Your place in the universe is guided by your very own Universal Team of productive and enlightened angels and spirit guides (which I sometimes refer to with the collective term guides), departed loved ones, figures of faith, and other spiritual beings. Their job is to love, lead, and protect you as you dream and plan and remove obstacles along your soul’s best path. Your angels and spirit guides are the movers and shakers behind Believe, Ask, and Act who act in conjunction with the universe’s energy to make things happen. I just love talking about them.
Trusting and acting on your Team’s guidance are what make or break happiness. I’ve noticed that clients who feel stuck when seeking growth or change lean solely on positive intentions, upbeat thoughts, and an established faith, which engages their Teams but doesn’t move their desires forward. They expect God to take the wheel, when they should be asking Him and His emissaries for directions so they can drive their own car. When you don’t tune in to your Team’s abilities and interact accordingly, you remove yourself from the very process that generates results. As my own guides say, “Ask and you shall receive? Maybe. Ask and be guided? Always.”
The more you use your Universal Team, the more you’ll appreciate and rely on how precisely they know your soul and can communicate through your instincts. Savvy spirits are assigned to you for a reason—they have a sense of your optimal path and have your best intentions in mind. By following your Team’s lead and listening to the intuitive hunches and feelings they prompt, you will return to your soul’s basic instincts, the ones you were born with and that we all have as humans. Ideally, it’s from this beautifully lit place that you’ll live true to yourself and move God’s best intentions forward. Your choices are what allow the energy around you to flow, and you will have the opportunity for greater happiness and connection when you are really tuning in to your Team. “You have the power to change your life, and it is not a journey you take alone,” my guides say. “Strip away your layers and remind yourself of what you are at your very core. You are from pure energy with the strength of the universe not only walking beside you but living within you, too.”
Engaging your Team allows your life to move at a purposeful clip, so I want you to understand who these souls are so that you can visualize and value their role in the three steps. In this chapter, I’ll introduce you to God and the Spirit that guides you, explain what their purposes are and where they fit into the universal hierarchy, and suggest a cool way to interact with them. Because clients’ Teams show up in readings all the time, I understand this aspect of Spirit and their intentions very well. I want you to feel comfortable with them, too, since your Team is your greatest ally and support as you move through life.
Spirit guides, angels, and loved ones primarily compose your Universal Team, though certain religious figures, teachers, and other spiritual beings pop in and out as you need them. A lot of clients suspect that only God and maybe a guardian angel or two are looking out for them, and they’re usually floored to learn there’s a whole gang of spiritual oomph ready to help them find happiness. And let me tell you, your Team is an ambitious and eager lot. They inspire your thoughts, reassure and console you in times of need, and steer you away from danger when they can. They send reassuring signs, create opportunities, and offer clues to solutions that soothe your worries and lead to soul growth if you notice and follow them. They try to help you learn lessons efficiently through nudging, insight, and inspiration. As you read in the last chapter, your Team also tries to ensure that your gifts are grown and utilized so your soul lives true to its path. Angels and spirit guides don’t need to be acknowledged, but they do appreciate gratitude—they earn it! And don’t worry, you won’t annoy them by asking for a lot of help. In fact, when we don’t call on them, they twiddle their proverbial thumbs and get a little frustrated by how stubborn we seem. While writing this chapter, my Team said, “Wake them up! Wake them up! Tell them they have guides, and tell them to use us!”
Your Team’s job is to have your back, and the more open you are to Spirit’s presence and answers, the happier and more positive you’ll feel in everything you do. I find that talking to my guidance directly, aloud or in my head, helps me to feel connected to them. You’ll do this in the “Ask” portions in Part II of this book, but you don’t have to limit how often you engage Spirit. Reach out for anything—safety on a plane, help taking a test, patience at the DMV, or simply companionship when you feel alone. When I quote my spirit guides and angels throughout this book, you’ll notice that I refer to them as one voice (“my guides say . . . ”) since this is how they spoke to me for our purposes. But when I channel Teams for clients, it’s very clear as to who is passing on the message. When you connect during the three steps, you may hear from anyone on your Team, be it God, angels, spirit guides, religious figures, or loved ones.
