Ever wondered why you have occasional ringing or buzzing in one ear or the other? I wondered about it for years. It can happen at any time, and it last seconds or, at most, a minute or so (as opposed to non-stop ringing, a medical condition called tinnitus).

According to the Natural History Encyclopedia, the first found document referring to this phenomenon was written in 77AD by Pliny the Elder in Rome. Body symptoms were sometimes considered omens and taken very seriously when happening to famous people.

Almost everyone experiences ringing at some point. It is estimated that 15-20% of people have it on a regular basis. Many awakening people have experienced it on and off over the last several years. The planet is in a time of major transformation, with much disturbing, hidden agendas bubbling to the top. Along side of that, many are experiencing extraordinary spiritual and emotional transformation.

Those people who speak or write about it often call the ear ringing a time of spiritual “downloading.” That’s a term to note the involuntary experience of higher frequencies being activated in your soul from higher realms. During this time, you are likely receiving guidance, a heightened awareness, an attunement or a spark of knowing. You are going through an energy shift and are receiving a divine upgrade.

The incoming downloads tend to come more often when we are consciously working on our spiritual growth. They cannot be deciphered by our conscious mind as they stream in. We often have to wait a while before we understand the nature of that information – perhaps a few hours or even days.

As I began to work on this article, I experienced a six-second ringing in my right ear and stopped to say, “Thank you!” Since the right brain controls the instinctive, intuitive and creative side, I can only assume that my angels or guides decided to assist with writing this article.

I believe that, for me, left ear ringing tends to handle more insights into life-purpose issues.

Next time the ringing happens to you, take a moment to tune in. Ask yourself, where is this coming from? What are my guides saying to me? What help am I receiving? I rarely get an answer immediately.  Other times, all I can do is stay alert and watch to see what comes up over the next few hours or days.

Spirit guide:   a benevolent, spiritually advanced, disincarnate spirit who acts as a guide or protector for a living, incarnated human being.

Your spirit guides are with you at all times. You are their spiritual assignment. They are trainers, ready to assist your spiritual and emotional growth but you must believe they are real. They can’t help if you don’t first ask and then listen to their messages. How deep is your desire?

The asking part is the easiest, and yet many people do not know to ask. It is as simple as saying, “Hello, dear Spirit Guide(s). I’m confused (or sad, or afraid, or whatever) and I need your help and guidance.”

The trickier part is learning to listen to their guidance. You want to hear them, but may not know how. Because they are not embodied in earth suits, and they vibrate to a higher frequency than we do, we have to be still and receptive to catch the message. Yet it is a skill that can be learned by anyone.

Hint: They don’t walk right up and speak loudly to you.

While you may hear them speaking through a voice in your head, or out of a stranger’s mouth, they may come as a smell, a feeling, a dream or other way. This calls for your attention to detail and a willingness to be open to the creative ways they try to engage with you.

For instance, have you ever been distressed and asked for help? Then have you turned on the radio, and a song comes on that gives you guidance? On several occasions, while stressing over an elusive answer, I have heard Paul McCartney singing “Let It Be” on the radio and I know I will have an answer soon. Thank you, Guides.

On another occasion, my curiosity about my principal spirit guide was fulfilled through a massage therapist.  A year before, I had asked my guide to reveal himself to me, and he replied in my head, “I am always standing behind you.” (I thought that he meant he has my back) I glimpsed a tall male figure dressed in white. Scroll forward a year later, when the massage therapist was working on me.  She said, “My goodness, your guide is so tall, and he’s standing right behind you.” Several others over the years have reported seeing him. He’s always behind me, both literally and figuratively.

There are other guides, too, who seem to come and go when the situation calls for it. I have a guide who presents herself to me as a plump, short, motherly woman and says her name is Margaret. I, on occasion, have a Native American guide who appears so very old that I have never been able to tell her or his sex. This being mostly communicates with grunts, and I cannot pronounce her or his name. Sometimes, I see an old Chinese medicine man who won’t give me his name. I know he is here when I see a flash of purple behind my eyelids.

The more often you ask and then listen for an answer, the more often the information comes through. These loving beings have a treasure trove of information for you and they are waiting to share it.

Here are a few ways to learn to communicate with your spirit guides:

1. First of all, believe that they are not only with you, but also there especially for YOU.
2. Tell your spirit guides that you would like for them to reveal themselves to you. You can ask them to show up in your dreams, or in meditation, sitting in nature, or another way. But don’t be surprised if they choose a different way.
3. Spend time in your garden or a park or greenbelt – somewhere in nature where it is quiet. Calm your mind with a mantra, state your desire to communicate, ask a question, and then listen. A mantra is a positive phrase repeated over and over, so it could be as simple as, “I am at peace.”
4. Be aware of interesting encounters with animals.  I don’t mean ordinary sightings. In other words, not just seeing a mockingbird in the tree, but that you see something unusual like a coyote walking down the street in broad daylight or a snake slithers across your path. Then turn to a book like “Animal Speak” by Ted Andrews, or “Animal Spirit Guides” by Steven Farmer, or even go to the internet where you can find the symbolic meanings of these animals. Your guides may communicate with you in that manner. It seems a favorite way mine use.
5. Write results in your journal so that you remember them. Sometimes, you get a lot of information quickly, and it can slip out of your head if not jotted down fairly soon afterward.

Good luck in working with your spirit guides. And let me hear about your successes. I’m excited for you.