Support the Vision: A Glimpse into the Paleophenomenological Imagination
Get the slides from Mat’s talks exploring the roots of consciousness, symbolic landscapes, and the primal spark of meaning-making. These PDFs are both souvenirs of thought and seeds for reflection, offered as a gesture of connection and mutual support.
The Alchemy of Awareness: Sophia and her Drawing
Wednesday 2nd April2025, 3.40pm GMT
Speaker: Matilde Gliubich Tomat (Bangor University)
This presentation explores the emergence of consciousness in early human beings, particularly focusing on Neanderthals, through a Jungian lens. By drawing on the archetypal relationship between Logos (reasoning) and Sophia (wisdom), I propose that early humans’ awareness of the separation between the conscious and unconscious mirrored the process at the basis of individuation, as described by Jung.
At the heart of this journey lies drawing — the materialization of inner thought and a conscious effort to make sense of an emerging, confusing reality. Much like the alchemical process of transformation, drawing functioned as the externalisation of Sophia via Logos, guiding early humans toward a deeper understanding of themselves and their world.
I will take participants through a symbolic re-enactment of the stages of separation: from a blissful, unconscious unity akin to the Garden of Eden, through the unsettling experience of duality and awareness, to the alchemical resolution that drawing represents. This framework offers a parallel reading of how Neanderthals navigated this profound psychological transformation, bridging the arcane and the scientific.
Ultimately, I question whether this process not only shaped the way early humans interacted with their environment but also laid the foundations for the collective unconscious, mythological archetypes, and humanity’s enduring quest for wholeness.