May 7, 2001
Coincidence
or Meaningful Coincidence? Synchronicity Is The Answer
Part 1 - Background
“Synchronicity takes the
coincidence of events in space and time as meaning something more that mere
chance, namely, a peculiar interdependence of objective events among themselves
as well as with the subjective (psychic) state of the observer or observers.”
Carl G. Jung
From
his forward to the 1950 Wilhelm/Baynes translation of the I Ching.
The term “synchronicity” is
thrown around so much these days you would think it is the invention of the new
millennium. I cannot pick up a book that deals with spirituality,
self-improvement, success or even a few business books that the phenomenon
behind the word isn’t used several times.
Over the past several months I have come to appreciate synchronicity and
the effects it has had on several of my recent endeavors.
Synchronicity is described as a
“meaningful coincidence”. It is
the spontaneous phone call that you make and the person on the other end says,
“This is weird! I was just
thinking about you yesterday.” Or
synchronicity could be finding a solution to a problem from a source that just
happened to appear at the precise time you needed it.
C. G. Jung was the first person to take a look at this phenomenon with
clinical objectivity to determine if there was a difference between random
chance and a meaningful coincidence.
As you are probably beginning to
learn, I enjoy investigating the origin of passages, words, or events.
Without a context it is difficult to fully understand what an author or
historian is really trying to tell her/his audience.
Even though synchronicity is widely used, few writers give credit to the
one who first used this term, Carl G. Jung.
Even more rare is to read his own words on the subject.
Now, thanks to the opening quote, you can say at your next social
gathering, “I was reading Jung the other day, and ….”!
I first heard of Jung when I was
exploring psychology and philosophy as part of my spiritual quest back in 8th
grade. I really did not study much
at all about him until college when trying to master Sartre (which I do not
claim to have done) and other existentialists.
My studies led me to understanding the origins of modern psychology and
Jung’s prominent role.
Jung embarked on a personal
journey that led to the structures in place for his theories on archetypes,
complexes, the collective unconscious, and the individuation process. These
theories, along with his understanding of the symbolism found in dreams and in
other creative processes, formed the basis of his clinical approach, which he
called analytical psychology. Throughout his long life, Jung continued to
develop and broaden his theoretical framework, drawing both on his clinical
practice and his study of such wide-ranging subjects as alchemy, Eastern
religions, astrology, mythology, and fairy tales.
Late in life, Jung traced his
idea of synchronicity to the influence of Albert Einstein.
Jung wrote, “Professor Einstein was my guest on several occasions at
dinner …. These were very early days when Einstein was developing his first
theory of relativity, [and] it was he who first started me off thinking about a
possible relativity of time as well as space, and their psychic conditionality.
More than thirty years later, this stimulus led to my relation with
physicist Professor W. Pauli and to my thesis of psychic synchronicity.”
What fascinates me to this day
was his thirst for understanding the human mind and the external forces around
us. Brother Wayne Teasdale says
“He made possible the emergence of transpersonal psychology, thus creating a
bridge to the wisdom traditions of the human family.” (1) Nowhere in his work is this more
evident than in his study of synchronicity.
When Jung was in his 70’s he hypothesized that
synchronicity might be the organizing field of the entire universe and that it
allows human minds to connect outside of space and time and forms a collective
unconscious where the knowledge of past, present and future is held.
The Hindu term for this collective unconsciousness is “the field of all
possibilities” which is discussed in detail in many books by Dr. Deepak
Chopra.
So what about synchronicity and the spiritual journey?
Can its frequency be controlled? Should
I be amused when I recognize it, or should I look for deeper meaning?
Now that together we have better understanding of the
origins of the word synchronicity, next week I will be examining these and
several other questions. Until
then, try to recall experiences you have had with this phenomenon.
Also, try to heighten your awareness this week of the synchronicity that
is all around us to see if it touches your soul.
With respect, acceptance, and
love,
Richard
©
Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2001
(1) Quote from The Mystic Heart – Discovering A Universal Spirituality In The World’s Religions, by Wayne Teasdale, Copyright 1999, published by New World Library (Can be found on the suggested reading page)