Do you have a spirit guide?

Yes! In the same way we each have guardian angels watching over and protecting us, we also have one or more spirit guides. Your guides have a variety of roles and appear and interact with us in different ways. Have you become aware of your own spirit guides recently?

What are spirit guides?

Spirit guides have many ‘guises’ and come from many sources. Your guide might be a deceased relative who communicates with you in a way that you recognise, or the energy feels familiar. They could appear in dreams, bring messages and ideas directly into your mind or assist you to feel ‘urges’ which guide you one way or another on the physical or spiritual path ahead.

You might have a prominent animal guide who acts as a companion or brings you the attributes of the animal itself (a dog brings loyalty or a fox cunning or guile for example); or perhaps you have an advanced soul like an Ascended Master (Jesus, Buddha and Krishna are Ascended Masters). Many of us have what we might call archetypical guides. They could be with you your whole life through or maybe just pop in from time to time to assist you with specific lessons. These guides often take on the role and appearance of traditional teachers or narrators; you might see them as religious figures (like a nun or monk), a more spiritual person like a Native American or a tribal leader like a wise woman or shaman.

Some people connect to the nature realms and feel their guides’ energy is more like that from the faerie kingdoms; whilst others feel a strong connection to interdimensional beings from beyond the stars. Your guide could come from other worlds or realms, maybe even places that your own spirit once resided; other planets.

In recent years, folk have felt these ‘alien’ guides have become even closer, making themselves more obviously known. My own off-world guides have recently visited whilst I slept to help with advanced healing of my body for example; following two visits, in which I interacted with them, blood tests at my doctors showed that their ‘treatment’ had worked.

In every case we will feel a sort of authority and wisdom from our guides, a knowing that they have more information than we and are in a position to assist us on our earthly journey. Our spirit guides are wiser and kindly beings who have volunteered to help us on our path knowing their reward is to witness and share in our spiritual growth. They love to help us in the same way a parent helps a child.

What is their purpose?

Unlike guardian angel’s whose role is more about love, your spirit guide has a greater understanding about your life purpose and will work hard to make sure you are in the right place at the right time to achieve your goals; the things you planned to do during your current lifetime on earth. Their role is a greater responsibility of guiding and steering us, cheering us on and helping us out. Sometimes it seems as if they literally hold our hands and lead us to where we need to go.

They might arrange for ‘coincidental’ meetings or help us to be in the place we are meant to be so that important life lessons can happen. They might whisper words of reassurance or help us to find the information we need to get the job done. They are wonderful and our lives would be so much harder if they weren’t around.

Your life path might involve the opportunity to become more patient, kind or maybe help others. Our spirit guides will help as much as they can to ensure we get the opportunities to experience whatever we need to grow in these areas.

Some more advanced earthly souls right now (maybe you), are here to help mankind. As our soul slips into our physical bodies at birth we usually forget why we are here and what our mission is. We don’t need to worry; our guides are around and ready to ‘awaken’ us when the time is right. Your mission is probably something you already feel excited about doing!

How do I know my spirit guide is around me?

People become aware of their guides in numerous ways. You might feel a sense of your guide being by your side if you feel sad or lonely for example. In your mind you might cry out for help and suddenly feel calm or as if someone is now holding your hand or placing a reassuring hand upon your shoulder. This might well be your guide. Another time you may be struggling for a solution to a problem, ‘wish’ that someone could give you some guidance and then get a strong feeling to take one path over another.

My own guides occasionally appear in dreams. I used to ask for them to do so; I wanted to put a face to my guide but when the dream finally came it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I had three mini-dreams and in each case I was waiting for an appointment with my guide. In the first I was in a waiting room and spoke to the receptionist, in the second I was at a hospital and a cleaner was sweeping up around me; in the third I was watching a lion tamer holding back some lions. I kept asking these people, ‘where is my guide?’ and my guide never showed up.

Then, when I woke up, I finally ‘got it’; my guide was all of these people and more! I was looking for some great figurehead but my guide was working alongside me at all times; protecting me, organising things and helping to keep an eye on my health.

His (or her) work is often unrecognised because we are so familiar with their energy we no longer notice they are with us! In my dream my guide was the receptionist, the cleaner and the lion tamer! I was sitting there waiting for someone or something else when my guide was literally right there, getting on with the job. Incidentally the receptionist, cleaner and lion tamer appeared in different moments as either male or female. Gender, being either male or female seemed to be irrelevant.

How can I contact my spirit guide?

