The History of the Origin of All Things

"Who can Overcome Him whose Mind is stayed on God"

 

The History of the Origin of All Things is a profound Spiritual Revelation received through mediumship, detailing the Eternal Nature of the Soul, the Infinite Mercy of the Creator, and the systematic Spiritual Progression of mankind. Originally published in 1852, the text asserts itself as a transmission from God's Holy Spirit, specifically guided by Jesus the Christ, to eradicate humanity's ignorance, fear, and torturing doubt regarding the afterlife.

 

About the Author

 

Levi M. Arnold (1813–1864) was a resident of Poughkeepsie, New York, who possessed a Quaker background. A gentle, frugal, and public-spirited man, he managed the "Poughkeepsie Foundry" and was a chief promoter in incorporating the city's First National Bank. In April 1851, Arnold began receiving preparatory Spiritual Revelations via movements of his pencil and internal voices. Over the course of a year, he was disciplined by the Spirit world to become a passive, humble, and truthful medium, resulting in the penciled manuscripts that became this expansive history. He died of typhoid fever in 1864, having Lived a Life of quiet Humility while harboring these massive Cosmological Revelations.

 

"The life of man here is short, hereafter it is Eternal. Everlasting to Everlasting is his generation. But the Last shall be First in glory and First with God... All shall be, forever, the children of God and All shall, in the future, see God.

 

"But the last shall be first in glory and first with God. The first shall be last with men. But the glory of the last is eternal, and the glory of the first vanishes as dew before the beams of God's love. All shall be, forever, the children of God and all shall, in the future, see God. But the last shall be first and the first, last."

 

 

From Chapter IV (Framed around the reward of spiritual labor):

 

"At the eleventh hour the laborers will be many; and each man who works to the end shall receive equally the reward of a faithful laborer. That reward is Eternal Life. For the last shall be first and the first last. But to Him who Endureth to the End is laid up a Crown of Glory..."

 

 

From Chapter XXVIII (The ultimate esoteric equalization): 

 

"But the last shall be first; and the first, last. And the last and the first, and the first and the last, are all equally Sons and Sent, or Christs, of God."

 

 

The Esoteric Meaning Behind the Phrasing

 

In this Cosmology, those who are "First with men"—those who pursue worldly power, pride, orthodox religious dominance, and material wealth—are acting entirely in their own ego-driven Free-Will. Because this earthly glory is transient, it "vanishes as dew," leaving them "last" in their Spiritual Progression when they enter the Spirit World.

 

Conversely, those who are "Last" on earth—the Humble, the Passive, the Persecuted, and Those who Sacrifice their Personal Will to the Divine—are instantly elevated. Because they have already stripped away the illusions of the material world, they are "First in Glory and First with God," moving rapidly into the Higher Spheres of Divine Action.

 

Yet, the Ultimate Beauty of the text's Theology is the Great Equalizer: eventually, through the Infinite Mercy of God and the mechanics of Spiritual Progression, All Souls Will Surrender their Will and reach the Same Ultimate State of Divinity.

 

 

The Esoteric Nature of the Revelation

 

While drawing upon Christian terminology, this book is a foundational work of Esoteric Spirituality, guiding the Seeker past orthodox literalism into the hidden mechanics of the Universe. It is classified as an Esoteric masterpiece for several key reasons:

 

The Pre-existence of the Soul: Man's Spirit emanated from God long before the earth was formed, dwelling originally in a tranquil, passive state of Paradise. The Soul desired the Knowledge of good and evil and thus descended into a physical body to gain active experience.

 

The Nature of Christ: Jesus of Nazareth is presented as the Ultimate Exemplar (Avatar)—the first inhabitant of Earth to reach the Highest Spiritual Circle (the Seventh Circle of the Seventh Sphere) through the complete surrender of His Free-Will to God.

 

The Supremacy of Free-Will: Man's Free-Will is his defining characteristic and his greatest obstacle. True Spiritual advancement only occurs when an Individual Voluntarily Sacrifices their personal Will to the Divine Will, achieving perfect Harmony with the Creator.

 

The "Inner" vs. "Outer" Interpretation: The text explicitly rejects the literalism of the orthodox church. It reinterprets biblical narratives—such as the Garden of Eden, the Fall of Man, and the Deluge—as Spiritual Allegories or Cosmic Laws rather than strict historical events. For example, the "Windows of Heaven" are described not as physical rain, but as the portals of God's mercy.

 

Emanation and the Journey of the Soul: Rejecting the orthodox view that God Created the Universe out of nothing, this text teaches that human Souls are Direct Emanations from God. The Soul leaves a passive state in Paradise to descend into matter, gains experience, and Actively Evolves back up the Spiritual Ladder to Reunite with the Creator.

 

Direct Revelation (Gnosis): Esotericism prioritizes Direct, Personal Spiritual Knowledge over Faith in institutional authority. The book claims to be a product of this Direct Communion and urges the reader to bypass external authorities to find the Divine Within through the Sacrifice of the Individual Will.

 

The Attainable Christ-State: In this Cosmology, "Christ" is a Divine Principle and a state of Ultimate Spiritual Perfection. Jesus of Nazareth is presented as the Great Exemplar (Avatar)—the first inhabitant of Earth to reach the Highest Spiritual Circle. However, the text insists that All spirits, through rigorous progression, are destined to become "Sons of God" and Joint Heirs to this Exact Same Cosmic Power and Glory.

 

Infinite Mercy and Universal Salvation: The text vehemently rejects the doctrine of eternal damnation, asserting that God is a being of Pure Love who will Ultimately Reconcile All Souls to Himself, Overcoming All evil through Continuous Spiritual Progression.

