Spirit guides?

[Fierenza]

im not sure if this is the right place to ask.. but..
How doy ou know when youve found your spirit guide? or when it finds you..?
because well, i was talking to my friend last night and i was scared out of my mind as usual, and she said "your afraid of spiders right? well, maybe your spirit guide is a spider, thats why your afraid, and how you say you constantly feel like your being watched? well, how many eyes does a spider have?"
well, i talked to her for the rest of the night, but when i was trying to fall asleep.. i barely couldn't.. i was afraid to close my eyes.. but i knew nothing harmful was around me.. because my cat would have been freaking out, but she was watchign the door for me.. but my dog downstairs was barking madly.. and nobody was home except me and my mom, and my mom was asleep -.-
*looks up* eep.. iv written alot.. anyway..
im usually only scared at night.. but now im constantly freaked out every time in the day, but only in my house.. and im constantly checking over my shoulder, because i swear to the gods that something is watching me and is just right behind me!!
maybe the scary movies are getting to me.. or my paranoia is getting worse >.<
any help on what i should do..?i dont think this is in the right section of the boards but.. i really need help or advice... please?
(im not kidding >.<)

[st0rm]

hmm.. I dont really know, but whenever I get paranoid or really scared I take a giant cup of Chamomile, nettle, dandelion, strawberry-leaf tea... or put some "herbs" in my pipe :D

that usually calms me down ;)

[Fierenza]

mmm.. tea.. i think ill have some now =)

[st0rm]

btw. (not ment as a insult) are u on n e psycoactive drugs that may cause paranoia?

[Fierenza]

no, not at all.... well.. i dont think i really have paranoia =P
its just i got a book out of library yesterday on paranoia, and well, the little story thats supposed to put you in the paranoid persons shoes, is basically a story about my life so far >.<
so i assumed i was paranoid =P
but dont get me wrong, this is a real book about it.. not some sorta fake =)

[st0rm]

:) never known ne one with that kind of paranoia your describing (not even my high-on-acid-junkie-friends) ... hope it gets better, if not u should talk with a doctor or ur local dealer (j/k)

note: not trying to promote drug use in anyway

[Raevyn]

A spirit guide doesn't usually scare you, and especially not in a creepy paranoid way :) Some people believe an animal they're afraid of is a "shadow animal" or "darker" power animal for them - in that they should recognize the characteristics of that animal and their fear for it tells them a bit about themselves.

Dog usually aren't that in key to spirits, and cats usually are. Don't ask me why it's that way, I just know it is through my own experience and friends (and I'm not saying all dogs are ignorant of spirits and all cats notice them necessarily, but it has been my experience that that is often the case). For instance my cats both creep out at spirits, my dog doesn't even notice. Your dog could've been barking at something outside - mine will freak out over squirrels, cats, or skunks outside for instance.

You should figure out why you're afraid and what you're afraid of - what do you think is watching you and why? What do you think it's watching for? I tend to think there are often fairies and spirits etc. floating around here, so I wouldn't be surprised if something was watching me at any given time. If you think it's a person you need to investigate further, if not you could cleanse your house as best you can on a spiritual level and when you start getting creeped out ask it to leave. And, if you are worried you are showing signs of paranoia, do see a doctor. Sometimes the mundane answer is the best one; occam's razor and all that.

[Fierenza]

you have no idea how much this helps me, i get creeped out easily though -.-
as for my dog well... she usually is barking, but mostly at thin air, maybe shes as crazy as me >.< i remember this study on animals who could sense spirits.. the cat was most sensitive then the dog and then the snake, =)
thank you!

[Élistariel]

my shadow familiar is a fish?!

[Raevyn]

You're afraid of your pet fish who helps you in energy work?

[Fierenza]

you never know.. the fish could be a pirhana?

[Phoenix Blue]

Hey, sharks are fish, too. . . sorta. :)

[Raevyn]

Snork!

I like your sig, Fierenza.

[Élistariel]

not my pet fish. I love my fishie, Smurf. Glass is a wonderous thing. Actuallly fish AND reptiles. Though, aligators and crocodiles don't seem to bother me as much as lizards. My 2nd fish died, and it took me all day to muster enough "strength" to pick up the bowl and take it to flushie land. I refuse to eat any seafood, I'll eat tuna if it's offered at someone's house, but that's it. I don't know if it's a fear fear, or what. But :blushake: I don't wanna touch it or see it unless it's behind glass and alive. Oh and get this, I don't have the slightest problem with snakes. Even though I don't remember it (my grandmother told me this), when I was 3 or 4, I picked up a black snake and was running around the yard with it, wanting her to see it. LOL. Thank the dieties it was a black snake. Needless to say, she had NO desire to see it. The pic: It was at a campround in Florida my grandparents and I stayed at this past August. There was a 4 ft gator on the campground, and no fence, gate or anything to keep it from freely wandering around.

