the six enneads- 第85部分

way　of　analogy；　or　by　the　syllogistic　reasoning　whose　grounds　lie　elsewhere；　the　power　which；　even　here；　we　possess　of　discoursing　upon　the　Intellectual　Beings　is　vested；　as　we　show；　in　that　principle　which　alone　is　capable　of　their　contemplation。　That；　we　must　awaken；　so　to　speak；　and　thus　attain　the　vision　of　the　Supreme；　as　one；　standing　on　some　lofty　height　and　lifting　his　eyes；　sees　what　to　those　that　have　not　mounted　with　him　is　invisible。　　　　　Memory；　by　this　account；　commences　after　the　soul　has　left　the　higher　spheres；　it　is　first　known　in　the　celestial　period。　　　　　A　soul　that　has　descended　from　the　Intellectual　region　to　the　celestial　and　there　comes　to　rest；　may　very　well　be　understood　to　recognize　many　other　souls　known　in　its　former　state　supposing　that；　as　we　have　said；　it　retains　recollection　of　much　that　it　knew　here。　This　recognition　would　be　natural　if　the　bodies　with　which　those　souls　are　vested　in　the　celestial　must　reproduce　the　former　appearance；　supposing　the　spherical　form　＇of　the　stars　inhabited　by　souls　in　the　mid…realm＇　means　a　change　of　appearance；　recognition　would　go　by　character；　by　the　distinctive　quality　of　personality：　this　is　not　fantastic；　conditions　changing　need　not　mean　a　change　of　character。　If　the　souls　have　mutual　conversation；　this　too　would　mean　recognition。　　　　　But　those　whose　descent　from　the　Intellectual　is　complete；　how　is　it　with　them？　　　　　They　will　recall　their　memories；　of　the　same　things；　but　with　less　force　than　those　still　in　the　celestial；　since　they　have　had　other　experiences　to　remember；　and　the　lapse　of　time　will　have　utterly　obliterated　much　of　what　was　formerly　present　to　them。　　　　　But　what　way　of　remembering　the　Supreme　is　left　if　the　souls　have　turned　to　the　sense…known　kosmos；　and　are　to　fall　into　this　sphere　of　process？　　　　　They　need　not　fall　to　the　ultimate　depth：　their　downward　movement　may　be　checked　at　some　one　moment　of　the　way；　and　as　long　as　they　have　not　touched　the　lowest　of　the　region　of　process　＇the　point　at　which　non…being　begins＇　there　is　nothing　to　prevent　them　rising　once　more。　　　　　6。　Souls　that　descend；　souls　that　change　their　state…　these；　then；　may　be　said　to　have　memory；　which　deals　with　what　has　come　and　gone；　but　what　subjects　of　remembrance　can　there　be　for　souls　whose　lot　is　to　remain　unchanged？　　　　　The　question　touches　memory　in　the　stars　in　general；　and　also　in　the　sun　and　moon　and　ends　by　dealing　with　the　soul　of　the　All；　even　by　audaciously　busying　itself　with　the　memories　of　Zeus　himself。　The　enquiry　entails　the　examination　and　identification　of　acts　of　understanding　and　of　reasoning　in　these　beings；　if　such　acts　take　place。　　　　　Now　if；　immune　from　all　lack；　they　neither　seek　nor　doubt；　and　never　learn；　nothing　being　absent　at　any　time　from　their　knowledge…　what　reasonings；　what　processes　of　rational　investigation；　can　take　place　in　them；　what　acts　of　the　understanding？　　　　　Even　as　regards　human　concerns　they　have　no　need　for　observation　or　method；　their　administration　of　our　affairs　and　of　earth's　in　general　does　not　go　so；　the　right　ordering；　which　is　their　gift　to　the　universe；　is　effected　by　methods　very　different。　　　　　In　other　words；　they　have　seen　God　and　they　do　not　remember？　　　　　Ah；　no：　it　is　that　they　see　God　still　and　always；　and　that；　as　long　as　they　see；　they　cannot　tell　themselves　they　have　had　the　vision；　such　reminiscence　is　for　souls　that　have　lost　it。　　　　　7。　Well　but　can　they　not　tell　themselves　that　yesterday；　or　last　year；　they　moved　round　the　earth；　that　they　lived　yesterday　or　at　any　given　moment　in　their　lives？　　　　　Their　living　is　eternal；　and　eternity　is　an　unchanging　unity。　To　identify　a　yesterday　or　a　last　year　in　their　movement　would　be　like　isolating　the　movement　of　one　of　the　feet；　and　finding　a　this　or　a　that　and　an　entire　series　in　what　is　a　single　act。　The　movement　of　the　celestial　beings　is　one　movement：　it　is　our　measuring　that　presents　us　with　many　movements；　and　with　distinct　days　determined　by　intervening　nights：　There　all　is　one　day；　series　has　no　place；　no　yesterday；　no　last　year。　　　　　Still：　the　space　traversed　is　different；　there　are　the　various　sections　of　the　Zodiac：　why；　then；　should　not　the　soul　say　〃I　have　traversed　that　section　and　now　I　am　in　this　other？〃　If；　also；　it　looks　down　over　the　concerns　of　men；　must　it　not　see　the　changes　that　befall　them；　that　they　are　not　as　they　were；　and；　by　that　observation；　that　the　beings　and　the　things　concerned　were　otherwise　formerly？　And　does　not　that　mean　memory？　　　　　8。　