The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) · 9 of 63 · tr. L. Williams

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 changing position and attributes; they are variable and relative.

Beyond and above this mutability there must be the Immutable, the All, the One.

The Infinite must be one, as one is the absolute number; in the original One is contained all the numbers; in the One is contained all the elements of the Universe.

This abstract doctrine required to be elucidated and fixed.

From a hypothesis to concentrate and reduce it to a reality was the great work of Bruno.

One is the perfect number; it is the primitive monad.

As from the One proceeds the infinite series of numbers which again withdraw and are resolved into the One; so from Substance, which is one, proceed the myriads of worlds; from the worlds proceed myriads of living creatures; and from the union of one with the diverse is generated the Universe.

Hence the progression from ascent to descent, from spirit to that which we call matter; from the cause to the origin, and the process of metaphysics, which, from the finite world of sense rises to the intelligent, passing through the intermediate numbers of infinite substance to active being and cosmic reason.

From the absolute One, the sun of the sensible and intellectual world, millions of stars and suns are produced or developed.

Each sun is the centre of as many worlds which are distributed in as many distinct series in an infinite number of concentric centres and systems.

Each system is attracted, repelled, and moved by an infinite, internal passion, or attraction; each turns round its own centre, and moves in a spiral towards the centre of the whole, towards which centre they all tend with infinite passional ardour.

For in this centre resides the sun of suns, the unity of unities, the temple, the altar of the universe, the sacred fire of Vesta, the vital principle of the universe.

That which occurs in the world of stars is reflected in the telluric world; everything has its centre, towards which it is attracted with fervour.

All is thought, passion, and aspiration.

From this unity, which governs variety, from this movement of every world around its sun, of every sun around its centre sun—the sun of suns—which informs all with the rays of the spirit, with the light of thought—is generated that perfect harmony of colours, sounds, forms, which strike the sight and captivate and enthrall the intellect.

That which in the heavens is harmony becomes, in the individual, morality, and in companies of human beings, law.

That which is light in the spheres becomes intelligence and science in the world of the spirit and in humanity.

We must study this harmony that rules the celestial worlds in order to deduce the laws which should govern civil bodies.

In the science of numbers dwells harmony, and therefore it behoves us to identify ourselves with this harmony, because from it is derived the harmonic law which draws men together into companies.

Through the revolution of the worlds through space around their suns, from their order, their constancy and their measure, the mind comprehends the progress and conditions of men, and their duties towards each other.

The Bible, the sacred book of man, is in the heavens; there does man find written the word of God.

Human souls are lights, distinct from the universal soul, which is diffused over all and penetrates everything.

A purifying process guides them from one existence to another, from one form to another, from one world to another.

Themes

◆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.

Systems are 'attracted, repelled, and moved by an infinite, internal passion.'

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◆Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

Unity 'governs variety' and laws are deduced to govern civil bodies.

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◆Divine Simplicitytheology

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

The One is described as the 'primitive monad' and perfect number.

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◆Divine Sparkscosmology

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

Human souls are described as lights distinct from the universal soul, implying fragments of divinity.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Understanding harmony allows the mind to comprehend progress and duties.

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◆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 'infinite passional ardour' driving the soul aligns with the eros-based ascent of Bruno's work.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The center is described as the 'vital principle of the universe.'

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

The text urges us to 'identify ourselves with this harmony.'

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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.

Numbers and worlds 'withdraw and are resolved into the One.'

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◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

The center is metaphorically called the 'sacred fire of Vesta.'

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

The text outlines a 'progression from ascent to descent' and rising to the intelligent.

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◆Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

The text distinguishes between spirit, soul, and matter in its hierarchy.

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◇Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

[auto] It states that 'That which occurs in the world of stars is reflected in the telluric world.'

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◇Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

[auto] Human souls are described as lights, and the center of the universe is the sun of suns informing all with rays of spirit.

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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 explicitly describes a progression from the One to numbers, substance, worlds, and creatures.

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◇Heroic Furorpraxis

Bruno's eroici furori — a passionate, ennobling spiritual ardor that drives the soul toward divine wisdom; distinguished from base or animal passions by its orientation to infinite truth.

[auto] The passage describes movement driven by 'infinite passional ardour' and 'fervour,' central to Bruno's work.

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◇Infinite Cosmoscosmology

The doctrine of the universe as boundless and without center or circumference, populated by innumerable worlds — Bruno's rejection of the closed Aristotelian sphere; the divine and the cosmos as ontologically infinite.

[auto] The passage describes millions of stars and suns distributed in an infinite number of concentric centres and systems.

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◇Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] It explicitly states that 'Human souls are lights.'

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◇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.

[auto] The passage links celestial harmony to individual morality and human law.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The text explicitly identifies the One as the 'primitive monad' and the source from which all multiplicity flows.

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◇Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

[auto] Numbers are described as the beginning and cause of material things, with harmony dwelling in the science of numbers.

