In the wake of this late August’s Pisces full moon, where meaningful coincidences and mystical occurrences abound, we may be trying to integrate these hard to explain experiences into our ever evolving view of reality. My first personal experience that I recall of what people define as “synchronicity” happened during my first Uranus square in my early 20s. This occurs for everyone around 21 years of age and correlates with a period of rebellion and liberation connected to experiences of lighting-like insight and awakening.
This period marked the first synchronistic occurrence in a long series of previously-would-be-identified “coincidences” in which the odds of their seemingly random existence was simply too great to fathom. These synchronicities and their dynamic recognition have affected me personally and profoundly in countless ways since.
On that particular day during my Uranus square, I’d been mindlessly surfing the Internet in boredom, and perusing crop circles as the current fascination of the hour. I came across a particular triangle shaped crop circle but with geometric rings at each point, known as the Barbury Castle Tetrahedron. Unwittingly fascinated with the symbol, I decided to draw it onto my left wrist, pointing towards my hand, not thinking much about why or to what purpose. Little did I know then, but this tetrahedron was also an important alchemical symbol from the 17th century.
Subsequently, in “unrelated news” at that time, the band Incubus was a minor obsession of mine. I’d listen to their music flying down the highway, windows down, screaming lyrics at the top of my ecstatic lungs, feeling deeply free.
Well, not an hour after placing that symbol on my wrist, while continuing my web surfing, I came across a site dedicated to the band members’ tattoos. Clearly I was curious for a closer look at Brandon Boyd’s tattoos. He was, after all, my favorite singer at that time. Now perhaps you’ve guessed it, what I never would have in the moment - but low and behold on his left wrist, in exactly the same position and relative proportion, sat my idol’s tattoo, a replica of the one I had just drawn on myself.
I was stunned. My 20 year old self had no previous synchronistic spiritual framework within which to understand such an occurrence. I of course took it at face value, as a sign that Brandon Boyd and I were soulmates. Now looking back I realize this was more importantly an initiation into a participatory conversation with reality and the Universe and my budding awareness of Alchemy. Everything happens for a reason, and it’s up to us to recognize and understand the spiritual impetus behind such an event.
As I’ve come to know it, synchronicity is essentially an experience of two or more occurrences connected, not by cause and effect, but rather solely through their meaning. One of these events could be in your mind, maybe an image seen in a dream, or in my case, an alchemical symbol stumbled across inadvertently. This in connection to a second occurrence, observation, or experience in the “real world” that parallels or echos the original symbol and activates its meaning.
I know many of us have grown relatively familiar and welcoming of such moments of synchronistic recognition. But I find that I still benefit so much from regularly reflecting and intentionally opening to being aware of these synchronicities, both big and small, and cultivating a life that welcomes them.
The study of Astrology is predicated by a fundamental understanding of the universe as a synchronistic system. Further, it is the study and application of this understanding of certain conceptual correlations between the cosmos and our human psyches. As an astrologer, I have witnessed a multiplicity of these miraculous synchronicities as inherent expressions of a holographic universe. In this framework, the inner psyche and human experience reflects the outer circumstance. “As above, so below,” as the ancient dictum states. All we need to do is develop a skill set in learning the language of symbols and Archetypes, such as the planets and their namesake Gods or Goddesses, and draw upon them to make meaningful connections.
This is essentially the spiritual practice of Alchemy. I am living Alchemy and so are you, according to my favorite psychologist, Carl Jung. He asserts that symbolic imagery, such as the transmutation of lead into gold, mirrors a parallel process occurring in the soul. The interactive world happening around us is a reflection of the inner processes of the psyche, and vice versa.
In the Goddess Alchemy series I’m teaching currently at the Wholistic Heartbeat on Wednesday nights, we’ve been cultivating our understanding and experience of synchronicities as they relate to classic Archetypes of the Goddess.
In our class on Hestia, goddess of the hearth, she who kept the home fires burning, we reflected on the energies of this deity as curator of the soul of Home. And reflected that it was she who was honored when the bride and groom would move into their new home together. We made our own prayers and ceremony for our own homes and families. Later that night, my partner Merlin spontaneously proposed to me in our home, and in culmination of finally feeling at home with a partner, I said “yes.” Moreover, that same weekend we’d already planned a housewarming gathering, and blessed our home with a community of friends, along with our engagement celebration. As we gathered during the full moon, we circled by the wood burning stove and I remembered Hestia and how her archetypal presence had been presiding over the entire week with the ongoing theme of home, the sacred flame of the HEARTh, and marriage.
I further noted that the week before, another synchronicity, as my very Athena-like friend upset me in, yes, a very Athena-like way just following our Athena class. For as much as we were exploring these Goddesses in class, they were visiting me through these many connections. I witnessed the truth of their presence in my life as they were being invoked!
So classic symbols (and even ones we recognize on our own) be it the philosopher’s stone, Jupiter in Scorpio, the flower of life, the Goddess Hestia, or a visit by local wildlife, find expression in an occurrence that has subjective meaning and lessons for us. And in this recognition, points the way towards our current and/or ongoing evolution and growth—revealing to us internally and externally “the work” to be done.
We work in the care of our souls like this, by means of the things of the world, and these symbols work as the signs. As in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, each day potentially holds omens pointing us towards our deeper treasure, especially if we are intentionally calling this in.
Finally, my astrology friends and I dubbed this year #deepwerk2018 before it had even began. The planets foretold these potent days in a variety of ways. We assigned it this title to highlight the fact that this year specifically, with Jupiter moving through Scorpio, the alchemical fires have been turned exponentially up. I don’t know if you’ve been feeling it, but I suspect that we all have. Anyone open and paying attention to the signs would have to. As we ourselves are transforming from the prima material of the universe into the living embodiment of our soul’s gold, we will do well to pay mindful attention to the signs.
Sabrina Ourania is an Astrologer and Menstrual, Fertility, and Reproductive-Health Practitioner, Yoni Yoga Instructor, and Retreat Leader. She sees clients and teaches workshops locally and online.
Her current offerings are Goddess Alchemy: An Embodied Exploration of the Goddess Archetypes on Wednesday evenings at Wholistic Heartbeat in McKinleyville. You can find out more about her and the work she does at www.goddessalchemist.com or on instagram at @goddess_alchemist