Taoists see all natural events as mystical. In the contemporary world, however, causation explains everything, e.g., the reason to commit a crime or the effect of any action. Science, on the contrary, confirms that causation isn’t a definite state of action.

In quantum theory, a known experiment is that sometimes the window breaks before the ball is thrown, which means sometimes the final event precedes the starting event.

What is synchronity?

Synchronicity refers to the simultaneous occurrence of two or more seemingly unrelated events. For example, to see 12:12 on the clock once doesn’t mean something out of the ordinary. However, seeing it several times in a row becomes subjectively and objectively significant. For many, such an event might look unexplainable or even magical, but as a matter of fact, it is just a matter of synchronicity.

Metronome effect: spontaneous synchronization

The spontaneous synchronization of coupled non-linear oscillators was first described in 1665 by the great Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens.

Synchronicity of metronomes is a popular experiment often conducted for schoolchildren to show them how even tiny adjustments in the physics of objects can produce an overall effect.

After multiple metronomes are randomly set in motion, they eventually synchronize on the same pulse.

What gives metronomes their synchronicity? Much like metronomes, humanity finds itself moving in diverse directions.

Metronone effect experiment conducted by Ikeguchi Lab in Japan:

The video demonstrates that, over the course of a minute or two, not ten or even twenty, but thirty-two metronomes can sync up and remain that way without any intervention.

Multiple metronomes randomly set in motion eventually synchronize on the same pulse because they transfer energy to the common platform they are on. Then that energy transfers back to the metronomes—until they all sync up and start hitting the beat at one wavelength. The metronome effect provides a striking parallel to the complex tapestry of human interaction and interconnectedness.

Humanity moves in diverse directions, akin to metronomes placed on different bases. The law of absolute interdependence can unify the varied tracks of our interconnected humanity and guide us toward harmonious coexistence.

Humanity might consciously start to work as a connected human network where our well-being depends on each other.

The law of absolute interdependence stipulates that every person is interconnected with others, and each action resonates with collective consequences.

There are remarkable examples of spontaneous synchronization across populations. It’s not just mechanical phenomena like ticking metronomes.

Kuramoto model of synchronization

The Kuramoto Model is a beautiful example of a simple mathematical system that is able to capture complicated behavior in a complex system, as found by Yoshiki Kuramoto.

Well-known examples of collective synchronization in biology are those of fireflies flashing and crickets chirping in sync. Large populations of crickets or neurons manage to synchronize their behavior so that their chirps or their neural firings end up working in lock-step progression.

Collective synchronization also appears within organisms. For example, in insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas and in pacemaker cells in the heart, There are cells in the brain and spinal cord that synchronize in order to control the rhythm of breathing and running.

The most important feature the Kuramoto Model revealed is the distinct phase transition in these kinds of systems. A phase change is a relatively abrupt shift from one kind of behavior (no synchronization) to another (complete synchronization).

Scientists found the Kuramoto Model displayed a clear onset of synchronization, which is the hallmark of a phase change. As the coupling strength between a population of oscillators increases, they will make the sudden transition from chaos into chorus.

If every cricket is chirping with its own pulse—aa pulse completely random when compared with all the other crickets—tthen only a very strong coupling will lead to a beautiful synchronization of chirps. It means the crickets are really paying attention to each other. Only if all the crickets have innate chirping frequencies that are relatively close to each other can they fall into synchronization, and then they can do so even with weak coupling.

Metronomes of the organic systems

In modern times, time has become the most important factor. Our bodies possess internal timekeepers called circadian rhythms. Every day, we follow cycles of physical and mental change.

When there are geophysical errors, such as the uneven movement of the Earth in space, animals can sense them and behave accordingly, e.g., before a storm or earthquake. It appears in humans that there is a metronomic system for the temporal marking of ontogenesis.

It should be emphasized that the rhythm used by a species for the functioning of its metronome is fundamentally different from biological rhythms, sometimes used to explain the features of development or aging, because the metronomic rhythm is of exogenous rather than endogenous origin. And therefore, it is more stable, which is essential for measuring large time intervals.

The ventricular brain system is an interconnected series of cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that cushions the brain. Its sole function is to produce and secrete cerebrospinal fluid to protect and maintain the central nervous system, clearing out toxins and waste products released by nerve cells.

The ventricular brain system is an organ that was created by evolution, most likely primarily for the functioning of the metronomic system and the temporal setting of ontogenesis. Ontogenesis means a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level. It is probably the reason why the nervous system architecture is developed in embryogenesis from the neural tube, which is not only a precursor of brain regions but also of the cerebrospinal fluid circulation system, which is indispensable for the metronome function.

Metronome effect and business

The metronome effect is based on the principle that businesses need to operate like a metronome in order to scale effectively. That is, they need to have a consistent beat or rhythm that they can follow as they grow. This consistent beat enables businesses to track their progress and make necessary adjustments along the way.

