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Carolyn and Ernest Fay Series in Analytical Psychology
Synchronicity: Nature and Psyche in an Interconnected Universe
Also available in an open-access, full-text edition
In 1952 C. G. Jung published a paradoxical hypothesis on synchronicity that marked an attempt to expand the western world’s conception of the relationship between nature and the psyche. Jung’s hypothesis sought to break down the polarizing cause-effect assessment of the world and psyche, suggesting that everything is interconnected. Thus, synchronicity is both "a meaningful event" and "an acausal connecting principle." Evaluating the world in this manner opened the door to "exploring the possibility of meaning in chance or random events, deciphering if and when meaning might be present even if outside conscious awareness."
Now, after contextualizing Jung’s work in relation to contemporary scientific advancements such as relativity and quantum theories, Joseph Cambray explores in this book how Jung’s theories, practices, and clinical methods influenced the current field of complexity theory, which works with a paradox similar to Jung’s the importance of symmetry as well as the need to break that symmetry for "emergence" to occur. Finally, Cambray provides his unique contribution to the field by attempting to trace "cultural synchronicities," a reconsideration of historical events in terms of their synchronistic aspects. For example, he examines the emergence of democracy in ancient Greece in order "to find a model of group decision making based on emergentist principles with a synchronistic core."
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In 1952 C. G. Jung published a paradoxical hypothesis on synchronicity that marked an attempt to expand the western world’s conception of the relationship between nature and the psyche. Jung’s hypothesis sought to break down the polarizing cause-effect assessment of the world and psyche, suggesting that everything is interconnected. Thus, synchronicity is both "a meaningful event" and "an acausal connecting principle." Evaluating the world in this manner opened the door to "exploring the possibility of meaning in chance or random events, deciphering if and when meaning might be present even if outside conscious awareness."
Now, after contextualizing Jung’s work in relation to contemporary scientific advancements such as relativity and quantum theories, Joseph Cambray explores in this book how Jung’s theories, practices, and clinical methods influenced the current field of complexity theory, which works with a paradox similar to Jung’s the importance of symmetry as well as the need to break that symmetry for "emergence" to occur. Finally, Cambray provides his unique contribution to the field by attempting to trace "cultural synchronicities," a reconsideration of historical events in terms of their synchronistic aspects. For example, he examines the emergence of democracy in ancient Greece in order "to find a model of group decision making based on emergentist principles with a synchronistic core."
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168 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 2009
19 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Cambray
3Ìýbooks4ÌýfollowersJoe Cambray, Ph.D. is past President/CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute; he is Past-President of the International Association for Analytical Psychology; has served as the U.S. Editor for The Journal of Analytical Psychology and is on various editorial boards. He was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Psychoanalytic Studies; and former President of the C. G. Jung Institute of Boston. Dr. Cambray is also a Jungian analyst now living in the Santa Barbara area of California. His numerous publications include the book based on his Fay Lectures: Synchronicity: Nature and Psyche in an Interconnected Universe, a newly edited volume, with Leslie Sawin, Research in Analytical Psychology: Applications from Scientific, Historical, and (Cross)-Cultural Research and a volume edited with Linda Carter, Analytical Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives in Jungian Psychology. He has published numerous papers in a range of international journals.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 27, 2011
Throughout his writings, Jung was always asking, there is the three, so where is the fourth? While often referring to the Trinitarian Archetype, Jung seemed at times to eschew it for the Quaternity, where a static state was realized in the symmetrical symbolism of the Four...as realized in the Circle/Square Mandala being a representation of the Self.
Beginning with Erdinger, perhaps, the Three was first illuminated as being asymmetrical and dynamic. This author perhaps grasps the same conclusion, realizing the importance of breaking symmetry in order for emergence to occur.
And emergence into the field is what the subject matter, Synchronicity, is all about.
The argument goes, classical deductive Physics ala Newton, where cause and effect are the two necessary factors against the backdrop of Absolute Space and Absolute Time, was incomplete and more, too fragmentary. The sciences were resolute each in their expression, yet seldom explained or even empathized with one another. The binary aspect of Cause/Effect, Light/Dark, Space/Time carried over into Descartes' radical dualism of the soul and body.
The time was right for a more unitary, inductive worldview to break the now age old deductive reasoning of the previous centuries. Thus the discovery Light was neither particle or wave, but both, there was not Time, or Space, but Spacetime. In Faraday's lab there was the electric, then the magnetic, then the electromagnetic.
Once again, the new physics effected the picture one had of the human soul. Rather than there being a radical difference between Mind and Body, there was found to be a unitary bond between the two...where each were found to be operating differently metaphysically. Synchronistically, one could say. Just as the body could take on many shapes and motions, the mind could take on many meanings and thoughts.
