Lesson 9
Spirit Work
As walkers between the worlds, witches make allies in the spiritual realms. Whenever you visit a new land, physical or otherwise, it is wise to make contacts in this land, someone trusted to give information and lead the adventure on safe paths. In essence, you need a guide. As a spiritual traveler, you need a spirit guide.
Spirits and guides are not exclusive to witchcraft. References to invisible allies are found in cultures all over the world, although mythologies and belief systems differ as to exactly who and what spirits and spirit guides are.
In general, a spirit refers to a nonphysical being existing beyond normal space and time. This entity could have been physical at one point, living in a body, and after death transcending the physical plane but still keeping in contact with it. Stories of ghosts and hauntings refer to spirits not only in contact with the physical, but somehow bound to it. The general theory is that these spirits did not have a peaceful death, left some business unfinished, or had an unhealthy attachment to someone or something that remained in the physical world. Other spirits were never physical, but always existed on other planes of reality, the beings of folklore and legends. Many spiritual systems assign spirits and their areas of influence to hierarchies. Certain beings, often called goddesses, gods, elementals, faeries, angels, or demons, have the ability to aid humanity under certain conditions. However, most have no interaction with humanity because they are at a different vibrational level and a different plane of existence.
Spirit guides are nonphysical beings. They aid humanity by offering personal advice, mystical knowledge, and magickal partnerships. Although assumed to be very altruistic, most traditions also assume that spirit guides are learning something from the process, or need this link to humanity for their own spiritual growth. Some feel that guides serve out of love for humanity. They give us information and insights that we do not consciously possess. Like a good friend and counselor wrapped into one, they tell us the things we need to hear, in a way we can understand. In some spiritual hierarchies, guides are believed to come from the same “soul group” or “soul family” as their human contacts, meaning a group of souls who remain together to learn and grow in a very familial manner. At some point, souls incarnate, or take physical form through birth, and some of their soul group remains in the spiritual realms to guide, consciously for those on the mystics path, and subconsciously for most others. Everyone has some sort of guide beyond the veil, but most people are unaware of this. In this paradigm, it is just as likely that at some point you were the guide and your current guide was in a body. You may both have been incarnated at the same time, sharing physical existence together as other members of the group were your guides. This system of exchange gives the relationship a wider perspective. Just because your guide is a spirit does not mean it does not understand basic human needs, emotions, and thoughts.
Other spiritual systems feel that spirits become guides once they have mastered the human level of existence and move on to the next plane. Still others feel that spirit guides are powerful spiritual beings who never were human and who exist beyond our understanding. As with any of my teachings, I do not tell you that this is the way the universe always operates and everyone else is wrong. My beliefs and viewpoints have changed over time, and have encompassed all the material here, so I present several possible viewpoints. Use what works for you. It is important to remember, in terms of nonphysical existence, that we have difficulty understanding it because it is beyond where we are existing at the moment, so we create symbols, systems, and viewpoints to understand it better, but they are just that: symbols, not absolute truth.
Regardless of origin, spirit guides serve as intermediaries between your conscious self and the higher self, and ultimately the divine mind. The divine mind can seem vast and unknowable, thus the need for an intermediary. In witchcraft, we perceive the divine force, the Great Spirit, as I call it, as embodied by the Goddess and God through the Principles of Polarity and Gender, helping us make a personal connection. Sometimes our guides are the goddesses, gods, and heroes of a specific mythology.
Other times they are ancestors, those who have passed before us in our genetic or spiritual lineage. Although you may not be Irish, your guide could manifest as an old Irish wise woman because you have adopted a Celtic path. This woman is in your spiritual family, if not in your bloodline. She could be part of your soul group, utilizing her appearance from a previous incarnation.
Animal spirits can also act as guides, and are most familiar to those following a shamanic or tribal path. Since our connection to the natural world is pivotal in the practice of the craft, animal teachers, or even plant spirits, are obvious manifestations for our guides.
