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Select Works of Plotinus · 176 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 181 (part 2)

And notice further that physical likeness to the parents- the Astrologers hold- is of purely domestic origin: this implies that ugliness and beauty are so caused and not by astral movements. Again, there must at one and the same time be a widespread coming to birth- men, and the most varied forms of animal life at the same moment- and these should all be under the one destiny since the one pattern rules at the moment; how explain that identical star-groupings give here the human form, there the animal?
Themes
◆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.

It references a descending claim of causes flowing from one source to various phenomena.

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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 concept of a universal ordering principle or cause permeating the universe is implied.

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] The text describes a single organized overruling source from which all activity springs without division.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

[auto] It asserts that the mind itself is the prime mover, locating agency internally rather than externally.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The text employs the logical paradox that extreme determination destroys the very concept of destiny it affirms.

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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 argues that the universe is permeated by one Soul and all causes spring from a single source.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 1)
“p. 89 CHAPTER IV. CREATION. Everything we see in nature is manifested truth; only we are not able to recognise it as such, unless the truth is manifest within ourselves. God is the supreme, fundamental, universal, self-existent eternal…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the individual and the universal, emphasizing the distinction between the two. Plotinus argues against an extreme determinism that would dissolve individual agency into a rigid unity, while Boehme distinguishes between God and the world, asserting that human will and consciousness are derived from God but are not divine.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 3)
“7.) "We cannot reasonably suppose any formation or differentiation to have existed in the eternal One from which, or according to which (formation) something could have been made; for if such a form, or predisposition to making a form, had…”
Both passages discuss the nature of creation and the role of a divine entity. They explore the idea of a unified source (the One in Passage A and God in Passage B) and the individuality of created beings, though from different philosophical and theological perspectives.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn X (part 1)
“X. TO PAN * The FUMIGATION from VARIOUS ODORS I Call strong Pan, the substance of the whole, Etherial, marine, earthly, general soul, Immortal fire; for all the world is thine, And all are parts of thee, O pow'r divine. p. 131 Come, bles…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness and unity of the universe, with Passage A focusing on the concept of a single Soul permeating all things and Passage B describing Nature as the connecting and unifying force of the universe. Both texts explore the idea of a divine, overarching principle that governs and unites all aspects of existence.
◆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 causality and the unity of the universe. They discuss whether the universe is driven by a single conscious or unconscious force, and both consider the implications of this unity on individual actions and phenomena.