In Episode 60, After-Death Communication, I covered ways that a deceased loved one might communicate with the living, and that included many common signs. In this episode, we’ll discuss signs and symbols that show up when you need them.

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Welcome to the PEEP Podcast! I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and I’m grateful you’re here! The two big ideas behind the PEEP Podcast are to show that the paranormal is more normal than most people think and to connect the science to the psi, including ESP, psychokinesis, and intuition! In this episode, we’ll cover signs and symbols from the Universe, but first I have a quick update on my new book:

I’m being asked a lot about what a Kickstarter Project is, so I want to quickly highlight the key points:

1. A Kickstarter is not a charity project. Backers receive rewards for their support.
   
   
2. A Kickstarter is a way to support independent creators by helping them fund their projects. In return, you can choose the level of rewards you receive for your pledge. For example, I’ve backed Small Town Monsters’ annual Kickstarter project for years, and each year, I increase my pledge level. This year, my rewards included digital streams of their films, my name in the credits of those films, and I added a hardback book. It makes me feel good to help fund their work because I believe in it, and receiving the rewards makes me feel special because I get to watch the films before non-backers ever see them.
   
   
3. Kickstarter is a legitimate way to support creators, and it has been around a long time. One of its rules is that if a project doesn’t meet its funding goal through pledges, no one pays. The creator doesn’t receive any money, and the people who pledged do not get charged. If the project does reach its funding goal, everyone wins!
   
   
4. One of the best practices for creators is to wait to launch a project until we have at least 25 people following our pre-launch page. This helps ensure we’ll be more likely to reach our funding goal. My pre-launch page went live last week, and I have 3 followers. I am planning to launch on July 8th, so I need 22 more within the next 5 weeks. If you have any interest in backing my project, please follow the link in the show notes to the pre-launch page and tap or click the button that says, “Notify me on launch” to follow my project. When I launch, Kickstarter will send you an email to let you know my project is live and collecting pledges. Then you can see the reward tiers and choose how you’d like to back the project, meaning what rewards you’d like to receive. There’s also an option to pledge as little as $1 just to show your support without receiving a reward.
   
   
5. I’ve also been asked what the money will go toward. Much of it will go toward producing the rewards – books printed on demand and mailed directly to you. Any profit will be to pay myself back for the professional editing and cover design of Daughter of the Mystic Moon. I’ve put about $3,000 into this book (not to mention years of my life writing it), so it would be nice to launch it with some of that paid off.
   
   
6. If you’re interested in how the book reads, I have posted the first chapter of it on my website. That link is in the show notes, too.

If you have any other questions about the Kickstarter, you can use the contact form at PEEPpodcast.com to ask!

Now on to this episode’s show topic: signs and symbols.

While I was on my walk this evening after work, I was trying to decide what this week’s podcast episode topic would be. At one point I had the thought that maybe I should be doing it on symbols, but then I blew that off. About 10 minutes later, I came upon a feather. For those who know me, hawks, eagles, owls, and feathers are signs for me. It’s kind of meta that a sign I received confirmed I should be doing this episode on symbols.

I always bring the feathers that I find home with me, and this is my first wild turkey feather!

So here I am, talking about feathers again. In Episode 60, I mentioned how some people think that feathers are signs from angels, and they can be. They could also be from past loved ones, spirit guides, the Universe, God… I’ll let you pick your favorite source, or you can consider the context.

There are a million possible symbols and signs out there, so my recommendation is to either be specific in what you consider a sign or understand many of them and be open to interpretation. For example, I’ve always considered seeing a hawk while I’m making a tough decision an affirmative sign. Here are some very personal examples:

About 22 years ago, I stared at a large red-tailed hawk sitting outside my picture window, looking back at me, as my ex-husband told me he was leaving. I took my strength from that bird and decided not to beg him to stay. My life turned out to be much better without him.

