---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment…"
description: "\"Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky anthropocentric, rationalist egos have been brainwashed to forget what 'primitive' cultures once un..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg"
---

#  Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky…

![“Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky anthropocentric, rationalist egos have been brainwashed to forget what 'primitive' cultures once understood: Animals can be manifestations of celestial beings in disguise; they possess supernatural abilities, and they can be our spiritual guides…” quote by Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg)

> “Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky anthropocentric, rationalist egos have been brainwashed to forget what 'primitive' cultures once understood: Animals can be manifestations of celestial beings in disguise; they possess supernatural abilities, and they can be our spiritual guides and healers.”

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern rationalism has erased ancient wisdom that animals are spiritual guides with supernatural powers.

**In simple terms:** Modern rationalism forgets animals as spiritual guides.

Key Takeaway

Re‑connect with animal wisdom.

Themes

spirituality nature ancient wisdom

Mood

contemplative mysterious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- nature walks
- indigenous rituals
- creative writing

Key Concepts

mythology ecopsychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you honor animal symbolism scientifically?
- What role do animals play in your personal spirituality?

A Different Perspective

Scientific skepticism may reject supernatural claims.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-enlightenment-595593/) [Age of enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-of-enlightenment/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Anthropocentric Rationalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthropocentric-rationalist-1045525/) [Brainwashed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainwashed/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Celestial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celestial/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Disguise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguise/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Egos Brainwashed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egos-brainwashed-1045527/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Healer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healer/) [Manifestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manifestation/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Rationalist Egos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationalist-egos-1045528/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Understood Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-animals-1045526/)

## Related quotes

> [Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/before-anything-else-we-need-a-new-age-of-enlightenment-our-present/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [The world had seen so many Ages: the Age of Enlightenment; of Reformation; of Reason. Now, at last, the Age of Desire. And after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/the-world-had-seen-so-many-ages-the-age-of-enlightenment-of/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [“We are in the age of enlightenment of what environmental radiation is and what it is doing to all life on Earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/we-are-in-the-age-of-enlightenment-of-what-environmental-radiation-is/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [You British plundered half the world for your own profit. Let's not pass it off as the Age of Enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-chayefsky/you-british-plundered-half-the-world-for-your-own-profit-let-s-not/)

[Paddy Chayefsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-chayefsky/)

> [Since my first discussions of ecological problems with Professor John Day around 1950 and since reading Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring," I have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-mcleod-cormack/since-my-first-discussions-of-ecological-problems-with-professor-john/)

[Allan McLeod Cormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-mcleod-cormack/)

> [I think there is going to be a large paradigm shift in a few years, and it could either be to a new age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-deacon/i-think-there-is-going-to-be-a-large-paradigm-shift-in-a-few-years/)

[Dan Deacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-deacon/)

> [One of the Age of Enlightenment's most hypnotic images is Ledoux's rendering of his neoclassical theater of 1775 - 1784 in Besancon, surreally reflected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/one-of-the-age-of-enlightenment-s-most-hypnotic-images-is-ledoux-s/)

[Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/)

> [“When humanity finally emerges from the Middle Ages altogether, when he stops connecting psychic behavior with"the work of the Devil" or with some unknown,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-logan/when-humanity-finally-emerges-from-the-middle-ages-altogether-when-he/)

[Daniel Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-logan/)

> [Three hundred years ago, during the Age of Enlightenment, the coffee house became the center of innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/three-hundred-years-ago-during-the-age-of-enlightenment-the-coffee/)

[Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/)

> [Instead of being at the mercy of wild beasts, earthquakes, landslides, and inundations, modern man is battered by the elemental forces of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instead-of-being-at-the-mercy-of-wild-beasts-earthquakes-landslides/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [We're in an age of enlightenment, and we have a choice as a society which path to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/we-re-in-an-age-of-enlightenment-and-we-have-a-choice-as-a-society/)

[Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/)

> [Harvey , Galileo , Copernicus do not seem occult to us, but they did so to their contemporaries, hierophants of the mysteries of Natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/harvey-galileo-copernicus-do-not-seem-occult-to-us-but-they-did-so-to/)

[Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/)

> [“We have a choice to live in the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mommy-moo-moo/we-have-a-choice-to-live-in-the-age-of-enlightenment-or-the-age-of/)

