Coincidences From Author Colin Wilson

The coincidences today come from the author Colin Wilson. His classic books include: The Occult: For Those Who Would Walk with the Gods, Mysteries, and Beyond the Occult.

"I was reading Hawkin's Stonehenge Decoded, the last section on the standing stones of Callanish, which Hawkins describes as a kind of Stone Age computer.

I finished the book and immediately picked up Bell's Mathematics, Queen of the Sciences. It opened at Chapter 6, and I found myself looking at a footnote on Stone Age mathematics.

The chances against coming across it immediately after the piece on Callanish were probably a million to one.

Again, last night I was reading an account of the Domenech murder case at Moher, in Galway, and noted that the victim had been at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where I had lectured recently. Ten minutes later I opened Wanda Orynski's abstracts of Hegel, and saw that the introduction is by Kurt Leidecker at Mary Washington College.
There are nothing startling about these coincidences except the odds against them."

Other Celebrity Coincidences
Arlene Phillips Talks About Coincidences

Coincidence and Synchronicity - Example 5

This is my fifth personal coincidence experience on this blog, out of hundreds that I have had over the years. I have no idea what it indicates other than the odds against it happening must be pretty high.

My wife and I take many breaks throughout the year abroad and in England. This one happened in Devon and is quickly explained.

We had booked a chalet near the sea for a week and when we arrived we were shown to a house instead, which was much better and larger than expected.

As usual we moved our luggage into the house and, after unpacking, looked about.

In England all electrical equipment, in rented holiday accommodation, has to have a sticker on it stating when the item was checked, who by and when the next check is required.

I noticed the sticker on the side of the television. It had been checked by 'Mike Perry' - which just happens to be my name. That was a big coincidence in itself but there is more! The date when it had to next be checked was July 23rd - which also happens to be my birthday.

As I say, I'm not sure what these coincidences indicate but they impressed me at the time!

Other Personal Coincidences or Synchronicity
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 4 About dreams which come true
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 3 About an unexpected meeting
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 2 About a coincidence of dates
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 1 About a question being answered

Arlene Phillips Talks About Coincidences

Arlene Phillips, the dance choreographer and ex dancing judge for BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, said that coincidences have been a large part of her life. Arlene said:

"My whole life, I've felt there have been these paths that have been set me. Coincidences that have happened - moments of chance that have changed my life.

Meeting Angus (her husband) was one of those chance things. We got together pretty quickly and have been together ever since. At the time, I didn't quite realise it would last so long.

When I became pregnant with Abi it was a gift beyond compare. I was so luck that, firstly Angus and I got to have a child together and secondly, that I was able to get pregnant at 47 (she is now 66).

Arlene Phillips can currently be seen on So You Think You Can Dance on BBC1

Further Reading
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 4 - About Dreams which come true

What A Coincidence!

Here's a typical 'coincidence' seen in the British Daily Mail newspaper. I've printed out the text again in case the cutting on the right isn't too clear:

A few years ago, I was having a meal out in a Chinese restaurant in Tenby, South Wales.

Sitting at the next table were four women who were obviously celebrating something, due to the greetings cards on their table and the 'toasting' going on.

Curiosity got the better of me and I asked what was the occasion. One of the women said she was leaving the country and her
friends to take up a teaching post in Thailand and this was her farewell party.

A women at a nearby table said she could not help overhearing our conversation and was curious as to which school she was going to in Thailand.

The woman told her and, amazingly, the other woman had just relinquished, having spent several years teaching English there. They didn't know each other, one had never been in the restaurant before and neither lived in Tenby. What a coincidence!

Further Reading:
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 4 Examples of personal coincidences.

Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 4

Today my personal coincidence or synchronicity examples feature dreams and how they foresaw the future.

(1) The first goes back to 1976 but it's one that I remember distinctly because I dreamt the winner of the British Derby.

The thing about this is that I knew absolutely nothing about horse racing, I'd never even had a bet on a horse race or was aware of the names of any 'good' horses. However in 1976 I woke and told my wife that I knew who would win the Derby that day. I said it would be Empery. She just gave me an odd look, the way wives sometimes do.

That morning we went out and passed a bookies, with parking space, and my wife said that, for fun, I should place a bet on Empery because of my dream. I didn't though as I said that I had no idea what to do and besides, "Who believes in dreams?"

Needless to say Empery won the Derby Stakes that afternoon at 10/1 odds.

(2) In 1983 I did it again. This time I dreamt the winner of the Grand National. Again I told my wife the name of the winner: Corbiere. I also mentioned this to a friend, in advance of the race.

Once more I didn't have a bet on the race and Corbiere was the winner.

There are two strange things about both of these dreams - the only two I have ever had about horse racing winners. Even though I hadn't seen a list of horses running in the races, or had the slightest interest in the races, the horses names do have links to me.

(a) Empery is my name, well sort of. I am M.Perry so that is pronounced empery.

(b) I previously lived in Corbiere Avenue.

So what does all this mean? Well there is an obvious synchronicity in the horses names and myself. Did I somehow pick up on this by some means or other? It's just another mystery in the world or Coincidence and Synchronicity.

Does the Universe / World talk to us and sometimes guide us with coincidences. I have, for example, also had other dreams that appear to have looked into the future.

Other Examples of Coincidence or Synchronicity
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 3 About an unexpected meeting
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 2 About a coincidence of dates
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 1 About a question being answered

Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 3

This is the third example of what I call coincidence or synchronicity experiences. It's something that happened last year.


My wife and I were away on a long weekend break and on the journey home I decided to take a longer scenic route, which took in the north coast of Cornwall. It got to about 11 o'clock and I saw a sign to a well known village called Boscastle.

I asked my wife if she'd like to visit there, so we could have a tea or coffee overlooking the sea. She wasn't too sure but I took the turning anyway and when I got to Boscastle drove into the only car park.

As it was late September the very large car park was virtually empty, so we found a spot right in the middle. As we parked another car stopped directly behind us but three rows back. I looked in my mirror and thought the car looked familiar but thought nothing more of it.

My wife went to the back of our car to make some tea. I looked again in my mirror and remarked to my wife that the man in the car looked like Mick, a friend of some 30 years.

To cut a long story short it was our friend and his wife.

Now they live some 180 miles from where we live and they too, unbeknown to us, had also had a weekend away. They too were on their way home, some 270 miles away. We were on our way home, about 90 miles away.

The strange coincidences were that

(1) They arrived only minutes after us.
(2) They parked directly behind us, when they could have gone anywhere in the big car park. If they had of done we could have easily missed seeing them.
(3) Neither of us knew the other would be anywhere near Boscastle.
(4) As they drove into the car park Mick, and his wife Janet, were talking about coincidences.

So did one of us receive some sort of telepathic message that we should head for Boscastle? Was it purely by chance or an example of synchronicity? Who knows, but we spent a pleasant, unexpected, time together.

As I said, when writing a previous Coincidence or Synchronicity example, I'll look into some of the theories about such happenings in future posts.

Other Coincidence or Synchronicity Examples:
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 2 (About a coincidence of dates)
Coincidence or Synchronicity - Example 1 (About a question being answered)