Have You Met Your Spirit Guides Yet?

Spirituality

Have you ever felt like something or someone was watching over you? Maybe you’ve heard a whisper or listened to that inner urging to take a different street or go on a different day only to be led away from danger or a terrible decision. If any of this resonates, then you’ve already had contact with your spirit guides. 

A spirit guide is a nonphysical being assigned to assist you in reaching your greatest potential here on Earth. Some say that they sign a soul contract to assist you in the many processes and transformations as you navigate life. 

Everyone has a spirit guide or two or three at any given time. That means you are never alone. You are being divinely guided through life.  So take time to slow down and soften your gaze.  Unplug from your devices and begin the communication with your helpers from the spiritual realm.

I have been on my spiritual journey really since my 30s.  I was born and raised in the united church but I’m talking really go looking for the Creator of my understanding.  Heaven and hell and the rules of the bible felt constricting to me. So I went looking for more.

I was drawn to yoga and loved how it made me feel..calm, relaxed and mentally quiet which was a rarity with two young boys and an imploding marriage.  Yoga teacher training, lead to reiki, which lead to body talk, which lead to holistic hypnosis, which lead to the akashic records and past lives…I am thorough!!

Here I am now, this year I will be 53 and what a spiritual journey I have been on.  Most of it has been amazing, exciting and refreshing…some of it hard to understand and frustrating…but that’s life isn’t it? If it was all easy, why would we bother?

I can’t exactly remember when the idea of spirit guides was presented to me. But I do know that when I realized I had a spiritual team supporting me,  loving me and guiding me I felt amazing!

It started with practicing meditation to quiet the monkey mind enough to have a place for connection and communication. Then there came trusting myself enough to know that the thoughts in my head weren’t of me but were in fact messages from my guides.

In a little bit we will talk more about meeting your guides but I want to share with you one funny story about how I got to know my current ancestral guide Jane.

So I was well into my spiritual journey and I was working with my guides on a regular basis…watching for their signs and direction which can be tough since I’m a somewhat stubborn taurus.  What I didn’t realize early on is that your guides change.  When they have taught you everything that is agreed upon for them to teach you, well they move onto someone else and you get a new guide or guides.  That first “changing of the guards”was tough for me.  I felt like I lost a friend and I felt a little bit left in limbo.  That wasn’t the case of course, but I figured out our communication technique and was sad to see her go.

As I mentioned we have more than one guide and so I have a second guide who continued to be there for me but he felt more in the background so to speak, the administrator not exactly my direct contact. But I thought well…whatever works. Maybe this is the way it is for me now.

In hindsight, I don’t know why I didn’t realize that Jane was one of my guides…I just thought she was a spirit looking for my attention.  I got so caught up in my relationship with my first (known to me) guide that I just didn’t get it.

Anyways, she came to me in readings and meditations. She called me to Scotland and showed me many historical events there.  I then traveled to Scotland several times personally and led Yoga Retreats and everytime I would go, she would make herself known to me.  I have a favourite cemetery in Edinburgh (don’t we all?)  called Greyfriars Kirkyard. I walk in and the first name I see on a stone that has a thousand names on it is of course Jane. I went to two more cemeteries and the name that also stood out to me was Jane.  I went to visit a friend in her flat and I said what are you doing and she said…oh just watching Jane Eyre.  I can’t even make this stuff up.  My last visit to Scotland I was with my friend Anne in Stirling and we went to the cemetery of course which is beautiful.  I said to my friend Anne…I think Jane might be done with me.  She isn’t showing herself to me.  We literally walked around a corner and the next 10 stones we saw had the name Jane on them.  Okay…I’m listening.

Once home, I did some research regarding my maternal lineage.  I had a wonderful woman funny enough named Jayne at the local library help me and we found out that my maternal grandmother’s  family was from Inverness and Isle of Skye Scotland dating all the way back to the 1500’s and guess what we found in the census notes…Jane.

Poor Jane worked hard to get my attention and now we have a beautiful working relationship and it feels even more special to me knowing that we are distantly related.

Not every meet cute is quite so difficult. Like I said earlier I am a taurus and it seems even when I don’t consciously know I am being stubborn, I am being stubborn.

Other times for me (and I have heard similar experiences from others), a spirit guide connection is simply a beautiful meeting  in meditation.  It’s a realization that the soft messaging is not coming from your ego self…they are messages from outside of you.

