Select Works of Plotinus · 722 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 690
Section 8 8. But it is not, in our view, as an attribute that this freedom is present in the First. In the light of free acts, from which we eliminate the contraries, we recognise There self-determination, self-directed and, failing more suitable terms, we apply to it the lesser terms brought over from lesser things and so tell it as best we may: no words could ever be adequate or even applicable to that from which all else- the noble, the august- is derived. For This is principle of all, or, more strictly, unrelated to all and, in this consideration, cannot be made to possess such laters as even freedom and self-disposal, which in fact indicate manifestation upon the extern- unhindered but implying the existence of other beings whose opposition proves ineffective. We cannot think of the First as moving towards any other; He holds his own manner of being before any other was; even Being we withhold and therefore all relation to beings. Nor may we speak of any "conforming to the nature"; this again is of the later; if the term be applicable at all in that realm it applies only to the secondaries- primally to Essential Existence as next to this First. And if a "nature" belongs only to things of time, this conformity to nature does not apply even to Essential Existence. On the other hand, we are not to deny that it is derived from Essential Existence for that would be to take away its existence and would imply derivation from something else. Does this mean that the First is to be described as happening to be? No; that would be just as false; nothing "happens" to the First; it stands in no such relationship; happening belongs only to the multiple where, first, existence is given and then something is added. And how could the Source "happen to be"? There has been no coming so that you can put it to the question "How does this come to be? What chance brought it here, gave it being?" Chance did not yet exist; there was no "automatic action": these imply something before themselves and occur in the realm of process.
Themes
◆Logoscosmology
The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.
Intellection functions as a mediating principle between the First and weaker souls who need it for vision.
All passages →◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
It implies the soul needs intellection as an aid to reach higher understanding or Being.
All passages →◇Apophatic Theologytheology
Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.
[auto] The text argues for negating attributes like intellection from the Supreme to preserve its perfection and lack of need.
All passages →◇Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
[auto] Light is used as a primary metaphor for Intellection and the First's brilliance which does not need light.
All passages →◇Divine Simplicitytheology
The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.
[auto] It explicitly states the Supreme is 'no duality' and that adding anything to it lessens what lacks nothing.
All passages →◇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] It distinguishes between the First, Intellection, and weaker beings who need aid to perceive Being.
All passages →◇Monadcosmology
The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.
[auto] The passage centrally describes 'The First' as the simple, undivided source lacking nothing from which all else flows.
All passages →◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology
The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.
[auto] The text insists on putting away all otherness from the Supreme to maintain its absolute nature.
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] It discusses the merging of knower, knowing, and known into unity within Intellection while distinguishing it from the First.
All passages →Related passages · 13 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1c
“Emily Brontë: “Every existence would exist in Thee.”) And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One.
507 507 All things possess the same Super-Essence, and that is why…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the First Principle or Ultimate Reality in a mystical context. They explore the nature of this principle as being beyond attributes, relations, and even being itself, emphasizing its unity and the derivation of all existence from it.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 5, Section 1d
“All the properties, etc., of each thing exist outside that thing as an element in the Transcendent Being of God.
the Existence of those that have any kind of existence, the Life-Process of those which in any way pass through that process.…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the ultimate reality or the First Principle, emphasizing its transcendence and the derivation of all existence from it. They share a mystical approach to describing the ineffable nature of the divine.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 9, Section 1d
“Scripture itself declares 451 451 Cf.
e.
g.
Ps.
lxxxvi.
8 .
that God is Dissimilar to the world, and not to be compared therewith.
It says that He is different from all things, and (what is yet more strange) that there is nothing eve…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being beyond human comprehension and comparison, emphasizing the transcendence and uniqueness of the First Principle or God. They both explore the limitations of human language and understanding in describing the divine.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 10)
“It is itself the most secret thing, which can be known by no one except by him who has experienced it; neither do those that live entirely within the realm of animality, or within that of the speculating intellect, believe that such a state…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of human intellect and the nature of divine knowledge. They emphasize that true understanding comes from a higher, divine source rather than from human reasoning or education.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 3 (part 4)
“The will cannot attain this light, and the more it desires for freedom the greater will be the attraction caused by the desire." ( Six Theosophical Points , i, 38.) "There must be au opposition, for the will desires not to be dark, and this…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine or ultimate reality and the limitations of human language and understanding in describing it. They also explore the concept of will and desire in relation to this ultimate reality, highlighting the struggle and anguish that arises from these desires.
