KAIROS | Murray Stein on Jung's Individuation Process, Synchronicity & The Meaning of Time

In this special episode, I sit down with renowned Jungian analyst Professor Murray Stein for a deep and wide-ranging conversation about Jung’s core concepts: individuation, synchronicity, and kairos. We explore the mysteries of time, the nature of archetypes, the crisis of meaning in our era, and the role of consciousness in the cosmos. Along the way, we weave in personal stories, philosophical insights, and references to some of the most important works in depth psychology.Whether you’re new to Jung or a longtime explorer of the psyche, I hope this episode inspires you to reflect on your own kairos moments and the deeper patterns shaping your life.Referenced Books, Ideas, and People:C.G. Jung (“Memories, Dreams, Reflections”)I Ching (Book of Changes)Hippocrates (Kairos & Kronos)Michel Serres (temporality as a folded handkerchief)Wolfgang Pauli (“Adam and Archetype: The Letters of C.G. Jung and Wolfgang Pauli”)Nathan Schwartz-Salant (“The Paradox of Negentropy”)William Blake (“To see a world in a grain of sand…”)Teilhard de Chardin (Omega Point)AstrologyMandalaThe Age of Pisces and Age of AquariusGnosticismThe Black Madonna pilgrimage site in SwitzerlandChapters & Timestamps00:00 Welcome & Introduction00:14 Key Jungian Terms: Individuation, Synchronicity, Kairos03:51 Archetypes & Synchronicity in Life14:51 Causality, Acausality, and the Nature of Time26:51 Evolution, Final Causation, and the Omega Point31:46 Consciousness, God, and the Human Role34:34 Dreams, the Unconscious, and Timelessness38:25 Synchronicity, Entropy, and Centropy44:07 Kairos, Kronos, and the Meaning of Time49:57 Collective Consciousness & Cultural Transformation54:43 Closing Reflectionswww.arabellathais.com

In this inaugural episode of The Cosmic Codex, I sit with philosopher and cultural historian Richard Tarnas to explore the mysteries of time, the power of archetypes, and the hidden architecture of reality.We begin with the concept of Kairos, the charged and transformative moment in time, contrasted with Kronos, the measured sequence of historical duration. Drawing on Jung and Greek myth, Rick illuminates how these two modes of temporality shape both individual lives and collective history, and why our present era can be understood as a Kairos of metamorphosis and crisis.Our discussion then turns to the archetypal dimension and its role in evolution. Rick shares insights from archetypal astrology and depth psychology, reflecting on the integration of opposites, the alchemical process of soul-making, and the necessity of suffering for transformation. We speak of Keats’s phrase the “veil of soul-making” and Hillman’s image of the acorn and the oak, considering how temporal life forges identity and destiny through revision, humility, and creative experiment.We also address the collective crisis of our age as an initiatory passage of death and rebirth, a planetary ordeal calling for deeper community, spiritual trust, and a renewed relationship to nature and cosmos. Beauty emerges as a central theme, not as surface ornament but as an archetypal force that calls the soul toward transformation and inspires creativity, truth, and meaning.Books by Richard Tarnas:The Passion of the Western MindCosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World ViewPrometheus the Awakener: An Essay on the Archetypal Meaning of the Planet UranusBooks & Authors Mentioned:C.G. Jung — The Undiscovered Self, Answer to JobJames Hillman — The Soul’s CodeCharles Taylor — A Secular AgeWilliam Blake — Songs of Innocence and of ExperienceMarie-Louise von Franz — Number and TimeJohn Keats — LettersFriedrich Nietzsche — Thus Spoke ZarathustraTerrence McKenna — The Archaic RevivalPlato, Aristotle, and references to the Axial AgeTimestamps for Key Moments:[Welcome & Vision for Cosmic Codex](0:27)[Kairos, Kronos, and Jung](6:53)[Archetypes & Depth Psychology](22:08)[Soul-Making & Suffering](38:07)[Collective Crisis & Initiation](47:59)[Beauty, Aesthetics, and Transformation](55:18)

