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..:: Synchronicity ::..

By

Alan Schneider


            How does God speak to human beings here on the physical, material plane of expression? I personally believe, as do so many others, that He speaks to us through what C. G. Jung referred to as synchronicities – meaningful coincidences.  In fact, Jung was the first to define and use this term as a descriptor of one of several ways that the contents of the unconscious mind emerged into conscious recognition. The key to understanding this process lies in examining the nature of meaning in our human perception of the external world, dependent as it is on the action of the physical senses.

          Human experience of the “world” is dependent on the action of the senses. All that we perceive, in the external “sense” of that term, comes to us through this source – what we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Many authorities in the field of psychology maintain that this is the complete extent of our ability to perceive – that we are solely dependent on this mode of perception to assess the condition in which we find ourselves. Other authorities will allow for the existence of a largely unconscious sphere of instinctual “activity” that influences behavior, and is also largely perceptible through the experience of that activity – both many of the physical drives and the primary emotional states are presented as belonging to this realm of manifestation.

          A select group of other authorities, including the brilliant Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung, has suggested that the unconscious mind of human beings contains more than instinct, emotion, and certain repressed personal memories. They have suggested that what the senses experience as the finite and limited condition of our existence (the physical body) is in fact the distil end of the extensive manifestation of a virtually unlimited field of Consciousness, and that we float on the surface of that infinite field like the little experience of an island of the senses, surrounded by a coral reef of personal unconscious expression, and unknowing of the vast expanse of expression that lies beyond the physical realm.

          For Jung, the action of the unconscious was not relegated solely to instinct, emotion, and personal repression. He strongly suspected that information was also filtering through the “coral reef” of the personal unconscious from the vast ocean surrounding the island of personal recognition – the ego – and that this information was of far more than idiosyncratic significance for the Psyche – the total Self of all conscious expression. Jung had begun to suspect that the ego, which frequently tends to occupy center stage on the “island”, was in fact a relatively minor player in the pageant of life, and that the extended Psyche contained intelligent expression organized on a level far beyond the linear data processing of cause-and-effect associative principles seen in the ego.

          And he identified and defined the synchronicity as the medium of transmission for the information being transmitted through the personal unconscious from the extended field of the Psyche beyond the physical boundaries of the senses. What is implied by “meaning” under this condition is frequently more than the simple, trite definitions of mechanical operations seen in the ego. In the terms of the total psyche, we are dealing with an extended panorama of meaning that connects the limited ego perception with the Psyche as the source of all implication, and redefines the limits of perception in terms of the most expansive expression of meaning attainable – essentially, God. For Jung, God was the Self as the core of Consciousness, the ultimate driver of all perception occurring on any level of expression. In this context, all meaning derives from the Self as the source of all meaning everywhere.

          In the case of the synchronicity, an initial “trigger concept” is “sent” to the conscious mind (where it is eventually noticed by the ego) from the Self. The mechanism of this process is the occurrence of the perception of this trigger concept in a chain of seemingly unrelated environmental conditions with the passage of time. These triggers are frequently manifest in the form that Jung referred to as “archetypal symbols” – perceptible expressions generated by more generalized states of expression that he labeled as “archetypes”, and were presumed to be emerging from beyond the range of any perception of any kind, at any level. Jung postulated the archetypal symbols as having the property of “numinosity” – the tendency to stand out in the personal consciousness, apart from the more mundane impressions of the senses. It is noteworthy here that presumably anything could assume the significance of an archetypal symbol in conscious awareness – even common dirt – but the Self decides what is of numinous character for a given individual ego.

          The emergence of a synchronicity is frequently perplexing, even disturbing, for the ego. The ego may attempt to dismiss the synchronous information as simple coincidence, and carry on “business as usual”. But, the genuine synchronicity will persistently recur until it is acknowledged as being well out of the ordinary range of experience. It simply will not be ignored or rationalized out of existence. It is at this point that the individual begins to seriously address the meaning of whatever symbol is being transmitted by the Self. Many people will seek therapy at this point, if they are sufficiently disturbed by the symbolic content presented. Others will begin a less “illness-oriented” investigation, inquiring among their friends, or will begin to search for literature giving information about the symbols in question. The mechanism of response is of less significance than the fact that the response has occurred, and a search for a new level of meaning has begun. If such an inquiry is carried far enough by a sufficiently determined individual, the Self – God – can even be attained and experienced directly, not just as an intellectualized thought construct, but as the existential and experiential root of all Creation at the core of the Psyche.

          There are many, many archetypal symbols. As has been said herein, anything could conceivably assume archetypal significance. One could conceive of the archetypal symbols as the (frequently preconscious) building blocks of the forms that we eventually perceive in the physical universe. Whether they remain preconscious depends on whether God chooses to speak to us through synchronicity, thus calling our conscious mind and ego away from the ongoing din of sensory distraction that otherwise occupies our waking attention.

