Re: VMs: Demons, Daimones, Daemones...

[Pamela Richards <spirlhelix@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, Nick!

This is an excerpt from Plato's _The Republic_.  Plato
recounts the story of a man who returned from the dead
with his memory intact, and explains in detail the
process of reincarnation.  Those who had died were
instructed to choose new lives for themselves, as well
as a "genius" to guide them through their life:  

>From Plato's _The Republic_, Book X:

'but first of all there came a prophet who arranged
them in order; then he took from the knees of Lachesis
lots and samples of lives, and having mounted a high
pulpit, spoke as follows: "Hear the word of Lachesis,
the daughter of Necessity. Mortal souls, behold a new
cycle of life and mortality. Your genius will not be
allotted to you, but you choose your genius; and let
him who draws the first lot have the first choice, and
the life which he chooses shall be his destiny. Virtue
is free, and as a man honours or dishonours her he
will have more or less of her; the responsibility is
with the chooser ? God is justified." '

Note that she says "your genius will not be alloted to
you, but you will choose your genius."  This term
"genius" is also used to describe the daemon that
accompanies us for life.

Later, Plato elaborates:

"All the souls had now chosen their lives, and they
went in the order of their choice to Lachesis, who
sent with them the genius whom they had severally
chosen, to be the guardian of their lives and the
fulfiller of the choice: this genius led the souls
first to Clotho, and drew them within the revolution
of the spindle impelled by her hand, thus ratifying
the destiny of each; and then, when they were fastened
to this, carried them to Atropos, who spun the threads
and made them irreversible. . ."

More food for thought.

Warmly,

Pam

=====
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."


		
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