Paying Attention:

Synchronicity and Destiny

“Take 5 minutes everyday and just sit in silence. In that time, put these questions to your attention and heart: 'Who am I? What do I want for my life? What do I want from my life?' Then let go and let your stream of consciousness, your quieter inner voice, supply the answers. Then after 5 minutes, write them down. Do this every day and you'll be surprised at how situations, circumstances, events and people will orchestrate themselves around answers.”

Deepak Chopra (Coincidences: Clues from the Universe; Beliefnet Website)

Synchronicity is a term coined by Carl Jung to describe two or more seemingly random events occurring simultaneously, that taken together have meaning. A simple one that everyone experiences is thinking about someone, or dreaming about them, and then receiving a phone call from them, or running into them on the street. Those of us who follow our dreams seem to experience these events more frequently. You have a memorable dream, one that stays with you, and then notice that the persons or the circumstances from your dream show up in your waking life. Perhaps you've experienced that, too. Jung said, and Chopra echos, that those events are not random. They come directly from your soul (your Self, in Jung's terminology), and if you pay attention to them, they will show you the way.

Most of us can point to one or two synchronous events in our lives—the ones that have had major impact. But if we truly pay attention, they happen far more often than we imagine. Deepak Chopra suggests we spend five minutes at the end of the day in “recapitulation.” That is, recounting our day, step-by-step, from when we woke in the morning until we got into bed at night, paying attention to details that we may have noticed but did not think more about. He suggests writing these memories down, and following them on a day-by-day basis for the coincidences that become obvious. Those coincidences are important in the same way that following a map when you want to go someplace unfamiliar is important. They provide a blueprint of suggestions. Chopra also recommends that before falling asleep, we give ourselves permission to remember our dreams, and in the morning, write them down. More connections will present themselves.

I believe synchronicity to be an energetic phenomenon. We set an intention, and because we have set that intention, we become more aware of situations that reflect it. And, because we are more aware, these events happen more frequently. Energetically, we attract them. This is a potent way of tuning-in to greater reality; Real Life, as opposed to simply following a schedule of calendar events that take us from one thing to the next with little or no consciousness. Awareness of the mystery of synchronicity makes us come alive; it increases our appreciation of all the possibilities that surround us. Today, I hope you will take note of coincidences and surprising events—they may hold the key to your destiny.

                                                              In the Spirit,

                                                                  Jane