Psychic/Coincidence Clustering

[gattino]

A few little things have happened in the last few days. The very fact that not a lot on the personal fortean front has happened in the last year or so, just serves to underline a past but forgotten awareness of how such experiences seem to cluster. As if one goes through some kind of psychic "phases". Or at least close swarming of minor coincidences. .

I've mentioned two of these already on other threads but...

Last week I was telling a guest about the brash young American who stayed 18 months ago. Next day get a call from an unknown number. It was him.

Yesterday woke up and messaged a friend i had little contact with that he'd been in a dream , in which we were wondering how he was doing in a job interview. I mentioned "customs" had something to do with it. He replies he's leaving his current career next month for a new job on the trains. Got the offer on Thursday. Role is "senior customer host".

This afternoon, 2 minute walk from Tesco, I start singing Total Eclipse Of The Heart to myself for some unknown reason. Enter the supermarket to the strains of that song playing on the internal music system.

This evening the current guest, a paramedic, challenged me to try an age/balance test involving standing up from a sitting on the floor position by crossing my legs and not using my arms. I did so but simultaneously remembered....i had been thinking about that very same, very precise, very peculiar act earlier in the day! Simply in terms of remembering how i used to just casually do that in years gone by and wondering if i would still be flexible and agile enough to do so if were to try to these days.

It definitely feels - as it has in the past but not for a long time - that im passing temporarily through the uncanny corridor.

Does this happen to you?

 

[Victory]

Yes. Usually happens after visiting a particular place.
About 20 years ago had very intense daily coincidences.
After five weeks it got too much for me and I prayed for it to stop.

 

[PeteS]

Without a doubt my experiences have clustered. Of course it may be that one startling experience may tune your brain to more acute awareness, which gradually fades over a period.

 

[gattino]

And another....

Definitely under the coincidence rather than psychic category.

I'll be going for a birthday meal on Saturday with a small group of friends. I just went into the city centre for no good reason, into a shop in which I had nothing to buy and simultaneously , to the second, answered my phone to one of those friends ( calling for no good reason) while coming face to face with another. (It perhaps adds something to say they don't know and have never met each other but will do so on Saturday.)

 

[escargot]

Some years ago I had a cluster of coincidences and incidents around my brother Ivor. Hi name cropped up in weird situations and he personally appeared when I had no idea he was anywhere near! It wasn't scary and it all petered out after a couple of weeks.

 

[onetwothree]

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I had the idle thought that I wonder what my ex's mum would say if I phoned her up asking for a lift to the vet's for one of my cats (she always used to offer her services in that way). Obviously, it would be inappropriate to ask her now. Anyway, a couple of hours later one of my cats had a complete bizarre wild episode (we think he'd got spooked by the washing machine and some recycling falling over) and we thought we were going to have to get him to the vet...

 

[onetwothree]

Gattino: any recent developments? I really enjoy reading your accounts.

 

[Ghost In The Machine]

I bet it's A Thing, gattino, but it's not been my particular experience. Things have been dotted throughout my life (and husband's - quite separately) - and we seem to go long periods with zilch (in one right now) then there will be something - then weirdness flatlines again... Am certain I had far more weirdnesses happen in childhood and they've slowly diminished and then whenever I think that's it, will never see or experience something again - something happens. The 'coincidence' here being I was having this very thought the other day, when we drove past a spot where husband and I saw something and he had also seen something strange when alone, just a little further on the same road. But that was several (or more?) years ago and neither of us have 'seen' anything again, since.

 

[gattino]

Gattino: any recent developments? I really enjoy reading your accounts.

I'm afraid nothing addtional that ive noticed. A few unusual dreams but i don't think they fall under the same heading.

 

[gattino]

Having said that ... Conversation just now with my brother.

 

[IbisNibs]

Ouch.

 

[Ermintruder]

As if one goes through some kind of psychic "phases". Or at least close swarming of minor coincidences. .

I feel that this seems to occur. Whilst it can, of course, all be diminished-down to mere perception and nothing absolute...I do wonder.

Yesterday morning I filled my car with fuel. Normally I tend to just buy £20-30s-worth on a random basis. But for a combination of reasons, recently I have not been doing this.

So it was way WAY down the gauge. And yesterday was payday...therefore...I just kept on filling at the pump until the very, very top.

Wow- £82.30. Horrific cost, for fuel.

And: there on the dashboard, my 'Projected Endurance Meter" was no longer showing zero...it now read '823 miles'.

Double-wow....(plus, at least I know can say my driving costs me 10p a mile).

But wait for the punchline.....around lunchtime, I thought "what time did I fill-up....?") And I then realised with cold horror, it had been the back of 8am.....almost-certainly during 8.23am.

