Defining and Asking for What You Want
This sounds easy, but for many people it’s not. They may know what they want right this instant, but they don’t have a clue about the bigger picture. They’re focused on the trees and can’t see the forest.
As an example, let’s say you’ve had several bad relationships. Before you start looking for a new romance, make a list of the qualities you seek in a partner. The act of writing the list prompts you to really think about what you want, to put energy and intent behind your objective. In a sense, the list becomes your spell. You direct your mind to consciously create the circumstances you desire: to find a partner who’s right for you.
Take your time, be honest, and make sure to include everything that’s important to you. Be very clear and specific when asking for what you want. Remember the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” Ambiguous statements tend to yield confusing and sometimes unwanted results.
Letting Go
Once you’ve determined what you seek and can clearly visualize the desired outcome, let it go. Don’t second-guess yourself or wonder if you’ll be successful. And don’t keep changing your mind. If you went to a restaurant for dinner and gave the waiter your order, then a minute later called him back and changed your order, then a minute later changed your mind again, you’d never get anything to eat.
The same is true with magic. One of the biggest problems many people have is that they get in their own way. Do it right the first time, and then give the universe a chance to manifest your intention.
Affirmations and Incantations
Words have the power to influence outcomes. Many magic spells and rituals include special words, phrases, statements, poems, chants, or prayers. Whether you write your intentions or speak them aloud, putting your goals into words helps focus your mind and empower your spells.
Affirmations are positive statements that you create to produce a result. Here are the important things to remember when writing an affirmation:
- Keep it short.
- Be clear and precise.
- Only include images and situations that you desire.
- Always use the present tense.
Here are some examples of the right and wrong ways to write affirmations:
Right: I am healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
Wrong: I don’t have any illnesses or injuries.
Right: I now have a job that’s perfect for me.
Wrong: I want to get a better job.
If you aren’t exactly sure of all the details, it’s okay to leave some things up to the universe to work out. In the example above, “I now have a job that’s perfect for me” covers the bases without being specific.
Incantations differ from affirmations in that they are usually written as rhymes. The catchy phrasing makes it easy to remember. You don’t have to be a Wordsworth or Dickinson to create an effective incantation; the important thing is to follow the same rules when writing an incantation as when writing an affirmation.
Here’s an example of a simple love incantation:
As the day fades into night
I draw a love that’s good and right.
As the night turns into day
We are blessed in every way.
The uses for affirmations and incantations are limited only by your imagination. Write an affirmation or incantation on a slip of paper and insert it into a magic talisman or amulet. Put it under your pillow at night. Repeat it regularly throughout the day, such as while you’re in the shower or driving to work, and especially just before you go to sleep. Write it on a sheet of colored paper, decorate it with images that resonate with you, and post it in a place where you’ll see it often. Be creative!
Black, White, and Gray Magic
Most people think that magic comes in two distinct varieties — stage magic, like that which magician David Copperfield performs, and ancient magic, like that associated with Merlin. Stage magic, or illusion, involves trickery and deception. The type of magic this book discusses has been passed down through the centuries by wise men and women and is done to produce beneficial results for yourself or someone else, not for mere amusement.
To distinguish “real magic” from stage illusion, some practitioners choose to use a different spelling: magick.
There are many schools and expressions of magic. Although their outer forms may differ, all magic involves focusing the power of intention to produce results. Your intention not only provides the fuel that energizes spells, it also colors the spell. Your motive for doing a spell determines whether it’s white or black magic or something in between. Magic spells can be grouped into three basic categories:
- Black magic is any spell done to harm someone else.
- White magic includes all spells and rituals performed for the purpose of connecting with the Divine or to obtain higher knowledge.
- Everything else falls into the gray area.
That’s not to imply that there’s anything wrong with doing gray spells. Most spells, in fact, qualify as gray, including spells to increase abundance, land a better job, or find a parking space on a crowded city street. So long as you don’t injure anyone else or interfere with his or her free will in order to get what you want, you’re in the clear. Doing a spell to attract a romantic partner who is right for you is an acceptable use of magic. But if you’re in love with a married man, and your intention is to break up the marriage so you and your lover can be together, you’re dabbling in black magic.
Black magic doesn’t always involve the ritual of casting a spell. Remember, your intent is what matters. Many people perform black magic without even realizing it. If, in the heat of the moment, you wish something bad to happen to someone or envision getting back at someone who’s hurt you, you’re doing black magic. Angry thoughts produce angry results.
