太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the six enneads >

第96节

the six enneads-第96节

小说: the six enneads 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



ather this can be affected in him。 Philtre…Love; however; he will not know; for that would require the consent of the higher soul to the trouble stiffed in the lower。 And; just as the unreasoning element responds to the call of incantation; so the adept himself will dissolve those horrible powers by counter…incantations。 Death; disease; any experience within the material sphere; these may result; yes; for anything that has membership in the All may be affected by another member; or by the universe of members; but the essential man is beyond harm。     That the effects of magic should be not instantaneous but developed is only in accord with Nature's way。     Even the Celestials; the Daimones; are not on their unreasoning side immune: there is nothing against ascribing acts of memory and experiences of sense to them; in supposing them to accept the traction of methods laid up in the natural order; and to give hearing to petitioners; this is especially true of those of them that are closest to this sphere; and in the degree of their concern about it。     For everything that looks to another is under spell to that: what we look to; draws us magically。 Only the self…intent go free of magic。 Hence every action has magic as its source; and the entire life of the practical man is a bewitchment: we move to that only which has wrought a fascination upon us。 This is indicated where we read 〃for the burgher of greathearted Erechtheus has a pleasant face 'but you should see him naked; then you would be cautious'。〃 For what conceivably turns a man to the external? He is drawn; drawn by the arts not of magicians but of the natural order which administers the deceiving draught and links this to that; not in local contact but in the fellowship of the philtre。     44。 Contemplation alone stands untouched by magic; no man self…gathered falls to a spell; for he is one; and that unity is all he perceives; so that his reason is not beguiled but holds the due course; fashioning its own career and accomplishing its task。     In the other way of life; it is not the essential man that gives the impulse; it is not the reason; the unreasoning also acts as a principle; and this is the first condition of the misfortune。 Caring for children; planning marriage… everything that works as bait; taking value by dint of desire… these all tug obviously: so it is with our action; sometimes stirred; not reasonably; by a certain spirited temperament; sometimes as foolishly by greed; political interests; the siege of office; all betray a forth…summoning lust of power; action for security springs from fear; action for gain; from desire; action undertaken for the sake of sheer necessities… that is; for supplying the insufficiency of nature… indicates; manifestly; the cajoling force of nature to the safeguarding of life。     We may be told that no such magic underlies good action; since; at that; Contemplation itself; certainly a good action; implies a magic attraction。     The answer is that there is no magic when actions recognized as good are performed upon sheer necessity with the recollection that the veritable good is elsewhere; this is simply knowledge of need; it is not a bewitchment binding the life to this sphere or to any thing alien; all is permissible under duress of human nature; and in the spirit of adaptation to the needs of existence in general… or even to the needs of the individual existence; since it certainly seems reasonable to fit oneself into life rather than to withdraw from it。     When; on the contrary; the agent falls in love with what is good in those actions; and; cheated by the mere track and trace of the Authentic Good makes them his own; then; in his pursuit of a lower good; he is the victim of magic。 For all dalliance with what wears the mask of the authentic; all attraction towards that mere semblance; tells of a mind misled by the spell of forces pulling towards unreality。     The sorcery of Nature is at work in this; to pursue the non…good as a good; drawn in unreasoning impulse by its specious appearance: it is to be led unknowing down paths unchosen; and what can we call that but magic。     Alone in immunity from magic is he who; though drawn by the alien parts of his total being; withholds his assent to their standards of worth; recognizing the good only where his authentic self sees and knows it; neither drawn nor pursuing; but tranquilly possessing and so never charmed away。     45。 From this discussion it becomes perfectly clear that the individual member of the All contributes to that All in the degree of its kind and condition; thus it acts and is acted upon。 In any particular animal each of the limbs and organs; in the measure of its kind and purpose; aids the entire being by service performed and counts in rank and utility: it gives what is in it its gift and takes from its fellows in the degree of receptive power belonging to its kind; there is something like a common sensitiveness linking the parts; and in the orders in which each of the parts is also animate; each will have; in addition to its rank as part; the very particular functions of a living being。     We have learned; further; something of our human standing; we know that we too accomplish within the All a work not confined to the activity and receptivity of body in relation to body; we know that we bring to it that higher nature of ours; linked as we are by affinities within us towards the answering affinities outside us; becoming by our soul and the conditions of our kind thus linked… or; better; being linked by Nature… with our next highest in the celestial or demonic realm; and thence onwards with those above the Celestials; we cannot fail to manifest our quality。 Still; we are not all able to offer the same gifts or to accept identically: if we do not possess good; we cannot bestow it; nor can we ever purvey any good thing to one that has no power of receiving good。 Anyone that adds his evil to the total of things is known for what he is and; in accordance with his kind; is pressed down into the evil which he has made his own; and hence; upon death; goes to whatever region fits his quality… and all this happens under the pull of natural forces。     For the good man; the giving and the taking and the changes of state go quite the other way; the particular tendencies of the nature; we may put it; transpose the cords 'so that we are moved by that only which; in Plato's metaphor of the puppets; draws towards the best'。     Thus this universe of ours is a wonder of power and wisdom; everything by a noiseless road coming to pass according to a law which none may elude… which the base man never conceives though it is leading him; all unknowingly; to that place in the All where his lot must be cast… which the just man knows; and; knowing; sets out to the place he must; understanding; even as he begins the journey; where he is to be housed at the end; and having the good hope that he will be with gods。     In a living being of small scope the parts vary but slightly; and have but a faint individual consciousness; and; unless possibly in a few and for a short time; are not themselves alive。 But in a living universe; of high expanse; where every entity has vast scope and many of the members have life; there must be wider movement and greater changes。 We see the sun and the moon and the other stars shifting place and course in an ordered progression。 It is therefore within reason that the souls; also; of the All should have their changes; not retaining unbrokenly the same quality; but ranged in some analogy with their action and experience… some taking rank as head and some as foot in a disposition consonant with the Universal Being which has its degrees in better and less good。 A soul; which neither chooses the highest that is here; nor has lent itself to the lowest; is one which has abandoned another; a purer; place; taking this sphere in free election。     The punishments of wrong…doing are like the treatment of diseased parts of the body… here; medicines to knit sundered flesh; there; amputations; elsewhere; change of environment and condition… and the penalties are planned to bring health to the All by settling every member in the fitting place: and this health of the All requires that one man be made over anew and another; sick here; be taken hence to where he shall be weakly no longer。                         FIFTH TRACTATE。

                     PROBLEMS OF THE SOUL (3)。                     'ALSO ENTITLED 〃ON SIGHT〃'。

    1。 We undertook to discuss the question whether sight is possible in the absence of any intervening medium; such as air or some other form of what is known as transparent body: this is the time and place。     It has been explained that seeing and all sense…perception can occur only through the medium of some bodily substance; since in the absence of body the soul is utterly absorbed in the Intellectual Sphere。 Sense…perception being the gripping not of the Intellectual but of the sensible alone; the soul; if it is to form any relationship of knowledge; or of impression; with objects of sense; must be brought in some kind of contact with them by means of whatever may bridge the gap。     The knowledge; then; is realized by means of bodily organs: through

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 1 0

你可能喜欢的