During our day we may experience what is commonly called a coincidence. Basically, it is an inexplicable or randomly occurring event, happening at the same time as another. Some of us brush them aside and do not take them seriously and others obsessively read meaning into everything. But what if coincidences are much more significant than we make them out to be? How do we strike a healthy balance between learning to pay attention to coincidences, without unnecessarily interpreting every little sign that pops up in our lives?
We have all experienced a coincidence at some point. They may range from big and life altering to a series of small ones. For instance, you might desire a career change and want a job in a specific field, when lo and behold, you start chatting to someone in the coffee queue who works in the industry you are interested in; or you are considering a relaxing holiday to an exotic island and you receive a brochure in the mail, with airfares to the island on sale. Is it pure coincidence or something more?
The interesting aspect of a coincidence is their contradictory nature. They appear as random occurrences and are initially thought of as pure chance or luck, but beneath all of this our intentions, acting as threads, somehow connect coincidences to us, so they are not really random at all.
It seems that our intentions work hand in hand with the happening of coincidences. If you set an intention or goal and place much of your undivided attention on it, it will grow. The more you focus your energy on something the larger it becomes. Often we are so mentally consumed with our daily lives, moving forward without really noticing that coincidences may be of great assistance to us. They may help us become aware of the areas in our lives where change is needed. They exist as instigators and great opportunities for progression and may very well bring more goodness into our lives.
Tuning in to these subtle messages may offer clues to things you may not have thought about or believed were possible. Maybe there’s something you want to achieve and each coincidence of late is prompting you to go for it. The great thing about coincidences is, you can choose to act on them or not; it’s completely up to you.
It takes practice to tune into your environment and notice when a coincidence is happening. Sensitivity is the key to awareness and meditation will usually aid in freeing your mind from the monotonous, allowing for increased perception. However, you can’t read meaning into every little thing that occurs as it would be utterly exhausting and simply detract from the fun and spontaneity of life. A coincidence is meaningful due to its random nature, so to seek them out would be pointless.
The message embedded in each coincidence we experience is, our lives are always trying to tell us something. If we pay attention we will undoubtedly hear the message and whether we choose to act or not is completely up to us.
Coincidences appear to act as signals along the way. They exist for a reason and that reason is different to every individual. Just like smoke alarms whose sole function is to detect smoke and set off a signal, a coincidence is much the same; where there is haze engulfing our lives, a coincidence can alert us and show us a way out. It is entirely our choice whether we pay attention or not.
