synchronicity

[firefly52]

I wonder if anyone has had a similar experience to the following?
One day I was pottering about the house doing this and that and started singing a song to myself; in my mind, not out loud.
At some point I decided to switch the 'kitchen radio' on, and remarkably
the same tune, at the exact same spot as I was 'singing' it came on!!
It was 'You are not alone' By Janet Jackson, I think.
And what made it quite poignant was that I had recently lost someone.
And once again, as in many other of similar type experiences I've had, I was in the 'day dream state' at the time.
Does make me wonder if there is some sort of 'Group mind' as Yung was it? once stated. And maybe the 'day dream state' is the common channel that we all share?... Or something like that??
Better go now, as I feel on the edge of a ramble!...

 

[GNC]

Was the song a hit around the time you were singing it in your kitchen?

 

[Peripart]

Irrelevant, but wasn't it Michael Jackson? And wasn't it also an awful song?

 

[TommyK13]

Irrelevant, but wasn't it Michael Jackson? And wasn't it also an awful song?

It doesnt matter - they are the same person anyway.


This actually happened to me the other night. I went up to brothers house and on the way up in my car Shakira was on the radio. We had something to eat and then had a play on the Playstation. Whilst we were having tea my brother had stuck the TV onto a radio channel. So when we had finished playing on the PS2 he turned it off and the radio station was still on the TV. Just moments before he turned the PS2 off I started singing the Shakira song to myself and of course the very same song was on the radio. He looked at me and said how weird it was. I didnt tell him that I was only singing it cos it was stuck in my head cos I'd heard it on the way to his house. Let him be freaked out I say.

The strangest one I had was a few months ago. I was listening to Radio 1 and a song came on that I really hate - That from Paris to Berlin song, I think it called pumping for love or something. Anyway I hit the preset 2 button and switched to Galaxy and it was the same bloody song on! So I pressed the preset 2 button for Radio Aire and it was the same song again only this time it was in perfect sync with Galaxy. It was that much in time that I actually thought I had hit the preset button 2 again and it was still on Galaxy. I swapped between Galaxy and Radio Aire a few times to make sure - and the song was in perfect sync. Very strange.

 

[Peripart]

Irrelevant, but wasn't it Michael Jackson? And wasn't it also an awful song?

It doesnt matter - they are the same person anyway.

I swapped between Galaxy and Radio Aire a few times to make sure - and the song was in perfect sync. Very strange.

It doesn't matter - they are the same radio station anyway.

 

[GNC]

This doesn't surprise me considering how many times radio stations play a song to death. There are always about five records at any one time that are in punishingly heavy rotation - at the moment, they're all by The Feeling.

Don't get me started on overplayed oldies... "There She Goes" is all about heroin! Just say no!

 

[felixgarnet]

I've had the same experience as the OP any nymber of times. It is my theory that we can actually "hear" radio transmissions on a subconscious level even when physical equipment is not tuned in to them. I don't know what I'm talking about, by the way - maybe Old Time Radio can help?

 

[henry]

Could it have been a barely audible neighbours radio at the same station?

 

[Aarauer]

There was an article in New Scientist a few years ago about radio transmissions being picked up by metal objects like wire fences and even tooth fillings (I think). Maybe pieces of car, fence, tooth filling etc. are very quietly playing a catchy song, you sing along and then switch the radio on and the song is playing at a volume you can hear?

 

[Gonzificus]

Personally I prefer synchronicity when it encompasses a much wider story arc.
On one occasion I had multiple synchronous events each depending on the previous which launched me into the biggest adventure I have had in my life (here's hoping its not the last) the whole adventure taking about 3 months to unfold completely. I have an full page from the news paper with pictures to prove it (pictures & story by me).
On a less interesting note I was invited to a pagan solstice event only to meet someone who was good friends with the interviewer on a panel for a job I was being interviewed for in the coming week, although that was more like extreme coincidence than synchronicity. I got the job 8)
I think I may be prone to finding patterns in things.

 

[henry]

...On one occasion I had multiple synchronous events each depending on the previous which launched me into the biggest adventure I have had in my life (here's hoping its not the last) the whole adventure taking about 3 months to unfold completely. I have an full page from the news paper with pictures to prove it (pictures & story by me).

