The central tenet of neo-Platonism was that the world is an emanation of a spiritual substance called the One or the Absolute. Like a fountain cascading down through multiple levels, the One emanated a descending series that flowed down through several levels: from spiritual entities to human beings, then to sentient creatures (animals), living things (plants), and finally material things (rocks). This was called the ladder of life or the great chain of being. The goal of the spiritual life was to re-ascend the ladder, escape from matter, and reunite with the One.
