There are a number of ways to enter an altered state of consciousness typical brought on by physiological, psychological, or pharmaceutical factors. As far as physiological factors are concerned, one might induce pain in order to alter the mental state as a form of religious practice.
Read MoreThe Hero of Alexandria was a man who lived circa 10-70 AD. He is famous for creating the first steam engine as well as a number of other fantastic features in temples often involving complex mechanisms that would perform magic tricks such as opening the temple doors without anyone touching them.
Read MoreAmong the 972 documents, which had degraded into several pieces numbering over 50,000, were records of rules about everyday living and multiple copies of several biblical books. About a quarter are books that belong to the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Christian Old Testament.
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