the six enneads-第49部分

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the　universal　life；　no；　this　is　the　Love　presiding　over　marriages；　but　it；　also；　has　its　touch　of　the　upward　desire；　and；　in　the　degree　of　that　striving；　it　stirs　and　leads　upwards　the　Souls　of　the　young　and　every　Soul　with　which　it　is　incorporated　in　so　far　as　there　is　a　natural　tendency　to　remembrance　of　the　divine。　For　every　Soul　is　striving　towards　The　Good；　even　the　mingling　Soul　and　that　of　particular　beings；　for　each　holds　directly　from　the　divine　Soul；　and　is　its　offspring。　　　　　4。　Does　each　individual　Soul；　then；　contain　within　itself　such　a　Love　in　essence　and　substantial　reality？　　　　　Since　not　only　the　pure　All…Soul　but　also　that　of　the　Universe　contain　such　a　Love；　it　would　be　difficult　to　explain　why　our　personal　Soul　should　not。　It　must　be　so；　even；　with　all　that　has　life。　　　　　This　indwelling　love　is　no　other　than　the　Spirit　which；　as　we　are　told；　walks　with　every　being；　the　affection　dominant　in　each　several　nature。　It　implants　the　characteristic　desire；　the　particular　Soul；　strained　towards　its　own　natural　objects；　brings　forth　its　own　Eros；　the　guiding　spirit　realizing　its　worth　and　the　quality　of　its　Being。　　　　　As　the　All…Soul　contains　the　Universal　Love；　so　must　the　single　Soul　be　allowed　its　own　single　Love：　and　as　closely　as　the　single　Soul　holds　to　the　All…Soul；　never　cut　off　but　embraced　within　it；　the　two　together　constituting　one　principle　of　life；　so　the　single　separate　Love　holds　to　the　All…Love。　Similarly；　the　individual　love　keeps　with　the　individual　Soul　as　that　other；　the　great　Love；　goes　with　the　All…Soul；　and　the　Love　within　the　All　permeates　it　throughout　so　that　the　one　Love　becomes　many；　showing　itself　where　it　chooses　at　any　moment　of　the　Universe；　taking　definite　shape　in　these　its　partial　phases　and　revealing　itself　at　its　will。　　　　　In　the　same　way　we　must　conceive　many　Aphrodites　in　the　All；　Spirits　entering　it　together　with　Love；　all　emanating　from　an　Aphrodite　of　the　All；　a　train　of　particular　Aphrodites　dependent　upon　the　first；　and　each　with　the　particular　Love　in　attendance：　this　multiplicity　cannot　be　denied；　if　Soul　be　the　mother　of　Love；　and　Aphrodite　mean　Soul；　and　Love　be　an　act　of　a　Soul　seeking　good。　　　　　This　Love；　then；　leader　of　particular　Souls　to　The　Good；　is　twofold：　the　Love　in　the　loftier　Soul　would　be　a　god　ever　linking　the　Soul　to　the　divine；　the　Love　in　the　mingling　Soul　will　be　a　celestial　spirit。　　　　　5。　But　what　is　the　Nature　of　this　Spirit…　of　the　Supernals　in　general？　　　　　The　Spirit…Kind　is　treated　in　the　Symposium　where；　with　much　about　the　others；　we　learn　of　Eros…　Love…　born　to　Penia…　Poverty…　and　Poros…　Possession…　who　is　son　of　Metis…　Resource…　at　Aphrodite's　birth　feast。　　　　　But　to　take　Plato　as　meaning；　by　Eros；　this　Universe…　and　not　simply　the　Love　native　within　it…　involves　much　that　is　self…contradictory。　　　　　For　one　thing；　the　universe　is　described　as　a　blissful　god　and　as　self…sufficing；　while　this　〃Love〃　is　confessedly　neither　divine　nor　self…sufficing　but　in　ceaseless　need。　　　　　Again；　this　Kosmos　is　a　compound　of　body　and　soul；　but　Aphrodite　to　Plato　is　the　Soul　itself；　therefore　Aphrodite　would　necessarily…　he　a　constituent　part　of　Eros；　dominant　member！　A　man　is　the　man's　Soul；　if　the　world　is；　similarly；　the　world's　Soul；　then　Aphrodite；　the　Soul；　is　identical　with　Love；　the　Kosmos！　And　why　should　this　one　spirit；　Love；　be　the　Universe　to　the　exclusion　of　all　the　others；　which　certainly　are　sprung　from　the　same　Essential…Being？　