Spirit guides- we’ve all heard the term by now, but what does it mean? Who are they? And what purpose do they serve? We all have them, so let’s spend a little time getting to know them.
Before we get into who/what they are, we need to consider that perhaps this incarnation we are experiencing right now isn’t the only one we’ve had. Moreover, it won’t be the only one we have again, either. Remember that saying: “we are all spirits having a human experience”? Well, it’s sort of like that. We are spirits who have decided that the only way we can learn important lessons in order to grow and advance as spiritual beings is to incarnate and experience human life. That includes all the joys as well as all the hardships, frustrations, and pain. Think of this concept in terms of psychology. We know what love is by knowing what it isn’t, right? Same thing with pain, happiness, loss, forgiveness, and so on; we run a gamut of human emotions and experiences in order to fully develop our understanding of these things.
Please understand that while I seek to explain the ultimate reason we are here- to learn/grow/develop- I in no way wish to trivialize or marginalize anyone’s experiences, especially the hardest ones we face (death/loss/abuse/etc.). I cannot sit and hope to understand the murdering of children, the rage of racism or ethnic hatred, and so forth. Nor can I excuse the horrible actions we humans commit against each other and our animal friends. I can only suffice to say that we have chosen to come here, to experience human life for whatever personal reasons, and that is it. What we do- or do not do- is not for me to fully understand, nor explain. Sometimes we must just have faith, as hard as that can be, that something greater is out there.
That being said, let’s continue shall we?
Our topic, of course, broaches the subject of reincarnation, which is one I’m not ready to discuss today, but will hopefully dabble in it in the future. For those of you who want to learn more about the subject in general, there are plenty of books out there that cover well documented and researched cases of reincarnation not the least of which is Many Lives, Many Masters (Weiss). So if I’m not ready to discuss it, why bring it up at all?
Simple. Before you incarnated into this life, you sat with the Divine and others that you trusted deeply and planned out your life. This doesn’t infringe on free will, as even though we have a plan laid out, we can always deviate from that plan at any given time- modifying it as we go. You agreed to your hardships and your successes, deciding on a whole range of things that you felt would help further your spiritual development. Remember, you had a bird’s-eye view of things, saw the greater picture and understood that everything is a means to a greater end. However, that’s easy to say (and agree to) when you are floating around in some celestial place not actually living it.
So where do the spirit guides come in?
They are in your “circle of trust.” In fact, your main guide- your Life Guide- is someone that you trusted and respected very, very much. Perhaps they were a mentor/teacher in another life. Perhaps it was a holy person. Maybe it was a sibling or child you felt especially close to (in a different lifetime). Anything is possible, but the point is that this is someone who you trusted enough to guide your current life with their wisdom and their spiritual enlightenment.
Simply put, your spirit guide is someone that you knew and admired in a different lifetime. These are not friends/relatives who have crossed over while you were incarnate in this lifetime. This isn’t to say that friends and loved ones don’t occasionally guide or advise, but they aren’t your main guide for a number of reasons. The first of those reasons is to understand that if they were your Life Guide, then it would suggest that you for a time didn’t have a guide at all, which simply isn’t true. You’ve had a main guide with you since you asked them to be there and you will have them at your last breath. Secondly, we friends and family members tend to love “too much” in that we would inadvertently hinder your growth/development by trying to caution you away from certain experiences. For example, if you’re a parent you know that you never want your child to experience the pain of heartbreak, right? But again, maybe that heartbreak is exactly what your child needs to fully understand what it means to love and be loved by someone else. Get the picture? So while family and friends love you even on the other side and look in on occasion, they have their own missions they need to fulfill.
Your spirit guide is just that: a guide. They suggest courses of action, or none at all, but never demand or force you. Spirit guides will never cuss and swear at you, threaten you, or make you feel terrible. Their messages come from a place of love, and they’re extensions of the Divine. Therefore, if you suspect you have found your guide and you’ve been communicating with it, but the messages are threatening or you feel anxious or uncomfortable, then that is most certainly not your guide at all. Bid that spirit adieu and hang up the phone, so to speak. Do not encourage lesser spirits (the ones who want to boss, belittle, berate, taunt, demand, curse, swear, etc.) into further contact. I’m not saying these are demons or demonic, but think of it like this: there are sharks in every ocean. While you may never see one for yourself, if you cut your arm and let it bleed, one is bound to show up. So don’t bother with the nasties.
Spirit guides are loving beings, but they are also former humans so they can sometimes be frustrated by us. Remember, though, they won’t make you feel lousy or demand that you do anything, especially if that something means hurting yourself in some way. They may find creative ways to drive home the lesson you have requested to learn, but ultimately it is up to you learn it or not. Imagine how frustrating it must be to not be seen or heard by most people. Now try to communicate with those living people regularly and hope they “get it.” That’s enough to frustrate anyone!
Angels and spirit guides are different. Angels are beings who have never been human, though they can act as guides and so forth as God wills it. Remember, Angels are extensions of God. Spirit guides are also from the Divine, but they were once human (maybe even a very long time ago) and so they are working with God to assist you. This is the same concept that your spirit is also from God/Divine and does the work of the Divine each time that you help out another person, assist a charity, and so on.
Next time, we’ll discuss how best to reach your guide. (Clue: Meditation!) If you have had experiences with your guide, or have questions in general, please feel free to reach out and ask! We learn and grow together. Perhaps someone else reading this will be inspired or gain some knowledge by what you have to contribute!
My Spirit Path 