The Contribution of Synchronicity Towards Personal Leadership
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THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
By Elizma van der Smit
RESEARCH ESSAY Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree
MAGISTER PHILOSOPHIAE
In PERSONAL AND PROFESSIOAL LEADERSHIP
in the FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND NURSING
at the RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
Supervisor: Prof DPJ Smith
December 2003
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG UNIVERSITEIT VAN JOHANNESBURG AUCKLAND PARK KINGSWAY CAMPUS / KAMPUS POSBUS 524 BOX 524 AUCKLAND PARK 2006 Tel: 011 559-2165
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AS PROMISED, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU GEO! SYNOPSIS
All of us have experienced some kind of synchronicity before. An example of this phenomenon would be thinking of a friend and receiving a phone call from that friend at that time. The people you meet or simply run into on the street; the shirt that someone you walk by is wearing; the license plate or bumper sticker of the car in front of you — all could be examples of synchronicity. It can range from minor incidents to those that have a profound impact on our lives. The problem is that many of us do not understand the concept of synchronicity and how to utilize it in our journey to personal leadership. Not everybody is comfortable with the idea that the universe is giving us guidance. Often people have misconceptions regarding the synchronicity phenomenon and therefore dismiss it as mere chance while other believes that it is dark and evil.
The general aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the concept of synchronicity and the importance thereof the people's lives. Ways of enhancing people's awareness of synchronicity was to be explored to assist them in their journey to purpose and meaning. Specific aims were set in order to achieve the general aim, namely to answer the following questions: "What is synchronicity?" and " What is the contribution of synchronicity towards personal leadership?" as well as "How can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity?"
The research strategy of this study is characterized as explorative, descriptive and hermeneutic. The research methods used included word and concept analysis and literature study.
On the question of "What is synchronicity?" it was found in chapter two that synchronicities are forces that come together in time and space, providing just what is needed. The occurrence strikes the participants as special, unexpected, or unexplainable by normal cause-and-effect rationales. The effect of synchronicity on the psyche is to trigger awareness that maybe a greater — or even divine — purpose is at work. It was discovered that the theory on synchronicity was the brainchild of C.G. Jung and that different types of synchronicity can be identified. The explanation of the background of the theory as well as the different types was found to enhance awareness and understanding of the concept of synchronicity.
The question of "what is the contribution of synchronicity towards personal leadership?" was answered in chapter three. It was found that personal leadership is a value-based, principle-centered, inside-out approach to gaining control of one's life and living a happy and fulfilled life. It is based on the knowledge of who one is, where one currently is, and where one is going. A personal leader needs to develop in a balanced and holistic manner. Therefore all the individual's dimensions such as the spiritual, physical, mental and social/emotional dimensions should be improved. It was discovered that synchronicity has a definite contribution towards personal leadership, specifically towards the spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental dimensions. Synchronicity can assist people in their search for meaning, with accepting the responsibility of taking good care of the physical body, it can help one make better choices and heighten awareness of one's own feelings and emotions as well as that of other people.
The last question of "how can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity?" was also answered in chapter three. It was found that certain practical guidelines could be given on how people can enhance their awareness and use of synchronicity in their personal lives. These guidelines include mainly the cultivation of an open, receptive and nonjudgmental attitude as well as an active interest in synchronicities. In doing this, one would be able to tap into the vast knowledge of the universe.
This study proves that every individual in his quest to become a personal leader should become aware of the various possibilities for moving forward in their lives. By being open to the possibility of guidance from the universe, we can experience synchronicities that enhance our self-awareness and the decisions we make in life. In this way, body and consciousness, individual and society, mind and matter may come to achieve their unlimited potential. OPSOMMING
Almal van ons het al een of ander "synchronicity" ervaar. 'n Voorbeeld is wanneer jy aan 'n vriend dink en terselftertyd 'n oproep van horn of haar ontvang. Die mense wat jy ontmoet of op straat teekom; die hemp wat iemand mag dra; die nommerplaat of buffer plakker op die kar voor jou — kan alles voorbeelde van "synchronicity" wees. Dit kan strek van klein insidente tot gebeure wat 'n geweldige invloed op ons lewens kan he. Die probleem is dat van ons nie die konsep van "synchronicity" heeltemal verstaan nie en ook nie weet hoe om dit te gebruik in ons reis na persoonlike leierskap nie. Nie almal is gemaklik met die idee dat die heelal vir ons rigting gee nie. Daarby het mense dikwels sekere wanpersepsies aangaande "synchronicity" en kan hulle dit daarom afmaak as iets wat "sleg" of bloot toevallig is.
Die algemene doel van die studie was om 'n groter begrip van die konsep van "synchronicity" en die belangrikheid daarvan vir mense se lewens, te bewerkstellig. Ondersoek is ingestel na die wyse waarop mense se bewustheid aangaande "synchronicity" verhoog kan word, om sodoende te help in hul reis na sin en betekenis. Spesifieke doelwitte is gestel om die algemene doelwit te bereik, naamlik om die volgende vrae te beantwoord: "Wat is synchronicity" en "Wat is die bydrae van synchronicity vir persoonlike leierskap?" asook "Hoe kan mense hul bewustheid van synchronicity verhoog?"
Die navorsingstrategie in hierdie studie was ondersoekend, beskrywend en hermeneuties. Die navorsingsmetodes wat gebruik is sluit in woord- en konsepanalise asook 'n literatuurstudie.
Met betrekking tot die vraag: "Wat is synchronicity?" is in hoofstuk twee gevind dat "synchronicities" kragte is wat saamsmelt in tyd en ruimte om, dit wat nodig is, te voorsien. Die gebeurtenis kom voor as spesiaal, onverwags of overklaarbaar deur normale oorsaak-gevolg benaderings. Die effek van synchronicity op die psige is 'n bewusmaking dat daar moontlik iets groters — miskien goddelik — werksaam is. Daar is ontdek dat die teorie van "synchronicity" deur C.G. Jung ontwikkel is en dat sekere tipes "synchronicity" geidentifiseer kan word. Die agtergrond van die teorie sowel as die verskillende tipes van "synchronicity" is verduidelik om die bewustheid en begrip van "synchronicity" te verhoog.
Die vraag: "wat is die bydrae van synchronicity vir persoonlike leierskap?" is in hoofstuk drie beantwoord. Daar is gevind dat pesoonlike leierskap 'n waarde-gebaseerde, beginsel-gesentreerde, "inside-out" benadering is tot die beheer van 'n persoon se lewe asook om 'n gelukkige, vervulde lewe te lei. Dit is gegrond op die kennis van wie jy is, waar jy huidiglik is en waarheen jy oppad is. 'n Persoonlike leier moet op 'n holistiese en gebalanseerde wyse ontwikkel en daarom moet at die dimensies, naamlik die spirituele, fisieke, sosiaal/emosionele en verstandelike dimensies, bevorder word. Daar is ontdek dat "synchronicity" 'n definitiewe bydrae tot persoonlike leierskap kan lewer, veral ten opsigte van die spirituele, fisieke, sosiaal/emosionele en verstandelike dimensies. "Synchronicity" kan mense help in hul soeke na sin, die versorging van die fisieke liggaam, om beter keuses te maak en om ons bewustheid van ons eie gevoelens en emosies, asook die van ander, te verhoog.
Die laaste vraag van "Hoe kan mense hul bewustheid van synchronicity verhoog?" is ook in hoofstuk drie beantwoord. Sekere praktiese riglyne is geldentifieseer vir die ontwikkeling van 'n groter bewustheid en beter gebruik van "synchronicity" in mense se lewens. Dit sluit in die kweek van 'n oop en ontvanklike houding sowel as 'n aktiewe belangstelling in "synchronicity". Sodoende kan daar van die heelal se ongelooflike bron van kennis gebruik gemaak word.
Hierdie studie bewys dat elkeen in sy reis na persoonlike leierskap, bewus moet word van die verskillende groei-moontlikhede. Deur oop te wees vir die moontlikheid van leiding deur die heelal, maak dit moontlik om "synchronicity" te ervaar en om bewustheid van die self en besluitneming te verbeter. Op hierdie wyse kan die liggaam en bewustheid, individu en gemeenskap, verstand en materie dit vir ons moontlik maak om ons potensiaal te bereik. TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 CONTEXT 1 1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM 3 1.3 AIM OF STUDY 5 1.4 MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY 5 1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 6 1.5.1 Research strategy 6 1.5.2 Research methods 7 1.5.2.1 Word analysis 7 1.5.2.2 Concept analysis 7 1.5.2.3 Literature study 8 1.6 PARADIGM 8 1.7 FURTHER CONTINUATION OF THE STUDY 9
CHAPTER TWO: THE CONCEPT OF SYNCHRONICITY
2.1 INTRODUCTION 10 2.2 THE CONCEPT "SYNCHRONICITY' 12 2.2.1 Word analysis of synchronicity 12 2.2.1.1 Word analysis of "coincidence" 13 2.2.1.2 Word analysis of "meaningful" 13 2.2.1.3 Word analysis of "acausal" 14 2.2.2 Conceptual analysis of "synchronicity" 15 2.3 THE THEORY OF SYNCHRONICITY 16 2.3.1 Background 16 2.3.2 Jung's theory of personality 17 2.3.3 Towards synchronicity 19 2.3.3.1 The therapeutic context 19 2.3.3.2 Astrology 20 2.3.3.3 The .1 Ching 20
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2.3.3.4 Alchemy and other esoteric research 21 2.3.3.5 Parapsychology 21 2.3.3.6 Physics 22 2.3.4 The formulation of the theory of synchronicity 22 2.4 TYPES OF SYNCHRONICITY 24 2.5 CONCLUSION 31
CHAPTER THREE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
3.1 INTRODUCTION 33 3.2 THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL LEADERSHIP 35 3.2.1 Word analysis of "personal" 35 3.2.2 Word analysis of "leadership" 36 3.2.3 Conceptual analysis of "personal leadership" 37 3.3 BALANCE IN THE FOUR LIFE DIMENSIONS 39 3.3.1 Spiritual dimension 40 3.3.2 Physical dimension 43 3.3.3 Social/emotional dimension 44 3.3.4 Mental dimension 46 3.4 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP 48 3.4.1 Spiritual dimension 48 3.4.2 Physical dimension 50 3.4.3 Social/emotional dimension 53 3.4.4 Mental dimension 55 3.5 THE CREATION OF SUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR SYNCHRONICITY 58 3.6 CONCLUSION 63 III
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY
4.1 INTRODUCTION 66 4.2 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY 66 4.3 FINDINGS OF THE STUDY 67 4.3.1 What is synchronicity? 68 4.3.2 What is the contribution of synchronicity towards personal leadership? 71 4.3.3 How can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity? 75 4.4 RECOMMENDATIONS 76 4.4.1 Recommendations regarding the personal leadership process 76 4.4.2 Recommendations regarding personal leadership research 76
5. LIST OF REFERENCES 77 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
CHAPTER ONE: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 CONTEXT
All of us have experienced some kind of synchronicity before. An example of this phenomenon would be thinking of a friend and receiving a phone call from that friend at that moment. Maybe you can recall a time when you were once late for an appointment, and an unoccupied parking space appear right in front of the building where you are suppose to be? Another example would be watching a movie and seeing within the story of that film, a metaphor for your own life situation. For Joseph Jaworski (1998:84) it meant meeting a beautiful woman at the airport — just knowing that she will play a significant part in his life. That particular woman, Mavis, had a dream the night before and a strong premonition about meeting a man who will change her life forever. According to the online magazine, Synchronicity Times (http://ropi.net/stwhat is synchronicity.htm), the people you meet or simply run into on the street; the shirt that someone you walk by is wearing; the license plate or bumper sticker of the car in front of you — could all examples of synchronicity.
The term synchronicity was coined by one of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers, the Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung. He defined synchronicity as any apparent coincidence that inspires a sense of wonder and personal meaning or particular significance in the observer. It is a perceived connection between two or more subjects, events or persons without any recognizable cause (Joseph, 1999:ix). Fournier (1997:1) agrees and defines synchronicity as a meaningful coincidence where two (or more) events appear to coincide (in time) but there is no causal connection between them. According to him it is the experience of two events that somehow seems to coincide and leave one with the sense of having encountered an awe-inspiring mystery.
According to Pruett (1999:2) the roots of synchronicity are grounded in primitive magic. Primitive tribes have long held the belief that "like influences like". This first 2
law of primitive magic may be regarded as the law of sympathy. In primitive cultures around the world, there is a firm belief in the sympathetic connection of friends and family at a distance. Like modern day telepathics, they believe it is possible to affect event across wide distances. Case studies of identical twins separated at birth show startling coincidences that confirm the connection through space of persons genetically similar, demonstrating the primitive law of sympathetic influence upon like and like (Pruett, 1999:2). Goethe and Koestler agreed that we all have certain electric and mechanical powers within us that can be an attractive or repelling force (Peat, 1987:65).
Jaworski (1998:88) says that we should not be surprised by synchronistic events. This is the way things should work in a world that is fundamentally connected. We must consistently see the world as one of relatedness, rather than thing ness. The doctrine that everything in the universe is connected also runs as a leitmotif through the teachings of Taoism, Buddhism, the Neo Platonists and the philosophers of the Renaissance.
The problem is that many of us don't understand the concept of synchronicity and how to utilize it in our journey to personal leadership. We think that synchronicity is just pure luck with no significance or meaning. Other people might think it is evil or part of the occultism, and must be avoided at all costs. Wellens (2000:7) agrees that the phenomenon "synchronicity" still is a very mysterious, hard to grasp item in our human life. The way these synchronistic events show up in symbolic relation baffles the mind and challenge us to our deepest, most elaborate research into our consciousness and self-awareness as well as our understanding of the working of the surrounding cosmos (Wellens, 2000:7).
Jaffe in Black (1997:2) stress the importance of an understanding of synchronicity in the modern world when she states: "Today, in an age increasingly rent by spiritual fragmentation, such a concept has an important role to play in compensating our picture of the world". If we raise it to consciousness and thus actualizing it, we will create meaning of life. Berlow (2000:2) agrees that we will be able to distinguish true goals from illusory fantasies if we use not only our mind and intellect, but also our hearts and intuition. According to the online magazine Synchronicity Times 3
(http://ropi.net/stwhat is synchronicity.htm), synchronous events can help us make choices in our lives because they are a form of guidance from the universe. Although some of us will admit to the fact that synchronicity might be helpful, we are still not sure of the specific contribution of the phenomena in our lives.
According to Zohar and Marshall (2000:265) we need to become aware of the various possibilities for moving forward in our lives. Devote some time and spiritual work to exploring several of these possibilities, let them run in your imagination, find out what their practical requirements are and decide how feasible each of these are for you.
