I settled into my meditation on the dock this morning, luxuriating in black bird twitters and the flash of red wings. The sun on my back thawed my winterized bones. Ahh, how good to be alone with the divine… until the holy muse quietly morphed into a magnificent Great Blue Heron holding vigil in the water lilies. Her faithful practice spoke to me,”Stand still. Watch and wait. Your authentic self will catch up with you.”
I have honored the place of synchronicity in my life for a very long time. Five years ago my explanation of Carl Jung’s theory was met with incomprehension, so I gave my companion the example of Jung’s scarab beetle on the window sill. The beetle made a ruckus just as Jung’s client related her dream about a scarab bracelet. Jung brought the beetle to her and said, “Here is your beetle.” When I finished the story my companion reached into her bag and pulled out a photo of a beetle which she had taken the day before. “And here is your beetle,” she said.
Now, I thought this experience was a bit astounding…until Halloween week, the time of the Thin Veil. It was the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 28 when my bus took me past Washelli Cemetery, as it always does. Thirty minutes after I settled back into my apartment the phone rang. A telemarketer for Washelli Cemetery. My cremation is already paid for, thank you very much. I barely had time to recover and the phone rang again. A telemarketer from a different cemetery. Before this I had never received such calls.
Yesterday I learned that if my friend dies before I do, some inheritance will come to me. This person enjoys good health at this time, but I am momentarily unsettled and wary.
Coincidence? That would be a valid interpretation. I imagine that such phone solicitation is stepped up Halloween week (imagine having that job). But these synchronous events say something different to me. They say, “Pay attention.” That’s all. Let go of the panic to figure it all out and control it. Watch and wait. I begin my day with this prayer:
Divine Spirit moving through the universe,
I open myself to the possible connections you put before me today. I will pay attention and facilitate the connections as I am able. May it be so. Amen.
And the hits just keep on coming. You may enjoy this recent award-winning film, “What Is Synchronicity?”:
At Christmas time last year my family visited the Bellevue Botanical Gardens as a ritual of celebration for our sister who had died suddenly four months earlier. Today I come across the photos of the gardens and tears of delight mix with tears of sorrow, as they always do. This was one of our last outings with Mary, and she so loved to garden!
I think of her and all of our loved ones who have passed as being immersed in the beating heart of the universe, as Martin Buber phrases it so well. They live and breathe in every flower in every garden and continue to light our way.
May we stay in tune with the beating of the great heart.
Spirituality Without Borders: Reflections on Spiritual Practice 