Meet Your Spirit Guides.

MEET & WORK WITH SPIRIT GUIDES As this work involves meditation some of this has already been covered in Meditation Techniques. However since this pathway does vary from meditation in as much that you are developing a psychic link for a specific purpose we need to look at the following Understanding the Spiritual Realm Perceiving the unseen Beginning to Approach the Spiritual Realm Channelling and techniques Meeting your Spirit Guides and Guardian Angels Working with Nature Spirits Honouring our Spirit Totems Important Precautions. Page 2 UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL REALM From ancient times man has always had the concept of a higher spiritual being who they would pray to and connect with. All the ancient civilisations from the Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Native Americans, Africans, Celtics, in fact all indigenous tribes and cultures had and still have their own concepts of Great Spirit and how to connect with their individual spirit guides. Through proper contact with our spirit guides we may also make contact with loved ones who are now in spirit. We will be guided in all our activities, inspired to be more creative, exhilarated by the diversity of life and amazed by the spirit power of the animal and plant world and how they bring medicine to our lives. This is all possible when we take our first steps beyond this physical world of ours and it will awaken new understanding, eliminate our fears and empower our lives. Remember, nothing in the spirit world can harm you so long as you remain in control of your life. You are the master or mistress of your own destiny and always will be. It is true to say that people will come into your life and help to shape that destiny with you, but not for you. Spirit beings are as interested in forming relationships with us, as we are with them. They take many forms and perform many functions. They provide insight, intuition, creativity, information, or just simply stay with us as companions so we are never truly alone in this world. We can all benefit from our contact with them, and many people do without even realizing it. Unnoticed assistance comes throughout our life but the more we become aware of it, the stronger their assistance becomes.

To help you become more spiritually aware think of the spirit world as having seven levels, and each level has its own unique life form. We have access to these higher beings and the purpose of this workshop is to help you to link in with them. These are the seven levels:DIVINE Great Spirit who is referred to as Gd & The Goddess MONADIC The Great Planetary spirits ( from the word Page 3 Monad meaning the philosophy of a Fundamental unit of one IE the oneness of a Supreme entity who we know as God ATMIC The Devic Lords & Masters (The Atmospheric ones who dwell in the Earths atmosphere) BUDDHIC/INTUITIVE Avatars & Adepts (Avatars, the Hindu Reincarnations returned to fight evil. These can be in animal or human form. Adepts, the highly skilled or well trained ones, in the communications with spirit. Both are of the Earth Plane). MENTAL Archangels ASTRAL Great Divas & Angels ETHERIC (Physical) Nature Spirits & Elementals These subtle beings working through the planes represent the seven planes of existence and the great light beings operate from them. As you were once a spiritual being yourself when you incarnated into your earth form your spiritual essence built up these seven bands of energy around itself then moulded and aligned with the developing foetus throughout pregnancy so when you were born you were born with spirit already within you. You would have maintained this link up to about the ages 5 or 7 and then through peer pressure would have begun to let them fade into the back of your memory so that you would no longer have your direct link open. What we are going to do now, by connecting you with your spirit guides is to relearn how to make your connections, and reopen the links that you already have. Page 4 PERCEIVING THE UNSEEN

The types of spirit guides we encounter may be as varied as the type of humans or other life forms we encounter. When connecting with these beings we will find human and nonhuman spirit beings coming through to us. You may wonder why, if our spirit guides can assist us in every thing why can’t we see them? Why aren’t they more noticeable? The answer is that as you begin to explore the psychic realms you will find them more noticeable. The ways that we link in with the spiritual realms are to be Clairvoyant:We see the Spirits. Clairsentient:We receive aromas from spirit. And Clairaudient:We hear the Spirits. You will perceive just one or all three links, depending on how your guides want to work with you. Your earliest psychic links came to you as a child, but because the adults around you dismissed your contact as “imaginary playmates” or “childhood fantasy” you closed down your perceptive ability. Now you have to retune and reopen those links. You may also get a sense of feel whereby you mentally “feel” that there is a spiritual presence around you. Another reason why we don’t readily perceive our links is that our spirit guides may not always be with us. We need to establish specific times and ways of communication to open our mind to greater contact. The degree of perception will vary from person to person and the amount of persistence you have to establish those links. Working with spirit guides is a creative process and involves learning to tap into your subconscious mind in a consciously controlled manner. It is the source of all our subtle perceptions and registers everything we encounter – both physical and spiritual. A creative person is one who can process this information in new ways. We do this through meditation, which in itself is not a difficult process but does involve an altered state of consciousness in a controlled manner. Creative imagination, or imaginative cognition, is the key to opening the doors to true spiritual awareness. One method is to think of it as having a double brain with two ways of knowing. The different characteristics of the two hemispheres have an important role in our being able to use an altered state of consciousness for spirit contact. Each hemisphere gathers in the same information, but the handle it differently. The dominant left analyses, plans, views logically, verbalises, draws conclusions and is

