“My heart has been pruned and its flower has appeared, and so goodness has sprouted up in it, and my heart has borne fruit for the Lord.

“For the Most High had pruned around me through His Holy Spirit, and so laid open toward Him my innermost being, and so filled me with His deep affection.

“And so His pruning around me became my salvation; and I made my way quickly in His peace, along the Way of True Realization.

“From the beginning to the end, I received His knowledge,

and I was established solidly on the rock of True Reality, the solid rock where He had set me up;

“and speaking waters touched my lips from the spring of the Lord, which does not hold back,

and I drank and became drunk from the Living Water That Does Not Die.

“And my drunkenness was not the kind that does not lead to knowledge. Did I not leave behind useless things?

And I turned back toward the Most High, my God, and I was made rich by His gift of goodness.

“And I left behind the foolishness that is broadcast upon the Earth, and then I took it off and cast it away from me.

And the Lord renewed me with His raiment, and so acquired me with His Light;

“and from above He revived me with what cannot be corrupted, and so I became like a land that blossoms and laughs in its fruits,

and the Lord became like the Sun upon the face of the land.

“My eyes lit up, and my countenance collected the dew,

and my breath laughed with the sweet fragrance of the Lord.

“And He led me away into His paradise, where is the wealth of the Lord’s delight.

And I revered the Lord because of His glorious radiance.

And I said, “They are good, O Lord, are they not, those who are planted in Your land, and have a place in Your paradise,

and who sprout up in Your trees’ sprouting growth, and have transformed from Darkness to Light?

“See, all Your laborers are beautiful, they who work good works, and turn away from what is useless toward Your sweetness.

“And by themselves the trees have changed from bitterness, once they were planted in Your land;

and they all exist as a remnant of You, and an eternal remembrance of Your faithful servants.

“How great is the space in Your paradise! And what place in it lies idle? Is it not all filled with fruit?

“Radiant splendor is Yours, O God, the everlasting delight of paradise!”

“Hallelujah”

-From the Forgotten Books of Eden, Translation by Rev. Canon Robert Petrovich

My Heart has been Pruned

The Odes of Solomon are about one person’s journey of spiritual enlightenment. It is, like most scripture and spiritual writings, written in allegory and metaphor, which is done to keep truth from those who would misuse the knowledge. My heart has been pruned means that his spirit has been cleansed of false beliefs and negativity that hold one back from spiritual growth.

The Way of True Realization

The author is here telling us that he is on the path of Spiritual Enlightenment or Realization. He adds that he then received “True Knowledge” and was established on the rock of reality. True Knowledge is spiritual knowledge, which is not an illusion like the realm of matter. Being established on the Rock of Reality means that he was firmly established now in the spiritual realm.

What Cannot Be Corrupted

The part of us that cannot be corrupted is the immortal Soul. We can lose our souls by committing great evil such as murder, but it cannot become corrupted. The mind can be corrupt, not the Soul.

Left Behind Foolishness

Leaving behind “foolishness” means leaving behind attachments to worldly things and worldly desires. Desires for material wealth, fame, etc. are foolish because they keep up from developing our spiritual Self.

Like the Sun

The Light of God does shine like the sun. Even brighter. And now that the promised Sun of Righteousness is shining down upon us, the Light of God that comes to us through that Sun is getting stronger and brighter every day. So “prune” your life and turn to that Sun for Life Eternal.