The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 6 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann
Chapter 1 (part 6)
The human selfhood will then follow in its perceptions the Spirit of God, tremblingly and in the joy of humility, and become able to see what is contained in time and in eternity.
Everything is near to a soul in that state, for the soul is then no longer her own property, but an instrument of God.
In such a state of calmness and humility should the soul then remain, like a fountain remains at its own origin, and she should without ceasing draw and drink from that well, and nevermore desire to leave the way of God." ( Calmness , i.
24.) As the worm, crawling in the dust of the earth, cannot rise like the eagle above the clouds, so the self-willing thought of man, wandering in the labyrinth of conflicting opinions, does not enter the realm of eternal truth.
But when man attains freedom by giving up self-will and selfish desires—or, to express it in other words, when by means of the Christ (eternal Light and Truth) he arrives at that state of oneness (at-one-ment) with God, which renders his soul godlike and divine, he then also receives in the Christ a true and essential knowledge of God and of Nature.
"As soon as the newly-regenerated man becomes manifest, will he attain real knowledge.
As the p.
45 external man sees the external world, likewise the regenerated man sees the divine world wherein he dwells." ( Letters , xxvii.
3.) This spiritual world, wherein the regenerated ones consciously live, is not an imaginary or illusive world, but perfectly real; neither has it anything in common with the vulgar conceptions of heaven, which are merely the products of fancy.
"It is to be regretted that men are led so blindly by those that are blind, and that the truth is stopped from manifesting itself to us in its glory and purity by our conceptions of external pictures and forms; for when the divine power in all its splendour becomes manifest and active within the interior foundation of the soul to such a degree that man earnestly desires to depart from his godless ways and to sacrifice his whole being to God, then will the whole of the triune Deity be present within the life and the will of the soul, and the heaven, wherein God resides, will be open to her." ( Mystery , lx.
43.) This is the only way in which a knowledge of God can be attained, and there is no other way.
"Christ says: The Son of Man does nothing except what he sees that the Father is doing.
If the Son of Man has become our body and His spirit our own, shall we then not be able to know God?
If we live in the Christ the Spirit of Christ will see through us and in us whatever it desires, and that which the Christ desires we will see and know in Him.
The world of the angels is easier and more clearly comprehensible to the regenerated man than the terrestrial world.
He also sees into heaven, and beholds God and eternity." ( Menschwerdung , ii.
7, 3.) "Our seeing and knowing is in God.
He reveals to every one in this world as much as He wills, and as much as He knows will be useful to him.
We are not in possession of our own selves.
We know nothing of God.
p.
46 God Himself is our knowing and seeing.
We are nothing, so that He may be All in us.
We should be blind and deaf and mute, and know nothing and know of no life of our own, so that He may be our life and our soul, and that our work may be His." ( Menschwerdung , ii.
7, 9.) Seen in this true light, how foolish appear the practices of those who seek to obtain spiritual power and greatness by their speculations and mental efforts, without the light of God.
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
Asserts 'We know nothing of God' and that humans should be 'blind and deaf and mute' to let God be known.
All passages →◆Birth Of Word In Soulanthropology
Eckhart's signature doctrine that the Father eternally begets the Son in the ground of the soul; the human interior as the actual site of the divine generative act, distinct from inner_light's static indwelling.
Suggests Christ becomes 'our body and His spirit our own' within the soul.
All passages →◆Body As Obstacleanthropology
The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.
Contrasts the 'external man' seeing the external world with the regenerated man seeing the divine world.
All passages →◆Correspondencecosmology
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
Draws a parallel: 'As the external man sees the external world, likewise the regenerated man sees the divine world'.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
The Spirit of God is active in guiding the human selfhood and perceptions.
All passages →◆Mechanical Humanityanthropology
Gurdjieff and Ouspensky's claim that ordinary human beings live in a state of waking sleep, reacting mechanically without unified will or consciousness, and that the spiritual path begins with recognising this condition.
