If we think of consciousness as a universal information field and memory bank, in which human brains acts as 'transceivers', then we might find an explanation for paranormal phenomena.
Such a ground of consciousness could be responsible for artistic inspiration as well as after-death communications, near-death experiences, past-life recollections – and synchronicity. It all points to a strange force in the universe bringing order out of randomness.
That synchronicity can be a prime conduit to the 'afterlife' is the special insight of this engaging handbook from novelists Rob MacGregor, author of seven original Indiana Jones novels, and Trish MacGregor, who as a team have also written books on dreams, astrology, yoga, the Tarot, divination and animal symbolism.
Jung's Theory of Synchronicity
A long-standing interest in synchronicity led to their book The 7 Secrets of Synchronicity which was published in 2010. Jung’s theory of synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence, the implication of which is that meaning is 'out there' to be grasped, whether humans happen to perceive it or not, is now widely recognized, of course.
The MacGregors weave the theme of synchronicity through numerous stories of people's communication with the 'other side', and through their own personal experiences, and they suggest how contact can be made with loved ones who have passed on. Spirits will use just about anything at its disposal to make contact with the living, they claim.
For example, your grandmother's favorite bird appears outside your window soon after her death, car registration plates repeatedly bear the name of a friend in trouble, or you are drawn inexplicably to a place you have never visited and find your ancestors lived there ages before.
Synchronicity a 'Direct Act of Creation'
Synchronistic contact can also happen in many other ways, including through dreams, meditation, unexpected encounters with animals, images, sounds and the mysterious 'clustering' of particular objects, names, words or numbers.
The MacGregors' books on synchronicity grew out of an experimental blog begun early in 2009, using Jung's term to describe events that seemed to be connected by time and meaning, but not by cause and effect. Such events have no 'normal' or physical causes and so it has been conjectured that their origins are paranormal. Jung argued that these coincidences tend to occur during emotionally charged events which he termed 'archetypal'.
It seemed to him that synchronicity represented a 'direct act of creation' manifesting itself as chance. It told us something about the nature of the unconscious archetype, and perhaps vice versa.
Collective Unconscious and Synchronicity
For synchronicity to happen, the spaces between individuals and things, rather than being empty, must somehow afford a connecting link or themselves be a transmitting medium. Jung, of course, posited the collective unconscious, and synchronicity was his word for Tao. Today, consciousness is strongly mooted by various physicists as this connecting medium.
Even when we experience a synchronicity that seems dark or cruel, say the MacGregors, we have the ability to look beyond the immediate and glimpse the larger picture, 'the underlying order beneath the chaos': 'By cracking synchronicity's symbolic code, we are invited into the mystery of the divine.'
Put another way, experiencing synchronicity places us at a portal to the hidden intelligence that orders the universe and embraces what is termed 'the paranormal' but which actually signposts the route to a higher consciousness able to perceive dimensions of existence other than everyday 'reality'. The MacGregors do much to deepen this realization.
- MacGregor, Trish and Rob, Synchronicity and the Other Side: Your Guide to Meaningful Connections with the Afterlife. Adams Media, 2011. UK £11.70 / US $18.95 / CAN $20.99. ISBN 978-1-4405-2544-7.
Geoff Ward - Geoff Ward, MA Lit., is a British journalist, media consultant, author and lecturer/tutor in literature and creative writing
