Synchronicities

Synchronicities are minor miracles, little mysteries that point to a bigger one, perhaps a central one, of which we are a part. One of the prominent images in twentieth century literature is that of the wasteland, which speaks of the absence of mystery. "The wind crosses the brown land, unheard and the nymphs are departed" wrote T.S. Eliot in his poem "The Waste Land".

The primary reality of synchronicities is emotional, not intellectual. The reason they're there is to make us feel something...the feeling that our lives are rich and worth our reflection.

Maybe the most important thing synchronicities bring us is astonishment. Synchronicities are like the glimpse of a wild animal seldom seen. Far removed from the mundaneness that seems to characterize such a vast portion of daily life, they help reconnect us to our awe.

Sychronicities remind us that the world is shot through with mystery and extravagant gesture.

From Gregg Levoy's book Callings

Calls & Responses

The purpose of calls is to summon adherents away from their daily grinds to a new level of awareness, into a sacred frame of mind, into communion with that which is bigger than themselves.

As Martin Buber has said, "living means being addressed." A call is only a monologue. A return call, a response, creates a dialogue.

This dynamic and more open perspective is like putting on a lens through which we can see our lives as a process of calls and responses.