Does the Universe Test You? Signs and What It Means

The Universe isn’t messing with you it’s playing with you, and it wants you to play back.

As spiritual beings in human bodies who have an ego-mind, the relationship we have with the Universe can sometimes get confusing.

The Universe is another word for God, Creator, Source etc. We all have a relationship with the Universe, and you could see it as a teacher or loving parent. There are many ways to understand this source of consciousness.

What I want to discuss today is how our relationship or perception of the Universe can affect how we move through the world, and the “tests” we face. Ultimately, how to start bending reality in your favor.

Is the Universe testing me?

The idea that God or the Universe tests us has been around for as long as religion/spirituality has. I think this is most prevalent in religion, but there are elements of this in spirituality too (sometimes it’s just more subtle).

In religion we are tested, punished or rewarded based on our sin or faith. In spirituality we are tested or punished based on our karma or ‘vibrational frequency’.

As someone who was raised Catholic this concept has always been strong in my mind. The idea that our trials and tribulations are for a divine purpose, and what we may perceive as ‘negative’, is actually a blessing in disguise – something that will teach us and expand our consciousness.

Over the last few years I have ran several personal experiments, to see how the Universe responds to my intentions and energy. I want to share my perspective, keeping in mind these dynamics are incredibly complex, so this is just how I experience things not gospel.

I do think we are tested sometimes, however this isn’t based on our character – how good or bad we are. We are tested, not because the Universe is judging our value, but because it is responding to us.

Sometimes we understand where we are going wrong on an intellectual level, but will not make real change until we are led through a difficult experience. It’s up to us to take that experience and do with it, interpret it as we please.

Ok? So what about good people who go through horrendous things for no reason?

Here’s the thing…I don’t believe those are tests from the Universe. I do not believe they are karma, manifestations gone wrong, a “bad vibration” or anything like that.

In my experience that is a very detached way to look at the world, and simply doesn’t line up with the reality that presents itself to us. Bad things can happen to good people, and vice versa.

The reason things get complicated…is because we all have a level of free will. We come to the Earth with a level of purity, but eventually we gain the power or awareness to make helpful or harmful decisions. Our harmful decisions can impact us on an individual level, but they also have an effect on others.

Sometimes we are also caught up in other people’s harmful decisions – an individual or a group/structure. We are all born into different circumstances with varying levels of difficulty.

It takes a lot of discernment to figure out what is a truly neutral ‘test’ and what is just….good ole humans doing shitty things…or reality responding in a way that isn’t preferable.

My philosophy -> The Universe essentially gives us a beautiful garden, and lets us have free reign.

We can experience this garden positively or negatively as an individual through perception (admiring the roses in the garden or destroying it), we can experience it positively or negatively through the actions of others (working together on the garden or polluting it), finally we can accept both realities and work on our section of the garden (radical acceptance and mindful manifestation).

To make this even more complicated 😅 sometimes the metaphorical garden floods over, and it has absolutely nothing to do with us.

The Universe has no vendetta. The trees, the birds, the stars have no agenda. But humans can definitely mess with us in the context of all of that.

Why does it feel like the Universe is punishing me?

There are many reasons it might feel we are being specifically punished by the Universe.

The first is that we are dealing with a lot of self-judgement. When something doesn’t go right in our lives, our first point of call is to make a moral judgement about ourselves.

I think we project the relationship we have with humans onto the divine. We experience relationships that are unpredictable, conditional, imbalanced, negative and start to think all relationships must be like that.

We can take a look back at our upbringing and the ways we might have been taught to internalize judgement. Whether through religion, cultural or other teachings.

A lot of us highly sensitive people *gently raises hand* tend to feel the pressure of perfection. If we are not moving through the world perfectly, we are bad people. We can hold very high expectations of ourselves, while not necessarily holding the same for others.

Allow yourself to just be good! Define for yourself what that means, and let that be your target.

Another reason it can appear the Universe is testing us is because we are giving off inconsistent energy. We set our mind towards a goal or intention but on some level contradict this, with our actions, words, thoughts etc.

