T H E U RG I A

T H E E G Y PT I A N M Y S T E R I E S
‘

By I AM B L I C H O S

R e ply of A b am m on , th e T e ac h er

T he L e tte r of P orphyry to A n e b o
T O GET H ER WI T H

S oluti on s of th e "u e s ti on s T here i n C ontaine d

TR AN S L A T E D FR O M T H E GREE K
BY

A L E X AN D E R WI L D E R , M D F A S
. . . . .

Th e m is
ai to e x p re s s th e o r i gi n a l, th e who l e ori gin al a n d no thin g
,

b ut th e ori gi n a l a n d wi tha l
, g oo d re a d a b le E n gl is h
”

G R E E N W I CH , C O NN .

T H E AM E R I CA S C H OO L OF M ETAP H Y S I C S
 o r t 19 15 by
C p y i gh , ,

TH E AM E RI CA N S CH O O L O F M E T A P H Y S I C S
En t e re d a t S ta tion e r s
’
H a ll ,
L o n d on , E n g la n d .

A l l R i ghts R eser ved .

 CON TE N T S
C H APTER

I . L E TT E R OF P O RPHYRY TO ANEBO

II . REP L Y OF AB AMM ON

III . TH E S U P ERI O R RA C E S

IV . RI T E S S Y M B O L S
, AN D O FF ERI N G S

V . THE S U PERI O R RA C E S A ND TH E I R MANI

FE S T A T I ON S

VI . THE O R D ER E X HI B I T E D AT T H E RI T E S

VI I . O RI G I N O F TH E AR T OF D IVI N A T I O N

VIII . TH E D IVI N I N G AR T U N IVER S A L

IX . D E M O NS

C O NC ER N I N G TH E P O WER S I N V O KE D

XI . TH E "U E ST I O N ST A T E D

X II . N O T I O NS OF PRIE ST S C RI T I C I ZE D

X III . C O NC ER N I N G TH E M Y ST I C RI T E S

X IV . C O ND I T I O NS FOR S U CC E S S F UL RE S ULT S

XV . O RI G I N OF E G YP T IA N S Y M B O L I SM

X VI .
"U E ST I O NS PR O P O S E D

X VII . TH E PER S O N A L D E M O N

X VIII . E U D rE MONI A , OR T H E T RU E SUC CE S S

VA L E D I CT O RY
 I

L E T T E R O F P O R P H Y RY T O A N E B O
 E GY P T I A N MY STE RI E S
BY I A MB L I C H OS

T RA N S L A T E D A N E W AND AN N O T A T E D
B Y A LE X A ND E R WI L D E R , MD .

CHA P T E R I

L ET TER OF P O R P H YR Y T O ANE B O

P orphyr y to th e P roph e t A n e bo 1 . G re e ti ng .

Th e aim i s to expr ess th e origina l, the who l e ori g in al

* “
an d n othing
but th e ori gin al , an d withal goo d, re a dab l e E ngl ish ”
. A . W .

fP orp hyry it is w ell known was a

, dist in gu ish ed s c hol ar, an d the
,

fo remost writ er i n the l at er Pl atoni c S c hool

.
H e was a nativ e of T yre,
.

and his nam e M o l ec h , or K ing, was r en der e d by Long i n u s into n o gqm i gcog
P orp humos denoti ng th e royal p u rp l e, as a p rop e r eq u ivalent He
’
‘

.
,

was a disc ip l e of P l otin os, who h ad broaden ed th e fi el d of ph il osophic

s t u dy ti ll it in c l u de d the W is dom of the E ast I n p ersonal habits h e
“ ”
.

foll ow e d th e P ythagor ean d is c ip l in e H e was a s ev er e c riti c of th e

.

G nos ti c b el i efs th e n c urrent, and he e vi dently inc lu ded with th em al so

th e n ew Christian faith .H i s mysti c ism was spiritu al an d c ont emp l ative ,
an d h e r egar de d th e c er emonia l ri te s of th e E gyptian th eu rgy with di s

tru st H e favore d M ithraism, whic h pr evai l e d in A sia, whil e I ambl i c h os

.

b el onged rath er to th e c ul t of S erapis , whi c h was th e S tate r el igion of

Of An ebo we kn ow l ittl e H e i s a ddress ed as an E gyptian pri es t an d
. ,

his nam e is that of Anabu or An ubis th e E gyptian p sy h op omp os an d

,
x

patron of sa c re d l ite rat u re H e was a proph et h en miter or s ervant

.
“ ”

of divin ity an d expo un de r of th e ora c l e s : a nd P orphyry hims el f an

,

or in itiate d p e rson asks him a c c or dingl y to exp l ain th e E gyp

“ ’
ep op tes ,

t i an the osophi c do c trin e s r esp ec tin g th e divin e b eings rite s an d rel igious ,

faith .
10 TH E E G YP T I A N M Y S T ERIE S
I wi ll b egin this fri e nd ly corre spond ence with thee with a
vi ew to l e arning what is b e li eve d in r e sp e ct to th e gods and
good daemons and l ik ewis e the various p hi I OS Op h i c sp eculations
in r egard to th em V e ry many things have b ee n s e t forth con
.

c e rni ng th e s e subj e cts by th e ( G re cian ) philosophe rs but th ey ,

for th e most part hav e d e riv ed th e subst an ce of th e ir b e li ef

from conj ecture .

TH E G OD S AN D T H E IR PE CULI A R I T I E S

In th e fi rst plac e th e r efo r e it is to b e taken for grant e d

,

that th e r e ar e go d s I ask th e n : what are th e p e c uliariti e s of

.

th e sup e rior rac e s by which th ey a r e di ffe r e ntiat e d from e a c h

,

oth e r ? Ar e we to suppos e th e caus e of th e distinction to b e

th e ir en e rgi e s or th e ir passiv e motions or things cons e qu ent :
,

i e —
or is it a c lass fication e stabl ish e d b y di ffe renc e of bo d i s th e
gods b eing distinguish e d by ae th e r ial bodi e s th e daem ons by ,

a erial bo di e s an d souls by bodi e s p e rtaining to th e e arth "

,
“

A s th e gods dw e l l in h e av en only I ask th e r e for e why a r e

, ,

invo c ations at th e Th eurgic Rit e s dir ect e d to th em as b e ing of

th e E ar th and U nd e rworl d ? How is it that although poss e ss
ing powe r un l imite d undivid e d a n d unr e strict e d som e of th e m
, , ,

a r e m e ntion e d as b e ing of th e wat e r and of th e atmosph e r e ,

a n d that oth e rs a r e allott e d by d e fi nit e limitations to di ffe r e nt

pl ac e s and to distinct parts of bodi e s ? I f th e y a r e actually

s eparat e d by circumscrib e d l imitations of parts and accor d ,

ing to div e rsiti e s of p l ace s and subj e ct bodi e s how will th e r e

-
,

b e any union of th em on e to anoth e r ?

How can th e Th e osoph e rs consid e r th em as impr e ssion
*

abl e ? For it is said that on this account phallic imag e s a re

*
Th e T h e osoph ers w er e r eg arded as l earn ed in th e arc an e know l e dg e,
an d es p e c iall y in T h eu rgy I ambli c h os app e ars to have a d opt ed th es e
.

R it e s an d u sag e s from th e E gyp tian worship , in c l udin g with th em a

p h il 0 5 0 p c groun dwork from th e Pl atoni c do c tr ines
h i .
 L E TT ER OF P O RPHYRY T O A N E B O 11

s et up and that immode st la nguage is us e d at th e R ite s ? Ce r a

t

ta inl y i f th e y a r e im passive and unimpr e ssionab l e th e invoca

tions of th e gods announcing fa vorabl e inclinations p rop i ti a
, ,

tions of th e ir ange r and e xpiatory sacri fic e s and sti l l furth e r ,

what a r e cal l e d n ec e ssiti e s of th e gods wil l b e utt e rl y u s e

“ ”
,

l e ss For that which is impassiv e is not to be charme d or

.

for c e d t or constrain e d by n e c e s si tv .

Why then a re many things p e rform e d to th em in the S a

, ,

cre d Rit e s as to impr e ssionabl e b eings ? Th e invoc a tions a r e

,

made as to gods tha t a r e impr e ssionabl e b eings : s o that it is

impli e d that not th e daemons only a r e impr e ssionabl e but th e ,

gods likewis e as was d e clar e d in Home r

,

E v e n th e gods th ems e lve s are y i e lding .

S uppos e , th en , we say , as c e rtain individuals hav e a fii rmed ,

that th e gods a re pur e m ental e ss enc e s and that the dwmons
a r e ps y chic b e ings participating of min d 1 T h e fact r e ma i ns , .

n e v e rthel e ss that th e pur e m ental e ss enc e s a re not to b e

,

charm ed or mingl e d with things of s ens e and that th e suppli ,

*
Th e use of mblem s of a sac red c hara c ter to typ ify
i mages an d e

div ine pow e r an d en e rgy i s un iv e rsal S om ewhat of th e di vine was sup

.

pos ed to inh ere in th em Th e images an d as heras or grov es men

“
.
” ”

ti oned in th e B ib l e w e re of this c hara c te r S o was th e i do l in a grove

“ ”
.
,

ma de by "ueen Maach ah as w ell as th e simul ac ru ms whi c h as H e ro dotus

, ,

states th e E gypti an wom en c arried at th e fe sti val s

,
.

fCom p a r e G os p e l ac c or di n
g to M a tth e w X I ,
1 2 From
,
the d ay s of .
“

J ohn the Bapti st till n ow, the kingdom of h ea ven i s forc ed, an d th ey
who are v i o l ent s eize i t ”
.

I X e n ok r ates ,
w h o was a d is c ip l e of Pl a to ,
h imse l f t au ght th e se doc

trin es H e c onsi de red th e he avens as di vin e an d th at th e substan c e of

.

th e di v ine nat u re was min d p u r e an d absol ute H e al so des c rib ed th e

.

stars as visib l e divin itie s

“ ”
T h e daemons w er e depi c te d as of a psy c hi c
.

nature, s ubor di n ate to that of th e go ds, an d th erefore s ubj ec t to emotion

an d p er t u rb ation l ik e h um an b ein gs , whi l e at th e sam e t i m e sh ar i ng i n

a de ree in th e ow e r a n d in t ell ig en c e of th e g od s
g p .
12 TH E E G YP T IA N MY S T E RI E S
cations which a r e o ffe r e d a re entire l y for eign to this purity of
m ental substanc e But on th e oth e r hand th e things that ar e
.
*

o ffe r e d are o ffe r e d as to s ensitiv e a nd psychic natur e s .

A r e gods th e n s eparat e d from d aemons by th e distinction

, ,

of bodi e d and unbodi e d ? I f how ev e r onl y th e gods a re i n

, ,

corporea l how sha ll th e S un th e M oon and the visibl e l umina

, , ,

ri e s in th e sky b e account e d as gods ?

How is it that som e of th em a r e giv e rs of good and oth e rs
bring evi l ?
What is th e bond of union that conn e cts the divinitie s in
th e sky that hav e bodi e s with th e gods that a r e unbodi e d ?
Th e gods that a r e V isibl e ( in th e s ky ) b e ing includ e d in
th e sam e cat egory with th e invisibl e what distinguish e s th e ,

daemons from th e visibl e and lik ewis e th e inv isib l e gods ?

, ,

TH E S U P E RI OR R AC E S AN D T H E I R M A N I FE STA T I O N S

In what do e s a daemon di ffe r from a h ero or ha l f god or -

from a s oul tt Is it in e ss e nc e in pow e r or in en e rgy tt , ,

G
*
r kee , min
7 60 ; th e
d or rationa l so ul th e e ss en c e or p ri n c ip l e
,
”

of i n t ell ig en c e whi c h trans c en ds th e un de rstan ding or r eas oning fa c ul ty

.

,
an d i s c apab l e of know in g tru th in t u itiv el y an d instin c tivel y from b ei ng
its elf of di v in e origin .

f H ere P o rphyry has gi v en an an c ient c l as si fi c ati on of spirit ua l b e in gs

into fou r or de rs, th e go ds , daemons or gu ar di ans, the he roes or h alf go ds -
,

an d so ul s T h ere w ere oth e r distin c tions in th e E astern c o u ntri es , an d

.

we fi n d Abammon , th e T ea c h e r, a dding to th e s e the ar c h angel s , an g el s

an d ar c hons of both th e high e r an d l ow er natu re Th ese w e re nam e d.

in s ev eral of th e G nosti c c at egori es that we re extant at that p erio d .

“
We hav e no c onfli c t with bl o od an d fl esh , says th e Christi an a p ostle,
”

bu t with a rc h on ates,
a u thoriti e s , th e wor l d -
rulers of this dark region,
an d spiritu al forc es of evi l i n th e uppe r h eav ens
”
.

I By s nc e is signifi ed th e u n derlyin g pr in c ip le of bein g ; by

“
e se
”

pow er th e intermedi ate agenc y ; an d by energy th e op erati ve fac

” “ ”

ul ty wh i ch en ab l es ac tual resul ts .
 O RA C L E S AN D D IVI N A T I O N 13

What is th e ( at th S
tok en
e acr e d Rit e s ) of th e pr e s e n ce of
a god or an ang el or an archa n g el or a daemon or of some
, , ,

archon or a sou l ? For it is a c ommon thing with th e gods and

,

daemons a l ik e and with a ll the sup e rior race s to sp eak boast

, ,

ful ly and to proj ect an unr e a l i mag e into vi ew H e nce th e *

.

rac e of th e gods is thus mad e to s eem to be in no r e sp e ct sup e

r ior to that of th e daemons .

It is a l so ackn owl edge d that ignorance and del usion in re

s p ect to th e gods is irr e l igiousn e ss and impurity and that th e ,

sup erior knowl edge in r e sp e ct to th em is ho l y and h el p ful : th e

form e r b e ing th e darkn e ss of ignoranc e in r egard to th e thi ngs
r eve r e d and b e auti ful and th e l atte r th e light of knowl edge
,
.

Th e form e r condition wi ll caus e human b e ings to b e b e s e t

with eve ry form of evi l through ignoranc e and r ec kl es snes s r ,
’

but the l att e r is the sourc e of eve rything b en eficia l .

OR ACL E S AN D D I VI NA T IO N

Wh at is that take s place in divination ? F o r e x ampl e

it ,

wh e n we a re as l e ep we o ft en com e through dreams to a p er

, , ,

c ep ti on of things that a r e about to occur We a re not in an .

e cstasy ful l of commotion for th e body li e s at r e st y et we do

, ,

not ours el v e s appr eh end th e s e things as cl e ar l y as wh e n we are

awak e .

*
Th i s in q uiry in regar d to th e appari tion s wh ic h th e c an di da te s be
h el d at the initiation is m ade pl ainer by P rokl os : I n th e most sac re d
“

stag es of th e Pe rfec tive R ite s, says h e, b efore the go ds c om e in to vi ew,

” “

th ere app e ar in trusiv e figure s of demons of th e U n derworl d, to draw

away th e attention of th e c an di d at e fr om th e spotl ess G o od to th e gross
an d mat erial I t may be p ertin ent to add that i n th e se v e ra l G rott oes
”
.

or H all s of I n i tiati on th er e was ma c hin e ry ingenio u sl y c onstr uc te d for

th e p u rpos e of r epr es entin g di vi n e an d oth e r p ersonages S ee Th e E p ip .

c wrean by T homas M oor e an d Th e Gr ea t Di on siak M th by R ob ert

y y
'

, ,
,

B rown, Jr , VI , 2 , 3
. .

“
t I do n ot see any sin” in th e worl d ,
”
say s G eorge S an d, “
but I see
a great deal of ignoranc e .
14 TH E E G YP T I AN M Y S T ERI E S
In l ike mann e r many also com e to a p e rc eption of the fu
tur e through e nthusiastic rapture and a divin e impu l s e wh e n ,

at the sam e tim e so thoroughly awake as to hav e th e s ens e s in

full activity N ev e rth el e ss th e y by no m eans fo ll ow the mat
.
,

ter clos e ly or at l e ast th ey do not att e nd to it as cl os e l y as

,

wh en in th e ir ordinary condition S o a l so c ertain oth ers of .

, ,

th e s e ec statics b ecom e e nthe a s t or inspir e d wh e n th ey h e ar

cymbals drums or some chora l chant ; as for e x ampl e thos e
, , ,

who a r e engag e d in th e K oryb anti c Rite s thos e who a re pos ,

s e ss ed at th e S abazian fe stiva l s and thos e who a re c el ebrating ,

th e Rit e s of th e Divin e M oth e r Oth e rs a l so a re inspir e d wh e n

.
, ,

drinking wate r l ike th e pri e st of th e Kl a ri an A pol l o at K olo

,

phon ; oth ers whe n sitting ov e r caviti e s in th e e arth l ike th e ,

wom e n who d e liv e r oracl e s at Del phi ; oth e rs wh e n a ff e cte d by

vapor from th e wate r like th e proph e t e ss e s at B ran c h idw ; and
,

oth ers wh e n standing in ind ent e d marks like thos e who hav e
b een fill ed from an imp e rceptib l e infiowing of the divine p l e
rom e Othe rs who understand thems el v e s in oth e r r e sp ects b e
.

com e insp ir e d through th e Fancy : som e takin g d a rk ne ss as

acc e ssory oth e rs emp l oying c e rtain potions and oth e rs d e
, ,

p ending on singing and magic figur e s S om e a re a fi ec ted by .

m e ans of wate r othe rs by gazing on a wa ll oth e rs by the

, ,

hyp e thra l air and othe rs by th e sun or in som e othe r of th e

,

h e av e nly luminari e s S om e hav e l ikewis e e stablishe d th e t ech

.

nique of s e arching th e future by m e ans of entrails birds and ,

stars .

What I ask is th e natur e of divi n ation and what is its

, , ,

p ecul iar charact e r ? Th e d ivin e rs all say that the y arriv e at

th e for eknowl e dg e of th e futur e through gods or d aemons a n d ,

that it is not possib l e for oth e rs to hav e any inkling of it only

thos e who hav e co mm and ove r th e thi ngs to b e I disput e .
,

th e r e for e wh eth e r th e divine powe r is brought down t o such

,

subs e rvi ency to human b e ings as for instanc e not to hold , ,

aloo f from any who a r e divine rs with barl ey m e a l -

.

In r e gard howe v e r to the origins of th e oracular art it is

, , ,

to b e d oubt e d wh e th e r a god o r ang e l or de mon or som e oth e r

, , ,

su c h b e ing is pr e s e nt at th e M a ni fe s ta ti on s fi or at th e d ivina
,
“

Greek ém q e [a epiphany— an appar i t i on or m anife sta tion suc h as

*
,
oa v
,

was exhibite d in mystic an d th eu rgic rites .

 O RA C L E S AN D D IVI N A T I O N 15

tions or at any othe r of th e S acr e d P e rforman c e s as having

, ,

b een drawn thith e r th rough y ou bv th e n ece ssiti e s cr e at e d by

th e invocations .

S om e a re of Op i n ion that th e sou l its el f both utt e rs and

imagin e s th e s e things and that th e r e a r e similar c on d itions
,

of it which hav e b e e n p roduc e d from littl e sparks ; oth e rs that ,

th e r e is a c e rtain mingl e d form of substan c e produc e d from

ou r own soul and from th e divin e in br e athing ; oth e rs that ,

th e sou l through such activiti e s g e n e rat e s from its e l f a fac

, ,

u l ty of Imagination in r e gard to th e futur e or e ls e that th e ,

e mana t ions from th e r e alm of matt e r bring d aem ons into e xist

e nc e t hrough t h e ir inh e r e nt forc e s e sp e cially wh en th e emana ,

tions a r e d e riv e d from a nimals .

T h e s e conj e ctur e s a r e put forth for th e fo ll o wi ng stat e

m ents
1 T hat during s l e ep wh e n we a r e not engag e d with any
.
,

thing we som etim e s chanc e to obtain p e rc eption of th e futur e

,
.

2 That l ik ewis e an evid enc e that a condition of th e S ou l

.
,

is a principal source of th e art of divining is shown by th e

facts tha t th e s e ns e s a r e h e ld in ch e ck fum e s and invocations ,

b e ing emplo y ed for th e purpos e ; and that by no m e ans e ve ry

bo dy bu t only th e mor e art l ess and young p e rsons a r e s uit
, ,

abl e for th e purpos e .

3 That lik e wis e ecstasy or a l i e nation of mi nd is a chi ef

.
,

origin of th e d ivining art ; also th e mania which occurs in dis

e as e s m e ntal ab e rration abstin e nc e from win e su ffusions of
, , ,

th e body fanci e s s e t in motion by morbid conditions or e q u iv o

.

c a l stat e s of min d such as may oc c ur during abstin enc e and

,

e cstasy or apparitions
got up b y t e chnical magic
f
, .

4 T hat b oth th e r e a l m of N atur e A r t and th e fe el ing in

.
, ,

things of common throughout th e unive rs e as of th e par t s i n ,

on e animal contain for e shadowings of c e rtain things wi t h r e f

,

e r e nc e to o th e rs M or e ov e r th e r e a r e bodi e s s o constitut e d as
.
,

to b e a forewarning fr om som e to o t h e rs E x ampl e s of this .

kind a r e mani fe s t by th e things don e nam e l y : tha t th ey who ,

mak e th e invocations ( at th e Rit e s ) carry ston e s and h e rbs ti e ,

*
G o st ei s or b la c k magi c
,
“
.
16 THE E G YP T IA N MY S T E RI E S
sacr ed kn ots and unloos e th em op en p l ac e s that a re l ock ed and , ,

change th e purpos e s of individua l s by whom th ey a re e nt e r

tai n e d so that from b e ing pa l try th e y ar e mad e worthy Th ey
, .

a l so wh o a r e ab l e to r eproduc e th e mystic figur e s a r e not to b e

h e l d in l ow e st e em F or th ey watch th e cours e of the h eavenly
.

bodi e s and t ell from th e position a nd r el ation of one with an

,

oth e r wh e th e r th e oracular announcem ents of th e ruling plan et

will b e fals e or tru e or wh eth e r th e rit e s which hav e b e en p e r
,

form e d wi l l b e to no pu rpos e or wi ll be e xpr e ssiv e or arcan e , ,

a l though no god or de mon is drawn down to th em .

Th e r e a r e som e how e v e r who suppos e th e r e is lik ewis e th e

, , ,

subj e c t race of a tricky natur e art fu l and assuming all shap e s

-
, , ,

turn ing many ways that p e rsonat e s gods and d emons and
,

souls of th e d e ad l ike actors on th e stage ; and that through

th e s e e v e rything that s e ems to b e good or bad is possibl e .

T h e y a r e l e d to form this judgm ent b e caus e th e s e subj e ct

spirits a re not abl e to contribut e anything r e al ly b e n eficial a s
r el at e s to th e soul nor ev e n to p e rc eive such things ; but on
,

th e oth e r hand th ey il l tr e at d erid e and o ft en i mp e d e thos e

, , ,

who a r e r eturning to virtu e .

Th ey ar e l ik ewis e ful l of conc eit and tak e d el ight in vapors ,

a nd sacri fi c e s .

5 B e caus e th e b egging pri e st with op en mouth att empts in

.

many ways to rais e our ex p ec ta ti ons fi “

IV
T HE I N VO CA T IO NS on T H E T H E U R GI C R I T E S

It p e rp l exe s me gre atly to form a conc eption how th ey who

a r e inv ok e d as sup e rior b e ings a r e l ik ewis e command e d l ik e

*
Th e b eggin g priest generall y b el ong ed to th e worshi p of
agur tes or
Rh e a or K yb el e th e M oth er
,
H e is fr eq uentl y depi c t ed in a most nu
.

favorab l e l ight A p uleiu s sp eaks of a c ompany of th es e e masc ul ate

.

pri ests in th e e ighth book of th e M etamorp hoses T h ey are al so desc r i b ed .

i n th e R ep u bl ic of Pl ato : A gur tce an d Ma n ti cs fre qu ent th e ho u s e s of

“

the ric h an d p e rsu a de th em th at th ey poss e ss a pow e r grant ed by th e

go ds to exp iate by sa c ri fi c e s an d c hants any unj u st ac t that has b een
,

c ommitt e d an d that th ey in duc e th e go d s by b l an dishm ents an d mag i c

ri tes to h el p th em T h ey c o ll ec t e d mon ey in this way an d th ey a l so
. ,

fo ll ow ed th e s ell ing of nostru ms an d t ell i n g of fo rtun e s .

 C O ND I T I ON S 17

in fe riors ; a l so that th ey r e quir e th e worshipp e r to b e just ,

although wh e n entr e at ed th ey th ems elve s cons ent to p e r fo rm

,

unjust acts T h ey will not h e arken to th e p e rson who is inv ok

.

ing th em i f h e is n ot pur e from s exual contamination ye t th ey ,

th ems el ve s do not h e sitat e to l e ad chanc e individuals into

unl awfu l s e xual r el ations .

S A C RI F I C E S AND P R A YE R S

( I am l ik ewis e in doubt in r egard to sacri fic e s what th e ,

uti l ity or pow e r th e y pos s e ss in th e world and with th e gods ,

a n d for what r e ason th ey a r e p e r form e d appropriat e for th e ,

b eings thus honore d and advantage ously for th e p e rsons who

pr e s e nt th e
T h e gods a l so r e quir e that th e int e rpr et ers of th e oracl e s
obs erve strict abstin enc e from anima l substanc e s in ord e r that ,

th ey may n ot b e mad e impure by th e fum e s from th e bodi e s

y et th e y th ems e lve s a r e a ll ur e d most of all by th e fum e s of th e
sacri fic e s of anima l s .

C O ND I T I O NS F O R S U CC E SS F UL R E S UL TS

It is a l so r eq uir e d that th e B eh ol de r t must be pur e from th e

*
i
Th s p arag raph is t ak e n fr om P
art , Chapter I , an d is n ot fo un d V
x
i n the t e t of th e Lette r as we h av e it I t is q u ot ed th er e as b e ong ng in
. l i
l l G
this p a c e I n th e origina reek te t th e prec edi ng p aragraph app e ars
. x
in un brok en c onn ec tion with th e one whi c h fo ows , an d in d ivi d ing th em ll
i
we fin d t n ec essary to add a c aus e, to intro duc e th e s ubj ec t l .

tGreek , popt see r or b ehol de r ; a p erson a dmitted to

éa é m ng an e , ,

th e high er de gr ee of
in iti ation Th e P e rfec tiv e Rit e l ea d s th e way as
“
.

th e mu es is or mysti c initiation
r ”
says P r okl os an d after that is th e
“

—
, ,

ep op teia or b eho l d i ng Th e on de s c ri b e s it as three degrees th e P u ri

” “
.

fi c ati on I nitiatio n an d B ehol ding of th e D ivin e V ision

,
”
M r R ob ert . .

Brown Jr exp l ains th e l ast of the se very fully

, .
,
“
This is th e A u t opsia .

or P e rsonal I nsp ec ti on th e C rown of Myst eri es th e E p op te i a or D ivin e

, ,

B ehol ding an d h e b ec om e s an E popte s or Contemp l ator

,
”
( Gr ea t .

D i on ysia k M yth VI , 2 , ,

A s th e A utopti c V isions are th e prin c ip al topi c in th i s work, the t erm

B ehol der i s a d opt ed u ni form ly for s ev era l wor ds of th e s am e import
. .
18 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y S T ERIE S
contac t of anything d e ad and y et th e rite s empl oyed to bring ,

the gods hith e r many of th em a r e mad e eff e ctive through

, ,

d e a d anima l s .

What th en is mor e pr epost e rous than th e s e things that

.
—
,

a human b e ing in fe rior in dignity shoul d mak e u se of thr e ats

, , ,

n ot to a d e m on or soul of som e d e ad p e rson but to th e S un ,

King hims el f or to th e M oon or som e on e of th e d ivin e on e s in

, ,

th e sk y hims e l f utt e ring fals eh ood in or d e r that th e y may b e

,

caus ed to sp e ak th e truth ? For th e d e claration that h e will

assail th e sky tha t h e will r e v e al to vi ew th e A rcana of Isis
, ,

that h e will e xpo s e to pub l ic gaz e th e in effabl e symbol in th e

inne rmost sanctuary that h e will stop th e Baris ; that like , ,

T yphon h e wil l scatt e r th e l imbs of Osiris or do som e thing of

, ,

a simi l ar charact e r what is it but an e xtravagant absurdit y

, ,

thr e at e ning what h e n e ith e r knows h ow n or is abl e to p e rform ?

What d ej e ction of spirit do e s it n ot produc e in thos e wh o lik e ,

childre n d e s t itut e of intellig enc e a r e d ismay e d by groundl e ss

, ,

fe ar and t e rr ifi e d by th e s e fa l s e alarms ?
A n d y e t Ch a i r emon th e S crib e of th e T empl e r e cords th e s e
, ,

things as curr ent d iscours e among th e E gyptian p ri es ts fi It ‘

is also said that th e s e thr e ats and oth e rs of l ik e t enor a r e , ,

ve ry viol ent .

S AC R E D N AME S AN D S YM B O L I C E X PR E SS I O N S

Th e P ray e rs
als o : What do th ey m e an wh en th e y sp eak of
th e one coming forth to light from th e slim e sitting on th e ,

L otus blossom sailing in a boat changing forms ac c ording to

-

, ,

*
As th e term
“
E gyp t ian i s app l ied only in this work to in divi du al s
of sa c er dota l rank th e de signation of prie st is a dde d Th e H i er o
,
“ ”
.

r am m ateu s or S c rib e of th e T e mp l e was a pri es t of th e l o we r c l a s s

g , , ,

an d his duty was to k e e p th e r ec or d s t e a c h st u dents th e r el igio u s ob se r

,

van c es an d tak e c are that th ey w er e dul y ob edi ent Th e p roph ets w er e

,
.

s up erior to th e S c rib e s Th e T emp l es of E gypt l ik e thos e of B abyl onia

.
, ,

w ere s eminari e s for instr uc tion an d all departm ents of S c i enc e an d phil
,

osophy w ere inc luded in th e ir teac hing s as b eing S ac red Learn ing .
20 TH E E G YP T I AN M Y S T ERIE S
ho l d tha t th er e is not anything e l s e prior to the wor l ds which
we b eho l d A t th e b e ginning of th e ir discours e s th e y adopt th e
.

diviniti e s of th e E gyptians but no oth e r gods e xc ept thos e

, ,

ca ll e d P l an ets thos e that mak e up th e Zodiac and such as ris e

,

with th ese an d l ik ewis e thos e divi d e d into dec ans thos e whi ch
,
.

indicat e nativiti e s and thos e which a r e ca ll ed th e M ighty L ead

,

er s . Th e nam e s of th e s e a re pr e s e rv e d in th e Al manacs to ,

g eth e r with th e ir routin e of chang e s th eir risings and s ettings , ,

and th e ir signi fying of future eve nts For th e s e men p erce ived .

that th e thi ngs whi ch w e r e said r e sp ecting th e S un G od as the -

D emiurgos or C r e ator of th e U nive rs e and conc e rning Osiri s

, ,

a nd Isis and al l th e S acr e d L e g ends may b e int e rpr e t e d a s

, ,

r e l ating to th e stars th eir phas e s occu l tations and r evo l ution s

, , ,

in th e ir orbits or el s e to th e incr eas e and d ecr eas e of th e M o on

, ,

th e cours e of th e S un th e vau l t of th e sky as s een by night or

,

by day or th e riv e r N i l e and in short th ey exp l ain everything

, , , ,

as r el ating to natura l obj ects and nothing as having r efe renc e

,

to incorpor e a l and l iving e s s enc e s fi

“

M or e of th e m l ik ewis e attribut e to motion of the st ars what

e v e r may r e l at e to us T h e y bind ev e rything I k no w not how
.
, ,

in th e indissolub l e bonds of n ec e ssity which th ey t e rm Fat e , ,

or a ll otm ent ; and th ey a l so conn ect e v e rything with thos e god s

whom th ey worship in t emp l e s and with ca rve d images and

oth e r obj ects as b eing th e only unb i nd e r s of F at e
, .

NA T I VI T I E S AN D G U A R D I A N DE M O NS

Th e ne xt thing to be l e arn ed relate s to th e p e cul ia r demo n

*
Plutarc h c omments som ewh at s everely up on this mo de i nterp re of
tati on .I n h is tre atise On I sis a n d Osi ri s h e r emarks that s ome i n di vi d
u el s do n ot s c r up l e to say that Osir i s is th e S un, I sis no oth e r tha n th e
M oon , an d that T yphon is fi re, or d ro uth , or th e Oc e an B ut he a dd s .

in reb u ttal : N 0 on e c an ration al ly imagin e that th ese obj ec ts c an be

“

gods in th emsel ves ; for nothi ng c an be a god that is e ith e r witho ut soul,
or u n der th e pow e r of n atu ra l obj ec ts H e al s o r emarks that th e re i s
” “
.

an exc ell ent s aying among phi l osoph ers , that th ey who hav e not l e arn e d

the t rue sense of w ords wi ll al so mistak e in th e things that ar e m eant

”
.
 N A T IVI T IE S AN D G U AR D IA N D E M O NS 21

or guardian spirit— how th e L ordof th e Hous e assigns it "

,

according to what purpos e or what qualit y of emanation or l ife

or pow e r com e s from it to us wh e th e r it r e ally e xists o r do e s
,

n ot e x ist and wh e t h e r it is impossib l e or possibl e actua ll y to

,

fin d th e L ord of th e Hous e C e rta i n l y i f it is possib l e th e n

.
, ,

th e p e rson has l e arn e d th e sch em e of hi s nati v ity ; knowing his

own guardian d e mon is l ib e rat e d from fat e is t ruly favor e d ,
,

by div inity N eve rth el e ss th e rul e s for castin g nativiti e s a re

.
,

countl e ss and b e y ond compr eh e nsion M or e ove r it is imp os

, .
,

sibl e for e xp e rtn e s s in astral obs e rvations to amount to an

a ctua l kno wing for th e r e is gr e at disagr e e m e nt in r e l ation to
,

i t and Cha i r emon as w e ll as man y oth ers hav e spoke n against

, , ,

i t H e nc e th e assumption of a L ord of th e Hous e ( or L ords

.

of th e Hous e if th e r e a r e mor e than on e ) p e rtaining to a nativ

,

ity is a l most con fe ss e d by astro l oge rs th ems el ves t o b e b eyond

a bsolut e proving ; and y e t it is from this assumption . th ey ,

say that th e asc e rtaini ng of the p e rson s own p e rsonal d emon

,
’

is possib l e .

But fur th e r I wish to be in form e d wh ethe r our p ersona l

,

d e mon pr e sid e s ov e r som e sp eci fi c on e of th e r e gions wi thin us .

For it s e ems to b e b e li e v e d by som e p e rsons that the r e a re

d emons a l lott e d to sp eci fic d epartme nts of th e body—one ove r
th e h e al t h on e ov e r th e fi gur e and anoth e r ov e r th e bod i l y
, ,

habits form ing a bond of union among th em ; and that one is

,

p l ac e d a s sup e rior ove r a ll of th em in common An d furth e r .

,

the y suppos e that th e re is one d e mon guar di an of th e body ,

anoth e r of th e soul and anoth er of th e sup e rior mind ;t a l so

,

that som e d emons a re good and oth e rs ha d .

I am in doubt how ev e r wh eth e r ou r particul ar d emon may

, ,

not b e a sp e cial part of the sou l ; and h enc e h e who has a mind
imbue d with good s ens e would be the truly favored one .

G r ee k I n astro l ogy a ho use”

“
*
,
H ebrew B aa l Z ebul ,
.

is a tw el fth part of th e sky as marke d out for th e purp ose of horos c op es .

E very si gn of the Z o di ac th u s h ad a hous e whic h a pl anet or pl aneta ry

” “
,

geniu s was c onsi dere d as o c c upying an d th enc e rul i ng th e day s and

,

e vents of th e month to whi c h it b e l onged .

[
J
C om p ar e Fi rs t E is tle
p of P a u l to th e Th essalon ia ns , V , 23 : “
Sp irit
an d so ul an d b od y .
22 T H E E G YP T IA N M Y S T ERIE S
I obs e rve mor e ov e r that th e r e is a two fol d worshi p of th e
, ,

p e rsonal d emon ; also that som e p e r form it a s to two and

,

oth ers as to thr e e but n everthel e ss h e is invoked by a ll with a

,

common form of invocation .

E U DE M O N I A, OR T RUE s uc c e s s

I que stion how ev e r wh eth e r th e r e may not be som e oth e r

, ,

s ecr e t path to tru e succ e ss which is a far from ( th e Rit e s of

th e gods I d oubt wh e th e r it is r e ally n e c e ssary to pay any r e
.

gard to the opinions of indivi duals in r e gard to th e divin e en

do wm ent of d ivination and T h eurgy and wh e the r th e S oul ,

do e s not now and th e n form grand conc eptions On th e con .

tr a r y also th e r e a r e oth e r m e thods for obtaining pr e monitions

, ,

of what will tak e plac e P e rhaps also th e y who e x e rcis e th e

.
, ,

divin e art of divining may ind e e d for e s e e and ye t th e y a r e not ,

r e ally succe ss ful : for th e y ma y for e s e e futur e e v e n t s and n ot

know how to mak e u s e of th e for e sight prop e rly for th em
s el v e s I de sir e from you th e r e fore to show me th e path to
.
, ,

succe ss and in what th e e ss enc e of it consists F or among us .

(phi l osoph e rs ) th e r e is much wrangling a s though goo d might ,

b e d e riv e d from human r e as onings b y comparison of vi ews .

I f how e v e r this part of th e inquiry th e intimat e associa

, , ,

tion wi t h th e sup e rior rac e is pass e d ov e r by thos e who d evis ed

it wisdom will b e taught by th e m to trivia l purpos e such as
, ,

ca l ling th e D ivin e M ind to tak e part about th e finding of a

fugitiv e s l av e or a purchas e of lan d or if it should so happ en
, , , ,

a marriag e or a matt e r of trad e S uppos e how e v e r that this .

, ,

subj ect of intimate communion with th e S up e rior rac e is not

pass e d ov e r and thos e who a r e thus in communication t ell
,

t hings that a r e r emarkabl y tru e about di ffe r e nt matt e rs but ,

nothing impo rtan t or trustworthy in r e lation to th e tru e sue s

c e ss — employing t h ems elv e s d ilig entl y with matt e rs that a re

di fficult b ut of no u s e to human b eings— th e n th e r e w e r e
,

n e ith e r go d s nor good de mons pr e s ent but on th e c ontrary a , ,

d emon of that kind call e d Vagabon d or it was a l l an inv en

” “
,

tion of men or an air castl e of a morta l natur e-

.
 II
R E P L Y O F A B A M M ON
T O L E TT E R O F P ORP H Y RY T 0 A N E B O
 T H E E G Y P T IA N M Y ST E RI E S

PAR T I
TH E GODS AND T H E I R PE C U LI ARI T I ES

CHA PT E R II

RE PL Y OF A B AMMON TH E TEACH ER
T O TH E L ETTE R OF P OR P H YR Y TO ANE BO
’

I N T R O D U CT I O N

H e rme s th e patron of lit erature was rightl y consid e r ed

”
, ,

of o l d to b e a god common to al l th e p ri e s ts t and th e on e p r e

s idi ng ov e r the g enuin e l e arning r e l ating to th e gods on e ,

and the sam e among al l H e nc e our pr e d e ce ssors we r e wont

.

to ascrib e to him their discov e ri e s in wi s dom and to nam e a ll

th e ir r e s p e ctiv e works B ooks of H e rmes .

*
H erm es i shere the sam e as th e E gyptian di vinity T hoth or Ta ,

huti , th e god of learning and me dic in e H e was r egarded as the S c r i b e

.

or rec or d e r who r e giste r ed th e ac tions of th e d ea d an d l iving so that th ey ,

“
wer e j u dg ed out of thos e things whi c h w er e writt en in the books ”
He
was al so the re ve al e r of the d ivin e will to men H i s nam e Tahu ti Si gui
.

fi s thri c e gr ea t or ve ry gr e at
e
“ ” ”
or Tris megis tos in G r ee k
, ,
.

[ Th e pr i e sts i n E gypt
onsi st ed of many or ders inc luding thos e who
J
c ,

p er form ed the Rit es, th e l earne d pro fession whi c h i nc luded proph ets ,

phi l osoph ers p oets authors physi c ians artists maste r m ec hani c s and
, , , , , ,

a l so embalm ers of the de ad .

26 TH E E GYP T IA N M Y S T E RIE S

I f, the r efore we participat e in this god of th e m e asure

,
”
,

which has fa ll en to us and b e com e possibl e to us tho u dost ,

well to propos e th e se qu e stions in r e gard to th e Divine S c i

e nc e s to th e pri e sts a s to fri e nds for an accurat e solution .

Having good r e ason th e r efor e for consid e ring th e l e tt e r s ent

by th e e to A n ebo my pupil as having b een writt e n to mys el f
, , ,

I will answe r th e e truly in r egard to th e mat te rs about which

thou hast enquire d For it would not b e b e coming that P y
.

th a gor a s P l ato D emok r i tos E u d ox os and many oth e rs of th e

, , , ,

old G r e eks should hav e obtain e d comp e t ent instruction from

,

th e t e mpl e s c rib e s of th eir own tim e t but that thou who a r t

-
,

cont emporary with us and having th e sam e disposition as

,

th e y should b e turn e d away by thos e now l iving and r e cog

,

n i z e d as public t e ach e rs .

A ccordingly I m y s e l f e ngag e thus in th e pr e s ent discus

,

s ion . Thou i f thou dost so choos e art at l ib e rty to consid e r

, ,

th e p e rson who is now writing to th e e as th e sam e individua l

to whom thou hast s ent thy l ett e r I f howe ve r it shal l s ee m .
, ,

to thee mor e prop er th e n r egard th e individua l who is di s

,

coursing with th ee in writing to be one or s om e oth er proph et

*
Thi s fo rm of exp res si on ext ends through thi s enti re bo ok T h ough .

har dly famil iar to u s, it was form erly c ommon in phi losophi c writings .

T h e go d s b ei ng spirit u a l e ss en c e s, it was v ery prop e r ly c onsi der ed that

th eir worship ers wou ld parti c ipat e in th eir su bstanc e as we partak e of
th e air that we inhal e I n this way th eir pow ers an d virtu e s wer e s up
.

pos ed to be imparted to th e r ec ipi ents T his treatise a c c ord ingly men .

tions th e gi fts r ec eiv ed by th e p e rsons initiat ed at th e tel esti c or T h e urgi c

R ite s, as a parti c ipating of the go d s T h e fa c t that th ey r epr es ent or p er
.

soni fy qu al iti e s rath e r than in dividu aliti es mak es thi s mod e of sp eak ing
e min ently prop e r .

tI n ar c hai c p erio d s th e worship and l it eratu r e of e v ery p e op le was

,

exc lu sive . E ve ry r epast b eing a c c ompan i ed by r eligiou s c er emoni es th e ,

E gyptians would not eat with for eigne rs Aahm es I I brok e through this .

r estri c tion an d ma de tre ati es of fri en dship an d c omm erc e with s ev era l
G rec ian an d I onian S tat es By his c omman d an d at th e instanc e of
.
,

P ol ykrate s of S amos a tyrant king P yth agoras was a dmitt ed to i n stru c

,
-
,

tion at th e t emp les an d formally initiat ed into the sa c er dotal c aste

,
.

A fte r th e Pe rsian c onqu e st oth ers r esort ed to E gypt for simil ar p ur

poses ; among them Pl ato Demokritos A r c him edes Chrysip p os , , , ,

E u rip ide s .
28 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S

th e A ssyrian S ag e s
”
of in r egard to th e T ru e Knowl edge and
“
,

wi ll sh ow th e e in plain t e rms ou r own S om e things in the .

G n osis will b e brought into th e discu ssion from th e i nn ume r

a b le a r c h ai c wri t i n gs and th e r e st will b e from th e works upon
,

th e entir e rang e of Divin e M att e rs whi c h th e old compil e rs ,

hav e coll e ct ed into a book of limit e d d im ensions .

I f howe v e r t hou woul d st propos e som e philosophi c qu e s

, ,

tion we will d et e rmin e i t for th e e according to th e anci ent

,

T ab l e ts of H e r me s r whi c h P lato and P y thagoras having stud

’
, ,

i od thoroughly b efor ehand c ombin e d tog e th er in P hi l osophy ,

.

But qu e stions that a r e for e ign to th e subj e ct or that a re ,

disputatious and ex hibit a cont entious disposi tion of mind ,

we shal l t on e d own ge ntl y and aptl y or e ls e show th e ir i mp r o ,

p r i e ty S o fa r also as th e y g o in th e lin e of common wa y s of

.

t hinking we shall try to discuss th em in a familiar m ann e r .

Thos e l ik e wis e which r e quir e th e e xp e ri enc e s of th e Divin e

, ,

D r ama s l for an int e llig e nt und e rstanding we will as fa r as ,

it is possibl e explain b y word s alon e § ; but thos e which a r e

,

*
It is e vi dent that th er e was a G n osis or S ac r ed D o c trin e c ommon ,

to th e r eligions of th e prin c ipal c o u ntri es an d that its fo c u s was at ,

Baby l on C ompar e J er emiah L I 7 an d Revel ation X V I I I ambli c h os

. . .

l iv ed c hi efly at K hal kis in S yria and was fam il iar with th e magi an d ,

l e arned men of P ersia an d A ssyri a H en c e as Abammon he refers th e .

G n osis to th at r egion .

( Th e S t ele P i ll ars or T ab l ets of T h oth app ear to be li ttl e el se th an

”
, ,

a fi gurativ e expr es sion for th e sa c r ed l e arning in poss ession of th e S a c e r

d ota l C aste in E gypt W he n we c a ll to min d that th e P yrami d s in th at

.

c o u ntry b efor e th e ir spoi l ation

, w er e c as ed al l ov er with tab l ets of ston e
,

on whi c h hi eroglyphi c writ i ng was engrav ed we shall th e b etter ap p re ,

h en d th e signi fi c an ce of th e a llu sion of Abammon .

I Greek é gya d ata divin e works or p er forman c e s ; th e exh ib it i on s

’

at th e Mystic Rites A s th es e w ere d ramati c r epr es entations to p re

.

fi gu re exp e ri en c e s of s pir itu a l c hara c t er we s ubstitu te th e t e rm d ra ma

“ ”
,

as mor e l ik ely to a ffor d a c l earer c onc eption of th e m ean ing El em ent des . .

i gn ated th e E l eu si n i c dr ama
“ ”
.

§ M r G al.e e d itor ,of t h e G r ee k t ext of this work as p u b l ish e d at

Oxfor d was of the opinion that the r e a d ing of th e origina l was c orru pt
, ,

an d s u gg est ed an em e n d ation whi c h may be r en der e d as fo ll ows I t is “

impossibl e to exp l ain by m er e wor ds ”

T his wo ul d b e in harmony with .

th e st at em ent in th e S ec on d P aul ine E p i stl e to th e C or i nth i an b el i ev ers :

“
H e was c arri e d su dden ly to para dis e an d h ea r d things in effabl e whi c h
i t i s not p ermitt ed to a h u man b eing to utte r fam ili a rly ” .
 T WO F O R MS OF KN O WI N G 29

lik ewis e fu ll int ell ectua l S p ecul ation wil l b e sho wn to b e

of

e ffe ctiv e for puri fying ( from th e e arth l y contamination ) .

It is possib l e howev e r to t ell th e signs of this which a re

, ,

worthy to be not e d and from th e s e both thou and thos e who

,

a r e l ik e th ee in mind can b e brought ne ar to th e v e ry e ss enc e

of things that hav e r e a l b e ing

*
.

S o far how e ve r as th ey may b e actua ll y kno wn through

, ,

words non e of th e s e matt e rs wi ll be l eft without a p e rfe c t

,

d emonstration and in r efe r enc e to ev e rything we shall giv e

,

th e e car eful l y th e prop e r exp l anation Thos e which r e l at e to .

di vin e matt e rs we will answ e r as th e o l ogists ; and thos e which

p e rtain to T h eurgy we wil l e xplain th eurgicall y T hos e of a .

phi l osophic charact e r we wil l s e arch out with th ee as p hil os o

p h e r s and
,
such as e xt e nd to th e P rimar y C aus e s we will bring
forth into l ight following th e argum ent toge th e r according t o
fi rst princip l e s S uch how ev e r as p e rtain to mora l s or fina l
.
, ,

r e su l ts we wil l d et e rmine prop e rl y according to ethi ca l form ;

and oth e r qu e stions in lik e mann e r we wi ll treat according to
, ,

th eir prop e r plac e in th e arrang em e nt .

We will now procee d to thy qu e stions .

T WO FORM S O F KNOWI N G

Thou b eginn e st accor di ngly by saying : In the first p l ac e, “

it is to be tak en for grant e d that t h e r e a r e gods ”

S p e aking .

in this way is not right For th e inborn knowl edg e in r e sp e c t

.

to th e gods is co ex ist ent with ou r v e r y b eing and is sup e rior ,

to all judging and d e ciding b eforehand Ind ee d it is pr eexist .

,

ent both to argum e nt and d e monstration and is unit e d int e ,

r i orl y from th e b e ginning to its own d ivin e caus e and is co ex

i s tent with th e inh er ent l onging and impu l s e of th e soul to

th e Good i .

: o r b e in
*
Pl i l
ato an d h i s d s c ip e s e mp oy th e p ar ti pl6 1 g to d e not e ci l e

th e A l l
bso ut e D ivinity ; a s o th e phras e 6 r r wg 3 7 rea b ei ng or t h at l
’

whi c h ll “
r e a y is or has be ing, as c ontrasted with the genesi s or ob j ec t i v e
e xist en c e .

t I t was the prac ti c e of th e phi osoph ers to mak e use of abstr ac t l

te rms r
to e pr e s e nt t h e S u pr e m e an d bso u t e O f th s c h A
arac l
t er are . i
1 6 d ya fl or th e ooGd r od l q fi ‘
é g th e T r u e, 6 s l g th e One
‘ .
30 TH E E G YP T I A N M Y S T ERIE S

I f, howe ve r we must sp e ak trul y th e conj oining to th e

, ,

div in e natur e is n ot knowing for thi s is k ept s eparat e a ft e r ,

a mann e r by an oth e rn e ss .
*

P l ato taught says P ro fe ssor C ock e r that man l ongs for

, ,

th e good and b e ars witn e ss b y his re stl e ssn e ss and d i s q u i e

,

tud e ; that h e instinctiv e ly d e s n e s it and that h e can find no ,

r e st a nd satis faction in an y thing apart from th e knowl edge

and participation of th e S uprem e A bsolut e G ood .

P rior to this knowing howev e r which is as of on e indi, ,

vidual having knowl e dge of anoth e r th e intimat e union as in ,

a singl e conc ept is s el f originat e d and indistinguishab l e -

.

H enc e we ought to conc e d e th e point as though possib l y it

might not b e grant e d not to assume it as a matt e r of nuoe r
,

t ainty for it a lways ex ist e d simp l y in en e rgy

, N or is it .

p r Op e r to put it to proo f in this way as though we had author

ity to judg e and r ej e ct ; for we a r e ours el v e s encompass e d in
it or rath e r we a r e fil l e d by it and th e v ery s el fh ood which
, ,

we a re we poss e ss in this knowing of th e god s r ’

.

I hav e mor e ov e r th e sam e thi ng to say to th ee in r egard

, ,

to th e S up e rior race s which com e n e xt in ord e r a ft er th e gods .

I m e an th e d emons h e ro e s and uncontaminat e s oul s I

, ,
.

For it is a l ways n e c e ssary to b e ar in mind r e sp e cting th e s e

subordinat e rac e s t hat th e y hav e on e d e fine d form of e ss e nce ;
also that we put asi d e from ou r con c e ption of th e m th e in defi
n i te ne s s and instability which a re incid e nt to th e human con

*
P owe r n ergy are thu s di stinguish ed from their result Da
and e .

maski os re marks that wh er e th er e is not oth ern es s th er e wi ll be no

“
,

knowing A u nion on c onj u n c tion as of one to anothe r is s u p eri or to

.
, ,

knowledge .

tT h e Cha l de an Ora c l es qu ot ed by Damask i os d ec l ar e that “

th e
prol i fic fou ntain of so ul s is e n c omp ass ed by th e two M in d s ”
H e add s .

that th e fi ery signa l s wh i c h d raw d own th e rip e on es are in God whic h

“ ”
,

S i mp l i ki os exp l ains : Th e U nbo d i e d on e s are the S u pr em e M in d an d

“

G od b eing S o u r c e an d C au s e ”
.

m s rib e mons as t el ary spirits of a nat u r e

” “
I D a a s k i os d e c e d th e d t u
e ss e ntia l ly d ivin e T h ey w e r e sai d to hav e c harge of th e ora c le s an d
.

worl dly affairs ge n erally T he h ero e s or d emigo ds w ere a l ow er ra c e

“
.
”

in th e or de r of emanation T h e t erm denot es th e son of a divinity with

.
,

a human par ent U n c ontam i nated soul s ar e su c h as are not imp u r e fro m
.

th e attra c tion of the gen es is or d omain of ph enomenal exist en c e .

 REP L Y OF AB AMM ON T O L E TT ER OF P O RPHYRY 31

s ti tu ti onand r e nounc e th e t e nd ency to inclin e to th e oth e r sid e

which aris e s from att empts to count e rbalance th e opposition
of th e ar gum e nts F or such a thing is for e ign to th e princip l e s
.

of r e ason and li fe but is d e riv e d from s e con d ar y sourc e s

, ,

s uch e v e n as b el ong to th e pow e r and contrarin e ss of th e r e a l m

of g en e rat e d e x ist enc e It is n e c e ssary howev e r to tr e at of

.
, ,

th em a s b eing of a uni form natur e .

L et it b e admitt e d th e n that with the companions of the

, ,

gods in th e et e rna l r egion th er e is th e innat e p erc eption of

*

th em .

T h e r efor e e v e n as th ey hav e th e ir b e ing a l ways a ft e r the

,

sam e mann e r s o also th e human soul is conj oin e d to th em by

,

Kn owl edg e accord ing to th e sam e principl e s ; n ev e r by any

conj e ctur e O pinion or r e asoning which hav e th e ir b eginning
,

in Tim e pursuing th e e ss e nc e which is b e yond all th e s e but ,

by pure and faultl e ss intuitions which it r e c e iv e d out of e te r

ni ty from th e gods b e ing conjoin e d with th em in th e s e prin

c ip l e s .

thou s e eme st to consid e r the knowing of di

Ne v e rth e l ess ,
vin e b eings to b e th e sam e as th e knowing of oth e r matt e rs and ,

likewis e t hat a po i nt may b e tak en for grant e d from opposing

argumen ts as is usual in d ebat e s But th er e is no such simi
, .

l a r i ty F or th e p e rc e iving of th e m is absolut e l y distinct from

.

e v e rything of antith e tic charact e r It is not mad e va l id by .

b eing n e w conc e d ed or by coming into ex ist enc e but on th e ,

oth e r hand it is a singl e conc ept and co ex ist ed with th e sou l ,

from e t e rnity .

I say such thi ngs to th e e th er e for e in r egard to th e first

, ,

principl e in us at which it is n ece ssary for thos e to b egin who

,

woul d both sp e ak and h e ar anythi ng what ev e r conc erning the

sup e rior race s or about ours elv e s .

*
The Pl atoni c phi losophers b efore
I amblic h os taught that th e many
god s are the outshi ni ngs ” or em anations of th e one S up er ess enti a
“ -
l
i
De ty and not s ubstan c e s c omp e te of th ems e v es l Th e An c i ent S ad l .

l l
duc ees are sai d to hav e h e d a simi ar opinion , not denying th e a c t u a l
x l
e isten ce of ang e s an d Spirits , bu t that th ey e ist ed p erman ent y by i n x l
h er ent en ergy The sam e s entim ent app ears in th e nin ety fifth ( nin ety
.
-

x P l
si th ) sa m T h e Chalde a n Ora c le, how ev er, dec ar ed that N ot from
.
“
l
l
th e e te rn a sou r c e d id anyt hing ru n forth i n c omp ete
”
l .
32 TH E E G YP T I AN M Y S T ERIE S
PE CUL I A RI T I E S on T H E S U P E RIOR R A CE S

T hen fo ll ows thy qu e stion W hat a re the p ecul iariti e s

of th e S up e rior rac e s b y which th e y a r e d i fi e r en ti a ted from

e ach oth e r ? I f b y p e culiariti e s thou m e an e st di ffe r enc e s

” “ ”

as of sp eci e s unde r th e sam e g enus , which a r e distinguish e d

by opposit e charact e ristics , as rational and irrational und e r
th e h ea d of an ima l we by no m eans a dmit th e e x ist enc e of such
,

di ffe r e nc e s in b e ings that n e ith e r have on e common e ss e nc e

"

nor charact e ristics div e rs e from one anoth e r , nor have r e

c ei v e d an organization from a common sourc e which is un d e
fin e d and y e t d e fin e s th e p e cu l iarity .

I f how e v e r thou s up p os e s t th e p e cu l iarity to b e a c ertain

, ,

simpl e conditio n limit e d in its el f as in primary and s econdary ,

rac e s which di ffe r in th eir e ntir e e ss ence and in th e who l e

,

g enus thy notion of th e p e cul iariti e s is r e asonab l e For th e s e

, .

p e cul iariti e s of b e ings that alwa y s exist will a ll b e in som e

mann e r s e t apart s eparat e and simpl e
, .

Th e qu e stioning howe v e r is going fo r ward to l itt l e pur

, ,

pos e for it b ehoov e s us fi rst of all to asc e rtain what th e

, , ,

p e cul iariti e s a r e in r egard to e ss ence th e n in r egar d to powe r , ,

and so a fte r that what the y a r e in r egard to e ne rgy But

, ,
.

as thou hast now put th e qu e stion in r e fe r ence to c e rtain p ec u

l i ari ti e s which distinguish t h em thou sp eak e st only of th e ,

p e cul iariti e s of en ergi e s H enc e thou ask e st th e di ffe re nc e in

.

th em in r e sp e ct to th e last things as m e ntion e d but art passing ,

ove r unnoti c e d withou t qu e stioning th e first a n d as r elating

, , , ,

to th e el em ents of variabl e n e ss th e most important of th em ,

.

M or e ov e r th e r e is som e thing a d d e d in th e sam e plac e in

,

r egard to active or passive motions

“ ”
T his is a classi fic ation .

not at all p r Op e r as r e lat e s to th e S up e rior rac e s ; for in non e

of th em is th e r e th e c ontrast of activ e and passiv e but c e rtain ,

of th e ir e n e rgi e s a r e to b e c ont emplat e d as un c ondition e d ,

un r e strain e d a n d without r e lation to an y thing

,
oppo sing .

He nce we do n ot admit in r egar d to th em that t he r e a r e such

motions as activ e and passive in r e sp e c t to th e soul F or .

*
Pl ato defin es ess enc e as that whi c h has r eal b eing and des c rib “
,
”
es

it as c o l or l es s form l e ss an d intan gib le vi sib l e on l y to th e min d or high er

“
, ,

r eason that g ui des th e s ulo .

”
 REP L Y OF ABA M M ON T O L E TT ER OF P O RPHYRY 33

we do not conce d e s e l f motion from moving and b e i n g s et in-

motion ; but we suppos e that th e r e is a c e rtain uniqu e s el f

originating motion which is its v e ry own and n ot an aptitud e ,

d e rived from an out s id e sourc e taking from it action in its el f

a n d a passiv e condi t ion by its e l f Wh o th en may admit in .
, ,

r e sp e ct to th e rac e s sup e rior to th e soul that th ey a re to b e

d istinguish e d by th e p e cu l iariti e s of active and passiv e mo
t ions ? *

Furth e r th e r efor e that expr e ssion which is add ed or

, ,
“
,

things cons equ e nt is inconsist ent with th e ir na tur e For

”
,
.

in th e c as e of thos e of composit e natur e and of t hos e that ,

e xist tog e th e r with oth ers or in oth e rs or that a r e e u com ,

pass e d by oth ers som e a r e conc eiv e d of as l e a ding and o t h e rs

,

as fol l owing som e a s b eing th ems e lv e s e ss enc e s and o t h ers

,

as con t ingent upon e ss enc e s For th er e is an arrang em ent of .

th em in r egular orde r and th e r e int e rv e n e s un fri endlin e ss and

,

disagr e em ent b e tw e e n th em But in r egard to th e sup erior .

rac e s th ey a r e all to be consid e r e d as s el f subsisting Th e

,
-
.

p erfe ct on e s take r a nk as chi efs and a r e s eparat e by th em ,

s e lv e s and n e ith e r have th e ir substance from oth e rs or in

,

othe rs T hus th e r e is nothing about th em that is c on s e

.
“

qu e nt ”
. In n o r e sp ect th er efor e is th eir p e cul iarity chara c ,

te ri z e d from th e s e .

A nd now th e r e occurs at th e e nd of th e qu e stion th e na t ura l

distinction Th e qu e stion is wh eth e r th e e ss enc e s a r e to b e
.

known b y e n e rgie s physica l motions and things cons equent

, ,
.

E v e r y thing howe v e r is to th e contrary For as th e en e rgi e s

, ,
.

and motions mad e up th e actua l substanc e of th e e ss e nc e th ey ,

would th ems elv e s l ik ewis e b e dominant in r e gard to th eir

di ffe r ence I f howev e r the e s s enc e s g en e rat e th e en e rgi e s
.
, , ,

b eing th ems el ve s pre vious l y s eparat e then th ey impart to th e ,

motions en e rgie s and things cons e quent that which consti

, , ,

tu te s the di ffe r en ce s T his mod e th er e for e is contrary to

.
, ,

what is suppos e d in the pre s ent hunt to find th e p eculiari t y .

In short howe ve r wh eth e r thou ima gine s t that th e r e is

, ,

*Plato b ases upon th i s fac t the immortal ity of the soul T h e soul .

or iginates its own ac ti on an d r ec ep tivity by vol ition T his vo l ition is .

s el f motion and is that q u al ity of moral free dom Wt h has p l ac ed h uman

-
,

beings abov e and ap art from th e animal trib es .

3 4: TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S

one rac e of gods and on e of d emons and in l ik e mann e r of ,

h e ro e s ( or h a l f gods ) and a ft e r th e s am e cours e of things

-
, ,

of un bodi e d souls or wh e th e r thou s up p os e s t that th e r e a r e

,

many rac e s in e ach cat egory thou d emand e s t that th e dis ,

ti ngui sh in g of th em shall b e according to p ecul iariti e s F or .

i f thou s up p os e s t e ach rac e to b e a unit th e whol e arrang e ,

m ent of divin e ord e rs according to th e mor e p e r fe ct c l a s s i fic a

tion is ov e rturn e d ; how e v e r th ey a r e d e fin e d by th e s e accord
,

ing to rac e as it may s ee m satis factory and th e r e is n ot

, ,

among th e m on e common d efinition in r elation to e ss enc e ex

c ept t hat thos e that a r e prior a re distinguish e d from th e infe
rior rac e s it is not possibl e to fin d ou t th e ir common bo u nda
,

ri e s A nd ev en though i t should be possibl e this very thing

.
,

tak e s awa y th eir p e culiariti e s H enc e th e obj e ct whi c h i s .

sought is n ot to b e foun d in this way H e how ev er will b e .

, ,

ab l e to d efin e th eir p e culiariti e s wh o r e asons upon th e analo

gous sam en e ss in th e high e r ord e rs ; as for e x ampl e with , ,

th e m a ny rac e s among th e gods and again with thos e among ,

th e d aemons and hal f gods and l astly with soul s -

,
H ence it .

has b een d emonstrat e d by us through this argum ent what is

th e right cours e of th e pr e s e nt inv e stigation its limi tation , ,

and how it is possibl e for it to b e mad e .

A RRA N GE M E N T O F T H E S U P E RI OR ORDE R S
L e t us n ext pro c e e d with th e answ e rs on e a ft e r anoth e r , ,

to th e qu e s t ions which hav e b e e n ask e d T h e r e is th e n th e .

G oo d : both that which i s b e y ond e ss e nc e a n d that which e xists

through e ss enc e I am sp e aking of t hat e ss enc e whi c h is th e
.

most anci ent and most to b e r e v e r e d a nd which as to its e l f , , ,

is in c orp or e al r It is a sp ecial p e culiarity of th e gods and is

.
‘
,

*
I n th e A ssyrian Chal daean
or Pl an
D ivin e Or de rs, th e fo ll owing of
are instan c ed by Th e I ntelle c tib le G o ds
D amask i os : 1 . 2 Th e . .

H yp arc h s or s u p erior ar c hons 3 Th e A rc hons 4

. Th e A r c hangel s
. . . .

5. T h e A z oni or u n c l assi fi e d who b el ong to no de fi n ed j u ris d i c tion .

6. Lo c al Genii T his arrang em ent is hinted at in P art V I I I , 2

. .

TThi s is th e c ommon d ogma of e v ery an c i ent faith I n the H in du .

c at egory , th e Brah man is th e G

oo d whi c h is b eyon d ess en c e an d abso ute , l
l l
whi e Brahm a is i denti c a with ess en ce T he arsis a c know ed ge ero . P l Z
U l
ana, the n imited, an d Ahu rmazda, th e Divin e C reator T h e E gv p ti an .

A
pri ests worship ed mun , th e hi dden On e, an d tah , th e D em u rgos or P i
A i
rc h t ec t of th e niv ers e U .
36 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S

r easoning is brought forth int o p l ain words and having al ,

r e ady r e c eived th e connat e participation of b e auti ful gi fts it

b e stows th e sam e ungr u dgingl y and trans fe rs th em to th e ,

race s that rank a ft e r its el f .

