Spirit truly speaks to us through signs, symbols and synchronicities. Artists, writers, poets, musicians and mystics all know this – and often speak of these seemingly mystical connections or patterns (in Episode 1 I mention author Amy Tan’s experience with this very phenomenon) yet for many reasons we aren’t taught HOW to tune into this universal symbolic language. Nor were we given a secret decoder ring at birth with which to interpret them. 

Well today’s your lucky day, because I’m here to Demystify the Mystical and break down these concepts so that YOU can tap into the power of this universal communication style and begin to utilize this divine guidance along with your own intuition to harness more success, peace and joy.

Confucius says, “Signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws.”

While I could talk about each of these three separately, the truth is they often overlap and intersect one another, so let’s just dive in…

It didn’t take but a quick Google search for “signs from the universe” to find this list of “15 Ways the Universe Sends Messages” via the good people over at A Conscious Rethink :

1. Recurring experiences
2. Dreams
3. Animals
4. Patterns of numbers
5. Synchronicity
6. Losing/finding/breaking objects
7. Recurring
8. words and phrases
9. Pain and illness
10. Songs/music/lyrics
11. The weather
12. Unexpected meetings
13. Emotions that are out of place
14. Unusual/new words
15. Smells
16. Gut feelings

Let’s dissect a few of these and share a few stories…so that you can be on the lookout for when these types of signs appear in your own life.

Personally, I go through phases where I have super intense dreams that I am able to remember and then long periods where I don’t remember them at all.  In fact, last summer of 2020, I had LOTS of highly saturated, vividly colored and wildly fantastical dreams. Dreams are most definitely a way for the universe, our higher self, or our spirit and interstellar squad to get our attention or help us process issues or challenges from our waking life. 

I keep a notebook on my nightstand or will open my notes app on my phone so that I can capture snippets of symbols, colors, people or animals that show up in my dreams. Dreams are typically not LITERAL, so use discernment when interpreting them. I’ll usually Google any symbols from my dreams to see what those key symbols mean and then piece together what it might be trying to spell out for me. 

For example, many people dream about their teeth falling out. Dreaming about teeth can represent everything from a major life change to lack of self esteem; from the fear of getting older to money issues; from symbolizing rebirth to regretting something you’ve said. So it really depends on what is going on in your life and how these might be trying to get your attention.

I remember this summer I was focusing on self-care and booked myself a massage. I fell asleep and as I was transitioning back through the theta state, I had a “vision” or dream that the Washington monument exploded. In my dream the top half flew up and off like a rocket & then it was like fireworks and confetti came spraying out of the middle…Now, we all know what recently happened on Jan. 6th, so I have to believe this was a message foretelling the extreme unrest within the collective about our Federal Government. Initially I was a bit freaked out by what I envisioned, but I didn’t feel fear – I took it to be more like a heads up that things were going to continue to be “explosive” with our old, outdated systems, structures and paradigms.

Animals are often messengers and I encourage you to dive deeper into their individual meanings if they are showing up for you, either in waking life or in your dream state. One site I love is what’s your sign .com I’ve learned much over the years from the site’s creator, Avia Venefica. Avia contends the universe and all its contents is a sacred energy that uses organic symbolism as a platform for expression. On her site she says,

“the divine is always communicating with us. its language is symbolic.”

So be sure to check it out, maybe I’ll have her on in a future episode to talk more about this rich topic.

There’s TONS of information online about repeating numbers, so I won’t dig into that too deep here, just Google “Angel Numbers” and you’ll be guided to all kinds of information regarding repeating numbers. 

I see repeating numbers all the time – and different ones depending on what’s going on in my life. A few months ago I was all in my head contemplating what to price a program I was creating. I had a number in mind, but wasn’t sure if the price point was too high. When I was on the phone talking through the program with a potential client and mentioned the higher of the two price points. She got super excited and said, “Waaaait a second – how did you know 2222 was my number? I’m IN!” 

