Neoplatonic Virtue: Fate, Daimon, and the Life of Proclus
In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we weave together myth, astrology, and biography.
We begin with questions about the how to give narrative structure to time through calendrical rhythms, planetary days, and astrological techniques such as the solar return and Aries ingress. These practices reveal how time and fate can be given form and judgment.
From there, we explore the role of the personal daimon: not merely a “guardian angel,” but the author of one’s life story — a higher cause that ensures the chosen life plays out. This leads to discussions of Plotinus, Iamblichus, and the place of theurgy in correcting or reorienting a life gone astray.
In the final part of the class, we turn to Marinus’ Life of Proclus, reading and discussing Proclus’ upbringing, his devotion to Athena and Apollo, his prodigious memory, and his early training in rhetoric before turning fully to philosophy.
📚 Topics covered:
Calendars, planetary days, and yearly judgments of fate
Solar returns, Aries ingress, and mundane astrology
The personal daimon as author of a life
Fate vs. Providence, and the role of theurgy
Reading the Life of Proclus: childhood, education, divine protection
This session situates Proclus’ life within the larger Neoplatonic vision of fate, daimons, and divine friendship.
Transcript
No transcript is available for this video.