When I refer to spirit guides, I am not referring to humans. I mean the not incarnated souls who signed on to be my guides for this lifecycle. They act as you intuit is proper. They guide me, challenge me, but never tell me what to do. I have conversations with them through my psychic medium. I also know they influence me when I ask for guidance silently and I hope I act accordingly but am sure it's a mixed bag. I do think I am more and more aligned these days.