The Enneads — trans. Stephen MacKenna
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s of men, learned and illiterate, scholars as against orators, musicians as against people of other professions ? Can a power merely physical make rich or poor ? Can it bring about such conditions as in no sense depend upon the interaction of corporeal elements ? Could it, for example, bring a man such and such a brother, father, son, or wife, give him a stroke of good fortune at a particular moment, or make him generahssimo or king ?
Next, suppose the stars to have life and mind and to be effective by dehberate purpose.
In that case, what have they suffered from us that they should, in n.3-3l
ARE THE STARS CAUSES ?
i6i free will, do us hurt, they who are established in a divine place, themselves divine ? There is nothing in their nature of what makes men base, nor can our weal or woe bring them the slightest good or ill.
3.
Possibly, however, they act not by choice but under stress of their several positions and collective figures ?
But if position and figure determined their action each several one would necessarily cause identical effects with every other on entering any given place or pattern.
And that raises the question what effect for good or bad can be produced upon any one of them by its transit in the parallel of this or that section of the Zodiac circle- — for they are not in the Zodiacal figure itself but considerably beneath it — especially since, whatever point they touch, they are always in the heavens.
It is absurd to think that the particular grouping under which a star passes can modify either its character or its earthward influences. And can we imagine it altered by its own progression as it rises, stands at centre, dechnes ? Exultant when at centre ; dejected or enfeebled in declension ; some raging as they rise and growing benignant as they set, while declension brings out the best in one among them ; surely this cannot be ?
We must not forget that invariably every star, considered in itself, is at centre with regard to some one given group and in decline with regard to another and vice versa ; and, very certainly, it is not at once happy and sad, angry and kindly. There is no reasonable escape in representing some of them as glad in their setting, others in their rising ; they would still be grieving and glad at one and the same time.
Further, why should any distress of theirs work harm to us ?
No : we cannot think of them as grieving at all or as being cheerful upon occasions : they must be continuously serene, happy in the good they enjoy and the Vision before them.
nd the same time.
Further, why should any distress of theirs work harm to us ?
No : we cannot think of them as grieving at all or as being cheerful upon occasions : they must be continuously serene, happy in the good they enjoy and the Vision before them. Each lives its own free life ; each finds its Good in its own Act ; and this Act is not directed towards us.
Like the birds of augury, the living beings of the heavens, having no i62
PLOTINUS
lot or part with us, may serve incidentally to foreshow the future, but they have absolutely no main function in our regard.
4-
It is again not in reason that a particular star should be gladdened by seeing this or that other while, in a second couple, such an aspect is distressing : what enmities can affect such beings ? what causes of enmity can there be among them ?
And why should there be any difference as a given star sees certain others from the corner of a triangle or in opposition or at the angle of a square ?
Why, again, should it see its fellow from some one given position and yet, in the next Zodiacal figure, not see it, though the two are actually nearer ?
And, the cardinal question ; by what conceivable process could they affect what is attributed to them ? How explain either the action of any single star independently or, still more perplexing, the effect of their combined intentions ?
We cannot think of them entering into compromises, each renouncing something of its efficiency and their final action in our regard amounting to a concerted plan.
No one star would suppress the contribution of another, nor would star yield to star and shape its conduct under suasion.
As for the fancy that while one is glad when it enters another's region, the second is vexed when in its turn it occupies the place of the first, surely this is like starting with the supposition of two friends and then going on to talk of one being attracted to the other who, however, abhors the first.
5-
When they teU us that a certain cold star is more benevolent to us in proportion as it is further away, they clearly make its harmful influence depend upon the coldness of its nature ; and yet it ought (by this reasoning) to be beneficent to us when it is in the opposed Zodiacal figures.
p. 163
When the cold planet, we are told, is in opposition to the cold, both become menacing : but the natural effect would be a compromise.
y this reasoning) to be beneficent to us when it is in the opposed Zodiacal figures.
p. 163
When the cold planet, we are told, is in opposition to the cold, both become menacing : but the natural effect would be a compromise.
And we are asked to believe that one of them is happy by day and grows kindly under the warmth, while another, of a fiery nature, is most cheerful by night — as if it were not always day to them, light to them, and as if the first one could be darkened by night at that great distance above the earth's shadow.
Then there is the notion that the moon, in conjunction with a certain star, is softened at her full but is malignant in the same conjunction when her light has waned ; yet, if anything of this order could be admitted, the very opposite would be the case. For when she is full to us she must be dark on the further hemisphere, that is to that star which stands above her ; and when dark to us she is full to that other star, upon which only then, on the contrary, does she look with her light. To the moon itself, in fact, it can make no difference in what aspect she stands, for she is always lit on the upper or on the under half : to the other star, the warmth from the moon, of which they speak, might make a difference ; but that warmth would reach it precisely when the moon is without light to us ; at its darkest to us it is full to that other, and therefore (by the theory) beneficent. The darkness of the moon to us is of moment to the earth, but brings no trouble to the planet above. That planet, it is alleged, can give no help on account of its remoteness and therefore seems less well disposed ; but the moon at its fuU suffices to the lower realm so that the distance of the other is of no importance. When the moon, though dark to us, is in aspect with the Fiery Star she is held to be favourable : the reason alleged is that the force of Mars is all-sufficient since it contains more fire than it needs.
The truth is that while the material emanations from the living beings of the heavenly system are of various degrees of warmth — planet differing from planet in this respect — no cold comes from them : the nature of the space in which they have their being is voucher for that.
The star known as Jupiter includes a due measure of fire (and warmth), in this resembling the Morning-star and therefore seeming to be in alliance with it.