Syzygy
In
astronomy, a
syzygy is a situation where three bodies are situated along a straight line. It is usually used in context with the
sun,
earth, and the
moon or a
planet, where the latter is in
conjunction or
opposition. For example,
solar and
lunar eclipses are examples of syzygies.
The term is also often loosely used to describe interesting configurations of planets in general. For example, situations when all the planets are on the same side of the sun are sometimes called syzygies, although they are not necessarily found along a straight line.
In
psychology,
Carl Gustav Jung used the term
syzygy to denote an
archtypal pairing of contrasexual opposites, which symbolized the communication of the conscious and unconscious minds.