Indiana Jones and the Space Between

“The space between…is the space that lies between the observer and the observed; it is the space of the creative act that brings a poem or painting to life.” – F. David Peat, Pathways of Chance

In The Seven Secrets of Synchronicity, we designated Secret 4 as The Creative. We could’ve called it ‘imagination,’ which is the essence of creativity. But imagination is a somewhat vague term with a variety of meanings. Imagination can be defined as a phantasm or an irrational notion. Ie. It’s your imagination. So we stuck with The Creative.

Recently, I came across a great example, or actually a series of examples, of how creativity generates synchronicities that serve as guidance on the creative path. But it’s also an example of how imagination might actually start out as an irrational notion. In this case, what might’ve seemed a phantasm came full circle to fruition as a creative accomplishment.

These synchros were described by Dale Dassel, a frequent visitor to the blog and an ardent fan of all that is related to the Indiana Jones saga. Ten years ago, at a time when Dale was captivated by an Indiana Jones computer game called, The Fate of Atlantis, he was struck by inspiration as he drove one day on his morning commute. The first line of a novel, adapted from the computer game story, flashed into his mind.

Indiana Jones crawled through the narrow tunnel, aiming a thick electric flashlight into the darkness.

Dale jotted it down on a piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. Great idea, he thought, then realized that he would have to write the entire novel. It was a long game and he thought it would take forever, especially since he’s a perfectionist. For many people, that would be the end of it. After all, it would be a fan novel, one that would be offered free on the internet at fan sites. It would take a long time to complete, and there would be no financial benefits. Yet Dale pursued the inspired notion.

“…as I drove down the street, the scene continued to play like a movie inside my head. I could see Indy clambering through that dusty passage leading to God-knows-where, and the words escalated into a torrent that literally would not stop. I had to pull over and commit them to paper before I forgot anything. I’d been writing since I was a kid, but never before had I experienced such an overwhelming flood of excitement for a story. Creatively, my mind was on fire. By that afternoon, I was practically bursting with zeal to leave work and start writing in earnest.”

When he arrived home, he was eager to begin writing. He stepped inside and was astonished to see the word ATLANTIS on the TV screen. It was a commercial for the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas! “It was a sign from the universe, confirming that I was meant to write the Fate of Atlantis novel!”

A month later, he was driving his car, en route to Home Depot, and obsessing with details of a particular scene that takes place on the island of Crete. He entered the parking lot of Home Depot, passed a series of wooden sheds, turned a corner, and there was a semi truck occupying the space where he usually parked. To his astonishment, the word CRETE was displayed in bold red letters across the side of the truck. Another synchro, another sign that he should continue his creative pursuit.

A few weeks later, he decided to see if he could get a vanity license plate with the word ATLANTIS to commemorate his all-time favorite game and his new passion, the novel. He requested ATLNTIS or ATLNTS. Both were already taken. The clerk told him to try again later and so he returned on his birthday and requested: ATLANTS. Once again, taken.

A few months later, he was behind the wheel again when he pulled up behind the minivan at the traffic light and was astonished to see that its plate read: ATLNTIS. “I was floored. What are the odds that, in the *entire* state, I see the exact vanity tag that I tried in vain to secure? How about the odds that the person driving that vehicle lived in my city? Positively astronomical. It was yet another friendly nudge from the cosmos, assuring me that I was on the right path.”

Dale full story about the magic related to his creative endeavor can be found here at deviantart.com. He goes on tell more synchronicities related to the actress Julianne Moore, who he envisioned as the model for his character named Sophia.

Dale posted his Fate of Atlantis novelization online in June 2013, four years after he was struck with that flash of inspiration.