the six enneads-第67章

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World　will　be　found　treated　elsewhere；　what　stands　here　is　all　that　the　question　of　the　moment　demands。　　　　　5。　But　if　the　presiding　Spirit　and　the　conditions　of　life　are　chosen　by　the　Soul　in　the　overworld；　how　can　anything　be　left　to　our　independent　action　here？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　very　choice　in　the　over…world　is　merely　an　allegorical　statement　of　the　Soul's　tendency　and　temperament；　a　total　character　which　it　must　express　wherever　it　operates。　　　　　But　if　the　tendency　of　the　Soul　is　the　master…force　and；　in　the　Soul；　the　dominant　is　that　phase　which　has　been　brought　to　the　fore　by　a　previous　history；　then　the　body　stands　acquitted　of　any　bad　influence　upon　it？　The　Soul's　quality　exists　before　any　bodily　life；　it　has　exactly　what　it　chose　to　have；　and；　we　read；　it　never　changes　its　chosen　spirit；　therefore　neither　the　good　man　nor　the　bad　is　the　product　of　this　life？　　　　　Is　the　solution；　perhaps；　that　man　is　potentially　both　good　and　bad　but　becomes　the　one　or　the　other　by　force　of　act？　　　　　But　what　if　a　man　temperamentally　good　happens　to　enter　a　disordered　body；　or　if　a　perfect　body　falls　to　a　man　naturally　vicious？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　the　Soul；　to　whichever　side　it　inclines；　has　in　some　varying　degree　the　power　of　working　the　forms　of　body　over　to　its　own　temper；　since　outlying　and　accidental　circumstances　cannot　overrule　the　entire　decision　of　a　Soul。　Where　we　read　that；　after　the　casting　of　lots；　the　sample　lives　are　exhibited　with　the　casual　circumstances　attending　them　and　that　the　choice　is　made　upon　vision；　in　accordance　with　the　individual　temperament；　we　are　given　to　understand　that　the　real　determination　lies　with　the　Souls；　who　adapt　the　allotted　conditions　to　their　own　particular　quality。　　　　　The　Timaeus　indicates　the　relation　of　this　guiding　spirit　to　ourselves：　it　is　not　entirely　outside　of　ourselves；　is　not　bound　up　with　our　nature；　is　not　the　agent　in　our　action；　it　belongs　to　us　as　belonging　to　our　Soul；　but　not　in　so　far　as　we　are　particular　human　beings　living　a　life　to　which　it　is　superior：　take　the　passage　in　this　sense　and　it　is　consistent；　understand　this　Spirit　otherwise　and　there　is　contradiction。　And　the　description　of　the　Spirit；　moreover；　as　〃the　power　which　consummates　the　chosen　life；〃　is；　also；　in　agreement　with　this　interpretation；　for　while　its　presidency　saves　us　from　falling　much　deeper　into　evil；　the　only　direct　agent　within　us　is　some　thing　neither　above　it　nor　equal　to　it　but　under　it：　Man　cannot　cease　to　be　characteristically　Man。　　　　　6。　What；　then；　is　the　achieved　Sage？　　　　　One　whose　Act　is　determined　by　the　higher　phase　of　the　Soul。　　　　　It　does　not　suffice　to　perfect　virtue　to　have　only　this　Spirit　＇equivalent　in　all　men＇　as　cooperator　in　the　life：　the　acting　force　in　the　Sage　is　the　Intellective　Principle　＇the　diviner　phase　of　the　human　Soul＇　which　therefore　is　itself　his　presiding　spirit　or　is　guided　by　a　presiding　spirit　of　its　own；　no　other　than　the　very　Divinity。　　　　　But　this　exalts　the　Sage　above　the　Intellectual　Principle　as　possessing　for　presiding　spirit　the　Prior　to　the　Intellectual　Principle：　how　then　does　it　come　about　that　he　was　not；　from　the　very　beginning；　all　that　he　now　is？　　　　　The　failure　is　due　to　the　disturbance　caused　by　birth…　though；　before　all　reasoning；　there　exists　the　instinctive　movement　reaching　out　towards　its　own。　　　　　On　instinct　which　the　Sage　finally　rectifies　in　every　respect？　　　　　Not　in　every　respect：　the　Soul　is　so　constituted　that　its　life…history　and　its　general　tendency　will　answer　not　merely　to　its　own　nature　but　also　to　the　conditions　among　which　it　acts。　　　　　