Which leads me to a train of thought....if you're unaware of the existence of a coincidence, but it still happened.....what just happened?

 

[Donna Black]

I hope I'm in the right place for dream coincidences?
The first time it happened I was five years old, and let me be clear that we were not a close family even then.
I was dreaming that Amerindians surrounded the house (not living in America, never have). The most important bit was the drumming. That drumming was so terrifying that I ran to my parents bedroom to tell them and my mom woke up all groggy and I told her "the scary indians and drums". She said she had the same dream. Maybe she was lying to placate me, but she wasn't that kind of mother.

 

[Donna Black]

Another dream coincidence. My boyfriend and I were like 18 and all our families were in perfect health. Then I had a weird dream about one of his grandads. I dreamt I couldn't find the bathroom in his house, was in a dry bathtub when the phone rang. There was nobody on the phone, but a date appeared in steam on the side of the bath.
That week my boyfriend's grandad died suddenly of a heart attack when shopping.
When we went to the funeral I couldn't find the bathroom and somebody told me it was outside.

 

[Donna Black]

One other dream coincidence I remember, my sister was buying a new property and I dreamt she was in a room looking at a fireplace with 4 numbers carved around it. I told her about this dream and she put the numbers in the lottery and won (not a lot but she won).

 

[EnolaGaia]

... I dreamt I couldn't find the bathroom in his house, was in a dry bathtub when the phone rang. There was nobody on the phone, but a date appeared in steam on the side of the bath.
That week my boyfriend's grandad died suddenly of a heart attack when shopping. ...

Did the date that appeared in steam beside the bathtub relate to the date or timeframe of your boyfriend's grandfather's death?

If not - how did you know it was a date (as opposed to some other annotation or set of numbers)?

 

[Donna Black]

Did the date that appeared in steam beside the bathtub relate to the date or timeframe of your boyfriend's grandfather's death?

If not - how did you know it was a date (as opposed to some other annotation or set of numbers)?

Good question. In the dream there were two slashes with numbers in between. I knew it was a date but couldn't see the numbers. The weirdest part was not being able to find the bathroom, then there not being a bathroom in his property.

 

[Sollywos]

I've been thinking of sharing this series of co-incidences ever since I joined the forum and this seems to be the appropriate place. I concluded at the time that they'd occured in response to a great need almost like being in touch with 'other' for want of a better word like the veil was being temporally lifted.

They concern my baby boy. I'd been in hospital for a month before he was born three weeks early but at 6lbs he was a healthy weight. You can imagine the relief and joy after two previous still-births and two miscarriages.

The first co-incidence may seem fairly mild but it will be linked later on so I'll include it. The day after his arrival a new nurse came in to help me get breast feeding established. Her name was familliar and it transpired she was indeed my Mum's cousins daughter who she'd not seen for years (neither of us had realised we were living in the same town!) It was a nice surprise at such a happy time.

There followed a very busy time at home with my 2 adopted sons (three and a half and eighteen months) and the new baby. It was also a good time and helped me accept the previous losses. One sunny afternoon I proudly took him with my 2 boys for his six week check up. He was doing very well and the staff were remarking how it often happens that an adoption can seem to put previous reproduction problems right.

That evening I got them all to bed and then got a catalogue order ready for new clothes for them all. The order came to £13 and while not being superstitious I still couldn't believe my luck and didn't want to tempt fate so I stayed up after my husband went to bed to make some adjustments.

When I eventually went up I took one look in his crib and just knew.

He'd died, my changes had been in vain.

I screamed '*****'s dead and I dont know what to do'. My husband (I was very upset with him for not noticing!!) came and took him from my arms and tried to revive him. I remember the newel post at the top of the stairs and then the front door. I was still screaming '*****'s dead and I dont know what to do' I couldn't even think how to open the door and I was desperate to get through it and away from the house.

I got out onto the street still screaming '*****'s dead and I dont know what to do' and neighbours came running including (second co-incidence) the young man across the road who I'd been told was a doctor but what I hadn't known was that he was engaged in SIDS research at the St John Radcliffe hospital. If anything in this sad tale could be said to be a blessing it was that he was there for us! If your child dies you blame yourself but he was able to reassure me on that point and answer all my questions over the following days. Incidently he told us he was a twin and that although she was living in South Africa they always knew when anything was up with each other. I mention it here as it seemed to open the door onto 'hidden realities'. Although he was researching the subject this was the first cot death he'd had any close involvement in.

Many neighbours came to help and I went from knowing nobody to having a street full of friends. They helped me get through those early awful bewildering days.

So that's the background. I've written enough for tonight as it's going to take too long to type up all the co-incidences that happened thick and fast thereafter. Please don't feel sad for me I've only shared the above so I can write about the stuff we Forteans are really interested in and that will follow tomorrow.

