Signs Read online

  But other scientists, researchers, and philosophers aren’t so sure. Dr. Bernard D. Beitman, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia, has even sought to establish a new, transdisciplinary field called Coincidence Studies to examine the truth behind synchronistic events. Simply concluding that coincidences are random assumes that coincidences are inherently meaningless or insignificant. Dr. Beitman has said, “Without supporting evidence, this assumption is hardly scientific.”

  As we go through our lives, we decide for ourselves what these synchronistic events—these magical coincidences—mean to us. Are they random? Or are they signs? It comes down to personal belief.

  Glennon Doyle, a writer and light worker whose work inspires me, has said, “Faith is believing in the unseen order of things.”

  I know what I believe. I have spent my life working to understand my abilities, and I’ve read for hundreds and hundreds of people. I have seen enough and learned enough to conclude that signs are a very real occurrence. My faith in this language of connection is steadfast.

  I can’t point to a definitive scientific study that categorically proves this is true. But I can show you the evidence that has persuaded me—the remarkable, powerful stories of people who have opened their hearts and their minds to a new way of looking at the world, and who have undergone a Great Shift that has transformed their lives. I have watched people move to a higher and more vibrant life path—and in turn share their beautiful light with the world around them. I have witnessed people connect to their Teams of Light on the Other Side, so that they finally understood the beautiful truth of the universe.

  We are all leaves on different branches of the same tree.

  We are never alone.

  Each of our lives matters greatly.

  We are forever connected to one another, and to the light and love and energy of the universe.

  Earth is a school where we are all learning a collective lesson in love. We are spiritual beings here to learn about connectivity and kindness. When we trust in the reality of signs, we begin to learn this lesson more rapidly and in the most beautiful and fulfilling way. We actually begin to see the connectivity. We begin to understand that being alive on earth right now, in this moment, is a great gift—and that our choices affect not only our own lives, but also the great tapestry of light and energy that is our world.

  That is why I have written this book. It is in your hands now because I believe we are meant to take this journey together to a more mindful, attentive, and meaningful way of living. We are meant to shine our truest light fully and bravely in this world.

  DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

  Death is nothing at all.

  It does not count.

  I have only slipped away into the next room.

  Nothing has happened.

  Everything remains exactly as it was.

  I am I, and you are you,

  and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

  Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

  Call me by the old familiar name.

  Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

  Put no difference into your tone.

  Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

  Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.

  Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

  Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

  Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

  Life means all that it ever meant.

  It is the same as it ever was.

  There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

  What is this death but a negligible accident?

  Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

  I am but waiting for you, for an interval,

  somewhere very near,

  just round the corner.

  All is well.

  Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.

  One brief moment and all will be as it was before.

  How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

  —HENRY SCOTT-HOLLAND

  “I realized for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don’t even know it.”

  —SUE MONK KIDD

  TAKE A WALK OUTSIDE AND look at the world around you. At the trees and houses, the sky and clouds, the cars and street signs and people passing by. When we slow down our lives for a moment and truly take in the beauty and spectacle of the world around us—when we become more mindful—we can better appreciate just how blessed we are.

  But what if, when we take a long, mindful look at everything around us, we’re not actually seeing everything? What if we’re only seeing part of what’s really there? What if we are missing an entire layer of reality?

  And what if, by simply opening our hearts and our minds to a new vocabulary of seeing and understanding, we begin to see a much bigger picture? What if the world suddenly becomes a magnificent tapestry of connections and signs and light and love, all woven into the ordinary fabric of life that we’re so used to?

  The stories that follow are about people who did just that—people who opened their hearts and minds and discovered a beautiful new way of seeing the world around them.

  Once they began to see these things, they could never unsee them. They were forever changed. And that turned out to be a wonderful thing.

  A wonderful thing that can happen for you, too.

  1

  ORANGES

  HAVE you ever had one of those moments when you’re about to do something important, and you’re way out of your comfort zone, and there’s a lot at stake, and the pressure is on, and of all the positive things you could be thinking, what you’re actually thinking is: What on earth am I doing here?

  I’ve lived through those moments. More often than I’d like to admit. Not long after The Light Between Us was published, I was asked to give a speech at a big corporate event in California. I understood immediately that the universe was calling on me to share the Other Side’s message, and I felt completely humbled and honored.

