Finding my guides

Finding my guides, when I first started studying with Shaman Elder Maggie, was an exercise on learning patience. I have always talked to the ones who walk with me, but I did not know they could be my guides. I wasn’t thinking, obviously. I’m one of those people who just accepts the world may be a little different for me, and if others didn’t believe…I’d shrug my shoulders. Wasn’t any hill of beans to me.

And once I accepted the fact that having a guided life wasn’t anything new to me( I was already very proficient in asking my guides for aid) it was like the Tower in my Tarot deck…a complete collapse of old thoughts and patterns…a complete change in my life. Suddenly, events, people, places and things were sooo much easier. I asked my guides for help with everything; from showering to help with finances. And my life became better and better. It took a couple of weeks of intense concentration and awareness of the messages which were being sent to me for this new way to incorporate itself into every hour of my daily life.

But I had only a small inkling of who my allies and totems were. So I asked for help from my guides, and I became super aware of my surroundings. They directed me to Spider, who leaves her webbings strung like Christmas lights everywhere in my early morning home. Spider is the creator…the one who spins her silken webs with such surety, inspiration, and patience, making her the weaver of illusion. Grandmother Spider is the animal spirit that I will ask to help me in my journey. It is a good thing I have woken to her call…three times she bit my neck last week. These were not teensy bites, either, but it took me awhile to grasp her message. Spider will help me have a completely new perspective on my beliefs, and my reality. She will give me a clearer understanding on where my niche in life lies. She will centre and ground me in my journey. She’s the dream weaver, after all.

Spider owns the magickal energy of creation, uses assertiveness with her creative force, and uses spiral energy – the links with the past and future. Spider makes a formidable ally, because she also has the guardianship of the ancient languages formed by the geometric patterns found within her web. With these attributes, Spider is considered the teacher of language and the magic of writing. I am trying to “weave magic with the written word” as Ted Andrews in Animal Speak so eloquently puts it, and according to him, I probably have a spider totem.

And, just this morning, as I was trimming back the lavender, I heard the Canada Geese honking and shouting their joy with the day. I turned and looked up…two groups were flying towards me in formation. As I watched, they dipped lower until I could see their tucked up feet, and their round, full bodies, with wings spread wide, as if embracing me. I heard them say, “Happy Journeying,” and I burst into laughter, as I waved and shouted back, “Happy Journey to you, too!”

I felt such a rush of joy when I saw them. It moved me to tears. And I knew then they were sending me a message too. Grandmother Goose tells me it is possible to be well grounded, and still fly to the spirit worlds. She tells me I will have adventures in multiple awareness and imagination, that I have a gift for story telling, and that when I journey, I will have a safe return. Grandmother Goose sent me the questing call, when she flew so low over my head. I will ask her, also, in my dream, if she will walk with me awhile.

My guides have already introduced Grandfather Tree, Grandfather Rock, and Grandmother Parsley to me. But I must ask a couple more spirits. A plant Spirit I take wherever I go is Rosemary. She embodies the spirit of my deceased daughter. The scent of Rosemary…an herb for fidelity and remembrance…brings my daughter’s face instantly to mind. If she agrees, I will take Grandmother Rosemary with me.

And a sea spirit! For many years, I was showered with turtles from friends and relatives on my birthday. I have them still…they are now dotted all over my garden, mostly hidden in the greenery surrounding the pool. Extremely lifelike, they have surprised the odd visitor who catches a glimpse of them.

Turtles are Navigators. Turtle will help me find the shore where I seek to land. He will help me hold my vision, strong and true, in my mind, thereby helping me reach my goal. Turtle carries an immense amount of wisdom…he has lived on earth, unchanged, for 200 million years. And has watched as thousands of other species have come and gone, giving him the knowledge that nothing lasts forever…that the only real death in life is stagnation.

Turtle, if he agrees to join my group of guides, will teach me patience, and will ground me. I live in my intuitive and emotional bodies most of the time, and turtle can teach me to work with rationality in my dreams and visions. Turtle knows how exposed and vulnerable I can feel, and how I can keep to myself, drawing my hard, exterior shell completely around me. He will show me that I am created from parts that I like, and parts I don’t like…together, they make me whole…and I will learn to work with the undesirable parts…to channel them constructively.

Awareness. Turtle is very aware of what is happening around him. He knows that by moving slowly and calmly, he will allow the doors of intuition to open. Turtle’s imagination is boundless…and he will show me that along with daydreaming, I will see new possibilities and the easiest way to reach them. He is very aware of boundaries…if Turtle appears threatened, he will pull into his shell, where he will take time to watch, wait and scout out the situation before re-appearing. He will pull me back when I rush into situations that may not be all they are cracked up to be, and will calm my anxiety when I have to be patient and wait.

When I think about the above, I am filled with a warm rush of joy…some people call it love. These animals and plants feel right for me now, at this time. They will change…other allies and totems may show up here and there, feeding their bits of knowledge to me as we pass by. My awareness of these events grows stronger daily, and my acceptance of their knowledge and wisdom is boundless.

Finding guides, allies and totems will be different for everybody. The Net is filled with sites where information on how to do this is free, just a click of the mouse away. And then the rest is practice, practice and more practice.

And suddenly, the world is a far brighter place.