I dont know if any of you are familiar with Carl Jung's theory of synchronicity? It is about 'meaningful coincidences' that occur in our lives if we pay attention. Last night, I was cooking a meal that I havent made since my good NZ friends left the country. I was remembering how much we laughed together, eating and drinking and this morning I was woken up by their call. Other coincidences are about bumping into the same person all over the city, in wildly different place, different times etc etc Do you have any coincidences to share?

yes! - yes I do, and I've been meaning to get this off my chest....

Sometimes, when I'm reading a book or usually a newspaper article, I may have the TV on at the same time. Now, at the moment I come to a certain word (and I don't mean "and" or "the"...) such as "confidentiality" or "supreme being" or even "shambolic", the very milisecond that I begin to read the word, the same word is announced on the TV, and I go "whooooa! - wait a f***ing minute!" I'm left gobsmacked and wondering if there are other forces at work - there has to be. This hasn't just occurred a handful of times. It happens with regularity and I find it rather disturbing. Most of the time it occurs with quite/very complex words, and each time it happens my heart skips a beat....

It's all very spooky for poor old fluffy-brain..... could it be a series of words forming a whole message sent to me from the other side?? - or is it alien beings transmitting their influences on my joint reading and listening habits??

I'm honestly not kidding here. It happens so often it scares the bejesus out of me.....:shocking:

yes! - yes I do, and I've been meaning to get this off my chest....

It's all very spooky for poor old fluffy-brain..... could it be a series of words forming a whole message sent to me from the other side?? - or is it alien beings transmitting their influences on my joint reading and listening habits??

I'm honestly not kidding here. It happens so often it scares the bejesus out of me.....:shocking:

Well only my opinion here but nothing to be scared about here. If you imagine that you have invisible antennae attached to your head ie heighted sensitivity, perception, intuition then when you are relaxing (in particular) this antennae is still working away....so sometimes I can finish the sentence of others on tv to the shock of people around me. It is a form of psychic ability (and I don't mean hocus pocus). Our man Mr Jung was very informative about this. So in my opinion, that ability in you ie heightened perception could be exercised ....and I would say that you notice your ability to know in other situations.....my thoughts anyway

Back in the mid-70s I went on a skiing trip to Andorra, and on my last night met a Canadian couple who were staying at the same hotel.

A few weeks later I went with a friend to a late night showing of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' in the West End. We called into a pub beforehand, and were sitting at a table when someone said "can we sit here?" It was the Canadian couple. We were all surprised, and even more so when they said they were going to see the same movie.

Two months later I went to a horse race meet at Royal Ascot. ON the way out I was in the middle of a thick crowd pouring out of the gates - and who should I be rubbing shoulders with but the same couple.

I never saw them again after that.

...you see now?? - there are strange forces at large......

SF - I wonder about coincidences like this. Is it marking something for you? Is itan assurance that you are on the right track, at one with your surroundings. There are a lot of different perspectives on this (psychology/shamanism/new age/etc) and I find it all quite interesting.

At the time it simply shocked me, but now, looking back, I think there was a significance to it, that it was 'meant' to happen, that this couple were important in some way. If only I had followed it up at the time, unfortunately now I will never know.

If you imagine that you have invisible antennae attached to your head ie heighted sensitivity, perception, intuition then when you are relaxing (in particular) this antennae is still working away....so sometimes I can finish the sentence of others on tv to the shock of people around me.
Invisible antennae....I failed to consider that one....no - I'm sticking by my guns and plumping for the old strange-forces-at-large theory - far, far more exciting!

At the time it simply shocked me, but now, looking back, I think there was a significance to it, that this couple were important in some way. If only I had followed it up at the time, unfortunately now I will never know.

I am not so sure that this couple were important....the repeated appearance of them I would think is significant and possibly drawing your attention to something....my thoughts

I don't think there is anything particularly odd about such coincidences.

You only have to consider how many times coincidences DON'T happen to see that.

I think they are just random, chance occurrences, but because they ARE so unusual, our brain remembers them more than all the times when absolutely nothing happened at all.

If there is something meaningful behind such coincidences, it is as the result of something 'irrational' happening in nature, and as such I think the rational mind will seek to deny it.

I suppose what I am saying is - why should the minority of times a coincidence happens have more "meaning" than the vast number of times it does not happen?

I believe in chance, not fate or destiny, and that all things can be explained.