But；　we　need　not　record　in　memory　all　we　see；　mere　incidental　concomitants　need　not　occupy　the　imagination；　when　things　vividly　present　to　intuition；　or　knowledge；　happen　to　occur　in　concrete　form；　it　is　not　necessary…　unless　for　purposes　of　a　strictly　practical　administration…　to　pass　over　that　direct　acquaintance；　and　fasten　upon　the　partial　sense…presentation；　which　is　already　known　in　the　larger　knowledge；　that　of　the　Universe。　　　　　I　will　take　this　point　by　point：　　　　　First：　it　is　not　essential　that　everything　seen　should　be　laid　up　in　the　mind；　for　when　the　object　is　of　no　importance；　or　of　no　personal　concern；　the　sensitive　faculty；　stimulated　by　the　differences　in　the　objects　present　to　vision；　acts　without　accompaniment　of　the　will；　and　is　alone　in　entertaining　the　impression。　The　soul　does　not　take　into　its　deeper　recesses　such　differences　as　do　not　meet　any　of　its　needs；　or　serve　any　of　its　purposes。　Above　all；　when　the　soul's　act　is　directed　towards　another　order；　it　must　utterly　reject　the　memory　of　such　things；　things　over　and　done　with　now；　and　not　even　taken　into　knowledge　when　they　were　present。　　　　　On　the　second　point：　circumstances；　purely　accidental；　need　not　be　present　to　the　imaging　faculty；　and　if　they　do　so　appear　they　need　not　be　retained　or　even　observed；　and　in　fact　the　impression　of　any　such　circumstance　does　not　entail　awareness。　Thus　in　local　movement；　if　there　is　no　particular　importance　to　us　in　the　fact　that　we　pass　through　first　this　and　then　that　portion　of　air；　or　that　we　proceed　from　some　particular　point；　we　do　not　take　notice；　or　even　know　it　as　we　walk。　Similarly；　if　it　were　of　no　importance　to　us　to　accomplish　any　given　journey；　mere　movement　in　the　air　being　the　main　concern；　we　would　not　trouble　to　ask　at　what　particular　point　of　place　we　were；　or　what　distance　we　had　traversed；　if　we　have　to　observe　only　the　act　of　movement　and　not　its　duration；　nothing　to　do　which　obliges　us　to　think　of　time；　the　minutes　are　not　recorded　in　our　minds。　　　　　And　finally；　it　is　of　common　knowledge　that；　when　the　understanding　is　possessed　of　the　entire　act　undertaken　and　has　no　reason　to　foresee　any　departure　from　the　normal；　it　will　no　longer　observe　the　detail；　in　a　process　unfailingly　repeated　without　variation；　attention　to　the　unvarying　detail　is　idleness。　　　　　So　it　is　with　the　stars。　They　pass　from　point　to　point；　but　they　move　on　their　own　affairs　and　not　for　the　sake　of　traversing　the　space　they　actually　cover；　the　vision　of　the　things　that　appear　on　the　way；　the　journey　by；　nothing　of　this　is　their　concern：　their　passing　this　or　that　is　of　accident　not　of　essence；　and　their　intention　is　to　greater　objects：　moreover　each　of　them　journeys；　unchangeably；　the　same　unchanging　way；　and　again；　there　is　no　question　to　them　of　the　time　they　spend　in　any　given　section　of　the　journey；　even　supposing　time　division　to　be　possible　in　the　case。　All　this　granted；　nothing　makes　it　necessary　that　they　should　have　any　memory　of　places　or　times　traversed。　Besides　this　life　of　the　ensouled　stars　is　one　identical　thing　＇since　they　are　one　in　the　All…Soul＇　so　that　their　very　spatial　movement　is　pivoted　upon　identity　and　resolves　itself　into　a　movement　not　spatial　but　vital；　the　movement　of　a　single　living　being　whose　act　is　directed　to　itself；　a　being　which　to　anything　outside　is　at　rest；　but　is　in　movement　by　dint　of　the　inner　life　it　possesses；　the　eternal　life。　Or　we　may　take　the　comparison　of　the　movement　of　the　heavenly　bodies　to　a　choral　dance；　if　we　think　of　it　as　a　dance　which　comes　to　rest　at　some　given　period；　the　entire　dance；　accomplished　from　beginning　to　end；　will　be　perfect　while　at　each　partial　stage　it　was　imperfect：　but　if　the　dance　is　a　thing　of　eternity；　it　is　in　eternal　perfection。　And　if　it　is　in　eternal　perfection；　it　has　no　points　of　time　and　place　at　which　it　will　achieve　perfection；　it　will；　therefore；　have　no　concern　about　attaining　to　any　such　points：　it　will；　therefore；　make　no　measurements　of　time　or　place；　it　will　have；　therefore；　no　memory　of　time　and　place。　　　　　If　the　stars　live　a　blessed　life　in　their　vision　of　the　life　inherent　in　their　souls；　and　if；　by　force　of　their　souls'　tendency　to　become　one；　and　by　the　light　they　cast　from　themselves　upon　the　entire　heavens；　they　are　like　the　strings　of　a　lyre　which；　being　struck　in　tune；　sing　a　melody　in　some　natural　scale。。。　if　this　is　the　way　the　heavens；　as　one；　are　moved；　and　the　component　parts　in　their　relation　to　the　whole…　the　sidereal　system　moving　as　one；　and　each　part　in　its　own　way；　to　the　same　purpose；　though　each；　too；　hold　its　own　place…　then　our　doctrine　is　all　the　more　surely　established；　the　life　of　the　heavenly　bodies　is　the　more　clearly　an　unbroken　unity。　　　　　9。　But　Zeus…　ordering　all；　governor；