Yunan Kirkbride
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Is It A Sign? Interpreting Messages from Deities

1/19/2020

19 Comments

 
Of all the questions I receive from readers, this one is by far the most common: is it a sign?

By “sign,” I don’t mean stock market predictions or an indicator of disease. We’re talking about religious signs--messages that deities send when They’re reaching out to someone. Signs could be a dream, or a vision, or a suggestion brought up through divination.
​

Before we continue, I want to define what “sign” means in a religious sense.

What Is A Sign?

PictureA Goddess statue with an offering of coins.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sign is an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. Or, it could be a miracle regarded as evidence of a supernatural power.

When I receive questions about signs, they don’t usually indicate a miracle in the biblical sense. Most of them are, at first glance, everyday occurrences. A person could be followed by a certain animal, encounter a myth about the deity, or hear a song that reminds them of the God/dess.

I’m not trying to suggest that these are “wrong” interpretations. In modern religions, many believe that deities don’t have to miraculously heal people or turn water into wine to prove that They exist. And I agree. When Gods send a sign, They usually aren’t trying to prove Their existence. They’re attempting to reach out to someone personally, which leads into my next point.
​

I can’t confirm or deny your signs for two reasons. First, signs are inherently personal to the individual. A dream could have profound significance to you, but when you relay it to someone else, they don’t understand the impact because they haven’t had your experiences. Second, “casual” signs--ones that aren’t miracles or otherwise unexplainable--are far too easy to debunk. Seeing a raven on your porch could be a message from The Morrigan, or it could be that a raven decided to land on your porch.

It's Okay to Doubt

In the Pagan sphere, many say that “If you doubt it, it’s not a sign.” I heavily disagree.

I would never, under any circumstances, discourage doubt. Especially in religion, doubt is healthy. It forces you to double-check your experience and ensure that this religion/deity is for you.  New practitioners, in particular, don’t know what to look for when it comes to deities. Who could blame them for remaining a bit skeptical?

In my mind, a sign will remain a sign whether or not you doubt it. If you aren’t sure whether your experience is a sign, keep reading. We’ll figure it out together.
Picture
My broken Thoth (Djehuty) statue with a lit protection candle.

Strategically Doubting the Sign

Let’s return to the original question: is it a sign? While I can’t answer this question for you, I will give you techniques to decide for yourself.

Contrary to popular belief, if you want to confirm the sign, you need to doubt it. You’ll have to test it. When deities reach out, They tend to be obvious and persistent. They’ve been doing this for thousands of years, after all. They know how to grab someone’s attention.

My strategies can be broken down into two questions: 

  1. Is it specific? 
  2. Can it be repeated? 

To illustrate what I mean, I’ll include examples of my signs from Ninhursag (Sumerian Goddess) back in November 2019.

Is It Specific?

Picture
“I’ve been running into dogs multiple times a day for the past week. Is this a sign from Hades?” This is an example of a generic occurrence, not a specific one. Why? For one, it’s common. A lot of people own dogs, and it’s likely that people encounter dogs every day without realizing it.

More importantly, this isn’t specific to Hades. Yes, dogs are one of Hades’ symbols. But they’re also a symbol of Ares, Bau, The Morrigan, Set, and Fenrir. If it is a sign, how do you know that it’s Hades? Why wouldn’t it be any of these other deities?

In my early years, I may have defended this by saying it’s the worshipper’s intuition. Yes, intuition plays a strong role in deity contact. But during my path, I’ve mistaken my strong emotions for intuition. I interpreted common animals and flowers as signs from a God because I wanted them to be signs. That’s not intuition; that’s confirmation bias. Our desire to work with deities and connect with Them could cloud our judgement. 

As you begin to work with a deity, you’ll understand Their language. You may pick up on signs that you missed before after you know how They communicate. Usually, deities send multiple signs to a worshipper They really want to work with. That’s why it’s okay to wait--or even ask for--a specific sign.

