Shamanic Synchronicity

Carl Jung, the eminent psychologist, defined synchronicity as "meaningful coincidence," one that involves an internal psychological event that corresponds to an external observable event. Jung's premise is based upon the synchronicity of the universe. This is the proposition that the human experience is a microcosm and reflection of universal law and order. Humanity is the universe, occurring in every moment. Each human being is a hologram of the Cosmos, a weaving together of universal information from a particular point of view. As American author and human potentialist George Leonard put it: "Each human being consists of pure information expressed as rhythmic waves that start as infinitesimal vibrations of subatomic particles and build outward as ever-widening resonant hierarchies of atoms, molecules, cells, organs, organisms, families, bands, tribes, nations, civilizations, and beyond." At every phase of unfoldment, every entity is interwoven through the resonant web of information that is the universe.

Jung held that synchronicities mirror deep psychological processes, convey messages the way dreams do, and impart meaning and guidance to the degree they correspond to emotional states and inner experiences. A synchronicity is a coincidence that has an analog in the psyche, and depending on how you comprehend it, it can inform you through intuition and emotion. As anthropologist Michael Harner put it in his book The Way of the Shaman, synchronicities are considered "a kind of homing beacon analogous to a radio directional signal indicating that the right procedures and methods are being employed." So be on the lookout for synchronicities, for they confirm that your shamanic work is producing effects beyond the bounds of probability or coincidence.