The Synchronicity Thread

[ninakat]

I thought I'd start this thread for the purpose of having people discuss their own experiences with synchronicity, in all its forms. There's been a lively discussion in the chainsaw suicide thread about 11:11 and other permutations of multiple 1s, thanks to newcomer Bruce Dazzling. But there are all kinds of examples of seemingly bizarre coincidences that may or may not mean something more. I'm fascinated with this stuff, especially since I've had a number of experiences in my life that are really beyond explanation.

I'll start with one example. Once when I was in my teens, arriving home with some friends -- we got out of the car and for some inexplicable reason, I pointed at the sky and said "Look, a shooting star" -- everyone looked up, and it happened, right when and where I pointed. And no, I hadn't already seen it -- no time for that -- shooting stars don't last long enough.

And regarding 11:11 and other such numerological synchronicities, I've been seeing these kinds of things on an almost daily basis over the last several months. Clocks were first, then all kinds of other things -- almost daily -- apartment numbers, length of video postings, check numbers, on and on. I could just be more "aware" of these incidents, true, but they seem somehow so uncanny that they're hard to dismiss as pure chance.

So I hope you'll contribute your experiences, and also your perspectives on what the meanings/purposes are, if any.

[anothershamus]

I had a deja vu experience with another person that was having the same deja vu experience at the same time.

We were at burning man in 06 and I had met her the year before and she lived in Oregon, sort of close to where I live. We both were welders and so there was a good friendship connection.

We made plans to get together at the burn, (which in itself is not a guaranteed successful endeavor).
I stopped by her camp randomly and there she was finishing with her project (a flaming tree) and as we were exchanging greetings,
I was getting a strong sense of deja vu.

My history of deja vu is as follows: When I was young I used to get them all the time and I got really used to them. As I grew older I didn't get them as much but, every once in a while I would get one.
My first year going to burning man was '03, and I was just about knocked down by them with every image and situation that I was involved with, very strong deja vus. By '06 I was used to the deja vus and I just took them for an everyday occurrence during the burn.

So when I was getting this particular deja vu, I just went with it, (and no I hadn't had any hallucinogenic help), and she mentioned that she needed a moment because she was getting a really strong deja vu. I told her that I was in the middle of one as well. We didn't really talk about it much more than that, but it does give me some sense of the deja vu being more than just an individual occurrence. I think that this fits in the synchronicity subject peripherally at least. And yes for all the options to be covered it could have been merely coincidental due to the proliferation of deja vus at burning man.

[Penguin]

Ive had several, over several years, and ongoing daily. Its become a matter of fact to me. A matter of fact I neither think I control, nor care to. A matter of fact I neverthless cherish and get a childlike joy out of. Like the wind blowing thru green leaves suckling in suns lovely warm shine, like a bird flitting in the air, carried on mother winds arms.

Once I was at home in the evening, chilling out and listening to music. Suddenly I think of my old girlfriend, and after that a good friend, whom I havent seen in about a year. I havent talked to her on the phone either, nor thought of her. I get the feeling that I need to call her right now. I wonder if the number still is the same, and call. She answers almost shouting to the phone "Haha! Guess what you just did! Guess what you just did!" and then she explains that she had been cleaning her room, and had found a C-cassette that I had recorded her years earlier, from some ambient vinyls I had, and I had made the covers by hand. She had put it on and started wondering how I might be doing. And at this exact moment - yup, 200 km away, I get the NEED to call her.

With this same girl, years earlier when we were seeing each other (for a short while only), I was visiting her horse stables, and we were standing outside, just talking about something. Then I get the "world stops" - this has happened to me two times, that time and once before. Ill explain what I mean by this first.

"World stop" happened first time when I was 16. I had been in the library, reading science magazines, and particularly one about theories of multiple universes, either cohabiting the "same space" or other theories, string theories and so on. While walking home and pondering this, all of a sudden I felt like I ceased to be. Thats the best way to put it - I simply was no longer. Everything was. Everywhere, always, timeless, ever the same, never ceasing. It felt like eternity, thou in real time it was probably a second. At this time I had never used any psychedelics, tobacco or alcohol.

So - back to story - there we are talking - and I get this same thing again. And she stops mid sentence - looks me in the eyes, and says "Im sorry, but you do not exist". This intensifies my feelings and I can absolutely feel a tingling sensation going up thru my spine. Again, it lasted probably a few seconds but it was immense.

Its late so I think Ill write a few more later, but stuff like I know someone specific is going to call me a couple seconds later happens quite often (maybe once a week or so), and often I know when a friend is about to open the stairwell door and am already at my door before s/he has rung the bell.. And daily, I know things like someone asks me to close the window, its cold - a few seconds to ten seconds earlier.