Describes 'self-willing thought of man, wandering in the labyrinth' as opposed to divine guidance.
All passages →◆Meditationpraxis
Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.
Describes a 'state of calmness' where the soul draws and drinks from the well of God.
All passages →◆Opposites Transcendedanthropology
The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.
At-one-ment with God transcends the labyrinth of conflicting opinions and self-will.
All passages →◆Paradox As Teachingethics
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
Uses the paradox 'We are nothing, so that He may be All in us' to convey spiritual truth.
All passages →◆Pneumatic Electsoteriology
A spiritual elite who possess the divine spark and are predestined for salvation, contrasted with psychic (faithful) and hylic (material) persons.
Distinguishes the 'newly-regenerated man' who sees the divine world from those led blindly.
All passages →◆Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics
Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.
Critiques those seeking spiritual power by 'speculations and mental efforts' without the light of God.
All passages →◆Self Knowledgesoteriology
The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.
Freedom is attained by giving up self-will, implying a recognition of the true self versus the false.
All passages →◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
The metaphor of the worm rising like an eagle illustrates the ascent from dust to eternal truth.
All passages →◇Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis
Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.
[auto] The passage advocates 'giving up self-will and selfish desires' to attain freedom and divine oneness.
All passages →◇Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
[auto] Christ is identified as 'eternal Light and Truth' and knowledge comes through the 'light of God'.
All passages →◇Fana Annihilationsoteriology
Sufi self-effacement in God — the via by which the lover is unmade as a separate ego and recovered as God's act; specifies the practice/event rather than mystical_union's resulting state.
[auto] Strong emphasis on self-effacement: 'We are nothing, so that He may be All in us' and sacrificing one's whole being.
All passages →◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
[auto] The passage explicitly states that knowledge of God is attained through regeneration and living in Christ, calling it the 'only way' distinct from speculation.
All passages →◇Kingdom Withinanthropology
The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.
[auto] Describes heaven opening within the 'life and the will of the soul' rather than as an external location.
All passages →◇Mystical Unionsoteriology
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
[auto] Central theme of 'oneness (at-one-ment) with God' and living in the Christ where the Spirit sees through the soul.
All passages →◇Poverty Of Spiritanthropology
Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).
[auto] Explicitly states 'We know nothing of God... We are nothing' to allow God to be all in the soul.
All passages →◇Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
[auto] The soul is urged to remain 'like a fountain remains at its own origin' and draw from the well of God.
All passages →◇Theosis Deificationsoteriology
The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.
[auto] The text describes the soul becoming 'godlike and divine' through union with Christ.
All passages →Related passages · 52 parallels
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 37
“Section 4 4. If, then, the perfect life is within human reach, the man attaining it attains happiness: if not, happiness must be made over to the gods, for the perfect life is for them alone. But since we hold that happiness is for human be…”
Both passages describe a state of spiritual transformation where the individual transcends the self and unites with the divine. They emphasize the attainment of true knowledge and happiness through this union, and the idea that the divine is the source of all knowing and being.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 44
“Section 11 11. We shall perhaps be told that in such a state the man is no longer alive: we answer that these people show themselves equally unable to understand his inner life and his happiness. If this does not satisfy them, we must ask t…”
Both passages emphasize the inward focus and the transcendence of the outer world in achieving a state of spiritual enlightenment or union with the divine. They both highlight the idea that true happiness or knowledge comes from within, rather than from external sources.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 47
“Section 14 14. For man, and especially the Sage, is not the Couplement of soul and body: the proof is that man can be disengaged from the body and disdain its nominal goods. It would be absurd to think that happiness begins and ends with th…”
Both passages emphasize the transcendence of the self and the attainment of a higher state of being through spiritual transformation. They both highlight the need to move beyond the physical and material aspects of existence to achieve true knowledge and happiness.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 283
“Section 1 1. In the Intellectual Kosmos dwells Authentic Essence, with the Intellectual-Principle [Divine Mind] as the noblest of its content, but containing also souls, since every soul in this lower sphere has come thence: that is the wor…”
Both passages discuss the transcendence of the divine and the limitations of human intellection or consciousness in understanding the divine. They emphasize the idea that the divine is beyond human comprehension and that true understanding comes from a state of humility and unity with the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 307 (part 2)
“Because the soul is not seen and the body is: we perceive the body, and by its movement and sensation we understand that it is ensouled, and we say that it possesses a soul; to speak of residence is a natural sequence.
