Everything in the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated.
All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together.
- Plotinus, Greek philosopher

ONCE YOU OPEN to the intelligence of the universe, you cannot help but notice that it echoes back. We are all having conversations with the Creator every moment of every day. After all, Everything Matters. Nothing goes unnoticed from above. This doesn't mean that God is a voyeur watching our every move; rather, our choices are the construction materials that we use to assemble our days and nights - we are the architects of our own lives. When we consistently tune in during our daily practice and pay attention during our waking hours, we are given the necessary blueprints to proceed with building our personal "high rise."

"We each have our own pyramid," my intuitive mentor, Edemir, once told me. "There is no need to strive to get to the top of anyone else's pyramid. Each of us is unique, and our life's work is not to compete with others, but to know our own upward path."

In other words, we should aspire to our own spire.

The universe goes to great lengths, with impressive grandeur, to help us do just that. When you pay attention, miracles begin to show themselves. The universal intelligence threads together information, knowledge and material occurrences to magnify our intentions and manifest results from them. This is where the Everything Matters, Nothing Matters viewpoint really comes into play, and I do mean play. You will start to notice as your consciousness expands that everything does have a meaning - numbers, signs, colors, words - and most often, the way these meanings appear can be quite humorous. What makes this subject so mind-boggling is that these seemingly disparate events involve the free will of every living being on the planet. Everything is interconnected, and whether or not we see the connections, all outcomes are based on this reality.

Fourteen Gifts
I've had numerous experiences just like that one, in which I marvel at the confluence of serendipitous events, small (or big) miracles, and humble pleasures that come as a result of simply listening to higher guidance.

Another example: To this day, I continue to host the monthly Intuitive Dialogue group that I mentioned previously - which is now co-facilitated by one of my dearest SFFs (Soul Friends Forever), Nancy. Because our collective goal is to fine-tune and utilize our intuition, we typically don't pre-plan what we do each month. Sure, we pull together an agenda but we remain open to whatever is meant to unfold at these meetings, and no one objects if we veer off course. Many times over, we've discovered that, in the cocoon of the safe, intimate environment we create for ourselves, everything happens with good reason and Everything Matters.

A few years ago, we assembled for a final June meeting before our summer break. In my meditation that morning, I was given instruction to walk around my home and gather items with special significance, to be gifted to the group members that evening. My immediate reaction was, Gosh, I don't have time for this, but I took 30 minutes and followed through. It was an interesting exercise for me. As I scanned the contents of each room in my house, I was drawn to certain things: a pillow with gold fringe, a purple butterfly brooch, a pocket-size Webster's dictionary, a gold money clip in the shape of an angel.

As these items "chose themselves," I placed each one on the chess table in my living room. While most of them weren't valuable in terms of dollar amount, some were quite sentimental - such as a collection of bird feathers in a delicate sweetgrass basket I'd bought in a marketplace in Chile, South America. Nonetheless, I was encouraged by my guidance to "release attachment to earthly possessions" and pass them on to others. A few minutes into this process, I began to receive insights about the significance of each item. The pillow represented the need for rest, relaxation and self-care. An assortment of lollipops and hard-tack candy symbolized the desire for more sweetness in one's life. A hand-crafted, wooden kazoo meant to lighten up, have fun, blow off some steam and dance to one's own tune. And so on.

When I sensed that this task was complete, I dug up some tissue paper and ribbon, and asked my daughter - who would attend the meeting with me that evening - to wrap each item the same way so none of them appeared more important than the others. Later in the day, I got word from Nancy that we may have a larger-than-usual turnout. Hmm, I wonder if I have enough items. I certainly didn't want anyone to feel left out. I quickly rustled up a handful of additional things, wrapped them and put everything into a large bag.

Towards the end of our meeting, Nancy led us through a beautiful guided meditation in which she asked us to hold in our minds a special intention, goal or wish for the coming summer months. Afterwards, as we settled back into our bodies and opened our eyes, I passed the bag to my left and asked that each person choose one gift. No one knew I planned to do this, not even Nancy, and everybody seemed happily surprised. I delightedly watched each person's expression as they unwrapped their gifts - seeing smiles, tears and even calm looks of knowing.

