Plato: Phaedrus · 17 of 38 · tr. Benjamin Jowett
Section 1q
Thus far I have been speaking of the fourth and last kind of madness, which is imputed to him who, when he sees the beauty of earth, is transported with the recollection of the true beauty; he would like to fly away, but he cannot; he is like a bird fluttering and looking upward and careless of the world below; and he is therefore thought to be mad.
And I have shown this of all inspirations to be the noblest and highest and the offspring of the highest to him who has or shares in it, and that he who loves the beautiful is called a lover because he partakes of it.
For, as has been already said, every soul of man has in the way of nature beheld true being; this was the condition of her passing into the form of man.
But all souls do not easily recall the things of the other world; they may have seen them for a short time only, or they may have been unfortunate in their earthly lot, and, having had their hearts turned to unrighteousness through some corrupting influence, they may have lost the memory of the holy things which once they saw.
Few only retain an adequate remembrance of them; and they, when they behold here any image of that other world, are rapt in amazement; but they are ignorant of what this rapture means, because they do not clearly perceive.
For there is no light of justice or temperance or any of the higher ideas which are precious to souls in the earthly copies of them: they are seen through a glass dimly; and there are few who, going to the images, behold in them the realities, and these only with difficulty.
There was a time when with the rest of the happy band they saw beauty shining in brightness-we philosophers following in the train of Zeus, others in company with other gods; and then we beheld the beatific vision and were initiated into a mystery which may be truly called most blessed, celebrated by us in our state of innocence, before we had any experience of evils to come, when we were admitted to the sight of apparitions innocent and simple and calm and happy, which we beheld shining impure light, pure ourselves and not yet enshrined in that living tomb which we carry about, now that we are imprisoned in the body, like an oyster in his shell.
Let me linger over the memory of scenes which have passed away.
But of beauty, I repeat again that we saw her there shining in company with the celestial forms; and coming to earth we find her here too, shining in clearness through the clearest aperture of sense.
For sight is the most piercing of our bodily senses; though not by that is wisdom seen; her loveliness would have been transporting if there had been a visible image of her, and the other ideas, if they had visible counterparts, would be equally lovely.
But this is the privilege of beauty, that being the loveliest she is also the most palpable to sight.
Now he who is not newly initiated or who has become corrupted, does not easily rise out of this world to the sight of true beauty in the other; he looks only at her earthly namesake, and instead of being awed at the sight of her, he is given over to pleasure, and like a brutish beast he rushes on to enjoy and beget; he consorts with wantonness, and is not afraid or ashamed of pursuing pleasure in violation of nature.
Themes
◆Anamnesissoteriology
Platonic recollection: knowledge as the soul's recovery of what it knew before birth, with learning as remembering rather than acquisition.
The passage explicitly describes souls recalling the holy things they saw before birth and remembering true beauty.
All passages →◆Body As Obstacleanthropology
The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.
The text describes the human state as being imprisoned in a body like an oyster in its shell.
All passages →◆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.
The soul is said to have beheld celestial forms in company with other gods during the happy band.
All passages →◆Divine Lighttheology
The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.
True beauty is described as shining in brightness and being seen through a glass dimly.
All passages →◆Divine Madnesssoteriology
Ecstatic irrational rapture — Plato's mania, Bruno's furore — by which the soul transcends ordinary reason and attains direct contact with divine reality; madness reframed as higher knowledge.
The passage defines the fourth kind of madness as the noblest offspring of the highest, characterized by rapture and transport.
All passages →◆Evil As Privationtheology
Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.
Evils are described as a lack of light and justice that corrupt the soul's remembrance.
All passages →◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
Salvation is linked to the direct vision of true beauty rather than earthly copies.
All passages →◆Ladder Of Lovesoteriology
Diotima's staged ascent from love of beautiful bodies → beautiful souls → beautiful pursuits → beautiful knowledge → Beauty itself; the canonical scala amoris that grounds Plotinus's On the Beautiful and Bruno's Eroici Furori — distinct from generic spiritual_ascent in that eros is the specific motive force.
The text outlines a progression from love of earthly beauty to the true beauty of the other world.
All passages →◆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 human soul is described as having beheld true being in the way of nature before passing into the form of man.
All passages →◆Mystical Unionsoteriology
The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.
