Signs from the Universe: A Lesson in Love

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Pichaya Avery

The Universe has countless ways of teaching us about love, often through the most unexpected encounters. On the first day of 2025, as the world welcomed a new beginning, I received such a wonderful lesson at our favorite park, where a serene pond usually hosts a community of graceful ducks and a solitary great blue heron.

Mike and I frequently visit this sanctuary, finding joy in sharing our unsalted, shelled peanuts with the ground squirrels, squirrels, and crows. We have formed a special connection with the creatures that call this park home—the birds, ducks, geese, and playful squirrels that approach us with familiar ease. Day after day, we find the great blue heron in quiet contemplation by the water, a study in stillness. Sometimes, a raccoon and a muskrat mysteriously appear to say ‘hello’.

But this New Year’s Day brought an unexpected encounter that would challenge our perceptions. More importantly, it would open our hearts and expand our capacity to love. Through the afternoon mist, we spotted what we initially believed to be a beaver, a beloved symbol of Oregon. Our hearts lifted at the sight, as we’ve always held a special fondness for these industrious creatures. 

“Look! It’s a beaver!,” I exclaimed, as I excitedly pointed it out to Mike. 

But then a quiet, yet familiar, voice whispered, “It’s a nutria.”

I wanted to believe it was a beaver, finding myself caught in the familiar web of preference and prejudice. How easily I elevate some creatures while diminishing others, I thought, watching the ripples spread across the water. The nutria’s presence stirred an uncomfortable truth: I too had absorbed the common narrative of ‘ugly appearance’ and ‘unwanted’—a judgment that echoed my own inner doubts.

But then, like a shaft of sunlight breaking through clouds, my Inner Teacher offered a gentle revelation: my judgment of this creature mirrored those parts of myself I struggled to embrace. It was time to accept “all” of myself. 

The invitation was clear—to view this being not through the lens of others’ opinions, but with eyes full of love, compassion, and understanding. All creatures have the right to exist, each one expressing their unique nature, for the Supreme Creator loves us all. Whatever their appearance or origin, they are embraced by the great dance of life, surviving, learning, and evolving, just as I am.

As I allowed this new perspective to unfold, I began to see the nutria anew. Where others saw an intruder, I discovered quiet dignity. Its earnest face with those striking orange teeth, even its distinctive rat-like tail—all spoke of a creature perfectly at home in its own being. Each thoughtful movement revealed an animal asking nothing more than the right to exist in this earthly world. In its bright eyes, I recognized a Soul traveling life’s path, equally deserving of acceptance, wonder, and love.

In our practice of seeking meaning in the Universe’s messages, we could have easily dismissed this encounter as lesser than our hoped-for beaver sighting. Instead, we recognized a profound truth: the Universe had sent us exactly what we needed to see. The nutria became our teacher, offering a lesson in the nature of unconditional love.

The experience illuminated a fundamental truth: the moment I categorize, judge, or wish for something different than what is presented to me, I create barriers to love’s purest expression. Whether a creature is celebrated like the beaver or scorned like the nutria, it deserves to be seen with eyes unclouded by prejudice.

This simple encounter by the pond became a powerful reminder that love, in its most authentic form, asks nothing in return—not to be different, not to be better, not to be anything other than exactly what it is. In truth, the Universe didn’t send us a beaver; it sent us something far more valuable: a lesson in opening our hearts beyond the boundaries of judgment and seeing everything through the eyes of love.

Now, when Mike and I visit the park, we look for our nutria friend (whom I named Newton) with new anticipation. What others once deemed unwanted has become, for me, a powerful emblem of authenticity—a reminder from the Universe to embrace life with joy and wonder, to be brave enough to simply be ourselves without concern for others’ opinions. In this unexpected messenger, I found a teacher of love’s purest form, showing me that true belonging requires nothing more than the courage to exist exactly as we are—divine love embodied.