“Wisdom shall Praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people. In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power. I came out of the mouth of the most High, and covered the earth as a cloud. I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar. I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the bottom of the deep. In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and in every people and nation, I got a possession. … Likewise in the beloved city he gave me rest, and in Jerusalem was my power. And I took root in an honorable people, even in the portion of the Lord’s inheritance. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon. I was exalted like a palm tree in En-gaddi, and as a rose plant in Jericho. … I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aspalathus, and I yielded a pleasant odor like the best myrrh, … and as the fumes of frankincense in the tabernacle. As the turpentine tree I stretched out my branches, and my branches are the branches of honor and grace. … I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children which are named of him. Come unto me, all ye that be desirous of me, and fill yourselves with my fruits. For my memorial is sweeter than honey, and mine inheritance than the honeycomb. They that eat me shall yet be hungry, and they that drink me shall yet be thirsty.” ~Ecclesiasticus
Praise Wisdom
I’m not sure Ecclesiasticus is correct in saying that Wisdom “shall praise herself,” but we certainly have good reason to Praise Wisdom. Unfortunately, few of us do, probably because we confuse Wisdom and intelligence. The Gnostics and Mystics know that they are not the same. Wisdom is also not using intelligence to make good decisions and sound judgment, as it is commonly defined. Wisdom, as the Gnostics and Mystics know it, is a Divine Knowledge that is made up only of absolute and universal truth. There is no room in wisdom for opinions. It is also not limited to the material world. Spiritual knowledge combined with material intellect produces real Wisdom as nothing else can. Those who have this Wisdom make good choices always, not just occasionally. So yes, we should praise Wisdom.
Exalted Wisdom
It sounds like Wisdom has a bit of hubris when she says that she was exalted in a number of places such as Lebanon, Hermon (a mountain area between modern-day Lebanon and Syria), and Jericho, but I don’t think that is the case. It is simply the author of the quote putting words in her mouth. Wisdom is more of a force than a being in the conventional sense and probably doesn’t speak. But even if she did say those things, it wouldn’t really be egoism, but more like a person today listing their qualifications in a resume or job interview. Essentially, this is saying that Wisdom can be found everywhere. So why are there so few wise people? Because Wisdom is a spirit and communicates only with our spirits and souls. Since most people never bother to awaken their dormant spiritual faculties, Wisdom doesn’t communicate with them, except indirectly through those who have awakened. Praise Wisdom!
A Pleasant Odor
I am not surprised by the statement that Wisdom gives off a pleasant odor like myrrh or frankincense. Many people report smelling flowers or incense when practicing spiritual techniques even though there is no physical source for such scents nearby. I have had it happen myself on a few occasions. Others hear music instead of smelling perfume, but the idea is the same. Pleasant things are associated with the spiritual, so we experience pleasant things when we do spiritual growth practices. You might say that when we praise Wisdom, she praises us back.
Fill Yourselves with My Fruit
The fruit of Wisdom is wisdom in us. When we communicate with the spiritual realms and take in spiritual light, we praise Wisdom, and wisdom is granted to us. At first, it may be only a little, but eventually, a great deal of wisdom is in us. When we fill ourselves with the Light of the Spiritual Sun, we are also filling ourselves with the fruit of Wisdom.
