the six enneads-第101章

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e　unvarying　march　＇of　the　kosmic　circuit＇　the　other　＇the　soul　of　the　Individual＇　adopting　itself　to　times　and　season。　　　　　The　depth　of　the　descent；　also；　will　differ…　sometimes　lower；　sometimes　less　low…　and　this　even　in　its　entry　into　any　given　Kind：　all　that　is　fixed　is　that　each　several　soul　descends　to　a　recipient　indicated　by　affinity　of　condition；　it　moves　towards　the　thing　which　it　There　resembled；　and　enters；　accordingly；　into　the　body　of　man　or　animal。　　　　　13。　The　Ineluctable；　the　Kosmic　Law　is；　thus；　rooted　in　a　natural　principle　under　which　each　several　entity　is　overruled　to　go；　duly　and　in　order；　towards　that　place　and　Kind　to　which　it　characteristically　tends；　that　is　towards　the　image　of　its　primal　choice　and　constitution。　　　　　In　that　archetypal　world　every　form　of　soul　is　near　to　the　image　＇the　thing　in　the　world　of　copy＇　to　which　its　individual　constitution　inclines　it；　there　is　therefore　no　need　of　a　sender　or　leader　acting　at　the　right　moment　to　bring　it　at　the　right　moment　whether　into　body　or　into　a　definitely　appropriate　body：　of　its　own　motion　it　descends　at　the　precisely　true　time　and　enters　where　it　must。　To　every　Soul　its　own　hour；　when　that　strikes　it　descends　and　enters　the　body　suitable　to　it　as　at　the　cry　of　a　herald；　thus　all　is　set　stirring　and　advancing　as　by　a　magician's　power　or　by　some　mighty　traction；　it　is　much　as；　in　any　living　thing；　the　soul　itself　effects　the　fulfillment　of　the　natural　career；　stirring　and　bringing　forth；　in　due　season；　every　element…　beard；　horn；　and　all　the　successive　stages　of　tendency　and　of　output…　or；　as　it　leads　a　tree　through　its　normal　course　within　set　periods。　　　　　The　Souls　go　forth　neither　under　compulsion　nor　of　freewill；　or；　at　least；　freedom；　here；　is　not　to　be　regarded　as　action　upon　preference；　it　is　more　like　such　a　leap　of　the　nature　as　moves　men　to　the　instinctive　desire　of　sexual　union；　or；　in　the　case　of　some；　to　fine　conduct；　the　motive　lies　elsewhere　than　in　the　reason：　like　is　destined　unfailingly　to　like；　and　each　moves　hither　or　thither　at　its　fixed　moment。　　　　　Even　the　Intellectual…Principle；　which　is　before　all　the　kosmos；　has；　it　also；　its　destiny；　that　of　abiding　intact　above；　and　of　giving　downwards：　what　it　sends　down　is　the　particular　whose　existence　is　implied　in　the　law　of　the　universal；　for　the　universal　broods　closely　over　the　particular；　it　is　not　from　without　that　the　law　derives　the　power　by　which　it　is　executed；　on　the　contrary　the　law　is　given　in　the　entities　upon　whom　it　falls；　these　bear　it　about　with　them。　Let　but　the　moment　arrive；　and　what　it　decrees　will　be　brought　to　act　by　those　beings　in　whom　it　resides；　they　fulfil　it　because　they　contain　it；　it　prevails　because　it　is　within　them；　it　becomes　like　a　heavy　burden；　and　sets　up　in　them　a　painful　longing　to　enter　the　realm　to　which　they　are　bidden　from　within。　　　　　14。　Thus　it　comes　about　that　this　kosmos；　lit　with　many　lights；　gleaming　in　its　souls；　receives　still　further　graces；　gifts　from　here　and　from　there；　from　the　gods　of　the　Supreme；　and　from　those　other　Intellectual…Principles　whose　nature　it　is　to　ensoul。　This　is　probably　the　secret　of　the　myth　in　which；　after　Prometheus　had　moulded　woman；　the　other　gods　heaped　gifts　upon　her；　Hephaistos　〃blending　the　clay　with　moisture　and　bestowing　the　human　voice　and　the　form　of　a　goddess〃；　Aphrodite　bringing　her　gifts；　and　the　Graces　theirs；　and　other　gods　other　gifts；　and　finally　calling　her　by　the　name　＇Pandora＇　which　tells　of　gift　and　of　all　giving…　for　all　have　added　something　to　this　formation　brought　to　being　by　a　Promethean；　a　fore…thinking　power。　