Plug In, Janet Conner, and Synchronicity

I entered Janet Conner’s Plug In telecourse with an open mind, because I so want to believe that it’s possible to give my soul full expression by stepping into the Intersection.

Janet defines the “Intersection” as“a spiritual space in your consciousness where you are able to connect your craft (skills) with your spiritual practice (knowledge and wisdom)” and where “you will receive direct inspiration, communication, and dialogue with divine source energy.”

It isn’t that I’m suffering from writer’s block or that I don’t feel motivated (though these issues do crop up in my life often enough), but after ten years of writing and revising my four novels, it’s time for me to take the next step–querying agents and finding a publisher. But something is holding me back.

During our first Plug In session, Janet talked about the power of “Intention” and “Checking the Box,” so  immediately after our time together, I asked the Universe and my Spirit Guides to help show me the way.  “Let me know you’re backing me up.  Please.  Anything.  Just give me a little support here.”

The response?

Silence.

No messages.  No breakthroughs.  Life as usual.

Or so I thought until last Tuesday night.

Synchronicity

During our second Plug In session, odd occurrences started to grab my attention, and by night’s end, six instances of synchronicity stood out in my mind.

I’ll share them and let you decide:  Am I seeing coincidences where there are not?  Should I dismiss them as mere chance?  Should I go back to reducing life to the ordinary, commonplace and non mysterious?

1. A fellow Plug In participant mentioned that she was painting icons under the tutelage of an art instructor.  Icons?  How odd.  Until three months ago, the only icons I was familiar with (besides small statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) were in churches, in books, and on TV.  Yet in November, a cousin visiting from Holland presented me with a breathtaking icon of the Angel Gabriel that she had painted in her icon class.  It took her 24 hours to create, and it was trimmed in red-orange, the exact color I’d painted three walls in my writing room.  I was surprised that my cousin (whom I’d only met three times) had chosen this particular image, since in my first novel, the protagonist’s side-kick is a stray cat named Gabriel.  CHANCE?
2. When Janet talked about “Sacred Space,” being the fourth element that expands The Intersection, she showed us a picture that hangs in her own Sacred Space.  It features the Angel Gabriel, patron saint of writers.  She’d painted the walls of her space ORANGE–Angel Gabriel’s color.  Check out the wall color of my writing room in this photo.  CHANCE?
3. The fourth element that expands the Intersection, according to Janet, is “Guides.”  As an example of a guide, she lists animal totems in the Native American tradition.  She talked about the Osprey Hawk, a bird that holds special significance for her.  Odd.  In two of my novels I write about animal totems, and the hawk, in particular, holds special significance for my protagonist.  CHANCE?
4. Under “Guides,” Jane also listed “creative partners/daemons.”  As an example, she highlighted Elizabeth Gilbert at TED.  Just a few days before, my son had called to tell me about TED.  He said it shared great talks and performances for free. I googled TED immediately and ended up listened to Elizabeth Gilbert’s 18 minute talk about nurturing creativity.  CHANCE?
5. Janet then talked about the jacket of the 3rd printing of Writing Down Your Soul and how it has an owl on its cover.  Odd.  One of the characters in my fourth novel is fascinated with an owl (his animal totem and a major symbol in the story).  CHANCE?
6. Janet calls the eleventh element that expands the Intersection, “Soul-cation.”  She talked about regularly scheduling periods of time for rest and renewal, a “Soul Day.”  The Sunday previous, I’d decided to stop blogging and revising my work on Sundays, to keep at least that day sacred.  I attended the Center For Spiritual Awareness for the first time, where Rev. Georgia Prescott talked about “The Leap” and the four hidden barriers and beliefs that hold you back.  CHANCE?

Though you may have answered CHANCE after each of these synchronicities, I’ve decided to consider these subtle, fleeting, and easily dismissed occurrences as timely arrivals of special information.  I’m not sure what this information means just yet, but I’m willing to relinquish cynicism and doubt in favor of faith and hope.  What could it hurt to have a positive attitude and believe there are opportunities coming my way?

Now that I think about it, it’s interesting that Janet Conner’s Plug In class came at such an opportune time in my life.  CHANCE?