EVERYTHING AND THE KITCHEN SYNC

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about thermodynamics.  Specifically, I was thinking about ENTROPY, the natural law by which heat and other radiant energies move from areas of high concentration to low concentration — from warm to cold.  

I also riffed on whether we could consider this not just as a physical property, but also a metaphysical one… (“Entropys in a Pod”)

That is: might it not follow that non-physical qualities such as love, peace, kindness, vitality, and fortitude could likewise flow from wherever they’re abundant to wherever they’re needed?

I rather liked this notion, which is why I’m bringing it up again. When I wrote and spoke about it a few weeks ago, I hoped it was going to lead to a discussion of synchronicity. I thought that would be interesting, but I ran out of time, then. So I’m revisiting it now.

Here’s what I’m thinking. Just as light automatically pours into darkness and warmth automatically radiates into chilly spaces, perhaps ideas and insight and clarity work the same way. Maybe this is how Divine Wisdom and Intelligence and a Pattern of Infinite Perfection show up in our befuddled, muddy, confusing lives. Maybe this is what we call “Synchronicity.”

Synchronicity is when “separate, seemingly unrelated events are experienced or perceived as meaningfully entwined.”

When you’re looking at a photograph of your friend thinking it’s been a while and you ought to reconnect, and suddenly the phone rings and that person is on the line. When a song on the radio mentions a big, yellow taxi and you have to slam on the brakes because a yellow cab has run a stop sign and almost hits you — good thing you were paying attention! When you’re wrestling with a difficult decision and you open a magazine to a Nike ad that shouts right at you, “Just do it!”

We’ve all experienced moments like that, right? When it feels like the Universe is speaking to us directly. And it seems like if we could just tap into that a little bit more mindfully, maybe all of Life’s answers would be instantly available. Like, signs and symbols and guidance are probably flowing our way, constantly. From areas of high concentration (the Mind of the Infinite) to areas of lesser concentration (my muddy consciousness). Usually, though, I’m too dense or just too darned busy to notice.

I really like the idea of it. The shimmering experiences of it are groovy and delightful when they surprise me. But I’m really, really drawn to the idea that it might be the hidden Truth behind Everything. It feels like a secret super-special offer: just get out of your own way and inherit the earth. Pay attention, open your heart and mind to receive, and yours shall be the Kingdom of Heaven.

OMG it’s the Beatitudes from the Christian Bible…! OMG, the Beatitudes are describing metaphysical entropy and the synchronous everything! I just stumbled right into it. Everything and the kitchen SYNC!

Maybe…?

I mean, I do believe that it’s all connected, we’re all connected in It. I believe that each of us individually is an integral part of One Ever-Loving Everything. So why shouldn’t wisdom flow to us through songs on the radio, and chalk mark messages that I read on the sidewalk, or a chance encounter that reminds you of something about which you needed reminding… I do think that can happen. In fact, I think it does happen all the time, and we could experience it even more if we looked for it.

There are a few things to watch out for, though. A few counter-points that I want to consider…

First, the idea that the Universe is constantly sending us personalized messages, if taken to an extreme, can show up like narcissism, megalomania, or schizophrenic delusions. So I think it’s important that we try to mitigate any such tendencies with deliberate reminders that we’re ALL tuning in to the Great Wisdom. It’s not just me, not just you, but EVERYONE who is receiving and broadcasting pieces of Truth. The wisdom is in the collective. It even includes the plugged-in synchronous perspectives of those with whom we disagree… Remembering this can help to keep us balanced in it, I think.

Second, I think it’s important to recognize and honor our own creative participation in the process. While information, certainly, is flowing to us all the time — some of it very useful — some of it landing like divine guidance, epiphanies, and inspiration — still, WE are the only ones who ever make it mean anything. The difference between a coincidence and a synchronicity is that we make synchronicities mean something. We create the meaning. This doesn’t have to mean that synchronicity is totally fabricated nonsense (unless you want to make it mean that). It just means that we are deeply, wonderfully imaginative and creative. Let’s not sell short our own authorship of the significance of any of it and all of it.

Gosh, it feels like I’ve taken another big bite with this topic this week, and I hope I have time to chew it into something digestible before Sunday…

• It’s all connected AND we connect it.

• It’s all potentially meaningful AND we forge the meaning.

• The Universe is speaking to us all the time, with signs and synchronicity, with ordinary happenings as well as bolts of lightning out of the blue, AND the magic is in how we answer. It’s our answer that makes all the difference in the world.

I can’t wait to be with you this Sunday, January 23, 10:00 am, at Maple Street Dance Space. Sasha Menendez will be our guest musician this week! We’re masked and keeping a reasonable distance from each other. If you are feeling ill or are immunocompromised or don’t feel comfortable with in-person gatherings for any reason, then please tune in Sunday night for my message at BOSQUECSL.ORG. We are connected whether or not we’re together in person, my friends! And it’s always up to us to take hold of and embody that connection. XO, Drew

©2022 Drew Groves