Category: Spirit Guides
5 Most Common Spirit Animals
Each spirit animal possesses unique symbolism, and these diverse traits correspond to different animals. Whether it’s the wisdom of the owl or the adaptability of the fox, each spirit animal embodies distinct qualities that resonate with individuals seeking their guidance.
The Wolf
Wolf Symbolism
- Sharp intelligence, deep connection with instincts
- Appetite for freedom
- Expression of strong instincts
- Feeling threatened, lack of trust in someone or in yourself
- Positive symbolism of the wolf spirit animal
Wolf Characteristics
Positive meanings emphasize a deep connection with your intuition and instincts. On the negative side, the wolf could represent a perceived threat or a lack of trust in someone or your own feelings or actions. This spirit animal also reflects sharp intelligence in dealing with important matters.
When you have the wolf as a spirit animal, it could be an expression of your sharp intelligence and strong instincts. The wolf symbolizes a strong connection with instincts, and when it appears as an animal spirit guide, it could point to a way of perceiving and understanding the world around you that works similarly.
Whether the wolf appears in physical form or in a dream or meditation, it may reveal that you’re using your instincts and intuition to grasp a situation well. The fact that your wolf animal spirit guide shows up could also be a call to use this capacity to deal with a recent challenge you’ve experienced in your life.
If the presence of the wolf feels threatening, take notice of how your instinctual nature and raw emotions can jeopardize your balance or the balance of people around you. Your power animal may appear in such light to warn you about the devouring instincts of those belonging to somebody around you.
Wolf power or spirit animals point to an appetite for freedom and living life powerfully, guided by instincts. When a wolf manifests its presence as a guide in your life, it could be a call to live your life more freely, to bring the intensity of passion in your everyday endeavors.
Wolves are wild animals that are not easily domesticated, and when they appear as spirit guides, they could be an invitation to look at what supports your authentic self and the true expression of yourself. The wolf totem is a reminder to keep your spirit alive and trust your instincts to find the way that will best suit you.
A wolf totem animal can represent a perceived threat or feeling you are being threatened. The presence of this spirit animal could be a reminder of an event, situation, or person you feel threatened by. The wolf could reflect something that may have a “predatory” feel to it and instill a feeling of vulnerability that is not reassuring. Encountering your spirit animal in such a way invites you to look at who or what in your life is having such an influence.
Perhaps your spirit animal is warning you about challenges with personal boundaries: You may feel you have exposed yourself too much to someone or in a certain situation and need to pull back or strengthen emotional or physical boundaries with that person or in the context of that experience. The wolf as a spirit animal could also remind you that you’re facing stiff competition at work or that the behavior of people around may feel like you have to deal with a “pack of wolves.”
Since a common meaning for the wolf spirit animal emphasizes the role of instincts, having this animal as a guide or totem could point to your relationship with how you live your life and, more specifically, how you trust or mistrust your instincts and intuitive guidance. Check whether you feel threatened by your own instincts and feelings. The presence of your wolf power animal could reflect your inner emotional landscape and bring to your awareness your own feelings about a matter that is highly emotionally charged.
The Owl
Owl Symbolism
- Intuition or the ability to see what others do not see
- The presence of the owl announces a change
- Capacity to see beyond deceit and masks
- Wisdom
- The traditional meaning of the owl spirit animal is the announcer of death, most likely symbolic like a life transition, change
Owl Characteristics
The owl is perhaps best known for being able to see in the dark. As a spirit animal, the owl guides you to see beyond the veil of deception and illusion; it helps see what’s kept hidden. It also symbolizes the ability to cut through illusions and see the real meaning of someone’s action or state of mind. When the owl is one of your power animals, you have a strong intuition and can access information and wisdom that’s usually hidden from most. The spirit of this animal encourages you to look beyond deceiving appearances into the true reality of a situation or a person’s motives.
The owl is a strong spirit guide for discernment and making decisions based on solid foundations. Call on the owl totem when you have to assess a situation or are going through confusing times. If you have an owl as a totem or spirit animal, you probably like to explore the unknown. Nighttime is particularly auspicious for your creativity, so take the time to focus your creative energy then. The mysteries of life are a fascinating field of interest. As the owl guides your steps, you are likely to develop an appreciation for life’s magic.
When the owl shows up in your life, listen and look out for the subtle signs that are around you. Your animal spirit guide is a great helper to be attentive to what usually goes below your radar but is now of particular importance. The owl is also a guide to uncovering your hidden potential and abilities. Check whether you need to reveal more of your intuitive nature.