[Élistariel]

not my pet fish. I love my fishie, Smurf. Glass is a wonderous thing. Actuallly fish AND reptiles. Though, aligators and crocodiles don't seem to bother me as much as lizards. My 2nd fish died, and it took me all day to muster enough "strength" to pick up the bowl and take it to flushie land. I refuse to eat any seafood, I'll eat tuna if it's offered at someone's house, but that's it. I don't know if it's a fear fear, or what. But :blushake: I don't wanna touch it or see it unless it's behind glass and alive. Oh and get this, I don't have the slightest problem with snakes. Even though I don't remember it (my grandmother told me this), when I was 3 or 4, I picked up a black snake and was running around the yard with it, wanting her to see it. LOL. Thank the dieties it was a black snake. Needless to say, she had NO desire to see it. The pic: It was at a campround in Florida my grandparents and I stayed at this past August. There was a 4 ft gator on the campground, and no fence, gate or anything to keep it from freely wandering around.
sorry if this is a double post, my computer is being stupid today.

[Raevyn]

Ok, you said "shadow familiar", whereas I used the term "shadow animal".

A familiar is a pet, a companion - an animal you work with regularly in magic and energy manipulation, one who you feel very "familiar" with, who you can view the perspective of. There are a couple threads on that.

A "shadow animal" is an animal you are afraid of that shows you something of yourself - for example a person who is afraid to make their own decisions and create change for themself might also be afraid of spiders (symbolic of creating their own environment/web). It's also more then just a passing "oh I wouldn't want to run into that animal in an alley", but a phobia of a specific animal with no logical reason.

"Shadow familiar" doesn't make sense to me at all - it would require you to work with a pet you're afraid of as though it were a very close companion, which doesn't seem likely. If you have a phobia of spiders for example you aren't likely to get really close to a tarantula.

As to eating tuna at someone else's house, I'm not sure that qualifies as a fear of fish.

[Élistariel]

uh, I wasn't trying to be exact. If someone threw a fish, dead or alive at me, I'd freak out, and I refuse to go swimming in anything other than a pool. As for familiar or animal, they can be the same. Like rectangles and squares. A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square. A familiar can be an animal or something else, like a gnome. An animal is just and animal. True, some can be familiars. Be they a specific animal like a pet or a generalization, like scarlet macaw or just birds. I see my cat as my familiar, not my fish, my fish is a neccessity to my sanity. It's not a fear of FISH I have it's more complicated than that, it's a fear of touching fish dead or alive, and a fear of dead fish. I see animal and familiar as a bit the same, but not quite, plus I can't remember what I read verbatim. I forgot what you put. As for the tuna, well look at it, it looks nothing like a fish. It looks the same as chicken or turkey. So, actually it has nothing to do with icthyphobia (fear of fish). As for the working with a shadow familiar, which in a way, but not entirely is my fish, he's in an aquarium.

[Raevyn]

++A familiar can be an animal or something else, like a gnome.++

Uh no, a gnome is a gnome, and a fairy. A relationship with a fairy is far different then from a familiar, at least in my experiences. I consider familiars specifically animals, and have only met one person who spoke of a non animal familiar (and in their case they asked me how to make a mandrake their familiar).

++I see my cat as my familiar, not my fish, my fish is a neccessity to my sanity.++

Exactly. You said "shadow familiar" in reference to fish - your fish is not your familiar. Your square is a rectangle, but your rectangle ain't a square.

++So, actually it has nothing to do with icthyphobia (fear of fish).++

Then what's it got to do with "shadow animals" in the first place? As I said, I consider them an animal you have a fear of for a reason. If you don't think there's a reason you don't like fish, and you aren't really afraid of them anyway, how does it apply at all?

++As for the working with a shadow familiar, which in a way, but not entirely is my fish, he's in an aquarium.++

Being a pet doesn't make him a familiar.

The point being - you may realize there's a difference and you were "not trying to be exact". That's all well and good. However, I often find it important to point out what I think is the "exact" answer, so if someone else is reading this thread and they don't know better, they aren't left totally confused. In general, using the words "pet" and "familiar" interchangeably will leave people very very confused. Hell, "shadow familiar" even confused me and I have some idea what's going on.

Otherwise, we'll have to agree to disagree. But at least then people reading this thread can hopefully see how and why.

[Élistariel]

Raevyn, you're confusing. To me a fairy, gnome (non "Earthbound" creatures/beings) can be familiars. I don't believe a group of well, anything cat or gnome can be a familiar, but a specific one can. Unless you're just using it to represent an aspect of yourself. I'm still a bit new at all this, so all my terms may not be correct. I also believe that familiars can be or be like totem animals.(or spirits, or fae, depending on your beliefs)

[Raevyn]

Originally posted by Maren Themah
To me a fairy, gnome (non "Earthbound" creatures/beings) can be familiars

Yes, to you. To me, as I said, no. I consider familiars to be "familiar", animals you work with and feel a special kinship with. I haven't met anyone so far who worked with a fairy in the same way as a familiar - whether fairies are more flighty, less earth bound, or less interested in human's work, I don't know.

I don't believe a group of well, anything cat or gnome can be a familiar, but a specific one can.

Not sure what you're talking about here - did I somehow seem to suggest a group of things could be a familiar?

