The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 155 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann
Chapter 14 (part 8)
, in the heavenly essentiality (Devachan)—cannot be disturbed by anybody, unless they should wish it themselves, in case that they were very favourably inclined towards some particular soul in harmony with their own.
They do not trouble themselves about terrestrial things, unless it be for the glorification of God.
In that case they will be indefatigable in revealing things in a magical way." ( Forty Questions , xxvi.
22.) In regard to the intercourse between mortals and that class of spirits Boehme says in a letter:— "You are asking questions of things which I cannot know, because for that purpose I would have to be myself within the departed soul, and the spirit of that soul would have to be my own; but as we are all having one body and one spirit in Christ, therefore all of us may see in Christ out of one spirit and enjoy His knowledge.
Thus our soul is in relationship with the souls of the dead.
They cannot come to us, but we may penetrate unto them." ( Forty Questions , xxv.
1.) Fully sanctified souls are in possession of an enormous amount of self-knowledge; others have less.
"The soul which in this body has entered into the new birth and penetrated to God through the doors of p.
304 the depth has great wisdom and knowledge, even as regards the heavens; for she has come from the womb of the virgin, wherein have been unfolded the eternal miracles of God, and the splendour of the Holy Trinity shines out of her.
But we err if we attribute great wisdom to a soul that has hardly escaped from the clutches of the devil, after having left a world wherein she cared nothing about divine wisdom, but merely followed her own desires." ( Three Principles , xix.
61.) It is an absurdity to believe that the departed souls of God, the saints, could petition God in regard to our necessities, or argue the case with Him, or that they could put into motion the eternal and infinite mercy of God.
"The departed souls do not petition God on our behalf.
Why should they do so?
Our salvation does not depend on their begging, but on our entering.
If any one puts his will into God, then will God help him.
His arms are outstretched by day and night for the purpose of aiding man.
Should then a soul be so presumptuous as to make out of God an over-severe Judge, unwilling to receive a converted sinner?" ( Forty Questions , xxvi.
23.) It is explainable that the souls of deceased saints have performed what is called "miracles;" but this did not take place after the manner in which it is commonly believed, but by a conjunction of the faith (will) of the living with the faith of the departed.
"We do not deny that (as it is taught by Popery) great departed saints have appeared to many persons and performed miracles.
This is true, although it is now denied by many; but it belongs to a different A B C (to another department of occult science) than is known to those who affirm it, or to those who deny." ( Forty Questions , xix.
63.) p.
305 "The reason why our forefathers have sometimes appeared after death in some wonderful manner is to be found in the faith of the living; for faith is a power that may move mountains.
The faith of these living persons was still good and pure, and they did not worship their bellies or adore earthly show.
Therefore their faith penetrated into heaven; i.e.
, into the one element, to the saints.
Thus one faith grasped the other; for the saints also were reacting upon that strong faith, especially those saints who while upon the earth had converted many to God.
Thus some wonderful works have been accomplished by invoking their memory." ( Three Principles , xviii.
80.) "One faith grasps the other.
Themes
◆Cosmic Sympathycosmology
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
Miracles are explained by a conjunction of the faith of the living with the faith of the departed.
All passages →◆Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
Salvation requires putting one's will into God rather than following one's own desires.
All passages →◆Divine Providencetheology
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
The passage emphasizes God's active role in aiding man and His readiness to receive a converted sinner.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
God is depicted as actively aiding man with outstretched arms day and night, rather than a distant abstract principle.
All passages →◆Pneumatic Electsoteriology
A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.
A distinction is drawn between fully sanctified souls with great wisdom and those who have merely escaped the devil's clutches.
All passages →◆Renunciation Of Wealthethics
The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.
True faith is contrasted with worshipping bellies or adoring earthly show.
All passages →◆Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
Souls resting in Abraham's bosom or heavenly essentiality imply a return to the divine origin.
All passages →◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
The sanctified soul is described as having penetrated to God through the doors of the depth.
All passages →◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology
The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.
