Using Signs for Guidance
Listening For Signs
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, rather than random or purely mechanical.
They will show up as:
Movements in the natural world: animals, insects, winds, tides, stars
Dreams or repeating images
Body sensations: the feeling in your belly when something is off or deeply right
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 visionaries looking for signs
If you are carrying big, wild ideas, preparing for a transition, or expanding an established body of work, it’s very likely you are already sensing small signs: repeated images, songs, numbers, birds, patterns in timing.
Here’s a simple way to work with them, using the kingfisher as a guide.
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 remember or know
Gently act: you might re-align your decisions or actions or even pause for a moment
This practice should strengthen your self leadership, so remember not to hand your whole self over and use only as guidance.
