Carl Jung and My Favorite Picture

This is one of my very favorite images, an updated version of “The Spiritual Pilgrim Discovering Another World”, which was a very old woodcut (either from the 17th or 19th century, artist unknown). The much more colorful version above is from a postcard published in the 1970s, colored beautifully by artist Roberta Weir.

I've loved the picture since I first saw back it in the early '70's, but didn't know the proper title until today, and never knew that Carl Jung had used an earlier version in one of his books, below. Once you know, it's easy to recognize the Jungian aspects of the picture...

Above, The original as it was described in C. G. Jung's “Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth” in Civilization in Transition.

In an attempt to help mankind find its way back to a more comprehensive view of the totality of his soul, Jung and physicist and Nobel laureate Wolfgang Pauli postulated a world behind or beyond, split into inner and outer world, into psyche and matter.

Jung emphasized the importance of balance and harmony , and cautioned that modern humans rely too heavily on science and logic, and would benefit from integrating spirituality and appreciation of the unconscious realm.