#proclus

[25thhanabusa]

Oxventure Traveller Doodle dump because oh, it tickles the brain.

I love Johnny's accent and how fucking cool Proclus is. I love Proclus and his cute dog daughter.

Oh Pierce Valiant, I hate you (affectionate). He's off to go seduce Jean's ex and his mother.

Jean is cool, I wonder the story behind her eye. Well'll never know.

[a-casual-egg]

I think Jean should get to at least maim Pierce as a treat

[porphurios]

“We attempt to look at the sun for the first time and when we are far away, at least, we succeed. But the closer we approach the less we see it. And at last we see neither [sun] nor other things, since we have completely become the light itself, instead of an enlightened eye.”

— Damascius, Problems & Solutions Concerning First Principles, I 84

[alcofrybas]

At the Crossroads (@theurgist)

When paganism was murdered … How much we lost when Christianity destroyed pagan culture and wiped out about 95% of classical writings. Hea

What we lost when Christianity murdered pagan culture…

[apollophanes]

"These, therefore, being arranged according to triads, as we have said, of the demiurgic triad, indeed, Zeus is allotted the highest order, supernally from intellect governing souls and bodies, and as Socrates says, taking care of all things. But Poseidon here also gives completion to the middle of the demiurgic [triad], and especially governs the psychical order. For this God is the cause of motion, and of all generation. But soul is the first of generated natures, and is essentially motion. And Hephaestus inspires the nature of bodies, and fabricates all the mundane seats of the Gods. Again, of the guardian and immutable triad, the first indeed is Hestia, because she preserves the very being of things, and an undefiled essence. For Socrates in the Cratylus gives to her the highest order, as connectedly containing the summits of wholes. But Athena preserves middle lives inflexible, through intellection, and a self-energizing life, sustaining them from [the incursions of] matter. And Ares illuminates corporeal-formed natures with power, and an infrangible strength, as Socrates says in the Cratylus. Hence he is perfected by Athena, and participates of a more intellectual inspiration, as the poetry [of Orpheus] says, and of a life separate from generated natures. Moreover, of the vivific triad, Demeter is the chief, entirely generating all mundane life, viz. the intellectual, the psychical, and that which is inseparable from body. But Hera contains the middle of the triad, and imparts the generation of soul. For the intellectual goddess emits from herself all the progressions of the other psychical genera. And Artemis is allotted the end of the triad, moving all natural reasons into energy, and perfecting the imperfection of matter. Hence theologists, and Socrates in the Theætetus, call her Lochia, (or the power that presides over births) as being the inspective guardian of psychical progression and generation. Of the remaining triad, therefore, the anagogic, or elevating, Hermes indeed is the supplier of philosophy, and through this elevates souls, and by the dialectic powers, sends upward both total and partial souls to the good itself. But Aphrodite is the first-effective cause of the amatory inspiration which pervades through wholes, and familiarizes to the beautiful the lives that are elevated by her. And Apollo perfects and converts all things through music, convolving, as Socrates says [in the Cratylus], and through harmony and rhythm attracting to intellectual truth, and the light which is there."

— The Six Books of Proclus, the Platonic Successor, on the Theology of Plato/Book VI, Chapter XXII

[hermitslibrary]

proclus on interpreting mythology

proclus commentary on plato's republic:

"to a small number of people who have woken up to understanding, myths reveal the sympathy which they have towards reality, and the hieratic rites themselves impart faith that their power is connatural with things divine. for the gods themselves rejoice at hearing such symbols and they are persuaded readily by those who call upon them, and they show what is peculiar to them [tên heautôn idiotêta] through these tokens [synthêmata] because they are appropriate [oikeios] to them and most familiar [gnôrimos]." (in remp. I, 83.15-22)

commentary from e.p. butler:

"... myths manifest that which is 'peculiar' (idiotês) to the Gods, what is unique and individual to them, and not merely what is appropriate to them as a class. and the myths are in themselves synthêmata, a technical term from theurgy; they are just like the elements we use in ritual... one can neither interpret the myths literally, nor simply downgrade their ontological status. they are revelation, theophany, and just by virtue of that, demand interpretation, an interpretation, however, which is never completed, for the intellect can never exhaust the meaning of a myth."

source: e.p. butler's livejournal site. has a lot of interesting information that i've been chewing on for weeks.

edited to add my thoughts: love the idea that the myths are themselves theurgical tools that can be invoked and evoked. when i think of a theurgical tool i think of holy water, incense, etc., but it makes sense that for hellenic polytheists / neoplatonists / others who find meaning in greek mythology also put mythology in this category.

interested in how many levels myths are meant to be interpreted on. wondering if my brain will ever comprehend that there is no finite destination for intellectual comprehension of the myths.

[otherworldlyshade]

“Hail, O Mother of the Gods, many-named, blessed with beautiful offspring. Hail, O Hekate Prothypaie, Megasthenes.

“But also he: Hail, O Janus Propator, Zeus Aphthite. Hail, O Zeus Ypate.

“Make radiant the course of my life, and make it laden with good things. Drive away evil afflictions from my limbs and my soul, furiously raging around the earth. Draw my soul to you, after it has been purified by consciousness-stirring rites. Truly, I beg, give a hand. And with your winds bring me, exhausted, to the harbor of piety.

“Hail, O Mother of the Gods, many-named, blessed with beautiful offspring. Hail, O Hekate Prothypaie, Megasthenes.

“But also he: Hail, O Janus Propator, Zeus Aphthite. Hail, O Zeus Ypate.”

—Proclus, Hymn 6

[anoystercracker]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I need to read Proclus for my undergraduate thesis and I feel like this is more difficult than deciphering a wizard text 😭😭😭

(Yes I know that I did this to myself)