The soul that enters the new birth has the splendour of the Holy Trinity shining out of her.
All passages →◆Theurgypraxis
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The text mentions souls revealing things in a magical way through the conjunction of faith.
All passages →◆Tripartite Soulanthropology
Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).
The passage references body, spirit, and soul in relation to one another.
All passages →◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
[auto] The passage emphasizes enjoying Christ's knowledge directly through one spirit rather than external inquiry.
All passages →◇Kingdom Withinanthropology
The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.
[auto] Divine knowledge and vision are accessed internally through the spirit rather than external mediation.
All passages →◇Mystical Unionsoteriology
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
[auto] The text describes believers having 'one body and one spirit in Christ,' indicating a merging with the divine.
All passages →◇Self Knowledgesoteriology
The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.
[auto] The passage explicitly states that fully sanctified souls possess an enormous amount of self-knowledge and contrasts this with those who lack divine wisdom.
All passages →◇Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
[auto] The assertion that all may see in Christ out of one spirit suggests a shared divine substance among believers.
All passages →Related passages · 37 parallels
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Philip|Section 1h
“Now the woman and man are one in the chamber with the bed, and those so joined will not come apart again.
Eve and Adam separated because when they joined it was not in the chamber with the bed.
ADAM’S SOUL The soul of Adam came into being…”
Both passages discuss mystical concepts of union, rebirth, and the spiritual transformation of the soul. They share themes of divine union, the role of the spirit, and the transformation of the individual through mystical experiences.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter Va
“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries.
There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”
Both passages discuss the hierarchical structure of spiritual beings and their interactions with the divine and human realms. They explore the mediation roles of intermediate beings (dæmons/heroes in Iamblichus and departed souls in Boehme) in connecting higher and lower realms, though within different theological frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter V
“Moreover, that which purifies souls is perfect in the Gods; but in archangels it is anagogic. Angels alone dissolve the bond of generation. Dæmons draw souls down into nature; but heroes lead them to a providential attention to sensible wor…”
Both passages discuss the hierarchy and roles of different spiritual beings and their interactions with the material world and souls. They explore the purification and elevation of souls, the influence of higher beings, and the nature of divine and spiritual realms, albeit within different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XV
“Let us then, in the next place, direct our attention to that which accords with what has been before said, and with our twofold condition of being. For there is a time when we become wholly soul, are out of the body, and sublimely revolve o…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the material and immaterial aspects of existence and worship. Iamblichus describes a twofold mode of worship adapted to the dual nature of human existence, while the second passage discusses the interaction between the living and the departed souls, emphasizing the immaterial and spiritual connections. Both highlight the importance of purity and the appropriate mode of connection with the divine or spiritual realms.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VI
“Moreover, after it has conjoined the soul to the several parts of the universe, and to the total divine powers which pass through it; then it leads the soul to, and deposits it in, the whole Demiurgus, and causes it to be independent of all…”
Both passages discuss the elevation of the soul to a divine or higher state, emphasizing the soul's connection with divine powers and the attainment of divine knowledge or wisdom. They share a mystical perspective on the soul's journey and its union with the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIII|
“Between souls that always abide on high with purity, such as the souls of essential heroes, and those that descend into the regions of mortality, and are defiled with vice, such as the souls of the greater part of mankind, the class of unde…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls that descend from a higher realm to interact with the mortal world, emphasizing their purity and benevolent purposes. They also touch on the concept of divine will and necessity, as well as the interplay between the spiritual and material realms.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIII
“For these conceptions and these works teach us, that in reality we, through sacred operations, approach to divinity, but that divinity does not draw near to us.
Hence Proclus in Alcibiad.
