The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 30 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann
Chapter 4 (part 1)
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89 CHAPTER IV.
CREATION.
Everything we see in nature is manifested truth; only we are not able to recognise it as such, unless the truth is manifest within ourselves.
God is the supreme, fundamental, universal, self-existent eternal cause; absolute and unimaginable glory, perfection, goodness, beauty, magnificence, and splendour.
He created everything out of His own self, as there was nothing but Himself to create from.
It is, therefore, logical to suppose that the first powers which He created and which were nearest to Him must have been divine and spiritual, all lower existences being more remote from His supreme state, belonging to a more " material " condition of creation.
The same may be observed in man.
His thoughts are nearer to his divine centre and self than his muscles and bones, and the realm of his soul is nearer to his spirit than his material body, and the more holy his thoughts the more will they be capable to communicate with the God in him.
Boehme says:— "God has created the holy angels, not by means of any substance foreign to His own self, but out of His own self, out of His power and eternal wisdom." ( Aurora , iv.
26.) Truly, if there was or is nothing but God, it follows that God is the All, and that there is nothing which is not God.
Nevertheless, those creations of God which are in a certain sense remote from the divine centre are not divine, and therefore not God.
"It is said that God is everything, that He is in heaven and earth, and also the external world, and such an assertion is true in a certain sense; because everything p.
90 originates in and from God.
But of what use is such a doctrine, which is not a religion?
Such a doctrine was accepted by the devil, who wanted to be manifest and powerful in everything." ( Tilk ., ii.
140.) Such a system of Pantheism may satisfy the rationalistic reasoner, who has no power of spiritual perception, but true divine knowledge has nothing to do with such a Pantheism nor with rationalistic Theism.
It does not admit of a confounding of the terms "God" and the "world." The universe is not identical with God, neither is the spirit of man identical with his body.
Not even the Christ is identical with God, in so far as He has become human.
"The external world is not God, and will not be God in all eternity.
The world is merely a state of existence wherein God is manifesting Himself." ( Stief ., ii.
316.) God is not man.
"There will always a distinction have to be made between the Godhead and humanity, between the human will and the will of God." ( Stief ., ii.
95.) The moon has no light of her own; she merely reflects the light of the sun.
Nevertheless the light coming from the moon is not equal to sunlight.
Likewise man's will and consciousness is derived from God; but for all that it is only human, and not divine.
"If a man says of himself, 'I, the living word of God in this my holy flesh and bone, say and do this or that,' he then dishonours the sacred name of God.
This is also against the doctrines of the Bible; for whenever the intellect of a man was selected for the purpose of prophecy, the prophet did not say, 'I, Mr.
So-and-So, say this or that,' but he said, 'Thus speaks the Lord!' This means that the Lord speaks in and through such a man, and the latter is His medium and instrument." ( Stief ., i.
84.) A man can never be God; not even Christ in His human aspect made ever any such claims.
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Themes
◆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.
The text explicitly draws a parallel between the divine creation hierarchy and the structure of man (thoughts/soul vs body).
All passages →◆Cosmic Dualismtheology
Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.
A distinction is drawn between the divine/spiritual powers nearest to God and the more remote material condition.
All passages →◆Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
Truth is not recognizable unless it is manifest within ourselves, indicating a hidden nature of the divine.
All passages →◆Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
The passage uses the analogy of the moon reflecting sunlight to explain man's derived will and consciousness from God.
All passages →◆Divine Providencetheology
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
God is identified as the supreme cause who created everything out of His own self.
All passages →◆Inner Lightanthropology
The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.
The passage emphasizes the 'God in him' and truth manifest within ourselves as essential for recognition.
All passages →◆Kingdom Withinanthropology
The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.
Divine truth is accessible internally ('within ourselves') rather than solely through external observation.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
God is depicted as an active cause who speaks through prophets and creates out of His own power.
All passages →◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology
The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.
The human being is presented as a small-scale image of the cosmos, with soul and spirit mirroring divine proximity.
All passages →◆Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
God is described as the single self-existent eternal cause from which everything was created.
All passages →◆Mystical Unionsoteriology
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
Holy thoughts are described as capable of communicating with the God within the individual.
All passages →◆Self Knowledgesoteriology
The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.
Recognizing truth in nature depends on the truth being manifest within ourselves.
All passages →◆Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
The text states everything was created out of God's own self because nothing else existed to create from.
All passages →Related passages · 108 parallels · 2 contrasts
◆buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1n
“This prophecy is supposed to have been addressed by Dîpankara to S âkyamuni, before he had become a Buddha.] perfect knowledge has been known, he would speak an untruth, and would slander me, O Subhûti, with some untruth that he has learned…”
Both passages explore the nature of ultimate reality and the limitations of language and conceptualization in describing it. They share a theme of non-duality and the transcendence of conventional categories, though they arise from different mystical traditions (Buddhist and Christian mysticism).
◆gnosticism|Gospel of Philip|Section 1m
“If we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within us.
If we join it, it will fulfill us.
THE STRONG AND WEAK, THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN Now we have the manifest things of creation.
We say, “The strong are they who are held…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of inner knowledge and the revelation of hidden truths. They share a mystical perspective on the relationship between the divine and the manifest world, highlighting the need for spiritual insight to understand the true nature of reality.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius|Section 1a
“Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest 1.
I will recount to thee this sermon (logos) too, O Tat, that thou may'st cease to be without the mysteries of the God beyond all name.