Another gonzo brother! - what are the details of your synchronous events? Is there an online page somewhere if it made the media?

 

[Traprain]

I was listening to Radio 1 and a song came on that I really hate - That from Paris to Berlin song, I think it called pumping for love or something. Anyway I hit the preset 2 button and switched to Galaxy and it was the same bloody song on! So I pressed the preset 2 button for Radio Aire and it was the same song again only this time it was in perfect sync with Galaxy. It was that much in time that I actually thought I had hit the preset button 2 again and it was still on Galaxy. I swapped between Galaxy and Radio Aire a few times to make sure - and the song was in perfect sync. Very strange.

Was it a Sunday night? If so, it was maybe the charts.
The "commercial" stations share the same programming on a Sunday night and Radio 1 does a similar show but running a few minutes before/after.

And yeah, that song sucks but it's now stuck in my head!

 

[TommyK13]

I was listening to Radio 1 and a song came on that I really hate - That from Paris to Berlin song, I think it called pumping for love or something. Anyway I hit the preset 2 button and switched to Galaxy and it was the same bloody song on! So I pressed the preset 2 button for Radio Aire and it was the same song again only this time it was in perfect sync with Galaxy. It was that much in time that I actually thought I had hit the preset button 2 again and it was still on Galaxy. I swapped between Galaxy and Radio Aire a few times to make sure - and the song was in perfect sync. Very strange.

Was it a Sunday night? If so, it was maybe the charts.
The "commercial" stations share the same programming on a Sunday night and Radio 1 does a similar show but running a few minutes before/after.

And yeah, that song sucks but it's now stuck in my head!

Sorry I dont know which night it was. I know it isnt anything fortean really, although I did find it a little odd at the time - and somewhat amusing. The fact that two of the stations were playing in perfect sync was the strangest thing.

 

[Gonzificus]

Another gonzo brother! - what are the details of your synchronous events? Is there an online page somewhere if it made the media?

My events started when the travel agent booked the wrong dates on my ticket to Crete. She then told us she was not responsible for the cock up and we should have checked the details better. We were left out of pocket, and didn't go to Crete but being screwed over by the travel agent started a chain of events which led to me salvaging an abandoned 42ft yacht off the coast of Algeria, spending a week under port arrest and later on collecting a 3000 pound salvage fee from the insurer of the vessel after sailing it single handed from Algiers to Majorca.
The adventure didn't end there, that was just the crazy bit in the middle. Then there was the crazy month that led up to that and the crazy 2 months that followed.
The crazy synchronous events tied up nicely with a road trip from San Francisco to Vegas with a quick photo opportunity somewhere near Barstow at the edge of the dessert.
That was 3 months that could be made into a mad road trip film.
I wrote a 2000 word travel piece with pictures for the local newspaper when I got home, I got paid for that too

 

[firefly52]

Hey there, finally got to read the article about "Synchronisity" in the last but one Fortean times (I think it was?) and it seems that most people seem to dismiss "synchronised events" because such events are inconsistant, and the some patern rarely repeated.
But what came to my mind was that maybe "Synchronisity" is like 'Friendship' in that we don't become friends with everyone we meet. only a select few? Maybe at such times the 'chemistry' for such an event is just right?...Or something like that!
As for the song that was in my head before I switched the radio on. I too have wondered if I maybe heard it on a subconscious level, playing from one of the neighbours houses? Suppose it is possible, but if so, I definitely wasn't aware of it, and the tune came to mind while I was somewhat 'deep in thought'.. Whatever that's worth!
And now thinking back, it might not have been that corny M.J/J.J song, but another (corny one?) with the same sort of sentiment.
I can't recall the name of it, but I think it was written about a U.S Rapper, Maybe 'Tupac' who had died (possible shot?)
And with my being in a grieving state of mind at the time, it sort of felt like a 'message' from my friend who had 'passed on'..
But who knows?
As for the 'Teeth fillings' picking up radio signals theory, on one occasion many years ago, I recall semi waking up (In the state of mind that can lead to 'lucid dream's) and as clear as day hearing a full on Orchestra playin what sounded like a very powerfull and uplifting piece of Classical music. But in an instant as soon as I switched into 'Wake up' state it was gone! But at the time I remember being convinced that my mind had somehow tuned into some radio station!..But once again, who knows??
Merry Xmas, and happy new years to everyone in F.T 'message board land'!
Firefly52.