Some students view guides as the familiar winged angels. Angels are viewed as safe and comfortable for those fearful of spirits. Some traditions of Wicca work closely with the archangels. Conversely, a segment of people drawn to witchcraft often shy away from angels, feeling that they hark from Christian beliefs, but in truth the mythology of angels goes far beyond Christianity. The bulk of the information comes from Judaism, but roots can be found in Egypt, Sumer, and Tibet. Older sources of angels paint a portrait that is not exclusively that of winged cherubs. Some are wheels of fire or fearsome beings with many eyes.
I have found that spirit guides typically manifest in ways the person is comfortable viewing. If they are spirit, they are greatly beyond shape and form, at least in the manner in which we are used to shape and form, and accordingly have a measure of control over their form. They may be based in the spiritual realms of the astral planes or above. With direct contact, our awareness of new realities opens up. Spirit guides seek to facilitate that process by choosing shapes that we are comfortable viewing at first.
Other guides manifest in forms that we have difficulties with, not to scare us, but to confront us with our fears and prejudices. I have a student who always works with female guides and goddess energies. Whenever a masculine presence appeared, she would turn it away or use the protection magick exercises to banish it. Soon all the guides coming to her were mostly masculine and she did not accept them until a female guide explained to her that they were not bad, but that she needed to face her fear of men and male energy. Such advice opened a whole new world of wisdom for her.
Why Call on Spirit Guides?
Why should I call on my spirit guides? What exactly do they do? “Serving as intermediaries with our divine selves” might seem like a nebulous answer. Practically, they have a great purpose: they serve as mentors. They can be called on to answer questions, help solve problems, point out our behavior patterns, give greater insight, provide confirmation to intuitive flashes, and ultimately to give us spiritual support. Guides are available to aid us in the physical and spiritual worlds. We can call on their wisdom for our personal problems and family issues. They act in many ways as a spiritual counselor would. Although spirit guides are not a substitute for any professional care you may need, I must say I’ve had my own personal breakthroughs and insights while meditating with my spirit guides. They can point out information and patterns we commit that are unhealthy, and we are more likely to accept this from a spirit rather than a physical person because our ego is more defensive with a physical person. During such inner spiritual conversations, you may feel like you are talking to yourself, but they allow you to cut through many of the games you may play with others. These personal breakthroughs lead to a greater awareness of self and ultimately help you along your spiritual path. Although we tend to divide our personal lives from our magickal selves, they are really intertwined.
Our guides are ever ready to lend support in our specific magickal works, be it daily meditation or spell crafting. They are great advisors as to when to do magick, and when not to do it. They often give tips on ritual and spell work, possibly drawing from past incarnations. They can give advice about the magickal properties of plants and crystals and be present with messages when you are doing any psychic work, including healing and things like tarot readings. Some psychics, as mediums or channels, basically let their own guides or their clients’ guides speak through them via various techniques, such as trance work or automatic writing. Spirits can literally guide you on your psychic-projection travels and guide you on meditative journeys.
Many practitioners of spirit work believe that you have not one guide, but several guides, working in one or more teams. Different guides assume different roles in your spiritual development and welfare, and often new guides have to be requested or invoked into your life to start an active relationship with them.
Spirit guide—Spirit guides are those who are there to help and direct you, like a good friend or counselor, to be there to speak when you need them and to be there to listen when you need to talk. They act like spiritual therapists and good friends. They may cross over with any of the other following roles, and are the most common to interact with during a shamanic journey or meditation.
Protector—Protector spirits are concerned primarily with your physical welfare, but also with your spiritual protection. Different spirits may be in charge of different aspects of protection for you. Angel and animal spirits are often viewed as protectors.
Gatekeepers—Gatekeepers are not physical protectors, but protectors of your consciousness, guardians of your mind and spirit. They may simultaneously assume the role of protector as well.
Healer—Healers are spirits who are available for your healing on all levels and to aid others in healing. When you desire self-healing, call on your healers and ask for instructions. Once you have called on them, lie down and they will align your physical and subtle bodies, just like when you visit a witch or any other kind of hands-on healer. Your guides will put their spiritual hands on you and create balance. Ask them for any special instructions. Intuitively, you may feel like you have to change your position to facilitate their work. They will also let you know when the session is complete. When it is over, thank and release your healing guides. They can act as internal alchemists, healing body chemistry. If you do any other healing work, call on your healers before you begin, to guide you. Call on your client’s healers, and both of your higher selves. I’ve been blessed with several healing guides, including one that looked like an ancient practitioner of Chinese medicine. He gave me information on several pressure points in my body to stimulate healing after an injury. I later found out that they were used in acupressure.
