I love learning new words. One of the best ones to come along in a while was gifted to me on Friday: Pronoia. It’s the opposite of Paranoia, which is the suspicion that the universe is conspiring against you.
Pronoia is the suspicion the universe is a conspiracy on your behalf. It’s the belief that the universe is a friendly place, not one that is harsh and unforgiving.
Think about that! What if the people and situations around us are actually here to support us? What if we approached our lives with the trust that whatever happens is happening perfectly? Would it open us up to see new possibilities, to feeling more calm and confident that we can handle whatever comes our way?
I believe it can. I believe there are instances everyday that provide evidence that the forces of the universe are here to help us. For me, the evidence is in synchronicity.
Synchronicity, as defined by Carl Jung, is a way of describing “meaningful coincidences.” This is when you have a thought, and the substance of the thought shows up in reality either exactly with or near the timing of the thought. What makes it meaningful is that it cannot be attributed to mere chance, and the occurrence leads to an insight or affirmation.
As I contemplated Pronoia, I realized that synchronicity is like the universe tapping on our shoulder, reminding us that we’re not alone. It’s like the universe is asking, “May I have this dance?”
And these moments are all around us, if we take notice! They may not be obvious at the time; fine-tuning our ability to see these meaningful coincidences can start to provide us deeper information about ourselves.
I see synchronicity as evidence that everything is happening perfectly, and that the universe is saying “Hey Beth… I’m here for you! Release! Let me lead!” And when I assume the best, rather than the worst, then I can enjoy the benefits of letting Pronoia work its magic.
P.S. The gift of Pronoia was given by Leif Hansen of Spark Interaction. He led a fabulous Biznik workshop on Friday that had us all stretching outside of our comfort zones and having fun doing it.
Getting Curious:
When have you experienced moments of meaningful coincidence in your life? What did you notice? What information did you gain from it?
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