We went around the room and shared our thoughts. Marilyn revealed that her intention was to take a beach vacation for the first time in decades. She giggled upon opening her package; it contained a conch seashell and mermaid's purse from the Atlantic Ocean. Kathy was contemplating a career change and whether to pursue a long-held dream, to purchase a tract of commercial real estate and open a first-of-its-kind holistic center. The gift she selected, a silver-plated acorn, was a small yet profound confirmation that planting a seed can lead to the emergence of something as strong and enduring as a mighty oak. "How perfect and inspiring," she said.

Jack was also incubating a new business venture. Appropriate, then, that he chose a hand-painted box containing a tiny bird's nest with a cracked-open eggshell. Susan picked a toy model of a yellow Volkswagen Beetle. Her face lit up as she explained that not only was this the first-ever car she'd owned as a teenager, but that she and her new husband had decided to take a "major road trip" - to relocate in North Carolina. That car epitomized the rightness of what was transpiring in her life: movement, freedom, a return to youthful folly, a future filled with sunshine (the color yellow) and reinvigorated self-esteem (yellow also represents the solar plexus chakra, the center of self-worth and personal power).

Judy chose the brooch, the butterfly signifying her recent transformation as a result of leaving an abusive marriage, and its purple color representing a rediscovery of her spiritual self - something she'd been stifling for many years. Dan received the angel money clip, an encouraging sign that his intention to trust in financial abundance from Spirit had been heard. "Money has usually taught me my hardest lessons," Dan confessed. "My intention was that money can also represent some loving lessons, as well. I will carry this angel with me until further notice - from her."

The pocket dictionary ended up with an aspiring writer in our group. The pillow? It landed in the lap of Pat, the very person who puts everyone's needs before her own to the peril of her health. "I get it loud and clear," Pat sighed. "I need to take time for myself."

And on it went, around the room - everything (miraculously?) finding its intended new home. Oh, and the feather collection? It went to the exact right person too: Annie, whose goal was to heal through her brother's suicide and release her need to cling to him on the spiritual realm. She shared this with us: "For months now, my deceased brother has been leaving bird feathers in obvious places in order to make my family members aware of his presence. Now, it's time for us to let him fly away and move on."

But it was Edy's explanation of her items that really got me. She received four antique coins: a Kennedy quarter and three foreign coins from Canada, Brazil and Fiji - and a card that read "A thing is only impossible until it's not."

"I asked in the meditation about a recent job offer my husband had received and whether he should take it," she explained, adding that the significance of each coin was not lost on her. "The Kennedy coin represents me because I'm American and my son was born in 1965, the same year that quarter was minted. The Canadian coin is my husband - he's Canadian. The company that is offering him this position is Brazilian, an indication that joining this firm is a good move for him. And the coin from Fiji, well, my husband has been saying for as long as I've known him that he wants to retire in Fiji!"

Edy further noted that this new high-powered position came with a generous compensation package that would enable them to indeed retire on a tropical island, something that had been just a dream months earlier. A thing is only impossible until it's not!

As I listened in awe to everyone describe in rich detail the personal meaning of their gifts, it all seemed divinely precise. Remember my momentary panic at not having enough gifts? We had 14 people at the meeting - exactly the amount of items that my daughter and I wrapped that afternoon.

The next day, Dan, who participates in a Joseph Campbell-inspired group called The Hero's Journey, emailed this to me: "We do a gift-giving ceremony at my workshop where you bring a gift you thought you would never ever give away. It's similar to last night and quite special. The thought is, by giving something precious away you take one step towards the gods and they in turn will take 10 steps towards you. Hmm... 14 gifts times 10 = 140. Hold onto your seat, sister, you've just dropped a bunch of quarters in the ride of Spirit!"

It's true. The following week, I met a shaman from Australia and was gifted with an impressive and rare Night Whitehawk feather - a more than ample replacement for Annie's feather collection. "It's meant to assist individuals who work in other realms," he informed me. I couldn't wait to discover how the feather from this magnificent animal totem would work its magic! This shaman's simple gesture was one of many ways in which the universe continued to re-gift me with whimsical iterations of the precious items I passed on to others that evening.

