Thanks for the 'heads up' Paulus! I like the sound of this.
Shame I've already spent too much on books this month already. Have to wait 'til next month now :-(
I got sent this the other day, thought I'd pass it on in case it's useful to anyone down Cambridge way...
"Sunday 27th January 2008, starting at 4pm
The famous Libra Aries Sunday Tea Party returns! With a short talk, book signing, and informal discussion with Gyrus about his new book Archaeologies of Consciousness: Essays in Experimental Prehistory.
Over the past decade, "cognitive archaeology" has become more and more popular in academic circles, with various attempts at modelling the mindsets of prehistoric peoples from the available evidence. At the same time, the growing magic and pagan scenes have continued to create their own visions of animistic early human cultures.
During this time, Gyrus has been positioned right at the heart of the overlap between these realms. Independently researching the landscapes of Avebury and Ilkley Moor, drawing on personal magical work at their sacred sites, he also kept in close contact with the academic cutting edge of rock art research. Thomas Dowson, who ushered the controversial "shamanic trance" theory of rock art into the academic world (with David Lewis-Williams), brought his MA students to Ilkley Moor in the late '90s, and Gyrus guided them around the moor's numerous carved rocks.
In his first collection of essays, Archaeologies of Consciousness, he pulls together his most significant essays on prehistory, shamanism, rock art and sacred sites. Arguing that we can neither disregard hard archaeological data nor ignore the human need to "fill in the gaps", he outlines an attitude to the mysteries of our past that embraces multiple models, and has fun doing it. With a foreword by the inimitable Julian Cope and a new in-depth introduction, this lavishly produced tome is a mine of inspiration for independent-minded exploration of our species' early days.
Scholars keen to learn more about how personal experience can inform research, magicians concerned to infuse their imagination with academic rigour, anyone interested in open-minded approaches to prehistory... all are welcome!"
From: http://www.libra-aries-books.co.uk/events/
Cheers
Dave