No matter who’s on your Team or how high their energy is, Spirit will only support and assist you, not do the work for you. It’s up to you to act on Spirit’s advice in a way that feels right. If you find you’re struggling with negative thoughts, ask your guides to clear them from your mind. Your Team’s guidance should always feel nonthreatening and gentle, help you without hurting others, and create the highest good for all concerned. Their perspective might be hard to accept at times, but it will never steer you wrong. God’s emissaries know your most heartfelt desires and empathize with your challenges. They will always guide you in a positive, respectful, and compassionate way.
And again, please remember that all Spirit is pure light, and their physical image is influenced by your belief system. So if the way I describe a soul here or in upcoming chapters doesn’t resonate with you, realize that Spirit reveals itself to me either through my belief system so I can interpret them or through the client’s so he/she can recognize the souls. Put another way, Spirit dresses for the occasion and knows their audience! I’ve grown up believing that Jesus is white and Buddha is fat, so I see them that way. Similarly, if you feel monks wear robes, and your guide is a monk, guess what he’ll have on? What matters isn’t what your Team looks like but that you Believe and know they are with you—and no, this isn’t so you can trick yourself into imagining their presence. It reinforces belief, which awakens your awareness of Spirit. It’s like when I’m in a loud restaurant and don’t notice the music until my husband tells me our favorite Springsteen song is playing. Suddenly I can hear the lyrics and melody so clearly, though I somehow couldn’t before I was made aware of it and then tuned in myself. Belief tunes you into Spirit the same way.
I refer to the universe’s creator as God or a higher power, but God is known by many different titles depending on a person’s belief system—Yahweh, Allah, Divine, Source, and others. Spirit says God doesn’t have a favorite name; He just wants you to establish a belief system rooted in a higher power. I’m also shown that God isn’t a singular being but an expansive energy, though I use a masculine pronoun when talking about God because it’s the most common and relatable way. Like all souls in Heaven, God’s energy doesn’t have a gender. Now some angels and guides do feel more feminine, masculine, or androgynous to me, but I suspect this relates to how I interpret their qualities—a nurturing energy feels feminine, while a spirit with a direct, no-frills communication style feels masculine. As for your loved ones, they present themselves with human traits, like gender, so that you recognize and relate to them.
God is part of your Team, and while Spirit utilizes God’s energy to do their work, you can call on God directly when you need Him. His energy is unlimited, powerful, and benevolent. It changes lives.
God created everything in the universe, which means God created you. Everything is made from God’s own pure, brilliant, and positive energy and therefore embodies His peace, mind, goodness, and light. In this way, you’re “made in His likeness.” God doesn’t literally look like you—human features, smart dresser. A part of God exists in your soul, which makes the greatness you seek within reach.
Spirit shows me that God is literally everywhere—yes, His energy exists at the highest level on the Other Side, but it is also simultaneously in our world, too. Think of God like a blazing, fiery sun. Just as we benefit from the sun’s warmth at the same time as people all over the world do, God’s energy spreads across all dimensions. When His light channels through Spirit and people with abilities like mine (which is why some call us light workers), you reap God’s benefits. His light is what makes things happen!
God’s hope for humanity might surprise you. I’m shown that He doesn’t ask you to “worship” Him and definitely doesn’t want you to fear Him. Rather, God hopes you will participate in a respectful and honest relationship, a partnership if you will, with Him and His emissaries. God wants you to live virtuously and with love. It’s not about achieving perfection—none of your guides expects or desires for you to pursue flawlessness because that’s not possible. He asks you to create, nurture, give to others, and pursue true happiness because it creates a positive environment that keeps the universe pulsing with superior energy and enriches your time here. God wants you to do good for others while doing good for yourself. In a lot of respects, God’s priorities come to me in a way that sounds a lot like Buddhist virtues—to love and find peace within yourself and the earth, to practice kindness and wisdom, to feel appreciation for all you have and share your happiness with others. You’re meant to use a gentle, selfless nature to serve and help all living beings.
