Jung considered psychic phenomena to be a facet of synchronicity. This group would include telepathy, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, remote viewing, and precognition. Precognitive information can some through any venue – a dream, a hunch, even clues in our daily lives.
On Christmas Eve, author Peter Levenda wrote us about a series of such clues in his life that he felt might portend an attempted terrorist attack involving planes. Here’s the email:
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I had been writing a novel this past year concerning a Rhode Island family named Angell. This is based on the Lovecraft story, “The Call of Cthulhu”, in which a professor of Semitic languages — George Angell — becomes aware of the existence of a Cthulhu cult. The action in the Lovecraft tale takes place in the 1920s.
My novel is present-day, and involves a descendant of George Angell, one Gregory Angell (a Biblical scholar) who must reaquaint himself with his weird ancestor due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the possible resurgence of the Cthulhu cult. My fictional Angells are related to a very real Angell family, one of whom died on 9/11 as his plane struck the North Tower (and this is a tie-in, which is mentioned in the novel).
Okay. Recently, a melody by Schubert has been running through my head at odd hours of the day and night. It’s his Piano Sonata in A. Slowly, I began to realize that this was the theme music for a TV sitcom, Wings, produced by David Angell, the man who died on 9/11. He was perhaps more famous as the producer of Cheers and Fraser.
Fraser was still on the air when 9/11 occurred, although there was no direct reference to it in the series. However, the episode that was shot after 9/11 has Niles Crane playing the Schubert piece on the piano: a quiet homage. He will also name his fictional new-born son David after the producer.
Okay … all this is fine. But I have not been working on the novel for months now (can’t find a publisher … same old story … so I put off working on it). The music has come back to nudge my consciousness for some reason. I associate the Schubert piece with David Angell and 9/11 … what I am saying is I hope this
is not some weird presentiment of a new terrorist attack.
It may be nothing more than my subconscious insisting that I finish the novel … but I thought I would mention this strangeness just … in case!
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Considering the events on the Northwest flight Christmas morning, it looks like Peter read the clues accurately. Fortunately, passengers and crew prevented the perp from carrying out the deadly deed. But now passengers will be subjected to the fallout.
Daria – wrecks?? Wow. That's a good one!
Thanks for posting this. I have read Levenda's Sinister Forces and have been following his work ever since.
I will be sure to visit your blog often.
All the best to you in 2010!
Word Verification: wrecks
Yikes!
Interesting point. How many of us, if on waking buck naked in a burning house would stop to get dressed?
Many would rather risk our very lives than to risk being inappropriately dressed in public view.
So why is it that the general population has learned to disassociate from that part of themselves (call it instinct if you will) that could save their butts?
Word verification: ressetew… or re set you
I've never doubted the idea of a collective unconscious, Ray. What I doubt is our ability as a people, even as a nation, to read the signs before they occur.
Talked to an American airline pilot today – our neighbor – who said that the new restrictions were implemented even as he was flying from London to NY. Last hour: no restroom, no getting up, no part of your body hidden with a blanket, pillow etc. Even he said it was ridiculous, that all these measures taken are merely reactionary. What if this nut case had tried to blow up the plane an hour into the flight? Would the restrictions then reflect that?
Eventually, we'll all have to fly buck naked!
Word Verification: Staschu WW II German politcal police. Appropriate for a blog on security and worries about privacy.
I am reading THE GATEKEEPER by Michelle Gagnon. I received the book on Christmas Day. Just as the discussion of the underwear bomber became the only subject on 24/7 news stations I came to the part in which the male protagonist kidnap rescue expert was in an airport security office looking at tapes of his subjects kidnapping with a friend who was the head of that airport's security. He noticed that the other security people watching the monitors did not even look up when he entered their secure room and thought to himself how lax airport security had gotten since 9/11.
So many people have had synchronicities about this incident there has to be something to the idea of collective consciousness.
Ray
I think the Internet is the way of the future when it comes to publishing, especially with subject matters that are highly controvercial or aren't geared to a large enough segment of the population to make it worthwhile going the regular route.
