Celestine Moments

By Sarah Ban Breathnach

These are only hints and guesses,Hints followed by guesses, and the rest I
Is prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action.

-T. S. ELIOT

Carl Jung called it "synchronicity": two seemingly unrelated events that cannot be explained by cause and effect but are uniquely linked by personal meaning.

We call it coincidence. Serendipity. Luck. Chance. Fate. We call it everything, but what it really is: Grace. God. When chance events occur "at just the right moment, and bring forth just the right individuals to suddenly send our lives in a new and important direction," James Redfield tells us in The Celestine Prophecy, we're meant to "intuit higher meanings in these mysterious happenings."

But most of the time we're too busy to pay attention. Too busy with real life to give Real Life more than a passing nod. So the celestine moment is written off with an "Isn't that interesting?" shrug instead of a "What do you suppose this means?" inquiry. And instead of waiting for Spirit's reply, we're off again in a thousand directions.

Artists depend on the higher harmonic of synchronicity. And because they expect it, they receive it. Today, begin an experiment in enlightenment. For one week operate on the assumption that nothing that happens in your daily round is accidental. Cast a wider net. Pay close attention to your dreams. Follow your urges. Honor your hunches. Use intuition as the spiritual tool it is. Consider what movies you're interested in seeing.

Really listen to the lyrics of songs. If someone suggests something new for you to do, try it. If a lecture or workshop sounds interesting, go to it. Notice what books you're drawn to. Strike up conversations with strangers who sit next to you or someone interesting-looking who makes eye contact. Be receptive and alert. See how many celestine moments you can accumulate in the course of a day. The more open you are to synchronicity's role in your life, the more magnetic you become to Divine assistance.

Source: Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort & Joy

Amazing Grace

Grace fills empty spaces, but it can only enter where there is a void to receive it, and it is grace itself which makes this void. -SIMONE WElL

Grace is direct Divine intervention on our behalf that circumvents the laws of nature-time, space, cause and effect, the availability of parking for our Highest Good.

Theologians tell us that grace is an unmerited demonstration of God's love, proof that we're not in this alone. Considering that most of us operate under the assumption that daily life is a one-woman battleground, it's no wonder we're amazed when out of the blue, the Force suddenly seems to be with us.

Grace is the Force-a spiritual energy field that protects and assists. Grace is Spirit's test flight; we seem to glide through the moment, the encounter, the day, without friction. We experience Real Life.

We access grace like every other spiritual tool, by asking for it specifically and regularly. In the morning you brush your teeth, put on the kettle or the coffee maker. Now that you're awake, gratefully and expectantly ask for one day's portion of grace.

The kids eat their breakfast, get dressed without fuss, and are out the door on time. The bus driver waits for you. The day unfolds in blissful uneventfulness. Someone asks if you've lost weight. You realize you're smiling at four o'clock in the afternoon. You think, maybe there's something to this.

The next day you ask for grace. Eventually you get to the point where asking for grace is as natural and as necessary as breathing.