Serendipity?

I’ve been thinking about Serendipity. More specifically, the optimum state that it operates within in an attempt to open myself to more and more of the magic.

People seem to have a strong opinion about Serendipity. They either strongly deny its plausibility - nope, never has happened, never will happen. Others may have a milder view with some experience of it. And others have witnessed the cause and effect of their actions and correlations between believing and receiving it.

I believe in it. I’ve noticed that Serendipity operates within environments without expectations. You cannot expect Serendipity, but as storytelling pioneer Lance Weiler in our conversation around What does it Mean to be an Artist? said, there are ways that you can increase your chances of experiencing it in what he called “Serendipity Management”.

21:57
Lance Weiler (Listen here)
I've become more and more fascinated with the tension that exists between kind of creating experience, figuring out how to let go of it, where to let go of it and to be okay with what's going to happen. And the results have been really kind of electric, amazing along the way.

22:59
LKS
Well, it runs parallel to life in a lot of ways. Do you feel that your work as an artist bleeds into your own philosophy and way of living? Do you feel that there's a direct correlation there?

23:13
Lance Weiler
Yeah, I mean, I definitely do. I mean, I think it, I see it reflected in my own life and I see elements of where I am trying in my own life to be more present and being present and what is it to be present. And I think a lot of what I was just describing is all about being present. It's about being able to actively listen. It's about being in the moment, it's about being okay with ambiguity. And I carry a lot of those things into my own life. I think that is something that I try to apply and, you know, how I raise my son or how I engage with the world outside of the work that I do. But also, I think that there's a really wonderful part of it in the sense of how reality is shaped and how can I move through life and be able to not solely just manifest something, but be able to be, you know, be able to be okay with wherever it is and whatever's happening and be able to navigate that. And I think in a lot of ways, my life has informed my practice, and my practice has informed my life.

I’m in the process of learning to trust in my deep-seated desires. We have them for a reason. In the depths of the struggle of my own journey, I have tried to shake my creative dreams and desires but watching Uta Hagen’s 3 hour Acting Masterclass (which I happened to discover in this down-and-out state that I had found myself in) was exactly what brought me back to myself again.

Don’t expect Serendipity. Serendipity operates in environments without expectation. However, as Lance Weiler beautifully articulates, you can facilitate the environment through Serendipity Management and open up space and time and the freedom for Serendipity to join if the moment is right.

Serendipity wants the best for you. It wants you to have it all. Our job is opening ourselves up to being able to receive it when it arrives.

There’s a good chance that everything we need is always surrounding us, it’s just our inability to see it. Acknowledging Serendipity is acknowledging things can occur with the best intentions for us - we just have to be willing and open to receiving it. As Yasmin Jones-Henry and I love to exclaim in unison when we see each other, “when you believe it, you shall receive it”.

I think when Julia Cameron talks about “Spiritual Electricity” in The Artist’s Way, she could just as well be talking about Serendipity. Recap on the Basic Principles of Spiritual Electricity here.

Be clear on your objectives. Be clear on your goals. This is your north star - not your destination. I have always wanted to act. I have been on the path of an actor. More specifically, having a leading role in a feature film. I have been operating from that space and cultivating a life that enables me to move towards this. Despite my goal seeming linear, the process has been taking me on twists and turns and, honestly, is working out better than I could have orchestrated for myself - or perhaps, by myself. My goal, that’s rooted directly in my interests, has been my guiding light that has meant that when opportunities present themselves I was able to spot them and open myself up to them.

I do wonder how many opportunities I might have missed from shriveling up and away from the moment - or just not being present. Maybe they were there all along - are there all along for all of us - but it comes down to how present we are, how open we are and whether we can recognise the value of Serendipity.

If you consistently showing up, taking action of your interests, your dreams, your yearnings, I do believe Serendipity will show up for you.

Have dreams, take action and let go of how you get there. Work on yourself, craft yourself, follow the fun.

Do I believe in Serendipity? Yes.
Do I have all the answers? No.
Am I discovering to trust Serendipity more and more? Yes.
What do you think?

May we all be open to receiving everything that is meant for us this week.

Louise