A Very Brief History
of Signs
Observing signs and omens and discerning guidance from them is an innate and primal knowledge that we all share. In virtually every civilization in history, connection between external phenomena and human consciousness was observed, honored, and revered. We had a shared perception of the world as dreamlike. Nature, objects, and the skies spoke to us and conveyed hidden and prophetic guidance. Our present experience of feeling separate from one another and our spiritual source and living in a meaningless world is far removed from the depth and richness that early humans experienced.
In ancient societies where signs and messages were revered, there was a code of communication that was inherent and present within all of life. It held the key to the unknown and led us in making individual and collective choices. Through our attentiveness to sacred signs and messages, we were led to a deeper understanding and awareness of our place in the cosmos. We listened when we encountered something that spoke to us. When we needed to make a decision or to know whether or not to proceed with a new venture, we looked to the world around us for guidance and direction. Our intuition was a normal and natural sense that we trusted to help us discern and understand the inherent meaning within the signs that we encountered. In this way our interconnectedness to spiritual forces was celebrated.
Assigning Meaning to Signs
Early humans became aware of the symbolic meaning within natural objects, animals, birds, and other phenomena by studying and becoming aware of the conditions and changes that were simultaneously occurring in the human realm at the time that signs were observed. This is called synchronicty, or meaningful coincidences. By becoming aware of natural events and the corresponding and related conditions, changes, or patterns in human affairs, meaning and messages were attributed to specific phenomena. In present time we often make these same kind of connections.
For instance, when I was young, I walked to elementary school with my older sister by way of a shortcut that took us through the woods and over a small wooden footbridge. One morning as I approached this bridge, I noticed a large black crow sitting on it. I immediately knew that his presence had meaning. I felt a little light-headed as he stood still, looking at me. I wanted to run away but instead opted to walk around the bridge and jump over the small stream. Although I had a sense that the crow had a message for me, I had no idea what it was.
Later that evening during dinner, my mother abruptly and almost nonchalantly told me and my three siblings that my father would no longer be living with us. There was no discussion. We all just sat in stunned and quiet despair. Filled with sadness, I finished eating and went out to the backyard. There sitting on our fence, against the setting sun, was a crow. I did not know for sure if it was the same crow I had encountered that morning, but I wanted to believe that it was. It seemed to intensely stare at me and a shiver of energy ran up my spine. I both wanted to confide and share my grief with it and shoo it away. I did neither. I just looked at it and felt an inner knowing that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to believe that something or someone was watching over me and had sent the crow to let me know that I was not alone. As darkness descended the crow eventually left and I went back in the house, feeling a surprising sense of comfort.
Over the years I have developed an understanding of the symbolic language of signs and messages. They have become a natural source of guidance and enlightened understanding that I never regret listening to and acting on.
Signs throughout History
Across the globe and in many different cultures, nature, natural phenomena, and objects were believed to embody messages and signs and the presence of wise and loving spiritual forces. For instance, like many other early cultures, ancient Romans believed that objects and all living beings possessed spiritual and magical properties. The trees, mountains, caves, lakes, and animals were believed to embody spirits. The weather, lightning in particular, water, and especially stones that bordered property were bearers of important messages. In Celtic and Norse mythology animals, and in particular birds, were powerful messengers. The Norse god Odin is sometimes referred to as the raven god. The visitation or sighting of a raven could be either an auspicious sign or bad omen depending on the current conditions and circumstances. In ancient China and most of Asia, crickets were thought of as watchdogs. When they stopped chirping, danger was near. Dew on the ground was considered auspicious and frogs were an important omen that brought the promise of abundance, prosperity, love, friendship, and fertility.
At the beginning of new ventures such as births, planting seasons, going to war, or making a personal or a collective decision, signs and omens in most cultures were particularly sought and had the most power. For instance, in ancient northern Europe a woman would feel a heightened sense of joy and promise when wanting to conceive a child if she discovered a bird’s nest with eggs. In many regions ancient sailors who had spent months at sea knew that land was near when dolphins came close to their ship.
In critical moments when decisions needed to be made or the future foretold, omens and signs had the power to change the course of history. For instance, in ancient Rome, a planned attack would go forward if an important official spotted a flowering palm, a sign that guaranteed success in battle. Changes in the skies were especially important as they were viewed as direct messages from the gods. For instance, in many cultures solar eclipses influenced warring opponents to make peace and motivated others to declare war and invade rival empires. Comets had a similar effect. According to legend, when Genghis Khan observed Halley’s Comet in 1222, he took it as a sign to move his troops westward into the heart of Europe.
Divination Systems
In ancient times, observing signs and omens became an essential and common method to discern the will of spiritual forces and make decisions and choices. Because of their effectiveness and reliability, ancient people took the evolutionary step and began to invent divination systems to invoke and utilize signs and omens.
One of the oldest-known divination systems is the Chinese I Ching, or Book of Changes. It is based on the recurrence of six numbers or lines, which create the possibility of sixty-four hexagrams. Originally bones or yarrow sticks were used to cast a hexagram. Three coins are now more commonly used. Each hexagram explains and describes natural forces and conditions and the corresponding human challenge or change that it represents. Modern scholars believe that the original text was assembled sometime around 1000 BC. Confucius is said to be the I Ching’s greatest patron. He devoted much of his life to contemplating the hexagrams and adding interpretation and commentaries to the original text.
Thousands of miles away in northern Europe, markings on rocks and sticks and branches were being observed as a potent source of guidance and wisdom. Within these natural configurations, the Germanic/Norse perceived the spirit of the gods and discerned their advice on human affairs. From this awareness they created the runes, a series of twenty-four stones, tiles, or wooden blocks marked with a symbol or letter that served as both an alphabet and a divination system. The earliest runic inscriptions date from around 150 AD.
The tarot cards are another divination system that has influenced and guided people in all cultures across the globe. The first documented tarot cards were created between 1430 and 1450 in northern Italy, but many researchers believe their roots trace back to ancient Egypt and the Kabbalah. There is no official tarot card deck. Many modern decks contain images and symbols of ancient, naturally occurring patterns, signs, and archetypes. From the early tarot decks, divination cards of all types, spiritual paths, and philosophies have emerged. Divination cards are likely the most common contemporary oracle method for invoking guidance and direction.
These and other well-utilized divination systems have withstood the test of time. Their popularity and longevity is a testament to the wisdom, guidance, and direction that they have provided to people throughout centuries of change and evolution. These systems and many other similar ones have their basis in the observation of signs and omens and the intuitive insight of early civilizations.
Scientific and not-so-Scientific
Discoveries
After thousands of years of relying on the world around us for intuitive and symbolic guidance and awareness, a gradual shift began to take place. Trust and faith in physical proof and measurable evidence as a standard for discerning fact and truth began to gain momentum.
Initiated in ancient Greece, the practice of seeking knowledge through focusing on physical science and experimentation began to spread. By the seventeenth century, the primary means of determining reality through scientific inquiry reached a pinnacle of development in Europe.
Over time the awareness and trust in signs and omens to provide guidance and foretell the future was, for the most part, sidelined by contemporary cultures as superstitious and irrational. However, a few pioneers in the Western world challenged this trend and became aware of and discerned the inherent power and symbolic potential within naturally occurring signs and messages. Most prominent among them is psychiatrist Carl Jung, who studied the importance of unscientific phenomena and brought this awareness into contemporary focus. He was the first scientist to observe and discuss meaningful coincidences, which he termed synchronicity. It was in his psychiatric practice while listening to the dreams of his patients that he first became aware of this phenomenon. Jung noticed that the dream symbols discussed by his patients often appeared in their life as unexpected coincidences. When this synchronicity occurred, healing often spontaneously came about and therapy was more successful.
One of the early defining experiences that led to Jung’s interest in synchronicities involved a patient’s dream of a scarabaeid beetle. His patient, who did not seem to be making progress in therapy, recounted to Jung a dream she had where someone gave her a golden scarab. At the same time that she was recounting this dream, Jung heard a tapping on the window. When he opened it, a gold-green scarabaeid beetle, similar to the one described in the dream, flew into the room. Catching the beetle in his hand, Jung handed it to his patient. Just as the dream foretold.
The shock and surprise of the sudden appearance of the beetle had a transformative effect on the woman. Jung recounted that her resistance diminished and from that point on she made swift progress in healing.
Coming Full Circle
Although the phenomenon of synchronicity was first scientifically investigated by Carl Jung, new advancements in science have opened doors to a better understanding of how energy responds and is influenced by our thoughts and intent. The study of physics, especially quantum physics, has demonstrated the unified effect of energy. Simply stated, this scientific observation demonstrates that every single particle in the universe has a gravitational effect upon every other particle, no matter how far away the particles are separated. The unified effect can, in part, help to explain the science behind synchronicities, signs, and messages. What we think and feel, along with our intent, exerts an influence on our environment.
Exciting advancements like these are moving us closer to understanding the science behind the manifestation of signs and messages.However, there are still forces and realities that, as of yet, cannot be measured in a laboratory. The presence of divine life force energy is present in all things and it influences our environment and what we experience. What we perceive in our everyday life unfolds from the deeper layers of human consciousness, thought, and belief, and from the unseen energy of the universe.
Instead of overthinking, worrying, and feeling anxious, trust in the benevolence of a meaningful universe that offers you clarity and direction. Let the world speak to you and reveal its guiding presence. Let it come alive and transform random and seemingly insignificant events into a treasure trove of insight and meaning.