Coincidence: Science or Spirit?

Do you believe in coincidence?  Luck, be it good or bad?  Fate or destiny?  God or another supreme being?Divine will or human will?

Are you intuitive?  Have you ever thought or even outright known something before it occurred, be it a simple as thinking about someone and then they call or you run into them or as complex as knowing someone was going to die unexpectedly and then finding out they did?

Have you ever had an experience where you wondered if you were 'visited' or touched by the spirit of a deceased loved one?  What about the spirit of a complete stranger?  Can you see, sense and/or feel energy?    Do you see colors or little balls of light at times? Can you identify someone's presence in the room, alive or dead, without seeing or hearing them, just by *knowing* they are there?

Are you spiritually gifted?  Perhaps clairvoyant, clairaudient, or clairsentient?

Do you believe in reincarnation or is this lifetime our one and only?  Do you believe we 'contract' prior to our incarnations who we will incarnate with (same people, different roles) and what lessons or karma we will learn or teach in this lifetime?  Do you believe we all have pre-determined 'exit' points, times at which we can opt to die, and even how, but we of course, eventually all do.

Do you believe we have the power to heal ourselves or others with the power of intention, prayer or positive energy?  Is there such a thing as energy healing?  Do Eastern alternative therapies like acupuncture, acupressure, Reiki and other forms of energy healing, mediation and more have the power to heal on an emotional, physical and/or spiritual level?

Can we will away cancer, death and other 'bad' things?  Can we will ourselves to die when we are ready, even if it seems in other ways, our bodies are not? Or maybe hold on and wait to die until certain events have occurred or certain people have come or left our side?  Can we wish ill upon others, cast 'spells' or negatively impact a person, event or outcome with our negative thoughts and intentions?

If any of these things resonate with you or you believe none of these things yourself, how do you feel about people who claim they are intuitive, energetically sensitive or psychically gifted?  What about those who are mediums or simply ordinary people who have seen deceased loved ones and had conversations with them? Or those who claim to talk to angels, spirits or other deceased Masters of some kind?  Kids report this all the time in a very matter of fact way.  So do 'normal' every day people, not just those claiming to be able to 'talk to dead people'.

Do you think they are crazy?  Do you think they make it up completely?  Is it imagination?  Is it something maybe only some people are able to do?  Do you think it's 'wishful thinking'?  Are you afraid of the possibility and thus dismiss it as impossible?  Do you wish you could experience it yourself, to understand it and give you the insight you may need to believe in it?  Is it a matter of religious beliefs or upbringing?  Are you just believing what you were taught to in your family without ever questioning it for yourself?  Are you rooted in science and the laws thereof and in search of definitive proof one way or the other?

What about those who are 'lucky' or successful or wealthy?  Are they born that way?  Is there such a thing as luck or do these people actively work to manifest the luck or lack there of in their lives based on their thoughts and beliefs?  Conversely, what about those who have a life of hardship?  Is that their lot in life or are they simply choosing to be a victim of circumstance instead of actively trying to change their situation for the better? Is that their chosen or assigned/destined path or can they choose to change it?

Do you believe in the law of attraction?  Do you believe you are the only one responsible for your actions and experiences and that you have the power to change them for the better or worse with nothing more than your thoughts and expectations?  There are many books about the subject The Secret probably being the most widely known.  Dr. Wayne Dyer also has written many books about the power of intention and attraction, as have scores of others.

Are science and spirituality mutually exclusive?  Must it be one or the other or can both coexist?  Neither science nor spirituality have all the answers.  We, as humans, don't have all the answers.  Our own knowledge of how our brains work has so much further to go!  Science cannot prove nor disprove beyond  a reasonable doubt many of the experiences of those who claim to have spiritual or psychic experiences.  In fact, some of the science supports it!

Quantum physics allows for the possiblilty of multiple planes of simultaneous existence. What the Bleep Do We Know? is a great place to start if you want to learn more. We universally agree matter is energy and energy cannot be created nor destroyed.  So if we, as humans, are matter and energy, WE cannot be destroyed.  Yet our bodies decay after we die, dust to dust if you will.  What happens to us, our essence, our consciousness, our spirit, our energy?  It has to go somewhere.  But where?  How can we tell?  There was a movie made about the theory that we lose 21 grams at the moment of our death. The weight of our soul?  21 Grams  I've not seen it, but it's on my short list.  If for no other reason, than to learn more about the theory.

Consciousness is not fully understood.  How or if our thoughts or intentions can impact the future is not fully understood. Clearly, or we'd know the answers to these questions.  Many do believe that faith in a higher power, whatever you choose to call it, and prayer or focused intention, especially as a group are powerful.  Even the United Nations has a room dedicated to meditation for world peace!  United Nations Meditation Room  Many believe in the power of Eastern Alternative therapies such as Reiki or energy healing to the extent it's now often included in Cancer treatment and Hospice programs.  They may bring about healing, change, acceptance of circumstance or potential outcome or at least bring a sense of calm, peace and control to someone who otherwise wouldn't be able to be in that space emotionally.

Most of the time, when something 'spiritual' happens that we do not have a scientific explanation for or that we do not believe in, understand or want to believe in, we either dismiss it as wishful thinking or coincidence.

It's not my place to tell you what is right or wrong or what to believe in.  I am a firm believer in the power of choice and also the power of intention.  I have had enough experiences throughout my life that I, personally, do not believe in coincidence.  My experiences have caused me to question my beliefs and the science and spirit behind them.  My beliefs have changed and continue to change, based on my continued experiences, 'experiments' if you will with some theories, and educating myself.  I accept and reject published science and/or spiritual theories based on what resonates with me.  It's all I can do.  Be present and mindful.  Be open to possibilities I have not yet considered or do not fully understand. I don't argue with others I disagree with, I might ask questions to learn more but I accept their beliefs are true to them and leave it at that.

As for the rest, it really is about you.  Today's challenge is this.  Think about it.  What do YOU believe?  WHY do you feel that way?  What are you basing that belief on?  What experiences have you personally had that lead you to believe what you do.  Are you open to other possibilities or explanations?  Do you respect others who have a different belief, even if you firmly believe they are 'wrong'?  I challenge you to explore your beliefs for yourself.  To open your mind.  To practice acceptance of others who have differing opinions rather than try to convince them you are right and they are wrong.

I'm not saying you have to or should change your beliefs, I am just asking that we all be open minded, accepting and respectful of others who don't share our personal beliefs.  We should never tell someone what they think or feel is wrong. We have no right.  It's about US and OUR feelings, OUR thoughts, OUR experiences but only for us.  Their feelings, thoughts and experiences are about them, and no more or less valid than yours, just perhaps, different.  Just as we cannot possibly know what they are experiencing physically, emotionally or spiritually, they cannot know that for us.

We should never stop learning.  We should always be respectful of others and their opinions.  We should always keep an open mind and be willing to learn and grow and change.  Our own strongly rooted reactions to a topic is often a sign we have work to do on it.

Can you do it?  Can you delve deep inside yourself and see what work you need to do?  None of us are perfection.  We all have growth potential in may ways.  Let's grow for the greater good.

Peace.   For you, for me, and for the world at large.

Namaste.