Joy guide—A joy guide is said to help you remain in contact with fun, laughter, and your inner child. Also known as a laughter guide, tricksters, faeries, and other mischievous spirits take on this role, sometimes hiding things from you. A joy guide is at times related to the gatekeeper function, guarding your consciousness from energies that would harm the inner child.
Runner—Runner spirits are those who help you manifest and find things in the physical world. Elementals and nature spirits are usually the embodiment of runners.
Master teacher—A master teacher is concerned about your spiritual development and the course of your study. A master teacher will provoke you not only to learn, but also to practice and develop your skills. Think of this spirit as a mentor, who will often be connected in some way to your chosen life profession.
Patron—A patron usually refers to a patron deity, a goddess or god whom you serve and for whom you act as an agent in this world. Your learning and development is directly tied to the patron whom you choose, or who chooses you, and can sometimes change with time as your path changes. A patron may also act as your master teacher.
My first experience with guides was in a meditation led by a teacher of mine. I was introduced to two guides, a female who was a cross between an elf and an Arabian princess, named Asha, and a tall, pale, lanky man, also reminiscent of an elf, named Llan. They were not what I expected at all. Asha aided more in the feminine, intuitive, and healing realms, while Llan seemed a little colder and mental, giving me more facts and figures. As I reconciled my own inner masculine and feminine, he warmed up and started teaching through story, something I soon adopted in my own teaching. Later I had a visitation in my meditation with the goddess Macha, an Irish goddess associated with crows and horses. She became my patron in the craft. Years later I had an experience with the Welsh god Gwydion. These four have been with me ever since, along with the Crow and Spider animal spirits. Many other spirits, angels, and deities have wandered in and out of my practice. They come and go from my life as needed. They present the information or experience they hold and then continue onward. As I’ve studied different paths and belief systems to expand my knowledge and experience as a teacher, these new guides have conformed to the new paradigms I’ve adopted, further demonstrating to me that spirit is ever changing and mutable to the form you need at the time.
It has been my experience through teaching this material to many different people from different backgrounds and beliefs that everyone has at least one guide at all times. Sometimes contact is not immediate, but guidance is available, and often comes through intuition and flashes of messages rather than direct conversation or visuals. Witches, shamans, and other mystics seem to have more guides than the average person because they spend more time than most people contacting the spirit realms. The more you travel, the more you make contacts, friends, and guides in foreign locales. These contacts will come in very handy as you develop your skills as a walker between worlds.
Are They Real?
One of the most frequently asked questions I get in regard to spirit work, and witchcraft in general, is “Is this real?” People will pull me aside after a lecture and ask, “Now really, was that real? Are spirits and guides really there, or did I make the experience up?” And that is the 64-million-dollar question. Are spirits real? Do they exist independently of the people who perceive them? The obvious answer picked by most people is no. They are figments of your imagination. At worst, they represent a psychological imbalance in which you are talking to people you think are real, who are not physically there. At best, they are a device used by your consciousness to have an internal dialogue. Your belief in a spirit facilitates the process of the inner conversation where insight and knowledge you already possess can be woven into a more complete picture.
In chapter 5, we discussed the three minds used in magick, the conscious mind, the psychic mind, and the divine mind, corresponding to the middle/ego self, the lower/ psychic self, and the higher self, respectively. Many proponents of the internal dialogue will say that the spirit guide is a manifestation of the lower, psychic abilities to make an easier contact with the higher, divine self. In essence, you are talking to yourself, but a higher, wiser part of you.
In psychological terms, these intermediary personas are known as the anima and animus, the inner female and male aspects of each individual. At the first stage of this work in modern psychology, every man contained an inner feminine called the anima and every woman contained an inner masculine aspect called the animus. Today, practitioners feel that everyone contains both aspects, regardless of physical gender. The anima/animus helps us contact the higher mind and gives us a balanced perspective of the masculine, logical point of view and the feminine, intuitive point of view. When in contact with both, we make balanced, well-informed decisions. It’s like using both sides of your brain to determine the next course of action, instead of letting one dominate. Ancient alchemists writing about the hermaphrodite, a composite of male and female, were writing about this spiritual truth, and not necessarily the physical.
