What 'Synchronicity' Really Means & How To Recognize One When It Happens 

When I ask clients in an intuitive session if they understand the concept of synchronicity, I receive a range of answers, from "yes, definitely" to "I think so?" to "I have no clue." Synchronicity is a word that gets thrown around a lot, and it's important that you have a clear idea of its meaning since synchronicities are the universe's most popular—and playful—method of sending you guidance.

Carl Jung defined synchronicity as "a meaningful coincidence," as opposed to something coincidental that happens and has no greater significance. In the examples below, I'll share some recent synchronicities from my own life that occurred over the span of one week and how I discerned that these coincidences held greater meaning for me:

My week began as I walked into my favorite bookstore cafe to write for the morning—and a dear friend called. We quickly got into a fight on the phone, which isn't like us. I felt my friend's reaction was way over the top. I got off the phone diplomatically and got in line at the cafe. Waiting to order my chai tea, I wondered why my friend was so easily triggered lately. I sat down at my usual table, and as I opened my laptop I glanced up at the end cap on the bookcase in front of me. This bookcase, the one I always sat in front of, had been the same display of cute socks and aprons for months. Now, today, it was full of tea towels, and the one in the center staring me down had a cartoon monster on it with the caption: low blood sugar. I remembered that sometimes my friend would skip breakfast or even lunch when she was on a deadline and simply run on coffee. The tea towel glowed like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I emailed my friend and asked if she had been remembering to eat during the day. She admitted that for the past few weeks she had been skipping breakfast because she'd been so busy. She agreed that was why she had overreacted and promised to take better care of herself. 

Synchronicity lesson: When this synchronicity happened, the moment felt heavy with meaning, time seemed to slow down, I was amazed at how the universe had gotten me this information, and this guidance made perfect sense—sure signs of a synchronicity.

My husband periodically travels to California for work. "Next time I go, you should come along," he said recently. Midweek, after the bookstore tea towel synchronicity, he learned he'd be going to California the following month. It would just be a weekend away for me if I tagged along, but there would be a plane ticket to buy and all the money we'd spend on eating out and doing touristy stuff if I came. "I'll just invite a girlfriend to come and stay while you're away," I told him. A weekend at home with a friend would be much more financially responsible.

I contacted an out-of-town friend who asked for the days off work and planned to drive down and spend the weekend with me. Yet the next day I began to hear the song, "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin in my mind. It's a band I like, but it's never really been a song I liked. There are many ways the universe and our angels send us messages, including music, which I cover in my book Angel Intuition. I kept hearing this song so much in my mind that I had to play it on a record! I went into my husband's office to tell him I thought I was supposed to come with him and the Cheap Trick song, "California Man" was playing on his internet radio. Yet I hated to cancel on my friend. That night she texted: "My manager just changed her mind and said I cannot take off that weekend we were going to spend together. I'm so sorry!" Three synchronicities later, I bought my ticket and had one of those vacations I'll treasure for the rest of my life.

Synchronicity lesson: Synchronicities support our highest good, so they conspire to encourage what is best for you, which can happen via subtle hints or even by stopping plans that aren't best for you dead in their tracks so something better has the chance to take shape.

At the end of an eventful week, a career opportunity came in for me. I weighed the practical aspects in my head: How much time would this endeavor require of me, how would I be compensated, and did it fit in with the direction I wanted my career to be heading? Then I went to my sixth sense, which had been telling me that this was a big opportunity—bigger than it even looked on paper—and had been sent my way by Spirit to help me dive further into my calling. The offer had come in an email, and when I went to reply I noticed the time stamp of the email—the offer had come in at exactly 4:44 in the afternoon. 444 is a popular angel number letting you know the angels are working on your behalf.

Synchronicity lesson: These signs are always a reminder that the universe is alive, alert, and paying attention to you. A synchronicity may act more as a confirmation or let you know an opportunity was divinely orchestrated.