Abstract
Despite tremendous technological and medical advances in the past century, people are hungering to discover their “true purpose.” Traditional psychological and social science researchers have typically avoided studies that examine esoteric spiritual topics. Yet, this is precisely where answers to fundamental questions like “what is my soul’s purpose?” are found. And this is the driving question – after employing intuitive and conventional methods – that led me to my research topic: Spirit Guides use synchronistic events as a means of getting our attention and helping us navigate our spiritual journey.
To help me discover my life’s purpose, I plan to conduct a phenomenological qualitative research design, which others on a similar spiritual journey should find useful. My study will include in-depth interviews with approximately ten psychic professionals who have discovered their spirit guides. Specifically, I will inquire about their relationships with their spirit guides. I will also probe synchronicities in their lives to learn if they confirm the existence of spirit guides and to learn if these events have helped them to understand their own spiritual journey.
Introduction
We live in extraordinary and divergent times. On the one hand, modern technology has revolutionized how we communicate, work, and live. The Internet has opened up investigations into any topic under the sun through a single set of keystrokes. Modern medicine has kept people alive longer than at any time in human history, and it is not usual for people to live well into their 80s and 90s.
Yet, there is something seriously lacking in our modern culture. People address this void in different ways. Some fill it through self-medication like alcohol, drugs, and overworking. Others seek healthier outlets through charity work and finding ways to “give back” to their community.
For many, including me, this hole is filled by pursuing a spiritual journey aimed at discovering the truth about themselves, the world and their role in it, their life’s purpose, the existence of God, and ultimately how to have a personal and fulfilling relationship with this Divine Source. Since leaving the Catholic Church in 2015, my journey has led me to study Eastern Religion, yoga, meditation, alchemy, tarot cards, and hypnotherapy. In the past year, I have discovered mediumship, psychic development, Edgar Cayce, and Atlantic University (A.U.), where I am pursuing a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology.
It is through my A.U. coursework and conferences I have participated in psychic development and mediumship, where I learned the concept of spirit guides and synchronicities. As a Catholic, I learned of Guardian Angels, but I, like many, chalked this up to romantic sentimentalism, and I did not put much stock in their validity.
In addition to my course work, I have interacted with many psychics who have ongoing relationships with spirit guides, and they have discussed the importance that such entities have on their spiritual journey. I have had several readings where a psychic told me that I have several spirit guides, including my paternal grandfather and Hollywood legend Cecil B. DeMille.
A significant driving force for my spiritual journey is to discover my life’s purpose. I am confident that with more effort, I can develop a relationship with my guides, who can help me not only discover my true purpose but help me transform to a point where I can help others along their path.
And that is the purpose of my research project, the theory of which is: Spirit Guides use synchronistic events as a means of getting our attention and helping us navigate our spiritual journey. In conducting a research project focused on psychics who have already discovered their own spirit guides, and who understand how synchronicities provide clear road signs not only to their existence but in what direction an individual is headed, will provide valuable information for people who are seeking ways to discover and fulfill their life’s purpose.
While modern medicine is tremendously effective at saving people’s lives and understanding humans from a material point of view, it seriously lacks when it comes to the spiritual or self-healing power of the human mind. It is no wonder that a literature review for my research study turned up no scholarly studies related to my topic. The primary sources of information I discovered were books written by psychics and movies like Serendipity (Chelsom & Abrams, 2001), and It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra & Capra, 1946), both of which are clearly in the realm of “fiction” as far as the modern culture is concerned.
My study will attempt to fill this void in modern research, which does not dare venture beyond the material given the amount of skepticism placed on anything that is not empirical. I will attempt to study a phenomenon that deals with expanded states of consciousness, spiritual dimensions, and other realms of existence, which could have a tremendous impact on those willing to look beyond the confines of the materialistic world.
Researcher Linda Edge ran into a similar problem with a shortage of material, and she cites this as a reason for her research study: A Phenomenological Study of Directed Dissociation. In her report, she notes, “the need for a simple model that spans both side of normal – the pathological and the exceptional – has yet to be fulfilled” (2004, p. 157).
Given the similar nature of Edge’s research topic, I will follow her work as a model for my study. I plan to conduct a phenomenological qualitative research design that seeks to conduct in-depth interviews with approximately ten individuals, similar to Edge’s sample size of eight. Like Edge, I will utilize a questionnaire as a primary tool to collect the data beyond demographic information. Most of my questions will be open-ended to provide participants an opportunity to discuss their personal experiences.