If the soul were vis…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the divine, emphasizing the soul's connection to a higher reality. Passage A describes the soul as not being visible but understood through the body, while Passage B describes the soul's union with God and the divine knowledge that comes from this union.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 310
“Section 23 23. I explain: A living body is illuminated by soul: each organ and member participates in soul after some manner peculiar to itself; the organ is adapted to a certain function, and this fitness is the vehicle of the soul-faculty…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the divine, emphasizing the soul's connection to a higher reality. Passage A describes the soul as not being visible but understood through the body, while Passage B describes the soul's union with God and the ability to perceive divine truths.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 313 (part 2)
“This being admitted, aspiration will belong to soul, and so, as a consequence, will that memory of the aspiration and of its attainment or frustration, without which the soul's nature would fall into the category of the unstable [that is to…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to the divine. Passage A emphasizes the soul's inherent powers and memory, while Passage B focuses on the soul's union with God and the attainment of divine knowledge. Both highlight the soul's elevated state and its ability to perceive higher truths.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 316
“Section 29 29. Are we, then, to refer memory to the perceptive faculty and so make one principle of our nature the seat of both awareness and remembrance? Now supposing the very Shade, as we were saying in the case of Hercules, has memory,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to the divine. Passage A emphasizes the soul's inherent powers and memory, while Passage B describes the soul's union with God and the attainment of divine knowledge. Both highlight the soul's elevated state and its ability to perceive higher truths.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 322
“Section 2 2. Enough on that point: we come now to the question of memory of the personality? There will not even be memory of the personality; no thought that the contemplator is the self- Socrates, for example- or that it is Intellect or S…”
Both passages discuss the soul's ascent to a higher spiritual realm, emphasizing the need to transcend earthly concerns and memories. They both highlight the transformation of the self through divine connection, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 327
“Section 7 7. Well but can they not tell themselves that yesterday, or last year, they moved round the earth, that they lived yesterday or at any given moment in their lives? Their living is eternal, and eternity is an unchanging unity. To i…”
Both passages discuss the soul's connection to a higher realm or divine principle. They describe a state where the soul can access higher knowledge or vision, and emphasize the importance of humility and surrender to achieve this connection.
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◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 345
“Section 25 25. But the organ is not the only requisite to vision or to perception of any kind: there must be a state of the soul inclining it towards the sphere of sense. Now it is the soul's character to be ever in the Intellectual sphere,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of perception and knowledge, emphasizing the role of an intermediary between the knower and the known. Plotinus describes an intermediate entity that facilitates perception, while the second passage speaks of the soul becoming an instrument of God to perceive divine truth.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 347
“Section 27 27. If the earth transmits the generative soul to growing things- or retains it while allowing a vestige of it to constitute the vegetal principle in them- at once the earth is ensouled, as our flesh is, and any generative power…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and awareness within a broader cosmic or divine context. Passage A discusses the soul's perception and its relation to the body and the universe, while Passage B describes the soul's perception of the divine and its union with God. Both texts emphasize a higher form of awareness that transcends ordinary sensory perception.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 348 (part 1)
“Section 28 28.
Thus much established, we may return on our path: we have to discuss the seat of the passionate element in the human being.
Pleasures and pains- the conditions, that is, not the perception of them- and the nascent stage of…”
Both passages discuss the idea of the soul's connection to a higher realm or divine sphere, emphasizing the need for a state of purity, humility, or intellectual focus to perceive or interact with this higher reality. They both highlight the limitations of sensory perception and the importance of an elevated state of consciousness.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 378 (part 2)
“But what happens is the very reverse: in no pursuit to technical exercises tend to make a man less the master of his acts and states.
