Jung Synchronicity Meaning: Meaningful Coincidence and the Unconscious

By NICOLE LAU

Introduction: When the Universe Speaks

Have you ever thought of someone and then immediately received a call from them? Dreamed of a symbol and then encountered it repeatedly in waking life? Asked a question and found the answer in a randomly opened book? These are not mere coincidences but examples of what Carl Jung called synchronicity—meaningful coincidences that reveal a hidden order connecting psyche and matter, inner and outer, self and world.

Synchronicity is one of Jung's most controversial and profound concepts. It challenges the materialist worldview that sees the universe as a mechanical system governed solely by cause and effect. Instead, Jung proposed an acausal connecting principle—a meaningful pattern that links events not through causation but through significance.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore Jung's theory of synchronicity, examine how it works, reveal its connections to divination practices like Tarot and the I Ching, and provide practical methods for recognizing and working with synchronistic events in your own life.

Understanding Synchronicity

What Is Synchronicity?

Jung defined synchronicity as "the simultaneous occurrence of two meaningfully but not causally connected events."

Key characteristics:

• Acausal: The events are not connected by cause and effect
• Meaningful: They share a symbolic or thematic connection
• Simultaneous or near-simultaneous: They occur at the same time or in close temporal proximity
• Numinous: They carry a sense of significance, often feeling "meant to be"

Example: You dream of a golden scarab beetle. The next day, during a therapy session, a rare golden-green scarab beetle flies into the room and taps on the window. (This actually happened to Jung with a patient.)

The dream and the beetle's appearance are not causally connected—the dream didn't cause the beetle to appear. But they are meaningfully connected through the symbol of the scarab (transformation, rebirth in Egyptian mythology).

Synchronicity vs. Coincidence

Coincidence: Random, meaningless overlap of events
Synchronicity: Meaningful, significant overlap that reveals a hidden pattern

The difference is subjective—it depends on whether the events carry meaning for the person experiencing them. What's synchronistic for one person might be mere coincidence for another.

The Three Types of Synchronicity

Jung identified three categories:

Type 1: Coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding external event

Example: Thinking of someone and they call; dreaming of an event that then occurs

Type 2: Coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding external event occurring at a distance

Example: Sensing a loved one's death at the moment it happens, even though you're far away

Type 3: Coincidence of a psychic state with a corresponding future event

Example: Precognitive dreams; intuitions that later prove accurate

The Theory Behind Synchronicity

The Acausal Connecting Principle

Western science operates on the principle of causality—every effect has a cause. Jung proposed a complementary principle: acausality—events can be connected through meaning rather than cause.

This doesn't deny causality but supplements it. Some events are connected causally (A causes B), while others are connected acausally (A and B share a meaningful pattern).

The Collective Unconscious as Connecting Medium

Jung believed synchronicity occurs through the collective unconscious—the shared layer of the psyche common to all humanity. The collective unconscious is not just psychological but psychoid—it exists at the boundary between psyche and matter.

When an archetype is activated in the collective unconscious, it can manifest simultaneously in:

• Inner experience (dreams, visions, intuitions)
• Outer events (physical occurrences, encounters, "coincidences")

The archetype is the connecting pattern that links inner and outer.

The Unus Mundus (One World)

Jung borrowed this concept from medieval alchemy: the unus mundus is the unified reality underlying the apparent separation of psyche and matter, subject and object, inner and outer.

At the deepest level, there is no separation—psyche and world are one. Synchronicity is a glimpse of this underlying unity, a moment when the veil between inner and outer becomes transparent.

Synchronicity and Quantum Physics

Jung collaborated with physicist Wolfgang Pauli to explore connections between synchronicity and quantum mechanics. They noted parallels:

• Non-locality: Quantum particles remain connected regardless of distance (like Type 2 synchronicity)
• Observer effect: Consciousness affects physical reality (psyche and matter interact)
• Complementarity: Wave-particle duality parallels psyche-matter duality

While Jung didn't claim synchronicity was explained by quantum physics, he saw both as pointing to a reality more interconnected than classical physics allows.

