Need help defining a psychological phenomenon

[Xanadu]

I know there's a term for this, but I can't recall it.

This phenomenon occurs when you are suddenly aware of certain events.  For example, when you're going through a divorce it suddenly seems like every movie you watch deals with a divorce.  Or when you buy a Nissan and all of a sudden it seems like everyone is driving a Nissan.  I know it's got a specific term associated with it, but I can't recall what it is.  The word I'm looking for is not "coincidence", either.

Anyone?

[SWM]

c g jung used the term synchronicity although it has a different connotation in common usage now. is that what you mean?

[Xanadu]

I've seen "synchronicity" before, but it's not the term I'm thinking of.  what I'm thinking of is a multi-word phrase, like "cognitive dissonance", but it's not cognitive dissonance (obviously). 

[Enigma]

cognitive bias

[gone]

I don't think conformation bias is the correct term. But I'm interested to know what it is because I need it to describe something. It's a really strange phenomena (of the mind) and I'm interested to explore it further. For example this last year I have been studying egyptian mythology, which has led to further research down different avenues, yesterday came upon the Renaissance which I thought worthy of further investigation, today I happen to pass a childrens sections of books and on the shelf, put there by mistake was a travel book about Florence. I stopped and opened it and it begins with the beginnings of the renaissance, contains art, architecture, history, politics and even a map.. I bought it and two minutes later I noticed a green man in the architecture of a building outside (this a pagan symbol - man with foliage around his head - thought to derive from Osiris of ancient Egypt), so I am aware I am observing related things more, but it does sometimes seem strange.. like the book, it shouldn't have been there, and I shouldn't have been there either. So there is also an feeling of 'coincidence' involved (it's not just filtering as in conformation bias).. I also observed a second hand watch, I am not only observing 'symbols' and filtering other things out.. But the process is a very odd one that I don't quite understand.
Maybe everything is related and therefore it's not difficult to make unconscious associations, or something like that, but WHY? is the question, what purpose does this neurological processing serve?
I've just wrote all that and realised the term was cognitive bias and not conformation bias, ups!

[SWM]

selective attention?

[gone]

selective attention, hmm I don't know and these terms presented don't 'feel' right.. I'll know it when I see it. I forgot to mention the significance of the Florance guide.

From my studies I have come to wonder why churches are pagan in architecture & in worsip & in the stories (in the UK & europe & russian at least - not sure about the US although I know some have corn in their architecutre symbolic of the Mayan).. Anyway I can't understand why churches built inc those built 14th century onwards include pagan architecture/symbols. It doesn't make sense with the official history we are taught. When I read some scholars believe the official history was concieved in the renaissance 14th - 17th century I thought I'd take a look at this period in time. The day after the bFlorence book on a kids shelf stuck out like a sore thumb, I was drawn to pick it up, I did't even know Florence had anything to do with the renainnance, but as I know now the renaissance began there!!..So it was a bit of a coincidence that the book was on a kids shelf I just happen to be passing, I was drawn to it and it and on opening it, it was about the renainnsance, with illustrations of renaissance art - which can be deciphered in symbology.

WHAT WAS EVEN MORE AMAZING is that I flicked a page and read
"Savonarola, a firebrand preacher, stepped into the vacuum, and convinced his fellow Florentines that the city was being punished by God for it's profane art and pagan philosophies"...

So paganism was very much alive during 14th century+
A few images of Boticelli's work are in the book, a small section of Primavera, I recognsied this immediately as I use to have it on my wall many years ago. It's a beautiful painting, little did I know it's a pagan painting. Boticelli, later fell under the spell of Savonarola, his later works became that to reflect Savonarola's fundamentalist preachings.

So from that book I have learned lots. The places of worship built around this time, were they built christian or pagan? Is christianity covert pagan worship? did christians take over the pagan places of worship or have pagans taken over christian places of worship??

I still don't know why churches are pagan but an interesting theory is: the Knights Templar became the Illuminati & now the Masons (who are pagan - having most of their symbology in ancient egypt - this is observable not a theory) who instead of attacking their enemy the church have joined and infiltrated it, which would explain why there is so much paganism in the church.
But largely it still remains a mystery.. But, (as above with the Florence book) I keep coming upon 'coincidental' information that (as all roads lead to Rome) all my reasearch leads to worship of the sun. Be it in ancient egypt (osiris or horus) in christianity (jesus being a sun god) or the Masons and (illuminati - enlighted by the sun)..
I really want to wrap this up and walk away as I don't think there are answers I will ever know but it's difficult when things just present themselves to me on shelfs like above...

Anyone with any answers that don't involve the devil, satan or aliens.. I am rational.. still, just about.. Please share with me.

[gone]

I'm just adding this to conclude and answer my own question above. As today I believe I've come as close to an answer as I'll ever get.
So it's observable that Christianity paralles Paganism and I didn't know why. The offical history that christians adopted pagan symbols/holidays/seremonies etc to make the religion more acceptable to and to convert pagans. This didn't make sense as churches built during the renaissance (14-17th century) were built to include pagan symbology etc.. as I've described above.

Today I came across the text below and I think Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is the answer to my question of why is christanity pagan.

"Pico spent several months in Perugia and nearby Fratta, recovering from his injuries. It was there, as he wrote to Ficino, that "divine Providence […] caused certain books to fall into my hands. They are Chaldean books […] of Esdras, of Zoroaster and of Melchior, oracles of the magi, which contain a brief and dry interpretation of Chaldean philosophy, but full of mystery."[8] It was also in Perugia that Pico was introduced to the mystical Hebrew Kabbalah, which fascinated him, as did the late Classical Hermetic writers, such as Hermes Trismegistus. The Kabbalah and the Hermetica were thought in Pico's time to be as ancient as the Old Testament, and for that reason, he accorded them an almost scriptural status. It was always Pico's intention to walk completely around a topic and look at it from many possible angles, in order to derive the truest possible vision of the thing itself. Syncretism, for Pico, was seeing the same absolute from many different points of view, a Scholastic approach with a strong modern resonance."

His believe and attempt at Syncretism is why.

(Interestingly enough he also mentions books presenting themselves to him (as I did above with the Florance book) also interestingly his happening upon Esdras, of Zoroaster and of Melchior and had an interest in Egyptian and Chaldean texts. These are all the avenues I too have explored & discovered Mithra (born 25th december, Sol invictus - born 25th december - Horus - born 25th december.. (The Magi - in christianity the 3 kings are presented in Zoroaster religion and others that pre-date christianity.. The 3 kings I believe along with all other myths are astrological... The 3 kings are a star constellation (not people but myths personified). The 3 kings are example of stella myths, and the Osiris, Horus, Mithra, Sol Invictus, Attis, Dynosis, Jesus etc are Solar myths... They are as Pic discovered have the one common god and that is what he tried to unite in his syncretism.

syncretism uniting all the religions into one

About pico: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pico_della_Mirandola