To many people, spirit guides are entities that we choose or are helpers that are assigned to us before birth.
To others, spirit guides represent parts of our unconscious minds that symbolically help us to find wholeness. And still, to other people, spirit guides are parts of our higher selves that manifest themselves to us in various shapes and forms.
No matter what you think of spirit guides, and no matter how “new age” or “down-to-earth” your understanding is, it is beyond doubt that we all need guidance, direction and support in life beyond our own capabilities, or those who surround us.
Spirit guides, like many other elements of spirituality, have been heavily sullied, monetized and commercialized both on the internet and in real life, but despite the tarnishing of their value, spirit guides are nevertheless a shared human experience.
Spirit guides are often thought as spirits that guide us, but in my interpretation and experience with them, they are entities that guide our spirits to greater clarity, freedom, joy and peace.
If you are just beginning your journey of connecting with your spirit guide, I would recommend first learning about the many different types of guides that exist in our realm and the incorporeal one.
7 Types of Spirit Guides
Right now, it seems to be a common trend to believe that spirit guides are primarily animals or angelic beings – but this is only one small dimension of the many possibilities that exist out there.
Spirit guides, I believe, can have unlimited shapes and forms. A spirit guide could just as easily be a soft gust of air that makes the hairs on your arm stand up, as it could be a full-blown godly being that you meet during a shamanic journey.
There are so many possibilities out there, and below I will break down the main “types,” “species” or forms of spirit guides which you might encounter on your path. Remember, you can have more than one, and most people often do!
1. Half Man Half Beast (Trans-Species)
Many spirit guides manifest themselves as half man/woman and half animal. Examples include: centaurs, fauns, harpys, mermaids, sphinxes, fairies, and minotaurs. Many deities also appear as spirit guides, for instance, Anubis (jackal-headed Egyptian god), Ganesha (elephant-headed Indian god), Ra (falcon head, human body) etc. The first ever spirit guide that I personally made contact with was Pan, a half man half goat entity, who “revealed” to me my own personal shadow self and the need for me to embark on a journey of healing my core wounds.
2. Animals/Totems
Animals are well-known spirit guides and have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years, perhaps thanks to their accessibility in our everyday lives. Some ancient cultures, such as the indigenous Americans and Chinese had animals as sacred representations of their tribes or lineages. These days, animals come to represent and reflect a person’s own inner yearnings and needs, moving from group use to more personal and individual use in this day and age. I wrote an article on popular species of animal spirit guides here.
3. Light Beings
Many people describe “light beings” (also commonly known as guardian angels), as being their spirit guides. Light beings are said to particularly help people move through traumatic areas of life such as death, loss and grief. Light beings are called such because of their tendency to appear bright, glowing or full of light.
4. Ancestors
Ancestral guides are entities that have some kind of blood connection to us and our lineage. An ancestral guide could be a recently deceased member of your family (mother, father, aunt, grandfather), or a long dead relative that you have perhaps never met in your lifetime. When I have done shamanic journeying in the past, I have connected with what I consider my ancestors. To me they appeared as shadowy beings that felt distinctly familiar. They taught me that although I felt alone and isolated in my current family, I am part of something vastly larger. The messages our ancestors bring can be beautiful and life-changing.
5. Plants
Shamans believe that the world and everything in it is composed of vibrant, living energy. This includes plants. Ayahuasca – a psychoactive brew that is made out of a vine commonly found in Peru – is one of the most well-known ways of getting in touch with the spirits of nature. Interestingly the Banisteriopsis Caapi vine is known as “the vine of the souls,” and it is common for all those taking it to feel guided by the plant into the realms of inner and outer existence. The same can be said for many other psychoactive (and non-psychoactive plants). Plants can either be symbolic, like in pagan traditions that associates certain qualities with certain plants, or experiential, where ingesting the plant stimulates mental, physical and emotional expansion.
