Literal «vs» Metaphorical Information

We often navigate our spiritual lives by synchronicity. If you're not familiar with the term Synchronicity, synchronicity basically means 'meaningful coincidence'. This was a term originally coined by Carl Jung to describe coincidences that he and his patients were experiencing which had a deeper meaning.

Now I feel like this term is outdated in a lot of ways because in my perspective everything is full of meaning; everything is important, and everything has its own consciousness. Therefore if it has its own consciousness, it has its own meaning. So there is no coincidence, then. Everything has a deeper message and purpose to it.

So I navigate my life from this place of synchronicity. I'm constantly looking and open to signs and messages from the world around me. When you’re absolutely stuck, however… When you have a real need for assistance… Simply ask your Spirits or the Divine for it through Prayer. Prayer of this nature needn’t be accompanied by lengthy ritual, though; the structure of the prayer isn’t as important as the emotion that you place within it, and the clarity of your request- or the fact that you’ve asked at all.

The resulting answers to your prayers may take many forms. It can be something as simple as a voice suddenly speaking to you (however, such direct communication is rather rare). More commonly, the messages may appear in less literal ways. Prayers for information before going to sleep might be answered in dreams, for instance. Or you may suddenly find a book that contains the needed information, or come across an article. You may get a vision when you least expect it, or be given something literally symbolic such as a feather, and so on.

Prayers are always answered, but not always in direct ways. There will be times when you will have to discern whether the information you received is literal, or even if it’s a metaphor for something else. If the meaning is not totally clear, ask further that you be shown the meaning in terms that you will understand; engage in inquiry to determine how these visions or signs are relevant.

Here are a few other tips for understanding your visions:

1. Remember to be flexible rather than assuming that a vision will always have the same meaning.
2. Don’t be in a hurry to interpret your visions.
3. Lean toward the simplest interpretation of the vision.

Other questions you may want to ask include:

1. What does the vision mean to you?
2. What was your first impression?
3. How did the vision make you feel?
4. How does the vision relate to your daily life, if at all?
5. What negative or positive associations are present with the vision?

You know if something is a sign of synchronicity, though, because from the outside it might not seem that important, or all that novel. But in the moment, it’s like a lightbulb goes off. You get this rush of a feeling. This pause. This silent voice that basically says "Listen. This is important". And that's an affirmation.

Keep in mind always, however, that the answers you receive will not be relevant for anyone but yourself. If the Spirits or Divines have spoken to you, it is to you that they have spoken- not to all Practitioners. Their messages may have no meaning to others.