Well first of all, let’s get one thing straight; your spirit guide is already working with you so perhaps the better question here is, ‘how do I recognise that my guide is with me?’ Here are a few examples you can try;

• Like me, you can ask that your spirit guide appears in a dream. It took me a long time of asking before my spirit guide appeared this way; however, I suspect my guide has appeared in many dreams before and since and as before, I probably missed it. You might too!
• Meditation is helpful. Sit quietly playing gentle relaxing music (no singing works best), or natural sounds like those from nature (birds, river or sea sounds, jungle or rain). You can pick up CD’s of music like this on the internet easily enough. Once you are relaxed, ask your guide to step forward. You might be lucky enough to see your guide or perhaps you will just sense your spirit guide. With practice you’ll get better and better at connecting with your guide in this way, and see more over time.
• You could try asking your spirit guide to bring you some sort of physical sign like a white feather. This works well with angels too! It doesn’t have to be a feather; pretty well any object could work as your sign. You might ask to see a shell or perhaps a particular type of creature. Your sign might appear unexpectedly on a TV advert, in a book or magazine or maybe someone will pass you the object as a gift. This type of sign can work quickly so be prepared. There is no reason why you couldn’t ask for something a little more unusual if you prefer.
• Some guides like to work with tools created for other purposes. I use angel cards and angel boards when I work with my own guide. I feel the answers are stronger when they come this way. Just follow the instructions which come with your purchase and ask that your guide contact you rather than your guardian angel and they will.
• Your spirit guide would be happy to bring you a sensation each time they are close. One of my guides like’s to ruffle the top of my hair. I found this a little weird at first, especially when I could see my hair moving in the mirror! My father acts as a sort of spirit guide to me since he crossed over and he likes to stroke my left cheek; it’s familiar and comforting.

When Dad is around my eldest daughter he always places a hand on her shoulder. Even when a guide visits more than one person their interaction is unique to them. If you find particular types of phenomenon scary it’s ok to ask them to stop or just try something else.

My uncle is another guide from the afterlife; his calling-card is usually flickering lights! Occasionally he will ring the doorbell to announce his arrival. I love this type of thing because I find it fun but not everyone does. You can fine-tune your relationship with your spirit guide as you go alone. Tell them how you’d like them to connect and they’ll do their best.

How your spirit guide, guides you!

I find it always works best if you ask your guide (or guides) if you need a little help. They are restricted by how much they can help and when they can step in but have more power to assist us if we tell them that they can; if we give them permission. Remember that their role is to help us not to do the job for us! You don’t need to use fancy words or a specific ritual. Just chat to your guide in your mind as if you were talking to a friend. Your conversation might go something like this;

“I’m really struggling with my job and the moment. I can’t decide whether I should stick it out here a bit longer or maybe look for a new job. Do you have any guidance for me please spirit guide?”

Remember to say thank you afterward and also after you recognise their assistance when it comes. They might use a variation of any of the signs above to help you or you might feel or sense your guide assisting you with a feeling. When you feel strongly that a particular action is a bad one or a good one, you may literally feel it in your gut. Some people call this gut instinct or intuition. You could feel a fluttering of excitement (like butterflies) in your stomach to show you that you are definitely in the right direction; or a tightening or sickness, when something is wrong for you. The more you follow these signals the stronger they become. You and your spirit guide will work more closely together as you learn to recognise what each feeling means to you.

On occasion their guidance might be less subtle. You can’t decide which direction to drive when lost on a country road at night and one way seems brightly lit up and the other is dull; that’s an easy choice. I remember I once asked if a course of action was right for me and as I drove over the next bridge I saw an advertising poster right in front of me with the word YES, in giant letters! I got the point! Here are some other ways your guide might help you out;

• You’ll overhear someone giving advice to another person and realise that the advice works perfectly for you in your own situation.
• Maybe a song comes onto the radio and the words really stand out for you. The words are just what you need to hear at that moment.
• You’ll pick up a magazine in the doctors surgery and when randomly flicking through you come across an article which gives you the information you were seeking.
• A friend turns up unexpectedly at the door and they are able to help you out
• You bump into an old colleague who is getting rid of the exact object you are trying to find and are happy to hand it over for free
• Should you go out with one friend or another? When the next TV advert keeps repeating one friends name you may have your answer
• You’re in the library or a book shop and a book falls off the shelf; it has just what you need to bring you comfort you’ve been looking for

Everyone has a spirit guide and if you’re lucky you’ve already sensed yours around you. Have a try at some of the suggestions above and see which works for you.

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