And mark thou well how that which to the many seems unmanifest…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the distinction between the divine and the material world. They also explore the idea of divine manifestation and the limitations of human perception in understanding the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter III
“In the first place, therefore, you say, “ it must be granted that there are Gods .” Thus to speak, however, is not right on this subject. For an innate knowledge of the Gods is coexistent with our very essence; and this knowledge is superio…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine knowledge and the relationship between the divine and human realms. They emphasize the innate understanding of the divine and the distinction between human and divine natures, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter X
“Let us, however, discuss what pertains to divination more particularly; not asserting this, that nature leads each thing to its like; for the enthusiastic energy is not the work of nature; nor again asserting that the temperature of the air…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine inspiration and the distinction between divine and human aspects. Iamblichus emphasizes the impassive and superior nature of divine energy, while the second passage distinguishes between God's divine nature and human manifestations, highlighting the importance of recognizing divine truth within oneself.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XVIIb
“For, as he sometimes makes some stupid man to speak wisely, through which it becomes manifest to every one, that this is not a certain human but a divine work; thus, also, he reveals through things which are deprived of knowledge, conceptio…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divinity and its interaction with the world, emphasizing the transcendence and primacy of the divine. They both explore how the divine manifests through various means, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XX
“Omitting, therefore, these things, we may reasonably adduce a second cause, assigned by you, of the above mentioned particulars: viz. “ that the soul says and imagines these things, and that they are the passions of it, excited from small i…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and human realms, emphasizing that divine works or energies are not inherently human but are derived from a higher, divine source. They both argue against the idea that human capabilities alone can achieve divine ends.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter X
“We shall collect, therefore, what happens from these conclusions. For if certain invocators employ the physical or corporeal powers [91] of the universe, an involuntary gift of energy [from these powers], and which is without vice, takes pl…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between divine powers and their manifestation in the world, emphasizing that divine natures are not the cause of evil but that human actions and perceptions can pervert divine gifts. They also explore the distinction between the divine and the material, though from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter I
“The doubts also that follow in the next place require for their solution the assistance of the same divinely-wise Muse. But I am desirous, previous to this, to unfold to you the peculiarity of the theology of the Egyptians. For they, imitat…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the idea that the divine is manifested through creation. Iamblichus describes how the Egyptians use symbols to represent divine truths, while the second passage explains how God's creation reflects His divine nature, with higher powers being more divine and closer to God.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 164
“Section 8 8. To ask why the Soul has created the Kosmos, is to ask why there is a Soul and why a Creator creates. The question, also, implies a beginning in the eternal and, further, represents creation as the act of a changeful Being who t…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world. They explore the idea of the divine as the ultimate cause and the created world as a reflection or manifestation of the divine, though from different mystical traditions.
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◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 165 (part 2)
“The more perfect the man, the more compliant he is, even towards his fellows; we must temper our importance, not thrusting insolently beyond what our nature warrants; we must allow other beings, also, their place in the presence of the Godh…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world. They explore the idea that the universe is a reflection or representation of the divine, and they emphasize the hierarchy and order within creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 181 (part 2)
“And notice further that physical likeness to the parents- the Astrologers hold- is of purely domestic origin: this implies that ugliness and beauty are so caused and not by astral movements.
Again, there must at one and the same time be a…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the individual and the universal, emphasizing the distinction between the two. Plotinus argues against an extreme determinism that would dissolve individual agency into a rigid unity, while Boehme distinguishes between God and the world, asserting that human will and consciousness are derived from God but are not divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 188
“Section 1 1. To make the existence and coherent structure of this Universe depend upon automatic activity and upon chance is against all good sense. Such a notion could be entertained only where there is neither intelligence nor even ordina…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created universe. They explore the idea of a divine intelligence or cause that underlies all existence, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 196
“Section 9 9. It would not be just, because Providence cannot be a something reducing us to nothingness: to think of Providence as everything, with no other thing in existence, is to annihilate the Universe; such a providence could have no f…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the Divine and creation, emphasizing that while the Divine is the ultimate source, creation is distinct and not identical to the Divine. They both argue against a pantheistic view where creation is reduced to nothingness or is seen as identical to the Divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 198
“Section 11 11. Are we, then, to conclude that particular things are determined by Necessities rooted in Nature and by the sequence of causes, and that everything is as good as anything can be? No: the Reason-Principle is the sovereign, maki…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing that while the divine is the source of all creation, the created world is distinct and not identical to the divine. They both explore the nature of human existence and the role of Providence or divine will in the world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 227 (part 1)
“Section 6 6.
What then, in sum, is to be thought of Love and of his "birth" as we are told of it?
Clearly we have to establish the significance, here, of Poverty and Possession, and show in what way the parentage is appropriate: we have a…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and individual souls or beings, discussing how the divine essence or love is reflected in individual entities. They both emphasize the hierarchical and interconnected nature of existence, with the divine being the source of all creation and individual souls or beings emanating from this divine source.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 230
“Section 9 9. This Poros, Possession, then, is the Reason-Principle of all that exists in the Intellectual Realm and in the supreme Intellect; but being more diffused, kneaded out as it were, it must touch Soul, be in Soul, [as the next lowe…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the individual, emphasizing the distinction between the authentic and the accidental or material. They explore the idea that the divine is manifest in individual beings but not identical to them.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 246
“Section 14 14. But would this mean that if there were no Matter nothing would exist? Precisely as in the absence of a mirror, or something of similar power, there would be no reflection. A thing whose very nature is to be lodged in somethin…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between a higher reality (the Authentic Beings/God) and a lower, material reality (Matter/the world). They explore the idea that the lower reality does not fully participate in the nature of the higher reality, using metaphors like reflections and echoes to illustrate this concept.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 247
“Section 15 15. Now the objects attracting the sun-rays to themselves- illuminated by a fire of the sense-order- are necessarily of the sense-order; there is perceptibility because there has been a union of things at once external to each ot…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between a higher, divine principle and a lower, material or sensory realm. They explore the idea of the higher principle interacting with the lower without being contaminated or mixed with it, emphasizing the distinction between the two.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 256
“Section 4 4. We must, however, avoid thinking of it as an accidental from outside grafted upon that Nature: it is native to it, integral to it. It is discerned as present essentially in that Nature like everything else that we can predicate…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created world, discussing the nature of the divine and its manifestations. They both emphasize the distinction between the divine essence and its expressions, though from different philosophical and theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 257
“Section 5 5. This Ever-Being is realized when upon examination of an object I am able to say- or rather, to know- that in its very Nature it is incapable of increment or change; anything that fails by that test is no Ever-Existent or, at le…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the eternal and unchanging nature of the divine realm. They both discuss the distinction between the divine and the material world, though from different perspectives and traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 258 (part 1)
“Section 6 6.
