10 Things Your Guides Would Like You to Know (I'm Pretty Sure)

I think many of us may be missing out on one of the most wonderful resources available to us: our guides. We may not realize just how much support is available—or how easy it is to ask for it.

Over the years, I've learned a lot about guides through my own experiences, through my work with clients and students, and through information I've received from the Akashic Records.

Do I know everything about guides? Absolutely not. This is simply the way I've come to understand it. As always, I invite you to decide what feels true for you.

So, as a little public service announcement on behalf of guides everywhere, I thought I'd share ten things I wish everyone knew about working with them.

Here we go. 1. You have to ask. This one still surprises people. Your guides are there. They may put opportunities in front of you, whisper an idea, or try to get your attention. But if you want their help with something, ask for it. And I mean anything.

I do this all the time. If I'm working on my business, I'll call in “The Marketing Team.” If I'm wondering what direction my life is taking, I might ask for the “What's Next for Me Team.

”Who wants to help? I'm asking. Come forward!

You can think your request. You can imagine having a conversation with them. The Records have told me that speaking your request out loud carries the strongest intention.

Yes, you may feel a little silly talking out loud to someone you can't see. They'll love it.

Hopefully you will too. 

2. And then PAY ATTENTION! Asking is only half of it. Once you've asked for help, pay attention to what happens next.

An answer may come as a thought or an idea. It may come in a dream. You may notice a sign or synchronicity. An opportunity may suddenly appear. Someone may say exactly what you needed to hear. Or you may simply have a knowing you didn't have before.

One of my favorite things the Records have shared is the distinction between hearing and listening.

Hearing is something that happens to us. Listening is intentional. And listening doesn’t mean you will actually “hear” anything. It means actively paying attention to however the response may show up.

I think the same is true of working with our guides. We have to participate. We have to notice.

And, perhaps most importantly, we have to resist immediately explaining away what we receive.

“That was just me.”

“That was a coincidence.”

“I probably would have thought of that anyway.”

Maybe.

But you asked. Pay attention.

I still need this reminder myself sometimes.

Years ago, I was meditating in a salt cave when I “saw” a man dressed in what I called clothes from Jesus' time. Interesting. A few weeks later, during a shamanic journey at a retreat, I saw the same man. Again, clothes from Jesus' time.

Hmmm.

Then I saw him a third time while I was teaching a class and connected to my Records. Same man. Same clothes from Jesus' time.

I finally mentioned all of this to a friend, who laughed and said, “When are you just going to believe that it's Jesus?”

Oh.

I came to understand this as Yeshua energy—and to me, Yeshua energy is all about the heart. It made perfect sense that this energy would be supporting my work helping others connect with theirs.

Sometimes our guides whisper. And sometimes they show up three times before we get the message. 

3. There are WAY more of them than you think. I think it's natural to imagine that we each have “our” guides—a small group assigned to us who follow us around throughout our lives.

And you may absolutely have guides you work with regularly. You may recognize their energy, know them by name, and develop a relationship with them over time. But they aren't the only guides available to you.

The Records have described a magnitude of guides available to us, with experts for every topic and every situation. A magnitude!

I don't know about you, but that considerably expanded my idea of what was available to me. Rather than thinking only in terms of “Who are my guides?,” I began thinking about “What kind of help do I need?”

The Records once suggested imagining our guides as a board of directors sitting around a conference table, with experts ready to help with whatever issue we're facing. I love that image.

There isn't just one guide who is supposed to know everything about everything. We have access to wisdom and support that fits whatever we're experiencing.

Apparently, the other side is very well staffed. 

4. About that name... We humans really like to know who we're dealing with. When we become aware of a guide, we may start wondering what their name is, who they are, or even what they look like. We try to give them an identity we can understand.

Of course we do. A name and a form make someone feel more familiar. They give us a way to identify the energy we're connecting with and can help us build a relationship.

But here's the very human part: We assume our guides can be identified in ways that make sense to us.

The Records have explained that some guides' names may be completely unpronounceable to us, and their actual forms may be just as difficult for our human minds to comprehend.

I learned not to worry too much about names while working with my friend Nancy. We were connecting with one of my guides, whom we both experienced as a Native American elder.

At one point, we both stopped to see if we could get a sense of his name.

Nancy got “Chief White Feather.”

I got “Maury.”

Okay then.

Whether that was my guide's sense of humor, mine, or some combination of the two, I got the message: Maybe I didn't need to be so concerned about getting the “right” name. I could sense his energy, his support, and his wisdom. That was what I needed.