  I’d have to get up onstage in front of six hundred of Hollywood’s movers and shakers and tell them something that would move and challenge and inspire them. What’s more, I was sharing the stage with seasoned, powerhouse speakers, including a former U.S. president! I’d never been called upon to deliver a speech like this before. And since the universe had chosen me for this task, I also felt pressure to convey its message powerfully. I didn’t want to let the Other Side down.

  Strangely, I didn’t feel terrified. I was nervous, sure, but I was also excited. I wanted to get on that stage. I wanted to honor the message sent to me by the Other Side. And so I went out there and delivered my speech, and only afterward, as I was walking offstage, did it occur to me to wonder: Did I fully honor the Other Side’s message the way I was supposed to? Did I do a good enough job?

  I knew the Other Side had steered me onto this path, but still I longed for some kind of affirmation. As I sat backstage, I directed my thoughts to the Other Side and asked for a sign that I had honored their message.

  I asked the universe to send me a single orange.

  That’s what I asked for—an orange.

  If the universe somehow put an orange in my path, I’d know I was exactly where I needed to be, doing what I needed to do. I’d know that I had delivered their message fully.

  After the lecture portion of the event concluded, all the speakers and attendees were ushered outside, into a big open space where lunch was being served. I turned a corner and saw big wooden tables leading into the
main dining area. They were there for decorative reasons, to establish a mood, and normally they’d be covered with fresh flowers or plants or some other lovely arrangements.

  But not that day.

  That day, they were covered with oranges. And not just a few. Thousands and thousands of oranges.

  I mean, they were everywhere. Piled up in the entranceway, stacked up next to the serving stations, on every single table. It was dazzling. Of course, one’s rational mind might say, Yeah, but long before you asked for that sign, someone decided to use oranges as a decorative theme.

  But that’s not how I received the oranges. To me, the oranges were a beautiful affirmation. My prayer to the Other Side has always been, “Use me however I can best be of service as a vehicle of love and healing in this world. And please just guide me along the way.” And that’s what these thousands of oranges were—a sign. The universe was telling me, “You’re a member of this team, and you did your part. You honored your role. Thank you.”

  When I saw the oranges, I gasped, and then I smiled, and then I started to cry. You see, I asked for one single orange, and the universe sent me thousands of them! That is how loved and supported and cared for we are.

  The oranges reinforced four truths for me:

  We are all constantly being watched over by a Team of Light;

  We are loved;

  We are all connected and invested in one another’s journeys;

  When you ask for signs from the Universe, the Universe speaks back.

  The oranges, to me, were a startlingly clear exchange—I asked, and the universe answered. And yet this call-and-response isn’t always easy to see. The clutter and doubt, the fear and noise that come with everyday living can obscure our ability to perceive things that aren’t so obvious.

  The stories that follow are about people who weren’t at all sure about what they were seeing. Some of them didn’t even believe in the possibility of communicating with the Other Side, but the experiences related here forever changed their beliefs and their worldview. Everyone’s journey is different. Some people are more skeptical than others and need more affirmations. Some feel the love and support right away and quickly learn how to tap into the mystical power of signs and use them to bring change and meaning to their lives.

  What’s true in all the stories is that the signs themselves are often simple or ordinary things. They are things that exist in everyday life, and things we normally might not look at twice. A simple orange, for instance. But in choosing an ordinary object or phrase or song or number as our sign, we create a means of connection.

  The signs are there. The affirmations are there. The love is there. All we need to do is learn how to receive it.

  2

  CEREAL IN THE CAR

  BACK in 2015, I was asked to speak at an event hosted by my publisher, Penguin Random House. A car was sent to my home on Long Island to pick me up and bring me into Manhattan. During the drive, I was quiet. I was thinking about the talk and the things I wanted to share with those in attendance. I should tell you that I have two modes: normal mode and reading mode. When I am open to the Other Side, I am really open. But when I am in normal mode, I’m shut tight. I’ve found that if I’m open too much and do too many readings, it can be physically and emotionally exhausting for me. I can get worn down.

  What’s more, reading someone’s energy without his or her permission is invasive—kind of like peeking at someone’s underwear; it’s just not right. So on the drive into the city, being in normal mode, I shut off that part of myself that is open to the Other Side.

  And still…someone pushed through.

  Someone connected to the driver.

  I didn’t say anything at first; in fact, it was the driver, a pleasant middle-aged man named Maximo, who spoke first.

  “If I may ask, what is your book about?” he said politely.

  I told him who I was and what was in my book.

  “Oh, well,” Maximo said, “that will be a good book for me to read.”

  That was all it took. That was all the permission the Other Side needed. Now whoever was pushing through came crashing through.

