Concidence vs Meaningful Event

Sheila T proposed starting this thread in the post about the mountain lion, so here it is.

Do you perceive events around you as coincidences or meaningful events? Reminds me of a scene from the movie Signs, where Mel Gibson asks Joaquin Phoenix the same question, only refers to them as miracles rather than meaningful events. Joaquin proceeds to relate what I find to be a hilariously juvenile story about an event which he perceived to be a miracle.

But in his circumstances in that story, I would have felt the same way. I believe in the meaningful events, for sure, every time.

I couldn't remember who it was.

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

- Albert Einstein

Personally, I don't think that every "coincidence" is synchronicity, but I think quite a few are.

Having read a fair amount of Jungian literature, studied symbolism, and experienced a host of synchronicities in my life, I don't necessarily see coincidences and meaningful events as being mutually exclusive.

Free will predicates whether one wishes to read into coincidences or remain oblivious.

As Dylan so insightfully quilled ". . .take what you have gathered from coincidence. . ."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E06SoECIp1U

Or as I've said for years. . .the universe tends to have increasingly less subtle ways of capturing our full attention. That's why it's always advisable to pay attention to sometimes less than overt omens before one ends up being clobbered by a not so subtle cosmic sledgehammer.

OTOH as anti Freudians have often said in reaction to his incessant phallic associations, "sometimes a pencil is just a pencil." LOL

I tend to read too much into **everything**. You should have seen my over personalized reaction to when I blew out the universal joint on my chariot.
Yikes. I was a fierce proponent of car-ar-olgy at the time.

That reminds me of a really obscure Tarot deck a dear friend owns. It was a whacky combination of Christian and Egyptian imagery. The line from its accompanying booklet for the Fool card was, "The only thing that exceeds your stupidity is your inability to recognize it."

The booklet was so OTT with negativity that it was perversely funny. We used to call it the demon deck. It had interpretations like "Shipwreck," "go to the Dentist," and "a dark haired man will deceive you."

We had another friend who used to always ask for Tarot readings. And after getting an in depth reading her final spurious question would always be, "will I have a delightful surprise. . .?" For years she'd then pull either the 9 of swords or the 10 of swords.

Finally she had a reading from the demon deck and she asked it her requisite and ridiculous closing question and she pulled the 10 of swords and the demon deck's booklet actually said "you will have a delightful surprise."

It was so ironic we all cracked up and she, to my knowledge, stopped asking that question.

as it has been on my mind this week.

Last week a friend called to say she had driven by my Mom's old house and there was a fence around it. The kind of temporary fence they use when tearing down a house. Who tears down a four bedroom brick ranch?

Another friend called and asked if I would meet her for golf. She picked a course blocks from my Mom's old house. Not close to either of our houses but somewhere sort of in the middle. I met her on Tuesday. After golf and lunch, I drove by "Mom's" house. Sure enough they were tearing it down. The front door, my old bedroom and the bedroom my brother died in were all that was left.

I went and retrieved a few bricks. I don't even know what for... Naturally, I called the rest of my siblings and let them know. I'm the youngest and was in college when we moved there. No one else in the family had lived there but me and my dead relatives. Grandma, aunt, brother, mother...

It's an odd feeling.

I meant to end the above by saying:
I believe it is meaningful, but what is the meaning?

Expect mistakes from me. :)

Glad you found us. :hi:

I've been lurking at DU a long time, and I've always enjoyed the energy in this group.

whether the majority of memories are happy or sad. I personally have found it useful to reclaim that personal energy so I won't feel a hollow longing for places I used to live in - even the one I was in a serious depression in. I asked my spirit guides to help if possible by gathering up any bits of my energy, cleanse and transmute any negativity and return the energy to me at a comfortable rate. If this sounds useful to you please feel free to change and adapt this process to suit yourself.