Thus th e s e int e rm e diat e rac e s compl et e th e common bond

of gods and souls and r e nd e r th e conn e ction b etwee n th e m

indisso l ub l e They n ot only bind th e s e toge the r in one con

.

ti nu ou s s e ri e s from thos e on high to th e v e ry l ast but th e y

, ,

mak e th e union of th em al l incapab l e of b eing s eparat e d and

to be a most p er fe ct b l ending and an e qua l int e rmingl ing of
th em al l Th ey l ikewis e a ft e r a mann e r caus e an outgoing
.
, ,

influ enc e to go forth e qually from th e sup erior to th e in fe rior

race s and a r eciproca l on e from subor d inat e race s to thos e
ranking above th em Th ey also e stablish ord e r among the
.

mor e imp e r fe ct race s and lik ewis e due propo rtions of th e

,

gi ft coming down from th e b ett e r on e s a n d of th e r e c eption

which tak e s plac e ; and having th ems elv e s r e c e ive d from above
from th e gods th e caus e s or motiv e s of a l l th e s e th e y mak e ,

e v e ry thing agr e eabl e and s u it e d in e v e ry r e sp e ct to all .

T hou must n ot think th e r e for e that this classi fication is

, ,

a p e culiarity of pow e rs or of en e rgi e s or of e ss enc e ; nor art

t hou taking th em s eparat ely to insp e ct th em on e b y on e N ev
, .

e r th e l e s s by e x t e nding th e inquiry through all of th e m thou

,

wilt comp l et e th e answe r to wha t was aske d in r e lation to th e

p e culiariti es of gods d emons and hal f gods and of thos e that
,
-
,

a r e includ e d in th e cat egory of souls .

L et us proc e e d again by anoth e r lin e of argum e nt E v e ry

,
.

thing what ev e r i t may b e and of what e v e r quality that is

, , ,

unit e d that is fi rml y e stab lish e d in its e l f by un alt e rabl e l aw

,

and is a caus e among th e in divisib l e e ss ence s— that is immov

abl e and so is to b e consid e red as th e caus e of all motion
,

that is sup e rior to a ll things and has nothing what ev e r in c om

mon with th e m—tha t is to be ge ne ra l ly conside r e d as wholly
unmingl e d and s eparat e not only in b eing but in pow e r and
,

en e rg y —e v e ry such thing shou l d b e ascrib e d to th e gods as

b eing worthy of th em But that which is a l r e ady divi de d int o

.

a gr e at m emb e r that which can giv e its el f to oth e r obj e cts

, ,

that which both r e c e ive s from oth e rs th e limitation within

 T HE I NT E R M E D IA T E RA C E S 37

its el f and is suffi ci ent for the distribution among imp e r fe ct

on e s to make th e s e comp l et e that n ev e rth el e s s participat e s,

in the primary and l i fe givin g moti on and has communion-

l
= =

with a ll things s el f ex ist ent and coming into e x ist ence th a t

-
,

r e ce iv e s a commingl ing of substance s from th e m all and im

parts a radiating influenc e from its e l f to a ll and that e xt ends ,

th e s e p e cu l iar prop e rti e s through a ll th e pow e rs e ss e nc e s and ,

e n e rgi e s in its el f— al l this sp e aking what is true we shall

, ,

ascrib e to sou l s as b eing impl ant e d in th em

, .

TH E I NT E RM E D I A T E R AC E S

What shall we say th e n in r egard to th e int e rm e diate

, ,

race s ? I thi nk from what has b e en said alr e ady that th e y

a re su ffi ci e ntly mani fe st to e v e ry on e ; for th e y mak e compl e t e

th e indivi sib l e c onn e cti on b e tw e e n th e e x tr em e r a c e s r N ev

’
.

e r th el e s s it is n e c e ssary to continu e th e e x planation

,
I as .

sum e according l y th e rac e of d e mons to b e a m ul titud e in

, ,

on e to b e comming l e d in an unming l e d mann e r and to acc e pt

, ,

th e lowe r rac e s as associat e d with a distinct conc e pt of th e

most e xc ell ent But on th e oth e r hand I d e scrib e th e rac e of
.
,

h e ro e s or d emi— gods as b eing plac e d ov e r mor e common dis

tr i bu ti on and multitud e and lik e wis e ov e r action and c om
,

mingl ing and matt e rs akin to th e s e It a l so r e c e ive s gi fts

, .

from abov e transc end e nt a n d as though conce al e d within

, ,

I m e an union purity of natur e stabl e condi tion and und i

, , ,

v i d e d id e ntity and sup e riority ov e r oth e rs F or e ach of th e s e .

int erm e diat e rac e s is n ex t to one of th e e xtr em e rac e s b e yond

-
on e to th e fi rst and th e oth e r to th e l ast It follows as a .

natura l r e sul t that by a continu e d s e ri e s of kindr e d r el ations

th e d emon ian rac e b e ginning from th e high e st i n rank pro
, ,

i ll
I ambl ic h os s g en e ra y r egar d ed as h er e e n de avoring to r ec on c i e
*
l
th e appar en t d is c re p an c y b etw e en Pl
ato and ristot e - th e att er A l l
l
d es c rib e d th e so u as immovab e an d l
ato as s e f-moving, in whi c h
, Pl l
stat ement h e refers to op eration an d not to e ss en c e Syri an os e p ains . xl
l l
that the sou i s se f-moving b ec au s e it is s et in motion from its e f an d l
l
c e rt ain y not by an agent in fe rior to itse f P rokl os a dd s th at th e soul . l
l
is s e f mov ed in r e sp ec t to th e bo dy an d things of s ens e whi c h p ain y
-
l l
ar e s et in motion from withou t th e ms e v e s l .

{ Th e go ds above an d th e so ul s b el ow angel s , , demons an d dem igo ds .

38 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S

c ee d s l ow e r rac e s and that th e oth e r having primarily

to th e , ,

a conne ction with the l ast of th em all sho ul d in som e we ,

have communication with thos e that a r e sup e rior .

H ence th e r e may b e p erc e iv e d th e compl et e joining to

g e th e r into one of th e fi rst a n d last rac e s ( th e gods and soul s )
through th e int e rm e diat e s ( th e d emons and hal f gods ) and -
,

th e e ntir e sam e n e ss of natur e alik e e quall y in substanc e a n d

, ,

also alik e in pow e r and Wh e r e as th e r e for e we h av e

, ,

mad e th e classi fica t ion of th e four race s in th e s e two wa y s

p e rfe ct ly compl e t e we think it su ffici e nt in r egard to th e oth e rs
,

t hat for th e sak e of br evity an d b e caus e that which r emains

,

th e compr eh e nding of th e int e rm e diat e trib e s— is in a m e as

u r e a l r e ady plain we ex hibit only th e p e cul iariti e s of th e ex
,

tr em e rac e s H enc e we sh al l pass ov e r th e int e rm e diat e trib e s

.

a s b eing a l r e ady w el l known and mak e a sk e tch of th e oth e rs

,

in som e wa y in v e ry few words .

*
T his distin c t ionprin c ip les i s noted i n the Cha l daean Ora c les
of .

P ythagoras in di c at es th e sam e by the terms mona d du a d tria d ; Pl ato, ,

by n éga g (lin e age ? an d man or; Damaski os by th e On e th e many

, , ,

an d th e u n i on A noth er v ersion of th e Ora c les i n p l a ce of “ S ubstan c e ”

.

h as Father and for energy Mi nd or Reas on

,
“ ”
.
 III
T H E SU P E R I OR R A C E S
 C H A P TE R III

T H E SU P E R I O R RACE S

P E CUL I AR I T I E S OF T H E G O DS AN D S O UL S
In r e gard to th e e xtr em e rac e s ( the gods and s oul s ) th e
f orm e r is chi e f sup e rior and p e r fe ct ; th e oth e r is infe rior
,

and imp e r fect Th e forme r can do all things at once uni

.

fo rmly and now ; but th e oth e r is n e ith e r abl e to do anything

comp l e t e ly nor imm e diat el y ; n e ith e r sp e e di ly nor individu
a l ly Th e form e r gen e rat e s all things and is guardi an ov er
.

th em ; but th e latt e r has a natura l disposition to yi e l d and to

turn submissiv ely t oward what it ge n e r a t e s and has und e r
guardianship Th e form e r b e ing th e original caus e has p r e
.
, ,

e min e nc e ov e r all ; but th e latt e r b eing d e p e nd e nt upon th e

,

p l e asur e of th e gods as from a caus e is c o exist e nt with it ,

f rom e t e rn i t y T h e form e r in a singl e d e cisiv e m om ent grasps

.

th e e nds of a l l th e e n e rgi e s and e ss e nc e s ; but th e latt e r pass e s

from som e things to oth e rs and go e s forward from th e imp e r
fe e t to th e p e r fe ct Furth e r still th e r e e x ists with th e form er
.
,

th e high e st and un l imit e d sup e rior to all m e asurem e nt and

, ,

so compl et el y forml e ss as to b e circumscrib e d by no formativ e

principl e s ; but th e l att e r is d ominat e d by impuls e habit and ,

inclination and is h e ld fast both by longings for that which

,

is in fe rior and by b e ing familiar with things of a s e condary

charact e r A t l e ngth it is mould e d in various ways and p ro
.

portions from th em H enc e M I N D th e l e a d e r and king of th e

.
,

things that actua l ly a r e th e d e miurgic art of th e univ e rs e

,

is always pr e s ent with th e go d s in th e sam e mann e r com ,

p l e te l y and abundantl y b e ing

,
e stablish e d in its e l f unalloy e d

according to on e so l e en e rgy B ut th e soul partak e s of divi s

.

41
42 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S
ib l e and multi form a d apting its e l f to th e supr e m e

a uthority ov e r a l l It also tak e s c ar e of unsoul e d b eing s h av

.
,

i ng b e e n its el f born into vario u s forms at di ffe r ent tim e s .

From th e sam e caus e s ord e r its el f a n d b eau t y i t s e l f a r e c o

,

e xist e nt with th e S up e rior rac e s ; or i f it is d e sir e d s o to

e xpr e ss it th e First c a us e is c o exist ent with th e s e

,
But with .

th e sou l th e allo t m en t of in t e ll e c tiv e or d e r and divi n e b e au t y

i s alwa y s asso c iat e d Wi t h th e gods th e m e as u r e of all things
.
, ,

or rath e r th e caus e of it is p e rp e tuall y co ordinat e ; but th e

,

so u l is con fin e d to th e divine limit and only participat e s of

this in a limit e d d egr e e With good r e ason th e r e may be
.

ascrib e d to th e go d s d ominion ove r a ll b e ings by th e powe r ,

and supr em e authority of th e First C aus e ; but th e sou l has

d efin e d limits within whi c h it can have c ommand .

S uch b e ing th e d i ffe r e nt p e culiariti e s of th e rac e s at th e

high e st a n d lowe st e xtr em e s what we hav e now b e en saying ,

may b e und e rstood without diffic ulty and also th e p ec ul iariti e s ,

of th e int e rm e diat e s th e d e mons and hal f gods

; th e s e b e in g
-
,

e ach n e xt to on e of th e e xtr e m e s r e s embling both and goi n g

,

ou t from both to th e int e rm e d iat e r e gion and so e ffe c ti n a

g ,

harmonious union by commingl ing th em an d j oining th em

toge th e r in du e proporti ons .

L et such th en b e consid e r e d th e p e culiariti e s of th e fi rst

, ,

divin e rac e s .

D I S T I N C TI ON S O F TH E S U P E RI OR R A C E S

S ur e ly we do n ot admit th e distinction of th e S up e rior

rac e s to b e what is sugge st e d b y th ee a c l assi fication e stab
“

l i sh ed b y di ffe re nc e of bodi e s , th e gods b eing distinguish e d

by aeth e r i al bodi e s , th e d emons by a eria l bodi e s , and souls by

*
l
Th e Chal dc can Orac l es a so r ec ogni z e th s t wo fo d min d T h e one, i l .

h
t e P ,
ll
u r e Re ason or I nt e igen c e was p a c e d ov er th e l
rst T ri a d “
Th e fi .

M in d of th e F athe r nam ed al l things in thr ee s , an d gov ern e d th em al l

by M in d . i
T his m n d th ey c onsi der ed as so e, u nparti c ipating , an d l
e ss ential . T h e oth e r was desc rib e d as parti c i pant an d d ivisib l e into p arts
or q u a l iti e s .
44 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y S T ERIE S
this a sp e ci fic charact e r ; but th e e ss enc e its el f do e s not b e
c om e ass imilat e d to th e natur e of th e corpor e al r e c ep tac l e fi “

H enc e I ma y sp eak as r e gar d s this s u bj e c t in its turn but ,

a supposition of this kind must b e admi t ted in r e sp e c t to th e

imp e rfe ct soul F or such a mo d e of living as th e soul p r o
.

j ec te d a n d s u ch an id e al as was re a d y b e for e e nt e ring into

,

a hum an body th e re is a corr e spon d ing organic bo d y join e d

, ,

to it a nd a similar natur e which r e c e iv e s its mor e p e rfe c t

li fe ?
In r e sp e c t to th e sup e rior ra c e s a n d t hos e which as b eing
unive rsal in c lu de th e origin of all th e infe rior on e s a r e pro ,

duc e d in th e sup e riors th e corpor e al in th e in c o rpor e al and

, , ,

b e ing encompass e d b y th e m in on e c ir c l e a re gov e rn e d by ,

th em H en c e th e r e volutions of th e h e av enl y sph e r e s "

.
: hav e
b e e n in du c e d originally by th e ae th e r i al soul a n d a r e alwa y s
inh e r e nt in it Th e souls of th e w orld also b e ing e xt e n d e d to
.

th e ir own min d a r e absolut e l y e n c ompass e d by it a n d pri

,

marily g en e rat e d in it In lik e mann e r also th e M in d both.

, ,

that which is d ivisibl e ( into attribut e s and qualitie s ) and that

x l
Th e pr ee ist en c e of the sou in th e et erna wor d, b efor e b ec om in g
*
l l
l
invo v ed in th e g en esis an d c on diti ons of th e earth i fe, was gene ra y -
l ll
l
b e iev ed E v en a fte r b eing set fr ee at de ath , it was su ppos ed to be, after
.

l l
a p erio d of e ss or gre at e r ength, again attra c t ed ba c k to th e m un dan e
sphere Pl ll
ato i ustrates this by th e ision of ros in th e R ep u bli c
. V E .

l
T he c hoi c e of th e e arth y c on dition is ma de by th e so u its el f, an d v e ry l
ll
gen e ra y it di ffers from what it h ad b een in th e pr ec ed ing term of
li fe in th e wor d “
l
T h e c au se is in him who mak e s th e c hoi c e, an d th e
.

divinity is Witho u t b ame in th e m atte r ”

l E
ros add s that aft e r th e so u s
. l
l
h a d c hos en th eir n ew iv e s a c c or din g as th ey dr ew th e ots , th ey a l ll
w ent in th eir or der to La c h esis, an d sh e gav e to eve ry one th e demon
that h e h ad c hosen, an d s ent th e demon a ong with him to be th e l
l
gu ar dian g eniu s of his i fe , an d the a c c omp ish er of th e fate whi c h l
h e h ad c hos en T h en h e was bor n an ew into th e e arth
. .

au se or inc entiv e for th e c oming of th e soul into g en erat ed

tTh e c
l i fe is variou sl y expl ain ed by differ ent writers A c c or ding to Pl otin u s . ,

th e u niv e rsal so u l d oe s not c om e to a b ody as th e bo dy may c om e

to it n or d o es th e bo dy c ontain the s oul but is c ontain e d by i t
, ,
.

S i mp l iki os a c c ept ed th e stat em ent of I ambl i c h os that th e so ul proj ec t s

“
,

c ertai n l iv es for its el f

”
.

i Th e stars a n d p l an e ts w e r e r egar de d as abo de s or r ec eptac l es of

s o ul s .
 THE S U PERI O R RA C E S 45

which is e ntir e is inclu d ed ( as e ss ential quality ) of th e sup e

,

rior race s H ence th e s e c on d ary rac e s b e ing always turn e d

.
,

toward th e primary and th e sup e riors l e ading th e in fe riors

,

as ex emplars e ss ence and id eal com e to th e lowe r ra c e s from

,

thos e which a r e sup e rior and thos e which a r e ignobl e a r e pro

,

duc e d primarily in th e mor e ex c e l l e nt H e nc e accordingly .

, ,

ord e r and proportion com e f rom th e latt e r to th e in fe rior

rac e s and th e s e a r e what th ey a r e through th e form e r But
, .

th e re is no transmitting of p ecu l iariti e s from th e in fe rior

r a c e s to thos e which pr e c ed e th em .

S uch a c l assi fication th e r e fore bas e d on corpor e al c on c ep

, ,

tions is shown by th e s e argum ents to b e fals e E ven though

, .

in this cas e it may s e em oth e rwis e to thee th e fals e a s s ump ,

tion is not worthy of a word S uch a cas e do e s n ot exhibit

.

abun dan t argum ent but on e b e labors hims el f to no purpo s e

,

i f h e puts forth hypoth e s e s a n d th e n e nd e avors to r e fut e th em

as not b e ing tru e For in what way is e ss ence whi c h is ab s o
.
,

l ute l y in c orpor e al havi ng nothing in common with th e bodi e s

,

that partak e of i t to b e d istinguish e d from such bo d i e s ? N ot

,

b eing in an y wa y pr e s e nt with th e bodi e s as a matt e r of plac e ,

h ow is it to b e s e parat e d b y pla c e s a ft e r th e c orpor e al man

n er ? A n d n ot b e ing s e parat e d b y c ircu ms c rib e d divisions of
subj ect matt e r h ow is it to b e h el d in a divid e d c ondition by
,

th e divisions of th e world ? But what is mor e what is th e r e ,

that can hind e r th e gods from going e v e rywh e r e ? What is

th e r e to hold th e ir pow e r in ch e ck f rom e xt e nding to th e vaul t
,

of th e sky ? For this would b e th e work of a caus e fa r mighti e r

than th e on e shutting th e m in and circumscribing th em within
c e rtain parts R e al b e ing —that which truly is and which
.
,

is in its e l f incorp or e al— is ev e rywh e re wh e r ev e r it pl e as e s ,

.

Ye t as thou tak e st for grant e d that which is divin e and which

, ,

transc e nds all things is its el f transc e nde d by th e p e r fe c tn e s s

of th e e ntir e world and is e ncompass e d by it in a sp e ci fi c di
,

vision and h enc e is in fe rior in r e sp e ct to bodily dim e nsions

,
.

Ye t if th e r e is no divin e cr e ation and no participation of

divine id e al s e xt e nding through th e wh ol e wor l d I do not s e e , ,

for my part any O pportunit y for a cr e ating and framing of

,

them a ft e r sp e ci fi c forms .
46 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S
In short how ev e r this opinion which banish e s th e pr e s
, ,

e nc e o f th e sup e rior rac e s e ntir e l y from th e e arth is an abro

gating of th e S acr e d Rit e s and th eurgic communion of th e

gods with human b e ings F or it sa y s nothing e ls e t han that
.

th e d ivin e on e s dw e l l apart from th e e arth that th e y do not ,

commingl e wi t h human b e ings an d that t his r e gion is d e s e rt e d

,

b y th em C ons equ ently according to this r e asoning we pri e sts

.
,

hav e n ev e r l earn ed an y thing what ev e r from th e go d s and ,

sinc e we d i ffe r in nothing from o th e r men thou hast n ot don e

right in q u e s t ioning us as th ough we kn e w more than oth e rs .

N o t on e of t h e s e stat em e nts of thin e how e v e r is sound , ,

.

F or n e i t h e r a r e th e gods limit e d to parts of th e e arth nor ,

a r e th e in fe rior rac e s about th e e arth e x c lu d e d from t h e ir

pr e s enc e On th e contrary th e sup e rior rac e s a r e c hara c t er

.
,

i z ed in this wa y : that th e y a r e e n c ompass e d b y nothing and

that th e y encompas s a l l thi ngs in th ems e lv e s But th os e that .

b el ong to th e e arth hav e th e ir b eing in th e p e r fe c tions (p l e

romas ) of th e gods a nd wh e n th e y b e c om e fi t for th e divin e
,

communion th e y at onc e prior to th e ir own e ss ence poss e ss

, ,

th e gods that pr e exist e d in it .

T hat t his e ntir e classi fication is fa l s e th a t this p l an of ,

inv e stig a ting p ecul iariti e s is irrational and that th e n otion ,

of distributing th e go d s e ach to a c e rtain r e gion do e s n ot p er

mit th e r ec eiving of th e e ntir e e ss enc e and power which a r e

in th em we hav e fu ll y e s t ablish e d It woul d hav e b e e n right
, .
,

th er e for e to omit th e d iss enting inquir y in r egard to th e d i s

,

tri bu ti on of th e S up e rior rac e s as it contra d icts nothing in

,

r egard to th e tru e c onc eptions On th e oth e r hand our att en

.
,

tion shoul d b e dir e ct e d inst e ad to th e int elligent p erc eption

, ,

of matt e rs r e lating to th e gods and n ot to th e holding of a

,

d iscussion wi t h a man ; and for this r e ason we shal l adapt th e

pr e s ent discours e to th e d isposing of subj e cts of pr obabi l ity
and matt e rs r el ating to th e gods .

H OW D I VI N E R A C E S AR E D I STR I B U TE D

I assum e a c cordingl y t hat thou ask e st a so l ution of tha t

ma t t e r of whi c h t hou s e eme s t to b e in do u bt nam e ly : As ,
“

th e go d s dw e ll onl y in H e av e n why a r e invocations at th e

,
 TH E S U PERI O R RA C E S 47

T h eurgic Rit e s dir e ct e d to th em as b eing of th e E a rth and

U nd e rworl d 3 “

T his position which is thus assum ed at th e b e ginn ing ,

nam e ly : that th e gods travers e h e av e n onl y i s not t rue ; for ,

th e univ e rs e is ful l of th em But thou th e n dema nd es t : H ow “

.

is it that a lthough poss e ssing pow e r unl imit ed undivid e d and ,

unr e strict e d som e of th em a r e m ention e d as b eing of th e wat er

,

and of th e atmosph e r e and that oth e rs a re allott e d by d efinit e

,

l imitation to difi e re n t p l ac e s and distinct parts of bodi e s ?

I f th e y a re actually s eparat e d by c i rcumscrib e d limitations
of parts and according to div e rsiti e s of plac e s and subj e ct
,

bodi e s how will th e r e b e an y union of th em one to anoth e r ?

,

On e most e x c e ll e nt sol ution of al l th e s e and an infinit e

numb e r of simi l ar q u e stions is by a surve y of th e mann e r in
which th e gods a r e al l ott e d .

T his th en is th e e xp l anation : Wh e th e r th e a ll otm e nt b e

, ,

t o c e rtain parts of th e univ e rs e as to h e av e n or e arth wh e th e r , ,

to holy citi e s and r egions wh eth e r to c e rtain t emp l e pr e cincts

,
-

or sacr e d imag e s th e divin e irr a diation shine s upon th em all

,

from th e outsid e just as th e sun illuminat e s e v e ry obj e ct from

,

without with his ra y s H e nc e as th e l ight encompass e s th e

.
,

obj e cts that it illuminat e s s o also th e powe r of th e gods c om

,

pr eh e nds from without thos e that participat e of it I n lik e .

mann e r also as th e l ight of th e sun is pr e s e nt in th e air with

, ,

ou t b e ing combin e d i —
with t and it is evid e nt that th e r e is
nothing l eft in th e air wh en th e illuminating ag ent is r emov ed ,

a l though warmth is still pr e s ent wh en th e h e ating has entir ely

c e as e d— s o also th e light of th e gods shin e s whi l e entir ely
s eparat e from th e obj e cts ill uminat e d and b e ing fi rmly e stab , ,

l i s h e d in its e l f mak e s its way through all e xisting things

,
.

S till furth e r th e light that is th e obj e ct of p e rc e ption is

,

on e continuous and e v e r y wh e r e th e sam e e ntir e ty ; so that it

, ,

is not possibl e for a part of it to b e cut off by its el f or to b e ,

e n c los e d in a circl e or at any tim e to r emov e its e l f from th e

,

sourc e of il lumination A ccording to th e sam e princip l e s

.
,

t h e re for e th e whol e univ e rs e b eing susc eptibl e of division

, , ,

is distinguish e d with r efe r enc e to th e on e and indivisibl e light

o f th e gods In short this light is on e and th e sam e ev ery
.
,
48 THE E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S
wh e r e , and is n ot only pr e s e nt u ndivid e d with all things that . ,

a r e capabl e of parti c ipa t ing of i t b u t it lik ewis e by an a b s o , , ,

l u t e pow e r a n d b y an in finit e sup e rio r ity fi lls all thi ngs as a , ,

c aus e joins th e m tog e th e r in its e l f unit e s th e m e v e r ywh e r e

, ,

with its el f a nd combin e s th e e n d s with th e b eginnings T h e

,
.

whol e h e av en inclu d ing wi t h it th e univ e rs e imitating this

, ,

go e s around in a circ u lar r evolution unit e s all to its e l f a n d , ,

l e a d s th e e l em ents whirling in a cir c l e ; a n d all t hings b e ing in

o n e ano th e r a n d born e t oward on e anoth e r
,
it hol d s t h e m ,

t oge th e r a n d d efin e s t h eir e qual proportions ; a n d guiding th e m

t o th e r emot e st d istan c e s mak e s th e e nds c ombin e wi t h th e ,

b eginnings— as for e x ampl e th e e arth with th e sk y — and e f

, ,

fe ets a sol e conn e c t ion a n d accord of whol e s with whol e s .

Who th e n tha t cont emplat e s th e visibl e image of th e gods

, ,

t hus unit e d as on e will n o t have too mu c h r e v e r e nc e for th e

*

gods i t s caus e s to ent e rtain a di ffe r ent j u dgm ent and to intro
, ,

d u c e among th e m arti fi c ial d ivisions arbitrary d istinctions , ,

a n d corpor e al outlin e s 2 I for on e d o not think that an y one"

.
, ,

would b e so d ispos e d F or i f th e r e is n e ith e r any analog y .

,

n or sch e m e of proportion n or int e rbl e n d ing in r e sp e c t to ,

pow e r or simpl e e n e rg y of tha t which is s e t in or d e r with that

which s ets in or d e r r th e n I s a y that th e r e is no t hin g e xisting
,
‘

in it e ith e r of e xt e nsion or in r e gard to distance or of e nc om

, ,

passing locall y or of division by du e s e ttin g apar t or of any

, ,

o t h e r such natural e quali z ing of qualiti e s in th e pr e s enc e of

th e go d s with b e ings in fe rior in th e ir natur e F or in natur e s .

t hat a r e homogen e o u s in e ss enc e a n d pow e r or that a r e in ,

som e mann e r of similar form or alik e in race th e r e can b e ,

p e rceiv e d an encompassing or hol d ing fast B u t in th e cas e .

of thos e that a re tota l ly ex emp t from a ll th e s e conditions what ,

*
Pl ato affi rms this in th e E p i n omis I t is H eav en that we shou d
.
“
“

l
honor says h e ; it
,
“
i s th e c a u s e of all b en e ts to u s ”
fi
Abamm on , do ubt .

l ess alludes t o R a
, . of th e E P
gyptian anth eon, wh o was regar de d as
th e sour ce of l ight ,
l
an d a so as b ein g th e who e h e av en u nit e d as on e l
e ikon an d p e rsona l ity .

reite rat es this dec l aration so often insiste d

TP r okl os ,
u pon that
,

the s up erior natu re an d e ss en c e c an r ec e iv e nothing from on e that is

i n ferior .
 THE S U PERI O R B EI NG S 49

opposing circumstanc e i n r e sp e ct to th e s e things or pathway s ,

through th em all or s eparat e outlin e or en c ompassing in som e

, ,

pr e scrib e d spac e or anything of this kin d can b e justly c on

, ,

c e iv e d ? On th e oth e r hand I think that th e y who a r e par ,

tak e rs of th e a r e e v e ry on e of such a natur e as to par

, ,

take of th em according to th e ir own intrinsic quali t y som e as ,

of th e aeth e r oth e rs as of th e atmosph e r e and oth e rs as of

, ,

th e wat e r ; which th e t e chniqu e of th e D ivin e P e r fo rmanc e s

r e c ogn i z e s t a n d so mak e s u s e of th e a d aptations and invoca
,

tions according to such a classifi cation .

S o mu c h ma y b e stat e d in r egard to th e distribution of th e

sup e rior rac e s 111 th e world .

SU P E R I O R BE I NG S N OT C LA S S I F I E D AS P A SSI VE AN D I M PA SS I B L E

A ft e rth e s e di stinctions thou s ugge s te s t anoth e r c l a s s ific a

tion on thy own accoun t and s ep a r a te s t th e e ss e nc e s of th e
,

sup erior race s b y th e di ffe r entiation of passive and imp a s s “

ib l e ”
. I d o not how eve r b y any m e ans accept this c l a s s ifi
, ,

cation For no one of th e sup e rior rac e s is passiv e n or ye t is it

.
,

impassibl e in such a mann e r as to b e thus contra d istingui sh e d

from any that is susc eptibl e as b e ing adapt e d b y natur e ,

to r e c e iv e impr e ssions or as fr e e d fr om th em through inh e r e nt

,

virtue or som e oth e r e xc ell ent con d ition On th e o t h e r hand .

,

it is on this account b e caus e th ey a r e e ntir e ly ex empt from

,

th e inconsist e n c y of b e ing e ith e r passiv e or n ot passiv e b e ,

caus e th e y a r e in no wa y susc eptibl e to impr e ssion and b e ,

caus e th e y a r e unchang e abl y fix e d in r egard to e ss enc e that ,

I s et th e m d own in all th e s e r e sp ects as impassiv e and un

chang e abl e .

C onsi de r i f thou a r t wi ll ing th e l ast on e of th e divin e

, ,

rac e s th e soul pure from th e d e fil emen t of bodi e s B e ing

, .

ll ll
I nt e ig ent re a ders wi u n derstan d from what has b een sai d, that
*

as th e go d s are spirit u a l
e ss en c e s , th e p a rtaking of th em , or , in oth er
wor ds , of th eir irra diation, is ana ogo u s to th e partaking of ight T h e l l .

l
l uminan c e its e f is in no way a ffec t ed, but th e partak er is e d an d fill
p erva de d by it .

is th e T h eu rgi c
TTh i s Rite T his T he u rgy , says T homas T ayl or ,
.

is dou btl e ss th e sam e as

, th e M agi c of Z oroast e r, whi c h was no b l ac k
‘ ’ ‘

art, bu t a p ec ul iar mo de of worship

”
.
50 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S
sup erior to th e r e al m of natur e and living th e unb egott e n ,

l i fe what do e s it want of th e ge n e rat e d li fe with s e nsual pl e as

,

u re and of th e r e storation th e r e b y into th e r e alm of natur e ?

*

B e ing outsid e of e v e rything corpor e al and of th e natur e which ,

is divisi bl e in r e sp e ct to th e body and b e ing l ikewis e e ntir e ly ,

s eparat e from th e accor d in th e soul which go e s down into

th e bo d y wh y is it to participat e of th e pain that l e ads to
,

d e ca y and dissolution of th e structur e of th e body 2 On th e "

.

contrary it has no occasion for th e susc eptibiliti e s which a re

,

for e runn e rs of s ensation for it is n e ith e r h e ld at a l l in a body

,

n or in any way e nviron e d by it so as to hav e occasion for bodi l y

organs in or d e r to p e rc e iv e di ffe r e nt bodi e s outsid e of th e s e

organs In short how ev e r b eing in divisibl e r e maining in th e
.
, , ,

on e sam e form b e ing e ss e ntially incorpor e a l and having noth

, ,

ing in common with th e g e n e rating and susc eptibl e body it ,

can b e a ffe ct e d by nothing in r egar d to classi fication or trans

formation n or in short has it any conc e rn what e v e r with
,

change or cond ition .

But on th e oth e r han d wh en e v e r th e soul com e s into th e,

b od y it is not its e l f n or a r e th e rational facul ti e s which it

,

imparts to th e bo d y susc eptibl e to i mp r e s s i on t For th e s e a r e

simpl e a n d singl e id e als n ot admitting any disturbing e l em ent
,

or e ntranc em en t so far as r e lat e s to th em It is th e r efor e

, .
, ,

th e som e thing that y e t r emains that is th e caus e of such e x p e

r i en c e to th e c omposit e nat u r e N e v e rth e l e ss th e caus e is n ot .
,

in any wa y th e sam e as th e H e nc e th e S oul b eing ,

l ll
Th e so u was c a e d by D amaski os, ou r ast e c ho of D vin ity
*
In l i .

t h e m u n dan e r egion it wa s c onsi de r e d as not a who e an d unite d e ss en c e, l

l
but as divi de d into q u a iti e s an d traits of c har ac t er .

{ P l oti n os,
u sing th e c ompari s on that t h e workman d oe s not c on

l
tra c t th e imp er fec tions of h i s too s , r emarks that it is not n ec essary that
l ll l
th e so u sha be its e f a ffec t ed by th e c on ditions of th e bo dy I t simp y . l
u s e s th e bo dy as its i nstr u m ent I t is in c orpor ea , an d h en c e th e pas
. l
l
sions an d su sc eptibi iti es of th e bo dy do n ot p en etrate i nto its s ubstanc e,
l
but on y into its pow ers an d e n ergi es .

I P r ok l os i u strat e s ll
this by th e a n al ogy o f a man vi ewing his own

imag e in a stre am of w at er H e is u n c h ange d in his own p erson an d

.

l x
in d ivi du a ity, but th e imag e e hibits great p ertu rb ation S o th e s oul .

l
c onte mp at e s its own imag e as r ef ec t ed in th e bo dy , an d tho u gh it i s l
l l
its e f impassib e an d u na ffec te d, it may be p erp e ed by th e in c i denta lx l
d ist u rban c es .
 IV

R I T E S , S Y M B OL S A N D O F F E R I N G S
 C H APT ER IV

R I TE S , S YM B O L S A ND O FFERINGS

Why th e n many c e r emoni e s p e rform ed histrionica ll y

, are

in th e S acr e d Rit e s as though th e gods w e r e m ov e d by pas

,

sion ? ”

I think that this is said without an int el lig ent und e rstand
ing in r e gard to th e S ac e rdotal t echniqu e of th e Myst e ri e s .

F or of th e c e r emoni e s p e rform e d from tim e to tim e in th e

S acr e d Rit e s som e hav e an in e ffab l e caus e and a divin e prin
,

c i p l e ; oth e rs a r e cons e crat e d to th e S up e rior b e ings from

e t e rnity as symbols a r e cons e crat e d ; oth e rs pr e s e rv e som e

*

oth e r image just as N atur e th e S upr em e G en e tri x also from

, ,

invisib l e concepts mo l ds visib l e s emb l anc e s Oth e rs a r e

,
.

brought forward from som e motive of v ener ati on r or th ey ,

’

a r e e nd e avors at figurativ e r e pr e s e ntation or som e conc ept ,

of a fami l y r el ationship S om e pr epar e us for som ething th at

.

is us eful or in som e way puri fy and fr e e ou r human pas

,

sions or turn awa y som e of th e evi l s that may b e imp endin g

,

ove r us Ye t it may not b e admitt e d that any part of th e

.

Ho l y Obs e rvance is p e r form e d to th e gods or d emons as

to impr e ssionabl e b eings For th e e ss enc e which is subj ee
.

tiv el y e ve rlasting and incorp o r e al is n ot of a natur e to p er

mit an y chang e from th e bodi e s ( o ffe r e d at th e R i te s I .

*
S ymbol s c on st it ut ed a p rom in ent fe ature in the an c ient religi o us
worsh i p Th ey w er e un doubtedl y t o a l arge extent fetish es th er e b eing
.
,

a m easu re of th e essen c e an d Op e ration of the deity s uppos ed to exist in

th em The E gyptian and in deed th e whol e Ori enta l worship c onsist ed
.
,

of the m an d e v en at th e pr es ent tim e th e r e is no rit u a l that i s witho u t

, ,

them . B ut th en human l a ngu ag e is ma de up of symbo l s an d rep re

,

senta tiv e sound s .

{ This is dist inc tl y deni e d in P art V , Ch apter V I .

I S ee P ar t V C hapt er s I I an,
d I V .

55
56 TH E E G YP T IA N M Y ST ERIE S
Not e ven though it b e admitt e d that it has u se esp e cial l y
of such a kind would it ev e r n e e d it from human b eings in
,

a rel igious s e rvic e of this kind It is suppl i e d fro m its el f

.
,

and from th e nature ( or feminin e principl e ) of th e worl d and ,

from th e abundanc e which is in th e g e n e sis ( or ge ne rativ e

e n e rgy ) ; and if it is p e rmi ssib l e to say this l ik ewis e it r e
,

c e iv e s a suffi ci e ncy b e for e it can b e in any want through th e

,

unfai ling comp l e t e supply of th e wor l d and its own amp le

abundanc e and b ec aus e a ll the sup e rior race s ar e full y sup
,

p l i e d with th e good things p e rtaining to them r e sp e ctivel y .

L e t th e r e b e th e re for e this g e n e ra l e ncourag em en t for us

, ,

in r egard to th e worship of th e uncontaminat e rac e s that ,

th ey a r e l ik ewis e a fii l i a te d by kindre d re l ationship to th e

b eings that a r e oth e rwis e sup e rior to us and on this account ,

th e pur e a r e attract e d to th e pur e and th e impassive to th e ,

impassiv e .

F o ll owing e ve ry point in its turn we r emark that th e ,

p l anting of phall ic image s is a sp e cial r epr e s enting of th e

“ ”

procr e ativ e powe r by conve ntiona l symbo l s and that we r e ,

gard thi s practice as an invocation to th e g en erative e n ergy

of th e univ e rs e On this account many of th e s e image s a r e
.

c ons e crat e d in th e S pring wh en al l th e wor l d is re ce iving

,

from th e gods th e pro l i fi c forc e of th e who l e cr e ation

f
.

*
The c u st om h er e desc rib e d was un i ver sa l in an c ien t t imes, an d
i t is still foun d i n part s of I n dia I ts r emains al so exist in ar c hit ec t ure
.

an d ornam entati on I n th e worship of th e A sh e ra an d Ven us of E ryx,

.

an d of th e G r e at M othe r in S yr i a an d W est e rn A sia , th e O b se rvan c e s

w ere c arri ed to greater ex trem es K ing Asa of Jude a is sai d to hav e
.

depos ed his moth er, Maac ha , from roya l di gn ity for h er p arti c ip ation
b ec a use she ma de a phall os to an A sh era , I Ki ngs X V : X III I t h as
”
.

b een gene rall y b el i ev ed that the F e stival s an d I nitiatory, or P erfec tiv e

R it es , of th e di fferent c o u ntri es, in c l u ded th e sam e fe atu re, as in deed,
i s h er e a dmitt e d I t sho u l d be born e in min d, how ev er , b efore any has ty
.

j udgm ent , that the di ffere nt faiths h ad th e ir two si des, l ike th e righ t
or the l eft, an d th at w orshipp ers r egar ded th em an d took part in th em
a c c or ding to th eir inh erent disposition T hu s , in I n dia , th ere are the
.

Asc eti c si v a-worshipp e rs , an d th e S ak tas , to th i s day I n this way th e

.

M yst e ri e s p res ent ed th em es for th e h i gh est v en erati on, as w ell as phase s

that ar e e st eem ed as gr oss and l asc iviou s E v ery c u riou s p erson , the re
.

for e, s ee s in th em what h e has ey e s to see, an d i s O ft en b lin d to th e res t .

 RI T E S ,
S Y M B OL S AN D O FF ERI N G S 57

I think howe ve r that the immod e st l anguag e to which you

, ,

r e fe r a ffords an i ll ustration of th e abs enc e of mora l virtue s

.
"

in th e r e al m of matt e r and th e uns eem l y ru d ene s s existing ,

b efor ehand with th e un forme d el em ents that a r e to b e or

g a n i z e d T h e s
. e b e ing utt e r l y d e stitut e of ord e r l y arrang e

m ent a re passionat e ly e ag e r for it so to sp e ak to such a

, , ,

d e gr ee as th e y a r e conscious of th e unb ecoming condition of

things around th ems e lv e s H enc e again p e rc eiving from .
, ,

th e sp e aking of vi l e utt e ranc e s what is vi l e th e y fo ll ow to the , ,

( divin e ) sourc e s of th e id e a l s and moral b e auti e s .

Th e y accordingl y not on l y turn asid e from e vil action but ,

thr ough th e words it i s mani fe st in its forms and change s

,

th e impu l s e to a contrary d i r ec ti on r ’
.

T h e r e is h owev e r sti ll anoth e r r e ason of ana l ogous char

, ,

act e r for th e s e customs Th e powers of th e human passions .

that a r e in us wh e n th e y a r e barr e d on ev e ry sid e b ecom e

, ,

more veh em ent : but wh e n th ey a re brought into activity with

mod e ration and r e asonab l e m e asur e th ey a re suffici e ntly d e ,

l igh t e d a n d sa t is fi e d a n d b e c oming p u r e in c ons e q u e nce

, ,

a r e won ov e r and s e t at r e st In th e sam e way l ikewis e in .

, ,

com e dy and tragedy wh e n we b eho l d th e emotions of oth e rs

, ,

we re pr e ss our own mak e th em mor e mod e rat e and are puri

,

*
G reek , Ka ma: from Ka l bv , good, b eauty, mo ral v irtue, ex~
l
c e lenc e . Mr M W H az el tine, in th e N ew Yark S un r emarks upon
. . .
,

thi s apparent c onf oun ding of mora l with physi c a l b eauty wh i c h this ,

word exh ibits that the an c ients h ad not that c onc eption whi c h form s
,
“

the basis an d aim of [ E s thet ic s i n our ti m e T o a G r ee k i f a th in g .

,
was be auti ful it was good and i f i t was g oo d it was b e autiful ; that
, ,
at l eas t was th e r e v ai lin g att i t d ll i
e o th e H e en c mi n d
f ”
, p u .

tTh e se opinion s w ere an c i ently e ntertai ned the univ er se i tsel f bein g ,
re gar ded n ot as a fabri c but as a birth a c re ation or gen esis and ev o , ,
l uti on . B ut the phil osoph ers gen e ra ll y disapproved of th e d oleful ri te s
an d i mmo e st s e ec h Pl u tar c h en um erat e s the vari o u s prac ti c e s s uc h
d p
as th e e a ti ng of raw fl e sh
.

th e d ays of fasting and m ou rning for th e

,
s l a m d i v ml t
y ( M a tth ew X I 1 6 ; A mos V I I I 1 0 ) an d the u tterin g of
, , ,

fil hy
t an d un s m ly l anguage H e exp l ains that th ey w er e not in hono r
ee .
“

of the go d s bu t rath er to av ert mo ll i fy an d app e as e the wrath of e i l

, , v
”
d emon s . Th e E mp e ror J ul ian how eve r forba de th e u sin g of wor ds th at
,
sh o ul d n ot be spok en or h eard .
58 I N V O C A T I O NS

fle d from th em In th e S acr e d Rit e s a l so we are by c ert a in

.
, , ,

sp ectacl e s and r el ations of ugly things d eliv e r e d from th e ,

harm that is l ik el y to b efall through th e e ve nts re pr e s ent e d

by th em .
*

Things of this charact e r a r e brought into u se th e r e for e , ,

for th e h e a l ing of th e so ul within us th e mod e rating of th e ,

e vi l s which hav e b e com e nat u ra l to it through th e gen e s i s t

or nativity and lik ewis e for th e sak e of its unl oosing and
,

d el ive rance from its bonds On thi s account probably .

, ,

H e r a kl ei tos nam e s th em R emedi e s l as b e ing cur e s for ter

” “

ribl e maladi e s and r e storing th e souls sound from th e ex

,

p e r i en c e s incid e nt in th e g en e rat e d l i fe .

WHA T TH E I NVO CA T IO NS ACC O M P L I S H

But th e obj ection is a l so mad e : Th e invocations a re mad e

“

as to gods that a r e impre ssionab l e b eings ; so that it is im

p l i ed that n ot th e d emons onl y a r e impr e ssionab l e but th e ,

gods l ikewis e .

This how ev e r is not as thou hast suppos e d

, ,
F or th e i] .

l umination which is pr e s ent through th e invocations is s el f

Th i s do c t ri ne i s so rati onal , says Mr Thomas T ayl o r, that i t

*“ ” “
.

c an nev e r be obj ec t ed to by an y but q u a c k s in phi l osophy an d r el igion .

F or as h e i s nothing mor e than a q ua c k in m e di c in e wh o en deavors to

remov e a l at ent bo d i l y d is ea se b efor e h e h as c a ll ed it forth ext erna ll y ,
an d by th is m e ans d imi n ish e d its fu ry , so h e is nothing mor e than a
pr et en der in phil os ophy, who attempts to r emov e th e passion s by viol ent
rep ressi on, inst ea d of mo derat e c omp l ian c e an d g ent l e p ers u as i o n
”
.

{ By genesis or gen eration Pl utarc h expl ains Pl ato to m ean

th e ,

on l y th at s ubstan c e or un derly in g p rin c ip l e whi c h is s ubj ec t to c h ange

an d motio n p l a c ed b etw een th e forming c a u s e an d th e thin g fo rm e d
, ,

transmitting hith er thos e sh ap es an d fi gu res whi c h hav e b een c ontriv ed

an d mo dell ed in th e et erna l worl d H en ce it m eans more th an m ere
”
.

pro c r eating it is n o l ess than transition from et ernity wh ere th e so ul

,

i s native into th e region of t im e an d spa c e wh er e it is on ly a soj ourner

, ,
.

I The” Library of Al exan dri a b ore th e i ns c r iptio n of Remedies for

“

th e S ou l . A sim il ar term is sai d to hav e b ee n p l a c ed ov er the c ol

lec tion of P apyri in th e H ous e of S eti at T h eb es in E gypt
“ ”
,
.
60 IN V OCA TI ON S
for th e most b l e ss e d e n e rgy of th e gods I f ind eed the up .
, ,

ward way through th e invocations e ff e cts for the pri e sts a

puri fyi ng of th e passions a r el e as e from th e condition of
gen erat e d l i fe and lik ewis e a union to th e Divin e F irst C aus e
, ,

why ind ee d do e s any on e imput e to it an y of th e

, ,

For such invocation do e s n ot draw down b eings that a r e i m

passiv e and pure to that which is susc eptibl e and impur e
,
.

On th e contrary it mak e s us who had b e com e impr e ssionabl e

,

thr ough th e g en e rat e d l i fe pur e and st e ad fas t " ,

On th e oth e r hand e v e n th e favorab l e inc l inations

,
”
do “

not bring th e pri e sts into union wi th th e gods through a

passiv e condition but th ey op en th e wa y for an indisso l ub l e
,

comm un ion through th e attraction which binds th e univ e rs e

tog eth e r It is by n o m e ans as th e t e rm s eems to imp l y
.
, ,

an inclining of th e min d of th e gods to human b eings but on ,

th e contrary as th e truth its e l f wil l t e ach th e adapting of th e

,

human int e llig enc e to th e participating of th e go d s l eading ,

it upward to th em and bringing it into accord through p e r

,

suasiv e harm oni e s H e nc e both th e r ev e r end nam e s of th e

.
,

go d s and th e oth e r divin e s ymbols b eing of an e l evating

, ,

t end ency a re ab l e to conn e ct th e invocation with th e god s l

,

*
T h e Chaldazcm Ora c les r ei t erat e thi s s entim ent .

“
l
T h e so u of arti c u at e sp eaking men l -
will in som e way bring God
into l
i ts e f .

“
H ol ding fell owship with nothing mortal it is all intoxi c ated wi th
,

{ Th is is xp l ain ed by
e hi e rophant in M oore s roman c e The
th e
’
,

Th e aim of th e initiation an d b l ess e d sp ec ta c l e is thu s

“ ”
E p ic urean .

s et forth ;
“
to retri ev e th e r u in of th e b l ess ed soul to c l ear awa y from ,

a ro un d h er th e c l o u d s of e arth an d r e storing h er l o st wings fac il itat e

h er r et u rn to H eav en—s uc h is th e grea t ta sk of ou r r el igion an d suc h

, , ,

th e triumph of those D ivi n e My st eri es in whos e i nmost depths th e l i fe ,

an d e ss en c e of ou r hol y r el igi on is tr e as u r e d
”
.

nam s go d in an i ent S kyth i c an d E uphrat ean

I T h e e of t h e s th e c
l anguage s w ere b el i eved to pos sess som e inh erent vi rtue as w ell as charm .

H enc e the Orac l e giv es th e inj un c tion :

“
N ev er c hang e the barbaro u s n am es ;
For among th em ar e t e rms God g i v en -
,

Th at hav e in effa b l e virt ue i n S a c r ed Rit es ”

.
 RI T E S 61

a l so d e cl ar e s that th e gods are r e adi l y p e rsuaded

P r okl os “

by invocations and enab l e th e initiants to b eho l d p er fect t ran ,

qui l and g enuin e sp e ctacl e s

,
”
.

P R O P I T I AT O RY R I TE S
”
Wh a t is mor e th e propitiations of ange r w ill b e p l ain
,
“

e nough if we l e arn thorough l y what th e ang e r of th e god s

r e ally is It c e rtainl y is n ot as som e imagin e an inv et e rat e

.
, ,

and p e rsist ent rag e On th e contrary so fa r as th e matt e r

.
,

r el at e s to th e gods it is a tu rning away from th e ir b ene fic ent

,

gu ardianship We ours e lve s turn away from thi s just as we

.

bring darkne ss u pon ours e lv e s by shutting away th e l ight at

noon day and so r ob ours e lve s of th e pric el e ss gi ft of th e gods
-
.

H ence th e propitiation can turn us to th e participation of

“ ”

th e sup e r ior l e ad us to th e guardian fell owship of th e

gods which we had cast from us and bind to e ach oth e r har
, ,

m oniousl y both thos e participating and th e e ss ence s partici

pat e d H enc e so fa r is it from accomp l ishing its particul ar
.

work through a passiv e condition that it l e ads us to d e s i st ,

from any passionat e and disord e rl y turnin g away from th e

gods .

Ne v e rth e l e ss b e caus e e vi l is pr e s e nt in th e r egions of th e

,

e arth 1 th e e xpiatory sac ri fi c e s act as a r eme dy and p r e

“ ”
,

par e u s s o that no chang e or any passive condition may occur

with r efe r ence to us H e nc e wh eth e r it is through th e gods
.
,

or d e mons that a r e sul t of this kind tak e s p l ac e it app e a l s ,

to th em as h e lp e rs ave rt ers of evi l and as saviors and

, , ,

through th em turns away e v e ry ha rm that may b e l iab l e to

follow from what has occurr ed L et it b e und e rstood that.

thos e sup e rior powe rs that turn away th e b l ows incid ent to
th e r e a l m of nativity and natur e a r e not pr ev enting th e m ,

in any way through passiv e conditions .

Ind e e d i f anyon e has imagin ed that th e inte rc e pting of

,

*
E pistl e of P eter I I 1 4 Th at by these ye might
, , ,
“
be partak ers or

c omm un ic ant s of th e di v ine n at ur e

”
.

T a to :
P l Th e ae tetos I t is .
“
n ec essary that th ere shoul d be al ways
som ething O ppos e d to God ; an d it c annot be s eated among th e go ds ,
but of n ec essity hov ers ar uo nd this mortal n ature an d this regi on of
e arth
”
.
62 N E CE S S I T I E S

th e prot e cting influ ence may bring on som e chanc e injury th e ,

e nd e avor at p e rsuading of th e S up erior rac e s through th e

“

e x piatory sacri fic e s r eca ll ing th em to th eir g en e rosity and

”
,

taking away th e s ens e of privation may be in ev e ry r esp ect ,

pur e a nd unc h angeabl e fi “

T H E N E CE S S I T I E S OF TH E G O DS

Furth er still wi l l consid e r what a re call e d th e n e

,
we “

c e s si ti e s of th e gods Th e who l e fact is thi s : Th e

” “
. ne

a r e p ecul iariti e s of th e gods and e x ist as p e rtaining

”
c es s i ti e s ,

to gods n ot ind ee d as from without n or as from compu l sion ;

, ,

but on th e contrary as th e goodn e ss is of u s e from n ec e ssity

, , ,

so a l so a r e th ey l ik ewis e in ev e ry particu l ar and th ey are

not in an y r e sp ect oth erwis e incl ine d S uch n ec e ssity is its el f .

combin e d with a purpos e id ea ll y good and is th e b el ov e d con

sort of L ov e t .

It is not onl y th e sam e and unal t e rab l e in th e ord e r p er

taining to the gods but b e caus e it is at th e sam e tim e and
, ,

in l ik e mann e r circumscrib e d in on e bounda r y it abid e s in

, ,

this and n eve r go e s ou t of it F or all th e s e r e asons th e v e ry

.

contrary tak e s place to what was infe rr e d I f in Th eurgy .

th e r e a r e r ea l ly g enuin e pow e rs of su c h a charact e r as we

hav e s et forth th e concl usion is in ev itabl e that th e Divin e
,

B eing is proo f against enchantm ent impassiv e and not to b e ,

comp ell e d .

l i l
I t was h e d that th e v ta eman ation from th e b oo d of th e s ac
*
l
l
ri fi c ed anim a s was invigor a tin
g to Spiritu a b eings ( Odyssey B ook l ,

XI ) . B ut Pl
utar c h is s ev er e ab ou t it H e af rm s th at th e m u r de ro u s
. fi
l
and a sc i viou s c u stoms at th e festiv a s on y s erv e d
“
l l
to av ert and app eas e
l l
the m a i c e of c erta in evi spirits , or to satisfy th e vio ent an d ragi ng u sts l l
l l
of som e that e ith e r c ou d not or wou d n ot enjoy w ith th eir b o di es or
, ,

by th ei r bo di es ”
l
S uc h , h e dec ar e d, br ng p agu e s and famin e in to
. i l
ll
towns, rais e w ars an d diss ensions, ti suc h tim e as th ey obta n an d enj oy i
that whi c h th ey l ov e .

J
fi
i vine N ec essity was al ways c o inc ident
( P rokl os af rms th at th e D
W th
i ll P
th e Divin e W i an d urpose Pl at o exp l ain s it as a h ab itude of th e
.

E ffic i ent Cau s e o A uthor of Existen c e an d M atter T hu s al so th ere i s

r .
, ,

a n ec e ssi ty in th e thoughts an d ac tions of h uman b eings yet th e soul

.

,
i s s el f moving an d so i s its own
-
, a
C u e s ” “
.
 S UPP L I CA T I ON S 63

S U PP L I CAT I ON S AN D T H E I R UT I L I TY
Neve rth e l e ss , a ft e r this , thou
pass e st ove r to anothe r cl as
s i fica ti on of gods as contrast e d with d emons For thou r e .

marke st that gods a r e pur e m enta l e ss e nc e s proposing th e

“
,

opinion as th e basis of an argum ent or t e lling it as acc eptab l e ,

to c e rtain indiv iduals T h e n thou a d de s t : that the d emons

.
“

a r e psychic b e ings participating of mind

, .

It is n ot hidd en from me that th e s e notions a r e e nt e rtain e d

by many of the G re c ian N e v e rth e l e ss I do ,

not think it prop e r to hid e from th e e th e mani fe st truth for ,

al l O pinions of such a chara c t e r a r e som ewhat con fusing .

T h ey carry th e att ention from d emons to soul s for th e s e a r e ,

a l so partak e rs of mind ; and th ey wand e r from th e gods to

mind that is n on mat e ria l in r e sp e ct to O p e ration which th e
-

gods ex c e l in e ve ry particul ar Why th en shoul d we a t .

, ,

tribut e th e s e p eculiariti e s to th em which a r e by no m e ans ex ,

e l usiv el y th e irs ? Thi s much wi ll b e su ffici ent in re gard to

this classi fication Oth e rwis e so fa r as it may b e thought
.
,

worthy of a m ention of su c h a kind it is ov e rmuch But in ,

.

r egard to th e matt e rs of which thou art in doubt th e y shoul d ,

have du e att e ntion inasmuch as th ey have to do with the

sac e rdota l function .

Havin g furthe r a ffirm e d that pur e m e nta l e ss enc e s are

“

not to be charm e d or mingl e d with things of s ens e thou ”

,

d oubte s t wh e the r it is n e c e ssary to pray to th em On my part .

,

I do not thin k it n e ce ssary to pray to any oth e rs F or that .

som e thing in us that is divin e m enta l e ss enc e and on e—or ,

m e nta l alon e i f you choos e to cal l it s o— is th e n vivid l y

,

arous e d i n th e pra y e rs and wh e n it is awak e n e d it l ongs v e

,

h eme n tly for its count e rpart and b e com e s unit e d to th e ab s o

,

lut e p e rfec ti on .

I f howev e r i t app e ars incre dib l e to th e e that an i n cor

, ,

p o r e a l b e ing h e ars a voic e in any way and th e r e is n e e d of ,

a sp e cia l s ens e and of e ars i n ord e r that th e things u tt e r e d

*
Th al es , Py th ago ras Pl ato ,
gen erall y h el d that th e
an d th e S toi c s
de mons w ere b ei n gs of a psyc hi c rath e r than of an ac tu a l divin e n ature
,
.

P lutarc h asc ribe d to the m onl y a l imited t erm of exist en c e .

64 P RAYE R S AN D R I T ES
by us in th e praye rs ma y b e h e ard , thou art vo l untari ly for
ge tful of th e sup e rior pow e rs of th e P rimary C aus e , both in
th e p e rc e ivi n g of a ll things , and th e e ncompassing of th e m
at onc e in th ems el v e s Th e gods ce rtainl y do n ot r e ce ive th e
.

pray e rs in th ems e l v e s through faculti e s of s ens e or through ,

organs but th e y e ncompass in th ems el v e s th e ful l purport a n d

,

e n e rgi e s of th e pious utt e ranc e s and e sp e cial l y of thos e which

,

happ en through th e S a c r e d Rit e s to hav e b ee n e stablish ed

and brough t into on e with th e gods F or th en th e D ivin e e s .

s enc e its el f is simpl y pr e s ent to its e l f and do e s not shar e the ,

conc e ptions in th e pra y e rs as distinct from its el f .

But thou affirmes t that th e suppl ications which ar e of

“

fe r ed a r e e ntirel y for eign to th e purity of m e nta l substanc e s .

N ot at a l l : for it is on this v e ry account b ecaus e we a r e e x ,

c ell e d by th e gods in powe r purit y and e v e rything that it is

, ,

most opportun e to suppl icat e th em e ven with e xagg e ration of

sp e ech I f we a r e judge d by b e ing compare d to th e gods th e
.
,

consciousn e ss of ou r own nothingn e ss caus e s us to b etak e ou r

s el v e s to suppli c ation and we a r e l e d from suppli c ation to th e
,

obj e ct of supplication and from th e familiar int e rcours e we

,

acquir e a similarit y to and from imp e r fe ction we qui etl y

r ec eiv e th e Divin e P e r fec ti on j
I f howev e r it i s conc e iv e d that th e sac e rdotal supplica
, ,

tions a r e inspir e d into human b eings as fr om th e gods th em

s elv e s t hat th ey a r e symbols or tok ens of th e v e ry gods and
, ,

a r e r e c ogni z e d by th e g ods alon e and hav e lik e wis e a ft e r a ,

c e rtain mann e r th e sam e powe r with th e gods h ow may it b e ,

justl y suppos e d that supplication of this kind is sti l l a mat

* may be obs erv e d in thi s tre atis e that th e divin e pe rsonal iti es
It
r
a e v e ry c ommo n l y i n d i c at e d by t e rm s in t h e n e u t e r g en d e r T h e .

sam e is true in othe r instan c e s M r Ral ph W al do E m erson was on c e

. .

in c onv e rsation with t h e R ev .C y r u s Barto l t h e T rans c ,

en dental ist

l r y
c e g m an of Boston Th e l att e r m e ntio n e d th e S u p r em e B e ing u s mg ,

W
.

the m as c u l i n e prono u n .
“
h y not say I t M ‘
r E m ,
e rson
’
ask.
e d ?

j W h atev er we k e e p m o s t c l os el y i n th ou ght wh e th e r w i
, th f a v or
or av rs
e i on we,
gra du a ll y b ec om e l ik e in c hara c t e r P a u l wrot e .
l i ke

a phil osoph er to th e C orinthian di s c ip l es After r eferrin g to M os e s .

with a vail h e a dds W a ll th a nva l d l ok ng t h

.

,
“
e w i f c e u i e o i on e
,

gl ory of th e Lord as in a mirror are trans form ed from gl ory to gl ory

,
”
in to th e s ame imag e from his spirit .
 C L A S S I F I C A T I ON 65

te r of physica l s e ns e s but not divin e and of th e high e r i n

th e ,

tell igen c e ? Or what may in any l ik e lihood insinuat e its el f

,

into it wh e n th e most e xce l l e nt human mora l s cannot b e e asil y

mad e pur e ? ” g

“
But it is r emark e d b y th ee th e things that a r e of
”
, ,
“

fe r e d a r e o ff e re d as to s e nsi t iv e and psychic natur e s .

I f ind e e d th e y consist e d of corpor e a l and composit e pow

, ,

e rs a l on e or of such as p e rt ain e d m e r e ly to th e s e r vic e

,

of th e physical organism thou wouldst b e corr ect But ,

.

since th e o ffe rings par t ak e also of incorpor e al id ea l s ,

sp e cial discours e s and simp l e r m e tr e s th e p e cu l iar a f ,

fin i ty of th e o ffe rings is to b e consid e r e d from this p oint

alone And i f any kind r ed relationship n e ar or fa r away
.
, ,

or any r e s e mblance is pr e s ent it is su ffi ci ent for th e un ion ,

about whi ch we a r e n ow d iscoursing F or th e r e is not any .

thi ng whi ch is in th e l e ast d e gr e e akin to th e gods with which ,

th e gods a r e n ot imm e diat e ly pr e s e nt and conjoin e d It is .

not th en as to s ensitiv e or ps y chic but a c tual ly to divin e

,
“
,
”
,

id e al s and to th e gods th ems elv e s that th e intimat e un ion is ,

e ffe ct e d so fa r as ma y b e H e nce we hav e spok e n suffici entl y

.

in opposition to this classification .

C LA S S I F I CA T I O N C R I T I C I S E D

Th e n e x t t hi ng in thy l e tt e r is th e qu e stion “
A r e go d s ,

s eparate d from d emons by th e distinction of bodi e d and nu

distinction is much mor e common than th e form er

Thi s
one ; but it is so fa r from indicating th e ir p e culiariti e s of e s

s e nc e that it d o e s n ot e ven constitut e a r e asonab l e gu e ss in

,

i l
;I n th e T h eu rg c d isc ip in e of n eophyt es, th e re w e re se v e ra stag es
*
l
to be surmoun ted b efore arriving at the degree denominated erfec tion “ ”
P
or p u rity . W
e may tra c e th e m in th e c hapte r, as fo o ws : 1 Th e ll .

c oming to th e d ivin ty who is s u pp i c at e d i 2 Th e assimi ation into l . . l

l
th e ik en e ss of th e d ivi nity, an d 3 e r fec tion P
I n th e rst of th ese
. fi .

degr ees th e c an di d at e was styl ed M o s t Exc ell ent ; i n th e se c on d D i vi n e ; ,

and in th e thir d Theop ator ; as now be ing full y i denti fi ed with Deity
,

itsel f .

affi rm ed th at th e an gel s hav e bo dies an d that God al on e

fOrigen ,

i s a spiritua l ess en c e without bod y H en c e the c l aus e in the Con fession

,
.
,
“
wi thou t b ody parts or passion s ”
,
.
66 TH E G ODS OF T H E S KY

r e sp e ct to th em or anything inci d ent to th em For it is not

, .

possibl e from th e s e things to appr eh e nd int el ligently wh e th e r

th e y a r e l iving b eings or b e ings with out li fe and wh e th e r th ey ,

a re d e priv e d of l i fe or do n ot n e e d it at all B e sid e s a l so .

, ,

it is n ot e asy to form a judgm e nt as to how th e s e t e rms a r e

to b e app l i ed wh e th e r in common or in r elation to man y d i f
,

fe r en t things I f th ey a r e to b e appli e d in c ommon i f both

.
,

a pi e c e of writing and a p e rio d of tim e a god and d emons ,

l ik ewis e and also fi r e a n d wat e r a r e un d e r th e sam e c l ass

, ,

as b eing incorpore al th e d istinction is absurd I f howeve r

, .
, ,

th ey a r e e mplo y ed wi th r e fe renc e to th e chi e f di ffe r enc e s why , ,

wh en thou sp e ak e st of in co rpor e al things dost thou indicat e ,

gods rath e r than tok e ns ; or wh en thou sa y e st body why “ ”

should it n ot b e take n to m e an th e E arth rath e r than d emons ?

F or this point is not its el f d efine d wh e th e r th e y h a v e bodi e s
,

as a part of th ems el v e s or a r e ca rri e d by bodi e s as a v ehicl e

, ,

or mak e u s e of th em on o c c asion or encompass th e m or a r e

, ,

m e rel y i de nti c al with th e bo dy .

P e rhaps how ev e r it is not n e c e ssary to scrutiniz e this di s

, ,

tinction criticall y ; for thou d ost n ot put it forward as thy

own conc ept but on th e contrary d i s p l a y e s t it as th e con
, ,

j e c tu r e of oth e rs .

TH E G ODS OF T H E S K Y N OT C O RP O R E AL
we will the r e for e take up in plac e
, ,
this subj e ct th e of ,

matt e r in r elation to th e pr e s ent O pinion ab out which thou ,

s e eme s t to b e in doubt F or thou hast propos e d this qu e stion :

.