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◇Soul Migrationcosmology

The transmigration of the soul across lives.

[auto] The text states a purifying process guides souls from one existence to another and from one world to another.

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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 passage asserts that in the One is contained all elements of the Universe and the union of one with diverse generates the Universe.

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Related passages · 23 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 10, Section 1c

“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc. Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”

Both passages explore the concept of an ultimate, immutable reality (the One in Passage A and the Super-Essence in Passage B) from which all things originate and to which they return. They also discuss the nature of time and eternity, and the idea of a divine unity that underlies all existence.

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 10, Section 1d

“If Time be thought of as an infinite series of finite numbers Eternity is the sum of that series and not its process. But the name may be applied loosely to the process, though this is generally to be avoided. According to St. Thomas, Et…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the finite and the infinite, and the nature of time and eternity. They discuss the concept of an ultimate, timeless reality that transcends the mutable and successive nature of the physical world, albeit within different theological and philosophical frameworks.

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1f

“Thus in the form “1 x 1” the first figure represents the unity underlying all numbers, the second figure represents unity as a particular number among other numbers. The first figure may thus be taken as a symbol of the Godhead, the second…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and the divine as the underlying principle of all existence, using numerical and metaphysical analogies to describe the relationship between the One and the many. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of all things and the ultimate reality of the divine unity.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 264 (part 1)

“Section 12 12. We are brought thus to the conception of a Natural-Principle- Time- a certain expanse [a quantitative phase] of the Life of the Soul, a principle moving forward by smooth and uniform changes following silently upon each othe…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul, time, and the universe, emphasizing the unity and origin of all things from a singular, eternal principle. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of reality and the role of the soul in the creation and perception of time.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 458

“Section 5 5. We return to our statement that The First remains intact even when other entities spring from it. In the case of numbers, the unit remains intact while something else produces, and thus number arises in dependence on the unit:…”

Both passages discuss the concept of The One as the ultimate source of all existence and reality. They describe how The One remains intact while giving rise to other entities, and how these entities carry a trace or form derived from The One. The passages also explore the idea of numbers and their relationship to The One and the universe.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 509

“Section 1 1. Philosophy at a very early stage investigated the number and character of the Existents. Various theories resulted: some declared for one Existent, others for a finite number, others again for an infinite number, while as regar…”

Both passages explore the nature of existence and the relationship between unity and multiplicity. Plotinus discusses the genera of existents and their classification, while Bruno elaborates on the concept of the One and its relationship to the multitude of things, showing a conceptual parallel in their mystical explorations of reality.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 512 (part 1)

“Section 4 4. We are told that number is Quantity in the primary sense, number together with all continuous magnitude, space and time: these are the standards to which all else that is considered as Quantity is referred, including motion wh…”

Both passages explore the concept of numbers as fundamental to the nature of reality, with Passage A focusing on numbers as the essence of quantity and Passage B on numbers as the cause of material things. Both traditions see numbers as foundational and independent, though they differ in their metaphysical frameworks.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 569

“Section 8 8. The division into elements must, in short, be abandoned, especially in regard to Sensible Substance, known necessarily by sense rather than by reason. We must no longer look for help in constituent parts, since such parts will…”

Both passages discuss the concept of unity and multiplicity, the origin of the universe from a singular, immutable source, and the hierarchical structure of reality. They also explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, emphasizing the role of harmony and order.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 625

“Section 5 5. What then is the veritable nature of Number? Is it an accompaniment upon each substance, something seen in the things as in a man we see one man, in a being one being and in the total of presentations the total of number? But h…”

Both passages discuss the concept of unity and number as fundamental to reality, with Passage A exploring the nature of number and unity in the context of Plotinus' philosophy, and Passage B elaborating on the Pythagorean and Bruno's ideas of the One and numbers as the cause of material things. Both texts emphasize the primacy and centrality of unity and number in the structure of existence.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 626

“Section 6 6. Granted, then, that there exist, apart from things, a unity absolute and a decad absolute in other words, that the Intellectual beings, together with their characteristic essence have also their order, Henads, Dyads, Triads, wh…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and the origin of ideas or numbers as fundamental principles. Plotinus discusses the Intellectual-Principle and the nature of Ideas, while Bruno elaborates on the primal idea of numbers and the Immutable One, showing a conceptual parallel in their mystical traditions.

