Synchronicity has been a term that not many people seem to be able to define. I, myself, have experienced synchronicity quite often whether it is through experiences or physical synchronicity. 

Many people, in various professions, seem to think that synchronicity is either coincidence, various coincidences that don't have a reason for being, that it is confirmation bias, anecdotal, or that synchronicity can't be possible because everything happens at an individual level and not in a unified field. 

But what are coincidences and confirmation bias? What is synchronicity for that matter? We will see below.

What is Synchronicity?

The term synchronicity was first coined by Carl Gustav Jung, a psychoanalyst, and introduced in the 1950s when his works on the subject were published.

Carl Jung described synchronicity as meaningful coincidences, comprising of two or more events, that have no cause of being. In other words, things that happen for no apparent reason but are deemed meaningful by the person experiencing them.

Different views of Synchronicity

As with everything in life, many people and groups have different views, meanings, and experiences with synchronicity. 

Depending on where you look, you will see that some agree with the existence of synchronicity while others dismiss it completely. Some may agree with Jung or have their own definition of what synchronicity is. 

Next, we discuss different views on synchronicity from different scientific perspectives, mainstream opinions, and the spiritual perspective. 

1. What is synchronicity in the spiritual community?

For those in the spiritual community, synchronicity is basically a series of events or signs from the universe, spirit guides, or the Creator that carry a message for the individual or confirm whatever that individual needs confirmation on.

They are not only meaningful but are also connected and there is a reason and cause behind their manifestation. Deepak Chopra, for example, views synchronicity as the organizing ability of pure consciousness.

Robert Kopecky, a contributor to Gaia, says that synchronicity has more to do with practical yet deeply mysterious life-long relationships to natural phenomena of all kinds.

While Loner Wolf, a spiritual awakening support website, describes synchronicity as a string of events that seem to be highly symbolic and meaningful in nature. 

As you may see, for the spiritual community all is connected, has a meaning and a cause although those details may not be known at the moment of the events happening. 

This is not so for other groups, though. 

2. What is a Coincidence?

A coincidence is described by dictionaries as a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection. 

Much like Carl Jung's definition, this one also displays synchronicity as having no causal connection to the person, as well as not even being meaningful only remarkable. 

Many people believe that events or circumstances that cannot be explained are coincidences and don't believe in synchronicities. Or, they believe that synchronicities are just coincidences that others put too much meaning into. 

3. What is Confirmation Bias?

According to an article in Verywell Mind, confirmation bias involves favoring information that confirms your previously existing beliefs or a feeling, opinion, or inclination that is preconceived, sometimes even unreasoned. 

Confirmation bias is a term used mainly in psychology. Among the behaviors presented, confirmation bias makes the person search for and interpret information in their favor based on their own experiences and beliefs.

Those in the field of psychology that do believe in synchronicity define it as the occurrence of a meaningful coincidence that seems to have no cause. 

4. Anecdotal view of synchronicity

According to an article written by Robert Kopecky, the anecdotal view of synchronicity stems from materialism and the apparent lack of proof.

The anecdotal view of synchronicity consists of believing that because the situations experienced during synchronicity are based on personal accounts rather than facts or research they are unreliable or not necessarily true. 

5. Synchronicity and the individual field

Another way that science views synchronicity is by not viewing it as anything at all but dismissing it completely. 

According to Robert Kopecky, the materialistic scientific view considers that everything is individual and doesn't work in a unified field. Meaning that nothing can blend, harmonize or unify. And for these reasons, it doesn't exist. 

Coincidence? I think not 

Some definitions of synchronicity make it a "series of coincidences that are meaningful but have no cause". Based on my and my families' experiences I will have to differ on this.

Ever since I discovered the world of spirituality I have been drawn to watching pick-a-card readings on Youtube. Seeing as every reader is different, their deck of cards is different and the piles they create are different, there's no reason for an audience member like me to have the same type of reading, right?

For all the pick-a-cards the cards are all in reverse so the audience only sees the back of the cards and has no idea what type of cards or messages are in the pile. So, there should be no reason for me to see different pick-a-cards from different readers and have the exact same reading or similar readings, right?

Well, that is exactly what is happening to me. Every time I see a pick-a-card reading about career or soul purpose I always pick the pile that says I am meant to be a teacher, a healer, a master, and a writer. Mind you, all the cards are reversed so I can't consciously know what the cards say underneath, and mind you they are all from different readers. 

So, one can't say that I deliberately chose the pile that had those messages in it because I didn't know. What also might seem strange, is that it has been happening since the summer of 2019 without fail. 

Tell me, does this seem like a coincidence to you? I prefer to call it synchronicity, probably on steroids. A message that the Divine and my spirit guides want me to understand so they keep urging me to pick the piles with that same message. 

Can synchronicity be confused with confirmation bias?

Synchronicity can be confused with confirmation bias but they are not the same thing. 

Confirmation bias involves favoring information that confirms your preexisting beliefs, and sometimes it makes you actively look for that information. 

On the other hand, when it comes to synchronicity, the person who experiences the synchronistic events usually isn't looking for it, nor even actively thinking about it. 

I was definitely not actively looking to get the exact same message about being a teacher, a writer, a healer, and a master. Quite the opposite, I was looking to see if the cards said something else entirely. This is why, in my experience, I do not think that synchronicity is confirmation bias. 

Synchronicity in interpersonal relationships

While the definitions about synchronicity above are some of the most common, there are other definitions out there. 

For example, in the book The Mindful Librarian, authors Jo Henry and Howard Slutzky talk about interpersonal synchronicity and how it refers to an interpersonal interaction that takes place at the same time between individuals. 

While the authors don't outwardly link interpersonal synchronicity with spirituality they do relate to mindfulness and how it is beneficial to people in a work environment and in general.

According to Henry and Slutzky, studies have shown how interpersonal synchronicity is an optimal experience that with social interaction can alter the neural system of the brain and improve relationships between two people when there is mindfulness involved. 

Some of the physical effects of experiencing interpersonal synchronicity are synchronized hearts, feeling positive and if you really think about it, synchronized periods. Henry and Slutzky, state that these harmonious experiences can take place between two or more people. 

The fact that you can have synchronized physical functions negates the belief of the materialistic view.

Because when two or more people are synchronized, essentially they go from being individuals to working in a unified field of their own creation. 

Synchronicity happens when you're ready and the environment around you is ready. If neither things are at their peak then it doesn't happen. 

Does synchronicity really exist?

And finally, does synchronicity really exist? Well, that truly depends on you and what you believe. 

Do you believe that you can get messages from the Divine? Or do you believe that it is all a coincidence or non-consequential? 

This is something you have to answer by yourself. As for me, I do believe that synchronicity exists, not only that I believe it does have a cause, I also believe that it is all connected.