The Universe is always sending us signs, it’s just that we aren’t always aware of them. These can come through numbers, songs, chance encounters and experiences. There are so many ways that the Universe can talk to us.
The world, in this case I am referring to the matrix or maya, is also sending us messages. It’s just that these messages are often easier to absorb. Every day we have to make a conscious choice as to what we are paying attention to, in order to stay aligned with our spirit.
It is one thing to know that the Universe sends you messages and another to actually pick up them consistently.
In this post I want to explore how you can recognize signs from the Universe, versus messages from the ego, anxiety, fear etc.
How the Universe sends us signs
The key aim of this post is to teach you how to recognize signs. What I mean by this, is to be able to take an experience an determine whether or not the Universe was sending you a sign or if you were picking up on something else.
I talk about this a lot because on the spiritual path we are consistently strengthening this relationship we have with the Universe, with something bigger. As with any relationship, there will be a specific shared language.
In this case, the Universe primarily talks to us through symbol, sign, metaphor etc. Therefore we often have to do some decoding, to make sure we are translating correctly.
Ways the Universe sends us messages:
- Words and numbers
- Music
- Chance encounters & people
- Dreams
- Intuitive hunches
- Obstacles & delays
Knowing that all of these things can be a sign is quite overwhelming. Almost anything can be a sign…but not everything is a sign.
When we are communicating with a human, we know they are telling us something through what we can hear or see (primarily). However, when we are communicating with the Universe, it is about how we feel.
The energy and emotions we have surrounding an experience, will give us insight into whether something was a sign or not.
Further Reading: What is synchronicity?
How to recognize signs & synchronicities
Now I want to go over some common ways that signs show up.
You ‘just know ‘
This is such a difficult sensation to put into words, but one of the clearest ways you can identify a sign from the divine is that you just know. In spite of the desire to brush things off, overanalyze, or intellectualize experiences, you just know that something was a message. This is your intuition coming through crystal clear.
No one can tell you directly what this knowing is going to feel like for you. We all perceive and take in information differently, and so that intuitive nudge is going to feel different too.
But as a rule of thumb, if something persists as a strong feeling without needing to analyze it or after a ton of analysis, if it remains strong in the mind, it is most likely a sign.
You keep seeing it
Frequency is also a good indicator of a sign. If we receive a sign multiple times regardless of our environment, emotional state or physical focus, then it’s likely from the Universe.
Intuitive insights often start out small and quiet. This isn’t because the Universe is trying to hide anything from or confuse us, but because it sends messages based on our faith level.
If we received strong intuitive impulses everyday, we likely wouldn’t get anything done! They would be too unsettling and cause too much disorientation.
Intuitive insights get louder and louder until we pick up on them. In some rare cases, the Universe will send us a sign when we aren’t fully ready for it but are capable of taking a leap of faith.
You feel energized
The final way you can identify a sign is that it energizes you! Signs from the Universe are very intentional; they have been crafted for a specific purpose – and so they come with a very distinctive energy.
Signs are meant to move you whole-heartedly in one direction. And so, the signs we receive will energize rather than drain us.
Our intuition is a voice of knowing, even when it directs us away from something it does so in an uplifting way. It says ‘You’ve been here before and you know better’. On the flip-side, when we experience fear or doubt, these emotions will push us strongly in a way that feels heavy and rushed.
Eventhough it would be great to know one-hundred percent of the time if something is a sign, there’s no fool-proof method. What’s most important here is to not overanalyze each little thing. Allow yourself to act in a way that feels aligned and true to yourself, but don’t get too caught up on being absolutely certain.
It’s much more helpful to take action on some of the insights you receive, rather than allow over-analysis to stunt your growth and allow your energy to get stuck in the mind. This quote by Terence McKenna is one of my favorite takes on this.
“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood.
– Terence McKenna
Ego thrives in seriousness, intellectual conflict and general rigidity. If we want to get in touch with the Universe, we do so through playfulness and curiosity.
Make interpreting and acting on the signs fun, don’t get too serious with it.
How to receive more signs from the Universe
With some of these tips you’ll better be able to pick up on signs from the Universe. However, there are periods on the spiritual path where it feels like no signs are showing up or less than before.
This happens for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes the Universe stops sending us signs as a way to encourage us to go inward. To stop looking for signs outside of ourselves and to take action on the signs we’ve already received.
When the Universe sends us signs but we ignore or take no action on them, it’s like leaving someone on read – we stop getting new messages.
So, it can be helpful to take a step back and recall the last sign or synchronicity you picked up but didn’t take action upon. What shifts do you have to make based on that?
Another reason we don’t receive any signs is because we are strongly disconnected from our intuition, and as an extension, the Universe at large.
In that case, it’s about finding small ways to reconnect with our mind, body and spirit. What self-care practices have you been slacking with recently?
The final tip I have for receiving more signs, is to be open to messages showing up in unexpected ways.
Shake up any stagnant routines and patterns, allow something new to show up in your life. Take notice of what you are anticipating. What doubts or fears are you ruminating on that the Universe might be taking and reflecting back to you?
How to take action on the signs you receive
It makes no sense to discuss receiving signs without also exploring how to take action on them.
Our energy and mindset is very important, but the Universe is also looking to our direct actions for insight on what we need and want.
Taking action on the signs we receive is a way to meet the Universe halfway, to say this is what I want to create in my life!
A lot of the signs we receive are going to push us in a direction that is uncomfortable, unfamiliar and scary. This is because the Universe is not as concerned about our personal limitations or societal expectations – it speaks directly through our soul.
Just because a course of action feels bad initially, doesn’t mean it is bad for us overall. Much of the progress we make will be right outside of our comfort zone.
Taking action on these signs can bring up a lot of fear, and understandably so. The Universe wants us to move in new ways; it encourages us to do better.
When we allow fear to sit lonely, it ends up filling our entire aura, and we start to perceive it as the only thing we can grasp onto.
The best advice I can offer on tackling this sort of fear is to let it be there…but bring in something else. What other emotions do you want to hold alongside this fear? How can you embrace both fear and joy?
A lot of this article focuses on the signs we receive when we are on the wrong path – when we feel confused and doubtful. But the Universe also sends us signs when we are on the right track, by amplifying and supporting us in whatever we are doing.
I don’t put as much emphasize of those here because they are often more obvious, but it is important to acknowledge and take action on both.
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