Course Information
Registration period
Year-round Recruitment
Course Level
Study Mode
Duration
4 Hour(s) 0 Minute(s)
Language
English
Taught by
Westcott Louden
Rating
Course Overview
Understanding the Origins of Religion
In this course, we build on our understanding of San Bushman rock art and then journey northward into Europe and Asia, following the deep prehistoric roots of human spirituality. As we move beyond southern Africa, we encounter the great Paleolithic cave sites of Europe—such as Lascaux, Chauvet, and Altamira—where vivid animal imagery, abstract signs, and mysterious human–animal figures cover the cave walls. These images are not treated merely as decoration or hunting records, but as expressions of altered states of consciousness and ritual practice.
Guided by Dr. David Lewis-Williams’s groundbreaking work The Mind in the Cave, we explore the idea that Paleolithic art emerged from shamanic trance experiences shared by early human communities. We examine how entoptic phenomena, therianthropic figures, and layered symbolic spaces point to visionary practices remarkably similar to those of historically documented shamans. The course connects neuroscience, anthropology, and archaeology to reveal a coherent model of Paleolithic religion and cosmology.
By comparing San Bushman traditions with European and Asian cave art, students gain a unified framework for understanding prehistoric myth, ritual, and the origins of symbolic thought. Ultimately, this course offers a profound glimpse into the spiritual lives of our earliest ancestors and the deep continuity of shamanic consciousness across human history.
Course Content
- 1 section(s)
- 6 lecture(s)
- Section 1 Introduction
What You’ll Learn
- The origins of paleolithic cave art, The origins of religion, The psychological roots of religious belief, prehistoric man and the spreading of humanity out of Africa, The interpretation of N. American Rock Art, The role altered states of consciousness played in the evolution of man
Skills covered in this course
Reviews
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CCaroline Menell
A very good match for me. Fasinating!
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RRobert Bates
It was an amazing history of ancient cave art, what they mean, who drew them, why they painted them, how they painted them, and why they painted them. Well presented by a very knowledgeable instructor with an enthusiastic demeanor. It doesn't have much to do with how to perform magic, or sorcery but more about insights of anthropologists hypothesizing what the different types of paintings might possibly mean. The instructor basically uses a few references, mainly from one book, "The Mind in the Cave" but follows up with his own personal experiences as an outline for his discussions. It's the second course of three in the series designed to enlighten those who may be interested in the roots of religious beliefs, how they have survived the tests of time, how the mind works when contemplating intrinsic beliefs and questions, how religious leaders used techniques to commune with the gods to plea for help for their clan or tribes, to provide spiritual explanations to difficult life questions that we all have. I highly recommend taking the course to those who are searching for spiritual or religious answers to questions burning inside their soul, you might find some inspiration or another path that you might follow for answers to those questions in this course.
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MMarco Antonio Prado A.
Amazing! Really Fulfillment
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BBugra Yener
I find this course both interesting and boring, especially the intro part about proof and the very first part. But with the chapter 3 it becomes more triggering, interesting and colorful. You seem to be a chatty guy yet i liked your way of narrating and lecturing, actually it is like a friendly conversation under a starry summer night beside the campfire. Thanks a lot for your efforts and interesting approach to the subject & looking forward to see your later courses.
