Me about to participate in a sweat lodge ceremony in Mexico

Me about to participate in a sweat lodge ceremony in Mexico, summer of 2001

I meant to share this earlier when it happened in May, but better late than never, right?

I’ve  just recently decided that I want to share little moments like this with you more often: synchronicities, lucid dream experiences, manifestations, dreams that come true, etc. These are important, because they are all part of the journey towards living a fully authentic life in your purpose.

So this past May, I decided that I was finally ready to commit to six weeks of acupuncture.  I was serious, so I decided I wanted to work with Dr. Burgoon–he’s an acupuncturist who also has a background as a medical doctor.  I met him as an undergraduate at West Chester University, where I took a course with him on Traditional Chinese Medicine  in the summer of 2001.

Shortly after finishing that class (within a month or two that summer), I took my last class at West Chester University. This course was an exploration in the study of Mexican history and culture. I never had the guts to do a study abroad program when I was in college, so finishing up with a one week course in Mexico seemed like a good compromise. The trip to Mexico was lead by several people and was meant to educate us students in the healthcare, education, and history of Mexico, so we can better serve local Mexican immigrants. One of the trip leaders was current Senator Andy Dinniman.

One day at an acupuncture visit with Dr. Burgoon this past summer, I saw this little booklet pictured below at the front desk:

Acupuncturist and Senator

If you look closely at the booklet, it says “Medication Passport of Thomas S. Burgoon, MD” and at the very bottom, it says “Compliments of Senator Andy Dinniman.”

Keep in mind that my Traditional Chinese Medicine class with Dr. Burgoon was in no obvious way related to my Mexican History class with Andy Dinniman.

What could this mean if anything?

Well, the summer of 2001 was a very spiritual time in my life. It was a time of transition from college and getting my first clinical job as a therapist “in the field.”

Finishing up with school made me eager to focus on other things I hadn’t had time for before. I wanted to explore my spiritual path and learn traditional healing methods. This desire is what lead to me to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. And while I was in Mexico, my focus there was on studying curanderismo (traditional Mexican shamanic healing).

Table of botanical medicines prepared by a curandero in Mexico

Table of botanical medicines prepared by a curandero in Mexico

I feel a similar return to spirituality at this time. This summer, I made the decision to commit to six weeks of acupuncture  to cope better with stress (which helped me tremendously, by the way).

I also found myself returning to the model of the curandera in thinking about how I relate to and serve my clients. What I do may look different on the outside, but I feel the identity of the traditional healer/shaman very powerfully on the inside.

It is a time to stand up and implement everything that I’ve learned while embracing these healing arts again, realizing that the learning never really ends. This is a time that moves in cycles.

I see this little synchronicity as the Universe winking at me, showing me how this time is linked to a previous time and how these experiences are all connected. Synchronicities allow us to see the bigger picture, and sometimes they show us we are on the right path.

Have you had a synchronicity reflect back at you your own journey and show you that you are on the right path?

Leave a comment if you have a similar synchronicity experience to share. I love hearing these!