How Paleo Spirituality® Helps You
Reconnect with Your Deepest Spiritual Instincts
Our Paleolithic ancestors faced a world filled with powerful and mysterious forces. Some of those forces took physical form, such as harsh weather conditions, or predatory animals. Others were less tangible, such as birth, death, dreams, and spirits. About 40,000 years ago, humans began to grapple with these forces in new ways–ways that led archeologist Jean Clottes to suggest that we should refer to early humans not as homo sapiens, but as homo spiritualis. Some even say this was the beginning of human consciousness.
Psychology, neuroscience, and archeology all demonstrate that as humans we are born with an inherent drive to connect with something bigger, more powerful than ourselves. The great psychologist C. G. Jung called this the “religious instinct for wholeness,” and called it “the most important of the fundamental instincts.” Paleolithic humans evolved to address this need through image and symbol, leaving behind the cave art that continues to captivate us even today.
This need hasn’t changed much in the last 40,000 years. Jung noted that our psyche still bears “Just as the body has its evolutionary history and shows clear traces of the evolutionary stages, so too does the psyche.”
As a professional spiritual guide and depth psychologist, I have spent the last decade exploring our natural instinct to connect with the powerful forces that still shape our human existence. I went back to those earliest human images found in Paleolithic cave art. After years of extensive research and experience, I discovered that this most human of instincts ultimately represents a deep need to see our innermost selves reflected in the outside world. Our prehistoric ancestors created those beautiful images and symbols to manifest a deep sense of self.
In modern times, we encounter countless images and symbols every day. Some, like European coats of arms or the iconography of prominent religions, are handed down through generations. Others, like today’s corporate logos, are carefully crafted to command a response, whether it be a sense of nostalgia or a sudden craving for coffee. In the process, we easily lose the opportunity to see the sacred in both ourselves and the forces around us.
Paleo Spirituality® is an intentional process using symbols and images to engage your personal spirituality in ways that align with, and take advantage of, thousands of years of human evolution. By orienting your spiritual life toward that fundamental drive, regardless of whatever traditions you may align with, you can experience a powerful sense of renewal and well-being.