Serendipity

The inspiration for this month’s newsletter came as a suggestion from a friend as we talked about some events that just took place in my life in the last week.  I found myself in some very serendipitous situations that I could never have created or imagined.  We spoke about it in terms of being synchronistic – but as I started to write I wanted to look up the official definition of synchronicity and this is what I found: Synchronicity - “The simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection”

This didn’t feel like it quite captured the feeling I had so I looked up Serendipity: Serendipity - “The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way”

I think we often use the word synchronicity when we might actually mean serendipity – or at least I know I have.  Synchronicity - regarding simultaneous events that seem related but are not.  Serendipity – events that happen by chance and have happy or beneficial outcomes.  

Of course, synchronistic events can also have happy and beneficial outcomes – but when we are having that feeling of being blown out of the water, completely surprised by what is happening in a wonderful way - I dare say it is far more than simultaneous events that are not related but seem related.  There is a magical component to these occurrences.  We recognize that something much bigger is at play.

And what creates space for serendipity in our lives?...presence and the ability to recognize it and receive the magic or importance of what is happening.  When we are so caught in our day to day lives and our busyness – we do not have much room for the magic of serendipity to show up. We are energetically busy and chaotic – of course this has a sliding scale and relates to each of us individually. Our scale is in context to what we are used to and what we have conditioned ourselves into accepting as “normal thresholds of chaos and busy”.

My experience was truly SERENDIPITOUS – it was unexpected and produced a very healing and connective experience. I met the man who sat with my son at the scene of the accident that he passed away in, while waiting for the paramedics to arrive. He shared how peaceful Zach was and this was truly healing. I also met his wife who was hosting a retreat on their property that I happened to be one of facilitators at. I originally was not sure I could make this event, but then I felt compelled to rearrange things so I could be there every day. Had I not slowed down enough and made room in my life for this event – I would not have met these people who were once strangers and then instantly became friends and even something beyond that.  The feeling is something I still don’t have words for – but it is deep, and it is powerful within me. Additionally, I spent 5 days surrounded by amazing women who all brought beauty, strength and wisdom to our time together. Although I was facilitating – there is no doubt this was a healing retreat for me as a recipient. 

I believe our lives can be filled with serendipity, I believe we can all have that magical experience of feeling held and supported and having that place of feeling in awe of what unfolds in front of us when we make more room for it. One of the practices I find that helps create space for this in our lives is to have a practice of presence each morning and each night. Start the day with a few minutes to connect to your own essence – to pull all of your energy back home to you – to pull it out of the to-do list, the calendared events, the people we love and care about that we can feel obligated to or responsible for. Take some time to breathe deep into your belly and connect with the earth – pachamama and connect with spirit in the way that you do.  Trust your wisdom and intuition. Take that time to just be in stillness and presence – gratitude for all things in your life. And then repeat this same practice at night just before bed, creating space to reconnect back to your own essence after a full day. This creates a practice of reclaiming your energy and making yourself available for the serendipity and miracles that are all around us all the time. 

Blessings to all of you on this crazy, beautiful, messy wild ride of the Soul’s Journey!