Synchronicities

[DoctorMantus]

So lately i have been reading the book 2012 Return of quetzalcoatl, And i came up this segment were Daniel was talking about sycronicities and when they happen that these are the things we should be paying attention to.

So the first kind of weird sycronicity was, about the thread pretaining to the thread New Age theories, "holier than thou" and agressive responses.

I had already posted in the thread in response to it, and then later after a few more responses were added, i wanted to post something more after reading something from Uncle Knucles.

I don't really think that was his primary point.
Tangentially, yes, we should be mutually respectful - but I believe the point here is that this isn't the place for unfounded new age musings or subjective personal experiences to be presented as objective truths.
Like it or don't; it's the rules of the house. Let's respect our host and his wishes.

I sat there and could not think of anything, and then decided i wasn't posting anything. Afterward i decide i am going to look up some random pictures for a video, and i stumbled upon a photo, that just seemed so appropriate and went back and put it up.

that is just one maybe not so weird or coincidental.

The second so tonight some of you may know there is meteor showers, and i had gone out to look to see if i could spot any, and i looked a little and didn't see any then i had thought to myself, if i could just see one just for some verification that meteors are going on tonight, and i leaned back a little to look over my roof and just as my vision came over it, a meter shot by real fast then i was like ok that is all i need.

So this two things happened to me recently and i felt i needed to put them up, does any one else have anything similar.

 

[۩]

Hm.

I'm more inclined to believe that life is 100% synchronized, our perception just tricks us into sensing it as chaos most of the time.

 

[DoctorMantus]

Hm.

I'm more inclined to believe that life is 100% synchronized, our perception just tricks us into sensing it as chaos most of the time.

Very interesting, Also during writing this i thought to myself that if any will be posting on this it would be house,but you post all over the place so it doesn't mean a lot to me. you tend to reply to a lot of my threads and for that i thank you.

And i also love the clever replies you have most of the time, my favorite recent, you Said something like be there or be hexagonal. lol

But I can believe in life being 100% synchronized. sounds like a good theory to me.

 

[۩]

The reason I think this is because our universe is composed of the same shapes everywhere within it.
And it seems like the flow of life is perfectly balanced.
It's just that when you get a mass of humans in a civilization that they built- you can sometimes forget this staring at cars and buildings, rather than meteors

 

[DoctorMantus]

The reason I think this is because our universe is composed of the same shapes everywhere within it.
And it seems like the flow of life is perfectly balanced.
It's just that when you get a mass of humans in a civilization that they built- you can sometimes forget this staring at cars and buildings, rather than meteors

all very well put, shapes do play a very important role, i could just mention the breakthrough of the wheel.

And as for the breakthrough of the wheel, look where we are now. Life certainly flows in perfect balance, sometimes its just mind bottling thinking about history and how it has unfolded and led us to where we are.

And yea of-course lots of people, lots of distractions, car, buildings, electronics.
just hope that we try to preserve some of the earth's goodness.

 

[Citta]

Well, things like this happens all the time. It's just a little part of our total experience here, and it would be rather strange if some coincidences didn't happen every once in while, don't you think?

I don't think it's anything special about this. Rather, it is very easy to look for meaning somewhere only to find it, a phenomenon called confirmation bias. Our minds are powerful, it is evolved to discover patterns, and it is pretty good at seeing them where they probably are not really present.

My signature is also relevant =)

 

[Global]

Well, things like this happens all the time. It's just a little part of our total experience here, and it would be rather strange if some coincidences didn't happen every once in while, don't you think?

I don't think it's anything special about this. Rather, it is very easy to look for meaning somewhere only to find it, a phenomenon called confirmation bias. Our minds are powerful, it is evolved to discover patterns, and it is pretty good at seeing them where they probably are not really present.

My signature is also relevant =)

Patterns inherently imbue meaning by their definition. Would you enjoy a life largely devoid of meaning or purpose?