Shannon Susko is the author of The Metronome Effect, a book that provides entrepreneurs with a framework for scaling their businesses.

Shannon has developed a three-part framework for implementing the metronome effect in businesses. This framework consists of setting the right tempo, maintaining consistency, and making adjustments.

The first step in implementing the Metronome Effect is to set the right tempo for your business. This tempo will be different for every business, and it will need to be adjusted over time as the business grows.

Once you’ve set the right tempo, it’s important to maintain consistency in your operations. This means having clear systems and processes in place so that everyone in your organization knows what needs to be done and when.

As your business grows, you’ll need to make adjustments to your tempo and systems.

Implementing the metronome effect can help you scale your business effectively. By setting the right tempo, maintaining consistency, and making adjustments along the way, you can ensure that your business is always moving forward.

Meditation and synchronization

When we connect to the source energy as we can do it during meditation, many great and positive things happen: clearing mental blocks, mitigating the negative effects of stress, reducing anxiety, bringing the body into a state of relaxation, slowing your heart rate, stimulating your immune system, and so on.

Heart-brain synchronization is the integration of mind, body, and spirit. It occurs when the electrical activity of the heart and brain is synchronized. In recent years, there has been numerous studies of the effects of meditation on heart-brain synchronization with respect to mental and emotional health and well-being in order to explore the rhythmic synchronicity between the brain and the heart.

Vast evidence suggests that heart-brain synchronization facilitates mental and emotional connections, and meditation has the potential to regulate the fluctuation of the mind. Regular meditation practice may result in physiological synchrony between cardiac and neural behavior, which can be considered a quality index for meditation practice.

Meditation helps to improve quality of life and is considered an alternative and complementary treatment for different illnesses and disorders. Many studies revealed positive effects of meditation on encountering disorders such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Meditation practice may have a significant effect on the autonomic nervous system.

Synchronicity since ancient times

Coincidence, in Chinese (yuan-fen 缘分), means intersection of fate and destiny, which sees fate and destiny on separate paths.

Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi (Chin. 庄子), 369–286 BC, posits that the structure of the cosmos resembles woven fabric with people, time, places, things, and events running along the threads of the warp and woof and personal meaning at the cross points.

Chinese believe that destiny is imprinted at birth in the human soul (Chin. de德), while fate directs external forces that can influence the life path in order to achieve destiny.

The Chinese idiom you yuan wu fen (有緣無份), which means “destined to meet but not fated to be together," implies fate without destiny, a brief convergence when fate and destiny might diverge again later.

The Book of Changes (chin. 易經 yijing) is the ancient Chinese divination method using the law of synchronicity and the unconscious as a tool for interpreting reality. It means synchronicity connects two seemingly unrelated simultaneous events through their meaning. To have synchronicity, the connection must not be explicable as cause and effect.

There are three kinds of synchronicity:

  • The first is a coincidence between a thought or feeling and an external event.
  • The second is a dream or vision linked to or coinciding with an external event that was not observable.
  • The third is a dream or vision about a future event that actually happens.

Going along the synchronistic path can further align us with universal energy, transforming our lives in ways we can’t yet comprehend.

The universe

Everything in Tao exists in a synchronistic relationship. Tao transmits the breath of life that powers the universe. It is considered that the Tao surrounds the universe and transmits different patterns of energy into the universe. The macrocosm communicates with the microcosm, and different patterns might affect and reorder seemingly unrelated events in the outer world.

Imagine that destiny has a variety of patterns (chin. 理 li) that can create shapes and behaviors, like a genetic repository or the universe's DNA. When expressed in living matter, the universe’s DNA manifests as organic DNA. Therefore, implementation of the Book of Changes about a thing can be like searching individual DNA in order to discover the segment of genetics currently running.

Taoism believes that the visible universe (Chin. 太極 or taiji) is a manifestation of the cosmic mother (Chin. 無極 wuji) and is destined to return to nothingness (Chin. 無 wu).

The universe’s DNA does not absolutely determine the future because patterns from the cosmic mother can change the current order and introduce overwhelming forces that usurp destinies.

Each thing in the universe is in a state of inaction (Chin. 无为 wu wei), which means harmony with the patterns, or do nothing and let things take their own course.

Repeating patterns

Everything in an acausal reality is synchronistic because no true causal link exists between events. Instead, events unfold as patterns. Even physical laws manifest as repeating patterns.

Proficient people in wu-wei, guided by Tao and acting without conscious intention, attain a patterned harmony with Tao, e.g., archers who perform the “shooting in which you do not shoot” can hit a target repeatedly and effortlessly, like the action of a physical law.

Qi (Chin. 氣) energy is the basic constituent of all matter and transmits the vibrations of correlative resonance from the cosmic mother.

Qi waves can preserve the past and generate the future. Qi with emotive essences is like a pheromone, going from person to person and exciting the same emotion in each person. People respond to Qi empathically. Coincidences separated by time can form predictive patterns over time. Of the simplest, acausal phenomena may present two ends: the present and the future.