During meditation, I like to bring myself to a meeting area where I sit with my guides to discuss my abilities, how I’m doing on my path, and where my work is headed. I visualize myself in a circular ancient temple with large marble pillars and no roof or walls—just open space above and around me. The sky is dark, purple, and glitters with stars. In the center are two chairs, and I sit in one and wait for my guide to sit in the other. Souls dressed in white mill about, and I’m told they’re all the guides and beings I’ve come in contact with in the past.
Once when I intended to meet one of my guides in the temple, though, someone else arrived instead. A beautiful white light with a loose form appeared before me. Its energy was so calm, clear, and safe that I immediately believed the information coming through was from God’s essence. Our exchange was reassuring and mission based. We talked a great deal about how I was meant to teach others about connecting to Spirit; I immediately understood what I was told. I was smiling ear to ear, like I’m so listening . . . I didn’t question the message or struggle with whether I understood it correctly; I just accepted it, embraced it, and felt grateful for it. At the end of our conversation, the light shot up into the sky and that was it! My guides inferred that I was speaking to The Boss, and God’s tone felt like the embodiment of Truth. I don’t know how else to explain it.
Angels are another category of guides that likely will walk with you. They respond to your call with finesse and a warm protection. They’ve been in Heaven since the beginning of time. I’m not an expert on the angelic realm, but I have channeled my share of archangels, guardian angels, and what I call worker bee angels. Guardian angels are always part of your Team, while additional angels intercede when they’re needed. I’m always impressed with how quickly and productively all angels respond to a request—and with care, tenderness, and devotion, too. All angels help more than one person at a time.
When I channel angels, their energy is lighter, higher, and brighter than loved ones and most spirit guides because they’re so close to God. I mostly see angels as traveling orbs, flashing white spheres, and silhouettes of light. I also see angelic colors that symbolize how the angel is helping the person I’m reading. For instance, blue angels offer protection, green angels bring healing, yellow angels represent divine guidance, and pink angels appear when a person is pursuing, receiving, or emanating love.
I was taught that archangels are God’s highest-ranking angels. Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel frequently appear during my readings since a lot of my clients pray to them, so they like to step forward to offer reassurance and comfort. Archangel Michael appears with a giant wingspan and offers protection and strength. Raphael steps forward to represent healing for humans and animals. Gabriel arrives in the name of truth, respect, clarity, and the importance of listening to your inner voice. A lot of clients call on Gabriel to receive the wisdom to make decisions and confidence to act on those choices. He is one of God’s closest messengers.
You also have a guardian angel that is with you from birth until death—it ushers you into the world and greets you when you cross over. You receive a new guardian angel with each life, depending on what your soul needs to grow; “Some of us get tough assignments,” my guardian angel says with a wink. I guess even angels don’t have it so easy all the time!
Nonspecific angels are pure white, and to me, they’re worker bees on assignment. These celestial beings are often sent to intervene in a crisis either as spirits or in human form, although angels have never been human in our world. My client Charlie, who was in a car accident that nearly took his life, had an encounter that came up in a reading. Here, Spirit showed me his fear, a car spinning out of control, and then a presence in the vehicle that appeared to me as a protective white angelic light. When I mentioned this last part, Charlie’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets. “I thought I felt someone in that car with me!” he said. Spirit told me that it wasn’t Charlie’s time to die, and so an angel stepped in to save his life.
Most angels don’t have gender designations since they’re nonphysical, but they do have personalities and roles that lean archetypally female or male. Even so, the angelic personas I’ve encountered aren’t decidedly one or the other, as art history and certain religious texts would have you believe. Gabriel is actually said to personify both genders—nurturing, passionate, and gentle (feminine) and strong, supportive, and motivational (masculine). In the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, Koran, and Dead Sea Scrolls, Gabriel is depicted as male, and his energy feels very masculine to me, too; but in classical art, Gabriel is often female. And while the Archangel Cassiel is said to be masculine, to me this angel feels feminine, so I refer to Cassiel with the pronoun “she.” When I first began channeling, I met Cassiel, who frequently came to me in meditation. She used to sit on my bed and reassure me that I was on the right spiritual path, which makes sense since Cassiel is known for watching over the cosmos.