Owl spirit animals are symbolic of death in many traditions. In most cases, however, it should not be taken literally: If the owl is associated with death, it can be viewed as a symbolic death, meaning a transition in life and important changes that are taking place or about to happen. When the owl shows up in your life, pay attention to the winds of change. Perhaps you are about to leave some old habits, a situation that no longer serves you, or bring something new into your life.
The Bear
Bear Symbolism
- The primary meaning of the bear spirit animal is strength and confidence
- Standing against adversity, taking action, and leadership
- The spirit of the bear indicates it’s time for healing or using healing abilities to help self or others
- The bear medicine emphasizes the importance of solitude, quiet time, rest
- The spirit of the bear provides strong grounding forces
Bear Characteristics
The spirit of the bear is a strong source of support in times of difficulty. It provides courage and a stable foundation to face challenges. When the bear shows up as a spirit guide in your life, it’s perhaps time to stand for your beliefs or your truth. This power animal will provide support and strength. The bear is also a guide to take leadership in your life or in other people’s lives. This animal is feared and admired for its strength. Its presence inspires respect. Its strength and powerful stature will inspire you to step into a leadership role in your life, and take action without fear.
When you invoke the power of the bear totem, reflect on the qualities of inner strength, fearlessness, and confidence in yourself and how you can project them into your world.
Since the bear is often associated with shamans in many traditions, this spirit animal can symbolize healing abilities and step into the role of the healer. If the bear shows up in your life, it may also be time to take care of your own needs for healing, whether it’s at the physical, emotional, or spiritual level. Be sensitive to where you are and reflect on where you would most need healing. You can call on the bear spirit guidance to direct your energy in a more conservative or focused way.
The bear is an animal that lives a solitary life. Having a bear as a spirit animal can mean that you find balance and comfort in solitude. The presence of this power animal could point to the need to “regroup” and set up boundaries, so you feel comfortable in your own space. It may be a call to find time away from the crowd or busyness and favor quiet time and rest. The bear spirit can also be a great helper to dedicate time and energy to more introspective practices, such as self-inquiry or meditation. Call on the spirit of the bear to help you find your center and ground yourself in a strong foundation that will support you in more busy and noisy times.
The Hawk
Hawk Symbolism
- Hawk is the messenger of the spirit world
- Use the power of focus
- Take the lead when the time is right
- Power to see, clear vision
- Strong connection with spirit, increased spiritual awareness
Hawk Characteristics
The hawk can soar high and reach the heavens effortlessly. As with most bird totems, this power animal is often considered a messenger who brings messages from the spirit world and the unseen. If you have the hawk as a spirit animal, you may be inclined to play with divination tools and use your intuition to guide your steps in life. Working with the hawk totem could reinforce your ability to rely on this type of guidance. When the hawk shows up in your life, be sensitive to the messages it may carry and be receptive to your own intuition.
Hawk spirit animals invite us to be focused on our daily undertakings. When you feel the presence of the hawk totem, avoid distractions and focus on the task at hand. At the same time, hawks can soar and fly high in the sky. This animal has the power to provide support in gaining a higher level of perspective on any issue or project you undertake. When the hawk appears in your life, it’s perhaps time to be less distracted by the details and focus on the higher perspective. Relying on the hawk power, you can see what’s ahead clearly and defy any obstacles that may be on your way. A specific way the hawk guidance works is to use a high-level yet clear and focused vision to guide your action.
The hawk is also a bird of prey. Having this animal as a spirit guide emphasizes your ability to lead and influence others. When the hawk is present in your life, it could signify that it’s time to take more initiative and be active. Hawks symbolize the power of observation. This spirit animal’s guidance may also indicate that you have the opportunity to study a situation before taking action. Observe the situation and then act when the time is right.
The hawk spirit animal is associated with the power of vision. If you have the hawk as a totem, you have or are developing the ability to see clearly and have strong visions. Perhaps, you even use clairvoyant skills to support your goals in life and communication with others. Just like the hawk can see in great detail at great distances, you may be able to perceive what others do not. You may have an affinity with piercing life’s great mysteries and divination in one form or another.
When you have the hawk as a spirit animal, you may have a natural inclination to receive visions, either in dreams or awake. Your extra sensory abilities and intuition are supported by the power of this animal. The hawk totem is strongly connected to the spiritual realms. When it shows up in your life, you may be called to observe and experience rapid spiritual development. As you develop your relationship with your totem, you may be inspired to feel your connection with spirit more fully.
