“ Rock art sites were symbolic vaginas, and entry into the wall of a rock art site was thus akin to intercourse. James David Lewis-Williams
“ A shaman’s activities as a sorcerer, or his own conscious act of entry into the supernatural world, were a kind of “killing”. James David Lewis-Williams
“ 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. James David Lewis-Williams
“ 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
“ 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. James David Lewis-Williams
“ 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 the… James David Lewis-Williams
“ 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 pos… James David Lewis-Williams
“ In altered states of consciousness, the nervous system itself becomes a ‘sixth sense’ that produces a variety of images including entoptic phenomena. James David Lewis-Williams
“ 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, an… James David Lewis-Williams
“ It is the task of San shamans to activate their supernatural potency, to cause it to ‘boil’ up their spines until it explodes in their heads and takes them off to the spirit realms – that is, they ent… James David Lewis-Williams
“ Sexual arousal and penal erections are associated with both altered states of consciousness and sleep. James David Lewis-Williams
“ The ‘wounded men’ may, I argue, represent a form of shamanistic suffering, ‘death’ and initiation that was closely associated with somatic hallucinati James David Lewis-Williams
“ The Upper Palaeolithic figures known as ‘wounded men’ occur at Cougnac and Pech Merle, two sites in the Quercy district of France. James David Lewis-Williams
“ To understand the ‘wounded men’ of Upper Palaeolithic art, I now consider somatic hallucinations; these include attenuation of the body and limbs, polymelia (having extra limbs or digits), and, the on… James David Lewis-Williams
“ Certainly, the sensory deprivation afforded by the remote, silent and totally dark chambers, such as the Diverticule of the Felines in Lascaux and the Horse’s Tail in Altamira, induces altered states… James David Lewis-Williams
“ I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to the experiences and hallucinations of deep trance. James David Lewis-Williams
“ The portable animal statuettes were therefore far more than decorative trinkets: they were reified three-dimensional spirit animals with all their prophylactic and other powers. James David Lewis-Williams
“ Under certain social circumstances, which may have varied from time to time and place to place, certain people (shamans) saw a relationship between the small, three-dimensional, projected mental image… James David Lewis-Williams
“ In Lascaux and other sites, hoofs are depicted to show their underside, or hoofprint. James David Lewis-Williams