“
I f on l y th e gods a r e incorpor e a l h ow sha ll th e S un th e , ,

Moon and th e l uminari e s visib l e in th e sky b e acco unt e d as

, ,

gods ? ”

We rep l y : That th ey a re not encompass ed by th e bodi e s ,

but that on th e contrary th ey encompass th e bodi e s with th e ir

,

own divin e liv e s and e n e rgi e s ; a l so that th e y a r e not con

ve rt e d to th e body but poss e ss th e body which has b ee n con

,

v e rt e d to th e divine caus e ; and that th e bo dy do e s not int e r

fe r e with th e ir spiritua l and incorpor e a l compl e t e n e ss nor ,

occ asion any obstacl e to it by int e rv ening H enc e it do e s not .

e v e n r e quir e mor e att e ntion but follows ( th e diviniti e s ) a ft e r

,
68 T HE G OD S N OT M A LI G N A NT

corp orea l and who l ly divine He nce wh e r efore th e divin e .

,

id e al pr e dominat e s in th em and implants through th em al l ,

e v e rywh e re th e sam e On e univ e rsal e ss enc e

, .

S o th e r e for e th e gods that a re V isibl e in th e sky a re l ik e

, , ,

wis e a ll of th e m in a c ertain s ens e incorpore a l , .

O
T H E G D S I N T H E S KY N OT MAL I GNANT
Thy n ex t qu e stion rais e s a di fficul ty in anoth er form
H ow is it that som e of th e s e gods a r e giv e rs of good and

oth e rs bring e vil ? ”

This conj e ctur e is tak e n from th e cast e r s of nativiti e s but ,

it fa l ls sh ort of actua l fact in e v er y particular For th e y all .

a r e not only good but in lik e mann e r also th e caus e s and

, ,

authors of b en e fits and th ey lik ewis e all r evo l ve ( in th e ir or

,

bits ) with r e fe r enc e simp ly to th e On e G od according to th e ,

b eauti ful and goo d a l on e N ev e rth el e ss th e bo di e s which a r e

.

subj e ct to themf thems e lv e s poss e ss e xtraordinary powe rs ;

“

som e of th e s e pow e rs b eing fi rmly e stablish e d in th e d ivin e

bodi e s th ems e lve s ; but oth e rs going forth from th e m into th e
productiv e principl e of th e world e v en into th e world its el f , ,

and lik ewis e passing down in prop e r ord e r through th e who l e

r e alm of gen e r a ti on t a n d e xt en ding without imp e d i a n t ev e n
,

to incompl e t e rac e s .

In re sp e ct th e r e for e to th e pow e rs which inh e re in th e

, ,

bodi e s of th e d ivin e on e s in th e sky th e r e is no d o ubt that th e y ,

a r e all simi l ar H enc e it is l e ft for us that we shall discours e

.

*
Th ese are astr al gl ob es whi c h th es e diviniti es b eing th em
th e ,

s el v e s in r e a l ity S pirit u a l e ss en c es w ere suppos ed to en c ompass an d

,

p ermeate .

{ I n this s ent en c e th e feminin e an d mas c ul ine rel ati on as typ i fy ,

ing th e p ro c edu r e of th e divin e O p eration is v ery d istinc tl y set forth ,

.

T h e cp ti o cg ( p h a s i s ) an d é v s o zg ( gen es i s ) a c t u a ll y si ni fy as m u c h
y g .

I n this tr e atis e as in oth er phi l osophi c works gen esi s signi fi e s th e

, ,

de sc en ding of th e c r eative e n ergy from th e semp er si sten t worl d into

th e sph er e an d c on d ition of c re at ed exist en c e an d p has is or natu re , , ,

is th e femal e or pro duc tiv e ag en c y by whi c h th e transition is ao ,

c o mp l i sh e d . T he s ent en c e a dmits ac c or dingl y to be al so r en der e d as

fo ll ows : “
Oth ers go forth from th em into th e womb of th e worl d
( Ké ouo g) ev e n th e worl d its el f an d l ik ewis e d e s c en d in du e or de r
,

thro ugh th e who l e gen erative pro c ess c ontinu in g witho ut hin d ran c e as, , ,

far as th e in c omp l et e ra c es ”
.
 GE N E RAT E D E X I S T E N CE 69

u pon thos e which hav e b ee n s ent down h er e and which have ,

b e com e int e rmingl ed with the sph e re of g en e rat e d e xist ence .

T h e y ex t end in th e sam e way pr e s e rvation of th e univ e rs e and ,

e ncompass th e who l e r e a l m of g en e rat e d ex ist e nc e a ft e r th e

sam e mann e r Th ey a r e both impassiv e and un change ab l e al

.
,

though th ey a r e pr e s ent in th e change ab l e and passive Th e .

r e a l m of gen e rat e d ex ist ence b e ing of many kinds and con

stitut e d of things dive rs e in charact e r cont e nds against th e ,

on e ne ss and indivisibl e e ss enc e of th e gods with its own c on

tr a ry and factious natur e discordant l y and factious l y But
, .

it admits th e impassive e ss enc e a ft e r th e passiv e mann er ; and

in short it participat e s of th em according to its p e cul i a r
nature and not a c cording to th e ir powe r A s th e r e for e that .
, ,

which com e s into ex ist ence partake s of r e a l b eing as by ,

h e r e dity and th e body r e c eive s th e inco rpor e a l e ss e nc e a ft e r

,

a corpor e a l mann e r s o l ikewis e th e natura l and mat e ri a l

,

bo di e s in th e r e a lm of g en e rat e d ex ist ence it may b e partici , ,

pat e in a disord e rl y and discordant mann e r of th e non ma -

te ri a l and aeth e r i al bodi e s which a r e abov e th e r e a lms of na

,

tur e and g e ne rate d e x ist enc e T h e y a re absurd th e refore

.
, ,

who attribut e co l or fi gure and th e s e ns e of fe el ing to m enta l

,

forms b e caus e thos e that pa r ticipat e of th e m a r e of such a

,

kind ; and s o ar e th ey a l so wh o imput e ma l ignity to th e bodi e s

in th e s ky b e caus e th eir participants a r e som etim e s bad F or .

unl e ss th e one who is participating had som e such ab erration

at th e b eginning th e re w ould b e no such communication But
, .

i f that whi ch is impart e d is r e c e iv e d as b e ing for e ign and i n

i mi c al it may p e rhaps b e c om e as som e thing di ffe r e nt and
, , , ,

to thos e b el onging about the e arth it is evi l and disord e rl y ,

.

T his participation th e r e for e and th e commingling of aura of

, ,

th e r e a lm of matt e r with that of th e non mat e rial re a l m b e -

,

com e s a caus e of much e ss e ntia l dive rsity in th e in fe rior rac e s ;

and b e sid e s th e s e that whi ch is given forth in one way is
, ,

r e c e ive d a ft e r anoth e r Thus for e x ampl e th e aura of K ronos

.
, ,

( S e b ) is d e ns e
,
but that o f A r es ( M andu ) is i m p u l s i v e f y e t "

*
Abammon fo ll ows th e E gyptian c a tegory and a dop ts th e G rec i an
n am e s for d ivinitie s suppos ed to b e n e ar e st in c har ac t e r an d q u a l ity .

I n this de sc ription K ronos or S at u rn repr e s ents th e c entri p et al an d

,

A r es or M ars th e c entri fuga l forc e .

70 C ON S T I T U TI ON OF T H E U N I VE RS E
th e passiv e gen e rativ e r e c eptacl e i n thos e b el ongi ng in th e
r e a l m of matt e r r e c eive s th e form e r according to its consoli
d ation and coo l n e ss but th e l att e r a c cording to th e warmth
,

b eyond the usua l con dition Henc e do not corrupting i nflu

.

e nc e and th e di sp rOp orti on a tene s s com e through th e d e viation

of th e r e cipi ents which is productive of inharm oniousn e ss

, ,

p e rtaining to th e r e alm of matt e r and impr e ssionabl e ? H enc e

th e feebl e n e ss incid e nt to r egions in th e r e a l m of matt e r and
e arthly e x ist e nc e n ot b e ing capab l e of th e g e nuin e powe r and
,

abso l ut el y pur e li fe of th e divi n e on e s of th e aeth eri al r egion ,

r efe rs its own condition to th e P rimary C au s e s— just a s

though a p e rson dist emp e r e d in body and not ab l e to endur e
th e li fe giving warmth of th e S un sho uld h av e th e aud a city
-
,

to affirm from his own condition th e fa l s ehood that th e S un i s ,

of no b en e fi t to h e alth or l i fe .

S om ething of this kind how ev e r may b e th e cas e in th e

, ,

g en era l ord e r and constitution of th e un iv e rs e as th e sam e ‘

,

things may b e th e means of sa fe ty to th e univ e rs e and to

e v e ry on e through th e c omp l e t e n e ss both of th e things th a t
, ,

a r e possib l e and thos e b y whi c h th e y a r e possibl e but a r e ,

harm ful to th e imp e r fe ct through th eir sp eci fi c lack of har

mony L ik ewis e in th e motion of th e univ e rs e th e r evo lutions
.
,

in l ik e mann e r maint a in ord e r in ev e ry r e sp e ct but som e on e ,

of th e parts is injur e d n ow and th en by anoth e r as we s e e ,

occurri ng in a dance .
*

T o r ep eat th e stat e m ent onc e mor e it is th e natura l t e nd ,

ency of partial a n d incompl e t e things to d e compos e and u n

d e rgo change It is n ot prop e r howev e r to attribut e thi s

.
, ,

p eculiarity to th e unive rsal and primar y caus e s e ith e r as ,

b eing i nh e r ent in th em or a s e x t ending from th em into this

l ow e r r egion .

He nce from consid e rations of su c h a natur e it is d emon

, ,

s tr a te d that n e ith e r th e gods ( of th e p l an e ts ) in th e sky th em

s e lv e s nor th e ir gi fts bring evil
, ,
.

*
woul d be easy to im agin e this as happ enin g in the c as e of
It
th e h un dr ed an d mor e ast eroi ds th at ex ist in th e sp ac e b etw e en th e
,

orbits of th e p l anets M ars an d J upite r or of the c om ets th at so o ft en ,

c om e ru shi ng thro u gh sp ac e .
 RI T ES ,
S Y M B OL S A N D OFF E RI N G S 71

THE G O D S H AVE ON E CO MM ON E S S E NCE

C om e , th en l e t us dispos e of that qu e stion a l so : What is

,
“

th e bond of union that conn e cts th e d iviniti e s in th e sky that ,

have bodi e s with th e go d s that a re unbodi e d ?

,
”

T his also is c l e ar from what has b e e n said a l r e ady F or .

though a s b e ing incorp or e a l int e ll ig ent a n d uni t e d th e y ri d e , ,

upon th e c el e stial sph e re s t h ey hav e th e ir origins in th e r ea l m ,

of mind and compr eh ending the ir e ss e ntial b e ing as divine

*
, ,

th ey gove rn th e who l e sky by on e in finit e en e rgy and although ,

pr e s ent in th e sky as e xisting s e parat e ly th e y conduct th e ,

p e rp e tual r e volu tions b y th e i r solitary wills and a r e th em ,

s e lv e s unmingl e d with s ensation and co ex ist with th e gods

of th e r e alm of M ind .

It is prop e r n ev e rth e l e ss to examin e th e pr e s ent qu e sti on

, ,

thoroughly I stat e th e proposition accor d ingly that th e

.
,

im age s of th e gods whi ch a r e V isibl e ( in th e sky ) a re from

th e d ivin e mo d e ls in th e r e alm of M ind and a r e e ng e nd e r e d ,

around th em ;t and having com e into e xi s t enc e th e y a r e e s

tab l i sh e d in th e s e absolut e l y 1 and b eing e xt end e d to th em , ,

t h e y hav e th e lik en e ss which has b ee n produc e d fr om th e m .

T h e y a r e lik e wis e wrough t into ano t h e r arrang em ent a ft e r

a d i ffe re nt mann e r Th e y a r e h e l d h e r e in c onn e ction with
.

t hos e mo d els in on e stab l e union and th e divin e S pirit u al ,

fo rms which a r e pr e s e nt with th e visibl e bodi e s of th e gods

, ,

e xist s e parat ely b e for e th e m but th e ir no e tic mod el s u n ,

mingl e d and sup e r c el e stial remain p e rman ently by th em

-

s e lv e s all as on e i n th eir e v e rl asting e xaltation

,
.

T h e r e is th e r e for e th e common indissolubl e bond with

, ,

r e fe r enc e to S piritual en e rgi e s but th e re is one als o in th e ,

common p a rticipations of forms S inc e nothing s e parat e s ,

th e s e and th er e is nothi ng int e rv ening b etwe en th em

,
.

B e sid e s th e n on mat e rial and incorpor e al e ss en c e b ein g

,
-
,

S ee Chapt er VI I I .

tD a m ask i os r em arks that th e D ivi n e I nt e ig en c e whi c h eu c om

“
ll
pas s es al l things a ft er the mann er of mo de s , brings th em forth from l
l l
its e f as ik en e ss es ”
.

I Th at is all
,
are bro ught b ac k to th eir so u rce an d r oot ed in th eir
a s
c u e .
 72 ON E COM M ON E S S E N CE
n eith e r part e d b y S pac e s nor by subj e ct bodi e s nor mark e d -
,

o ff b y d elin e ations into s eparat e parts c om e s tog e th e r at onc e , ,

a n d coal e sc e s into an absolut e id e ntit y T h e issuing forth of .

all from th e One th e r e turning again into th e One and th e

, ,

absolut e rul e of th e On e in ev e r y thing e ff e ct th e communion

of th e gods th ems e lv e s in th e C osmic wor l d with thos e that
,

p e e xist in th e r e alm of M ind

r -
.

M or e ov e r th e conve rsion of th e s e condary to th e sup e rior

,

spiritua l b eings and th e b e stowing of th e sam e e ss enc e and

powe r from th e primary to th e s e condary gods ho l ds th eir ,

association indisso l ub l e in on e In r egard to things of a n .

oth e r qu ality as for ex amp l e sou l and bod y and thos e of un

, , ,

l ik e kinds such a s mat e ri al forms and a l so of substanc e s

, ,

which a re in som e oth e r way s eparat e d from e ach oth e r th e ,

natura l union which exists b etwe e n th em both originat e s

, ,

from th e P owe rs abov e and is cast off in cons equ e nc e of th e

l imit e d p e riods of tim e How ev e r fa r w e ma y asc end in r e
.

gard to th e h eight and th e unc hang e abl e sam en e ss of th e di

v i n i ti e s who ar e fi rst as to form a n d e ss enc e and rais e ou r
, ,

s elve s from imp e r fe ct b eings to p e r fe ct by this much th e mor e ,

do we fin d th e union which is s empit e rnal and lik ewis e b eho l d ,

th e s e l f which is prin c ipl e and domin a nt p o ss e ssing dive r *

,

s i ty and multitud e around its e l f and in i t s e l f .

Inasmu ch as th e gods a re all arrang ed as abso l ut el y on e ,

th e primar y and s e conda r y rac e s e v e n th e many that a r e s e l f

,

e xist e nt with th em pr e sid e tog e th e r ov e r th e u niv e r s e as on e

, ,

e v e r y thing in th e m is on e a n d th e fi rst th e int e rm e diat e and

, ,

l owe st rac e s co exist as th e On e its e l f H e nc e in r e sp ect to .

,

th e s e it is of n o u s e to e nquir e wh enc e th e On e is brought into

,

r e ciproca l r elations with th em all for th e s e l f sam e e ss enc e ,

-

t hat is ind e e d in th em is th e on e of th e ir own sub s ta n c e t

In oth er words this a tma n or s el f i s at on c e all r ec eptive and
, , ,
-

al l pro c r e ativ e as having th e joint p ow e rs of pro c r e ation an d pro du c tion

- .

W
,

t e a re th u s brou ght to the c entra l prin c ip l e of th e an c i ent

phil osophy an d worshi p ; that th e many diviniti es are in e ssen c e th e

One S ol e De ity an d c ompris e d in th e P atern al Ca u s e of th e U niv ers e
,
.

Th e Orphi c Carm en in the sam e way in c ul c ated that all th e go ds an d

both th e s exe s are in c l u ded in th e S am e Z eu s Th ey are attri bu t es .
,

or q u a l iti es ,
of th e On e p e r sonal i ti e s rath er than in divi dual s
,
.
 M ODE S OF D I S T I N GU I S H I N G 73

Th e s e condary rac e s not only remain toge th e r in th e unity of

th e primary d iviniti e s but th e primary gods b e stow upon th e
,

s e condar y rac e s th e on en e ss from th ems e lv e s and th ey a ll ,

maintain th e common bond of an indissolubl e rel ationship to

on e anoth e r .

From th e sam e caus e mor e ove r th e gods that a r e entir el y

, ,

incorpor ea l a r e unit ed with th e gods ( in th e sky ) that hav e

bodi e s and a r e p e rc eptibl e to th e s ens e s For th e gods that
“

a re visib l e a r e r e ally outsid e of bodi e s and th e r e for e a r e in ,

th e world of M ind ; and thos e of th e wor l d of M ind through ,

the ir uncondition e d unit y e ncompass th e visibl e diviniti e s

,

within th e ir own substan c e a n d both a re e stab l ish e d by a

,

common un ion an d a singl e e n e rgy In like manne r a l so thi s .

, ,

is charac t e ristic of th e caus e and arrangem e nt of th e g ods ,

a n d for this r e ason this v e ry on e n e ss of th e m al l e x t e n d s from

above to th e ve r y last in th e ord e r of divin e b e ings S up .

pos e howe v e r that this s e ems to b e a stat em e nt to b e doubt e d

, , ,

th e contrary s u pposition that th e r e is nothing of th e ki nd

, ,

w oul d b e matt e r of wond e rm ent .

S o much ma y b e d e clar e d in r e gard to th e bond whi ch

unit e s th e gods that a r e e stablish ed in a mann e r p e rc e ptibl e
,

to th e s ens e s with th e go d s of th e world of M ind

,
.

OT H E R MO D E S OF DI STI N G UI SH I NG
A ft e r this howe ve r thou take st up again th e v e ry qu e s
, ,

tions in r e gard to which th e things which hav e b e en stat ed

alr e ad y wi ll suffice amply for a solution S inc e how eve r as .
, ,

th e sa y ing is it is n e c e ssary to t e l l and e x amin e o ft e n th e

,

thing s which a r e b e auti ful we wil l not pass th e s e matt e rs by

,

as having r ec e iv e d sufii c i ent answ e r but by poun ding away ,

r ep e at e dly with arguments we ma y p e rhaps ge t ou t of them

al l som e compl e t e and important b en efit in true knowl e dge .

F or thou art still in doubt as th e qu e stion shows : ,

“
T h e gods
that a r e visib l e ( in th e Sky ) b eing incl ude d in th e sam e cat e
gory with th e invisibl e what distinguish e s th e d emons from
,

th e visibl e and lik ewis e th e invisibl e gods ?

”
,

B eginning at this starting point I will s et forth th e d if ,

fe r e n c e It is b e caus e th e gods in th e sky a r e unit e d with th e

.
74 D I FF E RE N CE S
gods in th e worl d of Mind and hav e th e sam e id e a o r principl e
,

o f e xist enc e with th e m ; but th e d emons a re fa r distant from

th em in e ss enc e and scarc e ly compar e wi t h th em in an y r e

,

s emblanc e On t his acc o unt th e y a r e distinct from th e visibl e

.

d i v initi e s whil e th e y d i ffe r from th e invisibl e go d s in r egard

,

to th e d i ff e r e nc e of th e ir p e c uliar invisibili t y F or th e d e .

mons a r e ind e e d imp e rc e p t ibl e to sight a n d in no wa y to b e ,

appr eh end e d b y a s ens e ; b u t th e go d s a r e b e y ond th e scop e of

th e knowl e dge and p e rc e ption incid e nt to th e r e a l m of matt e r .

B ecaus e th ey a r e in th e s e r e sp ec ts unknowabl e and invisibl e ,

th ey a r e s o nam ed or it ma y b e in a s e ns e v e ry di ffe r ent in

,

r e sp e ct to th e d emons that th e y a r e d e scrib e d as invisibl e .

What th en d o th e invisibl e gods hav e s o fa r a s th e y a r e i n

, , ,

visibl e which is sup e rior to th e gods th at a r e s een in th e

,

sk y ? N othing at all For th e divin e qualit y what e v e r it may

.
,

b e and what e v e r allotm e nt it ma y hav e poss e ss e s th e sam e

, ,

powe r a n d dominion ov e r all subordinat e things E v e n i f th e y .

we r e visibl e th ey would n ot b e subordin at e to th e invisibl e d e :

m ons and though th ey w e r e to b elong to th e E arth th e y wou l d

, ,

r eign ove r th e d emons of th e air F or n e ith e r th e plac e n or .

th e part of th e world that ma y r e c e iv e it mak e s any ch a n g e ,

in th e S upr em e authorit y of th e gods ; but th e e ntir e e ss enc e

of th e gods indivisibl e and u nchang e abl e which a l l th e ih
, ,

fe r i or rac e s in th e ord e r of natur e r e v e r e in l ik e mann e r r e ,

mains e ve r y wh e r e th e sam e .

S e tting ou t from th e sam e point of b eginning we also fin d ,

anoth e r d i ffe r enc e b etw e e n th em F or th e visibl e and invisi

.

bl e go d s con c e ntrat e in t h ems e lv e s th e wh ol e gov e rnm ent of

e xi sting a ffairs both in r e gard to th e sky a n d wor l d and in r e
, ,

l ation to th e e ntir e invisib l e forc e s of th e univ e rs e But thos e .

that ar e allott e d to authorit y among th e d emons e xt ending it ,

ove r c e rtain pr e scrib e d r egions of th e worl d gov e rn t h e s e , ,

a n d th e ms e lv e s lik ewis e hav e an incompl e t e form o f e ss en c e

and pow e r Th e y a r e e v en in som e mann e r akin and i n s ep a r a

.

b l e from t hos e that a r e gov e rn e d b y th em .

T h e gods how e v e r e v e n thos e that go upon bodi e s as th e ir

, ,

v ehicl e s a r e s eparat e d and div e rs e from th e s e in al l r e sp e c ts

, .

H enc e th e sup e rvising of th e bodi e s brings no sp e ci fic l e s s e n

76 TH E D EEPE R K N OW L E DGE
which we r e s ent down from the C r e ator (Demiurgus ) and
F ath e r of A l l by which a l so th e things of S i l enc e a r e rep re
,

s e nt e d by arcan e symbo l s th e things without fo rm a r e h e l d

,

fi rmly in fo rms th e things which a r e sup e rior to a uv l ik e

,

n e ss a re repr e s ent e d unshap en and e v e rything is a e com,

p l i sh e d by a sol e Divin e C aus e which is so fa r r e mot e from

,

passiv e cond itions that no r e asoning faculty can r e ach to it .

T his fa ct th e r e for e I suppo s e b ecom e s th e caus e wh y

, , ,

many turn awa y to th e multitud e of proj e cts F or men who .

a r e unab l e to acquir e th e d e e p e r knowl e dg e of th e r e asoning s

th ems e lv e s y e t who imagin e th ems e lv e s ab l e are e ntir el y

, ,

carri e d away by th e ir own p e c uliar human emotions and form ,

th eir ju dgm ent of matt e rs r elating to th e gods from t hings

incid e nt to th ems el ve s H ence th ey e rr in two wa y s : b ecaus e
.

th ey fa i l of th e tru e conc ept of d ivin e things ; and b ec aus e

wh en th ey miss th e s e th ey drag th eir notions of th e s e down
,

to th e l e vel of human emotions N e v e rth e l e ss i t ,

ought not to b e suppos e d that th e things which a re p e r forme d

a l ik e to gods and human b eings — such a s acts of homag e , ,

salutations ofi e ri ngs fi r s t fruits are to b e r e gard e d as a ft e r

, ,
-
,

th e sam e plan of a c tion in both cas e s ; but that e a c h is e stab

l i sh e d apart from th e oth e r with r e gard to th e distinction of
—
b e ing mor e honorabl th e on e ven e rat e d as b e ing for th e
e

gods and th e oth e r h el d in l ow e st e em as r e lating to human

conc e rns Thus is giv en a compl et en e ss to passive conditions
.
,

both of thos e d oing homage and thos e to whom it is r end e r ed ,

for th e y a r e human and of a corpor e a l natur e ; but hon o r is

to b e b e stowe d unstintingl y upon th e op e ration of th e oth e rs ,

as b e ing p er fo rm ed through unchanging a dmiration and a

r eve r ent condition of mind b e caus e th ey a re r end e r e d to th e
,

gods .

*
Damaski os r emarks, that we dis c o u rs e aft e r th e
“
manner of men
re sp ec ti ng p rinc ip l e s that exto ll e d as d iv in e
”
are .
 V

T H E S U P E R I OR R A C E S A N D T H E I R
M A N I F E STA T I O N S
 P A RT I I

CH A PTE R V

TH E S UP E RI OR RA CE S A ND T HE IR MANI FE S TA
T I ON S

O
DE M N S A N D H AL F GO D S
- D I VE R S E I N E S S E N CE

This it now b e com e s n e c e ssary to d e scrib e to th ee in wh a t

a d em on di ffe rs from a h e ro or ha l f god and a soul wh ethe r in-
,

e ss e nce in pow e r or in e n e rgy

, ,
.

I say accordingly th a t d emons a re produc e d by th e gene ra

,

tiv e and cr e ativ e pow e rs of th e gods in th e furth e st e x tr em e ,

of emanation and th e last di v isions : but tha t th e h e ro e s o r ha l f

gods have th e ir origin by th e forc e s of l i fe in th e gods ; and

that th e sup e rior and high e st in rank of th e souls a r e brought
to compl e t e n e ss and distinguish e d from th e s e forc e s .

Th e natur e of th e d emons and hal f gods b e ing thus d e riv e d -

from di ffe r e nt sourc e s th e ir e ss e n c e is of n ec e ssity di ffe r e nt

,
.

T hus that of th e d emons is e ffe ctiv e of purpos e s bringing to ,

maturit y th e natur e s about th e world and e x ercising guar d ian ,

ship individually ove r thos e coming into e x i s ten c efi T hat of“

th e h e ro e s is li fe sustaining promotiv e of th e r e asoning fa c

-
,

u l ty and dir e ctiv e of soul s

, .

T h e powe rs l ik ewis e may be d efin e d accordingl y Thos e of .

*
P LA r o—Rep ubli c, X, Ch 1 5 i
T h s is th e b egi n in g of an oth er
.

n
.

l
p e rio d for men of morta ra c e Th e demon wi not rec ei v e you as hav in g
. ll
ll ll
b een a otted to him , but you wi c hoos e the demon ; the c au se is in
him who makes th e c hoi c e ”
.
80.
TH E EGYP T I A N M Y S T E RI E S

th e d e mons p e rtain to coming into e xist e nc e and also to th e

ov e rsight of th e souls a n d o f th e conne ction of th e soul s wi th

th e bo d i e s It is also prop e r to ass i gn to th e h e ro e s pow e r s
.

li fe imparting d ir e ctiv e of human b eings an d s etting fr e e

-
, ,

from th e nativity .

THE E N E RGI E S

It fo ll ows now that th e ir e ne rgi e s sh oul d b e exp l ain e d T hos e .

of th e d emons ma y b e d e scrib e d as b e ing e mplo y e d aroun d th e

wo rld and as e x t end ing g e n e rally among th e things a e c om

p l i s h e d by th e ms e lv e s ; b u t thos e o f th e h e ro e s not only as not
e x t e nding so fa r but as b e ing e ngag e d wi th th e distrib u tion
,

of th e so ul s S o th e r e for e th e s e b e ing e xplaine d th e S oul is

.
, ,

n ex t and ranks as th e en d of th e s e ri e s of divin e b eings Hav

,
.

ing r e ceiv e d from th e s e two race s a sp e ci fic allotm ent of

powers it both a u gm e nts th e apportionment b y oth e r mor e
,

abundant additions from its e l f a n d lik ewis e proj e cts from i t

,

s e l f a t on e time various forms a n d p rincipl e s of li fe which a r e

e ntir e ly d i ff e r e nt a n d at anoth e r tim e still oth e rs
,
T hus mak .

ing u s e Of di ffe rent liv e s an d id e als accor d ing to e ach r egion of

th e worl d it is unit e d with thos e that it lik e s a n d draws awa y
, ,

from thos e from which it may wish to b e s e parat e b e coming ,

assimilat e d to all a n d s e parat e d from th e m by oth e rn e ss In

,
.

this way c hoosing prin c ipl e s aki n both to th e t h ings that a r e

,

s emp e r s i s ten t a n d to thos e that com e into e xist e nc e in tim e it ,

alli e s its e l f to th e gods b y h a r mon i c s of e ss e nc e and pow e r

o t h e r than thos e b y whi c h th e d emons and h al f gods a r e l ik e -

wis e entwin e d with th em T hough poss e ssing i n a l e ss d egr ee

.

than th ey th e ev erlasting condition of similar li fe a n d e n e rgy ,

n eve rth e l e ss through th e good will of th e go d s and th e lumi

,

nanc e impart ed by th eir light it o ft e n go e s high e r and is ex

,

alt e d to a high e r rank e v e n to that of ang e ls I t t h en r ema ins

, .
, ,

no long e r in th e limitations of th e psychal condition but is d e ,

v e l op e d compl e t e l y through its whol e substan c e in t o an ange lic

s ou l and an u n c ont amina t e li fe H enc e mani fe stl y th e S oul , ,

s e ems t o c on t ain in its e l f mani fol d e ss en c e s d i ffe r e nt ration al ,

qualiti e s a n d all m ann e r of i d e aliti e s I f how e v e r we must

, .
, ,
 APPA RI T I ONS 81

sp e ak th e hon e st truth th e c ontingency ex ists that it is alwa y s , ,

l imit e d in r e fe r e nc e to on e particul a r thi ng ; y e t b e ing in com

muni c a ti on with th e C aus e s it is at di ffe re nt tim e s alli e d to di f
fe r e n t on e s .

S o gre at th e r e for e b e ing th e di ffe r e nc e s among th em in all

, ,

th e s e r e sp e cts it is no long e r worth whil e to d isput e in regard

,

to th e particul a r thing whi c h is th e c aus e of di ff e r e n c e among

th em Whatso e v e r natur e th e y e v e ry on e hav e b y that th ey
.
,

a r e to b e d istingu ish e d from th e o th e rs S o fa r also as th e y .

,

f orm on e common so c i e t y to su c h an e xt e nt th e ir c ommon ,

quality may b e c ont emplat e d ; for in this way it will b e p ossibl e

to c ompr e h end wi t hout mistak e a n d to d e fin e distinctly th e ,

vi ew to b e ente rtain e d of th e whol e subj e ct .

E P I PH AN I E S O R APPAR I T I ON S

L et us
pro c e e d to th e E piphani e s or apparitions
n ow

( which a r e s ee n a t th e Initiations ) What is th e di ffe r en c e i n .

th em ? F or t hou putt e st th e qu e stion : What is th e tok e n ( at “

th e S acr e d Rit e s ) of th e pr e s e nc e of a god an ange l or an arch ,

angel or a d emon or of som e archon or a

, , ,

I will th e r efor e in a singl e stat e m ent la y d own th e proposi

, ,

tion that th e apparitions a r e in accord wi th th e ir e ss en c e s ,

powe rs and en e rgi e s F or suc h as th e y a r e a s such d o th e y

.

mani fe st th ems e lv e s to thos e wh o a r e making th e invocations

and th e y not only exhi bit e n e rgi e s and forms which a re char

*
S c utell iu s en u m erat es nin e c ass es of spirit ual b ei ngs , name y : 1 l l .

l G
I nvisib e o d s ; 2 V
isib e o d s of the S ky ; 3
. l G r c hange s ; 4 nge s ; . A l . A l
5. De mons ; 6 L e ad e rs ; 7
. rin c e s ; 8 H e ro e s or D.e mi -
P
go d s ; 9 .
.

l P l
S ou s . l
au in his epist e to th e ph esians enum erat e s the fo owing E ll
1. P rin c es ; 2 u thorit i e s ; 3
. A
Kosmokr ator s or prin c e s of th e COS
.

l
mos ; 4 S piritu a e s s en c e s in th e s up er c e estia sphe r e s D amaski os
.
-
l l .

e n u m e r at e s si x
or ders in th e Cha daean C ategori es, as fo ows : 1 l o ds ll . G
l
th at are p ur e y min d ; 2 The o ds s ubsisting b efor e al l subor d inat e
. G
d ominion ; 3 Ru e rs ; 4
. l
Ar c hang e s ; 5 D iviniti es that are c on n e d
. l . fi
fi l i
to no sp ec i c p ac e or serv c e ; 6 D iviniti e s or g enius e s with sp ec i c . fi
d uti es .
82 MA N I F E S T A T I ON S

a c te r i s ti c thems el v e s but th ey lik ewis e disp l ay th eir own

of ,

particul ar tok e ns In ord e r h oweve r to draw th e distinctions

.
, ,

minut e l y th is is th e explanation : Th e sp e ctra l forms of th e

,

go d s a r e uni form ; thos e of th e d emons a r e dive rsifie d ;

t hos e of th e an g e ls a r e more simpl e in app e a ranc e than thos e
b elonging t o th e d emons but infe rior to thos e of th e gods ; ,

thos e of th e archang e ls appr o ach n e a r e r to th e divine C aus e s ;

thos e of th e arch ons— i f thos e that hav e ch a rge of th e sublu
nary e l eme nts s e em to th e e to b e th e lords of th e worl d — will *

b e di v e rsi fi e d but arrange d in prop e r o rd e r ; but if the y a r e

prince s of th e r egion of M att e r th e y will not onl y b e more ,

d iv e rsi fie d but mu c h mor e imp e r fe ct than th e oth e rs ; and thos e

of th e souls wil l app e ar in e v e ry kind of st y l e .

In th e ( E poptic ) Vision th e figur e s of th e go d s S hin e bril

l i a n tly ;t thos e of th e archange ls a r e a we inspiring and y e t -

g entl e ; thos e of th e ang e ls a r e mild e r ; th o s e of th e d emons ar e

alarming T hos e of th e hal f go d s altho u gh th e s e a r e l e ft out
.
-
,

in y our qu e stion y e t th e r e should b e an answ e r for th e sak e of

,

th e truth b e caus e th e y a r e more g e ntl e than thos e of th e d e

mons Thos e of th e archons a re t e rri fying to th e B eho l d e rs 1
.
,

T hese, the Kosmokrators, ar e s upp ose d by T homas T ay or to be

*
l
l
th e ru ers of th e p an ets Th e l
ssyrians an d Cha daeans en um erat ed
. A l
nin e distinc t or de rs— three T ria ds of thr ee c ass e s e ac h T he rc h l . A
l
ang e s c orrespon d to the sev en Amsh asp an ds of th e oroastri an c ate Z
gory ; an d th e arc h on s of th e sph er e of M atte r appe ar to hav e b een
l
o ften r egar ded as e vi pot en c i es T h e an c i ents, how ev e r, di d not a ways
. l
l
di stingu i sh goo d an d evi q u it e as th e mo derns with th eir e thi c a stan d l
ar ds .

(
J
P r ok l os f o owing ll I am bl i c h u s giv es th s d es c r p tion I n a i
th e i ll
P er fec tive R i tes an d M yst e ri e s , th e go d s proj ec t many sh ap e s of th em
l l
s e ves, and disp ay many c hanging gure s ; th er e wi be a form ess fi ll l
luminan c e ra diating fr om th e m ; th en again it wi be r e pr e s ent e d in ll
a h um an form , an d again it wi go into som e difi erent shape
-
ll ”
S om e .

of th e g u r fi
e s w e r e e mp ou sae a n d n ot go ds , an d e c ited a ar m ; oth ers x l
w ere attrac tiv e , an d oth ers en c o urag ed .

I T h e B e ho l d “
ers ”
e o
p p tce or se ers w er e th e in divi du a l s engaged

We hav e pr es erv ed th i s term un 1

, ,

in b eing initiated or p erfec ted ,

”
.

form l y to avoi d c on fu sing re a ders .

84 AT T H E RI T E S

Th e spirits at th e A utopsia d mons and , th e e ha l f gods f

-
"

both of th em poss e ss b e auty in d e fin e d forms ; but th a t of th e

d emons is s e t forth in wa y s that mak e th e ir e ss en c e distinct ,

and th a t of th e hal f gods d ispla y s a manlik e chara c t e r T h e

- .

fi gur e s of th e archons a r e classi fi e d b y th e two fold d istinction .

F or thos e of th e on e c lass display a b e auty pr e dominant and

s e l f— originat e d ; and thos e of th e oth e r cl a ss e xhi bit an inge n
ious mock repr e s e ntation of a b e au ti ful shap e T h e fi gur e s of
-

th e souls a r e th ems e lv e s arrange d in d e finit e forms but th e s e ,

a r e mor e div e rs e than is th e cas e wi th th e ha l f gods b e ing -

,

mor e parti c ularly circumscrib e d and controlle d by a singl e

i d e al .

I f how e v e r it is n e c e ssary in r egard to t h em a ll that th e y

, ,

sha l l b e d efin e d by a common rul e I say that as ev e ry one of ,

th em all is constitut e d and as it has its own p e culiar natur e , ,

e v e n so do th e y all participat e of th e A bsolut e B e auty accor d

ing to th e e xisting allotm ent .

MAN I F E S T AT I O N S AT THE R I TE S

P roc e e d ingth e re for e to oth e r p e culiariti e s of th e sup e rior

race s we will r emark that in th e S acr e d P e r forman ce s the r e
,

i s with th e go d s an incr e d ibl e c e l e rity a n d al though t h e y the m ,

s elv e s a r e immutabl e and st e ad fast th ey shin e ou t swi fte r ,

than mi nd its e l f But with th e archang el s th e swi ft move

.

*
Th e G
r eek term a utoptic spirits , me aning th ose whic h app ear at ”

th e “
Au tOp si a, ”
P
or erfec tiv e Rite Mr Rob ert Bro wn , Jr , ab y de . . . l
sc rib e s i t T h e c an di dates, or B eho ders, having pass ed the pr e iminary
. l l
l
d is c ip in e as Mystae, are u sh e r ed into th e S ekos, or c hamb er of I ni tiation .

l x
H e r e, deep y e c it ed an d agitat ed by all the y hav e gon e thro ugh , r ea dy
l
to b e i ev e anything an d ev e rything , in that state of abstin en c e, whi c h is ,
or is s u ppose d to be, most fav orab e to th e r ec e p tion of s up ernatu r al l
l i
disp ays , with th e r min d s more or e ss a ffec t ed by d ru gs an d th eir l
l i
who e b eing p erm eat ed w th th e mpression an d e p ec tation Of a re v e a i x l
tion of th e more than mo rta , th ey we re a ow ed to s ee T his is th e l ll .

A u topsia , or ersona P l
insp ec tion , th e Crown of My steries , th e E top tei a,
l
or D ivin e B eho ding, whi c h was u s e d as a synonym to e pre ss th e high e st x
l
e arth y happin e ss , an d h e who e njoy e d it b ec am e an popt e s, or Con E
temp l ator, b eyon d whi c h this wor d c o u d a ffor d h im nothin g
”
l
Grea t l .
—
Di on ys ia k M yth, VI , ii , 3 Compare al s o epis tle of P aul to the C omin
.

thians X I I , 2 4
,
-
.
 THE PE RF E CTI VE RI T E 85

m e nts a rec ommingl e d in som e wa y with th e dramatic p e r

for ma nc e s T hos e of th e ang e ls howe v e r a re conn e ct e d with
.
, ,

a c e rtain moving imp u ls e and tak e part no furth e r in a s imi lar

mann e r in th e P e rfe ctive Rit e by way of sp e aking "
.

With th e d emons th e r e is a show of rapidn e ss in th e P e r

forma n c e s which is mor e than g e nuin e But with th e figure s .

of th e hal f gods th e r e app e ars a c e rtain grandn e ss in th e mo

-
,

ti ons ; n e v e rth el e ss it is n ot possibl e to e ff e c t the s e things ,

whi c h th ey d e sire at th e P e rfe ctive Rit e as qui c kl y as it is for

th e d e mons In th e cas e of thos e of th e archons thos e of th e
.
,

form e r class poss e ssing authorit y e xhibit p e r formanc e s that

,

app e ar h i ghl y cr e d itabl e ; and thos e of th e s e con d class have

more display bu t fall short in r e gard to r e sul ts at th e e nd
, .

Th e figur e s of th e souls a r e s e e n to b e inc e ssantl y in moti on ,

bu t fe ebl e r than in th e ca s e of thos e of th e hal f gods -

.

In addition to th e s e points th e magni tud e of th e appari

,

tions may b e consid e r e d In th e ca s e of th e gods it is di splaye d

.

to such a d e gr e e as som e tim e s to hid e from vi e w th e e ntir e sky ,

th e sun a n d th e moon a n d lik e wis e to mak e it no long e r pos

,

s i b l e for th e e arth to stand fi r m whil e th e y a r e making th e ir

d e s c en t t
Wh e n archangel s app e ar th e r e ,
are c e rtain r egions of th e

*
G ree k To dn or s l s orc a r m dv , to ap otel es ti kon th e pe r fec ti ve ri te
, , .

T he R oman s te rm e d th e c e remonies “
I nitiations , ”
as signi fying th e
b eginnin g of a new l ife , whil e th e G reeks r egar ded it as denotin g a
c omp l eting of th e H e r c ul e an l abors of th e S o u l Th e s ervic es w ere.

c on du c t e d a ft e r th e fo rm of a d ramati c r epr e s entation , an d Cl eme nt

style d th em a c c or dingl y, th e D rama of the Mysteri e s

“ ”
Th e an c i ent .

T h e atr e took its rise from th ese ri te s, as th e M o de rn T h eatre h ad its

o r i gin in th e Myste ry-Pl ays of th e M onks in th e M i ddle A ge s Th e .

A th enian Theatre was a Templ e of Ba c c h u s .

tTh e Cha ldwan Orac les de s c r ibe these sc enic displ ays in v ery sim il ar
t erms :
I f tho u invok ed me o ft e n tho u woul d st b eho l d what thou d e si rest
,

F or th en the c on c av e va ul t of h e ave n doe s not a p p e ar ,

T he stars Shin e n ot th e m oonl ight waste s away

, ,

T h e e arth no m or e stan d s stil l ;

Al l things are to be se en by th e flash es of the l ightnings
”
.
86 LU MI N OS I T Y

wor l d s e t in motion and a di vid e d luminanc e go e s in a dvanc e

,

b e for e th em But th e y th ems e lv e s acc or ding to th e magnitud e

.

of t he ir d ominion d isplay also light in corr e spond e nc e wi th its

d im e nsion Th e an ge li c l uminosit y is v e r y much l e ss and is

.
,

likewis e gr e a t ly d ivi d e d In th e cas e of th e d emons th em

.

s e lv e s i t is s t ill mor e d i ffus e d than with th e ang els and th eir

, ,

magnitu d e is obs e rved to b e n ot alwa y s e qual Th e m a ni fe sta .

t ion of th e hal f go d s is l e ss than t his but it e xhibits mor e of

-
,

pri d e of c ond ition Th e fi gur e s of th e archons that a r e rul e rs

.

of p e r i c o s mi c forms app e ar larg e a n d in d e e d of hug e d ime n

sions bu t thos e t hat a r e distribu t ed ov e r th e r e alm of M att e r

,

e mploy mor e ost e ntation a n d fals e pr e t e n d ing T hos e of th e .

souls d o n ot all s e em e qual an d th e y a pp e ar small e r than th e

,

fi gur e s of th e ha l f go d s In short it is according to th e mag

-
.
,

n i tu d e of th e pow e rs i n e ach of th e S up e rior rac e s a c c ording ,

to th e vas t n e ss of th e d ominion thro u gh whi c h th e y a r e e x

t en d ed a n d in whi c h th ey e x e rcis e au thority a n d acc or d ing to ,

th e d u e proportion i t s e l f t hat th e magnit u d e of th e mani fe sta

,

tions i s graciou sl y e xhibit e d i n e ve ry on e of th em .

A ft e r th e s e e x p lana t ions l e t us d e fin e th e c hara c t e ristics

of th e s e imag e s thu s in d ivi d u all y mani fe s t In th e autop t ic .

visions of th e go d s th e most brilliant s p e c ta c l e s of r e alit y i t

,

s el f a r e to be b e h e l d T h e y n ot onl y shin e st e a d ily b ut th e y

.

a r e plainly visibl e as i f in organi c shap e s T h e imag e s of th e .

ar c hange ls pr e s ent th ems e lv e s to vi e w g enuin e a n d p e r fe ct .

T hos e of th e ang e ls p r e s e rv e th e form its e l f but th e y c om e ,

shor t in th e c ompl e te n e ss of d istin c tiv e t ok ens T hos e of th e .

d e mons a r e s c arc e l y p e rc e ptibl e a n d thos e of th e hal f g ods a r e

,
-

s t ill in fe rior T hos e of th e c osmi c archons a r e c l ear a n d thos e

.
,

of th e ar c hons of th e r e alm Of M att e r a r e i n d is t in c t but both

,

c lass e s s e e m to b e e x e r c ising authorit y T hos e of th e souls .

app e ar lik e m e re sha d ows .

I n lik e mann e r l e t us e x p lain als o in r e gar d to th e l u mi

, ,

n os i ty T h e ima ge s of th e go d s glow wi t h abun d anc e of light

.

a n d thos e of th e archang e ls a r e s u rpassingl y l umin ous .

T h e C ha l dcean Orac l es d isapprov e of invoking th es e mani fe stations

*
.

l A
T ho u sha t not in vok e the u topti c I mag e of B eing, for it is not prop e r
for th ee to s e e th es e things b efor e th e b ody is p e r fec te d, or initiate d ”
.
 F I RE 87

T hos e Of ang els a re re spl end e nt with l ight but th e d emons

th e ,

pr e s e nt th e app e aranc e of smould e ring fi re an d th e hal f gods ,

-

a commingling from man y sour c e s Th e cosmic archons a r e .

r el a t iv e l y mor e pure from such admi xtur e but thos e of th e ,

re a l m of M att e r e xhibit a mingl ing of dissimil ar and inoc h

g r u ou s e l e me nts T.h e S ouls a r e mor e distinctly visibl e f rom
many admixtur e s in th e sph e re of g ene rat e d e xist enc e th e ,

light b e in g suppli e d only by partial gl e ams .

In th e sam e mann e r we will sp e ak furth e r of th e things

whi c h hav e b e e n d iscuss e d Th e Fir e of th e gods shin e s bril
.

li an tl y an un d ivi d e d flam e without soun d a n d it fil ls a l l th e ,

d epths of th e world like a c onfla gr a ti on but not a ft e r th e man ,

n e r of a worl d ly Th e fi r e of th e archang e l is n u
brok en but th e r e is to b e s ee n aroun d it a gr e at mass going b e
,

f or e it or following a ft e r it T h e fi r e of th e ang e ls is disj oin e d

.
,

y et it a pp e ars in v e ry p e r fe c t forms T hat of th e d e mons i s

.

n ot only circumscrib e d into still bri e fe r dim e nsions an d may ,

b e explain e d in a word but it is n ot worthy to b e notic e d b y

,

thos e who a r e cont emplating sp e ctacl e of th e sup e rior b e ings .

T hat of th e hal f go d s contain a ft e r a mann e r th e sam e p e

-

c u l i a r i ti e s but at th e sam e tim e it falls short of an e xact simi

,

l a ri ty to that of th e d emons T hat of th e archons of th e high e r

.

class is obs e r v e d to b e mor e glowing ; but in th e cas e of thos e

b el onging to th e r ealm of M att e r it is d ark e r T hat of th e , .

S ouls th e ms e lv e s e xhibits man y d ivisions and various forms

mingl e d tog e th e r from many of th e nature s around th e worl d .

T o r e p e at : T h e fi r e of th e gods is alwa y s stab l e to th e vi ew

That of th e ar c hang e ls is mil d ; that of th e ang e ls is in c onstant
motion ; that of th e d emons is unstabl e ; that of th e h e ro e s is
for th e most part in swi ft motion ; that of th e archons of th e
fi rst class is mild but that of thos e of th e low e r ord e r is full of
,

l
Th e divin e e ss en c e was an c i ent y de sc rib ed in e v ery r e igi on as fi re,
*
l
an d so th e
“
et e rna l
”
fi re was pr es erv e d in t emp e s an d on a tars , as its l l
symbo lH en c e, th e Cha ldcean Orac l e c omman d s :
.
‘ “
W h en thou sha t l
l V l
b eho d the ery H o y F ire witho ut form , Shining in flash e s d own into
l
th e dep ths of th e wor d, th en ist en to th e l oi c e of th e F ire ”
V oroa st er . Z
at th e Al
tar an d M os e s on M ount S inai ( Deu teronomy I V, 4 ) are de
i
sc r be d as h ea ring th e V
oice of th e S uprem e B eing from s uc h a so u rc e .
88 T H E S P H E RE OF M A TT E R

fluctuation . That of th e soul s change s with innum e rab l e mo

tions .

TH E S UP E R I O R RAC E S AN D M ATTE R

that whi c h op e rat e s to puri fy th e soul s ( from

N e v e rth el e ss ,
imp u ri ty inci d e n t in th e r e alm of g ene rat e d e xist e nc e ) is com
p l e te in th e go d s but is simply ,
o f an e x alting charact e r in th e

a r c hang e ls Th e ang e ls only loos e n th e bon d s whi c h fast e n

.

t h e m to th e sph e r e of matt e r D e mons draw th e m int o th e .

r e alm of n a tu r e j a n d th e hal f gods bring th em down into th e

“ ’ -

provinc e of th e op e rations of th e s e ns e s Th e archons e ith e r .

e ntrust th em with th e c harg e of things p e rtai ni ng to th e cosmic

world or with th e d ominion of thos e b elonging to th e r e alm of

,

matt e r as th e cas e ma y b e S o ul s wh e n th e y appe ar to th e

,
.
,

B e hol d e rs attra c t in som e mann e r downward to th e sph e r e of

,

g en e rate d e xis t e nc e .

A n d furth e r this fa c t is to b e k e pt in vi e w : that e v e r y

, ,

thing of th e visibl e lik ene ss that is pur e a n d stabl e thou shoul d st

a t trib u t e t o th e S up e rior Ra c e s What e v e r of th em is v e r y
.

brillian t and fi rml y fi x e d in its e l f as c rib e to th e gods What ,

.

e v e r is l uminous and n ev e rth e l e ss e xists as b y som e thin g e ls e

than its e l f imput e to th e archange ls ; and what e v e r r e mains

,

in a di ffe re nt form assi gn to th e ang e ls What e ve r is born e .

along as by a br e ez e a n d is n ot stabl y fix e d but is p erm e at e d ,

b y ali e n natur e s all whi c h is c on formabl e to th e infe rior or

,

d e rs is to b e cr e dit e d to som e fore ign so u rc e

, .

T his classi fi cation how e v e r ma y also b e mad e accord ing

, ,

t o th e di ff e r enc e of th e commingling F or with th e d emons .

e manations from th e plan e tar y worlds a r e mingl e d and a r e

borne along unst e adil y by th e motion of th e astral worl d .

With th e hal f gods gro ups of spirits b e l onging to th e d e part

-
,

m ent of g en e rated li fe a r e again mi x e d up around whi c h th ey

*
M in utiu s F el ix
r emarks that th e demons b ear downward by he avy
“

weight an d tu rn from God to mat erial c on d itions

,
”
T h e Cha l dazan Orac le .

a l so says : Wh en b ewit c hing ( ma gn etiz ing ) so ul s th ey a lway s draw

“

th m away from th e S ac re d R ite s

e
”
Mu c h th at is c onsi dere d sp iritu a l
.
,

a n d e v en d ivin e infl u e n c e is Of thi s c hara c t e r .

,
 B E NE FI T S 9

a re a l so th ems e lv e s constantl y in motion The cosmi c arch ons.

likewis e r emain e xhibiting th e cosmic charact e r which they

poss e ss ; but thos e archons that b e l ong to th e r e alm of mat
te r a r e fil l e d with e xhalations of th e mat e ria l r egion .

S ou ls a r e in fe ct e d wi th e x tra ordinary d e fil emen ts and

a li e n spirits With th e s e acc ompanime nts e ach of th e s e ra c e s
.

e xhibits its e l f at th e e piphani e s .

T o th e e it wil l b e no un important e vid e nc e that on th e s e

o c casions th e r e is in th e cas e of th e gods a consuming of mat
te r a l l at onc e as b y light ning With th e archange ls it is d e
.

stro y ed in a short tim e In th e ca s e of th e ange ls th e r e i s a

.

l oos e n i ng a n d l e ading awa y from it With th e d emons th e re

.

i s an arranging of it in an ord e rly mann e r With th e hal f .

gods it is to b e obs erve d that th ey b e com e adapt e d to i t in d u e

m e asur e s and give car e ful att ention to it ing eni ously Th e .

a rcho n s that rul e th e plan e tary worlds a r e plac e d with it as

though th e y w e re sup e rior and so shin e fo rth a s from th em

,

s e lve s ; but thos e of th e r e alm of matt e r e xhibit th ems elve s as

e ntir e ly fil l e d up from matt e r A s for th e soul s thos e also
.
, .

that a re pure mani fe st th ems e lve s outsid e of matt e r bu t thos e ,

of th e O pposit e charact e r a r e e ncompass e d by it .

B E NE F I T S D E R I VE D F RO M I NI TI AT I O N
M or e ov e r , th e b ene fits acquire d from th e mani fe stations ,

a r e n ei th e r a ll a lik e nor do th ey hav e th e sam e fru i ts fi T he

‘
,

advent of th e god impa rts to us h e a l th of body virtu e of sou l , ,

purity of mind and ind ee d to sp e ak to th e point th e l e ading

, , ,

o f e v e rything in us upward to its own fi rst princip l e s It not .

only tak e s away th e co l d and d e structive qualit y in us but it ,

a u gm ents th e vita l warmth and mak e s it mor e pot ent and

p re
dominant It l ikewis e bri ngs ev e r y thing into accord with th e
.

sou l and mind Th e l ight not only shine s in th e m e nt a l con

.

s ti tuti on but it a l so e xhibits that whi c h is n ot body as body

,

to th e eye s of th e soul through thos e of th e body .

*
Th e Chaldwan Grad es h ave this dec l aration F rom th ose de
s c en d in g from the mp yre a E l region s the soul ob tain s the soul nourish -

”
i ng flow er .
90 A DVA N T AGE S
Th e coming of th e archang els lik e wis e brings th e sam e b en
e fi ts but it do e s n ot giv e th e m at all tim e s nor to all p e rsons
, , ,

n or such as a r e su ffi c i e nt or c ompl e t e or that ma y n ot b e tak e n

, ,

a wa y ; nor d o e s th e light shin e in a mann e r e ual to wh a t is

q
b eh e ld at th e mani fe stations of th e gods Th e pr e s e n c e of th e
.

ang e ls disp e ns e s b e ne fi t s as i f making a d istribu tion of t h e m ,

a n d th e e n e rgy through which i t is mani fe st e d c om e s fa r short

of including in its e l f a p e r fe c t light T hat of th e d e mons

.

w eighs d own th e bod y and c hast ens it with dis e as e s drags ,

d own th e soul into th e r e alm of natur e a n d also fails to re

,

mov e from bodi e s th e s ensibilit y born with bo di e s d etains in

,

this r egion thos e wh o w e r e hast ening towar d th e fi r e and d o e s

,

n ot s e t fr e e from th e bon d s of Fat e Th e app e aring of th e

.

hal f go d s is similar in various r e sp e cts to that of th e d emons

-
,

bu t it di ffe rs in this r e sp e ct that it arous e s th e indivi dual to

,

nobl e a n d important d e e ds T h e display of th e cosmic ar c hons

.

at th e au t opsia imparts advantage s of a g en e ral charact e r and

e v e r y thing p e rtaining to th e busin e ss of li fe ; and that of th e

archons of th e r e alm of matt e r ext ends b en efits in c id ent to th e

sph e r e of matt e r a n d su c h works as p e rtain to th e e arth
, .

S till furth e r mor e ov e r th e V ision of th e S o u ls that a r e un c on

, ,

ta mi n a te and e stablish e d in th e ord e r of ang e ls is e l e vating in

its influenc e and salutar y to th e soul I t lik ewis e imparts a
.

sacr e d hop e a n d b e stows thos e b en efits to which a sacr e d hop e

aspir e s But th e Vision of S ouls of a di ffe r e nt qualit y pro
.

duce s a t e nd ency d ownward into th e sph e r e of g e n e rat ed e xist

e nc e corrupts th e fr ui ts of hop e a n d fi lls th e B ehold e rs wi th
, ,

P e rturbations that nai l them fast to corpor ea l conditions .

 CH APT E R VI

TH E OR DE R E X HIBI TE D A T T H E RI TE S
B e sid e s th e r e tak e s p l ac e at th e A utopsi e s an e xhibition
,

of th e ord e r which thos e that a r e b e h e l d car e ful ly maintain , ,

nam e ly :
T hat of th e gods having gods or ange ls around th em
,
.

That of th e archang e ls having ang e ls e ith e r th a t pr e c e d e

,

th em k e e p in lin e with th em or follow a ft e r ; or e ls e b e ing a o

, ,

compani e d by anoth e r c ompany of angel s acting as an e scort .

That of th e ange ls e xhibiting th e p e culiar op e rations of th e

ord e r to which th e y hav e attain e d .

That of th e goo d d emons pr e s enting for c ont emp l ation

th eir own works a n d th e b en efits which th ey b e stow .

T hat of th e av e ngin g d emons disp l aying th e forms of

v e nge anc e .

T hat of oth e r e vil d emons e ncompass e d by hurt ful blood ,

sucking and fie rc e wild

T hat of th e ar c hons ( of th e c osmos ) e x hibiting a l ong with
th ems e lve s c e rtain r e gions of th e univ e rs e .

That of th e oth e r c lass of archons attracting th e disord e r

and discord of th e r e alm of matt e r .

T hat of a soul that is e ntir e a n d n ot h e l d fast in a sp e ci fic

form ; it is b e h el d around th e whol e c osmic r egi on as a fo rm
l e ss fi r e indi c ativ e of th e S oul of th e World e ntir e on e undi
, , , ,

v i d e d a n d without form .

T hat of th e puri fie d sou l ; th e gl owing shap e is s ee n th e ,

*“
S om etim es ,says P otter ,
t erribl e apparition s astonish ed th e
trembl i n g sp ec tators at th e P erfec tiv e R ite s T his was the c ase e v ery
”
.

wh ere I n th e Chal dcean Orac les m ention i s ma de of th es e direful c rea

.
’

ture s Th ey are c al l ed dogs of th e earth

.
“ “
Th y v e ss el ( th e bo dy )
.

th e c hthonian b e asts Sha ll mak e th eir hom e T his imp l i es obs ession
.

a n d e vi l infl u en c e s from th e spirit u a l worl d .

93
94 THE EGYP TI A N M Y S T E RI E S

fire pur e and without mi x tur e T h en a r e s e en its in ne rmost

.

l uminanc e and th e form pure a n d st e a dy ; and it follows a ft e r

,

th e upwar d l e a ding gu i d e r e j o i c ing with h e art y good will and

its el f by its op e r a tions showing its prop e r rank .

T h e soul how e ve r that bows carri e s along with it th e sym

, , ,

bo l s of bonds and punishm ents a nd is not onl y w e ighe d down

,

by groups of s p iri t s b e longi ng to th e r e alm of matt e r but it is ,

also h el d fast by th e an omalous disord e rs inci d ent to that

r e alm a n d th e r e a r e also s een d emons of th e g en e rat iv e ord e r
,

placing th e ir authority dir e ctl y b e for e it .

In short al l th e s e rac e s make th e ir re sp ectiv e ord e rs dul y

distinguishabl e and th ey S how at onc e th e r e gions which hav e
,

fall e n to th em and th e allotm e nts in which th e y abid e T hos e

,
.

that a r e of th e air displa y a erial fire ; th e e arthly on e s a c h th on

ian and d ark e r light and th e cel e stials a mor e sp l en di d lumi
,

nanc e A l l th e s e rac e s a r e distribut e d in th e s e thr e e r egions

.

( th e e arth air and sup e rior h e av e n ) in th e three fo l d ord e r of

,

b eginning int e rm ediary and last ; thos e of th e go d s displaying

,

th e high e s t a n d pur e st caus e s p e rtaining to this thr e e fol d

ord e r ; t hos e of th e ang els b eing r e c kon e d from th e archange ls
thos e of th e demons b eing mani fe st as att e ndant upon th e s e
and thos e of th e hal f gods in lik e manne r min i s tr an t n ot i n
- fi

d e e d a ft e r th e sam e s er vic e s as th e d emons but a ft e r oth e r,

a n d di ffe r ent wa y s of th e ir own T hos e of th e arch ons hav e

.

th e allotm ent which is s e t apart to th e m ; to on e class th e s u

p e r i n ten d e n c e of th e c osmic world and t o th e oth e r that of th e
r e a lm of matt e r T hos e of th e souls a r e class e d as th e l ast of
.

th e sup e rior rac e s .

Hence th e y a ll indicat e th e ir p l ac e s by th ems elv e s ; th e

fi rst cl ass e s having th e fi rst ; th e s e c on d class th e s e cond and ,

th e third cl ass th e third and th e oth e rs a re arrang e d as be

,

longing to som e of th e s e .

O TH E R P H E N OM E N A AT TH E R I TE S
M e anwhil e , th egods b eam forth light to s u ch a d e gree of
thinn e ss that th e bo d il y ey e s a r e n ot abl e to sustain it but a re ,

a ffe ct e d in th e sam e way that fi sh e s a r e wh en th ey a r e drawn

from a muddy and thick flui d into rar e and transpar ent air .
 P H E N OM E N A 95

F or th e men , th e B ehold e rs of th e Divine Fir e not b eing ab l e

to breath e b e c aus e of th e thinn e ss of th e fi r e b e com e en feebl e d ,

as th ey com e to th e sight and a r e e xclu d e d from natural r e s p i

,

r a ti on A rchang e ls also giv e forth a l uminant atmosph e r e

u

which is not en d ura bl e for br e athing ; y e t th ey n eithe r shin e

.

wi t h th e sam e pur e light n or a r e th e y as ov e rpowe ring as th e

,

go d s th eir sup e riors Th e p r e s ence of th e ange ls mak e s th e

.

t emp e ratur e of th e air e ndurabl e so that it is possib l e for th e

,

theurgic pri e sts to approa c h t h em In th e cas e of th e d emons .

th e r e is nothing to a ffe ct th e air and in cons e qu e nce th e a t ,

mosp h e r e aroun d th em d o e s n ot b ec om e mor e t enuous : a lumi

n os i ty d oe s not pr e c e d e th em in which th e ir fo rm mi ght b e
,

com e visibl e from b e ing tak e n a n d fix e d by th e a i r and th e re ,

occurs no radi ation around th em In th e c as e of th e hal f gods.

-
,

c e rtain parts of th e e arth a r e mov e d as by an e arthquak e and ,

nois e s e cho around ; but th e air do e s n ot b e com e at all thinn e r ,

o r un suitabl e for th e th e u rgic pri e sts s o as to r e nd e r it i mp os ,

sibl e for th e m to e ndur e it In r e gard to th e archons wh e th e r

.
,

thos e of th e cosmic worlds or thos e tha t b e long to th e r e alm

of matt e r an ass e mblag e of man y luminous apparitions hard
, ,

to e n d ur e surrounds th em ; but th e r e occurs no att e nuation of

,

th e air su c h as is in c i d e nt to th e supramundan e r egion or to

, ,

th e Zodiacal signs on h i gh fi But with th e mani fe stations of

“

th e souls th e air is e vi d e ntly a ffiliat e d mor e clos el y and b e ing ,

u nit e d to th em r e c e iv e s in its e l f th e ir limita tions .

AC "U I RE ME N T S F R O M TH E S U P E R I O R RAC E S
A c cordingly , at th e last st ag e wh e n th e go d s app e ar th e, ,

disposi t ions of soul of thos e wh o a r e invoking th em r e aliz e a ,

thorough r emoving of p a ssiv e con d itions and th e trans c e n dent

p e r fe ction a n d n ot onl y th e e n e rgy sup e rior in ev e ry r e sp ect
, ,

b u t th e y a l so participat e in divin e l ov e and a tranquil l ity of

mind almost b e y ond e stimation Wh e n th e archang els a r e b e
, .

h e ld th e s e dispositions acquir e a pur e constancy of condition

, ,

*
T h e S u pr em e l m ents
e e ,
d x ga m o zxe ta ,
‘ '

are th e signs of th e
zo di ac whic h c onsti tu ted an
,
important feat u re in th eu rgy as a ll i ed to
astrol ogy .
96 A C "U I RE M E N T S

spiritua l insight and stab l e pow e r A t th e coming of th e .

ange ls into vi ew th ey re c e ive an allotm ent of wi s d om a n d

,

truth a n d lik ewis e of pur e e xc e ll en c e sur e knowl e d ge and

, ,

or d e r in harmon y wi th t h e s e b e stowm ents But wh en th e d e .

mons a r e cont emplat e d th e t en d enci e s tak e on e ag e r d e sire in

e i d e nt to th e sph e r e of g e n e rat e d nat u r e and lik e wis e n ot only ,

acquir e z e al for th e com p l e ting of th e P e r forman c e s a c c o r ding

t o allo tm en t of such e x e r c is e s I f th e r e is a V i ew of th e ha l f
.

go d s t h e n t h ey a r e not onl y born e awa y b y o t h e r su c h impre s

,

sions but also shar e in man y anxi e ti e s of a c hara c t e r r elating

,

to a c ommu nion of souls B u t wh e n th e ar c hons a r e brough t

.

withi n purv i e w th en mov em ents a r e s e t up in th e soul cosmi c

, ,

or s u c h as p e rtain to th e r e alm of matt e r as th e cas e ma y b e , .

A n d with th e visions of th e so u ls th e r e a r e bro u ght into a c

,

ti v i ty th e g e n e rativ e app e tit e s and na t ural soli c itu d e as r e

gard s th e car e of th e bo d i e s and such oth e r matt e rs as r e lat e
to th e s e .

