Is the universe conscious?
Synchromysticism is a portmanteau of the words “synchronicity” and “mysticism.” A Synchronicity is a coincidence with meaning which is usually far less likely to occur naturally than typical coincidences. An observance of synchronicity is often coupled with a recent moment of personal enlightenment or great insight. A shift in consciousness of perceived reality will usually determine ones ability to see an increased number of synchronicities.
The synchromystic world-view is that everything in the universe is connected. All symbols have multiple layers of information, histories, and interpretations. Given enough time and information, eventually all symbols, themes and ideas will be found to contain information about all the others so that each piece of the puzzle becomes holographic in nature; meaning that by focusing on one idea, all others can potentially be expressed. If one is familiar with the Eastern philosophic idea that “all is One,” then synchromysticism allows a person to prove it for themselves through active involvement with synchronicity not only in the media saturated world around them, but also in their personal lives. Synchromysticism can be used to decode meaning in situations where that meaning may not have been implied or even originally intended. It has also been used by some in an attempt to foresee future events.
Writing about synchromysticism, Reid Mukai says the following:
Some conspiracy researchers have a cynical view towards synchromysticism because they consider it too “new-agey” – a diversion or escape from more important issues. Such arguments may be missing the point because synchromysticism is not a substitute for para-political investigation, but rather a fascinating aspect of it. The objective of such research is to seek the truth no matter where it leads. If one discovers obvious, conspicuous synchronistic patterns, those facts shouldn’t be ignored or dismissed simply because they have no standard rational explanations. Synchromysticism doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of manipulations by secret societies or criminal elites, but it offers a glimmer of hope because it implies that even conspirators themselves might not have complete understanding of, and control over, situations or their outcomes. It can be beautiful and comforting to realize the universe might be conscious, as opposed to a lifeless mechanistic construct, at a time when the reductive materialist paradigm seems to be leading us into a dead end.
A more common critique of synchromysticism is that anyone can connect anything to anything, making it meaningless. From a synchromystic point of view, this could be a supporting argument, because they view synchronicities as being ever-present and able to be seen by anyone, not just experts. Synchromysticism can be viewed as a new art form that encourages creation of meaning and associations with the entirety of one’s reality. In a sense, it’s no surprise that synchromysticism has links to conspiracy theory, psychedelics and occult traditions because all three are methods to deprogram oneself from cultural conditioning, a means to connect a diverse range of information and ideas, as well as a way to see the world from a more open perspective. It’s an alchemical technique to create meaning out of the chaos of current events and seemingly vapid commercial detritus that bombards us on a daily basis, and to add new layers of meaning to more enduring and celebrated works of art.
Whether one believes in the occult aspect of synchromysticism or not, it’s a fascinating new field from a psychological, philosophical, aesthetic, anthropological, and/or quantum point of view. Synchromysticism reinforces the interconnectivity of everyone and everything, and empowers us to reinterpret social reality to in a sense “decode” the universe and ourselves. Using synchromysticism as a new language or tool can help us forecast and respond to trends developing in the collective unconscious, noosphere, morphogenetic field etc. – to reclaim culture and steer it in a more positive direction or, at the very least, provide a fun and interesting new application for mass media. We can’t create a better world if we can’t control the way we perceive the world, or stretch our imagination to envision something better. New art forms such as [Jake] Kotze’s, which are independent, democratized, relevant and visionary, can effect change by enabling us to co-create new maps of reality, an essential precursor to conscious evolution. (Source)
As a way of explaining how synchromystic phenomena can be experienced, Ezra Sandzer-Bell writes the following:
The Four Degrees, in their totality, are comparable to the concentric discs of a dart board. The unenlightened initiate’s first task is to recognize that the board exists – that he has been throwing darts blindly across the room – that thus far, even when he landed a dart on the board, he has dismissed the synchronicity as meaningless or insignificant.
The acknowledgment of this Synchromystic Dart Board creates a dichotomous boundary analogous to the alchemists’ pictorial representation of a flask’s interior and exterior. All darts that land on the board through the conscious intent of our initiate are to hereby be considered significant.
Like a dart board, the novice will begin play at a low to medium skill level. As they hone their skills, they will approach the bullseye more frequently. The goal, of course is to always hit the bullseye. There is no point system here.
Explanation of each layer, from Outer circle to Inner Circle:
4. Mundane sphere – The initiate “forces” a connection between events and symbols in order to support a hypothesis that is not interesting or useful.
3. Intentional Sphere – Through free association, multiple events are connected to support a hypothesis that is both esoterically relevant and of interest to the initiate.
Free association: In free association, psychoanalytic patients are invited to relate whatever comes into their minds during the analytic session, and not to censor their thoughts. This technique is intended to help the patient learn more about what he or she thinks and feels, in an atmosphere of non-judgmental curiosity and acceptance (source).
- Example A) A piece of art or an event is analyzed through free association.
- Example B) Free association of Dream Meanings as they relate to the collective mind of the universe (see Carl Jung’s book Psychology and Alchemy)
2. Sphere of Spontaneous Recognition – Connection between two or more symbols/events reveals itself without any conscious work on the part of the individual.
- Example C) Predictive Synchronicity – commonly occurs as the anticipation of a phone call from a specific friend. This event implies a degree of psychic ability and thus a connection to the all knowing Goddess.
- Example D) Creative Manifestation of thoughts into reality through the power of intent.
- Example E) Entheogenic Synchromysticism – a temporary, intuitive conscious understanding of multiple, simultaneous synchromystic possibilities
- Example F) New Door Opened – Upon understanding a new concept, the initiate now sees obvious synchromystic connections all over the place relating to that idea. This is exemplified when a person learns a new word and begins to read and hear it all over the place.
1. Prima Materia or Inner Sphere – An ongoing sense of understanding and connectivity to the universe.
Sources: Synchromysticism & The Four Degrees of Synchromystic Awareness
Also worth considering: Jung, Synchronicity, and Human Destiny