Year of the Tiger

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Trish and Rob

Today, Feb.14, was not only Valentine’s Day, but the Chinese New Year. It’s the Year of the Metal Tiger, also known as the White Tiger. Great for wealth, but there’s also the potential for destruction and social unrest and change.

Astrologer Lynn Hayes notes: “It’s an interesting synchronicity that Uranus (revolution and change) will enter the sign of Aries (war and agression) this year, bringing about a similar tendency towards chaotic social disorder and change that Chinese astrologers are predicting with the Year of the Tiger.”

Another astrologer Marvin Artley has this to say:

 “Tigers work best ‘in the trenches’ and in motivating others to get things done. It will be a great year to start an enterprise, work at self-improvement, prevail upon the boss for that raise you so richly deserve, do something daring and completely out-of-character, push your own and others’ boundaries, get over that fear of public speaking or just generally make a bold statement about your life. In all, find whatever stirs your passion this year and the Tiger in you is sure to come out!”

He goes on to say:
“The year of 2010, starting from Valentines’ Day, will be marked by revolutionary tendencies, advances and accidents in transport, attempts at imposing draconian legislation, advances in media and a resurgence of the working classes. Metal (White) Tiger years typically see antitrust legislation and insurrections in the political arena….The so-called War on Terror will take a decisive turn in 2010, with expected military action against recalcitrant regimes. Iran and North Korea come to mind. The Korean War started in the White Tiger year of 1950.

“On the social front the explorer’s instinct and entrepreneurial spirit will be to the fore. New products come out in White Tiger years that tend to become ‘old standards’ later, such as peanut butter, Pepsi Cola, the sewing machine, corrugated boxes, hamburgers and beloved comic strips (‘Peanuts’ and Beetle Bailey’), so put on your thinking caps and see what you can come up with. The Tiger in Chinese astrology represents majesty, dignity and sternness, daring, power and passion and anyone who has those qualities in their nature will fare well in 2010.”
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

The Duck and the Boy

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Trish and Rob

We were searching for a Valentine’s Day synchronicity, but ended up running across this heart-warming story and decided to post it today. Love of a different kind!

This story has appeared in numerous spots on the Internet. It’s an example of the law of attraction and a synchronicity in that the baby duck’s condition reflected that of the boy.
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Finlay Lomax suffered a stroke when he was born and doctors said he would spend his life in a wheechair. Then a lame baby duck entered Finlay’s life and encouraged him to take his first steps at the age of 4. Watch the video.

Posted in animals | 6 Comments

Two in the Woods

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Trish and Rob

This synchronicity is another one that involves names – as well as some other peculiarities.  It occurred in the 1950s and the original source is Mysteries of the Unexplained, which has one of the best best collections of classic synchronicities.

So we have a chap named Eric W. Smith, a metallurgist with the English Steel Company. He lives in a quiet suburb of Sheffield called Ecclesall and behind his home is a wooded area where people stroll and used to horseback ride. Smith often walked in the woods, collecting manure for his tomato plants, which he picked up with a dustpan and put in an oilcloth shopping bag.


One day Smith is out walking, doing his thing with the manure, and saw another man coming toward him. He was also collecting manure. There was a bench between them and they reached it simultaneously and sat down. The stranger had a small dustpan and carried an oilcloth identical to Smith’s. They got to talking and discovered they had both gone into the woods to collect manure for their respective tomato plants.

Smith brought out his pipe and tobacco tin and when the stranger brought out his pipe, too, Smith offered him tobacco from his tin. The gentlemen thanked him and said he had his own brand. It was the same as Smith’s.

“At this point, both men had the sense that something eerie was happening to them.” (Gee, you think?!)
“My name’s Smith,” said the first man.
“So is mine,” the stranger replied.
“Eric Smith.”
“Me, too,” replied the second Smith.
“Eric W. Smith.”
“Yes.”
Smith # 1 clarifies things. “The W stands for Wales.”
Smith #2 says, “There we differ. I’m Walter.”
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It seems the trickster’s fingerprints are found on this one!

Posted in names, trickster | 12 Comments

Mike & Mac & their cats

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Trish and Rob

We’ve written about how scientists have independently come up with the same break-through theories at about the same time. Now here’s an example of two bloggers coming up with the same unusual approach to the UFO mystery. One of them is Mike Clelland, who has posted here about owls and UFOs. In this case, cats are used as the fulcrum for exploring the mystery of unidentified flying objects. Mike pointed out that the actions of cats to try over and over to catch a dangling string is very much the way he sees humans pursuing the enigma of UFOs.

“Do we say that the UFO occupants are visiting us in the same way my cat would say the string is alive?” he wrote in his initial entry to his blog that began March 3, 2009.

