisonous and harmful evil spirits are awakened in man, from which then also the temptations to sin become more powerful than in the lifeless rigid winter, which is the tepid worldly ordinariness of man.

[9] Therefore in this spiritual spring, man must be like a diligent gardener who carefully cleanses his little trees and plants from the harmful caterpillars and all weeds, so that the noble trees and plants are not harmed.

[10] He who in this way diligently cleanses his tree of life of all evil desires and passions by the powerful tools of self-denial and humility, will certainly see his activity rewarded in summer and autumn with the most glorious, ripening fruits.

[11] But these fruits are none other than the appearance of the "sign of the Son of Man in heaven." The "families of the earth" are the evacuated desires and passions. And then comes "the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory."