Serendipities, coincidences, omens, and other uncanny flukes—all are signs from the universe to get your undivided attention.
It’s your intuition speaking to you in metaphorical language, spiced up with a bit (or a lot) of humor. And when you are open to listening and receiving what it has to offer, you can laugh along with the universe.
So, how do you recognize these signs, and most importantly, how do you read them?
Sonia Choquette, intuition expert and trainer of Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower Quest, has the answers to these questions.
In fact, when you truly and deeply realize that we live in a conscious universe, where everything is divinely orchestrated, you will never see events, situations, and people as accidental. This is when you begin to live the most magical life ever.
What are signs from the universe?
These are ways through which your intuition communicates. You can perceive them as signs from the universe that someone’s thinking of you, and this someone is your higher self or your spirit guide.
According to Sonia Choquette, an intuition expert and the trainer of Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower Quest, your intuition speaks through signs, symbols, metaphors, and even jokes!
“Your intuition doesn’t speak directly into your face because it doesn’t come from your intellect. It’s your energetic essence, so it communicates differently,” she adds.
12 signs from the universe to look out for
The universe uses many different quirky ways to draw your attention. They can be as unique and unrepeatable as you are.
And here are the most common and prominent signs from the universe you don’t want to miss:
Sign 1: Déjà Vu
‘Déjà vu’ literally means ‘already seen.’ It’s that weird sensation that you’ve already experienced what has just happened.
For example, you may walk into a strange place, yet you have a strong feeling that you’ve been there before.
You may be in the middle of a conversation with a friend, and as soon as they say a particular phrase, you get a déjà vu sensation.
This uncanny experience signifies your spiritual awakening, like a ‘glitch in the matrix.’ You’ve seen it and this is your confirmation.
Sign 2: Repeating experiences
If you notice something happening to you over and over, this is a sign from the universe to look out for.
You may stumble on the same section of road you habitually take or hear a song at a particular hour of the day. You may stub your toe or break a nail on the same finger.
Recurring events and situations carry a deeper meaning. Noticing them allows you to recognize that you live on autopilot.
Sign 3: Dreams
Your unconscious mind represents all the information within you that’s inaccessible to your conscious mind. Because it’s rooted in the expanded universe, it is most open to receiving messages from the universe, which are often communicated to your conscious part through dreams.
Simply put, you are unconscious every time you fall asleep, and that’s when you get access to higher wisdom.
Some dreams can contain information about future events. They are called prophetic dreams.
Aldous Huxley, a writer and philosopher, explains in his book Heaven and Hell that seeing bright colors or objects in your dreams signifies the transcendental nature of it.
Writing down your dreams is a great way to remember them and then decipher the symbolic signs.
Moreover, you can learn how to lucid dream or be fully aware during a dream. This skill will allow you to ask the universe what messages it has for you.
Sign 4: Animals
Animals can also be vessels the universe uses to communicate with you. On top of that, they may mirror your spirit or power animals on the physical plane. These are spirits whose characteristics you embody that help you on your journey.
For example, you may continually notice cats whichever way you go. It might be a sign that you need to become more independent and self-reliant.
Another powerful sign is seeing flocks of birds frequently in the sky. They might reflect your need to explore new places and change your habitual environment.
Sign 5: Patterns of numbers
Number sequences containing three or four numbers with repetition, like 1111, 777, and 8888, are called “angel numbers.” Each combination has its own meaning within numerology.
Since there are no coincidences in the metaphysical world, seeing patterns of numbers in your reality is a sign you want to pay attention to.
You can see them on car plates, your phone indicating time, the streets, and even your paper bills!
For example, whenever you notice 11:11 on your phone, watch, or clock, whatever thought was going through your mind (or whatever you’re pondering over) at that moment is significant.
Seeing this number pattern might also signify the presence of your spirit guides or angels.
Sign 6: Synchronicity
The term “synchronicity” was first coined by psychologist Carl Yung, describing mysterious coincidences in the external world.
In fact, he called it an ‘acausal connecting principle’ in which incidents might align with your individual experience beyond any rational sequence of events.
In other words, these serendipities mirror your inner world. This is why they are very subjective.
One of the most common examples is when you’ve been out of a job for months without anyone wanting to hire you. And as soon as you get a job, you get multiple job offers from seemingly random people.
Usually, synchronicities are a big ‘yes’ to confirm that you’re on the right path and that everything works out for you in divine timing. So if you recognize this sign before things change, be patient—your answer is on the way.
Sign 7: Losing significant objects
Although our relationships with possessions are essential, not all objects we have are meaningful. Losing something dear to your heart feels significant, but it also acts as a sign.
Sonia shares that when she was going through a challenging life situation, she decided to take Europe’s longest pilgrimage route—El Camino de Santiago. This is where she lost an utterly important toy she took with her as a talisman.