I wasn’t even formally pitching this program to her- simply talking her through the modules of the course and potential pricing options – I had NO idea she’d resonate with the number. So that helped clarify for me that my initial instinct to price the program at that number was a *ding ding* we have a winner.

#7 on the list of SIGNS is recurring words or phrases…OK, I’ve got a pretty BIG one that honestly was the catalyst for my leaving my job after 8 years ASU, selling my house in Phoenix and then moving to Prescott, AZ (which I’d only visited once or twice for a day trip). I’ll try to make this long story short – beginning in Feb. Of 2016, I had a MASSIVE flare up with tummy issues. Now, I’ve had tummy issues my WHOLE life. Docs had told me as early as high school that I had IBS & acid reflux and I’d been on/off several meds over the years. And symptoms would come & go, but in Feb. 2016, it was literally like a faucet turned on & I was going to the bathroom 24/7. This continued all through 2017 where I visited numerous doctors and specialists and no one could diagnose my issue. 

I’ll record a separate Episode related to my medical mystery story but eventually in the spring of 2018 I was diagnosed with Chron’s – almost a full two years after the intense symptoms began. By that time I’d lost 30 pounds in 3 months, from Jan-Mar of 2018, because my body hadn’t been absorbing any vitamins, minerals or nutrients for the past year and my systems were starting to malfunction and shut down.

While I LOVED working at ASU, my job and the people I worked with, I had to finally admit that the stress was too much for what I was going through. And then I started to see the word SLOW – flashing like a neon sign in my mind’s eye. It would happen at the most random moments, but often while I was at work, or navigating through random errands like running for groceries or grabbing essentials. 

This bright neon sign, flashing the word SLOW would just appear. Finally, I asked my higher self, “OK – but what does that MEAN?” And I got the message that I needed to leave my job. So then I asked, “Well THEN what?”

And I got the hit that I needed to LEAVE – PHX, a city I adored, had amazing friends, community, a house I’d recently renovated and a new boyfriend. Honestly, this story also touches on numbers 8/pain & illness, 10/the weather, 11/unexpected meetings, 14 smells and 15 gut feelings – eventually and also leading into SYNCHRONICITY.

So after I began seeing the word SLOW & asked my higher self those questions, I began to tug on the strings of curiosity. I stayed open to possibilities and not attached to outcomes and simply became SUPER curious. What happened next was an incredible journey and evidence of the quote that I opened this episode with –

“synchronicity happens when you align with the flow of the universe rather than insisting the universe flow your way. “ 

In May of 2018, I asked WHERE? Where should I look into going? I knew I wanted to stay in AZ as I had family in PHX and it was important to me to be close. So I started running through other cities in my mind. I quickly eliminated Flagstaff and Sedona – both beautiful and wonderful places in their own ways – but not energetically aligned for me. I also KNEW I wanted to see TREES outside of every window and have the opportunity to spend more time in nature. Remember, I was seeing the word SLOW & getting more information everyday on what that meant for my healing.

And then I had a flitter of a thought about a smaller northern AZ town called Prescott. I’d only been to Prescott once or twice for quick day trips and hadn’t even ever spent the night there – but I remember it always had a grounded, chill, calming energy & was filled with pine trees! Then I had a flash that a friend of mine in LA had introduced me to a bestie of hers who I had met once a couple of years ago who lived in Prescott. I had the thought to reach out to her – just for some information gathering. I knew she was in her 40’s like me & was curious about living in a town that was known for lots of retirees and small town politics.

I thought, I’ll just reach out to her on Facebook – I think she travels down to PHX occasionally for business – so we’ll see if we can connect…and I shit you not – she responded back immediately that she would LOVE to connect and that she’d be in PHX TOMORROW! And it literally snowballed from there. It was like something just “clicked” and the doors of opportunity FLEW open. 

Literally within 2 months, I’d prepped my home, put it on the market, manifested a new job (only the 2nd interview I went on), found an apartment, and moved up to Prescott. The beauty of meeting my friend Jamie, was she then offered me her guest room to crash in while I had to travel back and forth a few times for interviews and moving, she also introduced me to the real estate agent who I ended up buying my house from and she became instant family for me in a new place. 