SFs couple obviously had similar tastes to SF and Mrs SF, there are only a limited number of places any two people can go at any one time, so if two sets of people enjoy the same places and the same types of entertainment, chance are that eventually they will bump into each other. Think how many times SF and Mrs SF went out and didn't meet that couple - hundreds of thousands, so blananced against that, the actual meetings seem less significant.

Also, there may well have been hundreds of other couples that have been in the same place as Mr & Mrs SF on more than one ocassion, but as they had never become friendly, or socailly interacted, they simple never recognised or knew each other were there.

Think how many times SF and Mrs SF went out and didn't meet that couple - hundreds of thousands, so blananced against that, the actual meetings seem less significant..

Well, yes, the rational way of looking at it is that there was a statistical chance, however small, of it happening, so the fact it happened was not necessarily meaningful.

But on the other hand, when it happened, I got the feeling "hello, what's going on here?" which I don't think can be ignored.

My own feeling is that there are things happening in nature that we cannot fully understand, that nature itself is not rational, and that if we think we can understand or explain everything, or will in time, we are kidding ourselves.

Well, yes, the rational way of looking at it

But on the other hand, when it happened, I got the feeling "hello, what's going on here?" which I don't think can be ignored.

My own feeling is that there are things happening in nature that we cannot fully understand, that nature itself is not rational, and that if we think we can understand or explain everything, or will in time, we are kidding ourselves.

I agree with you here SF.We are arrogant in the extreme if we rely on our, very limited, understanding of how things work. There is more to the world, I sincerely hope so anyway, than rational thought and fitting events into our narrow headscape.
The theory of synchronicity is not simply coincidence but meaningful coincidence so when you thought "what's going on here" your attention caught to something....that is what synchronicity is. It is not comparable to the laws of chance. Different theory there.

There is more to the world, I sincerely hope so anyway, than rational thought and fitting events into our narrow headscape.


There's the issue of the 'spirit of the age' in which we live, which conditions how we see the world. Ours is a scientific age, where Western thought relies on cause-and-effect rational explanations of what happens around us. It then becomes a heresy to suggest that things may be otherwise.

I think also, we tend to live the sort of comfortable lives where we can predict what will happen, and thereby get used to the idea of being in control. Anything that points away from that, and makes us think that our lives might be subject to arbitrary influences of nature, becomes dangerous and therefore must be denied.

I think you can see this fear of nature manifested in many ways, with the flattening of forests, hunting of 'dangerous' wild animals to extinction, and the desire to 'modernise' primitive tribes, including thrusting of western religion onto them (ironically replacing the close-to-God existence they had as a natural part of their lives).

I reckon that if you took someone away from their organised predictable city life, and made them live in the jungle for six months, they would have to open a whole new side of themselves they previously did not know about, in order to co-exist with raw nature.

There's the issue of the 'spirit of the age' in which we live, which conditions how we see the world. Ours is a scientific age, where Western thought relies on cause-and-effect rational explanations of what happens around us. It then becomes a heresy to suggest that things may be otherwise.

I think also, we tend to live the sort of comfortable lives where we can predict what will happen, and thereby get used to the idea of being in control. Anything that points away from that, and makes us think that our lives might be subject to arbitrary influences of nature, becomes dangerous and therefore must be denied.

I think you can see this fear of nature manifested in many ways, with the flattening of forests, hunting of 'dangerous' wild animals to extinction, and the desire to 'modernise' primitive tribes, including thrusting of western religion onto them (ironically replacing the close-to-God existence they had as a natural part of their lives).

I reckon that if you took someone away from their organised predictable city life, and made them live in the jungle for six months, they would have to open a whole new side of themselves they previously did not know about, in order to co-exist with raw nature.

WOW. It is funny because my field is psychology and previously physical health and in both situations I have experienced physical and psychological crises. I have also worked a lot with people who are terminally ill and psychotic. For me, these are the extremes of a continuum. These experiences certainly have challenged how I perceive the world and luckily, I currently work in the field where I am continually challenged and from this I tap into dreams, eastern philosophies, anthropology, history, art etc etc etc which generally raise question after question. There is so much wisdom in the world that is not reliant on logic. Anyway, I am rambling now...

10 years ago we went to Minorca for a holiday, we quite quickly got very pally with a couple with a son the same age. Staying at the complex were another couple we liked but spent more time with this other couple - fell into a routine with them like you do.

