Consciousness based arts and sciences, such as found in dreams and its interpretation, metaphysical subjects and astrology, played an important role in the life and culture of the peoples of the various ethic groups of pre-modern Europe (Anglo, Saxon, Slavs, Goths, Danes, Vandals, Valagoths, Vnglings, Norwegians, etc.) from time immemorial all the way up until about the time of Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1728, England), after which these arts and sciences were abandoned and left behind to rot to the point where they almost became extinct. (Sir Issac Newton studied astrology extensively and spent most of his life in search of esoteric knowledge.)
This came about incidentally as a result of Newtonian mathematics that culminated in his three laws of motion and other scientific discoveries emanating from the European Renaissance and the cultural revolution of that time, motivated to a large extent by the discovery of new knowledge coming directly out of research of classical ancient Egyptian culture and civilization. Prior 11th-14th Century Middle East Crusades had brought much treasures into European life in the way of intellectual, mathematical, architectural and astrological developments empowering the Knight Templar beyond a scope that could be tolerated by the Church. Astrology and other consciousness based arts and sciences flourished in Europe amid the Church's strong opposition as expressed through the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition," that maintained its Office in the Church under that name from the 12th to the 20th Century. Freedom of speech was originally expressed in Europe as the right to criticize established religious Church doctrines, which manifested as a struggle for religious freedom against ruling papal powers.
Freedom earned by European societies expressed itself in many forms depending on the needs and goals of the affected European community. In England, it resulted in the formation of the Church of England (Anglican to identify with its Anglo-Saxon ethnic roots), in Germany it was the Lutherans spearheaded by Martin Luther, and in the newly rediscovered lands of the Americas, it was freedom of speech and religious tolerance to attract persecuted religious sects of marginalized Europeans to come to the Promised Land of religious freedom and economic opportunity.
Today, the concept of freedom takes on a new meaning, which is to defend the rights of globalism, free trade and the capitalist world, which does not necessarily translate into individual civil rights, privacy, liberty or even justice under the newly created Patriot Act.
The Renaissance and Enlightenment (Age of Reason) movements were at their heights in the 18th Century. One of the things these movements did, inter alia, was to provide the state and ruling monarchies (governments) with a new sense of power and control over the laws of nature which came from a feeling of operating with “control, precision and certainty” through the use of deductive reasoning, “rational” analysis and other forms of “rationalistic” discoveries (translated in today’s society to mean “mercantile and material based” mechanistic objectives) that often required the destruction of the whole in order to disseminate and determine its composite parts, structure, purpose, utility and functionality with respect to service to man through way of "science" or to the state or governments in particular, but never to the people whom it claims to serve or to the earth, seas, air, water, birds, fishes, rivers, lakes, mountains or animals of the earth.
It was not a science that emphasized understanding, balance or harmony with universal forces and principles in order to work harmoniously with nature to discover its intrinsic or essential values as a platform from which to operate. In this regard, there was no overarching goal or objective towards the development of the universal man, culture, society or civilization, even though they might be indirectly, casually or subtly implied. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It was a War against Nature. And in that battle, Superintellectualism, rationalism and modern approaches to scientific enquiry led the way.
It was not so with the ancients. In fact, the ancients would have been against much of the destructive developments, theories, philosophies, technology, research and global initiatives that have ruled the world over the past 400 years, precisely because these techniques and technologies went against nature, showed a complete lack of respect for life, all life forms on land, in the air and within the seas and river waters of life. Most importantly, these techniques and technologies went against the internal fabric and structure of the environment and against the planet itself.
This feeling in the 18th Century of having control and acting with a sense of certainty through the application of new scientific principles and philosophies increased to such a level that it was felt that there was no role or need for the less nebulous, ill-defined, illogical and irrational consciousness-based sciences of dream interpretation and analysis, metaphysics and astrology, the father of modern astronomy.
This was due on one part to the uncontrolled aspects of consciousness-based sciences itself where mastery of such resided with the “individual” subject (hierophant) rather than the state or other institutional powers or authorities - even religious. Furthermore, these arts and sciences were not subject to control and for the most part “dictated” results through readings, interpretation and analysis rather than conform to the will of man or opened themselves up to manipulation by man. In this sense, consciousness-based arts and sciences, when properly utilized and applied, operated independently, very much like the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece where manipulation by any of the participants would have led to disastrous results.
