I often say that I don’t believe in coincidences but the truth is, I do. When two events coincide with one another that are seemingly random and unrelated we call that a coincidence. I believe in coincidence I just don’t disregard it as “only a coincidence.” I know that some force larger than myself is at play and I can only see a small part of it, so it appears random and unrelated. But learning to read life allows a greater appreciation for such events. Shamans refer to this kind of event as an omen. The Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, in an attempt to come up with a new word for coincidence created the word synchronicity. For me, coincidences are reminders that there is an invisible hand at work in my life. For some reason, these kinds of events are thrilling and even emotional at times for they appear to be infused with the meaning and purpose of my existence. I feel the threads of connection literally played out on the stage of life. Each person is intricately woven into everyone else’s life so events too, are interconnected in much the same way. A coincidence is like coming to the space that creates a crossroad. It is the point of intersection and a place of tremendous opportunity, potential and  ultimately choice. Lately, my life is riddled with coincidences. It is a riddle, a puzzle that I want to solve. Sometimes it makes me laugh and other times it startles me; or it fills me with a deep sense of purpose and belonging. According to Jung, the journey of the human being is the process of individuation, the full realization of both the self and the Divine within. A seeming contradiction, one of life’s great paradoxes. Or perhaps it is a great spiritual truth where one realizes all parts meet together as a single whole.

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