I will break my questionnaire into two parts. I will send the first part before the in-person or Zoom interview, which will consist of background information on the psychic research participant’s demographics as well as their professional experience. The second part of the questionnaire will consist of interview questions, which will not exceed a 90-minutes, and I will videotape the in-person interviews and record the Zoom sessions. My approach will be conversational to create a casual and relaxed environment where more personal information is likely to emerge.
Finally, I was drawn to synchronistic events in my life as well as when my spirit guides directly intervening on my behalf. In particular, it involved a near-fatal accident I avoided in my Junior Year in college. Just before impact, I suddenly remembered a maneuver my Dad told me that he used to prevent a car wreck of his own, which I used to avoid a head-on collision. I thought of other moments of being guided and protected from the other side, and a further investigation of these occurrences will also be essential to include as well.
I will publish my research findings in a report that utilizes the statements from those I interview as a significant source for the final product. Also, like Edge, as I review the data to discover “groupings” of categories that arise where the psychics mentioned common phenomena related to the topic. The categories will help form the sections of the report, and again like Edge, I will provide simple quantitative tables where readers can easily view the number of participants who hold a particular viewpoint. I will also produce a short video that will follow the outline of the final report and will include highlights of the interviews I conduct. Finally, I will seek to publish my findings in an academic journal.
Literature Review
Intuitive Methods
In developing my literature review, I employed both intuitive and conventional methods to identify potential sources. For the intuitive method, I completed two exercises outlined by Rosemarie Anderson & William Braud (2011, pp. 33-34 and pp. 38-39). As I began the first exercise, the movie Serendipity (Chelsom & Abrams, 2001) starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale suddenly entered my mind. The plot of this love-story is how synchronicities work to bring the two leading characters together.
As I continued to exercise, the classic Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra & Capra, 1946), then popped into my mind. An essential character in the movie is an angel Clarence, who must work overtime to earn his wings by using synchronicities in the down-and-out film star’s life to convince him that his life matters and has a purpose to others.
These films will inform my review as each covers an aspect of my two research areas: spirit guides and synchronicities. It is also useful to understand how Hollywood, and by extension, popular culture, portrays such topics. The knock on filmmakers is that they simplify and distort scientific and parapsychology subjects. In the case of both of these films, however, they do a good job presenting such esoteric topics. I will use the movie as a reference point and then compare and contrast what the films present with what I learn from my research participants.
As I completed the intuitive exercises, I found myself reliving an online class I completed last year as part of my hypnotherapy certification program. The instructor’s name is Kat, and she was more “spiritual” than the other, more traditional teachers in the program. I enjoyed her class the most, and it is through her that I learned for the first time of such tools as pendulums, imagery, and visualization. As I thought about Kat, I realized how many extraordinary people my guides have placed in my path, particularly over this last year.
Conventional Methods
I began my conventional literature review by determining which recent audiobooks I will use for my research project from those I completed as part of my daily spiritual routine. The first book I will review is Jane Roberts’ Seth Speaks: The Eternity of the Soul (1972), a source that provides a detailed look at multiple entities that exist outside of the earth plane.
Another book I will examine is Kevin J. Todeschi’s book, Edgar Cayce on Vibrations: Spirit in Motion (2007). Using information gleaned from Edgar Cayce’s readings, the book explores how vibrations connect everything from consciousness to the material world. The book will be useful for my research project as it explains the nature of spirit entities as well as providing reasons why seemingly separate events, or synchronicities, are linked.
The last source of recently completed audiobooks I will review is Dolores Cannon’s book, Between Death and Life: Conversations with a Spirit (1993). Cannon relies on more than 16 years of research gleaned from hundreds of clients she has led through past life regressions experience to develop common themes and events that occur following the death experience and in-between lives. Several subjects covered in her book are relevant to my research proposal, including spirit guides, guardian angels, and lifetime planning before a life.
In addition to these sources, I completed an online search for books that cover both spirit guides and their relationship synchronicities. The search turned up a total of five, and I will include all of them in my literature review.
The first is Ama Vitam’s book, By the Way, I Love You: My Journey (2014), a personal account of how the author escaped from an abusive life through what she calls “whispers” from her soul and synchronistic events. The second is Rob & Trish MacGregor’s book, Synchronicity and the Other Side: Your Guide to Meaningful Connections with the Afterlife (2018). The authors posit how synchronicities or what they call “meaningful coincidences” are the key to connecting to loved ones who have passed over.
