Our spirit guides are always with us, everywhere we go. They’re here for us in the hard times and cheering us on through the good. Although we know they’re there, sometimes we need reminders. A great way to confirm your spirit guides are listening and helping is to ask them! This full tutorial is on asking spirit guides for signs PLUS I share with you some of my real life examples of when my spirit guides answered me with signs.

What is a Spirit Guide?

Maybe you’re new to the spiritual community and you’re wondering what is a spirit guide exactly? A spirit guide is a spirit who is helping you through life, meaning they are guiding, comforting, teaching, and sometimes even protecting you. Interestingly, a spirit guide can be one of many different kinds of spirits including an ancestor, a recently deceased friend or loved one, a god or goddess, an animal spirit guide, an angel, an elemental, one of the mighty dead (a witch, wizard, mage, etc. from the past), a starry being or an ascended master.

Often, your spirit guide has chosen to be your guide on the other side. You might have asked them to be your guide before you were born, or they decided themselves. Everyone has a spirit guide, and many of us have more than one in our lifetimes. Sometimes a spirit guide is with us our entire lives, and sometimes they might come and go. Over my years of working with spirit guides, the more I think I know…the less I truly do. We don’t have all the answers to the spirit world and we won’t…until we are part of it again ourselves.

7 Types of Spirit Guides

1. Ancestral Spirit Guides

There are two types of ancestral spirit guides. The first is an ancestor or someone from your family (bloodline) that has died and is guiding you from the other side. The ancestral spirit guide could be someone you knew well such as a sister or grandparent, or it could be an ancestor that died long before you were born – back to ancient times! The second type of ancestral spirit guide is the mighty dead. Christopher Penczak speaks of the mighty dead often in his work. But essentially, the mighty dead are people who have led magical and powerful lives and have passed on. Now they seek to guide us on our witchcraft or pagan paths. An example of a mighty dead ancestor might be Merlin or Doreen Valiente.

Ancestral Spirit Guides’ Mission

What does an ancestral spirit guide do? It is a part of their other-dimensional existence to help guide you through life. They will watch over you and help you make positive decisions in life. You’ll feel their loving presence in times of sorrow and darkness, when you need someone the most. They are also around to protect and guide children in the family.

2. Animal Spirit Guides

Everyone has at least one animal spirit guide at any given time in life. You have one permanent animal spirit guide or guardian, and also animal spirit guide messengers and teachers. Animal spirit guide messengers bring messages needed at a particular moment in life, and then they disappear. Some might resurface at later points in your lives, while others are meant for that moment and that moment only.

How Can You Tell a Guardian from a Messenger?

Some of us instinctively know which animal spirit guide is our life guardian. If unsure, this animal spirit guide is ever-present in your life no matter the phase or age. We may have dreams of this animal or possibly even become this animal in our dreams or visions. Animal spirit guide messengers come into your life for a shorter period of time then leave when their message is received.

3. Ascended Masters

Ascended masters are one of the types of spirit guides you may have during your lifetime. They are spirits who have nearly transcended their earthly incarnations and are close to reaching divine perfection. Some people believe Jesus is an Ascended Master, along with Mary Magdalene, Isis, Osiris and the Buddha. They are guides to those who have a BIG spiritual purpose in life including enlightenment, healing, unifying, and purging old societal patterns. But, I believe anyone can call on them for guidance.

4. Lifetime Spirit Guide

We can’t talk about the types of spirit guides without discussing the most important one – the lifetime spirit guide. This is the spirit guide that’s with you your entire life. They often show up in dreams and meditations. You can learn how to communicate with your spirit guide easily. This spirit has lived more than one human incarnation, and they are fulfilling an experience of expansion by guiding you. This is the person in your dreams you feel you’ve known for years but can’t quite place.

5. Elemental Spirit Guides

What is an elemental spirit guide? This type of guide is an elemental spirit – meaning a nature spirit. Examples include gnomes, dragons, mermaids, sprites, pixies, selkies, etc. This type of spirit guide often attaches or links itself to a magical person who may have had elemental origins themselves. Elementals are also particularly fond of witches. There’s a long history between the fae and witches, after all. I met an elemental spirit guide through a meditation once, and he told me he also watches over my child.

