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Select Works of Plotinus · 433 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 411

Section 2 2. Now to begin with, the unity of soul, mine and another's, is not enough to make the two totals of soul and body identical. An identical thing in different recipients will have different experiences; the identity Man, in me as I move and you at rest, moves in me and is stationary in you: there is nothing stranger, nothing impossible, in any other form of identity between you and me; nor would it entail the transference of my emotion to any outside point: when in any one body a hand is in pain, the distress is felt not in the other but in the hand as represented in the centralizing unity. In order that my feelings should of necessity be yours, the unity would have to be corporeal: only if the two recipient bodies made one, would the souls feel as one. We must keep in mind, moreover, that many things that happen even in one same body escape the notice of the entire being, especially when the bulk is large: thus in huge sea-beasts, it is said, the animal as a whole will be quite unaffected by some membral accident too slight to traverse the organism. Thus unity in the subject of any experience does not imply that the resultant sensation will be necessarily felt with any force upon the entire being and at every point of it: some transmission of the experience may be expected, and is indeed undeniable, but a full impression on the sense there need not be. That one identical soul should be virtuous in me and vicious in someone else is not strange: it is only saying that an identical thing may be active here and inactive there. We are not asserting the unity of soul in the sense of a complete negation of multiplicity- only of the Supreme can that be affirmed- we are thinking of soul as simultaneously one and many, participant in the nature divided in body, but at the same time a unity by virtue of belonging to that Order which suffers no division. In myself some experience occurring in a part of the body may take no effect upon the entire man but anything occurring in the higher reaches would tell upon the partial: in the same way any influx from the All upon the individual will have manifest effect since the points of sympathetic contact are numerous- but as to any operation from ourselves upon the All there can be no certainty.
Themes
◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The passage mentions an 'external law of nature' that determines experiences and actions, functioning as an ordering principle.

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◆Soul Migrationcosmology

The transmigration of the soul across lives.

The citation of Empedoclean teaching regarding wandering away and punishment implies the transmigration of the soul.

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◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The passage explicitly describes embodiment as an evil and submission to the inferior as a penalty, making the hindrance of the body a central theme.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] There is a clear ontological opposition between the superior divine realm and the inferior material embodiment described as an evil.

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◇Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

[auto] The mention of 'divine sowing' and the soul's descent into embodiment suggests fragments of divinity trapped in matter.

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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] References to the Soul abandoning its superior and referring results back to a starting point imply a hierarchical flow of being.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The text refers to a singular 'starting point' and 'God' as the ultimate source from which the soul descends.

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◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

[auto] The text's primary purpose is to reconcile apparent contradictions such as necessity versus free choice and voluntary versus involuntary descent.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The author employs paradoxical statements like 'necessity includes the choice' to destabilize ordinary understanding of the soul's descent.

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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 text states that final results are always referred to the starting point and mentions 'solace by flight' toward the divine.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

[auto] The passage discusses 'flight from God' and 'solace by flight,' indicating the soul's upward journey away from matter.

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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 assertion that all final results refer to the starting point across intervening stages implies an underlying unity of existence.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1i
“an introversion 288 288 ἡ εἰς ἑαυτὴν εἴσοδος. from things without and the unified concentration 289 289 In souls being unified and simplified. See Intr., p. 25. of its spiritual powers—which gives it a kind of fixed revolution, and, tur…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its unity, exploring how the soul can be both one and many, and how it interacts with the higher realms or the divine. They share a mystical perspective on the soul's relationship with the universal and the individual.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 4)
“Let them, therefore, again go out with their will from their wilful ignorance or malignity and enter again into the will of God." ( Menschwerdung , 3, 5.) All this goes to show that it is useless and vain to seek for divine wisdom, meaning…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's descent or the individual's separation from the divine, and the need for a return to the divine state. They explore the themes of free will, divine punishment, and the inner journey towards divine wisdom.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 8)
“15.) The forthcoming of the tree of temptation is not to be wondered at, because Adam was endowed with great powers, and an earthly form as a protection to him against the powers of hell. 1 "Reason (man's reasoning) says, 'Why did God perm…”
Both passages discuss the descent of a divine or spiritual being into a lower realm, the consequences of this descent, and the potential for redemption or return. They explore themes of free will, punishment, and the nature of the soul's journey.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 9)
“"All sacrificing without faith and divine desire is an p. 219 abomination before God, and does not reach the gate of divine glory; but if man enters therein with the power of faith, he surrenders to it his free will, and desires by that me…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's descent into the material world and the consequences of this descent. They explore themes of free will, divine punishment, and the soul's return to its divine origin, albeit within different theological frameworks.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 7)
“48.) "The soul and the Word are not one or one being. The soul is born from the centre of nature, from the essences, and belongs to the body, for she issues from the essences of the body, and attracts to herself the body; but the Word is f…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the individual soul and a higher, unifying principle. Passage A discusses the unity and multiplicity of the soul within different bodies, while Passage B describes the interaction between the soul and the divine Word, highlighting how the divine penetrates and illuminates the soul without altering its essence.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 12 (part 5)
“He now sat in the chair of David, and was the true priest in the order of Melchisedec." ( Three Principles , xxii. 3.) But the victory which the Redeemer had gained over Satan at the time of the temptation could not be sufficient for the p…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a divine being descending into a lower realm, facing trials, and ultimately bringing about a transformation or redemption. Plotinus describes the soul's voluntary descent and its consequences, while the second passage discusses the redemption of mankind through the sacrifice of Christ.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 14 (part 3)
“"In so far as a person remains in a will foreign to his true nature, and does not want to be cured of it by entering into the holy Word, this foreign being will take substance in him and hold the celestial essence in subjection; so that the…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's descent and the consequences of its actions. They explore themes of voluntary descent, the soul's tendency to degenerate, and the penalties or punishments that result from these actions. The passages share a mystical perspective on the soul's journey and its interaction with the divine and the material world.
◆platonism|Plato: Phaedo|Section 1q
“Then reflect, Cebes: is not the conclusion of the whole matter this?-that the soul is in the very likeness of the divine, and immortal, and intelligible, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable; and the body is in the very likeness…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the soul and the body, emphasizing the soul's higher, more divine nature and its distinction from the corporeal. They both discuss the soul's purity and its connection to the divine, though they come from different philosophical and mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 12)
“He clearly affirms: I confess that I am very much inclined to assert the existence of immaterial natures in the world, and to put my soul itself into that class of beings. These immaterial beings . . . are immediately united with each o…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the individual soul and a broader, unified reality. Passage A discusses the unity of souls and the transmission of experiences within a unified whole, while Passage B describes the human soul's connection to both the material and immaterial worlds, emphasizing the dual nature of human existence. Both texts delve into the concept of a higher, unified reality that interacts with individual souls.