Spirit often shows up not as a dramatic apparition, but as subtle, everyday “glitches” in life that we rush past or rationalize away. Most people aren’t very aware that these moments can be spirit speaking in the only language it has: the language of energy, sensation, memory, and symbol.
When the World Pretends to Be Normal
We live in a world trained to explain everything with wires, drafts, bad memories, and coincidence. That’s not wrong—but it’s also not the whole story. Spirit doesn’t always need to be seen to be present. It often works through the small, strange things that make us pause for a second and then move on.
Below are the ways spirit shows itself to people without them knowing, based on your list and what many mediums, sensitives, and ordinary people report across cultures.
1. Electricity, Lights, and Electronics That “Act Up”
One of the most common but overlooked signs is disturbance in the electrical realm:
- Lights flicker or go on/off at odd moments.
- Electronics die suddenly, chargers stop working, or devices malfunction in ways that don’t match normal wear.
- Radios, TVs, or phones change channels, volume, or playlists without anyone touching them.
- Batteries drain unusually fast, or devices restart on their own.
Why this matters: Spirit is often described as energy-based, and electricity is the closest physical equivalent to that frequency. Many traditions and modern paranormal accounts suggest spirits can “pull” or “push” on electrical systems to make their presence known. It’s not always malicious; it can be a gentle nudge, like a tap on the shoulder made of current. This happened to my friend Alison and I after she bought a new car and we both got in at the same time. She said it only happened when any other high vibrational person entered the car and at no other time. The car wasn’t malfunctioning. It was simply aligning with the energies of the occupants.
2. Temperature Shifts and Sensations of Air
Sudden temperature changes are another classic, quiet signal:
- A cold pocket of air in a warm room, or a warm spot in a cold hallway.
- A rush of wind with no window open, especially when you’re alone.
- In nature: a sudden pocket of warm water in a cold lake, or a strange warmth in an otherwise chilly environment. This happened to me while swimming with our granddaughters on our recent camping vacation to Maine.
- A feeling of warm air wrapping around you while you’re grieving, even if no one is there.
These “cold spots” or “warm hugs” are reported so often in haunted-house accounts and mediumship that they’re considered a baseline sign of a presence. Spirit may not be able to hold a hand, but it can move air and change temperature.
3. Dreams That Feel Like Visits
Dreams are one of the most direct channels spirit uses, especially when we’re not consciously aware:
- Vivid, “too real” dreams after a loved one has died—sometimes they speak, sometimes they simply are there. This is what happened when I felt I was visited by my mother after she passed in 2017. I wrote about the experience in Blue Eyes: Ethereal Messages of Connection.
- Dreams where you feel physically touched, held, or guided.
- Repeating dreams of a place or person that carry emotional weight long after you wake.
Many people dismiss these as “just dreams,” but sensitives often describe them as visitations: the dreamer’s mind is quiet enough for spirit to slip through more clearly. The dream may not announce itself as “this is a spirit,” but the feeling afterward—comfort, clarity, a sense of being loved—is the message.
4. Songs That Arrange Themselves
Music is a powerful carrier of memory and emotion, and spirit often uses it:
- A song comes on the radio at the exact moment it means something to you—right after a thought, a memory, or a loss.
- A song you haven’t heard for decades appears on TV or radio, especially one tied to a deceased person.
- You arrive somewhere and a favorite song of a loved one is playing in the background, even if no one seems to have chosen it.
- You wake in the morning with a song in your head that you haven’t heard in years, but it’s deeply meaningful. This used to happen to me quite often after my dad passed in 2019.
These aren’t always coincidences. Song can be a gentle way for spirit to say, “I’m here,” or “Remember this,” or “I loved you when this was our thing.”
5. Animals That Linger or Behave Oddly
Animals are often more sensitive to unseen presence than we are:
- A bird, butterfly, or insect stays near you longer than usual, or seems to “choose” you.
- A murder of crows appears out of nowhere, making noise as if to draw your attention.
- A pet stares intently at an empty corner, barks at nothing, or refuses to go into a certain room.
Animals don’t rationalize the way we do and they interpret different bandwidths or frequencies than we do. If your dog suddenly acts alarmed in a specific spot, or a cat keeps staring at something you can’t see, that can be a quiet signal that something is present.
6. Thoughts That Don’t Feel Like Yours
Sometimes spirit speaks through the mind itself:
- A thought you’ve never had before drops in, clear and specific.
- Thoughts that pop in that you know are not your own—different tone, different vocabulary. You weren’t trying to figure anything out.
- Hearing your deceased loved one’s voice in your head, saying something they would say.
- A sudden “knowing” that reminds you of something your loved one enjoyed or that was meaningful to them.
