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The movements of the soul are similar to the movements of heaven

Τῶν πρωτοτύπων οὐρανοῦ κινημάτων
καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ προσφυῶν παθημάτων
εὕροις παρ’ ἡμῖν εἰκόνας κεκρυμμένας.
Ὁ νοῦς γὰρ ἡμῖν οἷα λαμπρὸς φωσφόρος
τὸν ἥλιόν πως εἰκονίζει πανσόφως,
τῆς δ’ αὖ σελήνης ἐστὶν ἡ ψυχὴ τύπος.
ὁ μὲν γάρ, ὡς κάλλιστος, ὡς φωστὴρ μέγας,
ὅλος διαυγής ἐστιν, ἀστραπηβόλος,
ψυχὴ δέ, προσπεσοῦσα σώματος φύσει,
ἐξ ἡμισείας ὥσπερ αὐγάζει μόνον·
τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἰς νοῦν προσφυῶς ἀνηγμένον
φωτὸς μετέσχεν ὥσπερ ἐκ πρώτου φάους,
τὸ δ’ αὖ γε πρὸς αἴσθησιν ἐμπεσὸν κάτω
καὶ φωτὸς ἠμοίρησε καὶ σκότους γέμει.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀκρότησι τῶν ἄνω λόγων
βρύει διαυγεῖ γνωστικῶς λαμπηδόνι·
ἡ δέ, πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇ σκιᾷ καθημένη,
ἐκεῖθεν ἠμαύρωσεν αὐτῆς τὴν φύσιν,
καί πως σκοτώδης, ἀχλύος πεπλησμένη,
ὑποδραμοῦσα τὸν νοητὸν φωσφόρον
συνέσχεν αὐτοῦ τὰς διαυγεῖς λαμπάδας.
Κἀκεῖ μέν ἐστι γῆ, σελήνη, φωσφόρος,
ψυχὴ δὲ καὶ σὰρξ ὧδε καὶ νοῦς προσφόρως·
ἓν οὖν πρὸς ἕν πως ἀντίθες, πλὴν εὐλόγως,
πρὸς ἥλιον νοῦν, σῶμα πρὸς γῆν εὐθέτως,
τὴν ψυχικὴν δὲ πρὸς σελήνην οὐσίαν.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ αὐτόχρημα φωτὸς οὐσία,
τὸ σῶμα λαμπρότητος ἐστερημένον,
ψυχὴ δὲ τυγχάνουσα μέση τῶν δύο
τὸ μὲν τέτευχε φωτὸς ὡς νοῦ πλησίον,
τὸ δ’ οὐ τέτευχεν ἐγγὺς οὖσα σωμάτων.

Νόος, πτέρυξι καρδίας […],
εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνελθε συντομωτάτως,
τῶν ἀγγέλων δίελθε τὰς μυριάδας,
ἀρχαγγέλων πάρελθε τὰς τριαρχίας,
θείῳ θρόνῳ πρόσελθε τῷ τῆς τριάδος…

You will find in us a hidden image
of the primordial movements of heaven
and of the inherent passions in it.
Our intellect, as a shining light-bearer,
represents in some way the very wise sun.
The soul is an imitation of the moon.
As the most beautiful and greatest light
the intellect is all luminous and bright.
But the soul, after falling in the nature of the body,
only shines in a half.
Whatever is brought aptly to the intellect
has a participation in the light as in the first one.
But if something falls down to perception,
it will be deprived of light and full of darkness.
While the intellect hears the sublime words
and refers them wisely with splendid bright,
the soul, sitting amid shadows, is darkened there in her nature.
In the dark somehow, surrounded by obscurity
and running out of the intelligible light,
embraces its shining rays.
And here is the earth, moon, light-bearer,
soul and flesh and mind accordingly.
One against another they oppose somehow, save in good language, intellect with the sun, body with the earth,
animated substance with the moon.
For the intellect is naturally the substance of the light,
the body has not any bright,
and the soul, which happens to be between both of them, participates of the light when close to the intellect,
and does not participate, when near the body.

Intellect, with the wings of the heart […],
Go up most swiftly to heavens,
Cross the angelic multitudes,
Advance through the triarchies of archangels,
Arrive before the divine throne of Trinity […]

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