SIGNS FROM ABOVE
“Your guardian angels are continually giving you messages, frequently through signs.”
—Doreen Virtue
One of the most common ways that angels, spirit guides, and our deceased loved ones communicate with us is through signs and messages. They send us signs in our environment, such as coins, hearts, butterflies, birds, rainbows, words, and repeating numbers. They will use mediums such as songs, books, billboards, people, radio, and even television to send a message. They can physically show themselves to us through orbs or even in our dreams. There are no limits to the different ways they can communicate with us from the other side. They will go to great lengths to get a message to us.
It is up to each one of us to notice and interpret these signs and messages for ourselves.
Signs
Let’s look at some of the different types of signs and messages we can receive from above.
Hearts
I see hearts everywhere! For years I have found heart-shaped rocks and I’ve seen hearts in my coffee, in the gum on the sidewalk, and in the oil spots on the street. I even had a heart-shaped blister on my foot once! I have a heart below my right eye that is made of veins and freckles, but it is indeed a heart. I believe the hearts are signs from my angels telling me “you are loved” and sometimes they mean “you need to love yourself more.”
I have also noticed that the shape and orientation of the heart has significance too. In my last relationship, every heart that I saw was missing a small corner at the top right. Both times we separated, I saw a heart turned upside down. The first time this happened I was returning from a business trip in a helicopter, and as we were flying over the Moisie River in Quebec, I noticed that there was a sandbar shaped like a heart but it was upside down. That same evening I left my boyfriend. It wasn’t planned. Months went by, and one day, as my eyes fell onto a picture I had hung on my office wall, it came to me that this was the first time I had ever noticed an upside-down heart in the image and that it was probably a premonition of what was about to unfold.
A few months later, I got back together with this boyfriend. Then one day, upon returning from another business trip, this time by plane, I folded the tray in front of me and there on the back of the tray I noticed a heart-shaped sticker that was placed upside down and I thought to myself, “Oh no, not again!” Yes, we separated again.
Animals, Birds, and Butterflies
Our deceased loved ones often visit us through animals that they loved while on earth. My grandfather loved birds. He fed them all the time. So it was no surprise that on the day of his funeral, we noticed two little birds flying in front of our car as we were leaving the cemetery. My family and I interpreted this sign in the same way. We believed that the birds were our two grandfathers who were happy to meet again and had sent us this sign to show us that they were together and fine.
Other deceased people choose to be represented by a butterfly. If you see a butterfly that is out of the ordinary in terms of its shape or color, it may be someone dear to you who is seeking your attention.
One day, while bicycling, I saw a huge butterfly flying through the spokes of my wheel. I would have thought that this phenomenon was simply impossible, but as I looked at the butterfly, the image of my friend’s deceased aunt came to mind. She was absolutely radiant. I felt that she was comfortable and at peace. She wanted me to tell my friend that she was happy and to thank him for everything he had done for her.
Numbers
I believe that everything around us is constantly speaking to us. In 1997 I started to see numbers like 1:11 and 11:11 on the digital clock in my car. I was sure that it was no coincidence and believed that these numbers were actually speaking to me. In 2004 I discovered Doreen Virtue’s Angel Therapy book, in which she says that angels speak to us through numbers. She explained that multiple numbers and combinations of numbers have very specific meanings.
One night I felt very anxious and afraid. I was preparing to leave my boyfriend and did not necessarily feel safe being under the same roof with him. I knew he was unhappy with my decision to end the relationship. I prayed to the angels to protect me as I prepared to sleep in the guest room. During the night, I awoke at exactly 4:44 am. The numbers 444 mean the angels are with us and we have nothing to fear. The angels wanted to confirm that they were with me and were protecting me.
Just before writing this book, I noticed the numbers 999 on several license plates. I knew that it was a sign telling me to get to work!
Images
Our angels, guides, and deceased loved ones sometimes bring us messages through images. For example, six months after my mom’s partner died, there was a snowstorm. She was staying at my sister’s house, and with the high winds, the house was shaking. My mother prayed to her dad and her partner that night before going to bed and asked them to protect the house during the storm. When she woke up the next morning, there was snow covering the patio door in the shape of two men that looked like her dad and her deceased partner.
Messengers
The universe always sends us the right person at the right time to help us on our path. This person may be a master, a guru, or simply a passerby. Nothing is by chance. Each person, each message, each book always arrives at the moment we need them the most.
You have surely noticed that you always find the perfect book just when you need it. You read a passage and you know immediately that it is exactly what you need to know at that time. While writing the French version of this book, I was reading a book called I Declare by Joel Osteen, a well-known pastor in the United States. This wonderful book was exactly what I needed at that moment. It contains thirty-one promises that we are invited to declare over our life. In brief, these messages declare that God has placed a dream in each one of our hearts, and that he is there to help us realize them. The messages in this book spoke to my heart.
