Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'altered states of consciousness'

Dream, Trance, Vision

November 29th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Cognition, Hunter-Gatherers, Shamanism

There can be little doubt that fluctuations in consciousness are a major contributing factor to beliefs in the supernatural. Although there are other aspects of mind that are also contributing factors (such as agency detection, theory of mind, causal sequencing, and pattern imposition), one thing that surely would have mystified or perplexed early modern humans [...]

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Entoptics or Doodles: Children of the Cave

October 1st, 2011 · 10 Comments · Archaeology, Cognition, Ritual, Shamanism

There was a time when Paleolithic cave paintings were construed primarily through the lens of “art,” an interpretive stance which assumes that at least some Paleolithic peoples were “artists” who painted for pleasure. Because this lens is so subjective (and creative), all manner of interpretations were offered. Whether prosaic or fanciful, this approach raised troubling [...]

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Southern Death Cult: Data & Meaning

March 23rd, 2011 · No Comments · Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers, Methodology, Power, Shamanism

John Jeremiah Sullivan’s piece on America’s ancient cave art has prompted some thinking — always the sign of good writing. If you haven’t read it yet, you should. Here are some of the things that have me cogitating:
Simek the Scientist v. Reilly the Symbolist

This is not a lawsuit — it is the tension Sullivan establishes [...]

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America’s Unknown & Ancient Cave Art

March 21st, 2011 · No Comments · Archaeology, Cognition, Ritual, Shamanism

In a collaborative (subscription seeking) arrangement with the Paris Review, Slate has just published a riveting piece on “America’s Ancient Cave Art” by John Jeremiah Sullivan. Many of these Cumberland and Tennessee Valley caves have been only recently discovered and their locations are largely secret. Except for a small group of Southeastern archaeologists, their existence [...]

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Mural Magic of Mushrooms

March 14th, 2011 · 8 Comments · Archaeology, Cognition, Hunter-Gatherers, Ritual, Shamanism

Cognitive archaeologist David Lewis-Williams has long argued that the spectacular Paleolithic paintings in European caves such Lascaux, Chauvet, and Altamira were created by early shamans who were experiencing altered states of consciousness (“ASC”). Because Paleolithic rock art around the world displays the same types of symbols or form constants, which Lewis-Williams calls “entoptics,” he contends [...]

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Dissociative Soul Flights

February 25th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Cognition, Shamanism

Out of body experiences are a human universal. Why? Because human brains are constructed in a way that enables such perceptions. Dreaming, drug use, and near death experiences regularly give rise to such experiences. Recreational users of ketamine are quite familiar with the experience, and none of these people are operating under the illusion that [...]

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Werner Herzog Films Chauvet Cave in 3-D

February 17th, 2011 · No Comments · Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers, Shamanism

Here is the fantastic news: one of the world’s greatest filmmakers, Werner Herzog, was granted rare access to Chauvet Cave and filmed the interior in 3-D. Chauvet Cave is of course famous for its 30,000 year old art — it is a spectacular display of human creativity and is probably the result of [...]

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Whip Me: Controlling Guilt with Pain

February 15th, 2011 · No Comments · Axial Age, History, Hunter-Gatherers, Power, Ritual

Over at The Economist, our correspondent reports that “religion got it right: pain seems to assuage guilt.” This conclusion is based on an Australian study that primed the usual guinea pigs (undergraduates) with guilt by having them write about something “immoral” or “unethical” they had done. Compared to a non-primed group who wrote about cupcakes [...]

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Spreading Leg Woman?

February 6th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Archaeology, Hunter-Gatherers, Ritual

Over at Discovery, Jennifer Viegas reports on an 11,000 year old piece of elk antler, found in Poland, that is incised with zigzags:

The artifact will be described in the March issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. Polish archaeologist Tomasz Plonka talked to Viegas about the find:
“The ornament is composed of groups of zigzag lines [...]

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Sacred Beer

November 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Archaeology, Magic, Neolithic, Ritual, Shamanism

As Charles Choi reports, archaeologist Brian Hayden suggests that the Neolithic domestication of cereals may have been driven by the ritual desire for proto-Budweiser:
[His] argument is that Stone Age farmers were domesticating cereals not so much to fill their stomachs but to lighten their heads, by turning the grains into beer. That has been their [...]

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