There's no excuse, pretty much anyone can download a book if they want to.
Also, dare I throw in a little reality curve: some works, whether it be inventions or books never see the light of day because certain "powers that be" have been able to use their power to pull the plug, but I think the world of synchronicity is making their voice heard and usurping these powers so that much of what has been hidden will come to see the day of light.
Word verification is haccho… could be hacko or hacchoo (still have a bad cold).
;-)(-;
I always like to believe that books not published here are published at some other level of reality!
What jumped out at me in Peter's post:
"But I have not been working on the novel for months now (can't find a publisher … same old story … so I put off working on it)."
This makes me wonder, how many awesome books/stories we don't have because the author didn't write it, because no one bought it before it was complete. While I know writers are trying to make a living, I find it sad that many shelve projects because that initial blush of idea didn't touch on a "marketable" nerve. So the idea was never worked forth, the idea never developed.
Then I wonder, if the story was worked forth on the authors assurance of the law of abundance, what masterpiece may have been created. The truth may have been greater than the initial idea, if only more paid attention to finish the story.
Personally, I worked in obscurity for years on a project, and many times it was only my understanding of, and attention to, synchronicity that sustained me. That project may be one of my "great works" in this lifetime, we'll see.
Then – I was thrilled when Peter stated: "It may be nothing more than my subconscious insisting that I finish the novel…"
To that I say – what greater voice is there? Finish it and see what it has the potential to be….
Very interesting story. I hope the possible terrorist attack was the one caught and not one in the making. But you are surely right – all passengers will be subjected to the fallout. We hunt weapons instead of terrorists when it comes to flying. (Both are important!)
Great comments here. Jung believed that psi phenomena fell under the larger umbrella of synchronicity. I tend to agree with him.
d- you always come up with interesting books. Mansfield sounds familiar. Will have to check our books for his! I need a librarian to catalog our books.
Gypsy – that's funny about the message you got – and the word verification!
hmmmm…i just googled peter levenda to check out some of his work and when i clicked on the first listing for him the following message popped up:
" 'serendipity' error: unable to connect to database – exiting."
and then, the verification for this post is nespeegr from which i see "green pes[ie peace]" –
gee, now that i've done all that, i have totally lost what it was that i had meant to say when i started this comment – sorry, i digressed!!!
Levenda's writing adventures are always interesting. Yesterday I came across this paper by Victor Mansfield (author of Synchronicity, Science and Soul-Making)entitled "Distinguishing Synchronicity from the paranormal: An Essay Honoring Marie-Louise von Franz". In the paper, Mansfield clarifies the difference between synchronicity, remote viewing, & telepathy. For some reason, the link is dead today.
oh- the word verification for this post is "f e a r p".
I often wonder about psychic phenomenon. If it does exist (as evidence seems to suggest), then why wasn’t the 9/11 attack averted?! Not to mention the myriad of other disasters?
Would this be selective remote viewing then? But why?!
Many questions arise. Is there a connection between that which generates psychic ability and that which generates synchronicity?
Are these a product of our unconscious/collective unconscious?
Does this unconscious self/world have freedom to choose and act independent of our conscious self/world? If so, what motivation would 'they' have for being selective? Why wouldn’t they warn us… especially since it is (in a roundabout way) their self/world too? Even more disconcerting is the question– are they even going so far as to generate some of these travesties (as the evidence/patterns found in synchronicity seem to suggest)?! Think about it, the synchronicity stories not to mention those at play on this blog (in the moment- word verifications, etc) may be amusing, butt we have to take our heads out of the sand long enough to admit that they’re pretty horrifying too. Though in fairness, it could be said that perhaps the ‘bad’ synchronicities are simply a way to an end– of diverting a greater harm).
incredibly interesting story – all of it – and love the flowing involvement of schubert's sonata – and only goes to show the importance of receptivity/openness and awareness – i happened to see one of the passengers who helped subdue the perp on the xmas day flight – very interesting guy – and great story of him and the others – sadly, you are so right about the fallout now upon innocents – orwell is alive and well with total recall coming soon to airports near us all!!!
very neat post!