At the risk of sounding like a fanatic, I believe that we all have omens in our lives that help guide us. In my book, omens are events, things, or even people (messengers) that trigger you to connect with your intuition and give you insight on who you are and where you’re going. Even if you shun the notion of omens and messengers, there are probably times where you suddenly felt like everything made perfect sense.
Recognizing omens and messengers
If you aren’t already in touch with your intuition, you’re going to have a much harder time recognizing or even believing that omens and messengers exist. You don’t have to be a Zen monk to be in touch with your intuition. You can get away with having a basic connection with it or having a few experiences in your life where you felt at peace. After all, you have to start somewhere.
Think of a time where you felt at total peace with yourself and the world. Or a time where you were so excited because you felt like you found a treasure. Or even a time where you felt all these emotions, good and bad, washing over you at the same time. It can be a major, life-changing event or it can be as simple as you having a good laugh with a loved one. Write it down if it helps.
When you get that down, think about what made that event special. What exactly triggered you into that state? If you were having a good laugh with a friend, that friend is probably the omen/messenger. If you were walking on a beach, saw a starfish, and suddenly began contemplating your life, that’s an omen.
Interpreting omens and messengers
The meaning behind omens and messengers are vague and open to interpretation. Sometimes the meanings aren’t obvious. In the case of your friend being a messenger, it doesn’t have to (although it can) mean that this person will be your friend for life or even do anything extraordinary for you.
What your friend did do, as a messenger, is give you an opportunity to look deep into yourself and discover something about you and your connection with the world. What that insight is depends on you as an individual, where you’ve been in life, where you are now, and where you’d like to go. Sometimes the meanings can change in hindsight.
My experience with omens and messengers
I once met someone who caused me to open up more than I ever had before. I used to be pretty shut down. But somehow, encountering this person who literally came out of nowhere unlocked another side of me I wasn’t even sure existed. At the time, I thought it was a sign that this person was going to a physical part of my life for a very long time. Unfortunately, I lost contact with that person and I’m not sure if I’ll ever contact them again. This forced me to re-evaluate my thoughts and remove my expectations.
In hindsight, that person was a messenger: I was able to gain insight and unlock a different level of understanding. I also became more aware and understood that omens and messengers often come and go. I continue to meet people who leave their mark, because now I have some idea of what to look for and I am more aware when I am triggered to connect with my intuition.
Empty your cup: Staying open minded and not jumping to conclusions is key
It’s impossible to predict who or what is or will be an omen or a messenger. The only thing you can do really is be open-minded. Understanding that anyone or anything has the potential to help you unlock your intuition will cause your to connect with your intuition more often and the connection will get stronger with time. Once you experience it a few times, it gets easier to experience it some more. Genuinely connect with people and things. Assume rapport with anyone you meet. If you feel like being alone, maybe you can meditate if that’s your cup of tea. These make it easy to get started.
And when you experience it, don’t automatically assume what your intuition is trying to tell you. It’s a fatal mistake to jump to conclusions or stubbornly stick to a conclusion. If you keep trying to force a meaning, it can cause you to distrust your intuition. Whenever I do that and things turn out far differently, I usually get into a depression mode and shut down for months. It’s like my entire person falters (physically and emotionally) because I feel like I can’t ‘get anything right’ and because I feel total disconnected.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend. – Bruce Lee
The best way I can sum it up is to be like water when you get into this connected state. Fit into the shape you’re sitting in. And if the shape changes, change with it.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool you wrote a book, is it a best seller yet?
Anyways i like these ideas but I think i have an alternate theory to this which I feel can reality or be the same.
From your post I get the understanding that certain people are put in our lives to change our perception and uncover life. Through this we understand life and progress through it.
To start you with the theory here is a link http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html
I feel that this scientist is better qualified to talk about this then I.
I agree with this. We are consciousness experiencing ourself. We as consciousness have made the choice but as humans must understand why we made that choice, why we are here and where we are going.
It’s sad that people don’t get past the “How do i survive?” and answer the other questions with “God” or “I don’t know”
I think your idea and this one are very much the same with a different name and perception.
Great post. Is your book available online?
Mac´s last blog ..It Is Never To Late To Change…
Hey Valerie, great post. I also really like the quote about being formless. I’m a big fan of Bruce lee and I know he was a great poet.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..How to Find Motivation – A Simple Guide
I myself am a true believer in omens, although I’ve never actually called them that. In hindsight, I’ve always referred to them as “signs,” but it’s essentially the same thing you’re discussing here.