In conn e c tion wi t h th e s e t hin g s th e apparition of th e g ods

,

imparts sin c e rity a n d pow e r a n d lik ewis e s u c c e ss in un d e r

,

takings a n d also gi ft s th e gr e at e st b en e fits ; a n d at th e a pp e ar

,

ing of th e oth e rs e v e r y thing is b e stowe d ab u n d antl y as it ma y

b e consis t e nt with th e rank of th e s e v e ral ord e rs For e x .

ampl e t hat of th e archange ls gi v e s th e p e rc e ption of what is

,

true n ot simpl y in r egar d to all things coll e ctiv el y but d e f

,

i n i tel y in r e lation to S p e c i fi c matt e rs a n d this n ot at all tim e s

,

but o c c asionall y— n ot in d e finit e l y t o all or e v e r y wh e r e b u t ,

singly in a particu lar mann e r or to som e sp e cial p u rpos e s In .

short it d o e s not confe r powe r in lik e mann e r n eith er upon all ,

n or at all tim e s n or e v e rywh e r e but onl y som e tim e s a n d in

, ,

s om e particular way A t th e app e a ring of th e ang e ls t h e re

.
,

a r e still narrow e r l imitations than th e s e i n th e c ircui t in th e

b e stowing of b en efits T h e coming of th e d emons into vi ew

.

do e s n ot impart gi fts good to th e so u l but e ith e r thos e of th e

body or whic h rel at e to th e body T h e s e th e y disp ens e wh e r
.

e v e r th e ord e r o f th e univ e rs e p e rmits A ccor d ing to th e sam e .

c on d itions th e pr e s e nc e of th e hal f gods imparts b en e fi ts o f

,
-

th e s e con d a n d thir d ord e r aiming to acqui r e sup e r v ision c f

,

th e e ntir e polit y of souls but thos e of th e e arth and thos e of

,
 B OA S T F U L S PEE CH 97

th e cosmic re alm A t th e mani fe station of th e archons th e

. ,

cosmic and th e oth e r cl ass th e fo rm e r c on fe r bl e ssings of a

,

cosmi c natur e and thos e of this l i fe ; but thos e of th e infe rio r

rank bring ou t n ot a fe w advant a ge s incid ent to th e realm of
matt e r t h ey e xhibit to th e B ehol d e rs thi ngs which cont ri but e
,

to th e w el far e of human li fe .

T hus we hav e s e t forth particularly th e boons r e c e iv ed

from th e s e sup e rior rac e s accor d ing to th e r e sp e ctiv e or d e r
o f e v e ry on e and hav e lik e wis e mad e a compl et e answ e r to
,

wh a t thou hast ask e d in r egard to matte rs of importanc e in r e

l ation to th e ir a p p e a r i ngs to vi ew S O much th e n l e t us s et .
, ,

f orth r e sp e c ting th e s e subj e cts .

B OA S T FU L S P E E C H A N D D E C E P T I VE I MAG E S
Th e matt e r how e v e r wh i c h thou hast brought to us for a
, ,

d e cisive solution r e sp e cting th e s e sup e rior race s wh e th e r a s ,

thy own opinion or wh eth e r as what thou hast h e ard from

o t h e rs is n e ith e r corr ec t n or rightly e xpr e ss e d T hou say e st :
,
.

“
I t is a comm on thing for th e gods and d e mons alik e and with ,

al l th e S up e ri or ra c e s to sp e ak boast fully an d to proj e ct an

, ,

unre a l image into V i ew ”

.

S uch is n ot th e fact as thou s u p p os e s t For a god an .

,

ang e l and a good d em on (wh en th e y app e ar at th e Rit e s ) giv e

,

instruction fr e e l y to human b e ings in r e gard to th ei r own ,

e ss e nc e but n e v e r in a d di t ion mak e u s e in th e ir t e achings of

, , ,

any ex pr e ssion gr e at e r than th e ir trans c end e nt powe r or i n

h e r e nt good qual i ti e s Fo r t r uth is e ss e ntiall y co exist ent with
.

th e go d s as light is co e xist e nt with th e S un A t th e sam e tim e .

we affi rm that a God is in no want of e x c e l l enc e or a n y virtu e

which can b e add e d to him thr ough wor d s B e sid e s th e ang el s .

and d emons alwa y s r e c e ive truth b e for e hand from th e gods ; *

h e nc e th e y n ev e r say anything e ls e than this B e ing e v e ry .

on e o f th e m p e r fe ct in th e ir e ss e nc e it is not possib l e to add ,

anything mor e to it by praising .

Wh en the r e for e do e s th e untruth ful act of sp e aking

, ,
“

D amaski os a l so dec l ar es th a t
* “
a gen era l distrib uti on tak es p l a c e
from the One Origin of all things, an d Pl ato c a ll s this the T ruth ,
.
98 C OU N T E R F E I T S

boast ful ly m entione d b y th ee take plac e ? Wh en th e re oc

”
,

curs som e e rranc y in th e th e urgi c t e c hniqu e and th e image s ,

which ought to b e at th e A u t opsia a r e n ot but oth e rs o f a d if ,

fe r en t kin d a r e e ncount e r e d th e n th e in fe rior rac e s ass u m e

,

th e gui s e of th e mor e v e n e rabl e or d e rs a n d pr e t en d to b e th e ,

v e ry on e s which th e y a r e c ormte r fe i tin g fi a n d in such cas e s ‘

th ey abandon th ems e lve s to boast ful sp e e ch e s a n d pr e t e nsions

of pow e r which th e y d o not poss e ss F or I think that i f an y .

thing spurious grows out lik e an e x c r e sc e nc e from th e fi rst

b eginning th e re will a gr e at mass of fals e hood flow forth from
,

th e p e rv e rsion It is n e c e ssary th e r efore for th e pri e sts to

.
, ,

l e arn this thoro ughly from th e e ntir e a r rang em e nt among th e

apparitions and b e ing on th eir guard against this th ey can
, ,

d et e ct and r e j ect th e misl e a d ing assumptions of th e s e p r e

t end e rs as n ot b e ing spirits that a r e goo d and tru e .

It is n ot prop e r in th e faith ful judging of things to bring

forward conspi c u ousl y th e e rrors In th e cas e of oth e r .

sci e nc e s o r arts we d o not pass j u dgm e nt from th e failu r e s

t hat ma y have occurr e d in th e m Things th e re for e which .
, ,

through in exp e rtne ss in e vocation a r e hardl y ev e r p e r form e d

quit e s u cc e ss fu l l y in ten tho u sand r e pr e s entati ons thou
sho u ldst not charact e ri z e from th e untoward incid e nts but ,

should e st inst e a d b ri ng to noti c e som e thing di ffe r ent in r e

sp e ct to th e m For tho u gh th e p e r formanc e s at th e s el f r e
.
-

v e aling di s p l ay t a r e such failur e s as thou say e st boast ful and ,

fals e thos e of th e tru e ad epts around th e Fir e a r e both ge n

,

nin e and tru e F or as in r egard to e v e r y thing el s e th e r ulin g

.
,

powe rs b egin fi rst by th ems el ve s and furnish to th ems e l ve s

that which th ey b e stow to oth e rs— as for ex ampl e in e ss enc e
in l i fe in action—s o a l so supp l ying th e truth abundan tly to a ll
, ,

b eings th e y ar e tru e fi rst of a ll in r e sp e ct to th ems el ve s and

,

*
E manuel S w ede nborg, in h i s Memoirs an d Sp i ritual Di a ry, de
s c rib es spirits Of this c har a c t e r .

j Gree k a tw P erh aps thi s r e fe rs to th e fa c t

mp a v ofi g (38 16s
’

al so that at th e fi na l vision witn es sed at th e Pe r fec tive R ite, or Au ton

sia, th e Be hol de r was rev eal ed to h im sel f in th e impression whi c h it ga v e
hi m . Certai nl y Pl ato an d Al kibia de s regar ded it wi th di ffere nt s ent i
meri ts .
1 00 T RUE I N S TI T U T I ON S

On th e contrary th e s e thi ngs a r e not at al l n ec e ssary T h e y .

b e c om e a sourc e of e rror a n d de c eption to thos e wh o b el ie v e ,

and t h e y draw away th e B e hol d e rs from th e ge nuin e knowl

e d g e of th e go d s .What us eful thing do th e y b e stow on thos e
who a r e contempla t ing th e s e thi ngs in th e e p optic vision ?
What pro fi t c an b e d e rive d fro m that whi c h is fals e ? Y et un
.

l e ss divinit y has this natu r e will it proj e ct a phantasm fr om

i t s e l f ? H ow possibly c an a ra c e that is stabl e a n d fi rm l y e s
ta bl i s h e d in its e l f a n d that is th e sourc e of e ss e nc e and that
which is g enuin e c r e ate in an ali e n s e at a d e c ep tiv e c ount e r
, ,

fe it from i t s e l f ? By no m e ans c e rtain l y d o e s a god e ith e r

, ,

trans fo rm hims e l f into phantasms or proj ect th em fr om him

s e l f into oth e r things but h e caus e s to shin e forth fr om him
,

s el f tru e intuitions i n th e tru e moral natu r e of th e sou ls A c .

cor ding to the s e facts th ey also who a c c ompan y th e gods a r e

,

z e alous in r egar d to th e ge nu inen e ss of th e go d s that app e ar

at th e A utopsias .

N e xt how e v e r thou a ffirmes t that it is

, ,
a c ommon thing
for th e gods a n d d emons a n d oth e r ra c e s to mak e lik e n e ss e s
and sp e ak boast full y of th ems e lv e s ”
S uch a mod e of sp e ak
.

ing con foun d s all th e ra c e s o f sup e rior b e ings with e ach oth e r ,

and l e av e s n o di ffe r e nc e b e tw e e n on e and anoth e r F or in this

.

vi ew of th e matt e r all qualiti e s will b e c ommon with th e m and

nothing that is choic e will b e c onc e d e d to th e e xalte d on e s It .

is mor e just th e r e for e to ask b y wa y of d e nial : in what wa y

, ,
“
,

th en will th e race of gods b e sup e rior to that of th e d e mons ?

,
”

But th e fa c t is that th e s e ra c e s hav e n o c ommon p lan e : it is

,

n ot ima ginab l e a n d it is n ot prop e r to argu e from th e l ast and

,

l ow e st rac e s a n d from th e fals e st e ps among th e last rac e s in ,

r e gard to th e fi rst ord e rs a n d th e ge nuin e impr e ssions s e en of

th em A ny on e thus thinking in r e gard to th e s e matt e rs will
.

c om e cl o s e to what is right an d will b e com e acce ptab l e to th e

,

gods .

B E C O M I NG AT ON E W I TH DE I TY

Thou
a l so afli rme st that ignoranc e and d elusion in r e sp e ct
“

to th e gods is irr el igiou sn e ss and impi ety and s ubmi tte s t th e

,

tru e doct rin e in r elation to th e s e things In all this th e r e is

.
 T H E RU GI C U NI ON 10 1

no conflict of s e ntim ent but it is con fe ss e d by all a l ike F or

,
.

who wi ll not agr ee that th e sup e rior knowl e dge whi c h is pos
s e ss e d of r e a l b e ing is most c l o s el y a flil i a ted to th e gods but ,

tha t th e condition of n ot knowing falls in fin it e ly fa r away from

th e di vin e caus e s of tru e id e als sinking d own to non b e ing ?
,
-

A s howe ve r th e r e has not e nough b ee n said upon thi s matt e r

, , ,

I wi ll a d d what is w a nting ; and b ec aus e th y stat em e nt is mad e

in a philosophic a nd lo gi cal manne r rath e r than acc or d ing to
th e working t e chniqu e of th e pri e sts I think it n e c e ssary to ,

say som e thing of a mor e the urgic charact e r in r e gard to th e s e

matt e rs .

B e it s o that “
not kno wing and d el usion a r e discord and
-

impi e ty ”
. It do e s not fell ow on this account that th e o ffe rings
a n d invocations which a r e mad e particularl y to th e gods and
,

also th e Divin e P e rfo rmance s a r e th e re b y ma d e falla c i e s For .

it is not th e conc ept that unit e s th e th e urgi c pri e sts to th e

go d s : e ls e what is th e r e to hind e r thos e wh o pursu e phi l o
sophic sp e culation cont emp l ativ e ly from h a ving th e th e urgic
,

union to th e go d s ? N ow how ev e r in actua l tru th this is not

, , ,

th e c as e . On th e oth e r hand it is th e compl e t e ful filling of th e

,

arcan e p e r formanc e s th e carr y ing of th e m thro ugh in a man

,

n e r worthy of th e go d s and surpassing all c onc e ption and l ik e

,

wis e th e powe r of th e voi c e l e ss symbols which a re p e rc e ive d

b y th e gods alon e that e stablish th e T h e urgi c U nion H e nc e
, .

we do not e ffe ct th es e things by think ingfi “

*
H ere Abammon mak es a n ew dep art u r e in th e N ew Pl aton i c
phil osophy P l otin os an d P orphyry h ad taught a syst em of do c trin e
.

ana l ogou s to th e l ater P ersian s c h em e, with th e A bs olute One at th e

s u mmit , from whom pro c eeded by emanation , th e Ove r M in d, the U ni -

ve rsal S o ul, an d N atu r e To this A bsol ute, th ere might, by phil osophi c
.

d is c ip l in e , c ont emp l ation an d e c stasy, be attain e d for bri ef p erio d s , th e

e nosis or intim a te u nion I amblic h os, h ow ev e r, s eems to d is c ar d thi s
.

do c t ri n e wi th its the ory of impassiven e ss, an d to mak e the u rgi c or

sa c er dotal virtu es the c on dition of exc ellen c e by whic h the d iv i n e part
of th e S o ul ex a l ts its el f e v e n above th e Ov e r-M in d, a n d b ec ome s at on e

Wi th th e A b so l u te H en c e h e in c u lc ate d th e u ti l ity of r el igi ou s rite s an d

.

initiations as exp l aine d in th e rep l y of Ab ammon H e was fo ll owe d in

.

this p ath by E un ap i os, Syri an os an d by P rokl os, the great l ight of th e

l at er philosophy .
1 02 TH E EGYP T I A N M Y S T E RI E S

For thus th e spiritual en e rg y will b e of th e s e things and ,

imp art e d fr om ours e lv e s ; n eith e r of whi c h s u ppositions is

tru e F or e v en wh en we a r e n ot r e vo l ving th e s e thin gs in
.

mind th e sacr e d embl ems th ems e lv e s a r e acc omplishing th e ir

own work and th e in e ffabl e pow e r of th e go d s to whom th e s e
,

embl e ms b e lo n g r e c o gni z e s of its e l f its own lik en e ss e s

,
T his .
,

howev e r is n ot from having b e e n arous e d by ou r int e lligen c e ;

,

for it is n ot in th e na t u r e of things t hat thos e that e ncompass

shoul d b e s e t in mo t ion b y thos e that a r e encompass e d n or ,

t hi ngs that a r e p e rfe ct b y thos e that a r e imp e r fec t n or whol e s ,

by parts H e nc e th e d ivin e c aus e s a r e n ot c all e d forth b e

.
,

forehand into O p e ration b y ou r acts of thinking ; n e v e rth e l e s s

it is n ec e ssar y to acknowl ed g e th e s e and also all th e b e st con
di ti on s of th e soul a n d th e p u rit y p ertaini n g to us as c e rtain
,

join t c a u s e s b e for e e xisting Y e t th e things whi c h arous e th e

.

divin e will as b y a u thorit y a r e th e d ivin e count e rsigns th e m

s e lve s T hus th e a c tivi t i e s of th e go d s a r e s e t in motion by
.

th ems elve s a n d d o n ot r e c e iv e into th ems e lv e s from an in fe rior

sour c e an y prin c ipl e of th eir c haract e ristic e n e rgy .

I have p rolong e d this d is c ussion to this e xt ent in ord e r t hat

thou ma y s t n ot b e l e d to think that all c ommand of th e op e ra
tion in th e Th e urgic Rit e s is from us and that thou ma y st n ot ,

suppos e that th e g enuin en e s s of th e s e p er formance s is actually

r e gulat ed by conditions in ou r a c ts of thinking o r that th ey ,

a r e ma d e fals e b y d e c e ption F or altho u gh we ma y know th e

.

p e culiariti e s whi c h a r e in c i d ent to e ach rac e of th e sup e rior b e

ings we ma y fail to hit up on th e tru th in r egard to th ei r O pe r a
,

tions Y e t without this knowl e dg e th e m y stic union n ev er

.

tak e s plac e ; n ev e rth e l e ss th e uni on and th e kn owl e dge a r e by

n o m e ans th e sam e thing S o th e d ivin e purit y is in no s e ns e
.
,

by m e ans of th e right knowl ed g e as th a t of th e bod y is n ot

,

through h e al th ; but on th e o th e r hand it is mor e c ompl e t ely

on e and mor e pur e than knowl e dg e N othing th e r e for e of
.
, ,

such qualiti e s in us or an y thi ng whate ve r that is human h elps

, ,

i n an y way to th e a c comp lis h m e nt of th e d ivin e e x e r c is e s .

A c c e pt this acc or d ingl y whi c h in d e e d is sai d in a ddi ti on

but is a suffic i ent r e pl y to t hy whol e c on c e ption in r egar d to
t echniqu e of Th eu rgy But thos e stat em e nts of thin e hav e th e
.
 V II

O R I G I N O F T H E A R T O F D I V I N A T I ON .
1 08 TH E E GYP T I A N MY S T E RI E S

e ve ry day li fe Its e ntir e validity p e rtains to th e gods and

-
.
,

is con fe rr e d by th e go d s It is p e rfe ct ed b y th e divin e P e r

.

forman c e s and symbols a n d th e r e a r e like wis e divin e s p e c ta

,

cl e s and l e arn e d th e or ems Al l oth e r things a r e s ubj e ct as .

instrum entaliti e s for th e gi ft of for e knowl e d g e whi c h has b e e n

transmitt e d from th e gods T h e s e includ e both such as r elat e .

to ou r soul and bo dy and such as a r e inh e r ent in th e natu r e

of e v e r y thing or in th e indivi d ual natur e s of e v e ry on e S om e .

things how ev e r a r e subordinat e b efor e hand as b e ing in th e

, , ,

r e alm of M att e r ; such for e xampl e as place s or oth e r things

, , ,

o f a lik e charact e r .

I f how e v e r an y on e thinking that h e is sa y ing som e thing

, ,

e rudit e S hall r e fus e to consi d e r th e primary caus e s but shall *

, ,

attribut e th e art and facult y of divining to op e rations of an

in fe rior c haract e r such as to th e activiti e s of bodi e s or
, ,

change s of c onditions or to di ffe r ent mov em ents or O p e rations

,

of human li fe or to r e asons of a psychic or ph y sical natur e ;

,

or i f h e shall argu e f rom th e corr e spon d e nc e of th e s e things

to oth e rs as b e in g ca u s e s pr e s u ming that h e is s e tting for t h

,

what is tru e h e has gon e e ntir el y wrong t On th e contrary

, .
,

The Ca u s e s are to be un derstoo d to be d iv n e b eing s

*
ato an d i . Pl
l
the S toi c phi osoph e rs reg ar d ed th e art or fac u ty of divination as in c ite d l
by a divin e raptu re or enthu siasm, an d an im partin g of divine know e dge l
t o h u man b e ings l
T h ey a so b e ie ve d that th er e w e r e d ivin e d r e am s
. l .

X enoph ane s, how eve r, was a d isb e i e v e r, an d ythagoras r ej ec t ed al l l P

forms of d ivi nation by sa c rifi c e s S trato ta u ght that th e no e ti c fa c u ti es
. l
are a c tiv e in s e ep l Pl
u tar c h e p ain s that wh e n th e imaginativ e p art
. x l
l
of th e sou an d th e divin e efflux are in ac c or d, th ere is a manti c inspira

tion Th e bo dy, h e insists, i s som etim es natu ra y en du ed with th e

. ll
l
fa c u ty of d ivining ; an d in oth er c as e s, this fa c ul ty may be set in op era
x
t i on by e tern al and arti c ia me ans fi l .

ll
Abamm on , as wi be not ed, deni e s that th e sex of th e s eer or ec static
l
is an e s sentia in the te c hniq u e of d ivin ation Th e ora c e at D e phi was . l l
serv ed by virgin att en dants, and th e S hrin e s in oth e r p ac es by pe rsons l
l
of som e parti c u ar age, an d i n a p ec u i ar st at e of a ie nation pro du c ed l l
i i l
by fast n g, m e sme r c app ic ations, an aesthe sia or oth er arti c ia m e ans fi l .

J
[Ari stotl e imp ut ed th e divining fa c ul ty to a m el an c hol i c t emp era
m ent ; othe rs to an in hal in g of c ertain vapors or gas e s an d oth e rs to a ,

vari ety Of c a us es Abammon in s ub seq uent c h apte rs treats Of the se

. .

Pl ato des c rib es priest s Skilled in divin ing as th e int erp reters of th e
“

d ivinity to men ” .
 ORI G I N OF T H E ART OF D I V I N A TI ON 109

th e ght goal and th e on e princip l e in r e lation to all th e s e

on e ri ,

matt e rs will b e foun d to b e : that in n o c as e do we d e riv e th e

,

divi nation of th e futur e from any of thos e things that hav e no

for eknowl e dg e in th e ms e lv e s but that we shall c ont emp l at e
,

th e mantic pow e r whi c h is apportion e d ov e r all th e world and

to all th e natur e s distribut e d th e r e in from th e go d s who p os
s e ss in th ems elv e s th e e ntir e compass of th e knowl e dge of th e
things that hav e a b eing For such a caus e is not only primal
.
,

and in th e fu ll e st s ens e univ e rsal but it also contains in its e l f

, , ,

primari ly what e v e r it imparts to thos e that parti c ipat e of it ;

and it e sp e ciall y b e stows th e tru e knowl e dge whi c h th e divin
ing art r e quir e s It lik ewi s e compr eh ends b e forehand th e e s
.

s enc e and caus e of th e t hings about to tak e plac e fro m whi c h , ,

of n e c e ssity th e attaining of f or eknowl e dg e com e s unc e as

,

i ngl y .

such th e r e for e b e th e prin c ip l e gen e ra ll y not onl y in

L et , , ,

r el ation to al l divining from which it is practicab l e to fin d ou t

by th e mod e of th e sup erior knowing all th e forms of it but ,

l e t us also now tak e it in turn fol l owing ou t th e qu e stions ,

which thou hast propos e d .

D I VI N AT I O N B Y D RE AM S .

In regard to d ivining in sl eep thou r ema rk es t as follows

Wh e n we a r e asl ee p we O ft en c om e through d r e ams to a , ,

p e rc e ption of thi ngs that a r e about to occur We a r e n ot in .

an e cstas y fu ll of commotion for th e body li e s at r e st ; y et we

, ,

do not ours elve s appreh end th e s e things as cl e arly as wh e n we

are

The s e
thin gs of which thou sp e ak e st a r e likel y to tak e pla c e
in h um an d re ams a nd in thos e s e t in motion by th e soul or b y
ou r own thoughts or b y discours e or such things as aris e from
, ,

*
We re m in de d of Campb ell s v erse
ar e
’

C oming e v ents c ast th eir sha d ow s b e for e Th e p erson whos e

“
.

fa c ul ti e s are ac u te th us p e rc e iv e s th em Plut arc h defi ne s th e matter

.

as fo ll ows Th e divin ing fa c u l ty wh en it has d rawn its elf farth est

“

from the pr es ent tou c h e s on that whi c h is to c ome ; an d it with d raws

,

itself from this by a c ertain di sp o sition of bo dy by whi c h that stat e is ,

pro duce d wh ic h we c all I nspiration or E nthu siasm ”

.
1 10 DR EA M S
phantasi e s or daily care s T he s e are som e tim e s true and .

som e t im e s fa l s e ; th ey som e tim e s hit upon actua l fact but th ey ,

g o man y time s wi d e of th e mark

, , .

T h e dr e ams howe v e r whi ch a r e t e rm e d G od s e nt do

” “ -
. , ,

n ot hav e th eir or i g i n i n th e wa y whi c h thou d e s c r ib e s t On .

th e con t rar y e ith e r wh en sl e e p is l e aving us a n d we a r e b e gin

,

ning to awak e it happ ens that we h e ar a bri e f expr e ssion in

,

r e gar d to t hings to b e don e ; or it may b e that th e voic e s a r e

h e ar d du ring th e p e rio d b etw e e n b e ing awak e and asl eep or ,

wh en we hav e b e c om e e ntir e l y awake S om e tim e s als o an .

, ,

invisibl e and unbo d i e d spirit encompass e s th e r e cumb ent p e r

sons in a circl e so as n ot to com e to th e sight of th e individual
, ,

but to b e pre s ent in anoth e r j oint s e nsation and und e rstand

ing It mak e s a rustling sound wh e n thus coming in a n d also
.
,

d i ffus e s its e lf in e v e ry dir e ction without pro du c ing any s e ns e ,

o f c onta c t ; a n d it lik ewis e ac c omplish e s wond e rfu l r e sults in

s e tting fre e from ill conditions of th e soul and also of th e

bo d y A t oth e r tim e s how ev e r a light b e aming for t h bright
.
, ,

a n d so ft th e sight of th e e y e s is not only h e l d f ast but it

, ,

r emains so e v e n wh e n th e y had b e en wid e op en b e for e But .

th e o th e r s e ns e s continu e awak e and a r e j ointly conscio u s to ,

a c e rtain d e gr ee as to how th e gods a r e visibl e in th e light .

H e nc e th e in d ivi duals both h e ar what th e y say and following , ,

with th e thought know what th e y do Of cours e this is p e r

, .
,

c e i v e d mor e p e r fe ctl y wh e n th e e y e s a r e looking att e ntiv e l y ,

and th e min d b eing in fu ll vigor und e rstan d s th e things which

, ,

a r e p e r form e d and th e mov e m ent of th e B e hol d e rs is lik ewis e

,

in Th e s e t h e r e for e b e ing so man y a n d so di ff e r

, ,

e n t a r e in nothing l ik e hum an d r e ams

, On th e c ontrar y not .
,

only a r e th e p eculiar wak e ful condition th e hol ding of th e ,

sight th e s e izur e r e s embling torpor ( catal epsis ) th e con d i t ion

, ,

b e tw e e n sl e e p and awake and th e r e c ent awaking or e ntire

,

wa ke fuln e ss al l of th em divin e and accordant with th e r ec eiv

, ,

*
i l i
This i s s m i ar n many r esp ec ts to th e vision of the proph et
l
B a a am ( N u mber s XX I , 1 5, , V
Ba aam th e son of B eor saith l
l
th e man b eho d in g what is goo d an d tr ue, saith : H ear ng the ora c u ar i l
u tt e r an c e s of God appr eh en ding su p e rio r know edge from the M os t H gh
,
l i
—B eho di ng th e vision of God i n s eep hav ng his ey e s uns ea ed ”
l l i l .
,
1 12 M I N D AN D S OU L

or divine which is th e sam e or onl y one e xisting individually

, ,

by its e l f i s awak ened in us and puts forth its e ne rgy according

,

to its own n a tur e .

D I S TI N C T PR O VI N C E S OF T H E MI N D AN D S O UL .

S inc e ,th e r e for e th e mind c ont emplat e s th e things that

,

hav e r e al b eing but th e soul encompass e s in its e l f th e prin

,

c i p l e s of all things that e x ist in th e sph e r e of g e n e rat e d e xist

e n c e it follows of cours e that answ e ring to th e caus e whi c h

, , , ,

compr eh e nds futur e ev ents it prognosticat e s th em as ar , ,

rang e d b y th e ir ant e c e d ent principl e s B e sid e s how e v e r .

, ,

wh e n i t joins togeth e r th e d ivi d e d s e ctions of li fe and spiritual

e n e r gy in th e whol e s ( d ivin e e ss e n c e s ) fro m whi c h th e y w e r e

taken it cr e at e s a mor e p e r fe c t art of divining than this For

, .

it is th e n fi ll e d from th e who l e s with e ve ry kind of knowl e d ge ,

a nd thus most fr e qu en t ly attains to tru e conc eption in r e gard

to th e ev e nts which a r e taking plac e in th e world N ev e r th e .

l e ss wh en i t is unit e d to th e gods through such lib e ra t e d

,

e n e rgy it r e c e iv e s on th e instant abun d anc e s of p e r c e ptions

,

absolut e ly g e nuin e from which it gi v e s forth th e tru e ora c u lar

,

solution of divin e dr e ams and th e nce forth e stablish e s th e ,

absolut ely g enuine principl e s of k nowl ed ge I f on th e oth e r .

,

hand th e soul in te rbl end s its spiritual and divin e natur e with
,

th e sup e rior b e ings its m ental imag e s wil l th e n b e mor e pur e

,

and unallo y e d wh eth e r in r e sp ec t to th e go d s or in r e lation

,

to b e ings e ss e ntially incorpor e al or to sp e ak in simpl e t e rms , ,

in r e sp e ct to whatso ev e r c ontrib u t e s to th e truth that whi c h ,

r el at e s to th e world of mind I f howeve r it e x alts th e notions .

, ,

of things p e rtaining to th e world of cr e ation to th e gods th e ir ,

caus e s it re c e iv e s from th em in addition a pow e r and a

, , ,

capa c ity of knowing whi c h r e asons int e lligently both of things

that w e r e a n d things th a t will b e It n ot only take s a vi ew .
*

of e v e ry p e rio d of tim e and e xamin e s e v e nts that a r e to tak e

,

pla c e in th e p e riod but it lik ewis e participat e s in th e a r ra n g

,

ing managem ent a nd corr e cting of th em It n ot onl y h e als

,
.

N oth ing r esemb l e s death m or e than

*
l p
S ee ,says Xe nophon
”
In .
“

sl eep the so ul r ev eal s he r divin e q u al ity, an d b eing th en set free from

the bodv she b eho l d s the fu t u r e ”
.
 D I S COVE RI E S 113

dis e as e d bodi e s but a l so r e stor e s to ord e r many things among

,
*

me n which we r e d iscordant and disord e rl y It als o giv e s forth .

d is c ov e ri e s of arts prop e r r e gu l ations f or th e administ e ring

,

of l aw and institutions of customs

,
T hus in th e t emp l e s of .
,

A skl epios n ot only a r e dis e as e s brought to an en d by dr e ams

,

of divin e origin but through mani fe stations by night th e m e di

,

ca l art is combin e d with th e sacred v i si on s t .

Th e e ntir e a rmy of A l e x an d e r was sav e d wh e n in immi

n ent dange r of b e ing d e stroy e d in th e night Dion y sos ( B a c ,

chus ) app e aring in a dre am and indicating th e way to b e d el iv

e r e d from d e sp e rat e c al a mi ti e s t A p h uti s lik e wis e wh e n it , ,

was b e si e ge d by K ing L y san d e r was sav e d through dre ams ,

s ent from Am u n ; h e with d rawing his troops at th e short e st

notic e a n d raising th e si e g e without d e la y § .

Y e t why is it n e c e ssar y to r e fe r sp e ci fi c ally to ev e nts whi ch

occur dai l y and exh ibit an en e rgy sup e rior to S p e e ch ? Th e s e
,

*
P hysi c ians oth ers having th e c ar e of the si c k hav e b een in debt ed
and

to dreams for the dis c ov e ry of many reme die s S uc h is th e te stimony of .

Ci ce ro D io d oros Pl u tarc h an d oth ers I ntu itive su gge stion al so prompts

, ,
.

to th e em p l oying of th e prop er r em e dia l m eas u r es .

tA s kl ep i os or ZEs c u l a p i u s th e patron god of the m edic a l art was

, ,

c al l e d On ei r op omp os or s en de r of d r e ams T he re w e r e Sl eep ho u s e s at

.
-

hi s va ri o u s t emp l es in whi c h in c u bation or m esm erism was e mp l oy ed

“
,
”
.

Th e d re ams whi c h w ere th u s proc ured w ere interpre t e d by th e proph ets

or m anti c pri e sts an d th e r em e di e s s u gg e st e d i f fo u n d va lu ab l e b ec am e
,

a part of th e pharm a c op oeia The name s of Ch e iron J ason Me deia

.
, , ,

s eem to refer to this pra c tic e Ar i ste i des in th e r eign of th e A nt on in e s

.
, ,

g ive s a very full ac c oun t of th i s matter .

I P l u ta r c h an d A rr i an stat e that wh e n A le x an d e r on h i s r e t u rn from

I n dia p ass ed throu gh Ged rosi a his a rmy su flere d fro m famin e an d di s
,

e as e T he mort al ity was pro digio u s an d it r eq u ir ed al l th e en er gy of

We
.

th e king to bring f o rwar d th e su rvivors ou t of th e tra c k l ess de s ert .

h av e n o a c c o unt of th e in terposition of th e divin ity but a fter arr iving , ,

in Karamani a an orgy or festiva l of se v en days was c el ebrate d in his

,

hono r .

§ p
A h u ti s or A h
p y ti s was a c ity of th e p en ins ul a o f P all en e or P hl egr a

on th e g ulf of S a l oni ki P aus an ias an d Plutarc h t ell th e st ory that

.

Lys an der the K ing of S p arta was warn ed by a dr eam to aban don h i s
, ,
p urpose of investing the c ity an d a te mp l e to th e god Amun was bmlt
an d dedic ate d .
1 14 TO KE NS
things th e r e for e which hav e b een s et forth in r elation to
, ,

d ivination from th e go d s during sl e e p both as to what it is ,

and th e b en e fit which it a ffords to human b eings a re c e rtainly ,

e nough .

T O KEN S O F G E N U I NE P O S S E SS I O N .

A nd th en t hou a fli rme s t as follows In like mann e r ,

many also com e to a p e r c e p t ion of th e futur e through e n th u s i

as t i o raptur e an d a divin e impuls e wh en at th e sam e tim e so ,

thoroughl y awak e as to hav e th e s ens e s in full activity N ev e r .

th el e s s th ey by no m e ans follow th e matt e r c l os e ly or at l e ast

, ,

t h e y do not att end to it as clos ely as wh en in th e ir ordinary

condition ”
.

Right h e r e I wish t o S how th e tok ens in th e s e occu rr ence s

‘

of th os e wh o a r e r e all y poss e ss e d b y th e go d s F or th ey hav e .

e i t h e r plac e d th e ir whol e li fe at th e d isposal as a v e hicl e or

o rgan for th e inspiring gods or th e y e x c hang e th e human for ,

th e d ivin e li fe or e ls e th e y c arr y on t h e ir own li fe in r e fe r e nc e

,

t o th e divinit y T h e y a r e n ot a c ting b y s e ns e n or a r e th e y
.
,

wa t ch ful as t hos e whos e s ens e s a r e arous e d to gr e at e r a c ut e

n e ss n or d o t h ey a t t empt th e stud y of th e fu tur e n or a r e th e y
, ,

mov e d as thos e wh o a r e activ e from imp u ls e On th e oth e r .

han d th e y d o not un d e rstand th ems elv e s e i t h e r as th e y w e r e

, ,

form e rl y or in an y o t h e r wa y ; n or in short d o th e y e x e r c is e , ,

th e ir own in t ellige nc e for t h ems e lv e s n or d o th e y put forth ,

any sup erior knowl e dg e of th eir own .

Th e chi e f tok e n may b e addu c e d as follows : M any through ,

the divin e a dl a t us a r e n ot burn e d wh e n brought to th e fi r e nor

, ,

wh en th e fi r e tou c h e s th em M any also wh o a r e burn e d d o

.
, , ,

not p e rc e iv e it b e caus e in this c as e th e y a r e n ot living th e li fe

,

of an animal S om e also who a r e pi e r c e d with spits d o not

.
, ,

fee l it ; and oth e rs who hav e b e en struck on th e shoul d e rs with

ax e s and oth e rs sti l l whos e arms a r e cut wi th kniv e fi do n ot “
,
fi
This i s prob ab l y an all u sion to th e m u ti l ations p ra c ti c e d at Rite s
*

l ike th e orgi es of th e G r eat M oth er S imi lar s u sp ensions of sensibi lity

.

are r ep ort ed in c as e s of b u rning a l ive an d th e tort u r es infli c t e d u pon

rel igio u s devotee s Th e e nthu siasm or m ental ec sta sy ov er c om e s the

.

c orpor ea l s ensation .
1 16 S EE I N G T H E S P I RI T

body a l so is s ee n l i ft e d up or incre as e d in siz e or born e along

, ,

rais ed up in th e air or th e r e app e ar occ urre nc e s in r e lation

,
*

to it th e contrary of th e s e T h e re is lik ewis e to b e obs e rv e d

.

an eve nn e ss of voic e according to ex t ent or with many d evi a ,

tions with int e rvals of sil e nce and irr e gulariti e s A gain som e .
,

tim e s th e sounds a r e augm ent e d or r elax e d a ft e r th e rul e s of

,

music and som etim e s a ft e r anoth e r manne r

, .

D E S C EN T OF T H E D I V I NE S P I R I T AN D F I RE .

Theprincipal thing in th e e voking of a spirit is that th e

spirit is s e en coming do wn and e nt e ring into an individual ,

also its importanc e and kind and h e is m y stically p e rsuad e d ,

and gov e rn e d by it Th e form of fi r e is s e en by th e r e cipi e nt

.

b efor e th e r e ce iving of th e spirit and som e tim e s e ith e r wh e n , ,

th e god is d e sc en d ing or wh e n h e is withdrawing hi ms e l f it ,

b e come s visibl e to all th e B eh ol d er s t From thi s mani fe sta

tion th e sign of th e god which is th e most genuine th e most ,

pot e nt and most p e r fe ctly ord e re d b ec om e s kn own to a c e r

, ,

ta in tV and it is not on l y prop e r to proclaim what is t r ue i n

°

*
E ugen e S al v erte in his work on the P hi losop hy of M agi c
M .
“ ”
re
marks that in spit e of th eir mast er s ass ertion s to th e c ontra ry ’
,
“
th e
e nth u siasti c di sc ip le s of I ambl i c h os a ffi rmed that wh en h e pray e d he was
raise d to th e h eight of ten c u bits from the gro un d ; an d dup es to th e
sam e m etaphor a lthough Christians hav e h ad the Simpl ic ity t o attrib u te
, ,

a simil ar mira c l e to S t Cl are an d S t F ranc i s of A ssisi

.
”
. .

Cal me t m entions “
s ev er al instanc e s of p e rsons full of rel igion an d
p iety who in th e fe rvor of the ir visions hav e b ee n taken u p int o th e
, , ,

a i r an d r emai ne d th er e som e time

”
H e a d ds that he pe r sonall y k ne w
.

a man to whom this o c c urred Loyol a the foun der of th e Jes u its it is
.
, ,

sai d was rais ed up from th e grou n d to the h eight of two feet wh il e

,
“
,

his b ody sh on e l ike l ight ”

S avonaro l a who was b u rn ed at th e stak e
.
, ,

on e p e rson dec l ar e s was see n to r ema in su spe n ded at a consi de rab l e

,

height from the fl oor of his dun ge on S up erint en dent M oe ll er of Fre i

.

b u rg t esti fi ed that A nna M ari a Fl ei sc h er was rai se d in bed wi th h er

“
,

who le bo dy h ea d an d feet to th e he ight of nin e ell s and a hal f so that

, ,

it app eared as if Sh e woul d have flown through the w i n d ows .

I f th e po l arity of the bo dy c an be c h an ged by th e wil l this wo ul d ,

be a physica l poss ibil ity .

ription pr s nt a t ri king anal ogy to that gi v en by J ohn

f T h i s d esc e e s s
th e B aptist in th e G os p el s H e sha ll b aptiz e or e nv el op you i n a hol y
.
“
,

sp i rit an d fire ”
( Th e wor d s “
a n d fi re are in terpo l ate d
,
“
h ave
)1 r ai e d
I ,
.

b eh el d th e hol y sp irit desc ending as a dove from th e sk y an d t em n ,

u pon h im .
 E NTHU S I A S M 1 17

r e sp e ct to c e rtain matt e rs but also to e xhibit th e pow e r or to

,

c omp l e t e th e rit e with th e ad e pts But th ey wh o without wit .

,

n e esing th e s e ho l y sp ectacl e s a t th e S acr e d Rite s c fi ec t th e ,

c onjuring of th e spirits in som e invisib l e mann e r grop e th e ir ,

way as in th e dark and k now nothing of what th ey a re doing

, ,

e x c e pt som e v e ry sma ll S igns which a r e mani fe st e d through

th e body of th e p e rson who is divin e l y inspir ed and som e oth e r

things whi c h a r e plainly to b e s e e n ; and th ey are l ik e wis e
ignorant of e ve rything of divin e inbr e athing which is v e i l e d
i n invisibi l ity .

But to com e back from this digr e ssion I f th e pr e s ence of .

th e fi r e of th e gods and an in e fi a bl e form Of l ight from without

'

shal l p e rm e at e th e individua l who is und e r control fil l h im ,

compl et el y hav e absolut e dominion ov e r him and e nc ompass

, ,

h im on al l S id e s so that h e can put forth no en e r gy of hi s own ,

what s ens e or m e nta l e ffort or purpos e of his own can h e have

who r e ceiv e s th e divine fi r e ? Or what impuls e m e r el y human
c a n th e n insinuat e its e l f or what huma n r e c eption of passion
,

or e cstas y or turning asid e of imagination or anything e l s e ,

o f th e ki nd such as th e many conc e iv e of may th e n tak e plac e ?

, ,

L e t su c h as th e s e th e n b e th e divin e toke ns of ge nuin e

, ,

inspiration from th e gods whi ch any one k e e ping in mi nd

, , ,

will not swe rve from th e right kn owl edge in r e gard to it .

AS M OR D I V I N E I N SPI R ATI ON
EN T H U S I .

Ne v e rth e l e ss it is n ot e nough to l e arn th e s e thi n gs a l on e

, ,

n or may any one who kn ows only th e s e thi ngs b e com e p e r fe ct

i n divin e ov e rkn owl e dge On th e oth e r hand it is n e c e ssary

.
,

to know also what e nthusiasm or divin e poss e ssion rea ll y is

a n d how it is d e v e l op e d Th e conj e ctur e that it is a carrying
.

away of th e und e rstanding by a d emonian a fflatu s is utt e r ly

fals e T h e human und e rstanding i f it is truly thus pos
*
.
,

s e ss e d is not carri e d away N ot from d emons but from gods

, .
, ,

come s inspiration R e al ly on th e oth e r hand it is not simp l y

.
, ,

a n e cstatic raptur e or tranc e but on th e c ontrary an e x alt a

, , ,

tion and passing to th e sup e ri or condition ; wh e re as m e nta l

*
Th eop hr astos, who b ec am e th e te a c h er in the Ly c eum at Ath ens,
a ft e rA l
ristot e, re gar ded enth usias m as a di sease .
1 18 R AP T UR E
d istraction and e cstasy indicat e a gen e ral ov e rturning to th e
wors e H enc e a p e rson d ec laring this ma y sp e ak of th e r e s u lts
.
,

in r e sp e c t to th e en th e a s t ind ivi du als a n d ye t giv e no in s tru c

tion in r e gar d to th e principal matt e r Thi s howe v e r consis t s .
, ,

in hol ding fas t to all t h e s e mani fe stations of d ivinity to which

th e e cstatic c on d ition a ft e r ward suc c ee d s N O on e th e r efor e .
, ,

ma y justl y suppos e that th e en th e a s t con d ition is of th e soul

a n d of fa c ul t i e s b e longing to it or of th e mind or of th e e n e r
,

gi e s or of bo d ily infirmity or that without this l att e r c on c omi

,

tant it ma y n ot thus o c c ur and b e as a matt e r of cours e th e , ,

un de rlyi ng ca u s e For th e matt e r of divin e poss e ssion and

.

inspiration i s in n o s ens e a hum an attainm e nt nor has it an ,

ori gin in human organs and en e rgi e s On th e contrary t h e s e .

,

a r e subor d inat e and th e Divinity emplo y s th e m as in s tru

,

m ents N e i th e r th e soul n or th e body of th e in d ividua l has th e

.

l e ast age nc y in th e matte r but h e e x e rcis e s th e whol e function

,

of divination thro u gh hims e l f ; a n d b e ing fr e e with no int e r ,

minglin g of anyt hi ng e x tran e ous h e works according to his ,

own natur e .

H en c e th e vaticinations b e ing thus p e r form e d as I d e

scrib e th e y a r e of a c e rtainty incapabl e of b eing untruth ful
, , ,
.

But wh en th e S oul b e gins b e for e han d or is disturb e d in th e

m e antim e or tak e s part with th e bod y a n d int e rrupts th e ,

divin e harmon y th e divinations b e com e tum u ltuous and fals e

, ,

and th e inspiration is n o long e r tru e or g e nu in e .

O RI G I N O F T H E E N T H EA S TI C R P T UR E A .

S uppos e ,
accord ingl y that th e g e nu in e art of divining was
,

a l ib e rating of th e divin e from th e oth e r sou l or a s e parating *

of th e mind by its e l f or an e x t en ding of its purvi ew or that

,

it was a v eh em ence and e x t e nding of e n e rgy or passion o r a

sharp ening and prompting of th e und e rstanding or an i n

Pyth agoras Plato A ristotle an d Z eno c on c u r in th e statem ent th at

*
, ,

th e so u l is its el f of a se v eral fo l d natu re Th e -

immo ta
r l pr n
i c ip.l e
” “

whi c h proc e eds from th e Cr eator c onsists of the fa c ul ty of in te ll ige n c e ,

th e e pist eme or ov ermin d an d so un d j u dgme nt

, The mortal part .
“ ”

c om ris e s th e th umos or passionat e aggre ssiv e q u a l ity an d the e i th u

p , p ,
metre app etitive
, or rec eptiv e nat ure .
1 20 M U S I C AN D E NT H U S I A S M
from th e gods the inspirations that are imparte d from th em
, ,

and th e abso l ut e authority from th em which not onl y enc om ,

pass e s all things i n us but banish e s entir e ly away th e notions

and activi ti e s which a re p e cul iarly our own Th e frenzy .

caus e s words to b e l et fa ll that a r e not utt e r e d with th e und e r

s t anding of thos e who sp e ak th em ; but it is d e cl are d on the ,

contrary that th ey a r e sound ed with a fr en z i e d mouth th e

, ,

s p e ak e rs b eing all of th em subs e rv i ent and entir el y contro ll e d

by th e e n e rgy of th e dominant int e llig e nc e A ll e nthusiasm .

is of such a charact e r and is brought to p e rfe ction from

,

caus e s of such a kind ; h enc e it is by impre ssion and not with ,

pr e cis e accurat en e ss that we sp e ak i n re l ation to it

, .

T HE M U SI C AT TH E ARC ANE R I TE S .

In additi on to th e s e things you re mark as fo ll ow s So “

a l so ce rtain othe rs Of the s e e cstatics b e com e en th ea s t or in

s pir e d wh en th ey h e ar cymba l s drum s or som e c h ora l chant
*
, , ,

as for ex ampl e thos e who a r e engag ed in th e Koryb a n ti c

, ,

Rit e s 1 thos e who a re poss e ss e d at the S abazian fe stiva l

,

*
S om exh ibiti on of this kin d i s de sc rib ed by the A postle P a ul in
e
th e fi rst E pistl e to th e C orinthian s says h e the whole assembl y
” “ “
If .
, ,

c om e togeth er to th e sam e p l ac e an d al l prattl e in tongu es an d c ommon ,

men sh oul d c ome in or un b el ie v ers wi ll th ey n ot say that you are

, ,

raving ? ”
Hen c e h e c ouns el s that on l y two or thr ee S houl d spe ak in
t urn an d one in te rp ret ; but i f nobo dy pres ent i s c apab le of this the y
, ,

shoul d k ee p sil en ce an d spe ak onl y to themse l ves an d to God : for n ot

,
“

of t u m u l t is he a god but of tran q uilli ty f

”
.
,

Th er e i s evi den tly a deeper m eaning in al l this th an i s commonl y

appreh en ded .

"O v i d ; F asti I V Th e atten d an ts b ea t th e b rass a n d th e h omes soun di n g

“ -
, , ,

h i d e s C y mb al s th ey stri k e i n p l ac e of h el mets tamb oun n es for th e sh i el d s ; th e

.
,

p i p e yi el d e d i ts Ph ry gi an n ote s
”
.

I T h e K or yba n tes ar e var i o u s l y de s c rib e d T h ei r c ul t was i.d enti fi ed

or c l osely all i ed to th at of the Kabeiri an div ini ties an d th at Of th e ,

G reat Moth e r I t was c el ebrated in th e i sl ands of the ZEgean S ea an d

.

in Phygi a Music d an c ing pr oc essi ons an d ecs tati c fren zy were c h ar

.
, ,

a c teri sti c s .
 E X CI T E ME N T 21

a nd thos e who a re c el ebrating the Rit e s of th e Divin e

It is prop e r accordingl y to t ell th e caus e s of th e s e things

, , ,

how th e y cam e into e x ist e nce and what exp l anation th e re i s ,

for th e p e r forming of th e Rit e s .

T h e s e a ll usions which you mak e nam el y that th e music , ,

at th e s e fe stiva l s is ex citing and passionate ; that th e so und of

th e flu t e s caus e s or h e a l s conditions of ab e rration ; that th e
music c hange s th e t emp e ram ents or dispo sitions of th e body ;
that b y som e of th e ch ora l songs th e Bacchic fr enzy is ex cit e d ,

b u t b y oth e rs th e Bacchic orgi e s a re mad e to c e as e ; how th e

p e c uliar di ffe r enc e s of the s e accord with th e various disposi
tions of th e soul and a l so that th e p ec ul iar wave ring and
,

variab l e choric ch a nts such as thos e of Olympus and oth ers

, ,

of th e sam e kind a r e adapt e d to th e producing of e c s ta s i e s r

’
,

all of th em s eem to me to b e stat ed in a mann e r un favorab l e

to th e enth ea st condition ; for th ey a re both physica l and hu
man in th eir quality and p e r formance s according to our t ech ,

nic but nothing e ss entially d i vin e app e ars in th em

, .

We afli rm a c c ordi ngly not on ly that th e shoutings and

, ,

choric songs a r e sacr e d to th e gods e ach and all of th em as , ,

b e ing p eculiarl y th eir own but l ikewi s e that th e r e is a kindr ed

,

r el a tionship b etwe e n th em in th e i r prop e r ord e r according to ,

their r e sp e ctive ranks and powe r s th e motions in the unive rs e ,

*
S ab azi os, S abaoth or S abb at, th e god of th e Pl anet S atu rn, was
be tte r kn own as B ac chus or Di onyso s, an d was al so style d in S emitic
c ountrie s, I ao or Y ava H i s worshi p was more or l ess ass o c iated an d
.

i dent ifi ed wi th th at of the G r eat M othe r, un der v ar iou s des i gnations,

and it was c h ara c terized by phall ephoric p roc ess i ons , d an c e s , mou rn ing
for th e sl a in di v in i ty an d th e W at c h N ight I t c am e fro m A ssyria as .

its pec uli ar symbol s , the i vy or kissos, the spotted robe or N imr, an d the
T hyr so, in di ca te Th e name Z agr eu s, th e Ki ssos an d n im r r emin d u s
.

of Ki ssai a or A siat ic E th i o p ia , an d th e Zagr os mou ntain s o c c upi e d bv

the N imr . As syri a was c al l ed the l an d of N imro d
“ ” -
A mos V I I I . .

tP rokl os dec l ared that hora l songs of Ol ympus w ere adapte d to

th e c
pro duc e esc tast Plato de sc rib es an audi enc e in I on c omp aring it to a
.
,

s erie s of i r on ri ngs c onn ec ted by a c hain an d moved by th e l oadston e :

Som e han d from on e M u se an d som e from an oth er h e remarks
”
some
'
“ “
, , ,

for examp l e from Orph eu s oth e rs from Mu sai os but th e gre ater p a rt
, , ,

are in sp i red by H omer an d are he l d fast by h im

”
.
12 2 D I VI N E E S S E N CE AN D P OW E R
its el f and th e harmonious sound s emi tt e d from th e motions .

By th e a g ency of such a r e la t ionship of th e choric songs to th e

gods it is that th eir pr e s e nc e a c tually b e com e s mani fe st for ,

t he r e is nothing int e rv ening ; a n d h enc e what ev e r has a m e r e

incid e nta l r e s emblanc e to th em b ec om e s imm e diat ely partici
pant of th em T h e r e also tak e s pla c e at onc e a p e r fec t p os
.

s e ssion and fil ling with th e divin e e ss enc e and powe r N or is .

t his b e caus e th e bo dy and soul a r e in e ach oth e r and a ffe c t e d ,

alik e in sympa t h y with th e songs ; but on th e contrar y it is , ,

b e caus e th e i nspiration of th e go d s is n ot s e parat e d from th e

divin e harmon y , a n d b eing alli e d with i t as b e ing of th e sam e ,

kindr e d it is shar e d b y it in just m e asure s It is howe v e r

,
.
, ,

arous ed or c h e ck e d on e or th e oth e r accor d ing to th e sp e ci fi c

, ,

r ank of th e go d s But this is n ev e r b y an y m e ans to b e t e rm e d

.

a s epara t ing pu ri fy ing or a r em e dy For fi rst of all it i s

, ,
.
, ,

n ot d isp e ns e d on account of an y dis e as e or e xc e ss or pl e thora

in us bu t th e whol e b e ginning and cours e of op e ration a r e

,

from th e gods abov e .

On th e contra r y it is not prop e r to say that th e so ul origi

,

nally consist e d of harmony and rhythm for in that cas e th e ,

e n th ea s t condition is an inh e r e nt prop e rt y of th e soul alon e .

It will b e b e tt e r th e r efor e to bring ou r dis c ours e back to thi s

, ,

stat em ent : that th e soul prior to th e givi ng of its e l f to th e

,

body was a h ear e r of th e divine harmony and accordingly

, , ,

wh en it cam e into a bod y it h e ard such songs as e sp ec iall y p r e

s e rv e throughout th e divin e trac e of harmony it fo l lowe d th em ,

e ag e r l y r e call e d from th em th e r em embranc e of divin e har

,

mony is bo rn e a l ong with it b e com e s c l os el y a ll ied to it and

, , ,

partak e s of it as much as possibl e .

H enc e we may g en e rall y exp l ain in this way th e sourc e of

th e divin e faculty of divination .

ON AND O RG I ASTI C E XC I TE M EN T
I N S P I R ATI .

L e t us n ow proc ee d with ou r r e asoning in r e lation t o this

subj e ct of div ination We may not a ffirm thi s a t th e o u ts e t
.
,

nam ely that N atur e is l e ading ev e rything to its own for to b e

, ,

e n th e a s t is in no way a work of N atur e nor may we sa y that

;
th e composition and qua l ity of th e air and of th e e nvironm ent
1 24 T H E OR CL A ES
as th e y poss e ss a l l pow e r in th ems elv e s ; but we shal l n eith e r
a ffirm that a n accumulation of r e fus e of th e body or soul
r e qui r e s to b e cl e ans e d away nor that th e p e riods of th e s ea
,

sons a r e th e caus e of such ill conditions nor that th e re ce iving ,

of what is similar and th e taking awa y of th e contrar y will

prov e a r em ed y for an e xce ss of this kind For all such thi ngs .

a r e s e t down in th e c at e gor y of th e corpor e al and a r e e ntir e ly ,

s eparate from a divine and spiritual li fe E ach howe v e r .

, ,

succ e eds in accomplishing th e O p e rations which p e rtain to its

own natur e H ence th e spirits that a r e arous e d by th e go d s
.
,

and that e x cit e human b e ings to th e Bacchic fr enzy ove rst ep ,

e ve ry oth e r human and natural a c tivity and it is not right to ,

compare th e ir op e rations to thos e taking p l ac e in ordinar y

ways ; but in r e sp e ct to thos e whi c h a r e utt e rly strang e and of ,

e arli e st ori gi n it is prop e r to r e fe r th e m back to th e gods as

,

authors On e form of d ivine inspiration is a c c ordingl y of

.
, ,

this kind and tak e s place a ft e r this mann e r

, .

O RAC LE S THE .

A noth e r mod e of e n th e a s ti c divining that of Oracl e s i s ,

famous a n d v e r y plain in man y ways conc e rning which thou

, ,

d e c l a r es t such things as th e s e nam ely Oth e rs a r e inspir e d

,
“

wh e n d rinki ng wat e r lik e th e pri e st of th e Kl a ri an A pollo at

,

K olophon ; oth e rs wh en sitting ov e r caviti e s in th e e arth lik e ,

th e wom e n wh o d e live r th e oracl e s at De lphi ; oth e rs wh e n

overpowe re d by vapors from th e wate r l ike th e proph e t e ss e s ,

at B r a n c h i dae .

Thou hast m ention e d th e s e thr ee oracl e s by nam e not be ,

caus e th e r e a re onl y th e s e for th e r e a r e many mor e which thou

,

hast pass ed ove r in sil e nce ; but since th e s e take rank b efor e
the oth e rs and on a c count of which a r e mor e sought thou art
, ,

s uffi ci ent ly instru ct ed in r e sp e ct to th e mod e of divining I .

wil l now b e caus e thou hast e nough of th e s e things s p e ak of

, ,

th e oracul ar art which has b e e n s e nt down to huma n b e ings

from th e gods We will th e refor e mak e ou r d is c ou rs e in
.
, ,

r e lation to th e s e thr e e and not l et a word fall r e sp e c t ing th e

,

man y oth e r oracl e s .

It is acknowl e dge d by ev e rybod y that th e oracl e at K o l o

 W A T E R AN D I NS P I RA T I ON 1 25

phon give s its r e spons e s through th e m e dium of wate r Ther e .

is a spring in a hous e un d e rgroun d a n d from this th e prophe t ,

drinks On c e rtain appoint e d ni ghts many sacr e d c e r e moni e s

.
,

having tak en place b efor ehand h e drinks and d el ive rs oracl e s

, , ,

but h e is not s een by th e b ehold e rs who a re pre s e nt It is .

manife st from thi s th e r e for e that that wat e r poss e ss e s a n

, ,

oracular quality ; but how this is so not ev e ry man as th e say ,

ing is may know For it s e ems as though a mantic spirit ex

, .

t e nd e d through it ; but this is not true For th e divine b eing .

d o e s n ot go about among its participants thus divi d e d and ,

apportion e d ; but on th e contrary it shin e s upon th e fountain

, ,

as though giving of its el f from without and fi l ls it with th e ,

mantic pow e r from its e l f Th e inspiration which th e wat e r

.

imparts is b y no m e ans all of it from th e god but it caus e s an ,

adapt e dn e ss alon e and a puri fic ation of th e light lik e spirit -

*

in us through which we b ecom e abl e to contain th e divinity ;

,

but th e pr e s enc e of th e god i s di ffe r e nt from this and prior ,

to it and it flash e s in from above lik e the lightning Ind e e d

, .
,

this pr e s enc e forsak e s no on e of thos e who through kindr ed ,

natur e a r e i n intimat e union to it ; but it is imm ediat e l y pre s

,

ent and e mplo y s th e proph e t as an instrume nt h e n e ith e r b e

, ,

ing normall y hims el f nor awar e of what h e is saying or wh e r e

,

on th e e arth h e is Henc e a ft e r giving th e oracl e s h e r e cov e rs

.
, ,

control of hims el f at a lat e r mom ent with difficulty Ind e e d .

,

b e for e drinking th e wat e r h e fasts an e ntire day and night and ,

as h e b egins to b ecom e e nth ea s t h e with d raws by hims e l f in t o

c e rtain sacr e d r etr e ats T hus b y this withdrawing and s ep
.
,

a r a ti n g from human a ffairs h e mak e s hims e l f pur e and p r e

, ,

par e d for th e r ec e iving of th e divinity ; and through this m eans

*
Mr Thomas T ayl or
. refers us to the tre atise a c c re dite d to Pl utar c h ,

on th e
“
F ai lure of the Ora c l e s in whi c h this matt e r i s exp l a in ed at
”
,

l ength Th e fac ulty of divini ng this author dec l ares is farth est with
.
, ,

d rawn from this pr es e nt c on dition by that i diosyn c rasy of bo dy whi c h

favors th e deve l opm ent of the en the ast c on dition “
Th e so ul do e s n ot .

a q ir
c u e th e f a lty
c u o f d ivin ng whe n c le ar of th e bo dy he says for it
i ”
, ,
“

has the sam e b efore but i s b l in ded by th e c ommixtu re an d c on fusion

,

whi c h it has wi th th e bo dy H e n c e he arg u es

.
“
we do not div e st ,

d ivination e ith e r of di vin e origin or of rational ity s eeing that we a ll ow ,

it for its s ubj ec t th e H uman S o ul an d for its in stru m ent an a u ra or

, ,

exh a l ati on pro duc tiv e of the a l th easti c r apt ur e

”
.
12 6 TH E FI ERY MI S T

he has th e inspiration of th e d ivinit y illuminating th e pur e

san c tuary of his own so ul and h e lik ewis e e ffe cts b y hims e l f , ,

unobstruct ed th e poss e ssion and divin e pr e s enc e compl e te and

,

withou t imp e d im ent .

T h e proph e t e ss a t De lphi how ev e r wh e th e r s h e giv e s or a , ,

c l e s to human b e ings from a t e nuo u s and fi r e lik e spirit -

brought up from som ewh e r e thro u gh an ap e rtu r e or vatici ,

*

nat e s sitting in th e inne r shrine upon th e b ronz e chair with ,

thre e fe e t or upon th e fo u r foo t e d c hair sa c r e d to th e divini -

ti e s t giv e s h e rs e l f up e ntir e l y to th e d ivin e spirit a n d is shin e d

,

upon b y th e ra y of th e fi r e In fact wh e n th e fie ry mist com .

,

ing up from th e ap e rt u r e d ens e and abundant encompass e s , ,

h e r on e v e r y si d e in a c ircl e s h e b e com e s fi ll e d b y it with a ,

divin e luminan c e a n d wh e n sh e sits down in th e s e at of th e

,

god sh e com e s into harmon y with th e unwav e ring oracular

pow e r of th e d ivinity and from th e s e two pr eparato r y op e ra
,

tions s h e b e com e s entir e l y th e m e d ium of th e god T h en truly .

is th e god pr e s ent sh ining upon h e r s eparat e l y b e ing hims e l f

, ,

o th e r than th e fi r e th e spirit th e ir p e c u liar s e ats a n d all th e

, ,

v isibl e apparatus abo u t th e plac e ph y sical and sacr e d , .

T h e woman also wh o d e liv e rs th e oracl e s in ve rs e at Bran

c h i d a i wh e th e r s h e is hol d ing th e sta ffl which was fi rst p r e
,

s e nt e d by a di v inity and b ec om e s fi ll e d with th e di vin e lumi

*
Mo de rn write rs have c onj ec tu red that thi s exhal ation was of th e
n atu re of ni trou s protoxi de S uc h a de riving of proph eti c insp iration
.

from “
l aughing gas ”
has a r esemb l an c e to th e c on c ept that E manu el
S w edenborg ac q u ir ed his illum ination by d rinking c offee an d is eq u a ll y ,

a bs u r d .

p oll o an d Dionys os Z agre u s his h earth mate w ere th e divinitie s at -

D el phi .

I T h e sta ff r od wan d
,
s c epte r
,
or b at on as th e symbo l of authority
, , , ,

possess e s the gre ate st antiqu ity I t app ears i n mythol ogy as th e s c epter.

of Z e u s c harge d with l ightnin g the c a du c e u s of H e rm e s that l ulle d to,

sleep th e staff of A sk l epios with h eal ing virtue th e na rth ex or thyrsos

, ,

of Ba c c h u s an d th e c l u b of H e r ak l es
,
E ve ry Roman S enator c arri ed a .

wan d The ro ds of Mos es an d A aron th e sta ff of the prophe t th e wan d

.
, ,

of K irk e th e magi c d ivining staff an d th e bish op s c rosie r b el ong i n

’
,

th e sam e c at egory .
T H E D I V I N I N G A R T U N I V E R SA L
1 32 TH E E GYP TI A N M Y S T E RI E S

only d o e s it shin e from wi t hout and fill all things but it l ik e , ,

wi s e p e rm e ate s al l th e e l em ents oc c upi e s th e e arth and air , ,

a n d fi r e a n d wat e r and l e ave s nothing d e stitute of its e l f

,

n e ithe r living b e ings nor things sustain e d from th e r e a lm of

natur e On th e contrary it imparts from its e l f an allotm ent
.
,

of th e facul ty of f or eknowi ng to som e in a gr e at e r and to

oth e rs in a small e r d egree E xisting its e l f b e for e all things.

,

it is abl e by r e ason of its s eparat en e ss to p erm e ate and fil l

, ,

a ll thin gs acc ording as e very one is abl e to rec e iv e of it

, .

D E C E PT I VE D I VI N AT I O N .

us now e xamine a ft e r this th e oth e r fo rm of divination

L et
which is privat e and not pub l ic conc e rning whi ch thou say e st ,

as follows Oth e rs a r e a ffe c t e d b y standing upon ind e nt ed

“

ma rk s fi lik e thos e who have b ee n fi l l e d from an imp e rce ptibl e

“

i nflowi ng of th e d ivin e pl e roma H ence b e caus e of thos e .

who mak e a bad u s e of this form of divining i t is b y no m e ans

e as y to in c lu d e it in a singl e e xplanation On th e c ontrary .
,

b eing n e ar at hand and in a p e rnicious d egr e e sup e rficial it

, ,

is emplo y e d b y man y p e rsons in fals ehood and d e c eption which

may n ot b e tol e rat e d N or is th e r e an y god pre s ent at all
.
,

but a c e rtain motion of th e soul is pro duc ed which is r ep ug

nant to th e gods and allure s from th em a c e rtain indistinct
,

and p hantom like apparition whi c h som e tim e s b ec aus e of th e

-
,

transi e nt powe r is lik e l y to b e t hrown into d isord e r by th e

,

spiritual e manations of evi l d e mons B u t an app e aring which .

chanc e s to b e ge nuin e is lik ewis e in oth e r r e sp ects distinct ,

pure unchange abl e tru e a n d both inacc e ssibl e and u n ob

, , ,

struct e d b y S pirits of a c on trary t emp e r In lik e mann e r th e .

darkn e ss fr om its p e culiar natur e is n ot abl e to r emain und e r

, ,

th e glowing sunshin e but sud d e nly b e com e s tota l l y invisibl e

, ,

go e s compl et e ly away from wh er e it was and tak e s its el f off ,

.

