by Often, when you hear people talk about different entities, you will hear the distinction made regarding what exact entity they are referring to. They may be speaking of a spirit guide who brought forth some wisdom about a situation that is occurring in their life or just their dead grandmother coming through to say that she loves them.
But…what are really the differences between these types of entities? How does one distinguish an angel from a spirit guide or a deceased relative?
*** If you would like to learn from spirit guides you may enjoy my book, Meet the Spirits: A Collection of Spirits and Their Messages, or make a connection with your own personal spirit guides through a Spirit Guide Reading or Messages ***
Well, first off, let me start with my usual caveat that this relates to my personal opinions and what I have experienced. This is not to say that what others have experienced is wrong, these are just words used to define and distinguish this two-dimensional illusional reality in which we place ourselves. Or, to put it a different way, we are all one so does it really matter if we distinguish one from another?
Also, I will say, when looking at the history and context of defining these entities, the differentiation was not always made. Do I think all the angels and messengers of God which appear in the Bible are really angels or could they be spirit guides? You don’t hear biblical texts talking about guides so this isn’t a distinction which is made, but I surmise that it could be.
Okay, so with those caveats out of the way, let’s begin to distinguish these entities.
Vibrational Frequency
One of the easiest ways to discern a spirit guide from an angel from a deceased loved one is by their distinct vibrational frequency. In hierarchy, you could say that an angel has the highest or fastest frequency followed by a spirit guide and then a deceased loved on.
However, there are some difficulties which come when viewing entities just based on their vibrational frequency. I have encountered deceased loved ones whose frequency is as high as some spirit guides and some newer spirit guides who have a more grounded and earthly energy.
I do feel, however, with the category of angels, that energy is pretty different and much much higher than the other entities and thus easier to distinguish from the rest. However, like I previously mentioned, I do not think this distinction has been made throughout history so when angels are mentioned in texts, I usually take that with a grain of salt.
How many people say that their dead grandmother is now an angel watching over them in heaven? This is just our colloquial speech and something to take into consideration when you hear these entities mentioned, especially angels.
Message
Another way to make an arbitrary distinction between these entities is on the type of message they are coming here to deliver. This is probably the easiest way to distinguish entities if their vibrational state leaves you a bit in doubt.
Usually, a spirit guide is not going to talk about an earthly problem in earthly terms. They don’t really care about what you had for breakfast or if you look fat in your jeans (you don’t). Instead, you may hear that sort of speech from a dead relative, especially if that is in line with their personality when they were earthly.
Dead relatives also like to reminisce. They will talk about the past or about a favorite spot or activity that they engaged in with you when they were alive. Spirit guides are not going to speak of those activities but may refer to the past as an example of where you are heading in the present.
As for angels, they don’t usually care about any of this, what you have done in the past or where you are going in the future. There is more of a presence of oneness to them and a disregard for this earthly life.
Usually, however, the only time I come into contact with angelic presences is when an individual has an “out point” or a period of transition from this life to the next. It is not common for me to bump up against that angelic energy when doing spirit guide readings or looking into an individual’s auric field (this is where the dead relatives do sometimes hang out).
Location
Speaking of your dead grandmother, they are most likely to hang out in or around your energetic field. I see and encounter deceased relatives most often in the aura or energy of another individual. They don’t tend to travel too far away from the individual they have a relationship with.
Spirit guides, in contrast, tend to have an overarching or overall appearance. It is more likely that they will be found integrated into the auric field of an individual on a grander scale.
Basically, dead relatives look like splotches in an auric field and spirit guides blend and meld with the field.
Now angels, again, I do not contact them regularly, but when they do appear they are higher and not directly touching or barely touching the outer regions of a field. I have not experienced them directly in a field, but I also have not been present with a human at the moment of death so, again, I cannot be sure on this.
Preferences
So, that is how I distinguish these three types of entities when I encounter them. I will say, however, that it does not always really matter to make this distinction. A message is a message after all.
You may also run into individuals who have a preference in which type of entity they communicate with. Personally, I stick to the spirit guide realm because this is what I am most comfortable with and where I find the most benefit currently in this lifetime. I’ve touched that angelic realm periodically, but, currently, it is not where my main focuses lays.
I have written previously about why I do not choose to do mediumship readings, basically coming down to the fact that I don’t have the emotional skillset needed to deal with grief. But, overall, mediumship skills are very similar to that of connecting with spirit guides, with just a minor shift in perspective and thought patterns when this occurs.
Do you make contact with spirit guides, angels, or deceased relatives? What distinctions do you see?
Mary Shannon 
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