This image that Bowman sees while in the stargate, has an appearance not unlike that of a human fetus inside an egg (click image to enlarge).
The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey has been described as an allegory of human conception, birth and death. In part, this can be seen through the final moments of the film, which are defined by the image of the "star child", an in utero fetus that draws on the work of Lennart Nilsson. ('In utero' is a Latin term, literally meaning "inside the womb.")
New Zealand journalist Scott MacLeod sees parallels between the spaceship's journey and the physical act of conception. The lengthy pyrotechnic light show witnessed by David Bowman, which has puzzled many reviewers, is seen by MacLeod as Kubrick's attempt at visually depicting the moment of conception, when the "star child" comes into being. [a]
The above suggests that at least part of the action in the movie, is being depicted as taking place inside a metaphorical womb. Recalling the earlier quote from Jung, stating that Melusina's birthplace is inside the "womb of the mysteries", which Jung equates with the unconscious, the indication we have is that at least part of the movie is actually taking place 'in' someone's (i.e., Bowman's) unconscious. This idea is further evidence that some of what we see in the movie is a dream that David Bowman is experiencing.
a. Wikipedia, 'Interpretations of 2001: A Space Odyssey'. Web, n.d. URL = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_2001:_A_Space_Odyssey.
