Rites, Initiations, and Primitive Communication

Scientists, philosophers, and enthusiasts continue to search for answers to how our ancestors thought at the dawn of the first kinship communities and how that experience influenced the development of modern human thinking.

At the meeting we will:
● Build theories and propose hypotheses about why initiation rituals existed (and still exist) and why they are needed.
● Consider how such practices might have worked — and whether they still work today.
● Compare rites to the midlife crisis (and perhaps find common traits).

We will not focus on a specific region or ritual, but rather on the “spherical thinking” of pre-literate civilizations.

The seminar will be led by Grisha Bogdanov, a wandering philosopher and psychoanalyst (East European Institute of Psychoanalysis).