Synchronicity and reading the signs in life
Synchronicity suggests a connection within a common whole between psychological and physical events that bear no causal relation to one another. It reveals one aspect of the unity of existence.
Synchronicity allows us to test our choices, to sense whether they are good for us or not. This happens when a number of “coincidences” are perceived as meaningful — as signs that focus our attention on a path or a choice. A path marked by synchronicity brings body, heart and mind into balance at once, because it leads us along the way of our higher self and is in tune with the wider current of the Whole. Following signs means listening to a deeper knowing, and to the feeling that corresponds with it: a sense of living with ease and acceptance.
An open and calm mind is decisive for synchronicity. Without it, signs may be loaded with connections that do not belong there, out of fear or a wish to control life. This is why keeping a clear mind calls for deep self-knowledge, including of the unconscious layers of the psyche, and for a regular practice of meditation.
Learning to work with synchronicity is an art, since it asks us to follow the signs continually and then to take steps we test over time. To that end we need to learn to see the larger movements of our own life from above, and also to use facts and reason to refine the smaller steps ahead.
An exercise in noticing and reading signs
Ask a question in your mind, then go for a walk in nature, repeating it to yourself as you go. Notice the things that draw your attention and the order in which they appear. Give free associations for each of them, and relate them to the question you asked.
Answers can be sought in dreams in the same way. You might set aside a moment as you lie down, just before falling asleep. Set the intention to receive signs in your dream that will point you towards the right way of resolving a situation, or confirm that you are already on it. Dreams are harder to interpret, because our unconscious psyche often uses plots and elements from our actual surroundings as ready-made situations — from films, books, stories we have been told.
In a dream, though, there are always different elements which, through free association, may lead you to the answer to your question — one that at first glance has nothing to do with the dream. More on dreams is coming soon: what their function is, and how we can connect with and use their messages.
The process of seeking, understanding and interpreting synchronistic events is an action. And action matters, because through it you “shift” future probabilities every time you do something. This is especially true when you decide on an action that is not “typical” for you: stepping out of your comfort zone opens a whole path of new possibilities. That new experience, in turn, develops parts of you that were until then unconscious — and this in itself is the path of spiritual development, and the idea of becoming more whole and more authentic, more yourself.
Not everyone, of course, is able to interpret the signs alone; but if you find meaning in it, seek support from someone who can. Interpreting signs is usually far easier for an outside mind, ideally a neutral and objective one, that can help you “see” the connections. We often avoid them unconsciously, and the explanation may well lie there.
One of the main obstacles that can block the free flow of signs or synchronicities is impatience — and impatience comes from not trusting that everything is happening in the way that is best for you. If we place safety and happiness first, far ahead of the path of development and connection with the Whole, we cut off communication with the universe and stop the abundance of possibilities that would otherwise open up.
To trust means to let ourselves be led by love rather than by fear and the wish for control. When a person wants a sign, or is unsure whether the sign they saw was not simply invented by them, it is important to consider whether their energy is in tune with love or with their fears. To that end, notice how you feel. Do you feel calm, at ease, at one with the outside world — or tense, impatient, with a marked wish to control things?
If you need to tune yourself to the right clarity, settle comfortably, close your eyes, and “walk” along the outer surface and the interior of your body, observing the processes with each breath in and out. The purpose is to release inner tension and to move the focus from the mind to the body, so that you come into harmony with it.
Synchronicity and responsibility
In the end, when a person is guided by the signs and by a clear mind, they make choices and therefore become the cause of what follows. This is one of the hermetic principles: “every cause has its effect, and every effect has its cause”. Everything happens in accordance with the principle of cause and effect, and nothing ever happens “just like that”, by chance. Most people feel “obliged” to submit to circumstances and to people stronger than themselves, and in doing so hand responsibility for their own life to something outside them. When they learn to use the principle instead of being its instrument — or worse, its victim — they begin to make free choices, and in this way turn from effect into cause.
Read more about synchronicity and its relation to free choice here.
If you have particular questions about an experience of your own and would like help in interpreting and making sense of it, do not hesitate to get in touch.
