Greetings- welcome to our third Magick Lesson! In this post we will go over the following:
What are Signs?
How to establish them?
How to know they are real?
First time here? Revisit our previous lessons:
The Q&A recap video will be recorded on Monday, July 13th so submit your questions here.
Signs are some of the most magickal exchanges you can have with your guides, ancestors, and the Spirit World.
Signs can be anything you feel emotionally and energetically connected to as it relates to a person beyond the veil. Noticing and speaking to the Universe through signs is a beautiful practice that helps soften the dense, 3D human-experience and adds a lot of magick to the everyday.
There are a few ways you can establish signs and below I’ll show you how to receive signs from your ancestors, and connect with the Universe to make sure you’re on the right path.
Establishing Signs through an Event:
My husband, Sal, lost his mother from preeclampsia when he was born. As a tribute to her, we named our first daughter Virginia after her.
While visiting her grave for the first time I saw a ladybug on her grave stone. In that moment I felt her presence with us, so whenever my daughters and I see ladybugs whether they be a picture in a book or in the wild we always say “hi” to Grandma Virginia.
That experience at the cemetery established ladybugs as a sign from Virginia. Now ladybugs show for our family in a variety of extraordinary ways.
Once when my kids were playing in the attic of her house in the Bronx, I remember thinking, “Virginia would be so proud to see the girls up here.” And a ladybug came out of no where and flew around the attic. When I went to show Sal that she was there it disappeared.
Once Sal and I were having a serious conversation about our marriage during a breakfast run to get bagels, and a ladybug appeared on the front window of our car. I knew she was saying she loved us and was sending her support.
In 2022 my youngest, Poppy was hospitalized with COVID for six days at Children’s Hospital. The whole experience was nerve wrecking to say the least, and anytime I took her to the pediatrician after that experience I felt ill. During a routine visit the pediatrician berated me about Poppy’s weight gain. She’d lost some weight once she started walking and he was concerned she wasn’t gaining enough. On the way home from the appointment I broke down into tears. I felt so frustrated and overwhelmed. Then, as we were walking up to the door to enter our house I noticed a ladybug, then another, then another. Hundreds of ladybugs were swarming around our front door and I immediately fell to my knees in gratitude and a wave of love flooded through me. Poppy was going to be okay, I knew Grandma Virginia was watching over her.
Establishing Signs Through Memories:
When I was in elementary school my Mom, Dad, and brother Tyler would take pilgrimages about once a year to Lawton, Oklahoma to visit my Nanny and Papa. Whenever we would make the long drive down my Dad would always play the broadway song O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A in the car.
When Nanny passed away I wanted to start getting signs from her, but wasn’t sure what to use. One of my favorite parts of the song is-
“Oklahoma! Every night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk And watch a hawk
Makin’ lazy circles in the sky.”
So I said to myself, when I see a hawk I’ll say hi to Nanny in my mind or out loud. The important part is to acknowledge the sign no matter how it shows up.
It’s not uncommon to ask for a sign, get one, and blow it off as a coincidence. Your human mind will overlook the mystical when given the chance, it takes practice to trust in what you are receiving.
Here are some of the special hawk signs I’ve gotten from Nanny:
Once on the way to an event where I was speaking about postpartum I was feeling nervous. I asked my guides to be with me and immediately a hawk flew above my car and followed with me down the road. As a postpartum surviver herself, I knew Nanny was with me.
Lately I’ve been asking the red-tailed hawks in the neighborhood and Nanny for a feather. I have been scouring the bird hill trails for one to add to my altar. Just this morning a baby red-tailed hawk flew on the top of my garden’s Moon Gate. I watched her regally perched atop the wrought iron arch. My eyes immediately started to water, to let me know my ancestors and Nanny were close by and that I wasn’t alone. I knew it was a sign I was on the right path, and that my feather was on the way too.
You can also receive a number of different types of signs from the same person. Here are some other signs I’ve gotten from Nanny:
Once, when I was visiting Nanny with Sal and Ginny, she had washed out her old coffee maker for us, and put the vinegar in the wrong part of the coffee maker so her whole house smelled like vinegar and the coffee tasted like it too. On the anniversary of her death Sal decided to wash our coffee maker and the whole house smelt like vinegar, and I was transported back to her. Now whenever I smell it, I always say hi and think of Nanny.
