I was just reading this post by Hollis Polk, ‘Does synchronicity have a structure?’ She’s just experienced a truly uncanny sequence of synchronicities, all in support of her new teleclass. They leave her wondering,
“I’d like to believe that it was my clear intention to do this class for free, and the universe supporting that choice, that led to the synchronicities, but I truly don’t know. Or maybe all this other stuff was set up in advance, and I picked that time because I subconsciously knew about everyone else’s plans. And the question for me is, is there a structure to synchronicity…?”
I don’t know – but I do know that this reminded me a lot of some people’s experience of Hexagram 17, Following. They receive this hexagram, and everything falls into place: the right support arrives just when they need it; everything arranges itself to further them; they need only step into the flow and be carried forward. The Great Treatise says that Hexagram 17 inspired the invention of carts, of harnessing animals to carry loads long distances. At times it seems as if the energy of the whole world can be ‘harnessed’ in this way.
And yet… balancing out these experiences of Following as pure, delightful synchronicity are an equal number of experiences where Following comes up at times of acute frustration. Circumstances are just not matching the chosen objective. The body won’t co-operate when you want to work, or the market falls into a slump when you want to sell. Yi says Following is ‘no mistake’, but this is frankly hard to believe. Surely we should be doing something to turn things around?
Well, actually, no…
‘At the centre of the lake is thunder. Following.
In the same way, the noble one at nightfall
Goes inside for renewal and rest.’
The times for ‘renewal and rest’ are just as much a part of Following; not all seasons are meant for forward movement. The key is to remain closely in touch with the nature of the time, never losing the essential connection. (I imagine the noble one at nightfall goes inside not just for sleep, but to incubate dreams that will revitalise his connection with the flow of things.)
So what does all this have to say about the ‘structure to synchronicity’?
The old Chinese character for ‘Following’ might offer a clue. It means following, submitting, complying, and its components include a foot at the crossroads, a hand holding meat for an offering, and a mound you might climb to offer it. All these make me think of the tradition, across any number of cultures, of recognising crossroads as a place where the borders between realms are thin. They’re a place for offerings, from ancient Rome to Yoruba – and I imagine the purpose of these offerings is to align oneself more completely with the flow of energy below the surface of things, that’s felt especially strongly here. It seems to me that this act of aligning with the flow is essential to Following.
When the flow conspicuously moves in the same direction as our conscious intent, we experience this as uncanny synchronicity, almost as if there were another intention moving in harmony with our own. And when we’re hankering for something faster and more direct than fits the nature of the time, we experience it as uncanny frustration, almost as if there were another intention moving against our own. (Time to ‘go inside’, renew and reconnect, maybe.) Two utterly different subjective experiences; one underlying reality.