Hiding in Plain Sight -
How to Recognize Your Personal Oracles

As a child, I always hoped and felt there must be more to everything than we all knew. I often imagined how exciting life would be if it could be like the way HIGHLIGHTS magazine has hidden information nestled obscurely among the clear lines of other objects just waiting to be discovered.

Experience has taught me that a Spiritual version of this childhood activity is played out each time we recognize our own personal oracles.

Many ancient cultures experience the material world as a collection of Spirit-infused living beings and inanimate objects that interact with us to help us along our path of spiritual awakening and growth. Personal oracles are like individualized landmarks and road signs that guide and support us. These signposts can take any shape or form. To recognize them we must be aware of what catches our attention.

Clouds often connect me to friends or family who have passed over. I am clued in to these messengers by a sensation similar to that of someone staring at me. When I get this feeling, I often look up to find an image of my beloved father smiling down or my close friend, Annalisa, visiting me once more. Some people experience the wind as the warm embrace of a loved one, or interpret the appearance of an animal or bird as a personal message from Spirit. A snake signals transformation to me, just as the timely appearance of an owl outside my window validates my connection to inner wisdom. Rusty Bear, our devoted Golden Retriever has been the source of many enlightening encounters. He has taught me to be comfortable in the company of animals and in nature so it is here that I often discover personalized signs that allow me to experience the interconnection of all things.

Because we all are different, Spirit recognizes our uniqueness and speaks to us in ways that make us more receptive An oracle may appear as a timely and significant phrase in a book or magazine, as specific words in a song that speaks directly to what is happening at the time, or even through a series of synchronistic events that combine to affect a change of perspective or direction. Dreams provide another source of oracles that come to us from our subconscious or other realms. Personal oracles speak to us in as many forms as there are individuals. To discover these spiritually energetic signs intended just for us, we must be receptive and pay attention.

To begin recognizing your own personal oracles:
• Be aware from moment to moment. To receive a personal oracle, you have to recognize that it exists. Tune in to your surroundings. Slow down, let the past and future slip away. Open your heart and your senses. Be truly awake. Meditation, yoga, and communing with nature can help you cultivate this skill.

• Open yourself to receive a personalized message in any form. Nothing is too small, insignificant or bizarre to be discounted. A particular rock or stone that seems to speak directly to you, a coincidental meeting with an acquaintance, or even the appearance of an insect on your screen could be a personal oracle waiting to be noticed.

• Listen closely to and trust your intuition. Your intuition, not your intellect or sense of reason, is your guide in the world of personal oracles and often makes itself known as a gut feeling or strong first impression. Intuition links you to all that is unseen and yet significant in this world.

• Spend some quiet time alone each day. As little as 15 minutes daily will give you a chance to review and reflect upon what crossed your path. Making time to process what has caught your interest is crucial to realizing what holds meaning for you.

• Keep a journal, taped log, or photographic collection of what draws your attention. Choose a method that is easiest for you and keep track of incidents, accidents, signs, wonders, and patterns, anything that has a particular energetic charge or pull for you.

You will be surprised at how quickly you recognize a significant theme or a recurring element.

When you begin to notice your personal oracles you will see they are everywhere, hiding in plain sight. Your eyes will be opened to a stream of interconnections, synchronicities, coincidences, and experiences rich with metaphoric meaning. As you cultivate this fresh receptiveness, take note of how experiencing the world as an interconnected whole affects you. I predict your awareness of personal oracles will raise your mood, brighten your outlook, and lower your day-to-day stress level. And then remember if you ever feel isolated and alone in this fast-paced, high-tech world you can always tune in, reconnect, and discover your own personal oracles: your interconnection to the world of Spirit.

Contact Ann Bolinger-McQuade at anncloudspeak@aol.com.