Climbing the Great Chain of Being

In life, two modes of thinking exist: the vertical and the horizontal.

“This image of eternity is what we have come to call "time", since along with the creation of the universe he devised and created days, nights, months, and years, which did not exist before the creation of the universe. They are all parts of time, and 'was' and 'will be' are created aspects of time which we thoughtlessly and mistakenly apply to that which is eternal. For we say that it was, is, and will be, when in fact only 'is' truly belongs to it, while 'was' and 'will be' are properties of things that are created and that change over time, since 'was' and 'will be' are both changes.” - Plato

The Horizontal

The horizontal exists in time. One thing follows another, “the clockwork universe". The driving to a place, then buying something, then going to another place. The sequential.

The horizontal is the playing out of eternal patterns in time. A form comes out into reality, does what it needs to do, and then returns. The playing out is horizontal, the coming from form and and going into is vertical.

The scientist can only think in horizontal.

The Vertical

The vertical is a descending or ascending movement. The vertical is ontological, is compromised of the chain of being.

The world is inherently symbolic, points to higher realities which hold lower in existence.

The lower participates in the higher. The particular exists and points to the higher. The rose window points to the existence of the church, points to the existences of beauty and points to the existence of God.

Each of these steps is non-provable, as they operate on different planes of existence.

The vertical is an idea descending in the chain of being, coming into existence. The idea exists primarily before the actualisation or coming into time.

Beauty is eternal, but is not in one item. Some things owe their existence to Beauty.

The End

The two different ways of thinking, the horizontal and vertical are both necessary.