Enlightenment and individuation: syncretism, synchronicity and beyond.

The Journal of analytical psychology [J Anal Psychol] 2019 Feb; Vol. 64 (1), pp. 53-72.

This paper opens with a personal introduction to the topic of syncretism within the context of a comparison of enlightenment associated with Eastern religious traditions and individuation as experienced through Jungian analysis. A brief exploration of the recent scholarly revival of interest in syncretism follows. Some close parallels with Jungian theory are highlighted, especially in the work of Timothy Light. Applications to the syncretic trends in Tang culture along the Silk Road(s) suggest deeper patterns of interconnectedness lie at the heart of these trends. A complex systems view highlights similarities between syncretic connections and non-local aspects of synchronistic field events. The final section attempts to extend this approach to innovation in general terms through the recently articulated concept of the 'adjacent possible' from the writing of Stuart Kauffman. From this, the notion of a collective pre-conscious dimension to the psyche is extrapolated. The unifying thread of acausal emergent forms provides a potential synthetic network for these phenomena.
(© 2019, The Society of Analytical Psychology.)

English

Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0376573 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1468-5922 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00218774 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Anal Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Individuation* , Philosophy* , Psychological Theory* , Religious Philosophies*, China ; Humans ; Jungian Theory

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