Nonmeaningful synchronicity

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So I might have had a moment of synchronicity yesterday. But it wasn’t meaningful, or some sort of profound affirmation of my spiritual quest or anything like that. To put it simply, I was working out with resistance bands while watching an exercise routine on YouTube. While transitioning from one exercise to another one of the handles of my resistance band came loose and fell on the ground. I picked it up and snapped it back in place. Then right at that moment the handle of the instructor’s resistance band in the YouTube video came undone just like mine. :sweat_smile:

I’ve often heard that those on the spiritual quest- as well as those familiar with various states of consciousness- often experience synchronicity, and that it’s usually a profound affirmation of some spiritual teaching or the direction their life is taking. I’m wondering- for those who have experienced synchronicity before- if nonmeaningful synchronicity is also a common experience among people who experience synchronicity.

I realize it could have just been a coincidence, but thought I’d bring it up and see if any one can relate. Also would love to hear peoples’ thoughts on synchronicity in general.

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Thinking about it . . . . . .

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Very cool, I am glad you brought up this topic.

Yes. My personal take is that both will become more common, the more and more you begin to Open. It has even happened many times in these forums.

Andrew had a great line from his latest video, “Anomalous experiences are intimations of the nondual”. He said it 2x, so I knew it was important to memorize. I think your experience would classify as an anomaly, even if its not deeply profound. They come in all shapes and sizes.

It may have been a sign to pay close attention to what the instructor was saying in the video before, during, or after it happened. Maybe your mind got sidetracked with thought, and it was a reminder to remain in the present momement? Could be many things, but definitely worth noting.

You definitely reminded me its time to get my ass back to the gym, more frequently! Not sure if you have noticed an increase in bird activity in your neck of the woods, or the strength of the sun, but I certainly have, along with trees budding,( and I think we both experience pretty brutal winters). Things are starting to thaw, one might say the holy spirit is starting to pool or even manifest. I think that is one reason why generations dubed this a holy week, with Mardi Gras and Ash wednesday (“thou art dust” I think most spiritual traditions can appreciate that gem). In about 2 weeks, one name given to that full moon is the Worm moon, noting that the ground is starting to wake up, and come alive with worms, who feed the soil, and indirectly and directly the plants, trees, and birds, and many other animals.

So it may have been signaling to you that you are on the right track, making the most of this awakening energy. Working out is a great way to relieve stress, clear the mind, and helps you get better and deeper sleep. I think it is an important part of the spirtual path.

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Yeah, so I’m walking, doing a kora (circumambulation) around my house, reciting a White Tara mantra, and a white car passes by. I raise my hand and wish them long life and I think of synchronicity—pretty much everything I see is synchronicity, if I notice it. I usually don’t operate that way, so the world sometimes reminds me. It is the essence of duality or dependent origination in Buddhist terminology as I understand it.

He and Pema Chodren discussed “The Pause” in their dialogue a few years ago. The Tripp app for Meta Quest VR system has an activity that asks you to focus on the pauses between events, which like the pauses between thoughts, is where true peace exists.

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Wow, cool. I still feel like a spiritual child so it’s interesting for me to think of experiences like this as “intimations of the nondual.”

I really like this! Reminds me of the incident in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna where Ramakrishna slaps his patron in the face while they were both meditating in front of Kali because her mind had wandered and wasn’t focused on the practice. Interesting to think of the incident as a reminder like that. And I did need it. When I work out I tend to be the “oh I hope it’s over soon” type. :sweat_smile: I need to trying being in the present more when I work out.

Yep, we have birds. And flowers too. And the little worms friends are readying the soil for my little garden right now hopefully. I like the language you used here about the holy spirit “pooling”. Beautiful image. :grinning:

I’m trying to make the most of this life. Something spiritual teachers say a lot but I never really listened to until recently. Yes it’s important to take care of our bodies. They are the vehicles for our sadhana and our spiritual journey. So in that way working out is a sadhana in itself.