 

 

The Architecture of the Heavens: Spheres and Circles

 

The book maps the Soul's Evolutionary Journey through a highly structured Cosmology of Seven Spheres, each containing Seven Circles. As Spirits progress, they shed earthly illusions and acquire Deeper Divine Attributes.

 

 

Emanation & Descent

 

The First Sphere: The Cycles of Existence

This Sphere outlines the states of the Soul's physical and immediate post-physical existence, the starting point. The soul doesn't begin on Earth; it begins in the First Circle as a pre-existing emanation in Paradise, descending into the physical body (Second Circle) to gain the friction of active experience

 

First Circle: Existence as a Spirit in Paradise, prior to earthly incarnation.

Second Circle: Existence in the physical body during infancy and childhood.

Third Circle: Youth, marked by the emergence of sexual Love and courtship.

Fourth Circle: Maturity, properly developed through conjugal and parental Love.

Fifth Circle: Decline, manifested in the duties of grandparents.

Sixth Circle: The experience of sickness and the death of the physical body.

Seventh Circle: The commencement of Spiritual Existence in Continual Progress toward Perfection.

 

 

Universal Salvation

 

The Second & Third Spheres: These spheres represent the actual mechanics of Infinite Mercy. Instead of eternal damnation, the Soul experiences a calculated "Separation from the evil of despair" (Third Sphere, Third Circle), ensuring that even the most stubborn will eventually progresses.

 

The Second Sphere: The Awakening of Consciousness 

Here, the Spirit develops profound Awareness of its Relationship with the Divine.

 

First Circle: Consciousness of basic existence.

Second Circle: Consciousness of Love.

Third Circle: Consciousness of God's providential care.

Fourth Circle: Consciousness of God's immense Love for man.

Fifth Circle: Consciousness of God’s absolute resolution to save mankind.

Sixth Circle: Consciousness of possessing Free-Will.

Seventh Circle: The Ultimate Realization that God must be served.

 

The Third Sphere: The Process of Separation

This sphere involves the Spirit shedding the limitations, pains, and illusions of its past.

 

First Circle: Separation from God.

Second Circle: Separation from others of a similar nature.

Third Circle: Separation from the evil of despair.

Fourth Circle: Separation from the evil of hate.

Fifth Circle: Separation from all the evils of doubt.

Sixth Circle: Separation from the lower Self and Consciousness of the past.

Seventh Circle: Complete separation from the body, achieving a preliminary Unity with God.

 

 

Gnosis (Direct Revelation)

 

The Fourth & Fifth Spheres: Progress here is no longer measured by physical actions, but by the acquisition of Divine Wisdom. The Soul shifts from relying on earthly "educational Wisdom" (Fourth Sphere, Fifth Circle) to receiving direct "Divine Impression" (Fifth Sphere, Sixth Circle).

 

The Fourth Sphere: The Acquisition of Wisdom

Spirits in this sphere acquire vast historical and Universal Knowledge.

 

First Circle: Wisdom gained through reasoning powers or intellect.

Second Circle: Wisdom through the Spirit's Mental faculty (conscience).

Third Circle: Wisdom by Intuition or Divine Impression.

Fourth Circle: Wisdom by the instinct of animals.

Fifth Circle: Wisdom through the Laws of men (educational Wisdom).

Sixth Circle: Wisdom by the Laws of progress (experience and memory).

Seventh Circle: Wisdom through Direct Spiritual communication and a comprehensive Understanding of the Infinite Worlds Within God's Creation.

 

The Fifth Sphere: The Elevation of Reason

This sphere transcends earthly logic, aligning the Spirit's Reasoning with Divine Law and Prophecy.

 

First Circle: Reason by Intuition.

Second Circle: Reason by logical form.

Third Circle: Reason driven by religious sentiment, developing the intellect toward higher objects.

Fourth Circle: Reason by the Power of Will.

Fifth Circle: Reason by the Power of Love.

Sixth Circle: Reason by the Power of God, achieved by yielding Fully to Spiritual Influences.

Seventh Circle: Reason manifested by Recognizing the Divine Essence Within the Soul, alongside a Vast Knowledge of Spirit Revelation from the beginning of time.

 

 

The Attainable Christ-State

 

The Sixth & Seventh Spheres: The culmination of the Esoteric Journey. The Soul stops merely receiving Knowledge and begins Actively Executing God's Will (Sixth Sphere), Ultimately Achieving Complete Assimilation to Divinity in the Seventh Sphere, fulfilling the promise that All Spirits are destined to become Joint Heirs to Cosmic Power.

 

The Sixth Sphere: The Perfection of Judgment and Power

Spirits in this sphere transition from receiving Knowledge to Actively Executing God's Will throughout the Universe.

 

First Circle: Judgment by Intuition (presence of Mind), combined with the Power of Prophecy.

Second Circle: Judgment by the effort of reason, wielding the Power of God's Love to reform Souls.

Third Circle: Judgment by the Power of Love, gaining the ability to influence the physical realm (the Power of Will).

Fourth Circle: Judgment by the Power of Wisdom (internal revelation), gaining Knowledge of God's Laws of matter.

Fifth Circle: Judgment by Divine Influence, possessing the Power to Influence the Will of men still in the body.

Sixth Circle: Judgment by Divine Impression upon the Spiritual Intellect.

Seventh Circle: Judgment perfectly aligned with the Love of God, representing a Total Surrender of the Will to God's Influence.

 

The Seventh Sphere: Assimilation to Divinity

 

The ultimate destination for all Created Spirits. In the Seventh Circle of the Seventh Sphere, the Spirit's Will is so Perfectly Unified with the Creator that it shares in God's Power, Glory, Love, and Action, functioning as a True "Son of God" while Eternally Retaining the Memory of its Unique Individual Journey.

 

 

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