As an example of personal energy left behind I give you the case of myself when i stayed at my Grandmother's house and slept in her bed when she was away once. Within a couple of days I noticed I had to force myself to stand up straight instead of hunched forward and lopsided. It took quite an effort to stand up like I normally did only to go back shortly after. I was stuck at how I looked like my Grandmother when her back with it's ruputred discs were paining her. I then smudged myself and the house focusing on the bedroom and did some other things to clear the energy. After that I no longer had a problem standing up as straight as I normally got.

Although to be honest, I have no clue what I am doing. :)

Speaking of energy, the same day we buried my brother that house was hit with lightening. The current travelled the entire course of the house, ending at his room.

I've always thought he was po'd. Rightfully, po'd. AJ died of AIDS. The day we buried him, I overheard our oldest brother say that AJ deserved to die. He was in another room and I couldn't see who he was speaking to, and I couldn't hear the response. I was angry but too tired and in too much pain to confront anyone. A few hours later a lightening strike. Wow.

A few years later, the house was hit by lightening again. In the same place. This time the house sustained much more damage.

You must be right about needing to clear energy.

I'm so sorry about your brother.

:hug:

It's been years and I still miss him...

I am sorry your brother suffered such rejection from his own family. If it is OK with you I would like to send some Reiki his way.

If you wish to you can also reclaim energy for your brother. In my experience so far intention is the most powerful tool for working with energy. I am of the school of thought that if it can't hurt I might as well try something that might actually help especially when it only takes a few minutes.

Here is one vizulisation that might be useful.

Ground and shield yourself sening roots into the earth to keep your energy centered and balanced during this exercise. If you like ask for help from your higher self, spirit guides/guardian angel, or higher power. Then picture yourself like a magnet and all the bits of energy the opposite pole of a magnet and you are so powerful all the other bits come flying back like an explosion in reverse but instead of the energy going directly back into you imagine it going into a vessel of glowing light. Make it anything you like such as a crystal jar or treasure chest as long as you pciture it something made up of pure light and love. Send all the bits into that vessel full of and made of light and love so that all old hurts and injuries will be healed and anything harmful attached to your fragments will be transmuted into light as well. This is especially important when reclaiming fragments that left during a traumatic experience and may have become attached to the one causing you trauma. Also in romantic relationships people frequently give parts of their energy to their partner and usually does not reclaim those bits when a relationship ends. Reclaiming and healing these parts are vital as well. When you feel ready ask those bits that you are ready to reintegrate to come back into your being. You can again imagine it like an explosion in reverse or just imagine them floating back into place or breath them back into place. Once this is done put the vessel in a safe place such as give it to your high self or guardian angel to keep for you until you are ready to take back more of yourself.

Now you don't necessarily need to go over a list of ever place you ever lived, had a truamtic experience or had a crush on. You can if you like or just recall all your personal energy, breathe some ligth and love into yourself all over when done, ground again if you feel dizzy or spacy and go on with your day. You might find it most useful to do this shortly before sleeping so you have your entire sleep time to let everything settle back in.

Other than my oldest brother, the family gathered around my brother AJ with love and support. But if you still would like to send Reiki his way, I'm all for it.

I think your instructions are exactly right and what I need to do. I have felt more than a little fractured, and spiritually weakened and have not understood how or why. You make complete sense. I love the visualization as well, it is really helpful to me. I have the sense that I need to do this slowly, and not in one sitting.

Honestly, I am going to ponder gathering AJ's energy to myself. If he had anything to do with the lightening, it might be too much for me. :)

And just as I finished writing the above, I looked out the window and saw a red tail hawk rise from the tree. I got up and watched her soar and turn a dihedral out of sight. Can't get a clearer sign than that.

Thank you so much.

As for your brother if it was me I would do something more indirect such as asking his high self & guides to call in and heal the energy. Then if you like channel light to his highself to assist. whenever I am concerned about being too open to someone I send energy to their high self and guardian angel or it's spiritual equal guide. This way the person still gets some extra good energy and I don't have to worry about accidently picking up things I shouldn't.