When Synchronicity Occurs

Archetypal Activation

Synchronicities tend to cluster around moments of archetypal activation:

• Major life transitions: Birth, death, marriage, divorce, career changes
• Psychological crises: Depression, breakdown, dark night of the soul
• Spiritual awakening: Moments of insight, transformation, individuation
• Falling in love: Projection of the Anima/Animus creates synchronistic field
• Creative breakthroughs: Artistic or intellectual inspiration

When an archetype is strongly activated, it creates a "field" that attracts synchronistic events.

Emotional Intensity

Synchronicities often occur when emotions are heightened:

• Grief and loss
• Joy and celebration
• Fear and anxiety
• Love and desire

Strong emotion seems to thin the boundary between psyche and world, allowing synchronistic connections to manifest.

Liminal States

Synchronicities are more common in threshold states:

• Between sleeping and waking (hypnagogic/hypnopompic states)
• During meditation or altered states
• In nature or sacred spaces
• During ritual or ceremony

These liminal states reduce ego control, allowing the unconscious to communicate more directly.

Synchronicity and Divination

The I Ching

Jung's interest in synchronicity was sparked by his study of the I Ching (Book of Changes), the ancient Chinese divination system.

The I Ching operates on synchronicity:

1. You ask a question while in a focused state
2. You cast coins or yarrow stalks (a random process)
3. The resulting hexagram meaningfully reflects your situation

There's no causal connection between your question and the hexagram—the connection is synchronistic. The hexagram that appears is the one that's meaningful for your situation at that moment.

Jung wrote: "The I Ching does not offer itself with proofs and results; it does not vaunt itself, nor is it easy to approach. Like a part of nature, it waits until it is discovered."

Tarot

Tarot reading works through the same principle:

1. You hold a question or situation in mind
2. You shuffle and draw cards (seemingly random)
3. The cards that appear meaningfully reflect your psychological state

The cards don't predict the future causally—they reveal the archetypal patterns active in your psyche at that moment. The "right" cards appear synchronistically.

Astrology

Jung saw astrology as based on synchronicity:

The planetary positions at your birth don't cause your personality traits. Rather, your birth moment and the celestial configuration are synchronistically connected—both are expressions of the same archetypal pattern.

As Jung wrote: "Whatever is born or done at this particular moment of time has the quality of this moment of time."

Other Divination Systems

All divination systems operate on synchronicity:

• Runes
• Bibliomancy (random book opening)
• Scrying
• Pendulum dowsing
• Oracle cards

They work not through supernatural powers but through the synchronistic connection between psyche and matter.

Famous Examples of Synchronicity

The Scarab Beetle

Jung's most famous example: A patient was describing a dream about a golden scarab beetle. At that moment, Jung heard tapping on the window. He opened it, and a rare golden-green scarab beetle flew in—the closest thing to a golden scarab found in Switzerland.

The synchronicity broke through the patient's rigid rationalism and catalyzed a breakthrough in therapy.

The Rainmaker Story

Jung told of a Chinese village suffering from drought. They called a rainmaker, who arrived, went into a hut, and stayed there for three days. On the fourth day, it rained.

When asked how he made it rain, the rainmaker said: "I didn't make it rain. When I arrived, I was out of Tao. I went into the hut to get back into Tao. When I was in Tao again, it rained."

This illustrates synchronicity—when inner alignment occurs, outer events synchronize.

The Plum Pudding Incident

Jung recounted a story from French writer Émile Deschamps: As a boy, Deschamps was given plum pudding by a stranger named Monsieur de Fortgibu. Years later, he saw plum pudding in a restaurant and joked about Fortgibu—who then walked into the restaurant. Years after that, Deschamps was at a dinner where plum pudding was served. He joked that only Fortgibu was missing—and moments later, an elderly, confused Fortgibu entered, having been invited to the wrong address.

