1001 Doors - The Synchronicity Window

Synchronicity is usually defined as the “simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related, and are therefore meaningful, but have no discernible causal connection.”

This phenomenon is not the same as what is typically called “déjà vu” or “pre-cognition,” as some Jungians have asserted. In these two experiences the individuals perceives a similarity between something they have dreamed or envisioned and something that occurs in the world.

These experiences are also not to be confused with simple similarity where one thing reminds you of another thing. The factor that accompanies the experience and which helps us distinguish between the type of memory I call “simple similarity” and the memory of pre-cognition is called, numinosity. 

Numinosity is a quality of awareness. In reference to it Jung said, “  … the experience of the self is always a defeat for the ego.” In other words, numinous moments are a nod to the divine, in respect to how they feel, and in respect to how they reveal that the Self is really a unified field. As soon as events burst out of the starting gate, long before they cross the finishing line and appear to enter our world, they are part of the field and its information matrix.

The aforementioned quote by Jung also reveals why so many people deny pre-cognition, non-locality and synchronicity. It is a threat to the ego’s position. A strong ego likes to have a competitive advantage and anything that reminds it of an arena where defeat is inevitable is resisted.

On the other side of the fence, some people become a little delusional, especially if they are filled with too many “new age” ideas which they have accepted blindly. In these cases numinous feelings can be emotional productions and pre-cognitive or synchronise connections only imagined.

Somewhere between these two forms of egotism is found an experience of truth. We can learn to recognize numinosity, and recognize when the field of the Self has inserted itself into our awareness. Synchronicty is one of the ways we can do that.

Synchronicity is essentially a recognition of the mirror like nature of the field. One level of the field – in this case, the inner - is a reflection of another level of the field – the outer. In other words, synchronous events blur the lines between what is subjective and what is objective. For people on a spiritual path that is important because it reveals something of the non-dual nature of reality. Subject, object and the act of observing are really one thing, despite what our everyday mind, brain and senses have to say about it. 

Remember, just because a certain kind of cognitive organization makes it possible to function in the world and play the game of life, that organization is still something painted onto the canvas of our existence and not ultimately true. It is true in a small way, but not true in a big way.

Besides what they give us in respect to an awareness of the field of the Self and our numinous connection to it, synchronous events are also a gauge by which we can track and measure changes in the field and our relationship to it. In other words, when we have a particular experience inside our own consciousness, such as a therapeutic change or an “awakening” of some kind, a corresponding event in the larger field of our awareness verifies that change. And when I say, “verifies that change,” I mean that the experience inside of our consciousness has served to enhance our relationship to the field of the Self. We have done something to catalyse that relationship, and make it more compelling, more real.

Making the Self real and demoting the power of the ego over us is what a spiritual life is all about. Sometimes it is what healing is all about. Tracking the process and decoding the mysteries of the field and our relationship to it is what the exploration of consciousness is all about. Science is becoming increasingly interested in this also. Why? One answer is this: numinosity is compelling; wonder and awe always trump more petty considerations.

 As well, the field will eventually yield secrets that are currently unimaginable, but hinted at every time that greater Self touches the field of our awareness. As one popular author put it, “the seduction of spirit” is well under way in all of us.