10 INTRODUCTION
PRIMAL BELIEFS
FROM PREHISTORY
20 Unseen forces are at work
Making sense of the world
24 Even a rock has a spirit
Animism in early societies
26 Special people can visit
other worlds
The power of the shaman
32 Why are we here?
Created for a purpose
33 Why do we die?
The origin of death
34 Eternity is now
The Dreaming
60 The triumph of good over
evil depends on humankind
The battle between good
and evil66 Accept the way of
the universe
Aligning the self with the dao68 The Five Great Vows
Self-denial leads to
spiritual liberation72 Virtue is not sent
from heaven
Wisdom lies with the
superior man78 A divine child is born
The assimilation of myth79 The oracles reveal the
will of the gods
Divining the future80 The gods are just like us
Beliefs that mirror society82 Ritual links us to our past
Living the Way of the Gods86 The gods will die
The end of the world as we
know it36 Our ancestors will
guide us
The spirits of the dead live on38 We should be good
Living in harmony39 Everything is connected
A lifelong bond with the gods40 The gods desire blood
Sacrifice and blood
offerings46 We can build a
sacred space
Symbolism made real48 We are in rhythm with
the universe
Man and the cosmos50 We exist to serve the gods
The burden of observance51 Our rituals sustain
the world
Renewing life through ritualANCIENT AND
CLASSICAL BELIEFS
FROM 3000 BCE56 There is a hierarchy
of gods and men
Beliefs for new societies58 The good live forever in
the kingdom of Osiris
Preparing for the afterlifeCONTENTS