Synchronocities are "meaningful coincidences" that are seemingly unrelated (from the scientific perspective?). I have always felt that there is no such thing as a true coincidence; everything is in relationship. As Deepak Chopra writes in this week's class packet, "Reality functions as a unified whole. Everything from subatomic particles to galaxies operates as one." Coincidence is a word we use to describe the instances where we are not able to perceive the connections with our conscious mind; our intuition can make the connection. Chopra goes on to say that "if we have sufficient self-awareness... we see the invisible nature of reality as it truly is, not as it appears."
The evidence I have for synchronicity comes from my own experiences. I really enjoyed Deepak Chopra's description of those moments of synchronicity which "[lift] us momentarily into a state of awareness where the universe is pervaded by order, harmony, beauty truth, love, balance, equanimity, creativity and the other qualities essential to consciousness." I truly feel lifted into another state when before the phone even rings, I know exactly who it is, a beloved friend that I have been thinking about for several days, and have not spoken to in months or years. Or when it strikes me to call a friend or family member, and then after we talk they tell me how remarkable it was that I called at a time when they needed my listening ear, encouraging words or a story I shared to inspire them to change direction or find the energy they needed to keep on.
When I have met significant people in my life, those strangers that became my dear friends, loves or life-changing teachers, there was always a strong surge of knowing throughout my whole being, a realization that I sought out that moment where we would cross paths. Regardless of the amount of time I spent with them, it is these folks who I feel most entangled with, even when they are far away. I feel them with me wherever I am. And they always show up when I need them.
This winter I left for a two week surfing trip to a remote town in Baja. I was visiting a good friend earlier that week, and her brother was leaving for a surf trip the day after our visit would end. I had always wanted to learn to surf, and he offered to teach me. I left two days later and had an amazing trip; I connected with the ocean in a whole new way and was felt like I was reconnecting with part of myself I had lost touch with. In the last hour before driving home, I had a strong urge to take a walk out to the jetty. As I approached the trailhead, I saw a figure and immediately thought, Rene. I could not see the man's face, and he was wearing a nondescript hoodie. I walked closer, he looked up and I felt a strong wave of electricity; I felt ecstatic! I jumped into his arms and we laughed a hugged as we swung me around. For a few minutes I could barely speak; I was smiling wide and feeling overjoyed. Both of us could not remember when we last saw or spoke to each other, but it had been over five years since we lived in the same city. We caught up on our lives with the little time we had, but it seemed more important to just drink in the energy of the moment than rehash the past five years.
I can't put into words why I needed to see him, but both Rene and I seemed to know that we met again for a reason. I experienced a strong internal shift when I saw him. Afterward, I took it as a affirmation that I was making good choices. Less than two months prior, I decided to move to California, to leave my partner, to stop farming, and to start school for Chinese Medicine. A lot was changing, and I was starting to fall into depression, not sure if I had made good decisions, and generally feeling lost since leaving behind all of my daily routines. Rene was never a good friend. We had some classes together in school and some mutual friends. Yet he always stood out as a significant person in my life, from the moment we met. Seeing him that day, so far away from anywhere I had ever been, and so very far from where Rene and I met, made me feel that everything was working out for the best. I trusted the universe with my whole heart and happily hopped into the truck packed with surfboards and sandy dogs to drive north into the unknown.
Synchronicity beautifully illustrates connectivity. We are connected to everything in existence; we cannot separate ourselves from all that is and has ever been or will be. Our bodies/being alone are composed of trillions of cells that are work together as a whole. We can feel others' pain, joy, fear. We can be healed by the intention of someone on the other side of the world. We can charge the atmosphere with energy of compassion, and it effects anyone who comes into that space. As incidents of synchronicity occur in our lives, we are reminded that we are connected to everything in existence in ways that we do not always perceive. Religion and science, what are they searching for if not the ways in which we are connected to all that is? What are we doing in medicine if not exploring the connections? Healing is the process of become whole. The quest for healing can be a process of finding our place in the universe, knowing we belong and that we matter.