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM
Despite our individual differences, all of us have experienced meaningful coincidence — synchronicity — at sometime in our lives, whether we consciously recognize them or not. Synchronistic assistance, whether in response to a clear need or reasons beyond our conscious awareness, can range from minor incidents to those that have a profound impact on our lives, including those that are life transforming or even life saving (Joseph, 1999: viii).
Not everybody is comfortable with the idea that the universe is giving us guidance. Some people dismiss it as mere chance while others believes that it is dark and evil. Even Jung was suspected of mysticism and even magic because of his statements regarding synchronicity (Negre, 1999:8). A clear and simple explanation of the concept of "synchronicity" is needed to address some of the misconceptions that people might have.
Another problem is that people are skeptic of things that they do not understand and that is difficult to proof. Although acausal combinations of events are hard to detect in the macro physical world, there still exists a wealth of historical writings on the subject (Jung, 1972:421). Pruett (1999:4) agreed that synchronicity remains suspect to many "scientific minds". However, it finds doctrinal affinity with a number of ancient and modern systems that includes Taoism, Kammerer seriality, new physics and Extrasensory Perception (ESP). Just because we don't see something, does not 4
mean that it does not exist. According to Levin (2000:5) what we take to be the "truth" is only our interpretation of the forces of the universe — the way we understand it. It is important to share information regarding the subject in order to address the skeptic's perception of what the truth really is.
Although some of us might agree that we can use synchronicity for guidance and to enhance our purpose and meaning in life, we are still not certain of the "what' and the "how" of this phenomenon. We tend to take for granted many of the subtle, ordinary chance occurrences (Redfield & Adrienne, 1995:4). According to Groth (1995:30) synchronistic events cannot be useful unless we are committed to openness and participation. How can we be open to this phenomenon if we do not know what it is?
Jaworski (1998:1) believes that from an organizational as well as personal perspective, the discovery and learning may lie in the realization that creating the conditions in which synchronicity can take place. It is then important that we explore the ways of creating the conditions of synchronicity in order to promote personal leadership and, as May and Chien (2000:3) states: "to co-create our own healing and destiny". Many people don't know "how" they can create the necessary conditions of synchronicity to help them in their journey to personal growth and discovery. Clear direction and practical suggestions in this regard is needed to address the problem.
According to the above-mentioned arguments, the identified problems can be summarized as the following:
All of us are experiencing synchronicities, but we often don't recognize them due to a lack of awareness. A lack of knowledge and awareness of synchronicity are leading to skepticism and misconceptions regarding to phenomenon. People often don't know how they can use synchronicity for guidance and to enhance their purpose and meaning in life. People are often not aware of how they can create suitable conditions for synchronicity and personal leadership. 5
1.3 AIM OF THE STUDY
In view of the above-mentioned problems, the general aim of the study is to get a better understanding of the synchronicity phenomenon and the importance thereof to people's lives. Ways of enhancing people's awareness of synchronicity will also be explored to assist them in the journey to purpose and meaning.
To achieve the general aim, the essay will attempt to answer the following questions:
What is synchronicity? What is the contribution of synchronicity to personal leadership? How can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity?
1.4 MOTIVATION OF THE STUDY
As mentioned before, many people often are either unaware of synchronicity or has certain misconceptions regarding the matter. A clear definition of the concept of synchronicity will prevent people from dismissing the phenomenon as mere chance or as something that is dark and evil. It will help us to accept the idea that the universe is giving us guidance.
This study can help people to understand a phenomenon that is difficult to proof and a macro physical world. It can alter the skeptic's perception of the forces of the universe and the way that he or she understands them. The explanation of "synchronicity" will help to make a person open and willing to participate in this journey of self-discovery.
Another contribution of the study will be to define the role of synchronicity within our lives as another way to enhance a person's personal and interpersonal functioning. Practical suggestions on "how" we can enhance our awareness of synchronistic circumstances are extremely valuable for this will contribute to quality of life and is a meaningful step in the process of becoming a personal leader. 6
Having formulated the problem to be investigated as well as the aim and motivation, the next section deals with the "How?" question: "How will these aims be realized?"
1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1.5.1 Research strategy
Smith (1993:18) describes the research strategy as a broad methodological approach to the study, or as the "broad, overarching plan of action dealing with the how of research". In other words, it is the general strategic plan which directs the methods and techniques to be followed in order to achieve a goal. The aim of the study undertaken, given the circumstances, determines the choice of strategy.
The research strategy of the present study can be characterized as explorative, descriptive and hermeneutic.
Exploratory research is used to explore the dimensions of a phenomenon, the manner in which it is manifested and the other factors with which it are related. This strategy provides more insight about the nature of a phenomenon (Brink, 1996:11). Isaac and Michael (1989:46) apply the descriptive research strategy where situations are factually described, problems are identified, comparisons are made and an investigation is launched into the how others handle similar problems. According to Smith (1993:28) the hermeneutic strategy involves an accurate interpretation and understanding of the actions of people against the backdrop of subjective contextual motives as well as insight and understanding of subjective meaningfulness. Hermeneutics bridges the gap between what is familiar in our worlds and what is unfamiliar (Gadamer in Streubert and Carpenter, 1999:54).
This strategy will be used in order to explore the concept of "synchronicity". Literature on personal leadership and related aspects of personal leadership that enables one to explore the concept of "synchronicity" in general will be utilized.
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1.5.2 Research methods
A research method is a more specific working procedure within the broader research strategy that helps to examine a problem (Smith, 1993:20; Brink, 1996:2). The methods used in this study will be word and concept analysis and literature study.
1.5.2.1 Word analysis
The first step in research involves a word analysis to define and enlighten the concepts necessary to help understand synchronicity and where it fits into the personal leadership process.
According to Smith (1993:42) as well as De Vos (1998:336) the method include looking up the word in the language of origin, i.e. Latin, Greek, etc. This may help to give a total perspective of the concept or word. The method include looking for dictionary definitions in order to get more detailed synonyms of the word that can be used as keywords in the search for more information. Keywords like synchronicity, chance, serendipity, causal and acausal meaning will be researched on the Internet by using several search engines like Yahoo, Look Smart and Google. The etymology of a word can also be researched from the original meaning of the word in the ancient languages.
1.5.2.2 Concept analysis
The purpose of a concept analysis is to gain bigger clarity of the different meanings, properties and connotations of a concept. It is a useful method for defining a concept when a body of theoretical literature exists (Brink & Wood, 1998:242). Smith (1993:43) explains concept analysis as a way to clarify the meaning of a concept, or to gain different views of experts on the concept or to determine how the concept is used in different contexts. 8
1.5.2.3 Literature study
According to Smith (1993:47) and confirmed by Brink (1996:76) a literature study is the finding, reading, understanding and forming of conclusions through available literature on a subject.
In this study certain books, journals and Internet materials will be studied to gather information regarding the different perspectives on "synchronicity", as well as the importance of the concept for personal leadership and possible suggestions for the enhancement of synchronicity in our personal lives.
1.6 PARADIGM
Each individual has the anthropological driving force to be a person in his own right. In order to adhere to this force, the individual strives toward self-maintenance, self- satisfaction and self-expansion. According to this view, it is the nature of man to strive to realize his potential and to improve himself (Hermans, 1986:11-12). This is the anthropological view of man that underlies this study.
This study supports the existential view that man's genes, environment and education on their own do not determine man's destiny and behaviour. Individuals are always free to choose their actions in any given situation (Meyer, Moore & Viljoen, 1992:423). With this freedom to choose, man has certain endowments, which make him uniquely human. In addition to self-awareness, conscience and independent will, man has a creative imagination and the ability to recreate himself beyond present realities (Covey, 1992:70).
Personal leadership is based on the above-mentioned anthropological truths and in essence means that leadership is not something we do, but is an expression of who we are. To invest in leadership is to invest in personal and interpersonal growth (Cashman, 2000:18). Covey et al. (1995:59-60) adds to this by saying: "If you do not know yourself, if you do not learn to control yourself, if you do not have mastery over yourself, you are not a personal leader." It is then the view of this study that man 9
cannot grow towards his pull potential and be an effective personal leader, without choosing to know all aspects of himself.
The exploration and enhancement of a person's intuition is one way of gaining valuable self-knowledge. According to Steiner and Perry (1997:111) intuition, when used in an effective and emotional literate way, can greatly help us to understand one another and ourselves. Especially in times of rapid change, trusting our intuition and ourselves may be a person's only guide (Cashman, 2000:94). A person's intuition enables him to see and hear without the normal organs, bringing back information that is often of the most exact and truthful character (Murphy, 1997:19). According to Combs and Holland (1996:139) intuitive feelings have a special relationship to synchronicity, a relationship that few people have actively cultivated. The focus of this study is to help people get a better understanding of themselves through the concept of synchronicity, for this can help them on their journey to become an effective personal leader.
1.7 FURTHER CONTINUATION OF THE STUDY
In chapter two a word analysis, together with a conceptual analysis will be done to define the concept "synchronicity" and to distinguish it from related personal leadership concepts. A description of the history and nature of synchronicity will be done.
Chapter three will explore the importance of synchronicity in people's lives, and specifically to personal leadership. Ways of enhancing meaningful application of synchronistic events will also be explored.
In chapter four, a summary of the essay will be done and the essential key elements of the essay as a whole will be highlighted. 1 0
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
CHAPTER TWO: THE CONCEPT OF SYNCHRONICITY
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Despite all of our individual differences, all of us have experienced meaningful coincidence — synchronicity- at sometime in our lives, whether we consciously recognize them or not (Joseph, 1999:viii). Think about it, there is a stage in your life when financial difficulties seem to have no end. Yet there is always enough money for basic expenses. Finances seem to appear where and when they are needed. Or you walk into a bookstore not knowing what to buy, and the book you need falls from a shelf and practically hits you over the head. Or had it ever happened that you feel depressed and can't find focus in your life and the next person you talk to say
- something that brings the guidance that you need? Or maybe you drive to a place where parking is next to impossible and someone pulls out of a parking spot or it is just there waiting for you?
Coincidences prick our curiosity and our sense of wonder, yet we're usually not sure how to treat them. This is because they don't appear to be governed by the cause- and-effect relationship we use to explain the flow of most events about us (Bell, 2000:ix). Jung's idea had been controversial and widely attacked by scientists and non-scientists alike, mostly because it is a phenomenon that "baffles" the mind and is hard to proof (Wellence, 2000:7).
According to the Synchronicity Times (http://www.ropi.net/st/) it is therefore important that people understand the concept of synchronicity so that they don't feel alone or confused. Synchronicity seems to defy rational or logical explanation, which can contribute to feelings of fear. In helping others to a better understanding of synchronicity, this phenomenon can be utilized without fear, in determining their life path 1 1
Many people and scientists have difficulty in accepting that something like synchronicity could be significant. Bakker (1997:88) agrees by saying that perhaps the fact that people believe in something called "synchronicity" does not prove that it exists! Conflicting opinions regarding synchronicity had made it necessary to explore the metaphysical basis of coincidence in order to generate an understanding of how our physical world can generate the spontaneous emergence of meaningful coincidences (Bell, 2000:xix). A clear and simple explanation for synchronicity will address the misconceptions and skepticism people might have regarding the phenomenon.
Chapter one provided an outline of the direction of this study. The aim of the study was stated, along with the methodology to be used in achieving that aim. Chapter two will focus on elucidating the concept of synchronicity. The aim of this elucidation will be as follows:
• To formulate a definition of synchronicity by means of word and concept analysis in order to make people aware of the existence of meaningful coincidences.
To obtain the views of various authors on what synchronicity is by conducting a literature study. This would be done in order to address misconceptions and to enhance a better understanding of the concept of synchronicity.
To begin with, what follows are word and concept analysis of "synchronicity". 12
2.2 THE CONCEPT "SYNCHRONICITY"
2.2.1 Word analysis of synchronicity
As part of concept clarification, a word analysis of the term "synchronicity" will be performed as a basis to gain greater clarity on its meaning.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (http://www.dictioary.com/search?g-synchronicity), synch ronicity can be defined as a coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory on the same order as causality.
Wordsmyth, The Educational Dictionary agrees by saying that synchronicity is the fact or state of happening at the same time, considered as a manifestation of intent or meaningfulness rather than chance or randomness (http://wordsmvth.net).
Synchronicity is. Jung's term for acausal connection between events that renders them meaningful to an observer, for example precognition, coincidences of dreams with independently occurring events (Principia Cybernetica Web, http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/asc/synchronicity.html).
Jung defined synchronicity as a coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events which have the same or a similar meaning, in contrast to "synchronism", which simply means the simultaneous occurrence of two events (Jung, 1973:25).
On the basis of the above mentioned dictionary explanations, as well as on the definition of Jung, it is evident that synchronicity can be defined as a coincidence that is meaningful in one way or another and cannot be explained by normal cause- and-effect rationales, in other words, it is acausal.
A clearer understanding of the concept of "synchronicity" can be generated if a word analysis of the terms "coincidence", "meaningful" as well as of "acausal" can be presented.
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2.2.1.1 Word analysis of "coincidence"
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (http://www.dictioarv.com/search?q-coincidence) the term "coincidence" has the following meanings:
The state or fact of occupying the same relative position or area in space. A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.
The above-mentioned definition corresponds with the definition in Wordnet (http://www.dictioary.com/search?q-coincidence), which states the term "coincidence" as the following:
An event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental. The quality of occupying the same position or area in space. The temporal property of two things happening at the same time.
On the basis of the above dictionary explanations, the term "coincidence" can be defined as two things happening at the same time that does not seem to be merely accidental.
2.2.1.2 Word analysis of "meaningful"
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Chttp://www.dictioarv.com/search?q-meaningful), the term "meaningful" has the following meanings:
Having meaning, function or purpose. Fraught with meaning, significant. 14
Wordnet (http://www.dictioarv.com/search?o-meaningful) agrees with the following definition of "meaningful":
Having a meaning or purpose.
On the basis of the above dictionary explanations, the term "meaningful" can be defined as something that has a definite meaning or purpose.
2.2.1.3 Word analysis of "acausal"
Although the term "acausal" is not recognized in the dictionaries, the word was primarily used by Jung as the opposite of the word "causal" (Jung, 1973:25). A word analysis of the term "causal" will be performed as a basis to gain greater clarity on the meaning of "acausal".
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (http://www.dictioary.com/search?q-causal), the term "causal" has the following meanings:
Of, involving, or constituting a cause. Indicative of or expressing a cause.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (http://www.dictionaty.com/search?d- causal) also defines "causal" as relating to a cause or causes, implying or containing a cause or expressing a cause.