It is as with sense-perception; the advantage is not to the weak, the weak eye for example, but to that w…”
Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its capabilities, emphasizing that the soul's powers are active rather than passive. They also discuss the limitations of human understanding and the need for a higher, divine perspective.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 383
“Section 4 4. Our opponents themselves are driven by stress of fact to admit the necessity of a prior to body, a higher thing, some phase or form of soul; their "pneuma" [finer-body or spirit] is intelligent, and they speak of an "intellectu…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to higher powers or divine entities. They emphasize the active nature of the soul's faculties and the importance of inner transformation or preparation for higher knowledge.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 399
“Section 15 15. (20) Thus far we have offered the considerations appropriate to those asking for demonstration: those whose need is conviction by evidence of the more material order are best met from the abundant records relevant to the subj…”
Both passages emphasize the transformation of the soul through purification and union with the divine, leading to a state of divine knowledge and immortality. They share the theme of the soul's divine nature being revealed through a process of inner purification and alignment with the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 423 (part 1)
“Section 7 7.
We must be more explicit: The Intellectual-Principle stands as the image of The One, firstly because there is a certain necessity that the first should have its offspring, carrying onward much of its quality, in other words th…”
Both passages emphasize the transformation of the soul through divine connection, leading to a higher state of being and knowledge. They share the theme of the soul's union with the divine as the path to true understanding and eternal life.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 428
“Section 12 12. Possessed of such powers, how does it happen that we do not lay hold of them, but for the most part, let these high activities go idle- some, even, of us never bringing them in any degree to effect? The answer is that all the…”
Both passages discuss the soul's relationship with the divine, emphasizing the soul's need to seek and unite with the higher principle or God. They share the theme of the soul's transformation and enlightenment through this connection.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 435
“Section 3 3. Sense sees a man and transmits the impression to the understanding. What does the understanding say? It has nothing to say as yet; it accepts and waits; unless, rather, it questions within itself "Who is this?"- someone it has…”
Both passages discuss the idea of inner perception and the need to turn one's attention inward to achieve higher knowledge or spiritual insight. They emphasize the importance of focusing on the divine or higher self rather than external distractions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 436
“Section 4 4. But we, too, are king when we are moulded to the Intellectual-Principle. That correspondence may be brought about in two ways: either the radii from that centre are traced upon us to be our law or we are filled full of the Divi…”
Both passages describe a state of union with the divine where the individual transcends their human limitations and gains true knowledge. They emphasize the transformation of the self through this union, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 438
“Section 6 6. Thus we have shown that there exists that which in the strictest sense possesses self-knowing. This self-knowing agent, perfect in the Intellectual-Principle, is modified in the Soul. The difference is that, while the soul know…”
Both passages discuss the concept of self-knowledge and the relationship between the human soul and a higher intellectual or divine principle. They emphasize the need for the soul to align with or become one with this higher principle to attain true knowledge and self-awareness.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 440 (part 1)
“Section 8 8.
Now comes the question what sort of thing does the Intellectual-Principle see in seeing the Intellectual Realm and what in seeing itself?
