The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 32 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann
Chapter 4 (part 3)
7.) "We cannot reasonably suppose any formation or differentiation to have existed in the eternal One from which, or according to which (formation) something could have been made; for if such a form, or predisposition to making a form, had existed, there would have been another cause, besides God, from which the form would have resulted, and then there would have been something else (another god), and not the one only and eternal God." (Baptism, i.
1.) "Creation is nothing else but a revelation of the all-essential, unfathomable God, and whatever exists in His p.
93 own eternal evolution, which is without a beginning, is also in that creation.
But the latter is in regard to God what an apple that grows upon a tree is to the tree.
The apple is not the tree, but grows out of the power of the tree.
Likewise all things have their origin in divine desire, and that desire caused them to enter into being.
In the beginning there was nothing to produce them, except the mystery of eternal generation (evolution)." ( Signature , xvi.
1.) "Imagine a mother (a womb) having the seed within herself.
As long as she contains the seed as such, it belongs to herself, but when it becomes a child then is the seed not hers, but it is the property of the child.
Thus it is with the angels.
They have all been configurated out of the divine seed; but after this has been done, each one has its own corporeal being to itself." ( Aurora , iv.
34.) "The reason why the eternal and unchangeable God has created the world is an unfathomable mystery; it can only be said that He did it in His love." ( Hamberger .) God, being pure knowledge, does not require to have recourse to reasoning, for the purpose of attaining an object; He being Himself His own subject and object, self-sufficient and eternal.
We can, therefore, only say that He creates; because He is an ever-flowing fountain of love, in the same sense as the sun shines; because he is an everlasting source of light.
"How it came to happen that God stirred to produce creation, while He Himself is unchangeable, cannot be discovered, and an attempt to do so would merely produce a confusion of mind." ( Menschwerdung , i.
2, 5.) "We cannot tell how it happened that that which stood eternally in the essentiality of God entered into motion, because there is nothing that could have caused God to move, and the will of God is eternal and unchangeable.
We can only say that the Three was p.
94 desirous of having children of its own kind." ( Forty Questions , i.
273.) The world could not have been made as it exists now, directly out of the purely divine state of being.
In its material aspect it is material and not spiritual.
God is unchangeable and independent of external conditions (which do not exist for Him); but the manifestations of His power change according to the conditions that are caused by their mutual relations.
Thus the light of the sun remains always the same; but it gives various hues to the flowers, according to their own individual qualities.
"No creature can issue from the purely divine state of being, because this state has neither cause nor beginning, nor can it be brought into a beginning." ( Grace , viii.
45.) "Within the light and the heart of God, as such, there can be nothing created; because the light is the end of nature and has no quality.
Therefore it cannot change or be made into anything, but remains for ever the same in eternity." ( Three Principles , x.
41.) Nevertheless it is the Triune God that created all things out of eternal nature.
Themes
◆Active Contemplationpraxis
A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.
The reader is instructed to 'Imagine a mother (a womb)', utilizing imagery for theological understanding.
All passages →◆Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
The text refers to the 'mystery of eternal generation' and the 'unfathomable God'.
All passages →◆Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
God is described as an 'everlasting source of light' and the text references the 'light and the heart of God' as uncreated.
All passages →◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
Creation is described using the analogy of an apple growing from a tree, indicating a flow from divine power.
All passages →◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology
Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.
The text refers to the 'mystery of eternal generation' and states that certain truths 'cannot be discovered'.
All passages →◆Ladder Of Lovesoteriology
Diotima's staged ascent from love of beautiful bodies → beautiful souls → beautiful pursuits → beautiful knowledge → Beauty itself; the canonical scala amoris that grounds Plotinus's On the Beautiful and Bruno's Eroici Furori — distinct from generic spiritual_ascent in that eros is the specific motive force.
Love is cited as the primary motive for creation ('He did it in His love', 'fountain of love'), though not as a staged ascent.
All passages →◆Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
God is attributed with 'divine desire' and 'eternal evolution', indicating dynamic activity rather than static abstraction.
All passages →◆Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
The text emphasizes the 'eternal One' and 'one only and eternal God' as the singular source without prior cause.
