Synchronicity Record Type: Review   ID: 853
Synchronicity: Science, Myth, and the Trickster Combs, Allan, & Holland, Mark
A psychologist and a professor of literature who is also a Jungian review what quantum physics and Jung had to say about synchronicity. Their own contribution is to show how synchronicity is the stuff of myth, and combined with the theories of David Bohm, synchronicities can provide us with a sense of connection with the cosmos. As they put it, "the larger dimensions of the world are again experienced in terms meaningful to the human spirit. The language of this experience is the language of myth, a language that bridges the space between the conscious and the unconscious, and language that speaks of the meaningfulness of events both within the mind and within the greater world in which each of us lives our day-to-day lives" p. xxx). They point out that synchronicity bridges the same gaps, and that synchronicity is comprehended best by using the language of myth. In particular, they show out how the myths surrounding Hermes (the Trickster, Mercurius, Coyote) are especially useful in dealing with chance and synchronicity. Their aim is to "seek a deeper psychological and spiritual comprehension of synchronicity" (p. xxxi). Accordingly, Part I consists of three chapters on synchronicity and science; Part II has three chapters on synchronicity and myth, culminating in the last chapter, "The Meaning of Synchronicity." There are some interesting appendices: one on omens and divination and another on synchronicity and probability. In addition to the standard index, there is an index of cases of synchronicity cited in the book.
Publisher Information:	New York: Paragon House, 1990. 176p. Bibl: 163-170; 1 fig; Index: 171-176

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