Before obtaining the vision of the divinity, the soul desires what
yet remains to be seen. For him, however, who has risen above all
things, what remains to be seen is He who is above all other things.
Indeed, the nature of the soul will never reach absolute nonentity.
Consequently, when she descends, she will fall into evil, that is,
nonentity, but not into absolute nonentity. Following the contrary
path, she will arrive at something different, namely, herself. From
the fact that she then is not in anything different from herself,
it does not result that she is within anything, for she remains in
herself. That which, without being in essence, remains within itself,
necessarily resides in the divinity. Then it ceases to be "being,"
and so far as it comes into communion with the Divinity it grows
superior to "being" (it becomes supra-being). Now he who sees himself
as having become divinity, possesses within himself an image of the
divinity. If he rise above himself, he will achieve the limit of his
ascension, becoming as it were an image that becomes indistinguishable
from its model. Then, when he shall have lost sight of the divinity,
he may still, by arousing the virtue preserved within himself, and
by considering the perfections that adorn his soul, reascend to the
celestial region, by virtue rising to Intelligence, and by wisdom to
the Divinity Himself.