6 months later we went to stay with mum & dad in north wales, whilst they babysat we went out and tripped the lights fantastic in Llandudno. Dad had warned us not to go in this certain bar, but still being little children in our 30's and 40's at the time we did. And who did we meet in there...yes the couple we never really got to know - and what a night we had...turned out they lived in north wales, about 30 miles away from Llandudno and it was their first weekend away for 2 years.

They were staying in the Imperial on the front, so back there we went when the pubs shut and had a right good booooze. Whilst swilling in the hotel my brother, who was with us, met a journalist he works with from the Times, who was staying at the Imperial reporting on that baby snatch case (the baby was found that day).

We had a great night and realised we had more in common with these two than we did with the couple we palled up with.

We still send christmas cards - I actually forgot for a few years but they always sent us one. After reading thru this thread I am going to write a letter and re establish contact more fully. Like SF I now feel they are there for a reason.

:pimp:

After reading thru this thread I am going to write a letter and re establish contact more fully. Like SF I now feel they are there for a reason.

Excellent!

I don't think there is anything particularly odd about such coincidences.

You only have to consider how many times coincidences DON'T happen to see that.

I think they are just random, chance occurrences, but because they ARE so unusual, our brain remembers them more than all the times when absolutely nothing happened at all.
coincidence is a one-way street. No such thing as a non-coincidence. There is much we don't know compared with what we do. Yet we assume knowledge of everything and are sometimes open to nothing. As human beings we like to think we are significant and omnipotent. In reality we are not so. We are mere mortals. Tiny dots clinging to a tiny landscape on a tiny planet. There are forces out there which we aren't aware of. If two-thousand years ago I'd have put to any of you the question of "how/why does the tide recede and then return?" None of you would have said "ahh easy one - it is influenced by the moon hundreds of thousands of miles away....." - ".....yeah right!....."

We have only just scraped the barrel - our own minds, the mysteries of our brain, our planet, our solar system, our Universe. As a movement of humanity, there are many shocks and discoveries that lie in wait. We may never have the opportunity to unlock the secrets. Because after all, we are mankind - as intelligent and inventive as we are, we have our one major achilles heel - the ball-and-chain of self-destruction.

We know nothing.

Excellent!
The other couple we have no contact with what so ever....they lived in scotland but visited us a few months after the holiday on a passing thru visit...we realized the bloke was a right bullish tosser which was masked by the holiday spirit. Ceased all contact after that.

Good thought invoking thread tonee...have a kiss :wink_kiss

We know nothing.

Speak for yourself! Only joking...it is actually frightening to think of how much we don't know. The one thing I like about synchronicity is it presents an opportunity to stop, reflect, ponder, question and if that is all it does then hooray - busyness is destruction to the wisdom of the world.

I don't think there is anything particularly odd about such coincidences.

You only have to consider how many times coincidences DON'T happen to see that.

I think they are just random, chance occurrences, but because they ARE so unusual, our brain remembers them more than all the times when absolutely nothing happened at all.

Ceridwen, I like your irrefutable logic as it saves me having to spell it out myself.

Another thing about coincidences is they only take on any meaning if we happen to notice. Sfanny could just as equally bumped into that Canadian couple on three separate occassions, but if he'd failed to register the meeting it wouldn't have had any significance.

Ceridwen, I like your irrefutable logic as it saves me having to spell it out myself.

Another thing about coincidences is they only take on any meaning if we happen to notice. Sfanny could just as equally bumped into that Canadian couple on three separate occassions, but if he'd failed to register the meeting it wouldn't have had any significance.
Yes I do agree with your wittering Nox. But sometimes things happen, that make you make a thing happen. And then it does...a chain of events almost.

So in a bizarre way we can all control our destiny.

Does that make sense or have I drunk to much already...clear as day to me :)

Thought I would bring out my old friend synchronicity to acknowledge my contact with a very good friend. One time with him, my telephone was blocked so I sent the letter J to test out my communication, he simultaneoulsy had problems with his phone and sent the letter j to me. By accident.Tonight, he was chatting about me to his friend. Tonight my friend from London rang and was asking about him. We have been out of touch for a few months. So I sent him a text, he was in the middle of talking about me, and all it means really is that it remains a lovely contact. Synchronicity is a good friend.