So What is a Spirit Guide?

Spirit guides are nonhuman or human entities that reside in the spiritual realm and make their wisdom available to the living. They take a variety of forms, which we will touch on in a little bit. Spirit guides assist humans in their daily lives even though they are not aware of the guides' presence.

The idea of spirit guides is a belief system that spans many cultures and religions. And although different cultures may call their guides by different names, they all share undeniable similarities.

Your guides want you to win: They are your biggest supporter of your causes, the menders of your heartaches, the “spiritual siri” offering alternate directions when you’re stuck in traffic. And when you consider how messy  life can be, wouldn’t it be crazy if we tried to do the whole thing alone?

Types of Spirit Guides

The reality is, all spirit guides are just that…spirits so they don’t have a physical form now, they are simply energy. However if they were at some point a physical being they will have that former presence, personality and history to draw upon.

Ancestors

This is one obviously that is near and dear to me. Ancestors are humans who have lived before you and are no longer with you in this physical plane.  While your deceased loved ones might be near you and able to communicate with you, they are not in your spirit guide tribe.

If you have an ancestor as a spirit guide, it will be a relative that was not known to you in this lifetime. They would have lived in lifetimes before like a great aunt or great grandparent or even further back. 

Ascended Masters

Ascended masters are humans that have gained the mastery needed to reach enlightenment. They are free from karma. They have merged with their higher selves and no longer need to incarnate on this earth plane. Instead they become our guides to assist us on our journey in our life experiences.

There are some very well known ascended masters like Buddha and Jesus and some lesser known ones that work with humans here on earth. It is important to know that if you have an ascended master as a guide, they are not yours and yours alone. They will work with many humans simultaneously working to raise the spiritual consciousness of all humanity.

Animal Spirits

Animal Spirit Guides are known across the world in many different cultures, each with their own specific name. Mothers, fathers, totem animals, familiars or power animals to name a few.

Animal guides appear in animal form and represent the collective spirit of a specific animal species. 

These guides often come in the form of signs and signals, like seeing a hawk every time you have a specific thought or experience. It’s also common to see animal guides in dreams, meditations, and visions. 

Deities

A deity is a god or goddess depending on the religion and culture that you check in with.  Every culture has a strong connection to a deity or multiple deities.  Does your guide feel regal and commanding? Are you drawn to Gods and Goddesses in your everyday life? If you feel drawn to particular deities or certain god or goddess energy shows up in your life often, foster that connection by learning more about them. Read up on their stories and characteristics —each one comes with its own personality and purpose. And they may be looking to help you on your earthly path.

Nature Spirits

Nature spirits are  of the natural world who live in the same space we do but just on a different frequency.  Each culture and spiritual tradition has its own name for nature spirits.

They are often connected to the elements; fire, air, earth and water.  Some inhabit mountains, flowers, trees, rivers or streams.  All cultures recognize mother earth as a sentient being (which means the capacity to experience feelings and sensations).  This means the spirits of the moon, sun, stars and planets are also nature spirits and can communicate with us.

It is believed that each manifestation of nature has a spirit just as each human has a soul.

Star Beings

Some people believe that many of us have ancestral connections to different galaxies. This system suggests that souls haven’t just reincarnated here on earth but on stars and planets lightyears away. If you feel like you’ve never really belonged here on earth or feel a spark of energy when you hear about the potential of being related to star-based spiritual teams, then these guides might be for you.

Angels

Angels are always available to us for help, support and assistance but it is unclear if an angel will be your designated guide. I would say,  If you feel drawn to angels,  or are fascinated by them, it is likely that one of your guides is an angel.  The word Angel comes from the Greek word Aggelos meaning messenger.  This makes sense as angels act as the “middle man”between us and the Divine.

Angels are peacemakers, comforters and healers of the universe. Many people refer to having a guardian angel that has kept them out of harm’s way at various times in their lives.

How do guides connect with you?

Guides communicate with you in a variety of ways. Most often people could refer to them as “coincidences” but there is no such thing.  Those recurring events are in fact your guides trying to get your attention.

Signs:

• Recurring numbers like 111 or 4:44 etc

• You might see these on a clock, house numbers, license plates

• If you see the same recurring numbers, you might look up their special meaning as well. For example, 4:44 symbolizes spiritual awakening and inner-wisdom. This number is a reminder that you are on your spiritual path and that you are on the right path. The universe is supporting and guiding you as you continue on your journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.