This - " I personally have found it useful to reclaim that personal energy so I won't feel a hollow longing for places I used to live in .."

is EXACTLY the problem I'm having about the house I grew up in. It was torn down a few years ago, and I still morun it like a person.
I am most certainly going to take your advice!! Thank you so much!

:)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=71527&mesg_id=72272

Try this with anything you feel an excessive or bothersome longing for and see if it helps whether it is favorite child hood toy or an old friend you haven't seen in years. Or even an old school yard bully that memories of still makes one twitchy.

One more thing - if you like thank the spirits of the land where you lived for helping make that home so dear to you. I send reiki to the nature spirits of the land where I live and I always feel so welcomed when I come home :)

Last weekend, in the shower, I was thinking about the movie Titanic. For no good reason whatsover. I've only ever seen bits and pieces of it, don't particularly care for it, don't know why it was in my head.

But I came downstairs after my shower and my husband was watching a documentary or something on TV...about the making of the movie Titanic!

I don't consider myself psychic or anything like that, but I guess sometimes some of those vibes slip through, don't they?

And I find that meaningful.

:)

He'll be singing and turn on the radio...there's the song! Or he'll say something to me, use a phrase or choice of words, and whatever's on TV in the background, someone will say those same words just a beat later, or sometimes at the very same moment. Even he finds this is a little freaky. He's eleven.

Definitely when I'm doing something mindless, like getting ready in the morning, because my brain slips into alpha when I don't have to concentrate on what I'm doing. The weirdest things slip through--so trivial--but they always turn up "in real life" sooner rather than later. Sometimes significant things come through, too.

I think everyone's psychic to varying degrees. I mean, really, what is being psychic, but being able to tune in to all the information pinging around the ether?

Songs, Movies, Commercials, Friends, People on tv, etc. etc.
We just kinda take it for granted these days. It's pretty cool, though.

As the day came to a close, my husband and I sat talking about Danny and crying. Exhaused, we decided to go watch some tv. What comes one is a silly little wrestling movie, one of Danny's favorites. We of course had to watch it..we looked at it as Danny's father's day gift to David and a meaningful event

Things like that can give such comfort. I'm sorry that you and David are still in such pain, easttexaslefty.

:hug::hug::hug:

But whether we tweak to what the meaning is...that's another matter! I think the universe is always talking to us, whether or not we're listening.

There was a great line from The X-Files--Mulder said it, of course--that I have used as my e-mail sig for years: "If coincidences are just coincidences, why do they feel so contrived?"

And that's all I have to say about that!
:rofl:

I'm glad that Callie started this thread. I can tell two stories about things that seem meaningful and not just a random coincidence. Both concern my mother who died when I was thirteen.

About four years ago, I asked my mother if she would contact me. I had been told that the departed are around us and can hear us. Later that same morning, I was cleaning up the newspapers in the house and out fell an ad for a Mother's Day commemorative plate. A part of me said it was just a coincidence but another part of me said it's only February --- you don't normally see Mother's Day ads in February. My mother was letting me know she was nearby.

Earlier this year, I visited a medium on Long Island. She was able to reach my mother and said that my mother would tell me of her presence through roses. The medium wasn't sure what that meant -- smell of roses or what. The medium was not far from the cemetery where my mother is buried so I decided to visit my mother's grave. As I walking to her grave, I saw a white fabric rose just two graves over. It did not seem to belong to anything nearby -- no bouquet in sight had white roses or seem to be missing anything. I picked up the rose and placed it on my mom's grave. I think that rose appearing out of nowhere was a sign from her.

I don't have too much of a problem considering these incidents meaningful because of the timing. The first one occurred so close to my talking to my mother. The second one occurred right after the medium told me about my mother and roses.

If it weren't for the timing, I may have considered them mere coincidences.

