synchronicity

My friend John, of Belfry, The, is a believer in synchronicity. I believe in synchronicity too, but John sees it all the time. Occasionally it clocks me upside the head, and I think I see something. For instance, John blogged recently about spiders (shudder), and just a moment ago I discovered Brian’s Got a Second?, a sometimes humorous, sometimes reflective blog about life (no relation to this, at least I think…boy wouldn’t that be synchronicity! But no. You can see what an amateur I am at this.). Brian wrote a very funny post about the origins of spider man. Of course, this example only demonstrates that when it comes to spotting synchronicity, I am the weakest link.

Some people believe every thing is synchronized, and that nothing happens accidentally. Every falling leaf, virtually every breath you take could tell us something if only we knew how to read the signs. But most people aren’t quite that extreme. The majority of people are, I find (through mystical means), divided between two camps: those who think synchronicity happens from time to time, and those who believe it’s all utter hooey. So we have the “O My God!” pan-synchrotists (whack), the synchro-nihilists (boring), and the limited synchrotists who will be the topic of the rest of this post.

The question we must ask is “what, if anything, does synchronicity mean?” Is it as Jung would have it; our own minds drawing lines between dots which are actually unconnected? Or, as Jean Moisset suggests, are synchronicities the artifacts of fractals; angels’ wings on angels wings, of which larger picture we only see the little parts?*

If we follow Jung’s path, we can, at most, conclude that our own minds may be smarter than we realize, and that we can follow these synchronicities to unlock a higher understanding of ourselves. The mind works a certain way, but we don’t know everything about it. On the other hand, if a tree falls in the forest and kills a lumberjack, but no one is there to see it, is that synchronicity? The universe works a certain way, but we don’t know everything about it.

I believe it is moot to argue which of these theories is true. I believe in God, and my faith in Him is far too tremulous to entrust to coincidence as a bulwark. I also think I see synchronicity. If there is a God, he created both the universe and my mind. So if He chooses to show me something through synchronicity, it doesn’t matter if it’s mystical secrets of the universe, or just all in my head. Generally, when I see synchronicity, it’s not a message in a bottle. Usually, it’s in those moments when you turn around and see that your own children are walking in your footsteps, or when you realize you’re acting like your own mother. If synchronicity has any message to me, it is merely that there is more to this existence than meets my eye.

* Mr. Moisset, in his article Synchronicity and Parapsychology puts forth an argument for parallel universes as an explanation for synchronistic experiences.