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Select Works of Plotinus · 341 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 326

Section 6 6. Souls that descend, souls that change their state- these, then, may be said to have memory, which deals with what has come and gone; but what subjects of remembrance can there be for souls whose lot is to remain unchanged? The question touches memory in the stars in general, and also in the sun and moon and ends by dealing with the soul of the All, even by audaciously busying itself with the memories of Zeus himself. The enquiry entails the examination and identification of acts of understanding and of reasoning in these beings, if such acts take place. Now if, immune from all lack, they neither seek nor doubt, and never learn, nothing being absent at any time from their knowledge- what reasonings, what processes of rational investigation, can take place in them, what acts of the understanding? Even as regards human concerns they have no need for observation or method; their administration of our affairs and of earth's in general does not go so; the right ordering, which is their gift to the universe, is effected by methods very different. In other words, they have seen God and they do not remember? Ah, no: it is that they see God still and always, and that, as long as they see, they cannot tell themselves they have had the vision; such reminiscence is for souls that have lost it.
Themes
◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The memory of the Intellectual Realm is said to upbear the soul, contrasting with the downward pull of earthly memory.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

It states that in its memory, the thing the soul has in mind it is and grows to, becoming identical with the All in the Intellectual.

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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.

The text contrasts the soul's current state with a lost 'conjunction' and 'unity,' emphasizing the singular nature of the higher realm.

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◇Anamnesissoteriology

Platonic recollection: knowledge as the soul's recovery of what it knew before birth, with learning as remembering rather than acquisition.

[auto] The passage explicitly details the soul's 'memory of itself' and memory of the Intellectual Realm as the mechanism that upbears the soul, aligning with Platonic recollection.

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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 explicitly distinguishes between the Intellectual Realm, heavenly sphere, and this universe, indicating a structured hierarchy 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 defines intuition as 'knowledge with identity,' emphasizing direct experiential knowing over mere representation.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The central tension revolves around leaving 'that conjunction' and 'unity,' highlighting the state of union as the ideal.

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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 describes the soul's fall from conjunction and the memory that upbears it to prevent falling further, implying a dynamic of return.

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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 text focuses on 'self-memory' and how the soul becomes what it has in mind, linking identity to knowledge of oneself.

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◇Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

[auto] The text describes the soul leaving 'that conjunction' and unity, falling in love with its own powers, which defines the condition of exile from the divine origin.

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Related passages · 5 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|IIb
“So, if my soul is to know God, it must be God-like.” Now, how is the soul to arrive at this heavenly state that it recognizes God in itself, and knows that He is near? By copying the heavens, which can receive no impulse from without to ma…”
Both passages explore the concept of the soul's relationship with the divine, emphasizing the need for the soul to transcend earthly concerns and temporal constraints to truly know or see God. They share a mystical focus on the soul's transformation and its union with the divine.
◆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 concept of self-reflection and the creation of a mirror within the divine or intellectual realm, leading to self-consciousness and the distinction of the self. They explore the idea of the soul or divine intelligence reflecting on its own nature and the consequences of this reflection.
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedrus|Section 1p
“And there is a law of Destiny, that the soul which attains any vision of truth in company with a god is preserved from harm until the next period, and if attaining always is always unharmed. But when she is unable to follow, and fails to b…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul's connection to divine truth and the concept of remembrance or vision of the divine. Plotinus explores the idea of souls that remain unchanged and their continuous vision of God, while the second passage discusses the soul's vision of truth and the consequences of remembering or forgetting that vision.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialogueh
“All which you have explained where it says: "When will the bright spark of the visual ray Darting, spring through each veiling obstacle." But let us return. The sixth, represented in the following, is caused only by the imbecility and unre…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and understanding in relation to divine or higher realities. Passage A discusses the unchanging nature of souls that remain in the presence of the divine, while Passage B examines the limitations of human perception and understanding due to bodily and emotional constraints, both touching on the theme of divine vision and its implications.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 6)
“206 everything that lies usually in the remote depths of memory, in the past; all that lies at a remote distance from him; all that lies in the future. C. H. Hinton very well says, in regard to beings of other sections of the world: By t…”
Both passages explore the concept of perception and understanding of higher beings or divine entities. Passage A discusses the unchanging nature of souls and their continuous perception of God, while Passage B talks about the need to develop higher perception to understand and realize the presence of higher beings and the unity of nature.