Coincidence, or Something More?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Jun 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Le_Corsair	19 Jun 2003
Last night, while at work, I was performing my nightly task of drawing a touchstone card to use for meditation and as a daily learning exercise. I had two decks with me, the Ator Tarot (Thanks, Rota!) and a pocket RWS. I shuffled and thoroughly mixed the Ator and came up with the three of Pentacles, upright. Later, I was casually shuffling the RWS deck, softening it up, breaking it in, and some obscure impulse made me turn over another touchstone card for myself. Three of Pentacles, upright! I am a religious skeptic, and have always felt that mystical experiences and skepticism are mutually exclusive, but this moment sent a quick shiver down my spine. I am not asking what the card means, I can interpret that well enough, but I have this question: Was this coincidence, or something more? Has this happened to you, and how often?

tarotpharot	19 Jun 2003
Hi Le_Corsair. Could be coincidence, although unlikely. Since you were drawing for daily learning as well as meditation, what events occured which one could relate to the 3 of pentacles? I would examine the days events very closely and see if their is a correlation. If the 3 of pentacles becomes a recurring draw, then you have your answer. Another thing to look for is complimentary cards in succeeding draws. I would be highly tempted to do a greater spread with either of both decks to see if the 3 of pents. or other complimentary card(s) shows up. Just my thoughts FWIW. Brad }) TarotPharot

Diana	19 Jun 2003
There is nothing mystical or religious about synchronicity. When your mind is trying to get a message to you, and you don't listen, well it will end up by shouting. If you still don't listen, it will scream. And if you still don't listen, well you'll either fall ill, have an accident, or something unpleasant will befall you to wake you up. Or you could end up by passing by on the chance of your lifetime. Then one ends up by saying "luck only happens to other people", but that's not true. Some people heed the signs, others ignore them. The Tarot does this all the time...... you'll get used to it.

skytwig	19 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Diana The Tarot does this all the time...... you'll get used to it. Yup! all the time! 'Earthling' society tends to be quite small minded, making 'coincidence' out of everyday magick.... When we open our eyes, all kinds of 'miracles' appear. Miracles are supposed to happen.... and not just occaisionally! Working on a new project? Thinking of starting a project?

Alissa	19 Jun 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Diana The Tarot does this all the time...... you'll get used to it. Yup, I agree too. I get repeat cards all the time, and often when doing a single draw at different points in the day (even after shuffling).

Menmay	19 Jun 2003
Yes I to have gotten the same cards but in diffrent reading. I had done a reading for myself and the theme of the day was the three of swords. I was confused but I kept that in mind. That same night my friend wanted to try a new spread on me and like before I got the three of swords for my main theme. I told her and we both figured out the meaning ^_^ Just remember sometimes these things happen. Its up to you o decide what do make of it.

Ravenswing	23 Jun 2003
I just love when a card falls out while shuffling and I stuff it back in and continuing shuffling... better than half the time it shows up in the reading. sometimes I wonder why I bother sticking it back... fly well Ravenswing

Celtic_Dragon	25 Jun 2003
I always get the 8 of wands when I do a reading when I'm supposed to be doing my homework. Like Diana said,"you'll get used to it."

Alobar	25 Jun 2003
it may be a coincidence, or not. if it continues to show up, then i would investigate this card deeper. there is a chart in the back of Angeles Arrien's book The Tarot Handbook which is very useful for tracking your daily draw (and permission is given at the bottom of the page to copy it). just write the date of the draw in the appropriate space, and after a while you get a very visual graph of which cards have appeared, and their frequency. Quote: Originally posted by Le_Corsair ...I am a religious skeptic, and have always felt that mystical experiences and skepticism are mutually exclusive... (warning, personal opinion to follow...) i can't agree with this. in fact, i believe that a good dose of skepticism can be very supportive of one's religious path. it's what separates the real experiences from being watered down by all the 'new age' crap. continue to be skeptical, and only buy into those experiences that move you deeply. i read a story many years ago that reflects this theory somewhat. i consider it to be one of the most enlightening things i have ever read... http://www.viewzone.com/zap1.html many people don't get it, but to me it speaks volumes! (unfortunately i can only find the abridged version, but the point remains)

sagitarian	25 Jun 2003
Personally I don't think this was a coincidence. And yes, it's happen to me before too.

rota	29 Aug 2003
Ravenswing wrote "I just love when a card falls out while shuffling and I stuff it back in and continuing shuffling... better than half the time it shows up in the reading. sometimes I wonder why I bother sticking it back..." ++++++= This is one of my favorite Tarot phenomena -- it seems to happen much more often than chance would suggest. So often I'll do a couple of readings for someone, and one or two of the same cards will show up in both spreads. I take it as a prompt to pay special attention to those cards, and weight my reading accordingly. And, granted it's been (ahem) a few years, but when I was a teenager, it was occurrences of that type that woke me up to the Tarot. Hopefully I'm waking up to some of the other "coincidences" that are all around us.

full deck	29 Aug 2003
Sychronicity does seem to be a fact, based upon my own personal experiences from the last 20 years. Here is just one crazy example: I'm sitting in a pub, in D.C., reading the last work of C.G. Jung wrote. He mentions visiting and having his shoes shined in the obscure city in the South where my parents and I had lived. I put the book down, look around the room and think "This would be a great place to hang out if one were famous -- it is very intimate here". A few minutes later I overhear the waiter proclaim "I'm a great fan of your work Mr. Prosky" (The well-known actor [in the states], Robert Prosky, was sitting in the back). So, I seem to be part of the experiment I was trying to run . . . hummm

VGimlet	30 Aug 2003
As Diana has said, and I'll chime in my agreement too, "You'll get used to it." There have been many times when I've gotten the same card for several readings in a row, or cards with similar meanings. No matter how well I shuffle. And then there are cards I rarely, if ever get (the Devil comes to mind immediately.) While I always keep in mind it *could* be coincidence, I've learned to pay attention when it happens, and maybe be a little more alert when something comes up that concerns that area of my life.

oceanpoetry	31 Aug 2003
I definitely believe it is synchronicity, something more than mere coincidence! this happens to me often, and I am still surprised when the same cards show up again and again. It seems like I will get the same cards repeatedly when I am trying to work something, as the Universe is saying "look here" and "here"...I even get the same cards from different decks. I often ask "what do I most need to know right now" - and over course of a week or two, I will notice there are certain predominant cards and "themes" that keep showing...one of those magical things I have discovered about using tarot cards!

isthmus nekoi	31 Aug 2003
Not all apparently meaningful coincidences are actually synchronous. At least not in my book. If there is no *interal* correlative shift to mirror the external event, then I would just take it as coincidence. If this wasn't true you could go around ascribing meaning to every single thing you see ie. gee the subway doors opened *right* where I was standing - today must be my lucky day or I am special etc... uh, I don't think so. However, Bob, this sounds like a different situation. Tarot is usually giving important msgs when it repeats itself. Perhaps there is something significant to 3 of Pentacles for you right now? And yes, repetitive cards is extremely common for me :)

Chronata	31 Aug 2003
Not only is synchronicity a wonderful message...but so is that card, the three of pentacles. It's one of my favorites in the deck, and oftentimes speaks of working on something that has far greater significance than you even realize.

Shadow Wolf	01 Sep 2003
In my experience there is No such thing as coincidence !!! The Universe is trying to tell you something !!! Whatever it is, I hope it brings you good fortune or at the very least peace of mind !! Blessings and Light, Shadow Wolf.

The Coincidence, or Something More? thread was originally posted on 19 Jun 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.