Page 5 sequential (ie: Puts things in order) and linear in its approach to life. The right brain activity is our second way of knowing and through this we see things that seem imaginary – existing only in the minds eye – or remember things that may be real. We see how things exist in space and how the parts go together to make a whole. Through it we understand symbols, music, fantasy, art, metaphors, dreams, create new combinations, ideas, tap into the subconscious mind, which gives us insight. Your greatest asset is your imagination. Through this you link with your future and spirit guides. Taking a line of meditation through your imagination will link you with your spirit guides on an active path. By taking a symbol, or image as a trigger it releases the correct type of energy for you to make the connection. BEGINNING TO APPROACH THE SPIRITUAL REALM If we are serious about connecting with our spirit guides we must approach it with a common sense attitude in order to succeed. If we fear it, it can block or hinder or even distort the connection. We must only use this power for ourselves, and not for monetary gain – if we get too egotistical about our powers we are likely to encounter problems, so it is advisable to work from a path of humility, remain humble and your guides are more likely to come to you and give you accurate information. Contact with the nonphysical also has a tendency to draw us away from our physical life focus, so it is important to stay grounded and centered. We use contact with spiritual guides to enhance our physical life, not escape from it. Learn to perform rhythmic breathing in through the nose to the count of 4 and out through the mouth to the count of 4. This enables you to breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension. Perform visualisation exercises to raise your vibrations. Keep your focus on the spiritual and see yourself as a being of light. When you finish your meditation eat or drink something, which will help to bring the consciousness back to the physical world. It is recommended that you eat something light and drink water. Page 6 While meditating notice the vibrations around you. Learn to identify the source, ask mental questions about what you are feeling or experiencing:Is your guide male or female? Name? Ethnic origin? Learn to trust your first impressions and any mental pictures, images or symbols and

thoughts that come to mind. It is also important to tune in your aura for spirit contact. The stronger and more vibrant your aura field is, the more sensitive you will become. Do this by visualising your aura field being alive and vibrant and full of colour radiating out towards your spirit guides. As you begin to make greater contact with your guides test and develop your insight by asking for special messages for yourself and first and then for family and friends. This should always be information that you can use and should be within a relatively short time scale. In this way the information will be much easier to verify and you can establish trust more quickly. When asking for messages for friends see if they are true. This will help you develop trust. Don’t be afraid to ask for favours from your guides. But make sure they are reasonable requests and remember that they are here to assist us in changing our lives, not do it for us. One technique I use is to ask them to find me a parking place and it always works. Just visualise the place you want to park and when you get there a space will be nearby. I rarely have to search for a parking place, and I refer to this guides as my “parking Angel”. Ask for assistance during times of stress or change. Your guides will help you to help yourself, not do it for you. But they will help to iron out problems and eliminate possible drawbacks. Ask your guides to send you dreams that will help you to work out your problems, or what to say during an important interview. Some guides will work only through dreams and can help you in learning to control your dreams. Ask your guides to place things in your path for you. These can be opportunities, people or opening new avenues of discovery. Take an occasional walk with your guides. Arrange through meditation a time in which you can walk together and continue your mental Page 7 conversations with your guides during this walk. Use this walk as a form of inspirational meditation. Walking through a forest or woodland is good and if you live in a town or city a walk in the park or along the riverbank is good. CHANNELLING AND TECHNIQUES Channelling involves sensitivity to the spiritual realm, but it has become a catchall term for most forms of phenomena of the psychic and creative realms of life. Hopefully at the end of this lesson you will have a truer idea of channelling and trance.