He, one more...
Once I was at my good friends home, we were meditating, sitting facing each other on the floor, eyes closed, ambient music made by him playing (hes a sonic wizard). As I meditate, I start to feel a warm light below my navel. It starts to grow brighter. At this point, my friend remarks that Im glowing. I start to concentrate on the glowing feeling, and it bursts bright, up up my spine, and thru the top of my head. He lets out a "Whoa! It got really intense, I can feel it!"

A lil after that, we changed positions, but still sat facing each other. I was looking at his face, and it starts morphing, from one totally real face, to another totally real face. It looked like my friend always - the one behind the eyes - but at one moment it was a little flubby face, the next a scarred, warriors face, then again a bearded face, then mustached...Going thru maybe twenty or so, but in such fast procession that I couldnt be sure - but each time the second or two the face was stable, it was as real as Id been looking at my own face in a mirror.

After this we had a kind of telepathic symbiosis for a few hours - went for a walk in totally dark woods except starlit sky and mist that hung in the ground at our waist level - we walked without saying a word, "knowing", and stopped in several places, sat under a tree or lied down on the ground...Magic.

More later.

[dada]

My current feeling about synchronistic occurences is that they are an entirely normal function of the universe, not very magical or meaningful, except to the extent that any other universal phenomena, for example magnetism, or gravity, is magical or meaningful. From my personal experience, adopting this belief system doesn't lessen the rush I feel when a very strong synchronictic event happens to me. On the contrary, it makes me want to celebrate, even all the while knowing that it is objectively insignificant nonsense. In fact, knowing it is meaningless even adds to the enjoyment.
But it has to be something more than just seeing some 11's or 23's or what have you. Say you saw a few 11's over a period of a couple days. Once you said to yourself, "gee, I'm seeing alot of 11's recently," chances are you will see 11's more often. Like Mac said in the other thread, it would be the same if you started noticing anything else; dogs, one legged people, what have you. That confirmation bias thing starts happening. And especially in relation to numbers. As Robert Anton Wilson said, "one can find a numerological significance to anything, provided "sufficient cleverness.""

I once had a girlfriend who was into the whole "11" thing; it was a message from ascended masters to the light children or whatever. I have a real distaste for anything related to that stuff. I agree with Mac that it is unhealthy to think that the universe is sending you and a select chosen few special messages, to the extent that you feel the need to not only observe them, but proselytize and argue about it.
As an aside, I've noticed that when I was ingesting alot of mind altering substances, I found the quantity of synchronistic connections I experienced to increase. There are many ways that can be interpreted, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

There was a thread around last week that was about something called "patternicity." I thought that used to be called apophenia. I think that the 11 thing is just a case of mass apophenia.

From the wiki article on apophenia:

Apophenia is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data. The term was coined in 1958 by Klaus Conrad, who defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections" accompanied by a "specific experience of an abnormal meaningfulness".

While observations of relevant work environments and human behaviors in these environments is a very important first step in coming to understand any new domain, this activity is in and of its self not sufficient to constitute scientific research. It is fraught with problems of subjective bias in the observer. We (like the experts we study) often see what we expect to see, we interpret the world through our own personal lens. Thus we are extraordinarily open to the trap of apophenia.
—Klaus Conrad, A Cognitive Approach to Situation Awareness: Theory and Application

That being said, I have a synthesizer from the early 80's that has a random generator that you can you can hook up to the different oscillators. You have a certain amount of control of the parameters within which it does it's randomizing thing. It really sounds like the thing is making music, I swear it sounds like Coltrane sometimes. But it's just making random sounds, and the mind makes the patterns, and very meaningful ones at that. When I have a moment, I'll post some mp3's to give you an idea what I'm talking about.

Anyway, there's my rambling post, somewhat on and around the topic. Hope you enjoyed it.

[Penguin]

Da, Da, dada.

[Joe Hillshoist]

On the contrary, it makes me want to celebrate, even all the while knowing that it is objectively insignificant nonsense. In fact, knowing it is meaningless even adds to the enjoyment.

Isn't the fact that its enjoyable what gives it its meaning?

After all objectively every event is an unrelated chance happening tied to every other event, but with no more importance or connection than any of the other events.

Its how they are percieved and that perception fitted into an ontological structure that determines whether they are noticed and the meaning they get lumped with if they are noticed.

The fact that it gives you enjoyment means it fits a specific pattern and contains meaning. At least for you.

The real test of this stuff is practical applications in the real world.

Thats why science is so powerful, it uses a long tradition of testing to develop its meaningful patterns, and a big part of that tradition is practical success and something useful coming out of it.

