Paleolithic Beginnings
Becoming Human
During the Paleolithic era, Cro-Magnon’s artistic expression reached a critical mass as seen in cave paintings all over Europe, Asia, Siberia, Australia and Africa
Creativity in Response to Crisis
The most intense artistic activity happened just as the Ice Age reached its most severe (approximately 40,000–15,000 years ago), then about 10,000 years ago, it virtually disappeared as the Ice Age finally ended.
The Use of Sound in Caves
Echoes were very likely understood to be the voices of spirits. Their reverberating sound appeared to come from deep inside the cave walls, themselves thought to be a portal to the spirit world.
Connecting with the Spirit World
Many images were likely created as part of a ritual that took place in the caves in which our ancestors re-created and re-worked their out-of-body visions.
The Neurophysiology of the Trance State and Our Concept of a Three-Tiered Cosmos
Throughout the world, Shamanic vision journeys display a similar pattern that cannot be accounted by communication or migration.