Signs don’t have to be just from people. I like to communicate with my art projects too. When Sal was writing his latest Gatto Black album in Jersey he saw a cat cloud in the sky and felt like it was a sign from the music.
Lately I’ve been associating rainbows with my new book project. Every time I see one it’s a reminder to keep going and keep writing.
Getting Advice from the Universe
You can also use signs in other more practical ways too, like assignments from the Universe on where to go or what to do next. Asking for signs is a great way to get guidance on your journey.
Here are some examples on how to do that:
Once I wasn’t sure if I should attend an expensive conference happening out of town. Was it worth the time and money it would take to make it happen? Feeling emboldened and not really wanting to go I asked my guides to give me three signs in relation to this conference by the end of the day.
I was hoping the big ask would deter my guides from making it happen. But later that day my friend brought up the author that was hosting the conference to me during a conversation. Then that same author actually liked one of my social media posts. At the end of the day I got an email telling me I was off the waitlist to book my ticket to the conference. So I did.
The conference turned out to be an exceptional experience with relationships I still connect with to this day. My guides were right, I was meant to be there.Earlier this year I was working on a documentary about the emotional repercussions of the burning times, where women in the Middle Ages were killed for accusations of witchcraft. I’d been working on the film for about a year when I started to feel out of alignment with the timeline of production. It felt like I was on the right track with the theme of the film, but that it wasn’t the right time to fundraise and produce it.
After months of trying to find a sponsor and Executive Producer for the film I finally asked Spirit for a sign. I wanted to see a black cat to know if I should move on and let the idea of the film go. I went about my day, and about half way through it felt a sense of relief that I hadn’t seen a black cat yet. Maybe things with the project would turn around.
Then, when I was picking up my daughters from my mom’s house, as I was climbing into the bunk beds I saw it. There was picture of a black cat cut out from a Halloween card sticking in between the slates of the bunk bed looking right into my eyes and into my soul. I felt it immediately and knew it was a sign. Even though I was fighting it, it was time to move on. The next day I emailed the partner I was working with to let him know I wanted to pause the project, which ultimately made me feel a sense of relief. I might not have been ready to move on, but I trusted the message I got from Spirit and my guides.
You can use signs in lots of different ways to communicate with the Universe and your Spirit team. Be creative and don’t overthink the process.
The Secret to Signs is How They Make You Feel
I mentioned before that it’s normal for your human mind to try to override the miracle of signs. ‘Ask and receive’ practices can almost feel too good to be true. Regardless of how skeptical you are at first always say these three things when you see a sign, even if you are unsure its meant for you.
Hello
Thank you
More please!
It takes a lot of energy to send a sign from beyond the veil so make sure you thank your ancestors, Spirit, and yourself for seeing the blessing.
Trust your intuition, some signs won’t be for you and thats okay!
There are some signs that will greet you like an old friend just passing by, and others that will drop you to your knees.
When you really need guidance, when you’re feeling hopeless, or lost, that’s when a sign is most likely to come and knock you off your feet. But in order to receive these magickal wonders you have to first establish the signs first. Allow the Universe to show up and amaze you through signs.
Scroll down to read commonly asked questions. & see your Magick Lesson Exercise to help you start establishing signs with your ancestors.
Commonly Asked Questions
How do you know a sign is really for you? You probably won’t believe it the first few times you ask for a sign and receive it. Just keep saying “thank you, hello, and more please.” Keep building the trust with Spirit and your guides, and the clarity WILL come.
I saw a cardinal once and it reminded my of my grandmother was that a sign? If the sign reminds you of a person or thing, then yes, it’s probably a sign from them! Say “hi” to them and see if they keep showing up for you. Don’t overthink it, trust your heart.
Magick Class Exercise:
Write down an ancestor (or ancestors) you want to receive a sign from. List 5 things that person loved when they were Earth side. For example, my grandmother Alice loved white nail-polish, the Rockettes, polka-dots, red roses, and yorkshire pudding. Any one of these could be a sign from Alice!
Now circle one of the items on your list and ask your ancestor to show it to you by the end of the day.
Report back on how the sign came through.
-OR-
Ask the Universe a yes or no question you want to know the answer to. For example: should you go to the garden store and spend $100 on plants you don’t need. If Yes- ask the universe to show you a white dove if No- ask the universe to show you a McDonald’s french fry (it can be anything!)
Now observe and see what happens. Report back on how the sign came through.
Click here to submit a question for the Video Recap + Q&A by July 13th.