On the basis of the above dictionary explanations, the term "acausal" can be defined as the opposite of the word "causal", in other words it is something that has no apparent cause.
Based on the dictionary explanations of the words "synchronicity"; "coincidence"; "meaningful" and "acausal", the basic meaning of synchronicity can be seen as the following: 15
Two things happening at the same time that seems accidental and with no apparent cause, but has a definite purpose or meaning for the individual.
2.2.2 Conceptual analysis of "synchronicity"
In order to get a better understanding of the concept of "synchronicity", definitions of synchronicity by various authors will be discussed in an attempt to formulate an enriched description of synchronicity.
Carl Jung wrote the forword to Richard Wilhelm's rendering of the / CHING where he defined synchronicity as " a coincidence of events in space and time as meaning something more than mere chance, namely, a peculiar interdependence of objective events among themselves as well as with the subjective (psychic) states of the observer or observers" (Wilhelm, 1967:)ociv). This definition, according to Bell (2000: xiv), has the following significance:
Coincidental events possess a peculiar interdependence with the subjective state of the observer. This is the central and singular most important fact about coincidences. A coincidence is always appropriate and relevant to the person(s) encountering it, and it often is a reflection of the psychological state of the person at the time it occurs.
Combs and Holland (1996:xvi) elaborated on this definition by seeing synchronicity as "meaningful coincidences" with the following trademarks:
Synchronicities are "acausal" which means that they cannot be reduced to a cause-and-effect explanation. It is two events, one inner and one outer that connect not by virtue of one causing the other, but by a mutual reflection of a common meaning. Synchronicities are always "personal events", but it can also be a "boundary event" that often occurs at periods of major life transitions. Synchronicities reflect a deeper, more holistic reality. 16
The definition that, according to my view, are able to concise all the above is that of Redfield and Adrienne (1995:108) who states: "Synchronicities are forces that come together in time and space, providing just what is needed. The occurrence strikes the participants as special, unexpected, or unexplainable by normal cause-and-effect rationales. The effect of synchronicity on the psyche is to trigger an awareness that maybe a greater — or even divine — purpose is at work. Synchronicities seem to be external answers to an internal psychic state".
2.3 THE THEORY OF SYNCHRONICITY
2.3.1 Background
Carl Gustav Jung introduced the theory of synchronicity to the field of psychology. He was born July 26, 1875, in the small Swiss village of Kessewil. Jung's early life was spent in a milieu conducive to his developing an interest in paranormal phenomena. Living in the countryside, he continually heard stories of uncanny happenings (Jung, 1963:102) such as "dreams which foresaw the death of a certain person, clock which stopped at the moment of death, glasses which shattered at the critical moment". More specifically, paranormal experiences were virtually commonplace in Jung's family. His maternal grandfather believed in ghosts and would devote one day every week to conversing with the spirit of his deceased first wife (Jaffe, 1984:40). Jung's grandmother was believed to be clairvoyant and the couple's daughter, Jung's mother, experienced "strange occurrences" regularly (Jaffe, 1971:2).
Jung's own experiences of the paranormal began at age seven or eight. By the time that he was twenty-three and a medical student, a couple of incidents happened which he says were "destined to influence me profoundly" (Jung, 1963:108). On one occasion a round walnut table in his family home suddenly and inexplicably split with a loud bang. Two weeks later another loud explosion was heard, and it was discovered that a steel knife which was in perfect condition an hour before, miraculously shattered into four in a closed drawer. These experiences contributed to his decision to enter the then widely despised field of psychiatry (Jung, 1963:107). 17
Jung always admired Freud and, when he met him in Vienna in 1907, they talked for 13 hours straight! Freud eventually came to see Jung as the crown prince of psychoanalysis and his heir apparent. Their relationship began to cool in 1909 since Freud was highly skeptical and dismissive about Jung's preoccupation with the paranormal (Boree, 1997: 2). Jung's paranormal experiences and the resulting need to adequately understand them were probably the greatest influence on the development of his theory of synchronicity. Such intimate personal engagement both gave him an inside view of the kind of psychological dynamics that can be involved in paranormal experiences and, even more importantly, impressed on him the extent to which the experiences can be meaningful. Thus, Jung's own experiences seemed to occur at critical junctures in his life: paranormal events accompanied his decision to make a career of psychiatry, his conflict and eventual breach with Freud, his formulation of the concept of the self as the centre of psychic totality, and his heart attack and transformative near-death experience in 1944 (Main, 2000:89-107).
The above-mentioned concept of the self was part of Jung's renowned theory on personality. In order to understand the development of the theory on synchronicity, it is important to give a short description of the main aspects of this personality theory.
2.3.2 Jung's theory of personality
Jung identified three components of the personality. First there was the ego, which includes what a person thinks, feels, remembers and perceives; more generally, the ego is one's consciousness (Stevens, 1994:45). Closely related is the personal unconscious, which includes anything, which is not presently conscious, but can be. Part .of the personal unconscious could have been present in one's consciousness at some point in time, however they eventually become repressed or more likely, forgotten (Boree, 1997:3 & Stevens, 1994:46). The third of Jung's components of personality is the collective unconscious. You could call it your "psychic inheritance". It is the reservoir of our experiences as a species, a kind of knowledge we are all born with. And yet, we can never be directly conscious of it (Boree, 1997:3). Examples of these "shared experiences" of the collective unconscious include birth, death, the sun, darkness, power, sex, water, pain etc. Jung refers to these specific experiences as archetypes (Hergenhahn, 1994:76). 18
The archetype has no form of its own, but acts as an "organizing principle" on the things we see or do. It works the way that instincts work. Jung wrote extensively on five specific archetypes, however, he did recognize that many more existed. The five, which Jung was most interested in, were the persona, the anima, the animus, the shadow, and the self (Case, 1998:2).
First, the persona is what Jung thought of as the public self. This meant that people basically played a role in a drama, and society was their audience. Despite the existence of the collective unconscious, which all human beings share, Jung believed that because persons were on earth at different times, and members of different cultures, the persona allowed an individual to almost create for him or herself a unique personality (Hergenhahn, 1994:77 & Case, 1998:2).
The anima, according to Jung, exists in males and it is their feminine component. This is a result of the experiences men have with women throughout their lifetimes. This archetype serves a dual purpose. First, it causes men to have "feminine traits", and secondly, it provides men with a framework of interacting with women (Hergenhahn, 1994:78 & Case, 1998:2).
In contrast with the anima archetype, there is the animus. The animus is the male component of the female personality and it provides women with an ideal of men. This ideal is shaped by women's collective experiences with men as fathers, sons and brothers (Hergenhahn, 1994:78 & Case, 1998:2).
The next archetype is the shadow, described as the "darkest and deepest part of the psyche" (Hergenhahn, 1994:79). In order to function in an efficient manner, and continually move toward the ultimate goal of a complete self, one must begin to understand his or her shadow. It is only through this understanding that one's evil tendencies can be controlled (Papadopoulos, 1992:19).
Lastly, the self is the archetype, which Jung thought of as the balancing component of individuals. The self is thought to be one's goal toward wholeness, and a total integration of the many facets of one's personality. This harmonious unity, according 19
to Jung, is an individual's life goal. To be in sync with one's many components of the personality is to be complete (Jung, 1963:368 & Case, 1998:2).
According to Jung, when we dream or meditate, we sink into our personal unconscious, coming closer and closer to our true selves, the collective unconscious. It is in states like this that we are especially open to "communications" (or synchronicities as he later identified them) from other ego's (Boree, 1997:9).
2.3.3 Towards synchronicity
In addition to his personal experiences and observations of paranormal phenomena, a number of further influences also played a significant part in Jung's eventual formulation of the theory of synchronicity. On the level of spontaneous events, there were the meaningful coincidences that he noticed during therapeutic sessions. Other sources of insight were Jung's practical engagement with the mantic procedures of astrology and the I Ching, and his cultural researches into alchemy and other esoteric traditions. No less important was his awareness of recent developments in science, above all in the new discipline of parapsychology and the then radically transformed field of physics (Main, 2000: 89-107). It is worth looking at each of these influences in turn, since their contributions to his developing theory are varied.
2.3.3.1 The therapeutic context
An example of this could be the documented experience that Jung had with one of his patients. He was treating a young woman who had, at a critical moment, a dream in which she was given a golden scarab. While she was telling him this dream, he was sitting with his back to the closed window. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him, like a gentle tapping. He turned around and saw a flying insect knocking against the window. He opened the window and caught it as it flew in. It was the nearest analogy to a golden scarab that one could find at that part of the world, namely the scarabaied beetle. This was an extraordinarily difficult case for Jung to treat, and up to the time of the dream little or no progress had been made. Evidently something quite irrational was needed and the dream alone was not enough to change the patient's attitude. But when the scarab came flying through the window, it was
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enough for her to start her transformation (Readers Digest, 1982:77). The special value of events such as this for the development of the theory of synchronicity lay in the fact that they occurred in a psychotherapeutic context, so that their accompanying psychodynamics could be observed particularly closely. Cases like this also enabled Jung to observe that coincidences can be symbolic in their meaning (Jung, 1952:439).
2.3.3.2 Astrology
Initially, Jung's seemed to hope that astrology might be able to demonstrate objectively a relationship of synchronicity between temporal determinants and individual character (Jung, 1952: 454). Later he expressed dissatisfaction with this notion, partly from his own astrological experiment, which revealed the extent of the astrologer's psychic participation in handling astrological material, and partly from recent discoveries concerning the possible influence of planetary positions on solar proton radiation. These discoveries suggested that there might be some causal basis for astrology (Jung, 1952:459).
2.3.3.3 The I Ching
Around 1920, Jung began experimenting with the ancient Chinese oracle system of the / Ching, or "Book of Chances", and was deeply impresses by its effectiveness in yielding pertinent answers to his questions. In Jung (1963:342) he states, "Time and again I encountered amazing coincidences which seemed to suggest the idea of an acausal parallelism (a synchronicity as he later called it)". According to Jung, the / Ching is not based on the causality principle but on a principle he tentatively called the synchronistic principle. He referred to psychic parallelisms that simply cannot be related to each other causally, but must be connected by another principal altogether (Jung, 1930:56).
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2.3.3.4 Alchemy and other esoteric research
No less significant for the development of the concept of synchronicity was Jung's extensive research into the esoteric traditions of the West. The ancient Greek conception of the "sympathy of all things", the medieval and Renaissance theory of correspondences, and above all the alchemical understanding of the unus mundus (one world) and of the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm also provided acausal connections between events. What these early theories suggested to Jung is that there may be a dimension of meaning that does not depend on human subjectivity or projection, but is "transcendental" - a meaning which is a priority in relation to human consciousness and apparently exists outside man (Main, 2000:101).
2.3.3.5 Parapsychology
While Jung was actively interested in • physical research throughout his life, few bodies of work within this field made such a deep impression on him as the parapsychological experiment carried out by J.B. Rhine in the first parapsychological laboratory, established at Duke University in 1932. These experiments appeared to give statistical confirmation of the reality of both extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokenesis (PK). More importantly the positive results of Rhine's experiments did not diminish if the subjects were separated from target objects by even great distances in space or time. These facts moved Jung to conclude that in relation to the psyche, space and time are "elastic" and can apparently be reduced almost to vanishing point. Knowledge of events at a distance or in the future is possible because, within the unconscious psyche, all events co-exist timelessly and spacelessly (Jung, 1952:435 & Rhine, 1953:102). These conclusions lead Jung to the preliminary formulation of the theory of synchronicity as he would eventually present it in terms of the psychic relativization of space and time (Jung, 1973:493). 22
2.3.3.6 Physics
Jung's language in discussing the implications of Rhine's experiments — his references to "relativity' and "space-time continuum" — is clearly reminiscent of Einstein's theories of relativity in physics. When Einstein was working in Zurich in 1909 and 1912; he was Jung's dinner guest on several occasions. According to Main (2000:104) Jung himself noted: "It was Einstein who first started me off thinking about a possible relativity of time as well as space, and their psychic conditionality. More than thirty years later this stimulus led to my relation with the physicist W. Pauli and to my thesis of psychic synchronicity".
Perhaps an even more significant influence on Jung was certain developments within the outer great physics theory that arose in the early part of the twentieth century: quantum mechanics. Jung was impressed by both the principle of complementarity formulated by N. Bohr and the ability to predict subatomic events only probalistically. This meant that radioactive break-up appeared to be an effect without a cause, and suggested that the ultimate laws of nature were not even causal (Jung, 1952:512).
2.3.4 The formulation of the theory of synchronicity
Jung's various thoughts on synchronicity converged from these diverse sources and were integrated in two essays: "On Synchronicity", originally delivered as a lecture at the 1951 Eranos conference, and "Synchronicity: an acausal connecting principle", originally published in 1952 (Main, 2000:105).
In the essays Jung explains that synchronicities or "meaningful coincidences" exists due to the following:
• Modern physics has shown natural laws to be statistical truths and the principle of causality is only relatively valid, so that at the microphysical level there can occur events that are acausal. The most decisive evidence in support of this possibility is provided by Rhine's experiments. These experiments have revealed statistically significant correlations between events, in spite of the fact that the possibility of any known kind of energy 23
transmission and hence of causal relationship between events was completely ruled out. Therefore, under certain psychic conditions time and space can both become relative and can even appear to be transcended altogether (Jung, 1952:421-458). Lundstrom (1996:2) agrees that everything (atoms, plants, cells, molecules, animals, people) participates in a sensitive flowing web of information. This is based on the fact that physicists have shown that if two photons are separated, no matter by how far, a change in one creates a simultaneous change in the other. The universe is then in fact much closer to a creative living organism, than to a machine (Peat, 1987:5).
Jung also suggested a possible psychological dynamic to explain how an activated archetype might result in synchronicities. Numinous effects accompany the presence of the active archetype, and this affectivity results in a lowering of the mental level, a relaxing of the focus of consciousness. As the energy of consciousness is lowered, the energy of the unconsciousness is correspondingly heightened, so that a gradient from the unconscious to the conscious is established and unconscious content flow into consciousness more readily than usual. Included among these unconscious contents are items of what is called "absolute knowledge", knowledge that transcends the space-time limitations of consciousness in the manner demonstrated by Rhine's experiments. If there is the recognition of a parallel between any of this "absolute knowledge" and the co-occurring of physical events, the result will be the experience of synchronicities (Main, 2000:106). Hall and Lindzey in Jung (1963:79) states that a constellation of feelings, perceptions and memories exists in the personal unconscious. It has a nucleus that acts as a kind of magnet attracting to it various experiences.
