Defying Gravity: Omens, Dreams and Mystical Signs

Do you believe in omens? Dreams? Portents of things to come? I’ll admit to being a skeptic, but over the years I have learned when to recognize a sign from the Gods. Despite our proclivity for divination, many Pagans I know are very reluctant to trust in portents and signs.

In deep meditation I have journeyed to Olympus and been given a gift for a friend, who upon being presented with my tale dismisses it as a dream. I have credited a life changing decision to signs I sought and received only to be told I was self-delusional. While a healthy dose of skepticism and discernment is required in both the spiritual and mundane life, when did learning to trust your intuition in interpreting the phenomena of your life go out of style?

I find ignoring obvious omens can prove irritating if not disastrous. Instead of going away they tend to return louder and more insistent, like a Howler message in the Harry Potter books. In Greek myth Apollo became so enamored of Cassandra he granted her the gift of prophecy, but when she did not return his love he cursed her so that none would believe her predictions.

When my life gets hectic and I think I don’t have time for such nonsense, I try to remember Cassandra. What if this omen that has reached my senses is a message from her? Will I be as blind the Trojans, and ignore her urgent whisperings? Will my obliviousness to her words cause me harm and pain?

Sometimes omens take time to reveal themselves. We have to trust our own intuition and act on faith. Not blind faith, but the faith that comes from spiritual experience and maturity. We each have our own personal mythology and constellation of meanings, but  for me, the patterns of crows, certain types of dreams and everything that reaches my senses that is of my Gods are things to which I pay the closest attention.

Months ago I journeyed (a type of shamanic meditation) to visit with my Gods for an answer to a problem I was having. I came back with mythic symbols and words of mystery and strength. In trying to unravel the meaning with a friend I was advised that they didn’t mean anything terribly special, simply an acknowledgment of a gift I already possess, and that I shouldn’t read too much into it. My friend advised me to play it safe and put the extraordinary message I’d received from my worried mind.

That was over four months ago. Now as I listen to cricket-song and the breeze rustling through the trees I am glad I didn’t take my friends well-meant advice. I embraced my omen, cautiously but optimistically, to find it slowly blossoming in my life. My gift of wisdom proved fruitful, and has brought honor and joy to myself and my Gods.

As I count my blessings I think back on all the omens I ignored in my past, and in all the ways I still try to work around the mystical signs in my life. For an experiential religious tradition, we don’t talk much about faith, but we have it. It’s in the myriad practices and devotions we have found to have satisfying and transforming results in our lives. After years of spiritual discipline you learn where you can step blindly, full of faith in finding solid ground.

At heart I’m still a skeptic, yet I know when my Gods call, without second-guessing, I’ll try defying gravity.