The Shaman of Trois Freres
The caves at Trois Freres in France hold some fascinating images. This is a brief discussion around those paintings. What was their significance?
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Cave paintings hold a powerful fascination. They are one of our most direct ways of touching our ancestors. Those men and women who lived by primitive means would have been more aware of the world around them than we are. The nature of their lives would have caused them to be more in touch with seasons and the patterns of life. Life and death depended upon their knowledge of food supplies and seasonal variations Was this the reason for the cave paintings?
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Deep into the Trois Freres ( Three Brothers ) Caves in France the visitor can see vague ancient images of figures and animals. One of these figures in particular has attracted international attention. Many believe it to be one of the first depictions of a shaman.
When I first saw the images from these caves in France I was stunned by their graphic nature. The pictures of cattle and other beasts that surround the central figure high up on the cave roof are vague now but skilfully drawn.
The central figure is about 2 and ½ feet or 70 cm tall. His appearance is strange, part animal part human. On his head are deer's antlers, probably reindeer, his mask has owl eyes below this there appears to be a long beard. His hands are hidden inside lion or bear paws. The back is shaped like that of an animal, is he wearing an animal sin? The tail is that of a fox covering his erect penis.
Around this figure there are many comments and speculations as to its true nature. It is general accepted that he is a figure in a mask and animal disguise. That he has some spiritual / magical significance to the animals surrounding him makes sense. It is also widely thought that he is a shaman.
Below the shaman there is a plethora of animals drawn over the top of each other. Almost like a sketch pad. I know at times I draw in this manner. I try forms and shapes sometimes they flow from the pencil at other times it seems much harder to achieve the effect that I want. As I scribble the page becomes full of overlapping images too busy to cope with. Ideas and notation. A place to be returned to in the future for a captured image to be reworked.
But that's me and perhaps many other modern day artists. What of the artist in the dark of those caves? These images created, was it 14,000 years ago, or longer? Who really knows?
Can we assume that these artist of the paleolithic period were not of the same mind set as now? Art for us is a process of recording, expression, a reflection of our inner nature and sometimes of the divine. What were these artist expressing or communicating?
Lets accept one thing before I continue in this vein. It would seem that some natural talent was used by the artist in these times as the quality of painting and use of line shows to us. Often the figures were enhanced by colour sprayed through a tube, the paint blown from the mouth. Were these artists part of the magical process or were they paid in some way? Did they come from within the tribe or from elsewhere? Was it the Shaman who created the art for his own rituals?
Most of these questions are impossible to answer. What is possible is to use the knowledge that we have of tribal peoples and their traditions.
The shaman or healer or priest / holy man / woman is a figure still in existence today in some cultures. In fact the shamanic knowledge is being handed on to certain members of Western cultures. Shamanic practices have been well documented by anthropologists over the last 150 years.
The shamanic practices through out the world have several features in common. The shaman is a link to the spirit world. By going into a trance the shaman enters the other world and communicates with the spirits of animals or ancestors. These spirit guides help the shaman to resolve problems for individuals or whole groups. The spirit world is divided into three sections
Middle Earth where we live
The Underworld land of spirits and the dead
The Upperworld the place of Gods and Guardians
To reach a state of trance the shaman has several methods, dance, meditation and drugs being the main ones. When he enters the other world the shaman seeks his spirit guide to help him resolve his quest.
In these early times as in more recent recorded events the shaman would communicate with the spirits of the animals who, would be or had been killed. Keeping a balance to the order of nature was necessary. At times of shortage he would communicate with the spirits to help him bring food to his people. At times of drought he would sing for rain.
This still does not answer the question as to why these pictures are there hidden deep in a dark cave away from prying eyes. As the shaman enters trance he begins the journey into the underworld the cave could well represent that journey. The pictures on the walls are the images seen on the journey. This could simply be a way of recording a spirit journey. A way to hold the images. It could even be used as a teaching device for new initiates. Perhaps this is why there so many overlapping animals.
Can you imagine the impact of such paintings on the uninitiated visiting the cave. In the dim light the images would have been clearer and brighter than today. The shaman could well have been dressed as the picture. The drum would be beating. Incense could well be burning. Certainly a great setting in which to induce hallucinatory experiences, or if you prefer, induce the beginning of a journey into the spirit world.
There are many other depictions of what have been called Animal Masters in caves around Europe and Asia. They link with the antlered and horned figures of Nordic mythology and Pan in Greek mythology. Whatever the true explanation is you can allow your imagination to run over the possibilities and no doubt add to my speculation.
Not Traveling Again: What's Your Excuse This Year?
Have you not seen the world yet? What's your excuse this summer? If it's that you can't get the time off work or you weigh half a ton and you can't fit into an airline seat, then I can't help you. However, if your excuse is, "traveling is too expensive", then I have some ideas....
1) Getting rid of your cell phone will save you about $1,000 over the next 2 years. Are you really so important that you need one? (If you're an emergency surgeon, skip to #2)
2) Getting rid of that gym membership you never use will save you at least $500 over the next 2 years. (See: Jog in your neighborhood, invest in some home exercise equipment and/or walk places for a change!) If you take full advantage of your gym membership, skip to #3.
3) Getting rid of your digital television subscription (i.e. DIRECTV) will save you about $1,000 over the next 2 years. Just because you've seen an exotic destination on Survivor, doesn't mean you've been there. C'mon now TV Traveler!
That's $2,500 that you can use to take an amazing trip every other year. To stretch this amount farther you can travel during non-peak times of year and/or fly during the middle of the week.