A New Geometry is UnfoldingIn this short invocation, Arabella Thais reopens The Cosmic Codex, introducing a new structure and renewed philosophical intent. No longer a loosely episodic offering, the Codex now unfolds in carefully curated arcs—each one a thematic deep dive, designed as an initiation into a different facet of time, consciousness, and the symbolic order of the cosmos.This relaunch marks a return, but also a refinement. It reflects the evolution of the project itself: from a space of intermittent inquiry to a living archive of metaphysical thought, contemplative cosmology, and aesthetic theory. With this new structure comes a new rhythm—beginning with the KAIROS arc, which initiates the Codex’s next phase.All previous episodes recorded under the name Sacred Wisdom remain available and are now housed in The Archive—preserved as early transmissions, fragments of the journey that preceded this unfolding.More than a podcast, The Cosmic Codex is a place of remembering—an auditory text for those attuned to the deeper harmonics of becoming.www.arabellathais.com

Astrology is not a belief system. It is a language—an ancient, symbolic, and scientifically grounded way of understanding the psyche in relation to the cosmos. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Renn Butler, archetypal astrologer and longtime student of Stanislav Grof and Richard Tarnas, about the deeper layers of meaning encoded in planetary movements and how they shape both individual lives and collective epochs.This conversation emerges from my own deepening engagement with archetypal astrology during my PhD studies with Rick Tarnas, and reflects my desire to bring the substance and intelligence of this cosmological framework into wider conversation. Together, Renn and I explore the foundational archetypes associated with the planets, the structure of the psyche, and the perinatal matrices first developed by Grof and later expanded in collaboration with Tarnas at Esalen.We also discuss astrology’s relationship with psychedelic experience, dreamwork, and relational dynamics. Renn brings the richness of over four decades of practice and scholarship to our exchange, and speaks with clarity about how astrology can serve as both a diagnostic tool and a guide for transformation.Dr. Butler is the author of several seminal works, including Pathways to Wholeness, The Archetypal Universe, and The Astrology of Love and Relationships. He holds a PhD in Archetypal Astrology and Transpersonal Psychology and continues to teach and consult worldwide. His work—and this episode—offers a bridge between ancient symbolic systems and contemporary psychological insight.For anyone curious about how astrology can deepen your understanding of self, spirit, and the mythic weave of the world, this conversation opens a portal.This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.

After a long pause to pursue my doctoral work, this episode marks my return to the mic—and I couldn’t imagine a more resonant way to begin again. This conversation touches the very heart of my inquiry: the need to dissolve patriarchal paradigms and co-create a world in which the Great Cosmic Mother is once again honoured as the source of life, mystery, and meaning.I’m joined by Dr. Alka Arora, associate professor of Women's Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr. Arora is a scholar, educator, and visionary whose work integrates feminist thought, spirituality, and activism into a framework she describes as integral feminist education. For over a decade, she has helped shape a transdisciplinary field that brings together gender, religion, philosophy, and social change.Together, we explore what it means to birth a new relational paradigm—one rooted not in domination, but in reverence. We speak about the reclamation of the sacred feminine, the wounds of patriarchal religion, and the need for spiritual activism that is embodied, inclusive, and rooted in love rather than reaction. Dr. Arora offers rare insight into how feminist consciousness and mystical praxis can work together to heal, reimagine, and reweave the fabric of our world.This is a conversation that moves beyond binaries and toward something ancestral, visionary, and urgently needed: a remembrance of the sacred, cyclical intelligence of life.This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.

In this episode, we enter the orbit of Lilith—mythic, mysterious, and often misunderstood. I’m joined by Dr. Eliza Robertson, academic, astrologer, and award-winning author, for a deeply poetic exploration of Lilith’s many faces: as rebellious archetype, as astrological presence (Black Moon Lilith), and as a symbol of the uncultivated, ungovernable feminine. Often cast as the first wife of Adam in esoteric lore, Lilith is said to have refused submission and walked into exile rather than accept subordination. She has since been entangled with shadows of danger, seduction, and wildness—yet beneath these projections lies something much older: a presence associated with the void, with rhythm, with the unknown.Dr. Eliza brings exquisite insight to this conversation, weaving together astrological language, ancient myth, and literary resonance. We also touch on her PhD research—an inquiry into rhythm as a metaphysical force, and one of my most cherished subjects. Rhythm here is not only poetic meter, but a way of knowing, a movement of reality, a cosmic pulse. As always, I frame this dialogue within the broader arc of consciousness and cosmological evolution—the unfolding of symbols and stories as codes for higher integrationThis episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.http://www.archai.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Eliza-Robertson-Lilith.pdf