One who is intuitive is channelling perceptions from the higher self, soul or spirit. One who discovers a new form of healing, a new thought, a new perception, a solution to a problem or a new invention can be considered to be channelling. This channelling can be an actual spirit guide or the image of a spirit guide contact through your own imagination, intuition, or the higher self. It rather depends on the definition and the source of the channelled material and proving its legitimacy. Mediumship and channelling are all the same forms of extra dimensional communication, which can also involve telepathy, trance or any variety of altered states. What is important is the message, and the communication which will determine the value of what you receive from your spirit guides. If the messages you get reveal discontentment and lack creativity, then this reflects on you and your outlook on life. If they reveal hope and optimism then it is like a mirror image and reflects you as being hopeful and optimistic. When you meditate or go into a trance like state you are simply setting aside one level of consciousness to allow another level to come through. Your spirit guides may take the shape or form of a deity, angel, or a famous person from history, this does not mean that you have actually contacted those beings, only that their essence is helping you to transmit your own spiritual energy into the ethereal world, and turn it over to a spirit guide to communicate through. It is also important to concentrate to hold the image in your mind so that it does not waver. With practice you will be able to hold onto an image to the exclusion of all other thoughts or feelings. You are also teaching your soul to pick up ideas, images and Page 8 symbols all calculated to tune you in to the soulspiritual realm. You are moving from passive awareness to conscious interaction when you work and exercise in this way and open doors for direct spiritual perceptions. MEETING OUR SPIRIT GUIDES & GUARDIAN ANGELS There is a line of life evolving side by side with us. They have bodies of a lighter substance, which are invisible to our heavier earth bound bodies, but they embody the creative intellect and the energy of the universe. They are the Angelic beings and spirit guides. We do not have to be aware of their presence to receive their benefits, just as we do not have to be constantly aware of the air we breathe. Yet they are as nourishing to us and as essential to our lives as that air. They signify enlightenment and are capable of spreading their divine light into

all religions and all lives. Within the realms of the seven spiritual planes there are billions and billions of Angels, messengers, spirit guides, nature spirits, seraphim, cherubs and archangels. Whether we experience their love through spirit guides or nature spirits, through our religion, or through direct contact, it should strengthen and encourage us to know that those above us desire to lift us gently to higher realms. We are now going into a meditation exercise to link you in with your spirit guideTHE BUMBLE BEE 1/ Make sure you will not be disturbed 2/ Light incense or use a fragrance oil burner 3/ Breathe rhythmically. In through the nose to the count of 4, hold to the count of 4, then out through the mouth to the count of 4. Imagine that all the thoughts in your head are like busy bumblebees buzzing around inside your head and that you have to return them to the hive one by one. So how do you shut up your bumblebees? Sit comfortably on a chair or floor, loosen off any tight clothing and begin your rhythmic breathing returning some bumblebees to the hive as you breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Page 9 Allow your eyes to softly focus on an object in front of you and visualise some more bumblebees returning to the hive as your eyes relax into soft focus. Become aware of the sound of your own rhythmic breathing and not listening to anything else return some more bumblebees to the hive. Imagine you can now smell fragrant flowers and return to last few remaining bumblebees to the hive. Now with your minds eye see yourself drifting or floating off to a far away place where your spirit guide is. See yourself looking at your guide, noting if your guide is male or female and when you are ready speak silently and softly with your guide. Ask if your guide if you are ready to work with each other, ask how you can help your guide to help you. Visualise colours around your guide and make a mental note of what colours they are. This will tell you which chakras you are working with and will help to settle, calm and balance you. Now slowly come out of your meditation, continue your rhythmic breathing for a few moments, open your eyes wide and look around you to see how clear and bright your surroundings are. Make a note of what you visualised and discuss it with others who have been meditating. Time allowed for this exercise is 10 to 15 minutes. Any longer than that

