Reading Omens
Reading Omens
How to Listen When Destiny Calls
“In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Whether you believe in God or Fate or any other cosmic force that unfolds the events of life, it is hard to deny a sense of intentionality when a sequence of events coincidentally converges perfectly. If you were paying attention, you could have read the omens as a sign to do this or that, rather than be surprised once everything transpires. I personally don’t believe in coincidence. I believe everything happens for a reason and we can either be oblivious spectators as life happens to us or we can try to identify the direction of the wind and open our sails to enjoy the ride.
An omen is an event that is a sign or warning of something to come. To identify an omen we must look to the past, look within, and evaluate our trajectory. If you don’t know where you came from, chances are you don’t know yourself very well. And if you don’t know yourself, it will be hard to determine where you are going. So first you must try to identify the omens in your past that shaped who you are presently. Then spend some time evaluating yourself, where you are, and why you are here. Once you are satisfied with your assessment, you are better prepared to recognize omens and translate them into practical applications.
I don’t know if this happens to you, but I sometimes find myself in situations that cause me to wonder how I got there and what I am still doing there. What purpose does it serve and am I making the most of my time there? Life is too short to be wasting it on things that won’t be important in the grand scheme or the fulfillment of “Your Personal Legend” as it is called in The Alchemist. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all working toward something, and you arrive there a lot faster when you know the destination. Some people find out too late and never get the chance to realize their personal legend. Don’t let it happen to you.
Ever since we were young, we have been on a journey, adapting to circumstances completely out of our control but they determine the difficulty of our interactions with the world. Some of us were born into privilege or poverty, community or isolation, aptitudes and disadvantages. When you look back at your life, can you recognize patterns of events that seem to be “coincidences” but that shaped your passions, identity, and desires? Scientists have determined that we are shaped by nature and nurture. Nature refers to our genetic predispositions that shape us physically, intellectually, and temperamentally. Nurture refers to the influence of environmental factors such as our cultural background, family values, and education. Our genetics give us our natural aptitudes, while nurture fine-tunes how those aptitudes manifest.
As a kid, some skills came naturally while others took longer to develop. Challenges in my household caused trauma that shaped my habits, I’ve made choices with life-altering consequences, and I’ve had mentors to guide me. When I look over my past, I can see that writing has always been a constant theme in my life and there have always been people in my life to teach me to become a better person. They have helped shape my worldview, develop a determination, and even revealed the strengths and weaknesses I did not see in myself. It all happened for a reason and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.
Now I am writing Professor and I have four children of my own. Writing is still a major part of my life and has even become my source of income. After being shaped by so many mentors, I have learned to be a good teacher to my students and my children; but I am also aware of my shortcomings as a response to the absence of a father. I am also I aware of my bias and weaknesses in certain areas that must be addressed and considered with everything that I do. I was diagnosed with a blood disease that requires me to maintain a certain lifestyle. Knowing these things about myself and where I am, gives me perspective to recognize good omens that present themselves as opportunities for growth, relationship, and service; but also to beware of bad omens that threaten to destroy, distract, and derail me. If I am on automatic pilot, I can miss all of the signs and the result is usually negative. Missing positive signs can result in missed opportunities and delayed gratification. Missing negative signs can be catastrophic if you are not careful.
Looking Forward
It took me a long time to get to where I am, but I know this is not the end. I always hoped I would get here, but I never thought it could happen to a guy like me because of my past disadvantages. Now that I am here, I can see that there are still places for me to go and do, so I cannot get let myself get comfortable and complacent. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer and I wanted to open an orphanage for kids who felt lost and rejected like me. Now that I am older and still learning, I have become a writing instructor and educator who is working on opening a non-profit academy for underprivileged youth. By following the omens, sometimes obliviously, I found myself in a place that offered a location for the school of my dreams and people who supported the vision.
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
I believe this to be true when it is the will of fate, the universe, or God. I didn’t know as a child that this would be my future, but my inner desires as a child and genetic abilities were the foundation to build me into the person I am today with the goals I am pursuing now.
In the future, if I am reading the signs correctly, I hope to be operating a non-profit school to help make quality education available to underprivileged youth. I hope to continue teaching part-time at the University level. I hope to complete and publish a novel in the next five years. We will see how the winds of change redirect my journey and how willing I will be to accept it, but I am excited to see where I land.
Do You Know Who You Are? Do You Know Where You Are Going? Do You Want to Know?
You have a purpose, and you were created with unique talents to achieve a personal legend that is distinctive to you. Even your mistakes are important parts of shaping you into the person you were meant to be. Read the signs and press on or die trying.
