Don’t Travel Alone, Connect With Your Spirit Guide

Sometimes, life can be tough and almost impossible to traverse alone. We all have difficult decisions to make and hard times to navigate our way through whether its a relationship breakdown, a change of career, a move to a new place or simply the day to day stresses we are all familiar with. Attempting to tackle all of these issues and work things out by ourselves doesn’t always end with the results that we are looking for, but did you know that each and every one of us has a spirit guide?

What Is A Spirit Guide?

Everyone on this earth and everyone who has been and who will be has a spirit guide, whether you choose to interact with them or not, they are still there. Whilst it may sound a little overwhelming, intimidating even, to think that you have a spirit ‘attached’ to you, these guides serve as nothing but a positive force in our lives.

But what are spirit guides and where do they come from? In the most easy-to-understand terms, a spirit guide is an entity or being which has transitioned over to the afterlife. According to Gaia, a database for all things spiritual, our spirit guides pop up and influence us just at the right time. That chance meeting with the boss of the company you’re destined to work for perhaps wasn’t chance after all. Spirit guides are often souls who, rather than reincarnating or moving on to another realm, have chosen to serve as a guide to those of us still on earth. Some believe that it is a way for the soul to evolve and since the ‘position’ is thought to be one of the highest honours in the spirit world, it isn’t available to anyone.

How Does My Spirit Guide Choose Me?

It is commonly believed that a spirit guide doesn’t choose a person but rather a higher power who has the ability to match each person with their ideal spirit guide. Your spirit guide will be a soul whose strengths complement your weaknesses, giving you the best chance at working together – whether you choose to acknowledge them or not. A good example would be if you are an indecisive person, you may be paired with a spirit guide who, when living was easily able to make decisions.

In contrast, however, some people are matched with spirit guides who share the same weaknesses, for example, lateness, as a way of facing a challenge as a team.

One thing that you can be sure of when connecting with your spirit guide is that you will likely find that they know you very well – oftentimes, they may be on better terms with us than we are with ourselves. They are constantly watching and paying attention to your little quirks and your needs, ready to help, so it’s little wonder that your spirit guide knows you so well.

What’s even more interesting is that because the number of spirit guides we can have is limitless, you will often find that you have more than one at a time. You may have one spirit guide that stays with you for your entire life whereas others may come and go as you need them. A good example would be during times of grief or heartbreak, you may have a guide that swoops in to be with you and guide you through these difficult times and the departs when you have overcome the challenge.

If you are particularly in tune with your spirit guides, there is the option to cut ties with them if you feel that the match is not working but it pays to be cautious about doing this since more often than not, our pairings are made for reasons we may not truly understand. However, spirit guides know that if they are not wanted, they can leave and they will never force themselves upon anyone.

Why Do I Need My Spirit Guide?

There are millions, perhaps even billions of people in the world who do not take advantage of the relationship they could have with their spirit guide, for a variety of reasons – some simply have no belief in the existence of the spirit world, some may feel it clashes with their religious beliefs and others may even fear their guides. But the truth is, regardless of whether you choose to interact with them, they will continue to have an influence over your life.

We need our spirit guides to show us the way, influence our decisions and make things clear for us as well as giving is direction but this isn’t to say that they will do all of the hard work for you. The opposite is, in fact true, your guide is exactly that – a guide, the result depends on whether you follow your spirit guide’s lead.

Most importantly, at different stages of our lives, we may require different guides and since they can come in when they are needed and leave when they are not, you can always feel sure that you will be given the right guide for the moment. This spirit guide will advise you and steer you in the right direction giving your life purpose and meaning.

Are There Different Types Of Spirit Guides?

Absolutely! Of course, the situation and the individual will largely depend on the type of spirit guide that is assigned to the job but there are many different types of spirit guides.

• Archangels are the highest of all angels and are often associated with pure love. These spirit guides usually come to us with important messages and there are many well-known archangels such as Michael who is thought to be the highest and most powerful angel of this type. People will often turn to him for general advice.
• Guardian angels are believed to be given to each of us at the moment we are born and serve to guide us through life. Since there are different levels in the angel hierarchy, your guardian angel may be any one of a multitude of types of angel.
• Guides can be any kind of entity who will guide and direct you in difficult situations or times of stress.
• Goddesses are able to handle certain aspects of life, for example, love, money or health and they are worshipped the world over in every culture.
• Ascended masters are spirits who were enlightened whilst on earth and have ascended to a higher level. Two of the most famous ascended masters are Buddha and Jesus Christ but there are many more who can help in times of need and have the ultimate goal of making us more enlightened through personal and spiritual growth.
• Ancestors are spirit guides who have some sort of genetic connection to you and may serve as a guide for many generations of the same family.
• Sacred elders, wisdom women and shamans are all guides who have intense knowledge of ancient times and can impart this wisdom onto us. These teachings are then expected to be further shared with other people. This type of spirit guide can usually be invoked or called upon through the aid of a ritual or ceremony.
• Elemental spirits are linked with the elements and are thought to be spirits of things found within nature such as rocks, trees rivers and so on. As a result of their natural law, many people may find it more difficult to decipher the messages brought by these spirit guides but if you have a deep connection to nature, you may find it easier to follow their lead.
• Spirit animals demonstrate elements of the individual species, for example, a spirit owl may show wisdom or a spirit lion may show courage. The spirit animal will show you these traits so that you can use them in your own life.

