the six enneads-第46部分

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s　coalesce。　Take；　for　example；　Shape　and　Matter：　the　living　being　＇of　the　lower　order＇　is　a　coalescence　of　these　two；　so　that　to　be　aware　of　the　Shape　and　the　Reason…Principle　is　to　be　aware　of　the　Matter　on　which　the　Shape　has　been　imposed。　　　　　The　living…being　of　the　compound　order　is　not　present　＇as　pure　and　simple　Idea＇　like　the　living　being　of　the　Intellectual　order：　in　the　compound　entity；　we　are　aware；　at　once；　of　the　Reason…Principle　and　of　the　inferior　element　brought　under　form。　Now　the　Universe　is　such　a　compound　living　thing：　to　observe；　therefore；　its　content　is　to　be　aware　not　less　of　its　lower　elements　than　of　the　Providence　which　operates　within　it。　　　　　This　Providence　reaches　to　all　that　comes　into　being；　its　scope　therefore　includes　living　things　with　their　actions　and　states；　the　total　of　their　history　at　once　overruled　by　the　Reason…Principle　and　yet　subject　in　some　degree　to　Necessity。　　　　　These；　then；　are　presented　as　mingled　both　by　their　initial　nature　and　by　the　continuous　process　of　their　existence；　and　the　Seer　is　not　able　to　make　a　perfect　discrimination　setting　on　the　one　side　Providence　with　all　that　happens　under　Providence　and　on　the　other　side　what　the　substrate　communicates　to　its　product。　Such　discrimination　is　not　for　a　man；　not　for　a　wise　man　or　a　divine　man：　one　may　say　it　is　the　prerogative　of　a　god。　Not　causes　but　facts　lie　in　the　Seer's　province；　his　art　is　the　reading　of　the　scriptures　of　Nature　which　tell　of　the　ordered　and　never　condescend　to　the　disorderly；　the　movement　of　the　Universe　utters　its　testimony　to　him　and；　before　men　and　things　reveal　themselves；　brings　to　light　what　severally　and　collectively　they　are。　　　　　Here　conspires　with　There　and　There　with　Here；　elaborating　together　the　consistency　and　eternity　of　a　Kosmos　and　by　their　correspondences　revealing　the　sequence　of　things　to　the　trained　observer…　for　every　form　of　divination　turns　upon　correspondences。　Universal　interdependence；　there　could　not　be；　but　universal　resemblance　there　must。　This　probably　is　the　meaning　of　the　saying　that　Correspondences　maintain　the　Universe。　　　　　This　is　a　correspondence　of　inferior　with　inferior；　of　superior　with　superior；　eye　with　eye；　foot　with　foot；　everything　with　its　fellow　and；　in　another　order；　virtue　with　right　action　and　vice　with　unrighteousness。　Admit　such　correspondence　in　the　All　and　we　have　the　possibility　of　prediction。　If　the　one　order　acts　on　the　other；　the　relation　is　not　that　of　maker　to　thing　made…　the　two　are　coeval…　it　is　the　interplay　of　members　of　one　living　being；　each　in　its　own　place　and　way　moves　as　its　own　nature　demands；　to　every　organ　its　grade　and　task；　and　to　every　grade　and　task　its　effective　organ。　　　　　7。　And　since　the　higher　exists；　there　must　be　the　lower　as　well。　The　Universe　is　a　thing　of　variety；　and　how　could　there　be　an　inferior　without　a　superior　or　a　superior　without　an　inferior？　We　cannot　complain　about　the　lower　in　the　higher；　rather；　we　must　be　grateful　to　the　higher　for　giving　something　of　itself　to　the　lower。　　　　　In　a　word；　those　that　would　like　evil　driven　out　from　the　All　would　drive　out　Providence　itself。　　　　　What　would　Providence　have　to　provide　for？　Certainly　not　for　itself　or　for　the　Good：　when　we　speak　of　a　Providence　above；　we　mean　an　act　upon　something　below。　　　　　That　which　resumes　all　under　a　unity　is　a　Principle　in　which　all　things　exist　together　and　the　single　thing　is　All。　