when you first learn to meditate and you are likely to fall asleep! Many traditions speak of the angelic contact through the signs of the Zodiac. Set out below is a list of your astrological guardian angel or angels, your spiritual power animal, your power crystal and power plant. By knowing the name of your astrological guardian angel it will help you to link in with your spirit guide whether you know who your guide or guides are or not. By invoking the name of your angel it enhances your powers of connection. Jan 21 – Feb 18 AQUARIUS Angel CAMBIEL. Element AIR. Animal OWL. Crystal Iron Pyrites or Silver. Plant Aspen tree. Page 10 Feb 19 – Mar 20 PISCES Angel/s ROCHEL & URIEL. Element WATER. Animal COUGAR. Crystal TURQUOISE. Plant PLANTAIN a healing herb. MAR 21 – APR 20 ARIES Angel JELIEL. Element FIRE. Animal RED HAWK. Crystal FIRE OPAL. Plant DANDELION when dried & powered used for healing & coffee substitute. Apr 21 – May 21 TAURUS Angel ACHAIAH. Element EARTH. Animal HORSE. Crystal CHRYSOCOLLA. Plant BLUE CAMAS a type of Lily. May 22 – Jun 21 GEMINI Angel CALIEL. Element AIR. Animal DEER. Crystal MOSS AGATE. Plant YARROW used as a herbal tonic Jun 22 – Jul 22 CANCER Angel GABRIEL. Element WATER. Animal BEAR. Crystal CARNELIAN. Plant WILD ROSE. JUL 23 – Aug 23 LEO Angel/s VERCHIEL & YERATEL. Element FIRE. Animal WOLF. Crystal GARNET. Plant RASPBERRY. Aug 24 – Sep 22 VIRGO Angel/s VASAIRIAH & YEHUDIAH. Elelment EARTH. Animal BUFFALO. Crystal AMETHYST. Plant VIOLET. Sep 23 – Oct 23 LIBRA. Angel HAAMIAH. Element AIR. Animal RAVEN. Crystal JASPER. Plant MULLION also known as Velvet Leaf. Oct 24 – Nov 22 SCORPIO Angel ARIEL. Element WATER. Animal SNAKE. Crystal MALACHITE. Plant THISTLE.

Nov 23 – Dec 23 SAGITTARIUS Angel RAPHAEL. Element FIRE. Animal ELK. Crystal OBSIDIAN. Plant SPRUCE TREE. Page 11 Dec 24 – Jan 20 CAPRICORN Angel NEMAMIAH. Element EARTH. Animal EAGLE. Crystal QUARTZ. Plant BIRCH TREE. Working within the angelic realm should always be joyful and creative and will always help you to link in with your own personal spirit guides. As with all forms of meditation you will adapt to suit yourself and the spiritual forces you are working with. Working with angels in addition to your spirit guides will help you to find new and previously unthought of ways to communicate not just with the spirit world but also with the earth bound people, animals and plants around you. To help you make these connections use the following guidelines:1/ Read books and literature which refer to your interest in ethereal matters. Become familiar with them at every opportunity. 2/ Use prayer and meditation to contact your guides and to be drawn into contact with others who may be working on the same path as yourself to see and understand them. 3/ Spend some time with nature through walks in parks or woodlands, hills or mountains. Listening to birdsong, animal sounds and how the leaves rustle in the trees will help you understand more about your natural world and help connect you with your inner self. 4/ Become involved in anything artistic or creative. You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it, and it will help you to tune in to your subconscience thoughts and help you to have a more creative imagination. 5/ Use drumming or music to help you to open up and connect with the spirit world. They always respond to musical vibrations, candlelight and pleasant aromas. 6/ Remember that angels and spirit guides are always drawn to anyone who is working towards selfmastery. If you persevere and remain open to them you will expand your awareness. Page 12 WORKING WITH NATURE SPIRITS