The evidence I have for synchronicity comes from my own experiences. I really enjoyed Deepak Chopra's description of those moments of synchronicity which "[lift] us momentarily into a state of awareness where the universe is pervaded by order, harmony, beauty truth, love, balance, equanimity, creativity and the other qualities essential to consciousness." I truly feel lifted into another state when before the phone even rings, I know exactly who it is, a beloved friend that I have been thinking about for several days, and have not spoken to in months or years. Or when it strikes me to call a friend or family member, and then after we talk they tell me how remarkable it was that I called at a time when they needed my listening ear, encouraging words or a story I shared to inspire them to change direction or find the energy they needed to keep on.
When I have met significant people in my life, those strangers that became my dear friends, loves or life-changing teachers, there was always a strong surge of knowing throughout my whole being, a realization that I sought out that moment where we would cross paths. Regardless of the amount of time I spent with them, it is these folks who I feel most entangled with, even when they are far away. I feel them with me wherever I am. And they always show up when I need them.
This winter I left for a two week surfing trip to a remote town in Baja. I was visiting a good friend earlier that week, and her brother was leaving for a surf trip the day after our visit would end. I had always wanted to learn to surf, and he offered to teach me. I left two days later and had an amazing trip; I connected with the ocean in a whole new way and was felt like I was reconnecting with part of myself I had lost touch with. In the last hour before driving home, I had a strong urge to take a walk out to the jetty. As I approached the trailhead, I saw a figure and immediately thought, Rene. I could not see the man's face, and he was wearing a nondescript hoodie. I walked closer, he looked up and I felt a strong wave of electricity; I felt ecstatic! I jumped into his arms and we laughed a hugged as we swung me around. For a few minutes I could barely speak; I was smiling wide and feeling overjoyed. Both of us could not remember when we last saw or spoke to each other, but it had been over five years since we lived in the same city. We caught up on our lives with the little time we had, but it seemed more important to just drink in the energy of the moment than rehash the past five years.
I can't put into words why I needed to see him, but both Rene and I seemed to know that we met again for a reason. I experienced a strong internal shift when I saw him. Afterward, I took it as a affirmation that I was making good choices. Less than two months prior, I decided to move to California, to leave my partner, to stop farming, and to start school for Chinese Medicine. A lot was changing, and I was starting to fall into depression, not sure if I had made good decisions, and generally feeling lost since leaving behind all of my daily routines. Rene was never a good friend. We had some classes together in school and some mutual friends. Yet he always stood out as a significant person in my life, from the moment we met. Seeing him that day, so far away from anywhere I had ever been, and so very far from where Rene and I met, made me feel that everything was working out for the best. I trusted the universe with my whole heart and happily hopped into the truck packed with surfboards and sandy dogs to drive north into the unknown.
Synchronicity beautifully illustrates connectivity. We are connected to everything in existence; we cannot separate ourselves from all that is and has ever been or will be. Our bodies/being alone are composed of trillions of cells that are work together as a whole. We can feel others' pain, joy, fear. We can be healed by the intention of someone on the other side of the world. We can charge the atmosphere with energy of compassion, and it effects anyone who comes into that space. As incidents of synchronicity occur in our lives, we are reminded that we are connected to everything in existence in ways that we do not always perceive. Religion and science, what are they searching for if not the ways in which we are connected to all that is? What are we doing in medicine if not exploring the connections? Healing is the process of become whole. The quest for healing can be a process of finding our place in the universe, knowing we belong and that we matter.
Thanks for sharing your story. I appreciate the descriptions of THAT moment....Im sure that all of us have felt something similar at some point or another. Your post also brought me to a greater sense of ease that there is a universal connectivity that binds us. There are those opportune moments when our own path crosses and collides with the path of another....at that instant, both people have an opening that aligns with the other, making the merge is electric. time stops and perception changes. Though your story did not remind me of a specific instance of my own, I could feel the feeling as I read. It is moments like the one you describe that can literally be life shifting....
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