But there are people who can use synchronicity in that way, can read patterns we can't, and provide a consistant benefit to themselves from that. Mathematical savants are one example, but so are some of "those weirdos". So are sailors who can read the wind and current, and the stars to navigate.

The thing about this synchronicity stuff that seems fantastic is only that we are unfamiliar with it. We only notice it if its meaningfulness is someting thats important to us at that moment, we don't notice it going on all the time with everything cos we are usually too focussed on our own little worlds.

I agree with Mac that it is unhealthy to think that the universe is sending you and a select chosen few special messages, to the extent that you feel the need to not only observe them, but proselytize and argue about it.

The universe is sending special individualised messages to everyone all the time actually, especially you dada. You are right that its unhealthy to reflect on it too much tho, and doubly so to think its only for you and a special chosen few. Triply so to think its important enough to argue about (for anyone else, it might still be important for you.)

[OP ED]

why won't the universe just leave us alone?

[Joe Hillshoist]

It needs the money apparantly.

Hows it going OP ED? Haven't been in here much lately, good to see you.

[OP ED]

doesn't it already have money?

going well, all things considered. elections are over now, so this place isn't a frothing madhouse. seems sort of subdued at present while everyone plans their next four years.

Hope things are well on your side of the planet. Cold here. Snow, etc.
on the plus side, i think i'm gonna go to the book release thing in, what, ten days or so, and that should be fun, at the very least.

couldn't pass it up on account of it being driving distance for me.

sorry for thread hijack.

in other news, er, what about all them 8's this year? Even Barack is sort of an 8.

[justdrew]

Every time these 'number synchronicity' stuff comes up I've tried to remember... and finally found it... Benford's Law!

A phenomenological law also called the first digit law, first digit phenomenon, or leading digit phenomenon. Benford's law states that in listings, tables of statistics, etc., the digit 1 tends to occur with probability ∼30%, much greater than the expected 11.1% (i.e., one digit out of 9). Benford's law can be observed, for instance, by examining tables of logarithms and noting that the first pages are much more worn and smudged than later pages (Newcomb 1881). While Benford's law unquestionably applies to many situations in the real world, a satisfactory explanation has been given only recently through the work of Hill (1998).

Weisstein, Eric W. "Benford's Law." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/BenfordsLaw.html

http://www.kirix.com/blog/2008/07/22/fun-and-fraud-detection-with-benfords-law/

Also, numerical appearances of 11s, 8s whatever... Are they really synchronicities?

Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which are causally unrelated occurring together in a meaningful manner.

23: R.A.W. used 23 as a good example of how one tends to notice something more often when one is already looking for it. The story of 23 he tells was meant as a cautionary tale.

It's also a manifestation of conditioned arising aka dependent origination

Still, I would say about half the time I ask someone what time it is, it turns out to be "about 2:30"
(which just coincidentally is when a china-man goes to the dentist)

[Joe Hillshoist]

doesn't it already have money?

When did that stop someone (or something) wanting more?

I think the universe is a bit like a person, conscious and developing, sort of. It wants to become more conscious and communicate, (unlike most people I spose) and it enjoys a laugh. Its mostly nice and wants to be friendly and even lovey dovey, but every now and then it just gets the shits.

It also has a malicious sense of humour that it likes to indulge in. I think one aspect of the UFO contactee experience that Jeff often blogs about is a result of this. It doesn't like gullibility, and can really dump people in it.

But I think one side of that involves promoting critical thought and all that goes with it.

Crowley touched on that, with his insistence on testing entities and never taking them on face value. And with his most brilliant observation ever:

"The universe is the practical joke by the general at the expense of the particular ...."

As for the 8s ...

I dunno - its 2008, that might have something to do with it. The 8 is a bit of an infinity sign too isn't it.

Its stormy here - tropical thunderstorms, and there are gold tops coming up everywhere - they are psilocibin mushrooms for those who don't know. Summer's coming on and while the rest of SE Australia is a tinderbox at least its green and rainy here, so thats good. We are having fun as usual.

It must have been a frothing madhouse in November - all that energy. We were relieved enough when Howard went last year, but thats nothing. Hopefully that energy stays with people, regardless of what Obama ends up doing. That would be a change - some cynics might even believe in that sort of change.

I wouldn't mind going to the book launch, but it ain't gonna happen. Unless someone gives me a tardis (There are gold tops about so might happen). Have fun tho.

[Joe Hillshoist]

justdrew, good one re Benford's law.

