Let me just start this off by saying that the runner-up for the most asked question is ”How do I become a werewolf?”

Friends, I’m not fucking with you, I swear. Y’all need to stop watching Teen Wolf, I’m just sayin’.

 

 

 

Anyway, today I wanted to answer one of the most asked questions I ever get. It’s the question that fills my inbox with Ask A Witch requests. And it’s one that I can’t really answer, at least not the satisfaction of those that ask. So I wanted to address it here with a more general response in hopes that it will be helpful for some of you now or in the future.

Here’s roughly what I get asked:

 

I was on my way to work and saw XYZ and it was weird! It felt like it was saying something to me. Was it a sign? What does it mean?

or

I was cleaning my attic the other day and found ABC behind a piece of furniture stored up there. Nobody ever goes into the attic and I have no idea how it got there. What does it mean?!

or even

I found XYZ in my driveway when I went to get in my car for work and I have no clue how it could have gotten there! I’m scared! Is it a curse? Is it a bad omen? Who did this to me and what does it mean?!?!?!

{Notice the increase in freak out vibe with each of these?}

 

So I wanted to address these kinds of questions by answer the bigger question that all of these have in common:

 

What is a sign, where does it come from, and how do you determine what it means?

 

First of all, we need to understand what a sign is, and I guess it would help to also look at what an omen is, especially since they can get a little confused.

 

What is a sign?

A sign is something that shows up as a result of us seeking guidance. Sometimes it happens as a result of us specifically asking the Gods or the Universe to “show us a sign” and other times it happens as a result of our Higher Self hearing our questions and sending an answer. Usually, they are subtle, but they stand out.

 

What is an omen?

An omen is a bit different. An omen is a something that comes to us without our intervention. It doesn’t come because we asked for it, comes because we need it. They are spiritual 2×4’s from the Universe. They are typically very weird, entirely out of the realm of the norm for us, and orchestrated in a way that makes it impossible to ignore.

 

Sometimes a sign can feel like an omen, but often this is because we’ve been ignoring the signs we’ve been receiving, often because it isn’t what we want to see or hear. If you can see that this thing answers a clear quest for guidance that you’ve had, then it’s a sign, not an omen.

 

Understanding the difference is helpful to know why you’re suddenly having this strange experience. But they also come to you in different ways.

A sign is usually something that we notice or appears to us in our usual environment that we maybe just haven’t noticed before, but it isn’t entirely out of the ordinary. An omen is something that just doesn’t belong. An omen could be seeing a horse in your backyard, but you live in the middle of suburbia. A sign would be bird feathers on your car hood every morning for a week. One is clearly out of place and there to make an impact while the other is just something that stands out in your environment even though it still belongs.

And of course, you asked for a sign. You might be getting those bird feathers because you’ve been asking if your angels are with you. Those feathers are a bit old “yes” from the angels. However on the day you go outside for a nice morning cup of coffee on the back porch and there’s a fucking Clydesdale eating your honeysuckle plants, that’s an omen {or whatever Clydesdales would eat…would they eat honeysuckle?}.

 

 

Why does it happen?

Again it depends on if it’s a sign or an omen. For the sake of explanation let’s just stick with signs. Omens are far rarer and usually don’t need a ton of interpretation. When you see something that unusual your intuitive and Higher Self almost instantly gets the message across. Because signs happen in a more workaday fashion, they can be more perplexing and require help understanding it.

Remembering that a sign comes as a result of asking for guidance, the reason that you suddenly notice it is because your Higher Self is poking you in the chest trying to get your attention. Suddenly that billboard that has been the same for months, which you drive past every day on the way to work, seems to stand out and carry a massive message for you but you don’t know why. You’ve always known it was there, but it never captured your attention until now. That’s because on this specific day your Higher Self knows that the answer you need is on that billboard, so it pokes until you look and {in this case literally} see the sign.

You notice a sign because your Higher Self draws your attention to it in a unique way. Any other time when you weren’t asking for guidance you could find bird feathers on your car and not even give it a second thought. But your Higher Self, which is Divine and connected to Source and knows all, wants you to see it differently. Hence, a sign is born!

