Select Works of Plotinus · 675 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 646
Section 7 7. But if it is by becoming evil and inferior that the soul produces the animal nature, the making of ox or horse was not at the outset in its character; the reason-principle of the animal, and the animal itself, must lie outside of the natural plan? Inferior, yes; but outside of nature, no. The thing There [Soul in the Intellectual] was in some sense horse and dog from the beginning; given the condition, it produces the higher kind; let the condition fail, then, since produce it must, it produces what it may: it is like a skillful craftsman competent to create all kinds of works of art but reduced to making what is ordered and what the aptitude of his material indicates. The power of the All-Soul, as Reason-Principle of the universe, may be considered as laying down a pattern before the effective separate powers go forth from it: this plan would be something like a tentative illumining of Matter; the elaborating soul would give minute articulation to these representations of itself; every separate effective soul would become that towards which it tended, assuming that particular form as the choral dancer adapts himself to the action set down for him. But this is to anticipate: our enquiry was How there can be sense-perception in man without the implication that the Divine addresses itself to the realm of process. We maintained, and proved, that the Divine does not look to this realm but that things here are dependent upon those and represent them and that man here, holding his powers from Thence, is directed Thither, so that, while sense makes the environment of what is of sense in him, the Intellectual in him is linked to the Intellectual. What we have called the perceptibles of that realm enter into cognisance in a way of their own, since they are not material, while the sensible sense here- so distinguished as dealing with corporeal objects- is fainter than the perception belonging to that higher world; the man of this sphere has sense-perception because existing in a less true degree and taking only enfeebled images of things There- perceptions here are Intellections of the dimmer order, and the Intellections There are vivid perceptions.
Themes
◆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.
The text implies a hierarchy where souls draw life and light from the higher 'Real' realm.
All passages →◆Logoscosmology
The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.
The concept of 'Measure' is attributed to every being in the Real, aligning with the ordering principle of Logos.
All passages →◇Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
[auto] The divine is described by negation, stating it has no boundary, is not measured, and is under no limit.
All passages →◇Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
[auto] The passage explicitly describes the Absolute Living-Form as 'first light' and 'brightest,' which souls draw upon for their life.
All passages →◇Divine Simplicitytheology
The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.
[auto] The higher reality is described as a 'concentrated unit' that is 'entire' with no parts or omissions.
All passages →◇Inner Lightanthropology
The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.
[auto] Souls are described as drawing upon the first light and bringing it with them, implying an internal divine luminosity.
All passages →◇Living Godtheology
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
[auto] The divine is explicitly termed the 'Absolute Living-Form' and described as a 'living thing' that holds the highest life.
All passages →◇Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
[auto] The text refers to the divine reality as a 'concentrated unit' and 'entire,' reflecting the concept of an undivided first principle.
All passages →◇Numerical Mysticismtheology
Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.
[auto] The text opens by discussing the nature of Number in the divine realm versus human counting and infinity.
All passages →◇Unity Of Beingtheology
The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.
[auto] The passage asserts that in the Real 'all stands entire' and nothing is omitted, suggesting a unified existence.
All passages →Related passages · 18 parallels
◆buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1o
“Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the bodily eye?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the bodily eye.' Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the heavenly eye?' Subh…”
Both passages discuss the nature of reality and the limitations of human perception and language in describing it. They emphasize the unity and eternity of the ultimate reality, which transcends conventional notions of number, time, and individual existence.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 4 (part 3)
“7.) "We cannot reasonably suppose any formation or differentiation to have existed in the eternal One from which, or according to which (formation) something could have been made; for if such a form, or predisposition to making a form, had…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, discussing how the divine essence manifests in creation. They both emphasize the idea that the divine does not change but its manifestations do, and that creation is a result of the divine will or power.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 4)
“9.) "After the fall man with his interior body lived only in time; the precious gold of heavenly corporeity, which should tincture, penetrate and bless the external body, had lost its colour." 3 ( Signature , v.
8.) Moreover, the powers of…”
Both passages discuss the fall of man and the resulting animalistic nature. They explore how the human soul becomes imprisoned in a lower, earthly state, losing its divine connection and perception. The conceptual parallel lies in the transformation of man's nature from a divine state to an animalistic one due to a fall or a change in condition.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 5)
“189 four states, forms, or temperaments are called the choleric, the sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholy temperament.
In the choleric one is the nature and quality of the fire manifested, in the sanguine that of the air, in the phlegmatic…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the fall of man and the resulting animalistic nature. They explore how the human soul, originally divine, becomes corrupted and takes on animal-like qualities. The passages also touch on the idea of the original state of man being pure and divine, which is later lost.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 11: The Hymn|Section 1c
“It must, then, be that such a one as this must be some one who's wholly One.
9.
For as the many motions of them [all] are different, and as their bodies are not like, yet has one speed been ordered for them all, it is impossible that ther…”
Both passages explore the nature of the divine and the unity of being, emphasizing the concept of a singular, eternal, and all-encompassing principle that governs existence and life. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of all things and the ultimate reality.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 11: The Hymn|Section 1e
“And, thus, think from thyself, and bid thy soul go unto any land, and there more quickly than thy bidding will it be.
