AUTHOR’S NOTE: I admit to being tired of hearing mystics emote about the benevolent “spirit guides” who will unerringly steer them straight and therefore deserve their unquestioning trust. This assumption is tossed off casually as if everyone agrees that it’s the most natural thing in the world: “My guides told me . . .” I’ve yet to see a vetting process for these paragons of virtue and I’m skeptical of their pedigree. Although it was a product of its time and a bit too overstuffed with New Age malarkey for my taste, Edwin Steinbrecher’s Inner Guide Meditation put its finger on the problem (the risk of psychosis) but it wasn’t critical enough about the other side of the story: the danger of self-deception.

I’ve spent most of my life studying and working with esoteric properties, one of which is the astral dimension or Astral Plane. The advice of my teachers was to be wary of anything I might encounter there. The Lower Astral is the abode of disembodied spirits and elemental sprites that may not have our best interests at heart. One of my favorite ways of looking at it is that they aren’t just hanging around at the threshold, waiting eagerly for us to arrive and request their aid. They are constrained, either by their lowly place in the ethereal pecking-order or by other onerous ties that bind them there, and they may not be happy about it.

Before I place my faith in their good will, I want to make sure they aren’t perverse entities that are inclined to mess with me. This is the same realm that harbors spirit guides, whom I’m also not going to take into my confidence simply because I believe they want to assist me, even (or especially) if they claim they’re honorable. To this end I will rephrase one of former President Ronald Reagan’s famous quips: Question: “What are the nine most terrifying words in the occult vocabulary?” Answer: “I’m from the Astral and I’m here to help.”

There are numerous protective measures that one can employ to achieve psychic self-defense, including “white light” invocations; prayerful supplication; or, at the other extreme (and not for the novice), powerful adjurations that carry the force of magical Will. But I wonder how many of the mostly young, female believers are even aware there might be psychological peril involved. It’s one thing to have a friendly conversation with what we assume is a sympathetic spirit but quite another to buy into the hype and act as if it’s 100% reliable. I can’t take random supernatural coaches – even self-proclaimed “guides” – at face value, so I choose not to engage with them. It becomes particularly unsettling when we consider that there are entrepreneurial opportunists out there who will charge a fee (or the price of a book) for bringing us together with these numinous beings. Then we’re dealing with two sets of debatable credentials.

At its worst, this dilemma is reminiscent of the con-man who sees us coming a mile away; at its least risky, we’re just talking to ourself and no harm will come of it as long as the inner conversation doesn’t pretend to be anything more; at its most suspicious, we’ve contacted something that we can’t pin down and should proceed with caution. I’m not averse to the idea of kindly ancestors or past-life mentors making an appearance when I need them most, but I usually call on their presence intentionally and don’t expect that they will be constantly looking over my shoulder with benign intent as spirit guides are alleged to do. It’s enough for me that they’re available for consultation. I covered similar opinions in more depth in the 2024 essay linked below.

“Spirits of Another Sort”