Select Works of Plotinus · 364 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 347
Section 27 27. If the earth transmits the generative soul to growing things- or retains it while allowing a vestige of it to constitute the vegetal principle in them- at once the earth is ensouled, as our flesh is, and any generative power possessed by the plant world is of its bestowing: this phase of the soul is immanent in the body of the growing thing, and transmits to it that better element by which it differs from the broken off part no longer a thing of growth but a mere lump of material. But does the entire body of the earth similarly receive anything from the soul? Yes: for we must recognize that earthly material broken off from the main body differs from the same remaining continuously attached; thus stones increase as long as they are embedded, and, from the moment they are separated, stop at the size attained. We must conclude, then, that every part and member of the earth carries its vestige of this principle of growth, an under-phase of that entire principle which belongs not to this or that member but to the earth as a whole: next in order is the nature [the soul-phase], concerned with sensation, this not interfused [like the vegetal principle] but in contact from above: then the higher soul and the Intellectual-Principle, constituting together the being known as Hestia [Earth-Mind] and Demeter [Earth-Soul]- a nomenclature indicating the human intuition of these truths, asserted in the attribution of a divine name and nature.
Themes
◆Active Contemplationpraxis
A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.
The text describes a 'self-contemplating vision vested in its stationary part' within the universe.
All passages →◆Anamnesissoteriology
Platonic recollection: knowledge as the soul's recovery of what it knew before birth, with learning as remembering rather than acquisition.
The passage explicitly references 'Lethe calling for constant reminding,' aligning with the Platonic concept of recollection and forgetfulness.
All passages →◆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.
It states that 'Things of earth are certainly affected by what passes in other regions of the All,' describing interconnected cosmic influence.
All passages →◆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.
The passage draws a direct analogy between human apprehension and the potential perception of the All ('why then should not the All... perceive').
All passages →◇Body As Obstacleanthropology
The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.
[auto] The passage argues that sensation arises from bodily association and serves utility or need, implying it is unnecessary for a higher state of being free from forgetfulness.
All passages →Related passages · 12 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 6)
“The human selfhood will then follow in its perceptions the Spirit of God, tremblingly and in the joy of humility, and become able to see what is contained in time and in eternity.
Everything is near to a soul in that state, for the soul is…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and awareness within a broader cosmic or divine context. Passage A discusses the soul's perception and its relation to the body and the universe, while Passage B describes the soul's perception of the divine and its union with God. Both texts emphasize a higher form of awareness that transcends ordinary sensory perception.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 2)
“91 "Christ never said, 'I, in my human selfhood, am the voice of God, I am speaking as God, in or with God,' &c.; but He said, 'The words which I speak are the Father's, who lives in me '—that is to say, who lives in my human or natural sel…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and the relationship between the divine and the physical world. Passage A discusses the soul's perception and the universe's self-awareness, while Passage B describes God's omniscience and the divine presence within creation. Both texts delve into the idea of a higher being's awareness and its interaction with the physical realm.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 9)
“Thus he was in possession of divine and terrestrial essentiality; but the terrestrial one was in the divine one like consumed or impotent (latent).
The substance or the matter from which the body was made or created contained itself also t…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, particularly focusing on the soul's role in animating and growing material substances. They share a conceptual parallel in their discussion of the soul's presence within the earth and the human body, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 4)
“28.) "In Paradise the substance of the divine world penetrated the substance belonging to time, comparable to the power of the sun penetrating a fruit growing on a tree, and endowing it with such qualities as render it lovely to the sight a…”
Both passages discuss the interplay between the divine and the material world, and the nature of the soul or divine essence within creation. They explore the idea of a higher, ethereal reality influencing the physical world, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 1)
“p.
180 CHAPTER IX.
GENERATION.
"Let every Brahman, with fixed attention, consider all nature, both visible and invisible, as existing in the Divine Spirit.
For when he contemplates the boundless universe in the Divine Spirit, he cannot…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the presence of a generative or divine principle within all things. They explore the idea of a higher soul or spirit that interacts with the material realm, though they use different terminology and cultural contexts.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 10)
“"Human reason can understand nothing about the kingdom of Christ, nor about His person or office, because the testament of Christ is celestial, and human reasoning is terrestrial; the latter seeks Christ in time, while He can only be found…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the human, and the nature of perception and self-awareness. Passage A discusses the soul's perception and the universe's self-awareness, while Passage B talks about the divine harmony within the human soul and the inner perception of divine elements.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 13 (part 8)
“A sprout grows from the earth, and thus the substance of which it is formed flies from the earth and is attracted towards the sunlight until it becomes a plant or a tree.
So does the divine Sun draw the human lily, i.e.
, the new man in h…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the earthly and celestial realms, using the growth of plants as a metaphor for spiritual development. They both emphasize the interaction between the material and the divine, though from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter I (part 3)
“______ Since the remotest antiquity the question of our relation to the true causes of our sensations has constituted the main subject of philosophical research.
Men have always felt that they should have some solution for this question, s…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and the relationship between the perceiver and the external world. They discuss the limitations of sensory perception and the role of the mind or intellect in shaping our understanding of reality, though from different philosophical and mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter IV (part 7)
“In addition to all this it is necessary to remember that through the same slit through which we see the world we observe ourselves and see in ourselves changes similar to the changes in the rest of things.
2.
Why can we not extend that sl…”
Both passages explore the idea of perception and consciousness expanding beyond ordinary limits. Ouspensky discusses the expansion of consciousness to perceive events simultaneously, while Plotinus examines the nature of perception and its relation to the cosmos, suggesting a higher, more unified awareness.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VIII (part 3)
“In addition to the simple sensations of these sense organs (color, sound, touch, smell and taste), in addition to the simple emotions of pleasure, pain, joy, anger, surprise, wonder, curiosity and many others, there is passing through our c…”
Both passages explore the relationship between perception, consciousness, and the external world. They discuss how the nature of perception is influenced by the psychic or soulful apparatus, and they consider the implications of altering these perceptual capacities. However, they approach these themes from different philosophical and mystical traditions.
2 more
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VIII (part 4)
“That is to say, Kant's idea would be proven experimentally if we could be convinced that for the being possessing sensations only, the world is one-dimensional; for the being possessing sensations and perceptions the world is two-dimensiona…”
Both passages explore the relationship between consciousness and perception, discussing how the nature of perception changes with the level of consciousness. Passage A focuses on the dimensionality of perception based on the psychic apparatus, while Passage B examines the role of perception in relation to the soul and the body, extending the discussion to the cosmos.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 11)
“All the beings assumed by us to exist in the world of many dimensions , cannot know one another, i.e., cannot know that we are binding them together in different wholes in our phenomenal world, just as in general they cannot know our phenom…”
Both passages explore the limitations of perception and the potential for higher forms of awareness beyond the physical world. They discuss the idea that our current perception is constrained and that there may be a more comprehensive form of consciousness or perception that transcends our usual sensory experiences.