Before we dive deeper into how we can sense and feel our guide, I believe it is important to understand what guides do versus what they do not do.

What guides do:

• Support you in meeting your spiritual and personal development goals
• Help you in your readings and mediumship development
• Inspire you through spiritual impressions and insights
• Work with you in the trance states for philosophy, healing, and evidential mediumship
• Occasionally let you know when there is something important to pay attention to
• Help you cultivate kindness, compassion, and personal growth
• Unconditionally love and support you

What guides do not do:

• Give you answers to all your problems
• Suggest what you should eat, how to dress, or what to buy
• Give you winning lotto numbers
• Scare, intimidate, or test you
• Trick you or punish you
• Dictate how you should live your life
• Become angry or annoyed with you

I feel it important for students to learn that our guides do not provide any kind of retribution or judgment for our lives or our actions. This is our story we are playing out, they are there on the sidelines to help us if need be. But from a spiritual perspective, everything we do in this life is about learning. We just get to learn it the hard way or the simpler way. Either way, it is learning. Our guides recognize this and do not have an attachment to the outcome. They just want to support us the best they can.

Through developing your connection to your guide, you are creating a relationship which will be with you the rest of your life. A spirit friend and companion that will always do their best to provide with the guidance that they can and root for you from their side of life. I hope you will meet them with an open heart, without expectation or desire, and a willingness to let them unfold your spiritual gifts and potential. With patience and openness, who knows what is possible.

Exercise: Learning to Sense and Feel Your Guide
As we move into this next exercise, this will be the first time that we are inviting a spiritual presence into our energy. We will allow ourselves to become sensitive (becoming the nerve ending), and then invite the presence of our helper to join us. Do not worry if nothing happens or you do not experience anything. The first several times you do this exercise, there is no expectation that you will notice anything. However, there are best practices that will support you in this exercise.

Be sure that when you come to this exercise, let go of any expectations that it needs to feel, look, or be any specific way. The less expectation that you have going into it, the more neutral you can be, the more likely you will experience something. It is the act of searching or trying that creates tension and thereby inhibits the potential to experience. I often suggest to my students to be okay with getting nothing. The more that we are able to accept nothing happening, the less likely our mind will try to step in and fill in the experience. If we can come to the spirit world with an open mind, open heart, and a willingness to step out of the way, we can often have incredible experiences. The hard part is letting go of a desire for an outcome and the expectation that something specific should happen. Just come to the spirit and say, "I'm going to just sit here and wait. If something happens, great! If nothing happens, great!" If you treat both outcomes with the same level of interest, your awareness will be more receptive. If nothing happens this time, try it again another time.

Beginning by breathing, allow yourself to find a comfortable position that works for you, sitting upright with hands resting in your lap. Begin to become aware of the gentle rhythm of your breathing and as you do this, allow your thoughts to find their natural place of rest. Let go of any expectations, desires, or distractions. If anything does distract you, gently bring your awareness back to the breath.

Notice the inhale and the exhale as you sit in this space. Gently bring your awareness to the central part of your being—that space within you that is the divine spark within you. As you feel into this space, allow it to begin to expand with your intent and let a sense of peace and love fill you as you do. Wait for a sense of expansion from within and allow this energy to expand to fill the body. When it is ready, allow it to expand beyond the body so that you become aware of what’s in front of you and behind you, below you and above you, on your left and on your right.

Take note of what your power and energy feels like that surrounds you now. What sensations do you feel? What does the atmosphere feel like? What does your body feel like? This is you in your own energy; what does it feel like? Allow yourself to passively notice and observe as you become comfortable in this space. Stay passive and neutral, without any expectations of what is to come. Just notice what your energy is like right now.

With your energy expanded and open, send a thought out to your guide that works with you and invite them to begin to step close into your energy so that you might become aware of what they feel like. Ask that they would give you a sensation that lets you know they are there, asking once and then just waiting. Don't worry if you don't feel it right away; just stay neutral and wait.

Take note of any slight changes that may have occurred, any sensations that may have changed. With your next breath, send another thought out that your guide might step even closer to you and give you whatever sign or signature they wish to give. Asking once and then observing.

Taking note of what you felt. If you felt nothing, that is okay too. Just stay neutral and passive. One last time, inviting your guide to begin to step even closer, giving you again a sign or sensation that it is them. Asking once and then just waiting.

Taking note of anything you felt or experienced. With your next breath, thanking your guide for being with you, whether you felt something or not, and for this time as they begin to withdraw their energy. As they withdraw, take notice if you feel any change in your energy.

Once you feel that you have returned to your own energy, you can begin to adjust your breathing to take nice full breaths as you begin to return to normal awareness. When you are fully ready to return, you can open your eyes.

Take note of this entire experience. Write things down that you experienced so that you can compare it to the next time you do this exercise.

Excerpted from Spirit Speaks, by Michael Mayo.