Synchronicity is Carl Jung’s term for a “meaningful coincidence” — two or more events that have no causal connection, yet line up in a way that feels deeply meaningful to the person experiencing them. Jung called it an “acausal connecting principle.”
What does synchronicity mean?
Ordinary coincidence is just chance. Synchronicity is when a coincidence carries meaning — when an inner state (a thought, a dream, a feeling) is mirrored by an outer event in a way that seems significant, even though neither caused the other. Think of a word you just learned suddenly appearing everywhere, or dreaming of someone the night before they call.
Jung’s famous example: the scarab
The classic illustration comes from Jung’s own practice. A patient stuck in rigid rationalism was describing a dream of a golden scarab beetle. At that moment Jung heard a tapping at the window — a real rose-chafer beetle, the closest local equivalent to a scarab. He caught it, handed it to her, and the uncanny timing cracked her resistance open. It became his signature case of synchronicity.
The acausal connecting principle
Jung developed the idea with the physicist Wolfgang Pauli. Their claim was radical: alongside cause-and-effect, there may be a second way events relate — through meaning. Synchronicity doesn’t violate physics; it points to how the psyche and the world sometimes seem to correspond. For Jung it was evidence of the deep patterns behind experience — the archetypes at work.
How to work with synchronicity
- Notice, don’t force. Meaningful coincidences tend to cluster around times of emotional intensity or transition.
- Ask what it mirrors. Treat a synchronicity as a question about your inner state, not a supernatural command.
- Stay grounded. Not every coincidence is a sign; the meaning is personal and interpretive, not literal prophecy.
Synchronicity invites you to pay attention to the dialogue between your inner and outer worlds — a central theme of individuation. Explore more at The Loremaster.