Myths and tales of mysterious realms and lands have fascinated mankind since the dawn of time. Many of our legends and myths are based on fact, which is why they still intrigue us. As you open your awareness that life

can exist on other levels it will draw you towards contact with your spirit guides and quite possibly other ethereal beings. As you begin your quest for contact with all spiritual realms of life, you will also follow in the footsteps of those whose paths have been recorded in our myths and legends. The call to this quest is a call to adventure and excitement and it will become a time of maturity and growth no matter how old you are. Tales of Arthurian legends, Atlantis, Avalon, Eden, all will take on more meaning and significance and you may find yourself rereading these tales of old with much greater insight than before. One of the goals of any quest is the entering into a state of new and higher perception, and your quest into the spiritual realms of life will also bring you contact with those beings of nature that stir and fire your imagination. I would not go so far as to say that the Elves, Fairies, Pixies or Trolls of lore ever existed in real life as we perceive them, but I have to acknowledge that the awareness of these folk tales serves a vital and creative function as we expand our perceptions. People all over the world do believe in rare creatures and beings, Bigfoot, Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, Unicorns, Pegasus and U.F.O’s to name but a few. They believe in beings that are superior or inferior to humans. All these sources help us to realise the existence of angels and Angelic beings. There is in fact, much information about them, although almost none of it can be verified. Literature, songs, mystics and clairvoyants have always been traditional sources of information, but the truth though, is that their world is only as far away as you will allow it to be! Nature spirits are Mother Earth’s children. They are as many sided as nature itself. They come in many shapes and sizes. Because their energy is not as physical as ours, they have the ability to work on many dimensions. Although we should avoid classifying the nature spirits, many people do. But the nature spirits are as diverse as the earth itself and as you work with your spirit guides you will come to realise that you have more in common with them than you ever dreamt. Page 13 Almost all nature spirits require some contact with humans. Many require the direct assistance of humanity to live and evolve. They affect us as much as we affect them. Unfortunately, our civilisation has abused nature and this appals and affects them. It means that they have to withdraw from contact with us. However, not all are able to withdraw and suffer the consequences of human behaviour, an example of this are the tree spirits

in the rain forests. Therefore, as we become more enlightened through our contact with spirit guides we may discover as way to establish a greater understanding of these nature spirits and help them. Nature spirits can also be found in caves, rivers, rocks and plants. They are found in all manifestations of nature. You may at some time have seen a fairy ring for example, or noticed a rock with a distinctive pattern on it. For you these pathways of the nature spirits may again become recognisable as you expand your perceptions. You must remember though, that they are usually distrustful of us due to what mankind has done to Mother Earth and will not reveal themselves unless you spend as much time with nature as possible. When you first begin to see them it is often as a glimmer or hint just at the edge of your vision. They may blend and shapeshift themselves into different forms. But with a keen eye and persistence you will begin to recognise them in their natural habitats. HONOURING OUR SPIRIT TOTEMS A totem is any natural object, being or animal, who you spiritually feel closely associated with. Spirit guides will sometimes reflect their energies through totem spirits in order to give you a symbolic interpretation of what it is they want you to know, and leave you to solve the riddle or puzzle yourself. This is their way of giving you the power to decide for yourself, rather than have them dictate to you what you should do. We can use animal imagery and other totem images to learn about ourselves and the invisible world. When we honour the totem spirit we are honouring the essence that lies behind it and are opening ourselves and tuning in to that essence. We then share its power or its medicine in our life. To discover who your totem spirits are you may refer to your star sign where your astrological animal, plant and rock spirits are listed. You may not necessarily feel drawn to these and feel that you have other Page 14 animal spirits to work with for example. But it is a good starting point. My medicine man gave me the name “Grey Wolf” because he saw that I work with the wolf spirits, but I also work with the bear, buffalo and eagle, and at different times will call upon the spiritual energies of these animals according to my needs at the time. My crystal is the amethyst, but as a crystal healer I work with the energies of all crystals and rocks. My plant is the violet, but again I use all different plant aromas for therapy. And so it is with you, that once you begin to recognise your spirit totems you will increase your knowledge of them and vary your work with different totems at different times.

