Spirit Guides in Tarot & Beyond--Your Thoughts and Experiences?

[Misterei]

I've been listening to a guided meditation series about connecting with spirit guides.

While I normally do well with guided meditations and visualizations--on this one I got nothing. I've never particularly felt that I had spirit guides but I wanted to see if I could find any with this meditation series. The facilitator's premise is that the spirit guides are OUTSIDE us--not our higher self or soul or whatever [inside us].

She maintains that we have guides which stay with us throughout life.

 

I definitely have a sense of "angels" or helpful spirits which come to me in times of distress. But I don't sense any lasting relationship with them per se. I suppose I see them more as cosmic "crisis counselors" who assist humans in difficulty and then move on to their next assignment. LOL I have a sense of myself fulfilling this role for other people at times, too.

 

I do have a sense of an angel who came to me in 2018 and now is with me always--but I've not experienced this Being as a guide. A companion, or friend who just doesn't happen to be human. But not some sort of wise all-knowing guide. 

 

I certainly have a sense of receiving divine guidance--but I can't say it comes from "spirit guides". More like a direct conduit to Divine Wisdom which I can open via meditation and raising my perception to higher dimensions. I have a sense of Planetary beings who offer guidance and wisdom--but they do so to all humans. They aren't my personal spirit guides. Likewise various other higher dimensional Beings which might guide me--but I mostly feel these are aspects of my own consciousness which exist on higher planes--not OUTSIDE myself. 

 

Also, if archangels like Raphael, Michael, etc. are out there in the cosmos assisting millions of humans who call on them--how can they be "personal" spirit guides for any one person???

 

Do YOU have spirit guides?

What is YOUR experience with either having or not having them?

Edited December 31, 2025 by Misterei

[Mi-Shell]

Hi Misterei! Well, In my Siberian culture we do call our Guardians Miahanits. My Ada's (dad"s) family were all shamans, 7 generations back and my Mom's family had quite a few shamans/ shuvanis etc in the family. 

So I have Clan Guardians from both of my parent's Clans as well as personal Miahanits, that all help me and Keep me safe and also guide me, when it comes to helping my patients and clients. then of course, there are my Ancestor Guardians. It is a thing of blood- line and inheritance. 

I can always access them and receive signs in every day life and of course in shamanic thetha trance journeys . 

 

This is a little tiny bit of what I teach my students:

When you wish to find a guide/ guardian, start with an Ancestor or a favourite Animal of your's. 

Learn EVERYTHING about them, good and bad, what or whom they eat, what their prefrences were.....

THIS will establish an emotional connection and eventualy through that sensetize you to open up for maybe receiving a  message or image.....

Important however in this is, to learn to shut out your ego - THAT thing will be reluctant to give up the driver's seat in your brain!

Learn about trance......

Blessings to you!

M.

 

Tarot however is avisual / analytical thing - that prompts you to access - - often the "wrong side of your brain" - your analytical mind and good old Ego is in charge there. ... 🙂

 

 

[JoyousGirl]

5 hours ago, Misterei said:

I mostly feel these are aspects of my own consciousness which exist on higher planes--not OUTSIDE myself. 

I would say there's elements of that - some inner guidance that rises above the ego self, but you might also consider that you're moving between that guidance and the something outside yourself. Saying that, while something is "outside" our self it doesn't mean it's not a part of us if everything is from the one source. I'm not sure if that just confuses the issue but the following might expand in some way on that. 

 

5 hours ago, Misterei said:

Also, if archangels like Raphael, Michael, etc. are out there in the cosmos assisting millions of humans who call on them--how can they be "personal" spirit guides for any one person???

I wouldn't say they're personal, I'd say that they're well known and so that's why they're referred to. The restrictions of Church doctrine might have something to do with that. It's OK to have Angels that are mentioned in the Bible, but not your own guides. So what I think happens there is that we call on the well known Angel, who sort of has a "specialty" area (indicated in the name, e.g. Michael as protector whose name means "Like God" sort of thing.) But the Guide allocated to us with that specialty - or who can help with the issue we're dealing with because they've had experience with that in an incarnation or through spirit training on the other side - comes through. So it's what the name represents, rather than an individual (in my opinion).   Our guides have probably been incarnated previously and have skills and experiences to use from other lives as well as training. They'll move in and out of 'jobs' with us as we come through our own experiences and learn the lesson or are fulfilled in some other way. Some stay all the time.

 

5 hours ago, Misterei said:

 

Do YOU have spirit guides?

What is YOUR experience with either having or not having them?

 

Yes I have spirit guides.

My experience is that I don't engage with my spirit guides as often as I should. I have a place set up where I go for a walk and spend time with them in meditation. It's a sort of sitting/healing room and I've designed it with lush furnishings etc and equipment for the work we do together. The more you sit with them without asking anything the better you'll connect. You'll get to know their presence eventually. But just sit with them for a while. Then after a while ask for a sign - it could be a tickling nose or itchy palm or anything - maybe bizarre but don't discount what you're getting. Keep sitting and when it's the same thing all the time you'll know they're there. Then you can start asking questions. Get the connection right first though. It can take a long time. Years even.

Edited December 31, 2025 by JoyousGirl
close bracket!

[Tanga]

7 hours ago, Misterei said:

 

1) I definitely have a sense of "angels" or helpful spirits which come to me in times of distress. But I don't sense any lasting relationship with them per se. I suppose I see them more as cosmic "crisis counselors" who assist humans in difficulty and then move on to their next assignment. LOL I have a sense of myself fulfilling this role for other people at times, too.

 

2) Also, if archangels like Raphael, Michael, etc. are out there in the cosmos assisting millions of humans who call on them--how can they be "personal" spirit guides for any one person???

 

3) Do YOU have spirit guides?

What is YOUR experience with either having or not having them?

 

1) An Angel  ("messenger of God" or "messenger of the Source") - takes numerous forms. Including people like you 🙃.

 

2) Who knows?  They are demi-deities and thus by definition unfathomable - apparently.  How can "God" guide every single person on the planet personally? etc.

 

3) Yes.

The have come to me gradually over the years, along my "spiritual journeying".