I can’t disagree with this viewpoint, as it was my own for quite a while. Although I believed in the power of the mind, psychic abilities, and, through those abilities, magick, I was not ready to believe in the existence of spirit guides. When I met Asha and Llan, I thought they were my anima and animus given a colorful voice. Llan especially looked like someone I knew in college. I felt that I gave his image to my animus because this person was the only male witch I knew, even though we were never introduced. After studying the work of Carl Jung, the idea of talking to a wiser part of myself was not as intimidating as speaking to spirits, so I went with it.
Later I had experiences with my guides that made me doubt this theory and made me look at the possibility that I was interacting with separate, distinct entities. Their personalities seemed to be complete and beyond simple aspects of myself. At a point when I was doubting myself and the craft, feeling overwhelmed by peer and societal pressure, I asked my guides to give me proof, some sign that this was all real and they were real: “If I am not talking to another part of myself, tell me something I don’t already know.” Asha told me, “Steve’s mother is blind.” I had just met my life partner, Steve, a few months earlier and had not yet met his mother. When I did, she wasn’t blind; she saw better than I did. All my hopes were dashed and I felt very disconnected. I continued with basic meditations and energy work. I could feel the energy exercises, so I thought energy was real, but I thought spirit guides were my imagination, and I did not journey or speak with my guides until a few weeks later. I met up with an old friend, also named Steve, and he told me about his mother. She had recently been declared legally blind. I immediately meditated with my spirit guides to apologize. Asha just laughed, and I thought it appropriate that they had helped me “see” by using the symbol of eyesight, a recurring issue in my life.
Since then I’ve had many different experiences that reaffirmed my belief that spirits guides are real. In class, I’ve felt the presence of particular spirits or deities and have had other people in the class describe them. During one ritual I felt the energy of Wotan, or Odin, the Norse father god. I particularly felt him in the south. A woman standing in the south, who was not a pagan but someone open to exploring new practices, said she felt a Viking standing behind her and proceeded to describe the one-eyed Wotan. I’ve also had students describe my spirit guides before I’ve discussed them in class.
A good friend of mine, one of the people who first got me involved in witchcraft, met an obscure Celtic goddess, dressed in full Celtic garb. She gave her name, which my friend had a hard time pronouncing. She had never studied the Celts before this point in time and would never have subconsciously chosen such a deity because she had no prior knowledge of myth. She later discovered that same goddess in a book. Many people report being met by different gods and goddesses they never knew existed, but later found in a book. Even if they did not believe in individual spirits, at the very least each of these people tapped into a collective consciousness containing these entities, the archetypal beings, and not their own personal subconscious.
In one meditation, the same guide presented itself to two different people. As we went around the room, one person described a guide, and when he spoke to it, the guide said, “I’m not here for you. I’m here for someone else.” I then noticed the look of shock when the next student realized that it was the guide he saw. I’ve seen my students’ guides at times. One experience in particular that stands out in my mind was during the same meditation. I saw a Roman centurion standing behind my friend Scott. He, too, saw this figure, and described the bristle helmet but did not use the word centurion. We saw the same being, and that experience convinced him that spirits are “real.”
With these experiences in mind, it is easy to believe that spirit guides are separate and distinct individual entities, but I fear that is not the whole truth either. I struggled with the concept for a long time, wanting to separate fact from fiction. What was real? Were they separate, or a part of me? The more I struggled and needed proof, the less productive it was. When I let go of needing to prove anything, I had more worthwhile experiences. We can look at spirits from the psychological perspective, or the more traditional entity perspective, but when you keep the Hermetic principles in mind, most importantly the Law of Mentalism, we are all connected and part of the same one spirit. We are all waves in the ocean. Is a separate entity in reality any different from my higher self? Not really. Am I any different from anyone or anything else, physical or nonphysical? No, not really. The only difference is perspective. Currently, I have the perspective of being a separate person, and that is the experience I need right now. When that need changes, my experience changes. By understanding that mysticism in part is based on a personal viewpoint, we create a better foundation for our own spiritual work. We also become more tolerant of other people’s beliefs, realizing that it is all a point of view.