Science shows that every action generates a reaction. In magic, whatever energy you put into the universe returns to you threefold. Be sure your spells are designed to produce the greatest good for everyone.
A good way to make certain your spells are on the up-and-up is to close with a statement such as, “This spell is done in harmony with Divine Will and for the good of all concerned.” That way, the universe gets the final say. Higher Mind will direct you and the energies you’ve raised so that your spell unfolds in the proper way, harming none. “The Wiccan Rede,” a guide for practitioners of Wicca, sums this up nicely.
The Wiccan Rede
Bide the Wiccan law ye must
In perfect love, in perfect trust,
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An’ ye harm none, do what ye will.
What ye send forth comes back to thee,
So ever mind the Rule of Three.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part.
There are no coincidences. From the perspective of magic, nothing happens accidentally. This is not to say that everything is fated or predetermined; rather, what occurs in your life was initiated at some previous time by your own conceptions or someone else’s, or both. Past, present, and future form an integrated continuum. With each thought, word, and deed you lay the groundwork for your future. Furthermore, your thoughts, words, and deeds don’t exist in a vacuum — they interact with everyone else’s to create our collective experience.
Synchronicity
For many years the noted Swiss psychotherapist Carl G. Jung observed that many events and situations, in his own life as well as in the lives of his patients, seemed strangely connected, but not by a causal link. In 1952, Jung published an essay in which he discussed an idea he called “synchronicity.” His theory suggested that meaningful events that defy the usually accepted laws of cause and effect occur so often, and in such amazing ways, that they cannot be discounted as mere coincidences.
“The exact contrary of what is generally believed is often the truth.” — Jean de la Bruyere
Over the years, for example, you might have noticed that whenever you find coins in unexpected places, you subsequently receive a significant sum of money. That’s an example of synchronicity. Everyone experiences meaningful occurrences of this sort from time to time, but most people don’t pay attention to them. Science may not be able to prove why such things happen. Magic, though, offers a very good explanation: the cosmic web discussed in Chapter 1. If you accept that everything in the universe is linked via this web, synchronicity makes perfect sense.
Symbols
The world is replete with symbols. From the beginning of time, human beings have used symbols to convey ideas. More than a convenient form of shorthand, however, symbols are images that encapsulate the essence of whatever they represent. When you see one, you instantly understand something fundamental and profound about what’s behind the symbol. A good logo, for instance, reveals important information about a company — not just what the firm makes or does, but the company’s mission and how its principals want the business to be perceived by the world. Rolex’s crown bespeaks royalty; Nike’s signature checkmark connotes speed. You could think of these symbols as visual metaphors.
Numbers, letters, and geometric shapes are common symbols you see around you every day, usually without giving them a second thought. The average person only recognizes the obvious meanings of these familiar images, but to someone versed in occult knowledge they reveal something deeper. Astrological glyphs, the I Ching’s hexagrams, rune marks, and the suits on tarot cards are other examples of symbols that wise men and women have used for centuries. Even colors contain symbolic associations — the chakras, for instance, are usually linked with certain colors.
Because the subconscious responds better to images than words, symbols provide a way to directly communicate with your inner self. Artists frequently include symbols in their work in order to present ideas. For example, the medieval artisans who fabricated stained glass windows for Europe’s great cathedrals chose images that portrayed religious concepts to the masses, who at that time were largely illiterate.
Your subconscious instantly comprehends a symbol’s inherent meaning, even if your rational mind doesn’t.
Magicians often use symbols to embody ideas. The tools that magicians employ in rituals — the wand, chalice, athame, and pentagram — symbolize the four elements. Symbols can also be placed in charms as a way of emphasizing specific energies and intentions. You might wish to add a rose quartz heart to a love charm or slip a silver coin into a prosperity talisman. Some magical practitioners like to wear clothing adorned with meaningful symbols or to decorate their sacred spaces with poignant imagery. Symbols can even be acted out physically. Mudras, for instance, are symbolic gestures that express concepts or intentions.
Universal and Personal Symbols
Some symbols transcend time and place; they mean basically the same thing to all people around the world. Archaeologists have found these symbols inscribed on stones in Mexico and in temples in India. The cross, for example, isn’t unique to Christian belief; it existed in ancient Celtic, Egyptian, and Native American cultures, too. This simple yet powerful image represents the union of the archetypal male energy or heaven (the vertical line) with female energy or earth (the horizontal line).