G o eth e in dic ates a ma gic pow er in c ertain mark s or c harac ter s

*

wh en h e des c rib es Mephistoph eles as fas tene d insi de th e ch amb er by the

p entagram :
Im u st c onfess my st epping o er ,
’

Th y thre shol d a sl ight hin dran c e d oth i mpe de

Th e W i z ar d s F oot doth me r e st rain ”
’
.
 I N D N TE D M RE A KS 1 33 .

So a l so wh en the pow e r of the gods shin e s forth in man y

dir e ctions p e rvading e ve rything with its b en efits th e mob of
, ,

e vi l spirits has no fi e ld of activity and is n ot abl e to manife st

its el f in any way but on th e contrary falls back as nothin g

, , ,

into n on ex ist enc e having n o natur e for activity at a ll wh e n

-
,

sup erior b e ings a r e pr e s ent and not b e ing abl e to throw th em ,

into disord e r wh e n th e y a r e giving forth l igh tf "

Wh e re as th e r e for e th e r e is such a di ff e r ence in e ach of

, ,

the s e class e s I will mak e u s e of no oth e r tok ens to distingui sh

,

th em than tho s e whi c h thou hast m e ntion ed For whe n thou .

a tfi rme s t that som e a r e a ffe ct e d by standing on in d ent e d

“ “

marks thou s e eme s t to signi fy nothing e ls e th a n th e caus e

”
,

o f all th e e vi ls r e lating to th e s e things F or th e r e a r e som e .

who ove rl ook th e whol e matt e r of th e P e r fe ctive Vision not ,

only in r e gard to th e on e making th e invocation and also th e ,

B e ho l de r but th ey lik ewis e hold in cont empt th e arr an ge m ent

,

of r e ligious worship and th e most sacr e d ord e al of e ncount e r

ing pro l onge d p en a nc e s r and also r e j e ct the sacr e d l aws and

,
’

ordin ance s and oth e r Holy Rit e s T h ey consid e r th e standing .

upon ind e nt ed marks to b e enough and imagin e that by doing ,

thi s for a singl e hour th e r e is a ce rtain spirit introduc e d Ye t .

h ow may an y thing worthy or p e r fe ctiv e tak e plac e f rom th e s e

things ? Or how is th e e t e rna l and re a l e ss enc e of th e gods to

*
P rokl os xp l ai n s th at whe n initi atory c er emon ies are ta k ing pl ace
e ,

as i n sp i rit ua l mani festati ons g en eral l y bas e r spi ri ts wi ll o fte n ass um e

,

th e gu i se of the su p erior g enii an d d r aw aw ay so ul s that are not p u re

,
.

H ence the Chal de an Orac l e s dec l a re th at it i s n ot prop er to p arti c ipate

in th em till p u rity is attai n e d Th ey en c hant th e soul s an d l e a d th em
“
.

away ”
. P rokl os s ays ag ain I n th e most sa c re d of th e P erfec tive R it es
,
“
,

the y say that th e c an did ate s fi rst e nc o unte r th e m ul ti form ed an d man y

sh ap ed ra c e s whi c h c om e to Vi ew before th e go ds ar e to be s een ; but th ey
go on to th e Mysti c Cav e un sw erving an d h aving b ee n ma de sec ur e by ,

the Rite s th ey r ec e iv e th e d ivin e ill u minati on witho u t a ll oy into th ei r

bosoms an d b eing stripp ed so to sp eak th ey partak e of th e d ivin e natur
, , ,
e .

T his I think
,
”
he adds , is what tak e s p l a c e in the sp ec ta c ul ar man i
,
“

fe stations ”
.

tI n all in itiato ry rit es a probati on“ tak es p l a ce to t e st th e fi del ity and

e n du ran ce of the c an d i d at e s T h e T o rt u r e s of th e M ithrai c I n i tia
”
.

tions c onsisted of l ong fas tin g exp osure to th e s ev e ri ty of th e c li mate

, ,

an d t errors of Wi l d b easts an d th e exec u tion of a c apit al se ntenc e .

13 4 M ODE S OF E NT RA N CE ME NT
be combined in sacr e d op e r a ti ons wi t h t emporary p er fo rm
a n c e s ? H enc e thro u gh thing s of this c haract e r such silly me n
, ,

go e ntir e ly astra y a n d a re not worthy to b e numb e r e d wi t h

,

di v in e rs .

O TH E R M O D E S OF E N T RAN C E MEN T .

In regard to anoth e r kind of divination thou mak e st this

stat e m ent nam e l y : ,Others wh o und e rstand th ems e lv e s in
“

oth e r r e sp ects b e c om e divin e ly inspir e d through th e fancy

som e taking darkn e ss as acc e ssor y oth e rs emplo y ing c e rtain ,

potions and oth e rs d ep e nding on singing and magic figure s

,
.

S om e a r e a ffe ct e d by m e ans of wat e r oth e rs b y ga z ing on a ,

wa ll oth e rs b y th e hypaethra l air and oth e rs by th e sun or

, ,

som e oth e r of th e h e av enl y luminari e s .

A ll this kind of d ivination which thou d e s c ri b e s t as b e ing

of num e rous sp e ci e s ma y b e compr e h e nd e d in a sing l e facul t y ,

which may b e d e nominat ed th e Bringing of L ight T his “

.

e vid e ntl y shin e s how e v e r wi t h a d ivin e l uminanc e upon th e

-
, ,

e th e r lik e a n d brillian t v e h i c l e t whi c h surrounds th e soul fr om

-
,

which v ehicl e th e d ivin e imaginations b eing s et in motion by ,

th e wil l of th e go d s tak e poss e ssion of th e facult y of imagina

,

tion in us F or th e whol e li fe of th e soul and all th e faculti e s

.

in it b e ing subj ec t to th e go d s a r e s e t in motion in what ev e r ,

mann e r th e l e ad e rs ma y d e sir e .

T his tak e s pla c e in on e of two ways : from th e gods b e ing

pr e s e nt in th e soul or from th e shining into it of a light c om
,

ing b efor ehand from th em In e ith e r c as e th e divin e pr e s enc e.

and th e illumination a r e e ntir e l y s eparat e Th e att ention and .

th e r e asoning facult y of th e so u l a re th e r e for e cons c ious of

th e e ve nts b e caus e th e divin e l ight do e s not e x t end to th e s e
, .

T h e fancy how ev e r is divin el y a ffe ct e d A s it vari e s e ntir el y

, , .

*
G reek ,
(p a v z a oz mé v
P h a n tas za or ima gin a tion is d e n e d by
’

fi
Ch rysip p os an d Pl
utar c h as the fac u ty whi c h r e v e a s its e f an d itsl l l
c a u s e s ; p han tas ti k on or fan c y , the t erm h e r e u s e d, a s a vain imp u se of l
l
th e min d with no r e a c au se ; p hamtas ton as th e im aginab e, an ything that l
may mak e an impre ssi on ; p han tas ms , a phantom , an appa rition .

l ll l
tTh e v ehi c e is c a ed th e astra a ura by ara c e su s, an d amar upa
“ ”
P l K
by H in du sag es .
136 AUGU R Y

D I VI N I N G B Y AU G UR Y .

C om e, th en l e t us pass on to th e mo d e of divining whi ch

,

is carri e d into op eration through a human t e chnic and in ,

volv e s muc h gu e ssing a n d e xp e c t ing In r egard to this thou .

sp e ak e st as follows S om e hav e lik e wis e e stablish e d th e

“

t e chni c of s e arching th e fut u r e b y m e ans of e n t rails birds ,

and s t ars ”
T h e r e a r e also man y oth e r su c h t e chnics bu t
.
,

t h e s e a r e s uffic i e nt for th e e xhibi t ing of e v e r y form of th e art

of d ivining S o th en to t e ll th e whol e story this m e thod
.
, ,

mak e s u s e of man y signs or s ymbols which hav e in various

ways b ee n mad e e ffica c ious b y th e go d s From th e divin e .

tok ens according to th e r e lationship of things to th e signs

,

t hat hav e b ee n e xhibit e d th e t e c hni c in som e way arriv e s at

,

c onclusions and gu e ss e s at th e augur y in fe rring it from c e r

, ,

tain probabiliti e s Th e go d s th e n c r e at e th e signs e ith e r

.
, ,

through th e ag ency of natur e whi c h is its e l f subs ervi ent to ,

th e g e n e ration of e v e r y thing both g e n e ral a n d particular or ,

e l s e t hrough th e d e mons that op e rat e in th e g e n e rativ e sph e r e ,

wh o taking c on t rol of th e compon e nt parts of th e u niv e rs e

, ,

a n d of partibl e bo d i e s a n d lik e wis e of all living t hings in th e

,

world bring out with fa c ility th e ph enom ena which a r e pl e as

,

ing to th e go d s Th e y mak e known b e forehan d symboli c all y

.
, ,

th e purp os e of th e divinity that is abo u t to com e as e xp lain e d ,

by H e rakl eitos n e i t h e r t e lling nor c on c e aling bu t ind i c ating

, ,

by signs ”
T hus b y for e sha d owi ng th e y impr e ss as b y a
.
, , ,

l ik en e ss th e mann e r of th e c r e ation In lik e m a nn e r th e r e

, .
,

for e th ey ge n e rat e all things b y m e ans of imag e s a n d lik e

, ,

wis e signi fy th em b efor e han d thro u gh ins t itut e d embl e matic

r epr e s entations E qu ally also b y this m e ans th e y ex c it e ou r
.
, , ,

faculty of und e rstanding to a gr e at e r acut e n e ss L e t th e s e .

things th e refor e b e d et e rmin e d in common b y us in r e gard

, ,

to all t e chnic of this kind th at men hav e d e vis e d .

In particular howev e r th e so u l of liv ing animals th e

, , ,

d emon that is s e t ov e r th em th e atmosph e r e a n d lik e wis e th e , ,

motion of th e atmosph e r e and th e r evol u tion of th e surroun d ,

i n g s ky trans form th e e ntrails in vario u s wa y s a s ma y pl e as e

,

th e gods A sign of this is that th e y a r e oft en foun d without

.
 AB S E N C E OF OR GA N S 137

a h e art or in som e wa y dism emb e r e d of som e of th e principal

,

of which wh e n th e y a r e d e priv e d it is n ot at all p os

, ,

s ibl e that th e l i fe should r e main in th e anima l s N ot only .

,

howeve r th e impuls e of th e ir own soul mov e s th e birds but

, ,

the guar dian d e mon of th e animals als o s e ts th e m in motion .

L ik e wis e th e c irculation of th e atmosph e re and th e pote n

, ,

tial forc e whi c h pass e s d own f rom th e s k y into th e air making ,

e v e ry t hing in harmony with th e divin e purpos e s l e ad th e m in ,

conformit y to what th e go d s arrange originally Th e m ost .

important sign of this is that of th e bird s th ems elve s t e a ring ,

and many tim e s a c tuall y d e stro y ing th ems e lv e s ; for this is ,

a thing n ot natural for an y thing to d o But this art of d ivin .

ing is a thing of a s u p e rior nat u r e s o that it is a som e thing ,

e ls e ac c omplishing th e s e things thro u gh th e birds .

M or e ov e r th e c ir c uits of th e stars com e n e ar to th e p e r

,

p e tu a l r e volutions o f th e sk y not only in spac e but also in

,

pow e rs a n d in th e radiations of light But th e y a r e mov e d .

in what e v e r wa y th e go d s in th e s ky imp e l th em F or th e .

most absolut el y p u r e a n d supr e m e prin c ipl e of th e atmosph e r e

b e ing clos e l y a ffiliat e d to fi r e th e y as th e gods mak e th e sign
, , ,

a r e also light e d up imm e d iat e l y I f how ev e r an y on e thinks

.
, ,

that c e rtain a u ras of th e d iviniti e s of th e sk y a r e giv e n off

into th e atmosph e r e h e will not have conj e c tur e d an y thing
,

for e ign to what is o ft e n p e r form e d in th e d ivin e art of divin a

tion T h e on en e ss a n d also th e sympathy of e v e r y thing a n d
.
, , ,

lik ewis e th e simul tan e ous motion of th e parts that a r e farth e st

awa y as though th e y we r e n e ar b y and parts of one animat e
b e ing caus e th e s e n d ing of th e s e sign s from th e gods to human
,

b eings fi rst through th e sk y a n d th e n through th e atmosph e r e

,

app e aring to men e sp e c iall y brilliant ,

.

T his t h e n b ec om e s mani fe st through th e stat e m e nts that

, ,

have b e en ma d e nam e l y : T hat th e gods making u s e of many

, ,

int e rm e d iate instrum e ntaliti e s s e nd forth si gn s to human b e

,

*
W h en Julius
Caesar was as s assi nate d it was affi rm ed by th e Au gu rs,
th at th e ev ent was fore sha dowed by th e absen c e of a he a d to the l iv er
of the animal s ac ri fi c e d that d ay ; an d on th e morni n g of th e m u r der

of th e E mp e r or P e rtin ax th e vi c tims w e r e s ai d on e of th e m to l ac k a

h eart, an d the oth er, a l iv e r .

1 38 I N S TR UME N T A LI TI E S
ings emp l oying n ot onl y th e s e rvi c e s of d emons but a l so of
, ,

souls and th e whol e r e alm of n a t ur e ; th e y lik ewis e l e ading al l

t h e s e th e ir follow e rs fr om th e fi r s t b e gi nning throughout th e
, ,

cosmic un ive rs e a n d t r a n smittin g th e imp u ls e which go e s

,

forth from th e m whith e r t h e y pl e as e B e ing t h e r e fo r e th e m

.
, ,

s e lve s s e parat e from all and fr e e fr om all r e la t ionship a n d

c ommon natur e wi t h t hos e in th e r e gi o n of g e n e rat e d e xist e n c e
,

th e y l e a d ev e r y t hing in th e r e a lms of g e n e ra t ion a n d produ c

tion accordi ng to th e ir own purpos e .

T his e xplanation in r e sp ec t to th e art of d ivination agr e e s

a c cordingly with th e th e or y of th e c re a t ion and for eknowl e dg e
of th e go d s for i t d o e s n ot d rag d own th e mind of th e sup e rior
,

b eings to this r e gion and to u s ; b u t inste ad this r e maining , ,

stab l e in its el f tu rns to its e l f n ot onl y th e signs but likewi s e

, ,

th e whol e art of d ivining and dis cov e rs th em proc e e ding

,

fr om it .

E RR O N E O U S V I E W S O F D I V I N AT I O N C O R R E C T E D .

Thou aske s t lik e wi s e i n r e lation to th e natur e of d ivi n a

tion wha t it is a n d what i s its p ec u liar charact e r
,
T his .

w e hav e e xplain e d alr e a dy both g e n e rally a n d sp e ci fi c a ll y

, .

B u t thou fi rst of all has t p u t forth t his s t a t e m e n t

, , Th e “

d ivin e rs all s a y that th e y arriv e at th e for eknowing of th e

fu tur e t hrough gods or a n d that it is n ot p ossibl e

for o th e rs to hav e an y inkling of i t— only thos e who hav e c om

man d ov e r th e things t o b e ”
T hou th e n r ema rk e s t as i f
.
,

h e si t ating I d is p u t e wh e t h e r th e d ivin e pow e r is brough t

d own to s u c h subs e rvi en c y to human b e ings as for instan c e , , ,

n ot to hol d aloo f from a n y wh o a r e d ivin e rs with barl ey m e al

”
.

But wh e n thou a p p l i e s t th e te rm subs e rvi en c y to th e “

provid e ntial c ar e a n d pr ot e c t ion tha t w e e njo y thou fa il e s t

to un d e rstand aright th e vastn e ss of th e pow e r of th e go d s ,

th e goo dn e ss transc en d ing and th e causality which in c lu d e s

*
Th e re three mo des of fore c asting : prophe c y divi n ation an d
ar e ,

guessing ; an d th ey are referred r espe c tively to divinity demons an d ,

obs erv ation of the c o urs e of th ings Demon s app e ar to be th e sam e as

.

th e “
angel s of the Ju daean an d Christian th e ol ogy
” “
Both go ds an d .

demons hav e a c e rtain an d u n erring know l edg e of thing s to c om e ”

s av s ,

P rokl os .
14 0 S OU LLE S S OB JE CT S

wis e incl ud e s t h em in on e c oncept a nd issue s th em forth from ,

hims el f accord ing to a single purpos e .

I f how e v e r th e powe r of th e gods in this matt e r of prog

, ,

n os ti c a ti on e x t e nds to obj e cts without soul such as littl e p eb ,

bl e s rods c e rtain tr e e s ston e s wh eat or barl e y

, , ,
this ,

is its e l f a most wond e r fu l form of pr e dicting by di vin e va t i c i

na t ion b ecaus e it is an imparting of soul to things t hat a re
,

without soul a n d motion to obj e cts that of th e ms elv e s a r e

,

incapabl e of moving and mak e s e v e r y thing c l e ar and kn ow

,

abl e participant of th e r e asoning facult y and d e finabl e ac

, ,

cording to th e m e asur e s of int ellig e nc e and ye t having no th ,

ing of rationality by th ems e lv e s .

A noth e r thing which th e god brings to notic e in th e d i s

pla y s app e ars to me to b e nothing l e ss than a sup e rhuman
won de r : for as h e som e tim e s mak e s a man of mod e rat e attain
m en t s and u nd e rstan ding utt e r apoth e g ms full of wis d om ,

through which it is ma d e p l ain that th e o c curr enc e is n ot a

human bu t a divin e p e rformanc e so through agenci e s d e sti
, ,

tut e of knowl e dge h e r ev eals p e rc eptions which we r e prior

to an y knowing A t th e same tim e th e god mak e s it mani fe st
.

to indivi duals that th e signs a n d tok ens which a r e exhibit e d

a r e worthy of b e li e f and that h e is sup e rior to th e r e alm of
,

natur e and e x a l t e d above it

, .

T hus th e things in th e r e a l m of natur e which w e r e unknown

h e mak e s known and thos e which a r e unknowabl e h e mak e s
,

knowabl e N ot only do e s h e through th e s e implan t sagacity

.
, ,

in us but h e als o through e ve r y thing that is in th e un iv e rs e

, , ,

s e ts ou r mind in m otion toward th e knowl e dge of th e truth

of th e things that a r e of th e things that a r e coming into e x ist

and th e thin gs that wil l be—th e P ast P r e s ent and

,

e nc e , ,

Futur e .

*
V ari ou s mo de s of d ivini ng w ere empl oyed We re a d that the .

p atriarc h J os eph divin ed with his c up ( Gen es is xi v th e S yrian , ,

ambassa d ors took the mo de of r ep l y from A hab as a tok en ( I n a ,

xx ,
T h e S kyth e an d oth e r an c i en t pe op le s divin ed with r od s of
t amarisk Lau rel le av es w e re al so u s ed Th e K ing of Babyl on dec i de d
. .

to l ead hi s army against Jerusalem a ft er a div in ation with a rrows ,

( E z e ki el xx i 2 1
,
Th ,
e l ot was
,
c ommon ; in d eed it was s u pp os ed

that the c on ditions of l ife i n the e arth w ere es tab li sh ed by suc h allotm ent .
 DI V I NI T I E S AT T H E RI T E S 14 1

From th e s e consid e rations it is evid ent I think that th e , ,

mod e of divinatio n is absolut e ly contrary to thos e ways which

t hou dost mistrust and suppos e ; for it is authoritativ e and ,

fi rst in op e ration and lik e wis e s el f gov e rning and transc e nd

,
-

e n t e ncompassing all things in its e l f but not its el f e u com

, ,

pass e d by any or enclos e d in limi t e d conditions by its partici

,

pants On th e othe r hand i t tak e s its p l ace abov e and ex er

.
, ,

cis e s authority ove r a ll as a singl e ass emb l age without di s ,

ti n c ti on s but ru l ing ov e r th e whol e with un l imit e d pow e r and

, ,

gi ving forth signs and port e nts coll e ctiv e l y .

T hou wi l t th e r e for e from th e s e pre mis e s e asi l y r e solv e

, , ,

thos e doubts which a r e p ersonal and ann oying to many indi

v i d u a l s a n d duly rais e th y s e l f to th e p e rc e ption of th e spirit
,

ual divin e and und e c eptiv e for e tok ens of th e go d s that a re

,

mani fe st e d from all sourc e s .

We cont end th erefore that th e divine powe r is not brought

, ,

down i n to th e signs and symbo l s of th e art of divination .

T HE D I VI N I TI E S PRE SENT AT T H E R I T E S

An oth e r controv e rsy now awaits us not l e ss in signi fican ce ,

than th e one whi ch has just b e e n fi nish e d T hou i n tr odu c e s t .

it at once in re gard to th e diviniti e s that a re th e causative

powe rs in th e art of divination b y qu e stioning wh e t h e r a ,
“

god or ange l o r d emon or som e oth e r such b eing is pr e s e nt

, ,

a t th e mani fe stations ( e piphani e s ) or at th e div i nations o r

at any of th e S acr e d P e r formance s ”

.

T h e simpl e r e p l y which we mak e to this is that it is not

possibl e for th e D ivin e P e rforman c e s to b e carri e d on in a
manne r b e fitting sacr e d matt e rs without som e one of th e sup e
rior race s b e ing pr e s ent b eholding and making th e S acr e d
,

P e r formanc e s A ccordingly wh e n th e proc e dur e s ,

a re p e r fe ct su ffi ci e nt of t h ems e lv e s and without d e fe ct gods

, , ,

a r e th e ir dir e ctors But wh en th ey a re onl y suitabl e for th e

.

inte rmediary rac e s ( as ang el s and d emons ) and fall som e ,

what short of what is d ue to th e high e st b e ings th en th e y hav e ,

angels to mak e th e m compl e t e and mak e th e exhibitions But .

*
S ee Dec eptive D ivination , pag e 1 32 .
14 2 THE G OD S S UPE RI OR TO N E CE S S I T Y
thos e whi ch a r e class e d as low e st an d las t a r e assign e d to th e
d e mons t o b e p e r form e d .

T h e succ e ss fu l accomplishm ent of th e divin e s e rvi c e s is

alwa y s con fid ed to som e on e of th e sup e rior ord ers S inc e it .

is not p e rmissibl e without th e go d s e v e n to prattl e a word

, ,

in r e sp e c t to th e gods it may b e tak e n for gran t e d tha t god

,

like achi ev em ents a n d a ll forms of prognostication a r e not

c onduc t e d s u c c e ss fully e x c e pt with th e go d s pr e s e nt For th e .

hu man trib e is w e ak a n d of l ittl e ac c o u nt ; it s e e s but littl e ,

a n d poss e ss e s nothing b y natur e But for th e inh e r e nt te n

.

d en c y in it for wand e ring disord e r and unstabl e c hanging

, ,

th e on e r e m e dy is wh e th e r it may participat e so fa r as it is ,

abl e of som e portion of the divin e light But who ev e r s eeks

, .

to e x clud e this do e s th e sam e thing as thos e who att empt to

d e v e lop a sou l from obj e cts that a r e without soul or g e n e rat e ,

mind from tho s e d e stitut e of mind F or h e propos e s without .

th e ag e ncy of a d ivin e caus e to cr e at e divin e works from mat e

rials that a r e n ot d ivin e .

L e t it b e conc e d e d th e n that a god or d emon or ange l is

, ,

bringing th e sup e rior rit e s to compl et en e ss We do n ot grant .

i n th e l e ast what thou th r owes t ou t as an acknowl e dg e d fact ,

nam el y : T hat th e sup e rior b e ings bring th e s e things to pass ,

“
a s having b e en drawn thith e r through us by th e n e c e ssiti e s
, ,

c r e at e d by th e inv ocatio n For th e god and th e e ntir e chorus

”
.
,

of sup e rior b e ings conn e ct e d with him a r e sup e rior to n e c e s ,

s i ty— not a lon e from th e n e c e ssity which is induc e d b y human

b e ings but also that n ec e ssity which ho l ds th e world in its

,

grasp H e nce it is n ot th e provinc e of th e nature which is

.
,

non mat e ria l and not r e ceptiv e of an y acquir e d ord e r to b e

-
, ,

subs e rvi ent to any n e c e ssity coming in from e ls e wh e r e .

T h e n again th e invocation and th e rit e s p e r form e d b y th e

, ,

a d ept in sup e rior knowl e dge bring th em to th e sup e rior rac e s

and attach th em toge th e r by b e coming assimi l at e d and of th e
sam e hous eho l d ; but th ey n eve r bring their op erations to
c omp l e tion by compu l sory end e avor He nc e the occurrence s
.
,

a r e not obs e rv e d in th e p e rsons entranc ed a s thou thinke st , ,

th e th e urgic ad e pt b e ing in a passiv e condition ; nor is divi n

ing e ffe ct ed through a n e c e ssity a passiv e condition b e ing
,
144 TH E H U MA N I N S I G N I F I CAN T

What is human wh en it is compar ed with th e divine is

bas e insigni ficant and a m e r e plaything H ence I l augh
, ,
.
,

wh e n I h e ar that th e god is automatica l ly pr e s ent with c e rtain

p e rsons or obj ects wh eth e r through th e Cycl e of nativity or
,

through othe r caus e s For i f h e is contro ll e d by th e C ycl e

.

Of nativity th e un b e gott e n d iv i nity wi ll n ot th e n b e th e sup e

ri or ; nor will h e as h e is hims e l f arrang e d with c e rtain things

,

with r efe r en c e to othe r caus e s b e primarily a caus e Of al l

,

things T he s e sugg e stions th er e for e a r e als o unworthy of

.
, ,
'

th e conc epti on which we shou l d e nt e rtain in r e gard to th e

gods and a r e entire ly foreign to the p e r formanc e s which tak e
,

place in Th eurgy fi “

S uch i nquiry howev e r is subj e ct to th e sam e condition

, ,

which th e many e x p e ri enc e in r egard to th e C re ation Of th e

unive rs e a n d provi d enc e F or n ot b eing abl e to l e ar n what is
.

th e natur e of th e s e and lik ewis e discarding th e d ee p though t s

,

and argum e nts of indivi duals in r e sp ec t to th e divine b e ings ,

th e y take all r e cogn ition Of provid enc e and cr e ation entir e ly

away from th em .

We a r e a c custom e d to m e e t the s e individua l s with th e a n

swe r that th e divin e mo d e of cr e ation and guar dianship is
di fi e r ent from what th e y suppos e of such thi ngs and that it ,

is not prop e r for th em b e caus e of th e ir i gnorance to r e j e ct

, ,

it as not having e xist e d from th e b e ginning S o l ikewis e it .

, ,

may b e p l e ad e d with th e e that all for eknowl edg e and doing

Of s empit e rna l works a r e th e works of gods and ar e n e i t h e r ,

p e r form e d through n ec e ssity nor thro u gh d i fi e r e nt human

caus e s but wrought through such caus e s as th e gods a l on e
,

kn ow .

D I V I NAT I O N N OT A F A C UL T Y OF T H E S O UL .

P assing
th e s e things by accordingl y we may now with , ,

good r e ason proc e e d to ex pl ain th e s e cond caus e which thou

,

*
The s ent im ent h ere en forc ed is that no pr ay e r or rit e h as an y
e ffic ac y to attr ac t a d ivin e b e ing an d so bring d own God
,
but rath e r ,

it ex al ts th e worshipp e r to th e D ivin ity P rokl os al s o say s

. I n th e
invoc ation s an d at th e A utop sia the divin e e ss en c e s eems afte r a man n e r
,

to c om e down to u s wh en r e all y we are ext en din g o ur s el ves to it inste a d

,
”
.
 I G NORA N C E 14 5

h ast s et forth,
nam el y That th e sou l utt e r s and ima gin e s
th e s e thin gs and that th ey a r e p e cul iar conditions of it which
, ,

hav e b e e n produc e d from l ittl e

On th e c ontrary n eith e r a r e th e s e things from th e r e alm
,

of natur e no r do e s th e r e asoning fa culty acc e pt th e m

,
F or .

e v e rythi n g that com e s into e xist e nc e com e s from a sp e ci fi c

caus e and that which is of kindr e d natur e is brought to pass

,

b y that which is akin to it But th e divin e O p e ration is n ot .

automa tic for such a thing is wi thout a caus e and n ot in any

,

way a rranged Nor is it th e product of a human caus e for

.
,

this is a l i e n to it and subordinat e and that which is mor e ,

p e r fe ct cannot issu e from that which is l e s s p e rfe c t t A l l

O p e rations th e r e for e whi c h a r e l ik e divinity in th eir natur e
°

, ,

hav e th eir ince ption from a di vin e cau s e F or th e human soul .

is h e ld fast by a so l itary i d e al and is k ept in th e dark by th e ,

body on e v e ry sid e Wh e th e r this cond ition is t e rm e d th e

.

riv e r Am al e té or wat e r of L e th e or ignoranc e and insanity

or bondag e through passiv e conditions or d efi ci e ncy of vita l

f orc e or som e oth e r e vil thing it wi l l not b e a nam e sufh

, ,

c i e n tl y e x pre ssiv e to d e not e its badn e ss 1 .

*
P L U TARC H : Why the Orac les Ceas e to Gi v e Ans wers 39 . . The
so ul d oe s n ot h ave th e l l
fa c u ty of divining wh e n c ear of the b od y
as from
a c l o u d ; bu t it is b l in ded by its c ommingl ing an d c onfu sion w ith th e
mo rt al natu r e ”
.

( R ev J A M E S M ART I N EA U : P lac e of M i n d in N ature S u rel y

J .
. .

nothing c an b e e vo l v ed th at i s n ot fi rst invol ve d E vol ution an d pro s

‘
.

p ec ti on are ins eparab l e c on c epti ons GO ba c k as you wi ll an d try to

.
,

prop el the movem ent from b ehind in ste a d of d rawing it from before ,

dev el opm ent in a defi nite direc tion towar d the r e a l i z ation of a d ominan t
s c h em e of a sc en ding re l ation s is th e sway of an ov er r ul ing e n d
,
- .

1 Amal eté signi fi e s c arele ssn e ss n egl igen c e ; L eth e m ean s th e

“ ” “ ”
,

extin c tion of re m embra nc e s ; i gnoran ce is inabi l ity for r e a l k n owi ng .

Pl ato in th e Rep u bl i c Book X de sc rib es a vision in wh ic h th e soul s

“ ”
, ,

are se e n in th e ac t of s el ec t ing for th ems el v es th e q u al ity of a n ew l i fe

in th e e arth By the c hoic e th ey mak e th eir gu ar dian demon is a ll ott ed

.
,

to the m Th en th ey drink th e wate r of Leth e whi c h no ve sse l c ontains

.
“

an d forg e t al l th e pa st .

I renaeos c av i ll ing at Pl ato d eman de d how h e kn ew al l this ; a dding

, ,

th at if h e kn ew p art h e o ught to know all H e s eem s to have ov erl ooke d .

th e fa c t of a manti c or s u pra c ons c iou s c on di tion in whi c h s u c h thin gs

may be kn own as th ey are p erc eive d to an extent c omm en su rat e w ith the ,

de v el opm ent Of th e int u itiv e fac ul ty .

14 6 M I N G L E D S U B S T AN CE

Th e sou l b eing h el d by such r e straint how may it b e com e ,

s uffici ent for suc h an op e ration ? It is by no m e ans r e asonabl e

t o suppos e such a thing For if we s e em at any tim e to b e
.

abl e to e ffe c t a participation and to b e e nlight en e d b y th e ,

gods it is by this alon e that we d e riv e b ene fit Of th e divin e

,

e n e rgy On this account th e soul not poss e ssing intrinsic

.
,

e xc e ll e nc e and sagacity it do e s not participat e of th e divin e

,

O p e rations In d ee d i f such op e ra t ions p e rtain e d to th e soul

.
, ,

e v e ry soul or at l e ast th e soli t ar y on e e ndow e d with int r insic

,

compl e t en e ss would p e r fo rm th em N ow how ev e r not one

, .
, ,

or anoth e r of th e m is su f fi ci ently pr e par e d for this On th e .

contrary so fa r as r el at e s to th e divin e e n e r gy eve n th e p e r

, ,

fe c t soul is incompl e t e .

Th e th e urgic e n e rgy th e r e for e is di ffe r e nt and th e suc

, , ,

c es s ful ac c omplishm ent of th e divin e works is e nabl e d by

th e gods a l on e I f th e fact we r e oth e rwis e t his would not b e

.

at all n e ce ssary in th e s e rvi c e of th e gods b u t we wo u l d hav e ,

th e divin e boons in this cas e without r e ligious worship If .

t h e s e opinions a r e like ma dn e ss and without s e ns e it is prop e r, ,

to d is c ard su c h und e rm e ani n gs as fu rnishing a caus e worthy

Of m e ntion for th e ful filling Of divin e O p e rations .

D I VI N ATI O N N OT O F T W O FOL D OR I G I N .

T hirdl y , thou s ubj oin e s t th e following stat em ent nam el y ,

T hat th e r e is a mingl e d f orm of substanc e pro duc e d from

ou r own soul a n d from th e d ivi n e i n b r e a thi n gs from without
”
.

Is it an y mor e tru e than th e oth e rs ?

L ook at this mor e critically l e st fro m b e ing entangl e d ,

by its appar ent pl ausibility we pass it by wi t hout noticing ,

.

For i f an y on e thing is p e rchance brought into e xist en c e from

, ,

two it is g en e rall y alik e in form alik e in natur e and alik e in

, , ,

e s s e nc e S o th e el em e nts coming tog e th e r into th e sam e asso

.

c i a ti on produc e on e sp eci fi c e l em e nt out of many and many

,

soul s a r e join e d tog e th e r into one entir e soul C e rtainl y how .

,

e ve r anythi ng which is comp l e t el y tak e n away cannot e v e r

,

b e com e one with that whi c h is going forth from its el f ; n eith e r
may th e soul b e constitut e d Of on e form of substanc e with
 IX

D E M ON S
1 52 IM AG I N A T I ON
d uc ed from things that hav e no oracular quality and h ow may ,

soul b e gen e rate d from bodi e s that a r e without a soul ? Or to ,

say th e whol e at onc e how ma y th e things which a r e mor e

,

comp l e t e b e pro duc e d from thos e which a re l e ss compl e t e ?

T h e mo d e of producing app e ars to me lik e wis e to b e i mp os
sibl e For to produc e e ss ence through th e activiti e s of th e
.

soul and through th e powe rs in th e bodi e s is not possibl e ; for

from th e things whi ch do not hav e it e ss ence cannot b e ,

d eve lop e d .

Wh enc e com e s th e imagination of that which is about to

take p l ace ? From what do e s it r e ce iv e th e facul ty Of divining ?
F or of th e things which hav e b ee n sown anywh e r e through
gen e ration we abso l ut e l y n ev e r s e e anything po ss e ssing mor e
than what is imparte d to it from th e fi rst par e ntage B u t it .

s e ems that th e imagination may r e c e iv e a c e rtain sup e rior

addition from what has no b e ing ; u nl e ss it may b e said that
th e d emons ge t a foothold upon th e matt e r from th e [sacri
fi c e d ] animals and that b e ing brought und e r th e ir influ e nce
, , ,

the y a re mov e d in r e sp ect to it by a common sympathy A o .

c ording to this O pinion th e re for e th e d e mons a r e n ot g en e r

, ,

at e d from th e forc e s inh e r e nt in bo di e s but b eing at th e l ead ,

of th em and existing b e for e th em th e y a r e mov e d in l ike

, ,

manne r with th em G r a nt e d that th ey a r e thus e x cee dingl y

.

s y mpath e tic y et I do not s e e in what mann e r th e r e will b e

,

anythi ng tru e in r e gard to what is to com e For th e fore .

knowing and fore casting of th e futur e do not com e within

th e rang e of a s y mpath e tic pow e r nor a natur e b elonging to ,

th e r e alm of matt e r and h e ld fast in a sp e ci fi c pla c e and body ;

,

but on th e contrary th e facul ty must b e fr e e in r e sp ect to

, ,

e v e rything .

L et th e supposition which thou has t mad e r ec eive th es e

corre ctions .

C ONC ERNI N G O RACU L AR

'

DRE AMS .

Imme diat el y a ft e r this O bs e rvations a r e brought forward

,

as Of one that was wav e ring in r e gard to th e nature of div in

ation ; yet as th ey a re advance d th e re is an end e avor appar e nt
to ove rtu rn th e art entir e ly We wil l the re for e dire ct th e
.
, ,
 A CON DI TI ON OF T H E S OU L 1 53

discussion to both th e s e conditions of the ca s e We wi ll b egin .

by fi rst answe ring th e fo rm e r Of th e m : T hat during s l eep “

,

wh e n we a r e not e ngage d with anything we som etim e s chanc e ,

to a pr emonition of the future ”

It is not sugge st e d th at th e
.

s ource of th e divination is from out of ours e l v e s a n d that th e

o n e which accompani e s it is from without Th e two a r e c l os el y .

a l li e d tog e th e r and a r e intimat ely int e rbl e nd e d with e ach

oth e r Hence th eir op e rations in r e sp ect to th e s e matte r s
.
,

a re carri e d ou t in th e mann e r d e fin e d a n d fo l low th e caus e s,

which pre c e d e th em b e ing al l i ed to th e m in cl os e r el ations

, .

Wh e n howeve r th e caus e is fr ee from such att a chm e nts and

, , ,

p reex ists by its e l f th e end is not mark e d out in r e l ation to us

, ,

but e ve r y thing d ep ends on influ ence s outside Now th e r e for e .

, ,

it is l ikel y to happ e n in such cas e s that th e truth in th e dre ams

do e s not com e ou t in conce rt without ritual op e rations and i t ,

O ft e n shi n e s forth from its el f This shows that d ivination.

,

b e ing from the gods without and endu e d with authority which
,

is al l its own wi ll wh e n it p l e as e s gracious l y re ve a l th e

, , ,

future L e t th e s e exp l anations b e an answe r of such a

.

charact e r .

A P E C U L I AR COND I TI O N OF S OUL N OT A S OURC E O F D I VI NATI ON .

Aft e rward , in th e e nd e avor to exp l ain th e nature of divin

a tion ,
thou do e st away with it altog e th e r For i f as thou .
,

a fii rme s t a condition of th e soul constitut e s th e sourc e Of

“ ”
,

divination what p e rson Of s e ns e wil l accord to a thing s o

,

p al pab l y unstabl e and cap r icious for e knowl e dg e that is n or

mal and stab l e ? Or h ow can the so ul that i s discr ee t and
,

c onstant as to th e b e tt e r facu l ti e s — th os e of th e mind and

—
und e rstanding b e ignorant of what is to b e whe n th e indi ,

vidua l that is re ceptive as to disord e rly and turbul ent impr e s

sions throws the futur e wid e op en ? F or what in th e worl d
is p e cul iar in the passiv e condition to quali fy it for th e b eho l d
ing of th e things that poss e ss r e a l b eing ? Why is not this
con dition a hindranc e rath e r than an aid to th e mor e genu
i ne p e rc e ption ? F urth e r a l so i f th e things in th e worl d we r e
, ,

p l ac e d toge th er by m e ans of passiv e conditions th e similitud e ,

of the passiv e conditions would b e in clos e proximi ty to th em .

1 54 D I S EA S E N OT A F A C T OR

But i f th ey a re e stablish e d through principl e s and through

i d e as th e r e will b e a d i ffe r en t natu r e of for eknowl edg e which ,

will b e quit of e v e r y thing like passiv e c on di tion .

T h e n again th e passiv e c on d ition is conscious only of

, ,

what is going on and what is now in e xistenc e b u t forek nowl ,

e dg e ex t en d s a l so to thos e things whi c h as y e t d o n ot hav e

b eing H e nce for eknowl edge is fa r di ffe r ent from a passiv e

.
,

or susc ep t ibl e con d ition .

L e t us howe v e r consid e r thy argum e nts for such an O pin

, ,

ion as thou hast put forward T hy stat e m e nt that th e s e ns e s .

“

a r e h e ld in check t en d s to th e contrary of what thou hast

”

b efor e d eclar e d for it is an evid en c e that no human phantasm

,

is ac tiv e at th e particul ar tim e But th e fum e s whi c h a r e .

“

introduc e d a re in clos e r elationship to th e god bu t n ot to

”
,

th e soul Of th e B e hold e r invocations do not induc e

” “
Th e .

an inbr e athing into th e r e asoning fa c ulty or passiv e c onditions

of bod y in th e worshipp e r for th e y a r e p e r fe ctl y unknowabl e
,

a n d ar c an e ; but th e y a r e utt e r e d int e lligibly to th e god alon e

whom th e y a r e invoking But what thou r ema rk e s t that .

,
“

by no m e ans e v e rybody but only th e mor e artl e ss and youn g

,

a r e suitab l e for th e proc e dur e s d e monstrat e s that such as

”
,

the s e a re mor e in con d ition as a r e c e ptacl e for a spirit that

e nt e rs from without and ho l ds th e subj e ct e ntranc e d .

From th e s e things howe v e r thou dost not conj e ctur e right

, ,

l y that th e e nthusiastic raptur e is a passiv e condition ; for

th e e vide n c e follows lik e wis e from th e s e signs and tok e ns that
it flows in from without as an inbr ea thing L e t th e s e things
,
.
,

th e r efor e so b e with us
,
.

DI S E AS E N OT A FAC T O R I N DI VI N
'

ATI O N .

A ft e r
th e s e conj e ctur e s th e r e fo l lows anoth e r a d e sc ent ,

from th e e n th ea s t ab e rration to e cstasy or ali enation of min d

on towar d a wors e c on d ition It is d e clare d most irrationally
.
, ,

th a t th e origin of the divining art is th e mania that o c curs “

in dis e as e s ”
For it s ets forth enthusiasm or div in e inspira
.

tion as d ue to m el ancho l ia or th e r e dundancy of b l ack bil e ,

th e p e rv e rt e d conditions Of drunk e nn e ss and th e fury inci ,

d e nt to rabid dogs It is n e c e ssary from th e b e ginning th e r e

.
,
156 APP ARI T I ON S OF T E CH NI CAL M AG I C

lar to that of th e pri e sts do not l ook upon human abstine nc e ,

any mor e a s b e ing similar to it But Of a l l thi n gs do n ot .

,

c ompar e dis e as e s of th e body such as su ffusions and fanci e s

“
, ,

s e t in motion by morbi d c onditi o ns with th e d ivine visions

”
.
,

F or what hav e th e y in common with e ach oth e r ? N e ith e r art

thou at lib e rty to con t rast e quivo c al sta te s of mind s u ch as“
,

may o c cur d uring ab s tin e nc e and e c stasy with th e sacre d

”
,

visions Of th e gods which a r e d e fin e d b y a singl e en e rg y But

,
.

on th e oth e r hand thou may e st not asso ciat e in mind th e sp e c

,

ta c l e s Of th e gods that a r e sup e rlativ e ly e ffi cacious wi t h th e “

a pparitions got up by t e chni c al magi c F or th e latt e r hav e .

n e ith e r th e en e rgy n or th e e ss e nc e n or th e g enuine ne ss of th e

O bj e cts that a r e b e h e ld but onl y proj e ct bar e phantasms that
,

s eem r eal .

A l l such qu e stions howe v e r which l e ad away from th e

, ,

subj e ct and carry th e atte ntion from contrari e s to contrari e s ,

we do n ot consid e r as touching th e hypoth e sis b e for e us .

H enc e having s et th em forth as for ei gn to th e s u bj e c t we do

, ,

not suppos e it to b e ne c e ssary to wast e mor e time upon th em ,

a s th ey hav e b e e n s e t in a disputatious way to l e ad us to

wand e r from ou r cours e but not with any curiosity of a phi lo
,

sophi c charact e r .

C ON C E R NI N G S P URI OU S AN D G E N UI N E D I V I N ATI ON .

One will wond e r th e r e for e at th e many and di ffe r ent

, ,

sugge stions of n ew points of argument whi ch a re ev id e ntly

brought forward for th e purpos e of disputing H e wi l l b e .

astonish e d with goo d r e ason at th e opposit en e ss of th e opin

, ,

ions that a r e put forth to e xplain divining It is a fi rme d that .

th e whol e art is on l y a matt e r of app e aran c e s produc e d by jug

g l e r s th
, e r e b e ing nothing substant i al and lik ewis e that it is ,

e x e rcis e d by p e rsons who ar e imp el l e d by emotion or dis e as e ,

and a re in a condition to dar e anything of a d elusiv e natur e ,

and that it is po ssibl e for th e m to com e upon th e truth b y

chance F or what principl e of truth or what starting poin t
.
,
-

of som e thing that ma y b e un d e rstood l e ss or gr e at e r wi l l , ,

*
The goe tic art or bl ac k magic
“
.
 TH E TR UT H 1 57

th e r e ex ist in the s e individua l s ? We s houl d not r e c e ive that

as th e truth howe v e r whi ch com e s in such mann e r by chanc e s ;
, ,

as that also happ ens to b e r e cord e d of thos e who a r e born e

along to no purpos e T hat howe v e r is not to b e a c kn owl
.
, ,

e dg e d as th e truth in whi c h th e thi ngs a re don e in con c e rt with

thos e that a r e p e r forming th em ; for th e s e things co ex ist with

th e ph y sical s ens e s and with th e p e rc eptiv e faculti e s of ani
mals H e n c e that which is don e in this way has nothing that
.
,

is its own or d ivin e or sup e rior to what is common in natur e

, ,
.

On th e oth e r hand th e truth which is to b e r e gar d e d stands

,

p e rman e ntl y in th e same mann e r as r e sp e cts op e ration I t .

has p e r fe ct knowl ed ge pr e s ent with it of e xisting things and ,

is its e l f Of th e sam e natur e with th e e ss enc e of things It .

e mplo y s th e stabl e r e asoning faculty and s e e s e v e rything as ,

e x isting in its p e r fe ctn e ss its fi tn e ss for u s e and its d i me n

, ,

sions T his truth th e r e for e is in clos e co nn e ction with th e

.
, ,

art of divi nation It ought accor d ingl y to b e much mor e than

.

natura l pr e s entime nt such as th e instinctiv e p e rc e iving Of

,

e arthquak e s a n d gr e at storms O f rain which is poss e ss e d by ,

c e rta i n animal s From this a fe eling in common c e rtain ani

.
,

mals b eing a c te d upon tog e th e r or p e rc eiving mor e or l e ss ,

a c c urat e l y through an a c ut en e ss Of s e ns e things which a r e

, ,

taking pla c e in th e atmosph e r e abov e but hav e n ot y et b e en

brought to pass upon th e
I f th e n the s e things which we a re sa y ing a re tru e although
, , ,

we ma y hav e r e c e ive d from natur e a pow e r to asc e rtain t hi ngs ,

or though we fe e l what is going to tak e p l ac e that we shall ,

ac c ept t his kind Of impr e ssion as oracul a r for eknowl e dge ye t ,

it is similar to d i in ing e x cept that in div ination th e r e is

v
,

*
An c ie nt lite rature
h as pre s erve d s ev era l inc idents of th i s c h ar a c t er .

The t enth c hapt e r of th e book Of D ani el throws c onsi derab l e l ight

”

u p on th e su bj ec t ; an d in the fifth c hapt e r of th e sec on d book of th e

“
M ac c ab ee s , an ap p arition of an a rmy man oeu v ering in the sky is de
”

sc ribe d T he n ewsp ap ers aboun d with ac c o unts Of dr eams in whi c h

.

e v e nts we r e r epr esent ed as th ey aft erwar d a c t u a ll y oc c urre d T hi s wo ul d .

s ee m to in di c ate th at th ere is a world of r e al ity about u s, oth er th an

th e sp ec ta c ul ar re gi on th at we c ont emp l at e, an d that s c en es t ak ing p l a c e
here are c opies of what has b een en ac t ed the r e al re ady .
1 58 S T EA D F A S T PE R CEP T I ON
n o thing wanting in c e rtainty and truth whil e th e oth e r is a ,

ma t t e r of chanc e for th e mos t part but n ot alwa y s ; p e rce iving,

c orr e c t l y in r e gard to c e rtain t hings but not in r e l a t ion to all .

Hen c e i f th e r e is an y instruction in th e a r t s as for exampl e

, , , ,

in pil otag e or in medicine which giv e s pow e r to for e c ast th e

,

fu t u r e it do e s n ot p e rtain in an y r e sp e c t to th e d ivin e for e

,

kno wl e dg e F or it r e ckons up what is to happ e n by probabili

.

ti e s a n d c e rtain signs and th e s e n ot alwa y s c r e dibl e ; a n d th e y

,

d o n ot h av e th e t h i ng that is thus si gnifi e d in a prop e r c on

n e c ti on with that of which th e signs a r e in d i c ators But wi t h .

th e d i v in e for e sight of things to b e th e re a r e b e for e all st e a d , ,

fast p e rc e p t ion th e un c hanging assuran c e compl e t e l y a t on e

,

with th e C aus e s an in dissolubl e hol ding of ev e r y thing to

,

e v e r y thing and a knowl e d ge a l ways abi d ing of al l things as

,

b eing now pr e s ent and th e ir provinc e d e fin ed

,
.

D I V IN ATI ON NE I TH ER FR OM NATURE , A R T N OR F E LLO W F E E L I N G .

I t is not prop e r to make this stat em ent T hat th e r e a l m

of n a t u r e art a n d th e fe e ling in common of things through
, ,

ou t th e u niv e r s e as O f th e parts of on e animal c ontain for e ,

s h a d owings of c e r t ain t hings with r e fe r en c e to oth e rs ; n or

”

“
t ha t th e bo d i e s a r e so constitut e d as to b e for e warnings from
som e to oth e rs ”
For th e s e things which a r e v e ry c l e arly
.
,

b eh e ld r emove th e tr a c e s of th e d ivin e O ra c ular pow e r in a

,

gr e a t e r or l e ss d egr e e But it is n ot possib l e tha t any on e

.

shoul d b e b e r eft of it en t ir e l y On th e contrary as in a ll

.
,

things th e imag e of th e goo d carri e s th e god in it ; so also

, , ,

a c e rtain lik en e ss of th e divin e oracu lar pow e r obs c ur e or ,

more activ e app e ars to b e in th em But non e of th e s e is such

, .

as th e d ivin e form of divination nor ma y th e on e d ivin e nu , ,

mingl e d form of it b e chara c t e riz e d from th e man y phantasms

which go d own from it into th e r e al m Of g e n e rat ed e xist e nc e .

N or is it prop e r i f th e r e a r e an y oth e r fals e or d e lusiv e a p

,

p e a r a n c e s which a r e farth e r r e move d from g e nuin e n e ss to

, ,

b ring th e s e forward in th e forming of a ju d gm e nt of th e ma t

te r . On th e contrary we m u st thi nk Of it as on e singl e utt e r
,

a n ce on e arrang em en t a n d according to on e divine id e a l and

, ,
160 M A T E RI A L I Z I N G

u nloos e th em O p e n plac e s that a re lock e d and change th e

, ,

p u rpos e s of indivi d u als b y whom th e y a r e ent e rtain e d s o tha t , ,

from b e ing paltry th e y a r e mad e worth y A l l th e s e things

”
.
,

signi fy t hat th e inspiration com e s from without It is u c c e a .

sary howev e r not onl y to acce pt this b e for ehand but also t o
, , ,

d e fin e t horo ughly what a sp eci fic inspiration is which com e s ,

from d u ty a n d pro d u c e s th e g od giv e n art Of d ivina t ion Oth

,
-
.

e rwi s e we shall not b e fi t b e for e hand

,
to gi v e judgm e nt on ,

this s u bj e ct unl e ss by app ly ing its own p e culiar sign to it

,

and fi t its own tok en to it as a s e al .

C O N C E RN I N G S P ECTRAL FI GURE S AN D MA TE R I ALI ZAT I ON .

T hou also putte s t forth this d e c lara t ion T hos e wh o

a r e abl e to r e pro du c e th e m y stic fi gur e s ( i d ola ) a r e n ot to b e

h e ld i n l ow e s t e em ”
I shall w ond e r if an y on e of th e th e u r gi c
.

pri e sts who b e hol d th e g enuin e i d e al forms Of th e go d s shoul d

cons ent to allow th em at all F or wh y sho u l d an y bo d y c on
.

s e nt to tak e i d ola or sp e c t ral figur e s in e x c hang e for thos e

t hat have r e al b e ing a n d b e c arri e d from th e v e r y fi rst to th e
,

last an d lowe st ? D O we n ot know that as all things whi ch

a r e brought into vi e w by su c h a mod e of sha d owing a r e bu t

imp e rfe c tl y d is c e rnibl e th e y a r e r e all y phantoms of what is

,

ge nuin e an d that th e y app e ar good to th e s e eming b u t n eve r

,

a r e r e all y s o ?

Ot h e r t hings a r e in lik e mann e r brought in b e ing c arri e d ,

along in th e c ours e Of e v ents bu t nothing is r e n d e red that is

,

ge nui n e or co mpl et e o r distinct But th e mo d e of pro ducing

.

th e m is plain for n ot God but man is th e mak e r of th em

, , ,
.

N or a r e th e y produ c e d from singl e and int e ll e ctual e ss e nc e s ,

but from matt e r tak e n for th e

What that is goo d can c om e into e xist e nc e that g e rmin ,

at e s from matt e r and from th e pow e rs mate ria l and corpo

Th i s
*
proc e ss h as aga in ap pe ared in wh at is known as materi al iz
in g.
”
It is expl ain ed as the pro du c ing of the fi gu r e of an in divi du al .

by surro u n ding it with mate ria l el em ents proc u r ed from th e bo dy of

an o h er p e rson who is du ring the time in a d o rmant an d i nanim ate
c on t
, ,

i itio u .
 TH O UG H T S P U T I N T O A C T I VI T Y 161

r e a l whi ch e xist wi t h matt e r and in bo di e s ? Is n ot th e thing

which ow e s e xist e nc e to human a rt mor e impote n t a n d of l e ss
importanc e than th e p e rsons th ems e lv e s who gav e it e xis t
e nc e ? By what art or skill is this S p e ctra l fig ur e put into
form ? F or it is said it is mold ed as b y th e skill of De miurgu s
hims el f But that skill is employe d in th e producing of g enu
.

i n e e ss e nc e s n e v e r in th e forming of m e r e sp e ctral fi gu r e s
,
.

H enc e th e art of produc ing idola is a long way d istan t from

,

D emiurgic cre ating On th e contrary it d o e s n ot p r e s e rv e

.
,

th e analog y with D ivin e c r e ating at a l l F or God cr e at e s all .

things but not thro ugh th e ph y si c a l motions Of things in th e

,

sk y or b y thos e of p a r ti c l e d mat t e r or b y th e forc e s thus d i

-

v id e d . But inst e ad it is b y thoughts put into activity b y pur

, ,

pos e s a n d n on mat e rial i d e als t hrough th e s empit ern al and

-
,

sup e rmun d ane soul that h e constructs th e worlds

, .

But th e cre ator of th e sp e ctra l figur e s it is said mak e s , ,

th em as Of th e r evolving stars Th e thing do e s n ot hav e its .

e x ist e nc e in th e way as it i s im agin e d For as th e r e a r e u n .

limite d pow e rs poss e ss e d by th e gods in th e sky th e la s t and ,

lowe st of all th e s e is that Of th e r e a lm Of natur e B ut again .

,

a part of thi s low e st pow e r tak e s th e l e ad b y its e l f prior t o

ge n e rat e d e xist en c e b e ing inh e r e nt in th e prin c ipl e s which

,

contain th e g e rm s of things an d e stablish e d in th e immovabl e

,

e ss e nc e s Th e oth e r part how e v e r e x isting in th e p e rc e ptibl e

.
, ,

and visibl e motions and likewis e in th e auras a n d qualiti e s

,

from out of th e sky e x e rcis e s dominion ov e r th e whol e visibl e

,

*
Pythagora s phi l osoph ers wh o a d opt ed h i s view s desc r ib e
an d th e
matte r as the sou rc e l This is an Ori ental do c trin e an d was d oubt
Of e vi .
,

le ss c arri ed to th e W est by te a che rs sent out for th e p u rpos e Th e sam e .

notions hav e more or l e ss p e rva ded opin ion e ve r s in c e an d give n rise ,

to th e impre ssi on th at so m any s ee m to en te rtai n th at ev erything phy si c al

i s in tri nsi c ally vile an d th ere fo re to be repre ss e d so far as possibl e B ut .

th e s entime nt giv en by Pl ato in Th eaetetos wo ul d see m a more rationa l

”
“

c on c eption I t i s n ot possib l e that e vi l sh all b e d e stroy ed

.
“ ”
s ays ,

S okrate s “
,
for it is ne c e ssary that th e re shou l d al ways be som ething
c ontra ry to goo d N or c an it be s e at ed among th e go d s but of n ec e ss i t y
.
,

mov es roun d this morta l nat ure an d th is r egion Wh erefore we o ught .

to en de avor to fly h en c e as q u i c kl y as p ossib l e B ut thi s flying c onsi sts

.

in r ese mb lin g God as m u c h as possible an d this re se mbl in g is th e bec om

,

in g j u st an d hol y with wis dom ”

.
162 D I VE R S I T Y OF E N E RGI E S
o rde r of things in all which this last in th e s erie s r ul e s as a
,

d eput e d gov e rnor ov e r th e univ e rsal r e alm of visibl e e xist e n c e

in th e pla c e s aroun d th e e arth But in th e r e alm of visibl e .

e x i s t enc e and in th e qualiti e s of th e auras p e rc e ptibl e to th e

,

s ens e which a re s ent down from th e sky man y di ffe r ent arts ,

a r e brought into u s e such as m e dicin e and gymn astics a n d *

, ,

all oth e rs that harmoni z e with natur e in th eir r e sul ts An d .

what is mor e th e cre ating Of sp e ctra l fi gur e s attracts from

,

the auras a v e r y indistinct portion of g en e rativ e e n e rgy .

H enc e as th e truth is so it is right to mak e it known

, ,

That th e individual cr e ating th e sp e ctra l figur e s e mploys in

his proc edur e s n eith e r th e r evolutions of th e h e av enly bodi e s
nor th e powe rs which ex ist in th em by natur e ; and in short , ,

h e is n ot abl e to com e in contact with th e m But as h e fol .

lows th e r ul e s of an art and do e s n ot proce e d th eurgically

, ,

h e d e a ls with th e last a n d most in fe rior e manations mani ,

fe s tl y from th e ir natur e about th e e xtr em e part of th e uni

, ,

v e rse But th e s e emanations b e ing partially c ommingl e d with

.

matt e r I think that th e y a r e capabl e of c hanging to it a n d

, ,

lik ewis e of taking n e w form a nd b e ing mod e l e d di ffe r e ntly at

d i ffe r e nt tim e s T h e y lik e wis e admit c hang e Of pow e rs in
.

th e s e particulars from some to oth e rs But such a d iv ersit y .

of e n e rgi e s and th e combination of so man y pow e rs p e rtain

,

ing to th e r e alm of matt e r a r e s eparat e d not onl y from ev e ry

,

t hing Of d ivin e cr e ation but also from e v e r y thing of natural

,

production For natur e p e r forms its own works a ft e r on e

.

plan and at onc e by simp l e and uncomplicat e d op e rations

, ,
.

Th e fact r e mains accordingly that such a mann e r of p r o

, ,

du c i n g sp e ctra l figur e s by a commingling about th e low e st and

a mani fe st c el e stial inflow th e things b e ing yi el de d by th e
,

c el e stial natur e is by a rt , .

*
B oth G al en an d H ipp okrates insi ste d that astral knowle dge i s es sen
tial for physi c ians ; an d G a len deri ded thos e physic ians who deni ed th e
nec essity for suc h know ledg e H e we nt so far as to dec l are m edi c a l men
.

who we re ign orant of astra l l ear n ing homic i des All th e m edi c al s c hool s
, .

of Christen d om an d the
“
M osl em worl d form erl y tau ght as trol ogy an d
”
,

N ic ho l as Cul p epp e r i n h i s H erbal is c areful to as sign to e a c h med ic ina l

, ,

pl ant its as tral rel ations .

1 64 P HAN TAS MS AN D S H A D OW S

th e divin e ray n eve r shin e s ; for it is not in th e natur e of things

for it t o b e b e stowe d upon O bj e cts that a re who l l y re pu gnant ,

and thos e that a r e h el d fast b y d ark phantasms hav e no plac e

for its r e c eption S u c hlik e wond e r making with phantasms
.
-

will th e re for e b e in th e sam e cat ego ry with shadows that a r e

, ,

v e ry fa r from th e truth .

N O DI VI N E "U AL I T Y I N S PE C T R AL FI G U RE S .

But th en thou a fii rme s t furth e r T h e y watch th e c ours e

of th e h e av e nly bodi e s and t e l l from th e position and r el ation
,

of one wi th anoth e r wh e th e r th e oracular announc em e nts of

th e ru l ing plan e t wi l l b e tru e or fals e or wh e th e r th e rit e s ,

which hav e b e e n p e r forme d wi ll b e to no purpo s e or wi l l b e ,

e x pr e ssiv e or arcan e
”
.

To th e contrary not on account Of th e s e things wil l th e s e

,

phantasms poss e ss th e divin e quality For th e last and most .

infe ri or of th e things in th e r e alm of g en e rat e d e xist e nc e a r e

move d by th e cours e s of th e h e avenl y bo d i e s and a re a ff e ct e d
by th e auras which go forth from th em N O ind e e d ; but i f .
,

a n y on e shall e xamin e th e s e things car e fully th e y will show

th e contrary F or h ow may it b e that th e s e things whi c h a r e

.

so e asy to c hang e in ev e ry r e sp e ct a n d a r e tu rne d round in ,

various dir e ctions b y d emons from witho u t so as to b e r e n ,

d e r e d Of no i mportance wh e th e r as ora c u lar or in re gard to

,

promis e s or in r e lation to P e r fe c tiv e Rit e s or in oth e r mat

t e rs as th e c as e ma y h e shall c ontain in th ems e lv e s an y allot
, ,

m e n t of d ivin e powe r how e ve r small ? What th e n a r e th e

, , ,

pow e rs which a r e inh e r ent in various kind s Of matt e r th e el e ,

m e ntary cons t i t u ents Of which d emons a r e form e d ? Ve ril y

, ,

and in d e e d th e y a r e n ot F or nothing of divisibl e s ensitive

,
.

bodi e s originat e s d emons ; but th e s e inst e a d a r e th ems e lve s , ,

g en e rate d and watche d ove r b y d emons N eith e r is an y body .

abl e t o fashio n th e shap e s Of d emons as from a ma c hi ne but ,

ra th e r on th e contrary h e is hims e l f fashion e d a n d c on

, ,

s t ru c t e d by th e d em ons according as h e partak e s of a body

poss e ssing s ensibility .

But n e ithe r is th e r e an y incid ental numb e r Of de mons ge n

c rat e d f rom th e e l em ents of things Of s e ns e but fa r oth e rwis e , , ,
 I D OLA 165

th e numb er is its e l f simpl e in natur e and i s un i formly op e r

ative aroun d c ompound natur e s H en c e it wi ll not poss e ss .
,

things of s ens e O l d e r than its el f or mor e lasting ; but as it ,

e xc e ls s e nsibl e things in a ge and pow e r it i mparts to th e m ,

th e constancy which th ey a r e abl e to r e c e iv e P e rhaps how . ,

e v e r thou te rme s t th e idola d e mons appl y ing su c h a d e signa

, ,

tion wrongly ; for th e natur e of d emons i s on e thing and that

Of th e ido l a anoth e r Th e rank of e ach is lik ewis e v e ry wi d e l y
.

di fi e r e nt An d also in d e e d th e C horu s l e a d e r of idola is di f

.
, ,
-

fe r en t from th e gre at princ e of th e d emon s fi For this thou

“

g i v e s t a s s e n t wh e n sa y ing that “
no god or d e mon is drawn
down b y th e m ”
Of what consi d e ration woul d a sa c r e d Oh
.

s e rvanc e or a for ek nowl e dg e of th e futur e b e wor t hy which is

e ntir e ly without participation God or an y oth e r sup e rior ,

powe r ? He nc e it is n e ce ssary to kn ow what is th e nature of

,

this wond e r ma king art but by no m e ans to hav e faith in it

-
, .

FAL S E AN D T R UE D I VI N AT I O N .

A gain, t h e re for e th y xplanation of r e ligious p e r form

,
e

a n c e s is still wors e It d e scrib e s a rac e of a tricky natur e “

.

assuming all shap e s art ful and turning man y way s th a t p e r

, , ,
.

sonat e s go d s and d e mons and souls Of th e d e ad like actors , ,

on th e stag e
”
.

In re pl y to th e s e impu tations I will r el at e to th e e what I

once h e ard from th e proph e ts Of th e Chaldaeans .

T h e gods of truth who e ve r th ey ma y b e a r e alon e th e be

, ,

stowe rs of all things good Th e y c onsort with onl y good men ; .

the y a re in intimat e union with thos e who have b e e n puri fie d

by th e sacr e d discipline and e xtirpat e from th em e v e r y bad
,

qualit y and di sord e rly passion Wh e n th e y sh in e u p on th e s e . .