Fear and Discernment
One of the most interesting aspects of teaching spirit work is observing the various levels of enthusiasm or fear related to the experience. On one hand, you have people very interested in meeting their spirit guides and actively working with them. Often people who do not particularly want to become witches take my witchcraft classes to learn to work with spirit guides and journey. They are excited at the prospect of opening up to a brand new world. On the other hand, a small number of students express fear of working with spirits. They fear what spirits they will conjure up and the possibility that the spirit will be evil. Our popular culture, from folk tales to Hollywood thrillers, depicts the spirit world as a hostile place, filled with demons out to get us. The word demon most likely comes from the Greek work daimon, meaning an intermediary spirit, one who connects humankind to the gods. That sounds like a spirit guide or angel, doesn’t it? Historically, the gods of an existing religion become the demons of the conquering religion. That doesn’t make one evil and the other good, it just means that one tribe is better at waging war than the other.
If you research demonology, you will notice the similarities of the demons’ names to old pagan gods. Though some would argue from a fundamentalist Christian point of view that the pagan gods were demons, they are only spiritual entities who are the victims of bad press and a smear campaign. The only demons you should worry about are those of your own making, the personal addictions and unhealthy attitudes you bring into life.
Although one should exercise caution when doing any spiritual work, it is no more dangerous than physical travel and interacting with real people. Most spirits mean no harm, some desire to help, and others may not have your best interests at heart. With a little practice, you can avoid harmful spirits entirely.
Some people fear that once they start talking to spirits, the spirit will never stop talking and will drive them crazy. My good friend and former covenmate Christina, who has always had a hard time with the concept of spirits, asked, “What’s the difference between spirit guides and schizophrenia?” We came to the conclusion that witches and shamans speaking to spirits can “turn off” the experience and focus on the material world whenever they want. Think of it as a radio with an off switch, or at least a button to change the station. Those with various types of illness can’t turn it off. They may be talking to spirits, or they may be talking to themselves, but often due to a physiological problem, they cannot turn it off. Do not worry about “going crazy.” With a basic foundation in meditation and metaphysics as presented in this book, you will always be able to turn off your radio. You may have certain initiation experiences that are difficult at the time. Many shamans go through the “wild man” or “wild woman” initiation, where they seemingly go crazy and live alone in the woods to learn from the spirits, but modern witches do not lose their faculties or create a physiological illness. I think that some people subconsciously don’t want to talk to their spirit guides. They fear what the guides will say. Many people are unhappy with life, but are more frightened to change than to keep suffering, and a spirit guide will urge you to change if you are not living in a balanced manner. Change can be a frightening prospect.
When working with a new spirit or guide, use your discernment. Does this feel right intuitively, in your heart, mind, and body? If something is making you uncomfortable, what is it? Is it your own feelings reflected at you, or is it the entity? Various traditions feel that if a spirit can tell you its name three times in a row, then it is not lying to you, but sometimes a name does not prove anything. Others ask a spirit to send them the feeling of unconditional love along with the name. A spirit that means harm cannot exist in the vibration of love. You can use the banishing pentagram and ask all spirits who are not in “perfect love and perfect trust” to be banished now. If that spirit remains, then you can work with it. The protection techniques in chapter 9 are great preparation before working with any spirit.
Making Contact
This section is a series of exercises designed to facilitate the process of connecting with your spirit guides. To some, these are used as systems of divination, but we will be using them like an oracle. An oracle goes in a different direction from divination of the past, present, and future. It uses divination as a medium to connect with various spirit guides. We shall use these exercises to receive answers from our guides, often in a yes/no format, and then move on to more detailed messages.
Spiritualists from many traditions talk about spirits and guides existing at a different vibration. We know through the Principle of Vibration that all things vibrate, all things are energy, even the nonphysical. When we describe spirits as existing on other planes, like the astral, emotional, or mental planes, they are in a different vibration than the physical. These vibrations overlap, since we, as physical beings, have astral, emotional, and mental components. The event of contact is a process of both beings changing their vibration enough to “tune in” to the right frequency. Some use ritual, meditation, or lifestyle practices to achieve and maintain such vibrations. We know we can change our vibration through intent. Through intent, we can “tune in” to our guides, even when we are not seeking direct guidance, but only their presence to subtly guide us. When I have a healing client or a tarot session, I tune in through my intentions and ask to be guided to say and do the correct thing. Sometimes I receive a direct message, and other times, it is just a flash of intuition, but I know my guides are present. I think that many teachers and healers do this, some consciously and others unconsciously.
