2. AS IN SO OUT
Fish Eye Crystal
By searching the heavens for clues to life on earth it became
relevant to think that what went on inside one's mind could
manifest itself in the real world. The creative process, making
things, making babies, combined with hunting and gathering,
could have reinforced the idea that if one could think of an
item one could have it. With the right materials it could be
fashioned and forged, strung together, made of clay and baked,
mass produced by tribesmen and craftsmen. It has been
discovered that cave painting may have been a form of
astrological religion where people gathered for the solstice.
All the constellations are there. Of course the anthropologists
tell us, the genes that distinguish us from apes have to be in
place. Symbols may not have had much to do with evolution though
the use of language and hand signs may have led us there in some
way. Symbol signals can only trigger what is already in place.
As they say, once you put on makeup, jewelry or lay flowers on
the dead - you are modern, not ape.
It may have been the ability to substitute, make a model of
one's impulse, vision, or idea, that led to complex human
beliefs, worship and ceremony. Even hunting implements could
have an impact - but we know now that women were the more likely
inventors - especially in producing the artifacts needed for
child rearing, tying knots into slings, pouches for gathering
berries and roots, storing and even freeze drying food in clay
jars.
The mind and the brain of course were not recognized as being
part of a process going on in the head, rather perhaps in the
heart expressed or felt as desire, and probably attributed to
the will of the gods. This is what the gods want me to do. The
Greek word NOUS, (noh-us) is loosely translated to mean mind, but culturally is more like
soul, where a bit of flying and messaging goes on with the help
of spirits such as Hermes. As
*McKenna points out, following a list of instructions may not
have been possible until our brains became larger and more
enriched by a variety of proteins both animal and vegetable. I
won't get into his (whacky mushroom) theory, though even that
could have led to a spiritual awareness. (*Food of the Gods
- his theory isn't whacky , just the mushrooms)
Julian Jaynes in his Origin of Consciousness believed that
sculpture and statuary based on the size of its eye holes could
have induced an auditory hallucination in a believer if he or
she were under great stress, i.e. a ruler faced with problems,
however, Jaynes favors a later period of civilization for this
to occur, a period of new learning, such as the appearance of
written tablets and letters to foreign kings (1000 - 500 BCE). It is not known if that part of the brain existed in primitives.
Even though it is not clear how people learned ultimately to
communicate complex ideas, we do know that man 50 to 80 thousand years ago
had vocal cords and probably used them. They also had oil paint
and dyes, even rouges from pollen. They could disguise or
enhance at will, create artworks on cave walls and imagine the
hunt in ritual. Some very scary initiation rites took place,
each candidate venturing deep into the caves alone. They took these activities seriously as part of
a sense of survival, not just playing around. Spelunking
was a spellbound religious experience, rite of passage.
There was never a time when ritual images, or stick figures
scratched into rock were just symbols to be dismissed as figment
or irrelevant scrawls and muttering. The sound and fury did not
come until later when codes and customs demanded conformity. I
don't mean Jean Auel's Ayla (Clan of the
Cave Bear) being allowed to hunt, but rather when huge
populations slaved and toiled to build stone civilizations.
That's when the trouble began - urban chaos.
As in so out did not have as much impact on society until people
began living closer together, stepping on each other's gods and
ancestors, touting the symbols, mocking the customs, dress and
practices of newcomers. It continues today. Tolerance is a new
idea created on paper and news of it spread throughout the
world. As in so out became the interest of writers, artists, the
curious, investors, and the church. Before that it was the realm
of the temple roster of gods. I.e. An Egyptian priest and
priestess would couple every morning at sun up, in front of the
altar, to make sure the day got off to a good start. It is not
clear whether they actually did it ON the altar, however, in a
rush of enthusiasm they could have or at least bumped into it a
few times.
Symbols are generally reserved for the larger things we tolerate
for the greater purposes of life. One afternoon retrieving my
son from the airport I realized that having not seen him for
seven years I must break the ice. I asked him what he liked to
talk about in general. He said, "whatever you want." "How about
birth, death, sex, religion, politics and money", I ventured. He
answered, "All the things they say you're not supposed to talk
about in polite conversation". The big symbols test our inner
limits.
The whole idea of privacy and private thought, opinion and even
the idea of an individual is new. These tendencies came along
with the printing press, broadsides, and book reading. There was no such thing as a
"child" before the 19th century romantic novel. The idea of legal rights and
freedom of thought was unthinkable until after the smoke cleared
from all the plagues, church wars and witch burnings.
Approx.
120, 000 people were burned alive as witches - 40% were men. The
very act of looking into a crystal ball would have brought you
up on charges and stood you before the inquisitors. Your
nakedness, humility, your inner child - useless at your trial.
3 . Everything Moves.
Breathes, Corresponds
