Coincidence, Synchronicity, and Serendipity!

"The ideas that we use to describe this somewhat mysterious phenomenon in our culture are coincidence, synchronicity, and serendipity.""Ghandi called this power satyagraha or soul force". "Goethe...says:...The moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves too." These quotes from Gershon's Social Change 2.0 are descriptive of the concept which is being presented to me from a variety of sources. This entry will probably go on a while as there is a convergence occurring in my life which will take a while to codify. The other reason I've been so reticent in my writing of late is the fact of the traveling thing as I related to earlier. This was really a very nice trip. The dynamics of family intermingling (usually a substantive challenge) turned out very well; the beauty which can come out of a former limestone quarry (Buchart Gardens) was a true thing of beauty, and it appears that they have a diversity which makes it beautiful almost any time of the year; and the Labyrinth gathering on Bainbridge Island was enlightening as well (to really experience the "unity and diversity" which can be the Labyrinth it is good to share the experience of one with individuals from all over the Pacific Northwest). Even silly, forgetful me leaving my passport in my file at home actually worked out very well thanks to the efforts of my loved ones.

The synchronous results of my travels, the groups I've been a part of, the books and recordings of the mentor group in this field, have formed a very solid basis for whatever the future holds for me, and whatever effect that may have on our world. I don't know yet where this path is leading but I am confident in the foundation for my footing. It is one thing to have a field of interest motivate a persons path in life. It is quite a bit more impactful to see the same pattern emerging from a multiplicity of genre. When you have people of substance in the fields of Theology, Biology, History, Philosophy, Physics, Social Entrepreneurship, etc. coming together with one thought it is truly worth listening and responding. That one thought is that "we have a problem and we are the solution and if we don't get a handle on it we will destroy ourselves and the creation we have been blessed with".

I would like to briefly restate the symbolism I've seen in the object of the Labyrinth. It is not directly related to any religion, Christian or otherwise, and yet it is a very strong symbol of God. The circle nature and the meditative practice or just the beauty of the object. In the case of Sherita's Labyrinth it is not only circular but also incorporates "Living Water" and the synchronicity of rock pavers(symbolizing tradition and the building blocks of our past) and living plants nestled in between. The usual suggestion of how to walk a labyrinth is to release as you enter, receive in the center, and grow or share on the exit(and beyond). That's a pretty good description of the practice of Contemplation and the beyond" part is the Action. That last sentence is a "Namaste" to Richard's "Center for Action and Contemplation". The balance of this post are a series of quotations from writers from the various disciplines noted above each of which seems to address my focus. Most of these will be from either Marianne or David's works or from the podcast of the recent "Emerging Church" convocation in New Mexico. Which by the way I feel we should most accurately refer to as an "Emerging Experience" to differentiate the movement from just another group or as Richard puts it a "life saving station".

I hope that in my previous posts the emerging approach to spirituality and action has been adequately presented. As I see it that vision is a portion of the unitive consciousness which is rising throughout the world in many cultures. Marianne speaks of this in"Healing" as follows. "Like the mythical lost continent of Atlantis, there is a ground now submerged beneath the subconscious waters, visible in ancient times perhaps but not visable now, set to rise again, to reappear....It is only when we fall in love, marry, give birth, grieve openly, or prepare to die that we dare to show our real face, to shine the light that glows within us. Our failure to be more authentically human is threatening to destroy the world". One of the precepts of the Course in Miracles, of which Marianne is a proponent, as well as other speakers of the power of positive(and negative) thoughts on the physical world is something called the tipping point. A tipping point in the metaphysical world is far smaller than one in the physical world. I am still trying to understand this concept but is comforting in this context. Marianne says "A critical mass of people...is thought to be somewhere around 11 percent---meditating on a new vision for the world would tip the planetary field of energy in the direction of peace and justice for all." This may be a stretch to believe until you've had an unexplainable serendipitous occurrence in your life. Anyhow earlier she states " ...science has corrected and improved upon Newtonian physics. Heisenberg, Bohr, Einstein, and others established the principles of quantum physics, proving that reality is not quite as solid or objective or deterministic as Newton thought.....biologist Rupert Sheldrake has posited the notion of "morphic resonance," suggesting that there is a unified field of consciousness connecting all life." And Einstein says "The more I study physics, the more I'm drawn to metaphysics"." And one of my favorites from Marianne quoting Pierre Teilhard de Chardin " Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."

The key excerpts from Davids work are few but the whole book is very important as an actual blueprint for the social "Imaginal" change so desperately needed in this word in the next decade. The emerging people in New Mexico spoke of an "Imaginal Relm". They explained that faith should be seen not as believing in the impossible but as "seeing the invisible". This hearkens back to the mysteries of the ancient mystics. New Mexico speaks to the Emerging Experience between historical diverse cultures in the spiritual realm. Marianne speaks to the spiritual realm as well and in "Healing..." also relates that unitive spiritual force from within too without and into the political culture of our generation. David fleshes these desires out to a greater extent with an actual blueprint for action. This blueprint is the result of his experiences from early works of "peace torch runs", ecological groundbreaking neighborhood organization in Portland Oregon, progressing into impactful solutions to crises in New York after 9/11, New Orleans after Katrina, a fisheries management standoff in Rhode Island. These are related in just the first half of the book. Later on it looks like he plans to again tackle obstacles to world peace. More of that in a future post. One of John's precepts he heavily draws upon is the area of imagination. He says that he... loves John Lennon's "Imagine" as an unapologetically visionary and optimistic (song) about what is possible for our world. Later when speaking of non-dualistic or win-win solutions to problems he says "These require more imagination than compromise" And earlier quoted one Bryan Andreas -" In my dream the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination. And then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand."