Before doing any of the next exercises, sit quietly and say this or similar words:
“I ask my highest and best guidance to be present. I ask to vibrate in harmony with the highest and best guidance and understand all messages given to me.”
Sometimes a slight tingle or shift in energy will follow, but if you don’t notice anything, don’t worry. They are present. Now you are ready to begin. When done, always thank and release your highest and best guidance. You can do so by saying, “Hail and farewell,” by which you honor and release.
Pendulum
The pendulum is a time-honored device used to divine yes or no questions. In this application, we are going to ask our guides to give us yes or no responses to questions posed. The item itself is a string with some sort of weight on the end. It can be as fancy or as simple as you like (Figure 28). Silver and gold chains with crystals or metal beads are available. You can create a homemade pendulum using a piece of string and a metal washer or nut. Marilyn, a friend and fellow flower-essence consultant, uses a piece of thread and a sewing needle. More intellectually focused practitioners stress the necessity of using a properly weighted, professionally made pendulum, but I prefer the homemade ones. I avoid plastic because I feel that tools made of plastic give deceptive and incorrect answers. Plastic is a substance influenced by the planet Neptune, and although Neptune has many wonderful spiritual attributes, it is also the planet of illusions.
By dangling the weight, you receive an answer indicated by the motion of the pendulum. Traditionally, clockwise motions mean yes and counterclockwise motions mean no, but you should check in with your guides to find your own yes or no response. For instance, I know of cases where a circular motion means yes and a linear motion means no.
The original theory behind the pendulum is that your guides are influencing the motion of the pendulum psychokinetically, giving you their answer. When you hold the pendulum and bring it to a still point, you know that you are not deliberately moving it, although to others it may appear that you are. Something else appears to be moving the weight. Many people speculate that you are subconsciously moving the pendulum with very subtle movements from your hand muscles, or that you are even using your own natural, latent psychokinetic abilities to move it. If that is true, I feel that perhaps your guides are tapping into your subconscious or your own abilities to give their answer. When the mind is as centered and clear as possible, I’ve found the pendulum to be a very effective method of communication. I’m still not certain of the mechanism, but as long as it helps, I am happy to use it. I often use exercises 27 and 28 when choosing flower-essence remedies for my clients, asking their own guides what is best for them, and allowing those guides to answer through these divination techniques.
1. Get out your pendulum and prepare a list of yes/no questions. The first questions should be “What is a yes response?” and “What is a no response?” Once you know that, you can ask any other question.
2. Activate your trigger (as programmed in exercise 12). Once you feel sufficiently open, you can release the trigger, but still maintain a light meditative state.
3. Hold out the pendulum with the weight dangling. Keep your hand steady. Stop the weight from moving and let go. Tune in to your guides.
4. Ask your question and close your eyes.
5. Visualize a happy, peaceful place to clear your mind. Do not worry about getting an answer. Relax for a few moments.
6. Open your eyes and take note of the motion of the pendulum for your answer.
7. Thank and release your guides when done, saying, “Hail and farewell.”
Don’t be discouraged if this doesn’t work at first. Contact is not always instantaneous. It can also take awhile to figure out what is yes and what is no. Keep practicing. Start with questions to which you know the answer, like your name, address, and age. When comfortable with the responses, start asking questions with unknown answers. You can ask for advice on anything, from the types of foods you should eat for optimum health to the veracity of someone’s story.
Muscle Testing
Muscle testing, also called applied kinesiology, is becoming more and more popular in holistic medical professions. Although not initially used to contact spirit guides, the underlying principle is to connect with the body’s own intelligence and wisdom regarding health decisions. Various points in the body are strength tested with certain substances to see if they strengthen the body system or weaken it.