This is the order of my experiences:

N.B.  I have no strong cultural "roots" of guides as my father's traditions had been overwritten by Christianity. They

are known somewhat - but my father was a "modern educated man" - if you get my drift.

Mother had un underlying Roman-Catholic upbringing (which she disagreed with).

 

First, many years ago (all young, curious and enthusiastic) - I went to see a lady who "drew your spirit guide".

She drew a Native American for me - which I thought was odd as I have an underlying belief that guides etc, should have some link to ones DNA/history etc. (don't know where I got this belief from) - so I stuffed the pencil drawing away and forgot about it.  Until years later, when I was having an acupuncture treatment and the therapist burned moxa (mugwort. Which is hallucinogenic) on my acupuncture needles. My vision was this - I was in a smoke lodge and a Native American man was shaking a rattle and directing me to cross the river (of my fears).  

I didn't tell the acupuncturist until the next session - because well - it was just weird and at first I wondered if I'd fallen asleep. I had not.

She was amazed. She'd never had an experience of any client reporting this before. (I wonder why. Moxa is a hallucinogen after all...).

 

Then - in my 1st year at The College of Psychic Studies whilst learning "Psychic Awareness". We did an exercise once, where there was a tray of sand presented to us as a group - and each person closed their eyes allowed themselves to draw something in the sand (almost like automatic writing).  I drew a symbol.  When I looked at it - all I could think was - it was the sigil of an Angel. I decided it was my guardian Angel - and she was my companion from then on. 2nd guide.

 

Next - I learned Reiki 1&2 and Seikhem. During my Reiki initiation I found I had a companion. A white wolf - & sometime white Arctic fox (dual forms).  Hence the 3rd guide. This one was specifically for past lives, past blue prints and anything really scary - and cold. (I had an experience of the ghost patterns of the house I was in too, at the time. I've never been sensitive to ghosts except for this one time.).

At my Seikhem initiation - I had a second visitor (4th guide). His name and background came to me immediatly - and at the time this was also pretty weird - because he is Mongolian.  Much later though - I discovered I have 1% Russian DNA, so that - is in there somewhere.

 

Finally (how funny I have 5 guides. Have I invited five specifically on an unconscious level?  I am Wiccan - and Wiccan like the five components of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit).

The last one appeared when I was meditating on my own at home. I have a set meditation sanctuary that I go to in my imagination - complete with landscapes.  I met them there.

 

Here - I also found my "astral steed".   Don't know if other people have this  - I've not specifically read about it anywhere. But - I have a gigantic Lammergeier (a bearded vulture) - that I ride on the astral plane 🤣🤣🤣.  

I don't fly about myself much. Riding is more fun.

Fancy that!

 

Thing about my guides - sometimes I pay zero attention to them for Aeons - and it's like they don't exist.

Then... there they are again.  🤷‍♀️

 

For each guide - I now have a small Talisman that I can pop in my pocket etc. - if it so takes my fancy.

And otherwise, they all fit in a tiny little heart shaped bowl on my Altar.

My Altar has 4 sections:  1 corner is for the Ancestors. The main area is for daily practices. The other corner is

for the guides. And the last bit - which is empty half-the-time - is for spellwork as, and when, it arises.

 

 

 

Edited January 1 by Tanga

[Misterei]

9 hours ago, Mi-Shell said:

Hi Misterei! Well, In my Siberian culture we do call our Guardians Miahanits. My Ada's (dad"s) family were all shamans, 7 generations back and my Mom's family had quite a few shamans/ shuvanis etc in the family. 

So I have Clan Guardians from both of my parent's Clans as well as personal Miahanits, that all help me and Keep me safe and also guide me, when it comes to helping my patients and clients. then of course, there are my Ancestor Guardians. It is a thing of blood- line and inheritance. 

I can always access them and receive signs in every day life and of course in shamanic thetha trance journeys . 

Thank you for sharing. I *wish* I was grounded in a culture with clear teachings about this. My maternal grandmother was very religious Greek Orthodox and used to bless cars before going on a long trip and various other types of things. I still keep evil eye beads around the house--so this was the main teaching from my heritage. But no sense of spiritual lineage in my family or culture. *sigh*

9 hours ago, Mi-Shell said:

Learn about trance......

It's interesting your comments about animals. I once fell into a deep trance and became like a cat. The man i was with saw this. Spooky. Yet a lovely experience to share. Do I have a sense of a cat as a spirit guide? Protector? I don't know.

9 hours ago, Mi-Shell said:

Tarot however is avisual / analytical thing - that prompts you to access - - often the "wrong side of your brain" - your analytical mind and good old Ego is in charge there. ... 🙂

Depends how we read, n'cest pas?

Tarot can be a story-telling practice where the creative intuitive mind is fully engaged. I look for Signs in flights of birds or in repeating numbers in a Tarot spread. The direction birds fly, the direction Court cards look. It's all the same to me. Except I like cards a lot };>

 

Edited January 1 by Misterei

[Misterei]

6 hours ago, JoyousGirl said:

... The restrictions of Church doctrine might have something to do with that. It's OK to have Angels that are mentioned in the Bible, but not your own guides. So what I think happens there is that we call on the well known Angel, who sort of has a "specialty" area (indicated in the name, e.g. Michael as protector whose name means "Like God" sort of thing.) But the Guide allocated to us with that specialty - or who can help with the issue we're dealing with because they've had experience with that in an incarnation or through spirit training on the other side - comes through. So it's what the name represents, rather than an individual (in my opinion).   Our guides have probably been incarnated previously and have skills and experiences to use from other lives as well as training. They'll move in and out of 'jobs' with us as we come through our own experiences and learn the lesson or are fulfilled in some other way. Some stay all the time.

This is a great way to look at it. Thanks! LOL I'm a numbers gal--so when the math doesn't add up, I get confused [1 anrchangel + millions of people praying for guidance = impossible]. Yet the idea of smaller "personal" angels "expressing" Michael [or whichever archangel] makes sense. 

6 hours ago, JoyousGirl said:

Yes I have spirit guides.

... I go for a walk and spend time with them in meditation.

.... Then after a while ask for a sign - it could be a tickling nose or itchy palm or anything - maybe bizarre but don't discount what you're getting. Keep sitting and when it's the same thing all the time you'll know they're there. Then you can start asking questions. Get the connection right first though. It can take a long time. Years even.