About two months ago, I had to decide if I wanted to keep the paid-off pickup truck that was starting to cost more in repairs than a new car payment would, or take on a new car payment. I started researching the cars I could afford and debating with myself over what would be best. On one particularly thoughtful morning, I was driving to work and saw two eagles in different places along my route and a hawk flew directly in front of my car. Then on the way home, I saw two more hawks. The message was clear: buy the car. I did, and I love it. I also love the relief of not having to worry about whether my truck will break down anymore.

There have been countless times when I made decisions and almost immediately saw a hawk, telling me that I’d made the right choice.

So, what if birds of prey aren’t your thing? That’s not a problem. You get to decide what is.

Psychic Tiffany Johnson, whom I adore and who has been on this podcast twice – Episodes 8 and 83 – offers this exercise in her book, Picture Yourself Developing Your Psychic Abilities: Select your personal sign for information. Determine a period of time you wish to be shown it in, and make a statement about what that sign will mean to you.

Here’s an example I like to use, you could say, “If I’m meant to change jobs right now, show me a ladybug in the next 24 hours.” Then be open to seeing the ladybug. If you see it within the allotted time, you know it’s time for change. If you don’t see it, then you have your answer in the other direction. Don’t just try it once. Practice! The more you experience it in action, the more confidence you’ll have in the process.

It also helps to be open to variation. For example, if you see a photo of a ladybug in your social media feed, that counts! (Unless you follow ladybugs.com or a ladybug enthusiast group, and then it might be a bit too convenient.)

Another way to look at signs and symbols is through understanding them on a more global scale. People have been trying to read signs from God, the Universe, etc., since the dawn of time. In ancient Rome and Greece, prophets would interpret the actions of birds and look for signs in weather phenomenon. In the Bible story of Noah, a rainbow is set to always be a reminder of God’s promise to his people.

Going back to the turkey feather that I found on my walk, I could look at the feather as my personal affirmation, as I did, or I could look at the type of feather it is. Since it came from a wild turkey, I looked up the symbolism of the Turkey in the book Animal Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small by Ted Andrews.

The book says, “The Turkey is sometimes called the earth eagle.” That made me laugh since I know the turkey isn’t a bird of prey, but I felt like its feather held the same meaning for me as seeing a hawk or eagle.

Here are some other interesting tidbits in the book:

According to Native mythologies, turkeys helped create the world, showing humans how to raise corn and fighting off evil spirits. Turkeys are adaptable – a characteristic I admire. They represent shared blessings and strength in numbers.

So, I could look at these traits associated with turkeys combined with what I was thinking about when I found the feather and take the event to mean I need to remember to adapt to changing circumstances rather than holding firm in my plans just for the sake of being stubborn.

In The Secret Language of Symbols by David Fontana, the entry on feathers says, “For Native Americans, feathers symbolize the Great Spirit and the sun. For the Celts, a feathered cloak gave lightness, speed, and an ability to visit other worlds.”

In The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Symbols, Signs, & Dream Interpretation by Mark O’Connell, Raje Airey, and Richard Craze, feathers are said to symbolize Maat, the Ancient Egyptian goddess of justice. It also adds that to Native Americans, “feathers hold the spirit of the bird and are highly prized.”

You can see that symbolism depends on the culture that’s interpreting it. Since I’ve always had an infinity for Native American cultures, I tend to lean that way when it comes to interpreting signs. But as someone who is half Italian, some days, I look at that heritage for answers.

I own all the books I’ve mentioned in this episode, and I use them any time I come across something I think is meant to be a sign. As a nerd, I believe books are worth the investment, especially when you’re eternally curious like I am.

I hope this little episode on signs and symbols has helped you think about them either for the first time, or maybe differently. Any time I hear someone speak in absolutes about what a symbol might mean, I like to remind them to look at context and alternative meanings. Everything we deal with in the paranormal may have multiple interpretations. Be open-minded.

And of course, there’s always the possibility of coincidence, but where’s the fun in that?

Thank you for listening!

If you are interested in sharing your own paranormal experiences, or if you have an idea for an episode topic, please reach out through the contact form at peeppodcast.com. That's P-E-E-P Podcast.com. Remember that stands for People Experiencing Everyday Paranormal.

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