Our　only　escape　would　be　to　make　the　Kosmos　a　complex　of　Supernals。　　　　　Love；　again；　is　called　the　Dispenser　of　beautiful　children：　does　this　apply　to　the　Universe？　Love　is　represented　as　homeless；　bedless　and　barefooted：　would　not　that　be　a　shabby　description　of　the　Kosmos　and　quite　out　of　the　truth？　　　　　6。　What　then；　in　sum；　is　to　be　thought　of　Love　and　of　his　〃birth〃　as　we　are　told　of　it？　　　　　Clearly　we　have　to　establish　the　significance；　here；　of　Poverty　and　Possession；　and　show　in　what　way　the　parentage　is　appropriate：　we　have　also　to　bring　these　two　into　line　with　the　other　Supernals　since　one　spirit　nature；　one　spirit　essence；　must　characterize　all　unless　they　are　to　have　merely　a　name　in　common。　　　　　We　must；　therefore；　lay　down　the　grounds　on　which　we　distinguish　the　Gods　from　the　Celestials…　that　is；　when　we　emphasize　the　separate　nature　of　the　two　orders　and　are　not；　as　often　in　practice；　including　these　Spirits　under　the　common　name　of　Gods。　　　　　It　is　our　teaching　and　conviction　that　the　Gods　are　immune　to　all　passion　while　we　attribute　experience　and　emotion　to　the　Celestials　which；　though　eternal　Beings　and　directly　next　to　the　Gods；　are　already　a　step　towards　ourselves　and　stand　between　the　divine　and　the　human。　　　　　But　by　what　process　was　the　immunity　lost？　What　in　their　nature　led　them　downwards　to　the　inferior？　　　　　And　other　questions　present　themselves。　　　　　Does　the　Intellectual　Realm　include　no　member　of　this　spirit　order；　not　even　one？　And　does　the　Kosmos　contain　only　these　spirits；　God　being　confined　to　the　Intellectual？　Or　are　there　Gods　in　the　sub…celestial　too；　the　Kosmos　itself　being　a　God；　the　third；　as　is　commonly　said；　and　the　Powers　down　to　the　Moon　being　all　Gods　as　well？　　　　　It　is　best　not　to　use　the　word　〃Celestial〃　of　any　Being　of　that　Realm；　the　word　〃God〃　may　be　applied　to　the　Essential…Celestial…　the　autodaimon…　and　even　to　the　Visible　Powers　of　the　Universe　of　Sense　down　to　the　Moon；　Gods；　these　too；　visible；　secondary；　sequent　upon　the　Gods　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　consonant　with　Them；　held　about　Them；　as　the　radiance　about　the　star。　　　　　What；　then；　are　these　spirits？　　　　　A　Celestial　is　the　representative　generated　by　each　Soul　when　it　enters　the　Kosmos。　　　　　And　why；　by　a　Soul　entering　the　Kosmos？　　　　　Because　Soul　pure　of　the　Kosmos　generates　not　a　Celestial　Spirit　but　a　God；　hence　it　is　that　we　have　spoken　of　Love；　offspring　of　Aphrodite　the　Pure　Soul；　as　a　God。　　　　　But；　first　what　prevents　every　one　of　the　Celestials　from　being　an　Eros；　a　Love？　And　why　are　they　not　untouched　by　Matter　like　the　Gods？　　　　　On　the　first　question：　Every　Celestial　born　in　the　striving　of　the　Soul　towards　the　good　and　beautiful　is　an　Eros；　and　all　the　Souls　within　the　Kosmos　do　engender　this　Celestial；　but　other　Spirit…Beings；　equally　born　from　the　Soul　of　the　All；　but　by　other　faculties　of　that　Soul；　have　other　functions：　they　are　for　the　direct　service　of　the　All；　and　administer　particular　things　to　the　purpose　of　the　Universe　entire。　The　Soul　of　the　All　must　be　adequate　to　all　that　is　and　therefore　must　bring　into　being　spirit　powers　serviceable　not　merely　in　one　function　but　to　its　entire　charge。　　　　　But　what　participation　can　the　Celestials　have　in　Matter；　and　in　what　Matter？　　　　　Certainly　none　in　bodily　Matter；　that　would　make　them　simply　living　things　of　the　order　of　sense。　