I often recite mantra [Shiva for example] and sometimes I ask for a sign about some decision that's on my mind. I nearly always get a sign. But I never had the sense it was from a Spirit Guide. I've been chanting and praying for Shiva [or whoever] to teach me their wisdom. Then I ask for a sign to know if I'm on the right track. The sign comes. I've never asked from whom? That's an interesting question. Who's invisible hand caused events to fall out in just such a way that it makes a clear sign? 

Perhaps this invisible hand belongs to the Spirit Guide.

 

From a devotional practice, I would say Shiva caused it. He's a God--piece of cake for him. Yet I perceive it as a 2-way street. If Shiva gives me a sign--it's only because I have embodied his consciousness enough to perceive some tiny fraction of the immense choreography of the Universe--the sign is a small glimpse of some larger Cosmic Dance.

Edited January 1 by Misterei

[Misterei]

4 hours ago, Tanga said:

1) An Angel  ("messenger of God" or "messenger of the Source") - takes numerous forms. Including people like you 🙃.

Indeed. Sometimes people I know or have met as humans appear to me as angels [in times of anguish or distress]. 

4 hours ago, Tanga said:

.... Until years later, when I was having an acupuncture treatment and the therapist burned moxa (mugwort. Which is hallucinogenic) on my acupuncture needles. My vision was this - I was in a smoke lodge and a Native American man was shaking a rattle and directing me to cross the river (of my fears).  

Moxa is magic 💫

I had a psychic experience during shirodhara [ayurveda treatment where they pour a continuous stream of warm oil on your forehead right in front of ajna chakra.] I saw many of my past lives and deaths. So, relating to your experience--how do you know this is a spirit guide rather than seeing yourself in a past life? To me it seems possible the medium lady drew this image based on seeing your past life [i.e. something within you vs. a guide separate, distinct, and outside you]. But i am somewhat playing devil's advocate so forgive me. It's entirely possible it is a spirit guide.

4 hours ago, Tanga said:

... it was the sigil of an Angel. I decided it was my guardian Angel - and she was my companion from then on. 2nd guide.

Interesting that we both experienced an angel who came to us and stayed.

 

4 hours ago, Tanga said:

... how funny I have 5 guides. Have I invited five specifically on an unconscious level?  I am Wiccan - and Wiccan like the five components of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit).

Ah! Great symmetry there. I love this idea even if I've not experienced it.

4 hours ago, Tanga said:

Here - I also found my "astral steed".   Don't know if other people have this  - I've not specifically read about it anywhere. But - I have a gigantic Lammergeier (a bearded vulture) - that I ride on the astral plane 🤣🤣🤣.  

OMG! I totally get this. My cat Ragnar [RIP] used to sit on me while I was meditating. I would push him off so i could focus on the meditation but he would come back. So I gave up and meditated with him sitting on me. I then had astral travel visions where I was riding him flying along together through the cosmos. Sometimes doing battle. Fierce fun. Sometimes just flying together exploring. This doesn't happen with my cat Zoe. She doesn't appear in my meditations. Of course this doesn't happen at all now that he's gone--so I suppose it's different than your situation.

I will keep a lookout for a wiccan on a bearded vulture when I'm out and about 😉

[Raggydoll]

Yes I have spirit guides. I think everyone does, but most people are not aware of them and are not actively communicating with them.

 

First, some cultural context:

I was born and raised a Norse heathen, so angels are not part of my cultural vocabulary. We have other concepts for various types of spirit guides, but I will stick to just saying 'spirit guides' as to make it easier for everyone to follow along. 

 

Ancestral worship is a very big thing here. However, it is not just regular people that can be seen as ancestors. Certain Norse deities are tied to specific bloodlines from the various Scandinavian countries. They are considered the founders of those bloodlines and those people. Therefore, such deities can sometimes be venerated as ancestors and they can also act as ancestral spirit guides. Here, bloodlines do matter. In my beliefs, these deities would not be spirit guides for non-native Scandinavian people. I have personally never had a guide that was of another culture, all of my guides are tied to culture, bloodline and/or place. 

 

I have a main guide that has been with me since birth. She is a very old ancestor and is tied to my maternal bloodline. I became more aware of her 10-15 years ago. She took the initiative and started showing up whenever I was in an altered state of mind. I have always have a knack for entering trance or an altered state of mind. It has come naturally to me, and I had a lot of out-of-body experiences in my childhood. (Plus a near-death experience as well). I have never had to be in a full trance to communicate with ancestors, a lightly altered state of mind does the trick. That is when I am able to ask questions and have them answered, be shown visions or even work magic with ancestors. I also do trance work, but not specifically for spirit guide communication. 

 

I have multiple guides that I work with, and some would best be classified as 'more than human spirits'. I also have spirit guides in the shape of animals (who can shape shift and are not truly animals at their core), plus some 'regular' animal guides (aka guides that actually are/were animals). 

 

I have not found that it has been hard to meet my spirit guides. It has not required guided meditations, human teachers or magical/psychedelic tools. I think that to some extent, the process will depend on your beliefs and your culture. However, to get to know and work with them has taken many years. And I have allowed them to guide me through that process. 

 

6 hours ago, Tanga said:

Here - I also found my "astral steed".   Don't know if other people have this  - I've not specifically read about it anywhere. But - I have a gigantic Lammergeier (a bearded vulture) - that I ride on the astral plane 🤣🤣🤣.  

I don't fly about myself much. Riding is more fun.

Yes. I will either shape shift or hitch a ride with a guide. During journey work I can turn into a bird form, so I can fly or swim to different places. I think it is common to either shape shift or hitch a ride during astral/journey work. 

 

[Chariot]

I certainly believe in guidance from 'out there,' although I have no idea if these are guides, or what they might be.  I can't conjure them up at will. BUT when they do approach me, and give me the kind of strong 'hunch' I know is right—even if it makes no sense at the time—you can believe I pay attention!  