In this nice book, the author doesn't concern himself or us with grandiose themes and examples of Synchronicity, but rather observes how Synchronicity unfolds into our day to day world of Space and Time, Cause and Effect, still the harbingers of popular consciousness. Examples provided include Emergence, Empathy, and Kairos, or 'timing'. Although this tends to elucidate the subject, my one complaint is Synchronicity is looked at from mostly a scientific view, and little to nigh is explained through the psychoanalytic lense.
That said, the book does end with examples both good and evil of Synchronicity where it is shown to be the harbinger of good and ill. Synchronicity, the author warns and reminds, is not all Good all the Time.
A wise, erudite writing on a tough subject we are just beginning to understand, in my humble opinion!
Beginning with Erdinger, perhaps, the Three was first illuminated as being asymmetrical and dynamic. This author perhaps grasps the same conclusion, realizing the importance of breaking symmetry in order for emergence to occur.
And emergence into the field is what the subject matter, Synchronicity, is all about.
The argument goes, classical deductive Physics ala Newton, where cause and effect are the two necessary factors against the backdrop of Absolute Space and Absolute Time, was incomplete and more, too fragmentary. The sciences were resolute each in their expression, yet seldom explained or even empathized with one another. The binary aspect of Cause/Effect, Light/Dark, Space/Time carried over into Descartes' radical dualism of the soul and body.
The time was right for a more unitary, inductive worldview to break the now age old deductive reasoning of the previous centuries. Thus the discovery Light was neither particle or wave, but both, there was not Time, or Space, but Spacetime. In Faraday's lab there was the electric, then the magnetic, then the electromagnetic.
Once again, the new physics effected the picture one had of the human soul. Rather than there being a radical difference between Mind and Body, there was found to be a unitary bond between the two...where each were found to be operating differently metaphysically. Synchronistically, one could say. Just as the body could take on many shapes and motions, the mind could take on many meanings and thoughts.
In this nice book, the author doesn't concern himself or us with grandiose themes and examples of Synchronicity, but rather observes how Synchronicity unfolds into our day to day world of Space and Time, Cause and Effect, still the harbingers of popular consciousness. Examples provided include Emergence, Empathy, and Kairos, or 'timing'. Although this tends to elucidate the subject, my one complaint is Synchronicity is looked at from mostly a scientific view, and little to nigh is explained through the psychoanalytic lense.
That said, the book does end with examples both good and evil of Synchronicity where it is shown to be the harbinger of good and ill. Synchronicity, the author warns and reminds, is not all Good all the Time.
A wise, erudite writing on a tough subject we are just beginning to understand, in my humble opinion!
May 27, 2019
Tidak ada yang namanya kebetulan di dunia ini....
Ketika kamu sedang memikirkan teman mu, lalu dia tiba-tiba menelpon mu...
Itulah synchronicity
Synchronicity-acausal connecting principle...
When two things happen simultaneously and shared same meaning, but It has no causal corelation with one another..
And it is not that simple, it was very complex theory..
It was coined by carl gustav jung, he thought there is no such coincidence in this world. Everything interconnected, he use his archetypal theory and relate it to outher world to understand this concept.
And cambray, cultivated carl jung theory on synchronicity. He tried to understand this concept by some of scientific perspective, such as physics, sosciology, and neuropsychology . He said that synchronicity could be viewed as a resonance energic field event, or we could simply call it our emphatic ability- the ability to resonance with other people emotion, and he suggested that the root of this resonator area is our brain itselves, it was our miror neuron. Synchronicity has a profound meaning for our life, but we must relate it with our archetype self, so we could dechip the hidden symbolic meaning for our own balanced.
Ketika kamu sedang memikirkan teman mu, lalu dia tiba-tiba menelpon mu...
Itulah synchronicity
Synchronicity-acausal connecting principle...
When two things happen simultaneously and shared same meaning, but It has no causal corelation with one another..
And it is not that simple, it was very complex theory..
It was coined by carl gustav jung, he thought there is no such coincidence in this world. Everything interconnected, he use his archetypal theory and relate it to outher world to understand this concept.
And cambray, cultivated carl jung theory on synchronicity. He tried to understand this concept by some of scientific perspective, such as physics, sosciology, and neuropsychology . He said that synchronicity could be viewed as a resonance energic field event, or we could simply call it our emphatic ability- the ability to resonance with other people emotion, and he suggested that the root of this resonator area is our brain itselves, it was our miror neuron. Synchronicity has a profound meaning for our life, but we must relate it with our archetype self, so we could dechip the hidden symbolic meaning for our own balanced.
March 17, 2021
Cambray gave more elaboration on Jung's synchronicity theory, theoretically, clinically, and gave an example of the existence of synchronicity in several historical events both in political and scientific developments. The book is concise but provides a description that is quite comprehensive. For readers who are not familiar with Jung's thought, this book may seem too technical.
