Before Atlantis, there was Lemuria. No one is certain as to when this civilization existed, but an educated guess is around 300,000 BC. It was a time when people began to live in communities and build shelters by the sea, for water was very sacred to them. The Lemurians were a highly spiritual people and practiced equality as it has never been practiced since. Everyone was equal regardless of what labor they provided for the welfare and comfort of everyone else. There was a Council of Elders, wise men and women who offered advice and suggestions to those asking for help, but even this group had no jurisdiction over anyone else in their village. The Lemurians possessed a group mind where no individuality existed or was even thought about and where no one belonged to anyone else. Even children did not belong to their mothers but to everyone residing in the community. The concept of marriage and family simply did not exist. No one owned anything either. Land, homes, and even possessions belonged to everyone in the community. It was also a matriarchal society where women were highly respected and had an equal voice with men. Learning about their lifestyle and culture, it quickly becomes apparent that modern humans would have a difficult time understanding the people of this ancient civilization. Yet it is important for humans of today to learn about Lemuria as this shift in thinking, in consciousness, that is permeating the world is actually a return to this kind, loving, compassionate Lemurian energy. The whole world is now slowly stepping up or ascending into this higher vibrational energy of love as exhibited by the earth's first civilization, namely Lemuria.