          When the synchronicity is finally noticed and accepted by the ego as a legitimate expression of consciousness, it can be followed along an often very protracted course of ongoing manifestation, much like ripples spreading out from the point of impact of a stone tossed into a pond in which there are many intervening objects at fixed points in the water – logs, boulders, branches – that interfere with an orderly dispersion pattern. This is why life seems to be so filled with obstacles – they act as harmonic balancers for God’s Words. Without the obstacles to be overcome, the achievement of listening successfully is meaningless, and meaning is what God is all about. So, every investigation of any synchronicity will invariably yield a deeply meaningful discovery about life and living that would probably never be suspected otherwise, and ongoing investigation will reveal extensive and interrelated families of meaning, as all the ripples in the pond are followed through the intricate path of all the obstructions. As the ego passes through this process of discovery, it becomes, and we become, more and more like the Self that initiated the process – filled with grace and reverence for the Creation all around us, and aware of the supra-intelligence that achieved all that we experience.

          Synchronicities are occurring around, and to, us continuously as we progress through life. God is always speaking to us. The significant issue here is whether or not we are listening! The action of the senses creates an ongoing level of pronounced distraction in the conscious mind. And the ego, as an integral part of our physical survival mechanism, has an inherent tendency to delegate sensory input as the highest priority of waking consciousness. So it is little wonder that we frequently either fail to notice, or chose to ignore, the “still, small voice” from beyond the boundary of all that we know as familiar and, most importantly, comfortable. More often than not, confronting synchronicity forces us out of our comfort zone into what can be very confusing and disturbing terrain as we deal with the moral implications of these messages from the Self.

           The synchronicity is, in fact, the subtle voice of the Logos calling out to human beings from beyond the Cabalistic Abyss of Ignorance on the Tree of Life that blinds and confuses our perception of events in this existence, although many beginning Seekers on the Path do not initially realize this, since there is rarely a spoken voice heard, nor spoken words uttered.  Rather, the synchronicity is a message presented to the human mind using symbolic images and processes that may initially perplex the perception of the observer. For Jung, symbols were larger than life, and indicated the action of a world of constructs that presupposed the apparently random events of existence in the senses. This is how the synchronicity, once identified, must be considered by the observer who sincerely wishes to grasp its extended meaning and purpose in personal existence. One must consider the entire class of events and images suggested by the symbolic information present in the process of understanding the symbol itself. The more instances of that class, or those classes, of images that can be brought into consideration, the clearer will be the conclusion in our understanding of the underlying meaning, or meanings, present. Depending on our personal, and group, Karma, we may spend lives or lifetimes working with only synchronistic messages, until this phase of our spiritual “introduction” has been fulfilled. I still experience synchronistic messages to this day, but have also “graduated” to the next levels of spiritual perception – the subsequent Steps along the Path described in the following paragraphs. It is quite possible that the full meaning of synchronistic symbolism can never be known by the human mind, limited as it is by the physical senses, brain morphology, and personal ego. But sufficient understanding can be arrived at to recognize the symbolic significance of the information for our spiritual existences as Souls, and assimilate this information as spiritual lessons in living. 

            Synchronicities tend to eventually assemble themselves into comprehensive systems of conceptual thought. These may be of strictly psychological import, psycho-spiritual import, or specifically only spiritual in valence, but the Seeker needs to maintain an awareness that these three categories are ultimately interchangeable from the perspective of the Logos, who sees only the Light of the Soul, and this as the abiding Truth of Consciousness. At this, highest, level of Awareness, all lesser expressions, including the physical body and senses, are seen as temporary vehicles of Karma that serve the evolution of the Soul. For the Logos, the life that seems so real to us in the senses is an illusion placed before us to condition our consciousness, nothing more. In the informational context on the Astral Plane, the systems of conceptual thought referred to here have taken the many forms of communication and content demonstrated by the Mystery Schools and Mystery Theories, including those currently in practice, and those surviving from historical antiquity. And, again, it must be noted that one can spend additional lives and lifetimes working only at this level of development, until this Karmic requirement for the evolution of the Soul has been fulfilled. One must not judge this process too harshly – the Soul must pass through many experiences and levels of refinement along the spiritual Path back to its Origin in the Logos, and all are necessary and instrumental for spiritual growth. 

            At some point in this tempering and refinement process, the Mysteries of Yoga and Meditation will be encountered by the Seeker.  Either activity is of the utmost importance in the development of higher consciousness, and both have been noted extensively in these articles. However, some additional information and commentary may be useful at this time, particularly as regards meditation. It is often not clearly perceived that the Eight Limbs of Yoga defined by Patanjali in The Yoga Sutras, and still considered by scholars today as completely comprising the Yoga System, are all essentially methods of meditation practiced from various functional perspectives.  Meditation itself is a psychic practice that uses various different techniques to still the agitation of the mind represented by the action of the senses and ego, thus enabling the perception of higher states of awareness as they occur in the Soul, which is capable of its own independent perception completely apart from the ego. The Seeker will eventually assume the practice of meditation as part of spiritual involvement, and this in turn will ultimately result in the development of more refined perceptions of the I AM Presence of the Logos, including the forms of spoken and written language! 