I also believe that familiars can be or be like totem animals.

How so?

[Élistariel]

*
I don't believe a group of well, anything cat or gnome can be a familiar,but a specific one can.
*
I was referring to my personal beliefs. Say you have a spider monkey for a familiar, okay, we all know that there is more than just one spider monkey. To me a familiar is something you can work with as well as something that does or at least can represent an aspect of yourself.




I also believe that familiars can be or be like totem animals.
As I mentioned before (my personal beliefs), familiars are/can be aspects of ourselves, like totems.

(I have a book on totems, haven't been able to read it in it's entirety).
I do believe that it's not common to have a fairy or the like as a familiar, but I do believe it is a possiblity.




How so?

[Raevyn]

I also believe that familiars can be or be like totem animals. As I mentioned before (my personal beliefs), familiars are/can be aspects of ourselves, like totems.

So you're using the terms interchangeably? Or totems are *only* aspects and not a physical animal, but familiars are both? And how do spirit guides or shadow animals fit in?

(I have a book on totems, haven't been able to read it in it's entirety).

Another good book (if you aren't referring to this one already) is the one by Ted Andrews.

I do believe that it's not common to have a fairy or the like as a familiar, but I do believe it is a possiblity.[/B]

Well everything is possible, certainly. I don't tend to like terms that can refer to any possibility though. At least when trying to communicate, I think it's more important that people can understand differences but try to find a common ground then allow for whatever's possible, you know? Like in this case, I'm not trying to tell you you're wrong, but I'm trying to understand where you're coming from. That way in the future when you talk about a familiar or a spirit guide or a totem, I know what you're talking about.

[Élistariel]

Shadow animals/familiars are the aspects of ourselves that we see as bad. Spirit guides are here to guide us on our individual paths, they can't tell us what to do, but they can help us in our decisions. What ever they are in "reality", I do believe they are more experienced than we are.

Ted Andrews? Animal Wise? That's the one.





*Well everything is possible, certainly. I don't tend to like terms that can refer to any possibility though. At least when trying to communicate, I think it's more important that people can understand differences but try to find a common ground then allow for whatever's possible, you know?*
I agree, it's like the whole bigfoot thing, there's not enough proof to substantiate it, but there is a possibility that it does exist.

[Raevyn]

"Shadow animals/familiars are the aspects of ourselves that we see as bad."

Uhm.. sorta like I was saying, like a shadow animal represents darker aspects or fears we have?

"Spirit guides are here to guide us on our individual paths, they can't tell us what to do, but they can help us in our decisions. What ever they are in "reality", I do believe they are more experienced than we are."

Yeah I agree with you there! They might be more experienced in ways we aren't used to, and more representative of something we aren't familiar in - like lions for pride and courage, or otters for having fun and enjoying life.

I think the Andrews book is called Animal Speak, but I can't remember and I don't have it anymore :)

[Élistariel]

to elaborate a bit, I believe that shadow animals represent a fear we have, while shadow familiars represent either a bad part of ourselves, or a part of us that we are afraid of.

(this goes along with the belief in reincarnation)
As for spirit guides, this is just my theory. They can be (nearly) any form of being, even human. I think which "timeperiod person" we get depends on if we are an old or new soul. A person who was first incarnated (is that a word?) in say, 1652 would have a guide that came to be before then, like in the 1200's, not someone that was born in 1630. Guides would have had to had a few reincarnations of their own to gain experience.
I think I'm a reincarnated indigo (aura), so chances are, if I'm correct, I've never been anyone's guide.

Anyone know any good past life hypnosis places/people? I always wanted to do that. And not the ones that say you were Cleopatra or Elvis.

[Fierenza]

thankyou both for helping me! whats cool is, for some reason im not quite afraid anymore, i went to my friends house, and she put a protection spell on me, i still get kinda edgy sometimes, but i think its just me..
i also thought of something else, thiers alot of tension and stress in my house, alot of yelling, so, i end up getting the feeling where.. you just get out of shcool.. and you want to rest, but.. with me, i dont want to go to my house.. like .. i really dont like it in my house, something bads alway happening when i come home.. i usually end up going to my friends house but.. yeah, so i think that , that constant feeling i have, is rubbing off in/on my house.. in the places i spend the most time.. so it leaves a lingering sense of fear and not liking..? .. yeah.. just my guess >.<
thankyou all anyway.. =)

[Fierenza]

Originally posted by Raevyn
Snork!

I like your sig, Fierenza.



Thank you ^.^ its from Jhonny the homicidal maniac, hehe,
well, the first one anyway, =)

[Tala17]

This might soung stupid but because i am new to the wiccan religion I dont know how to do all this
So if anyone has anything that would help my little delima
I would really appreciate it
Thanks


Blessed Be!
Tala

[Élistariel]

I found mine with the aid of a website. I'm not sure if this one is for totems or guides. I had several 'animals' come to me. Be sure to record what you 'see' if you do it.
http://www.crystalinks.com/poweranimals.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/directory2.html

It's not exactly spirit guides, but it's close.