Synchronicity – Meaningful Coincidences

Have you ever thought about something, and then it happens?

The universe is a fascinating place, full of beautiful spectacles and wonderful surprises. We reside on a rock in the sea of endless space. The careful balance of order and chaos birthed, us, life, from nothing but elements and energy. The river of time flows steadily as we sail upon it.

And all of us being part of this inexplicable, overwhelming, and strange reality are burdened by such seemingly simple questions. Why are we here? How did we get here?

We ask these questions because we’re human. We’re always searching for meaning. Some of us turn to religion, others to philosophy, others close their eyes and pretend the questions aren’t there. Whatever the answers are, we all need a reason to live.

But meaning is inherently immaterial, as are the reasons for meaning. We can only speculate as to the forces which govern our reality and their motives. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little something to remind us quantifiably now and then of the mysteriousness and irrationality of our reality?

Synchronicity can help you with that.

When you’re driving on the motorway while contemplating whether to take an opportunity or not, a car pulls out in front of you, you see their bumper sticker – it says, “Just do it!”. Or when you think about an old friend who you haven’t seen in years, and then by pure chance, you bump into them a few minutes later.

When the conversations of random passers-by reflect your inner thoughts.  When a song comes to mind, and you start humming its tune, then you turn on the radio, and that same song is playing. Seeing the same number again and again.

Often people simply rationalise and dismiss these events as coincidences, others as cognitive bias – but the mindful person may be able to see these events for what they are: synchronicities. A connection between your conscious mind and the universe.

Some people describe it as a message from the universe, or a sign from a guardian angel, others see it as a glitch in the matrix. What a person takes from these experiences is down to their own interpretation – all we can surely know is that synchronicities happen with fascinatingly precise meaning to the individual and their thoughts.

So how much can synchronicities be useful to us? Well, a lot. They can let us know we’re on the right track, help us make decisions, and help us puncture the ice of our intellectual and rational resistance. We just have to learn how to understand and interpret these messages, and then we can feel more connected to the universe and reality seems just that little bit less geometric.

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung coined the term, and started writing about it in the 1920s, and you can find a plethora of resources describing people’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings about synchronicity.

We can’t truly know the nature of these events, or why they happen, only that they do. Next time you experience a synchronicity, think about it, and try to feel it, think about what it means. And of course, stay positive.🙂

Blog written by Ellis-Fraser Knight