How to explain synchronicity?
- Brian Wachter
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:11 am
How to explain synchronicity?
Frequent coincidences of the meaningful variety have haunted me for years. But maybe not so much any more thanks to relational quantum mechanics. If interactions are the ontological primitive, rather than objects, my interaction with my surroundings has room for such happenings as, say, a cat food commercial popping up the instant I mention the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment.
I suppose mind at large has an explanation for synchronicity, as well, but I haven't encountered it in my reading of Kastrup. Do any of you know BK's take? And what's your thinking?
I suppose mind at large has an explanation for synchronicity, as well, but I haven't encountered it in my reading of Kastrup. Do any of you know BK's take? And what's your thinking?
As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
- Soul_of_Shu
- Posts: 2023
- Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:48 pm
- Contact:
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
I expect that BK's take on synchronicity would be in line with Jung's. You may have already read it, but in Decoding Jung's Metaphysics, he dedicates Chapter 4 to that topic.Brian Wachter wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:21 pm Frequent coincidences of the meaningful variety have haunted me for years. But maybe not so much any more thanks to relational quantum mechanics. If interactions are the ontological primitive, rather than objects, my interaction with my surroundings has room for such happenings as, say, a cat food commercial popping up the instant I mention the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment.
I suppose mind at large has an explanation for synchronicity, as well, but I haven't encountered it in my reading of Kastrup. Do any of you know BK's take? And what's your thinking?
Here out of instinct or grace we seek
soulmates in these galleries of hieroglyph and glass,
where mutual longings and sufferings of love
are laid bare in transfigured exhibition of our hearts,
we who crave deep secrets and mysteries,
as elusive as the avatars of our dreams.
soulmates in these galleries of hieroglyph and glass,
where mutual longings and sufferings of love
are laid bare in transfigured exhibition of our hearts,
we who crave deep secrets and mysteries,
as elusive as the avatars of our dreams.
- Brian Wachter
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:11 am
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
I have DJM but must admit I find it cringeworthy and haven't read far in it. While I felt liberated by "The Idea of the World"—my inspiration for visiting this board—it is perhaps both my wide familiarity with Jung and BK's effort to formalize Jung philosophically that turned me off to DJM. I was expecting a Jungian primer, not a Jungian lexicon. Perhaps I'll give it another chance, thanks to you.Soul_of_Shu wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:30 pm I expect that BK's take on synchronicity would be in line with Jung's. You may have already read it, but in Decoding Jung's Metaphysics, he dedicates Chapter 4 to that topic.
As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
- DandelionSoul
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:18 am
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
My sense is that it's basically as you say -- our environment and we ourselves are steeped in an interconnected web of meaning, so unexpected points of contact within that web follow pretty naturally. RQM would not deny the web of meaning, only its grounding in a preexisting, singular, unified Mind.
- DandelionSoul
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:18 am
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
As a followup, from a perspective where there is a singular, unified M@L, Freya Mathews writes in For Love of Matter pretty extensively on the poetic way in which the world-consciousness communicates with individualized consciousnesses -- synchronicity is a part of her whole theory of eros.
- Brian Wachter
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:11 am
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
That's interesting. I've always had the intuition I was being communicated with through these events. I just couldn't figure out what the world-consciousness was trying to sayDandelionSoul wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:44 pm As a followup, from a perspective where there is a singular, unified M@L, Freya Mathews writes in For Love of Matter pretty extensively on the poetic way in which the world-consciousness communicates with individualized consciousnesses -- synchronicity is a part of her whole theory of eros.
As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
I am not sure why you disliked DJM so much but, as Dana pointed out, you won't get a better analysis of the MAL-idealism connection with Jung's synchronicity concept than what BK wrote there. I thought DJM was very approachable for people well-versed in Jung and those new to him alike. Great footnote quote by the way!Brian Wachter wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:21 pm Frequent coincidences of the meaningful variety have haunted me for years. But maybe not so much any more thanks to relational quantum mechanics. If interactions are the ontological primitive, rather than objects, my interaction with my surroundings has room for such happenings as, say, a cat food commercial popping up the instant I mention the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment.
I suppose mind at large has an explanation for synchronicity, as well, but I haven't encountered it in my reading of Kastrup. Do any of you know BK's take? And what's your thinking?
"A secret law contrives,
To give time symmetry:
There is, within our lives,
An exact mystery."
To give time symmetry:
There is, within our lives,
An exact mystery."
-
- Posts: 1030
- Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:07 pm
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
Yep. Synchronicities can be uncomfortable in many ways when they start bubbling up. Overabundance of meaning can be quite "psychotic". But in time you can get used to them, and find your balance.DandelionSoul wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 8:44 pm My sense is that it's basically as you say -- our environment and we ourselves are steeped in an interconnected web of meaning, so unexpected points of contact within that web follow pretty naturally. RQM would not deny the web of meaning, only its grounding in a preexisting, singular, unified Mind.
- Brian Wachter
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:11 am
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
I'm not sure either In picking up basically where I left off—right at synchronicity coincidentally—I have a much more favorable impression this time. His exposition of the QM foundations of Jung's theory is detailed and clear.AshvinP wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:38 am I am not sure why you disliked DJM so much but, as Dana pointed out, you won't get a better analysis of the MAL-idealism connection with Jung's synchronicity concept than what BK wrote there. I thought DJM was very approachable for people well-versed in Jung and those new to him alike. Great footnote quote by the way!
As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges...
—Rainer Maria Rilke
Re: How to explain synchronicity?
Cat food commercials are fairly frequent on television so the odds are good if you mention the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment a commercial for cat food could follow.Brian Wachter wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 7:21 pm Frequent coincidences of the meaningful variety have haunted me for years. But maybe not so much any more thanks to relational quantum mechanics. If interactions are the ontological primitive, rather than objects, my interaction with my surroundings has room for such happenings as, say, a cat food commercial popping up the instant I mention the Schrodinger's Cat thought experiment.
I suppose mind at large has an explanation for synchronicity, as well, but I haven't encountered it in my reading of Kastrup. Do any of you know BK's take? And what's your thinking?
You need to look at the Law of Truly Large Numbers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_tr ... ge_numbers