Trusting Omens

I’m a bit of a cynical witch. Sometimes when other magick workers tell me about the omens, or signs, they have received I have to stifle the urge to roll my eyes. A raven in your front yard may not be some sort of magickal sign, but just a bird having breakfast. Having a dream about your ex may just be a dream. Desiring a blue car and then seeing that car everywhere may just be the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. How do you know when a sign is just coincidence or when to trust omens as something more?

Rule of Three

One of the magickal principles I work with when it comes to omens and signs is the rule of three. This is not a perfect rule, there are no perfect rules in a magickal world, but the rule of three can give you a guideline.

• If you get a sign or omen once, notice it. If there’s a raven in your yard and it feels in your gut like more than just a bird having breakfast, take note. Store that away to remember if it comes up again.
• If you get a sign or omen twice, take it seriously. If you have that dream about your ex two nights in a row explore that. Write down the dream, look for patterns, notice your emotions or other interesting and odd things that stand out about the dream. Start to explore these feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
• If you get a sign or omen three times, start doing some work. An omen received three times is one that needs to be given scrutiny. Do your magickal research to explore the esoteric themes or messages that may be hidden within the omen. Meditate on the message. Ask your guides and allies what this message may suggest for your current path.

Trusting Omens

The more you pay attention and learn to decipher the messages that you receive the easier it is to spot them. Understanding messages also takes a bit of humility. You have to be willing to let the raven just be a raven. The world is far more interesting when everything is an omen or message. It’s far more fascinating when the grim is waiting for you behind every corner. More often than not, the bird is just a bird, the dream is just a dream, the car is just the car. Discernment is your most powerful magickal tool.