,

the n what is e vil a n d d emonian giv e s wa y and d isapp e ars f rom ,

th e pr e s e nc e Of th e sup e rior b e ings as d arkn e ss vanish e s b e

for e th e light N or d o e s th e light b y any c hanc e caus e any
.

a nn ov a n c e to th e th e urgi c pri e sts and th e y r e c eiv e from it ,

*
I t may p erhaps be well to r em ark th at the p ri n c e of de mons h ere
n am e d is probab l y not th e sam e p e rsoni fi c ation as B e el Z eb u l f the o

G ospel s T hat pe rson ag e is styled in th e G ree k T estam ent Baa l Zehoul

.
, ,

the l o rd of th e hou s e ; an d in as trol ogy it will be bo rne in m in d that

e v e ry on e of th e p l an etary ho us e s h ad its own c hi ef .
 166 TH E S H I NI N G OF T H E LI G H T
e ve r y e xc ell ent q u alit y of mind a r e mad e p e r fe ct as wo r th y ,

a n d d e coro u s a r e s e t fr e e from disord e rly passions a n d p u r i

, ,

fi e d from all irr e gu lar i mp u ls e a n d lik ewis e from go d l e ss and .

pro fan e habitu d e s .

But thos e who a r e th e ms e lv e s impious wrongdo e rs and ,

who assail d ivin e mat t e rs in lawl e ss an d d isor d e rly wa y s a r e ,

not a bl e b e cau s e Of d e fe ctiv e in divi du al e n e rg y a n d la c k of

,

inh e r ent pow e r to obtain in t imat e asso c iation with th e g o d s

,
.

I f by r e ason Of an y c ontaminations th e y a r e d ebarr e d from

, ,

b eing with immacu l at e spirits th ey b e c om e alli e d wi t h wi c k e d ,

spirits a n d a r e fil l e d b y th e m wi t h th e most p e rni c ious i n

,

S piration T h e y b e com e evil and pro fan e full of unbri d l e d

.
,

d e sir e s a fte r pl e as u r e r e pl e t e with badn e ss an d lik ewi s e

, ,

e ag e r admir e rs of mo d e s Of li fe that a r e for e i gn to th e nat u r e

of th e go d s ; a n d to sp e ak bri e fl y th e y b e com e lik e th e e vil

, ,

d emons with whom th e y a r e n ow join e d in th e ir natur e Th e s e .

,

th en b eing full of disor d e rl y p a s s i on a n d ba dne ss through

,
'

th e ir common nat u r e a tt ra c t th e e vil spirits t o th e ms e lv e s a n d

a r e th ems e lv e s in c i t e d b y th e m to e v e r y kin d of wick ed n e ss .

Th e y grow tog e th e r lik e b e ings of th e sam e bir t h as in a cir c l e , ,

j oining th e b egi nning with th e en d and r e turning in th e o t h e r

d ir e c tion in lik e mann e r .

T h e s e things a r e sacril e gio u s misd e e ds full Of impi e t y ,

.

T h e y hav e b e e n bro u ght in t o th e S acr e d Rit e s irr e gularl y ,

and th e ir Obs ervan c e att empt e d in a d isor d e rly mann e r b y

thos e who hav e c ome lat e r A t on e tim e as it s e ems on e god .
*
, ,

would b e c aus e d t o b e pr e s e nt inst e a d of anoth e r at th e home s ,

or m y sti c r e v e l a n d at ano t h e r th e y woul d introduc e e vil d e

,

mons inst e ad Of gods callin g th em r i val go d s N e v e r wh e n

,
.
,

d iscoursing about S a c e r d otal Divination s e t forth th e s e things ,

as e xamp l e s F or Goo dn e ss is c e rtainl y mor e oppos e d to in

.

tr in s i c ba dn e ss than t hos e to that which is simpl y n ot good .

A s th e r e for e th e pro fan e rs of t e mpl e s fight agains t th e

, ,

r eligious s e rvic e of th e go d s most of all so also thos e who hav e ,

*
s a l at th e Eleu sin i an I nitiations an d othe rs to h av e a
I t was u u , ,

minor O b se rvan c e for thos e who d i d n ot re a c h th e t emple soon en ou gh

for th e re gul ar proc e ed ings P robably irr egul ariti e s might O c c u r on s uc h
.

oc c as i on s bu t h ad to be gu ar de d agai nst
,
.
C ON C E R N I N G TH E P O WE R S I N V O KE D
1 72 TH E EGYP TI A N M Y S T E RI E S

whi ch thou wilt hav e an int e ll igibl e e xplanation as to wha t

ma y b e and what may not b e in r egard to th e matt e rs of wh i c h ,

thou art asking Fo r th e gods the b e ings sup e rior to us by

.
, ,

a purposing of th e things that a r e b e auti ful and lik ewi s e by ,

an ungrudging a fflu enc e of b en e fits b e stow c ordiall y th e t hings ,

that a re suitabl e upon thos e who a r e worth y compassiona t ing ,

th e l abors of th e me n in th e S acr e d o ffi c e but loving th eir ,

chi l dr en th e ir nurs l ings and pupils

, .

Th e int e rm e diary r a c e s fi how e v e r a r e th e e phors or di “

,

r ectors of d e c ision T h e y like wis e advis e what it is n e c e ssary

.

to do and what it is w e ll to d e sist from Th e y als o h e lp to .

just actions but hind e r from thos e that a r e unjust and they
, ,

l ik ewis e caus e man y who a r e e nd e avoring to d e spoi l oth e rs

unjustl y or to ill t re at or d e stro y som e one to und e rgo th e
,
-
,

sam e things which th ey a r e d e si gning to p e rform to oth e rs .

T h e r e is mor e ov e r a c e rtain oth e r rac e of d e mons pr e s e nt

, , ,

irrational a n d d e stitut e of judgm ent to which has b e en allott e d ,

onl y a sin gl e faculty in th e s e ri e s by th e distribution to e ach ,

of th e function whi c h h a s b e e n arrang e d among th e s e v e ral

divisions A s th e re fore it is th e function of th e swor d to

.
, ,

cut a n d to do nothing e ls e than this S O als o of th e spirits ,

distribut e d e v e rywh e r e a c cording to th e d i ffe r e ntiating n e

c e s s i ty of th e r e alm of natur e on e c lass d ivid e s a n d anoth e r ,

coll e c ts th e t hings that c om e into exist e nce T his howe v e r .

, ,

is we ll known from th e mani fe stations F or th e Ch a r on e i an .

c av i ti e s t as th e y a r e call ed s en d forth a spirit or e xhalation

, ,

from th e ir r e c e ss e s which is capabl e Of d e stro y ing e v e rything

,

i ndiscrimina t e ly that happ e ns to b e th e r e .

S O th e r e for e c e rtain invisibl e spirits e ach having by a l

, , ,

l otm ent a di ffe r ent function a r e constitut e d to p e r form that ,

*
P rokl os n m erat es three c l ass es of th e demons : the more spiritu al
e u ,

th e more r ational an d the mor e u nr easoning

,
Th e g u i de s of S okrate s .

an d Pl otin os w er e of th e s ec on d of th e s e T h ey are h ere de s c rib ed . .

t Ch ar on e i a is a d istri c t in A sia M inor bor de ring on the riv e r M e an ,

der . The name is from C haron th e s uppos e d fe rryman of disbo die d ,

soul s ac ross th e riv e r S tyx in th e U n de rworl d Th e c aves or r ath e r .

, , ,

l ittl e op enings i n th e groun d emitt ed a s ul ph urou s vapor som etime s

, ,

de stru c tiv e to l ife Pliny al so men tions similar c avitie s at I taly ne a r

.
,

P ut eol i They w ere supp osed to l ea d to th e re al m of H a des

. .
 THE S P I RI T S C OMM A N D E D 1 73

Offi c e only as it has b e e n arr ange d th en any one shal l

. I f, ,

u nd e rtak e to c e l ebrat e th e P e r fe ctiv e Rit e s in prop e r ord e r ,

and shall change th em in anoth e r dir e ction and do som e ,

thing c ontrary to pr e s c rib e d custom th e r e will b e a particular

,

injury for making u s e of th e S acr e d Rit e s in an unl awfu l

mann e r Thi s is a topic how eve r fore ign to ou r discours e
.
, ,
.

WH Y S PI R I T S O MMAN DE D
AR E C

What howev e r it is n ow propos e d to inv e stigat e we som e

, ,

time s b ehol d as i t tak e s place F or it happ ens in r e gard to

.

th e spirits that do n ot mak e u s e of a rational faculty Of th eir

own a n d hav e n o principl e of jud gm e nt that th e y a r e com ,

man d ed ; and this is not un r e asonabl e F or ou r unde rstan d .

ing b e ing naturall y e n d owe d to r e ason an d d eci d e in th e sam e

, ,

way as it has c harge Of a ffairs and lik ewis e compre h ending

,

many of th e forc e s of li fe in its e l f is accustom e d to d ominat e

,

th e most irrational and thos e that h a v e only a singl e e n e rg y

compl e t e H en c e it cal l s upon th em as sup e rior b eings b e
.
,

caus e i t is en d e avoring to dr aw from th e whol e cosmic worl d

that e ncomp ass e s us th e th ings which p e r fe ct us entir el y in
r e sp e ct to th e matt e rs that a r e h e ld among d ivisibl e things .

But it c ommands th em imp e rative ly as infe riors b e cau s e ,

c e rtain parts ( of ou r nature whil e ) in th e world fr e qu entl y

a r e mor e pur e and mor e p e r fe ct than ( faculti e s ) that e xt e nd

to th e whol e cosmos ; as for e xampl e if on e is spiritual and

, ,

in t ell e ctibl e a n d th e oth e r is wholl y n on spiritual or b e long -

ing to th e sph e re of nature ; for th e n th e on e that is l e ss e x

te nde d and d e v e l op e d is sup e rior in authority to th e on e that
is d ev e lop e d mor e amp ly altho u gh it ma y b e surpass e d by th e
,

l att e r in th e magnitu d e and e xt e nt of d omini on .

Th e re is how e v e r also anoth e r r e ason to b e appli e d to

, ,

th e s e things nam e ly : T h e re is a two fol d pr e l u d e to th e whol e

,

th eurgic p e r form an c e T h e form e r which is intro d u c e d a s

.
,

b y hum an b e in gs whi ch c ons e rve s ou r rank in th e univ e rs e as

,

it e xists in th e sph e r e of natur e ; and th e l att e r which is c on ,

*
Th e s e ir rational spirits , so far as th ey c ontri bu t e to p er fec tin g in di
v i dual s, ar e s u pe ri or to u s, thou gh b ec a u s e of the ir i rrati ona l ity th ey are

inferior .
1 74 I N V OC A T I ON S

fi rm e d by divin e tokens e xalt ed on high through b e ing a ll i e d

,

to th e s u p e rior b eings and likewis e l e d ha rmoniously a ft e r

,

th eir b e auti ful ord e r which ma y also in all lik e lihood b e in

,

v e st e d with th e e xt e rnal form of th e go d s I n accordance .

,

th e r e for e with th e di ffe r ence of such a kind th e Ofli c i ator

, ,

v e ry prop e rl y invok e s th e powe rs from e v e rywh e r e as sup e rior

b e ings in S O fa r as th e invoke r is a human b eing and in turn
, ,

commands th em as subord inate ; sinc e through th e arcan e

s y mbols h e is in a mann e r e ncompass ed with th e sacre d dignity
of th e gods .

S U GGE S T I O N S IN R E GARD
O CAT I O N S T O I NV

Ye t in ord e r to r e solv e th e doubts Of th e s e things sti ll mor e

truly we think it w e ll wh e n making th e invocations to omi t
, , ,

th e supplications whi c h app e ar to b e dir e c t e d to th e m as to

human b e ings and also th e imp e rativ e expr e ssions whi c h
,

a r e utt e r e d with gr e at forc e during th e c e l e brating Of th e

Rit e s For i f th e communion of a harmonious fri e ndship

.

and an indissolubl e combining toge th e r as b eing onl y on e

compris e th e sacr e d work nothing of achi eveme nts call e d ,

human joins with it to th e en d that it shall b e truly of th e

,

g o d s and sup e rior to human b e ings N or sho u l d th e invoc a

.

tion b e in su c h a mann e r as wh e n we end e avor to bring distant

o b j e cts to us nor th e suppli c ation of th e form a d dre ss e d to
,

b e ings s eparat e and apart in such a mann e r as we pass som e

thing from on e to anoth e r But e n e rgy of th e d ivin e Fir e .

its el f sh in e s forth spontan e ousl y in all dir e ctions and b eing ,

both s e l f ca ll e d and s e l f op e rating is activ e in like mann e r

- -
,

through a ll thi ngs thos e alike that impart and th os e that can
,

r e c eiv e it .

The ex planation which is now mad e is fa r sup e rio r which ,

d o e s not assum e that d ivin e op e rations a r e acc omp l ish e d b y

m e ans of contrary or di ffe rent natur e s as things of natur e ,

a r e wont to b e e ffe ct e d ; but inst e ad that e ve ry work is

, ,

rightly accomp l ish e d through sam e ne ss on ene ss and con ,

formity of nature I f th en we shou l d make a di stinction b e

.
, ,

t w e e n th e invok e r and th e invok e d th e command e r and th e ,

on e comman d e d th e sup e rior and th e in fe rior we shou l d in

, ,
1 76 THE G ODS AN D JU S TI CE
d efin e justic e as th e ind ep end ent action of th e S oul and th e
assigning Of m e rit according to th e e stab l ish e d l aws and th e
ruling conditions of civic l i fe Th e gods I assure y ou giv e.
, ,

th e ir jud gm ent of what e v e r is just l ooking to th e whol e ,

ord e rly arrang em ent of th e world and to th e j oint r e lation of ,

th e souls with th e gods H e nce th e jud gm ent of what a c t ions

.

a re right is di fi e r ent with th e go d s from wha t it is with us .

We cannot wond e r at this i f we d o not in most matt e rs ar

,

riv e a t th e high and absolut el y p e rfe ct judgm ent which is

e x e r c is e d by th e sup e rior b e ings But what hind e rs j u s t ic e
.

to e v e r y on e indivi dually and with th e whol e family Of so u ls ,

e sp e cially in a much sup e rior mann e r from b e ing as woul d b e

ap prov e d Of th e gods ? F or i f a sharing of th e sam e natu re

by soul s wh e n th ey a re in bodi e s a n d wh e n t h e y a r e apart
from bodi e s e ffe cts an intimat e al lianc e to th e c ommon li fe
and or d e r Of th e world it is also n e c e ssary that th e pa y m ent
,

of th e r e quir e m e nts of justic e S hall b e d emand e d to th e ut t e r

most and e sp e cially wh e n th e magnitud e Of th e wrongs don e

,

by th e one soul in form e r te rms of exist ence e x c e e d s th e fu ll e st

e xt e nt of th e singl e punishm e nt following upon th e O ffe ns e s .

I f how e v e r any on e should a dd oth e r e xplanations by

, , ,

whi ch h e s e eks to mak e plain in a di ffe r ent way th e main

taining of justi c e by th e go d s or as it is d e t e rmine d b y us
, ,

th e r e may r e sul t from th em a way for us in re gard to th e

matt e rs und e r consi d e ration But for me th e rul e s alon e
.

which hav e b e e n alr e ad y laid down a r e s ufi c i en t for th e p u r

pos e of mani fe sting g e n e rally th e rac e of sup erior b ein gs ,

a n d including e v e rything in r e lation to th e h e aling influ e n c e

in th e pun ishm ents .

OO D O N LY I S FR O M TH E GO DS
G

In orde r th e r e for e that we may from ou r abundanc e d e

, ,

c i d e th e cont e st against th e assumption now un d e r d is c uss on i

,

we wil l i f agr e e abl e to th e e consi d e r as gran t e d th e cont r ar y

, ,

of what we hav e argu e d n a m e ly that unjust things a r e p e r

, ,

form e d i n th e proc e e dings th e invo c ations ,

It is e vi d en t .

a t on c e th e r e for e that th e go d s a r e n ot to b e a c c u s e d of t h e s e
, ,

t hings F or th e y who a r e goo d a r e c a u s e s and au t h or s of

.
 B EI N G IS S I MP L E 1 77

good thi ngs ; and th e gods a re good in th eir v ery e ss ence .

T h e y accordingly do nothing unjust ; h e nc e it i s n e c e ssary to

s e e k for oth e r caus e s of th e things which o c cur d iscordantl y .

But e ve n though we a r e n ot abl e to find th e s e we ought not ,

to throw awa y th e tru e conc e pt in r e l ation to th e go d s ( that

th e y a r e th e c aus e s only Of what is just ) n or should we b e ,

caus e Of controv e rs y a s to wh e the r things occ ur and how th e y

occur r e j e ct notions in r egard to th e gods that a r e r e all y
,

cl e ar F or it is much b ett e r to con fe ss th e fe ebl e n e ss Of ou r

.

pow e rs that a r e unabl e to un d e rstand h ow unjust acts a r e

p e rp e tuat e d than to conced e an impossib l e fals e hood in r e
,

sp e ct to th e gods conce rning which all th e G re ek philosoph e rs

, ,

an d l ikewis e th e fore ign p e opl e s rightly ent e rtain th e ,

contrary O pinion S O th e n this is th e truth

.
, , .

E VI L D E M O N S AT T H E I N I T I AT I O N S

N e v e rth e l e ss it is n e c e ssar y to add a l so th e caus e s by

,

whic h e vils som e tim e s com e into exist ence a n d lik ewis e how ,

num e rous and of what kin d th e y a r e F or th eir form is not .

a n d b e ing div e rsi fi e d it tak e s th e l e ad in th e bringing

of a vari e t y of e vils into e xist e n c e F or i f we spok e truly

.

just now in r e gard to th e m y stic fi gur e s and th e e vil d emons ,

that a ft e r th e mann e r Of a c tors in a pla y assume to b e pr e s ent

in th e charact e r of go d s a n d good d emons th e r e app e ars in ,

som e mann e r a malignant trib e rushing in a nu m e rous bo d y ,

and with th e s e th e d iscr e panc y whi c h thou hast d e s c rib e d

usuall y happ ens F or th e d emons r equir e th e worship e r to
.

b e just b e c aus e th e y th e ms elv e s as actors in th e drama a re

,

assuming to b e as if of th e rac e Of th e gods wh e r eas th e y a r e

, ,

s e rvants to inj u stic e b e cau s e th ey a r e in th e ir natur e e vil .

L e t th e r e h e th e r e for e th e sam e stat em e nt in r e gar d to

, ,

fals e and t ru e a n d Of good and e vi l

,
In th e d ivinations we
.

a t t rib u t e truth to th e go d s onl y a n d wh e n fals ehoo d is d e

,

te c te d imp u t e it to anoth e r rac e as th e caus e that of th e ,

d emons S O also in r egard to matt e rs just and unjust ; that

.

what is b e auti ful and right is to b e ascrib e d only to th e go d s

a n d good d emons whil e th e d e mons who a re e vil b
, y natu r e
*
Re a l b eing on l y i s simp l e an d u n i q ue : ev il i s al ways c ompl ex
,
.
1 78 C C -OPE RA TI ON

do th e things that a r e unjust a n d d ishonorab l e T hat which .

is in all r e sp e cts in harmon y with its e l f and is a lways i n th e ,

sam e mann e r in its el f and wi th its e l f p e rtains to th e sup e rior

,

b e ings ; but that which is contradictory discordant and n ev e r ,

th e sam e is th e p eculiarity of th e diss ensions Of th e d emons

,
.

H enc e it is no matt e r of wond e r in r e gard to th em i f vio l e nt

conflicts e xist Ind ee d it woul d b e more wond erf u l if this
.
,

should not b e th e ca s e .

C C- O P E RAT I O N O F PART S I N TH E U N I VE R S E
Hurr y ing ou t from anoth e r lin e of argum ent we assume ,

that th e s ev e ral parts of th e body of th e univ e rs e a r e n ot

in e rt or d e stitut e of powe r On th e contrar y S O fa r as th ey
.
,

e x c e l ou r conditions in p e r fe ction b e aut y a n d magnitud e by

,

so much we insist that th e gr e at e r powe r is pr e s ent with th em .

T h e y a r e th ems elv e s capabl e of di ffe r ent things individuall y

by th ems elv e s and th e y e mploy div e rs e e n e rgi e s ; but th e y
,

can a c c omplish m u c h mor e in a c e rtain d egr e e acting with on e

anoth e r Ind e e d th e r e is a c e rtain cre ativ e activit y of vari
.
,

ou s kinds e xt e n d ing from th e whol e un iv e rs e into th e parts

e ith e r from sympathy through S imilarity of pow e rs or from ,

th e a d aptation of th e activ e to th e passiv e prin c ipl e .

I f th e r e for e th e r e happ en b y c orpor e al n e c e ssiti e s any

, , ,

mis c hi evous a n d d e s t ru c tiv e r e s u lts to parts y e t th e y a r e ,

salutar y and b e n e fi c ial as r e gar d s th e whol e a n d th e e ntir e

fram ework B u t th e y bring on a n e c e ssar y d e ca y to th e parts
.
,

e i t h e r from n ot b e ing abl e to con d uct th e O p e ra t ions of th e

whol e ; or s e c on d ly from a c ommingling a n d combining of th e

,

i n fi rmi ti e s e xi sting from th ems e lv e s ; or thir d ly fro m th e ,

want of harmony of th e parts with on e anoth e r .

MAN YO RI GI NAT E S P ON TAN E O U S L Y

T H I NG S

N e xt in cours e a ft e r th e bod y of th e U niv e rs e th e r e a r e ,

man y things coming into e xist enc e from its pro du c tiv e prin
c ip l e F or th e harmonious union of th e things that a r e Of
*
.

Th e (p ea t ; ( p h u si s ) , or nat ur e,
*
i s h ere in di c at ed as the mate rn a l
l
fun c t1on of the wor d, by whi c h th e m ul tip l ic ity of c re at ed things are
bro ught forth into existen c e .
18 0 DI VI N I T Y A L W AY S RI GH T
div e rts it to contrary and us el e ss purpos e s ; and th e n it i s
join e d in a contrary mann e r sympath e tically to passiv e c on
di ti on s through similarity of natur e but h e draws th e gi ft ,

dir e ct l y contra ry to th e right toward what is evi l and bas e .

H e also mak e s th e things that a re farth e st apart to O p e rat e

togeth e r according to th e on e e stab l ish e d ord e r of th e world .

Y e t if any on e p e rc e iving thi s shou l d end e avor improp e r l y

, ,

to attract c e rtain parts of th e univ e rs e to oth e r parts th ey wi l l ,

not b e th e caus e of that mischi ef ; but on th e contrar y it wil l , ,

b e th e t em e rity of human b e ings and th e vio l ation of ord e r ,

in th e worl d that p e rv e rt th e things that a r e good and l awful

,
.

H e nc e th e r e for e th e things that a r e conside r e d to b e

, ,

wick ed th e gods do n ot p e rform but on th e contra ry th e , , ,

natur e s that a r e b en eath th em a r e th e caus e s of th em and ,

likewis e th e bodi e s N or do th e s e as is suppos e d impart

.
, ,

from th ems e l v e s an y thing of a faul ty c haract e r ; but th ey s e nd

down inst ead for th e sa fe ty Of a ll th e ir own auras to thos e
, ,

rac e s that a re a l lott e d to th e e arth and thos e who r e c e iv e ,

th e s e emanations c hang e th em by th e ir own commingling and

mo d i fy ing and trans fe r what had b e en given for on e purpos e
to oth ers wid e l y di ffe r ent .

From a ll th e s e things th e refor e it is shown that the di

, ,

vinity is in no s e ns e a sour c e of e vi l s and wr ongs .

C ON T I N E N CE

M ore ov e r,thou ask e st and at th e sam e tim e h in te s t a

,

d oubt with this qu e stion T h e y ( th e go d s ) will not h e arke n

to th e p e rson who is invoking th em i f h e is not pure from ,

s e xual contamination Y e t th e y do not th ems e lv e s h e sitat e

.

to l e ad chanc e indiv idua l s into unlawfu l s e xua l r el ations

”
.

Wh eth e r th e re a re occurr e nc e s that take p l ace outside of

human l aws but according to anoth e r and high e r sour c e and
,

ord e r than th e l aws ; or whe th e r occurr enc e s of this kind

happ en and according to an agre em ent and a fi ec ti on in th e
,

worl d but yet in part through som e commingling sympathy ;

,

o r wh e th e r th e gi ft of b e auty which w a s graciously imp a rt e d

is p er v e rt e d by thos e who r e ce ive it to that which is the Op

*
Th e “
arc hons ”
of the l ow er e arth ly c l ass .
 H A RM ONI OU S A DAP T A TI ON 181

p th
os i te , e r e is n e v e rth
,
e l e ss a c l e ar so l ution f rom,
th e thi ngs
tha t hav e b een said b e fore .

O U RCE S O F I NC O N T I N E NCE
S

Of a t r uth it is not n e c e ssary to e xamin e s ep a rat e l y in

r egard to th e s e sam e things and how th ey occur and what ,

r e ason th er e is for th em We must b e ar in mind that th e

.
“

whol e un iv e rs e is a singl e l iving b eing and th e parts in it

”
,

a r e s e parat ed b y spac e s but with on e natur e and a r e d e sirous

, ,

to b e with on e Th e who l e impuls e for coming to

g eth e r and th e c aus e Of commingling attract th e parts spon
ta n e ou sl y to an intimat e union It is also possib l e howeve r .
, ,

for t his to b e e xci t e d by arti fi cial m e ans and l ik ewis e to b e ,

incr e as e d b e y on d what is b e coming .

Th e caus e its e l f th e r e for e consid e r e d by its el f alon e e x

, , ,

t en ding from its el f about th e whol e wor l d is both good and ,

a sourc e of compl e t en e ss and also of communion c onjunction

, ,

a n d harmonious a d aptation and with th e union it also intro ,

d u c e s th e indissolubl e principl e Of L ov e which r e tains and

pr e s e rv e s both th e things that a r e and th e things that com e
into e xist e nce B u t in th e p a rts ( th e incompl e t e nature s ) it
.

occ urs that b y re ason of th e ir s eparat en e ss from e ach oth e r

and from th e p e rfe ct natur e s and lik ewis e b e caus e th e y a r e ,

incompl e t e d e fi cie nt and w e ak in th e ir own natur e the r e is a

, ,

conn e ction e ffe c t e d through th e p assiv e c ondition On this .

account th e re a r e innat e d e sir e and app etit e inh e r ent in th e

principa l numb e r of th e m .

In A r t the r e for e obs e rving that this innat e d e sire is thus

, ,

implant e d by N ature and distribut e d through h e r domain and ,

b e ing its e l f distribut e d ov e r th e r e alm of nature in many

forms attracts it and l e ads it on
,
T hat whi c h in its e l f is ar .

range d i n orde r it brings into d isord e r a n d that which is

, ,

b e auti fu l it fills with id e als of co r r e spon ding dis figure m ent .

Th e S acr e d P urpos e in th e m a ll whi ch is by natu r e that on

*
iv 3 2
P l oti nos : E nn ead I V, T h i s a ll i s one an d as a single l iving
,
.

b eing B eing a living b eing an d c omp lete l y on e th ere i s n othing in it

.
,

s o distant in spa ce as not to be ne ar to the p ec uli ar n ature of th e on e

l iving b eing through c ommon sympathy .
”
18 2 W H I T E M AG I C

union it chang es to an un s eeml y compl em ent of a di ffe ren t

charact e r a bringing t oge th e r of d iv e rs e things in som e w a y
,

accor d ing to a common passiv e c ondition It lik ewis e giv e s .

forth a mat e rial from its e l f which is adv e rs e to th e e ntir e

cr e ation of what is b e auti ful e ith e r not r e c e iving b e a u ty at
,

all or changing it to som e thing e ls e It lik ewis e mingl e s with

, .
"

many d i ffe r ent forc e s of th e r e alm Of natur e from whi c h ,

it dir e c ts as it pl e as e s th e c ommi ngl in gs incid e nt to th e sph e r e

Of

We show th e re for e from ev e ry sid e that s u ch argument

, ,

for s exual c onn e ctions com e s from a t e chniqu e or art of hu man

ori gin but is n ev e r from an y n e ce ssity d e monian or di vin e
,
.

O
I N C N T I N E NCE P R OM P T E D F R OM E VI L DE M ON S
C onsid e r ,
th e r e for e a class Of c aus e s Of a di ffe r e nt kind
,

that som ehow a ston e or plant has fr e qu ently a d e stro y ing

qua l ity d e rive d from th em or on e that coll e cts togeth e r thos e
,

which a r e productiv e F or it is not b y an y m e ans in r e sp e c t

.

to th e s e thi ngs alon e but also in r e sp e ct to gr e at e r natur e s

,

or in gre at e r things that t his natural s u p eriorit y e x ists which ,

th e y who a r e un abl e to e xamin e r efl e c t upon and d e t e rmin e , ,

ma y e asily attribut e to th e sup e rior O p e rations of nature .

A lr e a d y mor e ov e r it ma y b e con c e d e d that in th e r e alm Of

, ,

g ene rat e d e xist enc e in r e sp e ct to human a ffairs a n d in mat

,

t e rs g en e rally about th e e arth th e trib e of e vil d emons is ,

abl e to hold sup e rior dominion What wond e r is it th en if .

, ,

such a ra c e p e r forms suc h works ? F or e v e ry man may not

b e abl e to discriminat e which is th e good a n d which th e e vil
s el fhood or by what tokens th e y may b e d istinguish e d from
,

on e anoth e r Ind ee d thos e who a r e not abl e to p e rc e iv e th e

.
,

distinction com e to conclusions absurd ly conce rning th e en

*“
Th e M agi c Art ( whit e magi c ) is r egar de d by the r eeks as an G
ag en c y of gr e at p ow e r l
T h ey dec ar e it to be a c tu a y th e v e ry e tre m e
. ll x
of the S a c r ed K l
now e dg e F or it se arc he s ou t e verything u n de r th e
.

l
m oon , its natu re, virtue an d q u a ity : I m ean th e e em ents an d th eir l
l l
c ompon ent p arts , b eing anima s , p ants of all kin d s an d th e ir fru its ,
ston e s an d h erbs : an d in short, e v e rything with its s u bstanc e an d powe r .

l
H en c e, th ere for e, it works ou t r esu ts of its e f : t emp oys s ch em e s of l i l
e v ery kin d, im age s promotiv e of h e a th
”
l .
SA C R I FI C E S A N D P R A Y E R S
18 8 SACRI F I CE D A N I MA L S
a body is unp ro fitab l e in both th e s e r e s p e cts S uppos e th en .
‘
, ,

this b e ing p e rce iv e d som e di fli c ul t probl em is sugge st e d li k e

, ,

thi s for ex amp l e : That if th e bo d y is a fe tt e r to our soul

, ,

it will al so b e a fe tt e r to th e soul of th e un iv e rs e ; and if th e

imp e rfe ct soul is turn e d to th e bod y with r e fe ren c e to ge n e ra
tion so also the world soul will b e a ffe ct e d in like mann e r
,
-
.

An y on e may r ep l y to thi s by d e cl aring that such an obj e c

tion do e s not re gard th e sup e riority of th e high e r rac e s to
human b eings and of th e whol e s to parts A s th e r efor e th e .
, ,

conv e rs e propositions r el at e to matt e rs div e rs e from e ach

oth e r th ey do n ot in any way constitut e matt e rs for disput e
,
.

IN R E GARD TO S AC R I F I CE D AN I MAL S
H e re th e r efor e th e sam e r e asoning is enough With us
, , .

th e e njoym e nt incid e nt to bodi e s conjoin e d with th e soul i m

parts dulln e ss of mind and actual d e fil emen t and lik ewis e ,

e nge nd e rs voluptuousn e s s and produc e s many d i ffe r e nt mala

di e s of th e so ul " In th e cas e how e v e r of th e gods and of the

, , ,

cr e ators ( caus e s ) of th e unive rs e and all things howev e r th e , ,

e xha l ation from th e victims going u p in a mann e r prop e r in

r e l igious rit e s and l ik ewi s e e ncompass e d and n ot encompass

,

ing and its e l f join e d to th e a ll but in no s ens e joinin g th e

, ,

u niv e rs e and th e gods with its e l f is its e l f adapt e d to th e

,

sup e rior race s a n d th e univ e rsal caus e s but n ev e r r e strains ,

them or adapts th em to its el f .

D I V I N I TI E S OF T H E S KY N OT A FFE CTE D B Y E XH ALATI ON S

F or i f th e
matt e r is rightl y und e rstood th e re is by no ,

m e ans any di ffi cul ty l ike that which sugg e sts its el f to th e e

and about which thou cont end e st i n r el a ti on to A bs ti n en c e
S tobaeos h as pr es erved th e fo ll ow ing fragm ent by I ambl ikh os, set
*

ting forth the sam e c on c ept : All so ul s do not hav e the sam e c omm on
“

r el ation to bo dies, but the U n i ve rsal S o ul, as it s ee m ed to Pl oti n os, iss ue s

forth by i tse l f an d c ompr i s e s th e bo dy i n itsel f, but it do e s not c ou pl e
with the bo dy nor i s it enc omp ass ed by it I mp erfec t so ul s ( s uc h as
.

h uma n b eings are en dowed with ) , howe ver, c ome to the bo di es and ar e
born with th em .
”

J
( An drokydes, th e P
ythagor ean , says : “
Wi n e an d the enjoym ents of

fl es h mak e th e bo dy v i gorou s, but th e sou l more sluggish .

”
 E TH E RI A L B ODI E S F REE F ROM C H AN GE 18 9

f rom A ni mal F ood For th ey wh o conduct th e worshi p of

.

th e gods d o not abstain from animal food in ord e r that th e

gods may not b e d e fll e d by th e fum e s from th e animals F or .

what e xhalation from th e bodie s wi ll com e n e ar th e b eings

who b efore anything mat e ria l r e ach e s th em by an y possibil ity
, ,

put matt e r away from touc hing th em ? N ot b e caus e th e ir

powe r r e mov e s e v e rything that caus e s th e bodi e s to disapp ear
without coming n e ar the m ; but on th e c ontrary th e c e l e stial
bod y ( th e p l an e t ) is unmingl e d with al l mat e rial c on s titue nts fi “

It do e s n ot r ec e ive an y thing into its e l f from without and i t ,

do e s not give forth any parti c l e from its el f to things for eign
to it How th en can a ny e arthl y vapor which do e s not ris e
.
, ,

fiv e stadia ( si x hundr e d fe e t ) from th e e arth b e for e it sinks ,

down to it again com e n e ar th e sky or nourish th e r evolving

, ,

and non mat e rial body or in sho rt produc e in it any d e fil e

-
, , ,

m ent or oth e r condition ? For it is ackn owl edge d that th e

mth e r i al body is outsid e of e ve ry contrary influ e nc e an d l ike ,

wi s e that i t is fr e e from all change ; that it is entir ely pur e

from e v e ry possibility of b e ing trans form e d into som e thing
e ls e a n d b e sid e s this is utt e r l y without any impuls e towar d
, , ,

th e c e nt e r or from th e c e nt e r H e nc e it is stationar y in on e
.

pla c e or it r e volv e s in an orbit T h e r e i s not th e r e for e an y

, .
, ,

common natu r e or p owe r or e xhalation of th e bodi e s which

, ,

c onsist of di ffe r e nt for c e s an d motions that a r e variously,

modi fie d moving upward or downward which ma y b e com e

, ,

mingl e d wi th th e bodi e s in th e sky B e c aus e th e r e for e th e s e .

, ,

e ss e nc e s a r e e ntir e ly s e parat e and div e rs e from th e m th e y ,

c fi e c t nothing in r e gard to th e m T h e s e b e ing unb e gott e n

.
, ,

c annot und e rgo an y chang e in th e ms e l v e s from thos e that a r e

gen e rate d and subj ect to c hange How then may th e e ss enc e .
, ,

of th e divin e b e ings b e d e fil e d from su c h fum e s wh en as we ,

ma y sa y th ey put qui c kly away at a singl e imp u ls e th e vapors

,

from all matt e r and bo di e s compos e d of matt e r ?

It is not prop e r th e r efor e to c onj e ctur e thi s ; but rath e r
, ,

to refl e ct that things whi ch a re distribute d into parts can hav e

*
P rokl os de s c r ib e s a c el es t i al bo dy or p l an et as c o nta ini ng the h igh est
prin c ipl e s of the el eme nts an d as c hara c te ri ze d by v iv ific unb urni ng fi re ;
in oth er wor d s a vitalize d p rin c ip l e ext en ded
,
.
1 90 TH E DI VI N E N A T U RE N OT A FF E CT E D
a c e rtain r el ation to e ach oth e r activ el y or passiv el y th e , ,

mat e ria l to th e n on mat e rial and in short lik e natur e s to

-
, , ,

lik e natur e s T hos e howeve r that a r e of anoth e r e ss ence

.
, , ,

and such as a re entir el y sup e rior a n d which lik ewis e a r e en ,

d ow e d with o t h e r nat u re s and faculti e s a r e n ot c apabl e of ,

such things as a c ting upon o t h e rs or r e c eiving an y thing from

oth e rs T h e d efilemen t proc e e ds th er e for e from mate ria l
.
, ,

obj e cts to thos e that a r e h el d by a mat e rial body It is n e c e s .

sary a c cordingly for thos e to b e puri fi e d from th e s e things

, ,

who a r e likel y to b e contaminat e d from matt e r T hey how .

,

e v e r who a r e compl e t e ly fr e e from a divisibl e natur e who ar e

, ,

e ntir e l y without th e pow e r of r e c e iving con d itions from matt e r

into th ems e lv e s h ow can th e y b ec om e contaminat ed by ma

,

ter i a l things ? H ow can th e divin e na t ur e which is pr e exist e nt ,

a n d sup e rior to human in fi rmity a n d has nothing in c ommon ,

wi th us b e a ff ect e d from my e motions or thos e of any oth e r

,

human b eing ?
N e ith e r of th e s e accordingl y mak e s an y d i ffe r e nc e to th e
, ,

go d s . N o matt e r is it that we a r e e n d ow e d with bo d i e s from

th e sph e r e of mat t e r for th e r e is nothing in short of this
, , ,

with th em ; a n d as t h e y a r e e ntir e l y pur e a n d unmingl ed e s

,

s en c e s th ey a r e n ot d e fi l e d from ou r stains nor is it of an y

, ,

cons e que nc e i f mat e rial e xhalations of bodi e s a r e giv en off

arou n d th e e arth for th e s e a r e th e farth e st r e mot e from the ir
,

e ss e nc e a n d pow e rs He nc e i f the r e exists n o part of it in

.

r e sp ect to th e go d s th e whol e h y poth e sis of contrari e t y ( which

,

has b e en put forth ) is compl et e l y d e stro y e d For how ma y .

t hat which is absolut ely non e xist e nt (without an e xt e rna l -

substance ) h av e an y confli c t in its el f l B y vainl y c onj e c tu r °

ing such things so absurd a nd unworth y of go d s thou bring

, ,

e s t up qu e stions whi c h ma y not r e asonabl y b e addu c e d in r e

sp e ct to good men F or n o man poss e ssing int ellige nc e and

.

undisturb e d b y passion— much l e ss on e of th e s u p e rior race s

would ev e r b e allur e d by th e exha l ations of vapors from a
sacri fi c e .

T h e s e things how e v e r will b e ma d e th e to p ic of discours e

, ,

a littl e lat e r But for th e pre s e nt th e notion of c ontrari ety

.

of natur e having b e e n controv e rt e d by many r e fut a tions we

, ,
192 ON E LI F E EVE RY W H E R E

lib e ration from th e conditions of gen e rat e d ex ist ence Ind e e d .

,

such mod e s of sacrifi cing do n ot e xhibit th e s e r e s u l ts at all .

Henc e th e re fore as th ey do n ot s e t forth prop e rl y in th e s e

, ,

rit e s th e divin e caus e of th e pe r formanc e s we ca nnot just ly ,

approv e of th em But if th ey a r e to b e approv ed at all it

.
,

will b e onl y a ft e r a s e condar y mann e r and as b e ing d ep end ent

upon th e pri mary a n d most anci e nt di vin e c au s e s .

T H E D I VI N I T I E S S U PE R I O R T O T H E RE AL M OF NATUR E

Th e matt e r und e r consid e ration r e qui r e s th e r e for e that , ,

we sha l l s et forth th e principl e a c cording to which th e sacri

fi c e s a r e adapt e d to th e e v e nts and hav e r e lation to th e gods
,

that are th e caus e s pr e ce d ent to th e things that take plac e .

S uppos e th e n we may s a y that b y having on e li fe e v e rywh e r e

, , ,

th e sam e in th e whol e univ e rs e as in a singl e living b e ing th e r e ,

is a participation of similar forc e s or a re p ulsion of opposing

,

on e s or a c e rtain afli ni ty of th e a c tiv e to th e passiv e which

,
‘
,

move s th e things that a r e similar a n d in a ffi nit y at th e sam e

tim e O p e rating in th em in lik e mann e r by on e common sym
,

pathy and e xisting in th e most distant as in th e n e are st T h e re .

is th en som e thing thus stat e d of things that a r e true and ,

that of n e c e ssit y b e long with th e sacri fi ce s Ye t th e true pur

.

pos e of th e sacri fi ce s is not th e r eby shown F or th e e ss enc e .

of th e go d s is in n o way d e p e nd e nt upon th e r e a l m of nat u r e

and upon natural n e ce ssiti e s s o as to b e arous e d b y natural

,

passions or b y th e force s which e xt end through all th e r e alm

of natur e On th e oth e r hand it is e stab lish e d by its e l f ou t
.

sid e of th e s e having nothing in c ommon wi th th em—n e ith er

,

according to e ss e nc e nor according to powe r nor a cc ordi ng to

, ,

any othe r thi ng whatever .

N OT I ON S OF T H E E G Y P T IA N P R IE ST S
C R I T I C IZ E D
196 TH E E GYP TI A N M Y S T E RI E S

co l ors and shap e s of th e body ;X or som e oth e r of th e ani ma l s = <

in r e lation to th e ir bodi e s or whateve r e l s e may b e brou ght

,

into notice ; or an organ like th e h e art of th e cock i or oth e r

, ,

things of simi lar charact e r which a r e r egard e d in r e sp e ct to

,

th e world of natur e as caus e s of succ e ss ful r e s ul ts in th e

S acri fic e s For n ot on e of th e gods is shown from th e s e thin gs
.

to b e th e caus e b e yond th e r e alm of natur e ; nor is h e as such

s e t in activity by th e sacri fi c e s But as a natural caus e h e ld .

fast by matt e r and ph y sicall y e ncompass e d by th e bodi e s it

is arous e d by th em and put to r e st again Ind ee d th e s e
, .
,

things a r e e ss e ntials in th e r e gion of natur e I f th en any .

, ,

thing of suc h a charact e r is at th e S acre d Rit e s it a ecom ,

p an i e s th em as a joint caus e and as having th e consid e ration

of b eing in d isp ensabl e and in this way it is al l i e d to th e
,

ant e rior caus e s .

T H R E E GR ADE S O F AR CH E T Y PE S

It is b ett e r th e r e for e to assign as th e caus e of efli c a c y

, ,

an a ttraction and a fli ni ty and likewis e an in t e r r e lation such

,
-

as alli e s workmen to th e things whi c h th e y hav e wrought an d

par ents to o ffspring Wh e n th e r e for e this common prin
.
, ,

c ip l e b e ing th e ant e rior caus e we tak e som e animal or thing ,

growing upon th e e arth that has pr e s e rv e d th e purpos e of

th e C r e ator intact a n d pur e th en through su c h an obj e ct we , ,

*
animal s w e r e n um ero u s in E gypt e v ery nom e or distri c t
S a c r ed ,

having its own T h e bu ll s A pis an d Men w ere s el ec t ed for th e ir c o l or

.

an d p ec u l iariti e s of bo dy T h e r e w er e a l so th e sa c r e d bat ram c at rive r

.
, , ,

hors e wo lf s erp ent hawk ibis etc T h ey w e r e c onsi der e d as r ep re

, , , , ,
.

senting qu a liti e s in dic ative of so ul emotion an d moral s e ns e qu al itie s ,

We worship God through th em

,
”
pro duc e d by natu r e an d D ivinity .
“
,

says Plutar c h .

f The c o c k was an c ie nt ly v en e rate d in man y c ou ntr ie s as sa c r e d to th e

S un an d at th e sa c ri fi c es it was c u stomary for th e d ivin e s to insp ec t h i s
h e art for aug uri e s P orphyry has re c or de d simil ar fa c ts in r el ation to
.

th e h e art of th e c row, th e mo l e an d th e hawk I n de e d, e v e ry an c i ent .

p eop l e h ad its sa c r ed bir d T he e agl e an d th e c o c k s e em to h ave c ontinu ed

.

to modern tim e, an d even with p eop le s wh ere th e p rim itive mysti c p ur

port is not kn own .
 THE PE RF E CT S A CRI F I C E 19 7

d e a l famil iar ly with th e D emiurgic C aus e wh ich is over i t

unming l e d with anything els e .

T h e s e caus e s ( or cat e gori e s ) howev e r a r e num e rous , ,

.

S om e of th em as for e x ampl e th e d emonian a r e clos e ly

, , , ,

join e d tog e th e r ; and oth e rs for instanc e th e divin e a r e rank e d

, ,

a ft e r a mann e r high e r than th e s e ; and th en still b e y ond th e r e

is th eir L ead e r th e On e M ost An ci e nt C aus e Al l th e cat e
, .

gor i e s act tog e th e r at th e p e rfe ct S a c rifi c e E v e ry on e f

is adapte d to it g en e rally according to th e rank which is

poss e ss e d .

I f how e v e r any sacri fic e chanc e s to b e d e fe ctive it go e s

, , ,

forwar d to a c e rtain e xt e nt but it is not possibl e to go still ,

furth e r H e nce many thin k that sacri fi ce s a r e to b e pr e s e nt e d

.

to th e b enefic en t d emons ; m a n y to th e final powe rs of th e

gods ; and many to th e p er i c osmi a n or to th e te r re s tri al t
powe rs of d emons or of diviniti e s Th e s e things b e ing a part .
,

in regard to th e sacri fic e s a r e not told guil efully but th e y

, ,

b y no m eans a fford us a vi ew of th e whol e of th e virtu e of

th e rit e and all th e b e n e fi ts and th e divin e n e ss whi ch e x t e nds
through all .

DE MO N S A N D N OT G OD S I N F L U E N C E D BY S AC R I F I C E S
We a dmit the n all th e s e
, ,
s ta te men ts i We say that th e
b e ings that b e long to th e r e alm of natur e act in conc e rt to
g e th e r ac c ording to conv eni e nce ,
or sympath y or antipathy ;
,

*
T his app e ars to b e a c on c e ding that th e S upr e m e D vin ty s in flu i i i
fi
s n eed b y th es e sa c ri c e s an d simi ar y by th e M agian R it e s l l T his, how .

e v e r , man y of th e Pl l
atoni sts , as w e l as th e ristote ians, S toi c s an d A l
E p iku r ean s, str e nu o u s y deni e d l .

1 Th e t e rm “
pow ers ”
is u s e d by Ab am m o n in th e ristot e ian s e ns e, A l
l
d enoting inh er ent fa c u ti e s as prior to th e e er c is e of for c e an d th e pro x
du c in g of effe c ts .

I O u r a u thor h er e r e fe rs , as wi b ll
e obs e rv ed, to th e d ec arations of l
P orphyry, whi c h a re q u ot ed in th e F irst Chapt er, but are not fo u n d in
x
th e pr e s ent t e t of the L ett e r to th e pou n der n ebo Ex
orphyry h ad A . P
l l
q u e stion e d th e uti ity an d a c tu a e ffec t of the sa c ri c i al rit e s u pon th e fi
l
ge n e ra or de r of the univ e rs e an d th e p urpos e s of th e go ds , an d ikewis e l
wh e th e r th ey w er e p er form e d in a prop er mann e r as r e at ed to the go ds, l
ll
or r e a y proc ur ed any a d vantag e to the worship ers th ems e v es l .
19 8 B E N E F I T S G I VE N W I LLI N G LY

and in oth e r re sp ects a re subj e ct and follow and a r e s ub

s e rv i ent to th e sup e rior b e ing and caus e of th e efli c ac y of
,

sacri fice s But th e d emons and also th e t e rres tri a l and p e ri

.
,

c os mi a n pow e rs as b e ing principals a r e associat e d tog e th e r

,

according to rank as is th e cas e with us N ev e rth el e ss th e .

,

most e ffe ctive high e st ranking of th e caus e s of effi ca c y in

-

th e sacri fi c e s a r e unit e d with th e D emiurgic and absolut e ly

p e r fe ct powe rs .

But sinc e th e s e compr eh end th ems e l ve s al l th e caus e s ,

howe v e r many th ey a r e we affi rm that all th e active op e rators

,

a r e mov e d tog e th e r wi th th e s e caus e s at th e sam e mom e nt ;

and that from th em al l th e r e d e sc ends a common b en eficial

influenc e into th e whol e r e alm of g en e rat e d ex ist ence S om e .

tim e s this h el p is impart e d accor d ing to citi e s and districts ,

or to various nations or to gr e at e r o r sma ll e r divisions of

,

th e s e A t oth e r tim e s th e b en efits a r e giv e n with an nu

.
,

grud ging willingne ss to hous e holds or to ev e ry indi vidual , ,

and th e distribution of th e m is mad e fr eel y and without fee l

ing ; and with an unimpassion e d mind according to r el ation
ship and a fli l i a ti on as it is right and prop e r to giv e ; on e a f
,

fe c ti on m e anwhil e holding all tog e th e r and forming this bond

through an unutt e rab l e communion .

Th e s e things a r e much mor e tru e and happ en to b e mor e ,

corr e ct in r e lation to th e e ss e nce and pow e r of th e gods than ,

what thou dost conj e ctur e nam el y : tha t th ey th ems elv es a r e

,
“

a l lu r ed mos t of a ll by th e fu m es of th e s a c ri fic es of a n i ma l s
”
.

F or i f th e r e is in any s ens e a bo d y to th e d e mons whi c h some

imagin e to b e nourish e d from th e sacri fic e s this body must ,

b e un chang e abl e and impassiv e and lik e wis e l uminou s and

,

in want of nothing H enc e th e r e is n e ith e r n eed for any

.

thing to flow from it n or of a n inflow from without I f .

,

how e ve r any one r emains still of opinion that this is th e cas e

, ,

y et th e worl d and th e atmosph e r e in it hav e an inc e ssant

e xhalation from th e r e gion about th e e arth What nee d th en .
, ,

hav e th ey of th e s ac ri fic es ? *

*
was h el d th at th es e sa c ri fi c e s to th e demons w er e mor e a c c eptabl e
It
than exhal ations from oth er things b ec au s e that i n the fumes ther e w er e
,
2 00 L U MI N OU S AN D T E N U OU S B ODI E S
with th e invisibl e cau s e s F or sou l is sustain e d from mind
. ,

and ph y sical nature from soul ; a n d oth e r things a r e also

nourish e d in lik e mann e r from th eir originators .

I f th e n it is impossibl e for u s to b e th e on e s who brought

, ,

th e d emons into e xist enc e b y th e sam e r e asoning it is d emon

,

s tr a te d that w e a r e not th e sourc e s from which th e y d e riv e

t h eir support .

H OW S AC R I F I C E S AR E B E N E FI C I AL

It s eems to me mor e ov e r that th e qu e s t ion n ow b e ing con

, ,

s id e r e d g o e s astra y in anoth e r particular For it ignor e s .

th e bringing of th e sacrifi c e s through fi r e as it is rath e r a ,

cons uming and d e stro y ing of th e matt e r of whi c h th ey c on

sist a n d lik ewis e an ass imilating of it to its e l f whil e in no
, ,

s e ns e d o e s it b e c om e its el f assimilat e d to th e matt e r It is .

also a bringing upward to th e d ivin e c e l e stial a n d n on ,

mat e rial fi r e bu t b y no m e ans a movin g d own war d to th e

,

r e gion of matt e r and gen e rat e d e xist ence F or if th e e njoy .

i n g of th e fum e s of matt e r in th e sac ri fi c e s allur e d th e

” “

S u p e rior rac e s it is prop e r that th e matt e r shall b e pur e

,

from contamination for in this wa y th e r e will b e a gr e at e r

,

e xhal a t ion from it to thos e that partak e N ow how e v e r al l .

, ,

is burn e d and utt e rl y c onsum e d a n d is chang e d into th e p u r e ,

and t e nu ous s u bstanc e of fi r e whi c h is i t s e l f c l e ar proo f to

,

th e c ontrar y to what thou a fli rm e s t F or th e s u p e rior ra c e s .

a r e impassiv e a n d it is a d e light to th e m to e xtirpat e th e

matt e r by m e ans of th e fi r e a n d to r en d e r us impassiv e Th e .

charact e ristics in us b ecom e lik e th e go d s in th e same mann e r

as fir e tran s forms all har d a n d r e fractor y mat e ri als to lumi
nant and t enu ous b odi e s fi Th e y lik ewis e l e ad us upwar d
“
,

b y th e sacri fi c es and sa c ri ficial fi r e to th e fi re of th e gods in

*
M arsili o F ic ino, th e I tal ian Platonist r emarks that the fire whic h ,

is kindled by u s is mor e l ik e h e av en than l ik e wh at is l eft b ehind I t is .

ma de parti c ipant of l ight whi c h is a som ething i nc orpore al th e most

, ,

pow er fu l of al l things an d as if a l ive p erp et u all y moving d ivi ding ev ery

, , ,

thing yet not its el f d ivisib l e absorbing all things into its elf yet e va ding
, , ,

e v ery a l i en mixt u r e ; a nd s u d den l y wh en it is full y set fr e e flying ba c k to ,

,

th e c el estial fi re wh ic h is l ate nt e v erywh er e .

 F I RE PU RI F I E S M A T TE R ’
20 1

th esam e way that fi r e ris e s to fi re by l e adi ng and drawing ,

upward thos e qualiti e s which drag downward an d a re oppos e d

to th e di vine and c el e stia l e ss e nce s .

S AC RI FI C I AL F I RE A P U RI F I E R
To sp e ak without d isgui s e it is n e ith e r from th e matt e r
,

of whi c h th e sacri fi c e s c onsist n or from th e e l e m e nts

,
nor ,

f rom an y oth e r of th e bodi e s known to us that th e d emons ,

hav e th e v e hi c l e s e rving as bod i e s and r e s embling th e m * .

What fru i t ion th e n can e v e r tak e plac e from an e ss ence of

, ,

on e kind to a d i ffe r e nt on e or what e nj o y m e nt can b e i m

,

part e d b y ali en n a t u r e s to thos e that a r e ali e n to th em ?

T h e r e is non e but rath e r it is fa r th e oth e r way
,
A s th e .

go d s c u t th e matt e r away with th e e l ectric fir e and s eparat e

from it what ev e r things a r e n on mat e rial in th e ir e ss e nc e -
,

b u t y e t a r e h e l d fi rml y a n d fe tt e r e d b y it and as th e y lik e wis e ,

e volv e impassiv e natur e s from th e impassibl e — s o also th e

fi re that is wi t h us imitating th e op e ration of th e d ivin e fi r e

, ,

d e s tro y s e v e r y t hing in th e sacri fi c e s that is consti t u t e d of

matte r I t puri fi e s th e t hings that a r e brought to th e fi r e
.
,

r e l e as e s t h em from th e ir bond s in ma t t e r a n d lik ewis e r e nd e rs ,

th em thro ugh i t s purity of natur e fi t for th e c omm onalt y of

, ,

gods It also through th e s e c hang e s r e l e as e s us from th e

.
, ,

bond s of g en e rat ed e x ist enc e make s us like th e go d s and lik e

, ,

*
T h e d emons m ay be des c rib ed as havi ng v ehi c e s of a s u bstan c e d if l
fer en t from that of bo d i es , an d a c c or d e d to th e d i ffer ent or d ers The .

d emons of th e sky ar e d e s c rib ed as having s u c h v ehi c e s c ompos ed not l

l
of e em ent a ry an d natu ra l l
prin c ip es , but thos e of th e wat er an d e arth
fi
w er e so en d ow ed, an d to th es e th e sa c ri c es w er e o ffe red T h e form er .

w er e of th e nu mb er n ot no u rish ed from the fu m e s of th e sa c ri c e s , but th e fi

l l
atter a c q u ir e growth from ex t erna so u r c es Y et as th e v ehi c e s w er e . l
l
not deriv ed fr om th e e em ents , nor from b o di es known to u s, our au thor
l ll
wou d have don e a favor by te ing wh en c e th ey c am e T his , how ev er, .

was no eas y thing to d o, i f mo dern mat eria i z ation of sp iritu a b eings

“ ”
l l
s eems not to hav e b een imagin ed Pl
ato , in th e T i mceos , s e ems to r egar d
.

h l l
t e v eh ic e as s e f c r e at e d, or th e pro du c tion of th e j u nior go ds
-
“ ”
.
202 TH E R N A KI N G OF TH E G OD S
wis e r e nd e rs us fit for th e ir fri endship ,
an d ou r mat e rial
natur e ne ar to th e non mat e ria l e ss ence -
.

THE T RU E C O N CE PT S
Having thu s r e fu t ed th e absur d opinions g en e ral l y in r e
gar d to S a cr e d Rit e s we will intro d uc e in th eir plac e th e tru e
,

conceptions A s it b elongs to ano t h e r subj e c t we omi t th e

.
,

e xplanation in d e tail in r e s p e ct to e a c h form of sa c ri fi c e s

which th e p e culiar r e ason in r e sp e ct to th e rit e s r e qui r e s .

N e v e rth e l e ss an y p e rson wh o is w e ll e ndow e d will b e abl e

, ,

from what has b e e n said to e xt e n d hi s und e rstanding from,

on e subj e ct to man y and co gni z e qui c k l y from th e s e th e

,

thi ngs which hav e b e e n pass ed ov e r in sil e n c e I think th e r e .

,

for e that th e s e things hav e b ee n suffic i e ntl y e xplain e d in

, ,

th e ir di ffe r ent asp e c ts and b e caus e ou r explanation s ets forth

,

b ec omingl y th e pur e e ss enc e an d qu alit y of th e divin e b eings .

T his how e v e r may app e ar e quall y incr e dibl e and by no m e ans

, ,

c l e ar a n d lik e wis e suspicious as n ot s e tting th e r e asoning

,

facult y at work but n ot e xt ending to th e discours e s upon th e

,

S oul I m e an th e re for e to go ov e r th e s e things a l ittl e mor e

.
, ,

fu ll y a n d lik ewis e if possibl e to brin g forward proo fs mor e

, , ,

conclusive than thos e which hav e b ee n alr e ady e x amin ed .

T WO O RD E R S OF D I VI N I T I E S

Th e b e st introdu c tion of all shows plainl y th e institution

of S acr e d Rit e s as it r e lat e s to th e ranking o f th e gods At .

th e outs e t th e r e for e we ma y la y down tha t som e of th e gods

, ,

b elong to th e r e alm of matt e r and oth e rs a re b e y ond it ; thos e

of th e sph e r e of m a tt e r e ncompassing th e ma t t e r in th e m

s e lv e s and organizing it and th e non mat e rial d iviniti e s b eing

, ,
-

*
r emarks of th e P e r fec tiv e D is c ipl in e th at as the Ora c le s
P r okl os ,
“
,

t eac h it ob l ite r ate s throu gh th e d ivin e fi re all th e stains deriv ed from

, , ,

generated existen c e Th e Chal de an Orac le al so says : T h e mortal draw

”
.
“

ing ne ar th e sac ri fic ial fi re will have l ight from D ivinity ”

.
2 04 S U BL I M E VI S I ON S
tud e g ene ra ll y whi ch b e fal l to m a tte r p e rtain to th e gods ;
not to th em through th ems el ve s but through th e r e a lm of ,

m a tt e r ove r which th e y a re rul e rs F or although th ey a r e .

to th e utmost s eparat e d from it th e y a r e n ev e rth e l e s s pr e s ent

with it ; a n d a l though th e y e ncompass it b y a powe r which i s
not of matte r they e xist along with it Th e things th a t a r e
, .

thus conduct e d a r e not ali en to thos e who c on duct th em n or ,

a r e thos e that a r e put in ord e r f or e ign to thos e who put th em

in ord e r and tho s e l ik ewis e that a r e subs e rvi e nt a r e n ot

,

unadapt ed to thos e that mak e u s e of them as instrum ents .

Henc e th e o ff e ring of an y thing b elonging to th e r e alm of

matt e r is ali e n and r ep ugnant to th e diviniti e s of th e supra
mat e rial world but it is p e r fe ctl y prop e r for a ll thos e that
,

a r e alli e d to matt e r
*
.

TWO K I N D S OF S AC RE D R I T E S

us n ext consi d e r what is in harmon y with th e s e nti

L et
m e nts which hav e b een utt e re d and wi th ou r t w ofol d c ons t i ,

tuti on For wh en we b e com e entir e ly soul and a r e outsid e

.

of th e body and soaring on hi gh with a l l th e gods of th e

,

non mat e rial r e alm we occupy ours e lv e s with sublim e visions

-
,
.

T h e n again we a r e bound in th e o y st e r lik e body and h e ld

,
-

fast un d e r th e dominion of matt e r and a r e corpor e al in feel ,

ing and a sp i ra ti on t T h e r e com e s accordingly th e r e fore a

.
, , ,

two fo l d form of worshi p For th e on e whi ch is for unstain e d

.

soul s wi l l b e simpl e fr ee of th e body and pur e from ev e ry

,

condition of gen e rate d e x ist ence ; but th e oth e r whi ch is a o ,

c ommod a te d to souls that a re not pur e and l ib e rat ed f rom

*
may be p erc eiv ed the di stinc tion b etw een diffe rent t ea c h er s
H er e .

One s c hool ad opted th e notion that th e bo dy b eing c onstitu ted of matt e r ,

was to be m ac erat ed an d hel d i n l ow es t eem Pl ato how ev er in Thawte .

, ,

tos ta ught that we es c ap ed from e vi l in th e bo dy by b ec oming as mu c h as

,

possibl e li ke a god T his was to be ac c omp l ish ed by a life of pu rity an d

.

j u sti c e not by bo di ly worship but by m ental an d moral exc ell enc e

, ,
.

i Th i s fi gurei s borro wed fr om Plato ,

and we find it el oquently de
pi ot ed in the Phwdros .
 S E N S U OU S WOR S H I P 205

th e onditions of g en e rat ed e xist e n c e is fil l e d with corpor e a l

c ,

things a n d ev e r y thing that r e lat e s to th e world of ma tter f "

I admit th e r e for e that th e r e a r e two fo r ms of S acr e d

Rit e s Th e on e thos e for individua l s who a r e e ntir e ly puri
.
,

fied . S uch rar el y happ e n as H e ra kl ei tos a fi rms b e y ond a , ,

singl e p e rson at on e tim e or a few that may b e e asily c ount e d .

Th e oth e r c lass s u c h as a r e y e t h e l d by th e bod y consists of

, ,

thos e wh o a r e of th e r e alm of matt e r and of corpor e al quality ,

sustaining th ems e lv e s thro u gh c hang e r .

’

H enc e unl e ss suc h a form of worship shal l b e i nstitut e d

,

for citi e s a n d p e opl e s that a r e not r e li e v e d from th e h e r e d i

tar y allotm ent 1 a n d that hol d t ena c iousl y to th e communion
,

with th e body the y will f ail utt e rly of both kinds of good
, ,

that whi c h is sup e ri or to th e r e alm of matt e r a n d that which ,

is of th e world of matt e r For th e form e r th ey a r e unabl e .

to r ec eiv e and to th e l a tt e r th ey bring nothing of kindr e d

,

natur e A t th e sam e tim e e v e ry on e p e rforms his s e rvic e

.

accordi ng to what h e is and c e rtain l y not with r efe r e nc e to ,

what h e is not F or it is n ot prop e r for it to e xc eed th e wor

.

ship e rs own condition I hav e th e sam e thing to say also

’
.

in r e sp ect to th e intim a t e union whi ch joins toge th e r th e

men wh o a r e wor shi ping a n d th e pow e rs that a r e worship e d
as m e mb e rs of a family For I d e sir e th e sam e unity that .
,

th e usag e of r e l i gi o u s worship which is h omog e n e ous with it

shall b e chos e n nam e l y : not only that which is non mat e ria l
,
-

b eing commingl e d in th e mann e r accord a nt with its el f and ,

j oining th e incorpore a l n atur e s in a pur e mann e r with th em

s e lv e s with pur e in c orpor e a l pow e rs but als o uniting th e
, ,

corp ore al natur e s a ft e r a corpor e a l mann e r with corpor e al

="
l li
T his two fo d phas e of r e giou s c u stoms , th e r e ig on of th e right l i
l
han d an d that of th e eft, sti e ists with the worship ers of S iva an d ll x
the S akti in I n dia x
I t was e hibit e d in th e Orphi c an d D ionysia c wor
.

s hips of G l
ree c e, an d in s ev era Ori enta R it es S o th e as c eti c an d th e l .

l i l
fr eer re i gi on st w er e a ik e tre at ed a c c or ding to th eir r esp ec tive d isposi
t i ons .

f I n oth er wo rds ho l di ng to n o stab l e

, p u rpos e an d exh ibiting som e ,

n ew e n ergy at ev ery n ew phas e of opinion or exp eri e n c e .

I T h ey w e r e c onsi d e r ed as mor e or l ess in fested by evil demon s w hom

i t was necessa ry to p l ac ate .
 206 S A CR E D CE R E M ON I E S

ess e nce s commin gling with

, th e bodi e s th e sup e rior e s s ence s
that p e rvad e th em .

