The concept of the quintessence is found most prominently in medieval philosophy in reference to the primary substance of matter, which, at its core, was thought to contain an aspect of the divine. It is associated with the idea that nature has telos, and embedded into it is the fulfilment of its own desire. This idea supported a rich alchemical tradition which placed the discovery of the quintessence at the heart of its pursuit and served as an inspiration for Jung's alchemical explorations in which he identified parallels between the alchemical quest and his own psychological insights into the self and the process of individuation.

In her book, Driver begins with the question ‘what lies beyond our conscious perceptions?‘, which she sees as the beginning of most existential pursuit, and