Spirit Guides The term Spirit Guide generally makes reference to one or more entities who watch, teach, heal, and help you on your physical journey into spiritual awareness. They are above in higher frequency, while you experience the physical below.     Who are they? A guide could be anybody, or any being but often they have lived on earth many centuries ago. Because of the time spent in spirit, they have become highly developed in spiritual ways. They choose to remain close to the earth life, and act as a link and teacher. Many mediums will often tell of their guide as being a Red Indian or from some other exotic race. The reason is simply that Red Indians for example, lived a very spiritual existence, and also believed in their own psychic skills. Based on these backgrounds, they are ideally suited to spiritual work. But it is not always the case, the level of spirituality dictates if they able to take on the work, not the background. A guide could also be, as some mediums report, someone they knew in a previous life, or indeed a family member. Whoever the guide is, and from whatever background, the medium will have some form of affinity with them. It is this familiarity that bonds them and allows them to work closely together.     One guide for one medium? For some, yes. But often a guide will be with a medium for a particular part of their life, or to teach certain things. It may also be that a medium has more than one guide, each assisting with various tasks that the medium performs. For example they may have guide that assists them with healing. For some mediums, they meet their guides very early on in their lives and that guide will stay with them until the end of their earth life. It could be that many people meet their guide in development circles, where they learn to know and trust them. Guides present themselves as people, and even have a sense of humour. They are also concerned with your personal growth not just your psychic ability, you don't have to be a medium to have a guide.   Guardians & spirit helpers Mediums also have a guardian, this spirit person could be likened to a doorkeeper, he is their to protect the medium and generally keep things in order. He can be called upon to sort things out if the medium becomes overworked or confused. Unlike the guide, the guardian is not a teacher but rather an onlooker with the mediums interest in mind. There are other spirit helpers who may be known or unknown, who will aid you at certain times although it may not always be obvious to you. But if you listen to your 'gut feeling' or recognise an idea or new thought, you may have been listening to your guide or helpers!   The purpose of spirit guides The guide acts a link between the medium and the world of spirit. He assists the medium to form a better contact with those who wish to communicate and aids less experienced communicators to get their message across. He will teach the medium how to attune to the spirit world and is both a friend and advisor. Another important role of the guide is in trance communication. Some guides have spoken through their medium, as in the case of Silver Birch. But the guide will also assist when another spirit person wishes to speak through the medium. But a guide does not control or run the life of the medium, he / she retains their free will. A guide cannot force a medium to do what they don't want to and in no way dominates him / her. Nor can working with a guide free you from responsibility or making the wrong decisions in your life. But they will help where they can to lead the medium in the right direction, although ultimately the decision still lies with the medium themselves. A guide and medium will be in partnership, they both have the desire to be of service and let others know their loved ones have survived into a new world.      Do we all have a guide? Wherever our life has led us, we all have a guide, although these may be referred to as Guardian Angels. These Angels will watch over us and try to steer us in the right direction. Perhaps you have had that `gut feeling` that made you do something or not do something, often that is your Guardian Angel lending a hand. It is still up to you to follow or reject those feelings. Many of us will go through life totally unaware of these spirit helpers, often only being to able to listen when tragedy strikes. As our spirituality increases, for whatever reason, we tend to attract spirit helpers around us. We may be told by a medium who they are, often this is a general description. But it is when we begin to develop our own psychic skills that we truly become aware of our guides.   Try it for yourself.. I often get asked how people can get to know their own spirit guide, so here are a few suggestions that might help you. Meditation   Begin with a prayer asking for protection and guidance. Then get yourself comfortable, if you prefer, set some gentle music playing in the background, aromatherapy candles can also help you relax, just be sure to choose those that calm and soothe not those that invigorate. Take some deep slow breaths, and calm your whole body, until you feel relaxed. Try to slow down, becoming so relaxed that your heartbeat seems to slow down, withdraw into yourself a little yet be aware. You can't always eliminate normal noises such as traffic or people, but each time you try they will recede further away.   Take time to make yourself comfortable, switch off the phone etc. ... Take slow, gentle breaths through your nose concentrating on the out breath... Feel the air going deep into your body, feel the stale negative air and feelings releasing..... Breathe in, breathe out... Breathe in, breathe out... Place your focus and attention only on your breathing...Feel your body begin to relax...With each breath you take in, feel all the tension sift away from your body, leaving you calm, relaxed and peaceful...Your thoughts drift in and out through your mind...Let them flow until your mind is calm...Mentally place a gold shimmering haze of energy around your whole body letting it expand each time you exhale. Let this keep you safe you from any negative thoughts and energy... Gently let the thought come in that you would like to contact your own personal guide. Create a place you can visualise in your mind, somewhere you find peaceful and know you are safe. Your guides can take on any shape. Think about how you feel your guide may look. In time they will take on their own form. Have a list of questions you would to ask your guide or guides. The answers may take days to filter from your your higher self down to your physical being. Remember to say your farewells and thank your spirit guides for spending time with you.   Once you have reached even a slight level of ability with this form of contact your natural ability to contact your guides will slowly improve.