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Could Your Loved Ones Be Communicating After Death?
Learn Common Symbols Used in After-Death Communication and Their Meanings
When we lose someone we care about to illness, accident, or some other form of tragedy, it's very easy to feel lost in our grief. While every person grieves differently, many spend at least a little time thinking about whether their loved ones are in a better place. Are they happier, pain-free, and at peace? It's at these times that it helps to be open and to understand signs from loved ones who have passed.
According to an after-death communication fact sheet published by the University of North Texas, an analysis of 35 research studies involving a total of over 50,000 people concluded that one-third of people have experienced some form of after-death communication from a deceased loved one. People of all nationalities, ethnicities, ages, and education levels report these events, so receiving a message from your passed friend or family member should not be considered all that weird. With that in mind, here are some popular ways to know when loved ones are communicating after death.
What Does Seeing a Red Cardinal Mean?
Many cultures have long connected red cardinals and death in various ways. One of the more popular translations of the meaning of seeing a red cardinal after someone passes is that the bird is a sign from heaven that the person is safe and happy on the other side. In fact, the symbolism is so common that it's become a popular meme on social media.
Red is associated with passion, life force, and energy, and birds are often associated with freedom for their ability to fly. So, it makes sense that the cardinal represents someone's energetic presence continuing, untethered and free to return with the comforting news that death is not the end.
Seeing Butterflies after Someone Dies
Few animals symbolize the transition from one phase of existence to the next as well as butterflies. Transitioning from the lowly caterpillar to a fluttering, beautiful creature, the butterfly reminds us that change is inevitable but not necessarily bad. Seeing butterflies after a loved one passes can be another sign from them that they've made the transition to the spirit world and are ready to move on.
The Meaning of Pennies from Heaven
Another common sign from loved ones in heaven is finding coins, especially pennies. While our one-cent pieces may not be highly valuable these days, they are an easy way for our friends and family on the other side to let us know they are still with us. Finding a penny is popularly a sign of good luck to come and finding pennies after someone dies can remind us how fortunate we are to have known them.
One theory of why pennies and other coins may start appearing is that they are low value and easily misplaced, so for a spiritual being to take them from one point and move them into our path causes no real harm to anyone. Plus, coins tend to be shiny and are more easily noticed than other potential symbolic objects. While we can't explain the process of the phenomenon, we understand the spiritual meaning behind finding pennies is that of comfort and good fortune.
Feathers in Unusual Places
Many cultures consider feathers representative of angels and the spirit world. Finding feathers, meaning noticing feathers in unusual places or even just seemingly placed perfectly in our path, symbolizes communication from the other side. If you've recently lost a loved one or have been thinking about a deceased person quite a bit and a feather appears, you can be assured that it's a sign from them that they are watching over you.
While many people put an emphasis on white feathers in particular, any feather can carry a message from a deceased loved one. The focus should be more on the timing or location of finding the feather. Did it happen on a day that would have been significant to their life or your relationship? Was it found in a place that had some meaning to them? Or did it seem to appear when you needed a sign the most? While messages from loved ones can have multiple meanings, the most likely correct one is the one that gives you the most comfort.
More Personal Symbols
Pennies, feathers, butterflies, and cardinals all have their places in popular lore about after-death communication, but don't get hung up on looking for those specific signs. Often the deceased can send messages that are much more personal than those traditional symbols. Podcaster and author Nicolle Morock recently explained how loved ones communicating after death can be much more intimate with their messaging:
"Sometimes, a person will see something completely out of place that they associate with their friend or family member," Morock told us. "For example, say your grandmother absolutely loved ladybugs. Maybe she had little ladybug symbols all over her kitchen - printed on towels, figurines on the windowsill, salt and pepper shakers, whatever - and then you start noticing ladybugs everywhere. They could be real bugs or images of them in your house, on signs while you're out and about, maybe on a t-shirt you see in passing. All those ladybugs could be your grandmother saying 'hi'!"
Other Forms of After-Death Communication
There are other, less common ways for us to receive messages from deceased loved ones. Morock told us about the possibility of one appearing to us in our in dreams. "I know a skeptic would say that dreaming about a past loved one just means that your subconscious is processing grief, and in many cases, that could be all it is. But I've heard stories and had my own experiences of having a person appear in a dream with a very straightforward message that seemed as concrete as if I'd been fully awake. You can tell the difference with those dreams, and they're a type of spontaneous mediumship." Apparently, you don't have to be psychic to have a loved one visit you. When asked why some people may have those dream visitations, Morock explained, "When we're awake, we're distracted by the solid world around us and just accomplishing our day-to-day tasks. When we're asleep, our minds are more open to unusual experiences."
Other, more personal signs from loved ones who have passed include the following:
- Finding notes and letters written while they were alive in unexpected places
- Seeing their favorite number or an important date such as their birthday repeatedly in various forms while you're going about your daily life
- Smelling phantom scents that you associate with that person specifically - for example, a pipe, peppermint oil, or roses
- Hearing their favorite song immediately after thinking about them
- Having a stranger randomly make a comment to you that your loved one was known for saying regularly
Being open to receiving these signs is the only necessary requirement to having it happen, but what if it doesn’t happen? Don't fret. It just means your loved one is enjoying everything there is to experience on the other side.
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