The initiated are said to have beheld the beatific vision and been initiated into a mystery.
All passages →◆Return To Sourcesoteriology
The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
The text describes souls rising out of the earthly world to behold true beauty in the other.
All passages →◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology
The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.
Souls are described as imprisoned in the body and having lost memory of holy things due to corruption.
All passages →◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis
A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.
The passage describes a movement from earthly images to the sight of true beauty in the other world.
All passages →Related passages · 30 parallels
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIIIo
“In the next place, departing from intellect, and descending into reasoning and dianoia, it no longer apprehended real beings by simple intuitions, but syllogistically and transitively, proceeding from one thing to another, from propositions…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine inspiration or madness that elevates the soul, connecting it to higher realities and intellectual harmony. They describe a process of ascent and purification, though within different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 65
“Section 4 4. But there are earlier and loftier beauties than these. In the sense-bound life we are no longer granted to know them, but the soul, taking no help from the organs, sees and proclaims them. To the vision of these we must mount,…”
Both passages discuss the concept of transcendent beauty and the soul's ability to perceive it beyond the physical realm. They emphasize the idea that true beauty is only fully appreciated by those who can see with the soul's sight and that this vision induces a profound emotional response.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 66 (part 1)
“Section 5 5.
These Lovers, then, lovers of the beauty outside of sense, must be made to declare themselves.
What do you feel in presence of the grace you discern in actions, in manners, in sound morality, in all the works and fruits of vi…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's attraction to beauty and the transcendence of earthly forms. They describe the soul's longing to break away from the body and reunite with higher, divine beauty, reflecting a shared mystical insight across different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 172 (part 2)
“Now, if the sight of Beauty excellently reproduced upon a face hurries the mind to that other Sphere, surely no one seeing the loveliness lavish in the world of sense- this vast orderliness, the Form which the stars even in their remoteness…”
Both passages discuss the concept of recollecting higher beauty and truth through the observation of earthly beauty, drawing from Platonic thought. They share the idea that the perception of beauty in the physical world can evoke a remembrance of a higher, more perfect beauty.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 324
“Section 4 4. In that realm it has also vision, through the Intellectual-Principle, of The Good which does not so hold to itself as not to reach the soul; what intervenes between them is not body and therefore is no hindrance- and, indeed, w…”
Both passages discuss the soul's recollection of higher realities and the impact of remembering or forgetting these realities. They share the theme of the soul's connection to a higher realm and the consequences of focusing on lower, earthly concerns.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 481
“Section 3 3. Thus there is in the Nature-Principle itself an Ideal archetype of the beauty that is found in material forms and, of that archetype again, the still more beautiful archetype in Soul, source of that in Nature. In the proficient…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine beauty and the soul's connection to it. They describe a higher, intellectual or divine beauty that transcends the physical world, and the soul's ability to perceive and be inspired by this beauty. The passages share a mystical perspective on the nature of beauty and its relationship to the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 491
“Section 13 13. The God fettered [as in the Kronos Myth] to an unchanging identity leaves the ordering of this universe to his son (to Zeus), for it could not be in his character to neglect his rule within the divine sphere, and, as though s…”
Both passages discuss the nature of beauty and its divine origin, emphasizing the relationship between the divine and the soul's perception of beauty. They explore the idea of a higher, intellectual sphere and the soul's connection to it.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 661
“Section 22 22. That light known, then indeed we are stirred towards those Beings in longing and rejoicing over the radiance about them, just as earthly love is not for the material form but for the Beauty manifested upon it. Every one of th…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine beauty and its effect on the soul. They describe how the soul is stirred by the radiance of the divine and how the remembrance of true beauty can transport the soul, leading to a state of longing and love. The passages share a mystical perspective on the ascent of the soul towards the divine through the contemplation of beauty.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 670
“Section 31 31. But since Thence come the beauty and light in all, it is Thence that Intellectual-Principle took the brilliance of the Intellectual Energy which flashed Nature into being; Thence soul took power towards life, in virtue of tha…”
Both passages describe the soul's longing for and recollection of the divine beauty, emphasizing the transcendent nature of true beauty and the soul's yearning to return to its original, pure state. They share a mystical perspective on the soul's journey and its connection to the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 671
“Section 32 32. Where, then? where exists the author of this beauty and life, the begetter of the veritable? You see the splendour over the things of the universe with all the variety begotten of the Ideas; well might we linger here: but ami…”
Both passages discuss the nature of ultimate beauty and its source, which is beyond form and shape, and the human experience of being drawn to this beauty. They both explore the concept of a higher reality that transcends the physical world.
