HENOTHEISM

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Henotheism is the worship of a single, supreme god that does not deny the existence or possible existence of other deities. The term itself comes from the Greek word henosis (ἕνωσις), meaning "union" or "oneness". Thus, Henosis refers to the process or state of union with the divine or ultimate reality, as the highest form of spiritual achievement.

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The Structure of Reality (The One, The Nous, and The Soul)

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In Plotinus' metaphysical system, the structure of reality is organized in a threefold manner:

• The One: The source of all being, beyond all comprehension, beyond all attributes, and transcendent of everything.

• The Nous: The realm of divine intellect or pure thought, emanating directly from the One.

• The Soul: The world-soul, which is the principle of life and structure in the cosmos, emanating from the Nous.

 

The journey toward henosis involves moving through these levels of reality and transcending the multiplicity of the material world, ultimately returning to the One.

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Henosis and the Divine

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Henosis is often understood as a mystical union where the individual self merges with the divine in a state of absolute oneness. In this sense, it is sometimes described in paradoxical terms:

• The person becomes one with the divine, but without losing their individuality. It is not a loss of identity but a transcendence of the limitations of individual identity.

• The individual realizes that the soul is, in its essence, already part of the divine and only needs to realize this truth through spiritual discipline.

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