There are many ways in which we can receive this sublime communication. This means, among other things, that we may need to alter our perceptions in order to receive the good news. How are we perceiving the world, or focusing?

May I suggest that we might want to adjust our own personal “rabbit ears,” TV antennas, or our inner tracking system, or tune to the best radio/ cosmic channel, in order to get the broadcast clearly.

For example, have you tried your hand at photography? Painting?
– Notice that you learn to shift your view of things in order to capture the image. You are more aware of light, color, shadow and shading. Your perceptions, or filters, are utilized in imaginative and inspiring ways. You look at things differently.

Let’s move to the arena of semantics, of words and origins. Just like the way we need to adjust our visual perceptions to things that are already there, we have some common words with some interesting and uncommon meanings.
I will use the word omens throughout this article, which are meanings behind the events. Omens are signs and symbols, usually of prophetic significance.

• When something is ominous, though, we might feel dread. Indeed, that is what it has come to mean. Ominous means a foreboding or foreshadowing of evil.

• an auspicious occasion
  auspice [birdseer, augur] a sign, or observation for signs, used in augury or divination, as the flight of birds. An omen, usually favorable, as to the future.

• inauguration day
  inaugurate [to take omens; hence, to consecrate; to augur in] To begin or initiate under favorable or auspicious circumstances; or with ceremony.

• An augur was a member of the highest class of official diviners of ancient Rome. Thus, one who foretells events by omens.

• What’s your prognosis doctor?
  prognostic [pro – gnosis – to know before] to foresee; prognosis – to predict (disease or the course of the disease)

• Wrong predictions can be disastrous!
  disaster [dis + astrum – star] against, or dissonant with, a star; a baleful aspect of a star or planet. Sudden and extraordinary misfortune.

• Things to be considered!
  consider [with + constellation, stars] to view with fixed thought; originally with the stars, or fate, in mind.

Thus, we have new meanings behind the familiar. You may never hear these words in quite the same way again. Perhaps you are now more curious about other words, ideas and notions which have provocative origins or hidden meanings. I hope so. Just as old words are seen anew, so are omens; look with new eyes into the mysteries of the so-called known world!  We take a new look at something familiar.

Let’s now look into distant antiquity for some other insights into this topic. Soon you may declare, like Daniel (4:3) “How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders!”

When Heaven, Spirit, God, or whatever a culture declared it to be, communicated with us mortals or caused unusual signs and events to occur, the peoples of the past called them miracles and inspired premonitions. This was true in all cultures and times. From China we were told: “Heaven does not speak but reveals itself through acts and deeds.” Mencius (372 – 289 BC)

And in ancient Greece, we learned from Plato’s teacher. “You have heard me speak at sundry times and in diverse places of an oracle or sign which comes to me [and is the divinity which Meletus ridicules in the indictment]. This sign, which is a kind of voice, first began to come to me when I was a child. It always warns but never commands me to do anything which I am going to do.” Socrates Apology

The Greeks took the will of the gods into serious consideration. They consciously used their understanding of a greater power, sometimes called Fate, even in their voting. As you may know, they loved contests of all sorts. In their theatrical contests, which went on for days, they included a unique way for the Gods to vote too. They took out half of the ballots and tossed them. Fate, or Chance, had its say! (Could you imagine our modern elections doing that?!)

In many of the Greek plays, the Gods—positioned above the action on the stage below—spoke only to the Heroes, who were half Gods themselves. What this symbolized was that the Heroes had something of the Divine within them. This idea was akin to the ancient Greek atomic theory (developed by the Atomists, of course), which held that the smallest particles, atoms, were within individuals for reasons. For instance, if someone sees a red color or a blue color out there in the world, that means that that person has a red or blue atom within his eye. If he didn’t see blue—as in color blindness, it was because he didn’t have it within him. It was the same with the Heroes—they had something of the divine within them. I share this concept with you because I feel the Greeks were on to something here. We have within each and every one of us the capacity to see, or sense, the divine in the world. We just need, sometimes, to adjust our inner receptors.

Meanwhile, the ancient Hebrews were developing their vision of the divine communication. In the Bible, we read:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28

Now-a-days, many modern cultures disregard signs and miracles. Within some religious circles there is a common notion that miracles stopped at the time of the New Testament. Thus, omens, which are like miracles at times, are relegated to old wives tales and superstitions. You hear about some of these old wives tales like …
never walk under a ladder
or beware a black cat that is crossing your path
or break a mirror and you have seven years bad luck.
How about fold money towards yourself and more will come soon.
(I hear some minds making note of that one! Years after I heard this one I came across a quip by Will Rogers: The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your wallet!)
There is an interesting parallel between these superstitious ideas and those words that I had mentioned. The original meanings have been forgotten. I would speculate that, centuries ago, a black cat crossed someone’s path, and a tragedy occurred in that person’s life. An observant reader of signs took note of it and then watched for that sign again. It happened that a similar situation again occurred and with similar results. A rule was born. Be careful of rules, but be open to interpretations and possibilities.

The same thing applies to dream interpretations. Dreams can be very profound, insightful, and even predictive. Watch out for rigid books of categories, which I think of as recipe books. If you dream this, then that means this. Remember to keep the options, the interpretations, open and fluid. Look for an individual interpretation, not an all-encompassing meaning. Watch out, too, for wishful thinking. There is the story of the ancient Greek King that was going to do battle with the Persians. He went to a famous temple and asked the oracle to prophesy for him. The oracle told him that if he went to battle the Persian King, a great empire would fall. This was the news he was waiting for. He gathered his army together and attacked the Persians. He lost. The oracle was right. A great empire did fall—his. It was a matter of interpretation.

I had an auspicious sign many moons ago. Early in our romance my girlfriend and I were wondering about how our relationship would unfold. Obviously, I was on the lookout for omens. We were walking along the beach—how classic—and there were 2 seagulls flying over us at the same time that I was thinking about this and I knew that this was an auspicious omen. I watched them to see what they would do. I saw that one of them started to fly quite quickly across the horizon and the other one kind of held back a little bit and seemed to kind of flutter around, but then took off after the first gull. The faster seagull disappeared into the mist and then right after that the next one. Being that it was a misty eve, we couldn’t see exactly where they went, so we couldn’t see clearly into the future. There could have been various interpretations like splitting up, going our own ways, one following the other and, that there was something about our future that we couldn’t or shouldn’t see. What actually happened was that she very soon left the east coast for Arizona; a week later I flew there to be with her. The omen was correct (as it usually is!).