The star is a common symbol of hope, while the circle is a well-known symbol of wholeness. Spirals represent life energy in many cultures. Triangles signify trinities, whether Father-Son-Holy Ghost, maiden-mother-crone, past-present-future, or some other threefold concept. The tree is another universal symbol, usually seen as a conduit for knowledge. The Buddha received enlightenment while sitting beneath a bodhi tree. The Celtic World Tree unites the different realms of experience. The Norse god Wodin brought the wisdom of the runes to humanity after hanging on the tree Yggdrasil for nine days.
Other symbols are personal; they connote something distinctive to you that may not concur with the usual meaning. Lilies might represent purity to you and death to someone else. Initials and family crests are examples of personal symbols. For example, if you are of Irish descent, Celtic knots may hold special significance for you.
If an image resonates strongly with you, you may choose to view it as your personal symbol. Arrows, crescent moons, sailboats, conch shells, or apples might signify something profound to you. You might feel an affinity with wolves, so you could display photos and figurines of wolves in your physical surroundings. Personal symbols, like totem animals and power objects, can help you focus your own power and draw upon energies outside yourself. Notice incidents of synchronicity that involve your symbol, too. Any time your symbol appears unexpectedly, it’s a wake-up call. Pay attention!
Creating Sigils
A sigil is a uniquely personal symbol you create in order to produce a specific result. In a sense, a sigil is a way of communicating with yourself via secret code because no one else can interpret the symbol. Although there are various techniques for designing sigils, the easiest one involves fashioning an image from letters.
Start by writing a word or a short affirmation that states your intention. Delete any letters that are repeated. Entwine the remaining letters to form a design. You can use upper- and/or lower-case letters, block or script. Position them right-side up, upside down, forward or backward. The finished image depicts your objective in a graphic manner that your subconscious understands, although it won’t make sense to anyone else.
Both creating the sigil and applying it are magical acts. You can draw a sigil on a piece of paper and slip it into a magic charm. Display a sigil on your wall or altar to constantly remind you of your intention. Carve one on a candle, and then burn the candle to activate your objective. Have a jeweler fabricate your sigil as a pendant or pin and wear it as a talisman. Some people have even had sigils tattooed on their bodies. Give your imagination free rein. There’s no limit to how many sigils you can draw or how many ways you can use them.
Dream Symbols
No one knows exactly where dreams come from or why people dream. Yet researchers and psychotherapists believe your dreams are conveyances of messages that can help you in your waking life. Because the unconscious and subconscious parts of the mind use the language of symbols to communicate, dream messages are usually presented in symbolic rather than literal form.
Some symbols appear in many people’s dreams; others are unique to the individual dreamer. Over time, general meanings have become accepted for the most common dream symbols. Personal symbols, though, usually hold special meaning for you and you alone.
Images that turn up repeatedly in your dreams are especially important. If you experience recurring dreams, your subconscious may be trying hard to convey something to you that you need to know. Pay attention. For example, if you frequently dream that you’re driving along a freeway and see a huge exit sign with flashing lights, it could be a sign that you need to change your direction in life, perhaps by leaving the fast lane and moving at a slower pace.
You may discover that you can communicate with other people via dreams. When your waking consciousness is temporarily stilled, it’s often easier to access the energy matrix that links you with everyone else. Like telepathy, dream communication knows no boundaries. Your thoughts and another person’s can connect instantly, even if you’re at opposite ends of the world. It’s even possible to intentionally send messages to someone while you’re sleeping or to arrange to meet in the dream world. Some people, such as the Aborigine, believe that they actually journey to another realm of existence when they dream and that what transpires there is every bit as real as what goes on in the waking world.
Sometimes dreams reveal the future. When your perception is loosened from its ordinary, physical confines, it can range far and wide, even beyond the limitations of time. A dream that lets you see in advance what’s coming may help you to prepare yourself or avoid a problem altogether.
Learning to interpret your dreams opens a door to greater understanding in all areas of your life. Quite likely, you’ll gain insights and information that you can use in your magical work. While in a dream state, you might find that you can tap into the reservoir of knowledge contained in the cosmic web, which some people refer to as the Akashic Records. You might even be able to revisit past lifetimes or travel to other realms of existence.
The Power of Visualization
Author Shakti Gawain brought the concept of creative visualization into widespread public awareness. But magicians have long known that visualization fuels magic and precedes manifestation. In magic, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
Creative visualization involves forming a mental picture of the result you intend to manifest. Don’t think about the problem or condition you wish to change. For instance, if your goal is to heal a broken leg, don’t think about the injury; instead, envision the leg strong and healthy. Clear, vivid images tend to generate faster and more satisfactory results. See yourself rolling in a pile of $100 bills or happily performing the job you desire.