From　this　Principle；　which　remains　internally　unmoved；　particular　things　push　forth　as　from　a　single　root　which　never　itself　emerges。　They　are　a　branching　into　part；　into　multiplicity；　each　single　outgrowth　bearing　its　trace　of　the　common　source。　Thus；　phase　by　phase；　there　in　finally　the　production　into　this　world；　some　things　close　still　to　the　root；　others　widely　separate　in　the　continuous　progression　until　we　have；　in　our　metaphor；　bough　and　crest；　foliage　and　fruit。　At　the　one　side　all　is　one　point　of　unbroken　rest；　on　the　other　is　the　ceaseless　process；　leaf　and　fruit；　all　the　things　of　process　carrying　ever　within　themselves　the　Reason…Principles　of　the　Upper　Sphere；　and　striving　to　become　trees　in　their　own　minor　order　and　producing；　if　at　all；　only　what　is　in　strict　gradation　from　themselves。　　　　　As　for　the　abandoned　spaces　in　what　corresponds　to　the　branches　these　two　draw　upon　the　root；　from　which；　despite　all　their　variance；　they　also　derive；　and　the　branches　again　operate　upon　their　own　furthest　extremities：　operation　is　to　be　traced　only　from　point　to　next　point；　but；　in　the　fact；　there　has　been　both　inflow　and　outgo　＇of　creative　or　modifying　force＇　at　the　very　root　which；　itself　again；　has　its　priors。　　　　　The　things　that　act　upon　each　other　are　branchings　from　a　far…off　beginning　and　so　stand　distinct；　but　they　derive　initially　from　the　one　source：　all　interaction　is　like　that　of　brothers；　resemblant　as　drawing　life　from　the　same　parents。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FOURTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　OUR　TUTELARY　SPIRIT。

　　　　1。　Some　Existents　＇Absolute　Unity　and　Intellectual…Principle＇　remain　at　rest　while　their　Hypostases；　or　Expressed…Idea；　come　into　being；　but；　in　our　view；　the　Soul　generates　by　its　motion；　to　which　is　due　the　sensitive　faculty…　that　in　any　of　its　expression…forms…　Nature　and　all　forms　of　life　down　to　the　vegetable　order。　Even　as　it　is　present　in　human　beings　the　Soul　carries　its　Expression…form　＇Hypostasis＇　with　it；　but　is　not　the　dominant　since　it　is　not　the　whole　man　（humanity　including　the　Intellectual　Principal；　as　well）：　in　the　vegetable　order　it　is　the　highest　since　there　is　nothing　to　rival　it；　but　at　this　phase　it　is　no　longer　reproductive；　or；　at　least；　what　it　produces　is　of　quite　another　order；　here　life　ceases；　all　later　production　is　lifeless。　　　　　What　does　this　imply？　　　　　Everything　the　Soul　engenders　down　to　this　point　comes　into　being　shapeless；　and　takes　form　by　orientation　towards　its　author　and　supporter：　therefore　the　thing　engendered　on　the　further　side　can　be　no　image　of　the　Soul；　since　it　is　not　even　alive；　it　must　be　an　utter　Indetermination。　No　doubt　even　in　things　of　the　nearer　order　there　was　indetermination；　but　within　a　form；　they　were　undetermined　not　utterly　but　only　in　contrast　with　their　perfect　state：　at　this　extreme　point　we　have　the　utter　lack　of　determination。　Let　it　be　raised　to　its　highest　degree　and　it　becomes　body　by　taking　such　shape　as　serves　its　scope；　then　it　becomes　the　recipient　of　its　author　and　sustainer：　this　presence　in　body　is　the　only　example　of　the　boundaries　of　Higher　Existents　running　into　the　boundary　of　the　Lower。　　　　　2。　It　is　of　this　Soul　especially　that　we　read　〃All　Soul　has　care　for　the　Soulless〃…　though　the　several　Souls　thus　care　in　their　own　degree　and　way。　