We shall have to assume also a multiplicity of Venuses, which, born
with Love, occupy the rank of guardians. They originate from the
universal Venus, from which derive all the individual "venuses," with
the loves peculiar to each. In fact, the soul is the mother of love;
now Venus is the Soul, and Love is the Soul's activity in desiring
the Good. The love which leads each soul to the nature of the Good,
and which belongs to her most exalted part, must also be considered
a deity, inasmuch as it unites the soul to the Good. The love which
belongs to the soul mingled (with matter), is to be considered a
Guardian only.