Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind: Descending Underground in the Search for Ultimate TruthCaves and the Ancient Greek Mind analyses techniques of searching for ultimate wisdom in ancient Greece. The Greeks perceived mental experiences of exceptional intensity as resulting from divine intervention. They believed that to share in the immortals' knowledge, one had to liberate the soul from the burden of the mortal body by attaining an altered state of consciousness, that is, by merging with a superhuman being or through possession by a deity. These states were often attained by inspired mediums, `impresarios of the gods' - prophets, poets, and sages - who descended into caves or underground chambers. Yulia Ustinova juxtaposes ancient testimonies with the results of modern neuropsychological research. This novel approach enables an examination of religious phenomena not only from the outside, but also from the inside: it penetrates the consciousness of people who were engaged in the vision quest, and demonstrates that the darkness of the caves provided conditions vital for their activities. |
Contents
1 | |
1 Cave Experiences and the Human Mind | 13 |
2 Oracles and Caves | 53 |
3 Seers and Poets | 156 |
4 Sages and Philosophers | 177 |
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Common terms and phrases
adyton altered Amandry Amphiaraus ancient Apollo archaeological artificial grotto Asclepius association Avernus Blackmore 1993 Bonnechere 2003 Burkert catabasis cave cavern century chasm Claros consciousness consultation cultic cultural Cumaean Cumaean Sibyl darkness death deities Delphi depicted descent Dietrich Diog Dionysus divine earth ecstatic Eleatic Empedocles enquirers Epimenides goddess gods Graf Greek hallucinations Hermes Homer human Ibid inscriptions inspired Kingsley Laert Lavagne lived located London magic mantic modern mortals mystery cults mystery initiations mystical experiences myth near-death experiences netherworld Nymphs Ogden oracle oracular Orpheus Orphic Ouliads out-of-body experiences Paris Parke Parmenides passage Paus Pausanias philosophical phôleos Plato Plut Plutarch poet prophecy prophetic Ptoion Pythagoras Pythagorean Pythia revelation rites ritual Rohde Roux sacred sanctuary Schachter seers sensory deprivation shamanic shrine Sibyl soul Strabo subterranean suggests symbol Thespesius Thracian tradition trance Trophonius truth tunnel underground chambers Ustinova visions Vita Pyth vortex Winkelman Zalmoxis Zeus