I remember hearing the word SYNCHRONICITY many moons ago, thinking what a cool word. And while the sound of the syllables have a pleasing rhythm, the phenomenon of synchronous events is true magic. Swiss Psychotherapist, Carl Jung coined the term as he experienced meaningful coincidences where two or more signs seemed to occur randomly, yet were connected to meaning in life.

Synchronicity: the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.

. . .

So what’s the difference between a synchronicity and coincidence?

Awareness and emotion.

“The primary reality of synchronicities is emotional, not intellectual,” says Mark Holland, co-author of Synchronicity. “The reason they’re there is to make us feel something, and the feeling that our lives are rich and worth our reflection comes in part from our sense of the depth and mystery of life.”

With synchronicity, we notice signs and look deeper into their meanings. We allow them to inform the path. Coincidence, on the other hand, is an event that’s funny or interesting but quickly discarded as chance or random.

You’ve heard the term, “hindsight is 20/20.” Perhaps you can recount such an event and notice coincidences you didn’t pay attention to that might have led you down another path altogether, a more aligned path.

If we follow signs and symbols, we are often led to more. It’s in the paying attention that awareness grows. If, however, we ignore the signs, we do nothing to effect the direction of our lives. We leave it to chance. Yeah, no thanks.

We are connected. Deeply so. The parts of ourselves, as well as our whole self to the cosmos. Synchronicities help us uncover these connections so we can move further down the path of wholeness. A life connected to synchronicity has a higher potential to serve the whole self and serve the world.

. . .

Tips for Following Synchronicities and Intuition:

1. Simply start paying attention. Get out of the mind and into the body on a daily basis.
2. Keep an open and relaxed mind. The more stress that is present the harder it is to ‘see.’
3. Spend time in quietude and/or meditation.
4. Move your body and learn practices related to somatics and embodiment to get in touch with the inner workings of your whole self. The body has an intelligence of it’s own.
5. Practice “intentional synchronicity” by taking a walk, preferably in nature. Ponder a question. Quiet the thoughts, steady the breath and notice what you see. What symbols are before you? Begin to work with them.
6. Journal regularly. Begin to jot down the ‘random’ things you see over and over — time on a clock, animals, events that surprise you. Research the symbolism behind these items and relate them back to your life.
7. Check in with your body, breath and energy. How does a sign make you feel? Excited? Terrified? Surprised? Happy? Work with it accordingly.

“God does not play dice with the Universe.” Albert Einstein

Have you had synchronous events occur lately? In the past? Have you uncovered events you should have paid attention to but didn’t? What would you have done differently? Share your stories in the comments below.