Spirit guides are souls that were once human and have evolved to such a level that they can direct us from the Other Side. As part of your Team, spirit guides can come from different realms, energy fields, and other galaxies and solar systems with the intention of restoring our planet to balance, positivity, and peace. I’m shown that you’ve interacted with your spirit guides in a worldly way—perhaps your guide was a mentor, friend, or loved one from a past life—and that you continue to help each other out in every lifetime. You have many spirit guides in your life—some permanent, others transient—depending on what your needs and challenges are. They guide you through periods of transition, and while they don’t solve your problems or take them away, they present opportunities and help you navigate them. They encourage you to listen to your instincts, think positively, and pursue happiness to feed the universe’s ongoing energy.
When I channel spirit guides, their presence is specific and purposeful. For instance, if I see a Native American medicine man during a reading, he wants you to know he’s guiding you to physical or emotional healing. A Roman gladiator guide wants to help you pursue strength. The first guide I met for myself was an Egyptian who taught me how to interpret Spirit’s messages. I’ve come to learn that spirit guides are culturally diverse and usually in a way that resonates with the person I’m reading. The guide’s identity is from a life they once shared with the person they’re guiding, and though you may not consciously remember this relationship, the soul’s persona always feels comfortable or familiar. A spirit guide’s life might have even existed in other dimensions, and these are the planetary guides I mentioned earlier. I’m shown they are on the same level of consciousness as angels but in different realms.
In addition to your guardian angel, I’m also shown that in each lifetime, you have a permanent and consistent guide that acts like a caseworker. This guide helps determine who your permanent and transient guides and angels are. This spirit might assign an angel for nurturing, a Native American to join you on a spiritual quest, and a figure of faith if you pray to that soul. A caseworker guide has been mortal and understands the human experience. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one, but Spirit tells me they exist.
Healers, teachers, saints, and prophets who walked the earth can be part of your Team if you ask them to be or pray to them for a specific reason, but they aren’t as common a force in most people’s Teams as their angels and spirit guides. In some circles, these souls are called Ascended Masters. They include Jesus, Mother Mary, Ganesh, Buddha, Quan Yin, Mother Teresa, and Muhammad. These teachers are at one of the highest levels of consciousness, and while they’re affiliated with certain faiths, people of any faith can call on them for healing, guidance, and support. I find that these figures can have symbolic significance for the person I’m reading—Mary, for example, offers female strength particularly to mothers. St. Joseph supports children, and St. Anthony shows up when a client is lost in life. Saints also feature when a person prays to them. I once read a woman named Janice who had a strong faith, and I saw that she fervently prayed the rosary. I wasn’t at all surprised when a fleet of saints stood behind her and told me they’re on her Team! Janice has an affection for these deities, so they’re always with her.
The souls of your departed loved ones are proud members of your Team. Loved ones address what’s going on in the here and now, though they can’t intervene or guide you on your soul path the way angels and spirit guides do. They offer comfort, give advice, offer warnings, and encourage happiness. They send signs and guidance related to love, protection, and reassurance. If you miss their presence and talk to them aloud or in your head, they can use their energy to help you feel them around you or direct your attention to a tangible symbol that reminds you of them like a butterfly, penny, feather, or song on the radio. These souls excel with human experiences, and it makes sense to consider their strengths in life when you call upon a departed loved one for guidance. If you need help self-reflecting and Mom was a therapist, call on her. If your late aunt once thrived despite a chronic disease and you need guidance about a health diagnosis, she could be your lady.
Loved ones are a natural fit for your Team because they’re part of what’s called your soul pack. A soul pack is a group of souls that are with you in every lifetime—close friends, family, and others who shape and care for you. Most people in your soul pack are here to offer happiness and support, but some stay connected to you to resolve unfinished business from a past life like relationships that need closure or forgiveness or lessons that still need to be learned like better communication, self-love, accountability, or love for others. Members of your living soul pack don’t have to be permanent fixtures, either; they can drift in and out or mean a lot for a short time, but they always impact your life and imprint in some way.