We are not to look for an Intellectual realm reminding us of the colour or shape to be…”
Both passages explore the concept of self-knowledge and the soul's relationship with a higher principle. Passage A discusses the soul's ability to know itself and its connection to the Intellectual-Principle, while Passage B describes the soul's union with God and the attainment of true knowledge through divine connection. Both emphasize the soul's capacity for higher understanding and its dependence on a transcendent principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 441
“Section 9 9. In order, then, to know what the Divine Mind is, we must observe soul and especially its most God-like phase. One certain way to this knowledge is to separate first, the man from the body- yourself, that is, from your body- nex…”
Both passages describe a state of union with the divine or Intellectual-Principle, where the individual transcends their ordinary self and gains higher knowledge and awareness. They emphasize the transformation of the self through this union, leading to a divine or intellectual state of being.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 443
“Section 11 11. Thus the Intellectual-Principle, in the act of knowing the Transcendent, is a manifold. It knows the Transcendent in very essence but, with all its effort to grasp that prior as a pure unity, it goes forth amassing successive…”
Both passages discuss the attainment of divine knowledge and the transformation of the self through union with the divine. They emphasize the limitation of human understanding and the necessity of divine intervention for true knowledge.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 451
“Section 1 1. Anything existing after The First must necessarily arise from that First, whether immediately or as tracing back to it through intervenients; there must be an order of secondaries and tertiaries, in which any second is to be re…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the limitations of human understanding and self-awareness in relation to the divine. They explore the idea that the ultimate reality or divine is beyond human comprehension and description, emphasizing the simplicity and transcendence of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 496
“Section 4 4. But, soul reached, why need we look higher; why not make this The First? A main reason is that the Intellectual-Principle is at once something other and something more powerful than Soul and that the more powerful is in the nat…”
Both passages describe a mystical union with the divine, emphasizing the transcendence of the self and the attainment of a higher state of consciousness through identification with the divine. They share the theme of moving beyond sensory perception to achieve a deeper, more unified understanding.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 502
“Section 10 10. All, then, that is present in the sense realm as Idea comes from the Supreme. But what is not present as Idea, does not. Thus of things conflicting with nature, none is There: the inartistic is not contained in the arts; lame…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the human soul and a higher, divine principle. Passage A from Plotinus emphasizes the Intellectual-Principle as prior to and more powerful than the soul, while Passage B from the mystical Christian tradition describes the soul's union with God through humility and divine revelation. Both highlight the necessity of a higher principle guiding the soul.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 512 (part 1)
“Section 4 4.
We are told that number is Quantity in the primary sense, number together with all continuous magnitude, space and time: these are the standards to which all else that is considered as Quantity is referred, including motion wh…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's connection to a higher reality or divine essence. They emphasize the transformation of the soul through a process of purification or regeneration, leading to a state where the soul can perceive and understand the divine realm.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 653
“Section 14 14. On the nature of the Intellectual-Principle we get light from its manifestations; they show that it demands such diversity as is compatible with its being a monad. Take what principle you will, that of plant or animal: if thi…”
Both passages discuss the soul's connection to a higher realm or divine entity, emphasizing the soul's ability to perceive and align with this higher reality. They also explore the idea of the soul's transformation and its relationship to different levels of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 675
“Section 36 36. We need not carry this matter further; we turn to a question already touched but demanding still some brief consideration. Knowledge of The Good or contact with it, is the all-important: this- we read- is the grand learning,…”
Both passages discuss the pursuit of the good or divine, emphasizing that true fulfillment comes from union with the divine rather than fleeting pleasures or worldly desires. They share a mystical focus on the transformation of the self through this union.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 701
“Section 19 19. Stirred to the Supreme by what has been told, a man must strive to possess it directly; then he too will see, though still unable to tell it as he would wish. One seeing That as it really is will lay aside all reasoning upon…”
Both passages describe the mystical experience of union with the divine, emphasizing the ineffable nature of the divine and the transformation of the individual's perception and knowledge upon attaining this union. They share a common theme of transcending the self to achieve a higher state of being and understanding.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 706
“Section 2 2. It may be suggested that, while in the unities of the partial order the essence and the unity are distinct, yet in collective existence, in Real Being, they are identical, so that when we have grasped Being we hold unity; Real…”
Both passages discuss the concept of union with the divine and the transcendence of the Supreme or God. They emphasize the idea of self-transcendence and the attainment of a state where the individual becomes one with the divine, leading to a higher form of existence and knowledge.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 710 (part 1)
“Section 6 6.