The Fox
Fox Symbolism
- Physical or mental responsiveness, increased awareness
- Cunning; seeing through deception; call to be discerning
- Ability to find your way around, to be swift in tricky situations
- Affinity with nocturnal activities and dream work
Fox Characteristics
When the fox appears in your life as a spirit animal, it encourages action and quick, swift moves. You may be called to take action in a way that shows your adaptability and ability to move quickly through obstacles and resistance.
Being inspired by a fox totem, you can work at developing the sharpness of your mental skills: Analytical intelligence, power of deduction, and observation can come into play more powerfully in how you deal with daily matters or bigger projects. The spirit of the fox may also imply that you are sharpening your physical alertness and responsiveness.
When the fox appears in your life, it may indicate that you need to pay heed to people or circumstances that may be deceiving or tricking you into going down a path that does not necessarily serve you. This spirit animal may call you to be more discerning in relationships, whether it’s in business or friendships, or in choices you make for yourself. Following the fox totem wisdom, look for any area of your life where you may be cunningly led to do something else than you would in all reason do. Use discernment in your choices and actions.
The fox, as a spirit guide, offers good teachings about getting around obstacles instead of confronting them head-to-head. You might find that you could renew or be smarter about how you deal with areas of resistance in your life or projects. Having the fox as a spirit animal, you may be guided to learn from lessons in a way that may feel like you are being challenged or sometimes even being tricked. To make the most of the fox totem wisdom, keep a strong sense of humor and be smart of the lessons you learn.
The power of the fox is a great support to develop your ability to find the sharpest and smartest solution to any problem. Call on the fox guidance when you feel lost and need help finding your way.
Foxes are most active at night but also are day animals. By affinity with the animal totem, you may like to be active and bring your creativity to its peak during nighttime as it gives you the space to be closer to your natural state.
Working with dreams is a particularly useful practice for those who have the fox as a spirit guide. The affinity with the night activities supports the connection with the dream world.
What to Do Once You Have Found Your Spirit Animal
Once you have found your spirit animal and have started to understand the characteristics and traits it embodies, it’s time to assimilate those positive elements into your life. The more you begin to incorporate these traits, the stronger the connection you’ll forge with that animal and with your true nature.
Meditate regularly on your animal spirit guide and ask it for guidance and listen to what it tells you. If your spirit animal is a cat, it can teach you how to become more zen in your life, if it’s an owl, it will likely imbue wisdom on you. Being mindful of these traits can have a profound impact on your life and teach you lessons you may have missed otherwise.
Assignment: Hone Your Observation Skills
In order to connect with the true essence of your passage, you must first learn how to find your spirit animal. The path to finding your spirit animal is best followed through observation. Whether dreaming, meditating, or simply observing and identifying with nature, discovering your spirit animal leads to inspiration and empowerment. On your spirit animal quest, remain present, and look for connections with animals, from squirrels in your gardens, a fox on the side of the road at night, or the white buffalo that visits you in your dreams.
In a journal, document the details of your encounters with animals, including your resulting emotions and the events surrounding these encounters.
In a world filled with constant change and challenges, the enduring significance of spirit animal guides becomes ever more apparent. This powerful spiritual tradition has endured because it offers a profound connection to nature, inner wisdom, and a greater understanding of ourselves. Embracing their wisdom empowers us to navigate life’s journey with clarity, purpose, and an enriched sense of harmony with the world around us.
To further your journey, explore Gaia’s collection of spiritual growth documentaries and docu-series, as well as those focused on nature and animals.
What are the different types of spirit guides?
Some spirit guides have been with you for your entire life, even since before you were born. Others came on your team as you needed them at different times in your life, and you can use your free will to request more spirit guides still.
Your particular spiritual guidance squad, the team of spirit guides assigned to you, could include any or all of the following:
Archangels
Archangels are leaders in the angel world and have a powerful, very large energy signature. If you’re an empath or are sensitive to energy, when you call on an archangel you might feel an energy shift in the room. Each archangel has a specialty, like Archangel Raphael’s specialty of healing, and can work with countless humans at once.
Guardian angels
Guardian angels are yours exclusively, and we each have more than one! Guardian angels have devoted their lives to helping just you. Call on them anytime for immediate assistance. They love you unconditionally, forever. Remember that angels are nondenominational and work with people of all faiths and spiritual beliefs.
Spirit animals
Spirit animals might be a pet you once had who passed away and is now part of your spiritual guidance squad. Spirit animals can also be any animal that has something to teach you, like the peacock teaching you the importance of beauty or confidently owning your gifts, or the wolf showing you the importance of getting your survival needs met.
