Coincidence
A strange phenomenon explained
Guest article by Mel Cairn
Foreword by Occult Mysteries
Scholars, scientists and lexicologists have evolved countless explanations to account for the phenomenon of coincidence without any of them ever arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. This is not surprising, since such investigators, however eminent they may be in their individual areas of expertise, are mostly completely unaware of any higher reality beyond that revealed to them by their physical senses and intellectual ideations. Occult scientists on the other hand, solved the problem long ago by recognising that a coincidence is any activity or event of which the cause is not known or perceived.
Occult Science further tells us that there is a cause for every single effect within the Universe and an effect for every single cause. This is enshrined in the Hermetic Law of Cause and Effect which is summed up very neatly in an axiom attributed to Hermes which states: "that which comes up has always been sown; not all that has been sown comes up." Consequently, there can be no such things as chance or coincidence, which are merely words that describe any activity or event for which the cause is not known or perceived. The example Mel Cairn gives in this short article is an especially good illustration of this Law as the sheer number and complexity of the 'coincidences' he enumerates defy any other explanation. Unless, of course, the reader agrees with those scientists who, unable to peer further than the ends of their superior noses, dismiss coincidence as "just a statistical artefact."
Mel Cairn passed away shortly after he submitted this article to us, returning to his rightful place among the Few. Mel was a true polymath and a good friend to all of us at Occult Mysteries. Writer, musician, artist, archaeologist, historian, geologist, botanist, consummate gardener, builder, biologist and apiarist, it is easier to list the subjects he had not mastered or was not interested in! We can think of only one: cooking, oh and football; he positively loathed football, an antipathy cordially shared by the writer! His wisdom, kindness, gentle humour, and above all, his compassionate love and care for all that suffers, are sadly missed. We can think of no better or fitting memorial to our multi-talented friend than to publish this short article on the anniversary of his passing.
How often have you heard someone remark upon "a strange coincidence?" How often have you yourself experienced something that would fit such a description? Coincidences it seems, are everywhere. They happen every day, often more than once and by a strange coincidence, the more open one is to spotting them, the more often they seem to occur.
So what is this strange thing called coincidence? Yes, of course it's two things that are in some way related occurring at the same time or in close association but is it really a random, fluke of an occurrence? Is it merely a matter of probabilities, anomalies and what Jung called synchronicity? I suppose the answer to that would largely depend upon your point of view with regard to fate, destiny, universal design and any number of other such grandiose paradigms.
Okay then, let's take an example from Nature that by a strange coincidence, I came across just the other week — as you can see below.
Out in the wilds of some place somewhere, there exists a certain species of orchid which can only be pollinated by a certain species of bee. Neither the flower nor the bee are to be found anywhere else on the planet as far as I'm aware. The orchid, in order to pass its genes on to the next generation, has to somehow attract the bee to pollinate it. This it does by bearing such a strong visual resemblance to the female bee, that the male bee finds it irresistible.
But as if that were not enough, it also produces a pheromone in its perfume which when analysed, turns out to be identical on a molecular level to that produced by the female bee itself. Indeed, so powerful is the combination of sight and smell, that the male bees are said to attempt to mate with the flower preferentially, when offered both a flower and a genuine female bee.
So along comes mister bee with love on his little bee mind and he attempts to couple with the flower by grasping the part of the bloom that resembles the abdomen of the female bee. This is mounted on a kind of hinge and his forward momentum carries him over the top, so to speak, bringing the hairy surface of his thorax into contact with the sticky pollen sacs of the flower. These detach and affix to the bee in such a way that when he alights on another orchid blossom, the pollen is transferred to it.
Now is that a coincidence? I don't think so. I think it's Magic; Nature's magic.
Oh yes, I know a little bit about the science of natural selection, evolutionary forces and suchlike similar theories and speculations of the clever men and women in white lab coats. But let's pause here and think about the implications of the complex interaction between the bee and the orchid I've described. Take the number of species in the local environment, bear in mind the sheer complexity of the organic chemistry, artistry and impertinent elegance of the subterfuge involved, factor in the consideration that even the most subtle preferential mutation can take many millennia to arise and to adequately propagate, then remember that the flower can neither see nor smell the female bee and do the maths for yourself.
If that's not 'intelligent design', then there is no such thing as design or intelligence. If you haven't parted company with me yet...I'm pleased to meet you.
You'll discern, no doubt from the above, that I'm of the mind which believes in there being an underlying reason in operation here and indeed, in most if not all aspects of Life. I simply cannot but conclude that whilst it would surely be silly to state that nothing arises by chance, it is equally specious to assert that nothing arises by design.
We are all sensitive beings to a greater or lesser extent. We detect and discern all manner of stimuli, physically, mentally, emotionally but more than that, we also have the capacity or "faculty" if you will, to radiate and to emanate to others.
That much is the stuff of accepted science but I'm inclined to go beyond it to the extent of suggesting that in radiating what might be thought of as a need or an openness perhaps, we may come to the notice of something out in the wider Universe which detects and responds to that need, that openness, in such a manner as to make us stop and say, "oh, what a strange coincidence."
If all that is so, then perhaps it would go some way towards answering what might appear to be a simple question. Why is it that the wonderful, beautiful and graceful Friend who entered my life many years ago, could not have been better fitted to the home she has occupied ever since in my regard, had she been fashioned by a team of the most accomplished craftsmen, working under the direction of the most insightful designer, using the most common materials, and following my exact specification?
Coincidence?
Oh no. Definitely not.
Article © Mel Cairn. Foreword and Afterword © Copyright occult-mysteries.org.
All worldwide rights reserved. Published 14 August 2022.