εν ταις κλησεσι, και εν ταις αυτοψιαις προσιεναι π…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and human realms, emphasizing that it is the human soul that reaches out to the divine rather than the other way around. They also touch on the idea of purification and enlightenment enabling a closer connection to the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIII
““The soul is bound to the body, by a conversion to the passions arising from her union with it.” And, “the soul binds herself in the body.” Philolaus also says, that the ancient theologists and prophets asserted, ως δια τινας τιμωριας α ψυχ…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the souls of the living and the departed, emphasizing the role of faith and the interconnectedness of souls. They explore how the living can connect with the departed through faith and the nature of this spiritual connection.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 42
“Section 9 9. But when he is out of himself, reason quenched by sickness or by magic arts? If it be allowed that in this state, resting as it were in a slumber, he remains a Sage, why should he not equally remain happy? No one rules him out…”
Both passages discuss the state of the soul or the sage in a state of unconsciousness or sleep, exploring the idea that true wisdom or happiness is not dependent on conscious awareness. They both argue for an underlying, continuous state of being that transcends temporary states of unconsciousness.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 44
“Section 11 11. We shall perhaps be told that in such a state the man is no longer alive: we answer that these people show themselves equally unable to understand his inner life and his happiness. If this does not satisfy them, we must ask t…”
Both passages discuss the inner state of enlightened or sanctified individuals, emphasizing their detachment from external worldly concerns and their focus on inner happiness or spiritual connection. They both highlight the idea that true happiness or spiritual fulfillment is found within, not in external circumstances.
27 more
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 285 (part 2)
“The magnitude present in any mass is definitely one thing, yet its identity from part to part does not imply any such community as would entail common experience; within that identity there is diversity, for it is a condition only, not the…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls and their existence in different realms. Passage A describes the Intellectual Kosmos and the division of souls, while Passage B discusses the states of souls in the afterlife and their connection to the living. Both explore the concept of souls maintaining a connection to a higher realm even after entering a lower, bodily existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 294
“Section 7 7. So far, so good: but what of the passage in the Philebus taken to imply that the other souls are parts of the All-Soul? The statement there made does not bear the meaning read into it; it expresses only, what the author was the…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body and the divine. They explore the idea of a unified soul that interacts with individual souls, and the concept of higher and lower aspects of the soul. The passages also touch on the theme of the soul's connection to the divine and its role in the spiritual realm.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 295 (part 1)
“Section 8 8.
These considerations, amounting to the settlement of the question, are not countered by the phenomenon of sympathy; the response between soul and soul is due to the mere fact that all spring from that self-same soul [the next…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to a higher, unified reality. Passage A describes the soul's connection to the Intellectual-Principles and the Supreme, while Passage B discusses the soul's existence in a higher state (Devachan) and its relationship to divine wisdom and the Holy Trinity. Both texts explore the idea of individual souls being part of a greater, unified whole.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 296 (part 1)
“Section 9 9.
But we must examine how soul comes to inhabit the body- the manner and the process- a question certainly of no minor interest.
The entry of soul into body takes place under two forms.
Firstly, there is the entry- metensomato…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls and their relationship to a higher, universal soul or divine entity. They explore the interconnectedness and distinctiveness of individual souls within a broader cosmic framework, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 296 (part 2)
“The universe spreads as broad as the presence of soul; the bound of its expansion is the point at which, in its downward egression from the Supreme, it still has soul to bind it in one: it is a shadow as broad as the Reason-Principle procee…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to a higher reality. They explore the individuality and infinity of the soul, as well as its connection to other souls and the divine, showing a conceptual parallel in their mystical perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 297
“Section 10 10. In view of all this we must now work back from the items to the unit, and consider the entire scheme as one enduring thing. We ascend from air, light, sun- or, moon and light and sun- in detail, to these things as constitutin…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its presence in various forms and states. Passage A from Plotinus explores the unity and omnipresence of the soul within the All, while Passage B from Theosophical writings discusses the states of souls after death and their interconnectedness. Both texts emphasize the unity and continuity of the soul, albeit within different metaphysical frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 298
“Section 11 11. I think, therefore, that those ancient sages, who sought to secure the presence of divine beings by the erection of shrines and statues, showed insight into the nature of the All; they perceived that, though this Soul is ever…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the body, exploring how the soul interacts with or inhabits the physical realm. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of the soul and its connection to the divine, though they come from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 307 (part 2)
“Because the soul is not seen and the body is: we perceive the body, and by its movement and sensation we understand that it is ensouled, and we say that it possesses a soul; to speak of residence is a natural sequence.
