Written by Christan Horgos
The purpose of this visual essay is to highlight a profound idea. The ultimate tool for exploring astronomy resides within our unconscious. The “abstract” painter Hilma af Klint achieved something truly remarkable in this regard. I have noticed that her main collection, “The Ten Largest”, painted in 1907, has at least ten astonishing similarities with ultra-modern astronomical images.
More than that, Af Klint has old paintings. These are very suggestive for scientific theories that were not yet discovered at her time. Examples include the String Theory, the Duality Principle “wave-particle” of Louis de Broglie, or the Dark-Matter hypothesis.
As Af Klint painted in secret, her art-work was not known by Dr Carl Jung. Otherwise, the father of analytical psychology would have been interested in her visions with multiple reflections in science. We know, instead, from the book “Man and his symbols”, that Dr Jung has paid attention to the way Jackson Pollock painted the micro-matter in trance.
Based on the paintings of Hilma af Klint, we can dare to think that the micro-cosmos can be intuited by the unconscious. The macro-cosmos can be intuited as well.
I would exclude alien’s message(s)
With respect to the work of SETI – Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, I don’t believe in a possible explanation of Af Klint’s visionary paintings through a kind of astro-telepathy with aliens. And I found, in a Neolithic Culture, a strong argument in favor of the unconscious power.
More exactly, Hilma af Klint was using a lot of symbols that were present also in the prehistoric “Cucuteni – Trypillia” culture. The book “Inside the Neolithic Mind: Consciousness, Cosmos, and the Realm of the Gods” is relevant here, authored by archaeologists David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce. It asserts that humans have the ability to enter altered states of consciousness. These states culminate in visionary experiences.
Another, maybe, important aspect: by taking in consideration the “synchronicity” phenomenon noticed by Dr Carl Jung, we can start to think if the collection “The Ten Largest” has or not a message about a future astronomical event that could impact the destiny of humankind.
Af Klint, a scientific astro-physic Expert in the arts
This essay is not an academic paper but I really hope that it can be a starting point for future research of Jungian experts as the achievement of Hilma af Klint is quite an unusual one.
Indeed, Aniela Jaffé had an anticipation of the fact that the unconscious can intuit not only the micro-cosmos but also the macro-cosmos.
“(…) It does not matter at all that these relativities, discontinuities, and paradoxes hold good only on the margins of our world only for the infinitely small (the atom) and the infinitely great (the cosmos)”, is a quote of Aniela Jaffé (Jung, 1964, p. 261).
Jackson Pollock painted the micro-matter in trance
As I already wrote in the abstract, Dr Carl Jung has paid attention to the way american abstract painter Jackson Pollock (1912 – 1956) painted the micro-matter being in trance. And Dr Carl’s explanation was deep in the psyche.
“The deeper layers of the psyche lose their individual uniqueness as they retreat farther and farther into darkness.
Lower down, that is to say, as they approach the autonomous functional systems, they become increasingly collective until they are universalized and extinguished in the body’s materiality, i.e., in chemical substances. The body’s carbon is simply carbon. Hence, ‘at bottom,’ the psyche is simply ‘world’ ” (Jung, 1964, p. 265).
Regarding the macro-cosmos, I see at least ten remarkable parallels between the collection “The Ten Largest” of Hilma af Klint and ultra-modern astrophysical imagery. This connection warrants further investigation. Af Klint’s work predates the direct observation of cosmic phenomena by the Hubble Telescope by several decades. For instance, she could not have known about concepts like gravitational waves or orbits around black holes.
Multiple clues that the “Ten Largest” collection is about Cosmos
Maybe it deserves to note some clues that her “astral” paintings were about the cosmos. Firstly, Hilma af Klint was believed to be a clairvoyant who was told by spirit voices to paint ‘on the astral plane’. Of course, I would emphasize the word ‘astral’.
Also, according to the book “Hilma af Klint: Occult Painter and Abstract Pioneer”, by Fant Åke. Hilma af Klint herself states: “Above the easel, I saw a powerfully illuminated Jupiter symbol ♃, which appeared for several seconds. Then my work began at once. The images were painted directly through me. There were no preliminary sketches. However, there was great vigor. I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict, yet I worked swiftly and confidently, without altering a single brushstroke”.
Obviously, the planet Jupiter symbol puts things in an astronomical light. And, by searching on the internet for the keywords “Hilma af Klint, cosmic / cosmology” we can find multiple articles that are exploring this theme.
Similarities between “The Ten Largest” and astronomical images
Now it’s the time to see the similarities between “The Ten Largest” and astronomical pictures searched online based on keywords that I’m mentioning below each picture.
Also, “The Ten Largest No 3” (picture which is bellow, at the similarities with Neolithic “Cucuteni” culture) can be looked like an abstraction of “The Starry night” by Vincent van Gogh.
Paintings that suggest physics theories
The probability is very, very small for it to be only a coincidence. There are at least ten similarities between a collection of ten paintings and ultra-modern astronomical images. So if we can accept that Hilma af Klint had visionary paintings about cosmos, let’s see some other possible reflections in physics theories:
And for all who are believing in Jung theory it is good to know that also Aldous Huxley was writing in his book “Doors of Perception” about the collective unconscious. So I think that it is a nice ‘coincidence’ the similarities about the hyper-cube (tesseract) painted by Hilma af Klint and the cover page of “Doors of Perception” – first edition, which was published in 1954.
