Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.
February, 2009

How much does synchronicity assist us in fulfilling our life purpose? 

Synchronicity is typically thought of as an unusual event that surprises us by answering a question, bringing someone unexpectedly into our life, or opening a new door. Sometimes we don’t always see the hand of fate at work because we might associate synchronicity with a “big” surprise or astonishing moment, or deciding something is a mistake or wrong—when it could be part of the plan.   Many people choose to see the events occurring in their life as somewhat random.  When they hear of someone else’s inspiring or helpful experience, they generally write it off as a lucky chance.  They fail to see that every thing happens for a reason, and synchronicities are a response to some unconscious need or conscious goal. 

I have come to the opinion that each of us does have a life plan, and that this path is sometimes assisted by an invisible hand, helping us, for example, to find a job, get married, or develop our gifts and passions.  Our part is to listen intuitively for the signs and signals of where we are needed next.

Intuition is the Navigator
Sherri Lee Devereau’s  life offers a good example of how following intuition and being in the right place at the right time has guided her to each new step in her life purpose.

Sherri and I talked recently during my appearance as a guest on her radio show, Opening Your Intuitive Eyes.  After the show, I wanted to know more about her, since I was tantalized by some of the things she had mentioned. 

Sherri is the author of Shadows on my Shift—Real Life Stories of a Psychic EMT, and the host of her own show. (www.IntuitiveEyes.com)  Highly intuitive, she is also a meditation teacher, qigong energy healer, and cold case psychic for law enforcement agencies across the country.

How did this path unfold?  Sherri began by saying, “Many years ago I was at a kind of low point.  I had just lost a temporary office job, and got into a car accident.  This injury took some months to heal.  During that time I was going to a chiropractor, and he suggested I get a massage as part of my treatment.  However, I couldn’t really find anyone in the area.  Since I was looking for work again, the doctor encouraged me to think about becoming a massage therapist myself.  It sounded good to me, so I went looking for a school, which I found in Milwaukee. 

What You Need is Provided
The day I called happened to be the next to last day before registration closed. The admissions office told me that I had to come up with half of the tuition money by the next day. Of course, I didn’t have that kind of money and had no idea how to get it.  That afternoon I went to the grocery store in my small town, and the lady who worked in the bank happened to be shopping there.  I said jokingly to her, ‘Hey how about giving me a loan to go to massage school?’  I was astonished when she responded by saying, ‘Come in tomorrow morning, and we’ll work out the details.’  So this is how I found myself in massage school.

However, the school was in Milwaukee, and I lived two and a half hours drive away. The first week, I was sitting in class one day, trying to figure out how I could afford to stay near the campus and not have to commute.  A former graduate from the school happened to come into the classroom to drop something off.  Since this woman was a graduate, a few of us in the class wanted to talk with her about how she was making a living doing massage.  She talked with us for awhile and then she said, ‘By the way, I’m living in Lavender House, and we have a few extra rooms.  If anyone is looking for a place to stay, let me know.’ The rent on the room was five dollars a night, and for another five dollars a day I could get all the meals and snacks I could eat—all for about $300 a month! 

Follow Your Passion
After graduating, I found I really liked doing massage.  I was always looking for places to do it. My son was a senior in high school, and sometimes he would come into my office complaining about his sore muscles after basketball practice, so I would give him a massage.  Some of his friends came in, too, so I also worked on them.  I got the idea to call their coach. I offered to volunteer my time if he would send a note to the parents to let them know about my services.  The next year, I got a call from the football coach who wanted the same deal.”

Sherri’s volunteering started to take on a life of its own.  Things began to move in a new direction.  During one of the school training sessions, some of the team members from the Green Bay Packers came to her son’s school.  One of the players saw her massaging one of the high school boys.  She remembers, “He literally tossed the boy off the table and lay down and asked if I’d work on him.  This player continued to come to my office, and later, some of his teammates began to come.”

Out of the Blue
Another big step forward happened when Sherri began to do massage therapy for major-league baseball player, Alex Rodriguez.  Around the same time, she began to volunteer with the Olympic kayak team.  She says, “Two weeks after I started volunteering with the kayak team, I got a letter in the mail from the Chinese government.  They were inviting me to participate in a six-week training in a massage technique called twaina at the Olympic Training Center in Beijing.  The letter requested me to call a number and confirm my reservation.  Well, I thought it was just another one of the marketing letters I had been receiving since finishing my national massage certification. I put it in the pile with the rest of the junk mail.

A few days later I got a call from the Chinese embassy wanting to know if I was going to  go on the trip.  I was confused about what they were offering.  I had just gotten out of school and was pretty broke.  I told them I had no money to go, but they said, ‘Don’t worry. All expenses are being paid.  All you need is a passport!’