Mike’s ‘string theory’ was neatly complemented independently by Mac Tonnies on his blog, called Posthuman Blues, except Mac went hi-tech using a red laser dot instead of string. “To my cats, the red dot possesses its own vitality. It exists as a distinct entity…So they chase it. And chase it. And, if they get close enough, even take swipes at it — in which case I make the dot “flee” or disappear in what seems like a concession of defeat (which, of course, only further arouses the cats’ predatory curiosity).”

Mac went on–as Mike did–to compare the UFO scenario to the action cats.  “I can’t help but be reminded of our continuing search for assumed extraterrestrial vehicles. UFO sightings demonstrate many of the same aspects of a typical feline laser hunt: mysterious disappearances, “impossible” maneuvers and a predilection for trickery — the apparent desire to be seen despite (or because of) a technology presumed to be far in advance of our own. More than one UFO researcher has noted that UFOs behave more like projections or holograms than nuts-and-bolts craft . . . an observation that begs the nature of the intelligence doing the projecting.”

Interestingly, Mike originally wrote his essay in November of 2006 and Mac wrote his two months earlier. Mike swears he knew nothing about Mac’s cat & UFO prose. He remembers reading about Mac in March of 2007 leading him to discover their mutual metaphorical synchronicity.

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Man from Earth

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Trish and Rob

The other night, we were looking for a movie to stream from Netflix and selected Man From Earth. It’s a 2007 film written by Jerome Bixby, who has written for Star Trek and Twilight Zone. In a nutshell, the story is about a professor – John Oldman – who is leaving his teaching job and moving on to new things. Some of his fellow profs stop by to wish him good luck and to say good-bye. They’re all surprised that he’s leaving and keep pressuring him for a reason. So he finally says, “What if a man, from the Upper Paleolithic survived until the present day?”

Everyone thinks he’s either kidding or writing a sci-fi novel. But as the film progresses, John begins to talk abut how he sailed with Columbus, what life was like in the various stages of history since the caveman days. His friends balk, of course, in various ways, and the film is actually a thought-provoking dialogue on the nature of reality, religion, man, the environment. Now here’s the synchronicity.

The day after we saw the movie, I was talking to Carol Bowman. We often exchange book and movie titles, but as soon as I mentioned Man From Earth, there was a BIG silence. Then:

Carol: “I can’t believe this.”
Trish: “What?”
Carol: “I called my brother yesterday and he mentioned I should see Man From Earth. He loved it. So last night (the same night Rob and I streamed the movie) I tried streaming it from Netflix, but the buffer kept kicking in. I coldn’t get it. Now I’m going to have to try again. But, really, why this movie out of all the available films? What’s the message?”

Indeed! It’s not even a recent release. We also had trouble buffering the movie from Netflix, but after a couple of attempts got it. Interestingly, as if to put a punctuation on the synchronicity, the next day Netflix sent us the DVD of the movie.

Posted in movies | 9 Comments

Just for Fun

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Trish and Rob

Okay, this isn’t a synchronicity. But it sure is fun!

Take a look.

Posted in fun | 6 Comments

The Buddy System

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Trish and Rob

Natalie sent us this synchronicity. She called it “a funny little one,” but to me it’s not little at all. It illustrates the vast complexity of the underlying order where synchronicity lives and breathes. And when you think about it,the whole thing involves impressive odds!
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“In Australian schools, we have a buddy system for the little kindergarten children starting school for the first time. They are mentored by the six-year-olds.

My daughter, Isabella, is 6, so she’s a big buddy. Her little buddy is Katie. Katie  has a sister named Isabella, whose big buddy is named Katie.”

So we have the sisters Isabella and Katie, and we have their respective buddies with the same names. Now here’s where it gets even stranger.

“My Isabella also has a sister named Caity (my big girl), who have a father named Paul. The little buddies Isabella and Katie (from the other family) also have a father named Paul.

“I wonder if the other big buddy, Katie, also has a father named Paul? It is just a funny little one, don’t you think?”

Synchronicities like this one often feel like maybe the trickster is at work, tapping at the window of consciousness, chuckling and whispering, Hey, pay attention now. I’m going to tickle your mind!

Posted in names, parallels | 14 Comments

Oscar the Cat

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Trish and Rob

 AP Photo
 

We’ve posted several synchronicities that involve animals as oracles. But this next story is unique. It was written up in the New England Journal of Medicine and in a recently released book, Making Rounds with Oscar: the Extraordinary Gift of An Ordinary Cat.
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In 2005, Oscar was adopted from an animal shelter and became a permanent resident of the dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence, Rhode Island. The staff adopted him because they feel that animals make the facility a home. The facility, after all, is usually the final stop before death, where patients with dementia no longer recognize loved ones, can’t talk, and are lost in chopped up  memories of the the past. 

So what is Oscar’s incredible talent? He knows when death is just a few hours away and snuggles up next to the dying patient, purring. In Oscar’s five years at the facility, he has predicted 50 deaths correctly and astonished Dr. David Dosa, a geriatrician and professor at Brown University who works with the dementia patients.

