The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 120 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann
Chapter 11 (part 11)
421.) 239:1 It is universal and nevertheless individual, like that of a god.
239:2 This would be like imagining that the trunk of a tree was dwelling within the leaves.
240:1 The universal life and the individual life are only one principle.
241:1 "You must not seek for any historical knowledge in our writings.
It is not possible to see God with earthly eyes, and therefore it is impossible for an unillumined mind to comprehend heavenly thoughts and perceptions in its terrestrial vehicle.
Like can be grasped only by like." ( Princ.
Appendix , 30.)
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
It asserts that it is not possible to see God with earthly eyes, negating sensory knowledge of the divine.
All passages →◆Correspondencecosmology
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The text quotes the Hermetic axiom directly: 'Like can be grasped only by like.'
All passages →◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
[auto] The text emphasizes that heavenly thoughts cannot be comprehended by an unillumined mind and that 'Like can be grasped only by like,' pointing to direct experiential knowledge.
All passages →◇Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
[auto] The passage explicitly states that 'The universal life and the individual life are only one principle,' making non-duality a central theme.
All passages →Related passages · 10 parallels
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 352
“Section 32 32. If we can trace neither to material agencies [blind elements] nor to any deliberate intention the influences from without which reach to us and to the other forms of life and to the terrestrial in general, what cause satisfac…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of all things within a universal life or being. They emphasize the unity and individuality of existence, where the universal and individual lives are one principle, and the All is a sympathetic total living being.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 356
“Section 36 36. The Universe is immensely varied, the container of all the Reason-Principles and of infinite and diverse efficacies. In man, we are told, the eye has its power, and the bones have their varied powers, and so with each separat…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of the universal and individual life, emphasizing that the universe and its components are interconnected and alive with their own principles or powers. They share a mystical perspective on the unity and diversity of life.
◆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 universal and the individual, emphasizing the interconnectedness and unity of all things. They also touch on the limitations of human understanding in comprehending higher truths.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 360
“Section 40 40. But magic spells; how can their efficacy be explained? By the reigning sympathy and by the fact in Nature that there is an agreement of like forces and an opposition of unlike, and by the diversity of those multitudinous powe…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the universal and the individual, emphasizing that the universal is contained within the individual parts, and that the individual parts have their own unique functions and lives. They also touch on the idea that the higher principles are reflected in the lower, and that the understanding of these principles requires a certain level of illumination or study.
◆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 discuss the relationship between the universal and the individual, emphasizing the interconnectedness and unity of all things. They also touch on the limitations of human understanding in comprehending higher truths.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 464
“Section 11 11. It is infinite also by right of being a pure unity with nothing towards which to direct any partial content. Absolutely One, it has never known measure and stands outside of number, and so is under no limit either in regard t…”
Both passages emphasize the inability of human senses and earthly understanding to comprehend divine or heavenly realities. They share the theme that the divine is beyond mortal perception and requires a transformed or illuminated mind to grasp.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 608
“Section 1 1. The integral omnipresence of a unity numerically identical is in fact universally received; for all men instinctively affirm the god in each of us to be one, the same in all. It would be taken as certain if no one asked How or…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a universal and individual unity, particularly in relation to the divine. They both emphasize the idea that the divine is present in all individuals and that this unity is a fundamental principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 618
“Section 11 11. But how can the unextended reach over the defined extension of the corporeal? How can it, so, maintain itself as a unity, an identity? This is a problem often raised and reason calls vehemently for a solution of the difficult…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and the indivisibility of the divine presence within all individuals. They emphasize that the universal and individual aspects of life or divinity are fundamentally one, reflecting a shared mystical insight across different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 713 (part 1)
“Section 9 9.
In this choiring, the soul looks upon the wellspring of Life, wellspring also of Intellect, beginning of Being, fount of Good, root of Soul.
It is not that these are poured out from the Supreme lessening it as if it were a th…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and individuality, discussing how the universal and individual aspects of existence are interconnected. Passage A emphasizes the oneness of universal and individual life, while Passage B delves into the role of unity in defining the existence and nature of beings.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 713 (part 2)
“Any that have seen know what I have in mind: the soul takes another life as it approaches God; thus restored it feels that the dispenser of true life is There to see, that now we have nothing to look for but, far otherwise, that we must put…”
Both passages explore the relationship between unity and multiplicity, and the nature of the ultimate reality. Passage A discusses the distinction between Being and Unity in the context of the Intellectual-Principle, while Passage B describes the unity of universal and individual life, and the incomprehensibility of divine thoughts to an unillumined mind. Both texts grapple with the concept of a transcendent unity that underlies the diversity of existence.