Synchronicities & Omens - Signs of the Times
By
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.
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Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved.
This article appeared in Zento Magazine
Spring 2004
www.zentomag.com
What’s
in a cloud? It may be a lot more than just fluff. Many cultures around
the world, both ancient and modern, have believed in signs and omens as
a source of valuable information about life. To the native Hawaiians,
a rainbow (anuenue) or an owl (pueo) appearing at just the right moment
may help them make an important decision. Other cultures in the East,
for instance in India, have developed elaborate systems of inducing answers
from their immediate environment, like cracking open a coconut to see
if a student is worthy of learning from the master. Mere superstition?
Perhaps, but it may be worth a second look.
The study
of omens, or what the native Hawaiians call “ho’ailona,”
is based on the idea that our external world is constantly reflecting
what we need to see in our internal world - if we choose to pay attention.
It may be a direct communication from a higher spirit or an ancestor;
it may be giving us confirmation that we’re doing the right thing
or warning us of an impending danger. Whatever form it takes, and whatever
purpose it has, it’s not just a coincidence. It’s most likely
a pivotal event that can shift our perspective and connect us deeply with
spirit. Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychologist, wrote about this phenomenon
extensively and coined the word “synchronicity,” which he
described as meaningful coincidences that reveal the ultimate oneness
of the universe.
For some
people, interpreting omens can be confusing. Sometimes the message is
“huna” or a secret and we may need to consult one who understands
the secret, the “kahuna.” Recently I asked Kahu Kapiiohookalani
Lyons Naone, called simply “Kahu,” a respected teacher of
Hawaiian culture and spirituality at the Maui Community College, about
the Hawaiian view of how to read signs correctly. He said, “What’s
important is how we are on the inside. That’s where the answer is.
If the sign gives you chicken skin or a blissful feeling then chances
are it’s a good omen, a good communication. If it gives you a frightful
feeling then it could be a warning of some type. That’s the basic
rule of thumb, but we may need to prepare ourselves to receive a sign.
For instance, if I’m preparing a spiritual event that connects with
a higher purpose, I must first do a cleansing and purify myself (hiuwai).
Normally Hawaiians go into the ocean which really means to die and be
reborn. Afterwards I may sit on a rock and do a series of chants. If at
that time a certain animal appears, particularly one that is connected
to my genealogy (aumakua), like an eva bird, a shark, or an owl, it’s
a very good sign.”
Similar to
how Hawaiians consulted kahunas, people in India have looked to astrologers
for guidance since ancient times. The study of omens is called “nimitta”
and is an integral part of their ancient system of astrology, called Vedic
astrology. In 1993, I studied with an old Vedic astrologer in South India
who had his clients throw cowry shells after asking an important question.
He would then analyze the shells and give his answer. This is a common
divination system that induces a meaningful coincidence or synchronicity.
One day a distraught man came in and said, “She’s left me
again!! Will she ever come back?” As usual, the client was asked
to throw the cowry shells. To my amazement one shell fell off the table,
rolled along the floor, and went out the door! My teacher looked over
at me and winked to see if I‘d gotten the message. This time she
was ‘out the door’ and not coming back.
However,
you don’t need cowry shells or any divination system really, because
the external world is always communicating with us – at least according
to omenology. Kahu explains, “There’s a constant communication
going on, spiritual messages, and the language of nature (haloa naka),
but we’ve lost the ability to hear the communications and interpret
the language. Kahuna philosophy is that everything is there to teach us,
to assist us, and to offer themselves up to us. This is the beginning
of understanding where we are. Once we realize that we are the student
and everything else is the teacher, then we start paying attention, we
start respecting all things. This is the first step: to pay attention
and have respect. Then we’re able to receive the communication.”
This is very
similar to what I learned from another contemporary spiritual teacher,
Byron Katie, who said, “The teacher is everywhere, all we have to
do is ask.” Then Katie had us do something quite radical. She had
us take a question to anything, absolutely anything that called to us
in the moment. Some people chose to stay inside and ask their question
to an inanimate object like the rug, or a lamp, while others roamed outside
into the natural world. When we came back together we were amazed by people’s
experiences. One man shared how the wall had taught him how to be ‘firm
in his boundaries,’ while a woman said that a leaf had inspired
her to ‘expand in new directions without losing connection to her
roots.’ Most people had very profound experiences that bordered
on life-changing revelations. I’ve realized, since talking with
Kahu, that what Katie was doing was showing us how to pay attention and
have respect.
Usually when
you receive a communication it’s accompanied with a feeling of awe,
but it can also be rather startling. “We’re not in control
of how or what is communicated,” Kahu explained. “That’s
up to the higher level. You may go sit on a rock and look around and realize
that all of nature has a divinity – every single rock, every single
leaf, every single animal and eventually something is going to reach out
to you. It will appear, it will come.” Recently I was quite surprised
with an omen that appeared. At my home I have a bird feeder outside my
window and sometimes the neighbor’s rooster comes over and steals
all the birdseed. Usually I get upset and have to chase him away. But
one time, during an astrology reading, the rooster jumped on top of the
bird feeder and began crowing repeatedly. – louder than ever! It
was the perfect message for my client who was just talking about needing
to stand up for herself, and claim her space!!
In our fast
paced, modern world it’s not always easy to create time and space
to pay attention and recognize that a valuable communication is happening
but when we do, the results may be rewarding, if not life changing. “It
may take patience, and openness and humbleness,” Kahu went on to
say, “but in an internal, spiritual way you’re going to bond
with whatever appears. The kahuna realizes that patience and respect is
the greatest part of the practice.”
Enjoy experimenting
with these ideas. You may be surprised. The next rainbow you see might
just be the answer you were looking for.
Jai
Sri Ram
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