I was getting ready to leave my house this morning to go see a client, when I heard this noise coming from my basement. I stopped to listen and when I heard it again I thought it was coming from the pipes or my water heater. I’ve had a water heater crack and flood my basement before so I knew I had to check it out. I cautiously walked down the stairs into the basement hoping for the best.
The noise wasn’t consistent, so I waited for each new noise – touching pipes to see if this was where it was emanating from. The noise sounded like a boiler room that was building energy and I thought maybe a pipe was going to burst. Then I was standing next to the chimney and I heard muffled bird chirps. I thought: “Oh shit, there is a poor bird stuck in my chimney and it’s going to die in there.” The wheels started spinning in my brain as I heard the chirps and vibrations coming through what I thought were the pipes.
You ever have a moment when a light bulb comes on in your head? Well, mine did. Eureka, I figured it out. And sure enough, when I went outside, there was this lovely woodpecker comfortably nesting on top of my chimney pipe. She/he was chattering away with the neighboring magpies while diligently hammering away on the pipe.
I stopped to take pictures and video of this rare site. Unfortunately, late for my client, I couldn’t take in all I wish I could have in that moment. Departing with a hint of sadness for not being able to sit longer and connect with the woodpecker and it’s messages for me.
Connecting With Spirit
I am no stranger to receiving signs from nature. Always on the lookout for the meaning it has for me. Spirit, our higher self, angels, spirit guides, and our power animals are constantly trying to get our attention, to connect with us, to let us know they are there, and to provide us with answers to our questions. All we need to do is pay attention.
Maybe you don’t believe in Spirit or angels and that’s okay. Whatever your beliefs, it doesn’t take much to start connecting with Spirit if that is what you desire. Each of us has two guardian angels, we also have guides, and at least one power animal. Here are a group of light beings that are constantly at our side energetically. They exist for the sole purpose of supporting and guiding us on our journey in this earthly body and on this earthly plane. We all have our very own cheering squad albeit often not heard. But if you could connect with them in a much more tangible way, wouldn’t you want to? I know for me it’s been a game changer.
How to Connect
We all have the ability to communicate with Spirit. For some, it is more pronounced then for others. We typically have one way of communicating that is the strongest, or our primary way, and then there is usually a second runner up. These are through visions, feelings, thoughts, or sounds. Also known as clairvoyance, clairsentience, claircognizance, and clairaudience.
Clairvoyance is clear seeing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean seeing with your physical eyes. You could have visions in your mind’s eye. You may not see something clearly, but instead see flashes of light or movement at the corner of your eye. Clairsentience, or clear feeling, is the strongest for most people. Feelings can come from sensations, smells, or temperature or pressure changes. Claircognizance, or clear thinking, is when you absolutely know something to be true that you have no previous knowledge of and have no idea how you know it to be true. Have you ever said something to a friend that she needed to hear, but it didn’t sound like you or didn’t come from anything you knew? That’s claircognizance. Finally, clairaudience, or clear hearing. You may hear voices, sounds, or messages from outside your body or inside your mind. Do you have a sense of which one may be your primary way of communicating?
How to Start or Increase Communication
Start speaking with your angels, guides, or Spirit. This can be out loud or in your head. Tell them what you’re struggling and needing help with. Ask them to show you a sign they are listening to you. Ask them for answers to your questions and then be on the lookout for signs and messages. Remember they are not going to sit down at a coffee shop with you and chat over tea and scones. However, this could happen if they are in an earthly body sent to give you messages. Messages can come in the form of animals on your rooftop like mine did today. It could be a book that jumps out at you at a bookstore. Maybe it’s the lyrics of a song that randomly starts playing in your head or you hear on the radio. Maybe you overhear a conversation between two people at the checkout line that is the exact information you were needing. Or you get a nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach to do something, and then ignore it, only later to realize you should have listened to your instinct. The possibilities are endless, you just have to be open to seeing, feeling, thinking, or hearing them. Self-awareness is key.
Even though we have one primary way of communicating, we can increase all four ways. If you want to increase your visions, pay attention to what you notice out of the ordinary. Have a curiosity about flashes or images in your mind or coming from the corner of your eye. If you want to increase your feelings, pay attention to the sensations you are experiencing in your body. Your body is informing you all the time. If you want to increase your thoughts, pay attention to random things you say to people that ended up being exactly what they needed to hear. There may be a particular time of day or place where your thinking is clearer and you come up with amazing ideas. For me, this is in the shower. Now the most important piece here is to write it down or record it in your cell phone. You need to act on the information being provided, otherwise you are missing out on the opportunity being offered. Finally, if you want to increase your hearing. Pay attention to sounds you typically drown out – white noise. The heater coming on, the tapping of the keys on your computer, the sound of you scratching your arm. As you become more aware of all sounds, you will start to hear communications from Spirit.
Woodpecker Message
So what was Spirit telling me today? I have been wanting to increase my own communication abilities and to hear more clearly the messages from my guardian angels. As such, a few days ago I asked my angels to help me to hear them more clearly and started to pay attention to the sounds around me. Who knows, if I hadn’t, maybe I wouldn’t have heard the noise coming from my basement this morning and missed the spectacular site on my roof. I know the woodpecker on my chimney pipe was a message from my angels letting me know they heard me. Morse code from Spirit to human.
When I get direct contact with animals, such as this one, I have a number of books I look at for insight. One is Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer. I read the different meanings listed for the animal I had contact with and instinctively know which meaning is meant for me. For the woodpecker, two resonated the most with me: 1) “You’re entering into a time of abundance and plenty” and 2) “Pay particular attention to your own cycles and rhythms and do your best to honor them by aligning yourself with them, rather than being contrary to them.” Two of my biggest concerns lately have been being financially stable as I build my private practice and staying true to myself as I create a space that honors my psychology education with my shamanic and energy teachings. My angels hear my struggles and are giving me encouraging messages to have faith and to know I’m on the right path.
As always, these messages are insightful and I feel supported and heard. I give thanks to God, my guardian angels, and the woodpecker for bringing me these messages. I give gratitude to myself for being more self-aware. Of course, I’m human and fallible and still miss things all the time, but what’s great is that Spirit keeps sending the messages until I receive them.
If this resonates with you and you want to start communicating with Spirit, it is essential to be patient, loving, kind, and compassionate with yourself. The more you communicate and connect with Spirit and pay attention to the signs and messages being relayed through your body and your physical environment, the more this communication will increase and the more calm, centered, and self-assured you will feel that you are not alone in this great cosmos.
Are you seeking a therapist who is open to exploring spirituality while supporting you on your healing journey? Contact me to set up an appointment. Have more questions? Call me at 403-891-1384 to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation.
Vicky Roubekas Psychology 