The next book is Richard Webster’s Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians: Contact Your Invisible Helpers (2012), a resource for those interested in identifying their spirit helpers and how to recognize their important messages. The fourth is Alison Lakes’ book, Spirit Told Me & Synchronicity Led the Way: A True Story (2015). She explains how the spiritual and psychic world is available to anyone who seeks it and how it can significantly aid in overcoming a stressful and challenging world. The final book is Ruth White’s, Working With Spirit Guides: Simple Ways to Meet, Communicate With and Be Protected By Your Guides (2014), a practical guide that explains the role spirit guides can play in our lives, how best to communicate with them, and what they expect from us.
I will conduct additional google searches as well as visit the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) library for additional resources. Also, as part of the interview process, I will seek input from my participants on other sources I might consider.
Methodology
Method
I will employ a qualitative research approach for the primary research portion of my study. I will conduct extensive interviews that will secure insightful information from ten research participants. Each participant will be a professional psychics with direct experience with both spirit guides and synchronicities.
Also, I will employ an Integral Inquiry research approach for my study, as outlined by Anderson & Braud (2011, pp. 71-130). Specifically, the authors note that an Integral Inquiry approach occurs in three major areas. The first entails a research session that “may simultaneously provide opportunities for knowledge gained for the discipline; clinical, educational, and other benefits for the research participants; and psycho-spiritual growth and the possibility of transformative change for the researcher” (2011, p. 71).
As noted above, I have a vested interest in the outcome of my study. I am counting on the research to enhance my “spiritual growth,” and to serve as a “transformative change” in my life.
The second major area identified by Anderson & Braud regarding Integral Inquiry involves “a greater understanding of the topic of inquiry” that is “made possible through attention to the nature of experiences, their history and conceptualization, their dynamic unfolding and the processes that facilitate or inhibit them, and their outcomes or fruits” (2011, p. 71). Through the light and wisdom of my psychic research participants, I hope to discover the “experiences” involved with having regular input from entities beyond our material world. Conversations I have already had with psychics demonstrate that once they make a connection, their lives are changed forever. Events are no longer random, but synchronistic, and their lives have a purpose and definition. These are the “fruits” I seek from my research.
And the third major area Anderson & Braud identifies is that “in the course of the investigation, the integral inquirer practices many complementary forms of knowing, being, and doing – including conventional, tacit, ordinary and nonordinary states of consciousness; analytical/linear and nonanalytical/nonordinary ways of working with data; and alternative ways of expression findings…” (2011, pp. 71-72). As an “out there” research topic, my subject lends itself to using nonordinary methods of inquiry. Spirit guides can only be accessed if you can quiet your critical mind and allow yourself to enter a greater depth of consciousness. Therefore, it makes sense that to research such a topic as mine, non-conventional methods will bear the most fruit in addition to the conventional methods I have already discussed.
Finally, John Creswell & J. David Creswell suggest the use of a research “theory” to help develop a research topic (2018, pp. 49-74). They define a theory in a quantitative research study like mine as “an interrelated set of constructs (or variables) formed into propositions, or hypotheses, that specify the relationship among variables (typically in terms of magnitude or direction)” (2018, p. 52). As I was meditating as part of an intuitive exercise and contemplating a theory for my study, one suddenly flashed into my mind: Spirit Guides use synchronistic events as a means of getting our attention and helping us navigate our spiritual journey.
Creswell & Creswell also note that “inquirers use theory in their studies in several ways, including where a “theory (or some other broad explanation) becomes the endpoint. It is an inductive process of building from the data to broad themes to a generalized model or theory” (2018 p. 61 and p. 63). My theory, as noted above, will be the endpoint or question that I will answer through my literature review and interviews with my research participants. The data gathering will also enable me to develop “broad themes” or categories that will allow me to identify patterns related to my topic.
In terms of potential downsides to my research methodology, the first phrase that came to mind is paralysis analysis. As I get into the nitty-gritty of the topic, will I be undoing the “magic” of spirit guides and synchronistic events? Another concern is the potential for those I interview to turn every possible sign into meaningful synchronicity and forcing it to fit a particular narrative. Spontaneity and free will are still genuine and essential. Synchronicities are best understood after the fact when enough time has elapsed, and the landscape of events are viewed in a holistic manner, similar to moving back from a mosaic to see how it fits together.
Participants
I plan to use ten professional psychics as research participants. I have already identified at least this many through a local Spiritualist Church where I am active, a conference I attended in September 2019 at the Arthur Findley College in the United Kingdom, a hypnotherapy school where I secured a certification in 2018, and a psychic conference I attended at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. Through this network, I plan to develop at least five additional potential participants I can keep in reserve in the event that not all of my original ten are available.
