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 [...]
Tags:Aborigines·altered states of consciousness·ASC·Bushmen·dreams·Dreamtime·hallucinations·Iroquois·Jesuit Relations·Plains Indians·psychotropics·San·trance·trance dance·visions
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 [...]
Tags:Adena·Altamira·altered states of consciousness·Appalachia·ASC·cave art·cave cosmology·cave rituals·cave symbolism·Chauvet·Cherokee·Cumberland·David Lewis-Willliams·entoptic images·entoptics·form constants·hallucinations·Hopewell·Jan Simek·John Jeremiah Sullivan·Lascaux·Mayan·Mississippian cultures·Mound Builders·Natchez·Paleolithic·petroglyphs·rock art·San rock art·Southern Death Cult·Southestern Ceremonial Complex·Tennessee
There are many who believe that near death experiences (“NDE”) provide evidence of the existence of a spirit-soul and that those who have these close encounters with death have glimpsed another realm. Over at Brain Blogger, Jennifer Gibson discusses some recent studies of NDEs in a post titled “Light at the End of the Tunnel [...]
Tags:altered states of consciousness·American Indians·Asian Indians·Brain Blogger·Buddhist·carbon dioxide·Christian·consciousness·cultural imprinting·cultural patterning·Glenn Roberts·hallucinations·heaven·Hindu·Jennifer Gibson·Jesus·John Owen·Krishna·metaphysical realm·metaphysics·Muslim·NDE·near death experience·pan-human neurology·Siddhartha·soul·spirit·supernatural·The Near Death Experience·Vishnu·Wakan Tanka·Yamdoots·Yamraj
In a previous post, Consciousness and the Supernatural, I discussed at some length David Lewis-Williams’ contention that supernatural thinking arises naturally from fluctuations of consciousness. These fluctuations range from normal (dreaming) to periodic (reveries) to pathological (delusions). Deliberately induced — and dramatic — altered states of consciousness are of course a specialty of shamans around [...]
Tags:altered states of consciousness·consciousness·David Lewis-Williams·delirium·delusions·dreaming·elderly·hallucinations·hospital delirium·mystics·reveries·shamans·supernatural