In what sense, then, do we assert this Unity, and how is it to be adjusted to our mental processes?
Its oneness must not be entitled to that of monad and point: for these the mind abstracts extension and numerical quantity an…”
Both passages describe the ineffable nature of the divine and the transformative experience of perceiving it. They emphasize the limitations of human language and reasoning in conveying the divine reality and the humility required to approach it.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 713 (part 2)
“Any that have seen know what I have in mind: the soul takes another life as it approaches God; thus restored it feels that the dispenser of true life is There to see, that now we have nothing to look for but, far otherwise, that we must put…”
Both passages describe a mystical union with the divine, emphasizing the transformation of the self, the abandonment of earthly concerns, and the attainment of divine knowledge or vision. They share a common theme of spiritual elevation and oneness with God.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 716
“Section 11 11. This is the purport of that rule of our Mysteries: Nothing Divulged to the Uninitiate: the Supreme is not to be made a common story, the holy things may not be uncovered to the stranger, to any that has not himself attained t…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of intellectual understanding in attaining a higher spiritual reality. They emphasize the need for a transformative experience or state of being to perceive the divine, highlighting the insufficiency of knowledge and the necessity of a unified, humble state of consciousness.
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedo|Section 1r
“And this, my friend, may be conceived to be that heavy, weighty, earthy element of sight by which such a soul is depressed and dragged down again into the visible world, because she is afraid of the invisible and of the world below-prowling…”
Both passages discuss the purification of the soul and the attainment of a higher spiritual state. They emphasize the need to transcend earthly desires and the self to achieve union with the divine or the realm of the gods.
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedrus|Section 1p
“And there is a law of Destiny, that the soul which attains any vision of truth in company with a god is preserved from harm until the next period, and if attaining always is always unharmed.
But when she is unable to follow, and fails to b…”
Both passages discuss the transformation of the soul through divine connection and the attainment of higher knowledge or truth. They emphasize the soul's journey towards unity with the divine and the consequent perception of a higher reality.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|INTRODUCTIONi
“The life of man is more than an experience or trial; it is an effort, a struggle to reproduce and represent upon earth some of that goodness, beauty, and truth which are diffused over the universe and constitute its harmony.
Long, slow, an…”
Both passages emphasize the transformation and elevation of the human soul through spiritual and intellectual growth. They also highlight the importance of moving beyond superficial or deceptive forms to attain a deeper understanding of truth and divinity.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|INTRODUCTIONj
“The body is in the soul, the soul is in the mind, the mind is in God.
The life of the soul is the true life of the man.
Of all his various faculties, that which rules all, that which exalts our nature, is Thought.
By means of it we rise…”
Both passages emphasize the elevation of the soul and the mind through contemplation and divine connection, highlighting the unity of the individual with the divine. They share a mystical approach to understanding the divine through inner transformation and the rejection of worldly distractions.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialogueh
“In which generation finding themselves once more through the changes which permutably succeed, they return again to the superior forms.
Cic .
So that they mean, that souls are impelled by the necessity of fate, and have no proper counsel…”
Both passages discuss the transformation of the soul or self through divine connection. They emphasize the elevation from a lower state to a higher, divine state through the abandonment of self-will and the embrace of divine will or intellect.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguem
“Thus everything has an impetus towards its beginning retrogressively, and progressively towards its end and perfection, as Empedocles well said, and from which sentence I think may be inferred that which the Nolan said in this octave: The s…”
Both passages discuss the soul's journey towards divine union and the progressive nature of spiritual ascent. They emphasize the soul's natural inclination towards its divine source and the increasing ease of this journey as one progresses.
◆sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|PROLOGUEb
“Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not?
Because the rust has not been scoured from its face.
If it were purified from all rust and defilement, It would reflect the shining of the SUN Of GOD.6 O friends, ye have now heard this tale, Whic…”
Both passages emphasize the need for purification and self-annihilation to achieve union with the divine. They share the concept of transcending the self to attain a higher spiritual state and direct knowledge of God.