A phenomenological law also called the first digit law, first digit phenomenon, or leading digit phenomenon. Benford's law states that in listings, tables of statistics, etc., the digit 1 tends to occur with probability ∼30%, much greater than the expected 11.1% (i.e., one digit out of 9). Benford's law can be observed, for instance, by examining tables of logarithms and noting that the first pages are much more worn and smudged than later pages (Newcomb 1881). While Benford's law unquestionably applies to many situations in the real world, a satisfactory explanation has been given only recently through the work of Hill (1998).

digit appearances in above paragraph

1 7
2 0
3 1
4 0
5 0
6 0
7 0
8 3
9 3
0 1

I dunno if Benford's law "disproves" synchronicity tho... If anything it, and recognising something special about the 11:11 on the clock both reveal something about the underlying structure in a seemingly chaotic and random universe. They are both a recognition of the same thing, tho one is a formalised mathematical theorm and the other is an intuitive recognition.

[wintler2]

Well theres this thread and the recent Synchronicity Foundation thread.

And in 92? i got on a predawn backpacker bus in Egypt to go see Abu Simbel, and sat next to a Floridian named Randy who it turned out had moved into my room in the London squat i had left 4 months earlier. We swapped a little gossip but had little in common and parted amicably soon after; should i have asked for his phone number?

[Joe Hillshoist]

Maybe.

Synchronicity is a trippy thing isn't it.

What pattern could drive you and someone you have never met through the same places to meet that way? Out of all the people in the world, or just all the people in the world that share your connections, and interests?

On the face of it that looks like a wild coincidence then as you examine it less wild, its more likely you'll sit next to someone who moved into your room in a squat on a backpacker bus in egypt, than you'll sit next to Rupert Murdoch on that same bus. Heaps more likely.

So you reduce the event as much as you can, and eventually you come to a point where it can't be reduced anymore. If at that point the meaning of the event is still significant, then its obviously ... significant, and you can look at it being a wild chance, or something else.

I sat next to Wayne Carey on a plane once. There are a whole lot of insignificant conincidences surrounding that meeting that mean nothing to anyone else cept me. After watching North melbourne lose 2 preliminary finals in a row, I knew that if I met Wayne Carey and told him certain things they would win the Grand Final. So I met him on a plane the following summer, told him what he needed to know in my own way and sure enough the Mighty Kangas won the next Grand Final. (Pity he didn't take the lesson to heart and apply it to life, not just footy.)

Meeting the captain of your favorite team can be a coincidence enough, in its own way, tho he used to share a flat with an old mate of mine, there's only a degree of seperation between us, via several people. So its not unusual or unreasonable that we'd meet.

But wanting to meet that guy, specifically before the start of the next footy season to chat and expose him to a little magic ritual thing I developed, and knowing they'd win the flag if I did, then actually meeting him cos he sat next to me on a plane (the only time I'd been on one in 3 years), and getting the chance to do it. There is nowhere else I'd have had him as a captive audience to do my thing.

Thats an incredibly meaningful coincidence, a synchronicity if ever there was one from my pov.

It was quite weird too. We were sitting in economy and the plane was getting ready to take off when he came on at the last minute, with all his luggage and sat down next to me. Out of the blue. I thought "cool we're gonna win the flag".

BTW That synchronicity foundation story is pretty mad.

[8bitagent]

I notice that "33" is reported in the news, A LOT, in news headlines.

Perhaps 33 is so big because its the near perfect 3 quarters of a 100%. The Roswell event...whatever it was, happened on the 33.3 degree line.

Also, there is the bizarre nature of dream language and dream logic. If anyone has seen David Lynch's Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive or even Inland Empire...youll know what Im talking about.

There's a lot of weird syncs I cant explain. The JFK/Lincoln thing.
The Crowleyan choice of the 9/11 plane numbers. The Cyndonia Mars/DC
19.5 sync. The clear numerology/symbolism patterns in many of these events we discuss.

Again, what is time, what is reality? When a UFO lands in a field with hair dwarves bothering a Fredrick Montanna walking his dog(for example) yet far away in Fredricksville Montanna(again, for example) the same looking UFO is seen...again, by one guy.

What is that?

If someday you are on a plane and you end up conversing with a man
who grew up on a street that is your last name, and vice versa. Whose wife's maiden name is the city you grew up in, and so on.

What is that?

Aww, the cosmic giggle of the universe, which often defies any classic random or "illuminati/NWO" explanation

I had a deja vu experience with another person that was having the same deja vu experience at the same time.

We were at burning man in 06 and I had met her the year before and she lived in Oregon, sort of close to where I live. We both were welders and so there was a good friendship connection.

Man, I SO need to go to Burning Man given I have like no luck getting a date where I am. Girls seem so much open minded to the creative artsy types there