When setting an intention ask yourself how willing you are to align your actions, thoughts and words with it. Rather than just hoping and praying halfheartedly for a result, how ready are we to actually embody a new vibration or pattern?

As well as inconsistent energy on a personal level, sometimes we experience inconsistent level in our environments and interpersonal relationships which ultimately influences what we experience.

I always emphasize the importance of our environment when it comes to manifestation, working on ourselves, life in general – not everything is about our mindset or even energy. Sometimes we just aren’t in the right place to build the momentum we want to.

This doesn’t mean we have zero power or have no options, but we should take that context into consideration so that the intentions we set are more in line with our present circumstances, so they are in reach and we can gradually build momentum.

The final reason we might feel tested or punished by the Universe is due to old patterns or wounds. By working with energy we aggravate a lot of emotional wounds and debris. In developing a relationship with the Universe we inevitably have to face our shadow, and this can mean revisiting old wounds and traumas.

It’s ok to take a step back from spiritual or energy work if what you unearth internally becomes too overwhelming, it’s also ok to seek out external support as it comes to your physical, mental and emotional health.

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When you feel tested by the Universe, down on your luck, and just generally mistreated, I recommend truly letting that frustration out. Letting loose in your journal, ranting to a friend who would truly (truly) get it, going for as many long walks as you need to.

You don’t need to put a positive spin on all of your experiences. Not to maintain a high vibe, or even start building a deeper connection with the Universe. You just need to be honest with where you are, and gradually get back to a neutral perspective.

That is the key! Not jumping from one extreme to another…you’ll just snap back to the other side…but bringing things to the center and working from there.

How the Universe tests you before your reality changes

When you deliberately welcome the Universe’s tests as a form of self development, this is what we call “alchemy” and where things start getting really interesting, truly magical and juicy!

By tests here I am referring to the neutral kind. Experiences that are challenging but ultimately grow you into the person you know you need to be.

We’re all here for a specific purpose – sometimes called a soul purpose. And when you get in tune with your intuition and higher self, this becomes much clearer.

If you’re up for the test, I recommend creating a vision!

Clearly and consistently visualize what it means to bring (your) light to each aspect of life. What does being your ‘higher self’ look like practically speaking?

What type of person would you be, what relationships would you maintain, what spaces would you find yourself in?

Creating this vision can be a fluid thing that changes over time, but it’s good to have an idea of what you can aim for. As we get closer to this soul purpose or vision, the Universe will guide us, through challenges but also synchronicities.

The Universe will move you into situations that get you aligned. 

The Universe will bring up old situations with less intensity, to show you you’ve chosen the right path and are ready to break a pattern.

The Universe will bring up old emotions, so that you can properly address and clear them.

The Universe will present you with opportunities that don’t always feel optimal, to test your discernment. Both in rejecting things that aren’t truly aligned, and trusting yourself to take a leap of faith.

If you are noticing some confusing dynamics in your life – old emotions coming up or opportunities that confuse you – get really clear on your vision and see if these are leading you in that direction.

How would you approach these obstacles as your higher self? Trust yourself to know the answer.

This is where tests become more than just annoyances and start to shape your life in really amazing ways. Set the tone energetically first through intention setting, and then allow your actions to follow.

The #1 lesson from the Universe

The Universe is constantly asking you ‘What can you let go?’

I think this is perhaps the biggest test or lesson we receive from the Universe; one that is going to come around time and time again, no matter how progressed we think we are.

This applies in the more obvious ways. How are you letting go of old unhelpful patterns, toxic relationships, a career path that isn’t serving you.But also in the more subtle ones, such as how you are releasing aspects of the ego.

When you start to think we’ve progressed further than others and your own shortcomings, or get used to things going your way and stop practicing practicing gratitude…the Universe can deliver a short, sharp shock.

It’s important that with each step up in consciousness, we ground ourselves. Not just in the sense of putting our feet onto the Earth or being mindful of our physical surroundings, but accepting our blind spots.

What do you think? Does the Universe test us?