Deja Vu: January 30th, 2009

Deja Vu. This is an extremely interesting concept. Simply stated, it means 'already seen'. Now there are many things that could fall under this particular category, things that you have already noticed, perhaps a movie you have watched before or a good book you decided to re-read. Though, the term Deja Vu does not apply to these instances. Even if you do watch a movie that you have 'already seen' doesn't mean that it will be the same. Think about it, you may notice something completely different about the cinematography, or you might even blink during a different part and miss something vital. Deja Vu has a much deeper meaning that the subtle translation lacks, and even more so for a person like myself.

I have had hundreds of personal experiences with Deja Vu. I do not claim to be some sort of guru or prophet as exemplified by some of the characters within our texts, though I do leave the door open to the possibility of the unknown. For me, it can be something simple:

A woman in a red dress slinks down the granite steps. "Didn't I see her do the same thing last week?", I ask myself. No, I did not actually see her, rather it was the feelings that she projected that caused my mind to reference the situation as if it were a faint memory. If it were a heavy-set man in black would my mind react the same? I would guess not.

It can also be more complex: I find myself sitting in my best friend Ben's black Jeep in the parking lot of our town social club, called the Woodlands. This is a place I find familiar, I spend much of my time, home, in Maine, sitting in this exact spot. Then it hits me, something extremely noticeable. Not a physical reaction to my surroundings, but a feeling or weight, that is better described as an alternate viewing experience through saran wrapped covered eyes.

This feeling triggers my mind to react instantly, a reaction that leaves only one conclusion: I have lived this before. Just then, as if my mind had casually mapped it out, Mr. X, the well-known trial lawyer exits the tennis bubble. 'Huh?', I think, I KNEW that was going to happen, odd. Just then I imagine a situation that he drops something, as I glance over and watch him retrieve his car keys off the damp blacktop. 'uh, this is too real' my inner thought quips, as I go on to guess correctly the color of his fine German sedan.

'How did I know this was going to happen this way?', is the only question I find appropriate at this moment. Only in slight variation to this question comes the next, "Did I know this was going to happen this way, or should I attribute this to the phenomenon of Deja Vu??