All passages →◆Paradox As Teachingethics
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
The text presents the paradox of an 'unchangeable' God who 'stirred to produce creation', noting that attempting to resolve it produces confusion.
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 passage states creation is a revelation of God and that what exists in His evolution is also in creation.
All passages →◇Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
[auto] The passage repeatedly emphasizes the unfathomable nature of God's essence and creation, stating that how God stirred to produce creation 'cannot be discovered' and describing God as without form or differentiation.
All passages →◇Divine Simplicitytheology
The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.
[auto] The text explicitly argues against any formation or differentiation in the eternal One, asserting God is 'one only and eternal' and 'unchangeable'.
All passages →Related passages · 46 parallels
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 82
“Section 7 7. But why does the existence of the Principle of Good necessarily comport the existence of a Principle of Evil? Is it because the All necessarily comports the existence of Matter? Yes: for necessarily this All is made up of contr…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the existence of evil or material aspects in creation. They explore the relationship between the divine principle and the material world, though from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 91
“Section 1 1. We hold that the ordered universe, in its material mass, has existed for ever and will for ever endure: but simply to refer this perdurance to the Will of God, however true an explanation, is utterly inadequate. The elements of…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine creation and the persistence of forms. They discuss the eternal nature of divine will and the manifestation of divine attributes in creation, though from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 92
“Section 2 2. Supposing we accept this view and hold that, while things below the moon's orb have merely type-persistence, the celestial realm and all its several members possess individual eternity; it remains to show how this strict perman…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine creation and the persistence of forms. They discuss the eternal and unchangeable nature of the divine, and how creation emanates from this divine essence, though they use different metaphors and conceptual frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 124
“Section 2 2. We are obliged, therefore, at the start, both to establish the existence of this other Kind and to examine its nature and the mode of its Being. Now if Matter must characteristically be undetermined, void of shape, while in tha…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the process of creation, emphasizing the simplicity and unchangeability of the divine realm and the distinction between the divine and the material world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 127
“Section 5 5. It may be objected that the Intellectual-Principle possesses its content in an eternal conjunction so that the two make a perfect unity, and that thus there is no Matter there. But that argument would equally cancel the Matter…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material, discussing the nature of the divine substance and its interaction with the created world. They both delve into the concept of eternal existence and the role of the divine in shaping reality, though from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 160
“Section 4 4. To those who assert that creation is the work of the Soul after the failing of its wings, we answer that no such disgrace could overtake the Soul of the All. If they tell us of its falling, they must tell us also what caused th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the role of the divine in the creative process. They explore the idea that creation is not a result of decline or necessity but rather an expression of the divine nature and its eternal qualities.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 163
“Section 7 7. That this world has neither beginning nor end but exists for ever as long as the Supreme stands is certainly no novel teaching. And before this school rose it had been urged that commerce with the body is no gain to a Soul. But…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the eternal and unchangeable nature of the divine. They also explore the idea of creation and the distinction between the divine and the created.
◆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 explore the nature of creation and its relationship to the divine. They emphasize the mystery and unfathomable nature of divine creation, highlighting that the act of creation is an expression of the divine essence and love.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 165 (part 1)
“Section 9 9.
Wealth and poverty, and all inequalities of that order, are made ground of complaint.
But this is to ignore that the Sage demands no equality in such matters: he cannot think that to own many things is to be richer or that th…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the eternal and unchangeable nature of the divine. They also explore the concept of creation and the distinct roles of the divine and the material within the cosmic order.
◆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 explore the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the mystery and the unfathomable nature of divine actions. They both highlight the idea that creation is a manifestation of the divine, though expressed within different theological frameworks.