Here is a passage from Day 2 of the book: “I DECLARE I will experience God’s faithfulness. I will not worry. I will not doubt. I will keep my trust in Him, knowing that He will not fail me. I will give birth to every promise God put in my heart and I will become everything God created me to be. This is my declaration.”
Remain open to books that simply fall from the shelves or that are suggested to you by friends. There is always an insightful message waiting for you.
Movies
Sometimes angels and spirits will speak to us through a movie or television program. The movie may resemble our life and help us to accept or free us from emotions related to a certain situation. It may even give us ideas about which path to follow. For example, you wish to change careers, so you ask the angels to show you a new line of work that might interest you. You turn on the television and all of the televisions programs seem to be about the same career.
After my father died, I rented the 2013 movie Saving Mr. Banks, the story of how Walt Disney obtained the movie rights to P. L. Travers’s book Mary Poppins. In the movie, we understand that Mr. Banks was really P. L. Travers’s father, who was an alcoholic. That evening I felt my father’s presence very strongly. I cried incessantly and felt that my dad was saying he was sorry for all that he had done because of his alcoholism. The sadness I felt that evening was really his deep pain and anguish about all that he had done. It was a very healing movie for both my father and me.
Dreams
Dreams are another way angels, guides, and spirits can communicate with us. Dreams can be premonitions about the future or they can be a reflection of what we are living in the present. Often our angels and guides will help us understand in our dreams the emotions that we feel during the day. The emotions that we feel in our dreams are the same as those we feel in our lives. However, sometimes life can be going so fast that we have difficulty noticing them. Through our dreams, the angels will show us symbols that are meaningful and provoke emotions that are similar to what we are really experiencing. It is important to write down your dreams and look up any symbols in a dream dictionary to understand what your angels and guides are telling you.
For example, I dreamt one night that I was driving a truck and the truck just kept going faster and faster. I put my foot on the brakes, but it just wouldn’t slow down. I put my two feet on the brakes and still I could not get control of the truck. I was afraid I was going to have an accident.
Next I found myself in the hull of large ship, and I was looking around thinking, “This is interesting.” Then these humongous steel doors started closing in on me and I knew I had to get out or I was going to be stuck in the bottom of the ship. I turned around and saw an open window, and I ran toward it and jumped through the opening. As I was going through the window, I was surprised and relieved to see someone on the other side holding out their hands to me. I heard and felt money and stuff falling out of my pockets. I communicated telepathically to the person on the other side, “Never mind what is falling out of my pockets. Just get me out of here.”
This dream was very significant, as I was in a relationship that was going way too fast for me even though I had tried to slow it down. I felt I had no control. I felt that the angels were saying to me in my dream, “There is a window of opportunity for you to leave now, and you have to jump through it and let go of what you think you might lose in the process.” I did choose to leave, and I’m grateful that the angels were there to love and guide me to a wonderful new life and provide everything I needed materially and financially to be well again.
Our deceased loved ones may also visit us in our dreams. They choose to come to us this way because we are less afraid to see them in our dreams than to see them appear before us. For some people, seeing a spirit can be very disturbing. So if you wish to speak to a loved one who has passed, ask them to come visit you in your dreams. You will know it is really a visitation when the dream is very vivid and seemingly real.
Orbs
Orbs are circles of light that can appear regularly in photos or videos. Some circles of light may simply be dust, but some are really spirits. Due to the speed of digital cameras, orbs (spirits) can be caught on photographs or video. Notice that these spheres of light are often near the same people. They are very visible during spiritual conferences, religious ceremonies, and family gatherings. When they are captured on video, you can actually see the lights dancing around a person or a room.
Oracle Cards
A wonderful way to receive messages from our angels, guides, and deceased loved ones is through oracle cards. Many beautiful cards are available on the market today. Go to your nearest spiritual bookstore and find yourself a special pack of oracle cards. There are many different types to choose from, such as fairies, angels, goddesses, animals, saints, and archangels, to name just a few. Let your heart choose which one is right for you. Many stores will have demo packs that allow you to try them before purchasing. You can also find oracle cards on your smartphone. Many wonderful apps exist today that allow you to have your oracle cards at your fingertips whenever you feel the need to connect with your angels and guides to receive a message.
Oracle cards are an excellent and quick way to receive guidance and messages. I like to do a one-card reading every morning before I start my day.
Words
Angels and guides often use words to send us messages. When you ask for a sign, stay very open to the words you see around you. There are no coincidences. One day, while walking through Old Quebec City with my nephew Steve, we were talking about life and our dreams, and at the very same moment we noticed graffiti on the wall of a building. It said, “Don’t be just another brick in the wall!” We laughed because we both knew that this message was telling us to be true to ourselves, to continue to dream, and to take the necessary steps toward the life we’d always dreamed of and not settle for less.