6. Angelic Spirit Guides

Did your grandma tell you not to be scared of the dark when you were little because you had a guardian angel watching over you? Mine did. The angelic spirit guide is called a guardian angel by many. I believe everyone has a guardian spirit guide of some kind, and maybe some of us even have angels looking over us. Angels come from a higher spiritual dimension, some called it Heaven, and swoop in to save us when dangerous moments happen. They might also come when we call on them to stop nightmares or help us heal.

7. Starry Beings / Ancestors

Another lesser known type is the starry being or star ancestor. These are beings from another star system, planet, and other dimensions. They typically call on people who have starseed origins or light child origins to guide us in helping the planet ascend. The starry beings might seem frightening at first, because we’re not used to seeing them on this plane, but most come with a positive intent. Cleanse and shield your space and ask your starry ancestor guides to come to you in a vision or dream.

When Communicating Seems Difficult…

Maybe you’ve been trying to communicate with your spirit guide and can’t seem to figure it out. Sometimes communicating with the spirit world isn’t as clear cut or straight forward as it seems. First of all, most of us are too busy to pay attention to the messages and lessons being sent our way. There’s too much noise in the physical world and it may drown out the spiritual. It’s like having the TV on way too loud and having someone sitting right next to you talking, but you can’t hear them. Or maybe you get bits and pieces of what they’re saying but not the whole message. When hearing and speaking to your spirit guides seems fuzzy…

Ask Your Spirit Guides for Signs: A Tutorial

Asking for signs should be super easy, right? Unfortunately, many of us get tripped up and make it much harder than it is. Remember, your spirit guides can hear you whether you say something out loud or just in your head! So here’s how to ask your spirit guides for signs:

1. Find some quiet time to focus on your connection with your spirit guides. All you have to do is think about them!
2. Ask your spirit guides to send you a clear sign (or signs) that they are listening.
3. Give it one to two days, but typically your spirit guides will send you signs quickly. They’re usually excited to be able to communicate openly with you!
4. Be open-minded and observational as you go about your day. Pay attention to unusual animal or bird behavior. Also listen and pay attention to what’s being said on TV, the radio, even things online! Sometimes signs from spirit guides come in very random forms.
5. Once the sign comes, you’ll know it. Usually spirit guides send signs in groups of three so that it’s clear cut.
6. Once you’ve received the signs, thank your spirit guides.

Another Way to Communicate: Using Divination

If you have a difficult time receiving signs in everyday life, try using divination. Choose one form you’re comfortable with. Cleanse your divination tool using smoke, etc. Then ask your spirit guides to speak directly with you during your divination session. This is an easy and effective way of receiving messages from them – plus larger messages can come through. I particularly like dedicating an entire card deck or divination tool specifically to communicating with my guides. They appreciate the gesture and it makes the line of communication clearer. Less bogged down with other energetic interruptions. Here’s some divination tools to use when speaking to your spirit guides:

• Tarot cards
• Oracle cards
• Elder futhark runes
• Witch’s runes
• Pendulum and board
• Automatic writing
• Scrying: in a mirror, water, fire, smoke, crystal ball, etc.
• Candle wax reading
• Charm or bone throwing
• Bird augury
• Bibliomancy

Ways Spirit Guides Communicate With Us

Spirit guides will speak to you in whatever way they can get through to you. Sometimes they’ll use an animal, bird or insect in nature to get your attention. Other times they may speak to you through another person in a random conversation OR through recurring symbols on TV, radio, online, etc. You have to be observant and open to receiving their messages. In addition, they’ll send signs through dreams, songs, and will communicate via divination as described above. Be patient and know the signs will come.

