ABSTRACT
“As above, so below.” This encapsulates the very ancient notion that the macrocosm and microcosm reflect each other. It was assumed that as kings, priests, and advisers oversaw the affairs of state, so the gods, demi-gods, and lesser deities hold sway in heaven. Elaborate protosciences (e.g., astrology) and magical practices were developed based on the belief that natural processes mirror other phenomena in a vast arrangement of correspondences. The Daoists, for example, used the concept of ganying (“response,” “reaction”) to describe an interactive cosmos. Since everything had parallels, controlling miniaturized versions of the universe allowed one to emit echoes that would reverberate one’s intentions across great differences. Astrology, divination, and oracular interpretations were premised on the idea that heavenly powers revealed themselves through earthly events. The Axial Age, however, changed the maxim of “as above, so below” to “as above, so within.” In this chapter, I comment on this transition.
