On Synchronicity
It was Carl Jung who came up with the idea of ‘synchronicity’. Funnily enough he actually knew Albert Einstein and it was inspired by Einstein’s theory of relativity.
So, what is synchronicity ?
Put simply ‘synchronicty’ is meaningful coincidences. It’s where things happen which are coincidental and go alongside a kind of ‘ding’ type of experience shall we say. Carl Jung holds that such are indicators for us that we are on our path of individuation. He wrote a book by this name I personally really enjoyed.
A particular one Carl Jung reports was of a patient of his who was The “golden scarab” story. This is one of Carl Jung’s most famous examples of synchronicity. In this story, Jung was treating a woman who was very rational and resistant to therapy. She described a dream about receiving a golden scarab (a type of beetle, symbolizing transformation in Egyptian mythology).
As she shared the dream, Jung heard a tapping on the window. He opened it and, amazingly, a scarab-like beetle (a rose chafer, with a golden-green color) flew into the room. He handed the beetle to the patient, saying, “Here is your scarab.” This moment of synchronicity broke down her rational defenses, making her more receptive to therapy.
What’s important to recognise here is that not only was this a coincidence but it was a coincidence which was meaningful at that time which had an impact on the client. Other examples highlighted by Jung were someone who was delivered an incorrect suit which was delivered as a black suit (rather than the ordered colour). Shortly afterwards learned that someone had passed away and he needed to attend the funeral.
Jung saw these as a meaningful coincidences that highlighted the connection between the inner world (her dream) and outer events. This therefore illustrated how synchronicity can reveal significant, transformative moments in life.
The joining of the rational and the irrational and left and right brain functions
Carl Jung spoke about the connection of the rational and the irrational and how they are both necessary for our journey in life. Society these days tends to have a reinforcement of predominantly a left-brain way of viewing the world in terms of logical and rationality. Our often-neglected right side though is this place where we find unity and wholeness. It’s also the place of symbols from our unconscious which can guide us on our journey of individuation sometimes from these synchronous experiences. Both seem equally important as far as I can tell for full living. There’s another book which discusses Jung’s friendship with Wolfgang Pauli . This interestingly discusses this rational and irrational connection taking place and being essential for growth.
It’s here where dream work can be helpful to acknowledge so we can keep becoming as conscious as possible of symbols which are coming through to us and what they may mean. I recently wrote a blog on dreams you can find here
I’m becoming increasingly aware personally how there is such an over emphasis on the left side of the brain in terms of how we are conditioned by society. I think that a level of taking this back and syncing ourselves so to speak is essential for our individuation journey.
If you’re feeling somewhat blocked and like things aren’t quite right feel free to get in contact. We can work together to help you on your journey of individuation.
Take care until then
Phil
021 058 3234
www.newbeginningstherapy.co.nz
philip@newbeginningstherapy.co.nz