So what do we do? Agree on a name. Ask your guide for something you can call them that feels right to both of you. After all, that feeling of recognition may be all you have to go on. If George feels right to you—and to them—call them George.

The name doesn't have to be their “real” name for the connection to be real.

I don't think anyone is checking celestial birth certificates. 

5. A guide can be just about anything. Here's another place where our human minds like to fill in the blanks. We hear the word guide and may picture a person. Maybe an ancestor. A wise teacher. Someone in flowing robes who looks appropriately spiritual.

Maybe.

But the Records describe guides as energy fields that can take on many forms. They may appear as ancestors, relatives, ascended masters, beings of light, animals, mythical creatures, or even off-planet beings.

And you may not “see” your guide at all. You may simply recognize an energy or a presence. You may know when a particular guide is with you because the energy feels familiar.

The form isn't what makes them your guide. The connection is.

So if you're waiting for someone in flowing robes to introduce themselves, you may be overlooking the dragon standing right in front of you. 

6. Build a relationship with your guides. Yes, I suggested you ask your guides for help. Please do! But imagine having a friend who only called when they needed a favor.

“Hi! Haven't talked to you in six months. Could you help me figure out my career?”

Your guides aren't keeping score. They aren't going to be less available or less supportive because you haven't checked in lately.

The practice isn't for them. It's for you.

The more time you spend connecting with your guides, the more familiar you become with their energy. You begin to recognize how connection feels to you. You may notice their whispers more easily. And you may begin to trust what you're receiving instead of immediately questioning it.

Create a practice that works for you. Maybe it's quiet time in the morning. Maybe you connect while you're walking, journaling, meditating, or sitting with a cup of coffee. Talk to them. Invite them into your day.

And say thank you. Gratitude is part of any relationship.

Your guides aren't just an emergency hotline. It's okay to call just to say “Hi.” 

7. The decision is always yours. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our guides would simply tell us what to do?

“Take this job.”

“Leave that relationship.”

“Move to Montana.”

Thank you very much. Decision made.

Except that's not how it works.

The Records have been very clear about this: Our guides, the Records, and the Divine can offer wisdom and insight. They can help smooth a path. They can bring people, situations, and opportunities into our lives. They can help us see possibilities we hadn't considered.

They do not decide—they advise.

They cannot move us around like pieces on a chessboard. They respect our free will.

So when you ask, “What should I do?” don't be surprised if you don't receive an instruction.

Your guides can help you see more clearly, but the choice is still yours. We may not control every outcome, but we do control what we choose to do with what is offered to us.

That's empowering.

And occasionally it can be really annoying. 

8. Ask—and let go of what the answer should look like. We humans can get very specific about the help we'd like.

“Please help me get this job, make this relationship work, and have everything wrapped up nicely by Friday.”

Apparently, we don't just want help. We would also like to provide the project plan.

But when I ask my guides for help, I try not to decide in advance what their response should be—or what the outcome should look like. I can ask for support. I can ask for wisdom. I can ask for opportunities. I can even be clear about what I would like.

And then I pay attention, and leave room for an answer I may not be expecting.

The response may not come in the way I imagined. The opportunity may not be the one I was looking for. And what ultimately happens may look nothing like the outcome I had pictured.

If I've already decided what the answer is supposed to be, I may miss something I couldn't have imagined. 

9. Does it matter where it came from?“ Was that really from my guide?”

Maybe. Maybe not. 

But here are the questions I think matter more:

Was it loving and supportive?

Was it helpful? 

Did it offer a perspective you hadn't considered? 

Did something suddenly make sense? 

Did it help you see a possibility you couldn't see before?

If so, does it really matter where it came from?

Maybe it was your guide. Maybe it was your soul. Maybe it was your intuition. Maybe it was your own inner wisdom.

We humans like to identify the source. We want to know exactly who said what.

Apparently, even spiritual wisdom needs a name tag.

But isn’t the wisdom itself enough?

10.  Make the relationship your own. There is no one right way to work with your guides.

You don't need the perfect words. You don't need a particular meditation. You don't need the right candle, the right ritual, or special spiritual credentials.

There is no Guide for Guides.

Ask for help in whatever way feels natural to you. Pay attention to what you receive. Notice what feels loving and supportive. Get to know the guides who become familiar to you. Call in the teams you need. Give them names if that helps you connect—or don't.

We're human. Of course we're going to try to understand something this vast in human terms.

But maybe we don't have to understand it.

Maybe we can simply experience it.

And don't be surprised if you find yourself having fun.

It's okay to laugh along the way.