Lastly Jung introduced the "psychoid factor" of meaning that help to bring about a rapprochement between psychology and physics. More specifically, the psychoid factor at the basis of synchronicity is the archetype. Archetypes provide the shared meaning by virtue of which two events are considered to be in a relationship of synchronicity. They cannot be determined with precision and are capable of expressing themselves in physical as well as psychic processes. They manifest their meaning through whatever psychic 24
and physical content is available, but might equally well have manifested the same meaning through other content. They represent psychic probability, making it likely that certain types of events will occur but not enabling one actually to predict the occurrence of any particular event. He states that general acausal orderedness is a universal factor existing from all eternity, whereas meaningful coincidences are individual acts of creation in time (Jung, 1952:512). Hladkyj (1997:1) agrees that synchronicity is in fact a "kind or style of thinking". It is a story we tell ourselves to guide ourselves through life. It is not a fixed story, but one that continually change in order to adapt to new situations.
Jung acknowledges that his views concerning synchronicity have not been proved, but he nevertheless suggests tentatively, on the basis of observations of out-of-the- body and near-death experiences, that the relationship between mind and body may yet prove to be one of synchronicity (Jung, 1952:505).
Since the definition and theory of synchronicity had been clarified, the different types on synchronicity must further be identified in order enhance understanding of the concept as well as heighten awareness of this phenomena.
2.4 TYPES OF SYNCHRONICITY
According to Lundstrom (1996:2) Jung described three types of synchronicity that he observed:
• The coinciding of a thought or feeling with an outside event. In 1838, Edgar Allen Poe published a story entitled The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. In the story, four shipwreck survivors are adrift in an open boat. One of the four is a cabin boy named Richard Parker. The other three survivors kill Richard Parker. And then they eat him. Forty-six years later, three men were on trial in London. They had been shipwrecked and had remained adrift together in a lifeboat. They were on trial for the murder of a fourth man in that boat, whom they had killed and then ate. The fourth man was a cabin boy. His name was Richard Parker (Bell, 2000:iii). This is a 25
remarkable coincidence since none of the people had been aware of the story when the incident happened. There exists no explanation for the fact that these people's thoughts and feelings coincided with an incident that happened forty-six years ago.
A dream, vision or premonition of something that happens in the future; for example when Louis XVI of France was a child, an astrologer warned him to be always on his guard on the 21 st of every month. The advice terrified the young child, and thereafter he refused to undertake any important business on that day. In spite of his precautions in regard to his business, he was caught up in larger events on that date. It was on June 21, 1791, that Louis and his queen were arrested at Varennes as they tried to escape the revolution. On September 21 the following year, France abolished the institution of royalty and proclaimed it a republic. And on January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was executed (Readers Digest, 1982:57).
A dream or vision that coincides with an event occurring at a distance. Jung had described an event that happened to him. He had traveled to a far- off city to give a lecture, and uncharacteristically was having a difficult time falling asleep. Sometime during the night, he awoke with a sense that there was someone in the room. That feeling was so strong that he jumped out of bed, turned on the lights, and tried the door (it was locked); there was no one in the room and no way for anyone to have gotten in. Puzzled, he tried to put together the sequence of events that had disturbed his sleep. He recalled that he had awakened with a sharp pain in the middle of his forehead that was now gone; all that remained was a dull pain in the back of his head. Again this was uncharacteristic, as he rarely had headaches. The events of this strange night were a puzzle to him- a puzzle that was cleared up on his return to Zurich, when he found that a patient of his had shot himself in the forehead that very night, and the bullet had come to rest in the back of his head (Bolen, 1993:7). 26
Bell (2000:xv) belief that there are basically two types of coincidences or synchronicities:
The first type is referred to as a mirror coincidence, for it reflects a focus of the mind that is highly charged with energy. If a person is gripped by a great concern or burning desire, a coincidence may occur that directly mirrors that intense concern. An example of a mirror coincidence would be that of a man, who for forty odd years, has awakened early in the morning, bathed, eaten, gotten into his car, and headed off to work. Day in and day out, week after week. Finally, the last workday arrives. His desk cleaned out, he receives embraces and shakes hands. He finally left work at 2:30 in the afternoon. Later, he happens to check the time on his watch. He is surprised to see that it has stopped, even though a jeweler put in a new battery the previous week. The watch reads 2:30. What makes this coincidence dramatic is not so much the coincidental event itself, but rather its particular relationship with the highly charged situation with which it is simultaneous: the end of the work phase of life and beginning of retirement (Bell, 2000:5). It's also interesting to note that an ornate clock belonging to King Louis XIV of France stopped at the precise moment of his death, 7:45 A.M. on September 1, 1715, and has never run since (Readers Digest, 1982:69).
The other basic type of coincidence, directional coincidence, is also generally related to one's state of mind. However, directional coincidences are associated more with an open receptivity to guidance and are the product of an intelligence that is far superior to our own: an all-knowing supraconsciousness, rather than our limited awareness. One such a coincidence, which was remarkable for the number of lives protected, was reported in Life magazine some years ago. One evening in a small town in Nebraska, fifteen people were to attend rehearsal for the church choir. Five minutes after practice was scheduled to start, the church was destroyed in an explosion. Fortunately, some of the members were not ready to leave for the church on time: a car wouldn't start, a dress needed to be ironed, a daughter had difficulty getting up from a nap. In fact, there were ten unconnected reasons that all fifteen members of the choir arrived after the explosion 27
destroyed the church (Bell, 2000:42). The example also makes me think about the countless stories of this kind that was told after the September 11 th attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.
According to the online magazine, Synchronicity Times (http://ropi.net/stwhat is synchronicitv.htm), there are four types of synchronicity:
Predictive synchronicity is a form of synchronicity that diminishes a person's grasp on reality. For example, you may be driving down the road and notice a license plate that contains the 3 letters BRD, which makes you think of the word "bird". A few seconds later you see a flock of birds at a distance. These kinds of event break down your socialized understanding of reality because you were taught that there is no relationship between license plates and birds.
Another interesting example is the story of the long-hidden but predictive and prophetic photograph. For over twenty years there hung in the window of a shop a framed sign which stated the one day of the week that the shop was closed. Two weeks before a family wedding, the sign was taken down to be altered and it was removed from its frame. Behind the sign was found a large photograph showing a small girl held in her father's arms. Turns out the small girl were the new bride-to-be and the man the future father-in-law. No one knows how this particular photo came to be used as a backing for the shop sign as none of the people in the photograph were known to the family twenty years ago (Readers Digest, 1982: 66).
Guiding synchronicity also contains an inherent predictive element, but gives guidance that is actually helpful. Imagine that you have associated the song "Crash" by Dave Matthews Band with an actual car crash that you saw while listening to the song two weeks prior. As you are driving in a somewhat inattentive, sleepy state, the same song starts playing on the radio. As you hear the song your memory of the car crash you saw brings you to a more present, alert state, and you notice the car in front of you quickly changing lanes to avoid a very slow vehicle ahead of it. You slow down and change lanes, avoiding a vehicle you may have hit if you weren't paying attention. 28
Another example of this form of synchronicity is a personal experience. During the winter of 2002 I was driving in the early hours of the morning to attend class at Johannesburg. I was driving around 120 km per hour when "something" just told me to slow down. I slowed down considerably and when I neared a bend in the road, I saw a truck that has just overturned across the road. There was no way that I would have seen it, had I been driving the speed I initially did!
Reflective synchronicity does not have a predictive element but does relate to what is going on in the present. For example, you begin thinking about a friend of yours as you turn to a different radio station and notice as you're thinking about him/her that you hear that person's name in a song or an advertisement. This doesn't necessarily "mean" anything about that person or your relationship with him/her. It is simply another way the universe is designed to break down your socialized understanding of how things work, by demonstrating that events/thoughts are interrelated.
Another example of this type of synchronicity that is interesting, but does not necessarily entails any meaning, is that of an iceberg in the sky. In July 1975, al large block of ice fell through the rook of the Melkis home in Dunstable, Bedford, England. At the time of the incident the family was engrossed in a TV movie about the Titanic. As the ice crashed through their ceiling, they were tensely waiting for the ship to strike the fateful iceberg (Readers Digest, 1982:76).
Ego Testing Synchronicity. A common form is thinking of a potential or "ex" romantic partner and then immediately hearing a song that may lead to feelings of passion and connection. Wherever the ego is fixated (sex, money, power etc.) there will be tests that assist the conscious-seeking individual with ways of becoming less attached. Synchronistic events related to "objects of desire" are often a test for one to see if the desire stems from a "healthy" or "unhealthy" drive since the latter can have a negative impact on one's functioning. 29
An example of this could be the anonymous, first person account of a synchronicity experience in the words of Mansfield (1995:89). "Four weeks after the birth of my first son, I was a twenty-nine year old graduate living in an idyllic cottage on Cayuga Lake. My wife and I were luxuriating in being parents. In two successive nights, I had very similar dreams of my father. I have never dreamed of my alcoholic father in my life, nor have I since. He left me as an infant and had almost no contact with me. My mother lovingly raised me, but in her eyes he was justifiably evil. Both these vivid dreams portrayed my father in a very favorable light. In the dreams he told me that-he was a sensitive and poetic person who found it impossible to live with my headstrong mother. These dreams had been very peculiar and I attributed them to my becoming of a father, but they were still mysterious. The day after the last dream, my uncle phoned me to tell me that my father is dying and that I must visit him. It was a real shock for had did not have contact with my father's family for the last 15 years. I had no interest in visiting my father now. Gradually I became torn about whether I should see him after all. In desperation I consulted the / Ching. The hexagram "Gathering" came up. Part of the interpretation reads, "The family gathers about the father as its head". I was dumbfounded. The hexagram, plus the dreams decided it for me. I realized that there is something bigger operating than my fury and self- pity. I went to see him in hospital where I felt him suffer and watched my bitterness and self-pity dissolve in sadness for us all. He died a few days later and I never again felt that bitterness and anger towards him. Through synchronicity I realized that my bitterness for my father needed to be overcome, for my sake and that of my family" (Main, 2000:106).
Joseph (1999:16) designed his own classification for meaningful coincidences. The chief utility of these inclusive categories is to group a particular meaningful coincidence with its own kind. From this common base, we have several reference points from which we may begin making conclusions. Unlocking the symbolic codes of synchronicities is important, because they are, in effect, highly personal messages we all receive for our own good. His classification is as follows: 30
Inanimate objects. Some things, manufactured or natural, are perceived as being involved in acausal incidents. Numbers. The combination, repetition, or single appearance of numbers can be seen to figure significantly in life and destiny. Environmental and animal ostenta. Ostental is a Latin word derived from the Etruscan term for signs or portents in the natural environment that prefigure coming events. Meteorological, geologic, and biological events sometimes interact with human affairs in ways beyond their material reality. Premonition. Premonition is the accurate recognition of an event before it actually occurs. Dreams (precognitive and shared). Dreams that are precognitive prefigure events that happen in waking life. Shared dreams are those simultaneously experienced by two or more persons. Telepathy. The communication between minds through some means other than sensory perception is called telepathy. Enigmas. Enigmas may be broken down into numerous subcategories to describe any synchronous episode beyond present understanding or classification. Origins. Meaningful coincidences sometimes open up lost information about and connect to individual human origins. Parallel lives. When two or more persons share inexplicable but meaningful events or characteristics in common, we say they lead "parallel lives". Life imitates art. Art is an important connecting agent and sometimes touches all the other categories. Warnings. Coincidences that intervene against danger fall in this category. Death. A subcategory of precognition, death is among the most common and important foreseen events that occur in acausal conditions. Rescue. Rescue is the timely arrival of acausal events that help avoid danger. Reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that the soul leaves after the body's biological death to be reborn in another physical form as part of its development. 31
Moira. A Greek word commonly understood and esteemed during the golden age of classical philosophy more than two thousand years ago. Moira signifies the "higher calling" available to every man and woman, their real life's work, not necessarily the job they perform in order to earn a living wage. Transformational experiences. This category encompasses life-changing coincidences and/or personal links with a spiritual dimension.
2.5 CONCLUSION
Chapter two focused on the concept of synchronicity. The aim of this chapter was to formulate a definition by means of a word and concept analysis in order to make people aware of the existence of meaningful coincidences. Different views of various authors were obtained by means of a literature study. This aim of the chapter contributed to a better understanding of the concept of synchronicity as well as to address the misconceptions that people might have regarding the phenomena.
Although different definitions and explanations of the concept of synchronicity were addressed, the definition of Redfield and Adrienne (1995:108) was thought to concise all the important aspects, namely: "Synchronicities are forces that come together in time and space, providing just what is needed. The occurrence strikes the participants as special, unexpected, or unexplainable by normal cause-and-effect rationales. The effect of synchronicity on the psyche is to trigger an awareness that maybe a greater — or even divine — purpose is at work. Synchronicities seem to be external answers to an internal psychic state". This definition enable us to reach the first aim of the chapter, namely to identify and describe synchronicity in such a way that we are now more aware of the existence of this phenomenon.
The second aim of the chapter, namely to address misconceptions and to enhance a better understanding of synchronicity, was reached by describing the background and development of the theory. The theory of synchronicity was the brainchild of the well-known psychiatrist, C.G Jung. In order to understand how the theory was formulated, it was necessary to focus on the background as well as the different influences that contributed to the development of the theory on synchronicity. In conclusion, Jung acknowledged that his views concerning synchronicity have not 32
been proved, but nevertheless suggested that based on observations, the relationship between mind and body may yet prove to be one of synchronicity (Jung, 1952:505). To furthermore enhance the awareness and understanding of the concept of synchronicity, different types of the phenomena was identified and explained.
Now that we have a clear understanding of what synchronicity entails, we need to determine what the contribution is of synchronicity towards personal leadership. Chapter three will focus on the concept of personal leadership and how it can be enhanced by synchronicity. The creation of suitable conditions for synchronicity will also be explored. 33
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
CHAPTER THREE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Weliens (2000:7) agrees that synchronistic events can be very mysterious and the symbolic relation baffles the mind constantly. Jaworski (1998:88) reacts on this by saying that we should not be surprised by synchronistic events for this is the way that things should work in a world that is fundamentally connected. We must consistently see the world as one of relatedness, rather than thing ness. But even if we acknowledge the existence of meaningful coincidences, the question still remains: 'Why do they happen and what are they for?" (Begg, 2001:xiv).
The problem is that most coincidences are not as clear cut or dramatic. With most, a cynic may claim there's a good chance it's just chance. Still, most people feel that there is something to synchronicities, that they are not merely accidental, but meaningful, perhaps even instructional. Yet that recognition alone has a similar effect as the aroma of a freshly baked apple pie: it awakens the appetite but does not satisfy it. Although coincidences prick our curiosity, we are not sure of how to treat them to the benefit of ourselves and the people around us (Bell, 2000:x).
