Synchronicity—Just enjoy the ride

Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.

(Carl Jung)

We hear often spiritual travelers ask about beautiful number sequences, or other meaningful occurrences that are just too frequent and connected to be random. So they naturally ask what that is all about. My response to this question is always that synchronicity is an initiation of sorts. The Beyond is making contact with us and we are invited to learn a new language. Numbers are captured by the ‘science’ of numerology. Animals, objects, and people are interpreted by psychologists and shamans. Spiritual phenomena are perceived and experienced by our different faiths, and so forth. In short, an amazing spiritual quest is about to launch for everyone who wants to engage. ‘Enjoy the ride’, is perhaps the best advice we can give when someone who is embarking on an awakening journey.

Two questions come to mind when synchronicity first pops up, ‘How does this happen?,’ and ‘What exactly do we do with it?’ The answer to the how is simple, though it is hard for our mind to grasp, beyond the world that we are living in a world of Oneness and Consciousness that is patiently waiting for us to connect. This Beyond will never interfere with our belief system. While we live in the world that our logical minds and deepest fears expect to encounter, we are trapped like the sleepers in the movie Matrix. Yet, our situation is not as dismal as the movie makes it appear. Many of us have broken free before, the enlightened folks, the poets and some artists as well. Everyone can in fact. That’s the message of synchronicity and serendipity, that’s what the beautiful strings of numbers, meaningful coincidences and other Spirit messages are all about. We receive a wink from the Beyond to take another look at what is truly going on. Especially mind-driven, left-brain folks likes me are susceptible to synchronicity. Our artists, nature lovers and devoted spiritual travelers have other modes of perception and don’t need numbers. Synchronicity is an initiation but there is so much more to follow. With a spiritual eye to see, and the loving heart to feel we are introduced to what lies beyond the self. 

The answer to the second question, what exactly should we do with it, is entirely up to us though. I remember when my spiritual path opened up, I received spiritual and real life messages in form of song lyrics on the radio and Massachusetts license plates. I was naturally inclined to use them. Getting information a little before other folks do, using meaningful connections for professional purpose, and so forth. I had fun with synchronicity, and had a decent track record using this information. Eventually though I moved on from on from it. Our monkey mind loves playing with these signs but we are embarking on a journey to leave the mind behind. I rarely look for anything these days, so my mind has little to hold on to. Still, sometimes I still get a little energy boost when I see a meaningful wink from the Beyond and I am naturally grateful. Yet, I have stopped looking for them.

James Redfield made synchronicity popular in the spiritual community with his bestseller, ‘The Celestine Prophecy’. In it, the synchronicity concept became so much more than just meaningful number sequences or strange “coincidences”. His book argued that in its limit, the law of synchronicity says that every interaction, every conversation or event is the Beyond making connection with us. That’s how I live my life these days, I welcome everything that life confronts me with, the supposedly ‘good’ as well as the apparent ‘bad’. As the 13th century Sufi Mystic Rumi put it, “if everyone is God speaking, why not be polite and listen?”

The German quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg once said,

 The first gulp from the glass of natural science will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom God is waiting for you.

That is it really! We get initiated with a specific talent or a vision of Oneness and we spend a lifetime to make the jump to the new world complete. Many paths lead to Rome they say, or in our case, Home. Learn the new language, get your self out of the way as best as you can and always show your true color. Whenever spiritual news-comers ask about synchronicity, kundalini awakening, twin flames or ‘dark night of the soul’ episodes I send them notes like this chapter to help them with their initiation. The most important reminder though is that a Force beyond our wildest imagination has just made contact that will take care of everything. So the best piece of advice is probably, ‘just enjoy the ride!’