Now the Principle this stated, all good and beauty, and everlasting, is centred in The One, sprung from It, and pointed towards It, never straying from It, but ever holding about It and in It and living by Its law; and it is i…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the immanence and completeness of the divine essence. They explore the idea that the divine is not something external but inherent in all existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 267
“Section 1 1. Supposing we played a little before entering upon our serious concern and maintained that all things are striving after Contemplation, looking to Vision as their one end- and this, not merely beings endowed with reason but even…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the individual soul or consciousness, emphasizing the omnipresence of the divine within all things and the distinction between the divine and material aspects of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 275 (part 1)
“Section 9 9.
Clearly a Being of this nature is not the primal existent; there must exist that which transcends it, that Being [the Absolute], to which all our discussion has been leading.
In the first place, Plurality is later than Unity.…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the ultimate reality or divine being, emphasizing its transcendence and the difficulty of comprehending it. They also explore the hierarchy of existence and the relationship between the divine and the created world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 276 (part 1)
“Section 10 10.
And what will such a Principle essentially be?
The potentiality of the Universe: the potentiality whose non-existence would mean the non-existence of all the Universe and even of the Intellectual-Principle which is the prim…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to the created world, emphasizing the transcendence of the ultimate reality and the hierarchical structure of existence. They both discuss the distinction between the divine and the intellectual principles, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 300
“Section 13 13. The Ineluctable, the Kosmic Law is, thus, rooted in a natural principle under which each several entity is overruled to go, duly and in order, towards that place and Kind to which it characteristically tends, that is towards…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine order and the natural principle governing the existence and behavior of souls or entities. They explore the idea of a predetermined path or destiny guided by a higher power, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 301
“Section 14 14. Thus it comes about that this kosmos, lit with many lights, gleaming in its souls, receives still further graces, gifts from here and from there, from the gods of the Supreme, and from those other Intellectual-Principles whos…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the role of intermediaries (such as the Soul in Plotinus and the divine powers in Boehme) that link the supreme being with the material realm. They also explore the concept of divine emanation and the distinction between the divine and the created.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 336
“Section 16 16. But if in the soul thing follows thing, if there is earlier and later in its productions, if it engenders or creates in time, then it must be looking towards the future; and if towards the future, then towards the past as wel…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between a higher divine principle and a lower, more material principle. Plotinus describes the Intellectual-Principle and Nature, while Boehme discusses God and the material world, highlighting the distinction between the divine and the created.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 342
“Section 22 22. And as regards vegetal forms? Are we to imagine beneath the leading principle [the "Nature" phase] some sort of corporeal echo of it, something that would be tendency or desire in us and is growth in them? Or are we to think…”
Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its relationship to the divine and the material world. Passage A discusses the soul in the earth and its connection to the Intellectual-Principle, while Passage B examines the divine nature of creation and the distinction between the divine and the material. Both texts delve into the metaphysical aspects of existence and the role of the soul within it.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 348 (part 2)
“Thus anger has two phases; there is firstly that which, rising apart from all process of reasoning, draws reason to itself by the medium of the imaging faculty, and secondly that which, rising in reason, touches finally upon the specific pr…”
Both passages explore the idea of a divine or spiritual presence within the natural world, specifically within the Earth and within human beings. They both discuss the interconnectedness of spiritual and material realms, though from different philosophical and theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 355 (part 1)
“Section 35 35.
But we must give some explanation of these powers.
The matter requires a more definite handling.
How can there be a difference of power between one triangular configuration and another?
