A practice of magic or psychology: the psychologization and re-enchantment of divination in Jungian psychology

This thesis investigates the relationship between Jungian psychology, divination, and the overarching themes of disenchantment and re-enchantment. It explores how Carl Gustav Jung’s psychology, especially his synchronicity concept, informs contemporary divinatory practice in a time with the problem of disenchantment. It outlines the history of understanding psychic reality and paranormal psychic phenomena in dynamic psychiatry and identifies the psychophysical characteristic of Jungian panentheism. It also presents new findings concerning Jung and his circle’s use of palmistry, astrology, Tarot, the Yijing, and geomancy. Furthermore, it examines post-Jungian attempts to legitimize and practice divination through Jung’s synchronicity concept, along with the respective approaches to divinatory psychologization. The study concludes that the magical dimension of synchronicity has significantly shaped the psychologization of divination in the contemporary Jungian context. Non-synchronistic aspects of Jungian psychologized divination remain, and Jungian psychologized approaches to divination will continue to evolve.