Synchronicity (n): the coincidental occurrence of events and
especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a
mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but
are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality —used especially in
the psychology of C. G. Jung [1]
We often hear of cases where people have a premonition
that comes true, someone has a question that is miraculously answered by
coincidence, or someone thinks of someone just before unexpectedly seeing or
being contacted by that person. We tend
to dismiss these stories as being just coincidence, outright lies, or
ridiculous. Yet, most people will admit
to making a decision based on “gut feel” or by “going with their heart.” Of all the mysteries in the universe, the
functioning of the human brain is one of the most enigmatic. Several years ago in a
www.livescience.com survey, scientists
rated the human brain as one of the 15 greatest mysteries. Quoting biologist Anders Garm of the
University of Copenhagen: “Whether the human brain can understand itself is one
of the oldest philosophical questions.”
[2] It therefore is not
surprising that little is known about human intuition and more mysterious
abilities such as “sixth sense” and precognition. In this light, I would like to further
explore the concepts of intuition and synchronicity.
Intuition is the ability to come to a realization without
rational thought, and is instinctually based.
Modern society, however, tends to dismiss intuition and we are often
embarrassed to follow it, favoring rational thought in its place. Yet, unconscious thought, where intuition
originates, has been demonstrated to dominate brain activity. In Psychology
Today, Francis Cholle states that only 20% of the brain’s gray matter is
used for conscious thinking and suggests that we need to use our subconscious,
responsible for the remaining 80% of cerebral activity, to make our best
decisions. He adds “…we need both
instinct and reason to make the best possible decisions for ourselves, our
businesses, and our families.” [3] David Myers reports that as we deliberate a
situation, we employ dual processing, where the unconscious and conscious
thought processes operate at the same time.
Unconscious thought includes automatic processing, subliminal priming,
implicit memory, heuristics (example: rules of thumb), right-brain processing,
instant emotions, nonverbal communication, and creativity. [4] The
power of these thought processes are demonstrated by John Bargh of NYU in a study of subliminal
priming, where he flashed an image to his students for just 0.2 seconds. His students were able instantly to
subjectively evaluate the image. [5]
Also in Psychology
Today, Jennifer Haupt quoted Nan O’Brian, an intuitive counselor with a
nationally syndicated radio show:
“Intuition…is the sense we have
of "knowing" in the absence of intellectual or tangible proof… It also is the vehicle of connectivity with
others that is beyond the physicality of the world. Have you ever been thinking of someone you
haven't heard from in a while, only to have that person call you on the phone a
few moments later? Intuition is the
mechanism that will have created that ability to have connected; there is no such
thing as coincidence.” [6]
O’Brian goes on to say that most people don’t trust their
intuition, and if they do and real life confirms the intuition, it may
overwhelm or scare them. This is no
surprise given that we are conditioned from birth to rely on just our five
senses. [7]
Psychiatrist Carl Jung explored the concept he named
“synchronicity,” which described the numerous coincidences he encountered that
seemed to have no rational explanation. Jung
felt that life was an expression of deeper order, not a sequence of random
events, and that if we realized this it would bring us out of egocentric
thinking and into a spiritual awakening. [8] Although Jung felt that synchronicity was a
rare phenomenon, Author Ray Grasse in The Waking Dream: Unlocking the
Symbolic Language of Our Lives feels that it is much more pervasive;
however only the most dramatic of these coincidences become obvious to us. [9]
In seeing a potential linkage between synchronicity and
the emerging theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, Jung discussed his
thoughts with Albert Einstein and Wolfgang Pauli. Einstein had just revolutionized physics with
his Theory of Relativity and his development of quantum mechanics, the study of
the behavior of matter at the atomic level.
Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc2, reflects the interchangeable
relationship between energy and mass.
Quoting New Age author James Redfield, the writer of The Celestine
Prophecy: “Matter is nothing more than a form of light.” [10]
Physicists have further discovered that both light and sub-atomic
particles behave somewhat like particles and in some respects like waves,
further showing the interconnectivity between energy and matter. [11]
Sub-atomic particles behave according to the Heisenberg Uncertainty
Principle, which states that it is impossible to simultaneously know the
present position and the future motion of these particles. The Uncertainty Principle is a fundamental
property, not a limitation of measurement systems. [12]
One consequence of Heisenberg Uncertainty is that the sheer act of
measuring a particle will affect its behavior.