What if the universe is not a machine, but a mind? Not a cold expanse of matter, but a thought—alive, intelligent, and evolving. In this visionary conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Jude Currivan—cosmologist, futurist, planetary healer, and co-founder of the WholeWorld-View initiative—to explore a radically new understanding of reality: one in which consciousness is not an emergent byproduct, but the very fabric of existence.Dr. Currivan introduces us to the concept of “infodynamics”—a next-generation physics that transcends the limitations of classical thermodynamics by integrating information as the primary substance of the universe. This is not a speculative or mystical claim, but one rooted in rigorous science, offering a coherent bridge between quantum physics, cosmology, and ancient metaphysical insight.Together, we delve into the implications of a cosmic mind—a universe that is unified, holographic, and multidimensional. We explore the limitations of the materialist paradigm, the evolutionary intelligence of life, the significance of ancient cosmologies, and what it means to participate in the unfolding thought of the cosmos itself.This is the kind of paradigm shift that echoes the magnitude of Darwin’s theory in its time—but moves beyond biology to the architecture of reality itself. It is a conversation about freedom, coherence, and the deep remembering of who and what we truly are.To learn more about Dr. Currivan’s work and the WholeWorld-View framework, visit wholeworld-view.org.This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.

What does it mean to inhabit a liminal space—not just personally, but collectively? In this wide-ranging and poetic conversation, I’m joined by Jeremy Johnson, integral philosopher, publisher, and leading interpreter of the work of Jean Gebser, to explore the spiritual and cognitive metamorphosis we are undergoing as a species.Together, we reflect on what it means to live at the edge of an old structure of consciousness—where the rational, industrial, and mechanistic paradigms are fraying—and to sense the emergence of a new reality coalescing through the cracks. This is a conversation about integral philosophy, the poetics of transformation, and the sacred work of becoming human in a time between worlds.Jeremy brings his deep scholarship into conversation with the mythic and the planetary. We speak of Gebser’s model of consciousness evolution, the importance of aligning the intellectual with the imaginal, and the role of art, spirituality, and integral ecology in guiding the transition. There is a shared recognition that we are in a civilizational rite of passage—and that a new language, a new temporality, and a new sense of self are being born.For those attuned to subtle thresholds—for those sensing the world is no longer what it was, but not yet what it will become—this conversation offers both orientation and deep permission to dwell in the in-between.This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.

(A Literary Invocation)This episode stands apart from the others in this archive. There is no guest, no dialogue—only a reading. A transmission. A moment of quiet descent into the soul of a work-in-progress.What you will hear is an excerpt from my book-in-the-making, Being and Becoming—a text that, in many ways, undergirds the entire philosophical architecture of this podcast. It is one of the most personal offerings I’ve made: not in content alone, but in form. To share one’s writing—one’s interior landscape shaped into language—is a kind of nakedness. But this book, this process, asks for that.Being and Becoming is an exploration of existence itself, and of the individual’s journey through fragmentation, memory, time, and return. Though deeply rooted in my own lived experience, it seeks to speak to something universal—a thread running through all of us, guiding us toward integration, toward coherence, toward truth.This excerpt is meant to be heard, yes—but the book is ultimately meant to be read. Reading is a sacred act. Silent. Interior. The word inside the mind carries a different frequency—it is unspoken, yet no less alive.

This solo episode opens a vital strand within the arc of this podcast—one that threads through all future episodes like an invisible constant: the nature of consciousness and its role as the ground of reality. Here, I begin to articulate the philosophical and scientific foundation of my research, and why I believe that the question of consciousness is not a niche concern—but the central crisis and creative opportunity of our time.I begin by delineating the contours of scientific materialism: a worldview that posits consciousness as an epiphenomenon of the brain, and reality as a mechanistic, accidental unfolding. I trace its historical ascent, its epistemological assumptions, and its increasing failure to account for the full range of human experience—from meaning and memory to synchronicity, beauty, and mystical revelation.In its place, I begin to outline a counter-paradigm: one that sees consciousness not as a byproduct of matter, but as the fundamental field from which all things arise. I make the case for the existence of higher intelligence—not as fantasy, but as a necessary implication of a cosmos alive with meaning, emergence, and recursive order.This episode does not seek to resolve the inquiry—but to open it. It is an offering, a preface, a philosophical threshold. In future episodes, I will explore these ideas through mathematics, physics, metaphysics, and cosmology. But here, I simply lay the ground for what I believe is the only worldview capable of birthing new planetary systems—rooted not in domination, but in sentient relation.This episode was originally released under the podcast title Sacred Wisdom, the precursor to The Cosmic Codex. It now resides within The Sacred Wisdom Archives.