Observations placeholder
David Lewis-Williams - Water diving
Identifier
019763
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
The Mind in the Cave – David Lewis-Williams
Drowning and passing underwater are themes that crop up in many North American shaman’s narratives. In the art, the experience is referred to by images of aquatic helpers. They include water-striders, frogs, toads, turtles, beavers and swordfish. Turtles were sometimes thought of as doors to the spirit world. We have seen that in Southern Africa, depictions of fish and eels often suggest subaquatic locations