What Are Spiritual Guides?
Teachers, Coaches, Friends, and More
What is a spiritual guide? According to Unlocking the Soul, a spiritual guide is like a firm but concerned teacher, coach, and supportive friend that can offer protection, tools, and guidance to souls throughout lifetimes. We use the phase spiritual guide as an all-encompassing term that includes gurus, saints, and spiritual masters. These spiritual masters can work with our higher selves to plan our incarnations and ensure we’re not taking on too much. As gurus they can also offer guidance and tough love to us during incarnations — ergo, the most effective ones won’t co-sign our BS. Their wisdom, knowledge of probable timelines, and specialized skills can help us maneuver the complexities of our existential journeys based on the choices we make.
It’s thought that each of us has at least one spiritual guide, although we could have several with different levels of seniority. According to Sarah Elkhaldy (Spiritual Teacher & Energy Healer), a guide typically shares a resemblance in one’s nature or interests. Because there’s duality, this suggests that there are guides for each spiritual disposition: guides who facilitate love in service to others (STO) and guides who facilitate fear for self-serving purposes (STS). According to the Law of One, some of these helper groups were once known as the Confederation (6:24), Guardians (51:1), Council of Saturn (7:8-10), and Orion Group (7:12-17).
Sarah Elkhaldy (Spiritual Teacher & Energy Healer) explains that those on the STO path should be careful not to fall victim to the false light of the fear-based helper groups. She explains that false light is an energy field that sustains itself off the play of duality, keeping us in a state of amnesia so we worship it like in a chain of command. Yes, worship is different from devotion as worship is typically associated with a power structure. So how do we distinguish between the two dualistic groups? Perhaps the biggest tell-tell sign is that guides who aid the love polarity will honor our free will. They will not usurp our unified divinity or advocate for us to place power outside ourselves.
Spirit Guide Forms
What forms do spiritual guides take? Spiritual guides can establish relationships or vibrationships with us as higher consciousness entities using astral forms. For example, spiritual guides can take form as angels, guardian angels, animal spirits, archangels, celestial gods (Bhagavad Gita: 3:11, 7:20), or demigods. Unlocking the Soul suggests that they can also take on familiar forms, like ancestors and relatives, to help during transitions.
Guides can also help us by incarnating into lower-consciousness forms and planes of existence — entering into soul contracts to offer aid. These relationships can be mutually beneficial since guides can also evolve by aiding others. Could these types of in-the-flesh guides be known as saints (aid through inactive guidance) and gurus (aid through active guidance)? Keep in mind we’re only mentioning these types of labels for reference. We try not to place too much significance on labels if we wish to transcend our ego identities, like Sri Ramana Maharshi (Sage & Jivanmukta, 1879 – 1950). Sri Ramana Maharshi didn’t identify as a guru because there was no ego left to affirm the identify.
Even though Sri Ramana Maharshi did not identify as a guru, he did provide insight into their role. He explained that gurus can create conditions to drive us inward – from the exterior, giving the mind a push to turn inward and from the interior, pulling the mind towards the soul. He further explained that the guru’s silence is the loudest instruction and is grace in its highest form. They can purify a devotee’s mind through association. Swami Mukundananda (Bhakti Yog Saint & Yoga Teacher) explains that gurus can give us jnana (theoretical knowledge) to put into practice as sadhana, which can help us purify our minds. It’s thought that only then can vijnana (wisdom), through experiential self-realization, be attained (Bhagavad Gita, 7:2).
It’s also said that gurus can bestow the divine experience of cosmic consciousness. But fellow souls, it’s suggested that this can only be done when their disciples have strengthened their minds enough so they aren’t overwhelmed by the liberating shock of omnipresence (Autobiography of a Yogi, 14:128). This is done through yoga practice and devotion rather than intellectual willingness or open-mindedness. When we mention devotion, we mean allowing Source’s grace to flow through us, as explained by Sadhguru (Yogi, Mystic & Guru). Devotion is more closely aligned with gratitude and humbleness, which doesn’t have a need for or acknowledge any type of power structure.
Listening to Our Guides
According to the Law of One (70:11), guides can protect when possible and help when asked, but free will is paramount. Because of the law of free will, we don’t have to listen to our guides. But, it’s certainly recommended when the guidance serves the purpose of helping us advance on our spiritual paths. The Bhagavad Gita (4:34) suggests that the intellect can’t overcome ignorance on its own and that we should learn the absolute truth from a spiritual master. At the very least, it appears that some degree of Source’s grace is needed.
How do spirit guides communicate? Our research suggest that some guides communicate in indirect ways. For example, by altering our environment in a way that will grab our attention. This is so we can become more aware of the present moment and whatever wisdom, inspiration, or guidance is being imparted. Examples we’ve experienced include prompting our senses and influencing synchronicities.
What are synchronicities? A synchronicity is considered a meaningful coincidence or something too strange to dismiss as mere coincidence. Coined by Carl Gustav Jung (Psychologist, 1875 – 1961) in the early 20th century, synchronicities are seen as an acausal connecting principle — events connected by meaning rather than cause and effect. An example we’ve had is seeing the number 911 repeatedly. Other examples include thinking of a friend right before they call or experiencing a dream that matches a future event. These types of experiences help us stay aware and embrace the uncertainty of our interconnected lives.
Guides can also communicate in direct ways such as through thoughts, dreams, silence, and for us, YouTube videos. One of our favorite stories about guides helping us overcome difficult challenges is Arjun’s journey to reclaim his kingdom with the help of his guide Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.