CHART KEY:


Pitch Black: The world is blanketed by brutal, powerful dictorial or aristocratic regimes, backed by powerful religious organizations that disallow, on the pain of death, any beliefs not approved by them. Theocracies flourish in some parts of the world; others are simply atheistic and materialistic to their rotting core. Social injustice is through the roof, and a new age of darkness has begun. Warfare is fully accepted as "the way things are" and it is non-stop. Bonds between families and human beings are nonexistent, or simply socially-approved mockeries of what real "family" entails. The environment is blackened, reduced to a wasteland, and its resources are scarce. Freakish ignorance dominates human perceptions. Actual spiritual experiences or insights are unheard of and probably impossible at this point.


Almost Black: The world has gone mad. The vast majority people believe that there is only one God, or in no God or Gods at all. Corrupt capitalist pseudo-democracies dominate the world with financial imperialism, globalism and militaristic insanity. Radical reactionary political movements built on fascism, communism, and lop-sided socialism bring the global madness to a fever pitch. Cultures are largely corporate, materialistic, dissipated, and shallow. Bonds between families and human beings are in shambles. Global warfare is the rule, not the exception. The environment is suffering and rapidly fading, and no government cares enough about it to make any effective changes. Selfishness and isolation characterize the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is very rare and isolated.


Red: The world is largely consumed by lunacy. A vocal minority of upstart influential people doubt that anything exists that cannot be seen, heard, or touched, and believe that technology and so-called "rationality" will save the world from danger and discomfort. Sadly, nearly all of their efforts lead to despair and the cheaping of life in the name of convenience, materialism, and "advancement". Monotheistic religious forces have a massive foothold and come close to dominating the spiritual lives of the majority of people in the developed world. Warfare is common. Greed, stupidity, and fear are not just incidental forces acting on mankind; they are the rule now, not the exception. The true Gods are considered "myths" and "legends". Globalism is growing, but has not yet fully cobwebbed the world. The environment, though suffering, is not irreversibly damaged. Traditional cultures outside of the "developed" world, though shrinking, would be able to recover if things were reversed. Governments are firmly out of touch with their people, if they were ever in touch to begin with. A sense of fear and paranoia characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is rare.


Orange: Monotheistic religious organizations have political influence over large regions and governments. Monotheists wreck and undermine the fabric of traditional cultures any chance they get, in the name of "conversion". Organized warfare is nearly a common occurence, and traditional organic religious beliefs and practices are fading away rapidly. Monotheistic religious beliefs rapidly take hold in the minds of the confused and the gullible, and traditional family bonds, bonds of clan and kin, are reduced to a dim mockery of what they used to be, except in the most out-of-the-way places. People often turn away from traditional homelands and cultural beliefs, and sell themselves mentally and emotionally to whatever power dominates their part of the world. Leaders of large groups almost always maintain their positions through force, and care not at all for the people below them except to the extent that ruling those people is profitable. Ancient forests are sliced down in massive numbers, and the sacredness of the Land is all but forgotten. A sense of anxiety and uncertainty characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is a true challenge to find.


Yellow: Outrageously false notions like Monotheism dominate one or two cultures, normally cultures that are struggling or having a hard time competing with their culturally or militarily superior neighbors. Monotheists decide that their "God" is the only real one, and this "God" justifies their every atrocity or suffering in the face of the hardships of the world, giving them a supposed moral "upper hand" on everyone else. Legitimate Traditional Polytheism is now hard to find; most centers of worship have become enmeshed in the political structures surrounding leadership of society, and that leadership is largely based on competition with others, and desire for wealth and land. The true Gods still have much influence on rural peoples and some urbans, but family bonds are now taking a hard beating in the face of the rise of huge urban centers and the uncontrolled admixture of cultural influences. Warfare is becoming common; bureaucracy rears its ugly head, and a sense of unrest and doubt characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is a reasonable challenge to find.


Tan: The traditional, organic religions that honor the true Gods have become somewhat rote and shallow in some places due to materialistic fixations on the parts of influential social powers. Many people forsake their bonds to one another, and their duty to the land and their fellow man, and become mercenary in their approach to life. Some stop believing in the Gods at all, or accept bizzare and untrue notions about the Gods, chiefly that they (the Gods) either don't exist, or exist and don't care about mankind. Others believe that reality itself is some species of "One Great God" or that this "Great God" is impersonal and uncaring. Strange ascetic movements appear of "world-renouncers" who reject the world and disappear into forests or isolated communities. Warfare is now more common, and organized militaries are used to dominate large areas, though they have not yet reached the point of common atrocity or general massacre. Leaders can easily be motivated by nothing but greed. A sense of uncertainty but also a sense of stability characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is harder to find, but never too far away for those who seek earnestly.


Green: Traditional polytheistic religion and its associated atmosphere of tolerance suffers a bit, as some people are lax in their duties to ancestral religion. The vast majority of people still know the Gods and worship them, but others have allowed other concerns to blind them to their need for the Gods and ancestral piety. A few people or regions are cynical with regard to local and political authorities, or they consider situations only from the angle of unbalanced self-interest. More natural resources than should be taken are used, though this is still largely controlled. The bonds between families and people are still strong, but fraying around the edges in some places. A few rogue militaries and military leaders are taking steps towards using force to dominate and steal the lands of others, but this is isolated and largely reversible through time and heroic effort on the parts of others. Strong creativity and inqusitiveness characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is easy to find.


Sky Blue: The many Gods are known and believed in, but people are in danger of becoming lax in their duties to the Gods and one another. This minor laziness can easily be reversed, with the right change in the mix of social forces acting on people. Cultural, social, and spiritual diversity are still alive and well, though people may allow themselves to take these things for granted from time to time. Most of the world is not urban, local towns and villages are the center of cultural life and balanced animal and agricultural farming sustains everyone. Human settlements are largely self-governing, policing, and sustaining, and authority at levels higher than the local region is invested in people who are proven to be self-sacrificing, smart, and strong. Family and kin bonds are strong and healthy. Satisfaction and a sense of adventure characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is common.


White: The many Gods are known, accepted, and worshipped worldwide; the notion of monotheism does not exist. Each culture has embraced its own unique historical, organic, and modern vision of the diversity of the divine world, aligned itself and resolved itself with its own history, and placed spiritual pluralism and human diversity in high respect and priority. Organized religion has vanished; globalism does not exist; industry is heavily controlled and regulated, and the environment is strong and healthy. Warfare is rare, and only ever a matter of legitimate defense or extreme survival for a people. Radical traditionalism dominates the thinking of most men and women; love of family and reciprocal bonds within society are foremost in people's thinking- this includes the duty to protect the stability of society and selflessly sacrifice for the good of family and friends when needed. A sense of belonging and fair reciprocal exchange between people characterizes the common experience of human beings. True spirituality is felt and experienced everyday.