Plotinus The Enneads -

The first emanation from the One. It contains the totality of Platonic Forms and represents eternal, non-discursive thinking where the thinker and the thought are one.

Plotinus describes a hierarchical universe emanating from three foundational principles: PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS

At the furthest point of emanation lies matter, which Plotinus identifies as evil because it is the total absence of form and "light". The Return: Ethics and Beauty The first emanation from the One

Physical beauty is a "reminder" of the higher beauty of the Forms. Contemplating beautiful things can trigger the soul's memory of its divine origin. PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS

For Plotinus, the goal of human life is the of the soul back to its source.