Spirit Guides: How Ancestors, Friends, and Pets Watch Over You
One of the great joys of serving as a shaman is seeing people’s reactions the first time they meet a spirit guide. There are many guides: animals, ancestors, friends, and even someone who has chosen to walk with you. I have a chief and a small Yoda-like Native American shaman who are part of my council. Just as there are many types of spirit guides, so are there many ways to meet your guides. In my latest book, “When the Birds Stopped Singing,” the wood nymph Serena shows the main character, Caroline Howard, how to walk the Medicine Wheel, where she meets her different spirit guides. But guides can come to us in other ways.
How to Connect To Your Spirit Guide
The easiest method is to journey to the lower world. I use drumming and my voice to move people into a trance state as I take them down to meet their animal guides. One or two spirit animals will emerge to walk with each person throughout this incarnation. Spirit animals are potent messengers from the universe and helpful guides in the initial work of receiving impressions. If a client wants to use spirituality to answer more questions, I take on a life coach role where I map out what they want to learn, and we will determine which modality is best. Sometimes, it can be as easy as cleaning out and aligning chakras. Other questions require more profound work, and we may go into the Akashic Records. When inside the records, an ancestor or friend who has passed on will often reach out to send a message. That’s when we know these people have chosen to be spirit guides.
The Strength of Spirit Guides
To help you understand the strength of the spirit guide, I’ll share a recent experience. My neighbors across the street have trained with me for a few years. Our work began when one of them was diagnosed with a terrible cancer. I can still remember the fear in their eyes. I thought, “Why, God, would you bring such wonderful people into my life only to take one away?” Then I got to work.
I brought a group of close friends together for a fire ceremony. Fire ceremonies are a powerful tool for reaching all our spirit guides. Making a request becomes more powerful when everyone makes the same one. Ours was to heal this friend. I went to the Buddhist Temple on the island of Oahu, a special place to me, to pray for my friend. I also loaned him my special healing blanket. During daily meditations, repeatedly focusing on a specific request can bring about change. Visualization is essential, so I imagined my friend’s body floating on water, clean from the inside out.
Today, my friend is cancer-free. He believes my work was essential to healing him, and I’m grateful for whatever role I could play. But what I enjoy most is that his spiritual gifts grew as the cancer left his body. And as often happens when we are very sick, the pathways to the other world open more easily.
Recently, my friend saw a spirit animal just outside his gate. He wasn’t in a trance state or anything. He called to his partner, who came out and not only saw the spirit animal but snapped a photo of it, which I’ve included below.
The dog in the photo is my beloved Gidget, who died on April 12, 2023. She had been my therapy dog and loved running across the street to visit the neighbors. The joy came in knowing that she now watches over both families. It was even more remarkable because Gidget appeared to my friend. She confirmed his ever-increasing spiritual gifts.
Ancestors often serve as spirit guides. I learned about our spirit council when I first walked the Medicine Wheel. On the journey to the east, my council members appeared. Mine included my beloved maternal grandparents. I have learned to communicate with them regularly. They could continue teaching and protecting me from the other side. When my mother died, she joined them.
When I read someone’s Akashic Record, an ancestor often asks to speak. I relay the message. Then, I help the person learn how to reach out and receive notifications directly. That’s the essential point of spirit guides. Each serves a unique purpose in our lives. They help us solve problems along this life’s journey as we work to fulfill our life contract.
Do you know your spirit guides?
Trust me, they are waiting with helpful advice. But you must be ready to walk the path of spiritual enlightenment. To help, research different teachers and verify their training and ethics. Take a class or commit to a few sessions. Open your third eye and begin to trust your instincts. Always remember you were born with the knowledge of the universe. People want to blind us for their gain because fear binds us. You will discover a new world when you feel your power and unlock your gifts. And your spirit guides, like my beloved Gidget, will be there to help.