Less than 50,000 years ago humans had no art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic change, described by scientists as 'the greatest riddle in human history', all the skills & qualities that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as tho bestowed on us by hidden powers. In Supernatural Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious before-&-after moment & to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth to the modern mind. His quest takes him on a detective journey from the beautiful painted caves of prehistoric France, Spain & Italy to rock shelters in the mountains of S. Africa, where he finds extraordinary Stone Age art. He uncovers clues that lead him to the Amazon rainforest to drink the hallucinogen Ayahuasca with shamans, whose paintings contain images of 'super-natural beings' identical to the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves. Hallucinogens such as mescaline also produce visionary encounters with exactly the same beings. Scientists at the cutting edge of consciousness research have begun to consider the possibility that such hallucinations may be real perceptions of other dimensions. Could the supernaturals 1st depicted in the painted caves be the ancient teachers of humankind? Could it be that human evolution isn't just the meaningless process Darwin identified, but something more purposive & intelligent that we've barely begun to understand?
Acknowledgements
Part 1: Visions
1: Plant that enables men to see the dead
2: Greatest riddle of archeology
3: Vine of souls
Part 2: Caves
4: Therianthropy
5: Riddles of the caves
6: Shabby academy
7: Searching for a Rosetta Stone
8: Code in the mind
9: Serpents of the Drakensberg
10: Wounded healer
Part 3: Beings
11: Voyage into the supernatural
12: Shamans in the sky
13: Spirit love
14: Secret commonwealth
15: Here is a thing that will carry me away
16: Dancers between worlds
Part 4: Codes
17: Turning in to channel DMT
18: Amongst the machine elves
19: Ancient teachers in our DNA?
20: Hurricane in the junkyard
Part 5: Religions
21: Hidden Shamans
22: Flesh of the Gods
Part 6: Mysteries
23: Doors leading to another world
Appendices
Critics & criticisms of David Lewis-Williams' Neuropsychological theory of rock & cave art
Psilocybe semilanceata-a hallucinogenic mushroom native to Europe / Roy Watlng
Interview with Rick Strassman
References
Index