Monday, July 20, 2026

The flight of theurgy to the Alone

 


No surprises here, but good summary c/o ChatGPT. 

How is "salvation" or "liberation" achieved in Neoplatonism (as far as we know)?

Neoplatonism does have something very much like a doctrine of liberation, although its emphasis is on return (epistrophē) rather than on forgiveness of sins or escape from divine judgment. The goal is the soul's return to its divine source, ultimately to the One (to Hen), the absolute principle beyond all being and thought.

The precise details differ somewhat between thinkers like Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus, but the basic pattern is remarkably consistent.

The human condition

According to Plotinus (204/5–270 CE), every soul originates in the intelligible world. It "descends" into the material cosmos, where it becomes preoccupied with bodily life, desires, emotions, and sensory experience.

Importantly, this descent is not exactly a moral fall comparable to the Christian Fall. Rather:

  • the soul becomes distracted by multiplicity,
  • forgets its true nature,
  • identifies itself with the body and ego instead of its higher self.

The soul is therefore alienated from its true home.

One famous Plotinian phrase is:

"The flight of the alone to the Alone."

That summarizes salvation in a single sentence.


The path of return

The ascent occurs through several stages.

1. Ethical purification (katharsis)

The first step is living a virtuous life.

This includes

  • moderation
  • justice
  • courage
  • wisdom
  • freedom from excessive passions

Virtue is not merely moral obedience; it is a process of making the soul resemble its divine origin.

One becomes less ruled by bodily impulses and more governed by reason.


2. Philosophical contemplation

The next stage is intellectual.

The soul turns away from external objects and begins contemplating eternal realities.

Instead of asking

"What do I desire?"

one asks

"What is Beauty itself?"
"What is Justice itself?"
"What is Truth?"

Through philosophy the mind awakens to the realm of Intellect (Nous), where the eternal Forms exist.


3. Interiority

Plotinus repeatedly tells his readers:

"Withdraw into yourself."

Rather than seeking God outside, one discovers that the higher soul is already rooted in the intelligible realm.

This is not introspection in the modern psychological sense.

It is discovering the deepest level of consciousness beyond personality.


4. Contemplation of Nous

The purified intellect eventually comes to contemplate Nous, the Divine Intellect.

At this stage the soul participates in

  • Truth
  • Beauty
  • Wisdom
  • the eternal Forms

Yet even this is not the highest goal.


5. Union with the One

Beyond Intellect lies the One.

The One cannot be grasped by concepts because it is beyond all distinction.

Ultimate liberation occurs in a mystical union called henosis ("oneness" or "union").

Plotinus describes it as

  • beyond thought,
  • beyond subject and object,
  • beyond language.

One does not "know" the One in the ordinary sense.

Rather, one becomes united with it in an ineffable experience.

Plotinus claims to have experienced this several times during his life (according to his student Porphyry).


Is grace involved?

This is an interesting question.

Neoplatonism is often portrayed as entirely self-powered, but that is only partly true.

Plotinus certainly emphasizes personal purification and contemplation.

Yet he also says that union cannot simply be forced by human effort.

The One is always present.

The soul prepares itself, but the actual moment of union comes almost like an unexpected illumination.

Many scholars therefore compare Plotinus' account to later ideas of grace, though Plotinus himself does not develop a theology of divine grace comparable to Christianity.


What role does ritual play?

Here the Neoplatonists disagree.

Plotinus

Plotinus places little emphasis on ritual.

Philosophy, contemplation, and virtue are sufficient.


Porphyry

Porphyry accepts traditional religious practices but still regards philosophy as the highest path.


Iamblichus

Iamblichus makes a major change.

He argues that the human intellect alone cannot ascend to God.

Instead, one requires theurgy ("divine work").

Theurgy involves

  • sacred rituals,
  • prayers,
  • invocations,
  • symbols,
  • consecrated objects,
  • hymns,
  • participation in divine powers.

These rites do not compel the gods but allow the gods to elevate the soul.

This is significantly closer to later sacramental religion than Plotinus' philosophy is.


Proclus

Proclus combines rigorous philosophy with elaborate ritual and theurgy.

For him the universe is filled with divine "chains" (seirai) linking every level of reality to the gods.

By participating in these chains through ritual, contemplation, and virtue, the soul gradually ascends.


Does individuality disappear?

This is debated.

Plotinus describes union as transcending individuality.

However, the soul does not seem permanently cease to exist.

Henosis is generally portrayed as an ecstatic union rather than annihilation.

Unlike some interpretations of Advaita Vedānta, Neoplatonism does not explicitly teach that individual souls are ultimately unreal.

Rather, individuality is surpassed during union while remaining meaningful within the ordered cosmos.


Is reincarnation involved?

Yes.

Most Neoplatonists accepted some form of reincarnation inherited from Plato.

The soul may experience many lives.

The quality of one's next embodiment depends on the state of one's soul.

Liberation ends the cycle of descending into bodily existence.


