Living the Charmed Life

The Day My Dog Walked Me

2010-11-24T04:52:00.000-08:00

It’s day three of my ten-week experiment to wear a charm bracelet as a way to trigger synchronicity in my life. I believe that the underlying dynamic is beyond my perception, and that the collective unconscious might move in surprising ways, but this is what makes it all so interesting!

Every day I wear my eleven-charm bracelet with a focus on one charm per week. I brainstorm some of the goals and desires that might be represented by the specific charm and I record them in a journal. While I wear the bracelet, I am aware of the themes in play, but otherwise I let go of control and stay open to whatever might come my way.

I used a random process to choose the first charm and that charm was the dog. Then, I entered a state of reverie while letting my mind wander over all the possible goals and desires that might be related to the dog charm. The following came to me:

Wouldn’t it be great if… I became more physically active – running, walking, playing around outside – just like my dog Henry!

I would be so happy if… I planned less and lived a lot more spontaneously.

I know it seems impossible, but I would love it if… I could attend the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate on April 29

Given the way I structured the start-up sentences, it was likely that at least one “impossible dream” might pop into the mix, but I surprised even myself with what came up. It seems I got to the royal wedding by thinking about different kinds of dogs, including Corgis and then… poof, there it was! I was about to edit the “royal wedding” out of the list and I stopped myself: A playful dog would not sit in judgment, so why should I? So, thanking my dog charm for this lesson, I let all the wishes stay in exactly the form in which they came to me.

Yesterday was a typical mid-November day in Toronto – cold and blustery. I was meeting a consulting colleague in midtown for a 1:00 lunch and planning session, after which we were carrying on to make a very important presentation. Normally, I would drive from my home office, (cursing the construction and the traffic), but one look at the dog charm made me choose walking instead. I changed from high heels to flat boots and switched the briefcase for a knapsack, and off I went.

University of Toronto circa 1857
Sir Edmund Walker
www.fineart.utoronto.ca

The walk was fantastic – down Avenue Road, past the Royal Ontario Museum, through the University of Toronto campus, around Queen’s Park and down Toronto’s most impressive boulevard, University Avenue. Did you know the marble elephants that sit in front of the ROM are over 300 years old? I learned that because you can read plaques by the sidewalk as you stroll along. Finding myself in the midst of all the students as they buzzed between classes, took me back to my university days for a few happy minutes. I circumnavigated the bulky red buildings that comprise our provincial legislature at Queen’s Park and learned from a plaque that the first University of Toronto buildings were erected on that site in 1827.

I arrived at my meeting in a state of invigoration and clarity. Everything went extremely well and when it was all done, I strolled back home through the same streets at dusk. The walk enlivened me physically and mentally, while it boosted my spirits immeasurably. Thanks dog charm!

The Dog Days of Charm Number One

2010-11-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

I have embarked on an experiment using a charm bracelet to open my life up to the art of possibility. The idea is built on the theories of Carl Jung who believed that an organizing principle called the collective unconscious sits beyond our perception but works in meaningful ways directed at least in part by our collective thoughts and desires. Put an intention forward and the collective unconscious will work on it with you and provide support in unexpected ways. Have you ever been chewing on a tough problem, only to encounter someone who offers some piercingly sharp insights? Many people have written about their experience with this phenomenon. I like the way the Scottish explorer W.H. Murray put it when he said:

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise not have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would come his way.”

Here’s my simple experiment: Wear my old charm bracelet with its eleven charms. Focus on one charm per week. Brainstorm some of the goals and dreams and wishes that might be associated with that charm, and record them in a journal. Then, while wearing the charm bracelet, I will stay open to whatever comes my way. Letting go of my natural inclination to control things, I’ll trust the charms and the unseen patterns of the universe, and I will be open to what happens. Here goes!

I close my eyes and hold my charm bracelet in the palm of my left hand. I poke my right index finger down and open my eyes to see that the finger has connected with the dog charm. This is where the journey will begin!

The first thing I have to do is brainstorm what this charm might mean or inspire. I focus on the charm as I think about three simple phrases:

Wouldn’t it be great if…

I would be so happy if…

I know it seems impossible, but I would love it if…

After a few minutes of reverie, ideas form and I write them down without editing or judging what comes:

My dog Henry

Wouldn’t it be great if… I became more physically active – running, walking, playing around outside – just like my dog Henry!

I would be so happy if… I planned less and lived a lot more spontaneously.

I know it seems impossible, but I would love it if… I could attend the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate on April 29.

Huh? I really get where the first two came from but what about that last thing? During the brainstorming process, I started picturing all sorts of dogs and then Corgis (the royal dogs of choice) and then I recalled that the wedding date was announced in the news this morning… Well – the last of the three questions is supposed to seem impossible, so let’s leave it out there and see what happens!

Photo by esther1616 on flickr

Welcome to "Living the Charmed Life"

2010-11-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was playing with the question of what we can and can't control in our lives. I wondered if the parts that feel random actually have an underlying pattern that is very real, but beyond our perception. Have you ever noticed that the most useful information, people and resources have a way of finding you just when you need them the most? Have you ever been wrestling with a tough problem, only to walk by a magazine stand to see a headline with some very relevant insights?

In the process of exploring these questions, I came across the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung. He was the first person to talk about the phenomenon of meaningful coincidence, which he labelled 'synchronicity.' Jung believed there was an organizing dynamic to our universe, which he called our 'collective unconscious.' He felt that the energy of this collective unconscious was always at work, causing reality to emerge in patterns that have more meaning than we realize. Jung's theories fit my experiences perfectly.

Then I thought, "Is there a way to tap into this organizing dynamic? Can I combine the focus of intention with the power of synchronicity?"

And then, the image of a charm bracelet popped into my head.

At first I wasn't sure what to do with this idea. Then it came to me, "What if I wear a charm bracelet, and allow each charm to represent a goal or idea or challenge? I will focus on one charm and its related goal every week, and while that charm is in play, I will be open to anything and everything that comes my way. Through my focus, I will engage the energy of the collective unconscious - some people might call it the power of attraction - and in so doing I may help to trigger the power of synchronicity. It could be the best of planning and possibility rolled into one."

I pulled out my old charm bracelet. It has eleven vintage charms - a yellow shoe, a suitcase that opens and closes, a typewriter, a little cottage, a lion, a purse with a working clasp, a teacup, a lantern, a heart-shaped locket, a tiny bust of Shakespeare and a dog.

I devised a simple process to help me brainstorm the various themes related to each charm and I created this blog to record the things that happen along the way.

This morning, I donned the bracelet and now I am living the charmed life.