The　presiding　Spirit；　as　we　read；　conducting　a　Soul　to　the　Underworld　ceases　to　be　its　guardian…　except　when　the　Soul　resumes　＇in　its　later　choice＇　the　former　state　of　life。　　　　　But；　meanwhile；　what　happens　to　it？　　　　　From　the　passage　＇in　the　Phaedo＇　which　tells　how　it　presents　the　Soul　to　judgement　we　gather　that　after　the　death　it　resumes　the　form　it　had　before　the　birth；　but　that　then；　beginning　again；　it　is　present　to　the　Souls　in　their　punishment　during　the　period　of　their　renewed　life…　a　time　not　so　much　of　living　as　of　expiation。　　　　　But　the　Souls　that　enter　into　brute　bodies；　are　they　controlled　by　some　thing　less　than　this　presiding　Spirit？　No：　theirs　is　still　a　Spirit；　but　an　evil　or　a　foolish　one。　　　　　And　the　Souls　that　attain　to　the　highest？　　　　　Of　these　higher　Souls　some　live　in　the　world　of　Sense；　some　above　it：　and　those　in　the　world　of　Sense　inhabit　the　Sun　or　another　of　the　planetary　bodies；　the　others　occupy　the　fixed　Sphere　＇above　the　planetary＇　holding　the　place　they　have　merited　through　having　lived　here　the　superior　life　of　reason。　　　　　We　must　understand　that；　while　our　Souls　do　contain　an　Intellectual　Kosmos　they　also　contain　a　subordination　of　various　forms　like　that　of　the　Kosmic　Soul。　The　world　Soul　is　distributed　so　as　to　produce　the　fixed　sphere　and　the　planetary　circuits　corresponding　to　its　graded　powers：　so　with　our　Souls；　they　must　have　their　provinces　according　to　their　different　powers；　parallel　to　those　of　the　World　Soul：　each　must　give　out　its　own　special　act；　released；　each　will　inhabit　there　a　star　consonant　with　the　temperament　and　faculty　in　act　within　and　constituting　the　principle　of　the　life；　and　this　star　or　the　next　highest　power　will　stand　to　them　as　God　or　more　exactly　as　tutelary　spirit。　　　　　But　here　some　further　precision　is　needed。　　　　　Emancipated　Souls；　for　the　whole　period　of　their　sojourn　there　above；　have　transcended　the　Spirit…nature　and　the　entire　fatality　of　birth　and　all　that　belongs　to　this　visible　world；　for　they　have　taken　up　with　them　that　Hypostasis　of　the　Soul　in　which　the　desire　of　earthly　life　is　vested。　This　Hypostasis　may　be　described　as　the　distributable　Soul；　for　it　is　what　enters　bodily　forms　and　multiplies　itself　by　this　division　among　them。　But　its　distribution　is　not　a　matter　of　magnitudes；　wherever　it　is　present；　there　is　the　same　thing　present　entire；　its　unity　can　always　be　reconstructed：　when　living　things…　animal　or　vegetal…　produce　their　constant　succession　of　new　forms；　they　do　so　in　virtue　of　the　self…distribution　of　this　phase　of　the　Soul；　for　it　must　be　as　much　distributed　among　the　new　forms　as　the　propagating　originals　are。　In　some　cases　it　communicates　its　force　by　permanent　presence　the　life　principle　in　plants　for　instance…　in　other　cases　it　withdraws　after　imparting　its　virtue…　for　instance　where　from　the　putridity　of　dead　animal　or　vegetable　matter　a　multitudinous　birth　is　produced　from　one　organism。　　　　　A　power　corresponding　to　this　in　the　All　must　reach　down　and　co…operate　in　the　life　of　our　world…　in　fact　the　very　same　power。　　　　　If　the　Soul　returns　to　this　Sphere　it　finds　itself　under　the　same　Spirit　or　a　new；　according　to　the　life　it　is　to　live。　With　this　Spirit　it　embarks　in　the　skiff　of　the　universe：　the　〃spindle　of　Necessity〃　then　takes　control　and　appoints　the　seat　for　the　voyage；　the　seat　of　the　lot　in　life。　　　　　The　Universal　circuit　is　like　a　breeze；　and　the　voyager；　still　or　stirring；　is　carried　forward　by　it。　He　has　a　hundred　varied　experiences；　fresh　sights；　changing　circumstances；　all　sorts　of　events。　The　vessel　itself　furnishes　incident；　tossing　as　it　drives　on。　And　the　voyager　al