By Tisha Tolar
The thing I love most about my spiritual journey so far was the discovery of synchronicities. The dictionary describes synchronicity as “an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.”
I define synchronicity as the signposts of the soul- the magical way the universe communicates with us as we navigate our human experience. Synchronicities have made my life exciting, taught me to rely on my intuition, and helped build my trust in the divine oneness of all things in the universe.
My awareness of synchronicities is something I appreciate every single day because these subtle and complex phenomena have pointed me in a fascinating new direction – one that I can’t fathom discovering in any other way.
A brief history of synchronicity
Synchronicity was first coined by Swiss psychiatrist and pioneer in modern psychology and psychoanalysis Carl Jung in the 1920s. Jung didn’t talk about the concept publicly until 1930 when he gave a memorial address for his friend, Richard. Before his death, Richard had contacted Jung about writing a commentary on a translation of an ancient Taoist text he had written.
When Jung noticed the image featured on the translation was eerily similar to a project he was currently working on, Jung stopped what he was doing and began considering the concept of synchronicity.
Likely the most famous Jung-related synchronicity story involves a scarab beetle. In his book Synchronicity: An Acasual Principle (1952), Jung recounted being in a therapy session with a woman who was revealing a dream she had about a scarab beetle.
Just at that moment, Jung heard tapping at the window behind him and turned around to find a beetle much like what his patient was describing at that moment. He caught the insect and brought it to his patient. The synchronistic event astounded the woman (and her therapist) and gave her a therapeutic breakthrough she’d be struggling to achieve.
A common take on synchronicity
Most people have likely heard or spoken about seemingly random but connected occurrences that happen in everyday life. Perhaps you’ve thought about an old friend and soon after you run into them at the grocery store. Maybe a song crossed your mind and later you hear the same song on the radio.
These events are usually brushed off as weird coincidences without further thought. But if you’re open to the signposts the universe is sticking in the dirt for you, life can certainly become more interesting.
In addition to being a writer, I am also the creator and host of the Slightly Unmeditated Podcast, a casual talk podcast about the WTFs of spirituality, self-improvement, and motivation. I try to take an every-person approach to breaking down spiritual concepts into conversations that are much easier to digest for those just coming into awareness of their awakening.
The podcast started because I couldn’t grasp a lot of what well-known spiritual leaders were saying. When it came to synchronicities however, I was fully on board once I became aware of them and what they mean. In hindsight, I think I caught on to synchronicities as a kid and can still remember some specific things that happened back then. It only just started making sense in recent years.
One thing leads to the next
Synchronicities come in all shapes and sizes, and they can appear at any time. For instance, I put off writing this article for two months because I just didn’t have the right frame of mind to say what I wanted to say. Today, my life was so full of synchronicities, I knew it was finally time to put thoughts to paper.
Not only were the synchronicities coming in one after the other, but some were also just downright mind-blowing. The word ‘synchronicity’ even came up in several shows I happened to be watching while thinking about this article.
Another notable example involves my inner circle of friends. Friend #1 suggested a movie I should watch. In that movie was the answer to a question Friend #2 had asked me hours earlier. The same movie also talked about a concept I was going to discuss with Friend #3. Only moments later, Friend #3 emailed me with a link to an article that talked about the exact same subject.
Some days the synchs come in fast and furious. Other days, I’m hard-pressed to notice anything in particular. In fact, when enough time passes without a synch, I’ve learned that it means I’m likely out of alignment with my soul. This is when I go back to meditating more and engaging in other spiritual practices.
I’ve also enjoyed books like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield because of the role synchronicities play in the characters’ journeys.
Pay attention and you will see
As much as I love following synchronicities for myself, I might love introducing others to them even more. Not long ago on vacation with some friends who were unfamiliar with the communication strategies of the universe, a series of synchronicities occurred that no one in our group could deny were epically magical. By the end of the trip, they were all looking for even more syncs to happen.
Many people start recognizing syncs through angel numbers, repeating number sequences you might see on clocks, signs, and other everyday places. Each number has its own meaning and it’s worth looking them up when a number pops up in your awareness.
Because there are so many ways the universe can try to get your attention, it’s difficult to sum up what to look for in a few bullet points but I’ll give it a go:
- Seeing a word or phrase repeatedly
- Thinking of someone and they call/text you
- Being in the right place at the right time for a new opportunity
- Thinking about a new career and a college ad pops up on your screen
Another way I experience synchronicity is when I have a specific thought and see an animal. I always look up the spiritual symbolism of each animal. Over the years, I’ve assigned meanings to certain animals and other things and my syncs have become more complex. For instance, when I see a rabbit, I know something good will happen with my podcast. More times than not, it has.
Ideally, you just need to remain open to the possibility of seeing a synch and then seeing where it leads. It’s also important to understand that not everything going on around you is a synchronicity, so you always need to incorporate your own intuition, logic, and common sense into the experience.
The guidance of these signposts (and even the lack of them) has led me to where I am today. Synchronicity has also strengthened my connection with those who live life in wonder of the universe and our place within it.
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About the author:
Tisha Tolar is the creator and producer of the Slightly Unmeditated Podcast Channel and has been a freelance writer since 2007. She is a Sagittarian with a magician archetype who has a weakness for bad puns.
Resources/Links:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/synchronicity