While some of us may think that coincidences are produced by nothing more that the endless shuffling and reshuffling of random everyday events, Combs and Holland (1996:xi) suggests that we start to take synchronicity seriously and begin to examine its implications to realize the contribution thereof to our personal lives. In order to do this, we must revise our traditional views of mind as well as our understanding of Nature itself. We!lens (2000:7) agrees that it challenge us to our deepest, most elaborate research into our consciousness and self-awareness as well as our understanding of the working of the surrounding cosmos. 34
In our quest of understanding synchronicities, it is crucial that we become self-aware. Covey agrees that, in order to bring out the best in oneself, he must become self- aware: aware of his or her own thoughts and what is important to the self (Covey, 1992:132). According to Russell (1996:238) knowing oneself is one of the key elements of personal leadership.
Covey (1992:42) characterizes personal leadership as a principle-centered, character-based, "inside-out" approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness. The term "inside out" means to start first with the self; even more fundamentally, to start with the most inside part of the self — with your paradigms, your character and your motives. He continues to say that personal leaders lead a more balanced life with regards to their four dimensions; spiritual, physical, social and mental dimensions (Covey et al.; 1995:290). It is therefore important that we become aware of the contribution of synchronicity in each of the four fundamental dimensions.
Jaworski (1998:1) ads that it is important that we explore the ways of creating the conditions of synchronicity in order to promote personal leadership and to, as May and Chien (2000:3) states: "to create our own healing and our own destiny". Goethe and Koestler agree that we all have certain electrical and mechanical powers within us that can be an attractive force (In Peat, 1987:65). It is therefore crucial that clear and simple guidelines must be identified in order to help people enhance their awareness of synchronicity.
Chapter one provided an outline of the direction of this study. Chapter two focused on the elucidating of the concept of synchronicity. The focus of chapter three will be the following:
To formulate a definition of "personal leadership" and to identify the contribution of synchronicity towards personal leadership, especially with regards to the spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental dimension of the individual.
To obtain the views of various authors on how suitable conditions of synchronicity can be created. The aim of this would be to give practical 35
guidelines on how people can enhance their awareness and use of synchronicities.
To begin with, what follows are a word and concept analysis of the term "personal leadership".
3.2 THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
3.2.1 Word analysis of "personal"
As part of concept clarification, a word analysis of the term "personal" will be performed as a basis to gain greater clarity on its meaning.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (http://www.dictioarv.com/search?q-personal), "personal" can be defined as the following:
Something private or relating to a particular person. Something that is done, made or performed in person. Concerning a particular person and his or her private business, activities or interests. Aimed pointedly at the most intimate aspects of a person.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (http://www.dictionary.com/search?d- personal) also defines "personal" as the following:
Something that is relating to, or affecting an individual. Something that is done in person, without the intervention of another. Relating to an individual, his character, conduct, motives or private affairs.
Both the abovementioned meanings of the word "personal" correspond with the definition in Wordnet (http://www.dictioary.com/search?c-personal) that states the following: 36
Something concerning or affecting a particular person in his or her private life and personality. Particular to a given individual.
On the basis of the above dictionary explanations, the term "personal" can be defined as anything that relates to an individual in his or her private life and personality.
3.2.2 Word analysis of "leadership"
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (http://www.dictioary.com/search?o-leadership), "leadership" can be defined as the following:
The position or office of a leader. Capacity or ability to lead. Guidance and direction.
The abovementioned meanings of the word "leadership" correspond with the definition in Wordnet (http://www.dictioarv.com/search?o-leadership) that states the following:
The activity of leading. The status of a leader. The ability to lead.
On the basis of the above dictionary explanations, the term "leadership" can be defined as the ability to lead and to give guidance and direction.
Based on the dictionary explanations of the words "personal" and "leadership", the basic meaning or "personal leadership" can be seen as an individual's ability to give guidance and direction to and from his private life and personality. 37
3.2.3 Conceptual analysis of "personal leadership"
In order to get a better understanding of the concept of "personal leadership", definitions of the term by various authors will be discussed in an attempt to formulate an enriched description of personal leadership.
According to Covey (1992:42-43) personal leadership is a value-based, principle- centered, inside-out approach to gaining control of one's life and living a happy and fulfilled life. It is based on the knowledge of who one is, where one currently is, and where one is going. A personal leader needs to develop in a balanced and holistic manner. Therefore the entire individual's dimensions such as the spiritual, physical, social and mental dimensions should be improved (Covey, 1992:288).
Cashman (2000:18) wholeheartedly agrees by saying that personal leadership is not only something that people do. "It comes from somewhere inside us. Leadership is a process, an intimate expression of who we are. It is our being in action". Cashman (2000:153) also believes that we must master the act of balance if we want to function optimally: "Balance is a critical part of long-term effectiveness. An imbalanced, uncentered person is often an imbalanced, uncentered leader. If our internal compass is not in balance, it is difficult to find our own way".
Wilder (1998:1-4) also supports this "inside-out" principle by identifying specific characteristics of people living balanced lives. These characteristics can be compared with that of a personal leader proposed by Dyer (1993:24-27) and Covey (1992:42-237), summarized as the following:
To have an invisible but knowable life force within you. To tend to leave your weaknesses behind. To feel connected to all of humanity. To be motivated by ethics. To view intuition as God's guidance. To strive to think positively. To create balance in your life. 38
To live with an "abundance" mentality. Are responsible for their own actions.
According to the Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) perspective, personal leadership can be defined in terms of characteristics in three categories (Smith[a], 2003:4):
Character traits
Connectedness to the inner self, heart energy and spirituality. Principle centered. Authentic self-expression, in other words, being yourself. Being congruent with authentic self. Living with gratitude. Adding value to self: seeing the self as a contribution. Radiating positive energy. A belief system congruent to long term needs. A positive constructive attitude towards life. Experiencing meaning of existence.
Interpersonal characteristics
Ability to self-transcend vertically (God) and horizontally (Fellow man), and to radiate heart energy. Believe in the potential of other people. Caring and loving attitude. Service attitude. To be impeccable with your word. Acceptance of self and others. 39
Competencies
Ability to make choices and taking responsibility for those choices. Having a crystal clear purpose in life. Ability to continually sharpen the saw — striving for balance in life. Ability to prioritize and not sweat the small stuff or to systematically neglect the less important things. To make time for withdrawal and quietness.
Based on the above-mentioned definitions, personal leadership can be defined as knowledge of who one is, where one currently is, and where one is going. This can only be possible if one lives from the "inside-out" and by maintaining a balance between all the different dimensions of the self, while being connected to the inner self, the heart's energy as well as to spirituality.
Since balance is a prerequisite for personal leadership, the concept of balance will now be explored in more detail.
3.3 BALANCE IN THE FOUR LIFE DIMENSIONS
The law of Balance is built into our universe. For things to function properly there must be equilibrium. For example, nature exists in balanced ecosystems. God has built checks and balances in nature that keeps the food chain in order. The human body also works best when our systems are balanced (Warren, 1997:4). Patton et al. (1986:26) agrees by seeing a balanced lifestyle as the process through which an individual can enjoy life and reach his full potential.
In the field of personal leadership, balance is defined as "a stable, calm state of the emotions" (Griggs, 1995:94). According to Covey et al. (1995:199) "balance is a true north principle". It means that if balance is created, it will give true direction to a person's life. Balance manifests all around us, in nature, balance of trade, balance of power, etc. Balance is a dynamic equilibrium that manifests itself in our spiritual, physical, social and mental dimensions. 40
There is a consensus in the literature that the concept of total well-being is dependent on the optimal functioning of the different dimensions within the individual, but authors differ in how they identify these dimensions (Dreyer, 1996:5). O'Donnell (1989:5) states that optimal functioning is a balance between the physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and social dimensions. On the other hand, Hagberg and Leider (1982:53) identify only three key ingredients that must be balanced for a full and satisfying life. The three are the intellectual (mental), the physical (body) and the social (emotional). The social dimension that Covey et al. (1995:131) identifies is not indicated, but Hagberg and Leider (1982:53) are of the opinion that the social dimension is found within the other three dimensions.
For the purpose of this study, namely to identify the contribution of synchronicity to personal leadership, the spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental dimension will be explored in more detail, since a balance in the dimensions is a prerequisite for synchronicity.
3.3.1 Spiritual dimension
Man is a multi-dimensional being, centered on the spiritual dimension. Although the different life dimensions can be distinguished, they are not separated. This anthropological presupposition forms the basis on which the following summary is given: " Man has the potential to become multi-dimensionally intelligent. People can learn how to create and maintain balance and harmony in their lives" (Smith, 2003:4)
Spiritual well-being is more than just being part of a specific religion. It incorporates concepts from different disciplines (psychology, sociology, philosophy, theology) that result in certain characteristics. These characteristics enable a person to handle the demands of life and to experience a meaningful life (Dreyer, 1996:54). Eberst (1984:101) agrees by stating: "The spiritual aspect of health is much more than just one of the dimensions. It may also provide the supporting mechanism with which the other dimensions articulate and interact with each other". 41
According to Covey (1992:292) the spiritual dimension is your core, your center and your commitment. It's a very private area of life and a supremely important one. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to the timeless truths of all humanity. Cooper (2000:9) agrees that the spiritual dimension of the individual is of utmost importance since: "If you are at peace with yourself, you are at peace with the world". This statement links with that of Willis and Campbell (1992:40) who define spiritual health as being content with oneself and one's role in life.
Prescott (2000:17) goes further by stating that the spiritual dimension is the basis of the individual's functioning in a physical world. It holds all the answers and information that a person may need. "We all possess spiritual DNA which is the inner wisdom that resides within us and transmits messages about our life path (Carter- Scott, 1998:112).
According to Banks (1980:195-203), spiritual well-being consists out of the following:
Something that provides meaning to life Provide an ethical code to live by Creates a state of unselfishness and a concern for other people Demonstrate a dedication to a "supreme being" Influences other dimensions
To summarize, according to the Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) perspective in Smith[a] (2003:5), the spiritual dimension is based on the following anthropological presuppositions:
Man is a spiritual being. The spiritual dimension is the core dimension. As a result, man has the need for God or a Higher Being. Man has the potential to become "spiritually intelligent". People can learn how to optimize this dimension in their lives and live spiritually centered, meaningful and fulfilling "from the inside-out" lives. 42
Man continuously searches for meaning and purpose in life. Man is a seeker of meaning: the meaning of personal existence, the meaning of people and things that come across his path in life. In fact, man's total scouting of the world is a search for meaning. Man is a principle-centered being. These principles are "universal laws". Man's life is governed by values, derived from these principles. Man wants to "be someone": unique, special and unrepeatable. People have the need to be successful in life, to express themselves in a personal and unique way and to find fulfillment in life. Man has the potential for morality. People have the potential to distinguish between "right" and "wrong", "good" and "bad". Man is a creative and imaginative being. People can reframe and recreate their world and their options in life. Man has the ability to reflect on his life and know himself. People have the capacity for self-awareness and as such they have the capacity to understand and solve their problems. Man has the inborn need to learn and to develop the self. People need to grow, develop and "become". Man is personally responsible for the quality of his life. With Choice comes consequence.
Based on the abovementioned views, the spiritual dimension focuses mainly on the search for the meaning of life and living as a principle-centered being. Man is therefore personally responsible for the quality of his/her life. This implicates that "interconnectedness" and man's search for meaning is a prerequisite for synchronicity. Without self- awareness and imaginative thinking, meaningful coincidences (synchronicities) cannot be used to satisfy man's inborn need to learn and to develop. 43
3.3.2 Physical dimension
According to the literature, almost all authors agree on the fact that the physical dimension have a definite influence on all other dimensions, including the mental, spiritual and social/emotional dimensions (Dreyer, 1996:46) It focuses not only on the absence of sickness, but on acceptable physical and psychological functioning (Goodstadt et al. 1987:59).
The physical dimension involves caring effectively for our physical body — eating the right kind of foods, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis (Covey, 1992:289). Greenberg (1985:403) agrees that optimal well-being is dependent on a person's ability to perform his/her daily activities under any circumstances. He refers specifically to the biological integrity of the body.
Mare (1994:63) sees physical well-being as the acceptance of responsibility regarding the management of changeable (like smoking and diet) and non- changeable factors (like age and sex), with the purpose of ensuring optimal physical functioning. Hales (1992:183) confirms that physical well-being refers to the cultivation of a lifestyle that will ensure optimal well-being and the reach of maximum potential. This includes:
Regular exercise Healthy diet Medical self care Moderate alcohol use No use of dangerous substances
To summarize, according to the Personal and Professional Leadership perspective (PPL), the physical dimension is based on the following anthropological presuppositions (Smith[b], 2003:7): 44
Man is in need of safety and security. The need for safety and security is parallel to the level of helplessness. The experience of safety and security increases when people feel at home in a familiar environment and when they know that they can "fall back on" their caregivers. This need is also experienced in the other dimensions. Man has the potential to become "physically intelligent". People can learn how to optimize this dimension in their lives, and live lives that are characterized by health and well-being. Man is a bordered and limited being. People did not choose to be born with the genetic-physical limitations that they have. Man is a physical being who is bound to space and time. Man is a being-unto-death. However, man is "response able" and is not totally "delivered" unto situation and circumstance.
According to the views of the above mentioned authors, the physical dimension has mainly to do with accepting the responsibility for taking good care of your physical body in order to be able to function optimally and to reach your maximum potential. The "taking care " of our physical dimension is important if we want to successfully identify meaningful coincidences and their contribution towards our lives. If our bodies are being neglected, it would have a negative influence on all the other dimensions.
3.3.3 Social/emotional dimension
The human being is a social being and he/she is constantly in interaction with other people. These interactions seem crucial for a person's physical and spiritual well- being (Dreyer, 1996:66). Greenberg (1985:403) agrees by defining this dimension as the ability to get along with people and the environment by having satisfying interpersonal relations.
Eberst (1984:100) defines this dimension as the social ability of a person. It includes aspects like the following: 45
The ease with which a person relate to other people. The ability to see yourself as part of the greater entity. The degree towards which you care for other people. The way in which you respect other people for the persons they are.
The definition of an emotional dimension refers to the control and handling of emotions. The successful control and handling of feelings entail the acknowledgement and acceptance of feelings as well as the ability to use feelings in a positive and productive way (Dreyer, 1996:75). Eberst (1984:99) agrees that emotional well-being has to do with the way that feelings are controlled and handled. Feelings must be expressed in a manner that is socially acceptable (Greenberg, 1985:403).
