Synchronicity and the Search for Meaning
By Alan James Strachan, Ph.D
Meaning
is as necessary to people as food. Whereas food nourishes our bodies, meaning feeds our souls, enabling us
to recognize who we are and what our purpose is in the grand scheme of life.
Meaning
can arrive via many avenues. One
of the most mysterious of these is what the Swiss psychologist C.G. Jung called synchronicity. Synchronicity refers to events which
are meaningfully, but not causally, related. Let me give you an example:
In
1990 I was interviewed for local television by Bruce Bratton. Bruce was concerned about the
psychological after-effects of the 1989 earthquake, and, since I knew something
about the psychological impact of trauma, he invited me to be interviewed.
We
met at a local television studio, and a few minutes into the interview I was
describing why it is that people have strong psychological reactions to natural
disasters. I explained that it is
easy for us get attached to the ordinary, familiar aspects of our lives. Our routines give us the reassuring
sense that reality is predictable, and that we have a measure of control over
our lives. A serious earthquake,
in particular, since there is no warning, suddenly and dramatically alters our
world. Many of the familiar
elements of our lives are changed, flooding us with a huge wave of unfamiliar
sensory input. I emphasized that
anything which upsets our routine, particularly if it is a crisis, is
psychologically stressful.
Just
as I was making this point there was an explosion in the studio. A large light bulb, which was situated
behind and above Bruce, violently shattered, spewing white hot fragments
throughout the studio, including one which came directly at me. Momentarily frozen in shock, the studio
technicians burst into frantic activity to cope with the accident. Miraculously, nobody was hurt.
In
the midst of the chaos, I found that a part of myself was utterly
delighted. As I sat in my chair,
this very calm part of me thought, "This is incredible! This is exactly what I was
talking about! In the midst of the
routine recording of an interview, something totally unexpected has happened,
and people are responding with a mixture of panic, fear, and confusion, trying
to make sense out of what has occurred." It was a synchronicity: What I had been saying to Bruce did not cause the light to explode -- i.e.,
science has not established a causal link -- but the bursting light was a meaningful confirmation of the point I was
making.
I
love synchronicities because, through them, I feel a sense of connection with
the world. I also feel deeply
connected with my heart. It is as
though, in that synchronistic moment, the universe is showing me that what I am
thinking or feeling or saying is meaningful, and such confirmation is like food
for my soul.
There
are many ways for us to discover meaning in our lives, and synchronicities are
among the most unique and magical. The synchronicities I have experienced are moments of grace, aligned like
pearls along my path. They are
welcome affirmations that, for the moment at least, my search for meaning in
this mysterious world is going well.
(originally published in Connection Magazine,
October 2002, 37)
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