The mysterious power of synchronicity

Taking note of meaningful coincides can be a didactic experience with surprising revelations

Feb 16, 2024

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The other day I came across a Canada goose, sitting all alone next to a trail near a large field skirting a college campus. There was no other goose - or any animal - in its vicinity.

Behind the goose was a trail where I walked with my beagle. In front and adjacent to our left was a row of old buildings formerly known as the Toronto Lunatic Asylum but now belongs to Humber College. This field is part of a large park steps from the shores of Lake Ontario which also features a wetland pond. Fowl like swans and ducks as well as a variety of other birds like heron and owls are seen regularly in this park, so it wasn’t really a surprise to see this Canada goose. The odd thing was the fact that the goose was all alone, isolated without a partner or flock.

Seeing the lonely goose sitting there exposed in the big field piqued my interest.

Was I meant to see this scene?

Was there a spiritual message in the lone goose’s appearance in my life on this particular day?

I kept Tucker on a short lead knowing the goose would attack if irritated. Tucker meanwhile stared intently at this feathery creature; is it edible, can I chase it, will it play with me? Luckily he was smart enough to keep out of the goose’s way.

It may be noteworthy to mention Canada geese are mean. 🥴🇨🇦

We kept walking. But the image of the solitary goose stayed with me. I reflected on its spiritual message and began to make other connections to unusual yet poignant events, images or patters I had experienced recently.

Geese in nature are immensely territorial. If anything gets too close, Goose honks wildly as a warning – come any closer, and Goose WILL bite you. You can be as nice as you wish, but if Goose sees you as a threat, there is no peace offering. That’s why Goose Spirit often symbolizes the warrior Spirit, protection, and bravery.
Source: whatismyspiritanimal.com

The day prior I walked the same park but on a different trail, a new one I had never seen on before. That part of the inlet island near the pond used to be fenced off in order to allow the forested area to regrow naturally after some damage had occurred during an ice storm years earlier. I saw the path open and since the beagle’s nose was leading me toward it, I figured I’ll explore it with him.

That’s when I saw it: two isolated heart-shaped leaves in the middle of the dirt path.

The two leaves entered my line of vision and made me pause mentally, but not physically. What I mean is, I kept walking even though I paused my thoughts momentarily when I saw them.

Theme: isolated hearts, like the isolated goose…

A few steps later, something unidentifiable compelled me to return to the hearts. I snapped the photo thinking there’s a subliminal message here.

Why did my eyes zoom in to those two leaves but not any of the others along the path?
What made me backtrack, dragging a confused beagle behind me, so I could snap the picture?

Somehow, the hearts struck me as important, which is why I took the picture.

That same day I encountered other strange events which meant more to me after the fact, upon reflection.

At the tail end of running some errands, I visited a coffee shop, one I don’t normally frequent. I ordered a cappuccino and plain scone and sat down to wait for my beverage. To pass the time, I took out my phone to find something to read. As soon as I activated the screen, I noticed the time was 11:11. This is a number sequence which stalks me on occasion, sometimes rather aggressively.

I smiled to myself and thought here we go again. The number sequences are back.

When the barista finished making my coffee, she didn’t put a lid on the cup the way other baristas do. She pointed to a little table where the lids were located and went to assist another customer. I took my cappuccino without a lid and sat down to relax and enjoy my snack. That’s when I noticed she had designed a heart into the foam.

Seeing the coffee heart immediately transported me back to theisolated heart-shaped leaves I saw earlier that same day, which made me recall the time (11:11).

Seems the synchronicity was back.

I pondered my situation. What did it mean, suddenly noticing these patterns - or meaningful coincidences - appearing in my life? Should I be paying closer attention to things in my obit? And how did the lonely goose fit into all of this?

Reflections

The weeks leading up to the goose and hearts had been dripping with synchronicity to the point of distraction. For weeks I was treated to synchronistic meaningful coincidences, some noteworthy, others only acknowledged peripherally or in hindsight.

It’s a good thing I keep a journal.

For instance, I remembered noticing the strange number patterns at the gas station out in the suburbs a week ago. Later, when I sorted a pile of store receipts for budgeting purposes, my eyes were led to a series of odd number patterns.

Then, all of a sudden, the synchronicity stopped.

For a time, I didn’t see any patterns or symbols at all, no matter how hard I looked to seek them out.

Eventually, I put them out of my mind and figured it was just another one of those things, the natural ebb and flow of life. That is to say, until the goose and then the leaf and coffee hearts made their appearance.

Synchronicity

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, wrote extensively about synchronicity. He defined it as “circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection”.

(Source: Kerr, Laura K. (2013). "Synchronicity". In Teo, T. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.)

Jung introduced the idea of synchronicity to strip off the fantasy, magic, and superstition which surround and are provoked by unpredictable, startling, and impressive events that, like these, appear to be connected.

(Source from Carl Jung’s book Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle)

There are numerous examples he noted in his observations of his patients, some which are mentioned in YouTube videos which I sometimes listen to during chores or cooking.