WH Y W O R S H I P IS OF A
ARAC TE R SENS UOU S CH

We shall not th e re fore think it unworth y of us to treat

, ,

also of ma tt e rs of such a l owe r c hara c t e r T hus in re sp e ct of .

th e n ee d s of th e bo dy we o ft e n p e r form s om e o ffi c e to th e guar
,

d ians of th e corpor e al n a tur e th e go d s and good d e mons ; such

,

as puri fy ing it from old stains or fr e e ing it of dis e as e s and , ,

m aking it abound with h e alth or taking away fr om it b e avi ,

n e ss and torpor and imparting to it lightn e ss and activity

,

inst e ad—or if nothing e l s e procuring for it a ll manne r of ,

b en efits We do not th e re for e in any way tr e at it as though

.
, ,

it was of m e nta l quality or e v en as though it was not c orpo

r e al For th e body is n ot constitut e d to participat e in such
.

mod e s of proc e e ding But wh e n it participat e s in mod e s of

.

a natur e corre spond ing to its el f a body is h e al e d and pu r i ,

fi e d by bodi e s From n e ce ssit y of such a kind th er e for e the

.
, ,

institution of S acr e d Rit e s wil l b e of a corpor e a l id e al ; on

th e on e hand pruning away what is sup e rfluous in us and on ,

th e oth e r suppl y ing what ev e r in us is wanting and al so ,

bringing into ord e r and proportion in so fa r as it is dis

ord e red We o ft e n mak e u s e of sacre d c e r e mo ni es b e s eech
.
,

ing from th e sup e rior race s that th ey do for us m an y things

of importanc e to th e human l i fe T h e s e doubtl e ss a r e th e .
, ,

b eings that tak e car e of th e body or hav e charge of thos e ,

things which we procur e for th e sak e of our bodi e s .

*

S ENS U O US W O R S H I P FU RT H E R JU S T I F I E D
Wh at th en it ma y b e ask e d will th e re b e for us from
, , ,

th e gods who a r e e ntir e l y e x empt from a ll human c on d ition e d

e x ist e nc e in r e sp e ct to un fruit fuln e ss of th e soil or abun ,

d anc e or oth e r conc e rn of li fe ? N othing what e v e r ; for it is

,

n ot th e provin ce of thos e b eings who a r e f r e e of a l l such

t hings to touch gi fts of this kind .

I n the E gyptian S ys tem th e h um an bo dy was a portion ed into th i rty

*

si x r egions ea c h of whi c h
,
was s uppos ed to be i n c arge of its own ov e r h
l or d or presi ding divinity ,
an d h ad i ts c l as s of p hy sic ian s at th e d i ffe r

en t t emp l es .
2 08 TH E L I F E W H I CH IS OF TH E MI N D

mak e s comp l et e th e jurisdiction of F at e submits to th e ord e r ,

of things to b e accomplish e d in so fa r as it is fat e d and a l so ,

e mploys practical r e asoning in r e gard to thi ngs that b el ong

a l on e to th e d epartm ent of nature .

A c e rtain fe w how e v e r who e x e rcis e a faculty of mind

, ,

sup e rior to natur e a r e e x a lte d b e y ond that c lass and rank e d

,

in th e or d e r of s e parat e a n d unalloye d int ellige nc e as b eing

thos e who hav e b ecom e altog eth e r sup e rior to th e p owe rs of
th e r e alm of natur e .

Oth e rs how ev e r a r e plac e d b etw e e n th e s e as i n te rme

, ,

diari e s be twe e n th e d e partm ent of natur e and that of pur e

int e llig e nce ; som e followi ng a ft e r both cl a ss e s oth e rs pur ,

suing a li fe commin gl e d from th e two and oth e rs b eing s e t ,

fr e e from th e in fe r ior class e s and plac e d with th e mor e

‘
ex c el l en tfi

The s e ,th en having b e e n thus d e fin e d that whi ch is to

, ,

accompany th em b e com e s e sp e c ially plain For th e y who a re .

gov e rn ed by th e g en e ra l c on d ition of things and th ey in ,

parti c ular who l iv e accor ding to th e ir own p eculiar natura l

disposi t ion and make u s e of th e ir natural pow e rs a d opt th e ,

r e ligious w orship that is prop e r to natur e and to bodi e s ma d e

a c tive by n a tur e ;t making choic e of plac e s atmosph e r e mat , ,

te r and pow e rs of matt e r bo d i e s a n d habitud e s of bodi e s

, ,

qualiti e s appropriat e d an c e s change s inci d ent to g en e rat e d

, ,

e xist en c e a n d o t h e r things c ongr u ous with th e s e in oth e r d e

, ,

p a r tme n ts of r e ligio u s worship a n d in th e d e partm ent whi c h

,

is dir ectly conn e c t e d with sa c ri fic ing .

*
P l oti n os h as al so
de s c rib ed th e s e c l ass e s wi th e qu al d istin c tn ess Al l .

from th eir birth, h e d ec l ar e s, mak e u se of th e s ens es b efore th ey hav e

a c qu ir ed any s up erior p er c eption H e a dd s that, S om e pro c eed no fur
.
“

th e r, but p as s thro ugh l i fe c onsi de ring th e things of s ens e to be th e fi rst

an d l ast of al l ; an d as th e y appr eh en d that what is pain fu l is evi l , an d

that whate ve r is p l eas ant is goo d, they think it s u ffi c i ent to pu rsu e th e

on e an d to avoi d th e oth e r Oth e rs h ave a gr e at er shar e of int ell ig en c e,
.

but d o not r i s e abov e th e e arth S om e of th e s e exhibit gr e at er p e r c eption ,

.

but n ot s u p erior mora l exc ell en c e I n th e thir d c l ass are th e d ivin e on e s

.

vcrh o ac u el y p er c e i v e s u p erna l l ight, ris e su p e rior to s ens e, an d l iv e abov e

tll e worl l t
t y
B “
N atur e som e u n derstoo d th e Gr e at G o ddess, oth ers simp ly a
”

d emon , oth e rs th e S u p erior M in d .

 TH E DI V I N E E S S E N CE S AN D P OW E RS 20 9

But th ey who l iv e with r e fe re nce to mind a l on e and th e ,

l i fe which is of th e mind and who a r e fr e e of th e bonds of ,

th e r e alm of natur e e x e rcis e dilig e nt l y in th e spiri tual a n d

,

incorpor e a l l aw of th e S acr e d A rt r el a ting to th e s ev e ral

d epar tm ents of T h eurgy .

T hos e who a r e int e rm e diary b e tw ee n th e two c l ass e s ,

pursu e assiduousl y th e wa y s of holine ss in difi e r ent mann e r ,

according to th e di ffe r e nc e s b e tw e e n th em e ith e r parti c i ,

pating in b oth th e s e mo d e s of r eligious d evotion or stan d ing ,

aloo f from on e of th em or accepting th em as a foun d ation,

of things mor e valuabl e For without th e s e th ey ma y n ev e r

.

a c complish th e high e r attainm ents In som e oth e r way p er .

haps th ey may tak e th em in hand in a b e comin g mann e r .

TH LA S S E S OF D I VI N I T I E S
RE E C

I n r e sp e ct how e v e r to this v e ry mod e of distinction th e r e

, , ,

is brought to ou r att e ntion th e following classi fication of th e

di vin e E ss enc e s and powe rs
1 S om e hav e a soul and nature subj e ct and subs e rvi ent
.

to th e ir c r e ations in what e v e r wa y th e y wil l

,
.

2 Oth e rs a r e e ntir e ly s e parat e from soul a n d natur e

. I .

m ean from th e divin e soul and natu r e and n ot from th e c osmic

and g en e tic soul and natur e onl y .

3 S om e how ev e r a r e int e rm e di a ri e s b e twe e n th em a n d

.
, , ,

pr e s e r v e a commu nion from e ach to e ach oth e r ; e i t h e r b y an

uns ev e r e d bond of union or b y a g en e ro u s impart ing of ,

sup e rior b e n e fits or an unch e ck e d r e c e ption of l e ss e r on e s or ,

b y th e harmony of mind whi c h binds both togeth e r fi “

Wh en th e r e for e we a r e worshipin g th e go d s that a r e

, ,

kings of th e re alms of so u l and natur e it is n ot out of th e ,

way to pr e s ent to th e m natural pow e rs and bodi e s that a r e

not controll e d b y natur e d evotin g to th em what is not worth
,

l e ss F or all th e op e r a tion s of n atur e a r e subs e rvi ent to

.

th em and asso c iat e d wi t h th em in th e admi nistration of th e

world .

*
Mr T homas T ayl or c l ass e s th e int erm ediary d iviniti es as arc hai o
.

r uler s ( prin c ipal iti es E p h es ians vi

, an d a p ol u toi or l ib e rat ed ; th e
,

o n e b e in g su p e c osmi c a n d th e oth er s u p e r c el estia l or s u p er i or to th e

r
,

vi sib l e go d s i n th e sky .
2 10 TH E H OLY RI T ES
But wh e n we a re payin g homag e to th e s e gods tha t are
un iform in r e sp e ct to th ems el ve s it is prop e r to distingui sh
,

the m with un l imite d hono rs G ifts of a spiritua l characte r

.

a r e suit e d to th em things of th e incorpor e a l l i fe and l ik ewis e

, ,

such as vi rtue and wi sdom b e stow an d what ev e r good things ,

of th e so ul a r e p e r fe ct and e ntir e .

A n d mor e ov e r to th e int e rm e diary di viniti e s thos e wh o

, ,

l e a d in b en efi ts of th e midd l e c l ass som e tim e s gi fts of a ,

two fold charact e r will b e suitab l e and som etim e s thos e com
,

mon to both th e class e s or thos e which a r e s eparat e from

,

th e l ow e r or d e rs but b e l ong to th e hi gh e r ; or to s um up th e
who l e matt e r thos e which wi ll in on e of th e mod es b e amp ly
,

suffi ci ent for th e int e rm e diat e .

THE E XALT E D C O N D I T I O N N OT C O MM O N T O ALL

S e tting ou t from anoth e r original princip l e : that of th e
wor l d an d th e c osmi an diviniti e s and lik ewis e th e distribution
,

of th e four e l em ents in th e world th e apportioning of th e ,

e l em e nts by allotm e nt in d u e proportion and th e ir circl in g ,

r e volution in ord e r l y arrang e m e nt in r e sp e ct to c ent e rs we ,

hav e an e asy path to th e tru e c onc eption of th e hol y rit e s in

r e sp e ct to sacri fi c e s S uppos e we ours e lv e s a r e in th e wor l d
.
,

and a r e inclu d e d as parts in th e who l e univ e rs e that we a r e ,

lik ewis e produ c e d by it at fi rst an d brought to maturity by

all th e forc e s in it and also that we a r e constitut e d from
,

th e e l em ents in it and re c e iv e from it a c e rtain allotm e nt of

,

l i fe and natur e We may n ot on account of th e s e things pass

.
, ,

ov e r th e worl d and th e c osmi an arrang em e nts We must .

grant accordingl y that in ev e ry r egion about th e wor l d th e re

is thi s bod y which we obs e rv e and th e r e a r e also th e in
,

corpor e a l cl assifi e d powe rs around th e bodi e s H ence th e .

l aw of r el i gion it is plain assigns l ike things to lik e and ex

, ,

t ends i n this mann e r through th e univ e rsa l spac e s from on

high to th e l ast assigning things incorp or e a l to th e i nc orp o
,
~

r e al and things corpor e a l to th e corp or e al e ach gi ving to

, ,

th e oth e r in du e accord with th eir p e culiar natur e .

But wh en on e of th e th eurgists b e com e s participant with

th e sup e rnal gods —which is th e rar e st o c curr enc e of any
 X II I

C ON C E RN I N G T H E M Y S T I C R I T E S
2 16 THE CE RE M ONI A L

mad e to go away uninitiat e d and disappoint e d of th e par

ti c ip a ti on with th e go d s But h e who propitiat e s th em a ll
.
,

bringing to ev e ry on e th e gi fts in his pow e r that a re most

suitab l e and acce ptab l e a lwa y s r emains sa fe and without ,

blam e having we ll and most car e fully accomp l ish ed th e r e c ep

,

tion of th e divine c h oru s fi “

S inc e th e r e for e thi s is th e cas e which of th e two is

, , ,

p rop e r : that th e c e r emonial of th e S acr e d Rit e sha ll b e sim

p l e and consisting of a few particulars or e laborat e and ,

adapt e d to ev e ry move—or so to sp e ak as if from ev e rything , ,

in th e world mingl e d tog e th e r ? I f ind e e d th e powe r that , ,

is invok ed and influ enc e d by th e S acr e d Rite w e r e simpl e and

of on e ord e r alon e th e c e r emonia l of th e sacri fic e s would b e
,

o f n e c e ssity also simpl e But suppos e th e multitud e of oth e r

.

powe rs ( d emons and minor spiritua l b e ings ) that a r e arous e d

and s e t in motion at th e d e sc ending of th e gods can b e i n
c l ud e d in no simp l e rit e Th e th eurgists from b e ing e x p e
.
,

ri en c e d in th e p e r formanc e s a r e th e on l y on e s that know ,

th e s e things accurat e l y and they alon e a re abl e to cogniz e

,

what constitut e s th e p e r fe ct c el ebration of th e S acr e d C e r e

mony Th ey a re also awar e that th e omissions though few
.
, ,

d e fe at th e who l e p e rformanc e of th e S acr ed Rit e just as ,

wh e n in a harmony a singl e chord is brok en th e who l e b e ,

com e s out of tun e and di sc or d antq ‘

A s th e r efor e in th e divin e d e sc ents which a re visib l e th e r e

,

*
Th e p r im iti v e pti on of sac rifi c es was th at th ey affor ded t e
o
c nc e
fres hmen t to sp i ri tu al b ein gs ; as for examp le th e d ec e a se d m ember of ,

a fami l y S uc h o fferi ngs are ma de at st at ed p erio ds i n China an d

.

I n di a and w e re onc e universal D em ons an d embo died so ul s w er e a l so

.

c ons i dere d as th us r ec ei v in g serv ic e an d del ight an d i t was to th e m t h at ,

th e s ac ri fi c es w er e ac tuall y dev ote d ( 1 C ori n th i an s x . H en ce , ,

s ac r ifi c e s b ec am e fe st i va l s to whi c h fr i en d s w er e i nv it ed and the prin c i ,

pa l vi an ds w ere c ons ec rate d by invoki ng th e di vin ities S ee 1 S amuel ix .

,

1 2, 13-2 1, 2 3, an d M alac hi i , 12 .

( I n
“
th e D v n e D ram asi i
or D s c o u rses, says S i mp l i ki os ,
i fian y
“

l
thing is omitted, or i s disp ac e d, or c om es up afterward, the di v n e l u i il
l
min ation doe s not tak e p a c e, but th e remis sness of th e one who i s doing
i
this m ak es v ap d the pow er of what has b ee n ac c omp shed ”
li .
 P ROP I TI A TI ON 2 17

o ccurs mani fe st injury to thos e who l ea ve any of the sup e rior

b eings unhonor ed so l ikewis e wh en th ey a r e pr e s ent at th e
,
*

sacri fic e s uns een it is not w ell to honor one and not anoth e r ,

but inst e ad eve ry one shoul d b e honore d accordi ng to th e

o rd e r to which h e is a ll ott e d H e who l eav e s any of th em .

without a gi ft ho l ds th e who l e thing fast and d e stroys th e

on e and e ntir e arrang em ent H e do e s not as som e may th e r e .
,

for e imagin e mak e th e r e c e ption an imp e r fe ct on e but on

, , ,

th e oth e r hand h e abso l ut el y ov e rturns th e who l e purpos e of

,

th e S acr e d Rit e .

S AC R E D R I T E S MU L T I F O RM

What th en ? D o e s not th e high e st part of th e S acr e d Te ch

nic r e cur of its e l f to th e One S upr e m e abov e th e whol e mul ti
tud e of diviniti e s and yet at th e sam e tim e worship in him
,

th e many e ss enc e s and principaliti e s ?

C e rtain l y I may b e answ e r e d but this tak e s p l ace at a
, ,

v e ry l at e p e riod and onl y with th e e x ce e dingl y few ; and i f it

,

com e s at the v e ry suns et of l i fe th ey a r e cont ent Our pr e s , .

e nt discussion how ev e r do e s not s e t forth th e l aw for a man

, ,

of such charact e r for h e is sup e rior to al l l aw ;t but it e stab

,

lish e s such a syst em of law for thos e who a re in n ee d of

sup e rior l egislation 1 It says accordingl y that as th e unive rs e
.
,

*
ZEneus, th e k ing of Kalydon i t was fab l ed on c e c el ebrat ed a sac ri
, ,

fice at whi c h b e omitte d to honor th e go ddess A rte m i s She by way of .

p uni shmen t sent a boar to rav age his domin i ons .

{ Th is dec l arati on i s su stain”ed by the “A post le P aul

“
I f you are l ed .

by the sp irit of no et ic fa c ul ty says he you are n ot u n der l aw T he

, ,
”
.

G reek term h ere u sed by both writ ers is n omos an enac tm ent an d n ot , ,

th es mos a sa c r ed dec r ee P l otin os has ex p l ain ed thi s m ent al exa ltation

We r ec ei v e the“ I n fi nite by a fac ul ty sup erior to th e nu
.
,

h er e a ffi rm ed .
“

d erstan ding ,
”
he in c ul c a te s ; we e nte r into a c on ditio n of mi n d in ,
whi c h we are n o l onger our own s el ves bu t bec om e partak e rs of th e ,

T h e ph il osoph er i t is r ec or de d has a ttain e d this m enta l

”
d ivi ne natur e .
, ,
,

an d m ora l ex al tation I ts simi l ari ty to the state of Yogi or c on sec ra

.

t i on desc r i bed by I n di an sag es is e v ident

, ,
.

I y
S r i an os,
an d T ay l or f o ll owing him hav e s u bstit u t ed th es m os for
,

th a mos i n the G r e ek t ext T h e phras e oth erwis e wo u l d hav e re a d : for

“
.

thos e who are bo un d by passion ”

.
2 18 B E N E FI T S

is a syst em from many ord e rs combin e d into on e so it is ,

prop er that the compl e t e c e r e monial of th e S acr e d Rit e s un ,

c e asing and e ntir e shal l b e j oine d with th e whol e cat e gory of

,

th e sup e rior rac e s C e rtainl y ind e e d i f th e cosmos is mani

.
, ,

fold a n d entir e and is constitut e d in many ord e rs it is prop e r

, ,

accordi ngl y that th e S acr e d P e rformanc e shall copy its variou s

fe atur e s b e caus e of all th e pow e rs which th ey pr e s ent to
,

v i ewfit H ence in r elation to th e s e and to th e various kinds

,

that a r e about us it is n ot prop e r for us to b e intimat ely con

,

n e c te d with th e divin e caus e s ( or b e ings ) that a r e ov e r th em ,

from a part of th e qualiti e s in th em On th e contrary we .

,

shou l d n ot aspir e to b e with th e ir l e ad ers wh en anything on ,

our part is omitt ed or incomp l e t e .

TH E B E N E F I T S F R OM TH E S AC R I F I C E S
Th e div e rsi fied mod e of c el ebrating th e Ho l y Rit e in th e
S acr e d P e r formanc e s th e r efor e n ot only puri fi e s us but it
, , ,

a l so mak e s p e r fe ct som e thing of th e d efe cts in us or about us ,

e stablish e s in harmon y a n d ord e r and oth e rwis e d e liv e rs us ,

from faults of d e adl y c h a r a c te r r It l ik ewis e brings all int o

.
’

familiar r e lations with th e rac e s sup e rior to us A n d c er .

,

tai nly wh e n th e divin e caus e s and th e human adaptations

,

cl os ely r e s emb l ing th em m e e t tog eth e r to th e sam e end th e ,

initiation or P e r fe ctiv e Rit e assur e s ev e ry ful l and ampl e

ben efi t of th e sacri fi c e .

It wil l n ot b e amiss how e v e r to add such particul ars as

, ,

th e fo ll owing in ord e r to giv e an accurat e und e rstanding in

r e sp ect to th e s e things Th e diviniti e s of th e high e st ord e r
.

have al ways a sup e rabundance of pow e r and whi l e it is s up e ,

*“
Religi on is th e im i tating what you worship
of .

1 Expositors int e rpr e t th e s e stat e m ents as s etting forth that th e S ac

r ifi ces w e r e exp iatory or p u ri fying in th e way of av erting d is ea se s an d

oth er i mp uriti es as s eems to be signifi ed by th e e stab l i shing in harmony

,

an d or de r I n the sixt eenth c hapte r th e b en efi ts of th e I nitiatory Rit e s

.

are s ubstant i all y c l ass ed u n der thr ee h ea d s whi c h hav e b een de nominat e d
,

a strol ogi c iatri c or c u rativ e an d t eles ti c or p e r fec tive T he initiatory

,
.
,

or P e rfec t R it e it was c onsi dered exal te d th e c an di da te b eyon d th e

, ,

h f g r t d i t n i th m ksha nirv n of th B u d
iiste
p ere o en e a e ex s e c e a s n , e a or a a e
.
2 20 P ROPE R S A CRI F I CE S

We ought then to confide in,

arcan e d e c l arations that
,
th e ,

by m e ans of th e holy sp ecta c l e s a c e rtain principl e of ma t t e r ,

is transmitt e d from th e gods T his matt e r without d oubt .

is of th e sam e natur e with th e v e ry on e s th ems elve s by whom

it is giv e n H en c e do e s not th e sacri fic ing of such a kind of
.
,

mat t e r arous e th e gods to th e visibl e m a ni fe station invit e ,

th em to com e quickly to ou r p erc eption and lik ewis e r ec eiv e ,

th em wh e n th ey a r e pr e s e nt and caus e th em to un fo l d th em
s e l ve s p e r fe ctl y to vi ew ?
T H E KI N D O F SAC R I F I CE S MO S T PR O PE R

Th e sam e things may also b e l e arn e d from th e assignm e nt

of th e gods according to p l ac e s and from th e d ivision of a u ,

th ori ty ov e r e v e r y particular thing s o fa r as t h e y a r e assign e d ,

according to th e di ffe r e nt ranks or th e gr e at e r or l e ss e r al l ot ,

m ents For this is c e rtainly plain : that to th e gods that a r e

.

in charge ov e r particul ar plac e s th e things that a r e produ c e d

b y th e m a re th e most prop e r to b e brought for sacri fic e and ,

thos e that p e rtain to th e gov e rn e d a r e b e st s ui t ed for th e

diviniti e s th a t gov e rn F or to th e mak e rs th eir own works
.

a r e mo st particularly grati fy ing and to thos e who fi rst of ,

all introduc e c e rtain things such a r e acc eptab l e abov e a ll

e ls e . I f on th e oth e r hand c e rtain animals or p l ants or
, , , ,

oth e r of th e productions upon th e e arth a r e u nd e r th e rul e ,

of th e sup e rior rac e s th e diviniti e s participat e togeth e r in

*

th e ir sup e rint end enc e and procur e for us an ins eparabl e un ion
to th ems el ve s S om e of th e s e things th er efor e b e ing care
.
, ,

Th e an c i ent E gypti ans w er e fam e d for th eir v en erat i on of sac red

*

an i mal s p l an ts an d oth e r obj ec ts an d many abs u r d an d ri di c u l o u s j ests

, ,

have b een ma de on this a c c ou nt Plutar c h c ar efull y ex pl ains th e m atte r

. .

N oth ing c an be a god to men , says h e, that is e ither witho ut so ul or

” “

is u n de r th eir pow er ”
l
B ut an guage is o ft en mistak e n in i ts p u rport,
.

an d symbo i c l l
an guage in parti c u l ar W hat th e te a c h e r u tte rs as from
.

his right han d, th e h ear er rec eive s as wi th his eft “

T hos e who hav e l .

l
not ea rn ed th e true s ens e of th e wor ds wi al so mi stak e in th e things ”
ll .

l
I n this way statu e s an d e mb ems hav e b een spok en of a s a c tua obj ec ts l
i
of worsh p , an d anima s that w er e on y symb o i c l p er son ific ati on s of l l
i
d vinity have b een ass ert ed to be the r ea divin iti e s th at we r e wor l
shipp ed lli
Th e i nt e gent wor shipp er h ad no difficu l ty in p e rc eivin g th e
.

re al tru th .
 S A CRE D A N I MAL S 221

fu l ly sav e d and guar d e d , incr e as e with th e gods th e intimat e

familiarity of thos e who hold th em fast , inasmuch as by b e ing
k ept inviolat e they pr e s e rv e in ful l force th e communion of
gods and men .

Of such a c haract e r a r e som e of th e anima l s of E gypt and ,

in th e sam e manne r th e human b e ing e ve rywh e r e is ,

S om e of th e cons e crat e d victims howev e r mak e th e familiar , ,

r elationship mor e conspicuous so fa r as th ey a ffe ct th e an ,

a lysis in r e sp e ct to th e kindr e d and mor e sacr e d origin of th e

primitiv e el em ents with th e S up e rior ( divin e ) caus e s This .

b e ing accomplish e d th e b enefits which a r e imparte d from it

,

a r e mor e p e r fect .

A T U TE LAR D I V I N I T Y T O E V E RY P E OPLE

th en th e s e w er e human customs alon e and s o d e riv e d

I f, ,

th eir authority through ou r institutions it might b e ass e rt e d ,

that th e Hol y Rit e s of th e gods w e r e inv e ntions of our own

d evising N ow how ev e r God who is thus invok e d in th e sacri
.
, , ,

fi c e s is th e ir author and th e gods a n d a n ge l s r around him

, ,
‘

constitut e a num e rous throng U nd e r him l ik ewis e t h e r e is .

, ,

a p ublic Ov e r l ord assign e d by allotm ent to e ach nation upon

th e e arth and to e v e ry sanctuary its own i Of th e sacri fic e s
, .

l
I n oth e r wor ds , ik e y to be a v c tim at th e a ta r
* l s M an etho i l .
“
A
l
re at e d, th ey w e r e u se d in ar c hai c tim e s to b u r n iv ng men i n th e c ity l i
l
of I ithyia , l
sty ing th em T yphonian ”
Aah me s, who e p e ed th e . x ll
l
Kyk sos ru e rs , p u t an en d to th e c u stom I t e ist ed in siati c c ou ntri es ,
-
. x A
x
wh er e S emiti c worships e iste d, an d e v en th e H ebr ews s eem not to hav e
b een an e c eption x A l
s at e as th e p erio d of th e ersian wars wi th th e
. P
G l
ree ks, T hemistok e s is sai d to hav e sac ri c ed three e rsian p ri son ers fi P
t o th e demons or c hthonian gods, an d Amestri s, the "uee n of X er e s, x
to hav e b u ri ed fo u rteen e rsians a ive P
ven at a at e r p eri o d Cai u s l . E l
l
M ari u s im mo ate d his da ught er to prop tiat e th e go ds ; an d som e trib e s i
l
sti l k ee p u p th e c u stom T h er e is a form u a for hu man sa c ri c e among
. l fi
th e S i v a worshippe rs of I n di a
-
Th e p utting of prisone rs to de ath an d
.

c an nibal ism are v e stigia of th e sam e pra c ti c e .

,
ang el s are not a c ommon c on stitu ent i n th e E gypti an an d H el
[Th e
leni e c ategori es T h ey Were a dopted evi dently from Judaea or A ssyri a
.

about the s am e t im e .

I S ee D an i el x ,
1 3, 2 1 ; x 11, 1 .
2 22 H OL Y RI T E S

mad e to th e gods a god is dir e ctor ; of thos e to th e ang el s it

, ,

is an ang e l ; of thos e to th e d emo n s a d emon ; a n d in lik e man ,

n e r in oth e r cas e s a sup e rin t e n d e nt is appoint e d ov e r e ach

in th e mann e r consonant with t h e parti c ular ra c e Wh en

'

.
,

th e r e for e we bring ou r sacrifi c e s to th e gods in c ompany

, ,

with th e gods that s up erint end and mak e c ompl et e th e mystic

rit e s it is ou r d ut y at th e s am e tim e to r e v e r e th e in sti tu
,

tion of sacr e d divin e worship in r egard to th e S acri fic e s A t .

th e sam e tim e how e v e r it b ecom e s us t o b e of goo d courag e

, ,

as we c el ebrat e th e hol y rit e s und e r th e ruling gods and l ik e ,

wis e to e x e r c is e suitabl e c aution that we may not bring som e ,

gi ft unworthy of th e gods or obno x ious to th e m ,

.

In conclusion th en we admonish at all ev ents that th e

, ,

e nd e a vor b e mad e in r e sp e ct to thos e around us gods ang el s , ,

and d emons that a r e d istribu te d according to ra c e in e v e ry

, ,

part of th e univ e rs e ; and that an acc eptabl e sacri fic e shall b e

pr e s ent e d alik e to th em al l F or onl y so can th e Hol y Rit e s .

b e c e l ebrat e d in a mann e r worthy of th e divin e b e ings that

pr e sid e ov e r th em .

O
C N C E RN I N G P RA Y E R

A part of th e S acr e d Rit e s and n ot th e l e ast important is

that of th e pra y e rs Th e y fil l out th e sacri fic e s to th e full e st
.

e xt e nt and through th e s e th e entir e p e r formanc e b e com e s

,

e stablish e d and p e r fe ct T h e y lik ewi s e e ffe c t th e g en e ral c om

.

b i ne d op e ration with th e worship and bring th e S acr e d ,

S e rvic e into in d issolub l e copartn e rship wi t h th e gods It wil l .

n ot b e amiss to r e lat e a few things in r e sp e c t to this subj e ct .

F or thi s v e ry thing is of its e l f worthy to b e l e arn e d and i t ,

mak e s our sup e rior p erc eption in r e sp ect to th e gods mor e

I a ffirm the r efor e that th e fi rst id e a l of pray e r is a co l

, ,

l eeting ( of our though t s ) and l ik ewis e a l e ading to contact

P rayer i s by no m eans an insi gni fic ant part of the upwar d p ath

*“

f so ul s says P rokl os S a c ri fic e s an d H ol y Rites w ere c onsi dered as

”
o , .

th e b ody of the pray ers an d pray e r as th e an imating prin c ip l e of sa c ri

,

fi c es . T h e Cha l daean Ora c l e al so dec l ar e s : Th e morta l approa c hing

“

th e fi e wi ll r ec e i v e i llu min tion from th e divin e on es ”

r a .
 224 C ON J OI N I N G WI T H TH E G ODS
b eings accustoms us to th e irradiations of th e
, and by
d e gr e e s p e r fe c ts th e qualiti e s within us to a conjoining with
th e g od s b rin gi n g u s b a c k ag a in to th e s u mmi t t I t q u i e t l y
,

draws upward our habits of thought and imparts to us th e

mora l qualiti e s of th e gods And b e sid e s thi s p e rsuasiv e .
,

discours e awakens a fe llowship and a ffe ction that a r e in dis

so l ubl e I t lik e wis e augm ents th e divin e l ov e and lights up
.

th e divin e quality of th e soul It also cl e ans e s away e v e ry

.

thi ng from th e soul that is of a contrary c haract e r and r e ,

mov e s what ev e r about i t is of an aeth e r l ik e and luminant -

S pirit s o fa r as it is alli e d to th e sph e r e of g e n e rat e d e x ist e nc e

, .

It lik ewis e mak e s p e r fe ct a goo d hop e and confid e nc e in r e sp e ct

to th e L ight a n d in sho rt b ri ngs to p e r fe ction thos e who
, , ,

a r e e x e rcis e d in th e s e disciplin e s so that we may cal l th em ,

Companions of th e gods .

I f this is what ma y b e said of pray e r that it e ffe cts in us ,

b en efits of su c h importan c e a n d lik e wis e that it has a clos e

,

r e lation to th e sacri fic e s which we hav e m ention e d d o e s not ,

th e obj e c t of th e S acr e d Rit e s th e r e by b e com e cl e ar that it is ,

a participating in intimat e r e l ations with th e C r e ator ? A s

then throu gh th e c el ebrating of th e Rit e s th e b e n e fi t from it ,

is as mu c h as is con fe rr e d b y th e d emiurgic diviniti e s upon

human b ei n gs l Ind ee d from that sourc e th e ex alting th e
'

, ,

*
Th e r epres entation of th e D ivin e e ss en c e as a s up ernal l uminance
is u nive rsal T h e passag e in th e pro em of th e J oh an n ean G osp el has
.

bee n th e p hi l os0 p hi c d ogm a of al l p erio ds : I n th e Logos or divine

“

reason was l i fe an d th e l ife was th e l ight of m an kin d

, ,
”
T h e C ha l d ean .

Orac le al so says : W h e n tho u shal t see a v ery ho l y fi re withou t defi nab l e

“

shape l eaping as i t shin es h e ark en to th e voi c e of th e F ir e

, ,
”
M os e s .

an d Z oroast e r both pro fe ss ed to h e ar the wor ds of th e De ity spok en ou t

of fi re ( Deu t v )
. . .

Pu re fi re u nm in gled with mater i al partic l e s is not vi sib le to the

h uman fac u l ty of sight T his exp l ains satis fac toril y the app arent c on
.

tradi c ti on in whi c h th e S uprem e B e ing is d e pi c t e d as Li ght an d l ike

, ,

wi se as en vel op ed i n c l o u ds an d th ic k darknes s .

1 Thro ugh P rayer says P rokl os the su mm it of moral exc ellen c e

“ “
, ,

the holi n ess whi c h pe rta ins to th e go ds is attai ne d ”

, .

I Th i s is an a llu sion upon whi c h Pl ato throws l ight i n the Ti mceos .

H e ( th e D emi u rgos or Cr eator ) c harge d th e j u nior go ds with th e work

of con str uc ting mo rt al b odi es as w ell as e v e rything a d dition a l th at was
,
 TH E S A C E RD OT A L S Y S T E M 2 25

p e r fe cting and comp l eting influence of th e prayers b e com es

mani fe st how it b e come s active how uni fying and it has a
, , ,

c ommon bond which is giv e n from th e gods In th e third.

p l ac e th e r efor e any one may e asi l y p e rc eiv e from what has

, ,

b een said that th e two ( praye r and sacri fic e ) a r e e stablish e d

,

through e ach oth e r and impart to e ach oth e r th e sacr ed pow e r

of th e ho l y p e r fe ctiv e rit e .

Hence th e re is mani fe st through a l l parts of th e S ace r

dota l S yst em th e compl e t e agr eem ent and j oint working wi th
,

its el f : th e parts of it b e ing mor e natura l ly conne cte d than

thos e of any animal and join e d tog e th e r by on e unint e rrupt e d
,

continuity of substanc e Of this fact we ought n ev e r to b e

.

u nmind fu l ; nor shou l d we acc e pt ha l f of it and r e j e ct th e

oth e r ha l f but should b e e x e rcis e d in th em al l alik e It is

, .

n e c e ssary that th e y who d e sir e genuin ely to b e conjoin e d with

th e gods shou l d b e initiat ed thr ough th e whol e of th em .

Th e s e thi ngs th e r efor e may n ot b e oth e rwis e

, , .

requi red for th e h uman so ul H e gav e the m dominion ov er the se an d

.

all thi n gs c ons eq uent th e r eto an d ba de th em rul e ov e r th e mo rta l c r e a

,

tion as n ob ly an d honorabl y as th ey c o ul d in or de r th at i t might not

,

b ec om e the c au se of evil to i ts el f ”
Th e “
Junior G o ds are thos e so
.
” '

gen e rall y m entioned by our au thor Th ey are al s o c l assed u n der the

h ead of a i u a ai tia —c au s e s or c at ego ri es—and as we h ere obs erv e are
.

, ,

the dem iurgic or organi zing c auses .

 P A RT VI

CH AP T E R XIV

C ONDI TI ON S FOR S U C CE S S F UL RE S U L T S

C O N T A M I N A T I O N F R OM DE AD AN I M AL S

Inr e gard to what r emains to b e consi d e r e d it is high time ,

for me to pass on to th e difficu l ty which y ou n e x t s u gg e st “ It .

”
is a l so r e quir e d you s ay th a t th e B eh ol d er mu s t b e p u re
, ,
“ *

f r om th e c on ta c t of a n y thi n g d ea d a n d y e t of th e ri te s ,

e mp l oy e d to b ri ng th e g od s h i th e r , ma n y are ma d e e fle c ti v e
th r ough d e a d a ni ma l s
ord e r to r e conci l e th e s e appar e nt
.
-
In
contradictions we wi ll tak e a surv ey of th e conflict that s e ems
to ex ist Th e r e is no O pposition at a l l in th e cas e but it onl y
.
,

app e ars to b e a contradiction in t e rms F or ind e e d i f th e .

, ,

l aw of th e Rit e s command e d both that th e dea d bodi e s of th e

sacri fic e s should not b e touch e d and a l s o that th ey shou l d ,

b e touch ed this would b e contradictory to its e l f

,
But i f it .

e nj oins to k e e p aloo f from thos e bodi e s that hav e not b e e n

cons ecrat e d but p e rmits to touch thos e that a r e pu ri fied thi s

, ,

is no c on tra d i c ti on t .

Furth e r still it is not a l lowab l e to hand l e th e bodi e s of

,

human b eings a fte r the soul has l e ft th em F or th e r e is a .

c e rtain trac e an e idOl on or r efl e ction of divin e li fe which has

, ,

b een ex tin guish e d in th e bo d y by d e ath But it is n ot an .

unho ly act to to u ch oth e r anima l s that a r e d e ad sinc e th ey do ,

n ot shar e th e divin e r l i fe It is th e r e for e in th e cas e of th e

.
, ,

oth e r diviniti e s such as a r e not s e parat e from matt e r that

, ,

abstine nc e from touching is e ss ential but in that of th e gods ,

that pr e sid e ov e r animals and a r e intimat el y unit e d to th em ,

th e invocation through animals in sa c ri fic e is conc e d e d .

A ccording to this vi ew th e r e for e th e r e is no contradiction

, ,
.

*
Th e ep op tes , or c an di date un dergo i ng in it i ati on
ep h or os, T heér os ,

an d so c ont emp l at ing th e v i ews pr e s ent e d for hi s i n stru c tion .

1P orphyry hims el f an d P loti n os b efore him

,
i t may b e r emark e d , ,

did not approve of th e ki ll ing of anima l s for foo d or sa c ri fi c e T h ey .

a l so r egar ded the to uc h of a dea d bo dy as p o ll uti ng to the p erson touc h ed .

229
2 30 D E FI L E ME N T

O
C NC E RN I N G I M PUR I T Y F ROM THE DE AD
T his matt e r may a l so b e e xplain ed in anoth er way F or .

bodi e s d epriv e d of l i fe do bring d efil emen t to human b e in gs

who a re h el d by matt e r b e caus e that which is not aliv e plac e s
,

a stain upon th e l iving individua l l ike fi l th upon th e cl e an , ,

and one in a stat e of privation upon one in poss e ssion of a

s ufi c i e n c y and also b e caus e it produc e s a taint through th e
,

natural aptitud e to a wors e condition by th e r e b e ing th e

powe r of dying But th e body produc e s no d efil ement upon
.

a d emon h e b eing entir e ly incorpor e al and n ot r e ceivi ng

, ,

corruption from anywh e r e On th e oth e r hand it is n e c e ssary

.
,

for him to b e sup e ri or to th e corruptibl e body and not to r e ,

c e i v e from it into hims el f any r e fl e c t ion of corruption .

This much th e r e for e I say in r e fe r e nc e to th e d i ffi cu l ty

, ,

which you sugg e st in r e gard to th e contradiction .

AN I MAL S I N D I VI N AT I ON
Whi l e
xplaining by its el f how divination is p e r form e d
e

by m eans of th e sacr ed animals as for e xampl e by h awk s fi , , ,

we did not ass e rt in any mann e r that by th e employm e nt of

bodi e s thus brought into a ffinity th e gods w e r e pr e s e nt For
, .

th ey a r e not s et ov e r animals singly e ithe r by assignm ent , ,

or by any r e lation to th e r e alm of matt e r But to th e d emons .

,

and e sp e cially to thos e that a r e apportion e d to th e r e a l m of

matt e r such d e a l ing with th e ag enci e s of divination may b e
,

assign ed di ffe r ent animals b eing allott e d to di ffe r ent on e s

, ,

and such asc end ency having b een e stablish ed through con
tigui ty and th e y not having b e e n assign e d by l ot to th e ir r e
,

s p e c ti v e domin ion by l ot a r e e ntir e ly ind e p end ent and c l ear

,

*
hawk was hel d i n sp ec ial e steem in A n c ient E gypt Ra th e
Th e .

S un God was r epr esent e d in th e hi e roglyphi c s with a hawk s h ead ho l d

’
-

ing the sol ar c irc l e i n its b eak ; an d Th 6th was al so depi c t ed having the
same embl em to show t h at h e was th e geni u s of int ell ig enc e T h e bir d
, .

was regar ded as having the fa c ulty of divining I ts bo dy a fter death .

was embalm ed an d deposited in th e shrin e at B uto an d who eve r ki ll e d ,

one e v en by a c c i dent was p u nish ed by death

, , I n G r eec e l ik ewis e th e
.
, ,

h awk was a symbol of the sun an d sac red to Ap ollo th e god of orac l e s
, ,
.
232 AV OI D E M OTI ON A L E X CI T E M E NT
t hos e capab le r e c e iving th em and produc e emotional con
of

d i ti on s of many kinds in thos e who a r e naturall y susc eptibl e

to b eing a ff e ct ed in But th e p er fe ct faculty of for e
knowing is n ev e r d ev elop e d by emotional e x citem e nt For .

t hat which is most of a l l th e unchange abl e and likewis e th e ,

e x empt from mat t e r a n d in e v e ry wa y pur e attains r e adi l y ,

t o a p e rc e ption of th e futur e ; but that which is commingl e d

with th e irrationalit y and d arkn e ss of th e corpor e a l and ma
te ri al i s ti c natur e is fill e d with d ens e ignoranc e
,
H e nc e it is .
,

n eve r w e l l to r e c eiv e any such ingenious proc e dur e in divina

t ion N or ought we to mak e u s e of it with any consid e rabl e
.

e ag e rn e ss nor to trust anoth e r p e rson that do e s it as though

, ,

it poss e ss e d of its el f an y cl e ar and well known evid enc e of -

truth T his is enough for us to say in r el ation to this kin d of

.

divining .

C NC E R NI N G T H R E
O AT S MAD E I N TH E RI TE S

C om e, th e n l et us discours e about difficulti e s of anoth e r

,

class that a r e in th e cat e gory of occult things and which

, ,

contain as you sa y th r ea ts of v i ol en c e
,
In r egard to th e
,
“
.

multitud e of thr e ats th e accusation is divid e d into many parts

,
.

For th e actor thre at ens that h e will e ith e r assail th e sky

“
,

r ev eal to vi e w th e arcana of Isis e xpos e to public ga z e th e ,

in e ffabl e symbo l in Abyd os r to stop th e Baris scatt e r th e ,

‘
,

*
Th is
o ts al so for th e enthu siasm c h ara c t eristi c of th e Ba c c h i c
ac c un
fe sti val s and k i n dr ed exhibitions at p ub l i c ass emb l i es wh ere some pow
, ,

e rful in fl uenc e pr edom inat es S uc h n er v ous affec tions as hyst e ria an d

.
"

e p il epsy ar e som et im es o c c asion ed in s uc h w ays I n th e ol d l an guages .

th e same ter m s ar e u s e d to denot e m enta l derang eme nt an d pr oph eti c

insp i rati on .

{ I n th e G r eek t ext of th e L e tt e r of P orphyry th i s t e rm is a d yton “

,

th e inn e r shr i n e of th e t e mp l e but h er e it is A by dos a c ity in M i ddl e

, ,

E gypt wh ere was th e most an c i ent t emp le to I sis an d Osi ris an d al so

, ,

a tomb ”
S om e write rs insist that o nl y th e a dytum was m e an t ; oth ers
“
.

that referen c e is made to the sh rine at A by dos T hi s was the o l des t .

m etropol is i n E gypt .

Th e th eo l ogi c myths of E gypt c ontai n an exp l anation of th es e expres

sions Os i ri s an d I si s or U asar an d U asi w ere the two p rin c i p al di vin i
.
, ,

ti e s c omme m or ate d i n th e E gyptia n S ac red Rite s The y were d o ubtles s .

 F ORCI BL E U TT E RA N CE 23 3

l imbs of Osiri s l ik e Typhon, or do som ething el s e of a s imi l ar

charact e r .

Th e men do not as you imagin e ho l d out thi s form of

, ,

words as a thr e at to th e S un god or to th e M oon or any of

“ -
, ,

th e divin e on e s in th e sky ; for th e n th e r e wou l d occur mor e

”

fe a r ful monstrositi e s than thos e of whi ch you angril y com

plain On th e oth e r hand a s I said b e for e in th e s e exp l ana
.
,

t ions th e r e is in th e divisions of th e worl d a cl ass of po w e rs

, ,

incapab l e of judgm ent and unr e asoning It r e c eiv e s and ,

.

ob eys a word of command from anoth e r but it n e ith e r make s ,

u s e of int e llig enc e of its own nor d istinguish e s th e tru e and ,

th e fals e or th e possibl e o r impo ssibl e

, S uch a rac e of b e ings .
,

wh e n thr e ats a r e h eld ove r th em inc e ssantl y a r e thrown into ,

a gitation and fi ll e d with amaz em ent He nce I think that it is .

,

natura l for this c l ass to b e l e d by forcibl e utt eranc e s and ,

to attract other things by m eans of s ens e l e ss and unstabl e

phantasy .

T H E T H RE AT E N I N G FU RT H E R E X P LAI N E D

The s e
things have a l so anothe r e xplanation as fo ll ows ,

Th e th eurgic pri e st through th e pow e r of th e in e ffabl e e m

,

hl ems commands th e cosmic spirits not as a human b e ing

, , ,

nor a s maki ng u se of a human s oul fi On th e oth e r hand as

“
,

of A si ati c origin ,
an d l
th e egen d s eem s to be a r ep re se nt atio n of th e
c ont e st with th e S h epar ds S eth , S utekh , or T yphon was th e t ut e ary
. l
g o d of N orth er n gypt of t h e H E
y k -
sos ,
an d of th e h e ti or H tt t e s of K i i
A sia H e is des c rib ed as th e broth er of Osir s an d as hav ng treac h er
. i i
ou sl
y m u r de re d him , an d a ft erwar d d ism emb eri n g th e bo dy Th e wi d .

E
ow ed I sis wan de rs ov er gypt an d to hoeni c a in qu est of his remains P i .

T h e y a re fi ll
na y transported in th e boat Baris to th eir na r esting fi l
l i l
p ac e The s m u a c rum of on e par t is p a c ed in e v ery shrine as a
. l
sa c red reli c Th ese things were c ommemorate d i n th e S a c r ed R ites
. .

*
S ee P art
I V, Ch apt er I I I n a th eu rgi c r t es th ere s a do ub e
.
“
ll i i l
c har a c te r p ut forwar d : th e on e as a h um an b e in g, th e othe r as p ar

ti c i p ati n g of a s up erior natu r e an d e a t ed to th e or de r of d vi nit esxl i i .

I n th e form er th e pri e st m ak e s the invo c ation a s a man an d s upp li

i
c at e s th e s u p er or b eings ; in th e oth e r, h e c omman d s th e p ow ers of th e

u niv e rs e, b ec a u s e thro ugh th e in effab e symbo l s, h e s i n some m ann erl i

inv ested with the sa c red c hara c te r of the go ds ”
.
2 34 I N E FF AB L E M Y S T E RI E S

one pr eex istin g in th e o rd e r of th e gods h e mak e s u se of ,

thr e atenings mor e t e rribl e than h e coul d mak e from his own
b e ing a l on e This is not as though h e was about to do ev e ry
.

thing which h e confi d e ntly afii rms but h e t e ach e s by such u s e ,

of words how much how gr e at and what pow e r h e has through

,

b eing at one with th e gods This powe r th e kn owl edg e of th e

.

in e ffab l e symbo l s imparts to him .

This also can b e said : T hat th e d emons wh o a r e dis

tribut e d by d e partm e nts and who a r e guardians ov e r th e
,

d epar tm ents of th e un iv e rs e hav e charge and sup erint e nd

,

e nc e individual l y of th e d e partm e nts to which th e y twe r e

a l lott e d ; so that th ey do not e ve n admit a word to th e c on

tra ry but pr e s e rv e th e p e rp e tua l continuanc e of things in th e
,

wor l d without chang e Th ey assum e this unchang e abl en e ss

.
,

b e caus e th e ord er of th e gods r emains immovab l y th e sam e .

H enc e th ey do not e ndur e ev en to a h e aring that this shal l

, ,

b e thr e at en e d in whi c h th e d emons of th e atmosph e r e an d

thos e of th e e arth hav e th e ir b eing .
*

DE MO N S T H E GU AR D I AN S O F THE MY S T E R I E S

Th e subj e ct may also b e e xplain e d as fo l lows : T h e d emon s

hav e th e guardianship of th e In e ffabl e M yst e ri e s T hus .
,

th e r e for e I assur e y ou th e y maintain to a sup e rio r d egr e e th e

,

ord e rl y arrangem ent e v e rywh e r e For through this th e con .

s ti tu e nt parts of th e univ e rs e r emain in th e ir ord e r b e caus e

th e b en efi c e n t pow e r of Osiris continu e s pur e and i mma c u

l at e and is not at all commingl e d with th e oppo sing vice and
,

disord e r Th e l i fe of al l things also r emains pur e and un

.

corrupt b e caus e th e occult li fe producing b e auti e s of th e r a -

ti on al facu l ti e s of Isis do not d e sc e nd into th e body which is ,

mani fe st and visib l e to th e s ens e s But a ll things remain i m .

mutabl e and eve r coming into ex i s tenc e /rb ecaus e th e cours e of

-

*
Thepow ers having as th eir vahan or v eh ic l e th e sun moon an d ,

st ars w er e th e demons th u s thr eatened

, .

j l n th e anc i ent ph il osophy c r e ati on w a s

,
i de nti c a l with g en e ra tio n .

H en c e the un iv ers e i s styl ed “

ae i gen es
”
or e ver gen e rate d as b eing ,

c onstantl y re pl en i sh e d an d r en ew ed Cr eation is a w ork a lways taking

.

p l ac e .
O RI G I N O F E G Y P T I A N S Y M B O L I S M
24 0 TH E EGYP TI A N M Y S T E RI E S

By i lu s or s l im e th en r ecogniz e ev e rything of a corpo

“
, ,

r e al natur e or b el onging to th e r e alm of matt e r or that is nour ,

i sh i ng and procr e ativ e or such as is a mat e rial form b elonging

,

t o th e r e alm of na t ur e and born e along with th e n ev e r still cur -

r ents of th e r e alm of matt e r or such as th e riv e r of g en e rativ e,

e xist enc e contains and which sinks with it or th e originating ,

cau s e of th e e l em ents and of all th e pow e rs r elating to th e el e

m e nts which subsist ed b efor e in corr e spond ence to a foun
,

dation .
*

It b e ing of such a quality G od who is author of all gen e ra , ,

tion and produc t ion a n d of al l el em ental forc e s as b e ing sup e

, ,

rior to th em immat erial and incorpor e al e x alt e d abov e th e

, ,

r e alm of natur e and lik ewis e b e gott e n and undivid ed e ntire ,

of hims e l f and conc e al e d in h i ms e l f is supr e m e abov e all th e s e ,

and embrac e s th em all in hims el f A nd b e caus e h e contains .

e v e rything and gi v e s hims e l f to all th e univ e rs e h e is mad e ,

mani fe st out from th em B e caus e h e is sup e rior to th e u n i.

v e rs e h e is spr e ad out ov e r it by hims el f and is mani fe st e d as

, ,

s eparat e r emoved high in th e air and un fo l d e d by hims el f

, ,

abov e th e for c e s and e l em entary principl e s in th e world t .

Th e fo l lowing s ymbol l ik ewis e att e sts this : For th e on e

sitting above th e lotus blossom ex pr e ss e s enigmaticall y an
” -

e x altation abov e th e slim e and l ik e wis e d e not e s spiritua l and

,

emp y r i a l s u p r ema c y I For eve rythi ng p e rtaining to th e l otos

.
,

*
T h i s de fi ni tion
i lus or slim e app lies al so to h ul e, th e fo u n d at i on
of
prin c ip le of e verything denominat ed materi al
“ ”
I t is a c on c ept of th e .

min d, an d not a something that c an be w eigh ed, m easu red, or p e rc ei ved

by th e s ens e s : an d i f the t erm has any intell i gibl e m eaning, it may be
de sign at e d as passiv e, n egati v e or obje c tifled for c e .

J
[Th erepr es entation of the w inged di sk so c ommon i n E gypti an ,

symbo l ism is h ere denot ed T he de s c ription a l so appl i e s to th e fi gur e s

, .

of A ss u r an d Ahu rmaz da of th e A ssyrian an d P e rsian t emp le s floating

i n the ai r abov e th e S a c r e d T r ee an d th e a doring K ing an d pri e sts .

I Th e l otos or Nymph ae was an c ientl y e ste em ed as the q ueen of the

worl d of b l ossoms E a c h of its n um ero u s sp ec i es s eems to hav e b een
.

r egar de d sac r ed in som e of th e an c i ent n ations an d th e sam e v en era

as ,

tion is still maintain e d in Ch ina an d I n dia T h e Americ an pon d l ily is .

-

of th e sam e fami l y I t has b een c onj ec ture d to h av e rec ei ve d its di s

.
 TH E P I L OT F ROM AB OV E 2 41

b oth th e forms in th e l e a v e s and th e app e aranc e of th e s e e d , is

obs e rv e d to b e c ircular T his v e r y e n e rgy is akin to th e uniqu e
.

cir c l e lik e motion of th e mind , mani fe sting it in l ik e mann e r

-

according to th e sam e forms in a singl e arrangem ent and , ,

according to on e principl e .

T h e god hims e l f how e v e r is s e at e d alon e abov e any such

, , ,

dominion or e n e rgy a ugu st a nd holy fil l e d abundantl y and

, , ,

r emaining in hims e l f without change as th e figur e of one sit ,

ting is int end e d to s i gn i fyi “

’

T h e on e sailing in a Boat ? s e ts b e for e th e mi nd th e

“ ”

pow e r that dir ects th e worl d A s th e r e for e th e P ilot b eing

.
, , ,

apart from th e ship has th e control of its rudd e rs so th e S un

, ,

subsisting s eparat e l y h a s c ontr ol of th e h elms o f all th e world

‘

A n d as th e pilot from a bov e at th e st e rn giving forth from ,

hims el f the fi rst bri e f b eginning of th e cours e dir e cts ev e ry ,

thing so b y a n infinit e priorit y of rank th e G od from abov e

, , ,

imparts without division from th e fi rst principl e s of N atur e ,

th e fi rs t op e rativ e c aus e s of motions

-
T h e s e things th e r e for e .
, ,

a n d still mor e than th e s e a r e d enot e d by On e S ailing in a boat

, .

tin c tion from the an a l ogy of its s eeds whi c h sprou t in th e c ap sule of the
,

p l ant an d b egi n to grow ti ll th ey b u rst th e p eri c arp an d flo at aw ay to

tak e root in th e sl im e by th ems el ve s .

Th e E gyptian pri e sts w er e a c c u stome d to exhibit sim ul a c ra of th e

go ds in c irc les an d gl ob e s as symbol s of th e un i form prin c ipl e of l i fe .

H e rm e s T rism e gistu s c ompare d D ivinity to a c ir c l e an d th e s ub l im e ,

de s c ription wi ll b e re m emb er e d that its c entre is e v e rywh e re an d th e

,

c ir c u m fe r e n c e nowh e r e
. T h e P yth agor e ans r egar de d th e c ir c l e as sa c r e d ,

an d c onsi de r e d it as th e symbo l of th e hi ghe st spiritu a l tr u th I t a l so .

r epre s ents v ery aptly al l hu man progre ss whi c h is n ev er in straight ,

l in e s but in c irc le s re tu rning on th ems el v e s as if a dvan c ing in as c en d

,

i n g spira l s or re trogra ding i n vort exe s t e n d ing downwar d .

*
H oros as - was depi c te d as sitti ng on th e c u p of th e
H ar p okrate s
l otos b l ossom with a fi ng e r on his mo u th c ont emp l at i ng th e c irc l e an d
-
, , ,

was th e di vinity h ere signi fi e d .

P orp hyry : Ca v e of th e N ymp hs : T h e E gypti ans repre se nte d th e

“
f
S un an d a tll h e demons as not c onn ec t e d w i th anyth i n g so l i d or st ab l e,

but as el e vat e d on a sai l ing ve ss el

”
.
 2 42 P RAYE RS TO TH E SU N

TH E S UN T H E S O U RCE O F E N E R GY .

E v e ryd epartm ent of th e sky e v e ry sign of th e zodiac , ,

e v e ry c e l e stial cours e e v e r y p e riod of tim e accor d ing to which

,

th e worl d is put in motion a n d a l l p e r fe ct things r e ce iv e th e

,

forc e s which go forth from th e S un S om e of th e s e forc e s a r e .

clos ely int e rbl end e d with th e s e but oth e rs a r e sup e rior to any
,

c ommingling with th e m A ccor d ingly th e s y mboli c mod e of

.
,

e x pr e ssion a l so sugg e sts th em : A s s umi ng a s h ap e a c c or din g

“

to th e S ign s of th e Z od i a c a n d c h a ngi n g f or ms a c c or di ng to
th e S e a s on
”
It l ik ewis e mani fe sts his unchang e abl e constant
.
, ,

unc easing and g en erally univ e rsa l a nd abundant giving to th e

whol e worl d .

Th e di ffe r e nt r e c e iv e rs how e ve r a r e various l y a ffe ct e d with

, ,

r egard to th e indivisibl e boon of th e d ivinity and th e y r e c eiv e ,

from th e S un pow e rs of many kinds a c c or d ing to th e ir p e culiar

impu l s e s In this way th e s e ri e s of symbols c oming in succ e s
.

sion is d e sign ed through th e multitud e of gi fts to mak e man

, , ,

ife s t th e On e God [th e S un ] and through th e mani fold pow e rs

,

e xhibit e d to caus e his on e pow e r to app e ar

, Henc e also it .
, ,

s e ts forth that h e is On e and th e S am e but that th e chang e s ,

of shap e and th e trans formations a r e tak e n for grant e d among

th e re cipi ents .

On this account it i s a ffi rm e d that th e S un chang e s accord

ing to the sign of th e zodiac and according to th e s e ason ,

b ecaus e th e s e mani fe stations a r e div e rsi fie d with r e sp e ct to

th e god according to th e many forms of his r e c eption
, .

Th e E gyptian pri e sts mak e u s e of such pray e rs to th e S un ,

not onl y at th e A utopsias but also in th e mor e pub l ic pray e r s

,

which hav e an int e rior s ens e and a r e o ffe r e d to th e divinity ,

with r e fer enc e to such a symbo l ic initiation into th e

My s te r i e s t .

*
th i s way the Sun an d M oon though always of the sam e dimen
In , ,

e p os i t i o n
s 1on vary in appar ent si z e an d éol or owing to ac c i dents of th
, ,
of th e earth an d the c on ditions of th e sp ec tator s ey esi ght ’
, .

tP orph yry i n“ his le tte r to A n ebo interrogat ed him di rec tly about
,

th es e matter s For this i s sai d to be s een at th e A u topsias ” say s h e

.
, ,
an d th ey u nw i tt ingl y attrib u t e to that d ivinity a p ec ul ia r i n c i dent of
“
 S I G N I F I CA N T T O T H E G OD S
‘
2 44

They not unint e lligib l e

a re how ev e r as thou has t
“
,
”
,

thought N ev e rth el e ss l e t th em b e unknown to us or l et som e

.
, ,

of th em b e kno wn with r efe r e nc e to which we r e c e iv e solutions

,

from th e gods ; th ey c e rtainly a r e al l of th e m signi ficant to

, ,

the gods in a mann e r not divulg e d N or can th ey b e signi ficant .

and a l s o oracular with human b e ings through imaginings but ,

e ith e r spiritually by th e mind which is at onc e divin e and

or in si l e nc e or to e x pr e ss th e conc e ption in a b ett e r

,

and simp l e r mann e r by a mind unit e d with th e god s t,

.

We shoul d th e r e for e s e t asid e all conc e its and l ogica l quib

, ,

b l e s in r egard to th e divine nam e s and should likewis e pay , , ,

no atte ntion to natura l r e s e mblanc e s of sp e ech which a re

cl os el y akin to obj e cts in th e r e a lm of natur e In th e sam e .

mann e r th en as th e s ymbolic token of th e divin e l iken e ss is

, ,

spiritu al and divin e th e sam e thing is to b e tak en for grant e d

,

in th e nam e s Ind e e d although we may not know it this v e ry

.
, ,

thing is th e most august in th e cas e for it is too grand to b e ,

cl assi fie d for th e purpos e of b e ing mad e known In r egard to .

thos e howev e r of which we hav e r e c e iv e d th e skill to int e rpr e t

, ,

th e m e aning we poss e ss in th e nam e th e knowl e dg e of th e

, ,

divin e e ss ence powe r and ord e r M or e ov e r we guard car e

, .
,

ful l y i n th e sou l th e mystic and in e ffab l e imag e of th e gods

and through this we l e ad th e soul upward to th e gods and ,

ha v ing ex a l t ed it as fa r as possib l e we al l y it with th e gods , .

But you ask Why of nam e s that a r e signi ficant do we

“
, ,

p l ac e for e ign on e s b efore thos e of our own Th e

r e ason for this a l so is conn ect ed with th e Mystic Rit e s For
, , .

th e gods hav e mad e kn own that of th e S acr e d Nations l ike ,

*
In o th e r wor ds ,
we c omprehend fi r st pr inc i pl es by s imp le i ntui ti on .

i T h i s “was c alled a v i sib le mani festation divinity A ph il osoph er of .

r emarks : From th e c le arn ess of th e min d an d th e re ful genc e of d ivin e

splen dor , th e pr e s en c e of D i vinity i s p e rc e ived at on c e .

I As ssyr a A
is th e c i
h i
ef S em ti c c o u ntry, th e ang uages of Cha daeai l l
l
an d th e I sr ae ite s are in c ude d u n de r th e de si gnation l
B ut whate ve r .

l
his d ia ec t Abammon dec are s that Man is sac red e ve rywhe re l , . V
xx iv T he re is a c han ge of terms , how ever, in the question from those
.

foun d in th e Lette of orphyry to nebo, as w r P be s een by c ompar ng A ill i .

 T H E T E RM S OF N A TI ON S

th e E gyp ti ans and l ik ewis e th e A ssyrians th e entir e dia l ect is ,

suitabl e for sacr e d p l ac e s H ence we b e l i eve that we ought to

.
,

a ddr e ss our communications in s p ee ch natiy e to th e gods ; and

b e caus e such a mod e of sp e aking is primitiv e and anci ent ,

and most of al l as thos e who l e arned th e fi rst t e rms r elating

,

to th e gods mingl e d th em with th e ir own l anguag e and trans

,

mi tted it to us as b e ing prop e r and sui tab l e for th e s e things

, ,

we hav e always pr e s e rv e d th e l aw of tra dition till th e pr e s ent

tim e inviolate F or what ev e r els e p e rtains to th e gods p l ainl y
.
,

th e e ve rl asting and unchang e abl e is kindr ed to th em .

WH Y F O RE I GN S AC R E D T E RM S MA Y N OT B E TRANS ATE DL .

It is th e n obj ect e d : I f th e on e who h ea rs th e v oi c e gi v es

a tten ti on to th e s i gn i fic a ti on , i t i s en oug h th a t th e c on c ep t r e

mai ns th e sa me wh a tev e r th e te rm may be

,
how .
”
T h e fact ,
e v e r is not
,
as thou i ma gin e s t For i f t e rms . had b een fixe d by
c onv e ntiona l agr e e m e nt it wou l d mak e no di fi e re nc e i f som e
,

shoul d b e us e d inst e a d of oth e rs But i f th ey a r e cl os el y al l i e d

.

at tog e th e r in th e natur e of th e things that hav e thos e th e

mor e lik e it will b e most assur ed ly th e more agr e e ab l e to th e
gods From this fact it app e ars a g r e e ab l e to r e ason that th e
.

lang uag e of th e sacr e d nations has b ee n adopt e d in pre fe r enc e

to that of th e r e st of mank ind For t e rms wh e n th ey a re trans
.

l at e d do not alwa y s pr e s e rv e th e ir m e aning th e sam e as b e for e ;

and b e sid e s the r e ar e c e rtain i d ioms with e ve ry nation th a t a re
,

impossib l e to ex pr e ss to anoth e r in int ell igib l e sp ee ch A o .

c or d ingly though it may b e possib l e to trans l at e th e m ; th e y

, ,

n o l ong e r pr e s e rv e th e sam e forc e F or e ign t e rms l i ke

“ ”
.
,

wis e have gre at emphasis and much concis ene ss and contain
, ,

l e ss ambi guity dive rsity and vari e d shad e s of m e aning F or

, .

a ll th e s e r e asons th ey suit th e S up e rior Rac e s .

A way th e n with conj e ctur e s which d eviat e from th e tru th

, ,

such as this wh e th e r the di v ini ty tha t i s i n v oke d i s E gyp ti an

,
“

*
P r okl os c on s i de r ed th at th ere were three c l as se s of di vi n e t erms
th e prin c ipa l of whi c h was for the go ds the msel ve s : th e s ec on d was
de vis ed for th e demons an d th e th i r d was empl oye d by saga c i ous men
,

i n r el ati on to matters of th ei r own dev i sing The form er of these were .

K c onsi de red as p os se ss ing en ergy an d powe r .

246 TH E EGYP TI A N S AN D T H E G ODS
in r a c e or ma k es us e o f th e E gy p ti a n l a n gu a g e U nd e rstand .

inste ad that th e E g y ptians we r e th e fi rst of mankind that w e r e

a l lotte d to communion with th e and th e gods that a r e
invok e d d e light in th e E g y ptian c ustoms .

S uppos e th en th e s e a r e all of th e m art ful contrivanc e s

“
, ,

of juggl e rs how is it possibl e that th e s e things without which

”
,

no sacr e d p e r formanc e tak e s plac e succ e ss full y which in th e ,

high e st d e gr ee conj oin us with th e gods and combin e us with ,

th em and which poss e ss powe rs almo st e qual to thos e of th e

,

sup e rior rac e s should b e onl y figmen ts of th e imagination ?

