Select Works of Plotinus · 13 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 17

Section 13 13. And the principle that reasons out these matters? Is it We or the Soul? We, but by the Soul. But how "by the Soul"? Does this mean that the Soul reasons by possession [by contact with the matters of enquiry]? No; by the fact of being Soul. Its Act subsists without movement; or any movement that can be ascribed to it must be utterly distinct from all corporal movement and be simply the Soul's own life. And Intellection in us is twofold: since the Soul is intellective, and Intellection is the highest phase of life, we have Intellection both by the characteristic Act of our Soul and by the Act of the Intellectual-Principle upon us- for this Intellectual-Principle is part of us no less than the Soul, and towards it we are ever rising.

Themes

◇Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

[auto] The passage describes Intellection as an 'Act' that 'subsists without movement', characterizing a dynamic state of contemplative being.

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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 distinction between the Soul and the Intellectual-Principle, with the latter being a higher phase of life towards which one rises, reflects a hierarchical structure.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

[auto] The focus on 'Intellection' as the highest phase of life and the means by which we reason suggests knowledge through direct intellectual contact.

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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 is 'part of us no less than the Soul', locating the divine within the individual.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The description of rising towards a principle that is already 'part of us' implies a process of reunification or union with the divine.

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◇Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

[auto] The phrase 'towards it we are ever rising' suggests a journey back to the higher Intellectual-Principle from which the soul derives its life.

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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 'Is it We or the Soul?' and the conclusion that reasoning occurs 'by the fact of being Soul' emphasizes knowing one's true nature.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] The passage explicitly states that towards the Intellectual-Principle 'we are ever rising', indicating a central theme of upward movement.

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Related passages · 2 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 2, Section 1o

“Yet It is a Whole because It includes the true existence of all things, and is Partitive because It contains the principle of separate Individuality whereby Christ possesses a Human Soul distinct from all other human souls, and whereby, too…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the soul, emphasizing the soul's role in intellection and the divine's presence within the individual. They share a mystical perspective on the union of the divine and human aspects.

◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 7)

“From the STANDPOINT OF LOGIC such a theory is more correct than the theory of two classes of actions—REASONED AND UN-REASONED. It at least establishes the principle of NECESSARY UNIFORMITY. It is really impossible to suppose that in an im…”

Both passages explore the nature of the soul and its relationship to higher principles or consciousness. Passage A discusses the soul's role in intellection and its connection to the Intellectual-Principle, while Passage B examines the uniformity of actions and the idea of a living and rational world, ultimately pointing to a higher psychic principle.