Do You Have a Spiritual Guide?

The read for last week's book group meeting of The Novelties was Journey With Zeke, Gift or Curse? by Lynette Teachout. Lynette is a local  author and was good enough to visit with our group for the discussion. I always love author visits and our field trips to author events. This one, in particular, was in interesting discussion.

Mrs. Teachout is a psychic medium. I learned there's a difference between a psychic medium and other types of people who claim to be able to tell the future. A psychic medium is someone who receives messages from people who are "in spirit." Sometimes they're as simple as the spirit wanting to acknowledge a person through her. Sometimes it's a warning of someone heading down a dangerous path. She shared many stories.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from our meeting or how my fellow members would handle a discussion about a topic that has the potential to be controversial like this. And I wasn't sure how I feel about this myself. I've never claimed to not believe in this type of spirituality, but it's definitely something that's hard to embrace.

Lynette's open, frank and friendly way of speaking about her gift encouraged a lot of curious and emotional dialogue. She explained that we all have a guide in the spirit world. If we pay attention, we can see evidence of the guide being with us in the form of obstacles in our path or opportunities opening up...

On this night, some of us shared stories of events that seem unexplainable unless you believe in a higher spirit watching over us. One such story of mine is of a phone call I received at a time I needed it most. I was in a very low time in my life, depressed and feeling lost, along with having financial difficulties. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of a mall a few weeks before Christmas, feeling broken, worn out and crying. At that very moment my dad called me. I hadn't talked to him in several weeks. We don't talk on a regular basis, just catch up every once in a while. When I answered and he discovered I was crying he told me that he'd had a very strong feeling that one of his kids was hurting so he planned to call each of us. I was his first call. Lynette said that was our guides working together to take care of me when I needed it. That incident stays with me. It's something I'll never forget because of the way it made me feel totally convinced that someone was watching over me.

Has anything like that ever happened to you?

I was curious about her beliefs in God and Jesus. She is a strong believer and follower of Jesus. That was a relief to me. I'd always been a little confused about whether or not there is conflict in the two beliefs.

Lynette taught us several things she's learned in her life about the spirit world. She was positive and matter-of-fact about all of it, as if it were as much a fact of life as breathing. I do believe someone is always watching over me; I usually imagine that it's Jesus. But maybe God is using spirits of others to do that sometimes.....

I'd love to know your thoughts on the subject.