While I agree that people in your life can certainly act as messengers, I think that it can go even deeper than that; sometimes having messages stand out at us over the smallest things. Maybe I’m just weird, but sometimes all it takes is a single line in a song or driving past a certain object to completely re-align my thoughts. In a way I like it though, as it allows me to draw inspiration over the most minuscule of things.
Anyways interesting post there. I like that most of your articles are off the beaten path and reflect a more personal opinion instead of the same overly-generalized thoughts that most people write about.
Travis´s last blog ..Understanding the Importance of Sleep
@ Oscar: Yep, Bruce Lee was an amazing guy with tons of insight. I remember when I first read the formless quote from him a few years back. He’s the reason I got exposed to meditation and Buddhism as whole (I am not sure if he is Buddhist though? He sounds like it.)
@ Mac: Hehe, I wish I had a bestselling book out, BUT I will eventually!
Very interesting. I’ve never heard of Jill Bolte Taylor before. This is a very good video, I will be tweeting it! Thank you for sharing this with me.
It used to be really frustrating to me when people answer that question with “I don’t know” or “God.” Even now it’s still something I can’t 100% relate with. I’m not knocking belief in God of course, I just don’t understand how people can believe that everything single is in God’s hands and they have zero part or responsibility in their own lives. Seems like you’ve got some very interesting insight yourself, I’d love to actually pick your brain outside of comments.
@ Travis:
I didn’t use the word omens myself until I read “The Alchemist.” After that the word omen seemed to describe it perfectly. You’re definitely not weird about a single line or a song triggering that re-alignment in you. The more it happens the easier it gets, and that’s what’s amazing to me.
Thank you for your comment, Travis. I really appreciate you reading and I really look forward to swapping ideas and thoughts with you on our blogs. Now if you’d just get a Twitter or at least an IM or something, it might be cool!
LOL I kid, I kid. I quit Facebook a few months back and have no intention of going back even though I could easily connect with some people on there.
Haha, I may end up just caving and getting a twitter… I’m starting to feel left out here! I’m going to assume you either left facebook because it’s become popularity central or you were getting hit on by a bunch of creepy guys, if not a combination of both. I’ve sort of been thinking of getting rid of my account for that exact same reason (minus the whole getting hit on by dudes LOL)
If you use MSN or AIM though… email me with your screen names!
Very interesting perspective Valerie. I rely on my intuition quite heavily for pretty much everything but I’ve always focused on the feelings and messages instead of the source. Naturally, as you’ve pointed out, that can lead to confusion and cause one to jump to conclusions. I need to think on this more. Thanks for the inspiration!
Dave Witwicki´s last blog ..Take a Timeout and Reset your Growth
Hi Valerie. I think this is a wonderful perspective. I’m a huge believer in intuition but I think it can be wrong sometimes too. So the key is to figure out when to trust it and when to balance it with some rigorous logical thinking. If you don’t know go with the odds – your intuition. I don’t think intuition is anything mystical though. I simply think it is all that experience, hard-wired knowledge and instincts, and your non-conscious mind humming away doing its job 24 hours a day.
The idea of omens and messengers from a mystical new-age perspective doesn’t resonate with me. From the sense of them being experiences that can open you up, get you thinking, take you down a different path or whatever, then I think they are fantastic devices. I know many people feel better and flow with life viewing things in a certain spiritual way. Some people really take to the mystical view of life. That’s great and if that works for them, then I’m all for it.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Peak-End Experiences Matter Most
@ Dave: Thanks for stopping by!
It’s also a work in progress for me as well as I do jump to conclusions and get highly confused still. I guess I take solace in the fact that eventually it will work itself out as long as I remain open to the possibilities. As they always say, hindsight is 20/20.
I’m glad I was abole to inspire you!
@ Stephen: I agree that there is a delicate balance between following reason and following your intuition. I personally believe that in today’s society there’s far too much emphasis on logic and reason. Which is why so many of us regularly fail at it, because eventually we’re bound to bounce back to irrational behavior with the same force we try to be logical and practical. The less force we apply to either end, the less likely we’re going to bounce back and forth so hard, and the more grounded we’ll feel … as you’ve said about knowing when to follow which side.
I’m definitely no mystic
but I do think we all know much more than we’re led to believe.