 

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Hey there, finally got to read the article about "Synchronisity" in the last but one Fortean times (I think it was?) and it seems that most people seem to dismiss "synchronised events" because such events are inconsistant, and the some patern rarely repeated.
But what came to my mind was that maybe "Synchronisity" is like 'Friendship' in that we don't become friends with everyone we meet. only a select few? Maybe at such times the 'chemistry' for such an event is just right?...Or something like that! ...

Ah! I know just the book for you, as a stocking filler!

Elective Affinities: Die Wahlverwandtschaften (1809), By Goethe

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!

 

[zephyras1]

I remember practising a Mozart piano sonata, and I couldn't really get into it at all. I got up from the piano and remember thinking to myself, "I could do with hearing a recording of this ..." I went straight into my bedroom, switched on Radio Three and was highly amused to hear a recording of the sonata in question.

I also had a similar experience which was slightly peculiar. One night I was getting ready to go to bed, and for some reason I was wondering what one of my old university tutors was up to. I turned on the radio to hear a familiar voice which belonged to the tutor I was thinking about. He was being interviewed at a music festival.

I love it when things like that happen!

 

[crunchy5]

I love it when things like that happen!

It's the spice of life

 

[Anonymous]

Last night I was listening to BBC Radio 4 while doing the dishes, and Quincy Jones was being interviewed. I know nothing about his work, but the interviewer mentioned jazz artists he'd worked with such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Again, names I've heard of but don't know their work.
Suddenly I got quite an urge to listen to my Lionel Hampton album (the only jazz record I own!) once I'd finished in the kitchen. The next moment, the interviewer mentioned Quincy Jones got his big break in 1952 or something when he worked with .... Lionel Hampton.

Nice.

 

[firefly52]

Thanks for the book title. Sounds good. I shall have to find it and add it to my pile of unread books!
Or knowing me, it probably is already in the pile! Ha.
...Just need to manage my time more efficiently!... Either that, or become immortal!! Ha.. Hmm...

Hey there, finally got to read the article about "Synchronisity" in the last but one Fortean times (I think it was?) and it seems that most people seem to dismiss "synchronised events" because such events are inconsistant, and the some patern rarely repeated.
But what came to my mind was that maybe "Synchronisity" is like 'Friendship' in that we don't become friends with everyone we meet. only a select few? Maybe at such times the 'chemistry' for such an event is just right?...Or something like that! ...

Ah! I know just the book for you, as a stocking filler!

Elective Affinities: Die Wahlverwandtschaften (1809), By Goethe

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!

 

[James_H]

I remember there was a lot of that in 'Jules et Jim'

 

[evanspa]

Synchronicity / Probability

This is my first post - so be kind! This thread is very interesting as it relates to a unique human condition that places us as individuals at the centre of the universe. What I mean is that we find seemingly random events to be highly significant, because they happen to us. I started to think about this when a very strange event happened to me a number of years ago. Having read a fair amount on probability theory, it is clear that the world would be a much stranger place if events such as those described above did not happen. Probability dictates that these kinds of events should happen on a regular basis, it is just that when they happen to us, they come with a 'high strangeness' quotient. In a very good book on probability (I think it was "Does God Play Dice? By Ian Stewart) there is a cracking example. A British Telecoms engineer was on a days leave, and was by the seaside with his wife. They were sitting by a public phone box which kept ringing. He eventually picked up the phone to stop the annoying ringing, only to be saluted by his own name and asked to attend a repair on a phone line. What had happened is that apparently the clerk had phoned his payroll number rather than his mobile number, which were next to each other on the callout sheet, and that happened (by chance) to be the number of the phone box he was standing by. Whilst the chances of this seem extraordinary, probability theory suggests that these sort of 'synchronous' events must happen regularly. If they suddenly stopped happening, well that would be really wierd!! Whilst I am not a disbeliever in many fortean things, we should remain sceptical. There are many other strange examples of this sort of thing, and whilst my own odd event probably falls into this category, I am still unconvinced!