Are My Deceased Loved Ones Acting As My Spirit Guide?

Whilst those close to you who have passed on to the afterlife are able to be with you and even appear to you, it is important to remember that they cannot serve as spirit guides – not yet at least.

Clairvoyant and teacher, Deganit Nuur explains that when we are on earth, we could be seen as students at university and when we leave our physical bodies and cross over to the afterlife, we become post-graduate students of life. However, at this point, our souls do not have the mastery or the knowledge to act as a spiritual guide and whilst many souls can go on to achieve this, it doesn’t happen straight after your physical death.

She also goes on to explain that, since your spirit guide may be viewed as a university professor whilst you deceased loved one may be more of a teaching assistant, you will likely interact more frequently with them.

How Do I Interact With My Spirit Guide?

There are so many beautiful ways in which you can connect with your spirit guide but for many people, fear of the unknown acts as a barrier. We are often taught that interacting with spirits may be risky, even dangerous but this applies to demonic or evil spirits and not spirit guides who are there to help and protect us. With that in mind, let’s explore some ways that you might reach out to your spirit guide and make the most of the relationship you can have with them.

• Ask your spirit guide for help. Quite often, our spirit guides are waiting in the wings armed with advice and guidance but we are too blind to see it or too afraid to ask for it. Simply reaching out and asking our spirit guides to reveal themselves or their guidance can be enough.
• Meditation is a powerful tool where spirit guides are concerned and serves as so much more than simply a way to relax. This quiet time allows us to pay attention and listen out for any subtle messages or directions that our spirit guides are showing us. Quite often in our busy lives, we don’t hear what our guides are saying because there is, literally and figuratively, too much noise.
• Automatic writing is the process of allowing a spirit to speak to you through writing. You are the vessel holding the pen but the spirit will speak through this and give you direction.
• Asking for a sign is probably one of the most recognised ways of connecting with any type of spirit and your spirit guide is no exception. You can ask them to make themselves or their guidance clear through a sign which, when you receive it will likely blow your mind.
• Journalling can be a great way to uncover the advice of your spirit guide. Grab a pen and notebook and simply write whatever comes to mind, even if it makes no sense at all. Similarly to automatic writing, your guide may have an influence over what you write and over time, as you read your journal back, you may notice something that seems to make complete sense.
• Build a relationship with your spirit guide that is based on trust and gratitude. Oftentimes, people will reach out to their spirit guides with a tone of distrust such as ‘why aren’t you helping me?’ or ‘why do you keep putting me in these difficult situations?’ There are two points to consider here, primarily, our spirit guides know way more than we do and whilst we may view situations as difficult, upsetting or sometimes impossible, these challenges are there to help us grow and become stronger. So, despite our lack of understanding, our guides may actually be doing us a favour. Additionally, like any relationship, the one with your guide should have a strong foundation, trust your guide, allow them to do their work and thank them when you see positive changes or results in your life. This is sure to encourage a stronger connection with them.

How Do I Know If My Spirit Guide Is Trying To Connect With Me?

In the same way that we might try to connect with our guides, they are constantly trying to connect with us to show us something, deliver a message or offer guidance during trying times. But so many people are unaware of this attempt at a connection or are unwilling to notice. There are many things that a spirit guide might do to grab your attention.

• Spirit guides might leave coins in obscure places such as in the fridge or your sock. It is often thought that this links in with the saying ‘a penny for your thoughts’ and is used by spirit guides to encourage us to reach out to them when we are struggling.
• One of the most familiar signs that a spirit guide is trying to contact you is through seeing white feathers and is thought to be one of the most blessed signs that you can receive. This is your spirit guide letting you know of their presence and their concern and love for you.
• If you have asked for some sort of guidance, your spirit guide may often give this to you writing in the form of a passage from a book, a poem or any other written text. This piece of writing may have great significance to you and will be able to direct you in your life.
• Seeing something relevant, moving or revealing in a dream may be a sign that your spirit guide is trying to reach out to you. Showing you things in a dream makes contact between the spirit world and the physical world much easier since your guide will be able to use all of your sense and show you things that they may not be able to during waking life.
• If you smell a certain scent or aroma this could be indicative of your spirit guide trying to make a connection. Of course, the world is filled with weird and wonderful smells so catching a whiff of coffee as you walk past your local Starbucks is unlikely to be anything other than what it appears but random and unexpected scents are a different story. A spirit guide will often show you a floral scent to let you know that they are nearby and some will invoke nostalgia by sending a scent from your younger years or a special time which may serve as guidance in making a decision.
• In a similar way to writing, your spirit guide may also communicate with you through song or music using lyrics or a tune to move you emotionally and offer guidance.
• There are times that your spirit guide may physically touch you and whilst for some people, this may be a frightening concept, there really is nothing to be scared about. This offer of a comforting touch can demonstrate to you that they are present and here to help you.

Conclusion

The world around us doesn’t solely exist based on what we see, there are other planes where spirits exist and some of these spirits are there to guide us through life. Spirit guides may be angels, spirit animals, ancestors and many other types of spirit and will either remain with us throughout our lives or come and go during times of hardship or struggle.

Whilst we may not be able to see our spirit guides, they are most certainly there and are always trying to reach out to us, it is simply a case of knowing what to look for. Additionally, we can connect with our spirit guides through meditation and building a relationship with them amongst other things. Ultimately, our guides will advise us, direct us and keep us protected as we work our way through this physical life.