The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations were periods of rapid cultural growth and advancement. Over two thousand years ago, these cultures developed an education system that persisted until the 20th century. Known as the liberal arts, they were the essential tools a free person (from the Latin liberalis: “worthy of a free person”) must know to become a functioning member of society.
The importance of a liberal arts education was known from before the time of Christ. While modern democracy is a failed institution, especially in contrast with benevolent monarchy, it is possible that with a well-educated populace, democracy could work. The liberal arts represented this basic level of education, and comprised seven different fields, which will be briefly examined here.
The liberal arts can be traced to Plato, who thoroughly prescribed them in perhaps his most famous work, The Republic. Plato’s most famous student, Aristotle, stated that an educated man should be capable of considering and investigating any idea or concept thoroughly without necessarily embracing or dismissing it. Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher who lived from 4 BC to 65 AD, and advisor to Emperor Nero, was a strong advocate of the liberal arts.
The Stoics, founded in the 3rd century BC in Athens, believed in a rational outlook on life, that harmful emotions stem from errors in judgment and reasoning, and stressed the importance of maintaining a will in accord with nature, and that one’s actions should be judged more importantly than one’s speech. Logic was an important component of a successful man, and “virtue consists in a will that is in agreement with nature.” In the realm of interpersonal relationships, one is stressed to “be free from anger, envy, and jealousy.”
The liberal arts also were emphasized heavily in Hellenistic Greece, described as the “enkuklios paideia” or “education in a circle.” They were divided into four scientific arts—music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy, and three humanities—grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These were divided into two main groups: The Trivium, representing the three humanities, was taught first as a framework for observing and understanding what the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell were perceiving.
The Quadrivium was the upper division and included the four scientific arts. Together, the seven liberal arts represent the thinking skills, and served as a basis for the education of all. Those who wished to specialize would first obtain an education in the liberal arts before proceeding to the practical arts (medicine, architecture) or other fields such as philosophy or theology.
The purpose of learning the arts is to train the mind how to think (as opposed to what to think). By combining the seven liberal arts with the five senses, one can distinguish between reality and fiction. This can be visually represented with a Pythagorean triangle.
The Trivium explained
The Trivium (literally, the place where three roads meet), known as the elementary three, represent the basic tools needed and was taught before the Quadrivium. The word trivia (tri=3 via=road) comes directly from the trivium. The trivium includes General Grammar, Formal Logic, and Rhetoric. While technically simpler than the more advanced subjects in the Quadrivium, many flaws in logic and reasoning can be traced back to failure to adequately learn the basics found in the Trivium.
Grammar is the systematic method of gathering raw data and ordering the facts of reality into a consistent body of knowledge. Grammar includes the mechanics of language, properly identifying and describing information perceived by the five senses.
Logic or Dialectic is the mechanics of thought and analysis, the process of identifying fallacies or errors in reasoning, and removing contradictions.
Rhetoric or Wisdom is the application of language in order to persuade and influence.
[1] General Grammar
Answers the question of the “Who, What, Where, and the When” of a subject.
[2] Formal Logic
Answers the “Why” of a subject.
[3] Classical Rhetoric
Provides the “How” of a subject.
Discovering and ordering facts of reality comprises basic, systematic knowledge. Developing the faculty of reason in establishing valid [i.e., non-contradictory] relationships among facts is systematic understanding. Applying knowledge and understanding expressively comprises wisdom or, in other words, it is systematically useable knowledge and understanding.
The Scientific Arts (The Quadrivium)
The scientific arts include music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. After learning the basic skills of the Trivium, which are applicable to all other studies, the scientific arts known as the Quadrivium would be studied. The Quadrivium “place where four roads meet” include arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
Arithmetic is the ‘study of numbers’, a pure abstraction outside of space and time. It is also the study of quantities.
Geometry is a study of ‘numbers in space’, the study of magnitude at rest.
Music is a study of ‘number in time’; the application of the theory of numbers. It is the study of the relations between quantities.
Astronomy is a ‘study of number in space and time’. It is the study of magnitude inherently moving.
Grammar = Knowledge = What?
Logic = Reason = Why?
Rhetoric = Communication = How?
Arithmetic = Formal = Do
Geometry = Visual = See
Music = Artistic = Feel
Astronomy= Exploration = Seek
By developing these basic skills, men would have the basic tools they needed to live a fulfilling and satisfying life, and to explore their emotions, dreams, ambitions, and desires.
Two Thousand Years Of Liberal Arts
In ancient Greece, all free men were expected to obtain a basic liberal arts education. Women received a limited public education which focused on physical fitness, how to sing, dance, and play instruments. These were not seen as “childish endeavors” but indeed a strict and formal education system was established that provided a complementary, but important role in society, a foil to the men who were trained in logic and reason.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the entirety of human knowledge was consolidated into a series of volumes known as the “encyclopedia” which translates as “complete instruction or complete knowledge.” Almost every major culture over the past 2,000 years has adopted the seven liberal arts. The Fellowcraft Degree commands all Freemasons to study them, and indeed much of Freemasonry is based upon principles found in the seven. This education was the foundation of our schools today, as we still have English (grammar), mathematics and science, however unfortunately the essence of the teachings has been lost. The trivium and Quadrivium is still taught to the elite families today and people should asking what that is!
Today, a liberal arts education is no longer even available at so-called “liberal arts” schools. The wisdom found in the seven basic liberal arts is the basis of every major civilization and advancement since before Christ. Only in the last few decades has this system been decimated. The Gnostics and knowledge was considered primary and superseded religion by many thousands of years.