  I paused, trying to decide if I should share what I was getting. But since Maximo had opened the conversation, I felt it would be okay.

  “You have a son on the Other Side, don’t you?” I asked him, though the connection was so clear it was more of a statement than a question.

  “Yes, I do,” Maximo said. “My stepson. His name is Rodrigo.”

  That wasn’t the name I was hearing.

  “Hmmmm,” I said. “The name that I’m hearing is a V name. It actually sounds like the word version.”

  “Oh my God,” said Maximo. “Virgil. We called him Virgil.”

  Then Virgil showed me something that seemed completely random.

  “Why is he giving me a bowl of cereal?” I asked the driver. “Why does he want me to talk to you about cereal?”

  Maximo took a deep breath.

  “He was known for eating cereal,” he said with a laugh. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner, every day. I was worried he wasn’t getting enough nutrients. He just loved eating cereal.”

  Then Maximo said he thought he’d recently received a sign from Virgil.

  “You know, we had a conversation once, out of the blue, about what signs we would send each other if one of us died,” he explained. “And his sign was Ninja Turtles. He adored the Ninja Turtles.”

  Maximo told me how he had forgotten that conversation by the time Virgil crossed in his early twenties. But then one day, Maximo’s young daughter came home and announced her new obsession.

  “She is crazy about the Ninja Turtles,” Maximo told me. “Suddenly she has to have everything with a Ninja Turtle. It came out of nowhere. I knew that was Virgil coming around, and that he was watching over her. I knew it was a sign for me, too.”

  Virgil then showed me one more thing—an older man with a name that began with M. He showed me that the man was his grandfather, and that they were together on the Other Side. I shared this with Maximo.

  “Oh my God,” Maximo said. “Virgil came to me in a dream, and I saw him with my father, who was also Maximo. They were together.”

  At that moment I realized that every message Virgil conveyed to me was a message that Maximo had already received.

  “You don’t need me,” I told him. “You’re already communicating with your son. He came through just to validate your experiences. But you are already connecting with him all the time.”

  * * *

  —

  My whole conversation with Maximo affirmed what he already knew—that his son was still with him, deeply wishing to connect. Maximo already knew that Virgil was reaching out to him through his dreams, through his daughter, and in other ways. The signs, the language, even Maximo’s acceptance of the connection were all already there. If he had any doubts about the veracity of this form of communication, they were chased away by Virgil, who validated them through me.

  Chances are, you and I are not going to end up in the same car together. We might, but, you know, it’s not something we can count on happening. So let me take this opportunity, right here, right now, to give you what Virgil gave Maximo through me—validation:

  You are receiving signs. The universe, God energy, your loved ones on the Other Side, and your spirit guides are sending them to you, reaching out and trying to connect with you. It is happening. It is happening a lot. And deep down, you already know it is.

  * * *

  —

  Okay, you’re thinking, but how does it happen? How does a sign manifest? What is the engine that drives these signs and makes them possible? What is their battery, their power source?

  We are.

  When we shed our bodies, we all become part of the same universal life fo
rce—a massive swirl of light and love and energy. In other words, our energy—our light and our love, our consciousness—does not end when we physically die. It endures, and it links with the light energy of everyone else in the history of existence, connecting into one great, universal life force. This is the energy behind the powerful cords of light that connect us to the Other Side—and the energy behind the signs the Other Side sends us.

  The energy is us. The battery is light and love. The power source is the eternal universe itself.

  And the result is a force that can send us an orange—or a thousand oranges—just when we really need it.

  3

  TEAMS OF LIGHT

  WE all have a Team of Light on the Other Side. These teams send us signs. And these signs come from three distinct forces:

  We receive signs from God energy, which is what I mean when I say signs from the universe. This is the highest and most powerful source of love, and we are each directly connected to it, and also to one another through it.

  We receive signs from our spirit guides/the angelic realm.

  We receive signs from our loved ones who have crossed.

  While we may be most familiar with the idea of God energy and the universe interacting with us, you may be wondering who—or what—our spirit guides are.

  My experience has taught me that we all have teachers, mentors, and protectors on the Other Side whose purpose is to watch over us and guide us toward our best and highest life path. Some call them guardian angels. I call them spirit guides. These guides are not anyone we knew during this lifetime, such as friends or relatives who have crossed—although these friends and relatives certainly help guide us, too. Spirit guides enter into what I call soul contracts to play a role in our lives before we are born.