How can there be the exercise of po…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world. They discuss the hierarchy and interconnection of beings within the universe, emphasizing the role of divine principles or powers in the order and functioning of the cosmos.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 357
“Section 37 37. We must not rob the universe of any factor in its being. If any of our theorists of to-day seek to explain the action of fire- or of any other such form, thought of as an agent- they will find themselves in difficulties unles…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of all things within a divine or universal framework, emphasizing the role of a higher power or soul in the creation and functioning of the universe. They explore the idea that individual entities derive their powers and existence from a greater whole, though they approach this concept from different philosophical and religious perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 358
“Section 38 38. Whatever springs automatically from the All out of that distinctive life of its own, and, in addition to that self-moving activity, whatever is due to some specific agency- for example, to prayers, simple or taking the form o…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world. They discuss the hierarchy and interconnection of beings within the universe, emphasizing the role of divine principles and the unity of all things under a higher order.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 359
“Section 39 39. We cannot, then, refer all that exists to Reason-Principles inherent in the seed of things [Spermatic Reasons]; the universe is to be traced further back, to the more primal forces, to the principles by which that seed itself…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing that while everything originates from the divine, there is a distinction between the divine and the material. They both explore the idea of divine manifestation and the limitations of human understanding and will.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 361
“Section 41 41. The prayer is answered by the mere fact that part and other part are wrought to one tone like a musical string which, plucked at one end, vibrates at the other also. Often, too, the sounding of one string awakens what might p…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of all things within the universe and the nature of divine power. Plotinus emphasizes the unity and interconnectedness of all things within the universe, while Boehme discusses the divine origin of all creation and the distinction between the divine and the material. Both explore the idea of a universal soul or divine essence that permeates all things.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 363
“Section 43 43. And the Proficient [the Sage], how does he stand with regard to magic and philtre-spells? In the soul he is immune from magic; his reasoning part cannot be touched by it, he cannot be perverted. But there is in him the unreas…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created world, discussing the nature of divine principles and their interaction with the material realm. They both emphasize the distinction between the divine and the material, though from different perspectives and within different philosophical frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 365 (part 1)
“Section 45 45.
From this discussion it becomes perfectly clear that the individual member of the All contributes to that All in the degree of its kind and condition; thus it acts and is acted upon.
In any particular animal each of the lim…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of all things within a universal framework and the role of individual entities within that framework. They also explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to the created world, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 378 (part 1)
“Section 3 3.
With this prologue we come to our discussion of Memory.
That the soul, or mind, having taken no imprint, yet achieves perception of what it in no way contains need not surprise us; or rather, surprising though it is, we canno…”
Both passages explore the relationship between perception, unity, and the nature of reality. Plotinus discusses the idea of perception within a unified living being, while Boehme examines the relationship between God, creation, and human perception, emphasizing the distinction between divine and material realms.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 393
“Section 9 9. (14) Over against that body, stands the principle which is self-caused, which is all that neither enters into being nor passes away, the principle whose dissolution would mean the end of all things never to be restored if once…”
Both passages discuss the nature of a divine, self-caused principle that is the source of life and being. They emphasize the primal, eternal, and unchanging nature of this principle, which is distinct from the material world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 426
“Section 10 10. We have shown the inevitability of certain convictions as to the scheme of things: There exists a Principle which transcends Being; this is The One, whose nature we have sought to establish in so far as such matters lend them…”
Both passages explore the relationship between a divine unity and the multiplicity of creation. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle and its relationship to The One, while Boehme describes the divine powers created by God and their relationship to the divine centre. Both texts delve into the nature of divine emanation and the hierarchy of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 442 (part 1)
“Section 10 10.
This matter need not be elaborated at present: it suffices to say that if the created were all, these ultimates [the higher] need not exist: but the Supreme does include primals, the primals because the producers.
In other…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and creation. They explore the idea of a transcendent principle and the necessity of multiplicity and distinction in the act of knowing or perceiving.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 444 (part 2)
“The entire intellectual order may be figured as a kind of light with the One in repose at its summit as its King: but this manifestation is not cast out from it: we may think, rather, of the One as a light before the light, an eternal irrad…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and the soul or human consciousness. They explore the idea of the divine as a source of light and intelligence, and the soul's connection to this divine light.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 445
“Section 13 13. Thus The One is in truth beyond all statement: any affirmation is of a thing; but the all-transcending, resting above even the most august divine Mind, possesses alone of all true being, and is not a thing among things; we ca…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship with creation and self-awareness. They explore the idea of a transcendent, simple, and self-sufficient divine principle that is beyond human comprehension and intellection.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 447 (part 1)
“Section 15 15.
Conferring- but how?
As itself possessing them or not?
How can it convey what it does not possess, and yet if it does possess how is it simplex?
And if, again, it does not, how is it the source of the manifold?
A single,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the necessity of multiplicity and distinction for the existence and activity of the divine intellect or principle.
◆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 its relationship to knowledge and manifestation. They explore the idea of a transcendent, simplex entity that is beyond human comprehension and intellection, yet is the source of all creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 452 (part 2)
“And again, if that secondary is all things, and if above its multiplicity there is a unity not ranking among those things, once more this unity transcends Real Being and therefore transcends the Intellectual-Principle as well.
