The Ultimate Guide to Spiritual Guides
There’s a major obsession around the idea of guides both within the spiritual community and individuals alike. The idea that there is a group of omniscient mythical beings dedicated solely to our wellbeing and purpose is captivating. To us, guides are like spiritual celebrities that we put on a pedestal. We give them fancy names and exclusive access. We worry about how they see us and are a little scared of them too. What we always seem to forget is that we too are a part of this exclusive group of energetic superstars. We are our own guides.
A Pattern of Obsession
In my healing practice, when someone’s guides pop in to make an introduction or give an energetic slap in the face, people can become obsessed with them. This obsession can lead to a dangerous spiritual detour and usually follows the same pattern:
Stage #1: Asking (Everything) for a Friend…
Once people realize that they have the authority to actually speak directly to their guides, that’s all they do. They start asking them for guidance on every aspect of their lives — from what clothes to wear, to what time to text their new crush, to how many grapes they should eat today.
Stage #2: Losing Yourself
People completely surrender their personal choice and intuition to the guides and, in so doing, start to lose themselves in the process. Now they don’t feel secure in making any decision without consulting their guides first.
Stage #3: Operation Course Correct = Loss of Trust
Their guides start to catch onto this toxic pattern and engage “operation course-correct.” Suddenly people start getting confusing and contradictory information from their guides. All of this is done out of your guides’ effort to turn you back to yourself and your own intuition. With this stage comes frustration, anger, and loss of trust not only in your guides but the universe itself.
Suddenly you’re back where you started and you’re not sure if you’ve taken 2 steps forward or 100 back.
Jesus Don’t Take the Wheel
This exhausting energetic runaround can be avoided. The main issue with people stuck in this pattern is that they forget to consult their most important guide — themselves. You have intuition too. When you chase what brings you joy, when you feel uneasy about doing something, when you dream big, when you feel unstoppable, that’s not “your guides” — that’s all you baby.
Your spiritual guides exist for one reason — to be your GUIDE. That’s all. They can give you information and help you get clarity to follow your intuition but ultimately you are the one that needs to make the decision. They may have the power of knowing but you have the power to act.
Leaving your life up to your guides is like stopping to ask someone on the side of the road for directions and then asking them to drive you the rest of the way. There’s a few issues with that:
- That’s weird
- It’s YOUR car
- You’ve already driven yourself this far without them. Why are you surrendering now?
Now this doesn’t mean that you should ignore your guides. They can give you helpful information on nearly every aspect of your life. But there are some things you should know first:
Sassy Spirits
Sometimes your guides are sassy. They are not spiritual robots. They experience emotions too, like anger, sadness, and lack of control, so be patient with them, laugh with them, cry with them. It also means that they understand your emotions and give you grace accordingly. They know how to call you on your bullshit, so be prepared for that. But they also know when it’s hard for you to trust them and when to give you space.
Your Guides Don’t Have to Tell the Truth
It is not your guides’ ultimate purpose to tell the truth. This is one that terrifies a lot of people. You mean my guides can lie? What the hell?! Hold on — before you go on an insane antitrust spree, know that, fact or not, everything your guides tell you is for your greater good.
So if your guides telling you that you would find someone by a certain date results in you taking more action to heal deeper, sooner and you get to that date and “the one” doesn’t show up, you haven’t been duped. You’ve been guided.
One of the clients I work with is a writer who has been trying to write a book for years but could never get past the first few chapters. That was until his guides told him that the book he was now working on would get published. So he wrote and finished his novel and… it didn’t get published. But he didn’t stay mad forever because for the first time in his life he finished a novel. He is an author now because he believed in something that didn’t happen. It brought him closer to his dream than he’d ever been before.
Your guides are not here to tell you truths. They exist to guide you and do whatever it takes to get you to your ultimate wellbeing. Similarly, it is not your purpose to know everything. Your purpose is to act with courage and hope. Your purpose is to make mistakes and be a human and sometimes being a human is brave.
What to Ask Your Guides
So what can you ask your guides? Literally the cosmos is the limit. You can ask them anything you want but this works best when you aren’t wasting their time or yours. Remember your guides are here to inform your intuition, so use them accordingly. You can ask for things like:
- Signs to give you direction about a big decision
- Encouragement to keep going
- Ways to clarify how you truly feel
- Things to do to help you thrive in this time
- New business directions to take
- Anything they want you to know right now
- Support to take your next brave step
Remember, when talking to your guides, it is a conversation. You’re allowed to ask clarifying questions and they’re allowed to say you’re not supposed to know the answer now or ever.
What NOT to Ask Your Guides
Is there anything you can’t ask them? No. But be intentional, and remember you have your own inner guidance so use it. Here are some triggering and tricky topics to avoid:
- Mundane questions you already know the answer to — What should I wear today? How many emojis should I use in this text? Should I eat a salad or a piece of cake for lunch? etc.
- Timing — Energy can change at any instant and is not dependent solely on you, so take answers they give you here loosely. Someone else may make a poor decision that toys with your timeline (like the person who started Coronavirus) and that’s ok. What’s meant for you cannot be taken away — it just might take longer than previously expected.
- Other people’s feelings — Whew this is a tricky one. Ultimately, if you truly want to know the answer, sometimes you need to ask the person directly. You are a participant in this world too so act like it. If you can get the answer from an external source, be reSOURCEful and do it, even if it scares the shit out of you.
- Why — You can ask this but sometimes you don’t get to know. Your guides are not here to explain the universe to you. Sometimes you don’t need to know everything before moving forward.
You Can Have Trust and Doubt
Oftentimes the answers you do get will require great trust. They may seem out there because they are not of the physical realm, but the spiritual one. We’re talking the spot with flying unicorns, Sanskrit chants, crystals and miracles here. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to believe in something 100% before it comes to fruition. Trust doesn’t mean a lack of doubt; the doubt might still be there, but make sure there’s an ounce of hope too.
Intuit. Ask. Trust. Act
Finally, remember your guides are here to give you information, not act on your behalf. So don’t leave all the responsibility up to them; you have conscious choice too. If your guides say that you are done with your ex and ties have been cut with him, and then that person suddenly reappears in your life (and by suddenly I mean because you lonely drunk texted them to get “closure”)… your guides are not to blame. That’s on you honey.
When interacting with your guides it goes like this — intuit, ask, trust, act accordingly. Not intuit, ask, not like the answer, do something different.
You’re a Spiritual Celebrity Too
Feeling overwhelmed yet? I thought so. If you take nothing else from this article just know that when you are interacting with your guides in the best way, it will feel peaceful, reaffirming, strong, and focused. When things get crazy, confusing, or noisy, cut the rest out and consult your most important guide — YOU. Your guides trust and respect you more than you could ever know — it’s the reason YOU are the one here on the planet and YOU are the one that gets to make the decisions. So give yourself a little bit of that trust and respect too. You’ll be the reason you get to your destination. No matter how close or how far away you are from it, you’re a spiritual celebrity too.
Looking to reconnect with your most important guide? Check out my Genuine Gifts Package to reconnect with your intuition and spiritual gifts. You’ll get a crash course in Angel Numbers, becoming your own Tarot reader, asking for signs, and embracing your spiritual superpowers.
As an Energy Healer I use muscle testing, breath work, chakra clearing, and more to connect you to the truth your body is telling you. I work with experienced healers and first time explorers looking to release mental, physical, and emotional blocks that are causing pain. Book your energy healing session here to start your healing journey.
