Ficino's Ascent

Bruce MacLennan

In his Commentary on Plato's Symposium (Sixth Speech, chs. XV-XIX, especially ch. XVIII) Marsilio Ficino presents a version of the divine ascent that is closely based on Plato's (and rather clearer than the original), but adapted of course to Ficino's Christianized Neoplatonism. (This is immediately followed by an interpretation of Donna me prega, the ode to Love of Guido Cavalcanti, who, you may recall, was the leader of the Fedeli d'Amore and initiated Dante into the group; see Dante and the Fedeli d'Amore.)

Order of Emanation

As we did for Plotinus, it will be helpful to begin with the levels of reality as given by Ficino, because the order of ascent reverses the order of emanation. In tabular form they are:

I (The One)

The One Itself (God) is the ultimate source of all Beauty, as the sun is the ultimate source of all light, and hence all love is directed ultimately to the One (the highest Good). Because the One is completely simple, it is above form, number, space, eternity, rest and motion. Its gift is unity: of the mind, of the soul and of the body, and even the unity of prime matter, which is the substratum of all material existence.

II (Mind)

The Mind is at the level of the Platonic World of Forms, and therefore bestows form and order on everything below. Because there are many Forms, it exists in multiplicity, but because the Forms are eternal and unchanging, the understanding of the Mind is stable and at rest; it understands from the standpoint of eternity. The mind is multiple because its activity must comprise the understander, the understanding, and the understood. Its beauty is like the light of fire.

III (Soul)

The soul is self-moving and gives the body its life and activity; its functions include nutrition, generation and growth in time. However, although the soul thus exists in time, it also exists partly in eternity, for it operates in time but its substance remains the same. It does not exist in space nor have spatial extension. The beauty of the soul is like the light of the sun in air.

IV (Body)

The body is not self-moving, but is moved by the soul. It is the recipient of the unity, form, order, life and activity of the higher levels. The body has material existence, and therefore exists in multiplicity, time and space. The beauty of the body is always in flux, like the light of the sun reflected in water. Below this is the darkness of prime matter (earth), untouched by the light of the sun.

Order of Ascent

Stage 1 (Level IV)

The ascent begins with the beauty of the body, for even this beauty is divine in origin; that is, we love the shadow of God in bodies. The danger is that the soul is so easily seduced by the beauty of the body, as Narcissus was seduced by his own reflection in the flowing water. When the soul tries to hold on to this image, it falls into the body and, flowing away, is lost, as Narcissus was when he tried to embrace his own reflection. Therefore the ascent begins with the conscious recognition that no mortal, embodied beauty can be perfect, for each person is beautiful in some respects but not in others. Thus we seek a more perfect beauty than is possible in any body.

Stage 2 (Level III)

The second stage is accomplished by constructing, through the soul's powers, a concept, the ideal of human beauty, perfect in all respects. In this way we abstract away from the inherent imperfections of matter and space, and by the soul's sequential operations create a moving pageant of images. Since the soul provides the elements of beauty from which this perfected human Form is created, the soul must be honored even more highly than this ideal human form, for the creator is admired and loved more than its creation. Thus we turn inward to learn to love the soul, which is the fountainhead of this ideal beauty. Further, we pray that our soul may be made beautiful, which is accomplished in stages:

A. Moral Virtues. In the first stages the soul is purified through the moral virtues:

• Justice, which makes us equal;
• Courage, which makes us invincible;
• Temperance, which makes us tranquil.

B. Intellectual Virtues. When this purification is accomplished, we may rise to the level of the intellectual virtues:

• Prudence, which illuminates human matters;
• Knowledge, which illuminates natural matters;
• Wisdom, which illuminates divine matters.

In the truths of the many doctrines of the virtues, there is one supreme truth, and the invisible light of this truth is the supreme beauty of the soul. In this way we love the likeness of God in our souls.

Stage 3 (Level II)

We may direct our soul's power of choice either downward, toward the body, or upward, and thereby rise into our Angelic Mind. If we direct it upward, then we escape from time and seek the Forms in their eternal, unchanging multiplicity (for they are distinct from one another, and therefore have number). In the Forms the mind comes to a state of rest, which is more perfect than motion, and achieves stability and tranquility. This is the full actuality of intelligence (which was partially potential in the lower stages), for all things will be understood from the perspective of eternity. The Forms are illuminated by the light of a single truth, which is refracted into different colors in the various Forms. This unitary wisdom is the beauty of the Angelic Mind, which is greater than the beauty of the soul. Thus we love the image of God in the Angelic Mind.

Stage 4 (Level I)

In the final stage we rise above the multiplicity of the Forms to their one source, which exists beyond space, time and number. We are illuminated by the simple light of the One Itself, as all the colors coalesce into the colorless brilliance of the sun. The One is infinite, for it is not limited, mixed, divided or incomplete in any way. It is an infinite Beauty and an ultimate Good, which therefore calls forth the greatest love. Thus we may come to love God Himself.

Source

[FCS]

Jayne, Sears Reynolds. Marsilio Ficino's Commentary on Plato's Symposium. University of Missouri Series, Vol. XIX, No. 1, 1944.