Hearing people’s synchronicity stories – and sharing my own – has been a fun offshoot of the launch of Great Decisions, Perfect Timing. One of my favorite visionary beliefs is that there are no accidents and everything happens for a reason; we can recognize amazing coincidences as meaningful – as synchronicities that we can intuitively perceive and actually use to improve our timing.
In the book, I noted, “living a synchronistic life involves cultivating acceptance and wonder while letting go of judgment and resistance to the way things appear.” Wonder is important to synchronicity, the perception that there are no accidents, and things happen for a reason. I’m sure you can think of a dozen instances where you felt there was an unseen intelligence involved in the way certain situations in your life have unfolded.
Richard Hopcke, the author of There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives, argues that synchronicity helps us bring a “symbolic attitude to our lives,” and I couldn’t agree more. Whenever you experience misfortune – and we all do – rather than blaming yourself or others, it is helpful to think of it as a new point of view on a larger pattern. You will also notice “little miracles” that occur in your life. For example, in the book, I relate an anecdote where I needed to buy a house to accommodate myself, my teenage son, my startup and a couple of employees. However (and many of you will relate to this), my credit score had taken a beating because I was a struggling entrepreneur and no longer a regularly-paid employee.
I located a house in Portland that was just right, but was immediately told that there had been dozens of other applicants ahead of me. After exchanging small talk with the owner (“so what do you do for a living?”), she was delighted to learn that I was the producer of the Synchronicity software for the Mac, that funny new ice cube-shaped computer she had purchased. This came as a shock, because in those days, Apple was not the juggernaut that it is now. She also told me that Synchronicity was the only software she herself had ever purchased. We both noted the remarkable synchronicity that had brought us together and she leased the house to me on the spot. A year later, she sold it to me and we ran the company out of there until we outgrew the space. To this day, I refer to that home as “the house synchronicity built.”
The previous owner of that house and I were both aware of the power of synchronicity. She could have shrugged off the coincidence, or I could have decided not to approach her at all because of my credit score. But we both listed to our intuitive antennae, which led to making the right move at the right time.
I’m sure you have similar stories to share, and I’d love to hear them. In Chapter 12 of Great Decisions, Perfect Timing, I include a link to our Synchronicity Forum, which contains amazing tales of synchronicity shared by readers of the book. Please share (anonymously if you wish) your own stories of synchronicity, and be inspired by others. (You can also email such stories to the Divination Foundation.) May we all learn to better appreciate the power of synchronicity!
