Rock Art Redefines ‘Ancient’
crunch
David S. Whitley, an archaeologist and expert on prehistoric rock art
and iconographic interpretation, theorizes, based on his research,
that the petroglyphs are the work of generations of shamans, or
medicine men, who traveled here (from all over what is now the
southwestern United States) to fast and smoke native tobacco, to
hallucinate or have visions, and to render their hallucinations on the
rock. Perhaps the goal was to make rain. Perhaps it was to impress
upon their followers a sense of the supernatural. Either way, where
some might see a dearth of material wealth and technology, Mr. Whitley
sees evidence of cognitive sophistication."
Does the reader think that Whitley's informed
speculation holds water?
David Christainsen
Day Brown
nothing but delusion; while that may be most of the time for most, it
does not preclude the superior mind connecting dots it would not
otherwise notice on some occasions.
This fits with neurologist Ramachandran's work on occipital lobe pattern
recognition. Which, for instance, sometimes creates patterns on an
otherwise blank stone wall. Well, now. From what we know of psychology,
if the spirit guide then goes to the wall to inscribe what he sees so
everyone can see it, meaning will then be attributed to the patterns.
This is how writing got an enormous boost.
The psychedelics are notorious for bad trips. But part of neurosis is
the repression of truth. Which no longer works so well. Quite often you
will hear those who used a sacred potion discuss the insights they had
into the ongoing relationships they had. Connecting the dots.
And the last thing religions that rely on the claims of a sacred text
want people to do... is connect the dots, and see how the whole thing
was setup to pander to the instincts of an alpha male warrior elite.
Another reason so many were banned was that initiates had a direct
experience of the divine, and realized the character depicted in
scripture was not god, but bullshit. And well, we cant have that.
Once a pattern system got started, a narrator could look at a series of
icons, and each would remind him of some salient point. So that, on
every ritual occasion, the egzact same story would be told. To those who
were not in on it, it looked magical to be able to remember so clearly
and never omit a word. the rest is history.