◆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 nature of the divine and its relationship to creation. They explore the idea of a supreme, self-existent cause and the distinction between the divine and the created world, though from different theological perspectives.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 8 (part 9)
“Little would it benefit the blind to know of the light merely from hearsay.
Little would it profit the "Christian" if he knew of a historical Christ, and could not perceive the glory and majesty of the Atma Buddhi within his own soul.
Boe…”
Both passages discuss the nature of inner light or consciousness and its relationship to the divine. They emphasize the limitations of intellectual understanding and the need for direct experience or realization of the divine within. However, they come from different mystical traditions, Boehme from Christian mysticism and Plotinus from Neoplatonism.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Front Matter, p. 4 (part 4)
“Hence according to his theology there are two worlds, the intelligible and the sensible.
Hence too his three demiurgic principles: Jovial, Dionysiacal, and Adonical, Δΐι#, ( ) Διονυσιακὴ, Αδωναϊκὴ, from whence many orders and differences o…”
Both passages discuss the hierarchical structure of reality, with a supreme, immaterial principle (Intellect or the First) at the top, followed by intermediate beings (souls or subordinate divinities), and finally the material world. They also emphasize the unity and interconnection of all things, deriving from this supreme principle.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 8 (part 2)
“The diet of the sick, and the soul of the unwise, are full of fastidiousness.
33.
Untaught boys confound letters, but uneducated men, things.
34, The intellect derived from philosophy is similar to a charioteer; for it is present with ou…”
Both passages explore the nature and role of intellect and wisdom. Passage A emphasizes the importance of intellect as a protector against pain and the need for reasoning in life, while Passage B discusses intellection as a gift to lesser beings and its limitations in understanding the Supreme. Both highlight the significance of intellectual understanding within their respective frameworks.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 12 (part 9)
“Honour a figure and a step before a figure and a tribolus.
Explanation .--The exhortation of this Symbol is as follows: Philosophize and diligently betake yourself to disciplines, and through these, as through steps, proceed to the thing p…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of intellectual and philosophical pursuits, highlighting the need to transcend sensory and corporeal limitations to achieve higher understanding. They both advocate for a form of contemplation that goes beyond mere perception and embraces a more profound, rational, and unified understanding of existence.
3 more
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 13 (part 9)
“80 Ὅν τινα τιμήσωσι Διὸς κοῦραι μεγάλοιο γεινόμενόν τε ἴδωσι διοτρεφέων βασιλήων, τῷ μὲν ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ γλυκερὴν χείουσιν ἐέρσην, τοῦ δ᾽ ἔπε᾽ ἐκ στόματος ῥεῖ μείλιχα· οἱ δέ τε λαοὶ πάντες ἐς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι διακρίνοντα θέμιστας 85 ἰθείῃσι δίκῃσιν·…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of intellectual and philosophical pursuits, advocating for the veneration of wisdom and the rejection of base or irrational tendencies. They share a common theme of elevating the mind and intellect above physical or sensory concerns.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialoguei
“It seems to me, that it means that his particular intelligence is to the universal intelligence ever the same—that is to say, the one is ever illuminated by the other, over the whole hemisphere; notwithstanding that to the inferior powers,…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the human intellect and a higher, divine intelligence. They discuss the nature of intellection and the interaction between the human mind and the divine, though from different philosophical and mystical perspectives.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialogueg
“The fifth results from the disproportion of the means of our cognition to the knowable; seeing that in order to contemplate Divine things, the eyes must be opened by means of images, analogies and other reasonings which by the Peripatetics…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of human cognition in understanding the divine. They explore the idea that direct, unmediated knowledge of the divine is impossible and that human understanding is limited to shadows, vestiges, or reflections of the divine reality. Both also touch on the concept of the divine being beyond human comprehension and the need for a different kind of vision or intellection to approach it.