What is a spirit guide?

What is a spirit guide?

And so the cry went out. 

What is a spirit guide? 

Well in short the answer is in the title. It is a spirit that guides you. It is a spirit who has crossed over (not a ghost that haunts you or bugs you) that has chosen to guide you for a set time, lesson, or part of your life.

This spirit may not be human (we are not the only life forms with spirits). You might have an animal guide. This is not the same as a totem or familiar (that is a whole other blog, or better yet read my book)*. The animal spirit (or person) might look like a swan, otter or dog, but that doesn't mean they are or were. Nor should they be revered too highly or dismissed too quickly. 

I told someone their spirit guide was a swan and they were mortified. (Clearly it wasn't cool enough/sexy enough/spiritual enough).

As a child my spirit guide (one of) was a large white horse that would gallop towards me. There are two interesting facts about this. I happen to be born in the Chinese year of the horse (not something I knew in rural Wales at the time). As my Grandmother was dying she keep saying she was seeing (she was blind most of her life) white horses running. So much so that a white horse was made of flowers for her funeral.

Now to work with your guide you need to be in touch with Spirit. If you don't do spirit work, your guide will still be their moving things unseen, helping meet the right people at the right time, and so on.

Working with spirit is not glamorous or spooky. It takes time, effort and practice. (Okay I think we lost a lot of folks right there).

That is the truth though. Working with spirit is about inviting Spirit into your life and practice. Spirit guides are not perfect, they are often just good people. My guide when I first started working with spirit my guide was an artist (a French guy). I wanted to channel using a paintbrush, so that is what I did. It was odd thinking in french sometimes. During this time I meditated daily, sat with other mediums up to three times a week and learned my ass off. While my friends were getting high and getting laid, this was what I was doing.

When I left my body and journeyed to spirit/astral/Veil as an (nearly) adult for the first time I was greeted by many spirits. Nearly all of them were animals. I didn't feel upset or disappointed by this. I cried with overwhelming joy. I tranced out of my body after a meditation in the farm's kitchen. (no glamorous ritual required). This reunion was brief and it was mostly human guides I had from that time on.

I have two spirit guides at the moment. One I have always had (lets just call her the Blue Lady) and the cheerful Druid. Sometimes when I heal with spirit I get "the doctor" (a small tubby American gent with round glasses and very little hair).

My spirit guides don't move things, knock stuff over or "haunt" me. My fey are another matter entirely. They do love to take things. Eat things. Move them, then sometimes put them back.

If you want to work with your spirit guide you do actually need to work with spirit. It sounds trite but I mean it. You can try and pick and chose but either it is your path or not. This might meaning dealing with folks who are stuck and need crossing over. You have to be able to touch both sides gently to make a door for spirit to pass through. If it not your path, don't worry, it isn't your path! To be a medium is to dwell in that place between. It is not an easy path. Your guides will guide in in dreams and gently all of your life. They will watch over you and try and keep you on the best path.Sometimes they will whisper, sometimes they will roar, depends on the person (and the spirit). Spirit guides watch and protect over people and places, no matter what you do. It is far better if it is not your path to speak to a professional medium and then allow the subtle nudge of spirit in your day to day life.

*A familiar is a very, very, very rare thing. I have seen true familiars twice in my life. It is not unlike the daemons in His Dark Material/Golden Compass. As though half a soul is outside their body. It is amazing to watch. This is not a pet. Not even one you love very much. It is your soul-mate in animal form.

An animal totem. 

It is a symbolic form to guide and teach you. It is not a bear. It is BEAR, all bearness, the essence of bear, or sparrow or snail. It is a teacher trying to get your attention. Listen to it. Over a life time you may have many teachers. Maybe you need salmon, hawk, dove. For each lesson is unique. They will manifest in dreams, but also in your life. Horses, cats or bears will appear where you are, in pictures and on objects. Your relationship with this totem will change and grow.

Bright Blessings xx