20 more
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 672
“Section 33 33. When therefore we name beauty, all such shape must be dismissed; nothing visible is to be conceived, or at once we descend from beauty to what but bears the name in virtue of some faint participation. This formless Form is be…”
Both passages discuss the nature of beauty and the soul's longing for a formless, transcendent reality beyond physical forms. They share the idea that true beauty is not found in material shapes but in an intellectual or spiritual realm.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LX — Of Madness, and Divinations which are made when men are awake, and of the Power of a Melancholy Humor, by which Spirits are sometimes induced into Men's Bodies|Chapter LX, Section 1a
“CHAPTER LX.
Of Madness, and Divinations which are made when men are awake, and of the Power of a Melancholy Humor, by which Spirits are sometimes induced into Men's Bodies .
It happens also, sometimes, that not only they that are asleep,…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine inspiration or madness that leads to higher knowledge or prophecy. They explore how certain states of mind or bodily humors can facilitate a connection to the divine or celestial realms, resulting in profound insights or creative expressions.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogued
“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
Both passages explore the theme of divine or transcendent love and its transformative power on the individual. They discuss the idea of love as a force that elevates the soul, connecting earthly beauty to a higher, spiritual reality.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Second Dialoguee
“Herein he proves that his love is truly heroic; because he proposes to himself as the chief aim, not corporeal beauty, but rather the grace of the spirit, and the inclination of the affections in which, rather than in the beauty of the body…”
Both passages discuss the nature of love and its elevation from physical beauty to spiritual and divine love. They explore the idea of different kinds of love and the dangers of being ensnared by base or unworthy objects of affection.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogueb
“This is precisely the humour of a furious lover, though the same may be said of nearly all mortals who are seriously affected in any way.
We cannot say that this accords with all conditions in a general way, but only with those mortals who…”
Both passages explore the theme of the soul's longing for a higher reality and the transient nature of worldly experiences. They discuss the ecstatic state of the soul when it recalls or beholds true beauty, and the struggle between earthly desires and spiritual aspirations.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguec
“And I will say, because to me this pain Is dearer than all other pleasures are.
Mar.
In reference to this I told you that although one should be attached to corporeal and external beauty yet he may honourably and worthily be so attached;…”
Both passages discuss the ascent from earthly beauty to divine beauty, emphasizing the role of symbols and the purification of the soul in this process. They share a mystical perspective on the relationship between physical and spiritual beauty.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogued
“You see, Cesarino, how this enthusiast is justified in his anger against those who reproach him with being in captivity to a low beauty, to which he dedicates his vows, and attributes these forms, so that he is deaf to those voices which ca…”
Both passages discuss the concept of divine beauty and the soul's aspiration towards it. They explore the idea of earthly beauty as a reflection of divine beauty and the struggle of the soul to transcend the earthly to reach the divine.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialoguel
“Besides which, because he does not believe that all which is not, could not be, he prays the divine light, that by its beauty, which ought not to be entirely concealed, at least according to the capacity of whoever beholds it, and by his lo…”
Both passages discuss the soul's longing for divine beauty and the struggle to ascend towards it. They share themes of mystical union, the soul's division between earthly and divine desires, and the transformative power of love and beauty.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fourth Dialoguec
“Besides which he considers that his blindness is not from constitution, but from habit, and is peculiar to himself, because the luminous fire which kindles the soul in the pupil, was for too long a time and with too much force, repressed an…”
Both passages explore the theme of spiritual blindness and the struggle to perceive higher truths. They describe a state where the soul's vision is obscured, either by habitual sorrow or the distractions of the material world, and the longing to regain the ability to see the divine.
◆sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY IXb
“Woman is a ray of God, not a mere mistress, The Creator's self, as it were, not a mere creature!
Moses and Pharaoh, alike doers of God's will, as Light and Darkness.
Poison and Antidote.
