The Book of Enoch 32

How to read these pages: the text itself comes first, verse by verse, in the volume's own translation. Beneath each verse stands its Meaning — a rendering of what the passage's terms name in the inner life, drawn from the correspondences the text itself uses. The text is never altered; the meaning is offered, not imposed.

Charles translation (1917)

1E And after these fragrant odours, as I looked towards the north over the mountains I saw seven mountains full of choice nard and fragrant trees and cinnamon and pepper.

And after these fragrant influences, as I looked towards the north over the exalted states, I saw seven mountains — seven, the completeness of a cycle — exalted states full of choice nard and fragrant trees and cinnamon and pepper.

2And thence I went over the summits of ⌈all⌉ these mountains, far towards the east ⌈of the earth⌉, and passed above the Erythraean sea and went far from it, and passed over ⌈⌈the angel⌉⌉ Zotîêl. E

And from there I went over the summits of all these exalted states, far towards the east of the outer life, and passed above the Erythraean sea — the sea of sense-life at the edge of bondage — and went far from it, and passed over Zotîêl, the angel, a divine idea ministering on the way.

3And I came to the Garden of Righteousness, and saw beyond those trees many large trees growing there and of goodly fragrance, large, very beautiful and glorious, and the tree of wisdom whereof they eat and know great wisdom.

And I came to the Garden of Righteousness — the cultivated inner life in right relation to the divine order — and saw beyond those trees many large trees growing there and of goodly fragrance, large, very beautiful and glorious, and the tree of wisdom — the wisdom-faculty at the centre of the garden-state — whereof they eat and know great wisdom.

4⌈That tree is in height like the fir, and its leaves are⌉ like (those of) the Carob tree: and its fruit is like the clusters of the vine, very beautiful: and the fragrance of the tree penetrates afar.

That tree is in height like the fir, and its leaves are like those of the carob tree: and its fruit — the result of the belief made visible — is like the clusters of the vine, very beautiful: and the fragrance of the tree penetrates afar, its sweet influence reaching far beyond its place.

5Then I said: '⌈How⌉ beautiful is the tree, and how attractive is its look!'

Then I said: 'How beautiful is the tree, and how attractive is its look!' — how beautiful is the wisdom-faculty, and how attractive is its appearance.

6Then Raphael the holy angel, who was with me, answered me ⌈⌈and said⌉⌉: 'This is the tree of wisdom, of which thy father old (in years) and thy aged mother, who were before thee, have eaten, and they learnt wisdom and their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked and they were driven out of the garden.'

Then Raphael — the healing faculty — the holy angel, who was with me, answered me and said: 'This is the tree of wisdom, of which thy father old in years and thy aged mother, who were before thee, have eaten, and they learnt wisdom and their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked — uncovered before the truth — and they were driven out of the garden, out of the cultivated delight-state.'

Companion volume to The Why Bible — 1 Enoch in R. H. Charles's translation (1917), rendered in its spiritual meanings. First final edition, October 2026.