And　if；　even；　they　are　to　invest　themselves　in　bodies　of　air　or　of　fire；　the　nature　must　have　already　been　altered　before　they　could　have　any　contact　with　the　corporeal。　The　Pure　does　not　mix；　unmediated；　with　body…　though　many　think　that　the　Celestial…Kind；　of　its　very　essence；　comports　a　body　aerial　or　of　fire。　　　　　But　why　should　one　order　of　Celestial　descend　to　body　and　another　not？　The　difference　implies　the　existence　of　some　cause　or　medium　working　upon　such　as　thus　descend。　What　would　constitute　such　a　medium？　　　　　We　are　forced　to　assume　that　there　is　a　Matter　of　the　Intellectual　Order；　and　that　Beings　partaking　of　it　are　thereby　enabled　to　enter　into　the　lower　Matter；　the　corporeal。　　　　　7。　This　is　the　significance　of　Plato's　account　of　the　birth　of　Love。　　　　　The　drunkenness　of　the　father　Poros　or　Possession　is　caused　by　Nectar；　〃wine　yet　not　existing〃；　Love　is　born　before　the　realm　of　sense　has　come　into　being：　Penia　had　participation　in　the　Intellectual　before　the　lower　image　of　that　divine　Realm　had　appeared；　she　dwelt　in　that　Sphere；　but　as　a　mingled　being　consisting　partly　of　Form　but　partly　also　of　that　indetermination　which　belongs　to　the　Soul　before　she　attains　the　Good　and　when　all　her　knowledge　of　Reality　is　a　fore…intimation　veiled　by　the　indeterminate　and　unordered：　in　this　state　Poverty　brings　forth　the　Hypostasis；　Love。　　　　　This；　then；　is　a　union　of　Reason　with　something　that　is　not　Reason　but　a　mere　indeterminate　striving　in　a　being　not　yet　illuminated：　the　offspring　Love；　therefore；　is　not　perfect；　not　self…sufficient；　but　unfinished；　bearing　the　signs　of　its　parentage；　the　undirected　striving　and　the　self…sufficient　Reason。　This　offspring　is　a　Reason…Principle　but　not　purely　so；　for　it　includes　within　itself　an　aspiration　ill…defined；　unreasoned；　unlimited…　it　can　never　be　sated　as　long　as　it　contains　within　itself　that　element　of　the　Indeterminate。　Love；　then；　clings　to　the　Soul；　from　which　it　sprung　as　from　the　principle　of　its　Being；　but　it　is　lessened　by　including　an　element　of　the　Reason…Principle　which　did　not　remain　self…concentrated　but　blended　with　the　indeterminate；　not；　it　is　true；　by　immediate　contact　but　through　its　emanation。　Love；　therefore；　is　like　a　goad；　it　is　without　resource　in　itself；　even　winning　its　end；　it　is　poor　again。　　　　　It　cannot　be　satisfied　because　a　thing　of　mixture　never　can　be　so：　true　satisfaction　is　only　for　what　has　its　plenitude　in　its　own　being；　where　craving　is　due　to　an　inborn　deficiency；　there　may　be　satisfaction　at　some　given　moment　but　it　does　not　last。　Love；　then；　has　on　the　one　side　the　powerlessness　of　its　native　inadequacy；　on　the　other　the　resource　inherited　from　the　Reason…Kind。　　　　　Such　must　be　the　nature　and　such　the　origin　of　the　entire　Spirit　Order；　each…　like　its　fellow；　Love…　has　its　appointed　sphere；　is　powerful　there；　and　wholly　devoted　to　it；　and；　like　Love；　none　is　ever　complete　of　itself　but　always　straining　towards　some　good　which　it　sees　in　things　of　the　partial　sphere。　　　　　We　understand；　now；　why　good　men　have　no　other　Love　other　Eros　of　life…　than　that　for　the　Absolute　and　Authentic　Good；　and　never　follow　the　random　attractions　known　to　those　ranged　under　the　lower　Spirit　Kind。　　　　　Each　human　being　is　set　under　his　own　Spirit…Guides；　but　this　is　mere　blank　possession　when　they　ignore　their　own　and　live　by　some　other　spirit　adopted　by　them　as　more　closely　attuned　to　the　operative　part　of　the　Soul　in　them。　Those　that　go　after　evil　are　natures　that　have　merge