It was partly out of this sense of certainty and control (driven now by scientific statistical probability theory, which ensures consistency through “sameness”, oneness or commonality along a given bell curve distribution for all goods and services produced in the modern era that for the most part lack individuality, personality, character, soul and spirit, except through Madison Avenue illusionary-based designer labels, that Kant’s (1724-1804; Germany) philosophy of Superintellectualism developed.
This “Superman” philosophy, which was never a part of Europe’s primary or ancient culture, placed greater emphasis on the autocratic supremacy of the mind over emotions and thoughts or feelings of the heart – a quality which the mythic comic strip and Hollywood movie character, Superman, have in common, which Kant’s philosophy squarely lacked. America’s mythology author and philosopher, Joseph Campbell, in “The Power of Myth” views the mind as a second rate organ that is subject to the dictates of the heart.
It is this philosophy of sublime “Superintellectualism” that became perverted and twisted to create a feeling of superiority that drove European conquest and domination of the world (as opposed to exchange and integration through universal natural law objectives) destroying and dominating many varied and diversified peoples and cultures in heavily populated areas of Africa, Middle-East, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the North and South continents of the Americas and the populated islands of the Caribbean. Heart-based philosophies (Leo), which belonged to prior European periods (Troubadours, for example) going all the way back to ancient Egypt, gave way to mind-based (Mercury) principles and philosophies during much of the past 400 years period.
The strong belief in the philosophy of Superintellectualism was a major motivation behind Hitler’s advances in much of Europe during World War II. Using scientifically engineered death squads and machines, his foray was the last attempt by European powers in the Second millennium to colonize the rest of the world, but certainly not the last by its long distant descendants in the nascent Third.
Modern scientific thought and theories were used by Hitler, among other tools, to develop a deadly and lethal war machine that would have brought the entire world under his full control and subjugation to become subjects of these ugly mercurial philosophies (disharmonious with the laws of nature) had he won the war or been successful.
The Renaissance and resulting Reformation provided the tools, resources and intellectual capital that drove the industrial revolution and ensuing era of modernity from its base in Europe in the 14th Century to all parts of the world in the 21st Century of the Third Millennium resulting in the contemporary era of Global economics.
Consistent with the attitudes of 18th Century worldly philosophers, the modern era as expressed in almost all countries of the world is very much defined by European cultural values, which denigrate and exclude from consideration all consciousness-based arts and sciences in its approach to the development of science, law, economics and philosophy.
There is an urgent, if not critical need for rediscovery, development and reintegration of the ways of the heart back into “modern” civilization, that must include the ancient arts and sciences of dream analysis and astrology - that are 300 years behind where they should have been - as they have a very important role to play in helping people and mankind understand the mysteries and complexities of the universal soul, heart and mind as well as the physical universe and cosmos in which we all live and participate.
Man is metaphysical. And in this regard, he is connected to the entire universe and cosmos from a metaphysical point of view. More than metaphysical, man is mythical as well. Myths govern man's life, an area that has been completely ignored in human relations, culture and civilizations for the past 300 years through the exclusion of certain arts and sciences, including astrology.
Religion, spirituality and dreams have their legitimacy by attempting to serve or satisfy this cosmic need in man. Modern science and social laws and policies derived from rationalistic philosophies serve to structure society within narrow confines by defining a common set or mode of rules, behaviors or outcomes as well as goods and services in which participation in far less than on an equal basis.
But these material driven formulas can never replace or substitute for man's need, role or place in the cosmos and particularly with his connection to the divine, no matter how one may define or not define such.
For this reason spirit breaks through time and time again in our daily lives, activities and physical constructions, particularly through the shadows of dreams and myths, proving beyond any shadow of a doubt, its superiority over the material based sciences and universe.
Consciousness based arts and sciences, more so than religion, fulfill the need in man to gain some comprehension of the mysteries of the cosmos and thereby can give explanation or make predictions about things not accessible to man other than through the portals of time and the heavens.