Twenty of us had been invited.  Everyone was a massage therapist, but that was all we had in common.  So there we were in China for a month and a half, training in this technique. 

Stay the Course
On the fifth week Master Wong, a qigong master, came into the class.  He announced that he was going to teach us how to keep our energy healthy.  He offered us a choice of staying for the class or going on the shopping trip that was planned.  Wow, at the time, that was a tough choice for me!  I really wanted to go shopping before I left China.  Most of the students left to go shopping, but I thought to myself, “Well, I came here to learn. I’d better stay.  However, I secretly thought that I’d cry if the others found good shopping deals! 

Master Wong taught us a special meditation technique that day.  For some reason, he seemed to see something in me, and I was invited to stay on. This was the sixth week, and our group was going to see the terra cotta statues in Xian.  For some reason, I really didn’t want to go.  The bus broke down and it was raining.  Unexpectedly, just before leaving for Xian, my travel papers came back.  I found out that I was scheduled to stay for three more months!  The communication had never been really clear, and apparently I had agreed to do this.  It was probably good that I didn’t understand the communication because I would not have thought to stay for such a long time.

So I stayed on, and the other nineteen people left.  It was an interesting period, and I spent long hours training.  I didn’t realize it until I got back home, but I had changed a lot.  Something felt different.  For one thing, I found that I had the ability to assist people with their injuries in less than half the time, using the chi energy. 

Less than six months after returning from China, my practice expanded as I made connections to the Seattle Mariners through my work with Alex Rodriguez.   After that I went to work with major-league teams in Phoenix. Everything happened fast.  By this time I was living in Scottsdale, Arizona and making a very good living.  However, I began to realize that I was starting to get caught up in the process of making money, meeting famous people, and that whole lifestyle.  I had originally gotten into massage because I wanted to heal people, and I here I was getting caught up chasing money and prestige” 

Synchronicities Can Sometimes Appear As An Obstacle
Sherri reflects on this period. “Life begins to let you know when you are off-track.  At first I would get a few back pains from working harder than was good for me.   But that other voice (the ego) says, ‘No, just keep going.  Make money.  Meet interesting people.’  For me it happened one day when a client almost rolled off the table. I reached out to keep him from falling, and the weight of his body literally tore out my shoulder joint. Within the next five years, I had two shoulder surgeries and my shoulder still doesn’t work very well.”

Sometimes You Have To Stop To Listen
Sherri was forced to give up her massage practice, and had to decide what to do next.  “I started feeling depressed.  I decided to go back to school. Ironically, one of the required courses was writing, which I didn’t think I would ever use. However, that knowledge came in very handy later on when I wanted to write my book.  You never know what is going to turn out to be useful.

Volunteering Provides Opportunities for Connection
Sherri’s passion for volunteering surfaced again as she realized that it had always seemed to have the power to connect her to the right path before.  She says, “I wanted to see what would come up this time—almost like an adventure waiting to happen.  I started with hospice and found that I was really good in working with people n trauma, people who have a matter of weeks left to live.  This work opened a door for me to volunteer at the Phoenix Fire Department as a crisis counselor.  From there I decided to get training as an emergency medical technician.  I have to laugh because my childhood heroes were Johnny Gage and Roy De Soto who were the guys on the television show Emergency, which was about a paramedic team.  Here I was doing the same kind of thing!”

Timing is Everything
Sherri remembers the time in 1976 when it was career day at her high school.   She had told the visiting fire captain that she wanted to be on the force.  “He told me that they would never have females in the fire department.  Ironically, thirty years later, I wound up being on one of the top fire departments in the country.  When I returned to my home town, the fire department even invited me to tell them all the things I had learned.

Since then, I have written a book about my experiences on the Phoenix Fire Department’s Crisis Response Team. (Which got me the name ‘The Psychic EMT’) The book helped me get my radio show, and it’s also opened the door for getting me chosen by Sheriff Joe as his psychic on his new Cold Case Posse in Maricopa County in Arizona.  I was trained along with other volunteer investigators, was sworn in and carried a badge. It was taxing work, and I tried not to get very emotionally involved with cases.

These days I am concentrating on my radio show, and writing a couple more books on my cold case work and arson investigations.  I also teach classes on how to develop and use your intuition.  If I hadn’t listened to my intuition over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am now.  I’m glad now that I took those writing classes! You just have to stay open to what comes your way.  It’s there for a reason.”

Thank you, Sherri for sharing your ever-changing and fascinating journey!

A wonderful February to everyone, and stay in love with your life,
Carol Adrienne

Carol Adrienne, Ph.D. is an intuitive counselor and life coach who has helped thousands of people work through doubt, procrastination, and obstacles to create the life they want to live. Private consultations and coaching available. Contact her at Carol@caroladrienne.com

Please email Carol with a story or question about your own life for consideration for her monthly column.