There was a time when man recognised itself as part of nature and nature as part of him. Dreaming and waking were inseparable realities where the natural and supernatural blended and merged interacting with each other. People used the images of nature to express this unity hence the wearing of skins and feathers in many Native American and Aboriginal societies. Adopting the guise of animals through the wearing of skins, feathers, and masks – symbolised a reawakening and endowment with those energies. The animal becomes the spirit guide, and helps bridge the gap between our natural world and the supernatural world. It awakens the realities of both. Animals have always had strong symbols associated with them. They have represented the emotional life of humanity, reflecting qualities that must be overcome, controlled or reexpressed. They symbolise the powers of the invisible realms which, through our meditation we learn to work with and make them visible to us. Birds were often seen as symbols of the soul. There ability to fly reflects the ability within us to rise to new awareness. Aquatic life was seen as the creative element of life with water being a symbol of the astral plane. Insects from the busy industrious ant, the bee of fertility in Egyptian myths to the mantis of the African bushmen and the spider woman of the Native American Indian who is said to have created the universe. All are seen as much working with spirit as the spirit guides themselves. An ant may not seem as glamorous as the bear, but it is industrious and its strength in proportion to its size far outweighs the bears strength. Chief Dan George in honouring these totems said Page 15 If you talk to the animals They will talk with you And you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, You will not know them, And what you do not know You will fear. What one fears One destroys.

Part of the process of working with our totems involves honouring them so learn as much about your spirit totem as possible. IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS There is a responsibility in working with spirits. You can open up your psychic channels but they are not always easy to close down. Keep in mind that any psychic or clairvoyant ability does not always include high moral character. There are ignorant people who will use these entities for selfish reasons or to attract the “dark side”. A teacher, psychic or medium may introduce you to some of your spirit guides, but should not be the sole intermediary. You will need to develop enough confidence to work on your own with your own guides who are unique to you and may not be happy working with somebody other than you. Be careful. There are ways of determining whether or not what you are impressed with is just fancy or reality. If valid and real then the information will be verified at some time and confirmation will come to you through various sources or events which will support what you have been told by spirit. Avoid people or groups that want you to change your way of living or lifestyle. Do not be pushed into making important decisions without being given time to think about them. Avoid any group, cult or individual that claims to have special divine knowledge. Page 16 Avoid any person or group that want to alienate you from your friends or family. Beware of sessions that leave you feeling exhausted or drained of energy. Always ask questions, no matter how trivial you may think they are. A genuine individual or group will always be prepared to answer them if they have nothing to hide. Always keep contact with the everyday world and work. Remember that you have the right to say “NO!” to anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember too, that opening up to the spiritual world is not a party game! You can enjoy the development process, but you must learn to respect it. Get used to meditating at regular intervals, but do not become too reliant on spirit for every decision. Remember the old maxim that anything in moderation is o.k. There are many people who develop their spiritual awareness by doing psychic readings for other people. There is nothing at all wrong with this,

so long as you remember that it is a great responsibility. People will often come to you with real problems, not necessarily because they want psychic information, so a course in counselling would be advisable if you want to do professional readings. Don’t use your spirit guides as a life support so that you can’t do anything without consulting them, or become superstitious about them, and don’t allow people to consult you too frequently. You must always empower them to make their own decisions but do not make decisions for them. By empowering them you are giving them the freedom of choice “FREE WILL” that must always be open to them. Remember that we are all either master or mistress of our own destiny so you must leave the power of deciding what to do with them. Spirit will often show two distinct pathways but will not tell you which pathway to take, but will always support you in your chosen pathway. If you are told something in confidence by a person who comes to you for a reading, then it must be regarded as “SACRED KNOWLEDGE” and you will not be allowed to pass this information on to anyone else. OPENING UP AND CLOSING DOWN. Rub your hands together to generate heat and then place both hands over your head and shoulders three times to put a ring of spiritual light around yourself and to tell your spirit guides that you want to open up your psychic channels and ask for their blessings. Page 17 When closing down put the same halo of spiritual light around yourself, thank your spirit guides and tell them that you are now closing down the psychic channels. When I do this I visualise a band of white and gold energy going horizontally and vertically around myself. You may use these colours or any other colours you feel spiritually drawn to. If you have a smudge stick and feather then use the smudging ceremony for opening up and closing down. Copyright Rev. Dr. Francis “Grey Wolf” Billington.

Acknowledgements. Ted Andrews whose book “Meet & Work with Spirit Guides” has been a major source of inspiration to format the words of this workshop manual. Pushican Lightning Bear who gave me inspiration through his own workshop manual, which helped me to know that I was on the right path. “Little Crow” who gave me the title “The Bumble Bee” for my meditation workshop manual. To all my students, because every time I teach you something, I learn something myself.