Timeline
I will establish a research project timeline of six months from start to finish. In the first month, I will examine material from my literature review, develop the questionnaire, and schedule interviews. I will conduct in-person or zoom interviews in months 2 and 3. During this period, I will also analyze completed pre-interview questionnaires to tabulate and group basic demographic information. The main focus, however, will be on completing the ten interviews. I am allowing for eight weeks given the busy schedule of the research participants.
Months 4 and 5 is dedicated to final data tabulation and analysis. I will develop broad categories based on the results of the interviews. Also, I will emerge from this period with an outline for my final research project report and the short video accompaniment. I will write and prepare the final report during Month 6th as well as edit the video for the final output.
Data collection
I plan to utilize a questionnaire, which I will e-mail to participants prior to the interview, and a series of questions that I will use during the interviews. The first section of the pre-interview questionnaire consists of demographic information such as age, location, gender, and schooling. The next section will aim to discern the participants’ background as a psychic. These first two sections will be straightforward “yes” or “no” questions or ones that elicit a single response like “female” for gender and what is your most active psychic gift from a list provided (i.e., clairvoyant, clairaudient).
Once I receive a participant’s background survey, I will schedule an in-person or Zoom session, depending on the location of the participant. I will not provide them with the interview questions ahead of time as spontaneity is an essential aspect of the study. In fairness to the participants’ schedule, I will aim to keep the interviews no longer than 1.5 hours. I will welcome additional input from participants who wish to go beyond 90 minutes.
My goal with a small but professional group of psychics is to secure information that is rich and original. People I have met in this field all have incredible life stories, and many began noticing their gifts as children, so they have a lifetime of experiences.
My live interview questions will consist of 3 sections: 1) Experience with spirit guides, 2) Experience with synchronicities, and 3) Experiences and opinions about how their spirit guides utilize synchronicities as a tool to help them along their spiritual journey and to help them assist others along the way. With my 1.5-hour time limit, each section will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Interview questions for the first two sections are similar. I will inquire about their personal experiences with spirit guides and synchronicities. I will then ask when they first notice either, and if they received support or pressure from those close to them. I will also inquire about the number of spirit guides they have, their names, and how often they speak with them. I will discern whether they knew them before they passed and if they are ancestors. I will also seek to find out if they are famous people in history, the types of guidance they provide, and whether any are from other universes, are animals, or angels.
In terms of synchronicities, I will seek to learn specific events and the timeline for each. I will inquire as to when they started noticing such circumstances, and once they discovered one, did they see other synchronicities more regularly. I will also explore the decisions they made as a result of experiencing synchronicity, and if they thought about what might have happened if they chose other paths. I will also explore any connections they have seen between their spirit guides and synchronicities.
Finally, I will ask them during the interview to contact one or more of their spirit guides and to provide me with an answer to my main question about the connection between their guides and synchronicities. I will give them time to enter a quiet place to discern the information. I also plan to videotape the sessions and will strive to make them flow more like a casual conversation to elicit as much detail as possible.
Data Analysis
Once the pre-interview questionnaires are complete, and I have conducted and recorded the interviews with the ten participants, I will do the data analysis employing both an intuitive and ordinary approach. I will begin with an analysis of the preliminary questionnaires to compile the demographic and experience data into broad groupings.
I will then spend a significant amount of time reviewing the recordings of each interview. One of the advantages of planning a video to accompany the research report is that I will be intimately familiar with the footage. I find shutting my eyes while running through clip sections helps it sink in and allows me to visualize patterns across interviews.
Like the Edge study, I will compile the data into categories where I can compare how specific characteristics gleaned from the interviews and questionnaires were common and uncommon across the participants. As she did, I will include verbatims (2004, pp. 164-173) in the write-up as well as developing tables grouped by categories that arise from the research collection phase (2004, pp. 165-166, 168, 170, and 174).
Validity
Braud & Anderson (2011, p. 281) note that a crucial component of a study’s validity is itsreliability, which the authors indicate, are closely interconnected. After providing standard definitions of valid and validity, such as “strength, worth, value, and price,” the authors offer more non-conventional meanings of the word. These include “authoritative, brave, bold, courageous, helpful, and encouraging,” and the authors suggest that they make up the “personal characteristics and inner experiences of everyone involved in a research endeavor.” Therefore, my research method will include open-ended interview questions. I will seek to elicit the information I need regarding my topic.
