8. What are spirit guides and do you have one?

Overview

• Why do spirit guides appear to us in human form?
• What are your guides here to teach you?
• Does guidance come in any other form?
• Confusing spirit guides and ghosts
  Preparation meditation to work with your spirit guides
  exercise

Introduction

Before we are born we are assigned a spirit guide who accompanies us into the earth realm. Your spirit guide will be with you your entire lifetime here on earth. Throughout your life you will realise that you are being divinely guided and cared for by your unseen protectors. Our main spirit guide is with us from birth and others join as we continue our life’s journey from childhood to our final years. Our spirit guides are not here to tell us what to do,however they will step in and give us guidance and assistance when needed. We all have free will and sometimes part of our spiritual journey is to learn from our mistakes. I am sure there have been times in your life that you made a decision but a little inner/outer voice told you that you were making the wrong choice. You then still went against the guidance and later realised you should have listened in the first place. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however what you must take from these types of experiences is that you were meant to learn something from the experience as part of your spiritual growth. How many guides do we have? As many as you need. In life your needs are constantly changing and so is the guidance you require.

Why do spirit guides appear to us in human form?

Even though our spirit guides are beings of light, they present themselves to us in human form because it is more acceptable to present in this manner and we are more likely to relate to them. The guidance you receive from your spirit guide does not lie in their physical appearance. What’s more important is what they can teach you in your present life to smooth your journey while here on earth. Your guide will manifest themselves to you in whatever form they feel you can most easily identify with. Sometimes many people don’t ever see their spirit guides, they may simply feel them. Some people may smell a certain fragrance, others may feel a light breeze around them or the feeling of a comforting warmth.

What are your guides here to teach you?

Each lesson your guide teaches is individual to your own spiritual path. Different people will progress at different levels according to how well they learn each lesson their guide has to teach them. Our guides are here to guide and protect you. Your guides assist you to open up your mind to new possibilities, allowing you to embrace the energy from a higher source. Your guide is with you offering you true unconditional love that is uplifting and inspiring. They have the infinite wisdom of spiritual infinity and all of the knowledge to draw upon when they determine what best suits your needs. By learning how to acknowledge your spirit guides presence and work more closely with their energies, you give yourself a greater opportunity to learn and to grow spiritually. We also have guides that come into our lives fr shorter periods and they will have a specific role to play in your spiritual development. When you have learnt what is needed from them, they will then move on to other people.

Does guidance come in any other form?

If you do not take the time to communicate and listen to your guides, they will use other methods to reach you. Your spirit guide may give you messages via a friend’s timely advice,a dream, a song that keeps playing in your head. It could be through repetitive symbols or number sequences. Some guides give you messages in the form of birds, animals or insects. Each message is unique; it doesn’t matter which method your spirit guides use to get your attention to give you the information. What matters the most is that they make a connection to give you the guidance and inspiration that you need.

The elemental realm: our elemental realm is governed by nature. Many of us will have had a connection to nature and the fairy realm as a child. It is only as we grow older that we lose touch with them as we are told that these special spiritual creatures do not exist. These special spirits will connect with you while you are in nature. In ancient times people would connect with nature spirits to heal and ground themselves. Animal and bird spirits: it is extremely common to receive messages from our loved ones in spirit via the messages from an animal or bird symbol. At other times the guidance can come directly from the animal in spirit. This type of animal spirit can act as your power animal who protects and guides you.

Confusing spirit guides and ghosts

Some people can confuse the energy of spirits around them as a spirit guide when in actual fact they have an attachment from a ghost. A ghost can come in the form of fragmented energy that is confused about their birth force. They may have passed over and don’t realise they are in actual fact dead. In this case, this type of energy can choose to attach to a living person, so they feel they are still alive and connected to the earth realm. They can make you feel drained and spiritually disconnected. The way to tell the difference between a spirit guide and a ghost is that the energy of a spirit guide is uplifting, light, positive and inspiring. The energy of a ghost is heaviness, loneliness, sadness, depression and sometimes even anger. It is important to protect yourself psychically with white light to lift your vibration above the lower spirit realms, as this is where negative spirits and lost souls reside. When you lift your vibration, the negative spirits won’t be able to make contact with you.