,

On th e oth e r hand is it not tru e that th es e a r e di sgu i s es th a t

“
,

ha v e th ei r ori gi n i n th e p as s i v e c on di ti on s a bou t u s th r ough

b ei ng a ttri bu te d to th e di v i n e ag en c y ?
”
F or it is not from
what we hav e exp e ri enc ed but on th e contrary from what a r e , ,

p e cul iar attrib u t e s of th e gods that we a r e arous e d and a d ,

dre ss to th em natural l y th e expr e ssions prop e r for th em N or .

do we form c on c ep ti ons of th e di v i n e n a tu r e c on tr a r y to wh a t
“

”
i t a c tu a l ly i s On th e oth e r hand wh e r e in it is natural and
.
, ,

as th ey who fi rst e stablish e d th e laws of hol y r e ligious worshi p

hav e com e upon the truth r e sp e cting it so we continu e in th em , .

For i f an y thing of di ffe r ent c ustoms of a r e ligious charact e r

harmoniz e s with th em it is what do e s n ot c hange A n d it is
, .

n e c e ssa r y with th e anci e nt pra y e rs as with th e sacr e d place s

of asyl um to pr e s e rv e th e m inviolat e a n d in th e sam e mann e r
,

n e ith e r taking anything from th e m nor ad d ing an y thing to

th em from any oth e r soures t For this is p e rhaps th e r e ason

*
Th e e xtraor dinary tiqu ity of the E gyptians and th eir mo de s of
an

worship i s e v erywh er e r ec ogni z e d T h ey w e r e an ar c hai c p eopl e an d

.

w e r e h ighl y c ivi l iz ed wh e n th ey fi rst b e c am e known to oth e r nations .

tP rokl os sp e aks of th e s e praye rs as foll ows : The p u ri fying p etition

“

i s th e one whi c h i s oflere d for th e p u rpos e of av erting di s e as e s of th e

c hara c t e r of p l ag ue an d oth e r c ontagi ons : we hav e s u c h ins c rib e d in
,

th e te mp l e s ”
. P orphyry has pr es e rve d a p etition som ewhat l ik e on e i n
O Lor d th e S un an d you oth e r d i
“
th e Gosp el a c c or di n g to L u ke .
,

v i n i ti e s th e di sp ens e r s of l i fe to h u man b e ings a c c e pt me an d c omm en d

, ,

me to th e immorta l go ds as you r s e rvan t S o l ong as I have li v ed I

.

have al ways worshipp ed the go ds whom my p arents taught me s houl d

”
be v ene rat e d .

A ft e r th e a dopti on of the Bac c hi c r ites from A si a i nto G reec e th e ,

p rayers or hymns to th e n ew divin i ty w er e as nu m erous an d al most as

"U E S T I O N S P R O P O S E D
2 52 TH E A B S OLU T E
fiv e hundr e d and twenty fiv e tr e atis e s Th e di ffe r ent anci ent -
“
.

writ e rs how eve r b e ing in conflict with one anoth er hav e in

, , ,

many plac e s giv e n di fi e r ent int e rpr e tations in r egard to th e

particul ar e ss enc e It is n ec e ssary howe v er to asc e rtain
.
, ,

th e truth in r e sp e ct to th em all and th e n s e t it forth to t h e e ,

concis el y as we may b e abl e .

First th en give me th y att ention in r egard to this matt e r

, ,

about which thou didst fi rst ask .

G OD T H E F I RST : G OD T H E C R E AT O R .

B efor e th e things that r e a ll y a re e v en th e fi rst principl es ,

of all things is On e D ivin e B e ing prior e v e n to th e fi rst G od

, ,

and K ing abiding immovab l e in th e a l on ene ss of his own

,

absolut e unity For n e ith e r is Int ellig e nc e nor any principl e

.

e ls e int e rming l e d with him but h e is e stablish e d an e x emplar ,

of th e G od s e l f b egott e n s el f produce d and only b e gott e n th e

-
,
- -
,

On e trul y G ood For he is th e som ething A bsolut el y G r e at

.

and S upr em e th e S ourc e of all things and root of th e fi rst

, ,

id eals subsisting in th e S upr em e M ind Th e n from this On e .

,

th e God su ffi ci e nt in hi ms e l f caus e d hims el f to shin e for th zr

’

and h enc e h e is s e l f eng end e r e d and s el f suffic ient For h e

- -
.

is th e B eginning and G od of G ods a unity proc ee ding from ,

th e On e subsisting b e for e e ss enc e and th e princip l e of e s

, ,

s en c e For from him a r e b e ing and e ss enc e ; and h e is ca l l e d

.

accordingl y Noeta r c h Chi ef of th e r e alm of th ought I , .

*
An E gypt i an ,
b el ov ed Thoth H e was a p riest at
Man -
e-T hoth ,
or .

S ebennyt u s in th e provin c e of S fii s in the r eign of P l otemy P h il adel p h os , ,

an d c ompi l ed a h i story of an c i ent E gypt T his Nu mb er is emig .

mat ic as it in dic at es by i ts anal o gy to th e

, d ays in a year .

tTh e H indu purana giv es a simi l ar stat em ent : H e whom min d

“

al on e c an p er ce iv e whose e ss enc e elu des th e exte rnal organs who h as no

visib le parts who is of et ernity —ev en H e th e S oul of al l b e ings wh om
, ,

, , , ,

no b e ing c an c ompr eh en d shon e forth in p ersonal ity H e will ed to pro

,
.

du ce the v ar i o u s b eings from his own divi ne substan c e .

I U n der two Mi n ds says Damaski os th e Li fe imparting fo untain

“ “ -
, ,

of so u l s is c ompr eh en de d One th e I mmovab l e F irst C a u s e th e S ec on d,

, ,
.

th e D emiu rgos or C reator .

 MAN Y N A M E S 253

The s e,
th en a re th e o l de st princip l e s of a ll things H e rm e s "
.
,

lac e s th e m b e for e th e gods of th e E i th e r th e E mp y r e an t

p ,

a nd th e c e l e stial r e gions .

MA N Y NA ME S OF GOD —
F O RMA TI ON O F MAT TE R .

A ccording
to anoth e r arrange m ent how e v e r H e rm e s , ,

p l ac e s th e G od E mép h i as l e ad e r of th e cel e stia l di viniti e s ,

and d e clar e s that h e is M ind its el f p e rceptive of its el f and ,

conve rting th e p e rc eption s into his own substanc e But h e .

place s as prior to this divin ity th e One without sp eci fi c parts , ,

whom h e a ffirms to b e th e fi rst e x emp l ar § and whom h e nam e s

*
S ee PART
I , CH AP TER I I H erm e s the sup erl at iv el y G r e at , was th e
.

tit ul ar author of nu m ero u s phil osophi c tre atis es , from th e forty two men -

ti on e d by Cl em ent to th e inn um erab l e m u l titu de m ention ed by oth e rs .

(
,
T h e r G
e e k t e rm éy m i n ( p
e m ur i on ) g
,
s n e s th e r e g on of fi re i ifi “
i .
”

l fi
I n th e an c i e nt c osmo ogy, th e r e was a fth e em ent, th e aeth e r, mor e p u r e l
an d d ivin e than th e c ommon atmosph e r e I t was an a kas ha a p u r e fi re
.
,

l
an d divin e r matt e r : an d of it th e c e e stia bo d i es w e re c ompos ed l
I n th e .

l
Baby onian an d oth er th eori e s th ere w e re three he av ens , as h er e desig
n ate d : th e aeth er h e av e n , th e E mp yri al or fi re-r e g on , an d th e s upra
-
i
l il
c e e st a ll
abov e a T her e w er e diviniti es of th e s ec ond order p ec u iar to
. l
a h
e c .

I S eve ral have c onj“ec t ur e d that th” i s nam e sho ul d hav e b een Kn ep h
“

— N eph or N um, the oo d Demon G T hi s was the nam e of th e Cr e ator

.

l
in N ubia an d a so in E l ep h an tin a, and he was c onsi der ed to be the sam e
as A
mu n , th e S u pr em e Go d at T h eb es Th e nam e N ep h a most i denti.
,
l
c al with th e S e miti c t erm
“
n ep h es h,
”
or so u , r e min d s u s that this god l
was c onsi de r ed as th e S ou of th e W or d
“
l ”
l
I t sho u d a so be r em em . l l
b e red, how ev e r, that th e nam e E mep h s eems to be the sam e as I mop h,
“ ”

M otp h or I mh etep , whi c h signi e s th e son of P hth a

“
fi ”
I n fa c t , this .

i l
d ivinity was one of th e tr a d of tu te ari e s of Memphis , whi c h c onsist ed
of P hth a, his c onsort P akh t, or Bast , an d th e r s on I mh etep M ari ett e i .

B ey c onsi de r e d h i m as th e sam e as Th oth or H erm e s , th e god of e arn l

G
ing T h e r e eks, how ev e r, i denti ed him with
. fi
sk epios an d the Ori en A l
l
ta s with Es mun, of the Kabei ri an Rites .

§ F i c ino s u bs ti tu t e s th e term n ag d de t y a
y ( paradei gma ) , or e e x mpl ar
i n th e text, for p d ysv y a ( mageu ma ) ,
or magi c pow er .
254 TH E CR EA T I VE MI N D

E ik ton .
*
First M ind and th e First I ntel l i
In hi m a re th e
g e n c e and ,
h e is worship e d by S i l e nc e a l on e r B e sid e s th e s e .
’
,

howev e r t h e r e a r e oth e r l e ad e rs that pr e sid e ov e r th e cr e ation

,

of visibl e thing a l For th e C r e ativ e M ind guardian of T ruth ,

a n d wis d om coming to th e r e alm of obj e ctiv e e xist e nc e and

, ,

brin ging th e invisib l e powe r of occul t words into l ight is call e d

in th e E gyptian languag e A M O N ( th e A rcan e ) : but as com ,

p l e ti n g e v e r y thing in a g e nuin e mann e r witho u t d e c e it and

with skill P h tha T h e G r eeks howe v e r assum e P hth a to b e
, .
, ,

th e sam e as H e p haes tos giving th e ir att e ntion to th e C r e ativ e ,

art alon e § But as b e ing a d isp e ns e r of b en efits h e is cal l e d

.
,

and b y r e ason of his othe r pow e rs and en e rgi e s h e ,

has lik e wis e oth e r app e l lations .

T his te rm is
*
r eek, G an d its m eaning is th e Lik en ess ,
an d so th e
l
I de a of th e niv ers e U .

( D amask i os
j
rel at e s that th e Babyl onians r ec ogni zed th e one F irst
C a u s e p assing it ov e r in si l e n c e B u t it is probab l e that inst ea d of S ig e
,
.

or S i l e n c e th e d ivin e int erm ed iary S ik u was the b e ing a c t u a ll y nam e d

, , ,
.

m v ity hims e l f form e d th e d ivin e p art

“
I P Za to : T i ce o s X I I T h e D e , , ,

in m an and del iv er ed ov e r to his c el estia l o ffspring th e task of forming

,

the morta l T h e s e s ubor dinat e d iviniti es c opying th e examp l e of th e ir

.
,

par ent and r ec eiving from h i s h an d s th e immortal prin c iple of th e

,

human so ul f ashion ed s u bs equ ently to this th e mortal bo dy whi c h th ey

, ,

c ons ign e d to th e so u l as a v ehi c l e an d in whi c h th ey p l a c ed anoth er kin d ,

of so u l th e s e at of vio l ent an d fata l a ffe c tions

,
.

§ Th e S e miti c nam e P T E P h th a signi fi e s th

’
e
’
op e,
n e r th e r e v ea l er
, , ,

th e C r e ator P erhaps S emiti c infl u en c e in N orth ern E gypt whi c h was

.
,

of re mot e antiq u ity a c c ou nts for th e s el e c tion of th e d e signation

, Whe n .

th e e arly sov e r e ignty of E gyp t was at M emphis P th c h wa s th e c hi ef

’
,

d ivinity A ft er th e exp ul sion of th e H yksos dynasty th e s e at of powe r

.
,

was trans fe rr ed to T h eb es in th e S outh and A mu n or A mu r Ra ( th e ,

-

M ysti c S un ) was exa l t ed to th e su pr em ac y H e was o ften fi gu r ed l ik e .

Kn ep h with th e h ea d of a ram in d i c ating that the two w er e th e sam e

, ,
.

I n deed th e E gyptian r el igion was a c t u all y at its c or e monoth eisti c

,
T he .

vario u s d iviniti es w er e on ly asp ec ts or p erson i fic ati ons of di ffere nt attri

b u t es .

” T his nam e in th e E gyptian d ia l e c t is vario u s l y sp ell e d as d i ffe r ent ,

r ea ders s upp ly the l ett e rs from th e hi erog lyphic s Plutarc h stat es that .

th e E gypti an s pronou n c e d it H us i ris an d it is som etime s r en der e d Asar ,

an d U a s ar On e E gyptian d ogma mak e s it ou t H es iri whi c h wo ul d m ean

.
-
,

th e S e at of I sis I t s ee ms in its form to r e s emb l e A ssur the God of N in e

.

v eh an d I swara th e S iva of I n d ia
, .
2 56 CAU S E S AN D P RI N CI P L E S
th e so l ution of thy doubts is cl e ar For thos e which hav e b ee n .

brought fo r ward as th e Books of H e rm e s contain H e rm etic

doctrin e s a l though th ey a r e o ft en s et forth in th e mann e r of
,

sp e aking p e culiar to th e ( G r e cian ) phi l osoph e rs For th ey .

w er e trans l at e d from th e E gyp tian l anguag e by men who we r e

skill e d in philosophy But and oth ers i f th e r e
.
,

a r e any who hav e tr e at e d of th e primary caus e s in r e lation

,

to th e worl d als o ex plain th e l ast p r in c ip l e s t A s many as

,

hand down obs e rvations r e sp e cting th e p l an ets th e Zodiac , ,

th e d ec a n s th e horoscop e s and th e M ighty L e ad e rs 1 so

” “
, ,

cal l e d mak e known th e distribution of th e rul e rs to th e ir

,

r e sp e ctiv e domains T h e particulars that a r e m ention ed in

.

th e ca l endars compris e a v e ry small part of th e H e rmaic

arrang em e nt and thos e in r e l ation to th e stars ( or ast e risms )
,

or th e phas e s or occu l tations or th e incr eas e or d e cr e as e of

, ,

th e M oon a r e among th e l ast thi ngs in th e d el in e ations of

,

caus e s b y th e E gyptian sage s .

Th e E gyp tian pri e sts do not ex p l a i n ev e r y thi ng as r e l a t

On th e contrar y t h e y d istinguish th e
”
i ng to n a tu r a l obj e c ts .

li fe of th e soul and a l so th e s p iritua l princip l e from N atur e

, ,

its e l f not onl y in re sp e ct to th e unive rs e but a l so in r e sp ect

, ,

*
Ch aeremOn was th e S c rib e or l it erary man of a T empl e S ui das .

m enti ons him as b el onging in Al exan dria an d both M artial an d P or ,

p h yr y sp e ak of him as a S toi c phi l osoph e r H e is q u ote d in J ose phu s .

;
,

as gi v ing th e a c c o u nt of th e Exp u l sion of th e L e p ers or a l i en p eop l e

from E gypt whom M an etho c onj ec tur ed to hav e b een th e I srael it e s

, .

tThe tw el ve months w e r e divi ded by astrol oge rs i nto thirty s ix dec an s -

,

an d ov e r e a c h was a d eoan us or ep i sc Op u s whose o ffi c e was to prot ec t ,

against c al am i ty Th e h or os c op os was th e c as te r of a nativity one who

.
” “
,

for e c ast e d a c are er from th e c on dit i on s of th e p l anets an d z o dia c al c on

s tel l ati on s at th e t im e of b i rth .

I The T w el v e G o d”s who pr e side ov er the months of th e ye ar are thu s

de signate d Wh il e says S F Dun l ap the Babyl onians o ff ere d sa c ri
.
“
, . .
,
“

fi c e s to th e sp i rits of th e de a d an d th e T w el v e G o d s pr esi de d ov e r th e
,

m onths an d th e thirty six go d s ove r th e dec ani of th e c al en d ar ; whil e

,
-

G o d s innum erab l e port ents proph ets soothsayers an d astro l oge rs p er

, , ,

p l ex e d th e p e op l e th e Cha l de ans phi l osophi z ed in th e ir s c hoo l s on th e

,

c au se s of th ings an d th e mo dus o era n di of N at u r e an d C r e ation

”
p .
 PURE MI N D 257

to ours el ve s R egarding it as firml y e stablish e d that th e M in d

. ,

and lik ewis e th e r e asoning fa c ult y hav e b e ing by th ems e lv e s

, ,

th e y afli rm that th e things that a re born a r e cr e at ed T h ey .

l ik ewis e p l ac e th e C r e ator as First A nc e stor of thos e in th e

r e alm of g e n e rate d e x i s ten c e fi and th ey acknowl e dg e th e l i fe
“

imparting pow e r prior to th e h e av en and s u bsis t ing in th e

h e av e n T h ey lik ewis e s e t forth P ur e M ind as abov e th e
.

world and a l so th e One without sp e c i fi c parts in th e univ e rsa l

,

worl d and anoth e r that is distribut e d among all th e s p h e r es t

,

T h e y do n ot b y any m e ans cont emplat e th e s e things wi th

th e r e asoning facult y a l on e but th e y also t e ach that b y m e ans
,

of th e sac e rdotal th e urg y th e aspirant may mount up to th e

,

high e r and mor e univ e r sal and thos e conditions e stablish e d

,

sup e rior to Fat e to God th e C r e ator ( D emi u rgos ) n e i t h e r

,

b ec oming atta c h e d to th e r e alm of ma tt e r n or taking hold of ,

anything e ls e b e sid e s onl y th e obs e rving of a prop e r tim e 1 .

P RE L U D E TO FU RT H E R E X P LAN AT I O N S .

H e rme s also points ou t th e sam e path B i ty s a proph e t .

, ,

e xplain e d it to K ing Ama s i s § having found it inscrib e d in

,

*
Ch aeremOn de c l ar e d th e S u n to be th e Cr e ator or D emi u rgos Th e .

v i v i fi c infl u en c e s emanating from it, an d th e fa c t that th e p l an e tary

worl d issu ed from it in th e u nknown p erio ds of ge ol ogi c antiqu ity, l en d

an air of p l au sibi l ity to th e hypoth e sis .

J
(I t was taught by A naximan de r that th e e arth was i n the c entre of a
s erie s of c on c entri c sph er e s in whi c h th e sun moon an d stars w ere p l a c ed
, .

Th e P ythagor e ans h el d that th e h e aven l y bo di es w er e in th e s e sph er e s

re vol ving rou n d a c entra l fi re .

I I n astrol ogic an d oth er magic di spl ays i t i s c ons ider ed n ecessa ry to

s el ec t c ar efull y a prop er tim e for c onsul tation an d c er emoni es .

§ A m as i s o r A ah m es I I was
,
th e s u c c e ssor of Ap ri es or P haraoh
H op hr a of th e T w e nty sixth Dynasty whom he dr ov e from p ow er
,
-
,
He .

b el onge d at S ai s an d bore the titl e of S on of N eith

“ ”
H e ob l ig ed th e
.

prie sts of E gypt to admit P yt h agoras an d S ol on to th e t emp l es to be i h

struc ted in th e E gyptian l earning B itys is c onj ec t u re d to have b een
.

th e pri e st U tah arp en ses who m a de p u bl i c th e nam e s of th e p l an ets

, ,

wh ic h h ad b een a sa c e r dotal s ec r et as was a l so th e h el io c e ntri c th eory

, .
 2 58 MA N Y E SS E N CE S
hi erog l yphics in th e inmost shrin e at S al s in E gypt .
‘
He a l so
divulge d th e nam e of th e god that ex t ends through th e whol e
worl d t
Th e re also how ev e r many oth e r arrang em ents in r el a
a re , ,

tion to th e sam e things H enc e thou dost not s eem to me to

.

b e right in saying that with th e E gyptian pri e sts a ll things

a r e carri ed back to physical cat egori e s F or in th e ir syst e m .
,

prin c ip l e s a r e many and conc e rn many e ss enc e s T h e r e a r e .

l ike wis e sup e rmundan e pot entat e s whom also th ey worship ed

b y th e S ace rdota l rit e T o me th e r e for e th e s e things app e ar
.
, ,

to furnish common starting points for th e solution of a l l -

r emaining e nquiri e s But sinc e we o u ght to l e ave none of

.

th e m without e x amination we wi ll add th em to th e s e prob l ems

, ,

and lik ewis e hamm e r round them on al l sid e s in ord e r that we

may s ee wh e r e thou c onj e c tur es t that th e r e is anything un
sound .

T H E T wo S OU L S OR M A N
'

T hou a l so a ffi r me s t “
tha t v e ry many of th e E gyptians
a ttri bu te to th e moti on f th e
o s ta rs wha tev er may h ap p en to

*
S ai s
was th e m etropol is of a nom e or prin c ipa li ty i n N orthern
E gypt and a rival of M emphis in w ealth an d importan c e I ts p rinc e
,
.
,

T afnekh t famo u s for having c u rs e d th e me mory of Men e s rai sed the

, ,

stan d ar d of r evo lt against the E thiopian Ove rl or d an d his l in e al de ,

s c en dant P s ameti kh os fi na ll y s u c c ee de d i n del iv ering E gypt fro m th e

A ssyrians an d e stabl ishing the Tw enty sixth Dynasty with S ta is as hi s -

‘

c apita l N eith a was the c hi ef di vinity an d in h er t emp l e w er e r ec orded

.
,

many of the maxims of B okk ori s the W is e H e r e was the ins c ription so
c ommo nl y r eferre d to I sis —
.

do ubt l e ss th e sam e go dde s s : I am th e All “

,

that was that i s and w ill be and no mo rtal hath r ev ealed me

, ,
”
.

( Th e tu tel a ry go ds h ad sec r et nam e s whi c h it was r egar ded as sac ri

J

lege to di vul ge ( S ee E x odus xx 7 J udges xii i

.
“
Th e arc ane nam e s
, ,

fi ll th e who l e wor l d was a th eu rgi c maxim P rokl os al so r emarks .

T he r e is a sa c r ed nam e whi c h with s leep l ess d art l ik e moti on ru ns

, ,
-
,

thro ugh the world s thro ugh th e swi ft m e na c e of th e F athe r W h eth er

,
”
.

the nam e whi c h B i tys r e v e ale d was o c c ul t l ik e th e myst ic des ignation of

Y ava in the S emiti c n ations is worth enq u iry The designation Amun
, .
, ,

for examp le on l y m e ans ar c an e or c on c e al ed imp l ying that it was n ot

, ,

r egarded as th e re a l nam e of th e d ivinity .

 2 60 TH AT W H I CH IS

i n di s s ol u bl e bon ds o f N e c For
e s s i ty ,
whi c h th ey te r m F a te .
’

th e soul has a principl e of its own l e ading around to th e r e a l m

o f Int e llig e nc e and not onl y standing aloo f from things of
,

the worl d of g e n e rat e d e xist e nc e but also joining it to that ,

which is e v en to th e divin e natur e

”
, .

N or do we c onn e c t F a te wi th th e gods wh om we wor s hip

“

i n temp l es an d wi th c a r v e d i mag es , a s bei ng un bi n d er s of

F a te Y et th e go d s do
.
“
unbind Fat e , but it is th e l ast and
”

l ow e st natur e s that d e sc e nd from th e m and a r e in clos e alli

anc e to th e g en e sis of th e wor l d and to th e body that mak e ,

Fat e compl e t e With good re ason th e re for e do we p e r form

.
, ,

to th e go d s ev e ry holy rit e in ord e r that th ey may d e l ive r us

from th e evi l s imp e nding ov e r us from d e stin y as th e y alon e , ,

through th e mora l powe r of p e rsuasion hav e r ul e ov e r n ec e s ,

s i ty .

N ev e rth e l e ss
a ll things in th e world of N atur e a r e not con
tro l l ed by Fat e On th e contrary th e r e is anoth e r principl e
.
,

of th e sou l which is sup e rior to th e whol e r e alm of natur e and

g en e rat e d e x ist enc e B y it we can b e unit e d to th e gods ris e

.
,

abov e th e e stablish e d ord e r of th e world and lik ewis e partici ,

pate in th e li fe e t e rnal and in th e e n e rgy of th e gods of th e

h igh e st h e av en T hrough this principl e we ar e abl e to s e t
.

ours e lv e s fr e e F or wh e n th e b ett e r qualiti e s in us a re in

.

activit y and th e soul is e xalt e d to thos e b e ings sup e rior to

,

its el f th en it b e com e s s eparat e altog e th e r from e v e r y thing

,

whi c h h e l d it fast in th e r e alm of g en e rat e d e xist e nce k e e ps ,

its el f a l oo f from in ferior nature s e x change s on e l i fe for th e ,

o t h e r and giv e s its el f to a di ffe r e nt orde r entir ely abandon

, ,

ing th e form e r .

THE L I B E RAT I ON FURT H E R E X P LAI N E D .

Why th e n ( it ma y,
be ask e d ) is it not possib l e to l ib erat e
,

*
T his that whi c h is i s v ery signi fi c ant I t tran s c en ds th e
phrase ,
“
,
.

c on c ept of ex i s ti ng an d d enot e s r e a l b eing e t e rnity its el f T his shows , .

th e tr u e m eanin g of P op e s dec l aration : What e v e r I S is right ” “

’
Th e .

S an skrit t erm S a tya o ften r e n de r e d tr u th

“
,
”
has exa c tl y th e s ens e of ,

B ei n g t h at whi c h is en du ring an d p e rm an ent absol u te fa c t

, H en ce th e , .

maxim : Th er e is no dhar ma or s u pr em e l aw s u p erior to that wh i c h i s ”

“
.
 N U M E ROU S E SS EN CE S 261

one s own s el f through th e gods that r e vo l ve in th e sk y ( th e

’

ruling plan e ts ) to consid e r th em as L ords of De stin y and also

, ,

as binding our liv e s with bonds that a r e not to b e disso lv e d ?

P e rhaps th e r e is nothing to hind e r this v e r y thing A l .

though th e gods poss e ss num e rous e ss ence s and pow e rs in

th ems e l v e s the r e a re also inh e rent in th e m as many i mp r a c
,

ti c ab l e di ffe r e nc e s and contradictions Ne ve rth el e ss it is l aw

.
,

ful to a ffi rm as much as this : that in ev e ry on e of th e gods ,

e sp e cial l y of thos e that a r e visibl e ( in th e sky ) th e r e a r e prin ,

c ip l e s of e ss e nc e which a r e of th e world of Int e llig e nc e ; a n d

that t hrough th e s e tak e s plac e th e r el e as e for soul s from

,

g e n e rat e d exist e nc e in th e world .

But although th e r e w e r e to b e two class e s of divin e b eings

l e ft th e gods that abid e aroun d th e worl d and thos e b ey ond
, , ,

th er e will b e l ib e rty for souls through th e gods above th e

world T h e s e things a re to l d mor e pr e cis ely in th e T r e atis e
.
“

” —
Gon c e rn ing th e G ods as for e x amp l e who a r e th e r e stor e rs
*
, ,

and what a r e th e ir pow e rs ; and al so how do th ey l ib e rat e

from fat e and through what sacr e d paths upward ; a l s o of
,

what qu a l it y is th e arrang em ent of th e mundan e r e alm of

natur e and h ow do e s th e absolut e ly p e rfect mora l e n e rgy ru l e
,

ov e r it i t He nc e th e passag e which thou hast r ep e at e d from

‘

th e Hom e ri c po e m — “
e v en th e gods th ems e l v e s a r e yi e l ding
”
,

it is a pro fanation to utt e r F or th e p e rformanc e s at th e

.

S acr e d Worship in an c i ent tim e s w e r e pr e scrib e d by l aws

that we re both pur e an d spiritual Thos e who a r e in infe rior .

con di tions a r e lib e rat e d by a sup e rior ord e r and pow e r ; a n d

wh en we r emove ours e lve s from conditions that a r e in fe rior
*
T his work is l ost I t was an exp l an ation of th e P ythagor e an S ym
.

b ol ogy an d i s q u ot e d by D amaski os an d Ol ymp i od oros P r okl os re stor e s

, .

som e of th e passag e s in his treatis e u pon the P la ton i c Th eology an d al so ,

a dopts th e ar gum ents A t th e c hange of th e I mp erial Rel igion in th e

.

F ou rth Ce nt u ry th e books of th e P hi l osoph e rs w e re or dere d to be de

stroy ed on p ain of de ath an d do ubtl e ss th i s work pe rish ed at that p e rio d
, .

J
[ I n th e d i v i n e worl d noes is i s p
,
oi es
'

is —th i nk i ng i s d o i ng W hat .

God s ays God is d oing All things ar e su bj ec t to min d an d to i ts be

”
.
,

he sts Min d th er efor e i s th e k ing of all things

.
, , .

I t was a th eu rgi c saying th at by c hants an d sa c ri fi c e s it was possib le

,

to r evol utioni ze th e re al ms of natu re an d gen e rati on .

2 62 S OU L S E U RN
R T

we com e into a b ett e r allotm ent It is not e ffe ct e d how ev e r

.

con t rary to any sa c r e d or d inanc e that has ex ist e d from anc i e nt

t ime s in such a mann e r as to imp l y that th e gods ma y b e
,

c hang e d ( in disposition o r purpos e ) b y sacr e d rit e s a ft e r

ward p e r form ed On th e contrar y from th eir fi rst d e sc e nt

.
,

t ill this pr e s e nt tim e G od s ent down th e souls in ord e r that

”
th ey S hould r e turn back again to him N ev e r th e r e fo r e
.
, ,

do e s th e r e a chang e occur by such a progr e ss upward n or d o ,

th e d e sc e nts of th e souls and th e ir as c e nding occasion viol ent

,

conflict F or as ge n erat e d e xist enc e and e v e ry thing h e r e a r e

.

join e d tog e th e r at ev e r y point by th e spiri tual e ss e nc e so also ,

in th e arrang em e nt of souls th e lib e ration from th e c ondi

,

tions of g e n e rat e d e xiste nc e a c cords with th e dilig enc e of

thos e around th e r e a l m of g en erat e d ex ist enc e .

*
T h er e
has b ee n a gre at vari ety of opinion in r egar d to the des c ent
of th e soul T h e book of E c c l es i as tes has th e s ente n c e an d th e spirit to
“
.
,

th e God who gav e it N obo dy has sai d that it h ad b een s ent into p er
.

p etu al exi l e T h e C ha l dea n Or ac l e de c l ar ed Th e F ath e r p l a c ed symbo ls

“
.

in th e soul s by whic h th e ir i denti fi c ation is ass ur ed W h en th e Cr eat or

”
, .

s en ds out a so ul h e a l so c all s it to hims el f again Th e c irc l e of us ee s

,
.

s i ty w ill retu rn u pon th e I n fi n it e . S uc h i s th e t e a c h ing of all phi l osophy.

 P A RT I X

N A T I VI T I E S A N D GUA R DIAN DE M ON S

C HA PT E R XVI I

T H E P E R S ONA L DE M ON

C om e , th en us n ow end e avor so fa r as we a re ab l e to
,
l et , ,

s t raighten th e complicat e d probl em in r e sp e ct to th e p e rsona l

d emon which is lik ewis e mad e th e t h em e for various obj e c
,

tions S o th e re for e to sp e ak plainly th e tr e atm e nt of th e

.
, , ,

subj e ct in r e sp ect to th e p e rsonal d e mon is two fol d th eurgic ,

and t echnic : th e on e e voking him from th e categori e s abov e ,

and th e oth e r from th e visibl e p e riods in th e world of gen

c rat e d e x ist enc e T h e fo rm e r mak e s n o u s e of th e art of cas t
.

ing nativiti e s but th e latt e r is d e vote d to suc h pursuits T h e

,
.

form e r pays honor to th e d e mon mor e g en e rally as sup e rior

to th e provinc e of natur e but th e latt e r sp e ci ficall y as p e rtain
,

ing to th e r e alm of natur e altog eth e r H ence thou s e eme s t to

.

have brought down strang e l y th e most p e rfect sacr e d p e r form

ance to r egar d as a m e r e human a ffair an d to hav e put thy ,

qu e stions upon this subj ect as in a gymnastic e xe rcis e .

MO DE O F "UE S T I O N I N G C R I T I C I ZE D .

So th en thou ap p e a re s t to me to hav e cut off h e r e onl y a

,

v e ry smal l part of th e stat em ent in r e lation to the p e rsona l

d e mon . For it is th e custom of thos e who work by th e rul e s
2 65
266 THE PE R S ON A L D E M ON
of the art of vaticination in r e sp ect to th e tim e of birth to "

summon him in a pr e scrib e d form from th e d ekans and th e

risings of th e const ellations of th e zo d iac and l ik ewis e th e
stars ; th e sun also and th e moon and from th e B ea r s t and ,

likewis e from all th e e l emen tS J and from th e worl d I t is n ot .

fair for th e e thus t o parc e l ou t on e v e ry smal l part of th e s ub

j e c t th e L ord of th e and put qu e stions simply in
“
,

r egard to that .

H e re in turn thou aske st in r el ation to on e singl e subj ect

, ,

und e r consid e ration ( th e p e rsonal d emon ) h ow th e L or d of ,

“

th e H ou s e a s s ign s i t: a c c o r di ng to wh a t p u rp os e, or wha t
q u a l i ty o f ma n aeti on ,
or li f e, or p owe r, c omes f r om i t to u s
”
.

T hou also putt e st th e que stion in r e gard to th e calcula t ing “

of nativiti e s wh e th e r it ( th e d e mon ) a c tuall y e xis t s or n ot

, , ,

and in re gard to th e fin ding of th e L ord of th e Hous e ,

“
wh e th e r i t i s i mp os s i bl e or p os s i bl e Wh at importan c e .

hav e th e s e qu e stions about th e domination in r e lati on t o th e ,

d emon ? For it is e vid e nt t hat our knowing as to how h e e x

i s ts mak e s no di ffe r enc e in r e gard t o such matt e rs as his
e ss enc e and caus e For in r e sp e ct to things having an origin
.

G reek p an g p husis This t erm has a wi de signifi c ation

*
, ( , . . It
stri c tly m e ans the passive or mat e ri a l pri n c ip le the originating pow e r , of

th e nive rs e : but from that it has b ee n u sed to denot e th e c onstitution of

u
things th e p ec ul iarity of sex the b ent of disposition etc Our a uthor
, , , .

h e r e emp l oys the t erm as the fe mal e agen c y in pro duc tion c ontrasting it ,

with the gene sis I t thu s signi fi e s birth an d has b een r en dered a c c ord
.
“ ”

i ngly .

J
b een r emarked as an argum ent a gainst th e gen u in en ess of this
[I t h as
se nt en c e i f not of th e entire book that th e E gyptian astro l ogists did not
, ,

have th e G re at an d Little B e ar in th eir p l anisph ere I amblic h os h ow .

,

e v e r was a S yrian an d c onv ersant with Cha l de a n an d G re c ian l e arning

,
.

H ei odotos nam e s th e B e ar as a north ern c onstell ation S EE I 148 : V 1 0 .

, ,
.

I This t erm has a som ewhat in defi nit e signi fi c at i on I t is s up p os e d

.

l
a c c or ding y by som e to de no te i n this c onnec tion th e pl an ets an d by ,

oth e rs, the signs in the z o dia c .

§ E v e ry sign of th e z o d ia c was c onsi de r e d to hav e a ho us e f or its

“

l or d or rul ing pl an e t I n th e Gosp el a c c or di ng to Ma tthew 3 p un

,
”
. .

s e ms to be ma de on the t e rm I f th ey c a ll the l or d of the ho us e B eel

“
e .

Z eb ul Thi s l ast nam e signi fi es l or d of the ho us e

.
“
.
”
2 68 TH E AU RA OF T H E S T A RS
ord e r in r el ation to th e e num e ration of th e Canons and in
,
“
,

r el ation to skill in calculating nativiti e s that th ey a r e b e

“ ”
,
“

y ond compr eh ension d o not involv e us in any controv e rsy

”
,

in r el ation to th e subj e cts b efor e us F or wh eth e r th e s e art s .

a r e knowabl e or b e yond compr eh e nsion y e t th e aura or e mana ,

tion from th e stars brings th e d emon to us wh e th e r we ou r ,

s e lv e s a re cognizant of it or not T h e divin e oracular art ”

.
,
t

howev e r can t e ach us in r el ation to th e stars as to that which

,

is th e tru e st and at an y rat e we hav e n o n e e d of th e enum e ra

, , ,

tion of th e canons or of th e art of divining , .

A S T R O LO GY E XP LA I N E D .

howe v e r it is n e c e ssary wh en dismissing th e s e subj e cts

I f, , , ,

to say it thou dost not s eem to me right in what thou a ffirme s t

, ,

nam e ly : T h a t i t i s i mp os s i bl e for ex p e r tn es s i n a s tr a l obs e rv a

ti on s t to a moun t to an y a c tu a l kn owi ng,
f th e r e i sor
g r e a t d i s

ag r e e men t i n r e l a ti on to i t, a n d be c a u s e C hce r em on or s ome

b ody e ls e h as Ind e e d by this mod e of
s p ok e n ag a i n s t it.
”
,

argum e nt r easoning will b e b e y ond compr e h ension F or al l .

th e s c i en c e s i hav e t ens of thousands of p e rsons disputing and ,

th e matt e rs of doubt in th em hav e b e e n innum e rabl e H ence .

,

th e re for e we a r e a c custom e d to say in opposition to thos e who

,

a r e fon d of disputing that contradictory things cre at e diss e n

,

sion ev e n in things that a r e actually tru e and that falsiti e s a r e ,

not a l on e in fighting on e anoth e r S o also in r egard to th e .

, ,

math ematica l sci e nc e [astro l ogy ] we may not only a fi rm that ,

*
F i c ino ren ders th i s te rm “
inspiration
d ivin e in th is p l a c e wh ere
it i s o trasted wi th
c n th e art of c asti n g nativit ie s .

tG r e e k, y a d nua u m) ém ov r
j ) , ma th e ma ti c a l ep i s teme m
li t erall y, ,

ski ll in math emati c s B ut at th e tim e wh en this work was writt en the

.

t erm math emati c s was emp l oye d to denot e astro l ogy, an d a c c or dingl y
“ ”

it i s so r en der ed .

m ep is temai his t rm prop e rl y denot es know l

I Gr ee k ,
é o u jp a t, T e .

e dg e s of a s up e rior c hara c t e r, whi c h are c ompr eh en de d by th e no e ti c i n

tel li gen c e, inst e a d of th e d i ano e ti c r e asoning fa c ul ty H en c e it signi fi e s .

what is above th e c ommon arts whi c h ar e l e arne d an d c l assi fi ed, an d so

c onstitu t e wh at i s i n m odern t i m e s designat e d s c ience and exac t
“ ” “

s c ien c e .
”
 A S TR OL OGY 2 69

it is tru e but also that thos e who e rr in r e sp e ct to it contra d ict

, ,

kn owing nothing in r e sp e ct to th e things that a re re a lly tru e .

T his happ e ns how ev e r n ot on l y in r e lation to this sci e nc e but

, , ,

also in r e lation to all th e sci enc e s which a re d eliv e r e d from th e

gods to human b eings F or as tim e is alwa y s going on th e y
.
,

a re o ft e n int e r mingl e d with much that is of mortal origin and ,

th e d ivin e charact e r of th e knowl e dg e b e com e s gr e atl y ob li t

c rat e d .It is truly within how ev e r and though scanty this
, , ,

sure evid enc e of th e truth is n ev e rth e l e ss e ffe ctual for its

pr e s e rvation Wh en th e signs of th e m e asur em e nt of th e r evo
.

lutions of th e divin e on e s a r e c l e ar l y evid ent b e for e th e e y e s ,

wh e n th ey ind icat e b e for ehand th e e clips e s of th e sun a nd

moon th e e nt e rings of th e sun into th e signs of th e z odiac and
, ,

d epartur e s ou t of th em and th e concurr e nt risings and s e ttings

,

of th e moon with thos e of th e fix e d stars th e proo f of actua l ,

sight is mani fe st e d agr eeing with th e pr e diction An d what .

is mor e th e obs e rvations of th e h e av e nly bodi e s which hav e

,

b e en pr e s er ved through al l th e p eriod both by th e ,

and by ours e lve s b e ar witn e ss toge th e r to th e truth of this

,

S ci enc e .

D emonstrations b e tt e r kno wn than th e s e might b e e xhibit e d ,

i f th e discours e had b e e n primaril y upon th e s e subj e cts N c v .

e r th el es s as th e y a r e sup e rfluous a n d do not p e rtain to th e

, ,

r e cognition of th e d e mon it is prop e r that I l e av e th em out

, ,

and pass on to matt e rs mor e ap propriat e than th e s e .

THE P E R S ON AL DE MON NOT D I S C O VE R E D BY A S T R O LO G Y .

In thy e pistl e thou mak e st this statem ent Th e a s s ump

tion of th e L ord of th e Hous e ( or L ords of th e Hous e if th e r e ,

a r e mor e than on e ) p e rtaining to a nativity is almost con ,

fe ss e d by astro l og e rs th ems e lv e s to be b eyond absolut e prov

*
Th e Alton , or p erio d, was r ec kon e d as thr ee h u n dr e d tho u san d y e ars .

P rokl os, i n his C omm entary on the Ti mceos stat es that th e Cha deans h a d
,
l
rec or d s of obs ervations of th e stars whi c h embra c ed e ntir e c osmi c c y c e s l
of tim e Ci c ero , in his trea tis e on D i v i n a ti on d ec ar e s that th ey h ad
. l
rec or d s of the stars for th e spa c e of y e ars ; an d D io doros th e
l
S i c i ian as s ert s that th eir obs ervation c ompr eh en ded ye ars s . A
g re at antiq u ity was a so c aim e dlfor l
th e g y ptians K E
a lli s th en.e s wh e n
l
i n Baby on s ent th e c omp u tations of th e Cha deans to h s u n c e r stot el i l Ai l .
2 70 TH E L ORD OF T H E H OU S E

ing ; and ye t it is from this assumption th ey say that th e , ,

asc e rtaining of on e s own p e rsona l d emon is possib l e

’ ”
How .

is th e kno wing of th e L ord of th e Hous e to b e acknowl edge d

b y th e m to b e b eyond compr eh ending wh e n th ey d e live r cl e ar ,

m etho d s in r elation to its d iscov e ry and l ik e wis e t e ach thor ,

o ughly th e e l em entary principl e s for th e d e t e rmining of th e

d isput e d matt e rs ; som e fiv e oth e rs mor e a n d oth e rs fewe r ?
”
, ,

How ev e r in ord e r that we may ge t b eyond this l e t us proce e d

, ,

to examin e a matt e r of mor e importance th e conting ent a t ,

tribut e s of both sid e s of th e qu e stion F or i f it is possibl e to .

,

discov e r th e L ord of th e Hous e p e rtaining to th e nativity th e ,

d emon that has b e en assign e d from it is also knowabl e ; and if

th e matt e r is out of r e ach th e n according to this hypoth e sis
, , ,

we do not know him N e v e rth e l e ss a s th e r e is a L ord of th e

.
,

Hous e th e r e is also a d emon that has b een assign e d from him

,
.

What hind ers th en that whi l e it may ind ee d b e di ffi cul t to

, ,

discov e r him through th e calculating of th e nativity it may b e ,

e asy to p e rc e iv e him by m e ans of sacr e d divination or th e ur gy ?

In short th e d emon is not assign e d by th e L ord of th e Hous e

,

only but on th e oth e r hand th e r e a r e many origins for him

, , ,

mor e univ e rsa l than by th e L ord of th e H ou s e t S till how .

,

e v e r such a m e thod introduc e s an arti fi cial and human p r oc e

,

dur e in r egard to the p e rsona l d e mon H enc e in th e s e diffi c ul .

ti e s which thou hast sugge st e d the r e is nothing who l e some .

TR U E AC C O U N T O F TH E G UARDI AN DE M ON .

howev e r it is n e c e ssary to r eve a l to th ee th e true d oc

I f, ,

trine in r el ation to the p ersonal d emon l e t me say this : It is

not from one part in th e sky nor from any individua l el em ent ,

*“
We say says H ep haesti on of Alexan dri a that a star whi c h has
,
”
,
“

fi e c on diti ons an ywher e i n s ight is a Lor d of th e H ou s e : in oth er wor d s

v ,

i f that star r e c e iv ed th e l u minari es in the ir own boun d arie s th eir own ,

a ltitu de and th eir own t ri angle H e a dds th is c on diti o n : if beside s it

,
.
” “

has c ontiguity emanation an d c onfi gu rati o n

,
”
.

tA c c or d i n g to th e E gypt i an not i on e v e r y p e rson ,

r ecei v ed his
g uar d ian d emo n at th e h o u r of b i rth a n d th ey l ook
, ed no furth er T h ey .

regar de d only the horosc op e .

2 72 GUA RDI A N S
principl e about us in th e sam e mann e r as it was assigne d from
,

a ll th e ord e rs [of int e lli gen c e ] in th e univ e rs e For it also .

s eems prop e r to th e e to r emark as fol l ows Th a t th e r e a re “

d emons plac e d ov e r sp e ci fic d epartm e nts of th e body on e ov e r ,

h e a l th on e ove r the figur e an d anoth e r ov e r th e bodily habi t s

, , ,

fo rming a bond of union among th em and that on e is plac e d ,

a s sup e rior ov e r al l of th em in common Thi s v e r y thing .

thou shouldst consid e r a s proo f that th e authority ov e r ev e r y

thing i n us is v e st e d in on e d emon alon e A ccordingly it is not .

right to d efin e on e d e mon a s gu a r di a n of th e body an oth er of

“
,

th e s oul a n d a n oth e r of th e mi n d
,
”
For if th e l iving p e rson
.

is on e individual and th e d e mon mani fo l d that is plac e d ov e r

him th e notion is absurd C e rtainly th e rul ing pow e r s e v e ry
, .

wh e re a r e singl e ra t h e r than thos e that a r e rul e d But it is .

sti l l mor e absurd i f th e many d emons ru l ing ov e r s p e cia l d e

p a r tm e n ts a r e not a kin but a r e to b e c l
,
assi fi e d apart f rom on e

anoth e r .

Thou a l s o d ec l a r e s t that th e r e a r e contradictory charac

t e rs a mong th em saying that som e d emons a r e good an d
,
“

oth e rs bad E vil d emons hav e no allotm e nt what e v e r a s

.

guardians and th ey a r e n e v e r c l assi fie d in opposition to th e

,

good l ik e on e party against anoth e r as though having e qual

, ,

importan ce .

THE G UAR DI AN DE M ON N OT A
“
PAR T OF THE S OU L .
”

Having in succ e ssion ab and oned t h e s e points thou go e s t ,

quickly ov e r to th e conj e ctur e of th e ( G r e cian ) philosophy ;

y e t in r e l ation to th e p e rsona l d e mon thou o v e r tu rn e s t th e

e ntir e hypoth e sis For i f th e d e mon is a part of th e soul ” “

.
,

a s for instanc e th e spiritual or and h e who “

, ,

h a s a mind imbu e d with good s e ns e is th e trul y favor ed on e ”

,

th e r e wil l b e no oth e r ord e r of b e ings div in e or d emonian , ,

assuming authority ov e r th e hum an soul as b ein g sup e rior to

it Inste ad the r e wil l b e sp ec ial parts of th e so u l or som e
.
, ,

*
says : Th e min d is our demon
Maen an der .
”
Th e t erm was s
u ed
with a vari ety of m e anings at difleren t tim e s .
 THE L ORD OF T H E D E M ON S 2 73

pow e r e x isting s eparat e l y suprem e ov e r th e many fo rms of th e

li fe wi thin us ; and th e s e not as a ll i ed by natur e but as hav
, ,

ing b e e n set apart a s s up e rior i n th e ir nature to ou r e ntire

substance .

S E VE R A L GUAR DI AN DE M ON S .

A ft e r thi s thou cal l e st to m ind anoth e r stat em ent in r el a

tion to th e p e rsonal d emon , nam ely : that s ome p ers ons p e r
“

”
f orm wor s hi p a s to two, an d oth ers as to th r e e of thi s c la s s .

T his , how e v e r , is all e rron e ous For th e classi fy ing of th e

.

sup e rior caus e s that a r e plac e d ov e r us inst e ad of including

th em in on e is a fallacious way of proce e ding and it go e s com
, ,

p l e tely astray from th e unity which ho l ds dominion in e v e ry

thing Th e doctrin e which ap portions th e d emon into parts
.

in th e body or in th e gov e rn ing of th e body drags down its

, ,

l e a d e rship to a v e ry sma ll point What n e c e ssity in such cas e

.
, ,

for thos e who ent e rtain su c h an opinion to r e gard sacr e d rit e s , ,

th e fi rst princip l e of th e m b e ing unsound ?

Th e r e is accordingl y on e p e rsona l guardian d e mon for
, ,

e v e ry on e of us It is not right to assum e that it is c ommon

.

to ev e r y bo d y or that it is common at all but onl y that it is

, ,

pr e s ent with ev e ry individ u al as his own F or a distribution .

to e v e ry sp e c i e s and th e dive rsity e xisting in th e r e alm of ma t

,

te r d o not a dmit of th e union and id e ntity of t hings e ss entiall y

,

incorpor e al .

Why is it th en that th e d emon is invok e d by all with a

, ,

c ommon form of invocation ? It is b e c aus e th e ir invocation is

”

ma d e through on e d ivinity th e L ord of th e d emons who from

,

th e b e ginning assi gn e d to e v e ry on e his p e rso n a l d e mon

”
.

E v e n n ow also at th e sa c r e d rit e s h e mak e s known to all and

e ach th e ir p e rsona l d e mons ac cor d in g to his own purpos e
, .

F or a l wa y s in th e th e urgic arrangem e nt th e s e con d ary a r e i n ,

v ok e d through th e sup e rior divi niti e s In re sp e ct to th e d e.

*
T his se e at var ian c e w ith Pl ato who s ays : Th e demon will
ms to be ,
“

n ot r ec e ive you as his all otm e nt bu t you sha ll c hoos e th e de mon : th e

,

c a u s e is i n him who mak e s th e c hoi c e an d th e D eity i s b l am el ess

”
, .
2 74 TH E PE R S ON A L D E M ON

mons th er e for e on e common l e ad e r of th e

, ,
in
r e sp e ct to th e nativity s ends down to e ach and a ll his p e rsona l
, ,

d emon H ence wh e n th e p e rsonal d emon is pr e s ent h e mak e s

.

kn o wn hi s own prop e r worship and t e ach e s th e prop e r mod e

by which he is to be i nvoke d .

AB O U T O
T H E I N V KI N G O F G UAR DI AN DE M ON S .

T hisarrang em ent is a l s o acc e ptab l e to th e d emons One .

part of it is akin to th e d emons that a re invok e d : anoth e r

com e s do wn from th e mor e anci ent cat egori e s : and th e third
mak e s a joint action from both th e oth e rs D o not th e re for e .
, ,

like n th e invocations of gods with thos e to men nor things not ,

to b e utt e r e d with thos e that may b e told ; and do not c ompar e

th e things that a r e prior to e v e ry limitation a n d e v e r y un d e
fine d mod e to thos e that hav e b e en d efi n e d by men or with
,

indefinit e arrangem ents F or th e s e t hings that b e long with

.

u s hav e nothing in c ommon with thos e who a r e wholly sup e rior

to us in th eir e ntir e rac e and ord er and ru l e th e whol e of ou r

e ss enc e and nat u r e .

N ev e rth e l e ss right h e r e e sp e cially th e gr e at e st fai l ur e s

, ,

occur to men wh e n from human we akn e ss th ey infe r anything ,

in r elation to th e guardianship of th e d emons : and when with

things that a re trivial worthy of nothing and in parts th e y
, , ,

form a judgm e nt of b e ings that a r e gr e at not e worth y and ,

p e r fe ct .

T his mu c h we answ e r you in r e sp e ct to th e p e rsonal d emon

in addition to what was said b efor e .

Rul ers of th e c osm ic worl d : th e demo n s all otted to th e sev eral region s
*

of th e u niv ers e The term o c c urs i n th e P au li ne E p i stle to th e E p ha

.

si an s, v i , 12 .
 P A RT X

TH E F IR S T CA U S E

C H AP TE R XVI I I

E U DZE M ONI A , OR TH E T R U E S U CCE S S

Th e l ast subj e ct r emaining

discussion is in r elation to for
true succ e ss T hou hast put intricat e probl e ms with r e gard
.
*

to it nam e ly : fi rst obs e rvations upon ce rtain subj e cts : n ex t

, , ,

matt e rs of doubt : a n d a ft e r th e s e qu e stioning We wi ll ao , .

c or d i n gl y plac e thy qu e stions in th e ir ord e r e ach and e v e ry

,

on e of th e m and wi l l answ e r th e s e in du e cours e in r e fe r e nc e

,

to th em .

T hou ask e st wh e th e r th e r e is not som e oth e r path to tru e

“

succ e ss apart from th e god s t What di ffe r ent way upward

”
.

c a n th e r e b e e ntir e l y apart from th e gods that is r e a son

“ ”
,

abl e ? F or if th e e ss ence a n d p e rfe ction of e v e ry good a r e c om

pris e d in the gods and th e ir primary powe r a nd authority ar e
,

with us ( p r i e s ts ) I and with thos e who a r e in lik e mann e r pos

,

s e ss e d b y th e sup e ri or diviniti e s a n d hav e com e genuin e l y into ,

union with th e m— and in short i f th e sourc e and en d of good ,

n e s s a r e e a rn e stly pursu e d : in such c as e th e r e a r e pr e s e nt a o ,

c or d in gl y th e S p e ctacl e of T ruth and th e initiation into spirit

,

*
G ree k wé a y o ta eu d ai moni a T his t e rm was e mp l oyed by
,
t v .

Pl ato an d A ris totle to denote true an d c omp lete happin ess I ts derivation .

from eu or w ell an d da imén a d ivinity a goo d ge ni u s goo d fortun e i n

, ,
r
, , , ,

d i c ate s its tru e signi fi c ation as th e c on dition favor e d by th e goo d g eni u s ;

,

h en c e i t denote s felic ity goo d fort un e prosp erity suc c ess as b eing i n
, , , ,
-

favor w i th God an d man .

fP orphyry h ere r efers to the go ds that w er e invoke d i n the th eurgic

rit es .

I The Ora c le i
h ad, b efor e th e t m e of orphyry, assi gn e d to th e E gyp P
fi
tian pri ests the nding of th e path to fe i c ity H enc e H erodotos dec ar ed l . l
fi
th em th e rst to institu t e the S a c r ed R it e s .

2 77
2 78 CRI TI CI S M

ual knowl e d ge And with th e knowing of th e gods th e turning

.
,

aroun d to ou r own s el v e s and th e knowing of ours elv e s foll ow

toge th e r .

VAR I O U S ST AT E ME N T S C R I TI C I S E D .

To no purpos e th e r efor e thou p r op os e s t th e doubt

, ,

wh e th e r it is n e c e ssary to pay any r egard to human

opinions ”
. For what l e isur e has th e p e rson whos e mi nd and
tho u ght a r e with th e gods to look d own for approval from
human b e ings ? N or in what follows d ost thou sp e ak to th e
purpos e : wh eth e r th e S oul do e s n ot now a n d th e n form grand
“

c onc eptions ”
.F or what principl e of fanci ful cr e ations has a
plac e in thos e who hav e re al b e ing ? Is not th e faculty of
imagination in us th e form e r of ei d ol a i? But wh e n th e spirit
ual li fe is p e r fe ctly activ e th e r e is nothing of th e imagin a tion
,

awak en e d D o e s n ot th e truth in its e ss e n c e c o ex ist with th e

.

gods ? A t l e ast is it n ot e stablish e d with rational principl e s

,

harmoniousl y ? It is in vain th e n that thou and oth e rs whi s , ,

p e r such things .

N e v e rth e l e ss th e s e things about whi c h c e rtain moun te

,

bank pri e sts and fortun e t e ll e rs c alumn iat e thos e who minist e r
-

at th e wo rship of th e gods and thou hast spok e n in th e sam e ,

way— a r e non e of th em at all conn e cte d with genuin e th e olo gy

and th e urgy Ye t i f in som e way c e rtain things of such a
.
, ,

charact e r shoot out as e x cr e scenc e s b e sid e th e kn owl e dg e s of

th e things that a r e good as e vil a rts sprout up with oth e r arts
, ,

t h e s e v e r y kn owl e dge s a r e actuall y mor e oppos e d by th e m than

anything e ls e For that whi c h is e vil is mor e hostil e to th e
.

good than to that whi ch is not good .

C O N C E RN I N G N AT URAL P RE S E N T I M E N T .

I d e sir e a ft e r this to go c u rio u s l y ov e r othe r r emarks whi c h

misr e pr e s e nt th e divin e for e knowl e dge T hou c omp a r e s t with .

i t oth e r m e thods for obtaining pr e monitions of what wil l tak e

“

place ”
. For to me although a c e rtain aptitu d e of natur e aids
,

in th e signi fying of what is to o c cur just as th e for ekn owi ng ,

280 S U CCE S S

th e for e knowl e dg e , th ey r e c eive b e auty its el f and ord e r that

a r e at onc e t r ue and b ecoming and th e r e is with it that which
,

is pro fi tabl e For th e gods giv e th em also th e powe r of pro

.
~

te c tin g th ems e l v e s against dir e ful calamiti e s from th e r e alm

of natur e : and wh e n it is n e c e ssary to e x e rcis e courag e and

th e unc e rtainty of th e futur e contribut e s to this the y k ee p ,

th e thin gs hi d d e n that a r e to b e in or d e r to mak e th e soul

,

b e tt e r Ye t wh en unc e rtainty do e s not bring any h e lp for this

.

purpos e and th e for eknowl e dg e is advantage ous to souls for

, ,

th e sak e of saving th e m and l e ading th e m upward th e n th e ,

gods imp l ant in th e ir inmost b eings th e for ekn owl edge in

h e r ent in th e inspir e d communications .

TH E PA T H TO TR UE S U CCE S S .

But why am I prolonging th e s e d is c ours e s ? I have

abundantly shown b e for e by th e man y e xplanations whi ch I
hav e mad e in th em th e sup e riority of th e inspiration ove r
,

human divination B e tte r th e r e for e is what you ask from

.
, ,

us : T o mak e plain to you th e path to su c c e ss and in what

“
,

th e e ss enc e of it consists ”
F or f rom this th e truth is th e n to
.

b e foun d an d all th e di fficulti e s may thus b e at onc e e asily

,

r e so lv e d I say th e r e for e that th e divine p e rson gi ft e d with

.
, ,

intuition having in a form e r c ond ition of b e ing b e e n partici

, , ,

pant of th e on en e ss by th e sp e c ta c l e of th e gods c om e s at a
, ,

l at e r p e riod to anoth e r sou l ( or ps y chic condition ) which is

adjust e d to th e human id e al of fi gur e and through this b e ,

com e s invo l ved i n th e bond of N e ce ssity and F a te fii N ow th en ‘

*
a sim il ar a c c ount of that given by Pl ato in th e P ha dr os
T hi s i s .

Th e so ul s wh il e i n th e et erna l region are de s c rib e d as b eho l d ing th e th ea

or v i si on of th e go d s an d a c c ompanying th e m i n th e ir j o u rn ey in th e ir
,

p l an etary orbits in the sky having b een initiate d an d b ec om e ep op tai or

,
'

B eho l ders of the Myst eri es of that worl d T his th e phi l osoph er exp l ains
.
, ,

was whil e we possessed our natu re in its entir ety an d di d n ot s uffe r th e

“

mol e stations of e vi l whi c h w e r e awaiting u s i n th e fu tur e t im e wh en we ,

w e re free a n d not inv este d with th e bo dy to wh ic h we are bo un d as an

oyst er to the sh ell ”
A fter this c ame the de s c ent int o th e r e al m of
.
“

g en erat ed existen c e an d inve stitu re with the m ortal so ul and its c on

,
“ ”

S ee Ti mceos an d Pl utar c h s tre at i s e on T h e Fac e i n the Or b of

’
di ti on s .

th e M oon 2 8 ,
.
 THE I D EA L 1

it is n ec essary to consid e r how h e may b e unl oos e d and se t

f r e e from his bonds T h e r e is no oth e r way e x c e pt th e know
.

ing of th e gods For th e id e al of succe ss is th e app e rce iving

.

o f th e G ood just as th e id e al of ba d n e ss happ e ns to b e for

,

ge tt ing of what is good and d e c e it in r e lation to what is b ad .

T h e form e r th e r e for e joins with th e D ivin e natur e : but th e

, ,

latt e r an in fe rior d e stiny is ins e parabl e from th e

, ,

Th e form e r s e eks th e int e ll ectibl e e ss e nc e s by th e sacr e d

paths zt but th e latt e r having sw e rv e d from th e fi rst princ ipl e s
, ,

yi e lds its e l f to th e m e asuring ou t of th e id eals of th e corpor eal

e nvironm e nt T h e form e r is th e knowing of th e Fath e r : 1 but
.

th e latt e r is th e going asid e from him and a forg e tting of God ,

th e Fath e r fi rst in E ss e nc e and su ffi ci e nt for hims el f

,
The .

form e r pr e s e rv e s th e g e nuin e li fe and brings it back to its

Fath e r but th e l att e r brings th e man ruling in th e r e alm of
,

g en e rat e d exist enc e down to th e world which is n ev e r p e rma

n ent but alwa y s changing § .

L e t th en this sup e rior path to tru e succ e ss which is th e

, , ,

spiritua l compl eting of th e union of souls to th e divin e natur e ,

b e co gniz ed by th e e But th e sac e rdota l and th e urgic gi ft of

.

*
P LATO :Thea tetos 8 4, S okra tes I t s not possib e that e v sho u d .
“
i l il l
be de stroy ed ; for it is n ec e ssary that th er e sho u d be a ways som ething l l
c ontrary to goo d ; nor c an it be s e a te d among th e go ds , but of n ec e ssity
l
move s aro un d this morta natur e an d this r egion Whe refore we o ught to .

l
fly h ence as qui c k y as p ossib e ; an d this flight c onsists n b eing assimi l i
l ate d to God as m uc h as possib e, an d this assimi ating s the b ec om ng l l i i
j ust an d ho y w th wis dom l”
i .

J
B
[ y th e S a c r ed or hi e rati c paths ,
Ab ammon e v de nt y m e ans th e i l
l
the u rgi c d is c ip in e T h e an c i ent Ori enta faiths all ma de th e serv we of
. l
i l
th e guru or sp rit ua t eac h e r, an e ss entia in th e matt e r of kn owmg th e
,
l
truth .

I C om p a re G osp e l a c c or d in g to J ohn x vn, 3 T h i s is th e ete rna l ,

l i fe ( the l i fe of the ete rnal worl d ) , nam ely : that th ey know thee th e God
on ly true .
”

§ e
Th ph il osoph e r H erak l eitos h el d that c hange i s th e onl y p er “ “

sisting c on dition of th ings H e ta ught that th e S upr em e B eing is fi re

”
.

not mere physi c al h eat but an aeth eri al prin c ip le ; an d that it a c ted on
,

matter p ro duc ing moti o n an d c reative a c tivity .

2 82 TH E G OOD
tru e succ e ss is call e d th e D oor to th e C r e ator of th e Univ e rs e
”
,

o r S upr e m e G oo d n e ss In th e fi rst plac e it poss e ss e s th e powe r

.

of chastity o f soul whi c h is fa r mor e p e r fe ct than c hastit y of

th e body : a ft e rward th e pr e paring of th e und e rstanding for

,

th e participation and vision { of th e G ood a n d its r e l e as e

f rom e v e rything of a contrar y charact e r : and a ft e r th e s e on e ,

n e ss with th e gods th e giv e rs of all things good .

R E T U R N OF TH E S OU L T O D I VI N I T Y .

A ft e r th eth eurgic d is c iplin e has c onj oin ed th e soul in

dividually with th e s ev e ral d e partm ents of th e univ e rs e and ,

with all th e d ivin e pow e rs that p e rvad e it th en it l e ads th e ,

so u l to th e C r e ator of th e worl d plac e s it in his charg e and

, ,

fr e e s it of ev e r y thing p e rtaining to th e r e alm of matt e r uni t ,

ing it wi t h th e S ol e E t e rn al R e ason ( L ogo s ) .

What I am sa y ing is thi s : T hat it uni t e s th e soul in divi d

u a l l y to th e On e Fath e r of hims e l f s e l f moving
,
H e who sus ,
-
.

tains th e univ e rs e spiritual wh o arrang e s all things in ord er

, , ,

wh o l e ads it to th e supr e m e truth to th e absolut e th e efli c i en t

, , ,

and oth e r cr e ativ e pow e rs of God : thus e stablishing th e th e

u rgi c soul in th e e n e rgi e s th e con c eptions and cr e ativ e quali
,

ti e s of thos e pow e rs Th e n it ins e rts th e soul in th e e ntir e

. .

Demu rgi c God .

T his ,
with th e E gyptian S ag e s is , th e e n d of th e
“
R e turn
as taught in th e S acr e d R e cords .

C NC E RN I N G
O TH E G OO D .

Th e G ood its el f th ey consid e r

,
sid e as abso l ut e
on th e on e

D ivinity , th e God subsisting b e for e thought : but on th e oth e r

*
I n the forme r
y e ars of th e nin ete enth c entu ry th ere aros e a t e a c h e r
in P ers i a who was de signate d th e Bab — gat e or door H e p romul
,
“
.

gate d a mysti c do c trin e som ewhat in an al ogy to th at of th e S ufis with ,

many featu res of th e l ater Pl ato ni sm an d G no sti c ism an d P arsism H e .

was aft erwar d execu t ed but his dis c ip l e s still c onstitute a nu m erou s bo dy
,
.

{ G reek 0 8 d , thea a v i si on c ontemp l ati on

, , . Th e t erm i s u sed to sig
n i fy th e S p ec ta c l e exhib ite d at I n i ti atory Ri tes .