MEET ME AT THE SYNCHRO SUMMIT

By Lesley Roy

The idea of studying synchronicity has been a passion of mine since my interest was sparked at the C.G. Jung Institute in the early 1980's.  Like many people who have experienced these improbable coincidences, I wondered whether they were truly inexplicable. 

Eventually I conducted considerable anecdotal research and became convinced that there must be a more quantifiable methodology for studying this mysterious phenomenon.  

In 2007 after a series of life-changing synchronistic events, I coined the term "Synchros" to describe these experiences.

After much interest developed around speaking about the phenomenon, I launched the  Synchro Project, a non-profit (pending), organization dedicated to the study of the phenomenon of synchronicity. In 2009, I joined forces with James Van Pelt, founder of the Yale Divinity School - Initiative in Religion Science & Technology.  One of our first efforts was a joint presentation at the biennial, Toward a Science of Consciousness, at the University of Arizona last April, which inspired us to host the first Synchro Summit at Yale University on October 15-17th, 2010.  

The Synchro Summit is gathering many of the leading scholars studying this powerful phenomenon from across North America and the UK, all of whom share the hope of moving toward a breakthrough in its understanding.  It is an unprecedented interdisciplinary gathering that explores a phenomenon at the intersect of physics, psychology, philosophy, and religion: Synchronicity. 

THE SYNCHRO SUMMIT will present,

“Can Synchronicity Reveal Life’s Meaning in Ways Science Can’t Yet Understand?”

in its one Public Event on Saturday October 16, 2010 • 7:00 to 10:00 pm, Niebuhr Hall at the Yale School of Divinity, 409 Prospect Street in New Haven.  Admission is free.

I invite you to peruse www.synchroproject.org to learn more about the Synchro Project. 

My hope is to initiate a conversation whose purpose is dedicated to the study of synchronicity, which will be an emerging field of scientific study.  At the upcoming Synchro Summit we begin to chart a course toward the systematic study of synchronicity.  Some of the most basic questions we'll begin to ask and answer:

1.       What is synchronicity? What are the various (competing) definitions and the essential components of each? What are the various perspectives—psychological, physicalistic, philosophical, religious, psychical/parapsychological, statistical—and how do they differ? What makes a confluence of similar incidents coincidental in the sense that makes it interesting to us?

2.        If the perception of meaningfulness and/or significance is a necessary component, in what sense can such perceptions be veridical vs. imaginary or misconstrued?

3.       Is it possible for significance and meaningfulness to emerge from coincidence that is highly improbable and unintentional? Does coincidence necessarily connote meaninglessness—ìIt was just a coincidence, i.e. just a fluke—and either way, what is implied therein about the way things really are?

4.       What proposals can be made about alternatives to Jung’s supposition of acausality—literally no-causedness? What are plausible causal alternatives, if any?

5.       Does synchronicity in some contexts have useful functions—therapeutic, spiritual, motivational, and revelational—or is it primarily a curiosity, an invitation to unscientific magical thinking?

Here are some definitions I developed to help people better understand, evaluate and journal their own experiences.  

A "Synchro" is: when two or more causally unrelated facts coincide in a very improbable way significant to the observer. Events can be grouped by cause, and also by their logical and thematic connections to one another, even in the absence of cause-effect relationships.   

To help people differentiate their extraordinary experiences I have organized and defined some standard ways of evaluating them.  One of the most typical experiences is what I call the Extraordinary Event. 

An Extraordinary Event is: 

Parallel or multiple events that mirror, coincide, echo, and impact in a significant and meaningful way that grips the attention of the one experiencing them and inspires wonder.  This chain of events is marked both by high improbability and by especially appropriate timing, the combination of which inspires surprise and profound questioning: "What are the chances?" Such closely linked incidents may also evoke a sense of "destiny unfolding" unexplainable by the everyday understanding of time, space, and reality. Examining, tracking, and following this series of incidents is called, "Journey Threading" and on further reflection may seem to reveal a valuable piece of the puzzle that resolves a conflict or in some other way is life-changing.

The Extraordinary Event is just one of a number of ways people can categorize their unusual experiences.

If readers have an interest in this topic I can follow-up with more expansive information and definitions.