You may have heard the term “spirit guide” before — but what exactly does it mean? DailyOM spoke with metaphysical experts who believe spirit guides are our closest source to otherworldly energy, and they’re readily available to help us through life’s ups and downs.
Have you ever wondered whether something — or someone — is watching over you and guiding you on the right path, particularly when the going gets rough? Maybe you can think of a time when a specific song played at the exact moment you needed to hear it, or a special person in your life appeared in your dream to offer much-needed advice and comfort. Any spiritualist will tell you that those were moments when you encountered your spirit guide.
According to spiritualists who spoke to DailyOM for this article, spirit guides are ethereal, angelic beings who are in regular contact with us. They appear in numerous forms and are regarded in various ways based on different religious and spiritual beliefs. (A belief in angels, otherworldly beings, or spirits can be found in most cultures and religions across the world, including in Native American tradition, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.) And if we can tap into the wisdom of our spirit guides, we can get a better grasp on what our purpose is in this lifetime.
Read on for suggestions from psychics on how to better understand — and better communicate — with your helpful spirit guides.
What Is a Spirit Guide?
A spirit guide is a wise energetic entity that offers the empathy, advice, and healing we need in order to grow, says Amanda Edwards, a California-based certified spiritual coach and Reiki practitioner. Given that they are made of pure energy, spirit guides can take many different forms (more below) and are ever-present in our lives.
Spirit guides don’t impose, they just nudge. Consider their role as akin to the bumpers of a bowling lane, keeping us mostly on the straight and narrow.
“A spirit guide shows you which path to follow and guides you in a certain way based on your greatest good and highest potential,” says Nicole Starbuck, an energy healer based in Houston.
Best of all, these specific energies are always available to us, ready to offer their guidance, Edwards tells DailyOM. By tapping into our psychic abilities, we’ll be able to clearly hear what they’re trying to tell us.
Interested in learning more? Check out How to Contact Your Spirit Guides
How Do I Know if I Have a Spirit Guide?
Everyone has their own personal spirit guide. In fact, many spiritualists believe we have more than one. Numerous spirit guides are assigned to us at birth to follow and guide us through the course of our lives, explains Maggie Wilson, a California-based mystic. We may also acquire more spirit guides as we grow older and loved ones pass over to the other side. Think of spirit guides as your own “spiritual dream team” — they are there to help you develop into your highest self.
“[It’s] a little like asking how we know if we have friends, neighbors, or pets; everyone has the opportunity to make those physical-life connections and develop relationships with them. The same applies to our relationships in spirit,” says Edwards.
Connecting with your spirit guides might feel like talking to a childhood friend.
While we have access to many spirits, we only work with one spirit presence at a time. Which one will depend on what your needs are at any given moment, she says.
Types of Spirit Guides
Spirit guides can take on numerous shapes or forms. Modern-day spiritualists we spoke with said these are the most common forms of spirit guides:
- Humans. Ancestors or loved ones who have passed are very common guides. Those within the family line often come through because “ancestors are connected through our genetic makeup and memory,” Wilson says.
- Angels. There are many types of angels, such as archangels and guardian angels. Each person is assigned at least one guardian angel at birth, says Wilson.
- Animals and pets. Each animal carries with it different traits that offer specific meanings. And just like the people we love may stay close to us in spirit form, for many people that’s also the case with their beloved pets.
- Elemental guides. These spirit guides are taken in the form of nature. Think: birds, trees, mountains, and flowers. For example, a student of Edwards said her spirit guide was in the form of bodies of water. “The form changed at different stages of her life, like a still, peaceful pool during one era and a rushing waterfall in another. All of those nuances about our spirit guides hold meaning for us to interpret and learn from about ourselves,” Edwards explains.
- Unearthly forms. “I’ve also encountered balls of light, dark shadows, and other entities which some would consider 'extraterrestrial,’ all of which were here to provide guidance, wisdom, and support in one way or another,” Starbuck tells DailyOM.
- Ascended masters. Ascended masters are advanced spiritual leaders who were once part of humankind, such as Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus.
- Deities. Examples might include Athena (Greek goddess of love), Quan Yin (Chinese goddess of mercy), or Pele (Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes).
How Do You Tap Into Your Spirit Guides?
Connecting with an unearthly energetic entity may sound complicated, but it’s easier than you think. “Some people think you need to be ‘activated’ [such as having your third eye activated] to hear from spirit guides, but this isn’t true,” says Starbuck. “All it takes is a willingness to receive.”
In fact, connecting with your guides might even feel like talking to a childhood friend. Edwards describes the experience as similar to meeting a kindred spirit. Simply put, your relationship with your guides is what you make it. You can spend as much or as little time with your guides as you like — whether it be five minutes or a lifetime. You can choose to call them into your life or wait until they send messages on their own. The amount of time we spend with each guide depends on what we need and what their purpose is in our life.
There are many different ways to tap into your guides in order to receive information. Below, we’ll cover the most common methods. It may take some time to learn how to connect with them, but practice makes perfect. “Continually showing up to intentionally connect with your guides is the way to increase communication with them,” Wilson tells DailyOM.
Channeling Your Spirit Guides Through Meditation
Meditation is one powerful way to connect with a spirit guide. Starbuck offers a simple meditation process to help you get to where you want to go.
- Find a quiet space where you can focus.
- Calm your mind and relax your body.
- Visualize your “safe place” and imagine a ball of light surrounding you.
- Invite your guide to appear.
- Ask them to share their name. (All guides, whether they take a human or animal form, will have a name.)
- Ask your question or ask them for any messages they have for you.
- Receive the message with an open mind and heart.
- Thank the guide for their time.
- Close down your chakras (energy points throughout your body) to protect your energy field by visualizing an energetic force field around you.
- Return to the physical world.
4 More Ways Your Spirit Guide Can Communicate With You
In addition to meditation, here are some other ways to connect with your spirit guides.
1. Automatic Writing
According to Wilson, automatic writing (allowing guides to write “through you”) is a great way to intentionally connect with your guides. Grab a journal. Ask specific questions and allow yourself — without judgment — to write down every message that you receive. It may not all make sense at first, but with time and practice, you will be able to identify which part of that writing is from your guides.
2. Active Meditation
This is a term Starbuck uses to describe times when we gather information from guides after we shift our mind to autopilot. Here, guides are most likely to come through, since your mental space has an opening. Examples of active meditation are going on a nature walk, taking a shower, doing a repetitive task such as folding laundry or chopping onions, or spending quiet time with family.
3. Visitation in Dreams
At times, spirit guides can visit you in your dreams to remind you of their presence and willingness to help. They can also send a message or show you a scene that needs attention.
“Often people dream and then they experience something in their waking life that is eerily similar to their dream,” says Wilson. “[Guides] constantly want to make themselves known and showing up in dreams can get your attention quicker.”
Want to make yourself even more of an open vessel for dream messages? Wilson suggests setting an intention before bed, expressing that you’re ready to receive messages.
She also recommends setting an alarm for 3 a.m. to wake up and scribble down what you were dreaming about in a dream journal. We quickly forget what we dream about, so this ensures the message will stick until morning.
4. Angel Numbers
You should always keep your eye out for angel numbers (repeating numbers that appear, such as 111, 222, 333, etc.), Starbuck says. They are a common method that our guides use to connect with us. You might see them in street signs, on the clock, on license plates, or on a receipt. It’s never just a coincidence when you’re seeing the same repeated line of numbers more than once in a day.
