Understanding the Symbolic Language of Guides

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dark Inquisitor	29 Jan 2003
I have had a few readings with people that get visual messages from their guides. Often, these messages are in symbolic form & it is difficult to know what they mean. For example , one lady saw me walking through tall bookshelves. Her guides were showing her something , but she couldn't explain what it meant in reference to me. She also said she saw the top of my head coming off. We both took this to mean some kind of psychic enlightenment or opening of the crown chakra in my future. (Unless I am going to be the victim of an unexpected autopsy!) I know some psychics have a regular language going on ,like the tv mediums often refer to relatives of the querent appearing above, below, or to the side to refer to older, same age, or younger spirits that have come through. My questions are: If you have these visual symbols appearing to you- what are some of them & what do they mean ? Are there any books you know of that might be like a guide symbols dictionary to help in the translation ? Tarotphelia

zorya	29 Jan 2003
imho, there are no easy answers to your question. there is no one book that even comes close to explaining 'symbolic language'. when i do shamanic journeys, they are filled with symbolism. some of them are universal and obvious. like those you might find in a dream interpretation book. for example a butterfly would probably mean transformation. many of them are personal symbols (to me), and some are known only to the client. actually the best are often the ones that have meaning only to the client! many of the symbols would change meaning depending on the context. often there are symbols that neither i nor the client understand at the time. they are realized later or in retrospect. i know this is not a real helpful answer, but most of the time i just 'know' what they mean. i've also found that time and experience help. when the same symbol shows up repeatedly, you eventually put two and two together and figure out what it means. for example, there are locations that i might see or go to, that tell me what the journey will be dealing with. when i get 'flashes', during readings etc. they are usually pretty obvious, or come with a particular feeling that helps me understand them. usually i just 'know'.

The Understanding the Symbolic Language of Guides thread was originally posted on 29 Jan 2003 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.