For this post, it's highly recommend reading another one of mine named "A(No-Other) Psychanalitic Take on 'One More Final: I Need You'" (whose link I'll leave here at the end), delving on Evangelion's Neon Genesis (or finale), because now we shall elaborate on its first "beginning" (or epilogue). Beware this will be highly extensive, so try reserving some time to read both posts and likewise their comments, which add a lot to the explanation.
Introduction:
For this analysis, in contraposition to my last one, it will be applied mostly Jung's theory, since cosmology (in fantasy) tends to be by definition mythological, therefore leaning more on his ideas in comparision to Lacan's, for how much myths, conceived firsthand by our minds, tend to unconspicuously represent them. Another epistemological basis (or inspiration, if one may) shall be Sándor Ferenczi's bold, but interesting text on how "archaelogical" our minds can be sometimes named "Thalassa".
Analysis:
For those who don't know, Evangelion's "genesis" resolves around an extincting race of highly developed aliens who crafted seeds "in their image and likeness" divided into halves: one for strength and the other for intelligence. For unknown reasons both types fell on Earth, particularly, with the latter deactivating the former (through the Spear of Longinus), which got seeded here first, therefore only humans, children of Lilith, populated the planet (in contraposition to Adam's angels).
Thenceforth, Adam seems to depict; symbolyse humanity having given up its primitive force in exchange for knowledge. He went into a deep slumber, or, in other words, got shoved aside to the unconscious, and for his attachment to it, he must be the one to be explored so that we may gain insight on our "shadow" — a concept coined by Jung —, in order to achieve (w)holiness; given he is our must primitive human in the Bible (and it won't be taken into account here its validity, but only the representation it offers of the human psyche, for firsthand it was composed nonetheless by a mind, despite its eventual possession of a "soul", or lack thereof), the symbology not only matches well, but can therefore be extended to the following paradigmatic principle: humanity must then first face its (symbolical) "Adam" in order to become whole. As seen in the anime, such process cannot only look "unheimlich" (freudian reference); sinister, but even catastrophic to the psychic equilibrium if undertaken unpreprared (leading to the Second Impact in the show). Thus far it matches well Jung's ideas of the psyche with a natural drive towards integration (which he interestingly termed "imago Dei" — or "image of God," in Latin, because of its usual cultural representation), which by definition also imbues one's impersonal aspects (please read my last post for more information on this)
What about Lilith? She, as everyone knows, is a demon (or a "daimon," in Greek, which means just "spirit") said to have been Adam's "actual" first wife, who left him to torment others, and she's the source of our human intelligence in NGE. Again it (willfully or not) matches Christian symbology, for humanity there acquired knowledge of "good and evil" through the ("shadowy") Serpent (or got abused by its first "wife" either way). Such story, real or not, must nonetheless say something about our psyche, like it tried to mysticize our evolution from the id (Freud's for the mental structure partaining to our natural; primitive drives; instincts, or "Adam") to the superego (Freud's for the mental structure partaining to our moral judgement, or "Lilith"), that is, from the time we were one with our animal essence (the Imaginary) to that where the Symbolic Order was introduced (and please, again, read my last post for more information on this, along the comments). It was all Light in the beginning, but then humanity had to confront its Shadow, in order to, like shadow does to light (and vice-versa), add depth to the Image(nary) [and, yes, I love my puns]; otherwise we'd be metaphorically blind. Either way this showcases Lilith and Adam are sides from the same coin (or each one a consequence of the other), symbolically speaking.
Another fact worthy of mention is Longinus's Spear, which according to tale pierced Jesus's chest, therefore (like Lilith to Adam) temporarily sending him into a "slumber". Such reference is of importance, because he and NGE's Adam both awaken in their respective stories to fulfill humanity's second; final rebirth (or "genesis"). Nonetheless a big difference comes now into play, for the latter does so with the drive of exterminating (instead of saving) us (like the shadow often seems, and only seems, to wish for, because it must likewise be integrated in our psyche, as you shall see).
Here, it's important to notice Jung's reference in his book "Aion" to the fact Jesus symbolically seems to represent a (perfect) counterpart of Genesis's Adam, pure from sin and evil, but Evangelion shifts its theme around to not be Christ (who like suggested already dwells on the realm of consciousness, like Lilith in NGE) the one our "Geiste" (hegelian reference); minds need to lean on, but our shadow (Adam) first. He also observes the former having needed to confront his own demons (through the desert and other passages you probably know); his shadows, in order to achieve individuation (or "divination"; more on that in my other post), therefore humanity would have to walk the same path to reach a similar destination (like an "individuation of humanity", which in my opinion Hegel elaborates unintentionally well). Thus, instrumentality can be traced back to Christianity's Heaven, and vice-versa (for they look psychologically; spiritually equivalent, in a certain sense), beyond either Adam (i.e., the id; the shadow; the Imaginary) or Lilith (i.e., the superego; the "light"; the Symbolic) alone.
Jung notes though in numerous texts of his that such process initially leads to what he termed (psychic) "inflation" — when the subject over-introjects contents of the impersonal unconscious (more on my other post), thence acting as if he were the "Übermensch", so to speak, but downfalling (or "dawnfalling", because puns are always good) like Icarus in the end (describing "deflation"), summarizing perfectly Evangelion's "One More Final".
But why is there "One More Final" instead of only one? If Christian douctrine theoritically ends with instrumentality, then Neon Genesis Evangelion ("The Gospel's New Genesis") does so with "individuality".
@_Reas Hey, sorry for keeping you (guys) waiting for so long, but I've been very busy lately. If you you're still interested, here's my sequence post to this one: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=2180035
