"Healing has been here since ancient times," Jaroslav Doležel, a specialist in prehistoric and ancient cultures, a graduate archaeologist and today researcher, translator and historian, tells Holistic Medicine. His greatest professional passions include the history and religion of the ancient Near East, especially the Sumerians. However, our conversation begins in prehistoric times and does not neglect our territory.

Jaroslav, have prehistoric people already experienced altered states of consciousness? Did they have a developed spiritual side?

Yes of course. Prehistoric people, as well as today's so-called natural nations, have a very developed spiritual side of life. More precisely, they do not distinguish between the ordinary and the spiritual world, because even such ordinary activities as building a house, baking bread, hunting or mining flint were loaded with spiritual significance and were accompanied by appropriate rituals. As for the altered states of consciousness, they were at the heart of all of humanity's original spirituality. They achieved them by drumming, dancing, fasting, staying in the dark or psychoactive plants, and during them they were exposed to the whole cosmology and functioning of the universe, which contributed to tribal cohesion and a deeper understanding of the individual's role not only in the community but also in the universe.

Jaroslav Dolezel

What did it look like in our territory?

It depends on what period. We have had evidence of a highly developed spiritual culture since ancient times. Significant is, for example, the grave of a shaman from Brno, from Francouzská Street, who also had a mammoth ivory puppet with him, not unlike the one used by Siberian shamans in the ritual of the return of the soul. Later, with the arrival of farmers, circular buildings were built on our territory, the first artificially built shrines, for example in Těšetice in the Znojmo region. Rituals were held in honor of the Mother Goddess, which was represented by numerous statues of the so-called Venus.

With the advent of metals, the smelting of which itself was a magical act, burial under mounds and the cult of warriors and heroes expanded significantly, as evidenced by the numerous finds of weapons in their graves. At this time, however, terrifying rituals associated with cannibalism were also performed, as shown by the findings from Cézava near Blučina in Moravia or Velim near Kolín. These could be associated with the belief that the power of the eaten adversary or ancestor would pass to man.

© Libor Balák

With the Iron Age it is possible to combine a mysterious stone formation known as the Kounovské series, which is located about 20 km north of Rakovník. These are a series of quartz boulders that have a very interesting effect on human consciousness and undoubtedly have healing properties. Of course, the Celts and their druids cannot be left out of this list. After them, extensive oppids have been preserved, for example Závist near Prague, where the remains of cult buildings were also found. The Germans and Slavs who came after them also had a developed spiritual life. After all, Slavic spirituality and traditions are currently experiencing a certain renaissance, and many people identify with them.

How long can we date the beginnings of healing? What did the first treatment practices look like?

Healing has been here since ancient times. Each tribe had its own healer and spiritual expert, who healed people, mediated communication with spirits, and conducted transitional rituals. This function was often held by people with severe bodily injury or serious illness. The healing practices of the time included knowledge of herbs and practices such as vacuuming the disease by mouth or so-called shamanic travel and restoring the soul. Successful implementation of these techniques is evidenced by many healed fractures or trepanations - the opening of the skull.

An interesting look into the healing of ancient people was offered by a frozen mummy called Ötzi found in South Tyrol. This man had lines and symbols tattooed on his skin that apparently did not serve as a body adornment, but as a means of healing because they were located at the acupuncture points. Ötzi also carried a pouch with a medicinal mushroom birch and various herbs.

It is also important to visit various healing places, of which Stonehenge played the most important role in European prehistory, to which people traveled, for example, from the area of ​​today's Switzerland. Healing places were also some mountains or springs, whose tradition has been preserved until modern times.

Stonehenge

When I read your articles, as a complete sensation, it occurred to me that there were flying temples in antiquity. Do you have any evidence for this and can you describe in more detail what it was?

The evidence is found in ancient Sumerian mythological and religious texts, as well as in some depictions. They write about temples, or rather the houses of the gods, which descend from heaven on earth or exhibit unusual structural features, such as silver, gold, and precious stones. Some descriptions are somewhat reminiscent of the experience of UFO sightings. Similar descriptions can be found in the Indian texts of the Mahabharatha and the Ramayana, in which it is written about flying cities or palaces of gods called Vimans. This is exactly the topic of my contribution to the Sueneé Universe conference.

In your opinion, is there anything we can learn from ancient nations that we as humanity have been able to do and forgotten?

Definitely respect for nature. Our ancient ancestors perceived nature and its inhabitants as sentient beings with whom it is possible, and in some cases necessary, to communicate. The loss of this contact with nature also leads to the loss of contact with one's own soul and ruthlessness, not only to nature but also to other people.

Do you have a personal estimate of what will happen to the planet and our people in the near and distant future based on the study of history?

When we look at the fate of the great empires of the Bronze Age or the Roman Empire, we can see a certain resemblance. Definitely, the world is facing a collapse in the foreseeable future caused by a set of factors such as deforestation, soil erosion and lack of resources. This will lead to a social crisis and the subsequent transformation of humanity and its values. After this period of darkness, a new view of the world usually comes, which will allow for further ascension and subsequent renaissance. However, the form and extent of this collapse is difficult to estimate and it is possible that some will not be affected so strongly and some will be completely destroyed. It is also important to realize that averting a possible collapse is not a question of technology, as the media and scientists are trying to convince us, but of changing attitudes and internal settings. So it is up to each of us to what extent he contributes.

3rd International Conference on Exopolitics, History and Spirituality

Suenee Universe together with Jaroslav Doležel invite you to 3rd International Conference on Exopolitics, History and Spiritualitywhich will take place 14.11.2020 in the Dobeška theater: https://konference.sueneeuniverse.cz/

3rd International Conference Sueneé Universe - ticket