Without first understanding grammar, no further education can be learned, because this is the foundation and all that follows, logic and rhetoric, must be grasped in order. The internet offers a vast array of knowledge to almost every person alive today. While our institutions may have failed us, mankind must develop their mind, as well as body and spirit, as a counter force, and I encourage all to study the liberal arts.
Too often mind & logic development is completely omitted from teachings, as it is seen as the “problem” or an “illusion," when in fact by not understanding the mind, creates all the problems, and it is the solution, when aligned and integrated with all other aspects that make us human and divine.
This is what EarthStar Freedom is here to address!
When I talk to people, I lot of them fall into 3 main camps, either they have never even considered freedom at all, or they think they are already free enough (in some or all areas of life), or they think the idea of being TRULY free is a pipe dream or fallacy, as we are locked into a political/financial/legal Matrix prison!
I contend there is a fourth category, which is that we can deliberately create real conscious freedom in all areas of our life, permanently! Freedom is an abstract term to many, which describes a sort of ‘Alice n Wonderland‘ type fantasy that is unattainable to many people, or that it is reserved for a fortunate few who have acquired fame, or made lots of money.
What does freedom actually mean to you, in the real world? Does it mean having lots of money, the big house and beach house, fame, beautiful partner, having a family, living on the road, being single even! I contend that some people may see freedom in one or some of these examples, however TRUE actualised freedom is none of these, although some of these situations may appear in a free beings life. The point I’m making is if we chase after a physical or material goal for freedom, we will never be free, whether we realise that goal or not, much like happiness!
Freedom has many layers and is based on people’s perceptions, “some like it hot and others like it cool“, however true freedom can move into the deeper realms that make up a life, we can delve into creating a “Freedom Foundation”, such that whatever happens on the physical material or worldly level has absolutely NO bearing on our unshakable, objective, Feeling and knowing of unlimited, infinite, eternal....freedom!!
Happiness is intrinsically linked to freedom. When we feel happy, we feel free, and vice versa. The point of life could be said to be happiness or freedom, however when you are unclear what really makes you happy or free, then how can attain it? Happiness or freedom is not a destination, this is one big mistake people make, is they say they will be happy, or free, when such n such happens! This is the trap of our dual world, media, advertising and therefore we get this ‘pressure’ to chase ‘it’ from ourselves, family, friends and peers. Chasing will lead to wasting.
When you realise freedom is to be created, just like building a house, and like a building you need a foundation, you need walls, furnishings and a roof! One thing I find that makes this process easier is to break down the goal of freedom into smaller ‘chunks’ of life that you would like to see in your life, based on 5 key areas of life. Health, wealth, mental, emotional, spiritual and I would add another area I call Knowledge or ‘knowing freedom’.
Knowing the right knowledge is the foundation from which real freedom can be manifested. What is the ‘right’ knowledge? It is the natural universal laws that underlie and govern all of life, It is knowing who we are, it is what makes the Earth revolve around the sun and move through our galaxy, it is what makes the sun shine, it is what created all life and humanity, it is what holds all matter together and it is dependant on what we create in our lives, including freedom, love, wisdom, abundance and anything!
This is what EarthStar Freedom is all about, our mission is teach those who are willing, the foundations and ‘how to’ create a life that is deliberate, conscious and fulfilling to your Earthly and spiritual life. For no life is truly free if you are not paying attention to all aspects of life, a WHOLE life is the only life that will set you free! The whole is always greater that the sum of its parts, and each part must be known, otherwise you will not find true wholeness, freedom and happiness that is of soul and body.
I think the world is ready for people to move beyond the ‘new age’ practices and ‘personal’ development, and step into what I call “Whole Life development”, or developing wholeness in every area of life, thus enabling our life to expand into a greater whole. The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, however I don’t know many people who have worked on really drilling down into all areas of life, and synthesising and synergising all the parts into something much greater than you could ever imagine.
How we can do this, is by gathering the right information, fully understanding that data so it becomes knowledge and then going out and expressing and applying it, so that it becomes real wisdom. This is the basis of what the Trivium is all about, a three step system taught in ancient mystery schools (and in the “prep” schools in America).
Much of what we were taught in school is simply rote information, that is not going to be of much help in the real world.
In order to survive and thrive in today’s world, we need Self Knowledge, we need to know the Natural sciences and universal laws and we need some awareness on how the world system operates. This synthesis of tripartite knowledge will enable us to not only better understand ourselves, this body of knowledge is the basis of a true foundation that we can truly rely on, because it is unchanging, immutable, omniscient, Omnipresent and omnipotent! Another words it leads to all powerful living, everywhere now and all knowing! Many secrets hidden within, suddenly become unlocked, we are literally encoded beings and the key is to crack the inner codes, and then you really can start to live in freedom!
The EarthStar Freedom project is developing a totally unique system and templates by which we can easily download the knowledge into our lives, and once we do, the beautiful thing is ALL areas of your life will be harmonised and operating at a level that you cannot even dream about now! We don’t know we don’t know, or that we know!
How do you turn ignorance into knowing? I can assure you it won’t happen by continually doing the same linear, conditioned things over and over! You will get the same result, because you are not tapping into, and unlocking the inner codes that lie dormant, waiting to be turned on! These codes are how nature was created and how it works, we are natural beings, with our consciousness we can seek and find the same codes that enables us to have a planet in the first place.
All life proceeds from law, not man made law, universal law! Know the laws, and you will know whatever you need to make your WHOLE life amazing, whether it be work, finances, relationships, spirituality, all aspects of your life can work in harmony, giving you a sense of real fulfilment.