When Snippets from the Future Lead the Way Forward
Signs from the Universe
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Late afternoon my first full day on the African continent, my future (now ex) husband and I arrived at the Zululand Safari Lodge. The reception area had a beautiful rustic charm. I stood taking it all in, and then I saw something that took my breath away.
On the wall behind the reception desk were the doodles I had drawn for over twenty years. More specifically, these were slices of uniquely shaped tree trunks that had the same shape as the doodles I had started drawing at about age ten.
I always wanted to have artistic talent but had none whatsoever. What I could do was draw what started as a simple amoeba shape that expanded over time to have fjord-like inlets around the edges. I could cover an entire notebook page with one of these.
Interpreting the Signs
I knew I was attracted to this man, but did I really want to leave my home in Los Angeles and move to Johannesburg, where he lived? The presence of my doodles seemed to indicate a resounding “yes.” It was as if I had been drawing these over the years so I would recognize the future when I met it.
The deal was sealed a few hours later, looking out the window of our rondavel with wine in hand, seeing my first African antelope – a male kudu with magnificent spiraling horns. He stopped under a tree and looked at us eye to eye, then gently tipped his head back and started nibbling leaves. And then he moved on.
Ultimately, we spent three years together in South Africa and ten in Connecticut. Over the good times and the bad, I never doubted that this was the path I was meant to take.
Saying yes introduced me to so many people who are of great importance in my life. It brought a rewarding and very different career path that included friends and opportunities that have made my life richer. And it brought me to New York City – a place I love dearly.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
-- Robert Frost
Other Snippets
There were two games of pretend I remember playing in the house we lived in from first through fifth grade - the same timeframe I started drawing my doodles. In one, I was an actor, performing in front of my bedroom mirror. In the other, I went from room to room in the house, pretend notebook in hand, chatting with each invisible person in this unnamed office to ask how I could be of help.
Both roles foretold a future life path. My first career was as an on-camera and voiceover actor in Arizona, South Africa, and Connecticut. My second career found me in corporate roles in which I literally and figuratively went office to office to be of help.
How did I know?
A Reflection
It is entirely possible that all this is nothing other than a coincidence, but I don’t think so. I prefer to think that a bit of my future bled through and I was able to see it with my adolescent eyes. They were hints of paths to come, and they led the way forward.
I am one of those people who believe that we are surrounded by the past and future, all existing in this all-encompassing present moment. I find comfort in that.
A Question
Have you experienced a sign from the Universe that helped you in some way? I’d welcome hearing about it in the comments.
Cathy, what remarkable signs! I think your view of how the universe works is definitely possible. I haven't had signs from the future that I recall. But I've had instances of knowing things from a distance that in theory I wouldn't be able to know. This is an interesting topic and a whole different type of communication.
Cathy, I love how you describe the patterns in your drawing and those spiralling antelope horns. Your reflection on the past and future overlapping really resonates with me; I’ve felt that so often, and even now my current trip in Croatia. Just the other evening, at sunset, I met two remarkable women in a remote town called Lubenice as we walked together toward a classical concert in an ancient church perched on a dramatic cliff. We instantly connected--similar work, passions, values. Later, we realized we had already crossed paths: on my very first day on their island paradise of Cres, I’d asked them to watch my bag while I swam in the ocean. I enjoy how life brings people and "knowing" full circle like that—like a spiral itself!