The Life of Plotinus

A certain Olympius, who had been a student of Ammonius for a short time, adopted a competitive attitude toward Plotinus, even with? him being an Egyptian, so that he even attempted to use "moon-spells" original: "selēnēsai," referring to malicious astrological magic or "star-striking" intended to cause harm against him. But when he perceived that the attempt was being turned back back upon himself, he told his associates that the power of Plotinus’s soul was so great that it was able to repel these directed attacks back onto those who were trying to harm him.

Indeed, Plotinus said that while Olympius was making these attempts, his own body at that time felt to him like a "drawstring purse" being pulled tight, as he watched his limbs being squeezed together against one another. After having frequently put himself at risk and suffering the very things he intended to do to Plotinus, Olympius finally ceased his attacks.

It was clear that Plotinus possessed something superior to others from his very birth. A certain Egyptian priest, having come to Rome and becoming known to him through a friend, wished to give a demonstration of his own wisdom and requested that Plotinus come to witness the appearance of his "tutelary spirit" daemon: in Neoplatonism, a personal guardian spirit or divine guide that accompanies an individual throughout life.

Plotinus readily agreed, and the invocation took place in the Iseum The Temple of Isis in Rome; for they say this was the only "pure" spot the Egyptian could find in Rome. When the spirit was summoned to visible appearance, a god came forth, and not one of the lower order of spirits. At this, the Egyptian exclaimed: "Blessed are you, who have a god for your guardian spirit and not one of the inferior kind!"

It was not possible, however, to ask any questions or to see the spirit for any longer, because the friend who was watching with them strangled the birds he was holding for protection Traditional ritual practice used birds as a safeguard or to "anchor" the spirit; their death usually ended the vision—whether out of envy or some kind of fear. Since he had such a superior spirit as his companion, Plotinus constantly directed his intellectual eye intellect toward it. For this reason, and starting from this cause, he wrote the book On Our Allotted Guardian Spirit Ennead III.4, where he attempts to provide explanations for the differences among these companion spirits.

Amelius, who had become a close friend... The text breaks off as it introduces Amelius, another of Plotinus's famous disciples, and his observation of the New Moon rituals.