SECRETS of Ancient Greece. Even before Plato, Socrates and Aristotle earlier philosophers were unlocking the mysteries of life.

Oenocho?? ?? figures rouges...

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Over two and a half thousand years ago, at a time when human beings were just beginning to think about the world they lived in, an extraordinary concept was being articulated by the very earliest philosophers of Ancient Greece. Ever since that time this idea has been emphasised by many great philosophers including Socrates, the Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi. Yet we still haven't understood the secret that has the power to change our lives - simply by changing the way we think about life.

It's nothing less than the ancient secret Greece ideas of the meaning of life - ideas which some think may have been picked up in Ancient Egypt.

The story begins in Ancient Greece around 600 BC and the Milesians who came from Miletus in Ionia (present-day Turkey).

It's founder was said to have been Thales who was born (c.624 BC) about a hundred and fifty years before Socrates. He is regarded as the founder of Greek philosophy, therefore of Western philosophy. All we know about him are a few passing remarks made by his contemporaries. The later Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that he speculated on the properties of the soul, that it was endowed with the power of motion. There are various stories of his travels in Egypt which may have been the source of his ideas. According to Aristotle, some Milesians believed that the real, the underlying substance of the world, is an unchanging, unified reality.

The secret was out.

It seems that Thales was a brilliant astronomer for his time. Apparently he was the first to predict a solar eclipse in 585 BC. Plato tells the story that "a witty and attractive Thracian servant-girl is said to have mocked Thales for falling into a well while he was observing the stars and gazing upwards; declaring that he was eager to know the things in the sky, but that what was behind him and just by his feet escaped his notice." (1)

Another leading member of the Milesian school was Anaximenes who regarded air as the first principle of all things. His 'air' was rather more than the kind we breathe. The Greek word he used was pneuma which referred to 'the breath of the cosmos.' The equivalent Latin word is spiritus in which case he clearly meant what we call 'spirit', that is, 'the spirit of the cosmos.'

As Yale physics professor Lawrence Krauss writes, "Anaximenes' pneuma was more than mere atmosphere; it had the germ of all creation and was therefore divine. As air gave breath to life, so pneuma maintained the stable pattern of existence." (2)

Empedocles was born about 494 BC and at an early age made his home in Sicily. There he was regarded almost as a god and many miracles were attributed to him. The following brief quote from his writings speaks volumes: "For before this [life] I was born once a boy, and a maiden, and a plant, and a bird, and a darting fish in the sea." (3) Clearly he was talking about preexistence (of the soul) and reincarnation.

Here, then, from the very dawning of rational (and written) thought, from the world of Ancient Greece, I found my first three clues to the meaning of life:

- the idea of a true unified, unchanging reality of all things;

- pneuma ('breath' of the cosmos, or 'spirit') as the divine pattern permeating all existence;

- and the preexistence of the soul - meaning we existed before we were born and that our soul is eternal.

Something to think about isn't it!

REFERENCES:

1 Plato, 'Theaetetus,'
2 Krauss, Lawrence, 'The Fifth Essence,' page 11.
3 Smith, T.V. (ed), 'From Thales to Plato,' page 33.

(Davies and Vaughan translation)

The Acropolis in Athens in Ancient Gr...

G. Rehlender

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Map of Ancient Greece

Henry Justice Ford

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The Ancient Greek saying "Know Thyself", was inscribed in the pronaos (forecourt) of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi according to tradition.

Diogenes Laertius attributes it to Thales (Lives I.40), but also notes that Antisthenes in his Successions of Philosophers attributes it to Phemonoe, a mythical Greek poetess, though admitting that it was appropriated by Chilon.

In a discussion of moderation and self-awareness, the Roman poet Juvenal quotes the phrase in Greek and states that the precept descended de caelo (from heaven) (Satire 11.27). The 10th Century Byzantine Encyclopedia the Suda, recognized Chilon and Thales as the sources of the maxim "Know Thyself."

Plato employs the maxim 'Know Thyself' extensively by having the character of Socrates use it to motivate his dialogues.

Plato makes it clear that Socrates is referring to a long-established wisdom. In Plato's Charmides (dialogue), Charmides gives his opinion that 'Know Thyself!' was an admonition to those entering the sacred temple to remember or know their place and Charmides says, " 'know thyself!' and 'be temperate!' are the same.

Notice that when the words of Charmides are written, 'thyself' and 'temperate' are punctuated with exclamation marks in the English translations, as if they were commands. In the balance of the Charmides (dialogue), Plato has Socrates lead a longer inquiry as to how we may gain knowledge of ourselves.