I remember one instance, where I was walking down a calm street in my old home town (I was there on a brief visit), when suddenly I knew I had to cross the street and walk along the other side.  I remember feeling a bit miffed, as there was a place on the side I'd already chosen that I'd planned to walk past.  But I crossed the street anyway. After a couple of blocks, I looked across the street, and there was a person walking in the opposite direction whom I'd not seen in nearly 30 years, and would DEFINITELY not have wanted to run into at random!  If I had stayed on the side I'd been on originally, we would  have met face to face.  I was a bit shaken, but so glad that guidance had been there.  (Not a dangerous situation at all, I hasten to add, but would have been a very upsetting one for both of us.) 

There have been many other instances of this kind of thing in my life.  The urge to do whatever the guidance suggests is so strong I don't argue with it ...just do it.  And it always pays off.

I hasten to add, these guidances are not 'logical.'  They are sometimes so illogical that they seem amusing.  But I follow them. And I'm always glad I did. These spirits—or whatever they are—obviously know things I don't.  And they are trying to help me.

Edited January 1 by Chariot

[Tanga]

9 hours ago, Misterei said:

 

1) I had a psychic experience during shirodhara [ayurveda treatment where they pour a continuous stream of warm oil on your forehead right in front of ajna chakra.] I saw many of my past lives and deaths. So, relating to your experience--how do you know this is a spirit guide rather than seeing yourself in a past life? To me it seems possible the medium lady drew this image based on seeing your past life [i.e. something within you vs. a guide separate, distinct, and outside you]. But i am somewhat playing devil's advocate so forgive me. It's entirely possible it is a spirit guide.

 

2) I will keep a lookout for a wiccan on a bearded vulture when I'm out and about 😉

 

1) Hmmmm. How do you know when YOU KNOW?

And - I had one instance where I realised that I have a past life in Native America. But... the tribe was not Sioux (which is the tribe my guide belongs to). I was Pueblo.

Still - I could have more than one turn around Native American soil...

But - I feel that I KNOW.

Get my drift?

(Devil's advocate is a fun game that I play too. Lol.  To the annoyance of my neighbours recently 😉)

 

2) Surely your magickal cat steed could return? 🙃

[Tanga]

7 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

 

1) Certain Norse deities are tied to specific bloodlines from the various Scandinavian countries. They are considered the founders of those bloodlines and those people. Therefore, such deities can sometimes be venerated as ancestors and they can also act as ancestral spirit guides. Here, bloodlines do matter. In my beliefs, these deities would not be spirit guides for non-native Scandinavian people. I have personally never had a guide that was of another culture, all of my guides are tied to culture, bloodline and/or place. 

 

2) I have not found that it has been hard to meet my spirit guides... the process will depend on your beliefs and your culture. However, to get to know and work with them has taken many years. And I have allowed them to guide me through that process. 

 

3) Yes. I will either shape shift or hitch a ride with a guide. During journey work I can turn into a bird form, so I can fly or swim to different places. I think it is common to either shape shift or hitch a ride during astral/journey work. 

 

 

1) Oh dear. Well that would come as a disappointment to a giant myriad of pagans world-wide 🙃🙃🙃.

(thinking of a number of Asartru enthusiasts that I know here in London).

Belief and Faith - is indeed everything.

(Some could even read this expression as "you can't follow my religion unless you are Native" ... just a thought).

2 of my guides are immediately native to my current incarnation or more immediate back roots. The wolf and The panther.

Well... could be 3 if you count the Angel.

 

2) Yes. Alot depends on what you believe and what your "programming" is.

 

3) I have never thought of shifting.  Hmmmmmmm.... food for thought.

Edited January 1 by Tanga

[Raggydoll]

22 minutes ago, Tanga said:

1) Oh dear. Well that would come as a disappointment to a giant myriad of pagans world-wide 🙃🙃🙃.

(thinking of a number of Asartru enthusiasts that I know here in London).

Belief and Faith - is indeed everything.

😄 I don’t think my personal beliefs have any bearing on their paths. To each their own! And I consider there to be a difference between having a deity as your ancestral spirit guide vs working with a deity. It’s the former I was talking about. If someone is not your ancestor, then they wouldn’t be your ancestral guide, that sort of thing. But again, these are just my personal beliefs, I respect that others feel differently 🙂

[Tanga]

21 hours ago, Mi-Shell said:

 

This is a little tiny bit of what I teach my students:

When you wish to find a guide/ guardian, start with an Ancestor or a favourite Animal of your's. 

Learn EVERYTHING about them, good and bad, what or whom they eat, what their prefrences were.....

THIS will establish an emotional connection and eventualy through that sensetize you to open up for maybe receiving a  message or image.....

 

 

 

Yes 🙂.  An excellent approach.

I am well versed in cats and dogs - and many variants of their wilder counterparts.   

For that matter... quite a few more other creatures too...  it could go on 🤯😄🥳.... LOL.

(Zoology was almost my career).

 

 

34 minutes ago, Raggydoll said:

😄 I don’t think my personal beliefs have any bearing on their paths. To each their own! And I consider there to be a difference between having a deity as your ancestral spirit guide vs working with a deity. It’s the former I was talking about. If someone is not your ancestor, then they wouldn’t be your ancestral guide, that sort of thing. But again, these are just my personal beliefs, I respect that others feel differently 🙂

 

Yes.  🐣🦩

And - personally - having such a scattered DNA map myself - I now know, that I have a number of ancestors I know zero about, coming from places that I would not have thought of (and, that are not recounted about in any form, in my current maternal/paternal cultures).

Edited January 1 by Tanga

[Misterei]

On 1/1/2026 at 4:19 AM, Chariot said:

I certainly believe in guidance from 'out there,' although I have no idea if these are guides, or what they might be.  ...
...There have been many other instances of this kind of thing in my life.  The urge to do whatever the guidance suggests is so strong I don't argue with it ...just do it.  And it always pays off.

I hasten to add, these guidances are not 'logical.'  They are sometimes so illogical that they seem amusing.  But I follow them. And I'm always glad I did. These spirits—or whatever they are—obviously know things I don't.  And they are trying to help me.

Yes. My experience has been similar. I most definitely get guidance. Sometimes I hear a voice, other times other signs, sometimes via cards, sometimes just "knowing" a thing. But from where it comes? I've always figured it was from some higher, wiser, part of my soul who remembers all the past lives and premembers all the future lives.