My first experience with muscle testing was to determine which metals were best for our overall health and vibration. Although we used gold and silver, you can use anything, such as herbs, flower essences, food, or crystals. I’ve even done it with a bottle of vitamin C and a bottle of rat poison, just to really test it.
If you have a partner for this preliminary muscle test, gather a small amount of gold jewelry and silver jewelry. The next exercise for muscle testing and spirit guides does not require a partner. Have your partner stand up and place his or her dominant arm out at a ninety-degree angle straight out from the body. Ask your partner to hold the arm locked in that position. Have your partner close his or her eyes while you test the level of strength by trying to push his or her arm down on the count of three. The goal is not to actually push the arm down, but to measure how much normal resistance it has. Then, with eyes still closed, place one metal in your partner’s dominant hand. Count to three again and apply the same pressure. The arm will either stay equally strong, get stronger, or get noticeably weaker. Don’t let your partner look at the metal, and try it again with the other metal. Switch it around several times. Usually, one metal will strengthen and another will weaken.
If that’s not the case, try this exercise with different metals, such as copper and iron, or use an entirely different family of substances: crystals, herbs, or vitamins. As a last resort, try the bottle of vitamins and the bottle of poison. The only exception I’ve found to this exercise is when one person is radically stronger than the other, the stereotypical ninety-eight-pound weakling versus the bodybuilder. But for two people of normal strength, it almost always works. Switch roles and try it yourself. If you are alone, you can hold the substance with both hands at the heart level, standing straight, feet fairly close together. If you feel yourself sway forward slightly, it is an affirmative reaction. If you sway back, you are seeking to get away from the substance, a no response. It’s a great trick to know when buying herbs or vitamins.
Muscle testing when communing with spirit guides does not necessarily require a partner, but it does require the use of both hands. Take your nondominant hand (the left hand if you are right-handed, and vice versa) and make a loop with your thumb and pinky. Take your dominant hand and make a pincer shape with your thumb and first finger. Place the pincer fingers into the loop (figure 29). Ask your question. With all your strength, you will try to keep the loop closed tight while simultaneously using all your strength to open your pincer fingers. If the loop of your thumb and pinky breaks, the answer is no. If the loop holds, the answer is yes.
The idea behind this type of muscle testing is that your body is an electromagnetic system. Your guides place a small charge into your system that will either weaken it or strengthen it. The test allows you to determine their response, although I’ve noticed that extended use of this technique during a single period eventually tires out the hands and gives less accurate results because the muscles involved are fatigued.
1. Prepare a list of yes/no questions. Again, start with simple questions to which you know the answers, and then move on to questions with unknown answers.
2. Activate your trigger (as programmed in exercise 12). Once you feel sufficiently open, you can release the trigger, but still maintain a light meditative state.
3. Get your hands into position, placing the dominant hand’s pincer (thumb and first finger) into the nondominant hand’s loop (thumb and pinky).
4. Ask your question, and then simultaneously try to open the pincers and hold the loop. It will almost immediately break or hold. Do not struggle with it. Note your answer. Repeat the process with all your questions.
5. Thank and release your guides when done, saying, “Hail and farewell.”
Automatic Writing
Automatic writing is a process of letting go of your conscious mind and allowing your deeper, psychic mind to control your hand, intuitively guiding the writing. The idea is to allow the guides to seed their answers into your psychic mind, communicating through the writing process. Unlike muscle testing or the pendulum, automatic writing allows a greater scope of information to come through. You can ask for specific information, such as names, dates, and detailed answers.
With automatic writing, the personality and character of the guide come through much more. Though some feel the presence of their guides during muscle testing, writing lets the words and phrases give you an idea about the being who is guiding you.
To prepare for automatic writing, get out a stack of loose paper. I prefer paper with no lines because I don’t pay attention to them anyway while in this state. You should number the pages beforehand, because you could find yourself flinging away each sheet as you are done with it. Numbers make the reordering process much easier. Have a supply of pens or pencils on hand. I prefer ballpoint pens because they do not drag as much as other writing implements. Prepare a list of questions to use. Questions can include, “Who are you?” “What are you?” “What is your name?” “Are you male, female, or neither?” “Have we known each other in a past life?” “What is your purpose?” “What is your message for me now?” Keep the first session fairly simple. If you have a partner, have the questions read as you go along, so you do not have to distract yourself with reading while in a meditative state.