Here’s an example of specificity. During a scrying session, I saw my spirit guide take the form of a fox. My spirit guide is not a fox, so this is unusual. The fox ran through a marshland of reeds, which is a vision I had seen before with this spirit guide. It represented the Sumerian underworld.

Afterward, I researched any connection between a fox and the Sumerian afterlife. In one myth, Ninhursag’s lover, Enki, lay dying. Their child asked a fox to fetch Ninhursag and bring Her to Enki. This story connected death, the fox, and Ninhursag in such a specific way that I thought it had to be Her delivering a message or my spirit guide leading me to Her.

Can It Be Repeated?

At this point, I wouldn’t blame some readers for thinking that I’m treating this more like a science experiment than faith. This step is where faith comes into play. To confirm a sign, you have to trust that a deity can repeat the sign--and will repeat it if you ask Them to.

Why do deities send signs in the first place? It’s to catch a person’s attention. If you wanted to talk to someone, would you shoot them a text, or would you place a specific plant along their route to work? Probably the former. Unless you knew someone really well and established the whole plant code beforehand, they probably wouldn’t pick up on the randomly-placed hydrangeas. 

Although deities don’t text, They’re usually just as obvious while trying to gain someone’s attention. With some exceptions, most won’t drop one sign and say “take it or leave it.” They want you to notice. They want you to reach out to Them. That’s why signs can be duplicated.

Here are two methods to do so.

Divination Check

PictureMy rune set featuring algiz.
If you’ve ever wondered why divination is so prevalent in the Pagan community--this is why. Divination is designed to answer your questions. If you experienced what might be a sign, confirm it through divination. If you received a possible sign through one form of divination, use another method.

Once your sign is repeated through divination, it’s a fairly safe bet. This is especially true if you use more than one method to back up your experience.


After my scrying experience, I tested Ninhursag’s message with my rune set. I received the rune algiz (sometimes called elhaz) that looks like someone stretching their arms upward. Algiz portrays Yggdrasil, a tree that connects the divine to worshippers in Norse mythology, and it mirrors how priests called down the Gods. Those were both convincing symbols to reach out to Ninhursag. 

If you have a divination tool, use it. Ask if X deity is reaching out to you. Ask if your sign was divine. Ask if you have any other responses from said deity. If nothing else, having another source confirm your experience will be reassuring.

Respectfully Asking for More

“Have you tried talking to the God/dess?” is something I’ve written a surprising number of times. If you have little experience in speaking to Pagan Gods, this probably isn’t your first instinct. Throughout the community, we hear so many stories about Gods “choosing” people or calling to them through dreams and symbols. But those stories aren’t’ rules. You don’t have to be “chosen” or receive a grand vision to have a fulfilling relationship with the Gods.

Think of it this way: If a God wants to talk, They’ll be pleased that you responded. If you texted a friend, would you ignore their answer once they responded? Probably not! Trust that the Gods want to communicate. This is what faith is all about.

So how do you politely ask for more? Begin by opening up about your struggle. Perhaps you want Them to choose you, but you want to be absolutely sure. Perhaps you never considered this deity before and want more clarity for why They sent signs. If you’re respectful, I doubt the Gods will be disappointed about your honesty.

Afterward, you may politely ask for another sign. Make it something reasonable and specific. For instance, you may ask for a similar dream to the one you had before. Maybe you’ll ask for a certain song to come on the radio or something to come up in your research. Just something that’ll say that the deity heard you.

Also, give the Gods a time limit. My recommendation is a couple of weeks. It’ll alleviate anxiety on your part.

Here’s an example with Ninhursag. After my scrying and rune reading, I asked Her for another sign. I requested that someone would bring a non-breakfast pastry into work by Thanksgiving. Since the holiday was coming up, few people would want to bring pastries into work because they’d be busy cooking for their families. It was possible, specific, and give Her a reasonable time frame.