Source: Wikipedia

As I learned for myself, in the most dramatic way (bankruptcy), making a few tweeks to your life can also tweek your luck, self confidence, career, success, prosperity, happiness, finding a soulmate, the dreaded Mid-Life Crisis, also in a dramatic way! This is the broader picture where finding the real purpose of your life - just any old purpose won't do - is the very foundation of the mix of life we need to get right if we are to succeed at anything!

"There is nothing wrong with change," said Sir Winston Churchill, the British wartime Prime Minister, "if it is in the right direction."

And that's the crucial question, isn't it. Without a crystal ball how can we ever be reasonably sure which direction is the best one for us to choose? There's a good answer!

You already know what you're meant to do with your life.

It's the single secret to happiness, success, luck, career, self confidence, self esteem, prosperity, good health, even to finding a soul mate. It's the big message I got from having my life crash and burn, ending up homeless, unemployed, penniless and friendless.

What I wish I knew then - what absolutely everyone on the planet should know - is that we all have a unique life purpose, a destiny, a hidden talent if you like, and it is within us waiting to be found (unless we're one of the few lucky ones who've found it already).

We tend to think of destiny as a script for our lives imposed upon us by some external force, God perhaps, over which we have no control.

I have a different view. "Destiny" is a gift we chose for ourselves before we were born - that's right - by our own soul. It's our whole purpose in life - or should be - and failure to find it leads to trouble and, to say the least, bad luck.

"Finding" our life purpose, or destiny, is really a misleading concept because it's not something we have to go out and "get," but rather it's something we need to go within and claim.

You've already got it, because you chose it - even if you haven't consciously realized it. Then you need a plan to bring it into reality - because we create our own reality with our thoughts, an idea recently made popular in The Secret which had everyone talking a few years ago.

Two of the key contributors to 'The Secret' went further. Jerry and Esther Hicks published a series of eye-opening channeled books based on a spiritual take on The Law of Attraction. And Bob Proctor went one better (11 better, actually!) and released his bestselling '11 Forgotten Laws'.

Now there's the new Cosmic Ordering craze: is it really possible to place an order with the Universe for whatever you want? I've found this truly life-changing stuff - literally!

What does science have to say on the matter?

In a 24,000 best seller published by Bob Proctor's organisation, Success Engeering, followed by Luck Engineering, - read about both here! - presented the cutting edge science and quantum physics behind how to literally engineer luck and good fortune into your life or business.

But how do we know what our true life purpose or destiny is when we see it?

In a survey conducted among creative people of all kinds, from science to art, to learn the cause of 'genius' (Uncommon Genius by Denise Shekerjian), most claimed that they followed their intuition, trusted their feelings, or as one respondent replied, "I just trust my beeps."

When I get an irritating feeling up my spine I now know it's not the right thing to do. For too long I ignored that irritating feeling, that unease. But a feeling of exhilaration means, go for it! Project your thoughts into the future and see how you feel.

"Your broader Non-Physical part of you communicates with you," wrote Jerry and Esther Hicks in 'The Law of Attraction', "and has done so from the day you emerged into this physical body. That communication comes in many varieties - but all of you are receiving the basic communication that comes forth, in the form of your emotion. Every emotion that you feel is, without exception, communication from your Inner Being letting you know, in the moment, the appropriateness of whatever you are thinking, speaking, or acting."

To pull all this together in a meaningful whole I recommend this comprehensive up-to-date resource as your definitive guide to undersanding, and implementing, what should really be called the Law of Thought, in your own life.

Your life purpose will ALWAYS utilize your greatest passions, talents and interests.

"Your brain is similar to an iceberg," says psychologist Valerie Dawson. "The 90% of the iceberg deep below the surface is where all the information is that you have been searching for - all the wisdom and the 'knowing' about what you were put on this Earth to do is right there! Inside this part deep within are all the keys to your success, happiness, and abundant life!"

Your life's purpose is already within you!

The Greek philosopher Plato knew this when he wrote in his best-known work the Republic. "Your destiny shall not be alloted to you, but you shall choose it for yourselves." He called it your career on Earth while author Caroline Myss (a guest on Oprah) calls it your mission. Napoleon Hill, in his famous bestseller Think & Grow Rich called the secret to all of life's riches our Definite Major Purpose. Of this he wrote:

"The secret to which I refer ... cannot be purchased for money, for the reason that it comes in two parts. One part is already in possession of those who are ready for it."

"Follow your bliss," said scholar, author and mythology expert Joseph Campbell, "and doors will open where you never knew they existed."

Or, trust your beeps!

I didn't. I had to lose everything before the doors started flying open for me. I don't want this to happen to you (if it does I've just told you what to do about it)!

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