1. Start exercise 9: Counting Down to a Meditative State to get into your magickal mindset. Have your partner guide you through this process. You can gently open your eyes at this point if they were closed.
2. Tune in to the vibration of your highest and best guidance, as noted previously. Wait a few minutes and allow the link to be established.
3. Hold the pen and put paper in front of you. You do not necessarily have to look at the paper. In fact, it may be easier if you don’t. Start asking questions and allow the hand to move. In some cases, it is completely automatic and the writer has no idea of what is being written until it is read back later. For most, the words pop into your head as you write them, or just before they are written. Go with whatever experience feels right, but don’t try to control it.
4. Read the answers when you are done. They may provoke other questions from you or your partner.
5. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, giving yourself clearance and balance, and perform any grounding that may be needed. Thank and release your guides when done, saying, “Hail and farewell.”
Clairaudience—Conscious Channeling
Clairaudience is the act of psychically receiving information in terms of audio impression. One hears things instead of seeing them. Up until now, most of this training has been geared toward clairvoyance because we exist in a very visual society. Ultimately, we want to engage any of the senses when needed and open to clairsentience, or psychic knowing, where the corresponding physical sensory impression is not necessary or as important. There is little practical difference between clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience beyond what the practitioner feels most comfortable with. Each technique can yield the same information.
In this exercise, we are tuning in to our highest and best guidance and asking to receive information in an auditory way, hearing a message. You will not necessarily hear it with your physical ears, but instead with your inner “psychic ears,” just as you visualize with your inner psychic eye. For some, the message may feel like it is physical. If you heard your message as you did during the automatic-writing exercise, then this will be no different, except that you will not be writing as you go. It will be more like a conversation in your mind, but one of the speakers will be your spirit guide.
When such conversations are spoken aloud, repeating back the message given by a guide, it is often called conscious channeling. Channeling is allowing yourself to be a vehicle for a message, either for yourself or for others. Although many variations exist, the two main types are conscious channeling and full body, or trance, channeling. Trance channeling is when you let a spirit take over physical control of the body and directly give its message. We are not attempting that here. Both types of channeling have advantages and drawbacks perceived by their various champions and opponents, but for now we are focusing on your inner, personal conversation with your guide.
1. Start exercise 9: Counting Down to a Meditative State to get into your magickal mindset.
2. Tune in to the vibration of your highest and best guidance, as noted previously. Wait a few moments and allow the link to be established. Ask to speak to your spirit guide.
3. Start speaking with your spirit guide, internally or out loud. You can start by explaining a situation for which you need advice, emotions you are having difficulty handling, or you can jump right into direct questions. When stuck, the best question is “What do I need to know now for my highest good?” or “What message do you have for me now?”
4. Return yourself to normal consciousness, counting up, and giving yourself clearance and balance. Do any necessary grounding. Thank and release your guides when done, saying, “Hail and farewell.”
With practice, you will be able to receive these messages in lighter states of meditation, even by using your trigger. If you are less auditorily inclined, this exercise may be accompanied by visions and images of your guide. Your message could be dreamlike and symbolic. Whatever happens, it is the experience you need at that time.
New Assignments
• Exercises 27 through 30—Complete and record your experiences in your Book of Shadows.
• Build a relationship with your guides. Before you meditate, invite them into the space to guide and protect you. When you are done, thank and release them. If you have questions in your life, seek out answers from your guides and highest knowing. If you find yourself in difficult situations, call on your guides for help.
Continuing Assignments
• Daily journal—Write three pages a day.
• Continue with a dream journal.
• Focus on a regular meditation practice, at least three times a week if not daily.
• Honor and recognize your intuition. Continue to ask it questions.
• Use instant magick, neutralization, light, and aura reading in your daily life.
Tips
• If the usual method of muscle testing does not work for you, there is an alternative method. Take your first finger and thumb on each hand and create a ring, but link the rings of each hand together like links of a chain. Ask your question and try to pull the links apart. If a link breaks, your answer is no. If they stay together, the answer is yes. This particular technique is difficult if you are prone to sweaty hands.