Why do I feel this rather than spirit guides? I can't say.

On 1/1/2026 at 6:40 AM, Tanga said:

1) Hmmmm. How do you know when YOU KNOW?

Haha. Fair enough. Sometimes ya just know a thing 😉

On 1/1/2026 at 6:40 AM, Tanga said:

2) Surely your magickal cat steed could return? 🙃

I wonder about that. I suppose I'm too emotional. It's been a few months but I feel sad he's gone which gets in the way of meditation.

On 1/1/2026 at 7:19 AM, Raggydoll said:

... And I consider there to be a difference between having a deity as your ancestral spirit guide vs working with a deity. It’s the former I was talking about....

An interesting distinction. If I've ever felt I could put names on what sort of beings might be guiding me--i've often felt it came through devotional practices to a god or demi-god. Shiva, Lakshmi, Christos, Atum, Apollo, Isis, Patanjali. Or Planetary gods / Star gods. When I cast cards I feel guidance coming from the Intelligence of Tarot itself.

 

I've also experienced "luck" or "saving grace" which must come from some benevolent spirit -- but personal to me?

Or just happened to see a human who needed help in that moment?

I have a sense of my sister's ghost traveling the subtle realms to help animals in need. This seems to be her "work" as a dead person. There's no attachment to any particular animal--she helps where she sees the need. Sometimes she helps me, too.💖 Yet I call this help as "my dead sister" not a "spirit guide".

Words perhaps complicate things that go beyond words.

 

I suppose this is the crux of it. @Raggydoll and @Mi-Shell [and of course many others] have close contact with a lineage of ancestral and traditional guides. Whereas people like @Tanga and @JoyousGirl have found their personal guides in different ways.

And then there are some of us who get guidance--but don't necessarily have a sense of personal guides.

If I am doing devotion for a particular deity/planet/star -- I get guidance from that Being-- yet never felt it was personal to me [if that makes sense]. 

 

Reading the beautiful experiences shared here--I can say I have something that functions like a spirit guide--but I don't perceive her as exterior to me. She feels like an aspect of my own consciousness on a different plane. 

[KiMo]

This is a very timely question for me @Misterei as this has been something I've also been asking myself over the last while... I've always been hopeful and intrigued by the thought that there may be external guides or guardians that form part of my existence, and for a long time I hoped that by holding my attention on the idea, they might effortlessly become more defined and obvious to me. That hasn't happened though, and even when I have directly asked as I go about my everyday life, I have never received any indication of who or what may be around me. At first I believed that it was down to me being expected to be independent and be watched from arm's length, as it were, but I realised that that perspective was likely down to the conditioning I had a a child. Why would a consciousness not part of material existence be tied to the earthly foibles of human relationships? 

 

I think what has become clear is that I need to not be afraid of being consistent and putting in long term effort to connect, as a person who is used to making fast decisions, who pivots hard at the first signs of something 'not working', and who likely has ADHD. Time passing and not achieving quickly enough in a world of endless possibilities has always been a great stressor for me. I figured out that I need to be more Knight of Pentacles and less Knight of Wands. With that said, I recently started to add to my meditation practice a short opening ritual; grounding myself, placing protection around myself, and inviting out loud those with grace and respect who have my wellbeing and growth at heart. The third time I did this, after around 10 minutes or so I felt someone brush the left side of my face with their fingers, so distinctly I physically jumped and snapped out of meditating. I had to ask out loud that I not be touched because I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that yet 😂 Anyway, through committing my mindset to slow and steady, which is a challenge for me, I quickly found out that I have someone with me. I don't know who yet, but with continued effort I hope that becomes clearer to me. (This is not to say, by the way, that those who haven't managed to connect yet aren't putting in the effort, it's more the fact that this method is something I had to come to terms with personally to work past my own issues and assumptions.)

 

Another event that struck me as interesting was during a reading that I did. After months of not touching cards I did a reading to ask for help, and every single card came out reversed (after decent and thorough shuffling). I was so upset and despondent that I started crying in anger and asked why it had to be so hard (so self pitying 😂). Immediately a voice in the left side of my head said 'because you like solving puzzles', which in fairness, is true. So alongside the wider understanding of reversals I also took on the challenge of solving the reading as a puzzle, and it became a really enriching experience. I haven't quite figured out for sure if that voice was me or not, but my instinct tells me that someone other than myself was talking to me.

 

Which brings me to the question of whether guides are external entities of a sort, or whether it's our higher selves communicating with us. I take a similar view to @JoyousGirl, that it's fluid, and that sometimes the 'upper' part of our being is what communicates with our worldly self, and that sometimes aspects of beings outside of ourselves will communicate with us. But that ultimately, it's all part of the same underlying source. I have certainly experienced somatic intuitive nudges and clear synchronicities as well, which I understand as further different mechanisms that function in existence, and that we will be presented with the information we need in the way that's right in the moment. 

 

My post is already super long (apologies, I'm really enjoying expressing all of this stuff after a long time away 😂) so I won't get into the subject of angels as we'll be here forever, but in terms of people stating they have a personal angel, to me it feels more that they connect strongly with that elevated concept rather than claiming it for their own, if that makes sense...

[Misterei]

On 1/4/2026 at 5:59 AM, KiMo said:

I think what has become clear is that I need to not be afraid of being consistent and putting in long term effort to connect, as a person who is used to making fast decisions, who pivots hard at the first signs of something 'not working', and who likely has ADHD. Time passing and not achieving quickly enough in a world of endless possibilities has always been a great stressor for me. I figured out that I need to be more Knight of Pentacles and less Knight of Wands. ...

Your experience reminds me of my attempts at Lucid Dreaming. I worked very hard at it [at first] but it didn't happen. What DID happen is better dream recall, a commitment to dream journaling and many precognitive dreams where I dreamt about events that happened either the next day or next few days. Rarely I actually DO have lucid dreams. In any case although I didn't "acheive the goal" of lucid dreaming on a regular basis--the change to my lifestyle [dream journaling] had positive effects in my life. One of which is a feeling that my spirit guides [whether internal or external] communicate to me in dreams.

 

On 1/4/2026 at 5:59 AM, KiMo said:

... I quickly found out that I have someone with me. I don't know who yet, but with continued effort I hope that becomes clearer to me. ...