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” — The Buddha
Practice forming images in your mind. The more personal and active you can make these scenarios, the better. Hold the vision in your mind as you fall asleep and bring it into your consciousness as soon as you wake up in the morning. Sometimes cutting pictures from magazines, using photos, or creating your own artwork can strengthen your visualization process. Display the images in a place where you’ll see them often throughout the day, to continually remind you of your objective.
Developing Intuition
Whether you call it ESP, a hunch, a gut reaction, an inner knowing, or psychic power, everyone has intuition. It may raise hairs on the back of your neck, cause a twinge in your solar plexus, or make you feel light-headed. It may speak to you in moments of crisis or utter calm, in the middle of a city traffic jam or while you’re taking a shower. Regardless of how your intuition communicates with you, it’s important to remember that your so-called sixth sense is just as normal and just as important as the other five senses.
Think how much you’d miss out on if you lacked the sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell, or touch. The world would be a much duller place. Now try to imagine how much more you could get out of life if you had another sense on top of those five. The good news is that you do! The bad news is, most people ignore it.
In her book, Awakening Intuition, Mona Lisa Schultz, M.D., Ph.D., explains, “Intuition occurs when we directly perceive facts outside the range of the usual five senses and independently of any reasoning process.” Because intuition doesn’t “make sense” (that is, doesn’t rely on our five physical senses), people tend to discount its validity. Yet many noted scientists have acknowledged that intuition played a significant part in their discoveries.
In his later years, Nobel laureate Jonas Salk, who found a vaccine for polio, wrote a book about intuition titled Anatomy of Reality. In it he proposed that creativity resulted from the union of intuition and reasoning.
From the perspective of magic, intuition could be considered the connection between your conscious mind and the cosmic web. Magic encourages you to strengthen your intuition and to value what it can offer you. Sometimes intuition is the most important factor in spell-working. You can memorize tables of information, like the properties of different herbs, gemstones, or colors. You can follow all the prescribed steps in a ritual, and you can implement the instructions for a spell to the letter. But if you don’t trust your intuition to guide you, you’ll never develop your full potential.
Listening to the Voice Within
The hubbub of modern society and the busyness of daily life tend to drown out the still, small voice within. Your attention is turned outward, toward the demands of your job, your family, your social obligations, and the everyday tasks that consume so much of your time and energy. Underneath all that noise and activity, however, resides the voice of intuition, your inner wisdom, your link to the big picture. Most likely, you’ve heard that inner voice speak to you from time to time.
Write down insights, hunches, and epiphanies you receive, even if they don’t make sense at first. Notice, too, when your rational mind balks at these intuitive messages. In order to succeed as a magician, you may need to overcome your early training and to suspend disbelief.
Part of your magical training involves learning to listen to the voice within. The outer world produces a lot of static that can interfere with your intuition’s signal. Meditation is one way to silence that static and tune into your inner wisdom. If you prefer, you can take a walk, enjoy a bubble bath, look at the stars, or spend time petting an animal companion. Notice the thoughts, feelings, and impressions that arise during these quiet moments. Invite your intuition to talk to you openly, as a friend and guide, and respect its wisdom. Pay attention to your physical and emotional reactions, too, especially those that seem to contradict what your rational brain tells you. Chills, tickles, or a sensation of light bulbs going off in your head can be signals that your intuition is sending you a psychic e-mail.
Strengthening Your Sending and Receiving Ability
Like other forms of communication, intuition involves both sending and receiving. Some people are better senders, while others are better receivers. You might also discover that you can communicate telepathically with some people better than others. Generally speaking, family members have closer intuitive ties than strangers, and identical twins tend to be able to read each other’s minds with great facility.
You can hone your telepathic skills by practicing with a partner. A popular exercise requires one person to choose a card from a regular poker deck and mentally focus on it, without showing it to her partner. The second person tries to read the identity of the card from the first person’s mind. The reader may pick up a color (black or red), a number, a shape, or the complete card. After several sessions, the two people swap places so that the sender becomes the receiver. If you try this exercise, be sure to keep track of your correct hits. Over time, your success rate should improve.
Go with your first impression — it’s usually illuminating, even if it isn’t 100 percent accurate. For instance, the sender might be thinking about a swan, and you as the receiver might get an impression of a feather comforter. These near-hits show you’re on the same wavelength.