The social and emotional dimensions of our lives are tied together because our emotional life is primarily, but not exclusively, developed out of and manifested in our relationships with others. To live an optimal life is to be aware of oneself and to have a deep understanding of other people (Covey, 1992:298-299).
To summarize, according to the Personal and Professional Leadership perspective (PPL), the social and emotional dimensions is based on the following anthropological presuppositions (Smith, 2003:8-9):
Man is a social being. People need to belong, to be loved, and to be accepted in meaningful and fulfilling relationships. Man has to potential to become "socially intelligent". People can learn how to optimize this dimension in their lives, and experience meaningful and fulfilling relationships with others. Man is a cultural being. He actualizes his personal potential in community, in his interrelatedness with others. Man is dependent on others for his growth and development. Man is an emotional being. Man experiences his world in a uniquely personal way. 46
• Man has to potential to become "emotionally intelligent". People can learn how to optimize this dimension in their lives, and have the potential for managing and regulating emotions in the self and in others.
Based on the views of the above mentioned authors, the social and emotional dimensions can be linked since the focus is on both the awareness of one's own feelings and emotions as well as how it influences our relationships with other people. Without this knowledge, the successful identification and use of synchronicity will not be possible.
3.3.4 Mental dimension
Covey (1992:302-304) states that the mental dimension focus mainly on the planning of one's life. It includes knowledge and perspective in decision-making moments and it deals with the recognition, development and use of talent. By increasing one's realm of knowledge, one can increase one's options. Herrmann (1990:431) agrees that optimal functioning involves "having superior reasoning powers". Pacheco (1999:16) also believes that the mental dimension consists of reasoning powers, which enables one to acquire and increase their knowledge. It also includes the development of mental potential and personal management. The main elements of these aspects may be regarded as thought, mental attitude and decision-making.
Knowledge is found in thought, thus thinking is needed to make better use of information that the individual has gathered (De Bono, 1992:5). According to Pacheco (1999:18) individuals allow their thought patterns to inhibit their innate abilities and potential. It is this way of thinking that gets people to where they currently are, but will not get them to where they want to go.
Robbins (1992:311) suggests that time should be set aside in order to take conscious control of one's thoughts. If individuals think more effectively, they would more likely act in self-enhancing ways. To do this, individuals need to be more self-aware, and self-awareness is a key element of personal leadership (Pacheco, 1999:18). Covey (1992:23) states that an attitude refers to how individuals perceive things, which in turn impacts on the way in which they respond to things. Usually, as one gathers 47
more information regarding something, one changes one's mind. As a result, one need to learn to adopt a new mental attitude to the world in which one lives and this transformation requires self-knowledge. Similarly, without thinking differently, one will not acquire self-knowledge (Pacheco, 1999:23).
One can improve the mental dimension by creating a new feature that's useful; stretches oneself beyond one's comfort zones and think of new possibilities (Robbins, 1992:311). This means that the individual may need to change his/her thinking in order to create, what Covey (1992:30) calls a paradigm shift. The questions that people can ask to help them determine their quality of life includes "what does this mean to me?" or "what does this mean about me?". Benstead and Constantine in Pacheco (1999:23) agree that individuals need to become consciously aware of their minds, and they need to change the way they receive and register information. Once people can do this, then they will be on their way to altering their entire mental state.
To summarize, according to the Personal and Professional Leadership perspective (PPL), the mental dimension is based on the following anthropological presuppositions (Smith, 2003:9):
Man is "response able". People are active and proactive beings, and not mere instinctual, reactive beings. People have the potential to reflect before they respond and to redirect themselves. Man has the freedom to choose his response in life. People are not determined by circumstances and need not be victims of life. Because man is "response able", he can make choices. Man has the potential to become "mentally intelligent". Man can optimize this dimension in their lives and make better decisions.
Based on the abovementioned views, the mental dimension mainly has to do with how we make decisions. In order to make better choices and to make use of synchronicity, we must be able to think of new possibilities and increase our self- awareness. 48
The contribution of synchronicity to each of the identified dimensions will be explored next.
3.4 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
3.4.1 Spiritual dimension
A mirror coincidence, like the man who's watched stopped at the exact time of his final departure from work, does not provide us with guidance and direction. For the most part, is does not provide us with much new information about ourselves, and it might not change our life situation at all. On the other hand, our personal world may change dramatically to reflect the content of the charged area of focus or concern that the coincidence mirrors. Yet, on a subtle level, a sensitive person may see some significance in a mirror coincidence. This is the awareness that one's life is not a solitary thread, but is interwoven in the grand, multicolored tapestry of ongoing creation. The guidance that is given is to be more considerate, to consider more about each of our little worlds and our appropriate roles within them (Bell, 2000:6). A synchronicity enhances our spiritual dimension since it provides one with a state of unselfishness and a concern of other people (Banks, 1980:196)
The fact that the presence of synchronicities leaves us with the impression that we are constantly "being looked after" can provide us with meaning with regards to our daily existence (Banks, 1980:195). Lundstrom (1996:7) agrees that synchronicities often are simply a lark, a wink from the cosmos telling us that we are never alone. For example, Rebecca, a screenwriter, was researching the life of a mysterious woman, a famous writer's lover who had died tragically at a young age. Driving to Boston to view the writer's archives, Rebecca on a whim stopped off at the sprawling cemetery in the woman's hometown, and quickly chanced upon her gravestone. On top of it was sitting a rabbit, its pink nose quivering. At the sight of Rebecca, it started skittering around in circles. In Boston a few hours later, she was reading through the writer's diaries when in the margin of a page, she came upon a few lines of curlicue, school girlish handwriting, which she recognized as being the young woman's. The words? "Thank God for the rabbits and their funny little habits". This 49
confirms what Covey (1992:292) said about the spiritual dimension, namely that it draws upon sources that inspire and uplift you and tie you to the timeless truths of all humanity.
As mentioned earlier in the chapter, the spiritual dimension is the basis of the individual's functioning in the world. It holds all the answers and information that a person may need (Prescott, 2000:17). An example of how a synchronicity can provide us with an answer is mentioned in Brown (1998:9):
"One woman said that occasionally, when she closed her eyes, frightening demonic images would appear. She wondered if she should confront them, examine them, or immediately turn her attention elsewhere. As they discussed the matter, a skunk that the hosts had never seen in the area started scratching at a sliding door in front of them, trying to get inside. The guests discussed how odd it was to see a skunk trying to approach people and joked about how unlikely it was that anyone would open a door to one. It was only later that the women and her husband realized that the skunk provided a synchronistic answer to the woman's question. Just as allowing a skunk into a room would stink up a living space, entertaining demonic images in your mind would to the same to your mental inner space."
The basic function of synchronicity to our spiritual dimension would be to provide us with "meaning" and demonstrate the existence of a "supreme being" (Bolen, 1993:4). She stated in her own words: "I was at a Girl Scout camp high in the mountains where we slept under the stars, night after night. The nighttime sky is awesome and beautiful with starts too numerous to count. Before falling asleep, I would see a shooting star and I was touch by the beauty and vastness of what I saw out there. One night before falling asleep, mystical knowledge, gnosis, a shift in perception that had to do with meaning, something numinous happened: I knew that I was part of all the beauty and vastness of the Universe, I knew that, as insignificant as I was to all that I was seeing in the heavens, I mattered; I knew that I was part of everything out there. While I could not prove this to anyone else, it was knowledge that would affect me for the rest of my life". 50
Based on the above-mentioned authors, the contribution of synchronicity towards the spiritual dimension of personal leadership can be summarized as the following:
It tells us that everything is connected to everything else, that we are part of the beauty and vastness of the universe and that we matter. It gives us guidance to be more considerate about each other's little worlds and our appropriate roles within. It provides us with a state of unselfishness and concern for other people. It tells us that we are never alone and that we are constantly being "looked after", hence providing as with meaning to our daily existence. It draws upon sources that inspire and uplift us by tying us to the timeless truths of all humanity. It provides us with answers. It demonstrates meaning and the existence of a "supreme being".
3.4.2 Physical dimension
As explained before, the physical dimension has to do with how we care for our physical bodies (Covey, 1992:289). If the physical dimension is being neglected, it has a negative influence on all other dimensions (Goodstadt et al. 1987:59). One of the biggest challenges for a healthy body is the management of stress (Cashman, 2000:92). In a 1993 review in the Archives of internal Medicine in Goleman (1996:172-173) stress can have a spectrum of effects on the body: compromising immune function to the point that it can spread the metastasis of cancer; increasing vulnerability to viral infections; exacerbating plaque formation leading to arteriosclerosis and blood clotting, accelerating the onset of Type I and II diabetes, worsening or triggering an asthma attack. Stress can also lead to ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract. The brain itself is susceptible to the long-term effects of sustained stress, including damage to the hippocampus, and so to memory. In general, according to McEwen in Goleman (1996:173) "Evidence is mounting that the nervous system is subjects to 'wear and tear' as a result of stressful experiences". 51
According to Bell (2000:149) receptivity to directional coincidences (synchronicities) foster contentment, and a relief from stress, in a number of ways:
First, the burden of deciding what to do with our lives — whether according to other's expectations or our own — is lessened. We have opened the lines of communication to the divine source of knowledge, which knows the particular things that will provide each of us with fulfillment and contentment much better than we do. Second, in consequence, we are able to focus on the process at play from moment to moment instead of being consumed by concerns about attainment of various goals of uncertain intrinsic value. This allows us to participate more completely and beautifully with everybody and everything in our environment, so that we come to have a greater sense of our larger self, as a self without boundaries. Thirdly, as the wisdom of synchronicities is increasingly revealed by the tangible results of responding to the guidance provided, and as our sense of oneness and harmony with all of creation grows, our confidence in the "big picture" is nurtured. Consequently, if for a time we experience difficulties and disappointments, we can relax and still retain our sense of contentment, as part of the changing landscape in our journey towards a grander perfection.
As mentioned before, the law of Balance is built into our universe. For things to function properly there must be equilibrium. For example, nature exists in balanced ecosystems. God has built checks and balances in nature that keeps the food chain in order. The human body also works best when our systems are balanced (Warren, 1997:4). Lundstrom (1996:2) agrees that everything (atoms, plants, cells, molecules, animals, people) participates in a sensitive flowing web of information. The ability to recognize synchronicity and this interconnectedness between everything could have a dramatic effect on our physical dimension, as Pearsall (1998:1-2) experienced himself: 52
"I felt weak, had an almost constant headache, and sweated so heavily at night that the bed was soaked in the morning. I often told my wife that there was some form of toxic energy in me that I could not describe, but when I told my doctors about this sense of impending doom, they responded that their tests showed nothing they considered abnormal and that I was just under stress from my work. My brain accepted their diagnosis, but my heart remained worried. After another tearful discussion with my primary physician about a very sick feeling deep in my heart, he impatiently said, "I give up. III do a CAT scan just to put your mind at rest". During the CAT scan, the doctors and nurses had their first glimpse of a soccer ball-sized tumor in my hip and cancer cells that my heart had warned me had been taking over my body for months. During my subsequent treatment, my heart told me my wife's and sons' hearts were sending energy that could help me heal. I could feel that energy whenever they were close to me and often when they were not. My heart also told me that I did not have to be a passive target for the X-ray machine used for my treatment. I could somehow actually connect with and influence the machine. For every whole-body radiation treatment, I quieted my worried brain and allowed my heart to establish a healing energy connection with the radiation device".
Based on the above-mentioned authors, the contribution of synchronicity towards the physical dimension of personal leadership can be summarized as the following:
It helps us to take better care of our bodies by replacing stress with contentment. It lessens the burden of deciding what to do with our lives. It helps us focus on the process from moment to moment instead of being consumed by concerns about the attainment of goals. It enhances our confidence in the "big picture". It can tell us if our physical dimension (or that of others) is out of balance or sick. 53
3.4.3 Social/emotional dimension
It was early in the Vietnam War, and an American platoon was hunkered down in some rice paddies, in the heat of a firefight with the Vietcong. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a line of six monks started walking along the elevated berms that separated paddy from paddy. Perfectly calm and poised, the monks walked directly to the line of fire. "They didn't look left or right, and they walked straight through. It was really strange, because nobody shot at them. And after they walked over to the berm, suddenly all the fight was out of me. It just didn't feel like I wanted to do this anymore, at least not that day. It must have been that way for everybody, because everybody quit. We just stopped fighting," recalls David Busch in Goleman (1996:114).
The above-mentioned incident can be regarded as a synchronicity since it was Redfield and Adrienne (1995:108) who stated: "Synchronicities are forces that come together in time and space, providing just what is needed. The occurrence strikes the participants as special, unexpected, or unexplainable by normal cause-and-effect rationales. The effect of synchronicity on the psyche is to trigger an awareness that maybe a greater — or even divine — purpose is at work. The effect of this synchronicity was to pacify soldiers in the heat of battle. This also illustrates a basic principle in social life: emotions are contagious. This emotional exchange is typically at a subtle, almost imperceptible level. We catch feelings from one another as though they were some kind of social virus (Goleman, 1996:115). The mentioned synchronicity also confirms that everything, including our emotions, is interconnected and resembles an organism rather than a machine (Peat, 1987:5).
If one would be able to accept the above-mentioned "interconnectedness", it can have definite positive effect on our emotions and relationships. According to Bell (2000:144) people's search for happiness is just a gigantic escape mechanism. According to him we are afraid to look at life, at the big picture (which coincidences forms part of), to see how we fit into the overall scheme of things, so we escape by being consumed with the pursuit of happiness. The irony is that, if we could see the big picture and our relationship to it, we would realize that happiness is not to be pursued. Consequently, in paying attention to the process, we are allowed to relate 54
with interest to what is going on around us and as a result, reach contentment (and experience more coincidences). When we are content, we are able to connect with others as equals because we are at ease with, and feel satisfied with, our own circumstances. Thus, when other people's circumstances vary from our own, it does not lesson our natural tendency to relate to them in positive way, without artifice, inhibition or ulterior motives. So when we foster a sense of contentment, it extends beyond our personal sense of well-being to provide practical consequences for us, for those with whom we interact, and for our culture (Bell, 2000:147-148). This experience can refer to Eberst's (1984:100) aspect of the social dimension namely the ease with which people relate on one another and the degree towards which they care for each other.
Synchronicities can sometimes have a dramatic effect on the people that we feel a deep connection with. We have heard lots of stories in which someone "knows" or "learns" that someone close to them is in danger or hurting. For example: A woman's daughter was in a coma in the hospital. She had gone home to get some sleep, woke at 3.00 A.M. with an intuitively felt conviction that her daughter had bled internally. She immediately called the hospital, got the nurse on duty, and insisted that she check her daughter for this. The nurse told her that she could not do this without a doctor's orders, besides; she noted no changes in the daughter's condition. But the woman would not take "no" for an answer because she was so sure. And her daughter had a nasogastric tube which would make it possible to easily check the contents of the stomach. The woman persisted and insisted, the nurse gave in and agreed, and, sure enough, there was blood. The synchronicity saved the daughter's life (Bolen, 1993:2).