Soul mates are part of a soul pack, and we all have a few; these can be partners, friends, or anyone else you’re connected to in a meaningful way. Your role in the person’s life can even be “contracted,” or divinely agreed upon before incarnating, which I see a lot between spouses. My client Rachel takes care of her husband with ALS, and Spirit’s shown me that she’s been contracted to care for him in prior lives, too, but as his mother, brother, or sister. I learned that I also have a contract with my husband, Chris, that says if our other romances didn’t work out, we’d meet up to spend the rest of our lives together, which is exactly what happened! For what it’s worth, we think this is a pretty lame agreement, so I plan to renegotiate our deal between lives. I don’t want to wait to find Chris in my next one!
I’ve channeled many pets in my career (dogs, cats, a horse . . . ), but there are also symbolic spirit animals that can be part of your Team. Many faiths and cultures believe in spirit animals; for instance, Native Americans recognize animal spirit guides (also called animal totems), and Mayans believe that every person has an animal companion that shares their soul. Animal souls exist in a different sphere than where I channel from, unless they’re with a departed loved one who calls on his or her deceased pet for company (deceased pets can’t become guides). When animal guides appear during a reading, I share what I’m shown and ask clients to explore their meaning as homework.
In my experience, spirit animals are on Teams for clients who feel connected to the earth, relate to or practice a faith that the spirit animal comes from, and/or have a deep love for animals in general. My friend Steven loves to hike, and I always see a beautiful white spirit wolf behind him. Steven is really into Native American culture, so to him, this wolf represents protection and confidence. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when an animal totem stepped forward during his reading! Neither is my client Barb when animal guides appear during her sessions. She is a regular Dr. Doolittle who volunteers at an animal shelter and has three dogs that she pampers like children. Barb also has a lot of trust and intimacy conflicts with humans due to an alcoholic father and abusive ex-husband, so animals represent loyalty and unconditional love to her in a way that she needs. Barb is always surrounded by owl spirits that represent wisdom, and a week before I last sat with her, I saw a huge, beautiful owl in a tree near my house! My guides made sure I saw it so that I could mention it to Barb as reassurance that her Team is all around her.
If you notice a recurring animal theme in your life, look into what the creature means and accept the first positive definition you read; consider the search itself a guided event from your Team. The Internet is full of surprisingly consistent interpretations of spirit animals, so you can safely begin there.
Like your Team, mine is purposeful, reliable, and always in flux and expanding. After I accepted my gift, my first guide was an Egyptian who explained that I was meant to teach others about Spirit and the afterlife and that various beings would help. I began seeing angels after that and a white-bearded man in a robe who’d attend meditations with Pat. There have also been Native Americans, Hindu monks, Tibetans, and Roman gladiators. Recently during meditation, I was brought to a conference room with at least two dozen guides—all white light beings—that I’m told are assigned to me and monitoring my path. I found it very comforting to know I’m looked after like that. Thankfully, Pat taught me how to “turn on and off” my gift, so I mostly see my guides when I’m doing a spiritual practice like prayer, channeling, or automatic writing. I always feel them around me, but I don’t always communicate with them for the sake of balance—some of this is my doing and some theirs. When I take a vacation, for example, they go quiet and encourage me to commit to my other priorities like family, friends, and downtime.
I currently have two spirit guides and a feminine energy that I lean on regularly, though other spirit guides, angels, and departed loved ones transition in and out. In the middle of the night, my bedroom can feel like Grand Central Terminal; it’s so full of commotion! It’s not unusual for me to roll over, still half-asleep, to find my father-in-law, great-grandmother, and uncle standing at the foot of my bed. Once in a while I see a flash of a full apparition, but I typically feel the souls around me and at the same time hear or see their names in my third eye to identify them. And every morning, my guides wake me up with a sweet greeting—“Today you rise with bliss in your eyes”—which is just so chirpy and optimistic it starts every day with a smile.
