Here’s a theory some might find interesting.
It’s a version of panspermia that involves shrooms/psychedelics . The basic idea of panspermia is that for some reason life was seeded here from another planet. It could have been done to specially selected planets or it could have been sprinkled indiscriminately across space. There are many different versions of panspermia that differ according to the originating species’ reasons, the seeding process, the level of design and a few other details.
In a few of these versions you can think of the brain/thought/subconscious mind/DNA as a high level programming language. The seeding intervention could go as far back as preparing the planet for life, could have found a suitable planet and initiated life, found a planet with life and helped it along or planted the seeds here that would trigger with a lifeform reached a point that the seeds could work their magic.
The core concept in the psychedelic theory is that of multiphase sequential triggering technology. One type of the fungi would attach itself to common food sources such as oats and wheat. It would function as a normal fungi until a trigger is activated by the local fauna. Once activated, the fungi begins to implant knowledge into the subconscious of the host species. This would be an explanation for cultural similarities that appear almost universally among humans. Most cultures have stories of dragons/sky serpents, similar pottery, extraterrestrial gods from the stars/heavens, spirit realm and of course pyramids. This is just a single stage of intervention by the seeded fungal technology.
Several other stages could exist such as the jump from simple single celled organisms to complex life. You could look at the unexplained evolution of the Cambrian Explosion or the rapid increase in human brain size. The theft of fire is a good one due to the similarities between different cultural myths of the hero who gifted man with fire(Maui; Polynesia, Prometheus; Greek, Kaggen; African, Matarisvan; Hindu, Animal spirits; First Nation tribes). This hero is usually a trickster and shapeshifter that takes on the form of an animal and gifts man with the secret knowledge of fire in defiance of the other gods, due to distrust for man, but is seen as a hero and ally of mankind in lore.
There are many other aspects where you could attempt to find congruencies, such as different spiritual ages being different stages of seeded knowledge being integrated and fermenting in preparation for the next enlightenment trigger. According to the panspermia interpretation of cultural belief, the timelines differ slightly but are very close.
Despite all of the differences in the mythos, they all seem to agree that we are approaching the end of the final era of enlightenment. This stage is highly concerned with spiritual enlightenment and knowledge of a higher level of consciousness. This stage is characterized by a transition away from the baser animal instinct and toward a more complete understanding of higher consciousness and reality through enlightenment. This transition will result in a struggle as some fight to maintain their current reality and even go so far as to try to hinder the enlightenment of others.
The trigger for this final stage was supposedly psychedelics. Many accounts of psychedelic experiences describe enlightenment through an introspective analysis of Maslow’s hierarchy, such as valuing money over people or valuing vanity over love/kindness, and external journeys that reveal a higher reality. These experiences are also associated with ego death, a term used to describe a dissolution of the identity you’ve constructed around this singular animalistic form of existence, and allows for experience of your higher self. In most cases people describe the experience of this truer form as existing outside of time and spacial constraints and the revelation being, rather than an evolution into this higher existential entity, a remembrance of their true existence and the nature of reality itself.
This theory on the origin of life or even just enlightenment, at first glance, can seem preposterous but there are some interesting parallels worth considering. The Eleusinian Mysteries, for example, was an invite-only ritualistic festival in which the members would imbibe a sacred drink to reach enlightenment. Prominent members include, the holy Trinity of ancient philosophy: Plato, Socrates and Aristotle, as well as Cisero and Marcus Aurelius and many others with such thought provoking ideas that we continue to explore them today. The psychedelic consumed was a mystery for over 2000 years but was largely suspected to be ergot. This was recently supported when traces of ergot were found in an ancient ceremonial vase. This parasitic grain fungus is, for those who do not know, the source of LSD.
I could continue at great length about these parallels but that should be more than enough to get you through the looking glass. While I am not saying that I believe this, it definitely has a certain internal logical consistency in the case for panspermia and higher levels of reality. I can provide more details on the argument for this theory, parallels to history and religion, as well as, sources and recommended reading if interested.
