Thoughts of a Neopagan / the Spirituality

With the advent of the metal ages, there was a profound transformation in the very nature of human relations; copper, bronze, and iron were not only tools for forging utensils but also vehicles of a new social stratification; the earth, which had previously been a common mother and source of shared sustenance, became an object of possession and domination; those who possessed metal also possessed power, and so the inequalities that had once been barely perceptible, like gentle waves on the sea, became insurmountable mountains, with the few who held the wealth of metals rising above the many who remained chained to necessity. But it is not only metal that shapes the fate of men; ideas also change under the weight of power. spirituality, which in ancient times was a means of elevating the soul, a bridge to understanding what is eternal and divine, became a tool of control and standardization; the figures of the gods, who were once perceived as maternal and paternal figures, were distorted by those in power, and religion became a yoke for the common man. Subsequently, there was a further decline with the advent of monotheistic religions, no longer a plurality of gods reflecting the variety of actions and emotions, but a single God, absolute and sovereign, judge of actions and distant legislator. This God is no longer man's companion in his search for happiness; this God stands as a terrible and distant figure who observes from above with severity and imposes laws. Religion thus becomes an instrument of standardization, a dispenser of fear and coercion, no longer a path to freedom of the soul but an invisible chain that binds man to duty and fear.