Synchronicity – A coincidence too far?

Posted on by Opher

Synchronicity

 

I am an antitheist and have seen no evidence for the existence of any deity, yet I find myself strongly attracted to many natural phenomena, such as sunsets, starry nights, trees, rocks, seascapes and mountains, in what I experience as a ‘spiritual’ connection and I am a great believer in a zeitgeist that influences a culture/era greatly.

 

It is quite probable that my ‘spirituality’ is little more than human psychology. I am strongly attracted to things that aesthetically please me or pose feelings of wonder and awe. As a scientist I suspect that we will find a scientific reason for the effect of a zeitgeist. I feel sure that there is a lot to be discovered about the human mind and mass psychology. How it works I do not know, but I believe we will.

 

In terms of synchronicity – meaningful coincidences (Carl Jung) – I have encountered a number. Some come out of my scientific background and some are more trivial but were boggling.

 

In terms of the scientific ones: my mind was taken with the way certain scientific theories seemed to simultaneously arise in different places at the same time – Darwin/Wallace seems the obvious one. Alfred Russell Wallace and Charles Darwin were both independently developing the same radical theories of evolution via natural selection simultaneously. That is remarkable given the far-reaching impact and gigantic leap of such a theory. For two people to have happened upon it at the same time is almost beyond coincidence. As a one off we can write it off but there are numerous other scientific coincidences of a similar nature.

 

In a more trivial sense I remember being shaken by my roommate and great friend from college. We had many synchronous experiences and often found ourselves extolling the virtues of the same book that we had both started reading. In the long summer break I discovered this book by the Sci-fi writer Robert Sheckley called Journey Beyond Tomorrow that I was greatly enjoying. Pete rang me up and told me about this great book he was reading. It turned out we were both reading the same book at the same time and were about the same way through it. The same thing happened with East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

 

I love books and had a habit of browsing through second-hand bookshops. In one I discovered this art book of Edward Burra’s paintings. It looked as if it had been sitting there for years – dusty and a bit tatty. I’d never heard of him before but was immediately taken with his paintings of Harlem in the 1930s with its gangsters, pimps and ladies. The richness of colour and stylistic portrayal was unique. Clutching my prize I went back home to discover that BBC2 (we only had four channels back then) had a documentary on Edward Burra that evening. I watched that and discovered that there was an exhibition of his work on at the Tate gallery. The next day I was standing in front of his wonderful paintings. I have never seen any of his work, or heard anything about him since. A weird experience.

 

Coincidence? Quite probably – but sometimes it appears that these coincidences, which have occurred a number of times to me, are extraordinary. Is there some other phenomenon going on?

25 thoughts on “Synchronicity – A coincidence too far?”

  1. Oh Opher, there IS some other phenomenon going on. I experience synchronicities all the time! It makes life so interesting and wonderful. As you know, I believe there is a Divine Being. But I also believe that we are masters of our own destiny and create the realities in which we each live. Your intuition leads you to places and visions of joy, beauty and love – they resonate with what I would call your Soul. It also leads you to passionately champion causes which work towards a greater good for all of us. Bless you 🙂

    1. Well I don’t know what it is Raili but there seems to be something weird that we do not yet understand. Thanks for the blessing.

  2. I’m very spiritual and I don’t think there are ever any coincidences. I think things happen for a reason and your experiences happened for a reason!

      3. Or in both places, or in neither place…after-all, we are like Schrodinger’s miraculous cats and one can never be certain of our actual state or universal location until observed lol 🙂 Bwahahahaha!

        Thanks Opher 🙂

        Namaste

        DN

      10. I’m listening to Leonard Cohen’s last album right now. It is better than silence. Silence has its place but O is an exclamation of wonder. I like wonder.

      11. I like participation/engagement with the thought process that leads up to an expression of wonder as much the expression itself. I find beauty in all things and enjoy the ever present sensation of wonderment.

        Music can take us on journeys to places we’d never else imagined for ourselves.

        Happy listening! Enjoy your afternoon and evening.

        Namaste 🙂

        DN

      12. And you Dewin. Wonder and awe on a Sunday – friends and laughter this evening. What could be better.
        A great album. A coming to terms.

      13. Indeed, what else could be better – have a merry evening 🙂 Life is just rock ‘n’ roll dude, rock ‘n’ roll! I’m listening to The Cult, Fire Woman…taken from the 1989 album Sonic Temple…it speaks to me with a resonance all of its own 🙂

        ‘A coming to terms’ – what a great phrase that is.

        Party on Opher. Namaste 🙂

        DN

    1. Hey John,

      We’re just chewing on Popeye spinach whilst climbing a spiralling staircase and never getting off the cloud at the top now that we have got here lol 🙂

      We entangled for a moment – and then I went off to listen to Fire Woman whilst Opher may have participated in preparation for friends and laughter 🙂 Have you listen to the track?

      Hoping your weekend has been peppered with seeds of wonder from the grinder of Life.

      Namaste 🙂

      DN

    2. We’re all lost John. It’s a big universe. Even a historian as good as you must find it difficult to find secure points. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

      1. I’ve found there’s not much secure in history – everyone has their own take on the “facts”. You’re right – just relax and live your life the best way you can.

      2. Yes – history seems to change all the time. I find a number of things I’ve done are different to what I experienced. Everything is reinvented.

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