36 more
◆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 nature of creation and the role of a divine entity. They explore the idea of a unified source (the One in Passage A and God in Passage B) and the individuality of created beings, though from different philosophical and theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 183
“Section 7 7. It remains to notice the theory of the one Causing-Principle alleged to interweave everything with everything else, to make things into a chain, to determine the nature and condition of each phenomenon- a Principle which, actin…”
Both passages discuss the nature of a singular, causative principle (the One in Plotinus, God in the second passage) and its relationship to creation and determinism. They explore the idea of an ultimate cause that governs all existence, though they differ in their theological frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 185
“Section 9 9. We admit, then, a Necessity in all that is brought about by this compromise between evil and accidental circumstance: what room was there for anything else than the thing that is? Given all the causes, all must happen beyond ay…”
Both passages discuss the nature of a singular, causative principle (the One in Plotinus, God in the second passage) and its relationship to creation and determinism. They explore the idea of a universal cause that underlies all existence and action, though they approach it from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 190
“Section 3 3. Nor would it be sound to condemn this Kosmos as less than beautiful, as less than the noblest possible in the corporeal; and neither can any charge be laid against its source. The world, we must reflect, is a product of Necessi…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine creation and the eternal existence of the universe. They emphasize the unity and perfection of the divine intelligence and the idea that creation is an expression of the divine nature, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 241
“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 explore the concept of an unchangeable, eternal principle (Matter in Plotinus, God in the second passage) that remains unaffected by the qualities or entities that exist within or are created by it. They both emphasize the immutability and independence of this principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 244 (part 1)
“Section 12 12.
This is Plato's conception: to him participation does not, in the case of Matter, comport any such presence of an Ideal-form in a Substance to be shaped by it as would produce one compound thing made up of the two elements c…”
Both passages explore the relationship between a fundamental, unchangeable principle (Matter in Plotinus, God in the mystical tradition) and the forms or creations that emerge from it. They both emphasize the immutability of the fundamental principle while describing how forms or creations interact with it without altering its essence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 273
“Section 7 7. Certain Principles, then, we may take to be established- some self-evident, others brought out by our treatment above: All the forms of Authentic Existence spring from vision and are a vision. Everything that springs from these…”
Both passages discuss the concept of creation as an emanation or revelation of a divine principle. They describe a hierarchical structure where the divine contemplation or will gives rise to subsequent levels of existence, emphasizing the continuous and universal nature of the divine energy or love.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 274 (part 2)
“The Intellectual-Principle on the other hand was never merely the Principle of an inviolable unity; it was a universal as well and, being so, was the Intellectual-Principle of all things.
Being, thus, all things and the Principle of all, i…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the ultimate purpose of existence as rooted in a divine vision or contemplation. They share the idea that all things strive towards a higher, ideal form of existence, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 295 (part 2)
“This means that it is no external limit that defines the individual being or the extension of souls any more than of God; on the contrary each in right of its own power is all that it chooses to be: and we are not to think of it as going fo…”
Both passages explore the relationship between a universal soul or divine principle and individual souls or creations. They discuss the nature of creation and the differing capacities of souls, showing a conceptual parallel in their mystical insights.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 412
“Section 3 3. Yet, looking at another set of facts, reflection tells us that we are in sympathetic relation to each other, suffering, overcome, at the sight of pain, naturally drawn to forming attachments; and all this can be due only to som…”
Both passages discuss the emanation of beings from a divine unity or source. They explore the idea of a supreme being generating lesser beings through an inexhaustible power or divine desire, emphasizing the interconnectedness and hierarchy of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 420
“Section 4 4. But there is yet another way to this knowledge: Admiring the world of sense as we look out upon its vastness and beauty and the order of its eternal march, thinking of the gods within it, seen and hidden, and the celestial spir…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and multiplicity, discussing how a single essence can manifest in various forms without losing its unity. They both use analogies (science and seed in Passage A, divine seed and creation in Passage B) to illustrate this idea.