Based on the above-mentioned authors, the contribution of synchronicity towards the social/emotional dimension of personal leadership can be summarized as the following: 55
It triggers our awareness that a greater or "divine" purpose is at work. It confirms that everything, including our emotions and relationships, in interconnected with everything else. Because of this "interconnectedness" our feelings are contagious and therefore have a definite influence on our emotions and relationships. It tells us that happiness is not to be pursued, but we should rather pay attention to what's going on around us. This fosters contentment that has a positive influence on our emotions and relationships. It can enhance the way people relate to one another and the degree to which they care for one another. It can tell us if someone close to us is hurting or are in danger.
3.4.4 Mental dimension
Synchronicities seem to appear often at times of personal crises and at such passage points as births and deaths. These synchronicities are sometimes regards as signs, and some people use them to make decisions in life. Synchronicities are significant because they point the way to an unfolding of our personal destiny (Lundstrom, 1996:7). Peat (1987:3) agrees that synchronicities occur at critical points in a person's life and that it can be interpreted as containing the seeds of future growth, or in other words, it involves the meaningful unfoldment of potential. This correlates with what Covey (1992:302-304) believe constitutes the mental dimension of the personal leader, namely decision-making and the development and use of potential.
Bell (2000:138) named this type of synchronicities directional coincidences. It can assist us both in specific situations that challenge us as well enhancing the overall tone of our lives. The more we become aware of directional coincidences in our lives, the more we will be able to use them for a greater purpose. Paying attention to these vital forces allows us to make choices that will increase the overall contentment and quality of our lives. 56
An example of how synchronicities can enhance the use and development of talent is that of an example given by Brown (1998:7):
"A woman named Valerie Andrews received a melody while she was dreaming. She had studied piano and composition and, in the late 1970's, she dreamed that Lizst had met Chopin in Paris and together they had composed a certain piano piece. When she woke, she remembered it to be a kind of funeral march and played the first few bars at the piano. About four years later she was working in London at a job totally unrelated to music. She was promoting the first women's international marathon and held a dinner with a public relations firm hired to promote the event. To her surprise, she found herself seated next to Rosemary Brown, the English psychic and pianist, who had just recorded a selection of Chopin's compositions she had channeled. She and Rosemary spent the night talking about the idiosyncratic phases of Chopin and Liszt, and Valerie told her all about the funeral dirge she had received in her dream. Rosemary told her to keep listening because that was exactly how she received her melodies."
According to Combs and Holland (1996:108-112) synchronicities frequently gives us opportunities, usually unwelcome, for personal growth by flaunting our most private secrets for the world to see. These instances offer the opportunity to recognize our faults and, by owning them, to take away their sting and in the bargain render ourselves more whole. For instance, just when we want to make our best impression, we make some silly mistake, mispronounce a name, spill the coffee, or do other little embarrassing things. If we are open to this impish play, we realize that we have been reminded that we are only human, that we have limitations, no matter how perfect we might wish to appear.
Synchronistic events frequently intervene to warn us if we are on the wrong path. If we persist with dogged determination in going our own way in disregard signs on the contrary, we will sooner or later have to pay for our foolishness (Begg, 2001:ixi). Combs and Holland (1996:109) agrees that if we ignore the synchronistic signs, a problem will be put before us again and again, and despite our mounting frustration force us to finally deal with it. In this way, synchronicities enhance our mental 57
dimension by helping us to take the right decisions (Covey, 1992:302). Begg (2001.xix-xx) illustrates this by the following personal example:
"A few years ago we had arranged to give a lecture at the University of Barcelona as well as explore the possibility of going to live in the city. We had booked an early morning flight, parked the car and made for the departure hall. But looking at the monitor we noticed that our flight wasn't on it. When I checked our tickets, we realized that we were at the wrong airport! At the time we said that because we don't usually fly from this airport, it was an easy enough mistake to make. But gradually a pattern emerged. Every time we went to Spain to look for property or to meet someone connected with our professions, a Spanish desencuentro, or 'non-meeting' happened. Someone wrote down her own telephone number wrongly and was not listed in the directory; we locked our car keys in the boot; people we were meant to meet suddenly disappeared. The most telling sign was when we locked ourselves out of the apartment we had rented. We finally understood that we were not meant to live in Spain, but opted for Scotland. Once we had decided to move to Scotland, everything fell into place with remarkable speed. The right people turned up at the right time! I have found again and again that when we are on the right path, doors open, opportunities present themselves and progress becomes relatively easy".
Based on the above-mentioned authors, the contribution of synchronicity towards the mental dimension of personal leadership can be summarized as the following:
It helps us to make better decisions. It points the way to the unfolding of our personal destination. It contains the seed of future growth. It enhances the use and development of potential. It challenges us and enhances the overall tone of our lives. It warns us if we are on the wrong road, but also confirms if we are on the right path. 58
Since we are now aware of the contribution that synchronicity can have for our personal lives, it is important that we explore the ways in which suitable conditions for synchronicity can be created.
3.5 THE CREATION OF SUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR SYNCHRONICITY
Intuition, researchers have found, flourishes in a person who is open, receptive and nonjudgmental. Just having an active interest in the matter seems to make synchronicities happen more often — in part, of course, because we notice them more. If your belief system is such that intuition and synchronicity is real and significant, you will notice them. If your belief system is that they are hogwash, you won't (Lundstrom, 1996:6-8). He continues by identifying two ways in which suitable conditions for synchronicities can be created:
Some people develop their intuition using synchronicity as a tool. They follow an inner urge or message and watch for the results: if a meaningful coincidence results, it is a sign to them that they are on the right track and that they can trust that voice in future. For instance, Kathleen was driving toward the mountains for a hike when she made a split-second decision to go to a pottery studio instead. "I don't know why — it just felt right," she says. Just as she walked in the door, a woman was putting the finishing touches on a large ceramic pot. "It's a drum," she told Kathleen, "but I don't know anything about putting the skin on it." "I've made drums!" exclaimed Kathleen. "I know where to get the skins!" They quickly agreed to collaborate; in exchange, the woman will give her lessons. "It confirmed by intuition," says Kathleen, "and let me know that pottery is something I should definitely pursue".
Conversely, some people make active use of intuitive skills to garner useful coincidences. Ray Simon, a Massachusetts writer, is constantly scanning the environment for oddities; he runs quick intuitive checks on them and follows where they lead him, often with fortuitous outcomes. For example, he was at a library looking up material on Alfred North Whitehead. A computer search listed 12 references, the third of which was blank. He pulled up the information on the third, found out that it actually referred to a book on Sartre, 59
and so went to the shelves to find it. "These things are annoying to follow", he says with a laugh. "Your reasonable mind wants to do things that make sense." Next to that book was a different one on Sartre, a comic book that laid out his philosophy in a whimsical format. "I needed that information because I write computer manuals, and it's an ongoing battle to stay light", he says. "That book enriched my life and expanded my thinking about what could be done".
Bell (2000:148-149) agrees that, in order to increase our awareness of coincidences and the contentment of our lives, a different perspective and a change of attitude are required. Cultivating awareness and contentment can be done by means of the following steps:
We need to melt down the thing called ego. It separates us from, and pits us against, our own humanity. The ego makes us small, isolates us, blinds us, and deafens us to the symphony in which we play. We do not have to count on the ego for guidance, since it is right here. Al we have to do is open ourselves up to the process — to the knowledge provided by this incredible chameleon classroom we live in.
One way we can open our awareness to perfection is to investigate the possibility of being provided with guidance by directional coincidences (synchronicities). When we are sensitive to the guidance of synchronicities, we still do the things we like to do, engage in the activities we find rewarding, and continue with our careers. However, while doing this, at least for a while, we do not need to be excessively concerned with whether we are using our time most efficiently. We can take a break and turn our responsibilities over to the divine source of wisdom. We may then allow ourselves the luxury of contentment while observing what is happening around us, simply enjoying the process. Before long, guidance to change course where needed will be received, as will confirmations to hold steady when that is correct. 60
According to Peat (1987:5) one must be sensitive to new perspectives and to allow the mind its full creative potential. Synchronicities will appear very naturally to the mind that is constantly sensitive to change, for it reveals the overall patterns of nature and mind, and provides a context in which events have their meanings. Williams (2000:30) agrees that willingness to change and to "struggle with struggle" will lead to synchronicities. Next, his description of the three step psychological process in which synchronicities occur, will be explained:
The process begins with a person indicating that they have reached a point of deadlock with respect to their despair about ever being able to start something, which will lead them to a desired goal, or stopping some action, which causes them great distress. Whether a sought after change be either starting something or ending something, the person subjectively feels stuck.
Secondly, what is first considered by the person as hopelessly existential is shifting to hopeful problematical. He then has to commit himself to some proactive choice in which he demonstrates a willingness to struggle with struggle.
Once committing himself to action, an organizing question will be generated which will be used in the service of a "magnet" attracting resonant material into its space. This leads to the production of meaningful coincidences by which an issue can be resolved.
According to Roth (2002:1), Jung put great emphasis on dreams as a suitable condition for the creation of synchronicities. When an individual observe his/her dreams over a longer period of time, one becomes aware that often outward events occur that are very similar to the content of one's dreams. It would seem that the inner world and the outer world coincide. Jung had suggested that one should — instead of looking for a magical relationship, as they did in medieval times — try to find the common meaning of such relatively simultaneous inner and outer events. People, who take their dreams and synchronicities seriously, have a chance to lead a life filled with a new and deeper meaning. 61
According to Jung, synchronicity consists out of an unconscious image that comes into the consciousness either directly (i.e. literally) or indirectly (symbolized or suggested) in the form of a dream, idea or premonition. Knowledge of basic symbols is crucial if we want make sense of synchronicities. Enhance your knowledge on tools like astrology, Tarot and the I Ching, since they all afford us symbols rich with meaning (Chowdhary, 2000:5).
Larson (2001:1) offers a very simple exercise to help people summon synchronicities into their lives. According to her, she is constantly amazed with the number of wonderful synchronicities pop up every time she does this exercise:
Relax and clear your mind. Start by doing whatever kind of meditation you feel most comfortable with, visualizing yourself as grounded (connected) to Earth, and make sure you are breathing deeply. Be aware that you have many thoughts, but don't attempt to pursue them.
Feel energized with love. Recall your favorite memories of being loved and cared for. Think about our favorite experiences in life and everything you are most grateful for. Feel your love for those you care most about, and remember one of your favorite times with them. Feel how much you love them, and imagine how precious your time with loved ones would be if you knew it was your last time with them. Feel the fullness of your love and appreciation for art, music, nature and your loved ones. Hold this feeling of deepest love and gratitude for as long as possible and see what happens!
Combs and Holland (1996:133-137) suggests the following steps for creating suitable conditions for synchronicity:
Firstly we need to develop an attitude of openness, since most, of not all; great discoveries have been the result of intense effort along with playful curiosity and joy of exploration on the part of the discoverer. 62
We must adopt a playful mood toward synchronicity and follow where they lead. This does not mean that we should throw ourselves squarely in the path of coincidence, accepting every change is a divine gesture. Being observant and alert is more important than blind submission.
It is important to realize that synchronicity is not restricted to external coincidences but includes the inner subjective gifts of the imagination: fantasies, unannounced inspirations, and feelings. We must allow our imagination to play and let our fantasies have their day.
In order to do this, we must lighten up and relax from time to time to let our fantasies run free. It helps if we can select a special place for it. Design a room or wear particular clothes that will make you feel especially relaxed, comfortable and at ease with your imagination. Or go for a walk and let your thoughts flow freely.
It helps being involved in acts of art, skill, order, weaving or something arrhythmic. Use active imagination by allowing your fantasies to take a life or their own while busy with an act.
Keeping a journal can help to heighten your awareness of yourself and your circumstances and the synchronicities within.
Based on the above-mentioned authors, the creation for suitable conditions for synchronicity can be summarized as the following:
Cultivate an attitude that is open, receptive and nonjudgmental and be sensitive to change. Have an active interest in synchronicities. Relax, clear your mind and feel energized with love. Be willing to struggle with the problems and questions in your life. Enjoy the process and observe what is happening around your, in other words, be alert and observant. 63
Follow an inner urge and watch for the results, or scan the environment for oddities and follow where they lead. Pay attention to your dreams. Enhance your knowledge of basic symbols by reading or learning about things like I Ching or astrology. Let your fantasies run freely by means of an active imagination. Be involved in acts like art, music or anything that requires a skill and order. Keep a journal to enhance awareness of the self and the environment.
3.6 CONCLUSION
The first aim of this chapter was to formulate a definition of "personal leadership". A word and conceptual analysis was used in order to clarify what is meant by personal leadership. Different views of various authors were obtained by means of a literature study.
Based on the literature study it was found that Covey's (1992:42-42) definition of personal leadership formed the basis of this chapter. According to him personal leadership is a value-based, principle-centered, inside-out approach to gaining control of one's life and living a happy and fulfilled life. He continued by saying a personal leader lead a more balanced life with regards to four life dimensions: spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental. Each of these dimensions was explored in more detail in order to clarify what constitutes the different dimensions of a personal leader. Based on this exploration by means of a literature study, the following findings were made:
Man is a multi-dimensional being, centered in the spiritual dimension. In other words, the spiritual dimension is the core dimension and it focus mainly on the search for meaning of life as a principled-centered being.
The different life dimensions can be distinguished, but not separated. This implicates that balance is important for the experience of synchronicity and optimal functioning.
"Interconnectedness" and man's search for meaning is a prerequisite for synchronicity. 64
Without self-awareness and imaginative thinking, meaningful coincidences (synchronicity) cannot be used to satisfy man's inborn need to learn and to develop.
The physical dimension has mainly to do with accepting the responsibility of taking good care of the physical body in order to function optimally. The "taking care" of our physical dimension is important if we want to successfully identify meaningful coincidences and their contribution towards our lives.
The social and emotional dimensions can be linked since the focus is on both the awareness of one's own feelings and emotions as well as how it influences our relationships with other people. Without this knowledge, the successful identification and use of synchronicity will not be possible.
The mental dimension focuses mainly on decision-making. In order to make better choices and to make use of synchronicity, we must be able to think of new possibilities and increase our self-awareness.