Verily, both Moses and Pharaoh walked in the right…”
Both passages explore the theme of divine love and the struggle between the spiritual and material realms. They discuss the human condition in relation to divine beauty and the soul's journey towards understanding and unity with the divine.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Page 4 (part 4)
“These people of the fourth dimension are in the world but not of it: their range is far wider than this slum of space.
In them dormant faculties are alert.
Like birds of the air, their fitting symbol, they are at home in realms which othe…”
Both passages discuss the concept of transcending the physical world and the limitations of human perception, with a focus on the idea of higher dimensions or realms. They also share the metaphor of birds or flight to represent this transcendence.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XV (part 5)
“When one encounters these perversions of love, one involuntarily calls to mind the words of Zarathustra: 2 Voluptuousness: unto all hair-shirted despisers of the body, a string p.
173 and stake; and cursed as "the world" by all backworldsm…”
Both passages discuss the transformative power of love and beauty, emphasizing their ability to awaken the soul to a higher reality beyond the material world. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of love and its role in spiritual awakening.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXI (part 4)
“This sensation of light and of unlimited joy is experienced at the moment of the expansion of consciousness (the unfoldment of the mystical lotus of the Hindu yogi), at the moment of the sensation of infinity, and it yields also the sensati…”
Both passages discuss the experience of a higher, mystical reality and the challenges of transitioning to this new consciousness. They also emphasize the need for preparation and renunciation of the material world to fully appreciate the spiritual realm.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 9)
“In like manner he beheld the whole creation, and from that foundation he afterwards wrote his book, " De Signature Rerum ." In the unfolding of those mysteries before his understanding he had a great measure of joy, yet returned home and to…”
Both passages describe profound mystical experiences where the individual gains deep insight into the nature of reality and the divine. They share themes of illumination, divine order, and the transformation of perception, though they come from different religious traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 10)
“But it does not bear fruit presently; and, though it blossoms, they fall off; also many a cold wind, frost and snow, puff upon it, before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit.
Boehme's books are full of wonderment before these myste…”
Both passages discuss the mystical experience of transcending the self and perceiving divine realities. They emphasize the need to move beyond the physical and temporal to attain a higher, spiritual understanding, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 19)
“The Sufi poets frequently lived the strange lives of hermits, anchorites and wanderers, at the same time singing of love, the beauty of women, the aroma of roses and wine.
Jêlal eddîn describes as follows the communion of the soul with God…”
Both passages discuss the mystical experience of union with the divine or the transcendent. They describe a state where the individual's sense of self is absorbed into a higher reality, using poetic and metaphorical language to convey the ineffable nature of the experience.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 23)
“An artistic description of epileptic states we find in Dostoyevsky's, The Idiot .
He remembered among other things that he always had one minute just before the epileptic fit (if it came on while he was awake) when suddenly in the midst of…”
Both passages describe moments of intense spiritual or mystical experience, where the individual feels a profound connection to a higher reality or beauty. They both emphasize the transformative and ecstatic nature of these moments, though they come from different cultural and religious contexts.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 25)
“I sensed the enormous heavy body— my body —all its motions, shudderings, waverings and vibrations, fire, pressure of steam and weight of engines were inside of me , the unmerciful and unyielding propelling screw which pushed and pushed me f…”
Both passages describe mystical experiences where the individual senses a profound unity and connection with the universe. They also share the theme of the difficulty in recalling or explaining these experiences, and the transformative nature of these moments.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 7)
“It was in the early spring, at the beginning of his thirty-sixth year.
He and two friends had spent the evening reading Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Browning, and especially Whitman.
They parted at midnight and he had a long drive in a han…”
Both passages describe a profound mystical experience that leads to a deep understanding of the divine and the nature of reality. They share themes of illumination, the immortality of the soul, and the transformative power of the experience.
◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|18. Philtres And Magnetisma
“Let us now adventure in Thessaly, the country of enchantments.
Here was Apuleius beguiled, like the companions of Ulysses, and underwent a humiliating metamorphosis.
Here all is magical - the birds that fly, the insects humming in the gra…”
Both passages explore the theme of being captivated by beauty or desire, leading to a form of madness or transformation. Passage A discusses the use of magic and philtres to compel love, while Passage B describes the soul's recollection of true beauty and the resulting madness. Both highlight the transformative power of desire and the struggle between earthly and divine influences.