 

So, it is a valid sign?

Before you get all crazy trying to interpret a sign, it’s important to make sure it really IS a sign and not your mind looking for a sign to answer a question. The first and most important thing is that you asked for a sign or you have been in deep contemplation over something big in your life. These aren’t things like “Should I go out tonight or stay in” this is “Should I move from the US to Scotland and find a new job” sort of stuff.

The other big thing is that your sign shows up relatively soon. It’s not going to have weeks later. It could be almost immediately to within a day or two. It will also come with a feeling of real power, almost like something that just takes your breath away and really throws you for a loop. It will elicit an emotional response of some kind from goosebumps all the way to tears for seemingly no reason. It’s powerful, there’s no way you can miss it.

 

Now comes the big question, and this is the real one people are asking me…

 

What does this sign mean?

It would be nice if there were a clear cut answer. Naturally, I can say, “Oh, well feathers…angels,” but that is mine interpretation. Your’s could be totally different, and that would be perfectly valid.

When you receive a sign or an omen, and you want to know what it means it’s important to keep in mind that it is part of a broader conversation between you and the Gods or Universe. Like any other conversation you can relay it a third party, and they can give you their thoughts, but it isn’t about them and doesn’t involve them. At the end of the day, you need to be the one to find the meaning behind the sign.

Since your Higher Self is drawing your attention to this thing in answer to a question that means you have the answer within, you just have to find it.

 

How do you find that answer?

Don’t ask someone else.

I know that sounds kind of shitty, but the first way to get yourself even farther from the real answer is to ask someone else what they think a sign for you from your Divine Higher Self means. Once they give you their thoughts, like it or not, you’re going to have that in the back of your mind.

Don’t spend all your time researching the symbolic meaning of things.

I know some people who suddenly see a new plant spring up in their yard, and they see it as a sign {which it may totally be}, and they go batshit trying to find all the possible symbolic meanings of the plant. Pick one source, look up the symbolic meaning, and then leave it at that.

Do some divination

If you’re really feeling like at a loss, do some divination. Pull some cards, runes or crystals asking your Higher Self “What do I need to know about this sign?” Here’s a quick spread you can try for clarity. Just lay the cards out in a straight line with the following positions:

1. What is this sign trying to tell me? – Helps you to understand the message that this sign is trying to get across to you and what is the answer to the question you were seeking guidance on.
2. What about this sign am I missing? – There’s likely something you’re missing or that you aren’t clear about with this sign, especially if you’re asking this question at all. If you’re not sure what the message is behind the sign, this can be helpful.
3. How can I use this sign to make changes in my life? – Knowing the answer is only half the battle, next you have to do something with it. This can help give you insight into actions you can take to integrate what you’ve learned.
4. Final message from my Higher Self… – A little final message from your Higher Self because you know it’s sitting there like “Well since I’ve got your attention…” This may or may not relate to your sign but could just be more guidance on the issue/question itself.

 

There are a few harsh truths about signs and their messages to keep in mind.

Not all signs are going to be welcome ones.

Sometimes a sign is going to come with a kick in the lady balls kind of response to your question. If you’ve been wondering if you should break up with your partner and you get a sign that’s clear as day that the answer is YES, you likely now find yourself confronted with the challenge of actually ending the relationship. But if you ask, you have to listen and take it into consideration.

 

The sign you get could be a gateway to the next question.

Sometimes you’re not really asking the right questions. The question you ask and get an answer for could simply lead you to the next question you need to ask. If you find that the sign and its meaning doesn’t really give you the full guidance you need, consider if you need to ask a different question.

 

It can take time to get to the root of the meaning.

We talked about how its best not to get too cerebral and “in your head” about the meaning of your signs before, but what do you do then? You let the answers reveal themselves naturally. Once you recognize the sign and have a vague sense of the meaning, you need to let the rest of it unfold for you naturally. Sometimes that means you start having intuitive hits that reveal more info or you could start having dreams that delve deeper into your sign. It can take time, and it will need a little work from you, but you’ll get there.