PAY ATTENTION TO OTHER PEOPLE

People are involved in God's plot to guide us towards what's best for us, as the following story illustrates. My children were babies when we bought a new home. Shortly after moving in, my husband decided to build them a play cottage in the back yard. An acquaintance had offered to give us roofing materials that were left over from a construction job; the only stipulation was that we pick them up at his property about 20 miles north. As I mentioned earlier, it was a stressful year - in addition to having two children in 18 months, working, and setting up a new residence, I'd taken it upon my already weary self to impersonate Martha Stewart, wanting everything to be perfect in our new home. One Friday afternoon, I picked the children up from day care and set off to squeeze in errands before dinnertime, including a drive north to pick up those roofing shingles.

Soon, my one-year-old was fidgeting in his car seat and I became anxious to get to our destination. Halfway there, an unmarked police car appeared out of nowhere and flagged me over.

Now both children are full-out crying - my son because he wants out of that seat, and my daughter because she's old enough to understand that Mommy did a no-no. I'm upset too, knowing that my husband is not going to be happy that those shingles are now costing him $190, the result of going 60 in a 45. The pressure of that year seemed to culminate in those few moments. As I fought back tears, the officer handed me the ticket, looked intently at me with radiant blue eyes, and said in the most sincere, compassionate (almost pleading) way, "Please, please SLOW DOWN."

I was momentarily transfixed. The crying in the backseat faded into the background and I sat very still for a moment, contemplating how his words were a signpost for my life at that time. Later, I arrived home to find a package propped against my front door, a surprise gift from my dearest SFF Lee Ann with a note attached, "For some reason, I saw this and thought of you, love you!" I unwrapped the brown packaging to reveal a hand-painted plaque that read (drum roll, please): Never drive faster than your angels can fly.

CONTEMPLATION

Pay Attention to What Comes Out of Your Mouth
Our voice is our song that we sing to the world. Pay attention to your song - meaning, how you say things, and the literal meaning of them, as well as the energy (the intention) that rides on the words. As I share in Chapter 2, I was encouraged by Spirit to replace the word "deadline" (ugh!) with "lifeline" - which better reflects how I feel about meeting my work goals. They are my livelihood, so their coming to fruition isn't a dead end, it's a "live beginning." Play with making up words to express what you're feeling. When I saw a group of dolphins in Hawaii, I got so excited that I blurted out to my son, "What an endolphin rush!" What words can you replace or invent that more adequately intend what you want to create in your daily life?

Pay Attention to What Goes In Your Mouth
Nutrition is more than biological. As humans, bliss of any kind is first sensed through our physical body; spiritual elation is therefore obtained through a body that is optimally prepared for this experience. The best food to ingest is pure, raw (as much as possible), live food - unprocessed and close to the beginning of the food chain: vegetables, fruits, nuts, free range fish, poultry and (occasionally) lean meats. This diet helps to remove toxins and purify the body. As a result, it becomes a better conductor of kundalini (spiritual) energy - not to mention, you will look and feel healthier, more alive. Even taking one or two small steps towards this goal (like juicing a meal only a couple times a week) will reap rewards. To get started, read Spiritual Nutrition and Conscious Eating, by Gabriel Cousens, MD, a recognized yogi and medical researcher.

© Gina Mazza Hillier, 2008

Excerpted with permission from Everything Matters, Nothing Matters: For Women Who Dare to Live with Exquisite Calm, Euphoric Creativity and Divine Clarity (St. Lynn's Press, April 2008, ISBN: 978-0-9767631-8-5, $17.95) is available at bookstores nationwide and major online booksellers. Visit www.EverythingmattersNothingmatters.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gina Mazza Hillier is nationally published freelance journalist, editor, writing consultant, dance enthusiast and advocate of living with creative abandon and full-frontal consciousness. She is known for being a source of inspiration - or, a muse - to others in their writing and in their spiritual-personal development. Gina is a partner and founder of Epiphany Works, LLC, an "inspired events" planning company that creates public entertainment and forums of inquiry to celebrate and integrate world cultures and spiritual traditions.

In addition to Everything Matters, Nothing Matters, she is the co-author of Romancing with Future (Findhorn Press, 2008) and The Highest and The Best (Xlibris, 2000). Gina can be reached at inspire@zoominternet.net. For more information, visit www.Ginawriter.com, www.epiphanyworks.org or http://museyoucanuse-gina.blogspot.com.