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Select Works of Plotinus · 378 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 357

Section 37 37. We must not rob the universe of any factor in its being. If any of our theorists of to-day seek to explain the action of fire- or of any other such form, thought of as an agent- they will find themselves in difficulties unless they recognize the act to be the object's function in the All, and give a like explanation of other natural forces in common use. We do not habitually examine or in any way question the normal: we set to doubting and working out identifications when we are confronted by any display of power outside everyday experience: we wonder at a novelty and we wonder at the customary when anyone brings forward some single object and explains to our ignorance the efficacy vested in it. Some such power, not necessarily accompanied by reason, every single item possesses; for each has been brought into being and into shape within a universe; each in its kind has partaken of soul through the medium of the ensouled All, as being embraced by that definitely constituted thing: each then is a member of an animate being which can include nothing that is less than a full member [and therefore a sharer in the total of power]- though one thing is of mightier efficacy than another, and, especially members of the heavenly system than the objects of earth, since they draw upon a purer nature- and these powers are widely productive. But productivity does not comport intention in what appears to be the source of the thing accomplished: there is efficacy, too, where there is no will: even attention is not necessary to the communication of power; the very transmission of soul may proceed without either. A living being, we know, may spring from another without any intention, and as without loss so without consciousness in the begetter: in fact any intention the animal exercised could be a cause of propagation only on condition of being identical with the animal [i.e., the theory would make intention a propagative animal, not a mental act?] And, if intention is unnecessary to the propagation of life, much more so is attention.
Themes
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 relationship between the higher sphere and our realm reflects the axiom that lower levels map onto higher ones.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The guidance of cosmic movement by a Reason-Principle implies divine ordering toward intelligible ends.

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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 text identifies a Reason-Principle that guides the movement of the All.

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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.

The passage describes the human realm reacting to and mirroring the events of the higher cosmic sphere.

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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.

[auto] The passage explicitly states that events in our realm react in sympathy to the events of the higher sphere.

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Related passages · 4 parallels
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b
(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness and inherent wisdom or power within the universe and its components. They explore the idea that individual entities partake in a greater whole, whether through soul or divine wisdom, and that these powers or wisdom are not dependent on intention or attention.
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 8, Section 1e
It thus = (1) “equality”; (2) “rightness.” D. maintains that all things possess the latter though not the former. 421 The highest power our minds can conceive is that of the angels. But God has the dominion over them, and hence His power…”
Both passages discuss the inherent power and functionality of all things within the universe, emphasizing that each entity has a role and power within the greater whole. Passage A focuses on the soul and natural forces, while Passage B discusses divine power and the rightness of all things, but both share the concept of interconnectedness and the inherent qualities of all entities.
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 interconnectedness of all things within a divine or universal framework, emphasizing the role of a higher power or soul in the creation and functioning of the universe. They explore the idea that individual entities derive their powers and existence from a greater whole, though they approach this concept from different philosophical and religious perspectives.
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum|Section 1b
A: How is it, then, that things down here, Thrice-greatest one, are moved with those that are [already] moved? For thou hast said the errant spheres were moved by the inerrant one. H: This is not, O Asclepius, a moving with, but one again…”
Both passages discuss the interplay between movement, stability, and the underlying principles governing these dynamics. They explore how different elements interact within a larger system, whether it be the cosmos or the human body, and how these interactions are guided by higher principles or forces.