◆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 necessity of multiplicity and differentiation in creation. They explore the relationship between the divine source and the created world, emphasizing the need for a link or intermediary between the two.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 459
“Section 6 6. All this, however, we may leave to individual judgement: to proceed: This produced reality is an Ideal form- for certainly nothing springing from the Supreme can be less- and it is not a particular form but the form of all, bes…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as transcending being and form, emphasizing the ineffability and simplicity of the ultimate reality. They share a mystical approach to describing the divine, which is beyond human comprehension and definition.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 466
“Section 13 13. The Supreme, as the Absolute Good and not merely a good being or thing, can contain nothing, since there is nothing that could be its good. Anything it could contain must be either good to it or not good; but in the supremely…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as transcending form and being, emphasizing the ineffability and simplicity of the ultimate reality. They share a mystical approach to describing the divine, which is beyond human comprehension and definition.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 485
“Section 7 7. Consider the universe: we are agreed that its existence and its nature come to it from beyond itself; are we, now, to imagine that its maker first thought it out in detail- the earth, and its necessary situation in the middle;…”
Both passages explore the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the ineffable and mysterious nature of divine creation and the idea that creation is an expression of the divine essence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 515
“Section 8 8. But we are digressing: we must resume our enquiry into the cause of dissimilarity among relations. Yet we must first be informed what reality, common to all cases, is possessed by this Existence derived from mutual conditions.…”
Both passages explore the nature of existence and the divine, with Plotinus discussing the genera of existents and their relationship to the Intellectual and Sensible realms, while the second passage delves into the mystery of divine creation and the nature of God. Both texts grapple with the concept of the divine as the source of all existence, though from different theological perspectives.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 541
“Section 3 3. We assert, then, a plurality of Existents, but a plurality not fortuitous and therefore a plurality deriving from a unity. But even admitting this derivation from a unity- a unity however not predicated of them in respect of th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the relationship between the divine and creation. They explore the idea of a first principle and the paradoxes that arise from different theories about the origin and nature of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 544
“Section 6 6. But must it not draw on some source external to its essence, if it is to be conditioned, not only by Being, but by being an entity of a particular character? But if it is conditioned by a particular character, and this characte…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation or manifestation. They discuss the unity and multiplicity within the divine, and the process by which the divine gives rise to other beings or entities. However, they come from different mystical traditions, Plotinus from Neoplatonism and the second from Christian mysticism.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 547 (part 1)
“Section 9 9.
The above considerations- to which others, doubtless, might be added- suffice to show that these five are primary genera.
But that they are the only primary genera, that there are no others, how can we be confident of this?…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation, discussing the unity and plurality of being and the mystery of divine creation. They share a mystical approach to understanding the divine, though they come from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 549 (part 2)
“In the first place, the point is common to lines and yet is not their genus, and this unity we are considering may also be common to numbers and not be their genus- though, we need hardly say, the unity of Unity-Absolute is not that of the…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and plurality in the context of creation and the divine. Plotinus discusses the unity of Soul and its pluralized nature, while the second passage discusses the unity of God and the plurality of creation, emphasizing the divine desire and love as the cause of creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 550
“Section 12 12. Enough upon that side of the question. But how does the perfection [goodness] of numbers, lifeless things, depend upon their particular unity? Just as all other inanimates find their perfection in their unity. If it should be…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and its relationship to creation or manifestation. They discuss the unity and multiplicity within the divine, and the process by which the divine gives rise to other beings or entities. However, they come from different mystical traditions, Plotinus representing Neoplatonism and the second passage representing Christian mysticism.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 551
“Section 13 13. We turn to ask why Quantity is not included among the primary genera, and Quality also. Quantity is not among the primaries, because these are permanently associated with Being. Motion is bound up with Actual Being [Being-in-…”
Both passages explore the nature of being, motion, and stability (or change) within a divine or metaphysical context. They discuss the interplay between these concepts and how they relate to the divine essence, albeit from different philosophical and theological traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 567
“Section 6 6. Granted, it may be urged, that these observations upon the nature of Substance are sound, we have not yet arrived at a statement of its essence. Our critic doubtless expects to see this "Sensible": but its essence, its characte…”
Both passages explore the nature of existence and being, with Plotinus discussing the essence of Substance and its dependence on Authentic Being, while the second passage discusses the creation of the world as a revelation of God's eternal nature. Both texts emphasize the primacy of a higher, unchangeable reality from which all else derives its existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 568
“Section 7 7. But Matter, it may be contended, is the source of existence to the Sensible things implanted in it. From what source, then, we retort, does Matter itself derive existence and being? That Matter is not a Primary we have establis…”
Both passages explore the nature of creation and the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the primacy and unchangeability of the divine source while discussing the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine act of creation.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 577 (part 1)
“Section 16 16.
