Synchronicity is Magic

As deep as I ever went into the forest
I came upon an old stone bench, very, very old,
and around it a clearing, and beyond that
trees taller and older than I had ever seen.

Such silence.
It really wasn’t so far from a town, but it seemed
all the clocks in the world had stopped counting.
So it was hard to suppose the usual rules applied.

Sometimes there’s only a hint, a possibility.
What’s magical, sometimes, has deeper roots
than reason.
I hope everyone knows that.

I sat on the bench, waiting for something.
An angel, perhaps.
Or dancers with the legs of goats.

No, I didn’t see either. But only, I think, because
I didn’t stay long enough.

– Mary Oliver, “Such Silence,” from Blue Horse

Such a beautiful poem to begin this exploration of Synchronicity. Here are a couple of true stories of my own.

I am not a naturalist but have experience in observing the natural world and for parts of my life have lived near wild areas and encountered bears, coyotes, primates, and large reptiles. Here then is a story of strange occurrences. A number of years ago I was returning home from northern Vermont after attending a meditation retreat and was startled to see a large grey wolf standing at the side of the road. I’d seen many a coyote and am certain this was not one. It was too tall and heavy, the tail was bushy, the snout rounded not pointy. I thought the sighting was quite strange, principally because wolf packs are said to no longer remain in Northern New England. A few years went by and again, this time in northern New York I saw what I thought was another wolf. Once more, large, grey, bushy tailed and with a rounded, not pointy, snout. More surprise. I stopped and the animal waited a long minute before slowly walking off. I reassured myself that it was a Husky off-leash. Huskies are not Golden Retrievers; they are aloof. Yet I was uncertain this was what I saw. Some time later I became interested in spirit animals and the one I most identify with is The Wolf with her characteristics of strong spiritual and moral values, need to walk her own path, loyal and protective, having a few very close companions, and mentorship.

Another…I was attending a series of Dharma talks given by an old Rinpoche who occasionally traveled to America from India. I was moved just being in his presence. He was rotund, walked slowly with a limp and his voice when he spoke in halting English had a croaking sound. I recall having a brief thought that he reminded me of a frog but quickly returned to the teachings. Some weeks after he had traveled home, I was startled to find a frog in the laundry one. This had never happened before (nor since) and I couldn’t imagine how the creature had gotten in. I carefully took him out on the deck. Almost immediately I thought of the Rinpoche. I also looked up the symbolic significance of the frog; it invites you to make much needed change in regard to choices and decisions as well as how you live your life spiritually.

There have been others. But this is enough for the moment.

So, what is synchronicity? Carl Jung, the late Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst introduced the concept and it referred to circumstances or events that appear to have some meaningful relation but without an apparent causal connection. Simply put, ‘meaningful coincidences.’ If you think this has the flavor of a belief without a rational or scientific basis, aka woo-woo to some, you are correct. Jung argued for the existence of the paranormal. Really? But he was a psychiatrist. Yes, he knew what psychosis was and this was not a manifestation of psychosis. I could digress and speak about Jung whom I’ve always found endlessly fascinating but not today. I’ll just say that my love of gods and goddesses, myths and archetypes, and looking for invisible threads of connections reflects my long standing interest in other-worldly affairs…indeed in understanding my own psyche.

Have you started to form an opinion as to whether something out of the ordinary was happening in the two vignettes? Using the scientific model (simply put, looking for cause and effect with results that can be replicated) is hardly useful in evaluating the ephemeral. What do you think?

You may be wondering why I chose this topic. And what is has to do with magic. I know you know it’s not about a man pulling rabbits out of a hat. Please read on…

In a recent post, I wrote about death. People I don’t personally know or acquaintances I see infrequently have told me they saw that post and it was very coincident to events occurring in their own lives. Someone who subscribed and hasn’t read any posts decided to read this one. Other writers, both on Substack and other platforms, are posting about death. We can agree that death is not a new phenomenon. So then, what do you make of these coincidences? Why now? Are they meaningful to you ? Most importantly do ‘special coincidences’ help you connect your inner world with the outer world? In other words, do they mirror what you have been thinking about in your own mind? If so, THERE is the mystery, the magic.

If perhaps you haven’t considered looking for instances of synchronicity in your own life, here are a few to help point the wa

*Become ‘mindful’. These days ‘mindful’ and ‘mindfulness is often used; everyone has heard it. No special practices are required; just pay attention, be aware. Slow down and exercise all of your senses. It’s the opposite of being on auto-pilot which we all do too much of anyhow. In a world where everything seems to demand great urgency, taking a few minutes, even seconds to look up, listen, smell, feel the fabric you are wearing, the breeze or wind, and really taste what we are putting into our mouths are very ordinary practices in becoming mindful. Most of us think we know this. How many of us actually take the time to do it?

*Notice repetition. Running into the same person over and over. Hearing the same phrase from others repeatedly, such as encouragement from people who wouldn’t know you need some.

*Timing. Either being in the right place at the right time for something wonderful to happen. Or just missing a catastrophe, such as changing from a flight which later crashed.

*Thinking about something and then inexplicably it happens.

*Seeing your spirit animal, if you have one. And if not, exploring what spirit animals are.

Thinking back, does any of the above spark recollections of similar incidents which may have seemed out of place at the time but that you dismissed and forgot about? If so, it’s something to think about. Being curious is innate to all of us and enriches our lives. I hope we all keep curiosity a close companion. Children have it but often it becomes relegated to the background as we grow older. Sometimes we just get bogged down in the routine aspects of life. It’s understandable. Yet, you and I can make room for magic.

Yes, there IS magic in this world. What do You, Beautiful Stranger, think? I’d love to know.