Among the seven planets, the Moon is responsible for bringing nature (φύσις) to mortal things, since it is the self-revealing image (αὔτοπτον ἄγαλμα) of originative nature, while the Sun is the creator of all perceptions (αἰσθήσεων) because it is the cause of sight and of being seen. Mercury is the cause of the motions of imagination (φαντασίας κινήσεων) – for it is the Sun that gives the substance (οὐσία) to the power of imagination, perception and imagination having one and the same substance. Venus is the cause of passionate desires (ἐπιθυμητικῶν ὀρέξεων), while Mars is the cause of motions of the spirited part (θυμοειδῶν κινήσεων) of the soul that are natural for each thing. Jupiter is the cause of all vital powers in general (ζωτικῶν πασῶν δυνάμεων), while Saturn is responsible for the powers of understanding (γνωστικῶν), for all the irrational species are divided into these. Therefore the causes of these things are antecedently comprehended among the celestial beings (ἐν τοῖς οὐρανίοις) – causes of these things here which the Father no doubt introduced and seated in their celestial circles (ἐν τοῖς οὐρανίοις κύκλοις) with different ones in different places according to the order (κατὰ τὴν… τάξιν) that each one belongs to. More gold from Proclus on the septenary of the human psyche, quoted in Correspondences and Invocation by Brian Patrick Alt (Phainolis Isopsephia). #theurgy #neoplatonism #proclus #pgm #sevenplanets #esotericpsychology #ancientwisdom #ancientmagic #esoteric #ancientegypt #iamblichus #brianpatrickalt #philosophy #mysticism #spirituality #spiritualpath #awakening
Just as it is necessary to give perfect consideration to the whole cosmos, so too is it necessary in the case of the human being, because he too is a cosmos on a small scale. He too has an intellect and reason and a divine body and a mortal one, just like the universe, and he has been divided up in a way that corresponds to the divisions of the universe. Consequently some people are in the habit of saying that our intellective faculty (τὸ νοερόν) has been made to correspond to the sphere of the fixed stars; whereas of our reason the contemplative faculty (τὸ θεωρητικόν) corresponds to Saturn and the socio-political (τὸ πολιτικόν) to Jupiter and of the non-rational the spirited (τὸ θυμοειδές) corresponds to Mars, the speech-related (τὸ φωνητικόν) to Mercury, the desiring (τὸ ἐπιθυμητικόν) to Venus, the sensation (τὸ αἰσθητικόν) to the Sun, and the vegetative (τὸ φυτικόν) to the Moon; the luminous vehicle (τὸ αὐγοειδὲς ὄχημα) to the heaven, while this mortal one corresponds to the sublunary world. Accordingly, so that you may be able to see the totality in partial and particular fashion, the principle of construction involving humans has been made to correspond to cosmic physics as a whole. Proclus on the septenary of the human psyche, as quoted in Correspondences and Invocation by Brian Patrick Alt (Phainolis Isopsephia). If you are into the glorious world of ancient theurgy, Neoplatonism, PGM, Hermetica and the ancient mysteries in general please look up and support this man’s incredible work on Academia and Patreon (Practical Theurgy). Artwork is from the works of Robert Fludd #theurgy #neoplatonism #proclus #pgm #sevenplanets #esotericpsychology #ancientwisdom #ancientmagic #esoteric #ancientegypt #iamblichus #brianpatrickalt #philosophy #mysticism #spirituality #spiritualpath #sevenspheres #chakras #microcosm