So the part of that story about the timing of my friend Jamie coming down to PHX the NEXT day after I’d reached out to her is the perfect example of  Synchronicity:  

Carl Jung said,

“synchronicity is an ever present event for those who see it.” 

Analytical Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung, was the first to introduce the word Synchronicity to describe seemingly coincidental, yet meaningful events in the external world that do not have an obvious cause.

Jung defined synchronicity as an “acausal connecting (togetherness) principle,” “meaningful coincidence”, “acausal parallelism” or “meaningful coincidence of two or more events where something other than the probability of chance is involved.”

Jung believed that many occurrences labeled as “coincidences,” are not actually due to chance. Instead, he believed that these occurrences are directly related to the observer’s mind, and serve to provide powerful insight, direction and guidance.

Synchronicity can be recognized in the following signs, many of which I mentioned above:

• Dreams
• Symbols
• Numbers
• “Random” events
• Conversations
• Overhearing someone talking about something VERY specific related to something happening in your life
• Spontaneous encounters

Synchronicity can also aid in awakening you to your full potential and serve as a guide for getting in touch with your inner self, or in Jung’s words, assist you on your path of individuation. 

DO YOU SEE HOW THE SIGNS, SYMBOLS AND SYNCHRONICITIES CAN HELP YOU FIND MEANING WHEN THINGS MAY FEEL CONFUSING, ANXIOUS OR UNCLEAR?  

I relate to life, magic and mysticism much like THIS quote from author Daniel Pinchbeck:

“I tend to think in a way that integrates and synthesizes many different aspects of the world, which i find woven together, much like a piece of music has it’s various aspects – melody, tempo, counterpoint that make up the whole.”

Yeaaaa, baby. Integrate. Synthesize. Woven. Mmmm…that sounds lovely.

Although I can most definitely also see writer/author @jeffbrownsoulshaping  point in this quote from his book Hearticulation:

“You are the sign you have been waiting for. It’s not in the stars, nor is it in the heart of everything synchronistic. It’s not stamped on the forehead of your beloved, nor is it lingering on the tip of the guru’s tongue. It’s not in the numerology, or the astrology, or floating on the wings of your angel guides. It’s already here. It’s YOU. That you exist at all, with all the odds that were stacked against your incarnation, is evidence of your significance. So are all the gifts, callings, and offerings that course through your veins. You are a signpost of miracle & wonder. It serves the shaming powers that be if you look for your signs outside of yourself…but you won’t find them there. You will find them in your own bones, right at the heart of your lived experience. After you clear the blinding clutter, you will realize that it was you all along. You are the sign that leads you home.”

I guess I like to think all of those signs, symbols & synchronicities ARE me – they are all pieces of me, scattered around like a breadcrumb trail leading me home, right back to the very heart of ME.

How about YOU? Are you one to read the signs? Are you fascinated with the symbols, images, song lyrics and billboards that seem laid out especially for you? I’d LOVE to hear YOUR stories and how these “signs” have helped lead you closer to your own inner north star and finding your way to your own insights, answers and intuitive knowing.

Email me at kammie@kammiek.com OR even BETTER – you can record a message or QUESTION for future episodes on the Cosmix Innerspace Podcast page over at kammiek.com and maybe I’ll share one of your messages on a future Episode! I can’t WAIT to hear from YOU!

Thank you SO much for sharing your time and space with me today & for tuning IN. If YOU enjoyed this episode of the Cosmix Innerspace Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share this episode with a friend, who might enjoy summa this juicy goodness! I’d LOVE to stay CONNECTED with YOU – on Instagram you can find me @kammiekdotcom – where I DO share a LOT more Cosmix vibes on Insta stories & I’m @kammiekdotcom on the Facebook. And of course, we can ALWAYS stay connected via the Cosmix Innerspace Mothership over on the blog at kammiek.com. OoooKay. Until next time – I’m sending you stardust & SO. Much. LOVE. Muah!