“Just a coincidence?”: The importance of connecting higher through the universal language of synchronicity
In spiritual terms, synchronicity is a term used to represent the process of experiences coming together and forming some sort of meaning. Meaning is an important part of, if not the most important part of, the self and our existence. Connecting with personal meaning in everyday experiences involves being in a mindful, receptive state. Mindfulness initially comes from switching off a distracted mind to become conscious and more aware of whats really going on in our lives, and being able to connect with the higher meaning within it. Meditation practices are the pathway to this higher connection.
Synchronistic occurrences are formidable and the meaning within them can propel us forward with a surge of ephemeral courage. The language of synchronicity is all about how the universe informs and answers different people through different types of coincidence. Depending on our favoured sense, usually sight or sound, it often communicates through music, or a meaningful object that captures our attention in an unusual way such as an out-of-place feather landing in our path.
Let me share an example from my own life …slightly spooky with a few twists and turns.
In 2014 I moved to a new area in London, ‘out to zone 3’ - a big decision to move to the burbs after years of living in the mixer close to the fun! I wanted to connect with nature and it offered a chance to live in a ‘green lung’ area whilst delving deeper into my spirituality and a balanced healthier life.
The first day in the local cafe I met the owner, Misty, who for some strange reason told me I must go for a cycle around the local Victorian cemetery and 1950’s crematorium . Yikes, no thanks, couldn’t think of anything I’d rather less do at the time. Remind myself of my inevitable end. Not a chance! Nevertheless curiosity for the 50’s architecture got the better of me, and I was pleasantly surprised by beauty of The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium.
My partner was reluctant but we had a good long cycle around the gorgeous tree lined roads and paths of old graves. Although some of them were interesting we didn’t stop at all until towards the end of our time there. On a row of large victorian headstones, I was drawn to one - it captured my attention let’s just say. It was the first time we’d stopped and as I gazed down from the top of the very large headstone … reading the date ….1875 …to the sentiment… to the family name. The name was faint from years of London grime - clearly an unkept grave, long forgotten, no visitors. I suddenly turned white and lost all power of speech as I was met with an all too familiar name - GLENNY - my own surname! Not being a Smith or a Brown, it’s even more of a co-incidence to see my very uncommon Celtic name on a London grave. I turned to my partner - he had gone white! Given he is middle eastern this was also notable!
Out of the hundreds of graves we had gone past, how was my name on the only one we stopped at? It’s hard to call it a co-incidence when you’re confronted so brutally with the reminder of your immortality. A spiritual intervention of some sort perhaps? Which at the time was freaking me out. What did it mean? Were my days numbered?
Reading more into the inscriptions on the stone I noticed on the side was an additional name - Paris - who had married Frances Glenny who seemed to be the main man in these family remains. Paris, I thought to myself, was that a normal name in victorian times? Didn’t sound it to me. Then I remembered the last thing I’d seen in the news - it was 31st August, the anniversary of the day Princess Diana died in Paris. Now things were getting even creepier. As it happened I had been doing a lot of research on Diana and taken inspiration from how much she worked from the heart. It had inspired me to spend time working on my heart chakra in meditation, which I was at that point focused on and making big advancements in my own heart healing of generational trauma. At that point I did not yet know I was to specialise in heart based healing meditations further on in life, where I am now.
My first point of call on the matter was a Shaman I’d worked with for some years. He had been the person that pointed me in the direction of this greener part of London in the first place. He had advised to me at a time I was living in busy central London recovering from burnout; “Have a think about what spirituality means to you. Spend time in nature, connect with animals …and your Celtic ancestors”. The ancestor thing: the only piece of his advice I’d totally ignored. The Celtic culture didn’t resonate either. Having left Northern Ireland during ‘the troubles’ to get away from it. His advice, post scary cemetery incident: “ Ah but it’s just your ancestors saying hello”. How could he be so flippant? I wondered, did he not realise I was freaking out?! At the time I didn’t buy into them being my direct ancestors and thought it odd these particular Glenny’s were making such a confident spiritual appearance in my life.
So 9 years on I am still here to tell the tale, but this is far from the end of this synchronicity story. More recently, this year, after avoiding the cemetery for such a long time, the road of its main gate became part of my new cycling route. Whizzing past it most days, one day once again I was bitten by the curiosity bug - I peddled through the Disney castle-like front entrance in search of the same grave. Could I find it - no! Why was it not in the place I was 99% sure I’d seen it? After a while I asked in the office - ‘do you know where I can find a large victorian grave from 1875 with a giant angel on top of the headstone?’. They handed me a map and said they had no big angels.
After another long stretch, covering the same cemetery roads up and down the victorian graves looking for this angel, it struck me that I could be wrong about the angel. Yes indeed my mind had played tricks on me over the 9 years since the first fateful visit and I found the grave where I knew it to be. No angel, just a very large reddish brown stone obelisk - which has significance to me these days, and personal meaning, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it after the initial apprehension. I have a strong connection with the obelisk in my own life experiences and began to understand the significance of this spiritual intervention.
Obelisks, as well as the connection to the ancient Egyptians, have great spiritual meaning. The long, pointed shape of an obelisk gives us a clear sense that it has concentrated, powerful energy to support us by shifting our perspective into the higher realms when we are securely grounded in the earth, centred and stable. This is the basis of meditation and healing work - to ground first before going into the subconscious and beyond. To take this obelisk co-incidence even further - a year earlier in 2022, a photo was taken that I use on the home page of my meditation website. One of the healing tools with me in the photo is a red brown quartz tower - coincidentally a mini crystal version of the headstone on the Glenny grave. How’s that for a spooky synchronicity? My crystal tower is a grounding tool used to symbolically anchor the energy of stability and strength in new beginnings for those seeking healing and change in guided meditation.
As if all of this wasn’t enough. Another meaningful c0-incidence around this experience ; my home, which is in the same area as the cemetery, was built in the same year as the Glenny grave, 1875. This Francis Glenny had quite literally moved out of the area for good to his final resting place at the same time a house was created for me to move into 140 years further down the line. Opening up the opportunity for me to stumble upon this neglected grave and forgotten people of the same name. An experience I have gained so much from in terms of energetic connection and synchronicity, from which I can help others. Who knows if they are my ancestors or not, but we have the common ground of being Celts who came to the city and settled in East London.
My home is of particular significance to me because of how I came about owning it and bringing it back to life. It was vacant and badly neglected for many years - and I had my heart set on it! Forming a bond, that will understandably sound strange to some folks, I spoke to it as much as I could (given the neighbours might call the police) and said I would bring it back to life, to its purpose. Sounds crazy? Well it came on the market 3 years later and became mine amidst a typical London buying frenzy, competitive bidders, and a final major plot twist in which the buyer dropped out after exchange. In this home I have created a meditation and healing space for others, and I have found myself in the solitude that is needed for deep introspection, spirituality and the lifting of the societal veil which sits at the heart of modern spirituality.
I have taken the guidance and wisdom from these seemingly co-incidental experiences and learned the importance of joining the dots of the our interconnectedness of existence. Honouring ancestors of all kinds has become an interesting aspect of my spirituality. By acknowledging and staying connected with those who came before me, I honour my own journey and contribute to the intergenerational, mind-blowing tapestry of life.