Whether you believe in God or Fate or any other cosmic force that unfolds the events of life, it is hard to deny a sense of intentionality when a sequence of events coincidentally converges perfectly. If you were paying attention, you could have read the omens as a sign to do this or that, rather than be surprised once everything transpires. I personally don’t believe in coincidence. I believe everything happens for a reason and we can either be oblivious spectators as life happens to us or we can try to identify the direction of the wind and open our sails to enjoy the ride.
What is an Omen?
An omen is an event that is a sign or warning of something to come. To identify an omen we must look to the past, look within, and evaluate our trajectory. If you don’t know where you came from, chances are you don’t know yourself very well. And if you don’t know yourself, it will be hard to determine where you are going. So first you must try to identify the omens in your past that shaped who you are presently. Then spend some time evaluating yourself, where you are, and why you are here. Once you are satisfied with your assessment, you are better prepared to recognize omens and translate them into practical applications.
I don’t know if this happens to you, but I sometimes find myself in situations that cause me to wonder how I got there and what I am still doing there. What purpose does it serve and am I making the most of my time there? Life is too short to be wasting it on things that won’t be important in the grand scheme or the fulfillment of “Your Personal Legend” as it is called in The Alchemist. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all working toward something, and you arrive there a lot faster when you know the destination. Some people find out too late and never get the chance to realize their personal legend. Don’t let it happen to you.
Looking Back
Ever since we were young, we have been on a journey, adapting to circumstances completely out of our control but they determine the difficulty of our interactions with the world. Some of us were born into privilege or poverty, community or isolation, aptitudes and disadvantages. When you look back at your life, can you recognize patterns of events that seem to be “coincidences” but that shaped your passions, identity, and desires? Scientists have determined that we are shaped by nature and nurture. Nature refers to our genetic predispositions that shape us physically, intellectually, and temperamentally. Nurture refers to the influence of environmental factors such as our cultural background, family values, and education. Our genetics give us our natural aptitudes, while nurture fine-tunes how those aptitudes manifest.
As a kid, some skills came naturally while others took longer to develop. Challenges in my household caused trauma that shaped my habits, I’ve made choices with life-altering consequences, and I’ve had mentors to guide me. When I look over my past, I can see that writing has always been a constant theme in my life and there have always been people in my life to teach me to become a better person. They have helped shape my worldview, develop a determination, and even revealed the strengths and weaknesses I did not see in myself. It all happened for a reason and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.
Looking In
Now I am writing Professor and I have four children of my own. Writing is still a major part of my life and has even become my source of income. After being shaped by so many mentors, I have learned to be a good teacher to my students and my children; but I am also aware of my shortcomings as a response to the absence of a father. I am also I aware of my bias and weaknesses in certain areas that must be addressed and considered with everything that I do. I was diagnosed with a blood disease that requires me to maintain a certain lifestyle. Knowing these things about myself and where I am, gives me perspective to recognize good omens that present themselves as opportunities for growth, relationship, and service; but also to beware of bad omens that threaten to destroy, distract, and derail me. If I am on automatic pilot, I can miss all of the signs and the result is usually negative. Missing positive signs can result in missed opportunities and delayed gratification. Missing negative signs can be catastrophic if you are not careful.
Looking Forward
It took me a long time to get to where I am, but I know this is not the end. I always hoped I would get here, but I never thought it could happen to a guy like me because of my past disadvantages. Now that I am here, I can see that there are still places for me to go and do, so I cannot get let myself get comfortable and complacent. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer and I wanted to open an orphanage for kids who felt lost and rejected like me. Now that I am older and still learning, I have become a writing instructor and educator who is working on opening a non-profit academy for underprivileged youth. By following the omens, sometimes obliviously, I found myself in a place that offered a location for the school of my dreams and people who supported the vision.
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
I believe this to be true when it is the will of fate, the universe, or God. I didn’t know as a child that this would be my future, but my inner desires as a child and genetic abilities were the foundation to build me into the person I am today with the goals I am pursuing now.
In the future, if I am reading the signs correctly, I hope to be operating a non-profit school to help make quality education available to underprivileged youth. I hope to continue teaching part-time at the University level. I hope to complete and publish a novel in the next five years. We will see how the winds of change redirect my journey and how willing I will be to accept it, but I am excited to see where I land.
Do You Know Who You Are? Do You Know Where You Are Going? Do You Want to Know?
You have a purpose, and you were created with unique talents to achieve a personal legend that is distinctive to you. Even your mistakes are important parts of shaping you into the person you were meant to be. Read the signs and press on or die trying.
