Select Works of Plotinus · 272 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 263 (part 2)
Therefore over against that higher life there must be another life, known by the same name as the more veritable life of the Soul; over against that movement of the Intellectual Soul there must be the movement of some partial phase; over against that identity, unchangeableness and stability there must be that which is not constant in the one hold but puts forth multitudinous acts; over against that oneness without extent or interval there must be an image of oneness, a unity of link and succession; over against the immediately infinite and all-comprehending, that which tends, yes, to infinity but by tending to a perpetual futurity; over against the Whole in concentration, there must be that which is to be a Whole by stages never final.
The lesser must always be working towards the increase of its Being, this will be its imitation of what is immediately complete, self-realized, endless without stage: only thus can its Being reproduce that of the Higher.
Time, however, is not to be conceived as outside of Soul; Eternity is not outside of the Authentic Existent: nor is it to be taken as a sequence or succession to Soul, any more than Eternity is to the Divine.
It is a thing seen upon Soul, inherent, coeval to it, as Eternity to the Intellectual Realm.
Related passages · 5 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 10, Section 1c
“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc.
Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”
Both passages explore the relationship between time and eternity, and the nature of the soul's movement towards perfection or completeness. They share a mystical perspective on the transcendence of time and the attainment of a higher, eternal state.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1c
“The Good is beyond this distinction, for nothing (on the ultimate plane) is outside It.
See Intr., p.
5.
and Lifelessness an excess of Life and Its Mindless state is an excess of Wisdom, 252 252 This apparently profitless speculation rea…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between higher and lower states of being, emphasizing the need for the lesser to strive towards the higher. They also explore the nature of existence and non-existence, and the transcendence of ultimate reality.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1n
“And the Divine Yearning brings ecstasy, not allowing them that are touched thereby to belong unto themselves but only to the objects of their affection.
This principle is shown by superior things 106 through their providential care for the…”
Both passages explore the relationship between a higher, divine realm and a lower, temporal realm, emphasizing the movement and yearning of the lower towards the higher. They share a mystical focus on unity, eternity, and the imitation of the divine.
◆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 relationship between higher and lower realms of existence, emphasizing the movement and yearning towards the higher. Plotinus describes the Soul's aspiration to the Intellectual Realm, while the second passage discusses Divine Yearning and its perpetual movement towards the Good.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 8)
“They may vary infinitely, i.e., may seem various, ever new from some new standpoint, but they cannot utterly vanish, any more than they can cease, come to an end.
All that is highest to which we shall come in the understanding of the meani…”
Both passages explore the concept of infinity and the nature of reality from different perspectives. Passage A discusses the relationship between the higher life of the Soul and its lesser, temporal manifestations, while Passage B delves into the infinite variability and interconnectedness of phenomena. Both texts emphasize the idea of a higher, more comprehensive understanding beyond immediate perception.