Have you ever been caught up in a decision, and just hoped that someone, somewhere, would send you a sign about the right thing to do?
Or, maybe you’ve been thinking about something (or someone) and then all of a sudden seem to see reminders or symbols everywhere you go.
These little nudges can take a variety of forms. They can seem glaringly obvious at times, and extremely subtle at others. Sometimes, you just know, and other times you may be left wondering if that event or idea really was a sign…or just your mind playing tricks on you.
Whether you consider it a sign from God, Source, your Higher Self, or just plain old coincidence, the universe can and does send you signs. And, believe it or not, these messages from the universe are far more common than you might think.
You just need to know how to spot them.
In this post I’ll outline 7 strong signs from the universe, and how you can start seeing them and learning from them in your own life.
7 Ways The Universe Sends You Messages
Dreams
First up: dreams.
Dreams are one of the most common and widely-discussed signs on the list. They are a well-established means of receiving symbols and messages from your subconscious mind, and how to interpret your dreams is a subject that has been widely debated in both academic and spiritual circles.
If you remember your dreams, you can choose to interpret any common events, themes, or symbols within them as metaphors for your own life experiences. These symbols are particularly powerful when it comes to unearthing and releasing pent-up beliefs and emotions that may be holding you back from your goals.
Not only are dreams one of the most common ways to receive messages from your subconscious, but they are also one of the easiest methods to use. If you find it difficult to remember your dreams after you wake, or if you want to go deeper into the messages they provide, you can use lucid dreaming to help you become more clear about the message your dreams are trying to tell you.
Learn more about how to work with lucid dreams.
Recurring Themes
Just as recurring symbols in the dream-world can point to a sign from the universe, so, too, can recurring themes that you experience in your day to day life.
To give you an example from my own life, when I was first learning about The Law of Attraction, I was curious but skeptical about it. I wanted to learn more, but found most of the information out there was vague and untrustworthy.
Then, all of a sudden, I started to come across the name Abraham Hicks everywhere I went. First I noticed it as a footnote in a book I was reading. Then a friend mentioned one of Abraham’s books in passing. Then I stumbled onto a copy of Ask And It Is Given in a coffeeshop.
This recurring theme was a sign that I needed to read Abraham’s book, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed to read at that time in my life. The fact that I kept “bumping into” the name of an author I’d never heard of before told me it was the right next step for me.
As the saying goes:
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Synchronicity
Similar to noticing recurring themes that start appearing in your life, you can attune yourself to signs from Source by learning how to notice and appreciate synchronicity.
Synchronicity refers to the “meaningful coincidences” that occur as you go about your day to day life. It’s the name for what happens when you’re thinking about an old friend and they call you a few minutes later, or when you’re driving home craving pizza, and walk in the door to find your wife has already ordered it…without you having said anything.
While most people do not pay attention to these little coincidences, they are part and parcel of our daily lives. The question is only if you will choose to pay attention to them.
As you start to look for these little indicators, you will start to notice them appear more and more frequently for you. It’s a great way to practice talking to the universe…and having fun seeing how it responds!
Learn more about how synchronicity works with The Law of Attraction.
Pain and Illness
While we tend to think of synchronicity in terms of things we like to experience, another powerful sign from the universe comes in the form of negative feedback.
Our physical health is one of the most important signs for us to heed. Sometimes, these signs are obvious: if you feel sick every time you eat a certain food, it’s a sign your body does not want you to eat that food.
But, these signs can often be more subtle, and can have deep links to our psychologies and beliefs. For example, each of the 7 chakra centers corresponds to specific emotional topics. An inability to be open with others might manifest as tightness in your chest, or an inability to feel secure within yourself can manifest as pain in your lower belly.
Interpreting these physical messages is about becoming receptive to them. If you’re experiencing chronic pain, ask yourself what that pain is trying to tell you. Be open to the answers, and you might surprised by how quickly the pain will go away, once you fix the real problem it was trying to address!
Strong or Unusual Emotions
Just as unusual pain can be a sign of emotional distress, experiencing strong emotions themselves can be a clue that you need to release a negative energetic block, or old, limiting beliefs you might be holding on to.
These strong emotions could be positive or negative. For example, you might catch yourself lashing out with anger to simple comments or situations you normally handle with ease. Or, you might feel an overwhelming sense of love and well-being when you have a positive experience.
Whatever the emotion, your best path is to take some time to dive into what that emotion means to you. Take a few minutes to meditate, and allow the emotion to bring up any past experiences or beliefs that may be contributing to the emotional release. Then, ask your inner Self for guidance on how best to move forward.
Click here to read more about releasing negative emotions.
Your Intuition and Gut Feeling
As you begin to notice many of the signs and symbols above, you will find that recognizing these messages is only the first step.
The second step is to learn how to interpret and respond to them. For that, you need to cultivate a sense of intuition.
For most of us, intuitive knowledge takes a backseat to logical reasoning in our day to day lives, but we are already familiar with how to work with this type of knowledge.
For example, think of the experience of buying a house. While you may have a number of logical factors impacting your decision (location, price, number of bedrooms, the size of the backyard, etc), ultimately, most people buy a house when they “get the feeling.”
These gut instincts are signs from our intuitive minds about what choices and actions we should take with our lives. While we may tend to think that gut reactions only come to the “big things” in life, we can also learn to use this intuitive knowledge for every action that we take…through a process known as resonance.
Learn more about how to follow your intuition.
Does It Resonate?
Resonance refers to an inner feeling of warmth, openness, or well-being that comes from your mid-torso.
When something resonates, it feels good to you. When it doesn’t resonate, it feels tight, negative, or closed off.
If you learn how to strengthen this feeling, it can be the single, most important guide to learning how to receive signs from the universe.
In brief: everything that resonates is a positive sign. If it feels good, it is a signal that you should continue with it. When it feels bad, take the time to step back and re-evaluate what you’re doing, and look for a new direction.
Ultimately, learning to notice and act in alignment with signs from the universe is a skill that anyone can learn. It just takes a little bit of practice tuning in to your inner guidance. You can then use this guidance to help you to be, do, or have anything that you choose.