As　for　the　rejection　of　Prometheus'　gift　by　after…thought；　Epimetheus；　what　can　this　signify　but　that　the　wiser　choice　is　to　remain　in　the　Intellectual　realm？　Pandora's　creator　is　fettered；　to　signify　that　he　is　in　some　sense　held　by　his　own　creation；　such　a　fettering　is　external　and　the　release　by　Hercules　tells　that　there　is　power　in　Prometheus；　so　that　he　need　not　remain　in　bonds。　　　　　Take　the　myth　as　we　may；　it　is　certainly　such　an　account　of　the　bestowal　of　gifts　upon　the　kosmos　as　harmonizes　with　our　explanation　of　the　universal　system。　　　　　15。　The　souls　peering　forth　from　the　Intellectual　Realm　descend　first　to　the　heavens　and　there　put　on　a　body；　this　becomes　at　once　the　medium　by　which　as　they　reach　out　more　and　more　towards　magnitude　＇physical　extension＇　they　proceed　to　bodies　progressively　more　earthy。　Some　even　plunge　from　heaven　to　the　very　lowest　of　corporeal　forms；　others　pass；　stage　by　stage；　too　feeble　to　lift　towards　the　higher　the　burden　they　carry；　weighed　downwards　by　their　heaviness　and　forgetfulness。　　　　　As　for　the　differences　among　them；　these　are　due　to　variation　in　the　bodies　entered；　or　to　the　accidents　of　life；　or　to　upbringing；　or　to　inherent　peculiarities　of　temperament；　or　to　all　these　influences　together；　or　to　specific　combinations　of　them。　　　　　Then　again　some　have　fallen　unreservedly　into　the　power　of　the　destiny　ruling　here：　some　yielding　betimes　are　betimes　too　their　own：　there　are　those　who；　while　they　accept　what　must　be　borne；　have　the　strength　of　self…mastery　in　all　that　is　left　to　their　own　act；　they　have　given　themselves　to　another　dispensation：　they　live　by　the　code　of　the　aggregate　of　beings；　the　code　which　is　woven　out　of　the　Reason…Principles　and　all　the　other　causes　ruling　in　the　kosmos；　out　of　soul…movements　and　out　of　laws　springing　in　the　Supreme；　a　code；　therefore；　consonant　with　those　higher　existences；　founded　upon　them；　linking　their　sequents　back　to　them；　keeping　unshakeably　true　all　that　is　capable　of　holding　itself　set　towards　the　divine　nature；　and　leading　round　by　all　appropriate　means　whatsoever　is　less　natively　apt。　　　　　In　fine　all　diversity　of　condition　in　the　lower　spheres　is　determined　by　the　descendent　beings　themselves。　　　　　16。　The　punishment　justly　overtaking　the　wicked　must　therefore　be　ascribed　to　the　kosmic　order　which　leads　all　in　accordance　with　the　right。　　　　　But　what　of　chastisements；　poverty；　illness；　falling　upon　the　good　outside　of　all　justice？　These　events；　we　will　be　told；　are　equally　interwoven　into　the　world　order　and　fall　under　prediction；　and　must　consequently　have　a　cause　in　the　general　reason：　are　they　therefore　to　be　charged　to　past　misdoing？　　　　　No：　such　misfortunes　do　not　answer　to　reasons　established　in　the　nature　of　things；　they　are　not　laid　up　in　the　master…facts　of　the　universe；　but　were　merely　accidental　sequents：　a　house　falls；　and　anyone　that　chances　to　be　underneath　is　killed；　no　matter　what　sort　of　man　he　be：　two　objects　are　moving　in　perfect　order…　or　one　if　you　like…　but　anything　getting　in　the　way　is　wounded　or　trampled　down。　Or　we　may　reason　that　the　undeserved　stroke　can　be　no　evil　to　the　sufferer　in　view　of　the　beneficent　interweaving　of　the　All　or　again；　no　doubt；　that　nothing　is　unjust　that　finds　justification　in　a　past　history。　　　　　We　may　not　think　of　some　things　being　fitted　into　a　system　with　others　abandoned　to　the　capricious；　if　things　must　happen　by　cause；　by　natural　sequences；　under　one　Reason…Principle　and　a　single　set　scheme；　we　must　admit　that　the　minor　equally　with　the　major　is　fitted　into　that　order　and　pattern。　　　　　Wrong…doing　from　man　to　man　is　wrong　in　the　doer