Hunter Gatherer society. Cooperation with wolves which lead to domestication. Science has shown that all modern domestic dogs have descended from at least 5 seperate successful domestications of wolves. For hundreds of thousands of years humanity lived in this way. Even at the dawn of the space age, some parts of the world were inhabited by hunter gather societies. Serpent images, hermaphrodites, fertility, shapeshifting, and halucinogen/entheogen use recur in such societies across the world. Animistic, and later Spiritist woldviews predominate spiritualy with shaman and ancestors playing key roles.

Trade Cities - 6200BC Catal Hyuk located in modern Turkey, later others located in Malta, Gozo and Caral. There may well have been others, but all these civilisations share several things in common. No evidence of centralised government. Evidence of trade. No evidence of warfare, fortifications or any kind of military organisation. Evidence of fertility celebrated. Images of goddesses (or possibly just depictions of women), sometimes in the act of giving birth are common. It has been recorded by some that vatican funded archeologists have been defacing hermaphrodite statues in certain places and that protestant american archeologists have also indulged in unscientific defacing of ancient artifacts in south america. Even so it is likely that far more of these goddess figures are actually hermaphrodite than evidence shows. One might speculate on a continuance of animist and spiritist beliefs, possibly with the development of pantheism or earth worship, but all these civilisations were wiped out by later authoritarian societies and most of the evidence suppressed from then onwards. It seems the goverments don't want us to know that society was peaceful before goverments existed...

Authoritarianism - c4000BC onwards. The rise of Egypt and Babylon, the first centralised goverments, the first armies and the first warfare. With it came the beginnings of a suppression of our animal natures, and a slow eroding of our previously ecstatic spirituality. Spirituality more and more becomes reduced to the repeating of little understood rituals and following even less understood rules.

Secret Societies - Authoritarianism has caused to come into being a variety of secret societies, secret either because they had to be during times of persecution or because they had so few members as to be unheard of outside their own small circles. These societies are sometimes authoritarian, and sometimes individualist, sometimes a society changes sides to suit its own survival. Worthy of note are...

Ancient Greece - The Dionysian Cult

Israel 300 BC - The Essenes, a cult of messianic hebrew zealots and astrologers, angry at Alexander the Great for converting the temple of Jerusalem over the worship of Zeus. Exiled to Damascus (ie, the desert) they form a rebel community that lasts several hundred years. By the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, the community has gone from pro-yahwist authoritarianism to being a ragtag bunch of rebels and mystics from Israel, Egypt, Sumeria, Persia and other surrounding nations. In anycase certain secret cyphers of the Essenes have been proven to have been passed on to the Gnostics.

Early First Millenium - Gnostics. The gnostics wrote scriptures, but were a non-dogmatic sect that placed more importance on actual direct communion with deity than words that can be read. They held that the god of the authoritarian world was an imposter, the demiurge or 'the architect', and not the true creator of the world at all. They depicted him as a lame cripple who imprisoned Adam and Eve in his false creation. The other immortals were not pleased with this situation and so sent one of their number to free Adam and Eve. This was Lucifer, the Light Bringer, whose apple opened the spiritual eye, gave Adam and Eve what the gnostics called 'Gnosis' and what has been called elsewhere 'Illumination' and 'Enlightenment'. They also held that Jesus was an avatar of Lucifer, whose purpose was to turn people away from Yahweh, the Demiurge. Also of importance to them was Sophia, whose name means wisdom and whom they depicted as a 'sacred whore' and equated with Mary Magdelene. As the rise of Christian Authoritarianism began after 300BC, the Gnostics became persecuted although their mythology found its way into both the Hermetic Alchemical tradition and popular witchcraft cults of the time.

11th to 13th Century - Hashishim. Named after the herb they smoked, the Hashishim also gave their name to the word 'Assassin'. Their official name was the Ismaeli sect of Islam. One of its leaders, Hassan Ibn Sabbah was reputed to have uttered the last words of 'Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted', for which orthodox islam have claimed he was condemned to hell.

13th Century - Knights Templar. It was in this year that the french knights templar were arrested for heresay. Although this arrest was a political manouvre the knights were found to worship a deity called 'Baphomet'. Baphomet is an Essene Cypher for the name 'Sophia'. It is possible the Gnostics aquired the cypher from the Essenes, applied it to Sophia, then passed the cyphered name to the Cathars. The knights templar probably did not know the cypher, although they did know it was associated with wisdom. It is likely they got the name from Cathars when they were on the crusades. Interesting 23 Templar warships were not arrested but set free to sail the seas. The flag of the templar navy was the skull and cross bones. Freemasonry is thought by some to have had its origin with the knights templar.

18th Century - A german masonic sect, The Bavarian Illuminati, plots to overthrow the European Chirstian Monarchies and replace them with secular democratic governments. Although the untimely death of an illuminati messenger resulted in their discovery and many were executed for treason, it is thought they had some connection with revolutionaries in France. Some have even speculated on their involvement in American independance, although this is unlikely. The eye in the pyramid is a more general masonic symbol, possibly with origins in mystical catholicism where it represents the all seeing eye of the trinity (god) or from Hermetic Alchemy, where it is thought to represent the eye of spiritual sight in the middle of the three alchemical principles. Later groups that claim descendency (or are otherwise influenced by) this group include the Astrum Argentum of Aleister Crowley, the Discordian Society, various Chaos Magic groups, such as the Illuminates of Thanateros, the Kaotic Illuminated Adepts and the Invisible Illuminati.

21st Century - Although little wars still occur throughout the world a new era of peace is dawning for the majority of the population. Authoritarianism is on the decline, despite the police state tendency of some democratic leaders, the people are beginning to realise that community not only works fine without government or legal intervention, it actually works better. The need for leaders, gurus and 'authorities' is being seen as the spiritual insecurity it actually is. The spiritual depression of authoritarian religion is slowly lifting as people rediscover a spirituality based on full sensual pleasure.

22nd Century - Galactic Civilization. Earth United under the banner of the PanGaea Cooperative. A peaceful organisation much like the pre-authoritarian cities of pre-history. Trade, peace and pleasure are its objectives. We seek to trade with the other races of the galaxy, make peace with them, and bring them Satelite Water Parks and Party Palaces. We aim to show that our culture knows how to have fun! Sound nice? Well, there is a darker side to us, as anyone who looks at Antons overall alignment will soon realise. Lets just say we are fun loving hedonists who seek to control the galaxy from behind the scenes, for good or for evil...

References

Freedom and Counter Culture
Dionysian Underground
You May Be An Anarchist And Not Even Know It
Women In Evolution
Hassan Ibn Sabbah
Templar Arrests
Pure Anarchy Dot Net