 

[Citta]

This is not what I'm talking about at all, is it? I am talking about confirmation bias, about finding connections and patterns where they are probably not. And on the basis of this, I expressed my opinion that this synchronicity one experiences from time to time is not anything special or that they have some inherent meaning or purpose. You're just setting up a straw man here.

 

[Ez]

Life on the road is a bit more simplistic at times than not being on the road and has allowed me to see some of the synchronisities in full force. As I have a bit more free time and things move a bit slower, I can really see this in action. Heck, just traveling some 3,000 miles in a couple months brings that point across for me.

A couple days after helping my brother with his outreach ministry, I met a man who told me they have a non-profit, charitable re-sell shop and they literally have a room full of clothes stacked to the ceiling. I was able to put him in touch with my brother and they brought down a trailer full of clothes for the ministry to hand out to the homeless. Pretty cool.

On my way to my cousins, I was able to catch a ride from an ex-hitcher and he took me all through Iowa and on to my next destination. He was learning about management intensive grazing and gave me a lesson on this subject and many more. After getting dropped off, I found out that my cousin has grass fed beef cattle and practices m.i.g. Maybe not the biggest, but still a synchronicity. On my way from Illinois to Nashville, I got a ride from a semi driver, who was overloaded with red potatoes. He told me to call my friend and have them bring as many bags as possible to help him reduce his weight. Turns out, they were in desperate need of some food, as they had both been out of work for a while.

These are just a few examples of the synchronicities in my life. Sometimes, I feel like if I miss something that I was supposed to do (say, spend time chatting with someone) - I usually end up stuck and having to wait for the last opportunity to end. One example - as I was walking through St. Paul, a woman and I were talking. I had thought I new where to go, so when she asked if I wanted to walk with her for a while, I tolde her that I had to go straight, while she was going right. 40 minutes later and a couple big hills (with a 60lb backpack) and I'm back on the same road and she is at the bus stop. I could have just walked with her, had a lovely conversation, maybe even been offered a meal, anf saved myself some tough climbs. Instead I went my way.

It's hard to pay attention to that little voice in your head, when the "I" is so much more pronounced, but I find that when I do, it pays off.

 

[a1pha]

As for SYNCS, a fascinating phenomena indeed. I've only experienced it a couple times and each time it seemed to be a sign from someone/somewhere else. However, each time I was on this crazy psychedelic called DMT - and therefore it was nothing other than a drug-induced state.

:d

 

[universecannon]

^ If only that explained it

i don't know how it works really..i doubt anyone understands it fully

But i often will encounter synchronicity several times a day, and i've noticed it countless times in others lives as well. My parents actually encounter it somewhat often to- although they're usually oblivious to it. Recently my mom didn't even realize that it was odd how, on the day of her 25th anniversary, she actually found on the floor of her closet a missing diamond from her wedding ring that she had lost many years ago..

I've been on this planet 2 decades and have within within a few years recorded hundreds of synchronicities of all kinds. After swimming in the labyrinthine of these mindfucks a lot i often get the feeling that the notion that there is nothing to this seems even more unlikely and ridiculous than the idea that something weird is going on

Sure sometimes our brains are imposing patterns where there is none, or projecting meaning and too much significance to 'mere coincidences', but there are MANY instances that fall well beyond this, and that explanation can't even get close to explaining many of them imo. So many heavy weights in the psychedelic community have mentioned mind blowing instances of syncronicity as well; from hoffman to huxley to mckenna to leary to wilson, and so on..Sure that doesn't "prove" anything, but it sure does hint that something bizarre and beyond our ability to comprehend may be behind the veil of rational apprehension. If you don't think theres anything to it, i respect your position, but i strongly suggest reading Carl Jung's book - memories, dreams, reflections.

 

[Global]

This is not what I'm talking about at all, is it? I am talking about confirmation bias, about finding connections and patterns where they are probably not. And on the basis of this, I expressed my opinion that this synchronicity one experiences from time to time is not anything special or that they have some inherent meaning or purpose. You're just setting up a straw man here.