Recognizing Synchronicity in Your Life

Signs of Synchronicity

1. Repetition of Symbols or Themes

The same symbol, number, or theme appears repeatedly in different contexts

2. Meaningful "Coincidences"

Events that seem too perfectly timed to be random

3. Answers Appearing

You ask a question and the answer appears in a book, conversation, or sign

4. Meeting the Right Person at the Right Time

Encounters that feel "meant to be"

5. Dreams Manifesting

Dream content appearing in waking life

6. Numinous Feeling

A sense of awe, significance, or "rightness"

The Synchronicity Journal

Keep a dedicated journal for synchronicities:

1. Record the event in detail
2. Note your psychological state at the time
3. Identify the symbolic meaning
4. Reflect on what the synchronicity might be communicating
5. Look for patterns over time

Tracking synchronicities trains you to recognize them and reveals recurring themes.

Working with Synchronicity

Creating Conditions for Synchronicity

While you can't force synchronicity, you can create conditions that invite it:

1. Cultivate Awareness

• Pay attention to your inner and outer worlds
• Notice patterns, symbols, and themes
• Stay present rather than lost in thought

2. Ask Questions

• Hold questions consciously
• Be open to answers appearing in unexpected ways
• Trust that guidance will come

3. Engage the Unconscious

• Work with dreams
• Practice active imagination
• Use divination tools (Tarot, I Ching)
• Create art or write from the unconscious

4. Reduce Ego Control

• Meditate regularly
• Spend time in nature
• Practice surrender and trust
• Allow rather than force

5. Follow Your Intuition

• Act on hunches and gut feelings
• Take "irrational" actions that feel right
• Trust synchronistic guidance

Interpreting Synchronicities

When a synchronicity occurs:

1. Pause and acknowledge it: Don't dismiss it as "just coincidence"
2. Feel into it: What emotion does it evoke? Awe? Confirmation? Warning?
3. Identify the symbol: What is the central image, theme, or pattern?
4. Amplify the symbol: What does this symbol mean mythologically, culturally, personally?
5. Ask: "What is this telling me?" What message or guidance does it offer?
6. Act on the guidance: Synchronicities often call for action or change

Synchronicity as Guidance

Synchronicities can serve as:

• Confirmation: You're on the right path
• Warning: Pay attention, something needs addressing
• Answer: The solution to a problem or question
• Call: An invitation to a new direction
• Reminder: Don't forget what's important

The Shadow Side of Synchronicity

Apophenia (Seeing Patterns Where None Exist)

The Problem: Finding meaning in random events, conspiracy thinking

The Balance: Not every coincidence is synchronistic. Maintain discernment. True synchronicity carries a numinous quality and leads to growth.

Magical Thinking

The Problem: Believing you can control reality through thought alone

The Balance: Synchronicity reveals connection, not control. You can't force synchronicities or manipulate reality through wishful thinking.

Avoiding Responsibility

The Problem: Using synchronicity as an excuse to avoid action or decision-making

The Balance: Synchronicity offers guidance, but you still must act. Don't wait passively for signs—engage actively with life.

Conclusion: Living in a Meaningful Universe

Synchronicity reveals that we live in a meaningful universe—not a cold, mechanical system but a living, responsive cosmos where psyche and matter dance together in patterns of significance.

When you recognize synchronicity, you're not imposing meaning on a meaningless world—you're discovering the meaning that's already there, woven into the fabric of reality itself. You're participating in what Jung called the unus mundus, the one world where inner and outer, self and cosmos, are ultimately one.

As Jung wrote: "Synchronicity is no more baffling or mysterious than the discontinuities of physics. It is only the ingrained belief in the sovereign power of causality that creates intellectual difficulties and makes it appear unthinkable that causeless events exist or could ever occur."

The universe speaks in synchronicities. The question is: Are you listening?

NICOLE LAU is a researcher and writer specializing in Western esotericism, Jungian psychology, and comparative mysticism. She is the author of the Western Esoteric Classics series and New Age Spirituality series.