• Finding things like coins, feathers or any other items that are clearly out of place and context and are just looking to get your attention

• Orbs and pillars of light that you might see during meditation or at the point of waking or falling asleep

• Words…a billboard, a magazine, a phrase in a book that you just keep reading again and again

• Messages will come in dreams

• Songs that emotionally move you or again a phase that really stands out for you

Ways that YOU can connect with your guides

If you are ever having a full blown crisis…like quit your job and get bangs kinda crisis, after this conversation, you might change the way you look at it.  You MIGHT see the shitstorm you find yourself in as a blessing.  I could give you a bunch of old adages like:

• When one door closes another one opens. OR

• Everything happens for a reason.

What if I told you that a crisis is the perfect way for your guides to get your attention. You feel at your lowest point, you have nothing else to lose and in that moment you shift into a state of SURRENDER and you soften your gaze and you begin to look beyond this physical world. You begin to really see, and sense and feel the spiritual magic that you have the ability to tap into. Finally you can feel that you aren’t actually alone. And while you might think you are starting to go crazy you really aren’t. For the first time in your life, you are really pretty sane.

So in this moment of surrender, your guides have your attention. You are starting to see their signs and the work can begin.

Starting the conversation…

So how can YOU speak with your guides? A really important first step is to build a regular spiritual practice. That means setting aside time each day, it might only be 15 minutes, but schedule in that time to disconnect completely.  One of the biggest distractors and disconnectors right now is technology, our devices and the world’s need for immediate responses.  

Just say no to that. Be okay with not always being reachable.  

Our Green River & Co. community recently read the book YOU ARE AMAZING by Neil Pasricha for book club and one of his secrets is to “go untouchable”. Have a lunch or a morning or a whole day each and every week where no one can contact you.  Imagine absolutely zero distractions…how blissful.

So build a regular spiritual practice by setting aside time each day where you can be completely quiet and uninterrupted. Then practice concentrating on something…anything. A Candle flame a tree, a flower, just one thing…concentrate on it completely. This is a great way to begin controlling the monkey mind.

Next, start to practice meditation. Again, it doesn’t need to be two hours in perfect lotus pose. It can be 5 minutes sitting up against a wall or in your favorite chair. (Try not to fall asleep.)

Meditation is a perfect meeting point to communicate with your guides.  You might ask…what is it you want me to know? Then listen for the response. You might ask a more direct question.  Start with just one question and get comfortable with the experience of communicating with spirit.

Listen to your intuition or “gut instinct”.  This is often your guides gently nudging you in the right direction.

If it feels freaky to you to connect with a member of the “spiritual” realm, take it nice and slow.  Give yourself time to get comfortable with the whole concept if it is new to you.

Remember that the answers you receive are what you’re ready to hear and is usually something that is meaningful to you.  All things will come to you through the path of least resistance so be sure to relax and come into a mental state of allowing before trying to communicate.

Know that your guides won’t give you information that you can’t handle. And finally, know that your communication will evolve just as you evolve.

To recap:

A spirit guide is a nonphysical being assigned to assist you in reaching your greatest potential here on Earth. 

Every human whether they know it or not has one or more guides assisting them from the spiritual realm.  They guide us by way of subtle inklings, nudges, or physical signs like repeating numbers, found coins or synchronous words or songs.

Our guides can change over time as we grow and evolve, we may get new guides that are meant to teach us new things and assist us in different ways.  

There are several different types of guides. Ask yourself which type resonates most with your personality.  It is very likely you already know which type of guide you have.

We can communicate with our guides through meditation or a peaceful walk in the forest or along the beach. The location doesn’t matter as much as your state of mind.  Find a place where you are uninterrupted, calm, relaxed  and relatively free of thought.

I have created a guided meditation specifically for connecting to your spirit guides. If you are interested in receiving this, just shoot me an email, fb message or instagram DM with your email address and the words spirit guide and i will send you the link!

Remember if this topic and others like it are of interest to you, check out the Spiritually Curious Collective; a virtual monthly membership where you will be surrounded by like minded individuals with a desire to explore and discuss all things spiritual.  Just go to www.greenriverandco.ca or find me on facebook or instagram.