This incident signified the loss of her old self and letting go of the past.
Surprisingly, years later, one of her devoted readers walked the path and found her toy, so it was returned to her when she least expected it.
When you lose or break something you’re attached to, the universe sends a message that you need to leave something behind to create space for the new. And when you do, who knows? It might find its way back.
Sign 8: Illness and pain
Sometimes, illnesses don’t have an explainable source. Apart from the psychosomatic nature of diseases, pain or an ailment may symbolize something other than a specific emotion.
For example, you might start to feel a sharp pain on the left side of your body with no apparent reason for it.
From a metaphysical perspective, the left side represents the divine feminine and your relationship with a mother. So it might mean that you should pay attention to your relationship with your mother or awaken your divine femininity.
In other words, the location of the pain or the type of illness might carry a hidden meaning.
Sign 9: Smells
According to science, some odors evoke vivid memories linked to a particular event or a person. Some smells trigger positive memories and result in uplifting emotions, and vice versa. This human evolutionary mechanism helped our ancestors better navigate their wild environments.
When you unexpectedly come across some smells (sensing cinnamon in the shopping mall doesn’t count as its marketers’ tricks), it might remind you of something or someone linked to the memory it triggers, relevant to your present moment.
This situation or a person from the past contains clues to your current situation, so you want to examine that memory to find them.
Sign 10: Unexpected Encounters
Have you ever met someone who turns out to be an ideal person for your current situation? You may ponder quitting your job or finding a coach, and voilá—the person is in front of you!
This type of encounter often means that the universe is confirming (or disproving) what’s on your mind regarding the case.
Sign 11: Irrelevant emotions
Your emotions and feelings act as signposts, helping you navigate your life. But sometimes, you feel emotions that seem out of place. These are warning signs from the universe you can’t miss.
For example, you may find yourself in a safe place but suddenly feel unexplained fear or anxiety. It’s the universe trying to warn you to be cautious.
Another typical example is feeling unsettled before a flight or a road trip. Especially if you are usually very organized and collected, you might feel chaotic, as if something is trying to make you miss the flight or postpone the trip.
These are your guidelines for doing just that.
Sign 12: Gut feelings
We all have gut feelings, but not everyone follows them. This is your intuition speaking to you subtly, energetically.
According to Sonia, there are different ways you can feel it:
- With your heart: “My heart says….”
- In your gut: “I have a gut feeling that….”
- As your inner voice: “My inner voice says….”
- Through images and visions: “I get a vision….”
Whatever your intuition speaks to you, you should listen instead of brushing it off.
How to read signs from the universe
Sonia explains that intuitive people pay close attention to what’s around them and notice what’s different. “It allows you to be in your body that receives intuitive messages,” she adds.
So you want to expand your perception by being attentive to any changes in your habitual environment.
Intuition isn’t about talking but listening—listening with your entire body.
— Sonia Choquette, trainer of Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower Quest
More importantly, expanded perception implies an expanded capacity to listen. Only when you listen attentively can you receive energy and perceive what’s beyond your physical senses.
For that, you need to quiet your brain. Here are some ways to turn it off:
- Taking a cold shower
- Dancing to your favorite music
- Free writing
- Deep breathing
When your brain is silent, you naturally become more open to your intuitive impulses.
What happens when you ignore signs from the universe?
Let’s make it clear: intuition isn’t about right or wrong. It’s about the truth. Sonia calls it “the third space of the truth,” and this truth feels true for you, for now, in every given moment.
Most people ignore their intuition because they don’t want to hear what’s true and deal with what’s real. They prefer to live with comfortable delusions.
Unless you want to hear an honest answer, don’t ask your intuition to guide you.
— Sonia Choquette, trainer of Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower Quest
Simply put, when you ignore the signs from the universe, you live in fiction, recycling your safe narratives, which inevitably brings you stagnation and unnecessary suffering.
You want to realize that the universe is all about expansion and transformation, so whether you intend it or not, it will eventually knock you out of your comfort zone.
This is why we experience accidents, illnesses, challenges, heartbreaks, and other seemingly misfortunate situations in life to awaken to the truth.
Sonia emphasizes that you must be honest with yourself to hear your intuition. And you can’t move forward unless you are willing to listen honestly.
Unlock your sixth sense superpower
Imagine you’re in a pitch-black room. All you need to do is find the light switch to see what’s around you. This switch is intuition that’s already within you; you just need to know how to turn it on.
This dormant superpower, once unlocked, opens you up to the invisible space—the space of intuition, creativity, and wonder, the space of your most expansive self.
And unlocking it is easier than you think. You can try it for yourself by joining Sonia Choquette in Mindvalley’s Sixth Sense Superpower Quest.
Could this be your sign from the universe? You decide.
