Mundane vs Magic
Let’s start with how to determine if something is just a mundane occurrence or a sign. Feel free to skip this section if you feel confident in your ability to! This is mainly aimed at our friends who more recently took on this path.
When you first start your journey, it can be easy to see a lot of things as signs that may just not be. Life can be weird even without magic, but when you add magic in, at first it feels like endless possibilities. Just about anything could happen! Well… not really. Witches and pagans alike are just people in this world. And I’ve found for a lot of people once they become more aware of this side of things they start to look for it everywhere. Read a book about Greek Myths, and now you’re seeing apples and doves everywhere? Clearly the work of Aphrodite. Has nothing to do with the apple orchard you live next to, in an area doves are native and common.
So, how can you tell if something is mundane or a magical sign? First let’s look at plausible causes. Sometimes the things we may see as signs are just a fact of our environment. It’s not that they can never be signs, you just need to take your environment into account while you try to narrow it down. If you’re in an abandoned house or basement, you likely will see many spiders. If you’re in a well-kept home having multiple may be a bit more concerning or eyebrow raising. Neither of these are a for sure yes nor no, but it’s something to keep in mind. Try to remain grounded and levelheaded when interpreting signs or deciding if something is a message. Sometimes if something is fresh on your mind, you’ll notice it more. Or you day-to-day will lead it to be more commonplace. If something forces it to be you really can’t see it as a sign, like if you have an alarm at 11:11, you can’t really see that as a sign of new beginnings and guidance-it’s just a sign to do what you were supposed to at 11:11. But say you started a timer completely separate to the time, to bake something and it happens to go off at 11:11. That is something I’d look at more as a sign or message.
I would say you should keep a similar mindset when it comes to the internet as well. A lot of websites use algorithms so the more you look into stuff the more it’s going to pop up. And not even just in advertisements or direct searches-you’re seeing all those videos about that Deity on TikTok because you watch the videos that pop up frequently. It’s likely not a sign, but that doesn’t mean it never could be. If you’re researching a lot of Greek based books, you’re going to get “Frequently bought together:” that has books about Aphrodite, Apollo, Hecate, and so on. These are not signs that you should start to work with one of these deities, it’s just that they have relatively big names in Greek mythology, so they’re read about often. This isn’t to say you will never receive a sign from these three, but it’s not practical to consider it a sign that Aphrodite is in related searches of Greek Mythology. She’s a Goddess in Greek mythology; it’d be weirder if she had zero mention at all. And now that you’re searching for it you should fully expect to start to see it pop up.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this blog ends up popping up as I’ve used Greek mythology as an example pretty steadily. Though it’d be fully up to you if you think it could be sign!
Interpreting Signs and Messages
So how do you actually interpret or understand a sign? What things should you try to analyze? Normally when you see a sign it will be pretty apparent. When you’re first starting off it can be hard to feel self-assured, the aim of this next section is to help you feel confident in your interpretation of signs. Once you get something you have strong feelings is a sign.
My biggest rule is if I am not 100% sure this particular thing is a sign, it’s likely not. This is why I rule out the mundane first, if I go over the mundane possibilities and am still sure-it likely is. This isn’t to say it won’t be common or related to mundane tasks-it just means even with the mundane factors it does not waver the way I am seeing the sign.
Once you’ve gotten to that point, if you’re having a hard time figuring out what it could mean look towards the possible symbolism. Normally when you see a sign it’s in your face but if you have a complicated situation and a not so clear sign it may make you feel even more confused and unsure. Red Cardinals are a good example of this. We all know they’re heavily seen as a loved one stopping by to visit. But they can also symbolize hope, passion, and energy. If you’re at a low point in your life and need some hope you may see one, but it’d be very easy to miss the sign of hope. Overall, still a sense of comfort, and still a visit-but one to bring you hope at a low time. It helps to look into the symbolism a bit, so you don’t miss these possibilities. Especially if the initial sign contained numbers, phrases, or words.
Does it feel related to any recent events? I feel often times we see signs around large or impacting events or moments in our life. It can be a pocket of light in a dark time, or encouragement to keep going this way. Sometimes it may be a warning that the current path is not a good one. If you can’t figure out the relation to you, look at recent events and thought processes, maybe even plans you’ve been thinking over. Where does it feel like it could apply to?
Is this becoming a pattern? Sometimes signs aren’t a one off. Especially if you’re actively ignoring something. I tried to do this before; I don’t recommend it. The universe loves to say I told you so. But also, if it’s becoming a pattern, it could also be a new thing you’re seeing enter your environment. What is it related to? Is this a new commute to work bringing in new imagery? Look into it a little bit and see if you feel like this is a sign or a new normal you’ve taken notice of.
Divination
If you’re still unsure, or have any doubts, divination can come in handy. Pendulums, Tarot, Oracle, runes… if you can divine with it, use it and ask! It’s okay if the answer is no, you were clearly confused about it already and not a single one of us is all knowing! We’d have a lot more money if we were. All jokes aside though, if you’re confused, it never hurts to explore it.
There are many tarot spreads for this exact purpose. Ranging from short to detailed to help you get the answer you need. Same can be said for oracle cards, and if I’m being honest, I do prefer them if I feel like I need to interpret a message. Pendulums are a bit easier for me for ‘direct’ communication but limited to yes or no’s, which is perfect if you just want to ask if something was a sign. I personally have not used Runes enough to say how they perform in this aspect but have seen many people say they’re quite helpful. Obviously, these aren’t the only forms of divination either, feel free to branch out in the forms you’re most comfortable with-like charm casting or bone throwing. This can be a good way to get some extra clarity and direction if you just want to be careful. When you’re starting out it’s nice it be able to get some ‘feedback’ on it.
Share your thoughts!