The Art of Ice Age Europe

The Art of Ice Age Europe
Paul Robear
The oldest art of Europe a pivotal legacy for us all. The many specific body positions represented in this rich collection reveals a hidden part of this legacy in our work with Ritual Postures, dating from 40,000 years ago to 15,000 years. This is truly getting to know our ancestors! There is much to appreciate, from their skill in artistic expression, innovation in the language of symbol, and through direct experience, their wisdom and deep understanding of life, and the world they inhabited. These were accomplished navigators of the Alternate Reality, with much to teach us. (Pictured above: The Lion-Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany is dated at 35,000-41,000 years old)

They memorialized glimpses into their ritual activities in their art — it’s inspiring to note the long and rich tradition of the masked trance dance! And given our own experience with metamorphosis and shape-shifting in trance, we they too had these experiences in the AR. (Picture of a half-animal half-human in a Paleolithic cave painting in Dordogne, France.)

Our ancestors were keen observers of their world, and their fellow creatures. They demonstrate how deeply embedded art is, be it the visual arts, song, dance, mask making, and tool making. We stand on the shoulders of generation upon generation of artists and innovators, and we come together to honor with each Ritual Body Session, the full scope of who we — in the grandest, most inclusive sense, past, present and future — truly are. (Pictured: Bison, Cave Art of Altamira, Northern Spain)