The Af Klint symbols have roots also in the Neolithic
The book “Inside the Neolithic Mind: Consciousness, Cosmos, and the Realm of the Gods” was authored by South African archaeologists David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce. It was published firstly by Thames & Hudson in 2005. The book documented that Hilma af Klint often painted while in séances or trance-like states. In fact, she achieved altered states of consciousness through deep meditation and active imagination.
The hypothesis proposed by Lewis-Williams and Pearce suggests that humans universally possess the ability to enter altered states of consciousness, during which they experience entoptic phenomena.
According to the authors, these phenomena occur as part of a three-stage process culminating in visionary experiences. What Hilma af Klint has achieved through her artistic process can indeed be described as a visionary experience.
A couple of the similarities with the Neolithic culture, not all of them
Now, let’s explore the striking similarities between Hilma af Klint’s artwork and the Neolithic “Cucuteni” culture. The chapter “The Symbol of the Circle” by Aniela Jaffé (Jung, 1964, p. 240) focuses on the archetype associated with the mandala, particularly the symbol of a circle divided into four by a cross.
As Jung explains: “One of their central symbols was the quadratura circuli (the squaring of the circle), which is no more than the true mandala” (Jung, 1964, p. 246).
This powerful symbol is prominently featured in the works of Hilma af Klint and is also found in the Neolithic “Cucuteni” culture, underscoring its universal and archetypal significance.
I mentioned in the abstract of this paper that the similarities with the Neolithic Culture Cucuteni help us. These similarities enable us to reject possible “UFO” explanations. Hilma af Klint claimed she was guided by “high spirits.” Some people might think those “high spirits” were actually aliens. They might have connected with Af Klint through a kind of astro-telepathy based on her extraordinary spiritual power.
And there is one more argument that only Jung theory can explain the achievement of Hilma af Klint. I’m not the first who noticed that there are deep connections between Af Klint and Carl Jung.
Cartography indeed, but beyond the Earth
In 2019, The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism – ARAS, published the paper “Illuminating Parallels in the Life and Art of Hilma af Klint and C.G. Jung”. The authors are Bettina Kaufmann and Kathrin Schaeppi.
For instance, in this paper, the authors are writing that in “The Ten Largest, No. 6 Adulthood, 1907″ we see intimations of cartography. Af Klint was the daughter of the naval commodore Victor af Klint. Her grandfather, admiral Gustaf af Klint, made navigation charts.
I totally agree that “The Ten Largest No 6” reflects cartography, but as I have already shown it is about cartography in the Cosmos not on the Earth.
Synchronicity or not?
There is one more aspect which I am not sure fits in this essay but Jungian experts can investigate. The following quote is about synchronicity like a phenomenon noticed by Dr. Jung.
“Similar ‘meaningful coincidences’ can be said to occur when there is a vital necessity for an individual to know about, say, a relative’s death, or some lost possession. In a great many cases, such information has been revealed by means of extrasensory perception. This seems to suggest that abnormal random phenomena may occur when a vital need or urge is aroused” (Jung, 1964, p.306).
On the other hand, what would be the meaning of Hilma af Klint’s collection “The Ten Largest”? What would be the message of her spiritual effort? We see that there are a couple of references to supernovas in her artwork. Articles about her exhibitions mention that, surprisingly, many visitors were moved to tears after seeing her vibrant and colorful paintings. So, maybe, it deserves to explore the possibility that a future supernova could impact humanity.
“It would take another 50 years to decipher”
There are multiple sources about the extraordinary life of the Swedish painter. One example is “Hilma af Klint: A Biography by Julia Voss”. Shortly, the Swedish artist was also a medium and a mystic, whose paintings are considered among the first major abstract works in Western art history.
She belonged to a group called “The Five”, comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called “High Masters” (“Höga Mästare”) – often by way of séances.
It is generally accepted that her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas. In 1908 she met Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Anthroposophical Society. During their meeting in Stockholm, Steiner stated that af Klint’s contemporaries would not be able to accept and understand her paintings, and it would take another 50 years to decipher them.
Hilma af Klint’s first major museum exhibition took place only in 1986, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, more than 40 years after her death. I really hope that now we are on track of her main message. Do you feel the same?
The Af Klint's pictures from this essay are by courtesy of "Hilma af Klint" Foundation, https://hilmaafklint.se/
References
- Bettina Kaufmann, Kathrin Schaeppi “Illuminating Parallels in the Life and Art of Hilma af Klint and C.G. Jung”, published by The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism – ARAS, 2019
https://aras.org/sites/default/files/docs/000134SchaeppiKaufmann.pdf - Carl G. Jung, M.-L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, Aniela Jaffé “Man and His Symbols”, published by Anchor Press, Doubleday, 1964 (and reprinted)
- David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce “Inside the Neolithic mind: consciousness, cosmos and the realm of the gods”, published by Thames & Hudson in 2005 (and reprinted)
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