Each Monad is a microcosm of Deity at a specific point in creation. That is to say that each Monad contains the personality and potential of God/dess as it existed in the moment of the Monad’s creation. It is as if God/dess had taken a series of snapshots of Herself as She created the universe and given them each an independent existence.
Consequently, the Monads also represent the process through which all things naturally proceed in any given situation. The Monads might be regarded as specific points in the process by which existence came into being; as successive waves of creation from which Souls then emanate.
Pythagoras represented this idea by using the single digit numbers 1 - 9, each of which has specific qualities and which follow one another naturally in a sequence which begins again once the cycle is completed. Pythagoras’ nine Numbers of course are an Ennead.
In the same way, the Monads represent the steps of creation and existence which begin again once the cycle has reached its fullest extension.
The
Nine Monads
Having discussed the nature of a Monad as such, let us now examine the Nine Monads more individually.
As when considering the nature of Deity, the nature of the Monad is beyond our full understanding. If we give the Monads human-friendly names and attributes, it is in an attempt to portray them in terms which are familiar to us and which we can understand. The names we have used to refer to the Monads are from Greek, and describe them as successive “Dreams” of Deity (-oneiro, “Dream”)..
The idea of “Name” is not really relevant to the Monad which is beyond such things, but it is helpful to us in explaining and discussing to give each a specific name rather than referring to them by number. This also allows us to make a more emotional connection to the Monads, who are, after all, a part of the Higher levels of our own beings, and of which we and our Souls are aspects.
The Nine Monads and their primary qualities are these:
Protoneira –Protoneira is the first Monad, the first attempt by Deity to enter the world of matter. Deity’s first reaction to matter was to try to make sense of it: to understand it and digest the experience of matter, which was of course wholly unfamiliar to Deity theretofore.
As the first wave, Protoneira tried to make sense of the material world, and formulated ways of relating to it. Protoneira is all about structure, form, and theory. Protoneira translated the physical world into terms spirit could understand, and established patterns for interacting with it. However, having accomplished her primary purpose, Protoneira became stuck and could go no further.
Consequently, Souls which come out of Protoneira are very strong on ideas of how things should work, but not so good on follow through. They understand concepts well and are good at codifying and establishing patterns but are not so good at putting those patterns into action or adapting to circumstances. They are great thinkers, but once having understood an idea find it very hard to change an opinion or adapt a concept.