Do Guides Have Names?
September 18th, 2006 by Erin Pavlina
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Question: Do guides have names? If we have several guides, how do we distinguish them from each other? Do they have distinct traits that let you tell them apart?
Answer: I think there’s some confusion in the industry about this question, so I’m going to give you my personal answer on this but this is just from my own experience.
When I am tuned in to do a reading, I encounter a collective energy made up of the person’s higher self, spirit guides, angels, celestial beings, ascended masters, and deceased relatives. I ask it/them questions, and I get answers. If I ask politely, though, one or more guides will separate their energies from the collective and present to me more like individuals. In those cases, I can find out what that particular energy is (guide, angel, deceased loved one, etc.) and sometimes get a name, and also find out their particular purpose in the person’s life.
Let’s talk about names for a second. Do spirits have names? I don’t really think so. But they do have identities. And they know we like to use names to identify down here, so I think they oblige by handing us a name we can use to call upon their energy. But once you get to the other side, I don’t think names matter that much. It’s all about your particular, unique energy signature.
Now, a deceased relative will always present the way they looked when they lived, so that the medium can identify them to their client. It can take a while for a deceased person to get the hang of just being their energy and losing their connection to their previous ego. We shed the ego when we die, and only our souls, consciousness, and energy ascend. But they can still present as their old self so we know who we’re talking to. In the case of a deceased relative, a name is appropriate.
If you’re speaking to a specific, well known angel, you’ll get a name as well. Archangel Michael is one of my guides and guides millions of other people as well. He has a pretty strong presence and I know when he’s around. And the ascended masters like Jesus will present clearly as Jesus. Boy you don’t mistake his particular energy for anyone else’s. That’s something special.
Don’t get caught up on the names, however. It’s just a way to identify energy. Your guides do have signifying traits. Some are ebullient, over-achievers who are really happy to be helping you out, others are calm, sedate and philosophical. Others could be solemn and wise. Some are talkers and some are thinkers. You’ll get to know their specific energies.
I’ve got one guide who is this really no-nonsense, don’t have time to chat, guide with a pretty important role in my life. She is extremely competent but isn’t very chatty. And then I’ve got another guide who is bouncy and bright and is really excited to be working with me. And I’ve got others who are more wise and philosophical too. You get all kinds out there. 
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September 18th, 2006 at 11:36 am
Erin, would you consider writing about how one goes about getting in touch with their guides? Unless, of course, it’s not anything different than what you posted in “How To Raise Your Vibration.”
By the way, I’m getting Reiki from one of your VegFamily contributors (Larua Bruno) next Saturday. Isn’t that funny?
September 18th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Haha oh Erin, you make it sound like the cast of Friends sitting around in a coffee shop..and whenever you need them, there they are.
It’s so much more elusive for most people.. I wish I could see them and talk to them as clearly as you. I know you say all we have to do is be still and listen. Maybe you could help us out..those of us less gifted than you.
How exactly do we meet our guides?
September 18th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
This was very a interesting post, Erin. Thanks for writing.
September 18th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Oops — a very interesting post. (Guess I need to improve my proofreading skills!)
September 18th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
@Elaine: Ah, you’ll love Laura. She’s great. I’ll be writing more about guides soon. You may want to read Sonia Choquette’s book, “Ask Your Guides” for clues on how to tune in to them.
@Jenn: I think it takes practice and time and patience and trust. I might write a blog entry about that so everyone can learn. Stay tuned.
September 19th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
“you make it sound like the cast of Friends sitting around in a coffee shop…and whenever you need them, there they are.”
Actually, I believe that is exactly what it feels like. We have a tendency to over-intellectualize our intuitive abilities. Our “trying” is often pushing the river…
As a medium who does regularly receive names from individual entities who step forward to speak on a Questioner’s behalf, I’d like to comment on what spirit guides have told me regarding explanations for the individual “physical” characteristics — the personification — they display:
They take the associations from us. They modify themselves to mirror our expectations; things like appearance or names are somewhat like costumes they find in the attic trunks of our minds.
Not all benevolent entities identify by volunteering names — personal guardian angels rarely do; the Archangels have histories in human myth and tradition that establish their names, but the question there is kind of a “which came first – the chicken or the egg?” issue…
Like the names we give our pets, spirits may not call themselves what we call them, yet they seem open to being named if it helps us process the relationship with them.
Naming is very powerful — it is the co-creative assignment given to mankind by God as our participation in exploring and experiencing Creation. I encourage everyone to experiment with willfully naming the spiritual entities they connect with, if necessary, if it helps you to create, maintain, and development a working relationship with them. I emphasize your fre will, creative action, and your personal empowerment in this process of discovery. You don’t need someone else to write the script of your life for you — that’s dangerous. You must be the star and the author of your own life.
I do agree with Erin that getting too caught up on the name should not become a micro-management distraction factor that causes you to miss out on the Bigger Picture of why they are interacting with you in the first place. You don’t have to know a stranger’s name to be saved by them or receive a life-changing message.
September 19th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
Slade is exactly right. I never allow myself to get tripped up on the names. I can recognize the guide’s energy signature. But names do help when it comes time to explaining them to others. It’s much easier to say “Keith” than “the bouncing 16 year old who has only been deceased for a year.”
September 20th, 2006 at 5:32 am
[...] Here’s a quote from the Comments section of Erin Pavlina’s article “Do guides have names?” I’ve already apologized to Erin for hogging her blog… Yours truly is that Hermione-esque individual with his hand up in class, and you know I’m long-winded… [...]
September 20th, 2006 at 5:37 am
Erin, you mention Archangel Michael and Jesus as powerful spirit guides. How about other great teachers of history — the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Mohammad? Are they still around? I know of people who say that they regularly communicate with the gods of the European pagan tradition — Odin, Thor, Apollo, Hermes, Lugh, and so forth. Do different people “attract” different spirit guides to them depending on what they need? — If so, why do you think you ended up with Michael? — Will answering these questions take a whole new blog post?
September 21st, 2006 at 5:00 pm
What a dreamy post, Erin. I’ve just been working with Sonia Choquette’s book, and it’s been a great experience for me. And naming’s been on my mind. I’ve gone ahead and given some names to a few of my guides. It’s been particularly fun with some joy guides, whom I’ve named Mr. & Mrs. Picklesby and Rhoda Morgenstern. I don’t know if these names are landing on spirits that match them, but it makes me happy to think so.
November 7th, 2006 at 6:46 am
[...] This is a continuation of comments I made on Erin Pavlina’s blog… [...]
February 28th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
[...] As I wrote on Erin Pavlina’s blog You don’t have to know a stranger’s name to be saved by them or receive a life-changing message. [...]
April 27th, 2007 at 5:47 am
[...] Allow me to elaborate on my part of the discussion: [...]