6. Gods and Goddesses
Gods and goddesses have been worshiped, feared and written about since the dawn of time. They span across every culture, every tradition, every religion and every part of the world. Common gods and goddesses that serve as spirit guides include Athena, Quan Yin, Apollo, Lakshmi, Lugh, Kali, Hathor, Horus, The Green Man and Selene.
7. Ascended Masters
Ascended masters are beings that have already lived on this earth but have become enlightened, awakened or have transcended the cycle of reincarnation. Thus, ascended masters represent the ultimate teachers and gateways to the divine. It is said that ascended masters, like all spirit guides, teach all people who call on them (not just you) to achieve greater wholeness and harmony in life. Common examples include Krishna, Jesus, Confucius, Kuthumi, Melchizedek, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Babaji, Gautama Buddha, and many others.
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Spirit guides are just as varied and diverse as human beings are. It is likely that during your lifetime you will have many different types of guides for many different purposes.
Whether you seek to connect with your guide/s through meditation, singing, trance, psychoactive journeying, ritual or simple observation, it is comforting to know that help, in many different shapes and forms, is there for your taking.
What spirit guides have you connected with? What have they taught you? What can you teach us about them? Please share below.
I follow the stars that lead me to the gates,the footprints of time the wolf is the watcher,I am follow though dog star,the key I found and I am waiting for the other.
This is interesting I came here reading about dreams, I have really strange ones and sometimes they are lucid. I am not sure about anyone/thing guiding me, but I have had a lot of dreams some that I blog about some not. Most of my dreams I am trying to tell myself something, so in that vein, I believe that Spirit Guides are our Higher Selves, much like a character or symbol that might show up in a dream.
Three times ive heard a voice (1) are you ready yet? Said i didnt think so. Second time in the void between awake and sleep it asked if there was anything i wanted to know. I asked if i have any children the voice said yes, one, would you like to see her? I said yes – before me, as if looking through polythene a little girl with long curly black hair stood between what i percieved to be two guardian. They both looked middle aged and pretty glum because i was there but little girl looked at me in a shy sort of way nothing like the other two but at least she didnt seem unhappy.
I had a weird scenario where a Goddess met me and has been helping me out when thongs get rough. Of all of her types though, she is basically one of the very few spirit kinds there is. She is basically older than our Universe and maybe a couple others. A Spirit Goddess is hard to meet and they usually are elsewhere other than our planet and maybe Universe. There is very little of them though. Out of say 20 of them, there is only 3 of them. I was just lucky to meet her…and more so to have her around. She does quite a bit for me, but have no idea what her name is. She is very caring when you need it, but also very strict. There is more I can say, but not really to say that people will understand. But just know that in cases that are most likely hard to understand, she is the very hard kind of Goddess to meet, especially since she is a Spirit form.
well i have not seen any spirit,s but let me tell you what happend to me. first of all i have never believed in god or anything. so i hired these two ladies to work with me, doing remodel work on homes. it was time to eat lunch, kari sat down next to me, about 3 feet away, all of a sudden i felt this rush, and i thought ,what the hell was that. later we got to talking, i later found out, that i have a gift, that i have had sence i was a teenager. i am a teacher and healer, but not a physical healer, but through information that is sent to me. this story is way to long and involved, to tell the the whole thing right now . i need to tell somebody about this. who can i talk to?
Hi you have a greate site It was very easy to post all the best
I have recently learned that I have several spirits that surround me at a reading. I know they intervened a few times to save my life. At the time I had no one looking out for my well being. I would love to acknowledge them as an important part of my life. Any suggestions?
My response would be to travel to Ireland and see if these spirits come with you.
