To be Plotino by Stefano Donno

Plotinus (204/5 – 270 AD) was a Greek philosopher and mystic who is considered the founder of Neoplatonism. He was a student of Ammonius Saccas, and was heavily influenced by Plato and the Pythagoreans. Plotinus developed a complex system of thought that aimed to reconcile the conflicting beliefs of various philosophical and religious traditions, and to provide a way for individuals to achieve a state of spiritual union with the divine.

Plotinus' philosophy is based on the concept of "the One", an ultimate and transcendent reality that is the source of all being and consciousness. From the One emanate the Intellect, the Soul, and the material world. The Intellect is the realm of eternal, unchanging ideas, while the Soul is the realm of individual souls, which are responsible for the material world.

Plotinus believed that the ultimate goal of human existence is to transcend the material world and reunite with the One. He taught that this can be achieved through contemplation, asceticism, and the practice of virtue.

Plotinus' ideas had a significant influence on the development of Western philosophy and mysticism, and his works were highly regarded by medieval and Renaissance thinkers, including St. Augustine and Marsilio Ficino. His teachings were also an important influence on the development of the Hermetica, a collection of texts which were influential in the development of Hermeticism and Western esotericism.