Synchronicity is defined in the dictionary as "the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection". I have heard it said many times by various magical/occult practitioners that on the shamanic journey, when you start to see lots of synchronicities happen during a short space in time, this is a sign that you are on the divine path.
What causes such convergences of seemingly unrelated events to occur? Some would say these are merely coincidences; selection bias in our brains causing us to try and decipher detectable patterns out of the plethora of sensory inputs we receive, and anything that doesn't fit our mental story is discarded from conscious awareness or classified as irrelevant.
During this lifetime, I have witnessed enough to believe there is more to it than mere coincidence. I find that synchronicities I have observed come in waves. During certain periods, it seems as if I might be at the certer of some sort of energetic vortex operating beneath the surface of material reality. When these times happen, I see synchronicities all around me, one after another, with such frequency that I cannot deny the presence of "something" larger behind it.
This past week has been one of those times.
I found myself visiting the home of an old friend after having been away for a long while. When I arrived, the room was full of familiar Rainbow Family tribal faces, some of whom I hadn't seen in over a year. We reveled in one another's presence, cherishing the reunion. The outpowering of love that occured prompted me to offer a silent prayer of gratitude: Thank you for bringing me back to remembering what I had forgotten yet again. Sharing freely, without fear. This is the Rainbow way.
Just then, someone pointed out the window. "Look at that!"
A rainbow, large, brilliant, forming a complete arc, had filled the sky. Everyone ran outside into the yard to soak in the splendor. I called it an omen of blessing.
Then there are the smaller ones. Like the other day, waking up from the guest bed in the temple where I have been sleeping this week (no alarm clocks, no conscious attempts at precise coordination), and on my way to gather with the group in preparation for morning puja, as I opened the door, our priest arrived on the other side at precisely the same moment; he was about to come wake me up, but I had already awakened just in time to meet him face to face in the doorway.
Another instance happened the other evening, after being out on the town, the coven split apart, some of us prefering to arrive back early, while others went out to eat. After conversating for a while with the person I rode home with, I went back outside to my car to retrieve a couple items. Just at that moment, the rest of the group arrived in the other vehicle, meeting me right at the gate. We hadn't planned it that way. We hadn't consciously coordinated. It just happened.
This morning, right after finishing our morning mantras for today's Navratri puja, which typically take roughly a couple hours, immediately after the ritual had ended and we exited the sacred space, the phone rang, and on the answering machine, another devotee from another tradition left a message saying he had just exited a Krishna temple, and wanted to send blessings out to us and the world.
Such small events, taken alone, could easily be written off as coincidence. But when so many things like this occur in rapid succession (and more; these examples were just a few that rattled off the top of my head today), I can't help but recognize it as a welcome reminder that the universe is more than what it seems.