April 27, 2025
Tedious and Nonsensical
The book starts with simple, interesting stories and anecdotes. But whenever the author tries to link them to synchronicity, the writing becomes long-winded, confusing, and meaningless.
I forced myself to keep reading, hoping it would eventually make sense.
It didn’t. The book was just tedious and nonsensical.
The book starts with simple, interesting stories and anecdotes. But whenever the author tries to link them to synchronicity, the writing becomes long-winded, confusing, and meaningless.
I forced myself to keep reading, hoping it would eventually make sense.
It didn’t. The book was just tedious and nonsensical.
October 3, 2016
Jung's compensates his limited knowledge on quantum field theory by collaboraing with Pauli . The fundamental principle being everyone is connected to everthing and there can be no concidences using scientific methodology ; needless to say is extremely ardouous task to prove if not impossible .
However certain phenomena does show synchronistic behaviour ie. The Butterfly effect ( flapping of wings triggering hurricanes when reaching resonance). Chaos Theory - out of disorder , emerges order ( Singularity "BigBang" - no concept of time & relativity ; to humans who emerge from non-organic ingredients with the capacity to analyse the source ie. Singularity ) . Mirror neurons ; offsprings mimicing parental behviours - giving rise to empathy (which is an indicator of higher intellgence ) and cultural phenomena prohesied like return of "The Quezatcoatl" (Mayan civilization) and its relation with the Spanish conquest are some of the examples .
Synchronicity by no means is desivice but attempts to showcases Carl Jung's endeavor of reconciling analytical psychology with occurrences of signinficant macro phenomenas along with Einstein and Wolfgang Pauli ; intresting , intriguing & inconcuslive .
However certain phenomena does show synchronistic behaviour ie. The Butterfly effect ( flapping of wings triggering hurricanes when reaching resonance). Chaos Theory - out of disorder , emerges order ( Singularity "BigBang" - no concept of time & relativity ; to humans who emerge from non-organic ingredients with the capacity to analyse the source ie. Singularity ) . Mirror neurons ; offsprings mimicing parental behviours - giving rise to empathy (which is an indicator of higher intellgence ) and cultural phenomena prohesied like return of "The Quezatcoatl" (Mayan civilization) and its relation with the Spanish conquest are some of the examples .
Synchronicity by no means is desivice but attempts to showcases Carl Jung's endeavor of reconciling analytical psychology with occurrences of signinficant macro phenomenas along with Einstein and Wolfgang Pauli ; intresting , intriguing & inconcuslive .
October 6, 2016
While this work was a bit of a challenge for me to tackle, it was well worth the extra energy I had to invest when it came to digesting the unfamiliar vocabulary. However, those with a background in psychology, especially Jungian psychology, would probably digest the material with ease.
I have long been fascinated by the topic of synchronicity, as I have experienced the phenomenon countless times in my life. It was refreshing to finally dive into the deep end of the topic and come up gasping for air, grasping a bit more of the theoretical foundations for synchronicity and the collective unconscious, as well as other complimentary concepts. The religious interpretations of synchronistic phenomena have long seemed inadequate to me, so it was very nice to know that I am not alone in wanting more thought-provoking theories and answers to these topics. I realize now that my knowledge on the topic is barely scratching the surface...
Infinite gratitude to Jung and Jungians like Cambray for putting forth this material which simultaneously gives an affirmative nod to religion/spirituality and at the same time seeks to get underneath many of the unconscious activity which leads to popular religious concepts and many seemingly inexplicable everyday experiences.
I have long been fascinated by the topic of synchronicity, as I have experienced the phenomenon countless times in my life. It was refreshing to finally dive into the deep end of the topic and come up gasping for air, grasping a bit more of the theoretical foundations for synchronicity and the collective unconscious, as well as other complimentary concepts. The religious interpretations of synchronistic phenomena have long seemed inadequate to me, so it was very nice to know that I am not alone in wanting more thought-provoking theories and answers to these topics. I realize now that my knowledge on the topic is barely scratching the surface...
Infinite gratitude to Jung and Jungians like Cambray for putting forth this material which simultaneously gives an affirmative nod to religion/spirituality and at the same time seeks to get underneath many of the unconscious activity which leads to popular religious concepts and many seemingly inexplicable everyday experiences.
July 13, 2011
Deep and slow read on neurobiological, historical and medical examples of synchronicity suggesting evidence from multiple disciplines on the underlying acausal connecting principle linking mankind. Excellent!
July 31, 2014
Only deepens the quesions, doesn't provide any answer
October 1, 2014
Tohu va-vohu ...despite missing better style, some more to content the topic is exciting and "eaten" by me in a day.
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