Sollywos x

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I've been thinking of sharing this series of co-incidences ever since I joined the forum...

You are inspirational.

Coincidentally... or is it...

I had a tear in my eye, just a moment even before reading your poignant memories, because I found the following.

Your mission now... explain the connection with this song... there is one, I know it.

 

[Spookdaddy]

@Sollywos - 'Like' seems the wrong thing to be clicking, but hopefully you know what I mean.

...Many neighbours came to help and I went from knowing nobody to having a street full of friends. They helped me get through those early awful bewildering days...

It's always been my general view that human beings - the majority - are decent; flawed, irritating, odd maybe - but decent. I'm glad that was your experience.

 

[Spookdaddy]

On the subject of the coincidental proximity of appropriate individuals.

A friend of mine is a lighting engineer. Some time back (late 90's or early noughties, I think) he was working in a conference venue in Istanbul. He was working at height, on an access system know as a tallescope, at full extension, when it toppled over and dumped him into the auditorium. He broke his back, as well as other bits and pieces.

The cage had crumpled around him, trapping him within - he was conscious, was aware of the severity of his injuries, and realised, with horror, that the local crew were going to attempt to pull him out. He screamed at them to stop and not to move him, but the language barrier, a lack of training and the general air of panic made it impossible for him to be understood.

The area opened onto a public foyer, and some inquisitive individual opened a door to see what all the noise was about. A very few seconds later said individual and a whole cluster of other suited and booted people with identity passes were charging across the stage shouting in German and Turkish.

Turned out that in the hall next door to the one my friend was working in there was a conference...of German spine surgeons. They'd been milling around having coffee and biscuits just outside when the accident happened. If not for that ridiculous coincidence there's a very strong possibility that my friend would have been permanently disabled, or even killed.

 

[PeteS]

On the subject of the coincidental proximity of appropriate individuals.

A friend of mine is a lighting engineer. Some time back (late 90's or early noughties, I think) he was working in a conference venue in Istanbul. He was working at height, on an access system know as a tallescope, at full extension, when it toppled over and dumped him into the auditorium. He broke his back, as well as other bits and pieces.

The cage had crumpled around him, trapping him within - he was conscious, was aware of the severity of his injuries, and realised, with horror, that the local crew were going to attempt to pull him out. He screamed at them to stop and not to move him, but the language barrier, a lack of training and the general air of panic made it impossible for him to be understood.

The area opened onto a public foyer, and some inquisitive individual opened a door to see what all the noise was about. A very few seconds later said individual and a whole cluster of other suited and booted people with identity passes were charging across the stage shouting in German and Turkish.

Turned out that in the hall next door to the one my friend was working in there was a conference...of German spine surgeons. They'd been milling around having coffee and biscuits just outside, when the accident happened. If not for that ridiculous coincidence there's a very strong possibility that my friend would have been permanently disabled, or even killed.

Did your friend recover ok?

 

[Spookdaddy]

Did your friend recover ok?

Yup. Definitely mobile. I don't see him very often these days, and I've never asked if there are any ongoing issues; I'm assuming that there'll always be related aches and pains after an event like that, but generally speaking, there are no obvious physical indications that he's gone through such a trauma. He was also a keen outdoor activities person - I think he may have eased off the rock climbing after the accident, but I'm pretty sure that he still walked up and down the odd mountain.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Turned out that in the hall next door to the one my friend was working in there was a conference...of German spine surgeons. They'd been milling around having coffee and biscuits just outside when the accident happened. If not for that ridiculous coincidence there's a very strong possibility that my friend would have been permanently disabled, or even killed.

This happy coincidence is very like the one which saved the Afghan education-campaigner Malala Yusafzai, after she had been shot in the head by the Taliban. Her early treatment was not well-handled but it so happened that a conference of brain-surgeons . . .

 

[Spookdaddy]

...Her early treatment was not well-handled but it so happened that a conference of brain-surgeons . . .

As an archetype there's often an association with amorality - but sometimes I think maybe the Trickster quite likes working for the good guys.

 

[Sollywos]

Turned out that in the hall next door to the one my friend was working in there was a conference...of German spine surgeons. They'd been milling around having coffee and biscuits just outside when the accident happened. If not for that ridiculous coincidence there's a very strong possibility that my friend would have been permanently disabled, or even killed.

What a scarey thing to happen I can imagine how he was panicking before the right people came along! I'm glad they did and that your friend is now OK. Phew!

At the risk of sounding a bit Polyanna-ish sometimes I think it can be a blessing to go through bad times ... I've never ceased to be amazed at how kind people can be in your hour of need.

