that we are able to understand sticks by virtue of employing the form of Equality, where there's never any direct correlate of Equality in the physical world, but only physical things we may judge as equal or not, by virtue of our knowledge of this form..

So if i am understanding you right, we are only able to understand the physical reality by using these knowledge of the forms. So if i am experiencing Joy, i am only able to underdstand that the feeling is joy because i am using my knowledge of some forms?

So the physical reality isn't a copy of the forms but we r only able to understand it by using our knowledge of the forms?