[Mommy Moo Moo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mommy-moo-moo/)

> [ “As matters now stand, a great deal is still lacking in order for men as a whole to… apply \[reason\] confidently to religious issues.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-goldstein/as-matters-now-stand-a-great-deal-is-still-lacking-in-order-for-men/)

[Phyllis Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-goldstein/)

> [“The chicken "understands" the dog, the dog can interpret the dove's cooing, the insect can fathom the lowing of the cow, and no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-de-chazal/the-chicken-understands-the-dog-the-dog-can-interpret-the-dove-s/)

[Malcolm de Chazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-de-chazal/)

## More by Zeena Schreck

> [“Many secular observers and spiritual practitioners alike mistake mystical chanting as a kind of anthropological curiosity or interesting musical diversion from secular mainstream entertainment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/many-secular-observers-and-spiritual-practitioners-alike-mistake/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“Zeena Schreck believes that the right-hand path and the left-hand path have traditionally had the same end goal; it is only the method that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/zeena-schreck-believes-that-the-right-hand-path-and-the-left-hand/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“Conventional, organized religion, in its most decadent form, is an inert parody of the genuine religious experience as much as modern occult organizations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/conventional-organized-religion-in-its-most-decadent-form-is-an-inert/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [After you've seen behind the facade of a stage set you can't take the play seriously any more. In other words, you can't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/after-you-ve-seen-behind-the-facade-of-a-stage-set-you-can-t-take-the/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [A unifying factor between the different traditions and lineages of Tantra, is that it is feminine in nature. It acknowledges the feminine as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/a-unifying-factor-between-the-different-traditions-and-lineages-of/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Sex is like an atom bomb. A potent weapon which fascinates and frightens. We're afraid to let it loose, yet we all have our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/sex-is-like-an-atom-bomb-a-potent-weapon-which-fascinates-and/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Environmentalists and secular humanists insist that humans will destroy the planet. Corporate capitalists and many religious fundamentalists have no regard for wildlife and nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/environmentalists-and-secular-humanists-insist-that-humans-will/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [To the non-initiate, whose experience of sexuality and bodily pleasure may be distorted by negative cultural conditioning, the introduction of sexuality into a sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/to-the-non-initiate-whose-experience-of-sexuality-and-bodily-pleasure/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Nothing could be easier than disturbing a status quo instituted by others; the real work of the sinister current is to break the rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/nothing-could-be-easier-than-disturbing-a-status-quo-instituted-by/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [Always remember, wherever you are, whether near or far, you had a mother who really, really loved you. The original mother. Once you've found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/always-remember-wherever-you-are-whether-near-or-far-you-had-a-mother/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“One example of an uniquely Sethian approach towards initiation is for the initiate to regard his or her own life with the same urgency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/one-example-of-an-uniquely-sethian-approach-towards-initiation-is-for/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“A certain amount of native skill and training can allow many individuals to be fairly successful magicians, achieving a surprisingly high ratio of positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/a-certain-amount-of-native-skill-and-training-can-allow-many/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/the-core-practice-of-magic-is-the-execution-of-a-willed-intent-to/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [“If you have strength of character, you can use that as fuel to not only be a survivor but to transcend simply being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/if-you-have-strength-of-character-you-can-use-that-as-fuel-to-not/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

> [When all that’s left of us is the pure untainted consciousness without form, we’ll know what it means when the last human breath expires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/when-all-that-s-left-of-us-is-the-pure-untainted-consciousness/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

[Explore all 56 Zeena Schreck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky anthropocentric, rationalist egos have been brainwashed to forget what 'primitive' cultures once understood: Animals can be manifestations of celestial beings in disguise; they possess supernatural abilities, and they can be our spiritual guides and healers.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zeena Schreck"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment-our-shaky-anthropocentric/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment-our-shaky-anthropocentric/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c2/zeena-schreck-12024_ability_since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment_2499470.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, our shaky anthropocentric, rationalist egos have been brainwashed…” — Zeena Schreck",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Zeena Schreck",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment-our-shaky-anthropocentric/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/since-the-so-called-age-of-enlightenment-our-shaky-anthropocentric/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