The　passage　continues…　〃Soul　passes　through　the　entire　heavens　in　forms　varying　with　the　variety　of　place〃…　the　sensitive　form；　the　reasoning　form；　even　the　vegetative　form…　and　this　means　that　in　each　〃place〃　the　phase　of　the　soul　there　dominant　carries　out　its　own　ends　while　the　rest；　not　present　there；　is　idle。　　　　　Now；　in　humanity　the　lower　is　not　supreme；　it　is　an　accompaniment；　but　neither　does　the　better　rule　unfailingly；　the　lower　element　also　has　a　footing；　and　Man；　therefore；　lives　in　part　under　sensation；　for　he　has　the　organs　of　sensation；　and　in　large　part　even　by　the　merely　vegetative　principle；　for　the　body　grows　and　propagates：　all　the　graded　phases　are　in　a　collaboration；　but　the　entire　form；　man；　takes　rank　by　the　dominant；　and　when　the　life…principle　leaves　the　body　it　is　what　it　is；　what　it　most　intensely　lived。　　　　　This　is　why　we　must　break　away　towards　the　High：　we　dare　not　keep　ourselves　set　towards　the　sensuous　principle；　following　the　images　of　sense；　or　towards　the　merely　vegetative；　intent　upon　the　gratifications　of　eating　and　procreation；　our　life　must　be　pointed　towards　the　Intellective；　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　towards　God。　　　　　Those　that　have　maintained　the　human　level　are　men　once　more。　Those　that　have　lived　wholly　to　sense　become　animals…　corresponding　in　species　to　the　particular　temper　of　the　life…　ferocious　animals　where　the　sensuality　has　been　accompanied　by　a　certain　measure　of　spirit；　gluttonous　and　lascivious　animals　where　all　has　been　appetite　and　satiation　of　appetite。　Those　who　in　their　pleasures　have　not　even　lived　by　sensation；　but　have　gone　their　way　in　a　torpid　grossness　become　mere　growing　things；　for　this　lethargy　is　the　entire　act　of　the　vegetative；　and　such　men　have　been　busy　be…treeing　themselves。　Those；　we　read；　that；　otherwise　untainted；　have　loved　song　become　vocal　animals；　kings　ruling　unreasonably　but　with　no　other　vice　are　eagles；　futile　and　flighty　visionaries　ever　soaring　skyward；　become　highflying　birds；　observance　of　civic　and　secular　virtue　makes　man　again；　or　where　the　merit　is　less　marked；　one　of　the　animals　of　communal　tendency；　a　bee　or　the　like。　　　　　3。　What；　then；　is　the　spirit　＇guiding　the　present　life　and　determining　the　future＇？　　　　　The　Spirit　of　here　and　now。　　　　　And　the　God？　　　　　The　God　of　here　and　now。　　　　　Spirit；　God；　This　in　act　within　us；　conducts　every　life；　for；　even　here　and　now；　it　is　the　dominant　of　our　Nature。　　　　　That　is　to　say　that　the　dominant　is　the　spirit　which　takes　possession　of　the　human　being　at　birth？　　　　　No：　the　dominant　is　the　Prior　of　the　individual　spirit；　it　presides　inoperative　while　its　secondary　acts：　so　that　if　the　acting　force　is　that　of　men　of　the　sense…life；　the　tutelary　spirit　is　the　Rational　Being；　while　if　we　live　by　that　Rational　Being；　our　tutelary　Spirit　is　the　still　higher　Being；　not　directly　operative　but　assenting　to　the　working　principle。　The　words　〃You　shall　yourselves　choose〃　are　true；　then；　for　by　our　life　we　elect　our　own　loftier。　　　　　But　how　does　this　spirit　come　to　be　the　determinant　of　our　fate？　　　　　It　is　not　when　the　life　is　ended　that　it　conducts　us　here　or　there；　it　operates　during　the　lifetime；　when　we　cease　to　live；　our　death　hands　over　to　another　principle　this　energy　of　our　own　personal　career。　　　　　That　principle　＇of　the　new　birth＇　strives　to　gain　control；　and　if　it　succeeds　it　also　lives　and　itself；　in　turn；　possesses　a　guiding　spirit　＇its　next　higher＇：　if　on　the　contrary　it　is　weighed　down　by　the　developed　evil　in　the　character；　the　spirit　of　the　previous　life　pays　the　penalty：