Spirit animals could show up for the first time in a dream, in your backyard, or on your co-worker’s coffee mug.
Ascended masters
Ascended masters like Buddha or Mother Mary were once human, living journeys of deep spiritual growth and influence. Now they have a special place as leaders in the spirit world and as guides/teachers to humans like you.
My guides have told me that all ascended masters are partners and work together in harmony, no matter what culture or religion they were part of when they were alive.
Departed loved ones
Loved ones or family members who’ve passed on may choose to be one of your spirit guides and actively support you from heaven by helping you in very practical ways, like sending career opportunities or nurturing relationships your way.
One of your grandmothers could be an important spirit guide for you, whether you knew her well in life or not.
In fact, any human who has passed on might become a spirit guide for you. If you’re a dancer, you could have a spirit guide on your team who was once a dancer and performer too and now wants to help guide and inspire you as an artist.
Helper angels
Helper angels are “freelance angels,” so to speak, who are just looking for humans to help with specific situations, like finding new friends or finding a new office space.
How do spirit guides communicate with us?
Spirit guides will often enter your life by sending you signs, also called synchronicities. Carl Jung defined synchronicity as “a meaningful coincidence.”
An example would be realizing you need to improve your romantic relationship after having a fight with your partner before bedtime, and out of the blue the next day you notice a book about communication in romantic relationships sitting on a co-worker’s desk.
Spirit guides could also communicate to you through numbers or number sequences like 111, or you might have a lucky number, and when you go for a job interview, your lucky number is in the company’s address.
Spirit guides could talk to you by sending musical messages, like a song that always inspires you playing on the radio when you get in the car after a rough day.
Spirit guides might send you a dream that gives you an idea about how to handle a situation, or a guide could even appear to you in a dream.
Spirit guides even send helpful people and opportunities your way, another form of communication that often requires you to take action (asking an interesting new person in your life out to lunch, buying a ticket to a transformational workshop) regarding the person or opportunity your guide has sent or somehow put on your radar.
10 ways to start communicating with your spirit guides.
Here are some practical strategies for connecting to your guidance squad and recognizing their signs and synchronicities:
1. Be more present in your everyday life.
Part of getting more guidance from your spirit guides is recognizing the messages they are already sending. Many times the messages our guides send are lost on us because our lives are too busy or our minds are too busy.
Action step: Try opening up some space in your schedule or taking some responsibilities off your plate, if possible. When you’re not rushing around, you’ll notice more messages from your guides. Help quiet your mind by finding a meditation practice that works for you so you can get better at creating more space in between your thoughts.
2. Stay on the lookout every day for signs from your guides.
The more you watch for signs from your guides, the more you’ll recognize the signs they send. But something else magical happens too—as your guides sense you are more aware of them and their helpful messages, they will send more.
Action step: Remind yourself on your train commute to work or while you’re showering in the morning that every day your guides are sending you messages. If you’re trying to make a major decision, or you’re going through big changes or challenges, expect the guidance coming at you to increase to help you navigate this situation.
3. Start a spirit guide journal.
Get a special journal and devote it solely to increasing communication between you and your guides. This is a sacred place where you can write your guides a letter and ask them for assistance in specific ways.
While your guides know you and your life well, it can be powerful to use your free will to ask for help and guidance. You can also use this journal to record any important signs they send.
Action step: Write your guides a letter at the beginning of the week and express gratitude for a sentence or two about anything in your life you think they’ve helped with recently.
Then spend a few sentences asking them for help or guidance on a specific issue. For the rest of the week, watch for synchronicities from your guides regarding this issue.
4. Get to know your guides, and give them names.
You might give one of your guardian angels a name you’ve always loved, like Emily. Or you could be thinking of your guardian angel as you read a name in a novel, like Javier or Gigi, and that becomes their name.
Giving a guide a name makes them feel more real and may encourage you to connect with them more regularly. You may also come to know the personality of one of your guides after working more closely with them over time.
Action step: See if a name comes to you for one of your guides via your intuition or a synchronicity, or get creative and give them a name.
If a guide is always offering you help taking your career to the next level, they might be serious and motivated. Yet another guide could be playful and always send you humorous guidance, encouraging you to lighten up and enjoy the ride.
5. Surrender something to your guides.
When you’re frustrated about a situation, confused about the best next step, or feeling that you don’t have enough control, surrender an issue over to your guides. Even if it’s just to give yourself a little break. This can allow fresh insights to come to you as well as let your guides have more freedom to do their thing and help.
