SERMONS 

Lucky Thing: Meaningful Chance and Coincidence

I received only a few emails this week after asking for people to share experiences they might have had with fortunes or astrology or I Ching or the like. Richard Wall’s turned out to be one of those stories that tells it all.

He wrote describing one of those days we’ve all had. Days of ill fortune, when our luck has run out—you know what I mean. Richard reports that he’d had an argument with his supervisor, he fell and twisted his ankle, got a phone call with some bad news about his car that was in the shop.

"The whole morning had been a mess” he writes, “so during lunch I went over to the student center, and sat, grumbling, into my coffee cup. In front of me was a machine that was to read my ‘biorhythms’ which might tell me if I was to have a good day, when the cycles were all ‘up,’ or a bad day when they were ‘down.’ Surely, I thought, if I use this machine, and it says today is anything but all ‘downs,’ then this is all bogus. So, I set the date and my date of birth, and placed my last quarter in the slot. The machine ate my quarter.”

What other proof do we need? We find countless ways to make meaning and give order to our lives. And as far as we can tell our human ancestors have all done pretty much the same. They’ve read the stars, palms, tea leaves, the I Ching, tarot cards—and many other vehicles for providing order and meaning.

I’ve only had very limited experiences with any of these vehicles for understanding. About five years ago or so someone read my tarot cards. It struck me at the time that there were universal themes coming up—I think that’s part of the point, actually. The person doing the reading asked me some insightful questions. The questions and the themes represented by the cards gave me some interesting things to think about. That’s what I remember about the experience. It brought me to a place of reflection that was, it turned out, quite helpful in thinking about my life.

I heard from a couple of people this week who have experiences with astrology that is meaningful in their lives. Jodi McDaniel spoke of the way spiritual astrology helped her see what tendencies exist in her life and what lessons might be waiting for the growth of her soul. I know others in our congregation who have had positive experiences with vehicles like that as well.

One of the more ancient vehicles used to achieve this kind of insight is the I Ching. This is an ancient Chinese book, the title of which is translated The Book of Changes. My colleague Meg Barnhouse explains that vehicle this way:

The I Ching is a philosophical system as well as a system for divination. The Chinese believed everything was energy in flux. We now believe that too, from scientific theory and practice. They believed that this flux followed certain numerical patterns and rhythms. In all circumstances one can arrive at this matrix of the cosmos, this basic rhythm. There was one number pattern (that would be binary) which they believed was one of the bases of reality, the determiner of how to tune your instruments, what steps were in dances, what pattern the rooms in the palace were arranged by, and what one was to do at the funeral of a father.

Some in the west embraced aspects of this ancient Chinese system. It helped lead the way for mathematicians to an understanding of binary arithmetic and for Carl Jung to a notion of synchronicity. Carl Jung sought in his work a means for understanding what he called meaningful coincidence. He observed that coincidence happens with meaning more often than probability would allow. He called this meaningful coincidence synchronicity. It was his way of articulating an acausal connecting principle. From the surface of things, these events had no cause and effect relationship—yet Jung could not believe there was no relationship. Hence, synchronicity.

He connected his own formulation of archetypes with the foundations of meaning articulated in the I Ching. He understood both to be vehicles for seeing and reflecting upon individual experience in the light of universal understanding and experience—and perhaps even transcendent reality.

John Mott wrote me about his understanding of coincidence. When coincidence happens enough in his life, he identifies what he calls “event clusters” and observes from these groups meaning apparent only when the groups are viewed as a whole. This is like using free association speech to find meaning. The meaning immediately understood may be broadened and deepened by seeing the patterns.

All of this may be a way of finding meaning and order in our lives. And if there is one thing that is true about us—we want meaning and order in our lives. This is not only why we look to the stars, but also why we gather in religious community. We need to find or make meaning in our individual lives and in the larger whole of Life. We use the meaning we find to help us navigate life.

The guidance may come from tossing a coin, reading leaves or cards or palms, or something more arcane like hitting all the stoplights green and taking that as a sign to ask for a raise or a date or a favor. Come on, haven’t you done that too?