There is thu…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the unity and transcendence of the divine source and the multiplicity and dependence of creation. They explore how the divine manifests in the world while maintaining its distinctness.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 458
“Section 5 5. We return to our statement that The First remains intact even when other entities spring from it. In the case of numbers, the unit remains intact while something else produces, and thus number arises in dependence on the unit:…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, exploring the idea of a transcendent unity and the distinction between the divine and the material world. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of reality and the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 462
“Section 9 9. Everything brought into being under some principle not itself is contained either within its maker or, if there is any intermediate, within that: having a prior essential to its being, it needs that prior always, otherwise it w…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as the ultimate source and container of all things, exploring the relationship between the divine and creation. They share a mystical perspective on the omnipresence and transcendence of the divine, though they come from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 469
“Section 2 2. Thus there is the primally intellective and there is that in which intellection has taken another mode; but this indicates that what transcends the primarily intellective has no intellection; for, to have intellection, it must…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as the ultimate source and container of all things. They explore the relationship between the divine and creation, emphasizing the transcendence and immanence of the divine source.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 471
“Section 4 4. Another consideration is that if The Good [and First] is simplex and without need, it can neither need the intellective act nor possess what it does not need: it will therefore not have intellection. (Interpolation or corruptio…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being beyond human perception and understanding, emphasizing the transcendence and unity of God. They also touch on the idea that the material world is less real than the divine reality.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 486
“Section 8 8. This then is Beauty primally: it is entire and omnipresent as an entirety; and therefore in none of its parts or members lacking in beauty; beautiful thus beyond denial. Certainly it cannot be anything [be, for example, Beauty]…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine beauty and its manifestation in the world. Passage A from Plotinus emphasizes the primal and omnipresent nature of Beauty, while Passage B from the mystical Christian tradition describes God as the supreme and fundamental source of beauty and perfection, which is reflected in creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 490
“Section 12 12. We have told how this vision is to be procured, whether by the mode of separation or in identity: now, seen in either way, what does it give to report? The vision has been of God in travail of a beautiful offspring, God engen…”
Both passages explore the relationship between divine wisdom and creation, emphasizing that all existence originates from a divine source. They discuss the nature of divine beings and the distinction between divine and created entities, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 493
“Section 1 1. All human beings from birth onward live to the realm of sense more than to the Intellectual. Forced of necessity to attend first to the material, some of them elect to abide by that order and, their life throughout, make its co…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine beauty and its manifestation in the world. Passage A from Plotinus emphasizes the primal and omnipresent nature of Beauty, while Passage B from Boehme talks about the divine origin of all things and the reflection of divine beauty in creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 494
“Section 2 2. What is this other place and how it is accessible? It is to be reached by those who, born with the nature of the lover, are also authentically philosophic by inherent temper; in pain of love towards beauty but not held by mater…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the universe and individual beings. They explore the unity and distinction within the divine and the created world, emphasizing the transcendence and immanence of God.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 497 (part 1)
“Section 5 5.
This Intellectual-Principle, if the term is to convey the truth, must be understood to be not a principle merely potential and not one maturing from unintelligence to intelligence- that would simply send us seeking, once more,…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between a divine creator and the created universe, emphasizing the beauty and perpetuity of the divine creation. They also explore the hierarchy and manifestation of divine attributes within the created world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 501
“Section 9 9. What, then, is the content- inevitably separated by our minds- of this one Intellectual-Principle? For there is no resource but to represent the items in accessible form just as we study the various articles constituting one sc…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the created world, emphasizing the distinction between the divine principle and the material world. They both explore the idea of an intellectual or spiritual principle that underlies reality.
◆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 hierarchy of existence and the nature of the divine. Plotinus argues for the existence of an Intellectual-Principle prior to the soul, while Boehme describes the divine creation and the distinction between God and the world, emphasizing the hierarchy of divine and material existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 505
“Section 13 13. It remains to decide whether only what is known in sense exists There or whether, on the contrary, as Absolute-Man differs from individual man, so there is in the Supreme an Absolute-Soul differing from Soul and an Absolute-I…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine principles and their relationship to creation. Plotinus describes the Intellectual-Principle as containing all authentic existences in a unified yet distinct manner, while Boehme explains the divine creation of powers and the distinction between God and the world. Both explore the concept of divine emanation and the hierarchy of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 509
“Section 1 1. Philosophy at a very early stage investigated the number and character of the Existents. Various theories resulted: some declared for one Existent, others for a finite number, others again for an infinite number, while as regar…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine creation and the relationship between the divine and the material world. They explore the idea that the divine realm contains the forms or essences of all things, and that the material world is a manifestation of the divine, albeit in a less perfect or remote state.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 533
“Section 26 26. But the error in this theory is fundamental. To set Matter the potential above everything, instead of recognising the primacy of actuality, is in the highest degree perverse. If the potential holds the primacy among the Exist…”
Both passages discuss the nature of God and creation, but they take opposing positions. Passage A argues against the primacy of potential (Matter) and for the primacy of actuality (Form), while Passage B emphasizes the divine and spiritual nature of creation, contrasting it with material existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 577 (part 2)
“But we refrain from assigning Soul to Sensible Substance, on the ground that we have already referred to Quality [which is Sensible] those affections of Soul which are related to body.
On the contrary, Soul, conceived apart from affection…”
Both passages discuss the hierarchy of existence and the relationship between higher and lower forms of being. Plotinus emphasizes the primacy of the Intellectual sphere over Matter, while Boehme distinguishes between divine and material creations, highlighting the remoteness of the latter from the divine center.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 585
“Section 24 24. With regard to locomotion: if ascending is to be held contrary to descending, and circular motion different [in kind] from motion in a straight line, we may ask how this difference is to be defined- the difference, for exampl…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, discussing the nature of beauty, quality, and the distinction between the intellectual and sensible realms. They both delve into the idea that certain qualities and virtues can be associated with either the higher (intellectual) or lower (sensible) spheres, reflecting a common mystical concern with the nature of reality and its divine origins.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 598
“Section 8 8. The light of our world can be allocated because it springs from a corporeal mass of known position, but conceive an immaterial entity, independent of body as being of earlier nature than all body, a nature firmly self-based or,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of a divine, immaterial principle that is distinct from the material world. They emphasize the unity and indivisibility of this principle, contrasting it with the multiplicity and divisibility of the physical realm.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 602
“Section 12 12. Think of a sound passing through the air and carrying a word; an ear within range catches and comprehends; and the sound and word will strike upon any other ear you may imagine within the intervening void, upon any that atten…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the created universe, exploring themes of omnipresence and the distinction between the divine and the material world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 603
“Section 13 13. But how account, at this, for its extension over all the heavens and all living beings? There is no such extension. Sense-perception, by insistence upon which we doubt, tells of Here and There; but reason certifies that the H…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine presence and the relationship between the divine and created beings. They explore the idea of the divine being present in all things without being fragmented or diminished, though they come from different mystical traditions (Neoplatonism and Christian mysticism).