Action step: Practice energetically releasing an issue to your guides, perhaps just temporarily. Try to quiet your mind instead of strategizing and worrying. Use a mantra like, “I’m surrendering this issue over to my guides to see what they can do.”
6. Learn more about spirit guides.
Just researching spirit guides will help increase your communication with them. Look for experts and information that resonates with you and is positive, empowering, and healing.
Action step: Attend a workshop, take an online class, or read a book about spirit guides, like one of my most recent, Angel Intuition. Notice if simply learning more about them magically opens you up to more communication. Your guides will be excited they have your attention!
7. Improve your intuition.
Everyone has intuition, and everyone can improve their intuition with study and practice. There are actually four main intuitive pathways that you can play with and develop. (This intuition quiz can help you decide which one is the strongest for you.).
You can hear gentle voices in your mind (clairaudience); see guidance as images in your mind (clairvoyance); know guidance as breakthrough thoughts or mental downloads (claircognizance); or feel guidance as energy, emotions, or physical sensations (clairsentience).
Action step: Practice using your intuition to make small decisions the outcome of which aren’t a big deal, like where to go for lunch with a co-worker.
You can also play a game with your intuition right now by asking it which method here you should emphasize to communicate more with your spirit guides. Ask for a number between 1 and 10. Did you hear a number in your mind, see a number in your mind, have a strong knowing about a number as a thought, or feel drawn to a certain number when you looked back over this list?
8. Develop daily, weekly, or monthly spiritual practices.
Spirit guides are of the spirit world and have a powerful ability to ground you in your own spirituality or help you discover it.
Having regular spiritual practices—like drawing an oracle card every morning for inspiration, taking a meditative yoga class once a week, or attending a spiritual gathering once a month with other people—will create more intimacy with your spirit guides.
Action step: Do something in the next few weeks, like a new moon or full moon ritual, to create more regular spiritual practices in your life.
You can also make a list of some of your most important spiritual beliefs. For example, you may have a strong belief that the soul lives on after the body dies, or feel closer to Spirit whenever you spend time in nature.
9. Simply send your guides a message in your thoughts.
This may sound like the quickest and easiest way to connect to your spirit guides, but it really works. You can make a formal prayer or blessing, or you can simply tell them what you need in your thoughts with a brief sentence or two.
Action step: As soon as you finish reading this article, ask your spirit guides for help in your thoughts with something you’ve been worried about. Then also ask for help from a loved one, co-worker, expert, or health care professional. You deserve all the support you need!
10. Use a divination tool.
Humans have been using divination tools to communicate with Spirit for as long as humans have been around. Oracle cards, tarot cards, runes…there are many divination tools. Try different methods and see what works best for you.
Action step: Before you work with your divination tool, take your cards or anything else in your hands and hold them for a minute, closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths to center yourself. Then silently ask your spirit guides to send you a helpful, healing message through this tool.
3 Tips to Meet Your Joy Guides
Updated 2020.03.09
Joy is the pathway to ascension.
You have Spirit Guides to assist you in just about any area of your life.
There are Spirit Guides to help with practical things such as finding the right job, finding the right partner, and helping to set you up for the best learning and growing experiences.
All Spirit Guides together work to ascend those they watch over towards a life of Joy and greater love. However, there are specific Spirit Guides who focus on aligning you to more Joy.
These Spirit Guides are called Joy Guides.
Joy Guides assist you with more than just going through the motions of your soul’s journey and life path. They promote you in actually enjoying your ride and finding contentment while you are here on Earth.
joy guides
Joy Guides specifically bring you towards opportunities to experience with your whole body greater sensations of happiness, wholeness, completeness, and love.
Their job is to set you up for life experiences that will awaken you to more life experiences that will fill your heart with feelings of Joy and delight.
Today, Joy Guides are showing up more than ever, and they are essential guides for co-creating.
Call on them when you think they are least with you in times of grief, sadness, and when you feel alone, incomplete or separate or when you don’t know what to do to move forward.
