spiritual synchronicity

[earl]

Just had a rather remarkable synchronicity that I thought I'd share with you all-another wonderful reminder of the amazing Mystery of it all. Jung coined the term "synchronicity" to indicate a form of acausal linkage between an external event and an internal condition. I'll try to spare you too many personal details-just enough to tell the tale. I've recently begun using some shamanic practices to supplement my spiritual regimen, which has been of essentially a Buddhist nature for many years. Was surprised to encounter, (no I don't necessarily believe Jesus actually spoke with me), the figure of Jesus/Christ appearing as my tutelary spirit and shared with me what the next step of my personal journey toward greater wholeness needed to be. I sat down where I always do to do my meditation, starting from shamanic beginning before moving into a more Buddhist approach. Then found myself as I sometimes do spontaneously moving into the "Jesus Prayer" of a contemplative sort. Literally the second I began to do that the evergreen within feet of my window filled with robins. Don't think I've ever actually seen a flock of robins and seldom see any this time of year.

Beyond the fact that birds are mythologically related to spirit, is a very personal connection. About 25 years ago my first wife spent months dying in a hopsital. She had many paranormal experiences during that time such as near-death visitation of her long deceased mother and spontaneous recall of apparent previous life. She died in South Dakota while the state was still in winter and she said she only wanted to be able to live until spring. The day she died I'm sitting in her Catholic priest's office attempting to make funeral arrangements. He's droning on and I'm too filled with grief to care what he's saying, tuning him out. I then hear a constant tapping and I look up to a window over his right shoulder. There incessantly tapping at the window was a robin, the first I saw that year. I guess since "New Agers" assert that synchroncities are there to emphasize something important about one's path at that moment, guess I'll listen to its message. Just a tale for folks to mull over. have a good one, earl

[flowperson]

Earl..
Thank you for being so open in your sharing of experience and thought. Yes ... birds...I have had many experiences with doves and sparrows over the years.

flow....

[Prober]

Earl, that's beautiful...it's a rare gift to have those moments!

I've never seen a flock of robins, either, usually 4 or 5 at most.

These little moments make up the scrapbook of one's mind.

[Tariki]

Yes, Earl, thanks, As you might say yourself, "a good one"

I remember someones post from long ago on another Forum, saying that there are no coincidences. I think at that time I did have some sort of instinctive sense of "randomness" which seems now to be eroded.

Just as a coincidence (!), a recently read line.......

The birds don't know they have names

[InLove]

Hi earl--

Thanks for your lovely post. Isn't it beautiful that we are given these experiences? Kind of like the elusive puzzle piece one has been searching for in the box--not only has it been right under the pillow on the sofa the whole time, but its shape and colors are most unique, and when fitted into the picture, it makes all the unexpected difference!

By the way, did you know that robins, who are usually rather territorial, become very sociable during the winter, tending to the needs of each other and even sharing their food with other species right to the point of "pass this berry down to the little guy on the end, please?" Just thought I'd add that since it might have something to do with "synchronicity".

InPeace,
InLove

[earl]

Originally Posted by InLove

Hi earl--

Thanks for your lovely post. Isn't it beautiful that we are given these experiences? Kind of like the elusive puzzle piece one has been searching for in the box--not only has it been right under the pillow on the sofa the whole time, but its shape and colors are most unique, and when fitted into the picture, it makes all the unexpected difference!

By the way, did you know that robins, who are usually rather territorial, become very sociable during the winter, tending to the needs of each other and even sharing their food with other species right to the point of "pass this berry down to the little guy on the end, please?" Just thought I'd add that since it might have something to do with "synchronicity".

InPeace,
InLove

Hi InLove. Didn't know that re robins-no doubt explains why I haven't seen them in large groupings. The ones I saw yesterday in my tree were eating berries but they weren't sharing very well. I've had some other sychronicities since that experience yesterday-as I understand the concept sychronicities can cluster and tend to do so to "really get our attention." While I have studied to a small degree Celtic Christianity some years ago, hadn't given it any thought since until just now. While there appears to be disagreement to what degree the early Celtic Christian church allowed the pre-existing Celtic spiritual beliefs which were somewhat shamanistic to color their interpretations of or practices of Christianity, some believe that early church was influenced by it. I happened to receive a catalogue of Irish do-dads and was looking through it yesterday where I saw offered a Celtic cross decorated with illustrations from the Book of Kells. The interesting thing for me is that as spiritual symbols go, I've never been particularly drawn to the typical Christian cross but the one that has always captivated me was the Celtic one which features a circle around/through the arms of a cross. The chief icon I've always appreciated is the enso from Zen Buddhism which is a circle. When I awoke this am and sat down for my usual routine of coffee and internet music, the classical station I tuned into was playing Celtic music-seldom if ever heard them do this. My surname is Celtic, (though doubt I ever lived there in a previous life ). In shamanic systems the practitioner tends to collect items which symbolically remind him/her of visionary insights and sources of spiritual power as totems. I'm thinking perhaps its time I bought that catalogue item and place at my altar which heretofore had featured only Buddhist icons. Perhaps I really am more Christo-Buddhist than I realized, only guess now I'd say I'm shamano-Christo-Buddhist. Life can be pretty amazing when we keep an open mind. earl

[flowperson]

Earl and InLove.

