Tempering the Instrument of Soul
In order to fulfill the Ficinian ideal, then, of becoming "as celestial as possible," one also has to become profoundly musical—well-tempered and tuned. The question remains, how do we get ourselves in tune so that our lives have resonance and harmony of the Pythagorean type?
Ficino gives us a few ideas how we might go about tempering the soul: Whoever imitates by devotion, study, life and habits celestial benefits, activities, or order, insofar as he is more like the heavens he will receive more abundant gifts. But people unnaturally dissimilar to the heavens and discordant [discordes} are secretly miserable, though publicly they may not appear unhappy.15