The pinnacle of human experience is the vibration of Joy, so whatever situation is creating friction against this, you can ask a Joy Guide what to do to release and transmute it.
call on a joy guide anytime you need a boost in
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How you feel
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How you look at the world
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How you experience the world
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Fashion, makeup or self-expression
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Your overall level of happiness
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Your appearance, the better we feel about ourselves, the more beautiful we are to others and thus the more Joy we experience
reasons to meet a joy guide
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To ascend to a higher vibrational feeling daily, making happiness your normal state
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When you desire to be happier and more content but aren’t sure the pathway there
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You could use an uplifting experience or series of experiences
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You are going somewhere fun, and want to make sure it is the most magical it can be
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To fill your life with dashes of magic and more miracles
If you answered three or more of the above reasons or benefits, it’s time to formally meet your Joy Guide.
Your Joy Guide could appear as a person, a child, an animal, a bird, or a fairy. They can be Ascended Masters or Angels.
They could appear to you in any fashion, but most are fairy-like, unicorn-like, child-like, or angelic looking.
Most commonly, Joy Guides appear in your third eye, in your dreams, through transmitted sensations.
Can’t stop smiling lately? Your Joy Guide may already be with you.
To call them in, officially, have fun with the steps below –
3 tips meet your joy guide
1. go to a place that brings you joy
Physically go or visit in your heart. You can use music to get you there, a view, or even a fragrance. I like Nutmeg, Helichrysum or Cypress for Joy.
You can also call in your angels and feel their sensation.
Go dancing, to an amusement park, get your nails done, on a solo hike or anywhere. Breathe in anything that brings you ultimate happiness.
You can ask your Joy Guide to transmit an idea to you that will bring you closer to Joy, for funds for a trip, or even for an action that will give you more of what makes your heart sing.
Not sure what brings you Joy? Remember the last time you giggled like a child. What were you doing?
You will make the choice that best suits you for this day.
2. have fun there
Aspire to contentment, a gentle smile.
Even if you only spend the whole time smiling, once at your place, set your intention on having the most amount of fun and feeling it in your body.
Do the rides, listen to the songs, and be okay with being in a place of contentment. Allow your heart to fill with this feeling fully.
Have the most fun possible, then use the feeling of fullness in the heart to guide you to more fun and more opening.
3. at the moment you’re having the most fun, close your eyes
A Joy Guide is one of many types of guides, and sometimes they appear as fairies, ascended masters or angels.
Take three deep inhalations and three deep exhalations.
Ask your Joy Guide to step, float, or otherwise come forward into your energy space.
Then, see what you feel, sense, or hear.
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Do you have any tingles?
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Warmness?
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Buzziness?
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See anything in your mind’s eye?
Then ask for a name and notice what you see with your eyes closed, paying particular attention to any images, forms, or symbols you see.
What flows to you, without thinking?
This is the sensation of the presence of your Joy Guide. These sensations are your Joy Guide’s calling card.
While there are many types of Joy Guides, from many cultures, if you’re wondering what to expect, know Jesus and Archangel Haniel are both known for transmitting Joy, and can sometimes be Joy Guides.
When they come to you at a time when you are peaceful, sitting, or working, know they are with you and joining with your energy.
When your Joy Guide’s energy is near, remember this is the essence needed to transcend the limitations of the current situation.
Because Joy on Earth can be tangible, pay attention to any symbols you see or words you hear.
Then, to continue to work with your Joy Guide, take one step towards the direction of your Joy Guide’s essence each day.
You will slowly see your life change to mirror you.
for more on connecting with your joy guide
Check out the Spiritual Gateway Series which is part of the The Getting Started Kit.
Join The Membership Program, which includes 65+ meditations for accessing a clear spiritual connection to Guides, Angels and Masters, some have a specific purpose of ascending you towards Joy.
Amanda Linette Meder
amandalinettemeder.com
How You Can Meet Your Own Joy Guide & Bring Love Into Your Life
I wrote last summer that I had finally met my Joy Guide after getting frustrated that I hadn’t met her yet https://montclairmedium.com/blog/f/i-just-met-my-joy-guide . I mentioned that I would discuss how you too can meet your own Joy Guide, which I’ll do below. First, however, why do you think it is so important that we each meet our Joy Guide? Think about the every day world we live in, its constant conflicts, partisanship, disagreements, social unrest, high divorce rates, an opioid overdose crisis, an increasing teen suicide rate, the list goes on and on.
We seem to live in a world of unrest and unhappiness bordering on depression. Is this a state we want to live in? I think everyone wants to be happy and searches, sometimes in vain, for the magic elixir to cure their ills. I know the stresses of everyday life weigh heavily on people, including financial strain or job loss, relationship or marital problems, health issues, losing loved ones, just to name a few.