Preparation meditation to work with your spirit guides exercise

Remember to always protect yourself with white light before entering any work with the spirit world. Prior to undertaking the meditation exercise, clear your sacred space and sit in it mindfully. Think about the questions you may wish to ask your guide when they make their presence known to you. Have your journal and pen ready for when you run from your meditation to write down any information shared with you during your connection to your spirit guide. Try to do this meditation daily at the same time each day. Before you begin, visualise that you have a regular booking to meet your spirit guides.

Once you have entered your sacred space, gently close your eyes and be open to the adventure you are about to embark on. Take in a deep breath and feel your body relaxing and letting go of any stresses or worries. Start counting backwards from ten down to one and as you do so, take a breath in and out. As you do this, focus on your breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose and exhale slowly and mindfully through your mouth. Remember that when you exhale, you are exhaling the energies that you no longer need to carry within you or your aura.

10 breathe in and then gently breathe out. 9 breathe in then breathe out. 8 breathe  in then breathe out. 7 breathe in then breathe out. 6 breathe in then breathe out. 5 breathe in then breathe out. 4 breathe in then breathe out. 3 breathe in then breathe out. 2 breathe in then breathe out. 1 breathe in then breathe out.

As you finish counting from ten down to one, feel the calmness and peace that now surrounds you. Now focus your eyes on a beautiful glistening path that is situated in a gorgeous green meadow filled with wildflowers blooming before you. The path is made of white pebbles and as the sun hits the pebbles, they radiate a gorgeous white glow, drawing you along the path on the beginning of your journey. Feel the sense of excitement within your solar plexus as you anticipate getting closer to meeting your spirit guide.Slowly start to work along the path and pay attention to your surroundings. What type of flowers
do you see? Do you hear any birds singing in the distance? Are there any butterflies or dragonflies
flying amongst the flowers? Can you smell the fragrance of the flowers and hear the bees buzzing happily as they collect pollen from each of the flowers in the meadow?

As you walk a little further along the path, you see a beautiful majestic fig tree with giant roots that
are anchoring it to the earth. This tree towers above you and its powerful branches reach up and out to the sky above. As you walk closer, you notice that there is a bench seat that is big enough for two to sit on. You walk up to the bench and you take a seat. You are now sitting quietly beneath the magical tree of
wisdom. Feel the tree’s energy and knowledge surrounding you with protective spiritual light as it towers above you. In the distance, a shimmering light starts to appear on the pathway that you have just travelled. As you focus your eyes on the shimmering light, you begin to see the silhouette of a spirit walking towards you. The spirit being comes closer and appears in front of where you are sitting.

They are smiling warmly at you. As you smile back at the being, there is a sense of familiarity about them. You have
the feeling that you have met this being before and you can feel an overwhelming love emanating towards you. You motion for them to take a seat beside you. This intelligent being introduces themselves as your spirit guide and tells you they have been with you for many lifetimes. Your spirit guide informs you they are to accompany you on your current spiritual life journey and they ask you if there is anything you would like to ask them. Your spirit guide tells you what their name is and then they begin to give you visual images of your future journey ahead. Pay attention as the information floats before your mind’s eye. Are there any symbols, signs, colours, numbers, sounds, fragrances or music that you are being given at this time? Pay attention to what your spirit guide is wearing. Do they look like they come from a specific time in history? What colour hair do they have? What colour eyes do they have? What cultural background do they have? Are they male or female? How tall are they? Do they speak with you verbally or through mental thought? Are they wearing any specific type of jewellery or adornment? What type of shoes are they wearing, if they are wearing shoes?

Pay attention to how you are feeling when you connect with your spirit guide. What is the temperature of the energy around you when you are connecting to your guide? Is it hot or cold? After you receive your spiritual guidance from your spirit guide, thank them for connecting and protecting you through your spiritual journey. Bid your spirit guide farewell and ask them to meet you in this sacred meeting place in future, if you wish to make connections with them again. Sit and watch as your guide gets up from the bench and slowly walks back in the direction from which they came. Remain on the bench under the tree of knowledge for a few moments and contemplate the information you have just received. When you have gathered your thoughts, walk back along the white pebbled path through the meadow and back to where your journey began. When you arrive at your starting destination, notice the energy shift and become aware you are now back where you began your meditation. In your own time bring your awareness back into your sacred space and notice that you feel energised and spiritually guided by the information you have received from your spirit guide. Write, draw or record the information you have received in your journal to remember it for future journeys.

Affirmation I welcome the presence of my spirit guide into my life. I am open to your spiritual guidance and insight. Each time we make contact our connection strengthens. Together we are one.

Topic 8 completed.

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