FUNDAMENTALS

 

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Cave painting from c. 15,000 BC. Lascaux in France.
Cave painting from c. 15,000 BC. Lascaux in France.

Life Energy Fundamentals



Homo rudis, the ignorant man of our distant past, had no concern for societal effects when he speculated about life and death. He observed, he wondered, and he drew his conclusions independently of their consequences. He found no reason to do otherwise.

       Primeval mankind lived in flocks, like most primates. They supported themselves by gathering edibles from the vegetation, and by hunting. In such a society, there is little opportunity to collect riches or gain privileges. They ate what they caught, on a daily basis, and that was it.

       Hunting becomes more successful when done in an organized manner. This also allows for prey that are impossible to hunt on one's own. When hunting increased as a way to gather food, so did the cooperation of the individuals of the species. Still, society remained quite the same, and so did the day-to-day continuity. To this day, there are numerous societies of that kind, in many parts of our world.

       But the growing ability of organized efforts also enabled societies to commence with agriculture, which started to appear around 9500 BC, in the Middle East. This made room for surplus, and crops could be stored for a long time.

       In spite of that, human life expectancy was actually shortened drastically with the introduction of agriculture. Prior to it, people usually lived until their early thirties, but that dropped to twenty. This was probably due to the monotonous diet, and the oppressive societies that agriculture allowed for — not to mention large-scale warfare, which was also a novelty. War is neither common nor that lethal in hunter and gatherer societies, with very few exceptions.

       Only in the last couple of centuries, life expectancy has increased beyond what we had in Paleolithic times (from about 2.5 million years ago to c. 10,000 BC).


Next

  1. Introduction

  2. Homo rudis

  3. Prime mover

  4. Air

  5. Bodily fluids

  6. Survival

  7. The dead

  8. Spirits

  9. Hell

  10. Change

  11. Agricultural order

  12. A demanding spirit

  13. Magic

  14. The Scientific Revolution

  15. Mechanical man

  16. Subversive spirits

  17. Alien forces

  18. Future speculations




My Life Energy Books

Life Energy Encyclopedia. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Life Energy Encyclopedia

Qi, prana, spirit, ruach, pneuma, and many other life forces around the world explained and compared. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).


QI — increase your life energy. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Qi — Increase your life energy

The life energy qi (also chi or ki) explained, with several very easy exercises to awaken, increase, and use it. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).



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My Other Websites


Qi Energy Exercises

The ancient Chinese life energy qi (chi) explained and how to exercise it.


Creation Myths

Creation stories from around the world, and the ancient cosmology they reveal.


Cosmos of the Ancients

What the Greek philosophers believed about the cosmos, their religion and their gods.


Taoistic

Taoism, the ancient Chinese philosophy of life explained. Also, the complete Tao Te Ching online.


Other Books of Mine


Cosmos of the Ancients. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Cosmos of the Ancients

The Greek philosophers and what they thought about cosmology, myth, and the gods. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).



Archetypes of Mythology. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Archetypes of Mythology

This book examines Jungian theories on myth and religion, from Carl G. Jung to Jordan B. Peterson. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).



Tao Te Ching — The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Tao Te Ching

The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained. The great Taoist classic, translated and extensively commented chapter by chapter. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).



Fake Lao Tzu Quotes — Erroneous Tao Te Ching Citations Examined. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Fake Lao Tzu Quotes

Erroneous Tao Te Ching Citations Examined. 90 of the most spread false Lao Tzu quotes, why they are false and where they are really from. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).



Stefan Stenudd, Swedish author of fiction and non-fiction. Stefan Stenudd


About me

I'm a Swedish author and historian of ideas, researching the thought patterns in creation myths. I've also written books about Taoism, the Tarot, and life force concepts around the world. Click the image to get to my personal website.

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