The aim of the chapter also involved the exploration of the specific contribution of synchronicity towards each of the identified dimensions (spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental). From the literature it was concluded that synchronicity has a definite contribution towards personal leadership, mainly with regards to reminding one that everything is connected to everything else and that we are part of the beauty and vastness of the universe. Synchronicities provide us with meaning to our daily existence since it demonstrates that we are never alone and are constantly being "looked after". Synchronicity can also help us to take better care of our physical bodies by relieving our daily stress and by enhancing our decision-making as well as the use and development of potential. It also tells us that as a result of this "interconnectedness", feelings are contagious and therefore have a great influence on our emotions and relationships.
The second aim of the chapter was to obtain the views of various authors on how suitable conditions of synchronicity can be created as well as to compile practical guidelines on how people can enhance their awareness and use of synchronicities. Various author's opinions were explored by means of a literature study and it was found that, in order to experience more synchronicities, we must adopt an open 65 attitude and cultivate an active interest in the matter. We must then relax and focus on the process of life happening around us from moment to moment, in other words, if we are continuously alert and observant we definitely will experience the synchronistic phenomena.
Chapter four will conclude the study by confirming the meaning of synchronicity and how it can contribute towards personal leadership. 66
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SYNCHRONICITY TOWARDS PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY
4.1 INTRODUCTION
This research essay focused on the concept of synchronicity and the contribution thereof to personal leadership. Chapter four will conclude the essay by reflecting back on the study in order to indicate what the result of the study was, as it was proposed in chapter one.
4.2 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
In chapter one the research process of the essay was outlined, and included the context in which the study was performed, the research problem, the general and specific aims for the study, the motivation of the study and the research methodology. The research strategy of this study is characterized as explorative, descriptive and hermeneutic. The research methods used included word and concept analysis and literature study.
The context, in which the study was performed, was centered on the existence of synchronicities in our everyday lives. It can range from minor incidents like thinking of a friend and receiving a phone call from that particular person, or a hidden meaning in a t-shirt, license plate or bumper sticker to incidents that can be life transforming or even life saving.
All of us have experienced amazing coincidences in our lives, whether we consciously recognize them or not. We often dismiss it as pure luck with no significance or meaning. Some people might even think that it is evil and that it must be avoided at all costs. Since many people are often unaware of synchronicity or has certain misconceptions regarding the matter, it was necessary to present a clear definition of the concept of synchronicity. The identification of the different types of 67
synchronicity would enhance a person's awareness and make him/her open to a different kind of journey to self-discovery.
After clarifying the concept of synchronicity and identifying the different types thereof, is was also necessary to make people aware of the contribution of synchronicity to our personal and interpersonal functioning, since people might be unsure of the "what" and the "how" of this phenomenon. A heightened awareness of synchronicity and how it can be used for the enhancement of our personal lives will contribute to the quality of life and is a meaningful step in the process of becoming a personal leader.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the synchronicity phenomenon and to identify the contribution thereof to personal leadership. The findings from each chapter will indicate how this aim was accomplished.
4.3 FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
In order to formulate the findings of the study, the aims of the study as set out in chapter one need to be highlighted. The general aim of the study was to get a better understanding of the synchronicity phenomenon and the importance thereof to people's lives, specifically towards personal leadership. Ways of enhancing people's awareness of synchronicity was to be explored to assist them in the journey to purpose and meaning. Specific aims were set in order to achieve the general aim, namely to answer the following questions: "What is synchronicity?" and "What is the importance of synchronicity towards personal leadership?" as well as "How can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity?" The findings of the study will be discussed in relation of the specific aims. 68
4.3.1 What is synchronicity?
In chapter two I attempted to formulate a definition of synchronicity by means of a word and concept analysis in order to make people aware of the existence of meaningful coincidences.
Based on the dictionary explanation of the words "synchronicity"; "coincidence"; "meaningful" and "acausal", it was established that the basic meaning of the word synchronicity could be seen as the following:
Two things happening at the same time that seems accidental and with no apparent cause, but has a definite purpose or meaning for the individual.
In order to get a better understanding of the concept of "synchronicity", definitions of synchronicity by various authors was discussed in an attempt to formulate an enriched description of synchronicity. The definition that, according to my view, concise that of the other mentioned author's, were that of Redfield and Adrienne (1995:108) who stated:
"Synchronicities are forces that come together in time and space, providing just what is needed. The occurrence strikes the participants as special, unexpected, or unexplainable by normal cause-and-effect rationales. The effect of synchronicity on the psyche is to trigger an awareness that maybe a greater — or even divine - purpose is at work. Synchronicities seem to be external answers to an internal psychic state".
Chapter two continued with obtaining the views of various authors on what synchronicity is by means of a literature study. This was done in order to address misconceptions and to enhance a better understanding of the concept of synchronicity. 69
It was found that the first person to use the word "synchronicity" was Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung, who is widely know for his theory on personality. Jung experienced a number of paranormal experiences that resulted in a need to adequately understand them. In addition to his personal experiences and observations of paranormal phenomena, a number of other influences also played a significant part in Jung's eventual formulation of the theory of synchronicity, namely the therapeutic context that enabled him to observe the meaning of synchronicities, astrology, the I Ching, alchemy and other esoteric research, parapsychology and physics. Jung's various thoughts on synchronicity converged from these diverse sources and were integrated to explain synchronicity by means of the following:
Modern physics has shown natural laws to be statistical truths and the principle of causality is only relatively valid, so that at the microphysical level there can occur things that are acausal. When a synchronicity happens, space and time becomes relative which indicates that everything (atoms, plants, cells, animals, people) participates in a sensitive flowing web of information. In other words "everything is connected". Jung also suggested a possible psychological dynamic to explain how an activated archetype (shared experience) might result in synchronicities. An active archetype (e.g. power, sex, pain) results in a lowering of the focus of the consciousness that allows information to flow from the subconscious to the conscious. Included among these unconscious contents are items that are called "absolute knowledge" that transcends the limits of space and time. The recognition of a parallel between any of this "absolute knowledge" and co- occurrence of a physical event will result in the experience of a synchronicity. Lastly Jung introduced the "psychoid factor" of meaning. Archetypes provide the shared meaning by virtue of which two events are considered to be in a relationship of synchronicity. They manifest their meaning through whatever psychic and physical content is available, but might equally have manifested the same meaning through other content. This means that meaningful coincidences are individual acts of creation in time, or in other words, it is a "style of thinking". 70
After the definition and theory of synchronicity had been clarified, I attempted to enhance awareness and understanding by identifying the different types of synchronicity by means of a literature study. The following types of synchronicity had been identified:
1. Jung identified three types of synchronicity (Lundstrom, 1996:2), namely:
The coinciding of a thought or feeling with an outside event. A dream, vision or premonition of something that happens in the future. A dream or vision that coincides with an event occurring at a distance.
2. Bell (2000:xv) identified two types of coincidences or synchronicities:
A mirror coincidence that reflects a focus of the mind that is highly charged with energy. A directional coincidence that is associated with an open receptivity to guidance.
3. The Synchronicity Times (http://ropi.net/swhat is svnchronicity.htm) identified four types of synchronicity:
Predictive synchronicity, a form of synchronicity that diminishes a person's grasp on reality. Guiding synchronicity that gives guidance that is actually helpful. Reflective synchronicity that relate to what is going on in the present. Ego Testing synchronicity that can help an individual to become less attached. 71
In conclusion I am of the opinion that, although it is hard to proof, synchronicity do exist! If a person knows what the concept of "synchronicity" entails, he would be more aware of the meaningful coincidences in his/her life. When a person is adequately informed, feelings of fear and uncertainty are diminished up to the point that a person develops an open attitude towards the guidance of the cosmos.
4.3.2 What is the contribution of synchronicity towards personal leadership?
It was the view of this essay that synchronicity can contribute to a person's quest of becoming a personal leader. To begin the explanation of this contribution, chapter three focus on a word and concept analysis of "personal leadership" as a basis to gain greater clarity on the meaning of the concept.
Based on the dictionary explanations of the words "personal" and "leadership", the basic meaning of "personal leadership" can be seen as the following:
An individual's ability to give guidance and direction to and from his private life and personality.
In order to get a better understanding of the concept of "personal leadership", definitions of the term by various authors was discussed in an attempt to formulate an enriched description of personal leadership. The definition that would form the basis of chapter three was that of Covey (1992:42-42):
Personal leadership is a value-based, principle-centred, inside-out approach to gaining control of one's life and living a happy and fulfilled life. It is based on the knowledge of who one is, where one currently is, and where one is going. A personal leader needs to develop in a balanced and holistic manner. Therefore the entire individual's dimensions such as the spiritual, physical, social and mental dimensions should be improved.
It was found that balance is important for an individual to enjoy life and reach his/her full potential. This law of balance is built into the universe and without it nothing can function properly. According to the literature, the concept of total well-being (or 72 personal leadership) is dependent on the optimal functioning of the different dimensions within the individual, but authors differ on how they identify these dimensions. For the purpose of this study, namely to identify the contribution of synchronicity to personal leadership, the spiritual, physical, social/emotional and mental dimension was explored in more detail and the following findings were made:
Man is a mufti-dimensional being, centred in the spiritual dimension. In other words, the spiritual dimension is the core dimension. The different life dimensions can be distinguished, but not separated. This implicates that balance is important for the experience of synchronicity and optimal functioning. The spiritual dimension focuses mainly on the search for the meaning of life and on living as a principle-centred being. Man is therefore personally responsible for the quality of his/her life. This implicates that "interconnectedness" and man's search for meaning is a prerequisite for synchronicity. Without self-awareness and imaginative thinking, meaningful coincidences (synchronicities) cannot be used to satisfy man's inborn need to learn and develop. The physical dimension has mainly to do with accepting the responsibility of taking good care of your physical body in order to be able to function optimally and to reach your full potential. The "taking care" of the physical dimension is important if we want to successfully identify meaningful coincidences and their contribution towards our lives. The social and emotional dimension can be linked since the focus is on both the awareness of one's own feelings and emotions as well as how it influences our relationships with other people. Without this knowledge, the successful identification and use of synchronicity will not be possible. The mental dimension mainly has to do with how we make decisions. In order to make better choices and to make use of synchronicity, we must be able to think of new possibilities and increase our self-awareness. 73
Chapter three continued with a literature study in order to identify the contribution of synchronicity to each of the identified dimensions of personal leadership. The following discoveries were made:
1. Synchronicity can contribute significantly with regards to the spiritual dimension by means of the following:
It tells us that everything is connected to everything else, that we are part of the beauty and vastness of the universe and that we matter. It gives us guidance to be more considerate about each other's little worlds and our appropriate roles within. It provides us with a state of unselfishness and concern for other people. It tells us that we are never alone and that we are constantly being "looked after", hence providing as with meaning to our daily existence. It draws upon sources that inspire and uplift us by connecting us to the timeless truths of all humanity. It provides us with answers. It demonstrates meaning and the existence of a "supreme being".
2. Synchronicity can also contribute significantly with regards to the physical dimension by means of the following:
It helps us to take better care of our bodies by replacing stress with contentment. It lessens the burden of deciding what to do with our lives. It helps us focus on the process from moment to moment instead of being consumed by concerns about the attainment of goals. It enhances our confidence in the "big picture". It can tell us if our physical dimension (or that of others) is out of balance or sick. 74
3. Synchronicity can also contribute to an individual's social/emotional dimension by means of the following:
It triggers our awareness that a greater or "divine" purpose is at work. It confirms that everything, including our emotions and relationships, is interconnected with everything else. Because of this "interconnectedness" our feelings are contagious and therefore have a definite influence on our emotions and relationships. It tells us that happiness is not to be pursued, but we should rather pay attention to what's going on around us. This fosters contentment that has a positive influence on our emotions and relationships. It can enhance the way people relate to one another and the degree to which they care for one another. It can tell us if someone close to us is hurting or are in danger.
4. Synchronicity had a definite contribution to a person's mental dimension by means of the following:
It helps us to make better decisions. It points the way to the unfolding of our personal destination. It contains the seed of future growth. It enhances the use and development of potential. It challenges us and enhances the overall tone of our lives. It warns us if we are on the wrong road, but also confirms if we are on the right path.
Based on the abovementioned findings, I am of the opinion that synchronicity has a definite contribution towards personal leadership. This implicates that, without the necessary knowledge and awareness of synchronicity, people will pass on the opportunity to grow and develop and they will continue to see it as mere small happenings without any significance to them. 75
4.3.3 How can people enhance their awareness of synchronicity?
Chapter three focussed lastly on obtaining views of various authors on how suitable conditions of synchronicity can be created. The aim of this was to give practical guidelines on how people can enhance their awareness and use of synchronicities in their personal lives.
Based on the literature study, it was found that the creation of suitable conditions for synchronicity could be summarized as the following:
Cultivate an attitude that is open, receptive and nonjudgmental and be sensitive to change. Have an active interest in synchronicities. Relax, clear your mind and feel energized with love. Be willing to struggle with the problems and questions in your life. Enjoy the process and observe what is happening around your, in other words, be alert and observant. Follow an inner urge and watch for the results, or scan the environment for oddities and follow where they lead. Pay attention to your dreams. Enhance your knowledge of basic symbols by reading or learning about things like I Ching or astrology. Let your fantasies run freely by means of an active imagination. Be involved in activities like art, music or anything that requires a skill and order. Keep a journal to enhance awareness of the self and the environment.
The abovementioned findings implicates that it is possible to create suitable conditions for synchronicity, mainly by having awareness and an open attitude. In doing this, one would be able to tap into the vast knowledge of the universe. 76
4.4 RECOMMENDATIONS
4.4.1 Recommendations regarding the personal leadership process
In a world characterised by individuals experiencing unhappy, unfulfilled lives and outward success, but an inner struggle for meaning and purpose, this study proves that every individual in his quest to becoming a personal leader, should become aware of the various possibilities for moving forward in our lives. By being open to the possibility of guidance from the universe, we can experience synchronicities that enhance our self-awareness and the decisions we make in life. Synchronicities suggest that we can renew our contact with that creative and unconditioned source which is the origin not only of ourselves but of all reality. By dying to the self and its mechanical, reactive responses to nature, it becomes possible to engage in an active transformation and gain access to unlimited ranges of energy. In this way, body and consciousness, individual and society, mind and matter may come to achieve their unlimited potential (Peat, 1987:4).
4.4.2 Recommendations regarding personal leadership research
Since synchronicity cannot be controlled, I believe that the focus should not be on "proving" the existence of the phenomenon, but rather in simplifying the meaning and contribution thereof to people's lives. There is a need for more extensive research on the subject, specifically within a South-African context. Another focus of research can be on developing a practical programme for the creation of suitable conditions for intuition and synchronicity. 77
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