I asked this on November 24th. On the 29th, my coworker brought in cookies. I had forgotten about it in the meantime, but when I saw those cookies come in two days before Thanksgiving, I knew it was Ninhursag.
Picture
An offering of dried calendula to Hades.
What happens if the deity doesn’t follow through? It’s not the end of the world. Review your request; was it too specific? Did you have the right deity? Did you allow for a wide enough time frame? Was that deity disappointed? Remember: a deity’s disappointment is not the end of the world. You can always right a wrong by putting more care into your practice.

I hope this article has helped you. Have you ever received a sign from a deity? If so, what was it? Tell me your experience in the comments below! I’d love to read them!
19 Comments
Ashley link
1/19/2020 07:08:24 pm

This was an incredibly insightful read and I definitely will be taking more time to "talking to the goddess" more and incorporating divination too. It's not something I broach often and to be honest, I need to. And this article helped motivate me. It can seem a tad bit intimidating at first, but I really enjoyed the way you helped to make it feel more personal. Excellent article!

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Yunan Kirkbride link
2/3/2020 10:02:24 am

Thanks so much Ashley! You have smart insight. It is something that we all need to work on consistently.

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Cam
2/22/2020 08:50:27 am

Thank you so much! After I started to receive what I thought were signs I tried 3 types of divination which confirmed what I had thought, this was very useful :)

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Yunan Kirkbride link
3/17/2020 11:21:54 pm

Well done, Cam! That kind of hard work will get you far.

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Niko
5/5/2020 08:09:01 am

I had asked the Universe for a Guide to help me through my witchcraft, and the following week I was in the woods. I came across this skull of a bunny, perfectly intact, just out in the open. My intuition went haywire, I knew I had to take that home, that it was meant for me. I thanked the universe, took it home and cleaned it. After a while, I finally told my witchy friends. One of them suggested that it was from a deity, but I was like “there’s no way.” so I asked my pendulum if it was a gift and it said yes, and eventually I found it was from Thanatos, the Greek God of Death. Definitely going to ask for one more sign. Thank you for this post.

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Yunan Kirkbride link
5/16/2020 05:17:49 pm

Wow, that's so amazing. The chances of finding a fully-preserved skull, even in the woods, is extremely low. I'm glad your friends brought up the idea of it being a deity.
I'm so glad this helped you! Let me know how your relationship with Thanatos goes.

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Vibe
5/21/2020 12:31:14 pm

A few weeks ago I had Reoccurring dreams surrounding newborn puppies. In my dreams they were still pink and their eyes had yet to open. I dreamt about them every night for at least a week, and couldn't stop turning it over in my mind. I have never felt so strongly about a dream before. I put it aside after much thought, and forgot for a while, however, recently Iv'e had this idea that this could be a sign from a deity...
Do you know of any gods or goddesses would associate with this sign?

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Yunan Kirkbride link
5/23/2020 05:27:16 pm

Dogs are associated with many deities, from Fenrir to the Morrigan to Ares to Set. You may want to focus on other elements of the dream. How did it make you feel? Does birth mean anything significant to you or your faith?

When in doubt, you can perform divination. It may not tell you which deity it is, but it could lend you some clarity.

Hope this helps.

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Nikki
5/29/2020 12:01:15 am

Recently, I've been feeling the itch to start my own grimoire, and I've been trying to gather ideas for its contents. I was watching some videos for inspiration, and one spread I saw mentioned how Hera was reaching out to them using peacock feathers and ore — it made me remember back to a time I was meditating, and I had this vision that's been boggling my mind ever since! I was suddenly on some rocks, and it looked like I was right in the eye of a hurricane. I look up and I see this absolutely gigantic man (maybe like the height of a tall building). He was sitting on a throne with those gladiator sandals and a loincloth with shoulder length white hair, maybe in his 50s? He had a gold staff, and his eyes were glowing white, and as soon as he looked down at me, lightning went into the top of his staff.
My immediate thought was Poseidon because there was sooo much water, but the gold and the lightning made me think of Zeus. I also have Asteroid Zeus in my First House in my birth chart. This was definitely around 5 months ago, and I had no idea that deities gave time limits, but I really didn't think of any of this stuff back then and didn't connect it! But as soon as I read this article I thought, "Zeus, was that you?" and got chills through me right after. I kinda feel bad that I've neglected it for this long lol. Thanks for this article! :)

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Yunan Kirkbride link
5/31/2020 08:26:16 pm

Hi Nikki,

That's fascinating! I agree that that vision sounds more like Zeus than Poseidon. He and Hera are so connected--perhaps you can reach out to both of Them?

