“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).” — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“For the makers, the paintings and engravings were visions, not representations of visions.” — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“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.” — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“I suggest that the type of consciousness – not merely the degree of intelligence – that Neanderthals possessed was different in important respects from… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“To understand the ‘wounded men’ of Upper Palaeolithic art, I now consider somatic hallucinations; these include attenuation of the body and limbs, polymelia (having… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“The picture of change in human society that emerges from this recent research throws new light on that aspect of the Transition that has… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“Perhaps the most striking feature of the west European Upper Palaeolithic, one on which many writers comment, is a sharp increase in the rate… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“The first point to notice is that the Transition cannot be explained by climatic change alone: human change was not the direct result of… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“The world’s oldest ‘art’ (77,000 years old) comes from Blombos Cave on the southern coast of South Africa.” — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“Improved memory made possible the long-term recollection of dreams and visions and the construction of those recollections into a spirit world.” — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“Under certain social circumstances, which may have varied from time to time and place to place, certain people (shamans) saw a relationship between the… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
“Primary consciousness is a state of being aware of things in the world – of having mental images in the present.But it is not… — James David Lewis-Williams Copy Share Image
