Signs From Above

I want to share an extraordinary experience that completely shifted my perspective on life, death, and the connections that transcend both.

About a month ago, my phone was charging on a wireless charger at my desk while I prepared dinner. My husband Michael walked into the kitchen holding my phone, its screen illuminated with my father's contact information. "Are you thinking about your dad?" he asked.

My father passed away eight years ago after battling lymphoma. Assuming it was just a phone glitch, I replied, "I'm always thinking about him."

Little did I know this moment would become the beginning of something profound.

A week later, I discovered a podcast interview with Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who makes a bold claim: it's possible to communicate with those who have passed away. She's "100% sure" of this based on her personal experiences and extensive research.

Dr. Swart describes this communication as similar to "two people learning a language to speak to each other." It's not a one-way street. Her journey began after her husband Robin died. Dissatisfied with conventional mediums, she decided to explore whether she could communicate with him directly, using her expertise in brain optimization and consciousness.

I listened with considerable skepticism, but I was intrigued by the scientific framework she presented. After all, I have countless questions about death, and I had nothing to lose by hearing her out.

Dr. Swart explained how our brains constantly filter information that isn't immediately important. Otherwise, we'd be overwhelmed. Have you noticed that after buying a new car, you suddenly see that model everywhere? Before your purchase, your brain filtered out that information because it wasn't relevant to your survival. This means we're missing countless details around us every day.

I learned that humans actually possess 34 senses, far more than the commonly known five. Many operate unconsciously (like monitoring blood pH). The first step in expanding our awareness is recognizing these capabilities so we can consciously access them. This explains how blind individuals develop enhanced perception through their other senses.

According to Dr. Swart, belief forms the cornerstone of this practice. If you approach it thinking it's "crazy nonsense," that's exactly what you'll experience. Success requires genuine openness to possibility.

She recommends actively engaging your awareness: Notice beauty around you. Observe new details in familiar environments. Spend time in nature. Express creativity through specific outlets. Cultivate gut health and intuition. Maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. Practice meditation.

Here's the crucial element: Dr. Swart learned to request specific, unusual signs from her late husband. Only something special between them that she wouldn't see just anywhere.

This became the heart of my experiment.

I considered what sign would be meaningful to both my father and me, something that couldn't easily be dismissed as coincidence.

One of Dad's proudest achievements occurred during his time at Western Union, when they launched a satellite into space. He had the launch photos framed and eventually gave them to my youngest son, who at the time, displayed them in his bedroom. Drawing from this memory, I asked my dad to send me a rocket-related sign, something unmistakably "rocket-like."

As days passed, I remained attentive without trying to manufacture a sign. One morning while showering (where thoughts flow fastest and loudest), I found myself wondering about an upcoming children's birthday party, thinking it might have a rocket or space theme. My phone rang during my shower, so I made a mental note to check who had called.

When I looked at my phone, I noticed my son, who was traveling for work, had posted a Facebook story. I clicked on it.

Even writing this gives me goosebumps. My son had gone to Daytona, Florida, for work and taken a side trip to Space View Park to watch a rocket launch. His post simply said, "Damn impressive to watch a launch," accompanied by a photo of a rocket literally taking off. My son, the one who had inherited those framed satellite photos, had gone to witness an actual rocket launch. Well of course my father spoke through my now adult son to give me the sign.

Tears filled my eyes instantly. In my gut, in my soul, I knew this was directly from my father. That man never did anything small-scale. Of course he would point me toward a real rocket launch, not children's party decorations.

Can you communicate with someone who has passed? I now believe you can. Those robins you see repeatedly, or the butterfly that lands on your arm, if your intuition tells you it's someone from the other side, it probably is.

Open your mind to possibility. Consider how many signs we might be missing because we're trapped in our own thoughts.

Dr. Swart's grief for her husband initially made me think, "Of course she wants to see signs, she's grieving." But why do we always doubt that those beyond can reach out to us? Have you been to the other side? Do you know for certain we can't communicate across that divide?

Perhaps we can, but those of us still here simply haven't opened our minds enough to see and hear them.

I've since requested two very specific and challenging signs from my grandmother. I know she'll deliver, though I've made them deliberately difficult. I have her china hutch in my condo, and three times since making my request, the glass door has swung open. Each time I gently close it, I remind her of the signs I've requested and tell her I know she can get them to me.

I'm watching, and I'll share those experiences with you when they come.

What do you have to lose? Think of someone special who has passed. Consider a meaningful sign that would resonate with both of you, and put that request out there. I ask my grandmother every night and have set no time limit. But I know it's coming.

Feeling my father's presence was truly joyful. I realize how close he is to me all the time. He answered me so quickly, within a week, that I know he's here with me every minute.

Stay rooted in hope. Stay rooted in joy.