In the '90s, I knew nothing about spirit guides, ascended masters, soul helpers, Deities and such. All I knew was what the Catholic Church taught about guardian angels and patron saints. There was nothing about Them.
But during my fourth year in highschool, I joined a seminar about Contemporary Shamanism conducted by a visiting Native-American teacher, and a South African medicine man, who were both clairvoyants and psychics. One of the objectives of the seminar was to introduce participants to their spirit guides (whether they are Ascended Masters or Saints, Power Animals or Familiars, Celestial Beings or Angels, Daemons or Nature Spirits).
According to the Native-American shaman, I have eight spirit guides, three females, three males, and two animals. Four of my spirit guides, he said, were with me all the time. The other four were on call when needed. When I protested to the spirits had no sex, he explained that sex differentiation in my guides referred to their dominant energy in the spirit world and not really because they have physical genitals.
He's the one who said to me that we all had a spirit community which composed of Gods, Angels, Daemons, Nature Spirits, Ascended Masters, Ancestral Spirits, Spirit Guides, Power Animals, and even some bad apples in the Spirit World.
Anyway, I was intrigued by the number eight. Why eight spirit guides? Why not ten or just five or any other 100 ? Is it because I was born on August 8 ?
Hee... I don't know. This wasn't explained to me so I am not really sure.
I had already completely forgotten the shaman's revelation about my spirit guides and power animals, when I happened to meet a psychic and spiritual healer four years later. She told me that her husband, a medium, could see and communicate a person's spirit guides and even Gods through scrying. So I did the method of scrying they shared to me and I was shocked to see six human figures and two animals in my scrying bowl! I never told her or her hubby about the eight spirit guides that the shaman said I had.
Meet my Guides
Four years later, because of my skeptical and rational mind, still, I wasn't fully convinced to accept that I have eight guides. That time though, I was learning how to write my own meditations. I made my own version of Astral Temple and used it to meet my guides and saw the same number of beings.
One of my guides, was an old Chinese helper during the Ming Era. He is a tiny old soul with silver white hair. He is the reason why I do a lot of study concerning Eastern Esoteric Knowledge.
Another is a Ancient Greek physician who was killed during a war. He is the one helping me in my therapeutic, holistic spiritual healing.
Another is an Egyptian magickian during the Egyptian Empire period. A tall black, broad shouldered man. He is bald and wears a single gold hoop earring. He said he was a companion during one of my previous lives.
Another is a beautiful young lady who I suspect is showing a younger version of herself than her passing. She does play a role in my emotional and relationship matters.
Another is a young girl, a lovely, happy soul, always smiling.
There is another guide who is a fat lady and who always wears gauzy shawls, cloaks and bangles and would I feel be a medieval teacher.
The spirit animals I saw are the pronghorn and badger.
Staying close
When I started doing healing services or lecturing in our Circle, several people with clairvoyant vision said, independently of each other, that they saw several spirits behind me.
To date, no less than 15 different persons have seen my guides during our meeting in Circle or even during my leisurely stroll in Malls. The Chinese helper and another that wears cloak are usually the ones seen by my friends. Others have also seen my female guide and the kid playing and laughing beside me.
Some even said that they saw some spirits touching different parts of my body. One touches me on the head, another on the right arm, on my back, and hip.
To this day, I have a very good relationship with all of them. I always thank them for their continued help and support in my work on planet Earth in this lifetime.
However, as I go deeper and deeper in my study of my spirituality and practice of magick, I learned that there are not the only ones who's in my spirit community. I also realized that not every being in my spirit community is there as a "guide", and of the eight who are guides, neither is the "head" over the other. There are many possible reasons for spirit beings to become part of a community; to provide guidance is only one, and not always the most significant one at that.
I'd not suggest that my personal experience is something that anyone -- much less everyone -- else would experience; I share my experiences because that's what we do in this community, not to define spiritual reality for anyone else, but to share information. Some will resonate, some will not.