When each of the entities bound up with the pseudo-substance is taken apart from the rest, the name of Quality is given to that one among them, by which without pointing to essence or quantity or motion we signify the distin…”
Both passages explore the nature of existence and being, with Plotinus discussing the essence of Substance and its relationship to authentic Being, while the second passage delves into the creation and revelation of God's essence. Both texts emphasize the primary nature of Being and its role in the existence of other qualities or entities.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 626
“Section 6 6. Granted, then, that there exist, apart from things, a unity absolute and a decad absolute in other words, that the Intellectual beings, together with their characteristic essence have also their order, Henads, Dyads, Triads, wh…”
Both passages explore the nature of creation and the divine. They discuss the origin of existence from an eternal, unchangeable source, emphasizing the mystery and the divine will behind creation. The passages share a mystical perspective on the relationship between the divine and the created world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 629
“Section 9 9. It remains then to consider whether Being by its distinction produced Number or Number produced that distinction. It is certain that either Number was the cause of Being, movement, rest, identity and difference, or these the ca…”
Both passages explore the relationship between unity, multiplicity, and the divine. Plotinus discusses the primacy of unity and the emergence of number and being, while the second passage delves into the divine unity and the creation of multiplicity from the eternal One. Both traditions grapple with the nature of divine unity and its relation to the manifest world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 633 (part 1)
“Section 13 13.
It cannot reasonably be thought that the notion of unity is derived from the object since this is physical- man, animal, even stone, a presentation of that order is something very different from unity [which must be a thing…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite or the divine and its relationship to creation and limitation. Plotinus discusses the nature of the infinite and its resistance to limitation, while the second passage delves into the mystery of God's creation and the unfathomable nature of the divine. Both texts grapple with the idea of the limitless and its interaction with the finite.
◆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 creation and the relationship between the divine and the created. They discuss the idea that the divine is not merely a thought or concept but an active, self-existing principle. 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 637
“Section 17 17. But what of the Infinite Number we hear of; does not all this reasoning set it under limit? And rightly so if the thing is to be a number; limitlessness and number are in contradiction. How, then, do we come to use the term?…”
Both passages explore the relationship between unity, multiplicity, and the divine. Plotinus discusses the precedence of unity and number in the structure of being, while the second passage delves into the divine unity and the mystery of creation, emphasizing the unfathomable nature of God's actions. Both texts grapple with the nature of the divine and its relationship to the manifest world.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 646
“Section 7 7. But if it is by becoming evil and inferior that the soul produces the animal nature, the making of ox or horse was not at the outset in its character; the reason-principle of the animal, and the animal itself, must lie outside…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, discussing how the divine essence manifests in creation. They both emphasize the idea that the divine does not change but its manifestations do, and that creation is a result of the divine will or power.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 647
“Section 8 8. So much for the thing of sense; but it would appear that the prototype There of the living form, the universal horse, must look deliberately towards this sphere; and, that being so, the idea of horse must have been worked out i…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine creation and the existence of forms or ideas within the divine realm. They discuss the relationship between the eternal divine essence and the manifested world, emphasizing the necessity and mystery of creation.
◆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 divine creation and the existence of forms or ideas within the divine realm. They explore the relationship between the eternal divine essence and the manifestation of creation, highlighting the necessity and mystery of divine generation.
◆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 eternal and unchangeable nature of the divine source and the ordered, reasoned nature of creation. They both explore the idea of a higher principle that is the source of all things, 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 discuss the nature of the divine as pure activity and the concept of self-existence without beginning or end. They explore the idea of divine creation as an eternal process, emphasizing the unity and self-sufficiency of the divine being.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 16)
“329 cases it is more correct to regard them all as the highest types in their own evolution.
The absence of intermediate forms makes this view much more probable than that which is usually accepted, and which gives such rich material for d…”
Both passages discuss the nature of evolution and the complexity of consciousness or divine creation. Passage A explores different forms of consciousness and their evolution, while Passage B delves into the divine nature of creation and its unfathomable mystery, both highlighting the limitations of human understanding and the intricate processes involved.