            As the meditation process opens the Lotus of the Heart Chakra, the resultant compassion released among the Spiritual Planes of Awareness initiates a state of Divine Grace in the total consciousness of the Seeker. The presence of this compassion creates the psychic sensitivity required to hear the Divine Voice, and eventually see and enter the Divine Light. I regularly converse with the Logos as I would with human beings using physical language, with the exception of the observation that those “higher conversations” take place on the Planes above even the Astral Plane, and are verbally silent from the Physical Plane perspective. Nonetheless, I perceive myself as internally speaking words, and also internally receiving intelligent, meaningful verbal responses.  On occasion, these conversations take place within the Divine Light, although this does not appear to be required – they also occur within my Heart, at the Astral Level, and in my normal waking consciousness on the Physical Plane, with equal candor. 

            These conversations involve several different modalities. Some are simply exchanges of vibrational energy with the Logos, using words as the medium – what would be referred to as “socializing” on the Physical Plane.  Some are task oriented, and involve requests for information, guidance, or intervention. Occasionally, I complain to the Deity about my problems and limitations experienced while locked away in my body of flesh, but I know that my frank disclosure of these matters is always understood and appreciated. Often, I offer prayers and requests for the well being of afflicted persons I have met along the way in life, regardless of their circumstances, material condition, or spiritual orientation. Sometimes, I simply sit in the Presence without any other interaction taking place – in silent Communion. I may or may not meditate in conjunction with any or all of the above activities as well. Thus, the perception of the Divine Word is another, higher level of interaction with the Logos, beyond synchronicities and Astral interaction, one initiated in the Fourth, or Heart, Chakra, and comprehensively developed in the Fifth, or Throat, Chakra, through internal discourse with God, and external discourse about God. 

            Furthermore, the nature of the Logos as the Divine Light can be seen from the perspective of Ajna, the Sixth Chakra, nominally located between the eye brows, with the caveat that this is an Astral perception concerning a post-Astral manifestation. Ajna actually looks within at the Logos, perceived as the Divine Light. Many incredible visions of Ascension are possible at the level of Ajna – including the full comprehension of the meaning and purpose of life, Karma, and the Soul. What cannot be known at this level is the Omnipresent state of unconditional Love and Light that is the essence of the Logos – this can only be experienced at the level of Sahasrara, the Seventh Chakra, which lies completely outside the body, immediately above and beyond the head. Since perception at this level requires the release of the illusion of all physicality associated with the body and senses – including the “physicality” of personal emotional perception – functionally in a dead state, very few Seekers manage to achieve this experience. Even the desire to end desire is still a desire, and this demonstrates enough residual ego to prevent entry into Sahasrara – one must approach the Logos with an absolutely innocent, clear, open, and expectation-free consciousness.  

            Beyond even the Seventh Chakra experience of full Communion with the Logos in the Divine Light is the condition of the Brahman, the omnipresent Divine Essence permeating all objects and processes, yet not specifically represented in any single sensory condition perceptible on the Physical Plane. The Brahmin is analogous to the Buddha Mind of Buddhist philosophy – the indefinable condition of being in not being/not being in being – direct experience of the state of profound nothingness that exists beyond the duality of any subject/object perception. To my knowledge, this condition can be initially accessed only in deep meditation, but, with repeated experience, becomes a readily accessible state of mind for the Mystic, who well knows that the nothingness of the Primal Void is the fertile source of all manifestation, and additionally represents the most absolutely peaceful condition that can be known in the flesh. This is the utter limit of perception for human beings, as the last remnant of the personal mind dissolves into the unknown and unknowable. 

            Synchronicities, extended Astral perception, Divine conversations, Divine visions, intimate personal Communion, and, lastly, the non-dual experience of the Divine Essence, describe the sequence of interactions along the Path to Higher Consciousness that the Seeker may experience as the Word progressively permeates the flesh. Even the darkest practices of Black Occult intent represent the initial stumbling onto, and along, the Path to Ascension, albeit from a pointedly selfish, unenlightened initial perspective. This matters not – all sentience – all self awareness – must continuously seek out the highest possible level of expression as a consequence of its nature. Eventually, even the darkness seeks out the light, because light is what we are. So I say to you all, “Live Consistently at the Highest Level Attainable!”

                                                          

                                                                                   - With Love, Alan -

                                                                           (CR2007, Alan Schneider)

 

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