Sunday, April 24, 2011

Ficino De Triplici Vita

Ficino
3x vita

242-243
In addition, the World-soul possesses by divine power precisely as many seminal reasons of things as there are Ideas in the Divine Mind, By these seminal reasons she fashions the same number of species in matter. That is why every single species corresponds through its own seminal reason to its own Idea and oftentimes through this reason it can easily receive something from the Idea--since indeed it was made through the reason from the Idea.

Accedit ad haec quod anima mundi totidem saltem rationes rerum seminales divinitus habet, quot ideae sunt in mente divina, quibus ipsa rationibus totidem fabricat species in materia. Unde unaquaeque species per propriam rationem seminalem propriae respondet ideae, facileque potest per hanc saepe aliquid illinc accipere, quandoquidem per hanc illinc est effecta.

244-245
Therefore Zoroaster called such correspondences of forms to the reasons existing in the World-soul "divine lures" and Synesius corroborated that they are magical baits.
Conguitates igitur eiusmodi formarum ad rationes animae mundi Zoroaster divinas illices appellavit, quas et Synesius magicas esse illicebras confirmavit.

250-251
Most important, the cosmos is itself an animal more unified than any other animal, the most perfect animal, provided that it is an animal. Therefore, just as in us the quality and motion of any member, in particular a principal member, extend to our other members, so in the cosmos the acts of the principal members move all the rest, and the inferior members easily receive from the highest, which are ready of their own accord to give. For the more powerful the cause, the more ready it is to act and therefore the more inclined to give. A little additional preparation, therefore, on our part suffices to capture the gifts of the celestials, provided each accommodates himself so that gift in particular to which he is particularly subject.

Et quod maximum est, mundus animal in se magis unum est quam quidvis aliud animal, si modo est animal perfectissimum. Ergo sicut in nobis membri cuiuslibet, praesertim principalis, qualitas motusque ad alia pertinet, ita membrorum principalium actus in mundo commovent omnia, et membra inferiora facile capiunt a supremis ultro dare paratis. Quo enim potentior causa est, eo est promptior ad agendum, eo igitur propensior est ad dandum. Exigua igitur praeparatio nobis insuper adhibita sufficit coelestium muneribus capiendis, si modo quisque ad id praeccipue se accommodet, cui est praecipue subditus.
252-253
If anyone begs a favor from the Moon herself and Venus, he will be obliged to do it when they are in similar periods.
Si quis autem ab ipsa Luna beneficium et a Venere poscat, tempora similia observare debebit.

Do not doubt that Saturn has quite a bit to do with gold. His weight leads people to believe so.
Neque diffidas Saturnum habere nonnihil in auro; nam propter pondus id putatur habere.

p 256-257
But let us return to the spirit of the world. The world generates everything through it (since, indeed, all things generate through their own spirit); and we can call it both "the heavens" and "quintessence." It is practically the same thing in the world's body as in our body, with this primary exception, that the World-soul does not draw this spirit out of the four elements serving as her humors the way our soul does from our humors, but she procreates this spirit in the first instance (to speak Platonically, or rather Plotinically) as if pregnant by her own generative power, and the stars along with it. Immediately through the spirit the World-soul gives birth to the four elements, as though everything were contained in the power of that spirit. Spirit is a very tenuous body, as if now it were soul and now body, and now body and not soul. In its power there is very little of the earthy nature, but more of the watery, more likewise of the airy, and again the greatest proportion of the stellar fire. The very quantities of the stars and elements have come into being according to the measures of these degrees. This spirit assuredly lives in all as the proximate cause of all generation and motion, concerning which the poet said, "A Spirit nourishes within." It is wholly clear and hot by its own nature, moist, and life-giving, having acquired these gifts from the higher gifts of Soul.

Sed ad mundi spiritum redeamus, per quem mundus generat omnia, quandoquidem et per spiritum proprium omnia generant, quem tum coelum, tum quintum essentiam possumus appellare. Qui talis ferme est in corpore mundi, qualis in nostro noster, hoc imprimis excepto, quod anima mundi hunc non trahit ex quattuor elementis, tanquam humoribus suis, sicut ex nostris nostra, immo hunc proxime (ut Platonice sive Plotinice loquar) ex virtute sua procreat genitali, quasi tumens, et simul cum eo stellas, statimque per cum parit quattuor elementa, quasi non corpus et quasi iam anima, item quasi non anima et quasi iam corpus. In eius virtute minimum est naturae terrenae, plus autem aquae, plus item aeriae, rursus igneae stellarisque quam plurimum. Ad horum graduum mensuras ipsae quantitates stellarum elementorumque prodierunt. Ipse vero ubique viget in omnibus generationis omnis proximus auctor atque motus, de quo ille: "Spiritus intus alit." Totus est suapte natura lucidus calidusque et humidus atque vivificus, ex dotibus animae superioribus dotes eiusmodi nactus.