13 more

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 630

“Section 10 10. When it takes lot with multiplicity, Being becomes Number by the fact of awakening to manifoldness;- before, it was a preparation, so to speak, of the Beings, their fore-promise, a total of henads offering a stay for what was…”

Both passages discuss the concept of unity and number as fundamental principles in the structure of reality. They explore the idea that unity precedes multiplicity and that numbers are inherent in the fabric of existence, though they come from different philosophical and mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 635

“Section 15 15. We must repeat: The Collective Being, the Authentic, There, is at once Being and Intellectual-Principle and the Complete Living Form; thus it includes the total of living things; the Unity There is reproduced by the unity of…”

Both passages explore the concept of an ultimate unity or One from which all things emanate and to which they return. They also discuss the nature of this unity and its relationship to the multiplicity of the universe, albeit from different philosophical and mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 636 (part 1)

“Section 16 16. But here we may be questioned about these numbers which we describe as the primal and authentic: "Where do you place these numbers, in what genus among Beings? To everyone they seem to come under Quantity and you have certa…”

Both passages explore the concept of numbers as fundamental to the nature of reality and being. Plotinus discusses numbers as essential to the essence of things, while Bruno elaborates on the idea that numbers are the cause of the existence of material things and the universe. Both traditions see numbers as intrinsic to the structure and essence of existence.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 642

“Section 3 3. What then is there to prevent man having been the object of planning There? No: all stands in that likeness, nothing to be added or taken away; this planning and reasoning is based only on an assumption; things are taken to be…”

Both passages discuss the concept of the One or Unity as the fundamental principle from which all things originate. They also explore the idea of numbers as integral to the structure and harmony of the universe, reflecting a deep metaphysical insight shared across different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 643

“Section 4 4. To meet the difficulty we must make a close examination of the nature of Man in the Intellectual; perhaps, though, it is better to begin with the man of this plane lest we be reasoning to Man There from a misconception of Man h…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and numbers as fundamental to the structure of reality. They discuss the idea of an ultimate One from which all things derive and the role of numbers in understanding the cosmos, though they come from different philosophical and mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|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…”

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.

◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Introductionc

“Anaximander, differing from his master Thales, declared measureless and indefinable infinity to be the principle from which all things were generated. Anaximenes asserted air to be the first element of the universe; that souls and even the…”

Both passages discuss the fundamental principles of the universe and the role of numbers or elements in creation. They share a conceptual parallel in their exploration of the origins of existence and the underlying order of the cosmos, though expressed through different philosophical frameworks.

◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolismn

“In discussing the original meaning of this word, Godfrey Higgins, in his Celtic Druids, has demonstrated that the numerological powers of the letters forming the word Abraxas when added together result in the sum of 365. The same author al…”

Both passages discuss the concept of emanations and the structure of the universe originating from a supreme, singular entity. They also explore the idea of divine hierarchies and the interplay between the immutable and the mutable, though in different contexts and with different terminology.

◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Pythagorean Mathematicsd

“The first is concerned with the multitude , or the constituent parts of a thing, and the second with the magnitude , or the relative size or density of a thing. Magnitude is divided into two parts--magnitude which is stationary and magnitu…”

Both passages discuss the Pythagorean concept of the monad and the role of numbers in the structure of the universe. They share the idea of the One as the source of all things and the concept of numbers as the cause of the existence of material things, demonstrating a genuine conceptual parallel.

◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Pythagorean Mathematicsi

“On the contrary, an infinite multitude of superabundant and diminished numbers may be found, nor are they disposed in any orderly series, nor generated from any certain end; and hence they have a great similitude to the vices, which are num…”

Both passages discuss the Pythagorean concept of the Monad as the fundamental, indivisible unit from which all things originate. They share the same conceptual framework, describing the Monad as the source of all numbers and the universe, using similar symbolic names and attributes.

◆western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|Fundamentals of Qabbalistic Cosmogonyj

“* * * The Zohar is a genesis of light; the Sepher Yetzirah is a ladder of truth. Therein are expounded the two-and-thirty absolute symbols of speech--being numbers and letters. Each letter produces a number, an idea and a form, so that ma…”

Both passages discuss the concept of the universe and human existence being structured through numerical and hierarchical principles. They share the idea of an ultimate unity (AIN SOPH in Qabbalah, the One in Pythagorean thought) from which all things emanate and to which they return, as well as the notion of progressive stages or gates leading to higher understanding or spiritual ascent.

◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|10. The Kabalahb

“MALKUTH.-The Kingdom, meaning the universe, entire creation, the work and mirror of God, the proof of supreme reason, the formal consequence which compels us to have recourse to virtual premises, the enigma which has God for its answer - th…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and multiplicity in the universe, with the One being the source of all things. They also discuss the idea of divine names and the structure of the cosmos, reflecting a deep metaphysical insight into the nature of reality.

◆western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|22. The Book Of Hermesg

“Other Tarots substitute a spinner unwinding destinies, and yet others a naked child mounted on a white horse and displaying a scarlet standard. רVegetative principle, generative virtue of the earth, eternal life. Hieroglyph, THE JUDGEMENT…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and the interconnectedness of all things, with Passage A focusing on the Tarot as a symbolic system that reveals universal truths and Passage B discussing the Pythagorean idea of numbers as the cause of material things and the unity of the universe. Both emphasize the idea of a single, immutable principle from which all diversity arises.