Philosophy; The doctrine that behind phenomena there are substantial realities. [Oxford Dictionary]
Substance theory, or substance attribute theory, is an ontological theory about objecthood, positing that a substance is distinct from its properties. A thing-in-itself is a property-bearer that must be distinguished from the properties it bears. Sunstantialism, Wikipedia
"Of the Threefold Life" from book "The works of Jacob Behmen":
"And observe it, the desiring goeth inwards into itself towards the Heart, which is God, as you may conceive by such a Figure: for the Regeneration goeth also into itself to the Heart of God.
Observe it also well, for it is the Center [or the Ground] of the outward Birth. In the Eighth Circumference [next] after the Zodiac is the Globe of the Earth; after that, right against it, about on the wheel is "Saturn," and going about the wheel there is the "Moon," and again about on the wheel is "Jupiter," and again about on the wheel is "Mars," and about again is "Venus," and Sol [or the Sun] in the mid, and after Sol, the Fire which Sol affordeth, and after the fire the other World, viz. the Heavenly Tincture, and after the Heavenly Tincture the Number Three, viz. the Eternal Heart, and that is the Eternal Center of Nature, and in the Eternal Center is the whole Power of the Majesty of God throughout, held or shut up by nothing, and is of no substance or Nature [imaginable,] even as the shining of the Sun.
You may well perceive what we set before you, thus: The Zodiac, with the Constellations, belong to the Mind, as well in the Deep of the World, as also in the Creature, and the seven Signs are the twelve parts which the Cross in the Center marketh, from which the Upper Dominion is divided into twelve Parts, as also the Mind is: for the Five Forms of the Center, beside Sol, each into twelve, and the Number Three into two Parts [Sol divideth into itself but only the Number Three, into the splendor Fire and Tincture,] one is to fire into the Tincture that hath Life [in it,] the other according to the Tincture of the Air, which hath Spirit [in it,] and which maketh into Life.
Thus the wheel is, and the Wheel divideth itself into two Governments, viz. into a Heavenly, according to the Tincture, and into an Earthly, according to the Spirit of this world, viz. the Air, and the two Kingdoms are also twofold, viz. in the Tincture there is an Angelical Kingdom, and backwards a Hellish; and in the inward Kingdom in the Spirit of the Air is also twofold: for the inward [Kingdom] is the Spirit of Life, and the outward is the Spirit of the Creatures, as David saith, The LORD rideth upon the wings of the Wind; that is, the Spirit of God which cometh to succour and relieve.
So also the Tincture Kingdom in God maketh also six forms; and that of the Spirit, out of the Tincture, which is the Heart and life, and is the Spirit of God, maketh also six in Number, and they are together Twelve in Number: The [the Woman in the Revelation with the Dragon would devour, wore twelve Stars upon her head, being twelve Stars for twelve Numbers she received from the Spirit of this world, wherein the Holy Ghost keepeth the Eternal Life, and the other number [[is] the harsh from the Eternal Tincture out of the Eternal Center out of the Word; for she weareth the Angelical, and also the Human.]
"Now, consider this also: the outward Desiring of the outward Nature goeth inwards into the Virtue and Water of the Liberty, to beget the Heart of the outward Nature longset again and delivered from the vanity, viz. that fierce Wrath; so also the inward Heart longeth after the outward Nature, and would fain unite with it and remain in figurative similitudes, and thus the inward defecteth the outward for a figure, and the inward catcheth the outward in its Desiring.
For the Palace of the Eternal Center was indeed already before the Creation of the Sun and Stars in the outward Substantiality: but it was figured and kindled, [as in Tincture] before he draweth a Picture that an Image in his Mind, but not framed exactly.
Thus God’s Heart of the Number Three puts in still into the stringent Fire, into the Matrix of Nature, into the Heart of the Out-birth, into the Firmamental Heart, viz. into the Place of the Sun, and created the Spirit of his Mouth [the spirit of the soul] through the Fiat round about on the wheel, the seven Forms of the Center of Nature, for as the wheel turneth and windeth, so went the Fiat also Magically, in the mind, in the willing of the deep.
And feeling the Out-birth of the Earth was sinking down of Death, therefore the Life turned away from the Death again. And you see that the three Planets, viz. the Forms of the Center of Nature, (which make the Spirit of the Center and the House of the Spirit,) stand over the Sun, as the Life in its beginning, and its Original; and the three which belong to the Body and to Mobility, beneath the Sun, the Sun being in the midst, even as the Corporal itself, the animal and the Heart, viz. the Sun in the midst, and the form standeth right upwards toward the firmament, as a Man.
Which you are to understand thus: Observe, above the Heart, the Sun, standeth Jupiter, which is the firker of the Power and a kindler of the Heart, and a breaker of pieces the Essences, that the thick Substantiality may not remain covered and filted in it breaketh that, so that the Spirit can break even the Essence, for it maketh the Tincture in the Sun."
“And each Center hath six in Number, which maketh together the number Twelve: the Eternal number of the Center is Substantiality, and the [Dominion or] Kingdoms are God between Man, and brought the two Kingdoms into one: for Men and Angels are in one Kingdom in God.
And so the Image in the Revelation hath twelve Stars upon the Crown: for the Image representeth God, it is the similitude of God, in which he revealeth himself, and wherein he dwelleth. The Crown signifieth the Power of the Majesty of God, as in a King weareth a Crown, which signifieth Dominion and Majesty.
But that the Image weareth a Crown, with twelve Stars upon the Crown, it signifieth that the Deity and the Humanity signifieth Mary: for God himself bringeth forth his own Humanity, God, and the Spirit of the Holy Ghost fix in the Deity, and fixeth in the Humanity; for God and Man are only one Person: Therefore Mary is also Eternal with the twelve Stars, which are God’s Children.
