Before the invention of Supernatural religion just a few thousand years ago, Early Humans had a natural approach to understanding and relating to life. The stories told about the nature of their "primitive animism" are wrong. Our early ancestors are described as unrealistically fearing natural forces, believing in and offering sacrifices to a pantheon of gods. However, we have no direct evidence that this was the case.

From what we can infer, Early Humans appear to have been closer to advanced science's understanding of the universe than we have given them credit for. The view that the first Homo sapiens had a natural science approach enjoys support from quantum physics and consciousness studies. Their so-called "primitive animism," ascribing spirits or consciousness to objects and aspects of nature, corresponds to what modern physicists label universal consciousness. Physics, subtle energy and consciousness research now confirms early human beliefs in their connections to and communications with all species.

The Early Humans were conscious of their bonds to all creatures, bonds now validated through DNA and consciousness studies. This understanding led to their adoption of appropriate animals (much as modern sports teams do) to focus their own energetic fields for hunting or healing. Totem animals or sacred places were not worshiped as we worship our "gods." They were regarded as symbols of motivation (as many people do today with natural phenomena like the ocean or lightning ). Although they didn't use the terms, they, as we do, had morphogenetic fields (emotionally charged conscious intentions) and archetypes (subtle energy attached to concepts). The projection onto these peoples of modern ideas of "gods" as "divine beings to be worshiped" distorts their authentic interactions with an alive and intelligent universe.

A look at early Japanese folk myths illustrates this danger of misinterpretation. Western scholars, steeped in the Supernatural tradition, label as "gods" the following mythic terms (likely meanings shown): Daikoku = energy of prosperity, Inari = essence of rice, Ebisu = emotion of fishing, and Hotei = zest of joviality. Affirmations using these words/symbols served to connect the early Japanese with the respective morphogenetic fields or archetypes. That is quite different from worshiping them as anthropomorphic gods.

Additional evidence for the Natural perspective of Early Humans comes from beliefs held before the advent of the Near-East's supernatural religions. For example, some documents indicate that Tibetans have been guardians of Natural Philosophy since before the Cataclysm 11,500 years ago. Early Zoroastrianism, proto-Hinduism, and the initial Hermetic traditions did not include the concept of supernatural or divine beings. Pre-pharaonic Egypt manifested natural traditions, described in early Greek documentation of Egyptian reports attributing some of them to influences from Atlantis. Philosophy in the Golden Age of Greece was congruent with the natural Eastern thought introduced below.

I believe the invention of such "gods" came about when advanced beings (AB's) exposed some of our ancestors to high-tech inventions and more sophisticated societies. Early Humans, without understanding the larger context, believed what they saw was Supernatural, i.e., unnatural or divine. They were encouraged to treat ordinary but more technically advanced beings as "gods," not unlike European conquerors expected to be treated by indigenous peoples only a few hundred years ago. [The story of how AB's influenced Modern Humans requires many books. References to it in this article are based on recent interpretations (by Zecharia Sitchin and others) of Sumerian texts and other ancient sources.]

Corroboration of a Natural perspective comes from peoples who appear to have largely escaped the influence of AB-shaped cultures. For example, many Early North Americans (Amerinds) viewed the fundamental universe as consciousness or energy that manifests in matter. They understood the modern science concept of the unity of all things, including their "brothers and sisters" in other species. They knew about the use of conscious intent for healing and depended on the inner senses to aid their understanding of the flow of life. As in the East, awareness of the indestructibility of consciousness gave them a sense of detachment about this incarnation.

In Japan, for reasons of geography and social inclination, Natural Philosophy has remained influential throughout its history. Even the Izanagi and Izanami forces of the Japanese creation myth represent Yin and Yang energies (the Hermetic Principle of Gender). The influence on China and Japan of personalities like Lao Tzu, the putative founder of Taoism in prehistory, and Confucius stressed an ultimate reality beyond religion and ritual. Lao taught the universe was primarily energy, subject to the inner principles of a creative process. Confucius' subsequent influence helped maintain a natural, humanistic focus. Additionally, Early Buddhism helped reinforce the natural perspective in East Asia.

Basic concepts of Early Buddhist philosophy (circa 2,500 BP) were intended to resist Hinduism's growing supernaturalism, from the Mesopotamian AB influence. This Buddhism, untainted by other-worldly religious beliefs, came from a process of self-reflection and inwardly accessing knowledge from the noumena (the non-local field of consciousness). Unlike later Buddhism, it stressed the need to apply inner wisdom to everyone's active engagement in nature and society.

The same perspective, "by their fruits shall ye know them," was later reflected in the teachings of the Essene Jesus (See The Lost Gospel "Q," Ulysses Press, 1996) after he returned to Galilee from study in Asia. The naturalistic teachings of Jesus indicate he was privy to the principles of Natural Philosophy and preached them over Supernaturalism. The result: one Supernatural-based authority condemned him and suppressed his teachings. Another authoritarian political system executed him and later co-opted his story to provide the emotional underpinning for a new Supernatural religion. A third Supernatural religion grew out of the first. The three now dominate the thinking of perhaps two-thirds of the world, resulting in a form of schizophrenia about the human responsibility for the world we have created.

The European Renaissance of half a millennium ago successfully surfaced only a portion of humanity's true legacy. And much of it has been overwhelmed by the glitter of modern materialism, buttressed by the distortions of otherworldly thinking. If there is to be a New Renaissance of the Third Millennium, humans must re-examine their history and re-discover the truth of humanity's natural roots in an alive and intelligent cosmos. We humans must re-assume our direct responsibility for the nurturing and shaping of our share of the future universe.

Paul Von Ward is a cosmologist emphasizing the fields of prehistory, frontier science, and consciousness studies. Visit his web site www.vonward.com for samples from his work on the Emerging New Human Story. His recent book SOLARIAN LEGACY: Metascience and a New Renaissance, is available in bookstores or on line at www.Medicinebear.com and www.Amazon.com.