Dear Julia:

I read your spirit guide article and I found it very helpful, but I have also come across an opposing view that says that all spirits are deceptive and no spirits are really good - they just pretend to be to deceive people and entrap souls. This spiritual writer isn't Christian; he's some weird guy who was attacked by astral entities and now claims to be enlightened. He strongly warns against engaging in activities like channeling because of the dangers involved, and urges us to disregard all channeled information as unreliable. Even though I disagree with him, I find his ideas interesting. How do we know that the spirits we are dealing with really are positive? Thanks!
Robert

Dear Robert:

In my view, this opposing view doesn't make much sense. If one believes in spirits at all, then it stands to reason that just as there are good and bad people in the world, there must be good and bad spirits in other dimensions. Suggesting that all entities are evil is like assuming that all entities are like hungry lions, and warning people to stay away from monsters as well as kittens, bunnies and butterflies.

It is true that there are lower astral entities that are selfish by nature who may try to deceive us in order to achieve their aims. The same can be said of people too, of course, but no one would suggest that we avoid all contact with other people. Instead of succumbing to paranoia and deeming all spirits to be evil by nature, I think we're wise to test all things and hold fast what is good. We judge people by the things they say and do, and the same approach makes sense with spirits.

If one focuses on the negative, he will indeed find lots of evidence that spirits can be ill-intentioned. Of course, the same is true if one focuses on the positive. Further, I believe someone truly enlightened would teach love and faith instead of spreading fear and mistrust, but then, I doubt a wise man would claim to be enlightened in the first place.

The fact that this writer mistrusts all spirits reveals more about him than it does about the nature of spirits in general, for it is our own vibration that determines the quality of the experiences we manifest for ourselves. People who are psychically open but weak, fearful, angry or depressed tend to attract negative entities, while people who are sensitive but strong, faithful, loving and positive tend to attract beautiful experiences all around.

This is why people who are fearful when opening psychically tend to have negative experiences. If they don't rise above their fear, they may learn that spirits are malevolent and dangerous. This is understandable, for until they achieve a higher vibration, they may never have a conscious encounter with a benevolent spiritual entity.

We can only see in others what we possess ourselves, so to one who is full of greed and anger, the world does appear to be a dark and scary place. It is only when we grow in love and light ourselves that we begin to see these qualities in others and are able to become aware of higher beings. One who is enlightened is beyond fear and sees light everywhere. If such a person has a desire to teach at all, it is to reassure and uplift others, not warn them of spiritual dangers.

Further, one can't prove a negative, so even if we haven't personally met any higher spiritual beings, that doesn't mean they don't exist. To claim that there is no such thing is a bit like someone who has lived in Idaho his whole life claiming that there is no such thing as elephants simply because he's never met any himself, or because he saw a man in an elephant suit on television and thus deduced that all elephants must be imposters.

Of course, those who have encountered real elephants - and higher spiritual beings - hold a different view. It's like knowing that you love your child more than life itself: until you become a parent, you don't know that it is even possible to love so much. Similarly, until you encounter higher spiritual beings, it's hard to understand the unquestionable goodness of their energy.

Fortunately, we are all blessed with intuition, and it is this faculty that helps us discern good spirits from bad. When we consciously encounter spirits, we have feelings about them. For example, when people meet a so-called ghost in a creepy haunted house, they tend to feel frightened because the energy of that place and the entities lingering there is lower than their own energy. As our goal is to continue to rise in vibration, anything of a lower vibration may feel threatening, unwholesome, ugly or crude.

When we encounter other people, places or beings of a higher nature, we naturally feel attracted to them. As a higher vibration means greater health, happiness and personal power, those things generally seem beautiful, uplifting, healing, comforting or inspiring.

When people who are psychically open are highly intellectual, they sometimes have a hard time hearing their intuition, which tends to make them poor judges of character. This is because goodness can't be judged with the intellect - it must be felt with the heart. For example, someone can smile and say nice things to you, but that doesn't mean they are sincere. You have to listen with your heart to determine if a person (or spirit) is truly good and loving.

In my reading work, I regularly consult higher spirits and they always relay loving, healing, empowering guidance without requiring anything in return. Their works are definitely positive - often they pull people back from the brink of despair. To judge the true nature of spirits, you must simply evaluate how you feel about them and the effects they have on your life. If you are empowered, healed and uplifted, then obviously association with those spirits is good for you.

There have been accounts throughout history of spirits, angels, guides and masters helping people in all sorts of wondrous ways. To totally disregard all positive spirit contact as illusionary is to close yourself off from all the good things that the spirit world has to offer. Similarly, suggesting that we should disregard all channeled teachings is a bit like telling people to mistrust everything they read on the internet: While there is a lot of false information out there, there are also tons of good and helpful sites.

The more we allow fear to determine our choices, the smaller and darker our world becomes. By contrast, the more we choose from love, the bigger and brighter life seems. So much good has been gained and may yet be gained from communicating with spirits of a higher nature. We have received illuminating, inspiring teachings on the meaning of life from them. They assure us that what we do matters, and they urge us to stretch our capacity for love and compassion, to do good works and be of service to others, to cultivate peace and understanding between peoples and nations.

To weigh the words of this spiritual teacher, ask yourself what effect his words have on those who read them. Is the message positive and empowering or rife with fear and anxiety? What does your own inner knowing tell you is true? It seems to me that this teacher is himself an agent of darkness, for his message is dark and disturbing. If our goal is enlightenment, then instead of endlessly running away from evil, we must summon the faith and courage to reach for the Light.

- Julia