

Anima Mundi

The soul of the world, a pure ethereal spirit, which was proclaimed by some ancient philosophers to be diffused throughout all nature. The idea is said to have originated with Plato, but the concept has been discovered to be of more ancient origin, and prevailed in systems of certain Eastern philosophers. The Storics believed it to be the only vital force in the universe. Similar concepts were held by hermetic philosophers like Paracelsus, and has been incorporated into modern philosophy by philosophers such as Fredrich Schelling (1775-1854). A.G.H.

Source: 9.