You're right in that I did set up a straw man. Just after posting it, I realized the logically fallacious corner I backed you into. However having said that, I'm not quite sure how the brain can find patterns where there are none. Are you implying that similarities found across experiences don't actually exist? You should realize your own confirmation bias can be clouding your judgment here in that as many of these synchronistic patterns as you may observe, your confirmation bias can prevent you from fairly assessing new incoming data to revise hypotheses.

 

[endlessness]

here's something I posted in another thread that is relevant to the synchronicity discussion:

You know when I was reading Robert Anton Wilson, he talked a lot about synchronicities and how they seem to pop up more once you start thinking about them. He had two quotes which I find really awesome, with his humorous tone:

"The Cosmic Coincidence Control Center pays more attention to those that pay more attention to Them"
and
"The Prover proves what the Thinker thinks"

So who knows, maybe you just unconsciously look for signs that things are happening because this is a subject that is touching you now? Or maybe something is happening, but even if so, I would still say that its possible that some things which are not meaningful are interpreted as such because of one's mindset...

One example I think of, lets say if Santa Claus is playign a trick on you and he will change numbers that appear in front of you so that he forces the number 23 to appear 15 times in front of you. Once he finished showing these 23's, he rests and forgets about you (or goes to do this to someone else). And after a few days of so many repetitions of 23, of course you notice these numbers and are completely baffled by it. But lets say that after those 15 apparitions, when Santa Claus is not making anything anymore, by pure chance/randomness, the number 23 appears again. You will still be amazed by it, right? Even if specifically this case wasnt meaningful, the fact that you already connected the other times it appeared, will make you keep looking for this, for signs. So I think this begs for us creating a certain healthy 'skepticism' towards synchronicities, because while it may all seem amazing, how can we know that this specific time it wasnt just a part of the normal happenings of life but that we are interpreting as specifically meaningful?

Another thing I was wondering.. Can we make use of synchronicities somehow? On one hand, when one has a synchronicity, I think its natural to question oneself if it might not be a case of perceptive filtering, as mentioned before and by citta. But lets entertain the possibility that at some point it isnt just perceptive filtering.. Then what? What can we do with it? Will it be a confirmation that what you're doing is right? Or maybe it can be the other way around? Or maybe at least it can show us how weird reality is and shake us more into being awaken at each moment? What else can you guys/girls think of?

 

[Citta]

This is not what I'm talking about at all, is it? I am talking about confirmation bias, about finding connections and patterns where they are probably not. And on the basis of this, I expressed my opinion that this synchronicity one experiences from time to time is not anything special or that they have some inherent meaning or purpose. You're just setting up a straw man here.

You're right in that I did set up a straw man. Just after posting it, I realized the logically fallacious corner I backed you into. However having said that, I'm not quite sure how the brain can find patterns where there are none. Are you implying that similarities found across experiences don't actually exist? You should realize your own confirmation bias can be clouding your judgment here in that as many of these synchronistic patterns as you may observe, your confirmation bias can prevent you from fairly assessing new incoming data to revise hypotheses.

Thanks for realizing that, Global. Back to the case:

Hmm... No, I am certainly not trying to imply that similarities across experiences doesn't exist, that would be silly. My essential point is that many people think synchronicity is pretty mysterious, that they have some inherent deeper meaning and purpose. I don't think this is the case because of the arguments provided in earlier posts. That's it =)

 

[ragabr]

I don't find the apophenia explanation very convincing, myself. I do exclude from the term synchronicity a lot of phenomenon many people claim as fitting it though. Seeing the same number everywhere, for example, it lacks any sense of fundamental meaning which synchronicity requires.

universecannon's example of his mother finding a long-lost diamond ring on her anniversary fits the bill to me, and also illustrates one of the things I've noticed about synchronicity. Very often, people do not want to acknowledge synchronicity. Just as with the more widely accepted phenomenon of parapraxes, synchronicities can speak something that doesn't want to be heard.

many people think synchronity is pretty mysterious, that they have some inherent deeper meaning and purpose.

