My grandmother on my mom's side passed away on New Year's Day when I was only five years old. I grew up in the Catholic religion and was told she was in heaven and looking down on me. But as a child, all I wanted was to have her back.

It was 17 years later that my mother died suddenly of a brain aneurism, only three days after Christmas, and we buried her on New Year's Eve. By this time, I was 22 years old, but it didn't change how I felt. Again, all I wanted was to have her back.

However, this time it was different. I grew up with my mother talking about signs she received from her mom, either in a dream or a song on the radio. I didn't really understand it until my mother started sending me signs after she died—and she sent a lot of them.

I often shared them with friends and family members, and would always hear, "You are so lucky. I wish I got signs from my dad!" or, "Wow, that is awesome. I don't ever hear from my brother who passed 10 years ago." At first, I thought the same thing, agreeing I was really lucky, but then I realize it wasn't luck, and that we are all getting signs. It's just that nobody has ever taught us how to listen and notice them.

This launched me into creating a process for others to start receiving and understanding signs from the their loved ones, angels, guides, and the Universe itself based on what I was doing, and it's now the subject of my book The Universe is Talking to You: Tap Into Signs and Synchronicities to Reveal Magical Moments Every Day.

One of the exercises I share in the book, and with my students and clients, is to actually assign a sign to a loved one. The idea came to me after interviewing a medium for Elevated Existence Magazine. She told me her husband took his birthdate, multiplied it, and told his loved ones and the Universe to use it to let him know they were around it. And that is when it hit me...I was actually doing this without realizing it!

Here is how it played out:

My mom would send a sign, like her name (MaryAnn) or her birthdate May 9 (0509).

I would notice the sign and say hello, and be so excited I got it. I would thank her and tell other people about it.

She would see that I accepted the sign and recognized it was her, and so she would use that sign again...and again.

In a way, I was assigning her signs, and as I accepted more of them, she would continue to use them to get my attention. That is when I created my "Assign a Sign" exercise, and the best part is that you can use this exercise to assign a sign to each loved one you would like to communicate with, as well as any archangels, guides, or masters you would like to open a dialogue with in your life.

For example, if you are on a healing journey, you could assign a sign to Archangel Raphael, who is known as a healing angel, to use. Also, if you don't know who the name of your guardian angel, you could just assign them a sign to use. You could even assign a sign to your team of guides as a whole collective.

In doing this, you will begin to create a reference guide unique to you, your loved ones, and your angels. You won't need a dictionary of signs because often—especially when it comes to our loved ones who have passed—the signs are unique to you and your life. As you start to assign signs, and then recognize them when they arrive, this will help open the door to you noticing other signs being sent to you as well.

How to Assign a Sign
Here are the steps you can take right now to assign a sign to a loved one, angel, guide, or master, and this process can be repeated for each spirit you would like to work with or hear from—just do only one at a time, and repeat the process with someone new after you received the sign you asked for from each person.

Step 1: Pick who you would like to receive the sign from, whether it's a loved one who has passed on, your guardian angel, your team of guides, or Goddess Lakshmi to let you know wealth is on its way to you.

Step 2: Now pick what sign you would like to assign to them to use with you. If it's a loved one, you could choose their first name, their birthdate, their favorite flower, or something else you know would remind you of them. For example, if you dad loved squirrels you could ask him to use a squirrel to get your attention. You could also assign a flower or animal to your guardian angel, or even a number that is significant to you in some way.

Step 3: Assign the sign using this prayer:

Dear Universe, I call in my angels, guides, loved ones who have passed on and all those in my soul society—only those of the highest vibration—to be with me right now. I call upon [state the name of who you are giving the sign to] specifically because I would like to communicate with you. I would like to give you the sign of [state the sign you are giving them] to use in order to let me know you are around me, or helping me in some way. I know I may have been missing signs you have sent in the past, but I promise to be open to them moving forward, and I will accept it when they arrive. Please use it within 24 to 48 hours. I also ask all my angels and guides to help me be open to the sign and recognize it when it comes across my path. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Amen.

Accepting the Sign
The other important piece to mention— it may seem obvious—is to accept the sign when it comes. Believe it or not, it's easier said than done. So many times, people get a sign from of loved one or the Universe, and they second-guess it or question it. They wonder if it really is a sign. They call friends to get their opinions. They talk themselves out of it, and then a huge opportunity is missed.

If you ask for a sign, and you recognize it when it comes, then be sure to say "yes" to it. Accept it, celebrate it and be grateful for it, and you will open the door to more.