Who are these Spirit Guides? Spirit Guides (Guide or Guides for short) are personalities who have had at least one earthly experience as human beings, and upon request, have agreed to be our Guide in a given lifetime. Generally, those who qualify to serve as Guides have completed their earthly journeys with no further need for them to reincarnate.

Our relationship with our Guide probably represents the highest level of personal relationship between two beings. If there were any other being worthy of the term, "soul mate," our Guide certainly would qualify as one. They know and understand us like no other.

We bring them in from the very beginning of the process leading to reincarnation. From that point, that personality is obligated to see us through life. He or she is completely and totally devoted to us without reservation no matter how difficult things may get. The responsibilities of a Guide begin the moment he or she agrees to be our Guide and continues through life and back to the afterlife. Imagine being on call twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week for life, you'd have an idea of the tremendous responsibilities of a Guide.

Do I Have A Spirit Guide?

We all have Guides and we all benefit from their assistance and guidance, whether or not we know it. Very few people are able to hear and exchange verbal communications with their Guides, or occasionally see their foggy, ghostly image materialize; some people only sense and feel the presence of their Guide; some people know the signs that their Guide is present, and still others do not believe in the existence of these Guides.

A person's experience with his Guide would depend on his level of spiritual development and on the path he has chosen to take in this incarnation. Generally, the closer a person is to the end of his earthly experiences, where further reincarnations may not be necessary, or the more spiritually a person has evolved, the greater his chances of being able to experience an occasional materialization of his Guide, and the greater his chances of being able to communicate with him or her in a two-way communication.

Some aspects of spiritual work would require regular communication with one's Guide. For example, if a person is involved in channeling through his Guide, chances are greater that he will be able to communicate with his Guide.

The most common experience among those who are able to communicate with their guide is by hearing. They hear, but not see, their Guide and there is a good reason for that. You will recall from the discussion of "The Invisible Glass Structure" that it is just as difficult for personalities in the afterlife to descend to a lower level than where they exist just as it is for us to ascend to a level beyond the earth plane. It requires tremendous effort, and may often require permission from the council of elders before a personality from the afterlife can descend.

If it were not difficult, more people would be able to communicate with the afterlife at will. But for now, that "invisible ceiling" that separates us from the Other Side has not been removed. We are not that evolved yet. However, it is my hope that as we evolve, there will come a time when this ceiling will become more translucent, allowing us to see and experience more of the afterlife.

In my case, I do not hear my Guide's voice, but I cannot mistake the presence of his energy whenever present. His presence is usually accompanied by a feeling of reassurance in times when I need reassurance; sudden surge of inspiration and uplifting thoughts; ideas; solutions to problems; encouragement; or a reminder of things past in order to understand the present, to mention just a few. Our Guides have many ways of communicating with us when necessary, whether or not you know it.

Does My Guide Hear My Prayers?

You might be wondering now what happens when we are in trouble and pray for assistance. "Where is my Guide when I need him," you may ask. Does he or she not hear my prayers? Answers to these questions are simple. Would you like your telephone to be wiretapped by others so they can listen in on your conversations? Would you like your mails opened and read by others? There are privacy issues in the afterlife just as in our material world.

Prayers are personal communications between the petitioner and his or her God. When people pray, they do not generally direct their prayers to Spirit Guides, and they shouldn't. Prayers are directed to a God, a much higher force than Spirit Guides. Therefore, Guides do not have access to our prayers because that would be a violation of our privacy, and they have limited power to grant some of our requests. Remember, they are no different from us,

However, when we pray, we can ask that our petitions or some contents of it be revealed to our Guide. We can ask for permission on behalf of our Guide to be a recipient of our petitions as well. For example, we can ask that we be more sensitive to the presence of our Guide and to any directions he or she may wish to give us. We can ask that our Guide reveal him or herself to us in a manner that would be unmistakable. While such petitions are specifically for our Guide, it is still directed to a much higher power (than a Spirit Guide) that is capable of granting the request. A more general petition would also accomplish the same thing as the above prayers.

For example, when we petition that we be more sensitive and receptive to any ideas, impressions, or thoughts that cosmic forces may wish to reveal to us during meditation, we are not limiting any such impressions or thoughts to coming from our Guide. The general phrase, "cosmic forces" would automatically include our Guide.

We must not assume that our Guide would automatically respond to our needs for guidance. We must make efforts to open up to them by communicating with them regularly through our thoughts, prayers, petition, and meditation. When necessary, we must communicate specific needs for guidance to them before they can respond. You do not have to hear or see your Guide to be a recipient of his guidance. In fact, even those who don't believe in any force beside themselves are also beneficiaries of the services that their Guide has to offer.

Those who believe only in science will be surprised to know that even the scientific knowledge they possess may have come from either their past experiences here and in the afterlife, from other scientists in the afterlife, or through the guidance of their Guide. Even if the knowledge comes from their past experiences, their Guide may have been instrumental in bringing that knowledge to the forefront and in reminding them of the "forgotten knowledge."

Part 2 of Spirit Guides: The Unsung Heroes will be published here on November 26, 2004

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Article by Isaac Nwokogba. A lifelong student of Christianity, spirituality, metaphysical traditions, and traditional African religions, Isaac Nwokogba has written three books and published many articles on various aspects of spirituality. Seeds of Luck focuses on the cosmic law of manifestation and America, Here I Come examines the law of compensation. His latest book is Voices from Beyond: The God Force, the Other Side, and You - www.voicesfrombeyond.com