Today I want to discuss the various types of spiritual services and practitioners. This article aims to help you, the reader, determine which type of practitioner or service you should seek out for your troubles.

Animal Communicator: As the name implies, they can communicate with animals. Sometimes they use telepathy (mind–to–mind communication), and sometimes they use other psychic abilities. See an animal communicator if you're having trouble understanding what your furry companion wants or needs or if you have more prominent animal friends (like horses).

Astrologer: This is someone who uses astronomical stars and planets to gather information about a person's personality and how the planets and stars will influence them, and the events of their life in the upcoming days, months, and years. There are many astrology sessions. Examples include birth chart readings, relationship compatibility, predictive astrology, medical astrology, and astrology used for determining past lives.

See an astrologer if you believe in astrology and seek in-depth consolations that go beyond your Sunday morning horoscope.

Channel: A channel gets information from the spirit realm, but not usually people who have transitioned from our physical world. Instead, they receive information from spiritual guides, totem animals, angels, ascendant masters, alien life forces, and other spiritual entities. Most channels enter some type of trance state while reading. Sometimes this is intentional, and other times it happens unconsciously.

You should see a channel if you're seeking information from the spirit world that will help you heal from the past or better prepare you for moving into the future. Be aware that people who channel often experience changes to their physical body while in the channeled state. This most notable happens to the voice, where the voice changes in some manner. However, it's common for body posture to change to reflect the entity that is speaking through them.

Healer: There are many types of healers in our world. In fact, the author of this article could have broken them down into various subcategories for this list. Examples of healing modalities include Reiki, Quantum Touch, Angel Touch, Spiritual Mind Treatments, Aura Cleansing, Chakra Clearing and Alignment, Crystal Bowel Healing, Chinese Medicine, and many others. Regardless of the modality, healers use their ability and skills to heal a person. Sometimes this is emotional, mental, and spiritual healing; other times, it takes on the form of healing the physical body.

You should see a healer if you believe in their healing modality and if you are willing to listen to and follow their post-healing guidance and direction. Additionally, understand that it is, in fact, normal for there to be multiple sessions to work on a single health issue or concern.

Medium: A medium communicates with people who have died and moved on to the spirit realm. Sometimes a medium channels, and sometimes they don't. There are different types of mediumship and spirit communication. Still, the most common is mental, where the vast majority of information is heard within the mind. Evidential mediums aim to prove whom they are speaking with. They do this by gathering facts about the person (such as their date of birth, name, physical appearance, hobbies, special memories, etc.

Mediums can be a fantastic resource for helping with grief. You should see a medium if you have lost one or more people in your life and you desire to know how they are doing on the other side or if you want to hear a message from them.

Oracle Card Reader: An oracle card deck is any deck of cards that does not fall under the umbrella of tarot cards. Tarot cards have 78 cards and are divided into major and minor arcana. The minor arcana comprises 4 suites (usually wands, cups, pentacles, and swords) made up of court cards (usually pages, knights, queens, and kings) and aces through number 10. The other 22 cards make up the major arcana, which are archetypes such as a magician, fool, death, empress, etc.

An oracle deck usually has fewer cards, anywhere between 20-something and 50- something. These decks tend to be themed. Examples include angels, animals, fairies, trees, oracles created by gurus and famous people, and the list could go on.

An Oracle Card Reader has experience and skill in reading a particular oracle deck. They draw the cards and interpret them in response to your questions or your area of life where you seek guidance.

You should get an oracle reading if you find the tarot cards too scary and discover you resonate with the theme of the oracle deck the reader will use.

Pastoral Counselor: A pastoral counselor is always a minister who has training in counseling and psychology along with the religion they practice. Of all the services mentioned on this list, the pastoral counselor is the service for you if you need deep psychological and counseling help. For example, you are suffering from depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, etc., and can't seem to get a handle on it.

Most pastoral counselors will do brief therapy lasting at most 3-6 sessions. If you still need help after that, they will typically refer you to a state-licensed psychologist or counselor. Sometimes pastoral counseling can last longer, but it's rare to have a minister who will spend several months helping you work through issues associated with the past.

Psychic: There are many different types of psychics. Every medium and channel is a psychic, but not every psychic is a medium or channel. Psychics have usually developed extrasensory abilities. This usually includes clairvoyance (clear seeing) or clairaudience (clear hearing). Many are strong empaths who pick up and understand emotions quite easily. Most focus on making future predictions based on where your life is currently heading. However, some excel at helping you know the past or the present. Some do straight readings (sessions without any tools or "toys"), and others have a tool they specialize in, like astrology, tarot, the runes, numerology, etc.

You should seek out a psychic if you want to see where your life is heading and if you are open-minded.

You can use the information in these sessions to better control your life because you'll have foresight into where things are currently heading. Thus, you can determine how you want to react and deal with situations, both good and bad, as they occur.

Shaman: A Shaman could easily be grouped in with either healers or psychics because they are a little of both. However, it's specialized enough that it deserves its own category. As mentioned, a shaman practices both sacred healing techniques as well as divination techniques.

Most shamans specialize in journey work. A journey is when the shaman forces themselves into a trance state (usually through drumming, dancing, singing, plants, ritual, or a combination of one or more). They then travel to either upper or lower worlds to communicate with spirit guides or animal companions. This is done to discover what needs to be done to bring healing or guidance to their client's life.

Likewise, various divination techniques are used (including rock or cloud gazing and talking directly with spiritual teachers and animals). This helps uncovers information and insights about their client's path or questions.

Most people who use the services of shamans are either very sick, unlucky, or feel connected to the natural world.

Spiritual Coach: A coach, as in a life coach, is one that helps you set goals, asks you good questions, and encourages you to accomplish your goals. A spiritual coach does the same but relies on spiritual beliefs and techniques to help.

Get a spiritual coach if you need help planning, organizing, and goal setting and want someone to help encourage you to stay on task.

Spiritual Director: These individuals are often called spiritual companions or guides and not so often spiritual directors. Spiritual direction is more of a religious phenomenon. You sit with a minister or priest who helps you hear the voice of God and figure out how God is active in your life and what and how God is communicating with you.

In the New Age Field, a spiritual guide or companion is not usually an ordained minister. Their purpose is to walk your spiritual path with you. They serve as a means for you to bounce thoughts, experiences, and ideas off of. They are typically excellent listeners and usually care deeply about you and the journey you are on. They may ask helpful questions, cheer you on, or simply act as a shoulder for you to be comforted on.

Get a spiritual director/guide/companion if you are lonely and feel alone as you explore your spiritual identity or need someone to listen to you and offer alternative insights to your thoughts.

Tarot Reader: A Tarot Reader, like an Oracle Reader, has experience and skill in reading cards, but this time it's the tarot cards. These cards are said to map the soul's journey and help uncover subconscious thoughts and beliefs and predict the future.

Most Tarot Sessions are not fortunetelling sessions. They are better thought of as counseling sessions where the cards are used to draw out information and help you make decisions. Yes, future predictions can occur, but the focus is on digging deep into the psyche while providing insights into what course of action may be best for any situation.

Summary

Hopefully, this list helps you determine what new-age service is best for you. At the very least, perhaps it will introduce you to some services that you didn’t know about or haven’t thought seriously but now may sound more appealing.