Editing Theurgy (section)

=== Iamblichus ===
[[Iamblichus]], a student of [[Anatolius of Laodicea|Anatolius]] and associate of [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]] (who had studied under [[Plotinus]]), developed a more elaborate and ritual-centered form of theurgy. His system emphasized [[invocation]], ritual action, and the use of symbolic materials to engage the divine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/neoplato/|title=Neo-Platonism &#124; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref> In his major work, ''[[On the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians]]'', Iamblichus described theurgy as a kind of ritualized [[cosmogony]]—a reenactment of the divine creative process—through which the [[Divine embodiment|embodied soul]] participates in the maintenance and restoration of cosmic order.<ref name="Shaw-1971"/>

Iamblichus' analysis was that the transcendent cannot be grasped with mental contemplation because the transcendent is supra-rational. Theurgy is a series of rituals and operations aimed at recovering the transcendent essence by retracing the divine 'signatures' through the layers of being.<ref>SIORVANES, LUCAS (1998). Iamblichus. In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Retrieved September 17, 2013, from [http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/A062]</ref> Education is important for comprehending the scheme of things as presented by Aristotle, Plato, and Pythagoras. The theurgist works 'like with like': at the material level, with physical symbols; at the higher level, with mental and purely spiritual practices. Starting with correspondences of the divine in matter, the theurgist eventually reaches the level where the soul's inner divinity unites with the One.<ref name="Shaw-1971">Shaw, Gregory, ''Theurgy and the Soul: The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus'', Penn State Press, 1971, page 115.</ref>