The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence

By Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, $25)

You're looking at an old photo of your college roommate. Suddenly, the phone rings, and it's her on the line. Coincidence or miracle? Chopra would argue the latter. He says it's an example of the interconnectedness of everything on earth—not merely the physical but also the spiritual and ethereal. According to Chopra, your thoughts, intentions, and desires determine what happens to you and in your environment in a process he calls “synchrodestiny.” (He's taught courses on this for about ten years.) It's heady stuff, especially in the opening chapters when he calls upon everything from quantum physics to psychology and the Indian tradition of Vedanta to prove his point. Later chapters present exercises to help you achieve synchrodestiny, through meditation and behavior. You might not “get it” the first time, but the book virtually pries open your mind and forces you to accept and adapt these concepts. Stay with it and miracles just might happen.

—Leslie Gilbert Elman