All of us have had experiences, moments when our mind tells us that what is happening implies something more than what it seems to be on the surface. Some who are not drawn to systems like these call on luck. If this wad of paper makes it in the trash the first time, I’ll…you fill in the blank. Such a sign convinces us we are in the flow of life, the tao. In the zone. Lucky.

Luck is dubious when viewed in terms of science, of course, and unorthodox compared to Providence. As Meg Barnhouse points out, many are uncomfortable with the very notion of luck. Luck shatters our conventional notions of order. In science or religion. Luck is dumb. It’s unpredictable; it’s orderless; it’s a matter of, you know, luck.

Yet one social scientist, Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire in England, claims from his research that lucky people have traits in common. Much of luck involves skill! You can learn to be lucky. He claims to have demonstrated that openness to new experiences and willingness to take risks can combine to create luck in our lives.

The scientists in his lab had a group of subjects look through a newspaper and count the photographs. That was all they were asked to do. They’d go through, and after about three pages, there would be a massive half-page ad saying “Stop counting there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.” It was next to a photo, so [they knew the subjects] were looking at that area. A few pages later, there was another massive ad—really big—that said, “Stop counting. Tell the experimenter you’ve seen this and win 150 pounds. (235 dollars)”

By and large, they reported that the people who had identified themselves as unlucky would just flip past these things. The lucky ones would laugh and report seeing the first ad. They would be told to keep counting. Then they would flip through some more pages and say, “Do I get my 150 pounds?” Apparently most of the unlucky people didn’t even notice the ads.

From this and other research, Wiseman concludes that there are ways of thinking and behaving that increase the odds of luck. He says it was not unusual for a subject in his study to report (as Meg did) being the “luckiest person alive.” They would follow this claim with a litany of dreadful badluck stories. So one of the first things they teach in their “Luck School” is for people to keep a luck diary. They would be instructed to note all the positive and lucky things that happened in a day. Not the unlucky stuff. Not surprisingly, after making this a sustained practice in their lives, individuals began noticing the “lucky” things immediately. And feeling more lucky.

But Wiseman says it’s not just about feeling lucky. He says that some of the behaviors he observed can actually create luck. Here are four principles he claims can create good fortune:

Maximize chance opportunities: Lucky people are skilled at creating noticing, and acting upon chance opportunities. They do this in various ways, which include building and maintaining a strong network, adopting a relaxed attitude to life, and being open to new experiences.

Listen to your Lucky Hunches: Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings. They also take steps to actively boost their intuitive abilities—for example, by meditating and clearing their mind of other thoughts.

Expect Good Fortune: Lucky people are certain that the future will be bright. Over time, that expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it helps lucky people persist in the face of failure and positively shapes their interactions with other people.

And lastly, Turn Bad Luck Into Good: Lucky people employ various psychological techniques to cope with, and even thrive upon, the ill fortune that comes their way. For example, they spontaneously imagine how things could have been worse, they don’t dwell on the ill fortune, and the take control of the situation.

Well, you know, I could have told you that without a double-blind study! These are principles that have always been taught to those seeking spiritual growth. Those who wish to live well and fully and in harmony with the rest of Life. In the flow. Maybe even lucky. For me they come down to two principles for the spiritual life: awareness and gratitude.

This complex, interrelated world in which we live and life we share is, I believe, deep with meaning and beauty. Living fully and well requires that we wake to it, seize the day. Having cultivated awareness that helps us come alive—then, I believe, we must acknowledge that we are not the source of the meaning or the beauty. However we may understand the source of Life’s meaning and beauty, gratitude helps us keep perspective. Reminds us that life is a gift. And, of course, helps us recognize the countless small gifts that come our way.

Cultivating these spiritual practices will open us to meaning and beauty. We might choose to seek guidance in a roll of dice; we can certainly find or make meaning of the chance that comes our way. Our unique experiences will reveal for us patterns and significance. I don’t think it matters much where we find them.

One day an American scientist visited the offices of the great Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Neils Bohr, in Copenhagen, and was amazed to find a horseshoe nailed to the wall over his desk. The American said with a nervous laugh, “Surely you don’t believe that horseshoe will bring you good luck, do you, Professor Bohr?” The Professor shook his head and replied, “Of course not, but I understand it brings you luck whether you believe it or not.”