I also am approaching this question with curiosity.

The guided meditations course teaches that we have 3 guides. An earth guide [for worldly matters] a spiritual guide [spiritual growth] and a mystical guide [for journeys and astral travel and whatnot]. In one respect it seems silly to have such a rigid system. In another respect it makes sense and I'm curious about it. Astral travel [or whatever you like to call it] has always felt natural to me. LOL so either that "guide" as been with me all along or I simply don't need a guide for this. Hmm.

On 1/4/2026 at 5:59 AM, KiMo said:

... I was so upset and despondent that I started crying in anger and asked why it had to be so hard (so self pitying 😂). Immediately a voice in the left side of my head said 'because you like solving puzzles', which in fairness, is true. So alongside the wider understanding of reversals I also took on the challenge of solving the reading as a puzzle, and it became a really enriching experience. I haven't quite figured out for sure if that voice was me or not, but my instinct tells me that someone other than myself was talking to me.

Ah! The Voice From Beyond. Is it my higher self? Is it an external guide?

Does it matter?

On 1/4/2026 at 5:59 AM, KiMo said:

Which brings me to the question of whether guides are external entities of a sort, or whether it's our higher selves communicating with us. I take a similar view to @JoyousGirl, that it's fluid, and that sometimes the 'upper' part of our being is what communicates with our worldly self, and that sometimes aspects of beings outside of ourselves will communicate with us. ...

Yes. I think I'm coming round to this point of view. 

On 1/4/2026 at 5:59 AM, KiMo said:

My post is already super long (apologies, I'm really enjoying expressing all of this stuff after a long time away 😂) so I won't get into the subject of angels as we'll be here forever, but in terms of people stating they have a personal angel, to me it feels more that they connect strongly with that elevated concept rather than claiming it for their own, if that makes sense...

I love reading a long and thoughtful post 😉

Angels are the one thing I have definitely experienced as outside of myself. And I do have a personal angel who isn't me.

Yet this Being defies all the normal descriptions. Not a "guardian angel". Not a "spirit guide". 

When asked, the angel told me "his" name and where "he" comes from--but the relationship is more a companion or friendship. It doesn't fit neatly into the boxes that angels are supposed to be. I also have experienced healing angels [not as personal guides--angels that came when called].

To your point about some angels being an elevated part of someone's common consciousness--I have experienced the "angel self" of a couple people I know. Not everyone. I don't experience that everyone has an "angel self" but a couple of people definitely have this aspect of their Being.

[Misterei]

Updates on my Quest for Spirit Guides [if they exist for me].

In spite of the initial failure to get anything from spirit guides lessons, today's lesson was for contacting dearly departed. 

My maternal grandfather who I've never met [died before I was born] came through. Which was a surprise. I asked him my question and got an answer. Which was a 2 year time frame. So I suppose I won't be able to check for accuracy for quite some time. Hmm. Was it even really him? WHen I asked him a test question--did he die peacefully?--he replied yes. I don't know anything about this, so am waiting to hear back from my cousin if she remembers.

 

[Nemia]

Two years ago, I worked through Nancy Hendrickson's book Ancestral Tarot. I'm a hobby genealogist and can follow my family tree back to the 16th century, although some parts are missing. Exploring the personalities and fates of my ancestors was really an eye-opener for me, and I found the great-great-grandmother whom I feel very attached to. I know where she lived, and I'm going to visit that place one day, just a simple little house that has survived all those years. I find it easy to believe that we're all one fabric woven together, and that our bloodlines can tell us something and bring us into contact with the past. 

 

I did the readings Nancy suggested for all my ancestors, four generations back. Just to see how many people they are is astounding. We're all following a silent group of people we don't know, back into the unknown past. I don't believe that the dead simply disappear. They come to us in dreams and the half-conscious state before we fall asleep, they call to us, they warn and help us, and sometimes hand down also hurt and trauma. We can contact them, and whether that's an illusion because we actually contact our own higher Self, or whether it's really them, doesn't really matter to me because they're in our genes and we carry them in our bodies, minds and souls. 

 

A week ago, I stood at the family grave where my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents are buried. They live on in my memory, and I feel their presence every day. My great-grandmother was a lovely woman, beloved by everybody who knew her, and it's pretty amazing that I'm in contact with most of her great-grandchildren. We all feel that she would have been happy about that. I'm absolutely sure that she watches over all of us and that we will do the same one day for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Love is eternal and doesn't die when our bodies do. 

 

I don't have experience with non-family spirit guides but I also believe in elective affinities. For me, the gods, saints and angels that we were told about and read about are real as well. I have loved mythology, folk and fairy tales all my life, and I think our lives are interwoven with the stories we preserve. Even literary mythologies like Tolkien's have their own reality. 

 

We pride ourselves on thinking rationally, and of course, rationality has its place in our lives. However, if we forget the invisible bonds that connect us to the past, we cut off a part of ourselves. 

 

I keep talking to my great-grandmother, my father, my great-great-grandmother and other deceased family members, and they are real in my life, my dreams, my ideas and the way I live my life. And the two invisible friends I had as a child haven't disappeared completely either. I believe that working with the tarot can help us keep these channels open. 

 

Nancy Hendrickson's book helped me and inspired me, and I'm grateful for it. It's a workbook, and I focused more on getting into touch with my ancestors than finding negative energies and emotions coming down into my life from past generations. I could feel some problems, but mostly, I felt love, support and warmth coming through. I felt very blessed when I realised that. 

 

I used the Anna K. Tarot and the Tarot of Mystical Moments for these readings, and I keep returning to them. They were maybe the most meaningful readings I have ever done. 

 

I also believe in the power of places. There's a reason why people return to the places where their ancestors came from. Standing in the church where my grandparents married was powerful, and walking through the street where my great-grandfather walked every day, I felt certain that nothing is lost. It's all there, but it's not always easy to find it in the buzz and hassle of everyday life. 

 

So yes, I have spirit guides, and they're from my family and from the places my family comes from. 

 

[Tanga]

2 hours ago, Nemia said:

... I find it easy to believe that we're all one fabric woven together, and that our bloodlines can tell us something and bring us into contact with the past. 

