“This means something.” There are tears in Richard Dreyfuss’ eyes as he utters those words during an equally tense and tender scene in 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

If I recall correctly, he’s referring to a pile of mashed potato on his plate that he’s formed into a rough replica of Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. It’s a place his character has never been, never seen, never even heard of, and has no other reference for.

And yet, inexplicably, it - through the potatoes - holds deep meaning for him.

Gary (Dreyfuss’ character in the film) found himself deeply affected by a close encounter with a UFO. From that point, his behavior changed. He changed. The culmination of his change coincides with the movie’s finale, which satisfactorily connects the dots (the meaning) - both for him and for movie viewers.

In general, we as humans want things - everything, really - to mean something. It’s a form of labeling; of identification; of categorization.

Both the human brain and the ego rely on labels, identification and categorization to make sense of life and of self. Doing so makes existence and its experiences seem logical, which brain and ego prefer.

However, there are times when understanding what something means requires an absence of logic.

Meaning without Logic

Our intuition, while it sometimes aligns with logic, is in and of itself without logic because it stems from our higher self and soul, and beyond them to all that is.

Regardless of lacking logic, intuition is quick to associate meaning with pretty much everything and everyone around us. The meanings are less about classifying, and more about deepening our awareness of the subtle energies infusing all our experiences - including relationships and things.

Take, for example, our parents. Biologically speaking, the two came together and created us. We identify them as mother and father from a biological standpoint. Further identification and classification comes from our relationship with them.

Spiritually speaking, they are the people we chose in our spirit form to give us a human form for incarnation. Intuitively speaking, we have the opportunity to understand that choice and its meaning for us at the soul level.

We might ask ourselves, “How do these people and the life they birthed me into affect my soul’s evolution?”

As for things, a brief intuitive “interlude” with several items on my desk clarified their non-material meaning:

• glass bowl = ancestral “well”

• crystal obelisk = portal

• selenite tower = calm

• rose quartz = envelopment

• angel statue = hope

• pendulum = communication

With journaling, a richer understanding of their meaning would certain arise.

Life experiences

Our life experiences, whether we label them “good,” “bad” or whatever else, provide another area where deeper meaning may play a part.

For anyone who believes there’s no such thing as coincidence, that there are no accidents, and/or that mistakes are actually lessons, it’s more than likely they perceive some - if not most or all - of their life experiences as more than meets the eye.

As an example, a self-confidence-shattering breakup with my then-fiancé was instrumental in the implementation of safeguards for students and staff alike at my place of work in 1994.

“Bad” as it was, if the incident hadn’t occurred, it likely would have been far longer before we implemented those safety mechanisms. It put us ahead of the curve, so to speak.

In addition, it revealed a need for me to feel more certainty about myself, my needs and wants, and my perceptions as a whole. Big, big lessons came of that for me.

As another example, meeting my soul sister Deb at a Weight Watchers meeting in 1988, and then reconnecting with her at the theater I was volunteering for in 1989, was a not-coincidental arrangement made through soul contracts before we were born.

21 years after we met, a past-life regression revealed she played the role of my beloved grandmother during a particularly powerful incarnation.

Now, 32 years after we first met in this life, we aren’t unlike Anne Shirley and Diana Barry; true kindred spirits. She’s also one of my greatest teachers and inspirations.

Meaning is what we make of it

Whatever meaning we may assign or reveal, its impact on our lives rests upon - relies upon - us. We perhaps see it and feel it, and yet if we choose other than taking it to heart with intention, then it’s little more than a bit of dust on a breeze.

Hmm… “…a bit of dust on a breeze.” I wonder what that means.

Blessed be.