CONTENTS: Preface, Acknowledgements, 1. The Odyssey Begins, 2. Prehistoric Ancestors, 3. Tribal Totern, 4. Animal Deification, 5. Magic Clay, 6. The Sacred Tree, 7. Cataclysmic Creation, 8. Female Power, 9. Celestial Deities, 10. Being or Non-Being, 11. Real and Eternal, 12. Ephermeral Manifestations, 13. Cycle of Life, 14. The Cosmic Dance of Shiva, 15. Ancient Cyclic Cosmogony, 16. Myth to Natural Science, 17. Origin of the Cosmos, 18. Earth A Unique Planet, 19. Emergence of Life, 20. Development of Life, 21. Becoming Human, 22. Alien Visitations: Past and Present, 23. Are We Alone?. 24.Future of Humans in Space and Time, 25. The Odyssey: Retrospect and Prospect, Bibliography, Index.