Seen a see few flashes of light out of the corner of your eye? Noticing repetitive numbers or signs? 11:11, feathers? Have you been craving more quiet time?
Then read on to find out if you're also experiencing some 'spiritual growing pains'?
1. Do you see flashes of light, a white spark, or colours out of the corner of your eye - or in that semi-asleep period?
I'm forever whipping my head around, to catch the fleeting object that's just flown past me. The white/gold/sometimes sparkly mirage that's shot by. And I'll never forget waking up one night, to a blue circular light at my bedroom doorway - in my half awake/half asleep state.
I wasn't scared, but I was questioning my own eyes. I kept trying to squint and clear them, but it remained there - looking exactly the same. It was kind of just hovering. And after I was convinced it was there, I was so tired that I went "ok, then" - and let my head fall back on the pillow!
I messaged one of my spiritual mentors the next day to tell her about it; and she said "OMG yes, I'm so excited for you! You're awakening even more." It was one of those moments that, back in the day, I would've said "But WHAT is it? What does it mean? WHY was it there?"
But as I awaken more, I understand that some things just don't need an explanation. I think it's because I'm not sure we can understand it, the way we'd like, with our human minds. These days I just smile and feel self assured that I'm heading in the right direction. And if I really want to know, I ask my Guides. I usually get answer (if I need one) pretty quickly.
2. Have you rekindled some of your creativity?
Did you used to paint, play a musical instrument, sing, draw or write - and now you suddenly have the urge to do it again? Or just find yourself getting back into it again?
3. Do you have new, or niggly, physical ailments that have manifested - seemingly out of nowhere, and not from any physical action?
I had an incredible pain in my right hip, for over a year. It seemed to have happened around the same time that I was training for a half marathon, but when I think back I realise it was there long before that time.
I would try to stretch and do my Yoga, but it hurt so much that certain poses would bring me to tears. So I stopped that fast. I felt like I tried everything. The Dr wanted to jab me in the side with a Cortisol injection - but my strong, intuitive, opposition to this made me realise that this was not just physically manifested. Plus, that would only help the symptom - not the cause.
So I did a lot of meditation, research and work around this manifested pain. Remembering that the right side of our bodies are our masculine side, I gained some insight into the fact that I was totally out of balance with my feminine and masculine energies!
I got to work on balancing out my speaking, protecting, hunter/gatherering, thinking, firmness (masculine actions) - with listening, nurturing, gathering, feeling and softness (feminine actions).
After a few months the pain was gone. I added a bit of water to the fire, a bit of cool to the warmth and a bit of yin to the yang. I'd been in survival mode for far too long - and the yang had instinctively dominated my approach to everything. Through the pain my body was trying to get my attention. (The fact that it was focused in my hip…well that's another story I'll share down the track!)
4. Do you feel you've become more introverted?
Where you may have always needed to be around people, but would now prefer (or almost need) more solitude - and 'you' time.
5. Have you noticed street lights go out, or turn on, when you drive or walk past them? Does your microwave have little spazzes when you're near it? Do light bulbs blow a lot in your house, especially when you're near?
I remember we used to have a couple of solar lights in our garden and after coming home from a night out, my partner and I noticed they weren't working as we walked down the driveway. I walked toward the first one, to check it out, and it came on. We both looked at each other, eyes wide open. So I walked backward and it went off. I tried it with all of them, several times, and they all did the same thing!
6. Do you start to really hear songs - in more detail. Do the lyrics seem like they're written for you, or giving you a message at that time? Did you have an inkling to turn up/on the radio and the song playing is about the same topic you're dealing with at that time?
A few years back, I was driving home after a Yoga class, that had absolutely cracked me wide open! I was going through a really stressful time and everything that I had been holding onto, in my body and in my mind, was releasing throughout the duration of the class. There were sniffles during King Pigeon and I tried to hide my streaming tears during Camel.
After the class I got into my car and could only hold it together until the end of the street! I bawled like a baby. A big, good, hearty, pain in the chest cry - and I felt so much release. For some reason I turned on the radio (probably subconsciously trying to escape, or distract myself, from dealing with the emotions coming up) and 'In Stranger Times' by Jeremy Neale was playing.
Right at the part where they sing; "But don't you cry my baby, for I will stay close to you, and if we might dance baby, I'll hold you so close to me." I immediately felt comforted and totally surrounded by my Guides and Angels. I felt like it was safe to cry and let it all out after hearing those words. (Not to mention they sing those lyrics over and over again. - OK! I got the message!)
7. Do you look younger?
Do people often comment that you don't look your age? Or you look at people you went to school with and think they look very different to yourself?
8. Are you starting to notice, or see, repetitive numbers or signs? 11:11, feathers, or particular colours - all day? All week? For months?
After my partner's Pop passed away, whom he was extremely close with and whom I adored, we started noticing butterflies around. But not just any butterfly, a beautiful black butterfly. I first noticed one at the funeral, and almost every day after that - for months!
When I mentioned it to my partner, he said he'd actually noticed them too - driving, at work, at home. With our logical human minds, we assumed that these butterflies were residing in the area we lived - but did also mention that we thought how nice it would be to believe it was his Pop swinging by to say hello.
Later in the year we went to a destination wedding on Lindeman Island. Beautiful place! And a good 1,500kms away from home. We decided to go for a hike one of the last days, up to the top of the hill to see the look out. Sure enough, a black butterfly followed us up there.
9. Do you have a new found desire to break away from restrictive patterns and routines.
Your job, circle of friends, toxic people, habits, foods or situations?