Favorite synchronicity videos on YouTube

Grateful Vibe (The Secret Messages Behind Synchronicities | Carl Jung)
Sehnend (Unraveling Synchronicity | How Patterns In Your Life Are Not A Coincidence)
Audio Books Office

Taking note when the number patterns appear

Repetitive numbers have long connected me to a type of self-awareness about money, income or the financial realm. I don’t see repetitive numbers all the time, but when I do, typically starting with 11:11 or 2:22, I usually end up with money in my pocket. These seemingly random occurrences of financial gain have perplexed me for years, but it’s only been in the past year or so when I started taking notes whenever I came across numerical patterns. I documented them either with a screenshot in my phone or by hand in a tiny notebook so I have some form of reference when something interesting happens (such as a sudden influx of money).

I realize how crazy this sounds.
I am neither psychic nor do I claim to have some supernatural power. The monetary connection however has been real although not necessarily in significant terms. For instance, the mortgage is still outstanding, and I drive a 20-year old car because I can’t afford to replace it with a new(er) one. Still, the trickles of money coming in when I find myself surrounded by repetitive number sequences has made me more aware on multiple levels, mostly in terms of acknowledging opportunities which I may have missed had I not been primed to be more alert by these number sequences.

I often ask myself, are these number patterns nudges from the universe to open my awareness and see the opportunities which may be subtle but important in some way?

Or is my mind simply playing tricks on me?

There is a neurological connection associated with this phenomenon which I will get to shortly (keep reading).

What I’m saying is, the physical acknowledgement of number patterns have proven significant in terms of monetary value in ways I can’t ignore. So, when I enter my kitchen and approach the kettle located next to an appliance, and that appliance flashes 11:11 at me, I pay attention.

The neurological connection

A neuroscientist whom I read, admire and follow as well as mention periodically in my writing has increased my understanding of how the brain works. Dr. Tara Swart, whose speciality is neuroplasticity, explains in easily understandable terms what value tagging is, and how it works.

In short, it has to do with the brain being primed in some way to notice things in our orbit which we may have inadvertenty or on purpose focused our attention on.

Dr. Swart explains it like this:

As part of selective attention, value tagging is the importance your brain assigns to every piece of information it is exposed to – people, places, smells, memories … you name it. It is an unconscious activity that precedes every action in response to a stimulus and therefore directing your ensuing response.
Source: What is Value Tagging, Psychology Today

This explains why, once I see a series of synchronistic patterns such as numbers or images, my brain becomes primed to notice more of the same.

Consider you want to buy a new car. You’ve researched the make, model and colour for weeks until you are very familiar with the car you desire to buy. Suddenly, you notice this exact car pop up everywhere: parked on a side road, at the shopping mall, in passing on a highway. You’ve primed your brain with images and concepts about this particular car and now you see it wherever you go.

Just imagine how powerful you become when you make this realization and begin to focus your attention on the things you desire, and then taking advantage of the opportunities which are likely to appear seemingly out of nowhere.

Of course, this is a simplistic perspective and easier said than done, but the idea itself sticks. Check out this video How to attract your dream life - Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart Bieber, or read my article on vision boards (which quotes significantly from Dr. Swart’s content) and her own personal success story in achieving all her dreams and desires she placed on her own vision board.

Coming full circle

The days after I saw the goose and hearts were followed with a sharp increase in number patterns in my daily routine. The next morning, I woke at 3:33 because had to pee. Later, I woke up at 5:55 craving coffee. I turned my phone upside down while working at my laptop but when I needed to activate a two-step verification, it was 11:11, then again at 2:22. I received a message from a customer at 4:44.

Remember the financial connection to the number sequences I mentioned earlier? The very next morning, a sale of an old Lego toy my mom and I have been peddling on Facebook Marketplace came through and I ended up with $200 in my pocket.

I don’t know why this happens, but I like it! 😀

More meaningful coincidences

Interestingly, the repetition of synchronistic events continued outside of the numbers realm. One morning, I went on Instagram while sipping my coffee and noticed a new post from a DJ from Mississauga whom I follow on social media. He was on vacation with his wife and sharing photos from the Maldives. Later that same day, I researched a recipe and came across Jamie Oliver’s Instagram and lo, there he was showing pictures of his family on vacation in the Maldives. (I do not follow Jamie Oliver on Instagram, this was an independent and separate search in a browser on my laptop, not in my phone.)

Perhaps I should begin directing my focus and attention on attracting a vacation in the Maldives… 😉

These synchronicities are perplexing in an illuminating sort of way. I have grown accustomed to accepting these symbolic events as personally meaningful and as a sign of my increasing conscious awareness.

Do I consider these subliminal messages as a nudge from the universe to alert me I am on the right path, making the right decisions, or directing me toward a better option?

Sometimes, it seems that way. Other times, I dismiss the whole thing as just a neurological glitch in my overstimulated brain, a fun distraction to write about.

And yet…

I believe that everything is energy and that we’re all cosmically connected. I also understand, at least in principle, the neurological connections the brain executes as was described earlier with the value tagging system.

There is much to learn about our brains…

Fun fact about the Super Bowl

Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs ended the game with 333 yards passing. The Chiefs won by 3 points with 3 seconds left. And the address of the stadium is 3333 Al Davis Way.

How’s that for some serious synchronicity?

Room with a Door