Often when I mentor burgeoning intuitives, they’ll ask me, “Is that the voice in my head or the voice of my guides?” And the reality is, even a trained medium can struggle to tell the difference sometimes. Even after many years of professional psychic mediumship, I can get a little bit confused about it too! A few weeks ago, though, I had an experience that gave me the opportunity to practice this distinction.
Looking for spiritual guidance while also looking for my car.
My friend and I were running late for an event, so we parked in a hurry. When the event was over, we realized we knew the name of the parking garage but not the address—and the garage would close for the night in just 20 minutes.
We turned ourselves around completely as we struggled to find it. The more we got worked up, the more difficult the task became.
Come on–I’m a professional psychic! Why can’t I find my car? My loud mind chattered away as we hurried along the streets. Ironically, we had just come from an event focused on dealing with feelings of anxiousness. Within minutes of leaving, we found ourselves flighty and nervous.
There on the sidewalk, I stopped. I took a breath and settled myself. Guides, I need help, I pleaded. I just want to find my car before the garage closes so I can go home. Their answer was immediate: “You’re going to find your car.” I breathed a sigh of relief.
In my work as a medium, I believe that our spirit guides (or angels, departed loved ones, or whatever you like to refer to them as) will always answer—always. That’s part of their job. Our job is simply to listen and then to put whatever they tell us to use in service of the highest good. Once I heard those words, “You’re going to find your car,” everything changed. We found the car about two minutes after that.
Using the “Fear Factor” technique to get in touch with your guides.
First, we take note of what’s scaring us and acknowledge how we might feel without it. Then, with the help of our guides, we turn our fear into an affirming mantra.
In my panic on the sidewalk, I’d identified it was the idea of the garage closing that was making me nervous. Then, I’d stated my intention—to go home—and for a split second felt what it would be like to do so. In response, my guides had given me a mantra: I’m going to find my car.
Prior to that moment, my mind had been cooking up scenarios: What if I don’t find my car? What if the garage closes? What if I can’t get home?
In contrast, my guides didn’t ask what-if. They didn’t elaborate or imagine. Instead, they gave me their message, simply and directly.
Messages like this are received through claircognizance, one of the six “clairs” (aka psychic senses) through which our guides communicate with us. It comes in as an unshakable knowing, often accompanied by a gut feeling. When our guides communicate through claircognizance, we just know. It immediately puts an end to the frenetic, jumpy “maybes,” which are the mind’s voice toying with us.
And whichever clair works best for you (this quiz will help you determine which one is your strongest), you’ll know it’s the real deal because it will be accompanied by a deep, even if fleeting, sense of inner peace. This peace is the exact opposite of—and antidote to—fear.
Fear is a natural part of the human experience. As I write in my book, it’s often one of the ways ego speaks. But in my experience, our spiritual guides will never make us fearful. They may say things we don’t want to hear, but they won’t freak us out or cause us to worry. Any time we find ourselves spinning out into dramatic what-ifs, we can know for sure that it’s our mind, not our guides. And we can respond by asking for the help we need. We can trust that our guides are always there, waiting to give it to us.
