Embracing Synchronicity | Healing Through Humility

A Series of Synchronicities

Two mornings ago, I woke up to a series of synchronicities—those moments when the universe aligns so perfectly, it’s impossible to ignore the sense that something greater is at play. At first glance, these events may seem random, disconnected, or even coincidental. But I’ve learned to trust that beneath the surface, there’s a deeper flow guiding us. For me, this guiding force is God, expressing itself through the intricate web of connections that bind all things together, even time itself.

The Counter Complex and a Message of Healing

In a men’s group I’m part of, called the Counter Complex, upon waking, one post immediately resonated with me. The words spoke directly to my soul, and I knew I had to write this blog to honor how it inspired me:

"Well, my thought bled on to theirs: a feminine, soft energy with a woman or mother, and a rough, hard energy with a man or father. We have these children who inherit these qualities. The child is the peace in the middle of them, but this dynamic can be applied to anything you look at." — Community Chat

These words reminded me of a verse from Matthew 18:14: "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." This verse was especially meaningful because of the synchronicities.

There is something sacred about the simplicity of a child’s trust, a reminder that the journey to healing and transformation often starts with embracing the simple, profound connections we share with each other.

To heal from the inflated or deflated ego, shaped by Malignant Complexes, we must surrender to something greater than ourselves. Healing occurs when we humble ourselves, release our defenses, and recognize our interconnectedness with everything.

Understanding Malignant Complexes

Malignant Complexes are ingrained patterns formed as a defense against trauma from developmental wounds. They trap us in limiting cycles of thought and emotion, draining our energy and keeping us disconnected from others. These Malignant Complexes use ego inflation and deflation to keep us stuck in maladaptive behaviors.

• Ego Inflation: When the ego inflates, we feel superior and detached, as though we are above life's struggles.

• Ego Deflation: When the ego deflates, we feel inferior and overwhelmed.

Both states disconnect us from our shared human experience, leading to arrogance, isolation, and avoidance of the painful emotions necessary for healing. The Malignant Complex strengthens these distortions by reinforcing rigid, self-protective narratives, either elevating or diminishing us—or sometimes both. This keeps us locked in patterns of denial or self-sabotage, preventing us from confronting our true needs, which we perceive as flaws deserving of guilt and shame.

The Need for Humility

Ego inflation makes us feel "lifted," detached from reality, while ego deflation makes us feel "crushed" or "weighed down," disconnected from our worth. Both states are forms of hubris, preventing us from fully engaging with life and embracing the interconnectedness of God’s love that would sustain us. When grounded in the truth of our interconnectedness, through Christ, we can see the divine light in all things.

The Tower of Babel: A Warning Against Pride

The night before, I reflected on a series of dreams I had, all sharing a common theme: something heavy, something that my ego perceived as ominous, was trying to fall on me from the starless night sky. That same night, one of the group’s members shared a series of dreams with a recurring theme: skyscrapers, a child, a lack of vision in seeing the ground, and the fear of falling. I could feel the weight of his unspoken fears, and while I kept my own counsel, I now will communicate the message:  A falling needs to happen.

The answer to falling isn't about being perfect, brilliant, or invincible. It's about stepping away from the rigid, man-made skyscrapers we've built, driven by the pride of our Malignant Complex's inflation. These complexes feed our sense of superiority, detaching us from the reality of our shared human experience and from God's guidance. The Tower is not just a symbol of prideful elevation but also of the defenses we seek to erect.

"Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens... so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered." —Genesis 11:4-8

The dangers of both types of pride are reflected in the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. Humanity’s attempt to build a tower to the heavens, driven by the desire to make a name for themselves and escape God's plan to be fruitful and multiply, is ultimately thwarted. In Genesis 11:4-8, the people declare, "Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens... so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered." But God, seeing their prideful ambition, confuses their language and scatters them.

This illustrates the futility of trying to exalt ourselves apart from divine will. The Tower represents both the human tendency to rise in pride and the desire to protect ourselves by building defenses. Whether we’re inflating our egos to reach the heavens or erecting structures to shield ourselves from humility, we ultimately ignore the divine plan for connection and harmony.

The story of Babel serves as a powerful reminder: in our attempts to create towering structures for pride or defense, we lose sight of the simple, interconnected life God desires for us—a life of growth, creation, and harmony.

Deflation and the Invitation to Humility

Deflation is another form of disconnect created by the Malignant Complex, trapping us in vanity disguised as self-pity. The answer to pain isn’t about reaching a breaking point where we refuse to endure anymore; it’s realizing that God has more to offer us than just suffering. His grace and healing invite us into a deeper connection with Him and others. Philippians 2:3 reminds us: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." This passage reveals how deflated self-pity is rooted in selfishness. True humility shifts our focus from our perceived inadequacies to God's greater purpose—being stronger so we can lift others up.

Child-Like Ebb and Flow

How do we protect against inflation and deflation? The answer lies in learning to dream, by embracing the natural ebb and flow of life’s struggles, while holding a bright vision for the future. Children do this effortlessly. Their lives are defined by a constant state of imagination, deeply connected to the subconscious, existing in that magical space between wakeful excitement and sleepy daydreaming.