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 611
“Section 4 4. Then consider this god [in man] whom we cannot think to be absent at some point and present at another. All that have insight into the nature of the divine beings hold the omnipresence of this god and of all the gods, and reaso…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence and nature of the divine, exploring how the divine pervades all existence. However, they come from different mystical traditions, with Passage A rooted in Neoplatonism and Passage B in Christian mysticism.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 619
“Section 12 12. To return: How is that Power present to the universe? As a One Life. Consider the life in any living thing; it does not reach only to some fixed point, unable to permeate the entire being; it is omnipresent. If on this again…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence and unity of the divine, with Passage A emphasizing the infinite and inexhaustible nature of the One Life, and Passage B describing God as the supreme, fundamental, universal cause that is manifest in all creation. Both texts explore the idea of the divine being present in all things, though Passage B distinguishes between the divine and the material world more explicitly.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 621
“Section 1 1. It is suggested that multiplicity is a falling away from The Unity, infinity being the complete departure, an innumerable multiplicity, and that this is why unlimit is an evil and we evil at the stage of multiplicity. A thing,…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence of the divine and its relationship with creation. Plotinus emphasizes the integral unity and omnipresence of the divine, while Boehme explores the divine within creation and the distinction between God and the world, both touching on the nature of divine presence and its manifestations.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 635
“Section 15 15. We must repeat: The Collective Being, the Authentic, There, is at once Being and Intellectual-Principle and the Complete Living Form; thus it includes the total of living things; the Unity There is reproduced by the unity of…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine principles and their manifestations. Plotinus discusses the origin and nature of Ideas within the Intellectual Principle, while Boehme examines the divine creation and the distinction between God and the world. Both texts delve into the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of existence, highlighting the relationship between the divine and the created.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 636 (part 2)
“When you enumerate two things- say, animal and beauty- each of these remains one thing; the number is your production; it lay within yourself; it is you that elaborate quantity, here the dyad.
But when you declare virtue to be a Tetrad, yo…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine reality and its relationship to the world and human understanding. They explore the concept of an ultimate, transcendent principle from which all things emanate, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 641 (part 1)
“Section 2 2.
Thus we have even here the means of knowing the nature of the Intellectual-Principle, though, seeing it more closely than anything else, we still see it at less than its worth.
We know that it exists but its cause we do not s…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the unity and causality within the divine realm. They discuss the idea that the divine is the cause of all things and that the essence of things is inherent within the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 648
“Section 9 9. Admitted, then- it will be said- for the nobler forms of life; but how can the divine contain the mean, the unreasoning? The mean is the unreasoning, since value depends upon reason and the worth of the intellective implies wor…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, exploring how divine principles manifest in different forms of life. They both emphasize the hierarchy and differentiation within creation while maintaining the unity of the divine source.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 650 (part 1)
“Section 11 11.
The very heavens, patently multiple, cannot be thought to disdain any form of life since this universe holds everything.
Now how do these things come to be here?
Does the higher realm contain all of the lower?
All that ha…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created, emphasizing the unity and causality within the divine realm. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle and its self-contained nature, while Boehme talks about God as the supreme cause and the distinction between the divine and the created world.
◆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 nature of the divine and its manifestations. Passage A from Plotinus explores the Intellectual-Principle as a multiple unity, while Passage B from the Christian mystical tradition discusses the divine nature and its creation, emphasizing the distinction between God and the world. Both texts delve into the complexity and unity of divine principles.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 655
“Section 16 16. But even there we are not to remain always, in that beauty of the multiple; we must make haste yet higher, above this heaven of ours and even that; leaving all else aside we ask in awe "Who produced that realm and how?" Every…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation and intellect. They explore the idea of a transcendent good or God that is the source of all existence and knowledge, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 656
“Section 17 17. But in what mode are these secondaries, and Intellectual-Principle itself, within the First? They are not in the Filling Principle; they are not in the filled since before that moment it did not contain them. Giving need not…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing that the divine encompasses all forms of life and existence, but in different modes or degrees. They both explore the idea that the divine is manifest in various forms, from the highest intellectual principles to the seemingly unreasoning aspects of creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 662
“Section 23 23. That which soul must quest, that which sheds its light upon Intellectual-Principle, leaving its mark wherever it falls, surely we need not wonder that it be of power to draw to itself, calling back from every wandering to res…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the unity and multiplicity within the divine principle. Plotinus speaks of the Intellectual-Principle as a multiple unity, while Boehme describes God as the supreme cause creating everything out of Himself, highlighting the distinction between the divine and the material.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 664
“Section 25 25. It is in view, probably, of this difficulty that Plato, in the Philebus, makes pleasure an element in the Term; the good is not defined as a simplex or set in Intellectual-Principle alone; while he rightly refrains from ident…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation and intellect. They explore the idea of a transcendent good or God that is the source of all being and knowledge, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 690
“Section 8 8. But it is not, in our view, as an attribute that this freedom is present in the First. In the light of free acts, from which we eliminate the contraries, we recognise There self-determination, self-directed and, failing more su…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation. They explore the idea of a supreme, self-existent cause and the distinction between the divine and the created world, though from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 691
“Section 9 9. If we cannot but speak of Happening we must not halt at the word but look to the intention. And what is that? That the Supreme by possession of a certain nature and power is the Principle. Obviously if its nature were other it…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the Supreme or God as a principle that is beyond happening or becoming, emphasizing its uniqueness and self-sufficiency. They both explore the idea of a transcendent reality that is the source of all existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 692
“Section 10 10. The upholder of Happening must be asked how this false happening can be supposed to have come about, taking it that it did, and haw the happening, then, is not universally prevalent. If there is to be a natural scheme at all,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the supremacy and self-sufficiency of the divine principle. They explore the idea that the divine is not subject to chance or external influences, and that creation emanates from the divine essence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 695 (part 1)
“Section 13 13.
