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Select Works of Plotinus · 25 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 30

Section 4 4. But this science, this Dialectic essential to all the three classes alike, what, in sum, is it? It is the Method, or Discipline, that brings with it the power of pronouncing with final truth upon the nature and relation of things- what each is, how it differs from others, what common quality all have, to what Kind each belongs and in what rank each stands in its Kind and whether its Being is Real-Being, and how many Beings there are, and how many non-Beings to be distinguished from Beings. Dialectic treats also of the Good and the not-Good, and of the particulars that fall under each, and of what is the Eternal and what the not Eternal- and of these, it must be understood, not by seeming-knowledge ["sense-knowledge"] but with authentic science. All this accomplished, it gives up its touring of the realm of sense and settles down in the Intellectual Kosmos and there plies its own peculiar Act: it has abandoned all the realm of deceit and falsity, and pastures the Soul in the "Meadows of Truth": it employs the Platonic division to the discernment of the Ideal-Forms, of the Authentic-Existence and of the First-Kinds [or Categories of Being]: it establishes, in the light of Intellection, the unity there is in all that issues from these Firsts, until it has traversed the entire Intellectual Realm: then, resolving the unity into the particulars once more, it returns to the point from which it starts. Now rests: instructed and satisfied as to the Being in that sphere, it is no longer busy about many things: it has arrived at Unity and it contemplates: it leaves to another science all that coil of premisses and conclusions called the art of reasoning, much as it leaves the art of writing: some of the matter of logic, no doubt, it considers necessary- to clear the ground- but it makes itself the judge, here as in everything else; where it sees use, it uses; anything it finds superfluous, it leaves to whatever department of learning or practice may turn that matter to account.
Themes
◆Active Contemplationpraxis

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

The soul 'plies its own peculiar Act' and employs Platonic division to discern Ideal-Forms before resting.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The passage mentions establishing unity 'in the light of Intellection', indicating divine illumination.

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◆Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

The text describes the soul resting and being 'no longer busy about many things' after abandoning the coil of premisses.

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◆Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The passage explicitly states the soul 'arrived at Unity' and contemplates the 'Firsts', aligning with the concept of the One/Monad.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] A clear distinction is drawn between the realm of sense/deceit and the Intellectual Kosmos/Truth.

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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 passage contrasts 'seeming-knowledge' with 'authentic science' required for true understanding of reality.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The text describes the Soul being pastured in the 'Meadows of Truth,' implying union with the divine intellect.

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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 soul abandons the realm of sense to settle in the Intellectual Kosmos, indicating a return to higher reality.

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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 movement from touring the realm of sense to settling in the Intellectual Kosmos represents an upward journey.

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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 passage centrally describes establishing 'the unity there is in all' and arriving at 'Unity' after traversing the Intellectual Realm.

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Related passages · 7 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VII Concerning “Wisdom,” “Mind,” “Reason,” “Truth,” “Faith.” 1. Now, if it like thee, let us consider the Good and Eternal Life as Wise and as Very Wisdom, or rather as the Fount of all wisdom and as Transcending all wisdom and und…”
Both passages discuss the nature of higher knowledge and the limitations of human understanding in grasping divine truths. They emphasize the transcendent nature of ultimate reality and the need for a special kind of intellectual or spiritual discipline to approach it.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b
“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Both passages discuss the nature of higher knowledge and the process of intellectual contemplation. They emphasize the transcendence of material reality and the unity of understanding, though they come from different mystical traditions (Neoplatonism and Christian mysticism).
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 9)
“Honour a figure and a step before a figure and a tribolus. Explanation .--The exhortation of this Symbol is as follows: Philosophize and diligently betake yourself to disciplines, and through these, as through steps, proceed to the thing p…”
Both passages emphasize the pursuit of higher knowledge and intellectual contemplation. Passage A discusses Dialectic as a method to understand the nature of things and the Intellectual Kosmos, while Passage B outlines symbolic exhortations to philosophize and venerate intellectual perception.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 13 (part 9)
“80 Ὅν τινα τιμήσωσι Διὸς κοῦραι μεγάλοιο γεινόμενόν τε ἴδωσι διοτρεφέων βασιλήων, τῷ μὲν ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ γλυκερὴν χείουσιν ἐέρσην, τοῦ δ᾽ ἔπε᾽ ἐκ στόματος ῥεῖ μείλιχα· οἱ δέ τε λαοὶ πάντες ἐς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι διακρίνοντα θέμιστας 85 ἰθείῃσι δίκῃσιν·…”
Both passages emphasize the pursuit of higher knowledge and understanding through philosophical inquiry. Passage A discusses Dialectic as a method to discern the nature and relation of things, while Passage B outlines symbolic exhortations to engage in philosophy and venerate intellectual contemplation.
◆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 explore the nature of the Intellectual or Divine Realm and the process of understanding it. Passage A discusses Dialectic as a method to discern the nature and relation of things, while Passage B describes the vision of the Archetypal Form and the creation of the cosmos through the Word (Logos) and Mind. Both texts emphasize the unity and the hierarchical structure of reality.
◆platonism|Plato: Republic|Section 1d
“And when I speak of the other division of the intelligible, you will understand me to speak of that other sort of knowledge which reason herself attains by the power of dialectic, using the hypotheses not as first principles, but only as hy…”
Both passages discuss the role of dialectic in ascending to higher realms of understanding and contemplating the nature of reality. They emphasize the movement from hypotheses to first principles and the intellectual journey towards unity and authentic knowledge.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|22. Summary And General Key Of The Four Secret Sciencesa
“SIGNA TROT PAN LET us now summarize the entire science by its principles. Analogy is the final word of science and the first word of faith. Harmony consists in equilibrium, and equilibrium subsists by the analogy of contraries. Absolute…”
Both passages explore the nature of ultimate reality and the means to understand it. Passage A discusses Dialectic as a method to discern the nature and relation of things, while Passage B emphasizes analogy as the key to understanding the divine and natural order. Both texts aim to transcend the realm of sense and achieve a higher understanding of truth and being.