Entering the Kingdom of Healing

To enter the kingdom of healing and integrate the mysteries of our lives, we must first address the conflicting forces within our minds. These inner contradictions often pull us in opposing directions, creating chaos and hindering our growth. To quiet these forces, we are called to return to a childlike state—a place of openness, vulnerability, and wonder. This isn’t about regressing to immaturity, but rather embracing a natural state where we are more receptive to God’s voice.

Accessing Healing States

Achieving this requires us to intentionally enter self-hypnotic states—calm, relaxed mental states where we can connect with the deeper wisdom embedded in our subconscious. Children naturally experience these altered states when they are absorbed in play, tapping into an intuitive flow. By learning to access such states of consciousness, we can reawaken that childlike connection with the divine.

Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic States: Healing Through Subconscious Clarity

As adults, we may have lost touch with the childlike connection to the divine, but we still experience profound moments of imagination twice a day. These moments occur in the transitional states between sleep and wakefulness: the hypnagogic state just before we fall asleep, and the hypnopompic state just after we wake up. Both states provide fertile ground for healing and self-discovery.

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." —Hebrews 12:14

Marked by theta brainwaves, these states serve as a gateway to experiencing paradoxes as unified wholes rather than fragmented opposites. The theta brainwave reflects the holiness described in the Bible. Just as the mother and father energies are opposites yet interdependent, we, too, can begin to recognize how opposing forces within ourselves can coexist in harmony. As Hebrews 12:14 reminds us, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

The Healing Dance of Opposites: Mother and Father Archetypes

In understanding the dynamic of the mother and father, we begin to see how their opposing energies—nurturance versus structure—play an symbolic role in our healing journey.

• The Mother: Nurturing, emotional, and attachment-focused. She offers warmth and safety but can sometimes become too enmeshed with the child, leading to challenges with independence.

• The Father: Provides structure, boundaries, and a sense of autonomy. His focus on discipline and independence is vital for growth, but it can sometimes feel emotionally distant, cold, and rigid.

The tension between the nurturing of the mother and the structure of the father fosters growth as we integrate both energies to reclaim our authenticity and agency.

The child symbolizes the second birth, where we transcend Malignant Complexes and are reborn in a spiritual body capable of holding and channeling more love. In this new spiritual form, we trust our emotions and instincts while confidently engaging with the world, grounded in humility for healing and growth. By embracing this dance of opposites, we confront deeper layers of transformation.

Integration and Growth: Dreaming of a New Baby

Yesterday, I had another powerful dream: I was caring for a new baby while a heavy wooden barrel, filled with varnish for wood, fell on me. Just as it hit me, I felt a jolt as my wife, who was still dreaming, struck me on the head with the palm of her hand, saying, “Jeg vil have en ny kjole!” translated means, “I want a new dress!”

Whether our Malignant Complexes lead to inflation or deflation, the key to healing is to ground ourselves in relation to them. This is the essence of "The Dance of Opposites." We must either fall back to earth and experience the humility that connects us all or allow the weight of others' gold to challenge our mental stubbornness.

Humility: The Grounding Force

Transformation begins when we stop resisting, whether inflated or deflated. Instead of falling, we should leap. Similarly, we must not resist what is above us, but humbly embrace the gift beyond our personal hubris.

The word "humility" comes from the Latin root humus, meaning "earth" or "ground." It is deeply rooted in the idea of being "grounded" or "low"—not in self-degradation or exalted fantasy, but in the recognition that, like the earth, we are interconnected with all that exists.

The Interconnectedness of Healing

Inflation often leads us to become detached from reality, placing ourselves on a pedestal of self-importance. Humility calls us to come down from these inflated heights and reconnect with our true nature, recognizing that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. It is a willingness to step down from prideful peaks and align with the steady, patient rhythm of the earth below, our feet firmly standing, finding balance in the interconnectedness of all things.

Deflation, on the other hand, can trap us in a place of self-doubt and despair, disconnecting us from our inherent worth. Humility, in this sense, invites us to ground ourselves—understanding that we are not defined by our perceived shortcomings or failures. It encourages us to appreciate both the divine wisdom found in those around us and our own potential. In this soil, we create space for transformation and true healing, embracing our authentic selves while making an environment for growth and connection.

The Dance of Opposites: Transforming Through Connection

This work is difficult, but it’s also essential. And much like an ideal childhood, where the child learns to connect with both the mother’s warmth and the father’s strength, we, too, can begin to heal through connection—by opening our hearts to God, to one another, especially between the older and younger men in our communities.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” — Joel 2:28

Perhaps the Dance of Opposites is that the old men dream of what was, grounding the young men's power to prevent their visions from becoming mere fantasies, self-delusion, or tyrannical.

Perhaps the young men, full of spirit and fresh vision, enliven the slow-moving, dry, and dusty souls of the older men, weighed down by decades of accumulated pain and regret, reminding the elders of the fire they once carried.

For me, the descending star evokes visions I once had, stirring the stagnant waters within. It repurposes my abandoned dreams, infusing them with new energy to fuel the visions that can still be realized.

About the Author

Michael C Walker, a chaplain at Jaguar Marigold Chapel, combines Christian Mysticism, Depth Psychology, Affective Neuroscience, Classical Studies, and Dream Mapping to delve into the human psyche. With 20+ years of experience, he pioneers the fusion of spiritual wisdom and scientific exploration. His innovative approach to Complex Trauma (C-PTSD) provides insights for Self-Analysis, divine purpose, and authenticity.