In 2007, Dosa wrote about Oscar in the New England Journal of Medicine and is author of the book about Oscar. Dosa can’t explain Oscar’s talent and after the article was published in 2007, was concerned that people might consider the cat a furry grim reaper. Now he knows otherwise. “People actually were taking great comfort in this idea, that this animal was there and might be there when their loved ones eventually pass,” Dosa said. “He was there when they couldn’t be.” 

Oscar is apparently so accurate that the nursing home staff knows to call the family when the cat curls up beside a patient.

The CBS story is here.

Posted in animals as oracles, death | 15 Comments

Back in the Groove

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Trish and Rob

Travel removes us from our normal routines and habitual ways of thinking, so it isn’t surprising that synchronicity often surfaces – and sometimes does so in the oddest ways.

Recently, Carol Bowman, author and past-life researcher,  and I (Trish)  went out to Malibu to see our friend Julie. Carol conducted a past life workshop and group regression and there were plenty of synchronicities along the way. But one of the most interesting for Carol occurred upon her return home. We’ll let her tell it:
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My friends, Rose and John, introduced me to a friend of theirs, Wayne, a few years ago. Wayne and his partner had moved to this area from Malibu and started a restaurant.  We had dinner there once, and he was intrigued by the books I had written.  So I sent him a copy of each book.  Rose and John  moved to Colorado, and the last I heard of Wayne was that he and his partner had moved out of the area.

Upon my return from Malibu, I had some errands in a shopping area outside of town that I rarely visit.  I
stopped at a Fresh Market there, one where I had never shopped before.  And there  was Wayne.  I approached him, and he had a jaw-dropping moment when he said that he was just back in the area for a few days and was in the middle of reading one of my books.  He had it in a pile for at least two years, and just started reading it.  We were both a little surprised.

I felt reassured that I haven’t “lost it”, and was back in the groove!

Posted in Carol Bowman, travel, writers | 6 Comments

Thugad thall a chrom thruaill sloightear

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Trish and Rob



No, we didn’t hit the wrong keys for that title, it’s Gaelic, and we’ll get to the meaning and the astonishing  synchroncity related to that line.

You may recall that we wrote earlier about a synchronicity related to time travel that occurred during our visit to the Central Florida Scottish Games.   We also stumbled upon another one during that visit, but decided to wait until we’d obtained accurate details.

So, thanks to the avid research of Ron McGregor, chieftain of the American Clan Gregor Society, we now have the full story, an incredible trickster synchronicity from the Scottish Highlands, dating to the early seventeenth century.

First, some brief background. In the 16th century, the MacGregors engaged in a series of conflicts with the Campbells, who had absconded with land the MacGregors claimed as their own. To say the least, there was bad blood between the two highland clans. Finally, with the encouragement of the Campbells, King James VI issued an edict banning the use of the name MacGregor, hence, abolishing the clan. In 1604, the clan chieftain  was hanged in Edinburgh. The proscription on the name lasted until 1774.

So here’s the story. The main character is Callum MacGregor, grandfather of the famed Rob Roy. He lived as an outlaw–at least in the eyes of the Campbells–during the early years of the proscription. The Campbells repeatedly attempted to hunt him down, but Callum was an elusive target. In one incident, pursued by Campbells and their hounds, he managed to turn the tables. Callum hid in a cave, while an ally offered refuge for the Campbells along with an abundance of drinks. When the men were drunk and passed out, MacGregor’s kilt was draped over the sleeping men. The hounds were released, and upon smelling the kilt, visciously attacked their own masters as Callum escaped.

That was a good trick, but now comes the trickster. On another escapade, Callum was discovered hiding on an islet in Loch Katrine, and the Campbell men were camped on the woody shore, close enough for their voices to carry over the water. Callum had taken the precaution of sinking all the boats except the one he had used  to reach the islet.

Knowing the islet was barren, the Campbells figured they would starve Callum into surrender. As night fell, one of the band, a soutar, or cobbler by trade, lit a fire to prepare a meal. Callum took aim at the smoke, shouted a curse: “Thugad thall a chrom thruaill sloightear!” and fired. The bullet struck the cobbler in the forehead killing him. Loosely, the Gaelic translation means: “Get lost you slimy crook.”

But, in Gaelic, the word for crook has a second meaning: cobbler. The Campbells had heard the shout, but misinterpreted the meaning when the cobbler dropped dead. They quickly agreed that Callum had second sight and might pick them off one by one. After they fled in fear, Callum rowed to shore, escaped and lived to enjoy a peaceful old age in Glengyle.

(The source of the story is Clan Gregor, by Forbes MacGregor.)

The photo shows Trish and Rob standing with Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, Bt, chief of the Clan Gregor, and Lady MacGregor, with Ron McGregor, (kneeling) chieftain of the American clan.

(The Bt, after Sir Malcolm’s name stands for barronette, as he is barronette of Balquhidder and of Lanrick.)

Posted in clans macgregor, trickster | 12 Comments