the six enneads- 第52部分

to　say　that　the　dominant　is　the　spirit　which　takes　possession　of　the　human　being　at　birth？　　　　　No：　the　dominant　is　the　Prior　of　the　individual　spirit；　it　presides　inoperative　while　its　secondary　acts：　so　that　if　the　acting　force　is　that　of　men　of　the　sense…life；　the　tutelary　spirit　is　the　Rational　Being；　while　if　we　live　by　that　Rational　Being；　our　tutelary　Spirit　is　the　still　higher　Being；　not　directly　operative　but　assenting　to　the　working　principle。　The　words　〃You　shall　yourselves　choose〃　are　true；　then；　for　by　our　life　we　elect　our　own　loftier。　　　　　But　how　does　this　spirit　come　to　be　the　determinant　of　our　fate？　　　　　It　is　not　when　the　life　is　ended　that　it　conducts　us　here　or　there；　it　operates　during　the　lifetime；　when　we　cease　to　live；　our　death　hands　over　to　another　principle　this　energy　of　our　own　personal　career。　　　　　That　principle　＇of　the　new　birth＇　strives　to　gain　control；　and　if　it　succeeds　it　also　lives　and　itself；　in　turn；　possesses　a　guiding　spirit　＇its　next　higher＇：　if　on　the　contrary　it　is　weighed　down　by　the　developed　evil　in　the　character；　the　spirit　of　the　previous　life　pays　the　penalty：　the　evil…liver　loses　grade　because　during　his　life　the　active　principle　of　his　being　took　the　tilt　towards　the　brute　by　force　of　affinity。　If；　on　the　contrary；　the　Man　is　able　to　follow　the　leading　of　his　higher　Spirit；　he　rises：　he　lives　that　Spirit；　that　noblest　part　of　himself　to　which　he　is　being　led　becomes　sovereign　in　his　life；　this　made　his　own；　he　works　for　the　next　above　until　he　has　attained　the　height。　　　　　For　the　Soul　is　many　things；　is　all；　is　the　Above　and　the　Beneath　to　the　totality　of　life：　and　each　of　us　is　an　Intellectual　Kosmos；　linked　to　this　world　by　what　is　lowest　in　us；　but；　by　what　is　the　highest；　to　the　Divine　Intellect：　by　all　that　is　intellective　we　are　permanently　in　that　higher　realm；　but　at　the　fringe　of　the　Intellectual　we　are　fettered　to　the　lower；　it　is　as　if　we　gave　forth　from　it　some　emanation　towards　that　lower；　or；　rather　some　Act；　which　however　leaves　our　diviner　part　not　in　itself　diminished。　　　　　4。　But　is　this　lower　extremity　of　our　intellective　phase　fettered　to　body　for　ever？　　　　　No：　if　we　turn；　this　turns　by　the　same　act。　　　　　And　the　Soul　of　the　All…　are　we　to　think　that　when　it　turns　from　this　sphere　its　lower　phase　similarly　withdraws？　　　　　No：　for　it　never　accompanied　that　lower　phase　of　itself；　it　never　knew　any　coming；　and　therefore　never　came　down；　it　remains　unmoved　above；　and　the　material　frame　of　the　Universe　draws　close　to　it；　and；　as　it　were；　takes　light　from　it；　no　hindrance　to　it；　in　no　way　troubling　it；　simply　lying　unmoved　before　it。　　　　　But　has　the　Universe；　then；　no　sensation？　〃It　has　no　Sight；〃　we　read；　since　it　has　no　eyes；　and　obviously　it　has　not　ears；　nostrils；　or　tongue。　Then　has　it　perhaps　such　a　consciousness　as　we　have　of　our　own　inner　conditions？　　　　　No：　where　all　is　the　working　out　of　one　nature；　there　is　nothing　but　still　rest；　there　is　not　even　enjoyment。　Sensibility　is　present　as　the　quality　of　growth　is；　unrecognized。　But　the　Nature　of　the　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