 

I did the readings Nancy suggested for all my ancestors, four generations back. Just to see how many people they are is astounding. We're all following a silent group of people we don't know, back into the unknown past. I don't believe that the dead simply disappear. They come to us in dreams and the half-conscious state before we fall asleep, they call to us, they warn and help us, and sometimes hand down also hurt and trauma. We can contact them, and whether that's an illusion because we actually contact our own higher Self, or whether it's really them, doesn't really matter to me because they're in our genes and we carry them in our bodies, minds and souls. 

 

 

...So yes, I have spirit guides, and they're from my family and from the places my family comes from. 

 

 

THIS.  Is anyone here a fan of the sci-fi series Dune (The Novels)?  If so - your mind will automatically go to the Benegesirit order and the character Alia, or St. Alia of the Knife - who was so influenced by all her generational ancestors (they all spoke to her aloud in her head & in fact vied for attention) - that she eventually went insane.

Anybody in our past is not dead - because they are in our DNA. Their voices - are our voices, or segments of voices that we may hear or "know".

 

I recognise my grandmothers in some of the things I do and the thoughts I think. One was benign & extremely practical and down-to-earth. The other - not so much (Hmmm - this side can be quite interesting).  And on the subject of deities that are revered as the roots of a line @Raggydoll - I actually have one. Though... revered is not quite the word for me.

A woman, who became a tribal guide/Loa (in E. Africa they are not called Loa - but they are the equivalent) and spoke to the tribe annually to advise on future harvest practices etc. (after her death) - is mine. She is still honoured today in the tribal lands of my father.

 

Thank you @Nemia for this cute little ancestral spread.

[Tanga]

16 hours ago, Misterei said:

1)Your experience reminds me of my attempts at Lucid Dreaming. I worked very hard at it [at first] but it didn't happen. What DID happen is better dream recall, a commitment to dream journaling and many precognitive dreams where I dreamt about events that happened either the next day or next few days... 

 

2)The guided meditations course teaches that we have 3 guides. An earth guide [for worldly matters] a spiritual guide [spiritual growth] and a mystical guide [for journeys and astral travel and whatnot]. In one respect it seems silly to have such a rigid system.

 

3) When asked, the angel told me "his" name and where "he" comes from--but the relationship is more a companion or friendship. It doesn't fit neatly into the boxes that angels are supposed to be.

1) I Lucid dream naturally and always have. But you have given me an idea that I've never thought of... communication with guides in my lucid dreaming???..... Hmmmm.

To be explored!

I never have procognitive dreams, my mother does.  

I occasionally have prodromal dreams (warnings of developing health issues).

 

2) Systems are needed to give learners a framework & have some recognisable formula for everyone to understand (like the binomial latin classification of species for example). After one has learned - then you can break the mould and do your own thing - if that is appropriate.

 

3) The "box" of an Angel is again a structure that may not necessarily need to fit you.

Many different cultures have "Angels" - Messengers of God or Demi-Gods of some kind.

 

"Angels don't come from a single culture but originate in ancient Near Eastern mythologies, evolving significantly within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Abrahamic faiths, with concepts also appearing in Zoroastrianism and other traditions, generally serving as divine messengers or guardians"

 

" 'Angels' can basically be traced back to the deities and demons of some of the earliest ancient Near Eastern pantheons"

 

"Depictions of angels vary remarkably across different cultures and artistic traditions...

Each variation reflects the values and attributes that a particular culture associates with the divine."

 

Etc.!.................

[DanielJUK]

I'll be honest and say I just don't know about my spirit guides, it's something I am completely undecided on and I am on a journey to work out in my own mind.

Obviously, I don't want to take away from anyone else's beliefs or spirituality and I can only talk about my own spiritual journey. 

I'm just not sure if my readings and spirituality are connected to ancestors or guides but then I get things in readings which are "outside me" and I could never know beforehand. I've had message and experiences which are spiritual. It's something I am still working out and maybe it would become clearer if I connected with them more or maybe they are just not a big thing for me. 

[Chariot]

1 hour ago, DanielJUK said:

I'll be honest and say I just don't know about my spirit guides, it's something I am completely undecided on and I am on a journey to work out in my own mind.

Obviously, I don't want to take away from anyone else's beliefs or spirituality and I can only talk about my own spiritual journey. 

I'm just not sure if my readings and spirituality are connected to ancestors or guides but then I get things in readings which are "outside me" and I could never know beforehand. I've had message and experiences which are spiritual. It's something I am still working out and maybe it would become clearer if I connected with them more or maybe they are just not a big thing for me. 

My opinion is that you don't need to 'name' where your guidance comes from!  We don't know for sure, do we?  However, we have experienced the 'outside me' guidance itself ...either when we've asked for it, or when we weren't even expecting it.   I'm happy—like you—to say "I don't know."   

[Raggydoll]

I understand that some people do not feel a need to know where there guidance comes from or to have any details about their potential spirit guides, but I do think there can be real benefits from figuring things out and going deeper in your relationship with your guides (should you want to). Having a connection with spirit guides goes well beyond receiving a nudge or some intuitive guidance. It can become a really important thing in your life. Your guide(s) might be able to answer specific questions and tell you things about yourself, your ancestry and your potential. They could help you protect yourself and set boundaries in the spirit realm, and they might help facilitate other spirit contacts (mediumship work and ancestral work). Some people will divine, heal or perform magic with/through their spirit guides. For me, it has been just as important to allow the guides to ask me questions and to instruct me in ways that I can be useful for them. Like I said, my guides have ancestral connections to me and I find it extremely valuable to know as much as possible about them and about my history. I also want them to know that I care and I would like to be of help when I can. 

 

I also would like to comment on whether spirit guides can be felt within our outside yourself. I think both things are possible. For me personally, I will experience spirit guides in my 'inner world'. The same goes for most of my ancestors. However, the more recently departed will often appear outside of me, and these spirits will typically communicate telepathically with me, so there is an inner component there as well. I have had ancestors who were not my spirit guides who showed up in visions or who acted more like traditional ghosts and I could perceive them outside of me. In my experience it seems as if different spirits exists on different planes, and my spirit guides are best accessed in the mind-realm. I do not think that newly deceased people tend to act as spirit guides, nor would every spirit guide have ever been a human. Let's just say that it is complicated but really fascinating, and that it is well worth exploring this stuff if you are the least inclined to do so. 