◆taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 22
“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and…”
Both passages emphasize humility and the abandonment of self-will as a path to spiritual completion and union with the divine. They share a common theme of selflessness leading to a higher state of being, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 2)
“Studying man from one side only I should stand in the same position in relation to him as, according to Kant, we stand with relation to the world surrounding us.
We know merely the form of our knowledge of it.
The world-in-itself we do no…”
Both passages explore the distinction between the phenomenal and noumenal (or spiritual) realms, emphasizing that true understanding transcends sensory perception. They both argue for a higher, non-material mode of knowing, though from different philosophical and religious perspectives.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVIII (part 6)
“Emotions apparently the same may be united with the very small I's and with the very great and lofty I's; and so the rôle and meaning of such emotions in life may be very different.
The continual shifting of emotions, each of which calls i…”
Both passages discuss the importance of transcending the personal self to achieve higher knowledge and understanding. Passage A emphasizes the liberation from personal emotions to gain cognitive power, while Passage B talks about surrendering self-will to attain a divine state of knowledge and oneness with God.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIX (part 7)
“In the reduction of your soul to its simplest self, its divine essence, you realize this union—this identity.
But this sublime condition is not of permanent duration.
It is only now and then that we can enjoy this elevation above the limi…”
Both passages describe the mystical experience of union with the divine, emphasizing the transcendence of the self and the attainment of higher knowledge through this union. They also discuss the temporary nature of this state and the paths leading to it.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 16)
“Having become indifferent to objects of perception, the pupil must seek out the Rajah of the senses, the Thought-Producer, him who awakes illusions.
The mind is the great slayer of the real.
Let the Disciple slay the Slayer.
For— When to…”
Both passages emphasize the need to transcend the illusions of the senses and the ego to attain a higher state of consciousness. They both advocate for a state of inner harmony and humility to perceive the divine reality.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 5)
“Only a personal experience of it, or a prolonged study of men who have passed into the new life, will enable us to realize what this actually is.
The writer expects his work to be useful in two ways: first, in broadening the general view o…”
Both passages discuss the transformation of human consciousness and the attainment of a higher spiritual state. They emphasize the dissolution of current religious structures and the emergence of a new, unified spiritual understanding.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 6)
“Doubt of God and of eternal life will be as impossible as is now doubt of existence; the evidence of each will be the same.
Religion will govern every minute of every day of all life.
Churches, priests, forms, creeds, prayers, all agents,…”
Both passages describe a state of elevated consciousness where the individual transcends ordinary human limitations and experiences a direct, unmediated connection with the divine. They also discuss the transformation of human perception and the dissolution of worldly concerns such as sin and labor.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 11)
“He does not come to believe merely; but he sees and knows that the cosmos, which to the self-conscious mind seems made up of dead matter, is in fact far otherwise—is in very truth a living presence.
He sees that in-stead of men being, as i…”
Both passages discuss the transformation of human consciousness and the attainment of a higher, more spiritual understanding of the universe. They emphasize the shift from a limited, self-centered perspective to a broader, divine perspective, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 18)
“And in those who do not possess it in some sort already, it cannot be created by any culture whatever, in the same way that no kind or amount of culture will make an animal speak the language of man.
The possibility of the manifestation of…”
Both passages discuss the nature of higher consciousness or spiritual awareness, emphasizing that it is not something that can be artificially acquired but rather something that must be developed or given. They also highlight the rarity and difficulty of attaining such a state.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Page 28 (part 3)
“And truth itself is motion, and can never lead to arrestment, to the cessation of search.
ALL THAT ARRESTS THE MOTION OF THOUGHT—IS FALSE.
Therefore the true and real progress of thought is only in the broadest striving toward knowledge,…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of continuous search and humility in the pursuit of truth and knowledge. Passage A focuses on the eternal search for knowledge, while Passage B highlights the need for humility and oneness with God to attain true knowledge.