(February 6, 2013 at 9:29 am)CapnAwesome Wrote: The early Shamans and Priests made claims for the supernatural or to speak with the gods, but they knew very well that they didn't.
Altered States Of Consciousness - Archaeology and the Shaman
Quote:One of the primary tools of the religious specialist called shaman, the visions characterized by (anthropology-defined) Altered States of Consciousness can be achieved through fasting, dehydration, lack of sleep, blood loss, extreme pain, chanting, sweat lodges, and ingesting psychoactive drugs. In this manner, shamans reach trance states in which they may travel to the underworld, gain help from spirits, manipulate the weather, find lost objects or help with pain or fertility problems.
Early shamans and priests had no knowledge of neuroscience so they would have interpreted these visions as being real.
Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?
