When someone first asked me this question, it was hard for me to answer. I was one of the lucky ones who could hear my guides early in life and have spoken to them for years. I didn’t have to work too hard at it. Not bragging. Just saying it was hard for me to answer because I didn’t have the experience of having to work for it. That was until I had to connect to my higher self. I wasn’t sure how to do it. Another post is coming soon regarding connecting to your higher self specifically, so watch for it.

I have read a lot of articles on it like you’re doing right now. I had no idea how it would be accomplished. Then I met a shaman. He trained in Peru and taught me how to connect to my higher self. It’s kind of a complicated process that I won’t go into here, but from there, I learned an easier, faster way to do it that made communicating with my higher self and my guides much easier.

I invited my higher self to a pool party. You read that correctly. I have always had an affinity for water. Looking out at the Pacific Ocean always gave me a sense of ease and awe at the same time. I decided that I would have a pool party and invite my higher self and my guides to sit down with me and have a conversation.

It’s all done through meditation and visualization. You’re welcome to pick whatever setting is most comfortable for you. Invite your higher self and prepare to have a conversation. At first, it might feel a little strange because you will be able to hear both aspects of you speak as if you are talking to yourself, which you are, but after a while, you will get used to it.

Take the time to think about the questions you want to ask. Keep in mind that they might not answer. They are directly connected to the universe and there are some things that you, as the main consciousness of the body, shouldn’t or can’t know yet. Things are revealed when it’s time and not before. Yes, I know how annoying that is, but that’s how it works, like it or not.

When it comes to speaking with your guides, there are several things to note.

They may not speak your language. I can hear my guide’s voices, but when they speak, I hear a translated version of what they are saying.

You may also have several of them. Once, I called for every guide I had ever had to show up all at once. The room was filled to capacity and then some.

Your guides may not be human. When I asked for the roll call of all my guides, there were some space alien faces in the crowd. Some even gave me the impression of being like cartoon characters. There was one that reminded me of the wicked witch from the original Wizard of Oz movie with a green face and hooked nose. It could have been my perception of her. They can only appear if you can perceive them, and it probably wasn’t her true form, but it was as close as my limited human mind could manage.

Guides can be permanent or temporary. I have had many guides, as I said, and I get new ones all the time who appear to help me with something in particular and then leave when the job is done. I also have one guide who told me he was there when I was born and would be with me until I die.

I work with my guides frequently and not just for matters pertaining to clients. I ask my guide when I should start something or how I should start something, and he gives me some direction or tells me about a variable I hadn’t considered to help me make a decision.

Communicating with your guides and higher self can be tricky because it all depends on whether or not you’re ready to do it. I don’t mean you making the decision that you’re ready. I mean that you’re really ready for it. Your guides are always with you attempting to communicate with you in whatever way they can get through to you, but they also know when you are ready to handle the connection. Until then, you’ll have to suck it up and keep looking for signs.

Part of the reason people have such a hard time connecting to their guides is because of doubt. Most of us, myself included, often don’t trust ourselves. We might hear something or get a feeling about something, but we ignore it. We need more to prove to ourselves that we didn’t imagine it. That makes sense, but some of us are so stubborn that it practically takes a sledgehammer-sized hit for us to go, “Oh, I get it.”

We often get in our own way because we expect things to go a certain way, and when it doesn’t do that, it must be our imagination. The expectations you have about something has the ability to kill anything you’re attempting to do. It’s in your best interest to make sure your expectations don’t get in the way.

Once you establish the connection, it never goes away. You can ignore it, of course, or tell them you don’t want to hear them right now, but it’s always going to be there. Lifetime commitment, anybody? It may seem scary to some. I’ve actually found it comforting. There have been a few times in my life when I was sick in bed, and no one was around. Due to my drug-induced state, my guides and I were able to talk about things I never had time for as I was running around living my life. I don’t consciously remember everything that happened during that time, but once I was back on my feet, I knew I had taken a big step in my spiritual progression. Not that I advocate for anyone getting sick, but being cooped up wasn’t as bad as it could have been because I always had my guide with me.

Naturally, if you’re curious, you can ask them personal questions. They may answer. They may not. Each of them has their own personality. It’s not uncommon to get into an argument with a guide.

They do know better than we do, being far more connected to the universe than we are, but we do have free will to make decisions. It’s also our responsibility to handle the consequences.

While you’re trying to establish communication with them, ask them to send you messages in a manner that makes sense for you. Ask them to send you images or physical signs if you are more visual. If you tend to hear things, ask them to be clear with whatever they tell you so that you know for sure it’s them. Ask them to speak to you in dreams if you prefer to get messages that way. Have fun with this, be patient with the process, and now you have more information and another way to connect with your guides.