In 2016, I hosted a very successful online challenge all about connecting with Spirit Guides. If you’re wondering how I grew my social media following, this played a huge role. For some reason, it super resonated with people at the time and just took off. I repeated the adventure in 2019 and while it didn’t have the same participation as the first round, it was a joy for me to revisit with those who were interested.

Now, I’m not hosting another challenge - I don’t have time for that. But, I’ve been meaning to update those original prompts for awhile because I know there are folks out there looking for ways to bridge this connection, and I know how much this exercise served those who worked with it in the past.

I remember when I first began really noticing synchronicities. It was, like it is for many, through repeated numbers showing up for me every day, in all manner of ways.

Through the years, the type of synchronicity I receive and the frequency at which I receive them has evolved. Along with that too, with much contemplation on the subject, has my relationship with them. Do I have all the answers? Never will I ever (on anything), but this is what I’ve come to realize for myself where these little signposts are concerned.

This subject is so dear to me, but it’s been a long time since I’ve written about it formally. I think the reason is I could sense I was experiencing a shift in terms of what these concepts meant to me, and out of respect for it and out of respect for my own growth too, I needed to just sit with it.

As a little historical overview, I became interested in the subject of spirit guides in 2014 when I had, what I consider to be, the first of many wake-up calls. I read books, practiced communication, had lots of personal experiences, and even explored workshops on the topic. In 2016, I was working heavily with tarot and had this epiphany that the two elements would go beautifully together. That was when I devised a system to connect with guides with the aid of tarot. I went as far as to designate certain cards to represent different guide types, and then I took that concept and created an online challenge, inviting others to participate and get to know their spiritual teams too.

Following that, I continued to share my learnings with others, provide resources, and even ran a second version of the challenge at the beginning of 2019. Even at that time, I found it more and more difficult to put my understanding of these ideas into words. I became very aware of the inclination to “over-form” these connections and I began to consider that communication with “the unseen” may be more vast than what I’d so far been able to conceptualize.

So I began to reconsider what it all meant and how I’d describe it now, which is the culmination of lots of contemplation, direct experience, inspired insights, the work I do in conjunction with my partner, and other such things. One night as I was considering this specific post, I set the intention to receive some information in my dreams that could help me. That night I woke up around 2 am from a dream that, while technically fuzzy, left me with a more fulsome understanding of the spectrum I will soon describe, and even gave me the title for this article. It conveyed that rather than referring to this phenomena as “Spirit Guides” in sum, it would be clearer to separate the words. In this way, we are dealing with Spirit as a whole, messages or entities we perceive as being guiding forces, and then the “beyond” (that which remains ineffable and intangible).

I think words and precision are important when it comes to these concepts. This is also why I have removed older pieces, taken down resources, and added addendums to that which remains. I simply found myself in a situation where I believed in something so deeply, but no longer knew how to adequately talk about it.

I am hoping this explanation will prove helpful or at least interesting to those who come across it. The remainder of this post will be formatted as follows: A list of general principles that I uphold as it relates to my understanding of this subject, an overview of the “spectrum of spirit communication”, and then responses to the FAQs I receive on this topic.

Note: This was the second iteration of a challenge I offered in 2016. Since the time of this post, I would say my idea of spirit guides has evolved immensely. For this reason, I have removed the guidebook I once offered. I will keep this original post in the hopes it serves those who find it, though if you asked me today what a spirit guide is, I’d likely give an updated explanation which you can read more about. In addition, I have added two new Spirit Guide reading options more aligned with my beliefs to date.

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As I readied myself to post a reminder on my Instagram today, I realized I was getting ahead of myself and that it would be worthwhile to post a basic primer in this space for those new to the topic of guides.

Before we get into a couple basics, I’m going to add a big ole disclaimer now so I don’t need to keep repeating myself. No one can tell you what any of this definitively is, what it means or how it works. All the information contained in this challenge has been interpreted through my own filters and set of experiences. If your views differ, it doesn’t mean they are wrong. If you experiences vary, it doesn’t mean they lack legitimacy. I believe we all perceive that which exists tangibly and that which exists spiritually through our own unique lens. And my understand of these things continues to evolve and change. So we must timestamp this to say that on this date, the information contained within fits the framework I’ve come to understand - but that’s not to say things can’t change.

Also, your guide doesn’t care if you know its type or whatever. These concepts are very human in the sense that they allow us to box things in for better understanding. That’s okay - but it’s also okay to just let it be what it is without labels or explanations. Go forward as you feel is best!

Note: Please find an updated version of this post HERE!

https://www.spiralseatarot.com/blog/meetyourspiritguide

Tarot has many uses, and one day I intend to write a blog post detailing the ones I go to most commonly, but today, I want to tackle just one - communicating with spirit.

Before we get into techniques, I first want to distinguish this method of using tarot from regular spirit-chat when it comes to divination or reflective readings. When I'm doing a reading, especially for others, I often refer to the messages received as having "come from spirit". So, when I send email reports out, I'll have lines that read "spirit says..." or "spirit wants you to know...". This is not me specifically communicating with a deceased loved one, for example, but simply put, I use the word "spirit" to describe a large body of otherworldlyness - i.e. your spirit guide team, your higher self, the divine source etc.

Maybe you've been reading the cards awhile or perhaps you just started - whatever the case, you’ve probably thought to yourself at some point, “how exactly do these things work? or “why do they work?”

The truth is, no one can tell you for certain, but, it’s fun to play with theories. Below I’ve shared 5 ideas that may explain how or why tarot works. In terms of my own belief system, I don’t think one idea is more true than any other and I tend to think they all play a role and factor in.

These theories may ring true for you or you may have your own ideas which are just as valid (I’d also love to hear them, so please leave a comment if you’re up to sharing). 

As for my totally inconclusive list of reasons why tarot works, here it is!