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Select Works of Plotinus · 8 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 12

Section 8 8. And towards the Intellectual-Principle what is our relation? By this I mean, not that faculty in the soul which is one of the emanations from the Intellectual-Principle, but The Intellectual-Principle itself [Divine-Mind]. This also we possess as the summit of our being. And we have It either as common to all or as our own immediate possession: or again we may possess It in both degrees, that is in common, since It is indivisible- one, everywhere and always Its entire self- and severally in that each personality possesses It entire in the First-Soul [i.e. in the Intellectual as distinguished from the lower phase of the Soul]. Hence we possess the Ideal-Forms also after two modes: in the Soul, as it were unrolled and separate; in the Intellectual-Principle, concentrated, one. And how do we possess the Divinity? In that the Divinity is contained in the Intellectual-Principle and Authentic-Existence; and We come third in order after these two, for the We is constituted by a union of the supreme, the undivided Soul- we read- and that Soul which is divided among [living] bodies. For, note, we inevitably think of the Soul, though one undivided in the All, as being present to bodies in division: in so far as any bodies are Animates, the Soul has given itself to each of the separate material masses; or rather it appears to be present in the bodies by the fact that it shines into them: it makes them living beings not by merging into body but by giving forth, without any change in itself, images or likenesses of itself like one face caught by many mirrors. The first of these images is Sense-Perception seated in the Couplement; and from this downwards all the successive images are to be recognized as phases of the Soul in lessening succession from one another, until the series ends in the faculties of generation and growth and of all production of offspring- offspring efficient in its turn, in contradistinction to the engendering Soul which [has no direct action within matter but] produces by mere inclination towards what it fashions.
Themes
◇Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes the Intellectual-Principle as indivisible, one, and always its entire self everywhere.

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◇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.

[auto] The passage outlines a hierarchy where the self comes third after the Intellectual-Principle and Authentic-Existence, mentioning emanations from the Principle.

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◇Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] Possession of the Intellectual-Principle as an immediate possession suggests the divine light resides within the individual.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The text asserts that the Intellectual-Principle and Divinity are possessed by us as the summit of our being.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] It describes the constitution of the 'We' as a union of the supreme undivided Soul and the divided Soul.

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◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] The inquiry into 'what is our relation' to the Intellectual-Principle implies knowing one's true divine nature as the summit of being.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] The text emphasizes that the Intellectual-Principle is one and indivisible, possessed entirely by each personality.

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Related passages · 6 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 11, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XI Concerning ” Peace “ and what is meant by ” Very Being “ Itself , ” Very Life ,” ” Very Power ,” and similar phrases . 1. Now let us praise with reverent hymns of peace the Divine Peace which is the Source of all mutual attract…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the individual soul, emphasizing the unity and emanation of the divine principle. They explore how the divine is present in all things and how it unites and sustains the cosmos, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 11, Section 1b
“Plotinus says the Godhead is indivisibly divided. doth not leave Its own Unity, but, even in the act of going forth to all things, remains entirely within Itself through the excess of that all-transcendent Unity: concerning these things ‘t…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the individual soul or intellect. They explore the concepts of unity, indivisibility, and the emanation of divine principles into the world, showing a genuine conceptual parallel between the mystical traditions of Plotinus and the author of Passage B.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 1)
“p. 224 CHAPTER XI. INCARNATION—THE CELESTIAL VIRGIN. The doctrine of the incarnation of Christ, or, to express it in other words, of the awakening of the germ of divine self-knowledge in man, is so grand, that it is impossible to form a…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the human, emphasizing the presence of a higher principle within the individual. Plotinus speaks of the Intellectual-Principle and the Soul, while Boehme discusses the incarnation of the Logos and the divine self-knowledge in man. Both explore the idea of a divine essence manifesting within human existence.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 7)
“48.) "The soul and the Word are not one or one being. The soul is born from the centre of nature, from the essences, and belongs to the body, for she issues from the essences of the body, and attracts to herself the body; but the Word is f…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the soul, emphasizing the penetration and illumination of the soul by the divine. They share the concept of the divine being present within the soul without being transformed or confined by it.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn LXXVI. MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY
“LXXVI. To MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY * . The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. THE consort I invoke of Jove divine, Source of the holy, sweetly-speaking Nine; p. 215 Free from th' oblivion of the fallen mind, By whom the soul with inte…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul, intellect, and divine principles, emphasizing the soul's connection to higher realms of existence and the role of memory or intellect in accessing divine truths. They share a Platonic philosophical framework, focusing on the soul's journey and its connection to the divine.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres|Section 1b
“But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the human soul, the divine intellect (or Mind), and the creation of the cosmos. They share a mystical perspective on the unity and emanation of divine principles, though they come from different traditions (Neoplatonism and Hermeticism).