2-14-98 THE DEBATE OVER ETERNAL IDEAS (UNIVERSALS), PLATO, PLOTINUS

Plato was the first western sage to articulate the concept of immutable forms or "ideas", however, this concept was implicit in all the ancient mystery traditions of the east. Plotinus expanded the scope and depth of these ideal forms. If Plato described his realm of "Ideas" in their perfection, then Plotinus gave them greater life through his unrestrained appreciation for them and his philosophic descriptions of how they interact with the One, Soul and matter. Note: For Plotinus, Reality is a trinity of One, Intellect and Soul. Matter is an outgrowth of Soul and not a hypostasis, or something substantial and real.

Aristotle, and later Aquinas, took issue with the view that these eternal forms were separate from manifest creation. For them, ideas or forms of things cannot be understood as realities independent of their actuality or particularity.

Since then, forums for discussing the issue of universals versus particulars have been restricted to academic centers. The general public is either uninterested in this issue, or feels that it is too difficult to come to grips with, and, therefore, beyond possible resolution.

The ancient sages were well aware of this potential problem and brought out the science of astrology so that the reality of universal archetypes could never be in doubt. People would see how these archetypes structured daily life and would venerate them with a passion only second to that given to, reserved for, the One. Then, over time and due to historical developments that we are not fully aware of, the real science of the stars -- at least in terms of its practical applications -- was lost However, the underlying theory was not lost and people sensed in this theory profound ramifications. Thus, the shell of astrology remained alive even if its practical efficacy didn't.