Synchronicities, De Ja Vu, and the Voice of God (a)

According to Jung, synchronicities differ from coincidence in that they are meaningful. For example, it is a coincidence to be at the mall at the same time as a long lost friend. However, it is a synchronicity if you have been thinking of each other for days before it happens, or if you exchange information that is meaningful when you come together. Another example of synchronicity is to be puzzling about a question, then turn on the radio and, as though the music were speaking directly to you, an answer comes in the form of lyrics. Or, every time that you are thinking a particular thing and look at the clock it is always 3:33 or 5:23, or whatever arbitrary number you may have in your life. It is when the coincidence goes beyond the, "wow that's odd" phase and moves into the just plain weird.

In the same way, de ja vu can be either seen as coincidence, or can be seen as a sort of synchronicity. Sometimes de ja vu hits and we think, "how odd" but nothing more. However, sometimes we know that it means something if only we could figure out what. It sometimes moves beyond just a flash of "this has happened before" and goes on for hours or even days. Like other forms of synchronicity it moves into the just plain weird phase. Related to these two phenomenon is a "peace that passeth all understanding." There comes times when we feel peace about a situation. We are able to let go of all our expectations about the situation, and we just feel at peace. There is no way to describe this. It is not a feeling that everything will be happy, or fun. But that everything will be all right. These feelings seem to be few and far between sometimes, but they do come, and I think there is a reason why.

Synchronicity, de ja vu, and the knowledge that everything will be all right are ways in which the Mystery communicates with us. (I will be referring to the Mystery in this essay, but you might call it God, Satan, DNA, Krishna, Buddha Nature, Shiva, Science, Thoth, or a million other metaphors. I like the metaphor of the Mystery. It seems to me to be the most honest. It says, I know there is something there that cannot be described, so I won't try, I will call it the Mystery.) People talk about hearing the voice of God, or God speaking to them. I believe that this is what they are talking about. Typically the sky doesn't split open and an audible voice of an anthropomorphic god-figure tells them what to do. Visions do happen, but that is another subject. And sometimes people are really mentally ill when they hear the voice of God. But I don't believe that this is the way it always is. I believe that the voice of God, or the Mystery, comes to us through signs. These signs are synchronicity, de ja vu, peaceful feelings, among other things mentioned in the scriptures such as astrology, visions, all pervasive feelings, etc. When a person realizes that, as the Beatles put it, "we're all one, and life goes on within you and without you," you also realize that the Mystery is within you and without you. You are the Mystery, and the Mystery is you, at least in part. So, when things such as synchronicity or de ja vu, or peaceful feelings come to you, and you think that you are going insane, or that it is all in your head, realize that in your head is where the Mystery is as well. You are not crazy, and it is not just a coincidence. It is the Mystery's way of letting you know, "pay attention, I'm trying to tell you something." So, "let he who has ears hear."

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