What is a Spirit Guide?

When you begin researching witchcraft or the paranormal, you will often find articles mentioning spirit guides. Before I stumbled onto witch youtube I had seen the word but never really knew what they were. The best way to think about them (especially if you are monotheistic) is like ancestors and guardian angels. It’s like when people say your passed relatives are watching over you.

By definition a spirit guide is:

“disincarnate beings that act as a guide or protector to a living incarnated human being.”

When I first found this out I was a little nervous because I was a baby witch and I didn’t do spirit work yet. I was scared of being tricked by something evil or what if I never found my guides? What if I don’t have guides?

First thing to know about guides is that everyone has at least one guide but probably more. The second thing to know is that you are never alone, your guides are always there. Even if only one is coming forward at this time, all of them are there. Sometimes one guide will come forward a lot at one part of your life and then later it will switch to another one. That doesn’t mean that particular guide left you but they are just less needed at the moment. The third thing to know about guides is that you don’t get to pick them. They are assigned to you before birth to help your soul in this lifetime.

There are seven different types of guides:

Power Animals: A power animal is an animal that shows up throughout your life as a messenger, teacher, or protector. For example, if your power animal is a blue jay then you may see them right before pivotal events in your life. This animal can also symbolize your identity.

Deceased Ancestors: These are family members who have passed on. They can be people you knew or they can be more distant relatives. One way you can figure out if a guide is indeed your family member is by looking for things that remind you of them. Maybe you smell their perfume for no reason or you get visions of their favorite color.

Nature Spirits: Also known as elementals, these are ethereal beings that inhabit the earth realm. Remember the fairytale creatures like gnomes and elves? These are actually nature spirits. Although they may not look this in real life, often they will appear to us in a form we can understand such as that of a story book leprechaun.

Ascended Masters: Ascended masters are spirits that used to be human but they paid off all of their karmic debt and do not need to reincarnate into a physical form again. These spirits have merged with their higher selves and vibrate on a higher level than the physical world. Unlike deities, these spirits were once humans so they understand and relate to our world. They also have a vast amount of information to share because they have escaped the limitations of the reincarnation cycle. This means that they have lived many lives and now they have experienced even higher realms. The combination of knowledge and empathy towards humans make them amazing guides and they often appear to assist with ascension. A great example of an ascended master is Jesus or Mary.

Star Beings: Also known as aliens, these are beings from different star systems. Many of these beings are said to vibrate on a higher frequency than us. They often have a physical and an astral form along with greater technology than us and a very different perspective on the universe. If this is your guide then you may have had a past life on their planet.

Deities: Oftentimes we will communicate with gods/goddesses. Although it seems like they are all separate deities, they are actually different facets of divine energy. By coming forward as a certain god/goddess they are showing us a certain aspect of divinity that will help us in life. It is also easier for our brains to understand because if God himself appeared to you, you would probably freak out. This is because one God encompassing everything is a lot for our human brains. But if an Venus came it would be easier to process since she symbolizes one smaller aspect of divinity. These guides can come from your culture or other cultures around the world. If you don’t know who your guide is, they will often give you signs as you figure out who they are.

Angels: Angels are like a being between human and god and they are known in many cultures around the world. Every human has a guardian angel to provide protection, messages from divine, love, and inspiration. Although they never had a human life, they often appear to us as a human with wings because we understand this form.

Now that you know that you have guides and the various forms, I hope you get to meet them because it is a beautiful and crazy experience. The knowledge and peace that they bring is very helpful to all witches and spiritual people. Building a relationship with your guides is a super eye opening experience and I hope all of you get to have it at least once.

Sources:

Which Of These 7 Kinds Of Spirit Guides Do You Have? (yemoonyah.com)

The Ascended Masters - Who And What Are They? - Mindvalley Blog