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 As I mentioned above, 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.

 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, held animals as sacred representations of their tribes or lineages.

 These days, spirit animals come to represent and reflect a person’s own inner yearnings, passions, instincts, and needs, moving from group use to more personal and individual use in this day and age.

 Light beings are said to 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.

 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 birth family, I am part of something vastly larger.

 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 (Ayahuasca) 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 profound capacity can be said for many other psychoactive (and non-psychoactive plants) such as certain species of cacti like San Pedro (mescalin being the psychoactive compound), certain Acacia species (DMT), and so on.

 Plants can either be symbolic, like in pagan traditions that associate certain qualities with certain plants, or experiential, where ingesting the plant stimulates mental, physical, and emotional expansion.

 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, Kuan Yin, Apollo, Lakshmi, Lugh, Kali, Hathor, Horus, Shiva, and so on.

 Ascended masters are beings that have already lived on this earth, gone through a spiritual awakening 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.

 This article is not about invoking spirit guides, as in calling on a guide who you believe will help you. Instead, the following guidance focuses on how to reveal the spirit guides who have already been assigned to you in this life.

 Scrying is the ancient divinatory practice of gazing into a reflective surface, such as water, a mirror, or a crystal ball to receive special information.

Spirit Keeper

 From a psychological perspective, scrying helps you to get in touch with your unconscious mind and the important guidance which may be locked away within its depths.

 But if you’re a visually-based person (i.e., one who receives insight through pictures or thinks visually), this path may be worth committing to.

 In order to connect with your spirit guide via scrying, set an intention to ‘see’ your guide first. You may like to say a mantra or prayer to communicate with your guide beforehand and your sincere desire to meet them. Read more about scrying.

 Just before going to bed, set the intention to see, meet, or speak with your spirit guide within your dreams. Continue this dream work practice for about two weeks and see what happens.

 When you wake up, note any strange figures or unusual patterns that emerge in your dream. The goal is to find repetition: what messages or dream beings keep appearing?

 Sometimes our spirit guides don’t directly reveal themselves, but instead symbolically reveal who they are to us. Take note of symbols that keep emerging and journal about them. What do they mean to you (don’t overthink the answer)?

 Once you have a strong inkling of who/what your guide is, thank them. Continue to ask for guidance and for their appearance in your dreams before going to bed. Learning how to lucid dream is also a powerful way to contact your spirit guides.

 Once you have a strong inkling of who/what your guide is, thank them. Continue to ask for guidance and for their appearance in your dreams before going to bed. Learning how to lucid dream is also a powerful way to contact your spirit guides.

 One of the best ways to contact your spirit guides is by silencing your mind through practices such as meditation or mindfulness exercises. Here is one simple practice:

 Sit or lie down in a quiet place that is undisturbed by other people. Focus on your back or thighs as they come in contact with the ground. Notice the rising and falling of your chest. Listen to the sounds around you and focus on being present in the Now.

 If you have raging thoughts, jump up and down for a little bit (to expel the frantic energy from your body), then resume your meditation.

 Whenever a thought, storyline, image, memory, word, etc. comes up, note it silently, then let it go. For example, you might notice a memory from yesterday, and note silently “memory” or a random thought and note “thought.” Don’t try to fight these thoughts, just let them flow.

 When you feel sufficiently relaxed and centered in the present moment, ask to hear the name or see the face of your spirit guide. You might need to wait for a while, so be patient. Let go of all expectations (they will block what you are about to receive) and keep your mind open like the sky.

 Journal about your experiences afterward. If you struggle with this practice, don’t worry. Most people do. Just practice it for 10 minutes each day for a week and see what happens.

 Bibliomancy is the practice of seeking spiritual insight by opening a book you’ve intuitively chosen at a random place. This form of divination was popular in the middle ages, but it continues to be a valualbe way of gainin guidance, even until this very day.

 Go to your personal library or collection of books. (Alternatively, if you don’t have any, go to a local library.) Stand in front of the books and close your eyes. Ask to be drawn to a specific book that will help reveal your spirit guide. I encourage closing your eyes as you do this so that you aren’t influenced by bias. Let your inner feelings guide you.

 When you feel a pull or intuitive ‘nudge,’ pick up the book your hand has paused over. Then, either open the book at random and quickly look at the page, or wait for a page number to pop into your mind. Read what is in front of you.