This can feel like intuition, but it’s often more structured than normal intuition: a sentence, a memory, a phrase that lands with emotional weight. Many people later realize these thoughts were messages, not just random brain noise. This is what I believe happened to (for) me when I heard the deep male voice in the middle of the night say the phrase, We Are All Connected.
7. The Feeling of Being Watched or Not Alone
Even when no one is there, you can feel:
- A presence next to you, like someone standing just out of sight.
- An unsettling quiet awareness that you’re not alone.
- A feeling of being watched, especially at night or in solitary moments.
This isn’t always scary. Sometimes it’s neutral or even comforting—a sense that someone is guarding, watching over, or simply near. Spirit often uses this sensation to create a moment of awareness, a pause where you might notice something else: a scent, a sound, a shift in mood.
8. Scent Without a Source
Olfactory signs are especially intimate, because smells tie directly to memory:
- The scent of a loved one’s perfume, pipe smoke, coffee, or a specific food appears when no one is there and no one has been. When I smell cigarette smoke, I know it’s either my cousin Greg or his brother, Josh. Both passed within about a year of each other.
- A fragrance that matches a person or place from your past, but has no physical source in the room.
These “odor miracles” are reported in church settings, homes, and hospitals worldwide. They’re often described as a gentle greeting: “I remember this,” or “I’m here with you.”
9. Extra Ways Spirit Can Show Up
Beyond the eight items previously listed, there are other subtle signs many people overlook:
- Objects moving or appearing/disappearing: Keys, jewelry, or small items shift positions, vanish, or reappear in odd places. Native Americans attribute these occurrences to the “trickster.”
- Clocks stopping or resetting: Digital clocks flicker, stop at the same time, or analog clocks seem to pause. Many people look at a clock to check the time and notice it’s 11:11, 1:11, 4:44, or such. These are often called, angel numbers. When we observe these we acknowledge the angels and say, “Angels all around you.”
- Symbols: You’re guided to a particular charm, crystal, or pendant–either via a friend, or it catches your eye. It’s meant for you and is a wink from the Universe, or gift from a loved one who has passed. This is how I was guided to the Irish triple spiral of Newgrange that I wear on my mother’s gold chain. I never take it off.
- Emotional shifts: A sudden wave of calm, grief, love, or peace that has no clear trigger.
- Touch sensations: A brush on the arm, a gentle pressure, or a hand on the shoulder when alone. I’ve written previously many times of the GodBumps sensation I feel. It most often occurs when I in deep conversation with someone or listening to meaningful music or watching a profound movie. I believe they are my “yes” answer to whatever is going on or being said.
These are all ways spirit can say, “I’m here,” without needing to be seen.
Why We Don’t Notice
Most of us aren’t taught to look for spirit in the small things. We’re taught to:
- Question everything.
- Assume coincidence;
- Believe or accept only what can be measured.
But spirit doesn’t need to be proven to be real. It just needs to be noticed. The more you pay attention to the quiet signs—the flicker, the cold spot, the song, the scent—you begin to recognize a pattern: we are not as alone as it sometimes feels.
How to Start Listening
If you’d like to become more aware:
- Pause at the strange small things. When something odd happens, don’t immediately dismiss it. Ask: “What if this is a message?”
- Keep a simple journal. Note date, time, what happened, and your feeling. Patterns often appear over weeks.
- Talk to spirit gently. You can say, “If you’re here, show me in a small way,” and then notice what follows.
- Trust your feelings. The emotional tone after an event—comfort, love, peace—is often the real message, not the event itself.
Spirit doesn’t always shout. It whispers in flickering lights, sudden warmth, songs that arrive at the right time, and thoughts that don’t feel like yours. When we learn to listen, we may find that the unseen world has been speaking to us all along, quietly, patiently, and kindly.
Remember: God is love. A love much more vast and profound than any of us have eyes to see or ears to hear, yet. Wait.
Amen. Namaste. OM
My book, We Are All Connected: The How and The Why
Here’s the link where you can grab a copy of, We Are All Connected: The How and The Why. An analytical mind searches for answers.
Find me over on my YouTube channel for JIGGLE WIGGLE, mobility movement videos, video book reviews, and more at: https://youtube.com/@spiralsister
Yours in consciousness-expansion as we evolve and revolve during our mystical awakening. All while doing-my-egoless-best, to take you on a limitless, spiraling thought ride to better health, through doing more with ease, to help us sustain the JOY in our lives! (With lots of Gratitude throughout.)
Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prescribe.
About us
My husband is an award-winning illustrator, plus he’s a seasoned guitarist, bass player, and songwriter (with over 1,000 original songs). You can view some of his artwork and listen to many of his songs at: https://www.youtube.com/user/richardmurrey
Here’s a video of us performing on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/416711742?ref=fb-share
Connect with us socially at:
Integrating the Spirals 