10. Have you developed intensified sensitivity and knowing? Increased intuitive abilities?
I was driving along one day (always seems to be when I'm driving! I've put this down to the fact that you can't be in your head too much, because you have to keep your focus on driving. Plus, you can't escape - you're trapped inside your car!) and an image of my pregnant friend dropped into my head, along with the flashing word labour.
Being totally hopeless at remembering dates and birthdays, I had no idea of the day she was due (bad friend I know!). So I called her. She didn't answer. An hour later she shot me a message through saying she'd call me later because she was in the middle of labour!
11. Communication with Guardians, Angels, Guide, Spirit?
Do you ever get a (what feels like a physical) tap on the shoulder, a whisper in your ear, a message drop in, a vision in your mind - but you're pretty certain you know it's not your own voice, or imagination, in your head?
12. Have you developed interconnectedness and compassion for all things?
Have you stopped eating meat, because you've made the connection between animals and what's on your plate? Have you started looking at every animal and seen your own dog, or pet's, eyes looking back at you? Do you cry when you think of animals unnaturally trapped behind cages in zoos? (Earthlings solidified that for me.)
Do you start feeling frustration and anger at the way we, as humans, are treating the world - and it's inhabitants? Do you look at trees and nature and feel they carry the same energy as you do?
When I started feeling this way I began to get really angry - and began liking animals a lot more than any human. This took a bit of adjusting, as this is obviously out of balance too. I had to do a lot of work around this and have now developed deeper compassion and understanding for humans alike.
13. Increased synchronicity with events, circumstances or people?
You've been thinking about an old friend you haven't spoken to in a while, and the next day you run into them at a football game that you weren't even supposed to be going to?!
You've been thinking how much you used to love buying Sunflowers, and having them around the house, and as you walk through the shops there's a bunch of sunflowers for sale, for $10 - you reach into your wallet and you've got no more than a $10 note in there.
14. Has some of your 'stuff' been coming up, even thought you haven't thought about it in agers?
And 100% thought you'd dealt with it? Sometimes it will just pop into your head, or in a dream, or a clone situation or person (that seems so similar to a past situation) will show up in your life.
15. Has your sensitivity increased - to foods, situations, environmental factors? Do your senses, or emotions, seem amplified?
Has you noticed issues with your digestion, or when you eat certain foods? Can you start to smell the chemicals in your tap water? Do you feel yucky after eating fruit and veg from the supermarket, as opposed to organic?
Your hearing, or your sight seems different? Can you overhear what people are saying from a distance, or do the lights at the shops seem brighter or almost unbearable? Can you 'feel' when someone is upset, or start crying when you see someone sitting alone. (That one's a classic for me.)
16. Do you find that 'mentors', or opportunities to learn more, seem to be coming into your life more often?
And at the perfect time? Documentaries or books that you stumble across, topics discussed between friends or family, or the perfect advice given at the perfect time? Maybe 3 times that day, or week? Like a massive coincidence?
17. Do you feel the urge to become more authentic? Have you started questioning everything, with a resistance to accepting 'that's just the way it is'?
That this is the time when you need to start being the real 'you'? Like you were somebody else all of your life, and you've just realised that there is a lot more to you that you need to share or express?
You start reading the newspaper and think; 'I'm not sure what I just read was entirely true', or you start seeing and understanding underlying motives in news headlines and reports?
18. Have you started to become more in tune with the seasons and cycles in nature?
Girls, have you started getting your period every Full Moon? Are you starting to rise naturally with the Sun, in the mornings?
19. Do you feel like you're protected and completely safe at times?
I remember taking my old dog for a walk to the beach, a few years ago. We weren't far from home, but all of a sudden she stopped suddenly in her tracks. Like, would not budge. This dog absolutely LOVED the beach and she could see the waves from where we were. Normally she'd be eagerly pulling on her lead to get there and go for a swim!
I tried to pull her along but she adamantly dug her paws into the cement, and then tried to turn back the other way. I gave her a pat to calm her down, because she was being very serious about it all. (And it's highly unusual for Labradors to be serious about anything!)
I thought if I walked across the road and walked along the path on the other side, that she might be OK. But no. She did the same thing. She did not want me to walk to the beach that day. I have no idea why, but I trusted her intuition - and turned back around to go home. She followed happily, tail wagging. (And that's also what is meant by 'trust' the process. You don't always need to know why, just go with it. There's a higher intelligence that's figured it all out for you already.)
20. Do you feel like you've discovered, or developed, new skills and gifts - especially healing ones?
Like your life (and work) experiences are now converging and starting to make sense? Like you realise what you're supposed to be doing here - and that every moment has led to this! Even thought you had no idea at the time you were doing certain things?
21. Dizziness or Nausea?
This happens to me when I'm ungrounded, and when I haven't protected myself energetically. As I open up more and more; I'm aware that I need to ground and protect myself more than I used to.
After walking into a crystal shop at the markets one day, my dizziness and nausea nearly brought me to my knees. I felt weak, my legs were physically shaking and I knew if I didn't get out of there I would have been physically sick in the store.
I didn't protect myself when I walked in there, and when you're spiritually sensitive you become very affected energetically by certain things. Crystals in particular for me. When stores don't cleanse their crystals regularly, every single person that has been in that store (whether they're touching the stones or not) have left an energetic vibration, or imprint, on them.
I can pick up on people's energies individually anyway, but this day I felt like I could feel (literally) millions of people's vibrations - good and bad. I also feel this way when I'm at the shops, or in large crowds. It's worse at the shops and I believe it's because when we're shopping we're often fuelled by ego and greed. That is an icky energy to pick up from people and it manifests, for me, into dizziness and/or nausea.
