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Select Works of Plotinus · 449 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 427

Section 11 11. Since there is a Soul which reasons upon the right and good- for reasoning is an enquiry into the rightness and goodness of this rather than that- there must exist some permanent Right, the source and foundation of this reasoning in our soul; how, else, could any such discussion be held? Further, since the soul's attention to these matters is intermittent, there must be within us an Intellectual-Principle acquainted with that Right not by momentary act but in permanent possession. Similarly there must be also the principle of this principle, its cause, God. This Highest cannot be divided and allotted, must remain intangible but not bound to space, it may be present at many points, wheresoever there is anything capable of accepting one of its manifestations; thus a centre is an independent unity; everything within the circle has its term at the centre; and to the centre the radii bring each their own. Within our nature is such a centre by which we grasp and are linked and held; and those of us are firmly in the Supreme whose collective tendency is There.
Themes
◇Apophatic Theologytheology

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

[auto] The One is described as transcending ordinary categories, being 'remote above all else.'

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◇Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The Divine Being is located in an 'Inner Sanctuary' that is 'tranquilly remote above all else.'

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] It describes the Primal as 'self-gathered' and an 'absolute unity' without internal division.

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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 text questions how multiplicity arises from the singular One, implying a downward flow of existence.

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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] Salvation or understanding is framed as seeking the 'vision of that great Being.'

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◇Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

[auto] Prayer is defined not by loud words but by an internal way always within our power.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The passage centers on 'The One' as the absolute unity from which all substantial existence originates.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The goal is described as moving 'alone towards the alone,' suggesting a union of singularities.

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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 compels the observer to trace the manifold existence back to a single absolute unity.

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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 author describes leaning the soul towards God through aspiration as a method of approach.

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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 text compels the observer to trace the manifold existence back to a single absolute unity.

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Related passages · 11 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 11, Section 1b
“Plotinus says the Godhead is indivisibly divided. doth not leave Its own Unity, but, even in the act of going forth to all things, remains entirely within Itself through the excess of that all-transcendent Unity: concerning these things ‘t…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as a unified, indivisible principle that permeates all things. They explore the concept of unity and the relationship between the divine and the individual soul or intelligence, showing a genuine conceptual parallel.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 2, Section 1o
“Yet It is a Whole because It includes the true existence of all things, and is Partitive because It contains the principle of separate Individuality whereby Christ possesses a Human Soul distinct from all other human souls, and whereby, too…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to individual souls, emphasizing the unity and transcendence of the divine principle. They also explore the idea of the divine being present within individuals, though expressed in different theological contexts.
◆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 explore the concept of the divine unity and the emanation of the intellect or mind from the supreme being. They discuss the challenges of understanding the infinite and eternal nature of the divine using finite and temporal terms, showing a genuine conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 3 (part 1)
“p. 71 CHAPTER III. THE SEVEN PROPERTIES OR QUALITIES OF ETERNAL NATURE. 1 I. ♄ ☾ II. ☿ ♃ III. ♂ ♀ IV. ☉ V. ♀ ♂ VI. ♃ ☿ VII. ☾ ♄ When the Eternal One, in its aspect as a Trinity and with reference to divine wisdom, reveals itself o…”
Both passages discuss the emanation of divine principles from a supreme unity. Plotinus describes the Intellectual-Principle emanating from The One, while Boehme explains the seven properties of eternal nature emanating from the Eternal One, both illustrating the concept of divine emanation.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres|Section 1b
“But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
Both passages discuss the emanation of the Divine Mind or Logos from a supreme, unchanging principle (The One or Father-God). They explore the relationship between the supreme being and the intellect, describing a hierarchical structure of existence and the nature of creation.
◆jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1g
“The Eighteenth Path is called the House of Influence (by the greatness of whose abundance the influx of good things upon created beings is increased) and from the midst of the investigation the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth, whic…”
Both passages discuss the emanation of divine principles and the hierarchy of existence. Passage A describes the Intellectual-Principle emanating from The One, while Passage B outlines the Sephiroth as emanations from the divine. Both texts explore the relationship between the divine source and the subsequent levels of reality.
◆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 limitations of human perception and understanding in comprehending higher truths or divine realities. They discuss the obstacles posed by the mutable nature of the physical world and the affections of the soul, highlighting the difficulty in perceiving an unchanging, eternal truth.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter X (part 2)
“______ The "infinite sphere" by which we represent the universe to ourselves is constantly and continuously changing: in every consecutive moment it is not that which it was before. A constant change of pictures, images, relations, is goin…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and reality, suggesting that what we perceive as change or motion might be an illusion created by our limited consciousness. They both delve into the idea that there is a deeper, more fundamental reality behind the phenomena we observe.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter X (part 3)
“It appears to us as if it is really growing up, i.e., as though it did not exist before. There disappeared the river, which was visible for so long a time; there appeared the bell-tower, which was invisible before. Such, exactly, is our r…”
Both passages explore the nature of reality and consciousness, suggesting that what we perceive as motion and change is an illusion. They also discuss the idea of a higher, unchanging reality from which our perceived world emanates.
◆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 idea of higher beings or intelligences and the limitations of human perception. They discuss the need to develop new ways of seeing and understanding these higher realities, emphasizing the unity and interconnectedness of all existence.
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◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 4)
“Both philosophies, that of the East and that of the West [says Müller] start from a common point, namely from the conviction that our ordinary knowledge is uncertain, if not altogether wrong. This revolt of the human mind against itself is…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the Absolute (Brahman in Passage A, The One in Passage B) and the phenomenal world, emphasizing the unity and non-duality of existence. They discuss the nature of the soul or Intellectual-Principle and its connection to the Absolute, highlighting the removal of nescience or ignorance as a means to attain true knowledge or insight.