Say goodbye to meaninglessly yakking on your cell phone about the last Desperate Housewives episode while you're waiting in line for the stair-stepper ... and say hello to a little adventure and sophistication.
Isaac Rau owns and operates several travel and destination sites including enjoys administering the occasional swift kick in the arse to Procrati-travelers, TV travelers, and the like.
Immigrating To Canada - The Privilege Of Calling Yourself Canadian
Although I did lots of research before making the decision to move to Canada, over the past 10 years I have discovered for myself what makes Canada special and why the country and its cities are consistently ranked amongst the top places to live in the world by the UN. I have discovered what it means to be truly Canadian. I have learn't to appreciate what Canadians so often refer to as Canadian values and to understand how important they are to being Canadian.
Canada is a country that is built on immigration and immigrants continue to play a very dynamic and important role in the development of both the economy and culture of the country. It is very rarely that you will come across a Canadian who will not be able to trace his or her roots back through their parents, grandparents or great grandparents to another country in the world. That is of course if they themselves are not an immigrant.
Canada needs immigrants. It needs people who have the ability to become economically established and who can add to the cultural fabric of society. But that doesn't mean that Canada is desperate. Far from it! There are many people waiting in line (some have been waiting a really long time too!) to be considered for permanent residence visas and there are many of those applicants who regretfully will not meet the selection criteria. For those who are selected, the adventure and a new life will begin when they arrive in Canada to take up their residency. It will be a very worthwhile reward at the end of a lengthy and complex process. And they will start to understand what it means to be truly Canadian:
People in Canada can live their lives according to their individual value system. Canadians see richness in diversity and what makes each of us different, rather than seeing this as a divisive factor. This is apparent in everyday life and not just something protected in the constitution. Differences in lifestyle and divergent opinions are respected and accepted rather than criticized. Canadians care about Canadians.
Canada has an excellent health care system. I know of someone recently who experienced some chest pains - what followed was an ambulance ride following a 911 call, admission into hospital, the attention of a cardiac specialist and other doctors, additional diagnostic procedures, and an ECG. This person was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and an extended stay in hospital. There was no cost to the patient other than the very reasonable monthly premium he pays to the government. I have my own private family physician, however if I wanted, I could drive a few kilometers down the road and visit one of our local walk in clinics (there are about 4 in close proximity to where I live). I could see a doctor immediately. Again, outside of the very affordable premium I pay to the government each month, there would be no cost to me (the same would apply if I saw my own doctor).
We don't like guns in Canada. In fact we have strict gun control and only people who have a very good reason to possess a gun are permitted to do so. Compared to most countries in the world, Canada has a very low rate of crime. Where I live, (a 30 minute drive from the city centre of Vancouver), our biggest concern are the bears that wander through the garden in the summer. One or two of the larger cities may not be as free of litter as the other cities in Canada, but on the whole our cities are clean and have low levels of smog and pollution. The roads are in great shape and the environment is very well maintained. Things work in Canada. Levels of service are high and there are few instances where you will find that you are not treated courteously and with respect.
Canada is a true democracy. The quality of life factor is high. The economy is in great shape. For people with drive and initiative the sky is the limit in Canada. It is a privilege to call myself Canadian.
Grant Park: Chicago's Front Yard
"Nor is it out of character that Chicago's grandest achievement-a largely manmade arc of lakefront parks and beaches - began as a mistake, from waste thrown into Lake Michigan - a 75-year-old
dump." - - - Pat Colander
As a Chicagoan (not by birth, but by choice), I choose to take
the above quote as a sign of a characteristic to make the best
out of a bad situation. (Consider the beloved Cubs: hey, if they don't win, at least we'll make a party out of it.)
Grant Park, Chicago's "front yard", owes its current glory to two very different reasons. The first is the fact that it was a
landfill. After the Chicago Fire of 1871, ashes and rubble were
pushed into the park and expanded its boundaries into Lake
Michigan. In the years after its dedication as a public space
Grant Park was quickly losing ground due to erosion. The erection of two breakwaters and the "waste not, want not" use of the city's rubble increased the area to the size it is now.
The second is to Aaron Montgomery Ward's dedication to keeping the lakefront "free and clear". In 1835 and 1836 the area was deeded as a public square. When Daniel Burnham created his much-heralded Plan of Chicago he laid out drafts for a formal landscape with civic buildings. Mr. Ward took umbrage with that design. The original deed said that the area was to "Remain Forever Open, Clear and Free of Any Buildings, or Other Obstructions Whatever," and he was determined to keep it that way. After almost 20 years in court he got his wish.
Burnham wasn't entirely defeated, however. And thank goodness.
If he were there would be no Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, or
Adler Planetarium. These were all built on landfill portions of
the park's southern border. So we get our cake and can eat it,
too. Mr. Burnham gave us these cultural outlets, Soldier Field,
and a city designed around the lake front, and Mr. Ward's efforts left us with this grand space that allows the city to hold its frequent summer festivals.
There's one more player who is responsible for the park as it is today. Kate Buckingham, a frequent visitor to Europe, commissioned the Clarence Buckingham fountain to honor her late brother. The fountain is a landmark, a point of reference, and a centerpiece.
The area north of Grant Park and the Art Institute used to be an unsightly rail yard. It just didn't seem right to have an eyesore so close to the vast expanses of green in the heart of the city, so in 2001 Millennium Park was built. This park is much more structured with buildings, sculptures, a permanent outdoor theater, and a bridge designed by Frank Gehry. Methinks Mr. Burnham and Mr. Ward would be proud.
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