The people who had lived 30,000 years ago in Paleolithic times were in awe of nature. They believed that each aspect of nature had its own deity. This practice is called "Animism." Through sympatheic magick the act of rituals was conceived and became a part of Witchcraft then and now. Sympatheic magick is the art of showing a deity what one wants or needs by acting out the symbolism necessary to bring about an understanding of that need or desire.
In farming communities survival depended on crops. People linked plentiful crops with women whom produced children. Early man believed in the concept of a Mother, a life-giver, and a Father, someone who hunted and protected. In many societies a wise old priestess would lead her people in the worship of the "Great Mother". She had magickal powers to heal and harm. Nature was sacred to these people. Ceremonies were held in forests, caves, and mountains. People wore animal skins, and drank herbal brews.
Our ancestors believed that the great mysteries of life were the mysteries of transformation: how things turn into other things, how things grow, die, and are reborn. Perhaps they realized that these occurrences were connected with the transformation of the woman; the ability to conceive a new life, give birth, produce milk and bleed with the phases of the moon. Only the woman alone had the power to produce and nurture life. She reflected the continual changes that corresponded with the seasons of the earth and the monthly phases of the moon.
Dating back to 35,000 to 10,000 BCE, the female body was viewed as the only source of life because the male role in conception was not understood. About 5,000 years ago the male role in conception was discovered. For weeks, the female does not know that she has become pregnant and she does not conceive a child with every act of intercourse. So long ago it was thought to be the act of divine power, the light of the moon or a spirit visitor that planted the fetus inside of the woman's womb. It was also thought that the woman could produce life on her own. Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor clearly identified women with the earth, and the earth with divine powers, by saying, "God was female for at least the first 200,000 years of human life on earth." (Cabot and Cowan, 23) For the people who still follow the Old Religion, God is still female.
Symbols of the Goddess were carved in stone and womb cave openings were honored as symbols of the Great Mother Goddess. Over the centuries when war and weaponry developed, men became more important. War heroes became near gods and male gods grew along side with the Great Mother. Symbols of the God were also carved on cave walls along with symbols of the animals that came to sacrifice themselves for the survival of the tribe.
There is evidence that our ancestors believed greatly in life after death. Evidence from the gravesites of the Gravettians, 22,000-18,000 BCE, suggested that they would bury the deceased in full clothing, maybe with their dog, and with everything one might need in the afterlife. Frequently they were buried under the hearth to keep them close to their family.