Comparison with other traditions

There are striking parallels, though also important differences:

TraditionProblemGoalMeans
NeoplatonismForgetfulness of the divine sourceHenosis with the OneVirtue, contemplation, and (for later Neoplatonists) theurgy
Advaita VedāntaIgnorance (avidyā)Realization of BrahmanKnowledge (jñāna) and meditation
Mahāyāna BuddhismIgnorance and attachmentBuddhahood / NirvāṇaWisdom, compassion, meditation
ChristianitySin and separation from GodCommunion with GodDivine grace, faith, virtue, prayer, and the sacraments (depending on tradition)

Among these, Plotinus' vision is often considered especially close in spirit to Advaita Vedānta, although the metaphysical systems differ in significant ways. Later theurgic Neoplatonism (Iamblichus and Proclus) has more in common with ritual traditions such as late antique paganism, certain forms of Hindu Tantra, and esoteric currents in Christianity, in that ritual participation in divine realities complements philosophical contemplation.

Overall, Neoplatonic liberation is best understood as a gradual reorientation of the soul: from attachment to the changing world, to contemplation of eternal realities, and finally to an ineffable union with the One. The journey is not primarily about being pardoned or escaping punishment, but about becoming what one most deeply already is by awakening to one's divine origin.

Providence lost

 


So I just read a book about the East Indian companies (read: European colonization in Asia). Currently, I´m reading another book, about a certain Hannibal and the Second Punic War.

War, war, war. Constant war with no end in sight. And no resolution either. Blessed are those who believe in Divine Providence (or it´s secular version: the Western Idea of Progress), because I certainly don´t.    

Sunday, July 19, 2026

It´s over

 


The end of science fraud? Or the end of science as such? I suppose we´ll live to tell...

Concrete-operational

 

- Hello, guyz! Wazza up?
Credit: Charles J Sharp 

ChatGPT is supposedly down. Except that it doesn´t seem to be. Mine is up. Ironically, I haven´t used it for a couple of days!

Green crack

 


HA HA HA. This was quite the attack! Not the one on the Woke girls (that´s trivial on *this* side of the sub-political spectrum), but the diss of right-wing conspiracy theories as "stoners" high on "green crack", et cetera. 

Our man Sheridan suspects that a certain kind of paranoia within that milieu is the last stage before full-on hash psychosis. I´m frankly inclined to believe him. If we assume that over half of the denizens of the proverbial interwebs are alcoholics, drug addicts or clinically insane, much can be explained.

Except for one thing. Why the heck are the rest of us listening?  

One of the living

 


I´ve been wondering about "the Obelisks" for some time now. Anton has the latest updates. 

Saturday, July 18, 2026

OK Boomer

 


Ligger ju något i detta. Förenta Staterna LARP-ar anti-kommunism á la kalla kriget, Ryssland LARP-ar anti-fascism á la andra världskriget och kalla kriget, medan de nya eliterna i den f.d. tredje världen låtsas vara något slags militanta nationella frihetskrigare. Finns det historiska exempel på samma sak? "Alla" låtsades vara romare hundratals år efter att det (latinska) romarriket upplösts. Liket lever, uppenbarligen.  

Sotdöden, et cetera

Neptunian odyssey


I´m not *that* much of an astronomy nerd, but I suppose this Neptunian odyssey could be of some interest. For instance, that Neptune isn´t really an "ice giant" but also contains a lot of rock...and maybe even new and exotic forms of matter, which just await being harvested by our satellites in AD 2040.

Yeah, so about that...

More intriguing (and potentially disturbing) is the observation that Neptune is currently going through some kind of cooling event, its temperature dropping by about ten degrees anually since 1989. Note also the hypotheses about Neptune´s moons. It seems Triton was captured after the original moon´s had already been formed, essentially smashing most of them in a veritable moonpocalypse. Nereid might be the only original Neptunian satellite left. 

Anton implies that the way in which "the minor giants" Uranus and Neptune were formed may have implications for the "exoplanets" and "super-Earths" everyone is hyped up about. But again: what does that mean? More likely to harbor life, or less likely?

Auroras and ancient moonpocalypses may have some kind of intrinsic interest, but isn´t *this* what we are really looking for? Life. Or the meaning behind it. Except the insane cornucopians, who can´t wait laying their hands on all that exotic tungsten... 

Heavy water

 


Damn. It seems to be official now: the mysterious object 3I/ATLAS isn´t an alien probe (pun unintended) but an entirely natural object. A kind of comet, in fact, made of "heavy water" and other mundane substances. Blasted!

On the positive side, the comet could be 12 billion years old (!) and give us clues to how solar systems were formed in the early universe ("early" if you believe in the Big Bang). Clue: probably not as ours. It struck me that this could have some kind of consequences, too. For instance, does it make it more likely or less likely that alien star systems might harbor intelligent life (or any life)? 

The fire this time

 


The irony is that Trump might even be right about this. And yet, it´s still a surreal move. For various reasons...

Trump punishes Canada for forest fires