Spirit Guides: The Basics 

In this work and spiritual world terms like “spirit guides” and “higher self” get bantered around everyday.  Sometimes people use words interchangeably or do not realize the distinction between them.  With the posts I have planned for 2018 (and the energy that is coming) I decided I need to provide you with a basic primer of the difference between these words and entities and what they really mean.  And, as with everything in this world and especially in the metaphysical community, take what you feel works for your belief structure and leave the rest.

I am starting off with a description of what exactly spirit guides are – what they do and why they are important to us.  This term is extremely popular and even I speak of getting images “from my guides” or directions from them.  But who are these guides and what is there purpose???

Spirit guides are non-corporeal entities (spirits not in human bodies) that have lived human lives in the past but are currently not in a physical body at this moment (although time is really an illusion, so actually they are, in some respects, in a physical body at this moment, but if I say that it will just be more confusing).  These entities/spirits/souls are there to help guide you to accomplish what you have planned for your current existence here on earth.

Basically, it is like you have these really great best friends who are super wise.  They sit around with you in heaven/the other side/akasha and work through a plan of what you want to accomplish here on earth and what lessons you want to learn.  Then, when you come here to earth, they stay behind and do their best to make sure you get the experiences you had planned for.

How do they do this?  In very subtle and difficult to perceive ways.  They may influence a “chance” encounter with an individual in a wheelchair that then leads you to design a more ergonomically efficient devise for individuals with disabilities.  Your guides may come into your dream world and symbolically show you how your current girlfriend is not the right person for you and that you need to release her to make room for your future mate.  Your guides may work to get your attention when a special number is on the clock as a symbol that they are there with you, that you are not alone.

Why do they do this?  Why do these entities agree to devote this “time” to you and your life path?  Because they are learning as they go as well.  This time working with you is another experience that souls can choose to have to help them learn and grow – develop and evolve.  They get just as much out of helping you as you get out of having their help.

Many people want to know if their deceased grandma (or insert other relative/friend) is their spirit guide – and this is where things start to get a little confusing.  Your deceased grandma is not your spirit guide.  She has too much love and emotions tied up with you to be objective in the way you need them to be objective.  She may be around you, giving you signs that she is okay, influencing you to look out the window and see some pretty butterflies – but she is not guiding you.  Why is this?  You may have set up a really hard task that you need to encounter to learn and grow, but you grandma may have too many emotional connection to you to let that happen.

For example, let’s say you have planned to get in a really bad accident that prevents you from walking and leaves you bed bound for three months.  You plan this before incarnation because this experience will give you an ample amount of opportunity to learn about trust – forgiveness – patience – releasing resistance.  But your grandma doesn’t want to see you hurt and injured.  She would not influence that drunk driver to have that fourth or fifth cocktail.  Your guides however, will.  They understand the larger picture and what your soul desires on a deep and hidden level.  They are coming from this objective viewpoint and they see how this horrific accident will actual be a great benefit to you.

You may also notice that I am using the term guides – plural.  As in multiple guides.  And yes, you have multiple guides too.  How many – well, that number changes and evolves throughout your life.  What I have heard and what I have felt is that you have one main guide who is there from the beginning and will be there with you to the end.  They are the main organizer and orchestrator – the CEO of your guide team.  Then you have a variety of guides that come in and out of your life.  Some stay with you your whole life while others leave after only a few years.

For example, let us say you have taken up an interest in playing the piano.  A guide may come forward to help you learn how to play and influence you to find the right teacher or the right book.  Then your interest eventually fades and your piano becomes a dusty relic in the corner.  That piano guide isn’t going to stay around, they will leave your team as well.

So the guides you have around you are constantly changing and evolving, just as you are changing and evolving.  Don’t be surprised if you take up a new interest and a new guide energy suddenly comes to you.

The other things about guides – you can work to increase your ability to sense and communicate with them.  You can reach out to your guides and get to know them on a deeper and more personal level.  My favorite teacher on how to do this is James Van Praagh (but if you have been reading for awhile that won’t surprise you).  He has released some free material to go along with his book Wisdom from your Spirit Guides: A Handbook to Contact Your Soul’s Greatest Teachers that is excellent in developing your relationship with your guides.

My favorite method to communicate with my guides and learn more about them is to do it through meditation and asking them questions.  This is how I first met my “main guide” and learned about a few of his incarnations on earth.  To do this, simply take yourself into a meditative state.  Ask for your main guide to come forward.  I like to write out a few questions before I begin that I want to ask so I won’t get distracted or forget something during the process.

First you may want to ask your guide how you will know that it is them – what sign can they give you that they are around.  Pay close attention.  You may feel a tingle somewhere on your body or an image or word may come to your mind.  My main guides sends a warmth across my cheek – like he is holding my head telling me that everything is going to be okay.  When I feel this feeling I know that this guide is there.  Pay close attention – your guide will communicate to you in a way that is unique to your relationship with them.

Next, I like to ask what name I can call them.  Know that names are human things and the name they give you may simply be one that they had in a past life and feel drawn to, or it may be a symbolic name or image.  Some people have a difficult time getting names so don’t feel discouraged if one doesn’t come to you.

Then I like to ask that they tell me a little about one of their previous incarnations.  I want some images that will help me better understand this soul that is working with me.  I also like to ask straight out how they are assisting me in this incarnation – what are they working with me on.

Finally, I am a sucker for asking for advice.  Anytime I have guides near I always want to give them the opportunity to have free reign and say what they want to say.  Get any message across that is pertinent and needs to be heard.

So there you have it – your intro to spirit guides.  Do you have any questions that I did not cover?  In the coming weeks I plan to also explain the difference between angels, your deceased loved ones, earthbound spirits and your higher self – so stay tuned for those!

In my listing – Intuitive Reading: Spiritual Insights on this Journey Through Life – I do examine two or three of your spirit guides and let you know what they are working on you with in this lifetime.  If you do not want to know your whole life purpose and only want information on a few of your spirit guides I offer a plain Spirit Guide Reading to introduce you to three or just one of your spirit guides. I also offer a Messages from your Guides option with channeled messages directly from your guides.