Nature is Always Speaking. Here's How to Listen.

Having deep talks with random people at random times is arguably one of my favorite things to do, and I am always delighted when I notice that after such an event, when you have debated our purpose on Earth until the early morning hours with a heartbroken fairy that you have met in the bathroom line, I am left more ravenous than I was at the beginning. The topics that can be discussed are, as life itself, infinite, but they always boil down to the same word: meaning.

What does this behavior mean? What am I meant to do? What’s the meaning of life? I need a sign, a nudge, guidance, proof that what I am doing is right. Or not. A big red neon arrow saying, “This is what you have to do.”

The good news, if we ask for it, the Universe always delivers. The bad news, it’s not a big neon sign. The language of the world around us is always subtle, and it is up to us to master the delicate art of translating it.

Despite the fact that summer is usually the time when everybody is in action, hustling and making sure they are ready for the slumber months, for me it comes with a great sense of quiet and focus. I catch myself slowing down and paying attention to every detail around me much more than I do in any other season, and therefore I notice feeling more guided than at any other point on the Wheel of the Year. I have been gathering the messages that I have been getting lately, and now I invite you to accompany me while I try to decode them.

1. Feathers

As it is when learning any new language, having a dictionary to help you translate always comes in handy. I will leave you a list of my favorite such books when it comes to speaking the language of the Universe, but I must tell you, when it comes to feathers, the folklore is not very straightforward. Most of the things you can find are about feathers in bedding, and that might be because seeing feathers you find as a sign from your Spirit Guides is more of a New Age kind of thing.

Nevertheless, I enjoy it, and I am not in the business of dismissing something just because it’s too new. Or too old, for that matter. If it resonates, it stays.

I am also not an ornithologist. I don’t always know what birds the feathers are coming from, so the symbolism of the species is not necessarily included in my interpretation. What I do know is my intuition. The way the feather makes me feel when I pick it up. How nature around me is acting in the moment. The place I found it and its meaning. The color of my newfound sign. So, that’s what I am going to walk you through.

Whenever I find a white feather, I like to think it’s coming from my Guardian Angel. It makes me feel Its presence. It’s like a gentle hand on my shoulder saying, “I am here. You’re safe. You’re protected.” When I find this, I know I am on the right path and I can go ahead with confidence, knowing that I am divinely protected.

If I find a black feather, I turn my eyes to the dark side of the moon. My shadow self. The not-so-nice parts that we usually like to avoid. For me, this is usually a sign that my subconscious is running rampant in my life, running the show, and I am obliviously following whatever path it lays in front of me. It might be a good one, but usually it’s not. Decisions made out of fear, be it conscious or unconscious, tend to lead us in circles. They keep us safe, but they also keep us stuck. A black feather, for me, means that I might be dipping my toes in the self-sabotage pool, so I quickly do an audit of what’s happening in order to avoid that.

Recently, I found a white feather with grey ripples on a hike on a mountain trail. There were some birds of prey circling above me, and the forest was quiet. A gentle wind moved the tall grass that was growing on the side of the road, making it sing to me. Then I knew. The restless spark that I was feeling inside of me, the very reason why I was on that walk, needed to be fed. It needed oxygen to turn into a blaze that would create some very necessary ripples that will not only touch my life but will also be the answer to someone else’s prayers.

2. Butterflies

I remember my grandmother saying, when I was little, that if the first butterfly you see in the spring is a pair, romantic love will follow you in the year to come. Which, of course, at that age, when being alone, not being chosen, was the end of the world, a solitary butterfly in the spring had the power to send me spiraling. But we’re older and wiser now, so we can appreciate the beauty of a single butterfly.

As I was researching the symbolism of butterflies, the common thread I found across several cultures was their interpretation as a manifestation of the souls of the dead. The associations that I found in English folklore were, to my surprise, overwhelmingly negative, to the point where it was believed that you should kill the first butterfly you see in the year in order to have good luck.

For me, butterflies are the ultimate symbol of transformation. When I see them, the first thing that always crosses my mind is the pain I used to feel as a child when I was growing. A painful growth. Maybe even a Dark Night of the Soul. It’s an ascension that can only come through, and despite, a painful experience. When I see a butterfly, be it solitary or a pair, I see it as a sign of hope. It’s the Universe encouraging me not to give up and face whatever it is that I am dealing with right now, knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is already shining on my path. It’s a confirmation that what I am going through is meant for me as a lesson. I know that the pain I am feeling at the moment is not in vain, and if I am able to hold on just a bit longer, I will break the cocoon and emerge closer to my highest version in this life.

3. Spider Web Covered in Morning Dew

I must admit I have been having a tumultuous relationship with spiders lately. Traditionally, contrary to what you might think, they are seen as a lucky omen. Having spiders in your house is said to bring in good luck and prosperity, and if a “money spider” lands on you, then it is a sure sign that some pleasant surprise is coming your way. There is a plethora of sayings that tie spiders to abundance, such as “If you wish to thrive, let the spider go alive” and yet they are still seen as feared creatures, and there is an overall tendency to run away from them. Maybe it’s because of their otherworldly appearance, creeping around with all those eyes. Maybe it’s exactly the eyes that we fear, the feeling of being watched times eight and being judged by creatures that have ties to the other realms. How else would they be able to weave those patterns in a way that can be equaled only by the Fates?

If you wish to thrive, let the spider go alive

Spiders weave their webs in the same way that life unfolds around us. Silent and inconspicuous, thread for thread, guided by instinct and Nature itself until you are faced with the tapestry of destiny. You know it’s there. If you pay attention, you can even see it. Sometimes it straight-up smacks you in the face. Yet, you can still ignore it, brush it off, or avert your gaze, but when you see it adorned in glistening droplets of morning dew, you are left with no choice but to look at it. This is the moment when you are faced with your fate. A sign from the Universe that you’ll soon be able to connect the dots in all the confusion that’s been surrounding you lately, and everything will rearrange itself in cosmic order.

When life seems hopeless and all the shores feel far away, there’s nothing I’d rather see than dew-covered cobwebs. If you ever asked for a sign that life is not in vain, if you fell down on your knees in despair begging for clarity, this is it. The invisible becomes visible, the lines between the conscious and the unconscious blur, and for a split second we are granted a glimpse of the other side.

If stormy clouds are above you at the moment and your senses are overwhelmed into oblivion, you are not alone. The Universe is always there, guiding you, you just have to calm down long enough to read the signs. And if you’re still confused after that, stay around the Cozy Sisters a while longer. There is nothing a good list can’t fix.