Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4: In Chronological Order, Grouped in Four PeriodsPlotinus
Philosophy
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 4: In Chronological Order, Grouped in Four Periods
Plotinus
Plotinus
But as it was similarly necessary that beneath the celestial Soul there
should exist the world-Soul,[128] there must exist with it another
love, born of her desire, and being her eye.[129] As this Venus belongs
to this world, and as it is not the pure soul, nor soul in an absolute
sense, it has begotten the Love which reigns here below, and which,
with her, presides over marriages. As far as this Love himself feels
the desire for the intelligible, he turns towards the intelligible the
souls of the young people, and he elevates the soul to which he may be
united, as far as it is naturally disposed to have reminiscence of the
intelligible. Every soul, indeed, aspires to the Good, even that soul
that is mingled with matter, and that is the soul of some particular
being; for it is attached to the superior Soul, and proceeds therefrom.
ALL SOULS HAVE THEIR LOVE, WHICH IS THEIR GUARDIAN.
4. Does each soul include such a love in her being, and possess it
as a hypostatic (form of existence)? Since the world-Soul possesses,
as hypostasis (form of existence), the Love which is inherent in her
being, our soul should also similarly possess, as hypostatic (form of
existence), a love equally inherent in our being. Why should the same
not obtain even with animals? This love inherent to the being of every
soul is the guardian considered to be attached to each individual.[130]
It inspires each soul with the desires natural for her to experience;
for, according to her nature, each soul begets a love which harmonizes
with her dignity and being. As the universal Soul possesses universal
Love, so do individual souls each possess her individual love. But as
the individual souls are not separated from the universal Soul, and
are so contained within her that their totality forms but a single
soul,[131] so are individual loves contained within the universal Love.
On the other hand, each individual love is united to an individual
soul, as universal Love is united to the universal Soul. The latter
exists entire everywhere in the universe, and so her unity seems
multiple; she appears anywhere in the universe that she pleases, under
the various forms suitable to her parts, and she reveals herself, at
will, under some visible form.
THE HIGHER LOVE IS DEITY, THE LOWER IS A GUARDIAN.
We shall have to assume also a multiplicity of Venuses, which, born
with Love, occupy the rank of guardians. They originate from the
universal Venus, from which derive all the individual "venuses," with
the loves peculiar to each. In fact, the soul is the mother of love;
now Venus is the Soul, and Love is the Soul's activity in desiring
the Good. The love which leads each soul to the nature of the Good,
and which belongs to her most exalted part, must also be considered
a deity, inasmuch as it unites the soul to the Good. The love which
belongs to the soul mingled (with matter), is to be considered a
Guardian only.
IT IS AN ERROR TO CONSIDER THE LOVE AS IDENTICAL WITH THE WORLD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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