 

[firefly52]

Welcome Evanspan,
Thanks for your response. Yes maybe these seeming 'meaningful' events are meaningless! ...Or maybe not?
I remember once while pondering over the "Creationists v Evolutionists'
theories, wondering if everything was truly miraculous or did it just 'seem' that way, because it is all we know? Just as an inhabitant of a planet with just the right amounts of 'fire, gas, and maybe a dash of mercury!' for them to live comfortably, would possibly marvel at the wonder of it all!
I am curious to hear what your "Odd event" was though??
Firefly52

 

[evanspa]

Synchronicity etc.

I am not saying that every apparently synchronous event is just down to probability, it is just that it is more likely that these strange events happen than they don't. Imagine the countless millions of phone calls made every day, or records listened to. It is highly likely that some of those records played (or phone calls made) will appear to be directly linked to someone's thoughts or conversation immediately prior. That would appear synchronous to that person. Anway - what happened to me was about 20 years ago. I was going on holiday with my then girlfriend, and I had just bought her a gold necklace with the letter 'K' attached. It was a camping holiday, and we stopped on the way at a beach 20 miles from our destination for a walk. Later that day, when we had put our tent up, she noticed that she had lost her necklace. We searched high and low, and could not find it anywhere. She was very upset. At the end of the holiday, the thought came into my mind to look on the beach where we had stopped on the way there. Long shot, clearly. She would not even get out of the car (it was raining) as she thought it a futile search. I walked onto the beach (which was a pebbly beach) and from about 40 yards a large pebble (no larger than many others) caught my eye for no apparent reason. I instantly 'knew' that the necklace was underneath it. I walked over, picked it up, and there it was! It was the only pebble I looked under. Bizarre, but true. Now that sounds very 'fortean', but in the same way that, in theory, if you put 20 monkeys in front of typewriters for long enough, they will write Macbeth, someone, somewhere is bound to find a lost necklace in a similar way. Could be coincidence, or could be something stranger..........

 

[escargot]

Lovely story.

We have a thread called 'Coincidences' (or we did have) where I told a slightly similar tale. You feel as if you've tapped into something very big and magical!

I wouldn't have called the necklace incident either 'synchronous' or 'coincidental' though. Extreme serendipity might begin to cover it.

 

[evanspa]

If 10000 people had gone onto that beach, and each were asked to pick up 1 pebble, then it is quite likely that someone would have found it. Me finding it on the first attempt is statistically improbable, but not necessarily impossible. Having said that, it has always seemed more than that to me, but I am not sure whether it is something serendipitous, or just plain statistical. Finding that necklace got me thinking / learning about strange events, and then on to try and rationalise it with probablility theories. As posted above, I am certainly not saying that all such events can be rationalised, just far more of them than first thoughts may suggest. Hey! Who knows? " There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies". How true that remains....

 

[henry]

Arent synchronicity and coincidence generally related to a specific period of time?

 

[dotsguy]

I think this happens to us all more than we realize, especially if you don't pay careful attention.... usually with me they seem insignificant enough to brush off... but for example, the most recent instance of this I can think of happened a few days ago (maybe January 3rd or 4th). We just listed our house for sale and the joke I made was we should rent the movie 'The Money Pit' for fun, and sure enough, that night on TV, the featured movie was....The Money Pit. I know, it's trivial and doesn't seem like much, but that kind of thing happens all the time - sometimes more intense, sometimes less intense. I can probably come up with an event weekly at the very least....

 

[escargot]

Yesterday I walked my dogs while wearing my Walkman radio, as usual, along a path behind a car dealership.

I glanced at the big sign and read 'Bristol Street' just as a an expert from Bristol University was being introduced. So I read the word 'Bristol' and heard it at exactly the same time.

If that meant anything, it's beyond me. :lol:

 

[feen5]

I glanced at the big sign and read 'Bristol Street' just as a an expert from Bristol University was being introduced. So I read the word 'Bristol' and heard it at exactly the same time.

If that meant anything, it's beyond me.

Doesn't mean anything, Escargot, quite often i find myself thinking of Bristols for no apparent reason.....