Einstein studied another phenomenon predicted by quantum mechanics
called the EPR paradox, later named “entanglement” by Erwin Schrödinger. Entanglement describes how two or more sub-atomic
particles that have previously interacted may appear strongly correlated when
measured at a later time, regardless of the distance separating them. The validity of this phenomenon is hotly
debated to this day. [13] Yet, if widely spaced particles are capable
of responding to one another’s perturbations, that would imply that it would be
possible to perform an action that might have effect even over great
distances. Entanglement may therefore
offer a physics underpinning to the concept of synchronicity.
There are numerous documented
examples of intuition, remarkable coincidences, and synchronicity. Abraham Lincoln wrote of a life-changing coincidence
occurring in his youth that had a profound impact on history. As he wondered how he could become more than
just a farmer or craftsman, he encountered a peddler who offered to sell
Lincoln a barrel of apparent junk for $1.
Lincoln paid the dollar and later, in sifting through the junk, found a
set of law books with which he used to study law. Becoming a lawyer was the spring board for
his political career. [16] Deepak Chopra, a medical doctor who became a
proponent for alternative medicine, shares a story where, while traveling to a
lecture, met an Eastern leader of meditation, who suggested he study an Eastern
alternative form of healing called Ayurvedic medicine. Dismissing the idea, he drove to the airport
and by chance, met an old friend from medical school. His friend happened to have a book on
Ayurvedic medicine and suggested that Chopra look at it. Amazed by the coincidence, Chopra read the
book, which motivated him to pursue a career of promoting alternative medicine
worldwide. [14]
Jung shares the following story in
his book Synchronicity:
“A young woman I was
treating had, at a critical moment, a dream in which she was given a golden
scarab. While she was telling me this
dream, I sat with my back to the closed window. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, like a
gentle tapping. I turned round and saw a flying insect knocking against the
window-pane from the outside. I opened
the window and caught the creature in the air as it flew in. It was the nearest analogy to a golden scarab
one finds in our latitudes, a scarabaeid beetle, the common rose-chafer
(Cetonia aurata),
which, contrary to its usual habits had evidently felt the urge to get into a
dark room at this particular moment. I
must admit that nothing like it ever happened to me before or since.” [15]
In his memoirs, French author
Émile
Deschamps shares that in 1805, a stranger, Monsieur de Fontgibu
served him
plum pudding. Eating at a Paris restaurant ten years later, Deschamps
desired plum pudding, but was told that the last plate had been served to
someone else, who just happened to be de Fontgibu. In 1832, Deschamps was at a dinner and again
he ordered plum pudding. Sharing the earlier
incident with his friends, he mentioned that the setting would only be complete
if de Fontgibu were there, at which time de Fontgibu entered the room. [16]
Finally, in a remarkable Psychology Today story, in the spring of 2001 Jackie Larsen left a morning
meeting at a church in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
She ran into a well-mannered youth, Christopher Bono, whose car had
broken down. Larsen suggested he come to her shop to use the phone to call for
help, but later when he showed up, she felt something was not right and
insisted they talk outside. She told him
"I can tell by your manners that you have a nice mother" and looking
in her eyes he responded "I don't know where my mother is." Larsen suggested that Bono head back to the
church, then called the police with his license plate number. The car was registered to his mother, Lucia
Bono, who shortly thereafter was discovered dead in her home. Christopher was charged with her murder. [17]
When assessing these stories, the theories and
experiences of the various scientists and writers, and personal experience with
numerous synchronistic events, there appears to be substance to the amazing
abilities of the human mind. As we learn
more about the very fabric of the universe and the workings of the brain, it
becomes apparent that the more we know, the more we realize how little we really
know. What is clear, though, is that we
live in an amazing universe and that humanity has a meaningful purpose in this
universe. Learning how to use the
incredible abilities of the brain will further open us up to this universe as
well as further our evolution.
References:
2.
http://www.livescience.com/4583-greatest-mysteries-brain-work.html
3.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-intuitive-compass/201108/what-is-intuition-and-how-do-we-use-it
4.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200212/the-powers-and-perils-intuition
5. Ibid.
6.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/one-true-thing/201009/intuition-what-you-really-know
7. Ibid.
8.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung
9. Ibid.
10. James
Redfield,
The Celestine Vision, copyright 1997, Warner Books, p51
11.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_quantum_mechanics
12.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle
13. See 12.
14. Redfield,
p 21.
15.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
16. Ibid.
17. Redfield,
p 14.
18. See 7.
Image courtesy of binauralbrainwave.net.