Another time, I was going to get my hair done. As I pulled into the parking lot in front of the mall, I saw a contractor’s truck in front of me. Written on the back of his truck was, “Are you missing time?” I certainly was. This was a sure message from the angels, because I was putting too much responsibility on myself and was filling my calendar to please others. I felt like I didn’t have the time to focus on what was really important to me at the time. The angels were guiding me to make time for myself and to focus on my needs and priorities.
Hearing Messages
I have come to believe that angels speak to me through songs that I hum or hear on the radio. There is always a message for me in the lyrics. I have noticed many songs over the years at particular times in my life that I felt were guiding me forward.
Often I will hear a tune playing in my head in the morning. Sometimes there are just a few words, but they are always significant. For example, one time a friend had invited me to do a dinner conference at her house. The morning I was preparing to leave home for the eight-hour drive, I asked the angels if I should give this conference because I was really exhausted. I started to hear a Christmas hymn playing in my head: “Go tell it on the mountain.” Then I laughed when I realized that my friend lived in the mountains. My trip and my conference went very well. Moreover, it was that conference that inspired me to write this book.
When I lived in Ontario, I felt guided to leave my job and move. For several weeks, every time I turned on the radio in my car, I heard the song “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson playing. The song was nudging me to take a risk and break away from my unhappy life. I felt that this song was playing just for me. It gave me wings and gave me the courage to leave my apartment, my job, and my friends and move back closer to my family.
Several years later, I was driving down the road and was listening to this all-French radio station when out of the blue this English country song came on, “Break Up with Him” by Old Dominion. I knew in my heart that it was the angels nudging me to leave my marriage, saying that I was wasting precious time and that I was not in love with my husband. When you hear a song with a message that seems so crystal-clear, know in your heart that it is meant for you.
Another way we receive messages from our angels and guides is when we overhear a conversation that seems to be pertinent to us. A friend recently told me that one day he was walking in Old Quebec City and was talking to God about how he wanted to win the lottery. He thought it would allow him to better serve the world while meeting his financial responsibilities. At that exact moment, he heard a woman near him say aloud to her friend, “But what you gonna do with all dat money?” He knew that the message had been divinely sent to him.
EXERCISE
Noticing and Interpreting Signs
I suggest that you start looking immediately for evidence that your angels and guides are with you. You may begin by asking your angels, “Dear angels, show me clear signs that you are with me and help me see signs of your presence.” Then pay attention to everything you see. Look closely at your environment and notice the signs around you. Write down everything you see. Often angels will drop feathers, coins, and the like in your path.
Take note of repeating numbers you see on your digital clock and license plates. Notice the words you see on buildings, cars, etc. Notice the shapes you see in the clouds, on the asphalt, and on rocks or pieces of wood. Look at everything more closely and see if there is a message for you. Is there a television program that speaks to you? What types of pictures are hung on the walls of the hotel room or lobby you are in? Do you see images or symbols in the ceramic tiles on your floor? Is there a message in your inbox or on Facebook that you feel is speaking directly to you?
Have you been dreaming lately? What are your dreams telling you? How do you feel in your dreams? Are they happy and light or agitated and full of fear?
Write down in your journal all you see around you and its meaning. Also take note of all your dreams and visions, as well as the symbols therein.
To better understand your messages, you can consult a dream or symbol dictionary or you can simply ask your angels for clarification. There are excellent books on the market about interpreting numbers, dreams, and symbols.
Also, if you don’t already have a pack of oracle cards, I strongly suggest you purchase a special pack just for you. Your oracle cards are your connection to the divine. It is best if you are the only person who uses them. You can always purchase an extra pack to share with friends and family. I find it best to always have one special pack that has only your energy in it.
When other people use your cards, they leave an imprint of their energy in them. You can simply knock on the cards to remove other people’s energy. Sound clears energy. That is why you often see spiritual people using drums, bells, and other instruments to clear the energy from a room.
I encourage you to write in your journal every day.
EXERCISE
Hearing and Listening to Messages
I also encourage you to listen for messages. Ask your angels, “Dear angels, please speak to me through messages so that I may know that you are near me.” Then listen to everything around you, as well as to the lyrics that play in your head.
Take note of anything you hear that seems to be speaking to you. What songs do you hear on the radio or what tune is playing in your head? Do the lyrics speak to you? Have you overheard a conversation that seems to be a message for you? Notice your emotions when listening to songs, conversations, or television or radio programs. When you feel a sense of wonder or excitement, it is usually an indication that the message is for you.
Every day, take note of the messages you hear. For example, write down:
Date: _____________________
Describe what you hear: _______________________
_________________________________________
Interpretation: ______________________________
_________________________________________