Once in a while, something comes along right when you need it. Usually it’s when you have a decision to make, whether you realized it beforehand or not. You’re just getting on with life, and along comes this person, thing, book, idea or whatever. Suddenly your choice is clear. Suddenly it all makes sense. Where I come from we call it “auspicious coincidence” because we see it as an important thing.
OK. So maybe it doesn’t always happen like that. Maybe we see this “thing” and we ask ourselves: “Is there a message here for me?” Maybe we feel a bit startled, a little more awake, and perhaps somewhat curious. Then our rational, skeptical, scientific brains dismiss it and we say: “Of course it was just a coincidence.”
Coincidence? Absolutely. But who’s to say that just because two things weren’t connected by their causes that they don’t belong together? Carl Jung talked about synchronicity. He believed that just as two things can occur because of a causal relationship, they can also occur simply because they have a connection of meaning. Think about it: Who decides what something means? You do. And since meaning is made by your mind, if your mind says these two things are related, they are. They don’t have to be related by cause and effect to be related to each other in a important way.
The frequency and number of these events isn’t significant. What matters is that we’re open enough to see them. Right now. Too often we get caught up in our “gotta do…” lives and our “me, myself and I” mentality that we don’t see the little things going on around us. If these coincidences are based on their meaning to us, if they are projections of our own inner wisdom, then we need to give them enough “head room” to develop that wisdom. The more aware we are of the world around us, the more of these coincidences we see. So stop and ask yourself: “Is my mind open? Am I listening?”
So what do we do when we hear one of these messages? Sometimes it’s tempting to follow the path of our super rational culture and brush them off as meaningless. But deep down we know they’re not. If the wisdom of the coincidence exists because of its meaning to us, then we already have our answer. Our mind made the coincidence. Our mind already knows what it means.
Listening to their wisdom is an important part of becoming a true person. Experiences of coincidence can tell us things that we wouldn’t allow ourselves to hear otherwise. So go on, give yourself a gift. Ask yourself: Have I had any auspicious coincidences lately?
Care to tell us about a time when a coincidence changed your path? We’d love your comments!
You know, life can be pretty crappy. People cut us off in traffic, treat us like dirt, get sick and die. We screw up, fall down, lose our tempers and find we just don’t have the money to do what we want. We feel confused, angry, hurt, and often we just don’t understand why it all has to happen. More to the point, why does it have to happen to us? 
I’m not saying this because I’m a naturally chipper little PollyAnna who doesn’t know the first thing about suffering. That darkness I mentioned? I’ve lived it. Life has dealt me some hard blows. Really hard. There have been, and will continue to be, times when I want to hurt someone for the injustices they’ve inflicted on others (including me). That I wanted to rage at the sky or dig myself into a big hole and never come out. But those times are very rare, and they’re getting rarer all the time. And the little stuff? The jerk who cuts me off in traffic, the ungrateful sod who faults me for my offer of help, the flooded basement, or the broken vase that belonged to a beloved relative? Those things have become more than manageable. 
OK. Maybe you’re growling at me right now and thinking “friggin perky person!” Maybe you think this sounds idealistic and silly. Maybe you’ve been legitimately wronged. Maybe someone you love is ill or dying. Maybe you are. Maybe you think that your problems are too big for such a simplistic solution. But they’re not. Chances are, your feelings are about something that happened in the past, something you anticipate happening in the future, or someone who you really have no control over. What you do have control over is right now. Right this minute. Always, you have this one precious minute, and in this minute you can allow yourself to feel grateful. 
So the next time you feel angry, the next time you feel sad, the next time you feel unsafe, take a little time to focus on the amazing things you have in your life. Even better, do this every day, at least once, for no reason at all. (Personally, I like to do it before I go to sleep. Often I do it before a meal. ) Remember that accidents happen, that people get sick and die because it’s part of life, and immerse yourself in the feeling of gratitude. Right here, right now, today. Because really, today is where we are. Today is what we’ve got. And it’s worth a hell of a lot.