Our enquiry obliges us to use terms not strictly applicable: we insist, once more, that not even for the purpose of forming the concept of the Supreme may we make it a duality; if now we do, it is merely for the sake of conv…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the Supreme or God, emphasizing the unity of will and essence. They explore the idea that the Supreme is self-determined and self-caused, though they use different terminology and cultural contexts.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 696
“Section 14 14. Another approach: Everything to which existence may be attributed is either one with its essence or distinct from it. Thus any given man is distinct from essential man though belonging to the order Man: a soul and a soul's es…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and creation, emphasizing that while everything originates from God, there is a distinction between the divine essence and created beings. They both explore the idea of divine emanation and the hierarchy of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 699
“Section 17 17. Or consider it another way: We hold the universe, with its content entire, to be as all would be if the design of the maker had so willed it, elaborating it with purpose and prevision by reasonings amounting to a Providence.…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation. They explore the idea of a supreme, self-existent entity that is the source of all things, yet distinct from its creations. The passages emphasize the transcendence and uniqueness of the divine principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 700 (part 1)
“Section 18 18.
Seeking Him, seek nothing of Him outside; within is to be sought what follows upon Him; Himself do not attempt.
He is, Himself, that outer, He the encompassment and measure of all things; or rather He is within, at the inne…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as a supreme, transcendent principle that is the source of all existence. They emphasize the uniqueness and necessity of the divine being, though they use different terminology and philosophical frameworks.
◆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 discuss the nature of the divine as beyond essence and the creator of all existence. They share a mystical perspective on the ineffable nature of the divine, though they come from different traditions.
◆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 nature of the Supreme or God as self-existent and the source of all creation. They emphasize the distinction between the divine and the material, and the idea that the Supreme is beyond happening and chance.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 707 (part 2)
“Note, similarly, that, when we speak of this First as Cause, we are affirming something happening not to it but to us, the fact that we take from this Self-Enclosed: strictly we should put neither a This nor a That to it; we hover, as it we…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, emphasizing the primacy and self-sufficiency of the divine source. They explore the idea of a higher, intellectual principle that underlies all existence, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 710 (part 2)
“Unity, self-present, it has no need of self-intellection: indeed this "self-presence" were better left out, the more surely to preserve the unity; we must eliminate all knowing and all association, all intellection whether internal or exter…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine as self-existent and self-sufficient, emphasizing the unity and purity of the divine essence. They discuss the relationship between the divine and creation, though from different perspectives and within different theological frameworks.
◆platonism|Plato: Timaeus|Section 1i
“And being free from jealousy, he desired that all things should be as like himself as they could be.
This is in the truest sense the origin of creation and of the world, as we shall do well in believing on the testimony of wise men: God de…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the role of a divine creator. They share the idea that the creator is benevolent and seeks to bring order and goodness into existence, though they differ in their specific theological frameworks and language.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Second Dialoguef
“[P] Number is, as the great writer (Balzac) thought, an Entity, and at the same time, a Breath emanating from what he called God, and what we call the ALL, the breath which alone could organize the physical Kosmos.—("The Secret Doctrine.")…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the idea that the divine is reflected in the material and that understanding the divine requires a journey from the finite to the infinite. They also discuss the limitations of human perception in comprehending the divine.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolismm
“Of these shoots one is manifested from above, which is the Great Power, the Universal Mind ordering all things, male, and the other, [is manifested] from below, the Great Thought, female, producing all things.
Hence pairing with each other…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine emanations and the relationship between the divine and the material world. They share the idea of a dualistic or emanationist cosmology, where divine principles interact to create the manifest world, though they use different terminology and cultural contexts.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Bembine Table of Isish
“Goodness is sought by all.
It is the Prime Cause of causes.
Goodness is self-diffused and hence exists in all things, for nothing can produce that which it does not have in itself.
The Table demonstrates that all is in God and God is in…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine immanence and the interconnectedness of all things within a divine framework, though they use different terminology and cultural references.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Human Body in Symbolisma
“THE oldest, the most profound, the most universal of all symbols is the human body.
The Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, and Hindus considered a philosophical analysis of man's triune nature to be an indispensable part of ethical and religious…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the human being and the divine, emphasizing the microcosm-macrocosm analogy. They discuss how the human body reflects the universe and the divine, though they use different traditions and terminology.
◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Qabbalistic Keys to the Creation of Manf
“The Zohar holds the concept of two Adams: the first a divine being who, stepping forth from the highest original darkness, created the second, or earthly, Adam in His own image.
The higher, or celestial, man was the Causal sphere With its…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a divine being (Adam/Demiurgus) creating a lesser being (mortal man) and the separation or fall of this lesser being from its divine state. They also explore the idea of a higher spiritual nature and the limitations of the created being.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter I (part 3)
“Positivism as the study of the phenomenal side of life.
Of what does the "two-dimensionality" of positive philosophy consist?
The regarding of everything upon a single plane, in one physical sequence.
The streams which flow underneath th…”
Both passages explore the distinction between the phenomenal and noumenal worlds, and the limitations of human perception and understanding. They also discuss the nature of reality and the relationship between the divine and the material world, though from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 1)
“p.
143 CHAPTER XIII The apparent and the hidden side of life.
Positivism as the study of the phenomenal side of life.
