The Universe Is Speaking To You

The universe is speaking to you just as it speaks to the rest of us. Its message can be as vital as helping each of us to find our direction in life and at other times it can be as simple as to encourage us not to let little things get to us.

Yet instead of listening to that voice, which addresses the very essence of why we are here, we often allow trivia to consume our daily lives. If we regularly set aside that trivia and give the voice our attention, it will have a marvelous effect on us.

But what if you seek this voice and you still don't hear it, what can you do? Here is what has worked for me:

Select a place of solitude and beauty, a place where you can relax, be calm and silence your mind, closing out the stresses of the outside world. It may take many times of doing this, before you hear the voice but then all of sudden in the quiet, a voice will speak to you to remind you of who you really are and the journey you are meant to take, as it guides you in how to take that journey.

That is one form the voice may take. At other times, something inherently wise will come to you, something well beyond yourself, and you will know it, yet not know from where it came. In 2005, something strongly moved me to conduct candlelight peace vigils to appeal to the consciences of others to stop the U.S.'s war in Iraq.

During the Christmas holidays not only did that feeling become immense, but the words for a sign appeared in my mind:

"My candle is lit in memory of all who have died or been seriously wounded in the war in Iraq. It is also lit in consideration of the pain and loss felt by their families."

As a veteran businessman and marketer, I felt the sign's message was too long, but I trusted that sense that overwhelmed me and had a sign printed with those words. And then in early January, that sense guided me to a busy street corner along Pacific Coast Highway in the Los Angeles area, candle in hand.

For the next six years and 303 peace vigils, I was out there for an hour nearly every Wednesday evening, occasionally joined by others, but always attracting attention on this busy thoroughfare.

For the last two years, I was joined virtually every Wednesday by John Fortier, a Korean War veteran and retired school teacher. As time passed, that strong sense also had me modify that sign to include the war in Afghanistan.

Each Wednesday, a thousand or more cars would drive by the vigil, as did pedestrians walk by, some stopping to talk. With time, it became clear in so many ways that this peace vigil was influencing the thinking of others, including military veterans and their families. What would come of it, in faith I knew was in hands far greater than my own.

And with my friend and webmaster Jon Barnes, we created blogs to summarize what happened at each vigil so people anywhere could read it, those summaries having begun at the start of the vigils from the encouragement to write them from my friend Mary Ellen.*

But no matter what happened out there, I never questioned the powerful sense that sent me there for I knew I was supposed to be there. Then in January, 2012 that sense said this peace vigil was over and it was time to leave the street, which I did, and I thanked many of the people who had supported the vigil.

That I hear or sense this voice does not make me special for the voice is meant to speak to each of us. I only hear or sense the voice on occasion.

The voice also takes another form, a form of coincidence. Without explanation or understanding as to how we know, we will know some event has taken place. The other night I awoke from a dream in which our son Kevin, a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff assigned to the Twin Tower jail system downtown was breaking up a jail house riot. Later, I learned Kevin as part of a tactical police squad did exactly that.

Or someone will enter our lives, however briefly, deliver a message, and disappear as suddenly as they arrived.

In 1990, a wonderful group of employees and I were fighting to save the large computer leasing company I had started 16 years before. On a commercial flight to meet with our lenders, to whom we owed more than $100 million, a young woman approached me, who had a remarkable knowledge of the depth of my problems.

With a warmth about her, she urged me to use "wit and compassion," to resolve these problems and offered words of assurance things would be fine. When the flight landed, she disappeared into the crowd and I never saw her again. But she was right. I took her advice, using "wit and compassion" and it was a major turning point in our fate as we successfully rescued the company.

Yet sometimes that voice will take a different course and help us to let go of issues that do not matter, issues that waste our time, energy and emotions. For example, the day this piece was drafted (7/17/12), two of my phone calls and an email got no response because the three people did not care enough to reply.

And a shirt alteration was not ready when it was promised. In the past, these things would have irritated me, but through the guidance of the voice that I have received over an extended period of time, I understand these things don't matter.

That same day I learned one of my tenants didn't pay his rent. But rather than get upset as I would have in the past, I calmly explored why he didn't pay. He works in construction, which is a battered industry in a bleak economy, and his boss was unable to pay him when the builder's check bounced. This man has been a good tenant and instead of getting angry with him, we will calmly strive to work this out.** Yet again, how to address issues such as this one has come from the voice.

Recently, someone took a key to the back bumper of my cute little red convertible. In the past, I would have gotten upset. But instead, I smiled and shook my head, never letting this incident upset me for it was done by someone jealous of whoever owned this car, someone who is hurting so badly, that he or she was determined to make this car less desirable.

I felt pity for that person and wished to have been helpful but not knowing who did it, had no way to help. I soon had the scratch rubbed out at the car wash, for it too was no big thing. 

Issues such as these are valuable for they teach us self-control, forgiveness and patience. I believe each of us is here to receive spiritual growth, and to strive for love, peace and personal fulfillment and to gain such other crucial virtues as hope, faith, integrity, modesty and charity.

And I believe we are here to help each other as we make this journey together, the destiny of one affecting the destiny of all. To give us the guidance we need in such a herculean task, to each of us the universe speaks.

Dick
*Thank you as well to my Uncle Gene and Aunt Eleanor, among others who during each vigil, lit a candle in memory of all those people, who have paid a severe price in these wars.

**After this piece was published, we successfully resolved this matter and this good tenant paid in full.