A lovely client told me the other day, “I wish I could talk to my guides like you do!”

This discussion comes up a lot with clients because my healing sessions tend to be full of messages, metaphors, and, yes, sometimes truth bombs, all channeled from my client’s guides.

*Guides meaning spirits, angels, lost loved ones, or, something bigger than ourselves that is basically a built-in life coach, eagerly awaiting our requests for help and support.

Another way to think of Guides is as an extension of your own intuition and inner wisdom-a clear headed version of yourself that isn’t bogged down by all the stories of our busy-brains and culture norms.

I totally get my client’s desire to connect with her guides. When I first delved into Reiki and energy healing back in 2015, I was blown away at the truth bombs my healers would drop, even if it was hard to hear. (Ahem…cue bad relationship warnings!)

It seemed like real magic that my healers could channel something so true, it made my entire body buzz and brought me to tears. But it felt like I always had to work with someone else, a healer or psychic, to get those messages from my guides.

But over the years I’ve learned how to connect with them myself, and begin to trust the messages I receive. And that’s what I want for YOU in reading this; to gain the confidence in your own intuition and have real, helpful chats with your guides!

I’d also like to say that some healers are incredibly intuitive and psychic from a young age-but I am not one of them!

I’ve always been sensitive and drawn to the magical and unseen, but my intuition has grown over time with the help of my mentors, practice, and slowly trusting this extended part of myself.

So that means, even if you don’t feel particularly psychic or intuitive now, you can absolutely develop intuition over time! It’s there, it’s just a muscle that may not have been flexed or even seen until right now.

*Please also note that I’ll always work with other healers when I feel stuck…I strongly believe that healers need healers to help us see our blind spots and reconnect back to ourselves. But there’s also something very empowering in knowing that you can talk and get advice from your guides yourself, and that’s the goal of the steps below!

**Remember, this is a fun process! Let go of any pressure you may have been putting on yourself to have a life-changing transformative chat right off the bat! Guides and our higher selves work in a thousand different ways, usually more subtle than bolts of lightning stopping you in the street…but you never know! ;-)

I’d also highly recommend reading “Ask you Guides” by Sonia Choquette for a complete handbook on how to connect, learn the different types of guides, and even exercises to build your guide-chatting skills.

4 Things to Remember About Gabbing With Your Guides:

1)    The “obvious” answer is probably the answer

If you ask something of your guides or higher self, but worry that the answer seems too “easy”, think again! Sometimes we want things to be different (yep, like that romantic interest who isn’t calling you back) so we’re hoping there is some surprise answer we haven’t thought of yet that will magically be revealed to us.

But the reality is, the answer that comes smoothly or just “pops” into your head, tends to be your intuition speaking up right away, and the other stuff you hear is your mental brain trying to rationalize or make excuses.

2)    Reality-check yo’ self

Asking your guides to send you a million dollars is fun to think about, but if you are real with yourself, is that truly something that feels possible overnight? Or do you have a fantasy of a chance celebrity encounter where they instantly fall for you? (Me? OH no no, I’ve never thought about that…) Definitely a nice escape, but chances are slim Bradley Cooper is coming into my life anytime soon! Too bad…

The problem with “wishes” is that Guides aren’t fairy godmothers. They are divine beings with the WHOLE picture of your unique path and purpose in the world. Which means they understand you are a human on earth with human timelines and limitations, so they’re not necessarily in the business of waving a magic wand.

And your communication with them should reflect your humanness. Instead of asking for a winning lotto ticket, ask, “show me how to save money so I feel financially secure and abundant.” Or “help me know if this person on my soul path, or if I should let them go.” Those type of questions or requests will glean loving, true, and grounded responses that reflect who really you are, and your path here as a human.

3)    Are you eager for the quick fix and bypassing yourself?

Our culture has trained us to expect instant gratification. “Next-day delivery” is both a blessing (hello last minute deodorant!) and a curse, because we’re learning that all problems can be solved with a quick click and a credit card, and that includes getting answers for life’s tough moments.

If you find yourself asking your guides for immediate answers to your latest struggles, but ignore the fact that you are numbing in all the ways, or don’t truly know what you want or need (I just want to feel…better!) then there’s a chance you haven’t tended to the most important guide of all, yourself.

We can’t connect to any guides if we aren’t connected to ourselves first. That means, we need to be patient, sit with our feelings, yep even the yucky ones, and get to know the light within us. THEN we can call guidance from the light around and above us.

4)    It’s not silly, it’s imagination!

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received about intuition is that it’s closely intertwined with imagination. So often my clients will see images or colors but shake it off saying, “but that’s silly, right?” It’s not silly at all! It’s your imagination bridging the gap between your logical brain and your spiritual wisdom.

When I meditate or do a healing for myself, I get all kinds of images, characters, metaphors, and adventures happening during the healing. They don’t have to resemble “real life” at all, they just have to help you trust and understand the messages your Guides and higher self are trying to send you.

This goes for seeing and meeting your guides as well. They might not always take a distinct form. They could be a character from a book you once read, your imaginary friend from childhood, an animal, a lost loved one, or simply a ball of light that makes you feel held and loved.

There’s no wrong way to see guides or hear your intuition, so let the silliness come in and show you what you need to see!

Like I said, there’s SO much to delve into in the world of guides. I even have a “Guide Talk 101” post that gives you a few more basics, if you’re into it. But the bottom line is this:

Guides are an extension of your intuition.

Your intuition knows what is best for you, even when that means saying “no” to another date or “yes” to starting a savings account to reach those financial goals.

Guides will not shame you or be “angry” with you. They will not punish you or be vindictive. They DO have a sense of humor, but know that is always comes from love and with your highest good in mind.

So keep asking and keep listening, because they are the free life coach who can’t WAIT to hop in, drop some loving truth bombs, and help you on this roller coaster we call being human.