The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

October 12, 1905

The knowledge of self empties the soul of herself and fills her with God.

Continuing in my usual state, blessed Jesus came for just a little and told me:  “My daughter, the knowledge of self empties the soul of herself and fills her with God.  Not only this, but in the soul there are many receptacles, and everything that can be seen in the world takes its place in these receptacles - something more, something less, according to the concept of them that she makes for herself.  Now, the soul who knows herself and is filled with God, knowing that she is ‘a nothing’, or rather, a fragile, rotten and stinking vase, is well wary of letting more filthy rot enter into her interior, which is the things that can be seen in the world.  One who had a rotten wound and kept gathering more rot to put it on his wound, wound be quite crazy.  Now, the knowledge of self brings with it the knowledge of the things of the world, and therefore how everything is vanity, fleetingness, goods that are only masked, deceits, inconstancy of creature.  So, knowing how things are in themselves, she is well wary of letting them enter into herself, and so all those receptacles remain filled with the virtues of God.”