“Art was not simply a foregone conclusion, the final link in a causal chain. It was not the inevitable outcome of an evolving ‘aesthetic sense’, as some writers suggest.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“The first point to notice is that the Transition cannot be explained by climatic change alone: human change was not the direct result of marked environmental change. The crucial period did see a colder climate peaking at about 35,000 years ago, but Neanderthals had survived previous climatic instability.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“According to Martindale’s view, as we drift into sleep we pass through: – waking, problem-oriented thought, – realistic fantasy, – autistic fantasy, – reverie, – hypnagogic (falling asleep) states, and – dreaming.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“In altered states of consciousness, the nervous system itself becomes a ‘sixth sense’ that produces a variety of images including entoptic phenomena.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“The behaviour of the human nervous system in certain altered states creates the illusion of dissociation from one’s body (less commonly understood in hunting and gathering shamanistic societies as possession by spirits).”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“San religion is built around belief in a tiered universe. As do other shamanistic peoples throughout the world, the San believe in a realm above and another below the surface of the world on which they live.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“There were at least four contexts in which San shamans acquired insights into the spiritual world: – the trance dance, – special curing rituals, – viewing rock art, and – dreams.”
“A shaman’s activities as a sorcerer, or his own conscious act of entry into the supernatural world, were a kind of “killing”.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“The principal aim of a vision quest is to ‘see’ a spirit animal that will become the quester’s animal-helper and source of his power.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art
“Entering a cave” or rock was a metaphor for a shaman’s altered state; therefore, caves (and rocks more generally) were considered entrances or portals to the supernatural world.”
Source: The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art