Myths of Atlantis and Lemuria can be nostalgically repeated in modern mythologies because they convey two meanings: glory and demise. With high levels of modernity, people desire a nostalgic past, and lost continents represent a lost time and a lost place. As a result, Atlantis and Lemuria are completely unknowable to people in the modern world. All archaeological ruins, real or imagined, can be inscribed in time and place because ruins are a reminder of death and transition.

Modernity looks only to the future, not to the past, where people seek history and belonging in their daily lives. History is the reconstruction of a narrative, which is usually incomplete. This is especially true in the reconstruction of human history and human evolution. To fill in missing gaps of information, occultists use a variety of sources. To support historical claims that Lemuria and Atlantis existed, occultists use historical, sometimes ancient information, which is considered more “authentic” and more “correct” than modern scientific claims.

Those who ascribe to the theory of Atlantis and Lemuria assume that their similar cultures have evolved from a common ancestor, rather than a process of diffusion.

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Further Reading