And bid it journey oceanwards; and there, again, immediately 'twill be, not as if passing on from place to place, but as…”
Both passages emphasize the transcendence and immanence of the divine, the unity of all existence, and the potential for human beings to attain a higher understanding or unity with the divine through contemplation and self-transcendence.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 15: The Hymn of Hermes|Section 1b
“It sendeth forth of its 4 abundance, and in the place [of what it sendeth forth] receiveth the subsistence from above.
5 For thus the Demiurge 6 —I mean the Sun—eternally doth order Heaven and Earth, pouring down Essence, 7 and taking Matt…”
Both passages describe a divine principle that sustains and orders the cosmos, emphasizing the continuity and interconnectedness of all things. They share a mystical vision of a unified, eternal reality that transcends the physical world.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|INTRODUCTIONh
“The primal idea of Pythagoras, which Bruno worked out to a more distinct development is this: numbers are the beginning of things; in other words numbers are the cause of the existence of material things; they are not final, but are always…”
Both passages discuss the concept of an ultimate, immutable One from which all things originate and to which they return. They also explore the idea of harmony and beauty derived from this unity, reflecting similar mystical insights across different traditions.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialogued
“To be infinite, it must be infinitely pursued with that form of pursuit which is not incited physically, but metaphysically, and is not from imperfect to perfect, but goes circulating through the grades of perfection to arrive at that infin…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the pursuit of higher knowledge or divine reality. They discuss the nature of the soul's journey towards understanding and the obstacles it faces, albeit within different philosophical and mystical frameworks.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialoguei
“And amongst men the same thing is seen, according as some resemble one species of brute beast and some another: these having something of the quadruped, and those of birds, and, may be, some affinity, which I will not explain, but through w…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the soul and its material manifestations, discussing how the soul's higher nature can be obscured or influenced by its connection to the physical world. They both emphasize the soul's potential to transcend its lower, material aspects through contemplation and intellectual elevation.
8 more
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialoguen
“Of necessity, one is according to the sum of the other, seeing that where things are finite it may result in this, that it is more wise than beautiful or good, more good and beautiful than wise, more wise and good than powerful, and more po…”
Both passages discuss the infinite nature of divine essence, emphasizing the unity and perfection of divine attributes such as wisdom, goodness, and power. They also explore the relationship between the divine and human understanding, highlighting the aspirational and transformative nature of divine beauty and wisdom.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialogueo
“For love, while it is finite, contented, and fixed in a certain measure, is not in the form of the species of divine beauty, but as it goes on with ever higher aspirations, it may be said to verge towards the infinite.
Cic.
.
How is brea…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the human aspiration towards it. They discuss the nature of the soul's desire for the divine and the eternal, highlighting the transformative and unifying power of this aspiration.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguee
“This alone I will not leave (unsaid) that it is not without reason that the affection of the heart is said to be the infinite sea by the apprehension of the eyes.[X] For the object of the mind being infinite, and no definite object being pr…”
Both passages explore the nature of the infinite and the divine, discussing the relationship between the finite and the infinite, and the concept of the divine as both one and manifold. They also touch on the idea of the divine as the source of all being and beauty.
◆sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY Vc
“The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant.
The earthly Adam was taught of God names, 4 So that his glory reached the seventh heaven.
He laid low the name and fame of the angels, 5 Yet blind ind…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the human, emphasizing the limitations of human perception and the higher, divine knowledge that transcends it. They also discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to the divine, highlighting the idea that true understanding comes from a higher, spiritual insight.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 7)
“153 has really entered a cul de sac out of which there is no escape, and the official recognition of the fact that the direction it has taken is entirely the wrong one, is only a question of time.
_____ We may say—not as an assumption, but…”
Both passages explore the idea of a deeper, invisible reality underlying the visible world. They discuss the limitations of human perception and understanding in grasping the full nature of reality, emphasizing the infinite and incomprehensible aspects of the noumenal or Real world.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 8)
“They may vary infinitely, i.e., may seem various, ever new from some new standpoint, but they cannot utterly vanish, any more than they can cease, come to an end.
All that is highest to which we shall come in the understanding of the meani…”
Both passages explore the idea of infinite understanding and the limitations of human perception. They discuss the concept of higher standpoints or realms where phenomena are understood differently, emphasizing the interconnectedness and complexity of existence.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 14)
“The mystery of infinity —the greatest of all mysteries—it tells us that all the visible universe and its galaxies of stars have no dimension : that in relation to infinity they are equal to a point , a mathematical point which has no extens…”
Both passages explore the concept of infinity and the limitations of human perception and understanding. They discuss the nature of reality and the finite human capacity to grasp infinite forms, albeit from different philosophical and mystical perspectives.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 12)
“Having painted a very true picture of the consecutive gradations of the forms of consciousness observed by us—of animal-vegetable, of animal, and of man—Dr.
Bucke considers this gradation exclusively in the light of the evolution of one fo…”
Both passages discuss the evolution and development of consciousness, with a focus on the transition from lower to higher forms of understanding. They explore the idea that higher consciousness is not merely an extension of lower faculties but involves a qualitative shift, though they approach this from different philosophical and mystical perspectives.