Seeing then, that the twelve Stars were contained in two Kingdoms in the Number [of Six,] viz. an Angelical and a Human, each in the Number of Six, which together make Twelve, so also the two Kingdoms have other two numbers of six in them, viz. the Fire, the Kingdom of the Abyss and the Air, the Kingdom of living Creatures and all Earthly things; and these have each of them in the Center the number twelve, according to the Planets, and according to the six Planets Fire, which now in number make the numbers of Four and Twenty, which are the four and twenty Letters in the Language, whence they are sprung; and we perceive that the Tongue speaketh that which is God, and that which is Evil, that which is Heavenly, and that which is Devilish, according to the Language of the Letters; is their proper and immediate, according to the Language of Nature.
Now, when this number, according to the Number Three, is numbered to three and four and twenty, (as indeed the number Three doth manifest itself in Three Kingdoms and Persons, and according to the Number Three is a Threefold, but according to the Creature all is Twofold,) then the sum is Four and Twenty in Number, which signify, and are the Powers of Language, Numbers, and Tongues in their Confusion and Wonder.
If we should go on, then we should show you the Whore and the Beast, which Revelation speaketh on, and how the Spirit of the Whore sitteth here before the world began: The great Secret lieth herein, and is called Mysterium Magnum, the Great Mystery, and in the Constellations in matters of Religion and Faith arise from hence, and willingly Evil and Good.
Thus this Great Mystery, wherein the Son of Man consisteth, in the Revelation, are the seven Spirits of Nature; one of them is the Kingdom, and the six are the Center of Nature, viz. the Heavenly; if this be set down according to the Human Number, it maketh the number Twelve, and according to the two Kingdoms, viz. the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of this world, out of which the Faithful are Generated, then there are Four and Twenty Signs, which are the Elders before the Throne of God, who worship God, and the slain Lamb: consider it well.
We further it observe concerning this world’s Center of Nature, thus: The Birth of Life windeth itself like a wheel inwards into itself, and when it cometh to the innermost point, there it attaineth the Liberty, yet not [the Liberty] of God, but only the Tincture out of which the Life burneth.
For that which will catch hold of God must pass through the Fire; for no Substantiality reacheth God, unless it subsist in the Fire: understand in a peculiar Fire: If that should kindle, the world would melt away: We mean not here the Fire of the Out-birth, which is no Fire, but only a sharp fierceness, which consumeth the outward Substantiality which springeth from the waters: If wood and chips, but doth not stir the Inward Fire in Stone.
Therefore observe it; the Liberty, without the Nature of this world, is only the Eternity without substance. Now, as the Eternal Center generateth itself out of the Desiring of the Eternal willing, as is mentioned before; so hath also the other out of the Third Principle, (through the Word Fiat in the Out-birth, out of the Eternal,) generated itself in like manner.
For from the first Creation of the first Day, the Outward Center of Nature had generated Threefold above, (understand before the Sun and Stars were corporeally created,) and attained Six Forms, Three superior, and Three inferior; and there are always Threefold that belong to every Portion of the Center, where there is always Six Signs generated: the Signs are in Eighth Sphere (in the Crown.)
Saturn, which is the highest, being cold, attracting and cold, is one Form and Spirit in the Outward Center, which thuneth up the Abyss, and maketh darkness in the Deep, and attracteth the Substantiality of the Outward part of this Principle, and the Center windeth about like a wheel; and that which is concrete standeth over again Saturn, as in a wheel.
Then the wheel windeth further Inwards into itself, and maketh “Jupiter;” for Saturn, with its attracting, desireth the Liberty of the Divine Substance, but he maketh a firm [the Brain] for it catcheth with its desire the power of the Liberty, and not the Liberty of the Divine Majesty itself, which is without substance.
But because there is understanding in the Power, and yet the Power cannot in its own might awaken the underlasting, therefore Jupiter desireth a Life in the Power; and that is about on the wheel “Mercury;” for the wheel is always winding about, and Mercury is a stirrer, a maker of a sound and a thing, and yet hath not the life, for it existeth in the Fire; and therefore it desireth the fierce stormy Turbulence, which striketh up the Fire; and that about on the wheel is “Mars,” which is a rager, to form and strike up of the Fire.
But now the Four Forms cannot subsist in the Fire: for they have no Substantiality, and the Fire desireth Substantiality, (for the Fire itself subsisteth not, it has not itself to keep up,) which Substantiality it draweth from Meekness, and that about on the wheel is “Venus;” for it is the Meekness of the outward Nature, and maketh Love; for it is that which the other five Forms desire: for every Form windeth itself inwards to deform the Liberty of God, which is meek filfulness, and God is meek, and yet is All: and the outward Meekness, which also maketh away with the darkness, desireth the Light, and the darkness which desireth Light, and becometh greeneth in the Fire; so that the Meekness, viz. Venus, hath a lustre of its own above all the Stars in the Firmament; for the Element catcheth the Light.
Now the Light is without substance, and only still and meek, which desireth life and spirit, and yet can produce no life nor spirit out of the Water and Meekness; therefore Venus desireth with its Meekness and Light the Heart; that is, the power and virtue of all Forms, and so it catcheth the Heart, which about on the wheel, in the point, is the “Sun,” which is the Heart of all the six Forms, and they are the forms of their Heart, which together is a life. Now, if that were unsatisfied, it should pass away, so often as the wheel windeth once about; and though it would be long, it would endure but a Seaven Ages, or Term of Twenty-nine years.
Now the seven Forms desire Life, being the Eighth Number,] and the Eighth Number desireth a life, which may continue, for the Heart is not alive without Fire, and [therefore] the Heart catcheth hold of the Fire: and that Fire is fierce and consuming, and consumeth all the seven Forms of the Center with their Substantiality."
See Also