Neoplatonic philosophy holds that there is a single ultimate source from which all things descend. Each stage of descent from the ultimate source contains less of the original perfection. The result is a series of graduated layers, each one more perfect than the one below and less perfect than the one above.
God: The Ultimate Source
For Christians, the ultimate source is God, represented here by the Latin term DEVS (or deus, the Romans having used the same letter for both U and V) surrounded by a shining light. God is the one thing in the universe created of pure spirit. From him all things come, shaped by the divine spirit. As creation continues to spiral downward, with forms becoming more and more complex, the results become more material and less spiritual.
Spiraling Creation
The first layer, labeled "Mens" is the divine mind, the active principle which imprints creation. The subsequent layers are commonly accepted levels of creation: a hierarchy of nine angels followed by the field of stars and the seven planets, and finally the four physical elements. Each level is associated here with one of the 22 Hebrew letters.Read more: Occult Cosmology in The Renaissance: The Three Realms
Creation Model Versus Literal Composition of the Heavens
It is important to remember that this is a model of the descent of spirit into matter, reflecting the gradual transition from one to the other. Fludd viewed the actual universe as constructed in concentric, separate spheres. While levels did have many associations and connections with the levels above and below them, they were not literally flow from one to the next as suggested by this illustration.Read more: Fludd's Model of the Cosmos
