A number of long standing beliefs and superstitions show how the ideas that dominated the lives of our ancestors still have a powerful influence on us today. The disturbing power attributed to the number thirteen, the positive influence of the number seven and the comfort offered by the admonition 'knock on wood' all betray the enduring presence of our most ancient ancestors: the Neanderthals. Contrary to popular theories, the author maintains that the Neanderthals were not destroyed by the younger Cro-Magnon culture, but were incorporated into the culture through interbreeding. The blending of the disparate influences of the lunar, matriarchal Neanderthals and the solar, patriarchal Cro-Magnons may explain the contradictory impulses and influences that have generated human conflict for millennia. In fact, the author suggests that the caste system in India may have been constructed to utilise the strengths of both lunar and solar cultures and to minimise the conflict between the two. There is evidence that direct descendents of the moon-worshipping, dream-cultivating Neanderthal race are still living in Central Asia today. While their physical descendants may be almost extinct, the influence of Neanderthal occult wisdom remains strong and can be found throughout history among witches, kabbalists, the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians and even in Christianity.