That kind of thing has happened to me and others I know many times where my former boss is concerned. He passed away several years ago, but always at key events, key moments, someone finds money on the floor. He was always looking for money for our organization. His wife and all of us believe that is his way of letting us know he's around. She used to find money all the time at a park dedicated to him. Once I found his name and phone number lit up on the screen of my palm pilot. I was on my way home from a meeting in DC that he used to love to attend every year. I think he was there with me.

and language often does not allow this fluidity. To me there are some events whose meaning is unmistakably clear at the time, and other events that appear to be completely random, and then there are the infinite incremental steps in between. I like to remind myself that everything is connected, and although meaning may not be apparent at first, perhaps it will be clear at a later date, even years later. I do not stop looking for connections and meaning, it makes life more interesting for sure:)

sometimes it takes years to understand why events proceeded as they did. Good call.

you bring up, Callie.

I believe everything matters, and like windoe so eloquently put it, sometimes you have to step back and look at the whole picture before you can see those incrementals and how they led you to where you are. Well said, windoe.

But I do want to suggest that WE are the ones who find meaning in otherwise random events, who see connections where others see nothing. All of the incidents offered up here are extremely meaningful to those who posted. But, TV schedules are determined by programmers. Someone places a flower on one grave that is meaningful to the person visiting a different grave. Sometimes we turn on the radio just as a particular song is playing. And while these things matter very much, and are full of meaning to one person, to someone else it's just a random song or TV program or flower.

Which isn't to say you shouldn't go ahead and find meaning and comfort in these things. But I think sometimes it's tempting to read entirely too much into what after all, is a random event.

And yes, I have had my small share of such things. I have had recurring dreams that I've decided are meaningful. I try to strike a balance, though, between seeing the meaning and seeing the randomness.

Please don't anyone take this as my saying you're nuts or wrong, because you are neither.

It's up to us to make meaning.

Some people are more likely to see connections than others. Sometimes we don't see it until later.

I choose to make meaning out of life.

comes into town we go and take care of the graves. A very spritual friend of mine told me that the next time we went we would see butterflys as a sign they were there with us. Well I have never seen so many butterflys in a relatively urban setting in my life. They were everywhere, even hitting our car windsheild as we drove and flying on. The next time we went we thought, well I guess they are not here because nothing seemed to happen. We placed some yellow lillies on the graves and left. When my sister returned to Kentucky she looked out of her window and there were a group of yellow lillies that had apparently grown while she was gone and were as tall as the St. Francis statue that she has in her garden. My sister has never planted yellow lillies...

is a very old question. But with the advent of quantum physics we have new ways of thinking. It is now thought that there are as many as 10 dimensions with the 10th being music. So each thought and action are but notes; sometimes cacophony, sometimes harmony.

If we are the co creators of own dreams everything is real and everything matters.
Thanks for the thought stimuli :hi: what do you think?

I thought I remembered this from my youthful social studies classes, but I had to look it up on wikipedia to be sure:

Originally a political catch phrase of the 19th century, "Manifest Destiny" eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the expansion of the United States.

"Manifest Destiny" was basically the US' excuse for dominating the west, and sowed the seeds for what we're doing today in Iraq.

So I believe you mean destiny vs free will. And I believe in free will. You always have a choice. Even doing nothing is a choice.

I remembered it too from my early thoughts...I hadn't thought of the destiny/free will thing for a long time and the cobwebs took over.

Since quantum mechanics, I see the world in a very different way. Even without making a choice, choice has been made.

and a mountain lion showing itself repeatedly on our rural road and then, less than a mile from us, attacking, killing and eating a man. I continue to think there must be a connection though I have no idea what it could be. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.

I see a difference between synchronicity and omens and think each has a purpose. Synchronicity seems to say something about what an event means, while an omen seems to give direction. Case in point: I was once crying while I debated whether to take a job I knew I'd hate or to continue to buy, refinish and sell oak furniture, which I loved doing. I had stopped at a stoplight and an oak leaf floated in through the open car window, hovered over me and then dropped into my lap. The key seems to be to recognize both and listen to both.

edited for grammar