Yet it’s important to take a step back for a moment and take a look as if you were a distant observer of our own life (an interesting exercise I can assure you). For every heartache you may have, others have similar pains as you do. Also realize that there are certainly others who have problems that are much worse than yours, so you should consider yourself lucky. Consider your life from a relative perspective, and the picture becomes much clearer.
Furthermore, we are all here on this earth school to learn from our experiences, for we are spirits having a human experience https://montclairmedium.com/blog/f/we-are-spirit-beings . We come to earth to grow our spirit, and the only way we can do that is by experiencing challenging conditions https://montclairmedium.com/blog/f/were-each-here-for-a-reason Think back to your college days…didn’t you learn more from the difficult courses than you did from those that were too easy? Same holds true in life on earth. It’s no wonder it’s called the “school of hard knocks.”
The trouble many people seem to have is where they choose to place their attention or focus their energy. You can choose to pay attention to all the negative things in your life like loud neighbors, horrible traffic, mounting bills, mean/unfair bosses, health concerns that don’t seem to go away, a spouse who just doesn’t understand you, etc, etc. OR you can focus on the good things in your life (even if they’re small) and think about things like the beautiful day outside recently, a warm cup of coffee, a relaxing weekend, perhaps an adorable pet, family and friends, etc, etc. This will put you in a “happy place” much faster. If you like Monty Python, watch the movie Life of Brian and take the attitude of the criminal who’s being crucified at the end of the movie who’s singing, “Always look on the bright side of life.…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUhlRoBL8M Not only will this put you in a better mood, but it will get you thinking that it’s better to find what’s going right in your life rather than what’s going wrong.
It’s important to realize that “What we think about we bring about,” or as Buddha said, “All that we are is a result of what we have THOUGHT.” The thoughts that occupy our minds are so powerful, they manifest into reality in our lives. It’s up to each of us to create our own happiness, which is something we can certainly do. For those interested in an academic study about happiness and how to manifest it in your own life, I highly recommend the book The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky, available on Amazon.
So what is a Joy Guide and why do we need one? Typically our Joy Guide is a loving Spirit Guide who has agreed to stay with us and help us throughout our physical journey in this life. They contracted with us when we were preparing to incarnate into this life so that we might always find happiness even in the worst of times. They’re an uplifting source of energy that tries to boost our spirits when we’re feeling glum or make us feel even better if we’re just sort of “Ho-Hum.” They help us enjoy our physical life and bring opportunities in our path that help bring feelings of happiness and love. The best part is we all have them, as they are a member of our inner circle of spirit guides who stay with us our entire life.
Joy Guides more often than not appear to us as a young child (often a little girl), symbolizing youthful energy, innocence, happiness, joy (obviously), fun, bubbly effervescence, etc. Imagine all the traits of a happy young child, and that is your Joy Guide wrapped into a package. Think of Tinker Bell, Peter Pan or any other young happy fantasy character and you begin to understand what a Joy Guide can do and what it does.
We need a Joy Guide in our life to help us focus on the positive things in our life, to realize the joy of being alive and appreciate the gift of life. Since it’s so easy to fall into a slump and just focus on all the negative things going on around us or to us, we need a wholesome pick-me-up that will help us “…look on the bright side of life.” Although we don’t remember it because of spiritual amnesia, the spirit world is full of love and joy and happiness, sort of like heaven…oh wait that IS heaven! Our Joy Guide is beside us to help us not lose sight of that reality and bring a little bit of heaven into our life. While many people may find this difficult to accept or prefer to take the materialist view instead, they are more prone to lacking true and lasting happiness in their lives than those who accept the love of spirit. For spirit is love. https://montclairmedium.com/blog/f/why-does-spirit-continually-visit-us–one-answer-love
How do you meet your Joy Guide? For me it was when I had been focusing on distinguishing between my guides and searching for the feeling of joy and happiness to find my Joy Guide. It was then I clearly saw her in my mind’s eye as a smiling little girl with blond hair with her hands stretched up to the sky, and I heard her shout, “Yay!” My recommendation to you would be to conduct a “Sitting in the Silence” meditation as follows:
- First, sit and relax in a comfortable straight-backed chair with your hands on your legs, palms up in a receiving fashion. Begin to calm your breathing and focus your attention on your inhalations and exhalations. Do this for several minutes until your breath becomes slow and relaxed. You can ask your spirit helpers for loving protection or you can just think thoughts of loving kindness that surrounds you and protects you in a beautiful bubble of protection. You can also say a prayer that is meaningful to you. Do whatever makes you feel safe.
