One in 5 Trillion (Your Afterlife Connections May Vary)

One night, I followed self-mediumship instructions from Suzanne Giesemann’s YouTube site. I first asked for a name and, after quieting my mind, received “TICONDEROGA.” Surprised, I tried again and got “ETHAN ALLEN.” I Googled it and learned that Ethan Allen had captured Fort Ticonderoga during the Revolution—strange coincidence, but I continued.

I then watched some videos on Near Death and Afterlife experiences and asked for the name of my Guardian Angel, which I wasn’t sure I believed in. I got “ALPHONSE.” Later, I resumed listening to two audiobooks: Vineland by Thomas Pynchon and a biography of actress Clara Bow by David Stenn.

In Vineland, a character watches a biographical movie about Clara Bow—Pynchon’s invention. Then, in Stenn’s biography, Clara’s new husband cuts their honeymoon short for a role in Lightnin’, a film my mother had appeared in. To my surprise, I found that Lightnin’ also featured an actor named ALPHONSE, who had starred in two films with Clara Bow. The name was uncommon, even in 1930.

All of this happened in about an hour. I later asked ChatGPT about the odds, and it estimated the chance of these events happening simultaneously at 1 in 5 trillion.

These coincidences felt like something deeper at work. It reminded me of C.G. Jung’s words:

“The unexpected and the incredible belong in this world. Only then is life whole.”