It is not in the soul's nature to touch utter nothingness; the lowest descent is into evil and, so far, into non-being: but to utter nothing, never. When the soul begins again to mount, it comes not to something alien but to its very self; thus detached, it is not in nothingness but in itself; self-gathered it is no longer in the order of being; it is in the Supreme. There is thus a converse in virtue of which the essential man outgrows Being, becomes identical with the Transcendent of Being.

The self thus lifted, we are in the likeness of the Supreme: if from that heightened self we pass still higher- image to archetype- we have won the Term of all our journeying. Fallen back again, we awaken the virtue within until we know ourselves all order once more; once more we are lightened of the burden and move by virtue towards Intellectual-Principle and through the Wisdom in That to the Supreme.

This is the life of gods and of the godlike and blessed among men, liberation from the alien that besets us here, a life taking no pleasure in the things of earth, the passing of solitary to solitary.

Οὐ γὰρ δὴ εἰς τὸ πάντη μὴ ὂν ἥξει ἡ ψυχῆς φύσις͵ ἀλλὰ κάτω μὲν βᾶσα εἰς κακὸν ἥξει͵ καὶ οὕτως εἰς μὴ ὄν͵ οὐκ εἰς τὸ παντελὲς μὴ ὄν. Τὴν ἐναντίαν δὲ δραμοῦσα ἥξει οὐκ εἰς ἄλλο͵ ἀλλ΄ εἰς αὑτήν͵ καὶ οὕτως οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῳ οὖσα οὐκ ἐν οὐδενί ἐστιν͵ ἀλλ΄ ἐν αὑτῇ· τὸ δὲ ἐν αὑτῇ μόνῃ καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ὄντι ἐν ἐκείνῳ· γίνεται γὰρ καὶ αὐτός τις οὐκ οὐσία͵ ἀλλ΄ ἐπέκεινα οὐσίας ταύτῃ͵ ᾗ προσομιλεῖ.  

Εἴ τις οὖν τοῦτο αὑτὸν γενόμενον ἴδοι͵ ἔχει ὁμοίωμα ἐκείνου αὑτόν͵ καὶ εἰ ἀφ΄ αὑτοῦ μεταβαίνοι ὡς εἰκὼν πρὸς ἀρχέτυπον͵ τέλος ἂν ἔχοι τῆς πορείας. Ἐκπίπτων δὲ τῆς θέας πάλιν ἐγείρας ἀρετὴν τὴν ἐν αὑτῷ καὶ κατανοήσας ἑαυτὸν ταύταις κεκοσμημένον πάλιν κουφισθήσεται δι΄ ἀρετῆς ἐπὶ νοῦν ἰὼν καὶ σοφίαν καὶ διὰ σοφίας ἐπ΄ αὐτό. 

Καὶ οὗτος θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων θείων καὶ εὐδαιμόνων βίος͵ ἀπαλλαγὴ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τῇδε͵ βίος ἀνήδονος τῶν τῇδε͵ φυγὴ μόνου πρὸς μόνον. 

Cf. PLATO : The Real World, Who is a philosopher?, Paideia - out of the cave, Self-knowledge, Wisdom, We are a heavenly flower, Becoming like God ||| BASIL THE GREAT : We must strive after a quiet mind ||| MACARIUS THE GREAT : Overcome by Heavenly Desire ||| PROCLUS : Divine Truth ||| PETER DAMASCENE : What is true faith? ||| GREGORY PALAMAS : Calling everything near Him