- Next, after you are calm and focused, bring your attention to your heart space and see in your mind’s eye a small ball of soft, glowing white light. As you focus your attention there, notice the white light begins to brighten and grow and finally fill up your chest space.
- See this white light slowly expand to fill your entire body and realize this bright white light filling your interior is actually your glowing spirit within you.
- Your white light of spirit has no boundaries, so you can see it easily expand beyond your body to fill the entire room in which you sit.
- Next, send a beam of loving, white light from your spirit up to the heavens to reach out for the spirit world.
- As your light goes up and out, you are met halfway by the Love That Knows No Bounds in a ray of golden light that comes down from the heavens to envelop you tenderly and lovingly. It comes down to envelop your entire being with love and encircles you, protects you and empowers you. You are overcome with a bliss you have never known and a divine love that is all encompassing and all accepting.
- Feel your entire body begin to tingle with warm energy and know that you are loved by spirit.
- Thank spirit for this beautiful meeting between two worlds and feel the joy and happiness that wells up inside you. As you do, start thinking about your Joy Guide and ask to meet them. Your joy and happiness and love will attract your Joy Guide to you. Begin to imagine what your Joy guide might look like (this stimulates your creative mind and clairvoyance) and you may be able to feel or see them if they chose to reveal themselves to you.
- If you don’t meet them on your first sitting, that’s totally normal and quite fine, so don’t get upset. Just keep trying to meet them with this meditation. Once you are in a good mind set and they are ready, you two will meet. Just always be in a loving frame of mind, for love attracts positive spirit.
Love and Light,
Chris
A Cheat Sheet to Common Spirt Animals
HORSE Giddyap and prepare for change! The horse will teach you to ride in a new direction, for new journeys and adventures may be heading your way. Alternately, you may be looking for a renewed sense of freedom somewhere in your life. Horse medicine asks us to examine the balance between the instinctive and tame parts of ourselves. When calling on horse in your life you embody strong personal drive, expression, vitality, and physical and inner strength.
EAGLE We are asked to look at life from an eagle’s-eye perspective. In flight, eagles are able to broadly view what is below them while still being able to hone in on specific items with their laser-sharp sight. Being an eagle requires looking at life with a wide lens and not getting tripped up on daily details, or looking closely at minute details in order to see life from a broader perspective. Eagles provide vision, wisdom, strength, and courage. The eagle allows us to soar to new heights and lets us know when the winds of change are coming.
LION King of the jungle, lions teach us how to embrace our personal power and self-confidence as well as warning us about threatening situations in our lives. We learn strength, assertiveness, and leadership. The lion may also be letting us know it is time to deal with anger, authority issues, fears, aggression, or control-freak tendencies.
RABBIT Rabbits are associated with procreation, desire, and fertility…f*%k like a bunny, right? Rabbit lets us follow our intuitive instincts in an alert, quick-witted way. Rabbits’ heightened senses invite us to use cleverness and fast reflexes to succeed, as well as sense fear and danger.
FOX Sly like a fox, this animal is a great ally to have when you are facing a tricky situation or encountering obstacles. Foxes are cunning, quick-thinking, intelligent, deceptive, and sometimes tricksters. The fox teaches us how to get around obstacles fluidly instead of facing them head-on with the same bag of tricks. The fox can teach us increased discernment in situations having to do with business and relationships.
SNAKE What does a snake do? It sheds its skin over and over again. When a snake appears in your life it represents healing, transformation, and life changes. As a snake sheds its skin, we shed layers that are no longer serving us. The spirit of the snake is connected to our life force. As a reptile, it symbolizes our primal needs and instincts. Snakes can provide guidance about life changes and transitions.
Spirit Animals
HERE ARE THE THINGS TO KNOW:
1.You can have one or several spirit animals throughout your lifetime. They can come in and out of our lives to give us guidance, teach us about ourselves, and help us maintain balance. The timing and direction we are headed on our path, a specific occasion that may arise, phases of life, or tasks that need to be completed along our journey will dictate what animal steps forward to help.
2.An animal can bring us a message in several ways. We can physically cross paths with the animal, we can dream about it, it can visit us in our meditations, or we might have it as a pet.
3.Your spirit animal often represents qualities and attributes that you may see in yourself. On a base level, you want to understand the general vibe of the animal and look at it as an archetypal figure in your life; a symbolic representation of you. You may never personally interact with your animal, like a tiger or whale. But pay attention to the details like specific behaviors, character traits, habitat, diet, social status. Are you group oriented, a loner, nomadic, sedentary, etc.?