Another method involves mentally sending a visual message to your partner, from a distance, at a prearranged time of the day. The sender chooses an image and focuses on it, visually transmitting the picture to the receiver, who attempts to remain open and receptive so the image can come through. Do this once a day for two weeks, then change roles so that the sender becomes the receiver. Keep a record of your experiences.
Meditation and Prayer
Meditation in one form or another has been a part of every major religion throughout the world. During meditation, you stop thinking about mundane things like work, relationships, finances, and daily chores and instead become fully present in the moment. Mental chatter ceases temporarily, and you experience a profound state of relaxation in both mind and body.
According to Dr. Martin Hart, president of the American Society of Alternative Therapists, meditation “provides a direct access route into the unconscious, without using artificial means.” Because the unconscious stores everything you’ve ever experienced, he says, “a greater level of information is available to us and this allows us to make better choices in the conscious state.”
Many magical practitioners engage in regular meditation because it builds mental muscles. Daily meditation is to the mind as daily exercise is to the body. Meditation enables you to clear the clutter from your mind and focus your thinking. It also opens the channels of communication between you and the higher realms. Because the mind is the force behind magic, it stands to reason that the more mastery you gain over your thoughts, the more effective your spells will be.
Prayer, too, plays a key role in magic, especially for the purpose of healing. The religious community has never doubted the power of prayer to heal body, mind, and spirit. According to Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Healing Words and Prayer Is Good Medicine, in cases of intercessory prayer (praying for someone else at a distance), the consciousness of the person who is doing the praying actually influences the body of the person who is being prayed for. While this may sound strange to some, many healers realize that their own energies can interact with the energies of their patients. Shamans have utilized this phenomenon for centuries to aid the healing process.
A survey by the National Institutes of Health found more than 250 studies that supported the beneficial effect of prayer on a range of illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, colitis, and hypertension.
Like affirmations, prayers contain positive images that stimulate results. Prayer, of course, is more than mere words. It’s a complete, unified attitude that brings body, mind, emotions, and spirit together. It is a state of receptivity, awareness, trust, forgiveness, and thanksgiving. Prayers may invoke the assistance of God, the Goddess, a Divine Spirit, the All-Knowing Power of the Universe, your guardian angels, the ancestors, or whatever other presence you feel is guiding your life.
Dossey says it’s not necessary to follow any particular format or method when praying. In fact, he recommends doing away with any preconceptions you may have about the “right way” to pray. You can pray first thing in the morning, before meals, or you can pray before you go to sleep, when you’re stuck in traffic, during down times at your computer, or while exercising at the gym. You can pray silently or aloud, alone or with others.
Followers of the Sufi way pray while dancing. Buddhists chant, and medieval Christian pilgrims crawled through labyrinths as they prayed. A few years ago, thousands of Native Americans and others walked across the country, praying as they walked. In the last decade or so, global prayer circles have become popular. In these, millions of people around the world pray at the same time for peace and other matters of international concern. You can even join an online prayer circle.
The following prayer, known as the Loving Kindness Prayer, comes from Buddhist tradition. However, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate its gentle, uplifting message or to share it with others.
May I be free from fear. May I be free from suffering.
May I be happy. May I be filled with loving kindness.
May you be free from fear. May you be free from suffering.
May you be happy. May you be filled with loving kindness.
May all beings everywhere be free of fear and suffering.
May all beings everywhere be happy and filled with loving kindness.
Recognizing Signs in Everyday Life
When you see dark clouds roll across the sky and hear thunder roar, you know a storm is coming. Because you recognize these signs, you can predict what’s going to happen next. Our ancestors were well versed in reading weather patterns, the ocean’s tides, animal behavior, and so on; their lives depended on interpreting signs accurately.
Today, most people have lost the ability to understand nature’s patterns, yet many of the judgments and decisions they make each day are still based on reading signs. Savvy investors watch the stock market’s ups and downs. A mechanic listens to noises in a car’s engine to determine what’s wrong. When you meet someone for the first time, things like a handshake or other forms of body language tell you a great deal about the person.
If you pay attention, you’ll also notice that the universe regularly sends you signs to help guide you along your path in life. It’s a bit like relying on road signs along the highway. Signs tend to be personal and unique, which means that your sign will probably be different than your mother’s or your husband’s or your best friend’s. You may hear a voice, feel a tingle in your left foot, smell a familiar scent, or see a meaningful object, such as the coins mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. A sign might show up in a dream, during meditation, or while you’re washing dishes. What’s important is that you recognize the sign and understand its meaning.
