Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) · 101 of 225 · tr. Nicholas Bessaraboff and Claude Bragdon

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 meaning, the significance, of the soul of any phenomenon, will again have another meaning, from another, still higher standpoint, in still broader generalization— and there is no end to it!

In this is the majesty and the horror of infinity.

______ Let us also remember that the world as we know it does not represent anything stable.

It must change with the slightest change in the foams of our knowledge.

Phenomena which appear to us as unrelated can be seen by some other more inclusive consciousness as parts of a single whole.

Phenomena which appear to us as similar may reveal themselves as entirely different.

Phenomena which appear p.

155 to us as complete and indivisible, may be in reality exceedingly complex, may include within themselves different elements, having nothing in common.

And all these together may be one whole in a category quite incomprehensible to us.

Therefore, beyond our view of things another view is possible—a view, as it were, from another world, from " over there ," from "the other side." Now "over there" does not mean some other place, but a new method of knowledge, a new understanding.

And should we regard phenomena not as isolated, but bound together with inter-crossing chains of things and events, we would begin to regard them not from over here , but from over there .

Footnotes 151:1 Theosophical Publishing Co., London, 1912, pp.

96-98.

Themes

◆Apophatic Theologytheology

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

It notes that the ultimate whole is in a category 'quite incomprehensible to us', indicating limits of conceptual knowledge.

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◆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 passage suggests phenomena are 'bound together with inter-crossing chains of things and events' rather than isolated.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

It emphasizes a 'new method of knowledge' and understanding over stable worldly representations.

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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.

The passage explicitly discusses the 'majesty and the horror of infinity' and states there is 'no end' to understanding or generalization.

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◇Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

[auto] It states that apparent opposites like unrelated/similar or complete/complex dissolve into a unified reality in higher consciousness.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The text uses contradictory appearances (e.g., indivisible yet complex) to illustrate the limitations of ordinary perception.

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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] It outlines a progression toward 'still higher standpoint' and 'broader generalization' in understanding.

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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 describes how separate phenomena can be seen as parts of a single whole from a higher standpoint.

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Related passages · 11 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology|Chapter Ib

“They are useful and necessary up to a point, but the Truth lies beyond them and is to be apprehended to a supernatural manner by what later writers call “infused” contemplation. The sum of the whole matter is that God is incomprehensible.…”

Both passages explore the idea of transcending ordinary understanding to grasp a higher or divine reality. Passage A discusses the infinite nature of phenomena and the possibility of viewing them from a higher standpoint, while Passage B talks about the incomprehensibility of God and the need for infused contemplation to understand the divine.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 263 (part 2)

“Therefore over against that higher life there must be another life, known by the same name as the more veritable life of the Soul; over against that movement of the Intellectual Soul there must be the movement of some partial phase; over ag…”

Both passages explore the concept of infinity and the nature of reality from different perspectives. Passage A discusses the relationship between the higher life of the Soul and its lesser, temporal manifestations, while Passage B delves into the infinite variability and interconnectedness of phenomena. Both texts emphasize the idea of a higher, more comprehensive understanding beyond immediate perception.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 264 (part 2)

“This brings us to the fact that, in a certain sense, the Movement, the orbit of the universe, may legitimately be said to measure Time- in so far as that is possible at all- since any definite stretch of that circuit occupies a certain quan…”

Both passages explore the idea of higher understanding and the relativity of perception. They discuss the limitations of human knowledge and the possibility of a more comprehensive view from a higher standpoint, emphasizing the dynamic and interconnected nature of reality.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 356

“Section 36 36. The Universe is immensely varied, the container of all the Reason-Principles and of infinite and diverse efficacies. In man, we are told, the eye has its power, and the bones have their varied powers, and so with each separat…”

Both passages explore the idea of infinite complexity and the interconnectedness of phenomena. They discuss how our understanding of the world changes with different perspectives and emphasize the idea that what appears simple or isolated may be part of a much more complex and interconnected whole.

◆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 explore the idea of infinite perspectives and the interconnectedness of phenomena. Passage A discusses the ever-changing nature of the world and the possibility of viewing phenomena from different standpoints, while Passage B delves into the hierarchical and interconnected nature of Intellect and Soul, emphasizing the plurality within unity.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 621

“Section 1 1. It is suggested that multiplicity is a falling away from The Unity, infinity being the complete departure, an innumerable multiplicity, and that this is why unlimit is an evil and we evil at the stage of multiplicity. A thing,…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and multiplicity, discussing how extension and diversity relate to the essence of being. They both touch on the idea of infinity and the nature of existence from different perspectives within their respective traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 638

“Section 18 18. It appears then that Number in that realm is definite; it is we that can conceive the "More than is present"; the infinity lies in our counting: in the Real is no conceiving more than has been conceived; all stands entire; no…”

Both passages explore the idea of infinite understanding and the limitations of human perception. They discuss the notion that phenomena can be viewed differently from higher standpoints or different realms of consciousness, emphasizing the interconnectedness and complexity of existence.

◆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 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.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 652 (part 2)

“To a traveller over land, all is earth but earth abounding in difference: so in this journey the life through which Intellectual-Principle passes is one life but, in its ceaseless changing, a varied life. Throughout this endless variation…”

Both passages explore the concept of unity and diversity within a comprehensive principle or consciousness. They discuss how variation and otherness are essential components of a greater, all-embracing whole, and how different perspectives can reveal new understandings of this unity.

◆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 explore the idea of infinite perspectives and the interconnectedness of phenomena. They discuss how phenomena can appear different or similar based on the standpoint of the observer, and emphasize the complexity and unity of existence from higher or more inclusive viewpoints.

1 more

◆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 idea of infinity and the limitations of human perception and understanding. They discuss how phenomena can be viewed differently from higher standpoints or through different methods of knowledge, emphasizing the boundless nature of reality and the potential for new insights beyond current understanding.