How Can We Differentiate Between Our Guides and Our Imagination?

Have you ever had that small, quiet little voice inside your head that begins to gently suggest you would be better served doing or not doing something? It’s so subtle that your louder, dominant logical mind just ignores it. What happens? You later think to yourself, “Gee I should have done that….”

How many times has that happened to you? Happens to me far more than I care to admit. 

So what’s going on here? Is this just your imagination, the way your conscious mind would like you to believe, or is there really someone speaking to you, helping you, trying to look out for you and aid you in the best way it knows how? How can you really tell the difference between your imagination and your spirit guides, or as the more reluctant among us term it, your intuition?

Defining Imagination and Intuition

One of the first ways you can approach this is to define the meaning of your imagination and your intuition (i.e. information from your spirit guides). 

Imagination

Your imagination often is emotionally linked and stems from your creative center to develop images or thoughts about things that aren’t currently present. This is a product of your active, thinking mind. Another way to detect this as imagination, is to realize when and how the information appears. 

If it comes during or is part of a stream of consciousness and seems linked to your current thought process, it’s your imagination. If the information seems linked to your emotions or you’re emotionally caught up in the information (similar to your train of thought), then it’s your imagination. 

Intuition

Your intuition, or information coming from your spirit guides, is quite different from your imagination, and with practice you can begin to tell the difference. Here are a few ways to do that:

• When you receive information or a message out of nowhere, different from your current stream of consciousness or train of thought, then you know it’s your spirit guides talking. 
• If you feel the information comes in immediately without any time for your imagination or conscious mind to take part, then you know it’s your spirit guides.
• If the information feels right on a deep, soul level and it resonates well, then it’s your spirit guides communicating. Listen to your emotions and how the communication feels to you. It will always feel right if it’s from your guides.
• If the tone of voice you detect is very subtle, gentle and kind, and it offers advice in a loving, suggestive manner without demands or criticism, then you know it’s your spirit guides communicating. 
• When the message received feels “right” or “in-line” then it’s your guides; when the information just doesn’t seem to sit right or it’s “off-kilter” then it’s your imagination or your ego mind.
• If the information is clear and concise then you know it’s from your guides. If it’s vague and off-track, then you know it’s your imagination. 
• Guides will never tell you what you HAVE to do. They respect our free will. That’s why the voice is so frustratingly subtle. We barely can even detect that it’s there. We’ll detect it but it’s so subtle our active minds tend to think over it. If you’re receiving information that is forcing you to do something or angrily telling you what to do, that’s your ego mind in action.

When your intuition is strongest

Often you will feel your intuition as being predominant when you are focused on love or are around loved ones or those who love you. Additionally, your intuition seems to be in a heightened state of existence when you are doing what you love doing (for example, I love to write and I notice my intuition really kicks in then, to the point that I begin automatic writings). 

Of course your intuition can also kick in when you’re in danger. You may have noticed this when you were on the highway or a road and suddenly you either heard a sharp alert to watch out or an urge to drive in a different lane, take an exit or a completely different route). In any of these situations, your intuition is finely tuned in and you are closely linked with your spirit guides. 

I always know my guides are communicating with me when I get that “gut” feeling or hear that gentle, subtle voice that suddenly pops into my mind out of the blue. Of course, my logical, active mind is so active it just ignores it, so I have to be more mindful when this occurs. I’ve come to recognize that anytime I get a strong, demanding or critical voice in my head it’s clearly my ego-mind coming in. Still I fall prey to it and need to just keep my cool…easier said than done, I admit.

Everyone has the ability to connect with their spirit guides and intuition, it just takes some practice to recognize and ACT on their advice. Start by following your gut every time and see what happens. You’ll be surprised at how often it turns out to be right. While clearly scary at times following advice blindly without a rational reason (hint, that’s how your logical mind works, it provides logic behind suggestions or advice), experiment and see how well your intuition will help you.

Good luck, and let me know how you do with following your intuition!

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Tags: intuition, spirit, spirit guides, soul growth, living spiritually, spiritual development