If the soul were vis…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls in a higher, spiritual realm, emphasizing their elevated state and the lack of need for earthly reasoning or communication. They describe a realm where souls operate from a place of inherent knowledge and purity, free from the distractions and difficulties of the material world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 313 (part 2)
“This being admitted, aspiration will belong to soul, and so, as a consequence, will that memory of the aspiration and of its attainment or frustration, without which the soul's nature would fall into the category of the unstable [that is to…”
Both passages discuss the state of the soul after death and its journey or rest in a higher realm. They also touch on the concept of divine justice and the influence of one's actions in life on the soul's afterlife.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 314
“Section 27 27. But of what soul; of that which we envisage as the more divine, by which we are human beings, or that other which springs from the All? Memory must be admitted in both of these, personal memories and shared memories; and when…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls and their relationship with memory, knowledge, and divine principles. They explore the idea of souls retaining or possessing knowledge and wisdom, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 317
“Section 30 30. But what of the memory of mental acts: do these also fall under the imaging faculty? If every mental act is accompanied by an image we may well believe that this image, fixed and like a picture of the thought, would explain h…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul after death and its relationship to memory and previous lives. They explore the idea of the soul's existence beyond the physical body and its connection to divine or higher realms, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 322
“Section 2 2. Enough on that point: we come now to the question of memory of the personality? There will not even be memory of the personality; no thought that the contemplator is the self- Socrates, for example- or that it is Intellect or S…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's elevation and its detachment from earthly concerns. Plotinus emphasizes the soul's forgetfulness of the lower world to attain unity with the Supreme, while the second passage describes the soul's rest in a heavenly realm and its detachment from terrestrial things, focusing on divine glorification.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 324
“Section 4 4. In that realm it has also vision, through the Intellectual-Principle, of The Good which does not so hold to itself as not to reach the soul; what intervenes between them is not body and therefore is no hindrance- and, indeed, w…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and higher realms of existence, focusing on the soul's ability to connect with or remember these realms. They also explore the idea of the soul's descent and its interaction with lower or earthly realms.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 327
“Section 7 7. Well but can they not tell themselves that yesterday, or last year, they moved round the earth, that they lived yesterday or at any given moment in their lives? Their living is eternal, and eternity is an unchanging unity. To i…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul's connection to higher and lower realms, and the concept of memory or vision of past experiences. They also explore the idea of the soul's fall or descent from a higher state and the influence of the Intellectual or Divine realm on the soul.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 328 (part 2)
“And if it is in eternal perfection, it has no points of time and place at which it will achieve perfection; it will, therefore, have no concern about attaining to any such points: it will, therefore, make no measurements of time or place; i…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls in a higher, unchanged state and their relationship with the divine. They explore the concept of remembrance and understanding in these souls, highlighting their continuous connection with the divine rather than a past experience.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 399
“Section 15 15. (20) Thus far we have offered the considerations appropriate to those asking for demonstration: those whose need is conviction by evidence of the more material order are best met from the abundant records relevant to the subj…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul after death and its connection to the divine. They emphasize the purity and wisdom of the soul that has been purified or sanctified, and its ability to interact with the divine realm. The passages also highlight the idea that the soul's true nature is revealed when it is freed from earthly desires and impurities.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 401
“Section 1 1. Many times it has happened: Lifted out of the body into myself; becoming external to all other things and self-encentered; beholding a marvellous beauty; then, more than ever, assured of community with the loftiest order; enact…”
Both passages discuss the nature and immortality of the soul. Passage A from Plotinus emphasizes the eternal and indestructible nature of the soul, while Passage B from Theosophical writings describes the state and activities of the soul after death, highlighting its eternal existence and knowledge. Both share a common theme of the soul's eternal existence and its connection to higher realms.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 402 (part 1)
“Section 2 2.