It is in the desire to find an effective, non-dualistic, imaginative solution to these small and global issues which all of these thinkers and activists are focused. Not so easy to do but if there is an "Atlantis Rising" out there; Maybe: 11%?? Pray! Meditate! Activate!!

Marianne describes E Pluribus Unium as "That within our diversity lies a national unity---that we are at the same time a people who reflect and embody diversity, yet are united in our fealty to these treasured first principles." "There are people in America who emphasize our unity yet fail to appreciate our diversity, just as there are those who emphasize our diversity yet fail to appreciate our unity. It is important to honor both...and their relationship to each other reflects a philosophical and political truth, which democracy requires." James Madison once said that "tolerance is not enough" because, psychologically, tolerance still implies judgement....the social fruition of the ideal of e pluribus unum, we will need to do more than merely tolerate each other."

Going back for just a moment to the idea of "imagination". What we imagine is all important. As they stated in Albuquerque, "How We Get There Determines Where We End Up". I hope that is a direct quote but it is the direct idea that it is the process that is important. David and Marianne also speak of the nature of the process. Positive is much better than negative. Maybe I shouldn't say better, as that is pretty dualistic, but maybe "more effective" would be better. Marianne states: "As long as I'm working against something I hate instead of "for" something I love, I'm of the old and not of the new. The politics of a new America is a love for what could be and a reach for the possible....The issue is a paradigmatic one: we are on the verge of outgrowing a mindset that says "I will deal with this problem by saying No to something" and embracing one that says "I will deal with this problem by saying Yes to something else". Notice that we have a Drug Czar, but not a Sobriety Czar."

As an adjunct to the thought of a positive approach is to be strong in an approach but not so invested in the exact path to take. Kind of a keep your eye on the prize and not so much on the exact path to get there approach. Marianne speaks of : "Stereotyping..adversaries...What is lacking...is a civilized center. We have too little "Golden Mean" in politics today. Somebody is always pointing a finger, it seems, saying "He", "She", or "They" are the enemies of America. In truth, the enemy of America is That Pointed Finger." And David says of his blueprint to "Hold firm to impulse and let the form be flexible. The vision will need to change in different ways as it touches the real world. This is not unlike the way a seed trying to come through the soil needs to change direction to go around rocks and roots."

I believe that the final part of this post will be Marianne's statement about our need to get involved in the process. I want to also touch on an other area which all of these authors approach very well, "waging peace", but that is going to be my next post.

Marianne writes: "...knowing what we know but doing nothing. It's like David saying about Goliath, "Geez, he really is big. Maybe I won't do this." But Goliath isn't That big. Things aren't That bad in America. And each of us has a slingshot. Paradoxically, part of the problem with an overly Yang culture is that it produces overly Yin personalities. Without the yin of peace and serenity, there is no character formation; without that, there is no capacity for the yang of powerful personal action. We desperately need both. There is no machine, technology, or scientific project that can renew and restore (I would say revitalize as well) democracy. If we want that done, its a job we have to do ourselves."

In the emerging conversation at Albuquerque they also approached this same concept in the realm of Theology. As I understand it they're saying: For the past two millenia we seem to have ended up with a plethora of very "Strongly Combative Images" of God and Religion, as we see Him. And in the recent past there seems to be a rise in the idea of "Weak Non- combative Images", basically rejecting all religion in favor of a totally egalitarian approach to Spirit. There are elements of truth here but the Emerging experience is wanting to not throw out the past but honor the Spirit within history and build upon that with a "Strong Non-combative Image" . Anyhow that's how I see it, and it's that strength which attracts me to be an agent of that Truth and Love. Pax Christi! RV PPS: Here is a quick quote I just read out of Sojourners On Line which also speaks to the beauty of holding onto a tradition as an enrichment to todays movement of the Spirit: " About a year ago, I heard Newsweek’s Jon Meacham say, “History is to a country what memory is to an individual.” The quip seems particularly apt to American religious groups. To paraphrase, history is to a religion (or a denomination, church, or faith community) what memory is to an individual. To lose memory is neither funny nor sad; rather, it is a path to profound brokenness, a loss of self, meaning, and God that leaves us in darkness unable to act in purposeful ways in the world. Thus, I wonder: Is spiritual amnesia a precursor to religious Alzheimer’s, a fatal loss of memory for which there is no cure? I hope not. And I hope that religious people — especially my progressive brothers and sisters — can tether their passion for contemporary faith to ancient wisdom."
Diana Butler Bass