My knowledge is limited in this area, but from what i know, Karaniya Metta sutta was given to monks who were harrassed in the forest by ghosts or evil spirits. The Ratana sutta is recommended during times of pandemics and natural disasters such as the beautiful times we live in
It seems that the mind was given more emphasis than our times. The Buddha's emergence in the world begins with a dream by his mother, and a prophecy by a clairvoyant. This seems to be a recurring theme in ancient times of which an oracle is contrasted with the wise.
https://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/c ... es_p4.htmlAfter his service in the war, Socrates devoted himself to his favorite pastime: the pursuit of truth.
His reputation as a philosopher, literally meaning 'a lover of wisdom', soon spread all over Athens and beyond. When told that the Oracle of Delphi had revealed to one of his friends that Socrates was the wisest man in Athens, he responded not by boasting or celebrating, but by trying to prove the Oracle wrong.
So Socrates decided he would try and find out if anyone knew what was truly worthwhile in life, because anyone who knew that would surely be wiser than him. He set about questioning everyone he could find, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Instead they all pretended to know something they clearly did not.
Finally he realized the Oracle might be right after all. He was the wisest man in Athens because he alone was prepared to admit his own ignorance rather than pretend to know something he did not.
A similar theme can be found in modern arts, such as the movie "the matrix".