Would you accept that synchronicity could have an inherent deeper meaning and purpose, via unconscious mechanisms, if it were moved away from ideas of mind intertwined with physical reality?

 

[Citta]

many people think synchronity is pretty mysterious, that they have some inherent deeper meaning and purpose.

Would you accept that synchronicity could have an inherent deeper meaning and purpose, via unconscious mechanisms, if it were moved away from ideas of mind intertwined with physical reality?

Could you elaborate?

 

[endlessness]

OK how about this one that happened to me:

Many years ago, I was reading Gurdjieff's book on Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson. It was a chapter he talked about Atlantis, and how true secret societies and civilizations like egyptians actually had roots in the Atlantian civilization. That day, I went to work, and as I got there the woman who stayed in the reception asked me to stay there a minute while she had to do something. As I sat down, I grabbed a magazine (typical coffee table magazines about... hmm dont even remember, maybe travelling, or general world news ? ) and flipped it open on a page. It was a painting of a depiction of the flood/cataclysm that destroyed Atlantis. That already made me be like "wooooow".. Interesting coincidence? But there was more to come....

As I got home that same day, I turned on the TV (I still had one), and put simpsons on. The episode was about secret societies and had atlantis references. Then I changed the channel and the channel i changed to was a program on history channel on atlantis. Thats a pretty incredible set of events, right?

But my mind wonders: Ok but how many days I had without such amazing coincidences, if we average out the possibilities, I mean, its logical at some point I will have some amazing set of 'coincidences' someday right?

But what if we entertain the idea that its meaningful, what is the meaning? Is it a message that Atlantis did exist and that there is indeed a knowledge that comes from it passing through certain civilizations and secret societies? And whether thats the message or another, what could I do with this message ? Could I take something else productive from it?

 

[PrimateSphinx]

On the Pinchbeckian road eh Mantus?

I read that book a few months ago and though he does bring a lot of cool ideas to the table about Aliens, Crop Circles, and so on and so forth I think a lot of it is a little far fetched for my liking. But I kinda think that was his intention to be pretty far out there as to encourage "far out" thinking which I'm all for and I really like the way he writes. As far as synchronicities go I actually have to agree with Citta on this one (far out right?) I think the universe is big enough that what we might perceive as a synchronicity is actually indeed a coincidence. That is not to say that they don't exist but like citta said out minds are set up to perceive patterns.

 

[universecannon]

One scary one- hours before the earthquake off the cost of japan this year i couldn't stop thinking about earthquakes. We never ever even have them around here and i've never experienced one, nor do i really ever think about them (not a geology major or anything)..but i couldn't stop vividly day dreaming what it'd be like ..and i even asked myself a few times: "why the heck do i keep thinking about this!?"

The next morning no one seemed to have watched the news or have known about the japan incident that had happened that night, including me. i sat in a spanish class with a guy named jesus (common spanish name i guess) who was joking about how we bombed japan, and i was getting furious. I had an image, not really a vision, but sort of video bubble up of thousands of mangled japanese bodies bursting through the door and smashing jesus into the wall. it bubbled up in a similar way that syncronous imaginings tend to. Then i realized i was imagining them all in water bursting through the door, and thought that was weird since we bombed japan, not flooded it.

then ten minutes after class i saw the tsunami news while passing by a tv 0_0

 

[ragabr]

many people think synchronity is pretty mysterious, that they have some inherent deeper meaning and purpose.

Would you accept that synchronicity could have an inherent deeper meaning and purpose, via unconscious mechanisms, if it were moved away from ideas of mind intertwined with physical reality?

Could you elaborate?

That the strong impact a sychronicity often has presents an opening for addressing something with deeper meaning and purpose to the individual involved. A signal that here rests a fruitful line of inquiry, for that specific individual.