Why did Plotinus still consider the material universe good and beautiful?

Plotinus considered the material universe to be good and beautiful because he viewed it as the best possible reflection of the intelligible world of forms on the space-time level. Rather than seeing the physical world as an independent or evil entity, he maintained that it is a living, organic whole formed and ordered by the Soul.1

In his philosophy, the material universe is held together by a universal harmony and sympathy, where even instances of suffering and external evil serve as necessary elements within the grand pattern of the universe. While Plotinus acknowledged that the body can act as a hindrance to the individual's intellectual and spiritual ascent, he distinguished this from his view of the cosmos as a whole, which he regarded positively as a noble image of the intelligible realm. This perspective stood in direct opposition to the views of Gnosticism, which he criticized for its dualistic and negative characterization of the physical world.12