How to interpret signs and symbols to guide myself?
Understanding signs and symbols
Outside my cabin, there is a familiar visitor.
A kingfisher arrives and settles on a branch outside.
He sits very still.
& then in an instant, he darts away.
Over time, I’ve come to experience this bird as a sign that meets me where I am. On the days when I’m impatient to “get there faster”, to force clarity, to make everything happen at once, the kingfisher reminds me:
Be patient.
Watch carefully.
Strike when the time is right.
What is a sign?
Signs are how we read the world as living and responsive.
They will show up as:
Animals, insects, winds, tides, stars showing up in front of you
Dreams or repeating images
Body sensations: the feeling in your belly when something is right or off
Patterns in timing: delays, openings, synchronicities
They gain meaning through relationship and lineage, stories handed down, and your own lived experience.
Signs can also carry different meanings for each of us as our relationships and experiences are different. There is no single, universal dictionary of signs. Instead, there is relationship.
My relationship with the kingfisher outside my cabin is one small moment in a much larger picture.
A practice for understanding signs and symbols
If you are working with an idea that is emerging, it’s very likely you are already sensing small signs: repeated images, songs, numbers, birds, patterns in timing.
Here is a simple way to work with them.
Notice: first, simply name what happens
Feel: gently ask “what happens in my body when I notice this sign?”
Ask: From that grounded practice, you can enquire what the sign is inviting you to know
Gently act: you might re-align your decisions or actions or even pause for a moment
Over time, you will find that signs and symbols add a quality of magic and inspiration to your work. Strengthening your relationship to your ideas, creation, and environment.
This practice should strengthen your self leadership and understanding, so remember to use only as guidance without handing your whole self over.