Wow I never thought of synchronicity that way before. As a seeing into dependent arising. That’s a really interesting way to look at it. And I love the idea of making circumambulations around your home. That’s something I never thought of doing before. Now I’m thinking of places around where I live where I can do that.

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Our house is basically a temple—with a shrine room, a few other shrines in various parts of the home and a lot of Dharma objects and items gathered over the years, placed throughout. If you have a shrine in your house, you can do a kora to gain merit, or so I’m told.

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I had 2 cool synchronicities yesterday relating to this post. When I was out for a long walk, I ended up seeing and or hearing 3 separate flocks of Sandhill cranes. The one that was visible was flying North west. Have not seen them since they flew south last year. Definitely rings true with what I said about noticing more bird activity. Also saw 2 red taield hawks.

Great story, I think we all need a slap from time to time. I am reading the book Extaordinary Knowing (Andrew recommended it, its awesome!) One of the people in it talks about healing his cancer, by running and visualizing white light and the cancer decreasing. Its pretty amazing what the body can do with a little intent and work.

I had my second synchronicity at the gym that night, I had worked out hard for about 2hours, and then when I was finishing up, a friend I had not seen since last year said hi and that I should take this group fitness class. I had never done it before, and was tired and sore, so I said no. But after getting water, I thought about it again and thought it might be a sign, so I joined the class. It was all leg workout, and about 33% of it involved using the Elastic Bands with weights and in different poses. Killer work out, just what I needed, the bands did not snap on me, but thought it was more than a coincidence :wink:, it definitely kicked my ass, still sore today.

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Oh no there goes my spiritual materialistic side “I should learn dream yoga to heal myself and save myself from having to go to the doctor’s office” :sweat_smile:. These kinds of stories are inspiring, but they do present a temptation for me to engage in spiritual development for less than spiritual reasons.

It hurts so good lol. Glad to hear you got inspired to do that. That sounds like an awfully long time at the gym though, no wonder you were sore!

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Thanks I do have a little alter in my meditation room. And we do have a sort of “shrine”- a place in the house that has a lot of icons of Christian saints. Haven’t yet done a kora around my house, but I did do one around my favorite tree that has a branch hanging out that looks like an elephant’s trunk.

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Dr. Ed O’Malley, The Sleep Doctor, consuls hugging trees to give and receive love!

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Haha I used to do that when I was younger, maybe I’ll try it again!

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Jung defined synchronicity as a “meaningful coincidence” so saying that a synchronicity doesn’t have meaning is kind of an oxymoron. It may be like saying a dream doesn’t have meaning because you don’t understand it. Imagine that you dreamed that a guy was working out with a resistance band, dropped it and then picked it up and snapped it back into place. What would that dream mean to you? I’m thinking that the word “resistance” may be a clue. A guy drops his resistance, then snaps it back into place. What would that mean?
Then again, perhaps all of waking reality is a dream and it all means something, depending on how awake we are to these meanings. Is it all a big synchronicity?

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I can see that outline sometimes when I’m not realling looking.

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This, I always struggle with the next question that comes to my mind though, whose dream is it? Am I dreaming a dream within someone else’s dream or am I just dreaming within a strange construct we call reality that abides by this thing we call time. Who is in charge of time? I feel as though the experience of time is a persistent thing I am experiencing within this dream. Is it just a strange byproduct of this weird place?

Love this quip Einstein made “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

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I like it when science fiction tackles this.

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Great point, I think there is a subjective ‘feeling’ or senstation that goes along with this, difficult to describe, I dont think its emotional, cant really put it to words, so I am glad he coined a term for it.

Did yall see the interview with the guy who does Chiromancy? Really good.

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Here is Alan Watt’s take on this. We are God’s dream. God (or Ultimate Reality) is dreaming that they are you.

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Great one, had some overlapping clips with my favorite Alan Watts stuff:

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Love those 2 videos, really good.

@fenwizard do you see Awareness as being kind of like a force field or gravitational field that flows through the entire universes, permeating everything and all beings?

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Going to be stealing these vids :heart_eyes:

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