Of what does the "two-dimensionality" of positive philosophy consist?
The regarding of everything upon a single plane,…”
Both passages critique a limited, surface-level understanding of reality. Passage A critiques positivism for its focus on the phenomenal side of life, while Passage B critiques pantheism and rationalistic theism for confusing the divine with the material world.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 4)
“Materialism and energetics are those "obvious" theories which cannot be true without proofs , because they cannot not have proofs if they contain even a little grain of truth.
But there are no proofs at the disposition of these theories; q…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the visible and invisible realms, and the limitations of materialistic explanations. They both argue for the primacy of the higher (spiritual or psychic) over the lower (physical), though from different philosophical and religious perspectives.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 5)
“When such a sequence touches the life of a man or that of a human society, we perceive clearly that it escapes from the "physical sphere" and returns into it.
Regarding the matter from this standpoint we see that, just as in the life of on…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the visible and invisible aspects of reality, emphasizing that the visible is produced by the invisible. They also discuss the limitations of purely materialistic or rationalistic views and the need for a deeper understanding of reality.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 1)
“p.
176 CHAPTER XVI The phenomenal and the noumenal side of man.
"Man-in-himself." How do we know the inner side of man?
Can we know of the existence of consciousness in conditions of space not analogous to ours?
Brain and consciousness.…”
Both passages explore the complexity of human nature and the relationship between the inner and outer aspects of existence. They discuss the limitations of human understanding and the distinction between different levels of reality, though from different philosophical and mystical perspectives.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 1)
“p.
198 CHAPTER XVII A living and rational universe.
Different forms and lines of rationality.
Animated nature.
The souls of stones and the souls of trees.
The soul of a forest.
The human "I" as a collective rationality.
Man as a comp…”
Both passages explore the idea of a living and conscious universe, with Passage A discussing the animism and rationality in nature and Passage B describing the divine creation and the manifestation of God in the world. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of all things.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 2)
“If in general life and feeling exist, they must exist in all.
Life and rationality make up the world.
If we consider nature from our side , from the side of phenomena, then it is necessary to say that each thing, each phenomenon , possess…”
Both passages explore the idea of consciousness and life in all aspects of nature, though from different perspectives. Passage A discusses the psyche of inanimate objects and their connection to a higher rationality, while Passage B talks about the divine creation and the manifestation of God in all things, including the distinction between divine and human aspects.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 4)
“"It is not the Adam of dust (of Chapter II) who is thus made in the divine image, but the Divine Androgyne (of Chapter I), or Adam Kadmon." ADAM KADMON is HUMANITY, or humankind— Homo Sapiens —the SPHYNX, i.e., "the being with the body of a…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and human aspects within a person, emphasizing the distinction between the divine and the material, and the hierarchy of existence from the divine to the material. They both explore the idea of the divine manifesting within human beings but maintain a clear distinction between the divine and human realms.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 7)
“The activity of the life of such a composite being as a forest is not the same as the activity of different species of plants and animals, and the activity of the life of a species is again different from the life of separate individuals.…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a universal or divine essence that permeates all existence, with Passage A focusing on the 'World-Soul' and Passage B on the divine nature of creation. Both explore the idea of a higher, unifying principle that underlies the visible universe.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 8)
“Doesn't this show a singularly indigent imagination?
Isn't this brave universe made on a richer pattern, with room in it for a long hierarchy of beings?
Materialistic science makes it infinitely richer in terms, with its molecules, and et…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the spiritual and the material, and the hierarchy of beings within the universe. They both emphasize the interconnectedness of all things and the existence of a divine consciousness that permeates the cosmos, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 5)
“______ Whatever we may think of this philosophy, we cannot deny its metaphysical boldness and its logical consistency.
If Brahman is all in all, the One without a second, nothing can be said to exist that is not Brahman .
there is no room…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the world and human beings. They explore the idea of a single, ultimate reality (Brahman in Vedanta, God in Boehme's theology) and the distinction between the divine and the phenomenal world.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 12)
“"The cause of all things is neither soul nor intellect; nor has it imagination, opinion, or reason, or intelligence; nor is it reason or intelligence; nor is it spoken or thought.
It is neither number, nor order, nor magnitude, nor littlen…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the distinction between God and creation while acknowledging the divine presence within all things. They also discuss the spiritual journey and the nature of divine manifestation.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|1. The Candidatef
“There is only one dogma in Magic, and it is this: The visible is the manifestation of the invisible, or, in other terms, the perfect word, in things appreciable and visible, bears an exact proportion to the things which are inappreciable by…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the visible and invisible, the divine and the material, and the nature of creation. They share a conceptual parallel in exploring the manifestation of the divine in the physical world and the importance of understanding the underlying unity of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 241CONTRASTS
“Section 9 9. In answer: It must, first, be noted that there are a variety of modes in which an object may be said to be present to another or to exist in another. There is a "presence" which acts by changing the object- for good or for ill-…”
Both passages discuss the nature of reality and existence, but they take opposite positions. Plotinus describes Matter as a non-being, devoid of any real existence, while Boehme asserts that everything originates from God and has a divine essence, even if it is remote from the divine center.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|8. RealizationaCONTRASTS
“HOD VIVENS CAUSES manifest by effects, and effects are proportioned to causes.
The Divine Word, the One Word, the Tetragram, is self-affirmed by tetradic creation.
Human fecundity proves divine fecundity; the JOD of the Divine Name is the…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing that while everything originates from God, there is a distinction between the divine and the material. They also discuss the nature of human understanding and the limitations of human will in relation to the divine.