Okay, I will now officially add this book to the "25 Best" list.
There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives, by Robert H. Hopcke (1997)
Why this book?
1) This book contains the best of several other books on synchronicity. The bibliography even contains a book or two that has not found its way into my collection.
2) The author is not afraid to tackle religion, miracles, magic, or painful experiences in the search for a comprehensive explanation for synchronicity.
3) As mentioned earlier, the author relays a broad spectrum of synchronistic experiences from a variety of people. Reading these detailed accounts will no doubt remind you of your own synchronistic experiences. This, in turn, will help you break through to the 5-dimensional Smearland.
The author makes one point that I would argue with...
"...synchronicities always occur within a transitional context" (p. 46) and "Meaningful coincidences, which always occur at points of change and transition..." (p. 47)
Naturally I'm protesting the use of the word 'always'. Synchronicities may manifest in the most unusual or improbable ways during times of great stress, for the average person. This does not mean that synchronicities are limited to times of great stress, or that they cannot be observed or cultivated on a daily basis.
The author even begins to acknowledge that synchronicities might be something one can cultivate. "If you want a meaningful coincidence to change the story of your life, wander the world randomly and be willing to listen to whatever life presents... an attitude of openness" (p.101) Interestingly, the authors of the two versions of The Luck Factor also acknowledge openness as a key attribute in obtaining good luck. Why openness? Perhaps because it is a state free of explicit expectations about outcomes.
