by
Jaye B.
(editor’s note: a review I wrote back in the mid 2000s for Mysteries magazine.)
Who is Stan Gooch?
An unjustly ostracized scholar who has written a very compelling and substantial book called Cities of Dreams, some of which posits that the Neanderthals, based on much neglected evidence, were more advanced than the barbaric, hairy man apes that they are usually depicted as, possessed language skills and also a very sophisticated understanding of the cosmos which they oriented their lives by. All throughout the book Stan convincingly challenges the enforced presumptions of delinquent archaeologists, anthropologists and assorted cardboard academics who currently maintain the bastion of the orthodox/materialist belief system.
The supposedly clean separation between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon species, for starters, is effectively dismissed by Gooch, who perseveres throughout Cities of Dreams by developing and sustaining arguments that are both impressive and actually quite thrilling. This is primarily because of the unique clarity in which he presents his views and also the evidence that he provides to back up his claims.
When an author has such a deep sense of resonance with the subject matter he has chosen to investigate as Gooch obviously does, evoking such things as long forgotten Palaeolithic inscapes becomes quite natural and this is what makes Cities of Dreams such a delightful read.
The author reminds us of such things as universal burial practices, which are evidenced by the ubiquity of the use of red ochre (hematite) in funerary rites, the amazing similarities of myths around the world concerning ( the origins of the Pleiades constellation (the seven sisters are always pursued by unsolicited suitors or animals) and the labyrinthine/lunar origins of ritual dance (some which mimic the construction of a spider's web of all things).
Gooch rises above the short-sightedness of many a tenured boob and offers us such a refreshing perspective on our ice age forebears that it becomes difficult to dismiss his ideas as many within the matrix police system have tried to do in recent times. After reading this work, one can fully see the shortcomings of those deluded enough to assume that modern humans are at the very pinnacle of evolution and why they are so insistent on preserving this outright lie for future generations.
More importantly, we have a perfect opportunity to bypass the academic matrix via Stan's book and directly access the worlds he has explored, worlds encoded in stone, dance, mazes, song and spider's webs as well.
©2005-Jaye B.
***
Jaye B. is a writer, musician and artist. His art criticism has appeared in Art Paper, New North Artscape, Art Muscle, Northfield Magazine and elsewhere. His articles have also appeared in City Pages, Twin Cities Reader, Mysteries Magazine, Fahrenheit San Diego, High Plains Reader, New Dawn and Rain Taxi. He has appeared on BBC Radio, WGN Chicago, WLW Cincinnati and elsewhere in the mediasphere to discuss his work. Please help support Reset News @ Paypal, Cash App Apple Pay or contact the author for other options @ jayeb444@protonmail.com
I actually blame National Geographic for being the layman-non scientific readers faulty education. People worship the National Geographi as if it is absolute truth and close the magazine as if they now have the answers to life and the cosmos- end of story- and never pursue or research whether the articles on ancient humanity are documentable. That's not to say al of National Geographic is erroneous, it does and has produced some stunning photographs and articles that are verifiable. I have, since childhood, read National Geographic. My grandparents got one every month. So I was "raised" on its milk. I do know though, many times I pondered if what I read was actually true- which fo me has always been up for examination no matter what I read.
I am glad you recommended the book and hope to read it someday in my enormous list of books I want to devour! Thank you. For me, your posts continue to point the reader to " true north" if there is such a thing! LOL.