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Select Works of Plotinus · 38 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 43

Section 10 10. Perhaps the reason this continuous activity remains unperceived is that it has no touch whatever with things of sense. No doubt action upon material things, or action dictated by them, must proceed through the sensitive faculty which exists for that use: but why should there not be an immediate activity of the Intellectual-Principle and of the soul that attends it, the soul that antedates sensation or any perception? For, if Intellection and Authentic-Existence are identical, this "Earlier-than-perception" must be a thing having Act. Let us explain the conditions under which we become conscious of this Intellective-Act. When the Intellect is in upward orientation that [lower part of it] which contains [or, corresponds to] the life of the Soul, is, so to speak, flung down again and becomes like the reflection resting on the smooth and shining surface of a mirror; in this illustration, when the mirror is in place the image appears but, though the mirror be absent or out of gear, all that would have acted and produced an image still exists; so in the case of the Soul; when there is peace in that within us which is capable of reflecting the images of the Rational and Intellectual-Principles these images appear. Then, side by side with the primal knowledge of the activity of the Rational and the Intellectual-Principles, we have also as it were a sense-perception of their operation. When, on the contrary, the mirror within is shattered through some disturbance of the harmony of the body, Reason and the Intellectual-Principle act unpictured: Intellection is unattended by imagination. In sum we may safely gather that while the Intellective-Act may be attended by the Imaging Principle, it is not to be confounded with it. And even in our conscious life we can point to many noble activities, of mind and of hand alike, which at the time in no way compel our consciousness. A reader will often be quite unconscious when he is most intent: in a feat of courage there can be no sense either of the brave action or of the fact that all that is done conforms to the rules of courage. And so in cases beyond number. So that it would even seem that consciousness tends to blunt the activities upon which it is exercised, and that in the degree in which these pass unobserved they are purer and have more effect, more vitality, and that, consequently, the Sage arrived at this state has the truer fulness of life, life not spilled out in sensation but gathered closely within itself.
Themes
◇Active Contemplationpraxis

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

[auto] The text describes an 'immediate activity' of the Intellectual-Principle that produces images or reflections.

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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 Intellectual-Principle and material things or the sensitive faculty.

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◇Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The text states this continuous activity 'remains unperceived' and has 'no touch whatever with things of sense'.

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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 distinguishes the Intellectual-Principle from the Soul and sensation, implying a hierarchical structure of being.

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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 text focuses on the conditions under which we become conscious of the Intellective-Act, emphasizing direct experiential knowledge.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

[auto] The reference to 'peace in that within us' indicates the divine realm is accessible internally.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The statement that 'Intellection and Authentic-Existence are identical' implies a merging or unity with the divine reality.

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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 mention of the Intellect being in 'upward orientation' suggests a movement back toward the higher divine principle.

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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 passage discusses becoming conscious of the Intellective-Act within us, equating to knowing one's true inner 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 'upward orientation' of the Intellect describes a journey or movement toward higher levels 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 identity of Intellection and Authentic-Existence suggests a non-dualistic unity in the higher realm.

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Related passages · 5 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 5, Section 1b
“367 367 Sense-perception is a direct apprehension of that which we actually touch, see, hear, taste, or smell; Reason or Inference is an indirect apprehension of that which we do not actually touch, see, etc. Intuition is a direct apprehen…”
Both passages discuss the nature of higher, non-sensory perception and the relationship between the divine and human understanding. They explore the idea of an intellectual or intuitive grasp of reality that transcends ordinary sense perception, highlighting the purity and immediacy of this higher mode of knowing.
◆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 intellectual and spiritual perception, emphasizing the distinction between higher, non-sensory understanding and lower, sensory-based perception. They also explore the idea of pure, unobserved activity of the intellect or soul.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1d
“Furthermore, we must ask how it is that we know God when He cannot be perceived by the mind or the senses and is not a particular Being. Perhaps ‘tis true to say that we know not God by His Nature (for this is unknowable and beyond the rea…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine knowledge and the limitations of human perception and understanding. They explore the idea that the divine is both knowable and unknowable, with Plotinus focusing on the Intellectual-Principle and the soul, while the second passage discusses God's dual existence and the process of knowing Him through both knowing and unknowing.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialoguef
“Hence it follows that not less do we desire to see things unknown and unseen than those known and seen. And from this it does not follow that the desire does not proceed from cognition, and that we desire something that is not known; but I…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and the higher, intellectual or spiritual faculties that operate beyond sensory experience. They discuss the idea that true understanding or love arises from internal, intellectual apprehension rather than external sensory input.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 9)
“In ourselves, visual consciousness goes with our eyes, tactile consciousness with our skin. But although neither skin nor eye knows aught of the sensations of the other, they come together and figure in some sort of relation and combinatio…”
Both passages explore the concept of higher consciousness and its relationship to individual perception. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle and its activity, while Fechner describes a hierarchical consciousness that unifies individual experiences into a higher, more inclusive consciousness.