One of the things that I’m always on the lookout for, is little signs and signals. This is called synchronicity, a concept first introduced by Carl Jung. In short, it means that events that are otherwise labelled as coincidental, appearing to have no causal relationship, are in fact meaningfully related. You simply see the same thing popping up again and again. My interpretation of synchronicity has become this: if you see, hear or experience the same thing twice or more, it may have a meaning. The process of discovering the meaning might not be very straightforward, however. Repetitive dreams, for instance, bear some meaning for us from our subconscious, but figuring out what it is, can be an interesting journey in itself.
Out of place
Today I cycled to an appointment and, after taking a right on an intersection, I nearly ran over an insect on the road. In that split second, I saw it was a bumble bee. Alive or dead, who knows? But not in a very safe or natural place. This often happens with synchronicity as well. Things are not in their usual place, so they attract your attention. I had to let this little bee go, as I was heading somewhere, and gave it no further thought.
Flowers
After my appointment, I decided to take a break and have a drink at café in the same area. While I sat there outside, enjoying the sun, reading my book and sipping my drink, a bumble bee decided to land on my scooped-neck shirt, right in the middle of my chest. It stayed there for a while, and it didn’t scare me in the least. I guess you could say that it is the peak season for bees, with all the flowers in bloom and my humble bumble might have mistaken my pink shirt for a flower. Wouldn’t be the first time. Eventually, I let it hop onto my marker and it flew off.
Living in the moment
Back home, I planned to go into meditation on this subject. Being rather impatient, however, I went online to search for the spiritual meaning of the bumble bee (Yes, we live in a world of unlimited data access, so why not use it? Your task is to discern what resonates with you). Totem animals are common in Shamanism, and the bumble bee is one of them, I found out. One of the explanations given referred to surrendering to the highest voice in oneself, and letting go of the debris, as in also the rubble left over after a transformation process. The process I have gone through the past two years is too complex to elaborate on in this short space, but I took the point to heart to shed myself of the past. That process, however expansive and determining, is not who I ultimately am. That said, I have found myself struggling with the remains of what once was, and the future that is yet to be seen. Humble little bumble showed me that I need to focus more on the NOW. The in-between phase holds much beauty as well. The bumble bee, as all bees, and rather like humans, can get an extraordinarily large amount of work done in a short period of time. He reminds me to focus, to get the things done now that need to be done, in the fullest confidence and surrender to whatever is present. What a beautiful message! I might still meditate on that.
What about you? Do you experience synchronicities? And how do you know what they mean?