For all you philosophy and the modern world nerds out there,

One way in which we see this return to paganism is the way in which the concept of cosmic sympathy has returned to the forefront of so much of our civilization’s intellectual currency. In the later Hellenistic era (to which the “Empire” portion of the history of Rome would belong), philosophy and theology were increasingly convergent — but this involved a theology that would not be generally recognized as such by Christians today for it was pantheistic and monistic, not monotheistic. In a nutshell, the entire order of existence, called the cosmos by the Greeks, was a well-ordered machine, completely self-contained, perfectly arranged, and indeed (to some thinkers) it was divinity that was supremely worthy of man’s devotion and worship. It was also understood to be in perfect sympatheia with itself, each part depending on every other part through underlying causal means that depended upon the compact wholeness of cosmic existence. Cosmic sympathy could allow a person to understand and influence the events around them.

It’s kinda long, but read the whole thing, if for no other reason than to tick selrahC off!