LIBER CHAOS Bl. Raymond Lull Doctor Illuminatus

Part I

The Generation and Corruption of Chaos

2. Generation begins in the first degree of Chaos, whence it descends and passes through the second degree into the third, as the first human generated the second in the third degree, not mainly from his own influence, but rather through the influence of the first degree. 

3. In a hot and dry complexion or region, the ignificative generates the ignificable in the essences of air, water and earth. The ignificative does this as it corrupts the aerificable in air, the aqueificable in water, and the terreificable in earth. And it does so by producing a form from the first degree of Chaos through the second into the third degree of this same Chaos. And this form exists potentially in the said aerificable, etc. until it finally becomes actual by corrupting the aerificable, etc. and generating the ignificable, etc. 

4. As an arrow shot from a bowstring is artificially impelled to move to its target following the imagination and the appetite of the archer, likewise, and much more accurately, the causal seeds proceed in a straight line from the first degree of Chaos as their influence flows from the natural agent generating specific form in specific matter. And the said specific form and matter are produced from causal seeds through the organ that serves as the instrument of the agent in the third degree when it receives within itself the influence proceeding from the first degree, for multiplying its own species in the fourth, as it passes through successive degrees, corrupting each preceding degree while generating the next. 

5. Substance is generated in the following way: the ignificative gives rise to the ignificable, and both together give rise to the ignificatum; and this completes the work of generating the ignificatum. But because, as we have mentioned several times before, the generation of compounds cannot take place without the other elements, so the aerificable, aqueificable, etc. are corrupted in their essences, as the ignificable is generated from their essences in the essence of fire joined to fire's own ignificable. And the substantiated and generated compound results from this. 

6. Accidental generation proceeds in the following way: from active quantity, quality etc. existing intensively in the ignificative, and from the passive quantity, quality etc. existing intensively in the ignificable, etc., and likewise for the other elements, there is one quantity, one quality etc. generated in every elemented thing and extending throughout all substance. And this generation proceeds without any corruption of substance. 

7. From the form of fire, air, water, and earth, one specific common form is generated in elemented beings. And also, from their matter, one specific common matter is generated. Now this common form is identical to the said four forms, in the same way that the whole is merely the sum of its parts. And this likewise follows for matter. Now the species aggregated from the said form and matter is numerically different from the elements, because the essence of this species, namely the said common form and matter, is a medium between the said species and the essence of each element. And what we call the essence of each element is the ignificative and ignificable of fire, and the aerificative and aerificable of air, and likewise for the other elements. 

8. In rational beings, the Embryo is generated at the same time in the vegetative and sensitive powers. In this way, throughout the whole instrument, there is a single extended quantity generated from the intensive quantity existing in the vegetative and sensitive powers. Indeed, if this were not so, substance would lack its own accidents, and vice versa. Consequently, flesh would not generate flesh, nor would Chaos transmit its influence as vehemently to a rational Embryo as to an irrational one. And this is impossible, and contrary to the nobility of the natural agent, and contrary to the magnitude of the relation between father and son. This would also be contrary to the good natural appetite and charity found in humans. Further, this would be contrary to the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the nobility of the Glorious Virgin who gave Him birth. And above all, this would be contrary to the union of divine nature with human nature, and contrary to the recreation of mankind through the death of Christ. It would also be contrary to the resurrection that we expect on the final day of judgment. Countless impossibilities would follow from this. Hence it is shown that the sensitive power is imparted by the generator, and not by the creator, although we must say that in the first and second degrees of Chaos, it came from the creator before descending successively through all the degrees to the present, and conserving radical moisture throughout. 

9. Through an optimal participation between animal and vegetal essences, generation sometimes proceeds from corruption. This can be observed in the bodies of dead animals and the worms that they breed, or in locusts bred in the air, and eels in water, and mice in the ground, and so with many other things that occur on account of the maximal appetite that the vegetative and sensitive potentials have for existing together in compounds as they receive influence from the first degree of Chaos without the presence of any natural instrument. And Chaos introduces this influence on account of the maximal appetite which it has in these causal seeds. 

10. Further, generation from seeds sometimes proceeds in the following way: from the matter of seeds corrupted in air, the numerous atoms that they divide into are borne aloft in the air. And on account of the air's subtlety of movement, these atoms join up with each other through their specific similarities, until their species is restored. Now as they are received, be it in the earth, or in a rock or in a tower, or in any other place where they can receive benefit from the first degree of Chaos, then from the matter of their species, a likeness belonging to this species is generated, namely a tree, or some other plant.