Synchronicity is a term invented by Carl Jung to denote meaningful coincidence. Events bound by synchronicity are connected by similarity, by meaning, by resonance, rather than by causality. Synchronicity is an acausal connecting principle. Since it goes beyond causation, it goes beyond time and space, and is not limited by such relations.
As a result, we can say that synchronicity is one of the indicators of an interconnected consciousness matrix. Synchronicity, as an explicative theory, applies to phenomena from the area of parapsychology, prevision and premonition, to I Ching, astrology, psychotherapy, and many other fields.
In Carl Jung’s words, “synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world. Though synchronistic phenomena occur in time and space they manifest a remarkable independence of both these indispensable determinants of physical existence and hence do not conform to the law of causality”. Synchronistic events offer us perceptions that may be useful in our psychological and spiritual growth and may reveal to us, through intuitive knowledge, that our lives have meaning.
From research that Jung had gathered, it was discovered that the greatest number of synchronicities that are observed and analyzed can be shown to have a direct connection with an archetype or the constellation of an archetype, which, in his view, is a process that engages equally objective manifestations, in the physical world, and subjective ones, in the psychological universe.
Characteristics of Synchronicity
- The unconscious content which, in accordance with the compensatory needs of the conscious orientation, enters consciousness (something is in our conscious)
- The conscious orientation of the subject around which the compensatory synchronistic activity centers (something happens concerning what is in our mind)
- An objective event corresponds with this intrapsychic state [may be literal or figurative correspondence)
- Even though the intrapsychic state and the objective event may be synchronous according to clock time and spatially near to each other, the objective event may, contrary to this, be distant in time and/or space in relation to the intrapsychic state (as in telepathy, clairvoyance, etc.)
- The intrapsychic state and the objective event are acausally causally related to each other
- The synchronistic event is meaningful (excludes some coincidence, but does not require the meaning to be understood)
- The intrapsychic state and the objective event as meaningful parallels.
- The numinous charge associated with the synchronistic experience (feeling of spiritual experience)
- Import of the subjective-level interpretation (the content must reflect back on the issues of the individual)
- The archetypal level of meaning (transcends the individual and implies absolute knowledge).
Categories of Synchronicities
- The coincidence of a psychic state in the observer with a simultaneous objective, external event that corresponds to the psychic state or content, (e.g. the scarab), where there is no evidence of a causal connection between the psychic state and the external event, and where, considering the psychic relativity of space and time, such a connection is not even conceivable.
- The coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding (more or less simultaneous) external even taking place outside the observer’s field of perception, i.e. at a distance, and only verifiable afterward.
- The coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding, not yet existent future event that is distant in time and can likewise only be verified afterward.
Types of Synchronicities
- One in which the compensatory activity of the archetype is experienced both inwardly and outwardly. [the event seems to emerge from the subconscious with access to absolute knowledge, which cannot be consciously known]
- One in which the compensatory activity of the archetype is experienced outwardly only. [these convey to the ego a much-needed wholeness of the self’s perspective, they show one a new perspective]
Being Mindful of Synchronicity
The essence of synchronicity is felt, for there is often significance and meaning associated with it. In order to benefit from such experiences, when you experience synchronicity in your life, you can sometimes gain deeper insight into what you intuitively know to be true by taking a closer look at the synchronicity in question. Could it be true that the universe is trying to tell you something? To find out if there may be deeper meaning to a given synchronicity, ask yourself:
- What symbols does this synchronicity contain?
- What do these symbols mean for me, personally, at this time?
- How do I feel about this?
Since your consciousness is constantly interacting with all levels of yourself, some synchronicities will have more personal significance than others in your life. You can generally gauge how important a given synchronicity is for you by feeling how you respond emotionally and physically to it. For example, if you were just thinking of an old saying such as, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” that your mother used to tell you when you were growing up, and then you open the newspaper and see that exact same phrase printed on the page — notice how you feel both emotionally and physically as this synchronicity occurs.
References
http://realityshifters.com/pages/articles/synchronicity.html
http://www.carl-jung.net/synchronicity.html
http://archive.org/details/MichaelTalbotSynchronicityandtheHolographicUniverse
http://www.crystalinks.com/synchronicity.html
The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality