Signs from the Universe: Are They Real or Am I Just Imagining It?
Have you ever noticed a number pattern like 11:11 on a digital clock, shortly followed by 12:12, 13:13 and then 888 on a number plate? Or maybe you heard a song on the radio and you thought “Crikey, was that meant for me?”
I know when I’ve seen things like feathers, robins or butterflies in the past, I’ve just been talking about someone or something and I’ve thought “That’s a bit strange.”
Let’s unpack what’s going on, because these can be explained both spiritually and scientifically, so no it’s not you being silly!
Spiritually: The Universe Is Always Talking to Us (We’ve Just Never Been Taught It)
From a spiritual perspective, signs and synchronicities are the language of the universe and it’s how we are told if we’re on the right path or if we need to re-align.
Energy is constantly in motion and we are all are part of that motion (we are energetic beings after all), so when your energy changes, the universe naturally responds.
It’s not actually about the sign itself, it’s about the feeling it evokes within you because the universe doesn’t speak in human words, it speaks through energy and resonance. So when you see these signs and have a quiet sense of knowing, that’s the resonance between your question and the sign that has been presented to you.
I ask for signs all the time. Probably the best anecdote is from my early days of spirituality when I asked for a picture of a dolphin if all this spiritual stuff is real. A day or so later, I was perhaps 2 hours away from where I live and I walked past a hotel called “The Dolphin” with a huge picture of a dolphin on the side. For me, it couldn’t have been a more obvious answer of “YES!” I still laugh at that today.
The Science Side: Why Signs Aren’t Nonsense
If we look a little deeper, there’s actually a beautiful explanation for how this energy exchange happens and it’s actually not as crazy as it sounds.
Everything in the universe is made of energy, from the chair you’re sitting on, to your body, to your thoughts. Everything.
Physics tells us that at the smallest level there’s actually no “solid” matter at all, everything is just vibrating particles and our senses translate them into physical form. Your body is no exception. Your heart, brain, cells (even your thoughts / emotions) are constantly producing measurable energy.
For example:
Your heart generates an electromagnetic field 100 times stronger than your brain’s (this can be measured several feet away)
Your brainwaves change frequency depending on whether you’re relaxed or stressed
When you’re in a state of love, gratitude or joy, your nervous system literally shifts into a higher-coherence state (think “high vibe” or “higher vibrational frequency”)
This isn’t mystical, it’s measurable.
How Energetic Frequency Shapes What You Notice
When you shift your internal frequency (your emotional state, thoughts etc) your nervous system and perception both change.
Think of it like a radio transmitter, so if you tune your into 98.3FM, you can’t pick up 101.7FM and vice versa. We work in exactly the same way. When we’re stressed or fearful or closed off, our dial is tuned differently than when we’re calm, grateful or open. It doesn’t just change how you feel, it changes what you’re able to perceive.
So when you ask for a sign or practice gratitude or meditate, you’re changing your energetic frequency to a new higher frequency and can pick up a new stream of information. That’s why feathers appear, a robin hops round your garden or the same number shows up everywhere.
Why This Makes Spirituality Make Sense
Once you see life this way, spirituality stops feeling like a crazy belief system and starts looking like a natural extension of physics.
Science and spirituality are not opposed, they’re two sides of the same coin. One says, “You’re tuning your brain” and other says “You’re receiving guidance”. Both are true.
I ask for signs all the time and they land all the time. I feel it and I just know it. When you open yourself to a different way of thinking, that’s when the magic begins.
How to Recognise a True Sign
It feels calm. True signs bring you peace, reassurance or a soft inner knowing
It’s meaningful. It doesn’t matter what it means to anyone else, just what you feel about it
It repeats or arrives at just the right moment. Life has a beautiful way of sending us messages until we take notice. Just trust the process.
How to Work With Signs
Pause and acknowledge it. A simple thank you is fine
Reflect on what it might be guiding you towards. What question were you wanting to know the answer to?
Write it down. Journaling helps you spot deeper patterns over time
Stay in a receptive (but not pushy or controlling) state. Just put your question out there and let the signs come to you naturally
The Beautiful Truth
Whether you believe in divine guidance or the power of your energetic being, the thing that’s sticks with me the most is that signs bring comfort, hope and connection and remind us that life isn’t random. Perhaps like we’re taught it is?
You are being guided through life so take the burden off yourself. Allow yourself to be shown some answers for once and really enjoy the process.
Love Abbie x