What it all boils down to is that the Ancestors didn't have the privilege of modern science but they had something quite different and in many cases have been lost in the mists of time. eg Ancient humankind were master Astronomers and aster Mathematicians who were able to build Stonehenge of England, the pyramids of Cairo and the temples of Angkor Wat. The best of Human kinds engineers, could not build such elaborate buildings today given the same tools.
The goal of Science is simply, how do we live as better human beings within the world of Nature. I believe that today science has been over convoluted. I believe that the old ways have much to teach us today in this overcomplicated world. Science, sociology and psychology have been elaborated upon until the true goal has been lost. I believe that goal is simply, how do we live as better human beings within the world of Nature.
The Science of our Ancestors was rudimentary but it guided people in how to tread lightly on this Earth, understanding that we need her more than she needs us. This may have been a superstition of the past but now proven as truth by science. I believe that goal is
Right and wrong, good and bad within the minds of humankind is never static but constantly changing/evolving throughout the ages,at times moving toward, and at times moving away from, the Cosmic right and wrong, which isn't as fickle as the sense of humankind.
For example, our Ancestors from long ago, lived with nature as a sacred expression of the Divine. All of Nature was considered as sacred and the belief that Nature looks after humankind if humankind looks after Nature was common among so many races.
Compare that description of common Pagan mentality to the modern idea that it is ok to deforest and rape the Earth for minerals for financial gain, causing loss of habitat for the animals that we rely on for balance of our own ecosystem.
Some may say that I am a romanticist of the Ancestors but I do understand that not ALL the Ancestors had these ideals. Some races did hunt numerous animals into extinction and some like the Australian Aboriginals used middens to observe which shellfish had been collected most recently and avoid fishing for them.
Humankind is constantly evolving and I am grateful for the sciences that help us to tread lightly on this Earth, understanding that we need her more than she needs us. This may have been a superstition of the past but now proven as truth by science.
I don't mean to stir up controversy, I am just advocating for healthy superstition. In Lithuania there are literally thousands of superstitions that defy logic and I have been constantly surprised how these have power within the psyche of the people. It does require more investigation and I would say that academics like Ethnographers,Psychologists and Sociologists would be more equipped to do this.
This is my first post in this group. I am an Australian Lithuanian reconstructionist.
I am an adherent of Romuva, an educated and ,(I believe), a rational person, I have chosen to learn how my ancestors thought and rationalised their world, so that I may have a glimpse into what caused such wholesome living with each other, and the natural world around them.
I believe that I can incorporate the Baltic worldview into my own life so I may learn to live in the same harmony. I am still rational and know that a shooting Star is space dust falling through our atmosphere but I like to see it as an Aitvaras as did my ancestors. I know the Sun is a celestial burning ball of gases but I choose to see it as the mother Goddess Saule (Sun). You see, it's not easy to explain, but having a personal connectedness to the sacred world of nature, one is able to truly connect into the universal web of life. Harmony,within and without, is possible by learning the old ways and worldview.
Now what has this got to do with superstition you might be asking? Superstition within a culture alludes to the worldview of that race of people. Superstition can be limiting or liberating and many come with remedies to reverse bad luck which keep people positive about their future. Some may argue that superstition comes from unscientific ignorance but I have found that superstition of my ancestors have allowed me to see the world as simply magical in all her cycles. Superstition has allowed me to see that all nature is sacred and allowed me a unique personal connectedness with it.
Harmony is ever changing and never static, it can be like a moon bean glowing on a mossy rock. It may be brief and fleeting at times, but I believe that if we constantly strive for connectedness then harmony will never be lost for long.
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