[KiMo]

On 1/5/2026 at 6:26 PM, Misterei said:

Your experience reminds me of my attempts at Lucid Dreaming. I worked very hard at it [at first] but it didn't happen. What DID happen is better dream recall, a commitment to dream journaling and many precognitive dreams where I dreamt about events that happened either the next day or next few days. Rarely I actually DO have lucid dreams. In any case although I didn't "acheive the goal" of lucid dreaming on a regular basis--the change to my lifestyle [dream journaling] had positive effects in my life. One of which is a feeling that my spirit guides [whether internal or external] communicate to me in dreams.

I definitely think this is a valuable stance to have on developing abilities or making connections that we're curious about, I suppose it's more like opening a door (safely) in the general direction we would like to go in, but being mindful of letting go of any attachment to an outcome and accepting the process in whichever way it plays out. Hard to do when you want certainty and specifics, but a lesson to be learned (for me anyway).

 

On 1/5/2026 at 6:26 PM, Misterei said:

The guided meditations course teaches that we have 3 guides. An earth guide [for worldly matters] a spiritual guide [spiritual growth] and a mystical guide [for journeys and astral travel and whatnot]. In one respect it seems silly to have such a rigid system. In another respect it makes sense and I'm curious about it.

I have such a love / hate relationship with prescribed structures 😂 On one hand I very much believe in the fluidity of nature, things playing out in their unique ways, allowing (within safe parameters and reason) growth to happen however it wants to without paradigms. But then, that usually leaves me overwhelmed by the potentiality of it all and I freeze as I can't find the place to start! So I need to have a structure to focus on, a set path to follow, and I have to make peace with any feelings of contrivance. You say you're curious about this course which is how I should be approaching exercises like these (I mean, duh) as how do we know what we may actually discover by starting from the simplest of concepts? This is of course what @Tanga points out in a later post.

 

On 1/5/2026 at 6:26 PM, Misterei said:

Angels are the one thing I have definitely experienced as outside of myself. And I do have a personal angel who isn't me.

Yet this Being defies all the normal descriptions. Not a "guardian angel". Not a "spirit guide". 

When asked, the angel told me "his" name and where "he" comes from--but the relationship is more a companion or friendship. It doesn't fit neatly into the boxes that angels are supposed to be. I also have experienced healing angels [not as personal guides--angels that came when called].

I can relate to this description, I feel that I have had one experience of what I now think I would label as an angel. I was much younger, in a meditation circle, and something came to me that was totally benign but very powerful and somehow... Removed? Distant? Like it was utterly not part of our level of being, but 'dropped by' to give me encouragement and support. Wonderful to encounter and the help I needed at the time, but in no way an entity that I would have a more connected relationship with.

 

Your post was so beautiful @Nemia, and I very much agree with you. Part of my wondering and curiosity about all of this is the fact that I know I have family with me; my maternal grandfather has appeared in a couple of my dreams (we were very close before he developed dementia and subsequently passed away) and I feel a very strong sense of connection and belonging to my maternal line in general. Some amazing women preceded me (two that I know of with abilities, a great-great grandmother who was clairvoyant and a great-great aunt who was a medium) and I have a sense of someone of that legacy being with me, but I'm not sure exactly who. Interestingly, through talking about our independent experiences my mother and I came to realise that we may have been related in a previous life, which is pretty wild. I do have Ancestral Tarot on my bookshelf, but unfortunately haven't had the headspace to work through it mindfully. I mean to soon, and hope that some clues will start to reveal themselves...

 

And I love the way you outline the potential relationship @Raggydoll, there's so much richness in the way you describe it.

 

 

[Mi-Shell]

7 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Having a connection with spirit guides goes well beyond receiving a nudge or some intuitive guidance. It can become a really important thing in your life. Your guide(s) might be able to answer specific questions and tell you things about yourself, your ancestry and your potential. They could help you protect yourself and set boundaries in the spirit realm, and they might help facilitate other spirit contacts (mediumship work and ancestral work). Some people will divine, heal or perform magic with/through their spirit guides. For me, it has been just as important to allow the guides to ask me questions and to instruct me in ways that I can be useful for them. Like I said, my guides have ancestral connections to me and I find it extremely valuable to know as much as possible about them and about my history. I also want them to know that I care and I would like to be of help when I can. 

 

I also would like to comment on whether spirit guides can be felt within our outside yourself. I think both things are possible. For me personally, I will experience spirit guides in my 'inner world'. The same goes for most of my ancestors. However, the more recently departed will often appear outside of me, and these spirits will typically communicate telepathically with me, so there is an inner component there as well. I have had ancestors who were not my spirit guides who showed up in visions or who acted more like traditional ghosts and I could perceive them outside of me. In my experience it seems as if different spirits exists on different planes, and my spirit guides are best accessed in the mind-realm. I do not think that newly deceased people tend to act as spirit guides, nor would every spirit guide have ever been a human. Let's just say that it is complicated but really fascinating, and that it is well worth exploring this stuff if you are the least inclined to do so. 

 

My Ancestral Spirit Guides - from our Clan have helped and assisted meon numerous occasions over the years.

Often with my students (of shamanic Medicine) - we had a loooong thread about that on the oooold AT forum in the member's section. 

To give a view into something similar to what Raggy wrote, I will re- post a part of my Winter Solstice (sacred days of Yule) reading posted here on the forum:

 

Quoting my own writing:

For me ancestor worship and communication is a daily thing,

For my Siberian Ancestors the wisdom is, that the Ancestors 7 generations back are our direct guides and can give counsel. They have rested upon the Tree of Life for the past 7 generations and now, by watching over us, they are learning, what is going on in the world of the living these days,

The reason for that is, that their Aami Souls are the ones re-born next into the Clan – to unite with there Earth and their Spirit Soul and live as another human Clan member.

So Not only am I guided and protected, I am also teaching my Ancestors, about the beautiful mess that is today....

..... 7 generations from now – I have to come back – What will then be the mess of the day- back “home” in Siberia?