1. Via Animal Omens and Signs

The Universe and our spirit guides frequently send us signs and messages through the natural world. This means certain animals, insects, and even plants will pop up in our daily line of view. Obviously if you have an animal spirit guide, they’ll come to you via animals in the natural world and through mainstream media venues like TV or internet. But other spirit guides also use animals and plants to communicate with us. So it can be a little confusing sometimes to determine – is this animal a sign from my ancestor, god or is it literally an animal spirit guide reaching out to me? You have to ask them to clarify through other signs.

2. Through Random Conversations

Believe it or not, sometimes spirit guides talk to us through other people in our lives. Have you ever been in the grocery store and heard someone the next aisle over say something that made your ears perk up? Maybe they quoted a poem your grandmother used to love. Or literally answered the question you asked your spirit guide earlier. Pay attention to communication sent through other people – whether you know them or they’re complete strangers.

3. Recurring Symbols

Sometimes certain symbols are sent our way recurringly. For instance, if your spirit guide is a god or goddess that has their own sacred symbol, you might start seeing it everywhere. A valknut or ansuz rune from Odin. The cross from Jesus. Hecate’s Wheel from, well, Hecate of course. They might also send you symbols you’ve never seen before. In this case, look it up and you might determine a message.

4. Angel Numbers

Speaking of recurring symbols, spirit guides will communicate via angel numbers. These are numbers that are typically double, triple or quadruple digits that repeat in your daily life. Maybe you start seeing 111 or 1111 on every clock, newspaper, bus route, etc. Angel numbers have different meanings depending on the number and on your spirit guide. Learn more about angel numbers here.

5. Dreams

Another way to communicate with your spirit guides is through dreams. If you’re a dreamer, ask your spirit guide to come to you in your dreams and answer your questions. After having the dream, write it down immediately. Even if everything in the dream isn’t clear yet, it might hit you later. Leave space for notes when you write it down initially too. Nearly every type of spirit guide uses dreams to contact those they are guiding.

6. Meditation

Sometimes unplugging and going to a calm space to listen is all you need to hear and see signs from your guides. I’ve found that doing a guided meditation to speak to my spirit guides has been the most productive with meeting them face to face AND hearing their messages. There’s all kinds of guided meditations for this reason on YouTube for free. Try one of those or write your own.

7. Spirit Guides Communicate with Feathers

This is an extremely common sign sent to us by our spirit guides. When we’re in tune with nature, we notice when feathers are just outside our front door. Laying at our feet at a soccer game. Sitting on our windowsills. Feathers are said to be signs from angels, but I’ve also found them to be comforting messages from spirit guides of all kinds. Learn more about feather magic here.

REAL Times I’ve Asked My Spirit Guides for Signs

The Razz-ma-tazz

Years ago, while I was going to nursing school, I remember having a moment where I felt rather discouraged and overwhelmed. I asked my spirit guide to send me a sign that I was on the right track. The sign literally came to me in the form of a crayon. Let me explain. My nursing school teacher at the time used silly acronyms and songs to teach us difficult concepts and one of them was called the Razz-ma-tazz. Well, I went to color with my daughter and read the color of the crayon that night – razz-ma-tazz. Sounds like a coincidence, but I knew it was a sign from my spirit guide.

Medicine Bear Spirit

Recently, I worked a candle ritual for clarity and healing for a family member. I also evoked the spirit of the bear to watch over and heal this family member. To be honest, I didn’t ask my spirit guides for signs; however, the same day, bears started popping up everywhere! Three times that same family member chose bears on their clothing, toys, and then when asked their favorite animal states “the bear”! This was new and I KNEW it was a sign the ritual worked and the bear spirit was present.

Raindrops

One of my spirit guides is an ancestor of mine, a recent ancestor, who is very present in my life during particularly trying times. She sends me signs typically through things she liked when she was alive. One of those things is an older song called Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. When she wants to get my attention, I’ll hear that song playing on the radio at the grocery store or on the TV, seemingly out of nowhere. But I know who it is. And it always brings a smile to my face.

More on Spirit Guides:

• The Moth Spirit Guide
• How to Connect With Ancestors