Whilst some people explore spirituality in an effort to somehow become more than they currently believe themselves to be, a common notion in many traditions is that you are already quite complete. If you are, in essence, a spiritual being who just happens, at this time, to be having a human experience, it makes sense that you can’t really become any ‘more spiritual’ than you already are. On the contrary, the true purpose of spirituality is to help you get in touch with your core nature and learn how to access – and possibly develop further – the innate qualities within you.

One of the things that you already have within you is wisdom, and today you will learn how to access that wisdom through something called your Inner Guide (also known as a Spirit Guide, the Higher Self or simply as ‘the voice within’). This is a representational or symbolic figure that you will meet via the imagination, and once you have met your inner guide, you will be able to ask for – and receive – spiritual guidance as and when you need it.

How to Meet Your Inner Guide

Before you continue, please ensure that you have created an inner meditation space as instructed in my previous article on Exploring Inner Space. Assuming that has been done, and you have used the meditation space for a week or so to fix the location in your mind, you should proceed as follows:

Go to your inner meditation space and spend a few minutes grounding yourself there, either by meditating or by sitting quietly and enjoying the details of your surroundings.

Now imagine, somewhere in the far distance, some kind of portal or doorway. Don’t force this portal or doorway to have any particular appearance, but just allow your imagination to settle on whatever design arises.

It is from this portal, or doorway, that your Inner Guide will appear when you invite them to visit you, so invite them to do that right now, using whatever words you wish. If you are stuck for words, a simple: ‘Inner Guide, I invite you to visit me now,’ will suffice.

Now imagine that a figure steps through the portal or doorway, and slowly walks towards you. Allow your imagination to portray the figure in any way it wishes. It could be that your Inner Guide takes the form of a famous religious figure, such as Jesus or the Buddha, as an angelic being, as a wise old man or woman, or as something completely different, so allow the figure to appear in whatever way comes naturally.

When the figure is standing before you, ask your Inner Guide any question you like about your spiritual development and your life in general.

Listen to whatever your Inner Guide replies, and if you wish, converse a little about the matter you have raised.

When you are ready to end the conversation, thank your Inner Guide for their help and guidance.

Now see your Inner Guide turn and walk back to and through the portal or doorway, leaving you alone once again in the meditation space.

Spend a minute or two considering the conversation you have enjoyed with your Inner Guide, then open your eyes and focus on the external world until you are fully reacquainted with the here-and-now.

You may, if you wish, note down the details of your conversation with your Inner Guide in your journal.

It is important that you give serious consideration to any advice that you receive from your Inner Guide. You are not obliged to follow it, of course, but doing so could well prove fruitful.

This Inner Guide meditation exercise is an excellent way for Seekers to access their innate wisdom. It won’t appeal to everyone, but if it appeals to you, I would encourage you to practice it on a weekly basis as a simple and enjoyable way to listen more carefully to your intuition.