Ask to receive signs. You may choose to receive one sign each day, preferably in a way you wouldn’t ordinarily expect, that will show you that your plans or goals are materializing according to your intentions. You can also ask to be given a sign when you get off track. Over time, you might develop a special “sign language.” Acknowledging the value and validity of signs encourages your intuition to keep communicating with you.
Hunches and Premonitions
Everyone gets hunches now and again. Perhaps you felt a strong urge to stop in a store, and to your delight you found an item you’d been searching for. Or you entered a contest on a whim and won a prize. Hunches are another method your intuition uses to send messages to you. Start following your hunches, and see where they lead you.
Premonitions are like hunches, only stronger and more rare. Many people have experienced premonitions that prevented them from taking a plane that crashed or a boat that sank. But premonitions do more than simply presage danger; they can just as easily guide you toward good fortune. You might receive a premonition in a dream, as a waking vision, through an intense emotion or sensation, or even via another person.
A good way to validate your hunches and premonitions is to keep a journal. Whenever you get a strong feeling that you should or shouldn’t do something, make a note of it. Date each entry. Describe the sign that alerted you. Explain what action you took and what happened as a result. (Some results may not be immediately apparent and could take time to unfold.) After a while, you’ll learn what certain signs mean and which hunches you should follow.
Paying Attention to Meaningful Events and Patterns
The old saying, “Things happen in threes” may have some truth to it. Start noticing things that happen repeatedly. Also notice when things out of the ordinary occur or when they occur in a way that’s unusual. The universe may be trying to get your attention.
Here’s an example. For several months, Katie noticed the numbers 11:11 kept appearing in her life quite frequently and in unexpected places. Often she glanced at the clock at exactly 11:11. Once, when stuck in traffic, she noticed the license plate on the car in front of her was 11:11. Another time she found an envelope containing $11.11. When she investigated the significance of this number, she learned that 11:11 represents a gateway into a higher level of awareness. Her intuition was sending her a sign that the changes she was experiencing would open doors for her and expand her knowledge. Today, whenever this sign turns up, she realizes that an opportunity for growth is being presented.
Animal Appearances
Seeing a robin is a familiar sign that spring is coming. The appearance of an animal, bird, or insect — especially one you don’t ordinarily see — can also be a special sign from the universe to you. In his book Animal-Speak, Ted Andrews explains how to interpret these signs according to the characteristics and/or behavior of the animal. “In understanding the language of animals,” he writes, “we must develop the mindset that everything has significance.”
Start paying attention to the creatures (other than family pets) that you come across. Did a butterfly flit past your windshield on your way to work the other day? Did a snake get into your garage? Is a particular kind of bird nesting in a tree in your yard?
If you spot a swan, it could be a reminder to appreciate beauty, to awaken your creativity, or to handle a situation with grace. Seeing a beaver might be a sign that it’s time to make repairs in your home or to work hard to bring your dreams to fruition.
Native American traditions recognize that spirit guides can take the form of animals. Individuals align themselves with certain creatures to which they feel a close association. These totem animals can help people learn about themselves and receive guidance from the invisible world. If you feel a strong affinity with a particular animal, bird, reptile, or insect, it could be your totem. When that animal appears to you, either physically or in a dream, its presence usually augurs something significant.
Smells, Sounds, and Visions
In the physical world, you receive information through your five senses. Smells, sounds, and sights draw you toward things you need or desire, and they warn you away from things that are potentially harmful. Your intuition might communicate with you through olfactory or auditory signs, too, although the stimulus you’re being alerted to may not be physical.
Let’s say, for example, that for several days you keep smelling an unfamiliar perfume, but you can’t ascertain where it’s coming from — the fragrance doesn’t seem to emanate from any obvious source. Then, at the end of the week, out of the blue you meet the woman of your dreams, and she’s wearing the very same perfume. You received an aromatic premonition that something wonderful was coming into your life.
“There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” — Shakespeare, Hamlet
Clairvoyance means being able to see things that don’t exist within the physical field of vision. Clairaudience means hearing things that don’t have a physical correlation. When my sister went into a coma suddenly, I awoke to the sound of tiny bells tinkling, although there were no bells in my bedroom. If you experience a sensory awareness that you can’t link to a physical source, it could be a sign. Look into it more deeply to discover what it means.
