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Select Works of Plotinus · 277 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 267

Section 1 1. Supposing we played a little before entering upon our serious concern and maintained that all things are striving after Contemplation, looking to Vision as their one end- and this, not merely beings endowed with reason but even the unreasoning animals, the Principle that rules in growing things, and the Earth that produces these- and that all achieve their purpose in the measure possible to their kind, each attaining Vision and possessing itself of the End in its own way and degree, some things in entire reality, others in mimicry and in image- we would scarcely find anyone to endure so strange a thesis. But in a discussion entirely among ourselves there is no risk in a light handling of our own ideas. Well- in the play of this very moment am I engaged in the act of Contemplation? Yes; I and all that enter this play are in Contemplation: our play aims at Vision; and there is every reason to believe that child or man, in sport or earnest, is playing or working only towards Vision, that every act is an effort towards Vision; the compulsory act, which tends rather to bring the Vision down to outward things, and the act thought of as voluntary, less concerned with the outer, originate alike in the effort towards Vision. The case of Man will be treated later on; let us speak, first, of the earth and of the trees and vegetation in general, asking ourselves what is the nature of Contemplation in them, how we relate to any Contemplative activity the labour and productiveness of the earth, how Nature, held to be devoid of reason and even of conscious representation, can either harbour Contemplation or produce by means of the Contemplation which it does not possess.
Themes
◆Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The primary existent is defined by negation ('unextended', 'no container') rather than positive attributes.

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◆Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The analogy between bodily movement and soul movement reflects the Hermetic axiom that cosmic structures are mirrored at every scale.

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◆Cosmic Sympathycosmology

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The claim that Soul is absent from no fragment of the Kosmos implies a binding affinity connecting all parts of the universe.

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◆Divine Simplicitytheology

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

The primarily existent source is described as 'unextended' and having 'no container,' indicating a lack of parts or composition.

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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.

The relationship described between Soul and Kosmos implies a hierarchical structure where the higher principle permeates the lower.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The author references God's existence in relation to temporal statements like 'He was' or 'He will be', implying a dynamic divine reality.

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◆Monadcosmology

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

The 'primarily existent' unextended source functions as the singular principle from which extension and multiplicity flow.

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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.

The text emphasizes knowing the movement that exists within the man himself before physical action occurs.

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◇Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

[auto] The passage explicitly states 'As with Man's Soul, so with the Soul of the All,' establishing the human as a mirror of the cosmic structure.

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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 analogizes the omnipresence of Soul in the Kosmos to the human soul in the body, implying a unified reality where the higher principle permeates all fragments.

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Related passages · 6 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 2 (part 1)
“p. 58 CHAPTER II. THE UNITY OF THE ALL. "We are all one body in Christ, and have all the Spirit of Christ within our reach. If, then, we enter into the Christ, we may see and know everything by the power of His Spirit." ( Forty Question…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence of a fundamental aspect of reality (Time in Plotinus, the Divine in Boehme) and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending these concepts. They both emphasize the unity and eternal nature of these fundamental aspects.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 2 (part 2)
“That Will, by conceiving of its own self, thereby creates a mirror within its own self. The same takes place in the microcosm of man. By conceiving of his own self man creates a mirror in which he " feels " his own self, and thereby he be…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to time and eternity, as well as the concept of self-reflection within the divine and human realms. They explore the idea of an unextended, primary existence that contains all else, and the unity of the soul.
◆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 explore the relationship between the divine and the individual soul or consciousness, emphasizing the omnipresence of the divine within all things and the distinction between the divine and material aspects of existence.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 8)
“Neither is God measurable, and there has no place of residence been discovered in Him, unless He should establish for Himself such a dwelling in one of His creatures; but even then He remains a whole apart from and beyond such a created bei…”
Both passages explore the omnipresence and nature of divine or cosmic principles. Passage A discusses the omnipresence of Time and Soul in the Kosmos, while Passage B discusses the omnipresence of God and Christ in creation, drawing parallels with the sun's light and heat.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter IV (part 3)
“If, presupposing that we are moving upon a sphere, upon its equator or one of its parallels, then it will appear that we recognize as really existing only one meridian: those which are behind us have disappeared and those ahead of us have n…”
Both passages explore the nature of time and perception, suggesting that our ordinary consciousness is limited and that a higher or more expansive consciousness can perceive time differently. They both hint at the idea of an eternal now or a timeless reality beyond our usual experience.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VI (part 2)
“These will be considered as temporal phenomena, beginning at that moment when they become visible, and ending— ceasing to exist —at that moment when they become invisible. The one-dimensional being will not be in a position to imagine that…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and existence within different dimensional frameworks. Passage A discusses the limitations of one-dimensional and two-dimensional beings in perceiving their world, while Passage B examines the omnipresence of time and the movement of the soul, relating it to the perception of time within the self and the cosmos. Both texts delve into the concept of existence and perception within different contexts, showing a genuine conceptual parallel.