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Select Works of Plotinus · 62 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 68

Section 7 7. Therefore we must ascend again towards the Good, the desired of every Soul. Anyone that has seen This, knows what I intend when I say that it is beautiful. Even the desire of it is to be desired as a Good. To attain it is for those that will take the upward path, who will set all their forces towards it, who will divest themselves of all that we have put on in our descent:- so, to those that approach the Holy Celebrations of the Mysteries, there are appointed purifications and the laying aside of the garments worn before, and the entry in nakedness- until, passing, on the upward way, all that is other than the God, each in the solitude of himself shall behold that solitary-dwelling Existence, the Apart, the Unmingled, the Pure, that from Which all things depend, for Which all look and live and act and know, the Source of Life and of Intellection and of Being. And one that shall know this vision- with what passion of love shall he not be seized, with what pang of desire, what longing to be molten into one with This, what wondering delight! If he that has never seen this Being must hunger for It as for all his welfare, he that has known must love and reverence It as the very Beauty; he will be flooded with awe and gladness, stricken by a salutary terror; he loves with a veritable love, with sharp desire; all other loves than this he must despise, and disdain all that once seemed fair. This, indeed, is the mood even of those who, having witnessed the manifestation of Gods or Supernals, can never again feel the old delight in the comeliness of material forms: what then are we to think of one that contemplates Absolute Beauty in Its essential integrity, no accumulation of flesh and matter, no dweller on earth or in the heavens- so perfect Its purity- far above all such things in that they are non-essential, composite, not primal but descending from This? Beholding this Being- the Choragos of all Existence, the Self-Intent that ever gives forth and never takes- resting, rapt, in the vision and possession of so lofty a loveliness, growing to Its likeness, what Beauty can the soul yet lack? For This, the Beauty supreme, the absolute, and the primal, fashions Its lovers to Beauty and makes them also worthy of love. And for This, the sternest and the uttermost combat is set before the Souls; all our labour is for This, lest we be left without part in this noblest vision, which to attain is to be blessed in the blissful sight, which to fail of is to fail utterly. For not he that has failed of the joy that is in colour or in visible forms, not he that has failed of power or of honours or of kingdom has failed, but only he that has failed of only This, for Whose winning he should renounce kingdoms and command over earth and ocean and sky, if only, spurning the world of sense from beneath his feet, and straining to This, he may see.
Themes
◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The Mysteries are said to adumbrate deeper truths about the unpurified and the Nether-World.

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◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The Soul is described as all Idea and Reason, aligning with the concept of divine reason ordering existence.

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◆Monadcosmology

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

The reference to the Above and Intellectual-Principle implies a simple first principle from which order flows.

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◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The body is described as unclean and unworthy, with death defined as the necessary parting of the Soul from it.

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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] The passage establishes a strong ontological opposition between the divine Soul/Intellect and the material body/filth.

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◇Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

[auto] The Soul is described as entirely of the divine order and free of body, implying a fragment of divinity trapped in matter.

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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 text references the Intellectual-Principle, lower places, and the Above, implying a structured hierarchy of being.

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◇Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

[auto] The text discusses death as the parting of Soul from body and references rituals regarding the Nether-World.

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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] Wisdom is defined as the Act of the Intellectual-Principle leading the Soul, emphasizing knowledge over mere ritual.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The Soul is described as being heightened to the Intellectual-Principle and becoming beautiful to all its power.

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◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

[auto] The cleansed Soul is described as unmingled and free of body, transcending the duality of spirit and matter.

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◇Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

[auto] References to Mysteries adumbrating immersion in the Nether-World suggest a guided passage through afterlife realms.

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◇Renunciation Of Wealthethics

The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.

[auto] Magnanimity is defined as disregard for the lure of things here, indicating detachment from material possessions.

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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 passage explicitly describes the Soul being led to the Above and heightened to the Intellectual-Principle, reversing its fall into matter.

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◇Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

[auto] Virtues are defined as purification, with extensive contrast between the clean Soul and the unclean body/filth.

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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] Courage is linked to the delight of being one's unmingled self, indicating recognition of true divine 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 text details a staged journey of the soul upward through purification virtues toward the divine Intellectual-Principle.

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Related passages · 8 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1o
“And herein the Divine Yearning showeth especially its beginningless and endless nature, revolving in a perpetual circle for the Good, from the Good, in the Good, and to the Good, with unerring revolution, never varying its centre or directi…”
Both passages discuss the concept of ascending towards a divine or ultimate reality, emphasizing the transformative power of this vision and the intense desire or yearning to unite with it. They share a mystical theme of transcending the material world to attain a higher, purer state of being.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology|Chapter IIa
“How it is necessary to be united with and render praise to Him Who is the cause of all and above all. Unto this Darkness which is beyond Light we pray that we may come, and may attain unto vision through the loss of sight and knowledge, an…”
Both passages describe a mystical ascent towards a divine or ultimate reality, emphasizing the need to purify oneself and transcend the physical world to attain a vision of absolute beauty or the divine. They share a common theme of union with the divine through a process of purification and transcendence.
◆christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|Vb
“It is necessary, therefore, for all the creatures which issued forth from God to co-operate earnestly with all their powers to form a Man who may again attain that union with God which Adam enjoyed before he fell, and who may again restore…”
Both passages describe a mystical ascent towards a divine reality, emphasizing the transformation and union with the divine. They share themes of purification, love, and the ultimate goal of union with the divine source.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 3)
“7.) "I do not wish to divert men from the Word as it is written and taught; but my writings are intended to lead them from a merely historical belief to a living faith, even to Jesus Christ (the Light and Truth) Himself. All preaching and…”
Both passages emphasize the pursuit of divine union and the transformation of the individual through direct spiritual experience. They share a common theme of ascending towards a higher, transcendent reality and the profound impact this has on the individual's perception and being.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 1)
“p. 67 THE SYMBOLS OF PYTHAGORAS All the Symbols are exhortatory in common to the whole of virtue; but particularly each to some particular virtue. Different symbols also are differently adapted to parts of philosophy and discipline. Thus…”
Both passages emphasize the purification and elevation of the soul, with Plotinus focusing on the soul's ascent to the Intellectual-Principle and divine beauty, while the Pythagorean sentences stress the importance of virtue and the purification of the intellect to achieve a divine connection and proper understanding.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 2)
“At the same time, however, we perfectly fall short of the gods, and neither possess the same power with them, nor equal virtue, This Symbol, therefore, in a particular manner introduces the knowledge of the gods, as beings who are able to e…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of purification and the separation of the soul from bodily concerns to achieve a higher spiritual state. They both highlight the need for purity and the rejection of worldly pleasures to attain divine connection or wisdom.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 6: The All-Father|Section 1b
“So then, Asclepius, the name alone of Good is found in men, the thing itself nowhere [in them], for this can never be. For no material body doth contain It - a thing bound on all sides by bad, by labors, pains, desires and passions, by err…”
Both passages discuss the concepts of purity, beauty, and the divine, emphasizing the separation of the soul from the body and the worldly to achieve a higher, divine state. They both highlight the idea that true goodness and beauty are attributes of the divine and not of the material world.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguec
“And I will say, because to me this pain Is dearer than all other pleasures are. Mar. In reference to this I told you that although one should be attached to corporeal and external beauty yet he may honourably and worthily be so attached;…”
Both passages describe the ascent of the soul towards a higher, divine beauty, emphasizing the purification process and the ultimate union with the divine. They share a mystical theme of transcending the physical to attain spiritual enlightenment.