What Are Spirit Guides?

Have you ever had an experience where you felt unexplainably protected or guided by something unseen? Maybe you “randomly” struck up a conversation with a stranger who said exactly what you needed to hear. Or you changed your route home from work and later realized you avoided a massive traffic jam—or even a potential accident—without logically knowing why. These moments are often signs that one of your spirit guides was helping you.

As I understand it now, before we come into these physical bodies, we make agreements with spirit guides—beings we share specific soul connections with—to help guide us here on Earth. Think of them as unseen teachers who allow their student to make mistakes, learn lessons, and grow, while stepping in when the student asks for help. They are lovingly devoted to supporting you through life’s challenges and guiding you along your path.

Most of us have an inner circle of about four to five main spirit guides, surrounded by an outer circle of additional guides, and then more beyond that. Imagine rings upon rings of guides standing around you. Each guide supports specific lessons, challenges, and experiences in your life. Some guides may step in and out of your inner circle depending on the chapter you’re in.

For example, if you marry someone you later divorce, there may be a spirit guide specifically meant to help you navigate that relationship. They support you through the highs and lows of the marriage and guide you through the divorce. Once that chapter is complete, that guide may step out of your inner circle, allowing another guide—one better suited for your next phase of life—to step in. This process continues throughout your lifetime, until you eventually transition into the spirit realm.

Spirit guides can appear in many forms. I’ve seen animal, insect, and plant guides; ancestral guides; gods and goddesses; angels; extraterrestrial beings; mythological creatures; and even guides with more intense or “hellish” appearances. The list truly goes on. As mentioned before, you and your guides share an energetic or soul-based connection. This may mean you’ve known them across other lifetimes, dimensions, or timelines. There is a history between you.

You can think of your guides as friends, parents, teachers, or peers you’ve known in other lives. There are also new guides you can consciously call in and choose to work with. For example, if you’ve never connected with Hekate, you can call her in and ask her to guide you on your path.

How do you work with and connect to your spirit guides?

There are infinite answers to this question, and there is no “wrong” way. Spirit guides honor our free will and require our consent before actively helping or working with us. They cannot infringe upon your free will, so it’s important to clearly express that you are open to their guidance, assistance, and presence. This can be done through prayer, speaking aloud, or simply setting the intention in your mind.

There is also unconscious consent. For instance, if you are in deep distress and desperately need help—even if you don’t believe in or understand spirit guides—they may step in because they recognize your genuine need for assistance.

When giving conscious permission, your wording is extremely important. Because we have many spirit guides, it’s helpful to be specific about who you are calling in. Here’s an example of clear and grounded consent:

“I call in my inner circle of sacred and holy spirit guides to connect with and guide me.”

Notice the inclusion of the words sacred and holy. This helps ensure that you are connecting specifically with your true inner circle of guides. Because we have access to many types of guidance, you can also call in support for specific situations. For example, if you’re experiencing deep heartbreak, you might say:

“I call in one of my sacred and holy spirit guides who can help me through this heartbreak.”

A guide who is best suited to support you will then step forward into your inner circle during that time.

Your words and intentions matter deeply. There are energies and entities that do not have your best interests at heart and may deceive you into believing they are a spirit guide when they are actually exist outside of your circle of spirit guides and are feeding off your energy. If your intentions are vague or ungrounded, you may accidentally invite something that matches that same lack of clarity.

For example, saying, “I call in a guide who can help me,” is very broad and leaves the door open to any kind of energy. It’s important to specify the type of guide and the kind of help you are seeking. While there are guides who can assist with anything, there are also negative entities that may “help” in ways that ultimately create harm or chaos in your life.

I have personally experienced this, and it was deeply negative and unsettling. Releasing something that was unintentionally invited in can be difficult, which is why clarity and intention are so important.

How do you know when your guides are giving you signs?

There are many answers to this as well. One important thing to know is that spirit guides often don’t like taking direct credit for their influence. They tend to work subtly, behind the scenes, in ways we may not immediately notice or feel. Because of this, it can sometimes be challenging to discern whether a sign is coming from them.

Synchronicities are one of the most common ways guides communicate. A synchronicity is the meaningful coincidence of events that have no obvious logical connection. For example, if you’ve been asking your guides for clarity around your career path and you suddenly start seeing job postings for marketing everywhere, or you keep meeting people who work in marketing, this is likely your guides nudging you in that direction.

Other signs can include repeating numbers, seeing the same animal over and over, or—one of my personal favorites—custom license plates with words or phrases. Signs can be subtle or incredibly obvious. The key is staying present and aware in your daily life, so you don’t miss them.

Overall, your sacred and holy spirit guides are here for you fully and unconditionally. They know what lies ahead on your path, want you to feel loved and protected, and genuinely want to see you succeed. All you need to do is give them permission to connect and help you.

I offer one-on-one sessions where I channel messages and guidance directly from your spirit guides—think of it as a direct telephone line to them. If you’re interested, click here and scroll down to Clarity and Healing Sessions to book.