Ancient Wisdom and the Power of the Gods

It is a common belief that there really isn't anything new under the sun. This might be true as far as some important things are concerned, such as your ability to influence the world around you and recognize opportunity. The power of individuals has risen though the application of science and technology along with mass communication. Some days it doesn't seem like it, but we really are living in a Golden Age, if only we could recognize it.

For instance, the secret of how to mix cement to be used underwater was lost for over 2,000 years. Indoor plumbing took a similar holiday. But like plumbing, some of the most interesting discoveries of pre-historic and ancient times were confined to the wealthy or uppermost castes. One of the biggest differences between now and then, other than the smell, is individual opportunity. While Minoan princesses had a flush toilet, nearly everyone in the developed world has very regular access to them.

Some of the power of the ancients is that which was attributed to the various pantheons of gods that many ancients used to describe their world. Such entities had super-human tastes and passions as well as the ability to transform the world around them. While you may not be able to shape shift into the form of a bird on command, you certainly can reinvent your persona to be more powerful.

From the mythology of old-world religions in the first millennium BCE we can glean perhaps a slightly more literal lesson from these tales than we might have thought possible. One of the most elaborate that exists from that time is Hinduism, where there are perhaps thousands of distinct gods, each serving a particular purpose or village, but every one an aspect of a single creative force — a single substance that all matter is made from.

When we look at the ultimate nature of matter on the tiniest sub-atomic scale, we find that all matter is made of the same things. Indeed, some theories suggest that even the quarks that make up each individual proton or electron are made of a single substance that differs only in how it vibrates. In essence, there is one creative force whether it is consciously creating for a reason or not.

This sort of world-view would seem to jibe with the conclusions of the New Thought Movement of the early 20th century as well as the millions of people who've been turned on to "The Secret" recently. The research of folks such as Wallace Wattles and Rhonda Byrne suggest there is a common thread that runs, not only though the religions, faiths and superstitions of the world but also, through the lives of the most powerful people who have made indelible marks on our collective human history.

Like the royalty of 3,000 years ago, you have near instant access to the whole of human knowledge in the form of the Internet. You likely have no reason to fear starvation and are slightly more likely than not to be able to visit a doctor when you're sick. You have spare time to fill your head with whatever knowledge suits you. Indeed, you have a great deal to be sincerely grateful for.

What if you took all those gifts, realized and ruminated on how precious and rare they are then, set about to proactively do something with them? That's what the final and key part of the "The Secret" - being able to see a good opportunity and have the gumption to leap right on it and give it your all, without fear.

Perhaps what most separates men and women from Classical gods is the ability to operate without fear. While many people refer to this as faith, what you really need to have faith in is your instincts. Cultivating that perfect courage is not ignoring things to be afraid of but instead, knowing them so fully as to not fear them at all on any level. Your ability to draw positive outcomes is greatest when you truly and honestly can see that desired future.

This sort of conjuring is only half magic though. There are scientific principles that account for the way your mind is able to actually influence the world around you as well as your ability to recognize it as such. It doesn't take much power of any sort to move the manipulate choices made on the quantum level.

So, while the Greek Gods may have been representations of beings with special knowledge, today everyone has access to that knowledge, should they choose to use it.