I’d like to share a synchronistic experience I recently had. When I went to open a door in a common area of the building where I’ve lived many years, the handle felt loose and then came off, and the door wouldn’t open when I pushed on it. So I went to a different part of the building and used a different door. Although that door opened, it didn’t open readily because the metal plate beneath it had become loose and was wedged against the bottom of the door. The next day I was walking in a skyway, and a door I’ve used many times opened only about a fourth of the way and wouldn’t open further. And in the building where I work, the doors of one of the elevators–the one I happened to choose–opened noticeably more slowly than usual. These are all doors I’ve used often and they usually work fine.
Such unexpected occurrences, especially when more than one happens within a short period of time, cause me to wonder what the symbolism of the occurrences might be. The words “doors opening” can refer to opportunities becoming available. So I thought about what opportunities might be closed to me. But then I thought about how doors not opening could signify my not being willing to open doors, such as my not being “open” to new ideas and experiences. I tend to stay with what is familiar and to avoid taking risks. Because the doors not opening happened at a time when I was struggling to embrace inner direction I had discerned, this second possible meaning fit. Once again, I had received a reminder from my unconscious that it was time to move forward, to open the door to something new in my life, despite my resistance. The synchronicity also provided encouragement because it seemed to confirm that what I had discerned was correct.
Synchronistic experiences have a dream-like quality. What are the chances of my having that many doors that I’d never had problems with before not working correctly in the space of two days? It’s more like something that would happen in a dream. And that makes sense, because dreams and synchronicities are from the same source: our unconscious.