I'm glad you liked the article! Thanks for commenting!

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lavender
6/4/2020 10:58:15 am

Hi! I am very new to all of this but I’ve got a question :) For the past few days I’ve felt a presence (a female one I think), an energy if you will, whenever I feel sad or I get an anxiety attack. I’ve always been interested in witchcraft and mythology but I just never really got to it so I have no idea what to do and what is happening, is this normal, do I need a psychologist - I’ve also never felt “something” so clearly being by my side. I don’t know if it’s a deity or I’m just overreacting and I don’t think I’ve noticed any particular signs to tie it to an entity? I do have a huge urge to light EVERY candle I see and it’s been raining for the past two days - it’s been really hot the rest of the week but as soon as I’ve started to try and thank the energy for helping me it started raining and wind got stronger (thunderstorms are my favourite weather especially when studying) + my insomnia like disappeared? I’m kinda freaking out :}

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Gayla Garcia
9/21/2020 11:06:34 am

I saw a black cat while i was sitting and the couch i blinked and it vanished could this be something idk im probably over thinking it

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Rae
9/27/2020 09:59:25 am

Recently i have started getting back into practice. And when I did, i stated to gravitate towards lemons and their properties. recently I have started to think that this interest might be a sign. That's why I came to this article. I have no clue where to start looking to find out which god or goddess this sign belongs to. I have had lemons in my house all the time, but only now am I really noticing them.

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Stephanie
9/30/2020 07:13:17 am

One of my Pagan friends seems to think I was in the presence of a God. I was meditating on a full moon and I was indoors but I felt a cool breeze like a misty morning, it felt like I was surrounded by nature instead. The room felt like it started to sway and shift or tilt and I felt as if I was almost levitating. My eyes were closed but I felt a strong, intense energy that felt distinctly male and in my my mind's eye I saw a man with pale skin, long dark hair and a vivid red aura. My head was tilted up as if I was "looking" up at him and I didn't get any threatening or bad vibes... but a quiet and enigmatic intensity and I got the sense that this energy wanted me to know it was there. Does this seem like it could have been a specific god?

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Zoe
10/17/2020 04:07:22 pm

Hiya , I have had some weird things happening - so I have had a dream about Artemis... she was saying thank you... and I meditated and had a vision of a golden stag horn, and I dropped water on my grimoir and it came out in the shape of an arrow-
I am just a baby witch and am unsure whether I should work with deities yet but I rlly want to...
Could I please have some advice :) thank youuu

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Brooklyn
11/21/2020 07:22:51 pm

I've been feeling like something bad is going to happen which then a shooting happens, is this a sign or no? I've also had a dream that I died, and then when I was in my room one of my chains can shake and I hear a noise, like a soft cry? Sign or no? If so who could it be?

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Brooklyn
11/21/2020 07:26:09 pm

Start to shake*

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Soinga
11/24/2020 02:22:11 pm

Hi my diety is bia the greek goddess of forces I was talking to her and a bee came to my window twice then an hour later a fly came to me twice with my pendulum I asked her if she was sending them she said yes then I asked her if she needed me to do something for her and she said yes but I cant figure out what she wants me to do for her

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Destiny Landry
1/19/2021 07:21:18 pm

I've been going through a spiritual struggle lately. I've never been a believer or really anything, super skeptical all the time. I was emotionally desperate and asked for help and a sign. I received it and the help and still go back to logic. But the signs are becoming persistent. As I found this article I was just talking about how I was having trouble deciding whether or not I should listen to them. Thank you for my answer ❤

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