In The Interpretation of Nature and Psyche (1955) Carl Jung, in conjunction with the physicist Wolfgang Pauli, explored the possibility that such synchronicity, such “meaningful coincidence”, could be made possible by the fact that both the observer and the connected phenomenon ultimately stem from the same source, the Unus Mundus, or “one-world”. But these truths that we discover are not new-they have always been there, waiting for the correctly-tuned mind to ‘see’ them and realise them into our human consciousness. We work away the stone, the wood, the paint, the word, the idea, discarding all that is unnecessary, until we are left with the intrinsic truth. Scientists and artists need only four tools-a pencil, some paper, a waste-bin-and their imagination. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research.” For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. In his 1931 book Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms, Albert Einstein states: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. But for the truly great theories and ideas to emerge, the imagination must be brought to bear.

The backbone of science is empiricism, based on experiment and observation.

In the play Back to Methuselah (George Bernard Shaw, 1921), the Serpent says to Adam and Eve: “I hear you say ‘Why?’ Always ‘Why?’ You see things and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and I say ‘Why not?’”

30 Days by Joanna Tilsley