Another element identified by the authors is what they term as participant validation. This involves “fully honoring the views of the research participants themselves in establishing the validity or truth value of a study” (2011, p. 293). Given the personal nature of my research topic, and the types of individuals I will be interviewing, I will seek to achieve “participant validation” by allowing them to open up about their own experiences. This approach will also enable me to probe the participants’ experience as a means of eliciting how it impacted them from a transpersonal perspective. While I plan to follow a script, I will create a relaxed, conversational atmosphere. This will enable the participants to feel more comfortable and, therefore, able to relay how their experiences impacted them personally.
Finally, like Edge’s research into directed dissociation (2004), my topic is “courageous” and “bold.” Given that there is not a great deal of research in this area, I also hope it will be “helpful and encouraging” to those who read the results. Striving for these characteristics will help me improve the validity of my research.
Ethics
As part of the e-mail package I send to participants that include the pre-interview questionnaire, I will also include a disclosure form that contains a “purpose statement or the central intent” of the research, as Creswell & Creswell suggest (2018, p. 93). In addition, I will include a consent and release form that requires their signature before I can commence with the interview. It will acknowledge that I plan to use the results of the questionnaire in a study that will be published. And, since I plan to produce a video and published report, the release form will also obtain their permission to use their images and words in any media I choose.
Report and Audience
I plan to approach A.R.E. to determine if they will publish the results of my research in the form of a report or lengthy journal article. I will also discuss the possibility of publishing the results in the form of a A.R.E. published book. The report and video accompaniment would be a positive addition to the A.R.E. website as well.
Since I am targeting A.R.E. as a potential publisher of my work, in terms of my audience, those who are drawn to Edgar Cayce and his A.R.E. and Atlantic University top the list. I attended a weekend conference in November 2019 at A.R.E. on psychic development, and I envision participants of such an event as a perfect market.
Other target markets include attendees of Spiritualist Churches and people from Europe who participate in programs at the Arthur Findlay College. I will also investigate the possibility of presenting my research findings as part of an existing program at A.R.E., Arthur Findlay, and Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (C.S.E.), the Spiritualist Church I attend in Northern Virginia.
My research study might also draw a more general “spiritual but not religious” set. For example, I am a member of Facebook groups like “Old Soul Community,” “Tarot Mystery,” and “Alchemy Study,” and I will create posts linking to my research study and video. Finally, I will investigate the possibility of running a limited Facebook advertising campaign aimed at “spiritual but not religious” participants.
Conclusion
Some call this period in history “a great awakening,” and it is clear that people are becoming more conscious about their spiritual nature. Eastern contemplative esoteric religion is meeting Western logical left-brain reasoning, and people are open to approaches long shunned by both traditional religion and modern science. They are hungry for something more out of life, something that can connect them to a sense of higher purpose and greater consciousness.
Modern medicine can only bring us so far, and our extended longevity is a testament to its incredible power. However, healing comes from more than just a pill or surgery. As Edgar Cayce illustrated, it is a holistic approach works best as well as answering questions haunting humans since the beginning of time, like what is my true purpose?
With this, awakening should come a willingness to study more esoteric topics such as the one I am proposing. Every person has a built into G.P.S. or guidance system, which consists of entities who have nothing but unconditional love for the individual as well as access to unlimited wisdom. Learning how to access spirit guides, and understanding how to read synchronicities, will enhance people’s lives, help them reach their spiritual goals, and ultimately improve the culture as people learn to give unconditional love to others.
References
Abrams, P. (Producer), & Chelsom, P. (Director). (2001). Serendipity [Motion Picture]. United States: Miramax.
Anderson, R. & Braud, W. (2011), Transforming self and others through research: Transpersonal research methods and skills for the human sciences and humanities, University of New York Press: Albany, NY
Capra, F. (Producer), & Capra, F. (Director). (1946). It’s a wonderful life [Motion Picture]. United States: Liberty Films, Inc.
Creswell, J.& J.D. (2018), Research design, Sage Publications: Oaks, CA.
Edge, L. W. (2004). “A phenomenological study of directed dissociation.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 44(2), pp. 155–181.
MacGregor, R. & T (2018), Synchronicity and the other side: Your guide to meaningful connections with the afterlife, Crossroad Press: Hertford, NC.
Lakes, A. (2015), Spirit told me & synchronicity led the way: A true story, Balboa Press: Carlsbad, CA.
Vitam, A. (2014), By the way, I love you: My journey, AuthorHouse: Bloomington, IN.
Webster, R. (2012), Spirit guides & angel guardians: Contact your invisible helpers, Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, MN
White, R. (2014), Working with spirit guides: Simple ways to meet, communicate with and be protected by your guides,Little, Brown Book Group: London, UK.