One of my biggest guns is a planetary guide, who’s a higher-level being that helps me grow my mediumship skills and faith in the universe. He’s very cerebral and says things like “I want to expand the perimeters of the confined mind.” Seriously, that’s how he talks, and I’m sure it sounds wild coming from my mouth. He’s very tall and protective, and during readings, I find myself looking up at him because he makes sure his presence is always larger than mine. He keeps me on message and is very calculated in his approach.
I also have a spirit guide who’s an adorable Buddhist yogi who rings in on positivity, meditation, and being one with your soul. He wears a clay-colored robe, has a shiny bald head, and floats around in front of me with his legs crossed. He’s all about knowledge and wisdom.
Finally, I have a feminine, higher-energy being that feels closest to God of all my guidance. She says she’s part of “the universe’s creation and continuum.” I know I’ve worked with her in some capacity between lives. When I first met this peaceful spirit, she said, “I have been all things, seen all things, and am all things.” Translation: This soul has risen through all levels of consciousness and walked every realm. If I need nurturing or reassurance, she channels in. She has a motherly feel, and she says that in many lifetimes, she’s helped me become a strong woman. I feel she has been sent to me through God and reassures me that my purpose is very God-driven, which is comforting and important to me.
I’ve had years to process these revelations, so for me to go on about past lives, higher consciousness, and souls from other dimensions is second nature. If this is news to you, however, that’s okay! Your Universal Team, including your angels and guides, will ensure that you have your own unique and fulfilling experiences with them in no time.
I love to connect to my angels and guides through automatic writing, which Pat describes as “taking dictation from Spirit.” This is one of the most gratifying ways to speak with them because their replies are immediate and tangible. You don’t have to strain to hear Spirit, because they channel through you.
To automatic write, you start by sitting quietly, relaxing with a few deep breaths, and lighting a candle if it helps you to focus. State aloud or in your head that you only intend to work with your highest angels and guides to call in the most positive energy, and then say a short prayer asking them to protect you and allow only high-level energy to assist and guide your writing. If your writings sound negative or pushy, stop immediately and picture yourself in a bubble of God’s white light. Ask your angels and guides to clear the room and start again.
When I do a writing, I like to put one question at the top of the page and then answer it with whatever comes to me from Spirit. The key is to relinquish control and write without “trying” or questioning the process. Let the words flow. Sentences might come in stops and starts, as rhymes, or as a list. Don’t try to be creative or clever, and don’t judge what comes out; Spirit will guide your response. You might feel butterflies, a sense of peace, or nothing at all. Just answer the question without any attachment to rules or expectations, and see what happens.
To get to know your Team, I’d like you to “interview” your guides with one question a day for a week using automatic writing. If Spirit’s responses don’t feel strong or compelling, that’s okay. Try again the next day. Members of your Team might also address your questions in real life or reassure you that what you felt during meditation was “real.” My friend Molly once asked her spirit guide what she should call her and wrote down “Rose.” That afternoon, Molly noticed a bird land next to her favorite rosebush, and the next day, her mom told her a story about a coworker named Rosie. Spirit’s validating signs left no room for doubt—“Rose” was everywhere. And once Molly “met” Rose, other signs from her became easier to notice, and she felt more comfortable connecting with her every day. Now that Rose had an identity and stated purpose in Molly’s life, she felt safe, connected, and excited to continue their relationship. Trust that what you’re writing is from your Team, say thanks, and reflect on their answers. Not everyone is a medium, but everyone is capable of writing in this format.
Ask your Team any questions you’d like—Who are you? Where do you come from? What are you doing for me? What should I call you?—and keep your writings in a box so you can reread them to remind yourself that God and your Universal Team are always with you. There will eventually come a time when you can see and feel your Team’s impact and presence all around, and you won’t need “proof” that they exist. I promise you, though, that you’ll cherish these writings as you begin to practice Believe, Ask, and Act.