Really good stuff here. I think we all witnessed a sort of synchronicity this week when we had the ground breaking report on global warming released, the 1,000 Iraqi body count in country this week, and then to top it off, The Super Bowl. Which would you rather know about and participate in ?

I'm trying to do all three because I'm pretty convinced that the globe is sort evolving into a three way choice situation: open ended non-stop violence amongst humans, a slow eroding of the earth's vital life support systems because of human desires, or playing grandiose games with each other so we can forget about the bad stuff. Very Greco- Roman... Hmmmmm.

And by the way no.23 of the Bears (a magical number in some aspects here) just ran the opening kickoff back 90+ yards for a touchdown. Hmmmm.

By the way, birds are essentially warm-blooded reptilians and we all seem to be a curious mix of warm-blooded mamillian-based creatures who are endowed with some very reptilian character attributes and flaws that makes our lives much more interesting. Hmmmm.

Time to get another long-neck.

flow....

[Prober]

BEARS WIN!!!

Oh, sorry...

[earl]

Didn't know the game had started til I saw this. For those that are not familiar with Celtic Christianity, thought I'd post this link to a good overview:

Heavenly fire Celtic Spirituality and Intimations of Future Edward Sellner

It's somewhat interesting to me to consider the possible interweaving influences at play here, Pagan/Druid, Christian, & Buddhist(?)

The Celts had at one time spread into Asia Minor where they probably encountered Buddhism. It is contended by some that the Indian Buddhist king, Ashoka sent Buddhist reps thoughout the world and possibly reaching Britain. Some see influences of Buddhism in Druid thought and that in turn seems to have influenced early Celtic Christianity. Certainly there is a Coptic Christian influence in that early church which would have included a contemplative note given the "Desert Fathers" tradition.

Well I'm missing too much of the game. Take care my anamcharas, earl

[flowperson]

Hi Earl...Why would the intertwining if these early threads of belief seem as something out of the ordinary ?.

I believe it to be just another iteration of beliefs in symbiotic living organisms, inter-species ecological co-operation, unexplanable natural synchronicities. Just different snap shots of the same natural processes at work here I think.

Think of living and intertwining systems as a reflection of the physical realities which support them. I think of it all together as how living entities grow and structure themselves in their environments . Think of circles of life and why that is such an important contemporary mythology.

Now I know what ever happened to "Boomer". What a great name !

Prince Rules !!! Doin' lots of JB's riffs ! He'd be proud of his student. Doin' Miss Tina now ! WOW!!!
Now Jimi...what can't this man do !!!

flow....

[Prober]

Originally Posted by Prober

BEARS WIN!!!

Oh, sorry...

Um, yeah...called that one...

[Tariki]

Originally Posted by earl

Well I'm missing too much of the game.

Well, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining

Cricket! Now there's a game.................

[InLove]

Originally Posted by Tariki

The birds don't know they have names

Every now and then, something takes root (or roost) and grows much. I love this quote, Tariki--do you remember where you read it?

InPeace,
InLove

[flowperson]

Of course this begs the question,"How do we know that they don't know that they have names?".

flow....

[Tariki]

Originally Posted by InLove

Every now and then, something takes root (or roost) and grows much. I love this quote, Tariki--do you remember where you read it?

InPeace,
InLove

InLove,

I came across it amid the journals of Thomas Merton, in this case volume 3 "A Search for Solitude". It was actually his friend Mark Van Doren - on a visit to the monastery - who spoke the words.

The full excerpt and context.......

Watching those birds was as food for meditation, or as mystical reading. Perhaps better. Also the beautiful, unidentified red flower or fruit I found on a bud yesterday. These things say so much more than words. Mark Van Doren, when he was here, said, "The birds don't know they have names." Watching them I thought: who cares what they are called? But do I have the courage not to care? Why not be like Adam, in a new world of my own, and call them by my own names? That would still mean that I thought the names were important.

No name and no word to identify the beauty and reality of those birds today is a gift of God to me in letting me see them. (And that name - God - is not a name! It is like a letter X or Y. Yahweh is a better name - it finally means Nameless One.)