Synchronicity, Synergy and Serendipity (part 3)
In this article, we
look at the last of the three S words as spiritual guidance in our lives.
Serendipity:
The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. [From the characters
in the Persian fairy tale “The Three Princes of Serendip” who made such
discoveries]. - American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
As a child, I enjoyed
the wonderful tale of the three princes of Serendip, but as an adult I saw in
it a spiritual message. Serendip was the ancient name of the island kingdom
that became Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. In the old story, three brave
brothers, sons of the king of Serendip, left their father’s kingdom to test
themselves and become wiser in the ways of the world. They met with great
adventures and were often sidetracked from their main goals by apparently
troublesome complications. But they stayed true to their principles and their
quests. Time and time again they found that each side issue brought them a gift
or developed a skill that they needed to achieve their main objectives.
Spiritual wisdom often
comes to us through serendipitous circumstances. How often have you been
working toward a specific achievement only to be interrupted by a bothersome
nuisance issue that demands your full attention? Perhaps reluctantly or even
resentfully, you deal with the distraction, and then find that you are in an
improved position or your timing is better to go for your main goal.
Serendipity!
In the charitable act
of helping a friend, you discover in yourself the strength, wisdom or
confidence that had been lacking in attaining your own happy desires.
Serendipity!
You can welcome
serendipity into your life in problem solving. By trying to gather all of the
data you have on the problem and working with it, then putting the unresolved
matter aside to pursue another interest, and finally retreating into quiet
meditation, your inner wisdom can come up with a breakthrough.
Manyyears ago, such an
event happened to me. I had traveled across the country because of an urgent
matter that threatened every aspect of my family relationships. I spent a full
day worrying the problem from every conceivable direction with the incomplete
information that I had. Then a friend invited me to come home with him for the
night. After dinner, as a respectful guest, I avoided talking about my issue,
and we enjoyed a great discussion with him about our common interests. Later,
when I retired to the guest room and lay down on the bed wide awake but
relaxed. Suddenly, I saw a vision of how my life would be in the future, in
vivid detail: sights, sounds, and smells, convincingly real. It was so much
better that I could have imagined in the current state of confusion, that I was
able to look at my problems more objectively. They weren’t so big a deal after
all. All would be fine. And so it was. The traumatic issue had led to a greater
discovery and confidence about my life.
Serendipity!
And so that is the way
spirit uses the three big “S” words. How can you turn them on in your life?
Synchronicity: develop the habit of daily meditation, ask for answers, and
honestly look for them in every aspect of your daily life. Synergy: by being
selective about your relationships. Search out people who will support you
cheerfully and positively, who will give you that bolstering boost of
confidence when you feel weak and will push you back on track toward your
goals. Don’t share your innermost desires with naysayers. Serendipity: bless
your distractions instead of bemoaning them. Think about what you have gained
in overcoming small side issues and carry that success into your larger main
challenges.
Spirit speaks to us
daily by showing us signs to guide us, by bringing the right people and
circumstances into our lives, and by providing us with the tools and
inspiration that we need. As we acknowledge this and trust the synchronicity,
synergy and serendipity, the frequency of these phenomena will increase or at
least become more obvious in our lives.
John Bell
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