I can communicate really, REALLY easily and clearly with my Spirit guides, apparently because I am a psychic medium and have some kind of extremely high vibrational frequency wavelength or something. I have been given this special “Gift” by God, and my Spirit guides/guardian Angels have been helping me to fully realize, accept, and better understand this crazy Gift over the last couple of years. Anyways, their names are Chancellor and Celeste. I’ve met and talked with many of the Spirit guides of others as well. It’s been quite interesting. There is such a diverse mixture of different characteristics amongst them. They all have their own unique personalities. I am blessed to have the relationship and friendship that I have with my Spirit guides, because I definitely don’t think I could deal with, accept, properly utilize, or even begin to comprehend my psychic “Gifts” or any of this supernatural stuff otherwise. I now realize that I have been led to this particular page in order to read this story about the crystal ball. Crystals and their energy and healing properties are one of the topics I have been learning about most recently. It’s amazing that Spirit is communicating legitimately (and to someone who has a genuine Gift) through a crystal ball like that!
Also, to LuLu; my Spirit guide Chancellor wants to tell you that Hezekaia says he loves you too! They have apparently been in collaboration prior to my “stumbling” upon this page. I apologize in advance if Chancellor ends up dropping in to visit you through the crystal ball. It seems like something he might do, especially if he’s acquainted with your Spirit guide.
AND: I found the psychopathic, raging lunatic’s Trollfest of “comments” on the previous page to be largely amusing. I felt he epitomized what could be a highly intelligent and articulate version of/ alter-ego to Donald Trump, and his name was Pence. A synchronous link between these moronic, detestable doofuses.
Lololol well, I guess I’m off to see what grand adventures Spirit has in store for me next! Good luck on your “spiritual journeys” everyone! (Except Pence. He sucks.) and remember your guides are always with you, even if you don’t know it! (Except not like, in the bathroom and stuff. They’re there, but they can’t see you, you become temporarily “invisible” to them. …Or so they say…..lol no I believe it, I don’t think they’re up there perving on us.. ). Ok bye. ^_____^.
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Hezekaia, my spirit guide allowed me to see him in my first crystal ball. I didn’t know what to expect. I just sat in front of it and a white face with hollow eyes and mouth appeared. We talk daily. I trust him. He guides me through difficult decision’s. He reminds me that God is the one to worship. He is currently leading me on a spiritual journey I am most grateful for. I have had the pleasure of seeing beautiful angels guide souls into the light after my intuition told me it was time to pray for them. I have seen the souls in my crystal ball tell me their stories. I have investigated their deaths in this earthly realm. I asked to see my son who passed so I can say goodbye only to come out of his baby coffin carried by two angels, the spirit of my 3 year old daughter. God sent me my son’s spirit in my little girl. I didn’t have to say goodbye. I looked in my ball one time and saw a beautiful wolf and another a black stallion. I found this post in search of my spirit team and instead became overwhelmed with emotion. I found them a long time ago. My guide of my life path, my protector, stands behind me, my healer wraps around my heart, my confidence when I feel insecure, my freedom when I feel trapped in this world. My destiny is simply to Love others. Through kinds words, actions and readings. I am being prepared to heal with hands on energy and crystals. The list goes on. Thank you for letting me share a little piece of my journey with my guardian angel. I love you Hezekaia.
Hi, LuLu! If you’re on here, could you please read my comment that I posted above?? Thanks!!! Oh, and I’m going to bookmark and save this website because it seems really interesting, though I don’t know if I’ll be visiting this particular page/article again anytime soon, so there’s no need to reply back or anything! If you do, though, I’m sure my Spirit guides will let me know or lead me back to this page somehow or another, so that’s fine, too :) . Thank u!! God Bless!!! ;) . ^______^.
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Yes, I enjoyed this article. I’ve been trying to find out who or what my spirit guides are. I do not see them, but often feel them and I keep seeing number messages repeatedly. How to open myself up to becoming better equipped to communicate or relieve messages from them?
I thought it was very thought provoking. I enjoyed it. Thank you
So I have been in touch with my spirit guides since I was 16 my mother is an exorcist my grandfather was am exorcist and so am I. I have 7 guides as do other members of my family. My seven consist of Loki Hades Alistair Kareem both beaing reaper like entity’s which assist me in my current line of spiritual work.a gigantic dog like beaing azreal and the 7th I don’t know the name but he is like a minotaur.