Sollywos x

 

[Sollywos]

Thanks for the replies

To continue.

We'd had a call from the funeral parlour to say that we could now go and view our baby and say our goodbyes, We felt it was the right thing to do and we'd regret it if we didn't but we were lacking in courage. Time was running out and I wished I could get in touch with a friend from my previous neighbourhood as she'd told me that way back in the fifties her first baby had died and I really needed her help and understanding. However she didn't have a phone and the neighbour who did was herself pregnant. (One does not ring up pregnant women and talk of cot deaths!) Then out of the blue, for the first time ever and just in time, the older woman rang me!!!

'allo Sollywos I was sitting 'ere in my garden and suddenly thought I must come up and see you and your new baby'!

On hearing the news and our dilema she said simply 'I'll meet you there'

It was exactly the right thing to happen .. she encouraged us to stroke him as we said our goodbyes and told us he was beautiful. (In my familly we didn't do 'coffin viewings' so I wouldn't have known how to act.) At the crematorium the next day it was a great help to fully appreciate that the mini coffin did not contain our baby just his shell. It was a heartbreaking day of course but without this friend having rung in response to my silent cry for help it would have been so much worse!

The vicar used the text from the KJV Matthew 19.14

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

THE JOURNEY

The next day we travelled by train back with my mum. To be sure of being alligned with the platform of our market town destination you have to travel in the rear of the train. I'd frequently made the journey while at college and knew that to be sure of your seat you had to ignore the 'do not enter train while cleaning is in progress' sign. Bloody hell did mum make a fuss and said we should wait. We found a seat but she still kept making a huge fuss even though the cleaners weren't bothered as we'd stayed out of their way. So to try and placate her we moved to another seat but she was still getting het up. Husband lost his rag threw down the tickets and said he was going to go home. He didn't but it was all very intense and stressful. the reason I'm mentioning it is because I wish to convey just how we found ourselves on that part of the train, how much of a conflict it had been, as it's important for the next coincidence!

Well the train moves off and the wheels kept clackedly clacking:-

It's all your fault. You should have checked sooner.
It's all your fault you should have checked sooner
It'sallyourfaultyoushouldhavecheckedsooner.

I was convinced that if only I hadn't been bothering with that damn order all would have been well. How could I have been so careless with such a precious much wanted baby? How could I? As previously stated the doctor was eventually able to reassure me somewhat but I was yet to have that conversation so for then I was consumed with guilt.

It's all your fault. You should have checked sooner.
It's all your fault you should have checked sooner
It'sallyourfaultyoushouldhavecheckedsooner.

Miles and miles of guilt reinforcement!!!! aaarrrrggghhh

At last the train was slowing for a station. Came to a stop and .....

can any of you remember those 'Wayside Pulpit' posters that were put up at railway stations? Maybe they still are?

........ well exactly opposite where we were sitting framed precisely in the window was one and I bet you can guess which text was displayed! Yes that's right Matthew 19.14 only this time a modern version:-

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

It was like having a massive weight lifted. Oh the relief!!! All that conflict at the start of the journey had meant we were sitting just there, it couldnt have been clearer!

We continued our journey and feeling calmer I resolved to see the nurse relative when I got back after the break. I didn't have her address so I was hoping I could contact her via the hospital.

But then I started to think, and the wheels backed me up:-

It was only a coincidence, It doesn't mean anything
It was only a coincidence, It doesn't mean anything

At long last we were slowing into our station and I started to get boys and luggage organised Mum objected to that as well but we were going by Grannies house and the bridge where as a lad in the 20's Dad had thrown halpennies onto the line to turn then into pennies and that's when you start to get ready! Always!! To get away from her I stepped back into the carriage and guess who I could see waiting at the middle door?

Yes that's right the nurse!!!

Just as I'd been thinking 'it's only a coincidence' another one comes along and say's 'oh no it isn't! I'll show you!!!'

It get's better! The nurse and her partner had set off in plenty of time to catch the earlier train from London but everything had conspired against them, traffic jams, traffic lights, slow booking staff and big queues. Their breathless arrival at the platform coincided with the sight of the 'rear carriage' gliding away! They were just a few seconds too late and then had two whole hours to wait for the next one. Which of course was the one we were on and where the universe meant them to be as well! Somehow we'd managed to miss them at the London end and we could well have missed them at journeys end amongst the crowds getting off it I hadn't stepped away from my moaning mum!!

More coincidences were to come and I'll tell about them in the next post.

BTW I've formed the opinion over the years and talking to folk of all faiths and none that it's impossible to define God, all religions are just a best guess, and that messages received via the words of one Holy Book are not necessarilly proof of that books ultimate truthfullness over any other.

Sollywos x