258-259
Our spirit absorbs the spirit of the world through the rays of the Sun and of Jupiter, insofar as it becomes Solar and Jovial itself.
Spiritus noster haurit mundi spiritus per radios Solis et Iovis, quatenus ipse fit Solaris et Iovalis.

You will bend your efforts to insinuate into yourself this spirit of the world above all, for by this as an intermediary you will gain certain natural benefits not only from the world's body but from its soul, and even from the stars and the daemons. For this spirit is an intermediary between the gross body of the world and its soul; and the stars and daemons exist in it and by means of it. For whether the world's body and mundane things have their being directly from the World-soul (as Plotinus and Porphyry think) or whether the world's body just like its soul has its body directly from God, as is the opinions of our theologians and perhaps Timaeus the Pythagorean, the world does wholly live and breathe, and we are permitted to absorb its spirit. This is absorbed by man in particular through his own spirit which is by its own nature similar to it, especially if it is made more akin to it by art, that is, if it becomes in the highest degree celestial. Now it becomes celestial if it is purged of filth, and anything at all inhering in it which is unlike the heavens.

Hunc tu igitur studebis tibi imprimis insinuare, hoc enim medio naturalia quaedam beneficia reportabis, tum corporis mundani, tum animae, tum etiam stellarum atque daemonum. Nam ipse inter crassum mundi corpus et animam medius est, et in ipso stellae sunt et daemones atque per ipsum. Sive enim mundi corpus atque mundana sint ab anima mundi proxime, sicut Plotino placet atque Porphyrio, sive mundanum corpus, sicut et anima, proxime sit a deo, ut nostris placet et forte Timaeo Pythagorico, omnino vivit mundus atque spirat, spiritumque eius nobis haurire licet. Huaritur autem proprie ab homine per suum spiritum illi suapte natura conformem, maxime si reddatur etiam arte cognatior, id est, si maxime coelestis evadat. Evadit vero coelestis, si expurgetur a sordibus et omnino ab eis quae inhaerent sibi dissimilia coelo.

264-265
It is truly a discipline of special importance to grasp correctly which spirit, which force, which thing these planets especially signify. The Moon, then, and Venus signify the natural and procreative force and spirit as well as whatever increases the latter. Jupiter signifies the same, but more efficaciously, also the liver and stomach; and he plays no mean role in the heart, the spirit, and the vital power insofar as he agrees with the Sun in his own nature--and indeed he plays this role in and of himself, otherwise the heart would not properly receive the vital spirit in the month of Jupiter. This is why the Greeks call Jupiter life and the cause of life.

Praecipua vero disciplina est recte tenere quem spiritum, quam vim, quam rem potissimum hi planetae significant. Luna ergo Venusque vim et spiritum naturalem atque genitalem et quae hunc augent. Iuppiter eadem, sed efficacius heparque et stomachum, habetque non mediocrem partem in corde et spiritu virtuteque vitali, quatenus suapte natura cum Sole consentit -- immo et per se ipsum, alioquin cor vitalem spiritum non proprie in mense Iovis acciperet. Unde Iovem Graeci appellant vitam et per quem vita.

266-267
Therefore the safest way will be to do nothing without the favor of the Moon, since she conveys heavenly things generally, frequently, and easily to things below.

Proinde tutissima via erit nihil sine Lunae beneficio facere, quandoquidem coelestia communiter et frequenter atque facile ad inferiora demittit.

290-291
Likewise by a frequent use of plants and a similar use of living things, you can draw the most from the spirit of the world, especially if you nourish and foster yourself by things which are still living, fresh, and all but still clinging, as it were, to mother earth.
Item frequinti quodam usu plantarum similiterque viventium potes e mundi spiritu plurimum haurire, praesertim si adhuc viventibus recentibusque et matri terrae quasi adhuc haerentibus nutriaris atque fovearis.

294-295
A certain sweetness of taste and pleasing quality, therefore, is common to all these planets.
Dulcedo igitur quaedam saporis et gratin his omnibus est communis.

302-303
What I say of simples I want to be understood similarly of compounds.
Quod autem de simplicibus dico, de compositis similiter dictum intelligi volo.

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