Enquiring, then, of Plato as to our own soul, we find ourselves forced to enquire into the nature of soul in general- to discover what there can be in its character to bring it into partnership with body, and, again, what this…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls after death and their relationship with the living and the divine. They explore the idea of souls having knowledge and influence, and the interaction between the spiritual and material realms, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 404
“Section 4 4. So it is with the individual souls; the appetite for the divine Intellect urges them to return to their source, but they have, too, a power apt to administration in this lower sphere; they may be compared to the light attached…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls after death and their relationship with the divine and the living. They explore the idea of souls having different levels of knowledge and their ability to interact with the living, either through faith or intellectual connection.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 407
“Section 7 7. The Kind, then, with which we are dealing is twofold, the Intellectual against the sensible: better for the soul to dwell in the Intellectual, but, given its proper nature, it is under compulsion to participate in the sense-rea…”
Both passages discuss the nature of souls after death and their relationship with the living and the divine. They explore the idea of souls being in a state of bliss and their ability to interact with the living, though the specific traditions and contexts differ.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 410
“Section 1 1. That the Soul of every individual is one thing we deduce from the fact that it is present entire at every point of the body- the sign of veritable unity- not some part of it here and another part there. In all sensitive beings…”
Both passages discuss the state of souls after death and their relationship with the divine and the living. They describe the souls as being in a state of rest and wisdom, yet capable of interacting with the living under certain conditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 414
“Section 5 5. How then can a multitude of essential beings be really one? Obviously either the one essence will be entire in all, or the many will rise from a one which remains unaltered and yet includes the one- many in virtue of giving its…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to higher realms. They describe a part of the soul that remains connected to the divine or intellectual realm while another part is engaged with the material world. The passages also touch on the idea of higher souls being undisturbed by earthly concerns unless they choose to be.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 679 (part 1)
“Section 40 40.
That there can be no intellection in the First will be patent to those that have had such contact; but some further confirmation is desirable, if indeed words can carry the matter; we need overwhelming persuasion.
It must b…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the good or the divine, emphasizing the attainment of a higher state of being through intellectual or spiritual means. They both highlight the idea of a transcendent realm that is the source of true pleasure or happiness.
◆sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY IIIb
“Every night spirits are released from this cage, And set free, neither lording it nor lorded over.
At night prisoners are unaware of their prison, At night kings are unaware of their majesty.
Then there is no thought or care for loss or g…”
Both passages discuss the state of spiritual awakening and the nature of the soul's existence in different states of consciousness. They explore the idea of being freed from worldly concerns and the limitations of human perception, highlighting the profound insights gained through spiritual experiences.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 11)
“Let not thy Left Eye deceive thee, by making continually one representation after another, and stirring up thereby an earnest longing in the self-propriety; but let thy Right Eye command back this Left .
.
.
And only bringing the Eye of…”
Both passages discuss mystical experiences and the nature of the soul, particularly focusing on the internal states of heaven and hell, and the direct perception of divine truths. They share a common theme of inner transformation and the direct experience of the divine, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|13. Necromancya
“EX IPSIS MORS We HAVE said that the images of persons and things are preserved in the Astral Light.
Therein also can be evoked the forms of those who are in our world no longer, and by this means are accomplished those mysteries of Necroma…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the living and the departed souls, emphasizing the role of faith and the connection between the spiritual and material realms. They share the concept of souls retaining knowledge and influence after death, and the idea that the living can interact with or be influenced by the departed through spiritual means.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|13. Necromancyb
“We enter into communion with larvae, with dead or perishing substances, by this operation.
The beings in question, for the most part, cannot speak except by a ringing in our ears produced by the nervous shock to which I have referred, and…”
Both passages discuss the concept of communicating with spirits or entities beyond the physical realm, emphasizing the need for a specific mental or spiritual state to achieve this communion. They also highlight the role of faith or willpower in facilitating these interactions.